Acculturation at its finest

I apologize that I have not posted in a while, for nothing too significant has really happened; however, I will use this post to offer a synopsis of how I've adapted to the Spanish way of life.  Yesterday was perhaps the laziest day I've had yet.  I'm considering it my personal, extended siesta day.  Class was both challenging and entertaining.  To begin the class, Angeles asks us if we have picked up on any new words in the past day.  I forget if it was our compañero James (a fellow study abroad student with a different program that is staying with our family) or if it were Carmen who first described the Cathedral de Sevilla as "¿es la puta madre," but I know they both said it throughout the conversation.  Colloquially, "puta madre" means "very cool." Literally it says "mother whore."  I can only imagine it is the Spanish equivalent to the American phrase "______is the shit" to say that it is very cool.  When I told Angeles that Carmen said this at dinner, she nearly could not believe it.  She told us, "si es verdad que 'puta madre' significa 'fantastico,' pero es algo que dice con sus amigos" (yes, 'puta madre' does in fact mean 'fantastic / cool' but it is a phrase used with friends).  She was definitely caught off guard but thought it was funny nonetheless.  The lesson for the day was a challenging one - using the future tense of a verb to express uncertainty - but it is definitely one that will come in handy when talking to people around here.
After class, we came home to a great meal prepared by Carmen (who I promise to have pictures of soon.  She has been a little under the weather recently but I'll try to snap a picture of her, Jorge and me as soon as possible) and immediately fell asleep shortly afterwards.  Siesta is supposed to last from 14:00 - 17:00; mine went from 14:30 - 21:00, waking up just in time for a light dinner.
A quick aside because I forget if I have mentioned it on this or not yet, but the eating pattern is much different here than it is in the States.  Breakfast should be considered more of a snack than a meal; it consists of a small bowl of cornflakes (chocolate cornflakes being another option).  Then, instead of a moderate lunch at noon, "almuerzo" here is the biggest meal of the day and is never eaten until either 2 or 3.  It consists of mostly starches and always comes with a salad doused in vinaigrette dressing and a fruit option.  When I say lunch is the biggest meal of the day, I mean it is a really big meal.  No wonder siesta comes after it; the food coma instantly puts you to sleep.  Then dinner is always very late, usually around 22:00, and is a sandwich and maybe a bowl of soup.  Anyway, back to yesterday...
Being a Wednesday night, not much was happening, so Jorge and I took advantage of the off night to smoke our Cubans on the side balcony.  We came back in, I read part of my book (The 42nd Parallel of the U.S.A. Trilogy by John Dos Passos - if anyone has read it before and wants to discuss, email me), and then retired to bed at a decent hour.  I told you it was a lazy day.
Siesta is nice, but now for the true, fun acculturation.  Little know fact about me is that I enjoy cooking.  Be it baking pumpkin bread for neighbors around Christmas time, grilling a steak dinner in the summer, or making flan when I was younger, I have always enjoyed experimenting in the kitchen.  Being in Spain, I figure that I must bring something back to the states to add to my cooking arse bartending nal.  Tortilla española? Churros con chocolate? Tapas? Empanadas? No, no, no, and no.  I've decided to put my skills into play and look into the drink department.  Today Jorge and I have concocted our favorite Spanish treat: sangria.  Mixing in a 1.5 liter water bottle (with a neck wide enough for us to fit the necessary fruit in), we poured 3/4 a bottle of red wine, a few shots of gin, a couple cups of Sprite, a splash of orange juice, and a few slices of lime, apple, and orange.  With these were precise measurements, we sealed the water bottle and have it chilling in the refrigerator for either tonight or tomorrow night.  I'll report back how it is.
Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care? If so I can't imagine why. - Chicago


Note: photo of Sangria compliments of Shannon Burleson, taken in Plaza Mayor, Madrid.  Hopefully our experiment will be as good as the ones we've had at cafes!