obamaramita

twas a great day to be from the US of A.
obama, our president. the first day of the rest of our lives.

the spaniards are definately welcoming to barack. most people i know watched the inauguration here, as did i with the other americans in the instituto international (albeit a really bad connection, it was good comraderie). afterwards, we all went for a drink at the "irish" pub down the street (along with many other US citz), during which i had a celebratory coca cola (in a glass bottle at that).

needless to say, its a proud moment for all of us. i do wish i could be there to celebrate in my home, but i am glad to gain an international perspective. y ahora..."comienza la era de obama!"

in other news, viva la espana!
madrid is a wonderous place full of wonders.
and very open people.
and lots of food, even for vegetarianas.

i have already met 4 generations of my host family. pretty much in one day.
my madre, marcela, is from...argentina! go figure. she's lovely. loves to cook for vegetarians.
i met her mother, marta, who went back to argentina tonight and is quite old and sweet.
i have 3 host siblings: martina, who has 2 kids; bruno, who is a DJ; and valeria, who just moved out to live on her own. they, too, are very welcoming.
martina's kids, candela (5) and teo (4) are just too cute. they taught me the names of dinosaurs and drew me pictures. what more could you ask for?

madrid the city has provided much excitement thusfar.
highlights:
el retiro (parque): gypsy dance circles, hungarian women with mid-life crises, trees!
el metro: best transport system ever.
el matador, the bar: so authentic, they played gipsy kings.
la sangria: come on.

i've met a lot of independent women here. and vehemently independent. its kind of great. (genial!) especially what with ye old repression of the females under Franco.

the streets are narrow and windy, the arquitecture beauteous, the food sumptuous, the people diverse...
all in all,
spain is fantastico.