The End.

Well, it’s been about two months since I got back to the US and it sure has been an interesting summer readjusting. After finals were over, we started packing up and saying goodbye to everyone we knew there. The goodbye fiesta at la Coria was really bittersweet and most of the group left crying. All the families were there and we all got to hang out and spend one last night in Trujillo. Most of my group left Trujillo and went on to Madrid to spend a couple days there before heading back to Charleston.

          Madrid was pretty interesting but most of us were still emotionally and physically tired from leaving Trujillo, our families, and getting ready to head home for good. All of us were definitely sad to leave and while coming back to our “real life” was exciting, it just took time to overcome leaving what we had built as our life for four months. I had really connected and become close with my Spanish family and leaving them was really sad. After spending almost four months as a family, we all grew really close. They were extremely welcoming, helpful, and loving. They were definitely the most rewarding and impactful part of my time abroad I really don’t think I could have asked for a better family.

La Plaza Mayor durante Chiviri

          Readjusting to America wasn’t as bad as I thought it could have been. The first week seemed to go by so slowly and I accidentally tried speaking Spanish to my family here at home while they just had blank stares on their faces waiting for me to explain what I had just said. My Spanish family and I have definitely kept in contact throughout the summer through Facebook. It’s so strange being back because my time in Spain seems like so long ago – almost like a dream. It was such an incredible experience; it almost doesn’t seem real now that I’m back in America. Now, because of my time there, I am looking for somewhere to work with Spanish speakers in a volunteering position. Hopefully I can find a program to help with teaching English as a second language. I definitely hope that every student will consider studying abroad because, while it can be hard, it is worth it for sure. I would tell them to think about staying with a family there because living with a local makes a huge difference and fully immerses you in the culture and language. I really hope to go back one day and get to see more of Spain and of course visit the little town, Trujillo. 

Trips on Trips on Trips

So during my hiatus from this blog, I also traveled a lot. Each place was crazy, fun, different, and memorable for sure. So here’s a quick rundown of my three weekends in a row of trips:

Badajoz

So Carnival is a holiday in Spain the weekend before Ash Wednesday and a few of us went to Badajoz, a city about an hour and a half away from Trujillo, for a weekend in March. Badajoz is one of the most famous cities known for its celebration of Carnival. There, we all dressed up, as is expected for Carnival. We got there too early in the day because most of the celebrations start late at night, so we were kinda bored for a while, but soon after more people started coming out and the parades started, it was better. Seeing everyone dressed up and just having a good time was really exciting and cool to see a different cultural experience. We returned to Trujillo tired and ready to sleep.  

Andalucía

The Mosque in Córdoba

Our trip to Andalucía was planned by CofC and we had already paid for all the places we were going to, so not having to worry about transportation and hotels was such a relief. Andalucía is the southern region of Spain and we visited three different cities in it. Just travelling through the countryside was really cool too. Andalucía was a lot greener and warmer than la Extremadura, so I was really enjoying the shorts and flip flops weather. First, we went to Córdoba and explored around there first. We were able to go inside the mosque in Córdoba and it was so cool. I had learned about it in many Spanish classes before and it was really interesting to see it in real life. After Córdoba, it was back on the bus and on to Granada. There, we settled into such a nice hotel and were constantly spoiled by it. Buffet dinner and breakfast, huge showers. Just so comfortable. And then the Alhambra!! It’s an old Muslim palace from when Arabs lived and thrived in Spain. The Alhambra in Granada was the greatest palace and castle in their territory. It was so impressive and huge; we could have spent all day there. It’s so hard to describe so I’ll just post some pictures… We also went to a classic flamenco performance by gypsies that live in Granada. It was so dramatic and intense, but so cool. It was neat to learn more about that cultural experience and actually see something that I’ve only heard about.

View of Granada from the Alhambra

After Granada for a couple days, our group headed out to Seville. In Spanish it’s called Sevilla, which personally sounds cooler so that’s what I’ll use. It was definitely my favorite city during the trip to Andalucía. We were able to relax more there because not too much was planned, except for going to the Cathedral. That was my favorite thing in all of Sevilla…and of course my camera was broken. This massive cathedral in the center of the city which holds Christopher Columbus’ remains was so huge and just amazing. I’m planning on going back there with my sister when she comes to Spain in two weeks!! In Sevilla, I also met up with one of my friends from high school who is studying there this semester. It was a really cool blast from the past and awesome to meet more students from around the US studying in Spain.

After Sevilla, we came back to Trujillo tired and still dressed for the warm weather of Andalucía. Shorts and flip flops just don’t cut it in the brisk air in Trujillo.

London

Big Ben and Parliament!!

            Class for a week and then off I was again, this time to London with just two others from my group. Between sleeping (or not really) in airports, I had one of the coolest trips of my entire time here in Europe. London is so cool and big and just…it’s London. We stayed with a friend of a friend who we went with. She is studying abroad from CofC in London and was nice enough to let us crash on her floor in the dorm. While it wasn’t the most comfortable, it was fo free so definitely worth it (or vale la pena, as they say in Spanish). We didn’t get to do or see everything we wanted, but what we did was enough and definitely awesome. We went to:

The British Museum

Trafalgar Square

·         Buckingham Palace

·        Regent’s Park

·         Kensington Gardens

·         The London Eye (we were able to ride it and see panoramic views of all of London!)

·         Big Ben and Parliament (weren’t able to go inside, but the outside was cool too)

·         Westminster Abbey

Buckingham Palace

Also, one of my friends and I went to the Harry Potter studios, about an hour from London and were able to tour the sets and see the costumes that were used in the movies! So amazing. We also dropped by Platform 9 ¾. So we geeked out in London a little bit too. The last night we were there (which was St. Patrick’s Day by the way), we went out to a pub and had fish and chips and I tried a Guinness just for fun. It topped off an awesome time in one of my now-favorite cities.

            After I got back, it was time for my Spanish family’s vacation. They went to Disney World in Paris for the week and so I had the house all to myself. While yeah it was a little boring after a while, it was kinda nice to have peace and quiet. They came back with loads of pictures and fun stories about what the kids did there. Meanwhile, I definitely feel like my Spanish has improved a lot. While I can’t speak as well as I want, I can understand a whole lot better. I definitely over think and hold myself back sometimes cause I hate sounding dumb when I talk, but I am happy with how much better I am getting. So from now on I just need to not be afraid to talk and try my best to speak correctly. And now after two weeks of relaxing and just hangin out in Trujillo, I’m heading out again to Barcelona for the weekend! Hasta luego.

Catching Up

Well it certainly has been a while. Whoops. So I kinda dropped the ball on this blog, but in my defense, this past month has been the busiest ever! So we had midterms towards the end of February.  For a couple weeks, we were working on presentations, exams, and an essay for all our classes, but once we were finished, our travelling began again.

            But before I went travelling with the rest of the students, my family and I took a little road trip to a nearby town, Guadalupe. It’s about an hour away from Trujillo and the drive there was so cool. Just seeing the countryside here was worth the trip. The hills, mountains, and green of the country were unlike anything I’ve seen in the US. Once there, we went to the big Cathedral de Guadalupe. The town is names after the virgin Guadalupe and has a statue of her in the church. We stayed for mass and stopped by a little café on the way back to Trujillo. It wasn’t a long trip, but it was still fun to go somewhere new and different with my family. They are really sweet and fun to be with.

The Cathedral in Guadelupe

In the beginning it took a little getting used to living with strangers, but now I feel so comfortable around them. The language barrier is still a little frustrating at times. I was hoping I would be able to communicate really easily with them by now, and while it is definitely way better, it’s not where I want to be. My Spanish dad and brother always make jokes and talk really fast and then look at me, expecting a laugh, but sometimes I literally understand nothing of what they said. The jokes are what the hardest part is I think. I can tell that we have similar senses of humor, but it’s difficult for me to communicate that through to them. So I just smile and try to be as positive as possible with them because I want them to know how much I am actually enjoying being a part of their family.

I didn't get pictures of the cooler scenery, cause we were driving, but this is still pretty neat.

Travelling Around

So updating this blog regularly has kind of been a failure. It’s been one month since I got to Spain and so much has happened. Time seems to move so much slower here, it’s felt like I’ve been here much longer. The past two weekends, we’ve travelled outside of Trujillo, exploring other parts of Spain and Europe. The first excursion the group went on was to Mérida, Spain. It has so many artistic and architecture influences from the Romans it almost didn’t feel like we were in Spain anymore. Seeing the artifacts in the museum, the amphitheater and theater really transported you back in time and provided physical evidence for what we’re learning in class. Just walking down the street full of stores and restaurants and finding a Roman ruin was just so crazy.   

            Last weekend our group split up; some went to Amsterdam and the rest of us went to Lisbon, Portugal. We braved the terrible weather (cold, rainy, and windy) and explored a city completely different from what I had seen in Spain so far. Lisbon was really interesting, and kind of reminded me of San Francisco but with a castle (and not as cool to be honest). It was fun to get out of Trujillo and Spain to see something new, but all the buildings looked about the same (red roofs with graffiti-decorated walls) and Lisbon started to get a little repetitive after three days. We did go on one of the best tours I’ve ever been on and walked all over the city to see all the important buildings and history of Lisbon. But I forgot to take my camera with me on the tour so I didn’t get too many pictures of Lisbon.

                  The next two weeks are sure to even busier with two midterms but after that, we all are going to Andalucía for five days. And after that, a little group of us are going to London! So I’m really excited to see what the next month has in store for our little group of travelers. Also planning trips is super stressful, so I would definitely recommend planning out the trips you’d want to go on as soon as or before you get here. And travelling around Europe is not as cheap as I would like either…But I don’t know when I’m going to get to come back here so I’m trying to do everything I can during this crazy awesome experience. 

First weeks: Part 1

            After family goodbyes, two plane rides, and a bus journey through Spanish countryside the 12 member group of CofC students finally made it to our destination: Trujillo, España! It’s my first time in Europe and only second time out of the US, but so far it has been amazing. I would have posted this first entry sooner, but I have been super busy here.

            It has been an overwhelming whirlwind ever since we stepped off the bus. We dove right into the deep end (talk about emersion!). Greeted by my new Spanish mom, I was whisked away from any sign of American life and English-speakers. It was definitely nerve wrecking going off with a stranger that I could barely communicate with but I was excited to meet new people and see where I would be staying for the next three months. I live with the nicest family of four, very loving parents, a chill little brother, and the craziest but cutest little sister. Being the youngest in my American family, it’s definitely a new experience having younger siblings but they are so fun. Living with a family, especially one as close and supportive of each other as this one definitely adds so much to my time here. After a few days, I felt a little more comfortable around them and was able to ask questions about words and verb conjugations and about their life in general. I had never felt dumber than I did during the first week here, though. I couldn't communicate and whenever anyone asked me a question, I felt like all the Spanish I had ever learned just left my brain. While I sill struggle a bit, it’s getting better now for sure. 

The food is also really good. A lot of the other students here seem kinda picky, but I could eat anything, and everything my padres have cooked so far has been great! I don’t think they believe me when I say I like their food because I've literally said that every meal.

La plaza mayor 

After a long weekend adjusting to my new surroundings, classes started and boy are they different here than in the US. I think the cohesion that the group of 12 students have here really makes the time together in class more comfortable and refreshing. All of the professors are really nice and understand that this is a different learning experience. They usually go slower and make sure we really understand the topic they cover. Most of my classes are literature, which is fine with me because I love reading and learning. The topics we’ve covered have been really interesting to me too, but the only negative is the amount of homework. It doesn’t bother me to read, but having to read old poems and stories in Spanish takes a lot longer to translate and understand than those in English. I feel kinda bad staying in my room and reading when I do homework because would rather be talking to my family more and learning to speak better. They are very family oriented and are always together so I feel like I’m missing out on some of their culture, but I know I’ll find the right balance and be able to organize and manage my time eventually.  

So much has happened in just two weeks I feel like I’m leaving so much out, but I will post another entry filling in some gaps and continue to keep this updated as best I can.