second week in parla

Hello from the balcony of Parla.

It has been a beautiful day in Madrid and I am feeling incredibly happy to be sitting outside (without a jacket!) at my new home. And oh my, am I liking my home.

After a few days, I became accustomed to the cats and their often obnoxious ways (Kratos continues to hate me for denying him contact with his one true love, my pillow). I also got over the fact that Parla is far from the bright lights of the big city, and that it isn´t necessarily aesthetically pleasing. And this has left me, well, surprisingly pleased.

I am actually quite charmed by Parla´s roughness. It is the definition of a working class town, always buzzing with activity--people hanging out in the streets, chatting about nothing, men rolling cigarettes on sidewalk benches, puberty-stricken girls teaching prepubescent boys to dance reggaton. The balcony I presently sit on looks out over a small alley made by my building and the one facing it. When the weather is permitting, it is almost always filled with kids playing soccer, despite the fact that the narrow passage is 90 percent cement. There are at least 10 boys down there right now, and when they aren´t shouting, I can hear other neighbors´conversations--a great way to get some listening practice in.

My favorite neighbors to listen to are the ones who live in the flat above us. It is a family of 5 I believe--two exhausted parents and three very bad boys. The other night Vero and I were sitting around the living room, she on the computer, and I reading. Except I couldn´t concentrate on my book (spanish terror stories) because of the racket coming from the neighbors. Well, the neighbor--it was a one way conversation. The wife was really giving it to the poor husband--who I pictured slumped on the couch apathetically nodding his head while she reeled on and on about the laundry. I don´t think I have ever heard anyone so heated about such a mundane topic. When I commented on the woman´s anger to Vero--she simply replied "siempre" (always). Haha.

Anyway, it´s been a pretty uneventful week. I am finally feeling the pains of adulthood in Spain...I did my first load of laundry on Saturday and hung the clothes outside my window, only to find that it rained Sunday, Monday AND Tuesday. I am not sure whether I am supposed to wash them again or what, but I thought I´d at least give them a chance to dry. They are still out there.

Oh! I painted my room, with the help of my friend Dave, last Friday. No longer is it a blinding lime green, but a soothing deep purple. I have before and after pictures I will post later on.