Monday, July 7, 2008

Hieroglyphics, part 1

Hi to all!

Yeah, we got home really late last night. We drove all the way back from past Teruel (Aragon). Around... 1-2ish maybe? it was late. real late. Between that and a very tired and slightly emotionally unstable little 15-month old (but I love her anyways), I only got about 5 hours of sleep. What's a girl to do? Even so, I LOVED today. Class was amazing--althoug it is slightly taxing on one's intellectual abilities when listening to a teacher reading you off excercizes not only in Ancient Egyptian, but in oral transliteration, no less, with a Spanish accent, and nice and fast. Get those little grey cells moving.

I met up with Angela, the girl in my class last year that I really hit it off with. Ok, ok, the ONLY girl in my class last year. But we really did hit it off :) So, I sat next to her in class. Good memories :) Surprisingly, there is only 1 guy this year (well, "boy" is more accurate, whatever), and 5 of us girls. Kind of the inverse of last year, where us girls were outnumbered 2 to 6. Also, we have the same teacher as last year, which means it is going to be a blast! Once again, thank you so much for this! it kind of restores my faith in Spanish society each time I come back, seeing as I find that it really is possible to laugh, tease, and even cooperate with people in perfect harmony (the laugh and tease part imply that BOTH parties are enjoying themselves, not the typical ridicule).

My commute was intersting. I took the metro this morning, seeing as last night was way too late to start looking at which bus stops where. Quite frankly, I think that I'll continue taking the metro. It's fast, its easy, and I don't have to explore uncharted waters all over again (as I would ahve to know those streets by heart to know how to get to the Museum from whatever bus stop I hop off at). This morning I left extra early, so that I could buy mysef a lunch... Do you have any idea how utterly uncooperative this city is in terms of takeout? If anything, they open at 10 or 11, only at lunch time, or after 6. Go figure. I ran around, finally found a Fresh&Ready, bought myself a Caprese sandwhich (which looked so bad that it was obvious that I was both short on time, and desperate. Although, then again, it was the least disgusting-looking thing there. It had pesto. And cheese. And poppy-seed bread. yeah) for a ridiculous price, and skeedaddled over to the museum. Of course, it does not open till 10. and I mean open at all open. Light are OFF until 10 kind of closed. Very exciting.

Then, after and exciting day of summaries, repaso, guesswork, transliteration, and translation, (all very fun, no matter how it may sound to others), I was dead set on buying myself some sort of food. Whether for right then, or tomorrow's lunch, I didn't care. I needed food (no breakfast to speak of, a puny sandwhich, and a day later do that to you :D). So, I wandered ALL around the Passeig de Gracia/Diagonal/Urquinaona/Plaça Catalunya/Corte Ingles/Clot area. It's a big area. I found a KFC on the other end of the world, a Dunkin Donuts (which I already knew was there), another Fresh&Ready, a bunch of random asian buffets (not takeout. you'd think, of all buffets, they would be the bright ones with takeout. But no), and bakeries with nothing more than croisants. Don't get me wrong, croisants a re great and all (I actually bought 3 of them. That made me happy), but I was looking for pizza or something lunch-like.

I finally found some random Catalan cuisine takeout. I'm doomed. I can't escape from catalan food. But, they had a menu for a reasonable price (pasta, croquetes, dessert, drink. a real meal :P). So, I bought one for tomorrow. Of course, they open at 10, and then again at 6. So, I get to play around downtown for an hour. It goes by really fast when you are parading up and down these big /small streets, looking for more than 6€ tapas. Also, I stopped by a Mango store, and browsed for a while (I found a pair of really nice pants, but they turned out to be those wierd, not-entire-pirate-pants-but-just-a-tad-too-short-for-pants things. It makes it look like you are wearing pants tht you grew out of. Anyways). I also combed the entire Corte Ingles supermarket floor. You'd think THEY would have food, no? NO! Well, lots of food, but not anything take-out like, or instant anything, or, well, much other than squirming fish and skinned rabbits. I stayed extra-long in their Oriental section (well, part of a row), and found a bamboo rolling matt. I decided not to buy it after all, because I really was on a food run, and would hate to not be able to buy myself any form of take-out I could aquire because I bouhgt a bamboo sushi rolling matt that I cannot use. It would have been one thing if they had nori (seaweed) near the mat, because then I would have tried making sushi for myself for tomorrow. But no. It might be just as well.

That is a pretty thorough and complete narration of my day, taking out the 7 hours of class time that would probably confuse you more than provide you with any entertainment value. All I can say is that we got to go through the museum again, and translate things rigt off of pots, statues, or papyrii. AWESOME.

There we go! Update complete! Now, on to APUSH. Thrilling, as you know. Soon, I WILL post my Paris experience and my Alcorizas (Aragon weekend trip) memories. The latter includes real footage of a "corrida" I went to down there. I got the whole thing: bull-fighting ring, bulls and "vaquillas" (slightly smaller, but fast as anything), lighting their horns on fire, people dashing in our and around the bulls, people jumping up on the sides to get out of the way... a very very very drunk Captain Marvel (decked out in an extremely tight, sequin-decorated, bright red torero suit and cape. Needless to say, I had my camera out and ready to film the moment of his death, if it were to roll around--which we all expected, honestly, and, if not death, a good mauling.

Anyways, ciao for now!

1 comment:

Eschew obfuscation! said...

LOL!!! Aw man, I loved reading that. so much. Your characteristic style warms the heart, my friend. =)
why didn't you just buy a bocadillo?? that's the only decent "takeout" there is in spain. braces? which brings me to another point: foodwise, you are spoiled. Just stop the protests before they pass your vocal chords and nod. it's true. I mean what kind of "takeout" was that catalan stuff???? that was like, gourmet! I would KILL for that as takeout here! as it is, all americans have are cans and boxes and instant mixes and just add water mixes... for EVERYTHING. be thankful for no takeout. takeout is revolting month after month after month. thank goodness some people remember what cooking really is! :P
also, i cannot WAIT to hear about the bullfighting. seriously, it sounds hysterical. =) wish I had caught you on msn! hope you like your letter... which is what this comment is turning out to be!
k