I’m coming home is wherever I’m with you where the heart is, if there’s love here too. What?

Something that my dad said to me on the phone yesterday (in between my coughing, wheezing, and sneezing) really struck me as odd: “I’m sorry.  Being sick when you’re away from home is the worst.”  I was confused for a moment.  Am I not home?  To my dad, I am halfway across the world in a foreign country with no comforts of “home.”  It would make perfect sense to him (or to anyone else) that while sick, I would suffer the worst of my homesickness.  But honestly, the past few days of being holed-up with my best friend (myself), lots of cold medicine, and a complete season of fresh zombie shows has made me feel nothing but home.  Homehealthy, you might say.  I have made myself comfortable in my new city and settled into a happy routine that I absolutely love.  I get to speak the beautiful Spanish language every day; live in my own cozy little nest; teach children about the wonders of another world through language; and meet passionate, (usually) kind, and interesting people everywhere I go.  Lugo is my new home.

A long-distance friend recently told me, “We don’t have to talk every week or keep up with every event in each other’s lives; when we see each other again, we’ll continue our conversation where we left off years ago.”  This is the beauty of traveling and embracing wanderlust.  Loved ones don’t cease to be loved.  The bond between dear friends doesn’t lose strength.  By carrying all the love you’ve gathered in your heart, home is always within you.  Let me touch on a few artists’ Ps of V about home, if you will. Edward Sharpe and his crew believe that “home is wherever I’m with you” (assuming that “you” is someone they love). Jack Johnson says, “Home is wherever we are if there’s love here too.”  And long ago, some crafty little lady crocheted “home is where the heart is” and lives on through her legend of throw pillows and pastel-colored wall-hangings. All of that together would be, “Home is wherever I’m with your heart (if there’s love here)”…right?

My point is that home is simply your state of mind.  If you have an open, loving attitude to your surroundings, a foreign place will soon become a happy home.  So forget about being homesick or unsatisfied with your current situation.  Carry love with you everywhere you go so that you are at home anywhere in the world.  Make friends with yourself.  Love yourself.  Offer love to your surroundings.  For a wandering spirit to enjoy life wherever it may find itself, it’s necessary to pack your beliefs and the people you love in your heart.  Don’t hold on to the past and wish for old comforts—accent every new moment with the colors of home, with the things that remind you of the love you carry with you.  Let home be wherever your heart takes you.  Happy home-hopping, my friends.

Love,

Cindy

P.S. All this being said, I am beyond excited to go to my original home next week to be with the most loving family on the planet.  (Do you think I’m exaggerating?  Just hang out with us for an evening of cooking, dancing, and enjoying life in our little kitchen and then tell me if I’m overstating the awesomeness that is the Mergens.)  Holy Moly.  See y’all in a week.

“Alabama, Arkansas, I do love my maw n paw…not the way that I do love you!”   

Crash Course on Life in Lugo

I’ve been in Lugo for a month now. It already feels like home. I have the beginnings of a family of friends; I get to work in a school full of vivacious children; my volleyball team is really nice (they say the newbie bruises on my arms will go away); and I share a cozy apartment with a magnificent roommate, who even shares her dog with me. For those who aren’t aware, I’m in Spain working as “cultural ambassador” at a primary school until June of 2013.  The program is through the Spanish Ministry of Education, and it brings native English speakers to all parts of the country to assist in public school English classrooms.  I’ve dreamed of teaching English abroad for years, so this whole experience is my real-life fairy tale.

A little about where I am: I’m living in the city of Lugo, which is the capitol of the province of Lugo, which is part of the region of Galicia on the northwestern coast of Spain.  It’s only about a 1.5 hour drive to the coast, but that’s a very long drive if you don’t have a car! I haven’t visited the coast yet, but I’m really looking forward to it.

Playa de las Catedrales, a nearby beach I'm looking forward to visiting

My little inland city is perfectly hilly and green.  I’m very grateful that I’m in a smaller city (about 100,000 people) that gives me easy access to my best friend, Mother Nature, rather than in a megalopolis like Barcelona or Madrid.  After living in various cities over the past few years, I’ve come to realize that I need to see green foliage and smell fresh air in order to keep my soul happy.Concrete and skyscrapers stifle me.  Lugo, on the other hand, tricks me into thinking I’m in Ireland sometimeswith her low, moss-covered stone walls, green rolling hills, and abundance of Celtic heritage.

Less than five minutes from my apartment, there are trails that go along the Rato River and into the forests and fields beyond the city.

When the Romans came along and kicked the Celts out of this area, they built Lugo’s most famous asset: the wall.  Known as “la muralla” (moo-RYE-yah), this nearly 2,000-year-old and 40-foot-high stone wall makes a 2 kilometer circle around the center of the city.  It’s converted from a shield to unwanted visitors into a UNESCO World Heritage site that locals use as a giant walking/running track. 

View from the wall into the center of the city, including the cathedral

Inside the Roman wall is where I fell in love with Lugo and her deliciously free tapas.  At just about every bar/café (of which there are easily five or six on every street), you get a free tapa and pincho with every drink you order.  A tapa is a small serving of a prepared dish from the kitchen, like mushrooms in cream sauce, roasted potatoes with garlic sauce, prawns, roasted meat, or a seafood salad.  A pincho is a piece of bread with a topping and a toothpick through it.  Pinchos can have cured meats on them, tortilla española (thick potato omelet), cheese, or sometimes cheese and anchovies (my favorite!).  Lugo is arguably the cheapest city in Spain; a glass of good wine costs about two euros, and a beer costs €1.50.  With a tapa and pincho with each drink, it’s easy to have a dinner of tapas, pinchos, and drinks for less than five euros!  Going out for tapas is a great way to start off nights out in Lugo, which usually keep people out until at least 6:00 a.m. or even mid-morning the next day.  But I’ll save those stories for another post ;) 

Here are Annia and Elizabeth at one of our favorite places, las Cinco Vigas.

I’ve been trying to keep my all-nighters to a minimum since I have a grueling work schedule of Wednesday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.  I work in a primary school called Casás with a lovely English/arts and crafts teacher named Teresa.  Normally I help the students with pronunciation, go through their workbooks with them, and give cultural presentations (this week I did a PowerPoint about Halloween in America).  My students think I speak very little Spanish, because I always use English with them.  I’m sure they’ll be shocked at the end of the school year when they find out I understand everything they say!

The outside of my school, CEIP de Casás

I also teach an extra-curricular English class at Casás for a few hours each week, and I give private lessons to a few pairs of siblings and an adult couple who want to learn English for traveling.  Even with my extra classes, I still only work about 20-25 hours a week.  I love it!  I get to fill my days with the things I love: long walks in nature, reading books, doing yoga, cooking, and meeting new friends.

There are about twenty other people in Lugo working in this program (we’re called auxiliaries), all from the U.S., U.K., and Australia.  It was easy to flock together at the beginning since we’d formed a Facebook group before arriving, and everyone is naturally falling into their groups and branching out.  I feel SO lucky to have met my roommate, Annia (and her husky, Gwen).  We get along perfectly and even have a song.  Give us enough Rioja (preferably Muga), and we might sing it for you.

Though my American friends are AMAZING in every way, one of my main goals for my time in Spain is to continue improving my Spanish language skills.  Obviously, a good way to do that is to be friends with Spaniards!  My yoga buddy and all-things-Lugo mentor, Elizabeth, is starting her third year working in this program.  She’s introduced me to a lot of her Spanish friends, and she and I also joined a local volleyball league.  I’ve also met lucenses (Lugo-ans) through other auxiliaries and their roommates, so I have a nice mix of English and Spanish throughout my day.

My volleyball team, Emevé

You’ve now completed Lugo101, your introductory course to my time in Spain :) Your homework is to message me, make a Skype date with me, or write me a letter…keep in touch!  I’d love to hear about what’s going on with my friends and family in other parts of the world.  Until next time…hasta luego! un beso xo

I AMsterdam, are you?

Tuesday, July 11. I just boarded the high-speed train from Amsterdam to Frankfurt. Had a surprisingly tranquil time here in A'dam, especially compared to my days in Pamplona/Zarautz.

On Saturday afternoon, Peter and Esmee (pronounced EZ-mey) met me at Centraal Station when I arrived around 3:00 p.m. They are some of the best hosts I've ever stayed with! Their clean and straight-from-Ikea 1-bedroom apartment is in the center of the city in an area called Leidsepslein (always made me think of Led Zeppelin). Even though it's only about 25 meters from loads of shops and restaurants along the canal, their side street is very peaceful. Here's a view from their balcony toward the hustle of the neighborhood:



Esmee and Peter showed me the cozy bed they'd made for me and left to go grocery shopping.
~~~~~~~~
Alright, yet again I've let several days go by without finishing a post. I want to go into so much more detail and let you relive my journey, but my thumbs get awfully bored typing away on this little phone. so here's another quick overview:

-out to dinner with Esmee and 4 of her sorority sisters for one of their birthdays
-got offered to join some handsome Dutch guys ;) on their boat in the canals, but had other plans
-birthday party at the birthday girl's new apartment that's right in the city center and overlooks 2 intersecting canals
-to me, Dutch sounds like British English played backwards! everyone spoke English really well and always included me in their convos. so nice!
-sun didn't go down until 11:30
-out to a club called "Bubbels" to dance to Dutch house music
-Esmee and I met with Peter and his friends to get a late-night döner kebap and then home
-saw the beginning of the sunrise around 4:00 a.m.!
-Sunday: brunch with Esmee and her sister, Imke
-explored a bit (Red Light district, the "9 streets")
-I had no idea that Amsterdam (A'dam) was built on pillars and is mostly below sea level. Thank you to my friend Jake for educating me. here's a view of a canal:


-A'dam is bursting at the seams
with bicycles. I heard that there are more bikes there than Dutch people.
-lots of solo city walking in the afternoon, then Esmee made us a delicious veggie stir fry for dinner and we watched the Tour de France
-Monday: Van Gogh museum. saw "Sunflowers" and a model of his famous room:


-canal tour with lots of other tourists.


-tried to get lost in the city, but basically ended up walking in circles
-out for Italian food with Esmee and Peter for my last night there
-bought myself a piece of cake for dessert from The Bulldog (Virginia told me to take advantage of my time in A'dam, so I followed her advice) ;)


-Tuesday: caught the 7 a.m. train out of town to head to München (Munich)
-great advice that I got from a poster in A'dam on how to have a fantastic day (which I think I follow very well): "smile, slow down, dress up, keep it beautiful, join in, you are the party, discover. yesterday is history, today is a gift, tomorrow is a mystery."

~peace, love, and adventure~

Ubicación:Amsterdam, Netherlands

"Nobody ever lives their life all the way up except bull-fighters" (I beg to differ)

Since I'll have internet off and on over the next weeks, I'm going to do lots of entries all together and upload them in just one post once I find wi-fi. So it will be more like short journal entries all lumped together. Here goes my biggest adventure yet: backpacking alone through Europe for 3 weeks!

I just boarded the train at Barcelona Sants headed to Pamplona. I guess 2nd class was all booked, so they put me in "preferente," first class for the same price! They gave me a magazine that lists all the events for the week and also a red "pañuelo," the handkerchief everyone wears around their necks along with all-white attire.



~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm now on the train from Paris to Brussels, where I'll get a connection to Amsterdam. The past two days have been inolvidables, increíbles, mejor que nunca había soñado. Unforgettable, incredible, better than I could ever dream.

I arrived in Pamplona and easily found my way to San Sebastián by bus. Getting from San Seb to my campsite, though, definitely tested my navigational skills. I took a city bus in San Seb, wandered the streets in the rain looking for a bus to Zarautz, never found the bus, went to the wrong train station, then finally got a train to Zarautz and a pick-up by the Stoke van to go to the camp. vaya! what a trip.

The camp was by Stoke Travel, a group of rowdy, well-traveled, San Fermín in-the-know Australians who run campsites and host trips around Europe at various festivals. The camp reminded me of the Harry Potter quidditch world cup: well over 100 tents all squeezed together with excited travelers buzzing about and celebrating non-stop. For €50 a day, you get a spot in a tent, sleeping bag, mattress, breakfast, transport to and from Pamplona (about 1 hour away), plus unlimited beer and sangría. Within a five minute jaunt down the mountainside, there's a wide and clean beach that faces north into the Mar Cantábrico. I AM IN LOVE WITH NORTHERN SPAIN AND ITS LUSH COUNTRYSIDE.



Here is the view from the edge of the campsite out over the sea. The small town of Zarautz is just outside of the frame to the left.

I stayed at the camp on Wednesday night so I could rest up for going in to Pamplona the next morning. I didn't do much resting. My night was filled with barbecue, sangría, meeting and laughing with lots of ozzies (Australians), and only 3.5 hours of sleep before I woke up at 4:30 a.m. to head to Pamplona. They made us one-eyed monsters (fried egg inside a piece of bread with the center cut out), one of my favorites!

Here's my outfit I wore into town. Everyone has to wear all white with a red handkerchief around their neck.


It was really chilly when we arrived in Pamplona at 6:30. I went with my tent-mate Billy (an Australian girl who's also traveling solo) and a young Australian couple (Nathan and Kiana) to watch the encierro from inside the bull-fighting arena. The encierro is the actual running part, when they bring the bulls who will be killed that afternoon to the bull-fighting ring and the daring locals and tourists run ahead of them. My group and I sat in the 3rd row and had a really good view. There were 2 giant screens in the arena so we could watch the whole run, which only lasts a few minutes.

Nathan ran and us girls watched from the stands. Since this was the first day, the atmosphere was especially hectic and full of ready-to-explode energy.



This is my wineskin. Fits well over 1 bottle of wine, only 3 euro for a bottle of Spanish wine from any cafe in Pamps.

I'm nearing Amsterdam, so I need to shorten up my
descriptions so I can finish this post before I have more adventures in a new city!

After the encierro:
-chocolate con churros for breakfast
-bought a wineskin and filled with with wine
-wandered Pamps for a bit then bus back to the camp at 11 a.m.
-beach exploring/failed attempt at cliff-jumping with new friends from Australia, Canada, and U.S.
-swimming and beach-lazing with Texan twins Josh and Jake. (If you've read The Sun Also Rises you'll know how cool it is that I spent San Fermín with someone named Jake.)
-sangria-drinking and card games
back at camp
-headstands and baguette/chorizo sandwiches on the hillside overlooking the sea during sunset
-bus to Pamps at 10 p.m.
-street-wandering and partying until about 4:00 a.m. then cold/uncomfortable sleep in the depths of underground bus station
-7:30 wakeup and run to the arena to watch the encierro that started at 8:00
-more choc and churros for breakfast
-souvenir shopping for my Hemingway and Pamplona-obsessed father (you're going to LOVE your souvenir, Dad!)
-bus to camp at 11:00 a.m.
-immediately to beach with giant bottle of water and sunscreen
-headstands on the beach
-homemade sandwiches again for lunch
-pack backpack, read book and recover in the shade, chat with new friends who I will never forget (and hope to visit and travel with again someday!)
-pry myself away from my
new favorite place in the world (camp) for the train station
-train to Hendaia, town just on the other side of the Spanish/French border
-night train to Paris. much-needed night of replenishing sleep in my comfy sleeper car
-transfer from Paris-Austerlitz to Paris-Nord at 7:30 a.m. to catch my train to Brussels, where I got on another train for Amsterdam

Just like this quickly-written post, my time in N. Spain blurred by before I wanted it to end. I could spend weeks at that camp and at that beach. I'm dead serious when I say I want to live in that area--I'll make it happen!

Now, my time in Amsterdam begins. My lovely friend Sarah, with whom I studied in Murcia 2 years ago, has introduced me to her friend Esmee, an Amsterdam native. I'll be staying with Esmee and her boyfriend in their apartment for the next 2 nights. We should be meeting at the central station as soon as I arrive in about 10 minutes. Blogging from an iPhone is time-consuming and somewhat creativity-constricting, but I'm glad I got to share my experiences. hasta luego!

~peace, love, and adventure~

Adios, Barcelona. It's been real.

My last week in Barcelona has been just as much of a whirlwind as the rest of the month has been. I've met more people, seen more places, and stretched my hours to fit as much as possible into my final days in the concrete jungle. Here's a photo summary of the week:

On the last day of English classes with EduRed, we had a end-of-course celebration. This is me and Chelsea with our younger students. It was terribly hot in my little classroom, and I swear that every person in the room wanted to get their own copy of each pose with their own camera. After nearly half an hour of a sticky, stuffy photoshoot, though, we had a delicious potluck feast.

For the potluck, I brought peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. No one here eats peanut butter, much less this delectable creation that we Americans enjoy very often. The jar of peanut butter cost me about seven dollars, and I had to buy strawberry jelly because I couldn't find grape. Everyone loved it! Other food brought for the potluck included anchovy-stuffed olives, sliced meats and cheeses, Spanish omelet, croissants, and a few desserts.

On my first free day without having to teach or go to Italian class, I went on a tour of Campe Nou, the soccer stadium for F.C. Barcelona, with a group of interns. I don't follow soccer regularly, but this visit still got me so pumped. I could feel the excitement of all the years of games that have taken place here. As I walked through the locker rooms, press box, and onto the field, I could tell how much passion and raw energy are poured into this place. It made me want to go to any sort of professional sports game: baseball, football, basketball, anything! So, Dad, if you're reading this, let's go soon!

We got a picture taken with a replica of the Champions League trophy that F.C. Barcelona just won last month. From left is Herman, Zach, TJ, and Jordan, all interns with my program who work in other places in Barcelona.

After the visit to Campe Nou, those of us who were only doing a month-long internship met with our director for a farewell lunch. This is me, our director Rich, and Jamie in front of the Greek restaurant he took us to. Afterward we had a meeting to reflect on our internships. It was very helpful! He gave us specific questions to reflect on and helped us look at our experiences from a new perspective so we can talk about what we've learned and how we've grown while working in Barcelona. If you ever want to do an internship or study in Barcelona either for a summer, semester, or year I highly recommend Barcelona SAE (study abroad experience). I've studied abroad with several different programs and also gone solo, and this is by far the most well-organized program with the most perks. Here is their website if you're interested: Barcelona SAE. Look for a video testimonial by me on their website in the near future!

The next day I went with Jamie to Palau Guell, a palace in the middle of the city that was designed for the Guell family by Antoni Gaudi. It just opened back up in May of this year after being closed for over a decade to completely renovate the entire place, so everything inside was pristine and good-as-new.

On Saturday night, I got to experience "Montjuic de Nit," an art, music, and cultural festival in Barcelona. This photo is of MNAC, the national museum of Catalan art. Several of the city's museums waive the entrance fee and stay open until 4:00 a.m. for this once-a-year festival. Each museum has a schedule of live performances, movies, etc. throughout the night. The ones that I saw were a Bob Marley cover band (who sang in broken English and Catalan); the Doors documentary narrated by Johnny Depp called "When You're Strange"; DJs playing house music and techno in the moat of Montjuic's castle; and a live flamenco show in Montjuic Castle's courtyard.

This is just before watching the flamenco show in the castle. I was with RJ, Sunil, Herman, and also Nauzli who's not in the picture. We each ordered two beers because the line was way too long to just get one.

I spent Sunday on the beach at Barceloneta with the same group (really fun and genuine people!) and then did some souvenir shopping for friends and family on Monday.

On Monday night, we all went to a hookah bar called La Concha, named after a movie that starred Andalusian Sara Montiel. This entire bar is covered in photos and movie posters of this Elizabeth Taylor look-alike. She's gorgeous! I really want to see some of her movies, which seem to have mostly come out during the 1930s and 1940s. This photo is all of us with the bartender, who calls himself "DJ Volkswagen."

Today, my last full day in Barcelona, I went to the Salvador Dalí museum in Figueres, which is a two-hour train ride from Barcelona. I took this photo through a huge magnifying glass near the ceiling of the living room. The couch is the lips, the fireplace is the nose, the artwork the eyes, and the hair is the archway to enter the room. Dalí is buried at this museum, which used to be an old theater. He had his first art exposition there, was baptized just around the corner, and he grew up in Figueres. I loved seeing all of his outrageous art; he's one of my favorite artists and visiting this museum has been on my to-do list for years.

In the morning I leave for my 3-week trip to visit old friends throughout Europe. Train itinerary: Pamplona, San Sebastian, Amsterdam, Munich, Budapest, Venice, Florence, probably a random coastal town in France, and then back to Barcelona to fly home on July 27th. From here on out, I'll be posting to my blog with my iPhone, so the posts will definitely be shorter with fewer and lower-quality photos. I'll do my best to keep up with it and let everyone know how it's going! Much love to all of you <3

The Barcelona Young Adventurer's Club (I'm the only member so far)

The above advert implores passers-by to take advantage of this life, because you don't know what you'll be in the next one. Thanks, little frog, because sometimes I get caught up in the hubbub and forget. Though, to be a frog might be kind of fun. And if I don't like it, frogs don't live that long anyway and I can try being something else.

Here is a quick review of my day-to-day adventures in Catalunya (the autonomous region of which Barcelona is the capital), which I now see as a separate country from Spain. The language, culture, and energy of the people is much different than that of Spain. I am learning to love it.

The ever-lovely Rowan George and the infamous doughnut man. He runs around the busiest beaches with a huge tray of doughnuts balanced on his head while singing and playing the triangle. Sells them for a euro a pop (about $1.45). He probably makes lots of dough...nuts. Eeek, bad joke. He was in the Shakira music video for Loca, so at least he's got that going for him.

Yes, I count this as an adventure. I got to visit the sepulcher of Santa Eulalia, the patron saint of Barcelona. She's beneath the Gothic cathedral. I lit a candle and thanked her for helping me grow through her wonderful city and for keeping me safe while I'm here.

The cathedral up on a mountain above Barcelona, in the town of Tibidabo. I went with a group of interns from my program. We had such great views from the top! I honored this place for its holiness and beauty...then on to the amusement park at Tibidabo.

The Aeroplane of Tibidabo...been spinning since 1928. We all bought ride tickets so we could ride the Aeroplane...like our own private jet over Barcelona, except that there were other people and it only went about 5 m.p.h.

Making my grand exit from the "private jet," movie start/presidential style.

This is Jamie and Nauzli playing on some springboards we found hidden in the depths of Tibidabo's amusement park. Probably the funnest ride of the day.

If you ever need to make your inner child happy, I recommend this: go to an amusement park on top of a mountain in Spain, get your face painted, and eat a candied apple after taking an airplane ride. Seriously, isn't that every six-year-old's wildest dream?! I was thrilled.

Here's my group of fellow Adventurers for the day (from left): Jamie, Nauzli, Daniel, Herman, me, and Rowan. We all got our faces painted...the guys' paint was the coolest. Daniel got open eyes painted on his eyelids so it always looked like his eyes were open. Herman got an eye patch and then all the girls gave him kisses on the cheek after we got our lips painted red.

What a happy ending to my fantasy day at the amusement park. We all went out for tapas and paella on Las Ramblas.

That same weekend, I went to the beach with some more of the interns. DJ and I swam out to the huge concrete blocks that break the waves before they reach the beach. Sea urchins don't scare us.

Some of the coolest cats I've met on this trip: Maria, DJ, and Herman. This is at Barceloneta beach, probably around 7:00 p.m. The sun shines brighter and longer here, it seems!

On June 23rd, I celebrated the country-wide festival of San Juan (or Sant Joan in Catalan) with a new group of friends. I "met up" with about 75 Barceloneces (people from Barcelona) to celebrate the summer solstice. Though it's celebrated differently throughout the country, the main themes are water and fire, which both cleanse you of the past year and prepare you for a prosperous and healthy new year. Some traditions include burning old furniture, jumping over bonfires, swimming in the Mediterranean at midnight, harvesting herbs for the coming year, and PETARDS. Petards are tiny explosives, much like firecrackers yet much more deafening. The entire night was filled with explosions on the ground and fireworks in sky, usually ignited much closer than what I would call a safe distance. SO FUN!

I got to participate in a couple of the San Juan traditions first hand. For one of them, I was given a flower, a piece of fruit (cherry), and a coin (1 cent euro). The flower represents good health, the fruit is for productivity in work, and the coin is for prosperity. Everyone stood with his/her back to the sea and tossed each item in one by one. Then we all turned around and let seven waves wash our feet. This is supposed to bring us good luck for the next year!

This is Carlos and Fortunato, the buddies that I ended up spending the most time with during the San Juan festivities. We found a dance club right on the beach, so boogied for a while before going our separate ways.

Yet another adventure-filled evening came my way not too long after San Juan. I went to a Catalan/Spanish cooking class and learned how to make (and how to wholly enjoy) gazpacho (cold tomato/vegetable soup), tortilla española (very thick potato, onion, and egg omelet), pan de tomate (crusty bread with garlic, olive oil, tomato, and sea salt), paella de pollo (similar to a chicken gumbo, but not sticky), and crema catalana (a dessert similar to creme brule but with lemon zest).

Here's me whipping up the egg yolks and sugar for the crema catalana after I'd separated a dozen egg whites. It was SO NICE to have a night of cooking and enjoying food with fun people! The cook was super fun, my program director Rich was there, and everyone helped to put together our scrumptious meal. I got compliments from the chef about how I cut my veggies for the paella. He said, "se nota que cocinas mucho. eres como una profesional!" or in Uh-Merican: "You can tell that you cook a lot. You're like a professional!" That really made my night! Yet again, I have to tell you that I am very much looking forward to being with good friends and cooking delicious food, both while I'm traveling and once I get home.

Well, dear readers, thank you for taking an interest in my travels. More to come soon!

testing, testing.

Just downloaded a blogging app for my iPhone. When I'm traveling in July, I'll only be bringing my iPhone rather than haul around my loud/hot/slow laptop. So this is a test to see how my on-the-go blogs will be. :)

dear fat, old laptop--I won't miss you while I'm traveling.





~peace, love, and adventure~

Ubicación:Carrer del Perú,Barcelona,España