Now that the semester is coming to a close (I seriously can't believe I leave in three days), I'd like to take a quick look back at the predictions I made before I got here and see how accurate they turned out to be.
1. I'm going to hate it for the first two weeks or so, before I get acclimated to only speaking Spanish and different meal schedules and such. After I stop being a massive baby, I'll have fun.
False. I liked it immediately. About two months into the program, however, I started to get tired of everything (the lack of food, the inability to communicate easily, etc) and wanted to come home. After about a week of that mid-semester slump I was back to loving it again.
2. On that note, I will spend progressively less and less time on the Internet (and on this blog) as the semester goes on.
False. I had much more to talk about by the end of the semester, so I'd say that despite the lack of reliable Internet my overall time online increased. I'm actually really proud that I didn't give up on this blog all semester (I'm definitely a quitter).
3. My host family will consist of one older woman (age 60 or so). She won't speak English at all, and thus our conversations will consist mainly of weather and food-related topics. Also, her apartment won't have Internet access.
True. Though I didn't anticipate having two different senoras, this prediction accurately describes both of them.
4. At some point, something in my possession will get stolen. I'm just too careless and untraveled for it not to happen, and my money's on my terrible old camera.
True. I was lucky, though-- the only thing stolen from me during this trip was my umbrella. I took it to the public library, left it in the area where you're supposed to leave umbrellas, and came back an hour later to find out that it had disappeared. It was pouring outside when it happened, too.
5. I will fail to learn to appreciate wine. People keep telling me that Spain is going to change my mind, but at the moment I think it tastes like nail polish remover.
False. Wine is still not my favorite drink by any means, but I've made an effort to order a glass every time we get tapas, and some of it has been pretty decent.
6. I will take an unbelievably excessive number of pictures. Like, pictures of shrubs and random people and passing dogs. Hopefully I upload them to a computer before my camera gets stolen (see prediction four).
True. When on a trip, I averaged about 100 pictures for each day that I was there. When not traveling, I still kept my camera on me at all times. I have, without exaggeration, 20 pictures of the Torre del Oro alone. My hard drive is buckling under the weight of all of these photos.
7. The hotel we are staying at for orientation actually has a KFC across the street from it. For a while I was indignant about it, but now I can say with about 90% certainty that I will be hitting that place up.
True. I resisted American food of any kind for the first three months, then cracked in Barcelona last month. And I have no regrets! American food rules!
8. Though I'll be in completely over my head in all of my classes, my favorite class will be "Perceptions of the U.S. in Spain: 100 Years of Myths and Stereotypes."
False. I actually ended up dropping that class for one that fit better in my schedule. However, I did go to the class once and it seemed incredibly dry and boring.
9. My favorite country will be Italy. My least favorite country will be Morocco, but if we're limiting it to Europe it will be France. I am basing these predictions 100% on stereotypes and stories I've heard (Morocco, you are one scary country, just saying).
False. Thanks to the volcano I never made it to Italy. So, the countries I actually made it to are limited to Spain, Portugal, France, Morocco. Wow, it's hard to pick a favorite and a least favorite. I'm going to go with Spain as my favorite and Morocco as my least favorite, even though it was amazing. It's definitely the place I'd least want to live, but I had a great time there.
10. My favorite things about Spain will be the language, the food, and the architecture. My least favorite things about Spain will be the lack of air conditioning/heating, their eating schedule, and the distance at which they talk to each other. (It's uncomfortable! I'm not a close-talker!)
False. Though to be fair, this was a complicated prediction. I did like the language and the architecture, but not the food. I didn't like the lack of air conditioning/heating or the eating schedule, but I didn't notice a difference in the distance in which they talk to one another. I mean, I definitely got jostled around on the street more than usual, but people talking to me usually kept a reasonable distance.
So overall I got four out of ten predictions correct, more or less. Even in the lenient Spanish grading system, I'd fail (you need 50% to pass.) Oh well, it was fun!