Hola todos! I wonder how long I'll continue to make daily updates? Perhaps I am spoiling you all. There will come a day when I will not be able to write, but don't worry, my beloved readers (all three of you), I will catch you up the next day. Now, let's get started with today's travel tip:
Travel Tip #2:
When in Spain, do NOT touch another person's dog. For god's sake, DO NOT TOUCH ANOTHER PERSON'S DOG.
So. Here we are, day four. I finally got a cell phone. If you want, contact me via facebook and I will give you the number. I don't know if you really want to call me that badly, though. I'm pretty sure it'll cost you an arm and maybe, depending on how long we chat, one of your legs as well.
So there really isn't much to say about yesterday. I woke up really late, at about 11. I ate breakfast and then left to go on another walk. I came back for lunch and after siesta, met up with a couple of girls to go shopping. The Spanish perspective of Americans is based solely on what they see on tv and movies, so it's all very glorified and romantic and completely false. As such, you see a lot of American cartoon characters and tv show references and hear american music just about anywhere you go. Which brings me to the point of me telling you all this, which is that, while we were shopping, we saw a few screen shirts with messages written in English that were nothing short of hilarious. The translated were so terrible, I had to take pictures. I will post them to facebook, but unfortunately, no one seems to appreciate translation mistakes as much I do. Oh well.
So after shopping and buying a phone, I went home to try and eat dinner with my señora, because yesterday when I came home, she had already eaten. After dinner, we watched a bit of the Spanish version of American idol, which would have been cooler if they hadn't been singing american songs. Then she switched it over to a telenovela, which is a Spanish soap opera. This was extremely difficult to follow, simply because there are about 8,537 main characters in soap operas and I can't even follow the plots in english soap operas. It was exhausting my brain and I went to bed around 11:30 (or 23:30 here in espana).
Today, I had to go to class. I had a tour of the university, admired some Spanish hotties from afar, then took a placement exam. After that, we went home for lunch and here I am. I think I'm going out for tapas y vino tonight, which is the Spanish version of fast food. La comics rapida.
I apologize that this entry wasn't as thrilling, but we shall speak again tomorrow.
Y recuerden ustedes:
"el Mundo es un libro, y aquellos que no viajan leen solo una pagina."
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Day 3
So, I think I´m going to try something new. Every day, you guys get a travel tip from me. Some of them might apply only to Spain, but I´m sure most of them will be relevant in most of southern Europe. So whether you´re traveling or plan to travel, these might be a tid bit useful. And if not, they´ll be comedically tragic at my expense, so you should read them anyway.
Today´s travel tip:
If you´re crossing a one-way street in España, you should probably still look both ways.
Allow me to tell you about my day yesterday. I woke up about 9, ate breakfast, and then was promptly shooed out of the house by mi señora. She told me i had to walk around. So I did. I left around 11am, and I started to say "I´ll come back at 2 for lunch," but she stopped me halfway and told me to come back whenever I pleased. However, when I came back, she had a place set for me at the table. That´s one thing about the Spanish. Meals are always eaten together, and lunch is the biggest meal of the day. We were told before we left the states that you should never miss a meal without letting them know beforehand, because it´s expected of you that you eat with them. I´m beginning to see what they meant, because I made sure to be home around 1:30 because we usually eat at 2. And sure enough, I see that there´s a place for me at the table. I love being right all the time.
Okay, back to my day. So I left at 11am and walked for about 2 and a half hours. Saw the sights/took pictures/attempted to construct a mental map, that sort of thing. (I think I´m going to start posting a "find of the day" kinda thing too. I need to figure out a way to upload my photos, first, though...) After siesta, I went to the Ayuntamiento, which is a City Hall of sorts, and met up with the rest of the group. We then had the director of the program give us a walking tour of downtown. You know what everyone keeps doing? Bragging about how the streets were constructed in a grid, and it´s all crap. In america, when we say grid, we mean GRID. I´ll give them that the streets are more grid-like and organized than most of the older cities in Europe, because those are insane. But these are vaguely geometric. So callate sobre los calles tontos. (That means shut up about your stupid streets.) Okay anyway, back to the walking tour. It started at 5, and went until 7. Then we all tried to figure out which bar we could go to to watch the Superbowl, and we found one way way downtown. Like, in the slums. It seemed fine, except that it was about a 30 minute walk from where we originally met (the city hall) and that was about a 15 minute walk from where we all live. So let´s calculate, shall we? By 2 o´clock, I had walked about 2.5 hours. Add 2.5 for the walking tour of downtown, then another hour for time it took us to walk to the bar to see where it was and walk back. By 9pm, I had walked a total of about 5 hours. I ate dinner and then mentally prepared myself to walk another hour or so.
We all met en la plaza about 10:30, and were excited to learn that there was a party set up for us at a club nearby. It was an awesome experience because we got to meet the other international students that are also here to learn spanish. After the game (yay packers), Most of us didn´t want to go home, so we went to the beach. I had been to the port, but not the shore. Even though it was freezing, I couldn´t help reminding myself that I was on the beach...in Spain. Never ceases to amaze. I probably won´t have any complaints for the next three months because I just keep telling myself, "Hey sherri, guess what...You´re in Spain." A few of the guys we met were from Germany. They´ve been in Santander studying Spanish for about a year. I got into a good conversation with one in particular, named Felix. His first language was German, his second English. And for the past year, he had been learning spanish. I love the European school system, because when they learn new languages, they do it right. I firmly believe there is no better way to learn a language than immersion. When I went to Austria, I met a group of Spanish students (not students of spanish, students from spain) that was there to learn German. I think that´s so cool. It was such a new concept to me, because in the states, when we want to learn a new language-which most of us never do-we go to class. When Europeans want to learn a new language, they go to that country. At one point in your schooling, you just go to a country and live there for a while. It makes me feel isolated in the United States, you know? It´s not like we can venture into Canada to learn Canadian. It´s just not a very practiced method of learning. I wish it was, but again, we are muy lejos (distant).
Sidenote- forgive me for the random use of Spanish. I always said there might not be enough room in my head for more than one language. If I didn't know any better, I'd say I was going crazy. I'm beginning to think in Spanglish. It's like my brain can't decide which language it wants to use. Hopefully it's just the transition from thinking in English to thinking in spanish.
Anyway, back to Felix. Perhaps it was the cervezas, and maybe (i´d like to think) it´s because I´m getting better at Spanish, but throughout the conversation, I couldn´t even tell which language we were speaking. We switched back and forth from english to spanish, talking about our experiences learning new languages and studying outside our home countries. I hate to say this, but he might be better at Spanish than I am. Which is shameful, because He´s only been studying it for a year, and I´ve been studying for 5 years. But then again, I wasn´t living in Spain. I had never even been to Spain. So I think my level of speaking is appropriate. I also got to talk to a really nice girl from Mexico. It's extremely reassuring to be able to hold a conversation with someone in spanish. we keep hearing over and over that we, being the group of us Americans, need to speak Spanish to each other, but something about what the student teacher we met last night said really drove it home. And all he said was that our biggest problem was that we speak English to each other. There's something very daunting about the way he worded that. Because we're all here for the same reason- to learn Spanish. We only have so much time, and I can't speak for everyone, but I don't want to waste a second of it. One of the girls justified using only English by saying, well, it's only the second day. And I told her tomorrow, she'll be saying it's only the third day. And Saturday will only be the first week. If you justify your actions now, you will be doing so for the rest of your life. If you can't admit your faults now, what makes you think you'll be able to tomorrow? Or the next day?
I'm afraid this entry has taken a turn for he worst. So, more about last night. The Mexican girl i talked with told me that I spoke better Spanish after a couple beers, which is funny but understandably true. I know Spanish better than a lot of my peers. It's not the best, and it's far from perfect, but I can certainly hold a conversation. My problem is that I'm extremely timid. My fear of saying something wrong keeps me from practicing. Which, I know, I know, is a little bit counter-intuitive. That being said, after a cerveza or two, I became more fearless and ended up talking quite a bit in spanish.
So I guess I lost track of time, but now that I think back, it makes sense. The fame started at midnight and went on for I don't remember how long. Then we went to the beach and we there for a while, and when we left, we lost a member of our party and it was thing whole crazy ordeal. As we were walking home, I asked what time it was and mr. Student teacher guy, whatever his name was said that it was 5:37. I had to look at his watch to believe it. I suppose I had to have one crazy night in Spain, right?? At least it was before classes start. I'm just glad my señora wasn't awake when I got home...
Okay, hasta mañana, todos!!
"el Mundo es un libro, y aquellos que no viajan leen solo una pagina."
Today´s travel tip:
If you´re crossing a one-way street in España, you should probably still look both ways.
Allow me to tell you about my day yesterday. I woke up about 9, ate breakfast, and then was promptly shooed out of the house by mi señora. She told me i had to walk around. So I did. I left around 11am, and I started to say "I´ll come back at 2 for lunch," but she stopped me halfway and told me to come back whenever I pleased. However, when I came back, she had a place set for me at the table. That´s one thing about the Spanish. Meals are always eaten together, and lunch is the biggest meal of the day. We were told before we left the states that you should never miss a meal without letting them know beforehand, because it´s expected of you that you eat with them. I´m beginning to see what they meant, because I made sure to be home around 1:30 because we usually eat at 2. And sure enough, I see that there´s a place for me at the table. I love being right all the time.
Okay, back to my day. So I left at 11am and walked for about 2 and a half hours. Saw the sights/took pictures/attempted to construct a mental map, that sort of thing. (I think I´m going to start posting a "find of the day" kinda thing too. I need to figure out a way to upload my photos, first, though...) After siesta, I went to the Ayuntamiento, which is a City Hall of sorts, and met up with the rest of the group. We then had the director of the program give us a walking tour of downtown. You know what everyone keeps doing? Bragging about how the streets were constructed in a grid, and it´s all crap. In america, when we say grid, we mean GRID. I´ll give them that the streets are more grid-like and organized than most of the older cities in Europe, because those are insane. But these are vaguely geometric. So callate sobre los calles tontos. (That means shut up about your stupid streets.) Okay anyway, back to the walking tour. It started at 5, and went until 7. Then we all tried to figure out which bar we could go to to watch the Superbowl, and we found one way way downtown. Like, in the slums. It seemed fine, except that it was about a 30 minute walk from where we originally met (the city hall) and that was about a 15 minute walk from where we all live. So let´s calculate, shall we? By 2 o´clock, I had walked about 2.5 hours. Add 2.5 for the walking tour of downtown, then another hour for time it took us to walk to the bar to see where it was and walk back. By 9pm, I had walked a total of about 5 hours. I ate dinner and then mentally prepared myself to walk another hour or so.
We all met en la plaza about 10:30, and were excited to learn that there was a party set up for us at a club nearby. It was an awesome experience because we got to meet the other international students that are also here to learn spanish. After the game (yay packers), Most of us didn´t want to go home, so we went to the beach. I had been to the port, but not the shore. Even though it was freezing, I couldn´t help reminding myself that I was on the beach...in Spain. Never ceases to amaze. I probably won´t have any complaints for the next three months because I just keep telling myself, "Hey sherri, guess what...You´re in Spain." A few of the guys we met were from Germany. They´ve been in Santander studying Spanish for about a year. I got into a good conversation with one in particular, named Felix. His first language was German, his second English. And for the past year, he had been learning spanish. I love the European school system, because when they learn new languages, they do it right. I firmly believe there is no better way to learn a language than immersion. When I went to Austria, I met a group of Spanish students (not students of spanish, students from spain) that was there to learn German. I think that´s so cool. It was such a new concept to me, because in the states, when we want to learn a new language-which most of us never do-we go to class. When Europeans want to learn a new language, they go to that country. At one point in your schooling, you just go to a country and live there for a while. It makes me feel isolated in the United States, you know? It´s not like we can venture into Canada to learn Canadian. It´s just not a very practiced method of learning. I wish it was, but again, we are muy lejos (distant).
Sidenote- forgive me for the random use of Spanish. I always said there might not be enough room in my head for more than one language. If I didn't know any better, I'd say I was going crazy. I'm beginning to think in Spanglish. It's like my brain can't decide which language it wants to use. Hopefully it's just the transition from thinking in English to thinking in spanish.
Anyway, back to Felix. Perhaps it was the cervezas, and maybe (i´d like to think) it´s because I´m getting better at Spanish, but throughout the conversation, I couldn´t even tell which language we were speaking. We switched back and forth from english to spanish, talking about our experiences learning new languages and studying outside our home countries. I hate to say this, but he might be better at Spanish than I am. Which is shameful, because He´s only been studying it for a year, and I´ve been studying for 5 years. But then again, I wasn´t living in Spain. I had never even been to Spain. So I think my level of speaking is appropriate. I also got to talk to a really nice girl from Mexico. It's extremely reassuring to be able to hold a conversation with someone in spanish. we keep hearing over and over that we, being the group of us Americans, need to speak Spanish to each other, but something about what the student teacher we met last night said really drove it home. And all he said was that our biggest problem was that we speak English to each other. There's something very daunting about the way he worded that. Because we're all here for the same reason- to learn Spanish. We only have so much time, and I can't speak for everyone, but I don't want to waste a second of it. One of the girls justified using only English by saying, well, it's only the second day. And I told her tomorrow, she'll be saying it's only the third day. And Saturday will only be the first week. If you justify your actions now, you will be doing so for the rest of your life. If you can't admit your faults now, what makes you think you'll be able to tomorrow? Or the next day?
I'm afraid this entry has taken a turn for he worst. So, more about last night. The Mexican girl i talked with told me that I spoke better Spanish after a couple beers, which is funny but understandably true. I know Spanish better than a lot of my peers. It's not the best, and it's far from perfect, but I can certainly hold a conversation. My problem is that I'm extremely timid. My fear of saying something wrong keeps me from practicing. Which, I know, I know, is a little bit counter-intuitive. That being said, after a cerveza or two, I became more fearless and ended up talking quite a bit in spanish.
So I guess I lost track of time, but now that I think back, it makes sense. The fame started at midnight and went on for I don't remember how long. Then we went to the beach and we there for a while, and when we left, we lost a member of our party and it was thing whole crazy ordeal. As we were walking home, I asked what time it was and mr. Student teacher guy, whatever his name was said that it was 5:37. I had to look at his watch to believe it. I suppose I had to have one crazy night in Spain, right?? At least it was before classes start. I'm just glad my señora wasn't awake when I got home...
Okay, hasta mañana, todos!!
"el Mundo es un libro, y aquellos que no viajan leen solo una pagina."
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Day Two
Hola, todos. I´m learning how to navigate this spanish keyboard. Slowly but surely.
So yesterday, I wrote an entry, but I was about to go to bed and also I was writing on my iPod. As such, I now am typing on a laptop and can write a proper entry.
I arrived yesterday about 2. My señora, Julia, (pronounced who-lee-uh, don´t get it twisted) met me there and took me, via taxi, to her apartment. At times like these, I am grateful (greatful? i miss spell-check...) for my previous experience in Europe. When I stayed with a family in Switzerland, I was expecting a lot more, like the shamefully spoiled American teenager that I was (and let´s be real-still am). It was a family of two children and two parents, and they lived in an apartment that the average American college student might live in alone. So coming here yesterday, to my señora´s tiny apartment, was totally expected. Obviously, it may seem way too small for any American´s standards, but I´m okay with it. It´s downright charming. I´m glad I learned about European standard of living before coming to live here. I´ve mentally prepared myself to take shorter, colder showers, walk a whole lot more, use the lights a WHOLE lot less, live in a smaller space, wear more layers indoors because they don´t use the a/c like we do, and all that other stuff.
Anyway, after we got back, we ate. Then we both slept. After that, she took me out to see the town a little bit. There´s a café next door called 942, and we stopped there and had thoroughly spanish coffee and watched the fútbol game between Santander and Barcelona. (Go santander.) We were winning for the first half, then Barcelona caught up. With a thrilling neck and neck race of 1-1, we left and walked toward the sea. Which is awesome, because it´s only about 2 blocks from the apartment. I know it´s the city and it was a Saturday night, but it was so lively. So many people just walking the streets and what not. One thing that was really cool was, when she was showing me where we were on the map, she said, "Aquí es donde vivimos," which means "This is where we live." Where WE live. How freaking cool is that? Perhaps I am easily impressed.
I don´t think my señora gets much exercise because we walked just about 2 blocks and she said she was tired and we took the bus home. Before going back to the apartment, we went back to 942 and watched the end of the game. We walked slow and stopped to take pictures and talk to people, so even though we walked a short distance, it took us about 35-40 minutes. And guess where the game was? Still at 1-1. Don´t tell the Spaniards i said this, but that game is so boring. Why do people care?? Nothing matters. The crowd cheers and goes crazy when the players even get close to the goal, but here´s the deal: It´s hard to control where the ball goes, it´s so easy to intercept the ball, it´s so hard to get a goal, and it´s so easy to block the goal. Result? No one scores anything. For hours, no one will score anything. Nothing. At all. The game last night went into like 37 overtimes and still, there was a tie. I mean, it seems after a while, they just give up. "Well, you all suck and you´ll never accomplish anything, so let´s just call this one a draw. Pack it in, let´s go home." One good thing about fútbol, however: all the players are extremely, extremely good looking. It´s like there are 2 requirements for making the team: be good at soccer, and be really sexy.
Though it´s only day 2, I feel like I´ve learned a lot. Maybe not about the language (yet), but about the culture. People say that they are less polite, and in some cases, meaner than we are in the US. But i think i´ll have to disagree. They´re not mean, they´re not impolite, they just have different standards for what is polite or mean. What I´ve noticed is that when walking the streets, they don´t smile and usually avoid eye contact with strangers, which, as a girl who grew up in southern America, is extremely hard for me. I´m used to not only making eye contact and smiling at complete strangers, but even saying hi, or "how are you?". Aparantly, extended eye contact or smiling at a stranger, especially men, means that you want to sleep with them. I´ve only been in Spain for about 24 hours, but I´m pretty sure that there are at least 100 Spanish men who think I tried to seduce them. Oh well...permanant damage there. Another thing I´ve noticed, is that no one, NO ONE, cares about driving or parking laws. I mean, seriously. Not a single shit do they give. I knew this from before, but it never ceases to make me laugh. Next time I see one, I´ll take a picture and post it to facebook. These people park wherever is convenient, and I mean wherever. This may mean popping a curb or maybe even parking in the middle of the street. Or, like I saw earlier today, right in the middle of an intersection. Yes, you read that correctly. Also, I´m trying to cope with the idea of being a more aggressive pedestrian. I´ve noticed that if you´re not assertive, you probably won´t get to cross the street. Ever. Really.
Anything else I think of, I´ll write in tomorrow´s update. Okay, have a good day everyone. I´m about to take my mid-afternoon nap and it´s strange to think that you all are just starting the day. See you in 3 months.
"El mundo es un libro y aquellos que no viajan leen solo una pagina."
-Sherri
So yesterday, I wrote an entry, but I was about to go to bed and also I was writing on my iPod. As such, I now am typing on a laptop and can write a proper entry.
I arrived yesterday about 2. My señora, Julia, (pronounced who-lee-uh, don´t get it twisted) met me there and took me, via taxi, to her apartment. At times like these, I am grateful (greatful? i miss spell-check...) for my previous experience in Europe. When I stayed with a family in Switzerland, I was expecting a lot more, like the shamefully spoiled American teenager that I was (and let´s be real-still am). It was a family of two children and two parents, and they lived in an apartment that the average American college student might live in alone. So coming here yesterday, to my señora´s tiny apartment, was totally expected. Obviously, it may seem way too small for any American´s standards, but I´m okay with it. It´s downright charming. I´m glad I learned about European standard of living before coming to live here. I´ve mentally prepared myself to take shorter, colder showers, walk a whole lot more, use the lights a WHOLE lot less, live in a smaller space, wear more layers indoors because they don´t use the a/c like we do, and all that other stuff.
Anyway, after we got back, we ate. Then we both slept. After that, she took me out to see the town a little bit. There´s a café next door called 942, and we stopped there and had thoroughly spanish coffee and watched the fútbol game between Santander and Barcelona. (Go santander.) We were winning for the first half, then Barcelona caught up. With a thrilling neck and neck race of 1-1, we left and walked toward the sea. Which is awesome, because it´s only about 2 blocks from the apartment. I know it´s the city and it was a Saturday night, but it was so lively. So many people just walking the streets and what not. One thing that was really cool was, when she was showing me where we were on the map, she said, "Aquí es donde vivimos," which means "This is where we live." Where WE live. How freaking cool is that? Perhaps I am easily impressed.
I don´t think my señora gets much exercise because we walked just about 2 blocks and she said she was tired and we took the bus home. Before going back to the apartment, we went back to 942 and watched the end of the game. We walked slow and stopped to take pictures and talk to people, so even though we walked a short distance, it took us about 35-40 minutes. And guess where the game was? Still at 1-1. Don´t tell the Spaniards i said this, but that game is so boring. Why do people care?? Nothing matters. The crowd cheers and goes crazy when the players even get close to the goal, but here´s the deal: It´s hard to control where the ball goes, it´s so easy to intercept the ball, it´s so hard to get a goal, and it´s so easy to block the goal. Result? No one scores anything. For hours, no one will score anything. Nothing. At all. The game last night went into like 37 overtimes and still, there was a tie. I mean, it seems after a while, they just give up. "Well, you all suck and you´ll never accomplish anything, so let´s just call this one a draw. Pack it in, let´s go home." One good thing about fútbol, however: all the players are extremely, extremely good looking. It´s like there are 2 requirements for making the team: be good at soccer, and be really sexy.
Though it´s only day 2, I feel like I´ve learned a lot. Maybe not about the language (yet), but about the culture. People say that they are less polite, and in some cases, meaner than we are in the US. But i think i´ll have to disagree. They´re not mean, they´re not impolite, they just have different standards for what is polite or mean. What I´ve noticed is that when walking the streets, they don´t smile and usually avoid eye contact with strangers, which, as a girl who grew up in southern America, is extremely hard for me. I´m used to not only making eye contact and smiling at complete strangers, but even saying hi, or "how are you?". Aparantly, extended eye contact or smiling at a stranger, especially men, means that you want to sleep with them. I´ve only been in Spain for about 24 hours, but I´m pretty sure that there are at least 100 Spanish men who think I tried to seduce them. Oh well...permanant damage there. Another thing I´ve noticed, is that no one, NO ONE, cares about driving or parking laws. I mean, seriously. Not a single shit do they give. I knew this from before, but it never ceases to make me laugh. Next time I see one, I´ll take a picture and post it to facebook. These people park wherever is convenient, and I mean wherever. This may mean popping a curb or maybe even parking in the middle of the street. Or, like I saw earlier today, right in the middle of an intersection. Yes, you read that correctly. Also, I´m trying to cope with the idea of being a more aggressive pedestrian. I´ve noticed that if you´re not assertive, you probably won´t get to cross the street. Ever. Really.
Anything else I think of, I´ll write in tomorrow´s update. Okay, have a good day everyone. I´m about to take my mid-afternoon nap and it´s strange to think that you all are just starting the day. See you in 3 months.
"El mundo es un libro y aquellos que no viajan leen solo una pagina."
-Sherri
Saturday, February 5, 2011
He llegado
Hey everyone, I have arrived in little but beautiful Santander. It's about 3:30 right now and I just ate lunch with mi Señora. Her name is Julia, she's just about as wide as she is tall, and probably the sweetest thing ever. She showed me around a little and fed me as soon as I got here. I told her that I have heard that spaniards think it's rude if you don't finish all the food they give you, and she said, for you, you are so tiny, all you have to do is say "soy contenta," (which means "I'm full") and I will understand. Then she told me that I must be tired and that i could sleep if I want. She then says, "I'm going to sleep too. In Spain, there exists a wonderful thing that we do everyday. After we eat, we sleep. This miracle is called Siesta." haha, what a character.
So yes, so far I am understanding about 85% of everything she says. Which is more than I expected I would. Talking is a bit harder than listening and understanding, but i'm certainly impressed with myself. Perhaps I'm speaking too soon.
Anyway. I was told by more than a couple People that they heard the beds and pillows were much less comfortable than ours in the states, but I am warm and have a full tummy, and my bed feels perfectly comfy to me.
Happy siesta, everyone.
"el Mundo es in libro, y aquellos que no viajan leen solo una pagina."
So yes, so far I am understanding about 85% of everything she says. Which is more than I expected I would. Talking is a bit harder than listening and understanding, but i'm certainly impressed with myself. Perhaps I'm speaking too soon.
Anyway. I was told by more than a couple People that they heard the beds and pillows were much less comfortable than ours in the states, but I am warm and have a full tummy, and my bed feels perfectly comfy to me.
Happy siesta, everyone.
"el Mundo es in libro, y aquellos que no viajan leen solo una pagina."
Saturday, January 29, 2011
I feel like I should be updating regularly, but there isn't much to say about the preparation. Though it certainly is part of the journey. I've just completed my new European wardrobe, because I've been told that they dress nicer than we do. No more T-shirts. Which is a shame, because I love T-shirts. Looking cute used to be a novelty for me, but now it's going to have to be the standard.
Anyway, tonight is my Spanish-themed going away party. It's going to be a blasty blast.
Still can't believe I'm leaving in less than a week...
"El mundo es un libro, y aquellos que no viajan leen solo una pagina."
Sherri
Anyway, tonight is my Spanish-themed going away party. It's going to be a blasty blast.
Still can't believe I'm leaving in less than a week...
"El mundo es un libro, y aquellos que no viajan leen solo una pagina."
Sherri
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Less Than Two Weeks
It just hit me. Just now, at 1:31 in the morning, it just became real that I have less than two weeks until I leave for Spain. Less than 10 days, actually, assuming my countdown (see below) is correct, and it is very possible it is off by a few hours. I've been spending all my evenings in this past week watching movies in Spanish. Mostly of the Harry Potter variety.
I had another dream in Spanish. Which sounds really impressive, and everyone keeps telling me that that's how I know I'm becoming fluent, but what do they know? I have had 3 thus far that I can remember, and if you couldn't guess, I'm about to tell you about all three, and I know, I know, that's THREE whole dreams you have to read about, but if you're already reading this, you're probably family or a friend, so, you know, suck it up. Don't be lazy.
Okay, so the first one was in a shoe store. All I remember is some fleeting images from the store, and the word "zapato," which means "shoe." The second one was about six months ago, and in it, I overheard an argument break out between two guys (they were speaking spanish) and it turned into a fight. And I had to break it up (fancy that). The third dream, which happened sometime last week, evades me. I just remember Spanish, and not being able to understand it. Which is both strange and frustrating. How can my brain create words that it perceives as actual conversation with meaning, but not understand the meaning of? It seems psychologically impossible. If I can't speak Spanish in my waking life, then the made-up people inside my dreams sure as hell shouldn't be able to speak Spanish while I'm asleep.
So this is what I meant when I asked, "what do they know?", referring to the people who tell me that I'm becoming fluent. I'm kind of dreaming in Spanish, but not really. I mean, it's just Spanish-sounding conversation that I'm not actually able to make sense of. Much like any of my encounters with Spanish speakers in real life.
It's crunch times like these that make you think back, and even though you studied for every test and got good grades in every class, you wonder what you didn't do, but could have done, to better prepare yourself. Or is that just me? Every time I spoke English in class, every time I read a book in English, every movie or TV show I watched, was all in English but could have been in Spanish. I worked hard, and I know that. My grades prove it. But I only have 9 days left before everything I say, every book I read, every movie and TV show I watch will be in Spanish. All of it. I'm beginning to doubt my ability more than ever, which is really saying something, because I've always been timid when it came to speaking Spanish. I just keep thinking, after 7 formal classes, I feel like I should be better at this by now. Have you ever taken a class, and there was that one student who just seemed impossibly ignorant? You'd think, "How did you ever get to this level without knowing...(insert essential piece of knowledge here)?" Well, that's me. At least that's how it feels; I've never actually been told this. I know I was never the worst in any of my classes, but I was far from the smartest.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm scared. Every thing I do that can be done in Spanish, I've been doing it in Spanish. This may sound like a lot, but when considering about 100% of the people I talk to speak English and I have a job where I'm required to read and speak in English, Spanish really doesn't take up much of my time. I'm at the point where I haven't read anything in English in weeks. I've watched maybe 4 or 5 hours of American TV in a long time (that may be an exaggeration, but hey, how much Spanish have YOU absorbed in the past 2 weeks?). The only way I can describe it is mentally exhausting. It reminds me of the last day of finals when you'd watch your first TV show for a month. It's a difficult feeling to describe, but it's pure relief. That's how I feel when I switch back to English. This makes it harder to prepare myself to lose that when I go to Spain. Let me paint you a picture: I've always thought of my two languages as a switch inside my head. It's like a light switch, but off is English, and on is Spanish. When the switch is flipped to Spanish, I'm 100% Spanish, and the same is true for English. For instance, one time while in Spanish class, I saw "Apollo 13" written somewhere. In my head I read it as a Spanish speaker would read it, which sounds like "apoyo." Just as I thought to myself, "To the chicken? What does that mean?" I realized that it was supposed to sound like "Apollo."
I equate Spanish to "on" for obvious reasons; namely because Spanish takes up so much more mental energy and focus. It's hard. Bottom line. Am I ready to have that switch flipped to Spanish for 3 whole months? I've wondered this every day since I began the application process. This is certainly going to be the hardest thing I've ever done, and probably will ever do. Okay, sorry if this is going to end abruptly, but it's late, and I think I've done enough doubting myself.
Until next time,
"El mundo es un libro, y aquellos que no viajan leen solo una pagina."
I had another dream in Spanish. Which sounds really impressive, and everyone keeps telling me that that's how I know I'm becoming fluent, but what do they know? I have had 3 thus far that I can remember, and if you couldn't guess, I'm about to tell you about all three, and I know, I know, that's THREE whole dreams you have to read about, but if you're already reading this, you're probably family or a friend, so, you know, suck it up. Don't be lazy.
Okay, so the first one was in a shoe store. All I remember is some fleeting images from the store, and the word "zapato," which means "shoe." The second one was about six months ago, and in it, I overheard an argument break out between two guys (they were speaking spanish) and it turned into a fight. And I had to break it up (fancy that). The third dream, which happened sometime last week, evades me. I just remember Spanish, and not being able to understand it. Which is both strange and frustrating. How can my brain create words that it perceives as actual conversation with meaning, but not understand the meaning of? It seems psychologically impossible. If I can't speak Spanish in my waking life, then the made-up people inside my dreams sure as hell shouldn't be able to speak Spanish while I'm asleep.
So this is what I meant when I asked, "what do they know?", referring to the people who tell me that I'm becoming fluent. I'm kind of dreaming in Spanish, but not really. I mean, it's just Spanish-sounding conversation that I'm not actually able to make sense of. Much like any of my encounters with Spanish speakers in real life.
It's crunch times like these that make you think back, and even though you studied for every test and got good grades in every class, you wonder what you didn't do, but could have done, to better prepare yourself. Or is that just me? Every time I spoke English in class, every time I read a book in English, every movie or TV show I watched, was all in English but could have been in Spanish. I worked hard, and I know that. My grades prove it. But I only have 9 days left before everything I say, every book I read, every movie and TV show I watch will be in Spanish. All of it. I'm beginning to doubt my ability more than ever, which is really saying something, because I've always been timid when it came to speaking Spanish. I just keep thinking, after 7 formal classes, I feel like I should be better at this by now. Have you ever taken a class, and there was that one student who just seemed impossibly ignorant? You'd think, "How did you ever get to this level without knowing...(insert essential piece of knowledge here)?" Well, that's me. At least that's how it feels; I've never actually been told this. I know I was never the worst in any of my classes, but I was far from the smartest.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm scared. Every thing I do that can be done in Spanish, I've been doing it in Spanish. This may sound like a lot, but when considering about 100% of the people I talk to speak English and I have a job where I'm required to read and speak in English, Spanish really doesn't take up much of my time. I'm at the point where I haven't read anything in English in weeks. I've watched maybe 4 or 5 hours of American TV in a long time (that may be an exaggeration, but hey, how much Spanish have YOU absorbed in the past 2 weeks?). The only way I can describe it is mentally exhausting. It reminds me of the last day of finals when you'd watch your first TV show for a month. It's a difficult feeling to describe, but it's pure relief. That's how I feel when I switch back to English. This makes it harder to prepare myself to lose that when I go to Spain. Let me paint you a picture: I've always thought of my two languages as a switch inside my head. It's like a light switch, but off is English, and on is Spanish. When the switch is flipped to Spanish, I'm 100% Spanish, and the same is true for English. For instance, one time while in Spanish class, I saw "Apollo 13" written somewhere. In my head I read it as a Spanish speaker would read it, which sounds like "apoyo." Just as I thought to myself, "To the chicken? What does that mean?" I realized that it was supposed to sound like "Apollo."
I equate Spanish to "on" for obvious reasons; namely because Spanish takes up so much more mental energy and focus. It's hard. Bottom line. Am I ready to have that switch flipped to Spanish for 3 whole months? I've wondered this every day since I began the application process. This is certainly going to be the hardest thing I've ever done, and probably will ever do. Okay, sorry if this is going to end abruptly, but it's late, and I think I've done enough doubting myself.
Until next time,
"El mundo es un libro, y aquellos que no viajan leen solo una pagina."
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Me falta solo un mes!
So get this, everyone-Google has changed my blog's default language to Spanish. When I log in to my blog, everything is in Spanish. That's fun. It reminds me of the time I went to Rome. I bought an art book (written in spanish) to bring back for one of my friends who was also studying Spanish. When I went to pay for the book, the man at the cash register asked me, "¿En español?" and I said, "¡Si!" Then he told me the price, "Nuevo y noventa," and I gave him nine euros and ninety cents, feeling thoroughly international knowing that someone, somewhere in the world believed that I spoke Spanish. It's absolutely thrilling to think that an entire corporation, such as Google, fancies me a Spanish speaker.
It's the fourth of January, and I only have ONE more miniscule month to prepare myself in every way to leave for Spain. From this moment on, I have to live, breathe, and eat Spanish as much as I possibly can in the next 30 days. So far, I've been devoting 30 minutes a day to reading Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal, which is the first Harry Potter book translated in Spanish, a book given to me as a Christmas gift from one of my very good friends. My most recent Spanish professor has gracefully provided me with plenty of Spanish music, which is really cool. I haven't...you know...actually started to listen to it, but, I'm gonna start doing that. You know, soon. Also, I have another Spanish novel from the spanish teacher I had in high school that I never actually finished. So there's that. And the music. AND the multitude of movies in Spanish available to me from Netflix. I'm trying my best to utilize every resource I have that will help prepare me for Spain. If anyone has any ideas, I'd be glad to hear them.
Alright, so I suppose that's it for my update. I'll try and update later on in the week!
"El mundo es un libro, y aquellos que no viajan leen sólo una pagina."
-Sherri
It's the fourth of January, and I only have ONE more miniscule month to prepare myself in every way to leave for Spain. From this moment on, I have to live, breathe, and eat Spanish as much as I possibly can in the next 30 days. So far, I've been devoting 30 minutes a day to reading Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal, which is the first Harry Potter book translated in Spanish, a book given to me as a Christmas gift from one of my very good friends. My most recent Spanish professor has gracefully provided me with plenty of Spanish music, which is really cool. I haven't...you know...actually started to listen to it, but, I'm gonna start doing that. You know, soon. Also, I have another Spanish novel from the spanish teacher I had in high school that I never actually finished. So there's that. And the music. AND the multitude of movies in Spanish available to me from Netflix. I'm trying my best to utilize every resource I have that will help prepare me for Spain. If anyone has any ideas, I'd be glad to hear them.
Alright, so I suppose that's it for my update. I'll try and update later on in the week!
"El mundo es un libro, y aquellos que no viajan leen sólo una pagina."
-Sherri
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