The Basque Country

Merry Christmas everyone! I'm just finishing packing for Morocco, jamming to the Beyoncé album (which is SO good), and thought I'd post some pictures from earlier this month. About two weeks ago, we had a 4-day weekend, so I traveled to Bilbao with some other auxiliars. We ate tons of pintxos, visited the Guggenheim, and also made a day trip to the gorgeous city of San Sebastián. Here's a look:

The river in Bilbao

Pintxos: small foods (usually on bread) that you order with a drink. In Bilbao, they are very popular and displayed quite nicely. 

A variety of pintxos

This one has bread with sun-dried tomato, cheese, membrillo (like a crab apple jelly), cranberries and balsamic drizzle.

Coffee near our hostel in the old town.

The famous puppy outside the Guggeheim. It's made of living flowers.

Pintxos at a holiday food fair. I'm eating a mushroom stuffed with bonito (fish) and smothered in alioli and balsamic. SO good.

Behind the Guggenheim

(Sam, I think this statue was the inspiration for bucky balls.)

Being totes Basque in San Sebastián...or should I say Donostia? 

A view of the bay. Our weather was perfect.

Eating an amazing apple cream tart on the beach. 

"Merry Christmas"

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday! Don't miss me too much at home :) Like I said, I am headed to Morocco on Monday (via Madrid) and am looking forward to it! Our intinerary is Ouarzazete-Tinerhir-Fez-Marrakech-Rabat, if anyone is interested, though you will of course see pictures in a couple weeks. I'll be back in Spain on the 5th of January, so don't worry if you don't hear from me until then. Okay everyone, stay happy, safe, and warm. Love you alll!!!

Happy Late Thanksgiving

We may be thousands of miles from our homeland, but Americans always git r done, no? Getting r done includes celebrating our beloved Turkey Day. Above, you can see the lovely group of people I got to spend Thanksgiving with this year. The holidays really are one of the most difficult times to be living abroad; not only are you separated from friends and family, but you're also missing the typical customs, celebrations, and Taylor Swift Christmas songs playing during Black Friday at Target (wait, that last one is actually incentive to move abroad.) That's why I'm very thankful for the friends I have here and the opportunity to get together and share our traditions.

 Before moving to Spain, I thought there was something kind of pathetic or lazy about so-called "expat communities" abroad. And while I admittedly spend too much time with other English speakers- from America, Britain, New Zealand, or Spain- I fully understand why these communities develop and the psychological need for us to have this kind of support group. Life is pretty insufferable when you have to work and live with people who, despite their language abilities and sweet dispositions, will never fully understand you. (Kendra, I know you are nodding in agreement, but also rolling your eyes at me from the mountains of Perú or Bolivia.) So as long as I eat typical Spanish food instead of McDonald's, try to live like a local, and speak a fair amount of Spanish, I feel like I'm allowed my little English indulgences, right?

 Hope everyone else had a great Thanksgiving and enjoyed the long weekend! Shout out to my Grandma for having her tree selected as the official Christmas tree of downtown Boise. It looks beautiful! Also, I sent out a batch of post cards a couple weeks ago, so be on the lookout for those. (And if you didn't get one, send me your address.)

 This week is looking pretty calm. Just three more work days and then I will be headed to Bilbao for our long weekend! Parting shot: My friend Beth and me at a Real Oviedo soccer match. As seen on TV, soccer fans are absolutely crazy, and one of them set off a firecracker just before half-time. I think it was an act of protest against the ref, who was making some awful calls. They ended up cancelling the match halfway through and forcing everyone to leave the stadium (and our team was winning!)...hopefully the next one will be better?

*Photo credits to my gyalz Nicole Belz & Beth Love*