So since my last update, nothing much has happened here in Salamanca. The last day in Paris was amazing, aside from the police giving us a ticket :) See, what had happened was, we decided we would try to get through the metro, all the way to Disneyland, without purchasing the correct ticket (it was 8 euros!)..we had been doing it everywhere else, and we didn't think there would be security at Disneyland because we had gotten away with it before..Well, we were wrong. The security guards came up to us when they (and we) realized our tickets weren't letting us through. Luckily, instead of charging us 25 euros per person as they usually do, they charged us 50 euros for all four of us. Sad and confused, yet still laughing, we paid the money to get through. Disneyland was fun. We didn't end up going into the park, but we did the Disney Walk..we watched a couple performances, ate at McDonald's, bought a couple souvenirs, then headed back home.

Around 10PM, we headed out to the cafe that we had went to the first night. The owners who worked there brought us a ton of fries when they realized we had eaten ours, along with a bottle of champagne! So sweet..we took a picture with them, and promised to send it once we got back home (still have yet to do so, but it's on our priority list!). They also brought out about 6 different sauces for us to try with our fries. Pretty much amazing...whoever says the French don't like Americans is wrong in my eyes. Everyone we met was super sweet and always there to lend us a hand. Leaving Paris didn't sadden me...I was excited to be back home in my own bed...

Now I'm getting ready for my first set of midterms..I have two on Wednesday, one on Thursday, and a paper due Tuesday...yay. But I can't complain..as my mother keeps telling me, "You're in Spain, Bitch!"

Today, Spain, tomorrow, Paris!

This week has by far exceeded my expectations of this trip! I always knew I would travel, but to do it so soon, and so impulsively, is insane! At the beginning of the week, my roommates and I decided we would go to Barcelona the upcoming weekend. But when we went to buy our plane tickets, we realized that Paris was the same price! So of course, here we are, in Pehr-ree. :) It's been such an amazing weekend. Unfortunately, the entire trip here has been nothing but complications. But somehow, someway, God has lead us in the right direction, and every problem was quickly solved (the taxi ripping us off, not knowing how to figure out the metro, arriving at the deserted apartment with no key or anyone there to let us in the gated entry...) Of course, when you're in Paris, all your problems seem unimportant :)

Our apartment is amazing! It's like a mini condo, two bedrooms and full bathroom downstairs, kitchen, living room, and half bathroom upstairs..feels so good to be living in Paris for a couple days. The first day, we went to the Louvre (art museum), where we saw the Monna Lisa painting! The next day, we traveled to the Eiffel Tower! Such beauty! We were lucky enough to see it before and after the sunset :) We also went to the cemetery that day, to see Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde..my roommate loved every bit of it, and we were all there, to share the experience with her. Not sure what's in store for today, maybe Disneyland, or the Arch, or maybe just sharing a Crepe in the midst of locals and tourists. Weird, but I'm actually missing Salamanca right now, excited to go home tomorrow morning :) But it's been a great experience, and I can't wait to travel to Italy and Greece sometime soon!

Week 3

This past week in Salamanca has been a rollercoaster. After the Portugal weekend, coming back home was a relief, allowing me to get back into the routine of things. School, homework, and vowing not to go out for at least a few days...I quickly learned about the SDSU student's death in Madrid. I was more so shocked than freightened, realizing that death could come at any moment, and that I needed to continue living each day to the fullest regardless of my location, whether it's Portugal, Spain, or back in Cali. This "light bulb" moment was even more emphasized this weekend with the earthquake in Japan, and the evacuation of the Hawaiian islands. Put together, all the negative energy greatly reduced my happiness. On our way to the royal palace in Segovia and the Walls of Avila, I couldn't keep a smile on my face, just thinking about all the families who have been affected, and all the media that's telling the Americans isn't as bad as it really is. But having my newest friends around me to remind me of how lucky I am to be here has definitely put me in a better mood.

Nevertheless, the Walls of Avila were amazing! It was such a nice view...not much else happened this past week. What's surprised me, however, is the fact that I'm already feeling at home in Salamanca. It's been this way for about a week, but every day, my heart is growing closer to Spain. I no longer miss home, or even the people there, as much as I wish they were here with me. I can already call my AIFS friends my family, and I know I can rely on them to be here for me when I need them. I've enjoyed every moment of Spain, and I'm excited for the next 7 weeks!

My New Home

This week, we had our first Spanish civilization class. It was so interesting. Our guest speaker told us about the culture of Spain, specifically the culture of Spanish food. Of course, the Spaniards embrace their jamon. In Salamanca alone, I’ve seen about four tiendas de jamon. They hang it upside down. Apparently that’s a way for it to process and become well enough to eat. I thought it was merely decoration. I have yet to see a restaurant sin jamon. Our guest speaker also talked about the different wines and which ones to drink with certain meals. He also explained the different cheeses that are available. After class, he took us to three of the most famous bars in Salamanca for tapas. I thought tapas were a specific dish but now I realize that tapas is just another word for appetizers that are supposed to be eaten with wine or another type of drink. That was by far the best class I’ve had--I had three free tapas that night J

Spanish night life is insanely crazy! It starts around 11PM..bar hopping, karaoke nights, beer pong nights, 5  Euro nights (where you get unlimited Sangria and beer), and so much more! They usually end around 5 or 6 AM, sometimes later. One night specifically, I went bar hopping, and didn’t end up going to sleep until 7AM. It sucked, since I had class at 11:30AM that day..not enough time for sleeping! The school isn’t that far, though, and every now and then, I find myself taking a different route, completely by accident, and getting lost, causing me to be late to school. I’ve been here for almost two weeks, and today, I finally found the shortest route to school. The streets don’t run just parallel, but diagonal, and although it may seem you can take a certain street to get to a more familiar one, don’t assume it’s so! My roommates and I have gotten lost so many times already. It’s a good thing though because we’re learning more and more about the city and finding ways to remember where everything is.

Salamanquinos really value their legal quiet hours, 11pm-7am. One day, a lady yelled at my roommates and I for always wearing heels and making noise. It didn’t make sense to us because not only is she on the second floor(and us on the fourth), but the day she told us was the first time we had gone out in heels. Plus, we take them off as soon as we get inside because we know how loud they can be. We were more shocked than angry, knowing it couldn’t have been us, and we didn’t understand how she could yell at us as if we were her own children. Some late nights, my roommates and I have gone out to the Plaza for the free internet, and we always get people walking by, staring at our laptops, trying to see what we were doing. Some of them even asked us why we were outside when it was -1 degrees Celsius. I guess Americans are more spoiled than I thought, being able to have reliable internet in our homes. I was still willing to get frostbite just to say a quick hello to my friends and family abroad.

This weekend we went to Lisbon, Portugal J Angela and I went on a bus, without the group. Our hostel was pretty much amazing! Free breakfast, free laundry services, free walking tour, free wifi…only 18 euros a night. We bought the 6euro dinner both nights. It was delicious. The first night we had soup with chicken. The next night we had bacalou, sort of like paella. The desserts were amazing as well…a tart with strawberries one night and something like pumpkin pie the next. I’d definitely recommend that hostel for anyone going to Lisbon. It was right next to the river, so we were able to get some beautiful pictures. We weren’t that far from everyone who stayed at the hotel either. It was a pretty good weekend, though I didn’t enjoy it as much as I had hoped. We were allowed to drink in the streets, and of course, there had to be some hostility there, with a guy punching some girl who wouldn’t stop yelling at him. I felt pretty safe nonetheless, having met 5 other Spanish guys from Madrid who stayed at the same hostel, protecting us while we went clubbing. All in all, it was an okay weekend, but I was excited to get back to Salamanca.  This is the start of our third week here and already I’m able to call Salamanca my home.