interesting little tidbits

So I have almost been here for 3 weeks. It has absolutely FLOWN by! but since being here, i have obviously noticed soooo many differences, both good and bad, about being in spain. here are some things i have discovered:

• EVERYONE smokes here! young, old, inside, outside, IN SCHOOL. definitely taking some getting used to
• topless beaches
• the schedule. eating lunch at 2:30/3 and then dinner at 9/9:30. loco
• also with schedule, if you go to a disco at 1, you're the only person there, and if you leave at 4, you're the first person to go
• ham, ham, ham. i miss chicken!
• i still don't like fish and seafood
  
• everyone hangs out in the street! kids, teens, adults, and old peeps. my favorite are the group of grandpas that sit on a bench near my place and are always talking and laughing :-)
• the dress - i miss sweatpants! everyone looks so nice when they go to class!
• the music. at the bars it's ALL american music. and at the disco on saturday they played the YMCA followed by I will Survive -- whaaaa?
• i absolutely love having no walmarts and walgreens. i love the bread shops, pastry shops, candy shops, meat shops, fruit shops, vegetable stands, etc. yes they have supermarkets, but their small business situation here is so fun! i think it makes the place so much more personable and welcoming
• they have the most delicious pastry here in the world! it's a croissant with chocolate in the middle, but the chocolate is different than at home and is incredible! i seriously am going to have to limit myself to like 1 a week, because i am sure they are absolutely awful for you
  
• love that the bars are open all the time, and at any given point there are always people drinking and eating tapas, just passing through but stop to say hello or to catch the score of the soccer game
  
• in america, it seems like everyone is always in a hurry. here they seem to appreciate life more!
• milk here - sickkkk. it sits on a shelf in a box until you open it, and then you put it in the fridge. gross!!!
• all the food is super fresh, and the fruit here is AMAZING
• they eat bread with every single meal
• they also eat lots and lots of potatoes. or at least my host mom does!
• swearing isn't nearly as big of a deal. kids say the equivalent of 'fuck' in front of their parents all the time and it's not an issue
  
• everyone is so damn skinny! seriously!
• where are all the boys? like for real? i see thousandsssss of gorgeous women around all the time, but no cute men!! i have probably seen more guys with mullets than actual attractive men. haha
• the showers dont drain well here, and me having the hair that i do doesn't help it any
• nothing is open on sunday's. so i have learned to make sure everything i could possibly need is in my hand by saturday.
• finally, everything is closed from roughly 2-5pm for the lunch/siesta break. and i don't know if the spanish people take naps, but i love having a designated time for them!!
  

And for things from America that I miss:

• goldfish, macaroni and cheese, CHICKEN, turkey sandwiches, hershey kisses, string cheese, mexican food! some of those are random, but i have been having a serious craving for them!
• ziplock bags? apparently they dont use them here, because i get all my to-go meals wrapped in tin foil
• ICE CUBES. warm water is getting veryyyyy old
  
• drinking games! i havent played anything but the card games since i have been here, and i miss the other ones!
  
• clothes dryers! i will never take for granted having a dryer again
• rap. where's the TI and lil wayne in the clubs???

but all that being said, i absolutely LOVE being here. this is definitely the greatest experience of my life thus far. I am learning so much about myself, others, and the world. Being completely immersed in a life that's very different from the one i am used to is completely refreshing. And I am already realizing how little time I have here. I want to see as much of europe as possible, so i am planning all these incredible trips for the weekends! but now that most everything is booked, i am realizing how almost every weekend until i leave is taken! bilbao is such an incredible city, and so i really need to start using my time in the afternoons to explore and find out everything that it has to offer.

wow long post! i'm finding it's actually pretty nice to write in this. it will be something great to print out when all is done so I can remember everything I did, but it is also a great place for me to think about what an amazing experience i am having here!

hasta luego!