Day 25 - Casa Tomada

Today has probably been one of my favorite days here.  Leslie came over around 10 and the other Lindsay, Sarah, her and I went around the town.  We went to Delice de France and got some chocolate croissants and cappuccinos, then went to the Martinez where Leslie bought some stuff to take home with her and I got a few snacky items...they had kettle corn, I couldn't resist, and corn nuts which I didn't know existed here!! Then we went to the new bookstore they just opened here! It is called Casa Tomada and it is the first ever bookstore on Bioko Island...it is so cute!  It reminds me of a tiny version of Barnes and noble.  It has some really awesome books and a little cafe thing where you can get drinks.  They even have a reading room upstairs that has such a nice air conditioner.  I can't wait until my Spanish improves so I can go in there and at least attempt to read some of the novels.  I think I found my new study spot for when all of the classes start Monday!!!

Since the bookstore is right across the street from the French Cultural Center and the Mercado Central, we went to get Leslie a pedicure.  It was so funny because all of our feet are blistery and have callouses everywhere from all the hiking we have done, so the ladies at the market doing it kept making fun of how bad they were.  They did an awesome job though of cleaning her up!! They even took a razor to her dead skin on the bottom of her foot...was sketchy at first...but surprisingly worked.  Another thing I didn't expect was the lava rock they used as a pumice bar...innovative.  Needless to say, she got a really nice pedicure...she even got to choose her nail polish color...for about $8!!

Then we all came back to the study house and I made lunch...grilled cheese with tomatoes and orange juice.  I must say it was a great decision...who doesn't like grilled cheese!?

Leslie and Lindsay are both going back home later tonight, so Leslie invited us to the Sofitel to shower and just see what it is like. Wow...was that shower awesome.  It has one of those rain shower heads that is really big and it felt like it was massaging my back and it actually was something other than cold water....and the bed...boy was it comfy and so much nicer than my slab of foam for a mattress.  Plus the air conditioner was really consistent and they have TV!! We watched Hoodwinked and some Japanese movie with English subtitles.  I mean, don't get me wrong here, the student house is really nice for where we are and I like it...but man, being there for even just a few hours was awesome!!

Lindsay had a later flight than Leslie, so she went with me, David and Sarah to the French Cultural Center to see the show that was playing the night before at the Sofitel since we didn't catch much of it.  It was really cool...there was a pianist, percussionists and a few singers who rotated.  Afterwards, we stayed there and got some dinner with the performers, David knows them all, and just relaxed.  There was this one man, Leonardo, who is a friend of Carmen, our Spanish teacher, and wants to learn more English like Carmen.  So at dinner we were talking a little and it was good practice!! Lindsay told me that her best advice for getting better is just speaking it to people...even if I do mess up, no one will care...after all, I think they can tell that Spanish isn't my first language!

Hasta luego,
Lindsey