Jamon...you devil you!

Ok so I am coming clean, I have an addiction.

Is that a....yes, my friends it is! A leg of jamon....ok I just weeped.
I had a Carrie Bradshaw moment when I calculated how much I spent last year on Spanish JAMON BELLOTA in NYC. Let's put it this way at $165 a pound, I could of funded small countries.
Yet I say to you, anyone that has tasted this beautiful and wonderous item will tell you "yes, it is worth it's weight in gold." You see in the states this beauty is still a forbidden fruit, there are only a handful of places licensed to sell it. So you can imagine when I moved to the land of this gem, how my eyes twinkled and I danced with pure glee. (ok I'm pretty sure I twitched like a crack whore) anywho...

It's funny because I hate ham, I mean I would rather be run over by a mack truck than eat ham, but I "heart" jamon..jamon bellota to be specific. My friends this masterpiece can never ever be called ham.

My addiction caused me to believe that yes I was a real Spainard and bought the next best thing, a jamon iberica leg(bellota though not as much as stateside, is still expensive here) and a jamonera at the local Carrefour and drag it home.
I walked ahh struggled through the streets with pride. Ready to proclaim to everyone, "why yes, this is my jamon.". It's ok to insert geek jokes here....
What can I say, it was by far one of the best purchases I have made here. I get to feed my addiction anytime I want and most importantly, everytime I walk into the kitchen I feel like I have finally settled in. I have in my own little way become part of this wonderful fabric of life and tradition here.
I will always be American but now I have my slice of Spain as well. 
Buen provecho!

Time...

It has been awhile. I have been in Malaga for over a month and time seems to escape me some days and drift ever so slowly on others.
I like my job and I have settled into my apt., which I love. I have a view of the mountains and can feel the breeze from the ocean (although I can't quite see it). There is something different yet familiar about this city. I guess cities everywhere tend to take on similiar personalities from time to time. At one point I forgot where I was and when someone held the door for me I proceed to speak in English.

Ahh English, being that is all I am suppose to speak at work, it makes it tough to really get a handle on my Spanish. Sure I can go to any bar and order with the best of them but my everyday Spanish is taking a hit. Here in Andalucia, people let's just say have a very distinct way of speaking. Some days I applaud myself for being able to catch every word and other days I'm lucky to pick up one-tenth of what was said to me. Those are the days where time seems to drift every so slowly and leave me feeling a bit lost at sea.
I promised myself on those days I will take a deep breath and remember how blessed I am to be in a position to not only feel but act and do. Rough day? there's always the next one!

This morning I made coffee, curled up on the couch and started reading the NY Times(via laptop). It felt like I was back home in New York then I looked up and out onto the balcony and saw all the splendor that is Malaga. I had to stop and take notice...this was a start to a perfect Sunday. You see, right then and there I had the best of both worlds.
I didn't feel like everything was moving too fast or too slow...it just was... well it just was a beautiful moment in time.

The sights and sounds....

The sights and sounds of something beautiful, dozens of happy voices and children buzzing about on a Friday night here below my hostal. I found an amazing apartment but it was not availble until October leaving me with three nighst to fend for myself since check out at the hotel was upon me. At first, I wasn't sure if my plan of coming here was the right thing. I seemed to be an observer to a world that I couldn't scratch the surface to. Surely I should be settled by now. ahh a few more days of living out of suitcases and feeling a wee bit lost.
So I here I am at the hostal which I must admit isn't bad. I have a room to myself and I think I saw maybe three people tops the whole time.  I'm in the heart of a working class Malaga barrio. People here tend to move and talk quickly as there is work to be done. At the cafe I get a quick yet warm greeting and then it's off to the next customer. the fisherman have no time to waste. I am in awe of the way everything falls into place. It seems like a million people whiz by and yet they all know each other to the core. I'm the new kid in town. The older men tip the hat/head and greet me and the women flash a smile before the scurry off to attend to shopping at the market. Oh the market...it is a feast for the senses. I feel like I am back in time. Orders are shouted, words and money exchanged in rapid fire and smirks of satisfaction are all part of the deal.
As I sit trying to figure out what to do with my last night here (again feeling a tad bit lost and lonely) I suddenly stopped, take a deep breathe and go out on the balcony of my room (see told ya it wasn't bad). There I see dozens of people, kids in tow exchanging colorful conversations, food and drinks. Looking down I felt like I am privy to something special and then it hits me..this is life in Spain. It is the end of the day (10:30 p.m. to be exact) and people are sharing their thoughts; expressing opinions and most of all sharing a bond of love and companionship over a few drinks and food. It doesn't matter what age you are. I see babies in carriages to cherish grandparents all sharing the night together. The market Pt 2.  I thought about going down but I just assume to sit here and take it all in. Somehow my feelings of being alone have given way to sheer joy. I feel blessed to see this interaction first hand. I hope my year here will allow me to one day be a part of it all. Until then, I raise my glass from above and toast..here's to you Malaga, specifically the working class barrio of Huelin. Thanks for letting me know I made the right choice.

p.s. thanks Yinzer for the encouragement! and your post rock.

I'm here

Well I made it with my sanity intact (I think). Spent a week in Sevilla, what a charming city, and now I'm in my new home...Malaga. What can I say, it may not have the grand dame persona of Sevilla but I like it! I feel comfortable walking the streets and most importantly I haven't gotten lost nearly as many times.
Currently, I'm on the mad hunt for apartments. I have two appointments that I set up before I arrived, so I feel like I'm a bit ahead of the eight ball. They are in two completly different areas so it will be quite interesting to see which side of my personality wins... laid back beach Chris or go get 'em city Christine. Either way I think I'll be a winner. I'm in Malaga and so far all is right with the world.

8 and counting....

Well a lot has happened since I last wrote. I said adios to my job (took a yr leave) and endless good bye celebrations with family and friends. I must admit, I dreamed for this day to come but now that it is around the corner, I'm feeling a bit numb. I feel like I have so much I am leaving unsettled.
I'm sure part of the reason I'm feeling this way is that my second set of FBI prints just came (talk about down to the wire). Luckily my brother lives near the Apostille office in metro DC where I need that damn stamp.
We celebrated getting that pesky thing the only way this chica knows how..food and vino! Big thanks to my brother for everything.

Flash forward to this morning...I woke up with that same numb feeling. What the hell do I do now? I'm walking in circles in my apt. Haven't packed a thing but have a mean list of stuff to pack.  I thought crossed my mind....I'll clean out my fridge and cupboards of stuff, umm that sounded good but I just ended up making coffee and staring at the fridge and cupboards. Is this my sub-conscious saying your not ready to fly the coop just yet??? Pre-departure jitters?
8 days and counting, we shall see.......

Kiss of the Spiderwoman

Those that know me well know that I don't get really creeped out by most insects and not by spiders(ok technically not an insect but hey this ain't a science lesson).
Whenever I come across one in the house I gently pick it up and put it back outside. I don't know, call it karma if you will..anywho..I was sitting at work last week when I felt something bite me. I just thought great another mosquito bite, rubbed the back of my calf and continued working ( yeah that's right working). I noticed a little redness but I get that with mosquito bites. Flash forward a couple of days and this sucker is the size of a baseball, throbbing and itching. Add on another day and I have a fever, headache and sore throat..WTF! What kind of creature was this? A spider you say? I have been bitten by a spider before but never like this. I go to the doctor get loaded up on antibiotics and antihistamines and assume the "watch tv spread out on the couch" position for two days.

Not exactly the two day off from work I had in mind, especially when all the medicine bottles scream avoid alcoholic beverages. Damn! well wine is made from grapes so that's fruit right, right?
I better have some super human spidey powers after this!

Just Another Manic Monday

So by now you all know my love affair with Mondays, and here we are, yet another Monday and I am sitting here reflecting on why I shouldn't just check out mentally...again!
This morning over coffee I kept replaying what an amazing if rather expensive weekend I had. I swear next time I am leaving the ATM card home and dance for my supper if need be...any way like I said I had a great weekend doing all the things I love namely eating, dancing, and indulging my friend vino.
Oh and how can I forget my new passion, futbol. Although my Argentina was eliminated from the Copa America, I did enjoy watching their neighbors Uruguay taking it all Sunday.
As I was sipping away on my coffee I started thinking it's funny how one experience can change you. My experiences in South America definitely gave me that shot in the arm I needed. When I was there I would start the week determined to make and have a new experience for myself.  For example, I told myself I wanted to experience a futbol game and figure out why the rest of the world is so passionate about it. Fast forward to now and I am never a week without futbol in some form.  All of this got me thinking how often I find myself taking what I have here and daydreaming and relating them to my time in Argentina..yup mentally checking out like I do every Monday.

I guess if I really think about it, it's not really checking out as much as it is tuning in. Tuning in to what makes me happy, where my passion lies. With all that being said, I think I'm getting a better understanding about my manic Mondays. I think for me Mondays are a day of thought and reflection. It is the beginning of something new..ah here lies the problem- for me, Mondays nothing was ever new, it became routine.  Now routine can be a good thing; however, being in a rut routinely is not. So from now on, I am going to try and look at Mondays as a way to not only think and reflect about what happened but to set goals for what I want to happen.
Yeahhh that's the ticket!!!! put a positive spin on the whole thing. So yea Mondays..bring it!!!! 
(ok taking bets on how long this will last lol!)