first week complete!

I have survived my first week living in Oviedo! I can't believe it's already been a week. We only have two more weekend excursions which is weird to think about... We also have one free weekend and I think my friends and I were talking about taking a bus to the border and seeing a concert in southern France and then spending the rest of the weekend on the beach which will be really fun! Our excursion yesterday was somewhat of a let down because we were supposed to go up into the mountains and see some lakes as well as a view of the entire valley of Oviedo but it was supposed to rain so we had to think of something else to do. We ended up going to Astorga and Leon which were pretty cool but were a lot like Oviedo so there wasn't really anything new to see except a couple really cool looking cathedrals and Roman ruins. So I suppose I can't really complain... Traveling is fun but it can also be really hard. Recently we have had extreme trouble with eating out. This weekend we went to two horrible, overpriced restaurants which was really disappointing. I am determined to find some good authentic Spanish food somewhere! I've also had trouble finding coffee which is always an adventure. In Spain most restaurants, shops, ect don't open until 10 am or later. The only McDonalds in Oviedo (which is quite a journey from my house but would have been worth it to get some coffee to go) doesn't open until 11 am. I was the only persons on the street yesterday morning at 9 am. It's also an incredible challenge to not only find coffee but to find coffee that I can get to go. Spain is all about going out and spending a lot of time wherever you go. That being said, we had a wonderful Saturday night to make up for our failed attempt on Friday night. Last night one of our professors from the University of Utah (she is originally from Oviedo) told us that her friends were going to be playing music at a local bar/cafe that night and that we should go check it out. We found the bar and we instantly knew we were in the right place. None of us really enjoy the upbeat bar scenes where you are shoved in a corner and trying to shout at each other in order to try and have a conversation. This place was right up our alley. There was an outdoor patio covered in a clear plastic tent with dim relaxing lighting and our professors friends were in fact singing and they were great! They sang a lot of American music that we all recognized. American music has a strong influence in Spain and so it was comforting to hear some music that reminded me of home. We sat outside and drank coffee (once again the coffee failed me but it was okay!) and listened to music. It was the perfect way to spend a Saturday night! The waiters were incredibly nice and understanding of our horrible Spanish speaking abilities. I suppose the nice thing about the laid back lifestyle in Spain was we sat at this cafe for a good three hours or so and never felt pressured to hurry up and leave like you do in the U.S. I ordered one coffee and my friends ordered a couple beers and we were totally fine to sit there as long as we liked. I will definitely be going back to this cafe! Today I slept in which was really nice and now I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do about my coffee situation... a daily battle. Later my friends and I are meeting up to go for a walk around a park we haven't visited and then we are going to do homework and study in a little cafe by the school. All in all things are going very well and I am so happy to be here!