30 January 2011

Today, I was fed paella again and as always, Maria's cooking is excellent. Holly and I went to a mass at one of the churches near by and it was the shortest service I have ever been to in my life. There was no sermon, which cut it back by 15 minutes based on standards I am familiar with. We were done at 12:40. Church had started promptly (something strange for the Spaniards I have been around) at noon. I barely understood what was going on. I could only pick up bits and pieces of the things that I am familiar with. Last night, we went to our same little bar cafe down a few blocks from us to watch the Hercules/Barcelona game on TV (Hercules is the Alicante futbol team). Sadly, Hercules lost. It was definitely an experience to watch it and I don't know if I am willing to pay to see one live because it is not my favorite thing in the world (being the uncompetitive child that I am). However, I will take futbol over bull fights any day.

26 January 2011

I think I have definitely hit the part of culture shock that everyone has been warning me about. Today, in my intermediate Spanish grammar class (which I only took because I needed grammar review) I felt like the teacher was talking down to us for a bit, like she thought that we couldn't understand. Well, there are people in the class who are generally having problems with the class, and my last paper wasn't quite what she wanted, but I don't know, I just had this weird feeling from her. Maria, my host mother keeps telling me different things about the house, like I need to turn my heater off at night, don't use this mat when you shower, use this one, etc. They keep complementing my roommate for how much better she is getting at understanding what they are saying. I feel very frustrated. I am trying to keep a good attitude, but it is hard. I don't feel like I am improving any. I am trying hard, but having a roommate makes me want to speak English to her, especially because it frustrates me to speak Spanish with her (it is just so much more easier in English), and it doesn't help that our host mom also knows some English, so she will revert to that if she thinks we don't understand, and I only nod sometimes, so I think she thinks that I don't understand. I also am adjusting to having tuna A LOT more than usual, considering back home I really don't eat it at all. She even put it on our pizza the other night for flavor. I ate a tuna, bacon, and cheese pizza. Definitely a new experience. I have spent a lot of time in my room lately because it is so cold. I want to watch tv because I have time, but even with a radiator and blanket, I still feel like hibernating out in the living room. Instead, I have been reading a leisure book I brought with me (in Spanish). It helps a little with comprehension, but what I need is more practice speaking, especially with someone patient. Well, we just finished lunch so it is siesta time for me.

25 January 2011

I think I am beginning to master the 4 minute shower. Who would have guessed that about me? I just went on one of the group trips this past weekend to Valencia, where we visited the cathedral, Lonja de Seda, the outside parts of La ciudad de artes y ciencias, and passed a palace (whose proper name I cannot remember). It was beautiful. Today I am working on booking my own trip with two friends to London for a concert. I am also hoping to visit Italy and Portugal while I am here, as well as a few of the well known Spanish cities. Intercambios, or language interchanges are supposed to start this week with the Spanish students, but I haven't heard anything about that. I hope we find out soon because I could use some help with my Spanish. I am also finalizing classes for the continuation period that starts next week. Things are starting to pick up.

17 January 2011

So I am sitting in my room working on some stuff for school when all of a sudden, there are these loud explosions. Holly and I thought there was a war. Apparently, somebody nearby is happy about something and is setting off fireworks and firecrackers. Holy Crap! This is definitely a different experience hahaha. I wish you could hear it.

15 January 2011

I have now completed my first week of classes. My language class starts at 8am which is not cool, but at least I have the siesta. I am slowly adjusting to this public transport thing, though the buses can be frustrating when you aren't exactly sure which one to take. I am acquiring blisters from so much walking. The Spaniards definitely walk more and the campus is significantly larger than my home university's campus. Unfortunately I now have a cold, so I wasn't able to go out last night, but hopefully I can tonight. I don't want to stay cooped up here at home too much. I do want to experience the country I am in. It is definitely hard to adjust to such a different lifestyle from what I am used to. My host mom keeps trying to feed me, but I am not always hungry for as much as she wants to give me. Yes, I am walking most everywhere, but I am trying to cut back on portion sizes. Probably not the best idea to try and start being healthier when going across the ocean... I am currently trying to figure out where important shops are for me to use to find things I need, on top of finding things I want (the latter definitely won't be as hard for me haha). First on my agenda is to find better shoes! I brought really cheap walking shoes because I did not foresee the need to wear them that often, and the boots I bought, while comfortable to a certain extent are a bit too big and were never really intended for walking the amount I have been and will be doing. As for classes, I think I will be ok because I have understood the professors so far. I am meeting new people, but unfortunately, I have only primarily met Americans, though I have met one young woman from China, another from Germany, and there is a young man in my class from French Switzerland. Hopefully I get a chance to meet Spanish students soon so that I can practice my Spanish with them, and they can practice English with me because that would definitely help us both. Right now, the culture shock is definitely starting to take its toll on me and I keep having the debating feelings of enjoying myself and wondering when I get to go home.

7 January 2011

We actually managed to get on a bus and walk around part of the city of Alicante. It was beautiful. We ate at this restaurant and had authentic sangria and some different tapas, including jamón. We were stuffed, yet decided on getting some ice cream on our way back to the bus stop. There were a lot of cool shops, but they were pretty expensive. One thing that was different was seeing a lot of shops catering to men who dress well. Also, people seem to stare at us more than we are used to in the United States, even if they haven't actually heard us speak in English. They also seem to smile less, despite how laid back they are, or at least seem to be. I guess that is something I will have to get used to. Tomorrow we have orientation and Sunday we will finally go "home" with our Señora.Somehow I need to print out copies of my passport because I left mine at home and I don't actually have a printer with me (shocker). I am nervous about messing up. This is a big deal for me as a Spanish major and I want to do my best.

6 January 2011

I made it to Alicante and found Holly. We love our room (now that we know how to work the phone and the electricity). I also can get on the internet now. We have a view of the Med. It is really pretty from the balcony. We are definitely sufferers of jet lag. Last night, at like 1 something, we thought we would try to look for food. Nothing was open. So much for a night life around the hotel haha. We did however meet this really weird drunk woman when we tried to ask about open restaurants. She tried to talk to us but there was definitely a language barrier. There was also some creepy guy checking us out. Once we decided she was no help to us, we went back to the hotel and shopped the vending machines. Today has gone better. We went to this little market run by  a Chinese-Spanish guy and got some snacks there and sat out by the water. We found Gone with the Wind on in Spanish which was entertaining. Things are starting to improve.

5 January 2011, Part 2

Because my flight was late leaving Dallas, I was unable to make the flight to Alicante. I have no way to contact Holly or my parents because I can’t figure out the phone thing. I’m alone and confused. I don’t know if Holly will wait for me or not.  The flight doesn’t even leave for another hour. I just want to get to the hotel and sleep. I want to call someone and talk to them but I can’t. 

4 January 2011

I have already arrived at Dallas and am at the gate I believe I am supposed to be at. I had to ask a flight attendant. That’s what you get for getting cheap flights. I will be here for the next five hours. Yay. Unfortunately for me, I still cannot access WiFi no matter how hard I try and I am not paying for Tmobile’s Day Pass. Sorry. So I get to read all my different books. Very dull here. I am hoping to get to Madrid safely. 

5 January 2011

I am currently on the flight to Madrid, watching the movie “Eat, Pray, Love.” In a certain way, I feel that I relate to her by traveling to find out who she was because in a sense that is what I am doing.  There are however quite a few differences between us haha. I am studying in another country, or will be when we land.

 I am excited but also extremely nervous. As it is, I am a chronically early person (“to be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, to be late is to be left behind” being the mantra of my family) and the flight is going to land 55 minutes behind schedule. Thank God they gave us an hour boarding time. I have to go through passport control and figure out gates and terminals. It is currently 4:00 am in Madrid; 10:00 pm back home in Virginia.

It hasn’t sunk in yet that I am on the way to another country, one whose culture fascinates me and pulls me in. I have already met a few new people, but unfortunately none of them are going to Alicante. I honestly have no clue what my experiences will be like. I just hope it will all be worth it.  

3 January 2011

So I have not even left the United States yet and this trip has already become interesting. After dropping my mother off in Richmond and then riding to DC with my dad, we check in to the hotel and go to dinner. It isn’t until after dinner, when we come back to the hotel to check me in for my flights tomorrow that the trip takes a twist. As my dad is punching in information about the flights, I head back to our hotel room to get my passport so we can look at the number. Because the hotel room is free (thanks to Dad’s abundance of rewards points) we have a room way down at the end of the hall. I finally get down to the room and the fire alarm goes off. Not being sure if it is an accident, a drill, or legitimate, I stand there like a deer in the head lights. Finally I decide that I should go back to the front of the building to see what my dad is doing and to see what the staff wants us to do. Note: There was a fire exit right next to me, across from our room, which for some reason I decided to ignore? As I get to the elevators, I see a maintenance man running to them and I get the faintest whiff of smoke. Sure enough, as I get to the front desk, the managers are calling in the fire and calling the hotel next door to see if they will take care of us while things are taken care of back at our hotel. So, Dad and I walk out to the car to wait, after a nice chat with some business man who had been about to take a shower about the same time the alarm went off. We wait, and wait, and wait some more. Sirens are blaring as tons of fire trucks come to the building (more than necessary because they weren’t sure what size hotel it was). Eventually the manager comes to tell us we can warm up in the other hotel’s lobby, which we decide to do. I curl up in a chair with a blanket I had found in our car and wait, not sure if I should laugh or cry or what exactly I should be thinking about. I was concerned about the laptop, phone, and passport that were trapped in the room. People were coming in asking what was going on next door. Others were seeing if there were available rooms at this hotel. The manager at that hotel was having a booming night thanks to the fire. After awhile the maintenance man comes over to talk to some of the staff at the other hotel. I listen a little and realize that he is speaking Spanish, go figure. He was speaking way too fast, but I could somewhat get the gist of what he was saying. What is going on in my hotel? It sounded like sprinklers had come on in the building and water is everywhere. I tell Dad so we walk back over to the building, which now has significantly less fire trucks outside of it. One of the managers says that we can go back in, the fire is contained on the first floor and they almost had it out. So, we go back to the room and get my passport and phone, and start the whole process of checking me in for tomorrow all over again. As we are in there, shower guy comes in and decides he’s going to the other hotel. It looks like a lot of people made that decision. As it was, there really weren’t that many people to begin with. The look in the manager’s eyes made me feel sorry for him. Dad tells me we aren’t leaving: “Hey, at least we know the fire alarms work and the smoke smell is barely there anymore!” So now, after a shower and a fight with the WiFi that hasn’t gone so well, I am writing this entry as the official start of the adventure. Tomorrow, I leave early from DC and spend about 7 hours in Dallas before I fly to Madrid, hit passport control, find Holly in her bright pink, and fly on to Alicante.