Saying Adios to the Good Life

Before coming to Spain I thought a blog would be a great way of updating friends and family back home of my life abroad.... however I didn't anticipate the Spanish culture sucking all the ganas (energy) out of me and have failed miserably at updating this thing. At least I can say I have successfully emerged myself into my surroundings and have become just as lazy as my native born next-door neighbors. As I read over past entries there are so many great tales that have gone untold. Then again, this is a PG blog so I guess the best stories are better left out of print...

There is no rhyme or reason this blog...just a random collection of recent events which I've been too lazy to blog about.... typical.

Ngoc and I started couch surfing in March and loved everything about it, from free housing to the trepidation that comes with showing up at a stranger’s house and sleeping on their couch. After all, what would Europe be like without near-death experiences to spice things up. To be honest, I have been quite disappointed this year with the lack of scary situations we have found ourselves in compared to our time in Granada. Unfortunately, living in Huelva, aka Booneville, we haven't received many requests from travelers wanting to crash on our couch. However, when I received a couch surfing request from an American cycling through Europe I was thrilled at the chance to finally play host after so many surfing experiences. We were only slightly concerned about the guy sleeping at our place because he had no information on his profile nor any recommendations or references. His photo didn't look like one of a serial killer though so we said yes. Little did we know, but he was far from a serial killer, he was actually a little celebrity! Well not quite, but you know I can't help but exaggerate; he was the art director for a famous Gatorade commercial starring Derek Jeter. Within 5 minutes of his arrival he pulled out a knife big enough to do some serious bodily harm and said "I guess I don't need this right now." While my heartbeat was skyrocketing into triple digits I tried to keep a calm face but apparently he saw the fear in my eyes before I could say anything and assured me he only planned on shanking someone if he was attacked while camping outside during his trip. I was still slightly skeptical and decided I would not be offering half of my bed to share...the couch it was for him! He turned out to be a really nice guy and we had a lot of fun over the weekend. Given there is all of nothing to see in Huelva, sightseeing was out of the question. We dragged him along to watch me play in a local tennis tournament in El Portil (beach town). I felt bad forcing him to watch woman sports, which are about as entertaining as watching paint dry. Afterwards, we took him to one of our favorite restaurants over looking the port and dined over great food and a beautiful sunset. There is a bowling alley in Huelva, which we had never gone to and figured this would be a great time to go. I don't talk about this, because quite frankly, it's just embarrassing for the obvious reasons, but I'm a pretty good bowler. I only had 2 open frames (the fact I even know bowling terminology is not something I am proud of) and bowled a 188 despite not touching a bowling ball since I was 16. Moving on, hosting proved to be just as much fun as surfing and I hope to have more hosting experiences in the future.

Ngoc already blogged about the communion we went to, but let me just say it was ridiculous, in every sense of the word. If you thought you had a nice and/or over the top wedding you need to see Spanish standards. The rich and fabulous do not joke when it comes to fiestas and celebrations over here. Apparently they have fully embraced the slogan “Go big or go home.” The party had to cost more than the average persons yearly salary for a girl who hasn't even entered the world of double digits. If only she had a brother. Only joking, of course.

We were invited to talk on a local radio station here in Huelva about our blog not to long ago. A DJ somehow came across our blog and found it very entertaining. I didn't even think about the language barrier of the blog given its written in English and he is Spanish but he reassured us he understood it. When I questioned him further and asked what his favorite entry was he admitted he really only enjoyed the photos...I got a good laugh out of that. Nonetheless, the radios interview was quite fun. It was actually our 2nd time being invited to talk on the radio in Huelva.


The past several weeks have been so relaxing and enjoyable making the thought of leaving in just 1 week very sad. I never thought I would come to like Huelva but after living here for eight months and forming friendships I refer to it as “my home” without hesitation. Despite not traveling as much as we normally do, spending the past few weekends in Huelva has actually been quite nice. I will miss: Sunday afternoons outside on friends’ patios enjoying five-hour lunches and conversations. Having the time to spend countless hours in the plaza playing cards while laughing about tonterias. Walking to the Pier and enjoying the beautiful view of the ocean. Walking along the beach and watching the sunset over a glass of sangria. Being able to go to the basketball and soccer games for free because the players are your friends. Going out for tapas and then staying out until 7 or 8 in the morning and sleeping until 4 the next day. I can’t believe I am going to say this but….I am going to miss Huelva! I guess the expression “home is where the heart is,” really is true.


Besos
Ally

Here is me playing in a tournament on red clay in Spain....match point...I won :)