mis primeros dias en Valladolid

¡Hola amigos!

I thought I would take this time to tell you guys a little bit about my first few days in Valladolid. I know that my posts have been super long, but that is why I am writing in a blog, so that I don't e-mail everybody individually and waste my time typing everything a hundred times, and so that you can read this on your own free time instead of forgetting about the e-mail or whatever, and then never going back to read it or looking at the pictures. Take what you want from this blog. If you want to read the whole thing, I'd love for you to do that. If you want to just scan through and look at the pictures, that is wonderful to. I also have pictures posted on my Facebook account and I think I might also get a Flicker account where I will just post ALL of the pictures that I am taking.

Anyway, now on to the good stuff.

On Tuesday we arrived in Valladolid late because we all had so much luggage and it wouldn't all fit on the bus so we had to rent an extra van so that the rest of the luggage could get here. When we arrived, all of our "familias" were waiting for us by the bus to pick us up. Everybody was looking outside the bus window, guessing who their "mamá" was. The girls were admiring one stylish mamá (or hermana) who had a super cute red purse and super cute red shoes to match. Guess who's mamá she was... that's right, MINE!

Her name is Eva and she is 33 years old. She lives by herself in a super chic apartment in the "Barrio Delicias" (that is the name of her neighborhood). I ended up not having a roommate, so it is just me and Eva. She speaks English but she said that she won't speak in English unless I really don't understand something. So far we have not had any problems.

My room is a decent size (probably about the size of the rooms in Poly Canyon last year... maybe about 6 inches bigger on each side) and has a wardrobe, a little desk, a small bed, and a bedside table. There are artistic pictures of Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe on the yellow walls. I have a window with cute curtains and super cute sheets with flowers on them (made by Burrito Fashion). Once I get all my stuff organized, I will have to take pictures and post them here.

Eva (I call her "mi mamá when I am talking to my friends, but Eva when I am talking to her) took me on the bus and showed me where my language classes will be. Then we walked from there around the city so she could show me where other things were, like my Cal Poly classes and such. It was very helpful. She has also showed me ways to get back to our apartment from different places in the city (one way from el Edificio Derecho where my Poly classes are, another way from La Plaza Mayor where there are little cafés, etc.). She has pointed out different stores that are cute and different places I should go. So far, we get along so well.

Yesterday we took a placement test for our "clases de Español" and today we had our first sections of those classes. I got placed in the middle of five levels. That means that we are intermediate. Our Spanish classes are split into three sections: grammar, oral communication, and culture. Today we had grammar (with Profesora Raquel) and oral communication (with Profesora Cristina García). I think I will really enjoy those classes. I understood every single thing that my professors said in those classes (they NEVER spoke English, at all). I also got to speak to a girl from Taiwan in my oral communication class. It was really cool that our only common language is Spanish... I couldn't ask her how to say a an English word in Spanish because she wouldn't know English!! I think that really helps us to know the language better.

Last night we met up with some of the students from Wisconsin who are here as well. They are from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. They are very nice and I look forward to getting to know more of them.

Yesterday my mamá made me Paella for lunch. It was so good!! Then I had my first Ag Business 444 class. That class is all about wine. It is taught by Professor MacDougall from Cal Poly. After that, some of us girls wandered around looking for notebooks and other school supplies. Maryn decided she wants to buy the seventh Harry Potter book in Spanish. I asked Eva about this and she said it was a great way for us to grow accustomed to reading Spanish. Maybe I will do the same. We also went to a little café that Kristen and Kelsey's mamá said we HAD to try, so we got churros y chocolate caliente. They were the most amazing things I've ever had in my life. (Liana, you would LOVE this treat. I will take the familia when you guys come visit in November.. my mamá said this is a wonderful snack when it gets cold!)

 

 

Okay, I think that I have written enough thus far. Even I don't want to go back and proof-read this because it is so long.

Hopefully my posts will get shorter and easier to read, no promises though. This doesn't even TOUCH on all the things I've been doing, learning, and experiencing!! I'm so glad I get to share everything with everybody at home.

¡Hasta luego!

P.S. I read through Tiffany's blog (another girl on the trip) and it reminded me of some of the names of the places we have been to. I went through my last couple posts and added in those names. I hope it is a little more helpful if you were sitting there going "I have no idea where she was when she took this picture!!"