Oh my goodness. I have been slacking in the blog writing department. Big time. This weekend has been so busy for me and tiring. I hope you have your popcorn ready, because this may be a long one! Because I kept jotting down notes to blog about, I will recap the past four days in chronological order....
Thursday was an interesting experience for me. At school, one of the girls who works in the secretary's office was celebrating her upcoming wedding during our break time. The entire staff (as we do everyday) convened downstairs in the teacher's cafeteria for our usual thirty minutes of talking and eating (the two staples of Spanish culture!) but instead of the bread and coffee, we snacked on finger foods like sandwiches, spanish tortilla, and desserts. I'm not sure if this was a type of wedding shower or what, but I enjoyed myself. (Anytime you throw in free food and fanta limon BEFORE 11 am, I'm a happy camper.) Ana, the head of the school, came up to me during the reception and asked how I was doing and if I was happy. Poor woman asks me this every time she sees me. And I know it's not because I look miserable. (Which I don't.) Anyways, she went on to tell me that the school is very happy with me as well, so that made my day. I am getting to know my co-workers better and making an effort to sit and talk to them the full breakfast break instead of scarfing down my food and running out the door ten minutes later, so I can have twenty minutes in solitude (typical American behavior, I know,) I am actually spending the entire time talking with my co-workers. Thursday night, I had a meeting with the MTV team before our big weekend commenced. The family I am staying with left Thursday evening and I was telling them goodbye and in doing so, realized my bus was leaving without me. Oops. I thought I was going to be late before remembering that it was 7:30 at night, which meant all of Madrid was trying to get home. So, I hopped on the metro, took a quick ten minute ride and then walked the rest of the journey. So, in Madrid, there is the main thorough-fare that goes through the city. From one point in town to another, it is called Paseo Castellano. Then the name changes into Paseo de Recoletos and finally has a third name of Paseo del Prado. I guess this street has multiple personalities, but is it really necessary to have three names?! Just saying. Anyways, we met for drinks and snacks at this bar/cafe in the middle of the street (there is a pedestrian walkway in between the two sides of the road) that I have always been amused by. I then ended up walking about a mile, to the bus stop, before hopping on the bus and heading home. My always-worrying mother, told me to be careful, until I told her that I was walking down the 2nd busiest street in the city. She felt better after than.
On Friday, I spent the majority of the day working with MTV. The setup reminded me of what you see on TV during the first few episodes of American Idol. We even had the judging room, complete with a panel and a MTV backdrop. Even people's reactions to receiving tickets to the show was just like AI - running down the steps widly, waving their precious tickets. It was quite amusing. What wasn't amusing was trying to decipher the handwriting of some of the applicants. It was downright horrible. I was getting frustrated! The funny thing was though, some of the names would be so random. With spanish names, people have two last names - their father's last name and their mother's last name (maiden name - women keep their father's name!). I encountered someone with the last name of something like Salas Gonzalez (very spanish) but then his first name was Harvey Steven. Uh, really? Then, there were people who had five names and I felt sorry for them when I thought about how difficult it must have been for them to learn how to say, much less, learn to write their name. A few funny things I noticed though....the first was that everyone wrote down the same names for the favorite artists question. They ALL responded Katy Perry, Rihanna, Ke$ha, etc. Well as it turns out, these are also the artists they have announced who will be performing at the awards show. Coincidence?....The other thing was that spaniards use random words in English. Like the word for casting call in spanish is....casting call. Weird. The extra perk of the day was that they gave us a per diem for meals. Which was very generous. I had enough money to buy groceries for the weekend! Oh, and they also bought us Starbucks later on in the day! (I have been sober from that place for two months!) Although taking the bus home in the freezing rain, with groceries, made me miss my car :(
Saturday was Day 2 of the casting calls. Of course, I arrived ten minutes early, because in Spain, you either arrive really early or right on time. There is no in between. So, I ran into Starbucks to get a white chocolate mocha! I asked for non-fat milk. I don't know what happened or what caused it, but I was nauseaus all day and even got sick in the bathroom. Which is something that NEVER happens to me. Figures. My body is falling apart :( And I know I felt really bad, because I skipped both lunch and dinner that day. Shocking, as much as I like to eat. That's something that happens every 825 years or so :) So I was really sick....the day continued and I felt worse, even getting a fever at some point. The bus ride that night made me get sick again....But, I actually ended up meeting another person from Kentucky during the casting call. He gave me his casting sheet for me to input in the laptop and I noticed he had a really American name, so I asked him if he was from the states. A few minutes later he was still waiting, so I asked him where he was from. When he told me Kentucky, I thought he was joking! But he really wasn't! He is from Pikeville and graduated from UK. Pretty neat! It really is a small world!
Sunday, Halloween, was fairly uneventful for me. I woke up and attempted to work on homework. That didn't go over so well. I stayed in my pj's all day (Daddy would later make fun of me for this) until late afternoon. I went over to a friend's flat, because some of my fellow Poli Sci classmates have been convincing, no wait, begging me to make some fried chicken. I finally obliged and we spent the entire evening (well I did) cooking. I made popcorn chicken, mashed potatoes, fried potatoes, and a peach cobbler. Someone else made coleslaw and mac and cheese. We thought we made so much food, but it was devoured. I think I put all of my friends in a food coma. They kept saying how full they were, while re-filling their plate up simultaneously! And for those of you wondering, I didn't find vegetable or canola oil, but bought corn oil instead. And it was so cheap! Go figure.
Today was another holiday for us! But I had to work for MTV again today. After riding the metro for thirty minutes, I spent another forty-five minutes (not lying) walking to the entrance. I underestimated the massiveness of this place. Once inside, we started doing some paperwork, but then the fun began! I was in charge of selecting people for a "surprise" on Sunday. I wish I could tell you all what it is, but some of my friends who I got on the special list read my blog and I have told them repeatedly that I cannot tell them what the surprise is. I will tell you all after the awards show. Which by the way, is airing on MTV next Sunday! We also received ten tickets to the show for friends. I invited some people from church and school who could not make it to the casting call this weekend. I felt like Santa Claus! Everyone was so excited and of course, they love me even more than what they already did :)
But, the best part about being on-site today was...the food. (I mean come on, are you really surprised that's what I said?!) It was beyond amazing. MTV brought down their caterers who cook everything on-premises. It's just like you see on TV - these huge outdoor kitchens sitting inside of white tents. And on the inside, you have a gourmet restaurant. They had a salad bar, dessert bar, fruit, bread, and of course, the main entrees. I've seen places like this on TV, but never participated in one. It was like eating at a gourmet restaurant! I was even able to turn in my meal ticket and take my dinner to go!!!! (So much for this whole losing weight thing. I think I am putting back on a few pounds!)
Sadly, the long but busy weekend has come to an end. But on a happy note, it's November, which means I will be home next month! Yipee!!!!
Quote of the Day: "Good girls follow the rules. Bad girls break the rules. True divas write their own rules."
Spanish word of the day: los screamers - the people who stand on the floor during the MTV music awards show and scream. Hilarious!
Prayer request of the day: I return to the doctor tomorrow so he can clean my ears. Hopefully this will be the last time I have to visit him for awhile, because I am tired of seeing him! On a good note, I am beginning to hear normal again!
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