Vámonos para Un excursión! Vale?

Fina has being planning this little day trip for us for a LONG time. All I knew was that she needed 20 euros and that she was pretty stoked about the whole situation. I had no idea where we were going, with whom, or anything. All I knew was that an autocarre was picking us up and we need to wake up around 5am. And she was packing some bocadillitos (little sandwiches) for us.

I woke up at 5am. Had my coffee and cereal. And let for the autocarre with Fina. I was the only one under the age of 65 there. Que bueno! No really, I like older people. However, the smells on the bus where a little much… but it is all good. So next thing I know, I am in France! I was like alright, alright this is good. We stopped at the cute antique city with a big open market and did some sight-seeing and tried about a million free samples. We left there and drove along the coast through these crazy mountains. It was like… cliffs into the ocean and beautiful, but our bus driver was hauling and there were no guardrails (not that they would do much, but there wasn’t even an illusion of safety). At one point I just kind of accepted that if it came down to it, it would not be a bad way to go.

After surviving two hours of this craziness, we were at the restaurant in the middle of nowhere, but I guess in Spain. So about 75 senior citizens and I walked into this sweet little place and sat down. We had our first course. The big debate at the table was who was saying my name correctly. It was great. One would say “Nan-nah” and the other would say, “No, se llama Nah-han”. I kept just saying “No me importa” (it is not important to me). Anyways. A guy with a keyboard shows up and started playing music and some crazy dancing broke out. I thought, “ah if only I knew some Spanish dances because they are having so much fun.” Some time passed and I just sat there watching all of the fun.

Let me tell you, these senior citizens know how to get down. Spanish women only get spicier with age, of this I am certain. Next thing I know, I am being dragged onto the dance floor. I have no idea how it happened, but my feet did what they were supposed to. And I danced and danced with old men! Then Achy-Breaky heart came on and I was like YES. So we are tearing up that dance floor and I am having the time of my life. Well the keyboardist/singer man called me up to help him with the song when he realized that I knew the words and that he was absolutely slaughtering the song. So I went up and sang a duet with him! Ha ha so embarrassing, but I totally embraced it.

The ride home was really long and curvy. The woman in the row across ended up vomiting in a plastic bag. I pretended like nothing was happening because I could hardly handle it. At the end of the excursion, vomit face came up and said bye and gave me a kiss on each cheek while holding her plastic bag of vomit. Gross!

I would have to consider this excursion a success. Two thumbs way up.

Peanut Butter Lovin’ (Spain’s First Peanut Butter Party)

Peanut butter is a passion of mine. It is right up there with salmon and ice cream (those three together sound really gross, but individually are heavenly). In Spain there is no such thing as peanut butter, so Holl (the best mom ever) packed me a little tub-o-PB in my suitcase. I decided that I would wait for the right moment to come before breaking into my stash. I thought either tears or something catastrophic would have to occur and then I would indulge in a little PB therapy. I got through three whole weeks without a morsel of the stuff. Well, today was the day. I had just.. ugh.. one of those days. A lot of it I cannot really explain.. but Caitlin can attest, I had my share of turmoil this morning.

Well I guess I will try to explain the situation a little. I was innocently walking to school when I needed to go to the bathroom. So I walked into a little café where I was told I needed to buy something when I realized I had not a eurocent in my possession. Thus began my hunt. I did circles and circles around block after block getting turned down my cafés, bars, and fruit stores alike. WHAT THE HECK! I was a little girl in need and almost in tears. I cannot even express the gravity of the situation. Okay, fine, it is that time of the month. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, a “Dino Pan” came to my rescue (the Dunkin’ Donuts of Spain). There were other things that I just won’t go into, but fue muy, muy mal.

After that whole episode, I realized that I was MISERABLY lost. I got out my map and found that my excursion took me half an hour in the wrong direction. I began to weave my way in and out of streets and parks to get to school. I arrive late to my first class, which is a university class and I was nervous to meet all of the Spanish students. My commute took me 70 minutes instead of 30. It turned out to be fine, but still, not the picturesque morning I usually enjoy. I had three classes right in a row, the first two are university classes. Guerra civil was a nice break, but still class.

Also, I have a final tomorrow and I spent way too much time in the library. I was walking home and stressing about my test and not really paying attention when I notice that I had gone about eight blocks past my apartment building, which is absolutely absurd because I was ON MY STREET. Yo soy un tocho (I’m as dumb as a brick).

I finally got home and suddenly remembered my peanut butter. So I got out my ghetto little yellow baby spoon and got a spoonful of peanut butter. The sheer beauty of this moment is beyond words. I was taking it all in, and in my happy place, ah sweet euphoria, when all of a sudden…

… Fina opened my door and asked what is going on. And I told her I was having a little peanut butter, extremely embarrassed that she saw me during this intimate moment. She was curious and we headed into the kitchen with my prized possession. Keep in mind, this is the only peanut butter I have until February. We started to spread it on some bread, then apple slices. This was Spain’s first ever Fiesta de mantequilla de cacahuetes. Que fantástico! Fina was fully embracing peanut butter… but maybe too much. I mean I was really happy that she really liked it, but she went to town on that jar of peanut butter. I had only rationed a single spoon for today. It is a very bittersweet moment… mostly bitter… as in I am harboring bitter feelings over having to share my peanut butter. One-third of the jar gone in one day. Que triste. It just occurred to my now how lucky I am that I am not allergic to nuts.


P.S. If anyone wants to send me peanut butter…

My First Attempt at Saggy Crotch Pants

Not gonna lie, it left much to be desired. First of all, I could not figure out the sizes. The numbers on the tags seemed entirely arbitrary. So I eyeballed it, grabbed a pair of purple saggy crotch pants and made my way to the dressing room. The worker there was really hovering and I wanted to be like.. “Lady, back off, I am trying to make a connection here”. I should have known it would be like this because I am a bad friend and tried them on without Caitlin. Anyways. So I put the glorious pants on and I just know that something is not right. I think I may have put them on backwards. So I turn them around, but there is still something just not right... so I turned them around again. I still really wasn’t feeling it. So I cut my losses and went home. It just wasn’t meant to be... for now.

Other happenings:
-it was my first day of class
-guerra civil was great
-spanish history was not
-I met Caitlin between her classes bearing gifts of fruit and water
-Fina and I had a really good talk

The Name of the Game is Progress

I know I am always writing about walking to school, but this seriously is a big part of my life. Today I learned the magic of progress. I got to the main campus in half an hour (which originally took me closer to 50 minute). How did I do this you may ask? Well, I refused to stop moving. If there was a ¨don´t walk¨sign, I would take which ever crosswalk would let me. I live diagonal from the University of Barcelona, so instead of taking main roads, I zig-zagged through the city.

This new concept of progress and not waiting at a corner for a light to change made me think beyond just my walk to school. There are so many times that I stay stuck at one corner and think that the red light controls me. It does not have to. I can overcome these obstacles simply by having a broader view. My friend Caitlin love photography and can take these wonderful panoramic photos. By having a broader scope, you get the real context of what the whole scene is. Tangent. I, Hannah Groom, hereby proclaim to stop starring at the red lights and run like heck to make progress in every aspect of my life.

El Locutorio

Okay, so I don't have wifi (wee-fee) at my house.  And it is really unfortunate, but I am surviving by going to the Locutorio which is run by a family from India.  I get one hour of wifi for one euro (roughly $1.50).  It is an expense I am willing to pay though.  Anyways.  The locutorio is the only unsafe place I really go in Spain.  Last time I was here, the worker tried to bully me into paying 3 euros when I had only been there for an hour.  It was really scary.

The computers here have pictures of Indian women as their background and whenever I am skyping friends and family I notice the weird men around me looking at me or listening to my conversations.  Muy mal.  The other weird thing is that there are always these really poor girls here who video chat and sing in 

English to Americans.  

I am very suspect of all of this.  I am hoping to figure out a better place to go and use some internet, 

hopefully one that is cheaper and doesn't have pictures of Indian women, creepers and cheapskates.  Time will tell.  I will let you all know what I end up doing!

Travels in the North

This week our study abroad program took a

n excursion to Northern Spain to look at architecture.  It was actually really amazing.  We stopped in really neat little ancient cities.  Caitlin and I worked on spending as little money as possible.  The Director of BCA informed us on the bus that 

we would be buying our own food for five whole days when most of us were under the impression that it would be paid for.  Never fear, our thriftiness and sheer brilliance shown through.  We managed to get by on very little on the trip.

It was amazing to see the architecture.  I was just blown away time after time by these beautiful palaces, cathedrals, and cities.  It was great to see how cultures beliefs shaped the art and architecture.  My favorite building was the cathedral of León.  It was very lavish.  My second favorite was Gaudi's palace in Astorga.  Caitlin and I joked that it was our house and picked out bedrooms and dance floors, breakfast nooks, etc etc.  Caitlin and I only got lost twice in the five days we were traveling.  We really need to either pay more attention, or become friends with someone who can navigate.  My personal favorite was the time when I was motion sick/poisoned from the bus ride and we were lost at 10pm, with a map, without any knowledge of the city we were in, and without knowing the name of our hotel.  Luckily Caitlin noticed a door and led us home.  She is my hero.

It was nice to be in the North.  It felt like Fall which made me think of home.  I wish the trees were changing or something.. that would be fun.  Overall, I was very impressed by Northern Spain.  The trip was fun, the buildings were gorgeous, and I learned a lot.  Oh, my fellow BCAers were great too.  One night we went out for traditional tapas.  It was really a fun time!

Oh, also there is this thing called the Camino de Santiago.  It is this sweet pilgrimage from France to "the edge of the Earth" aka the coast of Spain.  Many people were trekking along with their packs and I felt a wave of envy and a hunger for adventure (or an adwenchture).  I guess I have my adventure planned for now, but one day (maybe with a certain wench).

One another note entirely, I have picked out my classes! I will have three BCA (american students being taught in Spanish) classes and two University of Barcelona classes.  My BCA classes are: Spanish Civil War (so excited!), Spanish Pragmatics, and Spanish History.  My UB classes are: Spanish Narratives of the 19th Century (which I am equally drawn to and frightened of) and Spanish in America.  Every day I get out of class at 2pm so I am pumped to have my afternoons free!  Hopefully I find some Spanish friends and can fill my days with wonderful things.

Walking

I walked to school today and cut it down to approximately 38 minutes at a good pace.  Music has kind of been lacking in my life because my iPod is in Maine but last night when I couldn’t sleep I was listening t so music in my room.  It was like I suddenly remembered that music exists and that I love it.  In that very spirit I walked to school singing my little heart out because the streets did not have too many people on them and I really thought nothing of it.  School was good.  I had coffee with my conversation professor and got this sweet picture taken with Tony!! 

After class we went to the Placa Reial with Caitlin and Allan.  We decided this was a decent park to have lunch.  We had adventures in Auala 9B where I rubbed my essence all over the classroom so that Caitlin would have a good semester in that classroom.  I am feeling pretty good atm, which means at the moment.. in case you didn’t know (sorry I had to throw that in there..). 

Oh right, this post is about walking.  After those happenings I walked home and you know, I was feeling the singing on the way to school so I started right up again.  Trouble was that it was pretty much rush hour on the streets of Barcelona which means there were a ton of people walking.  I had not noticed that this was the case until I was stopped at a crosswalk and this girl was looking at me.  Not only was like wearing a ridiculous outfit (purple headband and Nikes), but I was also singing, in public, in English, in Spain.  I abruptly stopped and think I will save my song for the early morning when it is just me and streets.

 

Other happenings:

1.     No luck finding saggy crotch pants for myself. I actually haven’t tried, I have been really tired

2.     I never sleep and it is bothering me. I go to bed around 10 or 11 and cannot fall asleep. At about 2am I usually give up and listen to music or write.

3.     I am leaving for León tomorrow for five days and just cannot wait!

4.     This was the last day of conversation and grammar classes. Que triste!

5.     In between classes Caitlin and I found a cool CD stores and a thrift store as well… which are essentials

6.     There is a man at the door at this very moment who has rang the doorbell 3 times but I have no idea what to do because I don’t know him and Fina said not to let anyone in if she is not home.. uh.

7.     And if you are in your room singing and the window is open everyone can hear you so maybe keep it down a little.. especially if you don’t want the man at the door to know you are home..

A Partner in Crime

I am a firm believer in the friends make life just better.  Of this I am certain.  I laugh harder, smile bigger and just really feel like I am a lot funnier.  Not going to lie.. when I first got here I was kind of bumming.. I was like where are my feisty wenches?  Well, life goes on (even though I miss my wenches.. don’t get me wrong).  Anyways, I am excited because I found some great people here that appreciate how insane I am and add to the fun.  I mean for example.. Caitlin and I plan on taking on many adventures.  We have made a list of this to do in Spain and have begun completing them.

And I had a nice relaxing lunch (not in a gutter) at the pier today. Yeah life is good.

Other interesting happenings:

1.  I met a man who could not obstain from yelling.. at first we struggled.. but I later saw him in the stairwell and we talked for a little

2.  I went to the Dali museum and was really happy with what I saw

3.  Tony embraced my love of the gatitos.. but Ferraro did not

4.   I really feel like Ferraro is beginning to enjoy our convo group

5.  I was lost for about an hour with Caitlin but good company makes being los better

6.  I had a tour of the older part of our campus and was amazed by the beauty and excited that UB is my school (“Somos legit”)

7.  Fina was unhappy with me because not only could I not figure out how to unlock the door, but this morning I didn’t lock it correctly.  Whoops. 

8.  Fina prepared half a chicken for me.  It was rico but I couldn’t finish it all

Es Raro que un gato… pues… tenga tres ojos

Tony called on me today in class to finish his sentence “Es raro que” (it is rare that).  Well I totally spaced and could not think of what to say next.  He said “think about the cats”, because yesterday he and I made cats the theme because I was talking about how many cats there are on campus and how I thought they were skinny and sick and said things like “gatitos bonitos, pobrecitos, enfermitos, delgaditos” which pretty much means, “pretty little kitties, poor little things, sick little things, skinny”.  Yeah, turns out there is a program at school that feeds them.  Different, right?  Vale.  Anyways, Tony was like think gatos and so I said “es raro que un gato tenga tres ojos” (it is rare that a cat has three eyes).  He loved it.  It was a beautiful moment that Tony and I shared.  Not going to lie, I am kind of sad that tomorrow is my last grammar class with Tony

 

I was a smidge homesick this morning, but it passed.  Dinner with Fina was really good.  We can actually hold a conversation.  She was impressed with how fast I was talking.  I honestly was a little peppy because I had just walked home from school and was high on life (or the exhaust from cars).

 

Other notables:

1.     I plan on walking to and from school from now on because the metro is expensive.  It is about a 40 minute walk if I power walk (which I do).

2.     Passing notes in class is not the best idea.. right?

3.     I am so happy here

4.     Fina is planning an excursion for us in two weekends I think?  I gave her money and she is pumped about it.  I have no idea where we are going but she was so excited I didn’t want to discourage her.

5.     I have serious issues paying attention during class and I’d like to get better at it.

6.     Caitlin and I have decided that people here at about ten times edgier than the average American.. so I am considering shaving a portion of my head, it seems to really work for la joventud (the young people) here.

The American Gypsies

Doctor Barbosa, the director of my study abroad program has told us time and time again “do not eat in the hallways or on the ground, eat in the cafeteria or in the park.  So today after classes me and some of my companeros took our bocadillas and set out to find a nice park. Keep in mind we were starving to death and a bocadilla was just what we needed to survive.  Well we walked.. and walked.  And found many bars and tapas, but no parks.  Finally, we had arrived to our eating destination about half an hour later.  After searching far and wide all over the city for the perfect spot, we selected a sketchy alley.  We sat on a curb in the gutter of the ghetto and ate our bocadillas.  Jenny, one of the BCA students had a banana peel and a piece of tin foil next to her on the ground when suddenly out of nowhere comes an Indian man with a trashcan on wheels who points at her trash.  She looked back at him and he said, “Where are you from?” and then continued “Are you American?” and she says “I am American”.  He asked her if she was a gypsy.  Jenny was like uh what?  And he says you are an American gypsy why didn’t you throw your trash away you American gypsy.  She responded “I was going to” and he looked at her like “yeah right”.  It was so weird.  Lesson of the day.. when Barbosas says don’t eat in the school hallways she means don’t eat in the gutter either.  These lessons that I am learning are priceless.

Other notable things of the day:

1. I got to see Americans and realized that I do in fact have so friends in the country

2. Classes were really good, including the Art History class that began today

3. Caitlin and I began collecting data for our special fashionista blog which meant we went around taking pictures of random people on the street…

4. I successfully unlocked the apartment door for the first time ever and I think I correctly locked it this morning as well

5. I realized that this is my home for the next 5 months and I am very happy about it

Saturday Lasts Forever

So this is the first time in forever that I haven’t spoken English in over a day. It is very strange. My host mom goes around telling people that I don’t speak Spanish. She tells me it is easier this way. I think she is afraid that her friends will just think I am stupid if they expect too much. I walked around Barcelona honestly hoping to bump into another BCA student. If you understood the odds of that happening you would get how desperate I had become. I haven’t had internet or phone for a long long time. I got a Vodaphone SIM card today which means life is about to get better. Once I got it I was like “YES! I can go out tonight” and then I realized that I don’t have anyone’s phone number! Que triste! So Fina took me to this fiesta a fuera with carnival rides and stuff. Now we are at her son’s restaurant where I randomly ended up taking care of the bartender’s two year old. It was good except for the fact that he didn’t listen to me and would pretend like he didn’t understand what I was saying. No bueno. And then three hours later I found out that he knows English really well and was just being a pest. Whatever.

Saturday- “Porque te levantas tan temprano” y “tú eres un poco gordita” (“Why do you get up so early” and “you are a little bit fat”)

Fina, my host mom is hilarious. That is all there is to it. First of all, when I was moving in she was like “I never shut my door, I mean you can if you want but really what have we got to hide, you can shut your door but I think it is weird but do what you want” and I was like oh okay. So I woke up hella early today and showered and got changed. I shut the bathroom door because the shower is essentially a glass box and I just thought it best. Anyways. Life continued to happen. I got changed and did a little reading in my room with the door shut. She came into my room and asked “are you crying” and I said no. And then she was like “well then why is the door shut” and I said that I was just reading and didn’t want to wake her or anything. She was like “why are you up so early? You hate it here don’t you?” and I had to reassure her that I wake up early every morning and that it is impossible for me to sleep in. She was like “okay, but keep your door open”. Vale (okay).

Every meal we have all we do is talk about obesity and food. It is really a killjoy. How can you truly enjoy eating if you are talking about how fat the world is? Anyways… today over breakfast when I had one piece of bread and the strongest cup of coffee known to mankind she said “Tu eres un poco gordita” which essentially means, “you are a little chubby”. I just said, “Yo sé” (I know) and continued eating my food. The funny thing was that I was thinking, I might die today from lack of food. I was explaining to her that at home I have oatmeal with fruit and milk or something similar. She thought I was insane. This is clearly the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Honestly.. I love her. She is so great!

Friday- Last day at Hotel Luna, Home sweet home, and some saggy crotch pants

So I woke up and decided that I would make conversation class good today. I went downstairs, had my coffee and break and an apple and went to class. First the teacher asked where Rory was and I said “maletas” which means suitcases. And the teacher asked is he in a suitcase. And I said “quizás” which means perhaps and then continued to say it would not surprise me (if you knew this Rory kid, you would get what I mean). So Rory shows up and I said “he escaped.. he must be Houdini”. Class was much better. I also snorted which I think disgusted the teacher.

Tony was right on.. as usual. Turns out after the pre-semester course I will have Tony as my teacher for “Spanish in America” which looks at the history of the changes that the language undertook. I am excited to stare at that glorious belly for a whole semester. I will take a picture of it soon so everyone can enjoy. I seriously love Tony.

Caitlin (one of the study abroad students) and I are absolutely obsessed with these saggy crotch pants. I really want a purple pair. They are ridiculous. So we have decided that we are going to start a blog about them. We want to study the various types, style, uses, and benefits to the saggy crotch pants. We plan on taking pictures of all the different ones we see around, interviewing those who wear them, and yes, buying a pair of our own so we can experience what it is to wear the saggy crotched pants. Okay so some of them sag so low the crotch is at ankle level. They are made out of linen, stretchy material, and some even JEANS. It is very awesome. Once we get more research and are able to start the blog I will post the URL here so you can all learn about this amazing piece of clothing that I am sure will change my life forever.

Oh I am not in Barcelona. I live with this sweet older woman name Rufina Izquierdo but she prefers to be called Fina. Her apartment is cute. It is small, but everything in Europe is small. It is comfortable and quiet. I think it will be a great change of pace. So her Spanish is really hard to understand and I am so tired that I keep making her repeat herself. We had a nice dinner together and she left for una obra (a play) so I am on our balcony looking at my new city!

Thursday- Un descansito (a little break)

So I am such a grandma (como una abuela) and I need my sleep. After la comida I decided to nap. I went to my room, turned on a little Iron and Wine and slept… for four hours. Que fantástico! I got my assignment for my family. It is a widow who is retired and lives in a cute little neighborhood kind of far from campus. She is apparently an amazing cook.

Oh right.. classes are good.. conversation class is painful but Tony still rocks my world. Sorry for my inability to write well, I seriously feel like I am losing my English slowly but surely.

Wednesday- Solomente tres más horas…

So in Spain they do not believe in snacking. It is a very sad reality I have come to face. Around 9am we have breakfast which has been chocolate covered croissants and sweet bread (I usually have a piece of toast and an apple because everything else is way too sweet.. and drink two cups of the strongest coffee in the world), and then at 2pm we have la comida, which consist of a sandwich, and FINALLY at 9pm we have la cena which is a fabulous three course meal first with bread and veggies, then a main course of meat and rice, veggies, or potatoes and finally, tons of fresh fruit for desert. As you can imagine, around 6pm hunger strikes and it is hard not to eat anything in sight. I packed a jar of “mantequilla de cacahuetes” (peanutbutter) because I love it dearly and they don’t sell it around here. Anyways I have been tempted to dip into that,a couple of times but I have decided that I cannot have it until I am so homesick or stressed that I am in tears… which I am sure will come at some point this trip. Anyways… the big joke around here is “only three more hours till cena”. Literally everyone gets moody, faint, and sleepy. I don’t understand how the Spanish can handle never eating. My blood sugar dips to dangerously low places in between meals.

Tuesday- My first time in the Mediterranean.. que torpe (how clumsy/awkward)

So my group is spending the next five days at a hotel and it is a bit of a tight fit but there is a huge patio and a pool and more importantly, la playa (the beach). Last night we took a test moments after arriving in the country. No bueno (no good). Oh did I mention I am rooming with the Diva? Actually, she is not a diva. She just had a crappy send off including a stupid boy dumping her on the way to the airport. Anyways.. looks like we will be pretty solid friends here. She is fun. Straight out of Texas.


Today we began language classes, which consist of one conversation class, one grammar class, and then an orientation class about study abroad stuff. My conversation class left much to be desired. Por ejemplo (for example) today Marie (aka Diva) said “la playa” and the teacher kept saying QUE? She was like “if there is one thing I know how to say… it is la playa”. It was just kind of a painful and awkward class because the teacher has a really difficult accent and is kind of cold.

My teacher for grammar is Tony and he is the coolest. He has great round glasses that have three rhinestones on the sides. His belly tests the restraints of his shirt and I cannot help but wonder when those buttons will just quit. Honestly, this man is the coolest. He is the best teacher I have had in Spanish. He is so great!

I saved the best for last… after la comida (lunch) some of us headed to the beach to relax. I got there shortly after most of the others had gone in the water. In pure excitement I ripped off my clothes and ran into the water. I had no idea that there is a drop off and I tripped and went into the water but skillfully made it appear like a dive. I joined my fellow classmates and thought, “yeah, good thing I played it cool… they have no idea”. At the end of the day I asked this guy Tom how his day was. He responded, “Pretty good, your face plant was definitely the highlight”. So I was a little embarrassed and said that I thought I had tricked them into thinking it was a dive and he said, “the best part was the Mike (another kid on the trip) had just said ‘look here comes Baywatch’ because you were running and the wind was blowing and immediately after he said that you ate playa”. Well at least everyone knows how cool I am.

Monday- In Paris, but hardly

We flew to Paris. We had a hella long layover in Paris. The terminal was like a green house. No it was a greenhouse. A greenhouse with no wireless, not much food and not much space considering the amount of people in it. Seven hours later, I realized how sad it is to be a caged bird. I don’t know why the caged bird sings. Anyways. I wish I could have seen the city a little. Perhaps I will venture that way some time this semester.

Sunday- Pollo o Pescado (Chicken or Fish)

My flight from Dulles to France was amazing. Well as amazing as seven consecutive hours of sleep only interrupted for dinner and breakfast. I took Tylenol PM. Turns out I was sitting next to this chica Marie from my group, who I had labeled the Diva. Diva and I said not a word the whole flight GREAT. Anyways. I woke up to a man saying “Chicken or Fish” and I was like.. “uhh chicken”. I absolutely love salmon, but am kind of leery of most other seafood. I mean, I will eat it, but I don’t request it. For those of you who know me well, you know my relationship with salmon. I obsess over it. I could eat it at any moment. Turns out the fish was salmon and I was quite sad. Anyways. Back to bed I went after some interesting version of chicken and gravy. The flight was pretty uneventful otherwise.