Day 3

Today I feel...American. 

This morning was our school orientation at CEGRI.  It was no different than any other school orientation, although we had to take a placement exam.  YIKES! Oh how I wish I was in high school again and was good at subjunctive, pret/imperfect, etc. That would be very useful!

We will be in classes with only American students (because it is difficult to match international school schedules), which has it's pluses and minuses.  Still we are meeting TONS of new people from Michigan, Wisconsin, and other Illinois students we haven't met yet (yeah midwestern love!). 

It is 4am here while I am writing this...hence why my thoughts have no organization what so ever, and I am resisting the urge to edit my own writing.

Why am I making posts at 4am (as well as KAYE)...perhaps its from the 2-4 hour siesta we took today.  We've encountered alarm clock issues here in Spain.  Totally the jetlag...right?

The truth is that we have not synced up to Spanish time at all.

Take today for instance:

9:19am- Espanolos are smoking their cigarettes, drinking their coffee, eating their bread and being satisfied. 

**Realidad- We are STARVING for a large healthy breakfast...Drink tea/coffee/water and baguette and butter.  Stuff what you can in your purse for later.

2:30pm- Ravishing, craving something hardy, preferably vegetables (which I have not seen many of!)

**Realidad- Dash to the nearest kabob stand to get pitas before random stores start closing for siesta...I had vegetarian falafel con homos.  We could not sit down and eat because EVERY shop is so tiny and made for 5-6 people to eat in  (it's like the natives are playing restaurant musical chairs and none of the Americans know when the music plays/stops!).  Entonces, we scarfed down the wraps as we walked to the hostel. 

**Realidad #2 don't get something vegetarian from a place that is shaving a rack of lamb as they prepare your dish...expect stomach pain. 

3:00pm-5:00pm- Time for siesta (I could be slightly off with the times, still haven't learned!).  Miguel told us most Spainards do not sleep during this time, but enjoy a meal with their family.

**Realidad- Our "siesta" consists of us passing out from 4:30-7:30.  Once again, falling victim to the alarm clocks.

9:00pm- Typical time tapas bars open and people get their light meal.

**Realidad- Still running late ... don't manage to get out of the hostel until 11:30.

11:00pm-12:00am- Most tapas bars/places serving food close.

**Realidad- 8 famished American girls combing the streets like stray cats for any sign of sustenance (more specifically postres/desserts).  Getting looks from locals as we pass them several times.  Finally settle for one place we know for sure is open- Bella y Bestia (name that Disney movie!).  Cram all 8 of us into an open booth made for 4/5...wait awkwardly for the camarero and stammer out some sort of spanish request for a drink in hopes for tapas attached.

12:30am- Locals are leaving tapas bars.

**Realidad- Still waiting on tapas, but we have our Cokes.  Kelly finds out that guidebooks lie and the word for soda is not 'casera'...still do not know what it means but apparently its silly to the Spanish.  Also the Spanish eat dessert during lunch and they are not postres (pastries)...they are tartas.  When we figure out the camarero won't be coming back and none of us have the energy to figure out why...we pay our 2.50 euro for the Cokes we never really wanted and vamanos.

12:45-1:00am- Fashionable Spanish locals head to actual bars (ones that don't serve food)

Realidad- WE ARE STARVINGGGGG.  Queremos CHOCOLATE.  We find hope in a "Chino" (asian convenience store).  Pork flavored cheetohs and chips galore! Chocolate candies, happy sandwiches, and 5 euro bags of peanut M & Ms yipee!! OH and one box of corn flakes for about 7 American dollars. Kelly- delirious from the cafeine shock of 1.5 cokes and starvation grabs ... everything.  Kaye's fix-- chocolate doughnuts.  Me- I accepted hunger and Aunt Laura's almond butter packets and apple waiting in the hostel. 

3:00am- The cool people go to the Discotechas.

Realidad- I am blogging/gchatting in clothes that smell like an ashtray, still hungry, eating astronaut food, wishing my parents raised me in a place that spoke Spanish, and hating my battitude.

4:30am- Nunca idea...most likely being cooler than me...actually 100% sure they are.

Realidad- Thanking LISA DERUS for being the ABSOLUTE BEST Spanish resource ever and helping me not to feel like such an idiot. Loving my parents for how much they are dorks with skype.  Loving mi novio for his patience with overseas communication glitches. Loving my roomies for being as weird as I am.  LOVING Spain and resolving to be even MORE determined to be it's best friend...even if I have to look like the over-eager, foreign loser to do it.

I won't let you down España!!!

p.s. Us losers - K2 and MP- started another blog ... www.ourobservaciones.blogspot.com