"Ten Things I learned in Ibiza" and musings on that one place where I’m actually studying abroad

Spent Thursday through Sunday on the little Balearic island of Ibiza! Things I’ve learned…

1) It is of utmost importance and necessity that you listen to this song all morning as you pack before your flight. It will be stuck in your head for the entirety of the trip.

2) Ibiza is a fairly decent-sized island. Miscommunications could result in you being further from your friends than you think you are. For instance, when we all (there were at least ten of us going for Sari’s birthday) booked our hostels thinking we’d be in generally the same area. We weren’t. Aindrea, Gillian, Avery and I ended up in the little town on the northern inlet of the island called San Antonio.

3) No, they’re not spelling “Eibissa” wrong. They’re apparently big fans of Catalán here, just like in Barcelona. But, also like in Barcelona, the number of people who spoke English here was both refreshing and annoying at the same time.

4) Hey, BBQs thrown by your hostel owner can be fun! As soon as Aindrea and I arrived, the guy who owned the hostel, Miki, invited us to a free barbeque that would be happening later that night. At least two hundred people coming! So we stop by only to find that most of the two hundred people are above the age of 35. And this Spanish barbeque involved people just passing around pieces of pork for you to pick (from what I saw, with your fingers) your helpings out of. And of course, there was lots of bread. We opted for lots of sangria instead.

5) The Royal Wedding is best enjoyed at the local British bar on the beach with a jar of sangria at noon. Yeah. Nuff said.

6) It’s apparently bachelor/bachelorette party season in Ibiza. We went back to the British bar (Lineker’s) on Friday and Saturday night and joined in on the fun of at least three bachelorette parties, two stag parties, and a gay couple’s stag party. Most amusing.

7) The famous West End clubs are really cool (from what we saw as we walked briskly past them all)! So there’s this area in San Antonio called the West End and it’s where all the clubs and bars are, apparently. Aindrea and I decided to venture over there Saturday night only to be attacked by bar promoters all along the way, trying to convince us to come in for this two-for-one drink deal and that free shots offer. Most intimidating thing ever. We walked as quickly as we could out of there, not quite sure what to do…Lineker’s it is!

8) Meals? Optional. Especially with a grocery store across the street from your hostel where you can buy all kinds of things to snack on to your heart’s content.

9) Bartenders come to the beach to practice their crazy bottle-flippin' skillz. We saw two guys practicing their slick moves on the beach while we were there. The bottles don't break if they drop them since they practice on sand. And for a more realistic effect, they can fill the bottles up with ocean water. Genius!

10) It WILL be sunny on the day you are scheduled to go home, and only on that day. Which definitely calls for morning mimosas on the beach before our flight home on Sunday! Classtastic.










So now this little world traveler has unpacked her suitcase for the last time until it'll be unpacked for good back in the states. Now it’s time to really crack down on schoolwork and stuff. Easier said than done, right? Speaking of which, since I’ve been so focused on re-caps of my travels, allow me to provide some musings on, y’know, MADRID:

- Madrid is in the spring is just LOVELY. I swear, I came back from Semana Santa and all of a sudden the trees had LEAVES! GREEN leaves. Spring has sprung!

- Before we all left for Semana Santa, some friends and fellow IESers went to watch our boys soccer team play a game against the students from the university here in Spain. It was so much fun! We won, too :)

- Just a glimpse of my “new” apartment. Our room is so cool and we have a great view and I really like it. We’re doing alright, despite the complications we went through last month. But, as always, everything works out.

- My classes are going alright, I guess. The pressure is on to make sure I get a passing grade in all of them. And for the students at Carlos III, getting a passing grade is actually doing really well. So it’s gonna be a struggle. Bah. I CAN DO IT.

- I just bought my last Metro pass and will be putting the last bunch of minutes on my phone in the coming weeks. I go home in 3 weeks and 6 days. Holy. Cannoli.

- I’m looking forward to spending a weekend in Madrid to catch up on work and return to our weekend traditions like Sunday morning trips to El Rastro and our favorite Indian food restaurant.


Alright gang, I suppose I should go work on a paper or presentation or exam preparation or SOMETHING. Now that I’ve bombarded you all with updates. Hasta Luego!

Besos,

Andi