On Sunday, aka Halloween, Rebecca came over in the evening to get dressed for the big night. She had bought a bright red devil wig that day at the only store open on Sundays and was very excited for the big night. I was determined to not spend any money on my costume, and I came out victorious. I decided to steal an idea from "The Office" and be "Three-hole punch Lizzie." That consisted of me wearing a striped dress (sort of like lined paper) and putting three circular pieces of paper down my side. Not too elaborate, but at least it was a costume.
We headed to a potluck dinner at my friends' apartment in Triana. I made garlic bread, but it did not seem to keep away the vampires that night. David made a delicious paella so we feasted and drank sangría. A ton of people showed up there, including many people I hadn't met before. Costumes ranged from a zombie band to the girl in A Nightmare Before Christmas to lots of ghoulish face paint. It was quite a party! We eventually mobilized and walked to Torre de Oro for a botellón. This is where people bring their own bottles and drink outside with whoever else is there, which is usually a massive amount of people. I decided that night that I am not a fan of this type of gathering. It was freezing cold and there was no bathroom in sight. I prefer to hang out in the comfort of one's home before going out, but apparently Spain disagrees with me. Xanthe and Anna met up with me there and it was really great to see them. We ended up finding my friend from the intercambio and his group of British, Irish, and French friends, and I barely saw the original group for the rest of the night. At around 1:30 am, several cop cars pulled up to the botellón and everyone scattered off to bars. Don't worry - this is how it always ends and no one gets arrested. So we headed to Calle Betis with our new amigos and spent the night at a bar called Alambique. I had a really great time talking with all these people and somehow the time flew by. I wanted to go dancing, but that never materialized. Nevertheless, it was a great night. After that bar closed, we hung out outside for a while and went to Xanthe's apartment to hang out even more. When I was outside, I literally felt like I was in the movie Zombieland or Dawn of the Dead. There were countless people with fake blood dripping down their faces and ripped shirts. I was certainly not walking home alone that night. I think it's funny that all these Spaniards have adopted our tradition of dressing up, but there was no one out there with the ironic costumes that I prefer - they were out to scare. I eventually took a cab home and walked into my apartment at 6:06 am. That, folks, is a new record. I am officially becoming a Spaniard. But it made me worry because I would have to complete two sleep cycles in 24 hours before I woke up at 6:30 the next morning. Luckily, a night out that late can make you tired enough to do that.
I slept until 2:15 on Monday. Even though I never work on Mondays, it was a national holiday so it made it more acceptable for me to sleep that late. I did some laundry and went to meet up with Rebecca. We had delicious chicken tapas near her new apartment in the center. And I saw her new place and briefly met her new roommates. I'm very excited for her that she gets to live so close to all the action. She is in a ridiculously cool area now. After that, I went to the intercambio again. I did not speak as much Spanish this time - teaching dirty English words seemed to be the dominant topic for the day. But it felt good helping the Spaniards and everyone there is super nice. Plus, one guy told me that my pronunciation is improving. I'll take it.
Today, I had work and had some fun interactions with the students. Some of them taught me a few flamenco steps and told me there would be an exam next week. They are also fixated on having me wear my hair in a very high ponytail. Not sure why since I don't think it looks that great. But, all in all, while it is terribly exhausting, they say some pretty funny things that help me get through the days. I came home, took a short nap, wrote some emails, and it's almost time for bed again. I wish every day could be Halloween...
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