If there is one thing that I have already learned from being here it's that when going abroad, you have to allow yourself a good 4 or 5 days to figure it out.. Just being here a week and looking back to when i first got here, i was terrified! Granted this is the first time that i have ever been to Europe or done anything like this before, but i was definitely overwhelmed. But now, having a week under my belt, I can confidently say that things are going great! To name a few:
-I finally mastered the shower. Come to find out it isn't as tricky as it seems.
-My stomach has gone through its adjustment to spanish cuisine, it now finds it pretty delicious (for the most part...)
-I'm speaking a lot better now, i can already tell a difference in my speaking abilities from being around the language all the time.
-My first week of classes came and went, and went well at that. although next week we shall see if my feelings change, because that's when the presentations and what not start kicking in.
-My unsecured internet connection has held strong! and skype is one of the coolest things ever, as it has kept me in touch with folks at home so i don't miss them too terribly :)
Every now and then (pretty much daily haha) i have this moment, either when i'm doing homework with my balcony doors open to the breeze, or laying on the beach, or sitting in the barrio drinking sangria with the group, where i think to myself: you are studying in spain.. who gets to do this?!?! its pretty awesome, if i do say so myself.
Another thing that is pretty neat is that we came with a group of 14, so we all are getting to know each other pretty well. as corny as it sounds i've really enjoyed hanging out with them and becoming friends with them. and it's even neater that we didn't really know each other before the trip.
well, it is officially the weekend now!! i think we will be eating lunch here pretty soon and then i'm going to take a little siesta before some of the girls and i do a little shopping. then after dinner i think the whole group is going to go out, which i am super excited about! We went out a few nights ago to watch the barcelona/manchester game (fyi: barcelona won, the city went nuts, and we got to see it all!! it was so fun, and people were driving around honking and singing and going crazy until like 3 or 4 in the morning. yay barzo) but i still feel like i haven't truly experienced alicante night life, so tonight should be really fun!
Busy weekend ahead and lots of homework to do for next week, but all is well!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Getting settled
So I've been in Spain for about 4 days now, and I think I am starting to get the hang of things. I moved in with my host family yesterday, Conchi and Primi, and they're really nice. Their apartment is really big and it's in a neat part of the city. I have my own room and bathroom and I even have a little balcony. Conchi and Primi don't speak any english, but they told me that I speak spanish pretty well, which made me happy. Conchi fixes breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and so far everything has been delicious. I've had paella, tortilla de espana, and a bunch of other stuff that i don't know the name of haha. Last night I watched Mr. Brooks in spanish with Primi, and he talked to me about a bunch of different things. Their place is about a 20-25 minute walk from the beach and to school, so it's not too bad. The walking is actually really nice, and I haven't gotten lost yet so that's good too.
Today was our first day of classes. We have two, and each is an hour and 15 minutes, with a little break in between. It's very different from a regular semester because now we have to do work for both classes every night, and over the course of the next five weeks we have 4 reports, 3 presentations, and two finals, on top of regular stuff. Even tonight we had a lot to do, although that didn't stop us from stopping by the beach for a couple hours. It should be interesting, especially since the beach is so close and so tempting.. After the beach a group of us went to a cafe to do some homework together, I think we'll be doing that quite a bit.
I haven't quite mastered the shower yet. They are very conservative with water here, so they take really quick showers and sometimes turn the water off when washing their hair and stuff. So I have been trying to do the same. Except, I can't figure out a happy medium with the temperature. It's like its freezing, with bursts of really hot water every now and then... I guess I'll get it eventually. Also, I have noticed they don't really drink a lot of stuff here. Not like alcohol, but just regular drinks. Conchi and Primi barely had any water with lunch, and nothing with dinner. I had three glasses. And they don't use ice either haha, so everything, even the milk, is kind of lukewarm. But, they do have cokes, and they are nice and cold. I had one with dinner, and it was delicious.
I think I've been adjusting pretty well. It's really strange being so far away from home and from everybody. If I think about it too much it starts to freak me out, so I can't do that haha. But luckily I have been able to have access to the internet and to a phone that works so I have been able to stay connected. I don't think I would like it so much if I couldn't be. But I can say that being here definitely puts a lot of things in perspective. I get to try lots of new things, and I also have a newfound appreciation for things at home :) I'm looking forward to seeing what this trip is going to do for me in lots of different aspects.
Today was our first day of classes. We have two, and each is an hour and 15 minutes, with a little break in between. It's very different from a regular semester because now we have to do work for both classes every night, and over the course of the next five weeks we have 4 reports, 3 presentations, and two finals, on top of regular stuff. Even tonight we had a lot to do, although that didn't stop us from stopping by the beach for a couple hours. It should be interesting, especially since the beach is so close and so tempting.. After the beach a group of us went to a cafe to do some homework together, I think we'll be doing that quite a bit.
I haven't quite mastered the shower yet. They are very conservative with water here, so they take really quick showers and sometimes turn the water off when washing their hair and stuff. So I have been trying to do the same. Except, I can't figure out a happy medium with the temperature. It's like its freezing, with bursts of really hot water every now and then... I guess I'll get it eventually. Also, I have noticed they don't really drink a lot of stuff here. Not like alcohol, but just regular drinks. Conchi and Primi barely had any water with lunch, and nothing with dinner. I had three glasses. And they don't use ice either haha, so everything, even the milk, is kind of lukewarm. But, they do have cokes, and they are nice and cold. I had one with dinner, and it was delicious.
I think I've been adjusting pretty well. It's really strange being so far away from home and from everybody. If I think about it too much it starts to freak me out, so I can't do that haha. But luckily I have been able to have access to the internet and to a phone that works so I have been able to stay connected. I don't think I would like it so much if I couldn't be. But I can say that being here definitely puts a lot of things in perspective. I get to try lots of new things, and I also have a newfound appreciation for things at home :) I'm looking forward to seeing what this trip is going to do for me in lots of different aspects.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Day 2
Today has been a very long day, but for some reason, i am feeling wide awake at 1:15. That's probably not a good idea considering that I have to get up at 8 to get ready to meet my host family..
We got up this morning and ate breakfast, which in Spain is pretty much just different kinds of breads and coffee (which works..) and then we had to walk up the Rambla to the CEA offices to start the orientation sessions. they gave us this long lecture about all that the program has to offer, and then we walked through the older part of town, which included the barrio, the port, and the explanada. The explanada had tons of vendors that i am definitely going to visit again when i have more free time. I got lots of cool pictures of the old buildings and things. Then we went down the port and found where our classes are going to be. I'm feeling like its going to be a REALLY long walk for me, but at least i'll be getting lots of exercise..
We had lunch on the port and i had my first authentic spanish meal: paella. In spain, the biggest meal is lunch, and it is usually between 2 and 3 pm. I found out that i really like lunch haha. They continually feed you these little breads with garlic sauce and salads with tuna and olive oil, and then the serve the main dish, and then a little dessert sampling. Paella is a general rice dish that can be prepared with lots of different things. Ours today had shrimp and another type of white fish. I actually really enjoyed it! it was kind of rich and heavy, but it wasn't gross and it didn't hurt me haha so i was pretty pleased with it.
after lunch we continued walking... we went through the shopping district, which has el corte ingles, where you can by anything imagineable (stuff you could buy in america). i was glad to buy a hairbrush (since i left mine) and a notebook (since i apparently forgot i would need paper for class..) We walked all day it seems like, and we saw lots of important things that i'm not sure i will remember when i am on my own, but at least i have an idea.
i was so full from our late lunch that me and a few other girls decided to have a light dinner of ice cream haha. it was really really delicious. since then i have been relaxing in the hotel room watching some dvds i brought from home.
hopefully this isn't too boring haha! i don't know how interesting it is when you can't really see what i'm talking about. i should have some time to post pictures tomorrow. i already have a ton and its only been two days haha.
i should probably try to get some sleep, tomorrow is going to be another long day.
We got up this morning and ate breakfast, which in Spain is pretty much just different kinds of breads and coffee (which works..) and then we had to walk up the Rambla to the CEA offices to start the orientation sessions. they gave us this long lecture about all that the program has to offer, and then we walked through the older part of town, which included the barrio, the port, and the explanada. The explanada had tons of vendors that i am definitely going to visit again when i have more free time. I got lots of cool pictures of the old buildings and things. Then we went down the port and found where our classes are going to be. I'm feeling like its going to be a REALLY long walk for me, but at least i'll be getting lots of exercise..
We had lunch on the port and i had my first authentic spanish meal: paella. In spain, the biggest meal is lunch, and it is usually between 2 and 3 pm. I found out that i really like lunch haha. They continually feed you these little breads with garlic sauce and salads with tuna and olive oil, and then the serve the main dish, and then a little dessert sampling. Paella is a general rice dish that can be prepared with lots of different things. Ours today had shrimp and another type of white fish. I actually really enjoyed it! it was kind of rich and heavy, but it wasn't gross and it didn't hurt me haha so i was pretty pleased with it.
after lunch we continued walking... we went through the shopping district, which has el corte ingles, where you can by anything imagineable (stuff you could buy in america). i was glad to buy a hairbrush (since i left mine) and a notebook (since i apparently forgot i would need paper for class..) We walked all day it seems like, and we saw lots of important things that i'm not sure i will remember when i am on my own, but at least i have an idea.
i was so full from our late lunch that me and a few other girls decided to have a light dinner of ice cream haha. it was really really delicious. since then i have been relaxing in the hotel room watching some dvds i brought from home.
hopefully this isn't too boring haha! i don't know how interesting it is when you can't really see what i'm talking about. i should have some time to post pictures tomorrow. i already have a ton and its only been two days haha.
i should probably try to get some sleep, tomorrow is going to be another long day.
Friday, May 22, 2009
17 hours later...
Hola desde Espana!
Right now, I am sitting in the stairwell at el hotel Rambla in Alicante. The internet is splotchy here and we can't get a good connection in the rooms. The past two days have run together into a big blur of airports and planes and mixed emotions. It seems like days ago that I was in Memphis running to Target before my flight to buy a new spanish to english dictionary since mine mysteriously disappeared. Since then, I have spent three hours in the Memphis airport (my first flight was delayed an hour), two and half hours on a plane to Newark, about an hour there, then 7 and a half hours on the biggest plane i've ever been on to Madrid. It was an overnight flight, and they gave us dinner and a small breakfast, which i was pretty impressed with. I couldn't really sleep becaue my legs were all antsy, but I did get to watch House, and I made a friends with the girl sitting next to me. After that I fumbled through the Madrid airport attempting to speak and understand spanish as quick as they speak it.. needless to say i felt a little inept. But i managed enough to get myself through security. Then i spent three hours waiting on this little digital board to tell me what gate i needed to go to.. There i met up with two other girls in the program, as well as our profesor. We all shared the one hour flight to Alicante, on which i completely knocked out. I was in the middle seat, and apparently i was tired because i sat straight up and fell right to sleep, i don't even remember taking off.. the next thing i knew we were making our descent into Alicante.
The city is bigger than i thought it would be, and on the taxi from the airport there was tons of graffiti. Once we got into the town, you could smell the ocean, which made me really happy :) we checked into the Hotel Rambla, and spent the next two hours walking around the blocks close by, trying to decide where to eat later. We had a quick info session about the next couple of days events, and then a big group of us went down the rambla to a place called Miami to have dinner. My first meal in spain was pizza.. lol. but it was covered in ham that was different from what i expected it to be, so i guess it was kind of authentic.. Our director told us it would be better to eat something we were familiar with starting out, before we try the local fare (which i have heard takes a lot of getting used too.. like we're talking fish with the eyeballs and antennae stil on.. im a little nervous.) after that some of us went to a little place near the hotel and got churros and sangria (both of which i am a big fan..) churros are these little fried bread things, kind of like funnel cake, that you dip in warm chocolate and roll in sugar (i know...) and sangria is red wine mixed with sugar, fruit, and like 5 different kinds of rum (yum.)
So.. after about 17 hours of travel and lots of information and walking and food, i think i am going to take a nice, not so warm, not so long shower (as i am told is custom here, the shower "door" only covers half of the shower, its kind of strange) and then relax. Tomorrow we are touring the city, and i am sure I will have lots and lots more to share :)
Right now, I am sitting in the stairwell at el hotel Rambla in Alicante. The internet is splotchy here and we can't get a good connection in the rooms. The past two days have run together into a big blur of airports and planes and mixed emotions. It seems like days ago that I was in Memphis running to Target before my flight to buy a new spanish to english dictionary since mine mysteriously disappeared. Since then, I have spent three hours in the Memphis airport (my first flight was delayed an hour), two and half hours on a plane to Newark, about an hour there, then 7 and a half hours on the biggest plane i've ever been on to Madrid. It was an overnight flight, and they gave us dinner and a small breakfast, which i was pretty impressed with. I couldn't really sleep becaue my legs were all antsy, but I did get to watch House, and I made a friends with the girl sitting next to me. After that I fumbled through the Madrid airport attempting to speak and understand spanish as quick as they speak it.. needless to say i felt a little inept. But i managed enough to get myself through security. Then i spent three hours waiting on this little digital board to tell me what gate i needed to go to.. There i met up with two other girls in the program, as well as our profesor. We all shared the one hour flight to Alicante, on which i completely knocked out. I was in the middle seat, and apparently i was tired because i sat straight up and fell right to sleep, i don't even remember taking off.. the next thing i knew we were making our descent into Alicante.
The city is bigger than i thought it would be, and on the taxi from the airport there was tons of graffiti. Once we got into the town, you could smell the ocean, which made me really happy :) we checked into the Hotel Rambla, and spent the next two hours walking around the blocks close by, trying to decide where to eat later. We had a quick info session about the next couple of days events, and then a big group of us went down the rambla to a place called Miami to have dinner. My first meal in spain was pizza.. lol. but it was covered in ham that was different from what i expected it to be, so i guess it was kind of authentic.. Our director told us it would be better to eat something we were familiar with starting out, before we try the local fare (which i have heard takes a lot of getting used too.. like we're talking fish with the eyeballs and antennae stil on.. im a little nervous.) after that some of us went to a little place near the hotel and got churros and sangria (both of which i am a big fan..) churros are these little fried bread things, kind of like funnel cake, that you dip in warm chocolate and roll in sugar (i know...) and sangria is red wine mixed with sugar, fruit, and like 5 different kinds of rum (yum.)
So.. after about 17 hours of travel and lots of information and walking and food, i think i am going to take a nice, not so warm, not so long shower (as i am told is custom here, the shower "door" only covers half of the shower, its kind of strange) and then relax. Tomorrow we are touring the city, and i am sure I will have lots and lots more to share :)
Monday, May 18, 2009
la primera
So, I started this blog so that I can keep everyone updated on my upcoming adventures in Spain. I'll have a cell phone there, but Spain is 7 hours ahead of Memphis, and minutes are crazy expensive.. So, this way I can let everyone know what's going on all at once and in as much detail as I please, for free!
It still hasn't quite hit me that I am leaving in two days. Granted, I've been running around crazy this past week trying to get everything together, and I'm still not done. But for some reason it still doesn't seem real that very soon I will be half way across the world and living with people I haven't met. Kind of scary, but really really exciting.
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