Day 8,537

I've decided I'm going to stop counting the days. It's too hard, I can't keep track. So today is Sunday, and it's incredibly difficult to believe that we've only been here for a week. The past 7 days of my life have been the best I've ever had. I can't begin to explain all the amazing places I've been, all the cool people I've talked to, or any of the insane nights I've had. And it's only been a week.

I feel compelled to update you all, but there is nothing specific to say. I could iterate how amazing of a time I'm having, but mere words won't suffice. Much like my photos will never look as beautiful as the real view. I wish I could pack up my life and move here permanently. It's a long way away and I shouldn't even be thinking about it, but I know I won't want to go home in just three short months. I don't say this often, but my dad was right. I should have come in the fall and stayed here for a year. A semester will never be enough time.

Yesterday was the santander versus some other city game. I met some friends at about 9:30 and we walked over to the stadium. I sincerely regret not going to the game, but we went to a nearby bar and watched it on tv. I really hate football, but I have to admit that last night's game was really fun, mostly thanks to the atmosphere surrounding it. These people go wild when there's a game. Racing (Santander's team) scored twice near the beginning, but the other team caught up fairly quickly. The score stayed at 2-2 up until the very last minute, when Santander scored a third time. We walked past the stadium after the game and the energy was palpable. The way back to my side of town is through a tunnel that is about 600 or so meters long, and walking back through was SO much fun. Tons of people waving flags or jerseys, and every car that passed honked its horn and cheered out the windows. Our throats were sore from cheering and my friend Bobby even complained that his hands hurt from clapping so much. Spaniards are serious about their football.

So of course we had to go out afterward to celebrate the victory. There are usually no cover charges here in espana, and the bars don't usually close until after three or four, which makes bar hopping an all-night adventure. Es un poco peligroso, pero no me importa.

I've said this before, but my favorite times are when we get to hang out with the ERASMUS students. There's never a dull moment, because they're all so foreign in more ways than one, so there is never a shortage of conversation. Not like talking to Americans, because I cant very well ask them when/how they learned English, what they do for fun, and if they've ever been to America, because I know the answers to all those questions. I really wish I could live like this forever.

We've begun to plan our trips a bit. I know a lot of us are planning on going to Dublin for saint patrick's day, and I just booked a flight to Paris with one of the girls here. I absolutely can't wait to go back to Italy. Italy was my favorite place to visit, and it's not just because of the italianos, who, admittedly, contribute significantly. I didn't have a travel tip prepared for today, but I just thought of one just now:

Travel Tip #5:
You must visit Venice and some point in your life. And you should probably do it soon, because I'm pretty sure global warming has its crosshairs set, and it's ready to pull the trigger any decade now. Sooner than we might think, Venice will be become the next lost city.

I am so strange. Everything I just said, what a weird way to word all that. Lo que sea. That means "whatever." I learned that yesterday. Ah, there are so many things I plan to bring back to the states. Siesta being the number 1 priority. America, this is important. We have to jump on this siesta bandwagon, I PROMISE you will ask yourself how you ever went without it. (but americans are too much in love with their jobs, so alas, siesta will never catch on over there. But por eso, this next one will-) Second on my list of things to bring back is "sunnies," which is not, strictly speaking, as much Spanish as it is Australian, but it will replace sunglasses. Listen, we're Americans. We got shit to do. We don't have time to say "sunglasses." That's a whole three syllables, people. Think about how much more productive we can be when we drop it down to two. and after that, it will evolve into just "suns." It will be fucking great.

Okay, I'm done now. I'll think of more things I want to bring back and write about them.

"El mundo es un libro, y aquellos que no viajan leen solo una pagina."