Living in Spain

Although most Tarragonians are very friendly, we haven’t really had an opportunity to get to know anyone. The people I see over and over are the people who work or live at the university dorm, plus the cashiers at the grocery store (lame, I know. I get dinner there a lot). Otherwise, I see a ton of different people on a daily basis. The most interesting conversations I’ve had with the locals have been while on public transportation, to be honest. They see a ton of students speaking English, and they ask questions. We try to maximize this conversation by asking what the best restaurants or things to do in the area are, or just ask why people decide to live in this region of Spain. I think that I’ve become very accustomed to living in Tarragona, and I can definitely say that I’ll miss it. Living in Spain has had its ups and downs, but learning about the local people and customs has made this trip one to remember.

I haven’t purchased anything too exciting, but I plan on buying some souvenirs for friends and family when I visit Barcelona and Madrid. I would by default say that the best thing that I have spent my money on has been food, but I’ve already written plenty on that topic! As far as keeping within a budget, I really haven’t made any large purchases. We went to a few clothing stores at the mall, and I only bought one shirt (which is saying something for me). Their styles are very different here, even at the “American” stores like H&M. Actually, the hardest thing to keep a budget for has definitely been food and drinks – it’s easy to spend 15-20€ on a meal and glass of wine (the wine is delicious here!). Usually worth the money, but still hard to merit doing so more than once or twice a weekend. Overall, I’m happy with the ways that I’ve been spending my money here, but I definitely have had to budget in order to make this trip both enjoyable and affordable.