Everyday is an adventure!

I just realized it has only been 2 days since I last wrote...but so much has already happened. When I arrived in Reus (after getting a ride with one of Glòria's friends to Barcelona, where I was dropped off at the metro station, which I took to a Renfe station (basically a regional rail line here), where I got on a train to Reus) I was met by Andria. She is one of Annalee's friends who was an au pair for the summer and is leaving September 18th. She took me around Reus, which was very nice, and introduced me to all sorts of wonderful things. On our way to Noemi's apartment we walked past my future house and then made our way to her apartment, which was very easy to find. Once there I dropped off my backpack and we sat with Noemi for a bit. For the rest of the day we wandered around Reus. I love this city so much...it is absolutely amazing! There are streets where cars can't drive...they are only for people to walk on! I can't do it justice, so when I am not having technical difficulties with my camera, I will put up pictures...once I take them. Before beginning to truly wander, Andria and I stopped at the coffee shop that I have heard so much about (where Annalee used to meet people for language exchanges) have a quick cafe cortado each. As Andria and I were wandering we stumbled across a bar that advertised an informal language exchange the following night from 7:30-9:00. The bar was closed at the time but looked very interesting, so we decided we should come back the next night. Next Andria introduced me to a very popular drink here...a ¨champu¨which is a light beer, estrella damm here mixed with a lemon soda, fanta, i believe. It is actually quite good and very refreshing considering how hot it gets here at the moment. Andria had to be getting home (she lives in a little village just up the hill from Reus, but wanted to make it there before dark) and I had to get going to meet Ferran for dinner. We met at 8:30 (an early time to meet for dinner here, most people meet for dinner around 9) and walked to a neat little restaurant called Vinatxo (vin-a-cho), which means a young wine, but has the connotation of being a poor quality wine. Despite the name, dinner was excellent, and so was dessert and the wine! I didn't get to Noemi's apartment though until 11:15. I had to be in Tarragona at 9:30 the next morning, so I went straight to bed.
Luckily Noemi dropped me off. When we got to the school, there was a huge mass of people out front and one person standing at the top of the steps reading names off a list. This huge mass of people was blocking the doorway and I figured they were there for the same reason I was...but wasn't sure because what I needed to do was go to the fourth floor to get a number that would tell me what time to come back to pre-register. But I didn't want to just barge through anyone and be rude, so I stood there for a little bit...and more people kept showing up looking just as confused as I did, so I was't too worried. As it turned out I got to put my name on the list, and then it was called so I could get in line. What was the line for you wonder? To get up to the fourth floor to get my number of course. The line went all the way from the fourth floor, down all the stairs, and out the front of the building, that is how many people were trying to pre-register for classes...it was crazy! I will find out if I successfully pre-registered on the 15th, but I did get a paper stamped after waiting in line, getting a number, and then coming back, so not all hope is lost, and I was done by 11:30 surprisingly. After navigating this insanity I wandered around Tarragona for a bit, which is right by the sea and a city that is a bit bigger than Reus ( Reus has a population of about 100,000 whereas Tarragona has population of about 140,000). Then I made my way back to Reus where I managed to get a library card and get to Noemi's apartment by2 and have lunch with her.
I feel I must clarify a bit here about meals and schedules. There are two important meals in this country. In the states it is common for families to all eat together at dinner and basically only cook one meal and gather for one meal each day...dinner. Here you cook for two meals...lunch and dinner. You sit together and have a large lunch and then later you cook again and eat dinner together. In terms of schedules nothing is really open until 10, then every thing closes aroud 1 and everyone goes home to have dinner. Places don't open again until the afternoon, from 5-8.
That afternoon I met Andria and we went to the bar for the language exchange. Let me just say this bar is absolutely amazing. For those of you who share/shared in the Moulin Rouge/Green Fairy obssession, you will truly appreciate this. The bar is named Absenta, which if you hadn't already guessed it means Absinthe. The lighting ofcourse creates a lovely green ambience, as if you were floating in a bottle of the bright green drink. I was more than ecstactic to have discovered this bar. The language exchange was awesome too! There were three different groups of people there for the language exchange. The couple who's idea it was and their friend (Sergio, Merichel, and ?), two other girls (who came later and I can't remember their names, one of them may have been Maria), and me and Andria, and Noemi showed up later two. Everyone there besides me and Andria was from Reus and trying to improve their english (not Noemi because she is an english teacher) but they were all really fun and we are planning to meet again next Thursday, so that is exciting.
Things pretty much broke up at nine because we all had things to do. Noemi and I met Ferran and then we all went out for Japanese. This seemed strange to me, but it was a very nice restaurant and I think the fanciest japanese restaurant I have eaten in (which isn't really saying much since I haven't eaten that much Japanese food). Dinner ended late of course and it always ends with coffee...so on the way home Noemi and I decided to stop for a drink which was fun, but made for a late night considering I had to get up the next morning and take a test.
But more on that later because it is one o'clock in the morning here and I really need to go to bed. Wow, i must be a very locuacious (is that how you spell that?) person because I thought i would be able to get caught up to today in a short amount of space...but apparently not. oh well.