Whoops! Time passes so quickly here. It's weird some days I'm super busy and other days I'm bored. I need to find a better balance. But anyways here's what I've been up to lately. Oh and a correction for my last blog...I should have said "ir de juerga" jaja. Una huelga is a strike and there actually is a National strike this Wednesday.
Winery- It was cool seeing the process and all the machines used. I love it because they use all the parts of the plants in some way (as fertilizer!) and don't use pesticides nor fertilizers (other than the plants themselves). There was a wine tasting as well, but sadly I still don't like wine.
El partido de futbol- I went to a soccer game between Hercules (from Alicante) and Valencia. It was really fun because everyone was super excited- yelling and chanting. We stood almost every time Hercules was close to making a goal. It was insane because Valencia scored within the first 5 minutes, but then Hercules stepped it up and came really close to making about a million goals. There was also a penalty goal for Hercules! Sadly, we lost 2-1 but Hercules played really we regardless.
Saliendo en la noche- I've had some pretty good times and met a few Spaniards this way. At one bar, Goa, we've met the owner (who also works there) and he's super nice. One night we got to play with water guns, huge sunglasses, and cowboy hats. =) Besides that bar, I think my favorite place thus far is Stereo. They play lots of American rock and it's basically all Spaniards there. I went with Jenni, Kelly and her Spanish brother and his friends. We had tons of fun dancing like fools. One of the guys knew the "Carleton dance" from Fresh Prince and tried to teach us it. It was pretty funny. That night I stayed out until 7am! Craziness in Espana.
Intercambios- I'm doing a language/culture exchange with a Spanish boy who studies law at the University of Elche (close to Alicante). He's really nice and can talk a lot which is good because we've only been talking in Spanish thus far. The first time we met we went to have coffee, and the second we tried to go surfing (he's really into surfing) but ended up just swimming and hanging out on the beach. It's a good way to make a Spanish friend especially because I've only had to go one time for my class at the University.
El gimnasio- So I joined the gym at the university and it's definitely going take some getting used to. You have to get a card to use either the gym or the pool and turn it in before you start. In the gym, there's hardly any girls and I need to get used to the machines...The pool was nice, but the first time I went I didn't realize all the rules. You have to have a swim cap, and shower first. There's also some sort of time limit/limit on the number of people but I don't really understand it. Both visits were a bit upsetting at first because I didn't know what I was doing and felt a little stupid, but I think it will be better when I go this week.
La copa mundial- My gosh! I almost forgot to write this...I SAW, TOUCHED, AND HAVE A PHOTO WITH THE WORLD CUP!!! I went with a few friends and we waited for 6 HOURS to see it. Craziness. I didn't think the line was that long. And of course it started to rain around hour 4 and none of us had an umbrella. We did meet a super nice Spanish family though and they let us stand under their umbrella. I just have to tell myself it was worth it (although if I had know it would be 6 hours...I don't know...). The wait made it so much cooler though!
Mis cursos- I'm taking Spain through it's pop culture, Advanced Conversational Spanish, and Legal and Political Structures of Modern Spain, as well as the university class. I like all my professors- they're all very different. I've learned a ton of colloquialisms from my convo class and lots about the culture in all of my classes. I love the overlap. My class about politics is interesting, but so far it's been more historical. I know we need to learn about the transition from dictatorship to democracy, but I get the feeling that my professor doesn't know all that much about it. I think his main job is his other job (which does relate to the class). The prof of my university course is super nice, but I still haven't had a real class. We didn't have class the 1st 2 weeks because he wanted to wait for everyone to sign up. So my first real class is tomorrow. The first day I went and I was the only one there besides the professor! It was really weird. But he said for my final paper I can write about Texas and how the petroleum industry has affected health or how immigrants affect the health system. I'm pretty passionate about both topics so I'm excited for the class!
GRANADA- I went to Granada this weekend with the University (about 50 of us in a bus) and it was AMAZING. The city has such an interesting history because it was the last part of the Moorish empire. We saw La Alhambra which is a gorgeous mini-town designed by the Moors and then added to (and destroyed) by the Christian Spaniards. I walked through most of the city- the architecture is really interesting because it's from almost every period (baroque, classical...). Some gypsies read my palm (I have the exact same future as my friend) and we saw the inside of the Cathedral there. It was gorgeous. There are tons of paintings, a massive organ, beautiful stained glass windows, and guilded columns everywhere. We ate dinner at some traditional places where you order a drink and they bring you a tapa too! In one we got to choose all our tapas which was really cool (and delicious). The other place we ate we ordered a few things a la cart because we wanted to try all the delicious fish. (Fish here is sooo fresh- I love it!) I also went to a teteria where they have a million types of tea, hookah and other drinks. I loved the atmosphere, and it was fun because I went with some people from my group, the tour guide (who is about our age), and a some girls from Italy and France. I now have a friend from Rome! I loved Granada, but I was glad to come back to Alicante. (It was already kinda cold there!)
Anyways, that's already a lot to read and I'm going to a latin dance class in a bit! I hope everyone is doing super awesomely well. I love and miss all of you!
Un besazo!
Juleeyah
Monday, September 27, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Week 2
Well after 2 essays, a test, and normal homework this week we finally finished the intensive Spanish course! This weekend we are FREE!!! No homework so it's time to "ir de huelga" and met some Spainards in El Barrio.
Gosh, what have I done this week? It's so hard to keep track of time here because I'm almost always busy. Well, on Wednesday we went to a movie that was in spanish called Lope. I really liked it although I didn't understand most of the poetry that was recited in it. It was supposed to be about the life of Lope de Vega the Spanish playwright who was like Spain's Shakespeare. But I think there were plenty of liberties taken with the description of his romances. (Although before the ending credits it did say he fathered 14 children...) Also, it's really cool because with my university card movies are only 5.50 euros which is so much better than the US! On Thursday I went to a close restaurant that I really like to study/practice for my test with a friend. There's an awesome waiter there who speaks English (although I try to only speak to him in Spanish). He's really nice, especially considering that a lot of waiters are somewhat rude to non-Spaniards (they don't have to work for tips). Hopefully I can eventually get to know him and practice my Spanish with him, although he always seems to be the only one working, poor guy.
Then the weekend came finally! On Friday it was Leah's birthday so we had to party it up. (I wrote the first paragraph of this post on Friday.) First, a group of CIEE kids had dinner at an Italian restaurant which was fun especially after they gave us chupitos (shots) and for some reason it hit me right away. So I was totally kinda drunk in the restaurant. But it passed rather quickly...The we went to a few bars in El Barrio. I liked one called Goa where we stayed for a while which had a large space for dancing but wasn't super crowded and we met a few guys. Also, I saw a Spanish guy that I had met the first week and thought I would never see again! It was pretty crazy. Yay small cities. After that bar we went to some near El Casino where we danced..and danced...and danced...and then it was 5:30 am and so we went home. It was tons of fun! I only regretted it a little bit when I had to get up at 10 in the morning to go to el mercadillo. El mercadillo was really cool. It's an open air market with LOTS of stands with fruits and vegetables, and also tons of other random things like clothes (including undies and bras...definitely saw some just hanging up on lines for sale), pillow covers, shoes, bags, table clothes, and random souvenir like stuff. It was also fun because my abuela espanola was there and she is super sweet and funny. Saturday I was pretty tired so I ended up watching a lot of TV. I love how the news is so much more international in Spain than in the US. They talked about 9/11 and the ceremonies quite a bit, but it made me sad because we don't really ever do that for any other country. But anyways, Saturday night was basically a repeat of Friday although this time a few of the Spanish helpers (they are Universidad de Alicante students who work for CIEE) were there too. On Sunday I went to La Playa Arenales with my host family. I enjoyed playing in the waves with my little sisters. This beach was nicer than the one close to my house because there were a lot less people and it was a lot bigger and cleaner. Then today I still didn't have class because CIEE classes don't start until Wednesday. Irene (the oldest of my new sisters) was off too so we did some errands and then made our own jewelery at this cute little shop!
Tomorrow I only have my direct enrollment course (Geography of health and wellbeing) which I am super excited for (although apparently the prof might not even show up). Also, I'm going to a winery with CIEE tomorrow! Woot. We get to taste the wines....ut oh. I might return to Austin a wino. Just kidding. =) Any ways I'm sure that's more than everyone ever wanted to know about what I've been up to. So hasta luego!
Besos y abrazos a todos,
Juleeyah
Gosh, what have I done this week? It's so hard to keep track of time here because I'm almost always busy. Well, on Wednesday we went to a movie that was in spanish called Lope. I really liked it although I didn't understand most of the poetry that was recited in it. It was supposed to be about the life of Lope de Vega the Spanish playwright who was like Spain's Shakespeare. But I think there were plenty of liberties taken with the description of his romances. (Although before the ending credits it did say he fathered 14 children...) Also, it's really cool because with my university card movies are only 5.50 euros which is so much better than the US! On Thursday I went to a close restaurant that I really like to study/practice for my test with a friend. There's an awesome waiter there who speaks English (although I try to only speak to him in Spanish). He's really nice, especially considering that a lot of waiters are somewhat rude to non-Spaniards (they don't have to work for tips). Hopefully I can eventually get to know him and practice my Spanish with him, although he always seems to be the only one working, poor guy.
Then the weekend came finally! On Friday it was Leah's birthday so we had to party it up. (I wrote the first paragraph of this post on Friday.) First, a group of CIEE kids had dinner at an Italian restaurant which was fun especially after they gave us chupitos (shots) and for some reason it hit me right away. So I was totally kinda drunk in the restaurant. But it passed rather quickly...The we went to a few bars in El Barrio. I liked one called Goa where we stayed for a while which had a large space for dancing but wasn't super crowded and we met a few guys. Also, I saw a Spanish guy that I had met the first week and thought I would never see again! It was pretty crazy. Yay small cities. After that bar we went to some near El Casino where we danced..and danced...and danced...and then it was 5:30 am and so we went home. It was tons of fun! I only regretted it a little bit when I had to get up at 10 in the morning to go to el mercadillo. El mercadillo was really cool. It's an open air market with LOTS of stands with fruits and vegetables, and also tons of other random things like clothes (including undies and bras...definitely saw some just hanging up on lines for sale), pillow covers, shoes, bags, table clothes, and random souvenir like stuff. It was also fun because my abuela espanola was there and she is super sweet and funny. Saturday I was pretty tired so I ended up watching a lot of TV. I love how the news is so much more international in Spain than in the US. They talked about 9/11 and the ceremonies quite a bit, but it made me sad because we don't really ever do that for any other country. But anyways, Saturday night was basically a repeat of Friday although this time a few of the Spanish helpers (they are Universidad de Alicante students who work for CIEE) were there too. On Sunday I went to La Playa Arenales with my host family. I enjoyed playing in the waves with my little sisters. This beach was nicer than the one close to my house because there were a lot less people and it was a lot bigger and cleaner. Then today I still didn't have class because CIEE classes don't start until Wednesday. Irene (the oldest of my new sisters) was off too so we did some errands and then made our own jewelery at this cute little shop!
Tomorrow I only have my direct enrollment course (Geography of health and wellbeing) which I am super excited for (although apparently the prof might not even show up). Also, I'm going to a winery with CIEE tomorrow! Woot. We get to taste the wines....ut oh. I might return to Austin a wino. Just kidding. =) Any ways I'm sure that's more than everyone ever wanted to know about what I've been up to. So hasta luego!
Besos y abrazos a todos,
Juleeyah
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Week 1
Well, it hasn't even been a week and it feels like so much more because so much has happened! I arrived in Madrid on the 27th and missed the plane to Alicante because my first flight was delayed. Luckily, there were a few other girls from my program and so between us we were able to get tickets for a later flight. When we arrived at the hotel where we stayed until Sunday afternoon, we did some icebreakers with the group and Spanish student helpers. The whole weekend was dedicated to informing us about the city, Spanish traditions, and eating with the student helpers. There were so many wonderful foods! I love gazpacho, the tuna here, paella, and so much more.
Gosh the first week seems to have flown by now. I met my family last Sunday and they are so much fun! I now have three new sisters and a new mother. My sisters are 8, 11, and 14 and the two younger ones are always talking fast and loud. They made me a welcome sign. Later, Andrea gave me a picture of me, Eva gave me a few little toys and Irene a pretty necklace. They're all super nice, just like my madre.
I only have one class until the 13th, but it is an intensive course which is 4 hours per day with a one hour break. We've already written two essays, edited one, and taken a test over lots of grammar. When I wasn't in class this week I hung out with my family a lot, got a mobile phone, and went to the beach. With CIEE our whole group climbed the castle in Alicante and all of the views were gorgeous! I took so many pictures. I went out to the barrio and the casino(for bars, not betting) Friday and Saturday night. It was lots of fun, although I would like to go to a bar with less Americans and I need to learn how to dance. Then on Saturday our group went to two beach towns in Alicante- Villajoyosa and Guadalet. Villajoyosa has a pretty church with an interesting history and an absolutely beautiful beach. Guadalet has a castle as well but with beautiful views of the countryside, not a city. It is also a pretty little town. On Sunday I basically did nothing but watch TV, but I think it was a necessary break because I couldn't sleep in Sunday and I didn't go to bed until late Saturday night. Today I went for a run along the beach which was nice. So many people are out here at night, and of all ages. You see babies to older people walking. I love it.
Anyways, that's all for now. I will try to be a bit more faithful in the future, but it's hard when I'm doing so much.
Gosh the first week seems to have flown by now. I met my family last Sunday and they are so much fun! I now have three new sisters and a new mother. My sisters are 8, 11, and 14 and the two younger ones are always talking fast and loud. They made me a welcome sign. Later, Andrea gave me a picture of me, Eva gave me a few little toys and Irene a pretty necklace. They're all super nice, just like my madre.
I only have one class until the 13th, but it is an intensive course which is 4 hours per day with a one hour break. We've already written two essays, edited one, and taken a test over lots of grammar. When I wasn't in class this week I hung out with my family a lot, got a mobile phone, and went to the beach. With CIEE our whole group climbed the castle in Alicante and all of the views were gorgeous! I took so many pictures. I went out to the barrio and the casino(for bars, not betting) Friday and Saturday night. It was lots of fun, although I would like to go to a bar with less Americans and I need to learn how to dance. Then on Saturday our group went to two beach towns in Alicante- Villajoyosa and Guadalet. Villajoyosa has a pretty church with an interesting history and an absolutely beautiful beach. Guadalet has a castle as well but with beautiful views of the countryside, not a city. It is also a pretty little town. On Sunday I basically did nothing but watch TV, but I think it was a necessary break because I couldn't sleep in Sunday and I didn't go to bed until late Saturday night. Today I went for a run along the beach which was nice. So many people are out here at night, and of all ages. You see babies to older people walking. I love it.
Anyways, that's all for now. I will try to be a bit more faithful in the future, but it's hard when I'm doing so much.
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