Katy in Spain

Lisboa!

2007-06-19T20:07:29Z

I'm really gonna condense this one. I wrote a LOT in my written journal, but I won't bore you with little details.

We got up at 4:30AM, got in the taxi at 5:15, and arrived at the airport at about 5:45 for our 7:45 flight to Lisboa (a.k.a. Lisbon). We arrived in Lisboa having NO idea where we were going. It was a little scary, but also sort of exciting. All we had was an address and an approximate location in relation to a Metro station. We ended up on an airport shuttle bus which took us almost right to our hostel.

Our hostel was pretty nice (see pictures on Facebook) and the owner was very sweet. I spoke to her in Spanish, she replied in broken Spanuguese. Somehow we managed to communicate. Our room was small, but had a double bed and a small television. The bathroom was tiny, but sufficient.

On Friday we went to the Oceanario and explored that area of Lisboa. The weather was pretty nice and we had a great time. We went out to dinner and it started to rain, so we turned in for the night.

Saturday we went down to the touristy part of Lisboa and took LOTS of pictures. It was chilly, windy, and overcast, but we had fun nonetheless. We explored the Commercial Square and went souvenir shopping. Then, we took a trolley to Belem where we explored some more, went to the Archaeology Museum, and took lots of pictures. We went to a fantastic Pasteleria for lunch where we each got delicious pastries and ate them in a nearby park. It started to rain, so we went back to the trolley and headed back to Central Lisboa to catch the Metro home.

That night, we went out for dinner in the city center. As we walked by each restaurant, an attractive waiter would come out and flirt with us to try to get us to eat at his restaurant. We ended up sharing kabobs at a place called "Andorra". Then we wandered around for a while trying to figure out what to do, when we found a waiter who had tried to talk to us earlier. He told us to climb up a hill, past a sex shop, and we'd be in Barrio Alto where all the bars are.

Well, this hill was more of an incredibly steep hike up a dark alley. We got to the top and found ourselves in the bar mecca of Lisboa. First we were offered "hasheesh" by a skeezy looking Portuguese guy, then we accidentally walked into a gay bar, then we finally met some Americans and a couple English guys. We ended up having a pint with the English guys and hung out with them for the rest of the night. Apparently they really liked us because we shared a cab home and they followed us to our hostel. Around 3:30, we had to practically shove them out the door, claiming that if they got caught sleeping in our room, we'd be fined 50 Euros.

Three hours later, we were up and leaving for the airport.

All in all, it was a fantastic trip. The architecture is beautiful and most of the buildings are covered in brightly colored tiles. I read somewhere that you have to appreciate the "faded glory" of Lisboa, and it's very true. You can see that it was once a very "happening" city and though it's older and not quite as glamorous as it once was, it's still a great place to visit.

Pictures: http://ufl.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2321081&l=20da7&id=2005775

long overdue Salamanca post

2007-06-19T19:43:56Z

And now, finally, Salamanca. This is an abridged version of my written journal entry from 6/10.

Our weekend in Salamanca was really fun, though it included a bit of drama.

We left Madrid at 9am and arrived in Avila around noon. Avila is a tiny old town between Madrid and Salamanca and, to be honest, I'm not quite sure why we stopped there. At least I got some great pictures. We took a walking tour and then had about 2 hours of free time. Monica and I enjoyed the lunch my senora packed for me and bought some fruit from the local market. We then boarded the bus and continuted on to Salamanca.

Upon arrival in Salamanca, we checked into a lovely hotel and had the rest of the day to do as we pleased. After taking a much-needed nap, Monica and I went out on the town. We wandered around a bit and returned to the hotel to get ready for dinner with some friends. After dinner at a crappy Mexican restaurant (not my choice) we went out. Monica and I somehow got separated from our group and were left to our own devices. First, we checked out a group called "Chicks on Speed" that was playing in Plaza Mayor for the International Arts Festival that was going on in Salamanca during June. Afterwards, we found ourselves in an Irish Pub where the DJ played songs such as "Macarena" and "Summer Lovin'". We left the pub and started asking random people "Donde esta la discoteca?" and ended up at an awesome place called TinTin.

At TinTin we met this group of Spanish guys who acted as if they had never seen Americans before. They surrounded us and talked to us, telling us that so and so was so and so's brother and was getting married to some other guy. It was nuts.

We went to bed around 3:30AM, got up at 9AM the next morning, and went on a few more tours. I bought a beautiful dress for only 35 Euros. We went out to dinner again, this time to a Spanish place, and went back to TinTin where we had as much fun as the night before.

All in all, Salamanca was amazing. It is home of Universidad Salamanca, one of the five oldest universities in the world. The city is beautiful and the people were friendly.

(cross-posted)

2007-06-11T20:38:52Z

Spain is amazing... I have my bouts of homesickness, but I hear they become fewer and fewer as time flies by. My classes are okay; my language class is not too difficult, but hard enough that it's not boring. My art class is very interesting and only improving as time goes by.

I am leaving for Portugal on Friday morning! I will be there until Sunday morning.

So far, there are only a few things I miss. Naturally, I miss all of my friends and family.

I miss:
Library West
Krishna Lunch
Having my own room
U.S. currency

I don't miss:
Driving
Preparing my own meals
"American" food in general

Update on Salamanca tomorrow! Check Facebook for pictures.

flaming toasters. literally.

2007-06-11T06:57:11Z

So I have to go to class and I don't have much time, but here's my morning so far:

I woke up, put toast in the toaster, went to get my books, came back to the toaster to find it ON FIRE. In a panic, I yanked the cord from the wall, only to have the wall plate come off and break. The toast is still on fire, so I grap a fork and throw them in the sink. The toaster now has a scorch mark on it and the outlets are not usable.

What the hell do I tell my host mother? And how do I say it in Spanish? Anyone?

katyinspain @ 2007-06-04T00:14:00

2007-06-04T05:16:47Z

Pictures now, update later.

http://ufl.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2311692&l=42ff6&id=2005775

Off to class!

sangria!

2007-06-01T17:10:53Z

First and foremost, some of you have been begging for pictures. Well, there aren't many, and some of them are totally random, but you can see them here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2310587&l=9029a&id=2005775 . My camera died during the day, so I couldn't take more pictures til after I'd charged it again.

Last night we (my roommate and I) met up with some people and went (after getting very, very lost and walking around for an hour) to a place called Casa Camu. We got a 5 litre tue of sangria (see pictures) to share between five of us. It was awesome and the sangria was delicious.

Afterwards, we walked around in the freezing cold Madrid night. My roommate and I neglected to bring jackets so we froze our culos off. We tried to find a discoteque, but failed miserably so we went to another bar.

The evening was somewhat of a bust, but fun nonetheless. I think we're going out again tonight to La Kapital, which is a 4 story discoteque. Apparently it's world famous.

Tomorrow we leave for Toledo and Escorial! I am very excited to see more of Spain. We will return on Sunday and start classes on Monday. I think now I'm going to go down to the Metro station and buy my monthlong pass because the Metro get's expensive when you're riding to and from the city center every day.

Boring update, yes. Boring time, absolutely not. I hope all my friends in los Estados Unidos are having a great summer!

katyinspain @ 2007-05-31T07:20:00

2007-05-31T13:30:44Z

So it's that time of the afternoon when Spaniards close their businesses and go home for lunch. Therefore, I am at home and about ready to take a nap.

Everyone who I've met here is really really nice. My roommate is really sweet--she's from Chicago and has a nice Midwestern accent. She speaks NO Spanish (literally, none) so I have to translate everything. She is a Delta Zeta at Western Michigan University (my mom was a Phi Mu there) so we have Greek Life and Michigan in common. She said that Sigma Kappa is HUGE in Michigan and the SK at Western Michigan is really cool, down to earth, and wins EVERYTHING. This makes me happy :-)

Our placement exam wasn't too difficult. It was a verb conjugation, oral exam, and a 100-question multiple choice test. I was one of a few who finished the 100 questions. My Spanish is a LOT better than I thought it was and I find that I'm communicating really well!

The transportation system here is amazing. The metro is just a huge web of underground trains--there's a stop only a five minute walk from our apartment.

Today I had mt first experience with Spanish boys. They cat call and make this clicking sound with their tongues. They also do this kissy thing like chefs do when they make a good sauce or something... you know, the kissing sound as you put your hand to your mouth? Oh, nevermind. It's just creepy. They especially like my petite, blonde-ish roommate and hollder "'Ey, RUBIA!" at her (rubia=blonde). We thought they'd stop when we got on the metro. We were wrong, but eventually they got off the train.

One thing our directors won't stop lecturing us about is pickpocketing. I don't have to worry about that yet because all I have is a wristlet/wallet to carry around in my hand because my luggage hasn't come yet. My roommate is terrified she's going to get pickpocketed. I'm not paranoid, I'm just aware.

Basically, I love it here. We have tomorrow free. Classes start Monday. I will be taking either intermediate or advanced Spanish and Spanish Art.

Oh, and I just got this email from ISA (my study abroad program):

Hola Kathryn,

Hablé con Iberia esta mañana y me dijeron que tus maletas van a llegar
esta tarde o mañana por la mañana como muy tarde. Habla conmigo si tienes
dudas.

Un saludo,
Teresa

It says: I spoke with Iberia [airlines] this morning and they told me your luggage will arrive this afternoon or tomorrow morning. Speak with me if you have doubts.

HOORAY! My luggage will be here tonight or tomorrow. I am very excited.

I love it here. I feel like I'm adapting really quickly. I love the culture, the people, the lifestyle. I'm in love with the transportation system; the fact that you don't need a car to live here.

I'm so glad I'll be here for two months.

katyinspain @ 2007-05-30T16:51:00

2007-05-30T22:11:47Z

Bienvenidos! I got two hours of sleep on the flight from London to Madrid--that's all I've gotten so far in the past 36 hours. It's almost midnight here.

My host mother is wonderful! It's basically an apartment full of of students... there are six of us and the daughter. The hostparents don't live here, but they live nearby, which is really cool.

We had a meeting at the study abroad office and took a bus tour of Madrid--I slept for half of the one hour tour. I bought a pair of capris and a couple shirts in case I don't get my luggage tomorrow, so I should be okay.

Everyone here is really nice and friendly... my host mom was so nice and welcoming when I got here (after taking the metro and walking from the station to my homestay WITHOUT getting lost!)

Tomorrow is our Spanish placement exam... shouldn't be a problem. Friday I think we start classes and Saturday we leave for a weekend excursion to Toledo. I will take pictures tomorrow and post them tomorrow evening, if I can. My laptop might die soon and the adapter to plug it in is in my luggage, of course.

Time for sleep... I have to get up in 7 hours.

Adios!

crappy airlines

2007-05-30T10:56:09Z

Okay.

So I was supposed to leave DFW Airport at 12:05pm to catch a 6:20pm flight from Boston to Madrid.

That didn't happen.

A part was missing from our plane, so they took us off and put us on a new plane. We were two hours late and missed our flight from Boston to Madrid.

So they put us on a British Airways flight to London, with a connecting flight to Madrid.

Except, we were delayed in Boston and missed the connecting flight to Madrid.

I am now sitting in Heathrow Airport in london, long after I should have been in Madrid. My new arrival time for Madrid is 3:30 in the afternoon instead of the original time--7:20am.

Today has been utter hell. I have now been awake for 24 hours because I could not sleep for the life of me. Also, I have absolutely no idea where my luggage is. It was checked through to Madrid but when we arrived in Boston, a not-so-charming manager told us he'd personally make sure our luggage made it on to our British Airways flight.

As far as we know, that didn't happen.

So here I am, in London, and all I've seen is the ugly Heathrow Airport.

Oh, and I left my passport and boarding pass in a bathroom here. After a sprint halfway across the airport, I got it back.

I thought moving out of my apartment was the rough--I'd take that any day over this.

I'll probably be stuck wearing these clothes for a couple days unless I get lucky and have a kind and similar-sized roommate in Madrid.

Fortunately, there are several other people stuck in the same boat with me. We've stuck together, which has been extremely helpful. I would have had a mental breakdown by now if I'd been alone.

It can only go up from here, right? We supposedly start boarding in 15 minutes, but who knows if that will happen. For my Florida friends, I am currently 5 hours ahead of you. Spain is 6 hours ahead.

Pray for me, do voodoo for me, do whatever you can to make sure me, my luggage, and my sanity arrive safely at my homestay in Madrid.

My Address

2007-05-29T03:51:30Z

katyinspain @ 2007-05-28T20:41:00

2007-05-29T01:42:37Z

Welcome to my Spain Journal!

Tomorrow I leave! I need to finish packing... ugh. I hate packing.

Hasta luego!