Settling In, And Some Other Fun Stuff

As per usual, I’m still loving my study abroad experience in La Coruña.  Although it’s very difficult to be away from family, friends, and Holy Cross for one year, I’m really enjoying my time here and I wouldn’t change it for anything.  I know that I always mention it, but I’m so lucky to have the opportunity to live and study in Coruña.  The dynamic of the city is truly incredible since it’s small (which allows for you to get to know it easily) but there’s a little bit of everything: a cosmopolitan, hustle-bustle downtown, a relaxing, wave-crashing beach, and an impressive, awe-inspiring port.  Whaddup parallel structure, maybe I’m not forgetting how to speak English (as my fellow study-abroaders and I always wonder)!  The city is even home to a soccer team: Real Club Deportivo; unfortunately Depor got bumped down to the second division, so Madrid, Barcelona and the other big-time teams won’t be making the trek to Coruña.  Last Saturday, Pablo (our house director) took the group to a Depor game against Tarragona.  Although they tied, we still had a blast and are really looking forward to the next home game!

Now that school is picking up, I’ve definitely started to develop a daily routine, one that is becoming centered around school and comida, also known as lunch.  I know that it sounds whacky, but my fellow Coruñeses can attest to the fact that our days revolve around comida.  As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, everyone stops their day at two in the afternoon to head home for lunch, a tradition that I find really nice, and actually quite healthy.  Speaking on the topic of food, the gastronomy of Coruña is dangerously delicious, so it’s probably a good thing that I’ve joined a gym.  I’m still looking for a good glass of sangria though!  Aside from the university, comida, the gym, and hanging out with my awesome host fam, I’ve also added something very exciting to my daily routine: tutoring.  Shout out to Kendra for setting me up with two of the most adorable kids I’ve ever met, Marta (8 years old) and Manuel (6 years old).  Every Wednesday night I’ll be tutoring them, which should be a lot of fun and a great way to make some extra cash!

Yesterday, Pablo took us to Santiago de Compostela, the capital city of the Community of Galicia, or better known as the finish line of the Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James).  For those of you who don’t know, the Camino is literally a spiritual journey; it’s a pilgrimage route to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, home to the remains of the apostle St. James.  There are many routes of the camino, but the most important is called the Camino Francés (the French Way), which begins in Saint Jean Pied de Port and continues all the way through the northern part of Spain, finally ending in Santiago; it’s amazing how two months can become full circle, since when I was in Pamplona, I visited this tiny French town and now I made it to the finish line.  Aside from taking in Santiago’s rich history, as per usual, we really enjoyed each other’s company and had a great time just walking around the city.  Below are some pics from the Depor Game and Santiago!

Estadio de Riazor.

Go DEPOR!

Depor 2 - Tarragona 2.

La Catedral de Santiago.

El Campus de La Universidad de Santiago, or better known as the Spanish Kimball Quad!

Los Coruñeses 2011-2012 (menos Eva and Kendra).

Weekend Rewind: Porto, Portugal

This past weekend I visited Porto (o Oporto en Español), Portugal and absolutely loved it!  Although the trip was extremely last minute and rather spontaneous (we booked our transportation and confirmed our hostel just two days in advanced), it was so worth it and I’m really glad I went.  Like every other study abroad tale, I look back and laugh, not only at the funny memories and quotable gems, but at the slight panic attacks (more details to come later on in the entry).

On Friday morning, Ali, Steve and I hopped on a Porto-bound bus to meet Claire, Eva, Maggie and Katherine (we missed you Briana and Kendra!).  Immediately upon arrival, I fell in love with the city.  As I was toying around with the idea to visit Porto, I heard mixed reviews; most people told me that they adored the city, while others commented that they thought it was ugly and decayed.  After my visit, I can see both sides, but I’m definitely on team-Porto.  Located in northern Portugal, Porto is an old-school European city that is very well known for its exquisite Wine, beautiful river, and happy people; other important aspects to note include a Harry-Potter-esq bookstore, various breath-taking churches filled with golden statues and the awesome hostel we stayed at: Hostel Dixo (strongly recommend it).

Even though I think I laughed more than half of the trip, I experienced a serious panic attack, a story certainly worth sharing.  Before my visit, my host parents informed me that the Portuguese speak English very well and that we wouldn’t have to resort to Spanish; this in fact was very true, since most Portuguese learn English at a young age and even watch television/movies in English with Portuguese sub-titles since they are not dubbed.  As Ali, Steve and I were walking back to catch the Coruña-bound bus, we decided to speak Spanish to one another in order to get back into a Spanish-mindset.  At the time, we were very impressed with our ability to maintain a fairly smooth conversation, so much so that we took a wrong turn in the city, one that led us to complete a giant circle.  With only 15 minutes to spare, and 5 euros to our name, we frantically stopped three people in the street to ask for directions; assuming that they spoke English well, it turned out that none of them spoke English nor Spanish (go figure, the people we really need to speak one of the two languages we know!).  Luckily we found a parade of taxi’s and hopped in a blistering hot cab.  Although the bus stop was legitimately two minutes away from where we ended up, I’m glad we took it since we arrived with three minutes to spare.  Talk about a struggle bus.

As per usual, whenever I travel I always keep Coruña in the back of my mind.  Even though I’ve loved every excursion, I cannot express how much I love Coruña and how fortunate/thankful I am to have the opportunity to spend a year here.  Speaking of time, I’ve been in Coruña for a total of 34 days, Spain for a total of 58 (WHAT!?) and home for Christmas in 62!!!  Where has the time gone!!!

View from the Hostel's balcony.

Porto's infamous Douro River and Luís I Bridge.

Beans Beans, They're Good for Your Heart

After a guilt-free three weeks of not really having classes (thanks to the Spanish education system and holiday calendar), my school schedule has finally begun.  Just as if I was at Holy Cross, I’m taking four classes this semester: Political Sociology, Colloquial Spanish, Aesthetics of Literature Film and Art, and a year-long conversation and grammar class through Holy Cross.  Although I really like my schedule since my earliest class starts at 10:30, it’s a little out of the ordinary since the majority of my classes meet after la comida, or lunch.  In case I haven’t touched upon this earlier, la comida is considered to be the most important meal; literally everything, and everyone, break between 2:00-4:00 to go home for lunch and take a siesta.  Some afternoons I’ll be hanging around the University during these hours since with my schedule, it doesn’t make sense to head back to my apartment, a huge bummer since I look forward to la comida with the host fam everyday.

Speaking of my host fam, I spent this past weekend at my host dad’s parent’s summer home in Lourenzá, Lugo, a tiny Spanish-countryside pueblo that’s about an hour and a half outside of Coruña.  Every October, the town holds a festival to celebrate their infamous faba beans, rightfully so might I add since I’m still full from my faba-overload.  Spanish festivals typically include an overwhelming amount of food, family reunions, lots of artisan markets, and staying out until way past midnight (we actually headed back home at around 12:30, verrry early, but the music was still blasting throughout the city until 3am!).  My favorite part of the trip was definitely getting to know my host dad’s family, most especially his parents; they sure are a great bunch, and their constant energy certainly reminded me of my family (Christmas is coming sooner than we think, it's already October!).  Other pretty cool activities during the weekend included taking two afternoon beach trips (another reason why I love Galicia), hearing Sunday mass in Gallego (quite the experience) and learning how to “escanciar la sidra” (the very specific way to serve Spain’s notable cider).

Although this week has been mentally exhausting now that my classes are in full-swing (it’s hard to learn a language!!), I just booked a weekend trip to Portugal with seven of the HC kids in Coruña.  We’ll be heading to Porto, Portugal early Friday morning and heading back to Coruña by Sunday afternoon.  Can’t wait!

Lourenzá's Church in the Center of Town.

Playa de Las Catedrales, Galicia, España.