Day 9
I woke up at the usual time and left for school. Marta and I are always the first ones there and we wait on the patio of the school with two of her friends that walk in with us. Others start to come in soon after. When Anna came she had random tan colored stains on her white shorts, so her and I went to the bathroom to clean it off. Because of this, all the computers were taken already by the time we got down to the room. I eventually got one for a few minutes and then we left by bus to Llanes. It took about an hour to get there but it was worth it. Llanes is a beautiful small town by the sea where we spent time shopping and taking so many pictures. It was so green and mountainous, with colorful house surrounded by flowers, and the sea right next to it all made it such a relaxing and gorgeous place to visit. The coastline was rocky and in one area there were giant cubes carved in the stone and painted all different colors and designs, just adding to the beauty of it all. As we made our way back by bus, we stopped at two other little villages along the coast. Our second stop was so fun because we had an hour to explore and we all spent it on the beach. Instead of exploring the village and shops, we explored for seashells! We found so many seashells and sea glass, we wrote in the sand, we played with a crab, and we rolled up our pants to wade in the water. The weather was finally so nice and warm! The last stop we made was just to walk around a quiet town and we didn´t spend too much time. When we arrived in Oviedo, it was raining once again and everyone was exhausted from such a fun day. Unfortunately, instead of taking my usual nap, I had to go with my horrible pounding headache to the mall, along with Kendra and Cova. Kendra and I went into several stores and tried on ridiculous pants. We were hungry and my headache wasn´t going away, so we went into the grocery store and bought a loaf of fresh warm bread for 60 cents. We downed the entire thing before we left! I returned home with Marta to a pasta dinner, chicken nuggets, and chocolate milk. The only way for my day to have gotten better was if I hadn´t had such a huge headache and been so tired going to the mall. It was the best day of my trip so far and I will never forget it!
Day 10
I woke up today at 10am so confused. It was pitch black in my room, my watch said it was 5, and I had to go to the bathroom so bad! I realized my watch was on the wrong mode and it was actually 10am, so I opened the steel blinds and the sunshine beamed in and practically blinded me. I got changed and finally decided to leave the room because they still hadn´t come to wake me like they said they would. After getting all ready for the day, Marta finally woke up. I ate breakfast and went on the computer. We then left to go to a town that I still don´t know the name of. Marta´s cousins Jorge and David live there and we saw them briefly. We then walked around the outdoor market, where crafters set up every Saturday. It was so great to look at all the handmade items and typical Asturian food. A woman made thread from wool, people walked around playing the bagpipes, a man was making horse shoes, kids were getting donkey rides, and a man was carving a picture on a bull horn. We bought some warm churros for me to try and they were delicious! We then went into a small cafe and had drinks before we left. We drove back into Oviedo and went to a restaurant for lunch. I passed on the shellfish soup appetizer but I did try fabada, a soup with sausage and white beans typical of Asturias. As we finished up our fabada, Beccah and Daniel walked in with his family. We said hello and talked for a minute. For my main course I had a steak fillet, followed by ice cream for dessert. I was so full by the time we left, I thought I would burst. When we got home, I fell asleep on Marta´s bed again while writing Steph a letter. I just woke up and decided to catch up on this blog and email. I will probably have a small dinner because I´m still full and we´re spending the evening here because it´s raining out. Marta´s parents left to Gijón because her mother has a dinner with coworkers. I´m a little glad we get to make our own dinner so I won´t be overfed and fattened up even more!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Days 7/8 in España
Day 7
Marta´s dad had to leave for a meeting early in the morning, so instead of driving to school we took the city bus. It was pouring out all morning and I was freezing before even arriving at school. After we got off the bus we still had a ways to walk and my jeans were soaking wet on the bottom. It continued to rain until around noon. With the group of Americans, we toured around Oviedo (the city we´re staying in) and visited old cathedrals, the town center, and a large park. It was very beautiful everywhere we went, and in the park peacocks roamed around freely! I took the bus home with Marta and her friends after school. After a long nap, I spent much of my afternoon one-on-one with Marta´s mom. She made me read aloud from a spanish picture book and asked me questions and made me answer all in spanish. We practiced vocab and she gave me the recipe to bizcocho, the delicious cake she made earlier. All in all, it was such a helpful experience and we got to know each other more. That night for dinner I had lasagna and a steak fillet. I went to bed full and happy :)
Day 8
My long day began when we arrived at the school, first ones there as usual. It was sunny out this morning, but still cold. Once all the Americans had arrived, we went to the computer room at the school and had a chance to check email. Around nine we left on a bus to León, which is a little over an hour away. The city is smaller than Oviedo, and I actually liked it more. We toured through some cathedrals and other historical buildings. Next we got the chance to shop around for a little bit on our own. At around two, all the shops closed because this is the time for their main meal followed by a resting time. It began to rain and we left soon after. An amusing part of our day was that everyone was packed a humongous lunch from their host family. Mine consisted of 5 sandwiches, a large piece of bizcocho, a bag of bugles, 2 oranges, a banana, a sleeve of cookies, 3 juice boxes, and 2 water bottles. Let´s just say I´m not starving over here... When we returned to Oviedo it was raining and I took a siesta. It was a fun day and I´m excited for tomorrow!!
Marta´s dad had to leave for a meeting early in the morning, so instead of driving to school we took the city bus. It was pouring out all morning and I was freezing before even arriving at school. After we got off the bus we still had a ways to walk and my jeans were soaking wet on the bottom. It continued to rain until around noon. With the group of Americans, we toured around Oviedo (the city we´re staying in) and visited old cathedrals, the town center, and a large park. It was very beautiful everywhere we went, and in the park peacocks roamed around freely! I took the bus home with Marta and her friends after school. After a long nap, I spent much of my afternoon one-on-one with Marta´s mom. She made me read aloud from a spanish picture book and asked me questions and made me answer all in spanish. We practiced vocab and she gave me the recipe to bizcocho, the delicious cake she made earlier. All in all, it was such a helpful experience and we got to know each other more. That night for dinner I had lasagna and a steak fillet. I went to bed full and happy :)
Day 8
My long day began when we arrived at the school, first ones there as usual. It was sunny out this morning, but still cold. Once all the Americans had arrived, we went to the computer room at the school and had a chance to check email. Around nine we left on a bus to León, which is a little over an hour away. The city is smaller than Oviedo, and I actually liked it more. We toured through some cathedrals and other historical buildings. Next we got the chance to shop around for a little bit on our own. At around two, all the shops closed because this is the time for their main meal followed by a resting time. It began to rain and we left soon after. An amusing part of our day was that everyone was packed a humongous lunch from their host family. Mine consisted of 5 sandwiches, a large piece of bizcocho, a bag of bugles, 2 oranges, a banana, a sleeve of cookies, 3 juice boxes, and 2 water bottles. Let´s just say I´m not starving over here... When we returned to Oviedo it was raining and I took a siesta. It was a fun day and I´m excited for tomorrow!!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Days 4/5/6 in Spain
Day 4
This Sunday was Easter!!! We celebrated differently than what I am used to. They woke me up at 10:30 and we left soon after to the village where Marta´s relatives live. It took about half an hour in the car to get there. We went to mass in a small, old church for a short amount of time and then followed the crowd outside and walked around the village with people playing bagpipes. This is part of the easter customs in Spain, and afterwards we celebrated under a large tent with traditional music and dancing. Later we went out for lunch at a fancy restaurant with the entire family. I tried a seafood soup, wine, coffee, and had a steak fillet for my meal. Next I walked with Marta, her mother, uncle, and six year old cousin up a mountain to a ninth century church. The view was spectacular and we were lucky enough to go inside the church and take pictures, which is normally not allowed. This was the highlight of the day and I don´t think anything else really happened during the rest of the day.
Day 5
This was the first day for the parents to return to work and the last day of Marta´s vacation. She had to get her hair cut in the morning (the hairdresser is the floor right below us), so I decided to come along. I ended up getting my hair cut also, with bangs (hey, why not? I´m in Spain!). Later we took the city bus to the mall. I bought a scarf, a pair of shoes, and a dress. We went to an italian restaurant for lunch and I had some type of unknown green pasta and cheese, but it was good! The rest of the day was just spent relaxing at home. We had a snack around six consisting of ham, cheese, and bread, followed by a bowl of strawberries. Later for dinner I had a traditional Spanish meal-- a tortilla made of eggs, filled with potatoes. We went to bed earlier because of school the next day!
Day 6
Today I woke up at 6:45 to get ready for school. We left the house by car with Marta´s parents around 7:30. I met up with the other Americans and we started off the day by going into the computer room to check our email. Next we got a tour of the school. It looks different then our schools because it was much nicer and it seemed more like a museum or a hotel. There are only three classes per grade, and the kids stay with their class as the teacher moves for each subject. We visited the kindergartners and first graders, who have already begun learning english. We then moved up to the seventh graders. They were very eager to talk to us one on one and practice their english with us. Next we went to an eleventh grade english class and each of us was put with two or three spaniards to be interviewed by. It was a lot of fun to talk to them in english and try to have them understand us. After returning home, Marta and I had pasta and chicken for lunch. When her mom came home, her and I went to get my SIM card while Marta stayed home. We also bought candy and she brought me to the flat they´ll be moving into in the summer. It was nice to get outside walking around and to be practicing my spanish with Marta´s mother. Later in the day she made a cake-type something typical in Spain. It was so good and she said we´ll have some for breakfast tomorrow also! I also tried a green olive stuffed with anchovies, which was disgusting. I´m so full already, but dinner is approaching...
This Sunday was Easter!!! We celebrated differently than what I am used to. They woke me up at 10:30 and we left soon after to the village where Marta´s relatives live. It took about half an hour in the car to get there. We went to mass in a small, old church for a short amount of time and then followed the crowd outside and walked around the village with people playing bagpipes. This is part of the easter customs in Spain, and afterwards we celebrated under a large tent with traditional music and dancing. Later we went out for lunch at a fancy restaurant with the entire family. I tried a seafood soup, wine, coffee, and had a steak fillet for my meal. Next I walked with Marta, her mother, uncle, and six year old cousin up a mountain to a ninth century church. The view was spectacular and we were lucky enough to go inside the church and take pictures, which is normally not allowed. This was the highlight of the day and I don´t think anything else really happened during the rest of the day.
Day 5
This was the first day for the parents to return to work and the last day of Marta´s vacation. She had to get her hair cut in the morning (the hairdresser is the floor right below us), so I decided to come along. I ended up getting my hair cut also, with bangs (hey, why not? I´m in Spain!). Later we took the city bus to the mall. I bought a scarf, a pair of shoes, and a dress. We went to an italian restaurant for lunch and I had some type of unknown green pasta and cheese, but it was good! The rest of the day was just spent relaxing at home. We had a snack around six consisting of ham, cheese, and bread, followed by a bowl of strawberries. Later for dinner I had a traditional Spanish meal-- a tortilla made of eggs, filled with potatoes. We went to bed earlier because of school the next day!
Day 6
Today I woke up at 6:45 to get ready for school. We left the house by car with Marta´s parents around 7:30. I met up with the other Americans and we started off the day by going into the computer room to check our email. Next we got a tour of the school. It looks different then our schools because it was much nicer and it seemed more like a museum or a hotel. There are only three classes per grade, and the kids stay with their class as the teacher moves for each subject. We visited the kindergartners and first graders, who have already begun learning english. We then moved up to the seventh graders. They were very eager to talk to us one on one and practice their english with us. Next we went to an eleventh grade english class and each of us was put with two or three spaniards to be interviewed by. It was a lot of fun to talk to them in english and try to have them understand us. After returning home, Marta and I had pasta and chicken for lunch. When her mom came home, her and I went to get my SIM card while Marta stayed home. We also bought candy and she brought me to the flat they´ll be moving into in the summer. It was nice to get outside walking around and to be practicing my spanish with Marta´s mother. Later in the day she made a cake-type something typical in Spain. It was so good and she said we´ll have some for breakfast tomorrow also! I also tried a green olive stuffed with anchovies, which was disgusting. I´m so full already, but dinner is approaching...
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