Greetings from Ibiza! I have been here one day and am leaving tomorrow...
Ibiza is an island a few hours by ferry off the coast of Spain. It has some pretty beaches but is most famously known for its many popular discotecas and its sunset.
I went to two different beaches here today. The first I just layed out on for a few hours this morning (about a 30 min walk from our hotel). The second was about 20 minutes past the front. After lunch and finalizing my ferry trip for tomorrow back to Valencia, I bought a cheap mask and snorkel and snorkeled around the second beach for a while. It was really cool. There was a lot of plant and coral life and a lot of fish, big and small that would swim right up next to me.
Tonight they gave us free dinner in the hotel that was actually pretty good ( a big buffet with lots of choices and desserts). Then, I went back over to the beach area to watch the sunset. It was packed and everyone aplauded when the sun disappeared over the horizon. It was really pretty over the water :)
Then I just did some shopping and came back here. They don´t have wifi here so I have to pay 1€ for every 20 minutes online. No fun. Plus I had to pay to use a pay phone to call the ferry company... at least I have access though even if I do have to pay...
As for the clubs, when at best discount the cheapest one is 37€, it´s just not worth it to me. Especially when all my friends I´ve made here didn´t come on this trip and I really don´t want to watch a bunch of strangers (who are all under 21 and therefore think the point of Europe is alcohol) get wasted like they do every night. So, I´m headed back to Valencia via ferry tomorrow afternoon. I´m hoping to see the lady who is in charge of our activities and stuff DJ at a club tomorrow night and then go to the Gregorian Chant mass Sunday morning at this really old church in Valencia. Plus, there are still so many places I want to check out and return to that I´d rather be in Valencia than here.
I can´t believe I will be home this time next week! I am excited to finally get to spend more than a few days at home for the first time in forever, but I will be very sad to say goodbye to Valencia. I have decided that it is my second favorite city in the world after Louisville :)
Ok, time is almost up and I don´t have another Euro coin so I´m off... ¡Hasta Luego!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Last full week :(
Haven't posted since friday... end of semester means a lot of work so it's been crazy but good :)
Saturday I went to the beach for a while which was fun :) then came back and did homework...
Sunday did homework and went exploring some more. Went to the Torres de Quart which are similar to the Torres de Sorranos in front of this building but a little different. They were of course really cool like all the really old stuff here is.
School all week. Watched movies in some of my classes. Explored the city some more. I absolutely love Valencia! Such an amazing city!!!
I don't know if I talked about these yet or not, but they gave us these little 7Euro food vouchers called Cheque Gourmet at the begining of the semester and I still have a bunch left so I've been eating at places that accept them a lot this week. Most of them are pretty good, but I'll have to go back to some of my favorites that don't take them (like the amazing crepes place :) ) before I leave still. One place around the corner from here is called Pan de Queso (Cheese Bread) and they have a bunch of croquettes and stuff plus their specialty which is similar to Red Lobster cheese buscuits but bigger and softer. Plus, they make them into sandwhiches which are amazing! Cream cheese and ham. Plus they have all these fruit juices and they will blend them with ice (granizado) which is amazing because I really miss smoothies. Tonight I am going with a few girls to this fancy Italian place that takes Cheques. It will be nice to go to a sit down dinner since I haven't been anywhere really nice in a while. The building looks really interesting, unlike anything I've ever seen, so I'll post some pics this weekend.
WARNING - rant in this paragraph
I have a huge project due tomorrow and a bunch of papers this week and next which are keeping me busy, but this weekend should be relaxing :) I am going to be spending the weekend on an island a few hours away just relaxing on the beach all day every day! It will be really nice because my roomate here has taken to staying up all night and sleeping all day and doesn't think it's fair when I ask her at 215am to turn off the lights because she wants them on and won't go in the living room to do whatever she was doing. So last night I put in earplugs and a towell over my head trying to sleep but found it impossible with how loud she talks to go to sleep until she finally did at 530. She didn't have class today, I did. Alarm at 8 was not fun... So, this just further enforces why I love having my own room and why I need my own space. Fortunatly, my teamates are awesome, because I can't imagine tournament weekends if I had to deal with someone like this! How I stayed calm last night I will never know because I wanted to kill someone...
Other than my roomate, Valencia is AMAZING though!!! I am excited to come home next week and see everyone and everything, but I must say I am definately sad to leave :( I really want to come back here again one day! I don't want to move here or anything, but I want to make sure I visit more times in my life.
Ok, for Joni's questions....
Yes, I did think of you when I saw the cats because I knew they would make you smile like they made me smile :)
Horchata is a specialty drink in Valencia that has traveled throughout Spain now. It tastes kinda like a sweet milk, but is actually made from the tigernut and water and sugar. It is an amazing drink! And they have it everywhere here.
I can't believe how fast it's going by either!!!
I did not win the ham, but I did get the highest women's score in the league so I won 2 shirts, a hat, and 2 sausages. That league was a lot of fun and all the people were really really nice :)
And finally, no. I have not been back to Planet Bowling yet, but I will be going to their location closer to the Study Center either Monday or Tuesday of next week. This week has just been too busy.
I love you too!
ok... off to dinner
Hope everyone is having a great week!!! Happy Birthday one day early to Mom! Love you all!!!
PS let me know if there is anything in particular anyone wants me to bring back from Spain!
Saturday I went to the beach for a while which was fun :) then came back and did homework...
Sunday did homework and went exploring some more. Went to the Torres de Quart which are similar to the Torres de Sorranos in front of this building but a little different. They were of course really cool like all the really old stuff here is.
School all week. Watched movies in some of my classes. Explored the city some more. I absolutely love Valencia! Such an amazing city!!!
I don't know if I talked about these yet or not, but they gave us these little 7Euro food vouchers called Cheque Gourmet at the begining of the semester and I still have a bunch left so I've been eating at places that accept them a lot this week. Most of them are pretty good, but I'll have to go back to some of my favorites that don't take them (like the amazing crepes place :) ) before I leave still. One place around the corner from here is called Pan de Queso (Cheese Bread) and they have a bunch of croquettes and stuff plus their specialty which is similar to Red Lobster cheese buscuits but bigger and softer. Plus, they make them into sandwhiches which are amazing! Cream cheese and ham. Plus they have all these fruit juices and they will blend them with ice (granizado) which is amazing because I really miss smoothies. Tonight I am going with a few girls to this fancy Italian place that takes Cheques. It will be nice to go to a sit down dinner since I haven't been anywhere really nice in a while. The building looks really interesting, unlike anything I've ever seen, so I'll post some pics this weekend.
WARNING - rant in this paragraph
I have a huge project due tomorrow and a bunch of papers this week and next which are keeping me busy, but this weekend should be relaxing :) I am going to be spending the weekend on an island a few hours away just relaxing on the beach all day every day! It will be really nice because my roomate here has taken to staying up all night and sleeping all day and doesn't think it's fair when I ask her at 215am to turn off the lights because she wants them on and won't go in the living room to do whatever she was doing. So last night I put in earplugs and a towell over my head trying to sleep but found it impossible with how loud she talks to go to sleep until she finally did at 530. She didn't have class today, I did. Alarm at 8 was not fun... So, this just further enforces why I love having my own room and why I need my own space. Fortunatly, my teamates are awesome, because I can't imagine tournament weekends if I had to deal with someone like this! How I stayed calm last night I will never know because I wanted to kill someone...
Other than my roomate, Valencia is AMAZING though!!! I am excited to come home next week and see everyone and everything, but I must say I am definately sad to leave :( I really want to come back here again one day! I don't want to move here or anything, but I want to make sure I visit more times in my life.
Ok, for Joni's questions....
Yes, I did think of you when I saw the cats because I knew they would make you smile like they made me smile :)
Horchata is a specialty drink in Valencia that has traveled throughout Spain now. It tastes kinda like a sweet milk, but is actually made from the tigernut and water and sugar. It is an amazing drink! And they have it everywhere here.
I can't believe how fast it's going by either!!!
I did not win the ham, but I did get the highest women's score in the league so I won 2 shirts, a hat, and 2 sausages. That league was a lot of fun and all the people were really really nice :)
And finally, no. I have not been back to Planet Bowling yet, but I will be going to their location closer to the Study Center either Monday or Tuesday of next week. This week has just been too busy.
I love you too!
ok... off to dinner
Hope everyone is having a great week!!! Happy Birthday one day early to Mom! Love you all!!!
PS let me know if there is anything in particular anyone wants me to bring back from Spain!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Peñiscula/Running
Today we went to Peñiscula which is a little town a couple hours away. It was an optional program trip by bus, and why would I say no to seeing awesome stuff for free? So, we left this morning and got there around 1130 and the weather was nasty. Gray skies, windy, chilly, but we went on a boat tour around the cove and all of us just wrapped our beach towels around ourselves to stay warm. The sites we saw were awesome! A big castle that has a huge cave under it that leads into the dungeons. Stairs coming down from the castle that legend says were built in one night when a temporary pope (Benedict XIII) was going threatened to be assisnated by the Vatican who chose someone else. He was living there at the time, and it was an escape for him. The beaches also looked awesome! Soooo pretty! We split up for lunch and a group of us went to this covered patio place to eat some of Spain's version of Mecxan food. It was different (almost everything served with fried eggs on the side) but good. When we were done, the sun came out for a while so we went down to the beach! :) Then it started to rain and hail a little so we took cover til it passed and then toured the castle. It was very simple as far as decour but really cool to walk through. Stairs leading everywhere and some were so narrow I barely fit down them with both shoulders touching the walls on either side! Still really cool and some amazing views of the water and the town from the top!
When we got back, I decided to go for a run in the park. I went right into the park but ran along different paths this time (there are probably at least 4 or 5 paths in each direction at any given point in the park). I ran to the end that direction. I passed 2 festivals going on, a skate park, a big fountain surrounded be rollerbladers (some type of event), probably 10+ childrens playgrounds (one is called Gulliver and is a giant person laying down with slides and things to climb all over him and his hat and stuff), tons of trees and plants, some statues and memorials, some really old stones, and a bunch of stray cats. When I reached as far as you are allowed to run, it was right by the City of Arts and Sciences (at the end of them). It was beautiful down there! A little stream runs along one of the path and there were people relaxing all over by it. It was so nice, I just kept running. I ran back past where I had started, then I kept going. I ran for a while until I got to another big fountain. I had been past there before so I turned around and headed back. My total distance running was 7.54 miles!!! My previous record was 3.51. It was amazing! I probably could have kept going a little longer which was the crazy part, but I didn't want to have to walk back after dark (even though there were tons of people out playing soccer and stuff.
So, I had a really good day! :) Tomorrow I need to do a lot of homework since I have many papers and projects due next week, but I will probably take stuff either down to one of the plazas and have Horchata while I work or go sit in one of the amazing gardens and work. No point sitting inside all day when I only have 12 days left. Hasta Luego!
When we got back, I decided to go for a run in the park. I went right into the park but ran along different paths this time (there are probably at least 4 or 5 paths in each direction at any given point in the park). I ran to the end that direction. I passed 2 festivals going on, a skate park, a big fountain surrounded be rollerbladers (some type of event), probably 10+ childrens playgrounds (one is called Gulliver and is a giant person laying down with slides and things to climb all over him and his hat and stuff), tons of trees and plants, some statues and memorials, some really old stones, and a bunch of stray cats. When I reached as far as you are allowed to run, it was right by the City of Arts and Sciences (at the end of them). It was beautiful down there! A little stream runs along one of the path and there were people relaxing all over by it. It was so nice, I just kept running. I ran back past where I had started, then I kept going. I ran for a while until I got to another big fountain. I had been past there before so I turned around and headed back. My total distance running was 7.54 miles!!! My previous record was 3.51. It was amazing! I probably could have kept going a little longer which was the crazy part, but I didn't want to have to walk back after dark (even though there were tons of people out playing soccer and stuff.
So, I had a really good day! :) Tomorrow I need to do a lot of homework since I have many papers and projects due next week, but I will probably take stuff either down to one of the plazas and have Horchata while I work or go sit in one of the amazing gardens and work. No point sitting inside all day when I only have 12 days left. Hasta Luego!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Lladro etc.
Another week almost over... Crazy how fast time is flying by here!!!
So, monday in class we went to Lladro which is a porceline figurine empire in Spain. We got to go through the back and see how they make each of the figurines by hand. First they start with liquid porceline which they pour into molds which take at most a few hours to set. They take out the pieces (up to hundreds depending on the size of the figure) and peel off extra bits before putting them in a bin to harden more. Then, ladies use more liquid porceline to attach all the pieces by hand. Then other ladies paint the figures using finished models as guides. Finally, there is a table in the back where two ladies sit and handmake flowers petal by petal which when finished are placed onto the figurines that use them. Finally, the whole thing is baked and inspected then sold. They are crazy expensive (some of the bigger ones more than a house!) but really pretty and really neat how they are made. Plus the place where they work is set up really nice for employees and even has a large cafe, a pool, and a lot of outdoor activities for breaks and to bring the kids to on the weekends.
Monday night I postbowled then bowled league. I did ok. I found out before league started that I am in third place... I might be a ham winner. We will see next week lol
Tuesday we watched movies in both of my classes. In the first we watched a film about Juana la Loca, the daughter of Isabel y Ferdinand who had a horrible husband who made her crazy then locked her away. In my other class we watched a more modern Spanish version of Romeo and Juliet that involved a lot of flamenco dancing. I also signed up for the flamenco class next monday and tuesday night. Figured while I'm here learning about how important it is to their culture I might as well try it out.
Last night we went down and checked out this festival going on in the riverbed. They have food and vendors from countries around the world. It was really cool. I am going to go back again this weekend when I have more time to look around at everything.
Today, I had class this morning then went to the travel agency to pay for a trip I am going on with the group next weekend. It is to a really pretty Spanish island and is recomended by everyone who has been. A lot of people are going because of some famous discos, but I'm not really in the mood to pay between 20 and 100 Euros just to get in like they are. I am really just looking forward to 3 whole days relaxing on a beautiful beach before I have to return to the busy craziness of the real world. Should be fun :) The place where I booked the ferry ticket was really neat too because it was right on the edge of the campus so there were students all around and I got to see some of the campus restaurants and stuff.
Tonight, as part of my Spanish class, we are going to see Slumdog Millionaire in Spanish. I didn't really like it in English, so I wish we were seeing something else instead, but it's alright. Should still be a good night and as long as our whole class comes (7 of us) she is letting us start class at 930 instead of 9 on Monday so...
test tomorrow that I should be studying for, so Hasta Luego!
And do Joni, HAPPY JUNE 3RD!!!
Love ya!
So, monday in class we went to Lladro which is a porceline figurine empire in Spain. We got to go through the back and see how they make each of the figurines by hand. First they start with liquid porceline which they pour into molds which take at most a few hours to set. They take out the pieces (up to hundreds depending on the size of the figure) and peel off extra bits before putting them in a bin to harden more. Then, ladies use more liquid porceline to attach all the pieces by hand. Then other ladies paint the figures using finished models as guides. Finally, there is a table in the back where two ladies sit and handmake flowers petal by petal which when finished are placed onto the figurines that use them. Finally, the whole thing is baked and inspected then sold. They are crazy expensive (some of the bigger ones more than a house!) but really pretty and really neat how they are made. Plus the place where they work is set up really nice for employees and even has a large cafe, a pool, and a lot of outdoor activities for breaks and to bring the kids to on the weekends.
Monday night I postbowled then bowled league. I did ok. I found out before league started that I am in third place... I might be a ham winner. We will see next week lol
Tuesday we watched movies in both of my classes. In the first we watched a film about Juana la Loca, the daughter of Isabel y Ferdinand who had a horrible husband who made her crazy then locked her away. In my other class we watched a more modern Spanish version of Romeo and Juliet that involved a lot of flamenco dancing. I also signed up for the flamenco class next monday and tuesday night. Figured while I'm here learning about how important it is to their culture I might as well try it out.
Last night we went down and checked out this festival going on in the riverbed. They have food and vendors from countries around the world. It was really cool. I am going to go back again this weekend when I have more time to look around at everything.
Today, I had class this morning then went to the travel agency to pay for a trip I am going on with the group next weekend. It is to a really pretty Spanish island and is recomended by everyone who has been. A lot of people are going because of some famous discos, but I'm not really in the mood to pay between 20 and 100 Euros just to get in like they are. I am really just looking forward to 3 whole days relaxing on a beautiful beach before I have to return to the busy craziness of the real world. Should be fun :) The place where I booked the ferry ticket was really neat too because it was right on the edge of the campus so there were students all around and I got to see some of the campus restaurants and stuff.
Tonight, as part of my Spanish class, we are going to see Slumdog Millionaire in Spanish. I didn't really like it in English, so I wish we were seeing something else instead, but it's alright. Should still be a good night and as long as our whole class comes (7 of us) she is letting us start class at 930 instead of 9 on Monday so...
test tomorrow that I should be studying for, so Hasta Luego!
And do Joni, HAPPY JUNE 3RD!!!
Love ya!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Madrid etc.
Sorry for no updates all week. We went to Madrid and I didn't have much time to update.
Tuesday from Madrid we went to Segovia where we toured a big castle and saw the Roman aqueduct. It is so big and the fact that it was built without any machines or mortar around 2000 years ago and is still standing tall and strong today is amazing to me!
Wednesday we went to the Prada and Reina Sofia museums. I had been to the Prada before with my high school trip, but now that I have studied most of the paintings in SHA and UCF Spanish classes, it was much more exciting to see.
Thursday we went to Toledo on the way back to Valencia. Toledo used to be the capital of Spain. It is a very old city and full of many amazing sites including churches, paintings and sword factories. They sell swords and many expensive items handmade from gold in shops all throughout the city. The city is also surrounded by water which used to be used for protection but now just looks amazing.
Friday I went in search of this nicer bowling alley that some bowler at the bowling alley I've been going to said to check out and that we had found online before I came here. I looked up the directions and it said that Metro line 4 dropped you off accross the street from it, which is perfect because that's the line closest to here. I rode the line the 30 minutes to the stop, but I didn't see it. So, the driver pointed out the street that I had to walk up for 15 minutes before I arrived. It was worth it though. The place was huge! It had a big movie theater, a whole bunch of restarants and clubs, a fitness center, stores, a big courtyard that connected them all filled with fountains and children's fun areas, and of course the bowling alley, Planet Bowling. It was 5Euro a game or for 11Euro you can buy a pass for 1Euro games, food and drinks for a month, which I bought. I bowled 5 games and finally started to get everything to feel right again. I can't take this much time off, it's going to kill me... I'm going to go back to the old place Monday night to postbowl for last week and to bowl this week, plus once more next week for the end of the league. I won't probably go back to Heron City where I went yesterday just becasue of the distance. Leaving, I didn't want to walk through those streets again since I didn't know that area, so I asked at the desk and they told me to take the bus out front. 2.5 hours and 1 bus and 2 metros later I got back to the study center... Not worth the hastle since I found out there is another Planet Bowling near the City of Arts and Sciences which is only like a 3 miles from here. I'll probably go by there Wednesday after classes since my pass thing I bought will work at any Planet bowling location. Is it bad I wrote more about bowling than Spain? Guess that shows where my heart/mind is now lol
Today, I got up and ran in the morning. I went the other direction in the riverbed park and saw some really cool stuff. There were tons of playgrounds all unique and amazing plus a bunch more fountains and a festival of nations. I really wish we had a park like this in Louisville and in Orlando because it is such a cool place for the whole family and I love having a safe, entertaining place to run. After, some of us went to the beach to relax for a while. It's so pretty and the weather was perfect today. It's a weird beach though because you have to walk forever in the sand before you reach the water. It is the longest beach any of us have ever seen, but it is still awesome! :) I love the beach!
Ok... off to do homework and stuff... and I just read the comments and Joni- I would love to come back here with you some day! and Mom-you keep asking for more pics, did you see the ones in the last post? Love you all!
Tuesday from Madrid we went to Segovia where we toured a big castle and saw the Roman aqueduct. It is so big and the fact that it was built without any machines or mortar around 2000 years ago and is still standing tall and strong today is amazing to me!
Wednesday we went to the Prada and Reina Sofia museums. I had been to the Prada before with my high school trip, but now that I have studied most of the paintings in SHA and UCF Spanish classes, it was much more exciting to see.
Thursday we went to Toledo on the way back to Valencia. Toledo used to be the capital of Spain. It is a very old city and full of many amazing sites including churches, paintings and sword factories. They sell swords and many expensive items handmade from gold in shops all throughout the city. The city is also surrounded by water which used to be used for protection but now just looks amazing.
Friday I went in search of this nicer bowling alley that some bowler at the bowling alley I've been going to said to check out and that we had found online before I came here. I looked up the directions and it said that Metro line 4 dropped you off accross the street from it, which is perfect because that's the line closest to here. I rode the line the 30 minutes to the stop, but I didn't see it. So, the driver pointed out the street that I had to walk up for 15 minutes before I arrived. It was worth it though. The place was huge! It had a big movie theater, a whole bunch of restarants and clubs, a fitness center, stores, a big courtyard that connected them all filled with fountains and children's fun areas, and of course the bowling alley, Planet Bowling. It was 5Euro a game or for 11Euro you can buy a pass for 1Euro games, food and drinks for a month, which I bought. I bowled 5 games and finally started to get everything to feel right again. I can't take this much time off, it's going to kill me... I'm going to go back to the old place Monday night to postbowl for last week and to bowl this week, plus once more next week for the end of the league. I won't probably go back to Heron City where I went yesterday just becasue of the distance. Leaving, I didn't want to walk through those streets again since I didn't know that area, so I asked at the desk and they told me to take the bus out front. 2.5 hours and 1 bus and 2 metros later I got back to the study center... Not worth the hastle since I found out there is another Planet Bowling near the City of Arts and Sciences which is only like a 3 miles from here. I'll probably go by there Wednesday after classes since my pass thing I bought will work at any Planet bowling location. Is it bad I wrote more about bowling than Spain? Guess that shows where my heart/mind is now lol
Today, I got up and ran in the morning. I went the other direction in the riverbed park and saw some really cool stuff. There were tons of playgrounds all unique and amazing plus a bunch more fountains and a festival of nations. I really wish we had a park like this in Louisville and in Orlando because it is such a cool place for the whole family and I love having a safe, entertaining place to run. After, some of us went to the beach to relax for a while. It's so pretty and the weather was perfect today. It's a weird beach though because you have to walk forever in the sand before you reach the water. It is the longest beach any of us have ever seen, but it is still awesome! :) I love the beach!
Ok... off to do homework and stuff... and I just read the comments and Joni- I would love to come back here with you some day! and Mom-you keep asking for more pics, did you see the ones in the last post? Love you all!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
SCUBA/Biking/Mas Fotos!
SCUBA diving was AMAZING!!! It was about an hour and a half drive out there, but so worth it! We went to this little SCUBA school where they gave us wet suits, masks, and snokels and got into this little boat and went out. We stopped near this huge rock formation where we were aloud to snorkel around when it wasn't our turns. They had 4 instructors there who would each take 1 person down at a time to teach us and show us. The rocks were amazing in themselves. We jumped off this one structure and climped up and around to this hidden cave and a little hidden pool. So beautiful! And snokeling we could see some of the fish and reef life.
Then, I got to go under. They put the huge backpack of gear on me and then taught me the hand signals for ok and ear preasure and go up. They also showed me the important buttons to get more air, go up or down, and see how deep you are and how much oxygen is left. Then he pushed me off the boat backwards into the water so I can make sure I'm comfortable with the breathing thing. Then the instructor holds onto you from the back and slowly lets out the air thing so you start to go under. The stuff we saw was amazing! So many red speckled startfish (He had me touch one of them) and other cool creatures and plant life. He showed me how if you just cross your arms like you are hugging yourself and barely move your flippers you can go right thru a school of fish and they will swim right next to you without being scared away. We were down for about 20 minutes I think. Breathing was a lot easier than I expected down there, and since he was with me the whole time, I didn't even really get scared like I thought I would.
It was one of the most amazing things I have ever done and I definately want to get certified in the US so I can do another trip like this one. One girl brought her waterproof digital camera so i will post some of her pics once she sends them out. I bought a disposable waterproof one that I will post after I find a place to get them developed. I didn't take it under water with me because I wanted to have my hands free since I didn't know what to expect. I have some cool ones from snorkeling and of the rocks and stuff though along with some of me in the gear.
Yesterday, we went bike riding about 6 miles or so each way (about an hour ride each way) through the park, the city, and a special bikers route to the beach. It had so many hills and rough terain that it was a killer and my butt still hurts today, but it was worth it. The beach was really pretty and was full of beautiful stones all down by the water. I collected some of them to put in a glass bowl when I get my first house. It started to rain so we left the beach around 2 and rode back through on and off drizzling. My legs are killing me today, but I'm glad I went. I got to see a lot and proved I could do it.
Well, I think that's it for now. We leave in the morning for Madrid until Thursday with a stop in Toledo on the way back on Thursday. Should be a lot of fun. I am most likely bringing my computer, so I will keep updating.
And finally... PICTURES!!!!! WARNING there are A LOT! But I made sure to be in some just for you Mom :)
http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=ae700e9846c8a6b06d9889752d9a603c&sid=0BZMmrVm4bMnKg
Enjoy!
Then, I got to go under. They put the huge backpack of gear on me and then taught me the hand signals for ok and ear preasure and go up. They also showed me the important buttons to get more air, go up or down, and see how deep you are and how much oxygen is left. Then he pushed me off the boat backwards into the water so I can make sure I'm comfortable with the breathing thing. Then the instructor holds onto you from the back and slowly lets out the air thing so you start to go under. The stuff we saw was amazing! So many red speckled startfish (He had me touch one of them) and other cool creatures and plant life. He showed me how if you just cross your arms like you are hugging yourself and barely move your flippers you can go right thru a school of fish and they will swim right next to you without being scared away. We were down for about 20 minutes I think. Breathing was a lot easier than I expected down there, and since he was with me the whole time, I didn't even really get scared like I thought I would.
It was one of the most amazing things I have ever done and I definately want to get certified in the US so I can do another trip like this one. One girl brought her waterproof digital camera so i will post some of her pics once she sends them out. I bought a disposable waterproof one that I will post after I find a place to get them developed. I didn't take it under water with me because I wanted to have my hands free since I didn't know what to expect. I have some cool ones from snorkeling and of the rocks and stuff though along with some of me in the gear.
Yesterday, we went bike riding about 6 miles or so each way (about an hour ride each way) through the park, the city, and a special bikers route to the beach. It had so many hills and rough terain that it was a killer and my butt still hurts today, but it was worth it. The beach was really pretty and was full of beautiful stones all down by the water. I collected some of them to put in a glass bowl when I get my first house. It started to rain so we left the beach around 2 and rode back through on and off drizzling. My legs are killing me today, but I'm glad I went. I got to see a lot and proved I could do it.
Well, I think that's it for now. We leave in the morning for Madrid until Thursday with a stop in Toledo on the way back on Thursday. Should be a lot of fun. I am most likely bringing my computer, so I will keep updating.
And finally... PICTURES!!!!! WARNING there are A LOT! But I made sure to be in some just for you Mom :)
http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=ae700e9846c8a6b06d9889752d9a603c&sid=0BZMmrVm4bMnKg
Enjoy!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Ok, yesterday day wasn't too exciting. Just went to class during the day then at night we did a trip to the beach town/port area. We took the Metro over to it and Catalina (a lady who works here and is really nice and leads all the social stuff) gave us a tour of all the old buildings and churches and the port. It was all pretty interesting. We also went to the Semana Santa museum which is where they keep all the big Holy Week floats that they pull along the beach along with live performances during Holy Week. They also had some of the costumes that the people wanting to be forgiven wear. These freaked us out as Americans because even though they were colored and had pictures of Jesus and Mary on them, they are the models the kkk stole their costumes from so it was creepy. Then we ate and had a drink at the oldest pub in Valencia. I tried their specialty that they make there called Vermouth (sp?) and we also got to see their wine cellars.
This morning in my first class we went to two amazing gardens nearby. The first was huge and we only had time to look at a fraction of it. My favorite part was the stone path with steps leading all around multiple areas and up some small hills. From the top of some of them, you could see an area of the park where they are doing an archeological dig on some old Moorish palaces which I thought was cool. The other garden we went to used to be owned by a family and was donated to the city. It was much smaller but just as amazing. It had a dirt path that led up and around a little hill and over a few small bridges with little water falls. I really want to go back to both gardens and read one day and take even more pictures.
In my other class today we went to the bull fighting museum and got to see some of the behind the scenes stuff of the arena. We got to see where the bulls wait before they go out and some of the castrated bulls that stay in the pens to keep the other bulls calmer until they have to go out. The we got to go walk down into the arena itself and take some pictures.
Nothing really exciting tonight... I went out to dinner with some of the girls and bought some more candy. There are so many candy stores around here and it's all SOOOO good! And cheap! In this area all the food is really cheap. Everything in the stores is expensive though so I'm glad I don't need to buy a lot of nonfood things while I'm here.
EXCITING NEWS: I just found out that I get to go SCUBA diving tomorrow morning! That should be a lot of fun! I bought a disposable waterproof camera to take out there with me but it only holds 27 pictures so hopefully I can get a few good ones.
Here are the bowling terms I said I'd put up:
bolera = bowling alley
pista = lane
bolo = pin
bola = ball
partida = game
curva = hook
flechas = arrows
la doble real = big four
I will try and get the pics up tonight... The camera cord is somewhere in my computer bag which I have to lift up my bed to get to...
This morning in my first class we went to two amazing gardens nearby. The first was huge and we only had time to look at a fraction of it. My favorite part was the stone path with steps leading all around multiple areas and up some small hills. From the top of some of them, you could see an area of the park where they are doing an archeological dig on some old Moorish palaces which I thought was cool. The other garden we went to used to be owned by a family and was donated to the city. It was much smaller but just as amazing. It had a dirt path that led up and around a little hill and over a few small bridges with little water falls. I really want to go back to both gardens and read one day and take even more pictures.
In my other class today we went to the bull fighting museum and got to see some of the behind the scenes stuff of the arena. We got to see where the bulls wait before they go out and some of the castrated bulls that stay in the pens to keep the other bulls calmer until they have to go out. The we got to go walk down into the arena itself and take some pictures.
Nothing really exciting tonight... I went out to dinner with some of the girls and bought some more candy. There are so many candy stores around here and it's all SOOOO good! And cheap! In this area all the food is really cheap. Everything in the stores is expensive though so I'm glad I don't need to buy a lot of nonfood things while I'm here.
EXCITING NEWS: I just found out that I get to go SCUBA diving tomorrow morning! That should be a lot of fun! I bought a disposable waterproof camera to take out there with me but it only holds 27 pictures so hopefully I can get a few good ones.
Here are the bowling terms I said I'd put up:
bolera = bowling alley
pista = lane
bolo = pin
bola = ball
partida = game
curva = hook
flechas = arrows
la doble real = big four
I will try and get the pics up tonight... The camera cord is somewhere in my computer bag which I have to lift up my bed to get to...
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
So, it's really late and I just finished my homework for the night and wanted to post real quick before I go to bed.
League was interesting last night. The lanes are just bad here, and all the scores reflect that. I was told to go practice at another place, which just happens to be the same one we looked up at Boardwalk, so I'm going to check it out when I can (it's like a 20 minute bus ride so I need to figure out the routes first). I learned a bunch of the Spanish terms for bowling, and I'll post them all tomorrow after class.
Today in my first class we went to La Plaza de la Virgin (that I walk through almost every day to get places) and a really pretty old building that used to be where they traded silk. The sculptures and gargoyles were amazing! The whole building fascinated me. I'm going to go back again soon and look at it some more.
In my 2nd class today, we did stuff I never expected to do in a class. It was my dance in movies class, and we walked over to my professors' (they coteach) apartment a few blocks away to watch a movie about a flenco studio making a production. They had food set out for us and Sangria to drink (and beer for the 2 guys in our class that wanted it). I never imagined I would have a professor give us alcohol, especially not to drink during class. But the Spanish culture is so much different than ours that it is just normal here to have a drink while doing stuff (even though the professors are American). It was a really good movie and a much better experience sitting in thier living room than in a classroom for the movie. I really like this class because it is so laid back.
Tonight one of the bullfighters came and gave a presentation about their training and what it's like to be in there with the bull. That was pretty interesting too. Except my allergies kicked in strong today so my head was pounding and lightheaded the whole talk... no fun. Doing homework with my head like this wasn't easy either, but now I get to sleep :) Hopefully I'll feel better in the morning, and if not I'll pick up a decongestent at the farmacy.
Ok, goodnight all! I promise I will post more pics soon! I even had someone take one with me in it today for you Mom!
League was interesting last night. The lanes are just bad here, and all the scores reflect that. I was told to go practice at another place, which just happens to be the same one we looked up at Boardwalk, so I'm going to check it out when I can (it's like a 20 minute bus ride so I need to figure out the routes first). I learned a bunch of the Spanish terms for bowling, and I'll post them all tomorrow after class.
Today in my first class we went to La Plaza de la Virgin (that I walk through almost every day to get places) and a really pretty old building that used to be where they traded silk. The sculptures and gargoyles were amazing! The whole building fascinated me. I'm going to go back again soon and look at it some more.
In my 2nd class today, we did stuff I never expected to do in a class. It was my dance in movies class, and we walked over to my professors' (they coteach) apartment a few blocks away to watch a movie about a flenco studio making a production. They had food set out for us and Sangria to drink (and beer for the 2 guys in our class that wanted it). I never imagined I would have a professor give us alcohol, especially not to drink during class. But the Spanish culture is so much different than ours that it is just normal here to have a drink while doing stuff (even though the professors are American). It was a really good movie and a much better experience sitting in thier living room than in a classroom for the movie. I really like this class because it is so laid back.
Tonight one of the bullfighters came and gave a presentation about their training and what it's like to be in there with the bull. That was pretty interesting too. Except my allergies kicked in strong today so my head was pounding and lightheaded the whole talk... no fun. Doing homework with my head like this wasn't easy either, but now I get to sleep :) Hopefully I'll feel better in the morning, and if not I'll pick up a decongestent at the farmacy.
Ok, goodnight all! I promise I will post more pics soon! I even had someone take one with me in it today for you Mom!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Weekend/Run
Another weekend over...
This weekend was good. Nothing too exciting. Spent most of yesterday walking the streets and shopping and just checking it all out. I love just walking around and watching everything. I found another bookstore that I want to go back and check out too :) And I found a pair of jeans that fits me! And a couple shirts on sale! It is still so rare for me to find clothes I like, so that was exciting. I also tried this special drink they sell in carts all over the city. It's supposed to be good for you, and I was thirsty from walking all over. It was like nothing I've ever tasted before, but it was really good. I'll write down the name next time I pass a cart so I can post it on here. Then I went to the supermarket to pick up a few things and made dinner. I decided to use the fresh zucchini and carrots I had bought at the Mercado Central last week, so I cooked those in some olive oil, mixed in a small can of peas and some chopped ham and stirred it into a big pan of fresh rice I cooked. It was pretty good. Needed some seasoning, but I didn't have any so I just added a little cheese. It made a huge thing so I froze the leftovers. I want to try it again at home when I have other random stuff to mix into it. It can be fun to cook random recipes :)
Today I did a 8k (5,19mile) run at 10am. I used my iPod Nike thing to keep track of my own times and stuff. I ran the first 3.52 miles, then walked for a little bit. I started running again the last about 1/2 mile. I did the whole thing in 54 minutes. I was proud of myself. There were a ton of people today, I think around 100,000 out there running and walking. I was definately well into the first half to finish. We got free shirts for running and got to wear numbers on our backs. It was pretty cool. Afterwards I just did homework and cleaned up and stuff. Nothing too exciting. Class again tomorrow, then bowling tomorrow night.
And if you happen to see this, Happy Birthday Grandma Janet!
This weekend was good. Nothing too exciting. Spent most of yesterday walking the streets and shopping and just checking it all out. I love just walking around and watching everything. I found another bookstore that I want to go back and check out too :) And I found a pair of jeans that fits me! And a couple shirts on sale! It is still so rare for me to find clothes I like, so that was exciting. I also tried this special drink they sell in carts all over the city. It's supposed to be good for you, and I was thirsty from walking all over. It was like nothing I've ever tasted before, but it was really good. I'll write down the name next time I pass a cart so I can post it on here. Then I went to the supermarket to pick up a few things and made dinner. I decided to use the fresh zucchini and carrots I had bought at the Mercado Central last week, so I cooked those in some olive oil, mixed in a small can of peas and some chopped ham and stirred it into a big pan of fresh rice I cooked. It was pretty good. Needed some seasoning, but I didn't have any so I just added a little cheese. It made a huge thing so I froze the leftovers. I want to try it again at home when I have other random stuff to mix into it. It can be fun to cook random recipes :)
Today I did a 8k (5,19mile) run at 10am. I used my iPod Nike thing to keep track of my own times and stuff. I ran the first 3.52 miles, then walked for a little bit. I started running again the last about 1/2 mile. I did the whole thing in 54 minutes. I was proud of myself. There were a ton of people today, I think around 100,000 out there running and walking. I was definately well into the first half to finish. We got free shirts for running and got to wear numbers on our backs. It was pretty cool. Afterwards I just did homework and cleaned up and stuff. Nothing too exciting. Class again tomorrow, then bowling tomorrow night.
And if you happen to see this, Happy Birthday Grandma Janet!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Yesterday, my classes both involved getting out of the classroom. We went to the Mercado Central for my culture class where it is a huge indoor market with a ton of booths selling anything and everything. Tons of fresh fruit, veggies, nuts, meat, seafood, and things like that. I bought some strawberries, eggs, veggies, cherries, and dried strawberries and bananas. They all look sooo much better than from the supermarket. But the meat looks really gross, as it all still has the full body including eyes and feet, so I stayed away from that.
In my Dance in Movies class we watched a short film about a bus driver and his gypsy passengers who regularly start dancing flamenco. Then we went to a cafe to discuss the film. I had the Hot Chocolate which was absolutely amazing! Much thinker than hot chocolate at home. It was rich and silky and just overall amazing!
Last night we had a social event to go out and talk with Spanish people. Almost the whole group went to this bar/club where there was a lot of dancing and music and a lot of people. It was a lot of fun. I took pictures with all the people I talked with as proof I actually spoke with Spanish people. They were all friends of the lady who directs all the activities here, so they were all nice people who wanted to help us with our Spanish in exchange for helping them with their English. It was a lot of fun! I love how different Spanish dancing is than American dancing. Spanish is a lot more fun and a lot less... a lot less like ours... It is also interesting how Spanish people greet with a kiss on each cheek if it is a male and a female or 2 females (2 males shake hands). I was taught that you kiss the left cheek then the right in Spain, but the right then the left in Italy. I also learned that saying "Mucho Gusto" as they teach us in school is very proper and way outdated and that we should say "Que Tal" instead. Very interesting and fun night.
Today we had to get up early to go the City of Arts and Sciences (just a few miles away) which has a bunch of really cool looking buildings. We went into the Science Museum with a lot of cool interactive exhibits for a few hours which was fun. They had a lot of digital exibits where you interact with things using greenscreen, 3D imaging, and other fun activities that are similar to the stuff you can do on a WiiFit. Next, we went to the Aquarium which was really cool! They had many different exibits that went through different waters of the world. The beluga whales were definately my favorite. When we walked downstairs to look through the tank window, one of the two belugas stayed right outside the window and made faces at us and waved his fin for about 5 minutes. I have the feeling they are trained to do that. It looked like it was having fun interacting with us, and everyone watching loved it! Afterwards we watched a really cool dolphin show. The dolphins are so smart and it's really neat to see all that they can do. When we left there, I went with a few people to go to a mall accross the street that had a store similar to a Super Walmart because we needed to pick up a few things. Then we took the bus back. It was a really fun day :)
In my Dance in Movies class we watched a short film about a bus driver and his gypsy passengers who regularly start dancing flamenco. Then we went to a cafe to discuss the film. I had the Hot Chocolate which was absolutely amazing! Much thinker than hot chocolate at home. It was rich and silky and just overall amazing!
Last night we had a social event to go out and talk with Spanish people. Almost the whole group went to this bar/club where there was a lot of dancing and music and a lot of people. It was a lot of fun. I took pictures with all the people I talked with as proof I actually spoke with Spanish people. They were all friends of the lady who directs all the activities here, so they were all nice people who wanted to help us with our Spanish in exchange for helping them with their English. It was a lot of fun! I love how different Spanish dancing is than American dancing. Spanish is a lot more fun and a lot less... a lot less like ours... It is also interesting how Spanish people greet with a kiss on each cheek if it is a male and a female or 2 females (2 males shake hands). I was taught that you kiss the left cheek then the right in Spain, but the right then the left in Italy. I also learned that saying "Mucho Gusto" as they teach us in school is very proper and way outdated and that we should say "Que Tal" instead. Very interesting and fun night.
Today we had to get up early to go the City of Arts and Sciences (just a few miles away) which has a bunch of really cool looking buildings. We went into the Science Museum with a lot of cool interactive exhibits for a few hours which was fun. They had a lot of digital exibits where you interact with things using greenscreen, 3D imaging, and other fun activities that are similar to the stuff you can do on a WiiFit. Next, we went to the Aquarium which was really cool! They had many different exibits that went through different waters of the world. The beluga whales were definately my favorite. When we walked downstairs to look through the tank window, one of the two belugas stayed right outside the window and made faces at us and waved his fin for about 5 minutes. I have the feeling they are trained to do that. It looked like it was having fun interacting with us, and everyone watching loved it! Afterwards we watched a really cool dolphin show. The dolphins are so smart and it's really neat to see all that they can do. When we left there, I went with a few people to go to a mall accross the street that had a store similar to a Super Walmart because we needed to pick up a few things. Then we took the bus back. It was a really fun day :)
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Fun classes???
So I have officially had one session of each of my classes, and I am shocked to say I actually like them all and think they will be fun...
I already talked about my civilizations and culture class where I get to see sites all over Valencia and make a scrapbook as my final project. Next I had dance in film where we will spend the beginning of each class watching films that contain flamenco dancing and the second have in a cafe or a bar talking about it (all in English). Our first homework was to go to a Flamenco show at a bar nearby last night. It was amazing! I don't know how the dancers more that fast! My final class I had this morning, Business and culture in Spain. We spent the first hour in the computer lab learning about some of the big business empires in Spain (clothes companies) then went out to check them out by spending 2 hours walking through stores up and down the biggest commercial street in Valencia. Can't complain about a class that takes fieldtrips to the mall :)
After class, I went for a run in the park that used to be a river. I went left this time and saw all the little playgrounds and sports fields and stuff. There are so many paths leading down the river bed and it is so gorgeous! Plus, I felt completely safe because there were so many people down there walking, running, biking, picniking, playing sports and just hanging out. After I went to lunch with the Club de Espanol where we meet a few times a week to just talk in Spanish and hang out since most people in the Study Center only speak English. It is a good way for us to practice our Spanish. After, I walked back over to the shopping street and just wandered around through the stores for a few hours. Specifically 2 of the bookstores; I think I could get lost in bookstores for days, even in other languages.
I love how safe this city is. During my run and during my shopping I was alone, but so were a ton of other women. I feel so extremely safe here, especially compared to Orlando where I feel like I constantly need to be on guard. I'm still very cautious and aware here, but I really feel safe walking around all day. Even at night when we walk in groups, it's super safe.
Last night and today are really funny because there is a big Barcelona vs. Bilboa futbol game tonight. The streets are filled with 1000s of fans all dressed in jerseys and flags and team colors. It's so funny to see. They are all chanting and singing and yelling and blowing horns and so excited. It's all in a very positive way. They are enjoying themselves and getting really into it unlike at home where fans just get drunk and act stupid.
I must say that I am completely in love with Valencia. The only things I don't love are that there isn't a 24 hour store to buy groceries and other neccesities at, everything has weird hours (which is also kinda fun though) and is closed on Sundays. If it weren't for the fact that it's literally on the other side of the world from everyone in my life, I would definately consider living here lol It's such an amazing place!
I wanna go bowl right now, but it's already 8pm and if I walked there now it would be 830 when I got there, and I would have to walk back in the dark with my ball... while I'm sure it's safe, I don't want to risk it. Guess I'll have to wait til tomorrow... Have a great day! :D
I already talked about my civilizations and culture class where I get to see sites all over Valencia and make a scrapbook as my final project. Next I had dance in film where we will spend the beginning of each class watching films that contain flamenco dancing and the second have in a cafe or a bar talking about it (all in English). Our first homework was to go to a Flamenco show at a bar nearby last night. It was amazing! I don't know how the dancers more that fast! My final class I had this morning, Business and culture in Spain. We spent the first hour in the computer lab learning about some of the big business empires in Spain (clothes companies) then went out to check them out by spending 2 hours walking through stores up and down the biggest commercial street in Valencia. Can't complain about a class that takes fieldtrips to the mall :)
After class, I went for a run in the park that used to be a river. I went left this time and saw all the little playgrounds and sports fields and stuff. There are so many paths leading down the river bed and it is so gorgeous! Plus, I felt completely safe because there were so many people down there walking, running, biking, picniking, playing sports and just hanging out. After I went to lunch with the Club de Espanol where we meet a few times a week to just talk in Spanish and hang out since most people in the Study Center only speak English. It is a good way for us to practice our Spanish. After, I walked back over to the shopping street and just wandered around through the stores for a few hours. Specifically 2 of the bookstores; I think I could get lost in bookstores for days, even in other languages.
I love how safe this city is. During my run and during my shopping I was alone, but so were a ton of other women. I feel so extremely safe here, especially compared to Orlando where I feel like I constantly need to be on guard. I'm still very cautious and aware here, but I really feel safe walking around all day. Even at night when we walk in groups, it's super safe.
Last night and today are really funny because there is a big Barcelona vs. Bilboa futbol game tonight. The streets are filled with 1000s of fans all dressed in jerseys and flags and team colors. It's so funny to see. They are all chanting and singing and yelling and blowing horns and so excited. It's all in a very positive way. They are enjoying themselves and getting really into it unlike at home where fans just get drunk and act stupid.
I must say that I am completely in love with Valencia. The only things I don't love are that there isn't a 24 hour store to buy groceries and other neccesities at, everything has weird hours (which is also kinda fun though) and is closed on Sundays. If it weren't for the fact that it's literally on the other side of the world from everyone in my life, I would definately consider living here lol It's such an amazing place!
I wanna go bowl right now, but it's already 8pm and if I walked there now it would be 830 when I got there, and I would have to walk back in the dark with my ball... while I'm sure it's safe, I don't want to risk it. Guess I'll have to wait til tomorrow... Have a great day! :D
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Mas Boliche y Clases
After I posted my last post, the manager of the bowling alley came out and told me (in Spanish) that I could leave my bowling bag behind the counter if I wanted to until time for league. So, without my bag to weigh me down, I decided to explore the mall 2 blocks away until league time. The mall was 2 stories and had a lot of unique stores along with some American stores. It also had this huge department store called Corte Ingles that was multiple stories tall and on both ends of the mall (kind of like the Dillards at Mall St. Matthews). I walked thoughout most of the stores then walked outside where there was a line of little restaurants. I ended up getting a sandwich and some ice cream then sat outside and read for a while until it was time to go bowl.
The league was an amazing experience. I'm pretty sure I was the youngest person bowling, but everyone was so nice. The manager introduced me to every person bowling as the walked in. The people on my pair talked to me the whole night and explained a lot of the differences in bowling here and about the different bowling centers in Spain. There wasn't a lot of oil on the lanes, and the ball snapped like crazy in the back. I only brought one ball with me, my Ultra Zone, so spares were especially difficult and made more so as the lanes broke down more. I had to really increase my ball speed to try and keep it from missing the head pin left, but it was good practice just the same and a lot of fun. No one there spoke any English at all, so I really got to work on my Spanish. It is a 5 week long league. I will have to miss one week (they said I could postbowl) while I'm in Madrid. My scores weren't very good, but I'm still getting used to the lanes, the oil and having only one ball, so it's ok. I had a lot of fun, met a lot of nice people, and learned some more Spanish, so I'm excited to bowl it again next week :) I will also probably go practice again before then to try to get more used to it. Overall, I really like it!
This morning, I had my first class: Cultures and Civilizations of Spain. We will basically be going around to differnt places in Valencia every class period and learning about everything. We have to take notes on every place we go to while we are there. Are grades consist of those notes, a portfolio we put together on 8 of those places, an 8 page paper on our overall experience here, and a few quizzes. Should be really interesting and the work should be good because it's stuff I would want to remember anyways and this forces me to document everything. I have another class at 245pm and another one tomorrow morning. Should be a good semester.
My Schedule
MW: 9-12 Spanish Language and Culture in Business
TR: 9-12 Culture and Civilizations of Spain
TR: 245-545 Dance in Movies
Valencia is amazing! :)
The league was an amazing experience. I'm pretty sure I was the youngest person bowling, but everyone was so nice. The manager introduced me to every person bowling as the walked in. The people on my pair talked to me the whole night and explained a lot of the differences in bowling here and about the different bowling centers in Spain. There wasn't a lot of oil on the lanes, and the ball snapped like crazy in the back. I only brought one ball with me, my Ultra Zone, so spares were especially difficult and made more so as the lanes broke down more. I had to really increase my ball speed to try and keep it from missing the head pin left, but it was good practice just the same and a lot of fun. No one there spoke any English at all, so I really got to work on my Spanish. It is a 5 week long league. I will have to miss one week (they said I could postbowl) while I'm in Madrid. My scores weren't very good, but I'm still getting used to the lanes, the oil and having only one ball, so it's ok. I had a lot of fun, met a lot of nice people, and learned some more Spanish, so I'm excited to bowl it again next week :) I will also probably go practice again before then to try to get more used to it. Overall, I really like it!
This morning, I had my first class: Cultures and Civilizations of Spain. We will basically be going around to differnt places in Valencia every class period and learning about everything. We have to take notes on every place we go to while we are there. Are grades consist of those notes, a portfolio we put together on 8 of those places, an 8 page paper on our overall experience here, and a few quizzes. Should be really interesting and the work should be good because it's stuff I would want to remember anyways and this forces me to document everything. I have another class at 245pm and another one tomorrow morning. Should be a good semester.
My Schedule
MW: 9-12 Spanish Language and Culture in Business
TR: 9-12 Culture and Civilizations of Spain
TR: 245-545 Dance in Movies
Valencia is amazing! :)
Monday, May 11, 2009
¡Boliche!
Hello!
Yesterday was Sunday, and there was a big festival going on in the square near us honoring the Virgen Maria. I stayed away during the actual procession, but people said that people were passing their babies over the crowds to touch the Virgen statue. I went out later in the day to see all the decorations and all the booths set up around the square. It was really neat to see all the stuff for sale and to try and communicate with all the vendors.
Some of the people I´m living with went to the beach for the day, but it was at most 60º so I decided to wait for a warmer day where I could actually enjoy the sun. So, I went looking for the bowling alley instead. I was told to cross over the bridge (over what used to be a big river that kept flooding the city so they redirected it around the city and filled the riverbed with parks and sports fields and fun stuff like that) and go left for about 20-25 minutes. I kept walking and eventually there it was. I went in and got some information and took some pictures, but I didn´t have my stuff with me since I wasn´t sure if I would find it, so I walked back up the riverbed so I could see all the parks up close. It was really pretty. We hung out in the apartment the rest of the night, except for going out to get food. SOOOOOOOO many little restaurants nearby! All really good and most really cheap.
This morning we has another orientation where we met the professors and talked about class schedules and leisure activities sponsored by the school. Looks like it´s really going to be interesting. Then I went to Consum which is basically a Kroger/Publix. It was really nice to find something that resembled normal to me, because while I absolutely love this place, it can be a little overwhelming to not be able to find basic necessaries anywhere. Most stores around here choose their hours randomly opening and closing throughout the day as they see fit. You basically just walk until you find one open then go in and eat or hope they have what you are looking for. Consum is a little bit of a walk, but definately worth it to now have some food in my kitchen so I don´t have to go out and search every time I want a snack. Once I put away the groceries and had some jamon, queso y pan tostado (jamon y queso are very popular over here-had a pastry filled with it at a bakery for breakfast) I went for another walk discovering some more new places in the area.
The bowling alley opened at 430pm so I left to walk over around 5. I bowled 2 games and decided to join the league that starts tonight at 9pm. It lasts for 5 weeks, is an individual handicap league, and the first place person wins ham. Kinda different but should be fun. I went ahead and bowled 2 games to get used to the place and warm up since it´s been a week since I´ve bowled. Because it takes 30 minutes each way to walk here, I am paying 1€ to sit here on a computer in the arcade and update this then I will read til it starts. Should be fun :) Then I´ll take a taxi home since it will be dark when I leave.
It´s a whole different world how everything works over here, but I´m loving it. I´m trying to speak more Spanish and less English while I´m here and it´s getting easier. I don´t understand everything, but I´m figuring it out. No one at this bowling alley speaks any English, but I´m able to talk with them about the league and practicing and stuff and am figuring it all out. Practice makes perfect, and here I get to practice speaking Spanish and bowling; it´s the best of both worlds! They recomended that whatever hobbies or interests we have at home we get involved in here as a way to meet people and improve speaking skills, so hopefully this league will be a great experience :)
¡Hasta Luego!
(I found out how to use all the fun Spanish keys on these keyboards :) çñ¿¡¬€ºª lol)
Yesterday was Sunday, and there was a big festival going on in the square near us honoring the Virgen Maria. I stayed away during the actual procession, but people said that people were passing their babies over the crowds to touch the Virgen statue. I went out later in the day to see all the decorations and all the booths set up around the square. It was really neat to see all the stuff for sale and to try and communicate with all the vendors.
Some of the people I´m living with went to the beach for the day, but it was at most 60º so I decided to wait for a warmer day where I could actually enjoy the sun. So, I went looking for the bowling alley instead. I was told to cross over the bridge (over what used to be a big river that kept flooding the city so they redirected it around the city and filled the riverbed with parks and sports fields and fun stuff like that) and go left for about 20-25 minutes. I kept walking and eventually there it was. I went in and got some information and took some pictures, but I didn´t have my stuff with me since I wasn´t sure if I would find it, so I walked back up the riverbed so I could see all the parks up close. It was really pretty. We hung out in the apartment the rest of the night, except for going out to get food. SOOOOOOOO many little restaurants nearby! All really good and most really cheap.
This morning we has another orientation where we met the professors and talked about class schedules and leisure activities sponsored by the school. Looks like it´s really going to be interesting. Then I went to Consum which is basically a Kroger/Publix. It was really nice to find something that resembled normal to me, because while I absolutely love this place, it can be a little overwhelming to not be able to find basic necessaries anywhere. Most stores around here choose their hours randomly opening and closing throughout the day as they see fit. You basically just walk until you find one open then go in and eat or hope they have what you are looking for. Consum is a little bit of a walk, but definately worth it to now have some food in my kitchen so I don´t have to go out and search every time I want a snack. Once I put away the groceries and had some jamon, queso y pan tostado (jamon y queso are very popular over here-had a pastry filled with it at a bakery for breakfast) I went for another walk discovering some more new places in the area.
The bowling alley opened at 430pm so I left to walk over around 5. I bowled 2 games and decided to join the league that starts tonight at 9pm. It lasts for 5 weeks, is an individual handicap league, and the first place person wins ham. Kinda different but should be fun. I went ahead and bowled 2 games to get used to the place and warm up since it´s been a week since I´ve bowled. Because it takes 30 minutes each way to walk here, I am paying 1€ to sit here on a computer in the arcade and update this then I will read til it starts. Should be fun :) Then I´ll take a taxi home since it will be dark when I leave.
It´s a whole different world how everything works over here, but I´m loving it. I´m trying to speak more Spanish and less English while I´m here and it´s getting easier. I don´t understand everything, but I´m figuring it out. No one at this bowling alley speaks any English, but I´m able to talk with them about the league and practicing and stuff and am figuring it all out. Practice makes perfect, and here I get to practice speaking Spanish and bowling; it´s the best of both worlds! They recomended that whatever hobbies or interests we have at home we get involved in here as a way to meet people and improve speaking skills, so hopefully this league will be a great experience :)
¡Hasta Luego!
(I found out how to use all the fun Spanish keys on these keyboards :) çñ¿¡¬€ºª lol)
Saturday, May 9, 2009
PICTURES!!!
I created a Shutterfly account to show the pics I've taken so far... (156) Just follow the link below :)
share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0BZMmrVm4bMnGQ
Yesterday, we toured the city and saw so much! Then we went out last night and explored the city. The restaurants don't open until 9ish so we went to an Italian place around 10 then explored some of the pubs around the University of Valencia. It was very different. People drink to hang out here, so no one was drunk (which made the places much more enjoyable and much cleaner). We went to a discoteca by the beach after, but it was really really crowded so our group went to the beach instead. The beach is huge! Took forever to walk all the way down the water. I can't wait to go back in the daytime :)
Today, we went to a bullfight. It was very gruesome at times. At least I can say I've been to one, but I don't plan on ever going back. Very sad. Such a different culture here. They are setting up the big plaza near here for a ceremony to move a Mary statue from one church to another. I'm going to try to go to that in the morning. Tonight some of the people are going to a football (soccer) game, but it was expensive, 61Euros (a lot of $$'s) and I don't really like sports, so I'm going to watch some of it on tv and check out the market set up around the corner from here until the fireworks at 11 tonight. Should be fun :)
We are talking about going to the beach tomorrow if the weather is nice :) it's been pretty cold today and yesterday. Thursday was warm. Still amazing to be here though! I've eaten at quite a few of the little places around here. Almost everything is made with jamon y queso (ham and cheese). It's all sooooo good! I want to try some paella soon since it originated here in Valencia. The gellato is of course awesome too!
Off to Explore... Hasta Luego!
share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0BZMmrVm4bMnGQ
Yesterday, we toured the city and saw so much! Then we went out last night and explored the city. The restaurants don't open until 9ish so we went to an Italian place around 10 then explored some of the pubs around the University of Valencia. It was very different. People drink to hang out here, so no one was drunk (which made the places much more enjoyable and much cleaner). We went to a discoteca by the beach after, but it was really really crowded so our group went to the beach instead. The beach is huge! Took forever to walk all the way down the water. I can't wait to go back in the daytime :)
Today, we went to a bullfight. It was very gruesome at times. At least I can say I've been to one, but I don't plan on ever going back. Very sad. Such a different culture here. They are setting up the big plaza near here for a ceremony to move a Mary statue from one church to another. I'm going to try to go to that in the morning. Tonight some of the people are going to a football (soccer) game, but it was expensive, 61Euros (a lot of $$'s) and I don't really like sports, so I'm going to watch some of it on tv and check out the market set up around the corner from here until the fireworks at 11 tonight. Should be fun :)
We are talking about going to the beach tomorrow if the weather is nice :) it's been pretty cold today and yesterday. Thursday was warm. Still amazing to be here though! I've eaten at quite a few of the little places around here. Almost everything is made with jamon y queso (ham and cheese). It's all sooooo good! I want to try some paella soon since it originated here in Valencia. The gellato is of course awesome too!
Off to Explore... Hasta Luego!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Day 1 in Valencia
I'm not quite sure about time or day right now. I left Louisville at 1pm and arrived in Valencia at 5am, which was 11am here so we were in the middle of the day (with very little sleep on the planes...). Took a while to realize that I was actually in Spain and that it was already Thursday afternoon.
When I flew through Philly, some of the other people coming here were on my same flight to Madrid, so I got to meet some people I will be living with for the next 6 weeks early. Turned out there were about 30 people on my flight but none of us sat together. It still made going thru customs in Madrid a little less stressful since we were all lost together with no one there telling us where to go or what to do.
We made it to Valencia, and the school bussed us to the study center where we will live and go to class. It is completely different than what I expected. It used to be a rich family's mansion when it was built around 200 years ago. It still has the original huge wooden front door and many artifacts from when it was built. The whole back wall used to be a city wall or something and is still stone and intact and goes up thru all the floors. In some rooms, there are parts of the floor that are plexiglass to see the original stone underneath. There are 9 aparments in the building, each having 4 or five rooms, 4 bathrooms, a kitchen and a living room with tv. Every apartment is different and no two rooms are alike because it's a remodeled house. Some apartments have rooms where you unlock the door and walk upstairs to get to the beds. I am in apartment 3 room A. Room C requires you to go upstairs and room B had 1 whole wall made out of stone. I'll put pictures up later, camera is charging now.
The city is amazing! You have to worry about pickpocketing, but there is basically no violent crime so I feel really safe walking around. I walked for probably 30 minutes or so with the girl across the hall and we saw a lot of little stores and ate some tapas in a little restaurant. I still need to find a grocery because the closest thing we found today only sold junk food.
The entire group (about 160 people) all ate at an Italian place tonight. They just kept bringing out plates or rice stuff and pasta and pizza of all different types and would just spread them throughout our tables. This kept us constantly getting new and different foods until everyone was full. It surprised me how well they handled our group (although they did open early for us at 8pm - apparently restaurants over here dont typically open until after 9pm). I stopped and got some gelatto on the way back to the study center, just looked too good not to eat.
So, overall things seem to be going really well. I am extremely exhausted having slept probably less than an hour in the past 2 days, but it is well worth it. I can't wait to see more of the city! Tomorrow we have different orientations all day, but we will be shown where the market, gym and other important places in the city are, so I'm kind of excited to see. Classes don't start til Monday, so I can explore the city all weekend. One of the staff people here told me the nearest bowling alley is real close, only about 20 minutes walking, so I can't wait to go find it and bowl in a foreign country! :)
I'm headed to bed now. It was a long, busy and amazing day. I already unpacked everything and am basically moved in for an exciting 6 weeks! :D I can't wait to see how it all goes!
When I flew through Philly, some of the other people coming here were on my same flight to Madrid, so I got to meet some people I will be living with for the next 6 weeks early. Turned out there were about 30 people on my flight but none of us sat together. It still made going thru customs in Madrid a little less stressful since we were all lost together with no one there telling us where to go or what to do.
We made it to Valencia, and the school bussed us to the study center where we will live and go to class. It is completely different than what I expected. It used to be a rich family's mansion when it was built around 200 years ago. It still has the original huge wooden front door and many artifacts from when it was built. The whole back wall used to be a city wall or something and is still stone and intact and goes up thru all the floors. In some rooms, there are parts of the floor that are plexiglass to see the original stone underneath. There are 9 aparments in the building, each having 4 or five rooms, 4 bathrooms, a kitchen and a living room with tv. Every apartment is different and no two rooms are alike because it's a remodeled house. Some apartments have rooms where you unlock the door and walk upstairs to get to the beds. I am in apartment 3 room A. Room C requires you to go upstairs and room B had 1 whole wall made out of stone. I'll put pictures up later, camera is charging now.
The city is amazing! You have to worry about pickpocketing, but there is basically no violent crime so I feel really safe walking around. I walked for probably 30 minutes or so with the girl across the hall and we saw a lot of little stores and ate some tapas in a little restaurant. I still need to find a grocery because the closest thing we found today only sold junk food.
The entire group (about 160 people) all ate at an Italian place tonight. They just kept bringing out plates or rice stuff and pasta and pizza of all different types and would just spread them throughout our tables. This kept us constantly getting new and different foods until everyone was full. It surprised me how well they handled our group (although they did open early for us at 8pm - apparently restaurants over here dont typically open until after 9pm). I stopped and got some gelatto on the way back to the study center, just looked too good not to eat.
So, overall things seem to be going really well. I am extremely exhausted having slept probably less than an hour in the past 2 days, but it is well worth it. I can't wait to see more of the city! Tomorrow we have different orientations all day, but we will be shown where the market, gym and other important places in the city are, so I'm kind of excited to see. Classes don't start til Monday, so I can explore the city all weekend. One of the staff people here told me the nearest bowling alley is real close, only about 20 minutes walking, so I can't wait to go find it and bowl in a foreign country! :)
I'm headed to bed now. It was a long, busy and amazing day. I already unpacked everything and am basically moved in for an exciting 6 weeks! :D I can't wait to see how it all goes!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Leaving for Spain!!!
I leave for Spain tomorrow afternoon! :) I will actually get there Thursday morning at 11am Valencia time (5am Eastern time).
My phone will not work over there. My international phone number will be: +447924480453.
You can call me direct at that number if you dial 011 and then the number.
OR you can call 1-866-305-6462 then follow the prompts and enter my number from above.
Calling thru the 1-866 number is free when done from a land line (I think with cell phones too, but it may depend on your carrier). When I tried it, it worked. I haven't been able to make calling direct work yet, but you can try it.
I am playing with it right now, and I did receive the text I sent to myself from that phone. And i just made regular texting work! Send me texts by texting 011-447-924-480-453 exactly like that. if you put extra numbers or symbols before it, as my book says to, it doesn't work.
I can also be reached via email: sarackr@hotmail.com which I should be able to check daily.
I can also be reached via snail mail at:
Sara Kramer
FSU Valencia Study Center
Calle Blanquerias, 2
46003 Valencia, Spain
My phone also updates where I am and lets me text in updates to this site:
http://myisic.isiconnect.ekit.com/ekit/tj/TJM/sara_kramer/fr/94224f7c
Just enter the visitor password sarakramer to see it. Not sure exactly how it works, but I know it shows exactly where I've been and that I can update it from anywhere.
So excited!!! I'll try to post pics on here, assuming either my computer works or I can hook my camera up to the computers there...
I'll update this as often as I can with what's going on over there :)
~Sara
My phone will not work over there. My international phone number will be: +447924480453.
You can call me direct at that number if you dial 011 and then the number.
OR you can call 1-866-305-6462 then follow the prompts and enter my number from above.
Calling thru the 1-866 number is free when done from a land line (I think with cell phones too, but it may depend on your carrier). When I tried it, it worked. I haven't been able to make calling direct work yet, but you can try it.
I am playing with it right now, and I did receive the text I sent to myself from that phone. And i just made regular texting work! Send me texts by texting 011-447-924-480-453 exactly like that. if you put extra numbers or symbols before it, as my book says to, it doesn't work.
I can also be reached via email: sarackr@hotmail.com which I should be able to check daily.
I can also be reached via snail mail at:
Sara Kramer
FSU Valencia Study Center
Calle Blanquerias, 2
46003 Valencia, Spain
My phone also updates where I am and lets me text in updates to this site:
http://myisic.isiconnect.ekit.com/ekit/tj/TJM/sara_kramer/fr/94224f7c
Just enter the visitor password sarakramer to see it. Not sure exactly how it works, but I know it shows exactly where I've been and that I can update it from anywhere.
So excited!!! I'll try to post pics on here, assuming either my computer works or I can hook my camera up to the computers there...
I'll update this as often as I can with what's going on over there :)
~Sara
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