¡Hola Maj@s!
It looks as if these updates are going to be weekly, or at least at this rate!
Where as last week was all about adjusting to the ¨horario¨ (schedule), this week has been all about testing tapas (our favorite a variation of a Wayside breakfast sandwich--eggs and chorizo on a toasted piece of bread), and admiring tapestries.
We have spent the past two weekends exploring the neighboring pueblos. Last weekend we woke up at 8 (with a great amount of difficulty might I add) for a two hour drive to Segovia. There we did a great deal of scrambling--up the tiny spiral staircase to the top of a midevil castle, and along an ancient Roman aquaduct that used to bring water to Segovians thousands of years ago. This past Saturday we visited Madrid and checked out the works of Valazquez, Dali, and Picasso (the Guernica in particular--look it up on google if you get the chance)and Sunday barely made it to the bus for a visit to El Escorial, another giant palace complete with the tombs of every royal person ever to set foot in Spain.
As for feature travels, next week we´re heading to Toledo and the following to the playas in the North. Even farther ahead in the future,during our long weekend in October I am traveling to Switzerland with five of my friends for montañas and chocolate in the Alps!
On another note, The Fiesta de Salamanca, as well as the wonderful sunny 70 degree weather, ended on Saturday night with an 80´s pop concert by Nacha Pop in the plaza. The entire plaza was packed and we joined in the cheers of ÖTRA¨ (aka encore) along with the thousands of other people packed debajo del reloj! One of the most exciting parts of the fiesta would have had to be the Corrida we saw on Thursday afternoon. As one would expect, the bullfight was pretty disturbing(there were only four out of 27 of us left at the end of the fight) but the tradition surrounding the toros and the toreros makes it a must see for anyone who cares to visit me in Spain!
I´ve got 10 min to make it across the city to the Colby Center for bookgroup so I better run! Hopefully all is well in your respective worlds!
Besos y Embrasos,
Aleah
p.s. I just gave a Spanish tourist directions to the cathedral! I don´t know which is more exciting--my ability to give them at all, or my ability to do so in Spanish!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Friday, September 7, 2007
Habia una vez...
Hola majos,
Yo no creo que hace solo una semana de nos llegamos en Salamanca...parace que para siempre
And thats in a good way! One week ago yesterday we were camped on the floor in one of the most potentially awkward situations ever---meeting your classmates in an international terminal a couple of hours before flying off to Spain. Honestly it feels like a year ago and already this awesome city (and 18 calle Pedro Cojos) is starting to feel like home.
This past week has been"muy preoccupado". We've had "reunions" at the Colby center, gelato and "postre" dates, "tapas" en la Plaza Mayor and movie night con "palomitos" (we've started a tradition-peliculas on Diana's laptop every Wednesday night). Oh and classes por supuesto....
I can't help but brag a bit about my campus. Sure Colby itself is beautiful (as so many of your teeny New England campuses are) but it is strange to space out during classes and see a cathedral older than the United States by at least 800 years.
Although San Boal (the building where I have classes) is very new, the majority of the buildings are made from the "conchas" of an ancient sea and still reflect the "deco Catholica" before the fairly modern architectural separation of church and state.
Besides this architectural background, I spend four hours a day studying Spanish--grammar, culture, and art. My classes are difficult enough to be interesting and my teachers Clara y Bogona are great (just for the record books if Toni and Bogona got in a fight, Begona would win!) After classes I go home to lunch of paella (yellow rice, shrimp and mussels) with my wonderful family Pilar, Maria (mi abuela) and two other students from Taiwan and Japan. And 'entonces' my favorite part of the day....SIESTA!
Although a siesta is built into a typical Spaniards day (up at 11, lunch at 2:30, siesta, dinner at 9, and then bed around 2 am) our three hour American style naps are far more generous than the cultural norm. But hey, who's complaining?!
Es bastante por ahora. Tomorrow begins the annual feista de Salamanca, a week long celebration packed full of fireworks, live concerts, tapas, y "toros," and Im going to need my sleep! Estoy emocionado!!!
Hasta luego!
Aleah
Yo no creo que hace solo una semana de nos llegamos en Salamanca...parace que para siempre
And thats in a good way! One week ago yesterday we were camped on the floor in one of the most potentially awkward situations ever---meeting your classmates in an international terminal a couple of hours before flying off to Spain. Honestly it feels like a year ago and already this awesome city (and 18 calle Pedro Cojos) is starting to feel like home.
This past week has been"muy preoccupado". We've had "reunions" at the Colby center, gelato and "postre" dates, "tapas" en la Plaza Mayor and movie night con "palomitos" (we've started a tradition-peliculas on Diana's laptop every Wednesday night). Oh and classes por supuesto....
I can't help but brag a bit about my campus. Sure Colby itself is beautiful (as so many of your teeny New England campuses are) but it is strange to space out during classes and see a cathedral older than the United States by at least 800 years.
Although San Boal (the building where I have classes) is very new, the majority of the buildings are made from the "conchas" of an ancient sea and still reflect the "deco Catholica" before the fairly modern architectural separation of church and state.
Besides this architectural background, I spend four hours a day studying Spanish--grammar, culture, and art. My classes are difficult enough to be interesting and my teachers Clara y Bogona are great (just for the record books if Toni and Bogona got in a fight, Begona would win!) After classes I go home to lunch of paella (yellow rice, shrimp and mussels) with my wonderful family Pilar, Maria (mi abuela) and two other students from Taiwan and Japan. And 'entonces' my favorite part of the day....SIESTA!
Although a siesta is built into a typical Spaniards day (up at 11, lunch at 2:30, siesta, dinner at 9, and then bed around 2 am) our three hour American style naps are far more generous than the cultural norm. But hey, who's complaining?!
Es bastante por ahora. Tomorrow begins the annual feista de Salamanca, a week long celebration packed full of fireworks, live concerts, tapas, y "toros," and Im going to need my sleep! Estoy emocionado!!!
Hasta luego!
Aleah
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Pre-Departure
Hola todos!
This blog will be my cyber journal for the next three months. I will try to update as often as possible---check in on a whim!
Hasta lluego!
Buddha beef, Trapp family lodge, GOT MY VANS ON
<3 Aleah
This blog will be my cyber journal for the next three months. I will try to update as often as possible---check in on a whim!
Hasta lluego!
Buddha beef, Trapp family lodge, GOT MY VANS ON
<3 Aleah
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