Walking with Trees

I feel like bizarre things happen to me multiple times a day, that I’ve just stopped realizing that certain situations just aren’t normal. I definitely have realized that I need to start writing down the funnier stories so that once I’m back in the States, I will finally be able to see how ridiculous my life could be here sometimes.

First of all, I bought a Christmas tree yesterday. Buying a Christmas tree here is not like going to Target and buying a lovely, pre-lit tree, or going to the local farm and cutting down your own. Instead, I went to the local Chino shop across the street from my school. When I went in, I found a bunch of artificial trees up front. I asked the little Asian lady which one was the cheapest tree and how much it would be (I JUST got paid for the first time in two months…but that’s another story). She told me the cheapest was 6 Euros, but when she went to show it to me, as luck would have it, they didn’t have any left. No problem. I asked her what the next cheapest was. She showed it to me, and while it wasn’t ideal, for 8 Euros, I could handle it. However, the model she showed me had no top section on it (aka where you put the star), so I asked if I could get a tree that had all of it’s parts. She said “no.” Apparently that was the only one of that kind of tree they had. So one more time, I asked for the third cheapest tree. The one she showed me was 12 Euros, but was pretty perfect. A little wobbly, but standing at about 3 feet tall, it definitely had Charlie Brown Christmas potential. I let her know that I wanted that tree, she set it aside, and I went to find some ornaments to decorate it with. After finding some, I went to the cash register to pay. After I gave the lady my money, she put the ornaments in a bag for me and then turned away. I said, “Perdón, but can I have a box for the tree?” (remember, this tree is all pre-assembled). She said “No, this tree comes sin caja.” Aka without a box. I stared at her and the tree for a few seconds then said, “Okay, um, well, gracias.” I picked up my bag of ornaments, my school messanger bag, and my new three-foot tall Christmas tree and started the 15 minute walk home through the center of town.

Living in Navalmoral, I’ve definitely gotten used to stares. The first few weeks here, I felt like an alien with my light hair and light eyes. Now, I don’t notice the looks so much. But, carrying a tree through the streets, I had flashbacks of those first few weeks. I didn’t really care what people thought of me, as I obviously was just being festive, getting ready for Christmas. Still, as I walked and met eyes with the on-lookers, I could only place myself in their shoes and think of my reaction if I saw me walking down the streets of this tiny town, already very different from the typical-looking person, carrying a huge plant across basically the whole town. I kept having to stifle laughs as I was walking…which I think only added to the glares I was getting.

In any case, I made it home eventually, pride not shaken in the least, and set up my tree. I’m so happy with the way it turned out and now, whenever I come home, seeing it makes me so happy. Being away from my family and American friends this holiday season is going to be hard. I’m already feeling it a lot with Thanksgiving being tomorrow. I think having little touches of home (ie: the tree) are really going to help. Also, I’m making a Thanksgiving dinner for my Spanish friends tomorrow. Stories from that will definitely come soon. But for now, I’m just thankful to have my Christmas tree safe and sound in my piso, for getting paid after two months of work (only in Spain), for everyone in Navalmoral who have been so incredible to me, for my wonderful family who I miss everyday, and for radiators and braceros (that without I would certainly be an ice cube in my apartment by now). Happy Thanksgiving!!!