Top 10 Moments in Spain

 These are my Top 10 Moments in Spain, accompanied by photos!


10. The walking, exercise!!

9. Flamenco shows

8. The Christmas Lights

7. Drinking at 2:30pm with Siobhan

6. Tapa Hopping

5. The views!

4. Going to Paris alone

3.Walking into Mae West for the first time!


2. The Botellon

1. Meeting ALL of my new friends!

The weed and the wine

   It was a Wednesday afternoon and we had just gotten out of history. I was supposed to have lunch with newspaper boy, David, but something came up and we changed the day. I had already told my señora that I wasn't having lunch at home so I couldn't go back and expect to be fed. I asked siobhan if she wanted to go get tapas and she said yes. Here's where the night begins...

   So we go to this one place, it was anything special really, and have some wine and tapas. I originally wanted tinto de verano but someone told you can just say tinto and they know what it is. I knew it wasn't true because red wine is known as "vino tinto" or "tinto" for short. So how can "tinto de verano" be "tinto" when it's "vino tinto." Anywho... To prove it to myself I said tinto and was served wine. That's one point for me on the scoreboard.

   The first place wasn't all that delish. So Siobhan and I head to sushi tapas!!! It was amazing!!! Good sushi and a glass of wine that was more than halfway filled and super close to the rim. We got 2 of those. Not to mention that the entire time, Siobhan and I are totally bonding and talking about everything, literally. 

   After sushi tapas it was about 4:30 ish and we decide to go to Supersol and buy a bottle of wine and drink it at the apartment. Once we got to the apartment and had more wine in our systems, we smoked a little. Well her more than me. My favorite thing she said to me was "I would love to turn you into a stoner." I was like "what?" And then we just laughed a shit ton.

  Here's the view from their window.

   I came up with a brilliant idea of going on an adventure. And walking around Granada.

   We continued down to fuenteneuva and took that street down. After that all I remember is goinghamallday to a gas station and getting another bottle of wine and having to go across the street to a bar since we didn't have a corkscrew.

  In this bar, we met these old guys abd I mean like grandfather age and we started talking to them and they were telling us stories and it was really fun. I then realized that we were close to Fran's place. So I go outside and call him. Pablo, one of his friends who I met before, was going to go over to his place and I told Fran that they should come meet us since we were close to his house. He said yes and we waited for them.

  This parts a little fuzzy but I'm pretty sure it's right: while we were waiting I told Siobhan we should down one of the streets because it's closer to his house and he'll have to take it to get to us. We stop at a little park that I remember ever so because I've been there before. 

   We were going to wait a couple more minutes and leave when I turned around and saw these 2 guys walking with a pep in their step. I don't even know how I knew it was them in the state that I was in. I yelled Fran's name once, but nothing happened. Siobhan was like "they're too hot, it can't be them" but I knew somehow. I yelled Fran a second time they turned around. I said hi and we did the besos and guys.. I missed him. 

  So we stayed with them for a little until I couldn't anymore and I felt terrible. But they were cool. Unfortunately I haven't seen him since. And that was maybe 2 or 3 weeks ago. Yeahhhh but I have gone 5 weeks, so it's not epically bad. 

   I got back at 11. I couldn't even make it to reggae Wednesdays! Ugh. I blame it on the weed, my system just doesn't take that shit. And even now, the smell makes me a little nauseous. It's not the first time it's happened though. So I do blame it on the weed and wine. 

  My goal before I leave which is tomorrow :((( is to get a picture with Fran and his friends. Tonight, the plan is to go to Mae West and end with a bang!!! My flight is at 1:45 pm Friday. I'm flying to Madrid and I spend the night, then the next day I fly to Algeria where my dad will be waiting for me!!! I'm excited to see him! Aaahhhh 

  Today I said bye to a lot of people and I said bye to David and Jorge. When I said bye to Jorge... I started crying. I'm gonna miss that guy. ALOT. He's been super busy and I haven't seen him but we made a bet that we'd only hung out 4 times and it was 7. I forgot a couple. But he remembered! Hahaha. Aaaah, I don't want to leave him or Spain. We get a long so well. Ugh! Okay I should really get back to packing. This is hard but I'm almost done and I have no idea how much they weigh... Rough life.

Is a date a date if no one says it's a date?

    For my POE class, we had to give a presentation and interview Spaniards about a topic. My partner was Caroline and we originally picked the topic of gyms and working out but later decided to change it to dating in Spain. I sure as hell was not about to ask random people on the street, so I decided to interview my friends that I had met: Antonio, Carlos, and Noelle.

     The presentation only had to be about 20 -25 minutes long, however, everyone chimed in and added their opinions and we had a big discussion about dating and PDA and what we´ve seen and how it´s different to back home in the States. In the end, our presentation lasted 1 hour. An hour!!! Can you believe that?! 

    During the presentation, I asked a question to the class that was relative but had more to do with me, it was "Is a date a date if no one says it's a date?" One girl, Asha responded back right away and said "Uhh.. If a tree falls in the woods and no one's around to hear it, does it still make a sound?" She had a point, but it still didn´t clarify it. 

    Here's the situation: I hung out with a friend of mine (not saying who), and we went tapa hopping. I cleaned up nice, put make-up on and made sure I looked good, just in case. I kinda like the kid and we get along well but I wasn't sure if it was a date or not. When I saw him, he cleaned himself up too, he looked.. good. And that's when I started questioning if it was a date or not. We took the bus to Plaza de Toros and went tapa hopping over there. It was a really fun night. It felt like we had been talking for less than 2 hours when I looked up and saw that the clock said it was nearly midnight! 4 hours had gone by and neither one of us had realized it. That´s how well we get along and we made fun of each other and cracked jokes, it was a great time. We were walking back and he decided to walk me home. There was even that awkward "hug or kiss" moment at the door, but since there were people outside, I decided to just give him a hug. I did't want to be awkward in public. 

    In this situation, case number 1, the question applies: Is a date a date if no one says it's a date? I cleaned up, he cleaned up, there was that awkward moment in the end, but still.... Was it?!

    Case #2: Everyone knows David, Newspaper Boy, who I always talked to, every day and got his number and went to see his soccer game... yeah him. One day he told me that his boss told him that he didn't have to work anymore because the promotion from the newspaper was over for the semester. I said "what? I'm never going to see you again? I'm not ready to say bye yet." And he said neither was he, so we decided to hang out and get tapas one day. When that day came, he met me at the CLM and he was like 5 or 10 minutes late and kept apologzing over text, but I was like 'dude, calm down, it´s okay.' So then we walked to wherever it was we were going. and on our way there, he would jokingly push me over and took out his glove, and gently hit me in the face with it. And I'd pretend like I was going to punch him, or pretend like I was going leave. We had fun and talked a lot but he had a soccer game so we couldn't stay long and I had to pack for Amería. When I said bye, he went for the two kisses, but I was getting my hug! I gave him a hug, but he wasn't expecting it so when I let go, he pulled me back in and gave me a real hug and then we did the besos and split ways.

    Again, in case number 2, the question is applicable. In both cases, we split the bill. In Spain, always go Dutch. I asked my friend Paloma who I met through David, and she goes "ERA una cita!" It WAS a date, (cita means date). And I said how do you know? She said that her definition is whenever you hang out with a guy who you weren't friends with before, it's a date... then she added "Pero cita!!" She also said that boys don't pay anymore and that chivalry is dead here in Spain. Kinda sad, gentlemen are becoming a rare breed.

    

   So this is the real question!! Is a date a date if no one says it's a date? How do you know you are on a date? What's the criteria for it to be a date? And have you ever had to make the first move?

 

Highlights of the week (Nov 24 - Nov 30):

- Thanksgiving dinner at Michelle and Lynn's apartment

- Going to David's soccer game

- Skipping class for the first time (that's a milestone guys)

- Thanksgiving lunch with the program

- Sleeping for 10.5 hours, (no lie)

- Hanging out with Taylor, her mom and grandma all afternoon

- Flamenco show!!

- Tapas with Paul :)

- Granada 10 with Katrina

- Zigzagging through the crowd to get away from creepers and making British friends!

- Staying away from the mustache man, and seeing someone's Spanish twin. I didn't get to talk to him though, almost but not quite