Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Oh yeah...I have to go to school.

On Sunday we went to Jerez for a wine tasting and Conil to go to the beach. Seeing the winery and how to make Tio Pepe's famous sherry was very fascinating and the entire place was beautiful. Too bad the wine was terrible. However, I'm really not a fan of any sort of wine so perhaps a person with a more distinguished palate would find it more appealing. Lo seinto, pero no me gusta. Something I am a fan of is the beach. The town of Conil was very picturesque, containing all white buildings. Unfortunately, it was incredibly windy that day so laying flat on the beach was almost unbearable. But we made the best of it and, overall, ended up having a great trip!

That's when reality sunk in. Until now, this had basically been a fun-filled vacation, but now we had to start school. I'm taking a Spanish class and a class based on cultures and stereotypes between Spain and the US. Let's start with the good. I love, love, love my stereotypes class. It is incredibly interesting so far, the teacher is super nice, and we do a lot of activities instead of just lectures which is beyond wonderful. My Spanish class...not so wonderful. Trust me, I'm glad I will be improving my Spanish and I am thoroughly convinced that this class will help me do so, but it is much more demanding than any of us anticipated. First of all, the class is entirely in Spanish which I'm not used to at all. Thanks, Norwin. I somehow can understand most of what the teacher is saying but sometimes I'm just completely clueless. We also have a ton of homework every night which is taking away from our time to simply enjoy being in Spain. However, it's not as if I'm new to doing a lot a work so I'll be able to handle it. 

On the bright side, tomorrow is Dia de San Fernando which is a holiday in Spain so we get the day off from class. A group of us are going to Cadiz for the day and then attending a flamenco show at night for our stereotypes class. Should be fun!

Sunday, May 27, 2012

We're going on a bike tour? Yikes.


Fun fact about me: I never learned how to ride a bike. Weird, I know. I tried to teach myself on vacation last year and I could go straight but any stopping, turning, or essentially anything requiring any effort at all was out of the question. So obviously when I heard we were going on a bike tour, I was absolutely terrified. And we're not talking like a half an hour or even an hour for the tour. It was going to be around two and a half hours. More great news. 
The people at the bike shop wanted to give me a bike with training wheels, an idea that I shot down immediately. I would rather fall every five seconds, get lost, and cry than use training wheels. Someone also suggested that they could pull me around in one of those bike trailers that typically accommodate small children. While comical, this also was not acceptable. 
After a shaky start, I ended up handling it pretty well. Everyone was very supportive and the tour guide was very patient with me since I was obviously slower than everyone else. I always managed to stay close to the group and I didn’t fall at all or I didn’t get hit by a car. Success! And now I can say I learned how to ride a bike in Spain! 

Friday, May 25, 2012

You know I don't speak Spanish

You know how some people hate flying? Turns out, I hate airports. So dealing with four within 24 hours wasn't exactly my cup of tea. After some misleading information from my parents, thinking my baggage was lost, wandering back and forth because I couldn't find my gate, and a flight being delayed because of a storm, I made it here in one piece and somehow haven't been affected by jet lag. I'm sure that will sink in soon but I'm pretty accustomed to functioning on little to no sleep.

On another note, I realized I don't know Spanish. I mean, I know some Spanish but apparently only if I'm in a classroom setting where the teacher knows we aren't fluent so they talk slowly and only use words we've learned. Here, I feel like all I can muster is "Hi, my name is Lindsay and I'm from Pennsylvania" and any subsequent conversation is out of the question. I'm fairly certain this is the equivalent of any Spaniard with a reading level higher than that of an infant. Needless to say, it is clear to everyone I meet that I am American and don't know what I'm doing. But it's only the first day so I'm sure I'll get the hang of it. I think my biggest problem is how fast everyone talks. After someone finishes an explanation I look at them with a blank stare as I try to piece together what they just said. If I had more time to think, I could figure it out, so I'm sure I'll improve with practice.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Hasta luego, Estados Unidos!


After what seems like years of planning, the day is finally here. I am officially leaving for Spain tomorrow and I couldn’t be more excited! For those of you that don’t know, I am studying abroad in Seville, Spain from May 24th to June 22nd. I keep telling people that I’m going on this trip, but I don’t think reality has actually sunk in that I’m going to be living in a foreign country for an entire month. I think it will hit me when I arrive at the airport after departing from my parents and realizing “oh crap. I’m flying by myself...to Spain.” I anticipate standing in line at the airport having an anxiety attack and sobbing by myself while someone asks me if I lost my mother, confused by my child-esque frame. I’ve flown before but it was a long time ago, I was with my family, and we were only flying to Florida. Comparatively, spending over 24 hours by myself while flying overseas is slightly more daunting. 
Other than my anxiety about flying, I’m really looking forward to this trip. I’m sure it will be an amazing, life changing experience and the thought of it makes me feel like I’m livin la vida loca. Speaking of Ricky Martin, he has been on repeat on my iPod as well as some good ol’ Enrique Iglesias and Juanes. My hopes were that this music would help me pick up on some Spanish phrases but I don’t know how often “bailamos” is going to come up in conversation. So with my English to Spanish dictionary in tow, I’m off to Spain and will be keeping you updated on my wonderful new adventure. Hasta luego!