Yesterday after our siesta we decided to hike up a mountain to a castle that overlooks Cocentaina and Alcoy. We drove about 3/4 of the way up the mountain and hiked the rest of the way. The road was only wide enough for 1 car, but thankfully no one was coming down as we were going up; otherwise, we would have had to maneuver around the switchbacks in reverse. Unfortunately the door to the tower was locked so we couldn't go inside but the view was still amazing.
After our adventure at the castle, a few people from our group walked a few blocks from our apartment to a gelato shop. The myriad of flavors overwhelmed my senses and included things like Ferrero Rocher, Oreo, and even Tutti Frutti (which is hilarious to hear when said by a native Spaniard). I eventually decided on half crema catalana ("crème brûlée") and half caramelo ("carmel") -- not gonna lie, hands down the best dessert I've ever had. Thankfully I don't know my way around the city yet so I can't go back and gorge myself on gelato.
The first day of the English camp went well. I had no idea what I was doing but tried my best to adapt. Since the camp has already been running for 2 weeks, the kids and most of the staff already know the routine, so now it's just a matter of getting the new people (like me) to take the place of the people who left. I wasn't able to practice my Spanish with the kids because we have to use as much English as possible around them, but I did get to visit with a Spanish pastor after la comida ("lunch"). Tonight I will be going to the conversation hour for the adult English class and will hopefully be able to use some Spanish there. I also let it slip to my professor who I'm living with that I would like to practice speaking Spanish as much as possible on this trip. He then volunteered me to accompany him on household errands since he knows very little Spanish. Wish me luck because I've never been immersed in the Spanish language and have only ever learned it in a classroom. No worries though...it's just another adventure!
Awesome! Sounds great so far. Way to put yourself out there and for being willing to learn. :)
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