Me Llamo Debbie Downer

Before we left the States, Ruyman invited everyone we know to come and visit us on the island once we got settled. I read him the things I write before I post them to make sure my Spanish is correct and that the family honor isn’t too besmirched by my sarcasm. After the blogs about poop and bugs, he’s worried I’m scaring you off of foreign travel and that no one will come visit us for fear of their lives. 

It’s true that I haven’t been pulling any punches about what I see around here, but I want to reinforce the fact that there are good things about Spain. 

I will now list them in order of importance:

1. Cola Cao. Remember back in August when I was whining about the way the milk tastes here? Well, the trick is to put as much chocolate in it as you can stand and then drink it. Cola Cao, Spain’s version of Nesquick, is a dark chocolate delight. I now understand why Ruyman put hot chocolate mix in his cereal all these years. If I’d grown up with Cola Cao, I would’ve too.
2. The bread. Europeans just do it better. I don’t know how. I don’t know why. They just do.
3. The weather. I heard on Facebook that parts of Utah expect snow tomorrow. The buildings here don’t even have heaters. They don’t need them. How’s that for a big nah-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah?
4. Walking. Because there are absolutely no zoning laws, everything is within walking distance. Need a jug of milk? Two blocks. Need a hair cut? Four blocks. Want to watch the Canary Island version of sumo wrestling? Six blocks. You can walk almost anywhere. And since there’s never any parking, it’s smarter just to hoof it anyway.
5. The music. I didn’t think I’d be a big fan of this one. A lot of Spanish music is gypsy in origin and sounds a little like a Muslim call to prayer mixed with a mariachi band. It’s an acquired taste. Something I love, though, is the existence of an unofficial musical canon. People from all over the Spanish-speaking world can get together and break into a rousing chorus of “La Bamba” or “El Cielito Lindo.” These songs are part of a deep cultural heritage and people are proud of that. Even the young people can sing them with gusto.
6. The passion. This was a little off-putting at first, but I’ve grown to enjoy it in small doses. The Spanish are never indifferent to an issue, even if it’s one they’ve never heard of before. They’ll take a stand and argue it with spit flying and arms flailing until no one remembers what the original point was and the only thing anyone is convinced of is that they all need a beer. It’s fun to watch, provided you have no emotional investment in one side or the other. If you do, you’ll most likely want a drink, too.
7. The language. Although it’s frustrating, I have to admit I’m enjoying learning Spanish. English sounds a little ugly to my ears after the suavecito sounds of the Canary dialect. They drop their interior consonants and relax back into a singsong of fluid vowels. Some of them, like Ruyman’s abuela, are absolutely incomprehensible. The last time we were here, I just figured she was drunk. She’s been off the sauce for a year now and all I understand is a “mi nina” here and there, but I’m starting to realize that every time she talks to me, she’s trying to convince me to eat more. 
8. It's pretty.