I promised myself I wouldn't stat crying while writing this entry. I'm already starting to break that promise...
The is the final entry I will post in here from Toledo, Spain. This is the final time I will be writing while sitting in the Fund Lab, typing on my half faded keyboard, retelling my adventures and what it is like to be abroad. This is the beginning of my last 36 hours in Spain that won't be spent in an airport.
It's so amazing the change a person goes through abroad. I still remember that first day here. I had no idea what to expect, everything was foreign and new. I had no clue about where things were, I had to concentrate so hard to listen and understand people, and honestly, I was scared to death of the upcoming semester. I was thrown on a bus, trudged through a city with my bags, in the middle of a sea of 90 other people feeling the same way, and then thrust into the home of a family I had never met. I wondered if the three months would go quick enough.
But then I started to get to know Toledo. I got to know my family. Each day became easier with the Spanish. Each day held a new adventure. there were ups and downs, and Spain and my host family became a true home. I overcame the language barrier, and my family got to see my personality. I made so many amazing friends and met so many wonderful people. Yes, there were so many lows and many battles with homesickness and people I just didn't get along with, but that's normal, that happens anywhere. The highs were amazing and the experiences I have had are enough to cherish for a lifetime.
The most amazing part of this experience was not the traveling, by far. The most amazing thing was the daily life, becoming integrated into the city and culture. Becoming a regular at a local tienda. Going to a bar with friends and having the bartender know your drink order. Seeing patrons in the street from the library and saying hi. Coming home everyday at 2:30 to eat lunch and 10 PM for dinner with your host family. Random 2 AM Döner Kebabs. Talking with your host brother after dinner. Working at the library. Running across town to catch an AVE or across Zoco to catch the 6. My amazing host family who I love and will miss forever. These little daily things that occupied my last three and a half months made my experience what it is, gave body and soul to my abroad time.
Tonight was graduation at la Fundación Ortega y Gasset Toledo. It was a nice little ceremony, and we all got diplomas. There was a line of professors at the front of a room, and when your names was called, if a certain professor wanted to personally give you the diploma, they got to, and then you shook their hand (for males) or gave them a hug and dos besos (woman). My internship teacher gave me mine. However, I still continued down the line and also huged and dos beso'ed my grammar/convo teacher (an amazing professor), and Yuki, one of the coordinators here. The diplomas were read off in two parts, which was also neat. The majority of students were read off in the first part. Then some students were called second. Earlier in the day the faculty met and discuss which students excelled the best/profited the most from the experience. I felt very honored, because I was called in the second group of people.
We then had a buffet, it was nice to get to say bye to all my friends, and my host mom got to be there too. There was lots of pictures and a few tears. This experience was amazing!
So now for my recommendations to students thinking about going abroad. Do not think about money. Do not worry about any fears. Do not worry about host families, or language, or friends, or missing anything at Ripon (or whatever university you are from). Do it. Just do it. Go abroad. Experience everything you can, take in every moment, and savor every piece of your experience. It is worth it 100 times over. I have learned so much this semester, about Spanish, about culture, and mainly about myself. I know this entire entry I have sounded like a cliché, but it is all the truth. It will be worth.
I feel so blessed for my time here, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. It will be very hard to get on the plane and leave Spain (even though I am going to Belgium before the States), but I know I am ready to go home, and I know I will return. Three and a half months is not long enough. It is a good start, but long enough.
Tres meses no es suficiente. Quizás una vida entera. Quizás…
…Voy a echarte de menos España, ¡sin embargo voy a regresar tan pronto como puedo! Voy a dejar una parte de mi corazón aquí para siempre. Besos.
13 December 2007
10 December 2007
¡He acabado!
So I have a lot to catch up on! As you read from Andrea's post, I have been on two different trips so far.
Since then I've been concentrating on seeing more of
I've also done a lot of walking around the city, have had the chance to see all of the walls and Roman bridges, as well as ruins of the old Roman baths. It is amazing at how much there is to see in
Things are really starting to get in the Christmas swing. The mall is completely decked out with lights, as are most of the streets in the city. In Zocodover they are currently constructing the Belén, or nativity scene, for the Christmas. According to our coordinator Yuki, they also do a live Nativity with real animals and everything soon!
It is fun to try a lot of the Christmas foods as well. There are three specific Christmas foods in
In other news, my name is now Jeac, like in French. I went to get my hair cut, and when I made the appointment, they wrote my name down as Jeac. Funny, but not as good as Jazz.
Also...Classes are done! On Monday I finished my last exam. I am feeling pretty good and feel no matter my grades I have learn "un montón" about the language and culture, and feel a lot more comfortable with my Spanish. On Thursday we get our grades. We actually go to our professors one last time and talk to them all, get certain things handed back, and then have a closing ceremony. It's pretty cool, but I know a lot of kids find it weird to go see their professor again to get their grades. The fun part is my host mother is coming to the ceremony!
Last night, my host mother and I went to Cine Club, which is where the show a movie every Tuesday night in the Teatro de Rojas. The main reasons I went were to spend time with my mom while I can and to see the theatre. It is absolutely gorgeous! It is all old architecture and everything is beautiful. The movie wasn't that good, and I was afraid to say anything, but then my host mom whispered over to me that this was one of the worst movies she ever saw. That made me feel good.
Well, now I am off to go see a few more museums and the Catedral in
05 December 2007
Andrea´s Entry!
¡Hola!
Josh is letting me invade his blog, so here´s my update:
Basically, I am loving my life here in Spain, and I´m really sad that we only have a week and a half left. My family here is really nice, I´ve made some amazing friends, classes have been going well (even though this week has been extremely stressful for everyone with finals and essays), and I love how much I´ve been learning about both the Spanish language and culture. I´ve also been enjoying the traveling that I´ve been able to do while here.
Two weekends ago, Josh and I went to Zaragoza together. Initially we were planning on visiting Sevilla, but a last-minute change of plans took us to Zaragoza. I didn´t know anything about the city, but I´m really glad we went. After a lot of walking, Jaaaazzz (that´s what I call him now - long story) and I finally found the center of the city and things to do. We visited the castle Aljefería, two cathedrals (which were both amazing), and the Roman forum. On top of all that, we managed to do some shopping and serious turrón/chocolate-consuming (mmmm). We were also highly amused by Fluvi, this mascot for an upcoming water expo that was EVERYWHERE throughout the city. Overall, the city (and especially the Plaza de Pilar) was really beautiful, and it was a nice day trip.
However, on the way home, our train ended up being delayed a half hour... which caused a lot of stress, because we knew we had to catch the last bus back to Toledo at midnight. This meant I had another experience running through Atocha (I tend to have bad luck with public transportation). Thankfully, we were able to catch a taxi to the bus station and avoid being stranded in Madrid for the night.
Three weekends ago, we had an excursion to Segovia with the Fundación. It was another really beautiful city. Another castle, another church, the aqueducts, lunch (surprisingly not chicken and fries- cow and fries this time), and some time for shopping. And that was our last Fund excursion.
Last weekend I went to Barcelona, but Jaaaaazzz didn´t go, so I won´t talk about it on his blog. It was wonderful.
Anyway, Jaaaaaazzz and I are both looking forward to our week of traveling Europe before heading back to Wisconsin, but it´s also going to be really sad to leave España and this amazing experience behind.
Hasta luego....
Josh is letting me invade his blog, so here´s my update:
Basically, I am loving my life here in Spain, and I´m really sad that we only have a week and a half left. My family here is really nice, I´ve made some amazing friends, classes have been going well (even though this week has been extremely stressful for everyone with finals and essays), and I love how much I´ve been learning about both the Spanish language and culture. I´ve also been enjoying the traveling that I´ve been able to do while here.
Two weekends ago, Josh and I went to Zaragoza together. Initially we were planning on visiting Sevilla, but a last-minute change of plans took us to Zaragoza. I didn´t know anything about the city, but I´m really glad we went. After a lot of walking, Jaaaazzz (that´s what I call him now - long story) and I finally found the center of the city and things to do. We visited the castle Aljefería, two cathedrals (which were both amazing), and the Roman forum. On top of all that, we managed to do some shopping and serious turrón/chocolate-consuming (mmmm). We were also highly amused by Fluvi, this mascot for an upcoming water expo that was EVERYWHERE throughout the city. Overall, the city (and especially the Plaza de Pilar) was really beautiful, and it was a nice day trip.
However, on the way home, our train ended up being delayed a half hour... which caused a lot of stress, because we knew we had to catch the last bus back to Toledo at midnight. This meant I had another experience running through Atocha (I tend to have bad luck with public transportation). Thankfully, we were able to catch a taxi to the bus station and avoid being stranded in Madrid for the night.
Three weekends ago, we had an excursion to Segovia with the Fundación. It was another really beautiful city. Another castle, another church, the aqueducts, lunch (surprisingly not chicken and fries- cow and fries this time), and some time for shopping. And that was our last Fund excursion.
Last weekend I went to Barcelona, but Jaaaaazzz didn´t go, so I won´t talk about it on his blog. It was wonderful.
Anyway, Jaaaaaazzz and I are both looking forward to our week of traveling Europe before heading back to Wisconsin, but it´s also going to be really sad to leave España and this amazing experience behind.
Hasta luego....
13 November 2007
Córdoba, Cumpleaños y Christmas (hey, Navidad doesn't dtart with a 'c')
Last Saturday, Andrea, Amy, and I took a trip to Córdoba, a city farther south than Toledo. The weather was fantastic and everything was beautiful. I was on an earlier train than the girls, so before they got there I visited the diputación, which is a converted (and gorgeous) monastery as well as I went to an archaeological site where and old Roman palace had been unearthed. The ruins were quite awesome, and the lady was really nice at the small museum. It was weird to travel out of the Castilla region to Andalucia, because they have a different accent down there. Certain letters, such as s and r, are cut off at the end of words and they say cosina instead of cothina. It was quite fun.
Once the girls got there, we tucked into some lunch (fried squid and shrimp tortilla! YUM! I love it!). We then attempted to go see the Mezquita, but it happened to be closed. It was fine though because I was able to take plenty of pictures from the outside. We then found the Calle de las flores and a very beautiful Patio cordobese which are just gorgeous! After that we took a horse and carriage tour of the city, which was very beautiful and allowed us to see a bunch of sights very efficiently (which was good, as my feet had not completely healed from a long day a few weeks prior). After that, I headed back to Madrid and ultimately got back to Toledo at 2:30 am...and immediately passed out in my bed.
Monday was also a very interesting day, mainly because it was my 21st birthday. Now, in the US we know what a 21st birthday means, but in Spain I was legal to drink from the moment I walked off the plane. Due to this there was no pressure to have to drink, which I was actually happy about. Instead, a few close friends and I had a small party at the local Döner Kebab and got some helado. Andrea and Amy surprised me with a bunch of presents (I love my friends!) including the Spanish version of 20 Questions, the small electronic game where the ball guesses what you are thinking of in 20 questions. It is addicting, and my Spanish mother is in love with it as much as me.
Another fun thing has been that I have been getting closer to my older host brother. Why suddenly, you may ask? Because he just bought a new computer, and I tend to be a bit computer savvy, and he is not so much (they were not as plentiful when he was in colegio). The last few days I have been helping him set up everything, teaching how to do things, and even setting-up his Wi-Fi printer (which they pronounce wee-fee, and now so do I out of habit). It's been really cool getting to talk more with Ricardo when doing this, and I think he sees more of my personality now because at first I was too worried about communicating that my personality couldn't show. Now that I am more comfortable with my language and my surroundings things are getting a lot better. Too bad there is only 1 month left!
In other news, when I return to Ripon, I will be an RA! This is what I love so much about Ripon College. Although I am half a world away, I am not left out of the loop. I was able to apply to be an RA from here (the phone interview was so fun because I got to hear so many familiar voices from home all at once!) and not once did I feel like I had an extra burden put on me because everyone worked with me. It has been the same for registration, which really impressed me, since I had a minor change to what I originally planned (then again, I feel like I'm slightly more tranquil about some things since coming to Spain). I also liked that Ripon sent me a giant packet, including all of the College Days thus far, a bunch of brochures of happenings on campus, and ... PRESSED LEAVES! That was the most exciting part, because fall doesn't look like fall here...I kind of miss Door County for that.
Also, I never thought of this, but Spain doesn't have Thanksgiving, which means after All Saints' Day, the next holiday Christmas. Today, while walking to the Fund, I noticed Zara, the clothing store, has a Christmas tree up and a city worker was hanging up Christmas lights around Zocodover. So exciting! I love Christmas. Even my host family was talking about it!
This weekend we're going to Segovia, so I'll get to write about that soon. Until next time!
Once the girls got there, we tucked into some lunch (fried squid and shrimp tortilla! YUM! I love it!). We then attempted to go see the Mezquita, but it happened to be closed. It was fine though because I was able to take plenty of pictures from the outside. We then found the Calle de las flores and a very beautiful Patio cordobese which are just gorgeous! After that we took a horse and carriage tour of the city, which was very beautiful and allowed us to see a bunch of sights very efficiently (which was good, as my feet had not completely healed from a long day a few weeks prior). After that, I headed back to Madrid and ultimately got back to Toledo at 2:30 am...and immediately passed out in my bed.
Monday was also a very interesting day, mainly because it was my 21st birthday. Now, in the US we know what a 21st birthday means, but in Spain I was legal to drink from the moment I walked off the plane. Due to this there was no pressure to have to drink, which I was actually happy about. Instead, a few close friends and I had a small party at the local Döner Kebab and got some helado. Andrea and Amy surprised me with a bunch of presents (I love my friends!) including the Spanish version of 20 Questions, the small electronic game where the ball guesses what you are thinking of in 20 questions. It is addicting, and my Spanish mother is in love with it as much as me.
Another fun thing has been that I have been getting closer to my older host brother. Why suddenly, you may ask? Because he just bought a new computer, and I tend to be a bit computer savvy, and he is not so much (they were not as plentiful when he was in colegio). The last few days I have been helping him set up everything, teaching how to do things, and even setting-up his Wi-Fi printer (which they pronounce wee-fee, and now so do I out of habit). It's been really cool getting to talk more with Ricardo when doing this, and I think he sees more of my personality now because at first I was too worried about communicating that my personality couldn't show. Now that I am more comfortable with my language and my surroundings things are getting a lot better. Too bad there is only 1 month left!
In other news, when I return to Ripon, I will be an RA! This is what I love so much about Ripon College. Although I am half a world away, I am not left out of the loop. I was able to apply to be an RA from here (the phone interview was so fun because I got to hear so many familiar voices from home all at once!) and not once did I feel like I had an extra burden put on me because everyone worked with me. It has been the same for registration, which really impressed me, since I had a minor change to what I originally planned (then again, I feel like I'm slightly more tranquil about some things since coming to Spain). I also liked that Ripon sent me a giant packet, including all of the College Days thus far, a bunch of brochures of happenings on campus, and ... PRESSED LEAVES! That was the most exciting part, because fall doesn't look like fall here...I kind of miss Door County for that.
Also, I never thought of this, but Spain doesn't have Thanksgiving, which means after All Saints' Day, the next holiday Christmas. Today, while walking to the Fund, I noticed Zara, the clothing store, has a Christmas tree up and a city worker was hanging up Christmas lights around Zocodover. So exciting! I love Christmas. Even my host family was talking about it!
This weekend we're going to Segovia, so I'll get to write about that soon. Until next time!
08 November 2007
The things people will say...
When you are taking normal classes, you get a chance to amplify your vocabulary mucho. However, there are somethings you never think you will learn...but when you live in the language, you do. Due to this, I now present Josh in Toledo's very first:
Top Ten Things You Never Think You Would Need to Translate (or shouldn't attempt)
10) "Estás afuera de control" ("You are out of control" -- very bad translation)
9) "O Dios Mío...niños son niños en cualquiera cultura...demasiado energía...demasiado..." ("Oh my God...children are children in whichever culture...too much energy...too much...")
8) "Ella está en el baño o está comprando pan, no estoy seguro cual. No recuerdo que me dijo. Uno u otra..." ("She is either in the bathroom or buying bread, I'm not sure. I don't remeber which she told me. One or the other...")
Top Ten Things You Never Think You Would Need to Translate (or shouldn't attempt)
10) "Estás afuera de control" ("You are out of control" -- very bad translation)
9) "O Dios Mío...niños son niños en cualquiera cultura...demasiado energía...demasiado..." ("Oh my God...children are children in whichever culture...too much energy...too much...")
8) "Ella está en el baño o está comprando pan, no estoy seguro cual. No recuerdo que me dijo. Uno u otra..." ("She is either in the bathroom or buying bread, I'm not sure. I don't remeber which she told me. One or the other...")
7) "¡O Madre Mía! ¡Él está tirando el loro! ¡Y no sé por qué!" ("Oh my gosh! He's throwing the parrot! And I don't know why!")
6) "Yo regresé a las dos y media....la segunda dos y media...anoche" ("I returned at 2:30...the second 2:·30...last night"...oh the joys of Central European Summer Time)
5) "Me gusta bailar como una panda. Me pone feliz. Cuando el mundo es triste y hay mucho para hacer, solo podemos bailar." ("I like to dance like a panda. It makes me happy. When the world is sad and there is a lot to do, we can only dance.")
4) "¡Comes demasiado carne! Vas a morir" ("You eat too much meat! You're going to die!")
3) "Come el pudím. No hay nada en el pudín para controlar tus pensamientos. Cómelo. El pudín es bueno..." ("Eat the pudding. There is nothing in the pudding to control your thoughts. Eat it. The pudding is good.")
2) "No son calamares, es Jesús Cristo" ("They are not squid, it's Jesus Christ")
"Calamares Cristo?" ("The Squid Christ?")
1) "Creo que el perro vomitó y ahora está comiéndolo..." ("I believe the dog threw up and is now eating it..." -- Jarra, the dog, is really super fantastic!)
07 November 2007
Goings on...
First and most importantly, there is something I must say before I can tell you any of my latest adventures...it's really important...
HI MRS. WORDEN!!!!!!!!!!
OKay, now that that is out of the way, I can continue with the last two weeks!
Two Fridays ago the Fundación had another excursion and we went to Ácala de Hernares, which is to the Northeast of Madrid. Ácala de Hernares is home to one of the oldest universities in Spain, which we got to tour. It was really a fun time, and I was surprised at how many of the authors who had attended there I actually knew and had read. It brought the University more life in my mind to know who all went there.
After the University we visited the birth place of Cervantes, the author of don Quijote, as well. Andrea and I got a nice picture with the statues of Sancho Panza and Quijote himself (Sancho was mine, all mine) and we got to see what the inside of a house looked like so many years ago. It was a pretty awesome experience. We then got so free time and walked around the city, which is cool because it had random modern art everywhere.
The next week was pretty typical, going to classes and, oh yeah, midterms. Which will explain my absence in my blog for such a long time. I totally overstudied for a lot of my exams, mainly because I assumed they were going to be more in depth and cover a broader range of material. But overall they were fairly fácil and he sacado buenas notas.
This last week however, I did get to thinking, and realized something amazing about my experience here. After two months, I have realized that my automatic responces and immediate thoughts have become more natural in Spanish. When I wake up, I think 'ducha' instead of 'shower' (and other Spanish words I don't think I will put in a blog, but just remeber, 8 AM comes early in Spain). When chatting with friends online or on the phone, I randomly burst out with 'vale', 'madre mía', or 'bien bien'. Hahaha has become jajaja. I answer my host family immediately now, without processing what they say and I can write up a Spanish paper much faster, as I know longer think in English while writing. To me, I feel as if I am closer to truely being bilingual. In high school, my teacher (who has given my so many great strategies that I still find myself using today) explained to us that learning another language was like having a door in your mind. There would come a point where that door just swung open and your thoughts becames bilingual, your reactions became bilingual. You became bilingual. I think that being here and communicating I have found that door and I have opened it. It no longer scares me to call the train station to ask a question or ask for something in a store. It is wonderful.
And now that I just justified my time in a Spanish speaking country, let's talk about this last weekend. Thursday was All Saint's Day here in Spain. To most traditional families this meant going to the cemetary and remember their loved ones who have passed away. For the younger generation this means an extra day to travel during a puente. Andrea and I seized this oppurtunity, hopped a plane, and went to LONDON! It was a pretty cool time. I got to eat some fish and chips in front of the Tower of London, see Tower Bridge, go to the wax museum, and went shopping at Harrod's. It was an awesome time. Andrea really enjoyed the wax museum, and she had the great idea of hopping a Double Decker bus tour as well! And I was the only male she talked to in depth the entire time we were in London! Just so you know that, Mrs. Worden ;-)
However, going to London, I experienced something slightly interesting. I was extremely homesick-- for Spain. I didn't compare everything to the US, instead, I went "I prefer this in Spain" or "This is this here, in Spain it is different." And while I enjoyed my time, I could not wait to return to Spain. It's interesting and makes me wonder what it will be like returning to the USA...
Since then it has been classes and having fun little excursions around Toledo. I realized that my time here is dwindling so I have started buying gifts and filling out the postcards I bought so long ago to send people in the US. It's fun running around Toledo comparasion shopping in the souvenir tiendas, and gives me an extra amout of Spanish practice! This weekend I will probably be heading to Córdoba, so that will be fun.
HI MRS. WORDEN!!!!!!!!!!
OKay, now that that is out of the way, I can continue with the last two weeks!
Two Fridays ago the Fundación had another excursion and we went to Ácala de Hernares, which is to the Northeast of Madrid. Ácala de Hernares is home to one of the oldest universities in Spain, which we got to tour. It was really a fun time, and I was surprised at how many of the authors who had attended there I actually knew and had read. It brought the University more life in my mind to know who all went there.
After the University we visited the birth place of Cervantes, the author of don Quijote, as well. Andrea and I got a nice picture with the statues of Sancho Panza and Quijote himself (Sancho was mine, all mine) and we got to see what the inside of a house looked like so many years ago. It was a pretty awesome experience. We then got so free time and walked around the city, which is cool because it had random modern art everywhere.
The next week was pretty typical, going to classes and, oh yeah, midterms. Which will explain my absence in my blog for such a long time. I totally overstudied for a lot of my exams, mainly because I assumed they were going to be more in depth and cover a broader range of material. But overall they were fairly fácil and he sacado buenas notas.
This last week however, I did get to thinking, and realized something amazing about my experience here. After two months, I have realized that my automatic responces and immediate thoughts have become more natural in Spanish. When I wake up, I think 'ducha' instead of 'shower' (and other Spanish words I don't think I will put in a blog, but just remeber, 8 AM comes early in Spain). When chatting with friends online or on the phone, I randomly burst out with 'vale', 'madre mía', or 'bien bien'. Hahaha has become jajaja. I answer my host family immediately now, without processing what they say and I can write up a Spanish paper much faster, as I know longer think in English while writing. To me, I feel as if I am closer to truely being bilingual. In high school, my teacher (who has given my so many great strategies that I still find myself using today) explained to us that learning another language was like having a door in your mind. There would come a point where that door just swung open and your thoughts becames bilingual, your reactions became bilingual. You became bilingual. I think that being here and communicating I have found that door and I have opened it. It no longer scares me to call the train station to ask a question or ask for something in a store. It is wonderful.
And now that I just justified my time in a Spanish speaking country, let's talk about this last weekend. Thursday was All Saint's Day here in Spain. To most traditional families this meant going to the cemetary and remember their loved ones who have passed away. For the younger generation this means an extra day to travel during a puente. Andrea and I seized this oppurtunity, hopped a plane, and went to LONDON! It was a pretty cool time. I got to eat some fish and chips in front of the Tower of London, see Tower Bridge, go to the wax museum, and went shopping at Harrod's. It was an awesome time. Andrea really enjoyed the wax museum, and she had the great idea of hopping a Double Decker bus tour as well! And I was the only male she talked to in depth the entire time we were in London! Just so you know that, Mrs. Worden ;-)
However, going to London, I experienced something slightly interesting. I was extremely homesick-- for Spain. I didn't compare everything to the US, instead, I went "I prefer this in Spain" or "This is this here, in Spain it is different." And while I enjoyed my time, I could not wait to return to Spain. It's interesting and makes me wonder what it will be like returning to the USA...
Since then it has been classes and having fun little excursions around Toledo. I realized that my time here is dwindling so I have started buying gifts and filling out the postcards I bought so long ago to send people in the US. It's fun running around Toledo comparasion shopping in the souvenir tiendas, and gives me an extra amout of Spanish practice! This weekend I will probably be heading to Córdoba, so that will be fun.
17 October 2007
I left my heart in A Coruña...
This past weekend, I got the opportunity to do a bit of traveling without the Fund to a place farther than Madrid. Jenny (a girl from Minnesota) and I decided earlier in the week to head to A Coruña, in the northern 'state' of Galicia (the part of Spain above Portugal). IT was amazing, but the epitome of a whirlwind tour. Due to a higher than average amount of homework that weekend, we decided to make the trip shorter. We loaded a night bus Thursday night, got in at 5:30 AM the next day, went non-stop all day, and then boarded another bus at 10:30 PM Friday night to return to Madrid Saturday morning. Although it was quick, it was amazing!
Arriving there at 5:30 am was interesting, since it was an hour before we were supposed to get there. Knowing nothing would be open, Jenny and I decided to try and find the Torre de Hercules, an ancient Roman lighthouse which is the oldest lighthouse still functioning. However, it took us a bit to walk there, since we had to cross the whole city and the signs kept pointing us in awkward and roundabout directions. That, and we think we got lost because we used the "A Coruña at Day" map instead of the "A Coruña at Night" map. :-P
We eventually made it to the tower just in time to see something completely worth the cold: a sunrise over the Galician 'fjords' and the Atlantic ocean. It was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen, and definitely set a good tone to the day. Then, at 9 AM the tower finally opened and we climbed to the top, which gave an amazing view of everything. From there, we checked out a sculpture garden (with Celtic menhires), and a compass rose featuring 8 Celtic based languages (In Galicia the speak both Castellano and another language called Gallego, which has a mixture of roots and sounds somewhat like Portuguese) .
After that, we went to Casa de Hombre, which is a science museum dedicated to the Human Being, and then stopped off at the beach to wade into the ocean a bit (by then the temperature had risen from 12º C to 21º C). We ate lunch at this quaint pizza place, and I ordered the Galician Special (Shrimp and Mussels!) with some white wine...it was fantastic! We then went to the Casa de las Ciencias (House of Science) which had an entire floor of Physics hands-on activities (nothing like mixing the two majors, no?) as well as a Planetario. Having had astrophysics, it was fun to watch because I got to hear the difference in pronunciations and some of the names of stellar objects. Yeah, I know, I'm a geek...
After the planetarium we had dinner at a restaurant that was in the middle of a roundabout, which was interesting get to. Because seafood is so cheap there, I had some more (a shrimp Omlete!). After that we walked around the city and spent 2 hours walking back to the bus station, but it was so well worth it! We were a bit sad returning to the train station because all the shops we closed due to it being a holiday that day, but lo and behold! In the bus station there was a newsstand (so I could buy a newspaper with articles in gallego) AND a souvenir shop. Thusly we returned to Toledo very happy! I took loads of pictures, and once I get them uploaded I will share them with vosotros!
Since then the week has been pretty ordinary (well as ordinary as a week can be in Spain). I went to the mall Monday and bought two Spanish CD's (La 5ª Estación and Carlos Baute's newest one). Other than that it's been homework because midterms are coming up. That, and I don't get a fall break...¡qué pena!
Right now I am waiting at the Fund for some random 3 o'clock meeting to start. Now, I have been trying to stay positive about fund stuff, but this is yet another time I am going to have to skip lunch (the most important meal of the day) with my family to eat the food here :-( and attend some meeting that most likely will be another waste of time. I did not elect a homestay to have to skip lunch at home and spent my entire day in the Fund...kind of irksome if you ask me...I also already know I have to skip lunch another time next week for some random meeting about my internship...grrr...
Oh well, at least I am enjoying my experience and taking everything in...mainly because I have began to find the root of what is really making me feel bad here...but that's for another day...
Arriving there at 5:30 am was interesting, since it was an hour before we were supposed to get there. Knowing nothing would be open, Jenny and I decided to try and find the Torre de Hercules, an ancient Roman lighthouse which is the oldest lighthouse still functioning. However, it took us a bit to walk there, since we had to cross the whole city and the signs kept pointing us in awkward and roundabout directions. That, and we think we got lost because we used the "A Coruña at Day" map instead of the "A Coruña at Night" map. :-P
We eventually made it to the tower just in time to see something completely worth the cold: a sunrise over the Galician 'fjords' and the Atlantic ocean. It was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen, and definitely set a good tone to the day. Then, at 9 AM the tower finally opened and we climbed to the top, which gave an amazing view of everything. From there, we checked out a sculpture garden (with Celtic menhires), and a compass rose featuring 8 Celtic based languages (In Galicia the speak both Castellano and another language called Gallego, which has a mixture of roots and sounds somewhat like Portuguese) .
After that, we went to Casa de Hombre, which is a science museum dedicated to the Human Being, and then stopped off at the beach to wade into the ocean a bit (by then the temperature had risen from 12º C to 21º C). We ate lunch at this quaint pizza place, and I ordered the Galician Special (Shrimp and Mussels!) with some white wine...it was fantastic! We then went to the Casa de las Ciencias (House of Science) which had an entire floor of Physics hands-on activities (nothing like mixing the two majors, no?) as well as a Planetario. Having had astrophysics, it was fun to watch because I got to hear the difference in pronunciations and some of the names of stellar objects. Yeah, I know, I'm a geek...
After the planetarium we had dinner at a restaurant that was in the middle of a roundabout, which was interesting get to. Because seafood is so cheap there, I had some more (a shrimp Omlete!). After that we walked around the city and spent 2 hours walking back to the bus station, but it was so well worth it! We were a bit sad returning to the train station because all the shops we closed due to it being a holiday that day, but lo and behold! In the bus station there was a newsstand (so I could buy a newspaper with articles in gallego) AND a souvenir shop. Thusly we returned to Toledo very happy! I took loads of pictures, and once I get them uploaded I will share them with vosotros!
Since then the week has been pretty ordinary (well as ordinary as a week can be in Spain). I went to the mall Monday and bought two Spanish CD's (La 5ª Estación and Carlos Baute's newest one). Other than that it's been homework because midterms are coming up. That, and I don't get a fall break...¡qué pena!
Right now I am waiting at the Fund for some random 3 o'clock meeting to start. Now, I have been trying to stay positive about fund stuff, but this is yet another time I am going to have to skip lunch (the most important meal of the day) with my family to eat the food here :-( and attend some meeting that most likely will be another waste of time. I did not elect a homestay to have to skip lunch at home and spent my entire day in the Fund...kind of irksome if you ask me...I also already know I have to skip lunch another time next week for some random meeting about my internship...grrr...
Oh well, at least I am enjoying my experience and taking everything in...mainly because I have began to find the root of what is really making me feel bad here...but that's for another day...
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