Okay, so it's obvious that I have not kept up with the blog, and that there is a ton of information and pictures to update everyone on!
Excursion to the North
We left on Monday and traveled to Aquilar de Campóo where we had lunch and walked around the city. It's a village on the River Pisuerga and in the town a major part of the economy are cookie factories. We got to try some and they were sooo good :) We then continued North into the mountains and ended up at our amazing hotel in Cervera de Pisuerga, this by far was the best hotel we stayed at and it was so peaceful and beautiful. We walked down to the lake, and some people swam and then we walked back and had an amazing dinner.
Then on Tuesday we headed to Fuente De, and took a teleférico to the Parque Nacional de Picos de Europa. Although I didn't enjoy the trip up and down, the views were amazing, we had a great pic-nic, goats and all, and did some mountain climbing haha :D Then we headed towards Santander, which is on the coast of Spain. When we got to our hotel, Ben, Mark, Lauren and I decided to go swimming in the ocean. IT WAS FREEZING!!! but very refreshing after the bus ride. :D Another amazing dinner(we ate a ton of fabulous meals on this trip)
Wednesday, we went to the Altamira caves and museum. It was a very interesting museum full of life through the ages and how humans evolved with tools and art. They do not have the original cave open to the public but they had a neat recreation, with the paintings in the same areas and such as if you were in the original cave. We then headed to Burgos and had time to walk around the city. We then went to dinner and had tapas after with the whole group and some sangría. So we ate a huge dinner, then went and ate some more.. like I said tons and tons of food.
On Thursday we went to the Catedral de Burgos and saw an old monastery. The Catedral was of the gothic style and I love love old churches like that. If I remember correctly, Cervantes is buried there along with a painting of Mary Macdalene by Da Vinci. So some sweet history! The monastery was neat because there was a mixture of islamic art because of some of the artist converted to Christianity and helped design the ceilings. It was interesting to the mixture of geometric shapes and scenes from the bible. Then we headed to Peñafiel and swam in the pool and had an amazing dinner, with some fantastic wine from a local bodega.
On Friday we went to the Castillo de Peñafiel, which was obvi super guay because it was a castle. We then went to a bodega and learned how wine is made. We got to go out and try the grapes and then see the process. It was a very small bodega but it had been in this women's family for years, and she absolutely loved it. We got to have some of her wine and then we all went out for lunch at a little hole in the wall restaurant, then headed back to Salamanca!!!!!!!
The trip was amazing and it was soooo beautiful. Especially the Picos de Europa.
Once back in Salamanca, on Saturday Mark and I celebrated his birthday in the city and had a great dinner together!
The title is from a Tom Petty song, which I have been listening to a lot lately. So the days that were the diamonds, then on Monday we started classes, YESTERDAY, wow, that seems like ages ago to me. Anyways we started classes and let me say all the freedom of the day is gone! We already have been assigned 3 novels and short stories, so much reading!!! We didn't even have a syllabus day, we were literally thrown into it. SO.. yeah... I'm pretty tired. We have classes Monday-Thursday 9-2 then we go back 5-7. It's a long day, and we have breaks but they are all in the same classroom so it gets pretty stuffy when you're in there for long periods of time.
Tomorrow is the Huegla General de España, it's a general strike around all of Spain against the economy and jobs, so, we don't have some classes tomorrow, and we're not sure if the building we are in is even going to be open. It's a pretty neat thing though, to think a whole country is coming together against something they have an issue with. I'm interested to see what happens.
So, that's my update for the past week and a half. Mark and I go to Bilbao this weekend, so there will be an update after that trip!! And we booked our trip to Barcelona today! You would think it would be easy to travel in the country, but it requires a bus, taxi, and plane to get there!!!!!
I get to skype with Anita tonight woot woot, and hopefully with my family after Bilbao!!!
Missing everyone tons and tons!
Sending DeeGee love to OWU, missing you girls tons!!!!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Toros
I try to coordinate posts with pictures, so check out FB after you read this!
Miercoles- We had class from 10-3, then lunch and Mark Kelley and I met up at 5:30 to work on our "prueba" for our class. We had to ask for directions and take down any common phrases, body movements that occurred. Basically, they give you the directions by saying getting there is very easy and showing you all the turns with their hands. :) After we went to the Mueso de Taurino, a bullfighting museum, in order to prepare ourselves for the bullfight we went to on Thursday. It was really interesting, with some bull heads on the wall, and awesome art depictions of bullfighting (paintings, sculpture, pictures..). Then our group went out for coffee together, then Mark and I went out to dinner. :)
Jueves- We had class, and Mark Kelley and I gave our "presentation" basically just a discussion with the class on what happened when we asked directions, it went great. Went home for lunch, had a small siesta, then met up with Mark and Ann in the park and walked to the Plaza de Torros. Once we were there, we were able to see La Vuelta, a bike race through Spain, enter Salamanca, so that was really neat, and an added bonus. :) So, the bullfight. La Glorieta, Salamanca's bullfighting ring was completed in 1893, and can seat up to 10,000 people. Our group sat on the second level of the ring, in the shade. There were tons of people around us, and all of them were smoking. I think the 4 guys who sat in front of me, smoked the entire 2 and a half hours, needless to say my throat was burning after. There were 3 matadores(nicknames) Morante de la Puebla, El Julí, El Fandi and a total of 6 bulls. Here's how a bullfight works: Each matador has 6 assistants. The 6 assistants include two picadores ("lancers") mounted on horseback, three bandilleros ("flagmen") and a mozo de espada ("sword page"). Collectively they comprise a cuadrilla ("entourage"). There are 3 stages of the bullfight each beginning with the trumpet. First, the whole group enters the arena, then the bull is let out and the matador and bandilleros test the strength of the bull with the capes. This is the part I enjoyed the most, because it was the bull running at the cape or capote, and the matador would try to impress the crowd. After this the picadores enter the ring on horse back with the a lance and strikes the bull in the neck. After this the bandilleros enter with two bandrillas (very sharp sticks) each striking the bull in the shoulder area. At the end of this stage, there is 6 bandrillas in the bull shoulders, if all are done correctly and stay in the bull. If you check out Marks pictures he has a neat picture of this. In the third stage, the matador re-enters the ring with a red muelta (cape) and a sword. The matador uses the muelta to wear the bull down and after a series of passes will position the bull in a way so he the sword will through his heart. If it is done well the people will wave white handkerchiefs so the matador will be rewarded an ear. So, thats how it works. Each of the matadors went, and both El Julí and El Fandi were given an ear of the bull they killed. It was definitely an intense experience, and Im glad I was able to have the opportunity to see something that has been a part of the Spanish culture.
Viernes- This was the last day of our class with Carmen, she gave us her email and told us if we needed help with anything to let her know, traveling, school or anything else, so it's great to have the connection. At 6 we met and went to an old mill that has been turned into a casino and hotel. It was neat how they utilized the space with the mill and they are also were having a reception of some sort there, and had some really cute center pieces. :) Then we went to another park outside the city, so we got to see another view of the wall around Salamanca, which was neat. Then we all went and had coffee. That night we met up with Lauren, Shannon, Elyse, Ben and Ellen and went to Italianos and had gofres and just talked. It was super yummy and pretty chill.
Hoy- Didn't wake up until 11:15, which was sooooo nice :) Mark and I met up with Kelley and Courtney at an athletic store close to our house then walked to the Corte Ingles. Then Mark and I went to Las Torres for lunch, because my madre is getting her house painted and I didn't want to have to eat alone in my room. We got to skype with Marks family which was awesome and then we went and got Universidad de Salamanca sweatshirts because there super cute and really inexpensive. Plus, its going to be cooler in the north so it will be a sweatshirt to take :)
Our excursion to the north is Monday through Friday. We are going to Palencia, Santander, Burgos and Valladolid. Im not sure what the wifi situation will be so I may not be able to update my blog until I get back. If that's the case it's going to be one long blog entry. haha After our excursion to the north we start classes on Monday. Im excited and nervous for them :)
Tomorrow we're going to Rastro, its like market sort of thing, super cheap. They told us to keep an eye on our stuff and to keep our valuables in our pockets, so that will be interesting. :)
Missing everyone!
Miercoles- We had class from 10-3, then lunch and Mark Kelley and I met up at 5:30 to work on our "prueba" for our class. We had to ask for directions and take down any common phrases, body movements that occurred. Basically, they give you the directions by saying getting there is very easy and showing you all the turns with their hands. :) After we went to the Mueso de Taurino, a bullfighting museum, in order to prepare ourselves for the bullfight we went to on Thursday. It was really interesting, with some bull heads on the wall, and awesome art depictions of bullfighting (paintings, sculpture, pictures..). Then our group went out for coffee together, then Mark and I went out to dinner. :)
Jueves- We had class, and Mark Kelley and I gave our "presentation" basically just a discussion with the class on what happened when we asked directions, it went great. Went home for lunch, had a small siesta, then met up with Mark and Ann in the park and walked to the Plaza de Torros. Once we were there, we were able to see La Vuelta, a bike race through Spain, enter Salamanca, so that was really neat, and an added bonus. :) So, the bullfight. La Glorieta, Salamanca's bullfighting ring was completed in 1893, and can seat up to 10,000 people. Our group sat on the second level of the ring, in the shade. There were tons of people around us, and all of them were smoking. I think the 4 guys who sat in front of me, smoked the entire 2 and a half hours, needless to say my throat was burning after. There were 3 matadores(nicknames) Morante de la Puebla, El Julí, El Fandi and a total of 6 bulls. Here's how a bullfight works: Each matador has 6 assistants. The 6 assistants include two picadores ("lancers") mounted on horseback, three bandilleros ("flagmen") and a mozo de espada ("sword page"). Collectively they comprise a cuadrilla ("entourage"). There are 3 stages of the bullfight each beginning with the trumpet. First, the whole group enters the arena, then the bull is let out and the matador and bandilleros test the strength of the bull with the capes. This is the part I enjoyed the most, because it was the bull running at the cape or capote, and the matador would try to impress the crowd. After this the picadores enter the ring on horse back with the a lance and strikes the bull in the neck. After this the bandilleros enter with two bandrillas (very sharp sticks) each striking the bull in the shoulder area. At the end of this stage, there is 6 bandrillas in the bull shoulders, if all are done correctly and stay in the bull. If you check out Marks pictures he has a neat picture of this. In the third stage, the matador re-enters the ring with a red muelta (cape) and a sword. The matador uses the muelta to wear the bull down and after a series of passes will position the bull in a way so he the sword will through his heart. If it is done well the people will wave white handkerchiefs so the matador will be rewarded an ear. So, thats how it works. Each of the matadors went, and both El Julí and El Fandi were given an ear of the bull they killed. It was definitely an intense experience, and Im glad I was able to have the opportunity to see something that has been a part of the Spanish culture.
Viernes- This was the last day of our class with Carmen, she gave us her email and told us if we needed help with anything to let her know, traveling, school or anything else, so it's great to have the connection. At 6 we met and went to an old mill that has been turned into a casino and hotel. It was neat how they utilized the space with the mill and they are also were having a reception of some sort there, and had some really cute center pieces. :) Then we went to another park outside the city, so we got to see another view of the wall around Salamanca, which was neat. Then we all went and had coffee. That night we met up with Lauren, Shannon, Elyse, Ben and Ellen and went to Italianos and had gofres and just talked. It was super yummy and pretty chill.
Hoy- Didn't wake up until 11:15, which was sooooo nice :) Mark and I met up with Kelley and Courtney at an athletic store close to our house then walked to the Corte Ingles. Then Mark and I went to Las Torres for lunch, because my madre is getting her house painted and I didn't want to have to eat alone in my room. We got to skype with Marks family which was awesome and then we went and got Universidad de Salamanca sweatshirts because there super cute and really inexpensive. Plus, its going to be cooler in the north so it will be a sweatshirt to take :)
Our excursion to the north is Monday through Friday. We are going to Palencia, Santander, Burgos and Valladolid. Im not sure what the wifi situation will be so I may not be able to update my blog until I get back. If that's the case it's going to be one long blog entry. haha After our excursion to the north we start classes on Monday. Im excited and nervous for them :)
Tomorrow we're going to Rastro, its like market sort of thing, super cheap. They told us to keep an eye on our stuff and to keep our valuables in our pockets, so that will be interesting. :)
Missing everyone!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Quick update before cena
Hola!!!
All is well here in Salamanca, it's uber hot though! Last night Mark and I went to the plaza for the concert and it was a weird theatre/ music mixture where they'd cover an american 80's rock jam then do a skit. It was interesting, then we decided to get some dessert and we went to a restaurant and got a Gofre. It's a waffle, but like super good with sugar and then they serve it warm with whipped cream, sooooooooooo goooooodddd!!!! :) We had class today and then I went home had lunch(a weird mixture of rice, lettuce, oranges, and all different types of meat served cold) then I slept from 3-5. I ordered the train tickets to Bilbao and soo that was super exciting and then we met up with the group and went to the Ferias, which is basically a fair. Some of the rides there were super intense, Zoey and Luke would have loved it. :] Im getting ready to head to dinner now, then mark and I are going to another concert on the plaza tonight, it's some sort of blues band so that should be super interesting too :] I wanted to do this quick update because I probably won't update again until after the bull fight on Thursday!!
Things I miss:
1. Texting not costing .15
2. Peanut butter (I'm almost out of mine, and I should have gotten the mega container)
3. Pretzels
4. My pillows :]
5. Mexican food ( I have been craving some Vaqueros, cheese dip and guac mmmmm.... but I don't think they have those here ha ha :]
Hopefully I'll get to skype soon with some of my favorite people!
All is well here in Salamanca, it's uber hot though! Last night Mark and I went to the plaza for the concert and it was a weird theatre/ music mixture where they'd cover an american 80's rock jam then do a skit. It was interesting, then we decided to get some dessert and we went to a restaurant and got a Gofre. It's a waffle, but like super good with sugar and then they serve it warm with whipped cream, sooooooooooo goooooodddd!!!! :) We had class today and then I went home had lunch(a weird mixture of rice, lettuce, oranges, and all different types of meat served cold) then I slept from 3-5. I ordered the train tickets to Bilbao and soo that was super exciting and then we met up with the group and went to the Ferias, which is basically a fair. Some of the rides there were super intense, Zoey and Luke would have loved it. :] Im getting ready to head to dinner now, then mark and I are going to another concert on the plaza tonight, it's some sort of blues band so that should be super interesting too :] I wanted to do this quick update because I probably won't update again until after the bull fight on Thursday!!
Things I miss:
1. Texting not costing .15
2. Peanut butter (I'm almost out of mine, and I should have gotten the mega container)
3. Pretzels
4. My pillows :]
5. Mexican food ( I have been craving some Vaqueros, cheese dip and guac mmmmm.... but I don't think they have those here ha ha :]
Hopefully I'll get to skype soon with some of my favorite people!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Cansada
Hola mis amigos!
Not too much has happened between this post and the last. and I hope Im not repeating myself, so here it goes! (side note- i think im getting my days mixed up too)
Thursday night the group met and went for casetas and saw Flamenco. We had tortilla, calamari, little baby deep fried squids, deepfried sardines, and rebuijto (white wine mixed with 7up). It was verrryyy yummy and a really great atmosphere :)
And, I guess my last blog was from Friday, so I guess I forgot to include that up there with it ja-ja! So Friday afternoon Kelly, Courtney, Kelley, Jess, Mark and I met to discuss traveling. Let me just say its not as easy as I thought it would be, and we're not as close to things as I thought we were. After much discussion, and meeting again on Saturday, Mark and I decided to go to Bilbao while the others are going to Lisbon, Portugal. Mark and I are trying to find a way to go to Lagos Portugal so we decided to go up to Bilbao for that weekend. Im having trouble booking the train, the website doesn't seem to be working, but thats the plan! :)
On Saturday our group met and went to the Mercador Medievel, like a medieval sort of fair. Everyone was dressed up and they were selling jewelry, food, candy ext.. It was neat. There were also some amazing acrobats there and I took a video so I will try to put that up on Facebook! Then that afternoon Mark and I walked around exploring the city and such. That night we had a dinner with Mari Angeles at a great restaurant with the whole group. We had calamari, salad, chicken, french fries, and some sort of pudding dessert. After that we attempted to go to the Plaza Mayor and see the concert but it was tooooo packed. There were tons and tons of people, too many to handle, so Mark and I went and bought some water, sat on a bench and talked. Then we walked home and I was asleep by 2 :)
So, here comes the part about the title "cansada", it means tired, and if I could describe myself in one word these last few days it would be that. On sunday I slept until 11:15 ( about 10 hours), had some crackers slept from 1-2(another hour), woke up and attempted to eat some of my lunch( it was not my favorite). I then went and met mark at the park at 3 and we hung out until 7 or so. I came back, fell back asleep until dinner, around 9:30(2 1/2 hours), ate (yummy meatballs and potatoes and a tomato and cucs salad) then slept until mark called me around 11:15 (1 hour 15 min) then I fell asleep for the night until I got up for class at 8! (9 hours) so if we take all that and add it together its like 25 hours of sleeping. Basically a lot. So yeah, and when Mark and I looked up online it has something to do with my blood sugar levels, and the fact that Im not on a regular schedule yet. I think Im going to go to a grocery store this afternoon and buy some granola bars because I get super hungry at random times and have nothing to eat and I think that might add to me being soooo tirrrrreeeedddd!!!
On a brighter note, I get to skype with some lovely DG's tonight and Im super excited about that! Also, Joni is working on getting her skype set up so I can't wait to talk to her either!
Classes are going good, and Friday is our last class with Carmen in this introduction period. Kelley, Mark and I have a project we have to do which entails us being super tourists and asking one person all these questions in half english/spanish to see how they react. We then have to tell the class how it goes. Its going to be interesting to say the least.
We also get to see a bull fight this week, so I will definitely be updating and letting everyone know how that goes!
Missing everyone!
Not too much has happened between this post and the last. and I hope Im not repeating myself, so here it goes! (side note- i think im getting my days mixed up too)
Thursday night the group met and went for casetas and saw Flamenco. We had tortilla, calamari, little baby deep fried squids, deepfried sardines, and rebuijto (white wine mixed with 7up). It was verrryyy yummy and a really great atmosphere :)
And, I guess my last blog was from Friday, so I guess I forgot to include that up there with it ja-ja! So Friday afternoon Kelly, Courtney, Kelley, Jess, Mark and I met to discuss traveling. Let me just say its not as easy as I thought it would be, and we're not as close to things as I thought we were. After much discussion, and meeting again on Saturday, Mark and I decided to go to Bilbao while the others are going to Lisbon, Portugal. Mark and I are trying to find a way to go to Lagos Portugal so we decided to go up to Bilbao for that weekend. Im having trouble booking the train, the website doesn't seem to be working, but thats the plan! :)
On Saturday our group met and went to the Mercador Medievel, like a medieval sort of fair. Everyone was dressed up and they were selling jewelry, food, candy ext.. It was neat. There were also some amazing acrobats there and I took a video so I will try to put that up on Facebook! Then that afternoon Mark and I walked around exploring the city and such. That night we had a dinner with Mari Angeles at a great restaurant with the whole group. We had calamari, salad, chicken, french fries, and some sort of pudding dessert. After that we attempted to go to the Plaza Mayor and see the concert but it was tooooo packed. There were tons and tons of people, too many to handle, so Mark and I went and bought some water, sat on a bench and talked. Then we walked home and I was asleep by 2 :)
So, here comes the part about the title "cansada", it means tired, and if I could describe myself in one word these last few days it would be that. On sunday I slept until 11:15 ( about 10 hours), had some crackers slept from 1-2(another hour), woke up and attempted to eat some of my lunch( it was not my favorite). I then went and met mark at the park at 3 and we hung out until 7 or so. I came back, fell back asleep until dinner, around 9:30(2 1/2 hours), ate (yummy meatballs and potatoes and a tomato and cucs salad) then slept until mark called me around 11:15 (1 hour 15 min) then I fell asleep for the night until I got up for class at 8! (9 hours) so if we take all that and add it together its like 25 hours of sleeping. Basically a lot. So yeah, and when Mark and I looked up online it has something to do with my blood sugar levels, and the fact that Im not on a regular schedule yet. I think Im going to go to a grocery store this afternoon and buy some granola bars because I get super hungry at random times and have nothing to eat and I think that might add to me being soooo tirrrrreeeedddd!!!
On a brighter note, I get to skype with some lovely DG's tonight and Im super excited about that! Also, Joni is working on getting her skype set up so I can't wait to talk to her either!
Classes are going good, and Friday is our last class with Carmen in this introduction period. Kelley, Mark and I have a project we have to do which entails us being super tourists and asking one person all these questions in half english/spanish to see how they react. We then have to tell the class how it goes. Its going to be interesting to say the least.
We also get to see a bull fight this week, so I will definitely be updating and letting everyone know how that goes!
Missing everyone!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Mark knows I'm a nerd
So on Wednesday we didn't have class because of the Fiestas y Ferias de Salamanca. So, Mark and I met up and we decided to explore the city some more, because as the title suggests mark knows Im a nerd and love, love love to look at all the cool old buildings and such. :)
Our first stop was La Salina, a palace in Salamanca. We weren't able to walk around inside but you were able to walk into the courtyard. There were posters explaining each of the shield and heads that were on the walls and the progression of architecture through the years, there are some pictures up on facebook. :]
After that we went to the museum of modern art, Museo Modernista. You weren't able to take your camera in so I don't have any pictures of that, but if you google the name and click images you can see how beautiful the building is. There is stained glass everywhere and mixed with the art and the building creates a really neat atmosphere of the museum. Right now they have a Picasso exhibition of his art work that deals with the bulls and bull fighting. It was his work through the ages with different mediums, like charcoal and paint. I really enjoyed it. It was also interesting too because there is such a debate in Spain about bull fighting, you can really see how much Picasso respected them.
We then walked back to the church with the offering and took pictures of that in the daylight. So many beautiful flowers and it all smelled sooooo gooood :)
Then after lunch we went to the Corte Ingles and saw Charangas and Cabezudos. Basically a band with a group of people who have big paper maché heads and dance to the band and chase little kids around. There all different types of heads, old lady, witches, men, bulls. My favorite was the bull :)
Then from there we went to a little mexican restaurant (Im guessing the only one in Salamanca) had a little snack and a drink then headed to the Campó de San Francisco for a flamenco dance. It was really neat, and a ton of people! Then we walked over to the Patio Escuela( getting sort of lost on the way, but finding a really cool fountain) and saw some flamenco fusion. It was some singing and then some dancing but to different music, it was different and I definitely like the traditional flamenco more. Then a group of us went and ate at various casetas in the a park. We got the specials at each one and a drink for 1.80. They were very interesting and some tasted better than others! We went back to the Plaza Mayor, listened to some music and then headed home.
Yesterday we had class again and I was super tired. So, I went to class, came back for lunch and then slept until 5. We had a meeting with out city guides for a tour of the casetas (I figured I had enough but still wanted to go), so we went back to the casetas in the Campó de San Francisco and ate wayyyy tooooo muchhhh. We got tortilla español, chorizo, calamari, little fried squids and sardines! It was a lot of fun because we all sat together talking and eating, and watching these ladies flamenco dancing. It was a lot of fun! After that, we went home and had dinner, then mark and I went to the Plaza Mayor for another concert. It was really interesting because it consisted of drumming and singing and there was a fusion of all different types of music. I really liked it. When I got home, I had to ask my family about what these expressions meant (part of an asssignment) and I ended up getting a ton of useful everyday expressions from them! It was great!
Today is FRIDAY!!! wooohooo! Im done with class and we have another tour at 5. After that Courtney, Kelly, Kelley, Jess, Mark and I are going to meet to discuss traveling plans to Portugal. :)
Check out facebook for more pictures!!!
Hasta Luego!
Our first stop was La Salina, a palace in Salamanca. We weren't able to walk around inside but you were able to walk into the courtyard. There were posters explaining each of the shield and heads that were on the walls and the progression of architecture through the years, there are some pictures up on facebook. :]
After that we went to the museum of modern art, Museo Modernista. You weren't able to take your camera in so I don't have any pictures of that, but if you google the name and click images you can see how beautiful the building is. There is stained glass everywhere and mixed with the art and the building creates a really neat atmosphere of the museum. Right now they have a Picasso exhibition of his art work that deals with the bulls and bull fighting. It was his work through the ages with different mediums, like charcoal and paint. I really enjoyed it. It was also interesting too because there is such a debate in Spain about bull fighting, you can really see how much Picasso respected them.
We then walked back to the church with the offering and took pictures of that in the daylight. So many beautiful flowers and it all smelled sooooo gooood :)
Then after lunch we went to the Corte Ingles and saw Charangas and Cabezudos. Basically a band with a group of people who have big paper maché heads and dance to the band and chase little kids around. There all different types of heads, old lady, witches, men, bulls. My favorite was the bull :)
Then from there we went to a little mexican restaurant (Im guessing the only one in Salamanca) had a little snack and a drink then headed to the Campó de San Francisco for a flamenco dance. It was really neat, and a ton of people! Then we walked over to the Patio Escuela( getting sort of lost on the way, but finding a really cool fountain) and saw some flamenco fusion. It was some singing and then some dancing but to different music, it was different and I definitely like the traditional flamenco more. Then a group of us went and ate at various casetas in the a park. We got the specials at each one and a drink for 1.80. They were very interesting and some tasted better than others! We went back to the Plaza Mayor, listened to some music and then headed home.
Yesterday we had class again and I was super tired. So, I went to class, came back for lunch and then slept until 5. We had a meeting with out city guides for a tour of the casetas (I figured I had enough but still wanted to go), so we went back to the casetas in the Campó de San Francisco and ate wayyyy tooooo muchhhh. We got tortilla español, chorizo, calamari, little fried squids and sardines! It was a lot of fun because we all sat together talking and eating, and watching these ladies flamenco dancing. It was a lot of fun! After that, we went home and had dinner, then mark and I went to the Plaza Mayor for another concert. It was really interesting because it consisted of drumming and singing and there was a fusion of all different types of music. I really liked it. When I got home, I had to ask my family about what these expressions meant (part of an asssignment) and I ended up getting a ton of useful everyday expressions from them! It was great!
Today is FRIDAY!!! wooohooo! Im done with class and we have another tour at 5. After that Courtney, Kelly, Kelley, Jess, Mark and I are going to meet to discuss traveling plans to Portugal. :)
Check out facebook for more pictures!!!
Hasta Luego!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Crossing things off my christmas list :]
Hola! I just got back from class and on the way home stopped and was able to begin to cross stuff off my Christmas list for my friends and family! Qué Guay!! (How cool ja ja)
So, with the beginning of the new week, I've started to fall into a pattern of how the day goes. Wake up, class 10-1, walk home lunch at 2, relax until 4 or so, meet up and run errands(for instance yesterday I went to Corte Ingles with mark to buy a razor) come back and eat dinner then go out(last night hung out in the Plaza, and went to little bars (casetas) with tapas that they specialize in and ate some of those :]. My favorite was lamb on bread with this cheese sauce! mmmmmm
Now Im back from class, and waiting on lunch. Blogging, uploading, reading and possibly napping are on my list for this afternoon before we all have to meet and get our pictures taken for our school ids. A group of us are going out for dinner at a tapas bar and today marks the begging of the Feria de Salamanca!!! So there's going to be flamenco in the plaza and music and all these awesome festivities! Tomorrow there is a parade throughout Salamanca (we don't have class) so Im really excited for that :) So many pictures to come!!! :) :)
So, Im having a great time, getting to know the city, interacting with the people all the things that being in a new culture brings! it's such an amazing experience and Im so happy I have this great opportunity.
Everything can't be perfect though... it's nothing bad, but my madre is not a good cook, not at all. Sometimes she's not here for dinner due to her job, so her daughters make lunch and dinner. For instance yesterday, I had pasta with ketchup and tuna. The ketchup was cold the tuna was hot. Needless to say I was a good sport and ate some, but if you know me I can not stand condiments, so I just let her know I wasn't that hungry... I ended up getting a tortilla bocadillo, it was a huge sandwich, I'll have mark upload the picture. So, if I have one complaint, and its not really a complaint, its my madre's cooking. But its not all bad, last night I had fish and it was good, not too greasy like other meats she's cooked, so yeah. ja ja
Well, I think lunch is going to be soon, at least I hope it is because Im hungry!!! More pictures to come on facebook so check it out!
Hasta luego
So, with the beginning of the new week, I've started to fall into a pattern of how the day goes. Wake up, class 10-1, walk home lunch at 2, relax until 4 or so, meet up and run errands(for instance yesterday I went to Corte Ingles with mark to buy a razor) come back and eat dinner then go out(last night hung out in the Plaza, and went to little bars (casetas) with tapas that they specialize in and ate some of those :]. My favorite was lamb on bread with this cheese sauce! mmmmmm
Now Im back from class, and waiting on lunch. Blogging, uploading, reading and possibly napping are on my list for this afternoon before we all have to meet and get our pictures taken for our school ids. A group of us are going out for dinner at a tapas bar and today marks the begging of the Feria de Salamanca!!! So there's going to be flamenco in the plaza and music and all these awesome festivities! Tomorrow there is a parade throughout Salamanca (we don't have class) so Im really excited for that :) So many pictures to come!!! :) :)
So, Im having a great time, getting to know the city, interacting with the people all the things that being in a new culture brings! it's such an amazing experience and Im so happy I have this great opportunity.
Everything can't be perfect though... it's nothing bad, but my madre is not a good cook, not at all. Sometimes she's not here for dinner due to her job, so her daughters make lunch and dinner. For instance yesterday, I had pasta with ketchup and tuna. The ketchup was cold the tuna was hot. Needless to say I was a good sport and ate some, but if you know me I can not stand condiments, so I just let her know I wasn't that hungry... I ended up getting a tortilla bocadillo, it was a huge sandwich, I'll have mark upload the picture. So, if I have one complaint, and its not really a complaint, its my madre's cooking. But its not all bad, last night I had fish and it was good, not too greasy like other meats she's cooked, so yeah. ja ja
Well, I think lunch is going to be soon, at least I hope it is because Im hungry!!! More pictures to come on facebook so check it out!
Hasta luego
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Domingo!
So, after just finishing my homework, I decided I would update my blog, because today was a really neat day full of a bunch of stuff that I will forget about when I start writing my blog for the coming week. A note about this coming week in Salamanca, it's the Feria de Salamanca, with eating and a religious celebration on Wednesday of the Virgen de la Vega (we don't have class) so it's going to be a ton to write about! Here's a website where you read more about it! http://www.whatsalamanca.com/feria-salamanca.html
I woke up at 11, after having a great night last night on the plaza. I met mark in the Parque de Jesuitas where I read and started working on my homework. We sat at a little cafe(right in the park) and I had cafe con leche and it was very relaxing. We then went to the Plaza Mayor and walked around took some pictures (on facebook soon I promise!) and just kind of wondered. Then we went back to plaza because we heard drums and I thought it was going to be a band or something, but it was actually una protesta!!! It was about the bull fights and how the were inhumane and signs saying "Torture is not art or culture". It was very interesting because it just got outlawed in Cataluña so it's a big debate in Spain. Both sides were very intense.
We then met up with the group and the two tour guides and went to el Parque de la Aldehuela a huge park with areas broken up for different sports and stuff. Then we walked to el Museo de Arte Contermporáneo and got to see some art. We didn't get to spend a lot of time there, but it's really close to where I live so I hope to go back!
As we were walking back to get on a bus to go back to the plaza, the tour guide said that this is the biggest park in Salamanca (pointing behind a wall with ivy on it) and said El Parque de Jesuitas! I was like I live right next to that, so mark ann and I walked through the park to head back to our houses. We ended up stopping at the cafe (again) because there was a band, tons of older couples dancing! So we decided to get some water and just sit and chat!
Now Im home, finished up my homework, and deciding whether or not to upload photos! Im super tired, so I might wait but we'll see! So excited to see what adventures next week brings!!! :)
I woke up at 11, after having a great night last night on the plaza. I met mark in the Parque de Jesuitas where I read and started working on my homework. We sat at a little cafe(right in the park) and I had cafe con leche and it was very relaxing. We then went to the Plaza Mayor and walked around took some pictures (on facebook soon I promise!) and just kind of wondered. Then we went back to plaza because we heard drums and I thought it was going to be a band or something, but it was actually una protesta!!! It was about the bull fights and how the were inhumane and signs saying "Torture is not art or culture". It was very interesting because it just got outlawed in Cataluña so it's a big debate in Spain. Both sides were very intense.
We then met up with the group and the two tour guides and went to el Parque de la Aldehuela a huge park with areas broken up for different sports and stuff. Then we walked to el Museo de Arte Contermporáneo and got to see some art. We didn't get to spend a lot of time there, but it's really close to where I live so I hope to go back!
As we were walking back to get on a bus to go back to the plaza, the tour guide said that this is the biggest park in Salamanca (pointing behind a wall with ivy on it) and said El Parque de Jesuitas! I was like I live right next to that, so mark ann and I walked through the park to head back to our houses. We ended up stopping at the cafe (again) because there was a band, tons of older couples dancing! So we decided to get some water and just sit and chat!
Now Im home, finished up my homework, and deciding whether or not to upload photos! Im super tired, so I might wait but we'll see! So excited to see what adventures next week brings!!! :)
Saturday, September 4, 2010
La gran vida
First, let me start out by saying I feel like I've been here forever. But in reality it's only been 3 whole days. Its the life and sense of time here that throws you off, I wake up at 8:30 get dressed have breakfast and meet mark in the park at 9:15, then we walk to class that starts at 10. We have class from 10 to 1, then we walk back home for lunch and siesta, where in both cases I have eaten lunch at 2 and then napped :). Then we have some sort of tour(explained below) and then come back to our houses and have dinner around 9:30 or 10. At 11 we meet in the Plaza Mayor and so begins the night life of Salamanca. As you can see, a very long day but its not stressful and I absolutely love it!!!
Okay, now that you know some what of a general structure of the last few days, I'll explain each in detail, for your reading pleasure!
JUEVES(thursday)- This was our first full day in Salamanca. We met in the Plaza de Libertad at 9:30 and all walked to our class that starts at 10. Our professor's name is Carmen and she reminds me a lot of Alexandra, a professor that I had my first semester for Spanish at OWU, full of life and loving her job. The first class starts like any first day of class would and with introductions and then we do an activity where we ask and answer questions about someone in the class and then present them (remember all of this is spanish) :) We ended up getting homework too! The first day! haha, it really wasn't anything too hard we had to find a spanish article, read it, write down 5 words we didn't know (obvi there was more than 5 that I didn't know) summarize it then present it to the class. I go on Monday! After class, I went back to my house and had lunch with my madre and then relaxed until I met up with Mark at 4 and went to a store to buy some shampoo, conditioner and lotion. That was an adventure because everything was closed for siesta, woops how quick you forget these things! Mark was able to buy a towel too! (yeah for not using a t-shirt) :) After returning the stuff to my house, we walked to the Plaza de Libertad for a tour of the city! It was great! We saw the Cathedral, the entrance to the Univesidad de Salamanca, the wall that surrounds Salamanca (made by the romans) a beautiful botanical park, a roman bridge (both of those in Spanish stories I read in my Spanish Literature class) we saw the markers for the pilgrimage de Santiago that goes through Salamanca (they're scallop shaped), some sweet museums that we're going to get to go, awesome buildings and old roads! It was great! After the tour I went back to my house, but when I got there no one was there! As a group we decided to meet in the Plaza Mayor at 11 and so when 10:30 came around, I left a note for my madre saying I was going out to the Plaza with other students and that I'd be back later. I was kind of worried, but when I got back later that night she had left me a note on my bed saying she was sorry she wasn't home and such. So, Mark met me outside my house and went to Plaza where I had dinner and we had sangria. It was so much fun to just sit on plaza and people watch. We met up with some other students and went to a couple clubs. It was fun but very different(they can smoke inside) and mark and I walked back around 1:45(which I guess is early considering others stayed out until 3 or 4!!)I was so exhausted! I took a shower and then went to bed!
VIERNES (Friday)- I woke up and met mark and we walked to class. We finished introductions and presenting each other then discussed stereotypes of the U.S and of Spain, it was very interesting. We also got a neat assignment where we have to pay attention to the dialogue and movements in a conversation in a certain area (the plaza mayor, a restaurant ext) and then present it to the class on the last day. After class, I walked back and had lunch with my madre. Let me just tell you, my madre gives me enough food for 3 people. I was given three thick slices of ham, with a huge pile of fries, huge bowl of soup, bread and a huge peach!! I could only eat one of the pieces of ham, some of the fries and it looked like I didn't even touch the soup( but I did, I ate a lot of it)! She asked me if I liked her cooking and I was yes, yes I do! And then she was like, you just eat a little! I laughed and nodded in my head thinking I just ate a ton of food! After lunch I took a nap and then met up with mark at 5:30 so we could walk to the Plaza de Libertad for a tour of the gym that we all got memberships too. It was a very long walk and I live on the complete opposite side, but it's very nice, lots to offer like classes and a pool so I think I'll take advantage of it once or twice a week. After the tour, Mark and I walked back to the Plaza Mayor and had dinner on the patio! It was so awesome! It was dark and the lights were on and we just sat there and talked and ate for 3 hours. So much to see! I had paella, which was good and mark had chicken and vegetable kabobs! We also shared croquettas(fried something or other with pork, very good). Something really interesting about Spain, is the check situation, you have to ask for it, they don't just bring it too you right after you're done like america. It was nice because we just we're able to sit there and talk until we wanted too, but it was also hard to get our waiters attention when we finally wanted to leave! We met up with some others and walked around to little bars that are set up in parks, each having there own speciality, whether its wine, beer or a tapa. I wasn't hungry but they had a lot of good looking food! Mark and I headed back around 12:30 (very very early) because I was exhausted!!! We ended up stopping in a park on the way back and just sitting and talking for awhile which was fun!
SABADO(Saturday, TODAY) Today we didn't have class but had a tour of the all the centro commerciales de Salamanca (malls) at 11:30, needless to say I slept until 10! I woke up had breakfast and met up with Mark in the park and we walked to the Plaza de Libertad. We took a bus to El Tormes, and walked around that mall, then went back to the Plaza Mayor and walked to the Corte de Ingles. Mark and I had lunch here, but mine was kind of sketch, because my chicken was super pink, so I only ate like two bites. My stomach hasn't quite been right since I've gotten here. I did have some of the best cafe after the meal it was so good! The corte de ingles is a really neat store. It's 5 or 6 levels with a restuarant on the top and then each level is something different, clothes (mens, womens, kids) furniture, electronics, beauty, its like a huge department store. After that, we walked a street with tons of shops and just looked around and enjoyed the city, it was a lot of fun! Tonight, we're meeting up at the Plaza Mayor at 11:30 with some other students, I really want to do tapas or something, and hopefully I can stay out past 1. :)
I absolutely love the city, all the people are so nice and everyone seems so happy. It's so different from America, sense of time, food, everything. I feel safe and not overwhelmed even though it is a huge city to me. (But everyone says its so small, Delaware is small city, this is huge) Well, I think that's all, (it's probably not haha) I need to go work on my homework and upload the pictures from camera! Hasta luego!!!
Okay, now that you know some what of a general structure of the last few days, I'll explain each in detail, for your reading pleasure!
JUEVES(thursday)- This was our first full day in Salamanca. We met in the Plaza de Libertad at 9:30 and all walked to our class that starts at 10. Our professor's name is Carmen and she reminds me a lot of Alexandra, a professor that I had my first semester for Spanish at OWU, full of life and loving her job. The first class starts like any first day of class would and with introductions and then we do an activity where we ask and answer questions about someone in the class and then present them (remember all of this is spanish) :) We ended up getting homework too! The first day! haha, it really wasn't anything too hard we had to find a spanish article, read it, write down 5 words we didn't know (obvi there was more than 5 that I didn't know) summarize it then present it to the class. I go on Monday! After class, I went back to my house and had lunch with my madre and then relaxed until I met up with Mark at 4 and went to a store to buy some shampoo, conditioner and lotion. That was an adventure because everything was closed for siesta, woops how quick you forget these things! Mark was able to buy a towel too! (yeah for not using a t-shirt) :) After returning the stuff to my house, we walked to the Plaza de Libertad for a tour of the city! It was great! We saw the Cathedral, the entrance to the Univesidad de Salamanca, the wall that surrounds Salamanca (made by the romans) a beautiful botanical park, a roman bridge (both of those in Spanish stories I read in my Spanish Literature class) we saw the markers for the pilgrimage de Santiago that goes through Salamanca (they're scallop shaped), some sweet museums that we're going to get to go, awesome buildings and old roads! It was great! After the tour I went back to my house, but when I got there no one was there! As a group we decided to meet in the Plaza Mayor at 11 and so when 10:30 came around, I left a note for my madre saying I was going out to the Plaza with other students and that I'd be back later. I was kind of worried, but when I got back later that night she had left me a note on my bed saying she was sorry she wasn't home and such. So, Mark met me outside my house and went to Plaza where I had dinner and we had sangria. It was so much fun to just sit on plaza and people watch. We met up with some other students and went to a couple clubs. It was fun but very different(they can smoke inside) and mark and I walked back around 1:45(which I guess is early considering others stayed out until 3 or 4!!)I was so exhausted! I took a shower and then went to bed!
VIERNES (Friday)- I woke up and met mark and we walked to class. We finished introductions and presenting each other then discussed stereotypes of the U.S and of Spain, it was very interesting. We also got a neat assignment where we have to pay attention to the dialogue and movements in a conversation in a certain area (the plaza mayor, a restaurant ext) and then present it to the class on the last day. After class, I walked back and had lunch with my madre. Let me just tell you, my madre gives me enough food for 3 people. I was given three thick slices of ham, with a huge pile of fries, huge bowl of soup, bread and a huge peach!! I could only eat one of the pieces of ham, some of the fries and it looked like I didn't even touch the soup( but I did, I ate a lot of it)! She asked me if I liked her cooking and I was yes, yes I do! And then she was like, you just eat a little! I laughed and nodded in my head thinking I just ate a ton of food! After lunch I took a nap and then met up with mark at 5:30 so we could walk to the Plaza de Libertad for a tour of the gym that we all got memberships too. It was a very long walk and I live on the complete opposite side, but it's very nice, lots to offer like classes and a pool so I think I'll take advantage of it once or twice a week. After the tour, Mark and I walked back to the Plaza Mayor and had dinner on the patio! It was so awesome! It was dark and the lights were on and we just sat there and talked and ate for 3 hours. So much to see! I had paella, which was good and mark had chicken and vegetable kabobs! We also shared croquettas(fried something or other with pork, very good). Something really interesting about Spain, is the check situation, you have to ask for it, they don't just bring it too you right after you're done like america. It was nice because we just we're able to sit there and talk until we wanted too, but it was also hard to get our waiters attention when we finally wanted to leave! We met up with some others and walked around to little bars that are set up in parks, each having there own speciality, whether its wine, beer or a tapa. I wasn't hungry but they had a lot of good looking food! Mark and I headed back around 12:30 (very very early) because I was exhausted!!! We ended up stopping in a park on the way back and just sitting and talking for awhile which was fun!
SABADO(Saturday, TODAY) Today we didn't have class but had a tour of the all the centro commerciales de Salamanca (malls) at 11:30, needless to say I slept until 10! I woke up had breakfast and met up with Mark in the park and we walked to the Plaza de Libertad. We took a bus to El Tormes, and walked around that mall, then went back to the Plaza Mayor and walked to the Corte de Ingles. Mark and I had lunch here, but mine was kind of sketch, because my chicken was super pink, so I only ate like two bites. My stomach hasn't quite been right since I've gotten here. I did have some of the best cafe after the meal it was so good! The corte de ingles is a really neat store. It's 5 or 6 levels with a restuarant on the top and then each level is something different, clothes (mens, womens, kids) furniture, electronics, beauty, its like a huge department store. After that, we walked a street with tons of shops and just looked around and enjoyed the city, it was a lot of fun! Tonight, we're meeting up at the Plaza Mayor at 11:30 with some other students, I really want to do tapas or something, and hopefully I can stay out past 1. :)
I absolutely love the city, all the people are so nice and everyone seems so happy. It's so different from America, sense of time, food, everything. I feel safe and not overwhelmed even though it is a huge city to me. (But everyone says its so small, Delaware is small city, this is huge) Well, I think that's all, (it's probably not haha) I need to go work on my homework and upload the pictures from camera! Hasta luego!!!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Salamanca!!!
Hola mis amigos!!!! I am currently sitting in my bed for the next 3 months bringing you this new blog update.
Obviously I made it!!! :) The flight from Columbus to Newark was on a tiny plane with propellers and was very loud but I did fine.Then our flight from Newark to Madrid was also on a smaller plane, three seats then an isle then three more seats. It was a more turbulent flight but I think I slept for a couple hours.
When we arrived in Madrid we met up with the directors husband, Miguel and headed towards Salamanca. Half way, we stopped for lunch at an AutoGrill, then continued on to Salamanca. When we all arrived, all of the families were sitting on steps waiting for us to get off the bus, it was kind of intimidating and I must admit I was nervous. The women who picked me up was actually the tia(aunt) of mi hermana(sister) that I am living with. I just met my madre, Juana, about an hour ago. When I got to the house, I unpacked all my stuff and then after getting all settled in and after emailing everyone (mi casa has internet!!!!) Mark and I decided to meet in the Parque de los Jesusitas. We got maps, and I figured I would be fine but I ended up walking the completely wrong direction and ended up a different park. (It had a brass band which was cool) I turned myself around and ended up meeting with Mark at the right park, it was a huge relief. The park is literally 3 minutes from my casa, so had I turned right instead of left I would have seen it. While Mark and I were out walking we ran into Anne who had forgotten where she had lived and didn't have any numbers for her madre. She just remembered it was number 54 on some street in the same area that I am staying in. We helped her look and in the end, after circling the block 3 or 4 times and a call to Miguel, we found her house and her madre was just going in too! Lots of excitement for the first day!!!
Tomorrow we are meeting in the Plaza de la Libertad to begin our class that helps us become integrated into Salamanca. We will also be taking a tour of city and I hope we are able to get phones set up as well as go to a store.
This is going to be the experience of a lifetime. I am so excited. My host family is great and this seems to be a wonderful city(even though it rained all through my exploration today).
I was very surprised that my family has internet so hopefully I will be able to frequently update the blog!
Im super tired so I think I am going to go to be bed soon, 8 a.m will be here before I know it!
Hasta Luego!
Obviously I made it!!! :) The flight from Columbus to Newark was on a tiny plane with propellers and was very loud but I did fine.Then our flight from Newark to Madrid was also on a smaller plane, three seats then an isle then three more seats. It was a more turbulent flight but I think I slept for a couple hours.
When we arrived in Madrid we met up with the directors husband, Miguel and headed towards Salamanca. Half way, we stopped for lunch at an AutoGrill, then continued on to Salamanca. When we all arrived, all of the families were sitting on steps waiting for us to get off the bus, it was kind of intimidating and I must admit I was nervous. The women who picked me up was actually the tia(aunt) of mi hermana(sister) that I am living with. I just met my madre, Juana, about an hour ago. When I got to the house, I unpacked all my stuff and then after getting all settled in and after emailing everyone (mi casa has internet!!!!) Mark and I decided to meet in the Parque de los Jesusitas. We got maps, and I figured I would be fine but I ended up walking the completely wrong direction and ended up a different park. (It had a brass band which was cool) I turned myself around and ended up meeting with Mark at the right park, it was a huge relief. The park is literally 3 minutes from my casa, so had I turned right instead of left I would have seen it. While Mark and I were out walking we ran into Anne who had forgotten where she had lived and didn't have any numbers for her madre. She just remembered it was number 54 on some street in the same area that I am staying in. We helped her look and in the end, after circling the block 3 or 4 times and a call to Miguel, we found her house and her madre was just going in too! Lots of excitement for the first day!!!
Tomorrow we are meeting in the Plaza de la Libertad to begin our class that helps us become integrated into Salamanca. We will also be taking a tour of city and I hope we are able to get phones set up as well as go to a store.
This is going to be the experience of a lifetime. I am so excited. My host family is great and this seems to be a wonderful city(even though it rained all through my exploration today).
I was very surprised that my family has internet so hopefully I will be able to frequently update the blog!
Im super tired so I think I am going to go to be bed soon, 8 a.m will be here before I know it!
Hasta Luego!
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