Pulpo

This entry is titled "pulpo" because it's what I had for dinner a few nights ago and I am pretty psyched about having eaten a purple deep sea monster. I know octopus is not uncommon in many places, but it definitely is where I come from. I went out for my first real Spanish dinner on Saturday night with some madrileños (Madrid people) and they showed me how to eat. So, you know tapas? They are little appetizer-sized dishes and you order different things and share. It's kind of like a traditional Chinese dinner if you are familiar. Being overwhelmed and confused by the menu, I put the ordering in my friends' hands. They chose well. We ate octopus, mussels, shrimp, potatoes, bread, fish, chorizo (Spanish sausage), tortilla española (like an omelet with potatoes inside), and drank beer and sangria. Needless to say, dinner was a great success. Afterwards, we went out to some bars and one was actually showing the Florida and Tennessee football game (lol wut). I ordered a mojito, skeptical of the bar's ability to accurately concoct the drink, and it was less than great. Oh well, still good fun.

Hey, I found an apartment! It is located in the barrio of Salamanca in Madrid, which is the safe and nice neighborhood. It's fantastic here. It's too bad I don't own a Macbook or a Mercedes because I live next to a Mac store and a luxury car repair shop. There are 5 bedrooms in my place, 3 of which are currently occupied by an Iowan, a Greek/French/English/Swiss guy, and myself. They are great fun. We have been watching a lot of soccer, including the 8-0 Barca thrashing of Osasuna and the 3-1 Chelsea failure, led by my boy Torres. The real loser here is Real Madrid who couldn't beat Levante. C'mon guys, really? OH! I found some potential tickets online to go see Real Madrid play Ajax next Tuesday! Approximately 2 of my friends will understand the importance of this. All I'm trying to say is I'm trying my hardest to go see Real Madrid, Madrid's best soccer team, play an awesome game.

There are lots of things I am trying to take care of here before school begins on October 3rd (my 24th birthday, woo!). I think I will now describe what I am doing in Madrid for those of you who don't understand why I am here. I got a job through the Spanish Ministry of Education teaching English in a school to 1st-4th graders. I am known as a "language and cultural assistant," which means I will be teaching all things American to small Spanish children. I am very excited about the job! My school has contacted me and told me I could even be teaching music, art, and technology classes, which are right up my alley. I'm going to teach those little Spaniards how to shred a guitar if possible. My contract is through June 30th and I'll be returning then.

Today I went to one of Madrid's big ole' parks, Parque del Retiro. It's gigante and easy to get lost. It's also easy to have fun in. I explored, saw some sights, snapped some shots, stared at some birds, and found a shady spot to read for a few hours. I am currently hooked on John Grisham's The Confession, courtesy of Ryan Gary Stevenson's delightful parents, Kay and Pastor Steve. The book is nothing but suspense and I feel like I'm part of the story. Good thing I have 400 pages to go. Seriously, it's really long.

Time to keep reading and get some sleep. Tomorrow: IKEA and groceries.

Here are some pictoral and video diversions, enjoy!


This is a tour of my new place


This is a funny street performer clown baby man

Cool little stream in the park

Bedroom window view

Path

Happy dewd

More pictures at my Flickr.

Love,
your favorite son/grandson/nephew/brother/friend/person Nick