Halloween, Cazorla, and TWO MONTHS?!

Hello all! I know I haven't posted in quite a while, but I've just been so busy (or tired)! I try to post two times a week, but recently that's been about impossible. Hopefully reading this post will give you a sense of why I haven't been posting as much as I should.

Let's begin on October 31, 2013. A Thursday.

Also, Halloween! (Major plus: no school the next day! Score!)

In America, I always dress up for Halloween! It may not always be the most original (I've been a witch more times than I feel comfortable divulging), but I always dress up.

But this year, I wasn't in America- I was in Spain (which is still crazy to think about like whaaaat?!). And in Spain, Halloween isn't "a thing." Yes, little kids dress up and go door-to-door in their apartment complexes saying "Trato o Truco!" but when I asked about Halloween traditions for the rest of the Spanish population, I was given funny looks and a lot of "ehhhhh...".

So, as the saying (almost) goes, "when in Spain, do as the Spanish do!" I decided to go sin disfraz.

As I was walking to my Spanish class that evening (my INTERMEDIATE Spanish class!! I got moved up!) I saw a friend of my host brothers who I've hung out with. She told me that everyone in their group was dressing up to go to the botellon and that I should dress up, too.

I felt great that I was being included into the group, but also stressed that I had literally nothing to wear as a costume. While talking to Karly, we decided to stop at H&M or some other shop in the centro before going to the botellon to meet up with friends. I would buy an inexpensive white dress (that I would totally wear again) and accessorize with olive branches- BAM! Greek goddess. (Karly put on some boots, a flannel, and braided her hair: instant cowgirl).

When we got off the bus in el centro, I was crushed. All the stores were closed!! Since Karly was already wearing a "costume," we brainstormed some ideas for me...

• Get one of those paper crowns from Burger King: Princess
• Draw a nose and whiskers on my face: Cat without ears
• Steal balloons from the front of the frozen yogurt place: Balloons

As you can see, I wasn't gonna have a great (if any) costume this year, which I was actually really bummed about. So, we kind of gave up. If everyone really was dressed up, I could always whip the pen out of my purse and be that earless cat. 

Then we saw it- a corner store. Hoping they would have something to transform me into God knows what, we went in. I ended up buying a mini Spanish flag, a super cheap (and super big) hat in Spanish colors, and a toy camera. The end result? Tourist. 

Yep, lamest costume ever.

After briefly getting lost on our way to the botellon, we finally got there! I'd say about a quarter of the people were dressed up, so I didn't feel too bad looking lame. Almost immediately, we saw three guys from my class. Sergio and Daniel were nerds and Ismael was Snow White (he definitely was the fairest of them all in his beautiful dress!). 

Karly and I talked to the boys for a while until we saw Marie Sofie and Josefine. They were with their friend who is also on exchange here from Switzerland (Sweden? I forget) and his friends. 

We spent the night talking and just having a great time! It was really laid back and I had a blast. All of the guys were super friendly and I'd definitely like to hang out with them again. 

After our 4:30 am crepe stop (delicious!), we decided it was time to go home. I ended up getting a whole two hours of sleep because I had to wake up at 7 to meet the bus at the Espacio Joven going to Cazorla for the weekend! 

You know, sitting on that bus for four hours wasn't all so bad- I was with friends, the buses were super swanky, and we played aroundwith the bus microphone (I even got a full interview!)

So soon enough, we were in Cazorla! Cazorla is a very nature-y region with a ton of parks and FABULOUS views. Our first stop was a lunch stop and small hike. I really wish I hadn't forgotten my camera because the leaves on the trees had all turned a bright amarillo and when the sun hit them just right, it was nothing short of breathtaking. 

After we got on the buses again, we headed to our sleeping place. 

Now, I call it a "sleeping place" because I don't exactly know what to call it. From the outside, it looked like a little motel- one story with many rooms. On the inside of the rooms, however, there were bunkbeds with sheets (I however brought a sleeping bag). There was a big dining hall, too. I think this is considered a hostel, but I'm not sure.

ANYWAY- we have some time to rest and get situated in our rooms. I bunked with girls named Amanda, Sandra, Maria Jose, Inma, and Virginia. Amanda and Sandra are in my class at school and I had met Maria Jose and Inma once-twice before. Virginia was just a bonus. 

Then, the party began! After we had some chow in the dining hall, we blasted music in the courtyard in the middle of all the rooms and danced and played games. Despite being totally pooped out, I kept strong and partied on (which I'm so glad I did because I had a blast)!

The next morning, we woke up at around 8, got ready, then got some breakfast. After that, we took on the great outdoors! We were split up into two groups (I honestly have no idea how they did the splitting up- I just followed the girls in my room!). One group (my group) went to a small museum about the nature of Cazorla. We watched a short video and explored the exhibits. After that, we went on a hike. It was a small hike, but it left us with another spectacular view. Lunchtime! We drove to this small park where we met up with the second group. When we were done with our comida, the groups flip-flopped. The second group did what we had did and we did what they had just done...canoeing!

Canoeing was...an experience. It was jam-packed with fun, but it had its difficulties. My canoe partner didn't really understand how to canoe, and was kind of a mess. When I tried to explain to her the basics, the language barrier struck. 

"No no no vas a la izquierda...no no la derecha!! Como esto- umm umm... como...aquí mira mira!"

It was a challenge. In the end, I just kinda sat back and let Sandra do whatever she wanted. 

Next stop- home base. Here we got to take showers and chill out a little before having another dance party. This time, however, the dance party was cut short by the mamut!! 

Mamut is a game that we play in the dark night. Split up into teams, you must find a place to hide in the darkness (separated from all other teams) and keep an eye out for el mamut, la luna, and other teams. 

If you see el mamut (you'll recognize him by his red light), you must be very quiet and turn your head down. He will come up and yell at you asking you for tokens, but you must keep quiet and ignore him. 

If you see la luna (she is wearing all white and has a blue light), you must go up to her and shower her with compliments. If she is pleased, she will give you some tokens. 

If you see another group, you shine your flashlight at them and yell "grupo". They will have to give you a token or two. 

My group didn't win, but we didn't lose, either. And even if we had ended up losing it would've been okay because it was so much fun. 

When we got back, I was headed for bed with Sandra, Virginia, and Maria Jose. Then, Jose (a boy from my class) came in and told me to come to his room because there were more people and it was a lot more fun.

The next morning, we hit the road. I got to catch up on some desperstely needed sleep, too. 

As it turned out, the fifth of November marked my 2 months here in Spain!! To celebrate, Karly and I bought a bottle of crappy apple cider (but the cork popped so that was fun). 

OKAY I AM SO SORRY I THOUGHT I HAD POSTED THIS LIKE A WEEK AGO BUT IT TURNED OUT IT WAS JUST SAVED AS A DRAFT UGH I FEEL SO DUMB. MUCHAS GRACIASSSS!!!