This was written on the plane. I think it's semi interesting. And I'm sorry for the format, but I do not know how to change it.
The last day in New York was a huge waiting game as my dad lives about
an hour from the airport and I didn't have to be at JFK until 3 for a
6pm flight. So, it was filled with lots of email checking, last minute
suitcase-stuffing and a good amount of time was spent being placed on
hold and transferred to various branches of the ATM/Bank of America
phone network only to discover at the end that a)All associates were
busy and to call back in an hour (which at that point I didn't have)
and b) that my debit card was indeed going to have to be express
mailed to Madrid.
Getting through customs was easy enough. I ran into two other people
on my program who were recognizable not only for being at the same
airline counter at the same time I was, but also for their 2 large
rolling suitcases that looked similar to what I was lugging behind me.
We all walk over to the gate together (after a very easy security
process), and see some other kids from Wes and Vassar. Lina and I put
down our stuff after some harried introductions and go to get some
food, where I run into Gavi and Tressa! It was really great to run
into them, the only other people I knew previously on the program. We
COL debriefed for a while and then went over to the gate where we were
greeted with an ever larger group than when I had left.
There are people from Wes and Vassar (of course) and also a couple
from Columbia and one from Wellesley. Everyone I've met is wonderful,
and interesting. I wonder if it's because they are indeed
extraordinary people or just because the majority are from Wesleyan
and Vassar where most people are like that. Or if it's just a relief
to be with people who haven't been reading about Spain for the past
month, have been worrying about over-packing, about their lack of
Spanish mastery, and other such logistics.
As we were boarding, Larissa voiced what exactly what I think most of
us were feeling: so, hey, let's uh, go abroad. Let's go to Madrid.
And that's what we were doing, FINALLY. Luckily, they served both
dinner and breakfast on this flight, not just the breakfast that the
itinerary seemed to promise. Dinner was chicken curry, oddly enough.
Curry is not a dish I have EVER thought of in relation to Spain, but
it was tasty. The salad was more foreign looking: a piece of "fresh"
mozzarella and tomato between two pieces of sauteed zucchini. Once I
took the tomato out and drizzled some italian dressing on, it was
pretty tasty. Biggest surprise of the meal: the delicious cheesecake.
I can already see the opportunities that I could/should be taking to
further my spanish, even on the plane ride. for example, Listen to the
random tv shows on the spanish channels, not the english. I promise:
once I get to spain, I shall do all the non-English options. I will!
Some people are here to party, everyone is here to become as
proficient as possible in the language. Looks like a good time is
ahead of me!
27 January 2007
26 January 2007
¡Estoy aquí! (or, Spain has snow?)
So, I am here. In Granada. First things first: Getting used to this spanish keyboard is kind of difficult, especially trying to figure out to do the accents on words. I suppose my assesment of the keyboards here is not what you all are interested in, but whatever. Oh, also: "Whatever" is not used here at all. As Mihai, our director said, "whatever es un actitud muy americano". When I was on the airplane I wrote something out for a "first impression" post, but as I´m not on my own computer, I don´t have that with me right now. I guess it´ll just come later and for now I will keep you all in suspense!
As previous people on this program have told me, speaking only Spanish is not a reality, at least not right away. I think that as people get more comfortable with their spanish, especially after the language intensive classes start, more spanish will be spoken. Pan, my roommate, and I speak only spanish to each other, which is really nice. (Well, we try at least). We took the placement test this morning. I did alright, got into the lower level, which is still intermediate B (the higher end). A lot of people are advanced, but no one is beginning and I don´t think that anyone is bilingual.
Today, we walked around el Albacín, a very old part of Granada. It was beautiful, except a little cold. Oh, it also snowed a LOT while we were walking which made the already narrow and dangerously hilly cobblestoned streets even more treacherous. At one point we reached a place that had a BEAUTIFUL panoramic view and to the left were snow covered mountains and a white haze and to the right was clear skies, a brightly burning sun, and a hint of the sea.
An interesting difference between Granada as a city and say, New York, is the graffiti. Here, the graffiti is very detailed and beautiful. I don´t think that anyone could deny that it´s art. Which made me wonder if the people of Granada think of it as such, or if to them it it still a type of vandalism. Don´t get me wrong, there is still the typical graffiti that looks like the "tags" I used to draw in middle school, and that is well done also, but even in New York there´s that type. And yes, I´m sure that there are beautiful pieces of graffiti art in NY, but the majority I´ve seen is slightly grungy and the like.
hmmm, logistical things about the program...we have monitores who bring us around at night and just hang out with us. They seem pretty cool, but I´ve only been here one night, so...OH! We got cell phones yesterday, and it was less painful than I thought, even though I had to clarify things in Spanish to try to figure out what type of plan I wanted to sign up for. But I did it. And it felt good. And that brings me to my cell phone number:
011-34-637-09-76-09. Weŕe 6 hours ahead.
hasta luego
j
p.s. all my pictures will eventually be on my flickr acount: www.flickr.com/photos/stavisinspain.com
As previous people on this program have told me, speaking only Spanish is not a reality, at least not right away. I think that as people get more comfortable with their spanish, especially after the language intensive classes start, more spanish will be spoken. Pan, my roommate, and I speak only spanish to each other, which is really nice. (Well, we try at least). We took the placement test this morning. I did alright, got into the lower level, which is still intermediate B (the higher end). A lot of people are advanced, but no one is beginning and I don´t think that anyone is bilingual.
Today, we walked around el Albacín, a very old part of Granada. It was beautiful, except a little cold. Oh, it also snowed a LOT while we were walking which made the already narrow and dangerously hilly cobblestoned streets even more treacherous. At one point we reached a place that had a BEAUTIFUL panoramic view and to the left were snow covered mountains and a white haze and to the right was clear skies, a brightly burning sun, and a hint of the sea.
An interesting difference between Granada as a city and say, New York, is the graffiti. Here, the graffiti is very detailed and beautiful. I don´t think that anyone could deny that it´s art. Which made me wonder if the people of Granada think of it as such, or if to them it it still a type of vandalism. Don´t get me wrong, there is still the typical graffiti that looks like the "tags" I used to draw in middle school, and that is well done also, but even in New York there´s that type. And yes, I´m sure that there are beautiful pieces of graffiti art in NY, but the majority I´ve seen is slightly grungy and the like.
hmmm, logistical things about the program...we have monitores who bring us around at night and just hang out with us. They seem pretty cool, but I´ve only been here one night, so...OH! We got cell phones yesterday, and it was less painful than I thought, even though I had to clarify things in Spanish to try to figure out what type of plan I wanted to sign up for. But I did it. And it felt good. And that brings me to my cell phone number:
011-34-637-09-76-09. Weŕe 6 hours ahead.
hasta luego
j
p.s. all my pictures will eventually be on my flickr acount: www.flickr.com/photos/stavisinspain.com
24 January 2007
23 January 2007
t-minus 24 hours
In about 24 hours, I shall be at the airport about to embark on this journey they call "studying abroad in Spain". Right now, my clothes are packed. Most of the other random shit is packed. The strange knot that has been residing in my stomach for the past 2 days has left. Still no debit card, but that is out of my hands as of now. (I had to open a new bank account because while my money was in an account, that account did not belong to anyone due to a computer glich). I sort of have that feeling right before a large test when I feel like I've done all the studying I can do, and anymore would just be overkill and it probably wouldn't stick anyways. Maybe this is just the calm before the storm...
j
j
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