Things I am Going to Miss in Spain:
-EVERYONE that I have met here...my host Mom, Isabel, all of her friends that I have met, everyone that worked at the fund, but probably Jose Luis the most!! Yuki, Miguel and all the reception guys! All of my friends that I have met as well from all over the world and sitting in the sala de estar and complaining about our classes in English and Jose Luis (the Spanish police) coming in and yelling at us every time. Also, Doctora Quintas and all my patients (Esperanza, Conchi, Margarita, Mauro, Angel, Ramon, Inma). Each one affected me in a different way, and I loved talking to all of them! I will be thinking about all of them each Monday. :) Also, Nuria and all the kids (Agnes, Agnes' sister--I forget her name!, Sofia, Danny, and Carlota). What a great group of kids! Hopefully we can keep in touch and they can speak fluent English to me in a few years.
-the beautiful scenery...no matter where you went! Also, every day was a new and exciting adventure!!
-the great character and old charm of the city! Even the doors are gorgeous! I am also going to miss the patios/courtyards that are in the center of almost every building here.
-the fresh fruit. I absolutely loved how we would eat fruit after every meal. I am arriving back to the states at a bad time for fresh fruit...
-all of the walking that I did and taking public transportation. Sometimes way more convenient than a car and it is just nice that public transportation is so abundant here and available for everyone to use.
-the laid back lifestyle. Not everyone is running around with their heads cut off hurrying to the next thing on their agenda that day.
-NO CLASS FRIDAYS!! And next semester at SNC I have 4 on Fridays. Uh oh.
-all the traveling I did! I have become good at reading a map..
-the mall, Luz del Tajo. Such a nice mall! I am also going to miss their fashion here A LOT!!
-the food. Although I am making a list of the American foods I am going to scarf down as soon as I arrive in the states. And I am excited for Kraft singles again and deli turkey.
-siestas!! Even though I hardly took advantage of that awesome part of the culture while I was here.
-the library in the Alcazar. I loved studying there...it actually made studying kind of bearable. The views were phenomenal and they had this great room with tons of tables to study and it was always quiet!
-the big blue track and the Park of Tres Culturas. Such an awesome (and flat!) place to run! I will also miss my maintenance friend guy and the people I would see there on a daily basis.
-the cathedral. What an amazing thing to walk by multiple times a day on the way back to my house. Each day I would see something new or look at it through a different perspective. Incredible, just incredible.
-sitting outside at a bar/restaurant under umbrellas and with heat lamps. so cozy!
-tapas and casual drinking. I feel like in the states the mind set is when you go out to drink you either can't drink or you have to get hammered. Here, in Spain, it is very typical to go out with friends and just sit and have a drink or two and eat tapas. A much more different mindset here.
-only being an hour bus ride away from a major city in Spain (Madrid).
-reading "Aqui" each week when my host Mom would bring it home for me. This is the magazine that she writes for!
-the weekly markets with everything you can imagine for sale!
-police directing traffic even when there is hardly any haha!
-la ruta de Don Quijote (the route of Don Quijote). Little did I know but I walked down the same roads Don Quijote did many times a day!! We lived right in the middle (almost) of his route.
-the fact that I have been living in a much "safer" culture for the past three months, with very little violence, etc.
-Spanish dulces (sweets)...they are to die for!!
Things I am NOT Going to Miss:
-the milk. It is much sweeter than ours and doesn't require refrigeration until opening. It is weird.
-Fake chocolate milk. I am sick of the fake stuff, Nesquik and Cola-Coau. This is not the same people!!
-the absence of bagels. No where to be found in Spain. It really is quite a shame!!
-Eating mystery meals quite often. I would ask my Mom what exactly I was eating and she would just reply with "carne" which means meat. But what EXACTLY am I eating...what TYPE of meat? I never knew...
-the cobblestone roads. Why yes they are a great part of history and by the end I did get used to walking on them, but they sure do hurt your shins and tear up the bottoms of your shoes!
-EVERYTHING being a hill. I told my Coach that I am going to be a hill expert when I get back after all the hills (and stairs! they sure do love their stairs too!) I climbed in Europe.
-their eating schedule. Eat a very small breakfast when you wake up, eat a huge lunch at 3 and then eat a small dinner at 9 or 9:30...with no snacking in between. WHAT?! I love my snacks.
-watching TV and not understanding all of it. I can't wait to watch TV in English again.
-trying to figure out the darn bus schedules here. I still don't think I've gotten it right!
-doors that shut really quickly behind you.
-there is only heat in my house for 8 hours a day, from 1pm-9pm. This is kind of dumb, in my opinion, because for a good portion of that 8 hours no one is even in the house. And there was no AC when I first arrived with the 90 degree temps. This one makes me sound like a spoiled brat...
-having to say a little prayer every time I got in the shower that hopefully we would have hot water that day.
-the fact that they don't have grass and when you do finally see some grass it is usually just turf...disappointment.
-not hearing anything about American football!! especially when the Pack attack are doing so great this season.
-the lack of pretzels and real JIF peanut butter
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Make every second count...
Who would have thought I would have fallen so in love with the Spanish culture and the city of Toledo?! I knew I was going to love it, but I didn't realize it was going to be this hard to leave. This past week has been difficult because we all are thinking about going home, trying to do last-minute things here in Toledo as well as study for finals. These three things basically occurred in that order as well...with studying being the last thing on my mind.
This past week Spain had two holidays, one on Tuesday (Constitution Day) and the other on Thursday (the feast of the Immaculate Conception). While everyone else was fiesta-ing it up, us, Americans were stuck studying and taking finals. We all think that if we are living in the Spanish culture, then even we should be able to celebrate their holidays..at least don't make us take final exams!!
On Monday was another day at the hospital all day. It was kind of an "off" day again with a lot of my patients no where to be found. However, I did get to talk to a new patient who is awesome! I was a little nervous at first because before Doctora Quintas introduced me to him she warned me that he cries a lot and is very depressed. The part that makes me nervous is that it is harder than you think to try and help someone in another language...it would be much easier (obviously!!) to understand and talk something through in English. However, this patient was not sad at all and actually enjoyed talking to me too (at least I think and hope...it seemed like it anyway). He is older and a little harder to understand and he warned me that I must speak loudly for him to hear because his "ears aren't too good!" He was coming up with topics to talk about as well which was nice because with a lot of my older patients I have to constantly come up with new things to say.
On Tuesday I just had a review session for a final exam in one of my classes in the morning and had the rest of the day free to study. Yea right! Who studies? Especially when you have a whole day free in Spain and it is 10 days before you head home! I went running with Alison (a girl that goes to Notre Dame and also attends my school)...I showed her the track because we have been meaning to go there/run together all semester and we just found time now. It is so hard with our different schedules and traveling and such. She fell in love with the track and the park, just like I did! There were quite a few people at the track with it being a holiday since no one had to work and were all exercising apparently. Then, Elizabeth and I decided we wanted to go to the Army Museum. We have been meaning to do this since one of the first or second weeks, and I actually tried to go with Laura but we got denied free entry because we don't have a Carnet Joven (we were supposed to get this...it is just like a student discount card...and we all applied but I guess the Spanish government ran out of money so we were not able to get them this semester). However, because Tuesday was a fiesta the Army Museum was free for everyone. Of course I agreed to go with Elizabeth because, like I said earlier, my other option was studying. Yuck!
The museum was very interesting with everything you can imagine in it! We were there until they closed and STILL DID NOT get through everything. It was super cool too because some of the original rock was in the building...I guess I should probably mention that the museum is located in the Alcazar (used to be a castle back in the day). It was also interesting to look at the uniforms and how they have changed and become more complex over the years. I wish I could have taken more photos, but they were prohibited in basically all but one exhibit.
Then, on Wednesday, I went to the track to do my workout and there was not a soul around, just me and my maintenance friend who talked to me again this week and when I was leaving he asked if I was going to be back tomorrow! Of course I am :) The much cooler temps this week have people staying in later I guess because usually on Wednesday mornings when I go it is packed with runners and with kids in gym classes. It was kind of nice to have the whole thing to myself though.
And then I finally decided to start studying! I went to the library (which is also in the Alcazar) and actually was pretty productive. Elizabeth and I had a presentation that night in our Conversation class about Navidad in Spain and she wore a Christmas sweater and my host Mom gave me a "fiesta shirt" because she didn't have anything Navidad for me to wear. It was quite the sweater, let me tell you what. On Wednesday night is when I kind of started freaking out because I realized I knew basically no information for my TWO finals the next day. Don't you just hate that feeling? (Sorry Dad for using the word, "hate.") Luckily, my host Mom gave me well wishes and said good luck before going to bed that night because I definitely needed it.
Turns out I really didn't have anything to worry about, as usual. My exams went fine...at least my Cultural Heritage one did...my Art one I am a little sketch about, but whatever, it is over and I am finally done with that class! My only regret with my classes is that I wish I would have taken a grammar course. It was so hard though because then I would have had 5 classes and an internship, and I also wanted to learn more about the culture and spend time with my host Mom and with taking 5 classes I just would have been working too hard! Although it would have been good practice for next semester; I am going to be in for a rude awakening with 3 Psych classes (one with a lab) and a GS 12 class that hopefully won't be too much busy work.
On Thursday night after taking my two exams I went home and treated myself to some mazapan, a Spanish Christmas candy that is to die for! You are all in luck because my host Mom and I are going shopping this afternoon for some mazapan so I can bring some home and share! I also bought turron and pulvorones yesterday to bring home. I'll be able to share if I don't eat them all within the next few days! ;) They are sooo delicious so it is going to be hard to control myself. I, then, went on an epic run through the streets of Toledo. I went slow because it was just a recovery run, and I just tried to take it all in. I went down one of the main roads and the Christmas lights were on all the trees lining the street. It was absolutely gorgeous! I am going to miss the beautiful scenery, that is for sure!! To top it off I felt good which is always a plus. After that Elizabeth and I went adventuring to look at all the Christmas lights around the city that had just been turned on that Tuesday (their Constitution Day). Although it was very foggy the lights were still very beautiful. All they need is just a light (and I mean LIGHT) dusting of snow to top it all off. They also have put up an ice rink in the Plaza de Ayuntamiento so we watched some people ice skate which was hilarious! I think we are going to try to go sometime next week :) My host Mom says she thinks it costs around 6 euro an hour to do it...a little expensive but who cares!
Yesterday (Friday) Elizabeth and I went to the mall to do some shopping because we are both not ready to say goodbye to that mall yet...WE LOVE IT! We, also, did some shopping for our family and friends at some of the stores in Toledo and the Christmas market in Zocodover. After a long day of walking and shopping we went and saw "El Gato con Botas." Such a cute movie and we understood everything...I understood better than when seeing "Tin Tin." I came home and told my host Mom this and she said it might be because they used more of a Mexican accent than a Spanish one.
Last night at dinner we had steak. Needless to say I was in heaven! And my host Mom gave me a gift...it is a Toledo book with a bunch of pictures in it! She said, along with the photos I have taken, that I can use this book to show my family and friends all around Toledo since none of them were able to make it here. How nice was that? :) It was awesome looking at the book and recognizing the photos in it.
A few additional things:
-It has legit gotten cold here this week. Wearing my winter coat and hat and gloves I am still freezing.
-I have started to pack up some of my things. Sad. I am going to miss so much about Spain and the people that I have met here! It will be weird not seeing the people everyday that you have been seeing for the past 4 months. I am most definitely not ready to say good-bye to my host Mom either...or her cooking!! It is going to be hard to thank her for everything she has done for me these past few months...helped me with homework, cooked all my meals, gave me traveler tips, cleaned the house and my room, did my laundry, introduced me to locals, taught me more about the Spanish culture...just to name a few.
-This week Monday is my last day at the hospital and Tuesday is my last day teaching English. I better prepare myself for all these good-byes.
-This week was the week of tourists in Toledo!! Holy cow! I have never seen so many people with maps and cameras around their necks. With having two fiesta days this week my host Mom told me that a lot of people just take the whole week off and go traveling which brought A LOT of people to Toledo. My host Mom told me a story about how her sister, Pepe, is in Cordoba on vacation and Pepe randomly ran into my host Mom's friend Angel (the same Angel that went to China...he sure is quite the traveler!)
-I was able to sit down and talk with some of my host Mom's friends again this morning and I met a couple new ones, including Bruno who is from France! Him and I talked a lot since we were the only two where Spanish is not our native language and he knew some English! He drank a drink called "optimum bruno" and got a kick out of that. He asked if I wanted to try some but declined because it was a very thick beer. Gross!
-Tonight get ready ladies and gents because IT IS THE GAME WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!! Real Madrid vs. F.C. Barcelona! We just heard on the news that tickets are going for a thousand euros...no big deal. I can't even imagine haha I think Elizabeth and I are going to go watch it in a bar somewhere and I will be sporting my Messi jersey (I still need to go buy that this afternoon!) and my Real Madrid scarf. My host Mom was telling me names of bars that are pro-Real Madrid and pro-Barca so I know what to wear when we walk in one. I don't want to get beat up!
This past week Spain had two holidays, one on Tuesday (Constitution Day) and the other on Thursday (the feast of the Immaculate Conception). While everyone else was fiesta-ing it up, us, Americans were stuck studying and taking finals. We all think that if we are living in the Spanish culture, then even we should be able to celebrate their holidays..at least don't make us take final exams!!
On Monday was another day at the hospital all day. It was kind of an "off" day again with a lot of my patients no where to be found. However, I did get to talk to a new patient who is awesome! I was a little nervous at first because before Doctora Quintas introduced me to him she warned me that he cries a lot and is very depressed. The part that makes me nervous is that it is harder than you think to try and help someone in another language...it would be much easier (obviously!!) to understand and talk something through in English. However, this patient was not sad at all and actually enjoyed talking to me too (at least I think and hope...it seemed like it anyway). He is older and a little harder to understand and he warned me that I must speak loudly for him to hear because his "ears aren't too good!" He was coming up with topics to talk about as well which was nice because with a lot of my older patients I have to constantly come up with new things to say.
On Tuesday I just had a review session for a final exam in one of my classes in the morning and had the rest of the day free to study. Yea right! Who studies? Especially when you have a whole day free in Spain and it is 10 days before you head home! I went running with Alison (a girl that goes to Notre Dame and also attends my school)...I showed her the track because we have been meaning to go there/run together all semester and we just found time now. It is so hard with our different schedules and traveling and such. She fell in love with the track and the park, just like I did! There were quite a few people at the track with it being a holiday since no one had to work and were all exercising apparently. Then, Elizabeth and I decided we wanted to go to the Army Museum. We have been meaning to do this since one of the first or second weeks, and I actually tried to go with Laura but we got denied free entry because we don't have a Carnet Joven (we were supposed to get this...it is just like a student discount card...and we all applied but I guess the Spanish government ran out of money so we were not able to get them this semester). However, because Tuesday was a fiesta the Army Museum was free for everyone. Of course I agreed to go with Elizabeth because, like I said earlier, my other option was studying. Yuck!
The museum was very interesting with everything you can imagine in it! We were there until they closed and STILL DID NOT get through everything. It was super cool too because some of the original rock was in the building...I guess I should probably mention that the museum is located in the Alcazar (used to be a castle back in the day). It was also interesting to look at the uniforms and how they have changed and become more complex over the years. I wish I could have taken more photos, but they were prohibited in basically all but one exhibit.
Then, on Wednesday, I went to the track to do my workout and there was not a soul around, just me and my maintenance friend who talked to me again this week and when I was leaving he asked if I was going to be back tomorrow! Of course I am :) The much cooler temps this week have people staying in later I guess because usually on Wednesday mornings when I go it is packed with runners and with kids in gym classes. It was kind of nice to have the whole thing to myself though.
And then I finally decided to start studying! I went to the library (which is also in the Alcazar) and actually was pretty productive. Elizabeth and I had a presentation that night in our Conversation class about Navidad in Spain and she wore a Christmas sweater and my host Mom gave me a "fiesta shirt" because she didn't have anything Navidad for me to wear. It was quite the sweater, let me tell you what. On Wednesday night is when I kind of started freaking out because I realized I knew basically no information for my TWO finals the next day. Don't you just hate that feeling? (Sorry Dad for using the word, "hate.") Luckily, my host Mom gave me well wishes and said good luck before going to bed that night because I definitely needed it.
Turns out I really didn't have anything to worry about, as usual. My exams went fine...at least my Cultural Heritage one did...my Art one I am a little sketch about, but whatever, it is over and I am finally done with that class! My only regret with my classes is that I wish I would have taken a grammar course. It was so hard though because then I would have had 5 classes and an internship, and I also wanted to learn more about the culture and spend time with my host Mom and with taking 5 classes I just would have been working too hard! Although it would have been good practice for next semester; I am going to be in for a rude awakening with 3 Psych classes (one with a lab) and a GS 12 class that hopefully won't be too much busy work.
On Thursday night after taking my two exams I went home and treated myself to some mazapan, a Spanish Christmas candy that is to die for! You are all in luck because my host Mom and I are going shopping this afternoon for some mazapan so I can bring some home and share! I also bought turron and pulvorones yesterday to bring home. I'll be able to share if I don't eat them all within the next few days! ;) They are sooo delicious so it is going to be hard to control myself. I, then, went on an epic run through the streets of Toledo. I went slow because it was just a recovery run, and I just tried to take it all in. I went down one of the main roads and the Christmas lights were on all the trees lining the street. It was absolutely gorgeous! I am going to miss the beautiful scenery, that is for sure!! To top it off I felt good which is always a plus. After that Elizabeth and I went adventuring to look at all the Christmas lights around the city that had just been turned on that Tuesday (their Constitution Day). Although it was very foggy the lights were still very beautiful. All they need is just a light (and I mean LIGHT) dusting of snow to top it all off. They also have put up an ice rink in the Plaza de Ayuntamiento so we watched some people ice skate which was hilarious! I think we are going to try to go sometime next week :) My host Mom says she thinks it costs around 6 euro an hour to do it...a little expensive but who cares!
Yesterday (Friday) Elizabeth and I went to the mall to do some shopping because we are both not ready to say goodbye to that mall yet...WE LOVE IT! We, also, did some shopping for our family and friends at some of the stores in Toledo and the Christmas market in Zocodover. After a long day of walking and shopping we went and saw "El Gato con Botas." Such a cute movie and we understood everything...I understood better than when seeing "Tin Tin." I came home and told my host Mom this and she said it might be because they used more of a Mexican accent than a Spanish one.
Last night at dinner we had steak. Needless to say I was in heaven! And my host Mom gave me a gift...it is a Toledo book with a bunch of pictures in it! She said, along with the photos I have taken, that I can use this book to show my family and friends all around Toledo since none of them were able to make it here. How nice was that? :) It was awesome looking at the book and recognizing the photos in it.
A few additional things:
-It has legit gotten cold here this week. Wearing my winter coat and hat and gloves I am still freezing.
-I have started to pack up some of my things. Sad. I am going to miss so much about Spain and the people that I have met here! It will be weird not seeing the people everyday that you have been seeing for the past 4 months. I am most definitely not ready to say good-bye to my host Mom either...or her cooking!! It is going to be hard to thank her for everything she has done for me these past few months...helped me with homework, cooked all my meals, gave me traveler tips, cleaned the house and my room, did my laundry, introduced me to locals, taught me more about the Spanish culture...just to name a few.
-This week Monday is my last day at the hospital and Tuesday is my last day teaching English. I better prepare myself for all these good-byes.
-This week was the week of tourists in Toledo!! Holy cow! I have never seen so many people with maps and cameras around their necks. With having two fiesta days this week my host Mom told me that a lot of people just take the whole week off and go traveling which brought A LOT of people to Toledo. My host Mom told me a story about how her sister, Pepe, is in Cordoba on vacation and Pepe randomly ran into my host Mom's friend Angel (the same Angel that went to China...he sure is quite the traveler!)
-I was able to sit down and talk with some of my host Mom's friends again this morning and I met a couple new ones, including Bruno who is from France! Him and I talked a lot since we were the only two where Spanish is not our native language and he knew some English! He drank a drink called "optimum bruno" and got a kick out of that. He asked if I wanted to try some but declined because it was a very thick beer. Gross!
-Tonight get ready ladies and gents because IT IS THE GAME WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!! Real Madrid vs. F.C. Barcelona! We just heard on the news that tickets are going for a thousand euros...no big deal. I can't even imagine haha I think Elizabeth and I are going to go watch it in a bar somewhere and I will be sporting my Messi jersey (I still need to go buy that this afternoon!) and my Real Madrid scarf. My host Mom was telling me names of bars that are pro-Real Madrid and pro-Barca so I know what to wear when we walk in one. I don't want to get beat up!
-My host Mom cleans the house and washes my sheets so often! Spaniards are so clean! Even on her day off on Thursday because of the fiesta she cleaned. I usually make my bed everyday here because it is just what they do so I have become accustomed to doing this too... because let's be honest in the states I never make my bed. Well, the other day I woke up late and didn't have time to make my bed because I had to leave for class and I got back home and my bed was made...my host Mom made it for me. I felt really bad then and thanked her a whole bunch when she got back.
-I think my host Mom and I have found a vacuum for me to use for my vacuum-sealed bags in my suitcase. She called up one of her friends, Pilar, and is going to go over there later today or tomorrow with her car and pick it up. Thank goodness! This way I MIGHT not have to buy another suitcase which would be awesome.
I will see you all next weekend! It will be a bittersweet next few days here in Toledo :) Can't wait to see everyone again.
Much love,
Meg
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| part of the outside exhibit at the Army museum |
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| precious! |
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| some of the Christmas lights up in Toledo :) |
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| I'm sporting my Brewer hat, Jen! |
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| complete with camels because the three kings (Santa Claus) ride camels, not reindeer |
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| en la calle comercial (the shopping street) |
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| the ice rink in the Plaza de Ayuntamiento |
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| FELIZ NAVIDAD from the Ayuntamiento |
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| this is near where I live |
Sunday, December 4, 2011
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...
Another week has come and gone and we are getting even closer to my return to the states, if you can believe it!! I have mixed emotions about coming home, that's for sure. Obviously I am ecstatic to see all my family and friends again, but I am not ready to leave the Spanish culture or the friends that I have made here (and my host Mom!) I've got to say though it will be nice training with the team again...running alone gets old in a very quick hurry! With that being said, there are obvious reasons for why I am excited to come home, but there's also A LOT I am going to miss here. I better start saving my money now for a return trip back to Spain because I WILL BE BACK :) Someday.
Last Sunday night after getting back from Portugal my host Mom was soooo excited to bake the funfetti cake with me!! I think she had been looking forward to it all weekend long. Well, let me tell you what, that is easier said than done. First off, I had to translate the entire recipe into Spanish and then convert everything, from the temperature of the oven to cups into liters. Also, I don't think my host Mom really does a lot of baking because she had no baking supplies or utensils whatsoever which also complicated the process a bit. Eventually we got everything figured out (after guessing and "eyeballing" the amount of cooking time as well) and were able to enjoy very good cookies and a very good cake. I brought some to the hospital on Monday to share with the doctors, and they all loved them. One of the doctors asked me for the recipe, and I told her I could translate it into Spanish from the box!! haha They were all very CURIOUS (I used it just for you, Jen!) to try an American dessert.
Tuesday was a sad day because we signed a lot of papers and started to think about our departure plans at the fundacion. We, also, began evaluating our professors. I stayed longer to teach English this Tuesday since I didn't have class later than night. It was kind of nice because then Nuria worked one-on-one with one of the students and I helped out the rest. I am definitely going to miss Nuria and the kids when I leave...it is going to be hard to say goodbye in two weeks. One of the little girls, Carlotta, made me a little something...there is a name for it but I forget! I think they are typical for kids to make here. Best souvenir I'll come back with :) Nuria and Carlotta LOVED my cookies as well. Even though Nuria told me she is on a diet, she still took two because after eating one she couldn't resist. Good work Betty Crocker!!
I am, also, all done with the study I was participating in. I did my last tasks on Tuesday, and I actually feel like I maybe improved a bit with some things. We will have to see when the girl in charge of the study sends me the tapes of me speaking Spanish, once at the beginning, the middle and then now at the end.
On Wednesday Elizabeth and I went to a museum very near our school and checked out a temporary exhibit there about Leonardo Da Vinci. It was really interesting, and I learned a lot, actually. It was indeed confirmed that he was an amazing man, such a genious! Literally. The building was really cool too where the exposition was because, like many of the buildings in Toledo, it used to be something else back in the day and now they have restored it. We were able to go down into the basement and see some pretty cool history.
On Thursday I did some shopping...I just love their fashion here and cannot resist!! only 10 euro!! I, also, started to do my shopping for other people. I am still trying to figure out what I am going to bring everyone back so if you have any requests of what you want just let me know, please :) That would help me out a lot!
On Friday I woke up early with every intent of going to the track, but when I woke up it was pouring rain outside and very cold so I decided to just push my workout back until Saturday since I am just getting over a cold. Luckily I just decided not to run because once again there was no hot water in our house so my host Mom told me not to shower and that on Friday night when she got home from work that she would heat water up for me again and I would shower with that. I went to the theatre on Friday night in Madrid so luckily I didn't run otherwise I would have had to go to the theatre all gross and smelly! Elizabeth and I went and saw El Rey Leon (Lion King). I absolutely loved it!! The costumes were incredibly detailed and the actors were phenomenal. Although it was all in Spanish, it was very easy to understand because they spoke clearly and slowly! And obviously it helped to know the story line of Lion King! The songs were even in Spanish, but had the same beat and rhythm which was kind of cool. Before the show we were able to walk around Madrid a bit and look at all their Christmas lights and Christmas decorations. We spotted an "ice rink" with fake ice! haha kind of sad. It was for little kids to practice ice skating..we stood and watch the little kids for a bit and it was super cute. We, also, had some time to just relax in Starbucks, people watch, and sip on some hot chocolate which was nice and cozy. It was legit cold in Toledo and Madrid on Friday!! I wore my winter coat and gloves!
Yesterday (Saturday) I went to the track and got my workout in. There was another lady doing a workout as well so we suffered through ours together! She was very nice and we chatted in between our reps. My Mom and I ate lunch together, I "worked" on some homework, and then I headed to Poligono because we were going to see "El Gato con Botas" at the movie theatre. Well, come to find out, after waiting in line for like 20 minutes that the movie was full. There was another showing later, but we all wanted to be home to eat with our families and going to a later show wouldn't make that possible so we just decided to chill in the mall for a bit. A good study break...even though I really didn't get much studying done prior.
Now today, Sunday, is just a day of homework. Boring!! We have final exams starting this week and Elizabeth and I have a presentation about Navidad tomorrow for our conversation class. Things are starting to wind down here...as crazy as that is to think about. Where did the semester go??
Just a few side notes:
-My Mom has started to buy typical Spanish Christmas candy and oh my goodness I cannot stop eating it!! It is soooo delicious! Hopefully all my clothes still fit once I get back ;)
-It is actually starting to get cold here....FINALLY! I could have used some of these temps when I first arrived! It is a little weird too because the heat doesn't come on in our house until 1 o'clock and then it stays on all day and night.
-Spaniards always have to have some sort of noise on in the background. If the TV isn't on then the radio or a CD has to be playing music. I've noticed this with my host Mom and we learned about it in one of my classes last week. Also, they don't like spicy foods! Random fact, but interesting.
-All of the Christmas lights are up here in Toledo, but no one really knows for sure as to when they are going to be turned on. I asked my host Mom and she said usually they get turned on on December 6th (one of their holidays) but she doesn't know exactly this year with the crisis that they are in.
-This week there are two holidays, one on Tuesday and one on Thursday so I don't get to see my little English students this week :(
-I had to write a paper about the image of Spain for one of my classes and my host Mom and I got to talking about stereotypes of Spain that I had before coming here and her stereotypes of the U.S. She said that when she thinks of the U.S. she thinks of blonde, blue-eyed people who are strong..not fat, but not skinny either...strong. And she thinks everyone is tall. I guess I broke that stereotype for her!! Also, she said that all Americans are obsessed with torros (the bulls) and that Americans never wear the proper shoes...we always wear flats or shoes that are open in the winter.
-My host Mom is ALWAYS on my case about wearing socks around the house. This is different for me because in the states I never wear socks. She always says I'm going to catch another cold if I do not wear them.
-I've been listening to a lot of Christmas music. Always puts me in a good mood :) Not that I'm ever really in a bad mood while I AM IN SPAIN, for goodness sake!
-We had salmon for lunch yesterday and I actually really liked it. When I tried it in the states I didn't seem to like it! I might have to try it again. Mom, you'd be so proud :) I know how much you like salmon.
-I don't remember if I've shared this with you all or not, but instead of saying "cheese" when Spaniards get their picture taken they say "patatas."
-Also, they have different sounds for animals. When I was teaching my English class a few weeks ago about animals they weren't understanding what a dog was so rather than saying the Spanish word for dog I decided to bark like a dog and they all looked at me like I was an alien. And then Nuria, the teacher, informed me that they have different sounds. So, they taught me the sounds they make and I taught them the sounds I make!
-Once I return to the states I am really going to miss all the fresh fruit we eat here. I usually eat at least 3 pieces of fruit each day. And I am coming back to the states at a bad time...when all the fruits are dead and/or expensive.
I will try and maybe get one more blog post in between now and when I leave. For anyone that doesn't know I will be flying into Minneapolis late on Thursday, December 15th (around 10 at night) and then will be getting back to De Pere sometime (probably later) on Friday night. Looking forward to seeing everyone :) Until then, take care and stay warm!! Happy St. Nick's!
Peace and Blessings.
Last Sunday night after getting back from Portugal my host Mom was soooo excited to bake the funfetti cake with me!! I think she had been looking forward to it all weekend long. Well, let me tell you what, that is easier said than done. First off, I had to translate the entire recipe into Spanish and then convert everything, from the temperature of the oven to cups into liters. Also, I don't think my host Mom really does a lot of baking because she had no baking supplies or utensils whatsoever which also complicated the process a bit. Eventually we got everything figured out (after guessing and "eyeballing" the amount of cooking time as well) and were able to enjoy very good cookies and a very good cake. I brought some to the hospital on Monday to share with the doctors, and they all loved them. One of the doctors asked me for the recipe, and I told her I could translate it into Spanish from the box!! haha They were all very CURIOUS (I used it just for you, Jen!) to try an American dessert.
Tuesday was a sad day because we signed a lot of papers and started to think about our departure plans at the fundacion. We, also, began evaluating our professors. I stayed longer to teach English this Tuesday since I didn't have class later than night. It was kind of nice because then Nuria worked one-on-one with one of the students and I helped out the rest. I am definitely going to miss Nuria and the kids when I leave...it is going to be hard to say goodbye in two weeks. One of the little girls, Carlotta, made me a little something...there is a name for it but I forget! I think they are typical for kids to make here. Best souvenir I'll come back with :) Nuria and Carlotta LOVED my cookies as well. Even though Nuria told me she is on a diet, she still took two because after eating one she couldn't resist. Good work Betty Crocker!!
I am, also, all done with the study I was participating in. I did my last tasks on Tuesday, and I actually feel like I maybe improved a bit with some things. We will have to see when the girl in charge of the study sends me the tapes of me speaking Spanish, once at the beginning, the middle and then now at the end.
On Wednesday Elizabeth and I went to a museum very near our school and checked out a temporary exhibit there about Leonardo Da Vinci. It was really interesting, and I learned a lot, actually. It was indeed confirmed that he was an amazing man, such a genious! Literally. The building was really cool too where the exposition was because, like many of the buildings in Toledo, it used to be something else back in the day and now they have restored it. We were able to go down into the basement and see some pretty cool history.
On Thursday I did some shopping...I just love their fashion here and cannot resist!! only 10 euro!! I, also, started to do my shopping for other people. I am still trying to figure out what I am going to bring everyone back so if you have any requests of what you want just let me know, please :) That would help me out a lot!
On Friday I woke up early with every intent of going to the track, but when I woke up it was pouring rain outside and very cold so I decided to just push my workout back until Saturday since I am just getting over a cold. Luckily I just decided not to run because once again there was no hot water in our house so my host Mom told me not to shower and that on Friday night when she got home from work that she would heat water up for me again and I would shower with that. I went to the theatre on Friday night in Madrid so luckily I didn't run otherwise I would have had to go to the theatre all gross and smelly! Elizabeth and I went and saw El Rey Leon (Lion King). I absolutely loved it!! The costumes were incredibly detailed and the actors were phenomenal. Although it was all in Spanish, it was very easy to understand because they spoke clearly and slowly! And obviously it helped to know the story line of Lion King! The songs were even in Spanish, but had the same beat and rhythm which was kind of cool. Before the show we were able to walk around Madrid a bit and look at all their Christmas lights and Christmas decorations. We spotted an "ice rink" with fake ice! haha kind of sad. It was for little kids to practice ice skating..we stood and watch the little kids for a bit and it was super cute. We, also, had some time to just relax in Starbucks, people watch, and sip on some hot chocolate which was nice and cozy. It was legit cold in Toledo and Madrid on Friday!! I wore my winter coat and gloves!
Yesterday (Saturday) I went to the track and got my workout in. There was another lady doing a workout as well so we suffered through ours together! She was very nice and we chatted in between our reps. My Mom and I ate lunch together, I "worked" on some homework, and then I headed to Poligono because we were going to see "El Gato con Botas" at the movie theatre. Well, come to find out, after waiting in line for like 20 minutes that the movie was full. There was another showing later, but we all wanted to be home to eat with our families and going to a later show wouldn't make that possible so we just decided to chill in the mall for a bit. A good study break...even though I really didn't get much studying done prior.
Now today, Sunday, is just a day of homework. Boring!! We have final exams starting this week and Elizabeth and I have a presentation about Navidad tomorrow for our conversation class. Things are starting to wind down here...as crazy as that is to think about. Where did the semester go??
Just a few side notes:
-My Mom has started to buy typical Spanish Christmas candy and oh my goodness I cannot stop eating it!! It is soooo delicious! Hopefully all my clothes still fit once I get back ;)
-It is actually starting to get cold here....FINALLY! I could have used some of these temps when I first arrived! It is a little weird too because the heat doesn't come on in our house until 1 o'clock and then it stays on all day and night.
-Spaniards always have to have some sort of noise on in the background. If the TV isn't on then the radio or a CD has to be playing music. I've noticed this with my host Mom and we learned about it in one of my classes last week. Also, they don't like spicy foods! Random fact, but interesting.
-All of the Christmas lights are up here in Toledo, but no one really knows for sure as to when they are going to be turned on. I asked my host Mom and she said usually they get turned on on December 6th (one of their holidays) but she doesn't know exactly this year with the crisis that they are in.
-This week there are two holidays, one on Tuesday and one on Thursday so I don't get to see my little English students this week :(
-I had to write a paper about the image of Spain for one of my classes and my host Mom and I got to talking about stereotypes of Spain that I had before coming here and her stereotypes of the U.S. She said that when she thinks of the U.S. she thinks of blonde, blue-eyed people who are strong..not fat, but not skinny either...strong. And she thinks everyone is tall. I guess I broke that stereotype for her!! Also, she said that all Americans are obsessed with torros (the bulls) and that Americans never wear the proper shoes...we always wear flats or shoes that are open in the winter.
-My host Mom is ALWAYS on my case about wearing socks around the house. This is different for me because in the states I never wear socks. She always says I'm going to catch another cold if I do not wear them.
-I've been listening to a lot of Christmas music. Always puts me in a good mood :) Not that I'm ever really in a bad mood while I AM IN SPAIN, for goodness sake!
-We had salmon for lunch yesterday and I actually really liked it. When I tried it in the states I didn't seem to like it! I might have to try it again. Mom, you'd be so proud :) I know how much you like salmon.
-I don't remember if I've shared this with you all or not, but instead of saying "cheese" when Spaniards get their picture taken they say "patatas."
-Also, they have different sounds for animals. When I was teaching my English class a few weeks ago about animals they weren't understanding what a dog was so rather than saying the Spanish word for dog I decided to bark like a dog and they all looked at me like I was an alien. And then Nuria, the teacher, informed me that they have different sounds. So, they taught me the sounds they make and I taught them the sounds I make!
-Once I return to the states I am really going to miss all the fresh fruit we eat here. I usually eat at least 3 pieces of fruit each day. And I am coming back to the states at a bad time...when all the fruits are dead and/or expensive.
I will try and maybe get one more blog post in between now and when I leave. For anyone that doesn't know I will be flying into Minneapolis late on Thursday, December 15th (around 10 at night) and then will be getting back to De Pere sometime (probably later) on Friday night. Looking forward to seeing everyone :) Until then, take care and stay warm!! Happy St. Nick's!
Peace and Blessings.
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| the very delicious Funfetti cakes and cookies I made with my host Mom! |
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| at the Leonardo Da Vinci exhibit |
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| Feliz Navidad from the supermercado we always go to |
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| the "ice" rink in Madrid |
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| "Megan" in Spanish apparently ;) |
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| El Rey Leon in Madrid |
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