Barca Barca Barca!

So we officially have about 2 days until we head to Barcelona. I am thrilled... we leave at 7:30 in the AM on Friday morning and drive for about 6 hours. The weekend will be so insane. And I don't just mean partying, cause honestly that will be amazing, but I am there to see the sights, not get drunk off my ass. I think there are a lot of the kids in our program that might not agree with me, but whatever. There is a phrase in Spanish "Vale la pena". It literally means Is it worth the hardship?, and in English we would say Do the means justify the ends? I am finding that this phrase applies a lot to the things and people in my life here. There are too many examples to explain that properly, but for example, Barca. Would it really be worth it for me to go out Tuesday night to Beer Pong, Thursday night until the wee hours when I have to meet at 6:50 AM, and then take a 6 hours bus ride when I already get carsick to begin with? And on top of all this, I have a minor head cold. To me, I don't vale la pena, and I know that I will be much happier if I do things my own way than giving in to others just for the sake of the crowd. Regardless, I definitely and super emocionada (very excited!) to head to the city... I have heard such wonderful things and although we won't get to make it to the Barca - Bilbao game, we will get to visit the Sagrada Familia, the amazingly inventive and beautiful cathedral designed by Antonio Gaudi. His masterpiece yet remains unfinished, but the work continues and I can't wait to see it. The vale is definitely worth the pena where that in concerned...

Una mes

So it just occurred to me that tomorrow marks one month that I have been here in Spain, in Alicante. It seems unreal, and does not feel like a whole month at all. That sounds so cheesy, I know lol Like when you are in middle school and you have been dating someone for a month and you're like, "Omg, I'm in love!" But really, I'm in love with this place... there are things that bug the shit out of me. Like the fact that my house is ALWAYS 100% of the time colder than the outside temperature. Or that when I think I'm getting a great deal when something is on rebaja for only 10 euro, I am actually spending almost 20$. And of course, walking everywhere is hard for a girl who doesn't wear tennis shoes unless she is working out. But honestly, the amount of things I dislike are very few compared to those que me encantan (that enchant me). I love the people here, they are so friendly. And even though I hate having to take the bus to class everyday, I love to people watch for the half hour long ride. And of course, who DOESN'T love el Barrio? That bar district could top Columbus's any day of the week by a long shot... the weather, the beach, the food, the sangria, mi madre, my new friends, even the school work... I really do love this place. Even after only one month.

Oh boy...

Man do I have a lot to fill you guys in on... last week was pretty boring, so it´s mostly this weekend that has anything worth mentioning. I kind of settled into a routine during the first two weeks of class from 9-11, a short break for a snack, and then class again from 11:30-1:30. Then I either went to the gym for a half hour or so, or just went home. I would eat lunch with mi madre, take a siesta (normally), and then either go out, do homework, or shop :) Then I would have dinner around 8 or 9, and skype with my family around 11. It was hard because even though I got to siesta most days, I still had to get up at 6:45 to catch the bus every morning. So this week (which brought later classes!) was a very welcome break. But the interesting stuff starts with the weekend...

Friday night was pretty typical, a bunch of us met us and we got some tapas before heading to the Barrio for some fun ;) This time though, we went to this little taparia close to my house where the waiter, who apparently was  fan of a couple of the girls and of Americans in general, gave us free shots of tequila to start out the night. Always a nice kick-off... haha. Barrio, dancing, Spanish boys, chupitos (shots), more dancing, taxi ride home because heels are killing your feet, end scene.

Saturday I woke up around noon and lounged in my PJs for a while before I heard the doorbell ring. I guess I had forgotten that my family was coming over because soon my madre was calling me and telling me there was someone to see me... I open my bedroom door to find the cutest pint sized little tot EVER staring me in the face with Spongebob Squarepants in one hand and a ball in the other. I was in love... this little mass of adorableness is known as Borga, my madre's grandson. He is sooooooo freaking cute!!! He had been sick with what they thought was the chicken pox for about a week so I hadn't been able to see him (or any of my family for that matter) and I guess Saturday was when he got better. Soon after my brother and his girlfriend arrived who I also really liked. We had a big family lunch of chicken paella (which mi madre makes soooo well!) and talked. They all said I speak Spanish really well. Boy, have I got them fooled! haha And my new cuñada (sister in law) Esther invited me to a bar that she works at called Pixies. She said she was working Saturday night and that she would get me and my friends some shots...

Boy, did she EVER! We got there and right away it was tequila shots, on the house. It was a secret from her boss, who was there, but then later he took one with us too! We knocked a few back, talked a lot, and then left to DANCE!!! We ended up finding a lot of other kids from our group and went to this place with 3 floors all made for dancing. My favorite :) We danced the night away and then walked home because the next dayyyyy...

I got to go to Plaza de Toros and watch a mock bull fight with my madre! Her co-worker's daughter is actually in the bull-fighting school here in Alicante, and is one of like 3 girls in the school. She is the protegee of the second woman bullfighter in all of Spain, Angela. This lady is like a legend, and although she is old and gray now, she is still very upbeat and fiery haha It was sooo cool, I honestly can´t even put it into words. The history was so apparent, and even though it was only a practice for the students, it was so amazing to say that I had been able to witness something like that. We met up with some of mi madre's amigas and another girl that is the 'daughter' of one of mi madre's friends. Then, home for comida, siesta, y otras cosas (other things).

Monday morning I hopped on a bus for a trip around the provinces of Alicante, which are basically other towns. We got to see the town of Villajoyosa, which literally means 'happy village', and which has houses all the colors of the rainbow and is right on the beach. It was so beautiful and the historic Church was fascinating. We travelled to Guadalest, which has a mansion-house from the early centuries which is now a museum. The town is actually located on a mountain and it was freezing! We definitely didn't dress for snow or rain, which we encountered. But again, the little village was adorable and very picturesque. Finally, we stopped at a town caled Campello, which has a famous chocolate shop named Valor. Churros con chocolate (basically, just giant pieces of funnel cake that you dip in melted Hershye's bars) is the specialty there. Then we all went out on the beach and the rock pier. It was so much fun and we were all exhausted at the end of the day.

Today began the first day of legit classes and so far, so good:) I am excited to finally get into a routine and have a nice schedule to follow. I work much better when I am busy or have a schedule to get into. This week will be different and new things are definitely going down...

Can't a girl get some decent champú or acondicionador around this place?!

Soooooooo people here don't use conditioner. Well, I mean, they DO... sort of. Long story short, I went shopping today for shampoo (champú), conditioner, lotion, all that good stuff, but lo and behold, when I got to the conditioner part (of the aisle), there was none! I saw two different types of conditioner (labeled as acondicionador): Treseme has a nice looking brand, but it was not nicely priced at 5.45 euro a bottle. That would translate to a little over 7$. Also, there was a sasquatch sized bottle for about 4 something euros, but again, I didn't want that giganto thing to take up all my shower room and also it was kind of sketchy looking. No scent! Finally Rachael and I asked a lady about this masquilla thing that we found: it works the same way, just you leave it on for longer. And would you look at that! Only 1,70 euros for a tub!! They even had different kinds for different hair types :) My rizado (curly) hair couldn't be happier...

Ser un arma de doble filo

This is a phrase signifying to be a double edged sword, or that something is tricky business. I have discovered that there are many words that 'son un arma de doble filo'...

1) paja: noun, meaning blow-job. we learned this word from out teacher actually. I know what you are thinking "Why is your teacher letting you in on words like this???" But actually, it is very helpful. The question was raised how you say 'straw' (like the thing you drink from) in class the other day. Our teacher told us that the word for straw is 'pajita', literally meaning 'little blow-job'. However, when you say this in context, for instance in a restaurant or cafe, it is taken to mean straw. We had good fun with this one.

2) polla: noun, meaning dick. This one was learned from a French guy we met in a club, and then went to KFC with at 2 in the AM. Yes, Spaniards go hard, so KFC being open at 2AM is actually less strange than there actually being a KFC here haha But I digress... we were talking about the chicken, the word for which is 'pollo'. Notice the difference in the endings, because its very important. Being stupid Americans, we were drunk and mistakenly said 'nos gustan la polla muchisimo!'. Ugh. Ya, it happened... in the middle of KFC at 2AM. Fortunately, the rest of the customers were fellow club-going, Americanos borrachados (drunk Americans). The guys behind the counter had crossed eyes and were pissed at us for making so much noise, so I think they tried to ignore us as much as possible; hopefully they didn't hear. Otherwise, it might have increased their opinions of American chicas as sluts lol But fortunately, the Frenchman only laughed a little bit, and corrected us. Thank God...

3) Echar un polvo: verb, literally meaning to throw dust, it translates somehow to pour milk, or have a screw. I'm not sure how it works, but it does. And if you hear someone saying it, don't respond positively. Like in the movie Mean Girls when Jason asks Cady if she would like her muffin buttered, or if she wants them to assign someone to 'butter her muffin'. No. Ew. Gross. Dirty. It basically means 'Let's Fuck' in much nicer terms.

4) Un coño: noun, female genitalia. Not to be confused with ¡coño!, which means "stupid!" as in "I'm so stupid! I forgot my keys at home!" or "Stupid! Why did you do that?" No no no (as our teacher would say), un coño is the less beautiful part of the female anatomy. Again, I'm not sure how the two are related, and frankly, I'm not sure I want to know.

That completes my list of dirty/double edged words for now. When I learn more (as I'm sure I will, since we don't learn them in school) I'll make sure to let you know ;)

Monks

Today on the way home I saw out of the bus window three monks... they were dressed in the stereotypical brown sackcloth robes with white ropes around their waists. I had no idea where they were from or if there is a particular monastery or hermitage nearby where I saw them. I did a little bit of research and one of each but they are both slightly too far away for it to make sense. When I get the chance to explore more the other parts of the city I will definitely look for it. I have never seen a legit fully robed monk before, with the shaved head and all. It was just super interesting... we shall see....

Canciones y Programas

So yesterday I was unwinding after a long and very eventful Friday night, watchin' some boob tube in the ole Spanish casa, when I happened upon the movie Legally Blonde. Watch that in Spanish sometime, its hilarious! The movie is shot in English, and the language is changed, so there are just voice overs of all the characters but you can watch their mouths moving in English and out of sync with the Spanish words. It really is a trip... then today the madre and I watched The Devil Wears Prada, which wasn't so much funny as just intriguing, like it was a soap opera or something. This morning when I got up, I watched Sex and the City, which in Spain is referred to as Sexo en Nueva York. I love that show, and watching it in Spanish was great :) Besides the TV and movies, which many of are American made, the music that is played in stores and at clubs is mostly American too. Maybe I am just going to the wrong places haha but for the most part, I hear English songs everywhere! its funny to go to the clubs and see everyone there dancing to songs that we have been dancing to for months.