España in my Eyes..

Long time no blog..

terawright — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 13:02:57 +0000

So, apologies for my lack of oh-so-exciting blogs, I have all the intentions in the world to continue filling you all in on my adventures.
Long time no blog huh? One of the last slivers of information was my trip to the hospital here in Leon. I came out in one piece and la medicina helped tremendously.
Aside from battling my cold, I found out I may have another battle coming my way. Many students spend at LEAST 2 trimesters in Spain while I had plans to spend one.
I had such a mix of emotions, my progress was growing and my time was slipping away. I weaseled my way into a whirlwind of complicated University logistics but managed to come out on top. All this said, I am sitting in my kitchen in Spain, just returned from the fresh market, soaking up my daily spanish courses and am completely satisfied with my decision to have RETURNED!

Posted in Culture

So Sick.

terawright — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 07:57:23 +0000

I have been sick for a bit… I am hoping to go to the doctor.. but can I just tell you I hate Spanish Pharmacies. We went to the mountains this past weekend and it looked like the rockies.. it was beautiful I will post pictures later so you all can see : )

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autoescuela

terawright — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 08:03:29 +0000

so i just have to tell you they don’t drive until they are 18 and i have seen so many bmw’s with AUTOESCUELA on the top of the car… it’s hilarious..
I didn’t know what it was until a car about ran up on the sidewalk where I was walking and the other person in the car jerked the wheel the other way and I was like dang they don’t know how to drive.. yea def. a red bmw with a sign on the top. Also pedestrians have the right-of-way so when I was walking across a cross walk this car stopped and stalled out … it was kinda funny because it was def. an autoescuela…

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A part of the Family

terawright — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:42:28 +0000

So after my siesta I was headed out the door to school to use Wi-Fi to send a few emails… I went outside -RAIN! UGH… i don’t think so.. being sick plus cold rain is never a good mixture… SO I went back inside and told the family i was just kidding.. and it was raining and I wasn’t going to go that far and get rained on. Sara and Rosi were at the table doing homework and a few minutes later alex joined them..I decided to do my homework so I brought it into the same room and sat on the couch to do my work (they were at the table) and Rosi was like noooo everyone can do work at the table. it was so cute.. i thoroughly enjoyed doing my homework with them.. they are like my little teachers.. Alejandro busted out his english homework and I was explaining things to him.. it’s kinda strange to explain English in Spanish. The family situation is getting much much much better and I am beginning to feel a little more like I am part of the family..That night it was anibals birthday.. and we had a fancy dinner with fish and shrimp and other things.. they had a fight over which wine to serve and somehow i became the wine tester. haha.. I def. picked the birthday boys wine.. but we had a good time talking and laughing.. the family seems to laugh a lot at the mom.. she is like always running around doing things for the family nothing for herself… she’s great tho.

Posted in 1

….

terawright — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:47:20 +0000

So since the mall adventure with my host family I have ventured out myself. Natalie didn’t want to go with me the first time because she said it was raining. I went outside and when I saw there was no rain I headed straight for the bus stop. Luckily I only waited for a few minutes and got on easily. I wasn’t quite sure exactly where the stop was but I was sure i’d see the mall. I passed a familiar place and thought id hop off… bad idea…because I got lost and walked 20 minutes in the rain to the mall… fun fun. Needless to say I took a taxi back.

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the weekend

terawright — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 12:39:18 +0000

It went well..lot’s of long nights hanging out in Leon… with my classmates and a few of the roommates of my classmates. It’s really neat to meet people from all over the world and to have something in common—Spanish. This weekend during the days I slept a lot. I have a really bad cough and I owe it all to the big cloud of smoke I am living in here in Spain. I am going to feel like I am on oxygen when I come back to the states. For the most part I am having a blast. Not having a car is kind of strange…Natalie and I waited for the bus to the mall for like an hour. Luckily we asked a woman if we were waiting for the right one and she said it was broken. She said I am going to the mall just go with us. When the bus came there was NOO room. So we gave up and strolled the streets looking for Rebajas (Sales).
The next day Rosa Anibal Sara and I went to the mall for a coffee and ice cream. It’s so funny to see people stare at us because I am like yeah I friggin know that these people aren’t my family. I just kind of want to wear a sign that says-Take a picture! All the stores were closed because it was Sunday but we just went for coffee…. ? We drove all the way to the mall to look at metal gates that had very few windows for window shopping…I mean I am just thinking to myself what are we doing/?? HAH I laugh all the time they probably think I am crazy…. I think things to myself and just want to laugh all the time… I have no one to share them with because they are nearly impossible to translate and by the time I do it WOULN|”T be funny at all.. haha.

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16 enero

terawright — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 12:38:42 +0000

So everything find now but this morning my “mom” during out morning coffee was like oh by the way I called the school I am going today to talk to them about where you are staying in February. Why am I having to leave their house? I know everyone’s question to me would be—Tera you didn’t ask her why you had to leave? Ok well she explains things to me and doesn’t let me talk… not to leave out when she explains something it’s like a ten minute session of talking at me. SSOOO nope I just took my little packed lunch and went off to school. I asked the head director what was going on and he was confused too. I told him she has a hearing aid and I am having a bit of trouble. He jumped on the phone and called her just then. He repeated himself several times and gave me the, “you are sooo right” look—the wide eyes and the head nod. He said she told me she doesn’t like to talk over the phone so she is coming to the school today. After classes I walked out with LuLu the French girl to go to the little girls apt to teach her English and there she was ROSA. So I was like hey how are you yada yada ya…. And she was like ok you can stay or go it doesn’t matter and I was trying to tell her I was going to teach a little girl English and she was like ok lunch on the table…. My friends who this entire time I have been talking about my lack of communication with my mom completely understood after this happened. They felt so bad for me everyone starting talking to her… still—nothing. So I waited and talked to the director after she left and we came to the conclusion that I can stay or go. I really this woman, where I am staying, their family….everything..so I will prob. Stay. After this I went to pick up Carmen—the little Spanish girl who speaks FOUR languages… realllllly well. So lets start with Spanish then it’s English and French and then Japanese. Um she was really sweet but ummmmmm I DON”T THINK SO. Ok so I was supposed to “play” with her for three hours. Well they weren’t messing around about the three hours. I went to pick her up from school and ate lunch with her…so ok an hour passed. I was like I am here until five right and she was like well we finished lunch around three so six. AHHH Ok sweet girl… sooooo not worth it though.

Ok now that you all probably think I am horrible for not wanting the job.

Let me just tell you she corrected me. Not on my grammar or pronunciation but on what I said about the school system in NC. I was like at my high school we had 9th 10th 11th and 12th grade. She was like I think you are wrong. Ok PAUSE….I am a mature girl but I was like excuse me…?!? I didn’t sit through a whole day of class for my professors to pick my brain and then to come and chit chat with an 11 yr who knows FOUR language AND is telling me I am wrong about something I know fore sure. There goes that job…. This situation was a lot more funny as soon as I walked out I felt like someone let me free… I escaped.

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the hunt

terawright — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 12:35:39 +0000

So once upon a time I thought I had a place to stay the entire duration here in Spain. I went to talk to Jose Luis and he was like how long are you planning on staying with the family? I was like um three months and he was like really??? Well they told all the families the students are staying for only one month. Well that is just fantastic right…what am I going to do? Well we found out that there were lots of apts for rent around Leon. Cristian Natilie and I went looking yesterday…..ALL DAY and NOTHING.!!! I wouldn’t even consider moving out if I didn’t feel like I was springing something on them… ya know? Oh yeah by the way I am going to be all up in y’alls way for um 60 more days hope you don’t mind. So I was starting to feel strange in their house until last night. Sara and Alejandro had homework and so did I. I was in my room working and working and I came across a phrase I didn’t understand and so I called sara in my room and she was trying to explain it soon after I had the kids in my room alone the family laughing about my lack of Spanish knowledge. I told them they had a five year old Spanish girl living with them and they thought that was funny because clearly I am much older than 5. So this one question turned into them checking all my homework and me giving sara a small English lesson. Funny huh… me teaching English. Want to know something funnier. I apparently might have a job. There is a French girl in my class named lulu and she is living with a 11 yr old Spanish girl and she is teaching her French. LuLu asked me if I’d like to teach her English three hours on Fridays for 30 euros. Let’s see how this goes. I am already getting made fun of here with my southern accent. Not by the Spaniards but def. by the Americans. The northerners. Other than that there isn’t really anything going on. There are a few drama filled stories that are going on but of course I wouldn’t post peoples business on my blog : ) Hope everyone is FANTASTIC. Hope you are enjoying my blog. If not don’t read it : ) Love you!

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So it snowed last night….

terawright — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 07:53:04 +0000

It snowed last night! (the 8th) I was at the dinner table with Rosa Sara and Alejandro and when Anibal came in from work Rosa asked him where he had been and he told us he had been driving slowly because of the snow. You would have thought it was the first time Rosa had seen it she grabbed my arm and told me to come with her. Even though there was a window right beside the dinner table she took me to her bedroom balcony and brought a robe to put around my shoulders and we watched it snow. It has gotten much more relaxed around the house and I am starting to feel better about being in their space. It’s kind of strange because my room is between the kitchen-living room area and all of their bedrooms soooo I keep in neat. : ) After dinner we watched a show that had “tetas” in the title and was not very censured.. Needless to say it was a bit awkward. I was sandwiched between sara and alejandro watching a very provocative show. Ha ah the Spanish culture. I woke up this morning and ate breakfast with rosa and after I was ready she made me lunch to-go. Anibal took alejandro to school first and then he took me. I was glad because walking as far as I have to could have been a bit of a struggle in the snow. It worked out well. During class I realized I didn’t have my keys.. yikes. Oh but the good news is right as I came out of class there was Rosa waiting on me.. haha yay! By the minute Rosa is sounding more and more like my Mom. Hah. (It’s a good thing : )) Classes went great, I am in the intermediate level that is very good for me- it’s a bit of a review but I’d rather start with a review than be like… what did she just say?? For the most part my classmates are mostly from Japan and China (they have been here for a semester already) There is a guy named Cristian from Connecticut and a girl from NY named Natalie they both are super nice and I hope to hang out with them more. Oh don’t let me forget the veterans of the class a white-headed lady from idk where.. she was like oh —you all are Americano. I looked at the guy next to me and was like “Where the heck is she from?” The other is a middle aged asian man. These asian people are ADORABLE, I mean me and cristian were talking about how bad we felt that we were in a class with people whose language doesn’t use letters. Ha. Two of our professors were out today because of the snow but will be there Monday. Christina (the only one we met today) was very very nice and also spoke very clearly. Don’t confuse her clarity with her speed because that is NOT the case. I feel like I have been thrown into a whirlwind but I love it and wouldn’t have it any other way. We have a small break between classes for lunch- Natalie and her friend Neil and I went to a café across the street from the Centro de Idiomas. It was a cute café- we all got a café con leche- sooo good. Coffee heaven here. Oh yeah my YL people.. Quit drinking coffee here? Not so much : ) Rosa serves it all day long. After class I went home with Rosa and Anibal we waited for Alejandro to come home so we could eat. I feel like I am always eating… well I mean I kind of am but they are small meals spaced out. I really like this culture and the way they do things here.

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terawright — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 09:01:55 +0000

El 8 de enero por la noche

I told Rosa about my day while we walked back and I told her how I thought the cathedral was really beautiful. I told her I saw it while I was on the bus coming into Leon and it was lit up with lights and I thought that was even more beautiful. She said- we are going tonight! (in Spanish of course-by the way none of them speak any English) After school we waited a few minutes for Alejandro to get back from school and then we ate lunch. I love her cooking but I am a vegetarian or should I say was. Hah. Who knows I probably need it for my long walks : ) After this I took a nap a long one too…..felt ammmazing! After this Rosa Sara and I headed to the Cathedral to look at night- It was even more beautiful up close. We also walked a bit around the city. Rosa ran into a friend and we stayed at the Cathedral for a while. After this we went to a bit of a church service, which was very different. She told me the people that were in there were very dedicated people. We met up with alejandro at small tapas bar called beerland. The tapa was great. Rosa asked if I smoked and I said no then she said don’t start. I told her I wouldn’t but I said-“Pienso que estoy fumando ahora.” She thought that was funny. But really there was A LOT of smoke in there—we have drink machines they have cigarette machines. Also I just wanted to comment on how things in America are HUGE!!!! Everything here is much smaller, the napkin holders, the tables, the cars, everything. Leon reminds me of a village outside of NYC-but cleaner. So far I have had a blast, loved my classmates (there are quite a few Americans- 2 from NYC 2 from Oregon and 5 or 6 from Connecticut—and of course Me and Will from North cak-a-lac)

Ps. A guy from class said there was a place I could get a pre-paid phone and pay as I go and the phone was only 35 euros (a nice phone) and I could receive incoming phone calls from the U.S. Just a thought I will keep y’all updated on what I do. Also I found out today that the University has Wi-Fi so I can take my computer there and send messages. The best time to catch me I guess would be either 2:30 in the morning or 8:30 in the morning (on the internet). Also they pronounce Wi-Fi as (wee-fee and I have always said it like why-fy..ha I thought it was kinda funny : )

Hope all is well y’alls way : ) Thanks for the prayers!

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