Here we are again. At the start of the second week. I realise I left you with some rather sizeable cliff hangers at the end of yesterday's post and I am sure you are delighted to know that I can now answer at least one of these questions (although rabbit is still an enigma so it won't be that question I respond to!). So now, sit back, grab a large mug of coffee/tea/medication and let's begin the fabled journey into my troubling thought processes.
First off, much to Josie's delight, when we returned to our house on that Sunday from Santa Cristina, she was informed that she would be moving this evening to her new address. So in the evening we went to the other house, grabbed all of her possessions and mosied on over to the next place where she would be staying. Casa de Labanda. We were introduced to the mother, father, and the two sons Victor (Vicky) and Pablo (Fablo)*the author's nicknames. In a rather confusing way, Eva said she was returning to the other house so I went with her as far as the entrance way to the other building, but she then drove off and I couldn't get back into their house because the door had been shut so I just mooched along the pavement feeling like Avril Lavigne and ended up beating Eva back to her house like a disobedient child.
That night, Josie came round and we watched the Euro 2012 football final between Spain and Italy. It was a pretty great time to be in Spain actually, as every time one of the goals were scored, fireworks would light up the entire sky here as people celebrated. We vicariously rejoiced as part of the country. The Spanish team were much more attractive anyway, plus I knew some of their names, so it felt like the right team to support!
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| Josie and I with little Bea apres-swim |
The next morning a new format of class was on the table. In the mornings I became responsible for collecting a 7 year old, two 8 year olds and a 10 year old from their house each morning, teaching them English for a few hours, supervise their playtime in the pool, let them run wild with my camera and phone, and then bring them home again for their lunch at 2. The journey was usually during hot hot sun but I managed to have a good time while accompanied by Laura. We sang 'Call Me Maybe' with actions the whole way there and back each day, which was the best song around, until we heard this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qTIGg3I5y8. The new obsession then had to be saying 'But you've got COOKIES'.
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| Josie and I with Carlos, Bea and Iqthea |
By the time lunch time rolled around, I was always kind of relieved though to just be with the four other children and Josie. It's kind of exhausting being the constant focus of camera attention. I think I finally understand a little the celebrity mentality of losing your mind a little bit. That didn't stop me from occasionally super pouting and hand on hip-ing in true Paris Hilton style. I couldn't help it, the photographer was the cutest little boy in the world!!
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| Me and Carlos |
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| Slushie Time L-R: Josie, Laura, Marc, Pablo, Victor and I |
Now, there aren't many boys around Sant Cugat who are the same age as J and I so we were rather surprised one afternoon that Marc, Vicky and Fablo were all high fiving a random boy, with his arm in a sling. They chatted for a few moments, in which we were introduced to this boy and I couldn't resist a twirl of my pigtail. Not that he was particularly alluring. I just hadn't seen someone my age in a long time. The next day, as we flopped around the pool like sea lions, we came across another boy almost identical with the earlier met one and discovered that we were dealing with twins. What are the chances! There was even talk of them needing some private English lessons... there was also a friend, clad in a red speedo, shooting us a nice view down the barrel of the gun from the other end of the pool. The swimming pool is a dangerous place when you are as white and chunky as us, particularly when accompanied by a large herd of tanned children. At one point, we provided entertainment for what seemed to be an entire football team on one of the balconies. Some other pool characters: an angry man who liked to shout at the boys in the afternoon when they were all playing football. He looked like Joey from Friends and always looked a bit like he was saying 'How You Doing?' when he smiled at us. There was also a 'super-polite' Brazilian boy called Ougo (no idea about the spelling!) who was constantly greeting us. We were knowingly informed by Marc that 'He's a liar. He says he's eleven but we all know he's thirteen.' Why would someone lie about their age?? Do young people not want to be older anymore?? He was always around. Even when we tried to teach classes, he'd show up. It wasn't so bad until the children started pretending Josie and I were in love with him and kept trying to introduce us once more to him.
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| Hank from X-Men |
In the afternoons we would go for slushies. The man in the shop remembered us from last year and you could see his face falling when he seen our herd coming from the haze of heat across the square. The photo above is a classic example of the Hank Factor. We all try and epitomise Hank by becoming as blue tongued as possible. It's quite a game.
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| Being taught how to roll my -rrrrrrs by a seven year old. |
When we weren't slushying with the children, we'd be herded off to the shopping centre or to the city with the assumption that we couldn't possibly be happy just sitting around doing nothing much in our evenings. The main highlights of our trip to Sant Cugat city were when Josie tried to take a picture of the street and a bald man got all up in the forefront and then she tried to take another picture of the same thing and ANOTHER baldy got in the way!! What are the chances?? The other highlight was when we went into a furniture and appliances shop as we tended to do, and we stumbled upon these salt and pepper shakers shaped like those dolls with the eyelids that shut. Josie, picking a set up, said 'Can you imagine if the eyes actually shut when these lie down?' Our loud exclamation of 'Aaaaaagh!' certainly surprised the shop keeper when they were tipped and did in fact look to be sleeping. Crrreeeeepy!
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| Josie is a bear? |
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| I am a bear? |
When we went to the shopping centre we usually meandered half-heartedly through the clothes stores, spent some time -oohing and -aaahing over various furnishings in the Casa home store and then messed around, trying not to vomit when gross men made noises at us. One day we walked past this outdoors shop that had a ginormous cut out of a bear, one of those things where you can stick your head through. We asked each other 'Do we dare?' a few times as we walked past, went for a cursory meander around the store, then thought, 'Can we really embarass ourselves much more than we already have?' and snuck over with camera ready to efficiently take the picture of both of us. Usually our trips to the mall would culminate with a nice round of 'I Like Spanish Men who...' where we came up with funny people we had encountered and their odd habits. It was a really wonderful game, suitable for which ever country you visit!
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| Bea, Carlos and I |
One night while we were just looking after Marc and Laura, we were making dinner and there was a sudden CHICKPEA EXPLOSION! They started leaping up out of the frying pan and jumping around the kitchen. I quickly tried to re-gather the chickpeas amongst our laughter but one was sitting on the hob and when I reached down to pick it up, it leaped up at me so high that I screamed. The children will be recounting that tale for years to come! We enjoyed an episode of 'Jessie' on Disney Channel (could there have been a more appropriate show??) with our dinner and the chickpeas actually tasted great!
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| Foam a little foam of me. Ahh word play... |
With the arrival of the weekend, I bid adieu to my week of teaching the little ones, feeling tired but pleased to have filled up my camera slightly. With the arrival of the weekend, the city also got ready to have a weekend long fair in the streets of the town. At about 11 o'clock on Friday night, I was doing a crossword and contemplating pjs when I had a phone call from Josie inviting Marc and I to go to the fair with her and Vicky and Fablo. It was fascinating. There was candyfloss bigger than our heads, dodgems, shooting games and....a dance floor. Leaving the children with their friends at the dodgems, Josie and I went towards the dance floor, where we brought out our dodgiest moves while Robbie Williams 'Rock DJ' was playing. For about 15 minutes, it was just us and this other strange pair of women dancing and a lot of people just standing watching us. With the arrival of YMCA and 'Follow the Leader' the crowds perked up a bit and we all started dancing group numbers together in lines, led by women dancing on the stage. Then, suddenly, FOAM came out and it turned into a FOAM PARTY!!! We were all splashing around in foam when 'Dancing Queen' by Abba came on. Tossing foam in the air with Josie while singing along to the music, I felt like we really were Romy and Michelle, and we were really having the best time being possibly the biggest losers there. When the other weird pair of women came and danced with us I suddenly realised 'People are going to think we're all together. Great.'
With this lovely image in the forefront of your minds, I will finish part two. Here's a few questions: Will we return to the fair on Saturday? Will we do anything else exciting? Will I ever explain the components of the title of this blog. All will be revealed tomorrow!
QOTR
It was a pattern which continued for the rest of the shopping trip. For some reason, I just attract freaks. It is a scientific fact. Whether they want to tell me funny things, or try and touch me, or just ask directions: there they'll be, wherever I lead.
Sunday morning I had a bit of a panic of 'Oh no! I've got not plans. What am I going to do??' So I went for a lovely long walk with the doggy for an hour and we got into all sorts of routes I hadn't been yet. Unfortunately, she was trying her best to seduce the boy doggies so insisted on stopping to bat her eyelashes and, well, show them her bottom (not very polite!) on a constant basis. It was amazing to watch. 
Luckily, upon my return, I discovered that I had an invitation to go hiking in the afternoon with my friends Sam and Christelle. Donning my best shorts and walking shoes, I excitedly awaited my opportunity to stretch my legs. I headed down to catch a bus in the village. I was seated comfortably waiting for it to leave, and it began to fill up with OAPs. I made some polite small talk with the old lady next to me. And then, as the engine started, I realised I was on the wrong bus. I leaped from my seat in a Tom Cruise stunt double style, dived through the crowds of the elderly with some hurried Enschuldigungs and managed to get off just before the doors rolled shut.
We were really a funny group. All of us had a different first language and a bit of both other languages. It might have made for some confusing times but somehow we managed it just fine. It was excellent practice for my German, and for my exceedinly rusty and almost forgotten French. We had some good times. Singing into a carrot, doing Karrotoke- oooh it's so bad it's good!, writing my own Ten Commandments on a slate in a cage, performing a lively rendition of 'If You're Happy and You Know It' with all actions included, getting lost and wandering through fields of cows. Asking 'Is that fence electric?' and getting through it fine, only to be shocked by a different fence- Alanis Morisette might have something to say about that. It ended up being a 3 hour something hike so it was pretty energetic and also educational and it just felt like a very healthy sort of day. We ended our walk back at their house in the village next to mine and we had a lovely pizza dinner and a drink of champagne and a further chance to practice our languages. 
