I’ve been sitting here for the past five minutes, trying to think of something witty or funny to start off this blog post, but I’ve got nothing. Sorry folks. This has been such a chill week. Nothing super exciting to report. Just life in Spain. Ok, yeah, that in itself is pretty darn exciting. But it seems so normal! And it is completely normal to the 45,957,671 Spaniards who live here. Does that make me a Spaniard now?? Ok, maybe that’s a stretch, but I am feeling quite at home here.
Report on my Spanish: better. For a while, I definitely felt like it was steadily getting worse. I understand so much more now, and I’m using my blank, I-don’t-understand face less and less. Progress! Speaking? Eh… it’s coming. Not as quickly as I would like, but really, that’s a whole ‘nother ball game.
What was on tap this week? Well, this has been the first (and last) week where I’ve had four days of classes. Wow, my life is sooooo hard. :)
Monday I went to the grocery store for the first time (they’re basically the same as American grocery stores) and bought ingredients for an apple pie. I wanted to make an American dish for Mari, and like mom says, you don’t get any more American than an apple pie. It was difficult to explain this dessert to Mari because they don’t have pie here, so there are no words to describe it. Try to imagine life without pie. Yeah, I don’t know how they do it.
Tuesday was mall day. Let me tell you, going to the mall in Spain is so much more exciting than going to the mall back home. Now I finally understand why all my foreign friends are always super excited to go to our malls. So I bought myself the cutest, red leather jacket. And it was 30 percent off to boot. Bam. Watch out boys, how can you resist a girl in leather?!
This was also a momentous day, because I tried Happy Hippos for the first time. Basically, they are heaven in your mouth, and if I could, I would bring back just a suitcase full of them. Luckily, I can purchase them on Amazon!
Wednesday was the “Day of the Museums” in Madrid, meaning that every museum was open for free! But first, Erin and I made the above mentioned apple pie. After a lot of guessing on measurements (we couldn’t find any measuring utensils. But really, who measures anyway? I prefer throwing things together, and it usually turns out better), our masterpiece was complete. And it was delicious. Like one of the best apple pies ever, made right here in Spain, a country that doesn’t even have pies. What a crazy concept. Mari loved it. Abuelita ate her piece in 30 seconds. It’s too bad we can’t capture flavors like we can capture pictures. Someone needs to get to work on that.
So we really only went to one museum. Well, maybe one and a half. The one is called El Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza (don’t ask me to pronounce it, especially in Spanish) and is another art museum. I actually enjoyed this one a lot. It featured many landscapes, which are the best, and many impressionist artists, such as van Gogh and Monet. I definitely wouldn’t mind hanging some Monet in my home someday. Impressionism is a 19th century movement originating in Paris. Artists used small, thin, visible brush strokes of mixed and pure colors, rather than perfectly blended colors. It’s beautiful.
The half was La Biblioteca Nacional (National Library). I say half, because we were only there for five minutes. We went in expecting to see the book collection. I don’t know if that part was closed or what, but we couldn’t go in. So we looked around the “museum” part, which, let’s be honest, just isn’t the same, and left. The end.
Perhaps the highlight of the week was going to the Madrid Temple. This was my first time going through a baptismal session all in Spanish, and it was so cool. There is just something about the peace and calm in the temple. It was exactly what I needed. Plus, the temple is gorgeous. It’s interesting to see the Muslim influence on some of the decorating (Spanish culture has been heavily influenced by Muslim culture, since Muslims ruled Spain for centuries). Another great example of how the church is the same everywhere, yet so personal at the same time. If you would like, I highly suggest reading this devotional given by R. Kirk Belnap. About two-thirds of the way down it talks about the Madrid Temple and the importance of Islam in laying a foundation for the restoration. You won’t be disappointed.
Well, half my time in Spain is officially up. Where did all that time go? The older I get, the faster it goes, and I’ve heard that never stops. But I don’t mind. It helps me appreciate the time I do have in these experiences.
No comments:
Post a Comment