The other weekend we took a bus to Valencia. Valencia is right on the Mediterranean Sea. It was our first whole weekend away from Madrid since we have been here. The weekend was full of new experiences.
First time in a HOSTEL: I had never stayed in a hostel before this trip. I was a little worried about what it was going to be like after hearing horror stories about bad hostels. But it was a great experience. It was only $16 a night and had everything we needed. It was a dorm style hostel with around 12 beds in each room and bathrooms just down the hall. They provided us with lockers for our stuff, had a kitchen, computers, towels, and everything else we needed. The staff was very helpful and spoke engligh. Besides the hostel being nice it was a great experience because of all the different people we met.
People from all over came to the hostel to stay. Many people from other european countries and from canada, along with the US. We spent a lot of time talking with everyone about where they were from and there plans for travel. Some of the people were like us just there for a weekend while others had been backpacking for over a month. It was amazing to see all the different cultures come together.
First time in the Mediterranean: It was my first time swimming in the mediterranean. I have been to the atlantic, the gulf of mexico, and the pacific but this was my first time in the mediterranean. It reminded me of the gulf of mexico. No gaint waves crashed on the shore like in california, just small clam waves. The water was much warmer than the pacific and seemed to be saltier but i dont know if it really was. The first day we went to the beach we got lost and when we finally got off the bus we ended up at a beach with very few people way down the coast but I was a good mistake. The beach was amazing! We swam, collected seashells, and soaked up the sun. The next day we went to the beach we had been looking for but were disappointted because it was full of people and not the same as the day before but we enjoyed it anyway.
We were not in Valencia for very long but one of the other things we did was go to an aquarium called Oceanografic. It was amazing. There was a dolphin show that was so crazy. I have never seen that many dolphins. The aquarium was divided into different oceans, which made it easy to learn even though i couldn't read anything cause it was all in spanish. Also there was a tunnel you could crawl through and sit inside this dome. You became totally surrounded by water, it was amazing.
Next to the aquarium was different buildings with some very different architecture. These different buildings are a main atraction for tourists in Valencia.
Though it was a short weekend, it was a weekend of many firsts and great experiences.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
A Trip to America
Well as my other posts have mentioned, I am not a fan of the food here in Spain. I have gone to McDonalds and Burger King more than once since I have been here. The other night a friend said she needed some American food, of course I said I would join here. We went to a mall near her house. It was just like we were in American. Not only did they have Mcdonalds and KFC, they also had a Taco Bell! After eating we joked about how it felt just like home. Although the menus are a bit different and the food isn't exactly the same, it helped us feel a bit more at home. I am not proud to say that I love McDonalds and Burger King, but right now those are my favorite places to eat.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
The Food
I will admit I am a very very picky eater. I blame my parents for always feeding me meat and potatoes. But that is what they had as they were going up. I can not remember a meal at my grandmother's house that did not have some type of meat with some type of potatoes. So of course my favorite meal is mashed potatoes with chicken or turkey. I am not the type to try lots of different foods, I like to stay with what I know I like. Well, this becomes somewhat a problem when visiting another country.
Our host mom cooks us lunch every day. This usually consists of a salad with large chunks of tomatoes and lots of onions (two foods I hate). There is also a hot meal but this varies but one thing is always has is lots of meat. There will be a main course like chicken or pork. There are also always vegetables. As a kid I did not need to be forced to eat my greens but here I usually can never eat them. Many times there is more meat mixed in with the veggies, usually bacon. I may just become a vegetarian once I leave here.
My housemate, Ileana always finishes all her food and usually likes it. I thought I was the only one who didn't like the food here in Spain. But after a few tapas and drinks the majority of students told how they disliked the food. One said he would sneak whatever he couldn't eat down to the garbage without his host mom knowing. Another said she has to take a bite of bread with every bite of food to try to cover up the taste. I was so glad to hear I was not the only one who did not like the food.
Our host mom cooks us lunch every day. This usually consists of a salad with large chunks of tomatoes and lots of onions (two foods I hate). There is also a hot meal but this varies but one thing is always has is lots of meat. There will be a main course like chicken or pork. There are also always vegetables. As a kid I did not need to be forced to eat my greens but here I usually can never eat them. Many times there is more meat mixed in with the veggies, usually bacon. I may just become a vegetarian once I leave here.
My housemate, Ileana always finishes all her food and usually likes it. I thought I was the only one who didn't like the food here in Spain. But after a few tapas and drinks the majority of students told how they disliked the food. One said he would sneak whatever he couldn't eat down to the garbage without his host mom knowing. Another said she has to take a bite of bread with every bite of food to try to cover up the taste. I was so glad to hear I was not the only one who did not like the food.
The Language Barrier
The students on this trip with me have some unique stories about their experiences speaking spanish in Spain. Many of the students can speak perfect spanish, but the spanish here is different than Mexican spanish. But there are also many of us that speak very broken spanish, if we are even able to speak any spanish at all.
My friend Ileana speaks perfect spanish, well to me it seems perfect. However, many words in Spain are not the same. She understands mostly everything but uses different words for somethings but people are able to understand.
The other students, including myself that speak little spanish don't understand everything, which can lead to some crazy stories.
One student was telling me that he thought his host mom said she was a DRUNK. After more talking he figured out that she had not said she was a drunk but actually drank very little but liked a certain drink they have here. Also he had to explain to his 69 year old host mom that he was gay. At first, not sure how she would react he did not say anything. Until she asked him if he was. I can't imagine trying to explain that in spanish. But when all was said and done, he said they were laughed until they cried about the misunderstanings.
I am blessed to have the chance to learn another language and about another culture. There are so many misunderstandings in the world that could be prevented if everyone took the time to learn about each other. I am still confused most of the time but I can't believe how much I have learned in a week.
My friend Ileana speaks perfect spanish, well to me it seems perfect. However, many words in Spain are not the same. She understands mostly everything but uses different words for somethings but people are able to understand.
The other students, including myself that speak little spanish don't understand everything, which can lead to some crazy stories.
One student was telling me that he thought his host mom said she was a DRUNK. After more talking he figured out that she had not said she was a drunk but actually drank very little but liked a certain drink they have here. Also he had to explain to his 69 year old host mom that he was gay. At first, not sure how she would react he did not say anything. Until she asked him if he was. I can't imagine trying to explain that in spanish. But when all was said and done, he said they were laughed until they cried about the misunderstanings.
I am blessed to have the chance to learn another language and about another culture. There are so many misunderstandings in the world that could be prevented if everyone took the time to learn about each other. I am still confused most of the time but I can't believe how much I have learned in a week.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Toledo
A bus trip to Toledo was the perfect way to spend our Sunday. A city that dates back to the 14th century takes your breath away (the sites and the endless hills and steps). We made our way through the city, lost most of the time but following your own path sometimes pays off. We found a fortress that was not part of any tourist area. The climb to the top was through a smalll dark passageway and led us to an amazing view. It felt like we went back in time and were protecting the city from invaders. Of course it is not used as a fortress anymore but looked as if locals used it as a hang out. Toledo is full of old buildings and history but my favorite part of the day was the lost fortress we found. Following your own path can lead you to something amazing.
Friday, June 4, 2010
The City that never sleeps
I am unable to fall back to sleep tonight, maybe from the heat or the fact I went to bed early, that is at least early for here in Spain. The heat here is unlike any other I have felt. Everyday the temp rises to 90 degrees or above. The mornings provide some relief but by 1:00 it is impossible to be outside. It does not cool down until late in the night and that's when Madrid really comes a live.
The night life here is also unlike any other place I have known. Traditionally, only a small dinner is eaten at 9:00. After that people meet in the streets. The parks and plazas are full of people ranging from all ages. Even Small kids here stay up way past my bedtime in the United States. For young people, it is not strange to stay out until well past 4:00 in the morning. One night we left a club at 3:00 am to head for home and the line was still half way around the block just to get into the club. I think Madrid should be called the city that never sleeps.
Since school starts at 8:30 am, I find it hard to stay up much past 11:00 on a week night, the Spanish night life is just too much for me but I am still trying to take it all in. Our classes in school are very small. Today only half of my class showed up, which made the grad total of students in our class five. With small classes we are all given the chance to speak and practice our spanish.
Today, Ileana and I also started to plan our trip for after school. We bought our ticket to Rome and an eurail pass. This weekend we plan to take a day trip to Toledo. Also I would love to see other parts of Spain but the tickets are very expensive and my money seems to be disappearing even faster than I had imagined. Tomorrow we are going to go out and see some more sites. When never know exactly where we are going but our long walks have taken us to some amazing places in the city. That's all for now.
The night life here is also unlike any other place I have known. Traditionally, only a small dinner is eaten at 9:00. After that people meet in the streets. The parks and plazas are full of people ranging from all ages. Even Small kids here stay up way past my bedtime in the United States. For young people, it is not strange to stay out until well past 4:00 in the morning. One night we left a club at 3:00 am to head for home and the line was still half way around the block just to get into the club. I think Madrid should be called the city that never sleeps.
Since school starts at 8:30 am, I find it hard to stay up much past 11:00 on a week night, the Spanish night life is just too much for me but I am still trying to take it all in. Our classes in school are very small. Today only half of my class showed up, which made the grad total of students in our class five. With small classes we are all given the chance to speak and practice our spanish.
Today, Ileana and I also started to plan our trip for after school. We bought our ticket to Rome and an eurail pass. This weekend we plan to take a day trip to Toledo. Also I would love to see other parts of Spain but the tickets are very expensive and my money seems to be disappearing even faster than I had imagined. Tomorrow we are going to go out and see some more sites. When never know exactly where we are going but our long walks have taken us to some amazing places in the city. That's all for now.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
My first few days in Madrid
There seems to be no time to update my blog. Here is a quick summary of the past few days.
I arrived in Madrid safely and found Ileana, my friend from home at the airport right away. We made our way into the city via there metro. We quickly found where we would be staying for the next month but could not check in until 12:00. Tired from the long day of traveling and pulling our bags across town, we decided to just find a bench to sit until noon.
Finally, 12 o'clock came and we met our host mother. Pilar is very nice and makes us feel at home. She speaks little english so much of our conversation is in broken spanish with lots of hand motions. Many times I need to have Ileana translate for me but I am learning.
On Tuesday, we made the short trip to our school on the metro. We had an introduction and filled out some paper work. Today was the first day of actual class. Of course, I am in a beginner class but I feel it will help me remember my spanish from highschool. In no way is this the vacation I had thought I was going on. We must be at school at 8:30 and get done around 1:00. The classes are not very hard but after speak spanish all day, my mind is exhausted. We also have small homework assignments everyday.
Tomorrow is a holiday in Spain so we don't have school. A group of us from San Diego State are meeting in Plaza de Sol to explore the night life.
Well, my summary does not give justice to the past few days but I wanted to keep everyone up to date.
I arrived in Madrid safely and found Ileana, my friend from home at the airport right away. We made our way into the city via there metro. We quickly found where we would be staying for the next month but could not check in until 12:00. Tired from the long day of traveling and pulling our bags across town, we decided to just find a bench to sit until noon.
Finally, 12 o'clock came and we met our host mother. Pilar is very nice and makes us feel at home. She speaks little english so much of our conversation is in broken spanish with lots of hand motions. Many times I need to have Ileana translate for me but I am learning.
On Tuesday, we made the short trip to our school on the metro. We had an introduction and filled out some paper work. Today was the first day of actual class. Of course, I am in a beginner class but I feel it will help me remember my spanish from highschool. In no way is this the vacation I had thought I was going on. We must be at school at 8:30 and get done around 1:00. The classes are not very hard but after speak spanish all day, my mind is exhausted. We also have small homework assignments everyday.
Tomorrow is a holiday in Spain so we don't have school. A group of us from San Diego State are meeting in Plaza de Sol to explore the night life.
Well, my summary does not give justice to the past few days but I wanted to keep everyone up to date.
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