Hey Guys!
I am finally coming home! I cant believe it! Im very excited to see everyone and very sad to leave this place. I come home the 23rd and I get in at night into Detroit! I have been busy trying to get everything done before my flight! I have no idea how I am going to fit all of my things into my two suitcases but somehow its going to have to work!
Also I wanted to post a link to the the New York Times article that was written about Soria. Its a great article and has pictures so if you have time I suggest checking it out. The link is posted below.
Well I am going to get back to classes for my last week and trying to get everything together. I am looking forward to seeing you all soon!
http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/travel/24cultu.html?pagewanted=1
Saludos,
Deidra!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
Pictures!
Hey Guys!
So I ran out of space in my Picasa account for posting photos. I started a new account to post pics with Picasa. The new site is:
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/robisodl1221
I am posting pics from Galicia there right now so be sure to check them out!
I posted some pics on the old account of San Juan Fiestas too that you really should see just to get a feel for what it was like here during fiestas.
Also I bought a ticket home! I am coming home September 23rd, I get in to Detroit around 10 pm. Hope everyone at home is great! I miss you all and will see you soon!
So I ran out of space in my Picasa account for posting photos. I started a new account to post pics with Picasa. The new site is:
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/robisodl1221
I am posting pics from Galicia there right now so be sure to check them out!
I posted some pics on the old account of San Juan Fiestas too that you really should see just to get a feel for what it was like here during fiestas.
Also I bought a ticket home! I am coming home September 23rd, I get in to Detroit around 10 pm. Hope everyone at home is great! I miss you all and will see you soon!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Galicia!
Saludos de Soria!
Hi everyone! This weekend I had the opportunity to go to Galicia with a friend who lives there but works here in Soria, he was headed home and I have always wanted to get to Galicia so I tagged along!
Galicia is an autonomous community in the most northwest corner of Spain, like Asturias it is very green and distinct from the rest of Spain. It’s known as the heart of green Spain and like it’s neighbor Asturias it also has a Celtic history. The language there is Gallego another Latin based language, which was difficult for me to understand, I could follow words and get the message more or less but some of it is just so different from Spanish that I had no idea what was going on.
We left for Galicia on Thursday; it is about a six-hour drive from Soria, for Incio, a small village where Miguel lives. We stayed in Incio on Friday and we drove around to see the views, the village is up in the mountains. For lunch we went to this tiny restaurant in the mountains that is a covered outdoor restaurant where everything is hand made of wood. The owner, who was also our server at times, made everything from the flooring to the bridge over the river next to our table to the locks in the bathrooms of wood. It was gorgeous! I took some photos, but they don’t do the place justice. The restaurants specialty is beef from Galicia, which is supposed to be the best in Spain; we sat right next to the wood fire oven where they cook all the beef. They brought out a cheese plate, a salad and then plates of different cuts of beef with a homemade sauce. Everything was great! For dessert I had Chestnut cake that was great and Miguel had a fresh cheese and honey from the region, which was wonderful!
The views were absolutely breathtaking! Everything is so green and the heather was in bloom so the mountains were dotted with purple (which is why the honey is so good).
Dinner was just as good there were about 15 of us and we cooked out, everyone brought something. We had anchovies, fresh and grilled, which for me was a big deal to eat and no one there had any idea how picky I am about food! They were fresh anchovies about 6 inches long and hadn’t been cleaned or anything, head, eyes, bones and everything! I was proud of myself and I actually really liked them, I ate a few, next was grilled cuddle fish and there was homemade bread and salad.
Next we headed off to Ons Island for the day, this beautiful Island off the coast that’s protected as a wildlife reserve. We hiked all day (took tons of pics) and then spent some time on the beach and went swimming a bit before heading back to the mainland.
Next we went to a small village called Laxe, where some friends had rented a house by the beach for the month and we stayed there for 2 days relaxing and sight seeing again with some friends and their dog. We cooked a lot in the house but would frequently go out for tapas and beer or wine. The tapas that I liked the most from Galicia were the Pulpo (octopus) and these peppers that are quickly fried and lightly salted. The wine was great, a lot of whites and also a friend of Miguel’s has a vineyard and makes his own wine and cider, both were good, but the wine was a great red!!
It was so great to get to go to Galicia and I am in love with the northern coast of Spain! I also made it through the entire weekend with out English (everyone there also speaks Spanish as well as Gallego). Check out my pics if you have a min. to see where I was! Hope all is well back home! I miss you all and wish you were here!
Check out this site for some info on Galicia and pics!
http://www.galiciaguide.com/
Hi everyone! This weekend I had the opportunity to go to Galicia with a friend who lives there but works here in Soria, he was headed home and I have always wanted to get to Galicia so I tagged along!
Galicia is an autonomous community in the most northwest corner of Spain, like Asturias it is very green and distinct from the rest of Spain. It’s known as the heart of green Spain and like it’s neighbor Asturias it also has a Celtic history. The language there is Gallego another Latin based language, which was difficult for me to understand, I could follow words and get the message more or less but some of it is just so different from Spanish that I had no idea what was going on.
We left for Galicia on Thursday; it is about a six-hour drive from Soria, for Incio, a small village where Miguel lives. We stayed in Incio on Friday and we drove around to see the views, the village is up in the mountains. For lunch we went to this tiny restaurant in the mountains that is a covered outdoor restaurant where everything is hand made of wood. The owner, who was also our server at times, made everything from the flooring to the bridge over the river next to our table to the locks in the bathrooms of wood. It was gorgeous! I took some photos, but they don’t do the place justice. The restaurants specialty is beef from Galicia, which is supposed to be the best in Spain; we sat right next to the wood fire oven where they cook all the beef. They brought out a cheese plate, a salad and then plates of different cuts of beef with a homemade sauce. Everything was great! For dessert I had Chestnut cake that was great and Miguel had a fresh cheese and honey from the region, which was wonderful!
The views were absolutely breathtaking! Everything is so green and the heather was in bloom so the mountains were dotted with purple (which is why the honey is so good).
Dinner was just as good there were about 15 of us and we cooked out, everyone brought something. We had anchovies, fresh and grilled, which for me was a big deal to eat and no one there had any idea how picky I am about food! They were fresh anchovies about 6 inches long and hadn’t been cleaned or anything, head, eyes, bones and everything! I was proud of myself and I actually really liked them, I ate a few, next was grilled cuddle fish and there was homemade bread and salad.
Next we headed off to Ons Island for the day, this beautiful Island off the coast that’s protected as a wildlife reserve. We hiked all day (took tons of pics) and then spent some time on the beach and went swimming a bit before heading back to the mainland.
Next we went to a small village called Laxe, where some friends had rented a house by the beach for the month and we stayed there for 2 days relaxing and sight seeing again with some friends and their dog. We cooked a lot in the house but would frequently go out for tapas and beer or wine. The tapas that I liked the most from Galicia were the Pulpo (octopus) and these peppers that are quickly fried and lightly salted. The wine was great, a lot of whites and also a friend of Miguel’s has a vineyard and makes his own wine and cider, both were good, but the wine was a great red!!
It was so great to get to go to Galicia and I am in love with the northern coast of Spain! I also made it through the entire weekend with out English (everyone there also speaks Spanish as well as Gallego). Check out my pics if you have a min. to see where I was! Hope all is well back home! I miss you all and wish you were here!
Check out this site for some info on Galicia and pics!
http://www.galiciaguide.com/
Verano en Soria!
Hello all! I hope everyone’s summer is going well. I just wanted to post a quick update to tell you all what I have been up to here in Soria for the summer. I am giving individual classes to students and adults that want conversation classes. I have a few classes of adults who want to better their English for work or other things. I am giving one class to two boys that live in my apartment building, their parents approached me to see if I was willing to give them conversation classes and we meet everyday in the apartment to speak in English for a half hour to an hour. I have a few classes with children, ages 8-12 where we play a lot of games now in the summer. I have one class with a 12 year old girl, Alba, who is the daughter of one of the bar/cafeteria owners in the bar that I go to frequently. This is one of my favorite classes because we meet and just talk about anything. Often we take walks through the park, go somewhere to have a drink or walk through the city and talk.
Other than classes I meet with Kim a lot for coffee or for walks. The city is full of terraces to sit and have a beer or coffee at any time and just watch the entire city go by, great people watching and you’re sure to run into people you know.
Kim and I went with some friends to El Cañon del Rio Lobos, a nature reserve area that includes a canyon with caves and hiking trails, for a friend’s birthday. We climbed through caves with some really great formations and hiked about 8 kilometers. When we finished we had a huge picnic lunch with homemade bread full of meats and we had cheeses, tortilla and pasta salads with a wine drink, like a sangria. After a nap in the park we went to El Burgos de Osma, a village in Soria, for a mid-evil market.
For the fourth of July I went kayaking with some friends in the Rio Duero. Some of my friends are expert kayakers. It was my first time kayaking! I did ok, I managed to make it almost the entire way with out flipping, but 30 seconds before we finished I ended up in some branches and flipped. I went with a big group of about 15 other people; some went down the river in inner tubes and the rest in kayak. After we finished we headed to a small village in Soria for a dinner. There was tortilla and salad and kidneys (didn’t try them!) and tripe (intestines, again didn’t even try them). We sat around outside drinking beer mixed with a lemon soda (like a shandy) out of a traditional glass container that gets passed around and poured into your mouth. Afterwards they moved the table and everyone danced and had some after dinner drinks.
Just outside of the city of Soria (you need a car to get there) there is a water reserve that I have gone to a couple times to swim in. It was made years and years ago by damming the river and allowing the valley to fill up, however there is a village that’s under the water, they just filled the reserve up over it and still when the water is low you can see the church tower and the tops of some buildings. It’s beautiful there and the water is great! They made some sand beaches and there are a few spots where there are huge rocks sticking out of the water you jump off of into the water. We spent one night there, watching the sunset and then cooking dinner, they have something like a grill there for the public to use. After dinner we sat around with some friends that all play instruments listening to their music. Because it’s outside the city there are no lights so the sky is very dark and I have never seen so many stars, it was amazing!
Other than that I have been with friends in bars that we frequent talking and hanging out. I have really enjoyed the summer here, the city’s atmosphere changes dramatically in summer. The people are always in the streets having a beer (at any time of day) and enjoying the summer for all its worth and I’m loving every second of it!
Other than classes I meet with Kim a lot for coffee or for walks. The city is full of terraces to sit and have a beer or coffee at any time and just watch the entire city go by, great people watching and you’re sure to run into people you know.
Kim and I went with some friends to El Cañon del Rio Lobos, a nature reserve area that includes a canyon with caves and hiking trails, for a friend’s birthday. We climbed through caves with some really great formations and hiked about 8 kilometers. When we finished we had a huge picnic lunch with homemade bread full of meats and we had cheeses, tortilla and pasta salads with a wine drink, like a sangria. After a nap in the park we went to El Burgos de Osma, a village in Soria, for a mid-evil market.
For the fourth of July I went kayaking with some friends in the Rio Duero. Some of my friends are expert kayakers. It was my first time kayaking! I did ok, I managed to make it almost the entire way with out flipping, but 30 seconds before we finished I ended up in some branches and flipped. I went with a big group of about 15 other people; some went down the river in inner tubes and the rest in kayak. After we finished we headed to a small village in Soria for a dinner. There was tortilla and salad and kidneys (didn’t try them!) and tripe (intestines, again didn’t even try them). We sat around outside drinking beer mixed with a lemon soda (like a shandy) out of a traditional glass container that gets passed around and poured into your mouth. Afterwards they moved the table and everyone danced and had some after dinner drinks.
Just outside of the city of Soria (you need a car to get there) there is a water reserve that I have gone to a couple times to swim in. It was made years and years ago by damming the river and allowing the valley to fill up, however there is a village that’s under the water, they just filled the reserve up over it and still when the water is low you can see the church tower and the tops of some buildings. It’s beautiful there and the water is great! They made some sand beaches and there are a few spots where there are huge rocks sticking out of the water you jump off of into the water. We spent one night there, watching the sunset and then cooking dinner, they have something like a grill there for the public to use. After dinner we sat around with some friends that all play instruments listening to their music. Because it’s outside the city there are no lights so the sky is very dark and I have never seen so many stars, it was amazing!
Other than that I have been with friends in bars that we frequent talking and hanging out. I have really enjoyed the summer here, the city’s atmosphere changes dramatically in summer. The people are always in the streets having a beer (at any time of day) and enjoying the summer for all its worth and I’m loving every second of it!
LISBOA
The second weekend in July I went to Lisbon for a 3 day Music festival with Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Rage Against the Machine and Ben Harper headlining the event. Kim and I went and we spent our evenings at the concert and exploring Lisbon during the day.
I was really amazed at the differences between Spain and Portugal. The architecture was a bit different and the city just had a different feel. The people were very nice and always helpful. Neither Kim nor I speak any Portuguese but we got by with both English and Spanish. The woman who worked at the hostel didn’t speak either language, but could understand Spanish, so we spoke Spanish and she spoke Portuguese and we would understand each other for the most part. The city itself was beautiful and has a lot to do and see. The tile work in Portugal was beautiful! The tile was a bit different than what I am used to seeing here in Spain but it was gorgeous, I took a lot of tile pics!
We spent one day on the beach, which was great! The beach was very clean and the water was cold so it felt great, it was the perfect way to relax before the concert that night.
The concert was amazing! Rage Against the Machine was amazing live, better than any CD! Bob Dylan was good, but he didn’t move very much! Neil Young put on a good show and I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed Ben Harper! I also go to see The Hives and Roisin Murphey. We met a lot of people there from Australia and England as well as some Spaniards. We had a great time in Lisbon and it was really nice to see something so different! Our last day there we found this café just above the old city center and we hung out there for hours. It is an outdoor café with couches and beach chairs that has amazing views of the city and the river. If you haven’t see my pictures of Lisboa yet check out my picture site!
Side note I still have no ticket home but I am planning on coming back towards the middle-end of August, so I will see you all soon!
Besos y Abrazos a todos!
I was really amazed at the differences between Spain and Portugal. The architecture was a bit different and the city just had a different feel. The people were very nice and always helpful. Neither Kim nor I speak any Portuguese but we got by with both English and Spanish. The woman who worked at the hostel didn’t speak either language, but could understand Spanish, so we spoke Spanish and she spoke Portuguese and we would understand each other for the most part. The city itself was beautiful and has a lot to do and see. The tile work in Portugal was beautiful! The tile was a bit different than what I am used to seeing here in Spain but it was gorgeous, I took a lot of tile pics!
We spent one day on the beach, which was great! The beach was very clean and the water was cold so it felt great, it was the perfect way to relax before the concert that night.
The concert was amazing! Rage Against the Machine was amazing live, better than any CD! Bob Dylan was good, but he didn’t move very much! Neil Young put on a good show and I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed Ben Harper! I also go to see The Hives and Roisin Murphey. We met a lot of people there from Australia and England as well as some Spaniards. We had a great time in Lisbon and it was really nice to see something so different! Our last day there we found this café just above the old city center and we hung out there for hours. It is an outdoor café with couches and beach chairs that has amazing views of the city and the river. If you haven’t see my pictures of Lisboa yet check out my picture site!
Side note I still have no ticket home but I am planning on coming back towards the middle-end of August, so I will see you all soon!
Besos y Abrazos a todos!
FIESTAS SAN JUAN!
Hey Guys! First off, sorry for not posting! I have no internet in my house right now so communication has been a bit difficult, but I am alive and well!
I don’t know where to start! June and July have been amazing! The end of June started the fiestas in Soria, which I have been hearing about since I arrived in January. The city filled up with tourists. In the past there were twelve neighborhoods that would participate (and still do) by buying a bull for the fights and celebrating in each area with its members. The fiesta is five days long, each day has different events and the neighborhoods and peñas participate. Groups of friends have shirts made to match and everyone wears these overall things, because whatever you wear is going to get covered in wine, so you wear things that are for San Juan or old clothes. There is a traditional bottle, made of leather, with a string to hang around the neck that is filled with a sweet red wine that everyone carries and shares with everyone else by squirting it directly into your mouth (check out my pics to see it).
It started on a Wednesday night with the Pregon, or kick off of it all in the Plaza Mayor. There are different organizations that take part in the fiestas called peñas that play music, the bands play drums, horns, and the dulcena (sounds like a bagpipe with out the bag) and more. Wednesday night there were stages set up throughout the city with bands playing everything from traditional music to pop music, these stages stayed all through the fiestas and there were Verbenas (concerts) every night. During the fiestas they allow open containers in the streets so you can grab a beer, calimocho (red wine and coke a cola) or whatever you want and just walk.
Thursday the entire city goes to the natural reserve area outside the city where the bulls are and they let the bulls out to run around with the people. This was the second or third time they let the bulls out for fiestas and there were no serious injuries or deaths, but I have some friends that took some pretty serious hits! Thursday evening they run the bulls into the city to the bullring. Thursday night was more of the concerts and more of the peñas and their music. The Verbenas (concerts) last until around 3 am or so and then the bars fill up afterwards (I took some pics to show everyone what the area of bars looks like at 8:00 am, full of people). At 8:30 every morning the peñas and bands would start to play a sort of “wake up call”. It never stopped! I loved it!
Friday was Viernes de Torros and there were the bullfights. I went for the first 10 mins or so of one, when the tire the bull out, before they start to hurt it. I am defiantly not a fan of it! Outside the bullring was great! For the rest of the time Kim and I hung out outside the bullring, which is surrounded by bars and was packed with people. The people dress in costumes, there were a ton of men in dresses everywhere (again you have to see the pics!)! It was really hot so everyone had squirt guns and hoses and again you ended up soaked and covered in wine.
Sunday Spain played for the Euro cup against Germany. There was a big stage set up in the middle of the plaza mayor and the whole city turned up to watch the match. When Spain won the entire city went crazy singing and cheering! It was great all the bars were full, everyone was wearing red and yellow with their faces painted with the flag (again in the pics) and there were more concerts all night.
Monday was on of my favorite days. There is a parade down to the river and the entire city walks to the river down these narrow old streets and the people in the apartments above dump buckets of water out the windows on to the people below, it was a blast! Again people had filled huge plastic bottles with wine and random strangers would just pour wine in your mouth as you walked down to the river. At the river there were bars set up and tons of food vendors and people everywhere. Then it was back to the city for another parade and more fireworks in the park in the center of the city.
San Juan was absolutely amazing, I have never seen anything like it and I will definitely be returning for it again! I was really surprised by how smoothly everything went. There were kids out all the time, dancing at the concerts until 2 or 3 am. There were families celebrating in the midst of everything with no problems. There were drunk people out and about at literally all hours of the day and I never saw one fight or any problems at all. The people were just happy and celebrating and there were no problems in bars or in the streets. We met so many people and made a ton of new friends during fiestas here in Soria. There is a link to my pictures from fiestas below and there are a few websites that post pictures from fiestas that really give you a good feel for what goes on. I hope all is well back home, I will continue to try and update as often as possible.
BESOS Y ABRAZOS!!!!
MY PICS: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/robisodl
***Check out this site for photos and some videos of San Juan this year:
http://www.fiestasdesanjuan.org/SANJUANEANDO/sanjuanes2008/fotossanjuan.htm
Also here are some youtube videos of the fiestas:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=San+Juan+Soria&search_type=&aq=f
I don’t know where to start! June and July have been amazing! The end of June started the fiestas in Soria, which I have been hearing about since I arrived in January. The city filled up with tourists. In the past there were twelve neighborhoods that would participate (and still do) by buying a bull for the fights and celebrating in each area with its members. The fiesta is five days long, each day has different events and the neighborhoods and peñas participate. Groups of friends have shirts made to match and everyone wears these overall things, because whatever you wear is going to get covered in wine, so you wear things that are for San Juan or old clothes. There is a traditional bottle, made of leather, with a string to hang around the neck that is filled with a sweet red wine that everyone carries and shares with everyone else by squirting it directly into your mouth (check out my pics to see it).
It started on a Wednesday night with the Pregon, or kick off of it all in the Plaza Mayor. There are different organizations that take part in the fiestas called peñas that play music, the bands play drums, horns, and the dulcena (sounds like a bagpipe with out the bag) and more. Wednesday night there were stages set up throughout the city with bands playing everything from traditional music to pop music, these stages stayed all through the fiestas and there were Verbenas (concerts) every night. During the fiestas they allow open containers in the streets so you can grab a beer, calimocho (red wine and coke a cola) or whatever you want and just walk.
Thursday the entire city goes to the natural reserve area outside the city where the bulls are and they let the bulls out to run around with the people. This was the second or third time they let the bulls out for fiestas and there were no serious injuries or deaths, but I have some friends that took some pretty serious hits! Thursday evening they run the bulls into the city to the bullring. Thursday night was more of the concerts and more of the peñas and their music. The Verbenas (concerts) last until around 3 am or so and then the bars fill up afterwards (I took some pics to show everyone what the area of bars looks like at 8:00 am, full of people). At 8:30 every morning the peñas and bands would start to play a sort of “wake up call”. It never stopped! I loved it!
Friday was Viernes de Torros and there were the bullfights. I went for the first 10 mins or so of one, when the tire the bull out, before they start to hurt it. I am defiantly not a fan of it! Outside the bullring was great! For the rest of the time Kim and I hung out outside the bullring, which is surrounded by bars and was packed with people. The people dress in costumes, there were a ton of men in dresses everywhere (again you have to see the pics!)! It was really hot so everyone had squirt guns and hoses and again you ended up soaked and covered in wine.
Sunday Spain played for the Euro cup against Germany. There was a big stage set up in the middle of the plaza mayor and the whole city turned up to watch the match. When Spain won the entire city went crazy singing and cheering! It was great all the bars were full, everyone was wearing red and yellow with their faces painted with the flag (again in the pics) and there were more concerts all night.
Monday was on of my favorite days. There is a parade down to the river and the entire city walks to the river down these narrow old streets and the people in the apartments above dump buckets of water out the windows on to the people below, it was a blast! Again people had filled huge plastic bottles with wine and random strangers would just pour wine in your mouth as you walked down to the river. At the river there were bars set up and tons of food vendors and people everywhere. Then it was back to the city for another parade and more fireworks in the park in the center of the city.
San Juan was absolutely amazing, I have never seen anything like it and I will definitely be returning for it again! I was really surprised by how smoothly everything went. There were kids out all the time, dancing at the concerts until 2 or 3 am. There were families celebrating in the midst of everything with no problems. There were drunk people out and about at literally all hours of the day and I never saw one fight or any problems at all. The people were just happy and celebrating and there were no problems in bars or in the streets. We met so many people and made a ton of new friends during fiestas here in Soria. There is a link to my pictures from fiestas below and there are a few websites that post pictures from fiestas that really give you a good feel for what goes on. I hope all is well back home, I will continue to try and update as often as possible.
BESOS Y ABRAZOS!!!!
MY PICS: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/robisodl
***Check out this site for photos and some videos of San Juan this year:
http://www.fiestasdesanjuan.org/SANJUANEANDO/sanjuanes2008/fotossanjuan.htm
Also here are some youtube videos of the fiestas:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=San+Juan+Soria&search_type=&aq=f
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Im ALIVE!
Hey guys! Sorry about the lack of posts! I am with out internet right now! I am working on some posts for you guys that I will post soon! I hope all is well and everyone has had a great July! Just a quick update of whats to come in the posts; Fiestas from the end of June here in Soria were amazing! I have never seen anything like them and will definitely be returning next year for! Lisbon was great as well, I got to see Lisbon, spend some time on the beach and see 3 days of great concerts (Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Rage Against the Machine and Ben Harper). Everything is good here in Soria right now, hot weather, but it gets chilly at night. I am still not sure when I am coming home, but I will let you all know soon! Hope all is well! Miss you all tons!
BESOS y ABRAZOS a todos!!!!!!!!!
BESOS y ABRAZOS a todos!!!!!!!!!
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Strikes in Europe
Hey Guys! Everything is going well here! I am not working at the school but still picking up individual classes and keeping busy with friends!
I wanted to just post some quick comments on the strike thats going on here in Spain, and other areas of Europe. With gas prices rising the way they have been workers that rely on gas for a living are striking here in Spain. It started with the fishing industry here, fish prices have not gone up dramatically in a long time and with gas prices continually rising they are no longer turning enough of a profit to continue working. The next group to join them were the self-employed truck drivers who want a government established minimum set for their services. Because they pay for gas out of their pockets, they are not profiting either. The truck drivers began their strike earlier this week, blockading roads and making it nearly impossible for other trucking companies to complete deliveries which lead to food and gasoline shortages throughout the country. Some gas stations had no gasoline but I was mostly impacted by the food issue.
On Wednesday I ran out of milk so I ran to the nearest grocery store, which is a tiny store, to get some and there was nothing! I couldn't believe it, all the shelves were almost empty! Later in the day I walked to a larger store, which was not nearly as empty, but there were still some empty shelves! I did get milk, not the type I normally drink, but it was milk and I was happy!
Thursday in Soria there is an open air market with tons of produce, plants, fish and meat. This week the market area was empty. Only about half the normal stands were even open because of a lack of food! It was really weird. We overheard the owners of one fruit store saying they had to have everything brought in by van, because the trucks couldn't run through the blockades. Everything you need you can still find, it may take some looking but you will find all your fruits, veggies and meat.
By the end of this week police had cleared the roads and the 80 or so percent of non-striking drivers are now able to make their deliveries and things are almost back to normal here, but it was an interesting few days!
Hope all is well back home! This weekend I may go to Segovia with some friends to stay for a few days. I will take pics if I go and I will update the blog!
Happy Fathers Day!!!!!!!!!
I wanted to just post some quick comments on the strike thats going on here in Spain, and other areas of Europe. With gas prices rising the way they have been workers that rely on gas for a living are striking here in Spain. It started with the fishing industry here, fish prices have not gone up dramatically in a long time and with gas prices continually rising they are no longer turning enough of a profit to continue working. The next group to join them were the self-employed truck drivers who want a government established minimum set for their services. Because they pay for gas out of their pockets, they are not profiting either. The truck drivers began their strike earlier this week, blockading roads and making it nearly impossible for other trucking companies to complete deliveries which lead to food and gasoline shortages throughout the country. Some gas stations had no gasoline but I was mostly impacted by the food issue.
On Wednesday I ran out of milk so I ran to the nearest grocery store, which is a tiny store, to get some and there was nothing! I couldn't believe it, all the shelves were almost empty! Later in the day I walked to a larger store, which was not nearly as empty, but there were still some empty shelves! I did get milk, not the type I normally drink, but it was milk and I was happy!
Thursday in Soria there is an open air market with tons of produce, plants, fish and meat. This week the market area was empty. Only about half the normal stands were even open because of a lack of food! It was really weird. We overheard the owners of one fruit store saying they had to have everything brought in by van, because the trucks couldn't run through the blockades. Everything you need you can still find, it may take some looking but you will find all your fruits, veggies and meat.
By the end of this week police had cleared the roads and the 80 or so percent of non-striking drivers are now able to make their deliveries and things are almost back to normal here, but it was an interesting few days!
Hope all is well back home! This weekend I may go to Segovia with some friends to stay for a few days. I will take pics if I go and I will update the blog!
Happy Fathers Day!!!!!!!!!
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Asturias
Hello Again!
Last weekend I went on a trip to Asturias in Northern Spain. I had never been to the area and had always wanted to see it. One of the English teachers in the department is from the area and offered to take us, myself and 2 other assistants, to Asturias.
It was amazing! It was unlike anything I have ever seen in Spain. It rains a lot there and so its really green. It's very mountainous so the landscape was just beautiful! They compare the area to Ireland. It was much more Celtic and European than the rest of Spain. The architecture looked more German or Swiss than Spanish, they use a lot of Celtic symbols, the language is different they even have a form of traditional wooden clogs. We stayed at Danny's (English teacher) parents apartment. They were so great to us. His Mom had breakfast all set up in the morning with fresh squeezed OJ and hot coco and his Dad kept reminding us that his house was our house. We traveled through out the province a bit. We went to Oviedo, Gijon, Llanes and Cangas and stopped elsewhere along the way. I have my pics posted online so if you get the chance check them out!
The food was absolutely amazing! I ate so much! Asturias is known for their cider. Its not like an English cider, its dryer and more acidic. Its served by someone who walks around table to table to pour. They hold the bottle high above their head and the glass in the other hand as low as it will go and pour like this. It's bottled without gas, so the pour allows oxygen to mix with the cider. The only pour you about 3 sips in each pour. The drink then has about a 3 second life, so you have to immediately drink what they give you and whats left in the glass gets tossed on the ground. It was very light and refreshing, but you have to be careful because when you're drinking sips at a time it can catch up to you!
The region is also known for its seafood. For dinner the first night we ate in a sidraria (cider restaurant). For our first course we ordered chiparones (baby squid), monk fish, and morcilla (blood sausage). Our second course was bull, brought out partially cooked and then they bring out a hot stone with a flame under it to allow you to finish cooking it. Everything was delicious. I couldn't even believe that I loved it all! It was my first time eating morcilla, and I really enjoyed it, I went back for seconds and thirds! The squid was served just lightly sauteed with out a breading or anything and the monkfish was fried. I loved it all! The beef was wonderful, keep in mind this is coming from someone who hasn't had beef in ages!
The last day we were there we went to Danny's parents cottage out in the country. His Dad built the place and did all the woodwork by hand! It was adorable! His Dad got out the cider as soon as we got there, he even let me have a hand at pouring, which was really difficult! His Mom made a huge lunch for us. Our first plate was Fabada, a typical Asturian dish made of large white beans, pork shoulder, morcilla, chorizo and saffron. The second plate was like a stewed lamb. I cleaned up everything on my plate! His Dad said that I had behaved myself very well! Dessert was fresh wild strawberries picked from their garden with sugar and red wine over top and then shots of Orujo and coffee. After lunch we headed back to Soria, its about a 4 hour drive.
I loved it in Asturias! It is just so different from anything else in Spain and it has a much more Celtic tradition in the typical dress and customs. It was a great trip and one of my favorite places here in Spain.
Last weekend I went on a trip to Asturias in Northern Spain. I had never been to the area and had always wanted to see it. One of the English teachers in the department is from the area and offered to take us, myself and 2 other assistants, to Asturias.
It was amazing! It was unlike anything I have ever seen in Spain. It rains a lot there and so its really green. It's very mountainous so the landscape was just beautiful! They compare the area to Ireland. It was much more Celtic and European than the rest of Spain. The architecture looked more German or Swiss than Spanish, they use a lot of Celtic symbols, the language is different they even have a form of traditional wooden clogs. We stayed at Danny's (English teacher) parents apartment. They were so great to us. His Mom had breakfast all set up in the morning with fresh squeezed OJ and hot coco and his Dad kept reminding us that his house was our house. We traveled through out the province a bit. We went to Oviedo, Gijon, Llanes and Cangas and stopped elsewhere along the way. I have my pics posted online so if you get the chance check them out!
The food was absolutely amazing! I ate so much! Asturias is known for their cider. Its not like an English cider, its dryer and more acidic. Its served by someone who walks around table to table to pour. They hold the bottle high above their head and the glass in the other hand as low as it will go and pour like this. It's bottled without gas, so the pour allows oxygen to mix with the cider. The only pour you about 3 sips in each pour. The drink then has about a 3 second life, so you have to immediately drink what they give you and whats left in the glass gets tossed on the ground. It was very light and refreshing, but you have to be careful because when you're drinking sips at a time it can catch up to you!
The region is also known for its seafood. For dinner the first night we ate in a sidraria (cider restaurant). For our first course we ordered chiparones (baby squid), monk fish, and morcilla (blood sausage). Our second course was bull, brought out partially cooked and then they bring out a hot stone with a flame under it to allow you to finish cooking it. Everything was delicious. I couldn't even believe that I loved it all! It was my first time eating morcilla, and I really enjoyed it, I went back for seconds and thirds! The squid was served just lightly sauteed with out a breading or anything and the monkfish was fried. I loved it all! The beef was wonderful, keep in mind this is coming from someone who hasn't had beef in ages!
The last day we were there we went to Danny's parents cottage out in the country. His Dad built the place and did all the woodwork by hand! It was adorable! His Dad got out the cider as soon as we got there, he even let me have a hand at pouring, which was really difficult! His Mom made a huge lunch for us. Our first plate was Fabada, a typical Asturian dish made of large white beans, pork shoulder, morcilla, chorizo and saffron. The second plate was like a stewed lamb. I cleaned up everything on my plate! His Dad said that I had behaved myself very well! Dessert was fresh wild strawberries picked from their garden with sugar and red wine over top and then shots of Orujo and coffee. After lunch we headed back to Soria, its about a 4 hour drive.
I loved it in Asturias! It is just so different from anything else in Spain and it has a much more Celtic tradition in the typical dress and customs. It was a great trip and one of my favorite places here in Spain.
Schools Out!
I am finished in the high school! I can't even believe how quickly the time has gone by! The kids still have classes into mid June but they will be taking exams and my program has ended. It's weird to not go there every day anymore. This past week I have been keeping myself busy with individual classes. I am also giving a conversation class at the Youth Center here in Soria that I really enjoy, its a good group of people. I am still looking for more classes right to keep myself busy but I also have a long list of to-dos here in Soria. There are plenty of churches I have yet to visit as well as a museum and a few excursions near the city that I really want to do. So I will be trying to get everything in.
This week I bought tickets to a music festival in Lisbon Portugal for July. I am really excited! The headlining bands are; Rage Against the Machine, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Ben Harper and there are plenty more. It's a three day event and I have never been to Portugal! Kim, one of the other American assistants is going with me.
The end of June here is Soria's biggest festival San Juan. It runs for four days in June before the festival theres something going on for most weekends in June related to San Juan. I have been hearing about it since I first came to Soria, so I'm getting excited. Theres wine and cheese and bull fights (which I will not be attending). Theres a day where everyone goes down to the river for lunch, other days everyone goes out to Valonsadero (a big natural area outside the city) to see the bulls and eat lunch. I will keep updating with all the San Juan festivities!
Hope all is well!! Miss you all!
This week I bought tickets to a music festival in Lisbon Portugal for July. I am really excited! The headlining bands are; Rage Against the Machine, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Ben Harper and there are plenty more. It's a three day event and I have never been to Portugal! Kim, one of the other American assistants is going with me.
The end of June here is Soria's biggest festival San Juan. It runs for four days in June before the festival theres something going on for most weekends in June related to San Juan. I have been hearing about it since I first came to Soria, so I'm getting excited. Theres wine and cheese and bull fights (which I will not be attending). Theres a day where everyone goes down to the river for lunch, other days everyone goes out to Valonsadero (a big natural area outside the city) to see the bulls and eat lunch. I will keep updating with all the San Juan festivities!
Hope all is well!! Miss you all!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Barcelona!
Hola, Benvinguts!
This weekend was a long weekend because Labor Day fell on Thursday, and whenever a holiday falls on a Thursday they give Friday off as a "bridge day", one of the many reasons I love Spain. For the long weekend I headed to Barcelona to meet Lindsey and her friends (from her program in Italy). I took the overnight bus and arrived in Barcelona on Thursday morning.
I met up with Lindsey and her friends and we went to La Sagrada Familia, a church designed by Gaudi that is under construction in Barcelona. The construction began in 1882 under Gaudi and is still being built today, it is expected to be finished by 2026.
After we went to the church we had lunch outside at some cafe, and shared a pitcher of sangria then we walked around the city to take in some sights. We ended our first day in Barcelona with a bar-crawl that took us to a bunch of bars around La Rambla, the most well known street in the city, for a few drinks and some tequila!
Our next day in Barcelona we visited the Picasso Museum. Picasso lived in Barcelona and had a strong link to the city. The museum has a great collection that was donated by a friend, and many works were donated by Picasso himself. One of the most famous works here, and my favorite, was Picasso's take on Las Meninas (a Valazquez painting). The museum also had a good collection of paintings from his blue period that I enjoyed a lot, as well as some of his ceramic work.
After Picasso we were off to the beach! It was perfect weather, in the 70's, and not a cloud in the sky! The beach was packed and full of vendors trying to sell you everything under the sun, from massages to fresh cut coconut. The water was a bit chilly but felt great after laying in the hot sun.
While in Barcelona we also visited Guadi's park "Park Guell" where Gaudi took on the landscape. He lived in a house in the park for years with his family, we toured the house that is now full of furniture he designed.
I loved Barcelona, possibly even more so than Madrid. The city is a little more laid back and has a great beach vibe. I have never heard more English, especially American English in any other city in Spain, which I saw as kind of a negative. Catalan seemed to be a bit of a mix between French and Spanish, but the language is as old as the other two.
I left Barcelona Sunday and headed back to Soria just in time to catch some of Catapan, the first celebration of San Juan, which is a celebration at the end of June in Soria. The party had live music stages all over the city, free wine, cheese and salt cod.
My pictures of Barcelona are posted on my picture site (check them out here).
Hope everyone had a great weekend! Congratulations out to AnneMarie and everyone else at UT who graduated this weekend! Congrats also to Malerie who graduates next weekend and was accepted into Michigan for her nursing graduate school! GO BLUE!
Besos y Abrazos a todos!
This weekend was a long weekend because Labor Day fell on Thursday, and whenever a holiday falls on a Thursday they give Friday off as a "bridge day", one of the many reasons I love Spain. For the long weekend I headed to Barcelona to meet Lindsey and her friends (from her program in Italy). I took the overnight bus and arrived in Barcelona on Thursday morning.
I met up with Lindsey and her friends and we went to La Sagrada Familia, a church designed by Gaudi that is under construction in Barcelona. The construction began in 1882 under Gaudi and is still being built today, it is expected to be finished by 2026.
After we went to the church we had lunch outside at some cafe, and shared a pitcher of sangria then we walked around the city to take in some sights. We ended our first day in Barcelona with a bar-crawl that took us to a bunch of bars around La Rambla, the most well known street in the city, for a few drinks and some tequila!
Our next day in Barcelona we visited the Picasso Museum. Picasso lived in Barcelona and had a strong link to the city. The museum has a great collection that was donated by a friend, and many works were donated by Picasso himself. One of the most famous works here, and my favorite, was Picasso's take on Las Meninas (a Valazquez painting). The museum also had a good collection of paintings from his blue period that I enjoyed a lot, as well as some of his ceramic work.
After Picasso we were off to the beach! It was perfect weather, in the 70's, and not a cloud in the sky! The beach was packed and full of vendors trying to sell you everything under the sun, from massages to fresh cut coconut. The water was a bit chilly but felt great after laying in the hot sun.
While in Barcelona we also visited Guadi's park "Park Guell" where Gaudi took on the landscape. He lived in a house in the park for years with his family, we toured the house that is now full of furniture he designed.
I loved Barcelona, possibly even more so than Madrid. The city is a little more laid back and has a great beach vibe. I have never heard more English, especially American English in any other city in Spain, which I saw as kind of a negative. Catalan seemed to be a bit of a mix between French and Spanish, but the language is as old as the other two.
I left Barcelona Sunday and headed back to Soria just in time to catch some of Catapan, the first celebration of San Juan, which is a celebration at the end of June in Soria. The party had live music stages all over the city, free wine, cheese and salt cod.
My pictures of Barcelona are posted on my picture site (check them out here).
Hope everyone had a great weekend! Congratulations out to AnneMarie and everyone else at UT who graduated this weekend! Congrats also to Malerie who graduates next weekend and was accepted into Michigan for her nursing graduate school! GO BLUE!
Besos y Abrazos a todos!
Friday, April 25, 2008
Italy!
Ciao tutti!
I got back this week from my trip to Italy. I went to the Cinque Terre, which is a national park with 5 old Italian villages built on the Atlantic Ocean in Northern Italy. Then I spent a little less than a day in Rome. Lindsey is studying in Italy right now and she met up with me in Rome and then we caught a train and headed out to the Cinque Terre.
Well I have to start out by saying that Cinque Terre is probably one of the most beautiful amazing places that I have ever seen in the world. I absolutely loved everything about it. They are five small villages, Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso, all five are connected by a hiking trail that is about 5 miles long (there are also trains). We stayed in Vernazza, which was my favorite of the five. Our hotel was this great little place in the main square of the town. Our room was very simple and clean with a private bathroom (with a big shower by European standards!). We had this amazing ocean view room that opened up right into the bay and main square, the location just couldn't have been any better!
Our first day we stopped for breakfast at the "Blue Marlin" and returned everyday to have breakfast on the patio, with the same server every morning, we saw the same people, cats, and dogs stroll by every morning going about their business.
After breakfast we hit the trail and took the first three legs that day (the easiest part of the hike) stopping in every town for a glass of wine (or two) and to explore what each town had to offer. The first day we started in Riomaggiore shopped around had some gelato, wine and by far the best mozzarella caprese I have ever had. Next was Manarola, we hiked there on the Via dell' Amore (path of love). The path is covered in graffiti, names of couples, poems and there is one spot covered in locks from couples. More vino in Manarola some pics and then we hiked to Corniglia. The walk to Corniglia involved some 382 stairs! Once in Corniglia we took Rick Steve's advice and stopped in "Il Pirun Enoteca" this great wine bar. We were the only ones there at the time and the owner was great to us. A Pirun is a typical traditional bottle to drink wine from (check out my pics!) and he just left it on our table full of wine and let us help ourselves. He was great and the wine was great! We headed back and called it a day after a great dinner at a little restaurant where I had a typical pasta of the region "trofie" with pesto (this area is famous for its pesto) accompanied by a glass of the Cinque Terre white wine, and finally a combination of cheeses served with honey and marmalade for dessert.
The next day we returned to the "Blue Marlin" for my rice quiche and cappuccino. Then we hiked from Vernazza to Monterosso the hardest leg of the hike. This part took about an hour and a half and was all up and down hill. At times the trail was only about a foot and half wide, with one side being a cliff and the other a pretty steep drop down 30 feet to the ocean. We had to have climbed at least another 300 stairs. But it was beautiful. The entire path is covered in wildflowers, I couldn't believe the colors and variety (the wild Cala Lilies were gorgeous). The views of the tiny towns across the water were amazing. Monterosso is a bit larger and the most resort like of the five. We had some pesto lasagna there that was amazing with bruschetta and focaccia sandwiches and of course more wine all outside right on the ocean (another Cinque Terre white and Moscato -for Shauna!).
Our last night we had dinner at the Belforte, which is this restaurant in an old watch tower that hangs over the ocean. We got the last table out on the water and I had more pesto, anchovies in lemon and olive oil (that surprisingly I didn't hate!) and I tried a fresh mussel (for Rich)!
The next day we went to Rome, we didn't get there until about 4:00 because its a 4 hour train ride from Cinque Terre and with the train schedule we couldn't get there earlier. The day was good, I saw the Colloseum, Forum (only outside, as it was closed), The Vatican (also closed), The Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain (loved it!). For dinner we ate at this great pizza place Lindsey knew of and had a buffalo mozzarella pizza with fresh tomatoes and basil.
So now I am back here in Spain, back to work and missing Cinque Terre. I am currently trying to figure out how I can get back there!
I have to mention how great the people were. I didn't have much time in Rome, but in Cinque Terre, everyone was great! Everyone was smiling and seemed so happy. One day we were sitting outside for breakfast and the fruit vendor was carrying a flat of strawberries to his store and stopped to hand Lindsey and I each a strawberry. I loved seeing the same people from Vernazza everyday and they were all so nice. We did also meet a lot of Americans and had conversations with people from all over, couples traveling for business or pleasure to students studying abroad all over Europe and even two guys from Turkey who were hitchhiking across Europe and stopped to film some of them with their camera and then we hiked the trail with them a bit. I loved the atmosphere of Cinque Terre and the people played a big role in that.
Next weekend is a 4 day holiday weekend (5 for me) and I will be off to Barcelona! I will take plenty more pictures and update so keep checking back!
Check out my Pictures here!
*Also as a side note for anyone who read my last entry, NO ONE even asked to look at my passport or visa!!!
(LOL sorry about the NOVEL)
I got back this week from my trip to Italy. I went to the Cinque Terre, which is a national park with 5 old Italian villages built on the Atlantic Ocean in Northern Italy. Then I spent a little less than a day in Rome. Lindsey is studying in Italy right now and she met up with me in Rome and then we caught a train and headed out to the Cinque Terre.
Well I have to start out by saying that Cinque Terre is probably one of the most beautiful amazing places that I have ever seen in the world. I absolutely loved everything about it. They are five small villages, Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso, all five are connected by a hiking trail that is about 5 miles long (there are also trains). We stayed in Vernazza, which was my favorite of the five. Our hotel was this great little place in the main square of the town. Our room was very simple and clean with a private bathroom (with a big shower by European standards!). We had this amazing ocean view room that opened up right into the bay and main square, the location just couldn't have been any better!
Our first day we stopped for breakfast at the "Blue Marlin" and returned everyday to have breakfast on the patio, with the same server every morning, we saw the same people, cats, and dogs stroll by every morning going about their business.
After breakfast we hit the trail and took the first three legs that day (the easiest part of the hike) stopping in every town for a glass of wine (or two) and to explore what each town had to offer. The first day we started in Riomaggiore shopped around had some gelato, wine and by far the best mozzarella caprese I have ever had. Next was Manarola, we hiked there on the Via dell' Amore (path of love). The path is covered in graffiti, names of couples, poems and there is one spot covered in locks from couples. More vino in Manarola some pics and then we hiked to Corniglia. The walk to Corniglia involved some 382 stairs! Once in Corniglia we took Rick Steve's advice and stopped in "Il Pirun Enoteca" this great wine bar. We were the only ones there at the time and the owner was great to us. A Pirun is a typical traditional bottle to drink wine from (check out my pics!) and he just left it on our table full of wine and let us help ourselves. He was great and the wine was great! We headed back and called it a day after a great dinner at a little restaurant where I had a typical pasta of the region "trofie" with pesto (this area is famous for its pesto) accompanied by a glass of the Cinque Terre white wine, and finally a combination of cheeses served with honey and marmalade for dessert.
The next day we returned to the "Blue Marlin" for my rice quiche and cappuccino. Then we hiked from Vernazza to Monterosso the hardest leg of the hike. This part took about an hour and a half and was all up and down hill. At times the trail was only about a foot and half wide, with one side being a cliff and the other a pretty steep drop down 30 feet to the ocean. We had to have climbed at least another 300 stairs. But it was beautiful. The entire path is covered in wildflowers, I couldn't believe the colors and variety (the wild Cala Lilies were gorgeous). The views of the tiny towns across the water were amazing. Monterosso is a bit larger and the most resort like of the five. We had some pesto lasagna there that was amazing with bruschetta and focaccia sandwiches and of course more wine all outside right on the ocean (another Cinque Terre white and Moscato -for Shauna!).
Our last night we had dinner at the Belforte, which is this restaurant in an old watch tower that hangs over the ocean. We got the last table out on the water and I had more pesto, anchovies in lemon and olive oil (that surprisingly I didn't hate!) and I tried a fresh mussel (for Rich)!
The next day we went to Rome, we didn't get there until about 4:00 because its a 4 hour train ride from Cinque Terre and with the train schedule we couldn't get there earlier. The day was good, I saw the Colloseum, Forum (only outside, as it was closed), The Vatican (also closed), The Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain (loved it!). For dinner we ate at this great pizza place Lindsey knew of and had a buffalo mozzarella pizza with fresh tomatoes and basil.
So now I am back here in Spain, back to work and missing Cinque Terre. I am currently trying to figure out how I can get back there!
I have to mention how great the people were. I didn't have much time in Rome, but in Cinque Terre, everyone was great! Everyone was smiling and seemed so happy. One day we were sitting outside for breakfast and the fruit vendor was carrying a flat of strawberries to his store and stopped to hand Lindsey and I each a strawberry. I loved seeing the same people from Vernazza everyday and they were all so nice. We did also meet a lot of Americans and had conversations with people from all over, couples traveling for business or pleasure to students studying abroad all over Europe and even two guys from Turkey who were hitchhiking across Europe and stopped to film some of them with their camera and then we hiked the trail with them a bit. I loved the atmosphere of Cinque Terre and the people played a big role in that.
Next weekend is a 4 day holiday weekend (5 for me) and I will be off to Barcelona! I will take plenty more pictures and update so keep checking back!
Check out my Pictures here!
*Also as a side note for anyone who read my last entry, NO ONE even asked to look at my passport or visa!!!
(LOL sorry about the NOVEL)
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Spanish Red Tape!
Wow! So yesterday my banking was cut off because I didn't have some identification number. So I could not withdraw any money and I was supposed to go to Italy today! So I spent this morning in numerous government buildings and offices trying to find out exactly what I needed to do. I came to find that I had been waiting in the wrong office for an hour and applied for the wrong thing, which as it turns out I'm pretty sure that I still will need, anyways my Visa had expired and the woman at one office ended up forcing something through for me, and finally I'm legal!!! But I just wanted to comment on what a process it was! It was "take this to the bank and pay your bill, then come back here with your paid bank receipt and you can take these papers to have photocopied which need to be returned signed and dated". What a nightmare, but its all over and I'm off to Italy! Finally! At one point today I thought not only am I never making it to Italy, or getting my money out of the bank, I may be kicked out of the country right there on the spot! Thank God its all over and I'm off to Italy, everyone have a great weekend!!!
Monday, April 14, 2008
Pueblos de Soria
Hello all! This past weekend I visited a few pueblos or villages of Soria with a teacher from the department and two other American assistants, Bailey and Kim. We started out in Vinuesa, a small village located next to this reservoir that was built to hold water for the entire area. Before the reservoir existed there was a small village in this valley that had been abandoned and then the valley was just filled with water. When driving by you could see the church tower and further down the remains of a roman foot bridge barely above water. The way of life and traditions there are a bit different than here in Soria because they are surrounded by pine forest and have a different variety of wildlife. The villages were like a ghost town on Sunday afternoon. No one was out and the bars and restaurants were empty. It was a really cool experience though. Vinuesa was the largest of the three villages we were in and the population there is a little over 1000. We visited a museum in the area that was about the pine forests in the area. The museum covered everything from the traditional housing to the wildlife of the area, which includes Golden Eagles, hawks, vultures, owls, otters, badgers and much more. The museum had a featured area on the festivals of the area that are centered on the pine trees. It was a great Sunday afternoon. I took some pics and the like is posted below.
Check out my Pics here!
-Once youre there the newest album is Vinuesa
Hope Everyone has a wonderful week! I am off to Italy on Thursday and I will post and update pics when I return!!!
Besos!
Check out my Pics here!
-Once youre there the newest album is Vinuesa
Hope Everyone has a wonderful week! I am off to Italy on Thursday and I will post and update pics when I return!!!
Besos!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Bodies Exhibit!
Hola a todos! Last Friday I went to Madrid with the third year biology students to see the Bodies exhibit there. They are real human bodies that after death have been preserved through plastification. The exhibit covers everything from the skin to bones. Each system of the body is represented in it's own section. The first thing I saw was plastified skin, which looked just like leather. It had been fully removed from the body in a whole piece. One of the most impressive parts of the exhibit was the circulatory system. They had removed all tissue around the veins and arteries from the lungs, an entire leg and the skull. It was so amazing to see the many veins and even the tiniest capillaries in the form of lungs.
My favorite part of the exhibit was the fetal development. There were fetuses that had died along with the mother before birth, plastified and on display. The development section began at 5 weeks with a tiny fetus and then continued to progress until birth. The coolest thing was that the skeletal system had been highlighted for easy viewing as it developed. It was amazing to be able to see exactly how everything forms in fetuses with real examples. I was amazed at how everything in the body fit together and worked in perfect balance. There were entire bodies that were plastified and put into common positions, with basketballs and footballs, so the muscles were easily viewed with the nervous system also in place.
There were several examples of disease represented in the exhibit. There were two sets of lungs next to each other, healthy lungs and a smoker's lungs to demonstrate exactly what smoking does to the lungs. Next to the smoker's lungs was a large clear plastic box with a whole in the top full of cigarette packs for those that felt compelled to quit then and there. There was the body of an obese woman and she was cut into three vertical cross sections in order to show how the body stores excess fat.
Overall I was very impressed with the exhibit. It did a great job of demonstrating how the body works together. I would recommend this exhibit very strongly to everyone. I was amazed at how perfectly preserved everything was and how well it demonstrates how the body works, as well as what it needs to continue to function properly. The exhibit is in Cincinnati right now and I really would suggest going to see it if you can, it really is impressive! I have posted the link below for anyone interested in the exhibit.
The Bodies Exhibit
Besos!
My favorite part of the exhibit was the fetal development. There were fetuses that had died along with the mother before birth, plastified and on display. The development section began at 5 weeks with a tiny fetus and then continued to progress until birth. The coolest thing was that the skeletal system had been highlighted for easy viewing as it developed. It was amazing to be able to see exactly how everything forms in fetuses with real examples. I was amazed at how everything in the body fit together and worked in perfect balance. There were entire bodies that were plastified and put into common positions, with basketballs and footballs, so the muscles were easily viewed with the nervous system also in place.
There were several examples of disease represented in the exhibit. There were two sets of lungs next to each other, healthy lungs and a smoker's lungs to demonstrate exactly what smoking does to the lungs. Next to the smoker's lungs was a large clear plastic box with a whole in the top full of cigarette packs for those that felt compelled to quit then and there. There was the body of an obese woman and she was cut into three vertical cross sections in order to show how the body stores excess fat.
Overall I was very impressed with the exhibit. It did a great job of demonstrating how the body works together. I would recommend this exhibit very strongly to everyone. I was amazed at how perfectly preserved everything was and how well it demonstrates how the body works, as well as what it needs to continue to function properly. The exhibit is in Cincinnati right now and I really would suggest going to see it if you can, it really is impressive! I have posted the link below for anyone interested in the exhibit.
The Bodies Exhibit
Besos!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Semana Santa
Hello!!! I hope everyone had a fantastic Easter Holiday!!! I had a wonderful Easter week with my Mom and Rich! I left last Thursday for Seville and met up with them at the hotel. Easter week in Seville is the biggest Easter celebration in Spain. They were expecting over a million people in the city for the festivities. During Semana Santa (Holy week) each church has 2 of these pasos (kind of a float) on display and one day or night during Holy Week they send them out through the streets to the Cathedral and back to the church, kind of like a parade. The pasos (floats) weigh more than a ton and are carried by men, there are two groups of processions each day one in the afternoon and another group that leaves around midnight. Each church sends out people in these robes and pointy hoods (very similar to a KKK outfit, kinda creepy, but you get used to it really quickly). Some processions may have as many as 3,000 people involved. Some have a brass band playing funeral processions or music composed for the procession, while others are silent.
The first procession we saw left it's church around 9 pm and was a silent procession. We were standing outside the church surrounded by hundreds of people watching the paso leave and the entire crowd fall abruptly silent, it was phenomenal, I can't even describe the impact it has.
Seville was great, the city was packed with tourists from all over. The Spanards dressed in their Sunday best for the week's festivities, including some women in traditional dress wearing their tall "combs" and black lace veils. We had some great food in Seville and great wine, including this tiny wine bar that served orange and strawberry wine! We also found some good shopping in Seville. We bought hand painted fans and I got some great Spanish "re-claimed" tile from the 1800s.
We took a few day trips while we were there. First we went to Cordoba by train. I loved it there! Cordoba, like Seville and many other cities in the south, has a very strong Moorish influence in architecture left over from Moorish occupation. In Cordoba there is a Mosque with a Christian Cathedral built right in the middle of it. Inside you are surrounded with these columns and arches of red and white. We had a great lunch in Cordoba where we ordered local dishes like fried eggplant with honey and stewed ox tail, both were surprisingly good! After lunch we found this little tea shop with great tea, infusions and belly-dancing, even Rich got involved in the show, and yes I have video of him dancing!!!
The next day it was off to Ronda, a little white village, with traditional white washed walls and Spanish tile roofs. Its situated high on a cliff, for protection. The city was beautiful and the drive through the mountains was amazing!
Our last day trip was to Cadiz, a city in the south almost completely surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. It was stunning! The weather was beautiful, to cold to swim but not freezing or sweltering. The city is all white, with the exception of the yellow dome of the Cathedral. We visited an archaeological site where you are able to see structural remains from all the cultures who have inhabited the city since 1100 BC, from the Phoenicians to the Christians. We had a few tapas ocean-side at the Parador hotel where I had the chance to enjoy my fino (sherry) next to the water. Sherry comes from the southern region of Spain, and specifically from a city (Jerez) right outside of Cadiz.
After our week in Andalucia we all returned to Soria where we spent about a day and a half. We visited the open air market to see all the produce and meat products, walked along the river, toured a church and had a great lunch. Mom had Migas, traditional Sorian "croutons" with bacon, I had eggs flamenco, and Rich had the traditional garlic soup from the region and chicken.
The holiday was great and I had a wonderful time! I took plenty of pictures (once I had a charged battery!) and they are posted here. Check them out! Hope all is well!
Wish you were here! :)
*My next trip will be Madrid this Friday for an excursion with the biology students to the Body Exhibit. After that I am leaving for Italy April 17th for a few days in Cinque Terre and a day in Rome! I'll keep you all updated!
The first procession we saw left it's church around 9 pm and was a silent procession. We were standing outside the church surrounded by hundreds of people watching the paso leave and the entire crowd fall abruptly silent, it was phenomenal, I can't even describe the impact it has.
Seville was great, the city was packed with tourists from all over. The Spanards dressed in their Sunday best for the week's festivities, including some women in traditional dress wearing their tall "combs" and black lace veils. We had some great food in Seville and great wine, including this tiny wine bar that served orange and strawberry wine! We also found some good shopping in Seville. We bought hand painted fans and I got some great Spanish "re-claimed" tile from the 1800s.
We took a few day trips while we were there. First we went to Cordoba by train. I loved it there! Cordoba, like Seville and many other cities in the south, has a very strong Moorish influence in architecture left over from Moorish occupation. In Cordoba there is a Mosque with a Christian Cathedral built right in the middle of it. Inside you are surrounded with these columns and arches of red and white. We had a great lunch in Cordoba where we ordered local dishes like fried eggplant with honey and stewed ox tail, both were surprisingly good! After lunch we found this little tea shop with great tea, infusions and belly-dancing, even Rich got involved in the show, and yes I have video of him dancing!!!
The next day it was off to Ronda, a little white village, with traditional white washed walls and Spanish tile roofs. Its situated high on a cliff, for protection. The city was beautiful and the drive through the mountains was amazing!
Our last day trip was to Cadiz, a city in the south almost completely surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. It was stunning! The weather was beautiful, to cold to swim but not freezing or sweltering. The city is all white, with the exception of the yellow dome of the Cathedral. We visited an archaeological site where you are able to see structural remains from all the cultures who have inhabited the city since 1100 BC, from the Phoenicians to the Christians. We had a few tapas ocean-side at the Parador hotel where I had the chance to enjoy my fino (sherry) next to the water. Sherry comes from the southern region of Spain, and specifically from a city (Jerez) right outside of Cadiz.
After our week in Andalucia we all returned to Soria where we spent about a day and a half. We visited the open air market to see all the produce and meat products, walked along the river, toured a church and had a great lunch. Mom had Migas, traditional Sorian "croutons" with bacon, I had eggs flamenco, and Rich had the traditional garlic soup from the region and chicken.
The holiday was great and I had a wonderful time! I took plenty of pictures (once I had a charged battery!) and they are posted here. Check them out! Hope all is well!
Wish you were here! :)
*My next trip will be Madrid this Friday for an excursion with the biology students to the Body Exhibit. After that I am leaving for Italy April 17th for a few days in Cinque Terre and a day in Rome! I'll keep you all updated!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Happy St. Patrick's Day from Soria!
Hello all! Happy St. Patrick's Day! I wish that I could be drinking a cold green beer with everyone back home! I guess its not a huge day here like back home but there are a few Irish pubs in the city that will be celebrating.
This past weekend I was in Salamanca again. My Mom and Rich had just arrived in Spain and went straight to Salamanca so I met them once I arrived. My friend Kevin from Ohio, who I met studying in Salamanca had also arrived this week for a visit and I got to spend some time with him and some other friends in Salamanca. It was a great weekend. Mom Rich and I met for dinner and had a great dinner the first night. Afterwards I met up with Kevin and Raul and some other friends for a night out. It was quite a typical night out in Salamanca and we returned home around 6:30 am. The next day I met Mom and Rich in the plaza and we headed off for churros and chocolate then followed up with some sight seeing. We visited the Cathedral, which is preparing for Semana Santa (holy week) and had the floats for the processions on display. We saw the University facade, where Rich was the first to find the frog! We had pinchos in the Plaza Mayor for lunch accompanied by some beer and a bottle of wine. After lunch we went to San Esteban, a beautiful church and Gothic-Renaissance cloister in Salamanca and then we dropped in on the cloistered nuns, who sell cookies through a little window that they make in the cloister to raise money. Once we had seen the city Mom and Rich caught the train back to Madrid, where they will be for the next few days. I stayed with Kevin and Raul for another day and then came back to Soria. I have to work Tuesday and Wednesday and then I am off to Andalucia, southern Spain, to meet up with Mom and Rich again. I will update my Picasa account with the pictures I took this weekend in Salamanca. When I return from sipping Sherry in Andalucia I will be sure to post those pictures as well! Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter holiday! Wish you were here!
This past weekend I was in Salamanca again. My Mom and Rich had just arrived in Spain and went straight to Salamanca so I met them once I arrived. My friend Kevin from Ohio, who I met studying in Salamanca had also arrived this week for a visit and I got to spend some time with him and some other friends in Salamanca. It was a great weekend. Mom Rich and I met for dinner and had a great dinner the first night. Afterwards I met up with Kevin and Raul and some other friends for a night out. It was quite a typical night out in Salamanca and we returned home around 6:30 am. The next day I met Mom and Rich in the plaza and we headed off for churros and chocolate then followed up with some sight seeing. We visited the Cathedral, which is preparing for Semana Santa (holy week) and had the floats for the processions on display. We saw the University facade, where Rich was the first to find the frog! We had pinchos in the Plaza Mayor for lunch accompanied by some beer and a bottle of wine. After lunch we went to San Esteban, a beautiful church and Gothic-Renaissance cloister in Salamanca and then we dropped in on the cloistered nuns, who sell cookies through a little window that they make in the cloister to raise money. Once we had seen the city Mom and Rich caught the train back to Madrid, where they will be for the next few days. I stayed with Kevin and Raul for another day and then came back to Soria. I have to work Tuesday and Wednesday and then I am off to Andalucia, southern Spain, to meet up with Mom and Rich again. I will update my Picasa account with the pictures I took this weekend in Salamanca. When I return from sipping Sherry in Andalucia I will be sure to post those pictures as well! Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter holiday! Wish you were here!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Holy Toledo!
Hi everyone! This past weekend I went to Madrid to see Malerie and her Mom. I met them in their hotel and afterwards we went out to see Madrid. We started at El Rastro, a big flea market that takes place every Sunday in Madrid. We shopped and looked, afterwards we stopped for lunch in a bar close to the market. Then we walked to the palace (which was closed Sunday for election day), the Plaza Mayor, Sol and saw the sights. The next day we got up and went to the train station and caught the next train to Toledo. This was my first time on any train in Spain, we took the AVE which is a high speed train, it was a very smooth ride. Once in Toledo we hiked up to the city from the bus station. I really liked the city. The charming narrow mid-evil streets, the castle and the Cathedral give it such great character. We only had about 5 hours in the city, I would love to go back sometime. Over all the weekend was great! It was really good to see Mal and her Mom and to spend time with them! This weekend its off to Salamanca again, I promise I will take photos this time and post them! I also this week will be posting some shots from around Soria so check back for that!
Friday, March 7, 2008
Snow!
Hello! Its freezing here! Before I came all I heard was Soria is the coldest city in Spain. Since I got here the weather has been great, on average in the 50s. This week has been so cold! It snowed earlier this week. Not much stuck to the ground, but it snowed so hard. The day before the snow came it was 65 degrees and the next day it was upper twenties and snowing all day. Now its just really cold. Anyways school has been going well. I am going on the excursion trip to Madrid to see the bodies exhibit with the students and a few other teachers. I'm really looking forward to that!
This weekend Malerie, a friend from high school, and her mother are coming to Madrid. I am going to see them on Sunday and Monday then head back to Soria and they will be off to Barcelona, Paris and Rome. Next weekend I am going back to Salamanca. My Mom and Step Dad will be arriving and a friend who studied in Salamanca with me last year will also be arriving. The rest of this month is going to be pretty busy. But I will take some photos and update whenever I can! I hope everyone is doing well back home, I miss you all!
This weekend Malerie, a friend from high school, and her mother are coming to Madrid. I am going to see them on Sunday and Monday then head back to Soria and they will be off to Barcelona, Paris and Rome. Next weekend I am going back to Salamanca. My Mom and Step Dad will be arriving and a friend who studied in Salamanca with me last year will also be arriving. The rest of this month is going to be pretty busy. But I will take some photos and update whenever I can! I hope everyone is doing well back home, I miss you all!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Quick Update
Hey Guys!
Everything is going well here! I picked up another tutor session this week and its good so far. Its a guy whos around my age and he needs to practice his English for some test coming up. We met yesterday in a bar and just had a conversation in English. It was actually very interesting because he works for the tourism department in Soria so I learned a bit about the area. School is still going well I am preparing some articles and questions for the biology students right now. The biology teacher actually spoke with me today about accompanying the class on a trip to Madrid to see the human body exhibit, the one where pieces of real bodies have been preserved in plastic. I'm really excited and I hope that I can go. Thats about all thats new with me. The weather here is pretty nice, cold but not quite as cold as it is at home. Hope everyone is having a great week!!!
Everything is going well here! I picked up another tutor session this week and its good so far. Its a guy whos around my age and he needs to practice his English for some test coming up. We met yesterday in a bar and just had a conversation in English. It was actually very interesting because he works for the tourism department in Soria so I learned a bit about the area. School is still going well I am preparing some articles and questions for the biology students right now. The biology teacher actually spoke with me today about accompanying the class on a trip to Madrid to see the human body exhibit, the one where pieces of real bodies have been preserved in plastic. I'm really excited and I hope that I can go. Thats about all thats new with me. The weather here is pretty nice, cold but not quite as cold as it is at home. Hope everyone is having a great week!!!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Its been a month!
Well I have been here for just over a month now! The past month has gone by so quick. I am feeling much more settled in with everything. Classes are going well, its nice to know where to go, instead of being shuffled around at each bell. I feel like I am getting to know the students and teachers at the school a bit better.
As far as the classes with the children go, it's still tough but I think it's getting better, and by better I mean that I may have their attention for a combined 30 minutes out of the hour as opposed to 15 minutes. I think the age differences are my biggest challenge. Activities are either too difficult for the four year olds or too easy for the ten year olds. The Thursday group of kids is much easier to work with, as they are all the same age. There are 16 in that group. Thank you to everyone that has given suggestions! They have all been very helpful and I will continue to use them.
Everything else is going well here in Soria. It’s still a bit chilly but at least it was sunny today. This past weekend I went to Salamanca to visit a friend that I met while I was studying there. The four and a half hour bus ride passed by very quickly, the views were beautiful. I saw some amazing castles and passed through wine country spotted with vineyards. Soria is in a more mountainous region of Spain and the countryside was beautiful. If any of you come to Spain I would highly recommend taking busses or trains from city to city if only to see the beautiful countryside.
I hadn’t realized how much I missed the city until I was there again. I miss the tiny sandstone streets and the remarkable architecture of the city. I also really miss the diversity in Salamanca, if you spend enough time there you will surely meet someone from every corner of the Earth. People from all over the world go there to study Spanish language; it’s great to have so many different cultures in one city.
I will be staying in Soria this weekend, not quit sure what I will be doing, but I hope everyone has a great weekend! Miss you all!
As far as the classes with the children go, it's still tough but I think it's getting better, and by better I mean that I may have their attention for a combined 30 minutes out of the hour as opposed to 15 minutes. I think the age differences are my biggest challenge. Activities are either too difficult for the four year olds or too easy for the ten year olds. The Thursday group of kids is much easier to work with, as they are all the same age. There are 16 in that group. Thank you to everyone that has given suggestions! They have all been very helpful and I will continue to use them.
Everything else is going well here in Soria. It’s still a bit chilly but at least it was sunny today. This past weekend I went to Salamanca to visit a friend that I met while I was studying there. The four and a half hour bus ride passed by very quickly, the views were beautiful. I saw some amazing castles and passed through wine country spotted with vineyards. Soria is in a more mountainous region of Spain and the countryside was beautiful. If any of you come to Spain I would highly recommend taking busses or trains from city to city if only to see the beautiful countryside.
I hadn’t realized how much I missed the city until I was there again. I miss the tiny sandstone streets and the remarkable architecture of the city. I also really miss the diversity in Salamanca, if you spend enough time there you will surely meet someone from every corner of the Earth. People from all over the world go there to study Spanish language; it’s great to have so many different cultures in one city.
I will be staying in Soria this weekend, not quit sure what I will be doing, but I hope everyone has a great weekend! Miss you all!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Happy Valentines Day!
Happy Valentines Day to everyone back home! They do have Valentines Day here but its not very celebrated/commercial. Sorry it has been so long since I have last posted but I have been keeping busy!
Lindsey, a friend who's studying in Italy, came to Soria on Thursday. Friday we went to breakfast at my favorite cafe and then we walked around a lot. We visited San Juan de Duero, which is a church built in the 12th century and was originally occupied by Moors, after their defeat the Christian King then gave the church to the Knights of Templar. Its located just over the river from the city.
After San Juan de Duero we had Chinese for lunch and we took another walk. We walked out to some old farm land outside the city that has some beautiful views and tons of Storks, there are pictures on my picasa website (I will post it at the bottom of this post).
The next day we had breakfast again, at the same place then it was off to Madrid by bus. Once in Madrid we checked into our hotel and went out for dinner. We found a smaller restaurant that was showing a soccer game so there were plenty of fans there. We had portions of rabas (calamari), patatas madreanos (fried potatoes with garlic and vinegar) and alitas de pollo (chicken wings). After dinner our waiter insisted on giving us a shot of something very yellow, I'm not sure what it was but it BURNT! Then we ended the night with coffee at a coffee shop.
The next day was Sunday and we went to El Rastro, which is Europe's largest flea market and takes place every Sunday. It was great! It went on forever and I'm sure we didn't cover half of it. The streets are flooded with people and booths of vendors. I bought a Spanish fan and a poster. Afterwards everyone flocks to the surrounding restaurants for lunch at about 2:00. We found a spot with an empty table and had lunch. Lunch was amazing, we had the roasted chicken with patatas bravas (fried potatoes with a spicy red sauce). The food was great and we washed it down with a couple beers. Next it was off to El Parque de Buen Retiro. Its a large park towards the center of the city. It was packed on Sunday with people taking a stroll. We watched street performers and then rented a boat to row around in the lake in the middle of the park for a bit (There are plenty pictures of this on the picture site). When we were finished walking around in the park we walked around the city some more and happened across Starbucks, we had to stop in. Then we walked to Puerta del Sol for tapas (also pictured!) and a few beers. It was a brewery that we stopped at and they had great beer and a free tapa with each beer. Finally it was time for dinner and we went to El Sobrino de Botin, the world's oldest operating restaurant. Everything was great! We had appetizers, wine, dinner and dessert. Just as we got our dessert a "tuna band" came in, a university band that roams the city playing all night. It was perfect timing and they were great. The actually invited us out for drinks afterwards (we never did make it to the bar) but it was wonderful!
Monday we went to the museum Reina Sofia, which has a huge Picasso exhibit right now on loan from the National Picasso Museum in Paris. It was really great to get to see so much of his work, including Guernica (which is permanently on display in Reina Sofia). Dinner on Monday was Indian food which I haven't been able to have since I have been in Spain. Dessert that night was churros con chocolate from San Gines, which is a really cool place hidden behind San Gines Church in Madrid, they have the best churros and chocolate (churros are fried dough and they are dipped in something like a warm chocolate pudding).
Well it was a great weekend and now I am back to work. I will update you all on school later this week. I hope everyone has a great Valentines Day! Best wishes to you all!
Cheers!!!
*My pictures are posted on the following website: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/robisodl/MadridAndSoriaWithLindsey
Lindsey, a friend who's studying in Italy, came to Soria on Thursday. Friday we went to breakfast at my favorite cafe and then we walked around a lot. We visited San Juan de Duero, which is a church built in the 12th century and was originally occupied by Moors, after their defeat the Christian King then gave the church to the Knights of Templar. Its located just over the river from the city.
After San Juan de Duero we had Chinese for lunch and we took another walk. We walked out to some old farm land outside the city that has some beautiful views and tons of Storks, there are pictures on my picasa website (I will post it at the bottom of this post).
The next day we had breakfast again, at the same place then it was off to Madrid by bus. Once in Madrid we checked into our hotel and went out for dinner. We found a smaller restaurant that was showing a soccer game so there were plenty of fans there. We had portions of rabas (calamari), patatas madreanos (fried potatoes with garlic and vinegar) and alitas de pollo (chicken wings). After dinner our waiter insisted on giving us a shot of something very yellow, I'm not sure what it was but it BURNT! Then we ended the night with coffee at a coffee shop.
The next day was Sunday and we went to El Rastro, which is Europe's largest flea market and takes place every Sunday. It was great! It went on forever and I'm sure we didn't cover half of it. The streets are flooded with people and booths of vendors. I bought a Spanish fan and a poster. Afterwards everyone flocks to the surrounding restaurants for lunch at about 2:00. We found a spot with an empty table and had lunch. Lunch was amazing, we had the roasted chicken with patatas bravas (fried potatoes with a spicy red sauce). The food was great and we washed it down with a couple beers. Next it was off to El Parque de Buen Retiro. Its a large park towards the center of the city. It was packed on Sunday with people taking a stroll. We watched street performers and then rented a boat to row around in the lake in the middle of the park for a bit (There are plenty pictures of this on the picture site). When we were finished walking around in the park we walked around the city some more and happened across Starbucks, we had to stop in. Then we walked to Puerta del Sol for tapas (also pictured!) and a few beers. It was a brewery that we stopped at and they had great beer and a free tapa with each beer. Finally it was time for dinner and we went to El Sobrino de Botin, the world's oldest operating restaurant. Everything was great! We had appetizers, wine, dinner and dessert. Just as we got our dessert a "tuna band" came in, a university band that roams the city playing all night. It was perfect timing and they were great. The actually invited us out for drinks afterwards (we never did make it to the bar) but it was wonderful!
Monday we went to the museum Reina Sofia, which has a huge Picasso exhibit right now on loan from the National Picasso Museum in Paris. It was really great to get to see so much of his work, including Guernica (which is permanently on display in Reina Sofia). Dinner on Monday was Indian food which I haven't been able to have since I have been in Spain. Dessert that night was churros con chocolate from San Gines, which is a really cool place hidden behind San Gines Church in Madrid, they have the best churros and chocolate (churros are fried dough and they are dipped in something like a warm chocolate pudding).
Well it was a great weekend and now I am back to work. I will update you all on school later this week. I hope everyone has a great Valentines Day! Best wishes to you all!
Cheers!!!
*My pictures are posted on the following website: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/robisodl/MadridAndSoriaWithLindsey
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Back to Work
Hello Everybody!
This past weekend I went out for Carnival, which is the last big celebration before Lent. Everyone was dressed up, similar to Halloween at home. The children were out in the early evening dressed up and attending activities all over the city. Later on everyone else comes out in costume. I just had a wig (I'll post pics soon). It was a blast though. The Spanish know how to party! After a quick Kebab at 6:30 in the morning I ended up home by 7 a.m. and when I left the bars were still open and full of people.
So now my long weekend is over and its back to work. I'm getting much more settled in at work, getting to know the teachers and students better. Today in my biology class the students dissected a kidney. It was very interesting. I've gotten into the habit of looking up news articles that cover our topics and also thinking of different projects to do. I may even be in charge of dissecting eyes in our next unit! My class with the younger kids this week was a nightmare! I was all by myself with 14 kids that had just finished classes and were all sugared up from their Carnival candy and festivities during classes. The four year olds found it fun to run out of the class, down the hall and wait for me to chase after them. Once they went into the bathroom and I think took a bath in the sink. Although they have an abnormally high energy level and the shortest attention spans, their ability to learn language amazes me. The four year olds have wonderful pronunciation and know their colors and numbers better than some of the 8 year olds in the class. I am taking on another group of primary students. This groups should be a bit older than the other and I will have someone else there with me to help me. Keep the ideas and activities coming, I appreciate all of the suggestions and I hope to put them to use.
This weekend I am going to Madrid with a friend that is coming to visit who is studying in Italy (Lindsey). I'm really looking forward to it. I hope to hit up some of the museums and go to the giant flea market on Sunday morning in Madrid. I will take lots of pictures and update them as soon as I get back. I hope everyone is having a great week and I miss you all!
*Also, for anyone who is interested in contacting me by email my address is deidrarobison@yahoo.com
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Market Day!
Hola a todos!
Today is Thursday and its an official holiday here in Soria so I had no school today. So this morning I got up to run some errands and I wanted to check out the open air market that only happens on Thursday. It was wonderful! The entire area is set up with vendors selling the freshest vegetables, fruit, bread, cheeses, fish, nuts and the best of all was the cloistered nuns sell their baked goods. I bought the best little cookies from the nuns booth. I also got some vegetables and fruit, everything is so fresh. I got the best strawberries I have had in a long time! After the market I met up with some other teaching assistants and the 2 daughters of one of the assistants and we had a picnic. We hiked up this hill with a park towards the top and sat and ate all of our goodies. We ran into some of our students at the park, who were all up drinking on their day off. Its so different here, most of them were between the ages of 14-16 and the police were wandering around not bothering anyone at all who wasn't bothering others (its just such a difference in culture). My stuff from the market was amazing! Then on our way home we checked out the tree that Antonio Machado (famous Spanish poet, who lived in Soria) wrote "A un olmo seco" about. We then had coffee and returned home. I don't know what I will do this weekend, although I hope to go out because Carnival kicks off this weekend here in Soria. Also I posted a few more pictures to my last album, just a few of the market, but the link is in my last post if you want to check them out!
Today is Thursday and its an official holiday here in Soria so I had no school today. So this morning I got up to run some errands and I wanted to check out the open air market that only happens on Thursday. It was wonderful! The entire area is set up with vendors selling the freshest vegetables, fruit, bread, cheeses, fish, nuts and the best of all was the cloistered nuns sell their baked goods. I bought the best little cookies from the nuns booth. I also got some vegetables and fruit, everything is so fresh. I got the best strawberries I have had in a long time! After the market I met up with some other teaching assistants and the 2 daughters of one of the assistants and we had a picnic. We hiked up this hill with a park towards the top and sat and ate all of our goodies. We ran into some of our students at the park, who were all up drinking on their day off. Its so different here, most of them were between the ages of 14-16 and the police were wandering around not bothering anyone at all who wasn't bothering others (its just such a difference in culture). My stuff from the market was amazing! Then on our way home we checked out the tree that Antonio Machado (famous Spanish poet, who lived in Soria) wrote "A un olmo seco" about. We then had coffee and returned home. I don't know what I will do this weekend, although I hope to go out because Carnival kicks off this weekend here in Soria. Also I posted a few more pictures to my last album, just a few of the market, but the link is in my last post if you want to check them out!
more pics!
Hey guys I have posted some more pics on Picasa. Just a few random shots of the city and Luna, the kitty. Check them out! The address is below.
http://picasaweb.google.com/robisodl/Soria12808
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Week 2
Hello!!! My week is over already, and yes its only Wednesday! Thursday is the day of the patron saint of Soria (if you have seen my pictures on Picasa, the church and "ermita" I visited by the river is where the saint lived) so we get Thursday and Friday off school. One of the great things about Spanish life is they give vacation time for every holiday!
Well I have been busy the past week, which has been nice to have a little more structure for my day. I had classes as normal and I have started a tutoring program at an elementary school here in Soria. I had my first lesson with them on Tuesday. Tuesday someone came with me to help show me the ropes and next week I will be by myself. I'm a little nervous because I'm not quite sure what to do with them. I have to plan all my own activities and my own topics to cover. I am thinking I will start with colors, animals and numbers for now. I have downloaded songs off the internet (5 little monkeys jumping on the bed for use of numbers as an example) to use in class. The children are from ages 4 to 10. The majority are around 6 or so. The four year olds are really hard to work with because they have a very short attention span. So if anyone has any ideas or suggestions on activities I could use I would appreciate it.
The woman who was helping with this program has also asked me if I would do the same thing at another elementary school with the same activities for different children of the same age group, as well as a similar group of high school students. So if those programs come together I may be a very busy lady her in Spain.
Last weekend I didn't do to much. Friday I went out and had a couple beers with my roommates and Sat. we went to see Los Crimenes de Oxford (The crimes of Oxford) and then had Kebab (Kebab places are really popular here in Spain) for dinner.
I don't have any plans for the long weekend! I have Mondays off so I have nothing to do for the next 5 days!! I don't know what I will do with myself! I hope everyone is doing well! I will have a beer over the long weekend for you all!
Well I have been busy the past week, which has been nice to have a little more structure for my day. I had classes as normal and I have started a tutoring program at an elementary school here in Soria. I had my first lesson with them on Tuesday. Tuesday someone came with me to help show me the ropes and next week I will be by myself. I'm a little nervous because I'm not quite sure what to do with them. I have to plan all my own activities and my own topics to cover. I am thinking I will start with colors, animals and numbers for now. I have downloaded songs off the internet (5 little monkeys jumping on the bed for use of numbers as an example) to use in class. The children are from ages 4 to 10. The majority are around 6 or so. The four year olds are really hard to work with because they have a very short attention span. So if anyone has any ideas or suggestions on activities I could use I would appreciate it.
The woman who was helping with this program has also asked me if I would do the same thing at another elementary school with the same activities for different children of the same age group, as well as a similar group of high school students. So if those programs come together I may be a very busy lady her in Spain.
Last weekend I didn't do to much. Friday I went out and had a couple beers with my roommates and Sat. we went to see Los Crimenes de Oxford (The crimes of Oxford) and then had Kebab (Kebab places are really popular here in Spain) for dinner.
I don't have any plans for the long weekend! I have Mondays off so I have nothing to do for the next 5 days!! I don't know what I will do with myself! I hope everyone is doing well! I will have a beer over the long weekend for you all!
Friday, January 25, 2008
Week 1
Hey Guys!!!
So my first week of school is over! It went well. I can see that it will take a bit to settle in. The teachers said they will give me material to prepare for the next week. It has also been a bit hectic meeting everyone and all. Today I had a group of first year students that I will be meeting with every week. They didn't speak much English so it was a bit tough to discuss topics but it went alright, it was the first time that I have been on my own with a group of students. I'm not quite sure what I will do over the weekend, some people have left for the weekend so we will see. Hopefully I will take some more pics this weekend to post! Alright well I hope everyone has a great weekend! Miss you all!
So my first week of school is over! It went well. I can see that it will take a bit to settle in. The teachers said they will give me material to prepare for the next week. It has also been a bit hectic meeting everyone and all. Today I had a group of first year students that I will be meeting with every week. They didn't speak much English so it was a bit tough to discuss topics but it went alright, it was the first time that I have been on my own with a group of students. I'm not quite sure what I will do over the weekend, some people have left for the weekend so we will see. Hopefully I will take some more pics this weekend to post! Alright well I hope everyone has a great weekend! Miss you all!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Work Day 2
Hello Everyone! I'm really glad to hear that people are reading this stuff! Its good to read your comments so keep them coming! Today was my second day of work. It was a little more interesting than the first. I graded more papers for a while. The papers are very tedious to grade but the kids have such imaginations. I read one about a planet made of sugar and the explorers needed space suits with insulin control so that they didn't become hyper-glycemic, keep in mind all of this was in English! Then I had an hour of conversation with a teacher that I assist in a science class, we went over the lesson so she could pronounce everything she needed to properly. The lesson was on evolutionary theories so I learned some things. Then I had my first class, it was biology. It was the last class of the day and they were really hyper and talkative. They were around 13 and 14 years old. It was hard because I think that everyone just wanted to go. All I had to do was read some questions for them to answer. They all spoke very English very well, especially for it being all science related. The class ended well and the teacher told me she will give me some topics to prepare for the next week.
After class a teacher came in today to talk to me about a program where I will go once a week to a school (different than mine) and I will pretty much just hang out with some younger children and teach them beginners English, such as how to say their names and simple greetings. Its only once a week and it pays as a tutoring position. I decided to take it, I love hanging out with little kids plus it pays! So I will let you all know how that goes.
Well I don't have much more to update you on! I'm off to get dinner, I am getting Telepizza, which is my favorite pizza place here! A four cheese pizza with goat cheese and a carbonara sauce and I havent had it since I have been back! YUM!
After class a teacher came in today to talk to me about a program where I will go once a week to a school (different than mine) and I will pretty much just hang out with some younger children and teach them beginners English, such as how to say their names and simple greetings. Its only once a week and it pays as a tutoring position. I decided to take it, I love hanging out with little kids plus it pays! So I will let you all know how that goes.
Well I don't have much more to update you on! I'm off to get dinner, I am getting Telepizza, which is my favorite pizza place here! A four cheese pizza with goat cheese and a carbonara sauce and I havent had it since I have been back! YUM!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Work
So I started work today. Not much to tell. It was a pretty boring day. I didn't have to go to any classes today. I just corrected papers in the office and then I had a conversation hour scheduled but the teacher had a doctors appointment so I left. Thats it. I will update more tomorrow hopefully if I have more to tell!
Monday, January 21, 2008
Pics at last!
Hola a todos! Good news! I finally have some pics., but I don't like the way this blog uploads them, so I am going to post a link at the end of my posts for the website that I am posting them on. Anyways yesterday was a great day! My roommate and I went for a walk down by the river just outside the city. It was gorgeous and thats what my pics are of. We walked for a while! We then came to this ermita which is a small church with a cave in it which is guess is the ermita (which i think is where a hermit lives, how perfect for me right Kris?). Anyways the scenery is great! Afterwards I met the other teaching assistants for the first time for coffee, which turned into coffee a few beers and some tapas (pickles, anchovies and olives :/ jamon, and french fries). They all seem really great and seem to be enjoying the school and their work. They also said they would help me find some students to tutor on the side!
Today I walked along with one of the other assistants, Marilyn and her two children to school this morning. Afterwards she helped me set up a bank account, and get some paperwork for my Spanish ID. Then we had breakfast, which was tostado (thick bread grilled with butter on both sides served with peach marmalade, cafe con leche (espresso with steamed milk) and a glass of orange juice (squeezed right in front of me) all for under 3 Euro! Then it was off to the butcher, bread shop and then the market where I got some clementines (which are still great here mom!).
Tomorrow is my first day at work! So I will post again soon to let you know how that went!
On a side note, I am very very disappointed in this years Superbowl!!!
My Pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/robisodl/SoriaSpain08?authkey=Bata3krAbQg
*let me know if there are any problems viewing them from the link, or commenting on them. Thanks!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
New Phone!
Hello Everyone! Just wanted to let everyone know I got a phone! My number is: 626-29-94-70. You'll have to dial 011 then 34 (Spain country code) then the number. Nothing else new to update. I have been sleeping a lot, trying to get over my jet lag. OH and today I was cleaning my room and looked under my bed and found a pull out bed underneath. So if anyone wants to visit me I have a bed for you!
Friday, January 18, 2008
I made it!!!
Well I made it to Soria after a long day of traveling. My flight to Frankfurt Germany was good. I sat next to an Italian girl about my age that had studied in Michigan and was visiting her boyfriend. She invited me to stay with her in Rome and we exchanged email addresses. Then I had a four hour lay over in Frankfurt where I met a man from Lebanon who was lost, spoke no English or Spanish, but he was going to Madrid too, so I helped him find our gate. Once there he never left my side, no matter how hard I tried. He knew the word friend in English and asked me several times if we were friends.
Next I arrived in Madrid, my luggage came out right away and I talked to some people in the airport who told me about a bus that took me straight to the bus station I needed, so it was very easy. Then I got to Soria after a 2-3 hour bus ride and couldn't get a hold of anyone so I came to my apartment and my roommate let me in. Both of my roommates are good so far! I think later today we are going to go to the mall. Sergio even made me lunch today because I have no food yet, he made lentils, they were good and they were the first thing I have eaten since being here in Spain.
Today I went to the school and one of the teachers showed me around town. The school has a bi-lingual program. The department is very small but everyone seems nice. My schedule seems to be good, except Fridays I have to start at 8 :( But about half of my time here is conversation, where I meet with a teacher and help them with their English. I also am helping teach 4 science classes as well as English classes.
After Isabel (the teacher) left me I walked around the city. I even hiked up a huge hill to see the Parador, which is a hotel developed around some ancient ruins, it had great views! The people here are great! I had several conversations with strangers, they're so nice. Someone even bought my coffee today in the coffee shop that I didn't know. The people here are much more open, much more so than in Salamanca. Then I went to the market just to look. Its right down the street from where I live, its small but really cool. They have lots of fresh fruits and veggies and inside is all fresh fish and meat. I saw some interesting squid and octopus in the market.
So, so far so good! Its a small town but not as small as I had imagined. I start classes on Tuesday, I have Mondays off. I will update and let everyone know how they go. I will post some pictures as soon as I take some. Also I think that I am getting a cell phone today, the teacher at the school seems to think I need it today for some reason, so I guess I'm going to go get one in a bit. I will post the number in an update and anyone can call me then either from a phone card or any phone :) I hope all is well back in the States and I miss you and wish you were here!
Next I arrived in Madrid, my luggage came out right away and I talked to some people in the airport who told me about a bus that took me straight to the bus station I needed, so it was very easy. Then I got to Soria after a 2-3 hour bus ride and couldn't get a hold of anyone so I came to my apartment and my roommate let me in. Both of my roommates are good so far! I think later today we are going to go to the mall. Sergio even made me lunch today because I have no food yet, he made lentils, they were good and they were the first thing I have eaten since being here in Spain.
Today I went to the school and one of the teachers showed me around town. The school has a bi-lingual program. The department is very small but everyone seems nice. My schedule seems to be good, except Fridays I have to start at 8 :( But about half of my time here is conversation, where I meet with a teacher and help them with their English. I also am helping teach 4 science classes as well as English classes.
After Isabel (the teacher) left me I walked around the city. I even hiked up a huge hill to see the Parador, which is a hotel developed around some ancient ruins, it had great views! The people here are great! I had several conversations with strangers, they're so nice. Someone even bought my coffee today in the coffee shop that I didn't know. The people here are much more open, much more so than in Salamanca. Then I went to the market just to look. Its right down the street from where I live, its small but really cool. They have lots of fresh fruits and veggies and inside is all fresh fish and meat. I saw some interesting squid and octopus in the market.
So, so far so good! Its a small town but not as small as I had imagined. I start classes on Tuesday, I have Mondays off. I will update and let everyone know how they go. I will post some pictures as soon as I take some. Also I think that I am getting a cell phone today, the teacher at the school seems to think I need it today for some reason, so I guess I'm going to go get one in a bit. I will post the number in an update and anyone can call me then either from a phone card or any phone :) I hope all is well back in the States and I miss you and wish you were here!
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