Cultural Skinny-Dipping Spain Summer 11'

Today we went to the beach for a really long time, it was fun and I got tan. I decided I hate salt water, its gross. We had lunch at this really good sandwich shop. Christie and her friends were leaving for Pamplona at 5, Ian and Nayla wanted to go but we decided not too after realizing how stressful it would be to get down there. That night we slept at Christie’s apartment because no one was there, I talked a lot with Rachel, Christie’s roommate, we were going to go out but stayed in and watched like 20 episodes of Friends (in English!). I slept really horrible, I had a sunburn and the bed was disastrous, I also had to pee a lot. No fun.

The plane ride was long and my ass hurt like crazy. The flight wasn’t too bad, I made a big dent in my book and watched Willy Wonka. When we landed in Madrid I felt happy to get my feet on the ground. Cesar’s 2nd oldest brother, Jullian, picked us up as well as Javier (Ian & Nayla’s cousin) and Tia (aunt) Marie Carmen who lives in Madrid. Javier is the Spanish version of Ian he parties and then plays video games…and that’s all. Ian stayed with Javier and his aunt in Madrid and Nayla, Kerri, Cesar and I rode with Jullian to Abejar. The scenery is beautiful rolling hills with winery’s, poppy fields and farms. We will go back to Madrid at some point but aren’t sure when. The ride to Abejar was long and I couldn’t keep my eyes open. When we arrived in Abejar we stopped for lunch at Miguel‘s (Cesar’s cousins) hotel to eat and meet family. The food is indescribable. The salad was delicious, eggs, beef and unpitted green and black olives. I had the lomo which is a kind of pig plus French fries, then I had a piece of cheesecake with raspberry sauce. Plus a little bit of red wine. The hardest part is the language. I can understand bits and pieces and generally what people are saying but I am not confident enough to speak-because I am not sure if my translation is correct. For today I just listened but hopefully I can start talking and conversing with locals, the Garcias mostly speak to me in English but when they introduce me they tell people I can speak a little and that I want to try, which I am very grateful for. On the way to Abejar we passed through Soria and Nayla showed me where the fiestas will take place. We are a week away from their start but people are already setting up. The house is very nice and contains new things like nice tile and hard wood floors but they have also maintained a lot of the old structure (this is the house where Cesar’s parents lived, it used to be a barn) they kept the ceiling which is now a rich black from the open fires they used to have, they have a window which was handmade and two walls that were built using stone, mud and hay. I took a shower and quickly got into bed, I fell asleep and didn’t even hear Nayla come in after her shower (we are sharing a room with two full beds). I woke up to voices because the walls are very thin, Kerri and Cesar came back from the market and had visitors. I was going to get up but I decided to stay and listen to see if I could understand-overall, I didn’t :[. We had dinner (a much smaller meal than lunch) at around 9:45 (Spaniards eat dinner very late). Cesar made us sandwiches with traditional hard bread and Spanish cheese and salami, it was incredible. We also had Spanish potatoes chips (which taste very similar) plus melon and barvedios (or something…which has a pickle, olives, green and red chiles on a toothpick) they were really good. After dinner Nayla and I took a walk in Abejar, it was night so I couldn’t see much but it seems like a very old charming town. She showed me where she plays and where her friends live and go. When we got back we had hot milk with cola cao (chocolate mix) with tostados (taste like a mix of graham crackers and vanilla wafers). So good!

I am off to bed now, excited for tomorrow but hoping to get my internet working!!

Today we woke up at 4:00pm but it’s ok because we went to bed at 4:00am! It is so dark in the room that I can never tell what time it is, WHICH I LOVE! Nayla and I blamed it on the gallo (rooster) who seems to cock-a-doodle-doo at every hour-isn’t he suppose to just do that at dawn? See, he messed up our whole day. We had such an amazing day today and I really got to practice my Spanish. It’s amazing the change in Uncle Cesar when he is in his home country I can really see how priceless these trips are for him and Aunt Kerri. He is always smiling and laughing which I haven’t seen him do often in America, it must have been so hard for him to leave his home. For lunch we had soup with lomo and salad, again a marvelous meal. After, Nayla and I watched some Bob Esponja (Sponge bob) it was so funny to see in Spanish. We got ready for the day and Cesar and Kerri had many house calls from people they knew including Cesar’s best friend. It’s amazing to see the size difference here-not just the cars and the houses but the people too-very short, all the girls are shorter and Nayla and I really stand out, although I am glad Nayla is taller than me. We bought bread for dinner from the market down the street and walked around town. Then we walked to Camino’s house (Nayla’s friend) and talked with her plus her mom and dad. They are very nice and I just listen because I don’t understand!! We stayed there for a long time but after we met up with some of the other girls; Laura (pronounced Lowda) she is really nice and talked to me for a long time in Spanish, I got more comfortable and entered phrases here and there in the conversation with the other girls. Irene (pronounced Idene), who was also really nice-she talked to me one-on-one and I really felt comfortable with her. Sara, she’s nice too but I didn’t really get to talk to her. We met up with some boys that they knew; Sergio, Ruben, Jose y Alvador. I was pretty much left out of the conversation. We went to someone’s garage (it had a kitchen in it…weird, huh?). We ate hamburgers for dinner and calimochos (wine and coke-very good). The boys left and I felt a lot more comfortable and the girls engaged me in the conversation. I became very talkative after a few drinks and the girls wrote down Spanish phrases (most of them were inappropriate but some very useful). We laughed a lot!! Overall, it was a very fun night and I was amazed at how much Spanish I was able to speak. Nayla says my accent is even getting better! Today was the longest day of the year so it was custom for everyone to catch up. Most of the friends were from Soria so they went home. Nayla and I talked when we got home but were pretty much exhausted as well! I am very excited for the next few weeks. I am so grateful to have this opportunity!

I slept horrible last night. At first I thought it was the calimocho (wine and coke mix drink-party drink of choice here) but Nayla and Kerri also said they didn’t sleep well. Today is the celebration of San Juan and the birthday of the King of Spain. Apparently, there were church bells that went on for hours to signify but I had ear plugs in, oops! Nayla and I woke up around noon and had breakfast. Hot chocolate milk with galletas (cookies) and muffins, toast with butter and jam (really good jam) and torrenos (it’s like thick bacon). Then, a neighbor came by and gave Cesar a fresh head of lettuce; I thought it very random but incredibly charming. Wouldn’t be amazing to wake up and receive fresh produce from your neighbors?

I thought I would tell you some of the differences I’ve noticed; the pillows are long, like the size of two-kind of like that long one I have on my bed, it also has a long pillow case! Another thing different is how late we eat dinner, Spaniards eat dinner around 9:30-10:00pm which is very interesting. After breakfast Nayla and I took a walk-which ended up being a hike to Mirador de los Muros which is a church across the main highway from Abejar. Nayla showed me where her grandparents were buried and Kerri says that because the graveyard is so small they just pack multiple bodies in the same grave-it gave me a gross imagine. Behind the Mirador de los Muros is the where the Abejar soccer team plays-I guess they play very well and have beaten all the other pueblos (towns in Spain). There are also some old train tracks that are now covered with trees and bushes but Kerri said that when she met Cesar (when she was twenty!) it was still running. We ended up walking all the way to the top of the hill which overlooks all of Abejar, Nayla showed me all the important places like the plantano (a giant lake that is formed by a dam). Another cool thing in Abejar is that there are lots of storks! They nest on top of the churches and make a big squawking sound, but they are pretty I think. We were exhausted after the hike and needed water badly! We walked back home and ate lunch; pescado (swordfish) with salad and green olives (they eat lots of green olives here-not pitted), with pan (bread), potatas fritas (French fries) and fruit! I am starting to love olive oil, they put it on everything! I took a shower after the hike and after lunch we took a nap. At first I didn’t think I’d be able to fall asleep but I did and we slept for two hours. After our nap Nayla and I walk to the Molimiento ( its like a tower thing on top of the hill- it almost looks like a lighthouse without a light-like a lookout tower). The temperature was perfect, kind-of windy but warm. Nayla says that when they cut the grass all the kids go sledding down the hill-not on snow but just on the grass. We could see a lot from the tower and after we headed home for Medienda (a mid-afternoon snack around 5-6pm). We had bread with cheese and salami (I love Spanish salami!) and nocilla (a chocolate spread you put on bread). After that Cesar and Kerri took us to the hotel that Cesar’s cousin owns and had drinks. I had a cerveza con fanta (beer with fanta) it was ok but I don’t think I’d have another one. Cesar and Kerri talked with friends and Nayla and I pretty much kept quiet. After that we went back to the house and had dinner-real simple just tortilla francesa (just eggs really) plus bread, cheese, salad and salami. I really enjoy the meals because Kerri, Cesar, Nayla and I all sit down at the table and talk about things that happened, things I learned or just life. After dinner Lowda and Camino came and we walked around Abejar, we went to one of the bars and got drinks, I had vodka with limon but I only drank maybe a third of it because I didn’t like it very much. I didn’t talk much and couldn’t understand much either but acted like I did. Then we left and went to a different bar to get ice cream. We didn’t stay for long because it was like one o clock and they closed. We walked to Camino’s house and just talked outside, I became more comfortable and talked more although I know I made lots of mistakes. Lowda says the bulls this year for the Running of the Bulls are very fierce and that they have broken two of the stall doors. The people that take care of them say they won’t stay together-which is dangerous because the lone bulls are most likely to charge bystanders, ugh! We talked about boys and Lowda was saying how much she wanted a boyfriend who she could laugh and share things with and love her for her brain not her looks (I understood that-with some translation help from Nayla). We talked about a lot of things like socialized medicine, culture, language, las fiestas (the parties) and boys. They are studying English but won’t speak because they’re embarrassed, it makes me mad because it’s like what do you think I am doing? I make lots of mistakes and sound stupid but at least I am trying and getting more comfortable as well as improving. Today we also saw a fruit truck! Its like the icecream man but they sell fresh fruit, he drives all around town with a microphone it says verbatim “Ladies and gentlemen come out of your doors and buy fruit” and then he lists all the fresh fruit he’ll be selling that day! Increible, no?

I woke up around 11, got some breakfast and helped Kerri clean a little because family was coming to the house. Nayla and I got our petos ready for the fiestas, they are a bright green (not neon but bright) color and look like cotton overalls. I expected them to be much less flattering but I think they are kind of cute. All the girls decorate theirs in different ways Nayla and I traced bulls all over them and are going to paint them black, I am still coming up with ideas but I was thinking I’d put USA le encanta (loves) Soria, but I am not sure yet. We sat out on the patio when family arrived, Ian came with them. We had a really good drink its martini mix with sprite and I enjoyed a glass. Tio Rodolpho (Cesar oldest brother) was so nice; he told me I was beautiful a thousand times and actually talked to me-he is the only adult I’ve met that knows I am trying to speak Spanish and asks me questions, not my aunt or Nayla, but me. It was nice having Ian because I spoke English with him. We had a great meal lamb, chorizo, bacon, crawdads, asparagus and salad, bread and cheesecake. I pretty much just sat there because there were too many people to understand anything or I would talk to Ian and Nayla in English. Rodolpho, ate the tail of the lamb-just nawed on it like corn! After lunch Nayla and I went to the pool with Camino and Lowda, we met up with some of their other friends, I went in the pool once but mostly just read my book and worked on my tan (which didn’t work!). It was fun but I felt left out even more, the girls would just talk and talk, Nayla translated sometimes but I mostly just looked at the person talking and after not being able to understand just thought of other things. We played volleyball, Spanish girls aren't very good or just don't care about sports-at least out of all of Nayla’s friends I was like the best one at volleyball and at soccer when we played-sad considering I suck at both those ha! Then I was silently attacked by mosquitos- I have bites everywhere and there is no anti-itch cream anywhere to be found. When we came home I checked my computer and uploaded my pictures. When I got so frustrated about the internet I took a nap (maybe 20 minutes) and cried a little from being so homesick. That's the culture shock kicking in so don't feel sorry, it will be over soon. Kerri made soup and salad for dinner and I felt a lot better, but I still didn’t want to go out with Nayla’s friends that night knowing I’d be left out the entire time. Nayla and them left and Ian and I started cleaning up the kitchen, Ian got a call from his other cousin who was with Nayla and said she wanted to see him. He wanted me to go with him but I said no because I always get left out, he said he gets left out too and that he’d buy me a drink. I felt better and knew sobbing in bed wouldn’t help my mood. When we got to the hotel I was totally left out. They just sit around a big table with drinks and talk, which I am sure they enjoy but I don’t. I basically sat at looked at the stars for an hour, I didn’t drink. The bar closed and they wanted to go to a different bar, I didn’t want to but Ian had a friend who was going to meet us there and he hadn’t seen him in a long time (ian didn’t go to spain the last two years), I don’t know how to get home and didn’t want to go alone so I went thinking it would only be a while. Then we sat at that bar and I got left out. I was complaining but then Ian gave me a shoulder massage if I promised to stay and shut up. At three they wanted to go to another bar and I said hell no, but again no one would take me home. I told Ian he owed me two drinks now and another massage, jerk. We went to a nearby town and went to a bar there. I got a drink-malibu con pina-it’s a little rum with pinapple juice, it was really good! We played phosball and I started having fun. The girls drank and they started speaking in English with me which was very nice. I had a really light girly beer (and looked like an idot when I asked for ice-I didn’t know you weren’t suppose to have beer with ice!!) then ian and I did a shot of this weird Nariz tequila that tasted like black liqorice- Ian thought it was gross and I hate black licorice but I liked it because it was sweet. We then just talked and laughed. We all got really tired but the boys were assholes and wouldn’t take us home because they were still talking. Nayla finally stole the keys and convinced them to leave. On the road back to Abejar they kept trying to hit deer-like they would see one and purposely sped up. I got so mad, what gilipollas (assholes)! I finally got home and crashed.

Today we went to a restaurant in a park in a nearby town for lunch called Valonsadero. I had pollo with a special sauce and was surprised when it was cold-Cesar says they serve many meals cold during summer you can even order soup cold. Then we went up the hill and saw the bulls that will be in the fiesta next week, there are twelve of them all black and apparently about 200 horses follow them out of the gates, Nayla says it’s really pretty but the bulls are dangerous-we will have to get there early and find a big rock to stand on. After Nayla got some pictures there we starting making our way to Laguna Negra (the black lake). It’s at least an hour drive and we passed lots of rolling hills and big farms with hay rolls. We passed the plantano which is a big weird shaped lake. There was a town there where the lake formed so a bunch of buildings are actually under water. Kerri showed me the steeple of the town church that now sticks out of the top of the water, isn’t that awesome? We got to laguna negra and had to take a hike up to the viewing area, it’s a little lake surrounded by huge-huge cliffs, it is really really gorgeous, and lots of people were having picnics. We walked further and came a baby waterfall, we took pictures and put our feet in the water, it was very relaxing and tranquil. We made our way back down and on the side of the path, literally, were cows! Really really big cows! We took pictures and tried to feed them but had to be careful because here the cows have horns too just like bulls! Cesar says that one was pregnant, he knows lots about cows because his father owned several. Something else cool was that the surrounding town owns the mountain and lake, so if they have to chop down trees for safety and they sell the wood, the townspeople get a check in the mail not the government. Cool huh? We left and then drove around a cute town called Vinuesa. Then we stopped at a bar in pita plantano and had some sodas and talked. That’s really it, now im in bed-in a very uncomfortable position because that’s the only way I get internet. Just waiting for a good time to go to bed. :] Now that I am here I feel like it was impossible to live the last 19 years not knowing any of this existed, how incredible to be here.

Today was a really fun day, we got up early around 7, I took a cold shower and then Nayla and I went to get donuts but the panderia (bakers shop) didn’t have any. We drove to Segovia, it’s about a two hour drive but it’s really pretty. Kerri says it’s one of her favorite places in Spain. We visited the Alcazar de Segovia (castle of Segovia) and the stain glass windows were gorgeous-the people looked very realistic, I took a lot of pictures. I felt like a princess ;] they also had lots of cool old chests that were really pretty. The castle also had a large artillery museum that described all the wars and the armor ect. Ect. I wasn’t that interested mostly because it was all in Spanish and I didn’t understand but I did find a book dated 1782 that was cool, I've never seen a book that old. In Segovia there is also a giant aquaduct, it is beautiful and we had some coke and tapas in a restaurant near it. After we left Segovia we went to Avila which is about 45 minutes away from Segovia. When Cesar was working as a bodyguard for the President he and his family owned a villa there and so Cesar spent 5 summers there working. We went to a restaurant there that was really nice I had salad, salmon and cheesecake, muy bien! The town is surrounded by a big stone defense wall, it’s beautiful and very very big. We made our way back to Abejar and I slept on the way. We stopped in a little town for some coke-it was very hot today. When we got back to the house our neighbor had trimmed all the hedges for us and we helped him finish it off. Nayla and Ian then showed me how to play Fronton. It’s like racquetball but you play outside. Nayla’s friends came too and I spoke some Spanish with them :]. Then the clouds got really thick and it started to lightning and thunder. For dinner we had some gazpacho (which is thick tomato soup), salad and shrimp (with their heads still on!) It was great talking to you on video chat! Nayla and I are going to paint our peto’s (the outfit we wear to the fiestas de San Juan in Soria) for the fiestas and then go to bed!

Today I got up at 10 and took a nice warm shower :] I hurried to get ready because we needed to get to Soria at 11 today. We had some hot chocolate milk (cola cao) for breakfast with some galletas (cookies) and we all hurried out the door! It took us about 45 minutes but it felt like longer because it was so hot! We walked all around the town and Nayla showed me where the fiestas will primarily take place. Ian had to get his vests for him, Javier and Jim who just came today, he is alec’s age and he has been teaching English in Bilboa for a year now, he is really nice and I am happy I have another person to speak to in English although his Spanish is very good as well. We found the pita (apartment) that we will be staying at in Soria for most of this week and then we went to the store to get food to stock up on snacks. It is so cool to see the supermarket here. I learned so many words just walking around the store. You should see their seafood section. It’s crazy they keep all the fish eyes still on them and their heads and everything. I don’t really care but most of the time I feel like I know where my food comes from but I still don’t want to see it lying there dead-you know? We also got a giant cured pig leg which is a real delicacy in Spain, Cesar said they bought one for Alec’s birthday for 250 euros. It still has the hoof on it and even has little hairs on the hind leg. Uggh…but the meat was very good. We drove back to Abejar and started making lunch-it was already 4 and I was really hungry. We had steak, leftover shrimp, bread, salad, fries and melon. Very filling. After we went to the pool, Nayla, Ian, Jim and I plus Nayla’s friends, Camino and Lowda who I told you about plus two other girls that I met the other day-they are very nice but I forgot their names. It started to rain so we headed up to the bar and got some drinks and snacks and played cards. We played lots of different Spanish card games, they were fun. We left the pool because it was really getting gloomy but the boys stayed. Nayla and I got back to the house and the girls wanted us to meet them at the school (only about 100 feet from the house) to finishing designing our petos (the overalls). We got there and it really started to rain, we were there for maybe 20 minutes when a full out storm started. I’ve never seen so much rain in my entire life. Lightening and thunder too- Nayla counted how long the thunder sounded after the lightening stroke and said that it was not far at all. We made a run for it a return to the house soaking wet even though the school is only seconds away. The streets were flooded maybe a good inch. The power went out but luckily its on now and hopefully it stays on. I have to say I think Spaniards are much more afraid of thunder than Americans, they act like scared dogs but I don’t know. Cesar’s friend who is a sheep herder has been hit by lightening twice and survived. For dinner we had some jamon (ham), chorizo, bread and cheese and a little lomo. After Nayla and I went out with the girls after the first bar closed on us though I asked Nayla to walk me home. The next week is going to be a nightmare as far as lack of sleep goes so I want to get as much of it as I can.

The fiestas start tomorrow night and I really don’t know if I’ll be able to write. I am so excited to see this part of Spanish culture!

Today we woke up at 1 and had some hot chocolate milk for breakfast. Jim, Nayla, Ian and I played fronton after for a good two hours- my shoulders got sunburned really badly :[. We came back to the house and enjoyed lunch pasta, patatas, bread and salad. I took a shower because I was pretty sweaty after fronton, I am not very good but we played teams so I actually had a chance. No one really cared if you messed up and Jim is worse than I am so that makes me feel good lol. After my shower I took a nap and slept for a good two or three hours. We will need our rest for the fiestas! I woke up and finally finished my peto, the girls came over and signed Nayla’s and mine. We made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner. Camino tried it because she’s only seen them made in movies-she liked it. The boys left because their pina has to get there early because they are in the parade. Nayla says we are leaving around 10. I tried last night and this morning but the internet still isn’t working. The storm last night must have messed things up-it’s not even seeing the network. Ian tried to help but couldn’t get it. We left at ten for Soria, Nayla and I look so good in our petos. We parked and made our way to the main plaza, there are fireworks (not really good ones just lights that go up but don’t explode) and someone important makes a speech about San Juan (the person we are celebrating) from a balcony. Everyone is cheering and the streets are full of smiling faces. Another thing is that the fiestas are very family oriented. There are many children and families as well as old people that come to see the crowd. Its amazing how everyone here is very open to drinking. It’s accepted by everyone no matter the age. Its pretty encouraged actually even the person making the speech declared that we should all get drunk. I like it that way- its better than acting like its some giant secret. The song following-instead of like an anthem or something of significance was called alcohol. We then made our way down to the end of the plaza so we could see the parade of penas as they come by. Ian’s was last and Aldovor (one of Nayla’s cousins) was nice enough squirt us some wine as they walked by. Next all the penas go to their own bars and groups like us (wearing petos ect.) go to the park to meet up and start drinking. The park is pretty open but is surrounded by trees. Here people pee or makeout. Everyone pees in the streets during San Juan, guys will go just a little of the main path but girls usually find a more secretive spot-I peed by a hedge and got my butt scratched by a branch lol. The park was covered with empty bottles of calimocho, I started kicking the plastic around only to find that one was glass-my foot really hurt!! we played a fun game where you sit in a circle someone says a number then the next says an animal and the next makes the animal sound then you keep going around and whoever messes up has to drink. The girls in our group our mostly Lowda’s friends so they are new to both Nayla and I. Most of them are 3-4 years younger than me but they are very nice. Bella is my favorite, she is really sweet and likes to practice English. There are three stages set up in different parts of the city, the first one we went to was playing American rock music ( queen & elvis) it was crap to dance to but Nayla and I were pretty hyper because of the excitement of the fiestas, we were dancing crazy and it was really fun. Boys and girls in Spain don’t dance. I love dancing, it’s my favorite thing about parties. Their idea of dancing is making a circle and then shifting their feet forward and backward. They sing along to the song but I don’t know it so it’s ten times worse. At first I just thought it was Nayla’s friends but it’s everybody. They stand in the middle close to the stage and then they talk, why are you near the stage if you want to talk? The next one we went to had great music and lots of people we got in the center and it was the perfect place. The girls got mad because there wasn’t enough room to make a goddamn circle for them to shift their feet around so we left. When it was time to leave I was relieved.

Today we got up at 11:00 didn’t take showers, put our petos on, drank some hot chocolate milk and drove to where the bulls would be released. We took a really long walk to a good place and saw many of the bulls pass through. It was very beautiful with all the horses. Some bulls however didn’t get into the caral and I don’t think the horsemen were very good not that I know anything about riding horses or getting a bull to run in the direction you need it to. We walked farther down and I got a great seat right on top of the gate where the bulls run through. We had some lunch and Jim met up with us there. The horsemen finally took a break when the bulls wouldn’t budge and had something to eat. I met a really nice guy from Soria. He heard me speaking English to Cesar and told me he liked my camera, he had a lumix too but it was 12x. We talked a little and I was surprised at how impressive his English was, some people try to speak but he had no problem with complex sentences and questions. I took a lot of videos and I’ll explain to you more about the saca when you seen them. My shoulders are completely ruined with burns :/ Right now I am going to take a nap and then we’ll go into Soria tonight and stay at the apartment. I hope I remember everything I do for the next few days because I know I wont have time to write.
This is what I remember from that night (I am writing this on Sunday and you know how my memory is): We hung out with the boys tonight and I am really glad we did, at around midnight we found the pena. Mostly they just bar hop all night but I liked being with Ian, Nayla and Jim because it meant that I wouldn’t be left out of every conversation and that I could speak some English). I danced a lot. I decided not to let it piss me off how stupid they look when they dance instead I just learned to dance like them-except I am a lot better at it than they are. There is a marching band that follows the pena around whenever they go to the next bar and also plays music at the bar. I was dancing through the band and going all through the boys. It was a lot more fun than the previous night. We hung out with them for the majority of the night. At about 4:00am though everyone kind of splits up and does their own thing. At that time the bands close too so everyone goes to the discotechas (disco bars). We went in all of them just to see what they were like, it’s not really my thing though-there’s too many people and the music isn’t very good. Another thing they have here are kabobs. Everyone eats kabobs late at night-it’s weird and their gross-I had a bite but it was too spicy for me. We stopped at a discotecha and Ian started flirting with some girl. Nayla and I took the hint to leave so we went back to the apartment.
Another interesting thing here is that I really don’t find anyone attractive. But when you meet someone you judge them on appearance and I just don’t find anyone attractive. Nayla thinks there are lots of cute boys in Spain but we have very different tastes. I have seen only few guys that I think are attractive and girls too, I look in the crowds or see people and can only point out maybe one or two that I would deem as pretty or beautiful. As far as I am concerned, I am the best looking one here!! Lol. She points out guys to me that she thinks are cute and I gag a little. I don’t know what it is but Spanish boys and girls are not attractive to me. I see more cute guys walking around UNR than I do here and prettier girls just in my sorority house! Weird huh?

Another interesting thing I have seen here is the racism. It is so blatant I find it disturbing. There are Chinese shops here and everyone calls them chinos (highly offensive), they are so rude to the Indian people selling kabobs and they call black people niggers like its nothing, even worse is how they treat gays. Javier tried to explain that here there hasn’t been a martin luther king jr. here and no civil rights but it was a little bit of a shock to me growing up I always thought every where had had a civil rights movement. There is also political unrest here because the basque country wants to be their own country and even radicals in the region around Barcelona don’t consider themselves catalon. So many of the problems here revolve around race.

Today we got up and went to the Plaza de Toros which is where they do the bull fights. We got there at like 10 and just hung out a little. On our way there Nayla and Ian mentioned that everyone dresses up I got worried because I didn’t look nice enough-little did I know they meant costumes, everyone dresses up in costumes. All the guys that we had hung out with last night were dressed up in short wedding dresses, they had fishnet tights and wigs. It was so funny, other people were dressed as nuns, lifeguards, cartoon characters and other things. It is strange here because all the guys dress up as women, I am not sure if they are more open to cross-dressing or just love the attention. Ian bought a dress too and a wig and wore it all day. I hate crowds, I hate crowds because I hate people and crowds are just lots of loud, sweaty, drunk people-the worst kind. It got hot-really hot, I was in my peto and felt disgusting. We started to make our way into the plaza to see the bull fight. In the plaza you can go up to the bleachers or stay in the coral-when a bull dies all the people rush into the plaza and just dance and hang out until the next bull fight is ready. Ian thought it would be a good idea to go in the coral. I was so gross just hot and sweaty and then people were spilling drinks and had water guns filled with wine to shoot you with. When we first made our way into the coral this guy dressed as a cowboy behind me started squirting me in the back. I tried to ignore him but he kept doing it for like 30 seconds right on my neck and in my hair. I turned around and finally grabbed the damn gun from him, I should have hit him with it, I wanted to say something but he wouldn’t understand anyway, I started squirting him in the face with it. So I was already mad because it was hot and gross, I hate wine in my hair and all over and now I was going to be forced to watch a bull die-it was not a good way to start the morning. I have super mixed feelings about the bull fighting. In my opinion if I was a bull I would not want to be made a spectacle of or have my death be entertainment for a bunch of drunk people. You should see the bull, he looks so confused and scared. I wouldn’t want to die asking what is happening, you know? But here they believe that the bull dies a valiant death because he fights til he dies and takes out as many people as he can. Ian said he would rather die fighting than get shot in the head like they do in meat factories in America. He also says that in most places there is a huge respect for the bull, they lead really great lives, are given names and are honored before and after the fight. But that’s not what I saw today. All in all, I think the matter can only be solved if you asked the bull- we are going to eat you, do you want us to shoot you and die quickly or die fighting in a plaza full of people watching? Anyway though, we finally got out of the damn coral when it opened and went up to the stone bleachers. I watched the first part when they did the artistic portion of it but put my eyes down and didn’t watch when they started stabbing it (they do that so they can weaken it for the real matador who does the final kill). I guess some guy came out and grabbed one of the things out of the bull, the bull got him pretty bad-I wish he killed him, I wish the bull killed all of them- I know that's bad to say but I am rooting for the bull!! Ian and Nayla were ok leaving before the real matador came out-I didn’t want to see anything by mistake. We made our way to the park where we met Kerri and Cesar for coke (I have been drinking a lot of coke) and tapas. It was amazing to see the difference, two blocks away there are at least 1000 people in the streets and here older people are in a quiet setting enjoying lunch. Afterwards Nayla and I went back to the piso to shower and rest. It was so tiring and I didn’t want to do anything but sleep.
That night Cesar and Kerri took us all out to dinner. I forgot what I had but I remember being stuffed! The place was called Don Quiote and I would go back just for the rum cake I had for dessert. Nayla and I went to the park to meet up with her friends, we sat in the grass again and drank and talked-I didn’t drink much and I definitely didn’t talk. It got more fun though when we met up with the boys, Ian’s cousin Javier came and was so funny. He is a giant goofball and knows some English so I never feel left out. Jim went home pretty early, he took the keys and said he would let us in (the cell phone doesn’t work so there is minimal communication). When Nayla and I decided to go home we rang the bell for at least 20 minutes and no answer. We had to go all the way back to the discotecha to get Ian and get the other set of keys. When we finally got back Jim was passed out on the bed and apparently didn’t hear anything. When we finally got in, I took a shower and crashed. One of the phrases I learned last week was Estas Como un Tren (you are like a train). Nayla, Ian and I all thought it meant like your handsome or you’re built. I said it to Javier and he looks really blushed and embarrassed and he says to me, you have a boyfriend. I was confused and say yes but I can still tell you youre handsome. Apparently, Estas Como un Tren means something similar to I want to make out with you. I was so embarrassed but Javier was a really good sport about it and just makes fun of me for it. Once he explained it to us we all laughed. I have to admit I was more than a little embarrassed and I didn’t want him to think I liked him! Funny the things that get lost in translation. The other day a boy told nayla in Spanish that she dropped her paper, Nayla and I were confused and started looking all around us. We found out later that that means he thinks she’s cute and that she dropped her wrapper- like she is sweet like a candy bar and has come out of her shell (or wrapper) lol. The things you learn!

We didn’t wake up until 5 o’ clock so the day was pretty much shot. We watched shows in Spanish and just hung out. Javier was pretty sick. Spaniards drink very differently than Americans. They don’t do shots here, they are really slow drinkers too. They drink a lot but over a long period of time, where Americans try to get as drunk as possible as quickly as possible-just a difference I have noticed. Paula, Javier’s girlfriend, invited us all to dinner at her house. They were doing fireworks that night and she lives not two blocks away. We walked to her house-really fast because none of us had eaten all day. This apartment was incredible-top floor-you could see have the city from the balcony. We had pizza, patatas, chorizo and jamon. I also ate pigs tongue!! They told us to try it but wouldn’t tell us what it was-Ian and Nayla had their suspicions but I didn’t understand what was going on I only understood that they wanted us to try it. I was really good but and I ate it but regretted it a little when they told me what it was. Ugh! Happy I tried something new though :] The fireworks were gorgeous, I don’t think I’ve ever had a view so good! There were these spiral ones that were really pretty. There was also one that made a big number 8 in the sky. After dinner we cleaned up and watched wedding crashers-in Spanish of course (not as funny). I was feeling not myself at all that night- maybe its cause I didn’t do anything that day but this partying every night is really causing some stress. After the movie we went to the Farias (fair) which is just a section of the city where they have some rides and games, like the Rodeo in Reno, Nevada. We went on this one ride called the grasshopper, it was fun. The best was the Caballo (horse). There are three “horses” that have long bodies of that cushiony bouncy stuff. You basically climb on and hold on. The horses go up and down and side to side trying to push you off. I was in the very back and was laughing the hardest I have in a really long time. Because I was in the back I could see everyone! You know how I love it when people fall but this was ten times better. I told you how everyone is really short-their tiny legs can’t reach the ground so when the horse would go to the right I would stick out my legs to support myself but they can’t reach the ground so they would just fall! Then they would try to get back on while its moving and they would just fall again. There were like 10 people on the ground all around me, it was really really fun. After we did the bumper cars but it took me like five minutes to figure out how to get out of reverse so it wasn’t much fun. We went on the grasshopper again and after Nayla and I really didn’t feel good. I think we ate too much candy-everyone is getting drunk and throwing up but we're getting sick from candy? -wow what glorious preschoolers we are lol. We walked back to the city and hung out for a while when it started to rain. I told you how Spaniards are in the rain-everyone scattered-it wasn’t even bad at first. People were hiding under the stage and inbetween doors. Nayla and I just danced in it while everyone watched. We got some candy and just walked around and then danced again. Somebody threw ice at me and missed (twice) and after that I stopped dancing, I don’t want ice thrown at me. While everyone was hiding we found the pena, they were dancing too and had their marching band. We danced with them while they dropped of the band at their hostal, it took a while though because we kept doing oncores. I don’t know how but the drunken boys had gotten a hold of a wheelbarrel and started acting like it was a bull. They picked the drunkest guy to run behind it and chase after all the others. Nayla’s friend got flattened and then this other guy got hit hard. It started to really rain though, hard and uncomfortable. I had to pee and had nowhere to go. At around 5:30am I asked Ian to take me home. I took a warm shower and headed to bed. Nayla didn’t get home til 8:30am and Ian and Jim got home at 12 in the afternoon. Oh my goodness, these fiestas are definately built for Spanish locals not American tourists (not that I would have it any other way!) but I am dying!

Cesar came and got us from the piso at one -Nayla and I felt the same, there is nothing to do there during the day and it just becomes uncomfortable, we are not the kind of people that can sleep all day and party all night. We had a big lunch and now are taking naps. Ian doesn’t want to go to Barcelona because I guess it is hot and miserable. But we are still thinking about going to San Sebastian this weekend. There is a giant three day concert in Bilboa this weekend with Jack Johnson, 30 Seconds to Mars, Blondie, Coldplay and others and I am really hoping we do that. It’s more fun I think when you have a plan of what you are doing instead of getting to Bilboa or San Sebastian and being like what do we do know? But I would also like to see the Gugenhiem museum.
Cesar and Kerri said something today that has made an impact, they believe that as a kid you should go crazy because it’s the only time you can.
That night we headed back to Soria. Ian and Jim ate dinner for the pena so Nayla and I hung just her and I. We went to the bar and ordered our favorite drink-Malibu con pina. It took about a half hour because there were so many goddamn people. Then we went to the farias and rode the caballo loco ride again and had some churros. Our phone doesn’t make outgoing calls so we didn’t know how to find our friends. Luckily we found Ian’s pena and danced and hung out with them for a long time. After we went to the discotecha. We went home around five I think.

Today was the Lunes de Bailes and everyone goes down to the river to drink and listen to music. We went with Kerri and Cesar at like 3 and it doesn’t start until 5 so there was lots of time to just do nothing. We walked a little ways to this awesome church built on the side of the river. It was constructed on top of natural caves so half church is inside and half built on top, it’s pretty cool. We some jamon and bread and got ice cream, I had strawberry-delicious! Then people started coming, we said hi. I was so happy when Ian suggested that we go and clean the piso and leave with his parents early (so we’d only be out til like 3). We went to the ceremony where they say goodbye to San Juan and then we went to the fairias for a little bit. I got a hot dog and a coke and then we went on this big swinging ship ride where you stand in a cage, I sat down in the cage because I was scared :[. Then we danced a little and I was happy to head to Abejar at 3.