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 ;)