June 30, 2010

What an adventure.... Alexia and I had a very rewarding day which began with total distress. (Well the day began great because we had nice long naps... but then it turned to stress when we realized we had no clue how to get to the beach...) We wanted to take Paul to Sitges which is about 30 minutes South... but we had to figure out the train route which took a while but we got it. Took the 22 bus to pick up Paul... literally baked our brains in the heat walking up the hill to his school... took the 78 bus to the train station... and hopped on the train to Sitges... As you see it's already a lot of confusion.

Paul was VERY excited about going on the train.. until I realized he thought I was saying PLANE and then he got VERY mad at us for tricking him... but he relaxed and enjoyed the train ride.

We walked through the town and window shopped and Paul was VERY thirsty... so thirsty that he ran into a bar and stole a lady's water... I gave him a spank and told him he was FEO and he hugged and kissed me... and laughed... and I made him apologize to the lady who really didn't mind... he's lucky she didn't mind. We also found this really interesting meat shop... these are all hog legs... it smelled a little funny in there...

We found the beach and Paul of course went right in...

He was in a very good mood... but also a very naughty mood. He wanted to play... but not with Alexia or me... he wanted to play with EVERY man he saw.. he would follow people and jump on people and he even scratched someone with his long nails and almost pulled an Irish girl's bathing suit down. No matter how much I explained to him that he can't bother people and that strangers aren't his friend... he didn't listen. I stayed in the water for a while watching him and he was pretty good so I went to lay down...

Eventually I had to go back in and literally drag him out of the water after warning him 3 times that if he didn't stop bothering people he would have to come out. He got a nice smack on the butt for not listening, but he never cares when he gets spanked. He sat on the beach and covered himself in sand (with some help) while I calmly explained that people are enjoying the water and they don't know him and don't exactly want to play.

I told him again that if he bothered people he would have to come out... and as soon as he got in the water he was back at it. In the middle of groups... trying to get on rafts... stealing balls... so Alexia got in and apologized to people and tried to play with him but she said he really didn't care. He's sick of being around us and he wants new friends haha... it made me sad though.. he wanted company but these people weren't in the mood to entertain him. He isn't very social and it was surprising to see him trying to play with soo many strangers...

Alexia and I got bored of the beach around 6 and I had to literally pull Paul out of the water... bribing him with ice cream didn't work... but I promised him I would take him to the pool tomorrow and then he almost ran out. I quickly got him changed on the beach and he watched the people behind us bury a girl while Alexia and I cleaned everything up and packed up... and THEN! He whipped out his litter penis and peed right in their direction! He almost hit a girl... Another slap on the butt for him... and I made him say sorry again and scolded him for peeing near people. He's been peeing a lot lately without warning us... it's not a good habit to get in to.

We got frozen yogurt and walked around town before heading to the train. We saw some really interesting shops and had a good time browsing....

No... I didn't buy the shirt... but it fits him perfectly =)

This time the train was a double decker and Paul really thought he was on an airplane... because we were high up and he asked me a million times if we were really on a plane so I got Alexia to video... and my hair's a mess because he likes to play with it

It's funny how similar he is to his cousin Iman (my best friend) who's 6 and lives in Connecticut... if you don't look at Iman when she's talking... she does the same thing and moves your face towards her... I've never met another kid who does that.

We made it back to Barcelona and Paul had a quick temper tantrum in a huge open space where everyone could see us... he was upset because the "plane" ride was over and he went to the ticket booth because he wanted to go again... But I held his hands to his sides so he couldn't do his frustrated dance and he quickly calmed down...

Then we had to take a bus... get off and walk... and catch ANOTHER bus before we got home. Such a long long day!!!! But Alexia and I are glad we made it back in 1 piece!!!

Spainglish

Alright... I need to write down all the funny things Toni has said that make Leila, Alexia and I crack up before I forget...

One of the first funny things he said was in a text and he said: Is your hairdo alive? And I was sooo confused but finally figured out he was asking if my hair survived in the rain since I just had it done.. hahahah

Also with the rain... I told him one day it would rain and he said no it won't and since he's a geography student he knows many things and he said: if it rains i pay you a beer and I said no its BUY you a beer.. and he said: u understand me, that's in of.

He is ALWAYS saying hes ON the library instead of IN

Me: I'm scared Toni: Of the motorbike? Me: Yes! What if I fall? Toni: Stand up...

Tony's ideas about me and Paul: you have a hard work sometimes, but other times looks so nice

Other funny things-

i am near to cry

poor of me (instead of too bad for me)

I'm too much male

On the moto he tells me: Little back instead of Move back

He text me one day and said: Do you want to make nightlife? I was like OMG THATS SO DIRTY!!! Hahaha he translates everything from Spanish to English so to him it makes sense.

But he's not the only one messing up... I know hardly ANY Spanish...

So in the same day I made 2 BAD mistakes....

I was asking him if he wanted some of what I was eating and I said Te quiero? Which Alexia informed me right after that I said I love you?... I should have said Tu quieres or something..

Then later that night when he was driving me home in his car after the soccer game I was trying to say I was hot and wanted the air on and I said Yo soy caliente.... and he laughed at me and said I just told him I was horny... and you're supposed to say Yo tengo caliente or something like that...

June 29, 2010

Last night I stayed up pretty late with Alexia and woke up at 7:15 to my snuggler sneaking into my bed. Paul had camp so we got him ready and he was soooo excited to head to school in a taxi with his driver. I unpacked and showered and made beds and worked on my blog all morning until Alexia got up around noon and we started getting ready for the day.

We caught the bus and picked up Paul from school early and we almost passed out walking up hill in the heat. But it was worth it because Paul was sooo excited to see his sister picking him up. He was wide eyed and in such a good mood. We got back on the bus and headed to Plaça Tibidabo and met Toni before taking the tramvia up part of the mountain. Then we had to take another thing up the rest of the mountain to Tibidabo.

Not all of the park was open today, only some of the rides... but theyre the ones Paul likes so it was good. We all enjoyed the ferris wheel which is by far his favorite besides the plane...

We took the high basket ride up and Alexia was TERRIFIED!!!! She could hardly look around and enjoy the view because she was soooo scared! She had never been on it before and neither had Toni and I think he was a little scared too... they should have sat like Paul and I tend to do...

Alexia took Paul on the plane ride by herself.. testing her limits with him. She did wonderfully. She kept him in line and he they both enjoyed the small red plane.

Alexia isn't used to taking care of Paul; she's only 15 and is very busy with school and activities like basketball and piano, and she's not expected to be his babysitter. But as she gets older she's felt as if she's missing out with him and she wants to be able to take her brother to La Rambla or Tibidabo for an afternoon alone. I've been coaching her through it a little and explaining how to deal with his temper tantrums, which haven't happened in weeks (thank God). The only thing that might be difficult for her is his strength... he is very strong and she is petite so if she needed to use physical force to get him up or get him away from something she might be outmatched... but he loves his sister and the time he spends with her. =)

The park closed at 5 so we took the metro to La Rambla to walk around and explore. Alexia and I got pitas and Paul shared with me but wouldn't eat Alexia's because he could see the corn in hers. I had corn too, but it was hidden. He started picking off the pieces from my tray and throwing them over his shoulder very quickly and I thought it was hysterical but didn't get it on tape... so I told Alexia to put her tray in front of him to see if he would do it again...

I laughed soooo hard.... he is quite funny even when he doesn't know it. His face said it all.... "WHAT THE HELL IS ALL THIS CORN DOING IN FRONT OF ME?!" Hahahahahah

We walked around the Rival which I had never been to... just the other side of La Rambla from where we usually walk and explore. Some shops caught Alexia and my interest so we got Toni to babysit for 5 minutes while we took a break and checked out clothes.

Paul seems to like Toni; it must be the male presence. Toni always says he is "too much male"... so Paul must realize that.

We ended our trip at McDonalds, which worked out because Leila was stuck doing a delivery and didn't have time to make a proper dinner for Paul.... as if McDonalds was proper. But he loooves his cheeseburgers and I helped him finish off his food before leaving.

At 7:15 we went to catch the metro and they weren't letting anyone through until 8 because of the strike... but Spain was playing at 830 and I was supposed to be leaving at 745 to go watch it! So we ended up taking a taxi home and Paul LOVED that and it was a lot quicker and not too expensive.

Alexia and Ignacio stayed home with Paul while I went to a bar with Toni and Juan and their friends to watch Spain play Portugal. I bathed Paul before I left and Ignacio dried him off... but he called Leila and bragged that HE bathed Paul... haha I don't think so!

The game was so intense and stressful until Spain scored and we all could finally relax... the Spaniards are crazy people. They scream and holler at everything that happens and yell profanities (which are some words I actually understand).

And since Spain won I got to wear the flag as a cape on the way home on the moto

June 28, 2010

This morning everyone was gone and everything was quiet. Paul spent a while in the pool and since it was so hot I actually got in as well.

After a delicious lunch, of our favorite tuna sandwiches on fresh bread, we had a long siesta and then headed to the beach! We went to one we hadn't been to yet on this trip and a little further away.

The sand was scorching hot and Paul ran right to the water. He relaxed a lot by the shore and I sat and read my book, which I haven't been able to put down.

I noticed Paul swimming out a little to hang around some people... but he quickly came back to shore. The second time he swam out he didn't come back so easy. I sat and watched him... thinking he would turn around any minute... but nope. He just kept swimming out more and more. When he was out about 100 feet I got up and went over to Leila and said "Well I guess I have to swim after him, huh?" She laughed.. then looked out... and said "Oh shit... is that him??" So for Leila's piece of mind I got in waste deep... and yelled one loud PAUL! I did NOT want to have to swim after him. Luckily.. he heard me... stopped and looked around, and swam back. He's an excellent swimmer but has a bad sense of depth... I don't think he realized how far he was swimming... he was just enjoying his swim!

But after that he was pretty much done with the beach and ready to go home. We found a small boogie board and Leila got it for him so he can enjoy something while swimming since he keeps trying to steal all the other kid's boards and tubes.

On the way home we stopped in Begur and Leila and I did some shopping... we bought these popular gypsy pants which remind me of MC Hammer pants without the shine. Paul was VERY good while we shopped around until he wouldnt stop hugging me. I thought awww this is so cute.. but in reality he just wanted me to get out of the store. He knew I couldn't do any shopping with him attached to my hip so he took advantage and clung to me until I left.

We had a quick dinner and drove back to Barcelona with a very happy, and sleepy, Paul.

June 27, 2010

Sunday. A day of rest. But not for Paul. He woke up bright and early around 630 because his dad was up getting ready for a race. I got out of bed at 645 and didn’t want him waking anyone up so I took him down to the beach still in my pajamas. I was still drunk with sleep and as we walked down the stairs to Platja Fonda I could only think about how bad I wanted my damn sunglasses…or my bed.

We had the whole beach to ourselves and we spent a while sitting around until he finally got in the water. I found some seaglass and some really weird… things. They felt like hard jello and I counted 29 in a small strip on the beach.. I have no idea what they are…

In my exhaustion, the water looked inviting and refreshing. So as he sat there I made up my mind. Empty beach. 730am. I stripped down into my birthday suit and got in. I didn’t plan on waking up this early again while in Aigua Blava so I needed to take advantage of this opportunity. It was FREEZING! But enjoyable. Paul had me go with him to a little cave area that he wanted to explore and we spent a little time swimming around before heading back home. I have officially been skinny dipping in Spain!!!!

Went back to sleep while Paul hung out and napped with Abuelita, and we hung around until everyone left. Leila, Paul and I were the only ones staying one more night. We took a long walk through the cliffs and Paul gave us a very hard time until we reached the natural salt water pool…

Paul loved jumping off into the water and Leila even convinced me to do it...

We had a relaxing evening and went to El Parador de Aigua Blava for the magnificent views and before heading home Leila dropped Paul and I off at the beach to go see those weird jelly things again. Paul stripped down to his underwear and waded in the water for a while until I got bored of my search for seaglass and we headed home…

June 26, 2010

Paul and I spent the morning hanging out at La Roca, which is a platform down the hill from us where people sunbathe and swim. He was hesitant on getting in so I helped him along and gave him a small push. He bobbed around Indian style for a while and occupied the ladder while everyone tried to get up, and I tried my hardest to get him to dive down and pick up a shell I saw but he just ignored my plea.

We came home and he swam in the pool while I read the book my mom sent me. He was pretty good and relaxed all morning and took a short siesta before heading to the Aigua Blava beach for lunch with some of the family. Leila decided to take the day off and put Ignacio in charge and he was pretty tickled by the idea and kept asking me if this was something mothers would do. Paul sat nicely throughout the meal and I only had to run after him once when he followed his cousin to the beach.

As soon as I finished my paella and lobster I took him to go swimming. The water was so clear and beautiful and it tempted me to go in but I stayed on the shore and watched the scuba diving class and still contemplated on why all the ugly people were topless. I decided that when I get married I’ll go topless on the beach too… as long as no one knows me but me and my husband. It will be nice to have no tan lines!

The rest of the evening was relaxing and we hung out at the pool with baby Gabriella who is just adorable. After Paul ate dinner he became obsessed with eggs. He kept taking them out of the fridge and bringing them to his grandmother and she didn't know what to do so she just told him all about eggs. “Yes, it’s you, me, and the egg”. He went on and on about the eggs until Abuelita scrambled them up for him.

I don't think I have mentioned this before but Paul has very (I mean VERY) bad aim, and he is quite lazy about using the bathroom. I’ve become tired of cleaning up his urine from all over the seat and floor… so I’ve taken after Leila and started aiming for him. It’s quite strange… holding a little penis and aiming it… but I think I’ve got the hang of it. It makes clean up sooo much easier.

After watching the first 90 minutes of the USA v Ghana game Ignacio took Alexia and I up to Begur for a traditional Summer Saturday night. The moon was full and cast a gorgeous yellow river across the ocean and Alexia couldn’t stare at it enough. In Begur there were musicians and dancers and vendors everywhere. I bought a gorgeous ring that has a small shell on it and Ignacio bought us ice cream before heading home for the night.

June 25, 2010

It's almost 5pm and everyone’s taking a siesta (even Toby the dog) so I decided to take this opportunity to write about the day. Alexia and I had a very interesting night… in the middle of my slumber I opened my eyes to find her wide awake starting at me. Haha the more I think about it the creepier it gets… she had had a bad dream and was trying to stay awake and had been hoping that I woke up and low and behold I did. After conforming that she was alive and able to communicate, we went back to sleep and woke up at 10:45 to Leila forcing our lazy butts out of bed.

We had a quick breakfast and got ready for the boat. Paul’s Uncle Jordi has a boat here and he took us for a ride to these islands that I saw the other night when I was our partying, we actually went right by the beach. After about 20 minutes we were there and found a place to tie up and relax. These islands are part of a conservation so we aren’t allowed to anchor or go fishing. Paul was, of course, the first one to jump in. It was freezing and he hung around the boat while everyone showed me the joys of Pringles. Jordi threw some pringle crumbs into the water and the fish instantly swarmed and were all around Paul. They were a gorgeous blue color with a black spot on their tail.
I was the last one to get in, I hate cold water and I like to take my time instead of jumping right in.. but once I got in I stayed in for the rest of the time there. Paul became very demanding and different people would get in the water to try and make him happy but for some unknown reason he was in a really bad mood and wouldn’t relax.

Alexia and I did some snorkelling and saw a lot of beautiful fish and enjoyed the turquoise water.
When we docked Paul was anxious to go back to the house and get in the pool so we began to walk back when he got sidetracked and wanted to swim at La Roca. So we walked down and he stood by the edge and just started peeing. So gross. So I pushed him in and he got out and was ready to go home. Naughty.

We had a nice lunch and everyone had a siesta. Then it was more pool time for Paul. The other kids were in the pool and playing around so Paul loved the company. Alexia and Laura even joined and got to know the cute neighbor they’ve been admiring for years.Dinner was at Jordi and Marina’s house and we enjoyed watching Spain play Chile in the World Cup match before a delicious paella, cooked by Jordi. I asked Ignacio why his brother knew how to cook and he didn’t and he said Jordi was exceptional.. and Ignacio DOES know how to cook…. Eggs. Nobody enjoyed the game more than Ramon, Paul’s grandfather. I swear he was about to pass out.. he commented on every play and would stand up and get close to the TV and quickly pour more alcohol into his cup so he wouldn’t miss anything. It was pretty hilarious to watch Spain play with the Spaniards. Paul didn’t last til dinnertime and went home with Leila after a few tears.

June 24, 2010

Wow. This was a crazy adventure. The 23rd was the unofficial start of summer and the Festival of San Juan; we arrived in Aigua Blava around 5:30 and Paul immediately jumped in the pool and stayed there for hours. When it was time to get out and have dinner he of course put up a fight, and when I finally got him in the shower he stood there naked and peed on Alexia!!!! He stands in the bath and doesn’t realize that he is aiming straight at our legs… After Alexia’s foot was drenched in urine I scolded him for peeing on his sister and he laughed hysterically in our faces. Naughty.

We had a simple dinner with Paul’s grandparents, who own the house and are here with us for the same amount of time, and when the sun finally set around 10pm Ignacio started the night off with throwing a popper at Leila’s feet and scaring the crap out of her. He really gets a kick out of it all and really giggles the way she explained it. We joined the neighbours outside and lit all kinds of small silly fire crackers for close to 2 hours. Some were pretty cool, but most were just really loud for no reason. It’s a Catalunyan tradition to set off firecrackers on this night, but there are no fireworks like we have in the states for July 4th. We ate special dessert called Coca which is a bready cake with candied fruit on top and cream in the middle… delicious. And everyone drinks cava which is like champagne but it’s more like sparkling wine.

Around 12:30 Alexia went to a party with her cousin Laura and I waited for Toni to come pick me up. Coincidentally he had been invited to a party in the next town over and invited me along for the night. Little did I know… it was going to be a very, very long night.

I got picked up around 1am and we went to Toni’s friend’s house and they are their coca and had more cava and we got ready to leave around 2am. Toni’s friends were Juan and Mireia and they have known each other for a long time and were hilarious with each other. When we got to the beach we hung around the street where we parked and had some drinks while we waited for Mireia’s friends to come. Juan, Toni and I had great talks about history, fireworks, how yellow Toni’s pants were, and the crazy drunk people who were all around. We went down to the beach around 3:30 and it was really packed. We all held hands as we walked along the path and down the stairs in the pitch black, and when we finally got to the party it was a madhouse. The party was located at the end of a small beach that was surrounded by tall cliffs. A tall rock island was right off the beach and we sat right in front of it. There were people everywhere and everyone was drinking and dancing and having a lot of fun. There was a live DJ who played techno and reggae and other kinds of music all night and there were occasional big fireworks that would shoot up and make everyone oo and aaahh and cheer. We finished our drinks and walked through the crowd of people and sat up on a rock and watched all the people dance. We stayed at the beach for so long that the sun started to come up. It was nice seeing the sunrise but all I could think about was how Paul would be up in a couple of hours. But this was a once in a lifetime experience.. even though I’m hoping to experience it again. We waited an hour for Juan to sober up and talked about the crazy night. Juan was hilarious and was very concerned about a purse that was floating in the water. O, by the way, the worst part of the night was having to use the bathroom. Everyone went in this one area at the end of the beach… the girls popped a squat by the rocks and the guys just went in the ocean. So the sand was just FULL of urine…and you couldn’t even wash your feet off because the ocean was full of it as well! Good thing I’ve been cleaning up after Paul’s bad aim the past month, and had been drinking, or else I might have been disgusted. I was cold for some of the night but when it came time to go pee I was sooo glad I had on that skirt! On the way home they stopped for a quick breakfast and when I finally got back to the house it was 8:30am and I was thoroughly exhausted and dreading the day with Paul.. and I was scared everyone was already going to be awake and see how late I got back when I had THOUGHT I would be home by 4am. Everything in Spain starts late. It’s the Spanish way, as Toni always says. It was an amazing night and something I had never ever done before and I’m so glad I went.

Alexia and I slept until about noon and then Leila came in and woke us up, Paul had been in the pool since 10. We had breakfast and around 2 we went to a beach down the road called Platja Fonda. It was gorgeous, no sand – just small rocks and some larger rocks and they were so hot that Paul stood on other people’s towels to escape the heat. The water, since there was no sand to muck it up, was a crystal clear turquoise and pretty cold. I hung in there with Paul for a while and admired the boats coming in and out and wondering why so many large women prefer to walk around topless.


Paul didn’t really swim today, he pretty much sat where the small waves could break around him. He was getting pretty noisy at the beach and I went and got him out of the water to head home to the pool. He stood in front of 3 topless women for a long time before trying on one of their flip flops so that his feet wouldn’t touch the hot rocks. We got his crocs on and walked home but he insisted that his mom carry him across the scolding rocks and up the stairs, so Leila had a nice workout. At the top of the stairs he stopped and started digging in the back of his pants and pulled out 5 full handfuls of the tiny rocks he had been sitting in while Alexia, Leila and I cracked up and made jokes about not wanting to hold his hand for a while.




Ignacio called Leila to inform her and everyone else that he had set the table on his own. So impressive. When we arrived he told me that he indeed set the table and didn’t have any help and that I should inform Fouad, his brother-in-.law, of his accomplishment. I tell you, these Spanish men are quite useless. =) We had a nice lunch and Paul swam a little more than fell asleep in the sun on the terrace. Alexia and I took this opportunity to catch up on our sleep as well and I took a well needed 3 hour nap and woke up to the eee-ing sound of Paul enjoying the pool. We had pizza for dinner and Paul was so ready to eat that he put the oven mitts on because he wanted to take it out already and then he actually set the table. Brought the plates and silverware out and sporadically placed then around, and then chucked a handful of napkins and went back to carry in the pizza. It was adorable and we all cracked up watching him. He was great during dinner and we had ice cream for dessert and relaxed until it was time for bed. Alexia and I chatted for a while about her summer plans, future goals, school, friends and social groups before finally falling asleep.

Pictures from Sitges & Dance Party!

These are some pictures from Leila's iPhone!

June 23, 2010

TODAY IS THE FESTIVAL OF SAN JUAN! Or should I say the Fiesta??

In any case... Paul has no school and Alexia is returning from England and we are going to the Costa Brava until Monday!

And tonight there is going to be a huge party on the beach and we are going to drink cava (well I am not Alexia) and celebrate the beginning of summer!

So I'll have a lot to post when I get back!!!

June 21 & 22, 2010

The last 2 days have been pretty low key. On Monday we relaxed at home because around 9 we went to dinner at Paul's grandparents house. They had an American family visiting and the daughter was an exchange student who had lived with them in 1983. So it was nice to speak English to her kids and enjoy a Spanish dinner while watching Spain play in the World Cup and WIN!

Paul LOVES his family and LOVES his grandfather... all night he only wanted Avi to talk to him... sooo cute.

And since Paul went to bed around 11pm we didn't give him any sleeping meds thinking he would just be knocked out.... NOPE! He woke up at 6am... when I finally got up the only thing he wanted to do was people watch by the window.

He went to school and I hung out until around 2 when Toni came and picked me up for my 1st ride on a MOTO!!! I was so scared, but excited... and it turned out to be really fun. He took me to a park designed by Gaudi and there's a house where Gaudi actually lived for 20 years. It was gorgeous, and we only had about 45 minutes until I had to pick up Paul... So one day I'll have to go back!

When Paul got off the bus he was, as expected, exhausted. And he didn't care about me too much but he gave Toni a huge hug!!!!! He is getting sick of us women and he likes being around men.... O well. We walked home and he was soo exhausted and soooo naughty.... and it was time for a haircut. That was a HUGE struggle. He hates getting his hair cut and he complained the whole time... there might have been 2 minutes where he was silent... but his protests soon turned into screams and tears and it was NOT pleasant. So he didn't get to go to the pool. Once we got home I put him in a cold shower to calm him down and he was pretty good the rest of the night.... I tried to get him to take a nap but that didn't work... because we had ANOTHER long night ahead of us...

This was Paul's last day of school! So there was a dinner and dance party at 9 at his school and Leila and I went... he was very excited and almost shy... The dinner was good, I didn't understand the conversations going on at my table so I would sneak over to the kids and hang out with them. Paul was very good! And the other kids were adorable. I made a bunch of little friends who I couldn't understand either but they just like having their hands held.

The kids were all hilarious... the cheered when their friends showed up, when the food came out, when the soda came out... the littlest things make them happy.

The dance party was hilarious... and Paul, like his father, could care less about dancing. He walked around and observed everything and obviously was enjoying it but it was hard to get him to dance. Leila and I on the other hand had MULTIPLE dance partners and spent the whole time dancing. She took a lot of pictures on her phone so I'll have to get them and add them later. I had a great dance partner who was a young man with down syndrome and he LOVED the songs from Grease and knew all the dance moves... SO CUTE! It was a very special night and I left with my face hurting from smiling too much.