I havent posted a blog in a long time because I have been super busy with school and enjoying spain=) I took my final exam yesterday and found out this morning that I got an A on it!! Im really proud of myself considing my exam was 12 pages long! Theres SO much that I want to say and write in here about the past couple of weeks, but I will next time I blog. I just wanted to write that MY PARENTS ARE HERE!! My dad just texted me and said that he and my mom have arrived in Barcelona. I am finishing up packing right now, and my senora is driving me to the airport. After a one hour flight I will get to see them!
ps. even though i havent been blogging I have still been adding pictures for people to look at!
adios=)
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
half day!
so today one of my teachers had to go to the doctor or something so we only had our first 2 hours of class! I guess we could have gotten a substitute, but in spain they like to make things relaxing=) On my walk home I decided to take a new route and explore some places that I havent seen yet. I really like being by myself sometimes. It is very relaxing. Im happy that I went this new way becasue I found a really cute plaza. It had fresh fruit markets outside, bakeries, a pretty ountain in the middle, restaurants, and kids playing everywhere. When I was walking through i saw a puppy that looked JUST like bella!! It made me sad=( so I stopped to watch it. This dog was barking like crazy (just like bella) and chasing all the birds. It even made that stupid sneeze noise that bella makes. After this I found a cool shop with spanish jewlery. Then I was back in the plaza that i live in: Plaza de la Trinidad. During class today we discussed certain topics from newspapers and it made me think that I should buy a few different news papers from Granada. Not only to read, but also to use in my classroom one day. I bought 'El Pais' and 'Granada Hoy'. Im going to read them on my free time to learn new vocab words. In a few hours my friends and I are going on a tour of Sacromonte. I dont know too much about it, but its a seperate neighborhood that homes a bunch of the gypies in granada. It also has really cool caves. Im excited to see it. Ill post pictures soon to show you what it really is tho!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Sevilla!
This past weekend I went to Sevilla, Spain with 6 of my friends and had such a wonderful time=))
We left right after our classes on Friday for our 3 hour bus ride. We got into Sevilla around 7 pm, and checked into our hostel. Walking through Sevilla was so beautiful. This was my first time staying in a hostel and was a little nervous. Our room had 8 beds in it with only 4 being my friends! It was pretty small and crammed, but i guess you get what you pay for. After getting settled we went out for dinner. Then we got lost. The streets in Sevilla are horrible and change names every 3 blocks. When we finally found our way we went to a cheap bar for drinks. After this we decided to go back because my one friend Nicki made us a jam packed itinerary and we wanted to be ready to see all of Sevilla!
Our first stop was the Bull Fighting Museum. We bought tickets for a show and we wanted to be knowledgeable on what was actually going on, so we went to the museum for information. It was really cool beacause we got to see the stadium and take pictures really close up when no one was there, and it was nice since our seats for the actual fight were on the top section. The museum was really neat. We especially liked it beacuse the tour guide did the tour all in spanish. She told us about all the stages of the bullfights, we got to see the clothing that they wear, see paintings and sculptures, and see where the horses stay before they are needed in the fight. I took tons of pictures because I thought it would be somehting cool that I can use in my classroom when i teach!
After this we went to the Flamenco Museum. It was very artsy and more hands on than he other one. In each room they had screens of flamenco dancing. We were all in awe just by the video, and it got us so excited for the show. This museum had paintings and actual shoes and clothing that is worn for flamenco dancing.
Our next stop was the Cathedral. It was absolutley amazing. It is the 3rd largest church in the world, and Christopher Columbus is buried there! I had no idea. Im honestly learning so many new things everyday=) I took tons of pictures, but they do not do it justice.
After the cathedral, we went to our hostal and got ready for the Flamenco show!! We went to a smaller show that held about 90 people. I enjoyed it so much more because it was a lot more personal, and we were super close to the stage! A guitar player and a singer to started the show. They were both so different and cool. After that the girl came out. She was INCREDIBLE. She was so intense and passionate about the dance it was amazing. I wish I could have taped it. The man went after her and he was just as great. I never wanted it to end! I really never expected to enjoy it that much.
Next we got tapas and wine! We then went on the bar crawl with our hostel. The bars were really cool. They were all outdoor and had weird decorations. It was fun to be outside and not crammed and hot inside of a bar. It was fun, but we are pretty sure that we went ended up at a gay club...
The next morning we went on a walking tour of Sevilla. The tour guide (who was also the owner of our hostel) explained to us not only all the buildings, but behind the scenes stories that we would never have been able to know. We saw different"neighborhoods", as well as the university of sevilla, and La plaza de espana. This plaza had a scene from star wars taped there! It is also in the shape of "open arms" that face the plaza americana. This is supposed to symbolize that spain will always have open arms to america, and that they are sorry for their past with christopher columbus.
We then got lunch,where I had really good salmon, and went on a tour of Alcazar. This is the governors palace in Spain. It was really beautiful, but sadly from walking around all day,while carrying our backpacks, we were so tired that we didnt really enjoy it as much as we could have.
Finally, it was time for the bull fight in La Plaza de Toros. We were all very excited, but we didnt know what we were in for. After going to the museum, we were aware that there were 6 bulls that were killed in each fight, but when the first one came out we were all REALLY sad. After the 3rd bull we were used to it, but it was hard to watch at times. I am glad that I got to experience it and take pictures for my classroom tho. Our tour guide said that it was really good that we went to one. She said now because of animal rights and everything that this tradtion could be completely stopped within the next couple of years. All in all it was really cool to be a part of their tradition. The pictures are pretty graphic so if you dont wanna see them, skip those ones!
I had such a great time and I learned a lot about the culture of Spain. Cannot wait to see more of spain and europe!
We left right after our classes on Friday for our 3 hour bus ride. We got into Sevilla around 7 pm, and checked into our hostel. Walking through Sevilla was so beautiful. This was my first time staying in a hostel and was a little nervous. Our room had 8 beds in it with only 4 being my friends! It was pretty small and crammed, but i guess you get what you pay for. After getting settled we went out for dinner. Then we got lost. The streets in Sevilla are horrible and change names every 3 blocks. When we finally found our way we went to a cheap bar for drinks. After this we decided to go back because my one friend Nicki made us a jam packed itinerary and we wanted to be ready to see all of Sevilla!
Our first stop was the Bull Fighting Museum. We bought tickets for a show and we wanted to be knowledgeable on what was actually going on, so we went to the museum for information. It was really cool beacause we got to see the stadium and take pictures really close up when no one was there, and it was nice since our seats for the actual fight were on the top section. The museum was really neat. We especially liked it beacuse the tour guide did the tour all in spanish. She told us about all the stages of the bullfights, we got to see the clothing that they wear, see paintings and sculptures, and see where the horses stay before they are needed in the fight. I took tons of pictures because I thought it would be somehting cool that I can use in my classroom when i teach!
After this we went to the Flamenco Museum. It was very artsy and more hands on than he other one. In each room they had screens of flamenco dancing. We were all in awe just by the video, and it got us so excited for the show. This museum had paintings and actual shoes and clothing that is worn for flamenco dancing.
Our next stop was the Cathedral. It was absolutley amazing. It is the 3rd largest church in the world, and Christopher Columbus is buried there! I had no idea. Im honestly learning so many new things everyday=) I took tons of pictures, but they do not do it justice.
After the cathedral, we went to our hostal and got ready for the Flamenco show!! We went to a smaller show that held about 90 people. I enjoyed it so much more because it was a lot more personal, and we were super close to the stage! A guitar player and a singer to started the show. They were both so different and cool. After that the girl came out. She was INCREDIBLE. She was so intense and passionate about the dance it was amazing. I wish I could have taped it. The man went after her and he was just as great. I never wanted it to end! I really never expected to enjoy it that much.
Next we got tapas and wine! We then went on the bar crawl with our hostel. The bars were really cool. They were all outdoor and had weird decorations. It was fun to be outside and not crammed and hot inside of a bar. It was fun, but we are pretty sure that we went ended up at a gay club...
The next morning we went on a walking tour of Sevilla. The tour guide (who was also the owner of our hostel) explained to us not only all the buildings, but behind the scenes stories that we would never have been able to know. We saw different"neighborhoods", as well as the university of sevilla, and La plaza de espana. This plaza had a scene from star wars taped there! It is also in the shape of "open arms" that face the plaza americana. This is supposed to symbolize that spain will always have open arms to america, and that they are sorry for their past with christopher columbus.
We then got lunch,where I had really good salmon, and went on a tour of Alcazar. This is the governors palace in Spain. It was really beautiful, but sadly from walking around all day,while carrying our backpacks, we were so tired that we didnt really enjoy it as much as we could have.
Finally, it was time for the bull fight in La Plaza de Toros. We were all very excited, but we didnt know what we were in for. After going to the museum, we were aware that there were 6 bulls that were killed in each fight, but when the first one came out we were all REALLY sad. After the 3rd bull we were used to it, but it was hard to watch at times. I am glad that I got to experience it and take pictures for my classroom tho. Our tour guide said that it was really good that we went to one. She said now because of animal rights and everything that this tradtion could be completely stopped within the next couple of years. All in all it was really cool to be a part of their tradition. The pictures are pretty graphic so if you dont wanna see them, skip those ones!
I had such a great time and I learned a lot about the culture of Spain. Cannot wait to see more of spain and europe!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
esceula y mas
Hola! By now I have been in my intensive language course for about a week and I am loving it! I feel like I am learning a lot already. The professors are SO great and some of the students in my class that I have met are really cool. So far we have been reviewing and brushing up on our grammar. Today was fun because we discussed our opinions and views on certain topics. The teachers are very patient and help us out a lot when speaking. I am really going to miss having only two classes a day after this month is over!!
Rachel and I are now in a different building so it takes us about 20-25 minutes to walk to class. It's an easy walk but it can sometimes be hard to get there in a hurry due to all the Spaniards that walk SOO slow! It's weird. One of our teachers said that he can always tell who is from the United States by how quickly they are walking. I really do love their way of life. The Spaniards are all so at ease, and dont worry about anything. Our favorite saying now that everyone in Granada uses is "no pasa nada!" which basically means "dont worry about it, its fine, its nothing" We constantly here it from our teachers and senoras. Its so great to see that they dont think anything is a big deal. Another big reason i love their way of life is SIESTA!!! My favorite word ever. In Spain they eat a larger lunch than dinner (although in our house it seems our dinners are just as big), and when they do the entire city shuts down from 2-6pm. It is really cool, but also kind of annoying at the same time. If you want to go anywhere or need to pick something up, especially at school, you cant. And if they dont feel like opening after siesta, they just dont! We eat lunch in our house at about 2 30 and then sleep every day until 6. It is absolutley wonderful.
Last night we ate dinner over in our "abuelas" house across the hall. She is our senoras mother, and the woman who cooks for us. She is really nice, and funny! She actually told us a dirty joke last night! We were all very caught off guard, but it was great. Its cool when I see how relaxed and open my host family is.
After dinner we went out for a little bit for my friend Heather's birthday. Heather introduced us to her other roomated, Kristine, who is from Germany. She spoke perfect english. It was very interesting to talk to her. She knew so much information about American politics, television, movies, music; everything. After talking a while I asked her what Germans thought of Americans. She said "most Germans think americans are stupid." She went on to tell me that someone from the US once asked her if in Germany they had electricity. I laughed, but it really is pathetic. Its sad that I keep on getting reminded through studying here on how ignorant Americans are to the rest of the world.
ANYWAYS...Im REALLY looking forward to my trip to Seville this weekend with my friends! Were going to be touring the city and seeing a flamenco show so im very excited!
ok, im gunna go siesta now and then finish up my homework so that i can go to Granada Diez tonight!! ill put up pictures soon=)
Rachel and I are now in a different building so it takes us about 20-25 minutes to walk to class. It's an easy walk but it can sometimes be hard to get there in a hurry due to all the Spaniards that walk SOO slow! It's weird. One of our teachers said that he can always tell who is from the United States by how quickly they are walking. I really do love their way of life. The Spaniards are all so at ease, and dont worry about anything. Our favorite saying now that everyone in Granada uses is "no pasa nada!" which basically means "dont worry about it, its fine, its nothing" We constantly here it from our teachers and senoras. Its so great to see that they dont think anything is a big deal. Another big reason i love their way of life is SIESTA!!! My favorite word ever. In Spain they eat a larger lunch than dinner (although in our house it seems our dinners are just as big), and when they do the entire city shuts down from 2-6pm. It is really cool, but also kind of annoying at the same time. If you want to go anywhere or need to pick something up, especially at school, you cant. And if they dont feel like opening after siesta, they just dont! We eat lunch in our house at about 2 30 and then sleep every day until 6. It is absolutley wonderful.
Last night we ate dinner over in our "abuelas" house across the hall. She is our senoras mother, and the woman who cooks for us. She is really nice, and funny! She actually told us a dirty joke last night! We were all very caught off guard, but it was great. Its cool when I see how relaxed and open my host family is.
After dinner we went out for a little bit for my friend Heather's birthday. Heather introduced us to her other roomated, Kristine, who is from Germany. She spoke perfect english. It was very interesting to talk to her. She knew so much information about American politics, television, movies, music; everything. After talking a while I asked her what Germans thought of Americans. She said "most Germans think americans are stupid." She went on to tell me that someone from the US once asked her if in Germany they had electricity. I laughed, but it really is pathetic. Its sad that I keep on getting reminded through studying here on how ignorant Americans are to the rest of the world.
ANYWAYS...Im REALLY looking forward to my trip to Seville this weekend with my friends! Were going to be touring the city and seeing a flamenco show so im very excited!
ok, im gunna go siesta now and then finish up my homework so that i can go to Granada Diez tonight!! ill put up pictures soon=)
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Starting School
I cant believe I have only been here for a little over a week! I feel very comfortable and settled already. Its been a very exciting first week (basically a vacation!), but now its time for school to actually start. Thursday was my first day of class. For the entire first month I am here, I am in a Language Intensive course. It is one class every day for 4 hours a day. The time goes by pretty quickly because we have a little break in between (not to mention some of the teachers give other cigarette and coffee breaks!) I am very excited to start this course because I can actually apply it to my real life. Right now I can understand almost everything that my host family says, but I still need to break my nerves when it comes to speaking! Charo (my senora) seems to think that I speak well already, but I know that I still have A LOT to learn.
Rachel and I and a bunch of the other girls just planned a trip to Seville! We are going next friday till Sunday. Seville is a city about 3 hours from Granada, and is supposed to be gorgeous. We are very excited to start traveling=)
I cannot believe my parents come in less than a month! Im excited to see them, show them around Granada, and introduce them to my host family!! Im very lucky that my parents are able to come and I cant wait to spend a week with them in Espana=)
Rachel and I and a bunch of the other girls just planned a trip to Seville! We are going next friday till Sunday. Seville is a city about 3 hours from Granada, and is supposed to be gorgeous. We are very excited to start traveling=)
I cannot believe my parents come in less than a month! Im excited to see them, show them around Granada, and introduce them to my host family!! Im very lucky that my parents are able to come and I cant wait to spend a week with them in Espana=)
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
IN GRANDA!!
Being in Madrid was awesome. Our final days there were spent touring the city and experiencing the night life. One of my favorite things that we did in Madrid was tour Palacio Real. This is the Palace in Madrid that all the Kings of Spain lived in. It was absolutley GORGEOUS. I got a few pictures that I wasnt supposed to take, so look at them! I had such an amazing time with all the girls from my group there. We all get along so well and have so much fun together!
After Madrid, we took a bus to Granada, and were then sent to our host families. Rachel and I have been SO lucky to get the senora that we did. Her real name is Rosario, but she says that she doesnt like that name, so that we should call her "Charo". She is super nice and actually pretty young from what we were expecting. When we first arrived there were 2 students living here: one from New Mexico, and one from China. It was really nice beacuse they explained to us how things work around the house, and what to expect. Where we live is called "La Plaza de la Trinidad". It is where all the main shopping is, and many cute restaurants for tapas! We have a pretty fountain right in front of our house, and live literally a 10 minute walk from school. Some of the other students from my group walk 30-45 minutes! We have a ncie room with our our bathroom in it, and our own balcony!! Most of the other students said that they do not have their own bathroom so we are very lucky. We also WI-FI in our house! A bunch of the other students have no internet access, so its really nice for us to be able to skype our families, and keep in touch for emergencies, and also to blog=) Charo's mother lives across the hall from us, and she is the one that actually cooks for us, so its nice beacuse if we dont like the food, or dont want to eat too much, Charo doesnt mind! Also, her sister lives in the building next door with her 3 nieces and nephews. They are sooo cute. Curro, Marga and Jose, and they are THE cutest kids. Its fun to have them around the house to play with.
It has been really cool practicing my spanish here. Charo does not speak a WORD of engligh, so its going to be very good for Rachel and I. Our host mom is very laid back and good to us. Rachel told her yesterday that I am Italian, so for dinner she had her mom make pasta! Then after dinner she took us and her nephew out for ice cream at an italian gelato place. She is soo cute.
I have already done a bunch of shopping here (no regalos! lo siento). In the store in Spain they only have 3 sales a year called "Rebajas". They last for about a months time, and the final day of the 2nd Rebajas was yesterday so you know I couldnt pass that up! I got some really cute stuff. I took some pictures and will post them up.
Today I took my placemt exam. We had an oral, multiple choice grammar, and a written exam. It wasnt bad, but we will see tomorrow!
Granada is soo beautiful. Everytime I walk outside and see the sierra nevadas in the background im taken back. i LOVE it here!
ok im done. sorry that I wrote a novel!! miss you all=))
After Madrid, we took a bus to Granada, and were then sent to our host families. Rachel and I have been SO lucky to get the senora that we did. Her real name is Rosario, but she says that she doesnt like that name, so that we should call her "Charo". She is super nice and actually pretty young from what we were expecting. When we first arrived there were 2 students living here: one from New Mexico, and one from China. It was really nice beacuse they explained to us how things work around the house, and what to expect. Where we live is called "La Plaza de la Trinidad". It is where all the main shopping is, and many cute restaurants for tapas! We have a pretty fountain right in front of our house, and live literally a 10 minute walk from school. Some of the other students from my group walk 30-45 minutes! We have a ncie room with our our bathroom in it, and our own balcony!! Most of the other students said that they do not have their own bathroom so we are very lucky. We also WI-FI in our house! A bunch of the other students have no internet access, so its really nice for us to be able to skype our families, and keep in touch for emergencies, and also to blog=) Charo's mother lives across the hall from us, and she is the one that actually cooks for us, so its nice beacuse if we dont like the food, or dont want to eat too much, Charo doesnt mind! Also, her sister lives in the building next door with her 3 nieces and nephews. They are sooo cute. Curro, Marga and Jose, and they are THE cutest kids. Its fun to have them around the house to play with.
It has been really cool practicing my spanish here. Charo does not speak a WORD of engligh, so its going to be very good for Rachel and I. Our host mom is very laid back and good to us. Rachel told her yesterday that I am Italian, so for dinner she had her mom make pasta! Then after dinner she took us and her nephew out for ice cream at an italian gelato place. She is soo cute.
I have already done a bunch of shopping here (no regalos! lo siento). In the store in Spain they only have 3 sales a year called "Rebajas". They last for about a months time, and the final day of the 2nd Rebajas was yesterday so you know I couldnt pass that up! I got some really cute stuff. I took some pictures and will post them up.
Today I took my placemt exam. We had an oral, multiple choice grammar, and a written exam. It wasnt bad, but we will see tomorrow!
Granada is soo beautiful. Everytime I walk outside and see the sierra nevadas in the background im taken back. i LOVE it here!
ok im done. sorry that I wrote a novel!! miss you all=))
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