Hello all!
Just a quick update before I head off to Madrid on Thursday for 5 days with my program...haven't been up to much in the last week or so. I've just relaxed at the house the last 2 weekends, which, although I do certainly enjoy traveling, I will admit that it's really nice just to relax, watch some movies, sleep, and study on the weekend. Last Thursday I went out to midnight tea with my roommate and another friend. I got some yummy jasmine tea and we just sat and talked for a while, so that was really fun. I'm giving my presentation in my culture class on Olive Oil on Wednesday, which is pretty interesting, but it'll be nice to get that done with so I don't have to worry about it anymore. Other than that, I'm just excited right now to go to Madrid!! We're going for 5 days and get to see lots of important buildings, and experience lots of things in Madrid that I didn't get to when I first arrived in Spain, before I came to Granada, so it'll be really nice to be able to experience it with the program. We also get to go to Segovia, which is known for the roman aqueduct, and Toledo, which is known for its steel and gold. Should be fun!
Hope everyone's doing well. Talk to you later!
Kailey
p.s. I'm still working on getting pictures up, but for some reason it still won't let me...sorry!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Finally back in Granada
Whew...the last 2 1/2 weeks have been so fun, but so busy and frankly I'm thankful to have a few weeks or so to rest in Granada and take things at my own pace. We got back from Valencia a week ago today and I've still got a week and a half until we head off again, this time to Madrid for 5 days with our program.
Valencia was very fun. We started it off a little rusty by taking a 9-hour busride that started at 2:30 in the morning but luckily I was able to sleep most of the time and we got there at a decent hour. The first evening there we discovered that it was the Valencia holiday so we got to watch a really neat parade with tons and tons of groups of people carrying swords and dressed up in neat costumes which looked like they had some Middle Eastern influence. It was really neat to see...and there were SO many people!!
The next day we went to check out a market and silk exchange that a travel guide suggested, but it turned out just to be a produce market, and all that was left of the silk exchange was the building. Neat, but not exactly what we were looking for. Paella the next day and a trip to the beach made up for it, though. In the morning we attempted to go to the aquarium at the "Ciudad de las Artes y Ciencias" (literally meaning The City of the Arts and Sciences--it's their HUGE museum complex there, in Valencia), but we were silly and didn't think of the fact that there would be lots of people there on a Saturday morning. We foolishly got there at around 11:00, thinking there'd be no line. But oh well, it wasn't meant to be. After that we headed to the beach, which, I must say, is very pretty, although there is no shade. I've definitely seen pretty much all types of beach in Spain--the ones in the South, in Nerja; in the North in San Sebastian; and in the East in Valencia on the Mediterranean. We headed to lunch at one of the many beach-front restaurants that line the shore. It was delicious! One of my friends and I shared a lobster paella. The flavor was so delicate, and it had just the right about of "fishiness." I'm definitely going to try and replicate that one at home, Mom, though I doubt it will compare to real Valencian paella. There's a reason why that city is known for its paella. Later that night we also went to a Flamenco show. There were only probably around 70 people and it was in a pretty small venue so it felt really personal and it was neat to watch of course, too, since Flamenco really is THE Spanish dance.
Since getting back from Valencia, all I've really been doing this past week is trying to relax and get work done. Next week I've got a presentation on Olive Oil which, although it sounds like a simple topic, includes a 10 minute presentation to the class, in Spanish of course, and lots of research, too, but it'll be fine. It's an interesting topic anyhow, because for those of you who know me, know that I'm a complete foodie, so anything that has to do with cooking or food will be of interest to me.
Today I started a volunteer position where I work in a local school, called El Caramelo, and teach english to 7 and 8-year-olds there. It's just for an hour on Mondays after my culture class, but I think it's going to be a wonderful experience. It was pretty simple today--all they had me do was take pairs of kids out of the class and go over simple things like the months of the year, days of the weak, numbers, and how to ask basic questions, with them. Next week they want me to do a presentation thing on Halloween so that will be fun. It's all in English, too, so it's easy, but at the same time, the teacher has told them that I don't speak Spanish and it's really hard not to slip up and just explain something to them in Spanish if they don't understand in English. It was really fun today, though. At the end of the class, when I left, they all said together, "Goodbye teacher. Thank you very much. See you later," in perfect english. Very cute! It sorta makes me want to do education.
Well, I better get back to studying...hope everyone is doing well. I've already been here 2 months. Time sure flies! I've got less than 8 weeks left to enjoy. In fact, I'll be home exactly 2 months from today. Wow!
Hope everyone has a lovely Monday. Take care.
¡Hasta luego!
Kailey
Valencia was very fun. We started it off a little rusty by taking a 9-hour busride that started at 2:30 in the morning but luckily I was able to sleep most of the time and we got there at a decent hour. The first evening there we discovered that it was the Valencia holiday so we got to watch a really neat parade with tons and tons of groups of people carrying swords and dressed up in neat costumes which looked like they had some Middle Eastern influence. It was really neat to see...and there were SO many people!!
The next day we went to check out a market and silk exchange that a travel guide suggested, but it turned out just to be a produce market, and all that was left of the silk exchange was the building. Neat, but not exactly what we were looking for. Paella the next day and a trip to the beach made up for it, though. In the morning we attempted to go to the aquarium at the "Ciudad de las Artes y Ciencias" (literally meaning The City of the Arts and Sciences--it's their HUGE museum complex there, in Valencia), but we were silly and didn't think of the fact that there would be lots of people there on a Saturday morning. We foolishly got there at around 11:00, thinking there'd be no line. But oh well, it wasn't meant to be. After that we headed to the beach, which, I must say, is very pretty, although there is no shade. I've definitely seen pretty much all types of beach in Spain--the ones in the South, in Nerja; in the North in San Sebastian; and in the East in Valencia on the Mediterranean. We headed to lunch at one of the many beach-front restaurants that line the shore. It was delicious! One of my friends and I shared a lobster paella. The flavor was so delicate, and it had just the right about of "fishiness." I'm definitely going to try and replicate that one at home, Mom, though I doubt it will compare to real Valencian paella. There's a reason why that city is known for its paella. Later that night we also went to a Flamenco show. There were only probably around 70 people and it was in a pretty small venue so it felt really personal and it was neat to watch of course, too, since Flamenco really is THE Spanish dance.
Since getting back from Valencia, all I've really been doing this past week is trying to relax and get work done. Next week I've got a presentation on Olive Oil which, although it sounds like a simple topic, includes a 10 minute presentation to the class, in Spanish of course, and lots of research, too, but it'll be fine. It's an interesting topic anyhow, because for those of you who know me, know that I'm a complete foodie, so anything that has to do with cooking or food will be of interest to me.
Today I started a volunteer position where I work in a local school, called El Caramelo, and teach english to 7 and 8-year-olds there. It's just for an hour on Mondays after my culture class, but I think it's going to be a wonderful experience. It was pretty simple today--all they had me do was take pairs of kids out of the class and go over simple things like the months of the year, days of the weak, numbers, and how to ask basic questions, with them. Next week they want me to do a presentation thing on Halloween so that will be fun. It's all in English, too, so it's easy, but at the same time, the teacher has told them that I don't speak Spanish and it's really hard not to slip up and just explain something to them in Spanish if they don't understand in English. It was really fun today, though. At the end of the class, when I left, they all said together, "Goodbye teacher. Thank you very much. See you later," in perfect english. Very cute! It sorta makes me want to do education.
Well, I better get back to studying...hope everyone is doing well. I've already been here 2 months. Time sure flies! I've got less than 8 weeks left to enjoy. In fact, I'll be home exactly 2 months from today. Wow!
Hope everyone has a lovely Monday. Take care.
¡Hasta luego!
Kailey
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Hi! 2 months later...
So clearly I'm horrible at keeping people updated by means of this blog...I'll try and be better about it, or at least better than updating it only once every 2 months. Sorry!
In the last, well, 2 months since I've written, I've finished my Intensivo course (a month-long intensive Spanish course where they drill it into your head for 4 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 4 weeks), and this week started my actual classes. I think they'll be really challenging but hopefully I'll enjoy them. I think I'm going to be taking an art history class covering the prehistoric age to the Renaissance, which should be interesting. I'm also continuing to take the Culture class taught by our program directors over here, as well as 2 grammar classes which should be good to help me solidify my grammar.
Last week, after midterms, I took a trip with 4 other girls to San Sebastian, a city in northern Spain in the Basque Region. It's so beautiful there--so much GREEN! It reminds me of the Pacific NW. The city is right on the water literally, so you get the best of both worlds--the green rolling hills which I've heard look like Ireland, and the Mediterranean/tropical feel of the beach. There is a castle on one side of the city, so on the first day we hiked up to the top of it to take in the gorgeous view of the city and the sea below.
The second day of our trip we went to Bilbao, a small city about an hour outside of San Sebastian, where the Guggenheim Museum is located. It was a neat museum, but very modern...almost too modern for my taste but it was interesting and enjoyable all the same of course. One of the works of art that is famous there is a giant dog made out of flowers that sits outside of the entrance to the museum. It's really neat, and so huge!!
We also did a number of other things in San Sebastian, including visiting a fresh produce market and going on a walking tour of the city. The last day we took a boat ride out of the bay and around a bit of the mainland, and hiked to the other side of the city where there is also a big hill/small mountain you can go up and enjoy the view from up top. It is supposedly "one of the prettiest views in all of Spain" and I definitely think that's true.
San Sebastian was really amazing! I miss the green :) But tonight, in 2.5 hours (it's midnight here so at 2:30 in the morning) we're leaving on a bus to go to Valencia for 4 days since we have another break this weekend. I'm really excited! Valencia is know for its silk, and paella. I just hope I can sleep on the bus since it's a 7.5 hours busride! Yikes! :)
Hope you're all doing well. I've already been here almost 2 months! (And I've only written in my blog like 3 times.) And that means I have 2 months left. Wow. Time flies. I'm enjoying it so much more now that I'm settled in.
Have a lovely Thursday! It's 4 minutes until Friday here, but most of you are still in the middle of the day...
Take care,
Kailey
p.s. I've tried loading pictures up here but it doesn't work for some reason...hopefully I'll figure it out so I can show you some of the places I've been :)
In the last, well, 2 months since I've written, I've finished my Intensivo course (a month-long intensive Spanish course where they drill it into your head for 4 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 4 weeks), and this week started my actual classes. I think they'll be really challenging but hopefully I'll enjoy them. I think I'm going to be taking an art history class covering the prehistoric age to the Renaissance, which should be interesting. I'm also continuing to take the Culture class taught by our program directors over here, as well as 2 grammar classes which should be good to help me solidify my grammar.
Last week, after midterms, I took a trip with 4 other girls to San Sebastian, a city in northern Spain in the Basque Region. It's so beautiful there--so much GREEN! It reminds me of the Pacific NW. The city is right on the water literally, so you get the best of both worlds--the green rolling hills which I've heard look like Ireland, and the Mediterranean/tropical feel of the beach. There is a castle on one side of the city, so on the first day we hiked up to the top of it to take in the gorgeous view of the city and the sea below.
The second day of our trip we went to Bilbao, a small city about an hour outside of San Sebastian, where the Guggenheim Museum is located. It was a neat museum, but very modern...almost too modern for my taste but it was interesting and enjoyable all the same of course. One of the works of art that is famous there is a giant dog made out of flowers that sits outside of the entrance to the museum. It's really neat, and so huge!!
We also did a number of other things in San Sebastian, including visiting a fresh produce market and going on a walking tour of the city. The last day we took a boat ride out of the bay and around a bit of the mainland, and hiked to the other side of the city where there is also a big hill/small mountain you can go up and enjoy the view from up top. It is supposedly "one of the prettiest views in all of Spain" and I definitely think that's true.
San Sebastian was really amazing! I miss the green :) But tonight, in 2.5 hours (it's midnight here so at 2:30 in the morning) we're leaving on a bus to go to Valencia for 4 days since we have another break this weekend. I'm really excited! Valencia is know for its silk, and paella. I just hope I can sleep on the bus since it's a 7.5 hours busride! Yikes! :)
Hope you're all doing well. I've already been here almost 2 months! (And I've only written in my blog like 3 times.) And that means I have 2 months left. Wow. Time flies. I'm enjoying it so much more now that I'm settled in.
Have a lovely Thursday! It's 4 minutes until Friday here, but most of you are still in the middle of the day...
Take care,
Kailey
p.s. I've tried loading pictures up here but it doesn't work for some reason...hopefully I'll figure it out so I can show you some of the places I've been :)
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