Sound of music, part two.

lifeinalcala’s photostream on Flickr.

If you want to see more pictures from my weekend trip to Segovia, check these out. If you start at the very end of the album, the photo progression makes more sense. I hope you like them!

Frogs, castles and the ‘sound of music’

Have you ever seen the first scene from the “Sound of Music?” You know, the one where Maria runs through the mountains belting how the hills are alive?  Basically, that was my weekend.  Oh, and I can’t leave out the castle, palace, aqueduct, cathedral and the cafeterías.

Layered up and ready for the cold in La Granja. You can see start of the awesomeness (Palacio Real) behind me.

How is it possible to visit all these places in one weekend?  Simple.  Just hop on a bus heading to one of the coldest places in Spain. Segovia.  And while the Visit Segovia Web site may say, “The city’s elevation of 3,280 ft. provides a refreshing atmosphere during the long summer evenings,” don’t let that fool you.  Despite all the warnings I got from Alcalá locals (Jose Luis from choir, the mom of one of my English students, my host mom…) and the three layers of pants, thick socks, boots, a warm sweater, jacket, gloves, scarf and a hat, I was still not prepared for the incredible cold that was Segovia that morning.

It was so much colder and more like an ice skating rink than we ever could have imagined.

La Granja
But the view of the mountains from the bus on our way there made me forget the cold (until we got off the bus of course).  We made our first stop at La Granja, the summer home of King Philip V and ten minutes away from Segovia.  In every garden there is at least one fountain, with 26 fountains overall, and they each represent some mythical story.  (One story: a king was angry that people made fun of his sons so he turned them all into frogheads. Hence the word “frogs” in my title.)  At this point the view was so breathtaking…that we started singing Edelweiss.  I felt like a Von Trapp family singer.

After slipping and sliding back down the long drive to our bus (new phrase: Ten cuidado, el suelo está rezbaladizo! Be careful, the floor is slippery!) we were on our way to Segovia.

I can't even begin to imagine the work it took to pull this aqueduct together.

Segovia
After gulping down our bocadillos (snacks) as fast as we could, we were there.  How could we tell?  Well if the winding streets, houses and hills didn’t give it away, the huge aqueduct in the middle of everything did.  According to Javier, proffessor/tour guide/generally brilliant person, the Roman aqueduct was used to carry water from the top of the mountain to the village.  The crazy part..only the top part is made out of cement.  The rest of it was built with just one stone set on top of another.  How does it all stay together??

After wandering past the tempting cafés (it wasn’t time for lunch, but we were ready!) we ended up in one of the most elegant buildings in Europe, the Cathedral.  There was so much religious artwork.  (Now I understand why there was a painting of the Virgin Mary on the side of a semi-truck on the way home).  What fascinated me most was the huge book of music on a turntable in the middle of the room.  You couldn’t even read the notes, but the choirs would sing for hours from this book.  And we think play rehearsal is bad.

The Cathedral is one of the most intricate arquitectural wonders I have seen so far.

Finally, we got a lunch break and ended up eating ponche, a typical Segovian dessert, and Cola-Cao, basically hot milk and Nesquick.  It was perfect.  Especially, when we found out that the café also made pizza.  After lunch we searched for postcards, hats, a shotglass and earrings.  Because it was “siesta time,” there were only a few shops open, but with our shopping skills we found everything…except the shotglass.

Ponche. Sugar. Pure sugar.

And then…we made it to the castle, the Alcázar.  Have you ever seen Cinderella’s castle in Disneyland? Well, this is where Walt Disney got his grand idea.  (Even though he sued everyone who tried to use the idea after him..) This Medieval castle was built almost 800 years ago and used as a fortress along with a popular vacation spot for King Alphonso VI.  This is also where Queen Isabel was proclaimed queen and later gave her financial backing so that Columbus could “discover” the new world.  The view from the turrets was amazing, but I loved the tapestrys the most.  The 12th century Spaniards were so smart.  What better way to keep your room warm and have a conversation starter?

The castle named Alcázar. I know there were secret pasages somewhere. If only we had more time..

Back in Alcalá
After a long cold day, we were finally home.  But we weren’t finished yet.  We still had a birthday part for our host mom, Charo.  She was so surprised when we showed up at the friend’s house she was just leaving.  She couldn’t understand why we all had to climb back up the stairs again.  When we opened up the door and everyone jumped out and yelled surprise from behind a curtain that I didn’t even see, I almost had a heart attack.  There were so many people, talking so fast, drinking wine and eating food.  My host sister and I made feeble attempts at conversation with Alvaro (a friend of the family or someone’s husband?).  After appetizers, soda, wine, champagne, cake and pie it was time.  For sleep.  I was done for the next day…but it was absolutely worth it.

A lazy Saturday in Alcalá

Check out my most recent slideshow of life in Alcalá de Henares. It’s so beautiful and warm here, it’s insane. (Actually not warm…everyone here keeps talking about how cold it is..but it is warmer than Ohio!)

Máchinas de ejercisio en el parque? – Exercise machines in the park?

More pictures of REAL adventures to come this weekend. We’re visiting Segovia, which Jose Luís, one of the bases in my choir, says is one of the most beautiful places in Spain…I can’t wait to see it!  Click here to check out the route from Alcalá to Segovia. Have you ever traveled to Segovia?  Or any other place in the world starting with an “S” for that matter?

Why is that gypsy throwing rosemary in my face?

Branch, white-out and social butterfly.  The three new words my English student learned in our two hours of conversation.

I’m amazed at how well she can speak English, along with Spanish, French and I’m pretty sure German (and write Latin and Greek).  And, she dresses well.

It seems like the kids in Spain eat better, speak ten billion languages better, dress better than most kids in the U.S.  Can I raise my kids here please?  And yes, she does go out with her friends and watches movies like many high-school students.  But this girl watches French movies like Amelie and Delicattesen.  Can you say culture?

My friend lives on the fifth floor. When he looks out his window, he sees socks that have fallen into the trees below!

Cultural Differences
Speaking of culture, life in Spain is different than anything I have experienced in the states.  After living in Spain for just over two weeks, I’m pretty sure that I am now more comfortable with making mistakes and forgetting words (in Spanish and English) than I have ever been in my life.  Some people talk about big “C” culture and little “c” culture.  Here are a few of the smaller “c” things that make Spain, well, different.

Underwear on Clotheslines.
You’ve seen it in the movies.  Laura Ingals Wilder hangs her petticoats on a clothesline to dry while the tumbleweed blows accross the prarie.  Well, here in Alcalá there is a clothesline hanging outside the window from the first floor to the tenth, complete with underwear, bras and socks..minus the tumbleweed.  And if you’re on the first floor, let’s just say the fact that you wear “granny panties” will never be a secret again.

Our tour guide advises us to steer clear of the gypsies.

Everywhere you turn, there’s a Chiuwuiwa.
So many small dogs.  Seriously.  Because all of Alcalá is like one giant apartment, there’s nowhere to fit the Golden Retriever.  It seems like everyone owns at least one small dog.  It’s SO difficult to walk by these little Poodles without stopping to pet them.  Sometimes I pretend to say, “hi” to the owner just so I can whisper, “Hola, perro,” really fast as the puppy tags along behind.

Don’t look at the gypsies.
That little sprig of rosemary the kind lady gives you? Not a present.  It’s a way to find out how much money you have.  So far, I think I have been advised five different times to just keep walking whenever a gypsy tries to give me a “present.”  They seem completely harmless, but when our tour guide, Roshan said, “Yesterday, I was accosted by two of them,” I’m pretty sure they mean business.

Do people in Spain ever get the munchies?
Three meals a day.  But what about the fourth, fifth and sixth?  I definitely eat less often then I did in the states.  If you don’t count raiding the kitchen in the middle of the night.  Just remember, when it’s dark you can’t really tell that those cookies are really digestive bisquits.

Even the graffiti is pretty here..

Graffiti as a form of artwork. Graffiti probably covers about half of Madrid’s building space, and bridges, signs, streets, trees.  Slight exageration, but I have never seen so much graffiti in my life.  I guess the old, deserted buildings in the parks and around the city make for a really good canvas.

But not everything’s different.  There are startling similarities that I never realized would exist.  There are still health nuts, like me, living in Spain who eat weird things like seaweed and waaay too many apples.  (My host mom for example loves making us soup: lentil soup, garbanzo soup, pea soup, tapioca soup…)  But that’s a topic for another blog post.

In the meantime, what do you think?  I want to hear your stories about cultural adjustments.  Have you ever experienced a cultural difference?  What did you do to adjust?  Any and all survival tips are welcome.

Are you new here? Why yes, yes I am.

The running path is so beautiful. It's worth waking up early to see the sun rise behind the mountains.

This morning, I went up to an exercise machine in a park close to our piso, or apartment.  I think you are supposed to stand on it and swing your legs back and forth which will hypothetically result in rock-hard abs.  After walking around it a few times, trying to read the directions and hopping on like I knew what I was doing, the guy standing next to me asked, “Es tu primer tiempo aqui?”  (Is this your first time here?)  How did he know?

Earlier that day, I learned the importance of knowing how to turn the key in our door. I spent about ten minutes turning the key to the left and to the right before I finally gave up.

“Charo, la llave no funciona,” I asked my host mom.  (Charo, the key doesn’t work.)

Yes, the key did work.  You just have to jiggle it to the right a bit turn it three times and pull at the same time to open the door.  Hey, at least I know we’re safe at night.

The sun is just coming up behind the cliff, which seems like it's formed out of rock, but it's actually dirt. I wouldn't want to scale that wall..

Later, I found out how to spell Exuperancia.  I have never heard of such a unique name in my life.  Thankfully, I wasn’t alone.  The six other students that I’m teaching (English) readily assured me that it’s a difficult name to write even if you aren’t a native Spanish speaker.  The most fun part was trying to write her name on the board, with each person trying to help me find the right letter.  Let’s just say there was a lot of laughter involved.

I’m slowly getting used to most of the major cultural differences (like the siesta after lunchtime…that was an easy adjustment) but I’m just now starting to understand some of the smaller cultural changes.  Such as…besos (kisses) are custom when greeting someone, but that’s not an excuse to ask for more besos when you’re out dancing! But that’s a story for another blog post…

So much learning in one day.  And it’s only been a week since I got here.  Can you imagine how much I’ll learn in four months?  Actually, as long as I know how to unlock the door to our piso, I will be content.

Sabe usted a donde puedo encontrar..?

Standing on a random rock in the Juan Pablo II park near La Escuela Cardinal Cisneros.

The title of this story is: “Do you know where I can find…?”  Another title could be: how many local people can I ask for directions in less than an hour?

This morning I decided to take the bus to school.  After getting (what I thought were) clear directions from Charo, my host mom, I thought, “I can do this. I know Spanish. I can make it from the post office to the bus stop to school. Easy.”  Well, with a lot of questions and a little direction, I finally made it to my class a half hour late.  Being late was completely worth it.  Why?  I got to practice my “street Spanish” all morning long.

My first stop was the tobacco shop to buy a bus pass.  I asked a lady on the street where it was after I had turned down a few wrong streets.  She looked at me like I was a little bit crazy and pointed to the store right in front of my face.  My second stop was the post office.  I asked another lady walking her tiny dog where I could find Los Correos.  Again, right in front of my face.  We both had a good laugh.  After the post office, I tried out of few bus stops before I finally found the one that just seemed to be the right one. (Actually, I waited at one bus stop, got impacient and went to a different stop, before talking to a couple and realizing that I had the right one to start with!) Once on the bus, I met Angel (pronounced an-hel) who was going to visit his granddaughter at the school right next to mine.  When I heard that my heart sang!  When we got off of the bus, that sweet old man told me to keep going straight.  I, of course, had to take the first left I found.  After two more people gave me directions, I finally reached the school gates.  I have never been happier to see two large pieces of metal in my life.

My friend, Nicolas, and I are getting exercise in the park with bicycle pedals in front of the bench...very different cultural experience: you don't just watch your kids play, you get your exercise too!

So, like I said, quite the adventure, but I got to practice asking questions to random Spanish speakers all morning.  It was so challenging, but strangely fulfilling at the same time.  The culture in Spain is so different.  I’m not talking about the big cultural differences, like the fact that all the stores close down around two in the afternoon so we can all take siestas.  I’m talking about the small things.  I originally thought that people in Spain just weren’t all that friendly because they hardly ever make eye contact or smile on the street.  Today, after talking to ten different people, I am slowly changing what I thought before.  Not only were the local people willing to help me..they were willing and enthusiastic to talk to me.

It’s only the fourth day here in Alcala, and I am starting to feel like part of the community.  Even though I’m still trying to find the best route to school.  I can’t wait for the day when I know the route with my eyes closed (I would never do that, Mom!)  Vale, poco a poco.  It will all get easier little by little.

Culture Shock…kind of.

Trying to stay awake in the Madrid airport. Photo taken by Shayna Noonen, my awesome roomate.

Eating a large meal at two in the afternoon, sleeping after the meal for an hour, walking around downtown at9 p.m. and watching families with their kids running all over the Plaza Mayor and the streets.  These are cultural norms I learned about before, but when I actually saw them in action, it felt radically different.

After a short overnight flight, I woke up to a city full of lights.   So many lights, it seemed like the major parts of the city of Madrid were connected by circles of glowing lite brights.  I was in awe of the modern-looking airport with huge bright yellow supports to hold the building up.  After spending five hours there waiting for the program directors,  I got over my awe for those supports. We traveled less than 20 minutes to Alcala traveling through what seemed to me like a glorified mountainous desert.  Some places were bare, very mountainous and at some points green trees popped up for miles.

Our new host moms were excitedly waiting for us at one of the bus stops. I just knew who our mom was even though I had never met her before.  Sure enough, I was right, and we walked five bloks past supermercados, apartamentos and tons of other small shops y barros before we reached her apartamento.  As soon as I walked in I knew I was in love with the city, this apartment and everything about Alcala.   After lunch, soup with garbanzo beans, celery, carrots and couscous, bread and a strange kind of fish (tasted like tuna)  it was time for siesta!  One hour and I was up and going like a crazy person with plenty more energy to finish the day out.

I'm finally here!

As we started our tour, I began to realize that everyone we walked by was speaking Spanish.  Obvious right?  Well, even though I had been speaking Spanish to my host mom the entire afternoon, something about being the odd one out, the one who didn’t know the language well enough to fire out more than a few sentences rapidly, caught me off guard.  Definitely a chance to enhance my skills of observation..and now I know how it feels to be in a new place where I don’t really know the language as well as I thought I did.

Tapas, appetizers, are an important part of Spanish culture, because they give people the opportunity to gather around small appetizers and drinks, and spend time talking.  It seemed like we talked all night!  Well, I mostly listened and threw in a few phrases here and there, but what else can you expect for the first day?  (and ate all night…I thought we were done after the first order of seven tapas. Nope. Our host families ordered another round along with drinks. So many potatoes, hamburgers, tuna fish in tomato sauce, sausage, bread and cheese, bread and sardines, bread and tomatoes, you get the idea.  Lots of bread. )

That’s it for the first day.  Did I experience culture shock?  To a certain degree, absolutely.  Alcala is so different than what I am used to, but that’s the beauty of it.  I get to learn every day from a new challenge to understand and experience a different cultural norm.  I am so thankful for an opportunity to get rid of some of this jet lag..sleep.

Only $3,500 left to go!

I am almost there.  I still need about $3,500 for room and board and travel expenses.  Every donation makes a difference.  Contributing $20 each month for the next three months will make it way easier to pay my room and board.  Giving $100 will take a HUGE portion out of expenses.  I have a win-win proposition for you.  You share of your financial abundance.  I share all my experiences with you.

And do you want to make a super easy donation?  Here is one of the safest ways to use your credit card to make a quick donation.  In the next few days I will be posting a donation button for easy access to PayPal, where you can make a donation directly to support my study abroad experience.  Keep your eyes peeled.  In the meantime, please email me at agailhouse@gmail.com if you would like to make a direct donation.

Thanks so much for your support!

A Heartfelt “Thanks”

I would like to dedicate this simple post to my wonderful friends and family that are sponsoring me to study abroad this coming January.  Thank you so much for your heartfelt giving in support of my endeavors.  Your prayers, believing and financial support have made a huge impact in my preparation to go to Spain.  So far, I was able to purchase my plane ticket because of your sponsorship.  I am only $4,500 away from achieving my goal to receive room and board in Spain!

While this is the time of year that you see generosity more than ever, your willingness to give the past few months has inspired me to keep my believing strong.  With your help, I see myself studying Spanish and blogging to tell you all about it when I arrive in Spain on January 7.  (I know..it seems so soon!)

Giving bring joy to both the giver and the recipient.  Your donations and support continue to bring joy to my life.  I  look forward to sharing my victories with you as I keep the updates coming.  For now,  I just want to thank you again for all your love, giving and support.

Ready for takeoff…(almost!)

I can’t believe it.  This time next month I will be landing in Madrid, right outside of Alcalá.  I have no idea where I’m staying, who my host family will be, what classes I’m taking, let alone how to carry on an intelligent conversation with the native Spanish dialect.  Am I nervous?  Nope.  All that just adds to the excitement.

What will the future hold?  How many euros will it take to buy a sandwich?  How do I successfully book a flight in Spain, and what do they think about vegetarians??   Thankfully, I’m starting to understand some of the colloquiallisms and culture with my preparation to study abroad class, but the real learning comes when I get on that plane and start the four months in Spain.

Tapas, another word for delicious. I can't wait to try them!

 

Goals for “Adventures in Alcala” This blog is not all about the good times in Spain.  As a journalist and public relations specialist, I will share the facts, some culture analysis, human connections and narratives and history.  Who knows?  I might even throw in some embarrassing stories.  We’ll see as the semester gets started.  Because I will be communicating to friends, family, Spanish classes back in Bowling Green, Ohio be on the lookout for both Spanish and English posts.  In the next few days, I will be finding out how I’m paying for room and board.  I will update scholarship results over twitter and facebook…so keep reading!

My new love interest, the very handsome Don Quixote de la Mancha, is famous in Alcala.

 Resources Here are a few resources I am using to get ready to go on the adventure of a lifetime.  The college prowler site is my favorite, because it combines history and present day tips for success.

• IIEPASSPORT, study abroad connections (What to pack? Find out here)
• College Prowler Guide to Alcalá (Everything from the government to best places to shop)
• CIA World Factbook (Do you know how many people in Spain use a cell phone?  The CIA does.)
• Study abroad program blog (See some pictures of students’ host family homes)
• Restaurantes (Spanish site about some of the best food in Alcala)
• El País (Find out local Madrid news in Spanish)
• Imagewest (For all you PR fans out there, check out this Bowling Green, Kentucky student firm’s Web site)

I know it’s alot of information, but when you’re getting ready to go out of the coutry for the first time (besides Canada, but is that really going out of the country?) you’ll take all the information you can get.

Want to stay in touch? For more updates, follow me on Twitter by searching for @agailhouse or check out my LinkedIn profile.  Get ready for a flurry of updates as I get closer to January 6.  There’s no stopping me now.