Robyn.Bowles.es

So it’s been a few days since my last entry. . . on Thursday night we ventured out again in search of the “Feria” (street Festival). It was not difficult to find since the closer we got the more crowded it became. We first came upon a street full of people and food and drink vendors. They also had a stage set up with men and women dressed in “traditional” Spanish dress dancing and singing. The crowds were too thick to get a very good view. After about 15 minutes there, we continued down the main street following the crowds to another street that was lined with carnival-type games with mostly-typical prizes that one may see in the U.S.: huge stuffed animals, plastic toys, goldfish, etc. But a couple of the booths also featured a main prize of Hind Quarter of Pig! I took a picture of these pig legs hanging amongst the other toys, and when we can figure out how to get pictues on this site, I will show you!

We mainly just walked around and took in the sites, sounds and smells.

On Friday (the holiday), we met Sarah. Sarah is a friend of the Crulls (with whom we are staying). She is British. She called and we went out for lunch. Fortunately, she is fluent in Spanish, so she could also help us search for an apartment. She made a couple of calls for us and set up an appointment for the next day.

On Saturday, April and Kelly returned from Holland. We have a very full apartment now! That evening we went to look at the apartment. It was in a nice area, and a good price, but VERY small (430 square feet – much different than our previous home of 1200 square feet!) Renting apartments here is a bit different than in the U.S. There is no application to fill out or reference check that is done, but we do need to supply what is called an “aval.” Basically, it is proof from the bank that we have at least 6 months worth of rent saved in something like a CD that cannot be touched. The woman renting the place we saw was also willing to negotiate – we could have also just paid up front for six months of rent, plus 2 months deposit. Our problem at the moment is that we have not yet opened a bank account here, and so, cannot obtain an aval. We can also only withdraw $500 a day from our account in the states, so it would take us over a week to accumulate enough cash for the total payment.

We will work on opening an account this week . . .

I’m not sure that I am experiencing “culture shock” yet; but I am trying to be aware of the emotions that I am recognizing. Yesterday we went to church and met more wonderful people, most of whom extended their homes or help to us in some way. While it is great to meet so many new, encouraging people; it also hit me yesterday how much I miss my friends and family and the ability to just spend time with people who already know me well. It is hard to be a newcomer to a group of people who all know each other well already.

En fin: my new class was easier for me today, and I am about 90% recovered from my illness. More later. . .

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