Mis Padres
On Monday nights, Amparo has a cooking class so she makes dinner before she leaves. I kind of like Mondays because they are bonding nights for Miguel and me. This past Monday was great because he told me all kinds of stories about when he has had problems speaking English. He had a lot of really funny stories and it made me feel a lot better because I have problems with my Spanish all the time. I really feel comfortable talking to him because he always takes time to explain everything to me. I love when he gets excited about things. For example, a couple of weeks ago he was explaining all about his parents’ house to me. He even went and got the floor plans and a bunch of pictures and stuff to show me because apparently he thought it was all really interesting. Also on Mondays, after Millonario, the news, and Amparo’s return, we watch a show called something like “El Conquistador del fin del mundo” (The Conqueror of the end of the world) which is somewhat similar to the Spanish version of Survivor. There are some strange rules and things that I still don’t understand, but the strangest part to me is that it lasts for 2 hours! It’s an okay show, but I get bored of it before 2 hours is up!
Just a side note: I think Miguel and Amparo are so cute together! I know that they have been married for a long time, but they still joke around all the time like they’re a young couple. Once Miguel started telling me the story of how they met, but before he could even start Amparo interrupted him to tell me that everything that he was about to say would be a lie and that the truth would be the exact opposite. He told me the story with a big smile on his face and although I didn’t understand a lot of it, it was funny to hear him and Amparo go back and forth about what really happened.
The Beginning of Semana Santa
We only had classes until Wednesday because Thursday started the Easter holidays. On Wednesday there was a big party at the University called La Carpa which was a fundraiser for an organization to travel somewhere. There was music and lots of drinking outside across the street from the University. I decided not to go because it was pretty cold out that day. I was just so surprised that the event was sponsored by a group from the University and it was known for how much everyone drinks alcohol there because they sell it there. It was definitely a lot different than OU-sponsored events!
Miguel and Amparo spent Thursday at Amparo’s father’s house and Maite was with her boyfriend so I had the house to myself. I found out that if I sit out on the little closed off balcony I can get a wireless internet signal. I spent most of the day on my computer catching up with emails and this journal. I also watched “Déjà Vu” and “Runaway Bride.” I raided the kitchen for lunch and dinner, and I found a jar of peanut butter! I was so excited because I love peanut butter and I thought they didn’t really eat it in Spain. I made myself a toasted peanut butter and bananas sandwich, and it was delicious!
On Friday, the weather got a lot warmer and nicer. After lunch, Miguel, Amparo, and I took a walk around Casco Viejo. I made a video tour as Miguel narrated. We walked down to the river, but it started raining. We took Amparo back to the apartment because she didn’t want to walk around in the rain. Miguel still wanted to show me some things so we walked around for a little longer.
