No lights, fiestas, and such

Friday night I was already dressed for the Fiesta de Mujeres so I didn't want to exercise and get sweaty, but I wanted to do something. We weren't even leaving for the fiesta until 9:15pm, so I had to fill my evening. I strolled down the highway on ramp that leads from our current apartment to the little town area. A little supermercado down there seemed like a good destination. I'd never been there before so I was poking around looking at the various pastas and flours...when the lights went out. There was the universal, "ahhh" from people in the store. I watched the front of the store from my dark aisle and curiously they seemed to continue doing business. I got my vegetables and pastries and cautiously approached the front. I'm not sure how this works but despite there being no electricity in the rests of the store the cash registers were functioning. Made my purchases and walked home.

At the fiesta de mujeres I discovered that my language skills seem to have atrophied. I've learned many more words and verbs, but I'm paralyzed when it is time to use them other than to order in a restaurant. I'm assured this too will pass. I tried one of the boiled shrimp with the heads on. I pulled off the top third not really sure where the breaking point would be, peeled off the shell and ate the shrimp/tail bit I'm used to - not bad, no sauce though. Ate a piece of cold fried eggplant, some chow mein looking stuff that had something sweet in the veggies, maybe mandarins, ham pizza (lots of that here), crusty bread with tomato rubbed into the soft bits with olive oil and dried sausage slices on top, and tuna empanada - a kind of pot pie crust with something or other usually tuna in it. An American lady brought brownies which were snarfed up very quickly by the dessert deprived Spaniards. I didn't get one. I did understand more of the sermonette. Something about Mary and Jesus feet and having God be part of our entire lives not just part of it. I also had to pray in Spanish with a lady, I couldn't remember her name and butchered it badly in prayer.

Tonight was the last the English outreach services. We ate pizza afterwards...Regina for me (ham, championes, and acietuna-olives, for Dar tuna, acietuna, and red peppers. Got home and discovered a fiesta on the patio next to our apartment. Dar made me look out a window then flipped the lights on so everyone could see me spying on them. I chased him down the hallway calling him names alternately hitting and tickling him. And my weekend isn't even over...