The first day of my Gap year....

While I have a love-hate relationship with most of them, she’s always been my go-to love...and three years haven’t changed that. No, I’m not into chicks. Yes, I am talking about Ethpaña. First off I will be woman enough to say I broke like a punk before I left.

Yes, I cried! All over my siblings, my sweat shirt and possibly the couple beside me on the plane...jk, they were very busy making out --newlyweds probably-- so I didn’t even get to pretend to be friends with them :) Don’t judge...I hadnt slept in 2 days, okay!

No worries, you say. You can sleep on the flight...right? WRONG!

The giggling trollops in front of my, the sick man behind me and the gassy newlywed beside me made SURE I didn’t. Okay, like an hour and a half but that was it.

The last time I visited ethpaña the cabs were metered and I had to negotiate (on one year of college spanish) with a taxi driver …it was ugly. Today, I’m in a much better position. I wrangled my huge bags through the terminal and out front ready to go head to head with some elderly spanish man looking to get in my pockets. Instead I find TRA LA LA….METERED CABS!

All official, no possibility of manipulation by a greedy cab driver, air conditioning, leather seats, spacious interior. ZERO stress.

Did you catch that? 0 STRESS! I’ve honest to goodness had a harder time flying from RDU to Atlanta and getting back to Emory. He pulls straight up to my hostel, unloads my bags, gives me change and wishes me luck. That’s what I’m talking about.

I’m at my hostel. It’s 8:30 (2:30 EST) a.m. I can quickly skype my mom and get in a hot shower...except not! Despite the fact that reception is 24 H beds are only available after 3:30. But they WILL let me store my luggage. Fabulous! I still have two massive purses I refuse to leave in storage because people are something else so I cant really GO anywhere...except the kitchen...and the living room.

I am dirty, I haven’t slept and (according to my mother, shared via skype) I look like a sleep deprived homeless woman. Thanks ma! That’s EXACTLY what I wanted to hear. So what do I do...I fall asleep in the living room waking up when some idiot spanish boys run past giggling at me --I’m not a patient sleep-deprived woman-- then again at 10:00...10:45...11:55...12:15...1:25. At this point my body hates me. My legs hurt, my jaw hurts, my eyes hurt...I can’t take anymore.

At 3:15 I go upstairs to the desk were spanish McStupid proceeds to tell me I’ll have to wait...so I wait….3:40 rolls around and I am TOO though.

‘How much longer?’, I hissed in non too polite spanish. He makes a little ‘o’ with his mouth and says “oh, you can go to your room.”

“I don’t have a KEYCARD?”

“Oh, I didn’t know thats what you were waiting for...”

-_-;

I guess he thought I was standing there to admire his McDreamy hair...which I honestly only ogled for like 5 seconds. He gives me my card; I find my room; I think about sleeping but WAIT, I cant sleep...I have a mission AND its going on 4 p.m. Sleeping at 4 p.m. Is just gross.

I comb my hair (a little) and nix the hoodie in an effort to blend in more --yes, I forgot I was black-- and google the nearest vodafone location. Directions in hand I set out, recognizing street names, navigating twisting cobble-stone streets and feeling like an older (blacker) Dora the explorer. I get to vodafone and pause….why is there a silver gate pulled over the store...is this a mistake? Am I being punked?

No.

Vodafone is closed. Is there a sign saying when they will reopen...of course not, this is siesta, there is not posted time for anything.

So I figure, might as well make the best of it. I put my map away and proceed to get lost in La Latina...one of spains more rundown neighborhoods. Never fear, they were treasures.

Like...whatever this is...

and  Viva la Vida...

gracias a dios por el espanol, porque ellos no hablan ni una palabra de ingles. The drinks were passable...not worth the money I’d say. It is probably the ambiance that keeps people coming back. It was quite comfortable, like being at home.

Sidenote: I got lost (after having a lovely drink and skype chat w/ mom and bestie whilst in this cafe) for about an hour I was within five minutes of my place and didn’t even know it.

Gracias al hombre in the little mini mart I went to...he went out of his way to help me.

sidenote: only in ethpaña is it appropriate to use mannequins as decoration...on your balconey...for real.

That's right...look above the stranger trying to holla w his eyes...yessir, two mannequins.  Hood rat stuff.

Hasta luego, queridos.