Sorpresa!

So what’s the big mystery trip I took? The week before Carnaval, I was playing around with different trips on my go-to sites: Bing, Kayak, and Skyscanner. Since the good parts of Carnaval would basically be over on Tuesday, classes were still out on Wednesday, and I was 90% sure I could get out of my one class on Thursday morning, I figured I should take advantage of my time off and travel somewhere. I checked out France, Croatia (dream vacation), and Greece…but things were just not coming together. Then, on a whim, I looked up trips to Washington D.C. Prices were the cheapest I have ever seen them! Granted it was US Airways, but I could sacrifice gross airplane food for four nights in my queen-sized bed in Virginia. So, I grabbed my credit card and, just like that, I had a flight out Tuesday, set to return Sunday morning to Madrid. It’s an understatement to say I was excited.

The next part was deciding if I should tell my family or make it a surprise. Since I didn’t want both lf my parents having heart attacks, I decided I would tell my dad (someone had to pick me up at the airport), but leave my mom to be shocked and awed when I casually waltzed in the front door. After my dad promised to keep my secret, I was able to enjoy Carnaval while looking forward to my (albeit brief) return to the USA.

My flight out on Tuesday was around noon, so I had to be at the airport by 10.30 at the latest, which meant I had to be on the shuttle to the airport from the train station by 9.30 at the latest, which meant the latest bus/train I could take out of Navalmoral to Madrid would have had to be at 7.30 am. Too bad there only exists a 3.30am bus and a 9.00ish train. Originally I thought I would have to just stay up until 3.30am, take the bus, then camp out at the airport until my flight…which would have been miserable. Thankfully, I’m lucky enough to have a friend in Madrid who graciously let me crash at his place on Monday night, so I could get a full night’s sleep before the journey. I got into Madrid Monday evening, and then woke up with butterflies Tuesday morning, ready to go. After some confusion as to which terminal I would fly out of (I was on the shuttle this time…no 15 euro taxi rides between the terminals, thankfully), I passed through security and about 34 layers of passport control before reaching my gate. I boarded the plane and by the grace of God, the seat next to me was empty! I had an aisle and a window seat all to myself for the over 8-hour trip over the Atlantic. Three movies, two TV shows, and a questionable dinner of lasagna later, we touched down in Philadelphia.

After dealing with customs, I had a few hours to kill before my short flight to DC. I grabbed a Corona Light (!) at a bar and begrudgingly paid $6.80 for it. First culture shock. Then I got a coffee. It was gross. I wanted café con leche. Second culture shock. But, then things started to get better. While I was waiting at my gate, I had my computer out and my mom messaged me. We talked for a bit and I kept up the act of being in Spain. I was telling her details all about the night before, partying during Carnaval, my plans for that evening…it was fun. The flight to DC was fine. Super small plane, but I saw next to a lady who chatted away about her adventures in South Africa and Egypt…so the flight actually felt pretty short. Once we landed, I found my dad, waiting for me at the luggage return.

Seeing my dad for the first time in six months was fabulous! He helped me get my bags, as I told him all about the journey. Then he asked, “Are you hungry?” I was starving. First priority…Chik-Fil-A! It was heavenly. After eating my chicken nuggets and fries in about five minutes, the months of unprocessed food caught up to me and I felt a little nauseous. But, that quickly passed as we reached our house. My dad walked in the door first and said to my mom, “I brought someone to see you.” She later told me she was afraid it was his boss, or some other work partner…but then she saw me! She grasped her heart and just stared. Then she kept saying, “What is going on, what is going on?” through her tears. After hugs and reassurances that all was well and it was just a friendly visit, we sat down to chat and I handed out presents. It was like I had never left. Home felt amazingly just like it should.

Though jet-lagged and in a different bed than the one I have been sleeping in for the last six months, I crashed that night. Having a real bed, big and comfortable, as opposed to my mattress on the floor here, was wonderful. The next day I hung around in the morning, catching up on TiVo, then was treated to an incredible sushi lunch with my dad. Sushi has been the food I’ve missed and craved most since being here, so I ate my fill while I had the chance. Once my mom was home from work, we passed the time until dinner at a favorite locale (wine bar), then went to eat at one of my favorite restaurants, where I ate a good old-fashioned American cheeseburger.

Thursday, my mom and I had blessed Chipotle for lunch (don’t have those spicy flavors here) and shopped in the afternoon. My dad cooked us a nice dinner that night, and I loved just relaxing on the couch, watching TV, and baking homemade cookies.

God bless Chipotle.

That's right. Homemade.

Friday was another day of shopping and manicures. At night, we went to a Brazilian restaurant in DC where the waiters walked around with big sticks of meat and we were able to eat as much as it as we wanted. I left the restaurant feeling very full, very pleased, and a little bit overloaded on meat…but happy!

Saturday morning was filled with repacking my luggage. I had bought presents for all the kids I tutor, so my mom helped me make little goodie bags for them and we packed them away with all of my other things. Once all ready to go, we drove to the airport and said our goodbyes. The flight back to Philly was rough because of the high winds that day. It was probably the most turbulence I have ever experienced on a plane. I hung out in the Philly airport for 3 or 4 hours during my layover, eating lunch and watching TV shows on my computer, then I boarded the flight home. I wasn’t so lucky this time and had an older French woman sitting in the window seat next to me. She didn’t speak much, though she also didn’t have any regard for personal space. Again, I just watched movies, but when the gross dinner came out, I was prepared with pre-made turkey wraps from home to eat instead. I didn’t sleep at all during the flight and was so happy when we finally landed.

I had to take the shuttle back to the bus station, where I waited two hours for the next bus to Navalmoral. I slept a little on the bus, but not much. Once back in my apartment, I crashed for four hours, but only after having lunch and a long shower.

My trip was definitely worth it and I loved every second of spending time with my mom and dad and having all of the comforts of home. I can’t say I didn’t miss Spain and the people here while I was gone though. This little trip was perfect to tide me over until my permanent return home in late-June. That’s right…I’ve officially decided that I will be in DC next year. I definitely will come back to live in Spain again one day, but just not next year. So…I’ll see all of you Americans soon!

Carnaval, Carnaval, Carnaval, Te Quiero

And I thought San Miguel was fun. Carnaval in Navalmoral was amazing!

All I had heard ever since I came here was how Navalmoral hosted one of the best Carnavales in Spain. I found that a little hard to believe considering the town’s size…but I was definitely proved wrong.

The week before Carnaval, I had made various trips to the costume stores. After a nasty run-in with a store owner about a returned detective costume, by the time Friday came, I felt prepared for the party. Maria and Whitney came in on Friday afternoon (the language assistants from last year here) and after settling in a bit, they met up with Mamen and me to the “Chupinazo.” As I understood it, the Chupinazo was supposed to be one huge firecracker that is set off to signify the start of Carnaval. We got to the plaza about 10 minutes before it was supposed to start, but after waiting almost 20 minutes, we decided we had missed it. Too bad. Carnaval had officially begun and we didn’t even know it.

So at that point, we parted ways and suited up for the night. I was Super Rachel, best super heroine ever. About nine of us went to dinner that night at a delicious place called Casa Candy. We were a group of sailors, a super heroine, two brides (boys), a doll, Minnie Mouse, a Scot, and more…a pretty typical group. After dinner, we hit up Benito (our go-to cheap bar) and spent a few hours meeting up with more friends and having some drinks.

We then migrated to the casetas. Casetas are huge tents sponsored by bars and different companies. Each caseta plays different music, has a bar, and a ton of people inside. I went to sleep a little after 6:00am that morning…early compared to most people.

On Saturday, once we all rested a bit, we went out for round two. Meeting up for cañas, aka beers, then getting lunch, and then more cañas, we spent the afternoon moving around the town and hanging out on the main street with all of people who had come in to see Navalmoral’s Carnaval.

The highlight of the day was when all of us went to the fair and rode the bumper cars. I hadn’t been in a bumper car in at least 10 years and I have no idea why not…they’re so fun! This fair was set up right across the street from my apartment and while convenient, that meant I had to hear the same playlist playing over and over for days and days. Once excited to hear it and do the dance, “Ai se te pego” became a thing of nightmares for me…

We rested for a little while, and then put on our costumes for the night. Over twenty of us had bought the same firefighter costume, so it was easy to find our friends that night. We ate dinner at a Chinese restaurant, and then went back to Benito. Benito was four times more crowded that night than the night before, but just as fun. Once again, after hanging around for a while, we went to the casetas, and once again, had a very late night.

Sunday was the big parade day. I slept in, ate a lunch at home, and then went to watch the parade. It was great! Some groups were definitely better than others, but overall I really liked it (even though it was two hours long). My favorite group was a Planet of the Apes one who danced to “The Lazy Song.” Wonderful.

Later, we ate some food and dressed up to go out to the casetas (I just worse a dress with the mask I bought in Venice). We danced like fools and the owner of one of our favorite bars gave us a free bottle of champagne. Great night…though an early night in…2:00am.

Monday was my last day in Navalmoral for Carnaval (wait for the next post to see why). A small group of us met up for a few more cañas, then got a bit of food for lunch, before saying our goodbyes. That afternoon, I went home and packed my suitcase. Around 7:00pm I took the train into Madrid because the next morning I was taking a trip to…(you’ve got to wait!)