Leaving Home:
My long journey to Spain began when I was dropped off at the airport by my parents. I wasn’t really nervous because everything always turns out fine, if I think it will, in the end. This is a very naive way of thinking but, ignorance is bliss, therefore, I am blissful.
There is really no logic behind the theory, which is really alluring to me. but I think it is a very calming thought to believe in this chaotic world. It is what it is, yes? Why even worry about the idea of something going wrong when everything has gone right up to this point. If I have the confidence and resources to handle any problems that arise, why worry.
I sat next to a big, stinky, burping Spanish man whose stomach drooped onto my seat. He ate loudly; so loudly I could feel him eating next to me without seeing or hearing him. It makes me cringe once again now that I think about it. It’s safe to say I didn’t get any sleep.
The layover was in Madrid and it went about as well as it could go. The airport was quite artistic with the wavy design you can see in the photo. Luckily this flight was pretty quick
Well, the Madrid airport was super artistic, which I loved, but once I got to Austurias, I was a little annoyed because there was nowhere to exchange dollars for euros. Nor was there an ATM. Once I was turned away by the bus driver because they didn’t accept dollars, I realized how vital they were, yet, I couldn’t get them anywhere. Like seriously, help a brother out. Lucky for me, this shop cashier could help me take some euros off my debit card.
On top of that, my phone carrier doesn’t allow me to unlock my phone to download an international e-sim card, meaning I have no data, and won’t for about a month from now.
**Important Note: you can only contact me through email or Whatsapp, not normal messages because of my no-data situation**
Las Vacas:
I’m staying with Eduardo Aramburu, a past foreign exchange student at Elkhorn. His father owns cows here in Austurias. These are cows for eventual slaughter, and man, do they live the good life. In the summer they live in these open, hilly fields; sleeping under trees and being brought delicious grain almost daily. Now that it’s winter, most are in the barn to protect them from the cold rain.
Although they look cute, they frankly do not care about people at all. They are especially skittish around me because I am the new face around the barn. Some are openly aggressive towards people, but that’s more of the bulls.
Much of our days are spent checking the health of cows in other fields, moving cows to the barn to protect them, and feeding them.
The rain has kept the land a muddy mess, so Francisco purchased me some rubber boots. I also get to wear this green jumper, which does a great job of protecting my clothes.
Fransico has a very good English language foundation but is still learning for sure. I’ve been teaching him English and he’s been teaching me Spanish. I’d say about 40% of our day is strictly language learning.
Language teaching is like this game we played in AP Literature (shout out to Mrs. Arnold). In this game, a player describes a word shown on this card without saying the word.
So, say, someone doesn’t know what the word “cow” is, but maybe they know what the word “animal” means. Combine that with the word “milk” or “meat”, and maybe they will understand what you are referencing. Or by explaining what words are LIKE the word you are trying to teach, they maybe can understand. It’s a slow process of conversing that requires patience and a lot of give and take from the participants.
First Impressions of Spain:
Spain’s life is much more tame than the US. Much more of an emphasis on taking things slow. Naps are common and some shops will close during the middle of the day because the owners are taking naps. They then re-open and close around nine.
A lot of the younger kids dress, legit, exactly the same. A black puffy jacket with sweatpants and tennis shoes. Sort of a boring look in my opinion, but that’s just how people dress here I guess.
I’m very cautious about what I’m doing and how it is perceived by people. For example: I haven’t really done any dishes because I have gotten the impression that the kitchen is strictly Eduardo’s mother to care for. A lot of people also don’t say “thank you”, but I can’t help saying thanks after someone drives me somewhere. I think it gives away I’m a giddy (an American).
Dinner has been quite difficult for me to adjust to. We eat at around eleven, but it isn’t the largest meal of the day. That meal is lunch. That’s when families are most likely to sit together at the table.
However, I do love the food. I haven’t had a bad meal. The photo is paella made by Eduardo’s grandmother. Eduardo’s mother is also an amazing cook, often making delicious hardy meals every day. Your family owning a butchery has its perks for sure.
The language barrier is very tough for me to get used to. One thing that constantly confuses me is the fact that when a word has a “c” that makes the “s” sound, they pronounce it like “th”. For example: the word “HACER” is really pronounced “HATHER” which goes against what I’ve learned in the States.
I can’t help but feel illiterate when I can’t understand basic phrases or words and everyone has to speak very slowly to me. It doesn’t help that many people speak EXTREMELY fast. I am trying my hardest to learn this language but it is extremely tough. I think the worst part about not being able to communicate very well has been not being able to express my feelings toward people. Feelings of gratitude for sure. I have a notebook full of words, phrases, sentences, small lessons, etc. It is very overwhelming, but I’m trying to take it day by day.
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