Tuesday, January 11
Hasta luego Madrid and Goodbye 2004The thought of today:
"If you realize that everyone is an individual with his own unique part to play, then the power of tolerance is easy to develop"
Tues Dec.31
The Usual Depression:
I never know why but I always get depressed on my birthday. Seconds after 12pm Dec. 31 of last year, I had three SMS's from three different sources. This year; I got nothing :( I was PMSing so that added up to my depression, my friend Elegance got robbed a day before in down town Madrid and not to mention The Asian Tsunami tragedy that toped it all up.
My friends went out clubbing and I stayed home feeling miserable. But to my surprise they came back at around one am with a cake, some candles, two angel statues that I was admiring through window shopping the day before, and a bottle of cold champagne
They were back to celebrate my birthday.
The cake they brought was a traditional NYE cake that contains some token, and the Spaniards get this cake usually at this time of the year and each one makes a cut in the cake and whoever gets the token, he keeps it for he is the lucky bastard of the coming year. And since this was my birthday; I got to initiate the cutting. And you guys won't believe this; I got the token from the first cut; never happened before. It was a small teddy bear more or less like "useless" the teddy bear I've had with me in bed for almost 12 years. Everyone cheered for my upcoming year while I stared at the teddy bear thinking how my chances are getting slimmer each year; at least useless is bigger and fluffily cozy in bed.
A Change in Plans:
Two days back, Alberto (our Spanish friend) called and invited us to spend NYE in Astorga in the Leon province at his uncle's house. And since we came all the way to Madrid to be in Puerta del Sol during the huge festivities, we apologized and decided to stay in Madrid. But the Spaniards advised us against that; they said it will be crowded and cold and we'll never find a ride back, not only that, they said even if you book ahead in a club you will not be able to get in because of the crowd; so we decided reluctantly to accept Alberto's invitation in the last minute and boarded the three and a half hour train to Leon.
While in the train, reading The Da Vinci Code, and peering outside once and a while, I kept recalling all the events in my life. Small patches of snow began to appear on the ground, these patches started to get bigger and bigger until they started to hug and line up and become one big mass of snow that took over the ground and the realm of the sky; now everything is purely snow white. Doesn't that resemble everything in our life? Our relationships? With the right atmosphere everything takes its rightful time to develop. And the stations that we pass, do we ever look back? These stations more or less are the stations in our life, how come we always look back and have this quenching feeling inside, and why do we look back, the train never stops for anyone, and life just goes on.
Alberto greeted us at the destined station and introduced us to his cousin Jose Luis. His cousin is a known Businessman and a politician in town and he was extremely nice to us. After having a light lunch in a restaurant in Leon Center; they took us to few pubs where we had a drink in each. Btw, I learned that a Spanish custom is never to have two drinks at the same place; if you are for having let's say four drinks, you have to go to four different places. Then they took us to Luis parent's three story house where we were lodged in our own dedicated quarter. The warm supper was ready down stairs beside a fire place and a Xmass tree. On the table we met Rafael and Conchi; Luis's siblings. On a nearby couch, Luis's dad sat with a huge smile on his face. His mother never sat down for once, she was serving us continuously from 10pm until midnight. At the last 12 seconds of the year a bowl of 12 grapes was placed in front of each of us where we gulped one at each count down second watching the TV (Puerta del Sol clock). It was absolutely divine, and again when this ritual ended we headed out partying until the break of the day.
We stayed at our host's house two days. Luis took us out with his brother and sister and of course dear Alberto for sight seeing, and at night clubbing. The town is like a walk in museum, and along with other famous sites we visited the Camino de Santiago, along the long Santiago pilgrimage walk that starts in France and ends in Leon. The mother made sure that we would never have a meal outside, and never for once she sat with us on the table, she was always serving us. And when we left she loaded us with presents. What a family, I wish I could repay them one day.
And no Jewaira, I did not get the special kiss on my birthday, but mind you I got the kiss of a life time the day I came back, from my beloved useless, he missed me as much as I missed him and we hugged until I felt that our bodies were melted in a divine mingle:)
om-Luis and abo-Luis with warm kisses
Name::AyyA
From::Kuwait
I AM WHO I AM AS I ARRIVE AT YOUR DOOR WHETHER I COME OR I GO IS NOT UP TO ME FOR I HAVE LOST SIGHT OF ALL DESIRE "Walled Garden of Truth",Hakim Sanai
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6 Comments:
Rabab honey why have the birthday blues? I always celebrate my birthday with a big smile on my face :)
I'm glad that your friends surprised you and you had a good time after all.
What a lovely post this is, I could almost imagine myself there. It is well-known that people do get depressed around their birthdays so expect it :) Nothing to do with age I think but one gets all worked up about that special day I suppose. I liked the description of the train journey and the warm hospitality of your hosts too.
I did sms you, and you did reply as far as i remember.
J Beauty
These blues I find inevitable each year, and I try to convince myself each year that this year will be different and I'm not going to go through that, but the events around me this year with the Tsunami tragedy did not help much. A day before I tried to get in touch with the officials in Madrid for donations and I got no convincing reply. I also had this crazy thought of cutting my trip and traveling to these areas to be a physical help, but my friends talked me out of it, and if you know me well, you'd know that I'm a kind of person that would actually do that. My father called when I was boarding the train and the first thing he said was: don't get any crazy ideas now.
And as for my friends, well what are friends for? My sweethearts tried every trick in the book to get me out of my depression, and mind you these were the toasts I had from them:
Juan:
For a better year, and more accomplishments, and if you win the lottery, I hope you won't forget your poor friend Juan.
Elegance:
For more wisdom, happiness, and success
Pilar:
For love, freedom, lust, sex and cry; All the emotions that keeps you alive, and to us to stay true friends for ever
And Pedro (Pilar's boyfriend) called and apologized that he could not make it because he way at his work and wished me a happy life.
Well how sweet, I love'm all muuuuuuuuwwwwwwwwwaaaaaaahhhhhhh
Jewaira
Happy that you liked this post although it's a bit depressing, and about our host's hospitality, can you imagine complete strangers that are your relative's friend coming to Q8 and your family treats them this way, I doubt it. Those Spaniards kept the very hospitality trait of us Arabs while we lost it along the way, what a shame.
marumba
heyyyyyyyyyyyy, where have you been hiding lately, I got this big muuuuuuuuwwwwwwwaaaahhhhhhhh as soon as I read your comment buddy. Missed you walla.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.. and back at you
And yalla bala kasal and start writing.
Mosano baby
Yes sweetie I got your SMS while boarding the train, 7abeebi ma gasart. I was merely comparing the last year's event by this year. Those three sources I talked about wanted to be sure that they were the first to greet me. At 12:01, and 12:03, and 12:07 pm of the last year I had these SMS's that brought a big smile to my face. I expected the same this year, but was disappointed. Well, as Marumba said one day: never expect anything.They all did later on though, so I guess it all was due to BD depression.
the parents look very vasque or from galicia
Well, Leon is close to the Vasque area, and Galicia, they could be from that origin
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