Lazy lazy weekend

As you know, I already have a notoriously short work-week, and last week was shorter still.  Friday was a national holiday, Pilar's Day, and celebrated Hispanic peoples as well as La Guardia Civil.  My short week became even shorter and I will admit that I did absolutely NOTHING with my weekend.  My original plans were to travel to the city of Murcia with my roommates, but the cold that I picked up at my primary school didn't allow me many options besides drinking copious amounts of tea and reading.  All in all, it wasn't an awful weekend, but I am really looking forward to getting back to work tomorrow.

This coming week will also be short, however, since I have a date with the National Police on Thursday.  No, this isn't a court date, but a meeting to ask for my TIE, a card which gives me temporary Spanish citizenship and lets me do lots of important things; namely, I can open a bank account, get paid, and stay in the country until June (long after my student visa expires).  This appointment requires me to bus into Murcia and then present all of my paperwork.  Hopefully this is the last paperwork detail I'll have to face for a while.

Tower in Mazarrón

Since I don't have much to report from this last week, allow me to share a few of my observations about Mazarrón.  Although it is a small town, there is quite of bit of history here.  Since the Puerto de Mazarrón is located within a large bay, this area has been a port for thousands of years and has witnessed the actions of many different civilizations.  Five minutes away from my apartment, there is a normal looking apartment building with a less than average ground floor - a museum built around the walls of a Roman-era building.  Inside, there are examples of the many different types of pottery, metals, and artifacts found along the coast. A little further down the road, there is a small, unremarkable building which is actually the interpretative center for the Phoenician ships settled along the sea floor.  Our Spanish friend Jose David actually took us out above the ship to see if we could spot the wreckage, but the water was unfortunately a little too murky.  Up in town, there are small towers and houses dating back hundreds of years.  The feeling I get here is similar to what I experienced in Alicante - history is everywhere and simply walking down the street might take you past a building that predates the founding of the United States.  Put even more simply, being in Europe constantly challenges my perception of history and what I consider to be "old."

Town hall - yes, it's over 400 years old

Another aspect of living in Mazarrón that I have found fascinating is the influence of Middle Eastern and North African cultures here.  In Alicante, I could see parts of it - lots of tiles and even more kebab shops.  Here however, there is a noticeable shift in demographics - everyday I see women fully covering their hair and bodies, and I hear languages besides Spanish and English.  It's an interesting mix and honestly isn't what I was expecting.  Given the fact that Alicante is not very far away, the area and people are different enough to make me wonder at what has influenced this shift.

Old church in town