I love this quote from Mark Twain, since it seems to embody my week; as well as my time in Spain.
Monday I got to campus on time; even a little early! I ran into Alexandra and her roommate on their way to class. I didn't have a class yet, so I joined them. We are allowed to 'try out' classes here to see if they work. We went to class and waited. And waited. And waited. No class. *sigh*
So I went and got a coffee in prep for my next class. There was class, but we ended up starting about half an hour later because the class before us was watching a movie. But this class is always interesting. However, today, the prof had us do something, and NONE of us knew what was going on. But we plugged through and got through class.
After that, I didn't have anymore classes for the day, so I came home. During lunch with Begona and Irene, we found out that in the paper that morning, there was an ad for cheap plane tickets. I had just been reading more about all the towns that Gaudi had built something in or renovated something. I was able to buy a ticket to Palma de Mallorca, a little island off the coast by Barcelona, for only $60. He restored the inside of it. I am going by myself for only a Saturday/Sunday just to see the cathedral, and the other sites, of Palma de Mallorca. So I am really excited.
Tuesday I woke up and realized that I forgot to set my alarm. I woke up only 10 min before the bus would arrive at the stop. I threw some clothes on and ran to the bus stop. The bus was late. I get to the classroom with only minutes to spare, only to realize...yes, you guessed right. There was no class. I was upset. I was not feeling well, had to hurry all morning, just to find this out. So I went home and went back to sleep. I just rested the whole day too. Was not in the mood to do anything.
Wednesday we bought tickets to go to Barcelona. Yes, you heard me right. Alexandra, Elise and I are taking the night bus to Barcelona. Will get there at about 7 am. Then we will be there till Saturday night, when we will take the bus back to Burgos. Will get back at about 3. That's right. In the morning. Hopefully I will learn more in Barcelona these next couple of days than I have learned all week!
Pray for us!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen. -Benjamin Disraeli
I like to look at and see EVERYTHING around me. I have always been like that. I love looking at the details of things, like wood grains, carved staircases, and cobblestone streets. Hence, I have a fondness for museums. It is only there that you are expected to see everything, and stand and examine it. I also love watching the people at the museums. You have the old people, who just wander around, looking at the paintings with a practiced eye. Then you have the professors/teachers with their students, standing in front of something with their hands on their faces, trying to find something original to say that people have been saying for centuries. There are the families with their children, parents running after them, "DON'T TOUCH!", while thinking Don't break it! I would have to sell you into slavery to pay for it! Then you have the weird people like me, who look at the floors, the ceilings, out the windows, watch the people, and then turn around and see what the big deal is about.
Alexandra and I met at about 12. We went to one of the offices of tourism to get a schedule of when the museums are open. We also picked up the schedule of the buses to Barcelona for the next weekend, a bus schedule for Burgos, and I got a mass schedule as well. The nice thing is that even though she knew we weren't from here (I guess natives of Burgos probably don't go to the tourism offices, huh), she didn't speak English when she didn't think we understood. It helped our confidence so well, especially when she complimented us on our Spanish.
After receiving a compliment and options of things to do, we went to the Arch of Santa Maria. Built in 1553, it was an arch of triumph in honor of the visiting of the Emperor Carlos V. In the central part, all the statues are important people from the history of the Castille-Leon area. On top, the Guardian Angel of the city is topped only by Mary, the patron of the city of Burgos. Inside, there is a museum that brings together some of the most representative elements of the city's history. There is a replica of the sword of El Cid, a BEAUTIFUL Mudejar ceiling, as well as modern art from artists of the city. There is a nice view of the cathedral through stained glass windows. One of the best things I saw was this mother trying to teach her children about art. She ended up just following her young son around, telling him not to touch things. It was funny.
After this museum, we went to another one near the Cathedral. The Museum of the Altarpieces is in the Church of San Esteban, which is the perfect place for a museum of religious artifacts. The altarpieces are from churches in the area. It was beautiful. I loved the church too; the architecture was AMAZING.
After San Esteban, we decided to go eat. I was starving. We went to a little cafe/restaurant in the Plaza Mayor. I had a nice, dark beer and a hamburger with fries. I wasn't able to eat that much, since I am not used to heavy food such as this! Then we walked around for a bit, until we were both too exhausted to continue. I came home and took a nice 2 hour siesta. I love Saturdays.
Sunday, I woke up at noon and looked at the mass schedule that the lady at the tourism office gave me. There was a mass at 12:30 at the Church of San Nicolas, so I booked it. The little church is gorgeous. I think I am going to go there every week that I am in town; though change it up once in a while just to do something different.
The rest of the day consisted of resting. We had lunch at 3-ish, which consisted of a DELICIOUS roasted chicken, french fries, and salad. Dessert was a local cheese with walnuts and honey. It's so good.
I spent the day relaxing and getting ready for classes for the next day.
Alexandra and I met at about 12. We went to one of the offices of tourism to get a schedule of when the museums are open. We also picked up the schedule of the buses to Barcelona for the next weekend, a bus schedule for Burgos, and I got a mass schedule as well. The nice thing is that even though she knew we weren't from here (I guess natives of Burgos probably don't go to the tourism offices, huh), she didn't speak English when she didn't think we understood. It helped our confidence so well, especially when she complimented us on our Spanish.
After receiving a compliment and options of things to do, we went to the Arch of Santa Maria. Built in 1553, it was an arch of triumph in honor of the visiting of the Emperor Carlos V. In the central part, all the statues are important people from the history of the Castille-Leon area. On top, the Guardian Angel of the city is topped only by Mary, the patron of the city of Burgos. Inside, there is a museum that brings together some of the most representative elements of the city's history. There is a replica of the sword of El Cid, a BEAUTIFUL Mudejar ceiling, as well as modern art from artists of the city. There is a nice view of the cathedral through stained glass windows. One of the best things I saw was this mother trying to teach her children about art. She ended up just following her young son around, telling him not to touch things. It was funny. After this museum, we went to another one near the Cathedral. The Museum of the Altarpieces is in the Church of San Esteban, which is the perfect place for a museum of religious artifacts. The altarpieces are from churches in the area. It was beautiful. I loved the church too; the architecture was AMAZING.
After San Esteban, we decided to go eat. I was starving. We went to a little cafe/restaurant in the Plaza Mayor. I had a nice, dark beer and a hamburger with fries. I wasn't able to eat that much, since I am not used to heavy food such as this! Then we walked around for a bit, until we were both too exhausted to continue. I came home and took a nice 2 hour siesta. I love Saturdays.
Sunday, I woke up at noon and looked at the mass schedule that the lady at the tourism office gave me. There was a mass at 12:30 at the Church of San Nicolas, so I booked it. The little church is gorgeous. I think I am going to go there every week that I am in town; though change it up once in a while just to do something different.
The rest of the day consisted of resting. We had lunch at 3-ish, which consisted of a DELICIOUS roasted chicken, french fries, and salad. Dessert was a local cheese with walnuts and honey. It's so good.
I spent the day relaxing and getting ready for classes for the next day.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience. -Francis Bacon
This week was a week of frustration; but also a week of learning more about myself and the Spanish culture. Also, I learned more about how God is teaching me how to trust Him with simple things like classes and understanding more about those around me.
I had high hopes for Monday. I thought "First day of classes in Spanish. I am going to make new friends and learn some awesome stuff!" Well, I was so tired the night before that I set my alarm for 9 instead of 8, when my class started at 9. It would have been fine if I had heard my alarm, because then I could have gotten up for my second class, which was at 10:30. But, since I slept through it, I woke up at 11:30. My host mother came in to check on me and make sure I was doing okay and not sick. Sick only of not being able to get up in the morning. Same me, different country I guess.
Instead, Elise and I went shopping. She still had not yet received her suitcase, which the airline had lost, so she needed clothes; and badly. I needed a few things too, but I didn't buy/spend as much as I could. :P But she found what she needed/wanted, which was the only reason we went.
The next day I made it to one class: Grammatica Espanola: Sintaxis. It is a very interesting class. However, the bus was late, so I was late to class; and extremely embarrassed. I didn't have coffee in the morning either, and so I was extremely tired. Made for a good first class ever in Spain.
After that class, Elise and I tried to go to another class, but that whole set of classes (1st year) don't start till the 20th of September. *Sigh* Wish that was posted somewhere on the plan. Instead, we decided to go get some coffee. We went to the Cafeteria that I went to all last week during the Intensive Spanish course. I walked in and saw Alexandra! It was so nice seeing a familiar face. So we all talked about classes while drinking coffee. Then we decided to go to el centro, where I live. All three of us took the bus down there, and it was packed, as usual. We decided to go sit and have raciones and drinks. Elise hadn't had a drink ever in her life, and she had just turned 21, so she wanted to try one! So we went to The Book, an Irish pub in the same plaza as my house. I had calamari and my first *real* beer in Spain (my first dark one). Elise had a sangria and Alexandra had a glass of wine. It is customary to drink alcohol here any time of the day.
While we were sitting there, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I was like, Oh great. Now someone knows I'm an American and wants me to say something in my weird accent. I turned around, prepared to say Howdy or something, and it was my host sister, Laura! I was like OH! What a nice surprise! So she sat with us and chatted. Her and I decided the day before that she was going to take me shopping for a few things, so she just waited for us to finish.
Once Elise left for the bus and we got Alexandra on the right path to home, we did some light shopping. Then we came back home for lunch. After lunch, I took my siesta. I think my host family thinks there is something wrong with me that I drink so much coffee but can still sleep as much as I do.
I woke up Wednesday morning in a good mood. I heard my alarm clock, had enough time to talk to Ryan online for a bit, and sit and chat while eating breakfast with Begona. I got to classes on time too!
It turned out to be a frustrating day. For more people than just me, it turned out.
I found out that there is something else that frustrates me more than someone not understanding what I am saying in Spanish. Two people decided that I was not understanding what they were saying in Spanish, and hence switched to English. I was able to understand them just fine, they just weren't being very clear in what they were saying. I wanted to punch them in the face. I wanted to say Don't insult my intelligence by thinking I am like other Americans who expect you to explain things to them in English. I know what you are saying; don't pretend otherwise. I was so insulted and upset (plus I was pms-ing at the time too), that I went to the cafeteria during break, ordered a coffee and drank that while writing out my frustrations in my journal. Then I went to my second class of the day.
However, I seemed to have dressed too warm for the weather. During class, I was dying from the heat. It is this little room the size of my room here, but they still manage to squeeze 12 students and 1 rather large teacher in it. Once he released us from our agony, I left because otherwise I was going to die. I came home, changed into summer clothes (instead of the fall ones I was wearing) ate a little something, and took a quick nap.
Begona took Laura and Irene to Vitoria (where Laura goes to college) for orientation in the morning. They had left soon after I did, and they were there the whole day. I thought they were gone so long because of shopping or something, but their car ended up overheating or something. So they had to take the taxi home.
When they (finally) got home, Laura heated up some leftovers for me while her mom was getting the car in Vitoria. I ate a plate of spaghetti, a bowl of veggies, 2 pork fillets, bread, tea, and hot chocolate. I'm sure she was like, "Mom! She is eating us out of house and home! What else do I feed her?!" When Begona got home, she came in to my room to chat a bit, as she usually does. She said with a little smile, "Laura said you were hungry and ate a lot!" "Yeah, I don't know why, but I was SO hungry." "Well, you didn't eat much of anything that I had left for you!" "Oh...yeah...that would be why."
Thursday rolled around. Went to campus, but NO one was there. It was like a vacation or something and no one had told us. So Alexandra and I were like, you know what? Fine. So we took the bus back down to the center of town (where I live) and drank coffee, window shopped, and talked in Spanish. It was nice that even though we didn't have class, we still learned from talking Spanish with each other and with people on the street. It helps a lot to speak with another person who is learning like I am, and isn't a native speaker. I probably learned more words this week than any others, since I had to look them up to be able to understand things like 'Sales (rebajas)' , 'Size (talle)', 'Earrings (pendientes)', 'Watch (reloj)', 'Necklace (collar)', 'bracelet (pulsera), and 'Scarf (foulard [which is french as well]), as well as various numbers.
No class on Friday as well (getting to be ridiculous), so Alexandra and I decided to meet up again. We ran into Elise, who had some errands she needed to run. So we went with her. She finally got her suitcase back, which had been lost on the flight or something. So she needed to get things that weren't in there, like a coat, shampoo; those kinds of things. After all that, Alexandra and I decided to meet up the next morning (saturday) to go to a few museums and see the sights.
View next post about the weekend. I think I need to learn to keep up on these things more, so that they aren't so long!
I had high hopes for Monday. I thought "First day of classes in Spanish. I am going to make new friends and learn some awesome stuff!" Well, I was so tired the night before that I set my alarm for 9 instead of 8, when my class started at 9. It would have been fine if I had heard my alarm, because then I could have gotten up for my second class, which was at 10:30. But, since I slept through it, I woke up at 11:30. My host mother came in to check on me and make sure I was doing okay and not sick. Sick only of not being able to get up in the morning. Same me, different country I guess.
Instead, Elise and I went shopping. She still had not yet received her suitcase, which the airline had lost, so she needed clothes; and badly. I needed a few things too, but I didn't buy/spend as much as I could. :P But she found what she needed/wanted, which was the only reason we went.
The next day I made it to one class: Grammatica Espanola: Sintaxis. It is a very interesting class. However, the bus was late, so I was late to class; and extremely embarrassed. I didn't have coffee in the morning either, and so I was extremely tired. Made for a good first class ever in Spain.
After that class, Elise and I tried to go to another class, but that whole set of classes (1st year) don't start till the 20th of September. *Sigh* Wish that was posted somewhere on the plan. Instead, we decided to go get some coffee. We went to the Cafeteria that I went to all last week during the Intensive Spanish course. I walked in and saw Alexandra! It was so nice seeing a familiar face. So we all talked about classes while drinking coffee. Then we decided to go to el centro, where I live. All three of us took the bus down there, and it was packed, as usual. We decided to go sit and have raciones and drinks. Elise hadn't had a drink ever in her life, and she had just turned 21, so she wanted to try one! So we went to The Book, an Irish pub in the same plaza as my house. I had calamari and my first *real* beer in Spain (my first dark one). Elise had a sangria and Alexandra had a glass of wine. It is customary to drink alcohol here any time of the day.
While we were sitting there, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I was like, Oh great. Now someone knows I'm an American and wants me to say something in my weird accent. I turned around, prepared to say Howdy or something, and it was my host sister, Laura! I was like OH! What a nice surprise! So she sat with us and chatted. Her and I decided the day before that she was going to take me shopping for a few things, so she just waited for us to finish.
Once Elise left for the bus and we got Alexandra on the right path to home, we did some light shopping. Then we came back home for lunch. After lunch, I took my siesta. I think my host family thinks there is something wrong with me that I drink so much coffee but can still sleep as much as I do.
I woke up Wednesday morning in a good mood. I heard my alarm clock, had enough time to talk to Ryan online for a bit, and sit and chat while eating breakfast with Begona. I got to classes on time too!
It turned out to be a frustrating day. For more people than just me, it turned out.
I found out that there is something else that frustrates me more than someone not understanding what I am saying in Spanish. Two people decided that I was not understanding what they were saying in Spanish, and hence switched to English. I was able to understand them just fine, they just weren't being very clear in what they were saying. I wanted to punch them in the face. I wanted to say Don't insult my intelligence by thinking I am like other Americans who expect you to explain things to them in English. I know what you are saying; don't pretend otherwise. I was so insulted and upset (plus I was pms-ing at the time too), that I went to the cafeteria during break, ordered a coffee and drank that while writing out my frustrations in my journal. Then I went to my second class of the day.
However, I seemed to have dressed too warm for the weather. During class, I was dying from the heat. It is this little room the size of my room here, but they still manage to squeeze 12 students and 1 rather large teacher in it. Once he released us from our agony, I left because otherwise I was going to die. I came home, changed into summer clothes (instead of the fall ones I was wearing) ate a little something, and took a quick nap.
Begona took Laura and Irene to Vitoria (where Laura goes to college) for orientation in the morning. They had left soon after I did, and they were there the whole day. I thought they were gone so long because of shopping or something, but their car ended up overheating or something. So they had to take the taxi home.
When they (finally) got home, Laura heated up some leftovers for me while her mom was getting the car in Vitoria. I ate a plate of spaghetti, a bowl of veggies, 2 pork fillets, bread, tea, and hot chocolate. I'm sure she was like, "Mom! She is eating us out of house and home! What else do I feed her?!" When Begona got home, she came in to my room to chat a bit, as she usually does. She said with a little smile, "Laura said you were hungry and ate a lot!" "Yeah, I don't know why, but I was SO hungry." "Well, you didn't eat much of anything that I had left for you!" "Oh...yeah...that would be why."
Thursday rolled around. Went to campus, but NO one was there. It was like a vacation or something and no one had told us. So Alexandra and I were like, you know what? Fine. So we took the bus back down to the center of town (where I live) and drank coffee, window shopped, and talked in Spanish. It was nice that even though we didn't have class, we still learned from talking Spanish with each other and with people on the street. It helps a lot to speak with another person who is learning like I am, and isn't a native speaker. I probably learned more words this week than any others, since I had to look them up to be able to understand things like 'Sales (rebajas)' , 'Size (talle)', 'Earrings (pendientes)', 'Watch (reloj)', 'Necklace (collar)', 'bracelet (pulsera), and 'Scarf (foulard [which is french as well]), as well as various numbers.
No class on Friday as well (getting to be ridiculous), so Alexandra and I decided to meet up again. We ran into Elise, who had some errands she needed to run. So we went with her. She finally got her suitcase back, which had been lost on the flight or something. So she needed to get things that weren't in there, like a coat, shampoo; those kinds of things. After all that, Alexandra and I decided to meet up the next morning (saturday) to go to a few museums and see the sights.
View next post about the weekend. I think I need to learn to keep up on these things more, so that they aren't so long!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.”- James Michener
I decided that instead of trying to think of something clever to put as the title to each blog, I am going to use a quote that accurately describes the post. And boy, does this one describe this past weekend!
I tried new food, joined in customs, went to mass, and met new people. It is a challenge to live this quote though, as sometimes it is just easier to stay where I am comfortable.
Friday, after my intensive Spanish class, I walked back home all depressed; missing my family and friends deeply. It was Friday night, and I had nothing to do other than sit on my computer or read. My host family was out seeing their respective friends, and I was just here. Back home, it would be the night that Ryan and I would go to the Turf and throw some darts while talking, flirting with each other, and enjoying each other's company. The though made me deeply homesick. I just wanted to be home.
However, God had some gifts in store for me. At supper, which is like 9 or 10pm here, my host mother, Begona and my host sister, Laura, and i were sitting at the table talking. Begona starts out a conversation with, "Dokie, would you like some work?" "Here? In Spain?" She kinda smiled, "Yes, here in Spain." "What kind of work?" I'm thinking something like selling pamphlets to tourists who don't know better or going along the river and saving baby turtles or something like that. "My friend, Elena, called me and is wondering if you would speak English with her 15 year old daughter so that she can practice what she learns in school." My heart jumped at the opportunity. After saying a silent, grateful prayer to God, I agreed. Since I teach in the States, it's perfect for me! Such a beautiful way for God to show me how much he takes care of me, even in unexpected ways.
The other gift came soon after. Laura, who is 20, suddenly asked me if I would like to join her and her friends to go out the next night with them. It is more of a cultural thing here to go out to bars, not to get drunk (I guess it depends on the person), but to be with friends and enjoy yourself. The Spanish people are very social, and love being with friends. Every night, one or all of them go out to see friends or have a drink or something. I agreed, since I want to experience all aspects of the Spanish culture. My first thought, though, was typical of a woman: "I have nothing to wear."
Saturday arrived, and I got ready to meet my new friend Polina to see some sights in Burgos together. I agreed with Begona to be back by 3pm to celebrate her birthday, which was on Tuesday. I found Polina near the Cathedral, and we decided to go inside and do the whole pay-for-entrance-to-see-beautiful-architecture thing.
It was totally worth it. Once I figure out how to post pictures, I will. If you are my friend on FB, there are pics on there too. This Cathedral, the most Gothic in Spain, is probably one of the most beautiful ones I have seen. Not overdone, it allows its architecture and richness in wood to display its beauty.
After going through the cathedral, which took about an hour and a half, Polina and I decided to have a little lunch. I knew I was eating at like 3, but it would be a while and I needed to eat. So what did I order? Calamares en su tinta. I knew it was squid, but i wasn't sure what tinta meant. I found out soon enough. It's squid cooked in its own ink. It was delicious, and a great experience, but I am not sure I will have it again. But I had a beer to wash it all down.
Apparently, it was Try New Food Weekend, and I missed the memo.
After walking around with Polina for a bit, I went back home at like 2 to shower and get ready for lunch. I knew that Begona's sister, brother-in-law and their two children were coming, so I didn't want to smell.
After getting ready, I went into the kitchen to see how it was all going. I got to watch them prepare the meal, which was fascinating. Earlier in the week, Begona taught me how to make Tortilla con patatas, or Tortilla espanola, which is kinda like a potato quiche, but so much better!
Anyway, I digress. Lunch consisted of fresh róbalo (sea bass), ensalada con queso de cabra (salad with goat cheese), thinly sliced pork with manchego (cheese with sheep and cow's milk [my favorite!]), bread, and white wine. I got to watch her cut the fish open (with the heads on!), clean them, and prepare them! It was fascinating. I loved it.
It was good for my Spanish too, since I got to keep up with the conversations and hear the different way people talk. Plus the two kids, Maria (8) and Jorge (6), are SO cute. Once they realized that I am not scary, they practiced their colors, numbers, and days in English. It was so cute.
After all this and cake and coffee, I needed a nap hard core. I slept for 2.5 hours. It was amazing.
I went with Laura to her friend's house at 11. I thought it was late, but that's okay. I wanted to do something different. We went, and sat at her place for like 2 hours talking. I guess we were waiting till the crowds died down more at the bars and stuff. We finally left her place at about 2, and by that time I was so tired. But I was going to keep plugging through. I told them that I was tired, and after once place I was going to go home. We went back to our Plaza, which is like party central apparently, and went someplace that serves mojitos, since they know they are my favorite. It was so crowded and smokey that we quickly downed the drinks. The bar was right next door to our place, so I said good night and came up to go to bed.
The next day, we left the house at like 10 to get to a monastery for Mass. They aren't practicing Catholics, but they know I am, and they knew that I would love it. So they make sure that I get to go to church and know mass times etc. It is so nice that they respect me like that. Anyway, we got there about an hour before Mass, so we got coffees and sat and chilled in the sun for a bit. It was SO hot on Sunday, like in the 90s.
Mass was beautiful. The Benedictine Monks sang chant and it was beautiful. However, I need to find a mass book in Spanish, since it was SO hard to follow, what with the acoustics and people and stuff.
After mass, we went to Lerma, a little town about 45 min from the monastery. We ate so well, and had so much! We had Ensalada Ruso (like a delicious fishy pasta salad), foccacia bread, croquettas (little balls of bechamel [gravy] and ham), morcillas (blood sausage with rice), a plate of different cuts of pork, potatoes with egg and ham, and cheese. It was all so good, but made us all SO tired. After tea, we headed back here, where we all crashed. We were exhausted.
I am so blessed to have such a wonderful host family. Begona just came in and asked if tomorrow night, I would like to do the "Ruta del Luz" which is like a route around town at night to see all the churches and historical buildings by night. I am SO excited. They have the same interests as me, and I love it!
More later, need to go to bed here.
It hit me yesterday that I will be here for 5 MONTHS, without seeing my loved ones for the most part. Constant homesickness, or constant missing of friends and family, has set in.
I tried new food, joined in customs, went to mass, and met new people. It is a challenge to live this quote though, as sometimes it is just easier to stay where I am comfortable.
Friday, after my intensive Spanish class, I walked back home all depressed; missing my family and friends deeply. It was Friday night, and I had nothing to do other than sit on my computer or read. My host family was out seeing their respective friends, and I was just here. Back home, it would be the night that Ryan and I would go to the Turf and throw some darts while talking, flirting with each other, and enjoying each other's company. The though made me deeply homesick. I just wanted to be home.
However, God had some gifts in store for me. At supper, which is like 9 or 10pm here, my host mother, Begona and my host sister, Laura, and i were sitting at the table talking. Begona starts out a conversation with, "Dokie, would you like some work?" "Here? In Spain?" She kinda smiled, "Yes, here in Spain." "What kind of work?" I'm thinking something like selling pamphlets to tourists who don't know better or going along the river and saving baby turtles or something like that. "My friend, Elena, called me and is wondering if you would speak English with her 15 year old daughter so that she can practice what she learns in school." My heart jumped at the opportunity. After saying a silent, grateful prayer to God, I agreed. Since I teach in the States, it's perfect for me! Such a beautiful way for God to show me how much he takes care of me, even in unexpected ways.
The other gift came soon after. Laura, who is 20, suddenly asked me if I would like to join her and her friends to go out the next night with them. It is more of a cultural thing here to go out to bars, not to get drunk (I guess it depends on the person), but to be with friends and enjoy yourself. The Spanish people are very social, and love being with friends. Every night, one or all of them go out to see friends or have a drink or something. I agreed, since I want to experience all aspects of the Spanish culture. My first thought, though, was typical of a woman: "I have nothing to wear."
Saturday arrived, and I got ready to meet my new friend Polina to see some sights in Burgos together. I agreed with Begona to be back by 3pm to celebrate her birthday, which was on Tuesday. I found Polina near the Cathedral, and we decided to go inside and do the whole pay-for-entrance-to-see-beautiful-architecture thing.
It was totally worth it. Once I figure out how to post pictures, I will. If you are my friend on FB, there are pics on there too. This Cathedral, the most Gothic in Spain, is probably one of the most beautiful ones I have seen. Not overdone, it allows its architecture and richness in wood to display its beauty.
Apparently, it was Try New Food Weekend, and I missed the memo.
After walking around with Polina for a bit, I went back home at like 2 to shower and get ready for lunch. I knew that Begona's sister, brother-in-law and their two children were coming, so I didn't want to smell.
After getting ready, I went into the kitchen to see how it was all going. I got to watch them prepare the meal, which was fascinating. Earlier in the week, Begona taught me how to make Tortilla con patatas, or Tortilla espanola, which is kinda like a potato quiche, but so much better!
Anyway, I digress. Lunch consisted of fresh róbalo (sea bass), ensalada con queso de cabra (salad with goat cheese), thinly sliced pork with manchego (cheese with sheep and cow's milk [my favorite!]), bread, and white wine. I got to watch her cut the fish open (with the heads on!), clean them, and prepare them! It was fascinating. I loved it.
It was good for my Spanish too, since I got to keep up with the conversations and hear the different way people talk. Plus the two kids, Maria (8) and Jorge (6), are SO cute. Once they realized that I am not scary, they practiced their colors, numbers, and days in English. It was so cute.
After all this and cake and coffee, I needed a nap hard core. I slept for 2.5 hours. It was amazing.
I went with Laura to her friend's house at 11. I thought it was late, but that's okay. I wanted to do something different. We went, and sat at her place for like 2 hours talking. I guess we were waiting till the crowds died down more at the bars and stuff. We finally left her place at about 2, and by that time I was so tired. But I was going to keep plugging through. I told them that I was tired, and after once place I was going to go home. We went back to our Plaza, which is like party central apparently, and went someplace that serves mojitos, since they know they are my favorite. It was so crowded and smokey that we quickly downed the drinks. The bar was right next door to our place, so I said good night and came up to go to bed.
The next day, we left the house at like 10 to get to a monastery for Mass. They aren't practicing Catholics, but they know I am, and they knew that I would love it. So they make sure that I get to go to church and know mass times etc. It is so nice that they respect me like that. Anyway, we got there about an hour before Mass, so we got coffees and sat and chilled in the sun for a bit. It was SO hot on Sunday, like in the 90s.
Mass was beautiful. The Benedictine Monks sang chant and it was beautiful. However, I need to find a mass book in Spanish, since it was SO hard to follow, what with the acoustics and people and stuff.
After mass, we went to Lerma, a little town about 45 min from the monastery. We ate so well, and had so much! We had Ensalada Ruso (like a delicious fishy pasta salad), foccacia bread, croquettas (little balls of bechamel [gravy] and ham), morcillas (blood sausage with rice), a plate of different cuts of pork, potatoes with egg and ham, and cheese. It was all so good, but made us all SO tired. After tea, we headed back here, where we all crashed. We were exhausted.
I am so blessed to have such a wonderful host family. Begona just came in and asked if tomorrow night, I would like to do the "Ruta del Luz" which is like a route around town at night to see all the churches and historical buildings by night. I am SO excited. They have the same interests as me, and I love it!
More later, need to go to bed here.
It hit me yesterday that I will be here for 5 MONTHS, without seeing my loved ones for the most part. Constant homesickness, or constant missing of friends and family, has set in.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Reflections on Week 1
I have now been here a whole week and this is the first time I have been able to sit down and actually type things out. It probably helps that the Internet has been weird; that way I actually read, study, and journal. I mean, what a weird concept…getting something done when there is nothing else to distract you!
Monday I had to get up ‘early’ to get to orientation by 10. It was difficult considering a) I’m not a morning person; and b) I didn’t sleep well the night before. Probably didn’t help that I had slept so much on Saturday night. So I was exhausted. One of the first things I did was make my Dunn Bros coffee I had with me in my French press mug. When I was taking it to the car with Begona, since she was driving me to school, she was like, “They will know you are a foreigner with that, since no one does that here.” I thought, well it isn’t like I stick out already. But I managed to drink it all on the way to class so I left it with her. She came with me on campus and then waited with me till they took us for the meeting. I am so blessed to have such a great family to live with while I am here.
At orientation, I got lost mentally. They do things so different here. You don’t sign up for classes until AFTER they start on the 6th; you go to them first and then decide if that is a class you would like to attend. So this week I need to go online and figure out how to pick out classes.
After orientation, they told us where to meet for the intensive Spanish class which would be at 1. Since I had like 3 hours to spare, I walked home and ate and rested for a bit. Then I walked 30 min back to campus. It is a beautiful walk through parks from the Plaza Huerto del Rey. I don’t mind walking, since everything is beautiful and I love watching the old men and women talking and taking care of their grandchildren.
The class was 5 hours long of only Spanish, with grammar and vocabulary and idiomatic expressions. I learned some expressions on Monday, and that night I was up late with Begona, Irene, and Laura and we were talking and laughing about all the strange expressions. Like how in Spanish instead of saying a long weekend they say it’s a bridge, and when it’s a break in school more than 4 days it’s an aqueduct; and the ones they love are ‘it’s raining cats and dogs’ and learning something by heart.
I was the only American in class. There were 3 Italian boys (one of whom took a liking to me for some reason), 2 from Portugal, 2 from France, 1 girl from Russia, and like 6 from Germany. I was really lonely at first because when we had breaks every 50 min, everyone would go separate into their own language groups and speak their respective languages. I can understand what they are saying, but I don’t want to be pushy or anything. That is more American :P After a while though, they could see that I am social and like to talk, but am not pushy or anything. Wednesday I made a point to help Alexandra, a girl from Germany who is also studying Spanish like me. She didn’t know where something was so after class I walked with her to find it.
After classes, I would run a couple errands or take a different route home; just to do something different. The weather has been GORGEOUS, so I love just walking around and looking at stuff and people.
Some things have been frustrating though. Like I feel like a carnival attraction when I go out, feeling like everyone’s eyes are on me. It is frustrating not being understood and not knowing the right words off-hand to clarify myself. It is difficult not knowing exactly where I am going or what to do.
One of the more difficult things to adjust to is that people don’t just go to a coffee shop to study or anything. They go to socialize and that’s it. It is very difficult to adjust to being at home a lot if I want to read or be on my computer. I am a social person, so it is difficult to not be around people.
I am FINALLY adjusting to the time difference, and the difference of meal times. Took long enough. I would either be really tired or really awake. If I was tired and tried to take a nap, it would be for like only an hour. But today I was able to take a 2.5 hour long nap, and it helped so much!
Will blog about the weekend tomorrow. Need to sleep for my first day of classes!
Monday I had to get up ‘early’ to get to orientation by 10. It was difficult considering a) I’m not a morning person; and b) I didn’t sleep well the night before. Probably didn’t help that I had slept so much on Saturday night. So I was exhausted. One of the first things I did was make my Dunn Bros coffee I had with me in my French press mug. When I was taking it to the car with Begona, since she was driving me to school, she was like, “They will know you are a foreigner with that, since no one does that here.” I thought, well it isn’t like I stick out already. But I managed to drink it all on the way to class so I left it with her. She came with me on campus and then waited with me till they took us for the meeting. I am so blessed to have such a great family to live with while I am here.
At orientation, I got lost mentally. They do things so different here. You don’t sign up for classes until AFTER they start on the 6th; you go to them first and then decide if that is a class you would like to attend. So this week I need to go online and figure out how to pick out classes.
After orientation, they told us where to meet for the intensive Spanish class which would be at 1. Since I had like 3 hours to spare, I walked home and ate and rested for a bit. Then I walked 30 min back to campus. It is a beautiful walk through parks from the Plaza Huerto del Rey. I don’t mind walking, since everything is beautiful and I love watching the old men and women talking and taking care of their grandchildren.
The class was 5 hours long of only Spanish, with grammar and vocabulary and idiomatic expressions. I learned some expressions on Monday, and that night I was up late with Begona, Irene, and Laura and we were talking and laughing about all the strange expressions. Like how in Spanish instead of saying a long weekend they say it’s a bridge, and when it’s a break in school more than 4 days it’s an aqueduct; and the ones they love are ‘it’s raining cats and dogs’ and learning something by heart.
I was the only American in class. There were 3 Italian boys (one of whom took a liking to me for some reason), 2 from Portugal, 2 from France, 1 girl from Russia, and like 6 from Germany. I was really lonely at first because when we had breaks every 50 min, everyone would go separate into their own language groups and speak their respective languages. I can understand what they are saying, but I don’t want to be pushy or anything. That is more American :P After a while though, they could see that I am social and like to talk, but am not pushy or anything. Wednesday I made a point to help Alexandra, a girl from Germany who is also studying Spanish like me. She didn’t know where something was so after class I walked with her to find it.
After classes, I would run a couple errands or take a different route home; just to do something different. The weather has been GORGEOUS, so I love just walking around and looking at stuff and people.
Some things have been frustrating though. Like I feel like a carnival attraction when I go out, feeling like everyone’s eyes are on me. It is frustrating not being understood and not knowing the right words off-hand to clarify myself. It is difficult not knowing exactly where I am going or what to do.
One of the more difficult things to adjust to is that people don’t just go to a coffee shop to study or anything. They go to socialize and that’s it. It is very difficult to adjust to being at home a lot if I want to read or be on my computer. I am a social person, so it is difficult to not be around people.
I am FINALLY adjusting to the time difference, and the difference of meal times. Took long enough. I would either be really tired or really awake. If I was tired and tried to take a nap, it would be for like only an hour. But today I was able to take a 2.5 hour long nap, and it helped so much!
Will blog about the weekend tomorrow. Need to sleep for my first day of classes!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
First days in Burgos
Oye! I can't believe that it has only been a couple of days since I left the states. I love it here. Burgos is the perfect size. Not really small, but big enough that there is a lot for me to do! A lot of great historical sites to visit, mostly with El Cid. And a lot of great architecture as well, such as Gothic, Renaissance, and much more!
I left the states on Friday. Mom and Dad drove in on Thursday to surprise me; and they totally succeeded! I did not expect it at all! It was great seeing them. So at the airport to see me off was my parents, my sister, my best friend and her baby, and my wonderful boyfriend. It was so difficult to see them all off. There were a lot of tears on both sides. Up till I left, i was thinking, why am I doing this? How crazy am I do go live in a city I have never been in before with a family that I have never met?
But I went. One of the hardest things to do was to look back at my family and friends and know that I won't see them for at least 5 months. One thing that helps is knowing that my sister and 3 of my cousins will visit for Christmas. It helps a lot, knowing that they will be here in only...3 months.
All my flights went well. I made it into Chicago just in time to grab something to eat and then eat it on the plane to Newark. I had like a 2 hour layover in Newark, which was kinda nice. I just wanted to get going and fly though. It was difficult seeing people traveling with loved ones and knowing that I had to do this all on my own.
After only a 6 hour flight, I arrived in Madrid; tired, in need of coffee, and nervous. I knew that after customs, I had to exchange money and then go find a taxi to take me to the train station. I was praying that I found one that didn't rip me off and that was honest. Praise be to the Lord, He helped me with all that. Arrived at the train station without any problems. Then I had to wait 4 hours for my train. I was SO happy when I found out that they had internet, and then I saw that Ryan was online! So I was able to talk to him, which helped me greatly.
It was my first train ride, and I loved it. So relaxing, peaceful, and a beautiful way to see the countryside. Despite my best efforts, I dozed on the way there. When I woke, I was petrified that I had missed my stop, but thankfully I didn't. My host family was able to pick me out of the crowd of people; probably because I had the most stuff with me :)
I loved them immediately. The host mother, Begoña, immediately asked me if I was hungry. I said yes, and that I was tired as well. They were asking me questions and stuff, and I tried to respond as best I could. When I am tired, all the languages kinda just get mixed up; it is much more difficult to separate them. Thankfully, Begoña speaks French and the girls, Laura (20) and Irene (15) both speak English. It helps me so much when all the languages start mixing. They have also had many international students stay with them, so they are used to having these kind of problems. They tell me that I am a strange American because I love languages, history, art and architecture, that I speak German, am not a picky eater, that I love coffee black and that I love seafood; and I am okay with that.
They quickly made something for me to eat, even though per custom they don't eat till much later. Then we went shopping, since they needed to go and I needed a few things that I had to take out of my bag, like shampoo etc. It was interesting shopping with them. The girls are just like Deidra and I in how they get along; and they all are so helpful. At one point they wanted to read the label of something that was only in Spanish, English, German, and like Dutch or something, and they asked me to read it for them. So I had to translate from German to English. It was fun.
Once we got back, they let me go to bed. They knew that I was exhausted after having to take 3 planes, a taxi and a train to get here.
I slept for 16 hours straight.
Once I woke up, we ate a wonderful meal and sat and talked for like 2 hours. The Spanish/English dictionary had a place at the table too, and it helped us a lot. Then they took me on a walk to campus, just to see how far it is (only 30 min beautiful walk through a park), and showed me a few of the sights. After resting for a bit at a cafe, we walked to a friend of Irene's who was going to leave for Ireland to study for a year the next day. The house was busy with people coming and going, but they invited us to stay. Per custom, Begoña refused 3 times before we actually accepted. They were so welcoming to me as well; and the food was AMAZING. I have not yet had a thing that I don't like to eat yet.
Then we took the bus back to the center of town, where we live, and then walked around for a bit to see the city by night. It was beautiful. I am so happy to be living in such a beautiful city.
I will post more on Monday and today hopefully later. Right now I need to eat before my class on campus in intensive Spanish. :/
I left the states on Friday. Mom and Dad drove in on Thursday to surprise me; and they totally succeeded! I did not expect it at all! It was great seeing them. So at the airport to see me off was my parents, my sister, my best friend and her baby, and my wonderful boyfriend. It was so difficult to see them all off. There were a lot of tears on both sides. Up till I left, i was thinking, why am I doing this? How crazy am I do go live in a city I have never been in before with a family that I have never met?
But I went. One of the hardest things to do was to look back at my family and friends and know that I won't see them for at least 5 months. One thing that helps is knowing that my sister and 3 of my cousins will visit for Christmas. It helps a lot, knowing that they will be here in only...3 months.
All my flights went well. I made it into Chicago just in time to grab something to eat and then eat it on the plane to Newark. I had like a 2 hour layover in Newark, which was kinda nice. I just wanted to get going and fly though. It was difficult seeing people traveling with loved ones and knowing that I had to do this all on my own.
After only a 6 hour flight, I arrived in Madrid; tired, in need of coffee, and nervous. I knew that after customs, I had to exchange money and then go find a taxi to take me to the train station. I was praying that I found one that didn't rip me off and that was honest. Praise be to the Lord, He helped me with all that. Arrived at the train station without any problems. Then I had to wait 4 hours for my train. I was SO happy when I found out that they had internet, and then I saw that Ryan was online! So I was able to talk to him, which helped me greatly.
It was my first train ride, and I loved it. So relaxing, peaceful, and a beautiful way to see the countryside. Despite my best efforts, I dozed on the way there. When I woke, I was petrified that I had missed my stop, but thankfully I didn't. My host family was able to pick me out of the crowd of people; probably because I had the most stuff with me :)
I loved them immediately. The host mother, Begoña, immediately asked me if I was hungry. I said yes, and that I was tired as well. They were asking me questions and stuff, and I tried to respond as best I could. When I am tired, all the languages kinda just get mixed up; it is much more difficult to separate them. Thankfully, Begoña speaks French and the girls, Laura (20) and Irene (15) both speak English. It helps me so much when all the languages start mixing. They have also had many international students stay with them, so they are used to having these kind of problems. They tell me that I am a strange American because I love languages, history, art and architecture, that I speak German, am not a picky eater, that I love coffee black and that I love seafood; and I am okay with that.
They quickly made something for me to eat, even though per custom they don't eat till much later. Then we went shopping, since they needed to go and I needed a few things that I had to take out of my bag, like shampoo etc. It was interesting shopping with them. The girls are just like Deidra and I in how they get along; and they all are so helpful. At one point they wanted to read the label of something that was only in Spanish, English, German, and like Dutch or something, and they asked me to read it for them. So I had to translate from German to English. It was fun.
Once we got back, they let me go to bed. They knew that I was exhausted after having to take 3 planes, a taxi and a train to get here.
I slept for 16 hours straight.
Once I woke up, we ate a wonderful meal and sat and talked for like 2 hours. The Spanish/English dictionary had a place at the table too, and it helped us a lot. Then they took me on a walk to campus, just to see how far it is (only 30 min beautiful walk through a park), and showed me a few of the sights. After resting for a bit at a cafe, we walked to a friend of Irene's who was going to leave for Ireland to study for a year the next day. The house was busy with people coming and going, but they invited us to stay. Per custom, Begoña refused 3 times before we actually accepted. They were so welcoming to me as well; and the food was AMAZING. I have not yet had a thing that I don't like to eat yet.
Then we took the bus back to the center of town, where we live, and then walked around for a bit to see the city by night. It was beautiful. I am so happy to be living in such a beautiful city.
I will post more on Monday and today hopefully later. Right now I need to eat before my class on campus in intensive Spanish. :/
Monday, August 2, 2010
Learning Humility through my Grandparents
Grandpa's wake is today. It will be the first time that most of us have seen him since he left us. It will be a difficult time for all of us.
Deidra and I are at the Badlands Brew waiting for Grandma to get her hair done at the beautician. Deidra, Dad, and I took her to mass this morning and then to breakfast before her hair appointment. None of her daughters said they would take her, even though one of them took Grandma's only mode of transportation: her van. It is frustrating Mom and Dad and Deidra and I to see her being treated this way by her own daughters. But they will leave and Grandma can live her life the way she wants. She is such a humble woman to just do as they want and not say anything.
Both her and Grandpa were/are like that. Grandpa was so humble that we didn't know much of anything about him until we were reading the obituary. We didn't know that he was in the Civilian Conservation Corps, an airplane mechanic in the Navy in WWII in the South Pacific Theater, that he painted prolifically, and that he collected different kinds of barbed wire. Sitting here, I can smell him. I can smell how Grandpa smelled. Such a beautiful gift.
Deidra, Mom and I went with Grandma to the house that she shared with Grandpa yesterday. She wanted us to take a few things before anyone else got to them. We found some of Grandpa's paintings. Not even counting the ones still at the farm, there were over 50 paintings. Each of us picked one out, and one for Dad. We found one for Mom with a rose, since when Mom and Dad first got married, Grandpa brought her a rose every day when he came out to the farm. It was the last rose from him to her.
Myself, I was on a mission. Grandpa said the last time I talked to him, while talking about teaching German to 5th graders, that I could have the Haich Family German bible. I asked Grandma about it and she said that she didn't know where it was. I had to find this last beautiful gift from Grandpa. Walking around, I stopped at his desk. There it was, tucked in the corner. It has names of nieces and nephews, and the day that people were born and died; all in German. Grandpa made sure I got it before anyone else did.
Then Grandma also let us go through most of her jewelry and pick out pieces. I found some beautiful necklaces and rings, and the rings are the EXACT size I am. I now have some of my Grandma's rings.
I will write more later. Leaving to get Grandma.
Here is the obituary.
http://www.stevensonfuneralhome.com/Obits_details.asp?ID=2078
Deidra and I are at the Badlands Brew waiting for Grandma to get her hair done at the beautician. Deidra, Dad, and I took her to mass this morning and then to breakfast before her hair appointment. None of her daughters said they would take her, even though one of them took Grandma's only mode of transportation: her van. It is frustrating Mom and Dad and Deidra and I to see her being treated this way by her own daughters. But they will leave and Grandma can live her life the way she wants. She is such a humble woman to just do as they want and not say anything.
Both her and Grandpa were/are like that. Grandpa was so humble that we didn't know much of anything about him until we were reading the obituary. We didn't know that he was in the Civilian Conservation Corps, an airplane mechanic in the Navy in WWII in the South Pacific Theater, that he painted prolifically, and that he collected different kinds of barbed wire. Sitting here, I can smell him. I can smell how Grandpa smelled. Such a beautiful gift.
Deidra, Mom and I went with Grandma to the house that she shared with Grandpa yesterday. She wanted us to take a few things before anyone else got to them. We found some of Grandpa's paintings. Not even counting the ones still at the farm, there were over 50 paintings. Each of us picked one out, and one for Dad. We found one for Mom with a rose, since when Mom and Dad first got married, Grandpa brought her a rose every day when he came out to the farm. It was the last rose from him to her.
Myself, I was on a mission. Grandpa said the last time I talked to him, while talking about teaching German to 5th graders, that I could have the Haich Family German bible. I asked Grandma about it and she said that she didn't know where it was. I had to find this last beautiful gift from Grandpa. Walking around, I stopped at his desk. There it was, tucked in the corner. It has names of nieces and nephews, and the day that people were born and died; all in German. Grandpa made sure I got it before anyone else did.
Then Grandma also let us go through most of her jewelry and pick out pieces. I found some beautiful necklaces and rings, and the rings are the EXACT size I am. I now have some of my Grandma's rings.
I will write more later. Leaving to get Grandma.
Here is the obituary.
http://www.stevensonfuneralhome.com/Obits_details.asp?ID=2078
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