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Hello to my wonderful family and friends,

As much as I want to write pages upon pages about my experiences over the past month of November, time keeps getting cut short over here.  I returned from the camino de santiago pilgrimmage in the northern province of spain late last night and I am heading to visit friends in cork, Ireland very early tomorrow morning. Talk about jet lag! Hopefully I will snap out of the jet lag quickly since I haven't seen these great friends since before the summer!   

I will return from Cork on Monday, Nov. 28th and can't wait to sit down with a big glass of Cola-Cao to write pages and pages of tales from my pilgrimmage, my grandparent's visit, and life's daily moments with Manolo and the gang.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I am so thankful to have such encouraging  and warm people in my life even while I'm here on the other side of the world.

Thanksgiving blessings,

Alyssa

Ciao Bella!

Has it really been almost an entire month since my last blog entry? Life has been happening a lot here leaving little time to reflect. I kind of like it that way though.  This past month has been a whirlwind of exciting excursions, exams, new people, amaaazing food, and new adventures.

Here’s a recap of what you may have missed:

My shoes finally broke in the worst possible way!  I knew this day would come eventually since it happens to me everywhere.  However, there I was with my broken flip flop at the beginning of the school day about to take my exam.  This just goes to show how much walking we’ve been doing in the streets of Toledo.  I’m sad to say that my second pair are not holding up either.  Even though I am so stubborn with money, I think it is time that I invest in a good pair of shoes, especially since I’m going on a pilgrimage…..

I’m going on a pilgrimage!!! I still can’t believe this.  Spain has one of Europe’s most famous pilgrimages in the northern province of Galicia.  The end destination of this pilgrimage is the city of Santiago de Compostela where it is believed that the remains of the apostle St. James are buried.  Before I came to Spain, I knew that I wanted to make this spiritual journey.  I was only worried that I might not find anyone who was also interested in doing the pilgrimage with me.  However, I met two wonderful girls at my school who are pumped about the pilgrimage.  Since our time is limited, we will be trekking the minimum 100 km necessary to receive a certificate saying that we are pilgrims.  My host dad is so sweet.  When he found out I will be doing the pilgrimage, he hooked me up with camping gear that would allow me to survive in ANTARTICA if necessary!  The bag pack full of camping gear is almost as big as I am! He insisted that I try on all of the gear so I know how to use everything.  The bag comes with a tarp in case of rain, a sleeping bag, rain pants, a rain jacket, a poncho, flashlight head gear, a hard hat, 3 water canteens, and many other little gadgets that I need to learn how to use.  My family got a good laugh when I tried on all the gear.  Although we only have two weeks before the pilgrimage, the girls and I are planning on training for the pilgrimage at the track this week.  I’ve also been going on a lot of long hikes around the city so I hope my legs do not fail me.  Please pray for me as I start my pilgrimage on November 18^th.  :)

I will start at the city "Sarria" and end in Santiago de Compostela.

My friend Anny and I at the end of our 10 hour hike

I find it funny that I thought time would slow down once I got to Spain.  Although I do have more time to relax, I just can’t seem to get a hold on time.  My time has filled up very quickly, but I am happy about this.  I am now up to a grand total of THREE intercambios (language partners).  I really enjoy hanging out with local Spaniards on a one-to-one basis, so it’s hard to say no when people ask me I would like another intercambio.  Anyway, my newest intercambio is Gloria and she is the secretary at the school where I help teach English.  Since I want to be a teacher, I thought it would be interesting to hear her perspective on the educational system in Spain. 

Barcelona.  Although Barcelona was not included in my original list of travel destinations I nevertheless hopped on the 8-hour overnight bus with my SNC friends Laura and Meg to Barcelona last Thursday.  Oh the things college students do to save money!  I tell ya…I can write an entire book.  To save a few Euros, we took the overnight bus that left Madrid at 10:35 pm and arrived in Barcelona at about 7am.  When the bus arrived in Barcelona, it was still dark out and it was pouring.  Not the best welcome, but the city became increasingly beautiful as the rain decreased and the sun came out and we woke up a little more.  We only stayed in Barcelona for 2 days and one night, but I felt that we thoroughly explored the city (even if we were in a zombie state for the first day). 

In Barcelona, we visited Barcelona artist Gaudí’s famous park called “Park Güell.” It is an enormous park with beautiful mosaic-decorated architecture.  We really got a work out here.  I felt like I was in candy land.  I find it fascinating that architecture constructed so long ago had such a contemporary and fun feel.  We also visited Gaudí’s famous Sagrada Familia church that is still being completed after his death.  Like Toledo, the Sagrada Familia church is also declared a UNESCO World Heritage Sight.

Gaudís Park Güell

Gaüdi's Sagrada Familia

We also explored the Olympic grounds where the 1992 Olympics were held in Barcelona.  It was cool to see little kids taking swimming lessons in the actual Olympic pool.  We were tempted to go for a run around the Olympic stadiums, but it was a bit difficult with our backpacks weighing us down.  Although we didn’t see any famous athletes practicing on the Olympic grounds, we did see real, live FC BARCELONA PLAYERS when we went to the Camp Nau stadium which is where the team plays.  They had an away game the next day, so the entire team and coaches were coming out of the locker rooms and hopping on the bus.  Many little boys were running up to the players to get a picture with them, but my friends and I just stood there paralyzed.  My friend Meg is a huge Messi fan, and I’ve never seen her smile so big!

Me in front of one of the Barcelona Olympic stadiums

Just some FC Barcelona players

As cool as it was to be inches away from probably the most famous soccer team in the world, my favorite part of Barcelona was the beach.  It was like another world.  In fact, Barcelona was more like many cities in one since each part of the city was so unique and had a different feel to it.  It was quite chilly when we went to the beach, but that didn’t stop the surfers. There were many restaurants right on the beach and cute shops.  Now I really want to go to Venice beach in California.  After two jam-packed days in Barcelona, Laura, Meg, and I flew from Barcelona to the airport in Pisa, Italy……

The memories made in  Florence, Italy.  Let me just say that if food is the way to this girl’s heart, Italy has totally captured my heart.  I am currently in the withdrawal stage, I think, since I even had a dream that I was eating a Gusta Pizza the other night. Words just can’t do justice to this food.  I made sure I tried pizza, pasata, calzone, and gelato (plenty of it) in Italy. Ok Ok  I guess I should describe other aspects of the trip besides food.

I have three friends from St. Norbert who are studying in Florence, Italy.  It was so great to spend time with friends in Italy.  Even though we are on the opposite side of the world, for a few days it felt like we were all back at St. Norbert.  We even had a nice home-cooked family dinner the last night we were there.  Those girls have become quite the chefs since studying in Italy!  One of my favorite parts of the trip was cuddling up on the couch together with nutella and watching Hocus Pocus.  But my absolute favorite part of the trip was our nightly (or sometimes 2X/day) outings to get Gelato.  It’s a tough call, but my favorite gelato flavor is pistachio.  It’s always sad when you discover something that you love when it is too late.  This very thing happened to me in Italy. On our last gelato outing, I tried the dark chocolate gelato with Orange swirls.  It was OUT OF THIS WORLD.  Oh well, just another excuse to come back to Italy.

Laura, Meg, and I enjoying our first Italian gelato on the old bridge

We also visited the famous Duomo which is one of Italy's biggest domes with an absolutely stunning cathedral as you can see!

A little more about Gusta Pizza.  If you ever happen to be in Florence, Italy you MUST go to Gusta Pizza. It is this small little restaurant where they cook the pizza right in front of you in a wood-burning oven.  It is reasonably priced and it is to DIE for.  Trust me, I even ate two dinners one night because I couldn’t resist the temptation of Gusta Pizza! 

The Gusta men at work making some Gusta magic!

Megan and Britt cooking their special alfredo sauce

My real family in the United States is Italian.  My grandma is actually 100% Italian, and her mother and father emigrated from Italy before she was born.  Growing up, I have heard countless stories about my great-grandma’s famous homemade noodles, sauce, and meatballs.  It is a constant debate in my family about whose sauce comes closest to my great-grandma’s.  Since my mom is a contestant in this contest, I am parcial.  Sorry Auntie Gina! You are still the best baker in the family and you know I’ll eat your Raviolis any day! J Anyway, to end this dispute once and for all my mom gave me the mission of getting an original sauce recipe from a little old Italian lady.  I almost worked up the courage to knock on the next-door neighbor’s door and try out my Italian language skills, but it didn’t end up working out.

As great as my week-long vacation to Barcelona and Italy were, it was also a time of deep reflection for me.  I know both Barcelona and Florence are big cities; nevertheless, I was shocked to see so many people (young and old) sleeping on the streets.  It was pouring rain, and there were young children sleeping with thin blankets on the cold ground.  As a tourist, I was fortunate enough to travel around the city and enjoy all the scenery and beautiful sites.  However, it just doesn’t make sense to me that such a beautiful city has so much poverty and sadness at the same time.  I know this happens in the United States as well, but it made me feel helpless.  The poverty carried over in Florence as well.  But the good news is that we’re not helpless.  Everyone has the power to add goodness and beauty to the world. 

On the way back to Toledo, I stopped in Madrid to visit another SNC friend who is studying in Madrid.  His host mother is almost 70 years old but has so much energy.  She hand-sews almost all of her own clothes, her children’s clothes, and her grandchildren’s clothes. She even hand-sewed her daughter’s wedding dress.  It was the same style as Princess Kate’s wedding dress—it was so elegant.  She was the sweetest woman.  She brought Paul and I a plate of cookies and a tray of coffee with 4 different kinds of sugars in fancy jars.  I also got to meet her granddaughter who is 7 months old and absolutely adorable.  Paul showed me some of his favorite spots in Madrid and gave me a new appreciation for the city.  It was great to see yet another SNC friend on this side of the world!

This coming week shall be a fun week.  Tomorrow I tutor Alberto and Marío and if I can find the ingredients in Spain, we will be making a pumpkin pie together.  The boys have never tried it before.  The part they are most excited about is scooping out the “goo” from the pumpkin.  Their dad is a tour guide for Toledo.  Since Toledo is very difficult to navigate by car, he takes his moped to work everyday.  Last time I ran into him before tutoring, he picked me up on his moped J.  As much as I love tutoring Alberto and Mario in English, I have to admit that it is quite difficult to switch from Spanish to English and vice versa.  For example, my host sister called me after I just finished tutoring Alberto.  She asked me for directions to the house and I explained the complicated directions of how to get to the house for about 5 minutes in English before realizing that she does not speak a lick of English.  I felt pretty embarrassed about this, but she just laughed.

Rice for niños.  (Rice for little kids).  My host sister was not feeling well the other day, so my host mom made her a soup that they call rice for niños that her mother used to make for her when she was sick.  All it was was rice with water, olive oil, spices, and whole garlic cloves boiled together. Believe it or not, this little kid soup is right up there with Gusta Pizza.  Since it has been very rainy in Toledo lately, I wasn’t feeling the best the other day.  I was hoping my host mother would make rice for niños for me again, but she whipped up another great meal.  If anyone cares to try this delicacy, I plan on making it every day this winter when I get back home. So feel free to come on over!

I have felt very comfortable with my host family from the beginning.  They are simply fantastic.  At this point in my study abroad experience, I feel like I am truly a part of their family.  They go out of their way for me even when they definitely do not need to.  They make fun of my quirks and I make fun of their quirks.  And most of all, they respect my distaste for fish and anything from the sea.  I will never forget the night when my host mother, my host father, my host sister, and myself sat together on my host sister’s bed in our pjs and talked about all the important things in life (and then we drank Cola-Cao which they and I both know is another important thing in life). My host parents are really just two kids :) 

Example of how great my host family is.  My friend Devan came to visit us in Spain from Lancaster, England.  Her plane arrived late and caused her to miss the last bus from Madrid to Toledo by ten minutes.  Once my host brother heard what happened, we hopped in the car and headed all the way to Madrid which is an hour away to pick up my friend.  Although her visit was short, we had a great time together.  We got together with our other girlfriends from SNC and went on a night-time hike since the cathedral and Alcázar are lit up on the weekends.  It looked exactly like the picture that is the background of my blog! Magical to say the least.  I’m hoping that my grandparents are up for this trek to witness this incredible view when they come THIS SATURDAY!!! I CANNOT wait to see them!!!!!

It is now 3pm here which means lunch is finally almost here! Hallelujah!  Thank you all for stopping in, and I hope this blog finds you all well.  As always, I miss you all very much.  I will be home in a little over one month and cannot wait to cook up a Spanish storm for a welcome back party :) 

Blessings,

Alyssa 

The one where I booked trips to Ireland, Barcelona, Italy, tutored two little Spanish boys, and my fabulous aunt visited me from London

Greetings!

I apologize that it has been so long since I’ve written.  The busy part of the semester is approaching.  I also signed up for many activities in the beginning of the semester that I have been very busy with for the past week.  I know I’ve said this before, but this post may be the most random post so far. There’s just so much to say, and I already know that I will be forgetting to mention important things.

I have been doing a lot of exploring of Toledo with friends.  The other day (well actually this was about two weeks ago now), I went with friends to six of Toledo’s important historical monuments.  It was really neat to learn that Toledo’s history is unique in that is has one of the longest periods of peaceful coexistence between three cultures.  I found it fascinating that even though I am in one city, I could walk around and feel like I’m in many places since the Christians, Moors, and Jews lived in such close proximity when they shared Toledo as their homes.  My favorite stop on our scenic tour was the Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes.  It was beautiful to say the least; however, learning the history behind the monastery is what really stuck with me.  My friends and I decided to sit in the pews for a while to take it all in, and when I looked up I saw a rather large Pikachu balloon.  After exploring many museums and monuments, we felt that we deserved a little dessert.  At this very moment, I tried my first chocolate with churros at café de las monjas (the nun café).  Notice how they are called chocolate with churros….this probably has to do with the fact that they gave me a huge cup of steamy, creamy, milk chocolate.  This chocolate was so good that I didn’t even mind when I got the bill, the chocolate was double the price of the churros.  Interestingly enough, my favorite part of the café de las monjas was not the chocolate with churros.  My favorite part was the cute little old lady who worked there.  She struck up a conversation with my friend and I.  She gave us a hug and pinched my cheeks (very hard) when we left the restaurant.  After this, my friend and I went on a hunt for the most authentic marzapan in Toledo since she is heading to Germany and wants to torture her German friends with a few samples of marzapan that they obviously cannot eat every day like I do.  We scored! We stumbled upon a little marzapan shop owned by a married couple in Toledo.  They run the business together and wake up everyday at 4am to make fresh marzapan for the day.  And to end this day, I’m pretty sure my friends and I are extras in a Spanish T.V. series that was being filmed in Toledo.  Since we did some serious hiking through the city, we seemed to accidentally run into the heart of the action when they were filming at many of our destinations.  I told my family to keep an eye out when watching tv ;)

  

For the past two weeks, I have been meeting with my language partners.  Since there were more Spanish locals in need of language partners that weren’t able to find an American student at the awkward mingling dinner, I signed up to have two language partners.  It has been working out great.  Elisabeth is my younger intercambio in her lower twenties and Ruth is my other intercambio in her upper twenties.  Elisabeth works at a bank in Madrid and Ruth works with students with intellectual disabilities.  I think I am able to easily understand Ruth because she has such a smooth, calm voice.  They are both such warm girls.  Ruth even invited me to travel to Granada, Spain (which happens to be the one trip I really want to go on, but didn’t think would be possible).  Of course I will be in Ireland that weekend. Oh well, it was still so thoughtful of her.  For our next meeting, we are planning on getting together to cook up a Spanish feast.  I had a funny encounter after my meeting with my intercambio.  I was walking my intercambio back to her house since it was on the way to my bus stop to head home, and I heard a man’s voice call my name.  Well, it sounded similar to my name (pronounced: AlEEEEEsa -  stress the EEE).  I turned around to see my host dad Manolo standing outside of Pimkie which is a store full of fashionable girl clothes.  He took my host sister shopping wth my host mom.  She told me that he had been waiting in the store entrance since they got there, waiting for something (anything) exciting to happen.  He proceeded to tell me that they had been shopping in that tiny store for over an hour, but my host mom quickly asserted that they couldn’t have been there for over 15 minutes.  My host family picked out a scarf that they bought me.  It was quite a family debate about which scarf they should buy me, but my host mother ultimately decided to get me a very chunky blue scarf.  At the rate I’ve been buying scarves, I think I will have to wear 4 at once on the plane ride home to have space in my suitcase!

So I don’t bore you with so many details, here is a list of my life in Spain:

1.)   Great news! My host family has told me that they overheard me sleep talking in SPANISH!!!  Made my day

2.)   Manolo (my host dad) is now my personal guitarist.  He played classical Spanish songs on his guitar while I did my homework.  I have a few videos to share if I could ever figure out how to do so

3.)   My family gave me permission to answer the house phone when it rings and they are not home.  And as soon as they gave me this responsibility and headed out the door, there I was alone in the house with a ringing phone.  I don’t mean to be dramatic, but it is much more difficult for me to understand Spanish over the phone.  I worked up my courage and ended up having a conversation with Manolo’s good friend.  When I told him I was from Wisconsin, he told me that he had recently traveled to Appleton, Wisconsin of all places!

4.)   I skyped my family in the United States the other day, and they were eating dinner BEFORE me! 7 hours behind Spain and they ate BEFORE me (and quite a while before me too). I couldn’t believe it!

5.)   After not making any travel plans for the first month of my study abroad experience, I now have confirmed plans to visit Ireland, Barcelona, and Pisa.  Miraculously, every little detail came together (and very cheaply to add).  I will be heading to Cork, Ireland with my friend Laura to visit SNC friends for Thanksgiving.  On October 27^th, Laura, Meg, and I will be taking an overnight bus to Barcelona.  We will arrive in Barcelona at 7:35 am.  From Barcelona, we will fly to Pisa, Italy and take a train to Florence, Italy to visit other SNC friends.  I am still processing the fact that I am actually going to Ireland and Italy and that so many of my friends are in these countries at the same time!

6.)   My complete travel wish list is as follows:

*Italy

*Ireland

*Prague

*Barcelona, Spain

*Pilgrimmage of Santiago de Compostela (Spain)

*Granda, Spain

All of these trips sounded pretty reasonable and doable except Prague.  However, I am thrilled to say that I will be heading to Prague, Czech Republic to visit Czech-mate (Vaclav) on December 8^th. I’ve heard that Prague is beautiful at Christmas time.  I should be purchasing my ticket tomorrow. 

7.)   My host mom bought my baby sister Emma a present. My host mom found the flamenco dress that I bought for my sister and surprised me with matching shoes.  So generous!

Goodness, I apologize for the length of this blog post.  I will not be offended if you honestly do not care about my baby sister’s shoes.  I just don’t like to forget things J

I am in a service learning course where we are learning about the immigrant experience in Spain since Spain has the second highest immigration rate after the Untied States.  For this course, I help teach English in a local school to 1^st, 3^rd, and 5^th graders for two hours each Wednesday.  I had my first day last week and it was quite the experience.  First, as an education major I was really tuned into the way in which the teachers interacted with the students and vice versa.  All of the children were great kids.  I got the impression that the teachers do not have issues with unruly individual students.  However, as a whole the students were very loud.  I don’t mean to say that they were being purposefully disrespectful or unruly, I think they do not have the same understanding of raising their hands to talk or waiting their turn to talk.  Also, the teachers are very loose and do not seem to practice typical classroom management skills that I am used to seeing.  They are not bad teachers, it was simply interesting to observe the different cultural approach to education.  If I were these students, I would be exhausted by the end of the day since they are constantly competing for the teacher’s attention with their voices.  They all had good and important things to say; however, they all feel the need to say it at the same time.

I started off in third grade and introduced myself.  I told them about my life in the United States and my favorite food, color, etc.  Next, the teacher handed out paper for them to draw me and include details after I described myself.  The teacher gave me the drawings to keep, and I took them out to look at them on my bus ride home.  At first, I was surprised to see that the first drawing had me with a word bubble saying “My name is Alyssa and I’m a multi-millionaire.” I didn’t recall mentioning anything about finances.  I was even more surprised to see the next picture that had a car that the student indicated to be made out of gold.  I received many drawings like this. 

I also started a job where I tutor two boys in English (7 and 10 yrs. old) on Mondays for an hour.  It was such a great experience! Their parents picked me up from my school to take show me the way to their house.  After tutoring the boys, they insisted that I ate dinner at their darling house. Honestly, they have the most home-y house.  We ate super salty meats and cheeses and finished the meal off with homemade chocolates with almonds (can life get any better?).  Also, they have a fat white cat named Pixie who likes to take naps in the garage on the dad’s (Mario) moped.  They are a great family. Mario is actually a local tour guide for Toledo, so between him and Monolo I am set for any Spanish history exam!  We finished the night off playing jamón (Spanish word for ham).  Jamón is the equivelant of the American H-O-R-S-E  basketball game.  I headed home and my family was eating dinner when I got home.  They said they knew I would be back to eat since they made Mexican tacos! How could I resist? I hope this 2-dinner Monday deal does not become a routine.

The two boys I tutor (Mario and Alberto). Mario is the one with half a head

And for the greatest news of all….my auntie Sue visited me this past weekend from London! I think I may need to have a separate future post about this trip.  It was such a special trip. 

Highlights:

1.)   We stayed in the most beautiful house in the old part of my Toledo!  It was my first time waking up in the true city of Toledo.  Unfortunately, I did not get up early enough for sunrise but I feel like I saw it after listening to my aunt describe it.

2.)   Life slowed down with my auntie Sue’s visit.  We had time to sit and talk for hours in the famous hammock room and catch up since we hadn’t seen each other since last January.

3.)   And I thought I had found all the hidden gems of Toledo…ya right!  Together we found the most amazing (and cheap of course) bakery called Benipan where I had my first  (of many) pan de chocolate.  I also took my Auntie Sue to Café de las Monjas where she had her first chocolate with churros.  The cheek-pinching lady was not there that day L

4.)   We went to Europe’s biggest flea market in Madrid and scored BIG time! Let’s just say I am almost done Christmas shopping.  I went to the flea market prepared to haggle (I think haggled is the right word?) prices since I saw a video about this exact flea market and everyone haggled the prices.  Everything was SO cheap though. I purchased a scarf for 2 Euros and a Cristiano Renaldo jersey for 12 Euros!

5.)   We went to the Parque de Retiro In Madrid. The leaves were starting to change colors there.  This was a happening park, yet very peaceful.  I don’t think I saw one person who didn’t seem to be having a good time.

6.)   We saw Pablo Picasso’s famous painting “Guernica” which depicts the brutality of the Spanish civil war.  Powerful.

7.)   To end our weekend, my host parents took my aunt and I on a nighttime tour of Toledo.  They took us to spots you would only know of if you lived in Toledo.  We got to see the luscious space where the cardinal used to live.  This truly completed my aunt’s Toledo experience since Manolo took us down thee narrowest Toledo street without question in his car.  The look on her face was priceless.

Café de las Monjas

Reading room of the house

Ahh the hammock room!

Living Room/ dining room

After the long hike

If you made it this far, you must really love me! ha! I miss you all very much.  I must go now because my host mom is telling me in Spanish “don’t work so hard Aleeessa!” 

Blessings from Spain,

Alyssa

"So no one told you life was going to be this way"

Hello family and friends! Goodness, I honestly do not know where the time goes.  I promise I have good blogging intentions, but this past week was a bit hectic on my end.  Nevertheless, it was a good chaos.  Although I complain quite a bit about my busy schedule in the United States, I try to pack my day with as many Spanish activities as possible.

This past weekend was incredible to say the least! I feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to travel with my friend Laura and her host family to Asturias, Spain.  Asturias is one of the most northern provinces of Spain and is known for its lush greenery, breathtaking mountains, and delicious milk (which is one of the things I miss most about Wisconsin).  I have to say that one of my favorite parts of the trip was the ride up to Asturias with the wonderful company of Laura and her two host parents.  Even though I was car-sick the entire six hours since we drove through winding mountains and unending strings of roundabouts, the scenery was beautiful enough to make me forget about my twisting stomach.  Laura’s host parents, Angelita and Luis, are in their sixties; however, you wouldn’t be able to guess this with the amount of energy they have! We cruised through the mountains and pueblos rocking to the theme song from “Friends” as well as older Spanish music.  By now, you are probably aware with my obsession with great songs paired up with great memories.  As cheesy as it is, my favorite experiences in Spain thus far always involve a countryside drive paired up with some classic American tunes sung by host families with heavy Spanish accents.  Moving on…. :) 

After our six-hour journey, we finally made it to Asturias.  Before settling down in our hostal, Luis made a stop at Cabo de Peñas, which he informed us is the highest point of the Iberian Peninsula.  Sorry to use the word “breathtaking” yet another time, but it was truly breathtaking.  At Cabo de Peñas, we were surrounded by mountains, the sea, and unique rock formations in the sea.  As soon as we made it to the sea, I made sure to ask Luis if there were sharks in there.  He told me that there weren’t; however, there was a large statue of a shark behind me. Don’t worry, we all made it out alive! I am a big baby when it comes to sharks.  I was really hoping to spot a whale, but we did not stay for a long time.  Also, we saw many cows during the ride up that reminded me of Wisconsin.  We also saw bulls that are used for bull fights :(

First Hostal Experience:

As much as I love five star fancy vacations (ok I’ve actually never been on one), I think that it’s the two-star make-shift vacations that we really remember.  In high school, I went on a vacation with my cousins to a place called Horse Cave, Kentucky.  In the city(ish) place of Horse Cave, the toilets are not stationery! We had to literally move our toilet a good few inches to close the bathroom door.  Now that’s it’s been a few years, I look back on this memory with much fondness.  I can’t complain about our toilet at our hostal.  Our shower, however, was another story.  Our shower was actually more like a car wash for humans.  It was a standing shower that had about 15 different jets lining the sides.  After our six-hour journey, I was not too sharp.  I proceeded to turn on the faucet and was shocked to feel 15 jets blasting (and when I say blasting I mean BLASTING) cold water from my neck down.  It was quite the task to rinse the shampoo out of my hair since the jets did not extend that high.  After this mild occurrence, we had a fairly pleasant hostal experience.  I was not a big fan of the hostal owner walking in twice without knocking.  Sheesh what if we were on our honeymoon!  All joking aside, we held our own throughout the hostal experience.  We also managed to cover our breakfast, lunch, and dinner for only 2.61 Euros which equals about $3.51.  Gotta love nutella!

MODERN DAY EXPLORERS (on a College Budget):

Laura and I thoroughly explored the city where we stayed which is called Áviles.  One of our best finds was the Ferrerro Park.  Ferrerro Park was an extremely large park that was bustling with activity and serenity at the same time.  I think I loved this park so much since it had my three favorite things.  These include cute dogs, babies, and sweet elderly people.  I was absolutely amazed at just how many babies there were in the park.  It was interesting to observe the different generations of people in the park.  Almost every elderly couple was walking a baby carriage.  In fact, I think I saw more grandparents taking care of children than actual parents.  If I had to estimate how many baby carriages were in the park during our hour stay in the park, I would guess somewhere in the 30s.  It was amazing, but it did make me miss my little siblings at home.  Secondly, for as many babies there were in the park, there were almost as many dogs.  I played with a puffy white puppy.  He was precious.  The park also had a pond with swans swimming in it. 

During our short stay in Asturias I feel like I essentially traveled the entire country of Spain.  Asturias has everything: city life, quiet countryside, industry, and sandy beaches.  Laura and I decided to head to the beach portion of Asturias for our second day in Asturias.  Again, since we're on a college budget we decided to walk back from the beach to our hostal after walking for quite some distance at the beach.  In total, we probably walked over 15 miles that day, but we were able to see many things during our walk including an Asturian wedding.  We treated ourselves to a dinner that did not consist of merely Nutella sandwiches. 

SCHOOL:

With all this talk about travels, you are probably wondering if we still have to do work in Toledo.  Unfortunately, I still dread my Tuesdays since I attend classes from 8am-8pm with few breaks.  I am having a lot of difficulty adjusting to the teaching style here.  At my school, teachers tend to lecture for the entire class using little or no visual aids.  This method makes it difficult to organize notes and follow along.  Also, the courses are not as interactive which makes the time pass by slower.  The good news is that my motivation for course work is steadily increasing.  I received two essays back today, and I received an A on both of them despite being really nervous about the first grades for these two classes.

Also, I just received the news that I have been placed in a local elementary school where I will teach English to immigrant children living in Spain.  I am a bit nervous to see how everything will work out, but I am also very excited to have the opportunity to work with these children.

HOST FAMILY:

They are great as usual.  My host brother went to my school today to play soccer with students from my school, and made new friends.  My sister has been cooking exceptionally well lately. It’s like she knows all of my favorite foods.  She made me carbonara which is an Italian dish that consists of pasta, creamy sauce, and meat (in Spain this means Ham of course).  Tonight, my host dad Manolo broke out the guitar and played traditional Spanish music for me.  I tried to persuade him to play for me every night while I do my homework.  I recorded him with my video camera, and I will try to figure out how to post it to the blog for you all to see!

RANDOM:

I have plans to tour six famous sites in Toledo with friends tomorrow.  I plan on bringing my video camera so I can share my video with all of you.  I will not, however, be bringing my camera since I accidentally just broke it.  I tell ya, I am prone to these types of accidents.  Just my luck! Oh well, I’ll work something out :)

I will be officially meeting with my intercambio (language partner) tomorrow for the first time! 

My Aunt from London is has plans to visit me next weekend and my grandparents are visiting me in November!

Blessings,

Lyssa 

a quick stop in the city of Ávila on the way to Áviles. Ávila also has a walled in city like Toledo

Cabo de Peñas

Our hostal

wedding

swan lake :)

Laura drinking the incredible chocolate drink!

Romantic Spaniards....many couples add their locks to the railing and throw the keys into the sea

Statue build on the side of the rock

College dinner time...Nutella sandwiches! Notice the map that also functions as a plate 

Laura and her host mom

what a wonderful world.

Toledo: A place to pause and reflect

Wow it's been a while since my last post.  Please embrace yourselves for a lengthy, eclectic post.  I encountered computer difficulties for the past week.  First, I could not figure out how to switch my computer from Spanish to English even with the help of many friends. Once I solved that problem, I could not log into my blog because I apparently created 4 different gmail accounts with different passwords when my computer was still in Spanish.  I was a little frustrated to say the least with technology, but then I looked out the window and saw the most intricately beautiful cathedral that was built in the year 1226 without any machines.

Where to begin....? Food is always a good starting point.  Since I take the bus everyday at least twice a day, I have a lot of downtime while waiting for my bus.  It does not help that 2inches away from my bus stop is the ever-famous Santo Tomé Marzapan shop.  Marzapan is a traditional spanish desert that I believe is made primarily of sugar and almond paste (although there are many tempting variations).  For the first few days, I indulged myself with Marzapan while waiting for my bus.  I justified my indulgence with pretty reasonable excuses.  First, I am in Spain! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, I will never have the opportunity to study abroad again, Marzapan is a spanish delicacy, and the list goes on.  In all fairness, these are pretty reasonable excuses for my indulgence for the first few days.  However, I am now going on week number two in Spain and am in the process of transitioning from a tourist to a member of the community.  Tomorrow is a new day and I am going to attempt to resist Marzapan for a single day.  Wish me luck!

More on food.  I am a deep reflector.  Usually, this is a good characteristic to have, but too much of anything typically is a bad thing.  The good news about being a deep reflector is that I never get bored.  How can I be bored when there is so much wonder and beauty in the world?  The bad news is that I sometimes do not realize how great something is until after it has happened. It is a constant challenge to live in the moment and take in what each moment has to offer.  Enough for the deep stuff.....I don't really know where that came from.  My point that I was trying to get at is that at this famous bus stop, I have had a lot of reflection time.  While waiting for the bus, I reflect on all the small moments of the day that made the day special.  Lately, I find myself glancing around at  Spaniards also waiting for their bus and wonder how much we have in common.  Before studying abroad, I had the inaccurate expectation that everything and everyone would be drastically different than my own.  Although, there are obvious culture differences, it is humbling to know that we are all part of the same human family and we can always relate to each other.  My bus stop companions make me feel more at home, and they don't even know it :)

Great news! I only have class on Tuesdays and one class on Thursday morning from 8:40-9:55am.  My first Tuesday was a bit intense, but I can endure it if it means having all other days free to explore hidden treasures in Toledo.  One of my favorite parts about studying abroad thus far has been taking the time to walk around the city in search of new treasures.  Toledo is a small city, but I am able to find something new and exciting every time I go for a stroll.  Part of the reason may be that I tend to get lost every time I go on a stroll, and therefore end up on a different route than originally intended.  Getting lost is the fun part.  In fact, if you happen to travel to Toledo, Spain I hope that you will make it a point to get lost among the winding streets.  A few hidden treasures I have found include:

1.) an indoor pool that is not just any ordinary pool.  Actually, nothing is ordinary in Toledo.  This pool has a stunning view of rolling hills and old architecture.

2.) A cheap-ish restaurant that has a pizza with 5 cheeses!!!! I am a BIG cheesehead, so this was the highlight of my day.

3.) I'm also Italian so I was pretty happy when I found a restaurant that serves spinach noodles with 5 cheese sauce!! Spain knows how to make this girl happy!

4.) River Trail.  I stayed at college this summer as a summer RA, and my favorite relaxing activity was riding my bike on the Fox River Trail.  It never fails to put me in a peaceful mood.  I commented to someone that I really enjoyed riding my bike on the trail, and I was informed that Toledo also has a bike/walk trail along the Tajo River.  I haven't gone on the trail yet, but I've been told that the trail has great views of the mountains and hills.  If you feel really ambitious, you can climb these hills/ mountains.  I'm hoping to get a group of people together to do this this week.

5.) There are many lizards in Spain, and I am NOT usually a fan in the slightest bit.  Unfortunately, I am the type of girl who screams if a lady bug lands on my arm.  However, I am proud to say that I am becoming more open to this aspect of nature.  I am NOT, however, a fan of the bats that fly only one feet above my head at night!

I am going on week two, and I still do not feel culture shock.  My conclusion is that I really do enjoy spanish culture (for the most part).  I must be honest and reveal that there are a few things I do not care for.  I hope I do not come off as condescending or disrespectful since I truly appreciate the Spanish hospitality that I have received thus far.  First, there are many people who dress very immodestly.  They are such beautiful girls, but their way of dressing creates an awkward atmosphere.  It is possible that  I just notice this more because I am in a foreign country.  Actually, that is the only thing that I do not care for.  I am actually getting used to eating at ridiculously late times at night.  It is now 11pm in Spain, and I still haven't eaten dinner yet and I'm not too hungry yet.

Now for a few things I love about Spain.  First, the Spanish culture revolves around the family.  Therefore, taking care of one another has priority over everything else.  Take a stroll outside and you'll instantly notice that the Spanish culture places much importance on relationships.  They are very affectionate people.  I have yet to see an elderly couple that is not holding hands as they pass through the plaza.  I have also noticed that dads play a very active role in taking care of their children.  On the bus, people frequently stand next to the bus driver and catch up on the news and each other's lives.  The biggest adjustment for me has been getting used to the fact that I don't always have to be somewhere at a certain time.  Yes, I have commitments here.  The difference is that here I can eat lunch with a friend and not be constantly thinking about the next place I have to be.  I can cherish the moment for what it's worth.  This is not to say that I can't do this at SNC...it is a constant challenge throughout life's different stages.

Please prepare yourself for many random and non-related ideas.  I recently found out that I have the same host family as a friend who studied in Toledo last semester! Her experience was a little different since she lived in my host family's former house in the old part of Toledo.  My family was so kind though to give me a key to this house which is located about 2 minutes away from my school in case I need to rest between classes.  It is so charming...I will post pictures of this house.  Right now, they are using it as a space for families to rent if they vacation in Toledo.  After I post pictures of this house, I think you all might be one step closer to booking a flight to Toledo. :)

Second, there are many stray cats in Toledo and it always makes me sad.  Yesterday, I saw a stray dog that looked like my puppy Snuggles.  The dog jumped in the water fountain to get a drink.

I got a library card in Toledo! I know this isn't the most exciting news, but hey it's the little things that make the experience right?  The library is actually in the Alcázar which was Spain's former military fortress.  It is one of the largest buildings and has spectacular views of course.  I plan on renting some Spanish movies and music to accompany my homework this week.

We recently had our meeting about activities offered at the Fundación.  I love being involved, so of course I signed up for just about everything.  So far, I don't feel too busy.  My activities include:

1.) Intercambio: Language conversation partner.  We meet once or twice a week with a local Spaniard to practice Spanish and we help them learn English.  We had a formal dinner with all the intercambio candidates.  It was a bit akward.  Basically, all of the intercambio candidates were in the courtyard gathered together and waiting for us to come in and eat with them.  Meanwhile, all of the American students were gathered together in a separate room where we waited until our school coordinators gave us the ok to head to the courtyard and mingle with the Spaniards.  The goal of the dinner was for each American student to find an intercambio.  It felt like asking someone to prom.  I started chatting with the first girl I saw and we've been intercambios ever since.

2.) Cooking Lessons: I learned how to cook paella! Paella is a traditional spanish food made up of rice and usually A LOT of different types of seafood.  I happen to strongly dislike seafood, but it did look very tasty.  I am very glad that my host family is aware of my strong dislike for seafood, although it is a constant joke at every meal since mi abuela (grandmother) likes a side of sardines with almost everything she eats.  When I told my host dad Manolo that I would be learning to cook paella, he joked that the headline of the next day's newspaper would say that a local study abroad student died from trying seafood.  He made this joke since I told him that I wouldn't necessarily die if I tried seafood, but I might come close.

3.) Flamenco lessons this Tuesday and Wed. at 10pm! I can't wait...although I heard that it was a joke from a friend who studied abroad last semester.  Maybe it wasn't geared toward boys?

4.) Volunteering at Cáritas.  If my application is accepted, I will be volunteering with the Catholic Charity program Cáritas who aims to help those in need in the community by providing food and clothing.  I will keep you all posted.

Ahh this is a long post....sorry! I went to Madrid today to visit the Royal Palace and it was amazing.  I will post pictures of this and talk more on my adventures in Madrid at a later date :) I wasn't able to take pictures of the inside of the palace, so I guess you'll just have to come see it yourself...it's definitely worth it.

Isn't it nice when life comes around and gives you confirmation that you made the right decision? Ok, that was awkwardly worded, but my musical car rides with my padre put my mind at ease that I made the right decision in studying abroad in Toledo, Spain.  And I think that is special.  Even if I don't make it to all the European countries on my sightseeing list, this trip is definitely worth it.

Goodness, there is so much more to say but it is almost midnight here and I still haven't eaten dinner! Dinner is on my own today and I hear a bacon ham pizza in the fridge calling my name :)

Take care all and thank you for your support! I hope you are all enjoying the fall weather.  I am jealous...it's looking like 90s again this week.

-Alyssa

Me with my giant box of Cola-Cao which is a chocolate mix for milk. I LOVE it!

My perro Agua

Traditional Spanish plates.  What do you think mom?

Well maybe this dog isn't homeless after all.  I just noticed the collar in the picture.  Apparently, he just likes hopping in the fountain for a little drink.

Paella cooking lesson

The finished paella

Laura with her ice-cream from Naca-Nacas (one of our best finds)

Spinach noodles with many cheeses!

Today at the Royal Palace in Madrid.  The inside is just as incredible!

The Ham Museum Restaurant.  The school ordered us chicken :/

Johnny Cash = the universal language :)

I'm beginning to think that this blog will be a daily ritual.  Yesterday was such a wonderful day.  Each day is better than the previous if that is possible.  I know that I am experiencing the honeymoon stage of my stay in Spain where everything is new and exciting, but I don't believe this feeling will be going away anytime soon.  I wanted to blog last night since all the details were fresh in my mind, but again the night somehow slipped past and my family and I did not return home until 1:00am.  As many of you know, I have the world's worst memory.  It's pathetic, but about a week after a significant event I usually can remember how I felt on that day, but I cannot recall many details.  I will do my best to paint the picture of mi día perfecta (the perfect day).

Yesterday was the first day of classes.  I only have two classes on Thursday which include the cultural heritage of Spain and Art in Toledo.  I really think that I will enjoy both courses.  Both courses appear to be very practical in the sense that everything we learn in class we will relate to our observations and experiences during our stay in Spain.  In the first class, we will discussing the existence of domestic violence against women in Spain during the last weeks of the semester.  Although this a sensitive and intense subject, I am very interested to learn more about the issue. My host mother works with a program that helps women who have been abused, and it will be interesting to hear how her experiences compares to what we learn in class.  

We did not have classes today because it's Friday for goodness sakes!  No worries....we did not take siestas (naps) all day.  We went on a guided tour of the city of Toledo with our school.  It was a bit difficult to understand what our tour guide was saying since she spoke very rapidly and she had an accent.  Also, it did not help that we were discussing ancient history that tends to confuse me in English. Nevertheless, the little that I did understand was interesting.  To me, the tour was worth it just to see all the sights and know that they were very important in the history of Spain and the world (even if I don't know exactly what that importance is quite yet).  I'm not at the point where I am "used to" or accustomed to being around important historical and extremely beautiful buildings yet, and I hope I do not take this unique experience for granted upon spending more time in Spain.  Unfortunately, my camera died near the beginning of the tour.  No worries though because mis amiga and I plan on taking our own tour around the city.  Our tour guide showed us a great trail (or labyrinth to be more accurate) around the city of Toledo where we can go for a morning run, and I will be sure to take more pictures.

As much as I love being in the historical part of Toledo with its ancient beauty, I also love going home to the suburbs of Polígono to be with my family.  It really feels like home here in two respects.  First, I feel incredibly welcomed. Second, it really feels like the United States with the exception of a crazy eating schedule.  After I finished class yesterday at 4pm, I went on a little excursion with a new friend to discover our own little spots in Toledo to study and get the best Horchatas.  Horchatas are basically liquid heaven....it is a Spanish drink (and also Mexican) made rice water and cinnamon and other sweeteners.  We achieved our mission while also finding a really large park with lots of trees and greenery.  This is a big deal in Toledo since the summer brings such extreme heat that most of the greenery is actually brownery.  The historical part of Toledo is made up of mostly buildings very close together, so there is not much greenery to be found.  It felt so great to sit on the park bench and observe Spaniards going about their everyday lives.  I especially like to watch how little Spanish children interact with one another.

Now for the two highlights of my day.  Almost every day, I return to my house in the suburbs for the siesta from about 1-3pm.  I usually take the bus unless my family also returns for the siesta and drives me back to school.  Yesterday, my host brother José Manuel returned for the siesta with his girlfriend Laura and offered to drive me back to school since they had to head to the Casco as well.  As soon as we got in the car, José cranked up some Rolling Stones.  He asked me what kind of music I like and I started to explain that I like country music the most.  This, however, does not translate well into Spanish. So I started naming artists and he became really excited when I told him that I listen to Johnny Cash.  He immediately put on a Johnny Cash remake of "One" by U-2 which is also one of my favorite songs.  I have never heard this combination, so I was super excited.  What made this experience even better was that we were driving through the historical part of Toledo with the windows open for everyone to hear.  I don't think the Spaniards thought anything of our English music since English music is basically the only type of music I hear here.  I always laugh every time I walk by the outdoor cafés and they are playing a popular 80s song.  While drinking my horchata in the park today, I encountered an elderly Spanish store owner singing to the tune of "Grease Lightning." It was priceless.

Since I wrote a novel about signing in the car with my host family, I will keep this last highlight a bit shorter :).....

Yesterday, I left Toledo to head to the suburbs at about 9pm since we at around 10pm.   Even though I rushed home for dinner, there was no one home.  This was not surprising though, since this is a uniquely busy week for my family.  I may have mentioned this earlier, but my host mother's brother-in-law was recently diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.  Since the Spanish culture revolves around the family, she has been spending time at the hospital after work to comfort her sister and brother-in-law.  She also visits her own mother to help her out during this difficult time.  However, soon after I arrived home my host father Manolo also arrived.  Since it was a little late, we headed to the mall that is about a 3 minute drive from our house to eat.  He took me to a little Arabic restaurant in the mall and food was to die for! I admit that I was a bit nervous when he told me that we would be eating at an Arabic restaurant since I am not the most adventurous eater.  I had a tortilla type wrap (but even better) with chicken, lettuce, special white cream sauce, and lettuce inside.  In fact, I will be heading to this very mall tonight with my friend Laura to eat more chicken wraps.  The best part of the dinner, however, was not the meal.  Manolo and I had a deeper conversation in Spanish.  It felt right to stretch my Spanish-speaking abilities past the usual topics.  We discussed issues such as poverty and the Spanish culture versus the American culture.  We both came to the conclusion that in our experiences the Spanish and American have their differences, but they have much more in common.  This agreement was verified when we left the restaurant and saw the sign for Tony Roma's restaurant.  Tony Roma's is an American restaurant that is located close to St. Norbert College.  Manolo jokingly encouraged me to get my money back for my trip.

On the way back home, I asked Manolo if I have a very strong American accent or an average accent.  He said that my accent is a bit strong, and that I would need to spend a significant amount of time in Spain to lose it.  Manolo then proceeded to impersonate the accents of many different Hispanic nationalities including Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Argentinian.  It was hilarious...I think the Spanish accent is much easier to understand than the others.

Thank you all for your encouragement and support.  I only wish that the time difference was not as drastic making it very difficult to communicate with you all.  However, I hope this blog finds you well.  My siesta is a bit overdue, so I must get going.  I prefer not to keep my naps waiting in Spain.

Un abrazo,

Alyssa

The hills of Toledo

One of the many arches...I believe this one has Muslim origins

cool finds on our excursion...

Am I in Spain?

Overlooking the city.  The biggest building on the right is the Alcázar. It had important military functions back in the day.

It still amazes me that these buildings are still standing after all these years.

Toledo was the spiritual capital of Spain

This picture does not do justice to the beauty of the cathedral.  First, this is only about 1/10 of the cathedral. Second, I can't figure out how to rotate the pictures...sorry. I guess you'll just have to take a trip to Spain!  :)

My first Horchata in Spain with my friends Laura and Elizabeth

Spain loves Coca Cola!

serenity