So this Saturday I went to Cartagena just for the day. It was sponsored by the school and was free so why not=) I enjoyed the island to an extent...
We went on a bunch of tours and by the 3rd tour I was ready to explore on my own. We hiked this massive hill but it was totally worth it because we got this awesome view of the entire city! Our next tour was at the Palacio Consistorial which was absolutely beautiful! It is kind of like a courthouse almost, they have meetings there and marriages stuff like that.
Our next place we went to was the Teatro Romano which was a museum of roman ruins and then there was ruins of a roman theater which was pretty sweet!
We also saw the Parque Torres which was pretty cool as well.
My favorite part of the day had to be getting tapas, jamon con pan (bread/ham) and minihaburguesas (mini hamburgers) and then a giant cheesecake flavored ice cream cone! and then just sitting by the Mediterranean Sea =)
Earlier this week was my roommates birthday and we celebrated by going to a Japenese restaurant which was actually really good. Then we went back for champagne and cake which was also delicious! Then off to the city for shopping and drinks. Oh, also it Spain instead of free dessert for your birthday you get free dessert shots! They were SO good! One tasted like apples and the other was like cinnamon rum and something else.
Classes are going well for me. I only have class Monday, Tuesday and Thursday which is completely different from back home. I have so much free time that I don't know what to do with myself! Especially since I don't have class until 4pm everyday. Usually in the mornings I will read, go for a walk, watch some television in Spanish of course, or run errands such as going to the grocery store.
I go to the grocery store like 2-3 times per week. Mainly because I have to carry all my groceries back with me and I share my fridge with 3 other girls so I can't stock up. However, I do eat a lot of pasta because 1. its easy and 2. its cheap lol
Well I have bought my first plane ticket for my first trip here. October 15th-17th I will be going to Milan, Italy =) I am SO excited to go on this trip, it's me and 4 other girls that I have met while studying here. Mostly, I will probably be window shopping since it is Milan lol
Well next weekend I am going salsa dancing with my roommates and their friends. I will be sure to tell everyone how epic of a fail that's going to be...
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
To New Beginnings =)
So I have decided to start a blog because it's much easier to just write down all my adventures and then everybody can read them=)
So a little recap of the past 3 weeks in Spain. I can't believe I have already been here for THREE weeks! Actually it feels more like 2 months because I have been doing so much between school, getting adjusted, being a social butterfly, and experimenting the whole club/bar scene. It has taken me a while to get adjusted to Spanish culture because there are so many little things that make it so much different than the United States.
However, I do have to say that I am very fond of the siesta time everyday form like 3-5 in the afternoon! I do love my naps and now it's not looked down upon to sleep in the middle of the day. The meals are totally different here as well!
Breakfast: 7-8am
Snack: 11am
Lunch: 2 or 3pm (this is the biggest meal of the day btw)
Siesta time!
Snack: 7pm
Dinner: 10pm Usually a light dinner like tapas
Tapas
So tapas are small meals like apetizers and there are tapas restaurants all over the city. It is very common to go out with a group of friends say around 5ish and order like 7 different tapas and share them all and then just get a little taste for everything. Also, in Spain you do not do 5 different checks. Everybody pays in cash and everybody splits it equally no matter how much you ate. It's just common courtesy. I have come to LOVE tapas!! My favorite it "pan con tomate y jamon" which is a toasted roll with a tomato spread, thinly sliced ham and olive oil on top. They use olive oil for EVERYTHING! There is like a whole section in the grocery store dedicated to olive oil!
So I know you are all probably wondering what I have been eating since I've been here. Well, I have actually been eating pretty American if that is even possible. Some meals I have cooked since I've been here are: pb&j, sub sandwich, eggs/bacon, potatoes, fajitas, and yes you guessed it mac & cheese. Homemade mac & cheese too! I have perfected homemade mac and cheese and it is better than Kraft!
The whole night scene here is entirely different than the US. People usually start to go out around midnight and don't come home till 6 or 7 am!!! One of my roommates ( she is originally from Poland but has lived here for 4 years) goes dancing from 12am to 9am! They also go out like every night! I got exhasuted REALLY fast and I do not go out very much anymore, usually like 2 times a week.
As for the attire that everyone wears.... I feel like a hobo even when I dress up because all the Spaniards have 3 inch heels and hooker tight dresses and caked on make up. Actually I feel like i'm on Jersey Shore because they all look like guidos. For those of you who do not watch and or know about Jersey Shore they are pretty much plastic looking and the women resemble Bratz dolls.
I have been meeting SO many people and I absolutely love having friends from so many different countries! It's amazing to see what people in other parts of the world are like! I also started school this week and I can understand most of what the professors are saying which makes me really happy! So far I am just taking politcal science classes because the school system in Spain is way too complicated to try and mix and match classes from different majors.
As for my Spanish skills, they are getting a lot better. My listening skills have improved a TON! I can zone out of the professors lecture and still know what they are talking about. It helps that every night I watch tv so I can get better. As for my speaking skills.... they still need a lot of improvement. I speak only Spanish in my apartment with my 3 roommates which helps a lot but a lot of other students don't know very much and so I am forced to speak english with them. My mind is also adapting to Spanish because sometimes when I talk to people from back home via Facebook, BBM, or emails I hesitate to find the right english word because Spanish comes to mind first which is AWESOME!!
Well this entry is long enough! I will try to post pictures next time, also you can just look at my facebook for pictures.
Adios!
So a little recap of the past 3 weeks in Spain. I can't believe I have already been here for THREE weeks! Actually it feels more like 2 months because I have been doing so much between school, getting adjusted, being a social butterfly, and experimenting the whole club/bar scene. It has taken me a while to get adjusted to Spanish culture because there are so many little things that make it so much different than the United States.
However, I do have to say that I am very fond of the siesta time everyday form like 3-5 in the afternoon! I do love my naps and now it's not looked down upon to sleep in the middle of the day. The meals are totally different here as well!
Breakfast: 7-8am
Snack: 11am
Lunch: 2 or 3pm (this is the biggest meal of the day btw)
Siesta time!
Snack: 7pm
Dinner: 10pm Usually a light dinner like tapas
Tapas
So tapas are small meals like apetizers and there are tapas restaurants all over the city. It is very common to go out with a group of friends say around 5ish and order like 7 different tapas and share them all and then just get a little taste for everything. Also, in Spain you do not do 5 different checks. Everybody pays in cash and everybody splits it equally no matter how much you ate. It's just common courtesy. I have come to LOVE tapas!! My favorite it "pan con tomate y jamon" which is a toasted roll with a tomato spread, thinly sliced ham and olive oil on top. They use olive oil for EVERYTHING! There is like a whole section in the grocery store dedicated to olive oil!
So I know you are all probably wondering what I have been eating since I've been here. Well, I have actually been eating pretty American if that is even possible. Some meals I have cooked since I've been here are: pb&j, sub sandwich, eggs/bacon, potatoes, fajitas, and yes you guessed it mac & cheese. Homemade mac & cheese too! I have perfected homemade mac and cheese and it is better than Kraft!
The whole night scene here is entirely different than the US. People usually start to go out around midnight and don't come home till 6 or 7 am!!! One of my roommates ( she is originally from Poland but has lived here for 4 years) goes dancing from 12am to 9am! They also go out like every night! I got exhasuted REALLY fast and I do not go out very much anymore, usually like 2 times a week.
As for the attire that everyone wears.... I feel like a hobo even when I dress up because all the Spaniards have 3 inch heels and hooker tight dresses and caked on make up. Actually I feel like i'm on Jersey Shore because they all look like guidos. For those of you who do not watch and or know about Jersey Shore they are pretty much plastic looking and the women resemble Bratz dolls.
I have been meeting SO many people and I absolutely love having friends from so many different countries! It's amazing to see what people in other parts of the world are like! I also started school this week and I can understand most of what the professors are saying which makes me really happy! So far I am just taking politcal science classes because the school system in Spain is way too complicated to try and mix and match classes from different majors.
As for my Spanish skills, they are getting a lot better. My listening skills have improved a TON! I can zone out of the professors lecture and still know what they are talking about. It helps that every night I watch tv so I can get better. As for my speaking skills.... they still need a lot of improvement. I speak only Spanish in my apartment with my 3 roommates which helps a lot but a lot of other students don't know very much and so I am forced to speak english with them. My mind is also adapting to Spanish because sometimes when I talk to people from back home via Facebook, BBM, or emails I hesitate to find the right english word because Spanish comes to mind first which is AWESOME!!
Well this entry is long enough! I will try to post pictures next time, also you can just look at my facebook for pictures.
Adios!
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