eurovision 09

HAHAHAHAHAHA. I can't believe that I actually voted for the winner. How often does that happen?

brno

I really like Brno, Is a very beautiful city. It is full of churches, big ones, and castles and things of this nature. And white foods. I have only eaten white foods since arriving. 

1st dinner- gnocci with cheese sauce, macaroni and cheese basically

1st breakfast- boiled eggs and garlic toast and soft cheese and onions 

lunch- creamy mushroom and potato soup

dinner- toasted white bread

breakfast- yoghurt and toast

lunch- lentil soup

dinner- fried potato pancakes filled with brie

LENTIL SOUP! Porque tienes k estropearme todo? Se me acabo la suerte, se me rompio mi my stretch. But it was delicious. 

P.s. this breakfast will be toast with cream cheese. 

so anyway lots of wandering around and then accompanied Kyle to a polish lesson, which was hilarious. All the words I had learned over the summer started coming back to me, and how ridiculous they were. But it just goes to show that everything can come in useful sometime. 

HAIRCUT!

I am excited.

Also, leaving tomorrow for Czech Republic. Kyle has arrange a bunch of activities for us and I think it's going to be a great time.

Also, I am now the proud lendee of a cell phone here. But I have my own SIM card and phone number and everything. It was fun to go around yesterday and talk to all the phone providers. Good practice. Americans (North)! You do not know how good you have it! The majority of the cell phone consuming world have horrible rates. My rate I got, and granted it's a prepay thing but still it's very normal, and even plans are not much better, is 32 euro-cents a minute (about $10) with a connection fee of 30 euro-cents per call. This is whether I call a fijo (home) or movil (cell) phone. Texts are 15 euro-cents ($3) each. My plan counts by the second at least though, instead of rounding up to 30 second or something. There are no evening or weekend times, no free calls to associated phones.

An outrage!

This is why no europeans talk on the phone. Whenever they call they say an average of 7 words. No hour long cell phone calls here. Freedom of communication, that's what we have in the US when our parents pay our cell phone bill. I think we should bomb Spain until they import some freedoms in the form of better rates.

Speaking of averages I am averaging a big (not costco huge but big) jar of Sosa green olives a week. This is, reflecting, a very accurate average, since it has only been a week since I found them, and I finished one jar. But let's just say I am not going to be in danger of getting scurvy.

Ah! Also because I have been stuffing my face with Mandarins. DOOOODS! Food in Spain is hella reasonable! Did I mention I can get an 8 pack of yoghurt for 89 cents? Did I mention further that a RED BELL PEPPER (large sized, not the smallest one you can pick out of the bin, but a large heavy generous one) costs like 34 cents? And a bag of muesli the size of a breadbox (if that breadbox is the size of a bag of flour) that is only half oats and half banana chips and raisins etc is only like 1.80? This makes me happy, even after I have looked at my bank account.

p.s. Beck, please dig through some piles and look for my paychecks, would you?

Anyway, Mandarins. You can get a whole bag full of them, that are all good, no moldy ones, for under 3 euro. I forget how much it was because I have been eating them for two weeks now.

castells

So this is from not last weekend but the one before. First we went to the Ensayo dels Castellers. The practice a group who makes castles. It was so impressive, and we got to participate too. So the way it works is you have different configurations. 5 columns of 5 levels, 4 columns of 7 levels, 1 column 3 levels. And they all have their difficulty, of course. We went with Santi, a guy who taught mathematics at the intitute last year. He came to invite Laura, an american who is teaching conversational english at the institute. We met at the bar one day when Ana introduced us and she's so easy to get along with we've been spending tons of time together. Anyway, I was hanging out in her class helping her do pumpkin carving with her students and Santi came in and invited us to come to the practice. Unfortunately it was the last of the season, because if not I would certainly have joined a group. It's such an amazing sport. All you have to do is be strong and flexible and have good balance. Also, everybody can do it. The oldest person at the practice was in their 60s, and the youngest I think was 4 or so.

So a castle has a few parts, and a few customs. They say that it was started a long time ago in order to see enemies from far away, you know, probably if there wasn't a hill around or something. The only thing you really need, besides clothes that you don't mind ripping, is the facha (I'm guessing on spelling). That's the long piece of cloth you tie around your waist. This is tied really tight and not only supports your back but gives the people climbing up you a place to put their foot. In pictures number 1 and 2 you can see the process of putting it on. I love the dangling cigarette. I think it makes the whole process look much more professional. I used my huge scarf. It helped me blend in. Pictures 3 and 4 show practice equipment. The pole is for you to practice climbing up people and balancing, as San Miguel was kind enough to let Laura and I do. The two fake people are for the kid who finishes the castle but climbing over the top of the uppermost level.

i have to go now because my internet is running out, so i'll finish writing this post later.