Fruity Drinks Galore

Well it took m a little longer than normal to blog today...sleep was a little more important this morning haha.

Yesterday was another typical day in my life in terms of being an au pair. Played a ton with Andrea, took her to the beach and the pool, ate lunch with her at Loli's. After Alicia came home, I took a shower and set off for Caitlin's house. We waited until Adri was safely off playing with his friend, Juan, before we left for Valencia.

We had a little bit of an adventure catching the bus. First we sat for at least half an hour at the wrong stop. Then we waited for the next bus and saw it go by, but it didn't stop for us. Lucky enough, Caitlin's maid showed up at the stop then and informed us we needed to stand up in order for the bus to see us. Go us.

Finally we caught the bus at 7:05 and walked to the study center when we got to Valenica. We made plans to get 100 Montaditos with Erin after Caitlin and I hit up Zume. I literally used to go to Zume like twice a week every week when I lived in Valencia last semester. In fact, I'm sure half my blog posts were written there ha.

On my very last night there, I promised the three attractive Brazilian waiters I'd come say goodbye to them. So Maddi and I ran there right after we jumped in the Plaza de la Virgen Fountain, but it turns out they were closed for a religious holiday. So fortunately (or unfortunately, you decide) I had a notepad in my purse and we wrote them some heartfelt goodbye letter. I seriously thought that I wrote p.s. we think you're really hot or something like that in it... but when I got to Zume yesterday I talked to the Brazilians and they were like "so which one of us did you want to marry?" And I was like WHAT?? HAHA so embarrassed!! So I didn't just tell them they were hot... I told them I wanted to marry them. Why am I unsurprised?

But Caitlin and I enjoyed their free wifi and a margarita there. I'll have to come back and visit them at least one more time again before I go home. I guess I'm not as embarrassed as I thought haha.

Erin and her friend, Emily, met us there and then we walked to 100 Montaditos. It was prime Spanish dinner time, so it was packed, but we ordered our tiny sandwiches and large tinto de veranos. We used to go to this place seriously every Wednesday last year. Oh the memories. We found a little place to sit together at the bar and stayed for a while.

Then Erin wanted to show me a place called the Juice Bar that they found. We never went last semester, so I was curious to see it. It was basically the exact same thing as Zume, so I got yet another fruity drink. Haha the thought of that now makes me get goosebumps a little. Overloaded perhaps. But we hung out for a good while there and then set off for the study center.

My good old friend, David, was working, so we just stood and talked to him for hours. Exactly what I did all last fall haha. I saw a few other friends, like Wes, and enjoyed chatting until it was about time to get back home.

Caitlin and I hopped in a taxi and it was almost exactly 20 euros to get to Pobla de Farnals. Split between two people, it's not that bad though. All in all, I had a great night.

This morning waking up at 7:30 was rather unfortunate because I know I was up until like 3:30 yesterday. So while I waited for Andrea to wake up, instead of blogging like normal, I just half slept in my bed. It was much needed.

I also tried to make her watch cartoons for longer than normal so I could sleep through "Manny Manitas (Handy Manny)." It was cloudy today so we stayed inside playing all day. Gosh she wears me out. We're always running around, up and down the three flights of stairs in the house to yet another room for a different toy or something. Whew.

Lunch at Loli's was some mystery fish (mystery in terms of name, but definitely delicious) and salad. They could tell I was pretty tired and Andrea wanted to stay and play, so at 3:45 they sent me home to rest. I have to go pick her and Alicia up from their house in like half an hour, but I'm glad I got a little break.

TOMORROW IS FRIDAY!!!! Where the heck does the week go when I'm here???

Tuesday

Yesterday was another solid day in the routine. I was really tired all day though. I haven't been sleeping that well at night but I think it's because I've been taking such intense siestas...I need to control those ha.

Andrea got up a little before 10 and we really didn't even watch many cartoons at all during breakfast. She just wanted to finish and play with me. Her favorite game is called "bebes" where she is the mother and buys things for me because I'm the baby. I have to speak in Spanish with a baby voice...that took getting used to haha.

Later swam in her pool with some other kids until lunch at Loli's. We played with Ali and colored until it was ready and then we ate ternera con patatas, salad, and cucumbers. I don't remember what ternera is in English so that's why I didn't translate it. It's some type of meat. Beef maybe? Mehhh

At 3:30 we went back to our house and then played with her toys out on the porch until Alicia got home at 4:30. My nap yesterday definitely lasted from 5-7. Dangit, I'm so dumb!! Oh well, it felt wonderful.

I got up and studied for the GRE on the back porch with a beer. Haha classic. Alicia was helping me with large vocabulary words by translating them into Spanish and then defining them for me. Who knew prestidigitation would be pretidigitacion in Spanish?

I didn't go running until 9 or so. I only went 4 miles, but it was one of those runs that felt SO GOOD. I'm getting back into that feeling that I had in May in Newport News where running is something I crave rather than something I have to force myself to do. I don't know that I'll be in half marathon shape by September. Probably not because I'm not training, so I'm a little disappointed, but at least running is like a form of therapy for me here.

When I got back I played with Andrea until our dinner of hervido and salad was ready at like 10:45. I spent my evening writing letters to people until I went to bed at 1. I woke up a lot in the middle of the night though....darn you siesta.

It's hump day today AND Montaditos Miercoles! It's my first time getting to go since I've been back, so I'm super excited for tonight!!

Routine

Yesterday was just a really great and successful day for me. I feel like I had a good balance of family time and me time. I woke up at 7:30, but Andrea didn't wake up until 11, so I had a lot of time to myself in the morning.

I gave her breakfast while we watched a cartoon in which the girl made a surprise card for her parents and left it on their bed side table. So she got that idea in her head and wanted to make cards for Raul and Alicia. We went downstairs and colored for a while. Technically the card I made was for her...it had the Barney "I love you" lyrics in it and a picture of Hello Kitty...but then she told me that mine was going to be the one for Raul. Hahaha so he came home to a card from me with I love you lyrics on it. But they were both really pleased when they got home from work and found their cards.

Then Andrea and I went swimming for a half hour until lunch at Loli's. I really enjoyed lunch yesterday. I'm obsessed with the typical Valencian salads that we eat with tuna on it. We also had a really good melon...just called melon, I have no idea what kind, but apparently it's from here. Obviously there was ham present as well and then iced coffee in the end.

After lunch I told Andrea I'd buy her a balloon. When we got to the store apparently they didn't have the balloon she wanted so she found this random stick that's like a Rubik's Cube...but instead of a cube, it's in a line. I tried to talk her out of it because I didn't think she'd understand it, but it actually turned out to be really cool and Raul knew how to make a few shapes with it.

At 5, I went to Loli's to pick the baby up because Loli had to take her mom to the doctor. After that Alicia told me I should go relax so I felt no guilt at taking myself to the beach and spending an hour and a half in the evening sun.

At 7:30 I went for a run and it was lovely. I measured the distance between me and Caitlin's houses and it's almost exactly a mile and a half. I got home and took a much needed cold shower and then Raul came into the house with THREE LETTERS for me that came in the mail. Haha wow, I felt so loved :) Thanks Kristy, Amy, and Katelyn!!! I'll send out responses tomorrow!

I played with Andrea until it was time for her dinner and then I sat down for my first day of studying for the GRE. Oh lordy. It went well though. I'm not even sure if I'm going to grad school, but I know I want to take the test in the fall, just to be prepared. And at least the scores are good for a few years.

For dinner Raul made us a really good fish and some mussels. I've definitely eaten the amount of seafood that I eat in a year in this past month. But I've come to really enjoy it.

I got to skype with Becky for like 45 minutes and that made me really happy. By the time 1 am came around, I felt good about my day and ready for some rest!

Long Pant Rompers and Free Meals

So Saturday and Sunday were both really awesome days. Saturday, after mistakenly waking up at 8:30, I played around with Andrea, read, and relaxed, until 12:30 when Caitlin arrived at my house for a beach day.

We laid out in the sun and then floated around in the sea. I had walked into the sea many times, but I'd never actually swam in it before. It's SO FUN. We were like children, getting all happy about the fun waves and floating around. And when I say float, I mean legit float. It's practically impossible to sink.

We both could have stayed forever, but at 2:30 we went back because Raul had made a huge fideua for lunch. Fideua is like paella, but with tiny noodles instead of rice.


Caitlin and I with the Fideua...this whole thing was GONE after a family lunch

So we came home and ate with everyone. Alicia's 2 sisters and mother came over to join us along with her one sister's husband and son, Marc, who is 8 I believe. We had a full house and then for dessert they went and bought cafe granizado. Which is literally frozen coffee, like a frappaccino, but Spain style because they mix it up with this stuff called leche merengado and cinnamon. Heaven.

At 5, Caitlin needed to start walking home because her boy had a piano concert that night. I decided to walk with her since I had nothing better to do and I got to see where she lives. In her complex they have an even bigger pool than us and some little restaurants near by.

I came home, showered, and spent some time on the front porch talking to Alicia's family. I really like them all and they were so nice and interested in talking about the US.

Caitlin and I made plans to hang out for the night, so I rode my bike to her house. It was my first time riding here...pretty scary because I left at like 9 when a lot of people were out and about. I think I'll stick with walking unless I really want to get there fast. Caitlin wasn't home from the piano concert yet, but I just figured I'd spend some time exploring her area. The first thing I came across was an outdoor market. And I obviously gravitated towards the dress section. I was just browsing, but came across a long pant romper. I literally didn't even try it on and impulse bought it for 10 euros. Lucky for me, it fits and I'm in love with it. I'm definitely bringing this fashion back to the US. Haha, my new first day of school outfit??

Saturday night was really relaxing. We watched the sun set on the beach and explored the area and drank Don Simon Tinto de Verano. I actually went home early at like 11...I felt lame because Raul told me that they had just put Andrea to bed when I got back haha. But whatever, the thought of a good night sleep called my name.

Sunday morning I got up at 8:30 and at 9:30 I left to go to Caitlin's house...on foot this time haha. MariaJose, the mom of her house, was headed into Valencia, so we hitched a ride with her. Our plan for the weekend was a slight fail. We decided to do beach day Saturday and shopping day Sunday. Except I am an IDIOT and forgot that it was a SUNDAY in Spain. Aka, nothing is open hahaha. You'd think after living here for 3 months last year, I'd know this.

So we ended up just walking around, revisiting some of my old favorite things, and stopping into a couple random stores that were open.


Me in my new romper by my favorite Valencian tree

By 12 we were both really hungry and hot, so we stopped in a random restaurant that I'd never been to before, but that I'd walked past a million times. Caitlin had never tried agua de Valencia, an alcoholic orange juice that Valencia is known for. So we ordered a pitcher...it was stronger than we anticipated hahaha. So we enjoyed making friends with our waiter, eating delicious sandwiches, and getting a tad tipsier than we intended.


Me with the Jarra

The biggest surprise was when our waiter delivered out check...and instead of a money total, it was his name and number. HAHA. So we got a free meal out of it. Why didn't I ever stop in this restaurant before??


The restaurant


I wanted to visit my Zume friends finally, but they didn't open until 4. That was just as well because soon enough MariaJo called us and I guess was about to head back to El Puig, so we met up with her. She drove us back and dropped us off at my house since I didn't bring my bathing suit with me.

We stayed for like an hour and then walked back to her house. It was hot, but with Don Simon sangria as our company, the walk flew by. We put on our bathing suits and went swimming in her large pool. It's definitely like 12 feet deep at one end. And I definitely asked the lifeguard where we could buy stamps, just to talk to him. HAHA.


The third amigo

We were napping on our towels when Adri, the 11 year old Caitlin watches, came with his friend Juan to tell us that his parents had left for the opera. So we went back into the building and played Monopoly with them. Haha how many years has it been since I played that?? It was fun though and at 7 we decided to lay down for a nap. Turns out that nap lasted until 9 pm for me. Faiiiiil. Oh well, it was needed.

We hung out in their house (on their 9th floor deck that has a beautiful view of the Mediterranean) , painting our nails, and sharing life stories until MariaJo and Jesus came back from the opera around 11. Then Jesus drove me home and I skyped with my parents.

I felt so tired when I was done talking to them, but then I had a lot of trouble sleeping. Nonetheless, I was up at 7:30 this morning. Andrea still isn't awake, but Tania the maid is here. Monday morning is here again, but I had such a good weekend and am ready for the work week!

Friday (aka I title my posts the day of the week when I can't think of something cooler)

Yesterday was phenomenal! Andrea ended up sleeping in until almost 10. She was just getting her breakfast and watching cartoons when Loli called saying we had to come to her house asap because Andrea had hidden Eva's (one of Andrea's aunts) wallet the night before. Haha so we went over and sure enough she knew exactly where it was. Stinker.

We played the rest of the morning and afternoon around Loli's apartment complex. We played games like lost princess...where she was a lost princess and i had to warn her not to get lost when she left the house and then cry when she did. We played a lot of other random imaginary games and went on the swings. Then we colored for a while until lunch at 2.

We stayed at Loli's until about 3. Alicia got home from work around 3:30 and then I was free for the weekend! Of course the first thing on my agenda was a nap. So I slept until 5:30 when I woke up to a call from Caitlin, who is finally moved into her beach house, thus making us within walking distance to each other. It's like a 25 minute trek along the beach, but we both like walking so it's no biggie.

I walked down her way and then we headed back to Pobla de Farnals and I showed her where I live. Andrea and Raul were in the pool when we got back, so she got to meet them. We went inside and Andrea was really shy at first, but she warmed up so quickly. Soon enough we were playing games and she was running around, screaming and having a ball. We also got to play with the baby for a while.

Caitlin and I spent a while looking into possible weekend trips. I think the goal is going to be a weekend in Ireland! I so hope that we get to do it!! Raul invited Caitlin to stay for dinner and he made some sort of zucchini omelet (sounds weird, but good), roasted green peppers, and of course a plate of ham and cheese. It wouldn't be Spain without the ham (or yam as Raul pronounces it).

We ate outside on our terrace around 11 and we had a good mix of English and Spanish practice all around. It was a really beautiful night, so around midnight Caitin and I walked the Paseo and then stopped for a drink at a place called Lloc. It was definitely the hopping place in Pobla de Farnals...meaning we got to hear some sweet Eminem songs and other classic throwbacks. We sat outside, talking, and drinking a gin and tonic until almost 2 am.

On our walk back we stopped at this cool rope playground. It's meant for children, but I'm pretty sure it would be illegal in the US due to it's potentially dangerous nature. But meh, we climbed on up. Of course I'm a tad obsessed with climbing things, so I was loving life.


A view from the top

I walked Caitlin almost all the way back home and then safely made it back to my house around 2:45. I went to bed upon my return and planned on hardcore sleeping in today. I thought my watch said 10:30 when I got up... then as I was drinking my tea I saw that it was only 9. I definitely woke up at 8:30. Why is my body so weird???

Today we have plans for a relaxing day spent at the beach and the pool. Thank goodness I have a friend so close by!

Noche de San Juan

Yesterday was such a good day! It was my first time having Andrea all day and it went so well. We went to Loli's around 10:30 and stayed at the table drawing for a while. Later when the family saw my drawings they thought I was an artist hahaha. I guess I'm good at doodling?

Then we went to the pool, but the lifeguard told us that the person that cleans the pool hadn't come that day. So we walked back to our house to swim there. We had a lot of fun, but it was really cold when we got out, so we hurried to the house to change. I occupied her for a little while longer with some summer homework until we went back to Loli's for lunch.

She made us arroz cubano, which is rice with egg and tomato. I'd never had it before, but it was good. At 3, Andrea was getting really tired so we went home and she was so cute playing doctor with me and making my "hurt" finger better. I enjoyed today so much because she seemed actually happy to be with me. I'm always worried that she doesn't like me, so it was a good feeling.

Around 3:30, Alicia came home from work and told me I was free for the day. I was so tired so I took a nap. Haha I didn't even know what to do with myself since I haven't really had the night free yet. I did something pretty typical of me though and went for a walk down the beach and then looped down to the city limits of Pobla de Farnals....it's not as far as it sounds, it's a small town. I found a park that I'd never seen before and read my book for a while until I went home.

The whole family was gathering at Loli's that night for the dinner to celebrate the longest day of the year, or Noche de San Juan. We had a really traditional Spanish dinner with 14 people. Raul's two brothers came with their families and I like them all a lot.

We stayed in the house until 11:40 and then went out to the beach. The beach was FILLED with people sitting around bonfires. It's a tradition to make bonfires and jump over them. And then at midnight you go into the sea, jump over 7 waves, and throw fruit, money, and a flower into the water, and ask for a wish.


Family on the beach

We walked down the paseo with fireworks going off overhead until we reached the really big central bonfire. It was magical and I love celebrating these late night holidays in Spain that are so full of life and spending time with close family and friends.


Fireworks


Big bonfire

When we made it to the water, we all walked in and, jumped over our waves, and I threw in a cherry, a rose that Marta picked for me, and a 5 cent coin. It was a cool tradition to take part in. At 12:30 we walked home and I was exhausted. But the music and people partying lasted until 3 am outside my window. I was laying in bed, listening to all the happy people and was just smiling. I got the feeling that this was just my first San Juan in Spain out of many to come. I'm sure I'll be back here celebrating again in years to come.

This morning it was tough to wake up at 7:30. But it's Friday!! Hopefully today will go as smoothly as yesterday and then it's the weekend! I don't know what's in store for me, but it should be good. Andrea didn't wake up until about 10, so right now she's just coloring and then maybe we'll go to the pool or the park.

Happy Friday to all! I'll add pics from San Juan later tonight!

New Routine Begins Today!

Well yesterday was my last day of my old routine of having mornings and afternoons free. And how did I celebrate? I slept in until 11 haha. This is totally rare for me...in my defense I couldn't sleep the night before, but still. It was good. I went to the beach, on a walk, read my book in the shade, jumped in our pool, and drank tea until Andrea came home. I did all of my favorite activities, so I'd say it was a success.

Andrea and I went swimming at Loli's pool again until it was 7 and time to come home. She got dinner at her usual hour, but no longer has to go to bed early. She was up until like midnight! Alicia's younger sister, who is like 34, came over for dinner with us. Raul made us some really good fish and we ate outside at like 11. It was really nice and I loved her sister.

I'm pretty sure I went to bed earlier than Andrea haha.

This morning I got up at 7 to run. At 8:15, Alicia leaves for work and I'm in charge of the baby until Loli comes for her at 9. Ali was crying this morning and didn't want her bottle, but she was fine with me for the half hour. Alicia said Andrea would probably sleep in late, so I expected to have at least an hour in the morning to myself... but alas, she woke up at 8:30.

So I gave Andrea breakfast, did a page of her homework with her, and got her dressed for the pool. It's 10:15 and Loli's pool opens at 11, so we're just hanging out with "El Gato en el Sombrero" or The Cat in the Hat cartoon. So far so good! I have the cutest picture from yesterday of Andrea when she got dressed up in her princess outfit (heels, crown, and all)...I'll put it up when I'm free tonight!

Ciao!


Here it is!

A Day in the Life

Yesterday I woke up and got to go swimming at the pool at Loli's apartment complex because it finally opened this weekend. Unlike ours, this one is really long and actually has lanes...well sort of. It has lanes, but they aren't roped off and people don't pay any attention to you if you're swimming in one... sooo about a half hour after I started, like 10 pre-teen kids got in and I found that I could not longer swim in straight line. Hah.

So I decided to hit the beach and then take a walk. By the time I got home, I only had a few minutes until Andrea arrived. I took her to Loli's pool because there's a nice little kiddie section where she can stand. Playing in the pool with her is probably my favorite activity to do together since it's fun for both of us.

At 7 I took her out and was in charge of her dinner because Alicia had to take the baby to the doctor. But not to worry, it only required cooking some meat in a pan and flipping it a few times. This was far more of a success than my attempt at eggs. Andrea really likes ketchup...I had to make her actually eat her ketchup with the meat rather than just putting a fork full of plain ketchup in her mouth. Gross haha.

When the parents got home, it was close to time to put her to bed. I read her a story and life was good. I also had Alicia by myself for a while while Alicia showered and Raul walked the dog. I sang her Old McDonald and she was happy.

For dinner we ate eggplant and broccoli. My family is on an intense diet, so I guess I get the benefits of it too ha. Well they always offer to cook me extra stuff...they're good people, I promise haha.

I got to skype with Becky last night and it was so nice. I never realize how much I miss having English conversations, until I actually get to have them. Sometimes it gets lonely, but the other au pair, Caitlin, is moving to the beach tomorrow! We'll be able to walk to each others' houses! Plus today is Andrea's last day of school, which means tomorrow I have a complete change in routine. Instead of having her only at nights, I'll be in charge of her during the day and have my nights free. We'll see how it goes!!

Sorry I didn't take any pictures yesterday :(

Lazy Lunes

Yesterday I feel like I was really lazy. But we all need those days right? I stayed in the house until like 1 pm ha. For me this is really rare. I went to the beach for a while and Alicia called me and asked if I'd like to go surprise Andrea at her school. So she came home at 3:30 and then we went to get her.

Her school is so big with all these facilities, buildings, playgrounds, and even tennis courts and a pool. But this is normal because it's a school for ages 0-18. Even the baby will be starting there this coming September and will attend until she goes to college. Pretty crazy. I can't imagine not changing schools, but that's the norm in Spain.

We got home around 6 and Andrea was in a bad mood. I think she was just really tired, but she was whining and acting out. So I didn't even have to occupy her because we just watched tv for an hour until bath and dinner time. Then I took her to bed, read her a story, and that was that.

Raul made asparagus and broccoli for dinner and then I went up to bed. Ali has been sick though and started crying and wouldn't stop. After that I just couldn't sleep at all from like 2-4. That's the first time I've had any problems with insomnia here. Otherwise, I've been sleeping like a champ on my tempurpedic mattress ha.

I still got up at 8 today and now my goal is to be a little less lazy this morning.


Picture courtesy of Andrea

The Weekend!

Well this weekend was definitely what I needed after a week of caring for young children. On Saturday morning Raul took me to Carrefour, their big Costco-like grocery store, and I got a new memory card for my camera. Now I don't have to rely on the silly 5 picture limit that's built in to the camera!

After that, Raul drove me to El Puig, which is like 5 minutes or so away. I had agreed to meet another au pair there at this big monastery. It ended up working out perfectly and it felt so good to have someone to connect with on the au pair life. We talked about our families and lives and had so much in common, it was wonderful. Plus I think I was missing English a bit ha.


The beautiful monastery where we met

So Caitlin and I walked around her town a little and it's super cute. We stopped into her house to meet her family and then decided to metro in to Valencia. Since I spent all last fall there, I know the city well, so it was fun for me to get to be tour guide a little. We walked through all the major plazas and I knew that today was the day I was finally getting llao llao again. Llao llao is this frozen yogurt place that we used to go to all the time last year. They put all this fruit and muesli on it and it's SO good.


This is the fountain we jumped in on our last night in Valencia. I told Caitlin that her last night as an au pair, she's jumping in too haha.

We sat at the table outside Llao llao talking for a long time and then we walked a little more and looped back to the train station to catch the metro back to
El Puig. The aunt of the boy she babysits, Isa, is about 33 and wanted to take Caitlin out that night to "show her how they party in Valencia." So they invited me along and I'm so glad I got to go with them.

Isa picked us up from Caitlin's house at about 9:45 and took us to meet her friends at this restaurant. I compare her friends' lives to the women of Sex in the City. There's one I literally refer to as Carrie. They are so beautiful, fun, lively, and have great style. If I have half as much fun as them when I'm in my thirties, then I'll consider myself lucky haha.

We sat at this restaurant for a while where they had this deal that was 12 euros for a tapa, a sandwich, and unlimited sangria. The food took a really long time, but that's the kind of thing that doesn't really matter in Spain because we all sat around talking (and drinking) forever. We were the last at the restaurant and at like 1 am, we moved inside for a gin and tonic.

Finally at 2:30, we went to the discoteca, L'umbracle. It's this really awesome outdoor disco at the City of Arts and Science. We went and danced and acted silly. I had so much fun with Caitlin and all the Spanish women--and their one male friend, Barbi. Haha I asked him if he knew the song I'm a Barbie Girl. It's fine, we were buddies by the end.


A picture I found online (it was definitely not empty when we were there)


Us at L'umbracle

We didn't leave until about 6:30 am and Isa dropped me off at home. If you can recall, Saturday morning was the day I decided to set my alarm for 5:30 to watch the sunset from my room. I ended up sleeping until 8:30 that day, but still not returning to my bed until 7 am, almost 24 hours later, was exhausting.

Nonetheless, I emerged bleary eyed around 10 because my family was supposed to go sailing and I didn't want to miss out. As much as I want to go sailing, praise Jesus that it rained in the morning because Alicia told me they canceled the trip and I could return to bed...where I proceeded to sleep until 2 pm. I haven't done something like that in so long!

I was still in a good mood from Saturday night all of Sunday. I just haven't gone out and actually had a really good time in so long! It felt great just to go out, meet people, dance, and have fun and not feel like I regretted it the next day.

Sidenote: as I'm writing this, the Brazilian maid, Tania, just asked me how old I was. When I told her 20, she told me she thought I was 16 because of my "innocent face." WHAT THE HECK?

Anyway, at 2 I walked over to Loli and Pepe's house because Sunday is when they have their huge family lunches. They made this big thing that was like paella, but it was made with little pasta noodles instead of rice. My stomach was feeling a little questionable from the night before, but I mostly enjoyed everything I had...one thing they gave me had an anchovy and I wasn't prepared for that.


Pretending I had anything to do with cooking this sucker

After lunch, I came back to shower and get ready to go to Valencia again. I rode the bus in at 7 to meet up with one of my friends from Valencia, Seve. If you read one of my really old blog entries from September, you'll find the one from our first FSU exchange conversation where we met up with Spanish people to practice talking with them. My teacher set me up with these 2 people because I told her I didn't want to speak English. I found out later that night that they just met up for a drink, NOT exchange conversation, but my teacher just asked if they'd talk to me. Haha embarrassing. But we ended up staying friends and meeting up a number of times and they took me to a disco on my second to last night there in December.

So it was really nice seeing Seve again. He told me he was hungover from a wedding the night before and we commiserated on the effects of our "noches de fiesta." Haha. Seve doesn't speak any English, so it was a Spanish filled evening. At about 10 he walked me to the train station. There was a huge manifestation that they closed down the streets of the main plaza for. Everyone here speaks out against the corruption in the government so much. But it's a cool thing to see.

I rode the metro to El Puig, since the buses to Pobla de Farnals had already stopped and Rual picked me up. I stayed up skyping with my parents since it was Father's Day and then I got to sleep again.

I stayed in bed till 9! Finally I feel caught up on my sleep! Back to the work week for me!

TGIF!!

Whew. Thank God it's Friday was the theme of my yesterday. Haha, don't get me wrong, I love my kids, but I was definitely celebrating the proximity of a free Saturday. It was a long day for sure though.

At 10 I went to get Ali from Loli and Pepe and walked her. We went to this cute park right off the Puig beach that I discovered on my walk there. It's so green and had all these nice benches in the shade. I got her back before her lunch at 12 and then I had some time to myself.


Ali at the park

I walked about 1/2 a mile to a quieter beach where there weren't as many people. I felt like I could've stayed forever. It was the perfect weather. Like low 80s with a perfect breeze. But at 2:30 I got up because I really wanted to read my book at the cute Puig cafe. I've finally got my Spanish cafe skills down and didn't feel like a lost puppy when I sat down outside. Haha you'd think I'd be confident with these things by now, but I still get nervous the waiter won't notice me when I sit down outside or something.


Beach I sat on


The little walkway from the beach to the cafe


My view from the cafe

I finished the book I'd been reading. I've read 2 books in 2 weeks haha. Good thing I put a lot on my Nook before I left. I stayed at the cafe for over an hour, reading, drinking my coffee and Aquarius. I only spent about 10 euros this week so far so I've been making a profit. Maybe I'll save all my extra au pair money for a shopping spree haha.

I got home around 4 and had time to check some things off my to-do list before Andrea came home at 5. I think because it was Friday, my patience was just really low. We played in the garden and she was just doing normal 4 year old things, but I was getting so frustrated! Bathtime was a celebration just because I knew I didn't have to do it for the next two days ha.

Andrea cried intensely before dinner because her parents had a date planned and she didn't want her mom to leave. When they pulled out of the driveway she wouldn't get down from the countertop for a solid 10 minutes. Finally I lured her down with Hello Kitty stickers and cartoons. Maybe it was the proximity of her bedtime or maybe it was the glass of wine I poured myself, but I had a lot more fun with her at night. We played on photobooth, which she loves. Then I painted my nails and she begged me to paint hers too. I thought her parents might kill me haha. So as soon as they walked in the door, I confessed to it. But they didn't mind.


Really cute, right? Haha



I put her to bed a little before 11 and then Raul and Alicia returned at 11:30. I skyped with dad and then went to bed at midnight. I set my alarm for 5:30 to see the sunrise on the beach. I didn't actually make it to the beach, but I watched it rise over the Mediterranean from my bed with my pillows propping me up. Then I went back to bed. Haha, best of both worlds. I'll make it out to the beach for it sometime next week.

I got up at 8:30. The whole house is already awake... I feel bad for Alicia because I think Ali slept badly. I heard her crying a lot in the night...although I'm lucky because she was silent while I was home alone with her.

I'm excited for the freedom of my Saturday and to finally have an English conversation when I meet up with another au pair!

A Day with my Girls

Yesterday was a classic day in the au pair life. At 10 I went to Loli's to take Ali on a walk. We went to a few different places today, including a trip to the grocery store for me to buy this one drink I'm obsessed with. Haha it's called aquarius and it's like a lemony mix between soda and juice. I don't really know, but it's good.

We sat outside on a bench for a half an hour until it was time for me to take her back at noon. I ended up staying at Loli's for a while and she showed me the gardens and pool surrounding their complex. Their pool opens Saturday and is actually big enough for me to do laps in, so that's exciting.


Trying to make Ali laugh


Sitting in the paseo on a bench

She invited me to stay for lunch and I ate with her, her husband, Pepe, and her mom (this is Raul's grandmother and is 93 years old!). This meal was kind of...more Spanish than I could handle haha. I don't remember what it was called, but we had some sort of vegetable soup with rice and snails in it. I told Raul and Alicia I'd try snails...but I could NOT do it like this. They were still in the shell and had antennas and faces and everything. Ahhh, it gave me goosebumps. Needless to say, I ate around them.

I left around 3:30 and went on a run before Andrea and Alicia came home. It was hot, but I'm glad I did it. Today Andrea and I went to the park to play. We were there with a few other Spanish moms and their kids. I seriously wore the most mom outfit ever today haha...fully embracing my child care duties.






We played for a while and I found her a ladybug, a mariquita, which she's obsessed with. She held it in her fist for 45 minutes until it was time to leave so that she could set it free in her garden at home. She also showed it to every other kid and parent on that playground haha. I got her home around 7:15, gave her a bath, and supervised dinner. Oh routine. She went to bed pretty much right after dinner. I held the baby for a little while, but she went to bed early too.

One of Raul's friends came over and they went to dinner together. But he made Alicia and I the vegetable puree thing that he knows I love haha. I remember the first day I was here they asked if I liked hamburgers and I told them that I didn't really eat them. Mostly I just won't eat them from fast food places, but I eat them when mom cooks them. But yesterday I felt so bad because they told me that they bought hamburgers before I came to Spain, figuring I'd like them, and then they found out I was "the only American that doesn't like hamburgers." Hah, oops.

I didn't stay up very late last night...whew honestly I'm feeling a sentiment of TGIF right now. Even though I only have Andrea during the day, I feel worn out by the time night comes! Plus I didn't nap yesterday...baha that's a first.

Soon I'm headed to Loli's to take the baby once more and tonight Alicia and Raul are having a date at a restaurant, so I'll be on my own with the kiddos. One more day and then I'm free to do whatever I want on for the weekend! YES.

Things that amuse me:
1) A woman I saw today was wearing a shirt that said in gold glittery letters: "I like boys and shirt." Gooooood English right there.
2) Alicia and Raul use groupon and check it for deals every day.
3) Andrea wore a Hannah Montana hat to the park.

P.S. EMILY WOLVEN IF YOU READ THIS, I GOT YOUR POSTCARD!!! It seriously made me laugh out loud haha. Oh that glorious paradise that is CNU. Keep enjoying your summer!!

Exploring

I don't think I held a single conversation in English yesterday. Yes, I speak to Andrea in English phrases, but she only responds in Spanish. And I teach Raul and Alicia things, but really my day to day life happens entirely in Spanish. I love it!

I had 2 hours with just me and the baby again yesterday. I walked her on the same route, probably about 2.25 miles total. We stopped in the same shady cafe and the old sirs remembered us! They were so nice. While we were there a little two year old girl named Elena came in and was really interested in Alicia. I felt like such a mom, asking her her name and such. Ali was so well behaved and I love that I know what makes her smile and how to keep her busy.

We went back to Loli's house when it was time for Ali to eat and then I was free for the day. I've been trying to figure out what's wrong with my camera, but I think I need a new memory card. For now I'm limited to the 5 pictures of internal memory that my camera has ha.

My one success of the day was finding the yahoo group for au pairs in Spain! I even found an American girl that lives in the village right next to us and we're going to hang out tomorrow. Yay friends!

I spent some time at the beach yesterday. Usually I just go to the spot in front of our house, but I walked down the shore a little to where there were less people and it was so quaint. The village right next to us (where the other au pair lives) is called El Puig. I've run past it before and there are all these chalets right on the water that are so pretty. So I decided to go exploring in the town and it was like stepping into a dream. Everything was so calm and beautiful. There's a cafe in town that I'll go back to sometime.





After walking around for an hour I decided to come home and rest before Andrea got back and my duties began. They actually didn't get home until 5:30. But then I took her for an icecream and we played on the beach. Whew, the beach with her is definitely more exhausting than the pool. She just gets so sandy haha.

I got her back a little after 7 for her bath and dinner. Then we made an invitation for her best friend Paula to come swimming at our pool. I'm pretty sure I enjoyed drawing and coloring more than she did. Haha I guess I'm still a kid at heart.

After she went to bed, Raul made us these typical Valencian shellfish for dinner. They're like small mussels and they were called crochetes (or something similar). I've never really eaten much shellfish, but I surprisingly loved them. They've opened my eyes to Mediterranean cuisine haha. They told me snails are next. Oh lordy.

We ate outside on the deck and it was a gorgeous evening. We talked until a little after 11, telling stories that made me laugh and teaching Alicia weird English words like sneeze and mucus.

I drank a tea while watching a Spanish tv show about prodigy children. Watching tv in Spanish is like watching it in English for me now...it just enters my brain like it's my own language.

This morning I got up at 8 and I'm headed to Loli's soon to watch Ali again. I'm happy because I enjoy it, but I also had wanted to go to Valencia. Oh well, I will for sure go this weekend! Happy Thursday!!

Baby Time

Yesterday was a successful and fun day! I got up early at 7 and ran because I knew at 10 I had to be over at Loli's, or grandma's, house to take care of Ali. I had two hours on my own with her and so I took her on a long walk. We walked for almost an hour and she fell asleep in the stroller, so I stopped in a shady cafe along the beach in Puig. There were a bunch of friendly old men in there (drinking their bottles of wine at 11 am, no judgment here, friends), so I drank a pineapple juice until she woke up. They asked me if I was her mother and then someone else asked if I was her sister. Haha it's so weird to imagine I could actually have a baby right now.

Ali woke up and I kept her occupied until I knew I should get her back to grandma's house. We walked back and I successfully (and without any tears on her part) had the baby on my own for 2 hours! I felt good about that.

I went to the beach until 2 and then I took a nap. Does that surprise you? Haha what am I going to do when school starts again and I can no longer rely on afternoon naps? It'll be a sad sad day.

Andrea got home at 5 and we played in the pool for an hour. It was so cold though! I guess not at first, but since I'm mostly just watching her, making sure she's safe, I got really cold really fast. So afterward we both got hot showers and we played with Ali until her dinner was ready. Andrea ate and then we read some in the living room. I read her a story called Bichos Bola before bed and I'm pretty sure she was passed out before I finished. But I just kept reading, mostly for my own pleasure haha. How weird it is to read kids stories in another language.

At 9 I volunteered to go on a fruit buying mission to the grocery store, about a 10 minute walk away. We ate dinner pretty late last night--at like 10:30. Then for dessert Raul made us mojitos with homegrown lemons and mint. I stayed up for a little while with them and then went to bed.

I haven't put any pictures into my blog because a) I can't get my camera to work anymore because of my memory card (technology and I just don't go together...) and b) I'm running out of time because I'm headed to Loli's to watch Ali again!

Soo maybe next time I'll have it all figured out!

Pool Time

Yesterday turned out to be a really good day for me. I got up kind of on the wrong side of the bed. I was just feeling sad for no real reason. I was thinking about Spanish and how I'm in college studying it and I work so hard to really become better...and then I'm surrounded by a 4 year old who, despite not even being in real school yet, can speak it more naturally than me. And then I'm around 40 year olds who have spoken it their whole lives and I just feel like no matter how hard I work or study, my Spanish won't ever be perfect. I know these are silly thoughts to be having. My Spanish is really good. I watch movies and the news and understand everything. I just wish I spoke better. But that comes with experience and practice, which I'm getting tons of this summer.

So anyway, since I was feeling down I took a long walk down the coast of the beach and after an hour my mind felt so much clearer. I just love to walk! Life makes so much more sense after a long walk with my feet in the sea.

I rested some until Andrea came home from school. I seriously had so much fun playing with her today. And I'm being completely serious! Yes, there have been some days where I'm just ready for her to go to bed, but today was just great. We went swimming together in the pool and she is such a little fish. She was splashing all around and never wanted to get out.

Finally we had to go in and I gave her a bath and dinner. Then we discovered photo booth on my computer haha. She was quite amused by it.






All in all, even though I was feeling a little lonely when I was on my own, having her around brightened my day. I got to skype with Cherie and then Raul, Alicia, and I ate octopus for dinner. Yumm. I hadn't been out to the beach at night yet, so I decided to go on a little walk. The moon was almost full and shining above the sea. While I was walking I ran into Raul's brother, his wife, and their daughter, Marta. Marta was the one celebrating her 9th birthday the day I got here. I talked to them and then went back home where I drank tea and watched a movie with Raul. If you know me well, you know I haven't seen a lot of classic movies that pretty much everyone else has. I'm pretty sure even Raul and Alicia have seen more than me because they were teasing me about not recognizing actors or having seen Americans movies that they had. Haha oh my life.

This morning I got up at 7:30 and I've already gone on my run. Turns out I didn't have to watch Alicia on my own yesterday, but I'm going over to the grandma's house at 10 to watch her. Happy Tuesday!

Weekend at Valtablau!

Home sweet home! After being at the mountains for the weekend, it's funny that now the beach really does feel like home.

Friday I took a long walk down the beach and then helped us get all packed for the drive. Our car was packed to the brim! I definitely had forgotten what it's like to have long car rides with kids. But I saw the most beautiful landscapes, mountains, fields, flowers, and tiny villages on the way there. I was just thinking while on the beach earlier in the day how much I must be destined to live on the beach because I love it so much. Well I hope the Spaniard I marry is rich so that we can escape to the mountains every now and then too haha. I say this in all seriousness.

Valtablau is only about 2 and a half hours away. Andrea was mostly good but asked when we were going to arrive every 10 minutes. It reminds me of asking "are we there yet?" the second we pulled out of the driveway on long family trips as a kid. Alicia started crying with about 45 minutes left and we had to pull over for an emergency diaper change. And mostly I couldn't help but laugh at how excited Raul was to spot a deer and then how Andrea started crying because she didn't get to see it. I humored him though, feigning excitement when we finally saw some outside the window at the house.

It was much colder in the mountains than in Valencia. I literally didn't pack a single sweatshirt for Spain because I didn't want to waste the space since I figured it would be hot (more room for dresses!) Luckily Alicia lent me some warm pjs and a big snow jacket.


Valtablau

Even though we were far from civilization, we were at the house with 3 other couples who each had 2 kids, so the house was always full of life. Ali is the youngest and then there was a kid of pretty much every age up to 9. I had so much fun playing with them and talking to them and their parents. I felt so welcomed by everyone.


Playing with Andrea on Friday night

I pretended that I didn't know how to make tortilla de patata on the first night, so that I could hang out in the kitchen with the woman making it while she taught me all sorts of tidbits. We fed the kids and eventually got all of them to bed. The parents always seemed so relieved once the kid duties were finally over for the day. We didn't eat dinner until midnight! Haha Spain.


Learning to cook tortilla

Everyone was sitting around the large fire in the chimney in the middle of the house, just talking and enjoying life. All these people are friends from college and they used to come here back in their 20s. It's cool to see how their lives have changed, but their friendships stay the same.

I made it until about 1 by the fire and then went to bed. I slept in 4 layers of long sleeves, the top layer being a snow jacket. Literally I felt like Randy from The Christmas Story when he couldn't move or lower his arms. Haha I stayed warm though.

Saturday was a fun, outdoorsy day. I was the first awake in the whole house and had about an hour to myself to bask in the silence and the beauty of the area. Pictures will never do it justice, but I just couldn't get over the landscape.


The chair where I wrote each morning



We all went on a walk through the valley and the kids caught frogs and bugs and rolled down the hills. All the animals were out this morning, including the horses, bulls, donkeys, pigs, and roosters.


The house from the hill


Frog catching



After our walk we drove to beautiful spot by the river to have a picnic. And when I say drove, I'm not talking about on a road. I'm talking about a drive straight through the grass and hills. It was intense and I've definitely never experienced off road driving like that before. It was fun and obviously all the kids loved it. We put our feet in the water, even though it was freezing. Unfortunately I lost about half my pictures because of some problem with my memory card. I'm SO disappointed because I lost all the ones at the river. Oh well, life is life.

After the river, we came back and Raul made a HUGE paella. I wish I still had the picture to put in here. We all ate lunch at 4:30 and then I napped a siesta. I have whole heartedly embraced the Spanish custom of siesta. I'm trying to figure out if a day has gone by where I haven't napped in Spain... haha definitely not too many.

I spent a lot of time talking to different adults in smaller groups. When we're all together, I can mostly keep up with what they're saying, although sometimes I miss stuff because of their quick paced banter or humor I don't understand. But I really enjoyed talking with people one on one and they taught me so many things.

One woman in particular, a cop, was awesome and she was in charge of the barbecue for dinner. This is not like an American barbecue. It was cooked in this great big chimney over wood coals. She made tons of different types of meat, some of which kind of freaked me out. I was a good sport and even tried the pig face for them. Haahaaaa. Once again, we ate dinner at midnight. It's such a weird schedule!

Sunday morning I was up first again. I decided to take a walk to explore and was gone for about an hour. By the time I got back, the house was alive once more. We decided to do an afternoon excursion, which ended up being a walk to the same place where I had gone that morning. There is a plaza de toros, or bull ring, about 15 minutes away and we set up a picnic under a shade tree next to it.

Sunday was beautiful and so much warmer than the previous days. Surprisingly my face even got a little burned from being outside so much. For lunch they made spaghetti and then there was a frenzy of cleaning up and packing the cars. I mostly just occupied children and did what I could to help.

The car ride home was much easier than the one on the way. Both the kids slept and I was comfortable. Being back at the beach was great. I finally showered and I don't think I've ever been so excited to do so. It had been since Friday afternoon hahaha. Quite the rustic weekend. I skyped with my parents, helped get the kids to bed, and then finally went to sleep myself.

Now I've got another full week at the beach while Andrea is still in school! Although today I've got to take care of the baby on my own for a little while because their grandparents are occupied with some house renovations. Wish me luck!

Beach Bum

Yesterday was another wonderful day in Spain. In the morning I sat at an outdoor cafe, writing a letter and reading. Then I went to the beach for two hours. The weather has been about 80 degrees, so in the sun it's perfect and I never wanted to leave.

Finally I did leave and I walked to get a stamp so I could mail my letter. Let me tell you, I was SO embarrassed. Why, you ask? I bought the stamp, proceeded to lick it to try and stick it on the envelope. It wasn't working and I must have looked confused because the woman who was working took it out of my hands and showed me how the stamp was a sticker. I probably just made all Americans look like idiots haha.


My cafe

Andrea and Alicia came home at 5 and Alicia had to take the baby to the doctor for a check-up. So Andrea and I went to the beach with all her toys in tow to make castles and (it goes without saying) get really really sandy and dirty. I am a straight beach bum this summer and I love it. We stayed for like an hour and a half and then it was quite the process of washing all the toys and getting her clean enough to walk in the house.





Once we were home, I gave her a bath (I'm getting better at this duty) and fed her dinner. Alicia told me to fry an egg for her. You don't understand how long it's been since I've fried an egg. Years at least. I don't know if I've even actually done it before. Andrea was watching me and she asked "no sabes como cocinar los huevos?" (you don't know how to cook eggs?). I was like uhhh...of course I know how to cook eggs... meh. It was good enough for a 4 year old.

After her dinner the parents came home and around 9 Andrea went to bed. Then we ate octopus for dinner! It's so creepy looking, but really good. I'm pretty sure with the size of the octopus we cooked the other night, we're going to be eating it for weeks haha. Fine by me.


Pulpo

Then Raul told me he was going into Valencia to meet up with some friends, which was perfect because Dominic is visiting Valencia for the weekend from Madrid (where he lives and teaches English). So I got a ride into town and I loved seeing the city at night. I was meeting Dominic at David's house because that's where he's staying. It took me like 20 minutes to walk there and it was such a fun reunion with the both of them.

We hung out a bit and then headed to the study center to get the "younglings." The study center was alive with all the students getting ready to go out. No classes on Friday for them...always convenient. We all went to Ghecko and stayed there until 3 when it closed. I got to hang out with Wes, Jordan, Dom, David, Ryann, and a bunch of other Americans from the program I met. It was an enjoyable night. It's funny, Ghecko is where we went the very first night of our program in the fall and I really hadn't been back since.

I haven't stayed up until 3 am (minus insomnia nights) since probably the last time I was in Valencia. Hahaha. I am such a grandma. The buses to Pobla de Farnals don't start until 7 am so David let me stay on his couch. I got up at 8:30 to catch the bus that leaves at 9 and it was fun being out at that time. You know how I love my mornings. But it was just cool seeing everyone going about their lives on a Friday morning--headed to work and school.

I got home around 9:30 and suddenly got really tired so I napped until noon. Now I'm finally showered and updating my blog (for mom's sake haha). When Alicia and Raul get off work, we're picking Andrea up and leaving for a friend's mountain house for the weekend. It's about two hours away and we'll be there with 3 other couples who all have 2 kids. Haha should be an adventure! I'm not bringing my computer though, so I'll tell you all how it went on Sunday evening!

Ciao :)

Excursion to Valencia

Every part of yesterday was sincerely so enjoyable. After doing my usual blogging in the morning, I went for a run and then came back and showered. The aunt that takes Ali during the day came back to the house because she'd forgotten her pacifier there and I think she was under the impression that I spend everyday cooped up in the house because she told me I needed to go to the beach or else I'd lose my good tan haha.

But I had other plans for today! I decided to go talk to the tourist information people about a bus to Valencia. I wasn't really sure if I felt like going into the city today because I didn't know if I'd get to see any of my friends. I didn't actually end up talking to anyone at the tourist place and I just got on the bus when it arrived. I'm always down for a little adventure. It only cost 1.50 to get there (and 1.50 to get back). Really 3 euros to spend a day in Valencia isn't anything at all.

The bus had a stop at Pont de Fusta, right on the other side of the bridge from the study center where I lived all last fall. I was really nervous to visit the study center for some reason. I think I was afraid they'd be mad that I came into the building, but I got to see so many old staff members and they were awesome. I talked to Maria, Gema, Alicia, Ignacio, Belen, BJ, Dolo, and Facundo. I loved it. They were all so shocked to see me haha. But they told me that they're always there in Valencia for me so that felt reassuring.

It was 1 then and I knew that Erin had class until 2, so I just decided to walk around Valencia for an hour. I went to the old chino store and got some slippers (let me tell you, ugliest slippers on the face of the Earth) because I have to make Andrea wear hers in the house, but I felt guilty never wearing any myself. Then I went to the market and bought dried strawberries. I can't find them anywhere in the US...well the ones that I do find there are nothing like the ones here. They're probably my favorite treat on the planet.

I got to see all my favorite places and the big plazas that I've missed so much. I feel like I noticed so much that I never saw before. I guess also because the weather was so perfect, but Valencia just seemed so full of life and color. I was so happy getting to be back. Pobla de Farnals is home of course, but Valencia will always have a special place in my heart.


Plaza de la Reina

I bought a drink and sat in a garden in Plaza de la Virgen, took a walk down my favorite alley, and then went back to the study center. Last fall there were only like 28 people in our program, but over the summer there are 140! I couldn't believe how many students there were, it was incredible. I got to see everyone that's there this summer that was in my program in the fall--Graham, Wes, Jordan, Ryann, and Erin. It was so great to see them again.


Garden where I sat

Erin was one of my closest friends in Valencia and we had so many fun times together. We went to go visit Sandra at her restaurant. I wrote about Sandra in an old entry but she's this older Colombian waitress that we made friends with last year. It was so nice talking to her and the other workers there. We kind of got roped into sitting down and staying to eat. I got a glass of wine, some pineapple, and a coffee and Erin got a soup and a salad. This place is actually a fairly expensive restaurant, but Sandra only charged us 12 euros for all of it. I'm pretty sure my wine alone was supposed to cost 12 euros. She is too sweet. Erin and I just got to sit and laugh and reminisce on funny things that happened last year. I am SO happy that she and the others are here this summer.

I left around 3:50 because I wanted to make the 4:00 bus. And that's where my little adventure began. I waited for half an hour at the Pont de Fusta bus stop until the bus came by...except the driver wouldn't let me on there. Luckily I knew it stopped at the bus station, which I'd been to twice last year, so I headed that way. It took about 20 minutes to walk there and I asked an information guy which bus went to Pobla de Farnals. He told me 40 and that it was about to leave. It was literally about to pull away as I arrived, but this time the guy let me on. Thank goodness. I would've had to wait a whole hour for the next one.

Andrea and I had so much fun playing today. We blew bubbles in the garden, put out feet in the pool, climbed this rope thing on the beach, and collected shells at the water. I forgot my camera for all of this unfortunately. Then I gave her a bath, got her to eat dinner, and put her to bed. What a success!

Today's great Spanish life experience was learning how to cook octopus. When I got to Spain, Raul showed me the one he had in the freezer, and this morning when I got up, I saw it sitting in a bowl in the kitchen. I told them how I was afraid of it and they kept laughing at me and telling me it was dead and couldn't hurt me. I asked Raul if I could take a picture of him holding it and then he made me hold it! Haha I literally had goosebumps all over my skin, but it wasn't that bad.


I meet Mr. Pulpo

To cook it, you just boil it for like 45 minutes. That's not what we ate for dinner yesterday, but we're planning on eating it tonight. I've actually eaten octopus a few times on the Camino, but I was just creeped out by seeing the whole creature. Yuck. I'm sure it'll be good tonight though. More pictures to come!

Martes

Yesterday I got to do all of my favorite relaxing things. After kind of a lazy morning, at 11 am I glanced out my window and just really wanted to be outside. So I went on a run and I'm starting to be more familiar with my running path here. I always like having go-to running places because it makes anywhere feel more like home to me. After going for about 4 miles, I came home and showered and then headed back out.

There's this office of tourist information that I had tried to go to the day before to figure out the bus schedule to Valencia, but I got there at 10 and it opened at 11. So I got there at 12:30 yesterday, and of course Tuesday is the one day of the week it's closed. Good. But then I just went and sat at a cafe to get my first cafe con leche of the summer. It always makes me nervous going to outdoor cafes by myself for the first time because I never know if I should sit first, order first, pay now, pay later? Haha, but I just went up to the lady working and asked her what I should do and she was really nice.

So I sat at this table outside right on the beach. They call it the "paseo" which is kind of like the boardwalk, but it's not wood. I wrote in my journal (I wrote like 7 pages yesterday, I'm obsessed) and then finished the book I was reading on my Nook. After having been at the cafe for a while I went and walked along the beach with my feet in the water. There are these piers made out of tons of huge, flat rocks that jut out into the sea. I don't know how to describe them very well, but I have pictures.


The pier

I decided to follow one all the way out to the end and found the coolest little spot. The water rushes up around the rocks, but it's so clear and it's the best secret spot ever. The sun was sparkling on the water and I felt like I was in heaven. So finally when my little outdoor excursion was over, I went back home and napped my siesta.


The beach from my secret spot


Home

At 5 it started pouring and not long after that, Andrea came home from school. We played a lot today and she was all wound up with energy. She ended up having a temper tantrum after she finished dinner and had to be carried to bed. Hearing others cry makes Ali cry, so I had to occupy her while Alicia calmed Andrea down. All part of the au pair life! It's just funny how my day goes from so relaxing to so hectic as soon as the kids are home. I like it though.

Alicia made Raul and I dinner at 9 and then I stayed up watching a soccer game with them until midnight. This morning I actually slept in until 8:30! Wooo!

Things I find amusing:
-Raul steals tiny espresso cups from places he likes (I am not alone in owning a Starbucks espresso cup)
-We have an entire octopus that he caught, frozen in a bag in our freezer.
-Alicia threatened Andrea with calling super nanny if she didn't behave and Andrea was crying, begging her not to call her.

First Day of "Work"

Good morning! Once again our house is empty--the kiddo is at school, the baby off with "yaya," and the padres are at work. So Indio and I are just having quality bonding time together with my morning espresso. Sometimes I miss my big old cups of coffee! But I'm not going to lie, their espresso machine is really fun. I'll have to take pictures with it sometime.

Yesterday I had the whole day to myself just to relax. At 10 I went for an hour long walk around all of Pobla de Farnals. I found the grocery store and a little fruit store. I imagine the lady that works there will know me well by August haha.

It had been kind of chilly when I left at 10, but by 11 when I got back, I was hot and the beach called my name. So I got a towel and headed out to the sand. It was perfect with the sun warming my face. I stayed for like 2 hours and then came inside...where I proceeded to take a long nap on the couch with Indio. Only I didn't sleep that well because I kept having bad dreams that my family came home early from work and found Indio on the couch and I got in trouble. In my dream, I could hear them coming up the stairs and I kept trying to wake up to move him off the couch, but I couldn't make myself move! It was weird.



I spent the rest of the afternoon reading until Alicia came home with Andrea around 5:30. So began my first day of work! Work consists of playing with Andrea, doing her homework, reading with her, practicing English, etc, until I give her a bath and accompany her during her dinner. She goes to bed around 8:30.

Raul doesn't get home until about 8, so we waited for him until about 9 for dinner. We had salad with tuna (my suggestion...they keep asking what I eat and I told them I literally eat tuna every single night for dinner. I didn't tell them that I mix my tuna with green beans and egg beaters. They already find me weird haha). After dinner Alicia and I looked at the Maryland book that I bought for them for a while. I was explaining how we eat crabs with the liquid butter and she was a little disturbed ha. They almost never use butter here. I stayed up until midnight with them and I just really enjoy talking and sharing our two cultures.

So I'd say my first day of "work" was a success. Andrea and I had a lot of fun together. It'll be this same routine until June 22nd when she's finished school. Then I'll have to figure out ways to occupy a 4 year old all day long haha. But no worries, I got this!