So, I didn't end up going to Madrid. Eli's father got ill and she went home to Rome, and the trip got postponed. I hope he gets well soon. However, the week was very interesting nonetheless. After school one day, I went to get my first Basque haircut with Eva in Getxo. I was very excited to get a haircut because I wanted to see again, but when I left I was not the least bit excited. The hairdresser had a completely different idea of "the same but just a bit shorter" than I did. Apparently to her, the "same but just a bit shorter" meant completely different and a lot shorter. I was none too impressed. But, after some moping and vodka, it's growing on me. But, I am extremely hesitant to get my hair cut here again.
On Thursday, I went with everyone from my lab for lunch in a cute restaurant not too far from the uni. It was both Koke and Vea's birthday this week, so we all went to celebrate. The food was absolutely delicious, as always. There was spaghetti with shrimp in oil olive, eggplant stuffed with meat and cheese, fish, and steak. SO good, and not that expensive. Then, Friday was a holiday (their labour day, I believe) and I went to a capoeira performance with Diana as well as her boyfriend and parents. Capoeira is an Afro-Brazlian art form that incorporates movements from both martial arts and dance. It was created in Brazil by the slaves brought from Africa. Diana's brother was one of the performers. It was really interesting and impressive. There are pictures below which are a little dark, and also a short video from the performance.
Then on Saturday, my apartment almost burned down. After making a grilled cheese sandwich to cure my homesickness, a piece of plastic from the exhaust fan above the stove fell on the hot burner after I had turned it off and left it. As I was eating my GC I smelled smoke, and went to the kitchen to find it filled with black smoke. I had no idea what to do! I got the plastic into a frying pan, and got it onto the balcony, and then opened all the doors and windows and waited for the smoke to clear. I contemplated calling the fire department, but realized I didn't know the number. 911 doesn't apply here and I now know that it's 112 for all emergencies in Spain (good to know). However, the kitchen was covered in black. I called Eva since the roomies were in Budapest, and her and Leire showed up shortly ready to clean. They managed to calm me down and together we cleaned all the soot off the cupboards, the walls, the table, inside the cupboards, the fridge, the windows, etc. Then...we went out. After chilling with the girls, I started feeling better and learned how to tell people "today, I burned my kitchen" in spanish. We went to Leire's in Algorta (which is absolutely gorgeous) for supper and then met up with Naiara and her friend Ana (the only blonde Basque girl I've met) and we went back to Bilbao to go to The LOFT and then meet up with Eva's friends from Urduliz at The Galeon.
All I have to say is I have no idea how I would survive here without my awesome new friends. When I told my friends this, they responded, "I don't know, your going to need us around for when the living room turns black". That better not EVER happen.
Hasta la proximá vez,
Kathlene
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