hola todos

(top left - view from the middle of nowhere on a sunday afternoon exploration. Top right - door and cute old man who kept walking in circles around the small plaza at the monasterio de las hueglas ((old people are even cuter here)) Bottom left - one of the many peregrinos (pilgrims) who make their way through Burgos on their trek following the Walk of St. James. It goes from France to Galicia, and St. James stopped in Burgos which makes it a key tourist spot and pilgrimage area. The trail is marked with conch shells, so its cool to walk around town following the trail. Bottom right -my gato espanol named Tambor - like a drum. He LOVES being around people and is constantly taking naps on my computer.

***So i heard about the plane crash at the Madrid airport this morning . I dont really watch a lot of the news here, although I think I'm going to start. 153 people were killed when there were problems taking off, caught on fire, and then blew up. Incredibly sad, and incredibly scary.

Lot's of cool things have been going on lately...let's see.

Well last week, we didn't have class because it was a religious holiday so I went to Carmen's (my Spanish mom) mom's 91st birthday party. Her entire family was there, all 5 siblings and their kids and one au pair, and we sat outside at the big table and shared HUGE pans of Paella. Of course, it was full of shellfish that still had their heads attached, but i DID try the calamari. I didn't really like it, but I tried it! Carmen laughed when she saw my face, chewing it, and told me not to eat anymore if i didn't like it. So I just ate the rice with the chicken, roasted red peppers, and whatnot. Then it was followed by dessert (tiramisu!) and coffee and sitting in the sun. Afterwards, we all went to another cafe to drink more coffee (i like these people) and talk - everyone was impressed with my speaking/understanding abilities, so that's cool! One uncle kept saying something about the "americana," but i couldnt understand what it was...haha. oh well. And they knew SOME english, because every once in awhile, one of the older family members would say a phrase in english and it would throw me off guard - like "Let's rock!" And he made fun of my big ol' grandma sized purse...so I think they like me! haha. The Spanish women, in particular, age incredibly well. There was one niece that I thought was 22 or so, and it turned out she was 29. And about half my size - I just don't get it.

I went to mass at the Cathedral on Sunday and it was gorgeous. I understood some of the mass, too, between gaucking at the gold altar and marble walls. After church we went on a little adventure around the city, eventually walking out of town, and finding a great view of the cathedral, castle, and rooftops. I'll post a pic if you're lucky.

As you all know, Michael Phelps is a big deal with his 8th gold medal around his neck. Inhuman, dare I say. Well no one seems to care about the upcoming US presidential election, or that a black man is in the running. But everyone loooooves MIGUEL PHELPS! We'll be walking down the street and people will yell "MIGUEL PHELPS! MIGUEL PHELPS! MIGUEL JORDAN! LABRAN JAMES!" because we're obviously American and they love American athletes. For instance, at coffee with Carmen's family, conversation kept creeping back to what Phelps eats for breakfast, and how wide his arm-span must be (8 eggs and 8 pieces of toast - and more, but i couldn't understand it). Then they'd look at me for verification like I'd know how much the man eats off the top of my head.

Oh another thing about la familia - they crack me up because they are just like the Cheevers'..Not only do they bicker at each other like any other family, my sister RARELY smiles and generally just looks unhappy, like Caitlin! (I love you, Caits) and there was a Chris Cheevers moment at the bday party...they have this really cool blue bottle that they keep their water in the fridge to keep cool, like we do with milk cartons, except prettier. And I kind of always wondered where they got them, but didn't care enough to ask. Well the same blue, glass bottles were at the restaurant filled with water to refill our glasses when necessary, and when one was finished, Jose grabbed it off the table before the waitress could see it was empty, and stuck it in Carmen's purse. I laughed a little, thinking of the time mom put that extra steak in her purse, and Jose goes "i didnt see anything, did you?" winking, and smiling, of course. And now there are two blue glass bottles of water in the fridge.

What else? School is officially in full swing - i turned in my first paper today. I'm sure it will be ripped to shreds. classes and homework everyday, although not hard, and it will only get more intense. We have workshops in the evenings to learn more about music, food, cinema, etc, which are always interesting. The walk to campus from the apartment is 5o minutes or so if I walk fast - so i'll be making that trip 4 times today. I think I'm starting to lose weight from all the walking!

We're going to Avila this weekend, and Madrid in 2 weekends. More is being planned for the near future, though! Well that's all for now, and I need to start heading back to campus.

Love you all!