Spring-Loaded Death Oven

I've been getting some harassment for not having updated this in a while, but there's not much to report.

Málaga is all decked out for Christmas.  Between the cone-shaped trees and giant ornament sculptures scattered around the city center, I kind of feel like I've dropped into the middle of a Dr. Seuss book.  I swear I heard Boris Karloff narrating the other day when I was walking down the street.  But all kidding aside, it's gorgeous.  There are lights draped over all the streets, they've got garland on the lamp posts, and they even set up a giant nativity scene in the middle of one of the major streets.  The nativity scene features all the usual suspects--Mary, Joseph, Jesus, the Wise Men, camels, etc.  The only thing that lets you know you're not in Minnesota is that the entire scene is made of plants and flowers.  I guess you can do that kind of thing when it's 65 degress in December.

My friends and I had an international Thanksgiving potluck, complete with Thanksgiving lasagna and the traditional Thanksgiving "delicious Greek dish I can't pronounce."  Turkey being scarce in Spain, I roasted a couple of chickens.  (I wish I had a picture of the look on the butcher's face when I told him I wanted two whole chickens.  I think he thought I was just really, really hungry.)  I don't have an oven in my apartment, so I showed up to dinner early to roast the birds. 

Whoever designed my friend's oven was a sadist.  The door has springs on it, so if you've got foolish ideas about letting go of the oven door to baste chickens, the springs send a burning hot slab of metal shooting toward your arm.  As a result, the chicken basting turned into a group effort; one of my friends had to hold the oven door open while I repeatedly lifted spoonfuls of scalding chicken juices over their arms.  Luckily, the Thanksgiving gods smiled on us and no one had to add skin grafts to their Christmas list.

Well, aside from charming stories about nearly maiming my friends, there's much else to say.  School is still going well.  I joined a bible study group at my church a while ago, and I'm really enjoying it--I think you haven't truly lived until you've been taught about the bible by a chain smoking priest.  A couple from my group showed me around a building where they keep the giant thrones and statues for Holy Week.  There are only about 6 people in Málaga with access to these particular artifacts, so I was really lucky to get a private tour.

I got to play a piano for the first time in more than two months.  This turned out to be more hazardous than I anticipated; my friend's mom came home and invited my friend and I to stay for lunch.  If you don't understand the danger here, let me explain.  When a Spanish mother looks at you, she sees Oliver Twist; you're starving, probably living in a box on the street, and always in desperate need of a 12-course meal.  Long story short, stuffed us so full of empanadas, potatoes, eggs, fruit, veggies and bread that we almost had to be air lifted out of the apartment.  It was delicious.  I would take a bullet for that woman.

Speaking of stuffing people full of food, I've been continuing my life's work of bringing chocolate chip cookies to the Spanish-speaking world.  I think I'm making progress.  They disappeared in a day last week, and I'm going to a friend's house today to make more.  Only hitch is I can't use my favorite recipe because oatmeal doesn't exist here.


Truth be told, I haven't been doing too much because I've been saving money for my Christmas vacation trip.  My friend, Erin, and I leave on Monday for Rome, Florence, Venice, Vienna and Prague.  I'll be back in Málaga on the 31st.  Feliz Navidad, and wish me luck!!