I don’t even know where to start! I think we’re finally starting to get used to the lifestyle
here. Something that I found to be a little weird is that their times to eat here are very different
from our times to eat. They don’t really eat breakfast here so by the time we have a break at
school, we’re starving. They eat lunch at around 12:00-4:00 then most places close from 4:00-
8:00 for “siesta” which means “nap”. I don’t think the majority of people really nap, but after
that, dinner is usually anywhere from 9:30-11:00. The way we spend our free time here is very
different from the way we spend it in Arkansas. Back home I didn’t go out much because to be
honest, there’s not a lot to do in Arkansas. There’s something new to do here every weekend!
Walking along the river, window shopping, bike riding, hanging out with friends, etc.!
I definitely feel like I’ve opened up a lot more and I’m more open to making new friends. I don’t
hesitate as much here, it’s like this experience is what I needed to push me to be more
extroverted.
Moving on to food, the first few weeks we were here we went out to eat a lot, and
we’ve recently started cooking more. Our favorite thing to eat here so far would be a dish that’s
called “Patatas Bravas” which translates to something like “Angry Potatoes”. It’s a very cute
name, it’s basically diced potatoes that have been fried in a pan and they are usually topped with
homemade mayonnaise, aioli, and a “spicy” sauce. We’ve quickly learned that the Spanish have
a very low tolerance for spicy foods. Since it’s so easy to make, it’s something that I plan on
making back in Arkansas when I go back. It’s delicious and I would highly recommend it to
anyone that is a big potato lover!
We’ve made some more friends recently and decided to invite
some of them on our first trip without the university. Our new friends are named Seo and Ellie!
Seo is from South Korea and has been here for 3 months already! Ellie is from Missouri, she got
here around the same time as us, but she’s only staying until mid-March. Our trip to La Bañeza
and Astorga was such a blast, we got lost a few times, but it was worth it. I think we really
bonded with our new friends. We visited the Palace of Gaudi which was GORGEOUS! If you
thought the Burgos Cathedral was castle-like then you need to see the Palace of Gaudi! La
Bañeza is a smaller town compared to Astorga, so there wasn’t much to do there other than look
at some cool graffiti! I included a picture of one of my favorite pieces, I can’t believe it’s all
done by hand. Not much has changed, I think we’ll be going on another school trip soon which is
super exciting. I can’t wait to share more stories and pictures with you guys, thank you so much
for following me along on my journey so far!
– Jasmine.
