Life is like a Warhead

Sometimes life is like a Warhead. Do you remember Warheads? Yeah, those insanely sour black little candies that my friends and I used to buy at out little brothers´ summer baseball games and have competitions to see who could withstand putting the most in their mouth at the same time. Well yes, sometimes this is life.

You pop just one of those bad boys and you are about ready to cry, but once you surpass that outer layer of powdery super-sourness, you make it to that sweet candy center that tastes so smooth and soft after enduring the challenging sourness. Sure, you can cheat and soak the warhead in a bit of water so you only have to taste the sweet part, but for some reason the sugar always tastes sweeter after a zap of sour.

This past Monday I started with my painting classes in the Cultural Center. I love my teacher. Ive only gone twice and I have learned so much. Im so happy to be going, because sometimes with all the obligations and necessities that need attended in life, I forget how much I love to make art and to be creative, then once I am re-exposed to the opportunity to be creative, it makes me so happy.

Also this week we started Tennis in gym class. Two times a week we will be going across the streets to the courts to play. This also makes me happy because I had attempted to play in the beginning of the exchange, it wasn’t possible for me, and now, in the end, I am able to play. : )

Yesterday I skipped sailing to go shopping in Santa Cruz with my friends because everything is on SALE this time of year (yess!!). We ate lunch in a fast food restaurant and I got a little disgusted that this is what I have to come home to in July, haha.  I bought a lot of things for little money. I had to replace some pants because the ones I brought with me are too big now haha, strange that the food here is so much better. Finally I have more than five options to choose from in my closet!

I don’t know what it is, but ever since vacation, I have been feeling so happy about everything and life; I feel soo very improved at Spanish; I have such better relationships with my friends; I am learning in school even though I don’t have to worry about it or study; I have structure and composure in my new life here, and I am situated and comfortable with my new family (although I still can only sing very quietly in the shower). In philosophy class we are studying Aristotle and what makes happiness happen. How is it that a per   and how happiness is the main goal in life, and that all other things that we do or make are in the pursuit of this ultimate goal. Aristotle has some good ideas, some very interesting ones, but still I am unsure that there is an answer. Maybe its singing along to a familiar song on the radio, or watching Power Rangers in Spanish with your little brother and remembering how you used to play that with your cousins when you were a kid; maybe its the distant view of La Gomera amidst the painted sky at sunset, or the way that when the sun hits the mountains just right, it brings their brown, dry rockiness to life. Maybe its just being so comfortable with the people around, or getting to know a person well enough that they know exactly how you like your food and make a special picante sauce just for you even though the rest of the family doesn’t like their food spicy.

Its been a while since I laughed so hard that I cried, and its no longer everyday that my eyes have those smiley circles that I cant seem to get rid of, even when I try, and sometimes I miss home and I cry just the teeniest bit, but I like it because it makes me feel like a stronger person. Ive had my hard parts with the exchange, and I have learned that all experiences aren’t perfect, and I am learning a lot about life and about myself, and how there is so much that I don’t know, but if I can be sure of one thing it is this: that this moment, right now in my life

I am Happy.

last day before school starts

Why does choosing a college major have to be so difficult?I just looked through the OSU website for about an hour thinking ´okay, I like this, but no,´ or ´I would love to go to college to study this, but there is no way I will ever find a job´. Ugh, I just don’t know.  I don’t want to end up one of those boring old nobodies who ends up sticking with a crummy job that they don’t really like but were too afraid to pursue something more daring, but of their heart´s true desire; all the same, I want to graduate with a degree that I can rely on to make me some dough. Can´t somebody just choose for me?

Right now I am sitting at home watching the clouds change colors as the sun goes down reflecting on the happenings of Christmas break as my last day of vacation winds down to an end. My bad circulation is making it difficult for my icy fingers to type, and although I am wearing two pears of socks that Los Reyes Magicos (the Three Kings) brought to me to nights ago my toes are on the verge of numbness. Cold? On Tenerife?? I cant imagine being in Ohio right now.

If you were wondering about my mentioning of the Three Kings, it is because of the Spanish tradition to celebrate the Catholic holiday of the coming of the Kings to present the gifts to baby Jesus, and for this, all kids in Spain receive most of their gifts on the night of the Epiphany, and not from Papa Noel on Christmas night. This is an international holiday, hence the reason why I am starting school so much later than you.

There was a parade in Los Christianos for the coming of the Kings. The place was packed with people to watch the three second event. For a dramatic presentation, the Kings dressed up in their elegant robes rode in on their gigantic camels, tossed some candy, and that was about the end. There were a few guys with flamey sticks, but I was rather disappointed with the parade after seeing the size of the crowd because I´d had high expectations. 

Over the holidays I went to watch American Gangster with some friends, not my favorite movie to watch in Spanish, then we went bowling another day, apparently bowling is not very popular in Spain, considering that there is one tiny bowling alley in the major touristy part of the South.

I JUST received information about our Rotary trip to Italy exactly ONE MONTH before the event, after changing our plans to go to Andalusia in April. Ha. Goodness knows I am overwhelmed to be going to Italy for a week, but you cant pop news like this one month before when it costs a lot of money. I would just like to say: Spanish Rotary is a joke. American Rotary, how I miss you so!!! You are such an amazing and organized group! American inbounds are spoiled.

Mañana, school. 

Happy New Years!!!!!

Shit. Its already 2008? Remember at the turn of the century that whole Y2K ordeal? Yeah, that was 8 whole years ago. Good thing the computers are working, or else you wouldn’t be sitting here reading my blog. ; )

Since I have had little or no inspiration to express my thoughts and feelings via blog lately, I will fill you in on several happenings of last week that I want to write about solely out of obligation to continue what I have started and for my own personal record.

Saturday, with the Austurias family we went to Loro Parque for the day. This is like the European version of Sea World. We saw penguins and fish and leopards and watched dolphins do neat tricks with their trainers and heard parrots talk in Spanish.  The following day I went to the spa with all the ladies: Teresa, her two sisters in law, and her mother. Anna (Tere´s sister in law) works in the five star hotel with the spa and so we all got in for free. It was my first time going to the spa so I was amused by everything. First there was a giant hot tub of salt water (all natural and from the ocean *good for the skin!*) with tons of jets and these super powerful shower-heads and waterfalls that gave you a back massage when you stood under them. Then we migrated to the sauna and drenched ourselves in heat until sweaty, then dipped in the cool pool (the water is so cold but you are supposed to dip in after the sauna to stimulate circulation) and then another time in a heat box, only this time we went into the super humid one where you sit and breath the misty water vapor. After that another time in the cool pool, and then to the floating pool which is so dense with salt that you float super easily and it has these color changing lights for relaxation. After all that to clean the salt off the skin, there were a series of showers to choose from (I did them all). There was a hot and cold shower, pretty self explanatory, for a while it gave hot water and after that sprayed you with cold (not my favorite); the Swiss shower,  super awesome, its a full body spray, there are little shower heads all around your body starting at your feet and they work their way p your body spraying you all around with a mist of warmth; the bucket shower, this one is my favorite, its just a bucket of water above your head and you pull the string and it all dumps on you in one time like in Kelli Smith´s shower in last years musical, only not with a plant watering bucket, the only thing was that it was filled with cold water; the final shower was a hot and cold spray with lemon and oils that are supposed to be good for the skin. Revived and relaxed we all went home after that.

Finally New Years Eve rolls around. Flavia and I went shopping in the morning to find some shoes to match the dress I was going to wear that night.  I had borrowed two dresses from a friend, and my host mother lent me one of hers so I had three to choose from. After deciding on one and then changing my mind, we spent the whole morning looking for a fat white belt and after not encountering one (because the winter colors are out and it is difficult to find specific clothing in light colors) I went into the dressing room to try on that dress with a black belt to see how it looked and ended up changing my mind again to the third dress that I was positive before that I was not going to wear. So then I still had to buy shoes to go with that dress and the first shoe-store we walked into I found REALLY snazzy black shoes on sale for 11€. 

I stayed in with the family to eat the traditional 12 grapes for the first 12 seconds of the new year, and then at 1am Anna and I went together to meet up with the rest of the group in Santelmo. We went to the beach and drank a little then headed for the discos around 2 30 and danced in Santelmo until about 4am, then all of the group migrated to Las Veronica’s which is normally a 15 minute walk, but with all the girls in their dresses and high heels it took about twice as long and felt like hours. We had one extra pair of flip flops and between three girls we were sharing them, taking turns wearing them. It was so cold, although the temperature in Fahrenheit was really only something like 58 degrees. Finally we arrived in Veronicas and danced in only one club out of huge variety for not so long, witnessed the aftermath of a bar fight, my friend had a bloody tie after trying to help, and someone thought it would be fun to go to the Faro (ughh), so after we just walked over thirty minutes in order to not have to pay for a Taxi, then danced for about the same amount of time as it took u to walk there, we decided to take a taxi to the Faro. After trying for about 30 minutes and waiting in the freezing cold 60 degree night (haha seriously) we FINALLY got a damn taxi and make way to the club to finally arrive around 6 or so. I hate the music of the Faro but we danced a little there and relaxed on the cosy patio chairs until the sun rise and the place was closing. At 7 30 we had to leave, so we headed for the Guagua stop to get a ride to Los Christianos where we would go to eat a traditional Spanish night-after-fiesta breakfast of churros and hot chocolate.

Satisfied and tired after a long night of fiesta and fun and sore feet, I strutted slowly up the hill to the Guagua station, my high heels in one hand, my red purse in the other, it was clearly evident that I was still making my way home from going out the night before. I waited some time for the Guagua, reflecting on the happenings of the night before and smiling to myself just a little. When it finally came I made myself cozy in the seat, maybe a little too cozy, because I almost fell asleep, had it not been for some strange girl yelling at me ´Wake Up!´, not that I was asleep but I was in that almost-half-way-there daze.

I finally arrived at the house a little past 10am. After that you can guess that I slept, woke up to shower and eat because the family came over for a little BBQ we had for lunch, then slept some more. The first night of the new year turned out to be a good one. Good times in Tenerife. : )