a m a l i a (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} pasttimelove) wrote,@ 2007-09-01 20:24:00 |
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Los primeros dias
I'm in Barcelona right now, sitting in a hotel room minutes from the Plaza Catalunya, looking down on the street. We got here tonight, after ten hours of driving from Segovia.
It's the fifth day I've been in the country, and my life has already been extremely hectic. Looking back at the past few days, it feels like I've been in Spain for months. I've already really bonded with some of the girls- especially Lindsey, who I'm living with in our house in Cordoba. We've stayed together the past few nights, and have taken up a bad habit of talking after getting home from the evening, which really wouldn't be a problem except for the fact that we usually don't get in until two, at the earliest.
Yesterday, we were in El Escorial and Segovia. They're beautiful, and completely overwhelming at the same time. In El Escorial, there was a burial chamber with all of the Spanish kings and queens who have given birth to kings. There were holes cut into this amazing marble facade, and the tombs- which looked like obsidian jewelry boxes- had the names of the kings and queens inscribed in golden plaques. There was a queen Amalia, which I really wanted to take a picture of, but, alas, they didn't allow photography.
Before that, we spent three days in Salamanca. It's amazing how quickly I fell in love with the place. It was made of this beautiful, rich golden stone. When the sun set, the light in the streets and on the buildings just glowed. It's an odd feeling, and a bit disconcerting, to be in a place where even the light is different from home. The first night we were there, we sat in the Plaza Mayor, with this gorgeous state building encircling the plaza, and had beer and wine. The pace of life here is really different, but it's also logical in its way. All of our bodies have had a difficult adjustment. For instance, tonight we're going out for dinner at 10 pm. I met this boy in Salamanca- Juan, un madrileno (someone from Madrid), who was describing the Spanish philosophy of going out. It doesn't exactly translate into English, but it's something to the extent of "If the sun isn't above you in the sky, you still have time to experience life."
The men here are every bit as forward as I expected, and then some. The second night we went out, Lindsey was being hit on by this boy Pablo, and he got offended when after they had been dancing a while, she declined to kiss him. On the one hand, in a culture where you greet each other by kissing on the cheek, it's not that big of a deal. On the other, they go about it in a way that's very direct and a bit overwhelming. The language barrier, such as it is, makes it that much more difficult to be straightforward with them about saying no. Linds and I seemed to attract the most attention in Salamanca because of how "exotic" we look. We're going out all night tonight in Barcelona, and I'm honestly slightly concerned. Salamanca, relative to Barcelona, is a backwater, and even in that environment, we had to leave clubs because it was the only way to avoid boys who didn't get the hint. There are exceptions, however, and it definitely speaks to how language affects the whole situation. It's odd, too, because I'm one of the few girls (out of 50!) who doesn't have a boyfriend; even out of those staying for the full year. I feel like it's ended up putting more pressure on me, so we'll see how all of that goes. No se.
I'll have internet access for the next few days, so I'll probably try to post more about my travels thus far, as well as some pictures of what I've seen. Despite my adventures, I do really miss everyone at home, and think about them often. I think it's something I'll have to learn to adjust to, the feeling that, even though I'm extremely frenetic doing my own thing, I feel like a boulder in a stream in terms of my friends at home- life keeps moving around me, and I can't move with it, so I'm being left behind. Vale. Off to dinner.
I'm in Barcelona right now, sitting in a hotel room minutes from the Plaza Catalunya, looking down on the street. We got here tonight, after ten hours of driving from Segovia.
It's the fifth day I've been in the country, and my life has already been extremely hectic. Looking back at the past few days, it feels like I've been in Spain for months. I've already really bonded with some of the girls- especially Lindsey, who I'm living with in our house in Cordoba. We've stayed together the past few nights, and have taken up a bad habit of talking after getting home from the evening, which really wouldn't be a problem except for the fact that we usually don't get in until two, at the earliest.
Yesterday, we were in El Escorial and Segovia. They're beautiful, and completely overwhelming at the same time. In El Escorial, there was a burial chamber with all of the Spanish kings and queens who have given birth to kings. There were holes cut into this amazing marble facade, and the tombs- which looked like obsidian jewelry boxes- had the names of the kings and queens inscribed in golden plaques. There was a queen Amalia, which I really wanted to take a picture of, but, alas, they didn't allow photography.
Before that, we spent three days in Salamanca. It's amazing how quickly I fell in love with the place. It was made of this beautiful, rich golden stone. When the sun set, the light in the streets and on the buildings just glowed. It's an odd feeling, and a bit disconcerting, to be in a place where even the light is different from home. The first night we were there, we sat in the Plaza Mayor, with this gorgeous state building encircling the plaza, and had beer and wine. The pace of life here is really different, but it's also logical in its way. All of our bodies have had a difficult adjustment. For instance, tonight we're going out for dinner at 10 pm. I met this boy in Salamanca- Juan, un madrileno (someone from Madrid), who was describing the Spanish philosophy of going out. It doesn't exactly translate into English, but it's something to the extent of "If the sun isn't above you in the sky, you still have time to experience life."
The men here are every bit as forward as I expected, and then some. The second night we went out, Lindsey was being hit on by this boy Pablo, and he got offended when after they had been dancing a while, she declined to kiss him. On the one hand, in a culture where you greet each other by kissing on the cheek, it's not that big of a deal. On the other, they go about it in a way that's very direct and a bit overwhelming. The language barrier, such as it is, makes it that much more difficult to be straightforward with them about saying no. Linds and I seemed to attract the most attention in Salamanca because of how "exotic" we look. We're going out all night tonight in Barcelona, and I'm honestly slightly concerned. Salamanca, relative to Barcelona, is a backwater, and even in that environment, we had to leave clubs because it was the only way to avoid boys who didn't get the hint. There are exceptions, however, and it definitely speaks to how language affects the whole situation. It's odd, too, because I'm one of the few girls (out of 50!) who doesn't have a boyfriend; even out of those staying for the full year. I feel like it's ended up putting more pressure on me, so we'll see how all of that goes. No se.
I'll have internet access for the next few days, so I'll probably try to post more about my travels thus far, as well as some pictures of what I've seen. Despite my adventures, I do really miss everyone at home, and think about them often. I think it's something I'll have to learn to adjust to, the feeling that, even though I'm extremely frenetic doing my own thing, I feel like a boulder in a stream in terms of my friends at home- life keeps moving around me, and I can't move with it, so I'm being left behind. Vale. Off to dinner.
