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