This could possibly be my last post in Spain! I still want to update a couple times once I´m home, maybe with a slideshow or something.
It feels very weird that I´m coming home this Saturday. My final exam is tomorrow, and I also have to buy last minute things and worry about packing. I´m VERY excited to come home, but I get sad sometimes when I´m having a good time with my host family because I know it will be hard saying goodbye.
This past weekend I went to the mountains with my class to visit a big cave, it was really neat. There were really pretty stalactites and stalagmites, and outside there was even some light snow on the ground! It was very exciting and very cold. I went out with friends that night (my last saturday!) which was also fun.
On the plane ride I´m going to make lists of what I want to do when I´m home...which restaurants I want to eat at, which movies I want to see, etc. I also really want to go to synagogue, which I hadn´t thought much about before leaving for Spain. Christmas is right around the corner and that is all we ever talk about in our culture class.
Hope everyone is well!
Monday, December 17, 2007
Thursday, December 13, 2007
(rough) photo album link
I know I´m very behind, I haven´t had time to update...
In the meantime I started a photo album online a little while ago. The link is http://lindyenespana.myphotoalbum.com it still needs a bunch of editing because there are repeats and ones that aren´t rotated etc, but you can browse them whenever you want.
hasta luego everyone,
Lindy
In the meantime I started a photo album online a little while ago. The link is http://lindyenespana.myphotoalbum.com it still needs a bunch of editing because there are repeats and ones that aren´t rotated etc, but you can browse them whenever you want.
hasta luego everyone,
Lindy
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
Pueblo life and religion issues
One thing I definitely miss about California is the warm weather! In the mornings ít´s about 30 degrees and during the day about 40. I do think it´s neat though that I can see all the leaves change colors, in the park right by my classes there are huge heaps of them.I never get to see that back home because everything is always green...which I like, but I never get to see the seasons change.
A couple weeks ago I went to see the big cathedral in León with my classmates. I´ve seen so many by this point, but the one in León is really neat because it´s supposedly the cathedral with the most glass and the least stone in Europe (?), making it really fragile. We didn´t get to see it while the sun was out, but it is supposed to really gorgeous inside when the sun is shining through all the stained glass. I also went on another excursion with my classmates a couple weekends back to a few small towns called Toro, Urueña, and Don Juan de Valencia. In Toro we got to visit a winery where we saw the wine-making process and had a wine tasting. Urueña was a small medieval pueblo with old stone walls surrounding it...there we visited a musical instrument museum with a humongous collection of old and new instruments from around the world. In Don Juan de Valencia we just stopped for a quick look at a castle. That weekend was my first whole weekend in León, so I decided to take advantage and go out dancing with my friends after the excursion. It was a nice break from the pueblo, and also a ton of fun!
I was at the pueblo this weekend, which at first I wasn´t looking forward to because I tend to get really bored when there´s nothing going on. But it turned out that my host family had to go out and chop firewood for the winter! I went along with them and helped my host sister carry wood to the van (they thought handling the axe would be a bit dangerous). When my host mom first told me about it I was kind of shocked - it´s so old-fashioned! But I was excited that I was invited to help. Also this weekend, one of their mama pigs had babies! There were 13 of them born during the morning, and I went down to see them right before lunch because my host dad thought there was one more coming, but it was taking a long time and so I didn´t get to see it actually being born. But the newborn piglets were really cute! It was interesting talking to my host dad and older host sister about how they know when one of the pigs is pregnant, how many piglets are usually born, etc. It was overall an interesting weekend.
If enough people sign up, there will be an excursion to Madrid and Toledo this coming weekend and I really want to go even though I´ve been already. I really loved Toledo, plus I like going on the trips with my classmates because they´re a lot of fun and I like the guy who leads all the excursions. I´d get to see some of the same places again which I don´t mind too much...I´m excited to see the Jewish museum again because it would be a break from Catholocism. One time in my culture class we started talking about religion in Spain versus the U.S. and it made me sad because our teacher was saying that here in Spain you´re either Catholic or not Catholic...there´s no realization of other religions because Catholocism is the universal religion. Even though Judaism is a minor religion, at least in the United States there is more diversity. You see mosques, cathedrals, churches, and synagogues, whereas here you only see cathedrals. It made me feel kind of lonely...I hope to go to synagogue once I´m home for winter break. I really miss home a lot, it´s been hard being gone this semester. And I´m sad about missing Thanksgiving! One of my American friends and I are going to make thanksgiving-y food with international friends, it should be interesting. She only has 2 burners and a microwave in her apartment so we´ll see how that goes. I only have four more weekends here! I can count them on one hand and I know what my plans are for each of them...that makes me realize that I don´t have much time left. I´m going to be emotional when I leave because it´s going to be very hard but also very exciting.
A couple weeks ago I went to see the big cathedral in León with my classmates. I´ve seen so many by this point, but the one in León is really neat because it´s supposedly the cathedral with the most glass and the least stone in Europe (?), making it really fragile. We didn´t get to see it while the sun was out, but it is supposed to really gorgeous inside when the sun is shining through all the stained glass. I also went on another excursion with my classmates a couple weekends back to a few small towns called Toro, Urueña, and Don Juan de Valencia. In Toro we got to visit a winery where we saw the wine-making process and had a wine tasting. Urueña was a small medieval pueblo with old stone walls surrounding it...there we visited a musical instrument museum with a humongous collection of old and new instruments from around the world. In Don Juan de Valencia we just stopped for a quick look at a castle. That weekend was my first whole weekend in León, so I decided to take advantage and go out dancing with my friends after the excursion. It was a nice break from the pueblo, and also a ton of fun!
I was at the pueblo this weekend, which at first I wasn´t looking forward to because I tend to get really bored when there´s nothing going on. But it turned out that my host family had to go out and chop firewood for the winter! I went along with them and helped my host sister carry wood to the van (they thought handling the axe would be a bit dangerous). When my host mom first told me about it I was kind of shocked - it´s so old-fashioned! But I was excited that I was invited to help. Also this weekend, one of their mama pigs had babies! There were 13 of them born during the morning, and I went down to see them right before lunch because my host dad thought there was one more coming, but it was taking a long time and so I didn´t get to see it actually being born. But the newborn piglets were really cute! It was interesting talking to my host dad and older host sister about how they know when one of the pigs is pregnant, how many piglets are usually born, etc. It was overall an interesting weekend.
If enough people sign up, there will be an excursion to Madrid and Toledo this coming weekend and I really want to go even though I´ve been already. I really loved Toledo, plus I like going on the trips with my classmates because they´re a lot of fun and I like the guy who leads all the excursions. I´d get to see some of the same places again which I don´t mind too much...I´m excited to see the Jewish museum again because it would be a break from Catholocism. One time in my culture class we started talking about religion in Spain versus the U.S. and it made me sad because our teacher was saying that here in Spain you´re either Catholic or not Catholic...there´s no realization of other religions because Catholocism is the universal religion. Even though Judaism is a minor religion, at least in the United States there is more diversity. You see mosques, cathedrals, churches, and synagogues, whereas here you only see cathedrals. It made me feel kind of lonely...I hope to go to synagogue once I´m home for winter break. I really miss home a lot, it´s been hard being gone this semester. And I´m sad about missing Thanksgiving! One of my American friends and I are going to make thanksgiving-y food with international friends, it should be interesting. She only has 2 burners and a microwave in her apartment so we´ll see how that goes. I only have four more weekends here! I can count them on one hand and I know what my plans are for each of them...that makes me realize that I don´t have much time left. I´m going to be emotional when I leave because it´s going to be very hard but also very exciting.
Friday, November 9, 2007
PICTURES por fin!
I finally have pictures! My friend let me burn a cd on her laptop! I can´t put up a lot, but I can show my favorites. Once I´m back in the states I´ll put them all on a website.
This is the view from my window at the pueblo. It´s basically the backyard.
That´s me holding one of the little piggies!
The big mama!
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Barcelona otra vez
I can´t believe that I´ve been here for 9 weeks! I´m more than halfway through with my study abroad experience, which makes me mostly excited but also sad. It will be an emotional experience when I leave in December.
Not too much has been happening in Leon, but I met up with friends in Barcelona last week! I had a blast and was so excited to see familiar faces from Pitzer! The trip was a little stressful at times...we had a 4 hour delayed flight, had to search for an unmarked hostel, and then missed our return flight so we had to take an overnight bus...but now I´m pretty confident traveling around Europe as a result haha. I had already been to Barcelona with my parents and I saw some of the same things (like all of the Gaudi buildings which I love), but I also got to see some new places. There´s this place called Montjuic on top of a big hill, where we got to see the stadium used for the 1992 olympics as well as a small imitation Spanish town with arts and crafts presentations, shops, and restaurants. We ate good food, drank good sangria, and bought souvenirs. It was so nice for me to see my best friend after being in Leon and having to meet new people. That for me was the greatest part of Barcelona. I would love to travel outside of Spain too, preferably Italy, but money and time may be an issue.
In response to the most recent comment about gypsies...I think that´s a common stereoptype and that´s what came to my mind before getting to Spain. The girls that I see at the center look like normal girls to me, but I don´t know much about them, let alone Spanish girls, so I don´t know how they compare. Some of the girls wear a ton of rings on their fingers which I think is a bit different. A few are into fashion, some are affectionate, and others are more shy. They speak a little differently, like they have some special slang words. I don´t know if the gypsy girls vary from gypsy women, but overall the stereotype doesn´t really apply. They look like everyday people with a different culture. I´m still learning, so I will keep posting information as the semester continues.
To all the Bornstein family, have a great time at the wedding this weekend! I am so sad that I can´t be there. Take care!
Not too much has been happening in Leon, but I met up with friends in Barcelona last week! I had a blast and was so excited to see familiar faces from Pitzer! The trip was a little stressful at times...we had a 4 hour delayed flight, had to search for an unmarked hostel, and then missed our return flight so we had to take an overnight bus...but now I´m pretty confident traveling around Europe as a result haha. I had already been to Barcelona with my parents and I saw some of the same things (like all of the Gaudi buildings which I love), but I also got to see some new places. There´s this place called Montjuic on top of a big hill, where we got to see the stadium used for the 1992 olympics as well as a small imitation Spanish town with arts and crafts presentations, shops, and restaurants. We ate good food, drank good sangria, and bought souvenirs. It was so nice for me to see my best friend after being in Leon and having to meet new people. That for me was the greatest part of Barcelona. I would love to travel outside of Spain too, preferably Italy, but money and time may be an issue.
In response to the most recent comment about gypsies...I think that´s a common stereoptype and that´s what came to my mind before getting to Spain. The girls that I see at the center look like normal girls to me, but I don´t know much about them, let alone Spanish girls, so I don´t know how they compare. Some of the girls wear a ton of rings on their fingers which I think is a bit different. A few are into fashion, some are affectionate, and others are more shy. They speak a little differently, like they have some special slang words. I don´t know if the gypsy girls vary from gypsy women, but overall the stereotype doesn´t really apply. They look like everyday people with a different culture. I´m still learning, so I will keep posting information as the semester continues.
To all the Bornstein family, have a great time at the wedding this weekend! I am so sad that I can´t be there. Take care!
Monday, October 22, 2007
Some fun trips and nightlife
Just to mention...my daily life here is ordinary and I can´t plan future updates because my internet access is irregular...so (mom and dad) I suggest checking every weekend to see if I wrote during the week.
A couple weeks ago at the pueblo I helped my host dad and sister scrub potatoes and carry them to the van. My skin got darker and my legs got very sore - it was the main event of the weekend. I also found out that they grow figs, cucumbers, peppers, apples, and walnuts! The women of the family killed a few more chickens that weekend, but they seemed to be in a hurry and it conflicted with the time I usually call my parents so I didn´t see much (not that I didn´t want to haha, it actually does fascinate me).
One day last week I had an interesting discussion with my host mom about the environment. We had been talking about the weather, and then we got into global warming (there were a bunch of words I struggled with!) and chemicals and things. Because they don´t use pesticides on their crops at the pueblo, ít´s healthier for them AND the environment. My host mom doesn´t work, but they sell a good amount of their fruits and vegetables to friends and acquaintances who appreciate the home-grown and natural quality. I´m learning a lot about nature and the farming lifestyle, which is pretty unusual to me but also really great. Me being an Al Gore fan and a Pitzer student...go figure.
My Spanish courses are going well - I´m in a more challenging level which I´m enjoying. I´ve made a couple good friends so I´m a bit busier and not feeling so lonely. Of all the American students, I really am only friends with one. There are a couple Japanese girls, a girl from Paris, and a guy from Gabon, Africa, who are really nice/fun. I think it´s great that I can make international friends here. And I´ve planned a trip to Barcelona (again) to meet up with a couple friends from Pitzer (one of which is my best roommate ever!) so I am very excited!
my volunteer work at the agency for "gitanos" (gypsies) is going ok. I mostly just observe the activities that go on there...one day we watched a dance dvd and tried learning the steps. Today there was a lesson about geography and the different provinces of Castilla y Leon. There´s usually a group of about seven girls, 12-15 years old, and then an older girl who works there leads the activities. Hardly any of the girls are in school, so this place where I go is like a collective spot for them to get to know eachother and do activities...but it´s very laid back. I don´t know them very well, and I have trouble understanding them because they speak a little differently, but they get excited that I´m from California and ask me how to say certain words in English. I´m interested in learning more about their cultural background so I might try and do some research.
The language center has excursions planned throughout the semester...this past Saturday there was a day trip to a nearby city called Ponferrada as well as to a nature site called "Las Medulas." In Ponferrada we visited this huge castle built in the 12th century (?) that was meant to protect traveling saints from "ladrones" or vagrants. The trip to "Las Medulas" was quite an experience. It used to be a really big mountain range with gold mines that the Romans excavated, and so we got to see lots of red, scattered peaks and some empty caves. It was all very colorful because there were really green trees all around the mountains. On the itinerary it said there would be a slightly difficult incline, but of course things are never quite what they say they are...it was a very difficult hike. The views were pretty amazing though, I love the pictures I got.
Also on Friday I finally got to go out into the city at night! A friend and I were exploring and looking for a place to get tapas (small appetizers that come with drinks, free in leon) when we saw this huge group of men dressed up in colorful capes playing instruments and singing. There were a whole lot of different groups (I think from different universities) that kept circulating through the streets. In one of the main plazas, each group serenaded a women standing in a third-story window and after they finished a dance or a song she would throw down flowers. It was so neat! And there were tons of people watching and singing along with each group! I want to find out more about that.
Anyways, more news later! Hasta luego!
A couple weeks ago at the pueblo I helped my host dad and sister scrub potatoes and carry them to the van. My skin got darker and my legs got very sore - it was the main event of the weekend. I also found out that they grow figs, cucumbers, peppers, apples, and walnuts! The women of the family killed a few more chickens that weekend, but they seemed to be in a hurry and it conflicted with the time I usually call my parents so I didn´t see much (not that I didn´t want to haha, it actually does fascinate me).
One day last week I had an interesting discussion with my host mom about the environment. We had been talking about the weather, and then we got into global warming (there were a bunch of words I struggled with!) and chemicals and things. Because they don´t use pesticides on their crops at the pueblo, ít´s healthier for them AND the environment. My host mom doesn´t work, but they sell a good amount of their fruits and vegetables to friends and acquaintances who appreciate the home-grown and natural quality. I´m learning a lot about nature and the farming lifestyle, which is pretty unusual to me but also really great. Me being an Al Gore fan and a Pitzer student...go figure.
My Spanish courses are going well - I´m in a more challenging level which I´m enjoying. I´ve made a couple good friends so I´m a bit busier and not feeling so lonely. Of all the American students, I really am only friends with one. There are a couple Japanese girls, a girl from Paris, and a guy from Gabon, Africa, who are really nice/fun. I think it´s great that I can make international friends here. And I´ve planned a trip to Barcelona (again) to meet up with a couple friends from Pitzer (one of which is my best roommate ever!) so I am very excited!
my volunteer work at the agency for "gitanos" (gypsies) is going ok. I mostly just observe the activities that go on there...one day we watched a dance dvd and tried learning the steps. Today there was a lesson about geography and the different provinces of Castilla y Leon. There´s usually a group of about seven girls, 12-15 years old, and then an older girl who works there leads the activities. Hardly any of the girls are in school, so this place where I go is like a collective spot for them to get to know eachother and do activities...but it´s very laid back. I don´t know them very well, and I have trouble understanding them because they speak a little differently, but they get excited that I´m from California and ask me how to say certain words in English. I´m interested in learning more about their cultural background so I might try and do some research.
The language center has excursions planned throughout the semester...this past Saturday there was a day trip to a nearby city called Ponferrada as well as to a nature site called "Las Medulas." In Ponferrada we visited this huge castle built in the 12th century (?) that was meant to protect traveling saints from "ladrones" or vagrants. The trip to "Las Medulas" was quite an experience. It used to be a really big mountain range with gold mines that the Romans excavated, and so we got to see lots of red, scattered peaks and some empty caves. It was all very colorful because there were really green trees all around the mountains. On the itinerary it said there would be a slightly difficult incline, but of course things are never quite what they say they are...it was a very difficult hike. The views were pretty amazing though, I love the pictures I got.
Also on Friday I finally got to go out into the city at night! A friend and I were exploring and looking for a place to get tapas (small appetizers that come with drinks, free in leon) when we saw this huge group of men dressed up in colorful capes playing instruments and singing. There were a whole lot of different groups (I think from different universities) that kept circulating through the streets. In one of the main plazas, each group serenaded a women standing in a third-story window and after they finished a dance or a song she would throw down flowers. It was so neat! And there were tons of people watching and singing along with each group! I want to find out more about that.
Anyways, more news later! Hasta luego!
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Español courses and further family tales
I was waiting to update until I could upload pictures, but here at the university I need to have some sort of special password to connect my usb. So I don´t know when I´ll be able to put pictures up, very sad. I´ll keep working at it.
Since the last update I´ve done some very interesting things at the pueblo, like feed the pigs and help cut grapes! I´ve also finally started my Spanish courses, which have been going pretty well. Basically I´m learning grammar, culture, oral communication and written communication. The professors are all really nice and helpful, and there are friendly students from all over the world - like france, africa, and japan (and a good number from the states). Right now the level I´m in is a bit easy so I´m trying to move up another level. The workload is really light...most of the "homework" is to go out and talk to people, and my culture professor even said to go to a bar! I think it will be a fun semester. There are also some afternoon and weekend excursions planned that I´m excited about.
I´ve been getting to know my family better. I have had some rough days, where I really want to come home because of misunderstandings or being left out. Sometimes I wake up and everybody is already busy or out, they don´t tell me what their plans are for the day. Or I´ve offered to help prepare food, but one time my host mom said I would do it wrong and she didn´t want to show me how because it would take too long. That was really hard for me. I´ve gotten the chance to help them cut grapes in their fields, but at first they didn´t want me to come. My host mom doesn´t want me to do any hard work, like I´m more of a guest than a family member. This past weekend my host dad and sister did show me how to cut the grapes and it was definitely hard work! Despite the sore legs and bizarre insects (ugh I hate bugs, but my host family is immune to them. Whenever they see one they cut it up with their knives - brutal - and they also kill flies with their hands!) it was really really neat. It seems like the grapes are endless, there are so many. And they taste so sweet! When I get back to the states I probably won´t want to eat store bought ones anymore.
I think my host family is used to other students who usually do their own thing and don´t rely so much on the family, so maybe that´s why there are some hard times. But I´m becoming more of a family member in some ways. Once in a while they invite me to go on errands with them, and they are definitely not shy about yelling at eachother or cursing in front of me which I don´t mind. One thing that I´m getting used to is that nobody closes the door when they use the restroom. I can handle it for the most part, but when we came back from picking grapes my host mom told me to wash my hands...and while I was washing she decided to use the toilet. I walked out in a hurry, and she asked if I wanted to dry my hands but I said no thanks. Ugh. So in some ways I´m part of the family and in other ways I´m not.
The days that I´m sad or lonely are hard for me. While my host mom and older sister don´t always know what to say to me, my other host sister Almudena still jokes around and talks to me. She´s easy for me to confide in, which is nice. She is the most enthusiastic about showing me the grapes, the pigs, the pueblo, etc. I´ve also gotten the chance to talk more with my host dad, he´s very nice and also seems interested in teaching me things - I thanked him for showing me how to cut the grapes, and next he says he´ll show me how he collects honey from their bees! Yikes! Nobody has brought up religion much, except for my host grandparents. When I walked into the kitchen on sunday morning they said they were watching "misa" (mass) on television and I was totally clueless. It turns out, when they don´t go to services on sundays they watch a big catholic mass service on television. I was kind of stuck, because I didn´t want to walk out or start heating up coffee, so I sat and watched with them while they followed the prayers with the congregation...it was interesting for me to see. I was glad that my host grandparents didn´t ask me too many questions about religion because I still don´t know how they are about those types of differences, they seem very traditional. I like them a lot though...the rest of the family seems to think the grandpa is a litte nuts or mentally off (he was sick with something last year) but he´s fun to chat with. He also taught me how to play dominos a few weeks ago...I´m starting to catch some things he says. My host grandma is really great. One day the rest of the family was gone for the day and we talked for a long time about random things. I was just excited I could hold a long conversation with her and understand what she was saying. My Spanish has gotten better in the past month or so...I still make lots of mistakes but I understand most things (if spoken clearly) and some phrases fly out of my mouth without me having to think about it. ¡Que bien!
I really like reading everybody´s comments. It´s nice to know people are thinking of me while I´m here, because I´m certainly thinking of people back home. Take care!
Since the last update I´ve done some very interesting things at the pueblo, like feed the pigs and help cut grapes! I´ve also finally started my Spanish courses, which have been going pretty well. Basically I´m learning grammar, culture, oral communication and written communication. The professors are all really nice and helpful, and there are friendly students from all over the world - like france, africa, and japan (and a good number from the states). Right now the level I´m in is a bit easy so I´m trying to move up another level. The workload is really light...most of the "homework" is to go out and talk to people, and my culture professor even said to go to a bar! I think it will be a fun semester. There are also some afternoon and weekend excursions planned that I´m excited about.
I´ve been getting to know my family better. I have had some rough days, where I really want to come home because of misunderstandings or being left out. Sometimes I wake up and everybody is already busy or out, they don´t tell me what their plans are for the day. Or I´ve offered to help prepare food, but one time my host mom said I would do it wrong and she didn´t want to show me how because it would take too long. That was really hard for me. I´ve gotten the chance to help them cut grapes in their fields, but at first they didn´t want me to come. My host mom doesn´t want me to do any hard work, like I´m more of a guest than a family member. This past weekend my host dad and sister did show me how to cut the grapes and it was definitely hard work! Despite the sore legs and bizarre insects (ugh I hate bugs, but my host family is immune to them. Whenever they see one they cut it up with their knives - brutal - and they also kill flies with their hands!) it was really really neat. It seems like the grapes are endless, there are so many. And they taste so sweet! When I get back to the states I probably won´t want to eat store bought ones anymore.
I think my host family is used to other students who usually do their own thing and don´t rely so much on the family, so maybe that´s why there are some hard times. But I´m becoming more of a family member in some ways. Once in a while they invite me to go on errands with them, and they are definitely not shy about yelling at eachother or cursing in front of me which I don´t mind. One thing that I´m getting used to is that nobody closes the door when they use the restroom. I can handle it for the most part, but when we came back from picking grapes my host mom told me to wash my hands...and while I was washing she decided to use the toilet. I walked out in a hurry, and she asked if I wanted to dry my hands but I said no thanks. Ugh. So in some ways I´m part of the family and in other ways I´m not.
The days that I´m sad or lonely are hard for me. While my host mom and older sister don´t always know what to say to me, my other host sister Almudena still jokes around and talks to me. She´s easy for me to confide in, which is nice. She is the most enthusiastic about showing me the grapes, the pigs, the pueblo, etc. I´ve also gotten the chance to talk more with my host dad, he´s very nice and also seems interested in teaching me things - I thanked him for showing me how to cut the grapes, and next he says he´ll show me how he collects honey from their bees! Yikes! Nobody has brought up religion much, except for my host grandparents. When I walked into the kitchen on sunday morning they said they were watching "misa" (mass) on television and I was totally clueless. It turns out, when they don´t go to services on sundays they watch a big catholic mass service on television. I was kind of stuck, because I didn´t want to walk out or start heating up coffee, so I sat and watched with them while they followed the prayers with the congregation...it was interesting for me to see. I was glad that my host grandparents didn´t ask me too many questions about religion because I still don´t know how they are about those types of differences, they seem very traditional. I like them a lot though...the rest of the family seems to think the grandpa is a litte nuts or mentally off (he was sick with something last year) but he´s fun to chat with. He also taught me how to play dominos a few weeks ago...I´m starting to catch some things he says. My host grandma is really great. One day the rest of the family was gone for the day and we talked for a long time about random things. I was just excited I could hold a long conversation with her and understand what she was saying. My Spanish has gotten better in the past month or so...I still make lots of mistakes but I understand most things (if spoken clearly) and some phrases fly out of my mouth without me having to think about it. ¡Que bien!
I really like reading everybody´s comments. It´s nice to know people are thinking of me while I´m here, because I´m certainly thinking of people back home. Take care!
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Things are low-key
Things have been low-key for me here. I´ve been going to my volunteer workplace but right now things are slow. They say that next week there are some things going on, so I´ll see how that goes. I´ve also been doing some other work to keep me busy. I read a book in Spanish, and right now I´m working on translating a very easy version of the Grapes of Wrath into Spanish - it´s a long project. My 2nd host sister is the one who made the suggestion...she knows some French and an itty bit of English, and she translates books for practice. Tomorrow there´s an orientation for international students, and then my course starts in about 2 weeks.
I was at the pueblo again this past weekend. My 2nd host sister and I went for a walk and she showed me around. There is a huge river, lots of trees, and blackberry bushes! I felt like I was at a private national park, without tourists. It´s a really beautiful place. She said there are still lots of places she wants to show me. One night my host parents were out in the fields until almost midnight and we ate dinner really late. At 1:30 my host sister said we would be going out soon and asked if I wanted to change...I was shocked about leaving the house so late, but I guess some events don´t even start until 1 oclock. And it was a family outing - not just my host sisters, but my host parents too. There was this huge fiesta about 15 minutes away in another pueblo, with a live group singing rock and popular Spanish songs, carnival games, bouncy houses, and food and drinks. There were lots of people when we got there, and still a good amount when we left at 4. My host sisters said that the fiestas usually last until morning and that they usually stay later, but that night my host dad wasn´t feeling great. Wow!
I´m surprised at how much I´ve been missing food from back home. I´d kill for thai food from mix bowl, frozen yogurt, or pizza. One night I dreamed that my mom and I were at the grocery store and they had four types of hamburger patties to sample - and the samples weren´t just pieces, but whole patties! And the other day I was daydreaming that my roommate called me to say she was on her way to mix bowl and if I wanted anything, and I said "yeah! chow mein and thai tea boba!" When I came back to reality I was really disappointed. It´s sad that my family cooks with so much oil and hardly ever eat sweets, but at least I can buy chocolate.
There have been a few things here that I´ve liked a lot though. One time we had this thing called an empanada - it was in a big box, like a sheet cake, cut into squares. It´s basically two layers of egg bread (reminded me a bit of challah, except thinner) filled in between with tuna, cooked onions, and tomate paste I think. Like a spanish style tuna sandwich. And the one dessert I´ve seen them make is a special birthday cake that is REALLY good. It´s a lot like cheesecake, except all it is is a cookie crumb crust, "nata" which means cream, and plain yogurt (I think), with cinnamon on top. I didn´t see the whole thing being made, but I did see the pot of cream on the stove, so maybe they heat the cream with the yogurt so it thickens? And it´s not baked, but refrigerated until solid. I want to try and get the recipe.
Everything at the pueblo is freshly grown/raised - green beans, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, eggs, chickens - and they hardly need to buy anything. I still can´t believe that the chicken I eat is all freshly killed...it´s more chewy than store-bought. I was thinking about how sad it is that they kill the chickens, but they´ve been doing it for years and to them it´s totally ordinary. Then I was also thinking about how chicken is prepared for grocery stores in the states - how they live in teeny cages and are injected with hormones - and I realized that the chickens here on the farm have a better life. They grow up with family and are not crammed into cages. Plus I can handle the extra chewiness, it´s more natural than hormones. My host mom joked that by the end of the semester I´ll kill one, but I don´t think so haha...maybe I´ll just try to hold one. I like watching the chickens wander around pecking at stuff, and then I get sad when I remember that soon they will have their necks pulled, but at least they can enjoy themselves until then.
Next time I update I´ll show some pictures of Leon and the pueblo. Take care everyone.
I was at the pueblo again this past weekend. My 2nd host sister and I went for a walk and she showed me around. There is a huge river, lots of trees, and blackberry bushes! I felt like I was at a private national park, without tourists. It´s a really beautiful place. She said there are still lots of places she wants to show me. One night my host parents were out in the fields until almost midnight and we ate dinner really late. At 1:30 my host sister said we would be going out soon and asked if I wanted to change...I was shocked about leaving the house so late, but I guess some events don´t even start until 1 oclock. And it was a family outing - not just my host sisters, but my host parents too. There was this huge fiesta about 15 minutes away in another pueblo, with a live group singing rock and popular Spanish songs, carnival games, bouncy houses, and food and drinks. There were lots of people when we got there, and still a good amount when we left at 4. My host sisters said that the fiestas usually last until morning and that they usually stay later, but that night my host dad wasn´t feeling great. Wow!
I´m surprised at how much I´ve been missing food from back home. I´d kill for thai food from mix bowl, frozen yogurt, or pizza. One night I dreamed that my mom and I were at the grocery store and they had four types of hamburger patties to sample - and the samples weren´t just pieces, but whole patties! And the other day I was daydreaming that my roommate called me to say she was on her way to mix bowl and if I wanted anything, and I said "yeah! chow mein and thai tea boba!" When I came back to reality I was really disappointed. It´s sad that my family cooks with so much oil and hardly ever eat sweets, but at least I can buy chocolate.
There have been a few things here that I´ve liked a lot though. One time we had this thing called an empanada - it was in a big box, like a sheet cake, cut into squares. It´s basically two layers of egg bread (reminded me a bit of challah, except thinner) filled in between with tuna, cooked onions, and tomate paste I think. Like a spanish style tuna sandwich. And the one dessert I´ve seen them make is a special birthday cake that is REALLY good. It´s a lot like cheesecake, except all it is is a cookie crumb crust, "nata" which means cream, and plain yogurt (I think), with cinnamon on top. I didn´t see the whole thing being made, but I did see the pot of cream on the stove, so maybe they heat the cream with the yogurt so it thickens? And it´s not baked, but refrigerated until solid. I want to try and get the recipe.
Everything at the pueblo is freshly grown/raised - green beans, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, eggs, chickens - and they hardly need to buy anything. I still can´t believe that the chicken I eat is all freshly killed...it´s more chewy than store-bought. I was thinking about how sad it is that they kill the chickens, but they´ve been doing it for years and to them it´s totally ordinary. Then I was also thinking about how chicken is prepared for grocery stores in the states - how they live in teeny cages and are injected with hormones - and I realized that the chickens here on the farm have a better life. They grow up with family and are not crammed into cages. Plus I can handle the extra chewiness, it´s more natural than hormones. My host mom joked that by the end of the semester I´ll kill one, but I don´t think so haha...maybe I´ll just try to hold one. I like watching the chickens wander around pecking at stuff, and then I get sad when I remember that soon they will have their necks pulled, but at least they can enjoy themselves until then.
Next time I update I´ll show some pictures of Leon and the pueblo. Take care everyone.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
My first week in Leon
My family and I flew here to Leon on the 3rd from Barcelona. My host mom is the sweetest lady. At the airport she gave me a huge hug and held my hand and talked a lot. I also met one of my host sisters, who just turned 23 a few days ago. She laughs a lot and is very friendly. Both her and her mom help me out so much and show me around. The first evening I was there my host sister and I walked around town and she took me to this apartment building where they get fresh cow´s milk! There was this man who poured my host sister 2 big jugs and kept telling people to keep the door closed. Maybe it´s illegal? Anyways at the apartment my host mom boiled the milk on the stove to kill bacteria. I couldn´t believe it! Fresh cow´s milk! I´ve been putting it in my coffee every morning. The apartment I´m in is modest and comfortable. I get my own bedroom and share a bathroom. The city of Leon is really great. Everything that I might need is nearby and everybody walks everywhere. There is a bus that I need to take however to my volunteer workplace. Twice a week I´ll be working at a place called Fundación Secretariado Gitano, where they promote gypsies´rights and teach them helpful skills to get a job, maintain a living, etc. I´ll be like an aid helping out with activities, probably with people of all ages. I think it will be a really different yet exciting experience and I start next week.
I´ve been eating some interesting food. When I traveled around with my family we ate amazing gazpacho, tortillas españolas, churros, and pastries. My host mom and sister have made pork loin, ham sandwiches, frozen pizzas with added chorizo (sausage), and ensaladilla (means small salad...cooked and mashed potato, carrot, green bean, egg, tomato, tuna, olives, and mayonnaise smooshed together...I like it actually) for example. There is some form of pork every day. And sometimes the food is dripping with oil so my stomache hurts. In general the food has been ok, but lately I´ve been missing the sandwich bar at Pitzer. I feel really pressured to eat everything on my plate because my host mom repeats a lot how she hates wasting food. Once she made arroz con leche (rice with milk, a dessert) that we ate for 3 days and I wasn´t a huge fan of it. There is always bread and tomatoes with oil and vinegar, and fruit for dessert. Every morning I eat cookies or spongy cakes called magdalenas with coffee for breakfast; lunch is between 2 and 3, and dinner is between 9 and 10. It´s a weird schedule that I´m still getting used to. My host mom and I talk a lot during breakfast, and during lunch and dinner we watch tv with my host sister (she´s been studying for exams in the mornings). I get along really well with both of them. I already know I´m going to have a hard time saying goodbye to everyone. They are so afffectionate with me, and actually everyone in general is more affectionate here...I´ve kissed a bunch of people in greeting, it´s all very new to me.
My host family consists of more than just my mom and sister. The rest of the family (host dad, grandparents, and 2nd sister) lives in a pueblo (meaning town) an hour away in another city called Zamora. My host mom and sister drive to the pueblo every weekend. The only reason why they have the apartment in Leon is because the daughters take classes at the University. We drove to the pueblo this past weekend and I met everybody else. My 2nd host sister is my age! I am really excited. She is hilarious and talkative and she is living with us in the apartment starting this week. She´s probably even more warm and affectionate than her older sister. Both of them talk clearly and I can understand them (my host mom is a little harder to understand, and my host grandparents nearly impossible). I will learn so much Spanish because of my host sisters and I know we´ll be close friends. We went out on Saturday night to meet some of their friends and I was totally lost because I didn´t understand any of their jokes or colloquialisms. They tried to include me though and I had a good time. At the pueblo my host mom washed everyone´s clothes by hand, a big job. They have a farm there, with chickens and pigs, plus they grow fruits and vegetables - like pears, grapes, and even sunflower seeds. There´s also a water well nearby. My host mom told me they kill the chickens which sort of grossed me out, but not as much as the fact that they kill a big pig for Christmas. My host mom told me that the previous student they hosted (actually they´ve hosted like 15 international students from all over!) couldn´t watch. Luckily I´ll be leaving before Christmas. But I´ve already witnessed the chicken process, it was a lovely surprise. Yesterday we were at the pueblo to pick up my 2nd host sister. She took me outside to show me the animals and I saw my host grandpa holding 2 dead chickens...I was shocked. Then he went to kill some more and I told my host sister I was freaked out and she understood so we didn´t watch, but I could still hear the squawking, it was awful. The chickens were rinsed with hot water and then my host mom, sisters, and grandma sat and pulled all the feathers. I was still in shock and standing a good distance away staring, and then they told me to sit with them. So I sat...at first I was really disgusted and felt kind of faint - I never liked dissections in biology and I hate killing even spiders - plus there were flies allll over the place. Haha but the funniest thing was that my host mom had out a package of cookies and offered me some. At first I said no I can´t, but she insisted, ugh. So I ate cookies and watched them de-feather the chickens. After they were de-feathered they were put on hangers and then my host dad torched them to singe off all the little hairs. Then they were cut open and cleaned out - the guts were thrown away and the innards were kept for later. After a final rinsing they were done. There were about 7 altogether. I can´t believe I saw all this and will be seeing more of it this semester. It wasn´t so awful, but I did feel a little sick and I definitely would not be able to watch what they do with the pigs.
Their place at the pueblo is also comfortable (with a kitchen, living room, 4 rooms and only 1 bathroom all along a hallway), but the town itself is old and old-fashioned. It feels nothing like the city or Europe. I´m excited about it though because for a while I thought "am I playing it safe by studying abroad in Spain when I know of people studying abroad in India and Africa and when I already know some Spanish" but everything is different at the pueblo. Everyone either lounges in their pajamas, takes naps after lunch, feeds the animals, collects water or fruit, etc. It may not be as extreme as in other countries, but it´s certainly different from Orange County or Claremont. And my Spanish is shaky - I understand a good amount but have trouble speaking it. My host sisters have been teaching me common expressions and sayings, and I´m also working hard at rolling my "r´s". I have no doubt that I´ll be practically fluent by the time I come home.
Some things haven´t been easy here. At times I feel left out when the family is together and other times I get shy because I don´t know what´s expected of me. I feel pressured to eat things I don´t like, and my host mom encourages me to buy new clothes and to dress nicer. Some stores have strange schedules. But the hardest thing right now is the fact that I´m Jewish. Soon after I met my host mom she showed me a picture of the church at the pueblo on their calendar. And this past weekend my host grandma asked me if I like Mass. When my parents were still in town they came to the apartment one night for dinner. My hosts showed a video of my host sisters´first communion, and they were laughing and pointing things out, and then my host mom asked if we were Catholic. I said we´re Jewish, and then she didn´t really say anything. I couldn´t tell if she was embarrassed or what, but I was uncomfortable. I´m not being judged or treated any differently, but I feel like I need to put my Judaism on hold. I´m too embarrassed to explain to them because I´m not sure how they view this difference, or if they know much about Judaism at all. Catholicism and Judaism have lots of differences. I´m a little sad especially because the High Holidays are about to start and I won´t be celebrating them. I´m not very religious, but at least at Pitzer I have the option of celebrating with Hillel or going home for the dinner. I feel comfortable discussing religion with friends at school. But here I can´t do those things. Maybe my host sisters are more open so eventually I´ll be able to talk to them about it, and after the High Holidays I´ll feel a little better.
All in all though, things have been fine and I´m having a great experience. My hosts are so nice and I´ve been learning a lot from them. When we are all together at the pueblo everyone jokes around a lot and I can tell that they are really close.
Anyways I miss Pitzer a lot too! I hope the semester is off to a great start for everyone and I wish all my family a Shanah Tova!
I´ve been eating some interesting food. When I traveled around with my family we ate amazing gazpacho, tortillas españolas, churros, and pastries. My host mom and sister have made pork loin, ham sandwiches, frozen pizzas with added chorizo (sausage), and ensaladilla (means small salad...cooked and mashed potato, carrot, green bean, egg, tomato, tuna, olives, and mayonnaise smooshed together...I like it actually) for example. There is some form of pork every day. And sometimes the food is dripping with oil so my stomache hurts. In general the food has been ok, but lately I´ve been missing the sandwich bar at Pitzer. I feel really pressured to eat everything on my plate because my host mom repeats a lot how she hates wasting food. Once she made arroz con leche (rice with milk, a dessert) that we ate for 3 days and I wasn´t a huge fan of it. There is always bread and tomatoes with oil and vinegar, and fruit for dessert. Every morning I eat cookies or spongy cakes called magdalenas with coffee for breakfast; lunch is between 2 and 3, and dinner is between 9 and 10. It´s a weird schedule that I´m still getting used to. My host mom and I talk a lot during breakfast, and during lunch and dinner we watch tv with my host sister (she´s been studying for exams in the mornings). I get along really well with both of them. I already know I´m going to have a hard time saying goodbye to everyone. They are so afffectionate with me, and actually everyone in general is more affectionate here...I´ve kissed a bunch of people in greeting, it´s all very new to me.
My host family consists of more than just my mom and sister. The rest of the family (host dad, grandparents, and 2nd sister) lives in a pueblo (meaning town) an hour away in another city called Zamora. My host mom and sister drive to the pueblo every weekend. The only reason why they have the apartment in Leon is because the daughters take classes at the University. We drove to the pueblo this past weekend and I met everybody else. My 2nd host sister is my age! I am really excited. She is hilarious and talkative and she is living with us in the apartment starting this week. She´s probably even more warm and affectionate than her older sister. Both of them talk clearly and I can understand them (my host mom is a little harder to understand, and my host grandparents nearly impossible). I will learn so much Spanish because of my host sisters and I know we´ll be close friends. We went out on Saturday night to meet some of their friends and I was totally lost because I didn´t understand any of their jokes or colloquialisms. They tried to include me though and I had a good time. At the pueblo my host mom washed everyone´s clothes by hand, a big job. They have a farm there, with chickens and pigs, plus they grow fruits and vegetables - like pears, grapes, and even sunflower seeds. There´s also a water well nearby. My host mom told me they kill the chickens which sort of grossed me out, but not as much as the fact that they kill a big pig for Christmas. My host mom told me that the previous student they hosted (actually they´ve hosted like 15 international students from all over!) couldn´t watch. Luckily I´ll be leaving before Christmas. But I´ve already witnessed the chicken process, it was a lovely surprise. Yesterday we were at the pueblo to pick up my 2nd host sister. She took me outside to show me the animals and I saw my host grandpa holding 2 dead chickens...I was shocked. Then he went to kill some more and I told my host sister I was freaked out and she understood so we didn´t watch, but I could still hear the squawking, it was awful. The chickens were rinsed with hot water and then my host mom, sisters, and grandma sat and pulled all the feathers. I was still in shock and standing a good distance away staring, and then they told me to sit with them. So I sat...at first I was really disgusted and felt kind of faint - I never liked dissections in biology and I hate killing even spiders - plus there were flies allll over the place. Haha but the funniest thing was that my host mom had out a package of cookies and offered me some. At first I said no I can´t, but she insisted, ugh. So I ate cookies and watched them de-feather the chickens. After they were de-feathered they were put on hangers and then my host dad torched them to singe off all the little hairs. Then they were cut open and cleaned out - the guts were thrown away and the innards were kept for later. After a final rinsing they were done. There were about 7 altogether. I can´t believe I saw all this and will be seeing more of it this semester. It wasn´t so awful, but I did feel a little sick and I definitely would not be able to watch what they do with the pigs.
Their place at the pueblo is also comfortable (with a kitchen, living room, 4 rooms and only 1 bathroom all along a hallway), but the town itself is old and old-fashioned. It feels nothing like the city or Europe. I´m excited about it though because for a while I thought "am I playing it safe by studying abroad in Spain when I know of people studying abroad in India and Africa and when I already know some Spanish" but everything is different at the pueblo. Everyone either lounges in their pajamas, takes naps after lunch, feeds the animals, collects water or fruit, etc. It may not be as extreme as in other countries, but it´s certainly different from Orange County or Claremont. And my Spanish is shaky - I understand a good amount but have trouble speaking it. My host sisters have been teaching me common expressions and sayings, and I´m also working hard at rolling my "r´s". I have no doubt that I´ll be practically fluent by the time I come home.
Some things haven´t been easy here. At times I feel left out when the family is together and other times I get shy because I don´t know what´s expected of me. I feel pressured to eat things I don´t like, and my host mom encourages me to buy new clothes and to dress nicer. Some stores have strange schedules. But the hardest thing right now is the fact that I´m Jewish. Soon after I met my host mom she showed me a picture of the church at the pueblo on their calendar. And this past weekend my host grandma asked me if I like Mass. When my parents were still in town they came to the apartment one night for dinner. My hosts showed a video of my host sisters´first communion, and they were laughing and pointing things out, and then my host mom asked if we were Catholic. I said we´re Jewish, and then she didn´t really say anything. I couldn´t tell if she was embarrassed or what, but I was uncomfortable. I´m not being judged or treated any differently, but I feel like I need to put my Judaism on hold. I´m too embarrassed to explain to them because I´m not sure how they view this difference, or if they know much about Judaism at all. Catholicism and Judaism have lots of differences. I´m a little sad especially because the High Holidays are about to start and I won´t be celebrating them. I´m not very religious, but at least at Pitzer I have the option of celebrating with Hillel or going home for the dinner. I feel comfortable discussing religion with friends at school. But here I can´t do those things. Maybe my host sisters are more open so eventually I´ll be able to talk to them about it, and after the High Holidays I´ll feel a little better.
All in all though, things have been fine and I´m having a great experience. My hosts are so nice and I´ve been learning a lot from them. When we are all together at the pueblo everyone jokes around a lot and I can tell that they are really close.
Anyways I miss Pitzer a lot too! I hope the semester is off to a great start for everyone and I wish all my family a Shanah Tova!
Monday, September 10, 2007
The final cities
I´ve fallen behind on my updates...this will be long, so I might break it up and finish tomorrow... luckily there´s an internet place right down the street from me. Oh and I gave my parents my memory card with all the pictures when they left so unfortunately I can´t put any more pictures up. But ask and maybe they can send you some.
After Seville we drove a rental car to Tarifa - a beach city from where we´d visit Gibraltar and Tangiers Morocco. On the way we stopped at a hillside town called Los Arcos. It wasn´t amazing- lots of places were closed and it was kind of boring. Tarifa reminded me of Laguna Beach, but not fancy and filled with Spanish speakers on vacation. It was a funky town but we didn´t see much of it since we mostly made day trips elsewhere. We drove to Gibraltar, which is a peninsula off of Spain and is British. It was interesting hearing both English and Spanish accents. We had English food for lunch, looked in shops, and later took an airtram ride to the top of the Rock of Gibraltar, basically a really high mountain. At the top there were tons of monkeys hanging out! It was really bizarre and funny. We also saw some caves with stalactites and stalagmites. We ended up hiking down the huge rock - there were paved streets to walk on but it took forever - and we were exhausted, plus some things we wanted to see were closed. The rest of the day was a disaster - everyone was cranky, we got into Tarifa late, and there was absolutely no place to park. Aside from the English lunch and the monkeys, Gibraltar was just ok.
The day after Gibraltar we took a 30 minute ferry boat to Tangiers, Morocco. What an experience that was. I was nervous at first, being in a place so foreign. I have a greater appreciation for the people I know who are studying abroad in developing countries - I wasn´t exactly in my comfort zone and even just one day was a little difficult. We had a tour guide with us which was definitely helpful. He reminded me a little of my high school principal - slick, distracted, and phony - but he was smart and knew his way around. I guess he was a nice guy. He had to leave a little early because he said he had an appointment and his replacement was really great. He went on and on telling us about Islam and the culture and other general stuff. In Morocco, Tangiers in the 5th largest city. Islam is the most practiced religion, 2nd is Judaism, and 3rd is Christianity. It was interesting learning a bit about the religion and culture there - for example in the markets it´s less common to see pork because, like Jews, Muslims don´t eat it (but man, in Spain it´s everywhere!). Muslims pray 5 times a day...our 2nd guide was funny, he said that it´s good because it gives less time for people to be bad, ie when would you have time to get drunk? Overall religion in Morocco is really important. We saw some interesting places there. We drove by the King´s residence, saw where the Mediterranean and Atlantic seas meet, and some of us got to ride camels. We visited the market place - it was crowded and lots of people were trying to sell things to our tour group. One guy followed my dad forever until my mom bought the bracelets he was forcing on us. People there will not take no for an answer. My mom was really into all of it though, like bargaining. Ugh one time we were in a shop with her and while she was looking at something another worker tried to sell my dad a wallet, me a purse, and my brother a hookah pipe! Lunch was really tasty, although the place was awfully touristy - the only people eating there were tour groups. I had a great lamb dish with couscous, and for dessert there were little cookies and really sweet mint tea. Probably one of the coolest places we went to was this pharmacy/spice shop recommended by our 2nd guide. The guy there showed us all these spices/oils/medicines for cooking and illnesses that were inexpensive, so we bought some. It was really neat...I´ve got this oil that you rub in your nose to help when you´re nauseous or seasick etc. I still can´t believe how crazy and new that whole experience in Morocco was, whew.
Next we drove to Granada. I wasn´t expecting much from Granada but I ended up liking it a lot. First of all, when you order drinks in a restaurant you automatically get a free tapas dish, or appetizer! The hotel receptionist was really great - he recommended good restaurants and was very friendly. Granada has a lot of Arab influence -there were Middle Eastern restaurants, tea shops, hookah lounges, etc. It was a funky, hippie-ish place and it made me miss Pitzer. We were there for 2 nights. The Alhambra, which some say is the biggest attraction in Spain, is a humongous Moorish palace and gardens site that we visited. We saw the Mezquita and Alcazar in Córdoba and Sevilla, but the Alhambra was larger and had more to see. The architecture and gardens were spectacular! We also saw where King Ferdinand, Queen Isabella and their children are buried in a nearby chapel. But Granada was a quick stop, mainly to see the Alhambra.
We then finally we flew to Barcelona. It was the hugest, most crowded city of all. It was also the most touristy - we saw the most Americans there by far. It reminded me of New York and was a ton of fun. They speak Catalan there, which I think is a lot like French and I didn´t like it much, but people get by ok using Spanish too so it was ok. There was so much to do and see and eat! We were there for 3 nights altogether but I wish we were there for a week. The second day was all about Gaudi architecture and chocolate. We visited a place called Park Güell, which was originally planned to be a housing complex site designed by Gaudi but failed. There was some really amazing architecture there. I think seeing Gaudi´s work was the best part of Barcelona. We also toured around and looked atother buildings that he designed. One, called La Pedrera, was an apartment complex that was really interesting. All the rooms in each apartment got natural sunlight and all the doorways were intricately carved. On the roof there were statues and columns and things that looked like melting ice cream cones! The place was big and curvy - easy to get lost in, in fact we were separated from my mom for a long time in there. Overall Gaudi´s work is like fantasyland/Tim Burton/Dr. Seuss - lots of melting things, asymmetry, and nature inspired designs.
We also went to a chocolate museum where there were displays of chocolate models and descriptions about the origin and history of chocolate. The visit wouldn´t have been complete without samples and gift buying. We all felt a little sick that night. So we had a Gaudi/chocolate day, and after that we had a Dali day (while in other cities we learned about religious history, in Barcelona it was all about art). We took a long train ride to a city called Figueres, where we visited the Salvador Dali museum. There was some very bizarre artwork there - one of them was a painting of the backside of a woman, but from far away it looked like Abraham Lincoln. Very twisted. He also did some sculptures and jewelry. Everything was really impressive. On our last day in Barcelona we enjoyed sweets, and of course visited the old Jewish quarter. Even though I said Barcelona was our art extravaganza, no visit would be complete without seeing an old synagogue or two. This one in Barcelona was really small and secluded, and had a collection of objects from around Europe.
So all in all the ratings are (1 best, 9 worst)...
1 Toledo
2 Sevilla
3 Barcelona
4 Granada
5 Madrid
6 Gibraltar/Morocco
7 Lisbon
8 Tarifa
9 Córdoba
Each place was so distinct, I liked them all for different reasons. Toledo was quaint but also full of character and charm, and had so much history. And Sevilla was really cultured and sophisticated. Barcelona was full of character but in a completely different sense than Toledo because it was so crowded and busy. And as far as the worst ones - Tarifa had no sights and we were really only there as a stepping stone to Gibraltar and Morocco (which I liked about the same). Córdoba was just...plain. We didn´t meet extraordinary people, and I didn´t get an overwhelming sense of charm. Maybe because we were only there for one night, but nevertheless is wasn´t fun compared to the other places. Tomorrow I will update about Leon and my host family. So far things are going well :)
After Seville we drove a rental car to Tarifa - a beach city from where we´d visit Gibraltar and Tangiers Morocco. On the way we stopped at a hillside town called Los Arcos. It wasn´t amazing- lots of places were closed and it was kind of boring. Tarifa reminded me of Laguna Beach, but not fancy and filled with Spanish speakers on vacation. It was a funky town but we didn´t see much of it since we mostly made day trips elsewhere. We drove to Gibraltar, which is a peninsula off of Spain and is British. It was interesting hearing both English and Spanish accents. We had English food for lunch, looked in shops, and later took an airtram ride to the top of the Rock of Gibraltar, basically a really high mountain. At the top there were tons of monkeys hanging out! It was really bizarre and funny. We also saw some caves with stalactites and stalagmites. We ended up hiking down the huge rock - there were paved streets to walk on but it took forever - and we were exhausted, plus some things we wanted to see were closed. The rest of the day was a disaster - everyone was cranky, we got into Tarifa late, and there was absolutely no place to park. Aside from the English lunch and the monkeys, Gibraltar was just ok.
The day after Gibraltar we took a 30 minute ferry boat to Tangiers, Morocco. What an experience that was. I was nervous at first, being in a place so foreign. I have a greater appreciation for the people I know who are studying abroad in developing countries - I wasn´t exactly in my comfort zone and even just one day was a little difficult. We had a tour guide with us which was definitely helpful. He reminded me a little of my high school principal - slick, distracted, and phony - but he was smart and knew his way around. I guess he was a nice guy. He had to leave a little early because he said he had an appointment and his replacement was really great. He went on and on telling us about Islam and the culture and other general stuff. In Morocco, Tangiers in the 5th largest city. Islam is the most practiced religion, 2nd is Judaism, and 3rd is Christianity. It was interesting learning a bit about the religion and culture there - for example in the markets it´s less common to see pork because, like Jews, Muslims don´t eat it (but man, in Spain it´s everywhere!). Muslims pray 5 times a day...our 2nd guide was funny, he said that it´s good because it gives less time for people to be bad, ie when would you have time to get drunk? Overall religion in Morocco is really important. We saw some interesting places there. We drove by the King´s residence, saw where the Mediterranean and Atlantic seas meet, and some of us got to ride camels. We visited the market place - it was crowded and lots of people were trying to sell things to our tour group. One guy followed my dad forever until my mom bought the bracelets he was forcing on us. People there will not take no for an answer. My mom was really into all of it though, like bargaining. Ugh one time we were in a shop with her and while she was looking at something another worker tried to sell my dad a wallet, me a purse, and my brother a hookah pipe! Lunch was really tasty, although the place was awfully touristy - the only people eating there were tour groups. I had a great lamb dish with couscous, and for dessert there were little cookies and really sweet mint tea. Probably one of the coolest places we went to was this pharmacy/spice shop recommended by our 2nd guide. The guy there showed us all these spices/oils/medicines for cooking and illnesses that were inexpensive, so we bought some. It was really neat...I´ve got this oil that you rub in your nose to help when you´re nauseous or seasick etc. I still can´t believe how crazy and new that whole experience in Morocco was, whew.
Next we drove to Granada. I wasn´t expecting much from Granada but I ended up liking it a lot. First of all, when you order drinks in a restaurant you automatically get a free tapas dish, or appetizer! The hotel receptionist was really great - he recommended good restaurants and was very friendly. Granada has a lot of Arab influence -there were Middle Eastern restaurants, tea shops, hookah lounges, etc. It was a funky, hippie-ish place and it made me miss Pitzer. We were there for 2 nights. The Alhambra, which some say is the biggest attraction in Spain, is a humongous Moorish palace and gardens site that we visited. We saw the Mezquita and Alcazar in Córdoba and Sevilla, but the Alhambra was larger and had more to see. The architecture and gardens were spectacular! We also saw where King Ferdinand, Queen Isabella and their children are buried in a nearby chapel. But Granada was a quick stop, mainly to see the Alhambra.
We then finally we flew to Barcelona. It was the hugest, most crowded city of all. It was also the most touristy - we saw the most Americans there by far. It reminded me of New York and was a ton of fun. They speak Catalan there, which I think is a lot like French and I didn´t like it much, but people get by ok using Spanish too so it was ok. There was so much to do and see and eat! We were there for 3 nights altogether but I wish we were there for a week. The second day was all about Gaudi architecture and chocolate. We visited a place called Park Güell, which was originally planned to be a housing complex site designed by Gaudi but failed. There was some really amazing architecture there. I think seeing Gaudi´s work was the best part of Barcelona. We also toured around and looked atother buildings that he designed. One, called La Pedrera, was an apartment complex that was really interesting. All the rooms in each apartment got natural sunlight and all the doorways were intricately carved. On the roof there were statues and columns and things that looked like melting ice cream cones! The place was big and curvy - easy to get lost in, in fact we were separated from my mom for a long time in there. Overall Gaudi´s work is like fantasyland/Tim Burton/Dr. Seuss - lots of melting things, asymmetry, and nature inspired designs.
We also went to a chocolate museum where there were displays of chocolate models and descriptions about the origin and history of chocolate. The visit wouldn´t have been complete without samples and gift buying. We all felt a little sick that night. So we had a Gaudi/chocolate day, and after that we had a Dali day (while in other cities we learned about religious history, in Barcelona it was all about art). We took a long train ride to a city called Figueres, where we visited the Salvador Dali museum. There was some very bizarre artwork there - one of them was a painting of the backside of a woman, but from far away it looked like Abraham Lincoln. Very twisted. He also did some sculptures and jewelry. Everything was really impressive. On our last day in Barcelona we enjoyed sweets, and of course visited the old Jewish quarter. Even though I said Barcelona was our art extravaganza, no visit would be complete without seeing an old synagogue or two. This one in Barcelona was really small and secluded, and had a collection of objects from around Europe.
So all in all the ratings are (1 best, 9 worst)...
1 Toledo
2 Sevilla
3 Barcelona
4 Granada
5 Madrid
6 Gibraltar/Morocco
7 Lisbon
8 Tarifa
9 Córdoba
Each place was so distinct, I liked them all for different reasons. Toledo was quaint but also full of character and charm, and had so much history. And Sevilla was really cultured and sophisticated. Barcelona was full of character but in a completely different sense than Toledo because it was so crowded and busy. And as far as the worst ones - Tarifa had no sights and we were really only there as a stepping stone to Gibraltar and Morocco (which I liked about the same). Córdoba was just...plain. We didn´t meet extraordinary people, and I didn´t get an overwhelming sense of charm. Maybe because we were only there for one night, but nevertheless is wasn´t fun compared to the other places. Tomorrow I will update about Leon and my host family. So far things are going well :)
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Some lovely photos
These top 2 were taken at El Castelo de Sao George in Lisbon.And this is the synagogue we visited.
This is the outside of the huge monastery in 
Belem.
Belem.And this is the high monument building. We took an elevator/climbed some stairs to get the top and the view was great.
These are just a few Lisbon highlights. It´s tricky to get a lot of pictures up, but I plan on saving everything to CD so eventually anyone who wants to see more will be able to. I´ll upload some Spain ones in the future. Adios until then!
Toledo Córdoba and Sevilla
We´ve done a ton of things since last week!
Overall Madrid involved a lot of walking and not as much picture taking. We couldn´t take pictures in either the Royal Palace or the Prado art museum. The Prado was huge and had lots of great artwork by El Greco, Rubens, Goya...to name a few.
We were in Madrid for 2 nights, and after that we took a train to Toledo. While Madrid was a bustling city, the old part of Toledo where we stayed was quaint and midieval with narrow stone roads. I loved it - my favorite so far. We met friendly people, shopped, and learned about religious history. When we first arrived, we visited a shop where we saw "damasacene" - black steel plates or jewelry inlaid with gold and silver wire - being handcrafted. This is the signature artwork of Toledo and is really gorgeous. Of course the men working there were extra friendly trying to sell things - we had a good time, and did end up buying gifts. While in Toledo we visited the main cathedral, built in the late 1400´s. It is the most impressive and elaborate I´ve seen, with super high ceilings, detailed carvings, and lots of separate rooms (some with tombs, others showcasing traditional robes or ceremonial objects). We also learned about Jewish roots. Altogether in Spain, there are allegedly only 3 synagogues remaining from before the Inquisition - 2 in Toledo and 1 in Córdoba. La Sinagoga del Tránsito (synagogue of the river, or also known as el Museo Sefardi) is Spain´s national Jewish museum. The synagogue was built in the 1300´s, but later, in the 1400´s, Jews and Muslims were exiled in the effort to make Spain a Christian nation. The synagogue then became a church, and later a military shelter. It is now restored, and the museum added on has Jewish ritual objects collected from different areas in Spain. We also visited the former synagogue Santa Maria la Blanca in Toledo which, like la Sinagoga del Tránsito, was converted into a church after the Jews and Muslims were forced to convert or flee. It still stands as a church.
We took a train back through Madrid to Córdoba next. Córdoba was really hot, with modern shops and fountains - it was nice, but I liked Madrid and Toledo more. We were only there for 1 night. We visited the last of the 3 remaining old synagogues, plus another Jewish museum dedicated to Sephardic traditions and a statue of Maimonides. One of the biggest highlights of Córdoba is La Mezquita - built in the 1300´s, it used to be a Muslim mosque. More wings were added in the 1700´s by Christians after the Inquisition and it became a church. It is a really gorgeous building. I feel that so far we´ve been seeing a lot of the same story - mosques and synagogues turned into cathedrals - but now we´re in Sevilla and it´s been a breath of fresh (but humid and rainy) air...
I wasn´t a huge fan of Córdoba - there wasn´t a lot to do and people were much more "in your face" when selling stuff. I guess we´re obvious tourists. Sevilla is a fun place. It´s very busy at nighttime and there are some great places to see. It´s the site of Real Alcazar, which is an old palace (surprise, not a cathedral) built in the 1300´s by Moors. During the 1400´s extra wings were added, and it is where Queen Isabella met with Columbus when he returned from his travels to the Americas. The tilework was intact throughout most of the palace, and there were beautiful arches and ponds. Outside there was a huge gardens area with lots of trees, ducks, and fountains. Also in Sevilla is the 3rd largest cathedral in Europe. We didn´t actually go inside, but it definitely looks gigantic from the outside. Last night we went to an exciting flamenco show. There was a really talented guitarrist and this singer who had a very guttural voice. The singing had lots of wailing - a little unusual. Then there were also 2 dancers, one male and the other female, and they did lots of fancy, fast footwork and tapping.
So far our hotels have been nice, moderate quality. This one in Sevilla is definitely one of the coolest. It´s called Hotel Amadeus and its theme is everything classical music. There is a grand piano, cello, and harp in the lobby, as well as an additional upright piano in a side room off the lobby. They´ve got sheet music and cd´s, and any guest can play. It seems to be an old-fashioned building, but it´s cozy. And only this month breakfast is included, which saves some money.
Later tonight I´ll try putting up some pictures...they might go well with all the descriptions :)
Overall Madrid involved a lot of walking and not as much picture taking. We couldn´t take pictures in either the Royal Palace or the Prado art museum. The Prado was huge and had lots of great artwork by El Greco, Rubens, Goya...to name a few.
We were in Madrid for 2 nights, and after that we took a train to Toledo. While Madrid was a bustling city, the old part of Toledo where we stayed was quaint and midieval with narrow stone roads. I loved it - my favorite so far. We met friendly people, shopped, and learned about religious history. When we first arrived, we visited a shop where we saw "damasacene" - black steel plates or jewelry inlaid with gold and silver wire - being handcrafted. This is the signature artwork of Toledo and is really gorgeous. Of course the men working there were extra friendly trying to sell things - we had a good time, and did end up buying gifts. While in Toledo we visited the main cathedral, built in the late 1400´s. It is the most impressive and elaborate I´ve seen, with super high ceilings, detailed carvings, and lots of separate rooms (some with tombs, others showcasing traditional robes or ceremonial objects). We also learned about Jewish roots. Altogether in Spain, there are allegedly only 3 synagogues remaining from before the Inquisition - 2 in Toledo and 1 in Córdoba. La Sinagoga del Tránsito (synagogue of the river, or also known as el Museo Sefardi) is Spain´s national Jewish museum. The synagogue was built in the 1300´s, but later, in the 1400´s, Jews and Muslims were exiled in the effort to make Spain a Christian nation. The synagogue then became a church, and later a military shelter. It is now restored, and the museum added on has Jewish ritual objects collected from different areas in Spain. We also visited the former synagogue Santa Maria la Blanca in Toledo which, like la Sinagoga del Tránsito, was converted into a church after the Jews and Muslims were forced to convert or flee. It still stands as a church.
We took a train back through Madrid to Córdoba next. Córdoba was really hot, with modern shops and fountains - it was nice, but I liked Madrid and Toledo more. We were only there for 1 night. We visited the last of the 3 remaining old synagogues, plus another Jewish museum dedicated to Sephardic traditions and a statue of Maimonides. One of the biggest highlights of Córdoba is La Mezquita - built in the 1300´s, it used to be a Muslim mosque. More wings were added in the 1700´s by Christians after the Inquisition and it became a church. It is a really gorgeous building. I feel that so far we´ve been seeing a lot of the same story - mosques and synagogues turned into cathedrals - but now we´re in Sevilla and it´s been a breath of fresh (but humid and rainy) air...
I wasn´t a huge fan of Córdoba - there wasn´t a lot to do and people were much more "in your face" when selling stuff. I guess we´re obvious tourists. Sevilla is a fun place. It´s very busy at nighttime and there are some great places to see. It´s the site of Real Alcazar, which is an old palace (surprise, not a cathedral) built in the 1300´s by Moors. During the 1400´s extra wings were added, and it is where Queen Isabella met with Columbus when he returned from his travels to the Americas. The tilework was intact throughout most of the palace, and there were beautiful arches and ponds. Outside there was a huge gardens area with lots of trees, ducks, and fountains. Also in Sevilla is the 3rd largest cathedral in Europe. We didn´t actually go inside, but it definitely looks gigantic from the outside. Last night we went to an exciting flamenco show. There was a really talented guitarrist and this singer who had a very guttural voice. The singing had lots of wailing - a little unusual. Then there were also 2 dancers, one male and the other female, and they did lots of fancy, fast footwork and tapping.
So far our hotels have been nice, moderate quality. This one in Sevilla is definitely one of the coolest. It´s called Hotel Amadeus and its theme is everything classical music. There is a grand piano, cello, and harp in the lobby, as well as an additional upright piano in a side room off the lobby. They´ve got sheet music and cd´s, and any guest can play. It seems to be an old-fashioned building, but it´s cozy. And only this month breakfast is included, which saves some money.
Later tonight I´ll try putting up some pictures...they might go well with all the descriptions :)
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Lisboaaa Portugal
Hola!
So my family and I spent a couple days in Lisbon, Portugal before heading here to Madrid (really great so far!). It was a pretty interesting experience. First of all I´d never really heard Portuguese before...it was sort of like Spanish and Russian combined, very unique. The European culture is definitely different from American culture, it might take a little time to get fully used to it. The people in Lisbon were really friendly and helpful (except for one odd cabbie), and most spoke some English. It was cool though to pick up and try some Portuguese words out for ourselves.
When we first arrived we mostly walked around and looked at different shops. We took a tram ride (crowded and slightly uncomfortable!) to visit a site called El Castelo de Sao George, or the Castle of St. George, which was neat and historical, plus the views of the city were amazing. Lunch in a local neighborhood of fried potato skins and sandwiches was really tasty. Dinner was a bit more frustrating...we went to a strip where there were lots of restaurants and waiters kept approaching people and pestering them to eat at their restaurant. So we picked a place that had a good menu but unfortunately our food didn´t arrive until an hour later (it was tasty though). We were all a little tired and grumpy, and then someone tried to squeeze past our table but knocked over a glass of port wine onto the floor and it splashed on one of my very few sweatshirts. But aside from that night everything else went really well!
On the second day we visitied a synagogue nearby. It was built a little off the road and we had to enter through a gate. According to an older law, non-Christian places of worhip were allowed but had to be kept more secluded because Portugal was officially a Christian country. This cute little lady let us in and she didn´t know any English, but we were able to communicate in Spanish. The synagogue was really beautiful. Then we met this couple from Israel and they were so cool! I was with people who spoke English, Spanish, and Hebrew all in this synagogue in Portugal. We exchanged emails with the Israeli couple, then headed to a different part of town called Belem. We saw a humongous monastery, a museum with old royal carriages, and a famous Portuguese monument dedicated to Portuguese achievements in exploration. We also ate these super delicious pastries - custard tarts - that were flaky and creamy.
So now we´re in Madrid, and compared to Lisbon it is much more modern and crowded. Last night we went tapas hopping, and we met this waiter who was Jewish and from Morroco. He was really interesting...all in all interacting with locals has been pretty exciting. Earlier today we visited El Palacio Real, which is the royal palace where the king lives...it was so gorgeous. I would put up pictures but I´m not sure if this computer in the hostal has a usb port. And later we´re visiting the Prado museum, which is one of the biggest attractions in Spain. More updates later!
So my family and I spent a couple days in Lisbon, Portugal before heading here to Madrid (really great so far!). It was a pretty interesting experience. First of all I´d never really heard Portuguese before...it was sort of like Spanish and Russian combined, very unique. The European culture is definitely different from American culture, it might take a little time to get fully used to it. The people in Lisbon were really friendly and helpful (except for one odd cabbie), and most spoke some English. It was cool though to pick up and try some Portuguese words out for ourselves.
When we first arrived we mostly walked around and looked at different shops. We took a tram ride (crowded and slightly uncomfortable!) to visit a site called El Castelo de Sao George, or the Castle of St. George, which was neat and historical, plus the views of the city were amazing. Lunch in a local neighborhood of fried potato skins and sandwiches was really tasty. Dinner was a bit more frustrating...we went to a strip where there were lots of restaurants and waiters kept approaching people and pestering them to eat at their restaurant. So we picked a place that had a good menu but unfortunately our food didn´t arrive until an hour later (it was tasty though). We were all a little tired and grumpy, and then someone tried to squeeze past our table but knocked over a glass of port wine onto the floor and it splashed on one of my very few sweatshirts. But aside from that night everything else went really well!
On the second day we visitied a synagogue nearby. It was built a little off the road and we had to enter through a gate. According to an older law, non-Christian places of worhip were allowed but had to be kept more secluded because Portugal was officially a Christian country. This cute little lady let us in and she didn´t know any English, but we were able to communicate in Spanish. The synagogue was really beautiful. Then we met this couple from Israel and they were so cool! I was with people who spoke English, Spanish, and Hebrew all in this synagogue in Portugal. We exchanged emails with the Israeli couple, then headed to a different part of town called Belem. We saw a humongous monastery, a museum with old royal carriages, and a famous Portuguese monument dedicated to Portuguese achievements in exploration. We also ate these super delicious pastries - custard tarts - that were flaky and creamy.
So now we´re in Madrid, and compared to Lisbon it is much more modern and crowded. Last night we went tapas hopping, and we met this waiter who was Jewish and from Morroco. He was really interesting...all in all interacting with locals has been pretty exciting. Earlier today we visited El Palacio Real, which is the royal palace where the king lives...it was so gorgeous. I would put up pictures but I´m not sure if this computer in the hostal has a usb port. And later we´re visiting the Prado museum, which is one of the biggest attractions in Spain. More updates later!
Monday, August 13, 2007
What are my plans?
Hello everyone!
Since lots of family and friends have been asking me to keep them posted about Spain, I thought it would be fun to have a blog for anyone to see. And since I'm supposed to be keeping the director at Pitzer and other exchange students updated through sakai (a communal internet site at the claremont colleges), I figured it would be really easy to update a blog at the same time. This will also act as a personal journal to help me remember the things I've done.
For anyone that doesn't know about our travel plans...my family and I fly out of LA on Tuesday evening to London and from London we are flying to Lisbon, Portugal. We're staying in Portugal for about 2 days and then we fly to Madrid. After that, we're traveling all over Spain and it will most definitely be hectic. I don't even know the exact order or number of days we'll be at each hotel, but we're visiting roughly 8 cities in Spain (Toledo, Seville, Cordoba, Granada, Barcelona to name a few). We also plan on making a day trip to Morocco (wow!) and a day trip to Gibraltar, which is an English city. Pictures to come...
We will be taking a number of flights, train rides, and rental cars around the country until we finally end up in Leon on September 3rd, which is where I will be spending my semester (Leon is in the northwestern region of Spain and isn't a huge city; the population is maybe 140,000). My family goes back to the states a couple days later. I will be living with a host family for a couple weeks and then there's a week-long orientation at the Universidad de Leon for international students. After the orientation I will most likely be switching hosts because at the orientation students are able to fill out a questionnaire and pick a family to live with. Then in the beginning of October, I will start an intensive 11-week Spanish course at the University's language school. The course sounds really advanced but I'm hoping that my Spanish will have improved by the time it starts, since I'll have already been in Spain for a month and a half. The course ends on December 20th (or 21st?), and my flight back home is on December 22nd. Whew!
It's possible that I will have some sort of internship while I'm abroad, like during the afternoons when classes are finished. But some of my plans are uncertain and won't get figured out until I'm there. It's all very scary/exciting. I'm sad to leave right now because I miss Pitzer a lot, but I know that it will be an adventure and I'm lucky to have the opportunity to go. My Spanish should be excellent by the time I come back, and I'll probably meet some really different yet amazing people. If anyone wants to send me e-mails, my address is lindy_bornstein@pitzer.edu and I will update if it changes. I've discussed phone conversations with a couple friends, and I will update once I know more about making phone calls in Spain. I'm not sure how often I will be able to update this blog, since I've decided not to bring a laptop (my current one is dysfunctional), but I know the University has lots of computers and there are also local internet cafes...so it's fair to say I'll update at least once every 1-2 weeks (in the Spain timezone - a 9 hour difference I believe. And actually this was written on Sunday night, definitely not at 7am). I expect e-mails from friends too pleeeease! I miss Pitzer life.
Adios, happy reading.
Since lots of family and friends have been asking me to keep them posted about Spain, I thought it would be fun to have a blog for anyone to see. And since I'm supposed to be keeping the director at Pitzer and other exchange students updated through sakai (a communal internet site at the claremont colleges), I figured it would be really easy to update a blog at the same time. This will also act as a personal journal to help me remember the things I've done.
For anyone that doesn't know about our travel plans...my family and I fly out of LA on Tuesday evening to London and from London we are flying to Lisbon, Portugal. We're staying in Portugal for about 2 days and then we fly to Madrid. After that, we're traveling all over Spain and it will most definitely be hectic. I don't even know the exact order or number of days we'll be at each hotel, but we're visiting roughly 8 cities in Spain (Toledo, Seville, Cordoba, Granada, Barcelona to name a few). We also plan on making a day trip to Morocco (wow!) and a day trip to Gibraltar, which is an English city. Pictures to come...
We will be taking a number of flights, train rides, and rental cars around the country until we finally end up in Leon on September 3rd, which is where I will be spending my semester (Leon is in the northwestern region of Spain and isn't a huge city; the population is maybe 140,000). My family goes back to the states a couple days later. I will be living with a host family for a couple weeks and then there's a week-long orientation at the Universidad de Leon for international students. After the orientation I will most likely be switching hosts because at the orientation students are able to fill out a questionnaire and pick a family to live with. Then in the beginning of October, I will start an intensive 11-week Spanish course at the University's language school. The course sounds really advanced but I'm hoping that my Spanish will have improved by the time it starts, since I'll have already been in Spain for a month and a half. The course ends on December 20th (or 21st?), and my flight back home is on December 22nd. Whew!
It's possible that I will have some sort of internship while I'm abroad, like during the afternoons when classes are finished. But some of my plans are uncertain and won't get figured out until I'm there. It's all very scary/exciting. I'm sad to leave right now because I miss Pitzer a lot, but I know that it will be an adventure and I'm lucky to have the opportunity to go. My Spanish should be excellent by the time I come back, and I'll probably meet some really different yet amazing people. If anyone wants to send me e-mails, my address is lindy_bornstein@pitzer.edu and I will update if it changes. I've discussed phone conversations with a couple friends, and I will update once I know more about making phone calls in Spain. I'm not sure how often I will be able to update this blog, since I've decided not to bring a laptop (my current one is dysfunctional), but I know the University has lots of computers and there are also local internet cafes...so it's fair to say I'll update at least once every 1-2 weeks (in the Spain timezone - a 9 hour difference I believe. And actually this was written on Sunday night, definitely not at 7am). I expect e-mails from friends too pleeeease! I miss Pitzer life.
Adios, happy reading.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)