Linnell, the Foreigner

Normally at this time, I would be the on my usual jog around the park... being stared at by everyone. When I'm jogging, I definitely feel like a foreigner with all of the weird looks I get. I asked my host mom about this and she told me that it is because is it very unusual for someone to go jogging around 1 or 2 pm since everyone normally eats lunch then. If they aren't eating, then they are usually resting and having a siesta. Haha, plus, it doesn't help that in the more suburban areas, people look much more typically Spanish than in Barcelona... therefore, some of those looks are probably because I'm the tall, foreign girl with blonde hair and blue eyes.

I have a brief rant to make. I've decided that I don't like having lunch be the largest meal of the day... and so late in the day too! I like an early, brief, light lunch because I can eat it quickly and then get on with my day. I feel like I'm wasting daylight when we spend two or more hours eating lunch. There's a reason that dinner is the largest meal of the day in the US. My theory is that this is because everyone is off of work and can actually take the time to rest and relax since the next thing on the "must do" list is sleep. It also helps that it is night, so we aren't wasting some precious vitamin D... which most of us are lacking. Haha, but maybe that's just in Seattle, where it is cloudy around 5 to 6 days of the week from October to June. Anyways, that all said, I'm still going to continue the Spanish way of life: breakfast at 8 am, lunch at 2 pm, dinner at 9 pm. Dinner is a little late for my liking as well.

Today, I decided to take a break from my usual routine of running and attempt to be a normal Spaniard who eats a large lunch and then rests. I ate lunch in my room because it is very bright on this side of the house during the day. While sitting here munching on some incredibly tasty leftovers (made and delivered by grandma... who is a fantastic cook and wrote a book!), I realized how European my room looks. I really like it. :)

The thing on the right is a mix between a closet, cupboard, and dresser. :) It matches my bed and bedstand. I like it a lot.

In other news, my Spanish is improving somewhat. I've been quite frustrated with how difficult it really is to learn the language. Even if I were fully immersed in Madrid or Cadis, it would still be so hard! I don't know if I thought that some sort of switch would just turn on and I would be able to speak Spanish with no problems... but that is definitely not the case. Learning a language is hard work. I'm definitely having trouble finding time to study and practice. What little free time I have, I want to eat, read, run, and relax.

Please forgive me for complaining... things really are going very well here.

Interesting fact: The milk here is much sweeter than in the States (I like it better here). Adults normally do not drink milk here. Pretty much the only time they consume milk is when they pour it in another drink (coffee) or in a food. Oh, and PB&J sandwiches are unheard of here. Peanutbutter is very unpopular here. Only a handful of places actually sell peanutbutter. Sad, huh? I love PB&J sandwiches with a huge glass of cold milk. :)

Besos!
Linnell