La Comida de España

The food in Spain is amazing!!!!

Just like in Chile, lunch is the biggest meal.  However, the lunch in Spain is in my opinion much bigger.  In general, I feel that Spaniards eat much healthier than Chileans and eat more.  Eating in Spain is a huge part of the culture.  The social life is commonly centered around delicious food.  When I was in Chile, I honestly felt like many women had fears of eating in public.  When I was eating dinner with my soccer team, the boyfriend of our captain commented that he had never seen girls eat so much!  I was shocked.  He said that he rarely sees women eat a lot in general and that many eat additional food in their rooms in private.  Since the food in Chile is not the healthiest over all, and many women do not exercise regularly, I believe that Chilean women control their weight by limiting the amount of food consumed.

Unlike Chile, Spanish women eat just as much as Spanish men and everyone enjoys good quality food.  Spain highly values extra virgen olive oil, fish, vegetables, and fruits.  One of the most recommendable diets in the world, the Spanish diet is healthy and well balanced.  I also love that people here just love food.  Spaniards love chocolate and are not afraid to indulge.  With a healthy attitude towards food, and active life styles of walking or biking everywhere (at least in Sevilla), Spaniards tend to be thin and fit.

Even though the Spaniard diet is fantastic, I do criticize the amount of bread I eat here and the small breakfast.  Sometimes I feel like I eat a loaf of bread every day.  I also wish I could eat yogurt or fruit for breakfast instead of two big slices of bread every morning.

The type of food varies from region to region of Spain.  In general for lunch, Spaniards eat a soup, salad, or small appetizer first, then a big dish, and then a fruit or yogurt for desert.

In Andalusia, gazpacho is famously delicious.  Other appetizers I commonly have in Spain are fried fish, sardines, chorizo (spicy sausage) and bread, and empanadillas (similar to empanadas).  Typical big dishes are fried fish and potatoes or french fries, paella, sea-food cazuela, and eggs and chorizo with potatoes.  There is a such a variety of dishes, I generally have a new dish every lunch.  After the main dish, we have kiwi, orange, apple, pear, or yogurt.

For dinner, we eat something smaller, such as salad (with tuna, pomegranates, lettuce, and olive oil), or croquetas (fried or oven baked potato with meat or seafood or cheese), or cheese and chorizo and bread.  After dinner we have another fruit or yogurt.

When I go out to eat, I love sharing tapas (small appetizers) with friends.  We order a variety of great small dishes and can spend hours eating and drinking together.

People generally do not eat by themselves in Spain.  When people go to work with out a packed lunch, they go to a restaurant to eat lunch with friends.  People do not run around eating food in the street like Americans.  Spaniards take time out of their day to enjoy food in the social company of others.

It's A Girl!

Finally having found the host family I always wanted, I am super comfortable and content.  When I am on a weekend trip away from home, I am always excited to return to my host family.  Returning to my apartment after class, I am usually greeted by my host nephew running over to me and host parents asking me about my day.

My host mom goes with me to all of my doctor appointments (no surprise that I am at th
e doctor's office once again in another country).

I spend so much time with my señor and señora.  We watch movies, tv shows, and news programs together.  We eat all of our meals together, unless I need a packed lunch of course.  We are always talking, laughing, and enjoying each other's company.

I am truly so happy in my new home.

And the best of news yet- "It's A Girl!"

For those of you who got nervous at the title of this post, don't worry!  We recently found out that my host sister is going to have a baby girl!!!!! This will be her second child and will have the same name as her mother- Rosio.  My host sister is now approaching 4 months in her pregnancy and I could not be any more excited for her.

Córdoba

Kizoa slideshow: Cordoba - Slideshow

Granada

Kizoa slideshow: Granada - Slideshow

Granada (pomegranate in English) is a wonderful city.  When exploring different study abroad locations, I ultimately was deciding between Granada and Sevilla.  After seeing Granada, I know that both choices would have made me equally happy. 

In my opinion, the buildings and streets of Seville are more aesthetically pleasing, but Granada has a beautiful setting in the mountains.  Sometimes I felt as though I were in a forest instead of a city. 

Granada also has more culturally interesting environment since it was the last Muslim city to be conquered by the Christians in 1492 (yes, I am learning in my history culture class J).  There are tons of Arab art, music, and food.  The Alhambra is also one of the most beautiful buildings I’ve ever seen. Granada also has less Americans in the city than Sevilla (a major plus).

Basically a college city, Granada has a very fun night life.  The bars are very lively, offering a drink with tapas for only 2 euros!  There’s a really fun street in Granada packed with bars, where everyone goes at night to enjoy the 2 euro deal.