(2) A few more of my favorite things...

In keeping with the theme of creating a litany of awesome Spanish things, it's time to talk about naps.

Favorite thing #2: Siestas (see-ayes-tas)

Everyone loves a good nap. If you know me at all, you would be familiar with my weekly (ok, sometimes bi-weekly) mini-coma. I have confidence in your intelligence that you can infer what a mini-coma entails. Now, why do these mini-comas happen? I can only guess that it is because I do not take enough naps.

Dramatization of a mini-coma. Performed by your truly.

Solution? Daily naps... between 2ish and 5 ish... with the rest of the Madrileños. 

Excuse my french, (If only the proverbial phrase was 'spanish' instead of 'french'... that would make this comment so witty) but siestas are THE SHIT. After lunch, which is a veritable feast in Spain, everyone, everywhere, takes a nice, long nap. Businesses shut down for 2 to 3 hours. Students come home from school. Some restaurants and El Corte Ingles (Spanish version of Target) are pretty much the only places that stay open. This happens everyday in Spain (except for Sunday- the whole day is like a nap). After the siesta, everything opens and everyone wakes, refreshed and ready to party like... Spaniards*.

SHELAGH MINI-COMA PROBLEM SOLVED.

*Sorry, I had to.

A few of my favorite things...

In honor of my impending departure, I have decided to fill my time by listing a few of the best Spanish traditions/lifestyle details for which I am pee-your-pants-a-little-but-not-so-much-that-anyone-notices-excited. Not only will this get me more excited for my trip, but it will get YOU excited- and sound culturally savvy/temporal/generally classy when people start talking about the recent World Cup campeones.

Favorite Thing #1: Botellones (Bo-tay-yone-ayes)

Ever wish you could drink openly in public? Ever wish you could drink openly in public with 800 of your closest friends? Well, in Spain, you can! I certainly will, at least. Every night before Spanish youngens go out, they pre-game in open plazas and parks in Spain, sometimes with as many as 1,000 others. Is this real life?? Let us list the reasons this nightly event is muy bueno:

-It's fiscally responsible! (You don't spend a ridiculous amount on drinks at clubs)
-You meet the locals! (Alcohol IS the social lubricant of the world)
-You make friends! (Sharing alcohol with others is a sound beginning to any long-lasting relationship)
-You experience the local tastes! (Trading alcohol-duh... which is totally safe! Hi, Mom and Dad)

I am probably not cool enough to join THIS circle (specifically the bottom-left guy), but you get the idea.

The journey begins... más o menos

...and I am off (actually I am off in 16 days, 3 hours and 39 minutes, but let's spare ourselves the techincalities). Prepare yourself to spend 10 months with me while I live, study, work and yes, party, in Madrid, Spain. Adjusting certainly will not be easy, but no Spain, no gain- Right?