For some reason, everyone asks me if I went back to England for the holidays. First, no... I'm American... and second although I did miss my american home more than usual during the holidays I was ecstatic to be able to experience las navedades here in Spain.
We spent Christmas in Gata, the village in the very north of Extremadura where my host mom grew up. It is a typical tiny european village that seems lost in time. I went on a horseback ride and except for the occasional car I could have sworn we had stepped through a time machine. There were cobblestone streets and old buildings and people I could only explain as peasants. How they celebrate christmas here is way different, but not in a bad way. It was very simple, we just ate dinner and lunch with family and had a chill weekend. I was missing home pretty bad but talking to Steven made my day much better :)
New Years Eve or Nochevieja is the most important holiday of the year. My favorite tradition is in the last 12 seconds of the year you eat 12 grapes and it brings good luck or something like that. And oh boy I ate those grapes like a champ! We ate dinner with family in Merida, and 4 girls had to cram into a tiny bathroom in my abuela's house to get ready in-between dinner and midnight. We had a great time though. Later my host sister and I went to a party in a real medieval castle! It was an amazing night! The only problem was it was soooo cold, -3 degrees Celsius and walking around in our dresses and heels was not comfortable in that weather.
Dia de los Reyes Magos is a holiday in Spain that celebrates when the wisemen brought gifts to the baby Jesus, and it is when the children receive presents. I love it and I think it makes way more sense, and it keeps Christmas more christ-centered. The night before, my friend Marina and I watched the parade in the main street of Caceres and later we had dinner with some friends of my host parents. In the morning we opened presents and went to Merida again to be with family.
These three days are the most important holidays this time of year and I had a blast! I am so grateful for this opportunity to experience another culture and way of life and these things show even more during the holidays. I love and miss you all back there in the states! Happy holidays from your favorite strange-speaking blonde spaniard
Besos!
Bailey
Monday, January 12, 2015
Madrid
Yes, my family and I finally made it to Madrid! After rescheduling the trip three or four times, I didn't believe we were actually going until we started the car and drove off. It was a short trip, we just went for the weekend and the weather kinda sucked so we didn't have time to do as much as i would have liked, but it was a great weekend!
The first night we said "hola" to my host family's family and then went out to se Madrid by night. It was especially interesting because the city was lit up with impressive christmas lights. There was an enormous christmas tree in the Puerta del Sol and these cool box-shapped lights in the Plaza Mayor. We also walked down some of the main streets. I really liked the feel of Madrid, it is a huge city but that doesn't make it lose its Spanish charm.
The next day we say an Egyptian temple that was built originally in Egypt and brought here brick by brick and reconstructed. We didn't go inside because it was raining and there was a long line, but it was cool to see even just from the exterior. Next we saw the Palacio Real, or royal palace. This blew me away! IT was enormous, the tour didn't go through a fraction of it, but the parts of it that we did see were so luxurious and full of history. We saw the armory, chapel, a bunch of different dining halls, sitting rooms, and bedrooms, and the room where they sign all the important documents, the throne room, and a huge nativity set that they put up for the first time in about 60 years. It was amazing and excessive and full of history I loved it. Finally we ant to the Prado after eating the typical Madrileno calimari sandwiches. This was a completely new experience for me because I had never really been to an art museum before. It was amazing to see masterpiece after masterpiece line the walls and again, it was impossible to see all of it. My favorite part was an exhibit on this painter whose name escapes me who painted portraits of people that looked like a light was shining on them, but it was just his technique with the paint. Also I liked the replica of the Mona Lisa that was painted by one of Da Vinci's students (shhh don't tell the french, but this one is better than the original. she has eyebrows and everything).
Over all, I had a really great weekend. We will definitely be returning so I can see more of this city!
The first night we said "hola" to my host family's family and then went out to se Madrid by night. It was especially interesting because the city was lit up with impressive christmas lights. There was an enormous christmas tree in the Puerta del Sol and these cool box-shapped lights in the Plaza Mayor. We also walked down some of the main streets. I really liked the feel of Madrid, it is a huge city but that doesn't make it lose its Spanish charm.
The next day we say an Egyptian temple that was built originally in Egypt and brought here brick by brick and reconstructed. We didn't go inside because it was raining and there was a long line, but it was cool to see even just from the exterior. Next we saw the Palacio Real, or royal palace. This blew me away! IT was enormous, the tour didn't go through a fraction of it, but the parts of it that we did see were so luxurious and full of history. We saw the armory, chapel, a bunch of different dining halls, sitting rooms, and bedrooms, and the room where they sign all the important documents, the throne room, and a huge nativity set that they put up for the first time in about 60 years. It was amazing and excessive and full of history I loved it. Finally we ant to the Prado after eating the typical Madrileno calimari sandwiches. This was a completely new experience for me because I had never really been to an art museum before. It was amazing to see masterpiece after masterpiece line the walls and again, it was impossible to see all of it. My favorite part was an exhibit on this painter whose name escapes me who painted portraits of people that looked like a light was shining on them, but it was just his technique with the paint. Also I liked the replica of the Mona Lisa that was painted by one of Da Vinci's students (shhh don't tell the french, but this one is better than the original. she has eyebrows and everything).
Over all, I had a really great weekend. We will definitely be returning so I can see more of this city!
The squad: left to right- cousin Clara, cousin Claudia, Carmen, Carmen, Me, Aunt, Uncle
A cute pic of me and Carmen and if you look close you can see the Egyptian temple in the background ;)
Claudia, me, and Carmen in front of the Palacio Real
Calamari sandwiches <3
Monday, November 17, 2014
3 month mark and Medieval Market
So, its official. One third of my exchange is over. I really don't like to think too much about it, it seems like just yesterday that I was squished between those two Catalanes on the freezing 10 hour flight over here. My Spanish is still far from perfect, my friends still constantly have to correct me and I think both parties are getting a little exhausted, but when I take a step back its amazing to see how far I have come. I (more or less) understand most of my classes now and I can talk to strangers and friends alike without that crippling inner panic attack.
This weekend in Caceres, there was a medieval market, and it was so cool! The market is held because anciently Caceres was the crossroads of three different cultures: Arabic, Jewish, and Christian. So, every year they have this market with decorations, stands, and food from each filling the old part of the city. It was amazing to think that once upon a time, there was actually something like this happening here! It was beautiful and I brought my camera to fill up my memory card but it decided to choose this weekend not to work and break my heart.
Next weekend, my family and I are going to Madrid! I am so so so excited, as I have only seen it from the airport. It will also be awesome to see all of the christmas lights that people have told me are amazing.
Besitos!
Bailey
This weekend in Caceres, there was a medieval market, and it was so cool! The market is held because anciently Caceres was the crossroads of three different cultures: Arabic, Jewish, and Christian. So, every year they have this market with decorations, stands, and food from each filling the old part of the city. It was amazing to think that once upon a time, there was actually something like this happening here! It was beautiful and I brought my camera to fill up my memory card but it decided to choose this weekend not to work and break my heart.
Next weekend, my family and I are going to Madrid! I am so so so excited, as I have only seen it from the airport. It will also be awesome to see all of the christmas lights that people have told me are amazing.
Besitos!
Bailey
Monday, November 3, 2014
Las Castanas
So, this past weekend was a little tradition in my city known as las castanas (translation: the chestnuts). Originally, the tradition was that everyone went out into the campo and ate and roasted chestnuts and had a good time. Lets just say times have changed.
Now for las castanas, the teenagers as young as 13 go out to a park near the city that is part of the university and drink. A lot. Seriously the amount of alcohol consumed on this one day was insane. Three people had to be sent to the hospital because of overdoses (two of them were from our school, and our school is tiny, a bit embarrassing). I will admit it was fun to see all of my friends and hang out in the park but it was just not all that it was made up to be. Maybe I was just too sober ;)
After, I decided to go home a little early so I left with one of Carmen's friends. For some reason still unknown to me, we WALKED HOME. from the countryside. to my apartment in the city center. I have to admit I felt pretty adventurous. Adventurous and dead, but adventurous! There were also some great views of the parte antiguo all lit up and on a hill (sounds like a bible verse, something about a city on a hill can not be hid?) Anyways I looked it up later and it turns out the walk was only a couple of kilometers but I was so tired...
So all in all I have pretty mixed feelings about the castanas. Sorry that this post is super random, its late here and I'm tired, but I promised my spanish friend Marina I would update my blog tonight (te quiero <3)
besitosss
Bailey
Now for las castanas, the teenagers as young as 13 go out to a park near the city that is part of the university and drink. A lot. Seriously the amount of alcohol consumed on this one day was insane. Three people had to be sent to the hospital because of overdoses (two of them were from our school, and our school is tiny, a bit embarrassing). I will admit it was fun to see all of my friends and hang out in the park but it was just not all that it was made up to be. Maybe I was just too sober ;)
After, I decided to go home a little early so I left with one of Carmen's friends. For some reason still unknown to me, we WALKED HOME. from the countryside. to my apartment in the city center. I have to admit I felt pretty adventurous. Adventurous and dead, but adventurous! There were also some great views of the parte antiguo all lit up and on a hill (sounds like a bible verse, something about a city on a hill can not be hid?) Anyways I looked it up later and it turns out the walk was only a couple of kilometers but I was so tired...
So all in all I have pretty mixed feelings about the castanas. Sorry that this post is super random, its late here and I'm tired, but I promised my spanish friend Marina I would update my blog tonight (te quiero <3)
besitosss
Bailey
Friday, October 24, 2014
Huelga!
This week I got to experience an awesome little bit of Spanish culture, the huelga!
Basically they (I don't really know who they are, whether it was just my provide or all of Spain) were protesting the budget cuts on education. Therefore, the protesters were 99% students and classes were optional on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. YEAH if that isn't the most amazing thing you ever heard I don't know what is. There were a couple people who showed up to class but they were the kids whose parents made them go or this girl who I swear is the reincarnation of Hermione Granger and wouldn't miss class if her house caught on fire she had small pox and her uncle just died.
Having three days off was obviously super nice, but I was really impressed with the huelga. I expected almost nobody to go to school but the fact that so many people showed up to the actual protests instead of staying home or whatever says that those kids actually care about their education and pay attention to what is happening in their country. Like I said I was really impressed.
The actual protest happened on Wednesday. We met in Canovas, the main street with a narrow park/pedestrian street running through it, and walked to the government building that was very close. There were hundreds of students. Some had signs and many had whistles and other noise-makers. It was in front of the government building that it got a little rowdy. They were chanting things that neither me or Shannon (a girl from Colorado who is also here with ASSE) could understand and overall just making a presence. It was awesome.
FInally, on wednesday morning Carmen and I had churros y chocolate for breakfast for my first time and mama mia they were good. We had them at a chocolate shop that just felt so european and I think it is for sure my new favorite restaurant. Tomorrow is the Barcelona vs Madrid soccer game and I am so excited! I hear it gets pretty rowdy! OLEEEEE ole ole oleeeeeee
Keep it classy, America
Besos
Bailey
Basically they (I don't really know who they are, whether it was just my provide or all of Spain) were protesting the budget cuts on education. Therefore, the protesters were 99% students and classes were optional on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. YEAH if that isn't the most amazing thing you ever heard I don't know what is. There were a couple people who showed up to class but they were the kids whose parents made them go or this girl who I swear is the reincarnation of Hermione Granger and wouldn't miss class if her house caught on fire she had small pox and her uncle just died.
Having three days off was obviously super nice, but I was really impressed with the huelga. I expected almost nobody to go to school but the fact that so many people showed up to the actual protests instead of staying home or whatever says that those kids actually care about their education and pay attention to what is happening in their country. Like I said I was really impressed.
The actual protest happened on Wednesday. We met in Canovas, the main street with a narrow park/pedestrian street running through it, and walked to the government building that was very close. There were hundreds of students. Some had signs and many had whistles and other noise-makers. It was in front of the government building that it got a little rowdy. They were chanting things that neither me or Shannon (a girl from Colorado who is also here with ASSE) could understand and overall just making a presence. It was awesome.
FInally, on wednesday morning Carmen and I had churros y chocolate for breakfast for my first time and mama mia they were good. We had them at a chocolate shop that just felt so european and I think it is for sure my new favorite restaurant. Tomorrow is the Barcelona vs Madrid soccer game and I am so excited! I hear it gets pretty rowdy! OLEEEEE ole ole oleeeeeee
Keep it classy, America
Besos
Bailey
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Similarities and Differences
By popular demand, or maybe just one person demanding over and over (love ya mom) I am updating my blog. I feel like I am settling into life here in Spain pretty well, things are starting to feel normal. So, I don't really know what to write about, nothing really special has happened. I guess I will write about some of the similarities and differences between my two homes that I have discovered in my first month here.
Differences
1. SCHOOL. School here is way different than school in the States. First, my school here is very small, maybe the size of one of the buildings in Boulder Creek, maybe. Also, the teachers switch classrooms instead of the students. This has some downsides, such as you are in the same chair almost all day and you sit with basically the same people the whole time. Also, because the same classroom is used for all classes and teachers, they are very boring and uniform. Mine happens to be two of the ugliest shades of green, nicely accented by pencil graffiti. But there is nothing on the walls, no decorations, nothing (however, out the window of my classroom is the coolest view of the main park in Caceres). The perks of being in the same class all day are first, the class gets pretty close. Mine has a group message set up and we are all pretty good friends. Also, I sit next to some really smart people who take good notes and share them with me!
Second, the whole attitude about learning is different here. Grades are heavily exam-based, and although we have homework almost every day, it often doesn't count. The word for homework here is deberes, which literally translates to "should-do's". They are not a requirement in most classes but simply a way to assist your studying. That being said, students here take their education a lot more seriously than in the States. I think that having to have the self discipline to study on your own and do the homework because it will help you, not because it is worth a grade, give these kids pride in their work. Overall I really like the system here.
2. Weekends: I think a phrase that would describe the Spanish mindset perfectly is "work hard, play hard". From what I have seen, Spaniards are a lot more social than Americans and a lazy saturday night spent in your pajamas watching netflix would never fly. Fridays are usually more relaxed. Many people hang around the house, go shopping, or meet up with friends. Saturday nights you always always go out. It is really fun to get a little dressed up, do your hair and makeup, and hit the streets of Caceres. No matter what we have planned for the night, the starting place is the Plaza. The Plaza is one of my favorite places because you can see anyone and everyone. Literally EVERYONE approximately my age meets up in the Plaza. From there we either go to a discoteca, a bar, or hang out around town. Very social and very fun!
3. Style: I absolutely love the style here. The girls dress pretty much the same during the week, and a little nicer than Americans on the weekend. BUT THE BOYS have the best style here. I don't know if it runs in their blood or what but now that I have witnessed this level of class I never want to see basketball shorts again. Also, when you go out, you dress nice. It reminds me of when we saw the Harvard students clubbing in Boston!
Similarities
There are many more similarities than differences, and when people ask me what it is like in America i actually have a hard time answering because really its not all that special.
1. obviously, Language: I consider myself pretty outgoing, but it is pretty hard to be outgoing when you have the vocabulary of a drunk 4 year old (just imagine). It has been pretty hard to break out of my shell and not be scared to make mistakes, but it is getting there!
2. Media: this is very heavily Americanized here. Everyone uses Twitter, Instagram, Facebook etc. Also, many of the TV shows and movies are American, and dubbed over in Spanish. Even the commercials are for the same products. It is the funniest thing to hear the Spanish voice pronounce the name of the American products! However there are some Spanish TV shows that I think i will lim when my Spanish skills allow me to understand them, and we went to a Spanish movie on monday that was fantastic! In a couple months y'all should look up La Isla Minima when it comes out on DVD.
3. Church: Its true what everyone says, that church is exactly the same everywhere you go! My branch has about 30 members, me included we have 3 young women and its all in Spanish, but other than that it is like I was home! Everyone was super welcoming and it was the coolest thing ever to hear the sacrament prayers, hymns, YW theme, and more in Spanish. It was so peaceful and had a great spirit. I am very grateful I got placed in a city with church presence!
Thats all I can think of for now, if any of you have questions or anything like that you can feel free to Facebook message me, Twitter, email, etc and I would love to get post cards! I will send some out as soon as i find them (Caceres doesn't have many tourists, and therefore not many tourist shops)
Besitos!
Bailey
Differences
1. SCHOOL. School here is way different than school in the States. First, my school here is very small, maybe the size of one of the buildings in Boulder Creek, maybe. Also, the teachers switch classrooms instead of the students. This has some downsides, such as you are in the same chair almost all day and you sit with basically the same people the whole time. Also, because the same classroom is used for all classes and teachers, they are very boring and uniform. Mine happens to be two of the ugliest shades of green, nicely accented by pencil graffiti. But there is nothing on the walls, no decorations, nothing (however, out the window of my classroom is the coolest view of the main park in Caceres). The perks of being in the same class all day are first, the class gets pretty close. Mine has a group message set up and we are all pretty good friends. Also, I sit next to some really smart people who take good notes and share them with me!
Second, the whole attitude about learning is different here. Grades are heavily exam-based, and although we have homework almost every day, it often doesn't count. The word for homework here is deberes, which literally translates to "should-do's". They are not a requirement in most classes but simply a way to assist your studying. That being said, students here take their education a lot more seriously than in the States. I think that having to have the self discipline to study on your own and do the homework because it will help you, not because it is worth a grade, give these kids pride in their work. Overall I really like the system here.
2. Weekends: I think a phrase that would describe the Spanish mindset perfectly is "work hard, play hard". From what I have seen, Spaniards are a lot more social than Americans and a lazy saturday night spent in your pajamas watching netflix would never fly. Fridays are usually more relaxed. Many people hang around the house, go shopping, or meet up with friends. Saturday nights you always always go out. It is really fun to get a little dressed up, do your hair and makeup, and hit the streets of Caceres. No matter what we have planned for the night, the starting place is the Plaza. The Plaza is one of my favorite places because you can see anyone and everyone. Literally EVERYONE approximately my age meets up in the Plaza. From there we either go to a discoteca, a bar, or hang out around town. Very social and very fun!
3. Style: I absolutely love the style here. The girls dress pretty much the same during the week, and a little nicer than Americans on the weekend. BUT THE BOYS have the best style here. I don't know if it runs in their blood or what but now that I have witnessed this level of class I never want to see basketball shorts again. Also, when you go out, you dress nice. It reminds me of when we saw the Harvard students clubbing in Boston!
Similarities
There are many more similarities than differences, and when people ask me what it is like in America i actually have a hard time answering because really its not all that special.
1. obviously, Language: I consider myself pretty outgoing, but it is pretty hard to be outgoing when you have the vocabulary of a drunk 4 year old (just imagine). It has been pretty hard to break out of my shell and not be scared to make mistakes, but it is getting there!
2. Media: this is very heavily Americanized here. Everyone uses Twitter, Instagram, Facebook etc. Also, many of the TV shows and movies are American, and dubbed over in Spanish. Even the commercials are for the same products. It is the funniest thing to hear the Spanish voice pronounce the name of the American products! However there are some Spanish TV shows that I think i will lim when my Spanish skills allow me to understand them, and we went to a Spanish movie on monday that was fantastic! In a couple months y'all should look up La Isla Minima when it comes out on DVD.
3. Church: Its true what everyone says, that church is exactly the same everywhere you go! My branch has about 30 members, me included we have 3 young women and its all in Spanish, but other than that it is like I was home! Everyone was super welcoming and it was the coolest thing ever to hear the sacrament prayers, hymns, YW theme, and more in Spanish. It was so peaceful and had a great spirit. I am very grateful I got placed in a city with church presence!
Thats all I can think of for now, if any of you have questions or anything like that you can feel free to Facebook message me, Twitter, email, etc and I would love to get post cards! I will send some out as soon as i find them (Caceres doesn't have many tourists, and therefore not many tourist shops)
Besitos!
Bailey
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Family Reunion in Hervas
This post is about the family reunion
in Hervas!
It was a great weekend and a great
way to relax after a long week. Carmen told me about this reunion a long time
ago and I have been pretty excited about it! We left Friday afternoon
after Carmen went to some presentations for her classes in the conservatorio
and I bought some winter-ish rain-ish boots. I'm not sure how long the drive
was because I slept the whole time. We were the first people to arrive in the
"campground". Apparently campground can meet what we think it
means or it can be a group of nice bungalows, a pool, a bar, and beautiful
landscaping. No complaints, it's just not what I expected.
The group was huge. It was Jose's
mom's side of the family and there were close to 30 of us. There were a bunch
of people my age that were fun go hang around, a girl named Pilar who spoke
perfect British English and was very nice to me, a hilarious crazy uncle Julio
who did not speak English but he thought he did, and so many more
great people. Made for an interesting and very fun weekend!
We spend lots of time chilling in the
campground but also we went to 3 pueblos nearby. They were all so cool.
The first was called Candlario and it was quite old, with cobblestone streets,
little channels in the road that water ran through, and beautiful buildings.
However, my favorite was the drive through the mountains from Candlario to
Hervás. It was absolutely breathtaking and probably one of the most
beautiful places I have been through. The third pueblo was Granadilla.
Nobody lives there anymore, half of it is ruins and half is reconstructed. It
was awesome! You could walk around the whole thing on a wall that surrounded it
and then get amazing views from the top of a tower. As hard as this experience
has been and will be, places and experiences like this make it more than worth
it!
Our last night and again in the
morning all of the teenagers played cards. We played some of the same games
that we have in America like Mafia and Scum. It was so fun and I got I know everyone
much better. We played into the wee hours of the morning. I didn't look at my
phone but Carmen thinks we went to bed at 4 am!
This weekend was so fun! I think we
will be seeing lots of the family again around Christmas, I can't wait!
Besitos
Bailey
There are many more pictures from this trip on Facebook!
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