Oy, what to say? Today marks the 3rd week since I left dear old Durham. The first part was like being dragged behind a dump truck, but the second part was like walking in a garden of roses. Actually, more like walking along the beach, since that’s exactly what I’ve been doing. As soon as the weather got warm enough to even stand outside for any amount of time, I’ve been at the beach almost every day, since that is the best place to occupy myself for hours. Really, if I have nothing to do, I just walk down to the beach & see if my friends are there. Even if they’re not: hey, look, I’m at the beach, let’s take a walk in the sand.
On Saturday night my new friends & I (see facebook) walked to the beach at 4am and just sat there in the cold sand and the cold wind until 6:30am. We just sat. It was wonderful. And then the day that it was really really windy and my padre told me to put rocks in my pockets to keep from flying away, I went to the beach and just walked up and down the promenade (for the sand was flying up and pummeling people on the beach). And today was BEAUTIFUL the best day so far & nobody was even on the beach! So I walked in the sand enjoying the day & listening to my ipod. Can I just say that music makes everything better? I even sang to the songs (after making sure no one was in earshot). Ahh the beach.
Anyway, we’ve finally finished our intensive course in grammar! Funny story: I was put in the D level class for Spanish proficiency and was kind of bummed (kind of = huge understatement), until I found out that D level is the most proficient, not the worst. Whew! So tomorrow I get to rise at 9am to be there at 11 (the bus takes 45 minutes) instead of getting up at 7am. The schedule? Well, Mon & Wed we have conversational Spanish at 11 and then Spanish Civil War at 1. Tues & Thurs we’ll get a little bit of Women in Contemporary Spain (puke) at 1pm until my other class starts in March (the History of Gypsies).
The rule for CIEE is your homestay officially ends after your last exam (i.e. the family isn’t reimbursed for living expenses). The problem is: there is no final exam for the Gypsy class (contrary to what we were expecting). It appears that I am potentially kicked out of my house starting May 20th and my plane ticket is set for June 6th. So I either change my ticket to the 21st, or….
Anyone wanna travel around Spain with me for 16 days?
Oh, you don’t know about chorus, do you? Well, last Wednesday I went to the open chorus in the University. There were a total of 3 boys in there, but the girls were really nice. One, Ruth, is an English teacher in an elementary school, and Sandra lived in NY for 3 years. The young, but bald teacher, Paco, spoke super fast and I didn’t understand anything but his hand motions, but reading music is a language that crosses all cultures so fortunately my talent for easily picking up tunes came in handy. It also wasn’t too unfortunate that they are singing Pachelbel’s Canon and West Side Story!
But the rest of the story is this: There was another new girl there, too, Isabel, and it turns out she’s from Germany and she’s an international student, as well as the girl from France who plays the piano for the group. We talked on the bus, the English-speaker, German-speaker, and French-speaker, and we all communicated in Spanish. So now not only do I know a bunch of Spaniards, but a couple more people NOT from America. Tomorrow is session #2.
Did I mention West Side Story would be AMAZING? Wait…and wasn’t it during that very play that Linda & Jim met (or something like that)?? Hmm…
So what’s up with this weather? There was a ton of wind this week and in a nearby city, 4 children died when crushed by a wall (or tree) that fell because of the wind. The first week I was here, it snowed like crazy in the north, more than anyone had seen in years. And now all of the sudden, today there was footage of flooding (not sure where) but it showed cars almost covered by water and people wading through a river in the parking lot! Apparently France is having some major trouble too. Weird. Is it like this in the States?
Oh My Goodness! I'm just gonna throw it out there that: I love it when boys dance and I love it when boys sing loud, but my favorite part is when the Spanish boys sing the words to an American song and they have NO idea what they're saying.
Love it. So adorable.
Later!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Maps!
Here's my apartment and the beach, about 15 minutes walk. Right about the beach are all the bars. The big industrial-looking buildings are Corte Ingleses. And you can just barely see the castle in the top right. The university is way way way above this view. Ta da!
The Ultra Famous Corte Ingles
Aha! Now I remember what I was going to write about: El Corte Inglés
El Corte Inglés was once described to me as ”every American department store rolled into one” and it’s so true. Let me give you a tour of my neighborhood. Off of the main street is a smaller but still busy street called Maisonnave. On that corner you will find the 5 story Corte Ingles that has on the first floor a small cafeteria, books, school supplies, movies, etc. The second through fifth floors are each dedicated to men, women, children, and youth, respectively.
Passing that on the left is another El Corte Inglés. This one is about 4 floors. The basement has an entire supermarket, the first floor sells perfume, make-up, watches, and jewelry, and the next couple of floors have furniture and home décor.
That’s not all, folks. Rounding the corner to my street, Arquitecto Morrell, you’ll find yet another El Corte Inglés. This one is a pharmacy with all the creams and ointments a Spaniard could ever dream of. Further inside, there’s a selection of electronics, complete with ipods, stereos, and a cell phone store (This one is only one story, though).
The journey continues on. Passing my apartment but still on the same street, we pass El Corte Inglés travel agency. Yes, that’s right. You can book your flight through your neighborhood department store. We end our voyage right next store, at Oportunidades, the branch of El Corte Inglés that sells discount clothing. It’s for old ladies, though, so I don’t shop there. And that, my friends, is my neighborhood. Although, in between all the Corte Ingleses, there are tons and tons and tons of clothing and shoe stores that have ”SALE!” posted in the window.
On another note, my traveler’s checks are way more trouble than they’re worth. When I first got here I went to a bazillion banks that told me I needed an account to exchange them. A week later, Paco, the head director of the program, went with me because he has an account and helped me out. When I actually got an account, I went to the bank just now, and they told me I can’t change it there, either, but I don’t know why. They might not be certified. So now I have to go to Paco and ask for help again, but I’m uneasy about carrying so much money around. But if I do it in small chunks, poor Paco will be too busy helping me to do anything else!
Note to travelers: Traveler’s Checks STINK! Just suffer the fee of withdrawing money from your home bank.
El Corte Inglés was once described to me as ”every American department store rolled into one” and it’s so true. Let me give you a tour of my neighborhood. Off of the main street is a smaller but still busy street called Maisonnave. On that corner you will find the 5 story Corte Ingles that has on the first floor a small cafeteria, books, school supplies, movies, etc. The second through fifth floors are each dedicated to men, women, children, and youth, respectively.
Passing that on the left is another El Corte Inglés. This one is about 4 floors. The basement has an entire supermarket, the first floor sells perfume, make-up, watches, and jewelry, and the next couple of floors have furniture and home décor.
That’s not all, folks. Rounding the corner to my street, Arquitecto Morrell, you’ll find yet another El Corte Inglés. This one is a pharmacy with all the creams and ointments a Spaniard could ever dream of. Further inside, there’s a selection of electronics, complete with ipods, stereos, and a cell phone store (This one is only one story, though).
The journey continues on. Passing my apartment but still on the same street, we pass El Corte Inglés travel agency. Yes, that’s right. You can book your flight through your neighborhood department store. We end our voyage right next store, at Oportunidades, the branch of El Corte Inglés that sells discount clothing. It’s for old ladies, though, so I don’t shop there. And that, my friends, is my neighborhood. Although, in between all the Corte Ingleses, there are tons and tons and tons of clothing and shoe stores that have ”SALE!” posted in the window.
On another note, my traveler’s checks are way more trouble than they’re worth. When I first got here I went to a bazillion banks that told me I needed an account to exchange them. A week later, Paco, the head director of the program, went with me because he has an account and helped me out. When I actually got an account, I went to the bank just now, and they told me I can’t change it there, either, but I don’t know why. They might not be certified. So now I have to go to Paco and ask for help again, but I’m uneasy about carrying so much money around. But if I do it in small chunks, poor Paco will be too busy helping me to do anything else!
Note to travelers: Traveler’s Checks STINK! Just suffer the fee of withdrawing money from your home bank.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Notes on Culture
All politicians take my advice: A very good way to keep litter off of your city streets is to develop a culture in which nobody eats on the go. I can´t tell you how much money I´ve saved just by wanting a drink but not wanting to sit down to drink it. I´m so used to carrying a drink while I walk down the street, or at least seeing people with a cup of coffee. Spaniards love coffee, every 10 steps there´s another coffee shop, but I have never ever ever seen anyone on the bus with a cup, or on the street at 8am with some hot cocoa. It´s bizarre. And now that I´ve thought about it, there are no fast food restaraunts and definitely no drive-thrus although there is plenty of traffic. There´s a McDonalds and Burger King on the way to the beach, but...it´s really nice. I should take a picture of it, becase it is all-the-way-sit-down-for-hours kind of place.
A sure-fire way to pick a non-spaniard out of the crowd is if they´re not eating at a table. The other day I saw someone eating a tangerine on the bus and I was genuinely surprised, until I heard her speak. She was from England. Yesterday I went to the beach and saw some of the girls from the program there. I noticed right away that each of them had a can of coke beside them and as I looked around, nobody else had food with them, except for another group of americans not far off. How odd!
It´s funny: I´ve never thought of myself as someone who always checks their watch until I came here and suddenly never have time to stop at a cafe for a drink. Dangit, I am the typical American and didn´t even realize it. I was sitting at a cafe yesterday (because I was thirst and forced myself to sit down) and I watched a man sit with his teeny-tiny shot size of espresso and spend 5 minutes drinking it in his seat. Seriously, it would have taken 10 seconds to drink it and be off!
Anyway, enough about coffee. Like I said, I went to the beach yesterday. I was so bored that I walked to the beach, stood there for 5 minutes, walked back to my house, played a game on my cell phone for an hour, walked back to the beach for another 5 minutes, and went home again. It´s like a 10-15 minute walk one way to the beach. Do you see how my Sundays are? I'll be there today, too, for a longer period of time!
Argh I know there was something else about culture I wanted to say, but I can´t remember! In other news, my host madre ran out of that nasty salad stuff, so she´s serving classic romaine now. How wonderful that it's not bitter!
Later, folks.
A sure-fire way to pick a non-spaniard out of the crowd is if they´re not eating at a table. The other day I saw someone eating a tangerine on the bus and I was genuinely surprised, until I heard her speak. She was from England. Yesterday I went to the beach and saw some of the girls from the program there. I noticed right away that each of them had a can of coke beside them and as I looked around, nobody else had food with them, except for another group of americans not far off. How odd!
It´s funny: I´ve never thought of myself as someone who always checks their watch until I came here and suddenly never have time to stop at a cafe for a drink. Dangit, I am the typical American and didn´t even realize it. I was sitting at a cafe yesterday (because I was thirst and forced myself to sit down) and I watched a man sit with his teeny-tiny shot size of espresso and spend 5 minutes drinking it in his seat. Seriously, it would have taken 10 seconds to drink it and be off!
Anyway, enough about coffee. Like I said, I went to the beach yesterday. I was so bored that I walked to the beach, stood there for 5 minutes, walked back to my house, played a game on my cell phone for an hour, walked back to the beach for another 5 minutes, and went home again. It´s like a 10-15 minute walk one way to the beach. Do you see how my Sundays are? I'll be there today, too, for a longer period of time!
Argh I know there was something else about culture I wanted to say, but I can´t remember! In other news, my host madre ran out of that nasty salad stuff, so she´s serving classic romaine now. How wonderful that it's not bitter!
Later, folks.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
No News Is Good News
Today is day 11 of being in Alicante and I am well on my way of settling in to this lifestyle. However, if I have to pay a euro and 50 cents to get on the internet everyday, I may soon go broke. Everyone says this week has gone by fast, but it seems like a lifetime ago that I visited the Harfords or sat in the XA house that Tuesday morning a week and a half ago.
But everything is going well. We are halfway through our intensive grammar class and it is a piece of cake. Yesterday we went over a bunch of colloquial expressions, one of which was how to say someone is hot. The teacher, being a married man, could not use one of the girls as an example, so he used a guy in our class, Kevin. He said "Kevin esta como un tren" (He's like a train, meaning some really hot stuff). OK, that was a good lesson, but then he brought it up like 20 times. "Andrea says 'Kevin esta como un tren, but Laura says 'no, no esta como un tren'...and he went on and on, making me a little embarrassed for poor Kevin who was sitting next to me bearing it all in good humor. But, hey, now I won't forget it!
Like I said, I'm adjusting. I met the above-mentioned Kevin's older host brother and his friends last night so now I actually know people who don't speak much English. Miguel, Sara, Juan, and Carlos are their names.
Yesterday I was on the public transportation bus (which isn't so bad, really) and I pulled out my bible to read (a little battle in my mind, btw) and a guy named Troy asked me if that was a bible, and what denomination, and if I found a church yet. Apparently he's non-denom/Assemblies of God and so I told him about Cristo Vive and showed it to him on the map, sooo i mean, that's pretty cool. So don't worry, Mums, I..I mean God...has it covered.
I'm fine and dandy in addition to being a little bored. Learning Spanish, making friends, riding public transportation. That's my life right now.
Oh--and the castle was mighty gorgeous--much better than the first one. Yesterday, after finishing my paper, my internet wouldn't work to send it to the prof, so I stuck the entire computer in my bookbag & raced to the meeting spot. The teacher would be there, I would explain it to him, and leave the bookbag on the bus (b/c last time we had rented a vehicle. However, there was no bus. The teacher understood but it was too late to take my computer back to my house, sooooo I carried it up and up and up to the highest point in Alicante. Yeah, it was fun. I have pictures on facebook (or will shortly) of all the steps we went up. It was crazy beautiful. I was thinking as I went up that the land in the U.S. has existed as long as the land here, but it was not developed until recently. That ground under my feet had more human history seeped into it than anywhere I've ever been. Quite cool, actually.
Ok. That's it for now. Check out the pics!
But everything is going well. We are halfway through our intensive grammar class and it is a piece of cake. Yesterday we went over a bunch of colloquial expressions, one of which was how to say someone is hot. The teacher, being a married man, could not use one of the girls as an example, so he used a guy in our class, Kevin. He said "Kevin esta como un tren" (He's like a train, meaning some really hot stuff). OK, that was a good lesson, but then he brought it up like 20 times. "Andrea says 'Kevin esta como un tren, but Laura says 'no, no esta como un tren'...and he went on and on, making me a little embarrassed for poor Kevin who was sitting next to me bearing it all in good humor. But, hey, now I won't forget it!
Like I said, I'm adjusting. I met the above-mentioned Kevin's older host brother and his friends last night so now I actually know people who don't speak much English. Miguel, Sara, Juan, and Carlos are their names.
Yesterday I was on the public transportation bus (which isn't so bad, really) and I pulled out my bible to read (a little battle in my mind, btw) and a guy named Troy asked me if that was a bible, and what denomination, and if I found a church yet. Apparently he's non-denom/Assemblies of God and so I told him about Cristo Vive and showed it to him on the map, sooo i mean, that's pretty cool. So don't worry, Mums, I..I mean God...has it covered.
I'm fine and dandy in addition to being a little bored. Learning Spanish, making friends, riding public transportation. That's my life right now.
Oh--and the castle was mighty gorgeous--much better than the first one. Yesterday, after finishing my paper, my internet wouldn't work to send it to the prof, so I stuck the entire computer in my bookbag & raced to the meeting spot. The teacher would be there, I would explain it to him, and leave the bookbag on the bus (b/c last time we had rented a vehicle. However, there was no bus. The teacher understood but it was too late to take my computer back to my house, sooooo I carried it up and up and up to the highest point in Alicante. Yeah, it was fun. I have pictures on facebook (or will shortly) of all the steps we went up. It was crazy beautiful. I was thinking as I went up that the land in the U.S. has existed as long as the land here, but it was not developed until recently. That ground under my feet had more human history seeped into it than anywhere I've ever been. Quite cool, actually.
Ok. That's it for now. Check out the pics!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Just clowning around
This evening I met with one of the professors to talk about what class I would take directly from the University. One I have decided on is about Gypsy Culture and it includes a little lecture and a little dancing. But we stumbled upon a little 2 weeks session that starts in March and is only on the weekends that I got clearance to take. It's called "Discovering Your Inner Clown" and I thought it was cute enough to write about. This is an excerpt from the syllabus--loosely translated, of course:
Contains:
-The expression, is essential for the public to watch and to see, to share with the clown everything that happens to him. Clown look to the front, eyes open, bent eyebrows. Innocence. Total transparency even when it tries to hide. Clowns are looking to share, to show what he observes.
-The emotions. Among all the emotions that inhabit the clown one is essential: the tenderness. We will work in states of maximum sensitivity through the primary emotions and the expression of the same through the action more than of through words.
-To feel relaxed and comfortable in scene. To be honest, not to act.
-The image of the clown: the fantasy, the imagination
-Listening in improvisation, individually, in pairs, in the group
-The strength and fragility of the clown
-The values of our clown: the love, the friendship, loyalty, the self-esteem.
Doesn't that sound like the cutest thing? It's required that we come to class with clown garb, including the nose. I mean, I'm going to come back to the states with expertise in goofing around. Just what I need, eh?
In other news, I'm at an internet cafe with some cool people. I feel like I have to try really really hard to be in situations where I talk in Spanish. Because the Americans I know only want to speak English, and the few Spaniards I know are not regularly with me. So pretty much at home and in school I speak Spanish.
Well, I'm sorry, folks, but that's all the interesting news I have. I've gotten more comfortable with my routine and such, although I'm still bored after school. But dinner is at 9 and it's already 8:22 so I'll be leaving right about now!
Ciao
Contains:
-The expression, is essential for the public to watch and to see, to share with the clown everything that happens to him. Clown look to the front, eyes open, bent eyebrows. Innocence. Total transparency even when it tries to hide. Clowns are looking to share, to show what he observes.
-The emotions. Among all the emotions that inhabit the clown one is essential: the tenderness. We will work in states of maximum sensitivity through the primary emotions and the expression of the same through the action more than of through words.
-To feel relaxed and comfortable in scene. To be honest, not to act.
-The image of the clown: the fantasy, the imagination
-Listening in improvisation, individually, in pairs, in the group
-The strength and fragility of the clown
-The values of our clown: the love, the friendship, loyalty, the self-esteem.
Doesn't that sound like the cutest thing? It's required that we come to class with clown garb, including the nose. I mean, I'm going to come back to the states with expertise in goofing around. Just what I need, eh?
In other news, I'm at an internet cafe with some cool people. I feel like I have to try really really hard to be in situations where I talk in Spanish. Because the Americans I know only want to speak English, and the few Spaniards I know are not regularly with me. So pretty much at home and in school I speak Spanish.
Well, I'm sorry, folks, but that's all the interesting news I have. I've gotten more comfortable with my routine and such, although I'm still bored after school. But dinner is at 9 and it's already 8:22 so I'll be leaving right about now!
Ciao
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Not much going on here
Posting a new blog every day will probably get really boring, don't you think?
Had our first class today! It is just like a class should be: boring. Except this one is 4 hours long, oh boy! I have only 8 people in my class so it's a convenient learning environment. He talks so slow, but there's a big difference between the pace on the TV news and his pace, so I hope by June I'll be able to understand why there are videos of riots at soccer games on the news.
Tonight is guacamole night at the American bar and apparently EVERYONE is going. I don't want to go just because a huge group of americans makes us stick out. I think I might go, though, just to be with people and not sitting alone like an idiot in a cafe.
Most of you know the XA house, right? Well, I'm always cold when I'm there, so I have my blanket and big coat that I put on. Well, the buildings here are worse. The hallways at the university are ice cold and the classrooms are a little better. My house is always cold, too. When I come in from the street after walking, I'm a little warm so I take off my jacket, but 10 minutes later it's on again. My host parents just shake their heads in amazement and say "You're cold, again??" When I come out of my room in the morning with a short-sleeve shirt on, my host madre just laughs and tells me my clothes are ridiculous "Don't you know it's winter?" and I say "but I have a big coat!" They think my temperature problems are very funny.
Vale, I think I'll stop here for today. See ya later, punks!
Had our first class today! It is just like a class should be: boring. Except this one is 4 hours long, oh boy! I have only 8 people in my class so it's a convenient learning environment. He talks so slow, but there's a big difference between the pace on the TV news and his pace, so I hope by June I'll be able to understand why there are videos of riots at soccer games on the news.
Tonight is guacamole night at the American bar and apparently EVERYONE is going. I don't want to go just because a huge group of americans makes us stick out. I think I might go, though, just to be with people and not sitting alone like an idiot in a cafe.
Most of you know the XA house, right? Well, I'm always cold when I'm there, so I have my blanket and big coat that I put on. Well, the buildings here are worse. The hallways at the university are ice cold and the classrooms are a little better. My house is always cold, too. When I come in from the street after walking, I'm a little warm so I take off my jacket, but 10 minutes later it's on again. My host parents just shake their heads in amazement and say "You're cold, again??" When I come out of my room in the morning with a short-sleeve shirt on, my host madre just laughs and tells me my clothes are ridiculous "Don't you know it's winter?" and I say "but I have a big coat!" They think my temperature problems are very funny.
Vale, I think I'll stop here for today. See ya later, punks!
Monday, January 12, 2009
A travel blog is among us
Awesome. Hey there, this is the first entry to document my trip to Alicante Spain. The following is an entry I wrote on the 10th of January.
Spain. What’s to say? I arrived on Wednesday, January 7 at 6pm. The planes were so uncomfortable & I didn’t sleep a wink. On the last leg, it was delayed for 2 ½ hours because of a strike. But no one would tell me why it was delayed (plus, they didn’t know what gate # it was or what time it would arrive so instead of relaxing, I had to stand at the monitors and watch for updates), so it left me crabby. I was even more steamed because the last shuttle to pick up students left at 4:30 so I had to pay for a taxi to take me to the hotel at 5:30, which cost $20 alone.
The first thing they had us do in the intro meeting was get really really close to each other and move around. This was to illustrate the lack of personal space that Spaniards have. We were uncomfortable being so close, but it probably would have been fine to a Spanish person. Secondly, they had us practice introductions to each other. Males greeting males shake hands, females & females give 2 kisses (one on the left, and one on the right), and male/female also 2 kisses. This is a very common informal greeting and it’s hard to get used to b/c I say “Hi, I’m Laura” and stick out my hand at the same time. It’s also very strange to greet a man and feel his whiskers brushing on my face.
The next day, I met Antonio at lunch. He’s an older student (in his 30s, I’d guess) but he’s very friendly and makes comical sound effects. He helped us out with table manners at lunch. They put a salad on the table, but instead of everyone scooping up a bit and putting it on our own plates, we stick our forks in the salad and all eat it together.That night, we also went out to Tapas, which is pretty much them serving us a bunch of dishes in a row. Very traditional food, although a bit odd. It ended with a dessert wine that’s more sugar than it is alcohol, and we learned “Arriba, abajo, al centro, adentro” which means “Up, down, to the center, and inside” (except it’s more catchy in Spanish).
We also took a tour of the city and visited two cathedrals. At WMS we talked about Spain being traditionally Catholic but everyone ultimately being their own god and making Catholicism an empty religion. These cathedrals were absolutely gorgeous, but they had a little slot machine where you could give an “offering” and it would light a little battery candle for you. At the front of each one, they had the altar (or whatever it’s called) and then a TON of huge, gold painted, ornamental items, like cherubim and angels and gothic designs. It was like King Tut’s tomb with all the pomp and circumstance… Everyone took pictures, but I thought it was a mockery of the most beautiful demonstration of love this world has ever seen. And it’s true: Spain is void of the truth. Tomorrow is Sunday and I don’t know a single soul that’s going to church. One of the missionaries to Spain warned me to stay close to God because you either “come back from Spain knowing God better, or come back estranged from Him” and I would prefer the former, please.
Anyway, yesterday I met my host family and did the kiss kiss thing. My host padres are old. At least 60, I’d say, but I don’t know for sure. Their kids are grown and moved out, though the son and his family eats dinner with them a couple times a week. Their house is quaint, but right in the center of the city so everything is very close. Last night we had French fries and Sanjacobo (breaded pork & cheese). Tonight I was watching her make dinner and we had a very hard time communicating. She said “plato de sopa” (plate of soup) and I said “how can you have a plate of soup, that doesn’t make sense” and it ended up being a soup bowl (that has lower sides, but is still a bowl, right?). Anyway, I told her I normally don’t like fish but I’d try it, so she fried some fish that were gutted and had their heads cut off, but they were still in fish form with the skin and stuff. Well, she fried that and when dinner came around, I cut the fish with my knife and started to eat it…until she pointed out that it still at the SPINE in it. So I tried to pick the spines out but there were too many little pieces, so she just scooped it into the trash. The miscommunication wasn’t my fault, of course, but she seemed kind of annoyed that I didn’t know how to eat a fish. Hey, there, I don’t live anywhere near a fishing village! Yeah…I don’t think she’ll serve that again. But the padre is very nice. He speaks a tiny bit of English and like to hum to himself.
I find that since I don’t have internet here yet (I’m typing on Word) that I can either watch TV, go to sleep, or go out—and neither of them seem appealing right now. But another thing: It’s freaking cold! They have a space heater in the living room, and under my covers it’s warm, but right now my hands are like ice and I’m wearing my heaviest coat. :-/
And other thing: The toilets! Ok: There’s this round button to flush, but the button is split into 2 buttons. When you push one side, it seems to flush lightly, like for liquid waste. If you push both of them together, it’s more thorough, like for solid waste. Good: conserve water. The problem is: the toilet paper doesn’t wash away with the liquid waste button…so how do the Spaniards use it? Do they just not use toilet paper for liquid stuff? Or do they use the big button even though it’s just for liquid waste, thereby nullifying the purpose of the little button? It’s very troubling to me, and apparently deserving an entire paragraph by itself.
Today we went to see the castle en Guadalest. It’s built inside of a mountain, so all of the walls were made of stone. It was alright, not terribly interesting, but the view from the top was amazing. Alicante is classified as a desert so everything was pretty brown and sparse, but still—the mountains were very cool. Then we went to the caves of Carlenobre. It was actually one huge room with natural drip forms all over and---crap. Whatever you call those spiky things that hang from the ceiling… Every single trip I felt carsick (me maleo) and I sat up front with the driver and tried to speak Spanish with him. So now I’m back in my room after getting a little lost and I’m also freezing cold.
So, the daily schedule is that we eat lunch (comida) at 2 pm, have a siesta (where all the stores except for restaurants close) till 4, and then dinner (cena) at 9pm. Monday we’re going to the university to have a bit more orientation and perhaps I’ll be able to use the internet soon!And this is my entry from today. The one I'm writing now. On a side note, they also say "Vale" instead of "Okay" which is really hard to get used to. Try it: say vale everytime you want to say ok.
Alright, so Sunday I ended up finding my way to a good church. I got there an hour early b/c i was so bored I just started walking. It was pretty awesome. Just like home, I'd say, except a bunch of strangers that speak Spanish. I had to leave early to get to dinner on time but I hope to become more involved. Today we went to the university and had a tour but I was in a sour mood and here's why:
In Raleigh, I play lots and lots of card games--poker, rook, knock-knock, everything. I also cook with Linda and at the XA house. That's what I do for fun. Here I have nothing to do and my host mother keeps her kitchen to herself. They watch soccer games all day and I have so much extra time it's not funny. So I was in a sour mood because I was not looking forward to being so incredibly listless all the time. I don't think it's any secret that I'm not the best at making friends. Don't pity me. I'm having my own pity party and you're not invited.
To keep busy today, I walked to the bank and got my very own bank account to withdraw money without a transfer fee, then I went and got a cellphone so I can actually contact people if I actually make friends. The cost is so expensive here (55 cents for one call but you can talk up to an hour for that much) so people say "Dame un toque" which means "Give me a missed call" because it doesn't charge if they don't pick up. So if I wanted to meet someone, I "Dale un toque" when I leave the house so they know i'm on my way. Cool, yeah?
Now I'm at a little cafe. I've been here for so long. I haven't kept track of time. The internet is apparently free so that's pretty dang awesome. It seems like everything here is pretty cheap. I know, for Europe it's surprising. But they have signs literally everywhere that says "Sales 60% off" so now is the time to go shopping!
Let's see, what do I have to look forward to in the next few weeks? We're going to take a group trip to Madrid soon. Apparently Madrid is having a huge snowstorm for the first time in 20 years. It's all over the news. Other than that, I have classes to look forward to. No, make that one class. For the next two weeks I'll have only one class Monday through Friday and then at the end of January take the other 4 Monday through Thursday. Oh boy, can't wait...
That's it for tonight. I hope to have more interesting stories for you later.
Spain. What’s to say? I arrived on Wednesday, January 7 at 6pm. The planes were so uncomfortable & I didn’t sleep a wink. On the last leg, it was delayed for 2 ½ hours because of a strike. But no one would tell me why it was delayed (plus, they didn’t know what gate # it was or what time it would arrive so instead of relaxing, I had to stand at the monitors and watch for updates), so it left me crabby. I was even more steamed because the last shuttle to pick up students left at 4:30 so I had to pay for a taxi to take me to the hotel at 5:30, which cost $20 alone.
The first thing they had us do in the intro meeting was get really really close to each other and move around. This was to illustrate the lack of personal space that Spaniards have. We were uncomfortable being so close, but it probably would have been fine to a Spanish person. Secondly, they had us practice introductions to each other. Males greeting males shake hands, females & females give 2 kisses (one on the left, and one on the right), and male/female also 2 kisses. This is a very common informal greeting and it’s hard to get used to b/c I say “Hi, I’m Laura” and stick out my hand at the same time. It’s also very strange to greet a man and feel his whiskers brushing on my face.
The next day, I met Antonio at lunch. He’s an older student (in his 30s, I’d guess) but he’s very friendly and makes comical sound effects. He helped us out with table manners at lunch. They put a salad on the table, but instead of everyone scooping up a bit and putting it on our own plates, we stick our forks in the salad and all eat it together.That night, we also went out to Tapas, which is pretty much them serving us a bunch of dishes in a row. Very traditional food, although a bit odd. It ended with a dessert wine that’s more sugar than it is alcohol, and we learned “Arriba, abajo, al centro, adentro” which means “Up, down, to the center, and inside” (except it’s more catchy in Spanish).
We also took a tour of the city and visited two cathedrals. At WMS we talked about Spain being traditionally Catholic but everyone ultimately being their own god and making Catholicism an empty religion. These cathedrals were absolutely gorgeous, but they had a little slot machine where you could give an “offering” and it would light a little battery candle for you. At the front of each one, they had the altar (or whatever it’s called) and then a TON of huge, gold painted, ornamental items, like cherubim and angels and gothic designs. It was like King Tut’s tomb with all the pomp and circumstance… Everyone took pictures, but I thought it was a mockery of the most beautiful demonstration of love this world has ever seen. And it’s true: Spain is void of the truth. Tomorrow is Sunday and I don’t know a single soul that’s going to church. One of the missionaries to Spain warned me to stay close to God because you either “come back from Spain knowing God better, or come back estranged from Him” and I would prefer the former, please.
Anyway, yesterday I met my host family and did the kiss kiss thing. My host padres are old. At least 60, I’d say, but I don’t know for sure. Their kids are grown and moved out, though the son and his family eats dinner with them a couple times a week. Their house is quaint, but right in the center of the city so everything is very close. Last night we had French fries and Sanjacobo (breaded pork & cheese). Tonight I was watching her make dinner and we had a very hard time communicating. She said “plato de sopa” (plate of soup) and I said “how can you have a plate of soup, that doesn’t make sense” and it ended up being a soup bowl (that has lower sides, but is still a bowl, right?). Anyway, I told her I normally don’t like fish but I’d try it, so she fried some fish that were gutted and had their heads cut off, but they were still in fish form with the skin and stuff. Well, she fried that and when dinner came around, I cut the fish with my knife and started to eat it…until she pointed out that it still at the SPINE in it. So I tried to pick the spines out but there were too many little pieces, so she just scooped it into the trash. The miscommunication wasn’t my fault, of course, but she seemed kind of annoyed that I didn’t know how to eat a fish. Hey, there, I don’t live anywhere near a fishing village! Yeah…I don’t think she’ll serve that again. But the padre is very nice. He speaks a tiny bit of English and like to hum to himself.
I find that since I don’t have internet here yet (I’m typing on Word) that I can either watch TV, go to sleep, or go out—and neither of them seem appealing right now. But another thing: It’s freaking cold! They have a space heater in the living room, and under my covers it’s warm, but right now my hands are like ice and I’m wearing my heaviest coat. :-/
And other thing: The toilets! Ok: There’s this round button to flush, but the button is split into 2 buttons. When you push one side, it seems to flush lightly, like for liquid waste. If you push both of them together, it’s more thorough, like for solid waste. Good: conserve water. The problem is: the toilet paper doesn’t wash away with the liquid waste button…so how do the Spaniards use it? Do they just not use toilet paper for liquid stuff? Or do they use the big button even though it’s just for liquid waste, thereby nullifying the purpose of the little button? It’s very troubling to me, and apparently deserving an entire paragraph by itself.
Today we went to see the castle en Guadalest. It’s built inside of a mountain, so all of the walls were made of stone. It was alright, not terribly interesting, but the view from the top was amazing. Alicante is classified as a desert so everything was pretty brown and sparse, but still—the mountains were very cool. Then we went to the caves of Carlenobre. It was actually one huge room with natural drip forms all over and---crap. Whatever you call those spiky things that hang from the ceiling… Every single trip I felt carsick (me maleo) and I sat up front with the driver and tried to speak Spanish with him. So now I’m back in my room after getting a little lost and I’m also freezing cold.
So, the daily schedule is that we eat lunch (comida) at 2 pm, have a siesta (where all the stores except for restaurants close) till 4, and then dinner (cena) at 9pm. Monday we’re going to the university to have a bit more orientation and perhaps I’ll be able to use the internet soon!And this is my entry from today. The one I'm writing now. On a side note, they also say "Vale" instead of "Okay" which is really hard to get used to. Try it: say vale everytime you want to say ok.
Alright, so Sunday I ended up finding my way to a good church. I got there an hour early b/c i was so bored I just started walking. It was pretty awesome. Just like home, I'd say, except a bunch of strangers that speak Spanish. I had to leave early to get to dinner on time but I hope to become more involved. Today we went to the university and had a tour but I was in a sour mood and here's why:
In Raleigh, I play lots and lots of card games--poker, rook, knock-knock, everything. I also cook with Linda and at the XA house. That's what I do for fun. Here I have nothing to do and my host mother keeps her kitchen to herself. They watch soccer games all day and I have so much extra time it's not funny. So I was in a sour mood because I was not looking forward to being so incredibly listless all the time. I don't think it's any secret that I'm not the best at making friends. Don't pity me. I'm having my own pity party and you're not invited.
To keep busy today, I walked to the bank and got my very own bank account to withdraw money without a transfer fee, then I went and got a cellphone so I can actually contact people if I actually make friends. The cost is so expensive here (55 cents for one call but you can talk up to an hour for that much) so people say "Dame un toque" which means "Give me a missed call" because it doesn't charge if they don't pick up. So if I wanted to meet someone, I "Dale un toque" when I leave the house so they know i'm on my way. Cool, yeah?
Now I'm at a little cafe. I've been here for so long. I haven't kept track of time. The internet is apparently free so that's pretty dang awesome. It seems like everything here is pretty cheap. I know, for Europe it's surprising. But they have signs literally everywhere that says "Sales 60% off" so now is the time to go shopping!
Let's see, what do I have to look forward to in the next few weeks? We're going to take a group trip to Madrid soon. Apparently Madrid is having a huge snowstorm for the first time in 20 years. It's all over the news. Other than that, I have classes to look forward to. No, make that one class. For the next two weeks I'll have only one class Monday through Friday and then at the end of January take the other 4 Monday through Thursday. Oh boy, can't wait...
That's it for tonight. I hope to have more interesting stories for you later.
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