Where to start? The past couple weeks have gone really well. I went on a trip with the mountain club from school, joined a volleyball team, and completely bombed a chemistry test (actually I think the highest score was 3.25 and I know about 5 other students out of 30 students got a 0 like me). Actually, something kinda strange has been happening, I've been seeing people that look like people I know back home...so please say hi next time I see you!
Last weekend I went on an overnight trip to a place called La Pedriza (Pile of Rocks) with the mountain club. Friday night we stayed in a refuge built in 1916. The next morning we hiked about 10 miles up and around this mountain. The mountains are made out of giant masses of rocks. It was a little wet and the rocks were kinda slippery. One of the leaders was worried because I only had tennis shoes but I was one of the two people (out of ~25) who didn't slip and fall. My biology teacher went on the trip and I got to know him better. He's really funny and nice and is know giving me rides to school two times a week.
And yes, it's true, Ariel Wai has come out of his five year retirement and has re-entered the world of competitive volleyball. Actually I'm the worst player on the team, but it's fun and the guys are nice. The coach is letting me go to her other teams practices so I can catch up to the other players.
Today I went to the famous Prado museum. It has some of the most famous paintings in the world: "Las Meninas" by Velasquez, and works by Goya, Rembrandt, Rubens, and others. Some of the paintings are incredible! There were a few by one artist that looked like photographs! I was surprised at the size of the paintings; some of them were as big as 10x30ft! However a few of the paintings were actually really really creepy. There was one of a fancy Medieval dinner with a head being served on a platter, ughhhh!
On the way to the museum we passed a group of people preparing to film a portion of a really famous Spanish soap opera. From what I could understand it's like a Spanish version of Ugly Betty, but I actually don't really know too much about Ugly Betty.
Anyway, overall everything is going well. I miss you all, but I'm making friends and feeling more at home here.
If you want to see some of the pictures I've taken you can click on the link at the bottom of the page
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Week 3
This past weekend I was able to go with a church, Amistad Cristiana, on a retreat to Guadarrama, a region about an hour NW of Madrid. I guess Guadarrama is supposed to be beautiful but I wouldn't know because we spent the whole time inside the retreat center (the walls are really high). We spent most of the time listening to this pastor from Holland, singing, eating, playing futbol, and staying up late. The events didn't end until past 12 every night (morning) and I didn't go to bed until 2'ish. I met a lot of people and forgot a lot of names. I spent most of the time with about 10 other teenagers who are really nice and who enjoyed laughing at one of guys I was trying to teach how to breakdance.
This past week has gone by so fast. School is getting better. I'm understanding more of what the teachers are saying and people are starting to ask me hang out with them on the weekends. Tomorrow I'll hopefully be able to go on a trip with the "mountain club" from school. I also bought some pool passes so I'll be able to work off all of the olive oil.
Wednesday I hung out with another exchange student from Holland in a nearby town. We drank Coca Cola and ate tapas (little snacks: olives, little sandwiches, pieces of meat, etc.) outside of this little bar/restaurant. A drunk lady came by and started asking us for money so she could get food. We had no idea what to do, we offered her a little sandwich thing we had, but she wanted a real meal. Fortunately the owner of the restaurant came out and told her to leave or he'd call the cops.
We then walked around the town and did a little shopping. The Holland exchange student wanted to get a scarf so (in choppy Spanish) she asked a lady in one of the shops if they sold scarves; the lady didn't know.....she didn't work there! I thought it was hilarious, the lady did to and said "foreigners", I was like, "yep, those foreigners" and then she asked me if I was one to.....I guess my Spanish still needs practice : )
This past week has gone by so fast. School is getting better. I'm understanding more of what the teachers are saying and people are starting to ask me hang out with them on the weekends. Tomorrow I'll hopefully be able to go on a trip with the "mountain club" from school. I also bought some pool passes so I'll be able to work off all of the olive oil.
Wednesday I hung out with another exchange student from Holland in a nearby town. We drank Coca Cola and ate tapas (little snacks: olives, little sandwiches, pieces of meat, etc.) outside of this little bar/restaurant. A drunk lady came by and started asking us for money so she could get food. We had no idea what to do, we offered her a little sandwich thing we had, but she wanted a real meal. Fortunately the owner of the restaurant came out and told her to leave or he'd call the cops.
We then walked around the town and did a little shopping. The Holland exchange student wanted to get a scarf so (in choppy Spanish) she asked a lady in one of the shops if they sold scarves; the lady didn't know.....she didn't work there! I thought it was hilarious, the lady did to and said "foreigners", I was like, "yep, those foreigners" and then she asked me if I was one to.....I guess my Spanish still needs practice : )
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Daily Life
A typical school day starts with me waking up at 6:50am to my Spanish talking alarm clock, groaning, and then forcing myself out of bed. After a shower and breakfast I'm off to school. I take the train about 2km to Villalba where I walk another 1.5 km or so to school. The classes start at 8:30 and end at 2:00 except for Wednesdays when we end at 2:50; we also have a 30 minute break at 11:00. My class schedule changes day to day. I have history, language, biology, chemistry, psychology, philosophy, English (yes!!!), and math. All of these with the exception of one (can you guess?) are pretty difficult. All of my male teachers are quite hard to understand; my biology teacher yells (along with my language teacher), and my philosophy and history teachers are just plain hard to understand. Also, I found out that the bathrooms on the right are for the guys and the ones on the left are for the girls, but nobody seems to care, guys and girls smoke in both. One weird thing is that all of the bathrooms at school and at the train station don't have toilet seats or toilet paper?!?
After school I go home and eat a massive lunch, take a nap, study, go on a walk, excercise, watch Spanish TV, look up Spanish words, explore, eat some more, read, etc. Then it's another fairly similar day.
I'm starting to go to this church called Amistad Cristiana which is the only church in Madrid that meets in a nightclub (but in the morning). There is also a youth (17-25 year olds) group night on Tuesdays. As far as making friends, things are going as well as can be expected. I'm planning on joining a hiking/camping/mountain climbing club at school, getting a pass to the local pool so I can swim with a neighbor who is my age, and maybe taking a break dancing class in Madrid.
The food here is different. There's some good and some bad. We eat a lot of olive oil, bread, and vinegar. They put olive oil in everything, even the salads, and I don't mean a little sprinkling of oil, they actually pour it on. However, I like almost all of the stuff I've been eating.
One little note to those who know exchange students maybe from school, church, neighbors, etc: Be nice to them! If you don't....
After school I go home and eat a massive lunch, take a nap, study, go on a walk, excercise, watch Spanish TV, look up Spanish words, explore, eat some more, read, etc. Then it's another fairly similar day.
I'm starting to go to this church called Amistad Cristiana which is the only church in Madrid that meets in a nightclub (but in the morning). There is also a youth (17-25 year olds) group night on Tuesdays. As far as making friends, things are going as well as can be expected. I'm planning on joining a hiking/camping/mountain climbing club at school, getting a pass to the local pool so I can swim with a neighbor who is my age, and maybe taking a break dancing class in Madrid.
The food here is different. There's some good and some bad. We eat a lot of olive oil, bread, and vinegar. They put olive oil in everything, even the salads, and I don't mean a little sprinkling of oil, they actually pour it on. However, I like almost all of the stuff I've been eating.
One little note to those who know exchange students maybe from school, church, neighbors, etc: Be nice to them! If you don't....
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