What a fun
afternoon! Instead of my normal routine — class, blog/Facebook, lunch, siesta,
Madrid, dinner, TV/chat with Luisa — I passed up Madrid for a birthday lunch
for my host brother, Javier. He is the first brother I met and still my
favorite, by far. He lives out in the country with his aunt and uncle because
he has a dog (or a lion, as Luisa calls him) named Tarzan who doesn't really
fit in this tiny apartment.
The most friendly of
the three brothers , Javier works in a pharmacy but wants to be an architect.
Apparently he's very good with his hands; he built the wardrobe Caitlin and I
share and is currently restoring a few pieces of antique furniture. He also has
big plans for his mother's kitchen, including new cupboards and countertops and
even a new layout (or something like that - sometimes Luisa gets going and it's
hard to keep up). I hope he is eventually able to save up enough money to go
back to school and do what he loves. Although Javi lives about 15 minutes out
in the country, Luisa says his social life is here, in her house and in Alcalá.
I think I have only seen him once without his best friend, Juan. The two of
them are inseparable and so much fun to be around. (Juan on left, Javi on right)
Rocking out to Katy
Perry's Hot and Cold in the car, we
laughed about the roller coaster of love and the correct ways to insult someone
and their mother. I learned a lot of stuff from Javier, Juan, and the second
brother, the quiet one, Juama (short for Juan Manuel). Stuff like: they
actually know a lot of American music - even the classics from the 80s. And,
according to Juan, Javier is the only Spaniard who comes close to the level of
expression Americans are capable of, including me. Apparently, use a lot of
emphasis and Javier's never-ending energy makes him seem American. I know I put
a lot of inflection in my voice, but I didn't think people noticed. I also got
a great recommendation for a pastelería
right off of Vía Complutense, past the OhLaLa, where I can get a great costrada (a pastry typical of Alcalá de
Henares).
Getting
to the aunt and uncle's house, I kind of got grilled during lunch with hard
questions about the governor of Arizona (who even knows who that is???) and
they laughed a lot at my expense. At least I think that's why they were
laughing . I was totally lost in the conversation and they asked if I
understood everything. My puzzled look and pleading "¿cómo?" got a few rounds of chuckles. But, I guess they liked me
well enough because the aunt invited me to come swimming in their private pool
and the uncle gave me a rose from his beautiful garden out front. Who knows if
that will happen in the next 2 weeks, but it's a great thought in this awful
heat (okay, so it's like 85º…but
their air conditioning is severely lacking in force!) But hey, I got to meet
the fam! That's got to be sign that I'm normal enough to be introduced :)
While Juama was at
the doctor for his broken hand (as a vigilante for the discoteca, I'm betting he had to punch someone to break up a
fight), we went to a bar to drop off some olive oil and drink a Coke as Javi
turned 24 at 6:30pm, en punto. I felt
totally Spanish sitting in that bar as Juan went to the vending machine to buy
a pack of cigarettes and I sipped my Coca-Cola Light from a glass bottle. I
could definitely get used to this life. Oh wait, I already am. Vale.
