Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

So, what have I actually been doing in preparation for Spain (other than writing frivolous blog posts)? Well, more than the title of this post, I am proud to say (and you thought this was going to be a rambling, wistful post- HA!) but not by much. Let's see...

• Researching and reading as much as I can online, and compiling any useful info I read into a Word document which is currently 61 pages long. I've been advised to carry toilet paper since public places in Spain are not very good about re-stocking bathrooms, and that I may as well practice smoking now since it is that prevalent in Spain.
  
• Watching Spanish movies, or attempting to. So far I've seen three: "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," which is actually a French film that I watched with Spanish audio and English subtitles for the benefit of my mother who was watching it with me; "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," which was supposed to have a Spanish audio option but either IMDB or the library failed me, so I was stuck watching it in English with Spanish subtitles; and "Volver," which is a Spanish language movie but did not have a Spanish subtitle option, so I had English subtitles. All in all, I'm not sure how much my knowledge of Spanish grew, but my love for Penelope Cruz (and especially her hair) sure did.
  
• Talking on the phone in Spanish for about half an hour every day with my friend who is kind enough to take time out of her very busy life to help me. Lo agradezco mucho.
  
• Shopping: a travel-size toothpaste; a personal safety alarm; a webcam; a cheesy fake candle that has an American flag on it and plays "You're a Grand Old Flag" as a token of thanks for my host family; a couple pairs of nice pants and cardigans because my wardrobe of t-shirts and sweatpants won't cut it if I'm trying to blend in with the stylish Spaniards.
  
• Painfully parting with one article of clothing at a time as I attempt to cram everything I need for four months into two large suitcases and a carry-on.
• Attempting to read guidebooks about Spain but usually only making it through the sections describing food and nightlife.
• Checking weather.com for Sevilla. It's mostly sunny with highs in the mid-60's next week- probably the biggest reason I cannot wait to leave!
• Checking the currency exchange rate. $1.00 USD = 0.69 euros, and the darned dollar keeps sinking...

Countdown: 3 days to go. Let the freaking out begin.