Send me on my way

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Day 1, or 'How many hours can you stay awake?'

Ladies and gents, chicos y chicas, I made it to Spain! It was a long journey, let me tell you that.

My layover from DC to Madrid was supposed to be almost 3 hours, which was bad enough. Then it turned into 6 hours, and then 8, so clearly I was about to get comfortable with Dulles. In short, I met a very nice Vietnamese man during my 10-minute manicure (had to kill time somehow) who, upon me leaving the 'salon', said he hoped he would see my picture one day. I hope he meant that one day I'll be famous. Otherwise, not sure what to think of that.

I need to mention that my plane had individual touch screen on-demand TVs. Definitely got some 'How I Met Your Mother' in on that flight. Thanks Aer Lingus (don't ask why I flew an Irish airline to Spain). Fast forwarding a few hours (/half a day), I arrive at Barajas airport. Customs was a breeze, and so was baggage claim. Despite my doubts about having my dad pay for my bags to be wrapped in neon green cellophane in Miami, I think it was the right decision because my bags both came out within the first minute. Changed some cash to euros in no time. Everything was going smoothly.

I was going to grab a taxi to meet Justine at her apartment when I realize that my phone does NOT work at all, contrary to what the Verizon man told me at the store. Nor can I find a wifi spot anywhere in my vicinity, and my 30 lb bookbag (coupled with two rolly bags) are just getting heavier by the minute. Oh, and all of this is an issue, I forgot to mention, because I only know Justine's building number and not her actual apartment number. Plus, since my flight was so delayed she didn't know what time I'd show up. I spend upwards of an hour trying every pay phone in sight, using a mixture of cash and credit with a look on my face that is just begging passerby to give a girl a hand. I still swear that the machines were messed up, but who knows whether I was doing something wrong or not. I switched the SIM card from my old Spanish phone into my Droid and THAT doesn't work because I can't remember the code. I decide I've had enough and hop into a cab, hoping that the guy will just let me use his móvil even though theyre pretty stingy about that here. You guessed it, turns out he didn't own one.

When I get to Justine's building, it's even bigger than I imagined. There goes the option of clicking on every buzzer until she magically answers. Once my dismay starts to trickle in, I look to my right and see Justine coming towards me. I honestly don't think I've ever been happier to see her!

After laying down for a minute, I take a shower and get ready, and we go to Parque Retiro to hang out and people watch. I was determined to take on this jetlag full force, and I did. We had some lunch at a bar near there (I had gazpacho and pollo con salsa salmorejo), then laid down in the park, then had a drink and sat down for 2 hours. Things are pretty laid back here in Madrid. So far, at least. We walked around Salamanca, which has the reputation of being the nicest barrio around. It was. I loved it. We came back to Justine's piso pretty late, and at around 11 PM I recommended we go downstairs to get some tapas at the bar. At this point, I think I had been awake for nearly 36 hours so... not sure what I was thinking. Nothing crazy happened there, and I fell into a delicious slumber not too shortly after.

What a day!

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Trying: Bikram Yoga

As a native Miamian, I'm all for heat and barely-there clothing. A little sweat never scared me. I guess I never really knew what "a little sweat" was until I tried Bikram yoga. Named for Sir Bikram himself (who is not technically a sir at all), it combines heat at 105 degrees F and a set of 26 postures, all wrapped up into a neat little 90 minute package.

Each pose is done twice, and you can really feel yourself get better at it the second time around. I think that's a big part of the appeal. Self-gratification goes a long way, and this class teaches you how to work your body and praise it at the same time.

Some pose examples:

Camel pose- Looks pretty easy, and it is now, but I couldn't do it at first without feeling a nice wave of nausea come over me

Standing head to knee pose, or Dandayamana Janushirasana, and I still can't get this one really right. Apparently the pose only begins when your standing leg is not bent at the knee, and I think it's harder than it sounds. Seriously, meditation necessary.

Can't really stress how much better you feel after the class than when you first begin. One instructor described it as torture, and I don't think that was far from the truth. I've only done 10 or so classes but I feel some of the effects (spine strength/alignment, energy, less stress, etc) so I would recommend it to anyone! Prepare to feel overwhelmed (and don't forget to drink a ton of water beforehand) but I'd say it's definitely worth a shot.

Happy yoga-ing.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Visa Business

I've never felt more relieved to turn in an application in... well, ever. I've been neglecting the blog, per usual, but I figured an update on the visa front was appropriate since I wrote about it two and a half months ago.

After my initial background check (BGC) got lost in the mail, I had to wait 6 long weeks to get it back, as the wait time had (obviously) increased while mine was at the bureau. Many telephone calls later, it miraculously arrived on a Saturday, and I quickly realized all was not over. The BGC needed a notarization on it in order to get another certification stamp on it- the Apostille of the Hague. It was more looming than it sounds.

After 4 tries for a notarization on a piece of paper that I didn't need to sign, I finally used my powers of persuasion (and $7) at a tiny UPS store to get the job done. Let me just say I am thankful that we had to send it to Tallahassee Dept. of State rather than DC again, cause they're a hot mess when it comes to returning things quickly.

I'll skip to the part where I had to get a certified translation of this same document, and I should point out that I'm pretty sure this part was unique to Miami. Why they of all people need a translation is beyond me. I emailed some companies for quotes, of which the cheapest was $65 for a half-page translation that I could do myself. I used a public notary instead and am hoping for the best. Why do Spaniards have to be so complicated?

Either way, with the application in, the thought is really sinking in... I'm leaving in 6 weeks! Gotta make these last ones count.