Part II- Spain

Mamasita was lucky enough to be able to use some of her American Express points towards obtaining a free room at one the most luxurious hotel in Sevilla. And I must say that the luxury was very welcomed after our hellish day of travel from Italy. I had to leave mom by herself a lot while we were in Sevilla since I have school in the mornings, but our Sevillian afternoons consisted basically of seeing the high points of Sevilla and shopping, of course. The best part about her being in Sevilla was that she got to meet my host parents and see where I’ve been living for the past 2 and a half months. She briefly met my host parents the first night, but I brought her back on that Thursday to have a big ole, Spanish-style, family lunch. Seeing as though my mother speaks zero Spanish and my host parents speak zero English, I had my work as translator cut out for me. From everything I’d told her about the food I’m served here, mom was a bit concerned with what she was about to consume. I, personally, couldn’t wait for her to get to see and taste what I’d been enduring the last 2 and a half months. Well wouldn’t you know that my host mom decided to put on a show for my mom and serve us maybe the best meal we’ve had since we’ve been here?! We had braised chicken, vegetables (which we rarely have), French fries (typical), plates of cheeses, prosciuttos, and olives, and wine (which we’ve never had) to top it all off. Afterwards, we had coffee and dessert, and mom looked at me said that she didn’t really understand what all my complaining was about. I quickly reverted her attention back to the chicken nugget story. I can’t complain about this though because she did get to experience a real Spanish lunch, which is much better than the alternative norm that Jennifer and I experience everyday. And guess what she did after her first big, fat, Spanish lunch? She took a siesta, of course.

Her second weekend in Europe had us visiting Barcelona- mi corazon (look it up if you don’t already know it). I have to admit that I was a much better tour guide of Barcelona than I was of Sevilla. Funny how I lived there for a shorter period of time but I feel like I know that city better than I do Sevilla. Anyhow, our first night in Barcelona was probably the most fun/epic night of the whole trip. I wanted her to meet my friends Jordi and Raul, and Jordi was leaving for the weekend the next day so our first night was the only night she could meet him. The plan was to go to Jordi’s bar to visit and have a few drinks. Well we didn’t get checked into our hotel until about 11p.m., so we didn’t even get to the bar until midnight. The famous quote of the night was something my mom said when we were walking to the bar- “Callie, I’m not staying out until 2 o’clock in the morning.” Little did she know…

Sweet Jordi greeted us with big hugs and two glasses of free sangria. We honestly weren’t planning on staying long, but the atmosphere at Summum (Jordi’s bar) was so lively and fun that we just went with the flow. We were flowing and the free drinks were flowing; it just makes for a good time. Two guys sitting nearby who were clearly already well into the drinks decided to strike up a conversation with us. One was from France and the other was from Columbia, but looked like he was from China. They of course insisted that we were sisters and proceeded to tell me that if she really was my mom, then I was only about 16 years old. Had either of them been remotely cute or a tad bit interesting, this may have irked me. That wasn't the case. In a nutshell, I was playing defense all night for my ever-so popular mother. Who's surprised? The funniest part came when the Columbian looked at her a bit later and said, “What’s my name?” and she responded with, “I don’t remember, but it was something funky.” He threw his head back and erupted into squeals of laughter that instantly made me realize exactly who he reminded me of- Long Duck Dong from the movie Sixteen Candles. If you’ve ever seen the movie, you can understand why I would almost wet myself every time the boy let out so much as a giggle. After numerous failed attempts at hitting on my mother, and with the arrival of my other friend, Raul, the terrible two-some finally left us. Raul is the one who co-owns the restaurant, Caramba, with Jordi. He has a big passion for cooking, so naturally he and Mama made fast friends- and even faster friends when he made nachos for her at 3 o’clock in the morning. It’s hard not to make fast friends with Jordi and Raul though. They are 2 of a kind! The night was so eventful that before we knew it, it was 4 a.m. That’s right ladies and gents, I kept my mother out until 4 o’clock in the morning. And I will say that there was no twisting of the arm involved. At least she was right when she said she wasn’t staying out until 2!

We got a late start to our first full day in Barcelona, but that’s okay because that’s how we do it over here in Spain. And by we I mean us Spaniards. We started the day at La Boqueria, which is the biggest, most fabulous outdoor market you could ever imagine. I think it tortured her a little to be there and not be able to buy anything. After we left the market we walked down Las Ramblas, which is the main strip of the city, to the port and beach area. Mama got to touch the Mediterranean for the first time in her life and I show her where I worked that summer and take her to the exact spot on the beach I used to go to every day after work. It was definitely special to get to show my mom where I spent that unforgettable summer. Naturally, she fell in love with Barcelona- it’s impossible not to. The versatile city has something for everyone in my opinion. Typical of our luck, the Pope happened to be in Barcelona the same weekend as us, so it was extremely crowded at all the tourist hot spots. Between only having two days in Barcelona and the Pope’s being there, I have to say we did a pretty good job of covering the city.

I felt it appropriate to do one of the most Spanish things I could think of before Mama left, so I took her to a flamenco show on one of her last nights in Spain. We drank red wine and ate tapas at a table so close to the stage that I’m pretty sure I could feel the taps of the dancers’ tap shoes in my chest. The traditional Spanish dance show was a great way to send her out with a bang. We had so much fun during the 2 weeks she was here, shared so many laughs and drank so much red wine. While there were times that were stressful or overwhelming, whether it was getting ripped off by a dirty, old man on a train or being bested by a gypsy with a sprig of rosemary, we’ll look back at those times and laugh because they’ll make for some of the funniest stories. I’m so thankful to have such a close relationship with my mother. We are the best of friends. Before she came, I told her how excited I was to have her visit me over here because no one in my world back home really knows this part of my world, and of all people, she would be the one who would be able to see the part of me that shines in this world. Spain is so special to me and it’s a place that has played a small part in shaping the person I’ve become, and to have had the chance to show it to the person who played a HUGE part in shaping the person I’ve become is something I’ll always cherish. Thanks for the memories, Mamasita! We’ll be talking about this one for the rest of our lives!