Amsterdam, Van Gogh, Leiden and a political refugee

28/7 - You really have to watch out for bicycles and scooters in Amsterdam because they have their own specialized bike lane separate from the cars. There have been a couple times when we didn't see a bicycle coming, so we push each other out of the way to avoid an accident.

Thing's haven't quite worked out in Amsterdam today. We walked to Rijksmuseum, but there was a huge line to get in and we didn't have a ticket.

Next.

We went to the Van Gogh Museum, hoping to see some excellent paintings. Long line for those who didn't have a ticket that stretched down the block.

Next.

We hopped on the canal boats towards the Anne Frank house. Long line for those who didn't have a ticket that stretched down the block. Add in the wind and random strong downpours of rain, and there was a bit of frustration. But now I have tickets to both museums, and I did taste some cheese in the Amsterdam Cheese Museum. We also walked around and saw more of the city so the day wasn't a total bust. This is a beautiful, one-of-a-kind city.

29/7 -There's something really nice about walking around a more local part of town in the dead of night, looking for a place called Coffeeshop Space Mountain. There's no traffic but you still have to watch out for bloody cyclists using their own lane, and at night they startle you when one suddenly rushes past you from behind when you were least expecting it.

Today is the 125th anniversary of Vincent Van Gogh's death, so I celebrated by eating a brownie from the coffeeshop and getting to the museum before the opening time. While I enjoyed looking at the paintings under the influence of the brownie, I only felt it for about two hours. It was another slightly disappointing thing about Amsterdam. However, I immensely enjoyed examining the style of Van Gogh; I like to get up close to paintings to see the texture and brush strokes. I like his style of many short strokes in small spaces and areas where several different colors form a harmony.

The remaining few hours I spent in Amsterdam were spent in Rijksmuseum, the flower market, wandering at my own pace, looking around (in the style of my mother), eventually taking a left turn that dropped me straight into the Red Light District. Even in the middle of the day, prostitutes pose in the middle of windows bordered by red light. There were a few erotic museums and a live sex show for 40 Euros, where a couple essentially fuck on stage. I also made a trip into the city center, dodging the many, many tourists there and saw how many rainbow flags that signify Gay Pride.

Amsterdam is such a colorful city, but it feels fake in a way. I left town with a feeling of being left unsatisfied. I feel like the visit could have been so much more, but since I'm not the kind of person to get messed up on drugs or spend an hour with a prostitute, perhaps Amsterdam just isn't my scene. I'd like to return though.

I took a 30-minute train ride to Leiden, where I'll Couchsurf with Erik. Just walking through Leiden on the way to the bar for his group's weekly Couchsurfing meetup, I could tell Leiden is like a miniature Amsterdam, except without all of the tourists. There are beautiful canals and buildings and bridges, and it's here where I rode a bicycle for the first time, one with a rusty frame, chain that had a tendency to slip if you put too much pressure on it, a bent handlebar and a seat that wouldn't stay in one place. I learned if a bicycle and a car have an accident, the car is always at fault. The meetup was also great, as I met a Spanish guy, and we talked in Spanish. It felt great to speak again, and I understood most of what he said; He was speaking fast as well.

30/7 - Erik had to work today, so I didn't see him at all. I left him a note of thanks and my last Trapistes. I loved the guy's house though, as it's very obvious he's a single guy. Nothing is clean. Everything is in a chaotic position. The kitchen is full of bottles and cardboard and has no counter space. The patio is completely covered with empty beer and wine bottles, and the barbecue has a cover which looks as if it hasn't been removed for several months. The bathroom looks as if it's cleaned about once a month, and it includes a wriggling sink faucet. The best things about his house is his bookcase and his map of the world, on which he's pinned many tickets from events or flights from past adventures. There are also notes from past Couchsurfers saying thanks.

I wandered around Leiden today, and I saw it's a miniature Amsterdam without the Red Light District and tourists. It's the place where some of the first pilgrims to America left from (Obama has ancestors there) and the birthplace of Rembrandt. It's full of canals, tiny alleyways that hide hard-to-find coffeeshops and large cathedrals. Speaking of coffeeshops, they're very difficult to find, especially during the day because they're closed until 5 p.m. I was disappointed because I wasn't able to eat a brownie before the flight back to England. The highlight of the day was stopping to watch a pair of excellent guitarists and singers. They were singing Coldplay, so I used that moment to zone out and reflect on the last month and a half. It was a bit sad this was the final day of the trip, but sitting here in Poole now, I'm so glad to be back.

Finally, sometimes I sound negative here, moaning about how things don't work out during traveling. At the meetup I met a guy from Iran who is a political refugee. He can't return home. It took him seven years to gain refugee status in the Netherlands after moving from country to country to country. Some of his family have been killed. He had an awesome story. Now, if I start thinking negatively, I just need to remember this guy. I may be having a difficult time traveling, but at least I'm not a political refugee. That's true struggle. 

Finnish cabin, Estonian beer and Holland

25/7 - I'm getting a real Finnish experience. There's lots of drinking, drinking games, even drinking while nude in the sauna. Most houses in Finland have a sauna in them, and a tradition here is to sit in the sauna for a while and then run into the nearest lake, preferably during the winter. But during the winter there is usually snow on the ground; you just jump in the snow then. I prefer the pond in summertime.

Anna and I hung out Friday night at her house with Jonas, another of her friends. Her parents left for the weekend, so we played heavy metal (because of course Scandinavians love their metal) and sat outside drinking and talking until the light completely faded. Later, we played a drinking game where it was revealed I have a third nipple; it's simple times like this that make me really appreciate taking the plunge to actually go to Finland.

26/7 – I leave Finland with excellent memories. A couple of Anna’s friends invited us to their cabin north of Helsinki in Räskälä, which is the middle of nowhere. Of course, since there are more than 200,000 lakes in Finland, the cabin had a pond. And since we were in Finland, there was also a sauna.

That meant being nude in the sauna and then walking past the girls (who shrieked in mock disgust), down the steps and skinny-dipping into the pond that also has lilypads, which only goes up to the waist. Essentially, I got the true Finnish experience. This was a beautiful spot for a cabin as it’s in the some pine tree and birch tree woods. There is a stream that flows into the pond, and it goes from there to a lake nearby. And around the property there are deck chairs and anything else that makes you super relaxed.

Perhaps my favorite area was the fire pit; It has its own small structure to provide shelter from the rain. When we created a fire last night, the combination of flowing water into the pond, some light still in the sky at 11:30 p.m., the fire whipping like the sound a flag in a strong wind makes and its crackling made a nice moment that left me feeling lucky by the fact I was in this spot at that exact moment.  The dinner was also excellent, as we barbecued beef steaks and paired it with strong cheeses, potatoes, guacamole, salad and wine.

The combination of mosquito bites, alcohol, being nude in the sauna, skinny-dipping, a delicious meal and a bed so cozy I’ll compare it to my own in California left me feeling like I’m doing things right. This was the kind of place Henry David Thoreau would go to think. I feel proud of the fact I took this trip and became the first American to visit that cabin. Goodbye, Finland!

On to Tallinn, Estonia.

27/7 - Like Madrid, my time in Tallinn, Estonia was less than a day. Unlike Madrid, my Couchsurfing host was not odd. Margus is 21 and lives with his parents. He's a chubby kid who loves quality craft beers and good food. In fact he carried around a list of the top 40 Estonian beers, a couple of which we tried. He met me at the ferry station in Tallinn, which made my time there very easy.

I literally slept on a couch in and old, cluttered, Soviet-era apartment building, and Margus gave me his room for the night. There were a pile of clothes in the corner, boxes on top of the cabinet, dusty books and glassware on a shelf, faded and peeling Egyptian-themed wallpaper and a chipped and damaged door. His apartmenr had so much character; it felt lived-in. 

Margus is a kid that comes off as aloof sometimes. He was awesome, as he was basically my personal tour guide. But he tends not to tell you what he's thinking in terms of which direction we're going or what stop we need. There were times when he'd just start walking through grass as a shortcut or take a turn without telling  me. 

I had a positive experience in Tallinn, and it always helps to drink with interesting people. We spent the evening tasting beers with a beer-appreciating German couple. My favorite part of the visit was when I found Trapistes No. 10, the beer that blew my mind in Wales. I bought two bottles and refused to throw them away at the airport, so I checked my bag; this beer is too good to be discarded so easily. It's worth the €40 fee (in my eyes). I even showed it to the woman at the check-in counter at the Tallinn airport, and she was surprised to see the nearly 12% alcohol content. 

After flying for several hours with a layover in Latvia (another country, like Sweden, I have now technically been to) Viral and I are in Amsterdam. This is a city I've wanted to visit for a while, snd I've already set a new milestone for myself, something I've never done before. For the first time in my life, I paid money for a joint. We smoked for a bit and then ate Mexican food. I want to be careful though, as I don't want to be stoned for the whole time i'm here. If I smoke too much I'll start feeling stupid and slow. There's a limit, and I haven't crossed it yet. 

But between how easy it is to buy weed and the how the prostitutes sell themselves in red-lighted brothel windows by smiling and winking at you in en exaggerated way, Amsterdam already has a much different feel to any other city. It's very relaxed, and it feels like you can do anything as long as you're not hurting anyone else. It's like the anti-society that celebrates everything taboo in the communities in which we grew up. 

Here's to going to the Van Gogh Museum after I finish my joint (I've only smoked a third of it) in the morning. I look forward to looking at art at a much deeper level, and possibly forgetting I'm looking at art when I inevitably zone out and lose focus.

La Almunia farewell, Real Madrid and Helsinki

22/7 - It was tough to say good-bye in La Almunia, especially for the men of the family. Alex looked sad the whole morning, and when we parted ways at the pool, his face crumpled into something that makes tears. However, I was surprised to see a smile on Nuria's face, and she wanted a kiss on both cheeks. For Felix, he had trouble getting out "you have a friend in Spain" due to emotion.

I am so lucky to have been able to live in Spain for a month. Despite some lows but some definite highs, the trip was a success. Check off another box during this crazy summer. 

The train from Zaragoza to Madrid is really beautiful, especially near Calatayud where the villages blend into the reddish orange rocky cliffs and hillsides. At one point there was a village perched over the train tracks. Traveling by train is my favorite way to travel. 

I was in Madrid for exactly one day. For a city as big as that, I was only able to see a small number of things. But though my visit was short, there is now an excellent story attached to it as I Couchsurfed with Dave, a gay nudist whose apartment is decked with books, movies, CDs, paintings on the walls and several hammocks hanging from the ceiling. Though the place had lots of personality, I would categorize this stay as my first negative CS experience, though we didn't have a problem with each other. I have no issue with him being gay or a nudist. Dave  is simply socially awkward. He wants people to respect his apartment, his rules and the spirit of CS, and most importantly to not treat his place like a hostel. It doesn't seem like he gets a lot of respect in his daily life, so he demands it in his own house.

The problem is that he books multiple people on one night to stay - in my case there were four others. He treats his own house like a hostel. And when someone turns up later than the agreed upon time, he gets very moody and refuses them entry. Dave uses CS as a way to meet people, but I think he should change his approach so as to reduce his stress levels. 

Anyway, Madrid is a cool city, and it's even better because of the fact I can speak Spanish. I absolutely love communicating in a different language, being understood and understanding what someone else says to you. My confidence rises. And in Madrid, I noticed my language skills have improved; I can understand more when someone speaks quickly and I know more words. However, there are still times when I have no idea what's being said. 

I was in Madrid for a day, and I saw 3 things: Estadio Santiago Bernabeu (home of Real Madrid, the biggest football club in the world), the Queen Sofia art museum (where I saw original art from Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali) and Parque De Retiro, where I took my shirt off and lounged in the grass while listening to a violinist before heading to the airport. Perfect day in Madrid.

About Real Madrid, the club has been known to spend enormous amounts of money to buy players from other clubs. RMFC holds the world record for most expensive transfer, as it spent more than $120 million to bring Gareth Bale to Madrid from England. Oh, and another player by the name of Cristiano Ronaldo calls this club home, and he's considered one of the two best players in the world. After taking the stadium tour, Real Madrid prides itself on being the best club of the 20th century, and that fact is plastered everywhere. I was also surprised they let people touch the grass. Other clubs have a fit when people do that.

23/7 - I find myself about 10 kilometers from Helsinki, Finland. Anna picked me up from the airport. Like in Spain, I had to buy some clothes to help me adapt to the weather; this time it was a hoody because it's so much cooler here, about 17C. The languages here are Finnish, Swedish and English, and twilight still exists around midnight because Finland is much more north than the UK. That really messes with your body clock and is quite a strange feeling. 

We are staying at Anna's parents' house, and they're very nice. Her father owns a gun store which is run out of the house, and he's a conservative person. To buy a gun in Finland, you have to prove you are part of a club or need it for a purpose, and pass mental stability tests. It would be great to see if we can shoot some guns before I leave; I just have to be careful not to upset her father! 

Anna and I spent the day in Helsinki, bar hopping and at one point riding a wooden roller coaster whose cars could only brake with the help of a human employee standing on the back of the train, manually engaging the brakes. It was fantastic to spend the day with Anna and learn about Finland and Finnish people. It feels like a very random place to visit, though. However, the tap water tastes like water and the weather makes me so content now that I'm not sitting and sleeping in my own sweat. 

Helsinki is very clean. In convenience stores you can bring plastic bottles to recycle, and in return you get store credit. I do miss Spanish though. This is another place where I start thinking in Spanish because of the language, but it is no help to me. 

24/7 - Today is about working on my dissertation, and fighting with my computer. It's very easy to work on this assignment while traveling...if my computer turns on. 

I saw today Dave, the guy I Couchsurfed with in Madrid, no longer has a CS account, and I completely understand why. His home was a zoo!

Sierra de Algairén, thunderstorms and a better understanding of myself

15/7 - Throughout this month, I'm learning how children love to be engaged in something. They love structure, and if they don't have that, they get bored. That's when they start yelling, running around the house and making you want to punch something. I've also learned that kids this young have no concept of respect, disrespect, manners and rudeness. In their eyes, they're doing nothing wrong. In our eyes, so accustomed to adulthood with no children around, we're offended by such rude speech. The solution is to brush off everything they say because they don't realize what they're actually saying. After all, their world revolves around games, laughing, innocence and whether we're eating salad with avocado and tomato for dinner that night.

Yesterday I gave Alex and Nuria a simple word search, and they competed against each other with red and green markers. Though it ended in tears and screaming, they were completely focused on finding the hidden words in the puzzle. Later, I brought pizza ingredients back home so Alex and I could make pizza for everyone. Alex loved cutting bacon and placing his ingredients on the pizza. He later sat on the floor to watch the pizza cook, and he was frustrated when I said the pizza needed to cook for 10 more minutes. But in the end his pizza came out great and he was very happy. Even Nuria, who doesn't like pizza, said it was good. 

Right now, it wouldn't be a huge disappointment to move on to my next adventure. More than three weeks in La Almunia has been pretty great, as I've learned about Spanish culture, food, the government and better language skills. I'm in better shape from walking and swimming almost every day, and I'm definitely darker from so much sun. But there comes a time when it's time to go. Secretly, I'm counting the days until I visit Madrid.

16/7 - I went hiking yesterday above Alpartir in Sierra de Algairén, and it was a good time to have thoughts to myself since it was completely silent. For example, Rosa asked me a few days ago if I have a girlfriend. I was real with her, and I said no because it's easier for me to travel to a new country and stay with total strangers than to talk to women. Also, because I'm traveling so much. I'd like to have a relationship, but it's not a high priority. I love being single. I can do anything I want. Hiking in Algairén gave me time to reflect on that.

It was a good day, as the trail started off as a single road for cars, but I eventually got above the tree line where the trail narrowed into a single track, and it didn't look like it was used very much because of the weeds and plants growing across the path. There were also times during the hike I heard buzzing, as if there were a very large group of flies or bees nearby, so that made me pick up my pace.

It was the kind of adventure where I didn't know what to expect for how long I'd walk, so I only brought one bottle of water. What's an adventure without a bit of struggle? The final few hours of the hike saw me thinking of nothing but where I could find some water, and miraculously I found a half-full bottle of water sitting forgotten on the edge of the path. Thankfully, I found that a few minutes after I bit into a small, blue fruit that looked like a large blueberry. It tasted very tangy at first but then its juices burst from it and made my mouth taste like mud which sapped what little moisture I had left. I spit it out with crap left in my mouth, and I moved on annoyed.

17/7 - Finally, some weather. There was a thunderstorm in La Almunia yesterday, complete with lightning, and again today.

Yesterday I realized I hang around adults too much. It's such a big difference being around children, as they have no idea about societal norms; they just interact how they want to. That's refreshing. And I've learned not to take myself or the kids seriously at all anymore. If they call me bad, I agree and say I'm incredibly evil. When they call me fat because I finished my food before them, I snort like a pig. And today, I was called lazy, the guy who just lays around. Life is so simple to a child. 

I've written about this before, but sometimes when Felix and I are talking, he speaks in English and I speak Spanish. It's a funny reversal. 

I'm going to miss La Almunia after I leave next week, everything right down to how the church bells can be heard all over town. The family is not religious (they hate it) which is great for me, but I still like to see the insides of religious buildings, as I've written about before. I'm going to miss being able to walk in the middle of the street because there's very little traffic. Most of all, I'll miss my Spanish cousins.

18/7 - I watched another thunderstorm today, this time from the pool. I love watching lightning and feeling the ground shake from the thunder, and honestly, getting a bit uncomfortable with that very unfriendly snarling sound.

But today was defined by miscommunication throughout the month, to the point where I actually bought a train ticket from La Almunia to Madrid for Sunday, but later canceled it after speaking with the family.

19/7 - I've forgotten how the mind of a child works, but today the understanding returned just a little bit, highlighted by the fact I played with Nuria and her various dolls, something that took Rosa by surprise. I've spent four weeks in La Almunia, and today was the most illuminating of the whole month; It's taken me this long to actually start to understand the kids.

Thanks to Rosa, I had an epiphany, in that I'm still a very immature person. I still have the mind of a kid. It makes sense because I still lose my cool sometimes around the kids. I get offended easily. So in order to gain that maturity, the only thing I can do is have a child of my own. The only problem with that is the fact it will not happen for a very long time.

They say you learn things about yourself when you travel. I say that's been proven true. Only with me, it took living with young children for a month to understand myself just that little bit more. Though this trip has had its definite, rocky, spiky lows, it also had its high moments; it will always be a success, no matter which way you look at it. I have to thank Rosa, Felix, Alex and Nuria for accepting a total stranger into their home for a month. Despite the small language and cultural barrier, we found a way to tolerate each other, and we weren't afraid to air our concerns with each other. Besides improving my Spanish skills, the thing I can look back upon and be proud of is the fact I did not leave early; we talked it out. That by itself is a success. 

Tu eres una patata

9/7 - I had another one of those moments today. And last night. And the night before.

Wow. I'm basically living in Spain!

La Almunia is completely different at night. Freed from the dictator that is the daytime summer heat, people can move about outside in comfort. There are people everywhere, including us. We went on a walk last night through the neighborhood and eventually settled on a street-side bench. Nuria wore her skates and we just enjoyed the cool, breezy evening in a random part of town in a very random part of Spain.

Today we went for a hike above Alpartir, which is nestled in the hills above La Almunia. This is a tiny village of 500 people, and it's where Felix and Rosa were married. It's a beautiful place, as there are no trees below a certain elevation. The town itself features one main road where the two local bars are located, and there's the sound of sheep up on the hillside. And after we finished the hike, Alpartir boasts some pipes that bring natural ground water to a shallow well where you can cup your hands together and quench your thirst. t's also where Rosa's mother lives, and we paid a visit to grandma's house for a few minutes.

Sometime during this visit, Nuria ingested something that gave her a massive sugar rush, and the rest of the evening I was wondering if she had snorted some cocaine. There's a level of hyperactivity normal for young children, and then there was this hyperactivity from Nuria. She was singing the same song (which she created herself) over and over at the top of her voice, speaking so fast it didn't sound like language, dancing, clinging to her parents, running around and generally using unlimited amounts of energy. Her eyes were popping out of her head!

10/7 - This blog has turned into me venting about Nuria. I know it's annoying, but here's one more. We were playing a game, but I didn't understand the rules. I said this to Nuria, but she kept looking at me like I'm stupid and talking in a condescending tone. She got even more Nuria-y as she started to raise her voice steadily until she was yelling at me to start playing. Eventually, I sat down and stopped, while trying to explain to Nuria that I don't want to play if she won't be nice or listen. This really made her mad, but I'm glad I did it. And the whole time, Alex was in the room, watching the exchange like a tennis match and eventually he went to his mother to tattle on his sister, despite my constant advice not to tattle because it's not his problem. She's only 7 (Saturday, July 11 is her birthday; she can't sleep because of that) and she has to eventually learn you don't get people to do what you want if you treat them like garbage and yell at them.

But a couple hours after that, we were fine. I played another game with the two, and this one focused on prepositions in English. I gave them a clue, and that led to another clue hidden between plants, another under the red watch, next to the sink, under the table and so on. It's surprising how much this grabs their attention.

I went to the grocery store with Alex so I could buy him some pizza for Sunday because, during a boardgame, he accepted my offer of 27 million Euros and one night of me cooking him dinner in exchange for Lionel Messi. And of course, I let him buy a large, chocolate, sweet, moon pie-like...thing. Like when I took my Kaichi group to Piccadilly Circus, we agreed to not tell his parents. But to make it look like nothing happened, we had to stop in a bar so he could wash his face and hands of chocolate, and he had to take his shirt off and put it in the laundry because there was chocolate on it. Him returning home without a shirt on is normal, considering the weather is so hot. In the end, Felix and Rosa had no idea, and Alex ate all of his dinner.

Good man, champ.

One more thing. Nuria was so excited the night before her birthday, singing at the top of her voice, "tomorrow is my birthday!" So naturally I was surprised when she was allowed to have half a glass of beer past 10 p.m. I was even more surprised it completely mellowed her out, and she was quiet as we watched a television show, and when I asked a question regarding what a word meant, she helped her father explain it to me.

11/7 - Today is Nuria's birthday. The family visited, including Angel, Michael and Felix's mother and sister. Of course, Nuria asked where my present was. I told her my present was me being there, helping them with English. I don't think she understands how big that is, being just 8 years old. She got a singing game for the Wii, and now she has a real microphone with with to sing. Being Nuria, she'll use that to sing everyday, sometimes yelling.

But the most memorable thing about today was the fact I felt the same embarrassed, shameful feeling I did during that first Spanish conversation club meeting at BU while at the pool today. I was with Felix and some of his friends. They were speaking quick Spanish, and I could just understand a few words. They were telling jokes, and when they talked to me, I couldn't understand anything they said. Feeling incredibly uncomfortable, I excused myself to go swim for the next few hours. This is my low point during this experience. My confidence is shot. But I have to remind myself I've been speaking Spanish for less than two years.

12/7 - Other than more family visiting for lunch in celebration of Nuria's birthday, things got real today, to the point where I considered leaving because I felt I overstayed my welcome, especially with the kids. But after we aired out everything that's bothering us while at the pool, the situation is fine again. Alex wants me to stay longer than a month, and we settled for me coming back another time, perhaps next summer.

Puerto Venicia, crazy kids and a tribute

4/7 - Happy birthday, Grandma Honey!

For the third time in five years, I spent Independence Day away from America. This year I was speaking Spanish in Spain for most of the day.

'MURICA.

I really don't mind, as fireworks are boring now. Anyway, Felix's father, Angel, and his brother, Michael, visited today. They were both very friendly people, and I could mostly understand them when they spoke. Michael knows some English, but I still tried to speak in Spanish. I told him I can't make the "rr" sound, and he said there are some Spanish people who can't do that; it made me feel better, as it's no big deal.

5/7 - There's something about making a trip to a large shopping center in Zaragoza that makes living in Spain for a month feel...normal? Puerto Venicia is a shopping center worthy of modern-day capitalism. That means too many stores on multiple levels and way too much food. The trip was challenging because of the presence of two young children - one of which loves attention so much they'll whine and cry about anything - who won't bat an eyelash at making total fools of themselves in public, like chasing each other on skates through the outdoor sports store, dodging shoppers on foot the entire time.

And you never realise how much children love making a mess as when you go out to eat in public at a buffet. Both Nuria and Alex (Nuria is out of control, and she giggles constantly because she knows nothing will happen to her) kept coming back to the table with ice cream, yogurt, toppings and sauces and beer, just so they could mix it all together. Once the concoction was the color of stool and a little bit chunky, with some spilling onto the table and on his hands, Alex actually tasted it. At that point, I got up to do my own shopping. But amid all of this, it seemed so normal. I'm a part of this family, and it doesn't feel like I'm in a completely new country; I love that. The trip was a little bit of a failure though, as I actually bought something that is too small. Typical.

6/7 - The kids and I (and Rosa) played a game to help teach English today, since they hate reading English and studying - something to which I completely relate. After Nuria was finished fishing for attention - by acting like she was sick and cold in 90-degree weather and actually donning a jacket - we played a game where everybody picked a small tab of paper with a noun in English and had to go find that noun. They had five minutes, and the winner won one Euro. This grabbed Nuria's imagination incredibly well. It gave her a reason to stop asking, "do you like the crappy?"

Finally, rest in peace, James A. Lingberg. I'll always remember my grandfather for his dry, very British sense of humor, how he always bought the cheapest beer and told Kevin and I he was just "resting his eyes," but a few minutes later he would began to snore. He and grandma showed me the joys of camping in the Redwoods from an early age, and that's part of why I take them for granted, being from California. And I'll always wear a grin whenever I remember how, during Thanksgiving dinner, he'd constantly announce to the table, "there's much more food here!" or when, during a Giants baseball game, he'd raise his voice to give the most obvious and unhelpful advice in an effort to help his team win the game.

"We need to score more runs here, Giants!"

Grandpa Jim is on an adventure I won't be able to top for a VERY long time (hopefully). This ends one (though very large) chapter of my life, as visits to Grandma Honey's and Grandpa Jim's house are a thing of the past. It was a great one.

Zaragoza, heat and condescending children

28/6 - I NEED a pair of shorts and sandals. Clothes that are perfect for England are so uncomfortable in Spain. For example, I went to Zaragoza today wearing jeans in 100-plus degree weather. I was drenched with sweat all day. But I digress. Minor inconvenience.

It's so cheap to travel from La Almunia to Zaragoza and back on a bus. In total, I spent €9. I always love visiting a new city, and this was no different, even though it was so hot. I went to a flea market and sat down for 10 minutes during a service in Catedral-Basilica de Nuestra Senora del Pilar de Zaragoza. Though I couldn't do much else because it was Sunday, I still enjoyed myself.

I thought this was hilarious when I found it in the flea market in Zaragoza. It says "Bush will go to Iraq." Bush's speech bubble says "because I want to!"

29/6 - Felix drives a taxi. He's always close to his phone and answers it as soon as it rings, and sometimes he drives people to Zaragoza and back. It's how he earns money, and it's a struggle for the family sometimes. He wants to learn English so he can get a better job to support his family more.

I've only been here a week, but everyone already sounds a bit better with English. Felix said the kids are already improving, so he thanked me for that. I'm improving too; can I stay here longer? (Just kidding...or am I?)

People say one should develop their own reality. What does that mean? I think that means you should get on the back of a dragon and fly towards the sun, speaking in strange tongues and licking ice cream while staring at George W. Bush, who is riding with you. But this GWB speaks Russian! So I guess English and Spanish will be no help here. Time to learn sign language! Don't bother, Bush turned into an ape. Jump off the dragon's back before Bush flings his poo! Stinky. Just like Harry Potter, you land safe and sound in a lake after leaving the dragon. However, you have a vision of Lord Voldemort's final Horcrux, which is at Hogwarts...

Wow, this constant, dry, stuffy heat is really getting to me.

30/6 - Learning how to trill the "rr" sound in the Spanish alphabet is incredibly difficult, especially for me. It's a sound that's essential for the language, but it's completely different from English; there's nothing like it in English, so it's a new sound to me. I'm not even sure how to relax my tongue in order to make that sound. It's one of those things you have to practice a lot, and once you get it, it's like riding a bike. Or a horse. Or a motorcycle. Or a snowboard.

Today was the final day of June, and I have to say that was an incredible month. I think it's safe to say that was the best month I've had since coming to Europe. A 721-mile motorcycle ride kicked it off, followed by a mind-blowing, all-other-beers-have-now-been-ruined beer in Wales, a week with Japanese students in London and setting up camp in small-town Spain for a month.

1/7 - I've had some great food in the past week. Felix and Rosa said lamb is very popular in this part of Spain. I had some horchata today, which tastes like very sweet almond milk. And then there's always the leg of jamon serrano.

I've also learned how many different accents and languages there are in Spain. Felix said he can't understand the accent from Andalucia, and even I can tell when accents differ.

3/7 - Everyone in La Almunia knows each other. I've seen the same people around town, and it's a little strange.

You really have to be patient with Nuria. She's a little beast! She doesn't listen and is pretty rude, especially when I made guacamole. She straight-up said it looks gross and she doesn't like it. Then during the meal she started singing "guacamole is crappy!" But then I gotta tell myself to step back and remember she's only 7. But this week and a half with this family reinforced my desire to not have kids for a very long time. Considering young children have no idea how to handle their emotions so they burst out into screaming tears because they couldn't get out of the car while it was being parked (a time span of one minute), I don't need or want that. I can't understand how children are so illogical.

Damn...was I like that?

It's funny saying something in Spanish to the kids because they try to correct my accent. And when I ask them to show me how to trill the "r" sound, they look dumbfounded because that's the easiest sound in the world. Then they, especially Nuria, get in my face and trill in a very loud, piercing voice.

Anyway, I still haven't got myself shorts yet. Everyday is so hot, and I'm really not enjoying sitting in my own sweat. I think I'll get a haircut at the very least.