We are weird.

Lunes el 12

I really need to learn Spanish better. Last night, before dinner, mi madre me preguntó something about the first day of class (that started this morning). I kind of understood her, I remember her saying something about what time I want to wake up, and I asked her what time the class started, and she told me either it started at 9, or I had to get up at 9, or 8, or something. She asked me if I had an alarm clock, but I had absolutely no idea what she was saying, so I asked her to repeat herself 2 times until she finally had to point at a clock and say “DA DA DA DA DA,” such as an alarm clock would do in the morning. I am a stupid American.

Marisa made a really good point the other day. I don’t know if any of you have ever known an exchange student in high school or anything like that, but it’s like that one person who just sticks out like a sore thumb, and for some reason, everything they do is really really weird. You could just watch them do whatever they’re doing and you just think, “They’re SO WEIRD.” I am that weird person now.

Anyway, I managed to make it to class today on time. For the next two weeks, before formal classes start at the University, we are taking a daily intensive course that lasts 3 hours every morning, and then in the evenings we usually have some other meeting for whatever. I’m getting used to the place little by little, but I still would love to come at home tonight to my madhouse in Seattle and see my best friends. Engie, SJ, Steph, and Merz. I miss you guys like crazy and I wish you could be here to see how bad I fuck up. It’s pretty funny actually.

Also, even though I’ve found the internet, I can’t be out there very late to use it, which is horrible considering my family and friends are all 9 hours behind us. According to Marisa’s padre, he knew a girl who was sitting out en la plaza alone and someone just straight up jacked her laptop from her lap. Unfortunately she forgot the word for robber or thief (ladron!) so all she could do (sorry internet went out…imagine that. I posted an incomplete story because I am a stupid American) was sit there and watch her laptop get stolen. I’m trying to use Skype. Skype is free and I like free stuff. But the time difference is murder right now.

You guys would not believe the daily schedule here. Spanish people drink and smoke all day every day, and eat 5 meals a day. However, they are skinnier, healthier, and have longer life expectancies than any Americans do. How, you ask? No stress. There is absolutely no stress here, and it is amazing. The only stress I am suffering from is not being able to understand 50 percent of what comes out of people’s mouths. I’m ok with that for now. It will come to me.

Days go like this: I wake up for class at 8 and need to be there at 9. I have desayuno somewhere in between, which consists of coffee and a little pastry (mi madre makes me eat them. Weird). Then, I go to school, and at 11:30 we have another half hour break, when people usually eat again. I just have another cup of coffee and some fruit (coffee here is amazing by the way. Amazing). Finish up classes by 1:30 and you guessed it, we eat again at 3. A really big meal. A lot of people in Spain eat somewhere in between comida y cena (lunch and dinner), but I’m still full from lunch usually. Stupid American! Then, after la comida, we take ciestas, which is fucking awesome. They encourage sleep during the day here. I sleep for one or two hours, go to another class or meeting, then come home, do a little homework, and have dinner at 10. Super crazy. Most people are sleeping or going out by then, but not us. We eat (they always eat). Then, at around 11:30 or 12, we start walking around the streets, brown bagging and open bottling. Spain also encourages drinking and socializing in the streets. We do this until about 2, when everyone starts actually going to the bars and the nightlife starts. We obviously can’t be out that late on school nights, but on the weekends, this is normal.

Mi madre told me that on the weekends, todas las jovenes (all the young people) go out and come home at 5 or 6 in the morning. Sleeping til 3 is totally ok. SHIBBY!