A Week Alone with Elisa

Fiorella, me, Elisa and Juan dancing the night away in some random club.
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Approximately a week after the birthday party, Mariolina, Antonio and Carol packed up and flew to (surprise!) the United States for a 10 day Disney and Florida vacation. Although originally I had thought of traveling during those ten days, I decided instead to stay and house-sit with Elisa both to keep her company and because I didnt feel quite at home enough yet in Spain to travel on my own.

Although she had classes every day, Elisa and I spent every evening together and, in ten days, became very close. We went shopping a few times in Alicante but, most often, spent the evenings watching Disney movies (in Italian) and going out clubbing at nights. Elisa had a gift, like none Ive ever seen before, for meeting and befriending new people. Thin, pretty, and unbelievable open and trusting, Elisa was like a magnet, and in ten days we spent time with twice as many new "friends." I was incredibly thankful to have her by my side because, without her outgoing personality and (more importantly) her ease with Spanish, I probably wouldnt have gotten to know anyone. The flip side, however, was that she could often be a rather bossy and inconsiderate of my interests or needs. In those ten days, I not only learned how to speak Spanish a little better, but also how to step back and let someone else take control. Used to being the one making the decisions, I learned how to let go of the reins and, at times, follow without knowing where I was going. It was a difficult change, but neccssary, seeing as I honestly did not, at the time, have the language skills necessary to arrange or figure out anything.

Elisa and I spent the week watching Disney movies in Italian, going out clubbing, and becoming very close friends...

Nico and Elisa on the beach at 7 am with the castle of Alicante in the background.
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Despite these isolated moments of frustration, I had a blast during that ten day "vacation." I became addicted to the citys night scene, a crazy and non-stop experience. There are hundreds of clubs and pubs of all varieties that line the harbour and the narrow winding streets on Alicante. Every night the streets were simply filled with hundreds of Spaniards and tourists alike, dressed in sequins, heels, and mini skirts (well, the girls at least) and shaking their hips to the incomparable popular music of the Mediterranean Spanish coast. Here in Spain, clubs and pubs rarely (if ever) ask entrance fees and, as a result, people wander from pub to pub as the mood strikes them. The nights really began at 1 or 1:30 am and although some close at 4, most clubs stay open till 6 or 7 am when people either head home, still drunk, or sit down at an outdoor cafe for more laughter and coffee. And the music, in my opinion, is far better to dance to than anything found in America and many of the boys (gasp) really know how to dance. It has something to do with the rhythm of the music, the rhythm of life here, the way of moving the hips...