Spanglish

I now speak fluent Spanglish. I no longer speak fluent English and I definitely do not speak fluent Spanish. I speak Spanglish. My friend Amy provides the perfect example of this. We went to dinner and were ordering. She said, "Lets do el blanco." Half English/Half Spanish. Then the three of us chimed in "El blanco esta bien" (The white is fine) to the waiter who speaks Spanish, not Spanglish.

We are often finding ourselves with half of the words we need in order to speak are in Spanish and half in English. I feel like I rarely have all of my thoughts in one language or another.

In school, we have to speak Spanish, as I've written before. So I'll start talking to a friend about something madre said that day or something I found out the night before. I get halfway through my sentence and realize I have no idea what the next words are in Spanish. So I try to find a way around it, use context clues, hand gestures, useless noises, and finally say "No se" (I don't know). It's frustrating but extremely gratifying when I finally have a conversation. Half of my day is "I don't know" while the other half is good conversation.

My feelings on my Spanish change from hour to hour, day to day. Some classes, I take notes exactly like I would in the US. I understand everything and can see where the professor is going. Other times, I feel like a blank piece of paper would be more beneficial to me than my notes.

Luckily, at home, I feel comfortable with my Spanish and conversing with my family isn't nerve wracking. I love lunches on Monday, Wednesday, and some Fridays where I eat with Maria Angeles (oldest daughter), her daughter Monica (high school), sometimes her other daughter Maria Angeles (Madres name is also Maria Angeles, see a pattern?), Marissa, and sometimes Madre. I feel like I'm back at the Chi O house eating lunch talking about classes, exams, professors, and whether we like the food. It's very comfortable and homey. And Maria Angeles, the middle one, is a great cook. We have soup a lot because its "really cold" here. It's like winter in Columbia, but to them, it's "really cold". Maria Angeles always makes some kind of dessert (chocolate cake, flan, or the latest was banana cheesecake).

The family also loves to watch the Simpsons. I dislike the Simpsons in the US but it's good for my Spanish. They generally speak slow enough for me to understand and sometimes even catch the jokes. At dinner, we watch these crazy game shows that are combinations of 5 or so game shows from the US. There was one where the contestants had to crack coconut halves together in order to buzz in, think the coconut horseman in Monty Python. Why they didn't just have a button, I don't know.

Ok, I have to get back to writing in Spanish now. Hopefully, it will be all Spanish and no Spanglish.

Love,

Lizzy

ps. If I haven't talked to you lately, send me an e-mail/FB something telling me how you are! I want to know!

Escuela and Life

My Madre and I with my birthday cake

Now that I have a few days of class under my belt, I feel like I can talk about it. UVA owns a building here called UVA Valencia. I think of it like a another UVA campus, like UNCW or UNCA...UVA-V. There are about 75 Americans in my program that attend my school. School's located really close to the other Valencia universities (there are a lot of other universities) so there is always students walking around the neighborhood.

School has a Spanish Only Policy, absolutely no english even when hanging out in the cafeteria. IT's difficult but it definitely helps my spanish. Classes are in Spanish and I'm pretty sure that the professors don't speak english. I'm taking 4 classes (Spanish Culture and Civilization, Latin American Culture and Civilization, Picasso, and Spanish 20th History). Spanish Culture and Civilization and Spanish History are taught by the same professor who seems really legit. Latin American Culture and Civilization is taught by a guy who is pretty nerdy/goofy but he loves to laugh so that's fun. The only problem is he is pretty mumble-y which is hard in English but harder in Spanish. My Picasso professor is odd, but I feel like that's a prerequisite

to being an Art Professor.

It seems like the homework is going to be minimal. The bulk of the work is going to be papers. For example, Latin American Culture and Civilization is 6 (2 page) papers with an 8 page paper at the end. Spanish Culture and Civilization has 40 (1 page) papers and a 15 minute presentation with a partner. I was assigned my topic today: la sistema de educacion (the education system). He said the topic was so hard that he's assigning 3 people to it. We present on Feb 8 (so soon!!). We're the second to go which I feel is a good position.

Life

I can't see myself having a hard time here. Sure, there are differences to adjust to, mainly transportation, but overall it feels very easy. Transportation is difficult because I'm not used to relying on others (bus drivers) to get around. It's difficult to calculate how long it's going to take to get somewhere so I've been late to meeting friends before. It's not difficult to take the bus nor a cab but it's simply another thing I don't have control over.

Losing parts of my independence is the most difficult aspect of living here. I don't have control over food, so if I don't like it I can't go make myself noodles. I can't dictate what time I want a meal. Living in a homestay is a fine line between living in another person's home and a hotel. I do pay to live here so I have to expect to get my money's worth while at the same time, respecting the most sacred place a person can have: a home. So far, it has been easy as my host family is fantastic and my living situation is really ideal.

I haven't been upset by anything yet but I'm sure if I have a hard day in class and have fish with eyes for dinner, I'm sure the culture shock will set in. And yes, the shrimp I was served last night had a head and eyes and red stringy tentacle things. Anything I don't like, either Madre eats like she did with the shrimp or it goes to the dog. So I feel bad saying I don't like something but at least Blue gets a good meal!

Love you and thanks for reading!!

Love,

Lizzy

Ps. Thanks for all the birthday wishes and thanks to everyone who helped me celebrate (in Spain or Cola). I had a blast and couldn't have asked for a better 21st birthday!

Home and School

My Home:

-I have 4 host sisters (not 2 like previously believed). 2 have children, 2 do not.

-2 dogs: german shepard-y type mutt and little white dog (blue and luna)

-Food has been wonderful!! I've only told her i didn't like one thing and it was like a spinach quiche

-Breakfast: french bread cut into ovals with raspberry jam, yogurt (have to put sugar in it and stir it up to make it taste good), and coffee with milk

-Lunch: (to go) basically half a french bread baguette with ham and cheese (bocadilla), banana, apple, and something else like a muffin or if I'm in the house, soup or paella

dinner: soup, chicken, potatoes, broccoli, spaghetti (pretty much everything is normal)

-Breakfast when you wake up, snack at 11, lunch at 1 or 2, snack at 6, dinner at 9 or 930. yes spaniards eat 5 times at day.

-The door knob of my apartment door is in the middle of the door and doesn't turn.

-The button in the elevator doesn't light up when you press it but every other button lights up when you reach that floor when going up.

Life in Spain

-The shops really do close for siesta. Unfortunately, it is impossible to know what time each shop will take their siesta. I've decided it's just best to get any shopping/errands done before 2ish.

-You have to flag down the bus you want at a bus stop otherwise they think you are taking a different bus. You also have to press the stop button on the bus before your stop, otherwise they might not stop.

-You know how when you go to the grocery store to buy Coke, you buy 6 or 12? Here you just rip open the pack or take them off the plastic circles and take however many you want. So people just take two or three and leave the open package in the store.

Hmm, thats all I can think of now.

Love,

Lizzy

Xativa-First Excursion

We had our first excursion set up by the program on Saturday to Xativa (X's are pronounced like J's). Marissa and I made it to school on the bus by ourselves which was a minor accomplishment. The bus ride to Xativa took about an hour. The town is half-idyllic European houses and churches and half modern apartment skyrises and modern shops. We hiked around the town and saw the different architecture of he churchs. We stopped by a museum but the signs explaining the art was not in Spanish- we were thinking it might be Valenciano?

Then we made the massive climb to a Castle which was gorgeous. It overlooked the city completely. We sat on steps inside the castle and ate lunch as we pinched ourselves. Yes we were really eating lunch in a castle in Spain. I spent most of the day with Ashley, Amy, and Marissa (housemate) who are all from Wisconsin.

It was a great bonding trip with the group although I'm sure we looked funny as we paraded through the town in our backpacks and American-ness. There were 72 of us on the excursion!

The program organized a night out for us so that we could enjoy Valencia at night but safely. There was a program staff member there and it was another great bonding time for the group! I met new people that I'd like to talk to more so it was great meeting place.

Today (Sunday) was a lazy day to recuperate from the time change, cultural shifts, and the hike yesterday! My shin muscles feel a little tight today from walking uphill so much!

We just got back from our first Valencia futbol game! Ashley, Amy, Natasha, Marissa and I met at school (although Ashley's bus had to detour around an accident and she walked for almost an hour trying to find our school). We finally were all together at 8:30 and the game started at 9. We were pretty convinced we weren't going to get tickets but we wanted to walk around the stadium anyway. But we got tickets!! Luckily, they had 5 together. All the fans had on their Valencia scarves and orange hats. I guess this is the one futbol season I'll wear orange to a game (boo clemson!). The game was so fun!! I think the final score was 4-1 (Valencia scored 2 more goals but those didn't count because they were offsides). I can't wait to go to another game!

Spanish assessment test in the morning! Good night!

Love,

Lizzy

Ps. We had paella today lunch which is a mixture of rice, beans, green beans and a certain spice. It's a food fairly specific to Spain. We had paella with chicken instead of the usual seafood. It was delicious!!

In Spain!!

So I'm finally IN SPAIN!! It took a lot of luggage and a lot of waiting but I'M HERE!!!

I'll start from the beginning...Honduras.

It was great to see Harrison, his house, his town, his country. That said, Honduras is not my favorite country. Only in Yamaranguila, H's town, did I really feel safe. It's a hard country to travel in, the roads are bad and transportation is unreliable. If Harrison had not been there, I would have cried the second we tried to get a taxi from the airport. But we had some unforgettable experiences. We visited the Pottery Cooperative Harrison works with and got some great pieces. My room next year is going to be an eclectic mix of Malawi, Honduras, Spain, and any other Euorpean countries I go to. We also got a tour of a coffee farm and machinery/plant which was extremely interesting and informative.

Unforunately, a little piece of Honduras (no, not pottery) came back with me. I have had an issue properly digesting of my food. A doctor gave me some medicine which seems to working. Unfortunately, sitting in an airport is not comfortable and I was in pain a majority of the time.

So we came back from Honduras on Sunday. I packed Monday and Tuesday. My flight was at 9 am on Wednesday to JFK. We booked that flight during the huge snowstorms before Christmas so we booked the flight extra early in case anything happened. Of course nothing happened and the flight actually landed early in NY. So I arrived at the airport at 11. The group flight was set for 9 pm that night. The airline desk didn't even open until 2 so I sat in front of security/desks for 3 hours with all of my luggage.

I kept looking around for people waiting with a ton of luggage like me but there was another group traveling to Spain at the same time so it was impossible to tell who was in my group.

I got checked in and went to the gate. I was starving but the doctor order only bland foods so I got a bagel. The gate was empty so I charged my laptop in the corner, the only outlet I could find. This was my first mistake. I was so involved in The Office on my laptop I didn't realize that people were sitting near me in this far off corner because there were no more seats. I had wanted to move back closer to the gate so that I could find and talk to people in my program (we were taking a group flight). By the time I moved, there was no where to move to. So I went back and sat next to the loud Italians and the quiet British people in the corner.

I felt disappointed in myself, that I missed an opportunity to socialize and meet new people. So I got mad at myself, which probably only made my pain worse, and started worrying about getting left out. So I dug myself into a self-wallowing hole fueled by pain. I was desperately hoping that whoever sat next to me on the plane would be a student and my new BFF but no such luck. It was a nice old lady who offered me her People magazine when she finished.

I slept for a majority of the plane ride. My stomach felt horrible so I ate only 2 bites of rice and 2 bites of a roll that really tasted funny. I slept through breakfast but the nice lady ordered me orange juice and grabbed breakfast for me. I ate half a muffin and drank some of the juice but my stomach was still not good.

Life has turned out much better since. I met some people waiting for others getting off the plane and we walked through the glass maze that is Madrid's airport. We grabbed our bags (both of mine arrived, yay!) and went to the charter bus. The bus ride was uneventful, I napped most of the way. I tried to stay awake to see the scenery but my eyes disagreed. I did see a windmill farm (yay sustainable energy!).

My host mom was at the futbol stadium waiting for the bus with her older daughter Christina and her grandson Esteban, who is adorbale. We left in Christina's van (which has doors like a sedan, kinda weird) and she dropped us off at my apartment. The apartment is HUGE! It was a large living room/dining room, a large kitchen (almost the exact size as my house's but the table and appliances are switched). I got to pick my room because I arrived before my housemate Marissa. They are the same really but I picked the one closer to the kitchen. We have our own rooms and we share a bathroom. There is another bathroom, another room (the host sister's), a large office, and my host mom's room.

I told my host madre about my stomach so she made chicken broth with star shaped noddles! But then she also made a whole breast of chicken and french fries... It was legit 2 meals in 1. She hasn't quite figured out that we don't eat that much yet. Like tonight for dinner she made a whole potato sans skins, broccoli which was a little mushy, and 2 smaller breasts of chicken. Again 2 meals in 1.

Today, we took the bus to school, with our madre. We had our picture taken and got on the computers in the lab. We had an assembly about Valencia and school in general. They are VERY serious about only spanish in the center. Even if we are socializing between ourselves in the canteen, only spanish. Then the professors gave an academic presentations. We got our schedule and I'm signed up for 6 classes, 2 are at the same time and another 2 at the same time. So I have to meet with the director and get that fixed. I only want to take 4 because I'm only going to get credit for 4 at USC. This way I'll do better in my classes.

After that, we walked to the Old Quarter and walked around. We grabbed lunch. A friend got a glass of wine and I got a Coke Light (Diet Coke). The Coke Light was more expensive than the wine, which I found odd.

We had a walking tour of the city with one of the staff at the center but it was a big group and I couldn't hear much. The city is gorgeous and love the architecture. I didn't know that was on the agenda for today though and didn't have my camera unfortunately. Oh well, guess I'll just have to go explore again!

We walked some friends home and then Marissa and I walked home. We went to a grocery store and bought shampoo and snacks. Our first foray into shopping! It was great to explore a little bit of our neighborhood.

Sorry this was SO long but that was the past 2 weeks or so and a lot has happened!!! Love each and every one of you and thank you so much for your support and encouragement!!

Love, Lizzy

2 Weeks until Spain!

So it's time to start making lists, mentally sorting clothes, and travel to Honduras. I leave the 3rd to visit Harrison, my brother who is in the Peace Corps, in Honduras. My parents and I will be there for a week until the 10th.

I leave the 13th for Spain. It's okay, I'll just pack my whole life into 2 suitcases weighing no more than 50 pounds. I can do it... right?

I've decided that Google Maps and Google Earth are the best geographic tool ever. I already know what my street and my school look like! So cool!

I'm doing the UVA Hispanic Studies Program in Valencia, Spain for the semester. I'll be back sometime in May. The program ends May 6th but I want to travel a little bit while I have the chance!

Please skype me (ejt241)! I'd love to chat with anyone who takes the time to read this (ps thanks!) . With skype, it'll be like I never left!

Hasta luego (See you later)

Lizzy