Día 26

I finally got to go to church!

Like all new things in this country, church was quite an experience. First of all, the Church is usually a place where I feel like I always fit in. Well, I seriously felt so out of place. As usual, people were staring at us and whispering about us. On top of that, Mass started a las doce, but when we got there 5 minutes before, the church was hardly full at all. Me and Christina were super confused, but just waited for the mass to begin. Well once it started (which was surprisingly on time), people were still showing up - all the way until after the Gospel was over! I honestly couldn't believe it! Entonces, I know all of the responses throughout mass, but since everyone around me was saying everything in Spanish, it made it super difficult to focus on what I was saying - what I know by heart in English. Mass continues, and it comes time to offer peace to those around you. It was like a 10 minute party, no joke. Everyone was walking around the church, catching up with friends, having conversations, etc. After that, once it was time for communion, it was like a "free-for-all". There is usually some form of order when people receive the host, but it was kind of like, "If you want Jesus, go get you some Jesus!" People would just get up and rush to the line to receive the host, but then others just sat there and looked around for this 10 minute process. Also, there is typically wine that comes with the host - nope. Only for the Priest. It was just all a very strange experience.

The rest of our afternoon was quite relaxing. We went to the Blue Mall and saw Madagascar 3 - in Spanish! Honestly, I think it was funnier in Spanish than it would have been in English. Things don't exactly translate perfectly to Spanish, and it was pretty evident. But very funny! After that, we treated ourselves to and expensive dinner at a Spanish restaurant - mostly a Tapas Bar. Check it out!