Last night with the family was better than usual, they actually wanted to talk to us. Laughing was involved, and weird hoof meat was not, which is a significant improvement. For the past few days, Dana and I have been eyeing the decaying leg on the countertop in the kitchen, covered only in a tea towel. It looked like a deer hoof, like some kind of taxidermy paper towel holder, but alas, it was dinner. Bits of dark red Iberian ham found their way into our pea-mixture meal two evenings ago. Aside from the fact that I am vegetarian, that hoof has been sitting out on the counter unrefrigerated for who knows how long. Apparently it is a pig leg, with meat akin to bacon in appearance.
Yum.
I have been informed by the foodie in my life that this is normal and it is not supposed to be refrigerated. I don't care. It is uncouth to keep such a thing in a house, especially with so many screaming young children.
Yesterday was better in general, we hopped on the bus after school and took it to the area surrounding the local university, to a neighborhood called Algorta. It was refreshing, there were people and bars and tortillas and a supermarket.
This is a Spanish tortilla, called either that or an omelette, though in America it would be called quiche.
It consists of mostly potatoes, egg, and cheese with a very light crust. Unappetizing at first, it is served cold and by the slice, with a piece of bread. But it is delicious and addictive.
We stocked up on snacks so we could survive the 10 hour starvation period between American lunch at noon and Spanish dinner at 10pm. Namely the Spanish version of Nutella, cookies, fruit, and whiskey.
This is a Spanish tortilla, called either that or an omelette, though in America it would be called quiche.
It consists of mostly potatoes, egg, and cheese with a very light crust. Unappetizing at first, it is served cold and by the slice, with a piece of bread. But it is delicious and addictive.
Contains all of the Spanish food groups: fat, starch, carbohydrates...
We stocked up on snacks so we could survive the 10 hour starvation period between American lunch at noon and Spanish dinner at 10pm. Namely the Spanish version of Nutella, cookies, fruit, and whiskey.
School is still awesome. I start my postcard lesson tomorrow with the 9th and 10th grades, whom I haven't met yet. We're going to be talking about culture in terms of how the students relate to it. Since there is a big political divide between the Basque and Spanish culture, I want to see where the students stand on a personal level. They're going to design postcards that reflect the way they see the culture they identify with, or how they want others to see it. Then we're shipping the postcards to Trenton Central High School in New Jersey, where I did my junior practicum. The students at Trenton are also making postcards and will be sending us a box.
Pauline and I have been experimenting for my first project with the 8th grade...we want to try paper making, which is arduous in general. But we've concocted a sort of paper pulp from old newspapers, paper mache glue, and some kind of powdered paper we found in the back of the closet. We're winging it. But I'm so excited.
Adios,
Kelsey
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