I happen to think that I have a healthy love for my country, so don't let the change in location fool you, I love everything Americana: hot dogs, baseball, football, massive portions, Jersey Shore... the list of things I heart about the good ol' US of A is endless. But now that I am east of the Prime Meridian, I am doing my best to blend in with the local people: wearing boots (well, flat-soled boots), speaking Spanish every chance I can get, and even getting a local library card. I try not to be blastingly American, so I don't get mistaken for a tourist and taken advantage of in places. Despite my efforts to "blend in", I didn't think that I could possibly look more American, what with my translucently pale skin, freckles, reddish hair, and clothing that supports non-soccer teams. Didn't think I could.... until today.
Backstory: So, the first washing machine that was installed in our house leaked all over the kitchen floor the first time we tried to do laundry. Elliot and I looked like we belonged in a Home Depot commercial, trying to mop up the floor with the dish towels we bought the week before. Due to this unfortunate incident, we were left without the ability to do laundry until it got replaced. Needless to say, dirty clothes piled up and the pickins' for clean clothes were slim, on account of the fact that we have a limited amount of clothes. Well, the only pair of clean socks that I had were ones that had Obama's picture on them (the "Hope" picture) and the word "Obama" across them. They were a gift from one of my best friends, Ashley, who got them when she and her husband were teaching in Korea. Thinking, "Eh, I'm wearing boots today", I threw them on and left the house to explore Utrera.
It was drizzly today, and the forecast calls for rain the rest of the week. One of the first stores I passed today had a sale where everything was marked down 50-70%. "Rebajas!" they advertised. Sales are a rare occasion in Spain, only happening twice a year, at most. My interest was naturally peaked. Noticing a pair of rain boots in the window marked down from 75 euro to 25, I reasoned to myself, "You don't even own A pair of rain boots... let alone many rain boots that would necessitate any entire rack" (hope you got that reference). Anyway, I decided that I needed to get a pair of rain boots and an umbrella to tide me over until the rain ended. In I went.
I realized quickly that I had no clue what European size I was, so I asked the sales girl if I could try on a pair. Off came my Ugg boots, and there appeared: Obama's face and name. Right in the face of the sales girl. The day after the State of the Union address. I. felt. like. a. tool. I quickly tried on the boots, muttered, "Les estoy comprando" (I am buying them-I think), and pulled my own boots back on. It wasn't until I got home that I realized that my calves are wayyyyy too muscular (hey, my calves are my favorite part of my body) to fit comfortably in the boots. In my embarrassment, I didn't even realize that the boots didn't even fit right. Looks like I'll be doing some calf exercises in the near future....
Despite my EXTREME SHOWING OF AMERICAN PATRIOTISM, the rest of the day was a lot of fun. The rain held out, and I was able to walk around Utrera and get a sense of where everything was. I got a library card, bought some more fresh bread, and even had a cafe con leche that was American sized at a cafe bar by the downtown plaza. I tried to go into the largest church in the area, but the doors were locked. I couldn't even find a sign that listed the hours. I think it will be one of those situations where I stumble upon it being open. The highlight of the day was finding a jewelry store that only sells things that cost 2 euro, nice quality stuff too! I told the guy that jewelry like that costs $30 in the States. The most expensive items were the watches, which he informed me cost 5 euro. I bought a necklace/earring set and a thin wallet for 4 euro. I almost offered him 50 euro for the whole store. After marking the spot of this glorious establishment on my Utrera map, I did cartwheels out the door. All in all, a nice little Wednesday.
Guess who made a surprise appearance today? Oh yeah, Paco. I called our landlord, Pepe, and told him that Paco has been no-show for the past few days. Lo and behold, a few hours later Paco shows up at the door. Just as I was getting out of the shower. This guy has impeccable timing, let me tell ya. After opening up the window and shouting "UN MOMENTO!", and racing downstairs lest he disappear again, he informed me that he couldn't fix the electricity for the automatic gate because there was water on the ground. If it doesn't rain tomorrow, he said, I'll be here. Otherwise, I'll be at home in Sevilla. You gotta admire this guy's work ethic for not working. He did, however, put a new lock on the mailbox, so now I can get the junk mail that's sent to this address. We get a lot of campaign advertisements for a guy who looks like Jared, the Subway guy. I don't like Subway, so I don't think I'll be voting for him.
Good news: Elliot and I both have cell phones now! AND The woman at the store fixed mine, so I now have internet! Woohoo! My number is +34 680-244-855.
Other good news: We bought a grill. Food somehow tastes better when it's off the grill. Bbq chicken sandwiches and grilled veggies for dinner tonight. ALL AMERICANA, BABY!
Great news: We're expected to get the car by the end of next week! Major snaps
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