Pity spanish style

I´ve been having my ups and downs for the past couple of weeks. My experience here has changed drastically since I´ve been on crutches. One thing that´s really been interesting for me to observe is the way in which people treat me because of my foot. For a while it really bothered me how people would just stare at it. In the US, if someone has a broken foot, its like nothing happened at all, people just keep walking. But here, people have absolutely no problem staring, and being caught staring at my foot. Little kids will sit and point, people will just stop what they´re doing and look. It´s very interesting to note that the elderly people, the ones who usually wouldn´t even give me the time of day, have been incredibly nice and helpful with me. I was walking across the street the other day, and happened to be walking next to an elderly woman, who then sat down on the bench and called to me ¨Hija, sientate!¨ (honey, sit down!) She then proceeded to ask me to tell her exactly what happened, interjecting with many head nods and sympathetic looks. Another time, I had an elderly couple walk up to me and ask if it was hurting me )it wasn´t). Another thing which has been really interesting is the way people are really helpful. Granada isn´t exactly the best city to have a foot in a cast (in fact, it´s pretty impossible to get around) and so a lot of times, even though I don´t want to, I have to accept help from others. This is especially true with the door to my apartment building. It is a constant battle with that door. I just can´t balance myself on the steps enough to push it open. Every day when I come home, I struggle with that door for a good five minutes until I can wedge my crutch into the opening or someone from the street helps me out. Usually someone will come and help me. The first time it happened, I almost started to cry. When I told my mom, she said ¨well, you´d have done the same for someone else.¨ but would I? I would love to think that I would´ve been the kind of person to help someone without being asked, but the truth is, I really don´t know. Now, after having this experience, I think I have changed my view. The fear of offending someone or of putting myself in a situation like that has completely dissappeared. Because as much as I hate accepting help from those random people off the street, I really do appreciate it.