Seattle to Siles in 24 hours

Warning: The first few posts of me actually being in Siles are probably going to be huge. Read it all, don't read it all...I won't be offended either way. These posts are also going to include a lot of "I did this, then I did that." The cultural realizations/fun stories/etc will come soon.

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Wow. What a day. To everyone who left worried messages, texts, voice messages, etc…I made it to Siles safe and sound.

I departed from Seattle at 7:25 yesterday morning, landed in New York around 3:45pm, departed New York at 5:55 and landed in Madrid at 6:55am. Lesson #1: Don’t take however much will fit in your suitcase. Take much, MUCH less, even if you are going somewhere cold for a year. I actually did alright last time I went to Murcia with one big suitcase and one smaller one. This time I packed 2 big suitcases that went over the weight limit and it was a royal pain in the #$%@ lugging them around.

My original plan:
-Take taxi from airport to Madrid train station
-Take train from Madrid to Albacete.
-Probably stay the night in Albacete because according to my research there are only 2 buses each day that go to Siles. I was going to miss the first one and the second gets into Siles at 11pm. Getting to Siles in the dark, without an address of a hostel to stay at doesn’t sound like my idea of a good time.
-Take the bus to Siles the next morning.

However, I decided to take the bus instead of the train to Albacete because I didn’t want to have to transfer from the train station to the bus station in Albacete. I figured even though the bus ride was a little longer it would save me some hassle later. The metro station was right at the airport so I lugged all my bags onto the metro and headed to the bus station. Seriously, the bags were a pain. I had to get on so many escalators and trying to get two 50+ pound suitcases and myself onto a moving escalator was a recipe for disaster (or at least a good laugh to the locals). I made it to the bus station and had amazing luck. Not only did I find a bus a lot faster than I thought I would, but I found a route straight for Siles! Bonus point for Erica. I hung around the bus station for about half an hour, which was a perfect amount of time. I was able to get my bags and myself downstairs in a relaxed manner, find my bus and hang out for a minute to catch my breath.

The bus ride was fairly uneventful. My phone also wasn’t working so I spent the better part of the bus ride messing around with different settings to see if I could get it to work. I have a phone that is suppose to work internationally and we switched my phone over to an international plan so why it isn’t working is beyond me. I know it worked when I studied in Murcia, but it didn’t work when I went to Murcia this past Thanksgiving and apparently it isn’t going to work now. I’ll have to contact Sprint and go through the owner’s manual when I get internet access. I figured my family was probably panicking at this point because I told them I would contact them when I arrived at each of my destinations. We stopped in Manazares for a 15 minute break and I tried to use the phone but the guy working the shop said it doesn’t make international calls. This particular bus driver *must* have been trying to make me feel right at home because the radio station he played was all US music. It felt like I was listening to KISS 106.1. Katy Perry, Rihanna, Lady Gaga. He also play Cee Lo Greens “Fuck You” and Timbaland/50 Cent’s “Ayo” (neither of which were censored). It made me wonder how many Spaniards actually know what the lyrics to these songs mean. I found it amusing either way. We also passed a hill with several windmills on it…very Don Quixote-ish…of course we were in Castilla-La Mancha, so it’s to be expected.

I had to switch buses in Valdepeñas. From there the bus ride got more and more gorgeous. There were very few people on the bus. We kept stopping in these cute little towns and I kept getting more and more excited. Eventually I was the only one left on the bus besides the driver and we kept heading deeper into the mountains. Then Siles started appearing on the “___ miles to____” signs. Finally I saw “El Cubo” (one of the Siles landmarks I had seen in photos) and I knew we were there. I was busting at the seams with excitement. My heart felt overwhelmingly full.

I hopped off the bus and asked someone where the nearest hostel was. Inés had told me there were only 2 in Siles so I wasn’t too picky. The hostel ended up being only about 2 blocks away. Another bonus point for Erica.

I left my 2 bags out front as I went in to see if there were rooms available. The hostel manager was so wonderful. He chatted with me as he set up my reservation, then hauled both of my ridiculously, embarrassingly large suitcases up the stairs for me. After that he led me down the hall to the suite room and on to the back balcony. Oh my. Such a great view. This place really is gorgeous. Siles is located in a national park and this view looked out over all the luscious green mountains. He pointed out the two spots from the mountains that people go hang gliding from and said that there is some sort of festival where people will come in masses and you can see all of them soaring through the valley. He also said there is a botanical garden that I could check out. He answered my questions about where things were and just really made me feel welcome. He also said that there was a phone downstairs that I could use to call home.

I showered, got ready and decided to head out and see if I could find the school I would be working at. I didn’t think anyone would be there, but at least then I would know where it was so I could meet everyone in the morning. Note: At this point it’s only about 4pm. I hadn’t even expected to be in Siles by 4pm so I was thrilled with how well the day was going. I stopped at a payphone on the street to see if I could call home but I still couldn’t get it to work.

On my way over to the school I ran into the same man that gave me directions to the hostel (first sign of how small the town is). I was also enthusiastically greeted by another older gentleman that stopped me on the street, asked me where I was from and was thrilled to find out that I was going to be helping teach his kids at the school. I can only hope this is the small-town hospitality and friendliness that I will experience my entire stay here.

I wandered the streets for a bit but actually found the school pretty easily. I heard people talking inside so I headed in. I peaked my head in “la sala de profesores” (The staff room) and there were 2 teachers that instantly hopped up and greeted me, knowing exactly who I was. Turns out Tuesdays are the one day that the teachers stay late to have meetings and such, so it was a perfect day for me to arrive. I met a bunch of the teachers, including Inés, got some basic information and set up a time to meet with Inés in the morning to discuss specifics. The teachers are all fairly young and I think they are going to be my lifeline. I really enjoyed hanging out with them.

They also let me use their computer at the school. I was able to get online and send an e-mail home to let them know that I arrived safely, but probably would be in sparse contact until I got settled. The internet was so slow. It was having a hard time loading my e-mail account. This is definitely an adjustment that will take some getting used to.

After this I left and walked around the town a bit more. I found “El Cubo” and the two arches…the only 3 landmarks I had known of before I arrived. That scavenger hunt was a little too easy! I also found the library. Inés told me that there is internet at the school, the city center and the library. Since the internet at the school was so slow I had high hopes for the internet at the library. It is only open 4-7pm, Monday-Friday.

Also, I pity the poor individual that walks past the church right when the bells start to ring. They are SO loud! It was very cool to see but oh goodness, the bells really resonate down those small streets.

I headed back to the hostel, getting as lost as you possibly can in a town this small. I received my first cat call (which feels really different when the town is so small and you know there’s a really good chance you’ll see them again). At this point I was feeling a little discouraged. My mood really started to do a 180. I think it will help when I actually have an apartment and am a little more established. I don’t have a stove, microwave or fridge at the hostel so figuring out the dinner situation was a little challenging. I was also chilly. The weather so far is sunny but about the same temperature as Snohomish. When I got back to the hostel I climbed into bed and started a blog entry. I really wanted to be good about journaling but I was so tired I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I gave up and decided to do it the next morning. End of day: 8:30pm. Not bad. I definitely feel like it was a successful day.