I swear I'm going to post about our trip down South but I want to get some pictures on my computer first and I don't have a camera cord handy (Alex...?)
So, instead, I thought I'd talk a bit about a typical day in Gijón (which really doesn't exist). So, every morning I wake up at 7:20 and shower. Maite and Ines are usually off to school and work before I leave so I help myself for breakfast. I usually have a bowl of Muesli with soy yogurt, oats, and honey. I'm thinking I'll keep up the tradition when I get to the States because it's fabulous. We usually have fresh squeezed Orange juice too. I'm definitely gonna miss that. I don't suppose anyone wants to buy me a juicer?
Then I make myself a snack (usually a bocadillo/small sandwich) for school and head off for the bus stop.
Each class is two hours long and incredibly difficult to stay awake through and even harder to follow sometimes. One of the teachers hasn't really grasped that we're not native speakers and, even if we were, we wouldn't be able to follow her wavy diagrams that wander all over the board.
During the break, we gather in the café downstairs and eat our snacks. The staff gets mad at us for loitering and we (meaning I) usually end up ordering some cola cao (closes thing to hot chocolate you can find here, it's kind of like hot nesquick).
After classes are over, we all scatter to our houses for the two-hour siesta (I am loving this aspect of Spanish culture. Why don't we have a required naptime in the states?? Dumb!). I usually spend mine trying to catch up on e-mails before Ines gets home, because after that I'm not allowed to do anything without her involvement. We end up watching a lot of Michael Jackson music videos mixed in with some of her favorite disney channel/Spanish singers.
Mealtimes are weird here and I still struggle with getting used to it. They eat breakfast in the morning and it's usually something REALLY small. Like coffee and crackers or a piece of toast. Then lunch isn't until 2 or 3 and dinner is usually around 10 PM with a dessert of fruit or cheese after. It's weird to eat dinner and go straight to bed. And even the little kids stay up past 11 every night.
Today was a little different because, for one thing, Ines wasn't home for the siesta and it was really quiet. After siesta, a series of things happened:
- First off, it started pouring rain like crazy and I started considering spending a day in the house.
-Maite got concerned that I was being a recluse and would be bored all night so I headed for the beach.
- Got to the beach and played a couple hours of Ultimate Frisbee with the other kids (we were supposed to play soccer against the Oviedo students but they didn't show because of the rain...wimps)
- After playing, we wanted to cool off so, of course, we jumped in the ocean. In the rain.
- I walked to the bus stop, still dripping, and got a lot of stares. It was cold too and I'm pretty sure I looked pathetic.
- I slipped off the plastic chair on the bus and caused a scene.
- Came home, got yelled at by Maite to take a shower
- Took a shower
- Came upstairs, got yelled at by Maite to dry my hair. Or no dinner. (I'm remembering what it was like to live with my Padres...good to know she cares.)
Dinner was great and I was ravenous. Maite made some mixed veggies with fried eggs but, since I don't eat eggs, I got a blob of fried cheese. It was almost like an egg. Ines and her friend, Ines (that caused some confusion) talked to me rapidly through the entire meal and now I'm extra exhausted. Goodnight, Neverland!
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