Day 23

This morning I rolled out of bed and commenced my regular, now zombie-like routine of setting breakfast out for the girls and I started to prepare Hugo’s bottle. Elena comes in shaking a finger at me, “no, no, no, he has fever, he not go to school today, I let him sleep longer.” Joy, more time with the little brat. I came to be thankful for the locks on the bedroom and bathroom doors at home, as there are none in the flat. There are three bathrooms in my parents’ house, yet anytime I need to use one, a kid will insist that they have to use THAT particular bathroom at THAT precise moment. However, at home, all that happens is they bang on the door all irritated, and you just have to tell them to use another bathroom. Here it’s different. This morning Hugo walked into the tiny bathroom while I was taking a shower.

Me: Hugo…¿que haces?

Hugo: Es que tengo que hacer pees.

Me in my head: Whatever, he’s three.

He comes in AGAIN a minute later right before I step out of the shower.

Me: ¿Hugo…?

Hugo: Tengo que hacer cacas.

I remind myself again that’s he’s just a baby, no big deal…then Dana walks in to ‘help’ and take Hugo to his mom’s bathroom. It’s true that housekeepers know everything. Dana now knows more about me than my own family does. I think it’s over until Hugo walks into my room while I’m getting dressed to announce, “he hecho cacas in el baño de mi madre.” Once Hugo is well enough to go back to school, I will definitely be more thankful for the blissful hour of solitude I have at the flat to get ready. Being in Europe has pushed me out of my comfort zone on so many levels.

After that rather embarrassing experience, I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to leave the flat. I went to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. So. Much. Art. I can’t believe all the incredible talent that exists in the world. It is mind-blowing. I especially enjoyed this excursion since I could hear an incredible piano concert going on while I was touring. These museums echo pretty loudly. My shoes happened to squeak and echo on this floor. There was an elderly group with a guide just ahead of me, so it was kind of fun to walk into the next room in which they were being enlightened with my noisy, squeaky shoes. I got some looks from the tourists, I would just grin, and the security guards would just shrug. :)

The academy closed early so I left with some extra time. I passed  a pasteleria and remembered that someone had encouraged me to try a palmera. I bought one and, like Ranger, searched for a special place to take my treasure. After walking through crowded streets with cigarette smoke being blown in my face I managed to find a wooded, grassy area with a hill that had no shameless couples or smokers in sight. I had a good view of a small street and watched cars hit each other as they tried to parallel park. It was nice until I tried the palmera. This was like trying the cheap chocolate from BigLots melted over a stick of butter--revolting. I’m sure I just bought it from a bad pasteleria. I threw the greasy mess away and headed back early. This ended up being a good idea since Claudia and Sophia had early release and had friends over. Dana was overwhelmed with Hugo being sick, Elena being at a dentist appointment, and four giggly girls wanting food and such, so I was glad to be able to help.  

It was also nice to be able to help Sophia with her piano practice. The girls inquired about my piano history and asked to see videos, I complied. Wearing socks on a slick wood floor, I couldn’t help but do a pirouette on my way to my room. The girls saw this, got super excited, and we ended up having a show/tell, lesson/mini dance party. I practically had to force them out of my room with promises to teach them more dance stuff later to get them to go to bed. They’re usually the ones teaching me. I think this is the first time they’ve seen me doing something I’m actually decent at and not being super lost and confused.