Given the awesomeness of the United States, it is inevitable that many of its influences have made their way across the Atlantic Ocean. There are a few places in particular where I feel American ties that help me cope with homesickness.
Music: Sometimes I forget I'm in Spain when I'm dancing at discotecas or shopping in stores, because almost all the music they play is in English -- directly off the iTunes top 100. It makes me feel cool in clubs as I sing along because it's the one time I actually know what the words are saying better than everyone else.
Movies: Spaniards hate Spanish movies -- we even read an article about that in one of my classes. Virtually all of the popular movies are American, just translated into Spanish. Hollywood reigns supreme, as a lot of theaters even play the original versions in English. American celebrities are plastered all over the cities -- from Jennifer Anniston on the movie ads to Scarlett Johanson on the fashion ads.
Restaurants: McDonalds, KFC, and Burger King are the most popular American fast food restaurants over here. Yet they aren't really fast food -- there are no drive-thru windows (though a couple have walk up windows where you can get food to go on the sidewalk), and the atmosphere is much more of a sit down restaurant. The food seems like better quality and it's more expensive in comparison to other places. I haven't tried a hamburger yet, but the McFlurries are wonderful! My favorite part is that you can get them with caramelo :)
The real escape back to home lies in "The American Store" around the corner from my apartment. Here they sell all the American favorites including peanut butter, marshmallows, and pancakes. I haven't bought anything because the prices are ridiculous, but I enjoy running by the window every day and thinking about home. They just changed the display in the window to be Easter-themed with a bunny, painted eggs, Sprees, and Kool-Aid.
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