My long awaited return to Alicante

This weekend I went to Alicante to stay with Aurora and to see the city I love and miss so much. Going back was the most overwhelming deja-vu I have yet to experience. When I saw Aurora there in the train station we hugged and kissed and walked back home with our arms around each other's waists...it was like no time had passed at all, as if I had been there the day before and would be there all the following. It was such a strange sensation walking the streets I had walked so many times, seeing all the same little intricacies that I always seem to notice. Being able to return to Aurora's house and stay in the room I stayed in when I was there was so incredible.
The first thing we did when I arrived was stop by the bakery to get our bread to eat with the meal she had prepared. She made "Arroz a la cubana" which is rice with tomato sauce and an egg on top and bacon. It of course was delicious. When we were at the bakery, Aurora took out her little coin purse to pay and I looked at it, and I looked at it, and then I said, "Pero, mamá, esto es mío!" (But mama, that's mine!!) She looked at me with confusion, then we both laughed. She had been carrying the coin purse I apparently left at her house with her for a year and a half. She found it one day and figured it was her daughter Bea's. When she asked Bea about her cute coin purse, Bea couldn't remember even buying it or seeing it, but she just went along with it.
Turns out that wasn't the only thing of mine that I found at her house. My books from my intensive Spanish class and one of my notebooks were still there on the shelf. She had accumulated a lot of books from the two girls after me, and now has quite a collection of books in English--the Da Vinci code, Kite Runner. She also has my toothbrush still in the cup in the bathroom. Just little things that I guess I forgot and never knew I left, that she just hadn't thrown out as a reminder. I was surprised to find things of my own a year and a half later at her house.
Later that night we decided to dar un paseito around the city and we walked all the familiar streets and she showed me all the things that have changed and all the things that have improved or gotten worse. For example, the TRAM that goes to all the coastal towns north of Alicante from Plaza Luceros, in the middle of Alicante, is now finished! They have a very impressive underground station that passes underneath underground parking garages on Alfonso el Sabio. On Sunday we took to TRAM from Luceros to playa de San Juan (the best beach in Alicante) and it was wonderful. We even SWAM!!!! That's how nice it was.

After having a couple tapas and cañas at Dos Gringos, the new bar that was just a thought when I was there (my friend Julio designed all the logos and menus when I was there, and showed them to me. what a surprise to see them come to reality!) We walked my all my old favorite spots in the Barrio. We walked to the place where Ravi and I so long ago had taken a ton of funny pictures one night. Its on this pedestrian street across the Rambla from the Barrio. Aurora and I were admiring all the adorable little terrazas they have there. I told her about the time that Dylana, Ravi, and I had taken the pictures there on Ravi's second-to-last night in Alicante. All the sudden, we both fell silent. There was a violinist just in front of us and we both realized at the same time that he was playing Aurora's favorite song, "Hallelujah" by Rufus Wainwright. It gave me goosebumps. The right place, the right time, the right people.

Saturday we went to eat churros for breakfast! SOOOO delicious.
Then while Aurora went to buy the things she needed, I took a much needed long walk around the city. I was feeling very nostalgic. I felt at home, but so many things were different. Not in the city, but I was different. Sometimes I wonder who I was before I had all the experiences I have been so blessed to have. They have really helped make me who I am, and the people I met in Alicante and the experiences I had there are things I will never forget. They make up a big part of who I am. I am so thankful to have been able to live a part of my life there. Without Alicante, I wouldn't know Aurora, her family, Ravi, or the wonderful friends I still have from there. Can you imagine how different life would be?
Aurora and I had an interesting conversation on Sunday as we walked by the flat where Ravi lived in Alicante, right next to the train station. She asked me if I remembered when we were all meeting our families for the first time, at the hotel in Alicante. Armando, the director, called her name. "Aurora Romero! con Ravi" He had put Ravi with Aurora. Aurora told Armando that he must be mistaken, she asked for a girl, she didnt allow boys to stay with her because her son doesn't live with her anymore. Armando, making a quick decision, called my name instead. I remember looking at Ravi, and being like, "Sorry!" Of course Ravi pretended to be crushed, but quickly was put with another family. Just think...what if Ravi had stayed with Aurora? Would I have gone with his family? How different the story would have gone, all the way until now.

During my walk, the first place I went was to Ravi's flat. I stood in front of it, took pictures of the balconies, wondering if one of them had been his. I had never been to his family's flat before. I wondered how many times he had rung the bell, or put his key in the lock to open the entry door. I wondered how many times he taken the elevator down and turned right out the door towards the Barrio or the beach. I don't really know what I was feeling in that moment. Longing, I suppose. Wishing for all the time that was lost to come back and to be able to do it all over again. Wishing for more time with him. But that's everyday.

The walk was just what I needed at that moment. I went by all of my friends' flats from when they lived there, remembering all the good times we had.
Alicante is such a beautiful city. There are people there from everywhere, and they live in the street, not indoors. I walked down to the beach, to the hotel Porta Maris, where Ravi and I first met and where he later told me he thought I was boring upon first impression.

Saturday Aurora cooked and the whole family came over--Ana, Juan Carlos, Bea, Jose Carlos, and MARINA! She remembered me, "Breeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen!" and we played for hours and hours. She is unstoppable energy and when she left, Aurora and I were both ready for bed. Afterwards, though, I met up with Julio, one of my friends that lives there. We went to Havana Barrio, one of the new bars, and then went to the Sidreria in the Barrio to try Sidra (cider beer) typical of Asturias, a region to the north. Sunday Aurora and I spent the day at the beach, and then I had to say goodbye, yet once again. The good thing is, though, this time I know it won't be so long before I return.

The whole weekend was great. It was not the same as before, though. I believe it is the relationships we have with others that make us who we are, and this weekend was a perfect example. It was perfect, and I was able to see many people I hadn't seen in a long time. But, nonetheless, there were many very important people missing.