Day 2: Sexo y Nueva York

I can't describe how amazing it felt to wake up beside David. The enormous bed and beautiful hotel room was just icing on the cake.

We were in still in bed when room service arrived. Sonia had planned for us a romantic breakfast.

We enjoyed our meal at relaxing pace. We showered, and may have even taken a bath in the enormous tub the room provided. Then we decided to go and explore the city center some more.

Sensing I may be anxious to see that a little bit of America does in fact exist in Spain, David took me to Fnac, a humungous media store like a Barnes & Noble and Best Buy combined. There, I bought my first region 2 DVDs: Dollhouse season 1. Score!

After Fnac, we were already hungry again. I lead him to a little piece of the city I was familiar with right next to where my internship had been three summers ago. In a small, hidden plaza, accompanied by really nice live music, we "took" some shandy and some seriously phenomenal salads.

Next stop: La Boquería. This is a massive market in Las Ramblas that offers a wide array of both typically Spanish and bizarre foreign products. David lead me through the labyrinth of kiosks, pointing out his favorites and instructing me when to overt my eyes.

We followed this extremely Barcelonian activity with some Frappucinos from a nearby Starbucks. I made a point to memorize the code to the bathroom there for future emergencies. You know me!

On to the first highlight of the day: Sex and the City 2!

Earlier, when David had informed me that our only option was to see the highly anticipated film en español, I was dumbstruck. Not only were the voices not going to be in sync with the characters I've known and loved for so long, but I was certain I would hardly even understand it.

We entered the cinema, one David had never been to before. We ordered a Coca-Cola-- American sized. The theater was nearly empty but for a few stray elderly men. What exactly were they doing in the middle of the afternoon seeing Sex and the City 2 anyway? That's just weird. David turned to kiss me right as a man in the next row up turned and locked his eyes on us. I was a bit mortified.

The movie started, and right off the bat I was all but offended at the deep, suave voice that came from the lips of Charlotte's gay, Anthony. Carrie spoke exactly like the actress who's body she'd highjacked, quickly and with much sass. Not a great combination for the non-native speaker. As the movie progressed, however, so did my comprehension. At first, I understood roughly 50%. By the end of the movie, around 70. All in all, I can assume that when I finally watch the movie in English, I'll like it more than the first!

After the movie, we were allowed enough time to shower and get ready for the main event. David's cousin Sonia and her boyfriend, Manuel, were to join us at the hotel for dinner and drinks. We sat in the lobby sipping on margaritas. I was anxious to meet the girl that had so generously provided us with what honestly felt like a honeymoon; the girl that David had told me was so excited for us to be together again that she had cried on many occasions while discussing my upcoming arrival. Soon, Sonia arrived.

David wasn't wrong, the whole evening their relationship kept reminding me of the one I share with my own cousin, Shelly!

We eventually made our way up to the "Cantina" where a Mariachi flavored the night with some Mexican classics. We sipped on "Coronitas" (the Spanish monarchy owns the trademark "Corona") and enjoyed a buffet-style Mexican meal. The Mariachi made its rounds and eventually landed on our table, making any communication on my part virtually impossible.

After dinner, we went down to the lobby to see a fashion show by a Mexican lingerie designer. Manuel showed up moments later.

The resemblance I'd seen between Sonia and Shelly quickly escalated with Manuel's arrival. Their chemistry is freakishly similar to that of Shelly and her husband, Kiel. Manuel's thick, Southern accent makes it nearly impossible for me to understand him; just as Kiel's low, quiet voice and his tendency to mumble made it impossible for David to understand him!

We admired a lot of the designs on the "runway", but mostly just laughed our asses off at the girl who would come out every five minutes or so, seemingly to give the models a chance to change into their next looks. She did this weird little dance in circles around the crowd. Her strange flapper/lyrical/interpretative style had us laughing the whole time (and me secretly hoping she'd fall on her ass... or trip over somebody).

The show ended, and we quickly decided that that scene had been played. We wondered down the Eixample streets to a newer bar that was decorated like a museum. Some frames held classical pieces of art, while others contained TVs broadcasting the music videos of whatever song was currently playing. I was impressed! And the dancing commenced!

We decided to find another place to have our last drink of the night, which ended up being a small bar called:

An hour passed as we waited for the drag queen we'd seen upon entering to make another performance. Finally, to the fanfare commonly heard at the beginning of any 20th Century Fox feature presentation, she emerged from the very curtain you see above, decked out in flamenco attire.

I would love to report that I loved the show, but in fact, I didn't understand a word of it. The only joke I actually got, and which actually killed me, was when a little person squeezed by her to get to the bathroom. She turned around as he passed and mimed stomping on him as if he were a cockroach. Wow.

Inevitably, I had to go to the bathroom soon enough as well. I quickly darted behind the curtain and drew out the process hoping that if she had noticed me, that she would quickly forget, so that I wouldn't become another butt of her jokes. Yeah... not so much. As soon as I returned, she made some comment to the crowd that lead to a fit of laughter and a very confused, unhappy expression on my face. David later explained that she had compared me to, due to my hairstyle, a character in a Spanish television show from the eighties. Hm.

Standing there, watching the three of them as the queen did her schtick and later scrutinized Manuel for something I couldn't even fathom; I felt very, very alone. I knew exactly what to expect, as David went through the exact same thing about one year ago, but it doesn't make it any easier. It's going to take time and a lot of patience (something I'm unfortunately not known for) to get a handle on the language and culture of my new home. But for now, I am collecting an amazing multitude of experiences that are as practical as they are enriching. Sure there will be a lot of doubts and anxieties along the way, but I'm doing it alongside the man I love. I have the support and love of not only the family I've left behind, but of the new one I'm quickly forming here. And life without changes and challenges? Well, that's just not my style. I just have to keep reminding myself of that.