Well it has been quite a journey over the 4 months of my travels. It is funny how I can learn and change, but since I see myself everyday, I don`t notice. I was chatting with a friend last night when I realized how different my life has been in the last 4 months, compared with the first 4 months of 2009.
Let`s start with a change for the better in my health:
I haven`t had ANY problems with my glands since leaving Canada. I have struggled with my neck swelling up since I got mono when I was 15, but here, no problems.
I`ve had way more day to day energy! Instead of wanting to sleep all the time, I actually feel like getting out and doing fun things! All of my training is much easier to complete when I am not napping, or wanting to nap. In fact I never got into a nap habit here and I would like to think that I am better for it!
My skin has been almost completely clear, except for a week or two where my stress levels where higher than normal. Also, I quit picking at any imperfections. A habit that goes hand in hand with stress, and something I was able to eliminate :) Combine that with a tan & lots of exercise, and I am much healthier looking!
Since I arrived in the north of Spain, I have been religious about my stretching. On average I stretch for a minimum of 30 minutes a day. What a great improvement in the way my body feels! I have known for years that I need to stretch more but I was never able to implement a routine into my life consistently. Now, it is part of my day and something that I will absolutely keep up upon my return home!
Next, I have a new appreciation for:
The West Coast! Traveling around Europe has taught me how beautiful Canada is, and what a great all around Country it is. The vibe, the general population, the scenary!!! We are sooo lucky to live in such a great place. I knew this before, but not to the extent that I know it now. I can`t wait to take full advantage of living on the Island!
Learning a new sport and being in the ocean! I have been in the ocean more times on this trip than I have in my entire life living on the coast in Canada. It is warmer, so that helps, but it is also part of the culture here. Everyone on this coast goes to the beach multiple times a week and it is quite neat.
Hiking Mountains! I think that if you tried to convince me to climb a mountain in the summer, for 9 hours, I would tell you to jump in the lake! But since it is what everyone else was doing, I joined in, and had a GREAT time! I have a new appreciation for hiking, and the accomplishment of reaching the top of a mountain. Very rewarding, and what a great way for me to explore the beautiful coast that I live on :)
Fantastic polite people! What can I say? Previous to this trip, I had only spent a lot of time with Canadians, and some Americans. We have so many great people in our Country. Family, friends, and even people I am not close to are much more my style than the typical person from another Country. I know that people will tell me "That`s because you are used to them". Maybe, but it is also because of the things I value. Sincere, nice temperment, polite, sense of humour, considerate, caring, compassionate, reasonably happy, active, healthy!!! We have a lot going for us, that`s for sure. While I have met some great people here, they are few. I am somewhat limited in that I don`t speak Spanish, but I still observe the way people act and treat each other. I have only seen certain countries of course, but I would choose Canada & Portugal over the others.
Children. Specifically happy children with social skills, which covers most of the children I know. Now that I have seen (and lived with) the behaviour of children who lack basic social skills, I can appreciate good natured kid sooooo much more! I understand that kids get hungry, tired, crabby after they eat sugar... that is normal. What I have seen is a major lack in communication skills, and it is a shame. Having to spend time with such poor mannered children has given me a new appreciation for spending time with other children. I love to watch them have fun, to see their expression when they are successful at something, the way they learn new things, and the way they interact (without being on my cell phone, laptop, or in a rush to get somewhere). I also like to be a part of all those things. Watching Andres` face when he caught a frisbee for the first time was one of my favourite moments here!
My opportunities. If you have been reading my blog, you know that I met a wonderful girl in Madrid named Patricia, who is from Uruguay. We have had many conversations about life, what we have done in the past, and what our future plans are. She told me how lucky I am to live in Canada and have all the opportunities I have. I can go to school, get a good paying job that allows me to pay my rent or mortgage (even without school), play all my sports. I didn`t realize, until I spoke to her, that it isn`t like that in every country. Where she lives, even with her degree, she would have to work full time and share a tiny apartment with 3 other people just to pay the bills, with no money left over! I know people, specifically my Dad, has told me how lucky I am to have all the opportunities. It didn`t sink in until I met another girl (close to my age) who has nothing to go home to at the end of this trip, except her family and friends of course (which are great).
Things I have learned:
A new sport!!! I have had a blast learning how to surf! I didn`t get on the water (or improve) as much as I`d like, but I got a taste of the sport. It has been fun to try something new. I was lucky enough to get some surf lessons when I first arrived, and then have the use of Jesus` equipment for the rest of the summer. I have thoroughly enjoyed this, even though I am not great at it!
I learn the most about myself when I am challenged! This goes for all types of challenges and negative environments. When I am pushed, I get the opportunity to observe how I react, or to practice my ability to handle myself. I am happy to say that I have more patience, tolerance, and self-control than I knew existed inside me! This trip has put the "bar" one notch higher for me, what more can I ask for??? Knowing new limits. Conquering situations that have gotten the best of me in the past. It`s a great process!
How NOT to raise my children! How many people can say they have had a crash course in how not to raise their future children??? I suppose people who weren`t happy with their childhood would have an idea about how they would parent; for those of us who grew up in a fairly tale, as fortunate as we are, we don`t get to form the same ideas about how we will raise our kids. I think it`s important to think about the way you will do things, and not just give the same answer "Because that`s how it was when I was a kid". That is not a reason, but an adopted habit. Anyways, I got the crash course. I have been able to observe the parents and watch what the children take from them, and how it shows in their behaviour. How the children have "learned behaviours" based on their parents lack of ability to follow through. "The apple doesn`t fall from the tree" is a statement I already believed, but wow, it has been taken to a whole new level! This is another area where I couldn`t have asked for more.
Things I already knew that have been reinforced time and time again:
Men are more friendly and more pleasant for me to be around. I am so appreciative of their simplicity! The adults who have made my experience a good one in the North of Spain have been men. They are consistent in the way that they treat me, and treat each other. I felt included and am very appreciative of their easy going nature and sense of humour!!! Thank you guys for showing me the positive side of your village and social lives! I will be missing our laughs. You are welcome to Canada if you want to do any hiking, mountain biking, water sports :) I will gladly show you my country and life as you have shown me yours!
I remain the same happy, strong individual regardless of whether the exterior envinronment is positive or negative. I once had it explained to me this way: view yourself as a lake. You are the stillness of the deep water, while the surface will change according to the weather. You remain the same inside, while the weather can be calm or rough, or anything inbetween. Being out of my comfort zone has enforced the fact that my confidence and happiness originates inside myself, not from an exterior environment. All the years of work that I have done on myself (and continue to do) and the lessons I have been taught, are paying huge dividends by making my life pleasant and happy! Thank you to all the people and forces in this world who have given me the ability to take sole responsibility for myself :)
Sorry for the delay in publishing this entry! I wrote it a long time ago, but I wanted to take time to reflect and see if anything else came to mind. Stay tuned for my recap of September! It has been an amazing month back at home and has included some challenges and a lot of success :)
Monday, August 24, 2009
Rookie Duck Whisperer
There is a duck farm about 100 m from my house, on the other side of the traffic circle. I just love all the farms around here! So last night, as I am running home in the rain, I hear this stressed out quaking - then I see one of the ducks wandering on the road!!! I have no idea how he got out, since the farm is 6 feet below the height of the road, and then on top of the retaining wall is another fence that goes up 4 feet! 
So I try to shoo the duck off the road but he is freaking out, trying to run away from me through the brush on the side and keeps falling down because he is too tired. Then he starts trying to fly over the 4 foot fence, but instead only gets 1.5 feet in the air and smashes into it. Poor guy. I was just making it worse, so I went home and asked Jesus if he wanted to help me catch the duck. Lol. He didn`t. Or perhaps he didn`t know exactly what I was talking about? Not likely a conversation he has had in english before!
I sat down on the computer and then thought about the duck and decided I had to try harder. I grabbed a towel and headed back out there. He continued to run away from me for about 15 minutes. Eventually he got too tired, fell down (in the worst spot, next to the fence on a steep down hill so he was wedged in), and stopped moving. I came over to him and touched him, he had no energy to move. I put the towel around him and awkwardly got him out, then held him on my hip. He didnt quack or anything. He was cold, so I think he appreciated the towel.
Then came the part of trying to get him back in, which I am afraid was an unsuccessful mission :( I walked with him over to the main gates of the farm, but they were padlocked, and the rest of the ducks were inside the locked building... so I walked back up with him to where I found him, and the only way to get him back in the main pen was to drop him the 10 feet. If he was too tired to walk, and the fact that he had clipped wings, I was afraid I would kill him. So I stood there for a while holding him, he was so cute. White with blue eyes, he just looked at me. After he got his energy back, lol, on the 2nd time walking back to the main gates, he started to try to flap his wings, but I had my hands around his body holding them down.
I ended up just having to put him under the main gates, but not with all the other ducks. At least he was off the road and in common territory, instead of smashing himself repeatedly into the fence. I hope the owners (who live across the street) came home and put him back with his friends!
The week has gone quite well for me here! I had a slow start to training this week but a strong finish, so that is good. My diet is nowhere near where I would like it but it is very tough to go against the grain regarding sleep patterns and eating habits when you are on the schedule and living the life of a family. It won`t be long before I can tune things up, though!
This weekend was fantastic weather (hottest day of the year on Sunday), and I enjoyed lots of time outside. Yesterday there were horse races on the beach in Loredo!!! It was awesome! I got to watch the young jockies race. There is video in my "Santander" album but unfortunately it is poor quality. You can get the idea, though! There are some still shots of the horses as well. I was wishing I had Hannah with me, I think she would have enjoyed it!
I had two failed attempts at surfing on Friday and Saturday. On Friday the current was really strong and I kept getting swept away, so I decided it was too hard to surf and waited for the current to lessen...but it didn`t. Saturday I went with Jesus and his brother Alberto. I was using the small board which I still can`t get up on consistently. I accidently caught a MASSIVE wave which took me soooo fast towards the shore and when I looked up, I was going to hit the shore! I was laying on the board so I forced myself to fall off and the wave must have slammed me into the ground or something - my knee on one side is sore and bruised. After that, I decided the waves were too big and got out! Haha. There were some other problems with that night - I had decided to surf in a bikini without a wetsuit. I was slipping all over the place on the board, and the ocean was so strong it kept removing my bathing suit!!! I might as well have worn nothing! Won`t be doing that again, lol, way too hard to surf under those conditions! Perhaps that would only be appropriate with my naked colony in Mataro, hmmm? Hahaha. I miss them!!!
I am starting an entry with reflection on my trip - although it will take me a while to gather and organize my thoughts into words. Anyway keep an eye out on the blog for that one, it will be a biggy. I have learned a lot so far, that is for sure!
Hope everyone is well at home - enjoy the rest of the summer!!!
So I try to shoo the duck off the road but he is freaking out, trying to run away from me through the brush on the side and keeps falling down because he is too tired. Then he starts trying to fly over the 4 foot fence, but instead only gets 1.5 feet in the air and smashes into it. Poor guy. I was just making it worse, so I went home and asked Jesus if he wanted to help me catch the duck. Lol. He didn`t. Or perhaps he didn`t know exactly what I was talking about? Not likely a conversation he has had in english before!
I sat down on the computer and then thought about the duck and decided I had to try harder. I grabbed a towel and headed back out there. He continued to run away from me for about 15 minutes. Eventually he got too tired, fell down (in the worst spot, next to the fence on a steep down hill so he was wedged in), and stopped moving. I came over to him and touched him, he had no energy to move. I put the towel around him and awkwardly got him out, then held him on my hip. He didnt quack or anything. He was cold, so I think he appreciated the towel.
Then came the part of trying to get him back in, which I am afraid was an unsuccessful mission :( I walked with him over to the main gates of the farm, but they were padlocked, and the rest of the ducks were inside the locked building... so I walked back up with him to where I found him, and the only way to get him back in the main pen was to drop him the 10 feet. If he was too tired to walk, and the fact that he had clipped wings, I was afraid I would kill him. So I stood there for a while holding him, he was so cute. White with blue eyes, he just looked at me. After he got his energy back, lol, on the 2nd time walking back to the main gates, he started to try to flap his wings, but I had my hands around his body holding them down.
I ended up just having to put him under the main gates, but not with all the other ducks. At least he was off the road and in common territory, instead of smashing himself repeatedly into the fence. I hope the owners (who live across the street) came home and put him back with his friends!
The week has gone quite well for me here! I had a slow start to training this week but a strong finish, so that is good. My diet is nowhere near where I would like it but it is very tough to go against the grain regarding sleep patterns and eating habits when you are on the schedule and living the life of a family. It won`t be long before I can tune things up, though!
This weekend was fantastic weather (hottest day of the year on Sunday), and I enjoyed lots of time outside. Yesterday there were horse races on the beach in Loredo!!! It was awesome! I got to watch the young jockies race. There is video in my "Santander" album but unfortunately it is poor quality. You can get the idea, though! There are some still shots of the horses as well. I was wishing I had Hannah with me, I think she would have enjoyed it!
I had two failed attempts at surfing on Friday and Saturday. On Friday the current was really strong and I kept getting swept away, so I decided it was too hard to surf and waited for the current to lessen...but it didn`t. Saturday I went with Jesus and his brother Alberto. I was using the small board which I still can`t get up on consistently. I accidently caught a MASSIVE wave which took me soooo fast towards the shore and when I looked up, I was going to hit the shore! I was laying on the board so I forced myself to fall off and the wave must have slammed me into the ground or something - my knee on one side is sore and bruised. After that, I decided the waves were too big and got out! Haha. There were some other problems with that night - I had decided to surf in a bikini without a wetsuit. I was slipping all over the place on the board, and the ocean was so strong it kept removing my bathing suit!!! I might as well have worn nothing! Won`t be doing that again, lol, way too hard to surf under those conditions! Perhaps that would only be appropriate with my naked colony in Mataro, hmmm? Hahaha. I miss them!!!
I am starting an entry with reflection on my trip - although it will take me a while to gather and organize my thoughts into words. Anyway keep an eye out on the blog for that one, it will be a biggy. I have learned a lot so far, that is for sure!
Hope everyone is well at home - enjoy the rest of the summer!!!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Mataro!!!
Hey!
I have just returned from a visit to yet another coast of Spain! I flew to Tarragona to be received by my dear friend Patricia, and the guy she is staying with, Alejandro. It was so great of them to pick me up - 1.5 hours away from where they live!
Since Patricia and I left Madrid, she has been living with Alej in Mataro. He is a very warm hearted, generous, funny guy. I was treated like gold and welcomed into their home. We became instant friends and enjoyed an awesome 5 days!
Some background information: Alej is a nudist, but because Patricia is living with him (or when he has to talk to the neighbours), he owns these pieces of fabric that act as wraps or skirts. You can imagine that men are not careful enough to wear skirts, and you`d be right, hahaha. Anyways, they wrap like a towel and he has been looking for the ones that tie up. Ok, onto the stories!
I got a bad virus that lasted a solid 72 hours starting on the 31st of July. It was like the Norwalk virus, but the after affects of being malnourished and severely dehydrated lasted longer than 72 hours. I was just getting my appetite back during my first couple days visiting in Mataro. I spoke with Patricia on Saturday the 1st of aug, telling her about my sickness. Turns out she had the same virus 2 weeks prior and went to the hospital. They hooked her up to an IV due to the dehydration, and told her to get 2 medications which were both over the counter. One of the medications was in the house, and the other I had to buy. I was in a severe amount of pain, so Jesus offered to take me to the pharmacy. It was closed, so he left the birthday party he was at to pick up the medication for me when the pharmacy opened again. Thank goodness he was here to help! I was in a severe amount of pain and couldn`t eat or drink water. The pills helped but the sickness held on for another 40 hours after I started the meds. When I woke up on Monday the 3rd, I was weak and dehydrated, but finally able to keep some food down. Jesus drove me to the airport, and I flew out that afternoon.
On the 4th, we were invited by Alej`s parents to have lunch. His mom is a fantastic cook. She prepared a Greek dish, similar to lasange but instead of noodles, there is egg plant. His parents are very special people - kind, generous, and warm. I didn`t eat much but enjoyed the interaction even though they didn`t speak English. His mom Ana is very sweet and his dad Juan is caring and funny. After the great lunch, Alej drove us out to a beach about an hour East of where they live. I was still not healthy so I didn`t get to enjoy the snorkeling, but I had a great time and got to swim in the Mediterranean sea! The water was beautifully clear and warm.
The next day was a lazy one, and I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with Patricia! We talked and talked. It is hard to speak to people who are not completely fluent in English, because I can`t fully express myself. Patricia though, is very smart and we share similar thoughts and sense of humour. Her english is fantastic and she is able to express humour in her speech! I had so much fun hearing stories and telling stories! Unfortunately there were some family problems with Alej, so he had to be away for the whole day.
Thursday, Patricia and I made a trip into Barcelona. While we were getting ready, I saw that Patricia had her purse inside the backpack. I had no pockets, so I started adding my wallet, a t shirt, a bottle of water etc to the backpack. Lol, she saw me putting stuff in and said "OH, Im the Donkey again! Im ALWAYS the donkey!!!". Hahaha. I affectionately refer to her as Donk from now on!
The trip takes a little while to get into Barca, first a ride from Alej to his parents town, where we caught an above ground train and then a trip on the metro system. It is worth it though! What a beautiful city with a great vibe! So far, it is my favourite large city in Europe. It is very cultural, with an active street life. First we saw some gymnasts from Morocco putting on an outdoor show, jumping over people, doing flips and jumps. They were fantastic but rather hostile when people didn`t put enough money in their toques when they went around collecting. Lol. We carried on down La Rumbla, checking out everything. There were SO many stands that were selling animals - hamsters, bunnies, ferrets, ducks, birds. It was strange. I don`t know what kind of tourists would be buying live animals, since we can`t transport them back home.
Anyway, we carried onto find the main Cathedral. The security guard wouldn`t let me in at first because my shoulders weren`t covered, so I sent Patricia in without me. She insisted I go inside to look at the achitecture, so we took a t shirt out of the backpack and just placed it over my shoulders. The Cathedral was quite stunning, full of Gothic arches and beautiful stained glass. There were these hokey little lights inside plastic covers. It was all in Spanish (or should I say Castillian) but Patricia asked me to take a picture of the "insert coins" part. LOL. I guess, instead of lighting real candles to remember loved ones, you insert coins and one of the little christmas lights inside lights up. Too funny.
We saw a group of people dancing on the street with a boom box. It is quite an entertaining place, very cultural with lots going on everywhere. I enjoyed watching the boys dance! We carried onto the main Market on La Rumbla which had the most beautiful produce and presentation. I really enjoyed it! The colours were so vibrant, it was a great place. I got a little bit of candy and Patricia got some dried pineapple (my bunnies would have loved it!) and some fudge.
On our leisurely walk back to the train station, Patricia wanted to look for a wrap that tied up for Alej. We stopped in one of these really cheap stores (they are all over Europe), always owned by foreigners who have to start businesses to immigrate into the country. Anyway this little guy behind the counter was helpful, and he said he had wraps but he would be right back, he had to go get them. He left us in his store alone, and it was pretty entertaining. Here is a picture to give you an idea of what these stores are like!
Anyway, since he was gone, we were joking around inside with the clothes. Patricia was modeling an orange skirt, then the little salesman suddenly appeared with another one from a different store! The wraps were good but they all had patterns, so donkey asked if they had any plain ones. The 2nd salesman went to find plain ones, and then our little guy behind the counter started taking his dress down from the top line of clothes that was on one of those plastic torso figures. It was quite nice, and I thought he was trying to sell it to us. Patricia said "Oh, thats a nice dress, very pretty" then he laid it down and started pulling the dress up. Lmao, Patricia said "oh, Panties too?" with a very excited tone. It was SO funny. Turns out that around the mannequin was a plain black wrap, which we decided would work, and she bought for Alej.
By the time we got off the train to go home in Premia De Mar (where Alejs parents live, he was waiting for us) it was almost 11 pm... and 26 degrees! It was a clear night and the moon was bouncing off the water. We were too hot, covered in sweat, and had sore feet. Donk suggested we go swimming and I agreed. We walked to Ana & Juans, where they were waiting for us to have dinner. We had already eaten, so we borrowed towels and took off towards the beach! Since we were in the city, we had no bathing suits, but it was dark so we figured it wasn`t a big deal. We got to the beach, where Patricia works at a restaurant right on the beach about 50 meters to our left. In front of us was a pile of huge rocks put there by an excavator, and to the right was darkness. We headed for the darkest spot, only to find that its also the place everyone else goes to enjoy the evening at the beach! We saw a huge rat running in the rocks and decided we should head away from there, since we don`t like rats and can`t see rocks in the water at night. Finally, we ended up in a very lit area, between the rocks and the restaurant. There were people on park benches to our right, and up by the street we could see people on their balconies having dinner. I said, let`s just hurry up and get in the water, then it won`t matter how light it is. So quickly we ditched our clothes and went into the water. It was so warm!!! I just can`t get over the concept of the ocean being warm, but I am starting to like it. Anyways, after the day, the swimming was perfect. 20 minutes later, I see Alej coming down the beach towards us! So we told him it was great, come on in. He said he was too full from dinner.
Meanwhile, while we were chatting with Alej (but not really hearing him well because of the waves), these 2 guys were coming towards us with a big water bottle. Alej heard them coming from the street and stood staring at them. They walked about 25 feet away from him, more towards where we were. Eventually, they had to acknowledge that he was standing there staring... then we saw them chatting (but couldn`t hear), then Alej walked into the water with the bottle and filled it for them. They left. Alej came in for a swim and all was well.
We were laughing so hard after the fact. Obviously the guys had been on a park bench somewhere when donkey and I arrived at the beach... and in the time it took them to find the water bottle (an excuse to come down), Alej had arrived and foiled their plans! Hahahaha. It was perfect timing! Then we thought, hm, that could have been awkward... but there was lots of civilization around so I wasn`t worried about stranger. Too funny.
My last day there, we just relaxed and spent time chatting. Alej and I went to the grocery store together. They helped me with my Spanish, I am starting to get an ear for it, but it is tough. We went to bed late. I just love staying there - no stress, no conflict, no schedules. It was so fun!
Luckily, Alej and Donk drove me to the airport for my flight on Saturday. Due to the fact that I wasn`t staying in Barcelona, I wouldn`t have been able to make the shuttle in time to catch my flight! Thanks guys, you are sweethearts!
See the corresponding pictures to these stories in the album Mataro! Those who don`t have the address, I will email you to gain access!
I am healthy now, and back in the North. Yesterday I spoke to Indigo Eve, who invited me to join her in a MOMAR - stands for Mind Over Mountain Adventure Race! It is taking place on September 26th in Cumberland. I am terribly excited, but need to do some serious work to get in shape! We are participating in the "Sport Course" which is 30 kms, as opposed to the 50 km Enduro course. It consists of Kayaking, Orienteering, Trekking, Mountain Biking, and Bushwacking! It should take us between 5 and 7 hours. It will be our first time doing it, although the leader of the group we run with (ELM Fitness) wins all these races as a Solo female on the Enduro course. She is a machine! Her name is Sarah Seads, and she is always encouraging more people to participate in the races. I am sure she will give us some tips regarding the race, hydration, and food requirements. You are welcome to come and cheer us on!
I best get to some training now, 42 days to go I think! :)
PS With regards to the rather off colour photo of the bull and donkey in the album, I can explain lol! Catalunya was conquered by the Castillians, and refer to "Spanish" as "Castillian". Anyway, like the basque country, they would prefer to be their own country, not part of Spain. The symbol for Catalunya is the Donkey, and for Spain the symbol is the Bull. I much prefer the Catalan way, so the sticker is political! Haha.
I have just returned from a visit to yet another coast of Spain! I flew to Tarragona to be received by my dear friend Patricia, and the guy she is staying with, Alejandro. It was so great of them to pick me up - 1.5 hours away from where they live!
Since Patricia and I left Madrid, she has been living with Alej in Mataro. He is a very warm hearted, generous, funny guy. I was treated like gold and welcomed into their home. We became instant friends and enjoyed an awesome 5 days!
Some background information: Alej is a nudist, but because Patricia is living with him (or when he has to talk to the neighbours), he owns these pieces of fabric that act as wraps or skirts. You can imagine that men are not careful enough to wear skirts, and you`d be right, hahaha. Anyways, they wrap like a towel and he has been looking for the ones that tie up. Ok, onto the stories!
I got a bad virus that lasted a solid 72 hours starting on the 31st of July. It was like the Norwalk virus, but the after affects of being malnourished and severely dehydrated lasted longer than 72 hours. I was just getting my appetite back during my first couple days visiting in Mataro. I spoke with Patricia on Saturday the 1st of aug, telling her about my sickness. Turns out she had the same virus 2 weeks prior and went to the hospital. They hooked her up to an IV due to the dehydration, and told her to get 2 medications which were both over the counter. One of the medications was in the house, and the other I had to buy. I was in a severe amount of pain, so Jesus offered to take me to the pharmacy. It was closed, so he left the birthday party he was at to pick up the medication for me when the pharmacy opened again. Thank goodness he was here to help! I was in a severe amount of pain and couldn`t eat or drink water. The pills helped but the sickness held on for another 40 hours after I started the meds. When I woke up on Monday the 3rd, I was weak and dehydrated, but finally able to keep some food down. Jesus drove me to the airport, and I flew out that afternoon.
On the 4th, we were invited by Alej`s parents to have lunch. His mom is a fantastic cook. She prepared a Greek dish, similar to lasange but instead of noodles, there is egg plant. His parents are very special people - kind, generous, and warm. I didn`t eat much but enjoyed the interaction even though they didn`t speak English. His mom Ana is very sweet and his dad Juan is caring and funny. After the great lunch, Alej drove us out to a beach about an hour East of where they live. I was still not healthy so I didn`t get to enjoy the snorkeling, but I had a great time and got to swim in the Mediterranean sea! The water was beautifully clear and warm.
The next day was a lazy one, and I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with Patricia! We talked and talked. It is hard to speak to people who are not completely fluent in English, because I can`t fully express myself. Patricia though, is very smart and we share similar thoughts and sense of humour. Her english is fantastic and she is able to express humour in her speech! I had so much fun hearing stories and telling stories! Unfortunately there were some family problems with Alej, so he had to be away for the whole day.
Thursday, Patricia and I made a trip into Barcelona. While we were getting ready, I saw that Patricia had her purse inside the backpack. I had no pockets, so I started adding my wallet, a t shirt, a bottle of water etc to the backpack. Lol, she saw me putting stuff in and said "OH, Im the Donkey again! Im ALWAYS the donkey!!!". Hahaha. I affectionately refer to her as Donk from now on!
The trip takes a little while to get into Barca, first a ride from Alej to his parents town, where we caught an above ground train and then a trip on the metro system. It is worth it though! What a beautiful city with a great vibe! So far, it is my favourite large city in Europe. It is very cultural, with an active street life. First we saw some gymnasts from Morocco putting on an outdoor show, jumping over people, doing flips and jumps. They were fantastic but rather hostile when people didn`t put enough money in their toques when they went around collecting. Lol. We carried on down La Rumbla, checking out everything. There were SO many stands that were selling animals - hamsters, bunnies, ferrets, ducks, birds. It was strange. I don`t know what kind of tourists would be buying live animals, since we can`t transport them back home.
Anyway, we carried onto find the main Cathedral. The security guard wouldn`t let me in at first because my shoulders weren`t covered, so I sent Patricia in without me. She insisted I go inside to look at the achitecture, so we took a t shirt out of the backpack and just placed it over my shoulders. The Cathedral was quite stunning, full of Gothic arches and beautiful stained glass. There were these hokey little lights inside plastic covers. It was all in Spanish (or should I say Castillian) but Patricia asked me to take a picture of the "insert coins" part. LOL. I guess, instead of lighting real candles to remember loved ones, you insert coins and one of the little christmas lights inside lights up. Too funny.
We saw a group of people dancing on the street with a boom box. It is quite an entertaining place, very cultural with lots going on everywhere. I enjoyed watching the boys dance! We carried onto the main Market on La Rumbla which had the most beautiful produce and presentation. I really enjoyed it! The colours were so vibrant, it was a great place. I got a little bit of candy and Patricia got some dried pineapple (my bunnies would have loved it!) and some fudge.
On our leisurely walk back to the train station, Patricia wanted to look for a wrap that tied up for Alej. We stopped in one of these really cheap stores (they are all over Europe), always owned by foreigners who have to start businesses to immigrate into the country. Anyway this little guy behind the counter was helpful, and he said he had wraps but he would be right back, he had to go get them. He left us in his store alone, and it was pretty entertaining. Here is a picture to give you an idea of what these stores are like!
Anyway, since he was gone, we were joking around inside with the clothes. Patricia was modeling an orange skirt, then the little salesman suddenly appeared with another one from a different store! The wraps were good but they all had patterns, so donkey asked if they had any plain ones. The 2nd salesman went to find plain ones, and then our little guy behind the counter started taking his dress down from the top line of clothes that was on one of those plastic torso figures. It was quite nice, and I thought he was trying to sell it to us. Patricia said "Oh, thats a nice dress, very pretty" then he laid it down and started pulling the dress up. Lmao, Patricia said "oh, Panties too?" with a very excited tone. It was SO funny. Turns out that around the mannequin was a plain black wrap, which we decided would work, and she bought for Alej.
By the time we got off the train to go home in Premia De Mar (where Alejs parents live, he was waiting for us) it was almost 11 pm... and 26 degrees! It was a clear night and the moon was bouncing off the water. We were too hot, covered in sweat, and had sore feet. Donk suggested we go swimming and I agreed. We walked to Ana & Juans, where they were waiting for us to have dinner. We had already eaten, so we borrowed towels and took off towards the beach! Since we were in the city, we had no bathing suits, but it was dark so we figured it wasn`t a big deal. We got to the beach, where Patricia works at a restaurant right on the beach about 50 meters to our left. In front of us was a pile of huge rocks put there by an excavator, and to the right was darkness. We headed for the darkest spot, only to find that its also the place everyone else goes to enjoy the evening at the beach! We saw a huge rat running in the rocks and decided we should head away from there, since we don`t like rats and can`t see rocks in the water at night. Finally, we ended up in a very lit area, between the rocks and the restaurant. There were people on park benches to our right, and up by the street we could see people on their balconies having dinner. I said, let`s just hurry up and get in the water, then it won`t matter how light it is. So quickly we ditched our clothes and went into the water. It was so warm!!! I just can`t get over the concept of the ocean being warm, but I am starting to like it. Anyways, after the day, the swimming was perfect. 20 minutes later, I see Alej coming down the beach towards us! So we told him it was great, come on in. He said he was too full from dinner.
Meanwhile, while we were chatting with Alej (but not really hearing him well because of the waves), these 2 guys were coming towards us with a big water bottle. Alej heard them coming from the street and stood staring at them. They walked about 25 feet away from him, more towards where we were. Eventually, they had to acknowledge that he was standing there staring... then we saw them chatting (but couldn`t hear), then Alej walked into the water with the bottle and filled it for them. They left. Alej came in for a swim and all was well.
We were laughing so hard after the fact. Obviously the guys had been on a park bench somewhere when donkey and I arrived at the beach... and in the time it took them to find the water bottle (an excuse to come down), Alej had arrived and foiled their plans! Hahahaha. It was perfect timing! Then we thought, hm, that could have been awkward... but there was lots of civilization around so I wasn`t worried about stranger. Too funny.
My last day there, we just relaxed and spent time chatting. Alej and I went to the grocery store together. They helped me with my Spanish, I am starting to get an ear for it, but it is tough. We went to bed late. I just love staying there - no stress, no conflict, no schedules. It was so fun!
Luckily, Alej and Donk drove me to the airport for my flight on Saturday. Due to the fact that I wasn`t staying in Barcelona, I wouldn`t have been able to make the shuttle in time to catch my flight! Thanks guys, you are sweethearts!
See the corresponding pictures to these stories in the album Mataro! Those who don`t have the address, I will email you to gain access!
I am healthy now, and back in the North. Yesterday I spoke to Indigo Eve, who invited me to join her in a MOMAR - stands for Mind Over Mountain Adventure Race! It is taking place on September 26th in Cumberland. I am terribly excited, but need to do some serious work to get in shape! We are participating in the "Sport Course" which is 30 kms, as opposed to the 50 km Enduro course. It consists of Kayaking, Orienteering, Trekking, Mountain Biking, and Bushwacking! It should take us between 5 and 7 hours. It will be our first time doing it, although the leader of the group we run with (ELM Fitness) wins all these races as a Solo female on the Enduro course. She is a machine! Her name is Sarah Seads, and she is always encouraging more people to participate in the races. I am sure she will give us some tips regarding the race, hydration, and food requirements. You are welcome to come and cheer us on!
I best get to some training now, 42 days to go I think! :)
PS With regards to the rather off colour photo of the bull and donkey in the album, I can explain lol! Catalunya was conquered by the Castillians, and refer to "Spanish" as "Castillian". Anyway, like the basque country, they would prefer to be their own country, not part of Spain. The symbol for Catalunya is the Donkey, and for Spain the symbol is the Bull. I much prefer the Catalan way, so the sticker is political! Haha.
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