1st of March

Hidden away in my study at home, buried underneath skirt designs, discarded patterns and an occasional rolling cotton reel, the moment I leave for afternoon classes feels like emerging from a deep, narrow cave into an exulting victory of colour.

It is the 1st of March, and the streets of Romania are celebrating the arrival of Spring.

During the last several days Bucharest has gradually shown the signs of change, and flowers had become popular, but as suddenly as a firework explodes at the end of one bright trail in the sky, so has the city burst into one enormous artificial garden, and they dominate the space. Wherever I look there is the shadow of a flower.

Being in a closed space doesn’t make a difference. Once inside the subway station the invasion follows me here. Mixed perfumes reach me as they take over the atmosphere. Women, young and old, wait for the train to arrive, and walk, talk and sit with a posy in their hands. They hold tulips, roses, and hyacinths, and I even see a solitary, proud orchid among the crowd of common flowers. Some are held upright, others upside down. Some are in transparent wrapping, with tiny hearts decorating it. Others are inside a small, decorative bag or in a pretty wicker basket. The subway stops with a screeching of brakes, and I walk into the coach. The world may have advanced technologically, but today flowers have taken over.

An old lady sits in front of me in the swaying coach and in her dry, shriveled hand she holds a fresh, red rose. I watch her and am impressed by the contrast. However, what does it matter that its holder is wrinkled and wasted with age? The flower she is holding will remain pure and unblemished for the day and will give her a small pleasure in her tired life.

I emerge downtown and again the transformation shocks me. The boulevard has become populated by street vendors offering home grown flowers, and corners are crammed with baskets carrying blossoms of every sort and kind. Those who are fortunate enough as to have their own shops stock their display windows with bizarre arrangements to attract clients. It is a riot for the senses.

I rebel against walking inside the building, wanting more of the rich feast that is unfolding before my eyes. The colours and the smells, the feeling of being among fresh and young blooms, the promise of Spring they bring, all call to me and tempt me to stay longer in this unusual occurrence. I know that tomorrow all this will be over.

Ultimately my spirit submits once more to work and a closed door behind me. After all, I have the comfort of memory.

Expresiones Colombianas

Some weeks ago I had the opportunity of leafing through an old traveling notebook. I had left it in Romania back in August due to luggage limitations, and while I was there in October I took the chance to look through all the chaotic lists, cluttered ideas and random phrases scattered on the pages throughout it. Need I say I re-lived past situations and laughed over funny memories? I found some treasures in there and tore several pieces of papers so that I could take them back home with me.

One of these treasures was a list of Colombian expressions I wrote down during my stay in Colombia. The ladies and the girls I spent my time with during my trip there used idioms I had never heard of before, or idioms that I had only heard from my Colombian friends. I started writing down the ones I didn't know, and one day I had Raquel sit down with me over a cup of tinto and define them for me. I ended up writing a small dictionary of Colombian idioms, a small sample of which I leave you here.

• BACANO: palabra que indica que algo es divertido, que gusta, que "mola".
• CHÉVERE: ver bacano.
• CHINAMENTA: conjunto de chinas.
• CHINO/CHINA: muchacho o muchacha.
• CHUSCO: de buen parecer.
• ¡GUÁCALAS!: expresión de asco ante una cosa desagradable.
• HECHO UN OCHO: caótico, confuso.
• ¡PREPÁRESE UN TINTO!: expresión de aviso de que lo que sucederá a continuación será impresionante o impactante
• SACAR LA PIEDRA: hacer enfadar, dar rabia.
• SARDINA: muchacha adolescente.
• SALIR CON UN CHORRO DE BABAS: hacer el ridículo cuando algo sale mal.

I pray that someday I will be able to go back and continue discovering expressions...

Wannabe Crònica

A principis d'hivern vam començar a fer proves d'exàmens de Selectivitat a Llengua Catalana. Aquell dia havia acabat abans d'hora un exemplar on hi havia una crònica titulada Estrelles i Diamants a Nova York que em va barrufar molt (sí, Lara, me l'has enganxat. Gràcies :P), i enduta per la inspiració i pels records frescos d'unes vacances ben merescudes a Romania vaig començar a escriure el que llegireu a continuació.
Aquest escrit va començar volent ser una imitació de l'estil de la reportera que l'havia escrit, Bibiana Ballbè. Malauradament, en el procés d'escrit crec que ha evolucionat un pèl i no sé si acaba de cenyir-se al gènere de crònica.

Dedicat als meus dos acompanyants d'aquella nit, el Daniel i la Georgiana, i és clar, al meu professor de Llengua Catalana i Literatura, Jordi! Sé que m'he fet esperar, però aquí ho tens!

Without further ado...

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Fa fred. Estic segura que tinc el nas més vermell que el color del cel ara que es pon el sol, i fa estona que he deixat de notar les orelles. Quins acudits, recollir-se els cabells en aquest clima! Ara bé, és poc pràctic patinar sobre gel amb la cabellera solta.

L'aire és fresc i pur, quelcom  normal i esperat aquí, però la seva fredor crema en inspirar a través del nas. Cada cop que surt aire per la meva boca es forma un nuvolet tímid que ben aviat es congela sobre la bufanda que porto cobrint-me mitja cara. La temperatura és hostil i agressiva, però la pista està plena de gent gaudint dels encants de l'hivern.

Ara que ve la nit, és interessant veure quin tipus de gent es queda més estona, i qui marxa. Mares o pares surten per la porteta carregant un nen petit, o agafats de la mà de criatures cansades. En picar de peus al terra de goma per espolsar el gel enganxat a la fulla del patí el deixen ben brut, i segurament relliscós.

Els que queden som persones ben diverses. Ben a la vora un xicot patina pacientment i lenta al costat de la seva noia, que s'aferra més a la tanca que no pas a la seva mà mentre aprèn a patinar. De tant en tant el noi, tot murri, s'aprofita de la seva inestabilitat per agafar-la per la cintura o abraçar-la per darrere. Que bonic.

Donant voltes per la pista incansablement hi ha la parella experimentada que sembla fer-los-hi la guitza mentre salten, donen voltes a l'aire i cauen, amb tal gracilitat que no semblen fets de carn i ossos, sinó de goma. Una mica més enllà, lents i agafant-se de la mà - que romàntic, penso -, hi ha un senyor i una senyora grans que patinen amb prou elegància. Com enganyen les aparences!

I jo... jo he vingut amb una amiga i un amic, però tots tres ens hem separat, cadascú al seu ritme. De tant en tant, patino al costat de la meva amiga tot xerrant, i després coincidim tots tres en algun lloc de la pista. Llavors comentem la jugada d'algun patinador, o l'estat del gel. Després d'una estona descansant i xerrant, tornem a voltar...

Al centre de la pista hi ha un grapat de nois joves que aprofiten l'espai lliure per experimentar i fer una mica el ruc. En diuen free style. Entre ells hi ha el meu amic, amb els pantalons tant mullats de les vegades que ha caigut que m'agafa fred només de veure-ho.

Segueixo donant voltes tot i observant, de vegades lentament, atenta als moviments tècnics d'algun expert. D'altres, al ritme de la música, perduda en algun món imaginari, inconscient del que m'envolta. Llavors desperto. Miro i em fixo en el que hi ha al meu voltant, notant-ho tot, cada olor, cada rialla, cada moviment, cada onada d'aire glaçat, i resto convençuda de la idealitat del moment, sabent que estic en el lloc i el moment perfectes.

Somric a l'aire.

Winter Longing

Winter is white, blue, gray. Sometimes very orange and yellow, other times purple or pink.

Vull que torni l'hivern, amb els seus misteris i els seus secrets xiuxiuejats i revelats pel vent suau que parla a cau d'orella, o per la petjada cruixent sobre la neu fresca d'un matí asolellat.

Vull que torni l'hivern repartidor de nassos, galtes i orelles vermelles, aquell que concedeix floquets de neu per adornar les pestanyes rosses i ocasionalment, fosques, de la gent que camina respirant nuvolets blancs per la boca.

Vull que torni l'hivern fred que contrasta amb l'escalfor de l'amor de families i amistats que veuen te tots junts contemplant com la neu forma una cruixent catifa en la foscor exterior.

Vull tornar. Dubto, però, que aquest any tingui l'oportunitat de gaudir de la meravella que tothom denomina neu.

Nevaeh

As I wrote down "N...e...v..." to write down the title of this post, I saw that the computer remembered the title. Then I realised all of you blog readers know about Nevaeh already.

Or, you should.

Just kidding. In any case, for those of you who don't, Nevaeh is... is... huh, me, I guess. She's me in books, and she writes down all her adventures (my adventures) in her daily life, and most of all, those happy happenings that happened during the happening of my happened trip.

Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I like double p's words. [wink]

So. Back to Nevaeh. I wrote a couple of her stories on this blog, but as I started to write others on the red book, I decided it would be really neat to have her story on her own blog, so... THIS happened. (There you have that word again... *looks sheepish* Thorry!)

If any of you happen (ahem!) to have curiosity, you will have clicked on the link, and then, boom!, disappointment! (Two p's!) Cuz the blog is private! Yeah, since it's so much like my own life, I've decided to make it private, for, let's say, safety's sake? Whatevah. Anyway, the point of this post is that I don't exactly have all of my trusted readers' e-mail addresses, so, here goes. You want me to send an invitation to read the blog, to you? E-mail me! You know, the usual address: silvershadowofpalemoonlight [at] gmail [dot] com

Just ask for it, and make sure you add lots of double p's words, or else I might consider not inviting you!

Dutch Stories: First Three Days

...continued. Previous Post, click HERE.

The couple of days before New Year's celebration were quite lazy and quiet.
Our ride home from the airport was long but not boring at all! Sonia and I started talking right away, trying to catch up with our lives after being six months without seeing each other. Her mother was very patient and endured our crazy laughs and sudden squeals, our loud talking and our excitedness in general. We stopped once at a gas station to fill up, and we both got out to walk for a bit, and it felt soooo good to be together again! It felt perfect, and my heart felt ready to burst with happiness.
We got out without our coats, so it was quite freezing. Sonia and I went running to the restrooms because it was a bit warmer, and tried to arrange our messy hair, but we soon had to go back and all of that time we hadn't stopped talking. We had so much to tell and we had so much to laugh about!
Snow, snow, snow all over the place. I couldn't get enough of it all! It was so beautiful! I was already in love with Holland, and I'd only spent maybe an hour or an hour and a half in it. I knew I was going to enjoy myself so much!
Sonia's father and brothers were at home when we got there. It was sooo exciting to get to see them again! I hadn't seen her older brothers since Christmas '08, a year ago, and I hadn't seen her younger brother and father since June '09, six months! So happy so see them all.
It was J's birthday that same day too, although I didn't remember it till the next day, and so had to say Happy Birthday one day late. Oh, well! At least I hadn't forgotten altogether! Better late than never!
We'd eaten lunch in the car (lunch consists basically of sandwiches in Holland), some delicious cheese sandwiches, so once we got home, at about three or half past three, I don't remember the exact hour, we didn't have to worry about eating. We had a whole afternoon ahead of us!
Sonia and I teased each other from the start, it's what we do best as Best Friends (JK!). For instance, there was this thing called Team Work we teased each other about, because we always did things together, we "helped" (or tried to, in the end we usually were making things more difficult for the other :P) each other in everything. When it was time for me to take my big, heavy suitcase upstairs to Sonia's bedroom, it was very funny because Sonia grabbed the front handle and I got the middle handle, and this way we took the suitcase up the (very) narrow stairs. I must add that we almost killed ourselves in the process, because we both lost balance and almost fell down the stairs, but in the end, no harm done, and we had such a laugh! Oh, I laugh just remembering it... how I miss her.
In Holland and during winter, it gets dark pretty soon. At half past four it's already dark, so when Sonia's mother came up with the suggestion that we should go for a walk and visit the city, I was a little bit surprised, but then, we weren't going alone, so since I really enjoy walks at night, we both readily agreed.
On went the wraps once again: jumper, gloves and scarves; hat; thick leather boots; and finally, my coat. I felt so fat and huge walking in that, but then everybody had to wear that over there, so I wasn't looked at as if I had green hair and purple skin.
The city at night was beautiful.
Correction: The city, at night, in winter, during Christmas holidays, was beautiful. Dark, snowy, and full of Christmas lights. (Okay, this last part and the first doesn't really make sense, but you know what I mean...). Everywhere we went was more beautiful than the last. We walked through ice-covered parks (it started snowing again the day after I arrived... that day it was green with ice covering it), we crossed bridges over rivers and canals, we visited the old city (old stone buildings, SO beautiful), we walked across the exterior mall, we went to visit Sonia's school, and we walked the whole city. Nah, but we did walk a lot, till half past six or so.
What I remember best was a huge, tall fir planted in the middle of the old city, near where the outside mall was. It was so big, and it was all decorated with Christmas lights. I fell in love with the tree at first sight, and I was so sorry because I didn't have my camera with me. I wish I had a picture of that tree...!
By the time we went back home, we were quite tired, but it had been worth it. We had talked so much during our walk, we had poured out our hearts to one another in Catalan so no one would understand us, and I felt fresh and alive, although tired... and late. They'd already had supper, and had started to worry about us!
Supper was truly yummy, and Sonia and I had fun eating on our own at the table while the rest of the people sat on the couches and chairs. S and J had left early that afternoon for France to pick up Sonia's older sister and her family, and they would be arriving next day in the afternoon. I was looking forward to meeting C very much, she was the only one in Sonia's family I hadn't met yet! But we had to wait till the next day.
I remembered to phone my parents that day. We talked for about five minutes, and (blush) for the next two weeks I was there I didn't phone them again. I guess I just forgot. But it was nice to hear them and good to be able to say, "I'm in Holland, and the flight was amazing!"
I don't think we slept much the first night we were together. Too exciting! I wore my red Christmas pj's for the first time that night, I remember, and I didn't wear it again while I was in Holland. I don't remember, though, what time we went to sleep that night... I can assure you, it was very early in the morning... :P When two best friends get together, and share all their stories once again, remember old times, uncover forgotten memories, listen to and sing songs they've both known for a long time... well, you get to go to bed either pretty late at night or pretty early in the morning.
Consequently, you wake up late next morning. I slept in till half past ten, or eleven, on Wednesday, to LOTS of snow! Sonia and I woke up to her mother hurrying us about because it had snowed a lot during the night! We jumped out of bed and hurriedly (and sleepily) but also excitedly ran to Sonia's parents' bedroom because it had such a big window, and sure enough, it had snowed a lot while we were happily dreaming under the covers!
I was so excited, I couldn't wait to get my feet into my boots and go outside for a walk. I had this childish wish to see my footprints on the snow, to make a big snowman and have a capital snowball fight with Sonia and her youngest brother (I have a problem here, because Sonia's oldest brother's name starts with an S, but so does her youngest brother's... any suggestions?)
My walk had to wait untill after lunch though, and I wasn't able to have a capital snowball fight because... mwahaha, I had my camera with me! Yep, beware, because I was roaming about the place with my camera to capture... a picutre. =) I went with S, the youngest. He's a sweet, active twelve year old who didn't mind my frequent stops for a picture, nor was embarrassed by my laying on the ground or my asking for him to pose in such and such a way, etc. I took plenty of pictures, and most of them came out pretty nice. I discovered that sometimes snow is difficult to capture.

These are my two favourite pictures from that walk:

When we started to go in the woods you can see in this picture, the cell-phone rang! I instantly felt happy and excited, because that meant that the boys were back with C and her family! That was the last picture I took, and we didn't get to walk in the forest that day, but I didn't really mind it that much because... well, because I was finally going to know Sonia's whole family!
Back we walked, hurrying, puffing and huffing (not), and indeed, there they were, sitting on the couch and talking and laughing! I was so happy to meet them, they are so nice and such happy people! C and I hit it off right away, and since then we talked a lot when we were together about everything. Mostly about babies, though. Hehehe.
Afternoon turned slowly into evening, and it met us talking and just about spending time together. There isn't much to tell about that evening, other than S (oldest) and C getting a hold of my camera and starting to take pictures of all of us (Sonia and I washing the dishes after supper, or youngest S and T playing on the computer...). These kind of quiet evenings are the best... =)

 Sonia ^^ ♥. This picture was taken by C.

Next day was New Year's Eve Day... waking up in the morning was lovely that day, because once Sonia and I had gotten our sleepesness out of our heads, we heard that it was pretty noisy in the room next door. Curiosity got the best of us, and when we popped our heads in we saw that everybody was in C and I's bedroom, either laying lazyli on the bed or sitting on the floor or leaning on the windows, chatting and being together. Ahhh, I like that family so much!
They invited us in, and so we plopped ourselves on Baby T's bed and followed the chats. That was when I first held Baby N... the sweetes little baby girl ever! I was so happy to hold her, and the first thing she did was smile at me! I could hardly keep myself from squealing in delight! *Sighs in contentment* My time there was unforgettable... I miss them.
When we decided that it was time for all of us to dress and go downstairs, once we went downstairs, what do you all think we did...? Yup, plop down on S(oldest)'s matress and resumed our chatter. And took pictures with my camera, too. I also discovered that S(oldest) had really, really huge hands compared to mine.

See what I mean?

There's not much to tell about that day... J left that afternoon, and later, I went outside in their small garden and took some pictures. They have a canal running right behind their house, and it's so cool because during spring and summer they get their boat out and go up and down the canal. Can't wait till May!

New Year's Eve was amazing, we had so much fun! But that's another story...
For the rest of the pictures, click HERE.

Dutch Stories: My Flight To Holland

Nothing much happened during the first couple of days in Holland... it was all very relaxed and family-like. Writing now about them makes me miss them so much... those comfy times sitting all in the living-room, talking, playing and (yes!) laughing together... getting to know Sonia's older brothers better, and getting to meet Sonia's only sister and her husband and children.
Honestly... looking back and writing about them and our times together makes me feel so bad, and makes me miss them so much... but I made a promise. =) And I know that if I have something to write, is because I made so many precious memories over there. What's best, I'll have them to treasure for ever.


My flight over there was very exciting. It was my first time on a plane since I was a little girl, and I was looking forward to it very much. Although at first I was nervous, the airport from where I left was small, as well as the one where I landed, so I didn't have much trouble in finding my way around. It was fun to qeue behind people (Dutch, Spanish and Indian), watch all the different coloured suit-cases, and (yes!) at all the people's shoes.
At first I was a bit shy about taking pictures in the airport, but I soon lost my shyness and started snapping around. I decided I wanted to sit at the back of the plane, so I climbed up the steps to the back door, with lots of people before me and behind me. It was so exciting to me! I was able to sit in a very good seat, not too far away from the end but not too far away from the middle, either. The perfect place, really.
Then the plane was taken to its take-off position.
I will never forget the sensation I felt when the engines started to roar and the plane started to run, and when it took off! It was so amazing! I felt everything at once, happiness, exuberance. I wanted to scream and laugh and jump and cry, it gave me such a feeling of power! I guess I had a rush of adrenaline. It was incredible, everything was boiling inside of me.
And I was on my way to Holland.
Right after the take-off I took my camera out and started to take pictures from up the air. I felt so awed at all I could see from my window! I had flown before, but when I was three years old and under, so I had no idea what could be seen from up there. And I was sooo amazed!

"I saw everything from up the air, and it was breathtaking"

It was sunny all the time up there because we were all the time flying above the clouds. And once, it snowed up there! It was so amazing! The crystals were so tiny, but so beautiful!

Sitting by me was a little girl and her mother, and across the aisle her father and brother. The girl was lovely, with greenish eyes and blonde hair, and a freckled nose. They were Spanish, but had family in Holland. I smiled at her often, and soon her mother and I started talking. We talked about Holland, about Spain, we talked about winter. I told her why I was going to Holland, and we had a very pleasant talk. She was a very smiley lady, and had a very pleasant voice which soon calmend me down, because I was nervous about the landing.
The almost-two-hours flight flew by me (haha!) way too quickly, and soon enough, we started to penetrate the clouds. They were gray, ugly clouds, but when we got a little lower, I completely forgot about them when I saw what was under us. Big patches of white were all over the places, and all the lakes and rivers were frozen. It was so amazing! I was all the time whispering, "God, your creation is so amazing!"
Then the captain announced that we were about to land, so click went the safety belts, and off went the camera. Now I just had to watch and enjoy.
Once again I got this feeling of exuberance and adrenaline when we landed. The engines started to go the other way around, and the air breaks on the wings came up. Such a noise!! I again felt sooo full of energy!
And so we landed. I was in Holland.
A gust of cold wind welcomed me, and as I climbed down the steps from the plane, I felt how tiny, icy drops of rain were falling from the sky. Welcome to a cold, Dutch Winter!
I remember how I looked up to the sky and breather in the cold, clean air deeply, thinking, "Thank you", and I started walking towards the building. Then, surprise!! Sonia and her mother were waving happily from the top of the building, behind a glass.

When I saw them, I started jumping and waving like crazy, but after receiving a couple of amused looks, I stopped showing my excitedness and started walking quickly toward the exit. I had to wait another ten minutes, though, to pick up my lugagge, and that was almost eternal to me. But wasn't it worth it...!
Sonia was waiting for me right outside the door, and I didn't even have time to drop the big suit-case before she gave me a bear hug! It was a precious moment.
Sonia's mother took a picture just as she hugged me, so we have that moment in a photo... and I am thankful. We were both so happy to see each other... I think we drew a lot of attention because we squealed and hugged and squealed again and then hugged once more, and it was like this all the time. I also hugged Sonia's mother, in case you were wondering.
My flight there was great. I really enjoyed it and I am so thankful that I had such a warm welcome once I got to the airport.
We had a long car-ride home... a two hours and a half ride...

...TO BE CONTINUED... ...FOR MORE PICTURES, CLICK HERE...

Madrinistic Experiences Part Three

Wednesday was lazy and slow (by the way, I forgot to mention that I saw Tío D. on Thursday! I was so happy to see him, he is such a cool guy!), and in the afternoon I went to see how my little brother was doing at Mr. and Mrs. H.'s. We had a good time with the kids and their new kitten, but other than that, Wednesday wasn't a very busy day. I was thankful for the rest, though. Going to bed late and waking up early isn't something I like to do - much, and it does tire a body down, I admit. And I needed it, because next day...
Oh, Thursday was an awesome day that I did really and truly enjoy. We went to the Madrid Amusement Park, and it was a blast! I was able to ride on all the attractions I hadn't been able to ride two years ago because no one wanted to go with me.
Meaning, of course, the really wow attractions.
I rode the Tornado, the Lanzadera, the Abismo, the Tarantula, the Top Spin, the Fiords, the Rapidos, the Vertigo, the Skybacks, and two others; no, three others, I don't remember their names. And we repeated twice or three times each of them, so it was really A-W-E-S-O-M-E!

This is the Tornado. It was painted black and if you look closely - click on the image if necessary - you can see that in the big curve on the left the people are upside down!

Andy and I on the Tornado, where the attraction came pretty close to the public walks and the boys were able to take the picture. We are on the second couple of seats from the right.

We stayed there the whole day, and I got soaked in a couple of water attractions. But, oh, it was worth it! Dennis won a plush-toy bee in a game and later gave it to me as a souvenir from them all. His name is Taxi.
I can't believe it yet, though, that the boys convinced Andy and I to go with them to "La Casa del Terror", or, literally translated, Terror's House! We screamed so much in there! It was very scary! Andy and I hadn't voice afterwards. It was truly scary, you never knew when a skeleton armed with an ax would sprang up from behind you screaming! I really felt scared in there.
Thursday was with no doubt my favourite day of the week.
Friday was a day of packing because we left for home that same afternoon. I bought myself some white high heels when we went to a mall for some last-minute shopping, and Mrs. M. bought (again!) Andy and I the same pair of shoes. Little red slipper-like shoes, very elegant and comfortable. She had done the same two years ago, but then they were small blue ballerina shoes.
We both wore the red shoes on our trip back home. Andy came with me to stay for a week too, so I didn't have the usual post-vacation "depression".
All in all, my week in Madrid was smashing, awesome and altogether unforgettable. I hope the story didn't bore you too much! :P

Madrinistic Experiences Part Two

I do remember what we did after the Sunday meeting the next day. The service had been very inspiring, based on Psalm 119:105, and I enjoyed the meeting. It ended quite late, though, and we went to lunch directly after that, and did the same thing that we did two years ago... another family tradition: we had lunch in the Chinese restaurant in M40! I hadn't eaten Chinese food for such a long time, and I enjoyed the fun time with my friends at the end of the table. We even scribbled on the paper mats, shared drinks and teased each other. Such fun!
Then I left for the C.'s house, another family living two hours away from Madrid. Marylinn is another friend I have living around there, and I wanted to see her and her brother Joel now that I was there. I spent Sunday afternoon, night and Monday with them. We spent most of our time outside walking. Marylinn introduced me to her friends too, and we had good fun. One thing I do remember with a laugh is that Marylinn was addicted to ice-lollies and we continually were going to a shop to buy one, and the generous girl bought one for me too each time she bought one for herself! I ended up having a dozen lollies in one day!
There was a disturbing fact, though, and that was that her friends smoked - a lot, and kept inviting me to a cigar. I, of course, refused, but it bothered me because I was tempted to accept once because I don't like to refuse
offerings. Thank God, though, He gave me strength to fight the temptation and I didn't smoke at all.
When I was there I was able to visit Sigüenza's castle again. Such a beautiful, huge, majestic castle! It's a marvel it's still on foot, but there it is, proud and strong. I wonder how many sieges it survived.
Actually, I toured the whole little village again, (again because I'd been there almost two years ago), and it was fun because there were lots of people because of the local celebrations.

This is a view of the castle. Of a part of the castle. It's not a very good picture, but when I get around to post the good pictures on my photo blog, then you'll be able to see it properly.

Marylinn took lots of pictures of us together, too, and would have taken plenty more if I wouldn't have left on Monday evening to return to Andy's house. The time spent in Sigüenza with Mary and Joel was precious, but I had, after all, gone to Madrid to see Andy.
So I was back at Andy's house and the first thing she tells me is "We have to do something special tomorrow with you because Jhona leaves for Valencia on Wednesday." I was kind of stunned at first, but grasped the situation in no time. It was soon agreed that we five teens would spend the day in the swimming pool. Then we would be joined by Dennis and would go out to supper and then to the cinema. And that's what we did!
That day was great. First, at the swimming pool we played at diving and finding a small orange stone, but we soon lost it and spent a lot of time looking for it. We didn't find it and finally gave up, but Jhona decided to use his huge, masculine ring to dice for and we lost it too. [chuckles] The situation was so funny! In the end I ended finding both things! Hahaha.
I got really tanned that day, and it was very funny too because I ended paying only 0'35 € for the entrance ticket instead of the 4'50€ price. What a wonderful idea a large family is. Oh, and to be "Just like a man", as Miss Cordelia from Anne's House of Dreams would put it, I must add that that day my sandwich was delicious (lettuce, tomato, egg...)
The film we watched that night was hilarious, too. Plus I was invited to Pringles, which are of my favourite crisps, but way too expensive to my income. Therefore, I hardly ever eat them, and so that night I got to eat Pringles and Lay's Vinaigrette crisps. My favourite!
That day was great. And that's it. End of Madrinistic Experiences Part Two!

Madrinistic Experiences Part One

Wow, finally! I'm able to write down a little about my experiences as a girl who travelled to Madrid alone. Hehehehe. I will write them in parts, so a couple of posts will be scheduled.^^
Let me start from the beginning.

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I arrived at Madrid - Puerta de Atocha on Thursday the 13th at a quarter past seven p.m., five minutes ahead of schedule. Andy was nowhere to be seen, but there were Heinz & Co. May I add that I served as a companion to my little brother on the trip. I had to leave him safely with one of his young friend's family and then continue on my own.
Well, his friends were there, but Andy and her family weren't. Oh well, I just had to wait for a while, because after some minutes they did appear, and Andy and I ran to each other and hugged like two little girls. In the middle of the station. In front of everybody. Oh well.
And so, I arrived at Madrid safely and went directly home. Well, at Andy's house, anyway. A delicious supper was ready and we had only to was our hands and sit down at the table. That is exactly what we did, and after finishing a delicious soup (but without bread... *sniff*) Andy's father, Mr. G., suggested we all went to the park outside, and so we did. It was a huge park, full of small hills, paths, a play park, a lake, and lots of space with grass. It's the perfect place to dream. A place with scope for imagination. I actually stood by the lake, opened my arms and started singing "My Heart Will Go On". It was dark, and a couple of stars were shining, and the lights of the city far away were reflected on the lake's surface. It was lovely.
But there is where the true me appeared. I lost my cell phone! Andy and I started playing on the grass, jumping and summer-salting and running and all these kind of grass games, and suddenly I didn't have my cell phone in my pocket. I started to despair, because on top of everything, it was on vibration mode, so it wouldn't sound if we called it. We even went back home to get lanterns.
Andy found it in the end, but only after about a half an hour or more of searching for it. Yikes! Welcome to Madrid, girl.

On Friday I met Andy's school friends! We had a great time together at Diana's apartment. We stayed outside on the garden, lying down on towels and playing at cards. We played so many different games with just one kind of card. I met Tatiana, who's Russian, Diana, Leo and Irene, and Patricia. We also ate ice lollies, and walked and took pictures of each other. We spent fun time together!

Tatiana with her cool-looking sun-glasses. Hahahaha.

Of course, sometimes it was awkward because they aren't Christian people, and their language was appalling, but besides that, we really had a lot of fun.
And I repeat, we had lots of ice-lollies.
Saturday was a full, busy day. We went to bed very late on Friday, and had to get up at 7 a.m. on Saturday, so for the first couple of hours I was kind of zombie-like, much like a ghost. We had to go to the sports-centre. Actually, it was a long tradition in Andy's family. Every Saturday they go early to the sports-centre to play football and basketball, and later they spend the rest of the day in the swimming-pool before leaving for prayer meeting. They had done that the last time I went, two years ago, and it seemed like we would do it again!
So at seven a.m., a very hated alarm clock went off. At least it was a melody that was soothing, and I didn't throw the cell phone out of the window. I quickly arranged myself because Andy had told me that her uncle didn't like to wait, and was ready after about half an hour, shower, breakfast and all. Wow. I didn't know I could do that!
In the end it turned out we had to wait for him for something I don't remember, and after more than half an hour's delay, Mrs. M., Andy's mother, ended up taking us to the place. We arrived there at about 8.30 a.m., and it was lovely. The sun shone but it was fresh, as if it had rained before. We didn't suffer much heat for a couple of hours, and we were all very thankful for that.
I got to meet Santi that morning! He is Tío G. and Tía O.'s first son! (I call all of Andy's uncles and aunties as if they were mine. They all like it). The baby was barely eight months old, and was already walking. He is the sweetest baby, and he had such chubby cheeks! He wasn't scared of me - wow! -, actually he is a very loving baby. I was able to take many pictures of him playing with his ball and crawling around, and when I picked him up because he asked for it hugging my legs, he grabbed at my half-heart necklace my best friend gave to me. He liked it a lot.
Let's just say that I didn't play football and just messed around with the basketball ball. I'm not a very sporty girl. In fact I only enjoy playing volleyball - though I'm no good at it - and swimming. And of course, messing around and laughing at each other's attempts at playing basketball. Ahem.

{Most of} The Saturday Gang. Man, did we have fun!

At about half past eleven we all left to get ready for the swimming pool. Andy, Christian, Sergio and I went to Jhona's house, and I was able to see Tía S. there. Oh, I like them all so much! And we did finally go to the swimming pool! All in all, we were eighteen people there. And what fun did we have! We even had lunch there, and it was delish.
At first, we were in the normal swimming pool, where there was a place for the kids. It had a half-moon shape. But then we teens went to the olympic swimming pool and played games and raced and were silly. I won the competition of who swam farthest without breathing! I actually swam three quarters of the olympic pool, and the boys wouldn't admit it, but Andy was so proud of me. Hahaha.
When it was time to get ready for prayer meeting, I was sure thankful for the showers! I was able to make myself respectable and ready for the meeting.
I don't remember clearly what we did after the meeting. We went home and had supper, I suppose.
And this, my friends, is the end of my Madrinistic Experiences Part One! Hopefully, Part Two will come along soon enough! Just enjoy this one as long as you can [wink].

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"Once upon a time, there were an apple and a banana, and they lived happily ever after in a fruit bowl on the kitchen table."

Written by MoonShaw's Mummy

Sí...

Ahí permanece, marchita y olvidada en un rincón, pero llena de recuerdos y años de soledad. Todavía conserva su fragilidad y fragancia; ahí, al lado de la ventana, encima de la mesilla y junto a las cortinas, dentro de una habitación de la torre de un castillo solitario, está ella.

Sus pétalos secos siguen rojos, rojos como la sangre de una bestia que a punto estuvo de devorarme. Y todavía recuerdo cada instante de ese día...

Sí, por las tardes oscuras y lluviosas me refugio en ese cuarto lleno de libros antiguos y polvorientos para contemplarla y recordar con melancolía el valeroso galán que la hizo mía y desapareció, sin dejar rastro.

Y hoy, oscuro y lluvioso día, ella me encuentra de nuevo a su lado. Después de tanto tiempo, sigue allí, constante. Mis dedos de anciana gustan de acariciar la delicada flor, y cogerla, y susurrarle, y posar en ella un beso.

Y mientras voy rozando lentamente sus aterciopeladas hojillas, contemplo la lluvia fuera de la ventana, cual intrusa que quiere entrar, y creo oír el son del galope de un caballo en su repiqueteo.

Pero ésto se acaba ya, pues yo me iré en poco tiempo, y entonces ella quedará sola...

Pero seguirá como ha seguido hasta ahora, tan sólo con libros como compañía, pero fragante y orgullosa como siempre, manteniendo el secreto que lleva en silencio, erguida y con sus pétalos rojos, rojos como la sangre de una bestia que una vez, hace ya tiempo, estuvo a punto de devorarme.

Ahí permanece, marchita y olvidada en un rincón.

Y lejos, en lo alto de una colina, está un caballo blanco con un jinete que contempla tristemente la ventana de la torre de un castillo olvidado...