Likes/Dislikes

A few days ago, I was asked: ''¿Cuàl prefieres, España o los Estados Unidos?'' This means: Do you prefer Spain or the United States. It got me thinking about the characteristics of each country that I prefer. I told the man that I didn't have a favorite. Maybe after making this list, I can make a better decision...

-I love the weather: After being here for almost two weeks, I have seen literally four clouds in the sky. No clouds means more sun, which I love. It rained one night here, but it was very late and I was getting ready for bed when it started, and the ground was completely dry by the morning. The average temperture has been about 21 degrees celcius, which is about 70 degrees farenheit. Everyday the temperature is very comfortable and there seems to always be a cool breeze. At this point, I really love the weather here, but perhaps if I was studying abroad during the winter, I would have a different opinion.
-BUT: There are many great things about Michigan's weather that I love as well. The summers are mild, with occassional really hot days. The fall is the most gorgeous time of year and seeing all the colors and changes in the trees is really unmatched. The winters, on the other hand, stink. I really am a more unhappy person during the months of January and February because of the below zero temperatures, fast winds, and the overall sense of hopelessness shown by everyone walking around on campus. However, I can't complain because the long winters make for that first warm day in Spring to be miraculous.

-The People: It seems like everyone here is beautiful. Everyone is very fashion-forward and has very interesting ways of presenting themselves. Almost everyone seems to take care of themselves a lot more. What I mean by this is that there are very few overweight people here, and I see lots of people exercising a great deal. It is rare to see someone in sweat pants or athletic shorts because it seems that people dress to impress. There are also many people who are very kind and helpful, especially to someone who is unfamiliar with the language, culture, and place such as me.

-BUT: I can't say that everyone looks and acts perfect all the time. I have encountered a great deal of people who are extremely unfriendly and upon noticing that I have an American accent, will turn away and/or lie as to not have to go out of their way to help someone in need. I suppose the attitudes of people here are very much the same. Some people are friendly, kind and willing and others are mean and not helpful where ever you may be in the world.

-The culture: I am a big fan of the cultural differences between here and the United States. As mentioned in my previous post, many people seem to be more family oriented here than in the United States. Family revolves around the lunch table which is filled with conversation of school and work, and what lies ahead in the coming days. People are very laid back in almost all circumstances, and this seems to make for a more comfortable environment. At night, people without children and large families tend to go out in the late afternoon to socialize and spend time with their friends. Tapas bars are very popular and can be found on almost every corner, because people love to meet up with friends and discuss politics, celebrities, family and above all sports. And although I have no interest in partaking in this activity, I found it very surprising that the cafeteria in my school serves beer and wine! I think this may be the most surprising thing I have encountered since being here. I am not opposed to this at all, but it just goes to show how people here are more lax and have overall better control of what is going on around them.

-BUT: There are a few drawbacks in the constant sense of relaxation. Many people here seem to have a poor work ethic, especially when it comes to helping a large group such as us. We have experienced a lot of lies and deception on the part of workers and the train station and at some stores in the mall. In the U.S. it seems that people are very frequently in a rush to do things, and the phrase ''time is money'' is often practiced subconsciously. I believe time should be utilized and workers should do whatever they can to better serve their clients. In a business, time ultimately is money, and to be able to accommodate and cater to everyone, kindness, efficiency, and diligency should be practiced. Not to say that everyone here is inefficient or have a poor work ethic, it just seems that sometimes being laid back can often times have its down sides.

Weather, people and culture are the three sectors of Spain that have impacted me the most in terms of change. I have been here for two weeks, but it seems like months. Although it has seemed like more, I still don't think I have spent nearly enough time here to make a decision about which country I like better. I don't think I will ever be able to make a decision, seeing that the culture is so vastly different.

Hope everyone is enjoying what I have to say, and I apologize for not posting more frequently. More to come soon about my trips to Segovia, Salamanca, El Escorial and Madrid.

Adios

My First Post

¡Hola todos!

Sorry for taking so long to start this blog, but I have been pretty busy doing various things. For those who don't know, I am in Avila, Spain. Avila is about an hour or so Northwest of Madrid (the capital of this fine country). I am attending the University of Salamanca, but a small off campus location called the school of Education and Tourism in Avila, similar to the University of Michigan at Dearborn or Flint. I have four classes a day, five days a week. I have a Spanish culture class, a dance class, and two back to back grammar and language classes. I just finished my first week of classes and I am very happy with the outcome. All of my professors are really intelligent and are great resources because I believe they all have lived in Spain for their whole lives and have all also worked with many American students. I am also taking a supplementary Spanish class for people who are going into the medical field and will need to communicate with patients who only speak Spanish. Although I have no inclination of going into the medical field, what can some extra practice and vocabulary hurt, right?

I am staying in Avila with a host family. They are extremely nice and I can identify well with them as they are a family of a mother, father and seven year old son. The father is a high school teacher of music and history and the mother is going to the same university as I, studying to become an English teacher. Usually our conversations consist of the mother speaking to me in English (for her to practice) and me speaking to her in Spanish (to practice, respectively). The boy and I get along really well; he has taught me several magic tricks and has attempted to teach me some card games, but it is difficult to learn as I don't know the Spanish card playing jargon. The food here is wonderful, thanks to the ever cooking and cleaning mother. I have eaten many new foods like Paella. Paella is made up of many different ingredients, and can be made many ways. I ate the dish with Spanish rice, green and red peppers, muscles, clams, shrimp, chicken and some other ingredients for which I don't know the English name. I have also eaten Spanish steak, lamb, seasoned chicken, fresh green beans, lots and lots of baked and fried fish, and bread. The meals in Spain are very different from those in the United States. Lunch, which is typcially called comida here (not almuerzo for some reason), is the biggest meal of the day contrary to our dinner or breakfast. Lunch is eaten around 14:00 (2pm), and consists of salad or pasta or vegetables, some sort of meat or main dish and fruits or yogurt for dessert. Since lunch is the most important meal of the day, almost everyone, regardless of occupation or school schedule goes home and eats with their family. The father comes home from teaching at about 13:30 (1:30pm) to eat and spend time with his family before going back to school at 15:30 (3:30pm). If you walk around the city around this time, the streets are pretty sparse and almost all establishments are closed for lunch for about 2 hours. The Spanish have a cultural ideology that after lunch, it is good to take a short siesta (nap) to rejuvenate the body and give you energy for the coming hours of the day. I think this is a really cool concept, even if I may be the only person in the house taking a siesta. Although I don't drink it, coffee with milk or tea is served after lunch to compliment the big meal. Breakfast is similar to that of the US's in that it is eaten at around 9:00. I usually eat cereal every morning but I don't think my family would have it in the house if it wasn't for me. The cereal that I eat every morning has little chocolate straws in it, which I like. They typically eat little breakfast wafer biscuit things with apricot jelly and butter, bananas, and yogurt. Dinner is served around 21:00 (9:00pm) and is similar to their lunch. Usually dinner consists of two or three courses with fruit with nata (cream) for dessert. Qué delicioso, ¿no?

On to the much anticipated nightlife. Although I have not yet experienced it, I've heard that the nightlife in Spain is a blast. We've seen pictures in our culture class of the jampacked discotecas (clubs) here that are full of young people dancing, drinking and having a good time. In the U.S. people usually go to the clubs or bars at around 10 or 11pm and head home around 2-230am. Here, most clubs don't even open until 2:00 (2am)! They stay open until about 5:00 or 6:00. Since I have class at 9am everyday, I haven't made it out to the discotecas yet. I have however made it out to a few different bars for drinks and tapas (appetizers that are almost always served with drinks at bars and restaurants). The first night in Spain a few friends and I went to a bar in a hotel for drinks and tapas. I had my first legal beer and tried some delicious tapas of fried shrimp. We had a great time reflecting on our travels to Europe, and what the coming weeks would hold. A few nights later, our study abroad group was invited to see an orchestra show put on but University of Salamanca students at a cool old church/theatre. After seeing the show, a few of us went to a restaurant for dinner, drinks, and afterwards, some tapas. Most nights out consist of friendly conversation (some in English, some in Spanish), drinks and tapas, and a feeling of freedom being in a new country and a new world.

Everyday since we have been here, we have seen some new sights. Avila is a very old town with a lot of history. There are great big walls that encompass much of the city, these walls are called murallas. We ventured to the top of the walls and looked out to see the beautiful city in one direction, a great big mansion in another, and some farmland and mountains in another. Avila is a very pretty city with much to see and much to do. We have seen many old churches and cathedrals here that have a vast amount of history and are sights for sore eyes.

This weekend many of us are taking two day excursions. On Saturday we are going to Segovia to see some churches, some art, and an ancient Roman aqueduct. On Sunday, we are traveling to Salamanca to see the full University of Salamanca and some more churches and other random sights. The next few weekends are going to be full of new experiences and new sights, for which I am very excited. We have a four day weekend where we can travel where ever we please. Some students in our group are going to Ireland, some to Italy, some to Madrid, but I am pretty sure I am going to travel to Barcelona, which is a big city in the North of Spain. I hope all is well in the United States, and I can't wait to come home and share my experiences with everyone.

Hasta luego (Until later)