10/03/08
I should be studying for my History midterm right now, but I just have to write about my walk home from institute. Amy had already left to skype her boyfriend so I was walking back by myself. It was about 7:15 PM so the sky still held some light from the day, but the clouds were so dark and ominous, as if it was going to rain. I was listening to my Spanish mix on my ipod and just breathing in the fresh air and staring up at the seemingly endless sky. I decided to walk through the park and all the street lamps were turned on and there were a few older men getting their evening exercise in. The cold wind was blowing through my hair and I just couldn’t help but do a twirl as I was walking. I am living in Spain! I am living in Spain, learning Spanish, living with an amazing madre, and experiencing a completely new and exciting culture!
13/03/08
I was sitting in the plaza behind Alcalingua and it was just full of families and little kids running around, some were eating at the café and others were playing soccer. These two little girls were talking to me for awhile, Carmen and Maria. Carmen asked me “Why do you talk bad?” I didn’t know whether to cry or laugh! I’m just kidding, I was laughing, but it did make me feel a little down on my Spanish speaking efforts. I told Ana when I got home and she tried to convince me that it was because of my accent not because I was saying things wrong. I appreciated this, but I’ve just realized I need to increase my effort in studying Spanish and working on my accent too! I finally got to talk to my mom two days ago and it felt so good to hear her voice, it had almost been two weeks! My morning talks with my parents have been frustrated because Spain’s day lights savings is two weeks later than the time change in the United States. Well it’s almost lunch time and I still want to go looking for Twilight in Spanish in one of the book stores around here. Hasta luego.
viernes, 14 de marzo de 2008
domingo, 9 de marzo de 2008
Asi es la vida
Wow I have not been as faithful about writing during this trip, here it is Friday and I haven’t written once this whole week! Que terrible. Pues, this trip has been amazing, we left the bus stop at eight Tuesday morning and drove two hours to Avila where the giant walls surrounding the city still remain fully intact. We were able to walk along the walls and have an aerial view of the city. It was really neat, but extremely windy and cold. Avila is the highest point in Spain, and therefore much colder than what I have been used to in Madrid. Every other minute my breath would get taken away because of how intense the wind was. I felt like Pepper when she would put her head out the window in the car and then freak out because she couldn’t catch her breath. We got back on the bus and drove a few hours more to Salamanca. After checking into our hotel we met up with a friend of Professor Shumway’s who had been to Spain over twenty times and was currently staying in Salamanca. He gave us a great tour of the city, and I was able to contribute my small bit of research on the University of Salamanca, which was my site report for Spain. He showed us around the cathedral in Salamanca and was able to give us a lot of information on the architecture and history. On the outside of the cathedral within the very detailed and ancient façade you can spot a small figure of an astronaut. There is no explanation for it, and it is completely crazy that there would be a small carved astronaut in the design, yet there it is plain as day!
It was really neat seeing the University especially because I had studied
about it during the preparation class last semester. I loved seeing the old library full of ancient books and old globes. The old staircases in the library are painted with images of bullfights and other cultural activities. In the past it has been a tradition for the students to sign their names on the staircases with bull blood. We were actually able to see some of the blood stains which was really cool. In front of the University of Salamanca there is a statue of Fray Luis de Leon. This man was a very famous Spanish poet and professor at the university who was greatly persecuted by the inquisition. He was put into prison for several years, but after he was let out he resumed his teaching career at the university. He was reported to have commenced his first class after his five year absence by saying, “As I was saying yesterday…” We got to go into the classroom he taught in and it was just fun imagining what life would have been like studying at the university during that time. Christopher Columbus was also known to have visited the University of Salamanca to discuss his voyage plans with the professors. After our tour we walked around the beautiful Salamanca Plaza and Rachel and Erica stopped for dinner, but I had no need to eat because Ana packed me a bocadillo with tortilla Espanola the size of my lower leg- that is no exaggeration. Oh it was so fun Monday night making tortilla with Ana, she taught me how to make it and I just had so much fun talking with her. She told me that I’m going to make it next time so that I can practice it. Well that night we didn’t do much because it was freezing cold, but we did have some great talks. I love our group, we all have so much fun together and everyone is just so great. Wednesday morning Sarah and I went running, which felt amazing even though I thought my lungs might freeze. We had breakfast and then boarded the bus for the very long bus ride to Santiago de Compostela, the holy Catholic city that thousands pilgrimage to each year to see Saint James’ grave the patron saint of Spain. On the way there our bus driver took us to two amazing beaches along the North-west coast of Spain. When I saw the ocean outside of the bus windows I couldn’t stop smiling! The first beach we went to was a quaint port full of small fishing boats, some of us sat on the dock for awhile just taking in the beautiful sights, sounds, and smells of this darling coastal town. There was a beach to the right of the dock with a surprisingly good amount of whole shells, so I collected a handful and then we headed back to the bus to go to the next beach. The second beach was a famous beach that reminded me of Sunset beach just outside of Santa Cruz. We had to walk over a small sand dune on wooden planks and then when we crested the hill the shore was seemingly endless in both directions. It was about four in the afternoon and the sun was shimmering on the water like Jana’s ring in the sunshine. I hadn’t been to the ocean in so long and it felt so good to breathe in the air and have my feet in the sand. It was not warm, but the air was fresh and felt incredible. We danced around on the beach for an hour, we were literally running and twirling and splashing our feet in the chilly Atlantic for our whole break. Unfortunately we had to leave the coast and head inland and we arrived at our hotel that evening around eight. Sarah, Erica, Rachel, and I went to the grocery store and bought cereal, milk, bananas, plastic spoons and cups and enjoyed the most delicious dinner in our hotel lobby. I hadn’t had cereal in two months and it was amazing! The next morning we were out early at 8:30 AM to start our four mile pilgrimage to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The cathedral was beautiful, and it had the most fantastic alter. We went to the pilgrim mass at noon and met a few people who had been walking for a month straight from France to get there. People come from all over to visit the shrine of Apostle James making it the third holiest site in Christendom, after Jerusalem and Rome. We saw the giant rope that holds the five foot three inch, 120 pound incense burner, which is about the same size as me before I started eating all of Ana’s cooking. During the heavy pilgrimage season they break out this giant incense burner and swing it from the ceili
ng of the cathedral to cover up the stench of the pilgrims who have been traveling for so long without bathing. Afterwards we wandered around the city, visited the pilgrimage museum and a convent and then came upon a Santa Susana Iglesia. We walked around the iglesia and found a grassy field so we laid down and enjoyed the beautiful sunshine. After awhile an old Spanish woman came over and told us we were laying on a cemetery! After our siesta we decided to hike an hour or so up this random hill to watch the sunset over the beautiful cathedral and pueblo. It was so worth it when we got up there. We sat on this ledge and watched the giant sun sink behind the rolling Spanish hills spotted with quaint white houses. We found a restaurant on the way home and enjoyed the tasty Spanish delicacy tortilla Espanola bocadillos, my favorite. Six of us went in on two cartons of ice cream on the way back to the hotel and then watched the movie Meet Joe Black. The movie was different, but I liked it, except the part where Brad Pitt was nailed by two cars within seconds of each other and went flying into the air like Megan on the diving board in the summer. Something like that shouldn’t happen to someone with such a beautiful face! This morning Sarah and Erica and I went for the most amazing run I’ve had so far in Spain. We found our way up this hill and into the countryside, then we started running into this forest, but we saw some tents, probably from some pilgrims, and we got scared so we left. We ran back along this beautiful stream and arrived in time for breakfast at the café next to the hotel. We got ready for the day and then went exploring in this really neat park a little ways outside of the city. I’ve walked so much in the past three days it is unbelievable! My legs keep telling me to stop, but I haven’t succumbed to their pleadings. We bought some fruit, bread, meat, cheese, and digestive crackers and put together bocadillos for the bus ride t
o Leon. We just stopped in this random town a few minutes ago, which was incredible. I think the population there in the winter is probably 17. All of the buildings are the same color of reddish orange stone with green doors, the city was very small and surrounded by countryside like in Pride and Prejudice. I really cannot capture the charm in words so I am just going to stop trying. Well we are about forty five minutes outside of Leon and Fernando our bus driver is blasting some Spanish disco type music. He usually does this when we start to look tired; well I am excited to see what Leon has in store! Hasta.
08/03/08
Leon was great, we pulled in around eight last night and then a group of us headed out to look for something to eat. We found this restaurant called Pizza Latina and we decided to check it out, the waiter led us downstairs because there was nine of us and we were the only ones in the restaurant. Usually this is a bad sign, but it was still only 8:30 and the Spaniards don’t eat until 9:30 or later. Our waiter saw us dancing to the music while our food was being prepared, so he turned it up and we were dancing the whole time we were eating. After our meal he brought us out nine hot peppers and most of us took the challenge and ate the whole thing, my mouth was on fire, but it was fun. As we were getting up to leave, the song we heard at the institute dance came on over the speakers so we all started dancing and I am sure our Spanish waiter was dying of laughter. Today five us got up early and ran and then were at the bus by nine to go to the cathedral. The cathedral was absolutely gorgeous, probably my favorite up there with the one in Toledo. It was unique in that it had tons of huge windows all with stained glass lining every wall. The sight was amazing! It made the cathedral so much more cheerful and bright, it felt like I was looking through a giant kaleidoscope. After the cathedral we walked to the plaza mayor where there was a huge market in progress. I bought a banana and some apples and had the most pleasant time just looking around at all the vendors with their fruit, vegetables, nuts, honey, and cheese. It reminded me of Thursday nights at the farmers’ market in Lodi, except in Spanish. We walked in a few museums and then spent some time at a cool park before grabbing a kebab for lunch and then heading back to the bus. This week has been so great, I love traveling and seeing other parts of Spain. I am excited to see Ana and Oscar, but I am not looking forward to going back to school, especially because we have our History 202 midterm on Wednesday. It is so hard to be studious here, but Monday and Tuesday I’m going to hit the books hard core and get an A on that test. Well only about five and half more hours on the bus, madre mia!
09/03/07
We stopped at the Coco castle on the way back home and took a half an hour break. It was a beautiful castle, supposedly the most beautiful in Spain, and has been perfectly preserved for centuries. It was fun to explore the grounds and imagine what life would have been like living there hundreds of years ago. The ride home went by surprisingly very fast, I got some studying done and had a good talk with Sarah. We were just talking about our plans for the future with graduating from BYU, graduate school, marriage, and our future families. We have very similar goals and views on life and it was great talking about all of the thoughts that have been going through my head recently. Before we knew it we were back in Alcalá. It felt good to see Ana again and we had a nice conversation about our trip over dinner. Church today was incredible, I just love Sundays here. Relief Society and Sunday school were inspiring, I am going to try my best this week to evaluate my life and improve on those things that I need to work on. Sacrament meeting was also awesome, my institute teacher whom I love spoke and the amazing pianist was at his prime today in the hymns. I understood practically everything today, which is a testimony to me of the help God is giving me with learning and understanding Spanish. We just finished a delicious almuerzo of rice with Ana’s homemade salsa, chicken, salad, and ice cream for dessert. Yum!
It was really neat seeing the University especially because I had studied
about it during the preparation class last semester. I loved seeing the old library full of ancient books and old globes. The old staircases in the library are painted with images of bullfights and other cultural activities. In the past it has been a tradition for the students to sign their names on the staircases with bull blood. We were actually able to see some of the blood stains which was really cool. In front of the University of Salamanca there is a statue of Fray Luis de Leon. This man was a very famous Spanish poet and professor at the university who was greatly persecuted by the inquisition. He was put into prison for several years, but after he was let out he resumed his teaching career at the university. He was reported to have commenced his first class after his five year absence by saying, “As I was saying yesterday…” We got to go into the classroom he taught in and it was just fun imagining what life would have been like studying at the university during that time. Christopher Columbus was also known to have visited the University of Salamanca to discuss his voyage plans with the professors. After our tour we walked around the beautiful Salamanca Plaza and Rachel and Erica stopped for dinner, but I had no need to eat because Ana packed me a bocadillo with tortilla Espanola the size of my lower leg- that is no exaggeration. Oh it was so fun Monday night making tortilla with Ana, she taught me how to make it and I just had so much fun talking with her. She told me that I’m going to make it next time so that I can practice it. Well that night we didn’t do much because it was freezing cold, but we did have some great talks. I love our group, we all have so much fun together and everyone is just so great. Wednesday morning Sarah and I went running, which felt amazing even though I thought my lungs might freeze. We had breakfast and then boarded the bus for the very long bus ride to Santiago de Compostela, the holy Catholic city that thousands pilgrimage to each year to see Saint James’ grave the patron saint of Spain. On the way there our bus driver took us to two amazing beaches along the North-west coast of Spain. When I saw the ocean outside of the bus windows I couldn’t stop smiling! The first beach we went to was a quaint port full of small fishing boats, some of us sat on the dock for awhile just taking in the beautiful sights, sounds, and smells of this darling coastal town. There was a beach to the right of the dock with a surprisingly good amount of whole shells, so I collected a handful and then we headed back to the bus to go to the next beach. The second beach was a famous beach that reminded me of Sunset beach just outside of Santa Cruz. We had to walk over a small sand dune on wooden planks and then when we crested the hill the shore was seemingly endless in both directions. It was about four in the afternoon and the sun was shimmering on the water like Jana’s ring in the sunshine. I hadn’t been to the ocean in so long and it felt so good to breathe in the air and have my feet in the sand. It was not warm, but the air was fresh and felt incredible. We danced around on the beach for an hour, we were literally running and twirling and splashing our feet in the chilly Atlantic for our whole break. Unfortunately we had to leave the coast and head inland and we arrived at our hotel that evening around eight. Sarah, Erica, Rachel, and I went to the grocery store and bought cereal, milk, bananas, plastic spoons and cups and enjoyed the most delicious dinner in our hotel lobby. I hadn’t had cereal in two months and it was amazing! The next morning we were out early at 8:30 AM to start our four mile pilgrimage to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The cathedral was beautiful, and it had the most fantastic alter. We went to the pilgrim mass at noon and met a few people who had been walking for a month straight from France to get there. People come from all over to visit the shrine of Apostle James making it the third holiest site in Christendom, after Jerusalem and Rome. We saw the giant rope that holds the five foot three inch, 120 pound incense burner, which is about the same size as me before I started eating all of Ana’s cooking. During the heavy pilgrimage season they break out this giant incense burner and swing it from the ceili
ng of the cathedral to cover up the stench of the pilgrims who have been traveling for so long without bathing. Afterwards we wandered around the city, visited the pilgrimage museum and a convent and then came upon a Santa Susana Iglesia. We walked around the iglesia and found a grassy field so we laid down and enjoyed the beautiful sunshine. After awhile an old Spanish woman came over and told us we were laying on a cemetery! After our siesta we decided to hike an hour or so up this random hill to watch the sunset over the beautiful cathedral and pueblo. It was so worth it when we got up there. We sat on this ledge and watched the giant sun sink behind the rolling Spanish hills spotted with quaint white houses. We found a restaurant on the way home and enjoyed the tasty Spanish delicacy tortilla Espanola bocadillos, my favorite. Six of us went in on two cartons of ice cream on the way back to the hotel and then watched the movie Meet Joe Black. The movie was different, but I liked it, except the part where Brad Pitt was nailed by two cars within seconds of each other and went flying into the air like Megan on the diving board in the summer. Something like that shouldn’t happen to someone with such a beautiful face! This morning Sarah and Erica and I went for the most amazing run I’ve had so far in Spain. We found our way up this hill and into the countryside, then we started running into this forest, but we saw some tents, probably from some pilgrims, and we got scared so we left. We ran back along this beautiful stream and arrived in time for breakfast at the café next to the hotel. We got ready for the day and then went exploring in this really neat park a little ways outside of the city. I’ve walked so much in the past three days it is unbelievable! My legs keep telling me to stop, but I haven’t succumbed to their pleadings. We bought some fruit, bread, meat, cheese, and digestive crackers and put together bocadillos for the bus ride t
o Leon. We just stopped in this random town a few minutes ago, which was incredible. I think the population there in the winter is probably 17. All of the buildings are the same color of reddish orange stone with green doors, the city was very small and surrounded by countryside like in Pride and Prejudice. I really cannot capture the charm in words so I am just going to stop trying. Well we are about forty five minutes outside of Leon and Fernando our bus driver is blasting some Spanish disco type music. He usually does this when we start to look tired; well I am excited to see what Leon has in store! Hasta.08/03/08
Leon was great, we pulled in around eight last night and then a group of us headed out to look for something to eat. We found this restaurant called Pizza Latina and we decided to check it out, the waiter led us downstairs because there was nine of us and we were the only ones in the restaurant. Usually this is a bad sign, but it was still only 8:30 and the Spaniards don’t eat until 9:30 or later. Our waiter saw us dancing to the music while our food was being prepared, so he turned it up and we were dancing the whole time we were eating. After our meal he brought us out nine hot peppers and most of us took the challenge and ate the whole thing, my mouth was on fire, but it was fun. As we were getting up to leave, the song we heard at the institute dance came on over the speakers so we all started dancing and I am sure our Spanish waiter was dying of laughter. Today five us got up early and ran and then were at the bus by nine to go to the cathedral. The cathedral was absolutely gorgeous, probably my favorite up there with the one in Toledo. It was unique in that it had tons of huge windows all with stained glass lining every wall. The sight was amazing! It made the cathedral so much more cheerful and bright, it felt like I was looking through a giant kaleidoscope. After the cathedral we walked to the plaza mayor where there was a huge market in progress. I bought a banana and some apples and had the most pleasant time just looking around at all the vendors with their fruit, vegetables, nuts, honey, and cheese. It reminded me of Thursday nights at the farmers’ market in Lodi, except in Spanish. We walked in a few museums and then spent some time at a cool park before grabbing a kebab for lunch and then heading back to the bus. This week has been so great, I love traveling and seeing other parts of Spain. I am excited to see Ana and Oscar, but I am not looking forward to going back to school, especially because we have our History 202 midterm on Wednesday. It is so hard to be studious here, but Monday and Tuesday I’m going to hit the books hard core and get an A on that test. Well only about five and half more hours on the bus, madre mia!
09/03/07
We stopped at the Coco castle on the way back home and took a half an hour break. It was a beautiful castle, supposedly the most beautiful in Spain, and has been perfectly preserved for centuries. It was fun to explore the grounds and imagine what life would have been like living there hundreds of years ago. The ride home went by surprisingly very fast, I got some studying done and had a good talk with Sarah. We were just talking about our plans for the future with graduating from BYU, graduate school, marriage, and our future families. We have very similar goals and views on life and it was great talking about all of the thoughts that have been going through my head recently. Before we knew it we were back in Alcalá. It felt good to see Ana again and we had a nice conversation about our trip over dinner. Church today was incredible, I just love Sundays here. Relief Society and Sunday school were inspiring, I am going to try my best this week to evaluate my life and improve on those things that I need to work on. Sacrament meeting was also awesome, my institute teacher whom I love spoke and the amazing pianist was at his prime today in the hymns. I understood practically everything today, which is a testimony to me of the help God is giving me with learning and understanding Spanish. We just finished a delicious almuerzo of rice with Ana’s homemade salsa, chicken, salad, and ice cream for dessert. Yum!
sábado, 1 de marzo de 2008
guapa
Tuesday and Wednesday of this week I studied Spanish all day because I had my final on Thursday. Wednesday night was unforgettable because Ana made pimientos rellenos and my mouth was in heaven. After dinner I helped, but mostly watched her make her famous tarta for her birthday on Thursday. We got a good laugh out of her making her own birthday cake, but she said it was just so good that she had to make it. So imagine five layers and within each layer nata, peaches, and nuts, then repeat. Thursday I was anxious for the first time since I have been here in Spain, I was nervous for my midterm in Spanish because it is a huge part of my grade. I feel like I did well and went on an incredible run afterwards to top it off. I came home and helped Ana and her sister Elicia make paella. Ana’s sobrina and her two kids came over and Ana’s daughter as well. It was quite the fiesta. As I was sitting down at the table I couldn’t stop smiling! I just love living here, I love being apart of Ana’s family and sharing memories with them. Well the food was incredible, I never thought I’d be enjoying seafood, but here I am in Spain eating the ocean. After lunch I talked with Ana’s niece’s daughter Carina for twenty minutes or so. She is seven years old and so darling, she reminds me of a Spanish Hannah. She even taught me a few steps to one of her salsa dances she is learning at dance class, I am planning go watch one of her practices soon. After everyone left I went to the school to use the internet and Jana was on skype so I got to tal
k to her for awhile, which was fabulous. I miss seeing her face everyday! Then I went home and got all dressed up to go to Bella y la Bestia with a big group of girls in Madrid. It was AMAZING! Wow, I was not expecting the play to be so fantastic. The actors, orchestra, costumes, everything was absolutely incredible. I understood almost the entire thing and just had the best time enjoying the theatre experience. We had to run to the train station and just barely made the last train into Alcalá for the night. Friday I woke up early and ran and then quickly got ready to go to Madrid at eleven. The girls I went with hadn’t seen the Royal Palace so I waited outside for an hour until they were finished. I was reading the Spanish dictionary, yes I was actually reading the dictionary and a Spanish man came up to me and asked me if I was trying to learn the language (pretty observant huh?) and I said yes and asked if he wanted to help me. Well we ended up talking for a half an hour and I had the best time. I could understand him perfectly and we just had a normal conversation as if I was talking in English. I still know I’m saying stuff wrong, but I have a lot more confidence- that counts for something right? Right, so after that we ate our bocadillos and then went to the Thyssen museum which was fantastic. You start on the third floor and as you make your way down you are moving forward in time through the different periods of art. We were there for three hours or so and I enjoyed every minute, I think I even liked it better than the Prado because its not overwhelmingly massive and it has a little bit of every style. The Thyssen and Reina Sofia museums are tied for first place in my book. Then went to the Buen Retiro Park, my favorite place in Madrid, to people watch and listen to the drummers that are always there. After awhile we went and got dinner it was my second kebab experience and it was almost as incredible as the first. Afterwards we took the metro to the church stake center in Madrid because we had heard of a single adults dance going on. We arrived and there was a surprisingly large number of Spanish singles. It ended up being a formal Valentine’s dance, but we heard music and all of sudden didn’t care that we were all in jeans. We each got a heart with a number on it, walked in to a valentines decorated gym, and started dancing it up American style. It ended up being one of the most fun nights I have had here in Spain. The heart with the number on it matched up with a guy with the same number who was your dance partner. He taught me a little meringue because he was from Venezuela and that is how they dance there. He had just arrived in Madrid six days ago and it was so fun talking to him and learning about his story. I asked him how my Spanish was sounding and he said it was really good, which made me feel happy even though he was probably just being nice. This one song came on and everyone went crazy it was kind of like the songs in English that tell you what dance to move, but one hundred times better. Arriba, abajo, arriba, abajo, derecha, izquierda… and so on, it was a blast. Once again we had to run to the train station to catch the last train into Alcalá. This morning Ana woke us up quite early because Savi our Japanese sister was leaving to go back to Japan. None of us had any idea that she was leaving so soon, Ana found out the night before! Even though it was hard to communicate with her, I love her so much! We had a lot of good charade sessions and she is just the sweetest most sincere girl. So we stumbled to the kitchen table half asleep and ate breakfast with her. She gave Amy and me some Japanese cookies and a cute note saying things like “Erin es guapa.” We said goodbye and I couldn’t fall back asleep so I went for a run. I met some friends at the plaza around noon and we walked and shopped a little bit and then I came back for almuerzo and now I am sitting here. This week has been oh so amazing and I can’t wait for our five day trip to Santiago de Compostela on Tuesday!
P.S. If you ever are feeling down on yourself come to Spain, I get called guapa at least three or four times a day by men of a wide range of ages. Que guapa tu eres!
k to her for awhile, which was fabulous. I miss seeing her face everyday! Then I went home and got all dressed up to go to Bella y la Bestia with a big group of girls in Madrid. It was AMAZING! Wow, I was not expecting the play to be so fantastic. The actors, orchestra, costumes, everything was absolutely incredible. I understood almost the entire thing and just had the best time enjoying the theatre experience. We had to run to the train station and just barely made the last train into Alcalá for the night. Friday I woke up early and ran and then quickly got ready to go to Madrid at eleven. The girls I went with hadn’t seen the Royal Palace so I waited outside for an hour until they were finished. I was reading the Spanish dictionary, yes I was actually reading the dictionary and a Spanish man came up to me and asked me if I was trying to learn the language (pretty observant huh?) and I said yes and asked if he wanted to help me. Well we ended up talking for a half an hour and I had the best time. I could understand him perfectly and we just had a normal conversation as if I was talking in English. I still know I’m saying stuff wrong, but I have a lot more confidence- that counts for something right? Right, so after that we ate our bocadillos and then went to the Thyssen museum which was fantastic. You start on the third floor and as you make your way down you are moving forward in time through the different periods of art. We were there for three hours or so and I enjoyed every minute, I think I even liked it better than the Prado because its not overwhelmingly massive and it has a little bit of every style. The Thyssen and Reina Sofia museums are tied for first place in my book. Then went to the Buen Retiro Park, my favorite place in Madrid, to people watch and listen to the drummers that are always there. After awhile we went and got dinner it was my second kebab experience and it was almost as incredible as the first. Afterwards we took the metro to the church stake center in Madrid because we had heard of a single adults dance going on. We arrived and there was a surprisingly large number of Spanish singles. It ended up being a formal Valentine’s dance, but we heard music and all of sudden didn’t care that we were all in jeans. We each got a heart with a number on it, walked in to a valentines decorated gym, and started dancing it up American style. It ended up being one of the most fun nights I have had here in Spain. The heart with the number on it matched up with a guy with the same number who was your dance partner. He taught me a little meringue because he was from Venezuela and that is how they dance there. He had just arrived in Madrid six days ago and it was so fun talking to him and learning about his story. I asked him how my Spanish was sounding and he said it was really good, which made me feel happy even though he was probably just being nice. This one song came on and everyone went crazy it was kind of like the songs in English that tell you what dance to move, but one hundred times better. Arriba, abajo, arriba, abajo, derecha, izquierda… and so on, it was a blast. Once again we had to run to the train station to catch the last train into Alcalá. This morning Ana woke us up quite early because Savi our Japanese sister was leaving to go back to Japan. None of us had any idea that she was leaving so soon, Ana found out the night before! Even though it was hard to communicate with her, I love her so much! We had a lot of good charade sessions and she is just the sweetest most sincere girl. So we stumbled to the kitchen table half asleep and ate breakfast with her. She gave Amy and me some Japanese cookies and a cute note saying things like “Erin es guapa.” We said goodbye and I couldn’t fall back asleep so I went for a run. I met some friends at the plaza around noon and we walked and shopped a little bit and then I came back for almuerzo and now I am sitting here. This week has been oh so amazing and I can’t wait for our five day trip to Santiago de Compostela on Tuesday!P.S. If you ever are feeling down on yourself come to Spain, I get called guapa at least three or four times a day by men of a wide range of ages. Que guapa tu eres!
lunes, 25 de febrero de 2008
El Lunes
25/02/08
Wow today is the half way point of the program, I don’t want to leave! Starting right now I am going to try even harder to learn and practice Spanish as much as I can. Today was the best Monday ever. I went to school forty minutes early and skyped with Mom and Dad, I love talking to them and seeing their beautiful/tired faces. It is usually close to midnight when we talk, Dad is going strong, but Mom is a little out of it and I love it. I don’t even know what we talked about, but I just love that we can keep in contact even though we are so far away. Class was good this morning, Professor Shumway is a great teacher and I just feel close to him because we spend so much time with him and his family. I love that he knows each of us and is so friendly and helpful. His wife is amazing and his seven kids are all fantastic. Between my two history classes Sarah, Erika, and I went to the market that is held on Mondays and it was awesome. It is similar to the Galt flea market, but they hombres working at the various tables are yelling at you “Guapa, dos por cinco euros!” “Más barato de carne de gato!” One man in the fruit section was yelling guapa at Sarah and I for more than a minute, at the end of the isle I looked back and he was still asking us to buy his fruit, haha it was fantastic. I bought a delicious Fuji apple and enjoyed walking around and seeing what each of them had to sell, we didn’t buy anything, but maybe next week. After the market I went to History 390. We are studying about the Spanish Inquisition right now and examining a specific court case, it is pretty interesting. After class we had a delicious lunch, pastel de patata which is ground meat, eggs, and then papa puree on top and then baked, she usually puts raisins in it, but no fruit surprises this time. I studied Spanish for awhile afterwards and then took off for a great run by the river close to the apartment. I cleaned up a little bit and then went to institute. Mondays we have a devotional at 5:30 and then institute from 6:00 to 7:30. Devotional was really good, Professor Shumway gave the spiritual thought tonight and he talked about how we need to evaluate the first half of our trip and make improvements for the next month and half. It was very motivating and I am excited to improve even more in the next while. Institute class was great, I love our professor Hermano Lopez. Afterwards I came home and did some more homework, then helped Ana get ready for dinner. Dinner was so good and we had the best talk around the table for like an hour afterwards. I just love talking with her, she makes me feel so at home here in Spain. It is her birthday this Thursday and it is going to be a party. Amy and I are making flan for her because she said it’s her favorite dessert, I’ve never tried it, but Amy has a good recipe so vamos a ver! She’s having her sister, cousin, and maybe a few others over for almuerzo and I already know the food will be muy rica so I’m excited. Bueno, I’m going to go study more Spanish!
Wow today is the half way point of the program, I don’t want to leave! Starting right now I am going to try even harder to learn and practice Spanish as much as I can. Today was the best Monday ever. I went to school forty minutes early and skyped with Mom and Dad, I love talking to them and seeing their beautiful/tired faces. It is usually close to midnight when we talk, Dad is going strong, but Mom is a little out of it and I love it. I don’t even know what we talked about, but I just love that we can keep in contact even though we are so far away. Class was good this morning, Professor Shumway is a great teacher and I just feel close to him because we spend so much time with him and his family. I love that he knows each of us and is so friendly and helpful. His wife is amazing and his seven kids are all fantastic. Between my two history classes Sarah, Erika, and I went to the market that is held on Mondays and it was awesome. It is similar to the Galt flea market, but they hombres working at the various tables are yelling at you “Guapa, dos por cinco euros!” “Más barato de carne de gato!” One man in the fruit section was yelling guapa at Sarah and I for more than a minute, at the end of the isle I looked back and he was still asking us to buy his fruit, haha it was fantastic. I bought a delicious Fuji apple and enjoyed walking around and seeing what each of them had to sell, we didn’t buy anything, but maybe next week. After the market I went to History 390. We are studying about the Spanish Inquisition right now and examining a specific court case, it is pretty interesting. After class we had a delicious lunch, pastel de patata which is ground meat, eggs, and then papa puree on top and then baked, she usually puts raisins in it, but no fruit surprises this time. I studied Spanish for awhile afterwards and then took off for a great run by the river close to the apartment. I cleaned up a little bit and then went to institute. Mondays we have a devotional at 5:30 and then institute from 6:00 to 7:30. Devotional was really good, Professor Shumway gave the spiritual thought tonight and he talked about how we need to evaluate the first half of our trip and make improvements for the next month and half. It was very motivating and I am excited to improve even more in the next while. Institute class was great, I love our professor Hermano Lopez. Afterwards I came home and did some more homework, then helped Ana get ready for dinner. Dinner was so good and we had the best talk around the table for like an hour afterwards. I just love talking with her, she makes me feel so at home here in Spain. It is her birthday this Thursday and it is going to be a party. Amy and I are making flan for her because she said it’s her favorite dessert, I’ve never tried it, but Amy has a good recipe so vamos a ver! She’s having her sister, cousin, and maybe a few others over for almuerzo and I already know the food will be muy rica so I’m excited. Bueno, I’m going to go study more Spanish!
domingo, 24 de febrero de 2008
El Valle de los caidos
This past week has been great. Mondays are always busy with school, institute, and FHE, but they are always great days. My institute teacher Hermano Faustino Lopez is great. He has such a great spirit about him and I have learned so much about the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints here in Spain. Wednesday I went to Madrid and did one of our assigned walks of the city. I just love walking around Madrid; it is such a beautiful and lively city! Afterwards Sarah, Rachel, and I took the metro to Plaza de España where the ticket office for el teatro is located. We bought tickets to see Bella y la Bestia this next Thursday and I can’t wait! I am so excited to see this play and even better that it is in Spanish. Thursday I discovered a new area behind the
apartments where I live, there is a nice trail by a small river an
d there were lots of runners out. I had the most amazing run, it was sunny and after a few minutes I was just in a tank top and shorts, the weather was great. Ana and I had some great talks this week. I should really write my thoughts down each day because I am not remembering all of the details; I will start that next week. A little just about the routine, we wake up a little before eight and get ready and then eat two tostadas with jam and usually an apple with Ana and then head off to school. Monday and Wednesday I have my two history classes from 9:00-10:15 and then from 12:30-1:45 and then Tuesday Thursday I have Spanish from 9:00-11:00. I usually exercise in between class or after and then we have lunch around 2:30. Lunch is always yummy, Ana is a great cook. Sometimes it is a little fried for my liking, but it’s all good. She makes really yummy albondigas, vegetable dishes which I can’t quite explain but they are good, stuffed avocados, and sometimes we are blessed with crepes for breakfast or dessert. She also makes us her signature postre de la casa sometimes which is fruit with leche condensada, muy rica. The Spaniards are not too big into dessert, which took awhile for me to adjust to, but my frozen yogurt and cookie dough withdrawals have subsided. I am loving life here in Spain and especially living here with Ana. We have become great friends and just love talking and learning from her.
I had no idea what to expect when we went to El Valle de los Caidos yesterday and it ended up being a very neat experience. It is supposed to be a memorial to those who died on both sides during the Spanish Civil War, yet after visiting the site it becomes very clear that it is really glorifying General Franco and his followers. There is a 150 meter cross, the largest cross in the world, on top of the basilica and you can see it several miles away. The basilica is the second largest in the world, carved out of the side of a mountain and designed in the shape of a cross. As you enter the building the immensity of overwhelms you. The architecture was designed to make one feel small and insignificant, to cause the individual to be in awe of the all powerful Catholic Church. Mass had just started when we arrived and so as we walked down the long hallway towards the chapel the music was echoing throughout the building. Along the sides of the basilica were gigantic statues of men wearing cloaks with their heads bowed, and they gave me a very eerie feeling. Halfway through the mass a bell rang and then all of a sudden the lights turned off and the only thing lit up was Christ on the cross, which stood in the middle of the sacrament table where the priests were blessing the sacrament. Since the basilica is carved into a mountain there are no windows for sunlight to come in and when all of the lights turned off it was pure darkness except for the glowing Jesus. Mass ended shortly after and we were able to view the chapel after the priests left. General Franco’s grave lies right behind the sacrament table, which seems so contradictory to me. Here is a man who is responsible for thousands of deaths of innocent people, yet his body lies right behind the figure of Christ. Unlike the peaceful carvings in the choir seats of the cathedrals we have visited, the choir seats in the basilica were engraved with scenes of killing, war, and human suppression. Also outside of the basilica there are ten sets of ten stairs leading up to the entrance, symbolizing the Ten Commandments. This also seems quite contradictory to me because one of those commandments is “Thou shalt not kill.” It is hard for me to think of this basilica as a holy place of worship when there are 40,000 graves of fallen soldiers just outside of its walls. I have talked to Ana about her thoughts about Franco and she thinks terribly of him and as I have talked with other students in the group, most of their parents feel the same way. There is a large number of people that are currently demanding the removal of the fascist insignia on the outside of the building as well as Franco’s grave so that the memorial can serve as a remembrance for both sides of the war, but nothing has been done so far. Although El Valle de los Caidos is very controversial, I thought it was very interesting to visit and I am anxious to learn more about General Franco and the Spanish Civil War very shortly in History 390.
After El Valle de los Caidos we went to visit El Escorial, the palace of King Phillip II, whom we have been reading about for the past week and half. It was neat being able to tour his humongous home, see the bed he slept in, the library he read in, and the gardens he walked around in when he was stressed with the endless paperwork of his vast kingdom. Knowing so much about him going into El Escorial helped me to appreciate and better understand his life and the great power he held during his reign. My favorite part of his mansion is the library. He was a book fanatic and very intelligent. King Phillip II collected thousands of books and could tell when one was missing or out of place! I also enjoyed one of the hallways on the first floor where the walls were lined with paintings of the life of Christ beginning with his birth, continuing with the stories we know about his life and then ending with his death and resurrection. King Phillip II was a very religious man; he even had his bedroom built above the basilica so that he could hear mass from his bed when he was feeling too ill to attend. I loved our trip yesterday, I learned so much and at the same time had such a great day.
Amy and I got home around eight and we had a delicious meal with Ana and then we were off for movie night at Sarah and Erika’s house. We decided we wanted to make ice cream sundaes, so different people brought different toppings and we made a delicious treat. We watched No Reservations on Emily’s ordenador, the moving wasn’t that great, but we just had a great time laughing at it. Today we walk and Ana had made crepes, so amazing! That woman is an angel. Afterwards we went to the other Alcalá campus where there are sports facilities. We got there about a half an hour before the group so that we could run the track and then afterwards I played in the basketball tournament that we had organized. There were six teams and we played four on four half court. It was so much fun; it had been way too long since I had played basketball! Our team got second place with was great and it just felt so good to be playing out in the sun. Afterwards I came home, did some homework, ate a delicious almuerzo and then was off to Madrid to study with a group in the beautiful Buen Retiro Park. We have our Spanish midterm this week and we all got together to study. We had a good study session outside, the park was full of people and street musicians and the lake was full of paddle boats. I love my life.
apartments where I live, there is a nice trail by a small river an
d there were lots of runners out. I had the most amazing run, it was sunny and after a few minutes I was just in a tank top and shorts, the weather was great. Ana and I had some great talks this week. I should really write my thoughts down each day because I am not remembering all of the details; I will start that next week. A little just about the routine, we wake up a little before eight and get ready and then eat two tostadas with jam and usually an apple with Ana and then head off to school. Monday and Wednesday I have my two history classes from 9:00-10:15 and then from 12:30-1:45 and then Tuesday Thursday I have Spanish from 9:00-11:00. I usually exercise in between class or after and then we have lunch around 2:30. Lunch is always yummy, Ana is a great cook. Sometimes it is a little fried for my liking, but it’s all good. She makes really yummy albondigas, vegetable dishes which I can’t quite explain but they are good, stuffed avocados, and sometimes we are blessed with crepes for breakfast or dessert. She also makes us her signature postre de la casa sometimes which is fruit with leche condensada, muy rica. The Spaniards are not too big into dessert, which took awhile for me to adjust to, but my frozen yogurt and cookie dough withdrawals have subsided. I am loving life here in Spain and especially living here with Ana. We have become great friends and just love talking and learning from her.I had no idea what to expect when we went to El Valle de los Caidos yesterday and it ended up being a very neat experience. It is supposed to be a memorial to those who died on both sides during the Spanish Civil War, yet after visiting the site it becomes very clear that it is really glorifying General Franco and his followers. There is a 150 meter cross, the largest cross in the world, on top of the basilica and you can see it several miles away. The basilica is the second largest in the world, carved out of the side of a mountain and designed in the shape of a cross. As you enter the building the immensity of overwhelms you. The architecture was designed to make one feel small and insignificant, to cause the individual to be in awe of the all powerful Catholic Church. Mass had just started when we arrived and so as we walked down the long hallway towards the chapel the music was echoing throughout the building. Along the sides of the basilica were gigantic statues of men wearing cloaks with their heads bowed, and they gave me a very eerie feeling. Halfway through the mass a bell rang and then all of a sudden the lights turned off and the only thing lit up was Christ on the cross, which stood in the middle of the sacrament table where the priests were blessing the sacrament. Since the basilica is carved into a mountain there are no windows for sunlight to come in and when all of the lights turned off it was pure darkness except for the glowing Jesus. Mass ended shortly after and we were able to view the chapel after the priests left. General Franco’s grave lies right behind the sacrament table, which seems so contradictory to me. Here is a man who is responsible for thousands of deaths of innocent people, yet his body lies right behind the figure of Christ. Unlike the peaceful carvings in the choir seats of the cathedrals we have visited, the choir seats in the basilica were engraved with scenes of killing, war, and human suppression. Also outside of the basilica there are ten sets of ten stairs leading up to the entrance, symbolizing the Ten Commandments. This also seems quite contradictory to me because one of those commandments is “Thou shalt not kill.” It is hard for me to think of this basilica as a holy place of worship when there are 40,000 graves of fallen soldiers just outside of its walls. I have talked to Ana about her thoughts about Franco and she thinks terribly of him and as I have talked with other students in the group, most of their parents feel the same way. There is a large number of people that are currently demanding the removal of the fascist insignia on the outside of the building as well as Franco’s grave so that the memorial can serve as a remembrance for both sides of the war, but nothing has been done so far. Although El Valle de los Caidos is very controversial, I thought it was very interesting to visit and I am anxious to learn more about General Franco and the Spanish Civil War very shortly in History 390.
After El Valle de los Caidos we went to visit El Escorial, the palace of King Phillip II, whom we have been reading about for the past week and half. It was neat being able to tour his humongous home, see the bed he slept in, the library he read in, and the gardens he walked around in when he was stressed with the endless paperwork of his vast kingdom. Knowing so much about him going into El Escorial helped me to appreciate and better understand his life and the great power he held during his reign. My favorite part of his mansion is the library. He was a book fanatic and very intelligent. King Phillip II collected thousands of books and could tell when one was missing or out of place! I also enjoyed one of the hallways on the first floor where the walls were lined with paintings of the life of Christ beginning with his birth, continuing with the stories we know about his life and then ending with his death and resurrection. King Phillip II was a very religious man; he even had his bedroom built above the basilica so that he could hear mass from his bed when he was feeling too ill to attend. I loved our trip yesterday, I learned so much and at the same time had such a great day.
Amy and I got home around eight and we had a delicious meal with Ana and then we were off for movie night at Sarah and Erika’s house. We decided we wanted to make ice cream sundaes, so different people brought different toppings and we made a delicious treat. We watched No Reservations on Emily’s ordenador, the moving wasn’t that great, but we just had a great time laughing at it. Today we walk and Ana had made crepes, so amazing! That woman is an angel. Afterwards we went to the other Alcalá campus where there are sports facilities. We got there about a half an hour before the group so that we could run the track and then afterwards I played in the basketball tournament that we had organized. There were six teams and we played four on four half court. It was so much fun; it had been way too long since I had played basketball! Our team got second place with was great and it just felt so good to be playing out in the sun. Afterwards I came home, did some homework, ate a delicious almuerzo and then was off to Madrid to study with a group in the beautiful Buen Retiro Park. We have our Spanish midterm this week and we all got together to study. We had a good study session outside, the park was full of people and street musicians and the lake was full of paddle boats. I love my life.
domingo, 17 de febrero de 2008
16/02/08Yesterday the bus left Alcalá around nine and we arrived in Segovia about noon after taking a few stops for picture opportunities. The first stop for pictures was my favorite because we stopped right beneath the beautiful castle. I felt as if I was in a movie, locked away in the tallest tower awaiting Prince Charming to come slay the dragon and rescue me, sorry we watched Shrek on the bus last night with the Shumway kids. Anyways the castle was just as beautiful on the inside as out. My favorite room had sixty or so figurines of kings and queens in thrones lining the ceiling on a ledge. I have not seen anything quite like that in any other building I’ve been in, so I liked that it was so unique and different. Beneath each royal leader there was a short
biography of their reign, which was helpful to figure out where they fit in with all of the history I have been reading. Another very interesting fact about the castle is that it was the location where Christopher Columbus finally got approval for his first westward journey from King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. I tried to imagine the situation as I walked through the throne room and I just love that I am actually visiting these historical places where great moments in history took place. I have read several different views and opinions about Columbus in the past month and we have also discussed him in class a few times. Although there are many people who do not give him much credit and criticize him for mistreating the indigenous people of new lands, I feel that he was inspired by God to make his various expeditions and I am grateful for all of his discoveries. Also within the castle was a portrait of Philip the II who we have been reading about in great detail in History 390. It was neat being able to make a concrete connection with him as I was standing in a place that he had once resided. Visiting historical places has greatly increased my appreciation and interest in history.Another architectural masterpiece in Segovia was the cathedral. The original cathedral was known as Santa Maria and was designed in a Romanesque style; however, during 1521 it was destroyed in the Comuneros War. Four years later Charles V decided to construct a new cathedral in its place and dedicate it to The Ascension of Maria to Heaven and Saint Frutos, who is the Patron Saint of Segovia. Construction began in 1525, but it was not officially consecrated until 1768. Although the exterior of the original cathedral was thoroughly demolished, the contractors were able to use the original choir, cloister, and baptismal font in the newly completed cathedral. I was glad that I knew this fact while viewing the cathedral because it made the building seem more historic and ancient to me. Unlike the original cathedral, the architects designed it in more of a Gothic style and it stands as the last cathedral built with this type of architecture because the influences of the Renaissance were beginning to felt. It was neat walking around the cathedral because there were about twenty small chapels around the exterior and some were full of paintings of Christ. Viewing so many sculptures and paintings of Christ on the cross suffering so much made my heart ache. I know that his sacrifice was essential in the plan of salvation and that without it I would not be able to repent of the things I do wrong, but I prefer to remember Christ in the moments when he was blessing the needy or teaching the people the words of God. In a book that we just finished for History 202, The Samurai, it talked about these Japanese merchants who sailed to Mexico and Spain in order to open up trade routes between Spain and Japan. These men stayed in monasteries throughout their long journey and in each room the main character stayed in there was a figure of Christ on the cross. He had no knowledge of Christianity and he could not understand how so many people worshiped such a weak and “wretched” man as he called him. As I was walking around the cathedral yesterday I could understand the point of view of this Japanese envoy. He did not know of the great miracles Jesus Christ had performed or the important and inspired lessons he taught, all he saw was this beaten man upon the cross. Eventually this Japanese man is taught that because Christ suffered all of these things he can relate to the sorrows, heartaches, and trials of every person who lives, have lived, or who ever will live. That one can turn to him for not only forgiveness, but also comfort and peace. I am so grateful for my Savior and his love that I feel each day. My favorite part about Segovia were the aqueducts, they are massive and they go on for more than 3 miles!! It was just amazing to me that they were built around 20 AD and they still carry water from the mountains today, the only working one in the world!
After we finished walking around Segovia we boarded the bus and went to a small town called Pedraza for dinner. The city was desolate when we got there; there was literally no one anywhere. We found an old castle and played games outside of it for awhile as the sun was setting and then we headed of for dinner. Segovia is famous for their lamb and suckling big, so a big group decided to pay twenty eight euros for this experience. I, and about ten others, was not apart of this group because I’m not the biggest meat fan and I am also pretty stingy when it comes to money. Some girls and I split a big loaf of bread and called that dinner and I was quite content. I heard the dinner was great and probably the best part was that one of the girls in our group ate a lamb’s testicle. Wow, all the power to her… I could not do that! We arrived home around midnight and everyone had a great time.
17/02/08
Yesterday I woke up pretty early and went for a run at the park by my house. It was about eight and the sun was still behind the mountains. The empty field next to the park was very misty and as the sun began to rise I felt as if I was in Pride and Prejudice at the end when Mr. Darcey and Elizabeth find themselves in that field together at dawn. It was just so beautiful; I can’t describe it in words. I was so glad I had woken up early and been able to experience that. Amy and I met a small group at the train station at 10:30 to go to the temple. We set a goal at the train station to talk in Spanish the whole trip. We were successful and it ended up being a fantastic day. The temple was amazing. I felt such peace and comfort while there, I just love being so close with my Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ. After the temple we ate our bocadillos outside in the sun. Ana had made us bocadillos with tortilla Espanola, and wow my mouth was in heaven! After that we decided to do a required walk for one of our classes, so we walked around a new party of Madrid and saw various buildings with medieval architecture. We ended up in the Plaza Mayor which was full of people. Some were eating in cafes, others were watching the random people dressed up in costumes, and some were just sitting on the ground enjoying the beautiful sunshine. That night Sarah and Erica had a movie night at there house and we watched A Knights Tale to pay our respects to Heath Ledger who recently passed away from an overdose of sleeping pills, very sad. I love that movie and it was fun just hanging out and watching a movie in English.
Today was Stake Conference which was great. It was broadcasted from Madrid and Elder Scott and President Monson spoke. Elder Scott speaks Spanish, which I didn’t know, and so it was neat to hear him and I was able to understand everything because he spoke so clearly. Today was also so special because it was the first time that I have heard President Monson speak since he had become the new prophet. I definitely received a confirmation that he is a prophet of God and I was very thankful for that. Right now I can hear Ana and her sister making lunch, which I am very excited about, so I think I am going to go see if I can help. Adios!
miércoles, 13 de febrero de 2008
Just Another Tuesday in Spain
Yesterday was such a good day! Spanish was good in the morning and then I went home and went for a good run at the park close to my house and then over to the other park that has some work out equipment. I was on one of the machines when this older woman came over to me and started talking to me. We started talking about where I was from and the various places that she had visited. Her name
was Pilar and she was so sweet. Right in the middle of our conversation about the mountains in Colorado she looked at me and said, “Erin, crees en Jesucristo?” Wow! It was very random, but I enjoyed it because then we got to talk about Jesus Christ and all that he has done for us and for everyone. We talked for about ten minutes, but she had to go home to prepare food for lunch, she was making tortilla Espanola and I was tempted to follow her home because it is so good! She gave me two besos goodbye and I’m hoping I’ll get to talk to her again in the future. I went home and Ana had made a delicious lunch and then arroz con leche for dessert, it was delicious. I went into Madrid after lunch with some friends and we walked around the Buen Retiro Park, which was by far the prettiest park I’ve ever been to. There is a beautiful lake in the middle of it and there were lots of people out boating in it. We are definitely going to rent a paddle boat on the next sunny day. We walked around for a few hours and then went to the Prado because it is free from six to eight. We walked around the 19th Century exhibit and it was neat seeing paintings about the people I’ve been studying about, like Joanna the mad, Philip the fair, Isabella, Ferdinand, and others. I got home around nine and we had a yummy dinner, oh but wait the weirdest thing happened to me on the bus on the way home. There was this older guy sitting across from me that kept smiling at me and doing something with his phone, but I was just looking out the window minding my own business. Well as he got off the bus he took a picture of me and then blew me a kiss! Gross, he was like fifty years old! Anyways, I just finished with classes for today and I’m about to head home for lunch. I love Spain!
was Pilar and she was so sweet. Right in the middle of our conversation about the mountains in Colorado she looked at me and said, “Erin, crees en Jesucristo?” Wow! It was very random, but I enjoyed it because then we got to talk about Jesus Christ and all that he has done for us and for everyone. We talked for about ten minutes, but she had to go home to prepare food for lunch, she was making tortilla Espanola and I was tempted to follow her home because it is so good! She gave me two besos goodbye and I’m hoping I’ll get to talk to her again in the future. I went home and Ana had made a delicious lunch and then arroz con leche for dessert, it was delicious. I went into Madrid after lunch with some friends and we walked around the Buen Retiro Park, which was by far the prettiest park I’ve ever been to. There is a beautiful lake in the middle of it and there were lots of people out boating in it. We are definitely going to rent a paddle boat on the next sunny day. We walked around for a few hours and then went to the Prado because it is free from six to eight. We walked around the 19th Century exhibit and it was neat seeing paintings about the people I’ve been studying about, like Joanna the mad, Philip the fair, Isabella, Ferdinand, and others. I got home around nine and we had a yummy dinner, oh but wait the weirdest thing happened to me on the bus on the way home. There was this older guy sitting across from me that kept smiling at me and doing something with his phone, but I was just looking out the window minding my own business. Well as he got off the bus he took a picture of me and then blew me a kiss! Gross, he was like fifty years old! Anyways, I just finished with classes for today and I’m about to head home for lunch. I love Spain!
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