As much as I really want to write something creative, original, inspiring, or funny, I have hit a brick wall on what to blog about. So here goes a very unorganized post. All I wish is that you have the patience to get to the end.
Life right now is what you can call 'normal'. What is normal? I refuse to go on some wild filosofy goose-chase explaination, just to get to the point that normal doesn't exist.
And yes, that is how I now spell 'filosofy'.
A regular day.
I wake myself up at 7:00AM. I hit the snooze button twice and get up at 7:20. First school bell rings at 7:55, and the second at 8. I leave the house inbetween the two- as my school fortunately is right across the street. I walk into school, passing the group of students smoking cigaretts/drugs right outside the gate.
It hit me one day that you can't smoke on my school grounds in the states.
Teacher shows up at about 8:05 or 8:10.
Class?
It's middle school all over again. There is nothing to separate 7th graders from 12th graders.
Everything else?
I've explained it before. Empty room. Add some desks and chairs, and people. Lecture for an hour, and change classes. Even the teachers don't always know where the class is. You just kind of go where no one else is. And it just kind of... works.
Three classes, recreo. two classes, recreo. One or two classes. Depending on the day depends on how long my days are.
Go home, and eat lunch with host family anywhere between 14:30-15:00. We use military time in Spain.
After this, anything goes. Siesta nap, tennis (awesome enough but there's a court and pool in my backyard), gym (2 min. walk across the street), walk along the beach, etc. I am truly spoiled with this. And homework? Homework is hard to explain. We don't get homework minus a few papers... but then again they aren't like papers in the states.
I remember in Madrid once my English teacher told me to write "a letter to a friend."
Five minutes? Done.
I gave her the paper. She looked at me and gave me this terrible face. "Don't you want to write it on better paper without all the lines?" (oh btw regular paper doesn't exist here...well, I mean the same type we have in the states) ..."Yeah, I'll type it when I get home."
And then the lecture.
"NOOOOO!!!!!!! We are not lazy in Spain! We HAND write papers here! What do you think this is?!"
"Not the United States, obviously"--was my first thought. But I was able to keep it simple and reply saying that I didn't know... as it's the opposite in the states.
***Printers aren't a common househould item. And I've not seen one in a house with a scanner. You have to go to "Correos" for that. Or the random public scanners throughout...well... wherever.
Where was I? Oh yeah, so homework, and then there's a meal called "merienda" which is like a snack between lunch and dinner, which is usually eaten around 18:00-19:30 or so. We eat dinner anywhere between 21:00-22:00. Dinner is pretty small. I'll have to start writing a food list to better describe all this.
And then shower and bed. It's hard to describe exchange life without getting too personal. For instance, there are things you just wonder about... example. I take a shower everyday. But not everyone else does. Washing hair once a week from what I have noticed is normal. But then again, it depends on the household. So I can sit and wonder- what do they think of me? Do they think I'm crazy or wasting water? But at this point I don't think like that anymore. I have my routine and any thoughts or impressions would have been brought up by now.
Interesting fact: Taking a running shower blows my mind.
That's right. I've gotten so used to not taking a running shower I actually forgot I do that in the states. I am now able to see through a foreigner's eyes. Do we REALLY take running showers in the states? I don't think so. My mind is completely washed. Mindwashed? ....brain. Brain-washed. I am completely brainwashed. Why on earth would we do such a thing? Doesn't the world want to conserve water?
So that's the closest to what I would call my 'normal' day. Of course I missed a billion details, but more on that later.
My Life: More interesting facts.
Bullfighting is on TV like baseball is in the states. Infact, it's been on everyday for the past few weeks more or less. The thought of "being tired of watching bulls" is a 'normal' thought. At first I didn't have an opinion on it. Very neutral. Now, the more I watch it, the less I like it. That's my stand on that.
My English vocabulary consists of very few words when writing. Hence repeated phrases...and my spelling is horrible. I don't have an auto-correct on here either so... sorry.
I love singing along to music in Spanish. To master a song is more than fun... it's learning Spanish.
Guess of the future- I will not be sending a box home. I think with two suitcases, a backpack, and a camera bag- I won't have to send a box home. Things are expensive here. I haven't bought much. But we'll cross that bridge when we get there.
I'm very spoiled by the weather. I don't know if Minnesota is still wearing coats, but I was sitting out in the sun today. Minnesota mornings at 30degrees Fahrenheit? I don't think it hits that low here in the winter.
And this is how my head spins somedays. Thanks for making it all the 'til the end. A promised effort for organization will be attempted.
'ta luego,
-mb
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