Alicante!

I'm just going to write a bit because I'm tired and I'm interrupting my lovely siesta (2:00-5:00 everyday!) to type this. 


Basically, Alicante is AWESOME. I was really excited to come here and settle into the place I'll be living for the next four months, and I wasn't disappointed when we first drove up to the city a few days ago. Alicante is very different from the cities we saw in central Spain, or at least it seems that way to me; it's almost like pictures of some older towns I've seen in the Caribbean, but drier. I'll post some eventually but I've been forgetting I have my camera when I go out and about.


After a couple of days, things are starting to feel a little more settled. I have my schedule for classes (no class on Fridays!) and I've got my cellphone all set. My living situation is really nice--I even have my own room! More importantly that that, though, my host family is incredible. They don't speak English at all, which makes communication a little interesting sometimes (especially when I'm tired and my brain refuses to work in English, let alone in Spanish), but they're really genuinely nice people. I also have an (awesome!) American roommate, so that helps--it keeps me from feeling quite so isolated.


I'm starting to go into culture shock a bit, though. For example, the bathroom situation. First of all, utilities are extremely precious in Alicante because of the dry climate and general cost of resources in Spain. Because of that, simple things I take for granted (like leaving the lights on in the house at night in rooms we aren't using) are popping into the forefront and  making me notice them for the first time. Perhaps this will make me more "green" when I return to the US, but I doubt I'll be completely converted to the point of continuing to turn off the shower in between applying soap and rinsing like we do here.


What's the most troubling thing I've encountered, you ask? The one thing that makes me cringe with American ethnocentricity? Two words: the bidet.


This is what I first thought of: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF4RFFuUmew


My pleasantly-amused chortling quickly turned sour, though, when I reread the sign next to the toilet: "Please, do not flash toilet paper or toilet treats down the toilet." That couldn't be right, could it? Not being able to flush toilet paper? Suddenly, I thought: "OhmygodwehavetousethebidetINSTEADoftoiletpaper!" Vague plans of seeking out public restrooms with real toilets began to form as I hopped on my laptop and googled "How to use a bidet" (a search, by the way, I recommend--there are many creative ways to use this aquatic butt-wiper; for instance, as a way to bathe children or dishes). Supposedly it's more environmentally-conscious than toilet paper. I would have to think that it would be a bad idea to use water when it's more precious like in Alicante, but I guess preciousness doesn't come into account for necessities. 


In any case, I am proud to say I tried the bidet. Once. Let's just say it's not really my cup of tea and move on, okay? Okay.


So now that the bidet was out of the question, I realized that the sign said only not to flush the toilet paper, not to take leave from using it entirely. After finally popping the question (which was actually not as awkward as one might imagine), I discovered that they take the trash, which sits in a covered bin, out every single day so used toilet paper doesn't stink up the bathroom. I guess the toilets in this house are old or something, because I haven't encountered this anywhere else--or maybe I've just been leaving a trail of clogged toilets around the Spanish countryside, who knows. 


I'm over the whole bidet thing now but it kind of opened the door for me to notice things about being here that aren't ideal or what I thought they would be. For example, I really wish I had brought more warm clothes because it's FREEZING. It may be 50 degrees outside, but no one has heating so it gets really cold inside--especially overnight, which makes it really difficult to get out of bed in the morning (catching the train early enough in the morning to go to school will be an interesting experience).


Studying abroad is going to be a lot harder than I thought it would be. I guess the whole language barrier never dawned on my until actually being here. Everyone else I've taken Spanish classes with or spoken to in the US also speaks English, which makes a huge difference, especially when trying to do things that are tricky for me anyway in English let alone a foreign language, like setting up a cellphone. 


Poco a poco, though, I'm getting used to it. School starts on Wednesday and with it an established schedule I can fall into. After I have a better idea of how to manage my time, I'll be able to go to the beach (just a 15 minute walk from here) or go get tapas somewhere or Skype people back home. Until then, though, it's just time for siesta!