A Day in the Mountains

   First, I'll start off by saying that it has been WAY too long since my last post and so much has happened. I've decided it makes more sence to break my post into a few smaller ones. So I guess I'll back track to what happened first since my last post. Well, on November 27th (almost a month ago) the AFS Madrid group, including myself, went on a beautiful beautiful BEAUTIFUL hike through Sierra Madrid. I felt like we were in the middle of a small village miles and miles away from city life when in fact we were only about a 30 minute bus ride from the center of Madrid.
After a bus ride consisting of tons of little kids singing 'Waka Waka' we finally arrived to a small, yet spectacular little town. This place is not famous, or well-known, just another small Spanish Pueblo, and they are all full of character and beauty.

Right away we headed off to the mountain and starting hiking on up. Not even ten minutes into the walk, we met some friends along the way. Not human friends, but Cows, Longhorns, and mini horses just trotting along incredibly close to us. I actually stopped and pet the small lost horse.

        In the E-mail about the hike, we were told that there would be about fifteen centimeters of snow, so as you could imagine we were all dressed quite warmly. However, we did not see one snowflake.....at first.

After a while of snowless, but still beautiful walking, we sat for a lunch in the woods and then continued up for a nice surprise.



Lunch in the Woods



Once we reached higher and higher, we saw snow. Not only a little here and there but lots and lots of amazing, white, un-touched, fresh-fallen snow.



Kevin and I



Nene (Japan) Me (USA) Hilali/Ozen (Turkey)
speaking Spanish together here in Spain

After the hike, as we were making our way down, which is very dangerous and just as excited because of the slippery ice , the group unintentionally went in slightly different directions.

Ozen, Kevin, Nene, and I (all pictured above) got completely lost from the group during our descend. We ended up going in the wrong direction and we spent a good fifteen minutes just staring at a group of about thirty or fourty cows right in front of us. The scene looked just like something from a horror film. There was a small cottage or storage room made of wood and a old fence. The cows were not moving at all and it seemed as if they were statues, although their bells around there neck were ringing from the wind. On top of that, a few of the, appeared to be staring RIGHT at us, at our eyes. Well, after we let our imagination go wild with the haunted cows we continued on only to find out that we caused the the whole group to miss the bus until the next bus which came the hour after...oops.

P.S. more to come very very soon!

P.P.S Tonight is Christmas Eve, first ever!

P.P.P.S If any of you from Houston are reading this I love and miss you guys so much and think about you constanslty! 

Hey there

So, I just happen to be in a great mood and what's a better way of sharing that happiness than updating my blog, right? Well, reading my previous posts I realize a sounded a bit too negative and I want to change things up. It seems that lately, while walking around (to school, to the metro, etc..) I stop in my tracks look around and utter "whoa...". This actually happens quite often. I suddenly realize how absolutely different yet great this new life is and how my daily rutine here is something I just couldn't imagine about 3 months ago, and how I am in MADRID about to go to school with SPANISH people, and how I am actually beginning to speak the language, so on and so fourth.
Speaking of which, something amazing happend to me today. No, I did not see a UFO, and no I did not win the loterry. However, I did help not one but two people with directions today, in Spanish. To me, that is a new step and quite an accomplishment.
But I can't jump ahead of myself I have some things to catch up on. Well, now that us AFS kids are such great friends, we have been meeting pretty much every weekend. Two weeks ago was Pinja's, a friend from Finland, birthday and us AFSers all met at her house and enjoyed some dancing and over all hours and hours of bonding time. Because she lives outside of Madrid,  we were on a 40 minute bus ride and also got egged by some kids. (apparently on halloween, the kids here egg the busses).


Pinja



After that great gathering of AFS kids, I had a long bus ride back with Jake, a friend from the states where we spoke of our experiences here in Spain- another great way to spend as little as 30 minutes.



Jake and Mary Beth



As soon as I got home, I was welcomed to my host sister and her amazing halloween costume, which included crazy contacts. That day was halloween, and unlike the States, the kids here go all out in costume, but scary costumes. Getting ready was super fun: I was a cross between a skeleton, a zombie, and a pirate.

In the morning, I was pleasently surprised when I saw churros and hot chocolate, a classic and delicious  Spanish dish, waiting on the kitchen table which was incredible. Well, after a weekend of fun you still need to go to school, unfortunately. Never underestimate how difficult it is to do homework and tests in another language, it's near impossible. Well, the following weekend was just as busy as the last, if not more. That friday I went to lunch in the house of a Spanish friend, which was especially exciting. And that Saturday, I enjoyed a nice lunch with extended family of my host family and then went to hang out with none other than the AFS kids.

While with them on Saturday and Sunday, I realized yet again how much these kids mean to me. We tend to sing 'Lean on Me'  by Bill Withers and that song describes these teens perfectly, someone to lean on.

Caroline and I

 The next day at one o'clock, Clara, a million other kids, and I were off the the center to enjoy the free MTV concert. The MTV music awards happend to be in Madrid this year so there was a free concert in the center of town including; Katy Perry, 30 Seconds to Mars, Linkin Park, and Kanye West. It was as crowded as you could imagine. Madrid, a city of millions, hosting a FREE concert? There was no room to move; yet that only added to the fun.

That night at the concert was definatley hectic, to say the least. People pushing and shoving from all sides but everyone was there to have a good time, so it was indeed a good night.

That next week at school wasn't as bad because on Wednsday, my music class went to a recording/ DJ studio instead of having class the entire day, which was super cool. Also, the day before was a holiday for Madrid only and we had no school. Because there was no school, Marybeth, Caroline, and I all went for a stroll through Madrid- from Moncloa to Sol.



Mary Beth and Caroline with the 'Squirrel'





Ozen

Then on Friday, Marybeth, Caroline, Ozen, Kevin, and I enjoyed a night walk through the beautiful area of Gran via. Of course, the group spit in two and we both got lost but after seeking directions from about 100 different people, in the end we found eachother. Afterwards we sat and talked over some of the most amazing churros I have ever eaten along with the greatest hot chocolate that you need a spoon to eat because it's so thick. And right next to the churro place was none other than an indie record shop full of classic rock records and posters, I was definatley in the right place.



goofing around

Well, unfortunatley the time has come and I must [attempt] do homework, but I will right again shortley.
Thanks for reading :)
adios

Ch Ch Ch Changes

So, it has been over a month since a last posted, and I'm not quite sure where to begin. I can't lie and say that I have been way too busy to put aside one hour and write. I have in fact been very busy but those hours without plans, i always try and catch up on sleep, not that i don't sleep much at nights but exhaustion has reached a whole new definition when you spend 24/7 translating every word and put forth great amounts of effort to put together a sentence that will make sense.
I guess you could say its been one wild ride these past two months. Roller coasters aren't only in the theme parks when emotions become this twisted. Some moments I'm sulking and wondering to myself, "What was I thinking leaving everything behind and starting this new life, totally alone" or "I have no friends here, and I don't even speak the language, how is it possible to be positive?" and other moments I'm jumping around with adrenaline fascinated by the fact that I'm learning a whole new language and that I am actually here in Spain right now, just stunned by the whole situation.
Well, school is definitely a challenge- of course during the first few days people were fascinated by the fact that I'm a foreigner and wanted to talk to me and use their little English. Yet, now it's up to me to go out and make a friend or two, although sometimes it's just so hard considering the language and cultural barrier. That being said, my host sister goes to a different school and has a great group of friends, I see them about once a week and I guess i could consider them my friends by now. I sometimes which I went to that school, but hey, I can't have this experience handed to me on a silver platter right?

How could I almost forget to mention the other AFS kids? I have always heard that the other kids you meet while on your exchange become your best friends, but you never really know until you get to know those other kids. I don't think I could survive this transition without them; they are all in the same exact position as me, experiencing the same ups and downs. These are kids from all over the world that came to Spain for the same reason. After days and days of casual Spanish talk (because I'm only conversational) a real deep talk with some other kids is all I need and they are always more than understanding. I feel like I have known them for all my life. These other AFSers are really brave and really smart and like I said earlier, they are the reason I still have my sanity.



Overnight orientation

 

After an overnight orientation two weeks ago, we all became much closer  and decided to meet more often. I slept over at Caroline's house in a town called Torreleones where I could see the stars and nature for the first time in a while and it was beautiful. For the next day, all the AFS kids decided to meet at the theme park. At the park, we enjoyed a melted icecream cake while using our hands (which was quite a task for me and Caroline to not to devour when bringing itfrom Torreledones, on a thirty minute bus and metro), dangerously attempting and succeeding in making a ten man pyramid, and going on all the rides numerous of times because there were no lines that day. The amount of fun I had that day is undescribable and I know it's only the beginning of amazing frienships.



Dangerous ten man pyramid






Well, instead of boring you with an infinite list of details of my last two months, I will instead describe some major differences between the USA and Spain.

1st:

SCHOOL
School here is very traditional, a place to learn and nothing more. There are no school colors, mascots, and most of all no school spirit what so ever. There are no sports teams and definitely no school gathering, basically there is no school community. The teachers do not know all the names of the students and i definitely don't know the names of the teachers, first names that it, (here they call the teachers by the first name). Also, there is a lack of discussion in class; the teachers teach you for an hour and then it is the next class, that's it. I am not saying that this is wrong, yet it is very different. In Emery, there is a thriving community and everyone knows everyone's name, including the teachers. Also, we are taught to ask questions; I can't remember one day of Judaics, English, History, and even math and science were creative lessons were presented to us and we had really intense yet wonderful discussions. We would often end many classes with debates and arguments about topics ranging anything from the conflict of Hernan Cortez and the Mayans, to defining poetry and art. Also, at school here, if a teacher does not show up, then there is no class (which is a favorable characteristic :) ), For example, about a week ago I went to school to be greeted by 3 out of the 30 kids in my class. Why? It turned out that the two teachers that teach our first three classes hadn't shown up, so everyone in my class went home. The few of us that remained sat and listened music until the recreo (thirty minute break). It is not un-common to go home an hour early at the end of the day if your last period teacher is not there.
MEALS:
Here in Spain at 12 o' clock lunch or a 7 o'clock dinner are unheard of. This is something i actually favor about Spain. In my school, we get out at 2:30 and I eat lunch once I arrive home, about 3 o'clock. The dinner is usually served around 10:30 and afterwards we watch television and then go to sleep at about midnight. That’s another difference. In the States, a 'normal' teenager is only up at midnight if they are finishing homework, not every night. The time table here is great because I go to bed not too long after I eat dinner. In the States, when dinner is around 7, I would eat it and then four or five hours later as i was going to sleep I would take a snack on the way, ending up eating way more than i should.

TRANSPORTATION:
In the States (Or maybe just Houston), until you are 16 and driving, you have no way of getting around town unless someone else drives you around. Going out and meeting your friends is impossible if there is no car around. That's one difference that I love about Madrid. Here, I walk to school every day and can use the metro to get anywhere in the city. If I am alone in the house, it is incredibly easy to hop on the metro or a bus and make my way around Madrid. Also, because of the amazing/ existent system getting lost is only another adventure. The other day I got off at the wrong stop while using a bus, which allowed me to only see more of Madrid and easily make it back to the house by hopping on another bus. As odd as it sounds, getting lost can almost be something to look forward to.

THE TEENAGERS:
I can tell you now, that I really miss the wide variety of personalities in the States, where individuality is so encouraged. There are preppy, sporty, indie, punk, hippy and a million other individualities all around America and I am absolutely sure that it is like that here is Spain as well, just not as obvious. Of course there are exceptions, just the other day a girl spoke to me about the term indie and it turns out her and I like a lot of the same music and hobbies. Yet, for me it seems like I don't have anything in common with most of the kids in my school. I haven’t really found anyone into the things that I like and I feel really 'different' here, like I don't belong. But then again maybe with more time I will find some friends. Yet, what I love here about Spain, is the average person is very open and very friendly. You can almost always find random people that will talk and be nice to you even if they don't know your name.
ENVIRONMENT:
Well, I haven't seen as much litter in my life as I have in the average thirty minute break in school every day. The kids buy their chips and casually through it to the ground. Of course, it's not everyone but its definitely at least half. Also, cigarettes are HUGE here, every day before and after school you see a ton of the kids outside smoking. It is much more accepted here. (By the way, I hate sounding so negative about all that I am writing, but I am only saying what I observe here). On another note, the other day I was at my friend’s house, she lives in a village about 30 minutes from Madrid and her host parents took us for a hike through beautiful mountains and it was amazing. I saw real trees, real natural waters, real nature for the first time in a long time and it was just beautiful. One plus about the environmental movement in Madrid: they have a much much much  better recycling/ organic program than in Houston. Every household has a garbage for organics, a garbage for plastic, and a garbage for paper; and a garbage for glass;  therefore, making much better use of their waste. Not only is it encouraged, but it is mandartory to have this garbage system, I think we should consider started a system like this aswell.

FOOD:
Spain has some great dishes but there is one problem, NO PEANUT BUTTER! There is no peanut butter anywhere here, and it’s just tragic. Well, besides the catastrophe of no peanut butter, the food is actually quite different. Olive oil is cooked with almost every meal and ham is absolutely everywhere, limiting my choices because I'm kosher. My favorite food here, and probably the most traditional Spanish dish, is the tortilla. Before I left, I thought the only kind of tortilla is the thin Mexican kind. But, the Spanish tortilla is an egg omelet with potatoes and it is just delicious. One thing to keep in mind while at a restaurant, 'Don't down your coke in a minute because there are no free refills' and one coke can be about 2.50 Euros, more than 3 dollars. There’s nothing too foreign here and the food is over all pretty good...but it would be loads better with some peanut butter. :-)
Some other typical Spanish dishes are:
Croquettas - these are like fried nuggets, usually with ham but sometimes with vegetables or chicken as well.
Paella- this is a rice dish thats almost always topped with seafood
Bocaloa- I am almost posostive that I am spelling that wronge. Anyways, that is cod
Jamon Serano-I am probably spelling this wrong also, this is thin ham (Clearly, I have never tried it)
Well now that I've spend enough time catching up on lost details, I will go to sleep earlier tonight (11:10). It seems like I'm coming down with the flu, and it's hurting to breath at this point.
I WILL write soon again, i promise!, Maybe next time with more exciting stories and details, as for now I need to go back to sleep.

Buenas noches amigos.

Finally Adjusting

So I’ve been here a few days short of two weeks and I am finally adjusting. AFS put together an orientation last week which was at the perfect time. I got to see my new friends from the program again and also some  more of Madrid. Some other AFSers and I were strolling around through Plaza Mayor, a very beautiful and popular square, taking pictures and simultaneously getting lost and loosing the rest of the group.



Me, Ozen, and Ville



A normal reaction to being lost is to worry yet the Turkish, Finnish, the other American and I, the foreighners, couldn’t be happier to aimlessly stroll through the beautiful narrow alleys of Madrid trying to find our way back. Of course we ended up going in the exact opposite direction and after some delicious mango zumas and a while’s wait, we made it to the park where everyone was enjoying a traditional Spanish lunch.  While eating lunch in the grass, you could see amazing historical buildings and alleys everywhere you look and live violin and accordion were playing through the streets. It was absolutely remarkable. After another activity right outside of the Palace, the orientation was over but the day had only begun. Afterwards, I went with Clara and her two friends to a local festival full of rides, games, and food. That night I had my first churros, a delicious Spanish dessert, and laid under the most magnificent fireworks I had ever seen. This past Tuesday I met with my friends from AFS and explored Madrid again for a total of eight wonderful hours, my favorite being Retiro Park. This park has the same function as Central Park in New York City, with people selling their art and jewelry and people playing and singing music. It was magnificent; with trees everywhere and people canoeing and again old historic buildings in sight; absolutely beautiful. After a long and fun day, I managed to use the metro without worries which is what made me most happy. I switched metros and from the stop to the home where I live is about a twenty minute walk and at first I did get lost but I managed in the end. This day, I also signed up for my classes in my new high school “Instituto Alameda de Osuna”. Some of the classes are: Cultural Classics, Latin, History of Culture and World Religion, Music, History of Spain, Computers, Spanish Language and literature, and even English. All of these classes are new to me and some of them sound really exciting, especially Cultural Classics and History of Culture and World Religion. This School is very different than Emery. There is no dress code, I am not taking any form of science, the day is from 8:30 to 2:30, there is no lunch break, and It is public. Also, something that is interesting is that I stay with my class all day; the teachers move from class to class, it is not the students that move around. From the sound of it, the class must get really close by the end of the year, if everyone is together all day. The School is walking distance and every day I will walk to and from which is wonderful because being outside and walking in the morning is nice, and I desperately need the exercise with all that I am eating. Yesterday was the first day so I walked there and I was very nervous, but it was only an hour presentation. Today there were busses taking the students to an event but unfortunately I wasn’t sure where to go and I missed the bus. Tomorrow is whats tough; there are placement tests in SPANISH; that shall be interesting. I forgot to mention that I still speak little to no Spanish and did not understand one word of the presentation yesterday at school. Real classes start Monday and I cannot wait. The thought of a new school, meeting new people, and all in a new language is exhilarating and exciting. I have absolutely no idea what to expect, I guess I shall wait and see.

Hasta Luego

Danielle



First Days in Madrid

  Today marks a week from when I said those extremely hard goodbyes at the airport. I have been in Spain since Friday and with my new host family since Saturday. You could say that it has definitely been a long week. The family is very nice and they have two adorable dogs; black and white. Yet, I still had a nasty case of homesickness. I found that I spend too much time wishing I was with my family at home and too much time connecting to them on the internet, that I didn’t pay enough attention to Madrid. On the first night, we went to the center of town and Madrid is very beautiful. It has both the historical pretty buildings as well as the modern buildings. We ate dinner at a very popular square, or plaza, where tons of people were strolling the streets. The city was very alive and joyful, even at midnight. On the second day, I woke up and got out of bed thinking it was about midday but it was actually almost five o’clock. With shock, I remembered that I am still jetlagged on Houston time. My sleeping is a little better but I do still have jetlag. Yesterday, I went on a walk with Clara and the two dogs, and afterwards we went to the metro where we met up with Belen, my host mother, and Clara’s friend and then went to the All Time Low concert in center Madrid. The funny thing is I saw them about two years ago in Houston. American music has definitely made its way to Spain. I hear California girls multiple times a day, along with love the way you lie, and a lot of lady gaga, and also many more songs. I think I hear more American songs than I do Spanish songs. I can leave America, but America will never leave me. Including the time difference, and therefore I shall now go to sleep and attempt to beat jetlag.


Buenos Noches

Danielle

On the Plane

Well, today is September 2nd (or third) and I’m currently on the night flight to Switzerland, where I will be switching flights to my new home for the year, Madrid, Espana. (Although this will not be posted until I find some internet in Madrid) After a lot of last minute packing, a nervous throw-up on the way to the airport, and some painful goodbyes, I’m finally on my way to a new journey; First, I had a two-day orientation in New York City with other nervous kiddos like myself. Although, I am one of the few sophomores; I guess I was just too eager to get to Spain. I’m now in between a million (more like thirty) other AFS Spain-going Americans without a chaperone, I guess you could say that we invaded the plane. The gate right next to me was Elal Airlines going to Tel-Aviv, I had such an urge to just jump into that crowd of Israelis and go back to Tel-Aviv; but the idea that in a year’s time I could have the same feeling toward Spain kept me in my seat still eager to go. Also, a long talk on the phone with both my parents and some friends definitely helped. Thank god for convenient technology these days. If you think about it, if this was a few hundred years ago I would be sailing on some fancy ship for a month to reach the other side of the world and loose contact with absolutely everyone. HOWEVER, being its 2010, I’m only a phone call away.

AFS Spain 2010-2011

The Idea of being in Spain in a few hours is still quite surreal and unbelievable. I keep thinking I’ll be waking up in my messy blue room with my obese dog stepping all over me. I guess I have to accept the fact that that won’t be the case for about another year. Yet, that’s not a bad thing. My host family seems super cool and nice and excited to be hosting me. They have a daughter, Clara, who will soon be fifteen and so her and I are close in age which is a huge plus. Also, being in Madrid- the coolest and biggest city in Spain- definitely doesn’t hurt. Like mentioned in my earlier post, a real city! I already feel the Real Madrid Soccer (football) team spirit building up. I really can’t imagine going to another country at this point but Spain just feels right. If I’m not mistaken my last name, Tobias, come from Spain, also I THINK my mother’s side has some Spain in it, I have some of it in me, I guess I’m just keeping it alive. Hopefully I do my part, and I come back speaking perfect Spanish. Now THAT would be unbelievable, but to tell you the truth I can’t even think that far ahead. At this point, all I’m concerned about is getting to Madrid and meeting my host family. Well, actually I’ll I’m concerned about right now is going back to sleep, the Swiss definitely know how to make comfy plane seats.

Buenas Noches

Danielle

The Week Before



A beautiful picture from friends :)



In five days I will have to tell all of my friends and family goodbye, In six days, I will be on my way to the New York orientation for all the AFSers going abroad. And in seven days, I will be on my way to Madrid, Spain, where i will be staying for the next year. In Madrid, I will be living with a family and will be going to the local public highschool all through a program called: AFS, or American Field Service. I would consider myself very "un-prepared" for this exchange. I haven't yet begun packing , I don't know the name of my new school or even what grade I will be placed in, and I don't speak a word of Spanish. Basically, I have no idea what to expect. But overall, I am equally as excited to go to Spain as I am un-prepared, or nervous. I haven't heard one bad thing about Spain, and espcially Madrid, the center of it all. I will finally get a taste of what a real city is like- with subway transportation, people walkng outside, and an existant night-life, as oppose to Houston. Yet, I have to admit, I will miss some things about Houston. I will miss Emery, my amazing school that, believe it or not, I actually enjoy going to. Also, i will miss my friends and family in Houston-especially Nina Whyte-my all time best friend, who as soon as I return, she will be headed off for her year. I'm not going to lie I am a bit nervous about all of this, but I know for a fact it will be worth it in the end. I know and am hoping that in the next few months i will gain some wonderful expeirences and the ability to speak Spanish. As for right now, I think I should begin packing.

I will write again, once I have actually made it to Spain.

Adios!

some friends I'm gunna miss!