Muchas Lágrimas

(El Rastro in Madrid, Spain)

Yesterday, my alarm went off 7 am and I couldn't think of why on earth I had set it so early. Then I remembered that Lizzie and I had decided to go to El Rastro (Madrid's weekly outdoor street market) with two of the girls from her residencia. Again, for those of you who know Morning-Gigi, you can imagine I was regretting this decision. I rolled over and turned on my computer, dimming the screen to the lowest level, and signed into my skype account (after several attempts at just guessing where the keys where). I asked Lizzie if she was still going, and she (after rolling herself out of bed) said yes, seeing as she needed to replace the lost contents of her stolen bag.

So after I shook myself of sleep, Lizzie and I headed to El Rastro. The other girls were hung-over and ended up not coming, despite it being their plan originally. But Lizzie and I had a good time. There were a ton of vendors and the market was huge. Jewlery, shoes, cloths, art, electronics, bags, and most everything you could think of was out for sale, and we just wandered from stand to stand (with about a thousand other people) looking at everything. I bought Hayley some souvenirs, and myself some t-shirts for Morocco and a jacket.

I got back to Julia's in time for lunch, and then studied for my Spanish test, wrote those extensive blog entries, and started sorting through my pictures. My friend, Scott, called and told me about BC's win over Wake Forest, so that was good to hear, and also mentioned that he rented a 31-foot RV to go to the BC vs. Notre Dame game in October. I can only imagine the stories I'll hear about that trip. . .

Today was intense. It started off quite nicely when I checked my e-mails and found out that my Spanish class had been cancelled and that I didn't need to be to the campus until 6. So I hunkered down and studied for my Spanish test (a thrilling substitution, I know).

The new maid, Baquita, started today and I like her a lot. She's easier to talk to than Julia and seems much more contemporary. She has nearly the opposite political views of Julia, (I don't know how she got through the interview) and I'm excited to have a potential ally in the house. We were chatting while she made the bed today (I get in trouble when I do it myself) and she put the sheets in a different order than usual. I didn't think anything of it, but when Julia came in later, she did not approve at all of the situation, and was rather upset about the incorrectly made bed.

And it gets better. Julia had some errands to run and told me to eat lunch whenever I got hungry, (this was also because my class was cancelled this morning, and Baquita was only making lunch for one person. I was just going to have the leftovers I had packed to take with me to school). So I studied until about 2:30 and then headed to the kitchen to get lunch, but all the doors were closed, and I didn't know if I should just barge in. So I went back to my room, and waited until Baquita opened the doors at about 3. I went in and was warming up my lunch in the microwave when Julia walked in. As soon as she saw me, she demanded why I hadn't eaten already. I told her I had been studying and she seemed to be very upset, (I think because now we were going to have to eat at the same table when we weren't eating the same food). I told her I could just eat in my room, but that's also not allowed, so I went to sit don at the table and then she got upset because I was using the wrong sized dish and the wrong fork. She kept saying how important organization is and how I should have eaten earlier (so much for eating whenever I got hungry). Then she started speaking really fast, and I started catching less and less of what she was saying, so then she started to get upset about my Spanish. She told me I should stop talking to Lizzie and speak only to my Spanish friends (of which I have none). She said Superior-Gabrielle was practically fluent after a month in Spain and that I must not be trying hard enough.

This is when I started to cry. Yes, right there at the dining room table while clutching my incorrect fork. Then she asked me why I was crying, and I said it was because I was frustrated, and she asked me if I wanted chocolate. I said no and apologized, asking if I could go to my room for a second. She said no, we were eating lunch. Then Baquita came in and tried to comfort me and Julia looked very confused by the situation (I hope Baquita is still here tomorrow). I excused myself after lunch was finished and went to the bathroom to wipe my tears with what little toilet paper I had left.

Then Julia's niece, Alexandra, (who appeared out of nowhere) started knocking on the bathroom door, so I came out and she tried to comfort me, as well. I told her it wasn't a big problem and that I was just having a moment of weakness, and she was very nice about, while Julia was shouting from the kitchen,"What's the matter with her?" Then I asked Alexandra why she was here, and she started tearing up as well. She wouldn't tell Julia what the matter was, so Julia left to go to the pharmacy and told me to go talk to Alexandra. I did, and we chatted for a while (she has it pretty rough right now - her dad has cancer, she can't find work, and she's having boy troubles). The boy troubles were the primary problem at the moment, and after discussing the situation, I told her that I thought she should call him, so she did, and afterwards said everything was better. Then Julia came back and asked where Alexandra was. I said she was in my room, (another thing about which Julia disapproved) but that she was doing better. At this point I needed to leave for class, and both Alexandra and I had finally stopped crying. When I came back for dinner, Julia and I were both in better moods, and my plate and fork were already set out for me.

I bet Baquita's wondering what she got herself into.