Ode to life as a college student

Greatest meal ever.

On Sundays, siesta is basically an all-day ordeal and nearly everything in the city is closed. At 9:00 at night, you can be sure that nothing is open for dining ('within our price range' being the key). Good thing Sierra and I didn't recognize our hunger pangs until that unfortunate hour. Oiy. Sierra subsequently rushed down to the cafe next to our Residencia, hoping to arrive before its nightly closure. She barely made it.

Tromping back up to my room, she triumphantly displayed the products of her success. Two small croissants, which might I add, were the exact ones we partook that very morning for breakfast as well. We plopped cross-legged on my bed, in our pajamas, and celebrated our luxe meal of French pastries with peach marmalade and tap water. We didn't have knives to spread the jam, so we barbarically dipped in large chunks, and lacking napkins as well, we covered our laps with exceedingly elegant streams of one-ply toilet paper. Mmm.

And of all things, our deepest longings in those moments, you ask?

CHEEZ-ITS.

What can we say? We revel in simplicity.

Anyway. Things we have otherwise been up to:

+Excursion #4: Museum of Archeology. In a nutshell: sarcophagi, old Roman pottery, headless statues, and religious paintings riddled with phallic innuendos. There was also a photographic exhibit on Mexico (yes, we flew all the way to Spain to learn about Mexico...). The highlight: sneaking up to the fourth floor to look at contemporary Spanish art. Yay.

+Friday night, Sierra and I went to the movies, which are much cheaper here, by the way. We planned to catch the 10:30PM showing of Odette Toulemonde, a French film dubbed in Spanish, all the while thinking "wow, we don't even really see movies this late at home..." Upon our arrival, we found hoards of 11 and 12-year-olds milling about late into the night. We felt reeeeally hip then.

+Despues de la pelicula, we joined our Cadiz group for some clubbing extravaganzas. And by clubbing, we simply mean dancing in a packed out bar complete with black lights and creepy men. Woot woot. [see pictures below]

+Saturday, we attempted to check out El Corte Ingles, the infamous shopping center supposedly only a 15-minute walk away. Well. First we took the wrong bus all the way to the end of its line. Then we walked somewhat aimlessly around the city, making friends with essentially every person in Cadiz in order to ask for directions, and finally, after an HOUR, found what was just a large department store. The adventures continued with a lunch of hamburgers, which really were HAMburgers (could we expect anything else of Spain?), and more incorrect bus-taking before eventually returning to La Residencia. It was a long day.

+For dinner, we ordered "bocadillos de pollo" at our favorite sandwich shop, thinking we were in for, well, chicken sandwiches. The waiter delivered plates of slices of toast holding practically nonexistent chickens bits smothered in mayonnaise (I always wondered what a straight up mayo sandwich tasted like...) with another ham, cheese, and egg sandwich stacked on top. Confused? Me too. But it was a tasty triple-decker beast of a meal, and I am happy to report that the ham legacy still going strong.

+Yesterday was our last day of class, and in our clase de cultura, Sierra and I (along with four other girls) closed the month off with a bang. Or rather, a reworded rendition in honor of Cadiz of the song "Me Gustas Tu," dressed in togas made of sheets stripped from our beds that morning. The things we do for good grades. It's just too bad there happen to be no pictures capturing our outstanding efforts. What a travesty indeed...ahem.

+Today, we get the day off to "study," as our final exams are bright and early on the morrow. Hopefully they won't be too worrisome. But more than anything, I'm just hoping not to pull another car chase scene as nearly precluded our first round of tests. I'll be sure to keep you updated...

+Last note: Happy Anniversary to us! We have been in Spain for one whole month now. And BARCA AWAITS ON SATURDAY!! Hurrah.

[I apologize for the dearth of pictures in this entry, it's simply that our days as of late generally consist of the same routine. Class, gelato, siesta, gelato, journaling, gelato. Just imagine us in the same places, doing the same things, and at this point in the trip, wearing the same clothes (at least for me anyways).]