Hello from Spain!

I know it's been a while since I blogged, and I want to apologize for that.  I got so caught up in packing and getting ready to go abroad that I forgot to schedule some posts in advance, and then I had to travel and get to Spain and bounce around with no internet and move into my apartment and basically be all over the place.

But now I'm all moved in and starting classes tomorrow and so hopefully I should be back to blogging on a (semi) regular basis.  In the meantime, I thought I'd do a post on my experiences in Spain so far, with a little note on Spanish fashion tucked in too.


So, thoughts on Spain:


First off, this eating thing.  SO DIFFERENT.  Getting over jet lag was easy, getting used to the Spanish eating schedule was HARD.  As far as I've gathered the Spanish daily meal system goes something like this: a tiny piece of toasted baguette with jam/olive oil and coffee at 9 am.  A mini sandwich/pick-me-up snack at 11 am.  A big lunch with soup, meat, rice dishes (etc), coffee, and desert at 3 pm.  Another pick me up snack at about 7pm (more carbs) and then tapas for dinner at 10 (featuring, shocker, MORE CARBS and fried foods).


I do not understand how Spain isn't obese.  I haven't seen a fresh vegetable at a single meal here, let alone a meal that doesn't heavily feature carbs or starches.  And forget about vegetarian food--so not culturally understood in Spain.


Just for comparison, my daily diet at home is something along the lines of: breakfast of oatmeal cooked in almond milk with a dash of cinnamon.  Snack of fruit or cheese or some little protein a few hours later, then a big salad for lunch (love me some greek salad), another snack, and then a big bowl of sauteed spinach for dinner.  


Don't get me wrong, though, Spanish food isn't bad.  The baked goods and pastries--I die.  And the coffee!  So good!  Aside from the stubborn aversion to all forms of iced coffee (sob, it's 90 degrees here).


But even given all the baked goods and carbs, Spain seems to have less of a problem with obesity than the US.  I'm not saying everyone here is 100 pounds and in perfect shape--in fact, they seem to be more healthy/average across the board.  And the same goes for clothes.  Spaniards do not wear sweats or sweatshirts or gross college tees, etc, in public.  I don't think well-dressed Spaniards are any more fashionable or numerous than well-dressed Americans, but Spaniards in generally seem to be a little less casual than Americans.  It's refreshing.


Also, Spain is SO PRETTY.  My dorm is in the old center of Sevilla, and not in a particularly historical bit, but the little windy streets everywhere are the most adorable things.  I want to do a photoshoot all over this neighborhood.  Possibly in the new Spanish clothing I plan on acquiring.


Well, that's all for now!  I'd add some pictures butttt I haven't gotten a converter to charge my camera with so I actually have none.  Boo.


Besos de Espana!