Waffles and Biers in Belgium

Donde estamos? Oh wait they dont speak that language! 'Gord de Nord?'

Spain has a ton of holidays and since I had eleven days off from work, it prompted my first trip outside of Spain. While searching for cheap flights, flying into Brussels and then taking a train to Amsterdam seemed to be our fate. Dustin, Sarah and I set out Thursday afternoon for Madrid. I brought a small amount of clothes for 5 days, a book, my ipod, and whatever other necessities I may need, that fit into my backpack. I had to carry my backpack just about everywhere and therefore it was a requirement for it to not be heavy. Upon arriving in Madrid, we met up with a friend of mine from Sonoma and he graciously gave up his bed for the night to us. One thing you will always find in Spain are people who are graciously, open-armed! We slept for 3 hours that night and woke up at 5:30am and made our way to the Madrid airport for our 7am flight to Brussels.

Once we finally arrived in Brussels we had 6 hours to walk from one side of the city to the other. We had enough time to sight-see, get lost, eat a Belgian waffle, drink Belgian beer, and get to another bus station by 5:30pm. Brussels is a city with antique-looking buildings that carry a lot of character. We walked into a flee-market as well as public bathrooms you have to pay to use?! I had never run across a bathroom I had to pay 50 centimos for! In Belgium, French is the language of choice and therefore neither of our Spanish nor English was of much help. Having never studied French, except my one line, my mom taught me for my 2nd grade presentation on Canada, I somehow became the chosen one to stop and ask for directions. ‘Gord de Nord?’ That’s all I given to work with verbally, but my hand motions came in great use. Just please point me in the right direction and we will get there. We stumbled across Grand Plaza and then a Belgian waffle stand! Uh, yes please!! A true, Belgian waffle, topped with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce…delish! We arrived at the the Gord de Nord bus station for our ride to Amsterdam with an hour to spare. We sat in the bus station and sipped on some Belgian biers! My taste buds are still thanking me for that experience. Of course we made friends with the Cuban-born, Belgian bartender, who yes spoke Spanish! My conversation with him earned us a round on the house. Gracias Humberto and the amazing beirs your country produces!

At 5:30pm we boarded our 4 hour bus ride to Amsterdam. Needless to say after walking through the whole city of Brussels for 5 hours and sippin on biers, we all had a nice buzz flowin’. That only allowed for a much needed nap. The bus was quite empty and so I was able to sprawl out along the last row of seats, for a good 3 hour siesta! I had to be ready for what Amsterdam was about to offer! Planes, buses, or trains, I tried to catch some z’s wherever I could. We were to return to Brussels, Monday night before catching another early flight Tuesday morning back to Madrid. Stay tuned for the 'culture shocking' Amsterdam experience…

Mmmmm Bier

A true Belgian waffle

Futbol...yes please!

There are a couple things in life which will always bring such joy to my face. One that will forever convey my competitive, yet playful self is soccer. I have never seen such a surprised Spanish face, once I mention that I play soccer. Girls in Spain don't play and therefore once again, I place myself into the minority bracket in this country.

I recently have found myself running in circles around the streets of Plaza de Belen, my barrio, during the wee hours of the morning. After guzzling a couple beers and socializing with new friends, the soccer ball always seems to appear in the middle of the bar. Whether or not I may be dressed properly for the games that are about to take place, I could never turn down a game of 1 v 1. It is then when the playful game of take away inside the bar is brought to the street for a more serious game of keep away! Soccer has never been anything I take lightly, so why would things change here in Spain? Whether I end up chasing the ball all night down the narrow streets, through cars, under cars, or the number of 'canos' (nutmegs) that are being tallied between my legs, I always leave a little more sweaty and with a huge smile on my face.

This past week I was asked by Antonio, the dad from Casa de Cordoba, if I wanted to join in on their family 'pick up' futbol game. Of course I said yes because I could never turn down such an invitation. As I met up with everyone before the game, I of course was outnumbered: 8 boys to 2 girls! Upon seeing the numbers, my mentality quickly switched to, BRING IT! We played an intense, hour long game of 5 v 5, which brought many goals, yells, falls, and of course laughs. At times I had no idea what anyone was saying because the game was full of male testosterone, which brought a whole new slue of words for me to learn. The Spaniards are really good and have great, quick ball skills. I may not be as agile as I used to be, but I still can give the boys a run for their money! As I took in this awesome experience, I kept my emotions in check and proved my love and ability for the game. I am anxiously waiting for the next big game!


Local game in Sevilla

Home

A cerveza was in high demand Friday afternoon as Megan, Lindsey and I had just finished up with a fun yet crazy week full of Halloween activities in our schools. Lindsey and I are strong believers in staying loyal to those who treat us well. As we have found out, our loyalty has helped form strong relationships with the owners of the local barrio shops and businesses. It is a comforting feeling to walk through your neighborhood and to have people greeting you by name or ‘inviting’ us to a round of drinks.

That afternoon we headed over to Casa de Cordoba our local, family owned and run restaurant/bar in our barrio. In typical Jaen fashion, when a drink is ordered, a free tapa is given. But as we have discovered, when we order a drink at Casa de Cordoba, a huge ration of homemade, delicious food is graciously brought to us to enjoy! Antonio and Maribel (the parents/owners) are the most self-less people who always welcome us into their home (their restaurant) with open arms.

As we sipped on our cerveza and chowed down on salmorejo and rabo de cerdo (porks tail) Antonio and Maribel introduced us to their two nieces. After chatting with the girls for a while and of course falling in love with them, we arranged to meet up with them Halloween night. Antonio and Maribel always love introducing us to ‘good’ people so we can surround ourselves with more locals and to help Jaen feel like home. As Antonio sipped on a glass of wine with us, he smiled and then told us that we too are part of his family! He told us that if we ever need anything, to never hesitate and ask and we are always welcome in Casa de Cordoba. That moment literally brought a tear to my eye. That moment helped me realize that I have made a home here in Jaen. I have established new friendships and created a place for myself here in Jaen. The very generous family of Casa de Cordoba has also taken us in and adopted us as our second family.

I have always been well at adapting to situations and making new places feel like home. But when you move thousands of miles away, it can become a little more difficult. I would have never thought living 6,000 miles away from ‘home’ could feel like home again so quickly. Muchisimas gracias Jaen and la familia de Casa de Cordoba for helping me feel that I belong in Jaen.