Wake up: I wake up usually between 7-9am, basically whenever I want to :)
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| Yodiez gym! |
Beast-mode (a.k.a. Gym Time) : About two weeks ago, I purchased a gym membership with my roommate Patti. I've gone almost every weekday between 7-9. Its a great gym and I'm extremely pumped that I got a membership. They have a huge area with all kinds of equipment; treadmills, ellipticals, weights, you name it. Then....ooohhhhh man...they have a huge pool, a spa and a sauna! Oh, not to mention, they have ZUMBA classes!!! Woohoo I will still be able to get my fix of Zumba every week, and should I mention it's for free with the membership cost! :D
Breakfast: So after the gym or if I skip the gym (for some odd reason, like sleeping in :P ) and after shower is breakfast! As for me, even in America, I didn't really ever eat a large breakfast, just oatmeal or toast, which is how it is here too. Breakfast really isn't a big deal in the home; it's kept very simple. When out host mother wakes up for work in the morning, she sets up the food and table for us. The options consist of toast, yogurt, fruit, or cereal. For me, my usual breakfast consists of a cup of café con leche (coffee with milk) and pan toastada (toast) with Crema al cacao (chocolate cream). It's amazing. It's nearly as good as peanut butter, for those of you who don't know, I'm addicted to the good, organic peanut butter, and I'm having withdrawals, but the cacao helps fill the void. I either eat it solo or add some slices of banana.
Free time: So from now until around 14:30, I don't do too much. Originally I had class from 10am-14, but since I switched classes, my new class now isn't until 16 and goes until 18. It's great for the fact that I have such free mornings which allows me to go to the gym and take my time and relax in the morning. However, my roommate and other friends all have class during this time so I'm a little lonely. I usually do my homework for class, which usually just consists of reading a newspaper article and reporting about it in class and then possibly a few other grammar exercises. My host sister, her boyfriend and my host brother are usually home, so sometimes we sit around at the table and talk after eating. Oh, my favorite thing about the mornings, when I'm curled up relaxing, doing homework or watching shows on my computer, a special little puppy, by the name of Happy, comes and snuggles with me! She won't leave my side in the morning. She is about 3 months old I believe and we think she is a Miniature Pincher. She's kinda my best friend here :p haha at least that's how I refer to her when I see her, "¡Hola mi amiga mayor!" :P
Lunch: Lunch is usually served between 14 and 15 o'clock and lunch is the largest meal of the day. Lunch can include anything from soup, salad, paella, ham and many other options. Potatoes cooked in some manner and eggs are very common with lunch and/or dinner. Baguette slices are served with every lunch and dinner. Sadly, I don't have any pictures of our lunches since I'm a good girl and never bring my phone to the table. ;) haha. Our host mom, Marissa, rarely actually sits and eats with all of us. During lunch, we commonly watch TV which is usually a sport; fútbol (soccer), cycling, basketball or The Simpsons. I think one of my favorite lunches ever, has been Tortilla Espanola or Tortilla de Patatas (Potato tortilla). It is made with potatoes, eggs, onions and olive oil. ( Here is a link if you would like to try it, which I highly recommend; http://spanishfood.about.com/od/tapas/r/tortilla.htm )
Siesta: Typically, it would now be time for siesta (nappy time). It is observed by almost every business, minus some restaurants, in which they close from approximately 14-17/18 and then stay open until 20 or 21. I believe one of the main reasons this was created was due to those outdoor laborers that during the hot months of summer would not be able to physically work in the hot hours of the day, so they would take a long lunch with siesta, and then return to work. During summer months of July and August there are almost NO people out on the streets during this time because it gets so hot. Siesta is a dream come true, I mean who doesn't miss those days in school when there was nap time that was actually apart of the schedule! :D
Class: However, and extremely sad for me, since my class is now at 16, I only have time for a very quick siesta! :'( My school, Centro de Lenguas Modernas, is about a mile walk from mi casa, so on a normal day it takes about 25 minutes to get there. The last couple days, I've been going a little early in order to find coffee along the way. Sadly, there are few places that have café para llevar (coffee to go). However, I found one right next door to school! Score! And it's really good too! :D Class is four hours, 14-18, and it's split up into two sections, for two hours, with two different teachers. The classes are pretty easy and pretty basic, just review and learning some new vocabulary and practicing speaking. This is for the month of September only. Starting in October, I will officially take about 5 classes, ranging from literature to Spanish art history. Yet, right now I'm in a class with 8 other girls, 7 of which are from the same program and are all really nice. We all get along very well, which makes speaking up in class much easier.
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| The courtyard at school. |
Dinner: I return home after class and dinner is usually served around 1830-19. Similar to lunch, but typically a little more relaxed and light. Always, always good! My mom is a great cook! Love her cooking!
After dinner: Sometimes we hang out with the family in the living room and watch TV. Sometimes we just chill out in our room and talk with family and friends on the computer since this is usually a common time we are both awake and available to chat. As well, this maybe a time where we go out for Tapas, Intercambios (meetings with a Spaniard who wants to learn English so you chit-chat and help each other learn), go to the bars or clubs with our friends or go get ice cream.
There you go! You have now walked a day in my shoes! Of course the days vary more than this, but this is the typical play-by-play of how I spend my time during the week in Spain!
