I can't believe how fast the time has gone! It's already Rosh Hashana again. (For those of you who don't know what that is, it's the Jewish new year.) How did it get here so quickly?? I was going to try and do something about services, but it kind of just sneaked up on me. But as it turns out, I did some unintentional things for Rosh Hashana!
I am loving my Thursdays. Really the only day of the week I'm not fond of at the moment is Wednesdays. But Thursdays I am really enjoying. Thursdays is my Art History class, where we walk around the morning and then go over everything again in our afternoon session. I get my exercise, learn some stuff and get a chance to talk with my friends Rebecca and Moriko. But this week, we got to go to the Sinagoga del Tránsito. We got to go to a Synagogue!! I was really excited because I was able to actually teach the professor something! I like being able to do that... It helps me form a relationship with the professor. So I got to explain a bit about what Rosh Hashana is, what a Yad is (the pointer people use to read from the Torah), the fact that the Torah wears clothes... It was really fun! Just before we left the synagogue, she was talking to the whole group and said, "We have a special helper today! She's going to help me explain some things." Clearly she was referring to me. Whatttttt?!?! No pressure or anything... Anyhow, we finished our tour/explanation of the synagogue and we were free to do as we wished.
I headed back to the Fundación and sat on the computer for an hour while I waited for lunch to be open. Normally I would wait until 2:10pm when Kami and Elle get out of class, but my Art History professor had sprung the fact that we had a 3rd class at 2:40pm on us, so I had to eat early. I ate instead with Rebecca, Moriko, Laura, Grace and Christina. They are silly.
After lunch, I headed up to class at 2:40pm. We spent the next 50 minutes talking about "arte Judío". At the end of the 50 minutes she told the class that if they had any questions to go ahead and ask me. "Uh oh..." I thought. "Here we go." Fortunately they asked questions I could answer. One kid asked what the function of a Rabbi is. I told him that the Rabbi basically leads the services... the same thing that would happen at Mass. He (or she) leads the prayers, gives a sermon and tells people when to stand up and sit down. That was the best I was going to be able to explain it in Spanish. Another girl asked me if I'd seen any other synagogues and if they looked alike. I said that all synagogues have similar features: an arc for the Torah, a bima, etc, but that in structure each can look different. A second girl asked me if it would be appropriate for a non-Jew to attend Friday night services. In my experience, I told her, that that is fine. People have to learn about other religions somehow... I had one girl ask me after class if I keep Kosher. I was really shocked that people actually asked questions. Usually when teachers do that no one wants to ask anything. I hope this gets me extra credit or something. Or at least a few extra points on my essay. I doubt it, but it would be nice!
From 3:30pm until 4:45pm we had our normal class. We spent the 1hr 15mins talking about the architecture of the cathedral. It was less words this time and more pictures. Normally I don't like that, but this time I think it actually helped. I spent the class drawing! :) I'm a doodler anyway, so this worked well for me! This part of the class felt like it took longer though. It wasn't probably as bad as it felt, but given that we'd been sitting there for 50 extra minutes. Finally 4:45pm rolled around and we were free to go.
I was supposed to hang around and figure out hotels for Rome and Paris, but Kami and Elle didn't get out of class until 6 something and I didn't want to wait. So instead, we did it all via Facebook. It was harder than it should have been, but in the end, we have everything booked. Yaaaaaaaaaaay!!! We are officially all set for Rome and Paris!! I am SOOOOOO excited!!!
We got everything booked and then I settled down with my "parents" and my "sister" to watch the new episode of "El Barco". This one dealt with killer mosquitoes. Ewwwww... I already don't like mosquitoes and this definitely didn't help. This one wasn't as intense as other ones, but it does manage to make me wanting to know what's going to happen! After the show ended, we all were exhausted and headed to bed.
Friday, September 30, 2011
"¡¡¡Super Interesanísimo!!!"
It's that time of the week again... Philosophy class. Ugh. Fortunately this week it wasn't too bad. But this is how he started off the class: "Today we are going to study Spanish philosophy. But first, we are going to make sure there is a Spanish philosophy." What?? We all looked at each other and were thoroughly confused. How are we supposed to do that?
At it turned out, it really didn't matter... We just talked about happiness anyway. I feel like that is the stereotypical philosophy question: "What is happiness? How do we define it?" But that was our topic for the day. We ended up coming to the conclusion that if our happiness depends on an object or another person, then we are slaves to that object/person. I don't like that interpretation. I'm not a slave. We all have a choice, thus we are not slaves to anything. So take that philosophy.
My philosophy class finished and I literally just sat there because my next class was in the same room. So I sat there and waited for everyone else to get there. It was going only going to be half of us there anyway. The other half of the class going to the Residencia to meet their "abuelos". While they were gone, we were supposed to watch the movie of Lazarillo de Tormes (the book we are currently reading). But apparently there was a miscommunication between our professor and the librarian (who was going to put on the movie for us), so we sat there for the first 20 minutes wondering whether we were supposed to stay and wait or if we could leave. Finally Elle and I went and talked to the librarian. When we came back, the rest of the class had left. Somehow, the Fundación got them all to come back. We watched the movie until 12:45pm when our class ended and we all dispersed.
It was Elle's day to go talk with her "abuelo", but she didn't know how to get to the Residencia. She knew that I'd been there on Monday so she asked me to show her how to get there. Fortunately the bus that takes us there goes right by my house. UNfortunately, she didn't know where to get off, so I got off with her and showed her how to get all the way there. Thankfully the Residencia isn't too far from "home", so I just walked back rather than taking the bus.
It wasn't too hot out, but I was sweating by the time I got back from carrying my purse and my backpack. I got home, chatted with my "mom" for a minute and then hopped in the shower while she made my "sister" and me lunch. I ate lunch and then just hung out for a bit until I had to leave for class. I got there a little bit early because I needed to buy my ticket to go see a play in Madrid with one of my classes. I ran into Elle as I walked into the building and she went with me to buy my ticket. Then I hung out in her room for a bit before heading to class. We agreed that by Friday we would have everything booked for France and Italy.
I went to the second half of my philosophy class, and it (miraculously) passed quickly. When I got home after class, my "grandparents" were over. Nights around here are very relaxed, so I ate dinner with my "sister" and then hung out in the living room and chatted with everyone. At some point, they left and it was just the four of us again. My "sister" went back to the computer and my "mom" and I watched TV until it was time to go to bed. :)
At it turned out, it really didn't matter... We just talked about happiness anyway. I feel like that is the stereotypical philosophy question: "What is happiness? How do we define it?" But that was our topic for the day. We ended up coming to the conclusion that if our happiness depends on an object or another person, then we are slaves to that object/person. I don't like that interpretation. I'm not a slave. We all have a choice, thus we are not slaves to anything. So take that philosophy.
My philosophy class finished and I literally just sat there because my next class was in the same room. So I sat there and waited for everyone else to get there. It was going only going to be half of us there anyway. The other half of the class going to the Residencia to meet their "abuelos". While they were gone, we were supposed to watch the movie of Lazarillo de Tormes (the book we are currently reading). But apparently there was a miscommunication between our professor and the librarian (who was going to put on the movie for us), so we sat there for the first 20 minutes wondering whether we were supposed to stay and wait or if we could leave. Finally Elle and I went and talked to the librarian. When we came back, the rest of the class had left. Somehow, the Fundación got them all to come back. We watched the movie until 12:45pm when our class ended and we all dispersed.
It was Elle's day to go talk with her "abuelo", but she didn't know how to get to the Residencia. She knew that I'd been there on Monday so she asked me to show her how to get there. Fortunately the bus that takes us there goes right by my house. UNfortunately, she didn't know where to get off, so I got off with her and showed her how to get all the way there. Thankfully the Residencia isn't too far from "home", so I just walked back rather than taking the bus.
It wasn't too hot out, but I was sweating by the time I got back from carrying my purse and my backpack. I got home, chatted with my "mom" for a minute and then hopped in the shower while she made my "sister" and me lunch. I ate lunch and then just hung out for a bit until I had to leave for class. I got there a little bit early because I needed to buy my ticket to go see a play in Madrid with one of my classes. I ran into Elle as I walked into the building and she went with me to buy my ticket. Then I hung out in her room for a bit before heading to class. We agreed that by Friday we would have everything booked for France and Italy.
I went to the second half of my philosophy class, and it (miraculously) passed quickly. When I got home after class, my "grandparents" were over. Nights around here are very relaxed, so I ate dinner with my "sister" and then hung out in the living room and chatted with everyone. At some point, they left and it was just the four of us again. My "sister" went back to the computer and my "mom" and I watched TV until it was time to go to bed. :)
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Mini Weekend!!
The night before, I had gotten an email from my Service Learning professor (Yuki) saying that she had a family emergency and wouldn't be here until October 2nd. I was really sad to hear that there was an emergency, but I was happy not to have class! It is my only class on Tuesday's and at 6:20pm, so it was nice to not have to lug myself all the way there for one class so late. Given that there was no class, my day really wasn't that eventful.
I got up around 11:00am and ate breakfast. I changed into my sweatpants and settled down on the couch... where I would stay literally all day. Now, I wasn't just sitting there watching TV. I wrote an essay for my Literature class and did almost half my reading for that class also. So I wasn't unproductive! The essay took most of the day anyway. I eventually decided that I'd had enough of homework, so I closed down my computer and put down my books and finally watched some TV. My "grandparents" came over at some point and I chatted with them. When my "dad" got home, he looked over my essay and corrected my grammar. I definitely have problems with two particular types of grammatical errors: reflexive verbs (verbs that end in "se") and the subjunctive. I hate those two. I don't like grammar in general, but especially those two things. Besides grammar, he helped reword a few things and then I was good to go.
I just relaxed after sending off my essay to my professor. My "mom" made my "sister" and me dinner and not long after that, there was a new episode of "Homicidios" on. My "mom" and I watched it while my "dad" went to sleep and my "sister" was on the computer. Before I went to bed (after the show ended), I proposed the idea of a "family game night", just like my family does at home. I explained that my family tries to do something like that every once in awhile because we are all so busy most of the time. It gives us a chance to spend some quality time together. Those memories are some of my favorite of my family. I warned them that it might sound a bit strange to them (since I don't know what their traditions are), but she seemed to like the idea. I told her that in my house the rule is no TV, no phone and no computer. The point is to be completely present in whatever we are doing. She said that we will see about doing a game night this weekend. I'm really excited!! It should be a lot of fun!
I got up around 11:00am and ate breakfast. I changed into my sweatpants and settled down on the couch... where I would stay literally all day. Now, I wasn't just sitting there watching TV. I wrote an essay for my Literature class and did almost half my reading for that class also. So I wasn't unproductive! The essay took most of the day anyway. I eventually decided that I'd had enough of homework, so I closed down my computer and put down my books and finally watched some TV. My "grandparents" came over at some point and I chatted with them. When my "dad" got home, he looked over my essay and corrected my grammar. I definitely have problems with two particular types of grammatical errors: reflexive verbs (verbs that end in "se") and the subjunctive. I hate those two. I don't like grammar in general, but especially those two things. Besides grammar, he helped reword a few things and then I was good to go.
I just relaxed after sending off my essay to my professor. My "mom" made my "sister" and me dinner and not long after that, there was a new episode of "Homicidios" on. My "mom" and I watched it while my "dad" went to sleep and my "sister" was on the computer. Before I went to bed (after the show ended), I proposed the idea of a "family game night", just like my family does at home. I explained that my family tries to do something like that every once in awhile because we are all so busy most of the time. It gives us a chance to spend some quality time together. Those memories are some of my favorite of my family. I warned them that it might sound a bit strange to them (since I don't know what their traditions are), but she seemed to like the idea. I told her that in my house the rule is no TV, no phone and no computer. The point is to be completely present in whatever we are doing. She said that we will see about doing a game night this weekend. I'm really excited!! It should be a lot of fun!
Monday, September 26th
I can't believe I'm actually going to say this... But I think I am actually liking Monday's. I can't think of a time when I have ever said that. I have one class at 10:05am until 11:20am and then starting this week, I go to the retirement home to talk to my "abuela" for an hour. This is the first week we all go on our own and I was really nervous about remembering how to get there.
Our class went fairly quickly. We spent the majority of the time going over the questions about the second act of Lazarillo de Tormes. I must have been yawning a lot because at one point my professor came over and asked me, "Have you rested??" She was worried about me because I was yawning and I must have looked tired or something. I knew I was yawning a lot, but I didn't think I looked that tired... Apparently I did. I made sure to keep volunteering to read out loud to prove that I wasn't as tired as I looked :)
Class ended and I headed to the bus stop with two people from my class, Jordan and Tyler. None of us where positive about how to get to the "Residencia", but between the three of us, we figured it out. We arrived and the women that Jordan and Tyler are talking to were waiting for them outside. They are hilarious. We chatted with them for a few minutes when we arrived and for a few before we left. They made Tyler turn bright red! He denied it. Anyhow, I found my "abuela" and we started talking. We talked about a little of everything. We talked about my weekend, my host family, my biological family (I feel like I need to differentiate between the two), our ex boyfriends, her husband, flamenco music, music in general, dancing, singing... The list goes on! I told my "mom" that I would be home somewhere around 1:00pm-1:15pm, but I didn't get back until closer to 1:30pm because I lost track of time. That's how much fun it is! She told me just before I left that she really enjoys talking to me because a) I'm just so much fun to talk to (nahhh, she didn't say that...) and b) because I understand her almost perfectly. I'm glad she enjoys talking to me as much as I enjoy talking to her! I'd say I'm doing pretty well in connecting with Spaniards to far :)
At 1:15pm I realized that I needed to go. I quickly (but politely) excused myself and went home. My mom had lunch ready for me since she knew that I needed to be back at the Fundación at 2:50pm. I ate quickly, checked my email for any last minute updates about my meeting at 2:50pm and caught the bus back to the Fundación. The meeting was for people living with families only. We sat around in small groups for the first part and talked about our families. We were asked about things that surprised us/things we like/don't like/wish were different/etc. After that we all headed to the plaza (Zocodover) that is near the Fundación so we could learn how to "recharge" our bus passes for October. Recharge isn't quite the right word... We get a certain amount of rides each month (the cost was included in our tuition for the program) and towards the end of each month we need to make sure it's good to go for the upcoming month.
After our cards were good to go, so were we. I had my stuff with me so I could just catch the bus home without having to walk all the way back, but Kami and I had promise to go talk to Elle afterwards (who was back at the Fundación). So back we headed to figure out details for our Barcelona trip. I think we are officially deciding on going the weekend of October 7th-9th, which is the same weekend the others are going, but we are going separately. We've yet to book anything, but those are the tentative plans at the moment. We were trying to figure out if we should take the bus, train or plane, but I'm pretty sure none of us could focus very well since we were exhausted. We finally came up with something resembling a plan and Kami and I walked all the way back to the bus stop.
I got home and, to my surprise, everyone was home. My "mom" made my sister and I dinner and then she and my "dad" left to go somewhere. They never really say where they are going... Anyhow, before they left, they told my "sister" to go over her spelling/grammar stuff with me as she was reviewing for a test the next day. She wasn't terribly happy about being told to review (which I suppose is typical 12-year-old behavior... Or just any-year-old behavior!), but we did it anyway. We were reading through one of her papers and she came across the word "hiato". I'm not entirely sure what it means, but we got the giggles because it sounded like Italian! Well, if you say it with the right accent. We sat there laughing for at least five minutes. It was really really funny for some reason. We released lots of endorphins! Hahaha... When we stopped laughing, we started taking pictures with Photo Booth on my computer... which only made us laugh again! It was a lot of fun and definitely a good bonding moment!
My "parents" got home by 10:30 so we could watch one of the TV shows I'm hooked on now, called "Aguila Roja". We all sat and watched the new episode and then all headed to bed because it ended at 12:30am.
Our class went fairly quickly. We spent the majority of the time going over the questions about the second act of Lazarillo de Tormes. I must have been yawning a lot because at one point my professor came over and asked me, "Have you rested??" She was worried about me because I was yawning and I must have looked tired or something. I knew I was yawning a lot, but I didn't think I looked that tired... Apparently I did. I made sure to keep volunteering to read out loud to prove that I wasn't as tired as I looked :)
Class ended and I headed to the bus stop with two people from my class, Jordan and Tyler. None of us where positive about how to get to the "Residencia", but between the three of us, we figured it out. We arrived and the women that Jordan and Tyler are talking to were waiting for them outside. They are hilarious. We chatted with them for a few minutes when we arrived and for a few before we left. They made Tyler turn bright red! He denied it. Anyhow, I found my "abuela" and we started talking. We talked about a little of everything. We talked about my weekend, my host family, my biological family (I feel like I need to differentiate between the two), our ex boyfriends, her husband, flamenco music, music in general, dancing, singing... The list goes on! I told my "mom" that I would be home somewhere around 1:00pm-1:15pm, but I didn't get back until closer to 1:30pm because I lost track of time. That's how much fun it is! She told me just before I left that she really enjoys talking to me because a) I'm just so much fun to talk to (nahhh, she didn't say that...) and b) because I understand her almost perfectly. I'm glad she enjoys talking to me as much as I enjoy talking to her! I'd say I'm doing pretty well in connecting with Spaniards to far :)
At 1:15pm I realized that I needed to go. I quickly (but politely) excused myself and went home. My mom had lunch ready for me since she knew that I needed to be back at the Fundación at 2:50pm. I ate quickly, checked my email for any last minute updates about my meeting at 2:50pm and caught the bus back to the Fundación. The meeting was for people living with families only. We sat around in small groups for the first part and talked about our families. We were asked about things that surprised us/things we like/don't like/wish were different/etc. After that we all headed to the plaza (Zocodover) that is near the Fundación so we could learn how to "recharge" our bus passes for October. Recharge isn't quite the right word... We get a certain amount of rides each month (the cost was included in our tuition for the program) and towards the end of each month we need to make sure it's good to go for the upcoming month.
After our cards were good to go, so were we. I had my stuff with me so I could just catch the bus home without having to walk all the way back, but Kami and I had promise to go talk to Elle afterwards (who was back at the Fundación). So back we headed to figure out details for our Barcelona trip. I think we are officially deciding on going the weekend of October 7th-9th, which is the same weekend the others are going, but we are going separately. We've yet to book anything, but those are the tentative plans at the moment. We were trying to figure out if we should take the bus, train or plane, but I'm pretty sure none of us could focus very well since we were exhausted. We finally came up with something resembling a plan and Kami and I walked all the way back to the bus stop.
I got home and, to my surprise, everyone was home. My "mom" made my sister and I dinner and then she and my "dad" left to go somewhere. They never really say where they are going... Anyhow, before they left, they told my "sister" to go over her spelling/grammar stuff with me as she was reviewing for a test the next day. She wasn't terribly happy about being told to review (which I suppose is typical 12-year-old behavior... Or just any-year-old behavior!), but we did it anyway. We were reading through one of her papers and she came across the word "hiato". I'm not entirely sure what it means, but we got the giggles because it sounded like Italian! Well, if you say it with the right accent. We sat there laughing for at least five minutes. It was really really funny for some reason. We released lots of endorphins! Hahaha... When we stopped laughing, we started taking pictures with Photo Booth on my computer... which only made us laugh again! It was a lot of fun and definitely a good bonding moment!
My "parents" got home by 10:30 so we could watch one of the TV shows I'm hooked on now, called "Aguila Roja". We all sat and watched the new episode and then all headed to bed because it ended at 12:30am.
Monday, September 26, 2011
"Family" Day!! Yaaaaaay!!
I think Sunday's are officially my favorite day of the week. I get to sleep in, everyone is in town (meaning my "brother") and we all head over to my "grandparents'" house for the day. We all eat lunch together and watch movies/television and talk and laugh...... It's so much fun! I wish every day could be like Sundays :)
Well, this time we got there around 1:00pm. I sat in the kitchen with my "mom" and "grandma" while they worked on getting lunch ready. I asked if I could help, but they told me not to worry about it and just sit and watch. So sat down in a part of the kitchen that is out of the way and watched as they worked on our lunch. It smelled DELICIOUS! My "grandma" was making paella. Paella is normally made with different types of seafood, something that I'm normally pretty picky about. But I figured that, when in Spain, do as the Spaniards do. So I kept my mouth closed about it (well, not literally, because then I wouldn't be able to get food in my mouth...) and tried some. They put mostly clams and chicken in it, and it was as delicious as it smelled! I don't know what they did to the clams because I normally don't like them, but in the paella they were amazing!
Ok, for this part of my story... brace yourself. (Are you braced??) Choosing to live by my (modified) saying "When in Spain, do as the Spaniards do"... I had to try something that I was nervous about. Ready for this?? ...................... *drum roll* ....................... OCTOPUS! I know it is probably more common than I give it credit for, but it even looked like a tentacle. With the little suction cups and everything... Everyone was laughing at me because I sat there staring at it for awhile, trying to convince myself to put it in my mouth. I explained that it's not that I don't want to try it, it's that I have a hard time eating things that still look like the animal. They just laughed harder... Again, why does everyone seem to laugh at me?? :( Hahaha... Anyway, I finally ended up closing my eyes and sticking it in my mouth. I sat there chewing as everyone stared at me. Talk about pressure... Bahahaha... It wasn't bad! Though the whole idea of sticking tentacles in my mouth kind of creeped me out. But I tried it! :) Aren't you proud of me?? I was!
Anyway, after lunch they made a dessert for me that is normally made for Christmas, but as I'm not going to be here, they decided to make it early. It was really good! It was basically milk, sugar, cinnamon with some crumbled bread. It was really really good. I would have had more than one bowl, but I was already stuffed from all of the paella I ate! I finished my bowl and we (the women: my "mom", "grandma" and I) sat talking while the men cleared off the table. When they were done, we all sat down (minus my "grandpa") to watch a movie. We were going to watch the 4th Pirates movie, but only the sound worked. So we watched a movie called "Lope" instead, which was all about the life of Lope de Vega, a Spanish poet/playwright/author. It was more historical than we were hoping for, but it wasn't bad. At one point the caption said that it was taking place in Madrid, but the city they were showing... was Toledo! We all sat there thinking, "Wait a minute..." It was really funny :) We talked for a bit after the movie and my "grandma" asked me if I was happy with them. I said, "More than happy! There isn't a way to explain how happy!" And she smiled really big and said, "As us with you!" I wasn't terribly worried about it, but it was certainly nice to hear!
After the movie we hung around for another couple of hours. I spent part of them watching a movie on TV and the other part I spent sitting outside by the pool with my "grandparents" and my "mom" while watching my "dad" clean the pool. It was really kind of funny... I we sat there watching him clean. Oh! And the bees/flies wouldn't leave us alone. So we must have looked ridiculous trying to swat them all away! At one point my "dad" came over, took the fly swatter away from my "mom" and said, "I'll protect you!" Like I mentioned before (I think), he's a lot goofier than I originally gave him credit for. He killed the bee then went back to cleaning the pool like it was no big deal. So funny!
We left their house around 7:30pm and they dropped me off back at home. My "mom" came in, quickly made me dinner and then left again to go with everyone to go drop off my "brother" so he could go back to school. I ate dinner while Skyping my best friend Kelsey and then chatted with a few others for a bit and then worked on homework. At 10:00pm, the movie "Because I Said So" was on TV in Spanish. I haven't seen it in English, so I was excited to watch it. It was really cute! I understood everything going on, too! Everyone got home around 11:30pm, but I stayed up until 1:00am talking with my mom. She actually had to point out to me that it was 1:00am or else I would have just kept talking. Lol... Typical Sarah, right? :P
Well, this time we got there around 1:00pm. I sat in the kitchen with my "mom" and "grandma" while they worked on getting lunch ready. I asked if I could help, but they told me not to worry about it and just sit and watch. So sat down in a part of the kitchen that is out of the way and watched as they worked on our lunch. It smelled DELICIOUS! My "grandma" was making paella. Paella is normally made with different types of seafood, something that I'm normally pretty picky about. But I figured that, when in Spain, do as the Spaniards do. So I kept my mouth closed about it (well, not literally, because then I wouldn't be able to get food in my mouth...) and tried some. They put mostly clams and chicken in it, and it was as delicious as it smelled! I don't know what they did to the clams because I normally don't like them, but in the paella they were amazing!
Ok, for this part of my story... brace yourself. (Are you braced??) Choosing to live by my (modified) saying "When in Spain, do as the Spaniards do"... I had to try something that I was nervous about. Ready for this?? ...................... *drum roll* ....................... OCTOPUS! I know it is probably more common than I give it credit for, but it even looked like a tentacle. With the little suction cups and everything... Everyone was laughing at me because I sat there staring at it for awhile, trying to convince myself to put it in my mouth. I explained that it's not that I don't want to try it, it's that I have a hard time eating things that still look like the animal. They just laughed harder... Again, why does everyone seem to laugh at me?? :( Hahaha... Anyway, I finally ended up closing my eyes and sticking it in my mouth. I sat there chewing as everyone stared at me. Talk about pressure... Bahahaha... It wasn't bad! Though the whole idea of sticking tentacles in my mouth kind of creeped me out. But I tried it! :) Aren't you proud of me?? I was!
Anyway, after lunch they made a dessert for me that is normally made for Christmas, but as I'm not going to be here, they decided to make it early. It was really good! It was basically milk, sugar, cinnamon with some crumbled bread. It was really really good. I would have had more than one bowl, but I was already stuffed from all of the paella I ate! I finished my bowl and we (the women: my "mom", "grandma" and I) sat talking while the men cleared off the table. When they were done, we all sat down (minus my "grandpa") to watch a movie. We were going to watch the 4th Pirates movie, but only the sound worked. So we watched a movie called "Lope" instead, which was all about the life of Lope de Vega, a Spanish poet/playwright/author. It was more historical than we were hoping for, but it wasn't bad. At one point the caption said that it was taking place in Madrid, but the city they were showing... was Toledo! We all sat there thinking, "Wait a minute..." It was really funny :) We talked for a bit after the movie and my "grandma" asked me if I was happy with them. I said, "More than happy! There isn't a way to explain how happy!" And she smiled really big and said, "As us with you!" I wasn't terribly worried about it, but it was certainly nice to hear!
After the movie we hung around for another couple of hours. I spent part of them watching a movie on TV and the other part I spent sitting outside by the pool with my "grandparents" and my "mom" while watching my "dad" clean the pool. It was really kind of funny... I we sat there watching him clean. Oh! And the bees/flies wouldn't leave us alone. So we must have looked ridiculous trying to swat them all away! At one point my "dad" came over, took the fly swatter away from my "mom" and said, "I'll protect you!" Like I mentioned before (I think), he's a lot goofier than I originally gave him credit for. He killed the bee then went back to cleaning the pool like it was no big deal. So funny!
We left their house around 7:30pm and they dropped me off back at home. My "mom" came in, quickly made me dinner and then left again to go with everyone to go drop off my "brother" so he could go back to school. I ate dinner while Skyping my best friend Kelsey and then chatted with a few others for a bit and then worked on homework. At 10:00pm, the movie "Because I Said So" was on TV in Spanish. I haven't seen it in English, so I was excited to watch it. It was really cute! I understood everything going on, too! Everyone got home around 11:30pm, but I stayed up until 1:00am talking with my mom. She actually had to point out to me that it was 1:00am or else I would have just kept talking. Lol... Typical Sarah, right? :P
Saturday, September 24th
Another relaxing day at home :) I am loving weekends here. I get up between 10:30am and 11:30am and eat breakfast, get dressed and then we decide what we are doing. This time, we decided to go to "Paraíso" or "Paradise" (a.k.a. my "grandparents'" house). We headed over around 12:00pm and we all ate lunch together. On a Saturday!! I was happy! We all sat around and talked about whatever came to mind. I sat outside with my "mom" and "grandma" and talked for awhile longer. Around here, no one is ever at a loss for something to talk about. My kind of country! :P
At 5:00pm I needed to be at the Fundación to meet Laura. We went to go look at one of the towers (with Mudéjar style architecture) for our Art History class. I don't remember what it was called now, but we have a picture of the name (and the info). We went to look at it and then took our time walking back. We stopped and walked into shops, got ice cream (from a really cute guy!) and stopped to refill their bus passes. We finally got back about 7:30pm and I was back home by 8:00pm or so. My "family" was out, so my mom had left me dinner. She really doesn't have to do that, but she wants to. I got really lucky with my "family"; they all seem to go out of their way for me.
I ate dinner and sat down to get some homework done. Right as I'm getting into the worst part of my homework, I got a text from Kami saying that she and Elle were thinking about going out and wanted to know if I wanted to go with them. Part of me was screaming yes, but another part of me was screaming no. I didn't know what to do... Fortunately my best friend Monica was on Skype, so I called her and said, "Monica!!! What do I do??" She looked at me "in the eyes" (as best as you can on Skype...) and said, "Sarah. Go. GO!" So I went. They had been talking about going to a "discoteca" (a.k.a. a club), but we ended up just going to two different bars. The first one we shared a jar of sangria (yummmm!!!) and then at the second bar I helped them finish their beers. I've decided I don't like beer. It takes icky. (Sorry to those of you who like beer... It's just not for me.) Around 1:00am, Kami and I decided it was probably time to get home. Elle was a bit disappointed that we were heading back so "early", but (for me) I knew that my "mom" would be waiting up for me and I didn't want to make her wait too long. Plus we have tons more weekends to make it to a club. We had to go back to the Fundación anyway to grab our stuff, so we walked with Elle back. There is a late night bus called the "búho" bus (a.k.a the "owl" bus) that comes every 40 minutes. One came at 1:20am and there was no way we were going to make that one. So we hung out in Elle's room for a little bit. Then she decided to go out with a couple of the Puerto Ricans (sp?) that are here. So she went out and Kami and I headed to the bus stop to catch the 2:00am bus.
I walked in the door around 2:15am and my "mom" and "sister" were still up. It's really really nice of them, but part of me wishes they didn't do that. I feel bad... I know they can make their own choices, but you all know me (mostly)... I still feel bad. Anyway, I got home, chatted with my "mom" briefly and then we all headed to bed.
At 5:00pm I needed to be at the Fundación to meet Laura. We went to go look at one of the towers (with Mudéjar style architecture) for our Art History class. I don't remember what it was called now, but we have a picture of the name (and the info). We went to look at it and then took our time walking back. We stopped and walked into shops, got ice cream (from a really cute guy!) and stopped to refill their bus passes. We finally got back about 7:30pm and I was back home by 8:00pm or so. My "family" was out, so my mom had left me dinner. She really doesn't have to do that, but she wants to. I got really lucky with my "family"; they all seem to go out of their way for me.
I ate dinner and sat down to get some homework done. Right as I'm getting into the worst part of my homework, I got a text from Kami saying that she and Elle were thinking about going out and wanted to know if I wanted to go with them. Part of me was screaming yes, but another part of me was screaming no. I didn't know what to do... Fortunately my best friend Monica was on Skype, so I called her and said, "Monica!!! What do I do??" She looked at me "in the eyes" (as best as you can on Skype...) and said, "Sarah. Go. GO!" So I went. They had been talking about going to a "discoteca" (a.k.a. a club), but we ended up just going to two different bars. The first one we shared a jar of sangria (yummmm!!!) and then at the second bar I helped them finish their beers. I've decided I don't like beer. It takes icky. (Sorry to those of you who like beer... It's just not for me.) Around 1:00am, Kami and I decided it was probably time to get home. Elle was a bit disappointed that we were heading back so "early", but (for me) I knew that my "mom" would be waiting up for me and I didn't want to make her wait too long. Plus we have tons more weekends to make it to a club. We had to go back to the Fundación anyway to grab our stuff, so we walked with Elle back. There is a late night bus called the "búho" bus (a.k.a the "owl" bus) that comes every 40 minutes. One came at 1:20am and there was no way we were going to make that one. So we hung out in Elle's room for a little bit. Then she decided to go out with a couple of the Puerto Ricans (sp?) that are here. So she went out and Kami and I headed to the bus stop to catch the 2:00am bus.
I walked in the door around 2:15am and my "mom" and "sister" were still up. It's really really nice of them, but part of me wishes they didn't do that. I feel bad... I know they can make their own choices, but you all know me (mostly)... I still feel bad. Anyway, I got home, chatted with my "mom" briefly and then we all headed to bed.
SHOPPING!!!!!
Hehehe... Yes, I went shopping! But you are all going to be proud of me! I only got what I actually needed! I didn't cave and buy boots (yet). It also helped that I hadn't seen any I particularly wanted... But anyway.
I got up around 12pm and ate breakfast then hung out with my "family" for a bit. My "grandparents" came over at some point and joined the conversation, too. We sat and watched TV, gossiped, laughed, talked... The same thing we always do. At 3:00pm I left to go catch the bus to meet Elle and Kami. I got there and no one was in the plaza, so I started walking towards the Fundación figuring I'd run into them eventually. Well, I made it all the way there before I ran into them (along with Laura (Elle's roommate) and Jordan), so I walked all the way back (uphill) to the bus stop.
We had agreed to meet between 3:00pm and 3:30pm, but yet at 3:30pm, Kami still wasn't there. Right as we were starting to wonder if she forgot (which would be silly because it was her idea to go shopping!), her bus pulls up and she gets off. Based on her stories, she has the worst luck with buses. At one point, her bus hit a car while trying to turn (which I'm surprised doesn't happen more often...) and then the driver and some other guy on the street got into a fight. This time, a shift change happened and the two drivers just sat there talking, rather than getting her to the Plaza de Zocodover on time. It's probably not funny in the moment, but I think it's kind of funny after the fact :)
At last we were able to catch the bus to the mall. It was a long bus ride and then a walk to actually get to the building. I'd been there before with my "family", but I hadn't been on my own before. It's just like any other mall, but a bit smaller and with different stores. I knew that there was only one thing I needed, so I waited until the end to but it. Kami was looking for a dress, but she didn't know exactly what she wanted (or didn't want), so everyone was just pulling random dressed off hangers like, "Here try THIS on!" It was sort of chaotic.
What I noticed about the clothes here is that they are significantly more... formal. At least by our standards. It's a lot of blazers and khakis and work-appropriate clothes, but not many sweatshirts, t-shirts (well, they do really like their printed T's here) or jeans. So while I was keeping my eyes out for cute clothes, I had a hard time finding something I'd actually wear at home.
At some point we split off into two different groups, me Kami and Elle; and Laura and Jordan. The three of us went to go buy what I needed and try a few more stores hoping for cute dresses and then we headed back to the bus stop. Somehow we managed to get there at the same time as Laura and Jordan... We sat there (in the sun) waiting for the bus. (*Side note* The bag I was carrying... it was evil! I was just sitting there, minding my own business, and I swear it leaned over and gave me a paper cut on my thumb for no reason! But it didn't just cut me! Laura was trying to see what I bought and it cut her too! I'm telling you... It is an evil bag!)
We were back at the Fundación by 7:30pm and by 8:30pm I was back at home. I'm not entirely sure where they went, but my "mom" had left me dinner in the fridge, since she knew they were going to be gone. OH! It was to pick up my "sister" from a concert (the first half of a birthday party for a friend). So I ate dinner, worked on some homework, got distracted, watched the new Vampire Diaries (OMG SO GOOD), and fell asleep while waiting for everyone to get home. Which apparently they still think is funny. *sigh* A few minutes after they got home, we all headed to bed.
I got up around 12pm and ate breakfast then hung out with my "family" for a bit. My "grandparents" came over at some point and joined the conversation, too. We sat and watched TV, gossiped, laughed, talked... The same thing we always do. At 3:00pm I left to go catch the bus to meet Elle and Kami. I got there and no one was in the plaza, so I started walking towards the Fundación figuring I'd run into them eventually. Well, I made it all the way there before I ran into them (along with Laura (Elle's roommate) and Jordan), so I walked all the way back (uphill) to the bus stop.
We had agreed to meet between 3:00pm and 3:30pm, but yet at 3:30pm, Kami still wasn't there. Right as we were starting to wonder if she forgot (which would be silly because it was her idea to go shopping!), her bus pulls up and she gets off. Based on her stories, she has the worst luck with buses. At one point, her bus hit a car while trying to turn (which I'm surprised doesn't happen more often...) and then the driver and some other guy on the street got into a fight. This time, a shift change happened and the two drivers just sat there talking, rather than getting her to the Plaza de Zocodover on time. It's probably not funny in the moment, but I think it's kind of funny after the fact :)
At last we were able to catch the bus to the mall. It was a long bus ride and then a walk to actually get to the building. I'd been there before with my "family", but I hadn't been on my own before. It's just like any other mall, but a bit smaller and with different stores. I knew that there was only one thing I needed, so I waited until the end to but it. Kami was looking for a dress, but she didn't know exactly what she wanted (or didn't want), so everyone was just pulling random dressed off hangers like, "Here try THIS on!" It was sort of chaotic.
What I noticed about the clothes here is that they are significantly more... formal. At least by our standards. It's a lot of blazers and khakis and work-appropriate clothes, but not many sweatshirts, t-shirts (well, they do really like their printed T's here) or jeans. So while I was keeping my eyes out for cute clothes, I had a hard time finding something I'd actually wear at home.
At some point we split off into two different groups, me Kami and Elle; and Laura and Jordan. The three of us went to go buy what I needed and try a few more stores hoping for cute dresses and then we headed back to the bus stop. Somehow we managed to get there at the same time as Laura and Jordan... We sat there (in the sun) waiting for the bus. (*Side note* The bag I was carrying... it was evil! I was just sitting there, minding my own business, and I swear it leaned over and gave me a paper cut on my thumb for no reason! But it didn't just cut me! Laura was trying to see what I bought and it cut her too! I'm telling you... It is an evil bag!)
We were back at the Fundación by 7:30pm and by 8:30pm I was back at home. I'm not entirely sure where they went, but my "mom" had left me dinner in the fridge, since she knew they were going to be gone. OH! It was to pick up my "sister" from a concert (the first half of a birthday party for a friend). So I ate dinner, worked on some homework, got distracted, watched the new Vampire Diaries (OMG SO GOOD), and fell asleep while waiting for everyone to get home. Which apparently they still think is funny. *sigh* A few minutes after they got home, we all headed to bed.
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