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

Somos hombres o somos rantoncitos?

"Are we men, or are we mice?" It has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? (Almost better in English. I'm a fan of the alliteration.) This is my new favorite Spanish expression, and I'm somewhat obsessed with it. Here's the origen: Saturday night, I had dinner with my UC3M Buddy, Daniel, and the some of the rest of the people from our buddy group. We went to a restaurant called Cañas y Tapas. Some of Daniel's friends came with him and dispersed themselves throughout the group so that all of us had someone to talk to who was from Spain. I wound up seating at the end of the table, next to one of Daniel's friends, and across from some Italian girls that understood Spanish, but spoke pretty much only Italian. It was an interesting setup that turned out quite well. In my search for authentic Spanish food, my Spanish-native neighbor, Javier, suggested we split a 3-course meal. Started with an ensalada del país, a salad with tuna, eggs, and of course, Spanish olives (of which I am sadly not a fan. Some Spaniard I would be.). Dressed with olive oil and a little salt. According to Spanish culture, you eat everything on the plate. Which proved a little hard for me because I didn't like the eggs or tomatoes. 

Course 2: Gambas y Gulas. Gambas are basically just shrimp. Gulas, on the other hand... Well, no one could really tell me what they were. It's some type of seafood, I know. They didn't really taste like anything, so I was fine with eating them. Also in the wok that it was served in was a fried egg, all served over french fries. Honestly it was pretty good.

(Notes: Gulas and Angulas are essentially the same thing. Except Angulas are a WHOLE lot more expensive. So I'll be sticking with gulas. Also, the dish I had looked a whole lot tastier than this picture I googled. And much less...wormy.)

Course 3: Some sort of pork. Javier and I by this point were getting really full. I said something about how he should eat more of it than me. He replied by saying "Somos hombres, o somos ratoncitos?" A challenge? Yes, it was. And I wasn't about to back

I'm still a tourist...

Despite my best efforts to avoid this situation, I still stick out. I don't understand. I've got my scarf tied around my neck, I'm looking nice, and yet people still automatically try to talk to me in English. Even if they don't hear Jeff (my roommate) and I speaking English first. We've gotten a lot of dirty looks from people; it's almost like they don't want us here. 

The past few days have been pretty expensive...probably because I'm still thinking like a tourist. I went out for tapas (which should normally be pretty cheap) and sangría, and it

Packing to Remember

I leave in just over a week. And I don't really know what I'm doing--I mean, I don't have a place to live, (currently) don't have a place to stay while I look for a place to live, and I have no idea how to pack for five months of life. The last five months of my life barely fit in a car, much less a suitcase that has to weigh less than fifty pounds (I REFUSE to pay for more than I have to. The plane ticket was expensive enough.)

So, instead of packing practically, I'm packing to remember. Remember what, you ask? As much as possible.

Reality Sinks In....

It's happening! I've bought my plane ticket, and all I have to do is find a place to live. (Simple enough, right? I mean, how could it be hard finding a place to live in a different country...) Then I'm officially off to Spain!

Even though I'm really excited for this opportunity, it's something that's pretty bittersweet. Because there are so many things here that I'm going to miss. For starters, my friends (and family, of course. Love you, Mom!). I've gotten so close to so many

¡Que Caro!

This whole study abroad thing is getting really expensive. I mean outside of tuition, housing, and all that good stuff. Just to apply for the visa, it takes $140, and then there's the cost of international insurance (because really, how many people have that in their insurance plan? No one, that's who). Not to mention how you're getting the visa application to the Spanish Consulate. Luckily for me, there are

Chance Encounters

In the past week, I've run in to a lot people who are currently studying abroad. (No, I'm not in Europe; they're studying here in Fayetteville.) And they have some interesting things to tell. 

So I listened.

Here Goes Nothing

Here I am! If you're here, then you probably know me. You also probably know that I should be going to Spain soon. This is why I've started Murry's Travels. I can't imagine going five months without sharing what's going on in my life and having some kind of connection with everyone in the States.