I'm here! Yay! I'm living with a family near the university. I have a host mom and a host dad. They have 2 adult daughters who live with their families in the apartment-like houses upstairs. They all share a patio and everyone is always coming in and out of the other houses.
Apparently, central heating & air conditioning is a new thing to either Spain or the smaller cities, like Córdoba. Because of this, houses have been built to keep things cool during the summer, which also means it's quite cool in the house during the winter. This also means that it's pretty chilly in my bedroom. I can't wait for the weather to warm up. In the meantime, we have the kitchen and family room tables! Why am I so excited about the tables? Well, there is a heater under each table, and a blanket (held in place by a piece of stone or wood that serves as the actual table surface) covering the table. So, we sit around the tables with the blankets over our laps to catch the warmth from the heaters! It's a really nice system and I especially enjoy it in the morning & on days like today when it's cold and rainy (and my socks are wet).
And, as promised, I'm going to talk about food with the host family. Breakfast is usually a little something with coffee or hot chocolate. They drink whole milk, so I usually put the Nesquick chocolate powder or instant coffee into it. Lunch and dinner vary from day to day (in terms of what is served - the hours are pretty standard), and there's usually a salad of sorts at one or both of the meals. There is always fruit in the house! We usually have an apple or orange or banana (or a combination of the three) after meals. We also always have bread! It's kind of like heaven - all I need is a bunch of cheese. Today, at lunch, we had oranges in oil (olive, I believe) with some sugar and ate it with bread (in addition to a stew like dish that I can't remember the name of -- I can't really remember any of the names of the food we eat, but it's all SO GOOD!). I think the orange dish my new favorite food. I mean, it doesn't get much better than fruit and bread (well, I could use some cheese! I LOVE CHEESE!). Well, moving on...
I've also noted a couple more cultural differences that are very interesting. It's superstition in Spain that you get sick from walking around barefoot on the cold floors. Our program director warned us of this superstition, and I thought that walking around in socks would suffice, but alas, it did not. My host mom asked if I had house shoes, but of course, I forgot my slippers at home. She quickly found a spare pair for me to borrow while I'm here.
Also, I meant to mention this before, but we went over some stereotypes that Spaniards have of various ethnic groups. I don't think anyone in the group has encountered racism here, but there are stereotypes. Apparently, all Asians are Chinos (or Chinese) and they're the people who have all of the counterfeit goods.
One more thing: THEY USE "VOSOTROS " (2nd person plural familiar) HERE! To all of the Spanish teachers that I had in high school, remember when you said, "Don't bother learning the "vosotros" because they only use that in Spain"? Well, I'm in Spain now, and I don't know it. I can recognize when people are using it, but I'm not able to conjugate verbs into the "vosotros." I think it's common in the United States for Spanish teachers to skip "vosotros" and vocabulary words that are only used in Spain, and that kind of sucks for their students that go on to study in Spain. I guess it makes more sense to focus on the stuff that all Spanish speaking people use, but it would be nice if they at least taught us "vosotros."
Well, that's all for now.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Somos diferentes - Parte 2
I forgot two of the most important cultural differences- the greeting and their stereotypes of urban vs. suburban!
When you meet someone new, you give them a kiss on each cheek in addition to shaking hands and all that. I realized how formal, and dare I say, stiff we are when it comes to greeting people in the United States while talking to this guy in Barcelona. He asked the group of us how we greet people in the United States, and we told him that the first time, all we do is shake hands. With our friends, we'll shake hands, maybe give a quick nod (you know, the "hey, what's up?" nod), and sometimes, hug them (depending on how close we are), but we'd never do more than a handshake with strangers. He exclaimed something along the lines of, "How cold!" and I realized that it is indeed rather cold. In Spain, the greeting is a lot more warm and friendly. Despite the fact that greeting people in Spain requires getting a lot more into the personal space of a stranger, I haven't found it weird to transition into at all. It makes things feel a lot less formal, and I think it loosens people up a little bit. Plus, it kind of feels like everyone is family or close friends upon their first greeting, and I really like that. So, look out guys, I may come back to the states ready to kiss everyone on their cheeks!
Ok, on to the urban and suburban stereotypes. In Spain, the stereotypes concerning the inner-city and the suburbs are the complete opposite of American stereotypes. So, in Spain, the closer you are to actually living in the city, the better off you are. The richest neighborhoods are actually in the city and are close to the center. The poorer neighborhoods are in the suburbs. It is interesting to see this flip.
When you meet someone new, you give them a kiss on each cheek in addition to shaking hands and all that. I realized how formal, and dare I say, stiff we are when it comes to greeting people in the United States while talking to this guy in Barcelona. He asked the group of us how we greet people in the United States, and we told him that the first time, all we do is shake hands. With our friends, we'll shake hands, maybe give a quick nod (you know, the "hey, what's up?" nod), and sometimes, hug them (depending on how close we are), but we'd never do more than a handshake with strangers. He exclaimed something along the lines of, "How cold!" and I realized that it is indeed rather cold. In Spain, the greeting is a lot more warm and friendly. Despite the fact that greeting people in Spain requires getting a lot more into the personal space of a stranger, I haven't found it weird to transition into at all. It makes things feel a lot less formal, and I think it loosens people up a little bit. Plus, it kind of feels like everyone is family or close friends upon their first greeting, and I really like that. So, look out guys, I may come back to the states ready to kiss everyone on their cheeks!
Ok, on to the urban and suburban stereotypes. In Spain, the stereotypes concerning the inner-city and the suburbs are the complete opposite of American stereotypes. So, in Spain, the closer you are to actually living in the city, the better off you are. The richest neighborhoods are actually in the city and are close to the center. The poorer neighborhoods are in the suburbs. It is interesting to see this flip.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Somos diferentes
I just wanted to take a moment and highlight some of the cultural differences that I've noticed this first week in Spain.
The most obvious is the daily schedule. Spaniards are on the extreme Western end of their time zone, which means that the sun rises and sets at later times, plus they often add on extra hours, so that people can utilize as many hours in the daylight as possible. Because of this, Spaniards are known to do things 2 hours later than everyone else. To use a tour guide's example: A German will wake up at 6, a Spaniard at 8. A German eats dinner at 7, the Spaniard at 9. It is definitely something that has taken a little while to get used to, especially the late huge lunch. Instead of eating around noon, the Spanish eat around 2, and lunch is the most important meal of the day. The usual eating schedule looks like this: breakfast at 8ish, a mid-morning merienda (a very small snack - maybe a very small sandwich and a cup of coffee), lunch around 2, another merienda around 5 or 6, and dinner around 8 or 9. It's taken me a while to get used to this, but I do enjoy the later larger lunch and the smaller breakfast. I've never been a big fan of breakfast, and the Spanish breakfast is often some sort of thinly sliced meat (usually a sausage or ham), a bread, and fruit with coffee, water, and/or juice. It's nice and balanced. I like it. (There has also been an abundance of cheese at the hotels' continental breakfasts, which makes me happy!) Lunch is fabulous. When you go out, you get the daily meal - an appetizer, a main course, a dessert, and a drink all for about 10 Euro. I haven't had lunch with a family yet, but I'll let you know what it's like when I do.
Another cultural difference is the custom of tipping. In the U.S., we tip for EVERYTHING, and we are taught to tip generously. In Spain, you don't really tip people. In fact, prices at restaurants include the service charge (or what we would leave as a tip). It is sometimes considered an insult to leave large sums on the table, but if you are satisfied with a meal you can choose to leave a small 5% tip (if you want). The custom is usually to round up and leave some spare change. Other industries are taking up the restaurant industry's practices in regards to service charges. So, while things here may seem like they have a higher price, if you think about the inclusion of service charges, it's really not that much more expensive. It's also nice not to have to worry about tipping because there are often debates over how much to leave.
This may not be a cultural thing, but in hotels, you use your key card to use the electricity. Without your key, you can't turn on the lights or use the outlets to charge your electronics. It makes for a much more efficient use of energy because you can still turn off the lights while in the room, but once you leave, the lights will turn off automatically. The environmentalist in me definitely fell in love with this idea (and also made me think of a certain E-Stud major). I think American hotels could learn a thing or two from this system.
Oh, and churros y chocolate! It's a little merienda, and I'm pretty sure people usually have it in between lunch and dinner. Anyway, it's hot chocolate (which is, as I said before, basically melted chocolate served hot) and churros. You dip the churros into the hot chocolate, and it's, in a word, perfection. I really love the food here - a lot of meat and seafood and fruit. Can't beat that with a stick!
The most obvious is the daily schedule. Spaniards are on the extreme Western end of their time zone, which means that the sun rises and sets at later times, plus they often add on extra hours, so that people can utilize as many hours in the daylight as possible. Because of this, Spaniards are known to do things 2 hours later than everyone else. To use a tour guide's example: A German will wake up at 6, a Spaniard at 8. A German eats dinner at 7, the Spaniard at 9. It is definitely something that has taken a little while to get used to, especially the late huge lunch. Instead of eating around noon, the Spanish eat around 2, and lunch is the most important meal of the day. The usual eating schedule looks like this: breakfast at 8ish, a mid-morning merienda (a very small snack - maybe a very small sandwich and a cup of coffee), lunch around 2, another merienda around 5 or 6, and dinner around 8 or 9. It's taken me a while to get used to this, but I do enjoy the later larger lunch and the smaller breakfast. I've never been a big fan of breakfast, and the Spanish breakfast is often some sort of thinly sliced meat (usually a sausage or ham), a bread, and fruit with coffee, water, and/or juice. It's nice and balanced. I like it. (There has also been an abundance of cheese at the hotels' continental breakfasts, which makes me happy!) Lunch is fabulous. When you go out, you get the daily meal - an appetizer, a main course, a dessert, and a drink all for about 10 Euro. I haven't had lunch with a family yet, but I'll let you know what it's like when I do.
Another cultural difference is the custom of tipping. In the U.S., we tip for EVERYTHING, and we are taught to tip generously. In Spain, you don't really tip people. In fact, prices at restaurants include the service charge (or what we would leave as a tip). It is sometimes considered an insult to leave large sums on the table, but if you are satisfied with a meal you can choose to leave a small 5% tip (if you want). The custom is usually to round up and leave some spare change. Other industries are taking up the restaurant industry's practices in regards to service charges. So, while things here may seem like they have a higher price, if you think about the inclusion of service charges, it's really not that much more expensive. It's also nice not to have to worry about tipping because there are often debates over how much to leave.
This may not be a cultural thing, but in hotels, you use your key card to use the electricity. Without your key, you can't turn on the lights or use the outlets to charge your electronics. It makes for a much more efficient use of energy because you can still turn off the lights while in the room, but once you leave, the lights will turn off automatically. The environmentalist in me definitely fell in love with this idea (and also made me think of a certain E-Stud major). I think American hotels could learn a thing or two from this system.
Oh, and churros y chocolate! It's a little merienda, and I'm pretty sure people usually have it in between lunch and dinner. Anyway, it's hot chocolate (which is, as I said before, basically melted chocolate served hot) and churros. You dip the churros into the hot chocolate, and it's, in a word, perfection. I really love the food here - a lot of meat and seafood and fruit. Can't beat that with a stick!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
The Rain in Spain (a bit lengthy)
So, I know I promised pictures, but the internet is really slow here in Madrid (well, at least in the hotel). Maybe it'll be better in Barcelona. Well, it's been a while, and a lot has happened in the past couple of days. We've been so busy that I can't believe this is only the 6th day that I've been in Spain - it feels like it's been a lot longer.
The second day in Salamanca (2/5) we had a guided tour of the city and saw some cathedrals and went to the Plaza Mayor. Later, a bunch of us went out, and found a bar near the Plaza. That day happened to be Women's Day in Salamanca. There were a bunch of old ladies dressed up in traditional clothes walking around asking men (and only men) for donations. It was quite a sight and quite fabulous.
Saturday (2/6), we drove to Madrid, with a stop in Segovia to see El Alcazar, an old palace. I climbed the 150 (?) stairs in the spiral staircase to the top of the tower. I was definitely afraid of slipping on the stairs. Later, we stopped to see El Escorial, which was a monastery (I believe).
Sunday (2/7), we took a tour around Madrid and saw El Palacio Real, which was the old palace. The last king to live there was the current king's (Juan Carlos I) grandfather. They still use the palace for official ceremonies, but it's now a museum on a daily basis. The U.S. Ambassador to Spain was taking a tour while we were there and my group happened to be in the throne room at the same time he was. Our program director introduced the group and the Ambassador said "hi" to us. It was pretty cool. After the palace, we drove around Madrid, taking a panoramic tour of the city. Later, a group of us went to the Prado Museum during its free hours. I saw Velasquez's Las Meninas, a bunch of Goya's work (including Saturn Devouring His Child, the 2nd of May, and the 3rd of May), Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights, and I think I saw some Rubens (but I'm not sure...I was pretty tired by the time I got to that area). Anyway, it was so cool to see all of these famous works that I've studied in various classes in person. After dinner, I had planned to go watch the Superbowl, but it started at 12:30 AM here, so I went with a group to a jazz bar. It was lovely. The live band was fantastic!
Yesterday (2/8), we took a day trip to Toledo (that's Toh-lay-doh, not Toh-lee-doh). Again, we saw a bunch of churches/religious buildings. It's getting difficult to remember all of the different churches, especially since the vast majority of them are Gothic structures with Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Neo-Classic decorations inside. Well, it was rainy and cold yesterday, and I was feeling a little homesick, so yesterday was not that great of a day. I was also exhausted and ended up sleeping from about 5 pm to 1 am (oops), but that didn't stop me from sleeping a full night's sleep later. I think I've finally caught up on all of the sleep I've missed (here's hoping...).
Tomorrow, we head out to Barcelona for a couple of days. I'm really excited!
The second day in Salamanca (2/5) we had a guided tour of the city and saw some cathedrals and went to the Plaza Mayor. Later, a bunch of us went out, and found a bar near the Plaza. That day happened to be Women's Day in Salamanca. There were a bunch of old ladies dressed up in traditional clothes walking around asking men (and only men) for donations. It was quite a sight and quite fabulous.
Saturday (2/6), we drove to Madrid, with a stop in Segovia to see El Alcazar, an old palace. I climbed the 150 (?) stairs in the spiral staircase to the top of the tower. I was definitely afraid of slipping on the stairs. Later, we stopped to see El Escorial, which was a monastery (I believe).
Sunday (2/7), we took a tour around Madrid and saw El Palacio Real, which was the old palace. The last king to live there was the current king's (Juan Carlos I) grandfather. They still use the palace for official ceremonies, but it's now a museum on a daily basis. The U.S. Ambassador to Spain was taking a tour while we were there and my group happened to be in the throne room at the same time he was. Our program director introduced the group and the Ambassador said "hi" to us. It was pretty cool. After the palace, we drove around Madrid, taking a panoramic tour of the city. Later, a group of us went to the Prado Museum during its free hours. I saw Velasquez's Las Meninas, a bunch of Goya's work (including Saturn Devouring His Child, the 2nd of May, and the 3rd of May), Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights, and I think I saw some Rubens (but I'm not sure...I was pretty tired by the time I got to that area). Anyway, it was so cool to see all of these famous works that I've studied in various classes in person. After dinner, I had planned to go watch the Superbowl, but it started at 12:30 AM here, so I went with a group to a jazz bar. It was lovely. The live band was fantastic!
Yesterday (2/8), we took a day trip to Toledo (that's Toh-lay-doh, not Toh-lee-doh). Again, we saw a bunch of churches/religious buildings. It's getting difficult to remember all of the different churches, especially since the vast majority of them are Gothic structures with Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Neo-Classic decorations inside. Well, it was rainy and cold yesterday, and I was feeling a little homesick, so yesterday was not that great of a day. I was also exhausted and ended up sleeping from about 5 pm to 1 am (oops), but that didn't stop me from sleeping a full night's sleep later. I think I've finally caught up on all of the sleep I've missed (here's hoping...).
Tomorrow, we head out to Barcelona for a couple of days. I'm really excited!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
¡Hola España!
Well, I made it! I am in Spain and I am exhausted (a hazard of a transatlantic flight). The flights were pretty uneventful - we had a lot of turbulence, but it wasn't too bad. We landed in Madrid a little early (HUZZAH!) and got all the luggage stuff squared away and headed out to our first stop on the Orientation tour - Salamanca (with a pit stop in Ávila).
The scenery was beautiful on the way to Salamanca (pictures to come - I'm low on battery and without a charger).
As I mentioned above, we took a lunch/merienda break in Ávila - this fabulous city that still has a very medieval look to it (complete with a stone wall surrounding the perimeter). I think I have found my dream city to live in. We didn't spend too much time there, so I'm basing this all off of looks, but it looks like a charming place to be.
After our lunch, we continued on our way to Salamanca. We arrived in the late afternoon and we're staying in this wonderful hotel. It's gorgeous - again, pictures to come. After settling in, my roommates and I walked around the city, just walking down any street that looked promising. Salamanca has this wonderful old world charm to it, but at the same time, there are very modern (and very American) chain stores occupying these old style buildings. It is interesting to see this mix of old and new.
There are also quite a few churches (our hotel is across the street from this beautiful cathedral - I believe it's in some sort of Gothic style), which are all gorgeous. I think they, as well as other historic landmarks, give this city the traditional vibe that it has despite the chain stores.
After wandering around, we decided to do what all people in my generation do, get on the internet! The gorgeous fancy shmancy hotel charges a daily fee for use of the internet, so we decided to head to a little cafe/bar and take advantage of their WiFi and chocolate clásico (or hot chocolate). Let me tell you something, this is not just ordinary hot chocolate the way we Americans think of it (thank you, Swiss Miss). No, this is basically chocolate melted down and served hot...well, at least that's what it tastes like. I have no idea if there is any liquid in it or not. It is quite possibly the best hot chocolate I have ever had (although, I do love Mexican Hot Chocolate, which is a brick of chocolate melted down and served hot). It was so rich and delicious. It might also prove the perfect pick me up to get me to last to a decent hour so I can adjust to Spanish time!
All in all, I am loving it here! The one complaint I have is that Europeans (and Spaniards) LOVE to smoke. It's commonplace here to smoke inside almost any establishment. So far, it's the only thing I don't like about Spain.
Well, my battery is quite low now, and this post is quite long, so I will sign off. I promise that once we get to free WiFi in the hotel rooms, I will post some pictures!
The scenery was beautiful on the way to Salamanca (pictures to come - I'm low on battery and without a charger).
As I mentioned above, we took a lunch/merienda break in Ávila - this fabulous city that still has a very medieval look to it (complete with a stone wall surrounding the perimeter). I think I have found my dream city to live in. We didn't spend too much time there, so I'm basing this all off of looks, but it looks like a charming place to be.
After our lunch, we continued on our way to Salamanca. We arrived in the late afternoon and we're staying in this wonderful hotel. It's gorgeous - again, pictures to come. After settling in, my roommates and I walked around the city, just walking down any street that looked promising. Salamanca has this wonderful old world charm to it, but at the same time, there are very modern (and very American) chain stores occupying these old style buildings. It is interesting to see this mix of old and new.
There are also quite a few churches (our hotel is across the street from this beautiful cathedral - I believe it's in some sort of Gothic style), which are all gorgeous. I think they, as well as other historic landmarks, give this city the traditional vibe that it has despite the chain stores.
After wandering around, we decided to do what all people in my generation do, get on the internet! The gorgeous fancy shmancy hotel charges a daily fee for use of the internet, so we decided to head to a little cafe/bar and take advantage of their WiFi and chocolate clásico (or hot chocolate). Let me tell you something, this is not just ordinary hot chocolate the way we Americans think of it (thank you, Swiss Miss). No, this is basically chocolate melted down and served hot...well, at least that's what it tastes like. I have no idea if there is any liquid in it or not. It is quite possibly the best hot chocolate I have ever had (although, I do love Mexican Hot Chocolate, which is a brick of chocolate melted down and served hot). It was so rich and delicious. It might also prove the perfect pick me up to get me to last to a decent hour so I can adjust to Spanish time!
All in all, I am loving it here! The one complaint I have is that Europeans (and Spaniards) LOVE to smoke. It's commonplace here to smoke inside almost any establishment. So far, it's the only thing I don't like about Spain.
Well, my battery is quite low now, and this post is quite long, so I will sign off. I promise that once we get to free WiFi in the hotel rooms, I will post some pictures!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Operation Packing: Success!
I have about 7 hours until I embark on my flight to Spain. I just finished packing my checked luggage. I weighed my large suitcase, and (drumroll, please....)
IT WAS 50 LBS.!!!!!!!!! No surprises in store for me at the airport tomorrow, unlike last time (see previous entry entitled "Home"...).
Anyway, now that the stress of packing is (almost) over, it's sinking in that I am indeed leaving the country tomorrow, and I won't be back for 4 months! It's very exciting and also very nerve-wracking, but mostly, EXCITING!
Next time I update, it'll be from SPAIN!
¡Hasta luego!
IT WAS 50 LBS.!!!!!!!!! No surprises in store for me at the airport tomorrow, unlike last time (see previous entry entitled "Home"...).
Anyway, now that the stress of packing is (almost) over, it's sinking in that I am indeed leaving the country tomorrow, and I won't be back for 4 months! It's very exciting and also very nerve-wracking, but mostly, EXCITING!
Next time I update, it'll be from SPAIN!
¡Hasta luego!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Nerves...
Ever since I decided to study abroad in Spain, I've been on a roller coaster ride of emotions, usually ranging somewhere between anxious-excited and anxious-nervous. Of course, I'm really excited to study abroad, especially in southern Spain. Ever since we learned about El Cid, la Alhambra, and la Mezquita in high school, I've wanted to visit the region. At the same time, I'm nervous that my speaking skills won't be good enough and that my nerves and tendency to be embarrassed speaking a different language to native speakers will hinder me in increasing my fluency. I was thinking about this the other day, and I realized that I don't know how to say "speak slower" in Spanish. I can say "habla más rápido," but that's asking people to speak faster, not slower. All these years of Spanish, and the word for "slower" has never been burned into my mind. You'd think I would be able to remember it as it would be handy in trying to overcome language and accent barriers. After further musing on this matter, I thought of it as either a really good thing or a really bad thing. Obviously, it is a bad thing because native speakers speak Spanish faster than I can process it, so I should be able to ask them to slow down. On the other hand, I have to listen carefully and try and get over my fears of making mistakes. I can't rely on the crutch of asking people to speak slower if I can't remember the word. So, maybe it'll be a benefit. I don't know. I'll let you know in about a month.
Thanks for listening to/reading my ramblings.
¡Hasta luego!
Thanks for listening to/reading my ramblings.
¡Hasta luego!
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