Salamanca

Let's learn about where I'm going!

I didn't realize how super close Salamanca was to Portugal, which kind of makes me excited.  My knowledge of all things Portuguese is well, nothing.  I'm curious to see how much their culture and language has had an affect on my city.  

Salamanca is also very close to Madrid, which is AWESOME.  My dad and I went to lunch at Trattoria Centrale today and as we were eating our delicious meals (I'm totally in love with that place), he mentioned that Spain has a good high-speed train system.  Hopefully that'll put me in easy connection to Madrid.

Salamanca is considered one of the most spectacular Renaissance cities in Europe (Yes, I am getting all this info from Wikipedia.  Who wouldn't?) and apparently Christopher Columbus lectured there?  And Hernán Cortés took classes there too?  Holy crap.

The average high is 60 degrees in April.  I can deal with that.  

The classic Salamancan dish is called charreria, a baked casserole made with garbanzo beans.  I like garbanzo beans.  Hornazo also sounds good, which is a pie often eaten after Lent is over.  Cuchifrito is common in Castilla y León (the autonomous community where Salamanca is located), which is a meat dish served with olive oil, rosemary, vinegar, basil, etc.  All good things.

PRIMAVERA SOUND: May 27th-29th

SOMEBODY COME TO SPAIN AND GO WITH ME CAUSE I'M NOT GOING TO KNOW ANYONE.  Please.  This will change.  your.  life.

Check out the line-up:

http://www.primaverasound.com/ps.php?seccion=cartel&idioma=en

Good, right?  I'm mainly interested in the 28th and 29th, for Dr. Dog, Yeasayer and Beach House.

That's all for now.  I gotta go to sleep.

buenas noches

3 a.m. thoughts

So I awoke at midnight and haven't fallen back asleep yet, as I so often do on nights before I have to open at work (be there at 5:30 in the a.m.).  Bobo, I know you were trying to be quiet while preparing your midnight feast, but you just can't control the noise level of the microwave.  I'm shaking my fist in the direction of your room.

Anyway, whenever I'm just lying in bed wishing myself to sleep, my brain kicks into overdrive and I start thinking about everything that's going on in my life.  I analyze, contemplate, worry, et cetera until my brain finally decides to chill out.  Lately my brain has been focusing on my impending 2.5 monthslongscaryforeign adventure.  Ohhh man, my stomach just did that weird drop flip thing when you think about something that makes you CRAZY nervous.  

If for some reason you don't know what I'm talking about (which I doubt because a total of like 5 people read this), I'm going to study at the University of Salamanca in Spain from April 5-June 11.  This will be my third summer in a row to leave the country.  There are people twice my age whose most exotic adventure was a weekend cruise to Cozumel, so I feel extremely privileged.  I know this trip will be life-changing and will be such an amazing experience and if I didn't go I'd regret it yadda yadda yadda, but I'm still a bit terrified.  Yeah, it's exciting, but after the first week I'm afraid I'll realize I still have over 2 months of living in Spain, completely alone, where I have to speak Spanish and make friends with people who maybe don't speak my native language.  My return to American soil is what I'm most looking forward to.  Is that bad?  

There are some other things I am definitely looking forward to:  

-Spanish food- paella, chorizo, horchata

-Spanish shopping- I hope they have awesome thrift stores

-*Spanish guys- what?

-*Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona- Dr. Dog, Yeasayer, Beach House.  Who could ask for more?

-Side trips to Madrid, Portugal, the Basque region

*= tentative

I'm trying to focus on the exciting things so I don't psych myself out too much.  What I keep thinking to myself is that in 3 months this will all be over and I'll be back home to my friends and family and the latter half of summer.  My fall school semester is looking promising, too.  I'm taking German, Cultural Anthropology, Astronomy lab, Geography and of course Spanish.  I'm also super stoked about being able to ride my new bike to class this coming semester.

T minus 21 days.