Top 10 Things I Will Miss From Spain

1. Cheap Wine: I used to not be a wine drinker, but I began to order it at dinner and bars in Spain because one, it is cheap and two, I wanted to fully immerse myself in the Spanish culture while I was here and I now love it.

2. Good Dining Hall Food: I may be miles and miles away, but everyone knows about the health code violations in the Denison eating areas. Sick. So, not only will I miss a dining hall sans health code violations, but the food here is about 10 times better than anything Huffman, Curtis and Slayter have to offer.

3. Free Tapas with a Drink: At most bars and some restaurants here, when you order a drink you get a free tapa with it. For those of you who don’t know what a tapa is, it’s like an appetizer. It is the perfect amount of food when you just want to enjoy your drink and nibble on something, and it tastes a lot better than a breadbasket.

4. Siesta: I fully take advantage of the 3-4 hour period in the middle of the day when the shops close and everyone is eating lunch and relaxing.

5. Easy Traveling: Yes at home I can jump in a car and drive as far or long as I want, but you can’t really book a flight or take a bus or train to another country on weekends.

6. Principe Cookies: For those of you who have not been to a Spanish speaking country, you may not know what these are, but they are like backwards Oreos where the cookie part is like a graham cracker and the inside is chocolate. They are completely addicting.

7. Skyping: Skyping has saved my life. I do it with friends abroad, friends at school and family. On Thanksgiving my brother took his computer around the kitchen and showed me not only everything they had cooked for dinner, but also our stocked fridge, with soymilk. Yum.

8. Being on TV: My internship here has gotten me recognized in public in some instances and it’s crazy. I will definitely miss getting my make-up and hair done each week.

9. Maids: Living in the dorms we have maids that come in everyday to clean the bathroom and shower and mop the floors. And once a week they change our sheets and towels. I’ll miss that when I’m living in Beaver, and have to clean my own bathroom.

10. Weather: Although I cannot wait to go home for the snow, I know that when February rolls around and it is still icy and bitter cold in Ohio I’ll wish I was back in Spain in warmer weather where it rarely snows.