Random Ramblings...

Nothing too terribly exciting has happened this week and I think that's what has probably contributed to most of the random ramblings you're about to read.  (Although I am going to a Flamenco show tonight and leaving for Barcelona in the morning!!)

Yesterday on the way back from my Anthropology class, one of the girls from the program and I discovered that we lived really close to each other (because we were walking the same way home).  We had a nice discussion about things back home, what we miss from the US, our living situations here in Sevilla, etc.  That conversation is most likely what prompted most of my thoughts about home, etc. but nonetheless it was a good reminder of what I have to look forward to when I return.  We talked about all the stuff that dad grows (in the garden, peaches, and grapes, etc.) and how much we are both missing not being able to be in NC in the fall (although she is from Georgia, she goes to Duke).  So here's a compilation of random things that I miss about home, NC in general, or even just the US.  NOTE: I am not even going to attempt to list the people that I miss.  Obviously you all know who you are.  Rest assured, if you are even taking the time to read this blog, you are someone that I miss. :)

(Oh and these are in completely random order.  most of you know that my thoughts are normally jumbled up, so these are too.)

1. North Carolina in the fall.  I don't think I've ever truly appreciated the beauty of NC's fall, but after missing it for the first time, I'm pretty sure fall will become another favorite season.  
• Cooking in the fall.  I miss making all the fall things that are fun to make - pumpkin and sweet potato pies (although Caroline did let me in on a place to find some awesome sweet potatoes...will let you know how that goes when I am able to go sometime next week), muffins (although they are good year-round, they are especially great for chilly fall mornings), soups (my senora makes us tons of soups, but if you know me, you know how much I love to cook for myself), etc.
• The color of the leaves.  Although there are a few trees that have leaves with colors other than green, they are few and far between.  I miss the rainbow of shades that are visible all over NC, even just driving down 40.  
• UNC's campus in the fall.  I love UNC year round, but there's something about UNC in the fall.  Finding a good spot in the Union and settling down with a pile of homework and a coffee and bagel from Alpine is certainly impossible here in Sevilla. (On a side note--sorry I told you this was unorganized--Caroline and I talked about how we hate that if we were to go in a cafe here in Sevilla just to do a little studying/reading we would get weird glances.  Speaking from having tried that, Spaniards don't understand why you would ever go to a cafe or restaurant alone.  It just makes me miss Barnes and Noble with Amanda, Lindsay, and Rachel.)
2. Fooooood.
• Now, as you know from all of my previous posts, I LOVE the food here in Sevilla.  There are few things that I've tried that I haven't liked.  But there's nothing like the food that you were raised on.  In anthropology class the other day, we were talking about memories and how they can "transport" you to a different place in time.  For me, food is a definite thing that does that.  When I'm in Chapel Hill and I make something that I grew up eating (whether at home or either grandma's house), I know that it doesn't taste exactly as good or even look the same as it did back at home.  But when I eat it, it taste just the same.  Camilla and I talked about it today because I was telling her that my senora made a soup (chickpeas, tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, and onions) that I was positive tasted just like Grandma Murray's homemade vegetable soup.  Now obviously these two soups are not really anything alike.  But Camilla and I decided that to me, the memory of my grandma's soup made my mind trick me into thinking that that was what I was eating.  Strange, but it was nice to have a "taste" of home...even if it wasn't really, truly the same.  
• Foods that I miss the most:  BBQ, cornbread, chicken pastry, butter beans, pork chops (although my senora finally made one for us the other night...but it wasn't the same as mom's), pumpkin/sweet potato pies, mom's ranch chicken wings, mom's potato salad, bacon, grandma's scrambled eggs, grandma's banana pudding, peanut butter and blackberry jam sandwiches (Amanda got me hooked on these), bread (JESSICA!!  Although there is obviously bread here, to me, most of it is not as good as the bread back home.  Obviously there are exceptions and some bread here is completely incomparable to bread back home)  (JESSICA: I was telling my senora today about how much bread you eat...and how you get mad when someone tries to take your bread.  She laughed soooo hard!!  hahaha.)
• I miss the simple fact of being able to cook at home.  As most of you know, cooking is my outlet.  I love to cook for myself and for others.  I miss having my kitchen and trying out new recipes every week.  I'm pretty sure that as soon as I get back I will be spending a lot of time in the kitchen.  (Family: there's no need to cook for Christmas, I'm pretty sure I'll cook enough to feed an army)  (Jessica: You better have your apron ready.  We are going to be spending a lot of time together baking!!)
3. Spending time with family
• I miss Sunday afternoons spent at grandma's.  
• I miss watching movies with Amanda and Jessica late at night and laughing so hard that Dad has to get up and tell us to keep it down.
• I miss mom bringing home breakfast on Sunday mornings and eating it together.  
• I miss going out to eat at Chinese restaurants with grandma and Becky.
4. Set routines
• Everyone knows that I am a routine person.  I have more planners than I can keep up with (probably around 4 or 5?) and lists/sticky notes all over my room.  I like having a set schedule and knowing far in advance exactly what my plans are.  In Spain that is impossible.  Not only is it impossible because of the whole study abroad situation, but also because it is simply not included in the Spanish way of life.  My senora normally makes plans the day before or the day of.  My class schedule is a mess with classes that are either Wed/Thurs or Thurs/Fri or Mon/Tues (and one "normal" MWF class). Not only that but for my Mon/Tues class the time isn't even the same (8:30am on Monday and 10:30am on Tuesday).  It drives me insane trying to keep up with the erratic-ness of my schedule.  
5. English
• I love Spanish.  Obviously...that's why I'm here.  I love everything about knowing how to speak, read, and write in Spanish.  I love having conversations with native Spanish speakers (from whatever part of the globe).  I love waking up on occasions and realizing that my dream was entirely in Spanish.  I love being able to joke around with my senora in Spanish.  But sometimes, I just want to speak English.  Not that I don't even though I'm in Spain.  When talking with other people on the program we normally talk in English.  Paola and I try to go back and forth in Spanish (just to get our practice in).  But sometimes I just miss English.  I miss walking into a store and completely understanding everything that's going on because everyone is speaking English.  I miss reading signs in English and knowing all the information that I need to know about something.  I miss watching TV in English.  I miss reading in English (although I have read a small number of English books since being here).

Sorry for the randomness of all of this.  Just some stuff that I needed to get out.  Can't wait for Barcelona tomorrow!  I promise an extra good post on Tuesday when I return!! :)