Spending hours in the library and getting frustrated with cultural differences will occasionally make me forget that I'm frickin' living in Europe this year. When it comes down to it, once you are living abroad instead of traveling abroad, it can start to feel just like that. Living. Daily life in Spain is going to have the same chores and responsabilites as daily life in California. Once I got over the novelty of fruterías and non-refrigerated eggs, I realized it was just grocery shopping.
However, since it's our last semester here and it's going by fast, I've found myself in a number of self-reflective conversations with friends from the program. Our frequent conclusion tends to be, "Holy crap! I'm in Spain!" As a result, I've started making an effort to become conscious once again of my surroundings and to return to my state of mind in September where I was absorbing everything around me. And you know what? It's working. Turns out Spain is a pretty cool place. Here are some of the things I'm really appreciating right now:
• The History: I know I'm kinda stating the obvious here, but Europe is old. Living in California makes Massachussetts feel old, so I find it hard to really wrap my head around how ancient some things are here.
• The Elderly: In my neighborhood it is totally normal for an octogenarian to saddle up to the bar next to you. And then she doesn't even have to order because the bartender has already started making her café con leche. The elderly don't seem to get shipped off to nursing homes here. They remain part of the community, are always out walking, and maintain their groups of friends way into old age. I want to grow old in Spain, man.
• The Barrio: I love love love that even in a big city, every neighborhood has a strong sense of community. People know their grocer, their pharmacist, and all of their shop owners by name. When walking with someone in their neighborhood, it can take forever to get from Point A to Point B because they pass 5 people on the street that they stop to talk to. I go to the frutería on my corner once every couple weeks, yet they still recognize me and say hello when I'm walking by. I've been going to Mission Beach on my corner in SF for years, and not a single employee ever acknowledges that they've seen me before. Also, I love that neighborhoods are so integrated. I can get everything I need within 2-3 blocks of my apartment: clothes, food, medicine, shoe repair, everything.
• The Bar Scene: What I love about bars in Madrid is that it's really easy to avoid "the scene." Sure there are trendy places to go to, but then there are 50 million other places to check out as well. My neighborhood has probably at least one bar or restaurant per block. It's so easy to find a hole in the wall with great ambiance and yummy beverages. Oh, and free snacks. That part's great too.
• The Wine: Speaking of drinking, have I mentioned how much I love the wine here? It's so cheap! And so delicious! And I will cry when I return home and no longer have access to vermouth on tap. Fer realz. And where else can you find a bar that serves only sherry?
• The Pork Products: I think I may have possibly mentioned this before as well, but oh man, jamóooooooooon. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Boccalone's tag line, "Tasty Salted Pig Parts," could apply to pretty much this entire country.
• The Fashion: I know, I know, I've made fun of it previously. And I still think it's pretty ridiculous. But the fact that you can get away with some pretty silly get-ups here means that I feel more comfortable taking chances with my own outfits. Just as long as I don't leave the house in PJ pants or with wet hair, I seem to be able to get away with a lot. Also, I kind of want to buy some Hammer Pants now.
So, yes, sure. I still have my complaints and I miss home like crazy, but being here is kind of awesome, and I don't regret it for a minute.
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