Embarking on Semana Blanca

Malaga is fortunate in that we get this extra week off in Spring called Semana Blanca.  Nobody I've spoken with really knows/understands why we get this week off from work (maybe something to do with the Malaga fair being during summer when people are already off work).  But let's be real: We're in Andalucia and nobody really needs any legitimate reason to take an extra break from responsibility.

So, for this next week I'll be spending time as a volunteer in a sustainability project in Sorbas, Almeria - a few hours east of Malaga.

I can't say I'm not excited.  And I can't say I'm not anxious.  But I can say it will be a great adventure and I'll be sharing my experience once I get back, knowing it will probably be one for my personal record books (Dr. Bronner's magic soap and a backpack full of reading materials in tow).

If anybody would like to check out the project I'll be working on, check out Sunseed.

It can't all fit in a package.

It's really crazy what you miss when you're away. Like today, I felt nostalgic for the Renaissance Festival.  Seriously, the Renaissance Festival - something I haven't been to for years, even when I was home.  You start missing everything, just for the sheer reason that you don't have it at your disposal, and it's so far away.  Absence really does make the heart grow fonder.

This past week has actually been filled with a strong sense of nostalgia. And I am happy to report that it is indeed just nostalgia and not home sickness. The difference? I LOVE home, but I'm not especially eager to be back in the immediate moment.  Nope, I've got a lot more to see and do before I cross the Atlantic again.  

But, although I might not be eager, being here has made it so obvious to me how much I love where I come from and an overwhelming sense of appreciation for being and American citizen.

I think a lot my recent sentiment started after I watched the music video for Duck Sauce's "Barbara Streisand."  You're more than likely going to watch it and wonder "what the f...." I don't blame you. But for me, right now, that video was a solid reminder of so much of what I love about the United States (in no particular order): diversity, creativity, gumption, entrepreneurship, enthusiasm, pride, ingenuity, playfulness and dedication, among so many other non-verbal qualities (maybe its just that nostalgia kicking in that makes me so inarticulate).

So, in honor of my nostalgia for all things American, a list of things I'm currently missing like crazy:

• Driers - so my jeans would fit again.
• Central heating - Yes, it does get cold in Europe.
• Things being open on Sunday - So I could be more productive.
• Things being open during siesta - please refer to previous statement.
• A gym open on a Sunday - they're not doing me any favors;  Saturday nights usually need redemption.
• Wheaty/nutty breads - I've had my fill of soft delicious white baguettes, and they're filling me in a bit too.
• Stand to the right, walk to the left - I don't always like hanging out in back of the señoras on the moving sidewalk/escalator, and well, everywhere else too.
• American schedule - I can't say I especially love eating lunch at 2 and dinner at 10.  It's makes me so unbalanced.
• Variety - 'nough said.
• Mexican food - ditto.
• Driving - buses and trains just don't satisfy the need for autonomous movement.
• Convenience - But really, I just miss Target.  
• FroYo - but I guess that may be just a blessing after all.  Maybe I'll finally break my Yogurtland addiction.
• Automatic hot water - admittedly, I have the best bombona situation possible: a piped in gas heater.  But sometimes, I just don't want to have to think about it.
• Trader Joe's/Whole Foods/Sunflower - that might just fall into the "variety" category too.  And "organics." And "awareness."  All things I also miss.
• NPR in the morning - at the very least, I'm grateful to stream it after noon.  Provided my internet works.

Wanted: a support group

Hi. My name is Katie and I have a problem. I can't stop shopping.

But not for clothes or accessories.  Not for purses or shoes. Not for music or movies. Not for cosmetics or perfumes. Nope. None of that stuff. That stuff is easy to avoid.

But every time I walk by a market, a Mercadona, Eroski, an ultramarinos, a fruteria, or a panaderia, it takes every ounce (metric: gram) of strength I have not to go in and wander the aisles.

Grocery shopping here is somewhat of an opiate for me. I'm a self-professed foodie, and I can't seem to get enough of the incredibly cheap produce, large shelves of inexpensive spices by the gram (saffron!!), tubs of nuts, dried fruits, and succulent olives, enormous bottles of fresh unfiltered olive oil (the definition of "extra virgin"!), and smooth red crianzas and tempranillos from just up north.

Barcelona is famous for its market, La Boqueria, right off La Ramblas. Yes... it's kind of like that. Except its much cheaper, and with a whole lot fewer tourists. In all the cities I've visited, in all the small neighborhoods, you'll find municipal markets filled with vendors of all types: fruit, vegetables, nuts, spices, fish, meat, cheese, candy, chocolates, bread, and most anything else that might tickle your fancy - as long as it's right-off-the-truck fresh.

For anything else that you need/want/found-a-great-recipe-online and it comes with a label, just head to one of the great supermarkets.  My personal favorite (and I think the Spaniards are with me on this one) is Mercadona. Last year I was fortunate enough to live spitting distance from a Mercadona (a blessing and a curse). This year, the closest one to me is about a 15 minute walk away (a blessing and a curse), but I'm also fortunate that my Monday private lessons take me right by it (a blessing and a curse).  Going with a list is futile. I've tried. My hand-basket-with-wheels gets overwhelmed within minutes after passing by the fragrant fresh bread, the yummy serving-size yogurts, the cheese self that doesn't end, the jamon sliced fresh just for you, and even more inexpensive produce to tempt me.  Only Jesus himself could resist these succulent demons. Or maybe just anyone else with slightly more will power than me.

And then there's the endless search to find those special ingredients from home - sometimes for nosalgia, or sometimes for that recipe I'm dying to make but it calls for vanilla extract or tomato paste (and no, tomate frite is just not going to cut it). With luck, El Corte Ingles has what me and all the other guiris are searching. Normally, I just get lost in their gourmet section and never find it anyway. What? Is there something wrong with that?

My food budget is definitely larger than what most others here spend. And by "budget" I mean the money I get from my lessons that usually immediately gets deposited into the register of the next grocer I see selling Huelvan strawberries for 1.50 euros a kilo (that's about 75 US cents/pound - you didn't believe me when I said cheap, did you?) You might ask: how many kilos of strawberries could you possibly buy with your tutoring money? Well, about one kilo, and a bag of other groceries to keep them company.

So in the end, here I am; a food lover, stuck in a place that indulges me and my addictions.