No Foreign Lands

Oh no! It’s almost been a week. So, naturally, I’ve got many things to talk about. First of all, my recent and ongoing Californication marathon has inspired me to remember that writing does not always come easy, and that it’s possible to do it very well. Just like being healthy, which I have not exactly been rocking at.

Yesterday, my right ear and the right side of my throat started to act up, as if having wet hair in the chilly morning time and being around a bunch of people with colds is in some way detrimental to their wellbeing. Jerks.

I got some ibuprofen from my new favorite man in the residence (nothing’s going on, he’s just awesome), and I totally didn’t go to school today. Laid around relaxing and being a bum. Now I’m doing homework and drinking a lot (h20) because I AM GOING TO SCHOOL TOMORROW.

Today, one of my friends asked me how Spain is. I wasn’t sure how to respond at first because it feels so normal to be here now. It used to be a question of novelty, of exploration. Even though I’m curled into a ball on my bed like a wounded kittycat, and Spain is still not my country, it feels so right. I belong in this room.

However, I’d love to leave it some more tomorrow. I was careful this fine Tuesday because my Monday activities included going to school and meeting up with one of my language exchange partners. All of that only made me feel worse in the end. Talking to her always makes me happy, though, and I got to meet her boyfriend!! They walked me part of the way home, through the beautiful old quarter of the city, which is no less adorable at night.

Sure, it’s more of a party atmosphere at night, but that’s one thing I love about Spaniards. They know how to party. However, the most enchanting part of my week was the realization that sitting outside on benches is a thing. It’s not a random, “Hey, I’m tired. Let’s sit on this bench” type of deal. It’s a legitimate “I’ll meet you at the bench by the Ayuntamiento” situation. In place of bowling or strolling in the park, a bunch of people go sit on benches and talk to their buddies about life.

I tried it one time and it was nice, but I was also eating ice cream. I wasn’t sitting to sit and chatting to chat. I love that here. It’s the pace of life. Just looking out the window at the mountain that my roomie has dubbed “Paco” relaxes me, because it reminds me that we’re in Spain. You can totally chill here. Now if only they had a word for chill…

Smell ya later… (yes, like I said, Californication marathon)

Love,

Julia

…except that today was cool, and I can feel Spanish growing in my brain as if I’m soaking it up with a cranium sponge. I feel the need to call my parents less, which means that my life here is starting, not that I don’t miss them. I worked out again today, and am controlling my food intake, so WOO! Health will follow. Although, I do need to stretch mis piernas.

Right now I’m talking to my husband on facebook and my future wife on skype. A success, in my view.

Looove,

Julia

Last week we ate some great Japanese food, and this week my Canadian roomie and I are cooking potatoes. I’m making German potato salad and she’s cooking some Canadian fries with cheese thing ^^

We’re having a few friends over to eat with us, and it’ll be great…..

….aaand now it’s a few hours later and we just had our food. It was great, everyone had fun, and we had some very cheap Spanish wine to accompany our classy gathering. I really love the people in our program. I’m so sad that some of them are leaving in December. It makes my life less awesome. *quick mourning moment* but I’ll get to visit them in their respective countries if I have money, and I hear some people from Australia will come here for the second trimester, so that could be cool… but we’ll be the experienced, awesome all-year students hahaha

My first time making potato salad without my Mami 🙁 and at the same time I’m impressed with myself ^^ People liked my salad a lot… and I worked out today… and I have my wine culture class tomorrow. Life is pretty great.

Now I’m chatting with a few people on fb and skype, and I’m super happy. Love is great. The more you have, the more you can gain. It’s like people’s hearts can expand in a grinch-like fashion, but since most of us aren’t the grinch, we just go from great to better to best until we can love people all over the place.

<3

Julia

I am so excited about recording everything sometimes that I think I will blog twice in one night, even if it’s already like 11 at night :&

Michael Bubble fo sho

Let me recap what I wanted to talk about yesterday. Thursday, I met with two of my lovely language exchange partners, one of which laughed with me about how everyone does this–>

Oh, Michael Bublubleblah. Nobody can say your last name and it pains me.

I also just need to share the great pic of the sun that I got on Thursday morning. Don’t you just love how beautiful our star is? It’s just sad that we can’t look at it very often. Because I personally enjoy the sun, but can’t actually see it unless I snap a pic, I got it shining through the trees right outside my dorm before we hustled to school.

Aaaaaanyway, to continue this:

Today is a day of errands, therefore I am writing a manifesto of sorts after recounting my morning (which started at noon). I made tofu scramble with really soft tofu because I can’t read 😉 Then I listened to Spanish pop while showering, and now I’m here!

When my friend gets back from shopping, I will practice commands with her. Also, FINALLY, TODAY I will go pay for my gym membership, then work out straight afterwards. I also need to call my parents about my international account so I can make a budget for myself. I MIGHT BE RECEIVING $5,000 from Macaulay because my scholarship here doesn’t cover food, and since I’m here for a whole year I can ask for more than the $3,000 sophomore cap on the Opportunities Fund. By Macaulay calculations I should be spending $10,000 on food, anyway, so asking for $5,000 sounds a little less ridiculous than I initially thought. Also, I’m getting 600something or so euros back for the flight that we paid for.

I should be receiving my German passport soon, now that the consulate has screwed up one last time, and we are fixing their mistake 😀 WOO. lol

Oh and I’m buying flip flops today. End of story. Seriously.

Love,

Julia

RAINBOW store. Lotsa vegan stuff. Estoy feliz.

Guess who just said ^that^ about the cherry soy yoghurt she bought at the healthfood store she finally found in Logroño! ME. That’s right. Tofu, fake meat, almond milk, little chocolate snacks, soy yoghurt. THEY’VE GOT IT ALL. Had a huge grin on my face yesterday when I left this place. Like, girl-who’s-in-love face. But for tofu :B

I also spent a lot of time just chilling and sleeping and stuff today ^^ Didn’t study with one of my friends cuz I was too tired but I’ll see if she has some time tomorrow. Basically nobody exists here on the weekends. They go home just like at the Towers (my City College dorm from last year).

I tried to meet one of my language exchange partners at the Espolón at one of the many parks we have here, but I was like a half hour late and she left just before I got there. 😛 We’ll get together soon and practice her English. She’s super nice.

I also heard about the Spanish facebook: it’s called Tuenti and it is by invitation only :O Gonna ask the guy next to me to ask me to join because I wanna social network my way through this campus the Spanish way, too 😀

I’ll blog again tonight, because I have a lot to say, but for now, hasta luego!

Love,

Julia

It’s weird. Being here, around people whose native language is Spanish, is so perfect yet kind of scarring. I want to be their friend but we can’t speak on an equal level. I’ve only been here a week and a half but I feel so inadequate because I’m not fluent. All I can do is study and remember and hope that it will come easily. I think it will…. Right now I just need to make my calendar pretty, look at some irregular verbs, call my parents and go to sleep.

Before I do, though, I must say that I had a cute fail experience today. Three of my friends and I decided to go climb the awesome mountain behind the residencia. We started toward the bridge, which is, like, a million miles away, and we didn’t know exactly how to get to the mountain once we got there. Halfway to the bridge, we decided it was too hot (hottest part of the day, the afternoon hahaha) and we went to go get gourmet ice cream instead. I could eat exactly one kind, and it was lime, andit was glorious. I love it when people label what has milk or eggs in it ^^ I didn’t get a pic of the place, but here’s a pic of my hand and an empty Santangelo’s ice cream container with a spoon stuck in it!

We chilled in front of the Ayuntamiento, which is a government building of Logroño’s council or something, and I took a picture of the not-fall fall we’re having. I’m gonna have such a blast when I’m in NY next fall :p

I didn’t end up hanging out with some new friends I made yesterday because they left for dinner before my nap and studying were over. Very sad. All I encountered downstairs was a room full of people playing games (people I didn’t feel like assaulting with my Spanish, and yes I know it’s an excuse) and a cocky English guy. He’s lived here for, like, ever, so his Spanish is great, but he’s a jerk and very much not into being nice.

I’m being super cliche and listening to Michael Bublé’s Home. Time for studying.

Love,

Julia

So last night we tried to have something of a get-together at my habitación because there’s no school today, but it failed a little. Then we moved downstairs to hang out with some people outside and in the park next to the DORM. I met some cool girls who live on my floor, but I forget the exact room number… I’ll run into them again and, despite my horrific inability to recall names, I know theirs!! I also remember how to say I love you in Chinese! First step to fluency hahaha

It was this kid Nestor’s birthday two days ago so we were celebrating with him and his friends. He was pretty entertaining and he had shimmery sunglasses and a sparkly pink tie that his friends got him.

After like two hours of chilling we all went to the discoteca that the college kids frequent. Instead of taking a taxi like normal people, we walked all the way. It was kinda cold and I was offered a few jackets but I just ended up borrowing my friend’s wrap shawl thingy.

Us foreigners mostly stuck together but it was still a blast. I danced a lot (in my new dress, which was 30 euros at H&M, and I will def not be buying another one) and had fun. Kinda burned a little when some guy said no to the question “¿Quieres bailar?” but hey, it’s not like I’m in love with him or anything.

I left the discoteca with one of my friends, who is an angel because my sense of direction is crap and she new the way back perfectly. We spoke in our mutually okayish Spanish because it’s the only language we have in common.

My roomie is kinda MIA atm… I’m a little worried but I’m sure she found her way back to the DORM. idk. Right now I’m loading the third episode of hawaii five-0, which is taking forever, but at least I can watch US tv here. I want to catch up on every tv show I’ve missed but the internet is slow as death here. But hey, the place I was looking at in Sevilla didn’t even have wifi at the dorms sooo…. mejor, no?

Also I’m emailing people about intercambio dates (haha) because I want to help them practice their English and I need super help with my Spanish pppppppronto. I’m also sorta pen pals with one of my friends from home right now (Giuli shout out!) because she kicked herself off facebook. <3 Some people are worth emailing (especially because they actually answer.. and, like, fast)

wǒ ài nǐ,       (guess what that means!!)

Julia