Numbers and Words

I would like to take this moment to clarify a few things people have asked me about. When I said it was 20 degrees here, I meant Celsius, not Fahrenheit. Sorry about that. I forgot to pack my math, so I have no idea of what the formula is to convert back and forth. But I spoke too soon; it has been around 11-13 in the mornings and evenings. Now, I realize some of you will probably laugh at how warm that is, but in a country with no heat, it is downright chilly! We do have a space heater in our room we turn on for a couple minutes before we go to bed, and I turn it on in the morning for my roommate. It does get a lot warmer during the day, and it’s sunny and beautiful. But the most wonderous heating invention of all time exists here in Spain: a heater under the table. There is a floor-length blanket on the table under the tablecloth, and we sit with the blanket on our laps, getting full, warm, and lethargic. (Yes, this post is mainly for my mother and the other mothers out there who wonder about these things. I love you all :^)

And yes, I am learning more Spanish, though maybe not as quickly as one might think. I’m finding a few more people to talk to besides my family, like the lady who works in the consulate at work (my boss runs her business from the Swedish consulate because her husband is the Swedish consul general, but is actually Spanish…), the doorman of the building, and the elderly lady who lives on the top floor of our apartment building (she likes me because I carry her bags upstairs for her when we arrive at the same time, but she is hard to understand since she’s lacking in the teeth department). So far I really like my family here; they are very patient and laid back. Sometimes Ana asks us for help with her English homework, and after we teach her (which is so much fun), she turns around and teaches us all her vocabulary words in Spanish. I’ve learned a lot of random words from her. Vikingo. Coleta. Grifo. Azulejos. Extraterrestre. Viking. Ponytail. Faucet. Wall tiles. Alien. Obviously some are more useful than others…. I keep two lists: one of random vocab words, and another of the differences in Spanish here and what I learned in the US. Just because I’m a nerd like that.

Here's a picture of Kourtney (my roommate), Ana, and I:

I do admit it is a bit intimidating to talk to people here. Some people are incredibly nice, but almost every day I get randomly insulted walking down the street. My favorite was the lady who looked at me with disgust, pointed, and said “Ay! Qué pelo!” Oh my! What hair! I can laugh about it now…. The other girls get hit on a lot but I usually just get insulted, which I’m fine with because I’m really not sure which is worse…. Things will probably improve with time. I should meet more people when everything at school gets going more.