I have come to a crisis. Not quite a mid-life crisis or a quarter life crisis for that matter, rather what I would like to call an island crisis. I’m no longer sure that a life involving wearing deodorant and underwear is the one I want to live. I have spent the last four days…
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We Get Around
My friend Francie and I decided to go to Formentera, a small island just off Ibiza, for a relaxing weekend retreat. Formentera was one of the filming locations for my favorite Spanish movie, Lucía y el Sexo, and it’s been a dream of mine to see it. Also, I justify everything in April as being “for my birthday,” so this…
Read MorePauline Ran Away
So I ran a 10k for the first time. Since I have never ran more than about a mile without taking a break, I happen to be pretty damn proud of myself for running over six miles continuously. I didn’t train for it at all. In fact, in the days leading up to the 10k,…
Read MoreLa Vida es Un Carnaval
Last night, I was locked in a tiny, dark bathroom with mayonnaise on my tutu, with my friend kneeling in front of me, helping me button my leotard from underneath, while an Icelandic Pharaoh and a costume-less American waited outside. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Carnaval. Carnaval is the festive season immediately before Lent and typically involves intricate parades,…
Read MoreThe White Tiger
A white tiger: something extremely rare, but not altogether impossible to find. In a previous post, I mentioned that I was looking for an apartment in the city center, within walking distance to the University, with lots of natural sunlight and a balcony. And, I wanted it all for less than $500. Jesus must be reading my blog,…
Read MoreConversations with Strangers: Kyle from Boston
How we met: I met Kyle and his buddies, Alex and Ned, while waiting for the metro. They were speaking English, and being an English speaker myself, I decided we had enough in common to become friends. We spent the rest of the night bar hopping and I am most definitely still feeling the remnants of…
Read MoreEat The Damn Bread
I think I have eaten more carbs in these past two weeks than I have in the past year. And I am happier than I have ever been. Breakfast is always cereal with either toast, croissants or muffins. Lunch is a foot-long baguette. And not the Subway five dollar foot-longs that are actually like 11 inches. We’re talking…
Read MoreThe Spanish Host Family Experience
For the first two weeks of my study abroad program, everyone was placed with a host family. I live with a rather nice Spanish family in a small apartment in the northern part of the city. I share a room with another girl in my program, Kelly. My host mother is Montserrat, a sweet woman in…
Read MoreWild Horses Couldn’t Drag Me Away
Sometimes I like to think of my life as a movie, and therefore will proceed to describe today in the form of a screenplay. It’s basically Eat Pray Love, except in Barcelona and I am not a middle aged divorcée. I’ve never actually seen the movie, but I’m going to assume that the plot is…
Read MoreWild Saturday Night in Barcelona
That title is a complete lie. It’s Saturday night and I should be celebrating my arrival to Barcelona by getting white-girl wasted on sangria, screaming “WOOO BARCELONA!” and making out with overly perfumed Spanish men. But honestly, I am so tired that if I went out and someone tried to speak to me, drunk me would probably…
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