Packing Paralysis.

Someone used this phrase in a post on facebook the other day and I thought it was perfect. What is it, you ask? Well from personal experience I'd describe it something like this:

Have you ever sat and stared at your suitcase for entirely too long, just hoping that if you look away for a bit and then look back it will m.a.g.i.c.a.l.l.y. be packed and ready to go?
It never is of course, but this realization can sometimes take days to happen. (Or hours, depending on your time frame.)

Knowing that I always get my self into this situation, I started packing about a week ago. I was hoping that the packing paralysis would run its course and I would still be able to get everything ready with a few days to spare.

No luck. Packing Paralysis saw through my plan and has stuck by my side like glue ever since.

And that's how I've got myself in the current situation. I haven't even attempted to pack my suitcase once, so I have no idea if everything will fit or if it will even be under the weight limit. I do however have all my clothes in piles next to my suitcase. They're taunting me.

Whenever I think "Okay, let's do this", they start to stare me down. The piles get bigger and bigger and I get filled with doubts like, "but won't I want to wear this shirt before I leave?" So then I turn away and decide to come back later.

And so on and so forth.

The other problem I've developed is 3rd World Country Syndrome. I don't know how else to describe it. I seem to think that Spain is similar to a 3rd world country, meaning that "no, I won't be able to buy deoderant there" or "of course I need to bring a water bottle and lap top case with me even though I've never had a use for them here at home and most likely won't need them in Spain, I want to bring them just in case I happen to need them there but stores don't sell them."

It's a very expensive syndrome.

The odd part is, I lived in Spain for 4 months so I have a pretty good idea of what they sell there. Oops.

Luckily I managed to talk myself out of the water bottle and lap top case (thank god since the case was $50...). I do however have 3 deoderant sticks, 4 various sizes of toothpaste, 3 tooth brushes, 3 contact cases, 6 packs of kleenex, and god knows what else. I'm not really sure where all my clothes are going to fit in among that.

10 days.

Yep, that's ten, T-E-N, days until I leave.

Aaaaaaaaaa! I've been trying to stay calm and get everything done that needs to be done, but it's kind of hard when I'm the giddy/nervous/excited/terrified/anxious mess that is a recent graduate about to leave for a 9 month job in a foreign country.  Yeah. That about sums me up right now. A mess.

I'm so excited, but I'm still terrified.  It's weird knowing that so much is going to be different around here when I get back. Some things good, some things...not so great.

--My Grandpa finally moved out of his gorgeous 5-story Victorian house in downtown Chicago, which is now up for sale. I went to see it one last time today, but it's a strange feeling knowing someone else might call it home before I get back next year.
--My dad is working on an addition to our house right now, so when I get back next year our house will look a little different.
--One of my friends is due to have a BABY around the time I'll be getting home!
--My cat, my favorite animal in the world, is getting up there in his years. And we live on the farm. I'm lucky he's made it this long and I have to be aware that he might not be so lucky in the next year.
--My friends might forget I exist...

Okay, well that last one (hopefully) won't be true, but I can't be the only one with irrational fears like that.

But that was just me semi-freaking out and venting.

More than anything I can't wait for this adventure to start and to see what this next year brings!

Packing

So I'm finally starting the packing process and I'm really worried that I'll think I have everything packed up and then arrive in Spain and realize I forgot all of my pants. Or something like that. Does anybody else have that fear?

I've written down various lists of things I want to make sure I remember, but I've lost all of them. Soooo...I figured if I made a blog post about it then I wouldn't be able to lose it again!

-----

1 jar of Peanut butter - you don't realize how delicious pure peanut butter is until your only choice is Nutella.

Map of Wisconsin, post cards of New Glarus & La Crosse, packers&brewers paraphenalia (maybe), etc. - We're supposed to represent our estado right? I want to bring some hands on things, like maybe a bag of my favorite candy (or another jar of peanut butter). Does anyone have any ideas or tips?

Packers and Brewers shirts - I'm not sure how it will be this time since I'm living in a more Spanish-based city and I'm not traveling with an American program, but last time groups of us would always congregate at the Irish Bar to watch the sports games back home, drink, and talk loudly in English. If there is an opportunity to do that this year, I want to be able to show off my p.r.i.d.e.

1 sweatshirt and the comfiest pair of sweatpants I own - I would never ever be caught dead wearing these outside of my piso, but sometimes it's nice to just cuddle it up and l.o.v.e looking like a bum. However, the Spaniards would obviously not agree with this. Even when they're dressed down they still look stylish.

A couple boxes of Kraft mac n' cheese - ahhh pure deliciousness packaged in traditional american style. Not only will this be nice to have during my first few homeless nights in Algeciras, it will be a great example to show the kids of my life in college.

Spain vs. the U.S. (Spain wins by the way.)

Just some thoughts I was having about what I'll miss when I leave versus what I'm looking forward to living with for the next 9 months.

Los Estados Unidos

1. I don't know how I'll be able to go for 9 months without real milk. I just don't think that milk should come in cartons that are left outside on the porch for god knows how long. Milk is meant to be refrigerated. Seriously.

2. I'll miss driving in my car with the windows down and the radio blasting and being able to sing at the top of my lungs without feeling weird.

That was the first thing I did when I got back home after a semester in Spain. Humming quietly while you walk down the streets just isn't the same.

Granted, some people don't care and will belt it out anyway, but that's not really my style.

3. I'll miss my boyfriend. Yeah yeah yeah, I know, this is a given. But I'm so used to seeing him everyday, being able to call him or text him whenever I want. It will be weird to have to plan out times that we can talk.

4. I'll miss my friends&family. A couple of weeks ago I would have said I'd be fine living on another continent without seeing my family for a year (I know that sounds harsh, but that's what college did to me...) but now that I've been living at home on and off, I'm starting to get reattached...
And as for my friends (New Glarus, Monti, La Crosse, Anoka, everyone) I can't even imagine a year without seeing any of them! 

5. I'll definitely miss the dollar. When I see a t-shirt that costs $10 I might think twice about buying it, but if I see the same shirt for 8E or 9E, I'll tend to think that it's a steal cause it's under $10 and I'll buy it. (Obviously forgetting that now it's actually $11-$12). Not that that's such a big difference, but it does add up.

6. PUMPKIN SPICE LATTES! I can't be the only person whose about to going to be upset when late November rolls around and there's no place to buy pumpkin spice lattes. Maybe I'm wrong and these are offered in Spain as well, in which case I will be ecstatic!! I've worked at Culvers for the last 4 years and Thanksgiving has by far been my favorite time of the year, solely because of the pumpkin spice shakes and concretes.

[Update. Thankfully these glorious beverages made their appearance about a week ago, so I've been buying them every opportunity I can. Count so far = 1 frappuccino, 3 lattes, 1 shake.]

7. Culvers. I may be slightly addicted to this restaurant chain, seeing how I've worked there for several years and I'm still not sick of eating their food. When I eat a hamburger in Spain (which I just learned is usually made with veal or a mixture of beef and pork) I will fondly remember the deliciousness that is a Culvers ButterBurger. 

These are all kind of trivial things though, I suppose.

Here's what I'm looking forward to about España.

1. First off, It's not the U.S.! I'll be living and working in a foreign country thousands of miles away from my home, by myself, without knowing anyone. This is the experience of a life time.

2. Tinto de verano. This is definitely my favorite drink that I had in Spain.

I normally dislike wine. I wished I liked it cause I like the heady feeling I get after drinking a glass or two, but every sip feels like I'm choking down nail polish remover. Ew.

But tinto, ahhhhh. It's pure deliciousness. My first stop once I reach Algeciras will be to stop at a bar and get a glass.

3. Siestas! How great is it that nap time for adults is encouraged? I took lots of naps in college but it wasn't quite the same. I woke up feeling groggy and annoyed because I had fallen asleep on top of the book I was supposed to be reading for biology. Or I would set my alarm for a 20 minute nap and then push s.n.o.o.z.e. for the next 2 hours, which still resulted in me being groggy and annoyed and behind on my homework.

But now, I'll have a 2-3 hour time frame to nap away without feeling guilty!

4. The ease of t.r.a.v.e.l.i.n.g. around Europa. That sums that up.

5. The relaxed pace of life. I was in Spain for 4 months last time and I still never really got used to how slowwwwww people walk. It's not just when they walk, they take their time everywhere. And that's something that a lot of us Americans aren't used to.

I'm excited to have a reason to leave early on my way to work just so I can enjoy the scenery, and to stop and enjoy a coffee at an outdoor café just because I can.


6. Las rebajas. That's 'sales' for all you monolingual people. Europe has two terrific clothing sales throughout the year, one in the summer and one in the winter. Amsterdam apparently advertises 70% off in many of its stores over the winter rebajas!

Pensamientos sobre la Comida (Thoughts about food)

Hola! (4 years later and I still haven't figured out how to make the upside down exclamation point on a Mac. Anybody know how?)

I had my graduation party last weekend and when my dad said he wanted to make Spanish food instead of just grilling hamburgers, I was a little umm....hesitant.
In my opinion, Spain is not known for their food. When trying to decide what I want to eat for dinner I've never said "Spanish food sounds really good." Nope. You will probably never hear me say that. In comparison, Chinese food I'm always up for, Mexican food is delish, and Japanese sushi is a guilty pleasure. But Spanish food? No thanks.

I mean, there are the exceptions. Paella is one of my favorite dishes ever, and tortilla española is aaaa-mazing.
But-- the jámon (ham), the lack of spices, and the beef-less hamburgers I could definitely do without. (I just learned the their hamburgers usually come from veal or a combination of beef and pork....this would explain why they never taste very good.)
Oh yeah, and the way they won't put cheese on a pizza unless you specifically ask for it. And even when you ask for it, they use a weird type of cheese. And their ability to hide ham in just about everything, including potato chips and spaghetti ("is there meat in the spaghetti?" "oh no, just ham." True story).

It took me a solid month last time I was there to get used to the food (and by "get used to" I mean not analyze what I was eating before I ate it). I still have issues with seafood, ham, and chorizo. Which anybody who has been to Spain before realizes is a major problem, since those are Spain's staple foods. Oops.

Wish me better luck this time!

mmmmm...paella con carne

Ew.

They sell cans or bottles of tinto at the grocery stores, and a lot of bars will just use these for their tinto during busy times. Still good, but a little bit sweeter than the home-made version.

Soo...

I'm bored, and procrastinating getting ready for work. Mornings like this make me so excited for the 12 hours/week max I'll be working for the next year. Ug. I am so not a morning person.

Anyway, here are some random facts about the city I will be calling home in a few weeks:

Algeciras does not serve free tapas........ :( 

--Granada, the city I studied abroad in last year, is one of the only (is it the only?) cities in Spain that serves free tapas. I believe there is a bar in Madrid that serves them as well, but if you have to ask where it is it then you're probably not supposed to be there.)--


Algeciras is considered mainly a jump off point to other locations, like Morocco, the Canary Islands, Tarifa, etc.  I have yet to read a blog entry of someone who visited Algeciras for the sake of visiting Algeciras.

The average temperature during the summer is 75 - 83 degrees, and during the winter it stays in the 50's. Now that is a winter I can deal with!!

--Sidenote. 2 years ago I arrived in Spain in January and it snowed in Madrid while we were there for orientation, and then when we took a group trip to Rome for Valentine's day, it decided to snow for the first time in 20 years. So although it says that Algeciras has mild winters, I won't believe it till I see it.
Especially given the freak temperatures we've been seeing around here lately.

There is a college located nearby the school were I'll be teaching, so *cross your fingers* that this means I'll be able to find students or international travelers to live with.

Aaaand gotta go to work.

Ciao!

Anyyyybody else....?

Now that it's getting closer to the time to leave and now that it's starting to sink in that this is happening, I'm getting wayyy more nervous! For the last 9 months I've been casually telling people that I'll be living and working in Spain next year. I could go through the whole schpiel (is that how you spell it?) about where I'll be living, where I'll be working, yes I'm excited, yes I'll miss my boyfriend but no we're not going to break up, and no I'm hardly fluent in Spanish. It's amazing how many people have decided that I must be fluent in Spanish because it's my major.
Haha....it was a losing argument. Lately I've just been nodding and smiling and agreeing that after 8 years of spanish, I am completely fluent. Lies.

Anyway, I've also been keeping a closer eye on the facebook groups for the program. There are specialized groups now for each region, and sometimes for a specific town. I asked on the main page a while ago if anybody else was placed near Algeciras, but so far I haven't heard back.

There are separate groups for Sevilla, Granada and Cádiz, and I've seen some posts about 5 or 6 people teaching in the same tiny town. But I haven't heard anything about Algeciras. For a town of 115,000 there must at least one more auxiliar, right?