Yep, I know that I'm about to put a whole bunch of days into one blog, but it's much simpler that way. Later, I'll attach pictures that offer more details about these days, but for now, I'm just going to sum them up.
Olivia and I had a pleasant stay with Paco and Mamen for two nights. In the full day that we stayed with them, Paco took us to a cafe to eat delicious churros dipped in melted chocolate, and later to the center of Barcelona. I didn't remember hardly anything about the city, even though I'd been there about four times, since I was only twelve the last time I went. I was astonished by the architecture at the heart of Barcelona, and Paco told us the history about a few of the buildings.
On Wednesday, September 28, Olivia and I woke up at 5:30am to get ready for our six-hour train ride to Málaga. After a quick breakfast, we said goodbye to Mamen. Meanwhile, always ready to be early for any and all appointment, our great uncle waited downstairs for us. During the car ride, he cracked O and I up as he seriously explained how he could not stand being late. He said that at his job at a Barcelona police station, there was always at least one person would always be 5 minutes late. We arrived at the train station at 7:15, and our train wasn't scheduled to leave until 8:30. We drank cafés con leche, relaxing together. This is a part of the Spanish culture that I love: having café con leche and talking. After that break, in which Olivia and I woke up a bit more, we said a sad goodbye to our incredible great uncle.
The one thing that sticks with me the most from the train ride is an elderly couple. Yup, it sounds weird, but it's true. When Olivia and I were in line to present our train tickets, this elderly couple had a small fight about who had brought "the bag." I honestly do not normally laugh at others like this, but, God, you had to have been there. Olivia and I started laughing our heads at their fierce Spanish argument, then had to cover it up by talking in English, pretending to tell a joke. It didn't help, though, that they ended up being in our same train car, and everytime either of us saw the woman, we started laughing histerically again.
Six hours later (almost on the dot; I highly recommend AVE trains because they're quite puntual), we arrived at the Màlaga train station and were greeted by our grandmother, who we call Abuelita, and her sister, Chary. We took a bus to the town that Abuelita lives in, Alhaurín de la Torre, about 15 minutes in car and 30 minutes in bus from Abuelita had ordered some of the best pollo asado, rotisserie chicken, I've ever had.
The next week and a half passed with rest, relaxation, some boredom, and amazing food cooked up by our chef-status Abuelita (she's not technically a chef, but she could be, and once she cooked a meal for more than a hundred people).
Some highlights:
Celia, Dani, Isabel, and Enrique: These are our neighbors. Celia is 9, and Dani is 15. We met them when we stayed with Abuelita for a month two years ago. They were our only friends. (I know that sounds sad, but it's really not. Though we hung out with fellow teenagers a grand total of two times, I wasn't interested in reaching out to others. I can be kinda socially awkward around people my age; I'm just not a fan of all of the judgement that seems to be an integral part of teenage life wherever you are. I am more interested in having a few very close friends than having many casual ones.). Their parents, Isabel and Enrique, recently separated, which is unfortunate. Isabel is a caring, honest woman who is a true animal lover. Enrique is a kind man with a powerful moral code. This is a wonderful family. Olivia and I hung out with Celia and Dani a bit during this first week and a half, and Isabel comes over almost every morning to talk with Abuelita. Enrique sometimes takes his children on weekend trips, and they often invite us along.
ABC Ropero: Two days after we arrived at Alhaurín, Olivia and I started volunteering at a used clothing store catered toward the impoverished citizens of the town. We decided to volunteer there for three hours every Friday, sorting donated clothes, dusting, and doing various odd jobs. At the ropero, we met some wonderful people: Sarah, the owner, is a British woman who speaks beautiful Spanish; Carla is a Belgian woman who speaks both English and Spanish, and Marie Carmen is a kind Spanish woman who is one of the most warm-hearted people I've met.
Kickboxing class: This is a freaking awesome and free class that Olivia and I started to go to. We took two classes, enjoying the hard workout. I really hope that we'll be able to find a similar class back in the States.
Exercise: Other than kickboxing, I tried to establish some kind of workout schedule. This means that I actually went running!! (I know, it's shocking. I couldn't believe that I had actually done it after I finished my first fifteen-minute time. Yeah, yeah, fifteen might not be long for many, it's a decent amount of time for me.)
The worst and best parts of these first few weeks in Alhaurín: Let's start with the worst, which really wasn't too bad. I found out a bit late in the game that an enormous scholarship application was due October 15. Work time! I worked every day for at least an hour on the application until October 9. Sometimes, I would work on it for four or five hours in one day. But it really wasn't that bad. It was nice to have something to do, to have accomplished something more than reading and watching TV every day. The best: a language interchange program from 7-9pm every Friday. It was started by a Brit whose name is Dave. He is a wonderful person, always cracking jokes (normally self-deprecating ones), chatting, and making everyone feel included. He has the best Spanish accent I've ever heard from a non-native Spanish speaker. I thought he was Spanish the first time we met, when Olivia asked him in Spanish of if he knew anything about the program. When we entered the cafe (which was literally thirty seconds away from Abuelita's house), there were only two other people there, excluding the bartender/waiter. Olivia asked the two men if they knew anything about the program, and they said that they were at the cafe for the same purpose. We introduced ourselves. The man with Dave (whose name I can't remember) is Dutch, and he knows English and was there to practice his Spanish. Dave asked what we were there for, and was surprised to discover that we were American. Soon, we were all talking together in English, Dave with his British accent and the other man with a Dutch lilt to his speech. Other people arrived soon, like Lydia and Ramirez. Lydia is Dave's daughter who is a senior in high school, and she's taking online classes to "get her A-levels," not that I know what that entails. Ramirez, her boyfriend, is an attractive Argentinian guy of her same age. I really enjoyed talking with two Spanish women who were in grad school at the University of Malaga. Victoria and I especially got along well. She was studying to be a history teacher. How cool! We each got great practice, her talking in English and me talking in Spanish. I love these meetings.
Okay, that's all for now. I'm sure that when I add pictures, I'll come up with a heckuva a lot of other things to add.
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