BARRRRRRRRRRRSAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

Hanging out at the beach with Chelsea and Kirsten

La Sagrada Familia

Fancy cava!

Casa Batllo

Park Guell

Hola, familia y amigos!

I know it's been several days since I've written- I was absolutely exhausted last night! I have so much to say, though.

So first of all, the day before we left for Barcelona (Wednesday), I went with a few of the girls to check out a convent here in Salamanca, El Convento de San Esteban. It was the coolest thing ever! The church inside was absolutely breathtaking, and they also had a museum section with really old, beautifully detailed maps, monstrances, chalices, and other items that were used in the church many centuries ago, and a few boxes called "relicarias." At first, I couldn't figure out what they were- there were lots of tiny boxes with what looked like white rocks in them, and saints' names underneath. I finally realized they were pieces of saints' bones! My St. Cecilia, St. Benedict, St. Augustine, St. Peter the Apostle, even Mary Magdalene...So they were all there! I had the biggest Catholic geek out ever. I'm still not quite over that!

So then we basically spent Thursday en el autobus (on the bus). The time went really fast, though, since we watched a few movies and I looked out the window a lot. The hotel was pretty nice, and so we all dressed up to go to dinner together in the restaurant there. We had the best dessert ever- yogur con frutas del bosque, or basically whipped yogurt with berries. We all stayed in that night to get sleep for Friday.

We started off the day seeing Gaudi's Parc Guell (sidenote: get ready to hear about this guy a LOT). It was so trippy and fun! Gaudi's signature elements are using broken bits of colorful ceramic, playing with designs from nature, and incorporating some Gothic elements and some much more modern stuff, and Guell definitely shows this. So did his Casa Batllo, our next stop and my favorite thing we did in Barcelona! This is just one of several apartments he designed. It was so cool how he basically carved 2 holes in the building so that it almost looked like a figure 8 from a bird's eye view, if that makes sense. The middle section was just stairs and an elevator (one of the first ever put into a building in the city!), and the rest was for the Batllo family and a few renters to live in. Gaudi was un arquitecto total (a total architect), meaning that he designed EVERYTHING in a building down to the curly doorknobs and the shiny chandeliers. This particular house is said to imitate the legend of San Jorge y el Dragon (St. George and the Dragon), as you can see in the iridescent scales on the walls and the colorful, wavy ceiling. Later in the day, we saw another of his apartments, Casa Mila. Mila (also known as La Pedrera, the boulder) looks like a giant weatherworn rock from the outside. On the inside, it has been preserved exactly as it was at the start of the 20th century, furniture and all, so that was also pretty cool!

We also headed up a mountain to the area of Barcelona known as Montjuic (Mount of Games, in Catalan) to see the site of the 1992 Olympic games and a beautiful panoramic view of the city...complete with the gorgeous blue Mediterranean! We got free time to get out own lunch, and Jenn and I tried a lot of really good tapas!

A few of us were too tired to go out after all that Friday night, so we stayed in...and ended up having a ton of fun eating at the hotel again, watching Harry Potter, and trying cava, Barcelona's famous sparkling wine. It was a blast!

Saturday, we just packed even MORE into our day! We started off at Gaudi's masterpiece, La Sagrada Familia (The Church of the Holy Family). Stepping inside was so incredible that I almost cried! It might be the second coolest thing I've ever done, after Aktun Tunichil Muknal, a cave in Belize where Aunt Foo and I saw Mayan human sacrifice victims. I digress. I wish we had time to go to the top...but it's just an excuse to go back again! Besides, I want to go back when it's finally completed, possibly around 2030. Gaudi was hit and killed by a trolley before he could see it finished, but even incomplete it is unbelievable. The towers kind of look like sand-drip castles, and his famous colorful stained glass windows make the whole place dazzle.

Next, we went to El Museu Picasso (The Picasso Museum), the largest collection of his work in Spain. Unfortunately it was prohibido tomar fotos (prohibited to take photos), but it was still very cool! There were two whole rooms dedicated to a collection he did interpreting Velazquez's masterpiece, Las Meninas, which I will see in a few weeks at El Museo del Prado in Madrid! Can't wait!

After that, we were given free time for the rest of the day, and most people headed back to the hotel after lunch and some shopping. But a few of us decided to keep walking around all evening, which was great! I finally had my paella, and it was delicious. Then we shopped, watched an artist paint a picture and bought it right afterwards, saw another wedding at a beautiful church (we have decided to call ourselves Wedding Crashers now...), saw a benefit concert for children in Africa, walked along the harbor, drank mojitos, sat on the beach, got hit on by an entire bachelor party of Italians...I'm telling you, we did it ALL! Finally, we got dinner at a little marisqueria (seafood retaurant) while watching Barcelona kick Manchester United's butt in futbol! It was so much fun walking around and being on the metro after that- people were hanging out of cars, blowing vuvuzelas, banging on the roof of the metro to the beat of loud cheers, and just generally having a great time!

We went out to a big club that night called Opium Mar, which was a lot of fun. My mood was dampened slightly at the end by some creepy Italian guy but that is neither here nor there- I'm glad we went, because Barcelona is famous for its nightlife! I got less than 3 hours of sleep, so after spending Sunday on the bus, running to church, and eating dinner, I was ready to pass out!

Today I've been trying to post all my pictures, get this LONG blog post done, and figure out some coursework- we have a paper due tomorrow, and I have to finish reading the 2nd section of my book for my independent study class. I'm staying in Salamanca this weekend, so pictures, spending etc. should probably/ hopefully be to a minimum for a while!

Besitos,

Caitrin

The 10 Commandments of Spain

Hola!

Yesterday in class, I had a weird idea (what else is new). So, here's a list of a few of the important lessons I've learned here... the 10 Commandments of Spain!

1. Thou shalt stuff thyself at every meal lest thy madre feel personally insulted.

2. Thou shalt not every, for any reason, make eye contact with a male. Ever.

3. If thou desirest that it be a road to drive on, driveth on it, regardless of its usual status as a plaza, walkway, or sidewalk.

4. If thou desirest to walk on it, walketh, regardless of the presence of "no walk" signs or cars speeding towardst thou. Thou shalt preferably bringest thy small children with thou as thou crosseth a busy road at inappropriate and/or illegal times.

5. Thou shalt not assume that anything is included in the price...excepting the tax!

6. Thou shalt eat thy weight in bread on a daily basis.

7. Thou shalt not wear flip-flops, for they are weird.

8. Thou shalt not wear shorts, lest thou weareth leggings beneath aforementioned short. Woe unto the man who wears both flip-flops and legging-less shorts simultaneously. It would be better for that man if he were never born.

9. Thou shalt bring thy umbrella everywhere, lest God send the floods to spite thee.

10. Thou shalt eat, drink, touch, see, hear, and explore every inch of beautiful Espana!!! :)

So now you know! Anyways, today was a pretty good day. I went to La Misa at another beautiful church called San Pablo...and finally got some pictures! Classes went well, and during siesta I did some research in my guidebook about Barcelona since we leave at 8:30 am on Thursday! Me emociono muchisimo (I am so excited) for this trip! We will be seeing tons of Gaudi's work, as well as a museum that houses more than 2,500 of Picasso's paintings and sculptures! Somehow, this is the "biggest collection of his work in Spain," implying that it's not the biggest in the world. How much art did this guy do??? GEEZ! Jaja. The guidebook also mentioned that Barcelona specializes in absinthe... What do you guys think, should I try it? They also have a slightly less dangerous drink called cava which is a sparkling wine and apparently muy delicioso (very delicious). When we get back, Salamanca is hosting an international arts festival called FACYL that involves lots of free live music, circuses, hot air balloon rides...and a ton more! Que chevere (How cool)!

Today has been a great day! I got a delicious artichoke heart tapa at a bar, then toured El Museo de Salamanca and La Universidad Pontificia by myself before class...which ended up being cancelled, so I went with some girls down by the river to sun and relajar (relax). My roommate and I discovered a website where we can stream American shows (I miss Modern Family and Glee sooo much!), and tonight we are going to a party at the high school where we help the students learn English complete with live music and fuegos artificiales (fireworks)! The museum this morning, by the way, was absolutely amazing- there were dozens of Renaissance paintings, and then some stellaes and statues from 1500 BC!

Besitos!

Caitrin

Portugal es...distinto (Portugal is...different)

El Torre de Belem, dedicated to African legacy in Portugal

En la playa (at the beach) with Chelsea and Jenn

A replica of the statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and a bridge that also looks a lot like the Golden Gate in miniature!

Buenas noches!

Before you think from the title of this post that I hated Portugal, I want to assure you that I had a really nice weekend! But the country was very different in some ways, many of them bad. Also, our trip was not very well organized, unfortunately, and probably not really worth what we paid for it. However, who knows if I'll ever go to Portugal again, so I'm glad I went!

We left after classes on Friday, and our madres packed us dinners. I had this huge chocolate pastry thing in mine! The bus ride went relatively quickly (it was about 5 hours) since we were talking, listening to music, doing homework, or sleeping. We checked into the hotel, which took forever. I was with my roommate back at home, Cami, and a girl named Kirsten is very amable (sweet/ friendly)... By the end of the weekend I was SO glad I was with the two of them!

We took the metro out just for a few hours, since it closed at 1 am, to get a general sense of the nightlife in Portugal. Again, the bellhop told us that things don't get going until 4 or 5 am...and some even open at 6 am and go until 2 pm! Lisbon partying was incredibly different from Salamanca. It was what I imagine New Orleans to look like during Mardi Gras- people crowded through the streets, walking around with huge cups of sangria and mojito, some of them dressed in weird skintight body suits or covered in glitter. Very strange. We got hit on by some 27 year old Irish guy and his father... But it was interesting to see I suppose.

On Saturday, we started off at the beach. The water was a tiny bit chilly but it was so much fun! There were a million tiny little hermit crabs, congrejos (real crabs), and fish in the water. The boys and a few of us brave girls jumped off the dock, which was decently high! The weather was beautiful. Next, we went to see La Quita, a beautiful estate that once housed the Portuguese royal family. The mosaic floors and ornately carved wooden ceilings in the main house were incredible! We also went in the chapel, and found a sketchy underground tunnel that of course we decided to go into. All of us freaked out and ran for our lives when we heard a weird noise! There was SO much more to see here- there were many acres of gorgeous gardens, and many more buildings, but we were very pressed for time (again, not very well planned). We ate a pretty authentic Portuguese meal for lunch called bacalao that has rice and salt cod, but the restaurant messed up several people's orders and was also more expensive than we expected, so again people were frustrated with our tour guide. Next she took us to a Castelo (Castle) that had an expensive entrance fee and was going to close in less than an hour, so we just hiked up to it and took a few pictures from the outside. We had a blast riding our huge tour bus up the mountain's hairpin turns! Our driver's skills were admirable.

That night, the rest of the group decided they were going to leave to go out when the metro closed (1 am) and return when it opened again (6 am) even though we needed to be ready to go by 9:30 am. Thankfully, my 2 roommates thought this was just as dumb of an idea as I did, so we went out and got dinner, then rented a free DVD from the front desk and stayed in for the night. Though dinner was good, I did learn an important lesson- never assume anything is free! They charged us 11 euros for the bread, cheese and olives they put out on our table without us asking for it. Communication was also terrible, because-get this- even though most of them speak pretty fluent Spanish, they HATE Spanish and refuse to speak it. Their English was lousy in general, so we did a lot of sign language!

Anyways, we had a nice night in and were sound asleep when another girl from our group knocked on our door at 4:30 am sobbing because she got separated from the group and walked around sola (alone) for a while before finally figuring out how to get a cab. She didn't even know what hotel we were in, and couldn't speak to the cab driver anyways! The worst part is, when the rest of the group came back, they hadn't even noticed she was gone. I was really disappointed in them, because honestly she could've been kidnapped or raped or killed or who knows what. I wish I had been there to take care of her.

Today, we saw a monastery called Dos Jeronimos that was absolutely beautiful. We had been so busy that I never found time to go to La Misa (Mass), and it was starting there just as we arrived so I thought about skipping the tour to go to La Misa in Portuguese, but I was wearing shorts so they wouldn't let me in. I feel terrible for missing it, but I'm going to go to daily Misa tomorrow at the Catedral Nuevo to hopefully make up for it a little. I also had a beautiful hour or two with God today on the bus ride home listening to praise and worship music and observing the gorgeous mountains and little villages of Portugal! I'm missing CCM back at JMU and how easy it makes my faith...but this trip is a challenge for me to grow closer to God all by myself, I think. We also saw a cool tower right on the water dedicated to the African legacy in Portugal, and ate lunch at a cute restaurant (we caved and got burgers) before loading up the bus and heading back to Salamanca.

In short, I enjoyed the trip but I wish that a) we had more time to see a few of the sights; b) we were given more info on the things we saw; and c) some of the people in my group would reprioritize their lives a little bit. Now I am exhausted since I've basically been up since 4:30 due to the hysterical girl incident!

Besitos,

Caitrin

A Lisboa!

Buenos dias!

This post will actually for real be cortita because we're leaving for Lisboa (Lisbon), Portugal in a few minutes! We'll get to hang out and check out the nightlife tonight, then tomorrow we're spending the day in a beautiful city called Sintra to see the palaces and cathedrals. Sunday we'll hopefully do some sight-seeing in Lisboa, and spend a few hours on the beach! Jenn and I are also going to try to find a church again since we won't be back in Salamanca until very late on Sunday. I'll probably get to hear Mass in Portuguese, very cool!

It's been a little bit cold and rainy in Salamanca the past few days. Wednesday, especially, was crazy! We started hearing truenos (thunder) and seeing relampagos (lightning) during my Spanish Civilization class, and by the time we got out it was POURING. For some reason I was in a really weird, happy-go-lucky mood, so while everyone else huddled in the stores and stared at me, I basically just skipped through the streets with a grin on my face. No umbrella, no raincoat... and a mile and a half walk in front of me. By the time I got home, I was soaking wet. All Escoli could say was "Quita los zapatos para que no mojas el piso" ("Take off your shoes so you don't get the floor wet.") Jaja she's funny.

My classes have been so interesting! We learn about everything related to Spain imaginable- the food, the Arabic and Roman influences, the Renaissance, the different regions' climates, random refranes (sayings), the geography, the royal family... I really enjoy it! Yesterday we went through an elaborate family tree that, finally, explained how at one point Spain, Portugal, the Americas, and Germany were all part of one empire due to weird intermarriages and people dying in a very specific order. Spanish elections are on Sunday, so we've learned a lot about politics here, too. The main parts are PP (Partida Popular- a conservative party) and PSOE (La Partida Socialista... obviously not so conservative!). I've started reading both my novels, and they're really not that bad either. Oh also yesterday in art, we learned about la fachada...and then walked two blocks to go see it! How often can you do that??? We also got to see the former classroom of Fray Luis de Leon, a famous teacher of U. Sal... that has been left the way it was in the 1560s! There was also a library in the building with a Bible from the 1100s!

Pues, ya vamos (well, we're going now)! I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Besitos,
Caitrin

Demasiado comer y caminar! (Too much eating and walking!)

Dressed up for la boda tradicional (a traditional wedding). I have a video too- we'll see how it posts!

La ranita (the little frog!) Legend says that those who find la ranita in this facade will have good luck in all their studies at La Universidad! Do you see it? It's very small!

Que tal? (What's up?)

I haven't written for a while, so this might be a bit long. Well Sunday I was very tired so I slept during siesta and, no surprise to those who know me well, felt really weird the rest of the evening since I don't do well with naps. I went to Mass with Jenn at a beautiful church called Nuestra Senora de Carmen (Our Lady of Carmen). Read my comment on the previous post for info on Mass. We wanted a quieter night, so we went out to a little cafe close to our apartment to get postres (dessert). I had a meringue...yum! Then, since the boys had just barely showed up when the place was closing, we all headed to a hookah bar near the Plaza. It was a nice, fun night, and we got in early (and by early I mean before 2!), so that was good for classes the next day! I'm really starting to enjoy spending time with most of the people in the group- it's the sort of experience that brings together people that are very distintos (different) that wouldn't necessarily be friends, but makes you see how much fun you can really have together!

I had my first two classes yesterday, and they went really well. For my Spanish Civ class, I have to read a short novel and write a paper on it for our final; for Art our exams are to explain things we see on our excursions to the rest of the group. Very cool! I like both of my professors, too. I also went in to learn about the position at the collegio (high school) speaking English with the kids. Jesus, one of the program directors, came with us to this, and he was also teaching the class we had right after that (art). We got out of the collegio with maybe 12 minutes until class, and a 10 minute walk ahead of us...and Jesus decides we're going to get coffee. There's such a different concept of time here! Jaja. A few of us also walked around a lot yesterday down by the river. The trees produce this weird white fluffy stuff in HUGE quantities, so that it looks like it's just snowed.

In the evening, we went out again, but not too late. The bar we went to, The Irish Rover, wasn't very Spanish, but it also wasn't all American. I think this is the hot spot for international students from all over, because U. Sal. (Universidad de Salamanca) is one of the most popular places in the world to study Spanish abroad! We met some guys from France and a group from Hungary, and we definitely heard a lot of British accents, too. Almost all of the music was American. It was really fun, and again we only stayed until around two. I still want to go to a few more authentic bars though!

Today, I got up early and went around by myself since most of the people in my group have early classes. My intention was to take pictures of the insides of some of the churches here, because they are gorgeous! There are probably 25 or 30 within a 15 minute walk from my apartment...it's sooo Catholic here! However, they are all unfortunately locked except when Mass is in session or a half hour before when people are praying, which I didn't want to interrupt. Oh well, hopefully sometime I'll be able to. I did eventually venture into the Catedral Vieja for the first time... I nearly cried! Es increible (It's unbelievable). We're going again for a more extensive tour later as a group, which should be awesome.

I had my two classes again, and I went to the collegio to actually speak with the students for the first time. I will be going every Tuesday and working with three sophomore girls who are very sweet! They wanted to know all about America- they mostly asked if things were like the movies. Are the cheerleaders really the popular kids? Are the schoolbuses really yellow? And are the parties really that crazy? It was fun, and good practice for them.

This evening, I also had my first meeting with my independent study class. It sounds like it's going to be pretty difficult... We have to read a decently long (200 pages) Spanish novel about La Guerra Civil de Espana (the Spanish Civil War) of all things and then write a paper on it. Thankfully the paper is only 6-8 pages, not 20 like Jesus told us before! Then, we went out with our tapas group to two different tapas bars. I ate WAY too much! It was delicious, though. So many food pictures! At least I'm walking enough to balance out a lot of the food. I am a terrible estimator but I'd say I walk AT LEAST 5 miles a day, sometimes probably 7 or 8 or more. My feet are angry with me!

For the first time, we're staying in 100% tonight. I actually have a lot of reading to do for my classes now, so it works. Tomorrow I might not have much time because Jenn and I might go see a museum, and then we're probably going back to the Irish Rover for karaoke!

Una cosita mas (one more little thing)... I'm going to Lisboa (Lisbon), Portugal this weekend! I'm not sure if I'd mentioned that before. We're going to the beach one day, which should be amazing. Again, if you know me, you know how I feel about la playa (the beach)! :)

Les echo de menos (I miss you)...besitos!

Caitrin

Fotos!

A mural near my apartment

Eating chocolate y churros!

La Catedral Nueva

At a bar with Kirsten, Britanny, Joanna and Ervin

La Plaza Mayor at night!

Buenos dias!

I've been writing a lot recently, so I figure this post can be mostly pictures... The first huge batch is up on facebook but here are some of the best for those who don't have facebook!

For just a quick summary of the past day, I ended up staying out until 5:30 am! Granted, about an hour of this was us getting perdidas (lost), jaja. I tried a cool German beer called Palauner or something like that, and we found a fun place to go dancing with the whole group. Needless to say Mass this morning didn't happen. A few of us are going later this evening instead. Hopefully I can catch a daily Mass at the cathedral one morning since I missed it today and I don't know how many Sundays I'll be in Salamanca. When I feel a little more comoda (comfortable) with my spanish I may even attempt to go to confession...we'll see! This afternoon we went to el rastro, a market place just outside of the city. It wasn't quite what I expected-more of a garage sale- but it was a good experience. I will definitely be sleeping during siesta today!

Una Nota Cortita (A Short Note)

Hola!

Just checking in rapidamente (quickly). I am in the JMU office here- it´s very cute! Noticed that of course the old post ended up coming back, so the last 2 are very similar...whoops! Another whoops...I think I lost my driver´s license here...

On a different note, we´re about to get our cell phones! It´s about a euro a minute (around $1.15 or $1.20!) for me to make calls to the states, but it´s much cheaper if anyone calls me. Calls to each other are still relatively expensive, so we´ll probably be mostly texting and keeping even that to a minimum. It has been really weird not having a phone with me for the past few days! I have no concept of time without it, jaja (haha).

So I just need to let you all know that I am feeling so much better about this trip now! Last night was really awesome. We had dinner at a nice restaurant- they just kept bringing us dishes! We had una ensalada (a salad) with tuna, olives, and onions in it, then calamari, chicken, french fries, little fried sticks with chicken and cheese inside called croquetas, and finally ice cream and flan for dessert! We got out of there as soon as we were done to head out to a bar one girl knew about. They set up a ladies night for us where there was a free open bar for girls as long as we got there by 10:45. We barely finished dinner by then, how weird is that? Anyways, we ran to the bar and were of course the only ones there because Spanish people go out super late. One bar that was suggested to us doesn´t get hopping until 4 am! It was fine being the only ones there for a while, we danced a little and I had some pretty crappy sangria. I wanted to talk and get to know people better but it was way too loud. The bar is apparently used to catering to JMU students who come every fall, spring and summer...they even had a sign up on the video screen that said ¨Welcome JMU Dukes and Dukettes!¨ That was cute...but I won´t go there too often because it wasn´t very Spanish bar! A la medianoche (at midnight), we sang to Chelsea, a girl in our group, because today is her 20th birthday!

When we left the first bar, it was about 12:30...still extremely early here. So the second bar was just more of the same, our group alone. Most of the girls were wasted by this point, but me and a few others had only had a drink or 2 and were kind of over the whole deal of being just our group. So, Chelsea and Britanny and I decided to go to the Plaza Mayor and get ice cream. We sat there talking- mostly in Spanish, which I loved- until 3! They are much more similar to me and I had a really good time. It made me feel so much better about this trip! A little drinking and dancing is fun...but the 3 of us agree that we want to do a little of EVERYTHING! They walked me home, too, which was really nice of them. Again, my madre wasn´t home when I got in! Jaja I don´t know what she does all night!

This morning everyone who was out all night was dragging majorly! We walked around a little more and saw a few more important buildings. I´ll go home for lunch soon, and then hopefully meet up with a few of the girls to go see one of the parks or go shopping or something.

Les amo!
Besitos,
Caitrin

Hola de Salamanca!

Buenos tardes! (Good evening...though it isn't really evening to you guys)

I wrote a post yesterday, but the blog site went down and took down a lot of posts "temporarily." Vamos a ver (we'll see) if the post ever makes it back. Anyways, I'll write about everything up to now just in case.

Where to begin? Pues (well), my flight went really well. It actually seemed much shorter than 8 hours... largely due to how awesome the plane was! It was an Irish plane, and so there were weird foods on the menu. Did you know that Irish people eat tomatoes for breakfast? Anyways, dinner was more normal- really yummy, actually. We had pasta, salad, bread, and a brownie. Just a few hours later we had "breakfast" since we were nearly there by that point and the sun was rising! That was an odd feeling, to think it was around midnight but to see that it was dawn. The plane sat 8 people across a row, with 2 aisles in between, the way planes are set up in the movie Airplane! (If you haven't seen it, watch it before I get home or we may not be able to be friends anymore!) Each seat had its own tv with a touchscreen where you could watch tv shows (I watched Family Guy, The Big Bang Theory, and Sex and the City!), movies, music videos (there were some weird Irish ones..), or a map with an icon of our plane moving across it that also told you our speed, how many miles we'd gone, etc. Que chevere (very cool)! I couldn't really sleep, not that I expected to.

Once we landed, we went through customs (not nearly as complicated as going through US customs!) and then grabbed our luggage. Thank God we had a few boys with us because our bags were muy pesadas (very heavy). We found a little cafe and set up camp for the next 5 hours. I converted some money into euros, got a Coke to keep me awake (soda is sweeter here, I think they use different sugar), and then got to know the group. People kept arriving and joining us throughout the morning. At 1 (for us, it felt like 7 am) our directors arrived and we boarded the bus for the 2.5 hour drive to Salamanca. I think I slept a little but it was maybe half an hour or so; the seat was too small to really lie down. Also we kept passing all kinds of gorgeous Spanish scenery that I didn't want to miss!

Our madres were there to meet us once we arrived in Salamanca. My madre, Escoli, is a great cook and seamstress, probably around 50 or 55 years old. She also appears to be very popular- while Cami (my roommate) and I got home a bit before 1 am, she was out until after 2:30! She is very talkative and sweet. The apartment is small and simple but comfortable. Cami and I have our own rooms, and all 3 of us share a cute little bathroom...complete with bidet! When we first got home and had settled in, Escoli made us a "snack": bread, cheese, strawberries, and Spanish tortilla (this is like an omelette with fried potatoes in it- sooo yummy!). After this, Cami went exploring and shopping with a few of the other girls, but I was literally about to pass out (at this point, I had gotten maybe an 1-1.5 hours tops of sleep in the past 24 hours- and I don't do well with no sleep!). Cami was more accustomed to the time already because she flew into Madrid a night early. Anyways, I took a nap, and then around 10 we had the leftovers of our snack for dinner. We headed out to explore, and ended up running into 2 other girls from our trip.

The city is absolutely gorgeous at night! We found the Catedrales Nuevo y Viejo (Old and New Cathedrals), a few beautiful university buildings, and of course the famed Plaza Mayor! I took a bunch of pictures, I'll post them soon. We also got invited out to clubs by a bunch of guys, but neither of us was really feeling it/ dressed for it right then! Tonight we're going to go out for the first time, because apparently some bar is having ladies night where it's free open bar for girls! Most of the people on this trip seem very interested in going out every night, and I think that's the general culture here for young people...that isn't really me but I'm going to stay open to it and see how I like it. Maybe it's more chill than las fiestas universitarias (college parties) back in the states, and people who went in the past told me it's the best way to meet Spanish young people since they're not in our classes or going on our excursions with us.

This morning, we met up with the group at 10 am to do the first part of our orientation. Jesus and Ramon, the directors, showed us important buildings and explained how our classes, cell phones, and more work. I'm starting to get to know a few of the other students better and I really like some of them! We also saw the JMU office where we can go study, use the computers, and just hang out...it's a cute, nice place, and I think it can be a little home away from home! I'm feeling very far away... Sometimes in a good way, but it's also kind of scary sometimes. After orientation, Cami and I went shopping for a while and I bought some sandals. Europeans think flip-flops are weird, and those were previously the only sandals I owned! Found out that I can't use my credit card sin mi pasaporte (without my passport), and I don't plan on carrying that around all the time, so I am going to just rely on cash that I withdraw.

We had lunch around 2, and since then we've just kind of been waiting around because Jesus was suppposed to call us. Both of us signed up for this job helping Spanish high school kids to learn English, as did 4 other people on our trip...Trouble is, they only need 3 volunteers! So, we're supposed to have interviews to determine who will do it, but he never called. I wished I had known he wasn't going to call because I would've gone out to walk around! Oh well, there will be plenty of time for that. I've just been chilling, reading and of course writing in here! Cami passed out for like 4 hours after almuerzo (lunch), haha. Siesta!

The whole group is having dinner together tonight at 9, and then we're going out to the bar. Tomorrow is more orientation stuff I think, and we'll get our first taste of Spanish weekends. I think that's all for now!

Les extrano a todos (I miss you all)!
Besitos,
Caitrin

Cuando en Espana...

Bienvenidos a Salamanca! (Welcome to Salamanca!)

So, for all my friends who freak out about flying- you know who you are- I just want to say that I am safely here! I left for Dulles yesterday at 2 pm, and now it is 3:15 pm in my head but 9:15 pm in real life. We haven't had dinner yet, and that's totally normal! The flight went faster than I expected...mostly because we were on this sweet Irish plane. It seats 8 across instead of just 4, with 2 aisles in between...my best example is the movie Airplane! (watch it.) Each seat had it's own tv, and we could watch a pretty wide variety of tv shows, movies, music videos, etc. We could also watch a cool map program with our plane moving along its trek, which fascinated me. Apparently you could even play video games, and the remote could pull out to be the controller, but I didn't do that. The food was delicious, too! They served a full dinner of pasta, salad, a roll, and even a brownie. Right before we landed, they also served desayuno (breakfast), even though to us it was like 1:30 in the morning.

I will never forget the moment about 20 minutes before we landed when the plane tilted and I got my first glimpse of European soil!

There ended up having 9 of our trip people on our plane, which is half the group. We found a cafe in the airport and basically just set up camp for the next 5 hours. Nobody slept, we just bonded over our tiredness. The group seems really cool! My roommate's name is Camila, but she goes by Cami, and since my madre can't say my name (those vowel sounds are really hard for Spanish speakers), I am now going by Cati (Cah-tee). At least to her. She is the sweetest lady ever! Very talkative, always trying to please us. Her name is Escoli, and she lives alone in a cute little apartment that seems pretty close to everything important! She made us sopa de vegetales, tortilla espanola (SO good and not at all like Mexican tortillas- it's like an omelette with potatoes in it), ensalada verde, pan, y fresas (vegetable soup, Spanish tortilla, salad, bread, and strawberries) for a snack when we got in...I'm excited to see what's for dinner! Escoli also sews really well, it seems to be the main thing she does.

After we unpacked and ate, Cami went to meet some people in the Plaza Mayor to have a few drinks and do some shopping. I wanted to join them so badly, but I literally could not stay awake anymore, so I took a nap instead. Now I'm all excited to go out and do something tonight, so I hope everyone else is too!

Just a few cosas interesantes (interesting things) I've noticed. First of all, not many people really drive Smart cars here! Barely more than in America, I'd say. But most people do drive little sedans. Also, the "streets" here are basically walkways that are JUST wide enough for the occasional car to fit through when necessary. But mostly people just walk, there aren't that many cars. There are a ton of stores sprinkled throughout, mixed in with the apartments and stuff, but they're all tiny! Cami and I laughed at a store called "Megamart" that was probably the size of my living room. Oh also Irish people eat tomatoes for breakfast.

Anyways I think we're going to figure out dinner now since it's almost 10 pm... Sorry if this was scatterbrained, I'm still very exhausted! I'll post pictures soon! Love you all!

Besitos,
Caitrin

Una sorpresita (a little surprise...)

What made the table is making it all the way to Spain...Behold: I am only bringing FIVE pairs of shoes! This is quite the feat. Entonces (so)...

Buenos dias a todos! (Good day to all!)

This morning my mother and I ran around doing tons of errands in preparation for my trip "tomorrow." When we returned home a few minutes ago, I had a new e-mail reminding us where we are meeting at the Barajas airport in Madrid el jueves (Thursday)... Yikes! A few panicked moments later, including a minute or so when I thought my friend who was going to fly with me had bought the correct ticket and I had the incorrect one so I would have to fly alone, spend the day alone in Madrid and book a hotel for the night alone, I realized that I actually had the right ticket which clearly states that my flight leaves WEDNESDAY evening at 5:40. Turns out, Spanish calendars start with Monday on the left, not Sunday like ours, so that Wednesday looked like Tuesday (if that makes sense). So, all is well, I will just be around for an extra day! My mother, desafortunadamente (unfortunately), has come out of this with a few years off her life. I promise this is not at all like me! I can NOT believe that happened...

Anyways I was planning to write a post before I left with my itinerary and some of the things I know I'll be doing, so I guess that's a good a way as any to make some measly attempt to cover up my stupidity here.

So, I'll have this first weekend to relax, get to know my group and my family. I hear that my madre (Spanish mother), Escoli, is a great cook! I'll start classes next Monday. I am taking a 490 class, which is independent study, so I will probably be doing research at the university's gorgeous and ancient library and then writing a long paper. I am also taking a History of Spanish Civilization class and a Spanish Art History class, all completely in Spanish and taught by Universidad de Salamanca staff. The classes will only be made up of the 18 people in my JMU group, though, so each class could have just a few people in it.

The weekend of the 21st, is a fin de semana libre (free weekend), and I have been advised to stick around in Salamanca to continue getting acquainted with the town. This sounds like a good idea, but I was kind of hoping to get up to Santiago de Compostela, one of the world's biggest pilgrimage sites because it is where St. James the Apostle is buried (!)... So we'll see. Another easy, afternoon pilgrimage I hope to take is to Avila (as in St. Theresa), which is about an hour away from Salamanca.

Next, we take a long weekend in Barcelona, from May 25th- 29th. This is where Gaudi's masterpiece, La Catedral de la Sagrada Familia (Holy Family Cathedral), his extremely unique park, Guell, and a lot of his other work are located. The cathedral looks like a sand drip castle, check it out!

I have another fin de semana libre on June 3rd, but there are two options for already-coordinated trips I can take if I so desire, one to Valencia in the Costa de Sol (Coast of Sun) region along the Mediterranean, and another to Lisbon, Portugal. I will definitely be on one of these trips! Which one will probably be determined by what I hear about the towns and which of my new friends will be going, honestly.

June 10th-13th we head to Andalucia, a region in the south of Spain. We will visit all three major cities there, the "tourist triangle," as it is known: Granada, Cordoba, and Sevilla. Me alegre mucho (I am especially excited) to see the famed Alhambra mosque and palace in Granada.

The 18th and the 19th, our last weekend, will be spent in Madrid, Spain's capital. I will get one more day there than everyone else at the very end of my trip because my flight back to America is a day later, so I'll stay in a hotel there that last night. This will be a lovely little reunion if I fall in love with the city, which I think is a very definite possibility!

I'm excited that Salamanca's patron saint's feast day, El Dia de St. Juan de Sahagun, will happen while I'm there, as well as the feast of Corpus Christi. Various other festivals will be going on in the cities I visit, most of which are celebrated by dancing, eating, and drinking copious amounts of alcohol, with the occasional firework show or bonfire thrown in for good measure.

Final exams (I thought I just escaped those??) are the 23rd and 24th, and then I'll have a few closing activities and I'll be back before you all know it! Escribame (write to me), I'd love to get snail mail! My address (they write it differently there) is C/Ayala, 18-20, Principal C, 37004-Salamanca, Spain.

I love you all! Next time I post I will finally be en Espana!

Besitos,

Caitrin

One more week!

Hola, familia y amigos! (Hello family and friends)
This blog is a great way for you all to follow my travels and adventures en Espana! (the lack of tilda is already bothering me...going to need to figure out how to do Spanish accents etc)

So I leave for Salamanca, Spain a week from Tuesday...Que bueno! (how wonderful) I am SO excited, but also feeling a bit nervous about it. After all, I have never been so far away from home before, much less all on my own! I have stupid worries, like about getting lost in the airport or not getting along with the people on my trip. But mostly I am just very excited and ready to go!

I hope everyone is doing well. Send this along to anyone who I've missed who wants to know what I'm up to!

Besitos (a common Spanish salutation- "little kisses"),
Caitrin