SIX MESES

Six months & fourteen days later I am alive and better than ever. With each passing month I settle into my life here more and more and being said that I only have a little under 4 months left on exchange, I dread the day I have to leave the life I have created here. Steadily approaching the conclusion of my exchange has caused me to buckle down, tough up, and live each day with more intention on taking advantage of every moment and opportunity I have to improve/perfect my Spanish. The past three weeks of this month I took 15 whole exams, and I can definitely say they went considerably better than the exams of the first trimester. I continue teaching English twice a week, and spent three days with the exchange students in my district in Madrid, Burgos, and surrounding towns.

 

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COLEGIO | SCHOOL

I’ve taken fifteen exams in these past few weeks. As you can imagine, I have spent the majority of this month with my eyes glued to my notes trying to learn and memorize everything in Spanish and let me tell you, I simply cannot study anymore. In Spain, grades are solely based off of exam scores. Kids here study. so. darn. much. On top of that, all the classes here are far more advanced than classes in the U.S. in general. Trying to pass my classes is kicking my butt. However, there is no better feeling than receiving the majority of your tests back with a passing grade (and sometimes better than those of the Spanish students).

As I said in my last blog, I would share our final presentation of Acrosport. We presented our routine in front of our class, the 8th graders and 9th graders. I had an absolute blast this trimester with my team members and I have grown so much closer to my classmates through the experience. It was also really fun to try something different for P.E. (I am the one with my hair in a bun in the pictures).

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EXCURSIÓN A BURGOS | TRIP TO BURGOS

All of us district 2201 kids piled in a bus and made our way up north to Burgos, the capital of the province my town is in. Caroline and I began the day at 5:30am and we all met up at the Santiago Bernabéu soccer stadium. Our first stop was at the archaeological site near the city of Burgos where the earliest fossils of the Hominids in Western Europe were discovered.

Next stop was the beautiful monastery where we took in the stunning architecture and artwork while we learned a little about its history. I’ve seen quite a few cathedrals in my time here, but every time I enter one, I am struck speechless by how beautiful and intricate everything is.

We ate lunch and then headed up a hill where we ended up looking over the city/prime photo shoot location.

We passed the afternoon wandering the streets, eating dinner, and stopping for candy in the amazing city. I’d been here once before with my host family, but it was just as beautiful, if not more this time.

We spent hours on end in the hotel that night telling our exchange stories/life stories/ cuddle sessions/ect… I always have the best time with these people and will have these memories to last a lifetime.

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Bright and early the next morning we loaded the bus and set off back down south, traveling through the country side until we arrived at another incredible monastery where we attended Sunday mass which was a beautiful experience. Later we were given a tour of the monastery. Pictured below is the pharmacy and courtyard.

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We got back in the bus and made our way to La Vid which is a town 15km away from Aranda de Duero (my town) where we visited yet another monastery and ate a super rico meal of paella, morcilla, french fries and a fillet.

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Finally we made our last stop in my town, Aranda, where my future host family (!!!) gave a tour to everyone of their vineyard and how one makes wine in the Ribera del Duero, one of the eleven regions of quality wine making in Spain and named Wine Region of the Year 2012 by the prestigious Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

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LIVING LA VIDA LOCA

This month has been a pretty quiet month for me. I’ve been busier than ever (studying like crazy, teaching English, running, hanging out with friends) but I don’t have too many exciting adventures to tell you guys! I’ll put a list below of some of the things I’ve been up to:

• Photography: I’ve become very fond of study breaks, watching sunsets, walking wherever my feet take me, and capturing it all with my camera. These study breaks help me clear my mind while studying, and has helped me realized just how beautiful my town is.  I’ve put a gallery of my favorite pictures I’ve taken below.
• Snow!!: It snowed again! It lasted until 10am but I was running around the streets like a crazy person I was so excited.
• English: I’ve been teaching English twice a week to an 8 year old girl named Marta. Marta’s mother invited me to her birthday party and in the slideshow below, you will see a picture of lamb ribs, which is called lechazo, and Aranda de Duero is known as the heart of the dish.

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As always, ¿Got questions? Ask ’em below!!!