Jane in Wisconsin

Greetings from America!

A welcome home treat for me.  Yes, I am a glutton on all continents.

I got home last Friday and have been sleeping and eating and enjoying the couch since!  I probably should start exercising again...

My friend: *pinches fat on my stomach* "I see you brought home lots of olive oil!"
(True: I did bring home lots of olive oil, not in the form you usually think of when you hear "olive oil", but in form that my loose jeans are my tight jeans and my tight jeans are my "I wish" jeans...)

My father: "I wonder if we could stick a tap in your stomach and olive oil would come out like maple syrup from a tree!!"

A few more days of laziness and I will write a full summary on my thoughts on Spain and the wonderful experience--check back next week, if interested!

Happy holidays and much love to all!

Crunch Time!

I have work to do.  Yuck.  Papers, exams, pack.  Oh, and of course, buy extravagant gifts for my teachers. You didn't really think I'd let my grades ride on my actual work, did you?

Home in 4 more days!  I will write a lot more upon my imminent return to Los Estados Unidos.  (And, I will be on an olive oil detox for awhile.)

The other day I made an "American" dinner for my host family/roommates.  The brownies were beyond failure.  I have never tried dog food before, but seriously, it is better than this.  I am not even a card carrying member of PETA or anything, but I would seriously find it too overwhelmingly inhumane to feed any animal anything worse than this.

I tried throwing them away, but my roommates wanted to eat them. YUCK!

The Natilla

My roommates, Irene (from Malaga, Spain) and Ghita (from Tangier, Morocco) love the photo-settings on my webcam.  Ghita was about to go out for the night and was in the midst of styling her hair.  Squinty eyes suite me well (or NOT!).   

When my family was in Seville we went to a great restaurant, La Isla.  I ordered a custard for dessert and my dad ordered a flan-like dessert.  Unfortunately (for me), the waiter accidentally gave me my dad's dessert and my dad my dessert.  However, while they are very similar looking, the custard is much much much more delicious.  So, after our first bites, we realized that we had the wrong desserts.  But, after my dad tasted the dessert he actually ordered he decided that I (like always) made the better choice, and he refused to give me my real dessert..."Jane, you can come back anytime and order this!"  (It was REALLLY an amazing dessert).

*Feel free to call child protective services.  It was seriously abusive to keep me from that custard.

So, being in my final days in Sevilla, I returned to La Isla tonight to get my natilla.  AND eat it too.

I walk in.  Waiter hands me a menu (English version--the blue eyes are a give away), and insists on speaking in (a poor version of) English with me.  I order, "the custard please."  He tells me "okay, just one moment."  I hear him in the background talking, and I think I hear him say "flan."  Oh no! Did he misunderstand me!??  No, no, I assure myself, I clearly said the custard, not the other option.  He returns with the dessert.  SHOOT!  Is this the flan or the custard...they look alike and I really cannot remember!  I ask him (in English and Spanish!) Is this the custard dessert?  I want the natilla!  He responds (again, wanting only to speak English)  "yes, yes, the one you ordered!"

I bite into it.  Mission failed.  Again, I am eating the flan-like dessert.  Apparently, the universe does not want me to eat that custard.  I will be back be heading back soon to get that dessert.  I just might order a second and third too, to make up for these past two times!  

Lingüísticas Españolas

[kiéroyorár]

I am currently working on my nine page linguistics paper.  I am trying to explain things like "...Word- and phrase-final /n/ is velarized throughout Andalusia.  In more advanced pronunciation the velar nasal disappears, leaving only a lightly nasalized vowel.  This nasality sometimes disappears, particularly in final unstressed vowels, with the result that verb paradigms can be drastically simplified in vernacular speech..." 

in Spanish.

Good luck, to me.

Madrid and Toledo

Forced to spend some Euros on a hat to save myself from frozen ears.

Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/111161978190687820435/MadridAndToledo?authkey=Gv1sRgCND03LOottqLHw#

Last weekend I went to Madrid and Toledo.  I met my friend Sperka there.  Sperka goes to UW and is studying in Ireland this semester, so we decided to have a little weekend adventure.  It was so great to catch up!

We saw Puerta del Sol, Palacio Real, Reina Sofia Art Museum, and lots of cool plazas in Madrid.  Saturday we went to Toledo, explored the city and went to a few free museums--this continued into Sunday.  Sunday afternoon we returned to Madrid (its less than one hour by bus), and I left for Sevilla.

One of our favorite moments was when a group of about 30 Spanish kids (10ish years old) surrounded us and started talking to us.  They thought that we were English (I was insulted! ha), but when I explained we were Americanas, they kept asking us questions about the USA.  A lot of them practiced speaking English with me too.  It was a lot of fun but I have no idea how I escaped...they literally had us surrounded and pinned against a wall!

The whole weekend was fun.  We mainly just walked around the cities and talked.  I was absolutely freezing all weekend, though.  It was about 45 everyday--I am worried I have become a Sevillana and get cold if the temperature is under 60.  Might be a little chilly upon my return back...

See you in 14 days!