Sunday, October 23, 2011
An update!
I don't even know where to start!! So much has happened since I wrote last. For our last "weekend excursion" in Sevilla we visited Lagos, Portugal. We also went to a bullfight in Sevilla, and a few days later, we made the big move to Vera, Almeria, where we will be teaching English for the next 8 months. Portugal was absolutely beautiful and we had an incredible time, even though we almost got kicked out of our hostal for being too loud. Oops. What did he expect? You can't put 6 girls in a room and expect us to be quiet! Especially when one of them is shouting "I LOOOOVE VERONICA CORNINGSTONE!!" from off the balcony (this name shall remain undisclosed). The bullfight was cool, although I felt a little cold-hearted watching all the other girls around me weep for the dying bulls while I sat there guiltily emotionless. I mean, have you seen the inside of Bud's Country Corner?! My dad started taking me into the fields when I was 7. Needless to say, I wasn't too shaken up by the supposed cruelty. A few days later we made the long haul to Vera, Almeria where we will be spending the rest of our time in Spain. Around 11 p.m. on September 28, we arrived to find a completely silent city, and we began to wonder if there were any inhabitants in the city at all! On the second night we decided to explore a little bit to see what we could find...nada. The silence was DEAFENING! All of the restaurants were closed and there were no people on the streets! Until we saw a glimmer of hope, and I heard someone asking, "Are those....carnival lights I see??" We followed the lights and to our surprise, the entire city of Vera had gathered in this one location to celebrate their version of "Feria," an annual religious festival. "So this is where the whole town has been hiding out!!" we said. We decided to join in the fun and ride a few rides, only to be interrupted by a pre-pubescent boy puking all over my backside on the first ride we went on. WELCOME TO VERA!! "He is probably going to be one of my students," I thought. After a few days of searching, we finally found an apartment with our new friend Sarah in the neighboring town of Garrucha. We have now been here for about 3 weeks, and we love it! It's about a ten minute commute from Vera, and is right on the water. We started school the next Monday and my students were so adorable and eager to learn! They don't speak a lick of English so I have to use Spanish a lot (although I am not supposed to). It is supposed to be full immersion for them. I have also picked up a couple tutoring jobs outside of school to earn some extra money...I tutor a little girl named Blanca, and a middle-aged man named Jesus twice a week. I work Monday through Thursday so that leaves lots of time for traveling on weekends! Since we've been here in Almeria, we have traveled to Malaga (home of Pablo Picasso) and we rented a car one weekend to travel to Cabo de Gata and the other little pueblos along the coast. Cabo de Gata was one of the most aesthetically pleasing places I have ever been to. The combination of jagged mountain tops, clear blue waters, and bright pink flamingos makes it a place so beautiful it almost doesn't seem real! Ashley and I just hung out here this past weekend, because next weekend for Halloween we are headed to Barcelona! We finally got internet here so I will be able to keep you all updated more often. More later. BESOS!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Weekend in Cadiz & More!
Us at the bodega for sherry tasting
Ashley and I outside of the cathedral-Sevilla
View from the top of the cathedral
the ascent...half way up!
I know it has been a while since I have written. Classes Monday-Friday and weekend excursions don't leave me much time to write! Things are going really well here. I finally feel like I'm blending in with the Sevillanos! Last weekend, my friends and I wanted to get away for the weekend so we went to Cadiz, a charming little city on the west coast. Cadiz is famous for being a part of the sherry triangle, the three cities which are world-renowned for their production of sherry. We took a ferry over to the puerta de santa maria to sample the sherry on day 1, and afterwards we walked around the city to explore. Later that evening, we went to get tapas at a cute little bar around the corner and afterwards, we decided to go on a night tour w/ some other friends from our hostal. The next morning, I was determined to find a Catholic Church, but no one could tell me where to find one! I just decided to set out on my own in hopes of running into one, and somehow I found one that was beginning the minute I walked in! The church was beautiful, and even though I didn't understand much of the homily, I still felt very much a part of it. After church, we went to the beach for the day. The beaches here are absolutely beautiful! We caught the train back to Sevilla around 5, and we were so happy to get back! It has truly become home to us. Ashley and I rented bikes here and have been riding them everywhere, even to the bars in our high heels! It's made everything a lot easier, because we are so far away from everything and taxis are expensive! My Spanish is improving more every day, as I am forced to communicate with the locals every day. I can't wait to move to Almeria in 2 weeks and actually start teaching! However, I am going to miss Juanita's cooking and all of my friends here in Sevilla:) More updates later!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Hello from Spain!
Hello everyone! Well, I have been living in Spain for a little over a week now, and finally found the time to start blogging. I hope to update my blog more frequently from now on, so I can share my experiences with you all and keep you updated on everything I'm learning and experiencing here in Espana! So far I'm having a great time! Adjusting here has been difficult, but a good kind of difficult, because I know it's helping me grow as a person. I must say, Ashley and I were in for a rude awakening upon arrival! Everything from setting up wi-fi to getting a cell phone plan to opening a bank account to finding our way around this huge city was a huge struggle! This is mostly because there are very few people here who know English so we've had to complete all of these tasks using Spanish. My English-Spanish dictionary has become my left hand. I'll admit there were a couple of breakdowns last week as a result of the frustration and jet lag, but we found the nearest T.G.I. Fridays and ordered a huge basket of buffalo wings w/ ranch to console us! Now that I've been here for 8 days, though, I finally feel it all coming together. I know my way around the city, my Spanish has improved tremendously, and I am finally able to sleep with no air conditioner and the possibility that a cockroach might crawl up my leg at any minute! Life is good! On Friday, Ashley and I moved in with our host family; Ana, Carlos, and their mother, Juanita. Juanita lives here with us and Ana and Carlos live down the street, but visit often. Juanita cooks us 3 meals a day and is always waiting by the door to greet us when we come home, ready to strike up a conversation!! Even though I'm usually very tired when I get home and am usually tempted to make a mad dash toward my room, I try to be patient and communicate with her as much as possible. I know my Spanish is going to be so much better once I leave Sevilla! We haven't had the chance to travel yet because we started our Spanish Immersion classes at "Clic" on Monday. Here in Sevilla, we have 4 weeks of classes, and afterwards, we move to Almeria to teach English at our schools. This weekend we are thinking about going to Cadiz to visit the world-famous mezquita, the beach, and we may take a ferry to one of the port cities for sherry tasting. I am going with Ashley and some other friends we've met here through the program. Everyone here, for the most part, is a recent college graduate (ages 22-25), so we're all kind of in the same boat here. We're loving it so far! More updates soon!! Check out my videos to see more!
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