Spain 2010 - Week 2 - Family matters and World Cup

Two weeks down, three to go. School is going well...I'm not as concerned about my classes this year as last. I spent three hours studying this morning, recopying my notes in preparation for midterms next week. For the most part, I enjoy my classes, though it's rough having literature during the last hour before lunch. (But the profa recognizes that we're dead by that point, so she has us stand up and jump around, or she tells us a joke to get us animated.)

I've been having frustrations with my host mom this week. The year before last summer, I had spent a majority of it living with my parents, so it wasn't a big deal coming to live with a family here. This past year, though, I've spent it on my own, so I'm coming to realize the difficulties that lie now living under the rules of the house.

While my host mom was gone last weekend, I decided to wash my clothes by hand. I knew that I could have her do my laundry for 12€ a week, but I didn't want to spend that this year. I figure there was no harm done by my doing them myself. As I soon found out, though, doing laundry in the house (even by hand) is a no-no...but that's not her rule...it's the University's. I really don't know why, but that's the way it is. So, she got mad at me, accusing me of not having read the contract that I had signed, etc. In actuality, I had a) never signed my name to anything in this regards, and b) had never received any list of rules for homestay here. It hurt being falsely accused. Later, she showed me the letter that I had supposedly received and then got on a high horse, telling me that last year she did me lots of favors, and this year she didn't have to leave food for me while she was gone, but she did anyway...but that didn't mean I could do whatever I wanted to in the house, etc.

Then, the next day, I went to the post office and the train station after class, arriving home at 3:00 for lunch. Last year, we ate lunch around 2:30 or 3:00 each day. Again, I figure no harm done in my getting home then. I arrive, and she and Jaime (the kid from England who arrived Sunday night) were sitting at the table, and the first words she said were "You know what time we eat here. We were here waiting on you, but we were hungry, so we started eating. You need to make sure you let me know if you're going to be late for lunch, etc., etc., etc."

And then so last night, I knew I was going to be late for supper. So, I let her know that, making sure it was okay. Her words: "No...I've got company coming over, blah, blah, blah, can't be in two places at once, etc."

It's just been weird having this friction. I didn't expect it, and I don't like it. There are no warm fuzzies here at home. It's been hanging over me so much, how I should've handled the situations differently, what I should've said, how I could've "gotten her back," etc. And of course it's all pride. I've prayed that God would take this away from my mind...and it didn't work until last night.

Last night, Francys (a student in my class who teaches in Georgia, I think) invited me to go to a church with her. I accepted, and as soon as I got there and the service started, it's as if a giant weight was lifted off of me. Just to be in the presence of other believers worshiping God was awesome. I didn't know any (save one) of the songs, but that doesn't matter. The speaker talked about the verses in the Bible where we are considered the apple of God's eye, that He treasures us. Despite how others treat us, He is there, loving us with an eternal love. It was exactly what I needed to hear.

Back to family matters, Jaime is a cool guy to hang around. He's from Oxford, England, but he doesn't attend the university there, as he's still got one year of high school left. He speaks great Spanish, and it's been cool getting to show him around Salamanca and tell him some cool things about the language and culture that he didn't know. He's very outgoing, and will talk to anyone around. He just goes walking around and will start up a conversation with a Spaniard. Definitely a quality I don't have! He's got a friend here in Salamanca with a washing machine, so that solves all of our clothing issues. :)

The last major thing here is the World Cup. Though Spain is world-renowned for its soccer, they've never made it to the World Cup finals. Well, after beating Germany on Wednesday night, they made it! There was such a huge party after the game...the city was going berzerk! Horns honking, flags waving, people singing, foreigners pretending like they were Spaniards, etc. Can't wait until the finals tomorrow night!

Well, I think that's it! Miss you all back home! Back in three weeks!