SO, super exciting news today: I GOT MY ABSENTEE BALLOT! woohoo. so i will be able to vote in this crazy election. I actually just finished filling it out, but i have to go to the post office and purchase postage...because it is too heavy for standard 0.78 euro cent postage.
Last night i had the best dinner ever. it consisted of tortilla espanola, a whole tomato, and some bread(aka its a baguette). It was all i could ever ask for in fantastic food. i love tortilla espanola. My madre and i talked about cooking last night, and i told her that i love to cook. I think she might show me how to make tortilla one day. YES!!!
This weekend i went to this palace called La Granja. Gorgeous place. Our group is going to tour the palace later this semester, but my friends and i went to walk through the gardens and to see the fountains. I really enjoyed it....again, pictures are on photobucket. :D hehe
So, more exciting news: I will be leaving for ROME this Friday! However, i will not have access to my own personal computer from the 3-13 of October seeing as I will be traveling around Italy for the whole week. I might have access to the internet at the hostels, but after that, not much. Mail can still be sent to my school at this address:
Emily De Boer Paseo del Salon, s/n 40001 Segovia, Spain
Emails will be appreciated and all(hahaha :D )....but pictures and updates will have to wait til after the 13th. I can not wait to go see Italy and finally see all its beauty for myself. We are first staying in Rome for 3-4 days, then taking a day trip to Pompeii, then going to Florence for 2-3 days, then a day or two in Siene, and then Venice for another few days and then we return to Rome to fly back home(to Spain....haha)
I miss all of you and hope you are all healthy, happy, and enjoying life! God's Blessings!
Yesterday was probably my favorite day of the week. We did not do anything in classes (excpet Lit) and i was able to go to the market!! The market is only available on Thursdays from 9-2. Which can be quite difficult to get to since i have class from 9:50-10:50 and 12:10-1:10. So in my break, i was able to go and browse....and purchase somethings. I had to buy slippers but i also found a cute sweater and some adorable flats. Pictures of the shoes are on photobucket.
Ayer (yesterday), we also went to the Jewish quarter during my European Union class. Every Thursday we go on a mini-excursion around Segovia. It is nice to get out of the classroom and see more of the city. Today we also had another mini-excursion to a monestary and Segovia's Plaza de Toros. The monestary was SOOO beautiful....and had alot of islamic architechtural influence. I loved it.
Today i bought a scarf from a gypsy.....they have booths set up in the Plaza Mayor....apparently you arent supposed to buy anything from them but my friend and i fought the price down to something that we could afford. haha it was great. I love this scarf though. super cute!
This weekend i am not doing anything, but reading Spanish poetry for Lit class and writing a paper about a Spanish poet. :D it will be a rad weekend. ;) haha.
So, we all just learned how to say "that's cool" in Spanish. It is "que guay" (pronounced kay gw-ay) like high -->guay! I just thought that ya'll would like to know that handy little phrase.
Classes are well under way now and I use my siesta time exactly for that: NAPS! I must say that i love that part of Spanish culture. I am adapting quite well to the life here. I love my host madre because she is an awesome cook....and she is very understanding. My bed is pretty comfortable, my clothes get washed (and hung out to dry...all of them!)and life is just simple and quiet here with Julia. Only when her daughter, Miriam, and her husband and son come to visit, does it get quite loud.
I actually give myself time to walk to school....plus a little more for internet browsing before class starts. It feels great actually walking everywhere. I love looking at all the tiendas(shops) as i pass by. The only drawback is that soooooooooooooo many people here smoke. I bet all my clothes smell like cigarettes now. haha.
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go to a concert put on by a small Chamber Strings group. The were amazing. They did all the movements from Vivaldi's 4 Seasons, they also played a piece by Bach (with the oboe), a piece by Granadas( a spanish composer), a piece by Tschikowsky, and some Mozart. I LOVED IT. The theatre where it was held was very small and the seating was quite strange because i could not see the stage very well....but it was beautiful and again, quaint. :D This whole city is quaint, really. I love watching live classical music....i forget how much i enjoy it.
Tomorrow is the market in Segovia and I really want to go....i need to purchase some house shoes aka slippers because i left mine in GA. I need them because everyone has house slippers!!! I can not wear socks because it makes my host mother do more laundry...and if i go barefoot she will worry that i will get sick. heheh
So a new update: i will NOT be going to my Spanish sister's(Diana) wedding this Friday because I will not know anyone....and my host mother and other sister(miriam) will be unable to chat with me much. Julia ( my host mom) told me that I will be bored because they will be so busy and i will not have anyone to talk to. I would also have to miss class on Friday (which i wouldnt MIND doing....) but oh well. I will see pictures and Julia plans to show me the wedding video of Miriam's from a few years ago. It will suffice.
That is all for now. More later! If you can not find the link to my photos yet, here is the link! Enjoy!!! http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo166/ehmuhlee1219/Around%20Segovia/
Everything is going just swell here in Segovia.I finished my first week of classes and to be honest, the only class I am worried about is my Literature class.I am happy for the chance to read good literature in Spanish but the workload is going to be quite hefty.Apparently, we are going to be writing like 7, 4-page papers this semester….which, in the long run of this 13 week semester I don’t know if it is possible.Especially with all the professors never starting class on time and getting to cover the topics they want.Oh well, I guess we’ll see how it all turns out.
I am making friends slowly but surely.The only thing is that I am on a super tight budget and everyone else always wants to literally drink the night away (or spend it all on clothes here).I hate being lame and saying, “well I am going home for the night”, cause I want to get to know people….oh well. There are a few people who are not into the whole bar scene and would rather sit outside a café, drink café con leche, and just talk.I can do that. :D
So, on the side of good news, I just bought a ticket for fall break….and where am I going you might ask?? ROME! Woooo.I mean, I am flying into and leaving from Rome. I will not spend everyday in Rome, although I am sure that I could. I really want to go to Pompeii, Venice, and Perugia, so I can go and say HEY to Alex Walton, my friend from middle school and high school.Our break is super early, which kinda stinks….its October 3-13.It is nice and long though, which is great.It is great to have a lot of 4 day school weeks also.Most Fridays we either do not have class or we have an excursion which takes us away all day (or weekend).
Speaking of excursions, our first one was yesterday!We went to a winery, then to the castle of Coca (not like the cola..hehe), and then to the castle in Cuellar called Castillo de los Duques de Alberquerqes.At the winery, the lady showed us how they make the white wine (vino blanco).I felt like I was on a Spanish version of “How It’s Made”. It made me happy because I LOVE that show. Then we got to try 2 of the 3 wines they make there.They had lots of yummy snacks including pork rinds (yummmm hahah NOT).The castle of Coca was awesome.Lots of winding stairs up to the top but it is a beautiful building. {note: Segovia is in the area of Spain called “Castilla y Leon” because this area of the country is FULL of castles (castillos).}There is a room in the Coca castle where you could whisper into a corner, and if someone stood directly across from you in the opposite corner, you could hear them perfectly. It was SWEET!After this castle, we drove to Cuellar to see the other castle.We ate lunch first which was nice because it was about 3 o clock (which even here is later than I usually eat lunch!).Then we went to the church next to the castle for a “show” about mudejar- Christian and muslim art combined-and it was sooo cool.I was not allowed to take pictures but there were lights, music, and side displays of how the Jews, Christians, and Muslims in this town tried to live together after fighting against one another for so long.
Anywho, it was all in all a fun day and I was tired when I got home at like 7.I went to the internet café for a little bit and then went home to eat….and welcome my host sister, her husband, and little Diego for the weekend.I went to bed at like 10:30….i was exhausted.I am trying to get on a regular sleep schedule here...trying, is the key word.I need to shower and go try and find the Protestant church so I can attend a service tomorrow.Until then, my friends!Hasta luego! (pictures from Friday are up on photobucket now too!!)
PS:to all those who have written me emails, I TOTALLY appreciate it.Those of ya’ll that know me understand thatI love to get mail of ANY kind, so it really brightens my day when I get an email from someone back home. THANKS again!
Today is Wednesday and i really can not believe it! The days have been flying by and it is halfway through the week already. Tonight we are all going out for dinner with the whole group. I am excited. So....unfortunately we have only 2.5 weeks to plan our trips for Fall break. Our fall break is October 3-12. So Sarah, I am sorry i COULD come back for your wedding, but i do not have the funds nor do i want to spend the monays.....lo siento senorita! My best wishes to Liz and Chris this weekend as they TIE THE KNOT!!!! Congratulations y Felicidades as you two commit your lives to each other in Christ. God's Blessings!! Soo if any of ya'll are free during the hours of 1-4 (YOUR TIME) i will be on skype, which is a free download online...all you need is a mic or webcam or both. and i can talk to you.......if i am not talking to Caleb already. :D hehehe Well, i am off to Class....i will have more stuff to talk about after this Friday. It is our first excursion a la Ruta de los Castillos!
Friday(9/12/08) was my first day in Spain and needless to say I am sooo happy that I came here. I do not have internet at my host mother’s apartment so I am typing these the night before so all I have to do is copy and paste! The glory of today’s technology: it’s fabulous! I left on Thursday September 11, 2008 from Atlanta at 5:30pm. I flew to Toronto to catch a connection flight to Madrid. I got into Toronto at 7:30 and left at 9:45 for Madrid. Our flight got in at about 10:45am (Spain time….about 4:45am ya’lls time) We waited a long time for the bus to come….and then we had to wait some more for another student arriving late. By the time we got going to Segovia, it was way after 1pm. I slept for about half of the hour drive to Segovia because I did not sleep well on the plane. When the bus arrived in Segovia, I was immediately shooed along to meet my host mother, Julia. And I have been speaking in Spanish since. Haha. Julia lives by herself, being divorced, but she has 2 daughters and one son. Her oldest daughter, Miriam, is married with a 1 ½ year old (named Diego) and another one on the way! Her other daughter, Diana, is getting married in about 2 weeks….so there is a lot happening around the house. First Julia and I ate and then I slept for about 2 hours. Later on I went with Diana y Miriam plus Julia’s mother and sister to try on the dress again and find some earrings to wear. Miriam showed me where the school is from the apartment. It is quite easy to find. Segovia is beautiful. It’s plain and simple. I can tell that it is going to be a fun time here. It is crazy to be so suddenly immersed in a culture and language. I can honestly say that I was not too overwhelmed even though everyone speaks to me in Spanish. My conversacion is quite rusty but it will get there in time. I at least can communicate with my familia. The way the city is built is soo cute. I love the aquaduct running through the city….its sooo darn cool. During this past weekend I went walking around Segovia, trying to get a feel of the city. It is soo gorgeous. I have pictures up on photobucket.com now too. My madre here is sooo good at cooking. I have had tortilla de patata, chorizo, gazpacho, and every delicious fruit imaginable! haha I love the fact that everyone walks around the city. I feel like even though the food i eat can be a bit heavy, i lose it all anyway, just walking to and from school(its a 15-20 min walk!) Classes started yesterday and so far they are easy, but i think that is because they are trying to get us used to hearing Spanish all the time, plus it a a different subject, other than Spanish. ANyways, i have class now and then lunch, and then SIESTA!!!!!!!!
