Sailors Beware

Day 7

Big Storm

Today I got up at 10 and took a nice warm shower :] I hurried to get ready because we needed to get to Soria at 11 today. We had some hot chocolate milk (cola cao) for breakfast with some galletas (cookies) and we all hurried out the door! It took us about 45 minutes but it felt like longer because it was so hot! We walked all around the town and Nayla showed me where the fiestas will primarily take place. Ian had to get his vests for him, Javier and Jim who just came today, he is alec’s age and he has been teaching English in Bilbao for a year now, he is really nice and I am happy I have another person to speak to in English although his Spanish is very good as well. We found the pita (apartment) that we will be staying at in Soria for most of this week and then we went to the store to get food to stock up on snacks. It is so cool to see the supermarket here. I learned so many words just walking around the store. You should see their seafood section. It’s crazy they keep all the fish eyes still on them and their heads and everything. I don’t really care but most of the time I feel like I know where my food comes from but I still don’t want to see it lying there dead-you know? We also got a giant cured pig leg which is a real delicacy in Spain, Cesar said they bought one for Alec’s birthday for 250 euros. It still has the hoof on it and even has little hairs on the hind leg. Uggh…but the meat was very good. We drove back to Abejar and started making lunch-it was already 4 and I was really hungry. We had steak, leftover shrimp, bread, salad, fries and melon. Very filling. After we went to the pool, Nayla, Ian, Jim and I plus Nayla’s friends, Camino and Lowda who I told you about plus two other girls that I met the other day-they are very nice but I forgot their names. It started to rain so we headed up to the bar and got some drinks and snacks and played cards. We played lots of different Spanish card games, they were fun. We left the pool because it was really getting gloomy but the boys stayed. Nayla and I got back to the house and the girls wanted us to meet them at the school (only about 100 feet from the house) to finishing designing our petos (the overalls). We got there and it really started to rain, we were there for maybe 20 minutes when a full out storm started. I’ve never seen so much rain in my entire life. Lightening and thunder too- Nayla counted how long the thunder sounded after the lightening stroke and said that it was not far at all. We made a run for it a return to the house soaking wet even though the school is only seconds away. The streets were flooded maybe a good inch. The power went out but luckily its on now and hopefully it stays on. I have to say I think Spaniards are much more afraid of thunder than Americans, they act like scared dogs but I don’t know. Cesar’s friend who is a sheep herder has been hit by lightening twice and survived. For dinner we had some jamon (ham), chorizo, bread and cheese and a little lomo. After Nayla and I went out with the girls after the first bar closed on us though I asked Nayla to walk me home. The next week is going to be a nightmare as far as lack of sleep goes so I want to get as much of it as I can.
The fiestas start tomorrow night and I really don’t know if I’ll be able to write. I am so excited to see this part of Spanish culture!