Some time during my time in Ibiza, I started keeping a list of random things I was learning. My goal was to have a random thing for every day I was there. I ended up having more than enough, so I trimmed the list down a bit and decided to post it for all of you to enjoy. It's a little funny, a little serious, and hopefully a little interesting.


1.     If you cannot sing or dance well, sing louder and dance harder. For every person you annoy, there will be another person who receives the freedom to express and enjoy themselves as well simply because you were being yourself.
2.     While the sight of semi-naked women sunbathing never causes me to look twice, I am always uncomfortable when I look through my goggles under water and spot topless women swimming.
3.     For someone who is rather extroverted, I need a considerable amount of alone time on a weekly basis to fully function in social settings.
4.     The thought of ringing someone’s door bell or interrupting someone with a phone call still causes me great anxiety- perhaps more so now than it has in several years.
5.     Basketball shorts are not ideal for swimming. My fear of swimwear may soon be over come by a strong desire to actually win during water sports and to transverse larger bodies of water.
6.     I attract sand like a magnet.  It will get everywhere.
7.     I really, really want a puppy.
8.     As much as I joke about non-negotiables there is only one that really matters.
9.     My list of pet peeves apparently now includes people leaving the cardboard toilet paper roll empty on the holder instead of replacing it. It really annoys me; who knew?
10. I actually like line-drying laundry, but absolutely HATE the idea of drying my underwear outside. 
11. Cornish pasties are amazing, especially when they are filled with lamb and mint.  A pasty is dinner inside a pastry, (not a pastie- a  decorative ornament worn by a stripper- an important distinction.)
12. The thing I miss most about the United States is coffee shops and ordering a iced raspberry chai latte with a double shot of espresso.
13. I eat more peanut butter than I would have ever guessed.
14. I actually like most vegetables, but still cannot eat a tomato raw.
15. The smell, sight, and taste of eggs make me nauseated- yet I love a good omelet.  Explain that one.
16. While I hate American civil religion and am not a fan of patriotism, I do like my country and have a great deal of national pride. It’s just that most of that pride involves food, clothes, the entertainment industry, amusement parks, sports, and mannerisms/dialects.
17. I love to read. If I am not reading something, it is a strong indication that something in my life is out of sync.
18. There are many cultural languages differences that really don’t matter much (i.e. pop v. soda v. fizzy drink or crisps v. chips).  Yet there are some make a world of difference- i.e. pants, fanny, etc.
19.  Fanny packs are called bum bags in Europe. Calling a bum bag a fanny pack will turn heads and will be considered rather rude. Regardless of the name, this accessory will never be cool in any way shape or form.
20. For some strange reason though, some rather cool people will insist on wearing them—okay maybe only my friend Tim. Also, apparently gifting someone a bum bag gives them an excuse to wear it...
21.  I flash a sideways peace sign when I leave a room more often than I realized. I also tend to do this with the wrong side of my hand facing outward, inadvertently insulting everyone who sees.
22.  Western Pennsylvanian accents must be a rarity in Europe because people kept thinking I sound Irish. I definitely don’t.
23.  On that note, I think the Northern Irish accent is my favorite European accent at the moment.  Maybe it’s just because I know some awesome Northern Irish folk.
24. Tea is not only a drink, but also an evening meal. 
25. When asked if you would like a cup of tea, assume that it is hot unsweetened, black tea with milk unless otherwise specified.
26. Tapas may be free in Granada, but in Ibiza, they are rather expensive.
27. The world will not self-destruct if you go several days without checking your email or facebook.
28. Once you acknowledge that the Internet isn’t a vital necessity, you will find that a half hour online every few days is more than enough. Anything more seems boring and redundant.
29. I cry every time I say an indefinite goodbye to someone I love and respect. It’s inevitable.
30.  When I was a kid, I cried every time we packed up our stuff to go home from vacation. Apparently I never grew up because I still cry every time I leave a place I love for an extended period of time.
31.  Actually, I cry a lot- especially when I am in a solid place with God and am open to Him speaking to me.
32.  Regardless often this happens, every time I do cry I will make a point to insist that I am not a crier and that I do enjoy crying. Every time.
33. A lesson learned but not put into practice isn’t actually a lesson learned.  And consequently, I have many unlearned lessons.
34.  My attention span is only slightly longer than that of a gold fish.
35.  Long pauses mid-sentence confuse me. If someone pauses too long while talking, I think that they are done and either stop paying attention or begin responding without realizing that they didn’t finish their thought until that awkward moment where we speak at the same time and I find myself interrupting. I need to work on this.
36. This is really unfortunate for my English friends with more posh accents because I quite often have to ask them to repeat themselves.
37. I really like physical touch. Hugs and the double kiss greeting are perfectly fine by me. Even so, I seem to give off the opposite vibe simply because the idea of physical affection is really foreign to me.
38. While I can fully function on four or five hours of sleep, my body definitely prefers six to eight. I should be nicer to it and maybe it will be nicer to me.
39.  Europe has better chocolate, but the U.S. knows how to utilize it. Why hasn’t the rest of the world discovered that peanut butter and chocolate go well together? Or that pretzels and chocolate are a godsend?
40.  I still cannot speak Spanish, and every year that goes by and I do not attempt to do so… I understand less and less of what I hear and read.
41.  I am too afraid of attempting to speak the little Spanish that I do know that I won’t speak with drunk people or small children- as if they have the ability to judge me for sounding like a fool.
42. This is a rather unfortunate fact when you are living on a Spanish island and have a fairly dark tan and fairly dark hair because people will stop you to ask you questions.
43.  Most people from the United Kingdom have no concept of how large the United States actually is and will assume that all US citizens are similar and that you may have met their cousin in California or Florida.
44.  The same people will be very quick to assert that there are various countries that comprise the United Kingdom and each of those countries is extremely different.
45.  I cannot convert from Celsius to Fahrenheit in my head, which means I am generally rather content not knowing what temperature it is outside.
46. It also means that I have no clue how to use the oven, which is a perfect excuse not to bake things.
47.  There are various sub genres of electronic and house music; hard house and drum and bass happen to be my favorites at the moment.
48.  You can make an excellent song by simply repeating the words “the big bad wolf” over and over again… and howling… as long as there is a good beat. Perhaps there is still hope for my musical development.
49.  Where ever you are and who ever you are with, you will still be misunderstood. It’s inevitable.
50. There is very little I hate more than being misunderstood. I say this knowing that I rarely understand myself.
51.  The people who you think are least likely to become your friends soon become the people you will miss the most. 
52. No matter how old you are, there will always be people who look down on you and speak to you in a condescending tone because you are younger than they are.
53.  When your Converse have holes in them and have been at least partly covered in blood, vomit, urine, human feces, and a number of alcoholic beverages, it is perfectly okay to chuck them into the trash at the end of the summer.
54.  Creativity is the key to resourcefulness. Prime example: an abandoned t-shirt can be cut into a skirt when desperately needed.
55. Shutting off cellular data is essential when living abroad.
56. Toll free calls can be made on Skype. I should discover these things before using my US phone to make a $40 phone call to rebook a flight.
57. It is relatively easy to get into nightclubs for free. You just have to be friendly to everyone, and one of your friends will know how to get on the guest list.
58. Do not take for granted the land of free tap water and unlimited refills- especially when in Europe because drinks are expensive.
59. Businesses can close without notice regardless of the business hours posted.
60. One should not rely on a wifi zone to be available when living on an island because the connection seems sketchy everywhere.
61. If one thinks they can find a reliable internet connection before a deadline for an assignment or before a skype date, she will be disappointed eventually and there will be late submissions and cancellations.
62.  The only reasons to have internet at home are: for watching Netflix, streaming music, researching, and looking up recipes and chord charts.
63.  I will get sinus infections at the most inconvenient times wherever I may be.
64. My sinus medication that I am supposed to take year round but don’t because it is too expensive is one fifth of the cost in Europe.
65. To quote a wise man, quantity time is key for quality times.
66.  The ride home from work seems much more pleasant when you take the boat home around sunset.
67.  I am really bad at table tennis. Every time I am playing well, the game will get interrupted and when it resumes, I will be horrible again.
68. Insecurity is a sneaky stronghold; if you let it in, it soon has control over areas of your life that you would not expect.
69.  Learning names isn’t useful if you cannot remember faces.
70.  You can only change the DVD region on your Mac book c. five times.
71. I often use c. in text messages and sentences instead of “about” or “around”. It’s kind of strange and I am not sure why I picked it up or where I picked it up.
72. When you pray to be humbled, you will be humbled. Be prepared.
73.  When I don’t have constant 24 hour internet access, I am really bad at blogging, but really good at saving half written blog entries into Word documents.
74. This makes me wonder how many entries over the years were posted simply because I am an insomniac and have access to the internet.
75.  I still cannot play my guitar around people that I know/think will judge me for my mistakes.
76.  Harem pants are extremely comfortable, and almost fashionable. I like them better when I am in a place where very few people are wearing them.
77.  This does not make me hipster. But, while I am mentioning hipsterness, I will get mocked for my hipster tendencies even abroad where the word hipster is not widely recognized. Funny because I am not one! Not at all.
78.  Rapping/spoken word is a fantastic way to help brighten someone’s day. I need to embrace my love of spoken word, as I love to pray through it, and I’m good at it…  but cannot do so in front of people. Problem. I can however attempt to beatbox poorly. Weird.
79. The one trip that you forget to pack your juggling sticks on will be the trip you wish you had them.
80.  Autocorrect will make you look like an idiot regardless of what country you are in…
81.  I underestimated water polo. It can be a vicious sport. And surprisingly, I do enjoy playing it.
82. You can turn in five assignments late for class and still receive perfect marks without proofreading a single one of them. This fact does not motivate me to overcome my procrastination tendencies or my every increasing learned laziness in the realm of academia.


These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • Facebook
    • Tweet It! Share On Google Buzz !