Eating in two countries// Comiendo en dos países

A typical breakfast of toast, tomato puree, and olive oil. // Desayuno típico de tostado con tomate y aceite de oliva.

La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.

I firmly believe that no country is perfect.  Thus, I expected that I would like a lot of the food in my new country, but probably not all of it. Today I'd like to share my favorite foods of Spain and the United States. (I will not be discussing the foods I hate, because I don't want anyone to be offended. Talk to me offline to find out about those. :)

The Spanish are proud of their Mediterranean diet, and I agree it has many advantages. I like nuts and olives. I like the olive oil, of which there are dozens of types spanning the length of a grocery store aisle. And the food that I adore the most is orange juice, fresh pressed from machines in most grocery stores and cafes.

I miss some American foods that are rare here in Spain. For example, consider American beer. Twenty years ago, most bars only sold light- colored, mild beer. Now there is variety-  including India Pale Ales, stouts, hefeweizens you name it. I love corn on the cob and Brussell sprouts, which, unfortunately, are rarely sold here. I also miss giant vegetable salads, topped with things like fruit, nuts, and cheese, because the salads here tend to be simple affairs.

When I stop and consider, though, the most important thing for me is eating with people. I'm the US, we can have potluck meals at people's homes. In Madrid, it's unusual to invite friends to your home, although I think it's more common to invite family members. Instead, people meet at restaurants. Waiters and customers alike aren't in a rush- you can eat slowly without a problem, and are expected to. After the meal, people stay at the table and chat, something that is called "sobremesa." A friend told me it's possible to eat lunch for an hour and a half and then stay for another three hours, talking and drinking coffee or something stronger. Obviously, this is something more common in the weekends. And it is one of my favorite customs in Spain.

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Creo firmemente que ningún país es perfecto, por eso, esperaba que me gustara mucho la comida de mi nuevo país, aunque no toda. Hoy hablaré de mis comidas favoritas de España y de los Estados Unidos. No me centraré en absoluto en los alimentos que odio, porque no quiero que ninguna persona se sienta ofendida. ¿Quieres saber más? Hablaremos cara a cara, es decir, en persona.

Los españoles están orgullosos de su dieta mediterránea y estoy de acuerdo en que hay muchas ventajas. Para empezar, me gustan los frutos secos y las aceitunas. También, me encanta el aceite oliva y hay decenas de tipos en las estanterías de los supermercados. Un alimento realmente especial para mí es el zumo de naranja. Además, hay máquinas en muchos bares y tiendas que exprimen el jugo fresco.

Echo de menos algunos alimentos que son raros en España, por ejemplo, la cerveza de los EE. UU. Hace 20 años, casi todos los bares vendían cerveza clara y con sabor suave. Sin embargo, ahora hay una gran variedad de cervezas, como por ejemplo: India Pale Ales, Stouts y Hefeweizens. También, me fascinan algunas verduras como la mazorca de maíz fresca y las coles de bruselas, las cuales, y por desgracia, se venden menos frecuentemente aquí. Además, echo de menos ensaladas grandes con muchas verduras, frutas, frutos secos y quesos, porque las ensaladas aquí son más simples.

Cuando profundizo en este tema, sé que lo más importante para mí es comer con la gente y socializar. En los EE. UU. hay cenas compartidas, en las cuales cada persona lleva un plato para compartirlo con amigos a la casa de alguien. En Madrid es raro invitar a amigos a tu casa, aunque creo que es común invitar a la familia. En lugar de eso, los grupos de gente se suelen encontrar en restaurantes. Los camareros trabajan tranquilamente y los clientes no tienen prisa; se puede comer lentamente sin ningún problema. Después de la cena, la gente se queda en la mesa y habla durante mucho tiempo, a esto se le llama la “sobremesa”. Un amigo me dijo que es posible comer en una hora y media y después quedarse tres horas más para hablar y tomar café o algo más fuerte. Obviamente, este tipo de costumbre normalmente sucede más durante los fines de semana.

My apartment // El piso

Four chairs and three shelves now live behind the sofa.//

Detrás del sofá ahora se encuentran cuatro sillas y tres estantes.

La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.

As I have written earlier, I'm pretty sure my apartment previously belonged to an elderly woman with a cat. The apartment had way too much furniture (including 11 chairs and bookshelves). There were cat toys behind the bookshelf. And it was difficult to walk because all the space was taken up by display cases for mementos. When I move, I know that my landlady will expect all the furniture to be here, so I couldn't throw it out. My solution was to take apart some of the furniture and hide it under or behind other pieces. Many of the bookshelves are still empty. Others, I use as an extended pantry or for the recycling.

I love my neighborhood, because it has little traffic and many trees. In addition, I have found two enormous parks nearby where I often walk. There are also many little spaces with trees and benches where older people sit and gossip on the summer evenings. It's easy to buy groceries because there are a lot of grocery stores. My favorites are Carrefour, which is sort of like a Target, and Lidl, where I can buy German bread. I am not very near the city center, so I never hear English spoken, although I do hear the constant yells and encouraging cheers of the people playing soccer at the sports center next door. I really like my home here and hope that I can stay for several years.

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Como dije antes, tal y como creía, mi piso era el de una mujer mayor con un gato. En el piso hay demasiado mobiliario, como once sillas y siete estantes. También, hay juguetes de gatos detrás del vestidor. Incluso, era difícil caminar por el piso porque no había suficiente espacio libre. Cuando me mude, la propietaria esperará que todos los muebles estén aquí y por eso no puedo tirar nada. Mi solución fue desmontar algunos objetos y almacenarlos dentro o detrás de otros muebles. Muchos de los estantes están vacíos todavía. De hecho, algunos sólo los uso para almacenar comida o para el reciclaje.

Como hay menos tráfico y muchos árboles, me gusta muchísimo mi barrio. También, descubrí dos grandes parques cerca de donde vivo y ahora camino por allí frecuentemente. Además, hay muchos espacios pequeños con árboles y bancos donde la gente mayor se sienta durante las tardes de verano para charlar. Es fácil comprar comida porque hay muchos supermercados. Entre mis favoritos están Carrefour, que es como un Target en los EE. UU. y Lidl, porque tiene el pan alemán. No estoy muy cerca del centro de la ciudad y por eso no se escucha inglés nunca. Me gusta mi hogar aquí y quiero quedarme más años viviendo por este barrio.

Two years ago / Mi situación hace dos años

In the appropriately named Historical Garden of the Whimsical // 

En el Jardín histórico de El Capricho

La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.

I retired exactly two years ago. When I was 35 years old, I learned about the idea of early retirement and then I worked for eleven years before I achieved it.

And how is it two years in? Amazing. I know that some people would miss their professional lives, but this hasn't been my experience. Now I have time for exercise and sufficient sleep, and when I'm sick I don't have to get out of bed. Of course, my work gave me sick leave, but it was hard not to keep working when you knew that people depended on you. I've also been able to spend more time with my parents and seize opportunities as they arose. For example, when I lived in Gainesville I was able to help clean out an apartment for my friend N´s parents in exchange for living there. That meant I became friends with them, along with meeting a lot of other new people. And of course, the most impactful change is that I was able to live in Spain, something only possible if I didn´t need a salary.

I know that I have a lot of privilege being able to do this. It was possible for me to earn enough money in the US, and the cost of living is lower here. I've also had some luck with work and with a good economy during these years. (And to live in an era where women can easily earn their own living!)  Above all, I had the luck to realize years ago that time was more important to me than money, which helped me make decisions like not buying a lot of stuff, or getting a roommate to reduce expenses. I wouldn't just say that early retirement is for everyone, but I would urge anyone to make sure that their spending is aligned with their values.

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Hace exactamente dos años me jubilé. Escuché sobre la idea de la jubilación anticipada voluntaria cuando tenía 35 años y estuve trabajando durante once años para cumplir ese objetivo.

¿Y cómo está funcionando esto dos años después? Genial. Entiendo que algunas personas echan de menos sus trabajos o sus vidas profesionales, pero no fue mi caso. Ahora tengo más tiempo para hacer ejercicio y dormir, y cuando estoy enferma, no necesito levantarme de mi cama obligatoriamente. Además, puedo dedicar más tiempo con mis padres y puedo aprovechar nuevas oportunidades. Por ejemplo, vivía en Gainesville y ayudaba a limpiar y organizar el piso que los padres de mi amigo N. el cual quieren vender. Por supuesto, lo más importante es que puedo vivir en España mientras no necesito estar siendo productiva.

Sé que soy afortunada por haber tomado esa decisión. Fue posible para mi ganar suficiente dinero en los EE. UU. y los precios aquí son más asequibles. Por otra parte, tuve la suerte de tener un buen trabajo y en ese momento la economía estaba en crecimiento. Sobre todo, tuve la suerte de darme cuenta de que el tiempo era más importante en mi vida que el dinero.

A new bilingual era/ Una época bilingüe nueva

La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.

For several years, I have been reading a blog written by an American in Fuengirola, a city near Marbella, Spain. He writes all of his blog posts in both English and Spanish and now I want to do the same. I can't promise that every Spanish post will contain exactly the same information, because I'm really not that good yet. And if my Spanish speaking friends see errors and want to correct me - I welcome it. This semester, my language exchange friend will be helping me with my posts, but I want to emphasize that any errors I make are mine, not his.

In January I took a official state certification exam that lasted for more than four hours and was far more difficult than my school's exam. If you pass this exam, you receive an official certificate that lets you demonstrate your language level for a job, for example. And I actually passed! I almost didn't - because my grade for the portion on writing nearly failed me. Hence, my decision for the the blog to go bilingual.

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Durante años he estado leyendo un blog de un estadounidense que vive en Fuengirola, una ciudad cerca de Marbella, España. Escribe cada entrada de su blog en inglés y también en español. Como me gusta lo que él hace, ahora quiero hacer lo mismo. No prometo que la entrada de español vaya a ser exactamente igual que la de inglés. Sé que algunos de mis amigos habláis español, así que cuando notéis que hay algunos errores, no dudéis en hacérmelo saber. Este cuatrimestre mi amigo de intercambio me ayudará con mis entradas. Me gustaría expresar que cuando cometa errores no será solamente su culpa, ya que cometo muchos.

En enero hice un examen de certificación que duró más de cuatro horas y fue incluso más difícil que el examen de mi escuela. Cuando un alumno pasa este examen, recibe un certificado oficial que puede usar para demostrar su nivel tanto en el trabajo como en la universidad. ¡Y aunque pasé el examen! Casi no aprobé porque mi nivel de la parte escrita fue casi insuficiente. Por esa razón, he empezado a escribir un blog bilingüe.

Playing tourist

My semester of Spanish classes did not start until February, so January was an extended break. Luckily, my Aunt G came to visit and helped me fill the hours. Aunt G is a seasoned traveler, and has visited Spain many times. But she doesn't speak Spanish and had limited mobility while she was here. I told her I could act as her companion. I was thinking of the old novels from century or two ago, when well-heeled society ladies would travel and bring along their poor, spinster or widowed, relatives to carry the luggage and order the room service. Aunt G is not rich and I am not poor, but the concept still worked. As much as I could, I translated to waiters and carried groceries and navigated the metro. I even managed to communicate with the electrician when her apartment's electricity went out. It was a good excuse to revisit some of the tourist sites, and eat chocolate with churros.

Segovia, home to a Roman aqueduct, a lovely castle, and a cathedral. We took the train, which was super fast and fun, because I have only taken the bus in my previous adventures.

I don't eat at restaurants very often. During this visit, I learned the important lesson that many restaurants outside of the city center close between lunch and dinner, and if they are open, it's just for drinks. That how I ended up eating my first Burger King meal in a few decades. 

Looking glamorous together. Hopefully I fulfilled my responsibilities well enough that Aunt G will return.

New traditions

Christmas is not a new holiday for me, but I´ve had some opportunities to celebrate in new ways this year. While Christmas trees are common here (although often plastic or just a cone shaped figure of lights), it is equally or more important to have a nativity scene. These are found in homes as well as public spaces. I went to see a very large one organized by the city of the Madrid. Unfortunately, I do not have a photo to show the scale - you wait line for 10-30 minutes, then slowly inch through a space the size of a small auditorium. It contained about ten different scenes from Jesus´ birth, plus an entire village - a mill with a functioning waterwheel, a carpet seller, farmers, etc. The only strange part was that they ran the line so that time went in reverse - we started with the holy family fleeing to Egypt and ended with Mary hearing from an angel that she would give birth. But maybe Spaniards know the story so well that it doesn´t matter.

Most kids just get a small present on Christmas Eve, though, because the real action is on Three Kings Day. You´ll note that that mean that the holidays stretch for more than two weeks. The night before Three Kings Day, on January 5th, cities and neighborhoods hold parades in which the kings enter the city. I went downtown to the biggest parade. It was packed with people, maybe 10-15 people deep, everywhere. The parents bring stepstools for the small children to stand on and peer over the crowd. Each king arrives on his own float with the appropriate animal (either a camel, an elephant, or a horse) and everyone on all the floats throws massive amounts of candy, which people scoop up. I managed to catch a few to give to my friends´ kids. If you go to the neighborhood parades, the spectacle is smaller but I´ve heard that the candy haul is much bigger.

If you leave turrón and hay for the kings and their animals and have been good, the kings bring you presents during the night. Then you can spend the holiday with your family playing with your new toys and eating. The kings didn´t bring me anything, but I still celebrated with the traditional Roscón de Reyes, a sweet bread-like cake that is filled with cream. 

I can´t wait to see what Easter is like here.

Winter holidays

The rest of my holiday was spent in Ohio, with my parents and brother´s family. We mainly stayed at home, which was convenient in their very big house. We aren´t able to get all seven of us together every year, so this was a nice treat. I especially appreciated my brother´s family coming from the West Coast, saving me hours of extra travel.

Christmas breakfast with overnight cinnamon rolls and lots of fresh berries.

Teenagers found ways to get some space from the adults.

There may have been a bet regarding this stick, which was then carried through the woods for a mile. Sticks can be surprisingly heavy.

I usually plan holiday meals. This year I didn´t feel like spending all day in the kitchen, so we went to the historic indoor market in downtown Cleveland and bought tons of handmade pierogis. In the US, pierogis are usually found in the freezer section, stuffed with potato and maybe cheese. Cleveland had lots of Polish immigrants, and now you can buy awesome flavors like black bean & jalapeno, or barbeque chicken, although my favorite turned out to be sauerkraut.

Video games were played. It turns out that my father is pretty good at dodging bad guys, but VR headsets make me instantly nauseous, so I´ll be maintaining my spectator status in the future.