A few days before the Spring Equinox
A review of Christmas, since then, work and a bit of the future
I went home for Christmas as promised. It was pretty smooth sailing. The moment I got home I got sushi at my usual place (some of you know.) After that I ambitiously went to Fiesta Mexico for a margarita flight, I highly recommend. The next day on Christmas Eve, I reattempted getting an igloo at Moondancer Winery with success. They found a lost puppy there and my mom 100% wanted to bring it home. We had a grand old time, I even began teaching some Spanish Christmas vocabulary to my family. The igloos lit up green and red and we had pizza and hummus. I put on my antlers and Christmas tie and we got some nice pictures. Earlier that day we went to Perrydale again, a dairy farm, because my girlfriend’s favorite animal is cows. Christmas was nice, another one for the books. I felt as loved and cherished as ever. I always appreciate how my family welcomes my girlfriend. The day after Christmas we went to New York. We took the Staten Island Ferry and went to the Twin Towers Memorial. We had some pad thai (the best I’ve ever had) and went to the Rockefeller Center and Radio City and Grand Central Station. The next night we went to my parents German club, Liderkranz. We also went to the Central Market in York with my godsister. We revisited The Old Post and surprised my girlfriend with another lobster roll; they truly are divine. The last night before the end of the year we went to a wedding. We had a lovely time and I felt like a real adult getting a whole hotel room. We brought in the new year hosted by my cousin and I had my favorite dessert and the iconic pork and sauerkraut. And then we were off to Philly to fly out again. It was a great and fun-packed trip I won’t soon forget.
Soon after I came back I went to a writer’s group with a coworker. I am always trying to try more new things. It was held in a bookstore. It was very interesting for me to be in a room full of writers. I liked it but I haven’t been back yet just because it isn’t the most convenient for my schedule. I went to a 90s exhibit that was quite nostalgic and entertaining one rainy day in Retiro (the Central Park of Madrid.) One of my childhood friends visited me in Madrid and we went to a gorgeous rooftop bar and she stayed over. I went to a Dinosaur exhibition (stay young, friends) that was pretty entertaining. I recently have been trying to visit more museums and so I went to the Sorolla and the Thyssen. (Google them.) I attended a Valentine’s day party that was great fun with games and delicious food. Then, one of my best friends from college visited me and we went to the Botanical Garden, where we first met and a local cathedral. Last month I went to Portugal a second time (since last year.) This time we tried Lisbon and we stayed down the coast. The weather wasn’t the most forgiving but we had a great time anyway and I got my fill of pasteles de nata. (A small tart with yellow custard in a little pie crust that’s creamy and delicious.) It was very windy with scattered showers. I super love the amazing tiles the Portugese line their houses with and I wish I could make a collage of every single one. I also loved watching the tram zoom around the streets. We also stepped out into the countryside to a city called Sintra. It was a bit hard to navigate: the mountainous terrain, the parking, the tourists and the entry fees for every single site. We still made the best of it but I think it’d be best to revisit. I finally got my second TIE (residency card) after processing all this time (since July.) I’ve also been trying some new vegan food, I’m a huge fan. This past weekend I went to Mallorca, my first Spanish island. We went to a castle after a bit of a hike up; it was very cool. Again the weather was a bit unpredictable, I sported a rain jacket the whole day. It was still a lovely time and I really loved the architecture. The next day was much better. We went to many small towns with flower pots on the walls and cats in the street. The mountains there are gorgeous and they have their own pastry that looks like a roll of intestines (sorry.) We took the tram, it was very crowded. There were a lot of Germans, which they say about Malaga too, but there were much more here. A lot of hotel staff was like trilingual and it was cool to see. We had drinks in the port and ice cream and then went into the cliffs at sunset. We stopped in one more castle wall-lined city before nightfall. The next day we went to Drach Caves, some of the biggest I’ve ever been to. They had a classical concert and let you ride out of the cave in a boat, sardine-packed like it was after the Titanic. It was a phenomenal trip. When I got back I tried a new ‘running sushi’ conveyor belt restaurant that poses as a Japanese market. And I also tried rock climbing this week. I was pretty proud of myself as I did enough bouldering to make it through all the easy levels which is enough for me on a first go.
From a work standpoint things have been better. I have applied for next year, so at least that part’s over. Next year I would like to be in a different school in Madrid without this '‘pilot program’ that I opted in for. I don’t know if it’s possible or what will happen as usual. I found that this year there were just too many changes, even as adaptable as I am. I’m not interested in all that I may have to endure next year, by choice. Another factor is that one of my schools is rather significantly ‘less nice’ than the other. I voiced my concern before Christmas and now they’ve come back with a negative evaluation about me which is really disappointing. I feel like I should have made a bigger fuss so that I could’ve changed schools and gone to a school that truly wanted me there. Everyone said how the evaluation wasn’t really about me but just the program itself but it did still hurt my feelings. There were very rude about it, I received alost all 2/5 and when asked for comments of what to work on they literally said ‘all aspects.’ Still I know I am tough enough to make it through unscathed. For me, it’s really about the kids and I know I’ve made a difference with them. Hopefully next year will be the best yet, I can only hope.
Tomorrow I’m signing a domestic partnership with my girlfriend, it’s not a marriage but I know it’s confusing. In the long term it’ll grant me many benefits and make it easier to follow a paper trail once we do get married. One of the requirements in Madrid is to live together (documented) for a year. My girlfriend and I have lived together since my first summer here in 2022 but we didn’t think to get the documentation before it was even an idea in our minds. I’m a bit nervous but very excited for the appointment itself. I have always been nervous for all appointments though so this is nothing new. Recently I’ve been bringing my Spanish family members with me to appointments and their commentary is usually aligning with what I’m thinking as well. It’s not very fun processing paperwork, waiting in lines and talking to lots of cops. My girlfriend is a godsent, a master of the fine print. I couldn’t appreciate her enough, I’m so lucky. Even wilder still, I get a vacation for such an occassion and we’re going to the Dominican Republic. I’m accepting prayers for a great trip.
And so things are going well for me, as you can see. I do love to rhyme. I miss you all and feel free to comment, respond. As fun as it is typing into the void, it’s nice to hear back. Make good choices and drink your water, guys.
I am happy that you are so happy!
Living your best life!
I hope you continue to travel and share your adventures. Love you, Padre