I must begin this particular blog by stating that, in the exact moment that I'm sitting down and writing this, I am also eating the very first meal that I have cooked here in Spain, in my very own apartment. It consists of tortellini, grilled mushrooms, grated cheese, olive oil and herbs, and it is absolutely fantastic in my skilled opinion.. I am also of course drining wine that was about 3 dollars a bottle (an average price here it seems) at my local grocery store. I'm pretty proud of myself! But in my apartment we dont have an oven or a microwave, so I have to learn to not make too much of things that I would want to re-heat, such as this pasta. I will just have to eat the leftovers cold I guess.
But anyways. Since my previous blog I have (1) Moved into my new apartment, (2) Traveled to Granada and Salobreña with my two American friends, and (3) bought Spanish groceries. So after I spent my last night in our Hostal, I recruited Will and James to help me drag all my stuff down the road a few minutes (everything is down the road a few minutes in Priego) to my new apartment. But because my new roommate Maria prefered to play a game to assign rooms, I couldn't move into any rooms until she got there. She kept insisting that to "not cause any roommate problems" we should just play the game, which basically consisted of me writing the numbers 1 and 2 onto different sheets of paper, assigning the numbers to a room, giving them to Magda (since she already had a room) and having her switch them up behind her back and hold out her fists and us choosing whatever number was in the fist. But before that happened, I just hung out with Magda for a few hours, and she ended up making me lunch, for which I was extremely grateful!! She cooked up some chicken (YES!!) with herbs, and also grilled some veggies with the same herbs, and it was MOUTHWATERING. This Polish girl knows how to cook! After lunch she asked me if I wanted tea, and of course I said yes. She told me that she had to bring the tea all the way from Poland, because she had heard that Spaniards didnt drink tea. So I asked what kind of tea it was, expecting it to be some sort of amazing Polish tea, but she instead brought out a box of Lipton tea! I laughed to myself a little bit and she asked if I wanted sugar and a lemon in mine, and of course I said yes to that as well... it was delicious! And until Maria got home, we clasically started showing each other our favorite music, though surprisingly I already had what she considered was her favorite song on my iPod :)
So FINALLY Maria got home, we played the game and I got to unpack in the room I had been hoping for (It had a bigger closet, if nothing else!). When I was done, I went to throw something away and saw that Magda and Maria were out on our patio thing cleaning without me (my dad will laugh here and say, "Typical, even in Spain she avoids chores." haha)! So I jumped in and began sweeping and then moping, and this is when I learned that there are CERTAIN ways to clean here in Spain. Maria then did a demonstration of appropriate cleaning, where when you mop, you first go over the floor once get it very wet, and then you go over it again with a more squeezed out mop to get it drier, and then you let it sit until it's totally dry. And then I had to help her clean the bathroom, which to me was already pretty clean... she was very particular in her cleaning and reminded me of Laurie ;) The most interesting thing about living with people who all have different first languages is that we are constantly learning and switching between languges. They usually go something like this:
Me: "Maria! Tengo una pregunta..."
Maria: "Dime"
Me: "A que hora sale un bus a Granada"
Maria: "I dont know..."
Me: "Tienes que tener un... ticket the day before?"
Maria: "No, you can get it el dia que sales."
Magda: "Where... are you go? Going?"
Me: "A Granada."
Magda: "Are you going... (struggle)"
Me: "On a vacation? Yep!"
Maria: "Que bueno! A lot of fun."
Magda: "Okay, I'm going now. I'm going to.... turn the lights?"
Me: "Turn OFF the lights."
Maria: "Turn off the lights..." (repeating to herself)
Maria really likes to explain things to me first in Spanish and then in English. Not because I need the clarification, but because she wants to practice her English. I'm the English expert, Maria is the Spanish expert, and we end up finishing each others sentences when attempting to speak in the other language and exchanging words or phrases, like "This is how you say ____ in English/Spanish." I wouldn't doubt it if I learned something new every day!
Anyways, after I got done cleaning I was invited out by Magda to hang out with her Spanish friends, who are girls around our age. They were really nice, but the spoke so fast that Magda and I were pretty much left behind... at least I could understand some things and participate a little bit when they spoke directly to me, but poor Magda said she could only understand words! But she's picking it up.
The next day I went to the bus station with my backpack that I bought before I left for Spain (THANKS MOM!) and bought a ticket to Granada. It was about an hour and 45 minute ride, and the entire time I was just STOKED. I have always wanted to go to Granada, almost since I decided I wanted to go to Spain in the first place, so I couldn't believe I was sitting there all by myself like a grown-up on a bus to a place I've always wanted to go in a foreign country. I arrived about 5 hours before my friends Ashley and Kelly, who were coming from Cordoba, so I decided to take a bus to "el centro" (the center of the city), where I was sure I could find something interesting to do and see for a few hours. So I left the bus station so I cuold find a but heading into town... and I ended up staring at the board for about 10 minutes, just trying to figure out what the hell all the colored lines meant. Finally I looked over and there was a guy standing next to me, so I first asked him if he could speak Spanish, and he looked at me blankly, so then I asked him if he could speak English, and he replied to me in a heavy German accent that yes, he could.
"Do you know what this board means?" I asked.
"Um... No. I dont know."
"Well... I think that if we take the number 3 or 33 we will get to the centro?"
"I think that you are right."
"Should we go together?" I asked.
"Sure!" He said. So we got on the bus and hoped that we were heading in the right direction. Sure enough, we saw the cathedral on the right side of the road, so we got out and began the hunt for the hostal he was staying in. Since my fiends and I hadn't pre-booked a hostal yet and basically knew nothing about the city, I followed him and we ended up at a really great hostal! I looked into the prices and it was only 18 euros for a bed, so I booked 3 of them. The reception guy told us that we had 3 of the 4 beds in our room, so we might be sharing it with someone, but I figured this was completely fine. I did buy a padlock though to put on our cubby thing. The street that the hostal was on was absolutely amazing! It was tucked away and really cute, full of Arabic tea houses and hookah bars with deep reds and yellows everywhere, and a bunch of Arabic shops selling brightly colored clothing and jewelry and tea. I felt like I was in Aladdin! The hostal itself was really old looking and quaint and comfortable. So until Kelly and Ashley got there, I walked around and sat in a bar, drank wine and read my book for awhile.
After they arrived, we dropped our stuff off at the hostal and went to dinner at one of the Arabic tea houses we had passed, and had the most amazing food I had had in Spain yet, and since then. It was DELICIOUS. We shared all the dishes, so we had lentil soup, this eggplant salad, moroccan tea, and this mouthwatering chicken that fell right off the bone and had been cooked with grilled onions in some sort of honey... it seriously tasted like apple pie but in chicken form... my mouth is watering right now just thinking about it! After we oohed and ahhed at the amazingness that was that meal, we headed up the hill to a place that one of the people in our hostal said we should go. The walk up was beautiful, paths weaving between white washed closely placed houses and buildings, gardens, etc. when we got to the top, I was completely blown away. We were at a church that had a big plaza on one side of it, and it was completely open and we were high above everything. But the most breathtaking sight was the Alhambra. The Alhambra is a huge palace/castle where the Moorish royalty lived before Isabel and Ferdinand re-conquored Spain and kicked the Moors out, and it is also where they lived after the Reconquista. And it is absolutely kick-me-in-the-stomach, feel like crying a little bit, fantastically awesome. I couldn't stop looking at it. I think we sat there on that concrete half-wall and stared at it for about 45 minutes, barely even speaking. It's on this hill across a ravine-type thing so its just there, above everything, absolutely majestic in every way. Eventually the sun started going down and lights turned on to shine in it, and it was beautiful and mystical and I can't even explain. The most amazing thing I have ever seen.
We eventually decided to go back to our hostal, so we walked back down the hill in the falling darkness and went to our hostal bar for a free drink. There we met a whole group of new people, from all over the world. There were some people from Australia, the UK, Sweden, Germany, and even Malasia, but they all spoke great English and were in their 20's. We sat down and immediately started laughing with them as they included us in their conversations... although being Americans, eventually politics comes up, and this is something I've found that I actually like to talk about. Not specifically politics and politicans, but world events that I've learned about in school, such as Afghanistan, the Marshall Islands and nuclear testing, 9/11, Bush/Obama, gun control, ignorant Americans, etc. I really enjoy intelligent conversations about these things, because I love to hear what other people from other countries have to say about them and I like giving my own opinions as well. I think that if we could all just open our minds a little bit, the world would be much more accepting and less ignorant. So anyways, after I got off my soap box about how some Americans are dipshits, but then again there are dipshits in every culture that ruin it for everyone, we all headed out to some tapas bars. We had a great time with these people, but the only thing I'll say more about that night is that I do NOT like marijuana.
I have found out that I don't like the clubs in Spain. Well, I dont like the places people go BEFORE they go to the clubs because I've never actually made it out to the discotecas, as they open around 3 am, but people don't really start dancing until 5 am. But anyways, these bars that people go to are JAM PACKED full of people... there is NO maximum capacity, so people are just squished in there and it's almost impossible to make it to the bar for a drink, and the music is so loud that you can't even talk to these people you're pushed up next to, and of course there is some groping involved. I would much prefer sitting at a bar and being able to talk to people over that crap. It actually made me miss the Peacock... how crazy is that? At least we could go sit down and talk if we didn't want to dance at home, but here there is NO sitting and NO talking and there isn't even DANCING because it's not the time for dancing yet, so they're all just standing around like chumps staring at each other. Maybe I'll get used to it with time, and maybe I'll actually make it out to the clubs at some point, but I really have to brace myself for that.
We went back to the hostal that night and passed out... in the morning we woke up and there was someone else in the empty bed in our room!
"Umm... Andrew?" Ashley asked to the still passed-out person.
"Ghrauffw... no... David"
"Oh David! Hi! How was your night? Did you go to the tapas bar?" Remembering him from last night.
"Mmmm..."
"Oh I'll leave you alone now." Strange, having a random guy in our room with us.
"No, ugh, let me put on my pants." HA HA HA.
Because our hostal was booked that weekend, we had to find another hostal that day. Ashley started calling all the hostals in town, and finally found one. It was the same price as the one we had stayed in before, but it was APARTMENT style... like we had our own apartment with a kitchen and bathroom and 2 bedrooms and everything! We even had a balcony that looked out onto a plaza. So we moved in and the rest of the day we basically spent on a tour of the Alhambra. It's beautiful, especially the palaces, in which EVERY SURFAC is covered in intricate and elaborate designs carved into the marble, and mosaics.
I feel like Spaniards really have life figured out. EVERYONE gets dressed up in the evenings, especially on the weekends, and goes out and walks around, from children all the way up to the elderly. When we were walking around on our last night at about 10 pm, there was a random concert/dance in the plaza in front of the city hall... There was a singer and band on stage, and people of ALL AGES were dancing in front of it. There were a ton of people! There were couples dancing, and moms teaching their kids to dance at the back of the group, and grandfathers dancing around with little kids. People here really love LOVE too. There are teenagers kissing in the streets, old couples holding hands, couples on the beach kissing and holding each other in the waves... when I was at the bus station this girl was sitting there, and suddenly she saw someone and she got up and ran to him and jumped up into his arms and kissed him, and the didn't stop kissing right there for a couple minutes... people here are not ashamed of showing how much they love each other in public.
The next day we sadly had to say goodbye to Granada and we took a bus to this small beach town that everyone in Granada had told us to go to... Salobreña. Basically all we did here was lay topless on the beach, drink tinto de verano and wine, eat tapas, look for sea glass on the pebbly beaches, and sleep. We also toured the castle that was on the top of the hill and sat on the terrace at our hostal and drank wine and watched the sun set. It was extremely relaxing, at least until the last day. Our hostal guy said that it probably wouldn't affect us much, but it definitely did. There was a "huelga," or "strike" that day... a transportation strike. So we attempted to buy a bus ticket back to Granada that morning, but the guy at the station said that there MIGHT be a bus leaving around 3-3:30, but he wasn't sure. We felt a little desperate to get home by now, so we thought about renting a car or taking a taxi, and SERIOUSLY considered hitch-hiking to Granada (it's only 45 minutes away by car), but we decided that our parents would absolutely KILL us if they ever found out we had done that. This taxi driver who we had talked to earlier finally pulled over and said, "Just get in, I'll give you a 10 euro discount, you guys have been walking around here all day." So we all paid about 20 euros and got a ride to Granada, where I found out that the only bus going to my town that day was leaving at 6:30 pm, which meant that I got to sit around in the bus station for 6.5 hours. I hated that strike.
FINALLY I got home and basically unpacked and passed out. Today I got up and went grocery shopping, where I found out that Spain doesn't have cesar dressing or unscented laundry detergent! They put VINEGAR on their salads... which I'm not really a huge fan of. But I ended up buying all my produce from a stand rather than a supermarket. I got 3 peaches, 1 nectarine, 1 tomatoe, 1 mushroom and 3 oranges all for less than 3 dollars! Food will be pretty cheap here... thank goodness because I've been spending TOO MUCH MONEY as it is!
I start at my school tomorrow, but it's only a sort of introduction day, where I'll meet all the teachers and introduce myself to some of the classes, and then I really start work on Monday. I'm pretty excited to finally have something to do here, though I really had a fantastic time on our pre-school vacation :)
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
UN PISO!
So I will begin my story with a mini story from last night... I have been getting tired of Spanish food a little bit already, what with the crazy meats and ways of preparing them, so as I was complaining to a friend about this from back in the US, he said, "Why don't you look for a pizza place? I bet they have one, and the pizza in Europe is really good!" So with this advice in mind, I said to Will, "WILL. We are going to eat PIZZA tonight. Something I'm FAMILIAR with." And he said, "That sounds good. Let's look at the map." Will is a pretty chill guy. He is basically along for the ride, and that's nice because it forces me to actually make some decisions every now and then.
So we get to pizza, where we meet up with James who is from the UK, a Brett, who is from Iowa. They are both very skinny and they make me a tiny bit edgy... I'm not used to them, I like having Will around. So Will and I order good old Pepperoni Pizza... and I am not disappointed!!! The pizza was AMAZING, I could NOT stop ranting about it and how delicious it was and how this place will be my new go-to restaurant (they had at least 30different types of pizza, a ton of pasta, lasagna, and salads... perfect!). Basically, it made my entire day. We ended the day by drinking copious amounts of wine, to which I can only say, I salute my Senior Year roommates.
Then today I woke up and usually I knock on Will's door so we can start our random adventures of the day, but this morning he wasn't there. So I continued on my way and did a little walk around the town, visiting my favorite spots (El fuente del Rey, the Barrio de la Villa, El Adarve). I walked past the towns castle and was surprised to see that it was actually open! So I went in and paid the 2 euro and did some exploring by myself. I was able to walk along the top of it and see all of Priego de Cordoba, as well as the places where archers stood to shoot at enemies and other sorts of castle repitoire. I also went into the tower, which was pretty exhillerating as well. All I kept thinking was, "I'm in a castle... I'm in a freaking castle!" I touched the walls like they were made of gold, and I continually shook my head... I'm sure that after awhile in Europe castles get old, but this was my FIRST castle. Pretty awesome.
Later today I met up with my program director to look at the house his sister-in-law owned. With him came a Spanish woman, probably in her late 20's or early 30's, named Maria who is a temporary teacher at my school (until January). I immediately liked her. She was friendly and though she spoke rapid Spanish, I could understand her about 3/4ths of the time, and I felt comfortable speaking Spanish to her. I swear, in 3 hours I spoke more Spanish than all my time in Spain so far. But anyways, we went and looked at the house together, and though we both liked it, we decided it was too far away from our school to rent. So we walked with my program director, Fran, back to his car, at which point he asked me if I would like to go with him to meet up with the other guy who will be a Language and Culture Assistant at my school, James the British Guy, and I said no, I'd rather stay with Maria and look for apartments. So it was decided that we would live together.
For the next 3 hours, we walked EVERYWHERE in Priego, looking for a place to live. They have "Se alquila" (For Rent) signs all over, hanging on the balconies of the places that were for rent, or they had advertisements just posted on windows or lamp posts (which were totally legitimate ways to advertise this). So we walked around, looking up at the balconies, and if we found something she would call them and speak to them in Spanish for awhile... or she would ask people if they knew of anyone near that location that was renting a "piso" (apartment). Honestly, she was a gift from God. There is NO WAY I could have done ANYTHING without her. So after about 2 and a half hours, she gets a call from one of the teachers we had met and passed on our adventure. Suddenly she is ecstatic, speaking in rapid Spanish, saying things that I don't understand at all, and just generally hopping up and down... I thought she was going to pee her pants. We walk to the library, which is a sort of monument and easily spotted building in the town, and suddenly our teacher friend is there, with another man and some girls about my age. The man turns out to be the director of one of the schools, and one of the girls with him is his daughter, and another is one of his daughters friends, Magda, from Poland. Apparently Magda has rented a vacant apartment that the director owns, and she was looking for roommates. She has 2 rooms left. So we bounce off to look at her apartment with the director in tow. When we get there, we look around and decide that yes, we like it! We THEN find out that he is only going to charge us 100 EURO EACH for the apartment, and will set up the internet for us, for which we will have to split 40 Euro 3 ways... It's a STEAL and Maria and I high-five each other. The girl from Poland doesn't speak any Spanish but she is taking a class, and her English is rather broken. Maria speaks a little bit of English, but not much. So our roommate communication will be rather interesting, but I'm extremely excited! Tomorrow I have to go pick up the key from the director around 1:00, and I can't move in until Magda gets back to the apartment at 2:30, but I'm SO HAPPY! My wishes have come true... I'm living with a Spaniard AND it's extremely inexpensive!
So now I'm off to celebrate with Will... he also found an apartment today, and just in time, because tonight is our last pre-paid night at Hostal Rafi. We are going to go drink a bottle of wine and perhaps watch a Spanish soap opera. BUENAS NOCHES!!
So we get to pizza, where we meet up with James who is from the UK, a Brett, who is from Iowa. They are both very skinny and they make me a tiny bit edgy... I'm not used to them, I like having Will around. So Will and I order good old Pepperoni Pizza... and I am not disappointed!!! The pizza was AMAZING, I could NOT stop ranting about it and how delicious it was and how this place will be my new go-to restaurant (they had at least 30different types of pizza, a ton of pasta, lasagna, and salads... perfect!). Basically, it made my entire day. We ended the day by drinking copious amounts of wine, to which I can only say, I salute my Senior Year roommates.
Then today I woke up and usually I knock on Will's door so we can start our random adventures of the day, but this morning he wasn't there. So I continued on my way and did a little walk around the town, visiting my favorite spots (El fuente del Rey, the Barrio de la Villa, El Adarve). I walked past the towns castle and was surprised to see that it was actually open! So I went in and paid the 2 euro and did some exploring by myself. I was able to walk along the top of it and see all of Priego de Cordoba, as well as the places where archers stood to shoot at enemies and other sorts of castle repitoire. I also went into the tower, which was pretty exhillerating as well. All I kept thinking was, "I'm in a castle... I'm in a freaking castle!" I touched the walls like they were made of gold, and I continually shook my head... I'm sure that after awhile in Europe castles get old, but this was my FIRST castle. Pretty awesome.
Later today I met up with my program director to look at the house his sister-in-law owned. With him came a Spanish woman, probably in her late 20's or early 30's, named Maria who is a temporary teacher at my school (until January). I immediately liked her. She was friendly and though she spoke rapid Spanish, I could understand her about 3/4ths of the time, and I felt comfortable speaking Spanish to her. I swear, in 3 hours I spoke more Spanish than all my time in Spain so far. But anyways, we went and looked at the house together, and though we both liked it, we decided it was too far away from our school to rent. So we walked with my program director, Fran, back to his car, at which point he asked me if I would like to go with him to meet up with the other guy who will be a Language and Culture Assistant at my school, James the British Guy, and I said no, I'd rather stay with Maria and look for apartments. So it was decided that we would live together.
For the next 3 hours, we walked EVERYWHERE in Priego, looking for a place to live. They have "Se alquila" (For Rent) signs all over, hanging on the balconies of the places that were for rent, or they had advertisements just posted on windows or lamp posts (which were totally legitimate ways to advertise this). So we walked around, looking up at the balconies, and if we found something she would call them and speak to them in Spanish for awhile... or she would ask people if they knew of anyone near that location that was renting a "piso" (apartment). Honestly, she was a gift from God. There is NO WAY I could have done ANYTHING without her. So after about 2 and a half hours, she gets a call from one of the teachers we had met and passed on our adventure. Suddenly she is ecstatic, speaking in rapid Spanish, saying things that I don't understand at all, and just generally hopping up and down... I thought she was going to pee her pants. We walk to the library, which is a sort of monument and easily spotted building in the town, and suddenly our teacher friend is there, with another man and some girls about my age. The man turns out to be the director of one of the schools, and one of the girls with him is his daughter, and another is one of his daughters friends, Magda, from Poland. Apparently Magda has rented a vacant apartment that the director owns, and she was looking for roommates. She has 2 rooms left. So we bounce off to look at her apartment with the director in tow. When we get there, we look around and decide that yes, we like it! We THEN find out that he is only going to charge us 100 EURO EACH for the apartment, and will set up the internet for us, for which we will have to split 40 Euro 3 ways... It's a STEAL and Maria and I high-five each other. The girl from Poland doesn't speak any Spanish but she is taking a class, and her English is rather broken. Maria speaks a little bit of English, but not much. So our roommate communication will be rather interesting, but I'm extremely excited! Tomorrow I have to go pick up the key from the director around 1:00, and I can't move in until Magda gets back to the apartment at 2:30, but I'm SO HAPPY! My wishes have come true... I'm living with a Spaniard AND it's extremely inexpensive!
So now I'm off to celebrate with Will... he also found an apartment today, and just in time, because tonight is our last pre-paid night at Hostal Rafi. We are going to go drink a bottle of wine and perhaps watch a Spanish soap opera. BUENAS NOCHES!!
Monday, September 20, 2010
What I have learned so far!
I am constantly learning something new here in Spain... lingustically, I learned that they call bathrooms "aseos" instead of "banos," all the "c"s that sound like S's are turned into a "th" sound, and they drop the "s" off of many words, such as "dos" (two) becomes "do," and "tres" becomes "tre." They don't say "Que triste" (That's sad), but "Que pena," and many other things that are very different between Mexican spanish and Spanish spanish.
In addition, I have learned that you cannot buy a razor and toothpaste in the same place, as they are sold at two different types of stores. Razors are sold at a "drogeria" (a place that also includes hardware store types of stuff as well as products like shampoo), and toothpaste is sold at a "farmacia" (where medicine and other such things are sold). I have learned that I cannot apply for my Foreigners Identification Card here in Priego, but have to travel to Cordoba to do so. I have also learned that if you ask for a simple meal of bread, cheese and ham, they will ask you what kind of ham you like. When you look at them, confused, and say, "I dont know?" the waitress will show you a block of ham, and then a full leg of a pig (they cut the meat right off the leg), and you will squirm and say, "The block of ham, please." At least I'm not eating things that are still alive and moving around on my plate as my friend Claire is, who's living in Korea and eating squirming octopus legs, suckers and all.
Today I applied for a bank account, so it was quite a productive day! Is it bad that I now consider a productive day as a day that I actually get at least one thing done? Also, I'm going to meet up with the bilingual director from my school tomorrow to go see a vacant house his sister-in-law owns, and if I move there, he's going to ask some of the teachers coming in from out of town if they would like to share the place with me, so I'm crossing my fingers for Spanish roommates and an apartment that I like!
ALSO today while having lunch, I introduced myself to the cute bartender, who's name is Pedro. Maybe I will make friends with him, but who really knows? When I was speaking to him he said I was good at Spanish... I dont know if he was exagerating the truth and this was his way of flirting with me or if I really do have good Spanish, but I'll take the compliment just the same.
Anyways, now it is SIESTA time... everything (except some restaurants) closes between about 2-5:30 during the day, and people eat lunch and take a nap, then go back to work around 6 until 8. Will and I wanted to go to a market and buy some wine, but this will have to wait until later tonight.
In addition, I have learned that you cannot buy a razor and toothpaste in the same place, as they are sold at two different types of stores. Razors are sold at a "drogeria" (a place that also includes hardware store types of stuff as well as products like shampoo), and toothpaste is sold at a "farmacia" (where medicine and other such things are sold). I have learned that I cannot apply for my Foreigners Identification Card here in Priego, but have to travel to Cordoba to do so. I have also learned that if you ask for a simple meal of bread, cheese and ham, they will ask you what kind of ham you like. When you look at them, confused, and say, "I dont know?" the waitress will show you a block of ham, and then a full leg of a pig (they cut the meat right off the leg), and you will squirm and say, "The block of ham, please." At least I'm not eating things that are still alive and moving around on my plate as my friend Claire is, who's living in Korea and eating squirming octopus legs, suckers and all.
Today I applied for a bank account, so it was quite a productive day! Is it bad that I now consider a productive day as a day that I actually get at least one thing done? Also, I'm going to meet up with the bilingual director from my school tomorrow to go see a vacant house his sister-in-law owns, and if I move there, he's going to ask some of the teachers coming in from out of town if they would like to share the place with me, so I'm crossing my fingers for Spanish roommates and an apartment that I like!
ALSO today while having lunch, I introduced myself to the cute bartender, who's name is Pedro. Maybe I will make friends with him, but who really knows? When I was speaking to him he said I was good at Spanish... I dont know if he was exagerating the truth and this was his way of flirting with me or if I really do have good Spanish, but I'll take the compliment just the same.
Anyways, now it is SIESTA time... everything (except some restaurants) closes between about 2-5:30 during the day, and people eat lunch and take a nap, then go back to work around 6 until 8. Will and I wanted to go to a market and buy some wine, but this will have to wait until later tonight.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
So after about 2 weeks of un-restful nights, I FINALLY GOT A FULL NIGHT'S SLEEP LAST NIGHT! This definitely calls for some celebration by me! Perhaps I'll go to a tapas bar for lunch and get a nice big glass of Tinto de Verano... Yum!
My last night in Seville was pretty fantastic. For one, I finally got to talk to a member of my family over skype, and this is just because Cassy has been a huge slacker for the last couple weeks and stays at home, watches movies and bakes stuff that she gives away to other people. It was 8:30 pm for me, and 11:30 am for her. My roommate and I were supposed to leave for dinner in the Centro at this time, but I decided we would be late because of the importance of this skype call. By the time we left for dinner, I was quite elated, but we were half an hour late, which is normal for Spaniards. We were already slipping into Spanish time.
We met our Orientation group for a goodbye dinner at an Irish bar, where we were able to sit at the bar and order drinks and watch the Soccer game going on between Seville and Paris. My first experience with Guiness in the United States was not a good one, basically because I was told it would be good, and it tasted like crap. So I decided to order a Guiness in Europe and see if it tasted any different... I silently toasted my close friends Claire and Katie, who are in quite different parts of the world that I am right now, and took a sip of my Guiness. And it was AMAZING! And I laughed and silently high-fived my figurative friends, and continued to enjoy the wonder that is a Guiness.
I had a wonderful time with my new American friends, talking and laughing at the bar, watching the game. I looked over at one point and saw this French guy staring at me... I knew it was at me because I asked Ashley if he was staring at her or me, and she said, "Definitely you." I tried to avoid the eye-contact but it was making me uncomfortable, so I went back to drining and he went back to singing their French songs loudly in the middle of the bar. I think that singing is the basis of the fight that broke out later right near our table... I had never seen a fight like this in real life, people holding each other back and the ones who are restrained fighting hard at the binds put on them, yelling obsenities and making the bar clear out faster than a giant spider appearing in the middle of a sorority. After that fight, the Frech guys were kicked out, as well as some Sevillanos, and we were able to enjoy our drinks in peace.
After the Irish bar closed (if it's not the weekend, most bars close at midnight), we ventured off to the Plaza, where we met up with the people doing the immersion programs right now, and then I ended up following a small group from our program off into the depths of Seville on a hunt for a club they knew of. Just as I was getting frustrated and annoyed and bitchy because of the amount of alcohol I had had, we found the place, where we were quickly shuffled upstairs where it seems all the foreigners were sent to leave the Spaniards downstairs in peace. Somehow I made it back down there during the night, and carried on quite and in-depth and philosophical conversation with a Spaniard. My speaking was amazing! I was flowing and making perfect sense and using excellent grammar... perhaps I should have a shot or two before I ever want to speak Spanish again! Sober me sucks at Spanish, but intoxicated me is extremely fluent and awesome.
At some point Ashley came over and drug me back upstairs to the land of foreigners, and we ended up staying there until 4 in the morning, at which point I was finally back at my hotel room, and crashed until 5:30, when I had to wake up and get downstairs to take a bus to the bus station at 6:00 am. So after a nice little hour and a half nap, I made it to the bus station and had to wait around until 7:30 for my bus with Will, the other person who will be teaching in my town with me. Will is extremely nice, kind of quiet, but as I was soon to find out, great company for a whirlwind trip.
We got on the bus at the station and headed to Cordoba, which took about two hours. From Cordoba, we got on the bus to Priego, another two hour trip. I could barely stay awake, but of course I did, as sleeping on some sort of transportation seems impossible for me. So I watched as, from Cordoba to Priego, olive trees streched out for miles and the landscape got steadily more hilly, then suddenly we were in the mountains, and olive trees were still everywhere you looked. I became more and more amazed as the landscape became more and more beautiful, and the mountains gave me a slight sense of home.
When we arrived in Priego, we had to call a taxi. When the driver got there, he was a little put out at all the luggage we had (2 suitcases each), and had to call another car to come help us. Once he found out we were going to be living here and teaching English, however, he seemed to excuse us for our vast amount of luggage, for which I'm grateful. I do not want to be accused of being a stupid foreigner that packs too much.
We told him where we were going (our program had ordered 5 nighs accomodation in a hotel in our town), and he was a little shocked. We need to be in the actual city of Priego, because during these 5 days we are supposed to be looking for an apartment, and the hotel we were going to was 5 kilometers away from the town.
WHAT?! What good would that do us?? It cost 13 euros to get between the town and this hotel, we are never going to find a place to live!
When we got to the hotel, my frustration diminshed slightly as I saw just how beautiful it was. White stucco walls, a small apartment-ish room all to myself, wooden, single-paned windows, flowers overflowing everywhere, cobblestone walkways... and a view of the mountains and hills of this area that was absolutely stunning. We were stuck at the most beautiful place I had been in Spain yet. As soon as possible, we sent an email to the coordinators explaining our situation, and as we couldn't find their phone numbers on line, we had to wait until the found our email and called us directly. So we decided to pass some time and eat, since we hadn't been able to earlier in the day. My dinner consisted of a first course of pasta, and a second course of ham stuffed with cheese with fries and mayonnaise (OF COURSE) on the side. And my dessert was flan with whipped cream and raspberries, and a glass of wine during the dinner... so far the best meal I had eaten in Spain. After we finished up, I went back to my room and ended up taking a 4 hour nap... AMAZING. Then I went up and met Will at the bar and we had a couple drinks before heading back to bed for another 10 hours for me. We then called the same taxi guy who took us out there and he gave us a lift back into town to a new hotel, Rafi. He said that it usually costs double to take a taxi on weekends, but he didn't charge us that much because I think he likes us! :)
After we got to the hotel, we went and walked around for several hours, exploring our new town. We have decided that today is Exploring Day. Tomorrow is undetermined, but Monday is Meet Up With Our Program Directors If Possible Day, as well as being a part of Find An Apartment Week. Also this week we have Apply For An NIE Card (foreigners long-stay identification card), as well as Make Some Spanish Friends. It's going to be a busy and eventful week! Anyways, Priego is beautiful and a bit bigger than I thought it would be. I have discovered that my school is under construction right now, and the temporary building is on the outskirts of town, which I believe will take me about 20 minutes to walk to. My biggest goal right now is definitely to find an apartment ASAP, as I am looking forward to unloading these damn suitcases I have been hauling around for a week now, and actually LIVE somewhere. I will post pictures on facebook as soon as possible, so that you can all experience the awesomeness that is Spain and my new town!! :)
My last night in Seville was pretty fantastic. For one, I finally got to talk to a member of my family over skype, and this is just because Cassy has been a huge slacker for the last couple weeks and stays at home, watches movies and bakes stuff that she gives away to other people. It was 8:30 pm for me, and 11:30 am for her. My roommate and I were supposed to leave for dinner in the Centro at this time, but I decided we would be late because of the importance of this skype call. By the time we left for dinner, I was quite elated, but we were half an hour late, which is normal for Spaniards. We were already slipping into Spanish time.
We met our Orientation group for a goodbye dinner at an Irish bar, where we were able to sit at the bar and order drinks and watch the Soccer game going on between Seville and Paris. My first experience with Guiness in the United States was not a good one, basically because I was told it would be good, and it tasted like crap. So I decided to order a Guiness in Europe and see if it tasted any different... I silently toasted my close friends Claire and Katie, who are in quite different parts of the world that I am right now, and took a sip of my Guiness. And it was AMAZING! And I laughed and silently high-fived my figurative friends, and continued to enjoy the wonder that is a Guiness.
I had a wonderful time with my new American friends, talking and laughing at the bar, watching the game. I looked over at one point and saw this French guy staring at me... I knew it was at me because I asked Ashley if he was staring at her or me, and she said, "Definitely you." I tried to avoid the eye-contact but it was making me uncomfortable, so I went back to drining and he went back to singing their French songs loudly in the middle of the bar. I think that singing is the basis of the fight that broke out later right near our table... I had never seen a fight like this in real life, people holding each other back and the ones who are restrained fighting hard at the binds put on them, yelling obsenities and making the bar clear out faster than a giant spider appearing in the middle of a sorority. After that fight, the Frech guys were kicked out, as well as some Sevillanos, and we were able to enjoy our drinks in peace.
After the Irish bar closed (if it's not the weekend, most bars close at midnight), we ventured off to the Plaza, where we met up with the people doing the immersion programs right now, and then I ended up following a small group from our program off into the depths of Seville on a hunt for a club they knew of. Just as I was getting frustrated and annoyed and bitchy because of the amount of alcohol I had had, we found the place, where we were quickly shuffled upstairs where it seems all the foreigners were sent to leave the Spaniards downstairs in peace. Somehow I made it back down there during the night, and carried on quite and in-depth and philosophical conversation with a Spaniard. My speaking was amazing! I was flowing and making perfect sense and using excellent grammar... perhaps I should have a shot or two before I ever want to speak Spanish again! Sober me sucks at Spanish, but intoxicated me is extremely fluent and awesome.
At some point Ashley came over and drug me back upstairs to the land of foreigners, and we ended up staying there until 4 in the morning, at which point I was finally back at my hotel room, and crashed until 5:30, when I had to wake up and get downstairs to take a bus to the bus station at 6:00 am. So after a nice little hour and a half nap, I made it to the bus station and had to wait around until 7:30 for my bus with Will, the other person who will be teaching in my town with me. Will is extremely nice, kind of quiet, but as I was soon to find out, great company for a whirlwind trip.
We got on the bus at the station and headed to Cordoba, which took about two hours. From Cordoba, we got on the bus to Priego, another two hour trip. I could barely stay awake, but of course I did, as sleeping on some sort of transportation seems impossible for me. So I watched as, from Cordoba to Priego, olive trees streched out for miles and the landscape got steadily more hilly, then suddenly we were in the mountains, and olive trees were still everywhere you looked. I became more and more amazed as the landscape became more and more beautiful, and the mountains gave me a slight sense of home.
When we arrived in Priego, we had to call a taxi. When the driver got there, he was a little put out at all the luggage we had (2 suitcases each), and had to call another car to come help us. Once he found out we were going to be living here and teaching English, however, he seemed to excuse us for our vast amount of luggage, for which I'm grateful. I do not want to be accused of being a stupid foreigner that packs too much.
We told him where we were going (our program had ordered 5 nighs accomodation in a hotel in our town), and he was a little shocked. We need to be in the actual city of Priego, because during these 5 days we are supposed to be looking for an apartment, and the hotel we were going to was 5 kilometers away from the town.
WHAT?! What good would that do us?? It cost 13 euros to get between the town and this hotel, we are never going to find a place to live!
When we got to the hotel, my frustration diminshed slightly as I saw just how beautiful it was. White stucco walls, a small apartment-ish room all to myself, wooden, single-paned windows, flowers overflowing everywhere, cobblestone walkways... and a view of the mountains and hills of this area that was absolutely stunning. We were stuck at the most beautiful place I had been in Spain yet. As soon as possible, we sent an email to the coordinators explaining our situation, and as we couldn't find their phone numbers on line, we had to wait until the found our email and called us directly. So we decided to pass some time and eat, since we hadn't been able to earlier in the day. My dinner consisted of a first course of pasta, and a second course of ham stuffed with cheese with fries and mayonnaise (OF COURSE) on the side. And my dessert was flan with whipped cream and raspberries, and a glass of wine during the dinner... so far the best meal I had eaten in Spain. After we finished up, I went back to my room and ended up taking a 4 hour nap... AMAZING. Then I went up and met Will at the bar and we had a couple drinks before heading back to bed for another 10 hours for me. We then called the same taxi guy who took us out there and he gave us a lift back into town to a new hotel, Rafi. He said that it usually costs double to take a taxi on weekends, but he didn't charge us that much because I think he likes us! :)
After we got to the hotel, we went and walked around for several hours, exploring our new town. We have decided that today is Exploring Day. Tomorrow is undetermined, but Monday is Meet Up With Our Program Directors If Possible Day, as well as being a part of Find An Apartment Week. Also this week we have Apply For An NIE Card (foreigners long-stay identification card), as well as Make Some Spanish Friends. It's going to be a busy and eventful week! Anyways, Priego is beautiful and a bit bigger than I thought it would be. I have discovered that my school is under construction right now, and the temporary building is on the outskirts of town, which I believe will take me about 20 minutes to walk to. My biggest goal right now is definitely to find an apartment ASAP, as I am looking forward to unloading these damn suitcases I have been hauling around for a week now, and actually LIVE somewhere. I will post pictures on facebook as soon as possible, so that you can all experience the awesomeness that is Spain and my new town!! :)
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Airplanes, Jet Lag, and Tapas
It's the strangest thing to watch the sun set and rise within the same 8 hour plane ride... like the plane is racing the sun to the horizon on opposite sides of the earth. It's even stranger to look out the window into the night and see the big dipper directly in front of you, like a picture on the wall, rather than up in the sky where you expect it to be. You are up in the sky with it. You are among the stars.
When I arrived in Barcelona, I had not slept yet. I then had a 6 hour layover in the airport, so I ended up sitting around at an empty gate, eating fruit, and struggling with my rudimentary Spanish. Listening was much easier than I thought it would be, but I quickly discovered that my speaking skills were in serious need of improvement. I basically suck.
While waiting for my flight, I sat in one of the empty gates and listened to my iPod and played Spider Solitaire on my computer for awhile. And then a guy sat down across from me, but not close enough that I felt uncomfortable. So I just continued to make faces at my game and tap my foot to the music. After about a half hour, he comes up to me and begins speaking in Spanish.
"Is that your computer? Do you have a lot of battery life left on it?"
I did NOT know where he was going with this. But I said Yes.
"Do you mind if I plug in my iPod to your computer? I have my cable and everything, my next flight is really long!"
I size him up. He looks nice, friendly, doesn't give up any creeper vibe. He has a Brasil jersey on. I say, "Of course!"
"Do you speak English?" he asks. I say yes, so we switch to English. One of the many amazing things about people abroad... switching the languages in which you communicate, as well as their generally outgoing attitudes towards others. We ended up talking for about 2 hours, near the end of which my sleepless night caught up to me and I began to get dizzy, so we walk around for a while and I discover how expensive the Euro actually is... All I can afford is fruit!
Eventually we say goodbye and I head off to my gate, where I meet about 5 people who are also part of the CIEE program. By the time we arrive in Seville, take the bus to the hotel, shower and attend the Welcome session put on by our program, it's 7:45 and time for cocktails that the hotel has arranged for us. I finally get to eat something other than fruit, and quickly begin to make friends with the people around me, who are all at various stages in the jet lag continuum. I, for one, felt like I was on a boat and about to tip over, so my night was very short as I babbled to the other participants about how loopy I was and how I had been awake for 30 hours, then somehow made my way up to my bed.
Even though it's now Thursday and I arrived here on Monday, I am still seriously suffering from this jet lag, as the second night I was here I couldn't fall asleep, and last night I was out late!
But on to Sevilla. Sevilla is absolutely beautiful. Whenever we walk around, I can't help but think, "I'm actually here. This is real. I feel like I'm in a movie!" Some of the streets are so narrow that only pedestrians can make it through them, and sometimes places you wouldn't think cars could fit somehow make their way through without becoming scraps of metal. There are shutters on some of the windows, plants hanging out of others, all the buildings are painted different colors, the streets are made of stones... there is an amazing and HUGE church that has some of the most intricate designs on it, and it's size and beauty are shocking in the best way. We have ordered tapas (small appetizer-like dishes that you usually get with drinks, costing around 1-2 Euros) several times now, and all I can say is that the Spaniards love their mayonnaise, potatoes, ham and bread... the staple foods of their diet, or at least this is what I have experienced so far.
We went to a flamenco show last night, and this dance seems to reflect Spain and it's unique culture.. it's fierce, sensual and beautiful. The best way I can describe it is as a mix of belly-dancing, clogging/tap-dancing, snapping and sharp movements... I was exhausted when we got to the show, but as soon as it started I was enthralled and wide awake. I couldn't stop watching their feet... I was going to try to take a flamenco class but now I'm a little intimidated by it! By the time the show was over, it was 11:30but I had no desire to go back to the hotel, as I was all pumped up from the show, so a couple of the participants and I went and had a bottle of wine.
The orientation classes have been really helpful, but I'm ready to get going! They told us that we should have about 1-2 token American friends that we can go to when we get homesick or just want some American time, but in general, if we want our Spanish to improve we should stick to hanging out with Spanish people. I feel like I have made that friend, and I'm glad I have someone who I can go to if I feel that I need help or just want to travel to another city and need someone to go with. Her name is also Ashley and she also is from Oregon, so we have a lot in common!
I dont know if you can tell by my writing (I certainly can), but I'm still absolutely exhausted and dead on my feet (Estoy hecha polvo, in Spanish). Tomorrow I leave for my town at 7:30 in the morning, so I assume that I will once again be stumbling through the fog that is sleeplessness, at least for one more day. I'm excited for this weekend because I will get to sleep AS LONG AS I WANT, and maybe be able to skype my family for the first time since I arrived, and of course explore my new home!
Well, I'm off to walk another half an hour into the Centro to have dinner for the last time with the great people I've met here. Hopefully I dont pass out into an ice cream stand before I get there. Hasta luego!
When I arrived in Barcelona, I had not slept yet. I then had a 6 hour layover in the airport, so I ended up sitting around at an empty gate, eating fruit, and struggling with my rudimentary Spanish. Listening was much easier than I thought it would be, but I quickly discovered that my speaking skills were in serious need of improvement. I basically suck.
While waiting for my flight, I sat in one of the empty gates and listened to my iPod and played Spider Solitaire on my computer for awhile. And then a guy sat down across from me, but not close enough that I felt uncomfortable. So I just continued to make faces at my game and tap my foot to the music. After about a half hour, he comes up to me and begins speaking in Spanish.
"Is that your computer? Do you have a lot of battery life left on it?"
I did NOT know where he was going with this. But I said Yes.
"Do you mind if I plug in my iPod to your computer? I have my cable and everything, my next flight is really long!"
I size him up. He looks nice, friendly, doesn't give up any creeper vibe. He has a Brasil jersey on. I say, "Of course!"
"Do you speak English?" he asks. I say yes, so we switch to English. One of the many amazing things about people abroad... switching the languages in which you communicate, as well as their generally outgoing attitudes towards others. We ended up talking for about 2 hours, near the end of which my sleepless night caught up to me and I began to get dizzy, so we walk around for a while and I discover how expensive the Euro actually is... All I can afford is fruit!
Eventually we say goodbye and I head off to my gate, where I meet about 5 people who are also part of the CIEE program. By the time we arrive in Seville, take the bus to the hotel, shower and attend the Welcome session put on by our program, it's 7:45 and time for cocktails that the hotel has arranged for us. I finally get to eat something other than fruit, and quickly begin to make friends with the people around me, who are all at various stages in the jet lag continuum. I, for one, felt like I was on a boat and about to tip over, so my night was very short as I babbled to the other participants about how loopy I was and how I had been awake for 30 hours, then somehow made my way up to my bed.
Even though it's now Thursday and I arrived here on Monday, I am still seriously suffering from this jet lag, as the second night I was here I couldn't fall asleep, and last night I was out late!
But on to Sevilla. Sevilla is absolutely beautiful. Whenever we walk around, I can't help but think, "I'm actually here. This is real. I feel like I'm in a movie!" Some of the streets are so narrow that only pedestrians can make it through them, and sometimes places you wouldn't think cars could fit somehow make their way through without becoming scraps of metal. There are shutters on some of the windows, plants hanging out of others, all the buildings are painted different colors, the streets are made of stones... there is an amazing and HUGE church that has some of the most intricate designs on it, and it's size and beauty are shocking in the best way. We have ordered tapas (small appetizer-like dishes that you usually get with drinks, costing around 1-2 Euros) several times now, and all I can say is that the Spaniards love their mayonnaise, potatoes, ham and bread... the staple foods of their diet, or at least this is what I have experienced so far.
We went to a flamenco show last night, and this dance seems to reflect Spain and it's unique culture.. it's fierce, sensual and beautiful. The best way I can describe it is as a mix of belly-dancing, clogging/tap-dancing, snapping and sharp movements... I was exhausted when we got to the show, but as soon as it started I was enthralled and wide awake. I couldn't stop watching their feet... I was going to try to take a flamenco class but now I'm a little intimidated by it! By the time the show was over, it was 11:30but I had no desire to go back to the hotel, as I was all pumped up from the show, so a couple of the participants and I went and had a bottle of wine.
The orientation classes have been really helpful, but I'm ready to get going! They told us that we should have about 1-2 token American friends that we can go to when we get homesick or just want some American time, but in general, if we want our Spanish to improve we should stick to hanging out with Spanish people. I feel like I have made that friend, and I'm glad I have someone who I can go to if I feel that I need help or just want to travel to another city and need someone to go with. Her name is also Ashley and she also is from Oregon, so we have a lot in common!
I dont know if you can tell by my writing (I certainly can), but I'm still absolutely exhausted and dead on my feet (Estoy hecha polvo, in Spanish). Tomorrow I leave for my town at 7:30 in the morning, so I assume that I will once again be stumbling through the fog that is sleeplessness, at least for one more day. I'm excited for this weekend because I will get to sleep AS LONG AS I WANT, and maybe be able to skype my family for the first time since I arrived, and of course explore my new home!
Well, I'm off to walk another half an hour into the Centro to have dinner for the last time with the great people I've met here. Hopefully I dont pass out into an ice cream stand before I get there. Hasta luego!
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