Well everyone. The time here has started to fly. It seems like we have been a year, and just a week ago it looked on the calendar like we haven't been here that long. Now, it's the 22nd and the test for the month is coming up and we will see how it goes.
I am feeling a lot better, my cough is almost hone, which is really helping with the mood thing. Classes are going well too. They were really hard today, but that is okay. We are studying past tenses, and there are not this many tenses in English, so it is diffucult to comprehend. The culture class is going well. I just had to do a ton of research on Semana Santa and we are all going out for tapas tonight for class so we can learn the names of them and order some. I only know what a few are, and the waiters are usually really nice about trying to explain what things are. Our favorite tapas bar, Cero Grados, has great food. The bartenders/waiters/owners there know us all and they are really nice and usually our check comes up a few euros short of what it should have been. They also make sure we get our "boquerones" everytime. I didn't even have to order mine the other day, he already had it written on the ticket when he came over. The "boquerones" are anchovies (I think) with vinegar and olive oil and some other stuff, on top of a small bread thing. They are delicious. They gave them to us the other day on potato chips. Which was amazing!
Also, I rarely eat non-flavored potato chips here. The most popular kind is HAM flavored. Yes, HAM. I have had the Ham and Cheese, but never the straight ham ones.
The weather is really chilly. Yesterday and today have been really cold, but no rain, which has been nice. I got a new jacket at the market on Sunday for 3€. It's a red leather jacket that I really like but it's not too warm and I can't layer it which is the only bad thing.
We had our seond dance class last night and it also is getting harder and harder. We practiced with music, and it is a lot faster than we had been going before. There was a lot of tripping and cursing, thankfully none of which our teacher understood. Her name is Ausi, and she is really cool. She is very very patient with us when we just can't seem to get it right but she does get frustrated sometimes, but we all do.
Well, I don't have time right now for a long update, so look for this post to get extended later today or tomorrow or something. For now, I need to go home, eat and work on packing and doing homework.
Why packing you ask?
WELL,
because tomorrow I am off to visit Sam in Ireland! Kind of excited to get out and see someone from home, and to go somewhere that speaks English. As comfortable as I am getting with Spanish, I just want to be able to talk in English all day for once.
Love you all, and miss you all.
-Erin
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Rain, Rain, Rain
Well, the rain has begun. And with it comes the wind. And our dinky little travel-size umbrellas are having diffuculties holding up to the weather, but have thus far not been destroyed, so there is still hope.
Classes are still difficult, but my Spanish improves daily. I think not translating everything into English is helping a lot. I finally have all the notebooks, folders and highlighters I need and that has helped the stress a surprising amount. We have homework daily, and sometimes it isn't too bad and is just vocabulary, and sometimes it is really hard and is correcting sentences or filling in blanks or other things, but so far I haven't come across anything I haven't been completely stumped on yet. There have been things I have had to sit and think about for awhile, but nothing too awful.
A bunch of us went to Marbella this past weekend and we stayed in a hotel that was essentially on the beach. If we hadn't been on the second floor we could have seen it. The water was chilly, as was the air, but that didn't stop Brenton and I from swimming. We got pretty far out just walking and then decided to duck under and actually swim. I think some of the competition pools during swim team were colder than the Mediterranean. The beach was great. There were almost no people so we could just lay out and wander all over. There were some nice restaurants along the boardwalk too.
This is one of the pictures from the beach. There was this dog that kept running along the beach and we were all trying to get pictures of him, and this was one of the ones I got.
My host family is really nice, and they have been really helpful while I have been sick. I finally went to the doctor and got some medicine for my cough and we will see if it helps at all. Paqui, my host mom, has been very sympathetic with my stomach being upset randomly and my cough. She makes me tea and understands when I don't want food. I just need to remember that 'tortilla' here does not mean a flat piece of breadish stuff, it means an omelette sort of thing. Not terrible, but when I really just want a tortilla, not an omelette, it confuses my brain.
Yesterday, a few of us went book hunting and I found my folders and highlighters, and I also found the 3rd and 4th Harry Potter books in Spanish (to continue my collection) and Jurassic Park in Spanish (which I need in English). I am going to need another suitcase just for books. But I think I am done book buying for now. I am done buying anything for now.
And also, I am done writing for now, because class is about to start.
So Happy Day After Valentine's Day to you all. Mine was slightly more depressing than normal, but I got to talk to Kyle on Skype. Which I was really happy about. :) I didn't think I would get to talk to him all day and he got up at 4 am to talk to me.
Have a good day everyone!
Love you all. Miss you all.
-Erin
Classes are still difficult, but my Spanish improves daily. I think not translating everything into English is helping a lot. I finally have all the notebooks, folders and highlighters I need and that has helped the stress a surprising amount. We have homework daily, and sometimes it isn't too bad and is just vocabulary, and sometimes it is really hard and is correcting sentences or filling in blanks or other things, but so far I haven't come across anything I haven't been completely stumped on yet. There have been things I have had to sit and think about for awhile, but nothing too awful.
A bunch of us went to Marbella this past weekend and we stayed in a hotel that was essentially on the beach. If we hadn't been on the second floor we could have seen it. The water was chilly, as was the air, but that didn't stop Brenton and I from swimming. We got pretty far out just walking and then decided to duck under and actually swim. I think some of the competition pools during swim team were colder than the Mediterranean. The beach was great. There were almost no people so we could just lay out and wander all over. There were some nice restaurants along the boardwalk too.
This is one of the pictures from the beach. There was this dog that kept running along the beach and we were all trying to get pictures of him, and this was one of the ones I got.
My host family is really nice, and they have been really helpful while I have been sick. I finally went to the doctor and got some medicine for my cough and we will see if it helps at all. Paqui, my host mom, has been very sympathetic with my stomach being upset randomly and my cough. She makes me tea and understands when I don't want food. I just need to remember that 'tortilla' here does not mean a flat piece of breadish stuff, it means an omelette sort of thing. Not terrible, but when I really just want a tortilla, not an omelette, it confuses my brain.
Yesterday, a few of us went book hunting and I found my folders and highlighters, and I also found the 3rd and 4th Harry Potter books in Spanish (to continue my collection) and Jurassic Park in Spanish (which I need in English). I am going to need another suitcase just for books. But I think I am done book buying for now. I am done buying anything for now.
And also, I am done writing for now, because class is about to start.
So Happy Day After Valentine's Day to you all. Mine was slightly more depressing than normal, but I got to talk to Kyle on Skype. Which I was really happy about. :) I didn't think I would get to talk to him all day and he got up at 4 am to talk to me.
Have a good day everyone!
Love you all. Miss you all.
-Erin
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Week 2!
I wrote this on Sunday, but I am just now getting it up here for you all. Enjoy!
Well helloooooooo there world.
It's Sunday the 6th and things are going a lot better. I think getting into a routine has helped with the culture shock a bit. I do find myself already making America out to be a place of ideals where people actually drive on the road, and don't use their horns every time someone so much as pauses at a stop sign. If I don't get hit by a car during my stay here, it will be a miracle. (and if I don't get run over by a soccer team it will also be a miracle. Although that wouldn't be so bad :) )
I got some postcards and am trying to get them written, but I find them to be similar to homework, something I need to do, but don't want to write so I put it off. I have 3 out of the 18 I have done.
I apologize if my grammar is terrible. I have been writing in Spanish only lately and speaking in English is different than writing it down and I keep thinking in Spanish. Which I guess is a good thing.
I actually have some pictures for you this time. I'm gonna add one to my last post since I wanted to but couldn't then. We haven't done much except go to the park, to school, and to the Centro. The Centro is a big walking street with a bunch of shops and every other one is a shoe shop. All the girls have given into the 12€ boots and we are trying to keep ourselves out of the clothing stores.
Kristin and I went to the Plaza de Toros yesterday and walked around. It was really cool. KSU has nothing on these guys. The engineering of the chutes to push the bulls through is amazing. And there are doors for people to get out of the chute areas that only people can fit through, and then only sideways. In the ring there are a few doors out and they are blocked by fencing so the bull can't see them and then there are fake fences too so they are all equally spaced. They also have another section past the main fence so if the bull jumps it then it doesn't get into the crowd. For it being the first bull fighting ring in Spain, they knew what they were doing and though of everything.
Next weekend is Carnaval in CadÃz and the school is doing an excursion there. Then Carnaval comes here to Ronda on March 1. Paqui my host mom is really excited. She was putting a ribbon on a kazoo the other day (like a lanyard) and then trying to show me the Carnaval Song. I never expected that out of her. And apparently she is a flamenco dancer as well! Also didn't see that coming.
As for me, I've been alright. Better than I was. I got really sick yesterday with a bad stomach ache and my lungs felt like an elephant was sitting on them. But today is better. A bit of a cough but nothing else. Paqui has been giving me different tea depending on what I am doing. If I'm gonna lay down I get this kind, if I am eating I get another kind. But it has been helping. Also getting out and about for a few hours instead of the whole day definitely helps too. We went to the park for a bit and that was nice. And I took a few naps during the day, which also probably helped. :) No one frowns upon napping here. It's almost encouraged. Since everyone stays out so late and gets up early, that 3 hour siesta is sometimes very welcoming.
Well. Lunch is going to be ready soon. So I will wrap this up and try to get another written as soon as I can. And I will try to get pictures on Facebook soon too. Just need internet, and that is even harder to find on the weekend, so we will see (I'm writing this in Word since I am at home).
I Love and Miss You All!!
Happy Super Bowl Sunday!
-Erin
PS- Our Super Bowl party was fun. Small group, but we got the game to broadcast in English so it was all good. :)
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Hellooooo Ronda!
Well everyone, I made it. I'm typing this during a break in our conversation class, so I don't know how much I'll actually get typed in the 5ish minutes we have left. So here it goes.
The flights were long but good. Only one screaming child and she only yelled during take off, but that is to be expected since it was really hard on everyone's ear drums. The crew on the 7 hour flight spoke Spanish and so that was a good time to practice and they were really nice. The food was alright, not fantastic but edible. There was tea that they brought around and that was really really good. :) Mady and I got Chili's in the Chicago airport before the long flight so we didn't really need to eat a lot on the plane.
Madrid's airport is GIGANTIC! I thought Chicago's was big. There is nothing in the Madrid airport until you get past customs. Not even a trashcan on the mile or so walk you get stuck on. At least there are moving sidewalks. But they have breaks in them so you can't just sit down and ride. There is I think 1 bathroom and then passport check then another mile of walking then customs then more walking then a 5 minute tram ride to more terminals and then another half mile of walking to the VERY END terminal for our flight to Malaga.
But we got to Malaga and found our luggage right away. It was already circulating by the time we found our way down there and then we found the bus 10 minutes later and then got to the bus station and then had an hour to sit around for the bus to Ronda.
The drive to Ronda was very beautiful. The bus went through the mountains and there were small towns and houses and a lot of wind turbines on top of the hills. Everything is green and there are flowering trees and wildflowers everywhere even though it's cold.
Ronda is really pretty. The first day and a half was really overwhelming with tours and everyone trying to show us around and so I just let it all go over my head. It wasn't worth trying to remember everything.
Today (Feb. 2) has gone pretty well. Still feeling a little sick, but not as bad. We all went out to a tapas bar last night and I had two different tapas. One was a skewer OF THE BEST SHRIMP I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE and the other was fries covered in ketchup and this white sauce that none of us could agree on whether it was mayo or cheese. It was good, odd but good. This was at Bar Antonio, and Peter and I had (I think) Machau Clasic (yes, weird spelling I know) beer which was good.
THEN everyone but two went to Husky's, an American Bar where we watched figure skating on TV, talked to an Italian guy who was traveling all over Spain making money playing his guitar and spoke no English, and we came to the conclusion that no matter where you are in the world, once you get a few drinks in some heavly opinionated Americans (*nudge*Dan and Diana*nudge*) they will inevitably start arguing politics, the war in Iraq, healthcare, and how cool an American one dollar bill is.
Also, side note: Everyone gets a lot better at Spanish and a lot more willing to use it after a few hours of drinking cervezas (beers). Another side note: CruzCampo is the Budweiser of Spain. IT'S EVERYWHERE.
So onto today. I just also realized how long this is. Wow. Anywho. School was good. Grammar was easy, I might go up a level in that depending on if i was borderline on my test or not, I'll talk to Daniel tomorrow. Conversation was good. My stomach hurt after our pausa in between classes so it was hard to concentrate and participate. People tend to try to talk over each other sometimes, but that's alright. I just sat back until I was asked a question and then I talked until I couldn't think of anything else. It went pretty well.
I'm realizing that there are a lot of people here that don't know English, and Spanish is what we have in common. Like the Italian guy, or Dan's girlfriend, or the French tourists who asked me to take their picture in the plaza today. But it is nice when you're lost and the sympathic veterinary assistant speaks a little english. (Thank you whoever you are)
But for now, I will go. There are things to be done, like reloading my phone with minutes. Again.
I am really starting to get comfortable here. I'm happy it's not AS scary as it was and that things are settling down and there are people here who I can talk to that know what's going on and speak English. Just hearing English songs on the radio is something I love.
Pictures coming soon, hopefully some here, maybe I'll find a photo hosting site or make it so you all who don't have Facebook can get to them there. I'll figure something out. But they should be on Facebook soonish. Give me another 2 or 3 days. I have to walk 10-15 minutes for internet. Be patient with me.
Love you all.
-Erin
The flights were long but good. Only one screaming child and she only yelled during take off, but that is to be expected since it was really hard on everyone's ear drums. The crew on the 7 hour flight spoke Spanish and so that was a good time to practice and they were really nice. The food was alright, not fantastic but edible. There was tea that they brought around and that was really really good. :) Mady and I got Chili's in the Chicago airport before the long flight so we didn't really need to eat a lot on the plane.
Madrid's airport is GIGANTIC! I thought Chicago's was big. There is nothing in the Madrid airport until you get past customs. Not even a trashcan on the mile or so walk you get stuck on. At least there are moving sidewalks. But they have breaks in them so you can't just sit down and ride. There is I think 1 bathroom and then passport check then another mile of walking then customs then more walking then a 5 minute tram ride to more terminals and then another half mile of walking to the VERY END terminal for our flight to Malaga.
But we got to Malaga and found our luggage right away. It was already circulating by the time we found our way down there and then we found the bus 10 minutes later and then got to the bus station and then had an hour to sit around for the bus to Ronda.
The drive to Ronda was very beautiful. The bus went through the mountains and there were small towns and houses and a lot of wind turbines on top of the hills. Everything is green and there are flowering trees and wildflowers everywhere even though it's cold.
Ronda is really pretty. The first day and a half was really overwhelming with tours and everyone trying to show us around and so I just let it all go over my head. It wasn't worth trying to remember everything.
Today (Feb. 2) has gone pretty well. Still feeling a little sick, but not as bad. We all went out to a tapas bar last night and I had two different tapas. One was a skewer OF THE BEST SHRIMP I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE and the other was fries covered in ketchup and this white sauce that none of us could agree on whether it was mayo or cheese. It was good, odd but good. This was at Bar Antonio, and Peter and I had (I think) Machau Clasic (yes, weird spelling I know) beer which was good.
THEN everyone but two went to Husky's, an American Bar where we watched figure skating on TV, talked to an Italian guy who was traveling all over Spain making money playing his guitar and spoke no English, and we came to the conclusion that no matter where you are in the world, once you get a few drinks in some heavly opinionated Americans (*nudge*Dan and Diana*nudge*) they will inevitably start arguing politics, the war in Iraq, healthcare, and how cool an American one dollar bill is.
Also, side note: Everyone gets a lot better at Spanish and a lot more willing to use it after a few hours of drinking cervezas (beers). Another side note: CruzCampo is the Budweiser of Spain. IT'S EVERYWHERE.
So onto today. I just also realized how long this is. Wow. Anywho. School was good. Grammar was easy, I might go up a level in that depending on if i was borderline on my test or not, I'll talk to Daniel tomorrow. Conversation was good. My stomach hurt after our pausa in between classes so it was hard to concentrate and participate. People tend to try to talk over each other sometimes, but that's alright. I just sat back until I was asked a question and then I talked until I couldn't think of anything else. It went pretty well.
I'm realizing that there are a lot of people here that don't know English, and Spanish is what we have in common. Like the Italian guy, or Dan's girlfriend, or the French tourists who asked me to take their picture in the plaza today. But it is nice when you're lost and the sympathic veterinary assistant speaks a little english. (Thank you whoever you are)
But for now, I will go. There are things to be done, like reloading my phone with minutes. Again.
I am really starting to get comfortable here. I'm happy it's not AS scary as it was and that things are settling down and there are people here who I can talk to that know what's going on and speak English. Just hearing English songs on the radio is something I love.
Pictures coming soon, hopefully some here, maybe I'll find a photo hosting site or make it so you all who don't have Facebook can get to them there. I'll figure something out. But they should be on Facebook soonish. Give me another 2 or 3 days. I have to walk 10-15 minutes for internet. Be patient with me.
Love you all.
-Erin
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