Las Ferias de Salamanca

New pictures of Salamanca are up on Facebook!  So, I have a lot of catching up to do!  My last blog post was on Monday.  Monday night after dinner, Meredith and I met up with one of our friends here, Tristan, for ice cream.  We went to the most popular shop in the Plaza Mayor and it was definitely worth the wait.  I had two scoops of "dulce de leche de Argentina," which is like caramel.  SO GOOD!  Monday wasn't a late night because all of us had our first day of orientation classes the next morning.  Class started on Tuesday and I feel really good about how they are going so far.  We have two hours of Spanish grammar, one hour of conversation, one hour of Spanish culture, and one hour of Spanish art history...it makes for a long morning.  But I am enjoying the classes, especially our culture class.  Despite the long mornings, days go by very fast here.  Once we're done with class, Meredith and I walk straight back to Angelita's home and have lunch with her and Fabian.  And then before you know it, it's 3:30 in the afternoon.  Siesta!  Usually we don't sleep during siesta.  Instead, we use that time to catch up with friends on Facebook and update our blogs.  We have been researching a guided trip to Prague in a couple of weeks so this free time has helped a lot.  On Tuesday afternoon we met with Carlos Cabrera, the academic coordinator for AIFS.  Below is a picture of his name on the wall of the Palacio de Anaya.  Only people who have received their doctorate from the Universidad de Salamanca have their names on this wall.

All of us AIFS students selected our classes on Tuesday and we should know our schedules relatively soon.  Carlos seems like a really cool person and is very eager to help us.  He has been with this program for at least 20 years.  And I should mention that AIFS is one of the longest standing programs for study abroad.  It has been around for more than thirty years.  It is very well respected.  If it works out that I get to take the phonetics class I signed up for, Carlos would most likely be the professor.  I think that Meredith and I both feel that our Spanish speaking abilities are already improving by having constant interaction with our family, store owners, and our professors.  Wednesday was a very exciting day for all of us.  We had class in the morning until 2:00 in the afternoon as usual.  But at 5:00 last night, our whole program went to the river, Rio Tormes, and rode paddle boats for a couple of hours.  I got some breathtaking pictures of the cityscape, if I do say so myself.  It was unbelievable!  We had so much fun.  Meredith and I, Tristan, Amanda, and Julia all rode together.  Julia is from Alaska and is also a full year student so we talked a lot about how excited we are that we have so much time in this city.  We both kept saying, "I can't believe I'm here!"  

We had tapas and drinks on the banks of the river before Meredith and I left the group to follow the parade.  Wednesday was the beginning of "Feria" in Salamanca.  It is an annual celebration for the city to celebrate their patron saint, the Virgen de la Vega.  The men and women in the parade were dressed in traditional clothing and carried flowers to honor the Virgen de la Vega.  The parade took us to the Convento de San Esteban in the Plaza de Anaya where the women placed their flowers for the remainder of Feria.  It is so beautiful.  After dinner last night, there were fireworks, or "fuegos artificiales," to mark the start of Feria and the fiestas.  They were honestly the best fireworks I have seen...ever.  We met up with other students at the residence hall and walked to the river to watch them.  Afterwards, we walked back to the Plaza Mayor and listened to a little bit of the free concert being held there.  Every one was out last night.  And I mean everyone.  Salamanca has about 170,000 people, which seems like a lot.  But the city isn't actually that big.  We can walk from our house in Jardines to the other side of the city at the Parque de San Francisco in about twenty or thirty minutes.  It's good exercise.  We walk everywhere!  Anyway, I bet 167,250 people out of 170,000 were out last night at the Plaza, the bars, or the casetas.  Casetas are little shacks that the bars have permission to set up in the streets during Feria.  They sell many things but you can get a drink and a pincho, or tapa, for a set price of 1.80 euros at any caseta.  We got back home around 12:30 this morning, which isn't very late for people here.  Most Salmantinos are out until 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning!  Today is a fiesta so most stores are closed and there are no classes.  Sweet!  I slept pretty late today, for me.  I got up around 9:30 and got ready for the day.  Around midday, Meredith and I left to walk around the city.  We went inside the Catedral Vieja and listed to the service for a little while.  The music and the surroundings were...I'm running out of synonyms for "beautiful."  Awe-inspiring.  On another day, later this Fall perhaps, we are going to get a group of students together to go on a tour of another church, El Convento de San Esteban.  Fabian has told us that it is the most beautiful church in the city.  There are so many things to do today so I'm not sure what's in store for us later this afternoon.  I do know, however, that it won't be a late night because we have class tomorrow.  A few of us girls are trying to go on a weekend trip to Prague.  Hopefully that gets finalized later this week!  It's 2:30 and almost time for lunch.  I'll post again soon.  I send love to everyone back home.


   

   

Hace buen tiempo ahora...

Hello all.  It is Labor Day in the U.S. but today is any old Monday (lunes) in Salamanca.  This morning, all AIFS students along with students from other programs studying here took a placement exam for orientation classes.  The exam wasn't too terrible.  Part of the exam was oral and I thought that went really well for me.  The professor seemed to understand what I was saying and we conversed easily.  After the exam, a large group from AIFS explored the city together, looking for cell phone companies, grocery stores, places to buy stamps, and a reliable bank.  It is very warm here today but Angelita and Fabian think it is a little chilly for Salamanca.  It really is a beautiful day though. 

Meredith and I came home for lunch and met "los nietos," or grandchildren.  Angelita has two grandsons and their names are Fernando and Antonio.  Son preciosos.  Angelita is a very good cook.  Lunch time in Spain is around 2:30 in the afternoon and it consists of two courses and a dessert.  Today we had sopa de calabaza y cerdo con queso.  That translates to "gourd soup and pork chops with cheese."  For dessert, Angelita always has fruit.  The Mediterranean diet is actually very healthy because most people cook with a lot of vegetables and fruit.  Even if food is fried, it is fried in olive oil.  I can't say enough about how gorgeous this city is.  I enjoy just walking around with friends and taking in the surroundings.  I think that tonight after dinner, which is around 9:00, Meredith and I are going to the Plaza Mayor to get some ice cream.  The Plaza is supposed to be beautiful at night and there are ice cream shops all around it.  I hope that everyone is enjoying reading this blog.  It is really important to me to try and stay in touch with my friends and family.  As the semester begins and our schedules are set in stone, rather than different every day, I hope it will be easier to talk to my folks on the phone and hopefully others on Skype as well.  Hasta pronto amigos.     

First night in Salamanca!

This city is beautiful.  Cobblestone streets, sandstone buildings, history all around us.  I just woke up from my first real night's sleep since I've been in Europe.  Right now I can hear Angelita, the mother in my homestay, making breakfast.  She is so kind and warm and calls me and my roommate her "hijas," which means "daughters."  We live in an apartment with her and her husband, Fabian.  Their apartment is very nice and comfortable, located in a tranquil part of town and about a five minute walk to the Plaza Mayor.  Angelita has two grown children.  Meredith and I met their son, Javier, last night.  He lives in Madrid and comes home every weekend.  They are all so friendly and accommodating.  They also have a daughter with two young children of her own, who we will probably meet later on this month.  I will post some pictures from Salamanca on my Facebook soon.  Pictures from London are already online!  Last night we had a "fiesta de bienvenida," which means "a welcome party."  We went to a local bar and I had my first taste of authentic Sangria.  It was really good but one was plenty for me.  Most people know that I'm not much into the whole partying aspect of college but I still look forward to going out to spend time with the other students here.  Meredith and I walked back home and spent the remainder of the night with the family, watching TV and talking about our families back home.  I think that my Spanish is coming across well.  Fabian even told me last night that my accent was very good.  That felt great!  Today we are meeting the other students at the residence hall to have an orientation meeting and go over practical things like the locations of various offices, information about our living arrangements, and so on.  Tomorrow we have our placement exam and afterwards we will start an intensive language course.  I really do love it here, but I still have a lot of nervous energy running through me.  Angelita is doing everything she can to make us feel welcome and comfortable.  I should get up for breakfast now.  Adios.

Simply amazing...

It is already becoming pretty clear that there is no way I can even skim the surface of what I have been up to in Europe…and I’ve only been here for three days!  Today is my first day in Salamanca and it is absolutely beautiful.  But before I get to that, I need to fill everyone in on our second day in London.  On Friday, we went on a professional tour around the city and got off at some of the main tourist spots like Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey.  Afterwards, we were dropped off at Covent Garden, which is a main square and market in London.  From there we split off into groups and wandered around the city for literally the entire afternoon.  I was so tired when we got back to our hotel.  My group of students meandered along the river for a while until we reached the Tate Modern Museum of Art.  We spent an hour or so there, then went to Harrod’s, and then walked around Hyde Park for a while.  Hype Park is stunning.  Then we jumped on the Tube, yet another name for the Underground, and rode to the London Eye.  We got on the Ferris wheel at about 8 o’clock in the evening and the view was unbelievable.  I got some amazing pictures. 

After the London Eye, we went back to our hotel, since we knew we would have an early morning the next day.   I should note now that I am writing this up in Word and will post this blog as soon as we have an internet connection.  The homestay I live in, with my roommate Meredith, is adorable and very comfortable.  And they have an internet connection!  Score!  We’re just waiting to get the password.  We’re heading out now.  More to come!

Down time in London...

Hey there everybody!  Well, I made it across the pond safely.  Right now it is 3:33 in the afternoon, which makes it 9:33 in the morning at home.  My flight arrived at Heathrow around 6:30 this morning, London time, and we got to our hotel about two hours after that.  Upon arriving at the Copthorne Hotel near the Chelsea Football Club, we were basically told to go explore for the following five hours until our rooms were ready.  As tired as we all were, those of us who arrived from Chicago together spent the day riding the Underground and walking around the city.

 

London is beautiful and we had a perfect day to meander through the shops and see some things on our own.  We went to King's Cross Station in search of the famous Platform 9 3/4 from the Harry Potter series, visited the London Tower, and walked across the Tower Bridge. 

Right now, I am just relaxing in the hotel room that I share with a fellow student named Ciera.  We have some down time until our meet-and-greet with the other students at 6:00.  If we have time, a lot of us want to go to the London Eye tonight.  However, we have tomorrow afternoon free after our coach tour so we have the option of riding the Ferris wheel that night as well.  As I'm sitting here, jet lag is starting to set in.  I have been awake for more than 24 hours and the tiredness is just starting to hit me.  I got a little bit of sleep on the plane, but not for more than an hour at a time.  Saying good-bye to my parents yesterday was so hard.  I already miss them and everyone else I had to say good-bye to.  But I have been trying to be a bit more outgoing and less shy.  I know that that is the only way I will adjust to this huge change...opening up to new people and experiences.  By the way, everyone in London is so friendly!  The man who checked my passport at the UK Border talked to me about my trip and gave me some advice about things to do in London.  And even the taxi drivers are friendly.  I haven't ridden in one yet, but almost every driver let us walk through the crosswalks today without honking or nearly running us over.  That certainly wouldn't happen in Chicago!...I just took a break from blogging to talk to my folks on Skype.  Whoever came up with that idea is a genius.  I need to charge up the battery on my laptop so this is it for now.  I probably won't do another blog post until after I've gotten settled in Salamanca because I have a feeling those first few days will be a little stressful.  Look for pictures from London on Facebook! 

Today is the day!

I still don't think that all of this has sunk in.  I've said my good-byes, packed, gotten myself as ready as I can be...and now I don't know what else to do.  It seems like I fit my whole life in two suitcases and a carry-on.  Today my folks and I will head to O'Hare and at 5:10 this afternoon I will be on a plane to London.  Weird.  I know it will be really hard for me at the airport today because my family is so close and I'm going to miss them so, so much.  But I don't think I will really start to freak out until we leave for Spain on Saturday.  I am so excited to be in London and to get to know my fellow AIFS students!  Throughout Thursday and Friday, we will have a lot of free time to explore London but we also have some planned tours as well.  Our group of students already has plans to go to the London Eye Thursday night.  The London Eye is a very large Ferris wheel that sits right on the river and has an amazing view of the city.  On Friday, we will take a coach tour around London and stop at places like Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace.  On Saturday, our group flys to Madrid and then we take a bus to Salamanca.  I'll post again as soon as I get settled in my new home.  I am going to miss my family and friends so much.  I am prepared for the first few weeks to be difficult, adjusting to my new environment.  But I know that any challenges I face will be worth it and make this experience the best it can possibly be.

Don't count the days.  Make the days count. 

One week left in DeKalb!

This is such a busy, busy week for everyone.  Classes are starting back up at Northern and I feel so out of it...just sitting at home, reading my travel books.  I just have this feeling that I should be sitting in the Psych and Computer Building on campus, reading chapters upon chapters about developmental child psychology.  My dad and I spent the past few days in Iowa visiting family and my planner is filled up with last dinners and get-togethers with friends here in town.  I can't believe that I will be leaving in one week.  I have yet to start packing...my goal for today.  My pre-departure information packet, which contains my tickets, participant list, and hopefully my Spanish family's information, should arrive today or tomorrow.  The nerves are starting to settle in.  Sometimes I think that I must be crazy to do something like this.  But I can't wait!  I'll post again next week.