Different Things

This is the part where I tell you about the random stuff I’ve noticed…

• I pretty much never feel the need to work out here – I walk everywhere, and it’s usually a minimum of two miles a day. I’m gonna have such leg muscles by May!
• Cars stop for pedestrians. This blows my mind – it never happens at home. It’s nice to be able to cross the street easily without having to worry that someone’s going to run me down.
• There are palm trees here!
• There are buildings in this town that are older than the United States. Ponder that one for a while.
• Hot chocolate in Spain is not hot water with Nestlé powder – it’s literally chocolate that is hot. It’s basically melted baking chocolate with whole milk, thickened with cornstarch or an equivalent. Seriously. I think it’s technically meant to be eaten with churros, but we like it plain just as well, let me tell you.
• Speaking of whole milk – that stuff is super popular here. My host mom buys it sometimes, and it’s in every cup of café con leche that you’ll ever find here. I always feel sort of bad when I drink it, because it’s so fattening, but it tastes reeeal good.
• Spanish bread is pretty much the food of the gods. Since bread is my favorite food anyway, I love the fact that I get a hunk of good, fresh, chewy bread at every lunch and dinner. Boy, will I miss it when I go home.
• Prices are weird –one never knows if something is going to be way more expensive or way cheaper than one is used to seeing. For example, you can get an entire baguette-style loaf of bread for only one euro and wine is often cheaper than water, but a tube of Maybelline mascara runs you about 10 euro.
• The bus system is fabulous here – they’re all clean and they can take you pretty much anywhere in town that you need to go in a reasonable amount of time.
• All the baby strollers are really cool-looking – not only are the kids here super adorable, but they look like they’re always comfy.
• I once saw a baby being pushed in a stroller side-by-side with a really old man being pushed in a wheelchair. I was amused…
• Ham is the meat of choice here – more common than fish, even. Like, seriously. It’s everywhere. They even had entire pig legs hanging from the ceiling in a couple of the bars I’ve been in.
• Getting to have wine with every lunch kind of makes my day, not gonna lie.
• I sort of hate that I stick out so much as an American…people keep telling me that I can speak in English with them or seem oddly unable to understand me when I speak in simple sentences (I mean, my accent isn’t that bad, is it?)…I long for the day when my Spanish speaking skills don’t suck!
• It’s sooo warm here. It’s only been colder than 5 degrees Celsius (which is approximately 40 degrees Fahrenheit) a couple of times. It makes me feel sort of guilty when I think about all you people shivering at home in Minnesota/North Dakota :-S
• The pace is so much slower here. Everyone is really chill, and being on time or doing things quickly isn’t really an issue. This is really inconvenient when you’re trying to get something done or waiting for someone to do something for you (*cough* suitcase *cough*), but most of the time it’s really relaxing.
• One thing I miss is the fresh air at home – living in the city, I’m always able to smell cigarette smoke (sooo much smoke…no me gusta), food smells, industrial smells, and other random things. When we went to San Sebastián, we definitely enjoyed the freshness of ocean air. It gets a little oppressive here sometimes.
• Living in the middle of a city is a completely new experience for me, and I really like it! There’s always something interesting to see or somewhere cool to go, and virtually everything I need is within walking distance.
• I’m developing a rudimentary sense of direction (Egads!). Or at least the ability to memorize large portions of the city.
• From the old furniture in my piso to the gorgeous buildings in el casco antiguo, it seems like everything has so much more character here.
• People are super helpful when it comes to being lost in town – you can stop pretty much anyone on the street and ask for directions, and they’ll tell you without hesitation. Something I’m super thankful for.
• It’s sooo easy to spend money here – I consider it an accomplishment if I can go an entire day without doing so. I can’t imagine how people can afford to live here all the time!
• There are so many places to buy chic clothes, and everyone looks so fashionable. And I mean everyone. There are babies walking around in pea-coats and leather boots, for goodness’ sake.
• Every girl wears boots, usually knee-highs or even thigh-highs. Like, it’s practically a requirement. I have not regretted buying my 18-euro boots for one second.
• The food is super salty, yet no one seems to drink water very much. I have no idea how they do it…I always end up really thirsty.
• Meal times are so different – breakfast is at the normal time, but lunch is anywhere from 2:00 to 3:30 or sometimes even later, and dinner is never earlier than 9:30 and is usually more like 10:00 or 10:30. I don’t mind it, but I’m definitely still getting used to it.
• You can buy roasted chestnuts from street vendors. I’ve noticed one that’s really near my house, and it’s out most evenings. I tried one before when one of the girls bought a bag, but I don’t really feel the need to buy an entire bag of my own…they taste a little strange, to be honest.
• Yes, European chocolate is about ten times better than the stuff we have in the U.S., that much is certain.
• There are so many beautiful people here! I’m thinking Europe got the best of the beauty genes. I can count on one hand the number of overweight people I’ve seen here, and I’m constantly astounded by all the pretty people I walk by every day! It’s hard not to stare…lol. I once had to ask an extremely gorgeous young man for help with the WiFi at the Civican, and I was proud that I was able to get the words out (though I’m sure I was blushing) :-P
• I love the fact that I know people from a bunch of different countries now! Taiwan, Italy, Poland, Germany, Iraq, several U.S. states, Canada, and Norway to name a few.
• At home, olive oil is a treat, and we use it sparingly. Here, we get it all the time! It’s pretty much the cooking staple.
• Now here’s the one you thought you’d never hear me say – I’ve come to really love sleeping here. I sooo love my bed. It’s probably all this walking…makes sleep sound pretty darn inviting by the end of the day.
• Some of the hairstyles here are crazy – I mean, not like we don’t have that at home, but I’ve never seen anything quite like some of the styles here. I’ve seen several women with a weird sort of mullet – the front part is cut short and sort of masculine-looking, while the back remains long. I’ve seen a similar style on guys – most of it is short, but they have a few dreadlocks hanging down the back. And I’ve seen several old ladies with colors like pink and purple in their hair. All sort of strange-looking styles, but whatever floats your boat, I guess.
• The fish is fresh, not frozen. So yummy!
• Mountains!!! ‘Nuff said.
• And my favorite – the rest of you Concordia people are going to hate me for this, but I have next to no homework. As in, an hour of homework in a day is on the high end. I have the opposite problem than the one I had at home – I have to figure out how to fill the hours instead of having to figure out how to stretch them out as long as I can. It’s a problem that I love to have, I must confess. I knew I made the right choice in coming here! :-)