Settling into Week 2!

Hola amigos!

Soooo apparently this isn't just a vacation... and I need a new hobby! 

This week I quickly figured out that I need days that do not involve me being covered in sand and sunscreen and I think I even said that I wished I had more school work to do. Back at home, I am so used to being in a constant busyness as I rush from class to work to hanging with friends, doing homework when I get a chance, and even running some errands in between those things, but here, life is not like that. Sure I start my day off in a tizzy as I get up at 7:15am (more or less) and get ready to rush down to the tram at 8:15am, but by 11:30am I am back to my apartment with nothing that I really have to do until I get up the next morning and repeat the same thing. I thrive on doing all the things all the time (or at least I tell myself I do). 

    Day 7(the second half): 

After finishing up my blog last week I ended up going to the beach for a bit and then to get churros con chocolate with a few friends. After multiple locals pointed out a place that serves this, we knew we had to try it. Churros here are not really what you think of them as back in the states. Here it is more of just a long fried piece of dough that looks more like a snake. It is not perfectly straight, nor does it have ridges that are covered in cinnamon and sugar but it is rather just dough that you have the option to sprinkle some sugar on and dip in warm vats of melted semi-sweet chocolate. This is in no way a complaint, just an observation. I also cannot deny that I may have eaten a spoonful of chocolate after we finished all the churros hahah. There was also an outdoor church service going on right by the churro place and though I could not understand most of it, it gave me chills to watch people praising the Lord. After this, I went home and had dinner and went to be pretty soon after. With this whole eating dinner after 9pm thing, I think that it may become a regular occurrence for me to eat dessert first, but I could learn to be ok with that. 

    Day 8:

Monday mornings, everyone's favorite part of the week...well not really. I went to class and had a generally fine time came home and did my homework, had lunch and took a little rest. Then had plans to meet up with Skylar at my host mom's favorite coffee shop called "Madness Coffee" to work on planning our trip that we are going on over our break between sessions. This was the cutest coffee shop with fun couches and really aesthetic décor. sadly neither of us could get the wifi to work, but we had good iced lattes per the recommendation of one of the workers and came up with what countries we were wanting to visit. (This was harder than you would think as the two of us have both been to Europe already and did not want to make the other go somewhere they had already been before) Real first-world problems you see, but we came up with a concept and figured we'd work on it throughout the week when we found somewhere with better wifi.

    Day 9:

This is the day I realized that I needed to find a hobby. After class, both Skylars, Pieper, Charlotte, and I checked out one of the cafés on campus as Skylar and I had decided that the university wifi was probably our best bet for a reliable connection. Here we brainstormed some more and checked out what prices would look like for the adventure that we had imagined. We still didn't commit to anything but we were getting closer. After this we went home and I had lunch and then absolutely nothing to do for the rest of the day so I took a fat nap! Approximately 3 hours to be specific. My host mom and I then went on a walk that she said she goes on at least 3 times per week to keep her body active. It was very nice as the weather had started to cool off and I got to see some parts of town that I had not seen yet. I even found a book store on my street that I might have to go check out sometime soon. On our way back we stopped and got horchata and my host mom told me how she used to take her daughter there when she was little and she would drink the largest glass all by herself. Apparently, horchata was first made in Spain so it was a must-try before leaving. The guy in the shop even gave me an extra small cup of what they referred to as horchata de Alicante which has almond in it as well and was kind of like a slushy. Both were very good and refreshing after our walk. A few more steps down the street and we stopped at a local place that serves a daily menu to get Ensalada de rusa to take home to eat with avocado. my host mom assured me though that it really had nothing to do with Russia though. To my surprise, she gave me an entire avocado to eat all by myself. (can't say I've done that before)

    Day 10:

Probably the calmest day I've had yet. I went to class and then home for lunch, laid and watched TV for a while, and then spent a couple hours on the beach. I then went home and laid down for a while more before dinner. I am watching a show called The Royals, it's been pretty entertaining and an easy way for me to relax and take a break. Then after dinner, I got to call Audrey and catch up on all that she has been up to back in California. I am not sure whether talking to people from home is helpful or hurtful with the whole homesickness thing, but it was nice to talk to someone familiar and comforting anyway. Simple days like these I know are good for me, but make me feel like I'm wasting my time here. I'm trying to find a balance in this as with many other aspects of this summer. 

    Day 11:

The biggest highlight of the day, SKYLAR AND I BOOKED OUR TICKETS! In case you are curious, we are going to be in Belgium and the Netherlands for our break, and honestly could not be more stoked. We booked all of our hostels, trains, and flights and we are so relieved to have that part done. Now we get to plan the fun parts of what we want to see and where we want to eat while we are there, more to come on that when I fill you all in after the trip until then I guess you'll just have to wait. In celebration of this we had to stop and get chocolate croissants from the bakery below her apartment. I ate just a few bites of mine so I could save the rest for breakfast the next morning! It was the most decadent and sugary goodness that I had ever had (maybe that's an exaggeration but you get the point). Later that day, Skylar and I went and explored a park that was near the other castle and after being thoroughly sketched out at first found some pretty cool things within it including slides that were built into every area that there were stairs and a climbing wall that also had an area to lead climb. We then got a text that some of the girls were having people over for wine night on their patio so we went to get ready for that. This was probably one of my favorite parts of the week as we sat, shared our roses and thorns of the day, listened to music, and enjoyed each other's company. Also, wine from the grocery store is on average like 3 euros per bottle so it's no wonder they drink wine here like it's water. This was a genuinely great day. 

    Day 12:

Another simple day of class and rest. After my nap, Skylar and I planned to meet up at another new coffee shop and work on homework. After a slight confusion as to which "Bombon Boss" we were meeting at we found eat other and ordered the signature drink there and a pastry to accompany it. A "bombon" is condensed milk with espresso on top. We were told that this would taste like warm coffee ice cream and we were sold. This cafe's version was like that, but I think it also had a latte on top of that if that makes any sense. it was very sweet and pretty much the opposite of our iced lattes earlier this week. We did not actually end up doing much homework and found ourselves chatting about some of the most random things. It was a really nice way to spend even just an hour of time. We then decided that at least once a week from here on out we are going to try a new café. I guess old habits of spending all my time in coffee shops never die even in completely different countries. So in case you were worried this trip was going to change me, this is one way in which it definitely will not.

    Day 13:

Valencia!!! Today we took a day trip to Valencia, the third-largest city in Spain. It was a magical and beautiful city full of life and so many tourists. It was about a 2-hour bus ride there in which no one sat next to me so I stretched out my legs and took a nice nap to and from the city. When we first got to Valencia, we met up with a local guide that took us through some of the main parts of the city center including el Mercado(the market), la Lonia(the silk trade) and la Catedral(a Roman Catholic parish church). It was so interesting to hear about the history of each of these fascinating buildings and take in the gorgeous and different architecture. In the cathedral, we even got to see what is believed to be the Holy Grail. I honestly had no idea that people knew where this was or that it really mattered, but I guess it is very important to the catholic world and it's pretty cool to be able to say that I've seen it. After the tour, we went and had lunch at a cute little restaurant that had a deal on a three-course meal that we could not pass up. We had beautiful appetizers that consisted of meat and cheese, beet and feta salad, and even some hummus(though this one kind of didn't seem to fit). We then each had the choice of what entre and I, of course, had some paella and then we finished the meal off with a small piece of light chocolate cake. After lunch, we went to the City of Arts and Sciences and got to explore the science museum and the oceanographic, the largest aquarium in Europe. The science museum was full of interactive exhibits and displays a bit underwhelming if you ask me, but there were a few interesting parts. We spent more of our evening at the oceanographic and that was definitely worth it. We started off at the dolphin show which was like being at sea world and then wandered through exhibits of fish and sea mammals from all different areas of the world. There were even 2 aquatic tunnels that you could walk through and have the fish swimming all around you. That was definitely my favorite part! Now by the U.S. standards, I wouldn't say that it was amazing, but it certainly was very cool to check out and was worth the visit. You can tell that the area is very proud of this addition to their city. 

                                

    Day 14:

I used the toaster here for the first time today. It is quite interesting as it is just an open, almost grill-like thing that you just place the bread on top of,  but I watched my host mom's daughter use it (as she is visiting for the weekend) and then figured it out pretty easily. I then put olive oil and what I would call prosciutto but they call Jamon serrano on the toasted bread and ate it like a sandwich for breakfast. We are having homemade paella for lunch today and she explained it as her version of how, like Alicante, the sea meets the land. Other than that I am just writing today and maybe I will stop at the beach or just relax here, I'm not really sure. I'll update you all on that next week and maybe include a picture of the paella!

That's pretty much a wrap on week 2. I'm already almost a fifth of the way done. If anyone has any ideas of hobbies one can take up while in a foreign country let me know! I also would love to hear from people about what life is like back home! My people are my life and I miss you all so much. 

Hasta luego!