Valladolid Day 2

Today, we all woke up early to go see Maria(host sister) play violin in an orchestra competition! I got to see some very talented musicians, including herself, bring their A-game to try and win the competition. Although Maria did not win, she still played very well!


After the competition, my host parents and I went to visit their friend in the hospital. There was some random huge chair art outside of the hospital! After that, my host mom and I walked around Valladolid again today. The weather was amazing! I was wearing a sleeveless top and pants and everyone else was all geared up like there was going to be a snowstorm! People were looking at me like I was crazy since I am used to frigid temperatures during the winter time! My host mom took me to the place where Christopher Columbus died!(Pictures Below).

Chair Art outside of Hospital

Aqui Murio Colon(Columbus Died Here)

I also met my host mothers mother and father. They were both very nice people. Neither of them spoke English so I was forced to speak Spanish to them(which isn't such a bad thing). ;)   We had a delicious supper altogether consisting of potatoes, pork, chicken, and bread. It has been a very nice weekend getting to know the city of Valladolid and the friends and family of my host parents!

Valladolid

Yesterday, I arrived in a city called Valladolid, which is a city about 2 hours northwest of Madrid. My host family visits every weekend because that's where they used to live and is also where their daughter, Maria, lives and goes to the University. When we got there, my host parents and I met up with their two friends. We all went to a Tapas bar nearby and shared some delicious pork, octopus, wine, and bread. Going to a Tapas bar is very typical in Spain. Many people go to just meet up with friends, talk, and share a snack and a drink. We had a lovely time at the Tapas bar. One thing I found interesting is that they sold cigarettes in a vending machine! There is a picture attached. After the Tapas bar, my host mom showed me around the city and like most of Spain, the buildings were beautiful and very old. I had a great time site-seeing around Valladolid:

Miguel Cervantes

Universidad Carlos III

Today, I had orientation for school. I got to meet a lot of other international students which was very interesting! I was the only American one in the group so I met people from Holland, Denmark, Japan, and France! I have been improving my Spanish skills through talking to students and my host family.

After I got back from UC3M, I went to the supermarket with my host mom and realized they sell all sorts of alcohol in there! Here are some pictures of the alcohol aisles in the grocery stores:

Subway!! lol

Last night, I went to downtown Madrid with my host parents and it was really cool! We took the Metro and it took about 40 minutes. Madrid is a huuuuge city-about 3 million people and 5 million if you include the surrounding areas! Madrid is the most populous city in Spain and it really showed last night(Sunday night) when we were walking around and it was busier than Denver on a Saturday night! I really enjoyed walking around the city! We also got to view "Coleccion Cubista de Telefonica"(Telefonica Cubist Collection) in a museum!

Downtown Getafe

Today, I went to downtown Getafe with my family. It was beautiful!  I think the biggest difference here than in the states is the architecture. The buildings here are so old and beautiful, unlike in the States the buildings are all pretty new and modern. Here are some pictures from the excursion:

House where I am living

Random art

Cathedral

Fountain

La vida en España

Today I woke up at 3pm... that's jetlag for ya.. After I woke up, had a lovely meal with Isabel(my host mom). She prepared her favorite meal which is rice with chicken and green olives in it. It was delicious!  Then for dessert, I tried a new fruit called el caqui(persimmon in English) and dried figs. After lunch, we went to the mall named Alcampo which is a 10 minute walk from the house. I had a lovely time with my host parents chatting and walking around. We went to the "Walmart of Spain" which was pretty cool. There was one thing I found very interesting which was how they displayed their fish. Attached are some photos of my room and the supermarket!



After the supermarket, we had a delicious dinner of rice, sausage, and salad. Then my host father made a pineapple cake which was also very good. We all got to know each other and were talking about traditions and customs in America versus those in Spain. I learned a lot today from them about Spanish culture and traditions:
1. ALWAYS have both hands on table while eating
2. Spanish food is not spicy like Mexican food
3. Spanish families love spending time together
4. It is very uncommon to have cable or satellite TV
5. They kiss on both sides of cheeks to greet
6. After high school, students typically attend the University close to home and live with their parents
7. Dinner is usually around 10pm, lunch around 2pm
8. There are McDonalds here(but there are everywhere):p
9.  They serve beer in McDonalds!!!
10. All alcohol(beer, wine, liquor, etc.) is sold in the supermarket
11.Healthcare and school(including college) is free, or in other words is paid for with taxes
12. They are not allowed to own guns unless they don't function-guns are illegal
13. They don't sell bagels- Spaniards don't even know what they are, but there are donuts
14. During lunch time, many Spaniards will drink an alcoholic beverage then go back to work
15. Public transportation is extremely common, since Madrid is huge
16. Spaniards are almost always late, don't ever expect them to be on time.



Those are all the ones I can think of now but will add more as I think of them.

Alcampo(the supermarket)

Straight escalators! 

"The Wal-mart of Spain"

Raw fish!

Octopus!

My cute little room

Overall, today was a great day getting to know my family and walking around Getafe.