there's a reason this has taken so long to post....

And the reason is crappy internet. But i have lots of good stories, i promise.

first, my family:

it's me and my host mom lola. i love her. she's absolutely adorable, and she loves it when i say "text" as in text message. i thought text was a universal word- it's not, and she cracks up because it sounds like "tocks" which isn't even a real word, and she says tocks makes her think knocks, which is funny to her, and then she knocks on the table. it's weird, and makes no sense, i know. but it's true. she pinches my cheeks, tells me she likes my smile in my photos, and makes me take a map everywhere so i won't get lost. she also loves my stuffed sloth bear. (obviously i took it with me to spain). i told her the real thing is even better.

my host mom has 3 kids, but they're all grown up and have kids of their own. Her grandson, adrian, is my favorite spanish person ever. he's adorable and 5. he thinks that i dont know anything because i speak english and not spanish, so he explains everything to me. for example, pinoccio, and basketball. he also tells me i type like my fingers are running a race, and that my name is REALLY REALLY funny.

About the spaniards:
They have this weird obsession with manaquins and stealing them from stores. I saw a manaquin the other day without clothes on sitting on a patio in one of the apartments, wearing a WWII style gas mask.

My keys:
my keys look like they're meant for a pirate's treasure chest. I have issues opening the door to the apartment every day, and every day my host mom let's me in and locks me out again so i can practice. i'm not getting any better.

the media:
we don't watch a lot of tv here. we also don't get greys anatomy, lost, brothers and sisters, rock of love, or double shot at love. i told my host mom that if she got rock of love on her tv she would watch it a lot more. they have this really boring show where a news crew interviews four ppl from madrid. it's absolutely aweful, and i can die of bordom, but i need to get on that show before the semester is over. also, i'm famous. i already made the newspaper, having been here less than a week.

my name:
they tell me i have a difficult name to pronounce. they asked me if there's an easier way to say it or if "hay" can get any shorter.

christmas:
in spain, santa (papa noel) is interchanged with the 3 kings (the wise men). Kids leave out food for the camels when the wise men come to deliver gifts. none of that reindeer nonsense. i have a new love of camels since coming to spain, and apparently you can ride them in the canary islands...something i have got to do.

hopefully that's enough stories to last a day or so. i leave for salamanca tomorrow and will write again this weekend. it's gonna be a more consistent blog now that my internet is better (and i think we're getting wifi on the 30th!)