Día de acción de gracias

Being abroad during American holidays is odd.  You know that at home everyone has gathered to celebrate the same thing, but where you are that thing doesn't exist.

I was trying to explain to my host mom two nights ago about why I love Thanksgiving so much.  I confess, I like Christmas more, but Thanksgiving is definitely a close second.  For me, Thanksgiving has nothing to do with Pilgrims and Indians, it is about gathering with those close to us and reflecting on all that we have to be thankful for, something that in our consumer driven society in which we are taught to always want more, we rarely do.  My host mom, however, didn't seem to see what was so special about a day just to give thanks, and instead she wanted to focus on how nice it must be to have another excuse to get together with family.  She was certainly right, I too love any excuse to be with my family and eat great food, but Thanksgiving was still Thanksgiving for me yesterday, even though I was an ocean away from my family's gathering, because I took the day to give thanks.

So, in the spirit of the holiday, I am going to take another opportunity to give thanks, Spanish-year-abroad-blog-style.

SKYPE
Being far from family is tough, especially when I know I will only see them for a few days this year while I'm abroad.  This is why I'm grateful for Skype.  I remember watching the Jetsons when I was younger, and seeing them communicate with friends over their video phones.  The idea seemed so advanced and exotic, but now we can see the faces of, and talk with, anyone around the world for free.  I can't imagine this year without Skype.

MY HOST MOM
Ángeles is wonderful.  She makes me food, and makes me eat it.  She teaches me Spanish.  She wants to hear all about my life and give me her advice on it.  She makes me go to the doctor, reminds me to take my medicine, and lets me know how much she disapproves of my going to school when I'm sick.  I miss the freedom that comes with having my own space, but I don't think I would have made it through this first semester without Ángeles.

CAFÉ COMERCIAL
The program arranges us to eat breakfast and either lunch or dinner with our host families everyday, but the third meal is our responsibility.  Being the cheap, lazy person I am, on weekends I used to stay in bed as long as possible, then put off breakfast until around 3pm, so that I could make it to dinner without starving.  This was until I discovered Café Comercial, Madrid's oldest café, which is only a four minute walk from my house.  I go often enough now that the servers know my order, una caña y un bocadillo con beicon y tomate.  Ordering a caña is the way to go because with it you get free tapas, which turns your bocadillo snack into a real meal.  When my dad was here, he voiced his disapproval over the people drinking wine and beer at noon, and I couldn't bring myself to tell him that I am one of those (imitation) Spaniards enjoying a cold beer with my mid-day bocadillo (though I, like a good Spaniard, don't eat lunch before 2pm).   Hi, Dad!  I hope you don't disapprove of me too much!  So I am thankful for Café Comerical because now I eat (cheap) lunch on weekends in a quiet space where I can also get work done.


THE METRO
Now, I could express my ingratitude that Madrid's metro closes every night between 1:30am and 6:00am, but instead I will focus on how grateful I am for it when it is open.  I can get anywhere in the city between Google Maps (another thing for which I'm grateful) and a metro map.  The metro is quiet and reliable, and it means I don't have to spend too much time walking from place to place.

ESMADRID, TIMEOUT MADRID, AND LECOOL
These three sites are amazing for helping me find out about cultural events such as temporary exhibitions, concerts, ballets, and more.  Up until about a month ago, I felt I was too overwhelmed with merely trying to keep up with classes and making friends here that I didn't think I had any time to go and do all the cultural things Madrid has to offer.  But I have since realized that it is extremely important that I get to see more of this city than just my route two and from school, and wherever I end up going out at night, so I have begun assigning myself cultural homework, and now I feel that I am getting even more out of my experience here than I had been getting before.

Well, these are merely a sampling of all that I have to be thankful for over here, which is a lot.  Yesterday I may not have been in America, but, despite my immersion into Spanish culture, I am still an American and will never forget my favorite American traditions, like giving thanks on the last Thursday of November.

Un beso.