Castles AND Giants! This place is magical. :)

Boida helping us decorate!
 We dog-sat for a week  and
she got caught up in the middle of it all :)

  Hola! Apologies for not writing in awhile - I warned you all for good reason :)  I hope all of my family and my American friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I thought about all of you. . . stuffing yourselves full of turkey and enjoying a great day of football.  Go Packers! We can officially blame Uncle Bob and Gramps for turning me into a Cheese Head. I know they're up there somewhere drinking beer and watching the games together doing what they can to pull some strings for the Packs.  My parents had the Huber Thanksgiving and the Miller Thanksgiving in the rec building so I was fortunate to get to talk to a lot of family members on the phone which was really great! There was talk of the Hubers coming to Spain to shop and the Millers coming to Spain for a Christmas celebration ;) - anytime ladies, ANYTIME!
Although I won't be here for Christmas so that probably wouldn't be the best time to arrive haha..... because two weeks ago I booked my flight to England for the holidays! :) I couldn't be more excited! There is another au pair living here in Matadepera, Nic, who is from the UK.  We've become pretty great buddies in the past few weeks and her and her family invited me to spend Christmas with them so I checked flights and happily agreed :)  This trip is going to be doubly exciting because I also get to visit one of my favorite people, Meghann Clark who lives near London with her husband Aaron who is in the Air Force.  I haven't had a chance to meet Aaron so it will be great to finally meet him.  Meghann and I met by being on the IU Habitat for Humanity board some years ago and have been great friends ever since.  I miss her dearly so it's going to be so wonderful to spend time with her! Not to mention I always tried to go to the UK when I was in Ireland but never managed to get that trip in.  I leave next Wednesday and get back the following Tuesday. Of course I will tell you all about it when I get back :)


So onto Life in Spain!
The au pair-ing is going really great and the kiddos are a lot of fun.  I love this gig.  Roger is just sweet as pie and so great at being the translator between Anna and I.  Teaching English to them has been a road of gradual progress! Roger is just brilliant and catching on to so much and Anna is starting to learn.  She really loves learning it. She wouldn't repeat me when I first got here but now she repeats a lot of words.  Her best friend Martha knows some English and she's always repeating Martha when she's here. She didn't know any English when I arrived and today we were eating lunch and she started counting in English! It was so great.  Roger and I were clapping and saying yay Anna! Muy Bien! She had the biggest smile. A great accomplishment for her!  I've been taking Anna after school on Tuesdays for 2 hours to teach her English on her own.  We don't have a chance to really do that during the day because during break we eat lunch and she goes down for a nap then back to school.  It's wonderful that the kids are so patient and we always find a way to communicate with each other even when we don't understand the other.
I had the meeting with Frank, the director of the English program here in Matadpera and he like what I could bring to the program.  He said that the experience I've had is great and even though I haven't taught English before coming here I would be able to use the skills I've learned and should be successful in teaching, but he explained that he contacted me because it would be great to have a "fill in" for teachers who are sick.  He also said that there are always new families that contact him wanting to put their children in classes and if that occurred hopefully I would be able to be the new teacher for those children.  I told him that would be perfect! So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that something comes up! :)


It's the Holiday Season! So I've been getting them in the spirit and even though I won't be here for Christmas I'm taking every chance I can to celebrate with them until then :) I started blaring Christmas music about 3 weeks ago which they aren't familiar with and they're loving it! We're working really hard on "Jingle Bells" in English because it's one of their favorites.  Of course as soon as Thanksgiving was over I was ready to begin decorating so I asked Susagna for her supply of Christmas decorations. . . thinking that (after having Jane Miller as a mom) it's pretty typical to have at LEAST 4-5 tubs full of great stuff that could turn any house into a holiday home.  So we went downstairs and I was already thinking about what to do with the lights and the rest and then she showed me the box.  One box.  That had about 4 feet of tinsel and 21 ornament bulbs (Roger counted) in it haha It was too funny.  She's like "You're probably dying inside right now aren't you?!" I couldn't deny it.  I said well don't worry. I'll change that :) and a few days later we took a fun trip to Terrassa with the kids' big sister Rosa and her boyfriend Jaume to get some Christmas decorations at none other than a Chinese store haha Now I know it doesn't sound like they would have much but they had just what we were looking for.  Strands of lights are insanely expensive here (9 Euros for a strand of 100!) so we can't go crazy with those, but we got enough to make do :) and we found some other great things that makes the house have more of a holiday feel.  They don't have a tree so the kids and I decided to use our resources and make use of the very charming house plant and turn it into our tree :) A whole new meaning to Charlie Brown Christmas.....let me tell ya.... but we love it!  On the morning we decorated it, Roger burst into my room before I was even awake and said "MARIA! Where are the lights?! Let's decorate!"  So after eating breakfast and getting dressed for school we took time to put the 1 strand of lights on the plant.  I'm not sure  I've ever seen 2 children so excited about a single strand of lights.  It was so great.  They made sure to close ALL of the blinds so it was pitch black in the house so that the lights would glow as brightly as possible and they sat on the floor beside it until it was time to go to school.  While they were at school I hung some lights in their bedroom which they absolutely loved.  When they got home Roger went into the room, gasped, and said "WOW Maria."  haha It's impossible not to act like a child at Christmas.  It makes it so much more exciting.


Living in Matadepera, I have come to love living in the Catalan region. I began realizing early on that Catalonia has it's own idenity.  It's own culture; and I love that I am able to learn about it.  This region specifically has its differences with the rest of Spain and work hard to conserve its very own way of life.  As you all know they speak Catalan, not Spanish and have holidays, traditions, and events that make them really unique, such as HUMAN Castle building! An amazing. . . phenomenon (what other word would describe it?)  that has been taking place in Catalonia since the end of the 18th century.  Every
person who create the Castles (Castells in Catalan) is called a Casteller (castle maker) and watching them create these castles is really really impressive. I was able to go to a practice of the castle building to see it for the first time and just kept saying Wow! haha It takes some serious concentration and strength to do this. My favorite part is that they have young children who are called canallas (youngsters) that complete the tower! They climb their way to top, put their arm in the air, and the castle is considered complete.  If you go to see these you aren't just a person in the crowd.  Everyone gathers around the base of the castle to be the support if someone falls which we did at the practice.  After watching them complete the first castle I realized I hadn't been breathing while they were doing it! It's so intense and makes me so nervous to watch them, but is seriously one of the coolest things I have seen.   Here's a YouTube video of one of the largest (or the largest) castle ever formed.  Check out my Picasa album to see pictures from the night I went to see it.


A couple of weeks ago I went with the family to a village where Susagna's parents have their holiday home for an annual market/festival taking place.  Toni plays a traditional instrument called a Catalan shawm that has been used in Catalonia for ages to play for traditional Catalan dancing and events.  The group he is in was invited to play in the parade at the market so we spent the beautiful Sunday enjoying the atmosphere. The parade started shortly after we got there so I took Roger to the front of the market to see it.  I was with the mothers of Roger's friend and we were standing on the side watching it begin but began walking along as part of the parade without me even realizing it.  The kids were enjoying it and the traditional music was really great to hear so we walked the entire way around the market with the parade. As I was talking to Mary I quickly got shoved to the side and got told what I am sure was "move!" in Catalan, I didn't realize what was going on until I turned around to realize that I was about a foot away from being squished by a Giant! yes, an actual giant. Of course they're made of wood and worn by people but a giant nonetheless! and they are massive! The people wearing the giants aren't able to see very well so they have to be directed and it's up to the people around them to stay out of the way.  They're beautifully crafted and it's custom that they make appearances at many celebrations and events. So cool these giants! If they're not stepping on you :) There are a lot of villages who have their own giants but there are also traveling giants.  Susagna's mother was directing them throughout the parade and during their circle dance at the end (see Picasa album!).  At the end of the parade everyone made a circle for them and Toni's group played the traditional music while the Giants did traditional dancing.  After the market, we went to Susagna's parents' house where 30 people shared a great meal :) I was able to meet some great people from all over the world! Susagna's brother had friends come from Barcelona to enjoy the meal and I enjoyed some great conversation.


Last week I was invited to go to the Christmas Market in Barcelona with some friends and we had such a great night! Barcelona is just a beautiful city.  I still haven't had a chance to fully explore it but will hopefully do that soon. The market was jammed packed with bustling people and the stands were full of hand-made gifts,  Christmas decorations, nativities and and fresh mistletoe.  We went into the Cathedral next to the market and after you've seen as many cathedrals as I have it becomes a bit monotonous but THIS cathedral was spectacular! It was an ancient Gothic cathedral and man was it beautiful.  (Don't worry Amber!  I followed all the rules this time so I could enter without worry haha) After visiting the Cathedral we continued walking around the city and saw government buildings and o the Music Palace which was also such a beautiful structure.  Barcelona has tons of Christmas lights in the street so I was lovingggg the walk.  Before heading back to Matadepera we stopped to have a beer at the greatest pub.  It's hidden and you have to know it's there or you'll miss it when you're walking on the street.  After you climb some stairs it opens up into the seating area which is outside.  It has trees that are lit by strands of white lights and the atmosphere is so relaxed it's hard not to feel right at home.  I will be going back there sometime :D It was a great night with great people and after waking up the next morning I had to think to myself, "I am so incredibly happy."  This place has really become home.


Last week we spent 3 days for the holiday break in France visiting and exploring the Pyrenees mountains.  It was just what I was looking for! Two great days of hiking, lots of fresh air and the Pyrenees surrounding us.  The hikes that we took were pretty simple so the kids could manage but they were so beautiful and led us to amazing spots.  (these pictures are also posted on Picasa!)  There were tiny villages all throughout that reminded me of exactly what a mountain village should be.  My favorite part of the trip was visiting an outdoor pool in the dead of winter :) The water comes from the mountain and is naturally warm so it's like you're taking a bath. . . but with an incredible view of a full moon making the snow-peaked mountains glow right beside it :)  Absolutely perfect.  I didn't want to leave! Of course we indulged in delicious French cheese.  Cheese that would make my brother Nathan want to send it to his house weekly.  It was like nothing I've ever tasted.  Even the cheese in Paris I had didn't compare but that's probably because this cheese came from a tiny Formatgia (Cheese-ery) that had one single counter and housed the cows and calves that help to make the cheese right next to it! The kids loved seeing the cows.  :)  Happy cows make happy cheese!
We completed the trip by driving to Barcelona on Saturday night to welcome Helena and Eloi into the world!! :) Susagna's sister Gemma had her twins a day before.  A boy and a girl and they're absolutely perfect.  Not even 24 hours old and So SO precious!! Reminded me of holding baby Joseph when I got back from Ireland in July :) Nothing like it when they grab your finger and squeeze so tight.  I was lucky enough to see them again this past week when we went to Gemma's apartment in Barcelona for her oldests' birthday party.


Well I hope that everyone is having a wonderful week and I hope this has helped you feel a bit more caught-up on the Spain adventure.  :)
Make sure you check out my Picasa albums to see all of my pictures! :) Spain 2011 and France. The Pyrenees Mountains 
I'm also including a clip (Swimming pool stop motion) my friends made and I love if you want to check it out.

Countdowns  
England 5 Days!
CHRISTMAS IN 9 DAYS!!
Africa 19 Days!

Swimming Pool Stop Motion

Love from Spain!
xxxxx

Week 2: Exploring, Mastering the Car and Cheap Beer!

Well in the past 7 days not a whole lot has happened here in Matadepera.  It FINALLY stopped raining 3 days ago! Things were getting a little gray here so pretty happy about that :)  Although nothing too exciting has been going on I feel as though I have allowed myself to finally get into a routine which is nice! Susanga, the mother of the children I au pair for, boarded a plane and headed to China on Sunday for a business trip.  She'll be gone for a week and a half so I've been trying to help as much as possible with the kids during the day and at night.  They have more of an extended schedule than what I'm used to so it makes for some interesting days!

Here's how our days usually go:  We wake up between 7 and 7:30. (as in I hear them giggling and running through the house so I get up)  I help the kiddos get dressed and give them breakfast and we try to be out the door by 8:50 so that we have plenty of time to get to school which is only 3 miles away.  Once I drop them off I come back here, clean up breakfast and just hang out until 12:15 when I head back to school to pick them up for the midday "siesta."  I give them lunch when we get home, put Anna down for a nap and play games with Roger until 2:45 when we head back to school.  When Anna is sleeping I try to work on English words and phrases with Roger.  We play games like hangman where I have him spell out English words, describe what they are and put them into sentences.  He LOVES it! Then we either play Tic-Tac-Toe or Uno for approximately an hour because they're his favorite haha Now I don't know if any of you have played either of those games for that long but after the first 15 games of tic-tac-toe and  making loads of hand prints on the chalkboard from our chalky fingers..I usually try to suggest a different game to play.  I taught him what to say when he wins so he really enjoys saying "Tic Tac Toe! Three in a row!" after we finally got down how to say "row" and what it meant :) After awaking the snoozing bear from her slumber...and a bear she IS when she wakes up!....we go back to school, but typically not without some alligator tears flowing.  I'm free on most days after 3:00  but since Susagna has been gone I've been helping out with baths (7:30), dinner (8:30), and bedtime...and sometimes they don't go to bed until 10:00.  Right now it is 10:25 and Anna is still not sleeping...I can hear her laying in bed singing Catalan songs to herself which is adorable. I'll definitely let her sleep in tomorrow!

After dropping them at the school I have been going out to take a 45 minute walk around the village. It doesn't take long to get anywhere here! It's super tiny, but it's so nice.  Matadepera is what they call a "rich" village....and you should SEE some of these houses.  I need to take pictures but haven't yet of some of the mini-mansions around here. It's a friendly place which is so great.  I don't go anywhere without seeing someone I know...whether or not they speak English, I always say Hola! Como Estas? (how are you?).  I usually have no idea what their response is but if they're smiling I assume that's good! :) I've really been loving these walks.  This place is just beautiful!  Not to mention it's going to give me the best calves around - the hills are killer here! I have been trying to scope out the big hills to climb so that I can get awesome views of the valley and the surrounding mountains.  We have a mountain behind the house that I'm going to hike once Susagna gets back.  Can't wait to do it! Here are some pictures of where I'm living. ...more at the bottom of the blog :)

I took the car for a cruise the other day to snap pictures.  Plus try to drive around and find my sense of direction from different points in the village.(and we all know this lady needs a little help with the directions...okay a lot of help)  Speaking of driving- it's going super well! :) I make it through entire days now without stalling the car - whooo hoo! and have even learned how to shift, sing, and listen to the kids (talking in their Catalan to me) all at the same time!

Last Friday I went out with a group of ladies to Angie's which is a pizzeria here in Matadepera.  The only pizza place in the village.... and mmmm is it good! These four ladies have all been taking English classes for a couple of years so they wanted to meet me so that I can help them improve their English and so that they can help to teach me Spanish. It was really great! The two ladies who are closest to the camera have little babies that are 6 and 7 months old. I'm really looking forward to meeting them :)  We had some good laughs and they were all so sweet and so patient with me as we tried to communicate for the 2 hours we were eating and drinking wine.



On Saturday night I went with Rosa to see her boyfriend play in BOTH of his bands.  We met up with the girlfriends of the other band members in Terrassa (10 minutes away), had dinner and all rode together to a town about 40 minutes away from here outside of Barcelona.,,,no idea how to pronounce or spell it. :)  We had a few problems finding the place and once we did we didn't know if we were at the right place.  We saw a staircase and a sign for a business but there was no sign of the bar where we were supposed to be or any traffic going in and out.. but then we heard the music.  After wandering up 4 flights of stairs and wondering if where we were going was an illegal place, we made it to the bar....which was a total hole in the wall and had US paraphernalia EVERYWHERE! It was a biker's bar so it came complete with men with ponytails in leather serving drinks and a Western Theme? haha not to mention the Confederate flag hanging on the wall and a sign saying "Stars and Stripes Forever."  I felt RIGHT at home! :) and of course the one night I don't have my camera. Over the music Rosa shouts "Do you feel like you're at home?!" and I replied "You really have no idea!" haha The beer was cheap! (2 Euro) and the entertainment great. The 2nd band Jaume (Rosa's boyfriend) played with were so excellent! I requested a CD from Rosa and can't wait to get it.  My head didn't hit the pillow until 4:30 AM.  It was a great night :)

I'm happy tomorrow is Friday - I'm hoping to do some exploring this weekend! Maybe go to Barcelona to sight-see or find someone else to hike up the mountain with me. I have an "interview"/coffee drinking planned tomorrow morning with Frank, from the UK who is interested in seeing if I'm cut out to teach English here, so I'm excited about that! I really don't know any details so not too sure about the situation I would be in...whether I'd be going to different schools, teaching one-on-one, etc.? That is IF I get the job.  After having to search through my piles and PILES of my "possessions" that are being stored in my room, Mom saved the Day! She found my resume...somehow and emailed it to me :) She's pretty terrific, I mean I wouldn't even want to look through all of that stuff.  Anyway- I sent it to him and he suggested that we meet for coffee--so cross your fingers! I'll let you know how it goes.

Alright I'm signing off for this week.  Thanks for checking in and I hope you're all having a wonderful week! Adios!

Love from Spain

My home for the next 6 months :) 

Bedroom 

View from the porch

Mountain behind our house

Matadepera :) and the place I've had coffee a few times

xxx

Week 1: Castanyada! Panellets and...SPANISH??!

Hola from across the pond!! :)

Welcome to my blog! Thanks for checking it out--I pledge to you (and myself) to TRY to continuously update all of you during my 6 month adventure here in Spain.  If you know me at all you know I'm not the best at keeping everyone up to date.....we shall see how this goes! Hang in there... it may be a rocky start friends :)

Well I have officially rolled up a portion of my closet and have moved to Spain to be an Au Pair for the next 6 months! A lot of you were asking me how I got here so just to give you the quick run-down on how I happened to come to Spain-  I created a profile through an au pair website,  accepted the offer to chat with this family, we began to email daily for a month, had some Skype dates and just like that! I'm in Spain. There goes that crazy Miller girl chasing after more kids?!!? Yes and all the away across the ocean even.  It's a good thing I can't get enough of the little snot-nosed cutie pies :) I saw it as a perfect way to combine two of my joys - hanging out with kiddos and teaching- with an added bonus! learning Spanish.  In the past year I made it a goal of mine to learn Spanish so that I'm able to communicate with Spanish speaking students in the classroom (one day).
So since Mom and Pops threw their Fall Bash I was able to say goodbye to most family and friends which was so wonderful! The following Monday I popped back down to Bloomington for the day to say goodbye to the Arnolds and the Leroes. Wow. Was that hard. Having to leave 8 little ones who you have watched grow and two families who have made you a part of their own is not easy! I can thank them for being prepared for any curve-ball thrown my way in this new family though...Two kids? That's pie. :)

Last Tuesday, after a relatively crazy morning, giving the fam tearful hugs and kisses, and a 14 hour journey... I arrived in Spain! I  am living in a small village- Matadepera- with Susagna and Toni and their two children Roger (6) and Anna (3) who are all just amazing! We are about 20 minutes from Barcelona and this place is beautiful. I am surrounded by nature and the mountains.  Toni also has two older daughters who do not live with us but who we see almost daily--- Rosa is 21 and Imma is 19. They all made me feel like part of the family instantly :) As in INSTANTLY...I landed in Barcelona at 8:30 last Wednesday morning (2:30AM Indiana time) and with a little jump, a huge smile, and a great hug I was greeted by Susagna :) I knew immediately that this woman does not stop. Ever. Her energy is contagious! After our 2 minute introduction we went and had coffee with Susagna's brother in the airport, went and saw a cathedral in Barcelona, went to visit Susagna's mother--who can't speak English but is the sweetest thing you've ever met---and then visited her VERY pregnant sister Gemma who is due with twins in 3 weeks! :) All before noon. At this point I had been awake for over 24 hours and probably wasn't making much sense but we headed for home to meet Anna and Roger who were home from school having lunch and oh I loved them instantly :) All smiles and not really knowing any English they seemed happy to have me here...I just knew it'd be a good fit. Then I slept for what seemed like an eternity. (16 hours to be exact).

The past week has been somewhat quiet around here.  I've been struggling with jet lag for the first time in my life so I've been sleeping a lot.  Most everyone had this past Monday and Tuesday off for the All Saints Day... and when there's a holiday in Spain the towns go to sleep. Susagna and Toni took off for a vacation in the North above Portugal with friends and Rosa, Imma and I had the kids Friday and Saturday until their grandma came to get them for 3 days so they could be with their cousins.

The area of Spain I am living in is the Catalonian region which is a culture I never knew about.  Everyone here speaks Catalan which is similar to Spanish and they have their own traditions. The tricky thing about this is that the kids speak Catalan, not Spanish so I am learning both.  For All Saints Day the Catalans celebrate Castanyada.  The typical celebration includes roasted chestnuts and making a delicious treat; panellets which as you can see, we did :) It was great! The kids really enjoyed making them....okay I was totally loving it too :) and the end result was delicious.  I tried a roasted chestnut--- not for me. We went to Rosa and Imma's mother's house to make them with the kids.  This Halloween instead of my typical dressing up and embarking on a trick-or-treating adventure,  I hung out with new friends. We sat on the porch outside of our house while we ate panellets, had beer, and sang songs...some in Spanish & Catalan (yeah I just listened to most of those..) and some in English.  Rosa's friend plays the guitar so he brought his along and we spent the entire night and into the morning eating, talking and singing.  Don't worry I was thinking about all the adorable ghosts, goblins, princesses and Dr Seuss characters back home who were filling their buckets with candy :)  There are more and more people beginning to celebrate Halloween here - as you can see Roger was given some "spooky" Halloween gear from Rosa & Imma's mom that he loved!  I have decided after this year that I can't live without Halloween though and no matter where I am in the world next year, I will celebrate it.  The year isn't complete without a little BOO-ing! :)

Rosa and I went out on a driving adventure yesterday.  Luckily she's a calm person. I am getting one of the family's cars so that I can take the kids to and from school.... and it's a manual of course (I'm in Europe!)...now all of you who have been in a vehicle where I am driving a stick shift knows that it usually takes me a bit to accomplish the "smooth" ride. (stop laughing at me Kels and Ty- at least we MADE it to Texas Roadhouse) Well I hopped in the driver's seat, put it in gear and went! Only stalled it 3 times! and those were all on hills- not to mention I parallel parked (WHAT?!) People in Spain drive a tad bit crazy anyhow so I'm confident no one will notice the American fool on the road for the next 6 months :)  We returned with both side mirrors and no added dents so I considered it a success.  We'll see how many laughs the little guys get with their crazy au pair driving them around....

I have already begun to teach the kids English and am loving every minute of it.  Roger knows some English and is doing a great job reading! but Anna doesn't speak it at all.  They have really been loving a book called Animal Boogie that I've been reading to them...complete with lines like "Stomp STOMP Boogie Woogie Oogie!" Seriously... hearing them say it in their little Catalan accents might just be a new favorite of mine. Roger and I have been playing UNO a lot but he already knows all of his numbers and colors so we'll have to step it up a little next week.  Anna and I are somehow managing to communicate although neither of us understand a word the other is saying :)  She hasn't quite come around to repeating me yet, but I know she's listening.  Toni heard her the other day playing with her dolls saying "I teach you English" and in Catalan saying "I want you to say these English words."  Doesn't sound like a lot but I was pretty excited :)..I mean convos with the dolls are pretty important in a 3 year old's life!  I'm working on getting into a Spanish course as soon as I can and Roger is my teacher of Catalan.  I think the 3 of us will be a pretty good team.  All of the adults in the house speak English and I feel so lucky that they do! Not very many people speak English here and I feel somewhat ridiculous for coming to Spain without knowing Spanish...but honestly I had prepared myself for this before I arrived.  It will take some time but hopefully soon I will be able to communicate! Well at least talk in 3 word sentences to the kids :)

Overall, I am very happy with where I am right now!  I know I'm going to love my time in Spain and although I'll miss all of you dearly 6 months will fly right by. :)  It's really great knowing I can create a blog for all of you so that we can stay connected while I'm away...Hopefully I keep it up ;)  Stay tuned for more Spanish adventures coming your way.... It's past midnight here and this lady needs some rest. Buenos Noches!

xxxx