34 degrees

Cape Town is hot (but they use Celsius, so I've been in practice) and beautiful and so different from Spain and the US.
We're in a suburb right outside of Cape Town, Observatory. It's quite the hippie town and I'm looking forward to getting familiar with the five or six cafes on Lower Main -- the street that makes up all of Observatory's downtown.
Orientation has consisted of rules, tours, and watching the sun set over Table Mountain. It has also been getting used to my new internet limit -- 1 kilobyte a month. I'm afraid that I wont be able to upload as many pictures as I. On top of that, it is unwise to take photos in public in town (showing your camera). I hope that my blog is still worth it for you to read.

Things I will miss from Spain

That everyone stays us late
Cafe con leche and giant sugar packets
Zara
Jamon
"Vale, vale"
Pastelerías
My host mom
Wandering around Madrid
Friendly Madrileños
Olive oil
Adorably dressed children
The metro
Christmas lights
Bocadillos
Toast with tomato mashed up on it (this is delicious)
Streets always being cleaned
Better potato chips
Retiro
Farmacias -- you tell them what's wrong, they give you medicine.
Tapas
Botelleon
Ease of traveling around the country
Plazas
Garapiñadas
calle Goya
Siesta
Tortel
Bars not being sketchy
Average height, while not the same as mine, is closer
"No pasa nada"
Huevos estrellados con patatas fritas
The lisp


No doubt this is a little melodramatic, but I think in the future when I look back on this quarter I will associate it mostly with being young and I will miss that a lot.

Who's there?

Me: I'm going to put this on the internet and make a comment about Charles V's knockers.
Simon: These aren't knockers.
Me: You be quiet.


I think it is safe to say that my Spanish has began its decline, as I spend all day with the family and mostly use Spanish to order in restaurants. Looking back, I'm saddened I could never build a double-entendre, even a crude one, in Spanish.

Who was that mustachioed man?

Best fountain ever.

Wish you were here

I traveled very little outside of Madrid during the quarter, and I wondered if that was the right choice for me. And, yes, it definitely was.

I don't like being a tourist. A number 1, it makes me cranky.
More importantly, it is just not a good way to travel. You can do tourism many different ways, but I feel like its all about seeing things. It doesn't matter what country the things are in.

My dad photocopied some pages for me out of his book "1000 Things to See Before You Die" and there are 1000 (and obviously more) AMAZING things in the world.
I also want to see books called "1000 Ways to Celebrate", "1000 Fantastic Gastronomic Traditions to Try", "1000 Things You Take For Granted, But You Should Go Without Here", "1000 Amazing Traditions in Hospitality", "1000 Things That Are Illegal in the US, But Not Here", etc. Maybe not titled exactly like these.

For me the beauty is in different cultures and wisdoms you can learn, beyond what you can see.

Anyway, I'm glad I really chose to LIVE in Madrid and I'm glad that I'm traveling now because I get to see these cool things:(Toledo and Toledo)

(Granada, Granada, and Granada) (Love you, oxford comma)

Merry Christmas from Spain.

Likely the least Jewish picture I have ever taken.

Enjoy your today and tomorrow and the day after that etc.

You're it

I've added tags to all of my old posts now. I know it will make a big difference in your user experience.

I'm back in Madrid now, but I will still show you this picture from Barcelona:

Barcelona definitely has better graffiti than Madrid. It seemed, overall, a younger, more cosmopolitan city.