Being a 'guirui' in Spain

I have been in Spain for 11 days, yet life here is so different from what I am used to that I am definitely still adjusting to it. For the next three weeks I am living on the 11th floor of an apartment building in Seville, Spain, with my host, Nati, a 60-year-old nurse who has lived in this building her entire life. I go to Spanish language classes from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. five days a week and have the rest of my time free to explore my new surroundings of palm trees and centuries-old buildings and monuments.\nOne of the biggest differences I have noticed is that everyone here is so mindful of conserving what they have. While in America we will leave our lights on for a full week straight when we go on vacation. Here everyone turns off the lights and unplugs everything before leaving a room in order to save electricity. Leaving the water on in the shower in between shampooing and washing off is practically a sin. Wastefulness is looked down upon, everyone finishes all the food on their plates and there are glass recycling bins on every street corner for the massive amounts of cerveza bottles the Spaniards go through day in and day out. Most of them do not get drunk because they eat tapas, or snacks, with every drink and walk from bar to bar in between.\nSpeaking of food and drink, it is an integral part of Spanish culture. I am still not used to their schedule of eating lunch between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. and 10 p.m. being early for dinner. Tapas are the thing to eat here, little appetizers that usually consist of ham, sausage, olives or seafood. Not just normal seafood either, we are talking everything from fried king prawns to snails in the shell. The sun does not set until 10 p.m., which is when the streets swell with people partaking in the tapas, cervezas and lots of socializing.\nSpaniards call foreigners ¨guiruis¨ and I am easily identified as one since I wear shorts occasionally and clutch my purse with a death grip after hearing horror stories about all the purse snatchings from the professors at my school here. Despite the heat, pants and long capris for men and long flowing skirts for women are the norm in Spain. Even the older people are concerned with being fashionable: my host Nati walked around the city with me for three hours in over 100-degree heat in high heels!\nWhile it is great to experience this new culture and new way of living, I am looking forward to returning to good ole Indiana. I miss smoke-free Bloomington as Spain is pretty much one big cigarette, despite the large warning on the front of all cigarette boxes that states, ¨Smoking can kill you.¨ I also miss good breakfast food like oatmeal and pancakes -- here they just eat stale bread and coffee. In the meantime, I will try and not only soak up some sun but also more of this unique and intriguing culture.