Trucos en Cangas de Onis

This past weekend our group took a trip the mountains for our American Dinner in Cangas de Onis. Our whole group was super excited for this trip because we were going to be preparing a bunch of “American” food that reminded us of home. We had to do all the shopping for food and everything. On Saturday, the group drove to Cangas at 10 while Kevin, Jon, and myself were voted to take the bus since there was not enough room in the cars. Not a big deal. Sort of funny tho. “Hey we are driving to the mountains! Meet at the hats at 10:30…except Kevin, Blake, and Jon you guys need to be at the bus station at 930 and pay 10E to take the bus.” Ha. We made it worthwhile. Bought some donuts and oj for the trip and just popped in our ipods and we were set. When we arrived in Cangas de Onis we called for someone to pick us up for the station and then started planning out what trickery we were going to play on some people in the group. Our house that we stayed in was pretty spectacular. Nothing extremely fancy but incredibly beautiful. After setting our bags down, we were informed that we didn’t have enough room in the cars for everyone to go hiking. Kevin, jon, and I volunteered to stay back and just relax. Sort of an ongoing theme, huh? It was great tho. We went inside and my mind immediately started scheming as to how we should play tricks on the group. Since there was already an issue on the number of beds we were going to have we decided to be sure to label our “beds” since we had already had to take the bus to Cangas and then stay back from the hike. This idea progressed into stealing all of the other mattresses and sticking them in the rafters. It was pretty ingenious and a lot of fun. we were very pleased with our work! After our deviance, we headed into town for some snacks. Upon returning, we just sat outside, played some guitar and soaked up the sun/spectacular view. When everyone got back from their various activities we anxiously waited for the moment when they noticed their beds were gone. UNFORTUNATELY, that moment never came. Somehow, Luna got the idea that it was the landlord who put the mattresses up in the rafters. To keep them dry or something like that. Serious? Luna, come on, why would someone do that? Haha ridiculous! Let’s look at the facts. You left 3 boys at home along with the key, the mattresses were there when you left. All of the mattresses are in the rafters when you return, minus the 3 beds that are labeled with said 3 boys. The large ladder is missing. It seems like something should add up. But it never did! Hopefully, the album I put on facebook with pictures of us in the act will show them! Nonetheless, it was very fun committing the act! The rest of the weekend was a blast too. Lots of dancing, good food, guitar, and french toast in the morning! All around fun.

Another day in the mountains and a bit of lounging.

Oh Spain. Some days I love it and some days I just don’t understand it (or what’s being said in it). Last Saturday, some people from our group went hiking in Teverdga with Luna and Paula (they are our advisors here). This is the same place we went hiking before although we did not hike the same peak. There are so many mountains in this part of the country. I love it. This hike was much more fun than the last one we went on because we took some harder routes and were able to find a few faces to climb. We peaked at one of the highest in the range and the view was fantastic. There was actually a bit of calima (fog or haze) lingering so it wasn’t perfectly clear but nonetheless enchanting. On the way down to this very small lake Luna and Paula kept talking about, my impulses got the best of me when I jumped down to surprise Sean while he was taking a picture of a flower. I rolled my ankle. So the rest of the hike was more of a hobble for me but it was still enjoyable. While hiking back we came to a snag in the trail or rather a cliff that would not allow us to take the short way back to the car. This meant we would have to hike all the way around and up and over a peak. This did not sound like an awesome idea for a weak ankle. So, Kevin and I found a place on the cliff where we would be able to shimmy down the side and take a v-line to the car. No one else thought it looked like a good/safe idea but it really wasn’t too bad…just a lot of thorns. It was a lot of fun hiking down with Kevin. I felt like I was actually on a hike because from then on we were more or less just making our own path thru woods, thorns, pastures, and rocks. We also only sort of knew where the cars were parked. Our directions were: Go over these mountains find the road and go up. Ha. Sounds like a plan. Kevin and I didn’t even bother finding the road. Our sense of direction proved to be phenomenal and after braving the thorns and cliffs we came over a hill straight in line with our cars. It was a fantastic feeling. We then sat, enjoyed a bocadillo (a delicious sandwich), listened to music, and waited the hour and a half that it took the other group to arrive. Our way was much better. That night we were planning to go to an Opera at Teatro de Campoamor, which is a large performance theatre in Oviedo. Unfortunately, we called and most of tickets were sold out and the only seats left were very bad. we decided to wait since we were all exhausted from the hike. Instead, I met up with Sean and Jon at Isla de Cuba, our favorite hangout, and just geeked out and played with my laptop. It was nice to just hangout, search the web, and drink some coffee while waiting for the ibuprofen to kick in. The next day was pretty low key as well. Slept in a bit, ate breakfast, then went to an auto show outside Catedral (huge cathedral in the downtown area). This was no auto show, by the way, it was a Volkswagen auto show – made my day! Even though the long walk wasn’t the best on my ankle, I really loved getting the chance to see how Spaniards do Volkswagens. There were some really nice buses and beetles there. No buses pre-1968 so they were all very similar to mine. It was a fun time. I took lots of pictures. The rest of my Sunday consisted of rest and a bit of studies. I did watch Terminator 3 with Manolo for a bit. He likes action movie; Rambo, Terminator, Walked Texas Ranger, you name it. Today, I went to the gym, forced myself to work out, then came back for lunch. Margarita and her son Gabriel were there (M is Doris’s daughter-in-law, and G is her grandson) and they were talking with Doris about some problems Gabriel was having at school. I think they were talking about how kids were teasing him about his weight. I felt bad about the situation. I guess those sort of issues happen everywhere in the world. I remember learning in one of my classes in the states about Spain and there openness in describing people. The lesson was that the it is acceptable to describe people as gordo (fat), but I guess it is not always the case. I wish I understood more of the conversation. Oh well. Right now it is just about 2:00. I have class from 4-7 tonight, exciting. Bueno, me piro a Isla de Cuba. Hasta Luego . Pasalo bien dia!

Backtrack to Saturday.

Saturday, February 09, 2008

Today is one of those days where I just coast along. Last night I left early from hanging out with the group. We had played ping pong and it just wasn’t the same with this new paddle I bought. It is heavy and the handle is not easy to maneuver. I really like my old paddle. So I left to go home early because of that and I just had stuff on my mind and didn’t feel like hanging out with other people. This morning I woke up early to go to the gym which was a pretty good workout. Came back to the house ate lunch and then Manolo went to work and got our hands dirty (or gluey) fixing the paddle. I have high hopes for this paddle. I think it is going to pull through. I was freaking out tho when Manolo was helping. He kept pulling the handle where it was cracked and was making the crack bigger! I was getting so frustrated and kept trying to grab it away from him so he wouldn’t make it worse. Cuidado Manolo! I said that a lot. I would have much rather had the paddle in my own hands. I hated the idea of having the fate of my paddle in another person’s hands. I think it should work tho. Cross your fingers. This afternoon I am heading to play some fùtbol with some guys from Oregon and the guys who I played with in Iowa, it should be fun. I haven’t actually ran and played in quite some time so this might be interesting.

A new day.

Well, I have slept off my devastation of the fallen paddle and have taken a positive outlook on the day. I recruited Manolo's help in repairing the paddle and we are going to borrow some tools from Juan (Manolo's son) tonight and see what we can come up with. We found some wood glue that should suffice but what we really need is some clips that we will be able to hold the paddle in place while in dries. It is going to be a very delicate process. I am indeed very nervous about it. Surgery is a scary thing...
Anyway, at this moment i am sitting in a nice little cafe using there wifi and drinking an incredibly (and delicious) coffee. Chris Sparks, you would love it. The only problem is they only give you enough for 5 sips. I am enjoying the day though. I have put on Ok GO and it has put me in a great mood. The bright warm sunshine is also helping. I have one class today --- Gramaticas. I enjoy that class alot. The professor is super nice and easy to understand. After class, i will probably go paddle shopping. not saying my paddle will not be repaired, it is just to have a backup. So that is my day.

A little about my thoughts on living in this country:
This country is incredibly beautiful. My favorite thing right now is hopping on the bus for 3 euros to Gijon and spending the day on the beach. It is only a 20 minute bus ride. Soon i will surf there. I am finally comfortable at home and am talking more with Manolo and Doris. I still think Doris is very hard to understand. She talks very fast and has poor diction. I sometimes feel as though she is just yelling at me while speaking. I am coming to find i enjoy Manolo very much. He is easier to understand and likes to joke around. I think he enjoys having another guy in the house (i am the first male exchange student they've had). I am growing accustom to the food as well. Not a day goes by though that my friends and I talk about our American food cravings. I think I am learning alot as well. It doesnt always feel like it because i am still so far off from being fluent but everyday i learn something new so as long as i can remember what i learn i should be in good shape. The biggest thing i have learned here though is perspective. A perspective on how much i love home and my country and my culture. I have found that alot of the practices here seem a bit ridiculous to me. For example, water is super expenisve here. Before leaving my classmates and i were informed to be mindful of how much water we use in the shower. Thats legit. But the thing that confuses me is this: They hose the streets down with thousands of gallons of water EVERY night. They also have drinking fountains spouting out water 24 hrs a day. Seems strange to me. The working hours are also very strange to me. Their day does not start until very late in the day and then they take a break midday (closing everything) and then opening up again for a few hours. It just does not seem very efficient nor effective to me. Oh yea, and grocery stores do not stay open past 9. Crazy. Cheers to Hy-Vee. One last thing, people aren't able to hang out at other peoples house. You always must meet at a cafe. I like hanging out at the house. Mostly because you not have to pay to do it. Anyway, my two cents. I do like spain tho. Very beautiful. AND they have ping pong tables OUTSIDE! cant be that.

Glasses, paddles and more...

Feb 6

I am incredibly frustrated right now. Apart from having the overwhelming feeling of not understanding the majority of things people say to me and emotions that are coming out of right field, I just received word from UPS that they tried to deliver my glasses today but Doris was unable to receive it because she had to pay money for the package. Ok , legit. How much was it Doris? Ciento tres. Que? She said 103.23. That is in euros. So I have to pay roughly $150 to receive my blasted glasses! Unbelievable!!! The Spanish government is having its way with me with these taxes. That is absurd how much they want!! I could have bought glasses here for that amount of money!!! This was not good news. I am furious. Spain, you are not impressing me.

Feb 7

A terrible thing happened tonight. The night actually started out well. Ping pong at the park. Jon was the only other one who showed up. For those of you who do not know, a bunch of the guys usually meet up at parque de San Francisco and play ping pong before we go out. we have some intense games and it is a total blast. if you have never played outdoor ping pong i would suggest it. But anyway, tonight it was just me and jon. It was a good time though, a good chance for me to run some ideas by him and get his opinion. We talked about the apartment for next year, the wild dance parties, decorations, just the regular stuff. After that, we walked to meet up with our group to go over our plans for the upcoming weekend with our group for the American Dinner, which is where we go out into the mountains and prepare a bunch of American cuisine for ourselves and indulge. Pretty normal night. Luna couldn’t make it. Paula was late. We played a terrible game of pool. Ok, skipping ahead, I had my ping pong paddle in my back pocket, forgot about it when sitting on a couch and cracked it. CRACKED IT! It might not be repairable. Tomorrow I will be going to corte ingles to find some glue and then resurrecting my beloved paddle. Honestly, it feels like a part of me has died! I am so devastated. I left salsa dancing early in respect of the fallen paddle. Way to go Blake…sitting on your paddle? Lame.

Oh yea. My glasses arrived again today and I ended up paying them the absurd amount of money they asked for. Hopefully mis padres en EEUU will give UPS the peace of mind they deserve. I really like my glasses tho.

Sunday, February 03, 2008

Well this is my first entry into my laptop blog for Spain. Right now I have been here for about a month and I think I am finally getting the hang of everything. This, though, is not saying that I am getting the language down! True, I understand more and I am able to communicate but not near to the extent I would like to be able to! Yesterday was a good day. Sean, Jon, and I called it an early night on Friday after a nice little laptop party at Isla de Cuba, a nice little café with free wifi. Saturday morning I woke up early (for Spain) at 9:30 and went to Los Prados to mail some stuff and look for some swimming/shower sandals. I didn’t really find any sandals that I liked or a price I was willing to pay for so I made my way to some of the chino stores they have around town. I found one store with sandals but the sizes were small and they looked like they were stocked in 1997. I left. I didn’t get far though because I really wanted to go swimming at the gym I workout at and I knew that if I didn’t buy any sandals there I would not be able to swim. At that realization, I turned around and bought the overly colorful sandals that were a size and a half too small for 2 euros. A great purchase I thought. This purchase led to one of my most uncomfortable situations in Spain. When I arrived at the gym I did not really feel like working at all so I got on a bike for a little bit until Sean was finished with his cardio workout and while Jon was still arriving (we all obviously workout at the same gym). I was on the bike for a maybe 6 minutes before Jon arrived and after that I justified stopping because I was incredibly sore from the last 4 days of solid workouts. I stretched for a bit and then told the guys I was making my move to try the pool. This is an intimidating thing because nobody in our group knows exactly how it works down there or what you are supposed to do to be able to enter. We tried to go in one day and were quickly shooed out. I had figured out that you must wear sandals to enter the pool area and so that’s what I was gunning for. Just get in and go from there. With the a confident attitude I changed into my suit (in the wrong locker room mind you) and walked down the stairs in my over colored sandals and very blue flowery shorts. I was looking good. I made my way thru the correct locker room to the pool entrance and was home free. I went thru the doors and was immediately stopped by a girl about my age, who immediately starting rambling something out in Spanish. She was talking soo fast I had not a chance to comprehend. I eventually told her I am a beginner at the language and luckily she knew some English so we could communicate efficiently. With a common language, she explained to me that her dad was in the locker room I just left and that he had her shampoo that she needed and that she wanted me to go to ask him for it. I told her I had no idea who her dad was and thus would not recognize him. She said that’s not important just go in and ask for shampoo. Being a valiant dude, I decided to give it a shot to help her out. I went into the locker room of half naked Spaniards and said, Hay un padre que tiene una hija? porque ellla necessita shampoo. I thought I said it well and had high hopes for a response. Everyone stared blankly at me. Haha. I tried again. Same reaction. “Who is this gringo?” they probably thought. I tried the other side without success and had to return a disappointed dripping wet damsel. I felt bad I was unable to retrieve her shampoo. But it is so strange to me sometimes. I speak in their language yet everyone looks at me like I was speaking in Elfish (or some other very foreign language). A very strange feeling. I sometimes doubt that this language works! When it does tho, it is a fantastic feeling. So after parting ways with Noella I went to mull things over in a gigantic hot tub which I think is similar to the prefects bathroom in Harry Potter (mom you would love it). As I get in and sit down, I look around and realize everyone seems to love to wear those silly little swim caps. Not one person is without one. Except me. Oh. I get out of the tub. I find one of the workers and ask them about it and luckily this guy took care of me and gave me a silly cap. It was probably from the lost and found. Gross. Oh well. I returned to the hot tub and enjoyed the lukewarm water and the massive amount of bubbles. It was actually pleasant. I couldn’t stop laughing about my recent encounters. I couldn’t stop picturing the confused faces of everyone in that locker room. It was hilarious. I got out of the hot tub and was going to try the sauna but I decided I had had enough excitement for one morning. I showered and called it good.

Carnaval in Aviles: After the gym, Sean, Jon, and I walked to find a costume for Carnaval, which is a celebration in all of Spain and people dress up in costumes for it. We decided on some some Chinese hats and these white paper suits that we would draw on the characters to spell out PING PONG. We looked good. Carnaval was wild. Crazy costumes. AND there was foam in the streets! During the parade that have some kind of foam machine and just soak everything .Kids, adults, everyone puts on ponchos and just slide thru about 2ft of foam in the street. It is quite a sight. It was all in all a lot of fun!