This is a blog all about things to do before traveling abroad either to Spain or any place like it. It will be helpful to me in the future and to anyone else traveling! Enjoy!
1. Tell your bank that you´re going abroad, so that your debit card doesn´t get declined like mine did in France senior year.
2. Bring a few hundred euro with you prior to going to the airport. The airport exchange rates are outrageous!
3. If you plan to stay abroad for about 4 weeks, packing 33 lbs of stuff in a checked bag is PLENTY! There is no need to pack over 60 lbs of clothes. You will get charged about $50 for going over 50 lbs depending on the airline.
4. Bring a raincoat and small umbrella. Hot tropicalish places have some storms in the hot afternoon.
5. Bring a small bag for day trips.
6. If you plan on straightening or blow dryer your hair... don´t. You will break both of your appliances like Lindsay and me did. You will end up purchasing a striaghtener for about 50 euro that only fits in Europe outlets.
7. Learn some of the language before you leave. It sucks trying to commicate with your host family when you know nothing. You don´t know if you´re agreeing to weird things...
8. Make a blog! If you have a pen and paper journal, you won´t write in it. I promise you.
9. Get drunk or drugged before you hop on a 7 hour plane ride if you can´t sleep on planes like me. One Benadryl won´t do the trick, I´ve tried.
10. Don´t bring a purse out with you at night. Why do you think man made bras...? Answer: to put your money in.
Well there are numbers 1 to 10. There will definitely be more once I´ve finished more than about a week abroad. I hope this helps someone!!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Lunes!
Buenos dias! It's Lunes... a whole semana has gone by! Only dos semanas y cinco dias left! Wow!
This post is mainly for my lovely ladies at home who have made jewelry with me or like to make jewelry...
My friends and I found a bead shop close by the Plaza Mayor!! I made a bracelet Friday with my friends Lindsay y Amanda. The bead selection is small, but they have a lot of hand painted beads made in Spain, so I used some in the bracelet I made. I got to practice my Spanish with the bead lady, and she got to practice her English with us. She knows just a little bit more English than I know Spanish. She told us to come back this week Wednesday or Thursday to make more things and to practice. I'm going to! If I come back with a bracelet present for you all, don't be surprised!!
Off to Medical Spanish now... I hope to post again this afternoon. Miss you xo
This post is mainly for my lovely ladies at home who have made jewelry with me or like to make jewelry...
My friends and I found a bead shop close by the Plaza Mayor!! I made a bracelet Friday with my friends Lindsay y Amanda. The bead selection is small, but they have a lot of hand painted beads made in Spain, so I used some in the bracelet I made. I got to practice my Spanish with the bead lady, and she got to practice her English with us. She knows just a little bit more English than I know Spanish. She told us to come back this week Wednesday or Thursday to make more things and to practice. I'm going to! If I come back with a bracelet present for you all, don't be surprised!!
Off to Medical Spanish now... I hope to post again this afternoon. Miss you xo
Friday, May 27, 2011
My head is spinning...
Buenos noches!
I literally have like 10 minutes to write this out, so I´ll do so quickly. We´re headed to museum at 5 PM. We are sooo busy here! We are taking regular Spanish and medical Spanish in the morning and then have cultural activities in the evening after siesta, inlcuding dance lessons, movies, lectures, tours, and cooking classes. On top of the studying I have to do for Spanish (because I knew none before I came here), my NU professors are also assigning us a butt load of work for our leadership in healthcare class that we took before we got to Spain. The whole point of having 7 days of class before we went to Spain was to get all of that work done so we could focus on our Spanish here. It´s fustrating because I´d like to devote my time to studying Spanish and learning the culture, however I can´t do that when I´m supposed to be reading a leadership novel, reading 2 case studies on who knows what that are several pages long, and also preparing a 15 to 20 minute power point presentation on a healthcare issue in Spain and comparing it to USA. My group of 4 chose to look at how immigrants can get healthcare and treatment in Spain and in the USA... if they´re covered by public insurance, get quality care, etc.
On top of my studying and all that other work, I´m catching up with friends and family online in between classes or when I have 10 minutes of time...example, this blog. I´m also shopping after evening activities and rushing home and to school to get meals or going to class. Mi casa is 15 minutes from school. I walk there and back at least 6 times a day. I´m also going to the Plaza Mayor almost every night for a gelato, sangria, or wine. We also go out to the bar a few nights a week.
So, as you can see, my head is spinning from being pulled in all sorts of directions. I´m finding siesta to be very necessary. You should try it.
Have a great weekend!!!!
I literally have like 10 minutes to write this out, so I´ll do so quickly. We´re headed to museum at 5 PM. We are sooo busy here! We are taking regular Spanish and medical Spanish in the morning and then have cultural activities in the evening after siesta, inlcuding dance lessons, movies, lectures, tours, and cooking classes. On top of the studying I have to do for Spanish (because I knew none before I came here), my NU professors are also assigning us a butt load of work for our leadership in healthcare class that we took before we got to Spain. The whole point of having 7 days of class before we went to Spain was to get all of that work done so we could focus on our Spanish here. It´s fustrating because I´d like to devote my time to studying Spanish and learning the culture, however I can´t do that when I´m supposed to be reading a leadership novel, reading 2 case studies on who knows what that are several pages long, and also preparing a 15 to 20 minute power point presentation on a healthcare issue in Spain and comparing it to USA. My group of 4 chose to look at how immigrants can get healthcare and treatment in Spain and in the USA... if they´re covered by public insurance, get quality care, etc.
On top of my studying and all that other work, I´m catching up with friends and family online in between classes or when I have 10 minutes of time...example, this blog. I´m also shopping after evening activities and rushing home and to school to get meals or going to class. Mi casa is 15 minutes from school. I walk there and back at least 6 times a day. I´m also going to the Plaza Mayor almost every night for a gelato, sangria, or wine. We also go out to the bar a few nights a week.
So, as you can see, my head is spinning from being pulled in all sorts of directions. I´m finding siesta to be very necessary. You should try it.
Have a great weekend!!!!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Dancing!
Hola!
I´ve been in Spain for about a week now, and what I´ve noticed is that people dance here very differently than us Americans do. Everytime we go out, we go out in a huge pack of 21 people. We´re pretty noticable on the street and in the bars. We also like to dance with each other because we´re the life of the party and all. There is no, as us Americans say, bumping and grinding. Girls dance with their friends as the guys just sit back, stare, and cat call. It´s a lot of fun just fooling around with your girl friends.
Tonight, we had our first Savillana dance lesson at school. It was hysterical. We partnered up with a friend and learned the first few seconds of the dance. The dance room is super tiny, so having 22 people dancing is tight. We constantly are hitting each other. I wacked my friend, who happens to be named Lauren, in the face dancing with her. We have two more dance lessons in Salamanca before we leave for Sevilla, so we´ll all be professionals by the end, at least I hope...
Miss you all, have a great weekend if I don´t write tomorow! xoxo
I´ve been in Spain for about a week now, and what I´ve noticed is that people dance here very differently than us Americans do. Everytime we go out, we go out in a huge pack of 21 people. We´re pretty noticable on the street and in the bars. We also like to dance with each other because we´re the life of the party and all. There is no, as us Americans say, bumping and grinding. Girls dance with their friends as the guys just sit back, stare, and cat call. It´s a lot of fun just fooling around with your girl friends.
Tonight, we had our first Savillana dance lesson at school. It was hysterical. We partnered up with a friend and learned the first few seconds of the dance. The dance room is super tiny, so having 22 people dancing is tight. We constantly are hitting each other. I wacked my friend, who happens to be named Lauren, in the face dancing with her. We have two more dance lessons in Salamanca before we leave for Sevilla, so we´ll all be professionals by the end, at least I hope...
Miss you all, have a great weekend if I don´t write tomorow! xoxo
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Siesta
Buenos dias!
I love siesta! It needs to be brought back to the US. It's so neccesary.
Every morning I wake up for class around 730 AM, get ready for class, then have my two Spanish classes until 1 PM. Lunch and siesta are from 2 to 4 or 5, depending on our afternoon activities. Then, we have afternoon cultural classes until 8 then dinner around 9 or 10, lasting for an hour. My friends and I go out to the Plaza Mayor to have a sangria, gelato, or cappichino after dinner. We may stay out at the Plaza or go to a bar or club until 3 AM, which is very typical and even early here. Many Spanish people stay out until 6 AM on the weekends.
Siesta is also neccesary because it's hot in Salamanca, between 1 and 5 PM it gets over 30 degrees C here, which is probably above 83 degrees F. When we get to Sevilla in a few weeks, it's going to be the beginning of summer there. We were told today by our Spanish professor that it's been 46 degrees C during the summer time there, which is over 115 degrees F.
For all of my close friends, you know I love my 5 minute nap... imagine a 1 to 2 hour nap every day! Woohoo
Miss you! xoxo
I love siesta! It needs to be brought back to the US. It's so neccesary.
Every morning I wake up for class around 730 AM, get ready for class, then have my two Spanish classes until 1 PM. Lunch and siesta are from 2 to 4 or 5, depending on our afternoon activities. Then, we have afternoon cultural classes until 8 then dinner around 9 or 10, lasting for an hour. My friends and I go out to the Plaza Mayor to have a sangria, gelato, or cappichino after dinner. We may stay out at the Plaza or go to a bar or club until 3 AM, which is very typical and even early here. Many Spanish people stay out until 6 AM on the weekends.
Siesta is also neccesary because it's hot in Salamanca, between 1 and 5 PM it gets over 30 degrees C here, which is probably above 83 degrees F. When we get to Sevilla in a few weeks, it's going to be the beginning of summer there. We were told today by our Spanish professor that it's been 46 degrees C during the summer time there, which is over 115 degrees F.
For all of my close friends, you know I love my 5 minute nap... imagine a 1 to 2 hour nap every day! Woohoo
Miss you! xoxo
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
I will also be trilingual!
Greetings on my 21.5 birthday!
Lindsay and I got 5 new roommates yesterday afternoon... 5 French boys! They also speak little Spanish, so we all feel like we´re in the same boat. Lindsay and I have been practicing our French conversation knowledge with them. The boys are all around 15 years old and mostly just giggle whenever we say something to them. They´re only staying for 3 more days.
Also, when Lindsay and I first arrived at our host family´s house, our senora found a French-Spanish dictionary in the drawer. Lindsay have been using it to communicate with our family and to do our homework. It´s hysterical. Luckily, Lindsay found a bookstore yesterday and bought an English-Spanish dictionary to help us with our homework and conversations. I hope to continue talking with the French boys and using the French dictionary at some points because I´m learning my French all over again from high school. I´m realizing that French and Spanish are very similar.
Don´t be surprised if I come home speaking Span-gli-ch... also known as Spanish, English, and French!
Love and miss you all! xoxo
Love, the birthday girl hehe
Lindsay and I got 5 new roommates yesterday afternoon... 5 French boys! They also speak little Spanish, so we all feel like we´re in the same boat. Lindsay and I have been practicing our French conversation knowledge with them. The boys are all around 15 years old and mostly just giggle whenever we say something to them. They´re only staying for 3 more days.
Also, when Lindsay and I first arrived at our host family´s house, our senora found a French-Spanish dictionary in the drawer. Lindsay have been using it to communicate with our family and to do our homework. It´s hysterical. Luckily, Lindsay found a bookstore yesterday and bought an English-Spanish dictionary to help us with our homework and conversations. I hope to continue talking with the French boys and using the French dictionary at some points because I´m learning my French all over again from high school. I´m realizing that French and Spanish are very similar.
Don´t be surprised if I come home speaking Span-gli-ch... also known as Spanish, English, and French!
Love and miss you all! xoxo
Love, the birthday girl hehe
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Coming home 10 pounds heavier... at least
Greetings from Salamanca!
Lindsay and I met our host family last night. They're a married couple and are in their 70s. Super friendly but don't speak ANY English. Lindsay and I both took French all through school, so it's really hard to communicate. We are constandly nodding and saying "si" whenever they talk to us, not knowing what we're agreeing to do or say. I can't wait to start taking Spanish class tomorrow morning.
The craziest thing about our host family situation, besides the huge language barrier, is the food! So, for breakfast in Spain, the Spanish usually have a piece of toast and coffee. This morning on the table for Lindsay and I were cereal, cold milk, hot milk for hot chocolate, juice, 2 pieces of toast each with jam, nutella, or butter for the toast, and a platter of about 10 to 15 small croissants. Our senora also was offering more toast, hot milk, and anything else we wanted. Most of our other friends had 3 crackers and coffee from their host families. Also, dinner last night was a feast. We had soup, salad, a basket of bread, fried chicken, french fries, a bowl of fruit, which consisted of bananas, apples, kiwis, and oranges (Lindsay and I had a kiwi each), and then cake for dessert! So, if I come back from Spain about 10 pounds heavier, don't be surprised.
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