Truly *typically* Canadian

Over the last few days, I've been talking with my friends about things to do with "Typically English" people. In this case, the people being discussed were British English,  as opposed to any other English person. Respectfully, I described a "typical" Canadian and things that are "typically Canadian". Examples included: watching or playing hockey; living in houses with backyards; speaking English and/or French; eating poutine-

"What?"

Poutine.

*blank stare*

"You know, fries, cheese, gravy..."

And so, with every dicussion, I would get into the story of poutine, and describe the wonderful flavours. Poutine, for those of you who don't know, was created in Quebec by a man named Fernand Lechance in 1957. It is:
-patatas frites (french fries- preferably deep fried in lard, apparently that makes them taste better)
-queso (cheese curds/ or whatever cheese you can find that's delicious)
-gravy

Now, I had already been aware that gravy mixes are not to be found in Barcelona, but being that this is a meat-eating country, I figured maybe it was where I was looking in the grocery stores, or that they all have unique family recipes that go back hundreds of years and that their gravy is so perfected that they don't need mixes. Quite the opposite is true in fact, they don't know what gravy is. They don't even have a word for it! I had to call it *gasp* "meat sauce"! (As one of my friends described it: "Sacrilegious!") Yes, I know, I was quite astonished myself, actually.

So being that I had a week of talking about poutine, dripping with delicious gravy and melty cheese, I decided to attempt to quench the craving that was building over the last few days.

It started on Saturday when I bought some meat. Beef. I didn't want to buy a whole roast, so I purchased the type of chopped up beef that you'd use to make stew. I figured it would be much the same, and the gravy would essentially taste like beef, which is what I wanted (don't get me wrong, I like roast beef, but that wasn't what my intention was when I purchased the beef)

Monday night, I finally had the energy to start the creation. I chopped onions, potatoes, and carrots and put them in two pots (small pots) with the beef and a whole lot of water. I couldn't put them in the oven, so I had to keep replenishing the water so that it wouldn't all boil off. I added salt and pepper to taste and kept it all cooking for almost 2 hours. By this time it was 11 at night and I was tired, so I sampled my roast beef and decided it was okay for now. I don't have a microwave, so either way, I'd be re-heating my leftovers in a pot, so there's no harm if its not fully roasted in the sense of how I used to do my roasts in a crock pot (on low for 8 hours, it basically melts in your mouth!)

Tuesday: Operation Poutine took its final step.

Fries went into the oven.

Pre-gravy went into the pot. Flour and "milk" were added (I use quotations because it's not milk to me.. they don't keep it in refrigerators until its opened and it doesn't quite taste right). Thickening begins.

Cheese gets opened.

Fries go on the plate. (I was trying not to over-indulge)

Cheese.

Gravy.

SATISFACTION!!

So now, a message for all my Canadian friends: please go have some authentic Canadian poutine and think of me! (The chip truck by Nathan Phillip Square is quite acceptable, as is SkalBar- they make it with Brie cheese and homemade gravy!)

*factual information on poutine found at: http://members.shaw.ca/kcic1/poutine.html

5 Things I Cannot Live Without

In a previous blog, I mentioned that there are only 5 things I cannot live without. Truthfully, there are only 2 things any human being cannot live without, and they are of course, food and water. These aside, I had to actually think of 5 things I cannot live without. You see, I will admit that when I first wrote the blog that this concept was written in, I did not have 5 things in mind. I only knew that of all the things I have, there can't be more than 5 things that I actually need. I've gone without alot of the comforts of home since being in Spain. That isn't to say that I'm living in a shack or don't have running water.. I have a home and running water, and a gas heater to heat that water. But also know that I could live in a shack, if I had to. Even living in a shack (or a tent, or cave in the mountains) however, there are things I cannot live without.

I'll explain as I list, simply because I'd like to, and this is my blog and I can write what I want :)

#1 A Place to Lay My Head (and access to it).
It doesn't have to be fancy, and it doesn't have to be particularily warm (or cool), I just need somewhere to rest my head at the end of the day. Preferrably clean. And I need to be able to access it. Last year I lost my keys and ended up sleeping on a friend's couch one night. My friend lived across the hall, and thankfully, I got my keys back the next day!But it made me think about how thankful I am to have a place to go to, somewhere to sleep, and how important it is to be able to get to that place.

#2 Something to write on/with
When I was in grade 11, my cinema theory teacher told me that I could be a writer. I didn't believe him. Now, I do. I need to be able to write my thoughts, to express what I'm thinking and feeling; to communicate. I write more often in the day then most people do in a week. My BlackBerry has sufficed at times as a place to put my thoughts, as my best friend can attest to (I've sent her many facebook messages with blogs from my BB in order to get them onto my computer without re-typing them!) Writing eases my mind. If I had nothing to write with, I'm afraid I would end up like The Marquis de Sade (if you don't know what I'm talking about, watch Quills- directed by Philip Kaufman) and by that I mean I would have to result to his choice of ink, not his content.

#3 Water.
I know I already mentioned this as something that no human can live without, but I feel my needs for water extend past the needs of staying hydrated. I like to be clean. Very clean. Hot, running water is definitely a preference in my life (and currently I'm dealing with little more than a trickle of it out of my shower head, but its hot, so I'm okay with it). I also like to drink a fair deal more of it than just to stay hydrated. When I was a child, my drink preference was milk. Now it is water. Beyond the everyday personal uses of water however, I feel I should explain that I need to be near water, sources of water that is. Lakes, oceans, rivers, streams, seas... whatever the water source, I need it. For some reason, seeing water in nature coming and going and existing in unquantifiable amounts is calming to my soul. Looking out over the sea in these last few months makes me realize how small a part of existance I am. I look at the sea and I realize that there is an entire world under the water full of life and existance. It makes my problems smaller than they actually seem. Smelling the fresh salty air also brings a refreshing change from the carbon-poluted air in the city.

#4 Clothes/Shoes
As many people in my life can attest to, I don´t actually like wearing clothes (or shoes really), but the need to cover up and not be ¨indecent¨ in our society is necessary. I don´t have to wear the most fancy clothes, or be the most stylish person, in fact, I think that would be outside of my personality- I like to be stylish, but I get enough attention without wearing the latest fashions. I also like to be warm. As I mentioned in a previous blog, I bought slippers and a heater for my room. I bought them for a reason: warmth. In my old apartment in Toronto, I liked to have naked days (yes, my roommates were aware, no they were not home during them, and yes we´d text each other to warn each other to put on pants!). I believe that if I were to have naked days in public, it would cause quite the disturbance. So for this reason, clothes are something I cannot live without. 

#5 My toothbrush
As I mentioned earlier, I like to be clean. I´m sure my dentist would like me to write that I would like floss and mouthwash as well as my toothbrush, but truthfullly, I see those as something extra that I like, but aren´t absolutely necessary to my life. If I don´t have a clean mouth, I can´t smile and talk to people. If I can´t talk to people, I can´t have a life. Hence, toothbrushs are necessary.

Now I´d like to extend the challenge to you: what are the 5 things you cannot live without?

At Moments Like This

I wrote this poem today while sitting in my new favourite place in this city (besides the beach, which was a bit chilly yesterday, but well worth it!). I wrote this poem from Castell de Montjuic, over-looking the harbour below. The gardens, also featured in some of my photos, are quite expansive, extending from the coast, to the other side of my neighbourhood, up the hill. It has been a long time since I've shared my poetry publicly. It's been a long time since I've written any, really, so please, be gentle with it.

Poetry:

At Moments Like This

It's at moments like this 

That I wish I were a sailboat.

I wish I could sail away,

On a perfect day-

Take to the sea with a sail and a crew;

Float through the steely cold water, 

Slice the waves,

And create my own ripples. 

It's at moments like this

That I wish I had wings.

I could fly and soar 

In the sun like a bird. 

I could glide through the air, 

Swoop and dive.

I could ride the wind up high,

Only to come down when I tire of the view.  

It’s at moments like this

That I wish I were a fish.
Just cause.

And it’s at moments like this

That I’m glad to be human.

I’m glad for the warmth

Of the sun on my skin,

And the breeze gently wisping my hair.

I’m glad for the fresh smell

Of the sea and the trees.

I’m glad for the feel

Of the solid wood beneath me.

All of these things

Make me feel alive.

I know if I fall,

I will feel pain.

I know if I jump,

I will come back down again.

I know if I run,

I will eventually have to stop.

If I pinch myself,

I’ll know I’m awake.

 

I’m not a doll,
Or a yo-yo.
I’m not a toy or a truck or a rock.
You can’t play make-believe
With me or without me
(I have to be an active participant)

I won’t come when you call,
Because I’m not a dog.
I can make my own decisions.

It’s at moments like this

I know I’m a woman.

I’m a child of God

And I’m free.

He made it so.

  

You can read my words

But you won’t know my thoughts.

They run deeper than these pages can contain.

My emotions are vast and indescribable.

I am human.

I am woman.

 

It’s at moments like this,

I wish to be understood.

More pictures from Montjuic to come later :)

Buenos Noches!

A New Year, An Old Tradition

Every year around this time, people begin to reflect back over the last year and look ahead to the year unknown. They look over the days and months gone by and think: Did I use my time wisely? Did I spend correctly? Did I make good choices? Did I move forward? To all of these, I feel I can say yes. 2011 was a year of taking chances for me. It began as a year of tough decisions, panic, at times, desperation. My soul ached for a new path. Then, something happened that forced everything to change. That something was the day before my birthday last year. Few people know this, but last year, right before my birthday, a lawyer I had been working for flipped out on me. He told me I had ruined his presentation (those of you who know the whole story know that I ruined nothing for anyone that has been online for more than a year). After this experience something in me broke. I knew at that point that if a person I had been willing to call friend could make me feel that way in my workplace, that I would never be the same in that workplace again. I had known for some time that was not the job for me, but in this moment it became evident that the time I would spend in that position was coming to an end. It was that, or I would be devoured by it.

I decided that the change I had been mulling over and telling people I was thinking about doing was an imperative change. This became the new focus; the new goal and something to look forward to. It gave a timeline to the rest of my time at the firm, which made it bearable to continue pushing forward every day. My friends at work who knew (and they were few) were very supportive. They would ask how plans were coming along, and what the progress was on all the aspects. They all thought good thoughts for me for the week I spent with my parents at camp, knowing that was the week I'd be telling them that their baby girl was going to really fly away. I had everything set by that point, including a departure date, a plan for moving my belongings and 10 days in between to spend with the people I love in Southern Ontario. The change, of course, was moving to Spain to become a TEFL Certified Teacher. At no time have I felt like teaching is really the purpose for this, or the challenge in it. I know I can teach- I've done it before. The challenge for me was to start a new path, have some adventures, meet some new people, to shake things up and really be comfortable in myself in an unfamiliar place. I needed a change in culture to appreciate my own. I have a list, with my best friend, of Things To Do Before I Die. The purpose of this trip is to make some of those wishes come true. No one in life is going to make anything happen for you, but you.

Earning a (second) Certificate or degree - check
Live in another country for at least 3 months- check
Visit Paris-check
Have Only 5 Things I Can't Live Without- check
Visit Spain- check
Learn Spanish- working on it

There are other small accomplishments I've achieved since being here, but they cannot be refelcted upon in the same manner as the things already mentioned here. They are the changes of my spirit and soul, the growth of courage and perserverance.

I have no idea what is to come in 2012, but I can say that I would like to take what I have learned and accomplished in 2011 and push forward into the future. I am by no means in a place of understanding what my life is going to look like in the coming months and years. If anything, things are murkier than before, but I have faith that whatever is coming will only help me to be a better, stronger, more successful, understanding person. I have hopes of being able to give my time to help other people again in the future, so hopefully this year will be another step towards that.

Happy New Year to all my loved ones around the world, new and old. I wish you health, happiness and adventure this year!

It Feels Like Home...

Everytime I leave Barcelona and come back, it feels more like home. I think its the familiar to the unfamiliar and back again that makes it feel that way.

I don't have to think about getting to my friend's house- I just get on the metro and autopilot takes over. I don't have to think "I wonder if they'll have this, or that, at the grocery store"- I know they either do or they don't. Street signs and packaging are easier to read, the money is simple to use (unlike forints which are a weird conversion). When I go away, I miss bravas. When I come back, I know where to go to get them (and I know who to take to sample tortilla while I indulge in the spicy deliciousness). I feel at home in my room, even though I wish the walls weren't stark white- it's filled with my things, and I've already re-arranged it!

These are just a few of the small things that make me know that this place is truly special to me. Don't get me wrong, I miss Canada more than I can say, because I miss the people and the food, but for now Spain is where I'll stay. It's a lifestyle decision.

On that note, I'm glad to say: I'm home from Budapest!

Sunrise from the plane...

Good morning Mediterranean Sea!

Bethapest

People are so nice when they know that you're sick. I've been shown more love and hospitality, and given more words of encouragement in the last 12 hours than I have in the last month all-together!

Let me start at the beginning:

Yesterday started much as any other day has here in Budapest: me waking up early and waiting for everyone else to be up and lively.

Once our group was ready to go though, we headed off to the thermal baths in City Park. The walk there was only about 20 min, and lovely. (We stopped on the way for some questionable chicken schnitzel sandwiches). Once there, we bought tickets and headed to the changing rooms. (But not before we took the opportunity for photos of the hot outdoor baths. Huge changing areas with nifty watchband locks, showers, hairdryers: the works.

 The walk to the bath, along Andrassy Ut

Heros Square in City Park

The Museum of Fine Arts

We came across this pond that was steaming! (likely because there are hot springs under the entire city...)

Mysical :)

Ducks!

I just liked this one, so I thought I'd share!

And this one..

The outside of Szechenyi Spa

The sign above the door

Alaska, Montreal, Toronto (another one!), Madrid and I can't remember where he's from..

Toronto, Me and Alaska! You girls are awesome!

Outside, we ran straight from the warm building, into the cold winter air, and into the steaming water of the first bath we came across. The girls had agreed to meet the boys, however, the sheer size of the place meant that we didn't meet them until much later. The girls spent about half an hour soaking in the swimming-pool-sized bath with hundreds of other people, standing over the air jets, and taking a tour from the lovely, Montreal. We decided to try the indoor pools, so we made a run for it to the sauna. The saunas in this place can fit anywhere from 10-30 people; sweaty, sweaty people. The heat was so extreme that my necklace was starting to burn my neck. We met up with one of the guys at this point, and made another run for it to the indoor pools. There were probably 15 different rooms, each with at least one pool, all with different temperatures, and different features. Some were sitting pools, some were swirling pools (the one we tried was COLD so two of us backed out while Montreal took the plunge!) And some were exercise pools.

We met my friend, Toronto, who was supposed to be having a massage. Apparently you need to specify when you want a specific gender massage-therapist.. He didn't want a dude massaging him (wimp!) Outside again and into a hotter bath than the first one we tried (the first was 34 degrees, and the second 38, and the 4 degrees made a world of difference!) This bath had a waterfall type feature that meant that the entire pool was covered by a misty steam that made it near impossible to see more than a few feet in front of you. It was starting to get dark by this point, and the lights were coming on. It was really quite lovely.

All in all, the thermal baths were well worth the 3200 HUF (approx. 16 euros) to go in. We probably spent a good 4 hours there and it was a lovely, relaxing experience. I now know why people stay in Budapest. (Not that I didn't before, but its much more evident now!)

I think my mom would really enjoy the baths, once she got over the idea of sitting in warm pools with hundreds of people, anyway.

Shower, change, bundle (but not too much inside because your body is still so hot from the baths). We headed back to the hostel in two groups, checked out an all-you-can-eat buffet on the way and decided that 16 euros was far too much to pay for the evening's meal. We got another recommendation for another Hungarian restaurant in the area. At 7pm, I lead the group to Barladino Which was only about two blocks away.

Some people asked the server a million question before ordering, and we were pretty sure she hated us. Goulash again for most of us, chicken strips with wildberry sauce and croquettes and Hungarian pasta with mushroom sauce was what I got (split with another person). This was about the time the sickness started to set in. I ate my whole bowl of Goulash, but it took me a while. After that came the chicken and all I had to do was look at it to know that it wasn't going to go down well. Its that feeling of impending hours of ill that comes just as you smell something that normally would be delicious. Not today. I must have visited the washroom 5 times in the hour and a half that we were there. (I only gagged the last time). By the time the bill got to us, I felt a light sweat coming on, and looking at the bill was just confusing.

At the hostel, I laid down for a while, watching a movie with some other people, but a bed is much better than a couch, so I went to bed around 10:30. Everyone else was headed out, so thankfully there wasn't much noise in the place.

Details are clearly not necessary, but I will say I woke up at 1:38 and made a run for it (which is actually quite impressive that I made it, considering that I'm on the top bunk!)

After that, I went upstairs to get some hot water and try to relax some more. I ended up settin up in a small room with only a small couch and a tv: Just me, my water and a garbage can. Cozy.

In the hours since being sick, I have been offered water probably 30 times, tea, electrolytes (which I accepted), blankets, back rubs, a pillow, ear plugs, my cell phone, and various offers of shout, or message me if you need anything. Oh, and a kiss on the cheek from Alaska before she left this morning. All of these offers of kindness are very much appreciated. I've moved from my cozy bed this morning as little as possible, writing this post on my BlackBerry between catnaps. I should probably move to my bed at some point...

...


I did move from my bed, and visited the world's second largest Synagogue with Toronto. It was lovely. I was a little slow moving today, obviously, so we didn't spend alot of time walking around, but we spent enough. I took pictures of him so that he could show his family what a good Jewish boy he is.

The Jewish Synagogue

Again.

Good Christian Girl at the Synagogue. God still lives there, right?

There is a mass graveyard outside the Synagogue in the garden and this sign, along with two signs each with a couple hundred names on them are in the garden.

Never Again!

Dinner was tomato soup at a local restaurant. Now to relax, grab a shower and wait for 3am when we'll grab a cab to the airport in order to make it back to Barcelona.

Buda. Pest. Boxing Day.

So I guess I should add a pre-cursor to this blog and let you know that I'll be adding pictures once I'm back to my own trusty laptop in Spain, so if you're reading this post, come back in a few days and there should be pictures added.

Boxing day started a little frustrating for me, if you hadn't guessed by my post yesterday (and the fact that some people seem to need more than a few hours of shut-eye before venturing out for the day. I mean, really, why can't you go for three days on eight hours of sleep??) it took forever for things to get going!

Anyway, so once we got everyone up and moving around, we went to the Free Walking Tour. Only, we missed the tour by about ten minutes, so we toured ourselves. One of the guys from the hostel had showed us a few places that they would be taking us on the tour, so we went there ourselves. It wasn't a very nice or clear day out yesterday (and it isn't today either) so we skipped the Citadel where you can get a view of the whole city. No point in looking out over Pest from the highest point in Buda when you're not going to see more than you can from The Castle. We got pictures of Parliament and The Castle, and the Chain Bridge which we walked across, and a few of the buildings and statues. We saw the Opera House, but we didn't bother taking a tour. We tried to go to Terror House (which is a museum of two of the worst periods in Hungarian history- the Nazi regime and the Communist period) but the museum is closed on Mondays. We'll do that later today.

A Lamp Post. :)

The Basilica

Again

...

A statue of a police man.. clearly had to get a photo with him!

I think this was a University.. I could be wrong.

A statue by the University

First picture of The Chain Bridge

Pretty sure this is Mathias Church in Buda

The Chain Bridge with The Castle behind it

Lion!

The Duna River between Buda and Pest (they are now one city, but this river divides the halves and they are still lightly referred to by their former names)

The Citadell in Buda

Part of The Castle

The Chain Bridge from the Buda side.

Me!

A Statue at The Castle

The Parliament Buildings in Pest. I believe it's the largest in Europe, but I could be wrong.

Buda.

Another shot of Buda (notice that Pest is flat, and Buda is hilly)

Another statue- they are very proud of their hunting days!

Woof. :)

The University all lit up!

The Chain Bridge all lit up!

This is a wall of chains outside the Terror House. Its a museum of horrors based on the Hungarian experience of the Nazi and Soviet regimes. We didn't get to go, but I really wanted to!

We decided to try a recommended little place for some traditional Goulash.

It. Was. Delicious!

For those you who don't know what Goulash is, it is a tasty beef and vegetable soup type dish. The guy who was serving us in the small restaurant tried to tell us it was spicy. Maybe to Hungarians paprika is spicy, but this Goulash wasn't spicy at all. One of the girls, we'll call her Alaska, asked what the difference was between Goulash and Beef Stew. His reactions was: "Well... Everything." She asked about the Fish soup and he then proceeded to try to explain that the fish soup is pureed. "You won't find any carrots swimming around in there". Really? Swimming? HAHA! Such a funny moment in my life. We were all dying with laughter on the inside while trying not to offend the man or embarrass him by laughing out loud, lest he decide to really spice our Goulash or add some extra flavouring of his own. Speaking of spice, we also had Mulled Wine. It is also a tradition in Hungary, and reminds me of something similar to hot cider. It has a few spices in it, but isn't spicy either, and it is essentially hot wine with some fruit in it (imagine hot sangria with some spice).

After dinner, it was back to the hostel to find out what everyone else was up to. It turns out that there was another night of drinking in store. Cheap drinks too. We got directions to the place and decided to chill for a bit and play some Foosball before going out. Brazi's vs. Canadians. (The Brazi's schooled us, but they did it nicely... and at least the one guy kept his shirt on this time!)

Out at the bar there was karaoke going on... enough said.

I didn't sing, of course, but I sang along while other people did. We got a bit of a dance party going on, and in true Bethalona fashion, I managed to allude a few of the drunken gentlemen to whom I must have looked as drunk as they were (otherwise I can't see why they would think I'd be down to make out with them in a dark corner).

On the way home the group of us decide to stop at MacDonald's. Double cheeseburgers at 3a.m. are the same in every country, and the fries ended far sooner than they should have. I definitely did not have enough to eat for a day of walking and dancing yesterday.

Once back at the hostel, none of us were tired yet, so we stayed up chillin in the lounge area. There was a bit of a water war going on and some of us got drenched (it's okay, we got the others back just as bad!). There was also an M&M war, but I stayed out of that one (I do not believe in cruelty against M&M's or wastefulness when it comes to those tasty treats). Finally around 5a.m. the party wound down and we all went to bed.

I've been up this morning since 8:30 (yes, three hours of sleep) so we'll see how the day goes. We haven't done anything yet, but we're planning on visiting the Thermal Baths and walking around City Park.We'll try to make it to the Terror House and the Synagogue. ... Yes, you read that right, I 'm going to a Synagogue. My friend is Jewish and he'd like to see it, so we'll go. It's the second largest Synagogue in the world, so I guess if I'm going to go to a Synagogue, this would be the one to go to! 

Well, I suppose I should get off the computer and hope that the girls we're meeting come back from the train station soon!

Buenos dias!