El Cumpleaños de las Gemelas y mi Segunda Día

Today I woke up and it took me a minute to realize where I was. I was dreaming (I already forget what about…) but I’m sure it took place in the U.S. and it was very strange when I realized I was in Spain – not necessarily a good or bad feeling… just strange.

I walk out of my room and Leire is already eating at the breakfast table. I think because I’m all smiles right now the kiddos are too. Jon even asked “porque siempre estas sonriendo”. Why are you always smiling? I wasn’t hungry for breakfast this morning… I’m not a huge breakfast person… so I said I probably wouldn’t eat anything this morning (emphasizing that it was just today that I wouldn’t be hungry). The kids – I could tell – are very accustomed to eating breakfast even if they do not want to… so when I said I wasn’t going to have anything Joseba immediately said “but ONLY today” and went on to pretend to lecture me on the importance of breakfast. I took a mental note to make sure to eat with them… Gotta lead by example right?

After breakfast we got the kids dressed and walked to school. Jon walked solo and Iciar and I each took one of the gemelas (twins) hands. The walk takes about 10 minutes… mainly because the kids like to dilly dally.

One thing I realized on the walk over that made me excited is that this experience is going to be mas como si fuera de Bilbao. (more like if I was from Bilbao). While we were walking to school we were stopped or spoke briefly to at least 5 people. In Sevilla I was very obviously a tourist and I acted that way as well. Here I will be with the kids or the parents and (hopefully at some point – friends) almost always so I’ll constantly be surrounded by people who are from here. I like that.

After the parents take their kids to their respective classes’ meeting points, they all stand in this big line. As we were leaving I was really confused what they were waiting for and I realize they all drop off their kids and then wait again for the kids classes to walk by so they can wave by. It was REALLY cute. I made sure to give both the girls high-fives as they walked by and yell Happy Birthday. They were in 7^th heave with all their snacks and birthday things. On the walk to school LEire kept telling people “Mi cumpleanos sin dientes!” because she recently lost a tooth she kept saying “This is my birthday without teeth!” proudly smiling at everyone who wished her happy birthday. 

After that Iciar and I went and tomamos un café con leche (had coffee with milk). Then we did a big vuelta (dar una vuelta – take a walk) around Bilbao. She showed me the Museum de Bellas Artes, the Guggenheim Museum, the old Theatre, the Plaza Nueva, the Gran Via – where all the stores are. We also went to Corte Ingles (the main/probably only department store in Bilbao). I love Corte Ingles… They had those in Sevilla. It’s a HUGE department store that has EVERYTHING you could possibly ever need. It’s a little bit more expensive than some American department stores but it really is amazing how much stuff they have. I wanted to buy a hair wand there but it was 37 euros and so I decided to look around. If I can’t find another one I’ll go back and get it sometime this week.

Iciar and I also went to get pinchos (pinxos) – I think that is how you spell it. It’s similar to the tapas in Sevilla. Pinxos are really just small snacks. Each one costs between one and a few euros and you usually eat them when getting a drink or a coffee or something. They can be very simple – a little montadito of ham and bread or they can be really strange… I tried one with ham and bread, a little tuna sandwich type one, and one tortilla de patata.  They were all good. That will probably be my lunch on the days I don’t come home for lunch…  Just get a drink and two or three of those to tide me over until dinner.

After pinxos we came home and I met Maria Elena – the woman who irons and does some of the household work. She is from Nicaragua so we had a lot to talk about. I spent two summers in Nicarague with Amigos so we got to talk about all the food and slang from Nicaragua. I think we both enjoyed it a lot…

Then we went to the school and picked up the kids, which was somewhat of an ordeal. It was pretty fun because I was introduced to about 15 women and all of their kids. The twins were pulling me around left and right introducing me to their friends. Jon kept strangling me with my scarf. We’re going to have to kick that habit cold turkey…

Both of the girls had received drawings from every kid in their two classes and had them all bound together like a book and I think they each showed Jon every single drawing after leaving the school before arriving at the house… It was a long walk home today haha.

When we got home we played and drew pictures. Maia drew me a picture of the family and copied my “happy birthday”. She put me in the family picture right next to her which made me feel great. Then Leire put on a magic show for me. They have this cute little box of magic tricks and outfits. They even say “abracadabra” in a cute little Spanish accent… She did a few card tricks and she pulled a bunny out of her top hat.

Then I met Iciar’s mom, dad, and sister who were all very nice. It’s always gratifying to hear I speak Spanish very well after all I went through to learn it haha. We had pizza, tortilla de patatas, anchoas, pan con pata, y chorizo for dinner. I had to try the anchovies because they explained to me in serious detail how difficult it was to make them and … I didn’t hate them. Which was a big surprise.

After dinner I hung out with the kiddos in the living room and did Leire’s hair and  just laid around with them on the couch. Leire and I had matching French braids. I ahd to make sure to pay extra attention to Maia after braiding Leire’s hair because I can’t braid Maia’s. And Jon needed extra extra attention because he felt very very left out all day.  A temper tantrum or two may have been thrown today. Despite the occasional cry (literal cry…) for attention, these kids are so loving.. constantly smiling and joking and giving lots of hugs. It’s literally only my first full day and I can already tell I am going to have a VERY very VERY difficult time leaving…

Tomorrow is my first day somewhat on my own! I’m excited for that. Also Joseba told me today he is going to give me one of his free invitations to his gym (a very nice and pretty expensive gym…) on Thursday and he is going to be my trainer that day. I’m excited… and nervous haha. It should be fun!

Maia - la gran artista

Leire - la mago

Making Monster High bracelets... Jon asked if he could make one to which Leire quickly said "claro que si, puedes usar los mios" - of course, you can use mine. Then Maia said " si, si y usa los mios tambien" - yes yes use mine too... I don't know about you guys but Charlie and I were not near as sweet with our new toys.. haah

having fun!

The birthday girls!

Otra vez

La Primer Dia

I've FINALLY arrived in Bilbao! I was supposed to leave on Friday the 18th but I arrived at the airport only to hear that my flight from Dallas to Madrid had been cancelled. It was probably a blessing in disguise because apparently the airplane we were supposed to be traveling on did not check out. I also got another night to say goodbye to everyone AND had time at the airport to get my bag to weigh a perfect 50.95 pounds... 

So I set out again.. (Second verse, same as the first - as Dan Becker would say) and everything went very smoothly. I had Pappasito's (soul food) at the airport and then arrived at the gate to head to Dallas and was offered a seat on the earlier flight. That was great because my layover in Dallas was about 4 hours and they have free WiFi whereas in Houston, that's not the case. Then the trip to Madrid went well. Besides the awkward head tilted back, mouth wide open sleeping that I was doing - it was a very quick and pleasant flight. 

Everything went pretty smoothly in Madrid except one little hiccup coming through immigration... I had a nalgene (plastic water bottle) that had a lot of water left in it and I thought it was like America where you cannot have water going through security.... So there are these two receptacles that have circular holes to throw stuff in... and they are marked either Plastics, Glass, Etc... or Aerosols. So ... I am sort of panicking cause the line was very long to go through and I had a LOT to take out of my bag and I had to take off two coats, my shoes, and my scarf. So I look around and there is NO possible place to dump out water. and I already had to go to the restroom VERY badly... so I couldn't chug the water... So I dont know why but I thought the best option would be to pour my water into one of those receptacles... So I unscrew the bottle and lean it into the tiny hole only big enough to put a little soda bottle through and tilt it up and pour out all the water... thinking there must at least be a trash bag in there or something. So I think that's fine and I go back to my stuff and continue taking off all my layers when this security man comes up and starts YELLING at me  while pointing over to the receptacle where I THEN notice that my water has spilled ALL down the side and is leaking out of the bottom everywhere... I couldn't understand everything he was saying... but I got the gist of it. That I was A. very stupid, and B. very rude. haha but given that that was the only speed bump today I think I'll consider myself lucky!

After finally getting through immigration I got a Diet Coke at McDonalds that cost me about $4 and then spent about $20 on internet ... Normally I would've gone without but I was pretty desperate to check my iMessage and.... even moreso Snap Chat. Plus I had to let my host family know that I had made it safely. 

I had a second little hiccup on the flight to Bilbao. I got on the plane, found my seat, and almost IMMEDIATELY passed out. My cell phone, sweater, and headphones fell off my lap and I realized pretty much RIGHT as we took off that everything was on the floor at my feet. I pick up everything but the cell phone. I'm frantically trying to look under my seat which... for anyone over age 12 is pretty difficult to do... (I'm not near as limber as I think I am) I asked the person behind me if he had seen it and he hadn't. At this point I'm pretty much convinced the lady next to me stole it, but what was I going to do... ask to look inside her purse? So I ask the flight attendant if there is anything she can do... to which I'm quickly told... not really. She says I will just have to wait until the flight is over. I'm looking pretty down at this point... mainly imagining my parents telling me I should've brought the travel purse that you wear under your clothes. My mom offered it to me at least 4 times and I kept telling her Oh no no Mom - it's fine, I know how to travel. By the time we land I'm 90% sure I'm never seeing the phone again (which in actuality is Julie Troegel's old iPhone because mine was stolen on New Years which would've only been more salt in my already burning wounds.) As we are landing I still cannot find it when all of a sudden the man behind me starts telling me it's coming forward and to hurry and grab it so again I'm frantically trying to get under the seat without flashing the my row and the row behind and in front of me which have caught on to what is happening at this point. Then I found $5 on the ground (That - for everyone who doesn't already know - is the punchline when you finish telling a story and realize it wasn't all that great.... This story isn't all that interesting) but I did find my phone and in the process made some nice friends on the plane. 

I finally meet my host family as I'm getting my luggage. Joseba - the dad - sees me through a window and knocks and waves. I finish getting my luggage and head outside to meet them! This family - I can already tell - is going to be amazing. The mom and dad - Joseba and Iciar - are incredibly fun. I've only been here a few hours and we are already joking and making plans for things to do together. Joseba likes to cook a  lot and is a physical education teacher. I told him I wanted to join a gym and he is going to help me find one in my price range as well as take me to his on the days he is allowed guests. We already joked that we were going to eat whatever we wanted tonight and start dieting tomorrow. Iciar is a lawyer and says that Joseba both cooks and works out for the both of them. They are very playful with each other. Apparently Iciar NEVER cooks, so when she left the room, Joseba made me promise if I EVER see her cooking - I HAVE to take a picture. Iciar overheard and popped her head back in the kitchen and said if I ever see him cleaning that I have to take a picture because without it no one would ever believe me. 

The kids I can already tell are going to be a HANDFUL. But I really really like them so far. Leire (Lay-reh) and Maia (Maya) are twins who turn 6 tomorrow. Jon is 7. Leire is a little more girly and much more outgoing than Maia. She also has straight hair whereas Maia has curly hair. Maia is apparently very sentimental and a huge momma's girl. Jon is INCREDIBLY curious. He wants to know everything about you at every moment. He is also very intelligent. It seems as though he understands everything I say in English when I say it. I can already tell that I am going to be able to teach them a lot and that my knowing Spanish will help quite a bit when teaching them English. 

As soon as we got home from the airport I unpacked a little bit and the kids lingered outside the doorway because they were supposed to be "leaving me in peace" as it would translate but they were so excited they just played outside my door and inched as slowly and carefully as possible to my doorway, but kept getting caught and would restart this process on the other side of the kitchen. It honestly reminded me of my dog Boots. She sits at the door to our studio (playroom) and inches her way closer and closer to my mom or me on the couch and always gets ALMOST there before my dad realizes and sends her away...

My room is literally a walkway, a bed, and a closet. It's very small but I absolutely love it. This is what I need. Minimal crap - minimal distractions. So unlike my normal life.  It's separated from the rest of the house. The parents room, kids room, guest room/playroom, and living room are all on the other side of the kitchen from my room/bathroom so that way I have some privacy and a little more quiet. Also this way I will read/watch TV/ hang out etc... out in the living room with them instead of in my room alone. 

I can tell the kiddos are going to be a little bit of a handful because already Leire put on one of my bras and ran around the house and after literally thirty minutes in this house I found myself at the bottom of a three person dog-pile. I loved it though. They're so fun. Jon wrote me a note that said "Estoy contentisima - sabes porque?" and had me read it aloud (Means I am extremely happy, do you know why) then asked me to guess why... - Leire or Maia beat me to the punch and said CAUSE MARY IS HERE! (in Spanish) to which he replied "close." The answer was because Mary is here and she is playing with us. 

After we got home I gave Iciar and Joseba the coasters and the shape of Texas I made and they loved those. I also gave Iciar a necklace I got from Charming Charlies as a late birthday present. She said she liked it a lot and was going to wear it tomorrow!

So today was a HUGE success. Tomorrow, Iciar is taking the day off to show me around Bilbao. We're going to start by waking the kids up and getting them ready for school and tomorrow I'm giving them the little signs I made them. I don't think I will have a very difficult time getting used to life here... but we shall see. I already have plans to go fishing with Joseba, and have promised the kids I'd do tons of things with them already. I feel very lucky everything seems to be working out so well. 

The airport in Bilbao

Perfect size for my 50+ pounds of clothing. Jon kept commenting on how I brought a ludicrous amount of clothing... 

My bed with a little shelf the length of the wall 

Our first photo shoot. This is the second shot because Leire wanted to make sure we could see her missing her front tooth.

My bathroom !! To the left of the shower is a small sink and mirror

This translates to "There once was a family to whom came two au pairs - Mary and Erica. They were the best au pairs"  -- Jon made this for me. So freaking cute. 

Finding the Family and Travel Preparations

So I pretty much won the genetic lottery when God blessed me with two parents who are letting  me spend my first 6 months after graduation being an au pair in Spain. It's pretty unorthodox for anyone to spend their first 6 months as a post-grad running around another country but since I don't start dental school until August... I really jumped at the chance to take this opportunity as soon as I heard about it. A friend of mine introduced me to the website aupair-world.net and within a few hours after making a profile I had found the family I knew I was going to be nannying. I was pretty decided that I wanted to stay with a family in a big city... but not so big as Madrid or Barcelona. I know these cities are beautiful and have copious amounts of tourist attractions and historical places to visit but I also thought that as an au pair I would have a fairly routine daily schedule that most likely wouldn't involve going to the Prado or the beach therefore I wanted a city large enough to where I'm not wanting for things to do but small enough to wear I get to see the beauty of it everyday. 

I ruled out Sevilla pretty soon as well because I know if I were to au pair there it would be similar to "second-camp syndrome" (A&M fish camp reference where you are constantly comparing your second camp to your first) or like my second year on Amigos when I was allowed to go back and visit my first town and first host family. Had I been an au pair in Seville I would just constantly be thinking of all the experiences I had with certain people and at certain places in Spring of '11 when I studied abroad there and I did not want to find myself comparing my new friends and family to my old. It'd be hard to be in the same place for so long without all the good friends I made the first time around. 

So my criteria was set. I wanted one of the smaller "big cities." When I found this family in Bilbao and did some research on the city, I fell in love with it. It's in Northern Spain in the Basque region. I've been to a good number of Spanish cities, but none in the North. I'm told Southern and Northern Spain are very different which makes me very excited to experience the North. This family also lives very close to the Guggenheim Museum which is fantastic.

The Guggenheim Musem

This is a rail-way map of some of the larger Spanish cities.

After finding and contacting this family, I had a few Skype interviews and "getting to know you" sessions where I met the mom - Iciar, the dad - Joseba, and the three kiddos - Leire, Maya, and Jon. Leire and Maya are 5 year old twins who will turn 6 a few days after I arrive and Jon is 7 (I think). Iciar and Joseba seem to be extremely great people.  They're both enthusiastic and after only 3 or 4 Skype sessions I've noticed they smile and laugh a lot. They put me into contact with their old au pair who was very artistic and kept a blog which I read. This made my decision even easier and also made me feel like I already know them a little bit. 

I've kept very busy these past few weeks. Graduating was pretty surreal. I keep almost saying "it hasn't hit me that I won't be going back to school again" ... and then I realize Oh wait.. I have a heck of a lot of school left haha. But it really has not hit me that I'll be spending the next 6 months in Spain nannying three very cute children. I'm only supposed to talk to them in English, which in all sincerity I think will be very difficult for me. I know that I will just want to rattle everything off in Spanish but I am going to do my absolute best not to do that. 

My favorite part of blogs is often the pictures so I'll upload a few. Really all I have to upload so far are pictures of the presents that I am making/bringing for the family. 

I made this tonight over at the Troegel's. Special thanks to Aunt Maria for teaching me how to mosaic and letting me use her tiles! I'll have to grout it tomorrow and post another picture when I give it to them. I found this at a thrift shop and immediately knew it'd make a great mosaic. Let's hope I can get it there safely. 

I made these when I was still in College Station and was in limbo between finishing finals and graduation. I figure every kid likes almost anything that has their name on it. Hopefully they like them!

I made these coasters tonight at Kaitlyn's. All the photos were taken by their last au pair, Erica, who is a really impressive photographer (ericarasconphotography.com). 

Well it is very late, I am very tired, and I have quite a bit to do tomorrow. Packing being the first thing on my to-do list. Buenas Noches.