Clases nuevas

I didn't think that Spain could get any better, but it has! On Monday, July 4, Term 2 began. I love my new professor Chitty (yes, like chitty-chitty bang bang), and it doesn't start until 9 a.m. so I get to sleep in an extra hour every morning! After class, I spent the afternoon on the beach playing volleyball and bodysurfing the waves. Later that night some friends and I went dancing! We went to Havanna for salsa dancing and LOVED it. Then we ended up at Mulligans where there were only a few other people and our large group. We danced the night away, and it was one of my favorite nights out! What a great 4th of July!

On Tuesday morning I was rather tired in class, but it was engaging and I learned a lot! When I got home I took an impressive siesta (I am getting good at those). I then went with the new group of students to the castle again. I will always be amazed by the view of Alicante from the top of the castle! I had my last salsa dance class, and it was great! After that, we ate supper quickly then headed out for another night in the city!

Me at the castle... what a gorgeous view!

Wednesday was just a normal day of class and beach time. When I get back to the States I am going to miss hanging out along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea almost every day! :(

On Thursday I spent time on the beach with some friends, again. It never gets old! We started learning Flamenco in my dance class. It is fun but challenging! Afterwards I met up with my intercambio Carlos and his friends, and we had a great time!

Friday came quickly, and class flew by. Olivia and I went with Carlos to Elche, a nearby city after lunch. It is a very beautiful city with forests of palm trees! It is actually the palm tree capital of Spain! How interesting! We enjoyed our time with Carlos' mom eating delicious cake as well as touring the city and it's museum. There is a rivalry between Elche and Alicante, so Carlos kept asking us if we liked Elche better. All I have to say is that Alicante is my home here in Spain. :)  After a long day of seeing the town, we went out for a little dancing then headed home. It was truly a perfect day!

Palm trees... how beautiful!

On Saturday morning our program traveled to Guadalest, my favorite place so far. It is a little town tucked inbetween gorgeous mountains. There we hiked up a small mountain to see the view from the castle. The most impressive part was the unbelievably blue water surrounded by breathtaking waters. You can't tell me there is not a God! After working up a sweat in the heat, we ate paella at a restaurant... so delicious! To end the day, the group headed to the nearby Fuentes de Algar to swim for a few hours. The site was, once again, GORGEOUS and the water freezing cold (yet refreshing on such a hot day). When we went home, we were wiped out and ready to sleep.

So bright and blue!

Beauty.

One of the water falls!

On Sunday some friends and I took the tram to a cute town called Altea. There we walked through the pueblo antiguo (old town) and spent time on a rocky beach (which was splendid!). It was such a beautiful day, and I really enjoyed the town. That night we headed out with our friends for ice cream!

Beautiful Altea

Yesterday (Monday night) I had a lovely time tutoring Paula in the afternoon. Her new favorite song is "skidda marinky dinky dink!" As soon as we finished our lesson, I changed and made my way to the beach for my first windsurfing lesson. I loved it more than I thought I would! :) Afterward Olivia and I went out to eat at a wonderful Italian restaurant with our friend Dani and two of his friends. It was his last night in town before he went back to London to work. We will miss him and his English accent dearly! I went from the restaurant to Havanna to go salsa dancing (SO FUN!) for an hour or so, then returned home to sleep.

Today I found my grammar class to be quite interesting (we talked about chess and the vocabulary for all the pieces, actions, etc...). Afterwards I relaxed and did my homework until it was time for windsurfing. Today we learned how to use the sail to turn. It took me a while to get it, but I eventually was successful! Next I headed to flamenco dance class then home for supper. Now I am getting ready to go out. Everyone goes out on Tuesdays! I can't believe that I am over halfway done here! Carpe diem!



It's been a while...

This is going to be a very long post with many pictures because so much has happened and I have not updated! Oops, sorry friends! Let's see, I left off at Thursday, June 23. That was a great day! I slept in until one because we had been out looking at everything all night. I quickly threw on a pair of shorts then headed into the blazing sun to watch the mascletás which were, once again, incredible. Rachel didn't have class, so she came along for the first time. I think she was impressed! After comida (lunch), I headed out to the beach with some friends. It was so relaxing! Later that night I watched some of a 4-hour parade, then headed to the beach at midnight. It is tradition during Las Hogueras that people build bonfires on the beach (illegal, but the cops look the other way... they seem to do that a lot during this festival...). They take a piece of paper that has things they dislike in their life, throw it in the fire, and jump over it seven times. Next they throw a list of dreams/desires into the water and jump in it seven times. I participated, and it was awesome!

Burning the bad...

Jumping in the water!

Friday is the biggest day of Las Hogueras... it is when they finally burn the building-sized statues! That was by far the most incredible thing I have ever experienced in my life. We waited for over an hour for it to start. Suddenly fireworks were shot off (I think from the castle) and they were right above us. After the fireworks, a small fire is started (a smaller hoguera next to the large one is burned). Suddenly, crazy fireworks go off, ending in the lighting of the gigantic hoguera. Firefighters hosed down the surrounding buildings the whole time (probably to prevent them from catching fire). When the fire got so large and hot that we could not handle it, the crowd began to chant "Agua, agua" (water, water). Eventually the firefighters hosed US down! There was music playing and water spraying as we all danced around a building-sized bonfire. Wow! Afterwards some friends and I hung out on the beach! What a great night!

This is when it had only begun. Let it burn!

Mojada! (wet)

On Saturday morning Paqui, Jose, Rachel, and I headed out to the country house again. It was amazing! I always enjoy sleeping on the hamacas (hammocks), but I appreciated it even more after the exhausting week of Hogueras. We made sangria after lunch, then headed to the beach! When we got home, we waited up for two other foreign students Ayaka and Manami to come (they are from Japan). The next morning Paqui, Rachel, and I headed to another beach to go for a several mile walk along the beach. It was incredible, and there were few people there. When we got back to the house, Paqui taught us four girls how to make paella. We relaxed more in the evening, then booked it back to Alicante after supper to catch the second night of fireworks on the beach (they had them Sat-Wed). What a great weekend!

A beautiful beach! LOVED it!

Mmm... paella: the finished product!

On Monday everyone was exhausted in class! I chilled for the day. I am pretty sure I slept all afternoon! It was a good thing I did, because while I was eating supper, Paqui told us we should probably watch the fireworks from the roof if we are going to leave for Madrid by one. What?! I thought she was kidding. She didn't laugh. I took a five second shower (okay, longer), met my friends for ice cream, watched the fireworks, then slept in the car for the night.

We finally stepped out of the car and into Madrid on Tuesday morning around 9:30. Rachel and I took the metro to meet her mom (from the U.S.!) for breakfast. We spent the rest of the morning in the Prado looking at gorgeous works of art. Wow! After grabbing a quick bite to eat, we headed to the Palacio Real (Real Palace). What an impressive building! The whole city was made up of beautiful, old buildings. After a relaxing water break, Rachel and I left her mother to meet up with Paqui for home. I slept the whole way home, then went right to bed when I got back!

Goya and me outside the Prado

Me outside the palace

Wednesday was another day of rest. I took the afternoon to catch up on sleep and do my homework. It was the last night of fireworks on the beach, and they were truly incredible! What a great way to end Las Hogueras!

By the time Thursday came around, I was wiped. Although the town was back to normal from Hogueras, I was not in a routine yet. I came home and tutored Paula for an hour before lunch. She really likes singing "skidda marinky dinky dink," and I really enjoy hearing her sing it in her sweet little accent! After siesta I met up with Carlos, my intercambio (a student from the University who is learning English) for tea. We had a great discussion! When I got home I quickly grabbed my dance shoes and headed off to salsa lessons. When we returned, Paqui had a special dinner prepared in honor of Rachel's mom's visit. It was delicious, and a good time was had by all!

On Friday morning I took my final exam for my class. I felt like it went pretty well! I then went with most of our group to have a drink at the cafeteria. I enjoyed a sandia granizado (frozen watermelon) while we all sat around and chatted. Our program then treated us to lunch at one of my favorite restaurants here, 100 Monteditos. They serve the most delicious mini sandwhiches! We then enjoyed a few hours on the beach followed by a last night out with those in our group who were only here for Term 1 (July). I will miss them dearly, but we are gaining new people!

Hang in there, I am almost done! :D

Paqui, Jose, and I went shopping all around Alicante on Saturday because this month is Rebajas (kind of like our Black Friday, but less violent). I bought a coffee maker and some coffee to use in the States. Mmm! I took a long siesta, then went out to eat dinner with incoming group of students. After a brief tour of the city, we chatted for a while on the beach. We topped off the day with some dancing at Havanna!

Today, Sunday, I took the tram with some friends to Benidorm, a cute city with an incredible beach. We passed most of the day there, but I got back in time to meet my new neighbors from our program. Now I am ready for bed because tomorrow starts my next term. I am taking a grammar class, continuing my dance class, and beginning a windsurfing class this month!

A pretty view at Benidorm

Woah!

Fiestas!

So much has happened in the last week! Let's see here, on Thursday (the day I stayed home from class) I went with Paqui to some markets to get some food. That was quite an experience! At the central market, all the meat was hanging and cut fresh for the consumers. I met Paqui's son's father-in-law who owned a carneceria (meat shop), and she tried to hook me up with his nephew! She is convinced that I can have a boyfriend in both the U.S. and Spain because they will never cross paths. Apparently one of her Japanese students in the past did just that! :O

Last Friday I went on a trip to a nearby island to go snorkeling. The boat ride was a good time, and the view was beautiful! It was nice to relax in the sun! Unfortunately, many people were stung by the jellyfish invading the water. I did not, but I had some come close! We ate a delicious meal of different types of tortilla (sort of like a gigantic omelet) and a glass of sangria (a drink with wine and juice). What a day!
On Saturday morning, Paqui, Olivia, Rachel, and I headed to a market to buy some clothes. Everything was so cheap! I got some shirts and dresses for 3 euros! Paqui is the most aggressive woman I know, and I was amazed at here ability to talk any vender down 2-3 euros! As soon as we got home, we headed out to the country house in Guardamar. We made homemade sangria for the next day, and it was amazing! It was so hot out that Olivia, Rachel, and I slept on the hamacas (hammocks) after comida (lunch) until seven or eight in the evening. The house there is adorable, and I LOVED having a break from the city! That evening we got a little crazy when it cooled down.

The next morning we got up and went to yet ANOTHER market, this time in Guardamar. This was my favorite because the prices were lower and there was more shade. I was proud when I caught a vender giving me only 2 euros instead of 4 for my change! When we got back, the family started arriving for the birthday party! I had so much fun with the family! It was good practice to speak with so many different Spanish speakers. Also, I was surprised at how much I already felt like part of the family. Olivia and I played with Paula on the hammock for a long time, and it was SO much fun! She gets a kick out of our grammar mistakes, and we get a kick out of her personality. For cena we had a ton of paella (a rice dish-super popular here) and sangria. After the family left, Paqui took us girls on a walk through the country. The roads there are much narrower, and there are a LOT of huge dogs without leashes... it was a little different from the country roads I know. I wish there were lemon trees in Nebraska, though, because they are so beautiful! We headed back after supper.

Monday class was pretty normal, but the bus ride home took an hour and a half... Las Hogueras (the biggest festival of the year in Alicante) had begun! At 2 p.m. I went to see the mascletás with Olivia and Paqui, and I was blown away! I almost started crying when the people clapped along to the overwhelmingly loud explosions. There are hogueras (big statues made of wood and paper mache) set up everywhere, and entire streets are blocked off for barracas (closed in areas for neighborhoods with music, food, and drink... families have to pay about 600 euros to be a part of one for four days!). I headed to the beach for the evening, then went out to experience the festival for a few hours. I decided to get a good night's sleep while I could... the festival had only begun!

Yesterday (Tuesday) was a good day. The mascletás at 2 p.m. were even louder and more impressive! I went to the beach after lunch and laid in the sun for a few hours. Then I went to dance class where we learned some more salsa moves. After supper, I headed into the city to get ice cream and see more of the festival. There are more people every night!

Today I had three subsitute teachers in my class because my teacher was gone. After I got home from school, I saw the mascletás, and they were so powerful! Ever since comida I have been trying to fight off this cold with a little relaxing because we are going out ALL night tonight-no class tomorrow!

My room in the country!

Making sangria with Papa Jose!

Ahh... looks so good!

Feeding the chickens and ducks... someone's gotta do the work around here!

Lemons!

Mmm... paella!

Mama Paqui hid here on the windowsill to scare me!

Pictures of Las Hogueras to come!!!

Fin de semana

My first fin de semana (weekend) was absolutely wonderful! On Saturday our group visited Valencia where we toured some neat things and looked around on our own for a while. Below are some photos!

This is a gigantic market!

Here is the outside of an incredible cathedral we toured.

Many young people in Spain are protesting because of the high unemployment rate. I saw the protesters set up in these tents (almost like a community) in Valencia. Notice the police officers nearby. There were TONS of people there.

After an entire day of walking around and having information about the city thrown at us, we were all ready to go back to our homes in Alicante. I have become so attached to Alicante that I actually missed it while in Valenci!

On Sunday I slept in (finally!) then went to the beach with some amigas. We took the tram to la playa de San Juan, a huge beach! After five hours of sun time, we were all wiped out. It was SO hot! We took the bus back, went to our homes, and relaxed for the evening. It felt good to get some sleep.

Monday morning came quickly. I really enjoyed my class! While waiting for Olivia to get out of class, I ended up chatting with another international student from Iran. Our conversation about her culture was fascinating, especially because she is not a Muslim. Olivia and I ran some errands around campus, then took the bus home. I started tutoring little Paula (Paqui's 5-year-old granddaughter) in English after lunch. We sang songs and played games for an hour.

Alejandro with Paula. Man, they sure like my clothes! :P



On Tuesday afternoon, Olivia and I went shopping for Paqui's birthday present! I got her a necklace, matching bracelet, and porcelain box. We found a few inexpensive shops, so we ended up buying some accessories for ourselves as well! After an hour, my feet were starting to hurt (I was wearing my new tacones, or high heels), so we finally headed back. After lunch and siesta, we headed out to dance class. I LOVE dancing the salsa! We sweat up a storm for an hour, then booked it back to our house for a special birthday supper for Paqui. Three Japonese foreign exchange students made sushi for us all to eat! It was a great time! Then Olivia, Rachel, and I headed out to go dancing for the evening!

By the time Wednesday came, I was pretty pooped. I had my normal routine in the morning, followed by some time at a beach with Rachel and Paqui. We walked along the beach for an hour, then laid out for a while. You know you are in Spain when your 56 year-old mother is wearing a leapord print bikini! :P Later that night I went out for tapas with a group of friends. Mmmm! It was oh so good! After watching the lunar eclipse from the beach, we had some icecream and headed home. What a great day!

This morning I woke up feeling the effects of doing too much and sleeping too little. I ended up staying home during class because my stomach was bothering me. Lesson learned: sleep is important! I went to a few markets with Paqui, and now am getting ready to head to campus for my intercambio where I will practice my Spanish with a local student. Then it is off to dance class! :D I can't believe tomorrow is already Friday!

Los dias pasados

Time is flying by! It is Friday, and I am already finished with my first week of classes. I can't believe how much I have learned in the past week!

On Tuesday our group went to the castle in the afternoon, and it was so interesting. The view of Alicante and the Mediterranean Sea was incredible! It rained a little, so it was not as hot out, making the climb down the mountain more easily.

Wednesday was pretty chill. Everyone was tired from the time adjustment/busy schedule. After a siesta (nap), I had lunch and went to the beach. We laid out for a while, but it was cloudy so it was a little chilly outside (meaning less than 75 degrees, maybe). After a little relaxation, I headed back home to relax. After cena (supper), Olivia, Rachel, and I tried to do our homework together in my room, but ended up chatting quite a bit. Man, I have quite a bit of homework here, but I am learning so much!

On Thursday after classes, I went to the beach with Olivia and some other friends, and we were there for SIX HOURS! The day was beautiful, and the water was fantastic! I learned how to tread water and "float!" Some of us got into a great debate about religion. It was then that I realized how much I have learned aobut Lutheran Doctrine and other religions during my time at Concordia. Around 8 p.m. I went to dance class to learn salsa. The dance is SO much fun, and our instructor is genial (great)! After supper, I went out to experience the night life here. It is so much fun! I was surprised at how safe it was. I got a kick out of dancing to American techno music in Spain! Unfortunately, I only got two hours of sleep Thursday night because by the time I got back and did my homework, it was past four in the morning! :O

Today (Friday) was great! We played some fun games in class and were not assigned a lot of homework. I like my classes more every day because we have a lot of discussions about our beliefs or cultural differences. As soon as I arrived at home, I laid down to take a nap. Two hours later, I woke up, grabbed a quick lunch, and walked to the beach. CC-CS, my study abroad program, paid for windsurfing, stand-up bodysurfing, and kayaking lessons. I LOVED spending three hours in the water! It is hard to get over the fact that I get to spend so much time in the Mediterranean Sea!!! When I came home, I relaxed a little, had tapas (a popular meal here, basically a variety of appetizers) and Nutella for supper, and here I am! Tomorrow I will spend the day touring Valencia. Wahoo!

These are the other girls that live in the same apartment building as me!

Here are our mothers... the one to the far right is Paqui, my host mother! Don't you love her?! 

This is a ferris wheel at the Renaissance Festival. Notice the man is turning it by hand!

Here are some snacks for sale at the festival. There were hundreds of little stands set up everywhere to buy things.

This is the view of Alicante from the castle on top of the mountain that I toured today.

 

THE BEACH!!!! Too bad it happened to be cloudy when we went there, because it is really something else!

The marina

Mis amigas! The girl next to me is Rachel, my roommate, and the other girl is our friend Olivia.

Another part of the castle...

Mmm... more of the city view from the castle! 

ATTACK!

Oh man... no dogs allowed in the castle!

And finally, our group!

Las clases

Last night some of the madres in our apartment building took their foreign exchange students to the Renaissance Festival! We had so much fun walking around, getting to know one another, and seeing what special events are like in Spain. The calles (streets) were super crowded and there were a lot of things going on. Because there were many stands set up with food and other things to sell, it reminded me of a farmers market in the U.S. more than a Renaissance Festival. There were some (not many) people in costumes including a comedian (I think like a gesture), a person running a small manual ferris wheel, a group with owls, and some other things. It was fun making our way through the city and seeing what Alicante has to offer!Some of us walked around the marina, and after a total of FOUR hours of walking, we returned home around 10 for cena (supper). For supper Rachel and I experienced eating ham (very salty and dry... but delicious!) with MELON! It was absolutely wonderful! We also had tuna and tomato in a boiled egg (it looked kind of like a deviled egg).

This morning I woke up at 6:15 to leave for class. Surprise: I was running a little behind! My hermana (sister) Rachel decided to wake up early as well even though she didn't have class until much later. Being the sweetheart that she is, she made me some coffee and pan tostada (hard bread, like toast) and Nutella! I met up with a few other girls, and we took the bus to class. I have class every weekday for three hours, starting at 8 a.m., so I have to leave the house by seven. :O My profesora is a lot of fun and very easy to understand. I think I will need to drink more coffee tomorrow because three hours in the morning is really long. After class, I spent a few hours with some other girls in the program: two from Georgia and one from NYC. We had a really incredible chat (in English...) during lunch to get to know one another better. We talked about our religions, and it was really interesting because we had a non-practicing Jew, a Methodist, a Baptist, and a Lutheran, all with different views!

After a little more time at the universidad, we took the bus ride back to our apartments and headed straight for la playa (the beach)! It is SO beautiful, especially the view of the castle on top of the mountain. Unfortunately, the sky started clouding up as soon as we got there! Oh well! We laid out and chatted, and it was great!

Luego (later) we returned to our homes and relaxed for a little while until la cena. We had fish and green beans drenched in olive oil with a little vinegar. Rachel and I then met up with Olivia and Haley to go out. I got a chocolate drink and walked around the city with them. Everything is really laid back here, and I felt completely safe!

Well, I better go to bed... it is1:45 and I have to get up at 6:10 for class! Tomorrow we tour el castillo (the castle). Hasta luego!