I have been making a list of things I want to remember/blog about for the past two weeks, so this entry will most likely be a little lengthy. I just cleaned and re-organized my room, and I am currently sitting on my bed next to my open window enjoying the brilliance of the natural light and listening to the hustle and bustle of the city outside my window. It being a Sunday, it is quieter than usual, but by no means is silent.
My current view
Since my list of observations is so long, I’ll get right to it.
-Motorcycles, scooters, and mopeds: They are allowed to go wherever they want, and do not necessarily have to follow the rules of traffic. Yes, they have to stop at red lights, but they are permitted to weave in and out of cars and go to the front of the line at stoplights. The other day I saw someone riding a moto and apparently he was a little impatient for the light to turn green and decided to just turn and drive on the sidewalk. They are also allowed to park on the sidewalks.
-Speaking of parking, drivers are crazy here. Since it is a city, parking is in high demand, so there are often times when parking spaces are impossible to find. When this happens, people invent their own parking spots, such as half-way on the sidewalk, halfway in the road, or just double parking in a traffic lane next to an already-parallel parked car. I even saw a smart car that evidently could not fit in a parallel parking spot next to the sidewalk so the owner decided to park perpendicular to the sidewalk. I guess he thought since his car was so small, it wasn’t that big of a deal that it stuck out into the road a little bit.
-Smoking: Everyone smokes. It’s kinda gross. I was hanging out with a group of 7 Spanish girls one time and 5 of them were smoking. It’s not just one cigarette either… it’s like 8.
-Windows: I have yet to see windows with screens. They don’t exist, but everyone leaves their windows open all the time. The great thing is that since it is a city, there aren’t really any bugs! Even at night I can leave my window open and not see a single moth or mosquito. It makes the outdoors so much more enjoyable.
-The sun currently rises at 8:05 am. That is so insane to me. This means that when I walk to class in the mornings, it’s pretty chilly.
-Beer: Multiple Spaniards have told me that beer is a huge part of their culture, and it’s true. You can find beer easier than you can find coffee here. In the United States, oftentimes beer is related to partying and drunkenness, but here it is totally different. People drink a beer with their meals, they drink a beer while having “tapas”, or they drink a beer for refreshment. You can even order beer at McDonald’s. It’s basically just another drink.
-Soda: Spain only has about 4 sodas; Coca Cola, Coca Cola Light (Diet Coke), Fanta Orange, and Fanta Lemon. I don’t drink Fanta at home, but the Coke here tastes different because it is made with cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. I was craving Dr. Pepper and had to search high and low for it until I finally discovered an American shop. Sadly it didn’t taste the same. I much prefer high fructose corn syrup to sugar cane! That sounds so gross, but it’s true. Also, when I order a Coca Cola Light at a terraza or restaraunt, it is served to me in a 200mL glass bottle. 200mL! That’s it! Do you realize how small that is?? I’m used to drinking 32-44 oz which is like 5-6x that.
-Wedding rings are not that big of a deal, from what I have seen. Lots of people don’t wear them, and two girls I met wore them on their right hands. I’m still not sure why, or if other people do that, but I thought it was interesting.
-Milk: One of the most confusing things to me about Spain is the milk. The first time I was in the grocery store looking at milk I discovered that it was in 1liter cartons...on shelves! GROSS. I am not sure how it is made, but it is not fresh milk and therefore doesn’t have to be refrigerated before it is opened. Obviously it tastes different and I don’t drink it because it makes me want to barf. Just knowing that it can sit on a shelf and not in a fridge freaks me out.
-Dogs: Uhhh, everyone has dogs and walks them all the time. Maybe next time I’m out I’ll try and count how many dogs I see, but there are hundreds. I guess that is typical of a big city?
-Drying clothes: Some people have dryers I suppose, but most people hang dry their clothes outside. I did laundry the other day and had to hang my clothes do dry on a line outside that is strung between two of my windows. I used clothespins and everything! Haha it was definitely a new experience. I was afraid my clothes were doing to fall off and plummet three stories down.
-Metro- I have only been on the metro like 5 times, but it is like a whole other world. It is huge! It is 3-4 stories underground, and it is very nice and clean. It is definitely a great system.
There were a few days when I first moved into my apartment that I was all alone and crying every day because I just wanted to go home (sort of), but now I have 2 roommates! One is from Bulgaria and she moved in two days ago. The other one moves in next weekend. I want to enjoy things that are different here, but I’m also realizing how many things I love about the United States that I didn’t really know I loved. For example, Panera (and other places with unlimited free wifi), giant sodas, milk, my car, etc.
Taste of home!
I ate that! It was delicious
One thing I really love is the bread. I can buy a fresh baguette for .40 €… that’s like
$.56! So basically I eat a lot of bread. And cheese. Presidente brand of brie cheese is only 2 € here, and at home its like $6-8. I also drink a lot of juice. My favorites are orange juice and peach grape juice. 1 liter costs about .70 €. Yesterday I went to the supermarket and bought the following items:
Orange juice, peach grape juice, tortilla española (big potato omelet thing), some sandwich paste stuff, a baguette, eggs, chocolate, and sweetener, all for just 6.86 €! I thought it was pretty cheap.
Well I’ve written a novel, so I’m done for today. :)
