Aaaaaand back to reality

Sorry for that long post! I just wanted to crank these out before our trip to Andalucia tomorrow!!!!!!! We leave at 8:15 to go to southern Spain, the home of Flamenco, Arab influence, and a strange dialect.

Yesterday (Wednesday) was a national holiday for Spain. Fiesta Nacional de Espana. It commemorates Colombus and the discovery of the Americas. The day also honors the military. The day is also the day of the patron saint of the city, the Virgen del Pilar, who is a symbol for the military in Spain. All the important people are there like the royal family, important government representatives, and the heads of each of the regions. There's a huge military parade where all the different groups are represented. Crazy. Goes right though the city. I wanted to go to Madrid for it, but waking up yesterday I realized how bad I felt. Instead, I watched a lot of it in TV.

I already am doing better today. I passed though the plaza and the market is gone. All overnight. Magic. Of course, in its place was a protest. I do prefer the city in its current state though. Not time warped. It's so much calmer. I bought a set of watercolors and brushes and such. Already one step down! On top of all my problems earlier this week, I have been sick with a horrible dry cough. Because of all the holidays this week, nothing was open to buy cough medicine. Also, my host mom lent her honey to her boyfriend. Pilar really wanted to help me, so instead of those, she had me lay down with a heating pad on my chest to sweat out the toxins and made me a hot drink of burnt sugar and water. Both of which made me feel better, though maybe because I felt cared for, even though I'm not home with my mom. With this sickness thing, I've really learned how much people believe in old wives tales. My host mom believes that sleeping with wet hair will really make me sick. She also was telling me that because it hasn't rained in four months, everyone is congested (constipado) and coughing because of the dust and pollution. There hasn't been any rain to wash things away. My nose these days has been completely stuffed up, even before the cold, so I believe that is true. Hopefully this sickness isn't just a reaction to all the dust. I want to get better!!

I had a very intense conversation with Pilar today at lunch. We got onto the topic of Obama again (fortunately we both share similar views about politics in general so no arguing or tough conversations), and we got on to the huge conversation about elections, the economic crisis (which we've talked about before), and then the effects of the EU on Spain, and why Spain is losing so much money, court systems, and prison. It definitely made me realize I do not have the Spanish vocabulary to talk about all that, which was very frustrating when I wanted to give my view on something. Also, I realized how little I know about the EU. Definitely want to read up on that.

Anyway, sooo tired, como siempre. Gotta pack!! And then Pilar is making me honey and lemon before I go to sleep. Thanks Spanish mom!

Things to read:
Spanish Plays
Stuff about the EU and how it affects Spain