La Buena Vida. The Good Life.

On Saturday night, I met up with a group of students from the Spanish Studies Abroad Program. I tried the Sangria! Era muy bueno. Who doesn't want to try authentic Spanish sangria?!

Today was my first day of classes. This morning during my 30-35 minute walk, I realized that I have never walked to school before in my life. I'm not used to it. There were so many people walking, all on their own paths to their own destinations. I can't believe this is really their everyday life.

Part of the patio found in the back of my school.

I have class from 9-12:30 and after that, I'm done for the day (for these two weeks). I have an "intensive period" for two weeks, followed by final exams. After this, we'll start our normal semester. I'll be taking five classes.

It's absolutely wonderful here. In Spain, "La Siesta" is from 2-4. Everyone takes a break from work and has lunch (usually at home). Most stores and shops around the city are closed during this time. After La Siesta, everyone returns to work. I think this is a good system. However, I don't think there would be a way to make it work where I live. It would be ideal for Americans if we functioned the same way, but so many aspects of life here are so much different than in America. There's no way it would be possible because most people drive a good distance to work (unless of course you worked very close to your home). This explains why we eat so much more fast food and are so much heavier.

I'm so thankful for my amazing life thus far. I get to experience and learn so much. I think this is the best time of my life. I've already learned so much and it hasn't even been a week! I'm still kind of in the weird stage where I don't know what to say when someone approaches me in Spanish, but I'm sure it will go away sooner or later!

Random Facts:

 This is a picture of a meal that was really good: el pan (bread is always served), vino tanto (wine), sopa (soup), and some verduras (vegetables). Half the time, I hardly know what it is I'm eating. Most of the time it tastes better than you can imagine! Always, it's way too much for me to finish!








My host family has a dog and her name is Trufa. I'm pretty sure she is my new best friend. Notice the small rubber band in her hair on the top of her head. I have seen multiple dogs with the same hairstyle in Spain.

Also, a lot of people walk their dogs around the city every day. Hardly any of them use leashes. Even when they are around other dogs, they seem to always obey their owners.

Naranjas grow on trees all over the city here. They're not edible and they make a mess all over the streets. But they're beautiful and I have heard they can be used for cleaning. I've noticed that they come in handy for the wild adolescent boys around here.



The Spanish family seems to be much more tight-knit than that of a typical American. Everyone lives in an apartment here. Each apartment is good sized (like a flat with probably three or more bedrooms). I live on the sixth floor. People continue to live with their parents throughout college, and often even longer! This is crazy to think about right? It seems like our generation and culture does anything we can to get out of the house as soon as we can! This is just one of the many things that makes me appreciate this culture.

¡Adiós a todos!