Saturday
I woke up a little late but still in time for family lunch in the village. It was nice being with the abuelos again. Honestly, I can barely understand what abuelo is saying but it´s so sweet that he´s always so eager to share things with me about life as he knows it and things about the region. He also offered me the tablet while I was reading a magazine (which I was quite content with), but it shows you how concerned he was for my comfort. So I read a bit of the newspaper the family buys La Vanguardia in Spanish and then went back to ¡Hola! which was trash but Penelope Cruz is so nice to look at.
Abuela also won´t let me lift a finger and reminds everyone to speak Spanish because I have no idea what´s going on half the time. But I don´t mind it, like I´ve said (and so has everyone here) it´s really hard to speak to your freinds and family in anything but your native tongue. She also always makes sure I´ve eaten enough, and with the meal consisiting of soup, delicious barbequed lamb and sausages and bananas, two helpings of the flan she´d made and chocolate croissants, I couldn´t physically miss out on that good eating.
After lunch I got roped into coffee at this hotel bar with primo, Susana´s niece and their friends instead of being allowed to become one with the sofa. He drove us there which was fine because it was only a three minute drive. I say this because he´d actually said he´s a bad driver and this country roads aren´t a joke. For the first time ever, I opted for Diet Coke because I was so tired and didn´t want to force myself to be awake with more sugar. It ended up being Coke Zero, but it tasted just as nasty. We spoke and two of the girls brought their arts and craft stuff to make their masks for later. I was tempted to ask for one seeing as my glittery one wasn´t really appropriate for the robber theme, but I turned myself into a princess robber instead.
I got picked up before I´d finished my drink 45 mins later, and then we got ready for the children´s parade. Roger and Gina had done a parade on Friday with school, but I didn´t see it because I was sleeping. They were dressed as a pirate and Pocahontas and all of the children in the class had almost the exact same outfit which I saw picking the kids up from school. I don´t know if they bulk buy it through the school or something, but I wasn´t expecting that because I'd seen Susana sewing some things. I painted a beard on Roger for his pirate look and Susana put some red lipstick on Gina as she was a cowgirl. I only stayed for half of the parade, then went to buy make up and get my stuff ready for later in the night.
Some of the floats were super impressive, like the Gaudi one above. I don't remember seeing Native American costumes but I do recall seeing a caveman in black face and an afro wig, and also two women who might have been trying to look African in printed dresses, black face and Afro wigs. It's so alienating seeing that, I don't know how the black families who live here feel, their children are part of the parade too, but I really don't see how that's not obviously offensive. There were so many better costumes and concepts, superheroes, animals, an FCBarcelona float with two guys resembling paragliders, Gaudi, Vikings, Ancient Egyptians (there was no black face), even Ludo boards and of course, a truck load of Minions. Europe has a long way to go with cultural appropriation, but it's not surprising considering its colonial history, just frustrating and sad.
I spent the evening with the abuelos, asleep on the sofa and then eating bread dipped in hot chocolate (which was meant to be drunk but Spanish hot chocolate is super thick so I opted out) and doing my make up. I felt comfortable in their house and was really grateful to them for having me. Maria picked me up, then primo and she was in a hurry but I was so confused by the whole situation that I probably slowed her down a little. She's actually famous now because of her work (see her picture in the local paper) and sings in a choir. We swapped some idioms like "beauty is pain" (the same for women everywhere, no matter what language you speak) and they say that it rains if you sing badly here (which maybe someone should've done during the dry season that all the farmers have been worried about).
Dinner was in someone's massive garage and I was really shy at first because Susana's niece wasn't there and I feel like me and primo only got properly friendly after Saturday night. The girls from earlier were there too but they obviously speak Catalan so I felt a bit overwhelmed by the situation. Luckily there was a massive friendly dog who came up to sniff me and grabbed some firewood so I attempted to take it out of his mouth for a bit. More people arrived, including Susana's niece and snacks and beer were passed around. Eventually I needed the bathroom and was introduced to the owners of the house which was awkward for a reason I'm not sure of, but I made sure I was very polite.
Dinner began and it was a typical meal of ham, bread with tomato and cheese which was perfect tbh. You pass everything round and talk loads and it was really good. Eventually I needed the bathroom again and went by myself (so brave, someone did help me find the light for the stairs though). I spoke to the parents for a little while (wasn't easy because accents) and asked where the cat I'd seen was. The mum retrieved him for me and omg he was the fattest friendliest kitty in the whole world. Things were no longer awkward. I sat with him for a good 15 mins while the dog got jealous and wouldn't come over for a stroke. Finally my "omg I miss my cat" wishes came true and eventually I wandered back downstairs.
After a while we left for Balaguer which was an experience in itself. I went with some of the girls and we sang and made jokes, it was really cool. Then I really needed the bathroom so we stopped and I fell into someone's farm in the dark praying that they didn't abandon me there :)))) It was very embarrassing and everyone saw me fall :)))) When we eventually made it to the fiesta there was a ton of mud to trek through in my brand new trainers and I would've loved to have avoided that but it's apparently tradition.
I cleaned that tradition off on Monday with a spare toothbrush.
The fiesta was pretty good, there was a live band, 3 beers for 5€ (maybe I have a slight beer obsession now), lots of people and some amazing costumes (sacred Indian gods not included).
Honestly had a lot of fun and everyone was so lovely and funny! I even saw London Girl and I did the happy drunk screaming thing in the toilets. She wasn't impressed but it was fun. Eventually I did get tired and three of us did the fun walk home. It'll be really good to hang out with the village lot again.
After a while we left for Balaguer which was an experience in itself. I went with some of the girls and we sang and made jokes, it was really cool. Then I really needed the bathroom so we stopped and I fell into someone's farm in the dark praying that they didn't abandon me there :)))) It was very embarrassing and everyone saw me fall :)))) When we eventually made it to the fiesta there was a ton of mud to trek through in my brand new trainers and I would've loved to have avoided that but it's apparently tradition.
I cleaned that tradition off on Monday with a spare toothbrush.
The fiesta was pretty good, there was a live band, 3 beers for 5€ (maybe I have a slight beer obsession now), lots of people and some amazing costumes (sacred Indian gods not included).
Honestly had a lot of fun and everyone was so lovely and funny! I even saw London Girl and I did the happy drunk screaming thing in the toilets. She wasn't impressed but it was fun. Eventually I did get tired and three of us did the fun walk home. It'll be really good to hang out with the village lot again.
Sunday
Sunday was a teeny bit hard. I'd written a note on my door for the family saying I'd be sleepimg until 3pm but if they needed me urgently they could just come in and wake me up. Luckily they didn't and were out most of the time because some hands might've got bitten off, ya know?
Susana and Jordi got ready for their concert in Barcelona which wasn't really in celebration of Valentine's day but I wished them a happy one anyway. Then it was time for babysitting which was fine apart from having to repeat myself five times to get Roger's attention! He's very much away with the fairies but both of them were a bit ill so I was as patient as possible. I tried calling my mum while I was making dinner but she was busy so I fried the frankfurters (assuming they're good so long as they're hot all the way through) and did myself some onions. I laid the table as I've become accustomed to here - pepenios (pickled gherkins, onions and red peppers) and bread sticks, all the sauces, water and napkins - and it turned out Gina didn't want dinner. So I made her some milk with Colacao and asked her to finish it all, which she did and she ate some bread sticks too. I wasn't worried about it because their parents had said they're not well and if they don't want to eat then milk's fine.
We stayed up until 12 watching Kung Fu Panda and Disney Channel and they were pretty good about going to bed which was a nice way to end a cute night.
Okay the pic is from earlier in the week but look how sweet these kids are!
So that's my week, I hope you enjoyed hearing about it and are as excited as I am for what's to come!
xx
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