March 24, Murcia

I am now in Murcia (about two hours south of Valencia) with the family for whom I will be an au pair for the next two months. They live about ten minutes outside the city in a big house, with a swimming pool and orange trees in the yard. The parents are great, Clara and Tomás, they have been nothing but welcoming and friendly. There are three kids, baby Manuel (five months), Araceli (4 years) and the younger Tomás (6 years). The main objective of my job is to speak English with the children and help out Clara in whatever way I can. In the mornings I watch after Manuel and help get Araceli and Tomásito ready for school. While they are at school I can do as I please, but sometimes run errands with Clara. Yesterday we went to the supermarket and bought vegetarian things and toothpaste. When the kids come home we play and I give them an English lesson. Last night they were very cranky while I tried to show them clips of Sesame Street and the Muppets show on YouTube, asking about what color each muppet was, and counting along with the Count. Araceli sort of through a fit and ran away, but eventually Tomás got into it and even laughed a little at the singing bats in the Count´s dungeon. I think they really miss Johnna, their previous au pair, who left only a few days ago. Tonight if I can get Araceli to stay and name a few colors and numbers I will be satisfied. After lessons we make dinner and get ready for bed.
Sometimes I go with Clara to pick up the children from school, so far this has been one of the most chaotic experiences of my life. The drivers in Spain are all absolutley insane. We park just about anywhere we like before exiting the car and dashing across multiple lanes of traffic to reach the school. Once inside the courtyard of the school, still breathing hard with the adrenaline of parking, we are instantly swarmed by many very small human beings with sticky fingers and running noses. They seemingly have no control of their flailing limbs as they hurdle themsleves in every direction, often colliding painfully with our knees. The first task is to pick out which sticky being belongs to us, and then somehow convince it to follow us to the car. Usually this takes about an hour. Clara and I have a disadvantage since we must collect two of them, and also carry with us Manuel. I suppose this is why I am around.
Mostly the parents speak in Spanish with me, and although I often can´t find the words to come up with more of a response than, ¨sí, está bien,¨ I understand almost all of what they say to me, and I think that my improvement over the next two months will be fairly drastic. My only real complaint thus far is that they don´t usually drink coffee and all that is available is Nes Café. My job is enjoyable and not too dificult, but it is exhausting, and I am really missing the real stuff.
Right now the kids are at school, Tomás is at work, and Clara is with Manuel, so I think I will go make some ¨coffee¨and then maybe set out for a little exploration of the neighborhood. Thus far I have not had time to leave the house on my own. ¡Hasta luego!

March 18, Granada

Wandering through the labrynth of narrow alleys and one way streets that make of the Albacin district of Granada, the sun heats my back and hair, and the uneven cobblestones massage my feet through thin and worn out canvas sneakers. This place is magical; and after the frigid cold of Holland, the sun feels like a long lost friend. Already I am about three shades darker (okay, maybe pinker is more like it.) I am staying in a fantastic hostel, fully equipped with hammocks and a well stocked communal kitchen, in the old neighborhood, which is perched on the steep hillside on the northern side of the city. The streets are impossibly difficult to navigate, only the slope of the hill keeps me oriented and I keep track of where I have been by reading the scrawls of graffiti as my constellations. Most of the ground has been paved over in cement and stone, but here and there a thick cluster of cactus has managed to push it´s way through the cracks, and many palms and orange trees have been planted in the plazas and courtyards.
This area of Spain, Andalucia, is about a thousand times cheaper than Barcelona, and here they have the real tapas, the ones that come free with your drinks. Order a beer and you get a sandwhich along with it. Two beers (each costing about two euro) and you´ve had a full meal. It´s freaking awesome. Food in general is just much cheaper, and I have been frequenting a little produce stand near by about twice a day. The first day I went there they were throwing out a large bag of mushrooms that were just a tad too old to sell, so I have been feasting on them for the last couple days, fried with olive oil and garlic.
I have also made a few friends at my hostel, we´ve been going to for tapas, and exploring the caves behind our neighborhood where the gypsies and the hippies live. Yesterday I visited the Alhambra with a British guy who I´ve made good pals with.
There is only one computer available at the hostel, and I am itching to get outside into the sun, so I must end my writing here. Probably I won´t blog again until I arrive in Murcia for my job as an Au Pair. Muchos abrazos, amigos and familia, y hasta luego.

March 6: Amsterdam

Today is my fourth day in Amsterdam, I arrived very late on Tuesday night. Max had given me detailed instructions on how to get from the airport to his apartment via public transport, but of course the buses had all stopped running by the time I got in at one o clock in the morning. Wandering around the bus station looking for my bus and the times, a man kindly informed me that the buses had all shut down for the night, but that I was welcome to come sleep with him that night. Yeah no thanks. Also my Spanish cell phone was not happy to be in The Netherlands and wouldn't let me call Max, but I had his address so I shelled out the cash for a cab and after a bit more wandering around after exiting the cab, finally found his apartment and was joyfully greeted by a big Max hug. Then we went to sleep.
The next day we went to Max's favorite flea market to look for something orange for him to wear to the USA/Netherlands football match that night. We decided to try to fit both of us onto his bike, me sitting on the rack and him pedaling, we had one spill but made it alright. Once we got to the market I actually ended up buying a bicycle; a red and rusty piece of crap for 30 euro. I asked the vender if I could sell it back to him when I was leaving and he said yes, if I wanted to, but that it might be less troublesome to just throw it into one of the canals, that's how shitty it is. But having a bike is definitely a must here. Max and I have speculated that there are probably more bikes than people. There are absolutely no hills, and most everyone rides pretty slowly, but when riding through the busy areas near Central Station it can get kind of crazy. At times the bike lanes are absolutely packed and maneuvering through the intersections can be very stressful, especially when you throw tourists who don't understand the rules of yielding into the equation. Max explains that basically it's all about "flow", just keep a constant speed and pay attention and the flow will continue. Maybe biking in Amsterdam should be an Olympic sport.
This city is amazing in many other ways as well. I am completely in love with all the canals and houseboats. My only complaint is how freaking cold it is all the time.
Max has been kind of busy with school work, but hopefully we'll be out exploring more in the next few days. He actually needs to use the computer right now to work on his paper so I've got to go, but I'll post more soon. Hugs and high fives are sailing across the Atlantic towards everyone at home!