Mañana, mañana!

In 24 hours I will be in BARCELONA, hangin with my original Spanish friend, Gerard. Gaahhh it's going to be terrific! I promise to take plenty of pics, since I have been slacking on the home front. Today I had an exam that I actually studied for (Studying for Spanish--what an odd concept!) and hopefully did well on. Ah and yesterday I wanted to buy floss, but couldn't find it in the dental hygiene section. So I asked the clerk for "hielo de dientes" (while making a flossing motion). Hielo is ice, hilo is thread. Oops. Guiri coming through! At least it wasn't offensive...

 Bueno, hasta la próxima! Adeu! (Catalán for adiós haha)

Hoy en España...

Today in Spain...

My madre said I'm going to start having homework aka doing errands where I have to go practice my Spanish. Hooray! Today's was quite simple: I just had to buy 2 baguettes. When I didn't understand how much it cost, I asked "cómo?" and she answered in English. Jo! So I explained "estoy tratando de practicar" (I'm trying to practice), so that she repeated in Spanish. Mission accomplished, anyways. Apparently by the end of the semester I will be able to ask for a precise type of meat at the butcher's. Vamos a ver...

Also today, somebody asked me where the correos (post office) is. He asked in Spanish, which clearly means that he thought I was a local! Victory! I guess I have the Basque pale skin, dark hair. Plus, I was able to direct him pretty well. :D

Since this is the week before San Miguel's feast day, it's called el veranillo de San Miguel--St Michael's little summer. Accordingly, the weather has been stupendous. We're making the most of it by going to the beach daily. Not swimming (perhaps mañana), just lounging around. Yesterday, I bought a 'tattoo' from a couple of little kids. They asked really fast in Spanish so I told them we don't speak it that well. Then they slowed down and I understood that they were selling stamp tats, little entrepeneurs!

Yesterday for lunch I had a cheesburger...and 2 hotdogs with a huge piece of bread. I could never eat so much back home, but here it is possible apparently. My hermano made it, and I commented that it was like an American meal since we have hotdogs and hamburgers at summer gatherings. I think he took it the wrong way though, because he said his mom was the better chef. Ah well. One of my favorite dishes thus far is ensaladilla rusa, essentially tuna salad, potato salad, and egg salad combined. Mmmm.

Hasta la próxima. Agur!

First day of fall

Such lovely weather, I spent the afternoon napping on the beach. Then I bought the last tickets to see La Voz Dormida tonight at the San Sebastián Film Festival. Wahoo! I'm really getting accustomed to these 3 day weekends...

Speaking of getting accustomed to things, I'm already used to having pan (bread) with every meal. It's so tasty! Not the pre-sliced soft stuff you buy for weekly in the States, but daily-made bread with a nice crunchy crust. I'm also getting semi-used to red meat. Not that I didn't eat red meat before, but here they actually serve it much redder than I am used to. That's because the Basques are hardcore! :P My family cooks my hamburgers more than their own, but it's still medium rare. Oh and everything served in this place is homemade fresh. One time my padre asked if I wanted fries, and so he sliced the potatoes to make fries. What a concept! And when there wasn't much oregano left to put on the spaghetti, he reappeared with a bundle of oregano from the patio and picked it off the little branches. In the words of mi amigo Gerard, "but our food has a disadvantage...WE DON'T HAVE AS MUCH FAT AND CALORIES AS YOU GUYS" Point taken. Viva la alimentación española!

Besos

Salutations

Here is a little lesson in salutations in Spain/Basque Country.

Hola is the most obvious greeting. It can be accompanied by buenas or buenos. Saying the whole phrase taught in high school Spanish (buenos días, buenas tardes, etc) is passé. Not even my padre says the second word! In America we usually inquire how the other person is, or what's up. I like to think the Spaniards are more sincere, because they only ask qué tal? if they are truly interested in the response. Yesterday I said hola to a neighbor, and he began to say qué tal, but then realized he didn't know me and didn't care haha. In Basque Country, it is acceptable (and smiled upon) to say kaixo (keye-sho) for hello. And also when you leave a store, say agur (goodbye in Basque). If you leave a store and have interacted with the worker there, you will seem rude if you say nothing when leaving. Apparently you should also say agur when you leave an elevator, but I haven't experienced this. And of course they won't be offended if you speak in Spanish. Speaking Basque is just extra nice, and even natives who don't speak tend to say goodbye with agur.


In addition to this little culture lesson, everything is going just peachy here. Today was great weather, a nice change from the rain of Donostia. Still need to buy rain/leather boots. Gave a presentation on the stereotypes of Spanish regions, but that's for another day. Also leaving a song that I have been digging lately. By my favorite Spanish band, Extremoduro! (It's rock music, claro)

Daaaaaytrippers

Saturday
 mis amigas y yo took a day trip to Fuenterrabia/Hondarribia (depending if you speak Spanish or Basque). We missed our bus stop on the way there, but so did an Aussie couple, so we eventually found our way back. (Aunt Mary, he watched Rick Steves and had his little guidebook). Anyways, it's a small town on the Spanish side of the river, so we waved to France. Lunch was at a pizzeria, which was kind of tonta of me since I had pizza for dinner Friday night and then again Saturday night. But the pizza here is deeelicious. St Louis style, oh yeah! (thin crust)

Wave salut to France!

Medieval wall thang

 There is also a Medieval part to Hondarribia, so we walked around that. You don't see old stuff like that in the States!









For dinner, my padres' daughter came over with her young daughter and student they're hosting from my group. That led to the first sobremesa (where everybody just sits and talks around the table after dinner) I've had here. We talked a lot about languages since there were 2 of us students. And just like a mother, my madre said in front of everyone how she's noticed a definite improvement in my speaking, and that when I don't think about it I speak rapidísimo (really fast). Touching :')

Friday
We went to the red carpet at the San Sebastián Film Festival. The cast of "Intruders" was there, including Clive Owen. It was raining, so people had their umbrellas up and it was difficult to see. But it was exciting just to be around for people screaming and freaking out.

Progress!

• Cofi the family dog
• He just came into my room to nap, I think this means he likes me
• Slang
• My madre asked me when the film fest starts, and I answered este finde. Finde is slang for fin de semana, weekend. I already use it quite often because somebody taught me it a while ago. Anyways, my host madre was so pleasantly surprised that I was learning slang, she told every member of the family. Heheh I was tickled
• Classes
• I feel like I'm actually learning a lot in my Spanish class. Imagine that! We're learning minute details that I never understood before. It's so much more informative than past classes which basically consisted of just learning vocabulary (which is all well and good). It's more linguistic concepts, my favorite.

Haven't taken many picture lately, so here's one from the Basque festival last weekend. 

And a random image from Segovia

Saludos a tod@s!

Qué vida más dura!

Title: What a rough life!

That would be sarcasm. Obviously study abroad is supposed to be more fun than regular university life, but this is just crazy! I feel like I'm livin at the Ritz. First of all, my meals are prepared for me. And unlike monotonous caf food, this is quality, fresh stuff! Then my madre does my laundry. And irons/folds it. Today when I returned to my room, I was greeted with clean sheets, a stack of Spanish DVDs, and Cervantes' complete works. Dayum! Additionally, my room was somehow tidier. In general I'm pretty disorganized, but it hasn't been so bad since I don't have that many posessions in Spain. But apparently it needed a touch up, cos my madre rearranged my  clothing shelves and straightened my desk.

But realistically, I am here to learn. Our Track IV class (general advanced Spanish course) was great today--we learned Spain's  pronunciations. Specifically, how they pronounce c & z as th, and v as b. Also, the g/j is very fuerte (strong) here. So to demonstrate the situation, she told us to imagine somebody told us to eat a plate of ojos de vaca (cow eyes). Reaction? Gagging sound of disgust, clearly. And that is how the Spaniards pronounce g/j!

After class, Gianna and I did our homework at the beach. Then I returned to the beach again to swim with Janelle. The sun was already behind the mountain, so it was pretty cold. But refreshing, right? Which leads me to right about now. My bro just made us jamón y queso (ham and cheese) sandwiches, which were eaten with a fork and knife haha. Apparently everyone in this family knows how to cook. And then I helped unload the dishwasher--which is pretty crazy in theory. ;) But it's the least I could do since I have no imaginable chores here.

All I can say is, THIS IS THE LIFE.

Last night was my first Pintxo bar and Spanish Fútbol game experience. Usually for pintxos, you go from place to place and have 1 little snack at each place. But because the game was on, we decided to park it at one. Buena idea, because we saw the score go from 2-0 Barça to a tie. Woooo! The bar got crowded as the game went on, of course everyone was really into it and content with a tie.


After pintxo dinner, we went to the beach for a bit. Then we walked around Monte Urgull. Mira, qué bonita!

This morning was Las regattas del remo. A big rowing competition which draws people from all over. I slept in a bit, so instead of viewing it from the mountain,  watched it from the walkway around the beach, like many other people.

Aupa Erreala!

Tonight Real Sociedad (aka my fútbol team) hosts FC Barcleona. Tickets were at least 80 euros so we decided not to attend, but we'll go watch it with the locals somewhere. (Even though I don't have a jersey yet :\) It's definitely a big deal. And my amigo Gerard the Barcelonan and I made a bet--loser has to buy the winner a drink eventually, so Aupa Erreala!

 I've been to the beach nearly everyday this past week. Not a bad way to spend time, especially since La Concha is absolutely gorgeous! Yesterday I finally went in the water with mi amiga Gianna. I forgot it would be salty since it's the ocean haha. At first I timed the wave-jumps wrong and would jump right into the water, but then I learned how to go with the flow, and it was funner.

Beauteous, no?













Yesterday Gianna & I took a train to a nearby town that was having a Euskal Jaiak--Basque Festival. The ride was probably 30 minutes, and luckily we got on the earliest stop because at each stop people kept piling on to go to the festival. We were surrounded by a bunch of young teenage boys talking about who-knows-what. What we saw of the festival was tons of people dressed in traditional Basque garb, chatting and having a good time. At the end we did see 2 people do traditional Basque dancing which includes a lot of jumps and kicks. I don't have any pics, but Gianna took some which will be available shortly.

Also this week I learned how to eat shrimp. I don't like shrimp in America, but here it is served with the head and all. :s Mis padres demonstrated how to eat it, apparently when you take off the head you suck out the juices (luckily they said I didn't have to haha). Not so bad! And last night I had some sort of seacreature meat (maybe it was octopus after all) in ink. It definitely did not look appetizing since it was covered in black muck. She said people from outside dislike it, but all the locals adore it. Ah and yesterday was also sort of reminiscent of home: my "aunt"  who is staying with us went to buy us all ice cream from the local heladería (ice cream shop). My madre, tía, and I sat in the kitchen enjoying ice cream. :)

Welp, that's all for now. Agur!

A gander out my window

When I open my window, I am greeted with the smell of fresh laundry. Aah! In this patio (courtyard moreoreless), every floor of the building has a clothesline to dry their laundry. Look up and there are orange sheets with ovejitas (little sheep) which have been hanging the last few days. But directly out my window you can see the arms of my host mother putting out our laundry--including my socks and undies. Through the open window she chats with the woman on the other side, too fast for me to understand although I get a general idea.

The simple yet marvelous life in Basque country.

Kaixoooo!

Well I've finally made it to my home for the next 8 months approximately: San Sebastián-Donosti, España. And what a gorgeous city it is! Unfortunately, I have no pictures to offer at the moment. I've been soaking in the sites rather than photographing them.

We arrived 2 days ago, and spent the night in a hotel. It was a 5 hour busride, so they gave us some freetime before our group dinner. My roomie Janelle and I decided to go for a walk, even though the weather was misty. As soon as my feet hit the sand, I bolted for the ocean. Ah, the liberation of La Concha Beach. Anyways, it tends to rain a lot here, but today and yesterday it was be-a-utiful; absolute perfection.

Yesterday I met my host family. I was a bit nervous, but that's silly because Spaniards are supposed to be easy-going and friendly, no? My family certainly is. I'm sure it's going to be a great semester with them. Our place is 10 mins walking distance to school. I am the first student my parents have hosted, so it's a new experience for all of us. :D They have 3 children, but only one still lives at home. Their other daughter is actually hosting another student from our group, so yesterday I took a bike ride with them to the surfing beach. The family is very welcoming and really tries to make me comfortable, so that's nice. They have a boat that they go on for weekends, so I may accompany them this weekend. My first dinner with my parents was tortilla española-- probably the most appropriate dinner. It consists of eggs, potatoes, cheese, and a bit of onion, and supposedly is eaten all the time here.

Bueno, now I'm going to by a cellphone with my friend who just happens to live on the same street. We got a little lost today coming back from the opposite side of town, but luckily a few Basques guided us. We didn't even have to ask the one, he just approached us since we were sitting, staring blankly with a map. I shall part with some a foto of Segovia because fotos are funtastic!

San Sebastián homies atop a former palace of Los Reyes Católicos--King Fernando & Queen Isabel

Ikusi arte, Madril

The time has come. This fine morning we leave Madrid for Basque Country. So here's a little Basque song: Ikusi Arte...(Until Next Time).

Toe-lay-doe: Not the Ohio city

En este momento, estoy mirando el partido amistoso de España contra Chile. Estamos perdiendo 0-2. Nooooo!
Right now I'm watching the Spain-Chile friendly (fútbol). We're losing 0-2. At 9:30 we're going out to dinner, so I figured a little update wouldn't hurt.

Today we went to Toledo, an hour outside of Madrid. Very pretty city, as you can see. The roads are the same as in the Medieval times, so it's very cool with its alleys. Even with such thin streets, cars still drive on them! People are walking on the sides and the little Euro cars squeeze on through. One thing definitely not on my bucket list is to drive in Europe. Me da mucho miedo. Little roads, but I suppose the cars are of an equal size.

Anyways, we went in la Catedral, the most important in Spain. The entire thing was so detailed and elaborate. It wasn't the biggest in Spain, although it was huge compared to anything I've ever seen. It contained tombs of cardinals and archbishops, along with paintings of the apostles, mainly by El Greco. Baroque style I believe. We also went to La Sinagoga de Santa Maria de Blanca. Weird to have a synagogue named after Mary, right? It's because it was once a Synagogue, and also once a church, so they combined the two. Fascinating!

Toledo with future San Sebastianas

Mmkay so let's talk about food, my favorite! Last night we ate at Plaza Mayor. Outside for people watching, así es la vida española. The only annoying thing was these guys trying to sell weird light things because they kept making duck noises, the whole 2 hours we were out there. Calla ya! We each ordered a plate and shared sort of jeje. I had croquetas, apparently something all madrileños love. It almost tastes like fried mashed potatoes (with a bit of ham inside obviously), but it's creamier and apparently more like gravy. We also tried paella the famous Spanish rice dish, fried octopus, and poatoes with bbq sauce (again--doesn't sound very Spanish). Then for lunch in Toledo we ate at a little restaurant in the basement of a bar. For 10 euros you got 2 plates. My first was all peas (with a bit of ham obviously) haha I didn't realize that was the word for peas, and just picked it randomly. Second plate was huevos (eggs) with fries (yet again--is that traditionally Spanish?!?) The price also included drinks and dessert. I don't know what the first word of it was, but the second was chocolate. And it was muy bien!

In other news, I'm really working on my dejo español. (Spain accent) They lisp c's and z's. I really hope nobody thinks I'm mocking the accent when I say "grathias"...just tryin to be más española! =)

Madrid Former Town Hall, Now post office

More photos later, os prometeo. Es que it takes a while to load them.

Hola!

Statue of Federico García Lorca, my fav Spanish poet. Killed in the Guerra Civil de Epaña. 

Desayuno (breakfast) made me feel quite European. It consisted of zumo (juice) and croissonts with mermelada. Not a bad way to start the day. Today's Madrid sites included the Prado, Plaza Mayor, y El Palacio Real. Tours in Spanish make me feel like a real española. At the same time I feel like this is just a little trip, and I'll be back to school as usual in a week or so. Anyways, my friend and I were going to take the metro to see Estadio Bernabéu: home of Real Madrid. (Boo RM, Yay Sergio Ramos). En route, she was pickpocketed! Ayyyy!!! Well I've been quite cautious about that, and I guess this is just another reason to be paranoid. I mean seriously, I saw the guy stand at the same pole as her, and kept an eye on him cos it seemed shady, but we didn't even realize until a stop later. Tmr! Also, first interaction with an unknown native was a success. Jeje I just asked if the train went to our stop.

Representin the bohunks ;)