Que bonita.

Last night the three of us met Ben and his friends Izzy and another Ben. Izzy and Ben (#2) are from America, and they have been here for five months—so they know the city pretty well. They took us to a Moroccan Teteria (tea café), and then we all walked along la Playa de Caleta (Caleta Beach, where we were earlier). The sky was clear, and the moon was out; it was a perfect night for the beach. We picked one of the oranges from the trees, and even though we knew it was going to be very bitter, we all shared it. The locals were making fun of us. We also took a long walk down to one of the forts and back. By the time we made it back to the house it was 3:30am, but that’s not very unusual here. We still saw families out and about.

This morning we slept in, and Paqui had breakfast for us then took off to the beach. We hung around and went out around 1:00. I only stayed for a few hours because I was starting to burn, so I decided to try to find my way back without the map. I got lost quite a few times. But I knew the general direction, so I eventually found Paqui’s building. In order to orient yourself here, it’s necessary that you get lost (as paradoxical as that sounds). The streets are very narrow and windy, and they certainly are not parallel. But it really is so small that you could easily walk from one side of the isthmus to the other in thirty minutes. So getting lost really isn’t an ordeal.

I came back and Paqui and Papa were taking a siesta, so I went out to the patio and gathered my line-dried laundry. Then I called my dad and wished him a Happy Father’s Day, took a shower, and then took a siesta as well.

Tomorrow we start class at the University of Cadiz. I’m taking an advanced language course from 9:30-2:00pm for the first two weeks then a Spanish literature class for the last two. I probably won’t update my blogs very often unless something pretty eventful happens. I figure that my days will become pretty routine and boring to read about. But I’ll still be enjoying every second of it…no doubt.

Random Facts about Life in Cadiz
- Just like in Greece, you can’t flush the toilet paper. You have to throw it in a little receptacle next to the toilet.
- The dialect in Southern Spain is a bit confusing. I’m having trouble understanding people. First of all, throughout Spain they say “th” instead of “s” (“s to theta” for you fellow linguists) for their “c” and “z”. So for the word, “cerveza” (beer…a lot of Americans know that one) they don’t say “ser-VAY-sah.” They say “ther-VAY-tha.” So they pretty much have an intentional lisp. But their s’s are normal. Here in Andalucia, they pronounce their “ch” as “sh,” and they tend to drop final S’s. So they say “bueno dia” instead of “Buenos dias.” They also say “como eta?” (como estas) and “epana” (Espana- Spain).
-In Spain, people say “vale” (BAH-lay) instead of OK. But they use it A LOT here. It’s quite humorous. Juan always asks us, “Vale? Vale? Vale.”
-Right now the EuroCup is going on, and you constantly here people yelling and cheering from within their homes. Spain and Greece play next week. I guess I shouldn’t use my Greek flag towel. But go Ellas!
-Speaking of Greek, Paqui’s daughter teaches Greek and Latin, so Paqui has Greek road signs hanging on her patio.
-Hot water in the shower only lasts for the first two minutes, then it’s cold water from there on out. But it’s actually refreshing considering we’re on the fourth floor and without AC.
-They clean the streets here every night, so the whole dog poop thing really isn’t that bad.
-They offer free Internet outside in the plazas.
-Paqui packs us picnics for the beach.
-The sun sets on the water, but we still haven’t seen it. We’re going tomorrow night.
-Paqui’s grandson often comes to visit. He’s only 3, and he’s adorable. (Last night he was all dressed up for mass.)
-The church bells ring throughout the town on Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings.
-Because we’re international students, we’re considered to be “guidis” (GEE-dees) because we don’t know the language or the way of life yet. Yesterday I seriously referred to us as being, “gri-gris,” only further proving my point.
-Everything really does close down 2-6 throughout the week and all day Sundays. Then they stay up all night. Students don’t leave to go out until 2:00am.
-API will help us plan our own excursions. We may got to Sevilla (Seville) next weekend to see a bull fight.
-For us, lunch is at 2:30 and dinner is anywhere from 8-9.
-People are constantly fishing from the sidewalks.
-It’s difficult for the Spaniards to say my name, so Juan, Carmen, and Paqui have been calling me Ana (my Greek/middle name).
-All the men whistle when they walk.
-I got over the culture shock pretty quickly. I love it here.