Well, it is nearing 11:00 pm here. I have just finished with dinner as odd as that may sound. Usually I am done by 10:00 pm, but tonight we had our first tour as a group... so I didn´t get back home until around 10:00 pm. I will say that I was momentarily lost for a few minutes tonight. It was just getting dark, so I decided to try to find my way back to the house... If I didn´t, I was going to find a pay phone and call. We went to tour the Cathedral here in Jaen. It is huge and absolutely beautiful!!
We have a local tour guide who will be with us when we go places around Jaen over these next couple of weeks. After we toured the Cathedral, we went to another church that was in a plaza down the street. When we were arriving to the church, my professor told us that all the finely dressed people were attending a wedding. Well, what did we do? For lack of anything better to say, we busted up in the church while guests and even the bride and groom were still in it!! I was horrified. Of course, just like with everywhere we go here, everyone was looking at us. I suppose we look distinctly American. I didn´t think we looked that out of place. However, I was truly and honestly embarrased that we were just touring around this wedding party and guests. The tour guide did not even act like it was a big deal. She continued to use her microphone and fanny-pack speaker to tell us about anonymity of statues in the church and the history of the building. I wanted nothing more than to get out of there... Goodness... After we finally had to leave the church because the people there were about to say the rosary, we went outside into the plaza. I took a picture in this plaza because there were orange trees growing along the fountain. It was so neat to look up and see the oranges there!!
We decided as a group to go and get some tapas, which for those of you who don´t know, I will tell a little about them. Tapas are appetizer-like foods such as ham or cheese or meatballs or chips... they can be many things. But Spain is famous for them. They are found in the bars... generally, people go have tapas and a drink either in mid-day before lunch or in the evening before dinner. I had a bite of cheese. I didn´t want to eat much because I knew I would come home to dinner. When Amanda, Charlie, Sarah, and I decided to leave the group after making a stop at a second bar, I walked with them back to the Plaza de Santa Maria which is at the Cathedral. For a few minutes I found my way, but after that I became lost. I wondered around for a little while prepared to ask some nice old couple on the side walk. Finally, I found my way past Correos, which is a place to send correo - mail! I knew I was headed home. At long last, I saw Barchafe, which I assume is a bar in the bottom part of this building. I yanked out my keys and hurried inside, determined never to walk home by myself again so late in the evening... yes, I know. I shouldn´t have done it in the first place, but I did. I guess I wanted to prove I could make it home. Which, I have exciting news to convey... I FOUND MY WAY HOME FROM THE UNIVERSITY TODAY!!! All by myself!! I was so excited!! Yesterday I was absolutely stressed out because I couldn´t remember after I got off of the bus where I was supposed to go. But I found it very quickly! I just kept following what I thought looked familiar, and I finally made it home for lunch.
We went to the University this morning to have a meeting with the President and to have pictures taken for our Universidad de Jaen ID cards. We are supposed to get those on Monday. Our classes also officially begin on Monday morning at 9:00 am. This means I will need to be up and ready to catch the first bus at 8:15 am if I am to be there on time. If I end up having to walk, I will need to leave by at least 8:00 to make it on time/be un poquito early. The only problem is that I don´t know how to get there walking. I don´t mind taking the bus. It isn´t bad at all! I have to catch the #9 bus to take me to the university and the #7 bus to bring me home again. They run every half hour and on the hour. I think it costs about fifty cents for each ride.
For lunch today, I came in to stir-fried green beans, ham, and other beans and an ENORMOUS serving of fish. It was about the size of a steak. I think it must have been a filet, but it also must have been an absolutely huge fish! It was very good. Then we had fresh pineapple for dessert. I also had half a chocolate filled donut-type pastry. Raquel´s (my host sister) father Luis is a baker. We have a lot of bread and pastries here that he makes. For dinner tonight I had a pork chop and some green beans. I turned down any fruit for dessert because I am stuffed! People MUST STOP feeding me so much. I am so tired of eating that I am almost never hungry... but I eat because it is necessary.
Tomorrow, I think I am going shopping with Amanda, Charlie, Sarah, and some of the other girls. I am looking forward to adventuring around. I think it will be a lot of fun!! In the evening, we are supposed to be celebrating Raquel´s birthday. It was last weekend before I arrived. Her mom is supposed to be making things I think. I think she also said that her dad is bringing home some kind of pie. All should be good!
These first few days have been hard, but everything seems to be getting better. I have missed home very much... I know it is due to time for adjustment but I think also because I haven´t had as much to do. Once this next week begins, we will be in class and going places quite often. I think time will pass much more quickly this way. I have been reading and listening to some music on my iPod which has helped when I seem most overwhelmed. And then I am reminded that many have made journeys such as this before, some in much less fortunate circumstances. People such as Paul have been places and done things with much less hospitable stays and journeyings. :) It is something that reminds me that I am never separated from God, no matter how far away I may be from home or things comfortable. Thank you for all of the encouragement!!
I am beginning to be able to understand more of the Spanish. Some of it I still don´t understand just because everyone speaks so fast here, and the accent characteristic of this region is to leave out their ¨s¨ whenever they say anything. It is difficult sometimes to discern what they say. Often I have to ask for a repeat or something of the sort. Today was better, and I know that with more time, things will only improve.
Well, I don´t guess I have much else to say at the moment. This blog is brought to you courtesy of the fixed wi-fi in the house!! Yay!! So now, unless it messes up again, I should have internet here.
I hope everyone is doing well!! I love you all and am grateful more than you know for the prayers. Continue to pray that things will go well over the next few days. The weather says more rain for Sunday. I have no idea about tomorrow. I guess we´ll see! [As a side note, tile sidewalks, rain, and flip-flops DO NOT go well together... I have learned that lesson.]
I hope to post more soon! All of my love to you all!!
We went to the University this morning to have a meeting with the President and to have pictures taken for our Universidad de Jaen ID cards. We are supposed to get those on Monday. Our classes also officially begin on Monday morning at 9:00 am. This means I will need to be up and ready to catch the first bus at 8:15 am if I am to be there on time. If I end up having to walk, I will need to leave by at least 8:00 to make it on time/be un poquito early. The only problem is that I don´t know how to get there walking. I don´t mind taking the bus. It isn´t bad at all! I have to catch the #9 bus to take me to the university and the #7 bus to bring me home again. They run every half hour and on the hour. I think it costs about fifty cents for each ride.
For lunch today, I came in to stir-fried green beans, ham, and other beans and an ENORMOUS serving of fish. It was about the size of a steak. I think it must have been a filet, but it also must have been an absolutely huge fish! It was very good. Then we had fresh pineapple for dessert. I also had half a chocolate filled donut-type pastry. Raquel´s (my host sister) father Luis is a baker. We have a lot of bread and pastries here that he makes. For dinner tonight I had a pork chop and some green beans. I turned down any fruit for dessert because I am stuffed! People MUST STOP feeding me so much. I am so tired of eating that I am almost never hungry... but I eat because it is necessary.
Tomorrow, I think I am going shopping with Amanda, Charlie, Sarah, and some of the other girls. I am looking forward to adventuring around. I think it will be a lot of fun!! In the evening, we are supposed to be celebrating Raquel´s birthday. It was last weekend before I arrived. Her mom is supposed to be making things I think. I think she also said that her dad is bringing home some kind of pie. All should be good!
These first few days have been hard, but everything seems to be getting better. I have missed home very much... I know it is due to time for adjustment but I think also because I haven´t had as much to do. Once this next week begins, we will be in class and going places quite often. I think time will pass much more quickly this way. I have been reading and listening to some music on my iPod which has helped when I seem most overwhelmed. And then I am reminded that many have made journeys such as this before, some in much less fortunate circumstances. People such as Paul have been places and done things with much less hospitable stays and journeyings. :) It is something that reminds me that I am never separated from God, no matter how far away I may be from home or things comfortable. Thank you for all of the encouragement!!
I am beginning to be able to understand more of the Spanish. Some of it I still don´t understand just because everyone speaks so fast here, and the accent characteristic of this region is to leave out their ¨s¨ whenever they say anything. It is difficult sometimes to discern what they say. Often I have to ask for a repeat or something of the sort. Today was better, and I know that with more time, things will only improve.
Well, I don´t guess I have much else to say at the moment. This blog is brought to you courtesy of the fixed wi-fi in the house!! Yay!! So now, unless it messes up again, I should have internet here.
I hope everyone is doing well!! I love you all and am grateful more than you know for the prayers. Continue to pray that things will go well over the next few days. The weather says more rain for Sunday. I have no idea about tomorrow. I guess we´ll see! [As a side note, tile sidewalks, rain, and flip-flops DO NOT go well together... I have learned that lesson.]
I hope to post more soon! All of my love to you all!!
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