Miscellaneous

*Picture in Asturias (left to right back to front) Ramona (Germany), Matej (Slovakia), Sebastian (Germany), Irena (Slovenia), Me, Waleska (SDSU), Junior (Italy)

Feb 21 2007
Long time no blog....
So I don´t have the ability to add any pictures right now because I´m not using my computer (I´m at the University and just got out of class)....trust me I have plenty of good ones coming soon!

Today...my classes started. I had one this morning (Political Economics) and 1 this evening (Monetary Politics and Financial Systems) . Both seem like they will be challenging but definitely feasible. I have one more that starts tomorrow and the rest start next week.

I just got back from a excursion/ vacation put together by the University. It was between Sat Feb 17th and we returned at night on Tues the 20th. We had a lot of fun! I went with Waleska and about 12 other Erasmus students from: (Slovenia, Slovakia, US, Spain, Germany, Belgium, & Italy). We took a bus and drove from Galicia to Cantabria: http://www.britishcouncil.org/languageassistants-map-spain.jpg

*more*: I was sick(cold) the first 2 days of the trip but still had a good time. It´s such a great experience to make and spend time with friends from different countries...It´s like we have our own language...mainly Spanish and English but with a mixture of German, Italian and French here and there. Everyone speaks English in the group but at various levels. Same goes for Spanish. We try to converse mainly in Spanish. But....if it´s early in the morning and we were up late.....we all speak our 1st language or they speak English first....as the day goes on we switch to Spanish.

We stayed in a hotel in Asturias. Waleska and I shared a room and each night we all gathered in one of the hotel rooms to hang out before going to sleep. It was a trip with a full itenarary during the day time....we saw a lot of beautiful green countryside, old buildings and churches, museum of terror, tasted cider...an apple cider with alcohol but not very sweet typical of asturias, went hiking to a place called pina tu...gorgeous and quite possibly the highlight of the trip as far as sightseeing. PIX TO COME! ;)

The other highlight of the trip was forming friendships with the other students. We all get along really well together. We laugh to the point where it hurts and teach each other something new continuously. I couldn´t really ask for better people to be surrounded by here.

(computer lab closing.....more to come soon!!!!!)
xoxoxoxox

Feb 22 2007
okay.....i´m back at the university in the computer lab. i went to my international finance class today called International Political Economics here. it went ok but the professor speaks faster than when the speakers from the radio advertisments read the disclosure info. i understood next to nothing. but.....i think it will improve with time and i will need to learn to focus COMPLETELY.

*see above for more trip info*

I moved into my new apartment and all is well there. I have a big comfy bed and my own bathroom. Also, a european luxury/american norm: I have a dryer! I am the only one of my friends who has a dryer in my flat. Everyone else has to hang their clothes outside or in to dry for days :-O. Call me a princess, but I wpn´t adapt to that! One bad thing about the place...I don´t yet have internet...That´s a work in process. Soon enough I hope. The area I live in is called Ciudad Vieja (Old City). It´s beautiful and I have a view of the ocean from my living room. My current roommates are returning to their countries (Italy & Germany) in about a week. After that my new roommates will move into their rooms. My roommates to be are: Anna and Clemens (both from Austria). I am looking forward to them moving in so that the apartment will be thoroughly cleaned for their arrival and we can get to know each other better and settle in! Neither Anna or Clemens went on the bus trip.

Well, I have class in 15mins (even though normally class doesn´t start on time and everyone including the teachers are habitually late). It works quite well for me because I´m not exactly known to be punctual ;).

Much love to all!
*left to right....Sarah(SDSU), Waleska (SDSU), Michael (Belgium), Sebastian (Germany), Jan (Germany), Dietram (Germany), & Me

We were in a bar the night before we left for our trip to Santander. We had some damn good tapas there! :)

mas

*(left to right: Me, Michael(Belgium), Waleska (SDSU), Dietram(Germany), Ivan(Spain), Jan(Germany)

Coruña waves

02-10-07

*Above- today's waves
Today, I went out with Waleska (another girl from SDSU who just arrived yesterday). We met up with a girl from NY who the university put us in contact with and her friend from Scotland. We went to have lunch and then did a little bit of shopping. I bought a much needed new coat from Zara (a Spanish clothing company). Then we went to have a smoothie on the beach @ a place called Playa Club. We could see the beach through the glass walls. Today the waves were huge! I took a few pictures but it doesn't really depict exactly how amazing it was to see.

Just last night my roommate to be, a girl from Austria named Anna, came to stay with me until our apartment is ready. So, for now....we are actually sharing a room. February 15th my room in the new apartment will be ready and her room in our new place will be ready on my birthday, March 1 :).

A handful of people here speak average to good English which has it's pros and cons. Often times when I try to communicate with my friends from other places who don't speak any or only speak a little English I feel somewhat "lost in translation." My Spanish is up to par for regular conversation but, it gets difficult to hold an intelligent one. It's hard because it limits how well you can really get to know someone. At the same time, it changes the perception people have of me.

I think that it might be good for me to try to prolong my stay here for another semester. It may be feasible if I can get a paid internship in Austria or Germany for the summer, this year instead of next, and then return here to complete the following semester. Who knows...for now it's just a thought.

Thursday night, I went out with David and his friend (both from Galicia, Spain). We went to have Tea at a really cool Tea house that I will definitely go back to. After, we went to 5 different bars. His two female roommates met us at the second or third bar. One bar was really cool because there was a Galician live band playing Galician music which is very much like Irish/ Scottish music with bag pipes and tambourines :). Ultimately we ended up at Playa Club which is actually on the beach. David was too drunk for his own good so he decided to go home. I ended up staying out because there were a lot of students from my Spanish class who I wanted to hang out with. I didn't end up getting back until around 630 or 7am. (considered normal-late time to get in) :-). I ended up sleeping most of the day away after that.

Thursday I finally went out to get something to eat around 1:45am. On the way home, I ran into the Polish girls I met when I first got to Coruna. They convinced me to go with them dancing....so we went to a few different places even though it was 2:45 by that time. I ended up getting in around 5am. See the trend? ;) This will all change when school starts on Feb 21....I will actually rest some!


*Above: (left to right) Anna, Ivan, Me, Matej, Martina
A couple days ago, after I signed my contract for the new apartment....I believe it was Wednesday night 02-07-07....I went out with Ivan(Spain), Anna(Austria), Matej(Slovakia), Niccolo (Italy) and Martina (Austria). We went to a few little bars to have drinks and then Ivan left and the rest of us went to the Erasmus party. There is an Erasmus party every Wednesday in a different club. That was a lot of fun, but we didn't leave until around 4:30am....which is actually not considered very late here.

Coruña continued :)

02-05-07
*The best meal I have had yet....Paella (rice w/ seafood) & a glass of very good Sangria. The beer is made here in Galicia (called Estrella Galicia- Star Galicia in English).


02-05-07
*The Smart Car- parallel park it head first! :-O

It's around 2pm here now... I'm going to go check out another apartment. It is directly across the street from the beach :). I think this will be the last one I look at b/c I already have it narrowed down to 2, including this one 3.

The Spanish classes for exchange students start today @ 530. I'm looking forward to meeting more of the other students. From what I've heard the courses are pretty laid back and consist mostly of conversation. They are M-F from 530-830...they're optional but also a good way to meet people and practice more Spanish.

Anyway, I miss you all! My VOIP phone is working here if you want to give me a ring!
02-03-07
*pic: (left to right) some random, David, Niccolo, Me & Ivan

I met David (from Spain) because he posted an ad for the free room in his apartment....tonight he had a party there. This pic is from the party :)

Niccolo is the Italian guy (from Milan) who I met at the Pension when I first got here and is now living with me in Ivan's (from Spain) apartment until each of us find a place to stay for the rest of the semester.

Before the party I went to dinner with Niccolo and Ivan...we had less than fantastic pizza...but good drinks :). Also...I had Viennetta....They used to sell Viennetta in the supermarkets at home but not anymore. So, I was happy to be able to get it again!

Coruña beach

*above is a picture of one of the beaches in Coruña.

The photo doesn't exactly do it justice & the weather wasn't perfect.... Anyway, the beaches here are great.

I went to the University yesterday to register. I like the campus....it's small and on the outskirts of the city. I'll be studying in the "Facultad de Economicas." Their facultades are similar to our colleges ie. SDSU College of Business. The facultad has it's own cafeteria and is a building of about 5 floors I think. I'm in the process of figuring out my classes and finding a place to live.

I left the pension I was staying in to stay in an open room in the apartment of a guy who places people in apartments until I find a permanent place.

I love it here but miss the Sunny (warm) SD weather! Here I've learned that sunny doesn't always = warm!