"¡Venga! Este hombre ¿¿esta quejándose de nuevo??" Si estas pensándolo, deja de quejarte de lo que estoy quejándome, ¡Jolín!
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
A Salute to Great Friends
Emcee: Thank you all for coming. We will now hear remarks from their closest friend, the TMax.
TMax: A pair of greats are no longer with us. They supported me through so much. They were always working together, each carrying their share of the burden. They always made me feel so comfortable. Of course, I'm referring to my former everyday/travel shoes.
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| Walking the city walls in Dubrovnik, Croatia |
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Guest Blog: Realizations of an Expat in Europe
By Stephanie Condon
She is married, with one son, living in Europe (Germany and Belgium) for the last 13 1/2 years. Works at NATO. Loves to travel and experience other cultures, especially the cuisine. Speaks English well, and can get by in French, German, and Dutch.
After living in Europe for 13.5 years, I've made some observations. Here are a few. Have you noticed the same things?
Life as an expat realization #1
There is no such thing as personal space. Get used to it. If you need it, move back to America. Maybe Ohio.
Friday, September 4, 2015
Buñol, Spain: La Tomatina 2015
Happy 70th birthday La Tomatina!
We drove to Valencia the night before and stayed at a pretty sweet Airbnb place that Alex found. Aside from the lack of air conditioning (it was so hot) and wifi (who doesn't have wifi???), the apartment was cheap and well-located. We walked around the city a bit and then headed back to the apartment, since we have to be at the bus at 730 the next morning.
We wake up the next morning, dress ourselves in clothes we plan to never see again, and walk toward where the bus is supposed to pick us up. Greg booked the bus tickets with a company that was not the main company running the buses for la tomatina. So, we walk around for half an hour, asking different bus drivers where to find our bus, and no one knows. We even walk to the bus station to ask them, but they know nothing either. Finally, on our way back from the bus station, we stop and ask another driver, who points us in the right direction, and we get on our bus. Obviously, not many people have heard of this company because there are only 15 people on the bus, including us and the driver.
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| Tomatina or bust |
Thursday, August 27, 2015
An American Party in Spain
Back in December 2014, when I moved to Spain, I was greeted with fiesta after fiesta. As I spoke with the locals, they wanted to know about me and what I thought of their culture and parties. I always struggled to answer their questions (mainly because my Spanish wasn't that good yet), so I decided that one day I was going to throw a party to show them how we (Americans) get down. I planned the whole event, with food and music. Eight months later, I still hadn't done anything past the planning stage.
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| Virginia and Leo's backyard, AKA: party central |
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
21 More Random Things This American Notices About Spain and Europe
The millisecond after I published the article 14 Random Things This American Notices About Spain and Europe, I already had new ideas for a follow up list. This one is new, improved, and even more random than the first list. These things are interesting to me, to you, and to everyone you have ever met in your entire life, with all of whom you will share this. That is all. Enjoy.
Thursday, July 30, 2015
16 Common Mistakes Non-Native English Speakers Make
I am more than 100% sure I've said some things completely wrong in Spanish (and French), mostly because I can see the people I'm talking to crying from laughter after I say it. Some mistakes we just can't seem to stop making, even though we know they are wrong before we say them!Well, since I am here teaching English and practicing it with those who want to, I also get to hear funny things, like butchered expressions and grammar errors. Now that I've lived in Europe for almost a decade (wow, that makes me feel old) I put together a list of mistakes that I hear A LOT. Some of them so much, that I don't even recognize them as mistakes half of the time. The majority are latin-based mistakes (speakers of Spanish, French, Italian, etc.), but a few are universal to all non-native English speakers that I've met.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Santander, Spain: (El Fin de) Semana Grande
Synopsis: Before my amazing Asturias trip, I was planning to go to Santander, but upon further research, I saw they were having a semana grande (it's like a week-long festival with food, music, art, and activities) the last weekend of July, and I postponed my trip until then. I invited some friends, and Suzana, one of my Pintxo Pals, took me up on my offer. However, because I was in Asturias, I did not do any planning, and the weekend is turning out to be a bigger event than I thought. So, we will go there for the weekend, with no plans and no place to sleep...
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| Two days of fun, sun, and beach-un (it has to rhyme) |
Friday, July 24, 2015
Oviedo & Gijón, Spain: Asturias, A Hidden Jewel
Synopsis: So I want to see the northern coast of Spain and I found a pretty sweet deal on Airbnb in the city of Oviedo. I know absolutely nothing about this city or the region, but I reached out to a bunch of couchsurfers, so hopefully someone responds and shows me around.
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| Cider is serious business here - they have an entire street dedicated to it |
Thursday, July 23, 2015
How This American Stays Fit While Traveling
The best way to stay in shape is to run with the bulls!
Aside from hours of walking, I like to do a bit of exercise while traveling, mainly to keep my muscles active so I won't be sore next time I do a heavy workout. So the idea of these workouts are not to build strength or speed, but rather maintain my progress from my workouts at home. While traveling, I have a small box of tricks I use to stay fit on the go. I own a TRX. I own a jump rope. Gravity is free. Check out the video below, and some sample workouts below that.
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| Click for more info! |
Aside from hours of walking, I like to do a bit of exercise while traveling, mainly to keep my muscles active so I won't be sore next time I do a heavy workout. So the idea of these workouts are not to build strength or speed, but rather maintain my progress from my workouts at home. While traveling, I have a small box of tricks I use to stay fit on the go. I own a TRX. I own a jump rope. Gravity is free. Check out the video below, and some sample workouts below that.
¿Sabes qué me saca de mis casillas? pt.2
¡Ostras! La vida puede ser tan mucho más simple si las cosas fueron la manera que preferimos. Pero, la vida no es así. No voy hablar de nuevo de cosas del gobierno y cinta roja y lentitud y estar castigado cuando intentas seguir las leyes y hacer un ciudadano bueno. Tengo muchos más otros opciones! (Lee pt.1 aquí)Saturday, July 18, 2015
Pamplona, Spain: El Encierro y San Fermin 2015 - I Ran With The Bulls
Synopsis: Since I've arrived here in Spain everyone has told me "wait until San Fermin" whenever I told them I did, saw, or experienced something cool here in Spain. So, I have super lofty expectations for this event. It goes from the 6th until the 14th of July (always same dates every year), with many different events each day, but the main event that starts each day the same way is running with the bulls, aka el encierro.
*Note: My bull running experience actually started the 2nd of July, as I traveled to Ronda, just outside of Málaga, to train with bull runner Julen Madina and matador Rafael Tejada. I practiced running with, dodging, and even feeding bulls.
Wikipedia does a fairly good job of explaining what San Fermin is, so I'll just share my experiences with less detailed explanations of the event and more details about me and my humble awesomeness during the event.
Wikipedia does a fairly good job of explaining what San Fermin is, so I'll just share my experiences with less detailed explanations of the event and more details about me and my humble awesomeness during the event.
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Ronda, Spain: Running with Legends
Synopsis: I first decided I wanted to run with the bulls when I found out I was moving to Pamplona back in November 2014. Of course, everyone I meet in Spain mentions how great San Fermin is and then asks me if I will run.
Via some friends of friends, I have been extended the opportunity to train with bull-running professional, Julen Madina, at matador Rafael Tejada's finca (ranch), Reservatauro Ronda, in Ronda, Spain. The training will be filmed for a promotional video for San Fermin.
Via some friends of friends, I have been extended the opportunity to train with bull-running professional, Julen Madina, at matador Rafael Tejada's finca (ranch), Reservatauro Ronda, in Ronda, Spain. The training will be filmed for a promotional video for San Fermin.
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| Alright Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up |
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