More Meat-eating Adventures (with eight days to go!)

I promise that I will try to make this the last time I write an entry devoted solely to eating meat.  However, I am still not used to eating it and was worried that after that initial experience, I would never eat meat again.

But last night, I had some flap steak (part of the flank cut and in case I want to order this in Spain, it is called "bife grande de vacio" in Spanish) and I also had suckling pig (I would rather not think about where this one is from but it tasted good). 

So I guess I am now a full-fledged meat-eater.  Very strange to think that though!

Further preparations

Two days ago, I decided after months of encouragement, particularly from my Habitat friends, that I was going to eat meat and think of it simply as trying a new food.  (I tried escargot a few weeks ago and figure eating a snail is far less appetizing than beef or anything like that.)  When I looked around the house for something to eat to get the first meat-eating experience in years over with, I could only find a frozen hamburger.  While I've been dreaming of cheeseburgers ever since I stopped eating meat-- and actually had a dream about a mouth-watering cheeseburger only three nights ago-- I could not make the first meat I'd eaten in years a frozen hamburger with no cheese and no bun.  (Clearly, meat is not a staple food in my house.)  But when I actually got fresh hamburger meat, I had lost my will to eat meat.

Tonight, I was over at some of our family friends' house and Denise was cooking prime rib.  I decided to do it.

I looked down at my fork and watched my hand bringing it up to my mouth.  There was a moment of drama-- can she do it?!?!?-- as the fork rose in the air.  Then I said to myself "stop being such a drama queen you idiot!" and I put it in my mouth and you want to know something?  I think the consistency was better than eating fish.  Then I had a few more bites and called it quits for the night.  I don't know how much I can handle right away.

So, Spain, here I come!!!

The Cast of Characters

Maybe I'm getting a little too into this blog thing but I think it'll be good to introduce both myself and Sarah so you have an idea who we both are since the whole Sarah-squared situation may be confusing.

This is me: Sarah G. (don't want any creeps tracking me down so I'll just use initials).  I go to Penn State and am studying Community, Environment & Development.  Here's what I do: work at Habitat for Humanity, hang out with my friends and family, read, listen to Dave Matthews Band, and work out (check out the biceps-- they are a particular point of pride since they took over a year to develop!). 

I am really excited about this blog because I've always wanted one and never had anything to write about.  Even though I think my life is pretty interesting and amusing, I doubt most other people would think this.  But Barcelona is an adventure so this is my excuse for writing a blog.

This is my friend Sarah P.  Sarah and I met in the architecture program at Penn State about two and a half years ago and have pretty much been inseparable ever since.  Sarah is an Integrative Arts major and as she puts it "no, in fact, I do not know exactly what that is."  She's still interested in architecture and green building and will definitely wind up doing something great.  She loves the band Rascal Flatts and is a budding Dave Matthews Band fan (I'm working on this one).  Lucky for me, she's very stylish and we've been roommates for two years so that's a pretty good deal: awesome friend AND double the clothes/jewelry!








So we're going to Barcelona!  This one is definitely worth a Google Images search because it's way too beautiful to just pick one picture. 

In anticipation...

We are not here yet, but just give us a few weeks!

(Hopefully looking a little better than in this picture!)

T minus 15

I am about to go on my second major life adventure: I am going to Barcelona for a semester!  (My first major life adventure, by the way, was starting college.  I'd say this one is definitely bigger... and hopefully it'll be less stressful.)

I'll be studying abroad from starting in early January through the end of April.  I'm going with my friend Sarah and we'll be staying in a homestay.  Since I haven't taken Spanish at all in college, I'm relying entirely on three years of high school Spanish (which was a long time ago) and hand gestures (these seem to run in my family so I'm in genetic luck).  I figure this will make my time in Spain pretty adventurous and humorous-- or frustrating, whichever way you want to look at it.  I am planning on humorous.

I got rid of my facebook a while ago and really doubt that I'll want to spend much time in Spain emailing so I'll be updating my blog instead.  (Family: you can pretend that I'm emailing you.  Become a follower of this blog and an email of my posts will be sent to you whenever I put one up.)

I leave in two weeks.  The countdown is on!

P.S.- Any packing suggestions?