How many times have I stood in front of the Cinderella castle of Disneyland in LA and of Disney World in Florida and felt that strange draw toward fantasy stories of princesses in their beautiful castles? Well, today I went to see the real Cinderella Castle: El Alcazar.
My adventures today started with taking an early bullet train to the city of Segovia. This was my first time on a bullet train. It was super comfortable and fast. In about 30 minutes, my friends and I arrived at the beautiful city of Segovia. The day was perfect. In spite of weather reports, the sun showed its face and made the temperature just right for traveling.
After taking a bus to get to the middle of the city, we headed off toward the Aqueduct. The sight of this amazing architecture came completely by surprise as we turned a corner down a winding street. The Aqueduct was built from 50 B.C. until the 1st Century AD by Romans. It is huge structure that is composed of 2 tiers of archways. It stretches along for a total of 723 m (2400 ft). It was absolutely breath-taking.
After seeing the Aqueduct, we worked our way toward the other side of the city. After passing through many winding streets, we arrived at the main cathedral. I can honestly say that this building is the most beautiful structure that I've ever seen. It is hard to describe its beauty. Perhaps I'll just save my words now and let my pictures that I'll upload in a few days speak for themselves =)
Finally, we worked our way to the other side of the city and reached the Alcazar. This is the castle that Disney's Cinderella Castle is modeled after. It has pointy blue towers that are charcteristic of fairy tale castles. From certain angles, it really does seem like a princess would be living in it waiting for her prince to come rescue her. We spent a long time exploring the castle from the outside and the inside. It was a lot of fun ^^
Luckily, the rain started to fall only after we were done exploring these main sites of the city. We spent the last hour or so relaxing in a small bar. It was a good finish to a wonderful day =)
Friday, September 18, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
the rain in spain falls mainly in the plain
Ok, perhaps this statement of Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle isn't completely true, but rain does indeed fall in Madrid. The past few days saw a sudden change of weather. Blazing heat turned into freezing wind, gloomy sky, and pouring rain. It caught me completely by surprise. Yesterday I got thoroughly drenched from my walk home. I'm busting out my fur-lined winter jackets yet I'm still constantly cold and shivering.
Perhaps it's the change of weather, perhaps it's the passing of the initial excitement, but I feel that my mood has been darkening up along with the sky. My Spanish mom tried to make me Chinese food 2 nights ago (which turned out to be a dish with Chinese ingredients but somehow thoroughly Spanish in the end), and I felt a sudden pinge of homesickness. I spent the last 2 nights trying to explain to my Spanish family what rice-cooker and seaweed are. There are lots of things at home that I miss: the food, the freedom to do whatever I want, the unnecessity of constant politeness where I live, the ability to understand and communicate without concentrating 110%, and of course, my family and my friends. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my Spanish family. I especially love the friendships that I'm building with my Spanish mom and sister by chatting with them every night, but in the end I'm still an outsider trying carefully to fit in. My friends here are really nice people that I like as well, but in odd moments when I walk alone on some street or bridge, I feel a slight gloom and a strange missing for my friends back at home.
Perhaps all I need now is just a squeezing hug from a familiar face.
But enough about that.
Classes officially started 2 weeks ago. I got assigned to the language level of Perfeccionamiento, which is the highest level possible for non-bilinguals. This is a class that is supposed to be for people who acquired the language through courses but who speak Spanish just as well as bilinguals. I....don't think that I fall in that category, but when I went to talk to the director about that, she didn't let me switch to any lower levels. The class didn't turn out to be as intimating as I thought it would be though. Although I've felt confused on a couple occasions, I've managed to keep up with it. The other classes that I'm taking are Spanish Literature of the 19th and 20th Centuries, Spanish Short Stories, Spanish films, and the Society and Environment of Spain. These are all upper-division classes that are taught completely in Spanish by Spanish professors. The most demanding course will have to be my lit class. I've had to read an entire 19th century Spanish novel (written in a poetic prose) in less than a week's time. Other classes aren't too bad. So far I've had to write short 1~2 page essay, do exercises, and read short stories. Most of the material is pretty interesting to me. The only bad thing is that if I don't focus 100% for tiredness or whatever reason, I have a hard time catching what the professor says (unlike classes back at home where I could zone out and still catch most things).
Of course, my life in Madrid can't be all just about school. My excursions continue. Last week I went to explore all the other famous parts of the city such as the Royal Palace, the Reina Sofia Museum (which contains works by Picasso, Dali, and Miro), the Plaza Mayor, and the Royal Cathedral. My conclusion? Madrid continues to be a wondrous city that constantly reveals new beauties to me.
I've also started to explore cities outside of Madrid. Last Saturday I went to Toledo, the old capital of Spain. This is a city filled with a medieval air. Stone castles and cathedrals overlook narrow pathways lined by stone. Christians, Jews, and Muslims once lived together in peace at this place. I saw influences from all 3 religions in this antigual city. It was also fun to meet new international friends during this trip, since I went with a school organization for international students, who are mostly students from other European countries.
Tomorrow I will be heading to Segovia, another famous city that I've heard tons about. It is the city which contains the castle that the Disneyland castle is modeled after. Only thing I'm worried about is the cold and the rain. Perhaps I'll bring my big old snow jacket =)
Perhaps it's the change of weather, perhaps it's the passing of the initial excitement, but I feel that my mood has been darkening up along with the sky. My Spanish mom tried to make me Chinese food 2 nights ago (which turned out to be a dish with Chinese ingredients but somehow thoroughly Spanish in the end), and I felt a sudden pinge of homesickness. I spent the last 2 nights trying to explain to my Spanish family what rice-cooker and seaweed are. There are lots of things at home that I miss: the food, the freedom to do whatever I want, the unnecessity of constant politeness where I live, the ability to understand and communicate without concentrating 110%, and of course, my family and my friends. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my Spanish family. I especially love the friendships that I'm building with my Spanish mom and sister by chatting with them every night, but in the end I'm still an outsider trying carefully to fit in. My friends here are really nice people that I like as well, but in odd moments when I walk alone on some street or bridge, I feel a slight gloom and a strange missing for my friends back at home.
Perhaps all I need now is just a squeezing hug from a familiar face.
But enough about that.
Classes officially started 2 weeks ago. I got assigned to the language level of Perfeccionamiento, which is the highest level possible for non-bilinguals. This is a class that is supposed to be for people who acquired the language through courses but who speak Spanish just as well as bilinguals. I....don't think that I fall in that category, but when I went to talk to the director about that, she didn't let me switch to any lower levels. The class didn't turn out to be as intimating as I thought it would be though. Although I've felt confused on a couple occasions, I've managed to keep up with it. The other classes that I'm taking are Spanish Literature of the 19th and 20th Centuries, Spanish Short Stories, Spanish films, and the Society and Environment of Spain. These are all upper-division classes that are taught completely in Spanish by Spanish professors. The most demanding course will have to be my lit class. I've had to read an entire 19th century Spanish novel (written in a poetic prose) in less than a week's time. Other classes aren't too bad. So far I've had to write short 1~2 page essay, do exercises, and read short stories. Most of the material is pretty interesting to me. The only bad thing is that if I don't focus 100% for tiredness or whatever reason, I have a hard time catching what the professor says (unlike classes back at home where I could zone out and still catch most things).
Of course, my life in Madrid can't be all just about school. My excursions continue. Last week I went to explore all the other famous parts of the city such as the Royal Palace, the Reina Sofia Museum (which contains works by Picasso, Dali, and Miro), the Plaza Mayor, and the Royal Cathedral. My conclusion? Madrid continues to be a wondrous city that constantly reveals new beauties to me.
I've also started to explore cities outside of Madrid. Last Saturday I went to Toledo, the old capital of Spain. This is a city filled with a medieval air. Stone castles and cathedrals overlook narrow pathways lined by stone. Christians, Jews, and Muslims once lived together in peace at this place. I saw influences from all 3 religions in this antigual city. It was also fun to meet new international friends during this trip, since I went with a school organization for international students, who are mostly students from other European countries.
Tomorrow I will be heading to Segovia, another famous city that I've heard tons about. It is the city which contains the castle that the Disneyland castle is modeled after. Only thing I'm worried about is the cold and the rain. Perhaps I'll bring my big old snow jacket =)
Monday, September 7, 2009
Madrid, una ciudad bellisima
Nights in Madrid
I spent last Wed, Thur, and Fri on campus listening to presentations by professors and speeches by the directors of the University. At nights, though, I went out to Madrid to explore the famous night-life of this city. Since I´m the only person living in Getafe, I took the metro and the train alone to different parts of the city. At first I was a bit apprehensive, since, as most of you know, I get lost easily, but it turned out to be very easy. The people here are also very very friendly. I actually quite enjoy getting lost and asking for directions from people (lol), since a lot of the times that´s how I strike up a conversation with the Spaniards here. The custom here is to kiss everyone that you meet on both cheeks as a greeting (much like a handshake in America). It´s a little strange for me to kiss strangers on both cheeks, but I think that it is a very endearing custom that I am starting to get used to =). I went to a couple of bars, the most interesting one was called "J & J Books." On Wed and Thur nights, Spaniards who want to learn English and international people who want to learn Spanish come together at this bar for an "intercambio" (interchange). I met a lot of very nice Spaniards there, who taught me Spanish as used in daily life in Spain (none of that formal stuff that you learn in school). As for drinking, I realize that I really like the drink "tinto de verano." It is wine mixed with some type of soda, among other things. It tastes kind of similar to a Sangria, and it is very popular for people to drink in the summer. Madrd´s night-life does indeed live up to its fame. It seems to me that Madrileños just don´t sleep! At any time of the day or night you can find people of all ages walking around the streets. There is also public transportation at all hours of the day. The large European buildings and fountains are lit up nicely during the night, giving them a grandeur and beauty different from that seen in the day.
Parque del Buen Retiro
Friday afternoon I went to the most famous park of Madrid, called "Parque del Buen Retiro." This park is HUGE with palaces, lakes, statues, rose gardens, fountains, wide passage ways, and amazing architecture. I love the statues and archways that overlook the large lake in the middle of the park. You can row boats in the lake or simply tan yourself on the lazy grass next to the water. One of my favorite buildings inside this park is "el Palacio de Cristal" (the crystal palace). It is a transparent building made of glass. I got to this palace late in the afternoon, and the sunlight that shined off the glass made it so beautiful that it seemed unreal. Right in front of the palace is another small lake. There are steps that lead right into the water where some Spanish señoras feed the ducks, fish, swans, and turtles in the water. Everything that I´d ever want in a park is inside of this one. If I lived in Madrid, I could see myself coming here every day.
Museo del Prado
On Saturday I visited the world famous museum of Madrid, el Museo del Prado. This museum contains works by Goya, el Greco, Velazquez, Reuben, and many many more world-famous painters. It was just absolutely amazing to finally stand in front of all the paintings that I´ve only been able to see in photos before. The museum is soo huge that after spending a whole day there, I was still unable to see everything that I wanted to. It was fun to just read through the descriptions and peruse the meaning behind each painting. As I was discussing some paintings with my friend, an American professor came to me and asked me to explain the paintings to her. I felt totally unqualified, since my knowledge of these art works are very very limited. Nevertheless, I translated some of the descriptions of the paintings to her and some of my interpretations. Hopefully I didn´t mislead her with entirely wrong translations/interpretations >.<
Aranjuez
On Saturday night, I went with my Spanish family to Aranjuez, a city to the south of Madrid and Getafe. There was a celebration there commemorating the defeat of Napolean´s army and the gaining of Spain´s independence. This was a celebration that only locals know about. It took place in front of a palace, which was one of the 4 palaces that the court used to live in. The local townsmen dressed up in traditional Spanish clothing and reenacted the story of the king of the time. Light was projected onto the palace as the background of this reenactment. In a couple scenes, Goya´s paintings were used as the backdrop to the action. I thought this was super cool since I just saw these paintings in the Museum of Prado during the day. My Spanish family said that Aranjuez is super beautiful during the day. If I have time, I will definitely return to this town to check out the palace, gardens, and other structures here =)
Madrid City
I spent all of Sunday exploring the city of Madrid alone (since it was too difficult to meet up with my friends). In the morning, I went to a flea market, called "El Rastro." It is a huge flea market throughout a long winding street of the center of Madrid. I bought this one poster that says that I am a star of Flamengo dancing, lol, among other things. If any of you decide to come to Madrid, I´d definitely suggest to you come check out the flea market for some interesting souvenirs. Make sure that you guard your bags well though, as there are many pickpocketers in this part of town. After the flea market, I went to El Parque del Buen Retiro again and had a picnic there. I was so tired after lunch that I took a tiny nap on a bench after my picnic. Then, I spent the rest of the day exploring the parts of Madrid near the park. I went to this contemporary museum near the Museum of Prado called "Forum Caixa." It was showcasing some Muslim art as well as the marvels of modern architecture. Right outside of the museum is a "vertical garden." It is basically a wall on which people grew all kinds of plants. It is quite interesting to see. After that, I went to see more famous sites such as "la Fuente de Cibeles" (Cibeles fountain), "Palacio de Comunicaciones" (Palace of Communications), plaza of independence, and many many more. I was absolutely exhausted after a whole day of walking around. My feet hurt so much that I wish they did not belong to me lol. I was content though, as Madrid turns out to be a fabulous city with gorgeous sites on every turn. I can imagine myself living here. It has stolen my heart <3
p.s. check out my pictures up to the point of my Friday adventures in the Parque del Buen Retiro on my Facebook. I will upload more pictures soon =)
I spent last Wed, Thur, and Fri on campus listening to presentations by professors and speeches by the directors of the University. At nights, though, I went out to Madrid to explore the famous night-life of this city. Since I´m the only person living in Getafe, I took the metro and the train alone to different parts of the city. At first I was a bit apprehensive, since, as most of you know, I get lost easily, but it turned out to be very easy. The people here are also very very friendly. I actually quite enjoy getting lost and asking for directions from people (lol), since a lot of the times that´s how I strike up a conversation with the Spaniards here. The custom here is to kiss everyone that you meet on both cheeks as a greeting (much like a handshake in America). It´s a little strange for me to kiss strangers on both cheeks, but I think that it is a very endearing custom that I am starting to get used to =). I went to a couple of bars, the most interesting one was called "J & J Books." On Wed and Thur nights, Spaniards who want to learn English and international people who want to learn Spanish come together at this bar for an "intercambio" (interchange). I met a lot of very nice Spaniards there, who taught me Spanish as used in daily life in Spain (none of that formal stuff that you learn in school). As for drinking, I realize that I really like the drink "tinto de verano." It is wine mixed with some type of soda, among other things. It tastes kind of similar to a Sangria, and it is very popular for people to drink in the summer. Madrd´s night-life does indeed live up to its fame. It seems to me that Madrileños just don´t sleep! At any time of the day or night you can find people of all ages walking around the streets. There is also public transportation at all hours of the day. The large European buildings and fountains are lit up nicely during the night, giving them a grandeur and beauty different from that seen in the day.
Parque del Buen Retiro
Friday afternoon I went to the most famous park of Madrid, called "Parque del Buen Retiro." This park is HUGE with palaces, lakes, statues, rose gardens, fountains, wide passage ways, and amazing architecture. I love the statues and archways that overlook the large lake in the middle of the park. You can row boats in the lake or simply tan yourself on the lazy grass next to the water. One of my favorite buildings inside this park is "el Palacio de Cristal" (the crystal palace). It is a transparent building made of glass. I got to this palace late in the afternoon, and the sunlight that shined off the glass made it so beautiful that it seemed unreal. Right in front of the palace is another small lake. There are steps that lead right into the water where some Spanish señoras feed the ducks, fish, swans, and turtles in the water. Everything that I´d ever want in a park is inside of this one. If I lived in Madrid, I could see myself coming here every day.
Museo del Prado
On Saturday I visited the world famous museum of Madrid, el Museo del Prado. This museum contains works by Goya, el Greco, Velazquez, Reuben, and many many more world-famous painters. It was just absolutely amazing to finally stand in front of all the paintings that I´ve only been able to see in photos before. The museum is soo huge that after spending a whole day there, I was still unable to see everything that I wanted to. It was fun to just read through the descriptions and peruse the meaning behind each painting. As I was discussing some paintings with my friend, an American professor came to me and asked me to explain the paintings to her. I felt totally unqualified, since my knowledge of these art works are very very limited. Nevertheless, I translated some of the descriptions of the paintings to her and some of my interpretations. Hopefully I didn´t mislead her with entirely wrong translations/interpretations >.<
Aranjuez
On Saturday night, I went with my Spanish family to Aranjuez, a city to the south of Madrid and Getafe. There was a celebration there commemorating the defeat of Napolean´s army and the gaining of Spain´s independence. This was a celebration that only locals know about. It took place in front of a palace, which was one of the 4 palaces that the court used to live in. The local townsmen dressed up in traditional Spanish clothing and reenacted the story of the king of the time. Light was projected onto the palace as the background of this reenactment. In a couple scenes, Goya´s paintings were used as the backdrop to the action. I thought this was super cool since I just saw these paintings in the Museum of Prado during the day. My Spanish family said that Aranjuez is super beautiful during the day. If I have time, I will definitely return to this town to check out the palace, gardens, and other structures here =)
Madrid City
I spent all of Sunday exploring the city of Madrid alone (since it was too difficult to meet up with my friends). In the morning, I went to a flea market, called "El Rastro." It is a huge flea market throughout a long winding street of the center of Madrid. I bought this one poster that says that I am a star of Flamengo dancing, lol, among other things. If any of you decide to come to Madrid, I´d definitely suggest to you come check out the flea market for some interesting souvenirs. Make sure that you guard your bags well though, as there are many pickpocketers in this part of town. After the flea market, I went to El Parque del Buen Retiro again and had a picnic there. I was so tired after lunch that I took a tiny nap on a bench after my picnic. Then, I spent the rest of the day exploring the parts of Madrid near the park. I went to this contemporary museum near the Museum of Prado called "Forum Caixa." It was showcasing some Muslim art as well as the marvels of modern architecture. Right outside of the museum is a "vertical garden." It is basically a wall on which people grew all kinds of plants. It is quite interesting to see. After that, I went to see more famous sites such as "la Fuente de Cibeles" (Cibeles fountain), "Palacio de Comunicaciones" (Palace of Communications), plaza of independence, and many many more. I was absolutely exhausted after a whole day of walking around. My feet hurt so much that I wish they did not belong to me lol. I was content though, as Madrid turns out to be a fabulous city with gorgeous sites on every turn. I can imagine myself living here. It has stolen my heart <3
p.s. check out my pictures up to the point of my Friday adventures in the Parque del Buen Retiro on my Facebook. I will upload more pictures soon =)
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
1st days
After a long plane ride, I finally arrived at Madrid international airport! I thought that I would be super excited upon landing, but turns out, I was more nervous than anything. Being alone in a strange country with a language that I am not fluent in is indeed a bit daunting. Therefore, when I spotted a girl wearing a Cal sweatshirt at the luggage terminal, I went for it and introduced myself. Luckily, the girl, Maria, is in the same study abroad program as me! (What are the chances of that?!?) We shared a taxi ride to the hotel. Since she is Mexican and speaks fluent Spanish, I was relieved of the task of negotiating with the taxi driver. As we drove through Madrid city, I was utterly amazed by the buildings here. Most of the architecture is of a baroque European style. Every scenery that passes through the window seems like a picture perfect spot. I was tempted to whip out my camera and let my tourist nature take over, but talking with Maria subdued such temptations. The hotel where all of the UC students met up is located on la Calle Via Grande, the main street in the center of Madrid. After meeting up with some UC students, we took a walk around the city and stopped to have lunch at this cafe in el Corte Ingles, a chain department store. The cafe is on the 8th floor, and the view that we had from our table was absolutely amazing. I could see the rooftops of almost all of the buildings, including a couple of cathedrals! Everytime I looked out the window, I was reminded again of the fact that I am now in Madrid! For lunch, I ordered chocolate, thinking that I would get hot chocolate as a drink. There was my first mistake..... The hot chocolate that came out was more like a hot chocolate syrup, to be eaten with churros. I was therefore forced to order churros on top of my tortilla with bacon and eggs, which....was also not what I expected. Apparently, Spanish tortillas are not like Mexican tortillas. What came was more like a pancake covered by ham (not bacon) and an egg. Despite the surprises in the dishes that came, I really enjoyed my meal. For the rest of the day, I walked around Madrid, attended orientation (completely in Spanish of course and through half of which I nodded off. Jetlagging was getting to me and I could not stay awake for my life. My arms still have bruises from pinching myself throughout this meeting), had dinner in this cute restaurant, and met about 30~40 UC students (I think that there's a total of 70 of us). Dinner here is at 9~10pm, and by that time I was so sleepy that other UC students thought I was high on something. Everyone sounded so far away and apparently my face had such a blank expression that I totally look stoned. Anyways, I totally passed out when I came back to the hotel.
The next morning, I had breakfast with other UC students at the hotel, and then we all went to this large room where host families picked us up. Each host family had a photo of their student, and they just walked around the room and collected their student based on the photo. I stood around for quite a while before my family recognized me, and I totally felt like an kid in an orphanage hoping to get adopted lol. The family that picked me up was a family of 4 plus a dog. There are 2 daughters of ages 22 and 24. They live in Getafe, the suburban city within 20 minutes of Madrid. This is also the city where my college, Carlos III, is located. The house is a 3 storied building that is very nice and cozy. I have my own room on the 3rd floor. It is really cute with a slanted ceiling and a window right above the bed. It is so bright and sunny in the day. I had my first meal with the family at about 3pm for lunch. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day in Spain, and they served me soo much food that I thought I was gonna burst. I had mussels with olive, pastel (this cake-like thing) filled with vegetables, bread, duck, potatoes, and arroz con leche. I also had tea to help myself stay awake after the dessert. The family speaks Spanish sooo fast that I have a hard time understanding them. They're very nice people though, and they slow down whenever they talk to me. The daughters, Sandra (22) and Diana (24), speak English, since they've studyied abroad in Ireland, and they translated whenever I really couldn't understand. My goal is to be able to understand all conversations within the household fully and be able to communicate fluently by the end of my stay here. Right now I'm able to communicate everything I want to say (although often with broken grammar and substitute words) and understand only about 50% of all things said. After lunch, I took a little nap, and then Diana took me around the city. I took the metro to my college and shopped with Diana in el Corte Ingles (there's one within 5 min walking distance to the house). I also went to a tobacco shop and obtained an identification card in order to get a monthly metro pass. The streets in this city remind me very much of Taiwan. The small houses, the many residential high-rises, the parks filled with people just hanging out, and the little shops all around the streets give me a very familiar feeling. Even the humid hot weather reminds me of Taiwan. We returned to the house at around 9:30pm, and the entire family came together for dinner. Dinner is the lightest meal of the day in Spain. The mother, Concha, never eats dinner. For the rest of us, we had a slice of Spanish tortilla (this cake-like food made of potatoes), a small portion of salad, and dry bread. It was not very filling, but thank goodness I've always had a small stomach, so the small portions didn't bother me at all. It was just very surprising in comparison to the huge meal that we had for lunch. Dinner is also less formal than lunch. We watched TV and Concha used the computer (called el ordenador, not la computadora as in Mexico) throughout the meal, whereas for lunch we all just sat around the table and talked to each other. I really like this family, and I think that I totally lucked out in finding a house with wi-fi.
I must go to bed now, for I have an early and packed day ahead of me =)
The next morning, I had breakfast with other UC students at the hotel, and then we all went to this large room where host families picked us up. Each host family had a photo of their student, and they just walked around the room and collected their student based on the photo. I stood around for quite a while before my family recognized me, and I totally felt like an kid in an orphanage hoping to get adopted lol. The family that picked me up was a family of 4 plus a dog. There are 2 daughters of ages 22 and 24. They live in Getafe, the suburban city within 20 minutes of Madrid. This is also the city where my college, Carlos III, is located. The house is a 3 storied building that is very nice and cozy. I have my own room on the 3rd floor. It is really cute with a slanted ceiling and a window right above the bed. It is so bright and sunny in the day. I had my first meal with the family at about 3pm for lunch. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day in Spain, and they served me soo much food that I thought I was gonna burst. I had mussels with olive, pastel (this cake-like thing) filled with vegetables, bread, duck, potatoes, and arroz con leche. I also had tea to help myself stay awake after the dessert. The family speaks Spanish sooo fast that I have a hard time understanding them. They're very nice people though, and they slow down whenever they talk to me. The daughters, Sandra (22) and Diana (24), speak English, since they've studyied abroad in Ireland, and they translated whenever I really couldn't understand. My goal is to be able to understand all conversations within the household fully and be able to communicate fluently by the end of my stay here. Right now I'm able to communicate everything I want to say (although often with broken grammar and substitute words) and understand only about 50% of all things said. After lunch, I took a little nap, and then Diana took me around the city. I took the metro to my college and shopped with Diana in el Corte Ingles (there's one within 5 min walking distance to the house). I also went to a tobacco shop and obtained an identification card in order to get a monthly metro pass. The streets in this city remind me very much of Taiwan. The small houses, the many residential high-rises, the parks filled with people just hanging out, and the little shops all around the streets give me a very familiar feeling. Even the humid hot weather reminds me of Taiwan. We returned to the house at around 9:30pm, and the entire family came together for dinner. Dinner is the lightest meal of the day in Spain. The mother, Concha, never eats dinner. For the rest of us, we had a slice of Spanish tortilla (this cake-like food made of potatoes), a small portion of salad, and dry bread. It was not very filling, but thank goodness I've always had a small stomach, so the small portions didn't bother me at all. It was just very surprising in comparison to the huge meal that we had for lunch. Dinner is also less formal than lunch. We watched TV and Concha used the computer (called el ordenador, not la computadora as in Mexico) throughout the meal, whereas for lunch we all just sat around the table and talked to each other. I really like this family, and I think that I totally lucked out in finding a house with wi-fi.
I must go to bed now, for I have an early and packed day ahead of me =)
Friday, August 28, 2009
1 more day
until i take off.
this is a trip that i spent all year planning for.
somehow all of this seems so surreal, as if i am packing for another person who will then spend 99 days in spain.
excitement and nervousness are both lurking somewhere in the back of my mind.
they shall surface once my eyes first land on this strange foreign country, i know it.
this is a trip that i spent all year planning for.
somehow all of this seems so surreal, as if i am packing for another person who will then spend 99 days in spain.
excitement and nervousness are both lurking somewhere in the back of my mind.
they shall surface once my eyes first land on this strange foreign country, i know it.
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