Some Obvservations

1. Spain is filled with outdoor spaces where people can spend time. But the only people I've really seen taken advantage of this and sit for hours are all several decades older than me. Now, as I mentioned before when talking about the pool, I don't have anything against elderly people, and actually I like to think that I admire and respect them (1. because the people in my life who are that age are some of the COOLEST people I know, and 2. Well, they know a lot more than me). But I have to wonder at the fact that I often see older people on benches and never younger people. Maybe it's a lifestyle left over from a time before I was born, maybe it's because all the young people are in school or sleeping in after staying up all night partying. But whatever it is, one of the images of Spain I'm going to bring back, for better or worse, is that of an elderly man, reclined on a bench, cane in hand, taking in the sun and chatting with an old friend.

2. It's cold here (well, just got a little brisk today, hanging out around 43 degrees fahrenheit as the high)...and it seems like the last thing people are going to bring out are the hats and gloves. Winter jacket, boots, scarves, yes. But they leave their hands and heads exposed. I find this strange considering the fact that people walk everywhere here, so although I know what cold is, I really don't spend much of my time outside in the cold in Minnesota--but here they do. Maybe I'm weird, but the hat and gloves were always the things I pulled out first, before the heavy jacket, before the scarf, even before the boots, always had a pair of light gloves. What can I say? I like it when my fingers function.

3. Although my Spanish has gotten good (if I do say so myself) certain words continue to elude me. Aprovechar, meter, y echar. I know what they mean. But their uses? My goodness, they just don't fit in the frases I want to use.

4. I'm mixing up Spanish and English spelling. See above "frases" as an example. Also common are words that end in "ion" like terminacion, accion, reaccion.

5.Learning English is REALLY hard for Spaniards. Their language doesn't have as many vocal sounds as ours so words like "fill" "feel" and "fell" all sound the same to them.

6. Sometimes the thing that makes me feel farthest away from home is the time difference.

7.  I need a haircut.