¡¡Para Vigo me voy!!: "Jiji Jaja": Living the Life

Chilling on a rock at Samil beach, looking out onto the Atlantic and the Islas Cíes

Carnival is here!!!

And it's becoming ever more evident that I'm not going to be able to keep up with that as much as I originally thought.... So we're going to breeze past the last couple weeks so I can focus on the bigger, current-er things.

And for you aural pleasure: Ricky Martin- Más

So you may be asking yourself, "What does Tony do with his time in Spain? Is he being a studious, hard-working student?" The answer, of course, is yes. But there is more to my life than studying and working on my academics (even though that's my absolute first priority).

To give you some hints as to what I do with my free time, here are some possible job titles that might describe my extracurricular activities:

Reigniting my passion for the best sport in the world!!!

Look out, ladies of Spain!

I'm eating so much. SO MUCH!!!

So that's been life lately. And I'll be starting a few more segments for your enjoyment.

Spanish Gnomes
(AKA How did that get there?):
A little-known fact: The Peninsula is inhabited by a population of magical, benevolent gnomes. I've had several experiences with said gnomes during my stay here thus far. Nobody ever sees these mystical beings, but you know when you've been visited when you wake up in the morning, and you find presents!! Also, these gnomes make it so the previous night is a bit fuzzy, or even forgotten altogether! Amazing, right? So far, here are the presents that have magically appeared, in order:
1- A hickey (kinky little creatures)
2- A note I left for myself (I outsmarted them!)
3- Me, in bed (muchas gracias, tíos)
4- A silk rose (Qué románticos sois!)

Café Count:
Coffee here is the most delicious substance on the face of the earth. I'm not exaggerating.
So, despite the impending caffeine-crash when I get back State-side (let's face it: Folger's just isn't gonna cut it after this), I've been draining cup after cup of coffee. Of course, the only logical next step is to keep a tally of how much coffee I'm drinking. Starting today (February 17 2012), I'll be keeping track of the amount of the Manna from Heaven that I put in my body.

The Ropa Española Initiative:
(I don't often let my rainbow flag fly, but I think we can all suffer this one thing)
I've been joking for a while that I'd be doing some pretty serious shopping in Spain. It is no longer a joke.
And given the fact that I'm only allowed one piece of checked baggage for my flight back, I've come up with a wonderful goal: I'm replacing all of my American clothes (you know, those things that never fit me and make me look like a Hippie) with Spanish/European clothes. I'll be donating a lot of my American clothes by the end of the semester. And each blog, I'll be adding a picture of one my new acquisitions.
This time, an instant classic: The leather jacket.

Yup- busting right out there, this guy's already getting a lot of attention. And the jacket too. Snatched off the racks at the Zara, this is definitely one of my favoriter purchases: keeps me sizzling hot and drives them ladies crazy (see above).

And most importantly, I'm transitioning well into my life as a professional traveler. Over the past few weeks, I've taken a few trips, mostly local, but fear not! I'm in the process of nailing down the plans for a few international journeys.

One of my favorite places here in Vigo is, of course, the beach (well, second only to the classrooms, but that goes without saying). There are a few beaches here, and although I plan to hop around to all of them at some point, Samil is the most visited for now. It's still a bit too chilly to get into the water, but you can bet once it gets warmer, I'll be jumping in every day after class.

A little cliché.... whatever, I'm on a beach!

I've also been spending a lot of time with the other internationals. ESN organizes a bunch of things to get us out and explore and, in their words, DESTROY PORTO!!! One of our first little adventures was an evening at the Guía, an old church just on the outskirts of the city sitting on top of a hill. My paralyzing fear of heighths kept me from enjoying the view from on top of the bell tower, but I had good company nonetheless.

And the coup de grâce: Last weekend was our trip to Porto, Portugal. I love Vigo a lot, but Portugal is the most beautiful place. I know I exaggerate and joke around a lot, but I'm being completely honest when I say I might live there one day. We took a little tour of the city, road a boat through the river, went to a wine tasting... I can't wait to go back!! I got to use my Portuguese there too!!! (Even if a few people got a kick out of my accent.) The food was incredible and the people were beautiful; I was nearly literally drooling for my entire stay there. I'll go back there soon (it's only 2 hours away from Vigo) and take some more pictures for you.