School starts tomorrow!

On Monday we met our families, and that was officially the start of the program when we swore we'd only speak in Spanish.  It's really difficult because there are so many words that we don't know yet and are forced to say it in English.  I know it takes patience and a while before you become good at something, but it's always frustrating and embarrassing whenever you are unable to understand the other person and have to ask constantly, "Que?" "Repitelo por favor," or "No te entiendo."  Another reason is sometimes I have a hard time expressing myself in Spanish, whether it be pausing to think and conjugate or simply not knowing the words in Spanish to say it.  But I like it because it's a challenge.  It motivates me to try harder.  My goal is to be able to hold a conversation comfortably in Spanish.  In order to improve my Spanish, like this blog or maybe in this blog, I want to write only in Spanish so I can improve my grammar.  I need to read more and solely speak in Spanish while I'm here.  I can keep a notebook of Spanish words that I learned or need to know.

Besides the language barrier, my first day at my homestay was okay.  I was a bit confused about whether I liked my family.  My host mom was older even though I wanted a mom who could take me around the city.  I wanted a brother or sister who was my age but I got a sister who is twice my age.  I missed staying in a hostel or hotel room with friends.  Now I have my own room that seems lonely without a cell phone, and it's very cold in the mornings and at night.  There is no heater in the apartment, only blankets.  The one thing that filled me with optimism at first was when, last night, the former student who lived here posted on the UCEAP facebook page saying that whoever has Magdalena is very lucky!  I agree that my family members are very nice to me, and I love Magdalena's cooking so far.  I've had el cocido, Spanish tortilla con potatas, y paella- for the first time!  I've also heard about other families, and I am content with mine.

Today is Tuesday, a nice and sunny day but the morning was around zero degree Celsius. It was also the day that I met my intercambio Esther. She's 25 years old and a very nice gal who is studying to be an English teacher in Cordoba.  I feel lucky because she knows English and can help me out with my Spanish.

After our meeting, the Cordoba group of us went to the Zoco to buy a cell phone- Happy Movil which is a prepaid phone.  It costs 17cents per call and 59 free min afterwards for each day that it's used.  It costs 34 euros which includes 15 euros for service which means that the phone itself costs 19 euros.  That was the best deal we could find.  The problem was that there were only 4 phones available.  The rest of us waited for our phones to arrive in the store but it never did so many of us are still without a phone to contact each other.  I'm hoping tomorrow I can go to another store to get one.

It's late (1am) here and I'm getting sleepy. I have to wake up early tomorrow for school around 8am.  It's freezing cold right now and in the morning when I have to shower.  It's really difficult to keep up with this blog especially since there's so much that happens and too much to write about and I would like to avoid writing and speaking any English for a time but still I'll try to post whenever something new happens.

Arrival in Cordoba

Yesterday was a long a drive to Cordoba- 5hrs long!  Luckily I met Paqui, a Spanish woman who sat next to me in the bus.  We talked for most of the trip in Spanish and although I didn't understand and speak much espanol, she was pacient and helped me get acquainted with espanol.  She was from El Carpio, a little town near Cordoba, and she was so nice that she treated me to coffee and donut even though I tried to refuse.

When we arrived in Cordoba, the group went immediately to the medieval festival in the old center of town.  I loved it!  It's way better than any of our Renaissance festivals in the US.  They had MUCH more food, especially meat (ribs, salami, sausage, whole pork legs, etc), and authentic, handmade items.  I bought a leather bracelet for 5 euros while a friend bought an iron ring for 30 euros.  The festival was such a unique and fun experience.

Late at night, the whole group decided to take a stroll in the outskirts of the city, where the famous bridge and mosque that represents Cordoba is located.  I always enjoyed watching the Travel Channel when people traveled to different countries and famous cities, but I thought that realistically if I ever went there I wouldn't appreciate it as much.  But that night on the bridge it was so beautiful.  It's a place where you could take your date and just stroll around free of worries. It was so rejuvenating.

And before I came to Cordoba, I had never heard of it and asked myself why I chose it.  I had qualms about it...what if it's boring, full of old mosques.  I don't know what I will be saying after the program, but right now it seems like I made the right choice.  Cordoba is beautiful and exciting in its own way with quaint streets, mosques, friendly Spanish people, and it's a chance to really immerse myself in the Spanish culture in comparison to Madrid, which is filled with tourists and English speaking people.

Today we met our families.  I was SO NERVOUS to meet them, because I want them to like me and I wanted the perfect family- whatever that is.  My family here is composed of my madre- Magdalena, her daughter- May, and her son, who is in Malaga at the moment.  Magdalena is quite older and her daughter, who is still living with her, is around 40 years old.  It feels lonely this first day because we can't contact any of our Spanish friends without a cell phone.

I was mad and frustrated at one point today, but I always reminded myself of what Inma, our program coordinator said, "Give it a chance." I was supposed to meet a friend who would walk with me to the university to make sure we know where to go tomorrow, but I couldn't understand the directions that Magdalena was telling me.  I have a limited vocabulary...and I just interpreted something like "turn right...follow Aeropuerte...ham...drinks."  I found the "Jamon" restaurant but I wasn't sure if that was what she was talking about so I walked back and forth along the street area looking for my friend.  Deciding it might be too far to walk by myself I went back to ask Magdalena.  She wasn't any help and I just left again attempting to find the university on my own since she had already given me the directions on the map.  I was  jealous that many of the host moms chose to walk with their student to the university, but mine didn't.  It's not a big deal and I found out- if it's even true- when I got back that she had a headache.  Good thing is I found the school and some familiar faces along the way.

Now, I have to improve my Spanish, because I'm really slow at conjugating verbs and have a limited vocabulary.  I know now how frustrating it feels to learn a new language in a foreign place.

Madrid

Spain has been having the same weird weather patterns that we experience in the States.  Yesterday it felt so cold and today it was warm enough during the day that you didn't need a coat.  Our hostel group (Trinh, Katie, Theresa, Vanessa, and Tiffany) all went to explore the city again on foot.  Everywhere you go there are quaint walkways and elaborate architecture that is rarely seen back home. It's so beautiful here!

I did manage to run into the Irish couple who helped me on the subway today.  I regret that I didn't exchange contact info with them because they were the nicest people ever and I actually kind of miss them.  We walked into stores, shoes stores and the supermarket where we found unique items like crustless bread, ham flavored chips, and hello kitty cookies.  El Parque de Retiro was probably the highlight of the day.  It was different from our parks at home in that it seemed more lively, filled with entertainment from street performers and venders, and families and couples just enjoying the afternoon in the park.  The kids were definitely engrossed in all the activities. The only offside to the day was that we failed at getting into a discoteca for free.  We were to cheap to pay the entrance fee.  I know the Spanish stay up late and eat dinner around 10pm but I still found it surprising that the discotecas didn't open until 12am.

That's it for now! I'm the last one to sleep, and I have to get up in 4 hrs because we're headed to Cordoba!

First day in Europe, in Spain!

Today was long, eerie, action-packed, and amazing!  Ya me encanta Espana!  Luckily we're taking a break in our 5-bed hostel room with 4 others from the program. To give you a good idea, it's currently Jan. 27, 8:35pm, and I haven't slept since waking up in the morning of Jan. 25 from home in California. Packing for four months is a pain, especially when you want to bring everything, there is a 50 lb. weight limit, and you have to consider lugging around all your belongings by yourself. Throughout the flight I wasn't able to sleep and I tried to refresh my high school Spanish before arrival.  I was getting nervous and anxious about the whole trip.  I didn’t know what to expect.  A group of us were supposed to meet up at the metro station by the orange ticket machines, but I never found them.  I waited for what seemed like an hour but I saw no one when I decided to leave as early as possible to the Luiz Velez Student Hostel thinking they may have already left also.

Now the worst part of the day was the journey to the hostel, one that I wouldn’t ever take again solo and with a lot of baggage, I had an idea before I left California about how to get to the hostel, but a piece of paper is not the same as navigating inside the metro in person.  I was fortunate to meet a pleasant old couple from Ireland who were heading in the same direction and got off one stop before mine.  There were the sweetest and friendliest people, and the husband-still in good shape- assisted me in carrying my 50lb luggage as I still had to lug around a carry-on and a backpack.  

The last metro line we took had packed cars with people shuffling in and out and all around the place.  After the old couple had left me before my one last stop, and during the time I had to manage my 2 luggage bags, there was a crazy, creepy looking guy who shuffled around behind me and attempted to pick-pocket my backpack.  I tried to keep my eye on him and my luggage, but it was not until we both got off a stop that a woman next told me that he had opened my backpack, and sure enough the front was unzipped.  I was so frightened but I don’t think I really had anything important in the front pocket- at least I think he wasn’t able to get anything.  What scared me the most was that he was so sly I didn’t feel or hear anything, probably because he was mumbling the whole time like a “cray cray” trying to muffle out any zipper noise and little did I know I would be the victim.  These pick-pocketers are pro, and right afterwards I put a lock on all the zippers of my backpack.     

So there are two problems with the Spanish metro.  1.) In packed cars it’s so easy to pick-pocket people and 2.) it doesn't always have escalators and elevators throughout the metro, which is really inconvenient when you have a carry-on and a heavy suitcase to carry.  Luckily the old Irish guy helped carry it for me until the last stop.  There were only stairs and I had my backpack, carry-on suitcase, and 50 lb luggage.  For some reason at the exit there were no people in sight, so I carried it up the stairs myself.   It was torture and finding the hostel was difficult.  I had to walk around and ask multiple people directions to the hostels but they were unsure themselves.

However, the best part of the day is that I made it to Spain!  My group all made it to the hostel safely, everyone is really nice, and Madrid is so beautiful and interesting.  Theresa’s friends, Daniel and Corque, Madrid residents were our really helpful tour guides.  They treated us out to some coffee, and then at night our little group had a little fun trying some tapas y las cervezas at La Tigre.  Fue divertido!

Madrid has beautiful architecture and buildings, narrow streets, and lively people during the night.  It was nice to take a stroll through Madrid at night with an awesome group of people.

I wasn't able to take many photos today but I'll be sure this time to take more and post it. 

-Nite.

Pre-departure nerves!

My official departure date is January 26th, 8:30am, from SFO, which is coming up soon in approximately 3 more days!  I'm taking Air France with one layover in JFK, New York, and then on to Madrid, Spain, where I'll be spending two days before I head over to Cordoba.

When I initially signed up for this I only felt excitement, but as the departure date approaches the nerves are taking over!  I knew I wanted to study abroad during my college years even before I was accepted because I only heard good things about it and I didn't want any regrets...life's too short.  I'm not sure if it's part of growing up or being a college student but lately I have had a desire to experience new, different things like experiencing a new culture and backpacking through Europe.

Part of nerves, of course, is from the realization that this IS IT!  I'm going to Spain...to Europe...somewhere foreign...and for a whole semester which is about four months long!!  Another reason is that with any long trip or significant feat it takes preparation.  There's always a "what if" I forget this or I didn't prepare enough for it.  My planning process has been a bit all over the place, doing what I can when I can and attempting to create a spread list of what needs to be done.  So much to do in so little time it seems as it always feels by the end of the day and I question myself, "What have I done today?" or during the entire winter break for that matter.

There are so many things I wanted to do over winter break, but I'm left with the feeling that I didn't accomplish anything.  I've been bumming and spending time with family and friends, so I guess the one thing I did get out of it was getting more sleep and being able to take time off to relax.  Very poor time management which seems to happen everytime I go home.

And indeed a huge part of the butterflies is attributed to me wanting to make the most out of this opportunity and hoping that I live it up to the fullest like past students and learning from their experiences and regrets.  Then again I don't want to think too much about it because it's always best not to expect anything.

Time for last minute-packing!