Well, today is Thanksgiving. I believe that it is also the first time I haven't spent Thanksgiving in Boulder. Until this week, I hadn't really realized how much I liked Thanksgiving as a holiday. This whole week, I have realized that this is probably the worst part (and one of the few bad things) about being in Spain. For me it is really a bummer that I am missing Thanksgiving Day Football, which is the tradition that really makes the holiday for me. What makes it even harder this year is that the lineup of games that will be played is great. First, a Detroit team that is finally good at home against an undefeated Green Bay. Then, Dallas against Miami, which will probably be a good game but doesn't really interest me a lot. And then, what will probably be the best game of the night, San Francisco (also finally good) against Baltimore in the first NFL game between the Harbaugh brothers in what should be a high-tempo game.
I thought about skipping school today (it doesn't seem right to go to school on Thanksgiving), but last Friday the American lady who comes into our English class suggested that the Spanish kids try to make pies to bring in today, so in hopes of pie, I decided to go to school today. Turns out is was the right decision, as there were seven pies brought in for English class. One of them wasn't actually a pie, and one of them was kind of a pie, but kind of not, but all the others were truly pies. Of the six ones that could be called pies, 5 were apple and one was blueberry. They were all quite tasty, or at least the five I tried were, but two of them won for me. One because of its appearance, one because of taste. The appearance one looked like a stereotypical perfect pie. It was near perfectly round, had the criss-crossing pastry stripes over the top, and was lightly covered in a sprinkling of cinnamon (happened to be the first cinnamon I have seen or tasted since arriving). The taste one was an apple pie that just tasted brilliantly. Can't really describe it anymore than that, but it was great.
Well, that is about all for today. Only wanted to write a short post about Thanksgiving, so, till next time.
Oh yeah, one more thing:
The main reason I am really missing Thanksgiving is the traditional family meal that we have at my Aunt's house. This morning I was talking with one of my Spanish friends and he was asking about Thanksgiving. He asked if we had the day off from school. I said yes. He then asked if we spent it with family or friends. I said family, and he responded bummer. I thought about it for a couple of seconds and then said no, it's not a bummer. I feel like he seemed surprised that it isn't a bummer to have to stay in with your family and not hang out with friends. Many times I would agree that it is more enjoyable to go out with friends, but on Thanksgiving, doing anything other than feasting at a dinner table with your family feels wrong. And that is really the reason I'm am missing home a bit more today than usual. Simply put, I am missing spending the day with all of my family at home.
Now I am done. It is hard to believe that it is already Thanksgiving, but it is. So, till next time.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Little Things
I haven't done a post in a couple of weeks because there hasn't really been anything new or exciting or that important or interesting to write about. The biggest thing was probably that I took the SAT. I think I did pretty well, but I don't get my scores until the 22nd, so I'll see then. In school, I have had a few exams. I managed to get passing grades on all of them minus Philosophy (she didn't give me a grade on my exam because it was basically blank). Anyway, because I haven't blogged recently, I am writing this post today, and because I don't have any big things to write about, I am going to write about the little things - the things that are different from home and affect my everyday life but which I have adapted to very quickly and therefore don't think about much. So here you go:
Meal Times
As most people know, meal times here in Spain are quite different than the meal times in the US. On a normal school day, I have breakfast a little after 7:30, have a sandwich during recreo between 11:10 and 11:40, and have lunch at 2:30 after I get out of school. Then, I usually have a snack at 6:00, and then have dinner sometime between 9:30 and 10:30. The first week, the late meals took a little bit of getting used to, but I like the meal times here more than in the US, so I might have more trouble adapting when I return to Boulder than I did when I got here, but we'll see.
School hours
As I have mentioned before, the school hours here are shorter (8:30-2:30), which is another thing I like. Needless to say, I am not looking forward to going back to longer hours in the US.
Water
I don't like the water here as much as in Boulder because it does not taste as good. Now, some of you may be saying that water is tasteless, but you are wrong. The tap water in Boulder is... I can't really describe it in words, but it just tastes better than the tap water here.
Beds
Another thing I don't like nearly as much here is the size of the beds. Beds here are much smaller than the ones at home. Almost all of the beds are single beds here, including mine. When you are used to sleeping on a double bed, which is almost a half meter wider than a single, it is difficult to adapt to the single beds.
Food
The food is of course different. Unfortunately, they don't eat hamburgers much and they never eat Mexican food. Other than that, it is kind of hard for me to describe any differences because I only notice the things I am missing from Boulder. I mean, I of course occasionally have stereotypical Spanish food, like paella and gazpacho, but it is really hard for me to describe differences because I have gotten so used to the food here that I don't notice differences. I have to say though that I really miss Chipotle and Jamba Juice.
I know that the above list is short, but I can't think of any other things right now. I guess this is because they are little things, and as I said, I have quickly adapted to them and that makes it hard for me to notice. I guess I'll just add some more in later posts if I think of any.
Meal Times
As most people know, meal times here in Spain are quite different than the meal times in the US. On a normal school day, I have breakfast a little after 7:30, have a sandwich during recreo between 11:10 and 11:40, and have lunch at 2:30 after I get out of school. Then, I usually have a snack at 6:00, and then have dinner sometime between 9:30 and 10:30. The first week, the late meals took a little bit of getting used to, but I like the meal times here more than in the US, so I might have more trouble adapting when I return to Boulder than I did when I got here, but we'll see.
School hours
As I have mentioned before, the school hours here are shorter (8:30-2:30), which is another thing I like. Needless to say, I am not looking forward to going back to longer hours in the US.
Water
I don't like the water here as much as in Boulder because it does not taste as good. Now, some of you may be saying that water is tasteless, but you are wrong. The tap water in Boulder is... I can't really describe it in words, but it just tastes better than the tap water here.
Beds
Another thing I don't like nearly as much here is the size of the beds. Beds here are much smaller than the ones at home. Almost all of the beds are single beds here, including mine. When you are used to sleeping on a double bed, which is almost a half meter wider than a single, it is difficult to adapt to the single beds.
Food
The food is of course different. Unfortunately, they don't eat hamburgers much and they never eat Mexican food. Other than that, it is kind of hard for me to describe any differences because I only notice the things I am missing from Boulder. I mean, I of course occasionally have stereotypical Spanish food, like paella and gazpacho, but it is really hard for me to describe differences because I have gotten so used to the food here that I don't notice differences. I have to say though that I really miss Chipotle and Jamba Juice.
I know that the above list is short, but I can't think of any other things right now. I guess this is because they are little things, and as I said, I have quickly adapted to them and that makes it hard for me to notice. I guess I'll just add some more in later posts if I think of any.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
2 Months
Well, as of today I have been with my host family for two months. I don't really have anything to write about, but my mom says on days like these I should write something because I will want to look back and know how I was feeling. I don't really see that happening, but I have time so I will go ahead and do a short post:
As of today, I have been with my host family for two months, or 61 days. During this time period, I have had 8 days of school vacation, 18 days of weekend, 4 days of fiesta, 9 days of huelga, and 23 days of school. And that doesn't add up to 61, so I have actually been here 62 days including today. As for how I am feeling today: a bit tired and a bit frustrated. I spent the first four hours of my morning doing a full length SAT practice exam, which has left me a bit tired. What has left me a bit frustrated is the fact that my score was a full 70 points lower than what I scored on my last SAT, which is not good. Looks like I'll have to review a couple of things before Saturday, which I'm not happy about. I like being able to relax during the day before a big test, not review things. Anyway, speaking of tests, I had my first test in Spain yesterday, but unfortunately it was in Philosophy, so I am sure I got a zero. The test was not quite what I expected, or like. Whereas I prefer multiple choice and true-false questions to objectively test my grasp on the material, this test consisted of just three short-answer/essay questions. Although the answers were all fairly objective, they all would have required lengthy paragraphs as answers. Anyway, I did not have a clue regarding how to answer the questions, so as a result, my exam sheet was fairly blank.
Well, that is it. As I said, not a lot to say, and I don't see a lot happening in the next week or two, so I don't really know when I will have something new to write about. Till next time.
As of today, I have been with my host family for two months, or 61 days. During this time period, I have had 8 days of school vacation, 18 days of weekend, 4 days of fiesta, 9 days of huelga, and 23 days of school. And that doesn't add up to 61, so I have actually been here 62 days including today. As for how I am feeling today: a bit tired and a bit frustrated. I spent the first four hours of my morning doing a full length SAT practice exam, which has left me a bit tired. What has left me a bit frustrated is the fact that my score was a full 70 points lower than what I scored on my last SAT, which is not good. Looks like I'll have to review a couple of things before Saturday, which I'm not happy about. I like being able to relax during the day before a big test, not review things. Anyway, speaking of tests, I had my first test in Spain yesterday, but unfortunately it was in Philosophy, so I am sure I got a zero. The test was not quite what I expected, or like. Whereas I prefer multiple choice and true-false questions to objectively test my grasp on the material, this test consisted of just three short-answer/essay questions. Although the answers were all fairly objective, they all would have required lengthy paragraphs as answers. Anyway, I did not have a clue regarding how to answer the questions, so as a result, my exam sheet was fairly blank.
Well, that is it. As I said, not a lot to say, and I don't see a lot happening in the next week or two, so I don't really know when I will have something new to write about. Till next time.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Soria
Not really in the mood to study for the SAT (on Saturday) or my Philosophy exam (tomorrow. Also, will be my first exam in Spain, so I'll let you all know how it goes), so instead I'm going to begin writing a post about this past weekend, during which my family and I went to the Province of Soria in Castilla y Leon for 2 days. During these two days, we made stops in four towns as well as going on a hike. So, here are details:
San Esteban De Gormaz
This was the most interesting of the four town stops, and will probably be the one I write the most about. During this stop, there was one thought that was constantly running through my head: "Should've brought my good camera." Now, I know that the camera doesn't make the photo, the photographer does, but it would have been a little easier with the better camera. So, I made do with what I had, but, although some were half-decent, none turned out great, which I am conveniently blaming on the camera. Anyway, we originally stopped here for the sole purpose of stretching our legs and looking at the two ancient churches (dated back to around 1038). We chose this town because this was where Esperanza's grandma was born. The fact that we were only planning to make short visits to the churches led to my decision to only bring my phone camera. I knew that old churches weren't something that really interested me a lot, and for that, I was not going to end up with any great photos except by accident. Therefore, to me, it wasn't worth lugging around the bigger and heavier camera. Anyway, the first church wasn't that interesting to me - it really was only another church to me, but here is a photo of it for those of you that are interested in old churches:
Anyway, things got interesting when we started heading towards the second church. We didn't stop at this one though because we were drawn past it by music. We had accidentally stumbled onto some kind of festival. It turned out, from what I understood of what Lorenzo told me, that we had stumbled upon a festival that only occurs once every two years. This festival celebrated the dulzaina, an old medieval instrument that is somewhat like an oboe and is very rare and uncommon. This festival occurs in order to bring almost all of the people who play this instrument in Spain, although there were also some from France, together to march around playing (just so you know, there weren't an overwhelming number of musicians there - probably less than 100). When we got there, everyone was starting to eat and drink, so we joined in (later, as we were leaving, we learned that the food was only for the musicians). We spent about half an hour there eating fresh grilled chorizo and tons of bread with cheese, ham, and wine. My host parents ended up chatting with this old man who offered to show us his family's wine cellar (this was the only moment where I really needed my bigger camera, as my phone one couldn't handle the lighting). After this we climbed up to the last remaining wall of the castle that once stood on a hill above the town. From here, we could look out over the whole town, which was quite pretty. On our way back down to the cars, we stopped to watch the musicians march by in groups on their way to the center of town, where there was going to be a concert later in the day. It was cool listening to them play, and the instruments had a somewhat unique sound which I can only really describe as a stereotypical medieval sound. Anyway, after they all marched by, we headed back to the cars to continue our drive.
El Burgo De Osma
I brought my camera for this one, but wasn't really in the mood to take many pictures of anything. I was hoping for a bit of a drive so that I could relax and maybe nap a little, but instead the drive lasted a lengthy 5 minutes, so I was a tad tired throughout the time we spent here. We visited this town in order to visit the cathedral as well as have a picnic. The cathedral was old (1236) and quite pretty. We took a guided tour of the inside, which wasn't that great. This was for three reasons. The first is that I don't like wasting an hour of my time getting a guided tour when you can explore and look around without a guide. The second was that the guide was quite bad. I'm sure he knew what he was talking about, but he talked quite fast, with a heavy slur, and with a voice that made it impossible to concentrate, even for the Spanish speaking people listening. It was kind of like the voices you hear on those listening activities that come with some textbooks for school. But anyway, it was impossible for me to concentrate on what he was saying. The third reason was that I just don't find spending on hour looking around inside a church interesting. Now I know some people would disagree with this statement, but walking around inside a building looking at hundreds of naked babies with wings just doesn't excite me. Sorry.
In between
Had to add a short in between section here because two things make me remember the drive between Burgo de Osma and the next town. The first was that we were driving quite fast (between 100 and 120 on a thin road with speed limits between 60 and 80). The second was that we stopped to view a beautiful sunset.
Molinos De Duero
This was where we spent the night. It was a nice little town. Didn't see much of it other than our hotel and the surrounding buildings, so don't have any more to say about it.
The Hike
Don't really feel like writing a lot, so I'll give a short description and then post some photos. We climbed from a small lake, called the Laguna Negra, to a peak, called Urbion, which, at 2225 meters in altitude, was probably the highest I've been since leaving home. On the way down, we took a short detour to stop by the birthplace of the Rio Duero, one of the more important rivers in Spain. Anyway, pictures:
Vinuesa
We stopped here briefly to have drinks before heading home. Nothing more to say.
Ending Thoughts
I learned three things about Spanish people (or at least my family) this weekend. One, they lack a sense of direction. Two, they lack observational skills. Three, they believe that lane lines don't really have much meaning from a law standpoint but instead are more decorative. Anyway, it was a fun weekend and I enjoyed visiting the region. That's all.
San Esteban De Gormaz
This was the most interesting of the four town stops, and will probably be the one I write the most about. During this stop, there was one thought that was constantly running through my head: "Should've brought my good camera." Now, I know that the camera doesn't make the photo, the photographer does, but it would have been a little easier with the better camera. So, I made do with what I had, but, although some were half-decent, none turned out great, which I am conveniently blaming on the camera. Anyway, we originally stopped here for the sole purpose of stretching our legs and looking at the two ancient churches (dated back to around 1038). We chose this town because this was where Esperanza's grandma was born. The fact that we were only planning to make short visits to the churches led to my decision to only bring my phone camera. I knew that old churches weren't something that really interested me a lot, and for that, I was not going to end up with any great photos except by accident. Therefore, to me, it wasn't worth lugging around the bigger and heavier camera. Anyway, the first church wasn't that interesting to me - it really was only another church to me, but here is a photo of it for those of you that are interested in old churches:
Anyway, things got interesting when we started heading towards the second church. We didn't stop at this one though because we were drawn past it by music. We had accidentally stumbled onto some kind of festival. It turned out, from what I understood of what Lorenzo told me, that we had stumbled upon a festival that only occurs once every two years. This festival celebrated the dulzaina, an old medieval instrument that is somewhat like an oboe and is very rare and uncommon. This festival occurs in order to bring almost all of the people who play this instrument in Spain, although there were also some from France, together to march around playing (just so you know, there weren't an overwhelming number of musicians there - probably less than 100). When we got there, everyone was starting to eat and drink, so we joined in (later, as we were leaving, we learned that the food was only for the musicians). We spent about half an hour there eating fresh grilled chorizo and tons of bread with cheese, ham, and wine. My host parents ended up chatting with this old man who offered to show us his family's wine cellar (this was the only moment where I really needed my bigger camera, as my phone one couldn't handle the lighting). After this we climbed up to the last remaining wall of the castle that once stood on a hill above the town. From here, we could look out over the whole town, which was quite pretty. On our way back down to the cars, we stopped to watch the musicians march by in groups on their way to the center of town, where there was going to be a concert later in the day. It was cool listening to them play, and the instruments had a somewhat unique sound which I can only really describe as a stereotypical medieval sound. Anyway, after they all marched by, we headed back to the cars to continue our drive.
Looking out over the town
The remaining wall
A guy playing a dulzaina
El Burgo De Osma
I brought my camera for this one, but wasn't really in the mood to take many pictures of anything. I was hoping for a bit of a drive so that I could relax and maybe nap a little, but instead the drive lasted a lengthy 5 minutes, so I was a tad tired throughout the time we spent here. We visited this town in order to visit the cathedral as well as have a picnic. The cathedral was old (1236) and quite pretty. We took a guided tour of the inside, which wasn't that great. This was for three reasons. The first is that I don't like wasting an hour of my time getting a guided tour when you can explore and look around without a guide. The second was that the guide was quite bad. I'm sure he knew what he was talking about, but he talked quite fast, with a heavy slur, and with a voice that made it impossible to concentrate, even for the Spanish speaking people listening. It was kind of like the voices you hear on those listening activities that come with some textbooks for school. But anyway, it was impossible for me to concentrate on what he was saying. The third reason was that I just don't find spending on hour looking around inside a church interesting. Now I know some people would disagree with this statement, but walking around inside a building looking at hundreds of naked babies with wings just doesn't excite me. Sorry.
In between
Had to add a short in between section here because two things make me remember the drive between Burgo de Osma and the next town. The first was that we were driving quite fast (between 100 and 120 on a thin road with speed limits between 60 and 80). The second was that we stopped to view a beautiful sunset.
Not a great photo of it. I need to get in the habit of checking my photos after I take them so that I can make adjustments while I'm still at the site of the photo. The upper part was actually a bit darker which provided a prettier contrast with the orange.
Molinos De Duero
This was where we spent the night. It was a nice little town. Didn't see much of it other than our hotel and the surrounding buildings, so don't have any more to say about it.
The Hike
Don't really feel like writing a lot, so I'll give a short description and then post some photos. We climbed from a small lake, called the Laguna Negra, to a peak, called Urbion, which, at 2225 meters in altitude, was probably the highest I've been since leaving home. On the way down, we took a short detour to stop by the birthplace of the Rio Duero, one of the more important rivers in Spain. Anyway, pictures:
The Laguna Negra was very clear and reflective
Seen again here
One of the purposes of this trip was to see the fall colors. Although they were not quite as brilliant and pretty as in Colorado, they weren't bad
Laguna Negra
Ice? Finally a sign that it can get at least somewhat cold in Spain
Sign above the birthplace of the Rio Duero
And the incredibly majestic birthplace itself (it is hard to see but there is a tiny trickle of water coming out of that red thing).
Yeehaw!! For those of you that can't see what is important in this picture, look below
Snow. Didn't think I would see any until we go skiing the first week of January, but I got lucky.
Vinuesa
We stopped here briefly to have drinks before heading home. Nothing more to say.
Ending Thoughts
I learned three things about Spanish people (or at least my family) this weekend. One, they lack a sense of direction. Two, they lack observational skills. Three, they believe that lane lines don't really have much meaning from a law standpoint but instead are more decorative. Anyway, it was a fun weekend and I enjoyed visiting the region. That's all.
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