Friday, January 28, 2011

Alcala and the party train

Today has been such a long day and I'm trying to figure out why I'm still awake. I was not planning on being out so late. It was nice to not really do anything at work today. I talked to my Principal about staying on at the school indefinitely. Which was quite funny, because just last night I talked to my parents about what I am going to do after I finish school. Next year I am going to get a pay raise as well, which is always a good thing, given the current economy! All of the teachers had a lunch after school - we had different types of pinchos (finger foods), beverages, and desserts. Afterwards, a group of us went to a cafe for a coffee. I feel like I'm part of the "cool kids group" at work. I really love my co-workers and I'm glad that I've started to hang out with them and feel more comfortable. I was supposed to meet them tonight, but I wasn't planning on returning to the city so late. I had to travel to Alcala de Henares - a little town on the outskirts of Madrid. Friends from church are going out of town for their anniversary and asked me to stay at their house with their kids. My friend Amy was also at their house, so we ended up hanging out the entire evening - dinner, dessert, a fun game called Bubble Talk, and we worked on a puzzle. It was quite the relaxing evening!

I am always amazed at the concept of Spaniards and drinking. On the train ride home, a large group of boys who had to be around 20, got on. They got their party started early (11:30 pm is early in Spain for the weekend) and began drinking on the train. Amy and I started analyzing their goods - several bottles of rum, vodka, and another drink which has completely slipped my mind. They also had a few bottles of fanta to mix their drinks with. To complete their party, they had plastic cups and ice. This part didn't surprise me, because everyone drinks while on public transportation. It was quite amusing though, because a few minutes later, security guards hopped on the train (a normal routine.) The boys scrambled to put lids on bottles. The boy sitting in front of us hid his cup on the floor and turned his body to block it. Another boy went as far as hiding his cup inside his jacket. Two of them weren't so lucky - the security guards escorted them to the door and their had to pour their drinks out. Spanish youth are quite an interesting subject to analyze....they have absolutely no respect for authority (the boys were giving lip service to the guards even as they were walking away) and have quite a mature social life for being so young. Although I am no longer surprised to the whole "Let's drink on the metro" thing, I always get a kick out of it because it seems like they put a lot of thought (and money) into it!

I'm headed off to bed. I am exhausted and have tons of homework to do tomorrow.

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