Diciembre

 

This will be my last post for the year 2012. December has flown by. Some of the highlights of the month were…

I had a class Christmas party. Just about everyone from my class (about 30), we had a reservation for an Italian restaurant. Two other friends and I ordered 4 deserts and split them. It was interesting to eat Italian food after months of Spanish comida (food). After two hours of eating and talking we paid, left and took a long walk down to the docks. There is a place that every teenager goes to in Vigo; Náutico. I had an amazing night with all my new friends.

After I was introduced to Náutico I have gone every Friday since. I go with another American friend and we present our friends from our classes to each other.

I got my grades and I passed 4 classes with flying colors, failed 3 really hard classes, and the other 4 teachers didn’t put any grade. For this being the first time me knowing what my grades are I am encouraged to step up my game next year.

Other events not involving the holidays, I have been to Portugal and visited an old library that part of the Harry Potter movies were filmed at. Unfortunately I was not allowed to take pictures so I have no proof that I was there. You will just have to take my word on it.

The weather was terrible coming into December but further in the month it started to warm up just enough to be able to walk the beach in a sweatshirt.

I am now getting ready for what would be equivalent to my prom.  It is a black tie party and I have many friends going. It is the perfect ending to an awesome year.

Noviembre

School has been getting a little easier but the exams that the professors give are killers. I still need more Spanish friends because I have been hanging around the ASF kid’s way to much; every weekend. I have been talking too much English with them. I need to practice my Spanish with those new friends that I need.                                                                                                                                                                                     We had a long weekend for Day of the Dead, a five day weekend. With Yingqi we switched houses to sleep in all five days. A lot of English.                                                                                                                                                              There is a boy in my school, probably in 3` ESO which is like 8/9^th grade. Whenever he sees me he screams out “American!!” Then he and his friend just join themselves into my friends and my  conversation. The other day he tore out a page from my note book and drew the American flag on it. To occupy him I asked him to draw all fifty stars and thirteen stripes. It took him about 30 seconds. Then he asked what my name was so he would not have to keep calling me ‘American’ and I told him it was Rebecca. I also told him I was leaving to go back to America on Friday. That was three days ago and so far I haven’t run into him at school yet. I run into all these strange people who want to just say hi then run away and giggle with their friends.

7/11/2012

In History class today my teacher was doing her normal things preaching to the class in Gallego so I understand nothing. As she was scanning the class to make sure we were all paying attention her eyes stayed on me. When I came back into reality she told me “Happy Birthday”. In confusion I just stared at her as did the rest of class. When she realized she had not said the right thing she asked “Como se dice felicidades?” In unison the class responded “congratulations”. She then turned to me and said “Congratulations on Obama winning” my reply was “Oh thank you”. Then to further the conversation in English she asked “Are you beautiful?” Me –“What?” teacher – “Como se dice contenta?” Class – “happy” teacher – “ Are you happy with this choice?”. Then she didn’t even give me a chance to say anything because she went on about how Spain is all for Obama.                                                                                                                                                               Then we have a class pet in History as well. It is a bug that has antennas on its head and butt. With its 40 or so legs it crawls around the classroom chasing my teacher. Then it will go hide in a hole only to pop out and scare the class a little more. Today was interesting.

 

8/11/12

This weekend we went to a Squash tournament in La Coruña. The whole family got up later than expected and we racing to get everything things ready.  The drive was long but worth it. We saw Mateo in his first competition and unfortunately he lost and was done playing. After waiting around for a while we went out for lunch and then traveled to Torre de Hercules. It is a grand tower that supposedly had one of the monsters that Hercules defeated underneath it. Later Carmen dropped my older sister Ale and me off at one of the biggest malls in Galicia. It was nice to spend time with someone closer to my age.                                                                                                                                                                                                That night we spent at a friend’s house and they have a daughter who is 13 years old. We passed the time listening to One Direction and talking. The next day she took me to the coast and it started to hail. We found shelter in an old castle where we took a tour and took pictures with old cannons.

 

15/11/12

On Wednesday there was another strike but this one became more violent than the others. Just about every bank in the city had broken windows and doors. There is trash everywhere and graffiti on every street corner. Posters and signs litter the sidewalks. Cars set on fire. I didn’t know that these peaceful protesters could become so destructive.                                                                           This weekend I spent mostly at home because Carmen was out of town and the children were at their father’s house. I spent Sunday with my tutor to celebrate a little thanksgiving feast with her family. She has two sons that are to die for. They are so polite and they wanted me to play with each of their toys and read to them every book they owned. I hope to spend more time with them soon.

 

22/11/12

On Friday I went with Yingqi to an underwater documentary. It was kind of interesting but the words were in Gallego so I didn’t understand anything. Also the theater was full of little kids and they would not be quiet. Later out with some other American friends from school and we got a bite to eat. Then Yingqi spent the night and the next morning we (with Carmen) went to the gym and I rode the bicycle for like an hour and a half then following that we started an intensive Zumba class. I had trouble walking for the next few days. After we had lunch and took a much needed nap we went to my host cousins squash tournament. It was fun and one of my cousins even won every games! Sunday was calmer and we went out of town to eat lunch with friends. For the main course -the best way someone could explain to me what we were eating- was “worm babies from the sea”. I was told they were expensive but they just got the cheap kind. It was loaded with garlic so it didn’t taste bad at all.

October

We had an AFS Orientation which was an amazing weekend seeing all my friends from around the world. We played games, ate cake, and stayed up all hours of the night.

My birthday was the 22^nd but that could have been one of my roughest days here. The day before we had an AFS orientation and some friends had snuck some presents and a card into my suitcase and I found them the next day. But my birthday had started terrible but my family tried to cheer me up by giving me a birthday cake and sang to me in English. I probably cried 4 times by my third class that day and it was only getting worse. Because I am still the new girl not many kids knew it was my birthday so it seemed like any other dark rainy day in Vigo. I practically ran home only to find a care package that my mother had sent me from the U.S. All the American trinkets and candies made me cry only once again. I didn’t go to squash that day because my mom had forgotten her keys so I had to be there to let her in. when she got home slowly one by one AFS friends were there to celebrate my birthday. In the end they just helped me with my homework and we ate pizza. It was a fun day in the end.

Went to Portugal with other AFS friend last week and were right on the border walking along the river. We spent the day at a really nice spa.

School: School has been rough but I am pushing through. There are many differences from Spanish schools and American schools. Most people think (at least in the U.S.) that European schools are much harder and the children are a lot smarter. I would have to disagree with some of those thoughts. In the US it would be the teachers fault if the child does not pass the course. It is the teacher job to make sure that the children do well in the class. I notice that most teachers in Spain are just here to teach what they know then test us on the subject. The professors aren’t there for the child’s needs. The children in Spain get the material then do all the learning at home studying. I don’t get homework, but if I want to pass I need to take the initiative to study on my own. I have had a CMC (science) and Lengua exam so far. My grade on the CMC was “DON”T WORRIED”.

Today is Halloween! It will be devastating for me not to celebrate my favorite holiday. In Spain they celebrate Day of the Dead, but they are not as extravagant as South America. We just have a day off of school; no festivals. I’m going out to a party tonight then spend the night at a friend’s house.

7/10/2012

I know this sounds cliché but the first month here has already been life changing. It has made me realize how much I should appreciate what I already have and should not need anything else. I miss my mom holding my hand when I am at the doctors. I miss my dad and I’s Saturday morning beach sunrises. I miss having an older sister who can understand my problems. I miss my girls at dance who could always make me feel better.

First Day of School

Okay. The first day of school was so easy. I wasn’t even there for a full hour, but this is how my day went-

I woke up at 8am so I get in the habit of waking up early. Had breakfast with the family and then everyone left for school and work. I surfed around on the internet for a while then picked out my outfit for today. Put on sum makeup and was already by 10:30. School didn’t start until noon. I tried to take my time doing my hair but that only took about 20 minutes. Mi madre would pick me up at 11:30 and eventually 11:30 came along and I was off to school! Got there and talked to the principal and met a few kids that would be in my class. I got so many stares ever since I walked onto the campus, in the hallways, and all the way to class. I just walked with confidence and I think eventually people thought I knew what I was doing. At 12 the mass of students went into the auditorium (which was equivalent in size to a large class room in the U.S.) and we were told our teachers. The man in charge looked a little intimidating and it was hard to understand him. I met a girl who would be in my class and she tried to translate for me whenever she got the chance. Later we moved to our classrooms and my teacher, Ms. Elvira (I’m not sure if I call her Ms. because all the teachers go by their first name which is different than in the U.S.). She was very nice and spoke a little English so she would ask me if I understood and surprisingly I was able to comprehend most of what I was told. After class she told me to come at 9:30 tomorrow instead of 8:45 because she was not going to be able to teach tomorrow. In Spain there are no substitute teachers so if a teacher is sick or out of town, there is no class that day. So have another late day tomorrow but it should be exciting!

Came home at around 12:45 and had some lunch. Mi padre took the kids and I to squash and I just watched them practice.

Sol y Mar and Cíes Island

On Saturday the family and I woke up early and went to the beach. Sofia was at a friend’s house for the weekend but that was a nice time for me to get to know Mateo a little more ( Mateo’s birthday is coming up so I need to find him a present!). Carmen and I walked along the shore line for quite some time looking and collecting shells. She told me the different names in Spanish but there was so many I could not retain all the new vocab. After sunbathing, we went to a friend’s house (the kid’s friend Andrea’s) up in the hills. They own a beautiful house that also has a pool. So we spent a lot of time in the water that day.

At around 6 in the evening I was dropped off at Amy King’s house. She lives in the country side where the houses are surrounded by orchards. It was nice to be able to talk to an English speaker. We went in her pool (more water), had some wonderful fresh fruit, and then picked her sister up from the train station. Amy’s padres then brought us all to Sol y Mar which is at the farthest part of the peninsula they live on. We watched the sun set and learned about the geography of western Galicia. Then Amy and her family took me home but we ran into some heavy traffic. So we listened to the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song and talked about school. So all in all I had a wonderful day sunbathing and talking in English!

On Sunday we got up and out of the house at 11ish to catch a boat ride to the Cíes Island. According to many travel agencies, the island has some of the nicest beaches in the world. I was very excited to go. The whole family hopped on a boat and not even 10 minutes after departure we ran into about 50 dolphins! There were a lot of babies following their mothers who were chasing after the boat. That was a wonderful way to start the trip. After we arrived on the island we met up with Andrea’s family and while the children stayed with them, Carmen and I hiked up to the highest lighthouse.

The hike took about 4 hours to and from with all the picture taking. At the top there was a magnificent view of water on all sides with the Mar de Vigo off in the cloudy distance. Carmen and I had empanadas and some nut bread that was very tasty on the top of the mountain. I loved that we were able to talk up there alone and I felt that we had one of our first “mother daughter moments”. We then started our journey back down the hill and back to the beach. On the way down we took a few pictures of “The Bell Rock”. When the wind blows through it makes the sound of a bell! Then Carmen and I met up with the kids and we went to the other side of the island called the prince’s thrown.  It too had a beautiful view from the top. The whole family snacked again then we were heading down to the beach on the north side of the island. We were quite close to the beach when Carmen read the map and it said that it was a nudist beach and she didn’t want the kids seeing “anything”. That was a funny moment for the whole family.

 By that time it was about 18:30 and the boat would be arriving soon so to stay close to the dock we went into a little nearby and bought ice cream. We took pictures with seagulls and had a wonderful time. When it was time to get on the boat we were all tired. The boat ride was a little chilly compared to the Floridian boat rides I’m used to.

When we got home mi madre made us some alphabet soup and we were all off to bed early. I have school tomorrow so wish me luck! Today was the best day that I have had since I’ve gotten here. Can’t wait for more adventures!

14/09/2012

I woke up this morning feeling terrible. I'm sick the first week in Spain; not the best way to start but my day got better. When I got out of bed I found a note from mi madre that the kids were already off to school and that she was on her way to work. It also said to call her when I wake up. One problem... I just got a new phone and I didn't have her number! So I decided to wait until she called me. So instead of just lying around the house all day I decided to take a walk. Yesterday I walked to my school to see what it would be like because that is how I will get to and from school every day. Today I went for a walk in the opposite direction to explore the city a bit more. I passed my brother and sister’s school and lots of little shops on the way. There was a good-looking path that I came across and there was a bakery that smelled so good I had to go in. The wonderful smell came from the fresh chocolate they were making in the back. After a little bit of chocolate I moved on. I came to another little shop that was called Mogador. The store had incents and other beautiful knick knacks. This is where I just bought my mother’s Christmas present! Then nearby there was a book store that I bought a few of my necessary school books. The total of four books was 140€!

After some more walking and picture taking I got a call from mi madre. She told me to meet her by the mall in five minutes and I could meet her brother and his family. So I ran to be there as quick as possible but I didn’t know were the mall was exactly. I was the exact description of a tourist because I was running down a small street, not knowing what direction I was going, bags in my hand, and trying to take as many pictures as I possibly could. It was probably a funny sight to see for a local.

I got to the mall, met a few people, and then mi madre took me to buy some new shoes. It’s always fun to shop for shoes but in Spain it’s even better! I found a pair of tennis shoes that I like so I bought them and that was first item I bought in Spain!!

Mi madre then had to go back to work and she took me with her just to show me around. Carmen works with the Spanish Maritime Safety Agency. From her office she has a beautiful view of the water. I then met her co-workers and boss and instead of just saying hello then leaving, I was there for an hour talking and showing them my house back in the states on Google Maps. Then I came home to see mi padre and he had a wonderful cooked meal waiting.

A siesta was needed after lunch which was then followed by me and my brother going to Squash. -Squash is a racquet sport, practiced indoors with 2 players and a rubber ball. Players hit the ball with their rackets making it bounce off the front wall of the court. - It is a popular sport in Vigo so I hear. The sport is very similar to tennis but it looks a lot funnier. You have to hit the ball as hard and as fast as you can against a wall which is in a 20 foot enclosed area- very hard. When mi padre brought us there were not many children but by the time we left there were little bodies running all over the place. I played for a little while then the teacher came over to help me for a while but I was just trying to copy his movements because he was rattling off different Spanish sport words. Then I tried to tell him I was tired and he understood. I think he told me I was doing well for my first try but I’m not completely sure. So I then took a seat at the bench and a few young girls came by to talk to me. For me not knowing much Spanish and them not knowing much English, we got into some deep conversation. They asked me to name all the states and major cities in America which was cute then we talked for a while about Johnny Depp. More kids came to talk to us and then the parents started to show up and by the time we had to leave we were all talking in Spanish, English, and acting out words that no one could translate. Many of them wanted my name to add me on Facebook and Tuenti. I have friends!!

When we arrived home I took a shower and ate an apple while mi madre made some cheese cake and crapes for a friend that we are going to have lunch with tomorrow afternoon.

We ate dinner and then went to bed early. Carmen says she has a few fun activities planned for this weekend. Can’t wait! A lot happened today and I feel better than I did this morning. School will start on Monday and that should be fun and exciting. I am living a wonderful and busy life in España!!