Backpacker's Lesson #1: Always charge your camera...

...and then put it away. (More on that in a bit.)

I spent this weekend in Granada with a few newly-found friends. Friday night was an adventure in itself--a five hour bus ride, figuring out what bus got us closest to our hostel, and then trying to FIND our hostel in the maze of narrow, twisted streets. I was certainly thankful when we walked in the door. I was ready to throw my stuff down and find some GRUB!!! I grabbed some leftover paella from the hostel's kitchen after someone offered it to me. We left the hostel in search of some (more) good food. We wound up getting some tortilla (a potato omelette) and ratatouille, with our bottle of wine--thank goodness for tapas! I ate well, to say the least.

Speaking of the hostel (Oasis Hostel), it was so much nicer than I had expected. The lobby was nice with a seating area so you could sit and talk with other travelers. The kitchen was very clean, with nice dishes, and a free breakfast--you cooked it yourself, but still, it was good. Our room held six people, so the five of us were sharing with

A Standing Ovation?

Yes. It's true. When I finished singing "Grenade" by Bruno Mars, I had an entire room on its feet. Granted, most of the people in the room were pretty drunk, but I think that makes it even more impressive. Drunks are a tough crowd to please.

Oh, you want an explanation? I guess that makes sense. This past Saturday, I was out on the town at a club called Kapital--seven floors of music, dancing, and (apparently) karaoke. I've sung a few Disney songs around my friends, just joking around, so they wanted me to hit up the karaoke. And I did. Twice. It probably helped that I'd had a couple drinks before I got up there, but I don't think it mattered too much. There were multiple times that everyone cheered me on, so I was quite happy with my performance. So happy, in fact, that I gave an encore about thirty minutes later of "Chasing Pavements." That's right, I took on Adele. And in the minds of the people on the second floor of Kapital, I wasn't too shabby. I'm putting it in the "Win" category of Study Abroad experiences.

Here's a couple more random things to keep you interested!

A while back, I met up with some friends to go to the Museo de Prado, an incredible art museum, with works from all over Europe, painted by some of the most famous classic painters--Velazquez, Rafael, Goya, El Greco to name a few. After 2 hours, I had only covered one floor! So we left, and when we walked outside, we found THRONGS (please note the R. It's there.) of people! We discovered that all these people--literally thousands--were protesting the austerity measures of the new Spanish government, after a recent change in power. Basically, public workers' wages are frozen, meaning no raises for now, and the government wants to take away paid sick and vacation days for public school teachers. I can understand why people are upset. 

Hungry, we made our way through the crowd to get some 100 Montaditos (check out the "Chowing Down" tab for more info) before meeting up with one of the girl's Spanish roommate. We went to this really small bar, with some very fruity sangria--the fruit was still in it, and was delicious--and a great vibe. I wound up getting to use my Spanish a lot, having a conversation about the World Cup, which got a little heated, meaning they spoke RIDICULOUSLY fast. But I still understood it! It was exciting.

Now, another "sexy food story," as my friend back home calls it. TAPAS! The Spanish way. There's a neighborhood known for its tapas--La Latina--and it has a street known for the best of the best--Calle Cava Baja. Basically, you just walk down it until you find a tapas bar you'd like to give a go. The name of the one pictured here escapes me, but it was really good. I had a cangrejo (a crab salad) and something similar to taquitos or mini enchiladas, each served on a piece of bread. That's really where tapas came from in the first place--pieces of bread to cover (aka tapear) your drink. And it just evolved from there. There's all kinds of choices, with tons of variety. I've got to find me a few more good tapas bars soon!

As a final note, to those of you that enjoy reading my posts (and I guess even if you don't...), feel free to comment and ask questions! Also, I'm most certainly open to suggestions of things to write, so don't hesitate to let me know what you'd like me to write about!

Not Everything's Peachy...

I feel like I have deceived you somewhat. This trip really is the most incredible experience of my life, and overall I'm having an amazing time, but not everything has been perfect. I guess that's impossible, honestly. There have been times where it's been really difficult for me to keep it together. So I'll fill you in on the times where Spain hasn't been everything I hoped it would.

1.) Getting internet. I think this has been the most frustrating thing I've had to deal with. I've mentioned it before, but now you get the whole story!

The Creep with Weed in his Pocket...And More

I was so excited when I thought up this post. Mainly because the experience was hilarious. (Disclaimer: I am not the guy with weed in his pocket.)

     Several nights ago, (I think it was last Saturday) some friends and I went out for drinks. We met in Puerta del Sol and had to wait on another guy to show up because he was bringing a friend. When he showed up, his friend was in his late 30s. Awkward. But you know, we gave him a chance. He was a Spaniard, so maybe it's normal for them to go out on the town with people half their age? (It's not.) The bar was nice, and really full, but we all had a good time talking in our little segmented groups. Until creepy old guy showed up again. He basically started talking to me from across the room, so I had to lean across a bunch of other people just to hear what he was saying.

     He kept talking about how we were such good friends--keep in mind that by this point I hadn't even spoken to him, other than telling him my name--and so I smiled goodnaturedly. So here we are, leaning back and forth as he stops and starts the conversation, when he leans in one last time...

Everyday Life and a Tourist Day

It's certainly a different vibe on the UC3M campus than it is back home. First of all, no one is on campus unless they have to be. And also, the Spanish students have no respect for their professors. In all of my classes, they sit there and talk through the entire lecture! And it's not even like they're whispering...it's just like they're talking in the cafeteria or something. And for whatever reason, the professors are okay with it! Some of them don't even try to get the class to be quiet. Apparently it's only a Spanish thing too. I've talked to other people from Holland, Germany, and other places, and all of them are just as blown away as I am. 

The only explanation that anyone has been able to give me is that education here is really cheap compared to the USA. So it's not as big a deal to them if they fail a class because it doesn't really cost them very much. But, for real? And people say that Americans are rude. (Maybe we're fairly ignorant about the rest of the world, but we at least try to polite.)

The library here is pretty intense, though. It just has an awesome layout. It's not like I'll ever really use it for the books (does anyone use the university library unless he's writing a thesis or something?), but it's still cool to have.

(Photo credit to Sohail Badami)

Okay. Now I have a bone to pick with the street-cleaners here. The weather has turned really cold over the past few days -- like in the 20s -- but the city must stay clean! They have these, I don't know, weird garbage truck things that sweep up