Why sleep when you can siesta?

When it comes to sleep, I'm all about the nines -- I try to get nine hours every night, and I consider being in bed by 9 p.m. a giant success. But in a country where dinner doesn't start until nine, my sleep schedule is  shifting to more about the nunca. Not time. Ever. And siestas are becoming daily necessities. I read before coming here that Spain is a country that prides itself on sleep deprivation. I didn't realize that was actually an aspect of the culture I would assimilate to.

Last night was a prime example of my sleep-deprived lifestyle. After a day of exploring Park Guell, sight-seeing at the Sagrada Familia and Barceloneta beaches, taste-testing cava, and singing along to Disney at the magic founation show, my friends and I were teetering on exhaustion. We set out for a place where we could sip on sangria, planning to have a laid back night.

Yet we had one rule: The fact that we had to wake up at 6:45 a.m. for our dirt cheap flight was not a reason to back early. We are only in Spain for a short time, and Barcelona even shorter, so if we were having fun, we were going to stay out. Given my extreme fatigue, I fully doubted anything could be fun enough to keep me out on the streets much past midnight.

But a few friends from the hostel and free discoteca flyers later, we were all completely absorbed by the Barcelona nightlife.  We stopped at the famous bar called Chupitos (Shots). I wasn't planning on drinking anything, but when I found out they had a boy scouts shot where you get to roast a marshmallow on a fire lit on the bar, I decided to give it a try. Then it was off the free disco, where we danced the night away on elevated surfaces.

By the time we found the Metro and made our way back to the hostel, we only had one hour until departure.  At that point we decided it'd be easier to just power through, leave a little earlier, and devote some time to finding a breakfast place on the way.  And thus concluded our night that my friend dubbed "sleepless in Barcelona."

Needless to say I napped through the entire bus and plane rides, then again in my bed just now. I fully plan on passing out immediately after dinner, and returning to my regular nine-hours per night (or more) for the rest of the week.

I had a ton of fun in Barcelona. Saw lots of cool things, made great memories, and laughed a lot. But there also comes a point where sometimes your body just needs some rest. I guess part of the study abroad experience is learning to find the balance between sleep and fun :)