To the velodrome, to no avail

Day 19 – September 16th – Tuesday
Today I woke up tired, probably because I didn't take my siesta yesterday, so it was pretty tough sitting through a two and a half hour class. I'm feeling pretty aggravated about the bike issue, but I figure I might as well go out to the velodrome. It took me about a half hour one way in the metro to get there, as it is pretty much on the far north edge of the city. There are places further away, but not many. I got there and actually wasn't that impressed with the track itself. It definitely gets a lot of use and there is also a soccer field in the middle, so you can see what sport they really care about. There were a lot of bikers around. There was a mountain bike trail off to the side, with lots of people on nice bikes. There was also a BMX racing circuit with a bunch of little kids practicing on it. I stood and watched a few runs because I've never really seen that kind of stuff. When I asked about a bike frame, they of course told me to go to a bike shop. When i told them the bike shops sent me here, then I got passed around by a few people until I talked to the Cataluña track team coach. He pretty much told me no right away. Not only did they not really have extra frames, even though I walked by a few rooms full of them, hanging from the walls, but there was no way they would have one to fit me, as I am apparently the tallest person ever. “We just don't have the materials,” was the answer I got. I pleaded with him for a minute, but it was evident that he wasn't going to try any harder to help me, so I left. It's a little perplexing how little anyone has tried to help. They either pass me off to someone else, or just tell me, “No.” I mean, I work in the business and we always try and help people if we can. Apparently there's no such thing as customer service in Spain. So I got back on the metro and rode another half hour home. After such a demoralizing day, I had to stop at one of my favorite restaurants for a Döner Kebab, which is similar to a gyro and just as delicious. It definitely made me feel a little better too. After dinner, Matt and I met up with Nicolas and went to El Gato Negro. I guess we're regulars there now because the manager asked me how I was doing as soon as I walked in. I've also made friends with the doorman, who is actually from Portugal. He speaks very good English, but his Spanish is not so good. Imagine that. So I practice my Spanish and he responds in English. He told me he hasn't seen his family in three years because he doesn't have enough money to travel home. It kind of made my problems seem smaller, but at least he has a cool job. He is a good friend and I talked to him for about an hour just about random stuff. We hung out until the bar closed and then said “hasta mañana” and went to bed.

Day 20 – September 17th – Wednesday
It's very hard to believe that I've only been gone for about three weeks. It seems like before too long, I'll have to pack all my stuff up and head home. Its kind of hard as this is definitely the longest I've been without my loved ones ever. No one in this country loves me, which sounds sad and depressing, but its true. I know Fernando and Teresa like me and everything, but they constantly have a flow of students, so I know once I leave, there will be someone coming to replace me. I really just want a hug, but there's really no one to give it to me. I just try and think about what it will be like coming back, even if it is a long way off. Despite that little sob story, today was better than yesterday. Class went quickly and I felt like we did a lot of constructive activities. So far it has seemed pretty easy, but we have a test on Monday so I'll let you know after that. After class, I went to the ISA office, as is becoming custom, to use free internet. It is a little taste of home, as the office is very modern and comfortable. We stopped by the grocery on the way home for some snacks, but they've definitely never heard of Doritos here. They do have Pringles though. We had Spanish tortilla and calamari for dinner, which was very good and then I did my homework and headed to bed. It feels good to have a day pass quickly.