Hola mis amigos!
On Saturday at 6 am we left on our own bus to Barcelona. We were up and people were still out dancing and partying from the night before it was SO early! It was around an 8 hour bus drive from Segovia to Barcelona but the good thing was on the way I slept most of the way. We had one stop the whole trip at a truck stop that reminded me of a US truck stop but it was definitely not the same. We got to Barcelona around 2:30 and went to our hotel. Our hotel was right on La Rambla which is the main street of Barcelona! We were right by a McDonald's, Hard Rock Cafe, H&M, and tons of others shops and street vendors. It was a perfect location! The hotel room was small and everything in it was peptobismol pink except for the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. lol The best part about the hotel to us college kids was that they had food and beverages for free 24/7 so we could drink all the pop we wanted and they even had an ice cream machine. I was in heaven!!! The first day we went on a walk with Ricardo just so he could show us the way around and he also showed us the way to the beach. Some people ran into the water with their clothes on but I just got wet from the knees down playing in the waves. It was so AMAZING! For those of you who don't know, Barcelona is on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It was around 70 degrees everyday and so of course us Minnesotans took full advantage of enjoying the beach and the sea. Ricardo then led us back to the hotel where we relaxed for a little while. Liz, Tia, and I were going to go shopping at H&M before going to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner but when we went to make reservations the wait was already at a half hour and since we had a group of 12 coming we decided to wait there. We got our American food and atmosphere time at the Hard Rock that night which was really fun and they even had it all decorated for Halloween. After eating a big burger at the Hard Rock we just went back to the hotel and ate ice cream and talked out on the patio of the hotel. The time changed already here on Saturday night to one hour behind and it is so weird how early it gets dark here now! I am writing this at 6:30 and it's dark out already!
On Sunday, we went on a bus tour of the city. We got to see two of the houses that the artist Gaudi designed and they were amazing! The balconies on the one house looked like it was made out of bones. We then drove past and got out at the Sagrada Familia which is a church that is still being finished but was also designed by the artist Gaudi. It was amazing! We then got to go up on a hill and see the city of Barcelona from there which was beautiful! It made us realize how huge Barcelona really is! After that we stopped at the Olympic stadium of the Olympics of 1992 and got to go inside of that which was really cool. After our tour that morning we had a picnic lunch at a park that was by far the coolest park I have ever been to. It felt like we were in a tropical jungle and all the buildings, benches, and decorations were made by Gaudi himself. After the park we went and waited in line to go inside the Museum of Picasso which we waited 40 minutes to see and it only took us 45 minutes to go through it all it was so small and boring. It was like we saw the same picture over and over again! After the museum we finally got free time and we got changed into our suits and went to the beach. We had been waiting for that ALL day!!! What we didn't realize is that it took us around 20 minutes to walk to the beach the other day and so it seemed like forever to get there. Bria, Britt, Charlie, Kyle, Tim, Anna, and I all played sand volleyball for awhile and then we went and cooled off in the ocean and then played another whole game with three guys from Barcelona who joined us. It was SO much fun! I had forgotten how much I love volleyball! My body is still sore! We were playing in our suits and shorts and the people would just stop and dead stare us because they were in long sleeves in 70 degree weather and so they thought we were crazy lol We didn't think it was cold and we are from Minnesota so whatever people! lol After playing for a few hours we headed back to the hotel and ate dinner at a restaurant on the way back for 4 euros and I even got a glass of wine with it that was really good. We just hung out at the hotel again that night talking out on the patio, because it was just nice to be able to not have to go somewhere to hang out like we always have to when we are at Segovia since we can't just hang out at someone's house.
On Monday we went to the Sagrada Familia church at 10am. We had lots of time to explore inside and we didn't have to wait in the 2 hour long line so that was a bonus. The inside and the outside of the building were amazing. There were so many details to look at and the stain glass windows were beautiful as well. The outside wall of the door we went into told the story of the Passion of Christ and it showed every detail down to the rooster that crowed when Peter denied Jesus three times. Gaudi died many years ago but they are still working on it and the artists now are following Gaudi's plan and ideas to finish it. After spending some time there we headed back to the hotel by bus and had an hour of free time to go shopping so of course a whole group of us headed to H&M which was dangerous like usual. I did find a cute top and a pair of pants for 25 euros though which isn't too bad. After H&M we headed to the Italian Restaurant where we ate as a group for lunch. We got salads, four cheese sauce pasta, and tiramsu or ice cream for dessert. I got tiramsu which I discovered I like in Italy. It was so good!!! After lunch a bigger group of us went to the beach and we played sand volleyball and I went even further out into the water and into the bigger waves. Best Halloween ever! How lucky was I to get to play sand volleyball and swim in the ocean on Halloween. On the way home for the beach many hours later we got McDonald's for dinner and then just hung out at the hotel and ate "reese's blizzards" and played cards.
The next morning Liz, Bria, and I who had shared a hotel room the whole time went souvenir shopping. The only souvenir I bought while we were there was a sweet Barcelona beach towel and postcards. I did get a Starbuck's Frappuccino, and got lunch once again at McDonald's before we left on the long bus ride home. The bus ride home was a lot longer because it was during the day, my cold had gotten worse, and I had worst bus sickness on the way home. I was never so glad to see that aqueduct at eight o clock last night! I loved the city of Barcelona and I want to go back and go see even more then we got to see! There was so much I wanted to do and just not enough time to do it. If I ever moved to Spain (which I don't plan on it) I would want to live in Barcelona or Segovia but I finally found a city in Spain I would like to live in other then Segovia. It was a fun and beautiful city! :)
Today I was supposed to go to Pitufos the daycare but woke up feeling even worse and a shower took the energy out of me so I am taking it easier today and slept until 12:30 and then took another 30 minute nap after lunch. Carmen fed me soup and hand squeezed orange juice today trying to help me feel better, she is so nice! I am hoping to shake this thing tonight though with a good night's sleep and go to the elementary school tomorrow morning. I can't believe it is the 2nd of November already! I only have 5 weeks left in Spain and in the semester and so all the trips and homework are going to keep me busy and then boom it will be time to fly home, CRAZY! I am not really ready for this experience to be over and so I am making the most out of it now. We started no english november yesterday so hopefully no english will be spoke between any of us in the group! A way better idea then no shave November, gah!
Hope you are all doing well and that you had a good Halloween! God Bless!
Miss you!
Jennifer :)
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
Past couple of weeks in Segovia (Oct 28th)
The past couple of weeks in Segovia have been about focusing on homework, class, and my co-op hours. I have also had some fun too. Last weekend (Oct 22-23) was a lot of fun. It started out with churros and chocolate at a cafe on Saturday morning with 4 other girls. We just sat and ate and talked for a couple of hours and it was a lot of fun. We then went shopping and I of course added to my closet some more. That afternoon Bria and I did our Modern Literature homework and then I went shopping again with her to help her replace some of the clothes that she had stolen. Saturday night a group of us went to try and find the San Frutos fiestas that were supposed to be going on. We never did find them but we did stumble across what I would call a "county fair" right in Segovia! I was so excited!!! Britt and I saw one ride that looked fun so we decided to just do it without seeing what it actually did. It cost us three euros each to do it but was worth every euro because really how often are you going to get to go to a fair in Spain! We sat in the ride and freaked out a little when they went to strap us in because they put the bars over our heads like when you go on a rollercoster upside down in the US. We were like "shoot maybe we should have watched this first what if it goes upside down or something else strange", but it didn't all it did was go in circles forwards and backwards while bouncing us up and down at different speeds. It was so much fun!!! They even had good dancing music to go with it! After enjoying the fair we went out dancing and met up with Bria and her host mom and her co-op boss. They were so much fun to hang out with and they made us stick to speaking in Spanish so that was really good for us!
On Sunday there was no church so I slept in and worked on some hw in the morning. On Sunday afternoon I went to the Segovia city soccer team's game and that was fun but it wasn't as fun as a game of American Football would have been. The guys were really cute though so that kept my attention a little bit longer but by the second half I was a little bored but I bought sunflower seeds to keep busy. I felt like I should have been at a baseball game with my sunflower seeds. What was really cool about the game was how much some people got into it cheering and singing, the atmosphere was really fun. After the game we were freezing so we went again and had hot chocolate and churros. It is becoming an addiction!
On Monday we had classes in the morning and then we watched Harry Potter 1 at the center since it was a rainy day. On Monday night was the big San Frutos festival. Many people go out into the Plaza Mayor where you can eat a traditional garlic soup(which was gross by the way), listen to live music, and watch the statue of San Frutos turn the page. San Frutos is the patron saint of Segovia. The legend is that once a year he will perform a miraculous act and turn a page in this really big book to the next year and that shows that Segovia will continue to grow and stay strong. Well we went to see this "big" event and of course the legend is not true. I could see the paper clip attached to clear string to turn the page, but the atmosphere was the experience. A group played music up to the page turn and when that happened it went dead silent, but once it turned everyone was cheering and dancing along to the music. What an experience to have! It felt like New Year's Eve in Time Square lol After eating soup and listening to the music we headed down bar street for a little while to experience the atmosphere some more and then headed home.
On Tuesday there was no class but a few of us decided to go to the Cathedral where a big mass was to take place for San Frutos. We stayed there for about 45 minutes of all the singing of the choirs and stuff and then left to go have churros and chocolate again! That afternoon was an afternoon of homework at the cafe. My group and Hannah's group (housemate from Chicago) filled the second floor of the Colonial cafe where we always go. On Wednesday I went to Pitufos in the morning and worked on homework in the afternoon. Pitufos is more fun every time I go because I get more and more comfortable there and the kids are great. Yesterday I worked at the elementary school which I absolutely LOVE! We teach them math, science, and English but all the classes are in English and it is so much fun to work with them. Yesterday night was probably the first Thursday I have not gone out since coming here but it was cold and no one really felt like leaving their warm houses again. I am also getting sick again so I wanted to sleep so I don't get sicker. Today I have packed for Barcelona and worked on homework, because this afternoon the art and civ class is going to the Cathedral for a tour which will be fun. Tomorrow at 6 am our bus leaves for Barcelona!!!! It is a 7 hour drive but we are going to be staying in a hotel right on the main street that is full of shops and restaurants. Plus at the end of that street is the beach which I hope to go to since it will be getting to 70 a couple of days!!!! My next post will be after my adventures in Barcelona! I am so blessed to be here! Thank you for all the prayers! I hope you all are doing well!!! God Bless!
Love,
Jennifer
On Sunday there was no church so I slept in and worked on some hw in the morning. On Sunday afternoon I went to the Segovia city soccer team's game and that was fun but it wasn't as fun as a game of American Football would have been. The guys were really cute though so that kept my attention a little bit longer but by the second half I was a little bored but I bought sunflower seeds to keep busy. I felt like I should have been at a baseball game with my sunflower seeds. What was really cool about the game was how much some people got into it cheering and singing, the atmosphere was really fun. After the game we were freezing so we went again and had hot chocolate and churros. It is becoming an addiction!
On Monday we had classes in the morning and then we watched Harry Potter 1 at the center since it was a rainy day. On Monday night was the big San Frutos festival. Many people go out into the Plaza Mayor where you can eat a traditional garlic soup(which was gross by the way), listen to live music, and watch the statue of San Frutos turn the page. San Frutos is the patron saint of Segovia. The legend is that once a year he will perform a miraculous act and turn a page in this really big book to the next year and that shows that Segovia will continue to grow and stay strong. Well we went to see this "big" event and of course the legend is not true. I could see the paper clip attached to clear string to turn the page, but the atmosphere was the experience. A group played music up to the page turn and when that happened it went dead silent, but once it turned everyone was cheering and dancing along to the music. What an experience to have! It felt like New Year's Eve in Time Square lol After eating soup and listening to the music we headed down bar street for a little while to experience the atmosphere some more and then headed home.
On Tuesday there was no class but a few of us decided to go to the Cathedral where a big mass was to take place for San Frutos. We stayed there for about 45 minutes of all the singing of the choirs and stuff and then left to go have churros and chocolate again! That afternoon was an afternoon of homework at the cafe. My group and Hannah's group (housemate from Chicago) filled the second floor of the Colonial cafe where we always go. On Wednesday I went to Pitufos in the morning and worked on homework in the afternoon. Pitufos is more fun every time I go because I get more and more comfortable there and the kids are great. Yesterday I worked at the elementary school which I absolutely LOVE! We teach them math, science, and English but all the classes are in English and it is so much fun to work with them. Yesterday night was probably the first Thursday I have not gone out since coming here but it was cold and no one really felt like leaving their warm houses again. I am also getting sick again so I wanted to sleep so I don't get sicker. Today I have packed for Barcelona and worked on homework, because this afternoon the art and civ class is going to the Cathedral for a tour which will be fun. Tomorrow at 6 am our bus leaves for Barcelona!!!! It is a 7 hour drive but we are going to be staying in a hotel right on the main street that is full of shops and restaurants. Plus at the end of that street is the beach which I hope to go to since it will be getting to 70 a couple of days!!!! My next post will be after my adventures in Barcelona! I am so blessed to be here! Thank you for all the prayers! I hope you all are doing well!!! God Bless!
Love,
Jennifer
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Italia Vacation for 9 days--WARNING THIS POST IS VERY LONG!
Man you go on vacation for 10 days in Italy and all of a sudden it is the middle of a new month. Crazy! Today is our official midway through the semester day, which is hard to believe! I had an amazing vacation in Italy with Bria, Tia, and Charlie.
We started out our trip on Thursday night (Oct 7) by going to spend the night in the Madrid airport. We didn't sleep at all but sat there talking all night until we could check in and go through security. Even after staying there all night we were running late to our flight because the lines were so long and we were not sure which line we had to be in. Madrid is a very confusing airport. We caught our flight though at 6 am and I slept the next two hours. We arrived to Bergamo airport which is outside of Milan. We didn't even bother going into Milan but magically found a bus that took us to the train station where we bought tickets to Venice. Friday was by far our longest travel day especially after not sleeping. Our train was delayed so it took us three hours to get to Venice instead of two but I officially got to ride on my first train! :) Before we got on the train we got to talk to a homeless man from England that told us his life story....he even told us how he got kicked out of England and the United States. Needless to say that was an interesting conversation that kept us entertained until the train came and we split from him really quick then! lol We finally made it to the train station in Venice. We were so hungry by then we didn't even make it out of the train station to eat but just ate McDonald's in the station which is always good! We were so sick of figuring all the transportation out by that point that we just split a taxi fare to get to our Holiday Inn hotel, which meant I had my first taxi ride that day too! What an awesome day! We rested for a couple of hours in the hotel and then decided to go into central Venice by taxi again to see the Gran Canal and find some dinner. Venice was beautiful! We found a cute pizza place for dinner and some gelato. Gelato is SOOOOO amazing! I wish we had that in the USA! It might even beat DQ (Shocking right!?!) The language was very overwhelming at first because it is just close enough to Spanish that my brain was constantly trying to figure out what people were saying. A lot of the trip it was easier to use Spanish to communicate with the Italians because if they only knew a little English then they usually understood the Spanish better. Italian is a beautiful language though and I want to learn that next!
On Saturday we went exploring by the hotel to try and find some groceries for breakfast and lunch to save some money. We found lunch stuff and then had coffee and croissants at a cafe. Their coffee is so strong in Italy it is even stronger then Spain's so I was set on caffeine for the day! After the cafe we stumbled upon a street market that was so big I don't even know how many streets were lined with stands. I found my cute boots I had been looking for and some bananas. They had clothes, food, candy, and everything you could think of. We ended up spending the morning walking around there which was fun and then went back to the hotel and ate lunch and rested. Around 3 we headed into Venice and we walked close to the Piazza de San Marco to find a gondola. We found a gondola guy that knew English and we went on a 40 minute ride for 20 euros a piece and I felt like I was apart of a movie. It was SO much fun and was so pretty!!! After our ride we walked to San Maco cathedral and the biggest part of the canal. The cathedral was beautiful and we spent some time there just watching cruise ships coming in. I want to do that someday! For dinner I had alfredo at a cute and really good restaurant. After dinner we did some souvenir shopping and of course had gelato. While we were walking to catch a taxi....Charlie's gelato ended up on the ground and while we were all laughing at him 2 guys and a girl asked Tia to take their picture. We found out after the picture that the two guys were from Madrid, so we got to practice our Spanish and talk with them. If felt so good to use Spanish again! We got one of their phone numbers to call when we are in Madrid to hang out with them! After visiting for a little while we headed back to the hotel, drank some wine, ate some chocolate, and bought our plane tickets home from Rome. We found out the train ticket would have been as expensive as the plane tickets and didn't want to have to deal with a whole day of traveling again.
On Sunday (Oct 9) we left on the 11:30 train to Florence. We had McDonald's again before we left....you would swear it is Red Lobster or Olive Garden over here the way we think of it as a huge treat! We took the high speed train which was way nicer then the older sketchier one we took to Venice and it was our only option and was more expensive. We arrived at the train station in the middle of Florence and then walked to our hostel in about a half hour walk. It is a good thing Ricardo has had us walking a lot on excursions so that it "wasn't too bad of a walk". I would not have said that a few months ago! Thank goodness our hostel was not sketchy at all! We had a four bed dorm room setup with our own bathroom. Not too bad of a deal and it was secure and had cheap wifi to use. It was a little far away and a little noisy outside but we didn't have to pay for a taxi everyday to get home so it was good. Later that afternoon we went and just walked around and explored and found that quite a few things were closed being as it was Sunday. We went and saw the "street of gold" which is off of the last shopping bridge that survived the attacks of World War II. It is called "street of gold" because it is lined with jewelry stores upon jewelry stores full of stuff that I can't afford. lol We of course found more pizza and more gelato for dinner. We also found the H&M there which is my new favorite store, I found two cute dresses there on clearance. We headed back to the hotel kind of early because we were tired and needed to relax. We watched "I am Legand" on Tia's IPad....bad idea for the first night in the hostel for me since that kind of mutant stuff freaks me out!
We got a good night's sleep and then on Monday (Oct 10) we went to the museum that has the real Statue of David just to find out that it is closed on Mondays, so we ended up just walking around. We saw the Duonmo Cathedral which was beautiful! this trip was different then any of the family vacations or group trips I have been on because we would just wander and experience the cities and the culture which I enjoyed. By doing so we discovered another beautiful church that we went inside and looked at. For lunch we ate at a cafe and I ordered a chicken burrito thinking I actually found mexican food here...only to get a cheese and chicken wrap type thing more then a burrito but at least it was good. It just didn't satisfy my mexican food craving, bummer. After lunch we headed to meet for our vineyard tour. We went on a bus with around 50 other people to the Tuscany countryside about 45 minutes from Florence. It was beautiful! We saw fields and fields of vineyards. We headed to a castillo were they make Chianti wine which is the wine Italy is known for. When we got there we got the option of an english tour which most of the people were there to do, but we went and did the tour that was in spanish. That was awesome! We saw the wine cellars and learned the basics of how wine is made and then aged. We walked around the castillo and took a lot of pictures. We then sat down at a table with two couples from upper state NY and talked with them while we sampled food and 4 different wines. They would just set a bottle at our table every time with a new plate of food. It was so much fun! The couples from NY could not believe how lucky of college kids we are to be there while our parents sat at home in MN, they thought it was so funny! We got to try a pink wine, a red wine, a darker red wine, and a dessert wine that was a golden color that we dipped biscotti in. All of the wines were strong especially the dessert wine, but were good. I didn't buy any though because shipping was ridiculous! After that we got back on the bus and went to a little town out in the countryside and there were shops to look around in. We walked around the cute town, ate gelato, and then got back on the bus to head back to Florence. Overall the tour was 4 hours long. When we got back Tia and I went and walked around Florence again and Charlie and Bria went to get groceries and head back to the hostel. It was fun to walk around just the two of us and explore shops and to see the cathedral at night. We called it a short night when everything started to shut down for the night.
On Tuesday (Oct 11) we had a slow moving morning we all were tired. We started out our morning with bagels at a cafe for breakfast, real bagels...yum! Then we went to wait in line at the museum to see the statue of David, and on our way there we ran into Suzanne and her mom who just had finished the museum, what are the chances! Sometimes it is a small world! We waited in line for about an hour and twenty minutes which would have been worst if it wasn't so nice out, and we also had gelato in line while we waited, of course :) Addiction I know! The statue was way bigger then I expected but cool to see. It was kind of a joke that we had to pay 11 euros to get in basically just to see him, but you got to do it if you are in Florence. It was close to 3 when we finally got done and we were starving and so we found a restaurant. I was excited because I got a lettuce salad which is probably the second one I have had over here and I was adventurous and tried Gnochi and a four cheese sause and they are really weird noodles but are very good. Charlie headed back to the hostel because he was sick but us girls were going to go up on a look out and see all of Florence. The problem was we kind of lost our navigator and there were shops all over, so we ended up shopping instead, opps! It was fun though! We even found chocolate at a Lindt chocolate store! Our next adventure was to find me a suitcase because they were cheap there and after shopping I knew my things would not all fit into my backpack much less my 1 big suitcase back to the USA. I found a nice one and it ended up that I only had to pay 15 euros to check it back to Spain, because Ryan Air is so cheap. Our tickets were cheap too, and the only scary thing is that they play circus music and clap when they land...a tad bit unnerving but funny! I wish we had a cheap Ryan Air in the US! After bargaining for my suitcase we went and had pizza again (pasta for lunch = pizza for dinner) lol and then found gelato again before we headed back to the hostel.
On Wednesday (Oct 12) we left at 9 am for a two and a half hour train ride to Rome! We got there a little early and had lunch at McDonald's again lol It took us about 30 minutes to find the metro that would take us to our bus. Our Best Western 4 star hotel said on it's website that it was in the middle of Rome...try the outskirts of Rome. It took us an hour by public bus to get there. Had we not been helped by a man that lives near the hotel from Mexico we would have NEVER found the random bus stop under the grafitti bridge. Our hotel according to this man who helped us was in the worst part of Rome. When I asked the front desk if it was safe to go out at night their response was what time....that was reassuring not. Our hotel was really nice though and we had connecting rooms that were very secure. The hotel was also full of cops the whole time we were there because apparently they were training or having a conference but at first we didn't know that so we got a little freaked out. At least some of them were attractive young ones. lol When we got up to our rooms the first thing we wanted to do was go swimming because we were hot from traveling and it was around 80 degrees out. We got our suits on and went downstairs and when we couldn't find the pool asked the front desk about it and they looked at us crazy Minnesotas and said it's outside and closed for the winter. Seriously? You are in Rome in a totally tropical area! Anyways we took the bus back into the center center a little while later which took forever but was so worth it. We got to see the Trevi Fountain at night, make our wishes, and we sat outside at a cute restaurant and had dinner looking at beautiful Rome. We also got to walk smack in the middle of the protest/riot that made headlines in Rome, but nothing happened except we couldn't use the street we wanted because cops were blocking it off, the whole place was surrounded including a helicopter above. After dinner got our daily gelato and took a taxi back to the hotel which only took 20 minutes verses an hour.
The next morning (Oct 13) we took the hotel free shuttle into Rome which was a 30 minute ride. We then took the metro all the way to Vatican City where we did a tour of the Vatican Museums, St Peter's Basilica, and the Sistine Chapel. It was AMAZING! I learned so much and it was all really cool to see. We had just missed the Pope blessing the day before which was okay since 25,000 people were there. After the Vatican we did lunch and then went and signed our names at the guestbook in the Pantheon. We also went and saw the Spanish Steps at night before heading back to the metro to catch the last shuttle at 8pm back to the hotel. We only had gelato twice this day lol At the hotel we just relaxed after a long day, had dinner at the hotel restaurant, and played speed (card game).
On Friday (Oct 14) Tia and I got up and went to the free breakfast and then caught the 9am shuttle to go explore Rome more while Bria and Charlie slept in. We went and took pictures by the Trevi Fountain during the day and got our souvenir shopping started. We then got a cookie gelato and met up with Bria and Charlie at the Collesum. We waited an hour to get in but it was so cool. You could see the platform that used to hold the animals below, where the three tiers were, and were the emperor used to sit. It was really cool! We then headed over to the Roman Forum and Palpatine Hill which were really old ruins that were cool. We ate lunch after that and I had lasagna. Yum! We then went and took pictures by the very crowded Spanish Steps. There were men everywhere there selling stuff and it got really annoying! We then went and got some gelato before Charlie and Bria headed back to the hotel. Tia and I went exploring on our own and found more souvenirs while looking for the H&M we never did find. :( We decided to eat before catching the shuttle back and found a really good restaurant with alfredo and rissotto for Tia, and because we were not FULL enough we squeezed in another gelato thinking it was our last opportunity! We went back to the hotel on the free 8pm shuttle with the London couple we met the night before to go on the hotel's "Tour Rome by Night" what we thought was a 4 hour driving tour of Rome. We got on the shuttle AGAIN to be dropped off in the freezing night for an hour by everything we already had done, and then got picked up again to go to another spot and do the same thing. We each had paid 25 euros to go...what a joke. We talked to the hotel and can only hope we get some sort of response but it is Italy so nothing will probably happen. We did get to meet a cute couple from Australia and South America though and found some warm coffee to drink while we waited, and we also saw the Trevi fountain one last time.
On Saturday we slept in until breakfast, went and ate, then packed up, and we checked out of the hotel at 12. Since we had no clue how to get to the airport we split a taxi there. We ate lunch and waited around at the airport until our delayed flight left. We got to Madrid at 6:30pm and were home by 10pm to Segovia. It felt SO good to be "home" in Segovia. My host sister, Angela, could not contain her laughter when I returned with a big suitcase home after leaving with just my backpack. I loved Italy and will never forget all the memories that I have there. What an amazing vacation! I am so blessed!
This week it is back to classes, getting homework done, practicing Spanish, working at the daycare, and starting to work on Thursday at the elementary school finally. I hope you are all doing well. God bless you all this week!
Love,
Jennifer <3
We started out our trip on Thursday night (Oct 7) by going to spend the night in the Madrid airport. We didn't sleep at all but sat there talking all night until we could check in and go through security. Even after staying there all night we were running late to our flight because the lines were so long and we were not sure which line we had to be in. Madrid is a very confusing airport. We caught our flight though at 6 am and I slept the next two hours. We arrived to Bergamo airport which is outside of Milan. We didn't even bother going into Milan but magically found a bus that took us to the train station where we bought tickets to Venice. Friday was by far our longest travel day especially after not sleeping. Our train was delayed so it took us three hours to get to Venice instead of two but I officially got to ride on my first train! :) Before we got on the train we got to talk to a homeless man from England that told us his life story....he even told us how he got kicked out of England and the United States. Needless to say that was an interesting conversation that kept us entertained until the train came and we split from him really quick then! lol We finally made it to the train station in Venice. We were so hungry by then we didn't even make it out of the train station to eat but just ate McDonald's in the station which is always good! We were so sick of figuring all the transportation out by that point that we just split a taxi fare to get to our Holiday Inn hotel, which meant I had my first taxi ride that day too! What an awesome day! We rested for a couple of hours in the hotel and then decided to go into central Venice by taxi again to see the Gran Canal and find some dinner. Venice was beautiful! We found a cute pizza place for dinner and some gelato. Gelato is SOOOOO amazing! I wish we had that in the USA! It might even beat DQ (Shocking right!?!) The language was very overwhelming at first because it is just close enough to Spanish that my brain was constantly trying to figure out what people were saying. A lot of the trip it was easier to use Spanish to communicate with the Italians because if they only knew a little English then they usually understood the Spanish better. Italian is a beautiful language though and I want to learn that next!
On Saturday we went exploring by the hotel to try and find some groceries for breakfast and lunch to save some money. We found lunch stuff and then had coffee and croissants at a cafe. Their coffee is so strong in Italy it is even stronger then Spain's so I was set on caffeine for the day! After the cafe we stumbled upon a street market that was so big I don't even know how many streets were lined with stands. I found my cute boots I had been looking for and some bananas. They had clothes, food, candy, and everything you could think of. We ended up spending the morning walking around there which was fun and then went back to the hotel and ate lunch and rested. Around 3 we headed into Venice and we walked close to the Piazza de San Marco to find a gondola. We found a gondola guy that knew English and we went on a 40 minute ride for 20 euros a piece and I felt like I was apart of a movie. It was SO much fun and was so pretty!!! After our ride we walked to San Maco cathedral and the biggest part of the canal. The cathedral was beautiful and we spent some time there just watching cruise ships coming in. I want to do that someday! For dinner I had alfredo at a cute and really good restaurant. After dinner we did some souvenir shopping and of course had gelato. While we were walking to catch a taxi....Charlie's gelato ended up on the ground and while we were all laughing at him 2 guys and a girl asked Tia to take their picture. We found out after the picture that the two guys were from Madrid, so we got to practice our Spanish and talk with them. If felt so good to use Spanish again! We got one of their phone numbers to call when we are in Madrid to hang out with them! After visiting for a little while we headed back to the hotel, drank some wine, ate some chocolate, and bought our plane tickets home from Rome. We found out the train ticket would have been as expensive as the plane tickets and didn't want to have to deal with a whole day of traveling again.
On Sunday (Oct 9) we left on the 11:30 train to Florence. We had McDonald's again before we left....you would swear it is Red Lobster or Olive Garden over here the way we think of it as a huge treat! We took the high speed train which was way nicer then the older sketchier one we took to Venice and it was our only option and was more expensive. We arrived at the train station in the middle of Florence and then walked to our hostel in about a half hour walk. It is a good thing Ricardo has had us walking a lot on excursions so that it "wasn't too bad of a walk". I would not have said that a few months ago! Thank goodness our hostel was not sketchy at all! We had a four bed dorm room setup with our own bathroom. Not too bad of a deal and it was secure and had cheap wifi to use. It was a little far away and a little noisy outside but we didn't have to pay for a taxi everyday to get home so it was good. Later that afternoon we went and just walked around and explored and found that quite a few things were closed being as it was Sunday. We went and saw the "street of gold" which is off of the last shopping bridge that survived the attacks of World War II. It is called "street of gold" because it is lined with jewelry stores upon jewelry stores full of stuff that I can't afford. lol We of course found more pizza and more gelato for dinner. We also found the H&M there which is my new favorite store, I found two cute dresses there on clearance. We headed back to the hotel kind of early because we were tired and needed to relax. We watched "I am Legand" on Tia's IPad....bad idea for the first night in the hostel for me since that kind of mutant stuff freaks me out!
We got a good night's sleep and then on Monday (Oct 10) we went to the museum that has the real Statue of David just to find out that it is closed on Mondays, so we ended up just walking around. We saw the Duonmo Cathedral which was beautiful! this trip was different then any of the family vacations or group trips I have been on because we would just wander and experience the cities and the culture which I enjoyed. By doing so we discovered another beautiful church that we went inside and looked at. For lunch we ate at a cafe and I ordered a chicken burrito thinking I actually found mexican food here...only to get a cheese and chicken wrap type thing more then a burrito but at least it was good. It just didn't satisfy my mexican food craving, bummer. After lunch we headed to meet for our vineyard tour. We went on a bus with around 50 other people to the Tuscany countryside about 45 minutes from Florence. It was beautiful! We saw fields and fields of vineyards. We headed to a castillo were they make Chianti wine which is the wine Italy is known for. When we got there we got the option of an english tour which most of the people were there to do, but we went and did the tour that was in spanish. That was awesome! We saw the wine cellars and learned the basics of how wine is made and then aged. We walked around the castillo and took a lot of pictures. We then sat down at a table with two couples from upper state NY and talked with them while we sampled food and 4 different wines. They would just set a bottle at our table every time with a new plate of food. It was so much fun! The couples from NY could not believe how lucky of college kids we are to be there while our parents sat at home in MN, they thought it was so funny! We got to try a pink wine, a red wine, a darker red wine, and a dessert wine that was a golden color that we dipped biscotti in. All of the wines were strong especially the dessert wine, but were good. I didn't buy any though because shipping was ridiculous! After that we got back on the bus and went to a little town out in the countryside and there were shops to look around in. We walked around the cute town, ate gelato, and then got back on the bus to head back to Florence. Overall the tour was 4 hours long. When we got back Tia and I went and walked around Florence again and Charlie and Bria went to get groceries and head back to the hostel. It was fun to walk around just the two of us and explore shops and to see the cathedral at night. We called it a short night when everything started to shut down for the night.
On Tuesday (Oct 11) we had a slow moving morning we all were tired. We started out our morning with bagels at a cafe for breakfast, real bagels...yum! Then we went to wait in line at the museum to see the statue of David, and on our way there we ran into Suzanne and her mom who just had finished the museum, what are the chances! Sometimes it is a small world! We waited in line for about an hour and twenty minutes which would have been worst if it wasn't so nice out, and we also had gelato in line while we waited, of course :) Addiction I know! The statue was way bigger then I expected but cool to see. It was kind of a joke that we had to pay 11 euros to get in basically just to see him, but you got to do it if you are in Florence. It was close to 3 when we finally got done and we were starving and so we found a restaurant. I was excited because I got a lettuce salad which is probably the second one I have had over here and I was adventurous and tried Gnochi and a four cheese sause and they are really weird noodles but are very good. Charlie headed back to the hostel because he was sick but us girls were going to go up on a look out and see all of Florence. The problem was we kind of lost our navigator and there were shops all over, so we ended up shopping instead, opps! It was fun though! We even found chocolate at a Lindt chocolate store! Our next adventure was to find me a suitcase because they were cheap there and after shopping I knew my things would not all fit into my backpack much less my 1 big suitcase back to the USA. I found a nice one and it ended up that I only had to pay 15 euros to check it back to Spain, because Ryan Air is so cheap. Our tickets were cheap too, and the only scary thing is that they play circus music and clap when they land...a tad bit unnerving but funny! I wish we had a cheap Ryan Air in the US! After bargaining for my suitcase we went and had pizza again (pasta for lunch = pizza for dinner) lol and then found gelato again before we headed back to the hostel.
On Wednesday (Oct 12) we left at 9 am for a two and a half hour train ride to Rome! We got there a little early and had lunch at McDonald's again lol It took us about 30 minutes to find the metro that would take us to our bus. Our Best Western 4 star hotel said on it's website that it was in the middle of Rome...try the outskirts of Rome. It took us an hour by public bus to get there. Had we not been helped by a man that lives near the hotel from Mexico we would have NEVER found the random bus stop under the grafitti bridge. Our hotel according to this man who helped us was in the worst part of Rome. When I asked the front desk if it was safe to go out at night their response was what time....that was reassuring not. Our hotel was really nice though and we had connecting rooms that were very secure. The hotel was also full of cops the whole time we were there because apparently they were training or having a conference but at first we didn't know that so we got a little freaked out. At least some of them were attractive young ones. lol When we got up to our rooms the first thing we wanted to do was go swimming because we were hot from traveling and it was around 80 degrees out. We got our suits on and went downstairs and when we couldn't find the pool asked the front desk about it and they looked at us crazy Minnesotas and said it's outside and closed for the winter. Seriously? You are in Rome in a totally tropical area! Anyways we took the bus back into the center center a little while later which took forever but was so worth it. We got to see the Trevi Fountain at night, make our wishes, and we sat outside at a cute restaurant and had dinner looking at beautiful Rome. We also got to walk smack in the middle of the protest/riot that made headlines in Rome, but nothing happened except we couldn't use the street we wanted because cops were blocking it off, the whole place was surrounded including a helicopter above. After dinner got our daily gelato and took a taxi back to the hotel which only took 20 minutes verses an hour.
The next morning (Oct 13) we took the hotel free shuttle into Rome which was a 30 minute ride. We then took the metro all the way to Vatican City where we did a tour of the Vatican Museums, St Peter's Basilica, and the Sistine Chapel. It was AMAZING! I learned so much and it was all really cool to see. We had just missed the Pope blessing the day before which was okay since 25,000 people were there. After the Vatican we did lunch and then went and signed our names at the guestbook in the Pantheon. We also went and saw the Spanish Steps at night before heading back to the metro to catch the last shuttle at 8pm back to the hotel. We only had gelato twice this day lol At the hotel we just relaxed after a long day, had dinner at the hotel restaurant, and played speed (card game).
On Friday (Oct 14) Tia and I got up and went to the free breakfast and then caught the 9am shuttle to go explore Rome more while Bria and Charlie slept in. We went and took pictures by the Trevi Fountain during the day and got our souvenir shopping started. We then got a cookie gelato and met up with Bria and Charlie at the Collesum. We waited an hour to get in but it was so cool. You could see the platform that used to hold the animals below, where the three tiers were, and were the emperor used to sit. It was really cool! We then headed over to the Roman Forum and Palpatine Hill which were really old ruins that were cool. We ate lunch after that and I had lasagna. Yum! We then went and took pictures by the very crowded Spanish Steps. There were men everywhere there selling stuff and it got really annoying! We then went and got some gelato before Charlie and Bria headed back to the hotel. Tia and I went exploring on our own and found more souvenirs while looking for the H&M we never did find. :( We decided to eat before catching the shuttle back and found a really good restaurant with alfredo and rissotto for Tia, and because we were not FULL enough we squeezed in another gelato thinking it was our last opportunity! We went back to the hotel on the free 8pm shuttle with the London couple we met the night before to go on the hotel's "Tour Rome by Night" what we thought was a 4 hour driving tour of Rome. We got on the shuttle AGAIN to be dropped off in the freezing night for an hour by everything we already had done, and then got picked up again to go to another spot and do the same thing. We each had paid 25 euros to go...what a joke. We talked to the hotel and can only hope we get some sort of response but it is Italy so nothing will probably happen. We did get to meet a cute couple from Australia and South America though and found some warm coffee to drink while we waited, and we also saw the Trevi fountain one last time.
On Saturday we slept in until breakfast, went and ate, then packed up, and we checked out of the hotel at 12. Since we had no clue how to get to the airport we split a taxi there. We ate lunch and waited around at the airport until our delayed flight left. We got to Madrid at 6:30pm and were home by 10pm to Segovia. It felt SO good to be "home" in Segovia. My host sister, Angela, could not contain her laughter when I returned with a big suitcase home after leaving with just my backpack. I loved Italy and will never forget all the memories that I have there. What an amazing vacation! I am so blessed!
This week it is back to classes, getting homework done, practicing Spanish, working at the daycare, and starting to work on Thursday at the elementary school finally. I hope you are all doing well. God bless you all this week!
Love,
Jennifer <3
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Excursion to Toledo
Hola!
On Saturday (Sept 24) we went to Nueva Segoiva and which is a bus ride out of the older part of Segoiva to look for the mall. Needless to say we were on another fun Spain adventure. We walked around Nueva Segovia in the beautiful sunlight for 2 hours and then returned to Segovia by our houses. We never did find the mall which has a Burger King in it and Peanut Butter to buy...sad day! But I guess it was a nice walk :( On Saturday night a group of us went to TelePizza and that was so good!!! To top it off they had Ben and Jerry's Icecream Cookie Dough...I thought I was going to die of happiness!
On Sunday, we went on a group excursion to Toledo which is a city that is very similar to Segovia but is a two hour bus drive away. The city is down in a river basin and is surrounded by a river which makes for a BEAUTIFUL site to see! I was not feeling so well I probably did not enjoy it as much as I could have but I took a nap on the way there and on the way home so that helped. When we first arrived to Toledo we went around the city by bus. We then walked up to main plaza and had an hour to eat lunch. We ate lunch but then there just happened to be a McDonald's right there so I had to get a ice cream cone off the 1 euro menu! lol We then went with our tour guide to the Museum, Synagogue, and the Cathedral. The sites and the city were very beautiful. After seeing the sites we went shopping to the souvenir shops that were open. All you who know me would be proud, I love souvenirs and all I got was a postcard. I decided this week that I had to get one postcard from every city in Spain that we visit and every other city I visit during my time here to remember everything that I got to see. We got back to Segovia just as a festival was going on. They were carrying a huge box with the a virgin statue on top. We don't know what it was for but the plaza and streets by the aqueduct was FULL of people. After we got through the crowd we went and hung out at the cafe for awhile. When I got home Rosemarie, Hannah, and I ate dinner and then I went to bed early even after two naps.
There is a cold going around this week and lots of people are getting it. I got it last Friday and this week has been all about doing homework, planning travel stuff, and sleeping. I think I have taken a nap everyday and still been able to go to bed early. I am feeling a lot better today though thanks to the medicine Carmen recommended and the sleep. Today I had another day a Pitufos. My time there improves every week. They meal times there still stress me out because they are so different and I feel like I don't know what to do, but everything else is so much fun. Today I was back in the room I was in the very first day which is the older preschool room. It is now officially my favorite because the kids in that room are awesome. I never sat down or didn't know what to do today because one of them always was holding my hand and tugging me this way or that way. We sang songs, watched a skit, played outside, and had a dance party. Great day! By the time I got home I was so tired again that all I did was eat and then took an hour nap before going to start researching for Italy. We were looking at getting our schedule for which city when down, hostels/hotels, and what we want to see. It was be so much easier with a travel agent to tell us what to do but this way we will get to get "lost" probably literally in Italy and I am so excited! It will be Charlie, Bria, Tia, and I going together and we will also probably run into other people from our group too since almost all 22 of us will be in Italy at one point during the week. Crazy! After making some plans I had my second time of intercambio which is when people from the city come in and we speak spanish and the english with them so they can learn and so we can learn. I am talking with Paola who is 19 and goes to the university in Madrid for Pharmacy. She is really nice and we talked about all sorts of things!
Also yesterday I booked a ticket to London in November (17th-20th)!!!! Super excited for this! After this weekend's one day excursion to Granja my weekends are just about full of traveling, all but two I think. Tomorrow a group of us might go to the mall on a mission to find Peanut Butter here! We are desperate!!! After that I have class at 4:15 and then a bible study after that. After the bible study I hope to get some homework done before I go out tomorrow night with my host sister, Marina, and her friends. That will be so much fun and we will be practicing spanish so yes I am actually going to classes and learning things over here too! LOL On Friday I have three classes :( and then will probably do nothing but sleep before our day excursion on Saturday. Hope you all are having a good week! God bless you all!
Love,
Jennifer <3
``Porque yo sé los planes que tengo para vosotros--declara el SEÑOR-- ``planes de bienestar y no de calamidad, para daros un futuro y una esperanza. Jeremías 29:11
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
On Saturday (Sept 24) we went to Nueva Segoiva and which is a bus ride out of the older part of Segoiva to look for the mall. Needless to say we were on another fun Spain adventure. We walked around Nueva Segovia in the beautiful sunlight for 2 hours and then returned to Segovia by our houses. We never did find the mall which has a Burger King in it and Peanut Butter to buy...sad day! But I guess it was a nice walk :( On Saturday night a group of us went to TelePizza and that was so good!!! To top it off they had Ben and Jerry's Icecream Cookie Dough...I thought I was going to die of happiness!
On Sunday, we went on a group excursion to Toledo which is a city that is very similar to Segovia but is a two hour bus drive away. The city is down in a river basin and is surrounded by a river which makes for a BEAUTIFUL site to see! I was not feeling so well I probably did not enjoy it as much as I could have but I took a nap on the way there and on the way home so that helped. When we first arrived to Toledo we went around the city by bus. We then walked up to main plaza and had an hour to eat lunch. We ate lunch but then there just happened to be a McDonald's right there so I had to get a ice cream cone off the 1 euro menu! lol We then went with our tour guide to the Museum, Synagogue, and the Cathedral. The sites and the city were very beautiful. After seeing the sites we went shopping to the souvenir shops that were open. All you who know me would be proud, I love souvenirs and all I got was a postcard. I decided this week that I had to get one postcard from every city in Spain that we visit and every other city I visit during my time here to remember everything that I got to see. We got back to Segovia just as a festival was going on. They were carrying a huge box with the a virgin statue on top. We don't know what it was for but the plaza and streets by the aqueduct was FULL of people. After we got through the crowd we went and hung out at the cafe for awhile. When I got home Rosemarie, Hannah, and I ate dinner and then I went to bed early even after two naps.
There is a cold going around this week and lots of people are getting it. I got it last Friday and this week has been all about doing homework, planning travel stuff, and sleeping. I think I have taken a nap everyday and still been able to go to bed early. I am feeling a lot better today though thanks to the medicine Carmen recommended and the sleep. Today I had another day a Pitufos. My time there improves every week. They meal times there still stress me out because they are so different and I feel like I don't know what to do, but everything else is so much fun. Today I was back in the room I was in the very first day which is the older preschool room. It is now officially my favorite because the kids in that room are awesome. I never sat down or didn't know what to do today because one of them always was holding my hand and tugging me this way or that way. We sang songs, watched a skit, played outside, and had a dance party. Great day! By the time I got home I was so tired again that all I did was eat and then took an hour nap before going to start researching for Italy. We were looking at getting our schedule for which city when down, hostels/hotels, and what we want to see. It was be so much easier with a travel agent to tell us what to do but this way we will get to get "lost" probably literally in Italy and I am so excited! It will be Charlie, Bria, Tia, and I going together and we will also probably run into other people from our group too since almost all 22 of us will be in Italy at one point during the week. Crazy! After making some plans I had my second time of intercambio which is when people from the city come in and we speak spanish and the english with them so they can learn and so we can learn. I am talking with Paola who is 19 and goes to the university in Madrid for Pharmacy. She is really nice and we talked about all sorts of things!
Also yesterday I booked a ticket to London in November (17th-20th)!!!! Super excited for this! After this weekend's one day excursion to Granja my weekends are just about full of traveling, all but two I think. Tomorrow a group of us might go to the mall on a mission to find Peanut Butter here! We are desperate!!! After that I have class at 4:15 and then a bible study after that. After the bible study I hope to get some homework done before I go out tomorrow night with my host sister, Marina, and her friends. That will be so much fun and we will be practicing spanish so yes I am actually going to classes and learning things over here too! LOL On Friday I have three classes :( and then will probably do nothing but sleep before our day excursion on Saturday. Hope you all are having a good week! God bless you all!
Love,
Jennifer <3
``Porque yo sé los planes que tengo para vosotros--declara el SEÑOR-- ``planes de bienestar y no de calamidad, para daros un futuro y una esperanza. Jeremías 29:11
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
Friday, September 23, 2011
Weekend in Madrid and My Fly By Week This Week
Hola! Sorry this has taken so long this week has literally flew by I can't believe it is already Friday, which is usually the day I wish for but I struggle doing that here because my time here is going away so fast. In two weeks we have fall break already, CRAZY! Last weekend we went to Madrid for two days. It was an hour bus ride from Segovia and then we used the metro system to travel around Madrid. The city reminded me so much of New York City because there were so many people, stores, "times squares", and central parks. The first day we did a walking tour of Madrid for three hours it was cool, but exhausting. We did get to see that they have a McDonalds, Burger King, Dunkin' Donuts, Starbucks, and so on. We all were excited.We also go to see where the ball drops on New Year's Eve in Madrid and that was kind of cool. During the walk we got to see the Palacio Real or the White House of Madrid were all the formal events are held for other foreign dignitaries. We also got to go into the Cathedral that was built to go with the Palacio Real. All the cathedrals are so pretty here and they are everywhere. After visiting the Cathedral we continued to walk around the city and we saw a lot of people dressed up in costumes putting on acts on the street corners to make money, and there was one that was a baby that was so funny Ricardo (our professor) gave him so money. For lunch we went to the Parque de Retiro which is like Central Park and is the greenest area of the city and even has a pond of water where you can rent a boat and row around on it. We sat and ate our picnic lunches there and rested up before we went to the Museo del Prado, which is one of the most famous museums in the world. We got to see the Meinas painting if any of you know what that is, I learned all about it from my high school spanish teacher. The museum was cool but after an hour I was ready to leave, museums just aren't my thing especially art museums. After the museum we had free time from five on so a group of us went to McDonalds for an early dinner. Yum! Burger, fries, actual fountain soda, and a McFlurry I was in heaven! We then went shopping to the shops around the "time square" of Madrid. Our next adventure was to figure out the subway system by ourselves but it ended up being really easy. That night we went out and found a discotecca that didn't have an entrance fee and danced a little bit. On the way home we were all hungry so we got McDonalds again because when you can get it you have to :) We stayed in a 4 star hotel that was absolutely amazing. I got to room with just Bria which was perfect since we both went out dancing and I have really gotten to know her.
The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel which was like continental but with breakfast food from Spain so no biscuits and gravy :( Sad day! After breakfast we headed to the Reina Sofia Museum which is a more famous abstract museum. We were really tired for the day before so the one painting that excited me was La Guernica by Pablo Picasso because it is in every Spanish book and was really cool to see in person. After La Reina Sofia we went and had lunch at Pinocchio Pizzeria which was like a 5 course meal that was really good. American like pizza and pasta with a normal lettuce salad and ice cream for desert. After lunch we were stuffed but we had a couple more hours to shop so we went back to the shops around La Puerta de Sol (timesquare) and got our souvenirs. After that we caught the metro back to the fancy hotel got our stuff and headed to the bus station. We got back to Segovia around 8:30 exhausted. I think I though we were on vacation in Madrid because I got "home" and then realized it really wasn't my home and got really sad and tired Sunday night. I skyped with Mom and Dad and got a good night's rest and then I felt better. You would think after being here a month homesickness and the change in culture would stop surprising me but it doesn't because there are still many things we miss as much as we all are loving being here at the same time. It is such a mixture of emotions every single day...I want to go home...I want to stay here forever... you never know what you want lol That has by far been the hardest part of this experience...all the emotions and all the change. Even just a little change in my schedule throws me way off. I also went through a Spanish rut last week were it felt like I just could not improve anything and it was REALLY frustrating but this week has gone better with that. (Still can't believe it's the end of the week again we really need to get booking it on fall break plans, hostels, and in Italy transportation!)
On Monday, I had three classes, helped Bria get stuff ready to fly home for her brother's wedding this weekend, and then did homework. I was still super tired from Madrid so I went to sleep early. On Tuesday I had two classes again and then got a letter from Grandma Burgess in the mail so that made my day. On Wednesday we went to las Marista the school I will also be doing part of my co-op at. It sounds like it is going to be fun! I will be going Monday afternoons and Thursday mornings to teach fourth through sixth graders english. I decided to go with a little bit older elementary students so that there is more of a difference between that and the daycare. After meeting with the English director at the school we stopped at a cafe were they have cupcakes that are so good. I had an apple one and it was like an applefritter cupcake! After that I just worked on homework because it was the first thunderstorm and rain since we got here. I don't usually get excited over rain but I was super excited! It smelled so good and was perfect to doing homework to. I have my first two short papers due in my literature classes on Monday so that is what I need to work on this weekend before our excursion to Toledo on Sunday. Yesterday I went to Pitufos for six hours and some of the kids remembered me and wanted me to go into their classroom but I went into a different one where I got to meet other kids. One of the little girls speaks English and Spanish so her teacher had me speak English to her and she understood it all which was really cool. The daycare reminds me of Atonement's with all the songs and games, but their meal time is so different it still stressed me out it is just so crazy. The bus system went perfect yesterday and it was a customer appreciation day so my fare was free both ways, perfect! I had a three hour class yesterday afternoon, skyped with Bria with Suzanne and Charlie, went to a Bible Study that ended up just being a normal conversation, and then went out dancing. Last night we actually met up with my host sister Marina which was lots of fun because we got to dance together and hang out outside of the house, but it also meant it was a really late night because we went home at 5am and that was too early but seriously I don't understand how Spaniards do it! Today I have the same three hour class but afterwards we are going to watch Twilight in spanish which is really exciting. Tomorrow a group of us is going to Segovia's "mall" and then Sunday is our excursion to a city very similar to Segovia that is two hours away by bus. Hope you all have an amazing weekend! God Bless!
Love,
Jennifer
The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel which was like continental but with breakfast food from Spain so no biscuits and gravy :( Sad day! After breakfast we headed to the Reina Sofia Museum which is a more famous abstract museum. We were really tired for the day before so the one painting that excited me was La Guernica by Pablo Picasso because it is in every Spanish book and was really cool to see in person. After La Reina Sofia we went and had lunch at Pinocchio Pizzeria which was like a 5 course meal that was really good. American like pizza and pasta with a normal lettuce salad and ice cream for desert. After lunch we were stuffed but we had a couple more hours to shop so we went back to the shops around La Puerta de Sol (timesquare) and got our souvenirs. After that we caught the metro back to the fancy hotel got our stuff and headed to the bus station. We got back to Segovia around 8:30 exhausted. I think I though we were on vacation in Madrid because I got "home" and then realized it really wasn't my home and got really sad and tired Sunday night. I skyped with Mom and Dad and got a good night's rest and then I felt better. You would think after being here a month homesickness and the change in culture would stop surprising me but it doesn't because there are still many things we miss as much as we all are loving being here at the same time. It is such a mixture of emotions every single day...I want to go home...I want to stay here forever... you never know what you want lol That has by far been the hardest part of this experience...all the emotions and all the change. Even just a little change in my schedule throws me way off. I also went through a Spanish rut last week were it felt like I just could not improve anything and it was REALLY frustrating but this week has gone better with that. (Still can't believe it's the end of the week again we really need to get booking it on fall break plans, hostels, and in Italy transportation!)
On Monday, I had three classes, helped Bria get stuff ready to fly home for her brother's wedding this weekend, and then did homework. I was still super tired from Madrid so I went to sleep early. On Tuesday I had two classes again and then got a letter from Grandma Burgess in the mail so that made my day. On Wednesday we went to las Marista the school I will also be doing part of my co-op at. It sounds like it is going to be fun! I will be going Monday afternoons and Thursday mornings to teach fourth through sixth graders english. I decided to go with a little bit older elementary students so that there is more of a difference between that and the daycare. After meeting with the English director at the school we stopped at a cafe were they have cupcakes that are so good. I had an apple one and it was like an applefritter cupcake! After that I just worked on homework because it was the first thunderstorm and rain since we got here. I don't usually get excited over rain but I was super excited! It smelled so good and was perfect to doing homework to. I have my first two short papers due in my literature classes on Monday so that is what I need to work on this weekend before our excursion to Toledo on Sunday. Yesterday I went to Pitufos for six hours and some of the kids remembered me and wanted me to go into their classroom but I went into a different one where I got to meet other kids. One of the little girls speaks English and Spanish so her teacher had me speak English to her and she understood it all which was really cool. The daycare reminds me of Atonement's with all the songs and games, but their meal time is so different it still stressed me out it is just so crazy. The bus system went perfect yesterday and it was a customer appreciation day so my fare was free both ways, perfect! I had a three hour class yesterday afternoon, skyped with Bria with Suzanne and Charlie, went to a Bible Study that ended up just being a normal conversation, and then went out dancing. Last night we actually met up with my host sister Marina which was lots of fun because we got to dance together and hang out outside of the house, but it also meant it was a really late night because we went home at 5am and that was too early but seriously I don't understand how Spaniards do it! Today I have the same three hour class but afterwards we are going to watch Twilight in spanish which is really exciting. Tomorrow a group of us is going to Segovia's "mall" and then Sunday is our excursion to a city very similar to Segovia that is two hours away by bus. Hope you all have an amazing weekend! God Bless!
Love,
Jennifer
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Week of September 11th-16th ...Build up to Madrid Excursion and First Day at Pitufos Daycare
This week was a pretty normal week. I had classes and homework to do all day Monday and Tuesday. On Tuesday night I went with Charlie, Bria, and Andrea to a bar with a TV to watch part of the soccer game Barcelona vs. Milan (Italy). It was the first soccer game I have ever watched on TV and was the first professional game I have watched ever. It was also the first TV I had watched since coming to Spain, which is kind of weird. What was really exciting though is that right before we had to go eat supper, Barcelona scored a goal which was very exciting! I thought there would never be a score! I still like good-old American football better then soccer but it was still fun to watch.
On Wednesday, was my first day at Pitufos (Smurfs) daycare. I was going to get up at 6am thinking that I had to catch a bus at 7:07. My alarm didn't go off until 6:40 so I rushed out of the house to sit at the bus stop until 7:47 when my bus actually left, because I had looked at the wrong schedule. Awesome Jennifer move I know. Not one cafe was open and it was freezing. I like to pretend I did it on purpose just to watch the sunrise over Segovia ;) lol My first six hours went really well at the daycare. All the Spanish was really tough, because the kids spoke fast and sometimes were hard to understand just like some little kids are hard to understand in English. The kids were absolutely adorable though and didn't know what to think of me at first. The 3 and 4 year old quickly warmed up to me though and keep asking me what my name was all day, and saying "Jennifer look or Jennifer come here". If I didn't go right away they would grab my hand and drag me with them. I had about 6 shadows all morning and every time I sat down I would have three on my lap in a heartbeat and a couple close by. If I didn't realize we were speaking Spanish I would have felt like I was at Atonement with all the kids there. I got my kid fix while practicing my Spanish and learning more words. I need to learn more commands and words to talk to the kids and to split up fights. I also REALLY NEED to learn songs and stories to entertain the kids in between activities, because when the other teacher was busy I didn't know what to do to keep them busy. So it is diffidently going to be a learning experience too. I was so exhausted after that I slept for an hour and a half siesta in the afternoon and then went to the cafe to work on my Spanish Co-op Blog. I did manage to find ice cream more like U.S. ice cream so that was really exciting! I found a normal ice cream sandwich and it was only 1 euro so even better!
Today I have gotten all my homework and stuff done, because this weekend we will be in Madrid for two full days. I am really excited to go and see a different part of Spain and to get out of Segovia for a little bit. I really hope we don't do museums the whole time and get to explore more like the shops and prehaps...McDonalds of course ;) We will probably go out dancing tonight and maybe watch another movie in Spanish at the center tomorrow night. A group of us is planning another trip to Madrid to shop and to go see Lion Kind on Broadway in November. Another group is also thinking about going a weekend in November to London which is SUPER exciting!!! I have been here almost three weeks and can't believe it only another week and it will have been a month already which is super sad, it is going by so fast. Natsuki is leaving Saturday already which is super sad because we have had many "sleepover" talks at night of course in SPANISH which has been a lot of fun! I will miss her and she is so not ready to leave!
I hope you are all having a fabulous week and I will try to post again after Madrid and tell you of all my adventures there!
Love and miss you all!
Jen XOXO
On Wednesday, was my first day at Pitufos (Smurfs) daycare. I was going to get up at 6am thinking that I had to catch a bus at 7:07. My alarm didn't go off until 6:40 so I rushed out of the house to sit at the bus stop until 7:47 when my bus actually left, because I had looked at the wrong schedule. Awesome Jennifer move I know. Not one cafe was open and it was freezing. I like to pretend I did it on purpose just to watch the sunrise over Segovia ;) lol My first six hours went really well at the daycare. All the Spanish was really tough, because the kids spoke fast and sometimes were hard to understand just like some little kids are hard to understand in English. The kids were absolutely adorable though and didn't know what to think of me at first. The 3 and 4 year old quickly warmed up to me though and keep asking me what my name was all day, and saying "Jennifer look or Jennifer come here". If I didn't go right away they would grab my hand and drag me with them. I had about 6 shadows all morning and every time I sat down I would have three on my lap in a heartbeat and a couple close by. If I didn't realize we were speaking Spanish I would have felt like I was at Atonement with all the kids there. I got my kid fix while practicing my Spanish and learning more words. I need to learn more commands and words to talk to the kids and to split up fights. I also REALLY NEED to learn songs and stories to entertain the kids in between activities, because when the other teacher was busy I didn't know what to do to keep them busy. So it is diffidently going to be a learning experience too. I was so exhausted after that I slept for an hour and a half siesta in the afternoon and then went to the cafe to work on my Spanish Co-op Blog. I did manage to find ice cream more like U.S. ice cream so that was really exciting! I found a normal ice cream sandwich and it was only 1 euro so even better!
Today I have gotten all my homework and stuff done, because this weekend we will be in Madrid for two full days. I am really excited to go and see a different part of Spain and to get out of Segovia for a little bit. I really hope we don't do museums the whole time and get to explore more like the shops and prehaps...McDonalds of course ;) We will probably go out dancing tonight and maybe watch another movie in Spanish at the center tomorrow night. A group of us is planning another trip to Madrid to shop and to go see Lion Kind on Broadway in November. Another group is also thinking about going a weekend in November to London which is SUPER exciting!!! I have been here almost three weeks and can't believe it only another week and it will have been a month already which is super sad, it is going by so fast. Natsuki is leaving Saturday already which is super sad because we have had many "sleepover" talks at night of course in SPANISH which has been a lot of fun! I will miss her and she is so not ready to leave!
I hope you are all having a fabulous week and I will try to post again after Madrid and tell you of all my adventures there!
Love and miss you all!
Jen XOXO
Sunday, September 11, 2011
The build up to the first excursion!
Hola! Time for another blog so I don't get as far behind as last week! On Thursday, I went to the market in the Plaza Mayor with Andrea. Then we went to class and to the cafe to do homework, I know really exciting stuff. We went dancing again until like 4 in the morning but it was so much fun. I slept in of course on Friday, and got all my homework done before we left to go to lunch at Foster's American Restaurant. All but a handful of our group was there to eat good American food. It was so good again!!!! We then went and sat through a three hour class which just is not fun on a Friday afternoon. Then on Friday night the other students arrived. When my host sister, Marina, introduced me we greeted each other in Spanish but the minute she left they wanted to talk to me in English. I felt mean but I was just rattled off my answer in Spanish, because I can't get into the habit of talking to them in English. They are really nice though and we had an AWESOME conversation at supper that night with my host sister Angela, about tons of things, while eating pizza. Things have changed at the house....there are right now seven of us in the house! I am sharing my room with Natsuki who is really easy to live with and so her and I share a bathroom too. Meals are kind of crazy though in the tiny kitchen. Friday night a group of us went to the center and watched a Ratatouille in Spanish which was a lot of fun and very relaxing.
Yesterday we went on our first excursion to the Escorial and El Valle de los Caídos. At 9:15 we all got on a chartered bus to go to the Escorial first, which was about 40 minutes from Segoiva. El Valle de los Caídos is the monument that the dictator Francisco Franco built while he was in power in memory of the fallen nationalists, which makes it now a REALLY controversial because it has become a place of politics rather than religion. What was really gross was at both places there are tons of dead bodies there, especially at the valle because all the dead fallen nationalists and rebels bodies are there and people from the government are now sorting through them trying to identify them more than 10 years later. It all gave me the CREEPS!!!! Blahhhhhhh!!!!! We even saw kings and queens coffins and there were three more king and queen's bodies decomposing in the room next to us...I get the goosebumps thinking about it! The sites were fun to visit and learn more about and I liked all the history and stories behind everything. The cross on top of the Valle de los Caidos church is really pretty and huge. That was my favorite part to see, because it is all built up into the pretty mountainside, and the view around there was spectacular! Touring all day learning every single little detail about every single little thing did get old after a while though. We rested up after being everywhere in the morning. We went out dancing Saturday night and my host sister went to go study for more tests to get into college, and she is super nervous again so if you could keep her in your prayers this week that would be great!
Today a group of us went back to the church. It is really fun! Today we sang Lord I Lift Your Name On High and another song that we always sing at Atonement...I was super excited! I am going to know that song by heart in SPANISH by the time I get back. I understood more of the sermon today too. The pastor talked about loving your enemies and related it to 9/11 and to the terrorists attacks that occurred in Madrid around the same time. It surprised me that they even recognized 9/11 as a big sad day, but they do. As for me I didn't know there were terrorist attacks in Madrid until I came here. I am finding that people here pay more attention to things going on in many countries as were us Americans tend to focus more on ourselves sometimes. Going to church is not only good for my spiritual wellness and sanity, but also for my Spanish. The service is two solid hours of Spanish to listen to and understand, especially with a little bit different vocabulary. We are going to Madrid next weekend so I won't be able to go to church but a group of us is starting a bible study to do together at the center on Wednesdays so that should be fun too.
This week should be a "normal" week and it is starting to feel like more of a life and not a vacation. Wednesday I go for the first full day at the daycare which I am excited and nervous about since it will be fun but also a challenge language wise. On Friday, during my art and civ class we are going to get to go tour the aqueduct which will diffidently be better then sitting in the classroom. Saturday and Sunday we will be in Madrid, which I am really excited for because I want to go to McDonald's solely to get a McFlurry to have my "DQ" fix. lol Hope you all have a spectacular week! God Bless!
Love,
Jennifer
Yesterday we went on our first excursion to the Escorial and El Valle de los Caídos. At 9:15 we all got on a chartered bus to go to the Escorial first, which was about 40 minutes from Segoiva. El Valle de los Caídos is the monument that the dictator Francisco Franco built while he was in power in memory of the fallen nationalists, which makes it now a REALLY controversial because it has become a place of politics rather than religion. What was really gross was at both places there are tons of dead bodies there, especially at the valle because all the dead fallen nationalists and rebels bodies are there and people from the government are now sorting through them trying to identify them more than 10 years later. It all gave me the CREEPS!!!! Blahhhhhhh!!!!! We even saw kings and queens coffins and there were three more king and queen's bodies decomposing in the room next to us...I get the goosebumps thinking about it! The sites were fun to visit and learn more about and I liked all the history and stories behind everything. The cross on top of the Valle de los Caidos church is really pretty and huge. That was my favorite part to see, because it is all built up into the pretty mountainside, and the view around there was spectacular! Touring all day learning every single little detail about every single little thing did get old after a while though. We rested up after being everywhere in the morning. We went out dancing Saturday night and my host sister went to go study for more tests to get into college, and she is super nervous again so if you could keep her in your prayers this week that would be great!
Today a group of us went back to the church. It is really fun! Today we sang Lord I Lift Your Name On High and another song that we always sing at Atonement...I was super excited! I am going to know that song by heart in SPANISH by the time I get back. I understood more of the sermon today too. The pastor talked about loving your enemies and related it to 9/11 and to the terrorists attacks that occurred in Madrid around the same time. It surprised me that they even recognized 9/11 as a big sad day, but they do. As for me I didn't know there were terrorist attacks in Madrid until I came here. I am finding that people here pay more attention to things going on in many countries as were us Americans tend to focus more on ourselves sometimes. Going to church is not only good for my spiritual wellness and sanity, but also for my Spanish. The service is two solid hours of Spanish to listen to and understand, especially with a little bit different vocabulary. We are going to Madrid next weekend so I won't be able to go to church but a group of us is starting a bible study to do together at the center on Wednesdays so that should be fun too.
This week should be a "normal" week and it is starting to feel like more of a life and not a vacation. Wednesday I go for the first full day at the daycare which I am excited and nervous about since it will be fun but also a challenge language wise. On Friday, during my art and civ class we are going to get to go tour the aqueduct which will diffidently be better then sitting in the classroom. Saturday and Sunday we will be in Madrid, which I am really excited for because I want to go to McDonald's solely to get a McFlurry to have my "DQ" fix. lol Hope you all have a spectacular week! God Bless!
Love,
Jennifer
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)