The worst Tuesday I've had in a long time turned out to be average afterall. But it didn't start out that way. I actually remembered my umbrella but as I walked to school, the wind turned my umbrella inside out and it was more of a hassle to use it then not use it, so I opted for getting soaked instead. In class, only 5 of the 15 kids brought their homework with them. They all claimed to have "left it somewhere"...meaning they had better things to do than English homework.
So then I got home to call the mother of the newest boy I'm tutoring and spent 2 euro on trying to figure out where she lived. I then spent 30 minutes on google maps looking for their street "Calle Las Medulas". It looked pretty darn far away, but she insisted it was walking distance and not a problem at all, so off I went. I left all my maps and directions in my apartment but was already too far to turn back. So I scoped out the maps on my Blackberry and went for it. Again, the umbrella turned out to be worthless because unless you hold it like a shield out in front of you, you can't avoid the rain. And I seriously considered the shield option, til I realized it also means getting nearly run over by cars and old women with shopping carts.
So I continued forever and ever but my Blackberry insisted I was going the right way and I am blindly faithful to maps because there's really not much room for error. Or so I thought. I passed three roundabouts and knew I was well on my way. 20 minutes...30 minutes...40...50. HIGHWAY. Yes. No sidewalk, hardly a shoulder at all. But at this point I was so close, I couldn't turn back. I literally had to walk 10 feet and duck into a driveway or the grass if I heard a big car coming. 10 feet. Bushes. 20 feet. Driveway. 30 feet. Ditch. Oops. Sore ankle.
My thought process "When I get there I'm going to insist they drive me home, and compensate me for my troubles, and give me hot chocolate." Another thought "I will NEVER walk the Camino de Santiago...no matter how much peer pressure." Third thought "Who do I know in Spain that has a car? How much would I have to cry to get my director to come pick me up on the side of the road and take me home?" Fourth thought "Horses!? Farm? I'm in the middle of nowhere. Maybe I can borrow a horse and ride it home." Last thought "Well if I can't find their house, these signs are all pointing to Oviedo, and I must be at least 1/100 of the way there. Should keep going."
After 1 full hour...arriving at 5 ON THE DOT...Calle Las Medulas. Imagine my happiness until I took a peek down said street and saw one single house. Yes, one. Here is when I decided using my cell would be a good idea. I called the house and talked to the dad for about 12 minutes (costing me another 9 or so euro) who I frustrated to the point of using mild swear words. Also, this happened in Spanish, therefore it was much more entertaining.
Me: "I see a yellow house and a big grey building made of bricks and it says Calle Las Medulas".
Hombre: "Yes, it's yellow but with some other colors, some orange and green and tan"
Me: "Umm yea, but it's pretty big. That's your house?"
Hombre: "Yes yes the big house."
Me: "It's the only one on the whole street"
Hombre: "Yes! That's it!"
Me: "No, but it says number 1, and you're number 11. And there is an abandoned building in front."
Hombre: "No, there is an Alimerka (grocery store) and a bar."
Me: "I haven't seen an Alimerka in 3 miles."
Hombre: "Ask for help"
Me: "I haven't seen people in about 2 miles."
Hombre: "Where are you?"
Me: "I am on Calle las Medulas, but this can't be it. There must be two streets with the same name"
Hombre: "Impossible. Did you pass a roundabout?"
Me: "This is Leon, I passed three roundabouts"
And that's when I gave up and told him I was going home. However, on my wayyy home I started recognizing things they had mentioned to me before. And I stumbled upon yet ANOTHER Calle Las Medulas. Which is exactly 4 minutes walking from the highschool that I work at every single day. Also, it was not a house. It was not yellow. It was a HUGE apartment complex with one yellow stripe on an otherwise tan building. JOBAR TIO. Thank you 2 hours of walking for what should have been 25 minutes, max. I have surely lost some credibility now, yet the parents still left me alone in the flat with their child. And I earned exactly 3 euro more than I spent on calling them all afternoon trying to find their house. 2 hours walking in the rain and on highways to tutor for one hour and make 3 euro. Don't ask me if I thought it was worth it. Also, don't tell me "Now you know the city really well". Tell me you'll send me love and sympathies in the form of euros and chocolates, stirdy umbrellas and rainjackets.
The family was really nice. I got a new Spanish roommate who is not completely crazy like the other. I got to eat the bottom half of a dino cookie. I learned the word for a "slide", and I didn't have to do pilates today. Turned out it wasn't the worst day ever...
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