The Cursed Residencia

So, we have been in Salamanca for a week and I feel slightly as if our residencia is cursed...no joke. Although the living arrangement itself is fine, Hanna and I have had some strange adventures here (to put it mildly!). Over the weekend, our landlady was out of town, and so she had the maid come to clean and make us food. Unfortunately, the maid does not know how to lock the front door correctly because Hanna and I were trying to go out at about midnight on Saturday to meet the other students, and WE SERIOUSLY WERE LOCKED IN. But I was quite determined to have my fun, so I did what I had to do: I climbed out the window. So Hanna stood in the window holding the computer chair that I climbed up on, and I went over the bars (which come up to my waist). Although the room is on the first floor, I needed to kind of scale the wall while holding the bars because its a seven or eight foot jumb to the pavement. I then ran around the building and opened the door up on the other side for Hanna. It was pretty much the funniest thing and I wish someone had taken pictures! An older man happened to be walking down that quiet street at this exact moment and let's just say, he gave us some strange looks. I got dust and dirt all over my black pants, but managed to get most of it off. The best part about this is that I've never needed to sneak out of my own house before, and how boring is that?! So at least I can honestly say I've done it now!

On to our next adventure...two days later, Hanna and I were eating dinner in the dining room downstairs, and suddenly we saw something fly past us. It wasn't a bird or pretty butterfly; it was a bat! Our landlady wasn't home again and the maid tried to get it while Hanna and I screamed and ran into the kitchen. The maid couldn't get it, and she left for the night with the bat still there! We realized that there was a second bat in the residencia and when I went out that evening, I was so upset and was almost crying by the time I met up with the other API kids. Later on, our landlady Raquel came home with her boyfriend and he killed one of the bats : ( I didn't really want it dead, but there really wasn't any way to get it out through the window! But they didn't realize there was a second one and of course, it was a little scary thinking it was just sleeping someplace in the residencia. We're pretty sure it flew out somehow because we haven't seen it recently, thank God!

Now on to more pleasant things, this week the annual Salamanca Festival Virgen de la Vega began. It's basically the biggest celebration of the whole year and lasts for about two weeks. The festivities have been going on everyday - concerts, the initiation flower parade, dance shows etc. Every night after dinner, the other API students and I go the casetas set up around town. Casetas are small outdoor bars, which serve you tapas if you buy a drink. So the custom is to go caseta hopping, and try lots of different tapas at each caseta. The group and I have been having so much fun together, and I really adore all of them! I was telling Hanna today that its weird but I kind of feel some separation anxiety if I go a few hours without seeing all of them. We've all gotten pretty attached to the group, and I can't wait to have more adventures with them : )

Currently, I'm headed off to the other residencia to meet the kids for some shopping. We have some essentials to buy at Corte Ingles ( the big department store here), so adios for now!