Segovia

I think I am finally adjusted to life in Spain, and I'm loving it. I've kind of gotten a routine down here, and I'm feeling more at home everyday. Unfortunately, having a routine means that time has started going by faster...so I'm just trying to take advantage of the time I have here.

Today we had a day trip to Segovia, which is a small city about an hour south of Madrid. It is a quaint little town that is a huge draw for tourists. But despite all of the foreigners, it still has retained a lot of its charm.

When we arrived we met our tour guide at the Roman aqueduct. This is probably what Segovia is most known for. The aqueduct was built in the 1st or 2nd century (I think). It is one of the best preserved aqueducts in the world, and the stones are not held together with any mortar except for at the very top. It was really amazing to see in person. It's hard to believe that something that old could be in such good condition, and it's all held together based on the placement of the rocks.

After the aqueduct we took a walking tour of the city. A lot of the buildings had a facade of carved designs. They were originally used to show a house of nobility, but now they are just pretty decorations. The streets are all narrow and cobble-stone, like a lot of places in Spain, it was really beautiful. There are several Roman cathedrals and many local plazas for people to gather in.

After walking through the streets, we went to the Castillo Alacázar. Supposedly, this is the castle that Walt Disney based Snow White's castle off of in Disneyland and the movie. I can kind of see the resemblance :) Our tour guide took us through several rooms to see the ornate decorations and medieval artifacts. Unfortunately, there was a large fire and a lot of the original decorations were destroyed. They were able to replicate them thanks to an artist who sketched all of the rooms. The only room that still has the original decoration was the sanctuary. Our tour guide told us that a king who lived in the castle told a monk, after looking at the stars, that he thought the universe was imperfect. The monk told him to be careful or he would suffer the punishment of God. The king was still prideful and stuck to his theory. Shortly after, lightning struck the room where he would look at the stars, causing the fire. After that, he rebuilt the astromony room in honor of the monk who warned him.

After the tour, we were able to climb up to the top of one of the towers in the castle. It was 152 steps up a steep and winding staircase, but it was totally worth it for the view of the city from up high. The city is surrounded by mountains and beautiful landscape. After somehow making it back down the staircase, we headed to a restaurant for lunch. They served us salad and chicken and a Segovian delicacy consisting of a roasted baby pig. It's supposed to be the most tender meat, and it is a very popular dish. I tried a bite of it, but did not enjoy it as much as most Segovians. To me it just tasted like pork...and I couldn't get past the thought that I was eating a baby pig, especially when I saw the head of the one at the table next to me. I tried it, though, and other people ate it, so the little piglets didn't die completely in vain.

After lunch we had some time to wander around Segovia and then it was back to Madrid for some much needed rest. Like most Madrileños, a lot of people in our group, including me, didn't pass up the opportunity to go out Friday night. Needless to say, we were pretty tired, so it was time for a siesta before dinner.

Tomorrow we're off to the Rastro, which is a big market here in Madrid that's only held on Sunday mornings. TIME TO SHOP! :)

Corrida de Toros

(not for animal lovers or weak stomachs)

Today was the Corrida de Toros (bull fight). It was the second-to-last bull fight of the season, so a bunch of people from my program decided to go. Although I somewhat knew what I was getting myself into, I was still not prepared for what I saw.

The first game was one in which the matadors would taunt the bull, and when it came close, they would hide behind a small wood wall in order to confuse it. After that, a man came out on horseback and used a long spear to stab the bull in the back and fix a ribbon into its skin. The next part was where the matadors got very close to the bull and stuck stick-like things into its back and continued to draw it to their capes.

At this point, the bull was bleeding profusely and was obviously confused and exhausted. This was went the Torero, or main matador took over for the others. He got out a red cape (before they were using pink ones) and drew the bull very close to him. Once he was able, he delivered an almost-fatal blow to the back of the bull with a sword, which caused him to wander and fall to the ground. After he was down, another matador delivered the fatal blow to the bull's spinal cord with a small knife. Once the bull was dead, three horses dragged it out of the arena.

I'm sorry to be so graphic, but I wanted to portray the bull fight as accurately as I could. Although I left after the first round (there are 6), I do not regret the experience. I think it was something I needed to experience and see for myself.

When we got back to the house, I asked the middle son what he thought about bull fighting and what the people in Madrid think of it. To him, he didn't care. He said the bull lives a happy life until it dies in the fight, but the way animals are killed for food is worse because they are treated much worse during their time alive. He also mentioned that there is a big movement against this sport, which I have heard as well.

To me, it was interesting to see this side of the culture. (Although, I do think it is a fading tradition as the stadium was almost empty except for one section.) Many people say the bull fight is a representation of life, and they see a deeper meaning in the practice. To me, it was hard to find. I think it's another thing that stems from our culture.

I had a hard time not looking at the bull and thinking about what he might be feeling both physically and mentally. I think it's something that's common in the United States, to think of the feelings of the animal. We tend to have more concern for the well being of animals and what they might be "feeling." This is obvious just looking at our pets.

Although I couldn't quite stomach La Corrida de Toros, I do not regret the experience. If anything, it's something I can check off my list, but I also think it's something I can learn from.

Tengo 21!!!!

Yesterday was my 21st birthday, and I was lucky enough to get to spend it in Madrid. I spent the morning in El Parque de Buen Retiro, which is like the Central Park of Madrid, but I think it might be a little bigger. I only walked though about 1/4 of it, but it was BEAUTIFUL. Complete with lake and young couples rowboating in the water. It was a very peaceful way to spend the morning.

Later in the day, my host mom offered to take me and the other girls of the house out to a market and around Madrid. It turned out that I was the only one that was able to join her, but it worked out well. I was forced to practice my Spanish without anyone else there to help me, and I got to know Quili a little better. She took me to the Plaza de España where there was a little market. Then we went to Parque Oeste, which has an Egyptian building in the middle and a really great view of the area outside the city.

Next she took me to the Roseleda near the park, which is like a giant rose garden. It was really gorgeous, and something not many people know about. After stopping to smell the roses, we went to sit at a park bench, where Quili cracked open fresh walnuts for me to eat and taught me about foilage in Spain. She also gave me lots of advice and insights into life. Sometimes she is very direct and you kind of have to take everything she says with a grain of salt. She has good intentions though, so it's kind of endearing. At times, if you're not used to someone telling you that you have big fingers or that you should leave your boyfriend and see other things, then it can be a little off-putting. I have gotten used to it, though and I think Quili and I have a sort of special bond now.

After walking all over the city, we returned home very tired just in time for a 9 o'clock dinner and a little rest. My host dad bought me a tarta for my birthday (a cake) and they sang to me in two different languages and with 3 different songs. It was really sweet. The girls I live with bought my a new pair of earrings and another got me a new pair of boots :) It was very nice of all of them, and a great gift for my birthday.

After dinner we had about an hour or two to get ready to go out on the town. We didn't leave the house until almost 11:30, but since my birthday lasted until 7am this year, we figured it was appropriate. (since Chicago is 7 hours behind Spain, we just extended my birthday a little bit).

At first we went to a little tapas bar called El Meson de la Guitarra to eat...well tapas and drink sangria. The bar was one of the bars they call the Cuevas (caves). They are very close to the Plaza Mayor, which is a really cool little area. We were lucky enough to sit next to a table full of handsome Spanish guys. As soon as they heard it was my birthday, it was all over. I think I heard the happy birthday song about 100 times last night in both Spanish and English, and then I heard the song from the Simpsons (Lisa, it's your birthday, happy birthday Lisa) about another 50. It was cute though.

We enjoyed some sangria with our new amigos, and then wandered out into the streets near the plaza. Our new friends joined us to the next place (and also helped us find a place), which was another bar, but this one had dancing. It was kind of like a night club, but not quite as large or fancy. We had a lot of fun just dancing and being silly. At one point, I think the bar played the Grease medley, which was a little surreal but cool.

After leaving the bar at..ahem...4am we headed out to La Puerta del Sol, where a lot of people hang out after going to the bars. Madrid is called La Ciudad de las Calles, meaning people just go out into the streets to be with their friends. Apartments tend to be very small and the people tend to stay out very late, so even at 4am the streets are filled with people. After La Puerta, we decided to call it a night.

All in all, it was a great birthday. I had a lot of fun and we got to meet real Spaniards. :) Even though a 21st birthday doesn't mean as much in a country like Spain, I'm really glad I got to spend it here. This is something I will never forget. I am really starting to feel at home here in Madrid. I must say I love the city and the culture. It took me a while, but it has finally set in that I am actually here. I already don't want to leave...

I am in the process of uploading more pictures, so check them out...

Culture Clashes

I just want to take a minute and comment on some of the differences I have noted in Spanish culture versus American culture. Today in my Reading and Writing Comprehension class we talked about popular Spanish phrases. These were not the kind you would think of though, they were phrases dealing with race. For example, "Engañar como un chino" aka "To lie like a Chinese person." or..."Beber como un cosaco" aka "To drink like a Russian soldier." After the teacher had gone through all of the different phrases on the worksheet she passed out, someone asked her if these phrases were ever considered bad or offensive in Spain. She quickly answered no, they are never considered offensive, they are merely common phrases people use here.

To many people in our class, this was kind of shocking. It's a hard thing for me to wrap my head around that fact. Maybe it's just a part of our culture that we have to be "politicamente correcto" or maybe it's a different way of thinking. To me, if I were Chinese, I think I would be offended, but to our teacher, it just seemed like any other saying one might use. The fact that race was involved mattered little. It makes me wonder if our culture is overly sensitive or more culturally open and considerate.

It's little things like this that make me actually appreciate my own culture more. Something Spain is also dealing with right now is an influx of immigrants from Latin America. In many ways, there is a lot of prejudice and racism aimed at them. At a certain level, though, it is accepted. Although in the United States, there is a certain level of racism and prejudice, it seems like our culture is also more accustomed to immigrants, and more aware of the good things we can learn from other cultures. Especially the younger generations in the United States are more open and interested in learning about cultures outside of their own.

Here in Spain, that is something they are still learning to do in many ways. Sunday night I went with my roommates to the "Desfile de la Hispanidad." It was basically a parade where every Latin American group was represented. There were musical artists, dancers, musicians, etc etc. The people filled the streets and came together to celebrate their culture.

It was a really cool thing to see, but this is something relatively new to Madrid and Spain in general. One of my roommates made a comment about how cool it was to see how the people of Spain are growing because the only way to truly come to understand and accept a different culture is through education. Much of what we saw Sunday night was how Spain is growing and learning to understand the different cultures that have moved into this city. To me, it was something really cool to experience and witness. Although each country and culture was very distinct from the others, they came together and celebrated one another.

Being in another country has really helped me to see how the United States is unique and appreciate it more. Although there are things about our country and our culture that still frustrate me, it is refreshing to see the things that we do get right.

Fotos

Cuenca

Hola a todos!

I just noticed some of the comments you all left, thanks! I miss you all a lot. Not quite homesick yet, cause there's a lot to see and do still, but I do miss my family and friends.

This past week was pretty great. On Friday, I got to see la Plaza Mayor. I need to do some more research about it, but it was really beautiful. A roommate and I explored more of the area near our house too. Friday night we made the mistake of going to an Irish pub here downtown. It's in a touristy area called Sol, and I don't think there were more than 5 actual Spaniards there althought the place was packed. It's kind of interesting that there are a lot of Irish pubs here, and they are actually pretty popular. The whole time I was there, though, I felt like I was back in Chicago. The MLB playoffs were on and they only played American music...and they served us Heinekens haha. We had fun anyway, but we learned our lesson and will not be doing that again.

We just got back to the apartment from our weekend trip to Cuenca. Before going, I didn't really know anything about the city, but it was beautiful! It's a little city in between two valleys, and it's about 800 years old or more. It's mainly famous for its famous "Casas Colgadas" (hanging houses), but we got to take a tour through a beautiful cathedral and the rest of the old part of the city. It was kind of creepy when the tour guide showed us a building used during the Inquisition and then told us they used to burn people alive in the parking lot above...yea. The city was great though. The old part is pretty small, only 2000 people live there now, but it has a great charm to it.

We stayed in a pretty nice hotel. It was also really old, located in the mountains near the downtown area of Cuenca. Yesterday we spent the day exploring the city, but today we did outdoor adventures. Some people jumped off cliffs into the river, but I was too afraid (and cold) so I went horseback riding instead. It rained a lot, but it was a good time. I got the lazy horse, Fenix, so I was stuck behind everyone, but it was a lot of fun. On the way back to the stable, someone was actually bit by one of the horses when it got startled by another one. No worries, she is okay, she is actually my roommate here. After the adventures we had a barbeque with A LOT of food, and then we got on the bus back to Madrid.

In a minute we are going to go to the Plaza de Cibeles for a big parade. It's pretty close to where I guess many different Latin American countries are being represented. Later tonight I plan on catching up on some homework and RESTING.

I posted some pictures for y'all....and I'll post more of Madrid later tonight. Entonces...hasta luego!

El Primer Día de Clases

Hola desde Madrid!

Still getting settled here and getting used the city and the pace of life here. So far, everything is pretty good. Today was our first day of classes both with the DePaul professor and at the Universidad Complutense. I think it will be a really good quarter. All of the professors are very nice and friendly, and I think I am going to learn A LOT. I am already learning a lot of Spanish just being here and forcing myself not to speak English.

The city is great. For my DePaul class, I walk right by the Museo Prado and the Plaza de Cibeles. WOW. It is really cool. I took some pictures along the walk today. I still don't believe I am here...I think it will hit me soon though....maybe.

I am still getting used to the culture here as well. For example, everytime you greet someone, it's a kiss on each cheek. That caught me off guard the first time when I was introduced to my host father's son haha. But in general, people are more social here. There is a lot of touching and closeness when you talk with friends, etc. The food is really really good. Our host father is a very good cook, so we have been eating very very well. Another thing that takes some getting used to is the bluntness of the people here. They usually just say what's on their mind. Other times, they might say something that sounds offensive, but is not meant to be. At first the honesty is a little offputting, but it is also kind of refreshing, there's no beating around the bush or anything like that.

The eating schedule is hard to get accustomed to as well. Here, we eat breakfast in the morning, a big lunch around 2 or 3 and then we have dinner around 9pm or shortly after. A lot of people in the program have commented that they are always hungry, and I feel the same way. I'm starting to get used to it though.

Home life is pretty good. I counted up how many people live in the house right now, and I think there are 14 of us all together. There are other students from the United States, 4 of us from the DePaul and the 5 of the Garcia family. It's kind of nuts, but kinda fun too. The bonus is that our laundry and cooking is done for us :) Like I said, though, they are very blunt. The Señora has no problem telling us if we don't make the bed or things like that.

This weekend we are going on an overnight trip to Cuenca, a small city about two hours from here. From what I hear we have the option of cliff jumping, horse back riding, or kayaking, so that should be fun. I'm excited to see other parts of Spain as well. So far I have only seen the very metropolitan area of El Centro.

It's almost 9pm here, so it's almost time for dinner, that's all for now.

Bienvenidos a Madrid!

I finally arrived in Madrid today! My flight left a little bit after 4pm from Dublin and arrived in Madrid at 7:20 local time. (we're ahead of Chicago 7 hours here). I had to take a cab from the airport to my home stay which gave me a great view of the city. When I arrived in the city, the sun was setting, so it was a beautiful view.

My home stay is in the middle of downtown, on a bustling street. My room has a great view onto the street below. There are 3 other girls from DePaul here and another girl from the states as well. There are 3 young guys here and the house father Eliseo and his wife too.

Tonight Eliseo cooked us a wonderful dinner of soup and steak which we ate at the traditional time of 9:30pm. There were a lot of us at dinner, so it's a lot of fun.

Tomorrow morning we have orientation with everyone else in the program. I'm very excited to begin my Spanish adventure here. It's good to finally settle in somewhere and be able to stay here awhile. Living out of a suitcase is only fun for so long. Unfortunately, I'm running out of clean clothes, so hopefully my other suitcase will arrive soon too :)

Back to my homeland

Writing from my hostel here in Dublin...according to my dad, home of my ancestors. I spent the last two days in and around London...which has most definitely captured my heart. I arrived in London early Monday morning. Jenny, my friend from Barone's, picked me up at the airport and took me back to where she lives in Chesham. It's a cute little town in the country. I was pretty jetlagged, so we took it easy Monday. Jenny took me Whipsnade Zoo near where she lives. It was a great place. It was HUGE with lots of room for the animals to roam around, and there were even a few animals free to wander around the park. It was really great, and thankfully the weather was beautiful for walking around outside. After the zoo, I was exhausted, so I took a short nap back at the Shaw residence. The rest of the night we just laid low and watched good British television.



Tuesday was "London in a Day." Jenny and I left the house in the morning and headed out for London. We took the train in and then got on the Tube to Picadilly Circus. It's a pretty happening area of the city with good shopping. The city is BEAUTIFUL. We shopped for a while in an area called Covent Garden and then walked over to where all of the Parliament buildings are. We walked down to Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. All of the buildings are so gorgeous in London, there was too much to look at. After meeting Brian Haw, a famous protestor of the war in Iraq, we went over to the River Thames. There we got on a boat that went down the river to Tower Bridge. It was a great way to see the city.

We got off the boat and went over to the Tower of London. That was a lot of fun...not only did I get to learn a lot about some of England's darker past, but I got to see a real castle! It was very cool...and educational. The weather was fitting too, since it rained on and off almost all day. Definitely adding to my London experience.

Arrived here today in Dublin via Ryanair from London. My roommate from Chicago Katie met me at the airport. We spent the afternoon and evening walking around the city and seeing some sites. I'm pretty tired, though, so I'll probably go to bed early tonite. Tomorrow I will definitely explore more of this town. While it's not as big as London, it is pretty cool.

I'm looking forward to my future European adventures. I'm taking lots of pictures so check them out. I'll try to get them on here ASAP.

Cheers!