Atletismo! :)

So a lot has happened since i posted a week ago. I have made new friends, done my first homework assignment, skyped back home, improved my Spanish, been invited to a birthday party, made plans to go to Madrid this weekend, taken my first test, met my host family's extended family (who i am seeing again this weekend), had my first English class, started track, and figured out where pretty much everything is around town.

So, new friends. To begin with, i have met so many people it is not even funny. And i remember about 0 names. I am usually pretty good with names but in another language... No. Lets see how many names i can list of people i have actually talked to: Monica, Andres, Jorge, Marta, Carla, Paola, Sara, Sara, Maria, Sandra, Alejandro, Enrique, Anne (she is American (more on that later...)), Silvia Dani, (who was in Seattle this summer and went to Redmond Jr. High for something. When he heard i was from Seattle he was like "Where in Seattle?" and was like, "Sammamish... It is kinda near Redmond..." and he was like, "I was in Redmond this summer and i was like "WHAAAAAAAAT?!?!?!?!?!" It was pretty crazy...) and David. Actually that's not too bad, but considering how many people i have met... But I actually have some pretty good friends. Monica invited me to her birthday party on the 29th and so i am going to that. And Carla (who speaks English and sits next to me in class) is really helpful and explains stuff when i don't get it (which is a lot).And most of the people have been pretty nice. It was (and is) hard going to a new school (which is something i have never done before) but i am glad i made the choice to come to Spain.



My school

Homework. To say the least, it is AWFUL. Actually that's a lie. MOST OF IT IS AWFUL. Some not so much (like math). But History. That class is so bad it is not even funny. I understand absolutely nothing and the teacher super strict and she gives tons of homework and i have never really liked history and AHHH!! It is bad. I basically sit there not understanding anything while the teacher talks. And talks. And talks. And then we are supposed to copy stuff down (which actually isn't as hard as it sounds because Spanish is written like it sounds (unlike English)) but the teacher talks really fast and so i always miss something and then i get way behind. So i pretty much copy what Carla wrote down. And then homework. For yesterday, our homework was to write a page (front and back)(in Spanish, mind you) about several topics, including the Inquisition, Martin Luther, Galileo, Humanism, and other stuff. It probably would have taken me thirty minutes if it was in English, but in Spanish it took me probably and hour and a half. I would pretty much write two or three words, then look up a word on Google Translate. And then two or three more words, then Google Translate, and then... anyway, you get the point. And for Monday, we have to make two maps, one of Europe and one of Spain, with all of the countries and capitals listed and the countries in the EU and then make a family tree of the kings of Austria in some century. Pretty great. But some homework isn't too bad. Math is easy because it is math and, being super far ahead in math, i can do it in about 2 seconds. And other classes aren't too bad, either.
On a happier note, I skyped my mom last Saturday! We talked for about and hour and forty five minutes and it was really great. It was nice to hear about what was going on in Seattle and how everyone was doing.

Also, my Spanish has been improving a bunch. I don't have to think as much when i want to say things and i can understand my teachers more and more. Some classes i can understand almost all of the class (like math) and some class almost none (like history) but it is definitely improving.

As i said earlier, i was invited to a birthday party! I am really excited. We are going to go into Madrid and go to el Parque del Retiro. Apparently it is really cool and i am really looking forward to it.
Speaking of Madrid, I am going to Madrid on Saturday! I am going into Madrid and am going to meet a friend of a friend who lives there! We are going to hang out and i think we might go to el Parque del Retiro. I am meeting her right in the center of Madrid near a bunch of stuff, so i don't know exactly what we will do but i am really excited! (like you have no idea) I am going to ride the metro straight there. I get on the train in Tres Cantos about a 10 minutes bike ride from my house and i get of about 100 yards from where we are meeting. I am really excited as i haven't been to Madrid yet and I am really looking forward to seeing it!

Tests are quite similar to homework, except they are harder because i don't have access to Google Translate. The second day of Lengua (It is the Spanish equivalent of English in the US (grammar and reading and stuff)), we took an "assessment" to see where we were as a class. I probably pulled the class's grade down to about a 2 (In Spain grades are 1-10, not 1-100). We had to read a paragraph and then answer about 7 questions, all of them short answer. I answered as many as i could and then sat there for twenty minutes and tried to look like i was doing something when the teacher looked at me. It was pretty bad. But on a better note, Yesterday we took a test in Fisica y Quimica (physics and chemistry) that was actually not bad. It was difficult to figure out what the question was asking sometimes but i think i did pretty well. It helps that i took Physics last year...

PAELLA! And you can kinda see the grill thing it is on...

The cool old church we went to.

Also on Saturday i got to meet my host dad's mom. She was really nice and was at the house for lunch and then stayed until about 8. I talked with her some and it was really nice to meet her. And then on Sunday we left the house at 1030 to go to Galapagar to meet my host mom's family. We got there and then went to this really cool old church, and then we went to her parents house. I got to meet her brother and his family, her parents, and her sister. It was really fun and we swam in the pool, went on a bike ride, and just had a good time. The best part (or one of the best parts) was lunch. We had PAELLA! It was SUPER GOOD! They cooked it over a grill of sorts and it had rice and shrimp and chicken and squid and mussels and it was really good and really cool to see how they did it. Her family was super nice and they gave me a book because it was my birthday on Thursday. It is in both Spanish and English so i can practice. Also, this Sunday we are going to Segovia, which is a city north of Madrid about an hour where there are Roman Constructions. There is an aqueduct and i think a medieval fort and wall. I am really excited.

I think that my favorite class is English. It is super easy (no surprise there) and it is really fun to do super easy stuff. The first day of class we had to put the correct tense of the verb (either present simple or present progressive) in the sentences. Some examples:

• This book _______ (belong) to Brian.
• My cousins ________ (go) to Greece this summer. They _____ (go) there nearly every year.
• We ______ (have) dinner with the Browns on Saturday.
• I wish he would stop ______ (phone) me at 11 o'clock at night. He ______ (always/do) it.

The answers are 1) belongs 2) are going/go 3) are having 4) phoning/is always doing. The last one i got wrong. I put he always does it. Apparently that isn't what your supposed to say. And then today we did dialogues with either present progressive or past simple. The one that i got wrong you have to write one way, but if you are speaking you can say either (which is dumb because we were doing Dialogues, which, last time i checked, were speaking). But whatever. My teacher is nice and it is a fun class. :)

So. Track. Apparently right now we are doing Cross Country, or something like Cross Country, but whatever. It is really cheap (10 Euros a month) and I have practices Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday (optional) and Friday. I started on Tuesday and it was SUPER HARD! I am pretty out of shape, but we ran a ton. We ran for fifteen minutes as a warm up, then did these stations, then had to sprint 10 straitaways and jog back to the beginning without stopping, then we got a 5 minute break, and then we had to do 10 more straightaways again. I am still sore today and it is Thursday. But, THERE IS ANOTHER AMERICAN IN TRES CANTOS!!!!!!!! :) :) :) :) :)  Her name is Anne and she is 19 years old. She is on my track team and we talk to each other and ran together. She is here for study abroad too (but with Rotary) and she is from Iowa. She is doing a gap year so she doesn't have to really try in school (jealous) but it was really nice to talk to someone. Apparently there are 9 students from around the world in Tres Cantos here with Rotary, but i only know Anne. Either way, i was really surprised when she overheard my host mom saying something to the track coach about me being American and came over and was like, "Your American, too?" I was like, "YES!" It was really quite nice.
And now i pretty much know where everything is. I went with Carmen to Luis' badminton and Elisa's Dance and i have been to the Parque Central and the grocery store (which is really small and really different compared to American ones (pictures coming soon)) and the fruteria and the libreria and the biblioteca and the track and pretty much everywhere. So i can get around. And now some pictures:


Me and my host family about a minute after i met them (and i am not kidding when i say one minute)

The lake and my host sister, Elisa

A cool bridge over the lake in the Parque Central



Anther bridge

One of the main roads with a large pathway in the middle.

Wow, this is really long, but hey, a lot has happened. If you want more pictures, go to my Photo blog:

http://iamoff2spain.tumblr.com/

 

So, a few random last things:

1. Mrs. Chittenden, email me if you would like me to skype with a class.
2. Also, at least in Spain, homework is deberes not tarea.
3. And i think i am going to be on break when y'all are here on the Spanish trip. (also, when you have finalized dates, can you tell me so i can make sure to leave out time to see you and also ask AFS if I can meet you).
4. If you are going on the Spanish trip, I AM SO EXCITED TO SEE YOU! :) Just FYI.
5. Oh, this blog has reached 1000 views, so thanks to everyone who has looked at it and is keeping up with my Adventure
6. You have no idea how cool it is to be able to say, "I live in Spain."
7. Um, i am probably forgeting something, but whatever.
8. Oh! Love you, Mom! :)

Miss you all!

 

Adios!