So, Thursday evening ended up being the end of a really fantastic day, seeing the sea for the first time. We had class in the morning (as we have all the mornings this week), and sitting through four hours of grammar review... well... some things don't really merit blog space. After class, I bused home for la comida, the main meal of the day, around 3pm. My madre's sister and father joined us, so I met my tia//aunt, and abuelo//grandfather. Friday afternoon, her other sister and nephew joined us, and Saturday afternoon I met the other nephew, and my abuela//grandmother. I think I've got the whole family straight now, but who knows. More might appear at the next meal.
But back to Thursday. After comida, I bused downtown to meet up with some Whitman girls and some Spanish student friends we had made during the program orientation. The original plan was to go tomar un café, or get coffee, which really means sitting in a cafe for several hours, only several minutes of which are spent actually drinking coffee. We actually ended up at a new frozen yogurt shop called "Sweet Yoghurt," which I still haven't quite figured out how to
pronouce the Spanish way. "Yogurt" doesn't sound the same when the Spanish say it. Regardless of how to pronouce it, the frozen yogurt was DELICIOUS. I think they put less sugar in it here, so you can still taste the bite of the yogurt, and with strawberries and chocolate sauce on top... wow. Apparently Alicantinos don't really eat ice cream or gelato or frozen yogurt in the wintertime, but we sat out in the street under space heaters, and it was incredibly pleasant.Afterwards, we walked down to la playa//the beach, and we were crossing the street about a block away when we ran into a fellow student from the program, just coming from the beach. Alicante suddenly reminded me really strongly of Portland - it's big enough to feel like a city, but small enough that you can run into anybody on the street by chance. It was a really comfortable, familiar feeling, which is kind of funny if you think about it, because I was actually with people that I know really well, and yet running into someone I've only known for five-ish days made me feel at home.
We continued walking toward the beach, inviting our incidental companion to join us, if he cared to be the only boy with a gang of girls. Pobrecito. We made it to the beach right at dusk.
We walked out past a very nice-looking hotel to a rocky point sticking out parallel to the beach. Looking back in the other direction as it got darker, the Castillo de Santa Barbara was all lit up and lovely at twilight. Other people, being more photographically minded than myself, suggested that we take a group photo, which is something I always wish I had suggested, but rarely do. It is, however, wonderful to have a photo of Whitties and friends in Spain, backed by a picturesque castle and a strip of the Mediterranean.
Really, all things considered, this picture is a pretty good representation of how great Thursday evening was, especially considering that it followed on the heels of Wednesday, which was probably the most stressful day I've had here so far (not, of course, counting the travel day...s?). It think that was what culture shock feels like: I was just acutely aware of exactly how much effort it takes to perform a daily routine in a second language and in an unfamiliar place. How much attention I had to pay to every single detail of everything that I did. I jokingly told a friend that afternoon that the night before I had even showered in Spanish. We laughed, but later agreed that it was not an unrealistic representation of the stress build-up we were accumulating. Since Wednesday it's been much better, due in part, I think, to the Thursday evening feeling. This place is amazing, and I can feel comfortable and relaxed here. It was a really excellent reminder.
No comments:
Post a Comment