A few of the things I learned while studying abroad

1. You probably won't know every vocab word (do you in English?) but that shouldn't stop you from trying to communicate.
2. I love M&Ms a lot and they are a lot more expensive in Europe. 
3. Not everyone is going to like you- accept it, move on, and have a good time anyways.
4. Everyone has something to offer.
5. You can learn something from everyone. 
6. Embrace the new culture- you have a lot to learn. 
7. You learn so much OUTSIDE of the classroom.
8. I don't know... maybe... a new language?
9. Reading will speed up your learning and increase your vocab significantly. 
10. Learning something new > being embarrassed because you said something incorrectly. 
11. How to travel as much as possible for as cheaply as possible. 
12. God sends you strangers to help you out along the way. 
13. The random person sitting next you on the plane could be your next best friend. 
14. Baguettes drowning in nutella are worth every single calorie. 
15. Don't sweat gaining a few pounds- the food is worth it. 
16. You really don't need that much clothing to survive.
17. Some people are obsessed with apples. And others are obsessed with sidra.
18. They know you're foreign so accept it. 
19. Beer can taste like fruit snacks.
20. Try everything at least once, you'll probably be surprised. 
21. It's normal to peel the spines/bones out of your dinner. 
22. Grocery stores close at 9, plan appropriately. 
23. A lot  of (most) stores are closed on Sundays. 
24. That no matter how many miles separate you, your true friends won't forget you or stop loving you. 
25. The ins and outs of a new city. 
26. Being open to letting new people impact and change you life will teach you more than you can imagine. 
27. First impressions aren't always the best impressions. 
28. The way you are inherently can be a life lesson to someone else.
29. Disney music is just as good in Spanish as it is in English. 
30. Even people in Spain think I spell my name with two 'n's.
31. Spanish people think they "eespeak eeSpanish in eeSpain" when really they "speak Spanish in Spain." (sometimes I don't have the weirdest English accent)
32. Your dinner will have eyes sometimes. 
33. If you think it's a sidewalk, it's probably a street. 
34. The wimps go home at 4AM. 
35. There is no such thing as personal space.
36. No expect to find things at the same stores you would find them at in the US. 
37. In one meal, you will be served enough food to feed a family of four. Twice. 
38. On Spanish calendars, the weeks start on Mondays. 
39. Make native friends.
40. The Spanish don't really know how to do anything quickly. 
41. The Spanish have no concept of how long things really take (hence the reason they are frequently late).
42. You will forget to eat without bread. 
43. Prepare to miss American peanut-butter.
44. Your feet and public transportation can get you everywhere you need to go. 
45. Life here is all about family, friends, and community. 
46. They weren't kidding when they called la Asturias a natural paradise. 
47. Everyone in Europe wears scarves. 
48. Man purses are acceptable. 
49. They will probably think you speak great Spanish and refuse to believe they can speak English. 
50. Naps can be part of your daily life if you want without judgment.  

Don't make me leave this paradise

This past weekend, our director, Jaime, took us on a weekend excursion. We left Saturday morning and took a bus to a small town called Aseigu de Cabrales where we learned A LOT about the process of making goat cheese (we even saw the caves they keep it in). After our little tour of the Ruta de Queso, we went to an Espicha (a style of eating in Spain) and learned about the Sidra they make in that town. The sidra came from the ceiling and I think it is the best sidra I have had here. We ate a lot of really good food including the goat cheese we had learned about. After we got back on the bus and drove for another hour or so to a small town called Potes where we spent the night. We had dinner in the hotel and just hung out after dinner.

Sunday morning after breakfast, we took a short bus ride to the Monastery of St. Toribio de Liebana. At this monastery, the biggest piece of the Holy Cross is located and we got to touch it! The piece is from the left side of the cross and it is bigger than the piece of the cross at St. Peter's in Rome. It was moved to this monastery when the Christians were fighting the moors in order to protect it. After that awesome adventure, we headed to a mountain range (we spent the whole weekend in Picos de Europa) in Cantabria (the Spanish state next to the Asturias). We took a funicular up the side of the mountain (I was so scared!) but the view from the top was absolutely incredible. We hiked around for a bit and then had lunch on the top. After we started our bus ride back to Oviedo. At one point, when we were on the road that separated the mountains on the left and the beach on the right, Shannon turned to me and said "Mountains on the left, beach on the right, where are we?" and I responded "Paradise?"

It was such a wonderful weekend and it was so great that the whole group got to go. I'm not ready to leave Spain- I wish I had more time. Time has flown, I can't believe I have been here for four and half months.

A horse named Zeus

Today we didn't have school because it's Spain's version of Labor Day so Shannon and I got on another bus headed to Cangas de Onis. From there we transferred buses and took a short bus ride to Soto de Cangas (a little pueblo) to El Dorado, a horseback riding place!
We spent two hours horseback riding through the Asturias, don't be jealous it wasn't amazingly beautiful or anything. My horse's name was Zeus and Shannon's was Yankee. At one point my horse decided to lay down (his front legs) which created a nice little slide for me. It's just a good thing that it was my horse that decided he didn't want me on him anymore because Shannon wouldn't have been a happy camper. Of course, we stopped for Sidra along the way- this is Spain after all.
Overall it was a lovely day and I'm happy as always to be in Spain!