A weekend with "Los Once" (the Eleven)

Wow!  What an awesome weekend!  On Friday at 3, Jenn and I left Toledo and took a bus to Valencia.  We had made arrangements with a family living there to stay with them for the weekend.  I work with a lady in Appleton and her brother and sister and their families are living in Spain for 2 years.  I was able to contact them and they invited us to stay at their house for the weekend J

 After 5 hours and what felt like a million stops in little towns in between, we finally arrived.  Our next big task was to find the Turia Bus #1.  Despite very detailed directions, Jenn and I failed miserably.  We didn’t realize some of the buses ran as metros underground!  So we decided our best option was to get a taxi.  We arrived at Guardia Civil 20 and rang bell #404.  Jenn and I were a bit nervous, we had never met any of these people, but I knew that if they were anything like the lady I work with, it was bound to be a great weekend.  They met us at the gate and we walked up to their apartment.  I seriously felt like I was in the scene from the “Sound of Music” where all the kids come running from different directions to meet Maria.  We were introduced to all 7 of the kids…Kerline, Yana, Maria, Elena, Jolie, Bronson, and Eva.  Before we could even take our shoes off, Amy and Ann (the two moms) were putting out food on the table for dinner for us.  Matthew and Eugene (the two dads) came home shortly after and we all sat down for dinner.  For the first time in 3 weeks I had genuine American food…CHILI!  It was delicious.  We stayed up talking with them and then we crashed.  We were tired from a long day of traveling.

Saturday brought us a SNC reunion.  We got to see Traci (one of my good friends from school)!  She is studying abroad in Valencia for the semester.  Her and her friend Kim showed us around the city for the day.  We took a metro to the beach.  I had been so excited to see the Mediterranean Sea and we probably had the worst weather possible...rain and wind all morning!  We stayed only long enough for a few pictures and just as we got on the bus to go back into town it started pouring!!  Thankfully it was done raining by the time we reached our next destination.  We started at the Plaza de Ayunamiento.  We found a great little sandwich place for lunch.  I had a ham and cheese bocadillo (sandwich) with french fries and a Diet Coke.  There are only a few types of soda in Spain;  Fanta Naranja, Fanta Limon, Coca and Coca Light.  Next we started walking to the Plaza de la Reina and the Plaza de la Virgen.  We walked into the most beautiful Cathedral.  After a few pictures, we paid 2 euro to climb the steps to the top of the tower.  Oh boy! I don’t think we realized how many stairs there actually were to climb.  By the time I got to the top I was more than winded and happy to be off of the winding staircase.  From here we were able to see all of Valencia and it was beautiful.  It was totally worth the calf workout and 2 euro.  

We continued walking and found a few great shopping places AND a little gelato stand.  We gave our feet a break and I enjoyed some delicious “Café” aka Coffee flavored gelato.  Our next destination was the Turia and the Ciudad de Artes y Ciencias.  The Turia is a 9 km long park through the middle of the city.  It used to be a river, but when it flooded the city, they put up a dam and turned it into a park.  There are sports courts, walking paths, fountains, and a huge playground.  It is supposed to resemble Gulliver being tied to the ground.  When kids play on it, it is supposed to resemble all the little people from the movie Gulliver’s Travels.  After what felt like a million more miles of walking we arrived at our final destination…La Ciudad de Artes y Ciencias.  This is an area of about 5 buildings.  The architecture of the buildings resembles what the building is all about.  There is an Oceangraphic Museum (the building resembles waves).  The Umbracle is a long garden that looks like a backbone.  The Hemispheric building looks like an eye and it has an IMAX theater inside of it.  There is a bridge that looks like a harp, and also the Science Museum.  There is also a building called the Palau de las Artes, which would be similar to the Performing Arts Center in Appleton. 

We had finally accomplished all we had wanted to see!!  We walked back to the buses and went back to the house we were staying at.  Jenn and I just hung out there for the night.  We hung out with the kids, ate snacks, and learning how to make Spanish tortillas.  It was such an awesome night.  It definitely felt like being home. 

Sunday we left early and walked with Ann for about 45 minutes to the bus station.  After some very sad goodbyes on my part and lots of hugs and a final picture our awesome weekend was over.  We took a bus back to Madrid and from there took a bus back to Toledo.  It was such a great weekend!  Next weekend I am off to Florence, Italy. 

Until then,

Amy

Derecha, Izquierda, y Vuelta!

Hello readers :) 

I was going to wait until Sunday to write a new blog, but I thought I would update you all on my lives before my first big trip here.

This week was pretty stressful, I am pretty annoyed with our professors for giving us so much homework.  It's a bit ridiculous right now.  Hopefully it will get better.  I worked really hard this week to finish everything before my weekend in Valencia and I fell one subject short of being successful.  Oh well.  

So I've been people watching and trying to figure out if there is a "style" for Spaniards, in terms of clothing, hair styles, etc.  I have to say I still haven't figured it out...mostly because I don't think there is one.  Though I have seen one common hair style...MULLETS! No joke.  Men/boys of all ages have them, and I don't understand what is so "fashion forward" about them.  I kind of  have to laugh about it and I want to take pictures, but I'm trying really hard to not look like a total tourist here.  

I received my placement for the service learning class I am in.  I will be working at El Colegio de  Alberto Sanchez.  It is an elementary school with a very high density of immigrants.  I will be helping teaching English and some math and Spanish.  I'm pretty excited about it.  Being in a school again made me miss sophomore block a lot! I can't wait to start next week Tuesday. 

Tuesday and Wednesday night I had flamenco lessons which was quite the experience!!  As most of you know, I'm a bit clumsy, but it was so much fun!!  On October 15 they are having a flamenco performance here and they want all of us at to dance with them for it.  I'll make sure to have someone take pictures of it!!  The title of my post has to do with flamenco because that is what the teachers would call out during the 3rd phase of the dance.  

Well, that's all for now, but I will post pictures and stories about my trip as soon as I get back on Sunday.  

Abrazos, 

Amy

There's No Place Like Home

Hello readers!  After a week of keeping you in suspense I have finally decided to update you on my second week in Toledo. 

 

This week classes were as usual. I am starting to think the professors like to give more homework than necessary, which always puts a damper on my weekend, but I guess I am here to “study”. 

 

This week the girls and I discovered a terrible trap!  Right by the bus stop is this great little “heladeria”, an ice cream stand, that has the most delicious ice cream.  Especially on hot afternoons and after a long day of classes.  The beauty of it is that the servings are small and inexpensive so it hits the spot J   Also this week, Toledo has begun advertising for an exposition of “Ancient Instruments of Torture”.  I know, hard to believe, but it will be quite the event I’m sure. 

 

On Friday, Yuki, Jose Luis, and Miguel (the people in charge of the program at the Fundacion) took all of us to Madrid for the day.  We started at the Palacio Real, which is a Palace in the middle of the city that serves as a museum, but is also still used for some of the King’s business.  It was breath-taking!  Then we took a bus tour of the city and they pointed out some other great tourist sights for us to visit in our free time.  Next we went to the restaurant “El Museo de Jamon” (the Museum of Ham) and ate CHICKEN!! I don’t know how that makes any sense, but we had chicken and french fries with ketchup.  I forgot how much I love ketchup and wish they had it in Spain.  They only eat it with french fries here and my family doesn’t have any in the house at all!!  Then we had some free time so the girls and I walked down Gran Via (the equivalent of Michigan Ave. in Chicago).  We did a lot of window shopping and took in the atmosphere of the big city.  Then we met the bus and were on our way back to Toledo.  I was so happy thinking “I can’t wait to be home (as in Toledo)”.  The girls and I booked our trip to Florence, Italy which we will be going on from October 3-5.  I am so excited!!  We have some girls from SNC studying abroad there and I have a friend from XHS there as well.

 

And in all of the excitement of getting ready, I forgot to bring my camera!!!  Don’t worry, I will steal some pictures from my friends and post them on my shutterfly website.  I hope you have all had some time to see my pictures so far.   I will continue to add captions when I have time at school. 

 

Saturday consisted of a morning of homework and an afternoon of shopping!  Jenn and I ventured out on the buses to get to the Luz de Tajo (the big mall in the neighborhood Poligono).  It was seriously in the middle of nowhere, but it was awesome!  Great shopping.  I did buy the cutest sweater and am so excited for the weather to cool off so I can wear it.  Saturday night I went out some friends from the Fund (short for the fundacion).   We just sat outside all night and had tapas and drinks.  Tapas are little appetizers that you get when you buy a drink.  It depends on what the kitchen is making, so the tapas vary from time to time.  Last night it was meatballs and french fries with ketchup, sour cream and some sort of spice on top.  Not really the tastiest tapas ever. 

 

Which leads me to today.  Which has been very low key.  I have some homework to do and am going to mass at 7:00 pm at the Church right down the street from me.  I am currently babysitting for Paula.  Just a little while ago my host mom told me that they were going to the hospital because she wasn’t feeling well and is diabetic.  They just got back home, so I think she’s ok.  But keep her in your prayers anyways please!! 

 

Next weekend I am going to Valencia to visit Traci (a friend from SNC) who is studying abroad there.  Jenn and I are staying with a family.  Let me explain.  I worked with a lady this summer at Jansport who has family living in Spain right now.  She gave me their email and I contacted them.  Found out they live in Valencia right by the beach.  They invited my friend and I to stay there for the weekend!  I am so excited to get out and travel a little bit.  It will be great to see Traci and meet new people. 

 

Another trip I am looking to take is to Consuegra, it’s a little town right outside of Toledo.  It’s “claim to fame” is that the musical “Don Quijote” was filmed there.  Now this is super dorky of me, but I am so excited!  I really enjoyed reading that book in my high school Spanish class and can’t wait to see it all in real life. 

 

One last little laugh for all of you.  I was sitting at the bus stop the other day with Jenn and there was a couple looking at the bus routes and they spoke ENGLISH!  The “Patsy”  in me (my grandma and mom start conversations with people so easily, must be genetic J ), started up a conversation.  I explained to them that I lived in Toledo (which was kind of a cool feeling to say that).  They were looking how to get to the train station.   I knew exactly which bus they needed to take, the 62.  This is a miracle in itself because I am HORRIBLE with directions.  They thanked us and walked away.  A few minutes later they returned asking for a good restaurant suggestion.  This was a little difficult because I haven’t eaten out much here.  I wanted to say “My host dad makes a mean chorizo!”  Which is a Spanish sausage.  Jenn and I did recommend a little Italian café with great pizza and paella. 

 

Wow, that was quite the extensive entry.  I hope I didn’t bore any of you!  Please continue to send emails and leave comments on here.  I love hearing from home.

 

Muchos abrazos de una extrajera,

Amy

Completely, Totally, 100% Falling in Love

Wow!  I can't wipe the smile off my face.  Today started off pretty slow, but things definitely picked up.  I had a class tonight from 7:45 to 9:00..which sounds terrible, but with an afternoon of doing nothing but homework at home, I was more than happy to go back to school and hang out with the other students from the fundacion.  I was riding the bus into to town..all by myself (I have mastered public transportation)..and I just all of a sudden realized what an amazing city I'm living in.  It's so peaceful at night, and so pretty when all the lights turn on.  Tonight was the first night that I was truly happy to be here.  That is a pretty awesome feeling. 

After class I was chatting with some girls and one of them invited me to go along with a group of them to Granada next weekend for 2 days and a few weeks later to Paris.  I'm pretty excited.  I might as well take advantage of my time here, cause who knows when I'll be able to come back. 

When I got home, I did some homework with Paula.  I was assigned in one of my classes to interview my family about Politics and the economic crisis in Spain.  Wow!  Not big Zapatero fans at all.  He is the leader of the Socialist Party and the current President of Spain.  When i asked my family what kind of crisis Spain was in..my dad said "All sorts of crisis!  All because Zapatero is stupid and doesn't have a head."  Obviously it was in Spanish..and a bit more harsh than that ;)  So it was an interesting way to start the evening as a family.  

We ate dinner..now I do not care for eggs..I never have.  But tonight I had a Spanish omelet/tortilla and it was delicious!!!!  Eggs potatos and onions! mmm.  My family is definitely getting me to broaden my food horizons and I love them for that.  Otherwise I would be living on bread and the peanut butter I brought from home!! 

Afterwards we sat around and continued to talk..in Spanish!!  I am definitely getting a lot more comfortable carrying on a conversation with them..even if I don't know exactly what they're saying.  I told my host dad that my boyfriend (Matty :) ) is probably going to come and visit and I asked him what there was to do around here.  He suggested going to a soccer game! I heard it's pretty intense..we'll see how it holds up to a Packer game :)  Then we watched a soccer game on TV.  It was such a great night, I was sad to see it end...I've never been able to say that yet here! YAY!  

I'm so happy I'm getting more acclimated to living here, and to the people, and the laid back atmosphere.  Though sometimes I go nuts because I'm not always on the go.  I wish all of you could experience this with me.  It is so beautiful here.  As my title says..I'm completely, totally, 100% falling in love with Toledo.  Now I know I'll miss it. 

Sangria = Love

Well hello readers :) 

I thought I would wait until today to fill in everyone about the eventful weekend I had.  So here it goes...

Friday morning I got up early and we had a bus tour of Toledo!  It was beautiful.  The pictures I have are amazing and can't wait to get them home and framed to decorate the walls of my dorm room next semester.  It's still hard to believe I really am living here!  I am hoping to get pictures up tomorrow while I'm at school and have a little bit quicker internet.  Friday night I just hung out with my family and laid low.  I think my host mom has already noticed I am kind of a home-body ;)  

Saturday I woke up with plans of going to the mall in Poligono (a nearby neighborhood), but my family randomly told me at about 11:30 that they were going to my host dad's sisters house for a "BBQ".  So I figured..."When In Toledo!" and off I went!  We drove to Talavera, a city about 1 hour away.  During this trip I asked how much gas cost..and holy cow! 4.8 euro per gallon.  That's about $7 per gallon.  We arrived at Rodolfo's sister's house.  It was beautiful.  A big yard, swimming pool, plenty of plants and trees.  There was also a nice "room" built in the backyard where people can hang out if the weather is bad.  It had a sink, fridge, couch, fireplace..all you would need to have a great party!!  We spent a good part of the day there.  Marlene (my host mom) introduced me as her "hija americana" (her american daughter).  It was quite the experience...like a Behring get together (my mom's family) times 2 and in Spanish!  All day they kept grilling all sorts of meat on the grill (my favorite was the rack of lamb ribs) and I drank homemade Sangria aka the title of my blog.  It was so yummy!  I think they thought I didn't know squat for Spanish because they kept telling my host mom that they didn't think I understood...but I did...most of it ;)  By the end of my time there I felt pretty comfortable and was able to joke around with them a bit.  There niece is getting married in October and they invited me to the wedding!  That should be fun :)  

When I got home around 9:30, my friend Jenn (aka my saving grace here).  A quick interruption.  Jenn is a girl from SNC and lives just a few blocks away.  We take the bus to school together, hang out at night, basically we do everything together.  She's my partner in crime :)  Ok, so she called me and said some girls were going out..so again.."When in Toledo!" and I got all dressed up and ready and off we went.  We met up with the other girls and went to an Irish Pub called O'Briens.  It's the only English speaking bar in town, so that is where a lot of the students from my university end up at.  Then we were going to go to a discoteca, but some of the girls were feeling sick, so we ended up calling it an early night.  I couldn't complain...I was tired too.  

My little sister and I are getting along great.  She helped me pick out my outfit and makeup for going out and we take Eppi (the dog) on walks at night and talk about school.  I really enjoy having a little sister.  On the way home from Talavera she fell asleep with her head on my shoulder and tonight we watched her favorite TV show together.  "De Patitas en la Calle".  It's about kids who get kicked out of the house and have to live on their own.  They have assigned tasks and stuff like that.  Anyways, it's interesting to say the least. 

A funny story for you.  My host dad is a very stereotypical Spaniard (according to my host mom).  He is convinced that Americans get sick when they come to Spain because they don't wear shoes in the house.  This totally reminded me of the dad in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" with the whole Windex theory.  Anyways, so when he asked why I was home so early, I told him my friends didn't feel well and he said it was because they didn't wear shoes in the house and the cold started in their feet and went up through their bodies.  I know..a bit ridiculous, but you kind of have to laugh about it.  So when I wore socks today because my feet were cold in the house, he said it was because I had learned my lesson and wouldn't get sick when all my friends did! Dios Mio! 

My friend Jenn lives with a couple who's kids come home on the weekends to visit.  So typically I will go over there to hang out (besides, they have wireless :) )  Every time I walk in the door, it smells like Grandma Patsy and Grandpa Jimmy's house.  I can't explain it, but it is the most comforting smell.  It's even decorated sort of how Grandma decorates the house.  Every time I go there it puts a smile on my face. 

I hope you enjoyed this blog.  I really enjoyed writing this entry.  I will continue to put in funny little stories to give you and idea about my life in Toledo.  it is definitely different, but I know when I come home in December, that I will miss it. 

Things are Looking Up :]

Hola Amigos!
I am happy to report that today has been a great day so far. I think I am finally getting acclimated to living in Toledo. We went on a tour today of the whole city. It made me realize how lucky I am to be able to live here and call this my home. So thank you for your prayers, they have been much appreciated.

Every day I walk down the same street to school...La Calle de Pescados. For those of you non-spanish speakers, that means the street of fish. Yes, every day I walk down the street of the local fish vendors. It is one of the worst smells ever. People have told me to remember the smells and sounds of the city..this is one smell I won´t ever forget.

Today I had the most glorious meal ever. After our tour of the city, we had the rest of the day free. The SNC girls decided we wanted to find a good place to eat...by some stroke of luck we came across a delicious cafe that made pizza and smoothies!! Ahhh what a combo. It was so good to finally have food put in front of me that I wasn´t afraid to eat!! It was well worth the money I spent. After that adventure, we went to find a bank that would exchange US dollars for Euros without having a bank account there. On the 3rd try, we found one. It was a very reassuring feeling to know that I now have a place that can help me.

I have finished my first week of class and I think I will enjoy the classes I have this semester. My family is great, but it definitely is different to go home to a family that isn´t your own. I helped Paula..my host sister who is 9...cover her books for school. It´s nice having a sister around. She always makes things interesting. I also taught her to play Skip-Bo. She loves it, but I still continue to win : ]

I hope all is well back home. I miss the food and the comforts of home a lot, but this will be the adventure of a lifetime. Hopefully soon I will find time to put some pictures on here and on shutterfly so you all can see them.

Muchos Abrazos,
Amy

Estoy Aqui!

Hola! I am here and safe. I start classes tomorrow and found out that I have no classes on Tuesday at all!! It is so beautiful here, it´s hard to believe that I am LIVING here for 3.5 months. I am surprised at how homesick I was right away. I thought it would be a lot easier than it has been. So thank you everyone for the emails. It is helping immensely! I have a phone now, but just for emergencys..Mom and Dad this is mostly for you..the number is 689258503. The number at the fundacion is 011-34-952 284380 (ext. 9). dial that number exactly from the US and it should work!

My family is great. The house is nice and the food is..different. The meal times will take some getting used to. Both of my parents work in Madrid so I eat breakfast on my own at the house and have lunch at the fundacion. We only have dinner together at 830. The family is very understand