Alicante and Italy

I apologize for being so negligent with my blog posts lately!  Midterms brought an avalanche of papers to be written so I didn't have quite as much time as I would have liked for blogging.  But here's a quick review of the last few weeks in general. 

Life with my family has gotten much less awkward as my spanish keeps improving.  My host mom and I talk for hours some nights...I especially like hearing all the crazy stories about her 40 past students she's had...the good and the bad.  My dad has come to the conclusion that giving my shots of rum at dinner makes me talk more so we have taken to having those for desert (luckily he's only home for dinner about one night a week).  He cracks me up and likes to make fun of the other members of the family when they're arguing and then I feel bad when I laugh hysterically because everyone else is fighting.  Belen's (my host mom) mom is coming to live with us on the first of december so I will be getting a new abuela soon!  As adorable as my host mom is she informed me today that she hates christmas.  As a christmas lover I hope to change this a little bit and maybe get her into the christmas spirit. 

School has definitely picked up...midterms were definitely a stressful time with a midterm and a paper due in each class, but they went well and I'm glad they're over!  I've become addicted to a Spanish television show called "El Internado"  which now takes up most of my free time.  It's a beautiful thing because I don't feel guilty watching tv because i'm still learning and practicing my Spanish! 


My next trip after Barcelona was Alicante, which is a city on the Southeast coast of Spain.  We spent the first day lying on the beautiful beach and enjoying the rooftop terrace at our hostel.  The second day we took a ferry to an island about an hour boat ride off the coast of Alicante called La Isla Tabarca.  Tabarca was absolutely gorgeous and we found our own private swimming cove.  We snorkeled and swam through caves including "the swim of death" (named by us) where you had to swim through and underwater cave!  We had some great paella and spent the whole day on the island.  It was nice to take a trip that wasn't quite so touristy for once and just relax and enjoy the beach. 

My latest trip was of course Italy!  After midterms we had a week off for fall break so it was very nice to be able to go somewhere for more than just a long weekend.  The first stop on our trip was Barcelona...it was great to get to go back to one of my favorite cities I'd visited.  Unfortunately this time it wasn't warm enough for the beach this time but we were able to see lots of the sights! Getting to Rome was quite the difficult process however...we were told our suitcases were to large and that we would have to pay 35 euros to have them checked unless we could make them fit in their tiny cardboard tester.  As i was NOT going to give 35 more of my euros to ryanair (worst airline on the planet...but oh so cheap)  we proceeded to layer on half the clothes in our suitcases to make our suitcases fit.  The security guards and people surrounding us of course found this hysterical...but we made it through, 7 layers later!

But we finally made it to Rome!  Our first day in Rome we spent a lot of time exploring the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, which is basically just what is left of the original Rome, the first city of the world!  There was plenty of ruins to explore and it was unbelievable thinking about how old everything was and the history behind it all. 

Next we had our tour of the Colosseum which was also amazing.  It's incredible to think about what went on there and how much history is in that building.  After the Colosseum we got what would be the first of many, but probably the best gelato we had in Italy.  Next we went to the Panthenon which was very cool but unfortunately half of it was under construction, so not as impressive as it could have been.  After we headed to the Trevvi Fountain and of course threw coins in in hopes of returning to Rome someday! 

Our second day in Rome we spent touring the Vatican City!  First we had our guided tour of the Vatican, which was enormous and absolutely beautiful.  Our tour guide was great and I learned so much about the history and art of the building.  After walking through the Vatican we went into the Sistine Chapel...and even snuck an illegal picture!  Our guide had explained to us the meanings of all the paintings and Michelangelo's process in painting the ceiling, which made it all that more breathtaking.  Next was St. Peter's Basilica which I have to say was one of the most beautiful buildings we saw on the trip.  Walking around Saint Peter's square and seeing where the Pope speaks was awesome.  After a long day at the Vatican we went out for some amazing pasta and a random restaurant we found and headed to the train station to make our way to Florence!

We ended up arriving in Florence a little later than expected so we decided to go out for Chinese (terrible i know...but some of the best Chinese food I've ever had) and call it an early night.  The next day we woke up early and went to the Mercato Centrale which was a huge indoor market full of fruit, vegetables, meat, baked goods, and other random stuff.  Our tour book told us to go a stand called Nerbone to get a roast beef sandwich, but it didn't tell us how to say "roast beef sandwich" in Italian so after struggling to order we finally got some amazing sandwiches and a pitcher of homemade wine (at 11 am).  Next we went to go see Michelangelo's David, expecting to wait in line for hours, but ended up getting in line right away.  David really is one of those things you have to see in person to fully experience it's greatness.  We practically risked our lives to sneak an illegal picture...so you better enjoy it!  Next we went to the Duomo of Florence which was a very large, very interesting looking cathedral. 

Up next was our wine tour!  We took a coach bus through the Tuscan countryside to a small town called Santa Brigida, a tiny town in Chianti with only one street.  The views there were beautiful so we were able to stop and take lots of pictures.  Then we headed to the site of our wine tasting which was a castle in the hills of Tuscany where they run a winery and make extra virgin olive oil.  We were given a tour of the castle and winery and learned about the history of the castle and the family that runs the business.  Then we had a wine tasting where we tried three different wines that were made there paired with various foods.  The whole thing was an amazing experience and it was definitely the best wine I've ever had.  We bought two bottles to drink during the rest of our trip!

Next up was Venice!  We were welcomed to Venice by the pouring rain and the realization that there are two calles de porucatie in Venice and our hotel was of course on the OTHER one, but we eventually found it.  We fought the rain and took the water bus down the grand canal and all the way to the main plaza in Venice.  We found a restaurant where we got probably the biggest meal I've ever eaten, consisting of a gigantic plate of spicy penne pasta and then pork roast and potatoes...delish!  We went and explored the plaza a bit but since it was late and rainy it was pretty dead so we made the long walk back to our hotel for the night.  The next day we walked around and explored a bit but it was once again., raining.  So we didn't get to experience quite as much of Venice as we could have but it was definitely worth being able to see the city.  It's amazing that literally all the streets are water and how the city even exists blows my mind.  But we escaped the rain and hopped the train to Milan!

We arrived in Milan and it was once again...raining.  But we made the best of it and headed to the Duomo, which is the second largest cathedral in the world, and one of the most famous buildings in Europe.  The building was very impressive, and the inside was beautiful.  The were having a special ceremony that day where you could light a candle for a loved one you had lost, so we were both able to light a candle.  They had a mens choir singing and the atmosphere of the whole place was amazing.  Next we went out for pizza and of course went shopping since Milan is known for it's fashion.  Of course being a broke college student I only bought one shirt...but hey at least it's from Milan.  The next morning we headed to the airport to fly back to Madrid.  I was sad to leave but it was definitely a trip to remember and I hope to be able to return to Italia one day!  But I'm definitely excited for Morocco with Katherine and her host mom this Friday and ESPECIALLY for my Mom and Grandma to get here in two weeks!!

Quite the eventful weekend in Barcelona!

Barcelona...what an adventure.  We left for Barcelona Thursday night at midnight for the 7 hour bus ride...yikes.  But they way there wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be and Katherine and I managed to sleep almost the whole time.  That's not to say we weren't extremely tired when we arrived in Barcelona and had absolutely no idea how to get to our hostel.  Finally we figured out on the map which direction to go and we were on our way.  We decided to stop at a little cafe on the way to get some cafe con leche and some food where we randomly met up with a bunch of our other friends from the fundacion...random.  Eventually we found our hostel at 9 am and found out we couldn't check in until 1pm and the people who worked there were extremely rude and unhelpful.  We ended up wandering around Ramblas, which is the main shopping/tourist street in Barcelona for awhile and then throwing on our swim suits and heading to the beach!  The beach was great...it was beautiful weather and it was so cool to know we were swimming in the Mediterranean Sea!

That night we went out for Chinese food (how Spanish of us) which I had been missing dearly.  A huge group of us went to this huge outdoor rap concert right on the beach that was part of the festival going on in Barcelona over the weekend.  We decided to set off and find a discoteca but on our way it started POURING.  It downpoured our whole walk and after taking shelter under several carnival rides we walked into the first bar we saw.  Even though we were absolutely soaked at this point it ended up being a lot of fun.  There was a guy there teaching different Spanish dances and my friend even taught me how to salsa!  As we were walking home my friend Katherine decided it would be a really good idea to jump into the sea and decided to drag me, Adam, and Kayla along with her.  So the four of us took the leap off the boat dock into the mar and then made the very cold and wet walk home.  Unfortunately my camera was dead at this point to I don't have any pictures but it was definitely a night to remember!

The next day we woke up and got some Subway like typical Americans (don't ever get Subway in Spain, it's awful).  Everyone kind of went off in their own directions (some back to bed)  so Mary and I decided to hop on the tourist bus for the day and go see the sights!  The tourist bus ended up being the perfect way to explore Barcelona.  First we went to the Sagrada Familia which is an absolutely massive and indescribable Catholic church which was designed by Gaudi who is a very famous artist in Barcelona.  It started being built in 1882 and isn't expected to be completed for at least 15 more years and this is with people working on it almost every day.Next we stopped at the park Guell which is a park filled with architecture and artwork by Gaudi.  It also has absolutely beautiful views of the entire city.  Other stops included a former palace and Camp Nou where the Barcelona soccer team plays.

Saturday night we did another pub crawl which took us to a discoteca right near the beach.  We got some free champagne and hung out there for a while and then headed to another discoteca.  It was a lot of fun and me and all my friends were having a lot of fun dancing on the platform until I accidently got pushed off and landed on my head.  So unfortunately I left Barcelona with one free souvenir:  a concussion.  Getting home the next day was definitely an adventure: taxi to the bus station, 8 hour bus ride to Madrid, subway to different bus station in Madrid, another bus from Madrid to Toledo, and a taxi back to Poligono.  Barcelona was a ton of fun but I've never been so happy to be back in Toledo!  This weeked I'm taking a much needed weekend off from traveling but next weekend...Alicante!

Pictures won't upload right now but I'll add some later!

Weekend in Madrid!

Well I just got back from my first trip to Madrid!  We left bright and early Friday morning with the all the students from the Fundacion.  First thing we did was take a long bus tour of the city so we could see the main sights.  Afterwards we went to the Palacio Real which is the former palace of the King and Queen of Spain.  Unfortunately they wouldn't let us take any pictures inside but it was absolutely amazing.  The art and decorations were incredible. 

After the Palacio Real we went to lunch at el museo de jamon (ham museum) where we ate chicken...why i have no idea.  Afterwards we went on the long adventure of trying to find our hostel and finally found it after a lot of wandering around random streets in Madrid.  The hostel ended up being great and we met a lot of great people from all around the world.  For the rest of the day we wandered around and went shopping and just took in the sights of Madrid.  That night we went to El Capital which is a gigantic club in Madrid with seven stories!  Every story played different music including the roof.  There was a girl in our hostel from Slovenia that went out with us and it was a super fun time! The next day we went out for Thai food and then headed for El Retiro, which is a huge park in Madrid which was similar to Central Park.

We spent most of the day hanging out there and seeing all the sights.  Saturday night we did a pub crawl that started at our friend's hostel and went to three bars and then ended up at a discoteca.  For 10 euros we were led to each place and got a free drink at each bar.  It ended up being a super fun night but we didn't get to bed until about 6 am and had to be checked out of our hostel by 11 on Sunday so needless to say we were very exhausted.  We spent most of the day just sitting at a couple cafes relaxing and talking since we were tired and had all our luggage with us.  We had a traditional dinner of paella and spanish tortilla and then headed for the bullfight.  The bullfight was something I felt like I should do just because I'm in Spain and it's a big cultural thing but I didn't enjoy it very much.  It was cool seeing the bullfight arena and I don't regret going but seeing bulls die slow painful deaths wasn't very fun :( 

The trip was super fun but by Sunday night I was definitely ready to go back to Toledo.  It definitely helps when you come home to clean sheets, clean folded clothes and a huge home cooked meal with my new favorite desert.  Got to love my host mom :)  I just booked a ticket to Barcelona for this weekend so another update to come soon!

El Fin de Semana

My host sister and I at the Discoteca

Well I'm just finishing up my first weekend in Spain and let me tell you this...the Spanish know how to party.  Thursday night there was a welcome party for the students of the fundacion at the bar next door, Enebro.  Every drink you ordered you got to roll dice and if you got a higher number than the bartender your drink was free!  Plus almost all bars here give you free food (tapas) with your drinks so I ended up paying for one drink and getting several drinks and lots of food for free.  We ended up going to a couple other bars in Toledo and it ended up being a super fun night!  Friday morning we had our tour of Toledo.  We took a bus around the city and then had a guided tour of the oldest part of Toledo where a lot of the important landmarks were.  After the tour everyone was feeling very tired and hung over so we decided to be the stereotypical Americans and go to McDonald's.

I must say it was the best quarto de libre (quarter pounder) i've ever had!  Saturday night we took the bus out to Buenavista which is another suburb of Toledo and after a lot of wandering around found the discotecas!  Basically there is this huge park and parking lot where everyone brings their own alcohol and drinks before they go to the clubs.  There are five discotecas right in a row that all play different types of music and cater to different ages and they're all open until about 6 or 7 in the morning!  We had so much fun and I randomly ran into my host sister! She was super nice and bought me and all my friends chiptos (shots).  She gave me a ride home and we didn't end up getting home until about 6 in the morning.

Needless to say I slept most of the day Saturday.  Saturday night I went to a block party for my friend Katherine's block.  It was really nice to meet her host parents and talk with all of her neighbors. Today for lunch my host mom made Paella which is a traditional dish of Spain.  It was basically rice with vegetables, mussels, clams, and shrimp.  It was very good but they use whole shrimp which weirds me out a little bit.  I forced myself to eat a lot today because she keeps telling me every day that I don't eat enough...which is strange because in the U.S. everyone always tells me that I eat a lot.  You'd think Spanish people would all be fat judging by how much they eat but everything is much healthier than it is the United States.
          I'm becoming a lot more comfortable living with my family but there a few things that are hard to get used to.
 1.  Lights-Electricity is very expensive here so the lights are off all the time.  When I first got here and my light would be on in my room during the day my host mom would come turn it off!  If you leave your room to go to the bathroom, you turn off the light.  Even in the lobby of my apartment the lights stay of unless you turn on a switch that turns them on temporarily so you can get to your apartment.  Even in public restrooms if you're on the toilet for more than 20 seconds the lights turn off and there's a switch in your stall to turn them back on!
2.  Shoes- Shoes or slippers are worn in the house at all times.  You never walk around in bare feet.
3.  Meals-  Breakfast is eaten at the normal time but lunch usually isn't until around 2 and is the biggest meal of the day.  My family doesn't usually eat dinner until about 11pm and it is a much smaller meal than lunch.
4.  Besos-  Everyone you meet you give them two kisses, one on each cheek.  They also do this every time someone leaves or comes home.  If someone introduces themselves to you, you give them dos besos.  I don't know how I feel about kissing random strangers but i'm sure like everything else i'll get used to it.

One thing that was not hard to get used to...my seven books for school cost 80 euros.  That's about $100 for seven books.  Clearly I'm not in America anymore!  

First days in Spain!

So I’m finally in Spain and I’s been muy bien so far! It was great to be on the group flight with all of the other students because it allowed us to all get to know each other before we even got there. We were picked up at the airport by our program director Jose Luis, and took a bus to Toledo. Toledo’s streets are so tiny that we had to stop outside the city and walk the rest of the way in. Only smaller cars can fit through the streets so and when a car comes through the street you’re walking on everyone has to cram against the wall so they can get by!
When we arrived at the fundación we had our first Spanish meal which was actually consisted of mostly American foods. They probably knew we were experiencing enough changes for one day. The fundación is where all our classes are and where the students not staying with families live. Then those of us staying in homestays got to meet our families. My host parents are María and Juan and they were super sweet. Talking to them was difficult because my Spanish is really rusty and they talk really fast but we managed. The last thing she said to me is that tomorrow I won’t be so nervous…I’ll take her word for it. That night we had our welcome party with a huge fancy meal consisting of all traditional Spanish foods in the courtyard at the fundación. After dinner there was a mariachi band. Unfortunately one of the band member s decided to pull me out of the crowd to dance with him in front of everyone which was pretty embarrassing but oh well.

Afterwards some of the girls convinced them to go out to the bars with us so we had our own personal mariachi band for the night! Everything at the bars is super cheap. Beers are about 1 euro and a glass of wine is usually 2 euro. We met up with the group of Puerto Ricans in our program and they definitely know how to party! It ended up being a super fun night so I’m glad I didn’t go sleep like I really wanted to.

The next morning we had our placement testing for our classes which was harder than I thought it would be but didn’t end up affecting my classes so I was happy. After that my host mom and brother came and picked me up to go to their house. They live in an apartment just outside of old Toledo. The apartment is nice and it has a pool so I was happy! Our first dinner consisted of chicken, French fries, and bread…not very Spanish but still good. I’m wondering if this is what they normally eat or If they purposely made American food.
Today was our first day of classes! My host sister rode the bus to the fundación with me so I didn’t get lost (thank god). Classes seem pretty good so far but it’s definitely challenging since all the professors are native Spanish speakers so they talk super fast. Unfortunately me and two other students I was with got VERY lost on the way home from school and ended up wandering around Polígano for about 2 hours before I called my host mom. I had to have her talk to a random man on the street to tell her where we were so she could come pick us up. We then walked both of my friends home, one of which lived at least 2 miles away.  She was super nice about it though and kept saying “es un chiste” as in it’s a joke like it’s funny to look back on. I just had dinner (at the usual time of 11pm) with her and Juan, my host dad. This time we had fish which is a little more Spanish. I’ts weird though because at the fundacion and with my family they always have salad and bread but never with dressing or butter. I guess that’s for us gordo Americanos.

I have lots of pictures up on facebook so check them out!