La familia

So these past few days have been a little different because now Felipe (our host Dad) is back home with his two daughters.  Last week it was just Melissa, Cristina, and I at home because Felipe was gone with his daughters in Leon.  Now he is back, and it's been really fun getting to talk to him, and his daughters.    


The first day he was home we were just sitting at the kitchen table and making small talk.  Felipe was really sweet and said that for these weeks Melissa and I are like adopted daughters to him.  He said that if we ever have a problem while we are here we can come to him, except for money, haha.  He also said that if I ever have any questions about what he is saying or don't understand something, I should stop him and he will try to help me understand.  Him and Veronica are really good about asking me if I know certain words and stopping to explain them to me.  He likes to joke around a lot too, and he also tries to learn English.  He will ask us how we are, and we will answer in Spanish, then we will ask him and he will try to answer in English.  He says he will teach us Spanish and we will teach him English.  


Felipe was also in the Military for awhile and told us some really cool stories from when he was in the service.  One of the stories he told was when he was about 18 and first starting to fight and was still a little nieve about things.  He said they were driving their army car on the road and it was really icy.  All of a sudden a little boy slipped on the eyes, fell on his knees, and slid under the car.  They were in a bad neighborhood and he said that you never stop your car or else you will probably get attacked.  But because of the boy who slid underneath, Felipe said to stop the car.  Then a whole bunch of other people came up  and pointed their guns at Felipe and everyone else who was in the car.  This was the part where I got a little confused, but somehow or another, guns ended up being  pointed at this little boy, and they said "We'll let you go if you let this boy go."    So the boy was used as bait to help them pass through.  It was really cool the way he told it though.  


Tonight was really fun at dinner. Their daughters Veronica and Estella left so it was just Cristina, Felipe, Melissa, and I.   The dinner was really fun.  It tasted good, and also we were just joking around and laughing and having fun.  Cristina kept piling more and more food on Felipe's plate and Felipe was like no, I can't eat any more.  Then he said that the meal he was going to eat was the biggest sin he has ever committed.  Then he was joking about how he would need to take a siesta after, and then how Siestas are a national sport.  If our teacher asks us what it the most popular national sports are we say 'siestas' hahaha.  I also learned some new words at dinner.  Felipe will always address me as "Senorita Julia" (pronounced Hoolia).   He will say do you know this word, Senorita Julia?  So I learned that broma means joke and pepina means cucumber.  Good to know!  I am going to start writing down all the new words I learn.  Then after dinner Cristina started singing, and it was just really fun and in a lot of ways reminded me of my family at home because we sing a lot.  It also made me realize that people aren't all that different no matter where you live.  I think I had it in my mind that Spaniards are really serious and boring, but they are actually just like us and like to joke around and have a good time!

Segovia!!

Yesterday we took a field trip to Segovia!  Segovia is a city in Spain about 2 hours from Valladolid.  It was so beautiful! I liked it because it was small and kind of in the country.  There were mountains, and it had a lot of history.  Some of the buildings have been there since the first century.  The history in Spain is really cool because a lot of the buildings are so old, where in the United States our country hasn't even been around for as long as some of the buildings in Spain have.  Here are some pictures of Segovia...

Then this morning we went to Mass with our family.  I didn't really understand any of it, and also am not used to going to a Catholic church, but it was still kind of cool.  We were talking to our host dad after and he said that usually after church people go to bars and get a glass of wine and talk for awhile.  I thought that was funny because no one does that in the United States, but at the same time it would be nice to just sit, talk, and relax after church. So after church we toured this war museum in Valladolid (free on Sundays), and then had a glass of wine at the bar.  Then we went home for lunch.  We had paella, which is basically rice and sea food, it was good, but a little intimidating because all the seafood in it still had the shells and eyes on them! That's how all the seafood is served here.  Also, the name of this blog and url are different, so for all my readers, if you forget how to get to this blog, the url is juliagross.blogspot.com.  Also, thanks to everyone who actually reads this! It makes me feel more connected to ya'll! Gracias y Adios!

culture differences

So there are random little differences between the U.S. and Spain.  


One, most of the doors the doorknobs are in the middle of the door instead of on the left. 


Two, they only drink coffee or hot chocolate for breakfast.  The first day our host mom made us coffee and it was super strong.  I drank it the first day, but I'm not a big coffee drinker so the second day she made it again, but I didn't really want to start drinking coffee now and also was rushing a little to get ready before school so the next day I didn't finish mine.  Then she came up to me and said, "You don't like the coffee?"  And I said, "Oh no, I just don't usually drink coffee."  Then she said, "Oh what would you like to drink then, hot cocoa?"  And I said, "No just water is fine."  Then she laughed a little and said that I couldn't drink water for breakfast, no one drinks water for breakfast.  I laughed too a little and thought she was just joking that I couldn't have water because it was different or whatever, but I didn't think she actually wouldn't let me.  But then the next morning I tried to drink water and she poured it out and  made me hot cocoa instead.  I really just wanted water but I understand, her intentions were good. She said that if I didn't drink coffee or hot cocoa I would be hungry for the rest of the day, so she wanted to make sure I wouldn't get hungry.  Haha it was funny, but seriously like no one drinks water here, and that's basically all I drink.  There are no water fountains anywhere, not even at the gyms.  If you want water you either have to get it from your house or at a bar.  I'll probably have to start carrying a water bottle with me.  


Another difference here is the eating schedule.  We eat breakfast around the same time, like 8am, but lunch isn't till 3pm and dinner isn't until 930 or 10pm.  It's really different.  Also, lunch is the biggest meal of the day not dinner.  I always think it's over and then she brings out something else for us to eat.  She is a really good cook though, and I've liked everything she's made.


A couple other interesting differences is that at restaurants and bars you don't have to leave a tip.  Also their day for bad luck is Tuesday the 13th instead of Friday the 13th.


Later today we also had our conversation partners.  Thats where two of us get to talk with a Spainard for an hour and just practice speaking in Spanish.  I really liked it, and I feel like I'm already getting better at speaking it.  He even said that I was doing a good job and that my American accent wasn't bad.   Well, that's all for now, tomorrow we are going to go to a soccer game! Adios!

Flight Day = Longest Day of My Life

Yay, my host family has wifi!  This will make it easier to post more often.  This is the first time I've had access to the internet so far, so I have alot to write about!  

I woke up at 8:30 on Friday morning and we left for the airport at around 10.  From Chicago I flew to D.C, and I was surprised that it wasn't as crazy as I thought it would be with NATO and everything.  Everything went pretty smooth.  I had about an hour once I got to DC, and then from there we flew to Madrid.  We got to Madrid at 7:30am, which is 12:30am in the U.S.  I couldn't really sleep on the plane, so I was pretty tired when we got there.  There were three of us on that flight and the majority of the group didn't get there till noon.  Then there was one girl we had to wait for who didn't get there till like 4, so we were waiting in the airport for 8 1/2 hours.  Needless to say it was a long day, and it was all I could do not to fall asleep, I was so tired.  At around 4 we took a bus to Valladolid, which was about 2 hours away and there Melissa(my roommate) and I met our host family.  They both are so nice!!! I'm so thankful that they are our host parents.  They are so hospitable and treat us like their own children.  For dinner she cooked us Patata, and it was delicious.  Then she took us on a small tour of Valladolid and it was beautiful!!  The buildings are so quaint, and the architecture is beautiful, and everyone walks places, its pretty laid back.  When we got back to the apartment we basically went right to bed because we were so tired.  I counted, we had been awake for 31 hours straight, so I was EXHAUSTED.  Arriving in Spain, everything was kind of a big shock all at once.  I was in a new country with all new people that I hadn't met before speaking a whole new language sleeping in a new house with no cell phone or internet to connect with familiar things right away, and I think the combination of all the newness and lack of sleep made me feel like crying.  I really missed my family and friends back home and it's like I wanted to go back but I realized that I was here for 6 more weeks.  

This morning we woke up at 830 here and I felt so much better and happier after sleeping 11 hours.  Our host mom Cristina said that when we shower we had to turn off the water when we shampoo and stuff to save the hot water.  Well, I got up and used the shower and it was already FREEZING!  I tried turning it to the right and it was really cold, then I kept it it the center, still cold, then I turned it to the left and it was warm for like half a second then got cold again.  I hope I don't have to take a cold shower everyday!  Once we got ready Melissa and I took the bus to this building where we took a placement exam for our Spanish classes, once we took that we had an orientation to the University, then took a tour of the city.  We went back to our house for lunch at 3, and now I am blogging in my room and getting ready to take a nap.  Here they call them "siestas."  It's kind of funny they like close down all the stores and basically shut down the city from 2-5 because everyone is taking their siesta.  Haha.  Anyway, still getting used to all the change, but everything is so great!

Getting Ready to Leave!

So for those of you who don't know, I am spending the next six weeks studying abroad in Valladolid, Spain!  I leave tomorrow, and I am making this blog to keep everyone updated on my Spain experiences since I will have limited time and access to communication while I'm there.  I will try to be regular about posting and keep you all updated and entertained!  My friend Elizabeth made a blog when she was in London and she always kept it interesting with her stories so I will try to do the same for you!


For the most part I am all packed up and ready to go!  I found out who my roommate will be and the host family that we will be staying with.  Their names are Cristina and Felipe Martinez.  They are 53 years old and have two daughters Estela and Veronica, ages 30 and 26, who live with them.  (Don't worry in Spain it is normal to have older children still live with you).  I am excited to meet them and get all settled in.  My goals for the trip are to improve my Spanish.  I think that would be so cool to have a dream in Spanish! And my other goal is to take at least one picture every day, probably more.  I'm sure I'll take alot of pictures but I don't want to go a day without taking any.  
I'll probably blog tomorrow in the airport, I'm sure it'll be crazy because I'm flying out the same day that this NATO conference is going on.  Should be interesting...stay tuned!!! :)