10 September 2009

Escrito 8.9.09

¡Muy buenas! Oh, how I wish I could write this is Español!

Today I have uploaded a few photos of the spectacular view from the terrace of Carmen’s (and my!) apartment.

The towers of the Basilica of Our Lady of Pilar rise above Zaragoza. Although not in the physical center, the basilica is the focus of the city; in the first week or so of October, “all of Spain” (according to one of the teachers) comes to Zaragoza to celebrate the fiestas of Pilar. I still don’t know much about it, but I’ve heard that all the goings-on are fantastic.

Here is the tower of La Seo, a gorgeous cathedral.

On the top right you can see another tower, this one with a mudejár (Islamic) design. Arabs conquered Zaragoza a long time ago (when my history class starts, you’ll hear more about this!) and the effect is still felt in the mudejár buildings, an Arabic block or two of the city, and the abundance of Arabic food in the supermarkets. Today I found harissa, which I could not for the life of me discover in Whole Foods or Stop and Shop! However, I don’t know whether my host mother likes spicy food or not, so I resisted buying some…for now.
These houses face our terrace. I absolutely love the roofs!

The streets here are much narrower than those in Sunderland – but of course, I am in a much larger place! I know that all cities have narrow streets, but these seem to be more so. The cars are also very aggressive – or, their drivers are! Definitely no jay-walking unless you are on a tiny one-way street – here, we always wait for a green walk signal.

This is the view from my bedroom. The window reveals a small open space, bordered by other apartment walls. Since I am on the top floor, I can see the sky – however, I cannot see the ground.

¡Vale! (BA-lay, the Spanish “okay”)

Today, the last day of orientation, we had an asemblea about the rules and regulations. Afterwards, we were released into the city for a scavenger hunt (en Español, ¡por supuesto!) in teams of three. Our task: find various plazas and stores and find out facts such as what statues represent or how much a kilo of shrimp costs. Luckily, since I love maps, I had studied the folding map of Zaragoza which we’d been given in school the day before, so I could find everything easily. My team tied for first, and we each won CDs of Spanish bands. Now I have some real Spanish music on my iPod!
After school, a few friends and I, all speaking Spanish, bought a few notebooks, stamps, and shampoo from three different stores. We also went to the library to use the computers. Ahora I’m at home; my host mother is running some errands and I’m writing this with the Spanish radio in the background (they just had a sound clip of Obama). Tomorrow I discover what classes I have and go to them as well…¡estoy muy ilusionada!

07 September 2009

Despúes de Tres Noches

Three nights and I’ve managed to make some more complex sentences: the past subjunctive, reflexive preterite. I do find it difficult, however, when the radio is playing an American song which I know while a Spanish conversation occurs. The two languages fight for my attention and I find myself unable to contribute to the talk. Luckily, a lot of the other students also want to speak Spanish, so I was able to speak almost entirely in Spanish at the first day of school today.
On Sasturday night, Carmen invited three of her friends to dinner at her apartment. I told myself that I wouldn’t be shy, but I found myself just listening most of the evening. The friends took this as a sign that I didn’t speak much Spanish and decided to practice their English with me. “¿Cómo se dice piña en inglés?” “Pineapple.” However, the “a” sound in “apple” doesn’t exist in Spanish (and some types of English omit it as well – for example, the British pronunciation of “gas” varies from the American one).
Carmen’s terrace has the most wonderful view possible – we can see towers of three of the most ornate and grand churches of Zaragoza.
Yesterday the newspaper, the television news, and the radio news were full of notices regarding Afghanistan. Spain’s President Zapatero wants to send another 300 or so Spanish troops to Afghanistan, and there are already quite a few on the ground. However, the images on the news were much more graphic than anything one would see in the United States – interviewing a boy seriously injured by a bomb, footage of bodies being carried away. I realized, however, that I hadn’t actually heard a talk show or read an article or seen images about Afghanistan in the United States for quite some time. I’m excited to continue reading the “Aragón Herald” and discover any more differences.
Today, orientation started – I walked to school and arrive around 8:30 or :45. The first assembly was at 9, and by the end of the day we had taken our placement tests. Classes begin on Wednesday. We walk to another school, el Colegio Montessori, for lunch, and today the Spanish students weren't there. We think they will be tomorrow or Wednesday, though, and I'm very nervous to meet real Spanish people my age!
Right now I am at the library - the biblioteca - of Zaragoza. There is wireless internet here, and it is only a five minute walk from the school. I'm going to try to get a library card after I finish posting this!
Once again, I apologize for the lack of eloquence...switching between languages is un poco dificil!

Estoy Aquí (5.9.09)

I am writing from my bed in my new room in Zaragoza. Carmen, my host mother, has taken her father for a walk and instructed me to put away my things in the ample space she has provided.

Waking up this morning, I was thankful for the bed after trying to sleep on various airplanes and buses during the journey to Spain. I was also confused: where was I? Why were my things hung up in this strange room? Then I remembered: for the next nine months, this is home.

Since 10 o’clock last night (it is currently 10:24 am here), I have spoken and heard nothing but Spanish. (If this entry isn’t very eloquent, I apologize – trying to speak in Spanish and write in English is still difficult!) I understand most everything that Carmen says, but I cannot always find the words to craft the reply I’d like to give. I’m still unaccustomed to using the Spanish “vale” instead of the English “okay”.

I’m surprised at how difficult it is to write in English after only one day! With a Spanish radio talk show in the background, of which I can only catch a few words (I know they are talking about China!), my brain feels a bit overwhelmed. Entonces, I will pick up the Spanish-English dictionary and memorize a few new words!