Thanksgiving week! So much to be thankful for.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

This week was all about cooking, baking, and walking for me. Sorry no crafts to display.

Second best kitchen appliance! A food processor!

I made four pumpkin breads this week (overkill? I think so too), two batches of pumpkin cookies, baked apple sundaes, mashed potatoes, green beans, brie and cranberry sauce (kind of...). I bought the best kitchen appliance I've ever used (mmm...maybe  minus a KitchenAid mixer), and adopted the newest addition to my growing farm in Ordino! What a week!

I also had two amazingly delicious Thanksgiving thanks to new friends who are wonderfully hospitable. It was a great week to say the least!

So pumpkin bread baking was  quite the extravaganza courtesy of Andorra's lack of baking supplies. Since brown sugar is near impossible to find two of the pumpkin breads I made were wonderfully delicious and moist, but crumbled into a million delicious pieces when you sliced into it.

Yummy crumbles

The first two attempts I just used raw cane sugar for brown sugar (it's brown right!) and that's when it crumbled like rain. Next time  I read a blog that suggested using processed raisins. Since I didn't have any raisins on hand but I had dried cranberries I processed those and threw them in! Interesting...the texture of the bread definitely didn't crumble. It had texture like a normal piece of bread, but the cranberries had definitely changed the flavor and the moisture level. It wasn't the best bread I made, but when I gave it to my classes they loved it! They also loved the strange pumpkin cookies I made. 


I finally did make a successful pumpkin bread. I used 1/2 cup raw cane sugar and 1/2 cup honey. It would have been the perfect pumpkin bread if I hadn't been impatient and not let it bake all the way. But! It was good and it was brought to dinner on Friday.

My theory (which has been confirmed by others) is that kids here are not exposed to the sorts of homemade baking we are in the states. My students had never heard or seen frosting before! They were so impressed and awestruck that I had made bread and frosting by myself! My theory also explains why vanilla extract, brown sugar, and cream of tartar are so difficult to find in Andorra! But I've now successfully won the hearts of many students through sugary treats from the States :)
I sealed the deal at lunch with a group of students when I made these little guys--Baked Apple Sundaes with Vanilla&Pecan ice cream and caramel sauce drizzle. As you can see real life does not look as beautiful as Martha Stewart's online cookbook picture does, but they were still delicious and the kids loved them! More and more students have been asking if we're going to do lunch everyday instead of once a week. Hmm...I wonder why :)

Well enough about baking! Let's talk about this cute little guy!

Rudy...Rudy...Rudy!...RUDY!..RUDY!!

Yes everyone, I expect a slow chant to welcome Rudy home :) 

This cute mutt is the newest addition to the US contingency at Casa Nova Font in Ordino. He has made an amazing transition. A surprisingly amazing transition actually which is why I'm worried I'm going to wake up in the middle of the night this week and he will have become a terror or something haha, but for now he's being an angel. Doing his business outside, ignoring the cat, not tearing apart anything, and not even trying to jump up on furniture (I think becuase he's never really been around furniture). 
Rudy came from the gossera (the pound) in La Seu (a small Spanish town right across the border from Andorra where I volunteer). He is an amazing dog full of personality and lots of love. He was brought to the gossera at least three years ago, possibly four. He had been extremely neglected by his previous owners. He was still wearing a puppy collar when he was brought  to the gossera which he had severely outgrown and was causing major damage to his neck. He recovered though and has been the love of the gossera volunteers since! Even though he was badly neglected he  doesn't hold grudges against people and is wonderfully social with people and dogs AND surprisingly cats! Well I wouldn't say he's social with Shera since she clawed him the first second he walked into the door and spends most of her time hiding and hissing at him. But he shows no interest in eating her so we're happy about that :) I'm more worried that Shera is planning how to eat him to be honest. But for now we're one happy family :)

So far there have been a lot of new "firsts" for Rudy since I don't think he's ever lived in a house before.
He had his first bath. And he didn't struggle or fight at all!
His first trip up a flight of stairs...
and more hilariously his first trip down. Teaching a dog how to walk down a flight of stairs might be the most hilarious-sad-pathetic-heartwarming experience haha. But now he is a champ and goes up and down stairs like he's been doing it for years :)
His first time on a rug (he was a lot scared of them, but now they're his favorite napping spots!).
His first night indoors in at least three years if not more. And his first night in a kennel. He only whimpered a little and then when I moved my mattress to his level he didn't cry at all. 

My friend Alisa helped me bring Rudy home, give him a bath, and get him situated. What a blessing she was! Thanks Alisa! So now Rudy seems to be adapting really well and he is definitely making me get my exercise and explore the paths of Ordino. Yesterday we went on four walks, this morning we went on one and we're about to go for a jog. 

I also learned  that Rudy, like me, likes to put his feet on someone when he is sleeping. Awww. Kindred spirits :)

Well I hope all of you have had a wonderful Thanksgiving! And you have taken the time to reflect on all the blessings God has given you--big and small.

Have a great week!

Love, 

Maddie, Rudy, and Shera

"Week 2": Awesomeness abounds

After you read this post you need to go immediately to the store and buy:
-pretzels
-peanut butter (a small jar is fine)
-chocolate chips (or any kind of chocolate)
-brown sugar
-powdered sugar
-butter

And YOU MUST MAKE THESE CHOCOLATE PRETZELY PEANUT BUTTERY BALLS!

You can thank me later :)

so simple. so yummy. delicious. amazing.
a mood changer really :)
And you can just freeze them and eat them whenever you want...or all in one sitting...that's between you and your skinny jeans. 


I've started eating lunch with small groups of students that want to improve their English outside of class. I really have enjoyed it so far, it's good to be out of the classroom setting. To win their hearts through food, I made these for my first group of students. Unfortunately, I realized later that the ratio of peanut butter to chocolate was waaay off. Hopefully the rumors haven't spread already to not eat anything the lectora gives you haha. Hopefully I can redeem my cooking reputation this week :)

My second batch was fantastic though! Definitely keep them littler then bite size for the perfect combination.


http://make-happy.blogspot.com/2009/10/weekend-treat-chocolate-peanut-butter.html


For my craft this week I bought a cheap, but pretty canvas painting from Andorra2000 (the Walmart of Andorra) and added to it.

This verse has kind of become my theme verse for the year here in Andorra and also in these next steps of life. Mom mentioned it to me at one point in time and it's just stuck with me as being incredibly true and relevant to this year of struggling in the mountains and trying to overcome a year of obstacles at school that can often seem overwhelming and impossible to get through.

It also rings true when I think about my future and wanting to work with some big problems in the world like sex trafficking, human slavery, and other injustices.These are mountains that I, as a tiny person, cannot move on my own. But if I have faith then God will move these mountains through me and nothing will be impossible for me. Not because I have great credentials or "am a Fulbright scholar" ;) , but rather becuase I have faith and a God who invented credentials.  

The verse comes from
Matthew 17:20, "For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a mustard seed you will say to this mountain, 'Be moved from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you"
and Matthew 21: 22, "Whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith." 

It's hanging in my room so it can serve as daily encouragement for my time here. Thanks Mom for such important and relevant wisdom!

Week 1, gettin' the party started!

So WEEK ONE of Crafting, Baking, and Walking my way through Andorra!
This week I did double the crafting and baking to make up for not posting last weeks, so I'm calling this "week 1" when really it all happened this week :)

I started off spicing up my week with a new meal called "Loaded Potato Buffalo Chicken Casserole." I was super pumped about it because basically every review on this recipe was some woman elated that they had found their husband's new favorite food and that they would never be satisfied with a different casserole again...or something like that.

And I will admit while I was cooking it my kitchen smelled heavenly. Bacon + spicy, greasy potatoes + shredded chicken is an amazing combination and Bed Bath and Beyond should start to bottle that stuff.

YUM! I know your mouth's watering right now, don't lie

Since I'm here in Andorra I didn't exactly follow the recipe which might be the reason for my less then elated response to this dish. With the absence of hot sauce I mixed Tabasco and ketchup which was a good combination, but my mixing was definitely heavy-handed on the Tabasco. This  casserole was spiiiiicy! (Ty, you would have been thrilled).

I think if I would have had ranch to serve it with the kickin' spicy level would have been just fine, but as it were, I added about a pound of extra cheese to try to cool my mouth. Also, in the land of cheeses it's difficult to find a good ol' Pepper Jack, cheddar cheese blend. Impossible actually where I went shopping. So next time, I definitely would redo the cheese. But keep the bacon, if not add more! You can't go wrong with bacon, right Bill?

Here was the finished product!

Acknowledgement: I am not a food photographer. I am also working with one step up from a disposable camera, so if this food doesn't look appetizing I blame that :)

here's the site for the recipe: http://cooklisacook.blogspot.com/2012/03/loaded-potato-buffalo-chicken-casserole.html



While the casserole was cooking I also put new knobs on some drawers I got from a friend to add a different feel that works with my  apartment more! I guess I can scratch that off as a craft...right? I did feel pretty handy working with a screwdriver haha.

I'm loving this new focus on spending some time doing simple things I love to do. It's been great in renewing my spirit, along with quiet times and cuddles from Shera of course :) 

Hope you've had as productive a week as I have ;) haha

Updates!

So I'm thinking it's been a super long time since I've blogged. Sorry! So it's probs important to update y'all on some of what's happening in my life here in Andorra...

~We had a week off of school for Tots Sants and I spent it traveling in Italy! I broke my camera right before going :( so I reverted back to good old disposable and am waiting for the CD of pictures. So this is just a teaser, I won't write about the trip until I get those pictures, sowwy!

~It is quite cold here in Andorra now. Lots of snow on the mountains and frozen toes in my apartment.

~I am joining the ranks of No-Shave-November...except I started in October...and I started unknowingly lol. I just realized yesterday how long it had been when I was walking to the gym and literally felt the wind rushing through the 1/2" of hair on my legs. Cute. I know :)

~I am adopting a dog! His name is Rudy (yes, when you meet him I do expect a slow-chant to welcome him). He has been at the gossera for 3+ years but he is still a really loving, confident dog. He does great off the leash and loves to run and climb mountains! He also loves cuddles, so I think he will be a perfect companion for me :)

He always smiles :)

And he has a beard :)

He can be a rascal though...so this should be fun :)

~I'm unofficially changing the name of my blog. It is now "Cooking, baking, and walking my way through Andorra!"
I haven't been having the greatest time here in Andorra so far. Teaching here is a lot more difficult and I didn't have as much support as I was expecting. BUT instead of letting that get me down I made a decision the other day to have a great time here doing other things that I want to! So I counted and we have about 25 more full weeks of school left, excluding weeks with vacations. So I made a list of 25 art projects, and 25 new baking or cooking things I want to try! And I am going to do at least one every week for my time here to survive in Andorra! Also I'm going to get a dog (as you read about before) to get me out and about, exercising, and enjoying  the here and now more then I have been so far. SO as soon as I get a new camera you will see pictures of the crafty, Pinteresty, Betty Crockery experiences I'm having here in Andorra :) And feel free to suggest some projects that you have enjoyed or think I should do. I don't mind adding to the list!

Well I hope all of you are doing well! I'm off to apply for some jobs in the States and plan my classes for next week!
Lots of love from arctic of Andorra :) 

Miss you friend

October seems to be a birthday-packed month. Start off with my birthday, then Momma's birthday, and as I grow up more and more people are getting added to the list--Caley, Katie, Yeimy, Jennie Hayes (twinsies!), Dan, Kyle Stud...  One of the wonderful people that was brought in my life and added to this wonderful list was Scott. And since today was the first day my oven been's properly functioning I made a birthday cake, as has been the custom for his birthday for many moons now. In the past I've done a Superman cake...maybe more than once, but as I couldn't find frosting and other necessary things, I did something different, but still very Scott-approved this year. Mickey Mouse!

What a wonderful guy Scott was. He had such a life full of joy straight from God. And even through pain and suffering he was an encouragement to others. A few days, maybe two or three, before I got the call to come home he sent me this text, "Miss you friend and.getting out of.bed.was.awesome! Today I got to wheel myself around the halls  of the hospital I was exhausted and still am but it was so worth it! Life is good God is good! He's given me so much strength and joy! :)" Amen to that, Scott did have so much strength and joy. What an example he set! What an inspiration he is! I miss him so much, but what a blessing it is to have had such a friend.
Love you Scott.

Food, snow, and a kitty cat!

SHOW AND TELL TIME!

I think it's about time (maybe past time) that I update you on life here in Andorra. So let's have a throw-back to primary school with show and tell...I'll show pictures and tell the story behind them...

This is my first ever fresh-baked gluten-free bread loaf! Thanks to the help (and bread machine) of my lovely friend Samantha I got to enjoy warm bread for the first time in a long time!! 

I'm not sure if you can tell the scale of the bread from this photo...but, lets just say, it wasn't a perfect loaf. Very short and stout...probably weighed about a ton. Very dense...BUT EDIBLE! AND--Jaymee can attest to this--very yummy with peach jam. 
So I vote it a great success!

 

 Plus it had a cool mohawk thing :)  -->

ANOTHER great gluten-free success was this  sandwich! I am quite proud of it's creation.
Foccacia bread with a Napoletana sauce, salami, and melted emmentel cheese. Yum!


So gluten-free can be synonymous with delicious!

But enough about food...it's almost midnight!

Let's talk about one of the things I'm most dreading and excited about in Andorra...

SNOW!

First time seeing snow-capped mountains outside my window (while Tyler was here actually)

Again today, lots of snow on the mountains

Scary and exciting all at the same time :)

And last but certainly not least...

making her first-ever Aventura en Andorra blog debut...

the one...

the only...

 SHERA! 

Shera is hort for Sheherezae...name suggestion from my brilliant mother

A few of you have heard the story of how Shera was crazily thrown into my life...for those of you that haven't I will spare you the gory details and instead give you an easier version for those who are a little bit blood-queezy. 

I found Shera after hiking with some friends a few weeks ago. Actually, to be more accurate, Shera found me. Unfortunately when I took Shera home I realized that she was sick. When I tried to take her to the vet the next morning she disappeared. And for two days I was a very sad individual, feeling horribly guilty for having lost a sick kitty that was so incredibly sweet (her favorite thing to do is cuddle). But miraculously on the third day, Shera came back to find me at the aparthotel! And I was able to find a friend willing to keep her until I moved into my apartment in Ordino. Now Shera is very comfortably living and cuddling here in Ordino. I am trying to get her adopted (if any of you are interested let me know! international transport is actually relatively easy)...but there is a little white kitty at home named Cokey who would very much appreciate a friend named Shera. And I think that Shera might have stolen Tyler's heart when he came to visit, so she may have been lucky enough to find a permanent home with me :) She is the most sweet-natured cat I've ever met. She never really complains, just likes to sleep and cuddle up to keep my feet warm at night which I definitely appreciate. So that's the latest in pet adoptions for me :) 

In related news, Scout (the beautiful pup from the gossera that I worked with) found a wonderful home a few weeks ago and was adopted! His twin (who we lovingly named Scoot) is still at the gossera and doing a lot better as well.

I hope you all are doing well and keeping warm! I'm glad I've got my TCU jumpin' jammers here to keep me warm in Andorra!

Love my Jumpin' Jammers! Thanks Ty :)

This is a love story...

I am the most  blessed girl in the world. I have the most amazing partner who enriches my life in so many ways. I've realized a simple truth about being with Tyler this week: My life is more full of love and joy and depth when he's with me.

This past week Tyler came to visit. It was such a blessing and perfect God-timing that he ended up coming when he did. He was able to help me sort through the stresses of wild classes, starting in a new apartment, and celebrating my birthday abroad...all of which turned out amazing since he was here to encourage me and help me through. We also got to visit a bit of Toulouse (that's us in front of the capital building). He had to catch a flight but we had time to see the square which was beautiful even when under construction. We also walked around and noticed the architectural similarities of the streets in New Orleans. It was interesting, but somewhat  scary since we both started getting flashbacks of Mardi Gras crowds, neon lights, and claustrophobia. And, my favorite part of our quick visit, we ate some delicious banana and Nutella crepes! Yuuum!

"What?
Gluten intolerance?
No....
That doesn't exist in France when there's a warm, delicious, perfect crepe in front of you" :)

Well I'm going to leave you on that happy sidenote :) I still don't have Internet in my apartment so I'm bumming off the coffee shop and I feel pretty bad buying a €1 coffee and burning up an hour of Internet with all my class planning, emailing, and blogging.

A bientot!

Happy

I tutor a 10-year-old boy here in Andorra and I saw him today as I was walking home from school. While we passed each other I asked him, "How  are you today?" to which he answered, "Happy" as he walked by. Just one short word answer and a smile--"Happy." I have not been able to wipe the smile off my face since that comment. How owonderfully simple that answer was.

On the way to the bus this morning I was actually thinking about happiness, I was debating with my self if attitude is more something that happens to you or something you create. And then here in the afternoon my 10-year-old friend made it seem so easy and uncomplicated. This week at school has been really hard and somedays just downright horrible. I cried two days in a row and even read through the early termination section of our Fulbright packet.
But if I keep reminding myself of how bad those days were these next ones aren't going to get any better.
But if I just think about "Happy" I smile :)

Looking back (a picture story)

REFLECTING ON THIS PAST WEEK I FEEL EXHAUSTED. SO I AM GOING TO EXPLAIN THIS LAST WEEK BRIEFLY IN PICTURES. 

Sunday, September 9...

Monday, September 10...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fulbrightspain/7976267260/in/set-72157631505810326/

Tuesday, September 11...

Wednesday, September 12...

Thursday, September 13...

Friday, September 14...

Saturday, September 15...

La Seu, Spain--where the gossera is

 Sunday, September 16...

Monday, September 17 (today)...

HOPE THAT ALL MAKES SENSE :)

So...I fell in love...

...and we're thinking about moving in together...

Exhausted, but all smiles :)

So I met this wonderful dog at la gossera in La Seu, Spain last weekend. I'm going to be volunteering there on a weekly basis and probably heading out there Monday night to go jogging with some other volunteers and the dogs.

This beautiful pup was rescued from the house of a hoarder who was hoarding 17 dogs!! So they all have some issues...he was particulary skiddish. They arrived at the gossera recently and hadn't been for a walk since it was difficult to coax them out of their cages. For example, the Spaniard who works at the gossera was trying to take the dog next to this one out of his cage, but he was so scared and skiddish that the man ended up just picking the dog up and bringing him to the path in hopes that he would want to walk. He didn't sadly :( It's hard to see that many dogs (17! Can you believe that??) with problems because of one person's bad habit.
But anyway, this doggie caught my eye right from the beginning. So after taking two other dogs out (one of which was an overactive golden retriever, hilarious!) I came back to this little guy. I knew his background so I just went in and sat in his cage with him for a bit. He was still too nervous to come near me so I left for a bit and tried to coax one of the other dogs out, but he was angry-aggressive so that was no good. Then i sat on the outside of this cutie pie's cage until he got up the courage to come check me out. And when he did he was all about the cuddles! He loved getting petted and was so incredibly sweet. I finally went back in the cage with him and was able to get him on a leash with no issues.
Going for a walk was the cutest thing, you all need to come visit just to meet him! I think this might have been one of his only walks outside becuase he was like a little kid! He was running through the tall grass and crashing through bushes, hitting his face on all sorts of stuff and loving it! He was exploring this new big world around him, it was precious. And he was a great walking partner because he would go explore but then look back to make sure I was coming and, for the most part, he kept pace with me. 
Awww. I think it's love :)

ALSO *fun interactive part* he doesn't have a name so I get to name him!! And I would love suggestions, so post and let me know what y'all think would fit him!



P.S. Sorry for all you non-dog lovers out there who probably find this particular post boring...next one will be about Madrid! And the first day of school! So get excited :) 

I love Andorra (Reason 1)

Sorry my posts are fewer lately. The four other Fulbright scholars have been arriving for the last few days, so I haven't been blogging.

But I just had a great experience that I think sums up Reason 1 on why I love Andorra:
EVERYONE KNOWS EVERYONE AND WANTS YOU TO KNOW EVERYONE TOO

Example 1: I volunteer at a charity shop called Carisma and the first day I met a wonderful Irish woman who also volunteers there. I mentioned how I was looking to rent an apartment in Ordino, but I wasn't sure because it did not have a fridge, washer, or microwave. She immediately told me about a friend of hers whose flat she was clearing. He has a fridge, washer, and microwave so she would call him to see if I could have it!

Example 2: I had coffee with a wonderful woman named Clare and told her I was interested in learning Catalan. While I was in the bathroom, Clare called one of her Andorran friends, Meritxelle, and invited me to an English-Catalan dinner with her. Now Meritxelle invited me to go on an awesome hike next weekend! And she also called her friend Anne who is a real-estate agent and is helping me finds apartments.

Example 3: At the English-Catalan dinner I went to with Meritxelle, I met a woman from Ordino named Carmen. Carmen owns a bakery in Ordino, el Fleca Font, (which is right below the apartment I'm looking to rent). I told Carmen how I bake gluten free foods and she offered to let me sell them at her bakery (there's a big gluten-free population in Andorra, who knew?)! Then today when I was at Fleca Font having coffee with Jaymee, Carmen came and asked how my apartment search was going. I told her how I was looking to rent the apartment right above the bakery, but it wasn't furnished so I wasn't sure. She said that would be a great idea and she would call Marc who owns the apartment and ask him if he could get it furnished for me. She immediately got on the phone with Marc who said he would talk to his dad about finding furniture for the apartment at a reasonable price. Carmen then continued to give Jaymee and I a list of recommendations for places to take another one of the Fulbright girls, Daniela, to for her birthday :)

I love how everyone is making connections for me! Andorra is great!
And that's just reason 1...

Breaking in those hiking boots

It seems like all of my posts are going to start with "It's a beautiful day in Andorra" because I  haven't had a bad yet {knock on wood}... So... it was a beautiful day in Andorra today :) and I went on a hike today to break in my hiking boots. During my trek I realized some things:

First I realized that I am out  of shape, haha. You didn't see that one coming :) I also began to understand why Andorrans are, consistently, among the top 3 longest live expectancies in the world. 

I also realized that hiking + horrible sense of direction = problem. So as I was hiking up (and in circles? how are those two things simultaneously possible??) I decided I have two options to avoid major dilemmas and search parties... 1. Buy chalk to mark my trail  OR  2. Get a dog.
I contemplated the decision on the way down the mountain and as soon as I got down to town I walked to the pet shop and bought a dog.

Just kidding. Haha, gotcha.
I'm not saying it's not in my future though :) It seems like everyone has a dog here in Andorra and they are acceptable in all locations--hotels, restaurants, cafes, bring 'em in! I even sat next to a bunny today at a coffee shop in La Massana. And as helpful as chalk will be, what will I do in the winter when there's snow and no clear rock to write on? Will chalk be able to keep me warm in the winter? Can chalk warn me of someone coming into my apartment? Nope. Just saying.
I hear my parents in my head and, yes, I do realize the obvious flip side-- chalk doesn't need to be given a tranquilizer and put on a plane to get back to the States, nor do I need to feed it or clean up after it. Pros and cons.

But back to my hiking epiphanies, about half way through my hike (and possibly why it was the reason it was half way and not a quarter of the way through) I realized that as much  as I want to love nature I am a city girl by birth and when I am left totally alone  with nature it scares the crap out of me. Anything that brushed me was a possible spider trying to spin me into a tangled web of beady eyes and disaster, a bush shaking was really a pack of the wolves that migrate through Andorra, let's just suffice it to say my imagination was ridiculous. But today I learned about how ignorance can lead to fear. I don't know these paths, these woods, these mountains, this country that I am in and that can either immobilize my ability to learn by stopping me in my path and forcing me to turn around, or it can entice me to climb a little farther to make the unknown known and the uncomfortable comfortable.
I saw this metaphor in action later this afternoon when I was at that coffee shop in La Massana next to the bunny. It's interesting what happens when you are an obvious foreigner in a country, I realized this more so when I was in the Dominican Republic and the only blonde for miles, but it kind of tends to make people uncomfortable because they don't exactly know what to expect from you. Tack onto that traveling alone and people are doubly uncomfortable because not only do they not know where you've come from, what languages you speak, and what you want, but they don't have a clue of why you are there because who goes on vacation to a Monte Plata or Andorra by themselves? It's that fear of the unknown and often times it's immbolizing. I have had a lot of thirty second conversations here in Andorra these last couple days becuase of this uncomfortableness...
stranger--Hola, que quiere? me--Un cafe con leche por favor. --Vale... --Gracias.Cuanto cuesta? --Dos. --Vale... --Gracias. 
Kind of boring. Did get coffee, but that's about all.
But today as I was paying for my coffee in La Massana the woman asked me, what are you (an American girl) doing here? I told her that I was going to be teaching in Ordino. And instead of a thirty second conversation with nothing but coffee we talked for 5 minutes about her kids (one of whom will probably be in one of my  classes), America (they roadtripped  from Boston to Florida last summer stopping in like 6 big cities along the way!), and the Catalan language. She told me not to worry about Catalan, that I would pick it up and be fine. And as I left she said she looked forward to seeing me again at parent-teacher conferences :)

Moral of the story of my day today is we all need to do more hiking in life. Instead of stopping at the first ridge, climb to the second. You never know, you might find the perfect picnic stop there :)

A perfect picnic spot :)

Hope you all are doing well! Thanks for reading!

Here's a little "Where's Waldo" for all y'all interested  :) But instead it's "Where's Caldea Spa" and unfortunately it's not painted in red and white stripes to make it easy. Sorry! 

Can you find this in the next two pictures? (Hint: The pictures are being taken from the mountains in the background)

Closer

Farther!

Fairytale Andorra

It is a beautiful day here in Andorra. There’s a light breeze and the perfect amount of cloud coverage to see the sun but not be baked by it. Today is also a beautiful day because I finally saw the side of Andorra that I expected to find in the beginning...
With a population of roughly 85,000 in seven different parishes I expected the towns of Andorra to be quaint, quiet, small towns where people are slower because they’re just enjoying the beauty around them. I was shocked to find that I was very wrong and that Andorra la Vella (the capital where I am currently staying-ish) is a pretty loud, congested city filled to the brink with shopping malls, restaurants, and tons of people. Now I will admit that the hotel I’m staying at is right near the center of all the action and there are places in Andorra la Vella and the neighboring town Escaldes-Engordany that are more peaceful and less congested. But overall I would describe the city as bustling.
And I must admit, it’s not my favorite. This is most likely a personal problem :) frustration at the city as a result of my horrible sense of directions (thanks Mom), gluten intolerance (which makes eating at the many many restaurants quite complicated), or maybe I’ve been away from the Chicago big city too much and gotten used to Texas small towns more…whatever it is I was feeling a bit disappointed that my vision of Andorra was so wrong.

But then I went to Ordino. As I road the bus this morning up through the mountains to Ordino  it was like the fairytale land of Andorra I imagined was crystallizing right before my eyes. From what I experienced Ordino is a beautiful, quiet, small town with gorgeous views and hiking. I walked around for hours and it was so peaceful. It seemed like every balcony had wind chimes that created this sort of serene feeling that you were walking through a sacred place.

The historic district of Ordino

There's downtown Ordino :)

One of the small backroads I walked along for a while. This is the first time I felt the altitude a bit, nothing drastic. Ordino's elevation is 4,259 ft

A tobacco field...interesting things I've learned since arriving: tobacco is the only cash crop grown in Andorra. Tobacco has also been, historically, very important to Andorra. Currently smoking is allowed everywhere, but a law has been passed that will ban smoking inside restaurants starting in December (or so I was told, I haven't double checked those facts so don't quote me on it)

Isn’t it beautiful? I even found the school where I’ll be teaching! I didn’t take a great picture of it, so if you want to see what it looks like check out the lip-dub the school made. It takes you on a tour of the whole building (choreographed to the song “I will survive”! How can you not love that?)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNH7ja4aHjw

I am so excited to teach in Ordino, I also am joining the Tennis Club via the International Club of Andorra and we play in Ordino once a week. So I can’t wait to spend a lot of time in this beauitul town. I’m actually even thinking of looking for an apartment there and getting to know the quieter side of Andorra. We shall see! I’ll keep you updated :)

¡Hasta pronto!