|
This was my lovely room at my host mother, Blanca's house. It was so cozy and nice and I could easily go through the glass sliding door on the other side to write in my journal on the balcony. Ah . . . the memories.
Here is my beautiful and wonderful host mother Blanca and I. She was the absolute best! Her cooking was superb (I did gain a bit of weight), and she was so much fun to talk to and really made me feel at ease and welcome. I called her mi madre española--my Spanish mother.
Here's la madre española with her two hijas at the Plaza de Toros in Madrid. Blanca was able to come with us to the bullfight, and she really enjoyed herself. I'm holding an abanico or a fan. How classically Spanish--going to a bullfight and cooling myself in the hot sun with one of those Spanish fans. ¡Olé!
This is my host brother Guillermo and I. Guillermo . . . was a character, to say the least. I learned a lot from him--especially what NOT to say in Spanish. He was a pretty cool and funny guy. Sometimes we took walks and talked politics while eating ice cream. He was most definitely not a Bush supporter, that's for sure!
Here we are all together. Don't we look like a happy family? I was smiling especially big right here because I was in emotional denial. We actually took this picture just before I boarded the bus to leave! Soon after the moment this picture was taken, I was unashamedly crying and wishing desperately that I could stay longer. Glad I don't have a photo memory of that.
The Plaza de Cervantes. In honor of Miguel de Cervantes, of course--author of Don Quijote de La Mancha and born in Alcalá. The plaza (the Spaniards pronounce it "platha") was the center of the city and just a general, well-known hang out place and meeting ground. Sometimes I would go out there at night just to watch the people walk by and see the children play.
Here I am in the courtyard of a library/museum in an enchanting little city called Guadalajara. It was one of the first "excursions" we had with our conversation partners. I never thought I would have so much fun walking through streets and supermarkets.
From L to R: Mikel, Jorge, Princess, Krystal, and yours truly! This was a super fun day. We had yet another excursion with our conversation partners, this time to el Parque Corredor--this huge centro comercial, or mall, in Torrejón. First we had a delicious lunch made by Blanca, and then we met up with some other friends at the train station and spent the rest of the day as mall rats.
Krystal and Mikel on the beloved train! They were conversation partners. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of myself with my conversation partner because I idiotically opened my camera in the daylight when it wouldn't rewind. I was so mad! I ruined a few pictures that I would have treasured.
|
 |
|
| |
The following is an excerpt from my journal a few days after I got back to the US from Spain:
Things I miss about Spain . . .
1. The ice cream
2. Walking around the plaza
3. Public transportation
4. The great food, especially paella and tortilla española
5. Carlos de la Hoz (my Spanish Civ instructor--that teeny weeny little superguy, yeah!)
6. Hanging out with our conversation partners
7. Chatting with Blanca
8. Late night walks with Guillermo
9. David Bisbal specials and videos
10. Shopping and ¡Rebajas! [sales]
11. Standing out on the balcony and/or writing out there and feeling the breeze
12. Hilarious commercials (ie. donuts)
13. The super-friendly people
14. The cyber cafe around the corner
15. Our little clique and our inside jokes: "Lo siento," "walking alone," "breaking the rules," "fools!" "blast!" and "They're all gonna laugh at you."
16. Famous sayings: guay, no pasa nada, tranquila [cool, don't worry about it, chill out]
17. All the popular songs: The Ketchup song, Baile Morena, Cruel to be Kind, Brisa de Esperanza, Ave María
18. Just all of the cultural stuff that you can't experience here |
|
|
|
My Spanish Favorites
Frigo . . . mmmm . . . I could live off of Spanish ice cream forever! It's just so creamy and good. Simply heavenly.
Let me tell you something. If you've never had paella, then you haven't truly lived. It's a classic Spanish dish that consists of rice with saffron in it (hence the yellow color), squid, mussels, clams, shrimp, vegetables, chicken, and sometimes rabbit. It is the best thing on earth! Spanish ambrosia. I loved to squeeze fresh lemon juice on top and eat it with that wonderful crusty Spanish bread. Blanca made it every Tuesday, and you better believe I ate my fill.
¡Ay, David! If nothing else, David (pronounced dah-VEED) Bisbal es muy guapo. In other words, he's not too bad to look at. I remember staying up late to watch "David Bisbal and Friends" with Krystal knowing good and well that I had to finish writing a paper and study for a test I was having the following morning. But did it matter? Oh, no. All that mattered was gazing into David's eyes, watching him as he did spinning turns on one leg. All that mattered was David's luscious curls, bouncing with his every movement. All that mattered was that David's voice rang out with passion as he cried, "Ave María, ¿cuando serás mia?"
Here is the all-famous metro. I just loved it. I mean, I just loved all of the public transportation in Spain. The trains, the metro, the autobuses. I mean, you could just go anywhere! You didn't need a car at all, unlike here in the US where you need a car to get virtually anywhere unless you live in a huge, metropolitan city. What I will really miss is hearing that automated voice on the "Cercanías" train on the way to Madrid: "Próxima parada, Atocha."
In this picture, I'm standing by this little half circle thing that is the center of the entire city of Madrid. I'm surrounded on all sides by a popular spot in the heart of Madrid called La Puerta del Sol. It is a super shopping place--totally amazing! Shopping in Spain is most definitely up there on my list of favorites. All of the shoes and clothes were so chic--it's Europe, after all. Among my favorite buys: I bought this gorgeous, flowing white peasant skirt from El Corte Inglés. Every time I wear it, I feel like a princess. Krystal and I bought the same pair of shoes from the mall. They were so cute and European looking--we called them our "eurokid shoes."
Another one of my Spanish favorites that is definitely iconic of Spain is Flamenco. Flamenco is actually the style of music that is played and Sevillana is the style of dance. It has its roots in Gypsy tradition. This picture was taken at a fantastic classical Flamenco show in Córdoba. It is one of the most passionate, moving kinds of dances I have ever seen. I even took a couple of Sevillana dancing lessons, but to no avail--I am devastatingly uncoordinated. I did get some castañuelas, otherwise known as castanets (the clickety things), but I have a sinking suspicion they were of the fake, tourist-pleasing variety.
La Universidad de Alcalá de Henares. Just the sight of this centuries-old facade gives me a wave of nostalgia. This place was part of the purpose of my whole adventure. I went to take classes to fulfill some of my Spanish credits. My classes, Spanish Civilization and Conversation & Composition, were completely in Spanish, and I loved every minute of it.
|
|
