Madrid and Toledo

So it has been probably over a month since I´ve last posted a blog, so i´m just going to touch on the big things that have been happening, in other words I will be showing off my pictures from Madrid.

February 18-20 I spent in Madrid with all the other girls from Loras who are studying abroad in Santiago. We had a great time! It was my first experience sleeping in a hostel, my first time at a professional men´s soccer game, but not my first time in Madrid. I had an idea of what I was going to see but it was all very new and exciting to be roaming the streets with my friends, navigating the subway system, clutching our purses ridiculously close "just in case", and salsa dancing with the best of them.

So the ultimate reason I went to Madrid that weekend was to see Real Madrid play in their home stadium. It was an experience like nothing else. Cristiano Ronaldo and Xavi Alonso are probably the two most beautiful players in the Spanish fútbol league and they are both on Real Madrid, you can imagine how excited I was. Unfortunately Xavi didn´t play but Ronaldo did! :)

this last picture is tonya and i at the end of the game. tonya plays on Loras´ soccer team with me, it was so cool to see this game together because we understand football and the players and such. (yes i am currently refusing to call european football or fútbol, soccer)

so lets look at what else i saw in madrid...

Plaza Mayor

tonya, kelly, and traci

palacio real, like real kings and queens lived here

pond in retiro park at night



camera exposure is different, but its still at night haha

We saw all these places as well as museums such as the Prado, known for its old historic and super famous paintings by Velázquez and Goya. We also visited the Reina Sofia which holds La Guernica by Picasso and a bunch of his pieces, along with a bunch of other contemporary pieces of art. I realized that between these two museums I love contemporary art and could basically care less about older art, I appreciate it but the contemporary stuff fascinates me way more. In the Reina Sofia I caught myself just in a mind mess trying to figure out why and how someone would create things so crazy and so off the wall, but I love trying to figure out why and I´m sure my assumptions are always wrong but it´s the type of art I´d rather spend my money on.

So Monday of this weekend we went to Toledo for the day, not that we ran out of things to see in Madrid but we also wanted to see a historic place that still has a river encircling the center of the town. It was beautiful....

we took a top bus tour around the city and at a rest stop we took this

the cathedral where people who werent native to spain had to pay 9 euros to get inside

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It was a really fun weekend and we all got really close, I hope I can catch up with the rest of my blogging soon! take care! hasta luego!

   

Healthy Again!

So I was rather sick last week. I visited the doctor three times, and missed classes for a week. It was tough. I had my first experience with homesickness while in Spain, and it hit me hard. I would even dream about my mom taking care of me back home! But don´t worry, "no te preocupes" now I´m healthy! This past week I went to all my classes and no matter how boring a couple of them were, I was just so incredibly thankful to be with my classmates learning something!!! It´s so easy to take advantage of good health, but this week I couldn´t have felt more thankful! I took things slowly, not adding too many activities onto my schedule, making sure I slept a lot for fear of getting sick again! But this weekend was probably the best weekend so far in Santiago. Yesterday I went to a market with my friend from Loras, Alice. We saw every type of creature living in the sea, plus tons of pig and cattle meat/whatever you call it, plus billions of fresh veggies and fruits! There was also a little bit of jewelry and knick-knacks. Later Saturday afternoon I played soccer outside with my fellow teammate at Loras, Tonya! It was so sunny this weekend! I wore shorts and a t-shirt, what a difference from the BLIZZASTER of the century in Iowa! Today I went on a hike with four other girls from my class. We ended up climbing up a big hill/mountain/elevated land. It was really beautiful and it was really cool to venture out and then look back on this beautiful view of the city. Tonight is the superbowl but I have no interest in watching it. I hope the packers win, but that´s only because my family and friends are rooting for them. Some of my classmates found a bar that will be playing the game on tv at like 12:30am this morning so they´ll be enjoying that. I honestly have to say, I find no joy in watching American football. The only part I like about the sport is going to Iowa Hawkeye games and cheering in the crowd with thousands of other die-hard hawk fans! Sorry America, I prefer the real game of football/fútbol....and it´s everywhere here!!!!!! :)

So here are some pictures from my adventures this weekend. The first is a video at the top of the hill/mountain/wherever we were. Yes, I´m dissappointed in myself for not knowing the name.
(Sorry the video is so loud, it was very windy at the top. The picture is a little stop and go-ish, I´m still trying to figure out how exactly to use it)

Semanas 1 y 2 en España

Things are starting to feel normal now.  During the first two weeks, I was in this state of mind where everything was brand new and so exciting.  I was kind of shocked and amazed with everything that was going on around me.  This past week my thoughts have been settling; I´m realizing I don´t need a map anymore, I'm completing homework, I'm building relationships with patients at my internship and I'm actually able to listen and comprehend the majority of what people say to me!

Classes are going well.  I have five classes with all female professors, they're so fun!  My classmates are only from Loras, no other international students are with us in class.

-Composition and Portfolio

-Tradition and culture in Contemporary Galicia

-Culture and Civilization

-Spanish Language

-Varieties of Spanish

My favorite class is probably Tradition and Culture in Contemporary Galicia or Spanish Language  because the professors are so nice and well the Spanish Language class is pretty easy and the Tradition class is really interesting. So far we haven't dove into much of the traditions but the introductions have showed us a lot of great places to travel inside the region of Galicia, where I live.

Outside of the classroom, the program I'm a part of takes us on mini excursions throughout the city every Wednesday night.  The first Wednesday we went on a tour around the Cathedral and learned about  the history of how the cathedral and all the surrounding buildings were built.



Convent of Saint Francis




cathedral again



This was the night that I met all the other international students attending classes at the University of Santiago de Compostela.  People from Saudi Arabia, Brasil, Japan, South Korea, and more from the US.  We quickly connected and that weekend we all went out to the discotecas together.  It is so cool to talk with them, first of all because I'm forced to speak in Spanish and secondly because they were born in such a different culture and their viewpoints are so different than mine!  I had one conversation with a guy from Saudi Arabia; we talked about equality between men and women and what it's like for women in his country from his viewpoint.  He said women are treated like royalty, and they are comfortable having to cover up their entire bodies except their eyes, anytime they're out of the house.  ...what a different world.

With the program at the university, I am required to complete 50 hours of service and 85 hours at an internship they set up for us according to our major.

I've clocked 15 hours so far at a Physical Therapy Clinic, called Fisiogal, (the Spanish word for physical therapy is fisioterapia).  I sit at the front desk and greet the patients and sometimes I get to assist the physical therapists with different tasks.  This internship is probably my favorite experience so far in Spain.  I'm learning a lot about how the clinic functions.  I can really see myself working at a clinic similar to this in the future.  This is one activity that really challenges my Spanish skills, many times when patients walk in they don't know that I'm not fluent, yes I don’t look like a native Spaniard, but they start speaking to me very rapidly and it's quite the challenge.  The physical therapists are extremely nice and accommodating, so I never feel uncomfortable. The two I work with are also very young so it's fun to be in this atmosphere.  I'm just so happy at this internship!!!

Friday I started my community service.  I'm volunteering at a mental institute where different classes are offered for people with mental disabilities.  Friday morning I attended a literature class for more advanced people who like to read.  Friday afternoon I attended a class which helped people practice daily chores such as cleaning and making a grocery list.  It was a tough day and now I need to decide which class I would prefer to help with.  I think I liked the afternoon class better it's just inconvenient to have something scheduled on a Friday afternoon when I don't have class in the morning and I want to travel.

Speaking of traveling…

Yesterday, Saturday, the whole Loras group and one new friend we made who is also from the US went on a day trip to a city on the western coast called Vigo.  It was a little chilly but the sunshine never stopped, we all got a little sunburnt on our faces! :)

Our day consisted of mostly basking in the sun, admiring the beautiful ocean and shopping.  We could find a beach, I think it was too far away to walk to.  I learned that when I go on a day trip I want to do something more than just shop; it got old fast.  We weren't very prepared for the trip, we should have researched cool things to do like visit an art museum or take a boat ride, but it was still fun.  Here are some photos of the views we had along the water :)



palm trees in the street, ocean in sight!




My classmate Alice and I soaking up the sun




failed to capture them when they were out on the water






Cosas Distintas y Interesantes entre España y EEUU

These are few things I´ve noticed so far about the simple cultural differences in Spain.

Spaniards eat food with forks in their left hand and not their right, they shovel the food with their knife from their right hand into the fork in their left. It seems very proper and I like that about it but it´s hard to get used to! I could just eat the way I normally do, with fork in my right hand, but I want to fit it.

This is a picture of my lunch one day. The food on the right is the main dish called empanillas, they´re the little version of empanadas. There´s pulled beef inside and i think they were fried on the stove in a skillet. A decent amount of the food she makes is cooked in olive oil. yummmm. The food on the left is the starter, a soup like bean mixture with some type of beef added for flavor. It´s very good! We usually have a soup of some kind to start off the meal, since it´s usually rainy, warm soup always hits the spot!

This is my kitchen! It is super modern! One of the cabinets on the bottom is a dishwasher! The refriderator is hidden like this too! sooo cool!

During the day at school, we have classes from 9:30 until 11:30 followed by a 30 minute break, most students then meet in the cafeterias on campus to have a coffee or pastry or whatever. Then we resume classes from 12:00-14:00 (everything is in military time here, but people speak as if it's not in military time, they'll say two o'clock but write 14:00) After 14:00 I'm free to go home for lunch, many people probably know that it's the biggest meal of the day and that following that there's a siesta. But I have yet to find someone that actually sleeps after lunch before returning to work.  The siesta is basically a myth, no one sleeps, unless you went out late the night before :)

The preferred drink of choice here is local to the region, they have this beer everywhere! It's called Estrella Galicia. It has a strong and a bit bitter taste, which is good for me, because I can´t drink many in one night!

Galicia is the name of the region that I live in, where the native language is called Gallego. It is similar to Spanish but has more of a historical background. There are four languages spoken in Spain, Castellano-which is regular Spain spanish, Gallego-my region, Catalan-region containing Barcelona, and Vasco which I believe is in the southern region. Everyone knows Castellano but mostly the older generation speaks in Gallego.

This picture is of this version of peanut butter on the far right, a chocolate and white chocolate mix in the middle and a plain chocolate spread on the left side. We eat it on toast, but the peanut butter is very uncommon and my mother bought it for me, I didn't ask her to but she found it anyway. (I probably shouldn’t talk about foods in the US because then she probably feels forced to buy it for me! Oops!)

The attitude of the Spanish is really kind.  All the adults I've been in close contact with go over the top to be nice to each other and us, students.  It kind of shocked me at first because they are all soooo incredibly kind.  But it is really easy to get used to. Another thing that is easy to get used to… I'm treated like a queen, all women are! It's quite great. There's some chivalry in the states but here it is way more noticeable.  Guys are always holding the door for you and asking you what you would like first, things like that.

I haven't been posting very often on this blog so I'm going to try to change that. I hope you are all well in the United States, if you feel like letting me know what's up, I'd love to hear! My email is becky.suckow@gmail.com   :)

¡Finalmente en España!

These first few days in Spain have been like a dream. Although it has rained everyday I'm fascinated by the architecture of the city, there's an old part and a new part to the city. The old part surrounds the cathedral, where St. James the apostle was burried. The cobblestone streets are so close together that no cars even drive through the area. It's a really popular area for bars and cafes. The new part does have streets where cars can drive, though its nothing like traffic in a big city in the US. They call the new part the ugly part of the city "más feo"  but I don't think it is ugly at all. There are atms (cajeros), cafes and cell phone stores everywhere!!!! There is also a lot of shopping in the new part; all the stores have big sales (rebajas) right now until the end of the semester. :) I'm still exploring the city; everything is new and exciting! I saw a latin salsa dance club last night that looked like fun, looks like my sister Jackie will have some salsa competition when I return home! And just so everyone knows, yes, every Spaniard, male and female is drop dead gorgeous :)

Traci, a classmate from Loras, and I at La Alameda, a big park in the middle of the city 

So here´s a quick list of all the things I did this past weekend:
napped
walked around a lot, for at least 3-4 hours on Saturday
window shopped in clothing stores and candy stores!
drank coffee in a café built in 1873
napped more
spent time getting to know my family, mom-Mila, sister (12) marta y brother (10) Alvaro
ate lots of delicious authentic Spanish food, Mila loves to cook and is really REALLY good at it!
got lost walking around the city alone, only for 20 minutes!
napped even more, jet lag is killing me!
purchased my first beer at a bar (it only cost 1,80 euros!), while watching fútbol on tv :)

So far, my favorite things about Spain are my family and the beautiful ambiance of the city, among all the rain.
My mother is very accomodating yet very laid back, she gives me a lot of freedom which is nice. My siblings are oh-so-adorable. Their ages are really fun: 10 and 12. Tonight i was in my room and I heard Alvaro just singing nonsense words and making a song, and he was belting it out! They just do things that are so typical for kids that age, I forget that it's normal for kids even in different countries to be the same (so that moment was kind of a stupid wake up call that no matter where you grow up, we're all the same) but Alvaro and Marta are so much fun, they fight with each other yet get along really well and are just super goofy. Another thing, I gave them oreos as a welcoming gift and they freaked. Those cookies were gone in three days! My mom loved her present, an Isabel Bloom snowman (my mom, Mary Kay thought it would be a good present to demonstrate a little bit of Iowa's culture) which she thought was so adorable even if they dont have snow here.

This is my room! I love it! lots of natural light

My Goals for Spain

About two weeks until Spain, I can't stop thinking about what I'm facing.  I decided to reflect on what I want to accomplish and just how I'm feeling toward the trip as a whole. This blog will basically serve as an online journal for me, so I will remember fun, exciting, and maybe terrible events throughout the semester. I'm making this public, just so I don't have to spend time sending out emails to family and friends :)

Goals for Spain

1. Improve my Spanish, listening and speaking

2. Make lasting relationships with people who live in Spain, including my family

3. Travel a lot in Spain. I want to see Valencia, Barcelona, Bilbao, Grenada

4. Travel a lot outside Spain. I want to see Lisbon, Paris, London, maybe Bruges, Belgium

5. Go on one date with a Spaniard!!! :)

6. See a concert; attend an art show; learn to dance like a Spaniard!

7. Volunteer around the city, possibly with homeless or mentally challenged

8. Take a long bike ride around Santiago de Compostela

9. Enjoy the rain. It’s the rainiest city in Spain :)

10. Go hiking in the mountains.

11. Attend a professional soccer match!

12. Discern what I want to do with the rest of my life. (probably won’t happen, but this semester might help me narrow it down)

Most nervous about…

1. My host family won’t like me or won’t serve me good food.

2. Messing up the work I’ll be doing at Fisiogal, a physical therapy clinic. Exciting yet nerve racking!

Most excited about…

1. Exploring the city of Santiago de Compostela

2. Meeting people, learning about their cultural traditions, allowing those cultural differences to challenge my beliefs and ideals

3. Learning how to be independent, when traveling, when talking to strangers, when doing anything outside of my comfort zone!

4. Eating the all the food! Especially having tapas and paella.