Los Carnavales de Cadíz y Carmona

The last two weekends have been an overload of Spanish Carnivals. Last weekend I went to Cadíz, which is on the cost to the west. I took a bus last Saturday from Granada at 11 am and arrived in Cadíz at 4 pm. Then the bus took as back to Granada from Cadíz on Sunday at 7 am. So yes, no sleep until the bus ride, minus a little rest on the beach in the middle of the night. The carnival in Cadíz was basically a huge outdoor drinking festival of people dressed up Halloween style. The Spanish cannot figure out the concept of Halloween, but they seem to apply it well to the carnival type of festival. There were some creative costumes, and almost everyone was dressed up. I just wore a wig and a mask because I did not want to spend a lot to be creative and the Spanish would probably not understand a Cher costume, haha. One highlight was that there were no bathrooms, none. The city did not provide port-a-johns and the bars would not let people use bathrooms unless they bought something. Therefore, the new toilet was the street. By the end of the night the entire town smelled like pee and the streets were soaked with pee and garbage. It was kind of a gross mess but I had fun. I really wanted to see the parade with the real costumes but it was on Sunday so we did not get to see it.

Yesterday I returned from visiting my friends in Carmona (outside of Seville) where I attended another carnival. This time I dressed up like a "school girl" because that is what I thought my friends were going to dress up as, but apparently I missed something and they dressed up like four year olds not school girls. A slight miss understanding but no problem. I noticed in Cadíz that everyone used shopping carts (dressed up as well) to cart around there alcohol and I was jealous because we did not have one, but this time around I did. We used a stroller, filled it with a bunch of alcohol and then walked in the parade up to the park district type building where the party continued with live music and children until 4 am. I have a few pictures of a 4 year old enjoying the night around 3:30 am, I love it. A Spanish norm. Overall I liked the carnival in Carmona more, but it might also be due to the fact that I knew Spanish people there. I am also almost positive that I was the only non-Spaniard there and almost everyone knew it by the end of the night gracias a mis amigos. It was a great authentic Spanish experience.

My latest on the home front is that I am not to sure about my "older Spanish sister" Maribel. I basically think that she does not like me, but I don't really know what I did. I have not got a good vibe from her since from when I first met her I asked her what here boyfriend did for a job and she answered me with "why", like why are you asking. But lately she has been really quite nasty toward me, starting with the day that I came home at 7:30 am and she was up and I asked her if she was just getting home or going to work and she answered with anger, going to work. She apparently did not think it was funny that I was coming home at the same time she was going to work, while I found it kind of funny. Then the next week she washed the floor and I had to go to the kitchen and eat because I was leaving to meet someone so I waited for the floor to dry a bit and went in and she yelled at me for that and muttered something nasty under her breath. Then last week (this is my favorite) I was leaving and went in the kitchen to get my water and she was in there, no hello, how are you, good day, nothing like that; she shoves the jelly in my face and tells me that if I leave it out of the fridgerater it will go bad. It was really lovely advice on her end, but I did not use the jelly, it was from her family that leaves the kitchen disaster every morning. Almost everyone morning her brothers and sisters leave things out on the counter and I have never left anything out. I always clean up after myself and never leave a mess. Of course she did not apologize for the wrong accusation, why would she, she didn't even ask if it was my jelly in the first place. So needless to say this has created an awkward situation and I have been thinking about how I want to handle it for a few days now. At first I thought I would be a bitch back but then I decided that was to easy. So now I am going to kill her with my smiles and kindness. I am going to be really creepy about it too, I am looking forward to her reactions. I know she is going to hate it. More to come on this.

Right now I am in Krakow, Poland. I flew from Granada and arrived in London last night at Midnight, slept in the airport, then flew from London to Krakow at 6 am. I did not have much sleep this weekend due to visiting my friends so I am really tired right now. Today I just walked around the city and at a great and cheap lunch (NO EUROS!! They have their own currency). I did not know what I was doing but I ordered way to much food. I got perogis and potato pancakes with goulash and it was amazing and only $8. I could have eaten for half the price if I had not ordered like a fat kid. I really like Krakow so far and I imagine that it is even better in the summer because it's freezing. I have not felt weather this cold since last winter in Chicago so I am kind of being a baby about it. My body just does not know what to do with cold weather.

I am going to Auschwitz and Birkenau tomorrow on a guided tour. It is going to be very interesting but very sad.