¿Qué Tal?

El Alcazar was incredible!  It is not the original because it had burned down in the 1800s, but we learned a lot about it and a lot of the stuff is exactly replicated.

We got to climb the tower up to the top of the castle. There were over 100 stairs and they went up in a circle!! On the top you could see out over all of Segovia and beyond..it was absolutely breathtaking

The ceiling in one of the rooms...so detailed

View of Segovia from the top of the tower

Sunset on the tower

Later that night we went to an art exhibition of Christian, who is a representative of our study abroad program. It was very cool to see his artwork and walk around with everyone.

Later that night we went to Oso Blanco with most of the group. They have a room downstairs with a bunch of comfortable couches and chairs and we all caught up and talked about our experiences with our host families. It was fun to get to know some of the other people I hadn’t talked with much before J

On Saturday I got to sleep in! I am feeling really lazy here because of my class schedule and all the resting times ..but its great! J I went shopping in the afternoon with some girls! I purchased my first clothing items here! I got a spring trench coat, a sweater and 2 scarves all for very cheap! After dinner and watching some TV with the family, I met everyone at 11 at the aqueduct. When I left my apartment it was really eerie and foggy outside. I couldn’t tell if it was raining or snowing, but when I turned and looked at the aqueduct it was the most beautiful sight.

Saturday night was very fun filled! One of the boys in my group has a family that owns a restaurant and a very new discoteca called Kum D. His host dad invited us all to come for live jazz music and dancing after. It was really fun, however there weren’t many other people there. We got to sit in a VIP section with these nice black couches and hang out. The night life is so crazy and different here. There was nobody at Kum D or many other places because the night clubs usually do not open until 4am. People do not go out until 2am and at first they go to bars, and then go to the nightclubs or discotecas later. This is so different considering the bar in st joe closes at 1 am.

After Kum D we went to metropolis, which is a bar, because some people wanted to watch the Packer game. It started at 2am here and they put on all the TVs to the game for us Americans. J Some of us tried to go to a discoteca called Penelope at like 3, but still nobody was there. I was very determined to find a discoteca so I could dance! At 4am (I swear that is early here) we went to All the People, a discoteca, and finally there were lots of people! We danced till about 5am and then I went home. I was nervous to come in so late, but the next morning I found out that Jorge padre was out until 7am! I guess I do not really understand why things don’t open earlier, except for the fact that dinner is at like 10pm. It is just a very different culture, but it is so fun to experience these differences!-like staying out until 5 am and then sleeping in late.

On Sunday, after sleeping in late of course, we went to Carmiña’s for lunch. Carmiña is the mom of Jorge padre, so mi abuela (host grandma), but is also the host mom of my friend Anna. It was really fun that we got to eat together. Carmiña is known for her cooking, so I was very excited to try it! Our first plate was a noodle soup that she made from scratch. Then the meat plate came and there were sooo many different kinds of meat! I think we had sausage, chicken, steak, salami and then this meat that she would tell me what it was but I had to try it anyways. Marta said she would tell me when I went back to the US haha …ut oh!(I found out it was blood sausage) After lunch we had café and then we toured the house. She has an actual house instead of an apartment, which is where most people live in Spain. The backyard has this huge patio, guesthouse and pool where they have parties in the summer. Anna didn’t even know it existed!

Later on Sunday some of us went to a café called Dicanno and hung out. I also went to Burbuja again and somehow spent 5 euro on candy. I am going to try to resist the rest of the week…we will see how long that lasts! I got chocolate covered pistachios and they are soo nummy!

After dinner Marta and I watched this show called Los Protegidos. I guess it is really popular and is on every Sunday night. She caught me up on it and I got really into it! It is about these kids who have super powers and all have to live together in one family. Can’t to see what happens next week!

Today I slept in and then went on a walk/run with Dana. It felt nice to get some exercise. After lunch I took my first real siesta for about 20 minutes!! J Then I had class at 4:30-6:00. After class some of us girls went to get tapas and practice our Spanish!

Jorge is really sick with bronchitis and I am just sitting here listening to him cry it is so sad. Pobrecito.

Things I learned:

-It is not rude to leave your shoes on, which I think is because there is not really carpet anywhere.

-They always wear socks or slippers-being barefoot is very weird!

-Still have to keep my arms on the table while eating. I keep forgetting and just rest them in my lap! Also, when you are not using the utensils you are supposed to put them on your plate and not next to the plate.

-Everyone has 2 last names here and no middle names. The first last name is from your dad and the second is from your mom. You do not take the name of your husband when you marry. So, Marta’s last names are Cuerdo and Lopez. Cuerdo is her dad and Lopez is her mom. Then she passes on the first last name of her dad to her kids. So it is really the male name that gets transferred, kind of like in the US.

Dinner time!! Ciao