La Loca Loca ^_^

One whole month has already passed and I still have that nostalgic feeling like I just arrived and it's still hard sometimes to believe that I'm actually here... all I can say to that is WOW, just WOW!

Classes have been crazy. Especially since one of my extra one credit courses just began on Wednesday. It's called Elvis to rap, a music history course which I can hopefully pass off as a music credit when I get back to MUC, but even if I can't I still get Spanish credits for it, though I’m not sure whether or not I will stick with it as I see the hour as time I could be using for more useful studying... Along with the other 17 credits I'm taking out of 18 possible it makes for a busy week Monday through Thursday. (No classes Friday of course!) It's tough work sometimes especially when you throw in the random surfing lessons. But tough doesn't necessarily mean horrible, nope, it's a good busy, as it never get's boring.

As for new and exciting adventures, those are in abundance this week it would appear. We'll start with last weekend's charades...

Friday evening was quite interesting night to say the least. After dinner I headed over to Gloria's house and mentioned that there was an awards ceremony going on that evening for the film festival that has been going on this past week and will continue on until its last day on Saturday September 27. So we decided to go take a look. Apparently we didn't get the memo that the custom was to line up real early and wait seeing as there were going to be some big names. But even without that memo we were still able to see Woody Allen, Meryl Streep and even Antonio Banderas as they walked down the pink carpet like thing to the ceremony. I was in utter shock that it took me a moment before I decided to whip out my camera and try to take a picture as he waved at us. Unfortunately just as I was to snap the picture this crazed fan girl jumped on my foot causing me to blur the picture forever missing any chance I'd had at a photo of someone famous... and it was Antonio Banderas of all people as well... que triste! (So sad!) That had been the major event of the night as the rest was spent clubbing, a usual weekend activity, and I watched as several American pals got themselves drunk beyond words, which came with several consequences as you can well imagine.

Saturday I spent the day traversing the city in search of some shopping. Alas it was a day of window shopping as nothing was found. The night was spent inside watching a movie with friends. Nothing to exciting but not every day of the week can be of excitement.

Sunday has been and will always be a day of homework. The day was spent doing homework and preparing for the beginning of the next week. And from there things sped off at high speeds. After having complained once more to USAC about the family situation, long story short for those who don’t know things didn’t work out as had been expected and it wasn’t worth the large sum of money I’d paid to put it nicely, so I was told I’d be aloud to move out and that they wanted me out by the end of the week. And so began my search for a new place to stay. My first plan had been to stay with Gloria as she’d had a room that was actually meant for two people. That didn’t work out so the next option was to move in with Gloria’s intercambio who lived right across the street and had said she’d be willing to rent her extra room out to me. Confusion with USAC (if that’s what we can call it) shut that option down rather quickly. But all hope was not lost as there were two guys who’d been waiting for a Spanish roommate to move in, but it had turned out that after several times of trying to contact the guy he’d not even registered at the University thus he was most likely not going to show up. So they, having a co-ed dorm, said they were willing to share the apartment with me. I’d had mixed feelings about the move in the beginning and even still have mixed feelings. Living with guys is much different and even having two younger brothers can not prepare one for such an experience. They’re both really nice guys, Tom and Matt, and they were very welcoming when they’d found out I was going to be their new roommate. Tom had asked if I cooked and I said yea, I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so excited to hear those words. So it had been decided that I would rent out the room in their place and be living in a very nice part of the town near the surfing beach.

On top of that Monday had just been a relatively over all good day. Tuesday (September 23) was nothing out of the usual, had the second to last surfing lesson with my favorite instructor Arix. And I’m proud to say I actually made it up on the board and surfed a wave... that was of course until the wave broke on my back throwing me forwards to enjoy a salt water special, yummy! But Arix couldn’t have been happier that I’d made it up. The second time around I went to get up on the board and slipped pulling a muscle causing a severe pain in my ankle area. Or so I thought, the next day it turned out just to be a really bad charley horse and the shock of the pain ended that lesson. But Arix was all smiles afterwards and gave me a hug and a high five as he helped me limp off the beach telling me that I’d done good and to remember that for the next lesson.

The next lesson was supposed to be Wednesday evening, Tom (my roommate and surfing classmate) and I both had the Elvis to Rap class and the lesson was to begin 20 minutes afterwards. Needless to say it was a tight squeeze but if we caught the right bus we’d be able to make it just in time. Well as we were walking out of the building after class (speed walking mind you) we watched in horror as the bus we needed was just leaving the stop and the next one wasn’t to arrive for another 30 minutes. Needless to say we didn’t make it to surfing lessons that night, but Tom had called Arix to let him know and Arix told him he’d let us know when the last lesson was to be.

Surprise! The lesson was to be the next evening! When Cecelia from the USAC office called to tell me this I was like OH... and assured her that I would be in attendance that evening. And so I was. I made it up on the board two more times before losing all strength in my upper body and body surfed the rest of the evening. As we all said our goodbyes we were told not to give up on surfing and to stop by Arix surf shop later and he’d help us to get the stuff we needed to continue. Surfing is such an amazing feeling, it’s like fighting with the forces of nature and sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but all those times you have fun. And thus I’d hate to give it up, but to rent a board is an hourly fee and an expensive one at that, and I need to purchase a wet suit as well. It could be a costly venture, but one that may be well worth it once I get to Mexico and finally go pro in order to raise some extra money in order to pay for college, until of course I leave ending my short career as a pro surfer... sad... Just kidding. I need to be able to make it up on the board every time before I start thinking about going pro anytime soon... but alas surfing in Ohio does not exist and I fear I will forever lose this new found ability after this year...

So anyways, after surfing lessons Thursday (September 24) evening I received a call from Gloria telling me to come over to Erica’s apartment for dinner. Erica had made this amazing veggie stew that she called rat-ta-stewy, cute I know, I guess she got it from Rachel Ray or something. So Thursday night was spent at Erica’s eating the yummy stewy and for desert nutella and cookie cracker things, let me just say YUMMY!! Afterwards we watched Pride and Prejudice which has now become one of my new favorite romance movies of all time and I vow to purchase it and watch it as many times as Erica has. That number is almost 20 for those wondering. And that ended Thursday officially beginning the weekend.

Friday (September 25) we’d made plans for lunch at Gloria’s and I was to cook dinner that evening, my first meal at my new place, first time cooking for just myself, first time grocery shopping for myself, and first time having my own place. This apartment has oddly enough given me a sense of accomplishment and sense of independence. I mean I’ve always been relatively independent having held a steady job since babysitting at 12, and cooking for myself, my laundry etc. But this time it’s for real, call me strange but it makes me happy.

Gloria ironically enough made spaghetti with ground beef, and a lovely salad. I’d gone grocery shopping before heading to her place and had also purchased the same thing only with the intention of making alfredo as I’d seen crab meat at the store and it’d been really cheap and I had wanted to make a seafood linguini with alfredo sauce. But I decided to save that idea for another time and instead (not having purchased all the ingredients) purchased some shrimp and snow peas and made popcorn shrimp and sautéed snow peas. It was a huge hit and Erica took a picture of it, noting it as my first ever meal in my own place. It was Gloria’s idea so they’re both rather silly but we have fun anyways. The rest of the day had been spent just traversing the city once more and actually shopping. I purchased a pair of shoes, a cute hat, and a shirt to go with it put them all together and I’ve almost got a European outfit. Yes the clothing here is much different, casual doesn’t exist and you feel strangely out of place wearing a T-Shirt and jeans, but I do it anyways since they can all tell I’m American regardless. (And that’s before I even speak).

Friday night was spent crashing on Gloria’s couch as her roommates had both decided to travel that weekend leaving her alone in her apartment.

Saturday I spent the day with Erica and Gloria once more as lunch was at Gloria’s place where she’d made this awesome seafood soup a Mexican dish, that didn’t seem so Mexican, but was delicious all the same. Later on in the evening Erica and I were set to see a movie called the house of mirth, but being that it was part of the festival you weren’t aloud to be late and not having taken the buses often enough Erica and I wound up being late. But luckily they were nice enough to allow us into another movie at the premiere so we opted for the only Spanish one on the list... boy were we in for a big surprise. A film festival is described as a time for up and coming directors, novices and professionals alike, to try new things, take risks, make mistakes and get messy... that’s putting it lightly. There are films that you scoff at and say to yourself, give me a three hundred dollar camera and let me use my Sony Vegas Studios software and I could do a better job then this piece of junk, there are others that you walk out of full of emotion thinking that the director and producer and all the other staff included in the making of the film are absolutely brilliant people and deserve some sort of award for the amazing work they’ve done... and then there’s the films you leave behind shaking your head, emotions indescribable but unsure of whether or not to be outraged, appalled, or just dumb founded by what you saw. The latter of the three is the main feelings that both Erica and I shared after finishing our replacement movie. I’m not even sure of the title or the director or anything, but the majority of the movie was nearly silent. It was about this man who worked for a really rich woman by taking care of one of the mansions she owned while her daughter worked to sell the house before her mother passed away of old age. The man lived in solitude for over ten years working for this woman when one day the house is sold and he no longer knows what to do with himself. He asks if anyone knows of a place he can work and or stay, having lived nothing but his solitary life for so long he goes slightly crazy and when the woman dies of old age he does a very grotesque and surprising act in order to make it look like murder, thus finding himself a place to stay... stranger then it sounds, it’s one of those you’d have to see it to believe it.

After that we went back to Erica’s for left over stewy chatting the night away with Erica and her house mate Marta. Sunday was a day that will knock your socks off. For those who know me, and even those who don’t, know that it has been a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time since I’ve stepped inside the confines of a religious place of any sort what so ever, but for the first time in what has to have been over two and a half years I went to church. And not just any church, getting the sudden urge to try something new and do as the Spaniards do I went to a catholic mass... needless to say I was completely lost the whole time and looking to Gloria to tell me what to do and when to do it. I never realized how much work is involved in a Catholic service. Stand up, kneel down, sit down, stand up again, make the cross symbol over your chest, spin around and tap your head while patting your stomach. Just kidding. It was an interesting experience none the less but I think I’ll stick to going to churches in English when trying out new religions for the first time, THEN maybe go test it out in another language. As for what I thought... I didn’t think, it hurt too much, thus I still have no opinion of the catholic religion.

After church we ate lunch as what was to be the best burger joint in all of San Sebastian. It lived up to its name that’s for sure. The burger was absolutely amazing, different too seeing as they like to put eggs on just about everything here, and there was quite a bit of mayonnaise on top. Gloria and Jamiel both complained that they couldn’t enjoy a burger that they had to eat with a fork and knife, so American... actually they’re both Latin American, strange. But anyways, that was lunch. After that we met up with Erica and decided to take a trek up the “mountain” to the Jesús de la Corazon or Jesus of the heart. There is a picture posted of it but I have new and better ones to post as well. The trek is straight upwards at an interval of inclines and it was an over all great work out and exciting adventure. At the top we were able to go inside the rarely opened castle/ old fort from the beginnings of San Sebastian and learn of the different festivals, and history of Donostia (aka San Sebastian). And if the day hadn’t been exciting enough we decided to eat at an amazing Italian restaurant called Mama Mia, funny I know. I had a delicious pizza, that only made me miss American pizza... just a little. For some reason Spaniards aren’t big on spices and pizza just doesn’t taste the same, it was still delicious, but the best part was desert. Erica had a chocolate crepe, Jamiel had flan, and Gloria and I had milkshakes. Mine was fresa y chocolate (strawberry and chocolate) and hers was fresa y plantano (strawberry banana). And afterwards we parted for a long night of homework.

And Monday strolled around to begin another maniac week filled with tests, homework, and scholastic adventures. Today is Tuesday and I’m currently studying for two tests one tomorrow in History of Literature, the other in the Advanced/Intensive language course. But this weekend includes plans of enormous sizes and of course more pictures to be taken. Exciting adventures are always just around the corner.