A few of the things I learned while studying abroad

1. You probably won't know every vocab word (do you in English?) but that shouldn't stop you from trying to communicate.
2. I love M&Ms a lot and they are a lot more expensive in Europe. 
3. Not everyone is going to like you- accept it, move on, and have a good time anyways.
4. Everyone has something to offer.
5. You can learn something from everyone. 
6. Embrace the new culture- you have a lot to learn. 
7. You learn so much OUTSIDE of the classroom.
8. I don't know... maybe... a new language?
9. Reading will speed up your learning and increase your vocab significantly. 
10. Learning something new > being embarrassed because you said something incorrectly. 
11. How to travel as much as possible for as cheaply as possible. 
12. God sends you strangers to help you out along the way. 
13. The random person sitting next you on the plane could be your next best friend. 
14. Baguettes drowning in nutella are worth every single calorie. 
15. Don't sweat gaining a few pounds- the food is worth it. 
16. You really don't need that much clothing to survive.
17. Some people are obsessed with apples. And others are obsessed with sidra.
18. They know you're foreign so accept it. 
19. Beer can taste like fruit snacks.
20. Try everything at least once, you'll probably be surprised. 
21. It's normal to peel the spines/bones out of your dinner. 
22. Grocery stores close at 9, plan appropriately. 
23. A lot  of (most) stores are closed on Sundays. 
24. That no matter how many miles separate you, your true friends won't forget you or stop loving you. 
25. The ins and outs of a new city. 
26. Being open to letting new people impact and change you life will teach you more than you can imagine. 
27. First impressions aren't always the best impressions. 
28. The way you are inherently can be a life lesson to someone else.
29. Disney music is just as good in Spanish as it is in English. 
30. Even people in Spain think I spell my name with two 'n's.
31. Spanish people think they "eespeak eeSpanish in eeSpain" when really they "speak Spanish in Spain." (sometimes I don't have the weirdest English accent)
32. Your dinner will have eyes sometimes. 
33. If you think it's a sidewalk, it's probably a street. 
34. The wimps go home at 4AM. 
35. There is no such thing as personal space.
36. No expect to find things at the same stores you would find them at in the US. 
37. In one meal, you will be served enough food to feed a family of four. Twice. 
38. On Spanish calendars, the weeks start on Mondays. 
39. Make native friends.
40. The Spanish don't really know how to do anything quickly. 
41. The Spanish have no concept of how long things really take (hence the reason they are frequently late).
42. You will forget to eat without bread. 
43. Prepare to miss American peanut-butter.
44. Your feet and public transportation can get you everywhere you need to go. 
45. Life here is all about family, friends, and community. 
46. They weren't kidding when they called la Asturias a natural paradise. 
47. Everyone in Europe wears scarves. 
48. Man purses are acceptable. 
49. They will probably think you speak great Spanish and refuse to believe they can speak English. 
50. Naps can be part of your daily life if you want without judgment.  

Don't make me leave this paradise

This past weekend, our director, Jaime, took us on a weekend excursion. We left Saturday morning and took a bus to a small town called Aseigu de Cabrales where we learned A LOT about the process of making goat cheese (we even saw the caves they keep it in). After our little tour of the Ruta de Queso, we went to an Espicha (a style of eating in Spain) and learned about the Sidra they make in that town. The sidra came from the ceiling and I think it is the best sidra I have had here. We ate a lot of really good food including the goat cheese we had learned about. After we got back on the bus and drove for another hour or so to a small town called Potes where we spent the night. We had dinner in the hotel and just hung out after dinner.

Sunday morning after breakfast, we took a short bus ride to the Monastery of St. Toribio de Liebana. At this monastery, the biggest piece of the Holy Cross is located and we got to touch it! The piece is from the left side of the cross and it is bigger than the piece of the cross at St. Peter's in Rome. It was moved to this monastery when the Christians were fighting the moors in order to protect it. After that awesome adventure, we headed to a mountain range (we spent the whole weekend in Picos de Europa) in Cantabria (the Spanish state next to the Asturias). We took a funicular up the side of the mountain (I was so scared!) but the view from the top was absolutely incredible. We hiked around for a bit and then had lunch on the top. After we started our bus ride back to Oviedo. At one point, when we were on the road that separated the mountains on the left and the beach on the right, Shannon turned to me and said "Mountains on the left, beach on the right, where are we?" and I responded "Paradise?"

It was such a wonderful weekend and it was so great that the whole group got to go. I'm not ready to leave Spain- I wish I had more time. Time has flown, I can't believe I have been here for four and half months.

A horse named Zeus

Today we didn't have school because it's Spain's version of Labor Day so Shannon and I got on another bus headed to Cangas de Onis. From there we transferred buses and took a short bus ride to Soto de Cangas (a little pueblo) to El Dorado, a horseback riding place!
We spent two hours horseback riding through the Asturias, don't be jealous it wasn't amazingly beautiful or anything. My horse's name was Zeus and Shannon's was Yankee. At one point my horse decided to lay down (his front legs) which created a nice little slide for me. It's just a good thing that it was my horse that decided he didn't want me on him anymore because Shannon wouldn't have been a happy camper. Of course, we stopped for Sidra along the way- this is Spain after all.
Overall it was a lovely day and I'm happy as always to be in Spain!

What a Semana Santa it was!

Hi friends, Felices Pascuas!

This past week we didn't have school because of Holy Week and my mom and I did some traveling. If you have been reading my blog during the semester you know how much I can write about different weekend trips... so I'm going to try and give a shorter version of the last week. As always pictures will be on facebook soon and if you want to know more just ask!

On Saturday the 16th, Shannon and I flew to Lisboa (Lisbon), Portugal to meet up with my mom who landed a few hours before us. It was super easy to get from the airport to the hotel (something Shannon and I aren't used to at all) and we ended up not having to pay for the bus. That night we walked to the oldest part of Lisboa and had a nice, traditional Portuguese dinner accompanied by green wine. The next day, Sunday, we did our main touring using a Lisboa card that provided us with free entrance into certain museums and a metro pass. We started at the Cathedral (the oldest building in Lisbon), followed by St. George's Castle, and then went to church for an English mass but there were very misbehaved children and we couldn't really hear much. Next we headed to Jeronimos' Monastery but stopped a nice market before we entered the Monastery followed by Belem Tower (with the narrowest steps but an awesome view!). Belem Tower is actually sitting in the water and you have to take a little bridge to get there. After about eight hours of touring, we ate some lunch/dinner depending on the schedule you are used to and wandered back towards the hotel. We did a little grocery shopping (so we could make PB&Js) and had a little dessert on the top floor of the hotel (with an awesome view of the city!). On Monday we took a train to Estoril beach and had a really tough day just laying on the beach, soaking in sun, and working really hard. That night for dinner we had Pizza Hut because Shannon and I sometimes miss American food. Shannon left really early Tuesday morning for Oviedo and my mom and I left middle of the day for Barcelona.

Tuesday night in Barcelona we walked La Rambla (a street filled with shops) and ate a Spanish dinner. Wednesday we walked around the city for eight hours (my feet hated me after that) but we saw alot! We went to the top of Montjuic for a lovely view of Barcelona, saw the famous Christopher Columbus statue, did some shopping, went to the Aquarium (the second biggest in Europe), and went the Picasso museum (which has his painting of Velásquez's Las Meninas (personally I prefer Velásquez's version which we saw in El Prado during our orientation week in Madrid)). On Thursday we did a six hour highlight tour (on a bus- yay!). The morning was all about Gaudi and we got to see Parc Guell, a few of the houses he designed, and La Sagrada Familia! It was awesome especially since the week before break we were studying Gaudi in my art class. I can give you more information about Gaudi if you want. Then in the afternoon we saw more highlights of the city (some of the monuments we saw on foot the day before), learned some history of the city, saw the Olympic stadium, and went to Pueblo Espanol (a reproduction of buildings of all over Spain). We went back to the hotel and took a siesta after all that and then went out for dinner. On Friday we went to a little mountain  community about an hour outside of the city called Montserrat where the Virgin Mary was sighted. It was a beautiful, beautiful place to visit (and get away from the world if you wanted to). On Saturday we flew to Oviedo. I was definitely missing my little Spanish city. Shannon and I took my mom around to the main highlights of Oviedo, we went for chocolate con churros (a delicious dessert), and out to a Sidreria to try the Sidra (the traditional drink of the Asturias). My mom got to meet my host parents too. On Easter, the three of  us went to mass at the church Shannon and I normally go to and then my mom and I walked to the park that I like to walk to on the edge of Oviedo before going to have lunch with Shannon's host family (who have sort of  adopted me). It was a really great Easter.

My mom got a good taste of Spain and my life in Oviedo I think. She tried most of my favorite foods here- tortilla, fabada, paella, chocolate con churros...

This morning my friend Lily drove my mom to the airport really early. I can't believe I only have a month left here- I'm not ready for this semester to be over!!!

Besos,
Ana

We came, We saw, We wandered

Hello friends!

First I want to thank everyone, near and far, for making my birthday wonderful.

This weekend, I traveled to Amsterdam and Paris- it was quite the weekend. On Friday night we took a flight out of the Oviedo airport at 11PM to Barcelona and then at 6:45 AM we took a flight from Barcelona to Amsterdam. There were six of us from Temple, Felicia, Jenna, Dana, Kiersten, Shannon and I. It was a long night but most of us managed to get a few hours of sleep on the uncomfortable airport benches. When we arrived in Amsterdam at 9AM we all took a train to the central train station. On Saturday we went to the Van Gogh Museum all together before Shannon and I went off on our own a bit (since the other girls were staying for the whole weekend they did the other museums later). We did the Heineken experience and toured the Anne Frank house. The Heineken experience was actually a lot of fun, they told us about  the process of making the beer and gave us some of the history. The Anne Frank house was a great thing to be able to see. I of course cried when we watched the video of her dad talking about her diary. I thought it was awesome that we got to see her actual diary and that there was a specific exhibit on her sister, Margot. It is sad and hard to imagine eight people hiding in that space. After a long day we checked into our hostel and when I handed the person at the front desk our reservation he started talking to me in German because of my last name. Luckily he also spoke English.

On Sunday morning Shannon and I took a train from Amsterdam to Paris and all I have to say about arriving in Paris is that we had an adventure trying to get out of the train station and to our next destination, Versailles. The Palace of Versailles is the biggest palace in Europe and it was very elaborate but don't think you are going to get good directions to Marie Antoinette's estates...at least not in English. We never found them but we made a solid effort. We also decided to buy metro passes which was a very good idea since we were able to get around for all three days with them and the metro is relatively easy to figure out. We went to mass on Sunday night at Notre Dame, it was amazing to say the least even though we were both very tired and not feeling 100%. After mass we made the long awaited trek to our hostel which was located in the Montmartre area of Paris. We stayed in a six person room with four other girls who all turned out to be really awesome.  One of the girls, Julie, was on a two month trip around different parts of Europe. She is from Norway and can speak four or five languages. You wouldn't have known that she wasn't a native English speaker. The other three girls...wait for it...wait for it.... WERE FROM MINNESOTA!!!! They are students at the U of M and currently studying in England. Yup, so that was awesome.

Anyways on Monday we headed first to the Louvre. Now if you want to talk about a maze of a museum, the Louvre is a great example- Shannon and I were lost in Ancient Egypt for a solid half an hour at least. There is SO much art, we spent a couple of hours there but we barely scratched the surface I think. We did get to see famous works like the Mona Lisa. After we headed to Sainte Chapelle church- I have never seen such beautiful stained glass in my entire life. The entire chapel is stained glass- definitely check out my pictures on facebook for that. After we headed back Notre Dame where I lit a candle for my friend Kevin who talked about studying abroad in Paris. The Notre Dame treasury also houses the relics of the crown of thrones, pretty cool huh? I think Notre Dame was probably my favorite thing we saw in Paris- it was so beautiful words can't really describe it. Then we headed to the Pantheon but we couldn't go inside because it was closed until today. After we headed back to our hostel for a study/dinner break. We made arroz cubano because we missed Spain so we thought we should make ourselves some Spanish food. Monday night we went to the Arc of Triumph and had an amazing view of the city; however, that view was put to shame by the view we saw a half an hour later at the top of the Eiffel Tower. We went all the way to the top, I was personally not really a fan of the height but the view was pretty epic. I think Shannon fell in love with Paris on the top of the Eiffel Tour the way I fell in love with Galway so in a few years you will know where to find us in our respective cities.

Tuesday we had a light day but we did enjoy snacking on a French baguette with a jar of nutella...no judgment please. We went first the the Sacre Coeur church and then to the Moulin Rouge, and finally to the Musee de Orsay. However by this point we were pretty close to done enjoying looking at art. We spent some time just sitting on a park bench studying for our art test. Then we took a train and a bus to the airport. On the bus we met a really cool Australian family who was very happy to find some more English speakers. Our flight landed in Santander at 9:30 PM and our bus didn't leave until 3:30 bringing us back to Oviedo at 6AM. It's all part of the adventure I guess.

Pictures will be posted within a day or two.

Besos

Ana

'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue

"And I lost my  heart to [a] Galway..."

This past weekend, I traveled to Ireland with three friends from the Temple group- Shannon, Andrea, and John and I fell in love. We had to leave at 1 AM between Wednesday and Thursday even though our flight was at 11AM- I just love the ALSA's (Spanish bus company) schedules. The flight from Santander, Spain to Dublin, Ireland is only two hours but there is a time difference and so we arrived at noon. We took a bus straight to our hostel because our hostel was conveniently located two minutes from the central bus station. We were able to check in early and we took much needed naps before heading to my friend who is also studying abroad this semester, Amanda's apartment. She spent the afternoon and early night showing us some parts of Dublin like St. Stephen's green (a gorgeous park in the middle of Dublin) and the shopping street. Of course we had to stop and try a few chocolates from her favorite chocolate store. Then all five of us ate at a pub near the Temple bar area. I tried traditional Irish stew with lamb and it was delicious!!! It was also very wonderful to get to spend time with someone from home.

On Friday, the four of us toured the city of Dublin by a Hop on, Hop off bus. It is a cheap and efficient way to see the city, we paid about fifteen euro and it took us all over Dublin and told us history of the city and the places it stopped along the way. You can get on and off the bus as many times as you want for two days. Our first stop was Trinity College, founded by Queen Elizabeth I in 1593 on lands that her father, King Henry VIII , had taken. In the old library (aka my heaven, I almost cried at the beauty of this library, seriously shelves and shelves of the oldest books in the library and you would have to climb a ladder to reach many of the shelves), they have the Book of Kells, an elaborate copy of the Gospels in Latin. It was beautiful. Our next stop was Christ Church Cathedral followed by St. Patrick's Cathedral. Dublin has two cathedrals because St. Patrick's was built outside of the city to avoid paying the high taxes and having to follow all the rules. We also saw Dublin Castle, the Guinness Storehouse (the only real brewery left in Ireland, the rest (and there were many) have disappeared), and the Gaol. The Gaol (Jail) has a museum with lots of information on Ireland's history. During the potato famine many tried to end up in jail because jail food was considered a luxury. Friday night we mostly just hung out in our hostel, we cooked ourselves dinner in the hostel kitchen- piles (literally) of pasta. I also played mom on Friday and Saturday and made us a few sandwiches to get us through the day without spending lots of money on food.

On Saturday, we got up early and took a train to Galway. Galway is a small town so we wandered and saw the sea. I want to live there someday, it's absolutely beautiful. We saw Lynch's castle which is now a bank, St. Nicholas' church (the oldest medieval parish that is still in constant use and where Christopher Columbus visited in 1477!), Eyre Park, and the beautiful Cathedral where I lit a candle for my grandma who passed away this semester and who was very proud of her Irish heritage. I also bought a claddagh ring and we found fresh bagels (which don't exist in Spain) at this little market. When we returned to Dublin, we went to a bar in the Temple Bar Area. We called it a relatively early night but it was another perfect day.

We left at noon from Ireland. Our flight was a little delayed and they told us if we were delayed five more minutes we would have had to stay in Dublin for the night. Thankfully we didn't since we had non-refundable bus tickets from Santander to Oviedo (which takes two to two and half hours). Overall, it was an AWESOME weekend, Ireland and Spain are currently fighting for my heart. I definitely didn't want to leave Ireland even if it meant continuing to share a room with fifteen other people (our hostel was set up kind of like camp style but it was clean and great, nothing to complain about).  Also in Ireland, I fit in, I looked like the people and everyone on the street didn't turn around and stare at me like everyday in Oviedo. However, it surprised me how easy it was to switch back to speaking in Spanish and the fact that I missed speaking in Spanish.

Muchos besos!

Ana

Everyday There is Something to Learn

Hola!

I don't have anything in particular to report but I thought I would update about the recent events in my life in Oviedo. The weeks fly by here and everyday I learn something new.

As of this past week, I have three tandem partners (speaking partners, we speak half the time in English and half the time in Spanish to practice). My first tandem partner, Carmela, is a librarian (perfect, right?) and she treats me like a daughter. We spend at least three hours a week together. We usually go to cafes or walk through the park. I have been meeting with her since the second week I was in Oviedo. She is really easy to talk to and my dates with her are some of the best parts of my week. My second tandem partner, Paula, is studying English here in Oviedo. She is eighteen and VERY shy. She is a sweetheart but it's like pulling teeth to try and get her to talk. My third, Alicia, I just met this week and we were twins in another life I think. She is the friend of my friend Shannon's tandem partner, but we share a very large love of books, and her favorite book is also Pride and Prejudice (Orgullo y Prejucio). We spent a lot of time talking about books and she took me to a secondhand bookstore in Oviedo. She is a law student who also studies English. Every time I have a tandem date I learn something new. For example Carmela taught me "hacer autostop" = to hitchhike.

This week we also had our third "Jaime dinner." Jaime, our director, takes us to nice restaurants about once a month and they are so much fun. We also get to try lots of different foods, for example we had duck liver covered in white chocolate, salmon, risotto with mushrooms, and other interesting foods this Thursday.

Shannon and I make an effort to walk daily in an attempt to counteract the amount of food we eat. I spend a lot of time with her family, her little three year old sister is precious and named one of her dolls after me.

I think I really do learn something new everyday. I continue to love Spain but I definitely miss friends from home and Philadelphia.

Besos,
Ana

A Love Affair with Spain

First, have a little patience with my English skills, I have found that I am losing my ability to properly communicate in English as I continue to spend more and more time surrounded by Spanish and I have said some interesting sentences in English. I am 100% fluent in Spanglish.

Anyways, I think I find a new reason to love Spain each and every day. Each day has something new to offer me whether it be a new phrase, a new word, a new friend, a new food, or a new setting. This weekend we celebrated Carnaval, the Spanish fiesta before the start of Lent. On Saturday, my friend Shannon and I took a bus to the neighboring city of Aviles for a huge Carnval celebration (the exist all over Spain but some are well known and Aviles is the most well known one of the Asturias). The city has foam machines that completely cover the streets in foam, it looks like a Minnesotan winter day. Also for Carnavl everyone dresses up- Shannon's host aunt let us borrow a few of her costumes from years past and I was Snow White (Blancanieves). While we were getting dressed to go to Aviles, Alejandra, Shannon's three year old host sister, said to me "You have to eat the apple" and I responded "Well I don't want to sleep yet" and she said "Well you won't die" but I explained to her "I don't have a prince though" and she goes "Why not?" (this conversation was actually in Spanish). She is super cute... except of course when we're trying to study and she likes to turn the lights on and off repeatedly. Anyways, we had a really great time in Aviles, I think just about everyone in the Asturias went there to celebrate.

Monday and Tuesday of this week we didn't have school because of the holiday so Shannon, Lily, and I decided to venture over to Basque country (also in Northern Spain but a different state). We took a bus at 1AM between Sunday and Monday and arrived in San Sebastian a little before 7AM on Monday. Since no one believes in early mornings in Spain, we spent the first couple of hours sitting on the beach watching the sun rise over the Cantabric Sea. The rest of the day we spent wandering around the streets of San Sebastian, we visited a Basilica and walked to the Cathedral, ate pinchos (a little sandwich essentially- they are particularly famous in Basque country), and ended the day back on the beach. It was a very relaxing day that really didn't need any structure. At around 7PM we took a bus to Bilbao, another city in Basque country, where we spent today going to the Guggenheim Art Museum, eating more traditional Basque food, and wandering the streets of another new city. Both cities are beautiful and I think we took the right approach to visiting them by disregarding the more structured plans we made and taking in the city by wandering the streets and going where the wind took us.

I got back to Oviedo about an hour ago and enjoyed the intense sandwich my host mama, Silvia, had waiting for me. The time I spent in Oviedo this weekend was also wonderful. I took two long walks, one on Saturday and one of Sunday, in a park called el Parque de Invierno (Winter Park) that my tandem partner took me too earlier in the week. It's kind of on the edge of the town but it's HUGE and absolutely wonderful. It has great paths and a wonderful view of the mountain ranges as you're walking through it.

So all in all, I really don't have anything to complain about, I'm continuing to enjoy my love affair with Spain. When people here try and say Spain in English they say "eesspain" because they just figure out how to drop the 'e' from the front of Espana.

Besos,
Ana

PS I will post pictures to facebook of my recent adventures within a few days.

Chocolate Heaven Exists

This past weekend, I traveled to Brussels, Belgium with seven friends from our study abroad group. The three boys that went, Steve, Clay, and Fatim, all left Oviedo on Wednesday but the five girls, Emily, Nadine, Julia, Andrea, and I, left Oviedo Friday afternoon and got in late Friday night. We took a bus from Oviedo to Santander (about two and half hours away) and it was actually a very beautiful drive.

Saturday we did most of our sightseeing. We started early and made a stop at Parking 58, a parking garage where you are able to go to the tenth floor and get a great view of the city. From there, we were able to see important landmarks of Brussels like the Atomium (a statue of an atom magnified 150 billion times) and the Palace of Justice. Next we went a local flea market, it was huge but we didn't find much there that was enticing. After we headed to the Royal Museum of Fine Art and spent about two hours in the ancient art exhibit. Julia, one of the girls on the trip, really enjoys going to art museums and was thrilled with all the museum had to offer. After we headed to Grand Place and then went to grab Belgian waffles near the famous Mannekin Pis statue. I had a total tourist waffle complete with nutella, strawberries, and whip cream. So delicious. The Mannekin Pis statue is a statue of little boy peeing that is famous to Brussels. It has over 600 outfits that are housed in the City Museum in King's Palace in Grand Place. No one knows the exact origins of the statue and thus there are many legends surrounding it. After the girls wandered the streets surrounding Grand Place and entered many chocolate stores in order to sample and buy chocolate from various stores. They aren't lying, Belgian chocolate really is to die for.  I tried two truffles that I loved,  a chocolate buttercream one and a rose one.  They definitely get two thumbs up. When we met up with the boys again, we walked to the European Parliament building, we thought it was important to see since Brussels is the capital of the EU. For dinner on Saturday, we met up with boys' couchsurfing host, Arno and went to a local restaurant. I sat close to Arno and he explained many things about Belgium to me like the lack of significance the king has and the seven different governments that exist. Although Arno's first language is Dutch, he also speaks French and English fluently. Belgium has two languages Dutch and French but you will hear just about every language. Finally on Saturday night we went to Delirium bar and I had a Kriek beer which was wonderful. It tasted like liquid fruit snacks. It was a full day and as soon as we got back to the hostel we crashed.

Sunday Julia, Andrea, and I went to mass at the Cathedral of St. Michael and Gudula. It is the main cathedral of Belgium and all royal weddings and christenings happen there. It was a very beautiful church and the mass that we attended at 10AM had a Gregorian choir. After mass we had waffles again and I had a traditional Belgian waffle with just a little bit a powdered sugar. It really doesn't need anything else. So delicious. We only had about an hour left before we had to go to the airport and we spent it going to a few more of the shops near Grand Place. During this hour, I found the most delicious chocolate I have ever had (yes you read that correctly, it was that good). First of all it was called Anastasia, perfect right? It was dark chocolate with vanilla buttercream and caramel. Words just can't describe how delicious it was.

We spent the rest of the day traveling and arrived back in Oviedo around 12:30AM. Although we were exhausted it was well worth it.

I think Spanish is really starting to sink in since my English skills are deteriorating. Sometimes I say something in English and I think to myself that doesn't really make any sense.

I think this week is going to be pretty busy but I love life here!

Lots of besos on el dia de San Valetin :)

~Ana

A Day in the Life

So since it’s somehow already February, it’s probably time that I took a minute to write about my daily life in Oviedo (plus my mom requested that I do so, so here we go). I have been in Spain about a month now and every day I love it just a little bit more. Sure there are moments or hours that I wish I could be in the States for one reason or another, but life in Oviedo really is beautiful. 

            So what does daily life look like for a student at the Universidad de Oviedo? My class schedule is random for lack of a better work. On Mondays I have class at 10AM and 1PM, Gramática and Hispanoamericano (a Latin American studies class); On Tuesdays I have class at 11AM and 1PM, Traducción (Translation) and Gramática; On Wednesdays I have class at 9AM, 11AM, 12PM, and 2PM, Gramática, Traducción, Arte, and Sociedad y Cultura (a class about Spanish culture); On Thursdays I have class from 11AM-2PM, Arte, Traducción, and Hispanoamericano; Finally on Fridays I have class at 9AM and then 12PM-3PM, Hispanoamericano, Arte, and Sociedad y Cultura. Unfortunately because of certain Temple requirements, I have to take classes at the intermediate level as opposed to the advanced level. Although I am not being challenged as much as I could be in class, I am still learning a lot. I bought a little notebook to record all the new words I am learning in the hope that that will cement them into my vocabulary. Honestly even though I’m learning in the classroom it has nothing on the learning outside of the classroom.

            My host parents are wonderful. Every day I am able to converse with them and I pick up new words and phrases. It is a big challenge to know that if I need to convey something, I have to do it in Spanish because English doesn’t make any sense to them. My host mama, Silvia, works from about 7AM to 4PM but she always leaves me breakfast, a snack for school, and lunch. Most days I have toast and fruit for breakfast accompanied by milk (whole milk, can you believe I’m drinking whole milk? Yeah, I can’t really either) and cacao powder (so essentially chocolate milk). Then at school I eat my “snack” which is a peanut-butter sandwich around noon and go back home for lunch between two and three. I eat dinner around 8PM which is really early for a Spaniard. The meals vary but there is a lot of meat and seafood (especially tuna) with potatoes, bread etc. At least once a week I have Spanish tortilla which is AWESOME! Also, I eat an insane amount of fresh fruit every day usually three or four pieces and I have developed an obsessive love for kiwi.

            On Mondays and Wednesdays, I meet with a woman named Carmela for language practice. She is a librarian and she acts like another host mamá. We spend forty-five minutes speaking in Spanish and forty-five minutes speaking in English each time we meet. She has lent me Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in Spanish and she has also started reading the Harry Potter series since I love it so much. She takes me to cafes and once she made me a typical Spanish dessert- chocolate con churros. Not only is it good speaking practice, but Carmela is super sweet and I really enjoy spending time with her.

            On Mondays I watch a TV series with my host parents called El Barco (the boat) and other nights I watch random programs with them if I’m not up to other things. Living with a host family has been wonderful speaking and listening practice and my host parents have made it really easy for me to adapt to life here. Silvia is constantly making me hand drawn maps of the best places to go or lists of Spanish music artists and authors.

            On the weekends (which start on Thursday nights for los jovenes (the young people)), we usually go out dancing. Before the discotecas open, the Spanish have a tradition called botellon which are parties in the streets. In the Plaza del Sol, I think just about every young person gathers. They also stay out super late into the early hours of the morning which I’m still adapting to.

            As far as the Temple group goes, everyone gets along really well. There are twenty-six of us total and I don’t think I could have asked for a better group. I’m particularly close to two girls, Lily and Shannon and we have enjoyed spending afternoons wandering around this beautiful we have come to call our home. I live in a great location. I live on the Sidreria street with means if we decide to go for Sidra (cider) I have a very short commute (a walk down the stairs of my apartment) and my apartment is about a five minute walk from El centro where we spend our weekend nights.

            Just yesterday, I went to a very small mass (about twenty people) that is mostly for young people and it was a beautiful service. Shannon said afterwards that “it was the best service I think I have ever been to.” The music was fabulous and the community was so welcoming. At the sign of peace everyone says “paz contigo” to everyone else and gives the traditional two kisses instead of a handshake like in the States. Before that service I had gone to mass at the Cathedral but I didn’t really care for the service so I am very excited to join this church community.

I think I could go about all the things I love about Oviedo, but I think I covered the main points of daily life here.

Un beso,

Ana

PS If you read this the week of Feb 8^th make sure you call my mom and wish her a happy birthday (or Feliz Cumpleaños)! Happy Birthday Mom!

¡Que guay!

Hello all!

This past weekend I left Spain for the first time since I arrived in early January. We didn't have classes on Friday because of the feast of St. Thomas and therefore my friend Shannon and I decided to use our long weekend to see Rome! One of my close friends from Temple, Sara, is also currently studying abroad in Milan, Italy. Before we both left we had talked about meeting up and within a month of arriving, we got to see each other.
Shannon and I left from the Oviedo airport early Friday morning and arrived in Rome around 2PM. At the airport we had a first taste of experiencing a culture in which we couldn't speak the language at all. We eventually managed to find the train station and buy ridiculously over-priced train tickets to Termini Station, the Grand Central Station of Rome. At the ticket office we were told we only had two minutes before the next train left which actually translated to 30 seconds. Luckily the men in front of us were able to hold open the door so we could board at the last second (for a minute I thought Shannon was going to get crushed in the door or we were going to be separated). After a direct train ride to Termini station, our directions were put to the test as we headed out to find the Basilica of San Clemente. Although we got slightly lost, thanks to the lack of street signs in Europe, and almost got run over on several occasions, Italians don't like to stop for anyone so crossing the street is a dangerous task, we found the church. It was a gorgeous church, but the current building is not the best part. Visitors are able to tour the remains of the three other churches that stood on the same site (from the 1st, 4th, and 9th centuries). The staircases to these remains allows you to see ancient frescos and rooms used for worship and other purposes. Needless to say, it was worth the 5 Euro entrance fee. Next we headed to the Pantheon which doubles as the Basilica of St. Mary and Martyrs. There we saw the burial site of the artist Raphael and had the opportunity to sit (our feet needed it) and admire the artwork on the walls and the artwork of the structure of the building. After we had our first taste of Italian gelato (I had mixed berry and chocolate hazelnut) before taking a frustrating walk to try and find our hostel. After about an hour and half of walking and angrily wondering why Europe doens't invest in better street signs, we found our hostel and checked in. Shannon and I than had about an hour to rest before the other girls arrived.
My friend Sara and her two friends Ashley and Amanda met up with us at the hostel and after getting to know each other a little bit, the five of us went to a pizzeria on our street and all got our own pizzas. They were absolutely delicious!!! We called it an early night because we had an early morning the next day.
Saturday we got up early and had breakfast provided by our hostel. First we headed to the Colosseum and spent about an hour admiring the building and the history of it. It was increible to imagine the Colosseum filled with Romans waiting for the events of the day to start. One of the signs we read said that after the events people would recieve free meat from the animals killed that day. Anyways, next we headed to the Roman Forum (right next door practically) and saw the ruins of several temples and the marketplace. I said to Shannon, "this is the Reading Terminal Market of ancient Rome!" (Reading Terminal Market is in Philly). We didn't spend long at the Forum before heading to the Basilica of St. Mary Major. Not only is the church amazingly beautiful but it also hosts relics of the crib of Christ. Yes, you read that correctly, the crib of Christ! How cool is that, or as we say in Spain- que guay!
We decided that our feet needed a break and so we took the metro to Vatican City. Ashely, Shannon, and I took a guided tour of the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica while Sara and Amanda enjoyed time at a cafe and toured St. Peter's on their own. The Vatican museums are truly increible. They are filled with tons of artwork including things like numerous rooms with Raphael's frescos, ancient statues, tapestries from the 1520's, and 2000 year old mosaics as the floors! Shannon and I kept looking at each other in utter disbelief. The Sistine Chapel is more amazing than a post card or an art textbook can capture, you could spend a day just looking at the ceiling. It was commissioned by Pope Sixtus in the early 1500s (1508 I believe) and was painted in four years. Michaelangelo also painted the wall behind the altar. This piece took him five years and is titled the Last Judgment. It includes a self-portrait and in hell, he painted the face of his enemy, a cardinal, who consistently criticized his work. When the cardinal asked the Pope to have it removed, he replied that he had no influence in the matters of hell and so the portrait remains to this day. Finally we headed to St. Peter's, the largest church of Rome, and I think my favorite that we saw. All the popes have been buried at St. Peter's and the main altar is over the site of St. Peter's grave. If you want to know more information about what I learned just ask, but putting it all in this blog post would take all day.
After the tour the three of us met up with Sara and Amanda for a pasta dinner with wine in front of the Pantheon. The view was amazing and the food was nothing to complain about. After we headed to the Trevi Fountain to toss in two coins- one for our return to Rome and the other for a wish come true. Finally we went to the Spanish steps (Shannon and I can't get enough of Spain). We ended the night with some gelato. I think it was the perfect cherry on top of a most perfect weekend. We all went to bed at around 10 because our bodies thought doing anything else was a hilarious idea.
On Sunday, Shannon and I had a long day of travel. We left the hostel at around 8:30AM after saying goodbye to Sara, Amanda, and Ashley. It's amazing how quickly the five of us became friends and I'm so happy I got to see Sara again. We didn't get back to Oviedo until 9:30ish, but the weekend was worth a long day of travelling and hanging out in the Madrid airport.
Life in Spain continues to be wonderful, I think I love Oviedo and Spain a little bit more everyday. Of course there are moments I wish I could pick up the phone and call my mom or  text a friend, but I know I will be with them in no time. Time is truly flying and I would like it slow down!

I hope everything is wondeful at home!

Lots of amor,
Ana

PS I posted lots of pictures on Facebook if you want to see!

Holy Toledo!

Ok, so I know I talked about our trip to Toledo in my last post but I forgot to share this bit of information. Toledo was once the capital of Spain, but now even though the capital moved to Madrid, Toledo remains the religious capital of Spain. Thus, the phrase Holy Toledo! I feel like I could say Holy Toledo after just about everything about this trip. Everything has been amazing.
Since nerviously arriving in Oviedo to a bus stop filled with anxious host parents all trying to find their new host children, I feel like so much has happened. My host parents are incredible, I couldn't have asked for anything better. They are both very young working adults, but they are so kind and understanding. I feel like I have learned so much in less than a week of living with them. Plus they tell me where to go and where not to go. There is another student living here from Milan, Italy but only until the end of January. We get along really well, I wish she was staying.
In the Asturias, they have a special drink called sidra (cider) that waiters pour from very high. It tastes kind of like olives. I live on the street that has most of the sidraerias which is really nice. We all had our first taste of sidra together on Monday for my friend Shannon's birthday.
Tuesday we started classes and I think they should be manageable. To be perfectly honest, they seem easier than my classes at Temple, but that will leave me more time to explore the city.
We have been doing activities with the group for foreign exchange students. On Tuesday we did a walking tour of the city, but I don't know if it was that effective because I still haven't figured my way around yet. Tuesday we took a VERY long hike up a mountain to a statue of Jesus that overlooks the city (over five miles, I think). I will post the pictures to facebook within the next couple of days. The view is astounding, although it took a little less than two hours to reach the destinations and my dogs were barking to say the least (thanks for the phrase Uncle Bob). Tomorrow night there is a dinner/party to attend and Sunday a mini roadtrip. I will share more details later. Tonight my Temple friends are going to go a salsa lesson (we'll see how this goes with two left feet), I told myself I would be open to trying all new things here, so here we go!

I miss home of course, but I couldn't be happier here. lots of amor from Oviedo!

Ana

Orientation Week

Hello all,
On Thursday we did two walking tours of Segovia and Avila. Both cities as you can imagine were absolutely beautiful. I will try and post pictures as soon as possible. Segovia has a Roman acueducto that is roughly nine miles long and ends in a castle (alcazar) that Walt Disney based one of the castles off of. In Segovia we ate suckling pig which didn´t taste like anything I had ever had before but I ate it! Avila is where St Theresa of Avila was born. We got to go to the church that was built over the place where the house where she was born. We also saw her finger- kinda weird. Avila is also home to the oldest Cathedral in Spain and has amazing walls.
We spent Friday taking a walking tour of Toledo which was once the capital of Spain and continues to the be the religious capital. It has the most ornate Cathedral I have ever seen. Unforunately I can´t post pictures of the ridiculous inside because you can´t take pictures. We also saw El Greco´s most famous painting. Our tour guide knows everything about everything about everything. He´s a genius I´m pretty sure!
Today we spent the day in Madrid and went to el Palacio Real and El Prado art museum which hosts galleries of many famous paintings and is Spain´s most popular art museum. El Palacio Real is no longer the home of the Spanish monarchs but it is extremely ornate. It´s first residents was Charles III or IV (now I can´t remember) and family.
Tonight is our last night in Madrid, we have been experiencing the culture. I´m still getting used to the eating schedule and huge meals as well as staying out to all hours of the night. Good thing there are scheduled naptimes! I´m trying to be open to trying all types of food, I had swordfish for lunch. I know I can´t believe it either. Oh and I´m rooming with two other girls, Shannon and Lily, and we have become fast friends. I really like all the people that came. There are some serious characters but everyone, although really different, is getting along really well. Even though we have only really known each other for a week, it seems much longer.
I miss you all and hope all is well at home. We´re Oviedo bound in the morning!
Ana 

I made it here!

Hello all,

I made it to Madrid on Tuesday morning at 8:00 AM Madrid time. Shannon, another Temple student and the girl I sat next to on my flight, and I took a cab together to the hotel. After we wandered the city for a while until we could check in. Today, as a whole group (there are 26 of us), we went to San Lorenzo de Escorial. The church/monastery/school/ palace there (all in one building built by King Phillip II in honor of his father King Charles I in the 16th century) is the burial site for all (every single one) Spanish king except two. It's about thirty minutes outside of the city. Saint Lawrence (San Lorenzo in Spanish) was grilled (literally) for his faith in the Roman period and so the symbol of the grill is all over the building.
The Spanish eating schedule is vastly different. Breakfast is a little snack (a bread roll or something of that nature). Lunch is late (around two) and dinner is later (nine is really early) but the meals are HUGE!!! They serve 'table' wine with both meals. You have to add a soda water to it otherwise it tastes funny, but wine is like getting a glass of water at an American restaurant. It's no wonder there is a specific time of day devoted to napping in Spain each day. We've participated in that both days as well.
We are headed to Segovia and Avila tomorrow and Toledo on Friday. Saturday were going to Palacio Real and the Prado in Madrid before heading to Oviedo on Sunday. I will try and post again sometime soon. Hopefully when I get settled in Oviedo I will be able to post some pictures of what I've been up to.
Also Happy Epiphany (tomorrow)! The coming of the three wise men is a very big celebration in Spain and there is a big parade today. This is when the kids get their gifts. There are Christmas decorations all over the plazas in Spain.

~Ana