Have a great bridge!

This weekend in Spain is a puente which in english translates into bridge. However, in Spain it is when there is a holiday that falls on a Tuesday they make a "bridge" by giving everyone Monday off too. So my friends and I have a four day weekend woohoo! Now most other times this would be an awesome time to go somewhere really cool on vacation but since I just started working and haven't gotten paid yet that is a bit difficult. As well, the forecast for the entire weekend is rain, rain, and more rain. Awesome. Maybe for the best that I didn't have any trip planned in Spain. However I think tomorrow we are going to a local town Acala de Henares (where Miguel Cervantes lived for a long time) to see the Cervantes festival there! I'll let you know more about my puente adventures and cross your fingers for no more rain!

Eurofashionista

One of the many perks of living in Spain is the fashion and clothing that they have here. Although I think I have my own personal style I love being able to wear ridiculous European fashion (and know someone will always out-dress me on the metro). I know I have bought somethings here that I would have been reluctant to wear in Chapel Hill, the land of seersucker and polos. However, I can work them here like true European. I don't hop onto to every fashion fad bandwagon because I would be broke but I do try out some of them. Although I'm waiting to get my first paycheck to buy some things, I have had my eye on some fall items. Here's what's on my list:

1. A faux fur vest: I can't decide if this would be totally awesome or I would look like a bulky polar bear. It would be my one fall/winter trend piece. I am trying to search for the perfect vest in the stores around here but hopefully look something like this.
2. Lots of pairs of cool flats: These are everywhere in Madrid and really reasonably priced. Since they are my staple to wear to work/out I go through them very fast. My awesome black flats bit the dust last year after lots of walking around in them.

3. A pair of over the knee boots (in black or gray): Boots are my staple footwear in the winter when its really cold and they are also in abundance all over Madrid. I have seen a lot of flat OTK boots which is good so that you can avoid the street-walker vibe haha.

4. A leather(probably faux) bomber jacket: I think this would be an awesome addition to my wardrobe. It's really trendy right now in Madrid but its something that is totally classic. My ideal one would look kind of like this:
That's the top of my wish list for right now but it's never ending haha. I'll give you updates after I go shopping!

The man, the myth, the legend...David Bisbal

One night last week I was surfing the internet with Tory to see what concerts were coming to Madrid, we came upon Christmas come early. One of our favorite Spanish artists, David Bisbal, was coming to Madrid...this Saturday! Immediately we checked to see if any tickets were left. Because the concert was being held in a soccer complex outside of Madrid there were plenty of tickets left and they were only 17 euros! Tory, Allison, Bethany and I all decided this was not an opportunity we could pass up. David Bisbal was the winner of the Spanish version of American Idol in 2002 and I have been a fan of his since I studied abroad in Sevilla. Although he has many fans in Spain, I think going to his concert is kind of like going to see Justin Beiber in the US. Kind of cheesy, but you secretly love it(and know all the words to his songs, duh). Here is an example of one of his famous songs (and one of my favorites) so you can get a taste of his music:


At the concert there was a lot of people of all ages from teens, to families, to grandparents. Then there was us and I think we were the only Americans in the audience haha. David was on tour to promote his newest album Sin Mirar Atras (Without Looking Back). David was everything I expected and more in concert. He delivered his songs with his signature style: passion, good singing, spin kicks, crazy curly hair, and some Andalusian flair. He was so energetic through the entire 2 hour concert, even if I didn't know all the words of a song I was having a great time. At the end of the concert he sang his hit from the World Cup "Wavin' Flag" and obviously the crowd went crazy singing along and waving their hands. My roommates and I have always joked that we had to see him in concert while we were here so it was a great way to start of another year in Madrid!

David rockin out.
Allison, Tory, Bethany and I before the concert.
With my ticket! Woohoo!

First day of school: Round 2!!

After a week of hanging out in Madrid and trying to get my life here together I had the first day of school jitters. I was so excited to get to school and see the teachers and my students from last year. I met up with my new co-workers Carmella and Leigh (who are English) and my co-worker from last year Rich. We all took the train together to work so Leigh and Carmella could see how to get there. We arrived at school to a warm greeting from the teachers and the students. I was so happy to see them all again and it was nice to be a "veteran" at school. Maria Jesus who I worked with last year is going to be the English coordinator this year so we met with her quickly to discuss the basics. After that I went to my first class with the second graders. The whole day was a bit of blur of questions from the kids and talking with all the professors. But I was really glad to be back at school and getting back into a routine. Here's to a good year ahead!

When times get tough, just go on strike

So yesterday there was a huelga general, or a general strike in Spain. Because of the budget cuts all over the country and the failing economy, people have not been very happy. There were strikes last year of the Madrid metro, commuter trains, civil servants, and air traffic controllers. However, they did not go on strike all together for one day. Yesterday the unions decided to demonstrate their frustration with Zapatero (Spain's president)for so many budget cuts. Since unions are not as popular in the US seeing an entire city shut down for a strike was very interesting to me. Most of the stores yesterday were closed, public transportation was running at 50%. There were lots of demonstrations in the streets and center of Madrid. I'm no expert on unions and labor laws here in Spain, but it seems to me that whenever there is something the Spanish people are not happy about they just go on strike. I do think though that the strikes have an effect. When the metro shuts down, the city is a mess. There are twice as many people on every train and the trains come less frequently. The unions are happy with the outcome of the strike so I'm hoping there won't be another one for a while! Until then here is a video about the effect of the strike on public transportation.

Why hello there again, Madrid

After a very unstressful day of traveling, I arrived in Madrid. Although I didn't have my own choice of movies on the flight I had a benedryl which helped me sleep for most of the flight haha. I arrived back tired but excited and was met by my boyfriend Alberto at the airport. After a quick breakfast I took a nap and ate lunch. It was a really nice day outside so Alberto and I went to take a walk in Retiro park. It was nice to get outside and in the fresh air. I'm now going to eat dinner with my roomates at our favorite place near our house, El Buscon. Yum! It feels good to be back after a great summer in NC.

Let the countdown begin

Although I have thoroughly enjoyed my vacation back home in NC, the time is coming for me to return to Madrid. I leave on the 25th which is less than 2 weeks from now. I feel like my summer has flown by. Although I am really excited about returning to Madrid for another year with the crazy ninos, I also am going to seriously miss it here. It has been so good to see all my friends and family but I also miss my friends in Madrid. In awesome news, Anthony Bourdain just did his most recent episode in Madrid! No te preocupes friends, I watched it and wrote down everywhere he ate. I fully intend to do a Bourdain tour of Madrid (minus the sheep herding part, that might be a little hard to work out)