I don't think deodorant has been in Spain for very long. It's still in beta testing here. Only half the people use it which makes walking behind a person extremely dangerous. And elevators - Madre mía, elevators are traps hiding in plain sight. One time, I saw a cute girl walking out of the elevator just as I was walking into the apartment complex. I held the door for her as she left, then went to the elevator to go upstairs. I must have opened the elevator door between breaths because when the door shut and I inhaled, I think I became religious. Sweet baby Jesus, the unmistakable spicy musk of raw pit stench had filled that entire box! In a way, I was kind of impressed that a person could even produce such a pungent smell, but, at the same time, I wasn't sure if I was still getting off on the 6th floor, or if I would keep going up til I reached the pearly gates.
On a less traumatizing note, I expected Cuenca to have wifi. People have wifi in their houses, but businesses almost never offer it. The few that do make you sign up before using it, which isn't awful, it's just very 2008-USA-esque. I told my friends that I'd Skype them from somewhere cool, but that likely won't happen anymore.
I found where the smoking industry went. I thought it was fading into the past, but apparently it just left America and instead came to Spain. Everybody here smokes. I was told that they've recently made it illegal to smoke in restaurants, banks, hospitals, and all those places, so at least there's progress. The weirdest part for me, though, is that some people are only social smokers. America made me think that that was impossible. I'm a social Place 'N Bake cookie eater. You don't see people trying to quit eating Place 'N Bake cookies in America, nor people testifying about how Place 'N Bake cookies has affected somebody they love. Eating cookies socially makes sense to me, but smoking socially is hard for me to wrap my brain around.
Additionally, I've changed my mind about being tall. I'm not necessarily tall here, but in comparisson to my family, I'm definitely tall. I think my family and their apartment were all built to 3/4 scale. Some of the old buildings in Cuenca have front doors that reach just above my waist. I'll try to get a picture.
In Cuenca, just about all of the music is in English. The radio is exactly the same here as it is back home, but with a Spanish speaking DJ. It's weird. I figured it'd be similar music, but with artists from Spain making the crappy music instead of the same Americans I'm already used to.
All-in-all, I like the differences. I can live without the BO, but otherwise it's been great. It's not America, and that's exactly what I wanted out of my study abroad trip.
Day ten
Long day. Went canoeing with the family (minus the mom cuz she's "scared of water"). Super fun despite being paired with Maripaz who, in addition to being really flirty, was awful at steering. We hit so many branches and had tons of trouble handling the canoe, but the views were unreal at times. I wanna do it again by myself. Hadta wear one of Pablo's Under Armor shirts that fit waaayyyy too tight. My nips poked through before I was even cold lol. Immediately after, went to handball with Sara and Yuki. Omg sew kewl D: super loud too. Cuenca won 28-27 on a last second shot by their best player. The band was right behind us during the game. Went drinking afterwords while the band continued to play for the fans at the bar. And immediately after that, I went to a dinner with rock climbing people (who I'd only seen maybe twice before). Ate TONS of food. Drank tons of alcohol. Went to a club afterwords and stayed out til 4:00 am. It was weird seeing adults out past 10:00 pm.
Day eleven
Ears still ringing from yesterday (handball band and club music). Went to a party at the dad's dad's house. Gorgeous views. Couldn't understand anything because I was tired and they spoke fast.
Day twelve
I think I found a usual spot to get my midday snack from. Got super lost after rock climbing.
Day thirteen
One of the least eventful days. Couldn't find pottery class so I went to a couple bars then went home.
Day fourteen
Maripaz got her hair cut and dyed and thus decided to put makeup on and wear a lingerie-like dress with high heels lol. Drank "Torno" beer that's made in Cuenca and it's *really* awful.
Day fifteen
Learned that Christmas in Spain involves Santa Claus (as a secondary character) and one of the three wise men (except magic and more important than Santa). Also they put out shoes and water instead of milk and cookies. Tried clams (maybe oysters, I dunno but I think clams). Quite good.
Day sixteen
For class, we ate churros while learning cuss words instead of doing real work because Lucias is the best. In Spain it's "cara o cruz" instead of "heads or tails." Played monopoly with the mom, Maripaz, and Pablo's friend.
Day seventeen
Needed to pee for two hours cuz I was waiting for Maripaz to get out of the friggin bathroom. Got my hair cut (which was frightening). Bought bread and ate the whole thing while I watched the sunset. Went to a bar to watch most of Copa del Rey (including Messi's phenomenal goal).
Day eighteen
Too much arguing and door slamming before 10 am. I don't think I like my family anymore. Went to the river for a couple hours. Saw a guy beat a snake to death with a stick. Met Jim and Jeanne from North Carolina (old married couple). Walked the river at sunset.
Day nineteen
Met new students. Saw a parade for Virgen de la Luz. Dudes carried a huge statue thing of Virgen de la Luz on their shoulders from the church next to class all the way up hill to another church while a band played and people followed and quietly sang hymns. The bell at the church was rung in a cool way once the statue got there. Cooked enchiladas for my family. I had almost nothing I needed and the chilis were barely even spicy. They also gave me frozen fajita crap instead of chicken so it was more like fajitas than it was enchiladas. Toured Plaza Mayor again.
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