PICTURES!

I promised. Here they are:

Cathedral in Toledo!

I just love all of the streets in Europe. So gorgeous! The cathedral is at the end of the street.

My kind of casa :)

So pretty! View of Toledo

Inside arches of the walkway in the Church in Toledo

River surrounding the hill Toledo is on.

Creepin on one of the adorable babies here. This time the mom didn't catch me, thank God. Aren't they just adorable though? I swear all of the children in Spain are dressed like this, they look like porcelain dolls! Lovin this little boy's outfit.

Madrid and Toledo.

This weekend the AHA girls and I went to Madrid and Toledo. The weather was gorgeous for once and the trip was fun. Let me just recall what happened each day:

Friday:

After class, Victoria and I were feeling lazy so we convinced ourselves that we should try taking the city bus home for the first time. During class we analyzed the map and figured out which line to take, which stop to go to, and where to get off. It seemed like a solid plan. Now, I don't take public transportation in Oregon. Unless you live in Portland, it really isn't a common thing. In fact, I could probably count the amount of times I've taken a bus on 1 hand. However, I was confident in my traveling abilities after getting to Spain on my own and figured I'd give it a go, especially since Victoria and I were together. Bad idea. Turns out we are both idiots and took the right bus, but in the wrong direction. Needless to say, we got to enjoy a nice scenic tour of the outskirts of Oviedo, until the bus driver asked us why the hell we were still on the bus after the last stop. We tried explaining to her that we are stupid Americans and don't know what we are doing, and eventually she let us stay on and take it back the other way. This process took over an hour, and I had a bus to the airport that I had to catch. Marisa texted me freaking out and I thought she was mad, so once we got back into civilization I basically ran home. She wasn't actually mad, just concerned that I would miss the bus. Luckily I live like right next to the bus station so I quickly ate and packed, then left for the station.

When traveling, I am a very efficient person. I like to be where I need to be way in advance, and I don't like to waste time. Unfortunately for me, not everyone has the same mentality. David and Laura (teachers/adults on the trip) decided it was a good idea to wait until the last minute to go through security. I got so antsy, and by the time we finally got up and went through security, our plane was boarding. We ran upstairs and heard last call, so we got to be those idiots that run through the airport about to miss their flight. The flight itself wasn't bad, and when we got to Madrid we got Turkish food at a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant and then passed out.

Saturday:

We had to meet downstairs at 8am to catch our train to Toledo. Now, I know 8am doesn't seem that early in The States, but Dear God, Spaniards simply do not get up that early. As we all make our way downstairs David's little boys are running around the lobby and as cute as they are, it was simply way too early. At the train station there was a minor panic about losing one of our tickets, but it all worked out okay and the train was really relaxing. I nearly fell asleep even though it was only 30 minutes. Toledo was gorgeous, and the sun was shining! Toledo is a very old city on top of a mountain and from below you can see all the old buildings. We took taxis to the top and then Laura led us around to the different churches and museums. Laura is my Spanish Art History teacher, and she is one of the most knowledgeable people I have met when it comes to either art or history, especially that of Spain. It is really interesting hearing what she can tell us, even if it is something I am not generally interested in (art...haha). Also, she speaks zero English, just like most people here. After that, we had lunch and looked at one more place, then went home. Saturday night all of the girls went to Thai food, to a place called Phuket Thai. I don't know how that is supposed to be pronounced, but I'm sure you can see why we all thought it was just great haha. The pad thai was delicious and afterwards we went for drinks. The bar we went to was right next the Reina Sophia, an art museum in Spain. Since the drinking age here is 18, there were hundreds of people on the street, most of them high school aged. Across the street is Kapital, the big night club, and the police kicked them all off of the Reina Sophia grounds so there was a sudden stampede of high schoolers carrying fifths. I'm not exaggerating when I say hundreds... Megan and I got caught in the middle it and all I could think was What the F?! It was crazy.

Sunday:

We met at 10:30 to go to the Royal Palace, which I had been to before. I loved it the first time, and it was definitely still cool the second. It is amazing how intricate every room is and how lavishly the King and Queen lived, and I wish we could take pictures of the inside. After that we went to Reina Sophia (boring) and then to Starbucks (of course). Afterwards we walked across the street to El Prado, another art museum and one that my mom and I had been to before. El Prado was definitely better than Reina Sophia, especially since it wasn't modern art that I could probably have done myself. After this we all basically passed out cause we had been walking around for the past 2 days and were exhausted. Megan and I stayed up and talked in our room for a bit, but this old Russian lady ended up yelling at all of us girls for being too loud.

Monday:

We had to check out of our rooms by 12, and were supposed to meet David and Laura by 1:30. Now, David has 2 little boys (5 and 7) and him and his wife have either been late, made us wait, or have flaked out on at least half of the things all weekend. So we figured we would check out at 12, go get coffee and something to eat, and come back around 1:30 ish. Apparently David doesn't do "ish" when he is actually ready to go. We went to get food and took the metro back, ending up a few minutes late to find David livid. By a few minutes I mean 10, not anything extreme. But David and his fam left without us, leaving Laura to wait for us. We got our bags and left quickly, all a little shocked he was so quick to get mad at us when he's been holding us back all weekend. We went to the airport and went through security, and I actually ended up getting redressed and ready to go to the gate before his family was ready, despite the fact they left without us earlier. Ridiculous. Anyways, we got on the plane and headed back home, and a few girls and I met to write our papers for David's class. We got some work done, but I decided I would write this blog rather than my paper, so oops. I'll get up early and do it I guess haha.

I will also add pictures from the weekend tomorrow! My cameras dead, but I will get them up ASAP and make a new post of just pics :)


Buenas noches!

Food and ish.

Dear friends,

Do not take the fact that you have good food to eat for granted. Many people here are struggling, and the things they eat overall are very different.

The people here and the food they eat have been the hardest things to get used to. I didn't realize how nice it is to be able to choose when and what I want to eat-it really is a luxury. Here, my host mom prepares meals for me, and if I want food I have to eat them. She makes me a plate, so there's no being picky. I never know what I am going to come home to, which is sometimes scary. I wouldn't consider myself a picky eater, but I do not like to eat things unless I know what they are. Here I just have to force myself to do it. And they eat some weird shit here! They are also very careful about wasting food, so if you say you're hungry then you had better finish your plate. I cannot tell you my relief when I get to the table and it is something I can identify and know for sure that I like haha.

On the plus side, everything Marisa makes me is pretty healthy. They use olive oil rather than canola oil, and Marisa rarely fries things. The portions are small and are usually mostly beans, soup, eggs, or a little piece of meat. Also, since Asturias is on the coast, there is a huge selection of fish and seafood. And everything is fresh-there are not many preservatives used because food is delivered to the city daily. I don't think I've been served frozen, pre-packaged, or boxed food yet! I get fresh fruit daily, and the oranges here are amazing!

Some of the things I've decided I really like are tortilla española, dried jamón (ham), and the cheeses. There are so many different types of cheeses its crazy! Also, the cafe con leche and churros con chocolate are delicious of course, but those are special treats haha.

Also, I´m getting a cough and Marisa is forcing me to take medicine. In Spain there are no pills. Don´t ask me why, its crazy to me. Nearly all medicines they take by dissolving a tablet in a glass of water. Similar to the denture cleaners I use to clean my retainers. Its disgusting, and I don´t quite understand why they don´t just sell pills. Booo.

Customs and interesting things

This weekend we went to Pais Vasco. It was an experience to say the least. If you want to know details skype me cause Im feeling lazy about typing right now.

Spain is a great country. Its absolutely gorgeous, and there is so much history that even the street we walk on has a story behind it. However, the people here are very different than in the United States. Not only is there a different language, but the perspective on life is unlike that of the one I grew up with. Some cultural differences are great, and others not so much. Let me just share a few:

1. Appearance is first priority. In Corvallis, at least half the students walking around campus are in yoga pants. That isn't a thing here-I have yet to wear mine outside my apartment. Also, they only sell cute clothes-they force you to dress well. This starts from day one-the children on the street could literally be clothing models. I tried to get a picture of one of the children the other day, but I think I frightened the mother.

2. Sandals or t-shirts during winter are simply not allowed. You WILL get a cold and you WILL be considered mental. In fact, every single person walking down the street will stop and stare at you. It's uncomfortable, therefore I put away my birks til Spring.

3. Women stare at you for extended periods of time. Staring isn't rude like it is in the United States. It makes me uncomfortable though, it seems very judgmental. I've decided to just stare right back with a "What are you looking at face". I think that scares them.

4. Sleepovers are a foreign concept. In fact, no one but close family is even allowed in the home. So we can't hang out at each others' houses or bring others home. This one makes life much more complicated, and honestly I just think it's annoying.

5. Cafes are on every block, and there is not a single Starbucks in Oviedo. All of them are individually owned and operated. And simply adorable. Fast food is also not a thing here.

6. When going to a cafe, you get cafe con leche. Not a non-fat, sugar free, double chocolate, java chip frappuccino with caramel, or whatever complicated drinks people like. That just doesn't exist-they would laugh at you. Also, coffee is served in a tiny cup, it's adorable.

7. Alcohol is served in most cafes, and people drink throughout the day. Also, coffee and wine are never more than 2 euros per cup, and many times are just 1.

8. People do not get out of your way on the street. They just lack a sense of personal space. Also, everyone walks everywhere. There are shoe stores on every corner, and very few people are out of shape. Most people don't even own cars.

10. It is normal to stay out partying until 6am. This just puts our 2am bedtime in The States to shame.

11. There is a distinct accent here. For those of you who speak Spanish, they do not really pronounce the letters "d, z, s, etc" It's more just a general "th" sound. Therefore, if you don't know exactly what you're saying, all you have to do is kinda mumble and sometimes it comes out right. Gracias is beginning to sound like grathiath, and I'm not sure I'll ever be able to get rid of that one... haha

12. Life starts later. It's normal to sleep til noon, and a 9am class just seems outrageous to most people. Lunch is usually around 2 or 3, and dinner is at like 7-9ish. Also, there is a period of time in the middle of the day when many businesses just close down and go home for a nap. Then everyone goes out at night and rages til 6am, then starts the cycle over. This part of life I could really get used to.

13. You do not smile at strangers. That is just weird.

14. They don't make shoes larger than a 41 for women. That is approximately a 9.5. Half the girls in my group, including myself, wear a 10. This is just unfortunate.

15. Dogs always wear rain jackets, because heaven forbid they should get a cold. Also, they are rarely on leashes. I don't really understand how that works.

16. There is a crew of workers who clean the streets every single night. And I don't just mean pick up litter. I'm talking wash and scrub with water trucks, sweep with brooms, and take out the trash. EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. It is an obsession.

I'll add more later if I can think of them! For now, a few pictures of the Basque Country!

Yummmm

I just ate a hamburger at the mall. Probably the best decision of my life.

JK.

Travel plans changed, but they are way better now!

3 other girls and I are going on a cruise through the Mediterranean for Spring Break. We are spending a couple days in Barcelona, leaving from there to go to Tunisia, then to Rome, Florence, and Genoa, and finally to Nice and then back home. I still get to go to France and Italy, plus we'll get to hit up Northern Africa too! I still really want to go to Venice and Paris, but that may just have to wait a few years.

Also, Emily was able to change her flight so we are hopefully going to be able to go to Greece for 5 days after school ends in May, then come back to Madrid for a couple days before we go home. This one still has to be planned, but we are both really into the idea!

Other than that, I am going to Pais Vasco this weekend, which is the Basque Country in Spain (San Sebastian and Bilbao) and to Toledo and Madrid next weekend. 2 weekends after that is Portugal, and in 2 more weeks we are going to Salamanca! Finally, I hope I can go to Ibiza towards the end of school (its like the Shasta of Europe), but I would miss a lot of class and don't know how expensive it'll be, so I have to wait to make that decision haha.

Cruise has been booked. I cannot tell you how excited I am to be traveling the Mediterranean during Spring Break 2013 with some really good friends! Life is just grand :)

Hasta luego :)

Travel Plans!

Tonight some of the girls and I got together to plan our travels. If everything goes as planned, I believe we are going to Barcelona one weekend, hopefully to Greece after school ends for a few days, and for spring break were gonna travel from Amsterdam to Venice to Rome to Paris and back here :) I'm also planning on going to Portugal with ESN, and hopefully Ibiza at the end of the term but we'll see. And AHA is taking us to  Toledo and Salamanca for long weekends as well. We are booking spring break tomorrow, so hopefully all goes as planned!

SO EXCITED!

The simple life.

Life here is way more simple than my life back home, it's great. You eat whenever you're hungry, not at a set schedule. You take an umbrella with you if it's raining. You take a nap if you're tired. You buy good shoes so your feet don't hurt. You take time to enjoy the shops and scenery on your way to wherever. If you're late because you were enjoying life, it's perfectly fine. People also don't worry as much-it is normal to see kids alone late at night on the playground, and walking home alone at 3 in the morning as a girl is totally fine. In fact, we walk alone most of the time we go anywhere. My host mom never asks where I am or when I'm gonna be home, so unless I tell her she has no idea. If I do let her know, she usually just replies with something along the lines of "Have fun and do whatever you want. You can come home when you want to!" Even though I am in college and am used to doing what I want, it is weird to have a mom who doesn't even want to know where I'm going, who I'm hanging out with, or what I'm doing-not a bad thing, just different haha.

Unless they have to go to work, people here sleep in til 10, or whenever they wake up. I am so used to feeling like I have to get up by 9 and be productive that this lifestyle is so refreshing. There is no pressure to be productive. Yes, you should be doing something with your life, but every minute is not viewed as an opportunity to get stuff done. Today I woke up at 3pm because I was out til 4 and am probably still a little jet lagged. No one said anything. In fact, Lucia asked if I wanted to sleep more after we ate haha. The rest of the day I didn't leave the house and we watched 3 movies. The only productive thing the 3 of us did was Marisa walking to the grocery store to go shopping. Also, 4am is early to come home in this world. I felt bad staying out so late until Lucia said that she was out with her friends until 5-6ish haha! They also thought it was weird I didn't want to go out last night, cause Saturday is when EVERYONE goes out. But tomorrow we are going to Covadona, so I needed my rest! 

Here are some pictures I took from the floor my classes are on. Since we're foreigners, they put all of us in the same classes, which are all in the same building. It's nice cause I don't get lost haha. There are like 6 levels: 2 advanced, 3 intermediate, and 1 beginners. I am in one of the advanced levels, and most of my classes are with the same 50 kids, mostly Americans but there are people from other countries as well. They are all taught in Spanish, and most of the teachers speak very fast, minus one who speaks dreadfully slow haha. Since I'm in advanced, most of the kids make an effort to speak in only Spanish also, so the majority of what I hear everyday is Spanish-it really is an immersion program! There are very few people in the city of Oviedo who speak English in general since it isn't a tourist city at all. If you were a foreigner who didn't know any Spanish, you would have one hell of a time trying to figure everything out. 

I absolutely adore this city!

We took a tour of the old gothic area of the city on Tuesday, and the history behind everything is magnificent. Everything is typical European style architecture, and there are all sorts of plazas, statues, and parks. People in Asturias (the region that Oviedo is in) care greatly about their appearances and cleanliness, so the city is very clean and has low levels of pollution or trash. Everyone dresses nicely, and the kids look like little porcelain dolls in their peacoats and dress shoes. I still can't figure out how they get the little girls to put on tights everyday, because I've had to dress kids many different times and I'll tell you, it isn't always easy. Hopefully one day my kids will be this adorable haha. There are also shoe stores on every block, and usually more than one. The city is on a hill, with the University at the bottom, and people walk EVERYWHERE. It makes no sense to drive, and people grow up walking anywhere they want to go. In fact, I don't think my host mom even owns a car-most people don't. The streets are always crowded, but everyone takes their time and checks out the shops on the way to wherever they are going. If a store says it'll open at 4:30, it probably won't actually open til 4:40. It's been a weird concept for us Americans haha. Most of the stores also close at 2 for a siesta until 4, and you can see all of the children getting walked home for lunch and rest. It's great, I love naps. We also don't eat dinner til 8-10, and it is usually light. I don't eat nearly as much here as in the states, and it is way healthier too. Minus the cafes. I usually just get a coffee with milk, which comes in a tiny teacup and is delicious and cheap and not too bad for you! But they have all kinds of pastries and churros with a super rich and thick chocolate sauce, so you have to be careful! But like I said, we also walk a ton. Everyone hangs out at cafes here, as they do not really let anyone but family into their homes. I also love hanging out in coffee shops and doing homework or people watching, so its like this lifestyle was made for me! Haha.

I started classes today and they are pretty easy! They are only for foreigners, and I placed into the advanced level so there are not too many other kids in my class, and we all have basically the same classes. The professors design them so that there is not much homework cause they know that we want to travel. It's great. I am also going to start volunteering at the elementary school by campus, and I am signing up for a conversation partner, which is a Spanish student who is interested in learning English. So we will meet at least once a week and we will speak in English in a bit, then switch to Spanish. My host mom and Lucia keep on saying my Spanish is good, and I can generally understand everything, although some people talk really really fast. I'm starting to really like Lucia! She is very down to earth and stylish, and can totally relate to everything that I do. She laughed at me last night when I showed her my schedule, cause they go out on Thursday nights here too, and I have a 9am class on Friday (which is really early here, most people don't wake up til like 10 haha).

I have to leave to go to a Tapas night with ESN, the student group which plans all the parties and trips around Spain and other countries. I posted some pictures to Facebook, and I will post more later. I will also put some only on here, so keep checking! But I'm out of time, so it's gonna have to wait! haha

Hasta luego!

Arrival in Oviedo

I promise I'll post pictures soon, I have to take some first haha. I got off the plane in Oviedo and there were 2 other girls waiting, one of which is on my same program! We took the bus to the city together and I live just above the area the bus/train stations are. Marisa, my host mom is very sweet, and she and her daughter, Lucia, said my Spanish was good. Marisa doesn't speak hardly any English, and I don't think I've said more than  2 English words to her. We talked for about an hour though, and now I'm in bed. It's only 9 but I'm so exhausted, and tomorrow we have meetings from 10-5. I cannot wait to meet the rest of the group and explore the city! The plane ride in was gorgeous at landing, with the ocean waves and the blue skies. I wish I could have taken a picture, but I had the aisle seat. Also, a very attractive engineer asked for my number after we got off the plane. Unfortunately, I don't have a phone yet... I probably will never see him again, but we have each other's emails :)

So far, the closest thing I can relate my situation to is the first week of college. Everything is going to be so much fun and I can't wait, but at the same time it's gonna take a few days to adjust to this tiny apartment, the different people, and the culture. However, after today I am very confident that I will quickly fall in love with this city :)

This is scary.

I'm currently sitting in the Madrid airport. It's 5:43 in Portland, and I'm so tired. I may have been the only American on the flight from Madrid, which gave me a slight panic attack since I realized I am in a country where I literally know no one, and I have not been able to get in contact with my host mom. I've been going back and forth all day between being super excited and the most scared I've ever been in my life, so I'm just emotionally spent. Luckily, on the 9 hour flight here, a very nice man sat next to me and woke me up every time the flight attendants came by with info, food, or drinks. It made me feel much better, especially since he didn't really speak either English or Spanish, but was trying really hard to help. From here I'm flying to Asturias, then since my new flight schedule makes me late (I was supposed to be at the office by now), I have to go directly to my host mom's apartment in Oviedo via taxi. So currently I'm just praying that the director emails me back before I board, or that my host mom is at her apartment when I get there. Otherwise I don't really know what I'll do....

I'll post pictures and an update as soon as I can. I'm so excited to meet everyone. But until then I'm just praying that everything works out and I don't get stranded.

Flying sucks.

My flight from Portland was supposed to leave at 8:20am and is now delayed til 4pm. I'm going to miss my connection to Madrid so I have to find a new flight. I've never flown by myself before and was already anxious, so this is not helping. I'm currently sitting in the middle of the airport walkway in a line that doesn't move. Also, a very ghetto man just hit on me. If I wasn't so emotional right now this would probably be comedic.

Saying goodbye to my parents was way harder than I expected :( I love you guys more than you will ever know.