Hello blog friends. I hate to use the word “uneventful” to describe my past week, however it’s been pretty normal, which I guess in itself is kinda cool. The Holy Cross study abroad office (as well as the former students) told us that by this time in the year everything would start to fall into piece and that things would sort of become like second nature by now. I never really thought about that until now, when all of a sudden I realized I wasn’t thinking about it... if that makes any sense. For example, I was skyping with my good friend Emma last night who’s studying at Trinity in Dublin (see you in a two weeks!) and she asked me if it was weird that all my classes were taught in Spanish. I simply replied, not really, and then I kind of stopped and thought about that for a second. Having classes taught in Spanish is kind of like second nature now, which is a really cool feeling and keeps me motivated to continue learning and getting better. Sometimes it’s the little things in life that keep ya going.
Speaking of the little things, good friend and number one blog fan Pati, sent me some questions that address mundane findings in my life; I probably take these for granted, so here’s a little bit of what everyday life is like here in Coruña. I’ll start of with the first-third of the questions, and continue the other two-thirds in two other blog posts.
Describe what you see walking to school? Stores open? What do they sell? Hours of operation? Streets all cobblestone or pavement? How old is average person you pass?
The university is the only place that I take the bus too in Coruña, seeing that it borders with the neighboring town. Everything else is pretty much within walking distance since I live right in the center of the city. Coruña is a decidedly cosmopolitan city, and there is a LOT of life on the streets; doesn’t matter if it’s the morning, afternoon, or even at night, there are usually a ton of people walking around. Just like any other city, there are countless stores and offices that range from fashion, technology, markets/restaurants/bakeries/cafes, pharmacies, banks, bars... essentially, you name it, Coruña’s got it. Generally speaking, the hours of operation for any type of store (except restaurants and the like) will usually be open from 9 in the morning to 9 at night, with the a two hour break in the middle of the day for comida. Coruña has an interesting mix of an old to new city feel since there are streets of all cobblestone and of all pavement (the later being the most common). For the most part, there are all sorts of ages walking around the streets. It’s very typical to see people running errands, men/women in business suits, families/couples going for a walk. One thing in particular that really surprised me upon my arrival was to see the amount of older people walking around and their ability to maintain their social lives; it is very common to see older people going for a walk, doing some errands, or sitting down at a cafe talking with friends. I find this particular aspect to the culture very admirable, and very reflective of their out-of-the-house, way-of-life.
Art: Are there local galleries or street art? Or do you have to see that in Madrid?
Coruña is certainly no Florence, however it is home to unique architecture and hole-in-the-wall local art galleries. Las Galerias (pictured below) are the most famous architecture designs of the city and actually have a cool little history behind them. The facades were designed to allow sunlight to warm up the house, while preventing the rain from entering. These houses are considered a luxury since these windows overlook a beautiful dock and the front entrance overlooks the Plaza Mayor with Coruña’s impressive city hall. Another important structure is the infamous Torre de Hercules, which is the oldest functioning Roman lighthouse in the world; the Torre (also pictured below) certainly finishes in second place of most significant Coruña architecture. With regards to local art galleries, there are many interesting exhibits within small homes all around the city. I actually got the chance to see one of them since my host dad’s art work was featured in one of the exhibitions last November.
Pets: Do many people own them? What kind of pets?
Todo el mundo (translation: everyone) seems to have a dog! Coruñeses are certainly dog people, and they are always walking around the city with their favorite pups. The Westie (West Highland White Terrier) seems to be the pick-of-the-litter, since at least half of the dogs are of this particular race.
Las Galerias de La Coruña!
La Torre de Hercules!
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