Mi Cuarto (my room)

Sooo this is a picture of my room that I share with the lovely Callie Self. As you can see, our room is…humble, yet welcoming. My bed is the one on the far right with Kingsley, my koala bear sitting on the bed (he decided to sneak into the photo). I have my pictures taped onto the wall right next to my bed, so I get to see the people (and animals) I love every morning when I wake up, and every evening before I fall asleep.

Mi cuarto and I have a love/hate relationship at the moment. I love it because it’s cozy, tidy, and the view from my window is awesome, but some days (mainly nights actually) the hate side of our relationship rears its head. 

Not having any air conditioning in Sevilla, where the average temperature right now is 100F (37c), does present its challenges to say the least. Waking up in a puddle of sweat with your pajamas sticking to you isn’t exactly ideal. How bout a fan? How bout not. Believe me that was the first thing Callie and I thought of after waking up glistening with a layer of sweat stuck to us. The thing is, here in Spain, electricity is ridiculously expensive so our host mom doesn’t want us to leave anything plugged in. She’s also a bit paranoid about sparking a fire (I think that’s what she was trying to tell us…still working on this Spanish to English translation). So, we are only allowed to use the fan during our siesta (nap from 2-5) and trust me, Callie and I crank that baby!

We have to leave the windows open for some air circulation...especially at night, but since we live in the city, its sirens, horns, cars/bikes revving their engines (cuz apparently the street outside our building is the NASCAR speedway), music, and loud voices 24/7. Or should I say ONE loud voice that Callie and I like to call “The Pterodactyl” (you know…the flying dinosaur, yeah that’s how it’s spelled, I googled). She is a quite an “abundant” woman who owns a shop right outside our apartment building and stays up until about 1am every night, smoking and drinking with her amigas, and letting out her sporadic pterodactyl screeches. So the noise, coupled with the heat comparable to that of the Sahara desert, makes a goodnights sleep pretty rare. Thankfully I’m able to wedge earplugs into my inner ear which helps mask some of the noise. I’m sure after a few more weeks I won’t be able to notice the noise nor the heat. Aside from the earplugs, I brought along my little koala bear friend, Kingsley, who certainly helps me sleep better (yes I know I’m 20 years old). Having Kingsley here gives me a sense of the familiarity of home, and reminds me of a certain special someone.

All in all, I guess I have to say that love outweighs the hate just by a little bit, and I do love my room, aside from a few imperfections. My room is teaching me to appreciate the everyday things I take for granted like air conditioning and silence. I’ve noticed the imperfections are what make it unique and different. Everything has imperfections, and nothing/no one would be interesting if it were all perfect.

"A diamond with a flaw is worth more than a pebble without imperfections" ~ Chinese Proverb