I am so blessed to have had this experience, and if nothing else it was an incredible journey of personal growth.
There are definitely things I will miss about Spain, but this post is not about that. This post is about what I will not miss.
1. Pilar's boots.
Pilar is our neighbor and some time around Christmas she started wearing boots with a little bit of heel and just about every morning around 9am you can hear her stomping about in her heels. Back and forth, back and forth.
She also does this thing, early in the morning, when she leaves where she walks until she is passing our flat and then she runs, stomping as loudly as possible. This is really annoying and it seems to be for the sole purpose of annoying us. Like, what did we ever do to you, Pilar?
2. Our upstairs neighbors.
From the constant banging and tapping, to the random screams of a child, they will definitely not be missed. I don't know if this building only chooses to house insane people, but our neighbors have definitely driven me crazy at points. We've also decided that they are carpenters by night... so that's fun.
3. The smell.
Huercal de Almeria just stinks. I don't know what they are doing wrong, but something is wrong with the sewage here and about 50% of the time this place smells like absolute crap.
4. The milk.
Spain has really weird milk. And this isn't just from me, who is used to milk that is heavily processed and probably only 1% real milk. Alice and Aisha agree that the milk here is just off. It has been kind of good though, because I don't necessarily think people should be drinking cows milk in the first place.
5. No AC.
I have come to realize how much I have taken air conditioning for granted my whole life. Here there is very little AC. Specifically in my flat and in the school. No AC. So when you walk everywhere and then you have no AC to relieve you from your constant sweating, you realize how important AC is in your life.
6. How people "wait in line."
I put that in quotes because there is really no such thing as waiting in line here.
For example, when you go into the bank the waiting process just depends on everyone walking in and asking who is last and knowing they are after that person and the next person to come in is after them. The rest of the world knows that is the basis for starting a line. Spain hasn't quite gotten there yet. You just stand wherever you want and make sure you know when to go. This leaves room for a lot of people jumping in line and a lot of confusion in general.
Come on Spain, get it together.
7. Sticking out.
I'm blonde. I have white skin. Sorry bout it.
In Spain those to facts apparently mean that I automatically give my consent to being stared at, talked about, and yelled at.
People, I'm not stupid, I notice you staring, I notice you whispering in your friend's ear and then looking at me. If you find me so interesting, come talk to me, because I actually speak Spanish despite my "I'm an entitled English-speaking person" appearance.
8. The local DJ.
One of the more humorous parts of my time here is the mysterious DJ who lives in the complex directly across from ours. While it has been great hearing his/her washing machine-like beats early on weekend mornings, it will not be missed. Its been fun and all, but I'm just saying you might not be a very good DJ if half the time I question whether I'm hearing the garage door open, a washing machine, or your music.
9. The poop.
We often refer to Huercal as the wasteland, this is due, largely, in part to the fact that the sidewalks are littered with dog poop. Not only this, but even the considerate people who bag their dog poop often have their efforts ruined by the fact that if the wind blows, the bags in the trashcans turn inside out and scatter the poop all along the street.
Check in next week to see all the things I will miss. :)
^In honor of Real Madrid winning last night. You're welcome. <3 <3 <3
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