Sorry for the lack of posts. I get bored/forget about these things easily.
I actually don't know anything that I did out of the ordinary so I'm just going to skip ahead to last weekend.
Days 17-19 (Milan)
I went to Milan Friday-Sunday last weekend. It was an adventure. We flew on RyanAir which is known for being pretty shiesty and scary but we had no problems. When we got to Milan, we had no idea where our hotel was so we tried asking some cab drivers that said it be a 70 euro cab drive. We asked a few other cab drivers and an HONEST one said it was 20 euro so we took her cab. The hotel was kind of far away from everything but it was near a metro so that was good. We did a lot of sightseeing, shopping, and eating. Well, I didn't do much shopping on the account that everything was rediculously expensive!! We didn't want to get a hotel room for Saturday night since our flight left at 6am so we decided to just sleep at the airport. Apparently 500+ other people had the exact same idea. It was packed with people sleeping everywhere possible but it was also sort of fun. We got back to Valladolid at 9AM and I just did homework/vegged out for the rest of the day.
This week has been pretty typical. Our UTA professor started eating with us because we all complained about how awful the food is. Since she started doing that it's been getting SLIGHTLY better.
Today I went to the beach with two of the girls and just layed out listening to music and drinking sangria. It was very nice! Barcelona is this weekend, can't wait!!
11 days til I get home :)
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Days 11, 12, &13
Day 10 (..continued)
We went out for Jaime's birthday to an italian restaurant. The Spanish take on Italian food is very different from the American take on it. Afterwards one of our native Valladolidian friends took us to different bars/clubs. It was a blast & I spent wayyy too much money. We got home about 4AM & went to bed.
Day 11 (Segovia)
Woke up for our trip to Segovia at 9:10 (the bus left at 9:30). It was about an hour and a half ride. When we got there our tour guide, Ruth, gave us a tour of the aqueduct that the Roman's built in the 1200s, the huge cathedral, & the castle. Arya, Laura, and I did our own thing after that and decided to pay to climb the tower at the castle. It had 152 steps in a TINY spiral staircase with no handrails, exits, or lights. It was terrifying especially since I'm such a wuss! Afterwards we got lunch, shopped, and walked around until our bus left. I was so tired that night that I just went to sleep at 10PM.
Day 12 (Santander)
Woke up at 6AM to go to Santander (which is on the northern coast of Spain). Took a 3 hour train ride to the beach which was amazing! Layed out from 10:30-6:00pm without getting sunburnt thanks to SPF 50. I also swam in the ocean twice which resulted in super beachy hair! Got home at 11:45 at night and then decided to take a shower when the most FML moment of my life happened. The pipe in the shower burst sending brown rusty (I think) water everywhere in my room. I then had to run to a vacant room and finish showering.
Day 13 (Valladolid.. back to school!)
They fixed my shower today which was good. I doubt this week will be very fun, especially since I have a business project due on Wednesday, a culture test on Wedensday, and a Business essay due before I leave for Milan on Friday!
We went out for Jaime's birthday to an italian restaurant. The Spanish take on Italian food is very different from the American take on it. Afterwards one of our native Valladolidian friends took us to different bars/clubs. It was a blast & I spent wayyy too much money. We got home about 4AM & went to bed.
Day 11 (Segovia)
Woke up for our trip to Segovia at 9:10 (the bus left at 9:30). It was about an hour and a half ride. When we got there our tour guide, Ruth, gave us a tour of the aqueduct that the Roman's built in the 1200s, the huge cathedral, & the castle. Arya, Laura, and I did our own thing after that and decided to pay to climb the tower at the castle. It had 152 steps in a TINY spiral staircase with no handrails, exits, or lights. It was terrifying especially since I'm such a wuss! Afterwards we got lunch, shopped, and walked around until our bus left. I was so tired that night that I just went to sleep at 10PM.
Day 12 (Santander)
Woke up at 6AM to go to Santander (which is on the northern coast of Spain). Took a 3 hour train ride to the beach which was amazing! Layed out from 10:30-6:00pm without getting sunburnt thanks to SPF 50. I also swam in the ocean twice which resulted in super beachy hair! Got home at 11:45 at night and then decided to take a shower when the most FML moment of my life happened. The pipe in the shower burst sending brown rusty (I think) water everywhere in my room. I then had to run to a vacant room and finish showering.
Day 13 (Valladolid.. back to school!)
They fixed my shower today which was good. I doubt this week will be very fun, especially since I have a business project due on Wednesday, a culture test on Wedensday, and a Business essay due before I leave for Milan on Friday!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Day 10
Today I got my business test back.. 54/60= 90%. Not bad for it not being in English!
After lunch I went to the beach with some of the UTA and Wisconsin people, it was fun
Looking forward to tomorrow, it's one of the guys birthdays and we are going to dress up to go eat dinner/go bar hopping after.
I'm very excited for this weekend. Saturday is Segovia & Sunday is beaches in Santander!
Next weekend I'm playing hookie from school on Friday and flying to Milan with 4 UTA'ers until Sunday.
The weekend after is our Barcelona beach trip which I have a feeling will be pretty crazy.
Next weekend is Madrid for a day and then home :[ & :]
Hasta luego!
After lunch I went to the beach with some of the UTA and Wisconsin people, it was fun
Looking forward to tomorrow, it's one of the guys birthdays and we are going to dress up to go eat dinner/go bar hopping after.
I'm very excited for this weekend. Saturday is Segovia & Sunday is beaches in Santander!
Next weekend I'm playing hookie from school on Friday and flying to Milan with 4 UTA'ers until Sunday.
The weekend after is our Barcelona beach trip which I have a feeling will be pretty crazy.
Next weekend is Madrid for a day and then home :[ & :]
Hasta luego!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Days 8 & 9
Nothing too exciting has been going on.
I had two tests this week so far, this isn't vacation anymore!
Today I went to Laura's host family's home for lunch. It was delicious!
Things that I miss about home:
My friends, family, Riley & Maya (my pets for those who don't know), my car, American food, the convienience of being able to drive anywhere at a moments notice, the JCC pool, Wednesday's at El Arroyo's & Hoolies, that I didn't get to see Harry Potter at midnight yesterday, & the fact that I missed Jessica's birthday.
Things that I love about here & will miss a lot:
The pace of life here being so much slower, siestas, being able to walk everywhere, the weather being around 80 degrees all the time, my Spain friends, the fact that bars & clubs are open til 5AM, weekend trips around Spain, & taking wayyyy too many pictures.
I had two tests this week so far, this isn't vacation anymore!
Today I went to Laura's host family's home for lunch. It was delicious!
Things that I miss about home:
My friends, family, Riley & Maya (my pets for those who don't know), my car, American food, the convienience of being able to drive anywhere at a moments notice, the JCC pool, Wednesday's at El Arroyo's & Hoolies, that I didn't get to see Harry Potter at midnight yesterday, & the fact that I missed Jessica's birthday.
Things that I love about here & will miss a lot:
The pace of life here being so much slower, siestas, being able to walk everywhere, the weather being around 80 degrees all the time, my Spain friends, the fact that bars & clubs are open til 5AM, weekend trips around Spain, & taking wayyyy too many pictures.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Day 7 & 8
Day 7 (Salamanca) We had our first field trip with school at 9:30am. We got on the bus and took a 1.5 hour ride to Salamanca. Salamanca is by far one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my life. It is famous for their Gothic Cathedrals which were built in the 16th century. It was amazing to see something so intricate and massive that was built 500 years ago without the aid of technology. Seeing them was definately one of the most memorable things I've ever done. I am so grateful that I've had this opportunity to come to a wonderful country full of so much history!
Laura and I decided to stay in Salamanca last minute. We literally just had the clothes on our back. We got a very nice hostel in La Plaza Mayor. We went out til about 4am to the bars and clubs.
Day 8 (back to Valladolid)
We woke up and had breakfast in the Plaza Mayor, then checked out, and headed to the bus station to catch a bus back to Valladolid. Unfortunately we had to wait 3 hours for a bus. We got back around 5:30. I didn't do much today except clean my room, do laundry, and do homework. I have two tests this week, bleh.
Besos! xoxo
Friday, July 10, 2009
Day 6
Hola!
Last night was, by far, the best night in Valladolid so far. We went to a mixer type thing with all of the people attending our language institute at a bar called La Negra Flor. All of our professors were drinking with us, it was so fun. After La Negra Flor we went bar hopping and ended up at a dance club called Mambo. It was hilarious because they didn't play any music besides really old American music like Girls Just Wanna Have Fun & Surfing in the USA. They were all jumping around to it, I guess that's how they dance? We ended up staying out til 4:45 and then took a cab back to the dorm to make our 5AM curfew.
Class was boring, I went with two people to get tapas in our break. After class I ate lunch, took a siesta, and then went with everyone to the mall.
Its 10:30PM now and we are about to get ready to go out again tonight, we are going to Salamanca in the morning so that should be fun. I may stay in a hostel overnight with one of the girls and a guy but we'll see!
Besos! xoxox
Last night was, by far, the best night in Valladolid so far. We went to a mixer type thing with all of the people attending our language institute at a bar called La Negra Flor. All of our professors were drinking with us, it was so fun. After La Negra Flor we went bar hopping and ended up at a dance club called Mambo. It was hilarious because they didn't play any music besides really old American music like Girls Just Wanna Have Fun & Surfing in the USA. They were all jumping around to it, I guess that's how they dance? We ended up staying out til 4:45 and then took a cab back to the dorm to make our 5AM curfew.
Class was boring, I went with two people to get tapas in our break. After class I ate lunch, took a siesta, and then went with everyone to the mall.
Its 10:30PM now and we are about to get ready to go out again tonight, we are going to Salamanca in the morning so that should be fun. I may stay in a hostel overnight with one of the girls and a guy but we'll see!
Besos! xoxox
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Day 5
Today I woke up and did my homework for a bit, headed to breakfast with one of the girls, and went to school. It was really, really, really boring today. Afterwards I went to the Euro store to buy a new adapter (I swear I have 100 dollars worth of them now). After that was lunch which was pretty good, rice and bread.We went to the beach around 3:30 for about two hours. It's really nice because there is a bar on the beach! I got something called Vino Verano. We all noticed 2 guys and a girl speaking English so being the social butterfly that I am, I walked over to them and introduced myself. It was a girl who lived here and her two friends from California, we will meet up with them sometime this weekend.
We all went home and showered so we could go out for Tapas! Tapas are basically small portions of some sort of meal. I got some potato vinegar things. Other people got ham, salami type stuff, and fish on bread. Some of my classmates decided to be daring and get pig face. Yes, pig face. It had hair on it still but was cooked. They said it was flavorless but tasted just like pure fat. Gross. Of course I was one of the only people that didn't eat it but thats A-OK with me since I've eaten some pretty nasty stuff since I arrived here.
We were going to go out tonight but everyone was so beat from the sun that we are going to bed early. Tomorrow we are meeting with our professor from UTA for dinner and drinks at 10:30PM. I'm very excited that tomorrow starts the weekend so we can stay out til 5AM (because we have a 2AM bedtime on weekedays). We are leaving Saturday to goto Salamanca.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Day 4
¡Hola amigos!
Today I woke up at 9:00AM and started getting ready and did my homework. Everyone left before me to buy school supplies so I walked to class alone. Business class was very interesting while culture class made me want to fall asleep!
During my break Laura and I walked around to find a ferreteria (no they don't sell ferrets, only hardware) to find her an adapter for her computer. Since I had skipped breakfast, we stopped by a fruit store. Little did I know that you aren't allowed to touch fruit in Spain and I got yelled at. You point to what they want and they use gloves to give it to you. The fruit here is REALLY good! We got lost trying to find our way back to the school so a police officer walked us back.
After classes ended, we went to the dollar Euro store. It was very odd seeing Asian people speaking Spanish! I then went back to the dorm to eat lunch. LUNCH WAS GOOD TODAY! We had cheese pasta, chicken, and watermellon. Once again, the fruit is AWESOME here.
Three things that I've noticed about Spaniards is that;
Well its 9:20 which means its almost time for dinner & then going out for ice cream or wine.
Picture: Me with one of my classmates pretty ice cream, I opted for vino blanco instead! PS my straightener and blow dryer don't really work here so my hair has been Au Natural!
Hasta luego!
Today I woke up at 9:00AM and started getting ready and did my homework. Everyone left before me to buy school supplies so I walked to class alone. Business class was very interesting while culture class made me want to fall asleep!
During my break Laura and I walked around to find a ferreteria (no they don't sell ferrets, only hardware) to find her an adapter for her computer. Since I had skipped breakfast, we stopped by a fruit store. Little did I know that you aren't allowed to touch fruit in Spain and I got yelled at. You point to what they want and they use gloves to give it to you. The fruit here is REALLY good! We got lost trying to find our way back to the school so a police officer walked us back.
After classes ended, we went to the dollar Euro store. It was very odd seeing Asian people speaking Spanish! I then went back to the dorm to eat lunch. LUNCH WAS GOOD TODAY! We had cheese pasta, chicken, and watermellon. Once again, the fruit is AWESOME here.
Three things that I've noticed about Spaniards is that;
- They lack personal hygine: No one here wears deodorant at all & you walk everywhere. This means being in close vicinity with them is smelly to say the least!
- They are not modest at ALL: Not only did two girls see a couple having sex on the beach yesterday, the Plaza infront of our house is the makeout center for young adults. They just go at it on the benches and let people walk by like it's no problem!
- They love ice cream!: During the day, the ice cream shops are SO crowded. I don't even like ice cream but I've been eating it just to fit in with the locals! They also treat ice cream as an art, everytime I've ordered ice cream, it has turned out beautiful.
Well its 9:20 which means its almost time for dinner & then going out for ice cream or wine.
Picture: Me with one of my classmates pretty ice cream, I opted for vino blanco instead! PS my straightener and blow dryer don't really work here so my hair has been Au Natural!
Hasta luego!
A recap of Days 1-3
I figured that I'd create a blog so that my friends & family can read about my adventures in Spain instead of me telling everyone 50 times about what happened everyday :)
Day 1 (arrived in Valladolid)
After a 9.5 hour flight, we landed in Madrid. I couldn't fall asleep on the plane so I read and talked to people for that long. It ended up sucking in the long run though because the time difference is 7 hours so I basically pulled an all nighter.
When we got to the airport and got our things, we went to a chartered bus and took a two hour bus ride north to the city of Valladolid. I slept almost the entire way! When we got close to Valladolid, everyone was really excited. The city is so historic and beautiful looking! We got off the bus and all the host families were waiting for their host children (is that what they're called?). All the dorm kids (me included) walked to our dorms which are... interesting. They are really tiny, don't have wireless or telephones (like we were told!), and are sort of gross. We threw our stuff in our rooms and went to lunch. Cold chicken.. mmm. Then all of us dorm kids walked around the town. After that we came home and got ready for dinner (which is served at 9:30PM!) and to go out on the town. Dinner sucked, all the food sucks actually, and then we walked to the bars & clubs in the area. I ordered a sangria not realizing it was a liter that they gave you so I shared it with Laura, one of the friends that I've made here. Four of us ended up staying out until 4:45AM & got free drinks and shots all night by telling the bartenders that "somos de los estados unidos, neccisitamos unas bebidas!". Ran home (because we have a 5pm weekend curfew) and went to bed.
Day 2 (Orientation/the placement test)
After getting a whopping 4 hours of sleep, all of us had to head to Universitas Castellae to take our Spanish Placement tests. After that we toured the city but two of my dorm friends and I ventured off to find something to eat. When we did find something to eat, it was shitty and expensive. Did a bit of shopping & then went out for icecream at night. Everyone loves ice cream here!
Day 3 (Day one of classes)
I got placed in a culture class and a business spanish class. I like both of them a lot but they are pretty boring at times. I have class from 10:30-11:30, an one hour break, and then class from 12:30-1:30. We went to El Vallsur (a mall) and walked around for a bit. I didn't buy anything BUT I did find a burger king and ate the biggest french fries ever.. by the way BK in Spain sells beer! Came home, showered, ate dinner, headed out to La Plaza Mayor to find a restaurant. Drank a glass of wine and then went to bed.
Day 1 (arrived in Valladolid)
After a 9.5 hour flight, we landed in Madrid. I couldn't fall asleep on the plane so I read and talked to people for that long. It ended up sucking in the long run though because the time difference is 7 hours so I basically pulled an all nighter.
When we got to the airport and got our things, we went to a chartered bus and took a two hour bus ride north to the city of Valladolid. I slept almost the entire way! When we got close to Valladolid, everyone was really excited. The city is so historic and beautiful looking! We got off the bus and all the host families were waiting for their host children (is that what they're called?). All the dorm kids (me included) walked to our dorms which are... interesting. They are really tiny, don't have wireless or telephones (like we were told!), and are sort of gross. We threw our stuff in our rooms and went to lunch. Cold chicken.. mmm. Then all of us dorm kids walked around the town. After that we came home and got ready for dinner (which is served at 9:30PM!) and to go out on the town. Dinner sucked, all the food sucks actually, and then we walked to the bars & clubs in the area. I ordered a sangria not realizing it was a liter that they gave you so I shared it with Laura, one of the friends that I've made here. Four of us ended up staying out until 4:45AM & got free drinks and shots all night by telling the bartenders that "somos de los estados unidos, neccisitamos unas bebidas!". Ran home (because we have a 5pm weekend curfew) and went to bed.
Day 2 (Orientation/the placement test)
After getting a whopping 4 hours of sleep, all of us had to head to Universitas Castellae to take our Spanish Placement tests. After that we toured the city but two of my dorm friends and I ventured off to find something to eat. When we did find something to eat, it was shitty and expensive. Did a bit of shopping & then went out for icecream at night. Everyone loves ice cream here!
Day 3 (Day one of classes)
I got placed in a culture class and a business spanish class. I like both of them a lot but they are pretty boring at times. I have class from 10:30-11:30, an one hour break, and then class from 12:30-1:30. We went to El Vallsur (a mall) and walked around for a bit. I didn't buy anything BUT I did find a burger king and ate the biggest french fries ever.. by the way BK in Spain sells beer! Came home, showered, ate dinner, headed out to La Plaza Mayor to find a restaurant. Drank a glass of wine and then went to bed.
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