Realizations

So right now I'm trying to avoid starting my homework. Analyzing poetry in Spanish is so difficult for me! However, I find myself complaining a lot lately about my homework load and such. Then I realized that I only have five weeks left in Toledo! I should not be spending my time complaining about my homework load, no matter how heavy it may be or however difficult it is to complete my work. Though five weeks seems long-ish, my time in Spain is quickly coming to an end. I've already spent four months here and I've had some amazing adventures and experiences. But how am I going to feel once I go home? Will I be sad? Relieved? Anxious? I know I will be happy to see my friends and family and to be back in the United States, but I'm worried about the reverse culture shock. I truly have changed while being here and I'm afraid that those changes will not translate into English. I guess only time will tell.

Every day seems to go by more quickly than the last. Is it already 4 p.m. on Wednesday? Do I really only have one more class before the weekend? Is it really two weeks until I go to Portugal? And then only a month and one week until I fly home? Time goes by too quickly here. I will miss Spain, I will miss Toledo and I will miss speaking in Spanish most of the day. But the more I think about it the more I'm ready to come home. Five weeks seems like the perfect amount of time to spend in Spain before returning the States.

Before I begin analyzing poetry and purchasing plan tickets to Porto, Portugal, I recommend that everyone read Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday. I don't know how I found time to begin, finish and enjoy a book while being here but it was really good and if I can find the time I'm going to begin his second novel, The Irresistible Inheritance of Wilberforce. I'm off now, don't catch the swine flu, hasta luego!

London/Orgaz Photos

Just two of my new best friends, Diego (left) and Sergio. This was at Bea and Edu's apartment after a wonderful weekend in Orgaz. Mari Carmen just invited me to go back on Saturday with them. I can't wait to see the farm again and hopefully it won't be as windy.

One of many heads and antlers around our house in Toledo and the Orgaz house. I'm not exaggerating when I say there are at least 100 sets of horns between both houses.

Some of the chickens! And the big (scary) turkey.

Sarah and I at Stonehenge. We had a long but fun day visiting Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Oxford. Very windy but worth it!! Especially because there were lots of cute sheep all around the stones.

Sarah and I on the London Eye. You can see some of Big Ben behind us on the left. Very pretty views and clear skies that day!

St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

British Museum in London.

I'm surprised at myself for updating so quickly! Last night I went to a cafe called Ñaca Ñaca with some of my friends. I had Doritos for the first time in four months and they were delicious! After spending over an hour at the cafe I went home to finish some homework, take a shower and eat dinner. This morning I had poetry and after class we went to the mercadillo. I walked around with our professor, Emilia, all morning and helped her pick out some olives and gifts for her friends. It was a good morning! Then after lunch I spent 3.5 hours reading for literature but I am finally done with reading "Esteban Werfell." In a bit I'm going to head back home for dinner, a shower and to read for history. This weekend we're off to Aranjuez (for an excursion I've already been on, oh well) and back to Orgaz on Saturday. I hope the next two days go by quickly because I am tired. Well off to finish some e-mails and then home, hasta luego!

Time Goes By So... Quickly!

It seems like I updated a few days ago, not two weeks ago! Time has gone by so quickly and I hope it slows down just for a bit. London with Sarah was amazing! We were able to see Madam Toussad's Wax Museum, ride the London Eye, visit Stonehenge and Oxford, see a Harry Potter castle in New Castle, go to Scotland for a day and visit numerous museums. The weather was pretty nice with only a bit of rain on the last day (which we spent shopping) and though it was a bit chilly I can't complain! I think with the trip I had with my mom and after Semana Santa in London, I've seen everything there is to see.

After coming home from London I immediately left Toledo and went to my family's farm in a pueblo called Orgaz. They have two other houses in Orgaz and a lot of land. They have goats, sheep, chickens, turkeys, cats and geese. I spent the afternoon on Saturday on the farm with Manolo and Mari Carmen and then Carmen and I went to their other home in Orgaz. While there we watched an old Spanish movie together and I fell asleep because I was pretty exhausted from my London trip. After dinner I went straight to sleep. Sunday morning Carmen and I went to mass at a gorgeous church. The churches here are amazing, so much more elaborate than churches in the U.S. After mass we picked up her mother and went home to work on lunch. I was able to meet their children, Elena and Beatriz, and their husbands and children, Sergio (8 months), Julia (2 years) and Diego (7 months). All were precious! After a long lunch and great conversation I went back to the farm for a bit. I didn't get home until about 8 p.m. that night and then I had to spend some time on homework! But it was a wonderful Holy Week, an interesting Easter and a great weekend.

This past week was the first week in about a month that I've had a strict schedule. It was so nice! Though I have a lot of reading to catch up on for my literature class and learning how to analyze poetry is coming slowly but surely, I'm so thankful to have a stable schedule. Classes are much easier this quarter and I'm participating so much more. I have a new confidence in my Spanish skills and I feel really good about my Spanish abilities. I am also so happy that I decided to stay another quarter. For a few days there I was pretty lonely and wanted to go home. But now I've become really good friends with the group and classes are going really well so I have nothing really to complain about! I still love Toledo, if possible.

Right now I just finished up my poetry homework and am off to Zocodover for coffee and to hang out. Tonight I have a lot of reading from my literature book, "Obabakoak," and a new episode of The Office to watch. It's really nice not having the Internet at my home because I get a lot more work done. Though I miss being able to chat anytime online, it's for the best that I don't have that distraction. Well I'm off to Zoco now! I have photos of my London trip and my Orgaz excursion on Facebook but I'll make a new post later with some pictures. It's raining now and I'm wearing sandals. Oh well! Hasta luego!

Changes

So the new group is here and I'm in love! Everyone is really nice and always wanting to speak in Spanish so I feel really comfortable with them. So far my teachers have singled me out but that was to be expected. Arancha, my culture professor, seems really proud of me and my Spanish skills now. She remembered in the very beginning that I rarely talked and was pretty shy in class but now I'm talkative and participate a lot more! This quarter I plan on being more serious in my studies and try to participate everyday. I want to go the extra mile to learn and improve my grades from last quarter.

My new family is also amazing. Mari Carmen and Manolo are the sweetest people ever. I call Manolo my "bajito" because he is so short! We joke about it all the time. He works on his farm everyday and brings home fresh fruits and vegetables. They make their own sausages and seasonings so naturally everything is delicious! So far I've had amazing soups and chicken and desserts. Three French girls and two Italian girls are staying with them right now so our table gets pretty crowded at meal times but I love the company. Tomás, the cat, is so sweet and is my new little "brother" as Manolo likes to call him. Every single wall in the house is covered with antlers and deer heads, haha. Though it was a bit freaky at first I'm very comforable now and the stuffed birds don't bother me either. My room is nice and big, no Internet, but I have lots of space. My previous family was perfect but if possible this family is even better.

Tomorrow morning I'm off to London to meet Sarah for her Spring Break and my break for Holy Week. We'll be visiting New Castle and Scotland as well so I'm pretty excited! Right now I'm in the cafe at school but I'm going to leave soon to eat paella with the Italians. I love paella! More updates after my week in London, hasta luego!!

I'm on Spring Break!

So yes, it has been about two weeks since I've last updated my blog but right now I'm on Spring Break... well, one of two that is. This is going to be a quick update, and I promise to write an extended entry later, because my mom and I are just booking train tickets to Madrid then we're off to walk around Barcelona.

Since my last update I have taken my final exams, moved out of my Spanish house and met my mother in Madrid for our European tour! We started off in Madrid (just a day spent walking around and in the Prado art museum) and then flew to Paris on Monday. We spent a few days in Paris, taking a bike tour of Versailles and visiting the major sites. Quick note - Mom wants me to say "tell everyone we saw Jim Morrison's grave!" Hey, we saw Jim Morrison's grave.

Thursday we took the high speed train to London. Though Paris was awesome I think London is one of my new favorite places. It was crowded but I loved being surrounded by English (first time in three months). We did some of the touritsy things but my sister Sarah and I will be returning in April for my second Spring Break. Hopefully we'll take a trip to Newcastle and maybe Ireland and Scotland, but I plan to see more of London in April.

This morning we woke up bright and early and were bombarded at a zoo that was the Gatwick Airport. Then of course our flight was delayed (bomb threat) so we sat on the runway for about an hour. But we finally arrived back in Spain (seeing signs in Spanish was oddly comforting) and now we're in the hotel in Barcelona about to step out for dinner and walking around. Tomorrow afternoon at 5 p.m. Mom and I are taking another high speed train back to Madrid! I can't wait to show my mom Toledo, hopefully she loves it as much as I do.

So far we have had perfect weather and I hope I didn't just jynx us now. It has been sunny and maybe a bit chilly in Paris and London, but sunny and brisk the entire week! Right now it's only 13 degrees and the sun is going down but we're hungry and I hope Mom will like paella!! Off we go so until next time (with a more in-depth look on our European tour, I promise), hasta luego!!!

Rome

I was lucky enough to be able to spend this past weekend in Rome! Even though I have final exams this week (already two down with one to go) and did not have a lot of time to study for my grammar exam on Sunday, I had to take the opportunity to travel to Italy.

Our flight left at 7:10 a.m. on Friday so instead of spending money on a hostel in Madrid, Shannon and I decided to spend the night in the airport. Though Thursday night we almost took the train instead of the metro and we had a terrible night’s sleep in the airport, by 7:30 a.m. we were on our way to Rome!

After checking into our hostel at 11 a.m., we ate sandwiches at the train station and had our first batch of gelato. I hate chocolate chip and Shannon had walnut, both were so delicious! We bought a 48-hour tour bus ticket (only 22 euro) and went on our first excursion around 12:30 p.m. We saw everything! Including Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Coliseum and St, Peter’s. While at Trevi Fountain, Shannon and I indulged on our second round of gelato, this time I ate mint chocolate. It was so good!


After our last stop at the Coliseum on Friday we headed back to our hostel. We had a free pasta dinner at 7 p.m. (not too bad), talked with our Argentinean and Brazilian roommates and went to bed around 9 p.m. I was exhausted from lack of sleep and traveling around Rome all day. These two Greek girls tried to take our beds but they hadn’t extended their reservation, so I had a bit of panic for a few minutes but all was resolved and I had a great nights sleep.

Saturday morning Shannon and I had breakfast at the hostel and then hopped back on our tour bus at 9 a.m. We headed straight for the Vatican and bought our tickets and tour. We spent almost five hours in the Vatican’s museums, the Sistine Chapel, the tomb of the Popes and St. Peter’s! My favorite part of the day was visiting St. Peter’s. It is huge! The picture doesn’t give its size or beauty justice, but it’s just an amazing place to visit.


After leaving the Vatican, Shannon and I got pizza for lunch! And when I say pizza I mean we both ate an entire pizza. Each. Yes, it sounds gross but it was really thin and delicious and our cereal from the morning didn’t leave us fully satisfied. After enjoying our (entire) pizza, we grabbed the next tour bus to go to the Coliseum. Well the bus driver took a really long way and we got there at 4:15 p.m. but entrance had closed at 4 p.m.! We were pretty mad that we missed the Coliseum by 15 minutes but we walked around again, saw some ruins and then walked to the Pantheon. Of course it was time for our third round of gelato! This time I ate strawberry and chocolate.


We went shopping for a bit at the tourist shops and made our way back to our hostel. We ate dinner at a cute restaurant near the Coliseum and our hostel (I had cheese ravioli, yum!) and got more gelato after dinner. This time I opted for a “healthier” substitute and ate kiwi and lemon. Shannon had this strawberry yogurt flavor that was delicious so I have decided that the first chance I get to eat gelato again I will get that flavor.

Sunday morning we woke up bright and early (around 6 a.m.) and left Rome at 10 a.m. to head back to Madrid. We made it home to Toledo around 3 p.m. and after talking with my parents on the phone I headed to school to “study.” Yesterday was our grammar final and I think I did reasonably well. I should be getting an ‘A’ unless I royally bombed the final (which I know I did not). This morning was our literature final. It was only four essay questions and I think our professor should be grading them fairly easily. I’m not sure what I’ll be getting in this class. I turned in all assignments and participated as much as I could, but it’s hard when he only calls on three people. This afternoon I’ll be heading back to the school to study for my last exam, my history and culture final. This is the exam I’m most worried about and since I did not do so well on our practice final I know I will have a lot to go over. Though exams have me stressed out I’m getting more and more excited for my mom to come for Spring Break. In one week we’ll be in Paris! I should be getting my things together now so until next time, hasta luego!!

Segovia

This past week was quite a busy one! I sat around and did homework on Sunday so it all started with Monday afternoon. I met up with two of my intercambio partners, Ángel and Mar, at a bar near my house. Halle, Brian and I spent about two hours eating tapas and speaking in Spanish and English with Ángel (with his adorable son, Iván) and Mar. It really helps my Spanish. We’re even meeting up this afternoon to play games and cards.

Tuesday my friend Kristin came to visit me in Toledo! She’s currently studying in Luxembourg but had a mini-Spring Break this week and was traveling around Spain. I am so happy she made time to come see me! We did some touristy things around Toledo including the “Zocotren.” It’s a small train that leaves from the main plaza inside the Casco and drives outside of Toledo and gives you some amazing views. It is only about 45 minutes long but it offers some brief history on Toledo and I took a lot of photos. Kristin had to leave Wednesday afternoon but we had a lot of fun together! And I hope I impressed her with my Spanish skills.

Wednesday morning during history we went to the Santa Cruz museum. We saw some paintings, ancient chemistry materials and antique clothes. It was pretty interesting but our tour guide was definitely a vampire. Wednesday afternoon we had another ruta of Toledo. We went to a museum with some statues and then to a Jewish museum. Toledo is known for a period of time in history of peace among the Jews, Christians and Muslims. Toledo’s art is heavily influenced on a mixture of these three religions. Over the past eight weeks we have been visiting museums and sites of these religions.

Friday morning our group left Toledo at 8:30 a.m. to drive to Segovia! We arrived around 11 a.m. and walked to the aqueduct. I can’t even explain how incredible it was so here is a photo:


After our guide, David, gave us a brief history lesson of the aqueducts, we headed to the Alcazar. According to our tourist guide (because it can explain Alcazar better than I can) during the Middle Ages the Alcazar was one of the favorite residences of the Castile Monarchs. Once the court moved to Madrid the Alcazar became a state prison for over two centuries. In 1762, king Carlos III founded the Royal Artillery School in the Alcazar (until 1862). The Alcazar now holds the General Military Archives and is a frequently visited site of tourists.

So needless to say there was a lot to see at the Alcazar! The tour was about an hour long and we saw the various rooms of the palace, the museum of military and we even got to climb a tower to the top of the palace for some amazing views.


We headed over to lunch after our Alcazar tour. I had pasta and then fried chicken and French fries. Very Spanish, I know. We had an hour of free time so most of us got a café con leche and played “mafia.” It’s a card game that we used with coins, but it kept us occupied. We took a tour of the Cathedral of Segovia (which looked exactly like the Cathedral in Toledo), had another hour of so of free time and then headed back to Toledo around 5:30 p.m. I was pretty exhausted so after dinner with Liz I came home, watched the end of National Treasure 2 and went to bed.

Yesterday I spent my morning packing up things I want my mom to take home, making a list of things I want my mom to bring me, writing e-mails, writing in my journal and cleaning my room. I met up with Liz for lunch and then with Halle and Brian for intercambio and games. The four of us went to Ángel’s house and spent over four hours with him, his wife Olga and out other partner Mar. We talked for about an hour, ate food and drank wine and played Taboo and Spoons. It was so much fun! We’re meeting up with Ángel and Mar again on Monday.

I have spent most of today relaxing and messing around on the computer, not doing homework, like most Sundays. Only one more week until Shannon and I go to Rome and only two more weeks of class until my mom comes and we go on our European Spring Break! Hasta luego readers, until next time!