Murcia, Murcia

I suppose it's about time I posted about Murcia, no? Or Spain...or...anything, at this point, honestly. But we'll start with Murcia. In fact, we're going to break it down into manageable, bite-size pieces.

I've been here about a month now and am finally more or less settled in. The only thing I'm still waiting on is my appointment at the police station for my NIE and TIE (residency and work permit), but that's scheduled and once it goes through, I'll finally get paid. Finally.

So far things are going great. A few weeks ago, I found a wonderful apartment with two Spanish girls, Isabel and Mercedes. But I came frighteningly close to living in a dark and dirty cave with some guy I had never met... It was cheap, and there was a reason for that - or 5. This place, on the other hand, is surrounded by gardens, though I only know the names of two: Jardín el Salitre and Jardín la Seda. When I walk out the front door to my building, I'm hit by the smell of...I'm not sure what! Maybe it's the lemon and orange trees, maybe the crushed dates that have fallen from the unbelievably tall date palms, I don't know.

Not terribly long ago, it became Fall. Not in the way that I expected, but maybe somehow even better. The thing is, it's still pretty warm here (at least during the day) and so I was feeling a bit sad at the prospect of missing out on Fall, which I love SO much. But as it is without the change in the temperature, the change in the season lies the light.When I walk through Jardín el Salitre, I can see that the light shines differently through the trees. The trees are called Plátanos de Sombra and are very tall and very beautiful. The bark looks like high-contrast camouflage.

Like I said before, Fall is a different Fall here. The trees only drop a few leaves. As a result, they prune the trees that line the streets so that only the largest branches remain. They look really strange and sad, with no leaves and stumpy branches (for lack of a better word). Now that the dates have fallen from the tall palms, the citrus trees are all bearing fruit: lemons, oranges... And the olive trees have little black and green olives on them, as well.

Through the park there is a small man-made pond with ducks, geese, and 2 beautiful swans and next to the pond a little outdoor café (where I sat once and got hit in the head by a soccer ball...). I have to say that it was significantly less lovely a couple weeks ago when the pond was drained. And at night, too, when the water is perfectly still and black. The swans look like they're swimming through tar.

Aside from the parks, the apartment is also very near to the Corte Inglés, which is very convenient and several old churches (which I suppose isn't so much convenient as different from home - I like passing by them on my way to and from my house). I think I'm really lucky to have found this place.

For now, I'll leave it at that, but I will be back soon with a School/Work Update!

Besos!

Mañana Madrileña

Well, it's day one in Spain.* Really strange being back here. It's so familiar (even Madrid) but more like I was here in a dream. It's interesting to see the things I remember...

Last night I arrived (finally) at the hostel. I decided to take the bus instead of a taxi, which would cost €40 as opposed to €2! But there was a fair amount of walking at the end of that bus ride and I got a little bit lost... But eventually I made it. After making my bed, washing my face and generally getting situated, I went back downstairs to buy my bus ticket to Murcia. This did not go as planned. But it did go in typical Spanish fashion: error message after error message. I can't believe haven't even been here 24hrs yet and already I'm off about this! Long story short, I will be heading early to the South bus station to buy my ticket.

When I returned upstairs a girl from DC asked if I wanted to join her to grab something to eat. And though I had considered just going to bed, food seemed like a good idea so out we went. I think the place we ended up at was called Lizarro. We shared arroz con mariscos which resembled a very basic paella. And I had a tinto de verano. It was great. Then we went back to the hostel where she joined people for drinking games and I did a brief stint on the computer before bed.

It was so nice to sleep... I was awoken around 2:30 when everyone came back from the bars, but returned pretty quickly to sleep. It wasn't hard, since the whole way here I only slept a half hour at the very most.

This morning I woke up early with the intention of eating free breakfast at the hostel but... It was not so appealing in the end. So I wandered out. After making a few loops, I came back to Miau, a nice little cafe where I could sit at the bar and not be bothered. I had a croissant ("curasán," apparently) and a café solo largo. And wrote. This.

Since my bus was at 1:30, I had some time to enjoy Madrid, so wandered down the street and found myself in front of the Botanical Garden (entrance only 2.50!) and so in I went! It was nice, but not super impressive, to be honest. The entire time I couldn't help thinking about how many beautiful gardens there are in Portland. But I do understand that this one serves a slightly different purpose... There were many beautiful trees (such as the pomegranate tree, which I have never seen before) and the Tree of Giant Orange. Singular. I did feel myself drawn to the piney areas and especially the Oregon zarzamora (blackberry), which apparently really belong in Oregon, cause these did not look especially appealing at all.

I then went up the street to the Retiro, feeling super nostalgic and wanting something familiar... I wandered through, looking for the places I remember seeing with Mimi when we had that amazing picnic a couple years ago. It took me awhile to find anything familiar aside from (appropriately enough) el Bosque del Recuerdo. But finally I made it to the pond (with very little time left before I had to head back and get ready to schlep all my things to the bus station somehow). I tried to record a small video of people passing by because there was a man playing a trumpet really beautifully. However, I'd hardly started the video when some man came up and started talking to me. He kept making "Dad jokes" and told me about the monument we were looking at. In the end, it was a nice exchange, though I admit that at first I kept waiting for him to say something creepy. . . Ha.

Since my bags were so cumbersome, I decided to take a taxi to the bus station. After eating a familiar-tasting bocadillo de tortilla (nothing beats the blandness of potatoes and eggs on a white baguette), and café solo largo, I found my bus and prepared for the long ride. Five and a half hours. With one unnecessarily long break in the middle at what should have been a deserted truck stop from some movie.

However, before terribly long, we were pulling into the bus station in Murcia and I could see Marta (my soon-to-be intercambio partner and personal guide through Murcia) waiting for me. . .

*Only half of this was actually written on that first morning. But I promise to catch up quickly!

¡venga venga venga!

I can't believe  I am writing this right now, but it's almost official (as soon as I get one very important package in the mail): España... ¡YA VUELVO! 
I'm supposed to begin working n an elementary school in Murcia (Capital) on the first of October. Of course, as falls perfectly in line with my past experiences and many of the previous griping posts here, I am still waiting to receive my visa (and more importantly, my passport) form the consulate in San Francisco.
I guess it's better in a way, though. I am so happy here, and still sort of trying to process the fact that now that I have things more or less figured out and have found a group of people here in Portland that I really love, I am off, once again. But I know that these changes are good for me. I am hoping that in the weeks (hopefully) before I head out, I will finally succeed in getting back on track here. In that vein, I shall make a list, which I shall call "Pre-Spain MB Goals" (I know, creative.)

Pre-Spain MB Goals:
1. Catch. Up.
2. Pre-Spain preparations
3. Spain wish-list (places? things? actividades?)
4. ...so far that's it - we'll see how it goes!

Up next: Now that it feels like fall, time for summer!

if you cut me open...

Incredible days. Really indescribable. But here goes a desperate attempt.

New Years Eve I spent primarily on the train back down from Seattle/Tacoma, where I finally got to see H again (for three whole hours!!). Really, driving through Seattle from up north and down to Tacoma, I'm convinced there can't be anywhere more beautiful. I only wish that I could have taken photos buuuut that could be asking just a little too much with the Cascades surrounding, the lakes sprawling, Mt Rainier growing, and Seattle punctuating. However, on the TRAIN I managed to take, ohhh, about 7 million photos...

Coming back to Portland, I found the same crisp, clear weather - my very favorite. I couldn't help but wander through the city taking photos at every turn. Here are a few...

beautiful days

Remember when the Pearl District was all industrial and its warehouses were GASP warehouses?? It wasn't really that long ago, was it? But since the transformation, I find myself drawn there constantly. And now I work in the Pearl and have the pleasure of wandering through it on a daily basis. Because I have to. Wonderful. And now the fruit of my wanderings...

milk stretch

That's right, you stretch it. You don't foam or froth it. I confess that these last couple weeks, I've been wondering why my latte foam is not how I want it to be. Today I figured it out. 

On another note, the weather these days has been incredible. As I sit here now it's absolutely pouring. Several hours ago it was clear and there was just a sliver of the moon visible. And before that more rain. And before that sunshine and rainbows. Rainbows in the exact same place as yesterday's rainbows. Really.

the usual? yes puh - lease.

Suddenly, I'm finding that my schedule is totally packed and it feels soo good... I graduated from college back in June and have been looking for a job ever since. I hate not having any real structure to my day, which up till now, school has provided for me. Finally, I have that back (more or less...). I started working last week at the art school coffee cart here in town, serving The Delicious Stumptown Coffee. Hairbender. 

Turns out, I love LOVE love making coffee. 

(and yes, that is an actual Stumptown, not my cute little coffee cart...)

Truly, I haven't the slightest idea why, but I'm thinking it has to do with giving people something that makes me so happy. Coffee. How many people cannot begin their day until they have it? But even more, it reminds me of living in Spain. What I miss the most about Cádiz was the sense community that I've never felt before. By contrast to Rome, there is no such thing as being on time in Cádiz, if only for the fact that when walking through the streets you must stop if you happen to run into anyone you know. Including shop owners standing in their doorways. Anyone. I love knowing the candy store owner's name (let's not talk about what this really says about me), having to stop to say hi on my way to class. This is the same feeling that I get as a barista. I love this. 

the blue door

Lately, I've been working on a website for our beach house, The Blue Door on the Oregon Coast. The town is called Oceanside but people always get it mixed up with Canon Beach because of the rocks in the water (for future reference, Cannon Beach has Haystack Rock; Oceanside has Three Arch Rocks, Storm rock, Seal Rock and the Three Arch National Wildlife Refuge). My family and I have been going to Oceanside since I was tiny and I confess that it has never stopped growing on me. There are few places as beautiful and unique. It's situated on a quiet hill town unspoiled by commerce and on the beautiful Three Capes Loop. Oceanside has three miles of beach, rugged volcanic cliffs and enticing tidepools. Each visit is unlike any other. 

The Blue Door is a cozy cabin overlooking and walking distance from the ocean. Many a visitor has spent hours gazing out the enormous living room window at the water, the rocks, the clouds... While it's perfect for three to four, it can sleep up to six people. And regardless of the admittedly often sporadic Oregon Coast weather, one can safely say the place never disappoints. Please pay a visit to The Blue Door website for more information and images!

simple feelings

Inspired by fashiontoast's images and the feeling of a cold and rainy Sunday in November, I thought I would post some photographs of my own.

a human town

A couple weeks ago two friends came down to visit from Seattle. All I could think of to show them the city was food, so we literally jumped from crepes at home to St. Honore Boulangerie for coffee to lunch to coffee to tinto de verano in the park to appetizers and so on...

On our return home, a woman stopped to comment on how "human" Portland is. I thought this was an interesting  word choice. Upon a bit of reflection, it occurred to me that this is exactly what I love about the city. For years, I believed Portland to be simply a somewhat smaller version of Seattle. While I do still believe this to a certain extent, the last couple years I found myself more and more amazed at the size and the feel of Seattle and how drastically different it is from Portland. Seattle, I see now as a composite city made up of many different smaller towns ("towns" isn't the right word here, but the right one evades me...). 

But I think Portland is seriously catching on there, too, and while I can't begin to describe how much I miss Seattle, there's nothing quite like wandering around here.

wisdom tooth

Today I am utterly out of commission. But it's okay because I'm sitting here on the living room couch watching the light change in the garden. It's bouncing off my white mug on the window sill and reflecting onto the cedar that surrounds the window, revealing each and every weathered knick. Time can take its toll.

summer days

Once again, I've been trying to see Portland in a different light. Lately, this endeavor has been more or less a success. These summer days are perfect for strolling through the city or biking around the river: Waterfront, bridge up, Waterfront, Esplanade, bridge up, Esplanade, etc. Anyway, I've been doing a lot of both, which I realize may have something to do with why Portland feels so different. I've slowed down. Dramatically. And to think that I believed I knew and loved Portland before... I am painfully aware of the fact, however, that this is still not the case, but every day I do love it just a little bit more.