7.8.12

Finals Week!


I cannot believe that this is already the last week of class!

I was talking to my host mom the other day about how nervous and terrified I was when I first arrived to her home. She was laughing at me about how scared I was and then saying 'Now you understand everything I say and you just talk talk talk!!' :) It's funny how quickly you can adapt to a place when you're in survival mode. It seems so weird to have ever been scared of my host mom or nervous about my Spanish. I know 6 weeks isn't very long, but it's been long enough for me to feel like I have yet another home.

Another thing that is strange is to have made friends from all over the world. At Eastern there are people from other states (like myself), but the majority are from Illinois. At the University of Salamanca, there are students from all over the world studying Spanish. This trip has allowed me to experience not only just Spanish culture, but culture from all over the world. It's exciting!

An important thing I learned yesterday (through my roommie Ruth's experience): In Spain when you say 'noon' it does not mean 12pm; it means 2pm!

It's weird how I still can't believe that I'm in Spain. Rachel said it perfectly, and this happens to me every time I go on vacation: the entire time you're there it's unbelievable but as soon as you leave it hits you where you just were. I'm glad that I've been writing on this blog, writing in my journal, and taking pictures because I want to remember every detail of this trip as much as possible.

For whatever reason, the university has locked us out of the wifi a week early. For the next 2 days I'll have to use wifi at McDonald's! I'll take what I can get, I guess. :)

Time to leave for lunch!! Hopefully my new roommate from Japan is on time today...he missed it yesterday! (I love my roommates...this has been strange, too, because I've been here for 6 weeks and roommates keep leaving and coming. We have fun, though!)

Hasta mañana!

1.8.12

Míercoles!

FUN IN SALAMANCA
 
~ Last week, Rachel and I experienced eating our first empanada! It had bacon and cheese in it and it was definitely one of the most delicious foods ever.
 
 ~ This same day, in the Plaza Mayor, we were able to watch some people go up to the top of the Plaza and hang the Spanish flag in honor of the upcoming Olympics. There was a band playing and everything! 
 
~ It's funny to watch the Olympics with my host family. The other day we were watching swimming, and since I used to swim, I know the most about this sport and the people competing. Fé didn't know anyone except for Michael Phelps and she was so excited to watch him swim...almost more excited than watching a Spaniard swim! It's just so funny how even across the pond, Michael Phelps is so famous and loved. 
 
~ I cannot believe we only have one week until finals! Where has this time gone??
 
~ I am starting to be able to tell that everyone is stressing about going home. We're excited to go home, we're not excited to go home, we have no money left, we have stuff to do before school starts a week after we get back to the states....blah blah blah I want to forget all this stuff and enjoy my last week here :))