Hello to all of my readers! Last time I filled you in on my trip TO Spain and getting adjusted. Needless to say, I have adjusted very well. ;)
The last 2 weeks have flown by. Classes are going well and I like both of my teachers. It is full immersion in the language which is AWESOME! It's just what I was looking for. We have a little homework each day. Nothing major. It leaves us time to explore the city and participate the culture. And there is SO much culture here in Spain; from the people to the food to manners to siestas... the list goes on. Ah, siestas -- I fully partake in that aspect of the culture here. Everything closes down about 2 pm and you go home and eat la comida (lunch)... and then you take a NAP! Seriously-- it's amazing. My "mom" here in Spain is awesome. She is a complete hoot. She makes sure we eat plenty and if she knows we are "going out" -- she makes us eat a ton more food because she knows we will be partaking in a few beverages. She is very sweet and makes sure everything is taken care of. She tries to speak English sometimes -- very rarely & it cracks me up every time. She tries SO hard. I know I'm going to miss her a lot when we leave.
We have exactly 2 weeks left of school (Monday-Friday). It is just FLYING by. The other night we went out on a Thursday...nothing any different that at home right? WRONG! Let's just say, we didn't get back home until 4:30 am OUR time. [Side note: We are 6 hours ahead of you guys on the east coast.] We went to 3 different bars and danced until our feet felt like they were about to fall off. Friday morning was a bit rough but I wouldn't change it for anything. Some might think "Oh you are partying too much." "You shouldn't do that." ... but it is the CULTURE over here. The kids go out and drink and its customary to not come home until about that time or even LATER. Also, the Spanish LOVE techno music. I have found myself shaking it a bit as well when any techno music comes on. These people love it and it just makes the parties here even more incredible b/c the whole bar is going nuts DANCING! I'm sure you will take a peek at my FB pictures ... you'll know what I'm talking about when you see them. When in Rome... Here is just a sample of my FAVORITE techno song that you can hear EVERY night at any of the clubs.
This past Saturday we went to Madrid. We walked the streets and took in all the sights. Talk about ARCHITECTURE! It is amazing!! We then went to the Museo del Prado which houses some of the most extraordinary paintings in the WORLD. We saw 2 Spanish artists: Goya and Velazquez. The art was incredible. After visiting there, we had free time and just took in more of the city by foot. SO much to see and not enough time... Madrid is significantly larger than Valladolid where I'm studying.
I will write more as I experience. :) ¡Ciao!