Showered

The strange weather continues here in the plains of Spain. We’ve had an almost unbelievable amount of rain, clouds, and cold temperatures. On one hand, I’m quite grateful for the cool weather, because I can fall asleep at night without lying in a pool of my own sweat as in June of 2009. On the other hand, I’ve missed wearing sundresses and flowy skirts. Wearing leggings, jackets, and boots keeps me so covered up that I have been robbed of a good tan this spring. Yet, I know I’ll get that chance sooner rather than later when I return to the searing heat of the southern USA… so I’ll enjoy the coolness while it lasts!

This past Saturday (the 12th of June), I was supposed to play in a volleyball tournament in Vallecas, a suburb of Madrid, with a few of my former teammates and a handful of new girls. From Las Otras, only Ana Kung Fu, Ana Belén, Maida and I were representing, and despite a damp morning in Madrid Central, we still met at the sports complex at 3:00. The tournament was still on since the courts seemed untouched by precipitation, so we stretched out and warmed up. Eventually, we found out that they were running two games behind, and so we relocated to sit on the upstairs patio of the cafeteria to wait. As we did, I watched an ominous looking cloud move towards us, and soon enough, the bottom just dropped out. Needless to say, after 30 minutes of unusually heavy rain, the tournament was canceled and we all went home. What a shame!

Luckily, Saturday wasn’t the only time I’ve spent with my volleyball teammates in the past week. On Friday night, I joined María, Sonia, Ana Belén, Ana de Lama, and Ana Kung Fu for a farewell dinner at El Recuerdo. El Recuerdo, a posh but reasonably priced establishment, just so happened to be right next door to Mosaic, the language institute where I took Spanish classes on Friday evenings this past fall. It’s funny because I remember thinking, “Wow: that seems like a great place to take the parents or to go out on a date!” My, my, my... how things come full circle. Our “team date” was really special and loads of fun. What’s more is that the girls surprised me with more gifts: a tapas cookbook and a flamenco CD, two great mementos of Spain to carry with me back to the USA. And as if sharing a great meal with some great girls wasn’t enough, we continued to hang out for a bit and eventually—after much wandering—found ourselves in an almost empty discoteca, La Catedral. There we took loads of silly pictures and I made them all laugh with some silly dance moves of mine. Finally, once others started to arrive, we took that as our cue to mosey on and catch the metro back home. It was a great night out with some Spanish women whom I’ve really enjoyed getting to know this past year. I am very thankful to have had a volleyball team this past year, not only because it has allowed me to play the sport I love so much, but also because I had the chance to make some good friends along the way.

In addition to my volleyball team, there are a few other important Spanish women in my Madrid life. María, Nuria, and Cristina are three mothers of my 4th grade students I tutored this year, and I know them fairly well now. So, when they wanted to go out for a drink and some tapas on Monday (the 14th), I looked forward to the opportunity to spend more time with them without kids running around. We met at María’s house (where I spent 2 hours at her dining room table practically every Monday this year giving classes to Kike, Omar, Javier and Alex), and then we strolled down the street towards the place María had in mind. When we arrived at La Taberna de Buendi, I looked to my left and saw several familiar faces: Victor, Cristina, Pilar, Neme, Sharon, and SK! The moms had organized a surprise engagement-goodbye party for me! I was thrilled and just overwhelmed with emotion by the surprise. Later, another teacher, Concha, and Susana, my Spanish friend who went to Sevilla with us, also came.

Above: Cristina (Andrea M's mom), Neme (the religion teacher), me, Nuria (Andrea R's mom), and Maria (Kike & Javier's mom)
Below: Susana and SK

Once everyone was there, María handed me a very large and heavy box, wrapped in hot pink tissue paper. I opened it and inside there were numerous things also colorfully wrapped. One by one, I unwrapped each item: yarn and sewing needles (“for when married life gets too boring”), a rolling pin (“for multiple purposes”), a makeup bag with rollers and a shower cap (“for my looks”), a pink thong (“for the younger years”) pink granny panties (“for the later years”), an apron with a sexy flamenco dancer’s body printed on it and a tapas cookbook (“for remembering some of the best of Spain”). I’m pretty sure I was blushing throughout the whole time of opening these gag gifts. But their generosity didn’t stop there. Next, María passed me another box, this one more nicely wrapped. When I peeled away the tissue paper lining, I was awed to find a gorgeous, blue-grey Spanish manta, or shawl, folded neatly in the box. I pulled it out and discovered how massive it is, but its craftsmanship and quality were also noticeable. Everyone was telling me that I have to wear this on my wedding day, at least for a few pictures, in order to complete the Spanish theme that my wedding seems to be taking on.

I can’t properly describe how grateful I still am for such a special night in my honor. I was touched by this gathering of wonderful people, and I enjoyed my first engagement party! As an expression of my sincerest thanks, I gave everyone un abrazo americano, an American-style bear hug, which took almost everyone by surprise. Our dinner, by the way, was fabulous, too. We shared 4 different salads and everyone ordered a canapé, two pieces of bread loaded with things like salmon, shrimp, goat cheese, etc. We started eating at 10:00 and didn’t leave the restaurant until after midnight. Upon leaving, Pilar shouted, “We’re going out for drinks. Come on!” I wanted to go home but went along because I felt obligated to stay out if more people were. Pilar, Victor, Nuria, Sharon, and I stopped in a bar, but not long after we got there, Sharon and I decided to head home (it was after 1:00 AM). I told Victor I’d see him in class at 9:00 A.M.… and I did! Crazy Spaniards.
I’ve been blessed with some great relationships here in Madrid. Many times, we have no idea what kind of impact we have on other people. In all honesty, I have often wondered what good I’ve really done here in Madrid, if my kids have learned anything, if I’ve made any true life-long friends, if I’ve made a good influence on those I know. Over the past week, I have been showered with obvious and extravagant love by so many people. I guess that answers some of my wonderings.