Skating on Thin Ice

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Well... last week was fun!
When I came back to Spain after Christmas break, I brought with me some packets of taco seasoning... and I thought about how I haven't used them yet the other day, so Ceci and I decided to have a mexican night. And since we have our wonderful blender that we recently purchased, what would be more fitting to drink than Margaritas?!
So Thursday night we had 8 guests over for dinner-- we made tacos, home-made mexican rice as well as beans, which were also very tastey!! Most of the guests hadn't had that kind of food before, so it was really fun. They didn't really know how to assemble a taco. I love making stuff from scratch, so I know these are things that I am going to want to make when I get home. These beans tasted even better than regular canned refried beans... we just took a jar of pinto beans and mashed them and added some onion, then sprinkled cheese on top and baked. Quite yummy! I also made some fresh pico de gallo which was refreshingly good. Fresh cilantro is just amazing! The margaritas were a big hit! Another challange to recreate since Margarita Mix and Sweet n Sour are not available here, and tequilla was hard to find at first. But we got some Jose Cuervo, fresh strawberries, some lime juice mixer and some "fruta del bosque" juice, and it was DELICIOUS!! went over very well. And since my parents were just visiting, I just happened to have some Funfetti cupcakes and frosting which I made. Of course no one here had ever had a cupcake, so they were well received. David especially liked them. Ceci and I were laughing because she asked how Spanish people lived their whole lives without cupcakes because it seems like a staple in our childhood diet. I certainly believe that Spanish desserts have nothing on American desserts... but that's just my opinion. = ]
Friday night David told me that there was a temporary ice skating rink in Priego and asked if we wanted to go. Of course we said yes, because what else is there to do here? So after the gym David and his brother picked us up and drove us to the soccer field where there was a big tent set up in the corner of the parking lot. We also me up with David's girlfriend and 2 of her friends. When we went inside, a group of my students were already there skating, and were very excited to see us. Only after arriving did we realize it wasn't ice, but rather some sort of plastic surface, kind of like plexiglass. We got our skates, which seemed to be like normal skates, only they were fashioned like rollerblades, but minus the wheels. It was kind of hard to skate at first because skating on ice is much easier than plastic. But we got the hang of it. My students were very impressed with my skills and kept asking where I learned how to skate. I just told them that where I come from, we have very cold winters. Haha. It was a good time.
Saturday, Cecilia and I did some window shopping and just walked around because it was nice outside. We laid out on the roof for a while before heading to the gym. Then we went out to Buddha of course. David was there with some friends and said he didn't call us because he knew we would show up there. haha. So we went to a few bars and at a different one, we saw one of the guys who works at Buddha. We went back to Buddha where we got free drinks and the owner actually offered me a job. It was a very fun night!
Sunday we just relaxed and caught up on sleep. It was a good weekend.

I am glad that the weather is nice again. I just feel so much happier here when it is. We laid out Monday and today and it was almost hot! Just went to the gym and made dinner. Rachel is supposed to be coming home this weekend, so its back to my old work schedule next week, which I am not really looking forward to. Oh well!!

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Photos

Maria Jose, Me, and Dani
[david creeping in the back]