Valencia

So, we just finished the first semester of summer classes at Univerisdad de Alcalá and we start number 2 on the 2nd of July. We did not have class this past week June 28-July 1 so Whit, Meg, Jeremy and I decided to hit the beaches of Valencia during the off period. Our flight was Friday (the 25th) morning at 7...yes 7 a.m. There is no airport in Alcalá so our flight was out of Madrid, which is usually not a hard trip. But because the train from Alcalá to Madrid stops running at midnight we had to arrive by other means. We ended up leaving at 3 a.m. from Alcalá on a night bus to Madrid. It was about an hour bus ride to the stop we needed. From there we took another bus to the airport which took about another hour. We ended up getting to the airport with about an hour to spare until boarding so we hit up the Euro Menu at McDonalds and then got on board with our $50 roundtrip boarding passes. One of the reasons we chose Valencia is because the flights there were so cheap this particular weekend. We arrived at our first hostal about 30 minutes before our check in time and very tired from not sleeping the previous night. The man running it said there were still people in our room and we would have to come back in about 3 hours or so. We were pretty angry about it but tried not to let it get us down so we headed to the beach for what proved to be a pretty good nap. We eventually came back to our hostal and everything was ready so we took another nap. We woke up around 9 and went out for supper, walked around the town a little bit (very pretty city) and came back and went straight to sleep again. For the next four nights we had reservations at a different place much closer to the beach so when we woke up we headed there and were once again about 20 minutes early and they said come back in about 2 to 3 hours. I dont know what the deal is with timing and reservations in this country, but I have a feeling that my uncle John could live here and prosper. (those of you who know him will understand) This place was well worth the wait though. The owner was the nicest lady and she spoke English which is always a big relief. On top of that she would cook supper for you for 10 euros a piece and it was worth every penny and then some. Her meals were by far the best Spanish food I´ve had since I have been here. They consisted of an appetizer (usually some kind of soup or fried calamari etc.), a massive pan of some kind of paella, and a dessert. Not to mention your choice of a bottle of wine or a large jar of sangria. Needless to say, we took advantage of this hospitality and ate supper with her three out of the four nights and became very good friends with her and her husband. Most of our time was spent on the beach relaxing, which was the goal of the trip, except for the day when we went to the aquarium, which is the biggest in Spain. It alone was worth the trip I think. Overall, I think our trip to Valencia was a huge success and we are talking about going back for one weekend coming up when James Taylor is putting on a free concert there. Hopefully we will make it happen. Hasta luego.

España: Número Dos

So, now that I´ve been in Spain for two and a half weeks I think I´ve finally gotten in the swing of things. We know our way around the train station somewhat now...well enough to try and go to Valencia by ourselves this coming weekend anyways. It should be a good trip as long as it doesn´t rain. Im really excited to be going to the beach. The past two weekends we went to Segovia and Salamanca. Both were beautiful cities. As far as school in Alcalá goes, I´m actually really enjoying it...and that is the first time in my life I think I´ve ever said that I enjoy school. The teachers are what make it so great. They are all native speakers and are very patient with us. Most of the stuff we have been going over so far is review but it is all so much clearer now for some reason. I think it is because they take time to explain the language and don´t just tell us ''you just have to feel it'' as one of my old professors did.

Here is something interesting I´ve noticed about Spain: In the time I´ve been here, I know I´ve seen no more than two obese people. That is a huge change from Mississippi. What baffles me about this is the fact that this country has a national naptime, doesn´t finish supper until 11:30ish, and serves beer at McDonalds. What could be worse for you than washing down your Super-sized BigMac and fries with a large cerveza? I cant think of much. Also, I´m pretty sure they consider butter one of the four food groups.

So, everyday when we walk to the plaza for tapas, dinner, or whatever, we pass this homeless guy that always asks us to give him money for dinner. I´m not really big on giving money away to homeless people, mainly because I don´t trust them. And now for good reason. The other day, I was walking to the plaza and passed a bakery. Because bread is 20 cents here and really good, I thought I would do a good deed and get this guy some supper. So I bought the bread and walked to the plaza where he was sitting like usual. I gave him the bread and he said nothing. I didn´t expect him to say anything really but when I walked off and turned the corner I turned around just in time to see him throwing the loaf away! I was pretty furious to say the least. To add insult to injury, later that night I saw him smoking a cigarette. Guess he was taking a break from work.



Well, thats all I can think to write about right now but I´ll try and update this thing sooner next time, mom.


jm

¡Estoy en España!

Ok, so i honestly didnt think I would ever use this blog again after my MIS class, but considering that so many people are interested in my life (sarcasm) I feel like it is necessary. So, here it goes.
For those of you who dont know, I am studying Spanish this summer in Spain (where else right?). Anyways, I´ve been here since the 31 of May and am staying until the 31 of July. Jeremy Bennett, Whit Cox (two of my close friends) are both staying with the same host family as I am and we are having a lot of fun together. Our family is very hospitable and we like them a lot. There is Arturo (padre), Merino (madre), and Alba and Andrea (hermanas). They also have a dog (perra) and two cats (gatos). We hang out with Arturo most of the time because he is the one who is at home the most. He fixes us breakfast every morning and lunch after school. During our siesta time, he always wants to play ping pong with us. Its a lot of fun, but sometimes you just have to tell him that you´ve had enough and want to actually take a siesta. After all, we are trying to get the full Spanish experience.
Our typical day usually starts around 735 when we get up and get ready for school. It doesnt take long on account of we are not allowed to take showers in the morning because Arturo doesnt want to wake the neighbors. We then eat breakfast and walk to class which starts at nine. Class goes until 230 with a few breaks in between. After that we walk home and eat lunch. After lunch (which is the biggest meal of the day....like really big), we siesta. After that, whit, jeremy, and I usually go to the plaza and meet up with some of our friends from state. This is usually around 830 or nine. Did I mention lunch isnt until 3? In the plaza, there are a lot of shops, restaurants, vendors, etc. It is a really pretty place and is always full of people around this time. Well, whenever we meet with everyone we go to a restaurant or bar for drinks and tapas. Let me take time here to explain tapas: Tapas are definitely my favorite Spanish custom so far. They are basically free appetizers. Whenever you order drinks (anything besides tap water), the waiter will bring you free food with it. FREE! Another round of drinks = another round of tapas. Why doesn´t America do that? The best tapas we have found are at a place called Indalo. My favorite is a smoked piece of salmon on ciabatta bread with cream cheese... Well now that you know that bit of information Ill keep going. Most people get drinks and tapas around 930 or 10, and then get supper after that. Then after that they go out and fiesta. As for whit, jeremy, and I, we usually are pretty full after tapas considering the elephant we ate for lunch. After tapas, we usually go out to a bar or wherever everybody is and hang out until we get too tired. Then, we walk home and do it all over again...mas o menos. On weekends we will go on trips to different places around Europe. We havent had a weekend yet so I cant really say anything about that. Well, there is the first entry to the Spanish Chapter of my rarely used blog- I guess we will see how this goes.

jm