Staying in Bilbao and debunking the glamour of study abroad

Oops, it's been about a week since my last blog post so it's time for another. This past week and a half has been filled with school, school and more school. All I can say is Spanish composition class is giving me a run for my money! This past weekend I stayed in Bilbao, and got a chance to meet some of the locals. They were so kind and caring and we even played a few games more commonly known in America!

Friday night was such a calm night, I had friends over and we sang musicals and devoured burritos. Sometimes it's good to just relax and stay in Bilbao because it gives us a chance to discover and find new places near us that we may have not noticed before. Honestly, Bilbao is really starting to feel comfortable. I've noticed when I travel during the weekends I tend to miss my bed and room in Bilbao on occasion. It doesn't really feel like home, but rather it feels "homey". I've strung up a few decorations in my room and made it to feel more personalized. It is hard to focus at my desk, but I find that it's the place I can most comfortably get my homework done.

Moving on to Sunday, I hiked the most beautiful hike yet with my hiking buddy Evelyn. It was breathtaking and had a lighthouse, castle ruins and outstanding views. The greenery was refreshing and moving outside of the city gave me a breath of fresh air I didn't know I needed. I think overall I hiked about 11 miles total on Sunday and it was just what I needed. I am hoping to find more hikes during my downtime but it does tend to be a bit more difficult since I live in a city and have no car. THANK GOODNESS FOR THE METRO! I love it so much and don't understand why more cities in the US don't have clean and reliable metros because Bilbao does it well.

The recent slow time I've had has led me to reflect on some things that were glamorized about study abroad that I have debunked.

1. Naps: Yes you usually are on the go, but people may not realize how often the urge to go home and sleep after class tends to occur. Early morning classes leaves a huge chunk in the day, but since everything is open later and we eat later, it feels as if time in bed is a must after class

2. Food: I've discovered that there is amazing food all over Bilbao, but sometimes there is comfort in eating familiar foods. For example, I find myself eating a bagel with turkey for lunch or cereal in the morning. Although I have yet to have peanut butter here and I am hoping to remedy this as soon as possible

3. Social aspects: Alone time is not always such a bad thing! I've challenged myself sometimes to go to a cafe by myself or go sit in the park or go shopping by myself. I think that it is a common misconception that you are always with other students, but that is not always the case. Personally I feel that I need my alone time for a bit during the day and that's not necessarily a bad thing!

On the other hand, I absolutely adore it here and feel that there is a lot of glamour in other aspects of travel abroad! For example: carnival is coming up this weekend and my friends and I are doing day trips all over Spain during our downtime this weekend. Because a 2 hour bus ride to another city tends to be less than €50! I've had a bus ride cost €13 one time to San Sebastián. I've been in awe at the convenience of public transportation in Spain.

Here are some trips I have coming up! Feel free to email me any recommendations you have for places in Spain, or anywhere in Europe! ( I am also looking for spring break plans)

1. Guernica maybe

2. Pamplona

3. Dublin

4. San Sebastián again? I think not 100% set in stone

5. Mallorca

6. Hopefully Alicante to visit my friend Anneliese