A Taste of Fall

Well, if you can believe it, it has been another week!  I just cannot get over how fast time flies...especially when you are in España. The temperatures are starting to cool down which is a bit of a relief. Fall is definitely in the air in the mornings and at night. During the afternoon it is still pretty hot but much more bearable than when I first arrived. This makes it much more convenient for running as well! Training for track has been interesting here, to say the least. It is going well, but I am definitely missing not having a buddy or my team to do workouts with! I didn't think it was going to be this hard to train by myself. With that being said though, I did find a running buddy this past week! He goes to my school and is from Puerto Rico. From what I can understand he is also on a track team back in Puerto Rico. I say, "from what I can understand" because he speaks VERY LITTLE English, and I, obviously, don't know that much Spanish so it is very difficult to communicate with him and him to communicate with me. We make it work though! Last night we went running through the mountains of Toledo, and I wish I would have had my camera because the views were gorgeous!! I plan on running up there again so I will have to remember my camera next time. I was supposed to go running tonight with my new running buddy (Fernando), but apparently the communication barrier is already taking a toll on us. I was under the impression that we were running at 8, and he thought we running at 6:30. Needless to say at 8 when I went to go meet him at my school I see him tired and sweaty. He went without me :( I think he is going to come with me later in the week to the track to do a workout with me too because he is dying to know where the track is! Running on the track here is a relief from all the hills. It is unbelievable in Toledo! Everything is a hill, always up and never down. At least I'll have good calf muscles come December :)


As I said in my previous post, my host Mom is awesome! Some days we don't eat lunch together just because our schedules conflict and on those days I eat at my school with my friends. However, some days we do eat lunch together and every night (at 9 or 10, mind you) we eat dinner together. It is always a nice time for us to reflect on our days. I love hearing about her day at work. And I, of course, enjoy telling her about everything I learned in my classes that day! Anyway, the other night at dinner we were eating these cups of cold cheese. Sounds disgusting, but they are so delicious. If I had to compare it to something back at home I would say that it is the most similar to cream cheese. She said you can eat the cold cheese with nuts on the top or with jam. (I love their jam here!) She then goes on to teach me different sayings that they have here. She said that if you eat the cheese with a nut it is like you are getting kissed. She also taught me the, "April showers bring May flowers" refrain, and I told her that that was also a popular saying in the states!!  


My host Mom also helps me with homework! I love how willing and interested she is in my life and my studies here. One day last week I was looking up a bunch of different words in the dictionary for my conversation class and she comes over to the table from the couch and tells me to put down the dictionary and that she would explain every word to me. It was really helpful as she explained each word (in Spanish, of course!) or acted it out if I was still confused (which happened quite often, oops!) I think I learned the words better by her doing that because I was engaged the whole time rather than looking them up in the dictionary which would have taken me double the time too. She was also very wiling to help me with my reading for my art class. The reading for that class can get a bit ridiculous with very big words and phrases I don't understand. My Mom and I read it together and she summarized each paragraph or put it into simpler terms for me. She was so interested in the subject and with helping me out. She then proceeded to tell me about a building that is right by house that portrays arte mudejar (the art that we were learning about last week in class!) It is so interesting to learn about this stuff and then find buildings in the city that exemplify exactly what you are learning! My Mom is also planning on introducing me to some of her marathon-running friends on Thursday. I guess they go on a longer run every Thursday as a group and said that I am more than welcome to join them if I would like! I am super excited...I just hope I am able to keep up with them!


Last week at school we had a fiesta de bienvenidos (welcome party). No, they are not still welcoming us 3 weeks after our arrival haha... there are 12 new students who arrived from the University of Chicago. They are taking different classes than the rest of us because clearly it would be pretty difficult to jump into classes 3 weeks after they've started, but it will be great to have new people around! They will still go on the excursions with us and do all the other extra-curricular activities with us. I felt kind of bad because the fiesta was on a Thursday night and with us not having classes on Fridays a lot of people had already left on their trips for the weekend. But, it was still a good time and, of course, good food, as always!! After the dinner a bunch of us went to El Ultimo which is a bar just down the steps from my school. That was my first time there but a bunch of people had been their numerous times and knew the ropes. We got drinks and tapas (like appetizers). At many restaurants here if you order drinks then you get tapas for free!! The only thing is that you can't choose what tapas you want, but that's what makes it fun! I tried Mahou con limón and it was so good! Didn't taste like beer at all. We actually saw one of the guys that works in administration at my school there, Jose Luiz!


One thing that I really miss here is juice! My host Mom never buys it and it really isn't too prevalent even in the markets here. Your 3 main options are water, Fanta or Coca-Cola. However, I did find juice that I really like at the Chinese store here! And it is super cheap...even better! I just want my Mio ;)


Last week Friday before my host Mom headed out of town for the weekend (I stayed here) we went and had lunch with some of her friends. They were all very nice, but one was very much into politics. All he did was talk the entire hour and a half about politics. He would barely even let anyone else talk!! He was drilling me about politics in the U.S. and my host Mom kept yelling at him for it! The one friend that I liked the most was, Angel, and he is actually going to China for a vacation this week haha! How crazy does that sound? It is just like packing the car and going Up North at home...kind of! Angel was very easy to understand for me and was very interested in Wisconsin. It is funny because whenever I tell people where I am from they always immediately reply with, "Lake Michigan." Everyone knows Lake Michigan here! After eating lunch at the restaurant I was absolutely stuffed! I ate soup that had shellfish in it (surprisingly tasty!) and then meatballs and potatoes for my main dish. Also, I almost made a fool of myself in front of my host Mom and her friends. The waiter asked me what I wanted to drink and I told him water. So, he brings me out a big bottle of water. I was so thirsty (as always here because it is so hot) and wanted to take a drink so bad but no one else was drinking anything yet so I just waited. Well, luckily I did because turns out that bottle of water was for everyone to pour into their individual glasses! That would not have been good if I would've taken a big gulp!! How embarrassing that would have been! I think this was the first meal that I have eaten here that I haven't had bread. Spaniards love their bread! We eat it with every meal and sometimes my host Mom even eats it for a snack. When my Mom forgets to buy bread (because they buy it everyday or every other day...not like at home when we stock up for the whole week) she freaks out and says, "where is my head today?" I just kind of shake it off, but to them bread is like water. If you are going to eat a meal, it is a necessity to have bread! And I definitely don't mind that philosophy because I LOVE BREAD! My host Mom pokes fun at me because she always asks me if I like the food she makes and I always reply with, "I like everything!!" If only she knew the real me, I guess. Oh and she bought white chocolate just for me because she knows I prefer that over milk chocolate! Perfect snack to cure the sweet tooth!


Friday night my friends (Elizabeth, Laura, and Alyssa) and I went to the mall in Poligono, a suburb of Toledo. They all live in Poligono so I had to take the bus by myself from Cosco (where I live) to the mall. I was a little nervous for this because I've never gone to the mall before and was a little unsure of where to get off. And Poligono is very spread out making it difficult to just walk to your destination or to the next bus stop. I had a super nice bus driver who helped me out and understood my broken Spanish when asking him questions. The mall is very nice here with a gorgeous patio and gorgeous views! I bought a shirt for only 8 euro. I need to add to my wardrobe here because I am already getting bored of the clothes that I brought. I seriously don't understand what I filled 2 suitcases with because it sure wasn't clothes!! I need more shoes here too! I am very jealous because Spanish women definitely know what's up when it comes to their shoes. They always look so cute with their outfits! I envy them all. I plan on going to a cheap shoe store sometime this week near my house to buy some new shoes!


This past weekend I just stayed in Toledo (as I mentioned earlier). It was a nice and relaxing weekend because the other 2 weekends I have been here I traveled so it was a nice break from all the stress of traveling (yes, traveling is a bit stressful!) Elizabeth and I did a lot of adventuring and found new places we've never seen before. I also showed her around the neighborhood that I live in and around some of the parks and trails near my house. It is interesting because some things that she was pointing out (and my friend Laura, too, when I showed her around my neighborhood last week) I have neglected to see in the 3 weeks I have been here. I walk by them everyday, multiple times a day, and have failed to see all the beauty around me!!


On my way go to meet Elizabeth on Saturday I actually ran into 2 British women who were lost and attempted to try to seek help by speaking to me in Spanish! haha I fit in here until I try to speak Spanish. With my darker skin and dark hair many people have told me that I look Spanish and many people ask me if one of my parents is Mexican or Latin American. Anyway, I reassured them that I speak English and they were so happy to hear that! They asked me where a well known monument was, and it was so awesome to know exactly where it was! It is kind of ironic because the only reason I knew where it was was because we had just visited the monument for my art class last week. Rather than telling them where it was and having them probably get lost I decided to take a detour on my walk and just show them myself. They were then asking me about how to get back to the train station, and I was so proud of myself that I could even help with that! And even tell them which bus stations to go to and what buses to take!! They were very appreciative of my help and thanked me many times! This made me feel less like a tourist which is a good feeling!!


My internship at the hospital for paraplegics is going really well. I met one new patient this week so now I am up to 3 patients in total and will continue to add one each week. I was a little apprehensive about doing this (especially with my reputation in hospitals) but here it is different, and I really enjoy what I am doing! It is such a rewarding experience! Some of the patients don't have any family in the Toledo area so I am like family to them. Talking to them for just a half hour can change their outlook for the day and that is an awesome thing to be a part of :) And I even got on the correct bus this week and made it on time! No need for a taxi!!


Tonight my host Mom and I watched fútbol together...Real Madrid won! It is sooo intense watching games here! It is kind of like at home when a big game is on because even the news was cut short tonight because they had to get back to the game! Fútbol takes precedence over just about everything here!!


Okay, I think that is all for now. I MISS EVERYONE! Hope all is well back in the states. Eat apple crisp and carve a pumpkin for me :)  


¡Hasta luego!

My first two weeks in the most amazing country!

Finally, all of your wishes are granted!  I am FINALLY taking the time to write a blog about my experiences in Toledo, Spain.  What a crazy two weeks it has been, and they are going by so quickly..I just cannot even fathom it!

Although I got lost one of the first nights I was here and had to frantically call my host Mom, I am slowly learning my way around Toledo.  It is so confusing here!  I found a track too which will be very helpful for training all semester long.  I plan to do my long runs on a trail that runs along the river and has breathtaking views!  Poor me, right?!

Despite wanting a host Dad and a host brother along with a host Mom, I just have a host Mom, Isabel, and am perfectly okay with it.  I really like her...she is so much fun!  She dumbs things down a lot for me and explains things that I don't understand which is very nice.  I think she now recognizes my glazed over face when I don't understand something.  Pretty sure I look like a dog when I don't understand because I cock my head and, of course, look very confused.  Most of the time now I don't even have to say, "what?" or "please repeat!"

My first weekend here I went with my host Mom to Cuenca, Spain which is the city that she is from.  It was a lot of fun, and I was able to get to know my Mom better.  I met her brother and her two sisters and her niece and nephew.  All of them were incredibly nice and spoke slowly so I could understand them better!  We went to the beach and also went to a fiesta in a nearby city.  The nightlife of Spaniards is crazy...the fiesta did not start until 1am!!  Usually Spaniards will then stay out until around 5 or 6 in the morning.  It is part of tradition for each city to host a fiesta.  During the fiesta weekend everything shuts down or closes early so everyone that lives in the city can enjoy the weekend's festivities.  My Mom was very surprised to hear that we really don't do anything like that in the states.

This past weekend I went to Madrid.  Included in my program are three excursions, with Madrid being one of them.  With that being said, on Friday (no classes on Fridays here!) everyone from my school (or fundación, like they call it here) went to Madrid for the day.  We went to el Palacio Royal and ate lunch at el Museo de Jamón.  We, then, had the afternoon to sightsee and explore.  Two of my friends and myself decided to spend the entire weekend in Madrid so we were able to see more!  We stayed at a hostal and met some awesome people...one fellow American from Boston who is studying in Sevilla, four Canadians from Winnipeg, one Swedish boy, a French Italian boy, and four Portuguese guys who were ridiculously funny!  On Saturday we did a lot more sightseeing and went to el Parque Retiro and el Museo del Prado.  We spent four hours in the museum and still did not see everything.  It definitely gave me a new found appreciation for art.  On Sunday we saw la Plaza Mayor and then went and had chocolate con churros at a place that Laura's host Mom recommended.  They were delicious :)  Then we went to this huge market...it was almost too big with too many people.  I bought a sundress and a cute scarf that only cost 1 euro!!  After figuring out the metro and buying our bus ticket we made it safely back to Toledo without getting pick-pocketed!  That was one of the goals as pick-pocketing is very abundant in Madrid due to the large amounts of tourists that visit there.

So far my classes are going very well.  I am in a cultural heritage class, a conversation course, an art class, and have an internship.  My conversation course is my favorite thus far!  It is allowing me to break out of my shell and delve into the language.  Also, I really like my professor!  My art class is going to be very interesting too as each week we visit a different monument, building or church in Toledo and then we come back to the classroom and discuss the importance.  Today was my first day at my internship which is at a hospital for paraplegics.  I will be talking with different patients and then taking notes.  Despite not liking hospitals, I did alright there.  Haven't passed out yet anyway!  The two patients I talked with today are awesome, and I already can't wait to talk to them next Monday!  I did have a little issue with taking the bus there this morning though...I ended up taking a taxi because I missed my bus and if I would have waited for the next one I would have been late...which would have been extra bad for day number one!

It is very interesting because, although it gets ridiculously hot around 2 or 3, it is so cold in the mornings.  Today waiting for the bus I wish I would have had pants on and a hat and gloves!  I was freezing.  Also, it doesn't get light out here in the mornings until almost 8am.  I was walking to my bus stop today at 7 in complete darkness.  It is very weird but makes it very convenient for sleeping in!

I hope you all enjoy reading my blog throughout the semester!  This way I can keep in touch with you all easier as the time difference makes things a little difficult.

Love you and miss you all!  Saludos!