Dear Diary,
When I set my alarm last night for this morning, I told myself that "being in Spain would be different" and "I would wake up to my first alarm, because there is so much to see and do". Well six alarms later, I woke up at 11. Today was supposed to be my day at the beach, because I start class tomorrow, and clearly was not concerned with textbooks, bus passes, or supplies. However, Corey wanted to go get new phones, so yet again I ventured into the Orange phone store, spent 45 minutes with the woman, and walked out empty handed. I have officially given up on using my iPhone, and will now spend the next four months mastering the art of T9 and being thoroughly upset when I have to walk over to my computer in the morning to check the weather. After spending another 2 hours getting Corey's paperweight (because neither of us know how to add minutes onto a phone), we decided to give up on the beach, and try to get a few things done before class.
Upon arriving in Alicante I learned that none of my appliances, even with converters, work in this country. Which means that I have been without a hairdryer since Saturday. Now, most people would shower before bed and let their hair air-dry, but I of course see this as a now valid excuse as to why I not only shouldn't, but just can't possibly wash my hair. Fortunately I came equipped with three different canisters of Dry-Shampoo, but also neglected to bring Hairspray, on the off chance that I actually washed AND styled my hair (big day, I know). Luckily, due to all these misfortunes, I got the divine pleasure of finding these items in a Target-less city, where I barely speak the language. It was not easy, but lo and behold, I have supplied future house guests of Rosa and Pedro with a variety of hair appliances. And now I can wash my hair...tomorrow.
Later on I had another unforgettable walking tour with my love, Sylvan. We (as in Sylvan, myself, and 40 other people who I am not infatuated with) walked up a small mountain on the coast of Alicante to Santa Barbra Castle. I truly am giving this mountain less credit than it deserves. It was in fact a forty minute, 85 degree angle hike, up steps made entirely of uneven stone, with very few plateaus. The ancient Romans and Spaniards really should have utilized a great concept called "depth perception". However, the view was genuinely worth it, and I know my back sweat was much less noticeable with the entire Mediterranean Sea behind me.
I can no longer stand my own smell from the hike, and need some decent sleep before class tomorrow, so I bid you adieu.
Good night, Diary.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Monday, September 3, 2012
09/03/12
I thought I might try blogging about my trip a little bit. Not that any of you care, but I had the same conversation six times tonight, and I can already tell that it is going to get old... fast. So now all conversations that start with "So, how is Spain?" will be followed with a direct link to this. I personally feel that blogging is like writing your diary on a white board, but my diary from when I was 8 was extremely entertaining, so maybe I'll have the same luck now.
I will start with my own preface to this entire blogging experience:
This will by far be my longest blog post.
Although I am studying in Spain and will be learning the language, almost none of this will be in Spanish. I can also guarantee that none of it will be in "Spanglish". I am consistently annoyed by people who go somewhere, and then decide that they are now masters of the language, and just because the sign says "La playa de Alicante" does not mean that you are incapable of translating it back to English. I'll keep my Spanish lessons to myself.
I am mostly going to use this blog to answer all the questions I have been/will be getting, such as:
"How is Spain?" (This questions is now taboo, and anyone caught asking it will be heartily kicked in the shin when I return)
"How are the people?"
"How is your host family?"
"How is the food?"
"How is school/are your classes?"
"How was your trip?" (When I start to travel)
"How are the men?"
I will update my blog with new questions that are asked frequently, and will personally commend any person who surprises me with a genuinely useful and proactive question about my semester.
Chances are I am going to be too lazy, or if everything goes as planned-too busy, to sit on my computer for three hours and recount my day. So do not expect consistent updates as if this were my twitter feed.
I also do not have a twitter feed, so don't go looking there either.
I am not very big on detailing the "beauty of the castles" or the "stunning architecture of the cathedrals". If you want to know what they look like, come see them for yourself. Don't count on me to live your life for you.
I will most likely go into exceptionally graphic detail about how gorgeous the men are here, and what I plan to do with them. So family members weak of heart, or guys that are annoyed by not being the object of my affection, try picking up 50 Shades of Grey, and then tell me that I am inappropriate.
Lastly, if you don't know me well enough to know when I am being serious, or a sarcastic asshole, I suggest you do some light reading elsewhere. (And never ask me to play Apples to Apples with you, because I will hate you)
And so we begin:
Dear Diary,
In case you didn't already know, (aka we're not actually friends and you're just some creeper) I am studying in Alicante, Spain for the semester. I have been here for just over 24 hours, and I am completely in love with everything this city has to offer, especially the men.
Last week I was in Madrid, and I came away from the trip only really learning that Madrid at 7am is actually less safe than Madrid at 3am. Drunken old men passed out on coffee shop bars at 7am are usually my go to booty-call, but the language barrier just seemed like too much too handle. When all the USAC students were not out on planned day trips to Segovia, The Valley of the Fallen, Toledo or various museums and cathedrals in Madrid, we spent our free-time drinking until 6am and eating enough Tapas to feed all of the countless homeless people who asked us for change, for a year. Apparently tiny plates and a legal drinking age of 18 was all we needed to make some great friends. The four days in Madrid were like a month long summer camp, where you spend the whole time getting to know people and falling in love with their personalities, and then you all go off your separate ways, planning trips in the near future... and are never heard of again. There are a few people that I genuinely hope I see again, but I also need to now focus on the people in Alicante with me. In a regular University there is supposed to be a "We're all in this together" concept that no one seems to buy into, but when you and a stranger are thrown into a small hotel room with two beds made into one, you have no choice but to become instant friends. I spent almost all of my time in Madrid with my roommate, Darcy. I adore her. That is really all you need to know.
Upon entering Alicante, I was instantly paired up with my host parents, Rosa and Pedro, and my fellow American roommate, Kacey. Talk about culture shock, when you walk off a four hour bus ride with nap breath and bed head, to then be instantly kissed, hugged, and dragged up the streets of an unknown city. Luckily Kacey knows a hell of a lot more Spanish than I do, so she has been my own personal translator and teacher when it comes to speaking with my family. I spend most of my time at the table politely nodding my head and responding with "Sí" to every possible pause. I must sound like a Furby at this point to them, but like all good Furbys, I will soon learn to speak on my own, and hopefully be able to hold an intelligent conversation. Until then, I will spend my time hiding behind Kacey and attempting what little Spanish I know how to say without a textbook in front of me.
Once we got settled in our beautiful rooms, and had a little time to explore Kacey's balcony and the rest of the house, I had my first taste of authentic Spanish Paella. (&no that is not directly a Spanish word, it is a dish. Look it up.) I would go into detail about how amazing it tasted and what exactly was in it, but this is not instagram, and again, if you want to know about it, come experience it for yourself.
I then went down to the beach, and walked along it with fellow students in my program. The sand is so exceptionally soft and I could literally cocoon myself in it for the rest of the semester and be completely content living the life of a sand crab. There will be many more beach tales to come, because I have never lived on a beach before, and even the tiny pieces of coral that stab into my feet will be explicitly detailed due to my excitement.
Today I went to orientation, where I learned that AIDS is a growing epidemic in Spain, and "Only I can protect myself"... .... ... (I'm not sure how many more ellipses I need to get across my utter confusion with as to which USAC student caused this to be mandatory Orientation material). But aside from that, I got into all the classes I need (and want), and will be spending another semester aiming high for that solid C grade that I've worked so hard at maintaining with UNLV. The rest of my day was spent trying to get my cell phone activated (unsuccessful), talking with family (unsuccessful), and striving to regain my old back problems by using my laptop on my bed (completely successful).
I also spent about two hours on a guided tour by my (oh so handsome) program director, Sylvan. I would just like to say that I love him. I really love him more than his model girlfriend. And until I find a man more attractive than him, he will be the only topic I will want to discuss with my classmates, and I will continue to air-claw at him from behind and refer to him only as "Captain Gorgeous".
Like I mentioned, the rest will be much shorter, but seeing as my parents are probably the only people who will be reading this, I don't think length matters.
It's now 2:30am, and I need sleep. I have a full day of doing nothing tomorrow.
Goodnight, Diary.
I will start with my own preface to this entire blogging experience:
This will by far be my longest blog post.
Although I am studying in Spain and will be learning the language, almost none of this will be in Spanish. I can also guarantee that none of it will be in "Spanglish". I am consistently annoyed by people who go somewhere, and then decide that they are now masters of the language, and just because the sign says "La playa de Alicante" does not mean that you are incapable of translating it back to English. I'll keep my Spanish lessons to myself.
I am mostly going to use this blog to answer all the questions I have been/will be getting, such as:
"How is Spain?" (This questions is now taboo, and anyone caught asking it will be heartily kicked in the shin when I return)
"How are the people?"
"How is your host family?"
"How is the food?"
"How is school/are your classes?"
"How was your trip?" (When I start to travel)
"How are the men?"
I will update my blog with new questions that are asked frequently, and will personally commend any person who surprises me with a genuinely useful and proactive question about my semester.
Chances are I am going to be too lazy, or if everything goes as planned-too busy, to sit on my computer for three hours and recount my day. So do not expect consistent updates as if this were my twitter feed.
I also do not have a twitter feed, so don't go looking there either.
I am not very big on detailing the "beauty of the castles" or the "stunning architecture of the cathedrals". If you want to know what they look like, come see them for yourself. Don't count on me to live your life for you.
I will most likely go into exceptionally graphic detail about how gorgeous the men are here, and what I plan to do with them. So family members weak of heart, or guys that are annoyed by not being the object of my affection, try picking up 50 Shades of Grey, and then tell me that I am inappropriate.
Lastly, if you don't know me well enough to know when I am being serious, or a sarcastic asshole, I suggest you do some light reading elsewhere. (And never ask me to play Apples to Apples with you, because I will hate you)
And so we begin:
Dear Diary,
In case you didn't already know, (aka we're not actually friends and you're just some creeper) I am studying in Alicante, Spain for the semester. I have been here for just over 24 hours, and I am completely in love with everything this city has to offer, especially the men.
Last week I was in Madrid, and I came away from the trip only really learning that Madrid at 7am is actually less safe than Madrid at 3am. Drunken old men passed out on coffee shop bars at 7am are usually my go to booty-call, but the language barrier just seemed like too much too handle. When all the USAC students were not out on planned day trips to Segovia, The Valley of the Fallen, Toledo or various museums and cathedrals in Madrid, we spent our free-time drinking until 6am and eating enough Tapas to feed all of the countless homeless people who asked us for change, for a year. Apparently tiny plates and a legal drinking age of 18 was all we needed to make some great friends. The four days in Madrid were like a month long summer camp, where you spend the whole time getting to know people and falling in love with their personalities, and then you all go off your separate ways, planning trips in the near future... and are never heard of again. There are a few people that I genuinely hope I see again, but I also need to now focus on the people in Alicante with me. In a regular University there is supposed to be a "We're all in this together" concept that no one seems to buy into, but when you and a stranger are thrown into a small hotel room with two beds made into one, you have no choice but to become instant friends. I spent almost all of my time in Madrid with my roommate, Darcy. I adore her. That is really all you need to know.
Upon entering Alicante, I was instantly paired up with my host parents, Rosa and Pedro, and my fellow American roommate, Kacey. Talk about culture shock, when you walk off a four hour bus ride with nap breath and bed head, to then be instantly kissed, hugged, and dragged up the streets of an unknown city. Luckily Kacey knows a hell of a lot more Spanish than I do, so she has been my own personal translator and teacher when it comes to speaking with my family. I spend most of my time at the table politely nodding my head and responding with "Sí" to every possible pause. I must sound like a Furby at this point to them, but like all good Furbys, I will soon learn to speak on my own, and hopefully be able to hold an intelligent conversation. Until then, I will spend my time hiding behind Kacey and attempting what little Spanish I know how to say without a textbook in front of me.
Once we got settled in our beautiful rooms, and had a little time to explore Kacey's balcony and the rest of the house, I had my first taste of authentic Spanish Paella. (&no that is not directly a Spanish word, it is a dish. Look it up.) I would go into detail about how amazing it tasted and what exactly was in it, but this is not instagram, and again, if you want to know about it, come experience it for yourself.
I then went down to the beach, and walked along it with fellow students in my program. The sand is so exceptionally soft and I could literally cocoon myself in it for the rest of the semester and be completely content living the life of a sand crab. There will be many more beach tales to come, because I have never lived on a beach before, and even the tiny pieces of coral that stab into my feet will be explicitly detailed due to my excitement.
Today I went to orientation, where I learned that AIDS is a growing epidemic in Spain, and "Only I can protect myself"... .... ... (I'm not sure how many more ellipses I need to get across my utter confusion with as to which USAC student caused this to be mandatory Orientation material). But aside from that, I got into all the classes I need (and want), and will be spending another semester aiming high for that solid C grade that I've worked so hard at maintaining with UNLV. The rest of my day was spent trying to get my cell phone activated (unsuccessful), talking with family (unsuccessful), and striving to regain my old back problems by using my laptop on my bed (completely successful).
I also spent about two hours on a guided tour by my (oh so handsome) program director, Sylvan. I would just like to say that I love him. I really love him more than his model girlfriend. And until I find a man more attractive than him, he will be the only topic I will want to discuss with my classmates, and I will continue to air-claw at him from behind and refer to him only as "Captain Gorgeous".
Like I mentioned, the rest will be much shorter, but seeing as my parents are probably the only people who will be reading this, I don't think length matters.
It's now 2:30am, and I need sleep. I have a full day of doing nothing tomorrow.
Goodnight, Diary.
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