20 Pension facts

Although our studio has covered many areas of Spain, I think for the interest of next year's Guardamar studio, it's most important write about our home away from home – the Pension Jaen.

1. There are no elevators to this four story cafe/restaurant/hostel. Arrive in Guardamar ON TIME and then you won't have to suffer hauling your baggage up three flights of stairs while exhausted from a five hour delayed flight. I'd recommend arriving in Alicante early and staying at least a night there. It's a nice city.

2. There are in-apartment washers. 2 on each floor I believe.
   First slide-out box is for softener.
   Second slide-out box is for detergent.
   No idea what the third one does.
   The swirly icon is the number of rotations.
   Next setting is water temp.
   Last knob set to ABCD. Set it to any of the others and your laundry will be spinning for a good half of the day.
   Don't forget to take your laundry out or it will smell like funk.

3. Infinite dryers since you can only air-dry your clothes. Make sure you use a lot of softener in your laundry load!

4. The Pension family consists of:
   Vicente – round, jolly man. Owner. Nicest man I know. Ask from him and you will receive (unless he forgets.) Might find him sleeping in the kitchen because he works so hard.
   Jose – glasses, skinnier than Vicente. Vicente's younger brother. If something's broken you tell him... and continue to tell him. He's forgetful, too.
   Vicente's dad – super old man that's always chewing on a cigar. 80% of the time sitting outside the Pension door. 20% of the time he's working.
   Pancho – Jose's dog. Black French bulldog. Lives on the second floor, but will sometimes come out. He's mean. Don't try to pet him.
   Ruth – blonde bartender. Works from opening to closing time. Very friendly woman, but don't ask her for toilet paper. That question is for the next person.
   Anjelah – Blonde housekeeper. Serves for lunch every so often. May seem mean during lunch, but she just gets frustrated from the mob of hungry students. She's the person to find if you're locked out of your room. Once in a while ask her for fruit for dessert. It puts her in a good mood.

5. Best place to watch the Moros y Cristianos parade.

6. Can't open the front door from the inside in the morning? You're locked in from the inside. Use your key.

7. Lock your door when new people start staying at the Pension unless you want to risk receiving an unpleasant 5am in-room wakeup call.

8. Pension lunches are as big as thanksgiving meals. You'll probably need that siesta after to get rid of the food coma.

9. Once you try their allioli, you'll never eat bread without it again.

10. No such thing as spicy food

11. German ketchup instead of Heinz

12. Tinto de Verano is better than regular red wine

13. Coffee comes as cafe con leche, bombon (coffee with condensed milk), or espresso. Ask for “hielo” if you want it iced.

14. Internet is iffy. If you need to submit something important, instead of risking getting it lost in the internet, wait until the internet disconnects. Once you reconnect, submit whatever you have as fast as you can.

15. You can order alcohol at any time of the day.

16. A typical lunch is salad, bread, first meal, second meal, dessert.

17. If the electricity goes out, either eat all your food in the fridge or throw it out because the fridge won't come back on for a few days. And it will smell like death when it ever does come back on.

18. Apartments adjacent to the “courtyard” in the center of the Pension will get the fresh smell of fried fish and burnt cooking grease through their windows daily.

19. A sink in your room, although odd looking, is very convenient at night. Especially if your bathroom light has been broken for 1.5 months out of your 2 month stay.

20. Keep an eye out for little friends on the floor during the night. Although I've never been a witness to them in the apartments, I've heard stories.

I will really miss the Pension staff's hospitality. I hope this helps next year's program stay at the Pension even more enjoyable than my great experience.

- Angela T.