Anyway, on Christmas Eve, we went to my Aunt's house in Senija, which is right next to Benissa. Miguel's side of the family were all there, so there was about 12 of us in all. There was a ton of seafood (not my favorite), and later artichokes that were grilled in the fire. That's another really common food here, artichokes. I've already had it twice this week for dinner.
Then came another common food in the winter, chuletas (lamb). Everything was really good. Food wise. Because while I really like my extended family, I hate going over for dinner because everyone speaks Valenciano. As I 've said before, Valenciano is so different than Castelleno, and I understand very little. So while everyone was eating and laughing at their jokes, I was in the middle of a crowded table, but felt so alone. I had no one to talk to, unless someone directly asked a question to me. I couldn't help but feel a bit resentful, seeing that it was Christmas Eve, I was already missing my family so much, and everyone can speak Castelleno perfectly.
That's one thing that really bothers me here, is that everyone can speak Catelleno but most of the time they choose to speak Valenciano. I know that it's the custom here, but the language itself makes me feel so lonely, and I've really come to hate this language, which is terrible because it's a huge part of this regions history, but it's true. I hate it. To me it sounds really ugly, and when people speak it, they do so really loudly, and it sounds like their constantly yelling. I hate that it's spoken in school, because if all of my classes were in Castelleno, I'm convinced I could at least pass a few of them. When I go out with my friends and they speak Valenciano, and laugh at some joke, or talk about something that happened in school, and I have no idea what they're saying, kind of makes me resent this language a bit. Okay, sorry for ranting and going off on an angry tangent. Back to Christmas Eve...
So after dinner we had a bunch of really bland cookies and this pumpkin pie type of pie, which was really good. We drank tea and coffee, and then "Papa Noel" came. On Christmas Eve. He left presents on the patio(?) Haha, here Christmas and Christmas Eve is not that important, they get maybe one or two presents. I actually got some presents as well; a purse and a pair of white lacy underwear.....thanks Santa Clause? Haha.
The next day, Christmas, was probably one of the worst days of my exchange. At least it was in the morning. I had made a casserole and everything for my family the night before, so I went downstairs to put it in the oven, and my family was setting up tables for when my family from Valencia would come down for lunch later that day. Everything was normal, and I suddenly got so sad. I knew Christmas wasn't the same here, and I certainly didn't expect anything, but as I came back in my room, I couldn't help but think of my own family at home, with our huge tree and everyone rushing down to the sea of presents underneath the tree.
My best friends had previously sent me a mini Christmas tree, decorations, and presents for Christmas, and they made me swore not to open anything until Christmas day. So, I came back to my room, sat down next to my little Christmas tree, played Christmas music on my laptop, and opened my gifts. Alone. And as the song "I'll be home for Christmas" came on shuffle, I broke down. I just missed my family more than ever and it was probably the worst Christmas of my life. But, I did get to FaceTime with my family and watch them open presents which made me feel like I was home with everybody, so I felt a lot better.
After my mini breakdown, I came downstairs to find my whole family from Valencia already there. My Aunt and Uncle come down for lunch. Oh, and their 11 kids as well, so our house was packed. For lunch we had puchero, which is basically a soup with noodles and lemon first, then a sort of cabbage roll next, followed by like 3 different types of meat and all different types of vegetables. I had also made a casserole that my mom makes every year for Christmas, and beer bread that my parents had sent me. They were both a big hit, and I was just glad they both came out alright.The rest of Christmas day was spent lounging around, with the boys playing various fútbol games, and later, my cousin playing guitar and singing Spanish songs, which was really cool. In general, Christmas was okay here, but definitely the day I felt the most homesick.
Then, for New Years, I went to my friend Ana's casita with a bunch of my other friends. We all had a huge dinner together, but I found it kind of funny the types of food they picked out to eat. In America, if my friends and I want to eat together we order a pizza and that's it. Here, they bought things like paté, mussels, different types of salad, and of course tortilla española. After dinner, we hung out until midnight. We turned the TV on and watched a small golden ball in Madrid drop. I thought that was it, but everyone waits until the bells chime 12 times, and for each chime, you have to eat a grape. So at midnight, we were all shoving grapes in our mouths which was quite funny because you had to swallow them really fast so everyone's cheeks looked like a chipmunks with al of the grapes inside. We stayed at Ana's for awhile, hanging out, dancing, and having fun until about 3. Then we walked from Ana's casita to a pub in town, where we danced and stayed there for awhile. I got home at about 5, and had a really fun time with my friends.
Then, there's another, more important holiday on January 6th. It's called Dia de los Reyes (Day of the Kings), which is the day when the children get their presents because it's to celebrate when the 3 kings bought gifts to baby Jesus. Everyone puts these dried fruits from the trees here in a basket outside for the horses that the kings come in on to eat, and they tie baskets outside to their balconies for the kings to put in presents. But first, there is a huge parade through town, complete with the 3 kings in extravagant clothing on horses and all different types of bands. After the parade, the children go back home and there's magically presents in their baskets. I got Spanish Vogue's, an agenda for school, a shirt, and a really beautiful necklace with matching earrings. I bought Angela a scarf and Miguel a watch.
So overall, the holidays were good. I was homesick, but it was nice to experience how Spain celebrates their holidays. Also, I love anything that gives me a chance to catch up on some sleep haha.
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