La Copa Mundial!! 11/7/2010

Wow!!! Incredible night with Spain winning the World Cup Championship over the Netherlands. Crazy. Again, I went down to the big screen at Corte Ingles, where I ended up with a pretty decent spot to see the game under a tent. There were actually 3-4 screens, though one large one.

As I traveled a bit over the weekend, everywhere you went you could see the Red/yellow Spanish flag hanging everywhere, and here in Salamanca, everyone was out and about to see the game. At Corte Ingles, it was mostly a younger crowd, but people of all ages. The game, as you already know, was a bit long, and everyone was so excited for it. Towards the end though, we were all really nervous as to how it would end up. When they made the goal, though, is when everything went crazy. It was nuts.

The entire city of Salamanca was out in the streets, cheering "Yo soy español, español, español" and a few other songs. It was thousands of people, all in red, with flags, yelling, throwing firecrackers, and just being nuts. Since I'm here in Salamanca, which is a bit of a smaller city, it definitely wasn't as crazy as Madrid or Barcelona, but it was a really nice night of everyone coming together. The game finished around 11, and all throughout the night, everyone of all ages was all out on the streets, from young kids to older abuelas. I ended up going home around 2:00, and I was amongst the first to call it a night. It was a good night.

It's a bit strange to me, though, that as of today here in Salamanca, all of life has returned back to normal again...all of the trash was picked up and the streets were swept, and there was no more singing.

Salamanca Week 2

Hello all!

I've just finished week 2 of my studies here in Salamanca, and am posting a few pictures of my week here. The university provides a few walking tours of the city, so I went to two of them this week. The first one, on Wednesday, was of the palacios of the city, which, in my opinion, the highlight was the Casa de las Conchas, or, House of the Shells. Built in the 1500s, it is, as you can see from the picture I posted, covered in seashells. You might say, that's a bit unusual, since Salamanca is unfortunately located at least 6 hours away from an ocean or a sea. That would be true, but it was built in honor of a daughter-in-law who came from Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia, and that is the symbol of that city.

On Thursday, I went on the tour of Las Catedrales (The Cathedrals). Salamanca has 2 cathedrals - La Catedral Vieja (The Old Cathedral), and La Catedral Nueva (The New Cathedral). La Catedral Vieja was begun in 1120, and is beautiful inside, of course. It has a really beautiful gold-plated altarpiece with 53 scenes of Christ's life, and also features one of the oldest organs in the world. La Catedral Nueva was begun in 1512, and is much larger than the other. Although, they're directly connected together, as the New Cathedral was built to help support the older one from collapsing. It's quite unusual. Also, there was some damage done to these buildings in the Lisbon Earthquake of 1755. Nothing too serious, but you can see some cracks in some of the walls.

My favorite part of the cathedrals is on the outside fachada (facade). As you can see in the photos, it's beautiful and old-looking. However, around the baroque-style details, there is actually an astronaut, and a creature eating an ice-cream cone! These details were added as masons re-did this area in the 20th century, and while keeping to the baroque-style, wanted to make it clear that this was a renovation.

In class this week it's been quite interesting. In history class, we've been learning about the Guerra Civil (Civil War) in Spain (1936-1939). It's really crazy to realize just how recent that is, and the incredible amounts of damage done to this country and how many lives were lost (350,000 were killed). Something that I also hadn't learned before, is how many orphans were sent off to the Soviet Union, and there are actually quite large Spanish enclaves now in Russia. That was an interesting tidbit. Also, in literature class we've been studying Ruben Dario, who I've studied before, but I'm particularly interested in because he's one of the first authors in our Spanish 4 curriculum, and also we've been reading some of Miguel de Unamuno's works. I had a professor in college who was quasi-obsessed with Unamuno, so I feel really excited to hear it again. Also, Unamuno lived here in Salamanca and at one point was the rector of the University here. In my syntaxis class (grammar) we have looked at ser and estar exhaustively, so that's always a good time. :)

A few things that I have noticed this week. It is truly very hot here. While I realize the East Coast has been in the midst of a record-breaking heat wave, I finally understand why Spanish businesses close during the siesta. Most things, for example, the University's offices. They are open from 8:30am - 2:00 pm, and then from 4:30-6:30. These are very typical hours. Most stores will also be shut during the midafternoon, reopening perhaps around 5. Our class finishes at 2:30, and to walk back to the residence hall at that hour is often very difficult. Also, very few places have air conditioning.

Also, I have found a small shop that sells Aquafina water, which is wonderful. Every other bottled water brand that I have found here contains sodium. It's very unusual, but all of the bottles will say that water with sodium content is good for diets poor in sodium. Strangely, the food here is very salty, so I would have a hard time imagining someone with a diet that needs to be augmented with extra sodium. But alas, good old Aquafina is sold here also.

This weekend I am looking forward to a couple of day trips. Tomorrow I will be visiting the cities of Leon and Zamora. Then at night, there is a piano concert in one of the small palaces near my residence hall. Then Sunday I will be taking a day trip to the Sierra de Francia. More about those trips soon. AND we cannot possibly forget. Sunday night - The World Cup FINAL!!! Spain vs the Netherlands. Should be lots of great craziness here.

Avila and Valladolid

So this weekend I took two day trips. Saturday I went to Avila, which is a really beautiful city and it's known for its wall. It has a wonderful wall that was constructed between 1092-1099, and it's in excellent shape and well-preserved, and you can walk on it. It was erected by the Christians to keep out the Muslim invaders. Between 782-1492, Spain and the Iberian peninsula were constantly changing hands between the Christians and the Moors (Muslims). The southern area of Spain (Andalusia) is where you'll see the most Moorish influences, but this history has left its imprint through the whole peninsula as well.

Avila is also well-known for being the home of Santa Teresa de Avila, one of the two patron saints of Spain, and very important and well-known in the Catholic Church. She reformed the Carmelite nuns, and created the Carmelitas Descalzas, and the nuns/monks don't wear any shoes on their feet, as a form of humbling themself. She is said to have created the recipe of Yemas de Santa Teresa (see below post about these sweets).

I really liked the atmosphere of Avila, and the people were really nice (and they let me try a sample of the Yema de Santa Teresa, as they're normally sold in boxes of 6-12....and I really only needed one!). It was a very small little city inside the murrallas (walls), while a lot of the more modern constructions and a lot of daily life takes place outside the walls. There are gorgeous views of the plains, and it's obvious that back in medieval times you would have been able to see invaders coming across the plains from miles away. Beautiful.

Then we got back and watched La Copa Mundial - Spain won against Paraguay, so of course everyone went crazy again! They're in the semifinals now, so the people are really excited.

Then today, we went to Valladolid. While we had gone by bus to Avila yesterday, the bus company is on huelga (strike) today. There are a lot of transportation strikes occurring throughout the country here, as the government is trying to lower salaries (and raise taxes). About half of the months of July and August the bus company will be on strike, and apparently the metro of Madrid is only working 50% of its normal load, as it is striking also. So this raises some concerns about how to get from Salamanca to Madrid-Barajas airport as I fly home on the 31st, and the huelga begins the 30th at noontime. But I will deal with it and figure out the best way.

So we arrived in Valladolid via train, and Valladolid has been a really important city in the history of Spain, and it was at one point the capital. Kings were born here, Ferdinand and Isabel were married here, Cervantes once lived here, Christopher Columbus was here assembling his Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria as he explored the Americas....but alas, it was not as interesting as I would've hoped for. There are some really beautiful buildings, a wonderful Plaza Mayor, a beautiful Cathedral, and wonderful plazas...but it wasn't an outstandingly memorable city. Also, as it was Sunday, many of the attractions were closed all afternoon or day. We ended up touring the house where Cervantes once lived (for 2 years), and the Museum about Columbus, and enjoying a nice relaxing day walking around the plazas and city. We enjoyed a nice meal, and some good helado! And it was really very hot during all of this. Very hot.

Food and Other Tidbits

So I'm posting a few pictures of some of the typical dishes that are eaten here...in fact, so typical, that I will post a picture of my plato combinado, which includes ensalada, tortilla espanola, pollo, and patatas fritas that I ordered at a restaurant this afternoon. Then for dinner tonight in the comedor (dining hall/cafeteria) guess what I ended up having? That's right, the very same.

As for the dining hall food...Well...It's okay. It's pretty typical Spanish food, but mass-produced, of course. In the morning they have very strict rules that you can choose this OR that, etc. so that means that I typically eat cereal with milk, and a yogurt. A very typical Spanish breakfast is a croissant or pastry (there are tons to choose from here!) and cafe con leche. While I don't enjoy the taste of coffee, I really like Cola-Cao, which is a brand of hot chocolate prepared with milk here. Yum!

Also, if you order a tosta, it's kind of like pizza, prepared on a roll. That, and bocadillos (sandwiches prepared on a baguette) are really typical. I should post a picture of that, because they're very typical. And croquetas! Croquetas are kind of like mozzarella sticks, but prepared with meat inside instead of cheese. They're typically made of jamon, but I pretend that they're made with chicken, since I don't really eat pork. :)

Yesterday I was in Avila, a small city, and they're known for the Yemas de Santa Teresa. They're kind of like a cookie/small pastry...and they're said to have been invented by Santa Teresa. They consist of an egg yolk and sugar. Something to be tried while in Avila. Also, typically served in Castilla (this area of Spain) is membrillo with queso served on pan. Membrillo is kind of like a jam (made of figs), and I've actually seen it at Whole Foods back home before, but I hadn't realized how popular it is here, especially in the winter time.

Also, as I enjoyed my croissant and Cola-Cao at the train station yesterday morning, guess what was on the TV (in Spanish!)? Enjoy the pictures!

Odds and Ends of Salamanca

It's been a nice couple of days discovering the city a little more, poco a poco. I'm posting a few pictures of the city here, it really is beautiful. At night, with all the monuments lit up, it's really special.

Today was the last day of the International Conference of Teachers of Spanish as a Foreign Language, and then Monday we will start back at our normal classes, which will be good.

Yesterday I went to buy a few folders for my classes, and as they rang us up, they explained why they charged us more than what the tag said. As of yesterday morning, the government raised the taxes again by 2%, so that the products you buy, have an 18% tax added to them. You can compare this to CT, where we have a 6% sales tax. If you buy something in CT for $100, you will pay $106. Here in Spain, it would be like $118. Although, to be clear, here in Spain we use euros, which currently has a better exchange rate for Americans than we've had in years. For every 100 euros, it is about $124. It's still to our disadvantage, but it is a much stronger showing of our dollar than before. The European Union is having many financial difficulties (as does the whole world), especially in Greece and Spain also.

A few notes about the Universidad de Salamanca, where I study. It is actually the oldest university in Spain, and amongst the oldest of Europe. It's been a university for almost 800 years - since 1220! Everywhere you walk here in the Old City it is steeped in history. While this may sound boring, it's really cool to be a part of it.

This weekend I will be doing two day trips - Saturday to Avila, and then returning to see the World Cup games (Spain tomorrow night!), and then Sunday to Valladolid. More about those excursions later! Feel free to comment! :)

La Copa Mundial

Yesterday (Tuesday) was a busy day, with class all morning and the afternoon free. In the evening, my friends and I walked to El Corte Ingles, which is a huge department store you'll find in all major Spanish cities. Outside the store, in a big plaza, they have a great big screen that they broadcast the World Cup on, and there's food stands too. We went there, and there were tons of people, all dressed in red and yellow, the colors of the Spanish flag, of course. The game began at 8:30, and there were people of all ages, from little babies to older abuelas, and a lot of young people. It was crazy! Spain won, scoring one goal, and the crowd just went nuts. El futbol is a really big thing here.

Today I've been in a conference all day, and I may go to a Flamenco show tonight. I'll keep you updated!

My First Day of School!

Hola a todos! Hello all!

I am now in Salamanca, and today was my first day of school! I arrived here last night, after a very long day of travel, and became acclimated to my new home.

Then this morning was the first day of school! I have 3 classes every day, for 2 hours each between 8:30 am to 2:30 pm. Each of my professors seem very intelligent and understanding, so that's exciting. One of the things that is a bitdifferent from the US is that education and classtime is very respected and much more formal. It is clear that we must be in the classroom, seated, before starting time, and if we are going to be late for class, it is better to not come at all. Additionally, attendance is mandatory, and I can only miss one Friday out of the 5 weeks for traveling. So...it is very important to make sure my alarm is set in the morning!

Also, eating during class is strictly prohibited also. The meal times here are also a bit different. All 3 of my meals are included in my tuition fees, so while the dorm food is not outstanding, I will be generally eating it. Breakfast is light, typically cereal or yogurt. Then I am in class at 8:30, and when I get out of class at 2:30, I walk back to the dorm (about a 20-25 minute walk), and lunch is served from 1:00-3:30, and I have the afternoons all free. Then, dinner is from 9-10 pm.

This afternoon I walked around the city with 2 new friends, it's beautiful here! I will continue to update and post pictures during my time here. It's great hearing, seeing, and using Spanish all day! :) The photos posted today include me in front of the Cathedral, right before my class this morning, me enjoying some helado(!) at the Plaza Mayor, and a picture of the Cathedral beyond a plaza.

Pics of My Travels In Peru (2008) and Spain (2006)

Here are links to my Picasa pictures of my travels to Peru (2008) and Spain (2006). Feel free to check them out, and ask any questions that might come up!

Peru 2008

Spain 2006

Salamanca Pre-Departure Orientation

Hello all!

Tonight we had our pre-departure orientation at CCSU, and we started talking about the opportunities that we would be having in Salamanca and Espana, which was exciting. A few days ago I bought a new Spain travel guide book, so I've been reading up on Salamanca and the region. Salamanca is supposed to be a beautiful city, and one of the top things to do there is to sit in the Plaza Mayor at a little cafe and just take in the scenery. I'm also really looking forward to traveling to the northern region of Spain, Galicia, which has a beautiful rocky coastline and a unique culture.


La Universidad de Salamanca also organizes a lot of excursions, both day and weekend trips, which I'm looking forward to. I also found out that on Sundays the Prado and the Reina Sofia are completely free, so I'll also definitely have to do a Sunday or two in Madrid! I'm looking forward to being in the area and having my own time agenda. I'm not familiar with Salamanca yet, but everyone who's been loves it, and Madrid is two and a half hours away, so I'll probably do a weekend there. Every time I've been to Madrid I always feel pleasantly surprised, and this is my first summertime trip to Spain.


My first trip to Spain was April, 2000 with my high school, and that's a whirlwind memory because we went to so many cities in 10 days, it was really just a taste of the country. We went to Barcelona, Madrid, Toledo, Sevilla, Cordoba, and Granada...which are all lovely cities, but was so quick that it was hard to take it all in. Then, in the spring semester of 2006, I lived in Granada for 4 months, and I traveled throughout a good part of Spain, including Sevilla, Cordoba, Gibraltar (which is actually part of Britain!), Valencia during Las Fallas (a crazy fire festival!), Barcelona, Madrid, Marbella, a good portion of Andalusia, and other places.



Thanks for reading, and I'm looking forward to posting on a regular basis while I'm living in Salamanca!!