Great Expectations...or not

Hola!

So if there is anything I have learned after being here in Spain for three and a half months now, it is the true meaning of patience. Also, I have completely changed my whole concept of expectations, especially when dealing with other Spaniards.

I mean, my very first taste of Spanish work ethic was when I ordered Internet, and it took three whole weeks after I ordered and paid for Internet service and installation until I was finally able to use the Internet I paid for in my own apartment. I realized then and there that I wasn't in Kansas (well, Texas) anymore.

The whole Internet situation made me so angry. That experience taught me how to express my frustration in Spanish. A good learning experience for sure. It also taught me that the laid-back Spanish lifestyle-- complete with the siestas and and late-night partying that I used to glorify and daydream about returning to---is really not all that I made it out to be. Now that I am living as a Spaniard I am actually experiencing the inconveniences of everything stopping from the hours of 2pm to 5pm so that everyone can go home to eat and nap. What if I still had errands to run or medicine to pick up from the pharmacy? I seriously have to wait until after 5pm?

Fortunately, I am a human being, and as humans we learn how to adapt to things quickly, so I am no longer angry every time I expect to run a quick errand, and two hours later I come home empty-handed. In fact, I have learned to laugh at the situation. The other day, my friend Hanna and I were talking about her trip home to the US over Christmas break and she was telling me that she went to the bank to exchange some Euros into USD but the bank had no money for her. She had to hit up a few banks until there was one that could give her dollars, after permission was granted by the manager. So not being able to get money at the bank, which many would assume (you know what happens when you ass-u-me) is the function of a bank, does not surprise me. Not at all.

I mean, the other day I went to the post office to buy some stamps to mail off some post cards. When it was finally my turn, I asked for four stamps for mail going to the United States. The woman began looking around and couldn't find any stamps. Soon the whole staff was searching high and low for even one stamp, and believe it or not I walked out of the post office empty-handed because they were out of stamps. I wasn't surprised or angry. Just amused.

I walked next door to a tobacco shop and they pulled out a sheet of twenty stamps and saved the day. However, they were out of tobacco.

Just kidding about the tobacco part. But I bet I had you going for a second there :D

XOXOXO

Train station adventures

Hola!

The past few days have been absolutely beautiful here in Salamanca, so all day yesterday I was out and about, eating tapas and just walking around town. It was just too beautiful to be cooped up inside. Then last night, I ended up at the train station, and not for the purpose of embarking on a trip. No, I was there purely for entertainment.

You see, the train station here in Salamanca, Vialia, is not your average boring train station where trains arrive at and depart from. The train station is much, much more than that:

Pictures of the train station at night

Last night I was at the train station to see a movie, believe it or not. If I had wanted to go bowling, I would have also ended up at the train station. You can also go shopping at the many stores located inside, or even dine on tapas or go for drinks in Vialia, as well. My first time at Vialia last summer I was pretty blown away by everything it had to offer. It is an entire mall stuffed into a train station. Oh, and there's a grocery store connected to it, in case you have a few items to pick up while waiting to catch your train. My favorite South Dakotan, Ashley, and I would buy cookies and Nutella for our trips while we were waiting for our train to wherever it is that we were traveling to. Some friends and I tried to go bowling there not too long ago, but all the lanes were occupied so we got tapas and beer instead. Basically, if you want a cool place to hang out in Salamanca, just head over to the train station. Interesting, huh?

By the way, the movie I saw last night was The Artist which is a silent film and it was pretty fantastic. If you are looking for a good movie to see, I highly recommend it. 

I hope everyone is having a great Tuesday and enjoying the last week of 2011 :)

XOXOXO

Christmas!

Hola! Y Feliz Navidad!

So this has been an AWESOME Christmas! I just got done Skyping with the whole family and as my Christmas day is winding down here in España, I just wanted to share some of this wonderful day with all of you. First of all, Christmas Eve dinner last night was fantastic. Patrick cooked a tomato sauce all day that he made from scratch, so we scarfed down way too much pasta and sauce while keeping one of my family's traditions alive even from wayyy over here:

Every year my family watches It's a Wonderful Life before Christmas, and this was Patrick's first time to ever see it, but he loved it (how can you not?). 

Then, this morning started off as every Christmas should: with coffee and presents. 

Pat got me a pair of beautiful earrings and a t-shirt from the movie Amelie (which we both love), that says, "Son tiempos dificiles para los soñadores" (These are difficult times for dreamers).

I got Patrick the Noam Chomsky t-shirt that he's wearing in the picture and the leather-bound notebook that he's holding.

The rest of the day was filled with watching Christmas movies and the Christmas specials of the Simpsons, Family Guy, etc. Also, much cooking and feasting took place.

Obviously we made way too much food for two people.

Why, yes, this was my plate. Don't judge. 

We feasted on steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, and stuffing (thanks, Mom, for sending the box of Stove Top stuffing :)). Also, not pictured above was our dessert, which was a chocolate mousse cake, store-bought by yours truly. Unfortunately, dessert was consumed before I could snap a picture of it.

I sincerely hope everyone else has been having a wonderful Christmas, full of spending time with friends and family and eating way too much food. I think while it is still Christmas Patrick and I are going to squeeze in a few more Christmas movies. Love you all and merry Christmas!!! 

XOXOXO

Merry Christmas Eve!

Hola!

So this post will be short and sweet so I can get to my Christmas Eve dinner, and so that all of you can get back to spending time with family. I just wanted to say that if there is one thing I could ask for this Christmas, I would wish to see my family for Christmas Eve tonight at the Batista's house and to see them tomorrow, as well (I would be satisfied with only tonight if it weren't for my dad's world famous smoked meat). However, that obviously won't happen since I am a two and a half hour bus ride and nine hour flight away from Houston. But I am fortunate enough that I will be seeing my parents in a little over a week. I am also fortunate enough to have been able to make my dream to live in Spain come true, to be happy and healthy, and to have the best family and friends that ANYONE could ask for. So since I have really everything I could ever want (and so much more), what I wish for is for my family (and friends!) to have a very happy Christmas this year. I love you all and can't wait until the next time I get to see you all again :) Merry Christmas!!!!

This is what I am going to miss about Christmas this year:

The whole fam on Christmas Eve at the B's last year :)

Christmas Eve is just not complete without a dead pig

Christmas morning last year

Merry Christmas Eve!! Stay tuned for more updates to come...as soon as tomorrow!

XOXOXO

Tapas!

Hola!

Many of you know that my favorite thing in the world is food/eating. So naturally one of my favorite things about Spain has become their amazingly delicious tapas, also very commonly called pinchos. Well, some of them can be kinda iffy, like the morcilla that I tried in León, but for the most part the Spaniards know what they're doing. In Salamanca, there is one street that is full of bars that are especially famous for their top-notch tapas: Calle Van Dyck. Earlier this evening I went out for some tapas and drinks, and I am writing about this tonight because it is just one of the customs here that I absolutely love and that is in no way very common in the United States. Us Americans love a big meal, but  after living here I have learned that tapas are for sure the way to go.

In many tapas bars it is common for a pincho to come free with every drink you buy. When I was in León with Hanna and Cara it was so awesome because for one Euro you could get a beer plus a pincho. In my mind it is pretty much FREE FOOD. There is very little that tops free food, for me, anyway.

I'll leave you with some of my favorite tapas (in order from favorite to least favorite):

Patatas Bravas: the sauce is what makes it the best. Yummm...

Tortilla: <---Not a typo. This is what tortilla looks like here in Spain, and this omelette has become a staple in my diet.

Croquetas: Not nearly as good as my Abuela's, but they are very different from hers because they have potato in it and they're quite delicious.

Huevos rotos: I like pretty much anything with eggs in it.

Morcilla (aka blood sausage): I like this not at all, but I wanted you to see an actual picture of the morcilla that I tried in León.

Well, that's all for tonight. Stay posted for more updates to come! And as the countdown to Christmas is winding down, I hope everyone is having a merry holiday season :)

XOXOXO

Walking in a winter wonderland...

Hola!

It's official: I'm on Christmas break! This week has taken forever to be over, but when I finally did get done with my last private lesson (until next year! woo!), I met up with Patrick for dinner and afterwards we went a walk around town to take pictures of all the Christmas lights and such. Here is what the rest of my day looked like:

And below is the Christmas tree and stockings in my apartment!

Merry Christmas!!

I hope you have enjoyed the pictures! The entire city is decorated in lights, which helps put me even more in the Christmas-y spirit :) More updates to come! Love and miss you all!

XOXOXO