La Pena de la Piña

Today, our Señora made us paella which is a very traditional Spanish dish. It is rice with various other ingredients. This one that she made had calamari and bell peppers. At lunch, Señora was telling us some of the customs of Spain. When eating rice (like the paella) Madrileños start from the outside and work their way towards the middle so that it stays warm. They also eat their lettuce (which is topped with olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper) before the meal. And she told us not to drink water during the meal if it is rice or pasta, because then we will get full very fast. I have also learned that Spaniards eat with both hands on the table. After we ate the paella, Señora said that she would get us some fruit. She comes back with pineapple. I love food and will eat almost anything (I even ate pig's blood last night). But pineapple is one of the few foods that I hate. I tried to cut it into little pieces, but I only could eat a few. I told her I was full and couldn't eat anymore, and thankfully she told me not to worry.

One thing that is very different for me is wearing shoes in the house. Here, it is rude to walk barefoot inside. It is hard for me to remember because I am so used to taking my shoes off as soon as I walk inside. Also, I keep forgetting that most stores close in the afternoon from 2 to 5. Yesterday, Lauren and I went for a walk in the afternoon around our neighborhood looking for stores. We completely forgot that this was the time when most people go back to their houses to rest and only a few stores were open. Everything will take some getting used to. For now, I am still trying to get over this jet lag and understand what my Señora is saying. Señora said that in 15 days everything will be much easier, so we will see!