Trip to Ávila

Hello All,

My wonderful "vacation" continues...

Actually, last week was a pretty uneventful week. I mean, of course I'm in Spain so it's always exciting but compared to the last few weeks there wasn't too much going on, besides me fighting a sore throat and runny nose. I met up with some of the Spanish students who I've had intercambios with to get coffee and chat, and have had a little more homework lately too. I feel that I'm getting accustomed to the language but still have a lot of learning to do.

This weekend we had no trips planned so some of us decided to go to Avila, which is a city of about 50,000 people about an hour south of Salamanca. The town is known for it's medieval city walls that were constructed in 1090. The city is also the birthplace of Santa Teresa and holds a lot of history about her. Overall it was a very nice day trip (despite the cold weather in the morning--maybe I'm getting used to this "mild" Spain winter?).

None of us really knew anything about the city or what there was to do but between wandering around and trying to talk to locals (I felt like every person we encountered was a tourist), we kept ourselves busy. Also, one thing that has made my list of "You know you're in Spain when..." is "You know you're in Spain when you see more animals being worn on people than anywhere else." See picture below.

Yesterday I spent some time planning out trip to Porto, Portugal which is next weekend. There's a lot to plan for between travel, hostels, and things to do. But I'm really excited to go and look forward to traveling out of the country for the first time. Porto is known for the internationally famous "port wine" and also it's location along the Douro river near the coast. It should be a fun trip and I and can just about imagine the looks that we will receive when we forget we're not in Spain and try to speak Spanish. Apparently the Portuguese don't appreciate being talked to in Spanish ;)

So hopefully I'll be back next time with some fun stories from Portugal. This is the point in my trip where things start to get busy, as I'll most likely be traveling somewhere almost every weekend in the coming month. So I guess I'll just sit back, and start enjoying the ride :)

I hope everything is wonderful for those of you back home. Feel free to drop me an e-mail if you wish, I'd love to hear from you.

Hasta Luego!

Nicolas

Trip to Madrid and Mi Cumple!

Hola amigos,

Here I am no longer a teenager, having spent my 20th birthday in Spain. I couldn't have asked for a better day though. Here are some of the highlights: Sunny and 45 degrees, mid-day coffee with friends, an afternoon run (which turned out to be 5 miles--about 3 more miles than I'd hoped since I haven't ran in about 3 months. Also, apparently seeing a person in shorts when it's 40 degrees out is unheard of because I had plenty of stares and people shouting things like, "Hombre, hace frio!" = "man, it's cold out!"), anyways, other birthday events included a cerveca with the only two guys in our program, and a 3 course dinner with all of my friends. Overall, I had a great time and am glad I got to spend my birthday in Spain with my new friends (who apparently can't even pose for a picture).

I also spent the last weekend in Madrid where I met up with Isaac. It was my first time traveling alone and so I had a few nerves. But it all ended up going smoothly, thanks to the luck I had by choosing the 2 correct metro train directions (I had no clue how the metro system worked--even in the US).

Ike and I wandered around Madrid and on Saturday we took a tour of the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, home of the Real Madrid futbol team. It was a pretty amazing stadium and really cool being on the field. I don't know the first thing about "soccer" but just by being in that stadium you get a sense of how important "soccer" is to Spain and how much tradition is there. I guess I'll have to learn a little about futbol.

We also went to El Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia where they have some of the famous artworks of more modern artists like Picasso, Dali, etc. I really enjoyed this museum just because a lot of the surrealism was so radical and different and also the fact that a lot of the art spoke to the political and social aspects of 20th century Spain. I was really looking forward to seeing Picasso's Guernica in person, and it was as amazing as I thought it would be. I even got to sneak a photo by waiting until the 3 guards were off preventing other people from taking photos (It was actually kind of a rush, I was nervous).

Ike and I were walking around El Retiro (I like to call it the central park of Madrid) and were walking by the pond and had to stop and listen to these kids. They were very intrigued by the fish in the pond and we enjoyed listening to their spanish phrases like "Eso es el mas grande de todo el mundo!"

Ike and I then went to a nice restaurant and had some paella, and then did some shopping and hung out the rest of the night. Overall it was a very enjoyable trip and I think a good "warm-up" for some of my bigger trips coming up.

Otherwise I've still been enjoying every minute of living in Salamanca. I really have come to like the city and the university.

And I guess the time has also come for many students to begin planning trips. I feel a little overwhelmed with everyone trying to plan different trips on different dates and everyone asking where I'm planning on going. I have a slight idea but at this point, I can't say where I'll be headed in the next few months besides the planned trips with our program.

What I do know is that this weekend I'm heading to a city very close to Salamanca with about 50,000 people called Avila. It's known for it's medievil city walls, which are absolutely beautiful. It should be a good day trip for Saturday.

In two weekends I'm planning to travel to Porto, Portugal with 5 friends. Porto is the second largest city in Portugal and is internationally known for its production of "port wine". The planning process is still in the beginning stages but plane tickets have been purchased--I'm pumped!

That is all for now.

I miss you all,

Nico

Getting Adjusted

For the past week I’ve gotten a chance to learn more about Salamanca and it’s history, culture, and points of interest. I’ve settled in to what my day-to-day life is going to look like for the next 3 months, and I will say that I’m liking how it looks.

This past weekend we took a culture tour of the city of Salamanca. We learned about the history city and the university. The fact that the University was founded in 1218 is pretty amazing. Also, the fact that I got be in a “classroom” that was used in the 14th century was pretty unbelievable (apparently before they had seats in the room the students would sit on the floor, but since it’s so cold in Salamanca, the students’ servants would sit on the floor before class to warm up the seats :) We also took a tour of the two cathedrals of Salamanca, and some of the older University buildings. The amount of history and culture in the town seems endless, and it makes me glad that I chose to study here even more.

On Sunday we were planning to go to the market but it was raining and we decided to go to the Plaza Mayor instead where we found out there was a protest going on about a bank merger. We chatted with some Salmantinos about it which was quite enjoyable.

This week it’s been class, homework (we actually get homework? what kind of vacation is this?), and eating lots of good food. I’ve also started meeting with Spanish students of the University in what we call intercambios. We set up a time to meet up and get coffee and practice our Spanish/English. It’s basically like blind dating (or a box of chocolates), pretty awkward but gets better. But I really do think it will be beneficial for me to get some one-on-one practice with native speakers.

I’ve been venturing off during my 1-hour break between classes to explore the city and found some pretty amazing places. It’s unbelievable how many shops, cafe’s, and bars there are in Salamanca. Also, with a short trip across the river at the edge of town you get views of the city like pictured below.

This weekend I’m heading to Madrid to meet up with Ike. I’ve seen a lot of Madrid already but I had one of my “Estoy en Espana” moments where I realize that money and hassle shouldn’t hold me back from traveling and seeing all that I can see (and I figured a mini-trip would be good travel practice with the bus system). Upon my return our Senora will be preparing Paella which is one of the most well-known Spanish dishes, and considering what my host mom has cooked already, I expect nothing short of SCRUMPTIOUS.

Overall, I'm feeling pretty good. Getting used to things a bit and enjoying my time here in Salamanca so far. I think some of the culture shock is starting to wear off a bit as well. I'm looking forward to some trips coming up and becoming more comfortable with the language thing. Until next time..

‘ta luego,

Nico

First Week in Salamanca

Holaaa

Well I’ve made it though a week of classes. This past week I’ve been getting acquainted with the city of Salamanca and the University. So far I absolutely love it. I can’t think of a better place I could have chosen to come study abroad. Walking through the streets near the center of town you typically see two types of people: Students, or cute old people. What could be better?!

As I said earlier, the first day I arrived it had snowed, and the people seemed very fascinated by it. I really enjoyed seeing 2 out of every 3 cars with hand marks from people grabbing snow for snowballs . I even got to see a Spanish snowman! (Sorry these pictures aren't lining up the way I wanted them too. I've spent way too much time trying to fix it and I'm not happy with blogspot right now :)

Classes have been good so far. I’m taking Spanish Grammar, Spanish Culture, and Spanish and Latin American Cinema. So far my teachers are amazing. Very upbeat and have great personalities. I find the variety of students very interesting. There are students from all over the world: France, England, China, Japan, etc. The interesting part is that for a lot of these students, Spanish is the only language I have in common with them. So the only way I can talk to some of the students in my classes is through Spanish…kind of fun I think.

The picture on the left is what it looks like walking through campus—the buildings are beautiful (as expected from a University that was started in 1218). The home stay is going well. I’m beginning to feel more comfortable talking with our Senora, and I can understand her for the most part. The food has been AMAZING and I told her I was going to start taking pictures of our meals to show you all. Here is a picture of our room! Apartments are quite small here in Spain. Not very accommodating to tall people like me.

The rest of the city has fun to explore--there's plenty to see. We get an official cultural tour of the city/university tomorrow. The Plaza Mayor, which is the center of the city, is beautiful. There’s cafe’s and and bars everywhere you walk and it’s actually really hard to find things just because there’s so many shops and cafe's everywhere you go.

I was discussing with my roommate over breakfast the other day and I said something along the lines of, “Wow it doesn’t feel like we’ve been here for two weeks, it feels more like a month” He agreed and then it wasn’t until like 5 minutes later that we both realized we had only been here for 1 week. I guess time really does pass slowly in Spain! But It’s been hard for me to realize lately that I will be here for another 4 months. I feel like my “vacation” of sorts will end soon when in reality it’s just beginning. I’m not used to having all this free time and I’ve found myself pretty bored lately. But I think with time things will fall into place and I’ll find more to do (doesn’t help with the weather being rainy/snowy lately).

Some of the cultural differences are pretty significant here. The schedule is very strange. Small breakfast at 8, cafe (coffee) and tapas around noon, lunch (biggest meal of the day) at 3, dinner at 9 (10 or 11 for Spaniards, apparently only the kids, grandparents, and international students eat at 9 :), and then the nightlife doesn’t start until about 12 or 1. It’s quite different from what I’m used to and I think it will take a while to get adjusted. Also certain mannerisms are different. For instance, stretching in public is rude, having your hands by your lap during a meal is rude, you don’t typically tip with meals, people don’t typically say anything to strangers, it’s not uncommon to see friends (mostly girls) holding each others arms or hands walking down the street, when you walk down the street and bump into someone or get in someone’s way there’s no need to say sorry, because people’s personal space is very small here. There’s plenty of things that are different, and I find very interesting (and is one reason I really like my Spanish Culture class).

But of course I definitely miss home, and NDSU, and having a busy schedule. I think I need to learn how to relax more and be patient while I’m getting acquainted with this lifestyle. All in all it’s been a great trip, and I’m looking forward to making the most of every single minute of it (even the time that I take for siesta in the afternoon).

Check out my Flickr site for the rest of the my recent photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickjwelch

Madrid & Arrival to Salamanca

The first few days spent in Madrid were a lot of fun. I got to meet all of the American students in our program and tour the city with them. We visited the Prado museum, the city of Toledo, and a city named El Escorial. Some of the Cathedrals that we saw were unbelievable (especially Toledo—pic below). It’s crazy to think about how much history Spain (or Europe) has compared to the United States. Madrid is a fun city though. I’ve enjoyed talking with people and exploring Spain’s capital. Last night we ate at a restaurant called Botín. It is the oldest restaurant in the world, started in 1725. We split meals between two people and it still ended up being 22€ each (~ $30). But the band from University of Madrid that came and played for our table was definitely worth it (not to mention some really good wine).

I enjoyed watching some locals attempt to skate at the rink set up next to the Catedral de Toledo

Arriving in Salamanca today to a ground full of snow made me feel quite at home (and gave me a good laugh for those complaining). My roommate Britton and I met our Senora, Vicente, a 60 year old woman who lives with her 13 year old German Sheppard “Ades” (nicest dog in the world), bird “Pipi”, and her 40 year old son Angel (it’s not uncommon in Spain to live with your family even when you’re grown up). Vicenta doesn’t know any English so that will be a challenge but so far I don’t think it’s been too bad. One thing I definitely have noticed is how pure Castilian Spanish (Spanish spoken in Spain) is. Compared to Latin American Spanish it is a lot easier to understand and more….crisp? (can you describe spoken language like that? Sure) anyways, basically just less slurring of words.

I walked around the area and so far Salamanca seems really nice—plenty of young people out as expected for a city with 20% of it’s population being college students. I found it amusing that about 2 out of every 3 cars I passed had hand prints from people grabbing snow off the cars to make snowballs. Apparently these rare snowfall are an entertaining thing for all ages (I’ll post pictures later).

For the first time on the trip I’ve started to feel significant emotion. Realizing what my life is going to be like for the next four months gives me a little unsettling feeling. Being separated from the 25 other (English speaking) Americans that I’ve been hanging out with the last few days is tough. But I know that after these first few weeks things will hopefully become a lot easier. Tomorrow I get to take a placement exam and then tour the school and city. I’m really looking forward to it because, well, I like school :)



Feel free to check out more of my pictures on my flickr site, http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickjwelch

El Viaje

Estoy aqui en Espana. It's pretty hard to believe I'm sitting in a hotel in Madrid right now. I mean who would have thought coming to Madrid would mean 30 degrees, snow, and 20 mph winds? I thank North Dakota for making me accostomed to this :) The flight over was interesting. My itinerary was:

Fargo->Chicago->Frankfurt->Madrid--14 hours total.

Here was my 9 hour flight in a nutshell

• Baby crying two rows behind me
• Small Asian woman in front of me who needed her seat back the whole time
• Flight attendants bringing food and beverage every 30 minutes
• My water bottle leaking on my seat so my butt was wet
• A flight attendant waking me up two times from my (scarce) slumber so that I could show her that my seat belt was buckled
• I tried watching a movie on my laptop only to find that in the first 30 seconds of the movie there was a sex scene and I felt extremely awkward because I know everyone could see. That was the end of my attempt to watch movies
  

But here's where the fun begins. I get to Frankfurt and am going through customs where I first get taken aside to get patted down. A German worker proceeds to take everything out of my backpack and then throws it back in to get rechecked (of course not in any order at all). Jokes around (in German) to one of his co-workers. Makes me re-check my laptop. Two men in suits ask me to follow them to a closed room where they check my laptop with some crazy machine. And then they finally let me go where I catch the bus by about 20 seconds. Thank you Germany!

So for the next few days we are staying in Madrid and meeting everyone in our program. We are here for a few days and get to go see some of the sites and explore while getting to know everyone. I can't really describe my feelings right now. I thought I would be really excited but I don't think it's really hit me yet that I'm in Spain. Jet-lag probably doesn't help either. But this is where the adventure begins. And I'm looking forward to every minute of it. Bienvenidos a Espana!