Spain: Excuse Me, Where Am I?

A collection of randomness that often makes me wonder where I am. The odds and ends that make up this country to be an adventure for some, and everyday life for others.

The great diversity of Spain: a million tiny countries in one.

Madrid Skyline

View from highway...

and another...

and another...are we in the same country?

Overview of Segovia

So there you have it. What is Spain like? Can is be described with one post? A book? I don't think so. Four and a half months later I am still incapable of summing up Spain.

Back to the question. Where am I? It's a question that comes up quite frequently. Everyday in it's own way... Four and a half months later the little things aren't so obvious, and you start to fall into a routine. The shower doesn't look funny. Your apartment looks familiar. You start to recognize people on the metro. You've got the metro system so memorized, switching lines becomes automatic and you don't have to think about it anymore. Not having a regular sized spoon in the house doesn't confuse you. You...finally (well, debatable for some) learn if the door swings out or in... and if you admit that you speak English or Spanish to someone on the street they will interrigate you and beg you for money. That's how I've learned to say random stuff in different languages.

My host situation has been a bit different, which I will explain in a later post. I haven't exactly had the same challenges as a...normal...exchange student. There have been some problems with my host family, as their financial situation is not suitable to have a student at the moment. I'm in the "pre-departure" feeling a little bit, as my host family is going to change in about two weeks. Therefore, I do not know where I will be living.

Madrid. Valencia. Sevilla. Barcelona. Mallorca. Cantabria. Basque Country.

Back to square one.

Awesome.

But I've got a long post almost done explaining all of that. Below are some more things I've captured that are bits and pieces of what makes up some confusion as to where in the world I am. And the meaning is deeper than the little things. Whether it's the way people act, how they think or talk to you, the level of respect they show, or the opinions they have- there is always something that stands out, and I can start to see how foreigners might feel in my own country...