August 20, 2018: If You Thought Those Waffles Looked Good, Just You Wait...

4 words: I ate good today.

Today was another one of my favorite days here so far. I'm starting to feel really comfortable in my home and with the people around me. I'm at that stage where the newness of the trip is starting to fade and everything is starting to feel normal and like less of an adjustment, but there are still so many exciting things to do and see and learn about.

I started today by NOT looking at my phone and by beginning to read an assignment right away. I definitely need to make a habit of this because I was way more productive. I think it's because when I go on my phone, 99% of what I read and type is in English... When I go on my phone before doing my homework (which obviamente está escrita en Español) my brain goes into English mode and it takes me way longer to transition into Spanish mode. Going on my phone also almost always leads to me starting conversations and then my mind drifts to thinking about them while I read so it's better to just get up and do my homework before involving myself in any of that.

I ate breakfast with my host mom which was swaggg cuz we haven't eaten breakfast together in a while! She gave me a pack of chocolate chip cookies to eat too which was sick. After breakfast, I continued reading for a bit and then finally checked my phone. At this moment I'd like to give a shoutout to Will Brewster for subscribing to the blog and for being the sender of the first 2 texts I saw which read: "I'm subscribing" and "Lol".

Thank you, Will.

My host mom and I walked to the supermarket together and she gave me a lil tour and explained all the labels with deals on them cuz I admittedly did not understand them whatsoever. She holds my arm when we walk places together and I carry her things for her and she reminds me of my tiny little 4'9" grandma who does the same thing. Anyway, the supermarket was lit cuz now I know how to eat lunch for $5 a week and cuz they have random deals every day and I get a 20% discount when I pay with a debit card. Can't find deals like this in a Whole Foods can ya hmmm

On our walk home, we stopped at the panadería (bakery) and just you wait to see what we bought. And by we, I mean my host mom. When I got home, I ate 2 bon o bons, which is a golosina (candy) with a chocolate shell and mushy somewhat fudge-y center, and then I cooked myself pasta for lunch. I finally finished my assignment, with about a 67% understanding of what I read, and then came the best part of my day: I joined my host mom in the living room, where she was watching an incredibly dramatic show, to drink mate and comer facturas (eat pastries).

You might be thinking, "Julia, those 4 pictures of your food are a bit excessive." To which I'd respond, "Yeah, they are." Deal with it. The first one was filled with cinnamon sugar apples, and the second one, which I had no idea about, was filled with dulce de leche. My host mom and I agreed they were orgásmicas. You can translate that one yourself. Take a guess at the price of the 2 facturas I ate. I'll tell you at the end of the post and you can see how close you were.

After eating the facturas - and knowing I can die a happy woman - I've just been chilling here with my host mom. She cracks me up and living with her is such a cool experience and one that you certainly can't find on a college campus. She says "mierda" and "puta madre" all the time too so I don't feel bad about swearing in English around her. We love to teach each other curse words.

For the rest of the night, I'm gonna relax, track the Davidson women's soccer game (shoutout to Miranda Geffrey and her dog JP), and eventually watch the VMA's so I can write an article about them for class. Ooh speaking of class, I didn't have any today cuz it's a holiday. So for the past 2 weeks I've had class two days a week ha. I'm also looking forward to eating dinner which I was informed will be cheeseburgers (: Hope you're all enjoying your National Chocolate Pecan Pie Day.

Song Recommendation of the Day: "Genius" by LSD

P.S. - The total cost of the 2 facturas was 80 cents. Were you close??