İCarnaval Badajoz!

This past Saturday night, the Erasmus crowd (non-Spanish European students) and we Americans went to a carnival in Badajoz, a city less than an hour from Caceres. Let's just say that it was an event that was unforgettable. First of all, it was a costume carnival. At first, we thought that we were supposed to wear something simple and basic, so we just bought accessories. My roommate Steph was a leopard and I was a bunny. However, when we arrived, I think that every person in Spain was there, and they were completely decked out from head to toe in costumes. There were people from every age, too. We saw groups of Snow Whites and Peter Pans, brides, a parade of drummers, a mobile Pope who was pushed around in a cardboard box, very flirtatious Roman soldiers, toothpaste, and Jesus Christ himself. There were so many characters that I can't even remember them all. Second, apparently carnivals in Spain are not like carnivals in the U.S. There were no rides or venders selling cotton candy and such. There were people selling balloons and bars where you could buy drinks and tapas, but that was it. Actually, some bars wouldn't even let you use their bathrooms unless you bought a drink. Everyone just gathered in the main square and danced the whole night. That's another thing. It was an all-night event. A university bus picked us up at 10pm and took us back at 7am. It. Was. Very. Cold. Third, people were crazy. Harmless, but crazy. And it wasn't just the younger generations either. There were quite a few Spaniards who were clearly out of their 20s and 30s who were having a good time. Then, Steph and I saw our roommate who, let's just say was making the most of the evening. He even took my bunny ears and wore them for a bit, and then he put his sultan's hat on my head. Fourth, since there were so many people and very few toilets, we saw that several people were content to find street corners (and car tires). We definitely had some good laughs. Although we still don't know what the celebration was about, we had a good time. Once we got back, we rushed back to the piso, ate cereal, and then slept until 4pm. I'd do it again, but hopefully when it's warmer.

Our First Meal

So last week was quite interesting and fun. Kerry's roommate and neighbors wanted us to make them a typical American meal that did not consist of hotdogs or hamburgers. "Well," we thought. "What's left?" The U.S. has some incredible food, but most of it has come from other countries. So, we decided to go southern. Well, at lest partially. Kerry wanted to make cole slaw and baked macaroni and cheese. I wanted to make mashed potatoes and deviled eggs. And what would a southern meal be without sweet tea? For the main course, we found a baked parmesan chicken recipe (not so southern) online and Jim's mom gave me a recipe for apple cobbler. The first thing we did was to go to Eroski (our supermarket) and find what we needed. We still had other things to do too, so we began a little later than preferred. Once we sorted through our huge pile of food and cooking utensils, we started to create our American masterpiece. I did the eggs first while Kerry made the slaw, both of which are super easy to make. However, I can't find relish in Caceres, I had to chop up some pickles very finely. Then, we went on to the mashed potatoes and baked macaroni and cheese. Kerry is a pro at mac & cheese, and I had never made mashed potatoes on my own before. However, as it turns out, they're pretty easy, too, despite the fact that I had no sour cream and mashed potatoes just aren't mashed potatoes without sour cream (another thing I can't find here). So we threw in garlic and it made the dish really good. By the way, my roommate Steph is an excellent potato peeler. Naturally, the mac & cheese has to bake in the oven, but we couldn't figure out how to work it. Appliances are different here in Europe and even within the different countries in Europe. So Kerry called her roommate who came over and got the oven going like magic. Apparently, like the eyes on the stove, you have to start it with a match or lighter. Even though our foreign ignorance cost us much more time, we were just happy that everything was working. While the mac & cheese was baking, we started preparing the chicken pesto parmesan. What we didn't know, though, was that the marinade/sauce for the chicken had to refrigerate for 1-2 hours and the chicken had to bake for about one hour. So we decided that it didn't matter about the sauce, and we put it on anyway. After the mac & cheese was ready, which smelled divine, we put the chicken in the oven. While we waited on that, i made the tea (which I later forgot the lemon for), and Kerry, Kelly, and I started fixing the apple cobbler. That was probably the most fun to make. Not only was it easy, but it was also funny. While we were peeling apples at the table, Kerry's apple slipped from her hands, bounced across the table, and I caught it in an awkward place before it fell. Very ladylike I know, but what could I do? Also, the recipe Jim's mom sent me didn't call for flour in the ingredients, so I didn't buy any, but it did mention it later in the instructions. So, to make up for it, we just added more sugar! As we brought the chicken out, our guests started to arrive. By this time, it was after 10:30, and we were starving. We put all the food in the living room and just dug in. Everything was delicious, and everyone else seemed to love it all, too. Then, the smell of the cobbler was absolutely heavenly, and it tasted like it, too. All in all, it was a success! But I must say that it's very important to read the recipe all the way through before you make it so you know how long it take to make and if someone forgot to add all the ingredients. Also, the conversions are different, so we pretty much just eyed everything. I'm glad that our first meal for our new European friends turned out well, and in the spring, we've decided to have a cookout! I know. I know. If we can't work an oven, how can we work a grill?

Electronics

One of the most awkward adjustments that I have had to make here so far isn’t that I have to walk everywhere (that’s actually enjoyable and good for me). Nor is it that I have to shower less (I realized that I actually don’t mind that so much and I get ready faster). What are really different in Europe are the changes you have to make with electronics. First of all, the plug-ins are different. They have two small holes instead of two slits. Second, even if you have an adapter, you’re not necessarily safe. In fact, do not use adapters unless the manuals to your electronics say that you can. I’ve read that now most modern computers can adapt more easily to the change, and an adapter is fine, but you should still check the manual. Converts work best with small electronics like an iPod, a cell phone, an electric razor, etc. Third, do not, I repeat, DO NOT think that you can just plug your hair dryer into an adapter or even a converter and everything will be fine. It probably won’t. Hair dryers are deadly, energy-sucking machines that can literally take out the power in a building if you don’t use the right converter. If your converter doesn’t mention if you can use it with hair dryers, then don’t even try it. If you go to a store like Best Buy or another electronics store, ask someone if the converter you want is capable of working well with a hair dryer. Trust me. I learned the hard way. For example, at the beginning of my trip, my two converters were working great. Then, several days ago I plugged my hair dryer into one, expecting it to work. Guess what? Not realizing that the problem was the hair dryer, not the converter, I tried the other one. Same thing happened. I tried to use the converters on other stuff. Nada. They were dead. It took a little while to realize that my hair dryer had sucked the life out of my converters, rendering them absolutely useless. Eventually, I ended up buying a European hair dryer so that I didn’t have to have the same problem again. If you’re just a traveler staying in a hotel, you probably wouldn’t have this problem because the hotel usually provides a hair dryer. However, for those who want to use their own American hair dryers in Europe, think again. You could be left with either dead converters or even very, very angry neighbors. I know that I’ll look back on all this and laugh. It does suck for a while, but at least you learn your lesson.

Waiting...

So things seem to be taking longer to get done than we had originally hoped. We did turn in our application for the student ID card and our university library card, so that's out of the way. However, we have had much to do with the residence card. Here's what we had to do.

1. Fill out an application for a temporary document with our new residence number on it.
*With this, you need 3 passport photos and a copy of almost every important document you have such as your passport, visa, medical insurance card, proof of being a student or something like that, proof of having a place to stay in Spain, and more.

2. Then, once we copied everything, we returned to the police station. They took some documents, but then told us to get something stamped by the bank where we pay 9,80 euros.

3. When we went back to the station, they took that document, but then said that we had to come back later to give them the second application, which is for the actual card, and the rest of the documents.

4. Today, we went to the station again and gave them our application with our other documents. (By the way, make sure you have at least two copies of your originals for stuff like this. Keep other copies for emergencies and other work somewhere else.) Then, they said that we had to go back to the bank to get the second application stamped (it wasn't the actual application but something else that they gave us).

5. After the bank again where we paid 10,20 euros this time, we went back to the station where they took that paper, 3 passport size photos (although in the U.S. they make them almost too big for Spanish documents, so be careful with that), and our fingerprints. Then, we were FINISHED!

So, all in all, we went to the police station about 5 times and the bank twice. Almost no other foreign exchange student or study abroad student would have to do this (with maybe exceptions coming into the U.S.). Kerry and I are doing it simply because we're going to be working at the university. Now, we just have to wait for our temporary N.I.E., which are our ID numbers, and then we can open up a bank account. We've had a lot to go through, but we're glad that it's getting done now at the beginning. We're also guinea pigs for UNCG, so at least it will be easier for future students who want to teach here, too. It gets a little crazy sometimes, too, but then I have to remind myself that I'm studying in one of the most beautiful and interesting countries in the world, so I should shut up, deal with it, and try to find a solution. If you don't do that, you will go nuts.

Tips for Students 1

So my friends and I went to the university today for the first time. It was interesting, helpful, yet still a little frustrating. First, we took the campus bus to school. We have bus cards and we pay for 10 trips at a time. That's usually good for a full week during regular school time, but you can pay for one trip or for a full month of trips at a time if you prefer. Once we got to the university, we saw the list of classes on the wall. Yes, you read that correctly. The students don't sign-up for classes online like we do in the U.S. They have a wall of classes that you choose from. Then, you just show up for class. However, the list isn't necessarily an updated version, so you might need to ask. We met with the head of the English Department, the person I think with whom we'll primarily be working and another English professor. They were both incredibly nice and understanding. Since Kerry and I are teaching here for the semester and going to classes, we have extra things to take care of. None of which we could do today because everything closes at 2 pm. So, tomorrow morning, we have a ton to do. First, since we're working, we need to open up a bank account so that the university can reimburse us for our plane ticket and deposit our pay at the end of each month. However, when we went to do that, we were told that in order to open an account, we need residence cards! So, tomorrow we have to go to the police station and hopefully not wait too long for residence cards. Then, we have to go back to campus, open an account (I hope), turn in our university library card application, get a student ID card (which unlike in the states is a different card), meet with someone about classes to take, and hopefully, get reimbursed for the plane ticket. And all before 2 pm. So, when you're studying abroad, remember that there are always road blocks in your plans and you might have to go from Spain to Australia to get everything done. But, it does get done.