Am I a person of habit? Sure.
At my home university, I like to eat the same cereal every morning, take the same route to school, get the same coffee before class, and even nap at the same time in the afternoon (preferably 3-5 pm – though I’m less precise around those hours since I’m usually asleep).
However, I wasn’t so aware of the new habits I would acquire while studying abroad, and how positively romanticized they became. For example, at the beginning of the semester around 7 am in the dining hall, I watched a girl add a mysterious brown powder to her coffee cup, which was then accompanied by steamed milk. Though it was early, I happened to concentrate hard enough to realize it was cocoa powder – and magically: cocoa powder + milk = hot chocolate. This was an incredible realization – and ever since then, it's been my early morning comfort drink.
My elated hot chocolate, followed by some usual breakfast choices.
In addition, the day “Wednesday” has become of great significance, as a club called Centenera off Gran Vía (like the Broadway street of NYC), hosts a reggae-jazz band that starts around 10:30 pm. I’ve never truly enjoyed and appreciated live music so profoundly, and the coolest part is when the band opens up the floor to anyone who has a hint of musical ability to join them for a few songs.
I haven’t missed a Wednesday since I discovered the place – about six Wednesdays ago – and our reggae-jazz group of attendees grows in number each week.
A quick snapshot of the Centenera band itself.
Then there’s the Friday snack run – hence a date with the grocery store – which happens (about) every Friday afternoon at a supermarket called Carrefour.
And I get the same things every time.
A pack of pan ciabatta bread, butter, Actimel yogurt drinks, bananas (if I know I won’t let them rot in the fridge), a pack of Galletas María (similar to graham crackers), two microwaveable cups of ramen, two boxes of popcorn, a dried corn/peanut snack mix (its better than it sounds), a six-pack of mini Cokes, and usually a sweet treat to top it off.
Thankfully, these are snacks – I promise the actual dining hall has vegetables.
A visual of my weekly snack acquisition, right before checkout.
These three habits, though considered micro in my abroad journey, have added an indescribable sense of joy to my experience figuring out a new city and place to call home for three months. Some other habits I didn’t mention but furthermore add: running along the Tormes River on Sundays, getting a vanilla coffee before my six hours of classes on Tuesdays, my acquisition of French fries with melted cheese and crumbled feta from “Kebab Gran Vía” after a night out on Saturday, social nights at Paniagua, “I’m sure it’ll be fine” talks at dinner with classmates, and everything in between.
Overall, these micro-habits have provided me with community, humility, and fuel. I am pleasantly surprised and eager to say that the little things throughout my days add up to something big – hence my feeling rooted in a place I had never known before.