A Lazy Saturday

We have now made it to Salamanca. Each Spanish city we have visited has been completely unique of the last and Salamanca is no exception.

We arrived here in the afternoon on Wednesday and met our Madre's. Calli and I had received correspondance that our Madre's name was Clemen and that her profession was homemaking. Our letter said that Clemen lives with her Mother (91) and two daughters, but other than that Calli and I didn't really know what to expect. When we met her for the first time we were showered with hugs and kisses. She was so happy to see us :) When we got to her house we were pleasantly surprised to find the apartment quite spacious, and we also found that we would be dwelling in the same room. That was a huge comfort to me and Calli because we like to stick close together most all the time--but especially in foreign countries.

Our living situation is especially lucky for two reasons. We LOVE our madre and we have wireless internet in the house. So beside having such a comforting connection and counsel living with us while we're in Spain, we will also be able to keep you all posted pretty regularly on what we're experiencing. Internet is quite a commodity here in Salamanca, and we are VERY lucky to have it free and in our own room. I'm writing this while sitting in my warm bed in my pajamas and slippers.

That's another thing...my bed is warm which is a stark contrast to the weather outside! Normally the summer weather in Salamanca is warm and aggreable, but since we've been here it has been so COLD!! As we enter the month of June most people are still wearing boots, scarves and heavy coats. Calli, Katie, Katie and I just didn't come prepared. Our plethora of shorts, dresses and sandals still sit in our suitcases untouched, and the one fleece and pair of jeans that I brought are worn with my closed-toed flats on a daily basis. I wish I had a pair of boots, and I'd buy a pair if they were on sale in any store, but all the stores are selling summer clothes right now. Because it's June and it should feel like summer.

We started orientation classes on Thursday. Calli meets with the advanced spanish speakers, Katie B meets with the Intermediate speakers, and Crawf and I meet with the special group-the Beginners. There are 6 of us in our little class and we meet in a tiny room in the ISA office for about 3 hours a day and learn the fundamentals of Spanish. We actually love it. Katie and I are definitely in the right level as we have taken Spanish in high school, but needed a heavy review of the basics. In a place that we don't understand the language about 90% of the time, it is refreshing to go into a classroom and understand the Spanish that we're hearing for 3 hours of a day. Our teacher is very patient and speaks slowly. She speaks no english, but explains everything she is teaching very well, and so each day we leave feeling more confident and able than we were the day before. We have only been here about a week but our vocabulary and speaking ability has already increased so much! I still feel pretty shy when speaking with my Madre but Calli says that I do just fine. Every meal at home feels more like a language lab than a time to eat and unwind, but that's OK. We're here to learn, right? I think it will feel more comfortable after we've been here another week or so.

The food. It is interesting for sure. Our madre cooks every meal and prides herself in her cooking. She tells us it is verey important to her that we like what she makes. The first day we were here Calli and I were so excited o have spaghetti and chicken. It was SO GOOD. Since then we've had meatballs and potatoes, a bright, orange-yellow potato puree, fried fish, lettuce and carrots, some kind of vegetable soup, and toast and jam every morning. The toast and jam is delicious. We also eat a lot of bread, but our meals are so spread out that we are STARVING by the time we eat our next meal. Chocolate croissants have become my favorite snack for the inbetween hours of breakfast and lunch. And lunch and dinner.

Last night was our first night out on the town. Calli and I met Katie and Katie in the Plaza Mayor where they have been holding a festival for the last week. We watched a dance show that looked like cirque de sole in the plaza. I'm going to try to post a video, because my words probably won't do it justice. Actually, the video might not either. Everything was lit up. The costumes were so cool. There were butterflies with giant wings and umbrellas and then dancers who descended from a giant, lit-up crane that came from behind the buildings and landed down on the stage. That's what the video is of. I really enjoyed it, but that might just be because this kind of thing is right up my alley. I think some of my friends got bored with it :/ But see for yourself.

OK, I think I've about talked your ear off so I'll close this blog for today. I will post more frequently now that I have a steady internet connection and so many adventures to talk about. I'm loving it here, and I'm having a blast.

Talk to ya soon!

Monday May 26, 2008

Today we left from our hotel in Madrid. Before we left the city we visited El Palacio Real (The Royal Palace) and La Sofia Reyina. The Royal Palace was amazing. It hasn't actually been lived in since the 1930's but it is still the official meeting place for all Royal events and Gala's. All the rooms have been preserved and restored, and we were able to take a tour inside the palace. I had never seen anything like it. It was room after room of the most ornate furniture, art, walls, chandaliers and even the floors were beautiful.

From there we went to La Sophia Reyina, which is a contemporary art gallery where many of Picasso's most famous works are displayed, including the Guernica. I never really liked Picasso until today. Our tour guide was fabulous, and she was so enthusiastic about informing us of all the background that goes with the artists works. It is really quite amazing how much a picture can communicate.

After the museum we traveled to Toledo where we spent the evening and we will spend the day tomorrow. It is completely different from Madrid and so cute! We had dinner at a great restaurant tonight called La Abadia. I'm excited to see where we go tomorrow!

I'm going to try to post a slide show of our trip thus far.

Hola Mis Amigos!!

So I've made it to my first stop in Madrid, but not without a few kinks upon arriving. Nothing too serious except for my debit card did not work when I got here and so I had no way of getting Euros. After 2 collect calls with mom she finally got my card to work and I was off to flag down a taxi.

My taxi driver did not speak a lick of english, and I don't speak a lick of spanish. My first language crisis. I guess we were able to communicate enough for him to understand where I needed to go, and he was very patient with me. He told me about all of the attractions in Spain that we were passing on the way and I kind of repeated the words he said like I was understanding it somehow. All i could think to say was "Oh, es muy bonita!" I said that about the bank, some kind of arches that were cool, the military headquarters...Everything...muy bonita!

I'm at my hotel now and it's perfect. So cute. My room is quaint and perfect. I'm in the lobby right now on my computer and it's really pretty. There are just open doors leading to balconies all over the 9th floor. It's so pretty. Muy bonita.

Anyways, just thought I'd let ya'll know that I made it over here! We'll see if i venture out into the streets of Madrid. That may be my adventure tomorrow. Right now i'm going to go sleep off the jet lag.