Today is full of beauty. I arose rested and calm, feeling full and well. My days past have been flighty and dreamy; full of restlessness and uncertainty. Definition eluded me, and the spiral I walked left me dizzy and estranged. Today, however, housed some kind of tranquility. Questions that have hung around my neck have escaped, at least for the moment. Sometimes there are no responses, not in the sense that one would hope for. Life, however, is profound. How simple it is, to move here and there, passing by the tenderness and sincerety that pours forth without effort. There is [View Full Entry]

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Word up.... I don´t have a whole lot to say today, however I thought I´d write anyhow since I want to keep up with 3 entries per week. Today is a sad day since its the last day Pierre has with us here in Madrid. This place will definatley have much less life and lustre once he leaves. Some people just bring the party wherever they go, and Pierre is one of those people. We spent the afternoon in the ´Rastro´area of town, which is a full of foriegners, and had a very nice lunch at a small Indian cafe on [View Full Entry]

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Word up kiddies! I´m back in Madrid again and able to write you all some more lovely posts. Yesterday was a national holiday in Spain, so everything was basically closed, schools, banks, stores etc. Needless to say the spanish are back to their usual routine, consisting largely of eating, drinking and sleeping and not much else. When in rome.... Barcellona was definatley a good time. The comminuty itself is nearly as large as Madrid and constructed in much the same manner. Its metropolitan, as you might imagine, but much more personal in nature. Construction ranges in terms of age, as the [View Full Entry]

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I knew it. I just had to get sick here, didn´t I. The last thing you want to do on a very long, and very expensive I might add, trip is to get sick and mope around for extended periods of time. For about 4 days now I´ve been fighting a cold that seems to be having its way with me. Each morning my nasal cavity has berthed all manner of technocolor substances; no doubt enhanced by the pollution and bacteria inherant in any metropolis. I feel like all surfaces within contact distance are ripe with microbes begging to multiply en [View Full Entry]

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Ahoy, and welcome back people. What a huge weekend this was, I don't even really know where to begin.... Friday was indeed an eventfull day. Much like the Jeffersons, Armando and I 'moved on up' in every way imaginable. Our new digs is sweet, sweet nectar indeed, exceeding our expectations vastly. Upon arrival we were greeted warmly, offered refreshing beverages and some tasty chicken salad, and allowed to lounge on our house mother's lavish leather couches whilst watching satellite beamed spanish films on a flat-panel plasma display. Despite not being paid to take care of us on Friday, Ell [View Full Entry]

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So I´m moving! We kicked and screamed for a bit and got a new place to stay with another friend of ours. From what he tells us he gets all kinds of amenities, included fresh squeezed OJ in the morning, daily laundry service, and a big screen tv and dvd player with a host of movies. :-) Sounds very nice, and I´m excited to go... however....We have to confront our current host mother today, in what I´m sure will prove to be a less than extraordinary experience. Today will surely be filled with much adventure and no doubt high tension scenarios [View Full Entry]

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Anytime one travels to a destination that is foreign to them, that person will inevitably experience a state of culture shock. This state has many phases, covering a broad spectrum of emotions and experiences. Undoubtedly, any experience one may have is largely effected by the emotions it fosters within them. Memories of home or thoughts of ones dreams realized effect these experiences as well. The initial phase is one of overwhelming bewilderment and endless fascination. Like a baby, wide-eyed and innocent, your experiences are all new and rushing in at incredible speeds. There is little [View Full Entry]

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Wow, what a weekend. Well I´m back from Pamplona from seeing the running of the bulls. While I did have a fun time there I don´t have many nice things to say about the city, people, or the event. Rather than complain for an entire entry I´ll just graze over the events in a somewhat chronilogical order. 6 hours bus ride, freezing city, bought bandana, drink beer, eat, drink, drink, drink, freeze, drink, tired, no sleep, wait more, drink, eat more, all money gone=100 euros, lay on street, fight to front, sit on the gate to view event, break up a [View Full Entry]

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Imagine, if you will, a world where people start their day comfortably at a moderate hour, say 9 or 10am. Upon arrising, you go through your morning routine casually. Maybe you have some cafe and toast, or maybe you leave the house early and get some breakfast on the way to the park. Desayuno (breakfast) is cheap, like 3€ about, and usually includes a bocadillo, bebita, y postre. (sandwich beverage and post-meal ie. desert) You stroll through the park and enjoy the sights before heading to work or school or whatever it is you do. Your job or school is very [View Full Entry]

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So here I am, coming to you direct from lovely Madrid, Spain. After an excutiating 30+ hour trip Í arrived in Barajas airport. I´ve never had someone standing for me at the airport entrance with a sign before, but suffice to say it wasn´t as glamorous as I´d envisioned. Its hot as hell here, which I confirmed immediatley upon stepping outside of the airport. Just the walk from the terminal to the car was enough to have me sweating like crazy. Either the natives don´t get hot or they enjoy torturing foreigners, because it seems they dont believe in AC here [View Full Entry]

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