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...
17 October 2007
09 October 2007
A long time coming...
As a disclaimer...I am on a computer without English spell check, and I suck at spelling....sorry!
Yes, it has been a long time since I have updated, this I know. And, boy, do I have a lot of things to tell vosotros! One of the main reason I haven't updated in two weeks is because the first week of my absence was plagued with really bad homesickness. I was getting very frustrated with some of the things going on at my school, and this just triggered a cascade of emotions that I think were just waiting to be released. This is normal, of course, in the situation I am in, so far from home and for so long. I was missing a lot of my friends from RipCo and dwelled on the fact the I was cut so out of the loop. After about 5 or 6 days of feeling minorly crappy, however, I snapped out of my funk and got back to having an amazing time here. The funny thing is, never during this period did I get the sensation of hating Spain or feeling as if I couldn't comunicate. Instead, it was frustration with other students or with my program.
Now, I know 5 or 6 days probably doesn't seem long to people reading this back home, but when you are in a study abroad program, and live and breathe and eat and sleep entirely within the program and the program is all you have, the ups are amazing and the downs are terrible. One day can feel like a week sometimes, and other times a week can flash by in a second. It's a strange sensation to have time fluctuate like this, but after a while it becomes like second nature. The days I was not doing so well felt like they lasted forever, but now that I am better everything is continuing to go by so quickly. In this way one learns to cherish the time here.
After my little funk, two weekends ago I went to Madrid on my own (the AVE high speed train only takes 25 minutes to get to Madrid from Toledo and leaves often so it is super easy to get there). I spent the entire day walking the streets, going to stores, sitting in parks and watching people go by, and just having a nice day to myself, with no other Fundación students. It was a nice and well-deserved break and I think was one of the major things that helped me get over my frustrations and homesickness. I have fallen in love with Madrid. It is such a wonderful and beautiful city with so much culture. I love the Gran Vía, which is one of the busiest and most important streets. It is basically the "down town" of the historic section and everything is close to it. Strangely, one of my favorite things to do in Madrid is ride the Metro and watch people, a veces trying to understand bits and pieces of conversation to improve my listening abilities (hey, we were told in MaxSA that eavesdropping is not bad if for educational purposes!).
The week since then has been fairly good. Lots of homework, but nothing I can't handle. I feel fairly well prepared when it comes to writing and speaking, especially after having Voces Españolas I y II with Prof. Reed (those two classes really helped my with speaking and writing literary ideas) as well as Composition with Prof. Guevara-Geer (this class helped me be able to write papers and cohesively put ideas together in a paper in Spanish). Now, when I am handed an assigment for a three page paper or 5 minute presentation, I am confident in my abilities to achieve the minimums and even excede them. Our department at Ripon is fantastic, and I really can see this after removing myself from Ripon and putting myself in a situation like this.
This last weekened was fantastic! We had our long excursion with the Fundación to Ávila and Salamanca in Castilla y Leon. Avila was beautiful, but we only spent Friday morning there. We saw the cathedral and walked on the walls of the city, which are amazingly preserved. From the walls we also got to see the monastery of Santa Teresa (misticismo!), and I also got to buy Yemas, which are egg yolk mixed with sugar until they are spongey. We then made our way to Salamanca (on an absolutely gorgeous mountain road). Friday night, all of the Fund kids went out to a few discotecas and had a pretty good time. I was also lucky because I got two really cool guys as my hotel roommates.
Saturday we went to the Cathedrals (the new one is built into the old one), the University (very famous and very beautiful), the House of Shells (which is now the public library, where we learned it is common to put libraries in old historic sites as it ensures their upkeep), and two convents (one for men, one for women). Everything was amazing. We had a free night and most of us walked around the city and went shopping.
Sunday we got some more free time, as well as we had to fend for ourselves for lunch. Ram (a friend from Notre Dame and one of my hotel roommates) and I found this really cool restaurant that had the most amazing fresh orange juice and fantastic pasta, and for Spain standards was very cheap. We then made our way back to Toledo. It was a fun weekend, but boy, was I tired afterward.
So there you go, my last two weeks all in one entry! It's Tuesday now, so I am at work at the library, work with the same guy I referenced in the last entry. He turned on really loud annoying music a little bit ago, but the other girl working turned it down and barked at him (I love her). However, she has now left me alone with him and he turned it right back up. I guess this is another lesson, that everywhere you will find coworkers you don't like. He also has left me alone right now, and the phone is ringing and I don't know how to answer it, and I have a line of people needing cards, which I don't know how to process yet. C'est la vie. Until next time!
UPDATE: My coworker finally came back from the bathroom after about 7 or 8 minutes, which he went to knowing we had a line for cards needed. Strangely, he reeks of tobacco from the bathroom...hmmm....strange...
Yes, it has been a long time since I have updated, this I know. And, boy, do I have a lot of things to tell vosotros! One of the main reason I haven't updated in two weeks is because the first week of my absence was plagued with really bad homesickness. I was getting very frustrated with some of the things going on at my school, and this just triggered a cascade of emotions that I think were just waiting to be released. This is normal, of course, in the situation I am in, so far from home and for so long. I was missing a lot of my friends from RipCo and dwelled on the fact the I was cut so out of the loop. After about 5 or 6 days of feeling minorly crappy, however, I snapped out of my funk and got back to having an amazing time here. The funny thing is, never during this period did I get the sensation of hating Spain or feeling as if I couldn't comunicate. Instead, it was frustration with other students or with my program.
Now, I know 5 or 6 days probably doesn't seem long to people reading this back home, but when you are in a study abroad program, and live and breathe and eat and sleep entirely within the program and the program is all you have, the ups are amazing and the downs are terrible. One day can feel like a week sometimes, and other times a week can flash by in a second. It's a strange sensation to have time fluctuate like this, but after a while it becomes like second nature. The days I was not doing so well felt like they lasted forever, but now that I am better everything is continuing to go by so quickly. In this way one learns to cherish the time here.
After my little funk, two weekends ago I went to Madrid on my own (the AVE high speed train only takes 25 minutes to get to Madrid from Toledo and leaves often so it is super easy to get there). I spent the entire day walking the streets, going to stores, sitting in parks and watching people go by, and just having a nice day to myself, with no other Fundación students. It was a nice and well-deserved break and I think was one of the major things that helped me get over my frustrations and homesickness. I have fallen in love with Madrid. It is such a wonderful and beautiful city with so much culture. I love the Gran Vía, which is one of the busiest and most important streets. It is basically the "down town" of the historic section and everything is close to it. Strangely, one of my favorite things to do in Madrid is ride the Metro and watch people, a veces trying to understand bits and pieces of conversation to improve my listening abilities (hey, we were told in MaxSA that eavesdropping is not bad if for educational purposes!).
The week since then has been fairly good. Lots of homework, but nothing I can't handle. I feel fairly well prepared when it comes to writing and speaking, especially after having Voces Españolas I y II with Prof. Reed (those two classes really helped my with speaking and writing literary ideas) as well as Composition with Prof. Guevara-Geer (this class helped me be able to write papers and cohesively put ideas together in a paper in Spanish). Now, when I am handed an assigment for a three page paper or 5 minute presentation, I am confident in my abilities to achieve the minimums and even excede them. Our department at Ripon is fantastic, and I really can see this after removing myself from Ripon and putting myself in a situation like this.
This last weekened was fantastic! We had our long excursion with the Fundación to Ávila and Salamanca in Castilla y Leon. Avila was beautiful, but we only spent Friday morning there. We saw the cathedral and walked on the walls of the city, which are amazingly preserved. From the walls we also got to see the monastery of Santa Teresa (misticismo!), and I also got to buy Yemas, which are egg yolk mixed with sugar until they are spongey. We then made our way to Salamanca (on an absolutely gorgeous mountain road). Friday night, all of the Fund kids went out to a few discotecas and had a pretty good time. I was also lucky because I got two really cool guys as my hotel roommates.
Saturday we went to the Cathedrals (the new one is built into the old one), the University (very famous and very beautiful), the House of Shells (which is now the public library, where we learned it is common to put libraries in old historic sites as it ensures their upkeep), and two convents (one for men, one for women). Everything was amazing. We had a free night and most of us walked around the city and went shopping.
Sunday we got some more free time, as well as we had to fend for ourselves for lunch. Ram (a friend from Notre Dame and one of my hotel roommates) and I found this really cool restaurant that had the most amazing fresh orange juice and fantastic pasta, and for Spain standards was very cheap. We then made our way back to Toledo. It was a fun weekend, but boy, was I tired afterward.
So there you go, my last two weeks all in one entry! It's Tuesday now, so I am at work at the library, work with the same guy I referenced in the last entry. He turned on really loud annoying music a little bit ago, but the other girl working turned it down and barked at him (I love her). However, she has now left me alone with him and he turned it right back up. I guess this is another lesson, that everywhere you will find coworkers you don't like. He also has left me alone right now, and the phone is ringing and I don't know how to answer it, and I have a line of people needing cards, which I don't know how to process yet. C'est la vie. Until next time!
UPDATE: My coworker finally came back from the bathroom after about 7 or 8 minutes, which he went to knowing we had a line for cards needed. Strangely, he reeks of tobacco from the bathroom...hmmm....strange...
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