Moving To NY

Hi all,
I'm moving to NY tomorrow!
-Louise

Roses

When people talk about the Mediterranean being paradise, they aren´t kidding. I spent the weekend in a little town, a lot like Santa Cruz, really, called Roses (pronounced: Rosas). It is north of Barcelona, the point farthest east in Spain, and the bay is so beautiful. The hills and mountains surrounding the water are full of green trees and colorful houses spot the hillside. (if anyone is into real estate, I have the place for you, as houses are still only 120,000 Euros or so...)

My housemate is from there, and I met a friend of his last month. We got along really well, and when I didnt understand him, I just smiled and nodded :) --like I always do. He invited me to his town for the weekend. What a sweetheart. He showed me all around. We went to the largest fortress in all of Europe and a history museum. It is just so rich here, the things that happened and the old, vacant buildings. Some of it is thousands of years old, it just blows my mind at times.

The night was sort of funny. We went to the store to buy vegetables, because I am a vegetarian and he didn´t know what to feed me. Well, here you have to weigh the fruits and veggies before you get to the counter. Even I figured that out, but he didn´t know. I guess he doesn´t cook. So when I asked him, he said, "oh, no" and proceded to the check-out counter. Well, she sent him back to weigh them. When he finally came back, he had done it wrong, so she had to go do it herself and wasn´t very happy with us. We laughed and laughed. Then we headed to his mom´s house to borrow dishes and oil and salt!!! because he didn´t have any at home. Not even silverware! And his mom was so funny. She kept offering us more stuff: juice and toilet paper and all kinds of stuff. It was cracking me up.

As it turns out, he just moved into that house, out of his mom´s house...at 33 years old. So there was really not much in the house, no warm water or cold fridge, so we had to keep the milk for breakfast outside where it was cold. When it came time to sleep, he only had one blanket. Well, I didn´t really know what to say. He was respectful and didn´t try to take advantage of me...he really is sweet, but we had to sleep really close to stay warm. I tried, but couldn´t sleep cuz I am not really used to sleeping with someone I hardly know. So finally, after the sun came up and I hadn´t fallen asleep yet, I moved to the couch and used my jacket as a blanket. Originally, I´d thought of staying one more night, but decided not to for obvious reasons. As you could imagine, I was so tired after that.

As for what we did during the days, mostly we spent the time with his friends and family. I was all smiles. That is why I do this: give up everything I have to go somewhere else. It´s to sit at a big table, full of his brothers and sisters and their partners and kids, and his way-to-generous mother, and talk and laugh and try to understand what is going on. And there are few things in this world that give me the satisfaction of finally understanding, of having a conversation with all these people in another language and being able to be an active part in the conversation. And we were talking about politics and religion...it isn´t easy stuff. Although, somedays are better than others and some times I still have no idea what someone is talking about. Poco a poco, as they say (little by little).

I do miss California, though, and one reason is because it pains me to see EVERYONE smoking all the time. I mean, everyone, and with the cigarette´s second hand smoke right in the kids faces, too. It makes me sick and I worry about them all in the future. But, of course, it is not for me to say anything, so I pretend it doesn´t bother me. I didn´t come here to be a "greater than thou" American.

So that was my adventure in Roses. It was wonderful and the beauty of the trees and nature and ocean was healing. I get a little burnt in the city all the time. I am back in Barcelona for my last week!! How does time fly so fast? I head back to California in a week and then just before we say goodbye to 2005 (wow!) I will be in NYC.
Love to all. If anyone needs a hug or has an extra bed or needs childcare the week of Christmas and lives in the bay area, my number and email will be the same. Hugs!

Beautiful moments

I just want you all to know that my life here isn´t all sprained ankles, stolen wallets, missed flights and break-ups. No, there are so many wonderful moments, so I thought I´d log a few of the latest.

Beautiful moments:

I went out the other night with a friend of mine. We were walking along a bridge that connects La Rambla (a popular street) with Barceloneta (a floating shopping center in the port). The moon was a small crescent in the fading blue sky, with a single star hanging over the moon. All the boats were lit up and the ocean refected all the beauty, as suble waves tried to enter the port. We tried to capture it on a camera phone, but we would have needed Corbin´s new, fancy digital. Alas, all I have are the memories in my brain.

This week is a holiday week, so I had no Spanish class Tues. or Thurs. I took the day on Tuesday to go to the Museum of Catalunya. It was a sunny but cold and windy day. I walked toward the museum, passed an old car show and up a couple hundred stairs, being as the museum is up on a hill. After each staircase, I turned to look at the colorful European city below, as it got farther and farther away. Finally, at the top there were two, huge marble statues, which looked almost black against the sky and buildings below. The wind whipped my scarf and my hair (or what´s left of it, as I cut it all off). It chilled my face and I sat watching, smiling at the world beyond and thankful for my life, and the precious moments.
And the art museum was cool too, but that was the highlight.

Strange People in the Metro:

So earlier today, at 2pm on a Wednesday, there was a couple, maybe in their early 30´s smoking crack or herione on the Metro!!! Shamelessly, with an entire roll of aluminum foil, not even facing their backs to us or hiding in a bathroom. They each had a little square of foil with some white rock/powder on top, and lit a light beneath, and sucked the smoke right off and then blew it into the tram, where we could all get high. I was so aghast, and really sort of annoyed as they were right in front of me. So finally I moved, still wondering how they can get away with that. I guess growing up in the US, I didnt realize how lawless other places are. Each to their own.

all right, hugs to all and good luck to TCP.
Go see them!! Choral Project. google it if you need to. they are awesome!!!

More beautiful moments...

Music on the Streets:

I have seen some great street shows so I´ll tell you about a couple. There seems to always be music. My favorite so far has been these two guys with drums and bells and several digereedoos a piece playing some digereedoo techno stuff. They had their mouths blowing and the bells on their ankles ringing and played some phat rhythms on the drums. I literally sat down in front of the crowd of people and stayed for the whole show. Should have bought the c.d...
There is also this group of "native americans" playing, well, native american sounding music, with the pan pipes and flutes and singing and they even have the costumes, straight down to the feather head-dresses. They are on the streets at least 3-4 nights a week.
I also saw a cool tango dance show last week.
Pretty lady in a short black skirt and bright red tights dancing with some guy with a suit and shiny shoes. All we were looking at really was her red legs, as they were so much longer and thinner and brighter than the rest of the black they wore. It was a nice get-up.
Lastly, I saw a ROCKIN´ break-dancing show. These five guys, and they really had the moves. It just got better and better until this one guy put on a helmet and finished the show with a really long, fast headspin in the perfect splits. I had just watched a video on how to do headspins and it gave me a real appreciation for it. This guy was way better than the teachers on the video.

Churros:

Ok, so I passed this little stand on the street today, and had a little piece of happiness. Honestly, I dont usually eat little sugar-coated, fried pieces of white flour, but I just had to try authentic churros. Taco Bell has got nothing on them, that is for sure. I was in heaven for a few moments, until my stomach realized the gut-bomb I just threw down there. Yummy!

Circus Center:

I found a little circus center here a couple weeks ago. My ankle is finally good enough to at least start stretching again and getting ready for my "real" training when I get to NY. I have been going every day for the past couple days. I love it

From Seville to Single

That about wraps it up.
Corbin, my boyfriend for 22 months and possibly future husband, came here to visit me last week. I knew he was moving on in his mind and we would "have to talk" when he got here. So we did. And it tore me up, but we both agreed that we were doing different things in our lives and we should experience life where we are.
So then, after that discussion, we spent a week together in Barcelona, laughing and having a great time.
We visited all Gaudí´s stuff in Barcelona, the Aquarium, went unicycling with a good size group of unicyclists around the city...
Then, we took a train to the south of spain, to Seville, and spend several days down there. It is so beautiful, all the old buildings...wow. just gotta see it.
He was so camera happy with his new camera and I met up with a couple friends who are living there, one from Los Gatos, and one from my TEFL course that I took last month.
We left last night on the night train, and spent our last night together in our private room with a bed, holding eachother and being rocked to sleep by the moving train. We woke up and watched the sunrise, red and vibrant, over the Mediteranean. It was a precious moment.
And we watched the sunset from the train to the airport at the end of the day, just before we wished eachother a happy life.
Or as he said, "Why should I wish you a happy life? There is nothing to wish for. Just make it happy."
So I will.
So I left.
And I always take the train to and from the airport, but I think sometimes we are just put where we are supposed to be, because this time, for some reason, I took the bus. And I was watching this girl across from me. When the bus got to downtown, I let everyone get off first, and then I noticed a laptop under the chair where that girl was sitting. So I grabbed it and ran down the street to find her, hoping it was hers and someone wouldn´t be really disappointed. When I found her, and held it out to her, the look on her face was all the thanks I needed. She stumbled over her words and looked a little taken aback. Maybe I should have warned her that there are thieves, so be careful, but I guess she learned her lesson in silence. So that is why I took the bus, I guess. So some new tourist wouldn´t start by losing her laptop. And I felt happy.

And then, because I finally have money again, or at least credit, and I just went through a break-up, I went shopping. It always helps.
And I feel ok about this new chapter in my life.
And it means I have more time to think and write and spent time with all of my old friends and people to come into my life.

Big hugs to everyone.
I´m back in Calif. dec. 20.
See ya then,

Louise