Day 60

Longest. Day. Ever. Literally, it was 33 hours. I woke up in Spain for the last time and said goodbye to the girls, Hugo was still asleep for which I am grateful. I survived the whole airport mess that got a bit hairy as well as 14+hours in the air. I also met some very nice people. On the first flight I sat next to a 13-year-old Spanish girl flying for the first time (she was with her family). So I got to converse some more in Castellano which I will miss as well as get excited to teach kids close to her age as my teaching career officially starts on Monday. I’m happy to be home, and very grateful for my experiences abroad, here’s a sample of stuff I’ve learned.

Epiphanies I’ve had in Europe:

·      Happiness is a choice anywhere, with anyone, and under any circumstances.

·      The world is beautiful. Man has made some incredible things, but can never top work from the Master Architect.

·      I can feel confirmation from the spirit every time truth is being spoken, even if I don’t understand the language it’s being spoken in.

·      Smiling is powerful.

·      People love me way more than I deserve.

·      I won’t die without a hair straightener, eyeliner, mascara, insert decent beauty product here.

·      Pain and rejection are part of God’s plan. We couldn’t learn to be like Christ without experiencing them.

·      I won’t die without air conditioning.

·      Spanish food is good. Really good.

·      I won’t die if people see me naked. Even if I still have to say hola to them everyday while they iron my underwear.

·      People are amazing.

·      My family is awesome. 

Day 59

Today was my last full day in Madrid! I went to the temple this morning for baptisms, and joined another group from Portugal. Also joining them, came three USU girls who just got here for a study abroad. One of the girls told me she didn’t know that Castellano had such different sounds…no darling, the ordinances are being done in Portuguese. Another girl came to me in the locker room saying she couldn’t figure out how to use the European-style shower. Lol, they brought me back to my first few days here with little things being humbling and confusing.

The temple was the perfect last visit here in Spain. My experiences in that building top any of the world monuments I have toured by far.

The rest of my free time I spent saying goodbye to some of my favorite places, eating paella, and doing last-minute souvenir shopping. I returned a little early for work to pack.

Played with the kids, Hugo was being a pill. He doesn’t want me to leave, so he is extra mean to me. I do feel for the kid, and we did have some good moments. I hope that he turns out alright, he can be very sweet at his times. 

Day 58

Today I took an hour-long bus ride to the Royal Monastery of El Escorial. So worth it. It’s set up in the mountains, so the drive is beautiful, and the views from the Monastery are breath-taking. I especially enjoyed the Royal Pantheon, super striking. I wandered the little town for a bit, explored a beautiful park and gardens, and went back to work.

I swam with the kids for about an hour, then we got out of the pool, Elena came down, took Hugo’s floaties off, and changed him into a dry swimsuit. I monitored Hugo as he wandered around as usual, mooching food and toys from other neighborhood kids and talking to some boys in the pool. Then he jumps into five feet of water just a little ways away from Elena without his floaties. I was on the other side of the pool with the girls, I run over, jump in, and pull the coughing little boy out. The lifeguard got there a little later while Elena was still very engaged in a conversation with other mothers from the neighborhood and didn’t know what happened until a good two minutes later. Before she left to get ready to go out, she told me to ‘please be very careful with Hugo’…anyway, good times with Chema’s dad showing up decked out again getting everyone psyched for the Spain v. Portugal game.

Elena went out tonight and gave us permission to eat pizza while watching the game in honor of me leaving on Friday. That was way fun, the game went late since there were no goals, so the kids went to bed before Spain finally won. The neighborhood erupted with insurmountable energy. I stuck my head out the window, and everyone in the complex was out on their balconies singing, and using blow-horns, and talking to each other. This is something I’m going to miss. Oh, Spain. 

Day 57

Today I took a tour in Spanish of the Basilica de San Francisco El Grande. I had passed by this building a few times, which is pretty conservative from the outside, but inside it is absolutely gorgeous. I met a lady visiting Spain with her four young adult sons from Georgia. I got to translate the history a little bit and give them some advise for their trip. It was nice to finally know what I was talking about.

Later I went to Museo de Traje. I was thinking about skipping this museum, but I’m very glad I went. I was let in for free because the air conditioner wasn’t working, which has kind of been the story of my being in Spain. This family doesn’t use AC, and there are no fans in the flat, and it is over 100 degrees now. I can handle the heat outside, but inside, and trying to sleep while I’m sweating is difficult--and gross. But I digress, the costume museum was very enjoyable, and had some fun history to learn. There was a didactic area where I got to try on corsets and bustles. They do amazing things in shaping the body, but I’m definitely glad they’re not the norm anymore.

In the afternoon, I played racecars and soccer with Hugo. Hugo told me that I can’t leave on Friday. When I explained that I have to because that’s when my plane is leaving, he told me that he would buy me a plane so I could stay longer. Too cute. 

Day 56

Well, I checked out of the hostel a bit earlier than I had planned in a fit of laughter. If you want the story, you’ll have to ask me, as I can’t get myself to post it publicly. :p I didn’t really have time to do much before I had to get to the airport so I just took a walk through some of the pracas down to the port enjoying the famous pastelerias and frutarias. It was beautiful, and a bit foggy today. I didn’t make it to any of the beaches in the neighboring cities, but I still enjoyed the coast immensely.

I met Rui, a very nice Lisboa local, upon boarding the plane.  There was an operational problem with the plane, and the air conditioner didn’t work so it was getting super hot. Finally, we were all told to disembark and go back inside the airport as the problem wasn’t easy to fix, and the level of heat was getting dangerous. Rui bought me some food and saved me a spot in the queue while I used a pay phone to call Elena and tell her I would be late. We boarded another plane not much longer and had a good conversation about the church. Portuguese culture with their gestures is pretty fun, they’re also a touchy-feely people like the Spanish—he wanted to hold my hand during take-off and landing to relax me. Ha. Yeah. He gave me his contact for more info on the church and if I ever want a place to stay in Lisboa. Contact in Portugal? Check.

Seeing the familiar towering buildings while the plane landed was nice. It didn’t quite feel the same as seeing the electrical towers on South Mountain, but still, mmm, Madrid. Getting onto the metro and just hearing people speak was also nice. Mmm, Castellano. After two months, I have come to love the place, and it definitely feels more like home. I can’t wait for the feeling that will come with actually going home home.

I got to work a bit late, but Hugo was asleep so it worked out. No huge catastrophes in the urba, and some of the parents gave me their emails and offered me a place to stay if I ever come back to Madrid. The world is so full of sweet people. 

Day 55

Not knowing the city at all, I had to rely on google maps again to get me to church. It suggested I take the tram. Okay! :) The tram is super cute and super bumpy winding through these hills, and it makes noises like it’s falling apart. At the second stop it filled with Oriental tourists who made “OHHHH” and “OOOOOO” sounds throughout the ride snapping pics of EVERYTHING. That was fun. Once I got off, I got a little lost, but at last found where the tiny ward meets. I was a little late, but fortunately Relief Society is the first meeting so I didn’t miss the sacrament. I got to play piano, one language I can speak anywhere.

I discovered that I actually can understand some Portuguese. It made it easier in Sunday School, following along in my Spanish scriptures, it really is very similar, and it gave me a better idea at how to pronounce things. Basic ideas and testimonies were easy to understand, and the spirit still feels the same. Most of the members speak English, and the ones who didn’t, I could use Spanish to communicate with. I met a super nice boy from Idaho here for an internship, he helped translate a bit with things I couldn’t understand, so that was nice. After church he showed me around some pretty areas of the city, and escorted me back to the center before he ran off to catch a train for his four-day adventure exploring Northern Portugal. I saw the rest of the sights through the city tour bus. Wide range of beautiful architecture similar to what I’ve seen in Madrid to other. . . not so beautiful architecture but definitely very interesting and unique. I hung out in one of the pracas, I’ll admit to watching a little bit of the England v. Italy game, and ate an octopus salad, oh yeah! 

The Portuguese impress me as a very beautiful, sweet people. When I smile at people in Spain, they typically just give me a weird look and scrutinize my outfit, here they smile back with huge, shiny, brown eyes and say hello. This makes wandering one of my favorite experiences.

So unreal that I fly back to Madrid tomorrow, then just a few more days until I’m home. 

Day 54

Well, my lovelies, I have to admit I unknowingly lied when I titled this blog “60 Days in Spain” as I happen to be in Portugal at the moment. Claudia and Hugo were the only ones awake when I left, all cute with their morning hair. Hugo panicked thinking I was going home. I was bordering sad saying goodbye to them for the weekend. It’ll be hard to leave them for good. I finally left after I promised them I would be back on Monday, exchanged the maternity swimsuit, and got myself to the airport.

After landing, I got a bit of a stomachache thinking: I’m in Lisbon, I’m alone, I have no phone, no contacts, I don’t know the city, I don’t know the language…then, as I reached for my backpack in the overhead stowage area, a guy nearby grabbed it for me, smiled, and asked in broken English, “is for you?” Bad feeling gone. That simple act of kindness assured me that everything would be fine. People are so amazing, God works through His children all over the world.

I found my hostel without too much confusion, dropped off my stuff and wandered through the city center. I love Lisbon, definitely a different feel than the Spanish cities, and enchanting in its own way. Everyone speaks English to me, different than what I have gotten used to in Madrid, but I realized that I look much more foreign here than I do in Spain. It helps a ton since although I hoped I would understand some Portuguese given its similarity to Spanish, I don’t. It’s a pretty cool sounding language though. I thought about my big bro Kevin, he would have fun being here.

I hiked up to the Castelo de St. Jorge. That was way fun, and tiring. I’ve climbed approximately 37,692 stairs today. Once you get inside the castle, it’s more endless, scary 11th century stairs that lead to some AMAZING views of the city. I love coastal cities. From the castle, I could see (and hear) a parade going on in honor of soccer. Of course, this is still Europe, and like in Spain, soccer is a huge deal. Almost all of the restaurants had the game showing, and everyone was completely transfixed, I love it. I ate authentic Portuguese food at a brand new restaurant . . . I think they’re still working some kinks out, but there was great food after I disposed of some really nasty toppings.

I got back to the hostel before it was completely dark, and I’m still the only one in my room. 11 euros a night for a private room? I’ll take it! The staff is really friendly and helpful, and the facilities are good, so this was a pretty nifty find. I’m so glad I came here and got to experience something different for my last weekend in Europe. I LOVE THIS!!

Day 53

I considered taking another day trip this morning, and just the thought of it made me fall asleep for another hour. I attempted to find a museum for the second time to no avail, I’m pretty sure it doesn’t exist now. I followed my whims wandering this beautiful city in which I have such little time, bought some pretty Spanish clothes, and did some grocery shopping—I love the grocery stores here.


I convinced myself that after several years of putting it off, today was the day to buy a new swimsuit, as the one I brought simply can't go on another day.

Well, it’s next to impossible to find a modest swimsuit here, and I’m still confused about my European sizes. With all the sales going on, I finally found a decent one for cheap. I didn’t realize until after I bought it that it’s maternity. . . oops. One humbling experience after another here. :p

Work was easy today. I got my hair done about eight different ways by Claudia while we quizzed each other with Spanish-English words. Hugo was sweet and said that he doesn’t want me to leave. Hugo and I played soccer while the girls rode horses until the pony club teacher nicely told me that soccer was forbidden in the area with the ponies. We weren’t anywhere near them, but we relocated to a distant patch of grass, soccer is cool in that way. Later I did see the 'no soccer' sign outside the precious area--only in Spain. :) It was late, but we went to the urba for a while to socialize with the neighbors. I really do love this community. Hugo had a meltdown when Elena came down and said it was time to go back to the flat for dinner. He told her that he wanted to leave me in the urba for the night, lol. Life is beautiful, so crazy I will be home and dancing in one week! 

Day 52

Today I went to Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas. I thought about both my parents there as my mom probably would have appreciated the dcor more than me, and there was an exhibition in German. I enjoyed it. I found a bunch of sales afterwards and did some shopping.

I can’t believe how much Hugo has warmed up to me. Dana got pretty upset with him when he was being a brat and saying that he only wanted to play with me, and he wanted me to prepare his mid-day snack thing they do every day here instead of her. I feel for this poor woman who’s had to serve him for nearly two years. Later in the urba he hit me, told me to get away from him, and said very ugly things to me . . . only to try to cuddle with me two minutes later. I tried talking to him and can’t believe this three-year-old’s mindset. “Puedo decir cosas feas a ti.” One of the mothers in the urba approached me again expressing frustration that Elena lets Hugo get away with everything, that she would like to educate him, but he’s not her son. If I got a euro for every time I thought that…I don’t know what to do with him, but it’s only one more week. At the dinner table: “Sabes que no quiero Eleesawbeth, solo quiero a mi papa.” Elena’s reponse, “Eso, si.” I hope she was just referring to the loving his dad part. 

PEANUT BUTTER TOTALLY EXISTS HERE!! Elena showed me a jar saying that no one in their family likes it. The girls couldn’t understand my excitement, and I was a little surprised at level of happiness that came with this knowledge, given all the amazing food I’ve had here. Peanut butter :)

Day 51

Took a day trip to Segovia with Liz—the other Mormon nanny. It’s awesome to be able to have deep conversations in English with a fellow member. We were able to see the aqueduct—so old!, the Cathedral, the Alcazar, churches and castles from the outside, and eat AMAZING food that made this girl super happy. I loved Segovia, way charming, I would like to spend more time there.

I barely made it on time to work to care for a feverish Hugo. He had some sweet moments. Due to the fever, he was more tranquil, but also more irritable, so I was called some mild names. Everyone in the community seems to think Hugo is adorable and deserves free candy or snacks and stuff. Is he grateful? Nope. He gets angry at them for not giving him more. I have a difficult time with that attitude. Hopefully the little guy is better tomorrow. I finished work late tonight since I got distracted and carried away teaching the girls some technical dance stuff while they taught me some fun dance stuff they choreographed—I was impressed. Lots of good stuff today. :)

Day 50

Lovely overcast day with some light rain, and everything in Madrid is extra beautiful. :) I toured Museo de Cerralbo, a most exquisitely charming mansion with the most intricate and colorful chandeliers I have ever seen. I love going back in time and getting to see things like this. The ballroom was absolutely precious, it made me happy. I intended to go to another museum, but I got lost instead and had a nice wander through some more dinky parts of Madrid, but I found some places that sell cheap clothes, and a pretty cool food market.

Reading in Retiro, a Jamaican guy approached me from the metro entrance, and I spent a good 10 minutes refusing his offers to take me out. This guy just wouldn’t give up, I was to a point where I was considering soliciting help from the ice cream vendor nearby, but he finally left to join a couple other Jamaican guys hanging around at the entrance of the metro . . . shady.

Hugo was asleep again when I got back to the flat, and again was actually nice to me when he woke up. We had fun playing together. He actually lets some of my goals count now when we play soccer. Usually my goals NEVER count for the most ridiculous reasons and his ridiculous (not) goals ALWAYS count. This little twinkie makes me happy sometimes (thanks for the new word, Sister Whetten). Good day. :)
If you're still reading, bless your heart. The amount of love, encouragement, and prayers has surprised and moved me deeply. Thank you for being amazing, love you!

Day 49

Museo del Prado is still as amazing as it was the first time. I think I’ve finally actually seen everything. I’ve at least been inside of all the rooms, but they only show 1/7 of their collection at a time, so I could keep going back after they change it and still see new things. Crazy! I walked to Puerta Del Sol to take the metro, and I have discovered that if I sit by myself in the fountain in the center and smile, people come and ask me questions, and it’s a great way to meet people from everywhere. Such fun stuff. I got back to the flat and Hugo was asleep: score! This enabled to chat with Lake for a few minutes. Lake hasn’t seen my blog, so I feel fine making fun of him a bit. This kid is a crack-up and it was great to laugh with him.

When Hugo woke up, he was actually sweet to me! What is this? Elena got back late with the girls, so it was just us for a few hours, and it was great fun. I taught him Head, Shoulder, Knees, and Toes in Spanish and English, he LOVED it. I’ve been listening to him sing it all day now. The weather was gorgeous, so lots of people came to the urba, I was actually able to follow and participate in the Spanish women’s conversations. Chema’s dad made an appearance on his balcony (all the balconies overlook the urba) decked out in Spanish colors with a bandana around his head and noisemakers getting ready for the Spain v. Croatia soccer game. Hugo was still happy in the urba after his nap, and listened pretty well for being Hugo. Of course he’s still reluctant and slow to obey, but at last he would do whatever I said without crying, screaming or hitting. He also preferred to play with me than with the other kids, so crazy!

After cleaning up dinner, I watched most of the game, and then finally quit to get ready for bed while the score was still 0-0. Of course two minutes after I stop watch the game Spain scores, which you can’t miss with all the noise from the neighborhood. Love it.

Not bad for a Monday, eh? Definitely not a slap in the face as I normally expect. I’m a happy girl. :)

Day 48

I love Sundays.

Madrid 9^th ward has been one of the best things that has happened to me. I just love the members here. The talks were beautiful, and there is very little that I don’t understand now. I was asked to play the piano, which I was happy to do, even though the regular pianist did come today and her beautiful baby boy was blessed. The blessing was in English, it was a special experience.

I was surprised that I had no hesitation sharing thoughts in Spanish in Sunday School. Definite improvements. I’m so happy. It is amazing that you can go anywhere in the world and find a way to stand in holy places and feel the spirit. The church is true everywhere, but this ward will always have a special place in my heart.

I went back to the flat to eat, played with Hugo until the family went swimming, and then crashed. I went to Retiro in the evening for a walk. It was perfect, the weather was gorgeous, and the park is so beautiful. I followed the sound of music to find couples dancing Argentine Tango on this pavilion thing under the stars! Later a guy insisted on singing a little Frank Sinatra for me. The city is beautiful at night all lit up, I’m living in a dream. Sigh, I love Spain. 

Day 47

This morning I took the earliest bus into Madrid to get to the train station and head to Cordoba for the day. This city is pretty awesome. I went to the Mezquita Mosque/Cathedral which was amazing. It was also super-packed, this was the longest line I’ve had to wait in to get tickets, and once I got in, I could hardly move anywhere without getting in the way of someone’s picture, thankfully it thinned out and was easier to see. Again I had my mind blown by the enormity of intricate details of the chapels. I was walking by several chapels taking it all in, when I finally looked up (higher than I had been looking) and saw a huge archway over the chapel with all these sculptures, as I looked back I realized all the chapels had them, so I got to backtrack and have my mind re-blown as I made sure to look at the floor and the ceiling. So amazing.

I luckily made it to Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos a half hour before closing time, which is when they stop letting people in. There wasn’t much time, so I moved quickly through the interior exploring these caves, and ruins, and ran up these super steep, narrow, uneven staircases to the towers. This would have completely freaked Mom out, but it was some of the most fun I’ve had in Spain. Exploring this fortress is any kid’s dream. The gardens were gorgeous!

The rest of the day I wore myself out tackling the city on foot in 97 degree weather visiting palaces, churches, archaeological museums, famous bridges, towers and such monuments, eating typical stew of Cordoba, and finally getting back to the train station.

There was an elderly man sitting in the same area as me, so naturally I think, “you know SO much more than me, I would like to talk to you.” I asked him where he was headed, and apparently he wasn’t going anywhere, he just wanted to sit in the train station. I kind of love that. I was hoping to continue my good fortune with inspiring conversations with strangers, but not so much. He couldn’t believe that I was doing all my travelling alone. Translated/summed conversation in English:

Why don’t your parents come with you?

They’re busy in the States.

Well, don’t you have a boyfriend?

No.

Why not? What’s he doing?

Who?

Your boyfriend.

I don’t have one.

I bet he misses you. Does he call you a lot?

Sir, I’m single.

Why doesn’t he call you? Does he talk to you through the internet?

Um, I think I should go board my train now, it’s been lovely talking to you.

You’re leaving already? Take care then, Guapa.

Lol, he was cute, I guess I can’t always depend on strangers to uplift me, no matter how wise they may look. I survived the late-night metro/bus travelling with crazies on a Saturday night and at last am back at the flat, very ready for sleep. 

Day 46

I got up early and left before the family was awake intending to go to Segovia. I got to the train station, took a number, waited in line, and finally got ‘helped’ by one of those guys who gets whatever he wants in life by being ridiculously good-looking. After taking his time selecting the time slots I wanted, asking for and examining multiple IDs, he tells me that I need to take a later train and go to the other station in Madrid. I conveyed in the best Spanish I could, a ‘seriously, after all that, you can’t even sell me the ticket?’ He just smiled, winked and told me to buy it at the other station, “corre.” I wanted to smack this guy, but that would be sinking to Hugo’s level. I would have had to time to board the train I wanted once I got to the station, had I had the ticket already. Whatever, I decided the next train wouldn’t give me enough time there, so I will go another day. I sat in the station deciding what to do with the day when a sweet, elderly lady sits next to me very distraught about finding her friends and the right platform and all that jazz. I explained things to her, and since she was so nervous, decided to stay with her until her friend arrived, almost an hour later. She was very uplifting. I live for these random inspiring encounters with strangers.

I finally left the station and visited the temple grounds and then ended up at Museo Lazaro Galdiano. This is a most excellent museum. It has a good variety of paintings, sculptures, weapons, dinnerware, coins, jewelry, etc. all in a beautiful building—former home to Lazaro—with elaborately painted ceilings. This is so cool, I love this.

Work went well, it was good day. I had fun playing with Hugo, and then we went with the girls to their horseback-riding classes. Elena is such a crazy driver. She does things that would upset me as another driver, and suffers from some road rage towards other drivers who aren't doing anything wrong. I had a hard time not laughing out loud in the car, thinking of the times me or the girls have taken heat from Elena without much if any reason for the solicitation. Driving back we found Elena’s friend who will be staying with us for the weekend. She and Elena went for a night out while I fed and bathed the kids, and stayed talking with the girls. Fun stuff. Elena seemed very happy to have her friend in town. She deserves some time to enjoy herself. Seeing her countenance change made me excited for how happy I will be to be reunited with my favorite people and to dance again. Two weeks. 

Day 45

Dana fell asleep on the couch this morning, pobrecita. I tried to cover some of the cleaning for her before I left. Sometimes I feel bad leaving everyday to go have adventures while she stays and cleans all day.

Today I walked through Museo de Escultura al aire libre. Very interesting, I enjoyed it. I then took the subway to another area to see Estadio de Vincente Caldaron. There’s a beautiful area surrounding the stadium next the river. I walked through and ended up falling asleep on a park bench reading. For some reason I have been super lazy since Barcelona. During the day, this is the life.

Work went much better today than yesterday, surprisingly. Elena took the girls to a birthday party after school and they didn’t return until 8:45, so I was left alone with Hugo. We read and then went swimming, per usual. Elena called me and told me to try to keep him happy. Of course I try to keep him happy, but sometimes it’s difficult to keep him happy and safe or non-violent at the same time. He was good for being himself, and happy with me until we went home after the girls finally arrived, when he complained about me to Elena. I enjoyed talking with some of the other parents. One of the mothers, and one of the teenagers both approached me and told me quietly that they felt sorry for me and didn’t know how I could handle this family, and Hugo in particular, with such patience. It’s petty, I know, but it was nice to get some sympathy rather than blame. However, life isn’t about me, I’m here to help this family which I do love, and by golly, I’m trying.

Now I get to go to sleep listening to the cheering soccer fans in the neighborhood.  I love Spain. :)

Day 44

Dana had some family stuff she had to take care of, and Hugo didn’t go to school, so I stayed with him this morning while he was more or less a good boy. I didn’t have much time in Madrid, but I saw about 15 policeman on motorcycles escorting a car…not sure who was in it. I was close to the Royal Palace so I walked there wondering if something was going on, I did get to see a little marching procession/ceremony thing, it was fun. I wish I knew what it was.

I walked through the Daliadiera de San Fernando el Grande. What makes flowers so charming? I think those are some of the neatest little creations. It overlooks part of the city, and in the distance I saw a pillar of thick, black smoke marring my beautiful view of Madrid. I sat there for several minutes as the smoke slowly curled away and the view was clear again as if the fire never happened. I thought about when we get burned, so to speak, and are enveloped in ugly, thick, black smoke. It takes time, but the smoke evaporates with the help of unseen, stronger, surrounding elements and the view becomes clear. We’re then left to either mourn over the rubble, or take advantage of the cleansing process of fire and construct something beautiful and new. Annnd cheesy analogy is done. Plenty more where that came from.

I don’t even want to write about Hugo tonight. It is fun to watch some of the other kids in the urba. There’s a definite love triangle going on among the younger teenagers, Isabella, Jaime and Jaime. One of my favorites is Chema. I think he’s the skinniest kid I’ve ever seen, kinda funny-looking in an adorable way and he’s just a bucket of energy. He never just walks into the urba, he always comes in running with a war-cry, beating his chest, kicking a soccer ball, tucking and rolling, it makes my day every time. Chema definitely has some violent tendencies, and I’ve had to take away toys and large rocks that turn into weapons, but whenever I do talk to him, the same as when he asks my permission for something, the war-crying, soccer whiz becomes nothing but respect and gentleness, and he listens. It’s the cutest thing. 

Day 43

Today: shopping, a wander, and tapas with Will. Fun stuff. He’s a fun, chill guy, and it’s always easy to find him in a crowd since he’s 6’4” and always sporting bright colors. We saw a Spiderman—chubbiest Spiderman either of us have seen. I had seen him before walking through Plaza Mayor, but I had never seen him bust out his French swooning a couple elderly French ladies, and then turn on the Salsa dancing with them. This guy is hilarious, it was a good laugh watching him.

I played with Hugo and had an interesting experience taking the kids swimming in the urba. Normally if I really need Hugo to listen to me, I have to grab his arms and get in his face for him to respond, but he normally does. Today, he was completely deaf and mute to me. After twice disobeying me, I told him I couldn’t take him swimming anymore if he wouldn’t listen. The girls reiterated this in Spanish. He splashed around saying that of course he would still come back, and created this little sing-songy chant of “claro que si, claro que si.” I was so sick of seeing this kid behave so badly and still get whatever he wanted. 


I finally snapped, and surprised myself with a long, angry stream of Spanish flowing from my mouth, and I grabbed a towel and carried the wet child back to the house. As I was leaving Claudia informed me that I had to come back with him or else he would cry. This made me even sicker and prompted another nearly involuntary Spanish lecture. Hugo didn’t fight, scream, or yell, he just kind of froze and let me change him into dry clothes once we got to the flat and listened as I lectured (this time quietly) in Spanish. When Elena returned she told me to take him back to urba. He was obedient this time. 

Day 42

I was in a wonderful, but lazy mood today and  went back to bed after the family left. Sleep was delicious and much needed. Pretty chill day, I worked on lesson planning and did some reading and then finally got into Madrid. I went through Museo Canos de Peral, which is very little and actually in a metro station, but I enjoyed it. It has this theater room that I had all to myself, and I got to navigate the huge touch screen on the wall and it was really loud, so that made me happy. It was good to learn more history and try to understand the Spanish.

It was gorgeous day here so I just took some time to wander, feeling very good that I didn’t have to carry all my stuff with me as I did for the weekend. In Plaza de Isabel II I saw (I’m pretty sure it was him) a famous young Madrid skater doing some SICK moves that I didn’t realize were possible on roller blades in. I just learned about him since he happens to have the same name as the local dancer I met on the plane. Crazy! There weren’t a whole lot of people around, so he had lots of space, and took some chill time. I was too shy to approach him :/ Dangit.

Back to work at 5, and I actually probably had the most fun I’ve ever had with Hugo. He got upset after I got really serious with him catching him putting a plastic bag over his head. I took the kids swimming in the pool that just opened for the summer in the urba. At first it was fun to see how happy Hugo is when he’s swimming, then it wasn’t cute to learn that when he’s so happy he doesn’t listen AT ALL, and he was a pain. However, he grabbed some equipment for tennis, and one of the kids asked who he wanted to play with. He insisted on me! Normally he’s happy to play with me when I’m his only choice, and then he insults me and refuses to play with me when there are other kids or his sisters, so this was definitely new.

Good day, I’m happy. :)

Day 41

I can thank Hugo and Dana for preparing me to deal with some elements of temporarily living with a bunch of European girls. They were nice. It was interesting watching all the diverse people eat breakfast at the hostel.

I was excited when I looked up the church and saw that it couldn’t have been more than a 10 minute walk from the hostel. After I ate breakfast, I checked out of the hostel and went to look for it. Then I saw one of my favorite sights in a foreign country: missionary tags. It was a blessing to run into this lovely senior missionary couple from Utah, as getting into the chapel proved to be pretty tricky and I certainly wouldn’t have figured it out on my own—someone’s looking out for me. Church was beautiful, and as always, exactly what I needed to learn and didn’t recognize that I did.

After church, I did some more sightseeing of Gaudi and Guell. La Sagrada Familia is unlike anything I have ever seen, the outside is very busy, and almost bordering ugly, but it’s so fascinating that it’s not. The inside is just so different from any other building. This is ironic, because visiting the Gaudi museums, you learn that it's all patterned after natural things that everyone sees all the time.

I was determined to swim in the Mediterranean while in Europe, and I accomplished that today. Glorious. I was mildly surprised at the number of women wearing one-piece swimsuits…they must be saving money not buying the top half. It was SO hard to leave—both the beach and Barcelona altogether. Finally I submitted that I couldn’t stay longer, grudgingly put normal clothes on and set off. After taking two subways, a train, a shuttle, a plane, two more subways, and a bus I am back at the flat in Madrid—safe, sound, sore, sleepy, sun burnt, and superbly satisfied with the incredible experiences this weekend. 

Day 40

I left the flat at 4am to get to Madrid on foot. Not the best idea I’ve ever had, but options were limited. I ended up getting lost a couple times, and definitely walking through some areas that are not meant to be walked through. By the time I made it into Madrid (a completely different area in Madrid that I meant to), it was pretty late and I was getting pretty antsy so I flagged down a Taxi. It felt so luxurious!

The view on the plane ride was breath-taking. Spain is so beautiful. I was lucky to get a window seat next to a gorgeous local boy from Madrid who had also lived in Barcelona for two years. He proved to be quite useful. Also turns out he’s a legit ballroom dancer/teacher and holds a couple titles on a national level. Before we parted he gave me his contact info in hopes, he said, that he could be of further use to me. Dance contact in Spain? Oh yes!

I completely understand why everyone loves Barcelona. This city is enchanting. It definitely has a more easy-going and romantic feeling to it than does Madrid (sorry Madrid, I still I love you). I got in at 9:15 and bought a hop on/hop off bus tour pass and I have now seen all the sites at least from the outside. Of course there is so much here, I am barely scratching the surface, however this was definitely worth it, it is beautiful. I think I’m in love (again, sorry Madrid).

The hostel is a little ghetto for having gotten such good reviews, but I’ll take it. I had no trouble finding it since, unlike Madrid, the roads here are more or less linear. I’m super tired and sore, but that’s what I get for being an idiot, I’m still ecstatic to be here. I just came back to sleep (it's 11:45) and it looks like the rest of the girls in my room are getting ready to go out. I’m pretty sure that no matter how much noise they make I’m going to sleep pretty soundly. :p

Day 39

After very little sleep, I head out early to the train station, buy a ticket to Toledo and off I go.

Toledo is darling, I adore Toledo. The historic portion of it is this little city of stone with windy roads and a bunch of cool sites all within walking distance. It’s very hilly, walking around this city was pretty much hiking all day. At first I would see palaces and think, ‘that’s a palace?... ok.’ It looked just like all the other stone buildings did. Then I found the Cathedral. Whoa. One of the most magnificent things I have ever seen ever. My face returned to a state of my jaw being locked open and my eyes the size of tennis balls. It was just too much to take in both inside and outside. The other monasteries, churches, castle, and museums were cool too, but the cathedral was definitely my favorite. I greatly enjoyed my time there and met some fun people and had very interesting conversations about religion and politics with Europeans.

On the train home the man sitting next to me starts up conversation. He was speaking Latin-American Spanish, and I later learned that he was from Mexico. It was fun after we learned this because he would change with the flow of conversation fro Spanish to English, and I never had any difficulty understanding or responding. I still wouldn’t call myself bilingual, but my Spanish has definitely been improving here.

I am so wiped, but in a couple hours  I need to get to the airport to catch my flight to Barcelona. Why did Elizabeth have to schedule such an early flight? I didn’t realize when I booked it that the metro and bus that goes to Pozuelo doesn’t start running until 6am, so it’ll be an adventure getting there on time. Pray for me. Love y’all. 

P.S. Three weeks from now I will be dancing. :)

Day 38

I started the morning by going to the temple for baptisms. It was with the same group from Portugal, but they were joined by many, many more. They all came exclusively for the temple trip, they are beautiful. I have met so many amazing people on this trip. The temple President and his wife spoke in English with a Portuguese translator—very simple, incredibly profound messages, it was marvelous. Of course, the ordinances were done in Portuguese again, but this time the water was warm. Having such wonderful experiences this week in the temple has made me feel more resolutely that this trip was worth it. Perhaps someday I will be able to come back and see all of it.  Such a gorgeous temple.

I failed to find the museum I had planned for today, but I wandered and found the next best thing: HAMMOCKS! Oh yeah! I discovered some very nice gardens next to the river by Casa de Campo.  There was a great view of the Almudena Cathedral, and I ended up walking to it and visiting the cript. It was interesting, I do love this cathedral.

Work was work, some good moments with Hugo, though he was a pill, per usual. He says ugly, hurtful things to me every day, but apparently he called me something particularly nasty today, due to the reactions of Elena and the girls. I didn’t understand the meaning, and I don’t remember the word so I’ll never know which is good. Now my work is finished until Monday and I'm lip-synching with dramatic gestures and faces while my sugar muffins Brian, Chris, Mario, Ne-yo, and Usher serenade me with their slow grooves before the crazy weekend commences. I love this. I'm in Spain. This is awesome. :)

Day 37

Today I hit up Museo de Sorolla. It’s a well-kept secret in Madrid, I hadn’t heard of it until this morning. Once you find it, find the super rude ladies you have to buy the ticket from, and finally find the actual entrance, it’s actually a pretty legit little treasure trove. It’s Sorolla’s old house with his furniture and even old paintbrushes. I like this guy. I think Sorolla is actually worthy of an entire museum for his work. There were lots of paintings of his family, especially his wife, it was sweet.

There are so many pretty dogs here. I made friends with a super cute one in the urba—pretty much my best friend in Spain. This dog doesn’t insist on licking me. Dana, in another attempt to help I’m sure, is always telling Hugo to give me besos. If he asks to play some sort of game with me, Dana pops out of nowhere and declares to hugo that I will only play with him if he gives me besos—I could probably go without those. There’s simply no getting away from all the kissing here, it’s everywhere in and outside the flat.

Only 23 more days of being called stupid, commanded to leave, and reminded consistently that I am not loved or wanted in this house. I can’t wait for the day that my eyes will no longer be plagued, nor my ears penetrated by the sound of the whiny voice of the contemptible, malicious, Satan-spawned hellion. Ok, so I’m just having fun, I am happy. I know I’m being prepared for great and marvelous things in the future. 

Day 36

This morning, wake up, roll out of bed, get dressed and tip toe out of the house while the family is sleeping, take an hour and a half bus/metro ride to the temple and I wait. Two hours of waiting, and I have luck joining a beautiful group from Portugal for baptisms! The ordinances were done in Portuguese, and the water was cold, and it was an absolutely beautiful experience. So so so so so so so so so so happy!!! :D

Today I hit Museo de America. I had to, naturally. It was nice being more familiar with the history. Mexican ceramics have the most hideous portrayals of women I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot being here. I’m staring at this little ceramic sculpture thinking, ‘what IS this?’ I look at the caption: Figura Femenina. ‘What?!’ Two ceramic sculptures later, ‘gosh, this is ugly, what is it?’ Caption: Figura de un Mujer. Really? They just kept coming. The masculine figures looked much more feminine to me. In any case, I had fun, a lot of the stuff made me laugh, which was good.

When I got back, Hugo ran to the door and greeted me with an enthusiastic, “Elleeeeesawbeth!” Then I was busy for the rest of the day. Ok, so the kid can be kinda cute sometimes. It is slightly adorable that he is absolutely enchanted with birds. He excitedly points them out in pictures and stories, and he gets a whole new aura whenever he sees them in the urba and he runs to get them. Sometimes, he insists on lowering a jump rope out the window so the birds will come and perch on it and he can reel them in and keep them. Of course, despite him almost being cute, he was a brat later today, but there’s some progress. His reluctance to listen to me has definitely lessened.  

Day 35

I was supposed to meet up with Will and another girl outside of a McDonalds, apparently I went to the wrong one. Not knowing this at the time, I waited and got lunch there (don’t judge, Mom). You can order gazpacho--goodness I am going to miss gazpacho--you can also order beer, I won’t so much miss that. Being Monday, I headed to Prado afterwards, definitely one of my favorite places. Did I ever mention that I love it here? I love this museum and I love getting so lost and immersed in these paintings that I forget where I am. I love meeting people from all over the world, and love it even more when they think I’m Spanish.

I made it a point to be home when Dana brought Hugo back from school for his security with me or something. Now that he finishes school at 2, it’s just too early for me to return from Madrid. I heard him recount to his mom that I was not home when he came back. This afternoon when I did get back we played soccer and blew bubbles and read. When I read stories in English he makes me recount what happens in Spanish. Reading so much out loud in Spanish is good for me, I’m definitely reading more easily and more fluently now.

I feel like there has been a turning point, I’m not sure why, but I felt happier today. I feel like I’m gelling more with the family. Hugo is still a brat, and still reminds me that he doesn’t love me, but now he seems to treat me the same way he treats his sisters, and doesn’t go into extreme hysterics with me anymore. Today was the first time it sunk in for me that there is a lot I am going to miss about this beautiful place and this family when I leave. 

Day 34

Fast and testimony meeting in the ward was beautiful and just what I needed. The gospel is amazing, and so are these members. Before Sacrament meeting I met Liz—another American LDS Au Pair who just arrived in Spain on Friday. Yes!! This is going to make life here so much easier. I had a good talk with her and a new sister missionary from Utah, both of whom have travelled quite a bit and dealt with similar things I’m going through. This was the first time I’ve had girl talk in English since I’ve been here, it was nice.

The sister missionaries asked me to translate for an American woman visiting her daughter here. I tried my best, but that is hard stuff. The lesson moves so fast that it’s hard to try to get it across while listening to what’s coming after. I missed a lot, but was at least able to get the ideas across and tell her what scriptures we were reading so she could follow along in English. She was grateful since she doesn’t understand a word of what goes on. My Spanish is still very poor, but I’m grateful for the level that I am at when I hear Liz try to communicate. Poor girl is going to have a rough time, but I’m super excited she’s here, we’ll be good for each other.

Only three more Sundays here, and I’m not sure if I’ll stay in Madrid for any of them. I’m glad that there was a little that I could do, and comfort people in the ward who gave comfort to me when I needed it. I love the structure of the church and blessings that come from both giving and receiving service. It’s a beautiful thing. I’ve had lots of people here encourage me to go on a mission. This is definitely good preparation.

I’m very thankful for internet and the times that I get to connect with the most important people. Much love from Spain for y’all.

Day 33

Hugo complained again this morning about me living with his family. He announced very seriously that he doesn’t let anyone with curly hair live in his house. That made me laugh a little bit. His relatives tend to call quite a bit and talk to him on the phone. He loves to tell them about how stupid I am no matter what I am doing. I just love living with this kid.

I worked for most of the day, which is fine, considering the weekends I’ll have off. Early evening I attempted to go to institute, because I swear I say a poster advertising for classes on Friday and Saturday nights. When I got there I was informed that it is only on Friday nights, so I went to the chapel next to the building and found a good piano. That was amazing and kept me busy for a couple hours. Later on the temple grounds I ran into the Swiss guy I met in Almudena Cathedral last week. We ended up taking a walk and talking for a couple hours. It was good for both of us. He returns to Switzerland on Monday and wanted a chill night, and it was good for me to have someone to talk to about gospel things and family things and dance things as he’s into lots of sports, but dance is his favorite. I’ve realized this week how I take for granted being able to discuss the gospel and pray with other members so often. So many blessings. I’m glad that I decided to go to Barcelona next weekend instead if this one. It’ll be good to have a quieter fast Sunday and tonight was a good segue. 

Day 32

I started the day off by visiting the huge Catholic church across the street since I had never been inside. Afterwards, I went into Madrid to visit the Caixaforum, which has a giant bush wall, a crazy metallic structure, and some legit stairs. There was an exposition on ballet in the early 1900s which I definitely enjoyed. Crazy costumes and crazy, weird dances. Their second floor featured the works and history of architect/designer/illustrator Piranesi. That guy was absolutely nuts and absolutely brilliant. These artists just blow my mind.

I stumbled upon La Rosalera at the edge of Retiro. I love roses. Roses are splendid. Spain is so beautiful. I zoned out for a while, when I came to, I saw an elderly lady work her way through an arrangement of roses to wash her hair in one of the pretty fountains. I don’t blame her. I am more fortunate than she, but there was this one time that I walked through the fountain next to the MU at ASU. Sometimes, it’s just hot and you gotta do whatcha gotta do.

Hugo gets out of school earlier for the month of June, so I get more time with him. He was pretty good until hours later in the urba when he wouldn’t listen and gave me my beating and complained that I keep coming back to his house.

Things that make me happy today:

Seeing a 60+ year old man with huge headphones dancing on roller skates. YES!

My Abono pass is valid now, so I don’t have to pay anymore for transportation around Pozeulo and Madrid. YES!

I searched around and managed to book a round trip plane ticket to Barcelona and a bed in a hostel for the same price the other tutors paid for a train ticket one way. YES!

Four weeks from now I will be dancing! YES!