I was nervous and excited to visit Spain again. Excited because it really is a wonderful Country and I was eager to experience it as a local. Nervous because Manolo and I had not really known each other that long and here I was planning to stay a week with him. And nervous because in true Spanish/Italian/Mediterranean fashion, Manolo wasn't really making concrete plans for the week and the Type A in me was going crazy not having an itinerary to follow.
I flew the 9 hours from Atlanta to Madrid and then took a 2 hour train from Madrid to Sevilla (I love the train system in Spain). As soon as I got off the train Manolo greeted me and I immediately dropped my bags, backing up traffic behind me. It was nice to see him but also very surreal.
That first night we ate dinner with his friends and then went out to the country for a botellón. A botellón is when a group of Spaniards get together, bring bottles of alcohol (open container is legal in Spain) and drink together. In Spain young people live with their parents until they marry (between the age of 30-35) so a botellón is their only way to get out of the house for a party. It was really hard for me to get back into the grove of speaking and understanding Spanish again but luckily Manolo is very patient and his friends were super nice. That night Manolo's friends decided to marry us under the Virgin of Rocio (a very famous religious statue in Spain). This was a theme that would remain constant my entire time that week. Friends told me that Manolo had been pathetic in the weeks after I left. They all knew (and told me) how much Manolo was in love with me and that I would be the girl he would marry. Their only concern was if I was in love with him as well (enamorada)
The rest of the week was filled with the same fun, family, and friends. We went to Manolo's family's country house, spent a few days at the beach with his parents and sister, ate dinners with friends, etc. More importantly we got along fantastically. Manolo is so patient, kind, and funny. Overcoming the language and culture barriers were never a problem for us. Even though we speak different languages (and don't speak each others languages fluently) we never lacked for a topic to discuss. Best of all we "got" each others humor and often had each other doubled over in laughter.
At the end of the week we knew that we weren't over and Manolo immediately decided that he would come to America as soon as he could find a job and a work visa. It was decided that I would go back to Spain again in August for his cousin's wedding and that he would come to America in September. His job prevented me coming out in August and delayed his arrival to the US, but in 2 days everything comes together and Manolo and I will be together. I am very excited and very scared. More on that later ...
