May 26--A Day to Recharge

Today's walk, although short, felt quite long for some reason.  I think it might just be that we are getting to the end of the week, and my body is starting to feel it.  I've noticed that as I've gotten into the routine of the day that I like to get my work done before I play.  When I get into town, I like to get clean (cause you know, even it it isn't an arduous walk, I'm a little sweaty and a little dusty).  Most of the students take a shower within the first hour or two of getting to the hotel and then go out immediately to eat, or they take a nap, or hang out.  However, what I do after showering is not very popular.  I like to get my work out of the way before I play or rest or whatever.  I wash my clothes (which between filling up the sink, scrubbing my clothes, and wringing them out sufficiently (which happens to be the most difficult part of it all), takes a good 30-45 minutes).  I unpack and set up everything I need for the day, I do my hair and put on make-up.  I know for most hikers and most of the students, it's a weird thing to do, but if people are gonna see me, I'm gonna look presentable.  It is a personal preference, but I just like looking nice.  Today, I needed to recharge my introverted self, so while everyone else went out to eat, I took my TIME in my room.  I got everything ready, called my mom and had a NICE long talk (another way for me to unwind is just to have a GOOD, DEEP talk with my mom), and then I took a FAT nap! Man, it was great.  My roommate was gone with other kids, and I had the room to myself which was amazing.

I do have a hard time justifying relaxation when I have this amazing opportunity here in Spain, and yes, I do feel guilty for not exploring the town more and not going out and doing things with the other kids, but I really needed today to just kind of calm down and regroup emotionally and socially.

When I eventually did go out to explore the town and do some homework, it was so nice to see KIDS! Spain has a super low birth rate so we just don't see a ton of kids except for the children of South American immigrants who are the main source of population growth in the country.  But today was the high school graduation, so there were all these kids out, and although they roamed in what looked suspiciously like packs of hoodlums, it was fun to see the hoodlums nonetheless and know they were there :-) Plus, all of the parents and graduates were dressed to the nines and looked AMAZING! Too, when I would pass a group of them, I would get a SNOOT-ful of colognes and perfumes, and let me tell you, they SMELLED amazing!

To conclude the restful afternoon, a bunch of the students got together, and we managed to get just enough Wifi to watch Incredibles.  I mean seriously, it is SUCH a great movie.  And it was so fun to watch it with a group that knows the move so well.  We just had a lot of fun.  Anyway, it was just a good day to recharge, you know? I needed it, and it was really nice.

Props to my mom.  Before I saw this sign, I
heard a really unusual bird next to the canal.
I sent a recording of it to my mom, and she
told me exactly what kind of bird it was: a corn bunting.  





Paella.  We had to learn how to take apart
the prawn so it was edible.
 


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