The last few weeks have been incredible and fast-paced! I had a start of new classes with wonderful new teachers (with very hilarious senses of humor...in my conversation class all of the girls including the professor make fun of the few boys in class...and if you speak even one palabra in English, the professor says FUERA! Which means, outside, and you have to sit outside the classroom until you do or say something creative enough in Spanish in order to be let back in)
Some of the activities that AIFS planned were
Wine-tasting course:
We learned how to taste and airrate 5 different wines. In Spanish we discussed the flavors, the aromas, the clarity, the color, and the origin. Very enlightening and fascinating!
Horseback riding in the Sierra Nevada Mountains:
This was ASTONISHING! We were toured through the Sierra Nevadas on horseback (my horse was named Fail...pronounced FAH-EEL) I cannot even begin to describe to you the beauty of these mountains! It was so relaxing and quiet throughout the whole ride...except for the few moments that Fail tried to gallop ahead of the group with me
Arabic Baths: There were 7 different baths of different temperatures within a beautiful and relaxing arabic-style bathhouse. It was candle-lit with incense aromas and arabic music. No talking was permitted and there was delicious tea and candies to have between bath soaking. We also got massages!
Something quite hilarious also happened this week. While out getting helado (ice-cream) with my friends, a camera man from Canal-Sur (national spanish new) asked if he could film us enjoying our ice-cream. The following day during lunch, my señora and roommate were in the living room watching the news while I was reading in my room. Suddenly I heard screaming from the other room with my señora telling me to hurry in there. I was shocked and humiliated to find a VERY close up shot of me eating my ice-cream in the plaza! The segment was on the heat in Granada and I was apparently evidence of ice-cream sales increasing!
Friday, July 17, 2009
¡Digame!
Well, it has obviously been an extremely long time since I have written, and I am heading back to the states at 3:45am tomorrow morning! The past few weeks have been incredible and action-packed...explaining my absence of blogs! Here´s what you´ve missed:
Nearing the end of June on the Friday of my last week of school before my Tuesday test, none of my classmates decided to show up to class (there were only 6 of us total anyway). Because it was only my professor and me, she took me out for coffee and we spent an hour talking about Granada, eachother, etc. (In Spanish of course). This was definitely one of the most memorable days that I have had in Spain!
That weekend my girlfriends and I went shopping around Granada to head up the early start of the July sales. In case you didn´t know, July is a REALLY big time for Spain. Every single store has sales-"rebejas"-and by sales I mean CLEARANCE! Starting July 1 (and sometimes a few days earlier) everything in the stores go on 70% clearance! Towards the middle of the month you can find things 90% off! Definitely an exciting and dangerous time to be a girl in Spain...
On Sunday AIFS hosted a farewell dinner for the 4-week students heading back to the states. We went to a flamenco dinner show and dressed in our finest (although our finest tends to be Spains normal everyday wear).
On Tuesday the following week we took our finals and headed to the university pool to relax after four intensive weeks of Spanish! That night my friends and I enjoyed eachother´s company over my favorite tapa (berenjenas con miel- fried eggplant and honey) and said good-bye to one of my dear friends, Ashley, who headed back to Arkansas.
The rest of the week was relaxation and shopping in Granada! My friend Whitney and I decided to get a hotel together for two nights so that we could watch movies and eat junk food together on the side of town where all the best shopping is!
That Friday Whitney, Ryan and I went to a lakehouse with our Spanish friend Raul (if you have seen my video on facebook of the spanish fresh prince song you have seen Raul)
We swam in a swimming pool next to the absolutely breathtaking lake (however apparently really nasty to swim in) with a surreal background of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. ¡Qué increíble!
On Saturday, July 4, my friend and I went to the beach to celebrate our American holiday! There we walked around singing patriotic songs and shared a half-watermelon on the bench at the bus-stop. You´re welcome, America.
There you have a very quick synopsis of the end of my 4-week session!
Next blog will try and sum up the highlights of the last 2 weeks...
Nearing the end of June on the Friday of my last week of school before my Tuesday test, none of my classmates decided to show up to class (there were only 6 of us total anyway). Because it was only my professor and me, she took me out for coffee and we spent an hour talking about Granada, eachother, etc. (In Spanish of course). This was definitely one of the most memorable days that I have had in Spain!
That weekend my girlfriends and I went shopping around Granada to head up the early start of the July sales. In case you didn´t know, July is a REALLY big time for Spain. Every single store has sales-"rebejas"-and by sales I mean CLEARANCE! Starting July 1 (and sometimes a few days earlier) everything in the stores go on 70% clearance! Towards the middle of the month you can find things 90% off! Definitely an exciting and dangerous time to be a girl in Spain...
On Sunday AIFS hosted a farewell dinner for the 4-week students heading back to the states. We went to a flamenco dinner show and dressed in our finest (although our finest tends to be Spains normal everyday wear).
On Tuesday the following week we took our finals and headed to the university pool to relax after four intensive weeks of Spanish! That night my friends and I enjoyed eachother´s company over my favorite tapa (berenjenas con miel- fried eggplant and honey) and said good-bye to one of my dear friends, Ashley, who headed back to Arkansas.
The rest of the week was relaxation and shopping in Granada! My friend Whitney and I decided to get a hotel together for two nights so that we could watch movies and eat junk food together on the side of town where all the best shopping is!
That Friday Whitney, Ryan and I went to a lakehouse with our Spanish friend Raul (if you have seen my video on facebook of the spanish fresh prince song you have seen Raul)
We swam in a swimming pool next to the absolutely breathtaking lake (however apparently really nasty to swim in) with a surreal background of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. ¡Qué increíble!
On Saturday, July 4, my friend and I went to the beach to celebrate our American holiday! There we walked around singing patriotic songs and shared a half-watermelon on the bench at the bus-stop. You´re welcome, America.
There you have a very quick synopsis of the end of my 4-week session!
Next blog will try and sum up the highlights of the last 2 weeks...
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
¡¿Que?!
So...this has been an interesting week! Last weekend we went to Seville and Cordoba. It is absolutely beautiful there! However, I still love Granada the most because of the intimate feel with the locals and my familiarity with the city. Also, Granada is a college town so it is a lot cheaper! This weekend I started reading a ton of novels (yes, in English...I am not fluent YET!) By ton I mean 3 Mary Higgins Clark novels, my bible, and I am currently in the middle of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Anyway, it´s nice to take a break from so much Spanish immersion and soak up some English every once in awhile.
Ok, back to my life in Spain! On Monday I felt a little under the weather so I decided to stay in from classes: sleep, eat, and read! On Tuesday I had a hilarious language barrier incident with my Spanish professor. We were talking about different traditions and holidays and celebrations between Spain and the U.S.A., and I was talking about wedding traditions in America and how we always have bridal showers, lingerie showers, and bachelorette/bachelor parties...(this was all in very broken Spanish, mind you) Anyway, I was explaining that at these events a lot of advice is given to the bride and groom about the future, about the wedding night, etc. And my professor was like what kind of advice? And I was like well...you know...about like children and stuff...and she said, but la noche de la boda? (the night of the wedding) And all of us in the class just lost it laughing...and she just kept asking what advice I would give for the wedding night, and I said, ¡yo no sé! ¡No sé! (I don´t know! I don´t know!) Needless to say, she was very confused because apparently I used the wrong word for advice and we both had no clue what the other was wanting to know!
Ok, back to my life in Spain! On Monday I felt a little under the weather so I decided to stay in from classes: sleep, eat, and read! On Tuesday I had a hilarious language barrier incident with my Spanish professor. We were talking about different traditions and holidays and celebrations between Spain and the U.S.A., and I was talking about wedding traditions in America and how we always have bridal showers, lingerie showers, and bachelorette/bachelor parties...(this was all in very broken Spanish, mind you) Anyway, I was explaining that at these events a lot of advice is given to the bride and groom about the future, about the wedding night, etc. And my professor was like what kind of advice? And I was like well...you know...about like children and stuff...and she said, but la noche de la boda? (the night of the wedding) And all of us in the class just lost it laughing...and she just kept asking what advice I would give for the wedding night, and I said, ¡yo no sé! ¡No sé! (I don´t know! I don´t know!) Needless to say, she was very confused because apparently I used the wrong word for advice and we both had no clue what the other was wanting to know!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
¡Chócala!
Explanation of the title of this blog: (What you say when you high five someone...similar to America´s ¨pound it¨, it means ¨crash¨)
It is 12:30 in the morning in Spain and I just got finished with my intercambio...which is a meeting date between Americans and Spanish to practice speaking over tapas...they practice their English while we practice our Spanish. It was an absolute blast! It is very hard to listen to them speak English and then try to respond back in Spanish...but lots of fun because you help eachother. Tonight I learned more Spanish slang, while I taught American slang. Madre-mia...which means "oh my mom" is similar to America´s "oh my god". The best treat from tonight by far was getting to hear the Fresh Prince theme song sung in Spanish!!! (Check out facebook for the video)
Well, now I need to go finish homework for my class tomorrow, then it´s off to Seville and Cordoba for the weekend! Hasta luego!
It is 12:30 in the morning in Spain and I just got finished with my intercambio...which is a meeting date between Americans and Spanish to practice speaking over tapas...they practice their English while we practice our Spanish. It was an absolute blast! It is very hard to listen to them speak English and then try to respond back in Spanish...but lots of fun because you help eachother. Tonight I learned more Spanish slang, while I taught American slang. Madre-mia...which means "oh my mom" is similar to America´s "oh my god". The best treat from tonight by far was getting to hear the Fresh Prince theme song sung in Spanish!!! (Check out facebook for the video)
Well, now I need to go finish homework for my class tomorrow, then it´s off to Seville and Cordoba for the weekend! Hasta luego!
Tranquilo
Hola friends!
Spain is wonderful...I stay busy, yet calm...which is why I haven´t written in awhile. I rarely make it around to a computer because my schedule is filled with class, hikes, exploration, SHOPPING, eating at local restaurants, and just experiencing Spanish life! Right now I am on break between classes, so I wanted to drop a quick note just to let everyone know that I definitely AM alive!
The idea of time here is something I definitely want to adopt...the spanish keep it ¨tranquilo¨or, calm, and don´t let themselves worry about time schedules. Naps are frequent, spending time with friends and family trumps work and stress. The food continues to be wonderful!
I will write later with more details...I love and miss everyone!!! Of course not enough to cut my trip short!
Spain is wonderful...I stay busy, yet calm...which is why I haven´t written in awhile. I rarely make it around to a computer because my schedule is filled with class, hikes, exploration, SHOPPING, eating at local restaurants, and just experiencing Spanish life! Right now I am on break between classes, so I wanted to drop a quick note just to let everyone know that I definitely AM alive!
The idea of time here is something I definitely want to adopt...the spanish keep it ¨tranquilo¨or, calm, and don´t let themselves worry about time schedules. Naps are frequent, spending time with friends and family trumps work and stress. The food continues to be wonderful!
I will write later with more details...I love and miss everyone!!! Of course not enough to cut my trip short!
Saturday, June 6, 2009
You from Texas?! You have horse?!
Apologies for not posting a blog in awhile! It has been a wonderfully busy week. First day of classes on Tuesday, Arabic tea party, delicious food, a visit to the Alhambra (3 breathtaking REAL palaces with courtyards and astonishing views), and a visit to the beach tomorrow! (Sunday)
My class is interesting...it is taking me awhile to get used to being taught with very rapid Spanish. Our teachers do not speak Enlgish at ALL, so if we can´t ask a question in Spanish...we can´t ask one at all. At first this was very frustrating, and I spent my time hoping I heard the right instructions! But now I am getting very used to it and learning to understand a lot. I have a 25 minute walk to class every morning, and stay in class from 9am until 2:15 pm. We have a 20 minute break around 10:45, and my last hour is ¨Conversation Practice¨ in a different building. Right after class I make the 25 minute trek back home where a huge home-cooked meal is waiting for me! Every day we have tons of bread, tons of salad, a main dish, 2 sides, fruit, and the occassional additional dessert. There has not been a single thing that I have not liked and my Señora cooks very well!
I have a wonderful set of around 7 or so friends that met me either in the airport in Dallas, or in my first day in London. All of my friends are so amazing, and I know that I will continue to be friends with them even after Spain! The guy/girl ratio is 9/44, and I am lucky to have 2 guys as a part of my group who work hard to keep us safe on the streets of Spain late at night/early in the morning, and watching out for forward Spanish men! Many of us live on the same road, but in very different directions...some 10-15 minutes apart...so these guys spend sometimes 1 hr walking us all home!
All over Granada there are adorable Tapas Bars with free tapas...Granada is the only city in Spain to offer free tapas! Tapas are complimentary appetizers that you get if you order a sangria, servesa (beer), or another type of drink.
Everywhere we go is beautiful, old spanish architecture and beautiful people! The Spanish are extremely fashionable at all times, so it´s very fun to people watch and go inside all of the clothing stores.
The men are very forward here, but we learn to ignore them. They absolutely LOVE blonde women, and it is not strange for me to be approached on the street by a man saying ¨Chica rubia! Bonita!¨(Blonde girl! Beautiful!) and to be asked to be in a picture.
One interesting custom of the Spanish is their greeting style. Each time I meet a new person, we kiss on both cheeks, starting with the left. At first it was awkward, but now I´ll probably carry the tradition into the states! :)
I cannot even begin to write how much I love Spain, how much fun I am having, and how much I am learning! But do know that I miss everyone in the states very much! God has blessed me so much with the opportunity to do this, and wonderful friends back home whom I miss and love! Please know that He is taking care of me, and that He has provided friends here for me too!
I miss and love you all!!! I am only sorry that I don´t have time to talk to all of you individually!
P.S. (Favorite Quotes of the Week) "All Texans have shotguns in their closet"
My class is interesting...it is taking me awhile to get used to being taught with very rapid Spanish. Our teachers do not speak Enlgish at ALL, so if we can´t ask a question in Spanish...we can´t ask one at all. At first this was very frustrating, and I spent my time hoping I heard the right instructions! But now I am getting very used to it and learning to understand a lot. I have a 25 minute walk to class every morning, and stay in class from 9am until 2:15 pm. We have a 20 minute break around 10:45, and my last hour is ¨Conversation Practice¨ in a different building. Right after class I make the 25 minute trek back home where a huge home-cooked meal is waiting for me! Every day we have tons of bread, tons of salad, a main dish, 2 sides, fruit, and the occassional additional dessert. There has not been a single thing that I have not liked and my Señora cooks very well!
I have a wonderful set of around 7 or so friends that met me either in the airport in Dallas, or in my first day in London. All of my friends are so amazing, and I know that I will continue to be friends with them even after Spain! The guy/girl ratio is 9/44, and I am lucky to have 2 guys as a part of my group who work hard to keep us safe on the streets of Spain late at night/early in the morning, and watching out for forward Spanish men! Many of us live on the same road, but in very different directions...some 10-15 minutes apart...so these guys spend sometimes 1 hr walking us all home!
All over Granada there are adorable Tapas Bars with free tapas...Granada is the only city in Spain to offer free tapas! Tapas are complimentary appetizers that you get if you order a sangria, servesa (beer), or another type of drink.
Everywhere we go is beautiful, old spanish architecture and beautiful people! The Spanish are extremely fashionable at all times, so it´s very fun to people watch and go inside all of the clothing stores.
The men are very forward here, but we learn to ignore them. They absolutely LOVE blonde women, and it is not strange for me to be approached on the street by a man saying ¨Chica rubia! Bonita!¨(Blonde girl! Beautiful!) and to be asked to be in a picture.
One interesting custom of the Spanish is their greeting style. Each time I meet a new person, we kiss on both cheeks, starting with the left. At first it was awkward, but now I´ll probably carry the tradition into the states! :)
I cannot even begin to write how much I love Spain, how much fun I am having, and how much I am learning! But do know that I miss everyone in the states very much! God has blessed me so much with the opportunity to do this, and wonderful friends back home whom I miss and love! Please know that He is taking care of me, and that He has provided friends here for me too!
I miss and love you all!!! I am only sorry that I don´t have time to talk to all of you individually!
P.S. (Favorite Quotes of the Week) "All Texans have shotguns in their closet"
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
!Ojos en su papel! (Eyes on your paper!!!)
Hola from Granada!
As I said before, Spain is absolutely wonderful. I have completely fallen in love with the laid-back culture! My first day in Spain meeting my host mother was very scary. Her name is Señora Julia and she speaks absolutely zero English! She is a widow with a few children who are grown, and she constantly has Americans staying in her home for study abroad. (That is all I have understood, so far)
The first day I was in Spain I was very tired from a weekend in London. We arrived in the apartamento and ate a huge (normal size for the spanish) lunch of spagghetti, hot dogs, potato chips, salad, bananas, cherries, bread, and water. Julia filled my plate with each item and I would try to ask for less, or eat les, but she just kept saying mas, mas, mas (more, more, more) and porque poco?! (why so little) Needless to say, I left the table quite filled!
After our late lunch, we went to our bedrooms to put away our luggage and take our spanish siesta (nap: the spanish schedule a 1-2 hour nap every single day...every single store is closed from lunch until around 4 or 5!) My roommate and I slept from 3pm until 9pm!
Once we woke up we headed back out for dinner around 9:45 (sometimes the spanish do not eat until 10:30, 11, or even 12 in the summer) Then we went BACK to bed to get ready for placement tests in the morning!
My placement test was pretty difficult and consisted of 5 essay questions(30 mins), 56 multiple choice (45 mins) and a 3-5 min oral interview (this was the scariest part). Amazingly enough I placed in Spanish 2! (I have already taken Spanish 1 at McMurry but was worried because it is harder here)
Funniest language mishap so far: during my test, myself and two students next to me didn´t recieve our test at the same time as everyone else because they ran out of the questions. We only had the blank answer sheet...so I was quite confused because the instructions were given in VERY quick Spanish...so I looked up with a confused and stressed out look around the room andthe professor came over and pointed at his eyes and said in Spanish ÉYES ON YOUR PAPER!!!! and made a firm motion to my paper...and then the other professor told him that we didn´t have the question sheet yet and he said in Spanish Ayyyyy! They do not have the questions? Oh no, oh no, not good...
Keep posted for more funny stories about Spain...I have so many it´s ridiculous...
also, stay posted to hear about my first day of class! I am too tired to explain it all now...
P.S. Spanish boys are super gorgeous
As I said before, Spain is absolutely wonderful. I have completely fallen in love with the laid-back culture! My first day in Spain meeting my host mother was very scary. Her name is Señora Julia and she speaks absolutely zero English! She is a widow with a few children who are grown, and she constantly has Americans staying in her home for study abroad. (That is all I have understood, so far)
The first day I was in Spain I was very tired from a weekend in London. We arrived in the apartamento and ate a huge (normal size for the spanish) lunch of spagghetti, hot dogs, potato chips, salad, bananas, cherries, bread, and water. Julia filled my plate with each item and I would try to ask for less, or eat les, but she just kept saying mas, mas, mas (more, more, more) and porque poco?! (why so little) Needless to say, I left the table quite filled!
After our late lunch, we went to our bedrooms to put away our luggage and take our spanish siesta (nap: the spanish schedule a 1-2 hour nap every single day...every single store is closed from lunch until around 4 or 5!) My roommate and I slept from 3pm until 9pm!
Once we woke up we headed back out for dinner around 9:45 (sometimes the spanish do not eat until 10:30, 11, or even 12 in the summer) Then we went BACK to bed to get ready for placement tests in the morning!
My placement test was pretty difficult and consisted of 5 essay questions(30 mins), 56 multiple choice (45 mins) and a 3-5 min oral interview (this was the scariest part). Amazingly enough I placed in Spanish 2! (I have already taken Spanish 1 at McMurry but was worried because it is harder here)
Funniest language mishap so far: during my test, myself and two students next to me didn´t recieve our test at the same time as everyone else because they ran out of the questions. We only had the blank answer sheet...so I was quite confused because the instructions were given in VERY quick Spanish...so I looked up with a confused and stressed out look around the room andthe professor came over and pointed at his eyes and said in Spanish ÉYES ON YOUR PAPER!!!! and made a firm motion to my paper...and then the other professor told him that we didn´t have the question sheet yet and he said in Spanish Ayyyyy! They do not have the questions? Oh no, oh no, not good...
Keep posted for more funny stories about Spain...I have so many it´s ridiculous...
also, stay posted to hear about my first day of class! I am too tired to explain it all now...
P.S. Spanish boys are super gorgeous
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