9-27 # First Real Week of School

So last week this was our schedule at school:

Monday: Check out the campus
Tuesday: First day of classes
Wednesday: Went to the market instead of classes
Thursday: Classes
Friday: We never have Friday classes :-)

and today started our first full week of classes. It's a little daunting that we're actually in school now, I was getting quite used to summer life. Also, we are given a lot of papers to read, in Spanish, with a lot of words I don't know! I started to work on it before siesta but got really ... well, you know. That kind of cross-eyed lazy thoughts-are-somewhere-in-china feeling and then suddenly you realized you "finished" a paragraph.
I took siesta hoping it would help but knowing it wouldn't. I just really can't get into a reading when I have to interrupt every sentence to look up words. It's gonna be in interesting semester if it continues like this!

Anyway, after siesta I tried to reload my cellphone because the phone companies over here scam you like the ones back home (how did I go through 12€ if I've had 1€ worth of calls and maybe 15 ,01€ texts?!). That doesn't bother me too much, but the interesting thing is something that I had seen and not quite noticed before. All of their ATM's have a "reload mobile" option! It's crazy charging your phone at an ATM, but that's how the Spanish roll and I think it's kind of fun.

Finally, a group of us went out to the café for an evening stroll and to pay Kayla and Ivy back for buying the train ticket and hostel for our Lisbon trip this weekend.

Yes, that's the Simpsons in the background :-)

Also, if you're reading this then go and eat some Velveeta and shells or some Sesame chicken and drink some strawberry Kool-aid for me, because I'm having major cravings for these right now!

9-26 # "Sunday SUNDAY"

I'm not sure when Al Roker started saying it like this, somewhere in the years I stopped watching the news, but recently I've noticed when he gives the weather for Sunday he does this awesome booming voice thing. Every Sunday in Cáceres, this comes to my mind because Sundays are as epic here as Al Roker!

Once again, Sunday comes and it's time to get stuff done! (Or not, if you're a Spaniard). Unlike last Sunday, this Sunday I have blogs to write, papers to read for class, ipods to charge, résumés to make, interview requests to respond to... Oh boy!

A lot of that stuff has to do with computers, and speaking of computers, mine exploded on Thursday (forgot to write about that!) I was sitting in the living room and suddenly sparks started flying out of the cord, and noise, and I was so scared for all the data on my computer you cannot believe. It's like a reoccurring nightmare for me that all my data will be lost, there's so much I couldn't replace on here! To make it better, both of the ipods I have here were dead, so it was a pretty boring at first. However, I took the chance to read part of my Bible I brought as my only English book here. Pretty good book. Kinda scary at times, but enlightening none-the-less.
Anyway, back to the point, my computer cord started to call forth another dimension or something, so I unplugged it from the wall QUICKLY. Upon inspection, I realized the problem. Let's draw a picture (")" means the thing on the right connects to the thing on the left).

[Computer]    )------[converter power box]    )---------[wall plug]

Now, I checked what I was supposed to check, the converter power box, to make sure that it was compatible with European electricity. However, for who knows what reason, the makers decided to send me a cord ([wall plug]) that connects to the wall that canNOT transfer that much voltage, and inevitably blew up.
No worries, however, as my house mom helped me get a new cord. Now my computer plugs directly into European sockets without a converter. However, that means that I need to get a new cord when I get back to the states, because my computer no longer speaks American.

So now I need to get to work, and must bid you all a farewell. Hope things are going well in the states!

And for your picture delight, please remember:

9-25 # Mérida, España

Today we went to Mérida Spain, about an hour drive from Cáceres, but still in the province of Extremadura. To start off the morning we met with a group of study abroad students from Kalamazoo who are studying in Cáceres for the next 6 months. We all took a bus down to Mérida to begin our Awesome Ancient Architecture Adventure!
The first thing we saw when we entered Mérida were the aquaducts. Where we saw them, they were really high (though depending on the elevation of the parts of the city there are high parts and low parts). The aqueducts bring water from 5 kilometers away, so when you look at this picture just imagine building something like this for that kind of a distance!

Look up "segovia aqueduct" for a REALLY awesome view

After the aqueduct, we separated from the Kalamazoo group so that Alfonzo could show us around. I don't always understand what he's saying (his accent is very thick and he talks a little fast) but I'm pretty sure that half of the places we visited, he'd worked at! So I think our tour guide was definitely the best :-). Whether I understood him or not, he definitely knew his stuff!!
Here he showed us the ancient city center, where the Forum was in the ancient times. There was the center of Religion, Politics, and Government. The city was doing a restoration project on this part of the city, but we got to see the Temple of Diana as we walked by.

El Templo de Diana

The next stop on our tour was the ancient Theater of the city. As Alfonzo said, back then there wasn't Playstation or XBox, so they went to the Theater! The Theater was pretty big, but more interesting was that behind the actual theater was like a small market/entertainment area and bathrooms etc etc. In those times you could have spent your entire day at the Theater (assuming there were shows).

One side of the Theater stage

The group on the stage, doing our number

And, as any good Theater has, right across the way was an Amphitheater (like a Colosseum) where people would fight lions or have naval battles, etc. I got confused on the naval part, but apparently the large depression in the middle would at times be filled with water from the aqueducts and they'd have men fight on little boats, or something like that.

This is the view you would see as you walked into the Ante-theater

We also visited some museums and other locations of interest, and you can see those photos on Facebook  here (I don't want to load this thing up as a photo album).
Finally, one of our groupmates, Kayla, got sick this weekend. She had to sit out the Mérida trip. I'm not sure, but it sounds like she might have a stomach-flu type thing like I did as well, so say a little prayer for her if you can! We hope she's ready for Lisbon next weekend!

9-24 # Feeling Better

Not much happened today. I started feeling better and was able to eat some real food without feeling sick. The other's went on a campus welcome to Erasmus students, but they said I didn't miss much so I don't feel too bad!

9-21 through 9-23 # Siiiick!

So the 21st we had our first day of real classes. They didn't seem too hard as long as I paid attention. I can't zone out in language courses like I can in other classes!
After classes I really wasn't feeling too good. I hadn't been feeling the best the past couple days, but right then it really started hurt. I went home and slept for a couple hours and then talked to my host mom and program director later that evening. They decided we should go to the doctor.
We did such, and he gave me some medicine that was supposed to help me. I have to tell you though, I'm not so sure it's doing anything! I haven't thrown up today (the 23rd), yet, but I'm still in pain. Hopefully I'll be better by this weekend. I'm getting rather hungry (but can't keep anything down) and we are supposed to be travelling this weekend!!!
Anyway, to backtrack a bit, the 22nd we didn't have classes because the Spanish girls were going to take us to a street market. I had to spend the day in bed, but luckily it didn't count towards a class-absence because we didn't have classes! I read some of the others' blogs about the market and it sounded like fun. And who knows, maybe I'll be able to see it next Wednesday.

9-20 # Beginning of the week

Today was our first day of classes, or rather our introduction to our classes. The professors we met seemed pretty nice and I could understand most of them. The only people I really have trouble understanding is my host mom, who when you explain you don't understand the words, she just repeats them... it takes her a while to decide to try some new words... and one of our professors Alfonso. It's not the he speaks particularly fast, it's just his accent is very very thick, and hard to listen past. My "Spanish-ear" has definitely been trained to accents other than his!

9-19 # Spanish people like to rest

Today was a Sunday in Spain, which consists entirely of sleep and rest and family activities. For a city so big and busy, to see the streets empty was almost eerie. Pretty much just did as the Spanish do today, and went out for some coffee/coke in the evening.

9-18 # Siesta para fiesta

Today we had an amazing time in Cáceres. The day was highlighted with a mountain, a siesta, a concert, and fiestas!

We took a car up a tall mountain that stands to the side of Cáceres to see the city from above. When we first got there, we saw “La Virgen de la Montana” - and I thought we were in Rio de Janeiro! This statue was really cool, and made me want to go to Rio.

From the top of the mountain we were treated with wonderful views. I would try to explain them to you, but I feel these pictures will do much more justice! We also saw some people who had just finished with a wedding in the church at the top of the mountain. They were dressed really really nice, like take a normal wedding here and add a bit of pizzazz.

I took some photos of the university from up there and a panorama of the city (up until the rock that got in my way)

The CD for the panorama program is in the US, and the free version killed the quality. Sorry!

Today was my first siesta where I actually napped. I have to say, sleeping during the middle of the day is the most amazing thing ever! It definitely gives you a rejuvenation, but when you didn’t wake up until around 11 and the siesta is at 2, it’s a little weird :-).

Toñi took us to see Toñita (her daughter) perform in a chorus. The acoustics of the cathedral that we were in were amazing! If you click on the image below you can watch and listen to some of the singing yourself.

Finally we learned why the Spanish take siestas. They apparently don’t lie to us in school when they say that the Spanish go out to meet with friends at 12 or 1am, they aren’t kidding! Neither are they pulling our legs when they say they come back home around 7 or 8! We, as Americans, of course went out around 11 and came back around 5 and 6, but still that was much later than any of us are used to being awake!

However, fatigue aside, it was an amazing night. We got to practice hoards of Spanish, experience life as a Spanish youth, and meet lots of our English-learning guides’ friends. Though I have to tell you, I’m not so sure Spanish bars are my thing!

9-17 # Day 1

This was my first full day in Spain. We didn’t really do much, but did a lot at the same time. This morning we bought some cellphones, which was quite the adventure, and then walked around the city seeing some beautiful sights. While it was a long day, it was full of fun and adventure.

To start out the day we went to get our library passes. On the way out, one of my companions almost walked into the wrong side of an automatic sliding glass door. I felt bad for her but she’s pretty cool and just laughed it off, which then gave everyone else the okay to laugh too. Then a couple minutes later I swear she almost walked into a pole on the street, but she jumped out of the way of that one just in time.

As we talked through the streets of Cáceres, we were walking through a part of the Old City (la “Ciudad Monumental”) which was a really cool site. Then, to top it off, we started walking down a narrow cobblestone path with tall, old building on either side of us, and there was a guy playing a violin on the side. It was quite the site, but no picture could have done it justice!

We met some students of Toñi (our program director, who teaches English here at the UEx) yesterday but really got time to talk with them today, as they led us around to find things. That was a blast! We got to practice all sorts of Spanish. For me, it was quite the struggle, but at the same time I feel that even in this one day I’ve learned so much. While my word retention fails miserably when I’m told something (kind of like how I can’t remember names until I see them on facebook, paper, or something) I still got to practice. I did, however, remember some words about storms and coffee. We had a huge storm (the likes of which people here haven’t seen in ages) yesterday, so it was the talk of the day. Also, it seems like anytime we stop for a break it’s at a café, which is good for my taste buds, but probably not so good for my wallet (though coffee drinks only cost about $1.50 here).

Sonia and I checking out crazy gafas del sol.

Today was also my first experience with a siesta. I liked the break in the middle of the day, but we didn’t sleep so I’m kind of tired now while the rest of the country is wide awake. Kinda wishing now that I had slept. The food here is very different too, but I like the different taste. Plus, we got to have watermelon with lunch which made me feel more at home as well.

Well, we have great plans for tomorrow but I don’t want to ruin the surprise, so I’ll write about them tomorrow when they are done!

9-16 # Welche Sprache sprechen Sie?

In the course of two hours, I have gotten to speak with people in three different languages J.

My flight through Amsterdam didn’t give me enough time to get through customs, etc. so I missed my flight to Madrid. Luckily, there was another one leaving not 3 hours later. In this added time in the Netherlands, I decided to explore a bit! I obviously got to speak English (1) in this international airport. Then, while speaking to one information lady I got to use my German (2). I told her it was a bummer everyone spoke English, because I wanted to practice some German. Guess what!? Not only did she, as some other Dutch residents had told me earlier, understand German due to her Dutch, but she spoke it in and of itself! It was quite exciting to be able to ask for information in German J. And finally, and this one is kind of cheating, I got to speak some Dutch (3). Some simple words are the same between the two languages, but when I ordered my smoothie, I used Dutch thank-you’s and yes/no’s.

Sadly, I still haven’t used Spanish yet. But being able to complete tasks like that in German and DUTCH makes me >much< more confident in my functional-Spanish ability.

Oh, and for those back home: I haven’t seen a single windmill or Dutch person with wooden shoes yet J.

Well, I finally got to the airport and met with my group. At first, our program director (Toñi) wasn't there, so we all just relaxed as best we could. When Toñi got there, Michael still hadn't arrived, so we all got a little worried he wasn't going to make it. Luckily, he did just in time to leave with us.

Meeting at the airport. I think Ivy is growling at the camera :-)

As we traveled west to Cáceres, we stopped at a gas station/diner to grab a bite to eat. Toñi ordered us some pretty amazing food. However, we let Kayla take the first bite to make sure it was good.

Kayla tries the food

Some jamón (cured ham)

The pictures to the left was taken as she still decided, but the next face she made assured us it was amazing. I tried it, and it was pretty great! We had a total of about 4 different types of food.

9-15 # Y lo empiece…

The past twenty-four hours marked the start of my three-month trip to Spain. Travis drove me to the hotel in Des Moines on Tuesday night so that we wouldn’t have to get up early in the morning to drive for my flight. It was a good thing too, because when we stopped in Sioux City the car stalled on us. For a bit there, we thought we’d have to call someone to come pick me up and continue the adventure. But we arrived in Des Moines just fine last night.
The flights themselves were pretty good so far. My first flight I got a window sleep and took an hour or two nap on the way to Detroit. While in Detroit I met some pretty fun people. I don’t remember any names, but people in airports are either really angry or really excited. The ones I met were on their ways to vacation, so they were bubbling with energy just like me.
One girl, who was going on the Amsterdam flight with me, was on her way to Barcelona for a five-day trip with a friend. She graduated college three years ago, and is still travelling the world. My lesson to learn from this person was that you can totally continue to travel, even so shortly after college (and you don’t have to do it on a holiday! Just go and do it, and enjoy yourself).
The second ‘person’ was actually two women at the airport. One was going to Germany for two weeks, then to Italy. The other was going to Italy for two weeks then coming back. However, as I spoke with these two it was pretty fun thinking about the communication barriers and the US thoughts on such. I’ve never been one to get angry at people for not learning English when they come to the US, but I do admit it frustrates me when we’re unable to communicate. However, these women spoke neither Italian nor German, which got me to thinking about how I don’t speak Italian or French at all! And I plan on going to both of those countries! I can’t wait to see what it’s like to be on the other side of the “not-learning-a-language” situation. I wonder if those countries are more accepting than Americans are…


Finally, I met a man (Stephen Kamali) from Kenya on my flight to Amsterdam as well. He just graduated from Med School in Michigan (which he said was “quite cold” and I bet compared to Kenya that’s an understatement!). He does work with the Air Force or one of our armed forced branches, but his trip was to go and do missionary work in Kenya. He’s done it for one month every year for the past three years, so already knew what he was getting into. It was interesting though to hear about how the situation is. He said that he will be in a large van/mobile clinic, and that he will be the only doctor there, along with two RN’s. That’s a lot to put on someone who just got out of medical school, but I think It’s awesome he’s doing it. He said that he will see between 50 and 60 people a day! But unlike the medicine they teach here in the US, he’ll have to use generic versions of drugs, some he’s never heard of so was reading about on the flight, and have to diagnose without a CAT scans, MRI’s, and X-Rays… Like I said, sounded like a lot of pressure. Lesson from him: pay back to your community. It helped you become who you are today, so don’t forget about it no matter how far you go. On a related note: he spoke 14 different languages/dialects!!
On another note, in preparation for Spain I started listening to some of the top Spain music. “Waka Waka” by Shakira is apparently the top song in Spain right now (go figure, as it was the anthem of FIFA and Spain won!). This song, being just as catchy as the rest of Shakira’s songs, was stuck in my head the entire flight! EVERY time I got close to sleep (except for the first hour or two on this flight) I started thinking “Llego el momento…” haha! And all the parts I understand would play in my mind!
The song, as it is “This time for Africa” in its English version, and similar in the Spanish one, has some Swahili in it. I asked Stephen what the words mean and for those who are interested in Swahili: “tsamina mina” is something like “talk to me” and “waka waka” is like “fire fire” or “shoot shoot.”
Por fin, I have between two and four hours of sleep under my belt so far and about 8 hours of silent/light-music relaxation and contortions in an airplane seat. Hopefully on my next flight I can get a few more. Tomorrow is a very full day! Arrival in Spain, drive to Cáceres, orientation, and meeting the host families!