Xativa

I can't believe we're nearing the end of February already! We have midterms here next week, which they take way more seriously than the classes I've taken at St. Norbert. I have 2 paper & 3 exams next week, so it'll be a lot of studying & writing. But I'm really excited because after that's all over I'm going to London for the weekend! I'm meeting a friend from home, who is studying in Belgium, and I'm glad there will be English speaking people again ;o) This will be the first time I've been out of Spain since I've been here!

Well last week I had my first day at my service Internship, which I was really nervous for. I was mostly intimidated because I was working with seniors in high school & I've never worked with that age before, but it went really well! It's a lot of fun to just sit & talk to teenagers from Spain. We usually spend most of the time discussing the differences between the USA & Spain. I am definitely getting more of an insight on how we are perceived by the younger generation over here.

The second day I went, I felt a lot better about it & the secretary gave me a floor and room number to navigate myself to this time. I had a feel of the school, so I went where she said & I could not find the classroom. I walked up and down the hallway multiple times - obviously looking lost. Then it occurred to me that here in Spain that the main floor is not called the first floor - our second floor is their first floor. So I went up one more flight of stairs and the classroom was right there! I was really glad I figured that out on my own!!

I was talking to one of the students about his perception of America, and he told me he thinks Americans only think about themselves. They know about their history, their economy and worry about what will happen to their country, but don't know about other countries in the world. He said he could tell you about the USA, France, and Spain, and is disappointed that Americans he has talked to don't even know that Christopher Columbus, the supposed discoverer of the US, was from Spain. I thought about that while he spoke, and realized that to a point he was right. In all my schooling my social studies classes were almost all about the United States, but only a little on the rest of the world. Now of course it's important to learn about your country, but I think we could teach a bit more on other countries & cultures of the world.

Moving on to a lighter topic, last weekend we had a school sponsored trip to Xativa, a pueblo about 45 minutes from Valencia. When we got there we saw their Cathedral & Art museum. Then we were going to the castle - they warned us it was a hike though. Little did we know it was a mountain we were climbing up! I certainly got a workout for the day, but the view from the top made it all worth it. We found some shade to eat lunch & then wandered around the castle for the rest of the day. It was a great trip & I was exhausted by the end of the day. I posted new pictures on my photobucket account, so take a gander if you choose!

I've been thinking about the things that now seem normal to me, but at first took some adjusting. For instance my host family can't seem to pronounce my name correctly with their accents. So I'm used to being called Kris or Kristine now, which can get confusing considering I have a 21 year-old host sister whose room is next door to mine, named Kristine. I usually wait until no one responds to her calls & then assume she's talking to me. Their day to day schedule is different as well. My stomach just can't seem to get used to it, though. Eating lunch at 2:30 & dinner at 9:30 just seems so late. I don't mind the siesta in the afternoon, when all the stores close from 2-5 everyday. I think it's funny how laid back everyone is - no pasa nada! Start late, some stores close early, o and by the way we're going to close for 3 hours in the middle of the day. It's so different from the fast paced life at home.

I remember when our host mom taught us how to use the key to get in. Now you would think that it was pretty simple right? But no - this lock require two turns to the right, three to the left - then enter! And its different if no one is home & it's bolted. The first night Amanda & I were here we went for a walk, but this was before she taught us how to use it. I always look back and wonder HOW we got back in - I think it was a miracle.

Last night we went downstairs for ice cream, there is an ice cream store right next door to our apartment & I think that could turn out to be a bad thing ;o) Neither of us thought to bring our keys, and so we got locked out! Our host mom was gone at work for another hour, but thankfully her daughter was still inside. So Amanda went down to the lobby and had to call the apartment from the intercom so her daughter would answer the door. It's funny now...

Pues, es todo por ahora! Adios.