Saturday, May 24, 2008
home again
I flew in last Sunday night around 9:30, and sort of to my surprise, my luggage made it too! I flew first from Madrid to New York JFK (8 hours), then from JKF to Cincinnati (2 hours), and then finally from Cincinnati to Appleton (1.5 hours). It was such a relief to finally be home and to be able to hug my family once more.
While I already miss things about Spain, I have re-adjusted quickly and am glad to be home. Again, thanks for all the support! :)
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
El Fin (The End)
And then, I will be home.
This past Saturday Ashley and I went to El Escorial--a gigantic building that was built for King Phillip II in the 16th century, as he was very religious and sure that it was his calling to build a magnificent building for God. If I had gone there earlier in the semester, it still would have been cool, but I am very glad that I waited until I had a full semester of Spanish history behind me before I went to see it, as it was an incredible experience. To see the tombs of Kings that changed the course of Spain's history but also the course of the world's history was definitely something that gave me goosebumps. Even though it rained all day, it was a really cool experience and Ash and I had a lot of fun.
I now have my grammar, literature, oral expression, and history exams behind me, and this afternoon I will take the last two--European Union and Art. So far they've all gone really well, so I'm hoping to keep that up! Tomorrow I will be packing like crazy and returning to school for the very last time to check my grades, and then on Friday we have a graduation ceremony and party. On Saturday I will be in Madrid for the day to go to the Prado and the Reina Sofia Museums, and then spending the night in Madrid before my flight for the States leaves at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. I am due to arrive to the Appleton airport at 9:16 pm.
I am very excited to come home--to see all my family and friends, to eat on a schedule that I plan, to not have to carry my computer to school everyday, to watch TV in English and be back in the swing of things with US news. I am very sad to leave Valladolid, though. I have really gotten to know this city very well--I see the same people every morning when I walk to school, my host parents feel like my family, I can give someone directions (most of the time) if I'm asked. I will leave a part of my heart here, that's for sure.
I'd like to thank everyone who sent me cards or e-mails or packages while I've been here, or even those who've asked my family how I'm doing or have been reading this blog and looking at pictures. I really appreciate your care and concern, and am excited to get home and tell you stories in person! :)
There are some videos from France up in the "Some interesting videos" album, and there are some pictures of El Escorial up, too. I have a bunch of pictures from Valladolid, but I will probably put those up next week when I am back home.
El fin! Hasta LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS! :)
Monday, May 5, 2008
Sol y Playa
We learned in our geography class that
We (Katie, Ashleigh, and I) left
We got to
On Friday it was about 78 degrees and sunny—windy in the morning but calmer in the afternoon. We were at the beach from about 11:30 until 5:00, just lying out, reading, and walking along the water. We learned pretty quickly that you are in the minority if you are female AND wearing a bathing suit top! We were already aware that
On Sunday morning we got up a little earlier and hiked up one of the two “mountains” in
Our bus ride back to
The next two weeks will be relatively low key—I have my last four days of classes this week, and then I think I will go this coming weekend to El Escorial, the castle in which all of the kings of
Hasta luego!
Friday, April 25, 2008
Do Not Forget Tomorrow
I have now returned from my last big vacation of the semester—I have been at the
We took a bus from
On Sunday morning we walked to the Caen WWII Memorial, where we boarded the van for our tour. It was a really small group, just Ashley and I and then two younger couples from
Our tour covered everything (and more) that we wanted to see in
We then continued to the
We then continued to the two American landing beaches,
When we got back to Caen we went to the Caen Memorial Museum, which Ashley and I both agreed was extremely well put together—we learned so much and it really helped to clarify the questions and amplify the emotions that we had earlier in the day. One of the parts of the museum that really stood out was a section all about the letters that soldiers had written home, some from soldiers who survived and some from soldiers who had their letters delivered in the event of their death. The letters came from all nationalities, from the liberators and from the occupiers. All of these men were normal people with families, with friends, with lives that they left at home. It helped to again put into perspective the tragedy of war and how the lives of so many people in the world are affected by it. If I came to understand anything by the end of that day is that I hopefully won’t ever understand. Watching the footage of the soldiers jumping into the water, trekking up to those beaches, all I could do was hope with all I have in me that no future generations will ever know what it is like to fight a battle like that. We really enjoyed
On Monday we took the train to
Tuesday was a GORGEOUS day in
On Wednesday morning we got up and headed back to Notre Dame so that I could go up into the towers, and while the wait in line was long, it was definitely worth it. The view was amazing! After Notre Dame we walked to the Louvre, where I spent my last 2 hours or so in
It was such a great vacation—I think we found the perfect mix between educational and enjoyable, and therefore learned A TON while still thoroughly enjoying ourselves and having a relatively stress-free trip! I am sad that it is my last one, but also glad that I ended my major travels on such an excellent note. In less than a week—next Thursday—I will head to the North of Spain,
Monday, April 7, 2008
Irish Hearts Live Longest
So if I ever run away, it is safe to assume that I will be somewhere in
We were fortunate enough to have a tour offered through our hostel, and it was very affordable for us to go on an all day tour up the Eastern coast of
The tour took us along the costal rode, which passes through several of
We then made our way back to
On Sunday we traveled from
Monday, March 31, 2008
Back from Vacation
Once again, I have returned home to
I left
On Saturday morning I met Katie at the airport for our 7 a.m. flight to
After the Vatican, we went to the Colosseum, which was pretty amazing. I found it sort of funny that all of the ruins and famous sights in
On Sunday morning we were back to the
Thankfully shortly after that rainy ordeal, the rain ceased for a few hours and we were able to see the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, and the Pantheon. We were on a really good streak until we were at our last sight of the day—the Roman Forum—and we were caught in a relatively violent hail storm. By the time it was done, there were broken umbrellas EVERYWHERE, and we were ready to go back to the hostel and be warm and dry! Unfortunately we didn’t see hardly any of the Roman Forum, but the storm was an experience in itself.
On Monday we traveled to
On Tuesday afternoon we took the train to
Wednesday was a day of travel—we took the train to
We really enjoyed Barcelona—we had a very nice hostel, we went to the Picasso Museum, La Boqueria (a really cool market), the Chocolate Museum, the Olympic Stadium (which was probably our favorite part of Barcelona, even though the Olympics were there a good 16 years ago!), the Sagrada Familia (a church designed my Gaudi) and other Gaudi Houses, Parc Guell (also designed by Gaudi and very cool), and the FC Barcelona stadium (soccer, for those who don’t know!), where we saw Ronaldinho, a very famous soccer player in Spain. He was working with a trainer on the team’s practice field, and he smiled at us and we got pictures, so we were pretty darm excited.
Although we loved
I started classes again—and I only have NINETEEN days of them left! I have only 48 days left in Spain—19 days of class (no classes on Mondays, how nice), 13 days of traveling, 2 school excursions, a big paper to write, and a week of exams. Incredible, really, how fast it has all gone. And there’s still so much left to do! Unfortunately there is no longer internet in my house—I’m not sure if it will return or not, but at the moment it’s looking unlikely. I will get pictures (at least SOME pictures) up as soon as I can, but it might take a little while. I leave for
I hope that everyone had a great Spring Break and a very Happy Easter! Hasta Luego!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
What? It's already March 20th?
We have now been with our host family for almost three weeks, and we have quickly settled in and come to feel, once again, like we are at home. It was easy to love right away--we have our own bathroom, we are a lot closer to the center of town, and there is internet! But even after our great first impressions, we've come to realize the other great things about living here--the excellent cooking, watching the news during dinner and discussing important topics, and Edita and Julio's wonderful sense of humor and the genuine interest they take in our conversations with them. We decided pretty quickly that we were content staying here for the rest of the semester!
Nicar had his surgery two weeks ago, a week later than originally scheduled, and is now recovering at home. We visited them about a week ago and he was still in a fair amount of pain, but was at least finally out of a hospital bed. They had a doctor's appointment yesterday in order to find out what type of therapy or rehabilitation he will be having. We are very glad that he's finally at home and that the whole ordeal is close to being over with for them! We will be staying here with Edita and Julio for the rest of the semester, as it was a lot of work to move only one time! Plus, we will both be traveling every single weekend between now and the second week of May! We will continue to visit them, of course, and will miss them just as we'll miss this family when we go back to the US.
My spring break started last Friday, and while all of my friends took off right away, I have been in Valladolid all week. I went to some Holy Week processions with my host parents, slept a lot, walked around the city and explored, and really just relaxed and took it easy.
Today is a day of packing and cleaning, as tomorrow morning at 6:30 I will get on a bus and head to Madrid, and from there, to Italy! In Madrid I will be meeting Jody Krieg and a group of students from Wausau East--I am SO excited to see some familiar faces! I will spend the day with them and spend the night in Madrid, and then meet my friend Katie at the airport to catch our flight to Rome early Saturday morning. We will be in Rome until Monday when we will go to Florence, and then to Pisa and Cinque Terre, and then to Milan. From Milan we will fly to Barcelona where we will finish out our trip, returning to Valladolid via a 10 hour bus ride on the 30th. Ay! It will be busy, but hopefully, HOPEFULLY everything goes as planned and we will arrive back in 9 days with awesome pictures and all of our belongings still with us!
I will go to school for three days the week after that, and then on Thursday the 3rd I will be on a plane once more with my friend Ashley, on our way to Ireland! My host mom just laughed and rolled her eyes when I told her how soon I'd be leaving again! ;) But I can't wait.
Well, I have a lot of packing to do, but I thought I'd update after much too long to let everyone know what I'm up to.
Hasta luego! And Happy Easter! ;)
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
almost settled in
We moved to a new host family on Sunday night, and I think I am feeling pretty much settled in and comfortable there. It helps that we already know our way around town, and are used to Spanish cuisine. It was still an emotionally (and physically) rough transition, but we have managed and now life continues. One of our professors came to pick us up...in a taxi, and between the both of we had at least four large suitcases, backpacks, bags, and really just a ridiculous amount of things. It was an adventure!
Our new apartment is bigger than the last one, we have our own room and then our own bathroom, as well, which is really nice. My new host parents are Edita and Julio--they are very nice and funny, Julio likes to use English words and also likes for us to teach him new ones. They are about the same age as Leo and Nicar, and have a grown son and daughter and two granddaughters. We eat a lot later now, which is a change--lunch at 3:00 (1:30 with Leo and Nicar) and dinner at 9:30 (7:30 with Leo and Nicar), the last two nights I have been ready to go to bed before we even eat dinner! I will get used to it, though.
My new address is:
Allison Seubert
C/ Panaderos 35, 2A
47004 Valladolid
Spain
I am not sure if we will return to Leo and Nicar's house, or if we will stay the remaineder of our time with this family. So far I like them both equally! We haven't heard any news about Nicar's surgery, but as far as we know he did have it yesterday, and we will go visit him sometime this week. They were all very nervous about it, so I hope very much that it went as well as could be expected.
So with that, the move is over, like is back to normal, and exams are already next week! I have to get studying!
Hasta Luego!
Oh! And pictures from Salamanca (and two videos from other things) are on Webshots!
(http://community.webshots.com/user/seuberaj)
Sunday, March 2, 2008
...and everything changes
This is definitely not something that any of us planned for, and it is a very difficult thing to deal with. We love Leo and Nicar and are not interested in going anywhere, but at the same time we understand that what is most comfortable for them is the best decision. There is a chance that when Nicar is recovered, we will be able to return, but it all depends on when that is and how much we like our new family! hehe.
I will post my new address when I know it, and of course I will write about my new family and how the change is going later in the week.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Everyday Life in Spain: Part 1--Food and Daily Schedule (plus an update about Nicar!)
To me, the things that happen day to day are just that, things that I am used to and that are just part of a routine. I don’t think to write about them because they already seem pretty normal to me, but I’ve realized that those are the things that most people are probably most curious about. I’ll start by telling you about my daily schedule and the food we eat, as our daily schedule sort of revolves around meal times.
My class day begins usually at 9:30 each morning, and goes until 1:50 at the latest. Before school, we eat a small breakfast of ColaCao (like hot chocolate, it’s mixed with warm milk, and I love it) and either toast with butter and jam, galletas (cookies/crackers, but more like cookies), or muffins. The muffins, or “magdalenas,” are my favorite. It’s not common here to snack between meals, but I can’t make it to lunch without a snack (most of the American students have a hard time with that), so I typically take crackers or a mandarin orange with me to eat between classes. Our classes run for an hour each, and we could have up to 4 in one morning, although typically we have less than that.
At 1:50 my roommate and I walk back home (a 35 minute walk, it’s longer if you’re really hungry!) for lunch. Our host family eats at 1:30, and then our host mom sets the table for us and waits for us to get home. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day in
After lunch is “siesta,” which seems to be pretty well-known around the world. From the hours of 2ish until 5ish, all of the stores (with the exception of maybe a grocery store and the kiosks that are on the streets) close so that their employees can go home to eat lunch and rest. After siesta, most of the stores reopen until 8:00 or so. I usually take a little bit of a nap, and then around 5 venture back out to take a walk and window shop, or to explore a part of town I haven’t seen before. I return to my apartment by 7:30, as we eat dinner between 7:45 and 8.
Dinner is typically a smaller meal than lunch, but in our house it’s usually about the same size. Much like lunch, we have a soup as our first course, and our second plate consists of salad and another food, like fried ham and cheese sandwiches, tortilla española, croquetas, or empanadillas. I think that dinner is usually my favorite meal, because I have really come to like all of those foods!
After dinner is when most young people get ready and go out on the town for a drink or, in some cases, lots of drinks. I usually prefer to stay in on school nights and watch TV with my host parents and do homework. Even on the weekends, when it is typical to stay out literally all night (until 6:30 or so, as the discotecas here don’t even open until around 3), I am more commonly found sleeping safe and sound in my room. The night life here is probably the thing that, as of now, I will miss most. But the night life consists of more than partying---every night, people of all ages, all of your friends and neighbors, are out going for walks and gossiping and playing in parks. They think it is very silly that after work and school in the states, that we just go home. And now when I return I will think that it’s silly, too!
The doctors told Leo and Nicar today that the source of his pain is a herniated disk in his back, and that he will be having surgery. The date of surgery is yet to be known. This is good because instead of just taking pain medication for weeks and weeks, he will hopefully have a solution to the problem and be able to recover and get back to normal life. (That is, if the surgery is soon, and I'm not entirely sure how likely that is.) Leo hasn't mentioned anything yet about us leaving, so hopefully she is thinking that it won't be so bad having us there after all. Our host grandma is staying with us now but will leave on March 1st, and then my roommate and I will be traveling for our spring breaks, and things should calm down. Now it's tough because Grandma is very high maintenance, hehe. So yes, I am very glad to hear that hopefully things will get better from here on out, and that hopefully things will be back to normal (and healthy) soon. I really appreciate all your thoughts and prayers! He appreciates them, as well.Until next time, hasta luego!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
how time flies
Currently, times are a little tough because my host dad, Nicar, is in the hospital. He's had a really bad pain in his leg for about two weeks now, and went into the hospital on Saturday so that he's there for all the testing they want to do, so that they can give him strong medication, and so he'll be a lot more comfortable than he would be at home. Depending on what the results of his tests are, it is possible that my roommate and I will have to move to a new host family. This would be devastating for us both. We are hoping for Nicar's quick recovery so that he will no longer be in pain and so that we can stay with this family that we've grown to love so much in such a short period of time. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers!
We took a trip for school this past weekend to the ruins of two different castles and to a museum of Roman Villas, which includes the actual excavated remains of a Roman Villa that dates back to the later period of the Roman Empire (when the Romans lived in this region of Spain). The castles were cool, but not nearly as cool as the Roman Villa! The original mosaics are still on the floors of the villa that has been excavated--it was just incredible. I really enjoyed it. I have a few pictures from the trip but not many, so I will put them up when I get a good selection of pictures from random times and places. Our next school trip is to Salamanca, the weekend after this coming one.
We have two and a half weeks of school left before our week of midterm exams, and then we have two weeks of spring break. I will keep everyone updated about my host dad and about my living situation.
Hasta Luego, and GO BARACK! ;)
Thursday, February 7, 2008
you ain't much if you ain't dutch :)
Whew! What a vacation! I have now returned from
The trip began in the wee hours of Thursday morning when Katie, Ashley, and I took a three hour bus ride to the Madrid Airport, waited in the airport for a few hours until our flight left at 7:20, and then took a bus from the Brussels airport (the tiny one which is about an hour out of town, not the convenient big international one) into the city to find our hostel. After almost 12 hours of traveling and not sleeping, we were very glad to see that our hostel was very clean and comfortable! The weather that night in
The second day in Brussels was full of sightseeing, we saw a large Flea Market, the Manneken Pis statue, the Palace of Justice, Delirium (the bar that holds the world record for number of beers available, 2004 different kinds from all around the world), several comic walls (Brussels is the comic book capital of the world, and the home of the Smurfs), and the Atomium. We also didn’t have a problem finding more chocolate stores, and we ate delicious Lebanese pitas for lunch. That night we roomed with two guys from
The next morning we got up mighty early and hopped on the metro in order to get to
After about four hours of sleep we boarded our train to
We also went to the Red Light District, which was definitely an experience and a half. While there are other places in which prostitution is legal,
On our last full day in
Tuesday was a long day of travel—we took a three hour train to
The pictures are on Webshots! Hasta Luego!
Monday, January 28, 2008
A lot has happened!
Last week I went to "Intercambios" for the first time. Every so often here at the university they have nights where students who are learning Spanish can come and speak with Students who are learning English. All of the Spanish-learners sit on one side of the table, and the English-learners on the other, and then you speak for four minutes in English and for four minutes in Spanish. After four rotations, there are refreshments and you can mingle with whoever you'd like, and a lot of people exchange numbers or e-mail addresses with the people they conversed with so that they can meet again for coffee or something and continue talking. I was really nervous about it at first, but I was so surprised at how much I enjoyed it! I talked to five different people, and it takes away so much anxiety to be speaking to someone who is also learning and making mistakes. It's also interesting to hear the reasons why they are learning English--they all told me that here it is critical to know English, because it is the language that so much of the world is using now. They thought it was funny, though, when I told them how valuable it is in the U.S. to learn Spanish.
This Saturday I went with a group of friends to Toledo, and it was a lot of fun. The bus ride to Madrid is about two hours, and then from Madrid to Toledo is a little less than an hour. We had a lot of layover time, but that's when bonding takes place! I think I might have liked Toledo better than Segovia--it was EXTREMELY hilly and all the roads were very steep so it was hard on the knees, but other than that I just liked the layout and the scenery and the buildings...and really everything about it. While it was still relatively touristy, I thought it was less tourist-oriented than Segovia. The only dissapointment was that the Casa Museo de El Greco (where El Greco lived and where many of his paintings are displayed) was closed so we weren't able to see it. We did, however, go to another museum where some of his paintings were displayed, and they were pretty amazing. We got back to Valladolid around 2:30, and although we were all exhausted, it was totally worth it. The pictures are up on Webshots!
Yesterday I ate octopus for the first time, and then got sick, so I think that I will not eat octopus anymore. Everything else though is going well. Katie, Ashley, and I leave for Brussels on Thursday morning and we couldn't possibly be more excited. It seems like we've been planning it for so long, and now it's here all of a sudden. We will be in Brussels until Saturday night or Sunday morning, and then in Amsterdam until Tuesday morning. There are so many things to see in so little time! I can't wait to write about it!
Hope all is well with everyone! :) Hasta luego!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Segovia!
In Segovia we saw incredible aqueducts, we went to a very old and beautiful little church, to the Cathedral of Segovia, and to the Alzcazar Castle. The Cathedral was gigantic--very beautiful and very moving. The Castle was also breathtaking...after all, it is amongst the castles that inspired Cinderella´s castle at Disneyworld! We also did some shopping at some very cute stores--I bought postcards, a bracelet, a very pretty necklace, and a new scarf! All in all, it was a successful day.
Back in Valladolid, things are going well. I have been having some trouble with my knees but all in all, life is good. I am acquiring a taste for beer and lemon/lime soda (coming from Wisconsin, I feel like that should be easier than it is!) but I definitely prefer the hot chocolate--it´s thicker than pudding! And it´s served in bars! Definitely more my style!
Next weekend I am headed with some friends to Toledo, and then the weekend after that I am spending a 5 day weekend in Brussels and Amsterdam with two wonderful friends. I will keep everyone updated!
Pictures will be posted soon! Hasta luego, and GO PACKERS!
Monday, January 14, 2008
a bit of an update
So, one week has already passed! It was a slow week, but I have a feeling that now the pace will pick up and time will begin to fly. This week was a lot of settling in and finding a good routine, but now the weekend trips will begin (we go to Segovia on Saturday), our own traveling will begin (our first "vacation" days are February 4th and 5th), and life will be busy. As of right now, I am planning to go to Amsterdam and Belgium on those vacation days. It is the weekend of Carnaval--or Mardi Gras, as it's better known in the U.S.--and instead of going to the Canary Islands where all the festivities are, we would like to go other places instead.
I have eaten many interesting things this week--calamari being one of them. Many times I have no idea what I'm eating, but it tastes good, so I just don't ask! I worry that if I know what some of it is, I won't want to eat it anymore! So far, my favorite meal is breakfast, and my favorite food that my mom has made is a fried ham and cheese sandwhich. Very tasty. On my way to school I pass a lot of pastry stores that are just opening for the day and they smell SO good, but I have yet to stop at one. There are so many new foods to try!
Well, that is all for now. A little boring, but I have a meeting with a professor visiting from UWEC at 1:50.
Hasta luego!
Friday, January 11, 2008
Pictures!
http://community.webshots.com/user/seuberaj
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Finally, a working computer!
I live with a host family--a mom, Leonisa, and a dad, Nicar. They are older and retired, and they have a daughter, a son-in-law, and a grandson who live in a different city. They don´t go out to often, so mostly they are just at home cooking, cleaning, and watching telenovelas. :) It had been hard for me to get used to the meal times, we eat breakfast around 8, lunch at 2 or 2:30, and dinner at 8. I get very hungry! It has not, however, been hard to get used to the built-in afternoon nap!
My classes started today--we are divided into groups and there are probably about 15 people in my group. We will have classes all semester with this group, and we will also take trips on weekends with them, to other cities and to major landmarks or historic sites in the region. On a typical day, I will have class from 9:30 until 2ish, and then once a week I will have class again from 4 until 5 or 6. My professors seem very nice and approachable. As far as I understand, they teach only foreign students, so they are used to all the troubles we are facing.
My time is running out on this internet cafe computer, but once I have my own laptop up and running with the wireless at the university, it should be more convenient to update. I hope all is well in the U.S., or wherever you may be!
Thursday, January 3, 2008
48 Hours
I can't wait until I am able to write all about Valladolid--where I am living, who I'm living with, and how wonderful Spanish life is! :)