Thursday, November 1, 2012

It's getting a wee bit chilly

Everyone here keeps reassuring me it won't snow, but at the same time the refrain "the cold really hasn't started yet" seems to be on repeat around here. Apparently December and January are worse, so I'm trying to mentally brace myself. To be sure, it's really not that cold here at the moment. There have been a few mornings around 40 degrees, but the afternoons are usually around 60 or higher. I know what you're thinking: "Teresa, you're from Nebraska. Forty degrees is nothing." You might be right, but the difference here is the lack of insulation from the cold. And the lack of heating.

I live in a lovely apartment, but we don't have central heating (that's not entirely uncommon around here). The average low during Extremaduran winters is 39 degrees, which is pretty chilly. My apartment windows aren't double-paned, either. I live with my landlords (a British girl and a Spanish guy) and they've provided a heap of blankets to keep me warm, so I'm all sorts of comfy when I'm in my bed. But I kind of wish I could go the whole winter without showering. Seriously, there's nothing worse than showering when it's cold.

The solution around here for homes without heating is the "brasero," which is basically a space heater that goes underneath a special table specifically designed for that purpose. Some braseros are gas; some are electric. Ours is gas. I keep telling my Spanish roommate that the brasero scares the heck out of me. It really does - I just can't understand how it's a good idea to put a gas-powered flame underneath a table and then cover it with a blanket.

The table and the aforementioned blanket

The brasero underneath the table

The "bombona," or the gas tank
Sorry that I kind of sound like a whiner. My landlords really have made every effort to make sure I'm comfortable, so hopefully this doesn't sound like I'm complaining about my home. I have a great living situation, but that doesn't keep Extremadura temperatures from dipping toward freezing. Here's to a long, cold winter.

(As a sidenote: Recommendations for any auxiliars placed in Extremadura: Pack a few pairs of really warm socks, sweatpants and sweatshirts. You'll be glad you did.)

Buenas noches,
Teresa

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