The little things in life

Two months ago, I arrived in Madrid without a clue of what the city would be like. Two months later, I'm still here after a rollercoaster ride of adjustment. While it's not a Third World country, Spain definitely differs from the States.\nSome of the biggest adjustments are within the university the IU exchange students attend, Universidad de Complutense Madrid. IU has strict guidelines of no smoking within 30 feet of a building and absolutely no alcohol on campus. \nHere, the day Madrid enacts any sort of smoking ban is the day hell freezes over and IU wins a bowl game. Students smoke everywhere, and I'm not just talking about cigarettes. It's legal to smoke pot in Spain but illegal to traffic. This means students smoke their product of choice anywhere.\nThere are professors who have their lighter and next cigarette in hand before leaving the room. I invested in a bottle of Febreeze before I came here since I'm a hard-core non-smoker, but now, it's pointless. The bottle is sitting at home on a shelf gathering dust.\nIn the wake of the IU Student Association elections, one issue parties ran on was turning IU into a "wet" campus. UCM is as wet as they get. The cafeteria has a full bar behind the counter. Empty bottles of Corona, Heinekein and San Miguel (a Spanish beer) litter the tables, while administrators and professors are up at the counter having a chat over some wine. How's that for a 180 degree change?\nNow, another change that needs to be made is the Spanish fashion consultants. While there are some who -- in my opinion -- appear normal, there are others who appear to be on the run from the fashion police. Leg warmers and gaudy, plastic jewelry are just the tip of the 80s rock resurgence here. I already lived through that decade and I'm not going back. Members of the fashion police will be glad to hear I have improved my fashion sense by wearing normal clothes to class. My uniform of sorority sweatshirts, scrubs and Sauconys don't cut it here, so it's jeans, sweaters and boots for me!\nIt's not really so bad dressing up for class. My jeans are all a tad bit looser thanks to the enormous amounts of healthy food and the normality of walking everywhere. Morning breakfasts of pancakes and eggs are unfathomable. Instead, toast, juice and a piece of fruit is all Spaniards eat until their big lunch during the afternoon siesta -- which is one of the best parts about being here. Daily naps are heaven since the culture here has a norm of partying during the week until 3 or 4 a.m., while weekend parties end around dawn. It's an early night if you're in bed before sunrise. It is easy to stay out that late because bars and discotecas (Spanish dance clubs) employ people to recruit Americans into their bars.They offer us free cover and a free drink -- a beer or a shot -- definitely making it easy to have a long, cheap night.\nDuring the week, my time is taken up by studying and practicing my Spanish. \nThe rest of the time is devoted to immersing myself in a new culture. Every day, my lexicon grows with new words, phrases and slang, courtesy of the the Spanish students. History, culture and dialect classes are ever increasing my knowledge about the country, but the most important things I will always remember will be the daily culture. All the people, how they look and how they are will help me change and, hopefully, eventually become a mature adult.