All posts tagged: spain

PEOPLE |An interview with Lisa

Published by

Lisa has been an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher for almost 15 years. Having lived in Mexico, Taiwan, Turkey and now Spain – she shared her travel stories, moments of culture shock and how life is for an expat on the move. “I think you get to a point where you spend so much time outside your own country that it starts to become foreign,” said Lisa Page, sitting at a table in the Uruguayan family owned bar – La Cristina in Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain. She cradled her cup of café con leche as she remembered her time in Taiwan. After five years living there she realized she wouldn’t be moving back to Canada. It had already been seven years since Lisa had packed her bags and moved to Mexico to start her career as an English teacher abroad. After one year teaching in Toronto, her students from Guadalajara convinced Lisa she needed to go. And that was that. Although Lisa graduated with a BA in Linguistics and a TESOL teaching certification, she …

pop-up donosti | a shared vision of food

Published by

And one day, seven countries came together, the stars aligned, and eight souls in love with food, cooking, sharing, and eating with friends created Pop-Up Donosti. This is my latest project — a pop-up restaurant to grace the streets of Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain. Like the quote above tells the story, we’re eight friends who came together to make this happen. To share our love of food, sharing meals with friends, and eating ecologically within this Basque community. We wanted to take far away flavors and make them into real plates using local ingredients. So we chose Lebanon as our inspiration. And that’s how it began. For the past three weeks we’ve been working hard organizing ourselves, throwing ideas back and forth then finally deciding on a set menu to serve during our fist event. We chose decorations and secured the location. We’ve collaborated with Tedone Jatetxea – a local ecological restaurant – in Donostia-San Sebastian. I had the chance to sit down and interview the owner, Beltza. And thanks to our friend, Esteban, we’ve been …

wine, whiskey, coffee & christmas carols

Published by

I was on the bus home from the airport when I sent out a group message to the girls: “I’m headed back to Donosti. Flights cancelled.” To which I received the response from Usoa: “Ohhhhhh myyyy gooooooooooooooooood. You are coming to my country house.” And it was settled. A Christmas in the Spanish countryside isn’t what I had planned for December 2013, but after strong winds kept planes from landing and taking off it’s where I found myself surrounded by my Basque family. I never thought I’d find another family just quite as crazy and loving as mine. But here I’ve found them. We arrived just after dark and just in time for glasses of wine to be poured and us to sit down at the table to begin eating. Giant shrimp – eyeballs, feet, and all – were in a couple bowls across the table to pick at, as well as chorizo and bread. Then blood pudding, fish soup, and a chicken foot pallela were served. To say the least, I gave it my best …

Music Monday | Sept 23

Published by

Music Monday made it to day two. To summarize the stories — we both needed a pick me up. I  was having a hard time figuring out the exact song I wanted to send, as it can’t just be ANY song. I started thinking. I was down to a solid three and decided, “I’ll just send them all.” I started writing … and writing … and writing. And then it hit me. They were all wrong. I instantly opened Youtube and searched for a band from Vermont I had seen live back in Portland some years ago. I remembered their lyrics to be just the message we both needed to hear: “cause life is calling but you need healing now for all good reasons change is coming well change is coming for all good reasons now but you need healing for life is calling —- so hold up your head think of brighter days who cares they don’t look at you the same way make up the time this ain’t the end you better let …

Music Monday | Sept 16

Published by

Inspired by my love of music and two friends from university, I decided to start my own Music Monday with a new friend. Our time together has been short, but it’s been filled with laughter, food, a trip to the hospital — along with the realization that we both have soft spots for competition and discovering badass music. And even though it’s an unknown amount till we’ll get to wreak havoc in Spain together (hospital trips almost a guarantee), the beauty of technology allows us to fulfill our petty competitions across country boarders.  Beers are on the line for anyone who forgets a Monday. Let the games begin. First day, all good. Posts were submitted by 00:07 San Sebastian & at 00:13 Edinburgh — I started with my submission of a classic. An all time favorite band of mine that has been by my side through thick and thin; blasting through my truck speakers, driving through back roads and city streets in various countries; and in live performances of reenactments. They are THE BAND. I thought …

privilege

Published by

What is privilege? It’s simple. It’s a benefit of one person enjoyed beyond the advantages of most. There are many kinds of privileges in the world. Whether its based on skin color or how much money you have — people in certain categories: white or rich — tend to benefit over others in the world we live in. But I’m here to bring you another one: the privilege of being a native English speaker. I’ve come to Spain to work. I’ve chosen one of the most economically unstable countries a part of the European Union to live and to work while creating a little more stability for myself in my own life. I have, however, caused somewhat of a stir. But, hey, not just me — all native speakers who come to Spain to teach English. Let’s look at it this way: Spain’s youth unemployment rate is over 50%. I’m 25 years old and have come to this country and while only working part time I’m still working more than most people here. I’m “taking” …

| when it starts to fade |

Published by

When does it happen? When do the beautiful new sites of towns and farms and city neighborhoods start blending into the background? When do we stop holding onto the edge of our seats with eyes wide open and start simply passing by with a blank stare? It occurred to me today while taking the bus to a small town today. My eyes were peeled — I was taking in all my surroundings from factories to quaint little town centers — while the woman next to me closed her eyes and slept until her stop. Of course, every person carries a different story: a long day, hardly any sleep the night before, a million things on their mind and just wanting to let go. It’s besides the point. I hope to never fall into that trap. I hope to always find surprises around every corner in my part of the world whether happy, sad, tired, or mad. I hope to appreciate the small moments alone or with friends — on the bus or walking through my barrio.

| Pintxo Challenge, Act 1 Scene 1|

Published by

It’s already been 5 days into my challenge and I’ve stuck to it (like I’d give up the chance to eat pintxos in the name of writing, really?) I’ve strolled around my new barrio — the old part — and popped into one new bar a day experiencing what this small city offers. I’ve decided I’m going to update my challenge every 5 days as not to bore everyone with a post a day (plus, I’d probably forget) . . . At the end of my challenge I’ll write one conclusive article with tips and photos of my overall experience — so keep tuned! As for the first go . . . here it is. Eat it up! Day 1: Casa Tiburcio | Calle Fermin Cabelton — Fried Muscle (fried seafood, spicy, & hot!) A fairly typical bar to stroll into for the Old Part. Options on the bar, but the menu is where the gold is! Take a peek and be pleasantly surprised. Day 2: Zeruko | Calle Pescaderia — Squid Mango Foie  A new take on the …

|in a land of pintxos |

Published by

It occurred to me today that I need a summer project as I was sipping on a cana con limon in the Plaza de Constitucion and discussing food with a fellow American. I’ve decided to make my focus: pintxos. Living in the North of Spain one is highly aware of the large amount of pintxo bars (and bars in general) throughout the food capital and Capital of Culture 2016. San Sebastian is home to the famous pintxo and hundreds of bar owners and chefs offering traditional to very modern choices. A pintxo is an individual portion of meats, cheeses, fish, veggies, etc., skewered with a toothpick onto a piece of baguette. Of course, pintxos can vary from bar to bar and in the different regions of the North leading me to my decided project for the month of July: 30 Day Pintxo Challenge Inspired by my appreciation of  tasty food, desire to write, and love of photography and challenges — I’ve decided to dedicate the month of July to pintxos. As my budget is low – I’ll stick to one new pintxo …