Las Adventuras de Ashton y Lyndsey en Espana: Nuestra Madre Adoptiva y el Apartemento

Posted by: Ashton

Victoria has turned out to be superguay. When we arrived in Granada and first saw her we were worried because she was the oldest woman in the group of everybody’s Senora’s. We thought she might be grumpy or really strict and set in her ways but she was turned out to be wonderful. I have eaten everything she has set in front of me and enjoyed it. She even buys me orange juice now since I told her that’s what I like to drink in the morning! She is really into recycling (paper, plastic, aluminum, oil) and preserving the environment. We have been instructed to get in the shower, get wet, turn off the water, lather up, and then turn on the water to rinse off. This is quite an adjustment for us since as Lyndsey perfectly described it, “showers are more of an experience in the U.S. rather than just a necessary way to get clean.” Well, we’re getting a little different experience here in Spain J Victoria also wears pink gloves to clean just like I do! Speaking of cleaning…we don’t have to do ANY. She prepares all the meals, washes the dishes, and washes our clothes. She even peels Lyndsey’s oranges because she struggles so much to do it. She taught me a new orange peeling system and I’m getting pretty good at it. Basically she takes very good care of us and talks to us a lot too. February 1^st was her birthday and so two of her sons, her daughter, their spouses, and ALL of her grandchildren came over for cake and coffee. This apartment is big for Spain standards (4 bedroom, 2 bath) but it was not big enough for all those children running around and screaming in Spanish. I had to escape to my room one time because I was so overwhelmed by the noise and number of people. Large groups of loud Spanish-speaking people can really give you a headache! There ended up being 4 types of dessert (cheesecake, flan, almond pound cake?, and an apple torte) as well as coffee and tea. Of course I tried one of each but I wasn’t particularly fond of the flan or the Spanish cheesecake. The whole affair was quite an experience but Victoria, Lyndsey, and I audibly breathed a sigh of relief once everyone had left and the last person closed the door. Then we laughed about it! I took some pictures of the apartment to share with whoever’s interested (which is probably only my mom J).