We had an AFS orientation in
Ponferrada a few weeks ago, which meant a while traveling on trains and buses but it was
definitely worth it. So much fun and I love all the other kids here so
much. We stayed in a campsite with cabins and stayed up late and had lots of activities with the volunteers about how our
adjustments were going, and general AFS experience things. We discussed a lot about cultural differences, and some of the volunteers explained some of the reasons to Spain's quirks (for example, people can be pushy about eating lots at meals because most people have older relatives who went hungry during the Civil War, so food has become sort of extra important). It was just so nice to talk
with people we'd missed since New York and Madrid. And there were patriotic moments, Megg and Paige and I gave a
wonderful (loud) rendition of the Star Spangled Banner for everyone. The train ride back from Santiago to Pontevedra with Solveig, Julia,
Milena, and Yinqui was so much fun, I'm so glad the Galicia kids are
awesome and I love them.
On the way I stopped by the Cathedral in Santiago again
(the rest aren't my pictures but thanks to the other AFSers)
The southern Galicia kids, mis amores.
almost all the AFSers placed in Galicia, Castilla y Leon, and Asturias from all over the world
Well, once again I have no time to write and more pictures than I could possibly deal with and the result will certainly not be a cohesive, interesting, and totally up to date blog post of the last month so I'm sorry.
A brief summary:
Most interesting foods I've eaten: Octopus (several times, it's a classic dish here and quite tasty) and Morcilla (a sort of sausage made with blood), and the only thing I haven't liked: pig's ear.
Favorite quote from my non-english-speaking host mom: "Oh, Language es como Sandwich con L!" (somehow she makes those words sound very similar, it's great).
Frequently Asked Questions about USA:
Do you know Justin Bieber?
What is the capitol of New Mexico?
Where does Woody Allen Live? (NY, I looked it up)
Do you have Sears?
Is milk or newspapers delivered on bikes?
Does your school have cheerleaders?
Do
a lot of stores in the US sell shirts with the Spanish flag? (here a
really popular fashion is things with british or american flags on it,
can´t say the same for back home regarding spanish flag)
Are newspapers really big there?
Do pumas live near you? (....no idea why this one came up.)
Does your school have Prom?
Number of fish eaten: countless
Times I've looked out my window and thought, "I'M SO LUCKY": basically anytime I see my window.
In the past weeks I've visited spectacular cathedrals, traveled to several Galician cities, seen my host mom interviewed on TV (for her novels), been interviewed myself (as a super quick thing at a street festival haha), made friends, failed a physics quiz, gotten a mobile phone, gone to the doctor, made wine from grapes I picked, eaten a tomato, gotten a haircut, walked on a 2000 year old Roman wall, aaaand tons more.
This weekend marks one whole month here in Marin. HOW CRAZY IS THAT?! (very crazy). I promise I'm working on some posts with actual detail type news, maybe some things about how school is going, etc.
picture time!
Babi!
sunset with Julia, and my sister Antia
local band playing in the street outside my house
sunset from my window
local dance for on the day of the patron saint, this is the church across the street from my school (the yellow building to the left)
love the bagpipes, they're very traditional Galician
Ramón del Valle-Inclán, a Galician writer and myself
Jonah and Julia from the US, me, Solveig from Iceland, and Antia in Pontevedra. The other AFS kids live in towns reasonably nearby and we've gotten together a couple of times on weekends.
Soo, if you didn't already know (and I would assume you do since you are on this page), I'm spending my Junior year abroad in Spain, and I'm really really excited! (I couldn't count how many times I've said that lately!).
I have decided to keep this blog while I'm away because it will be easier for all of you back home to hear about what's going on with me across the Atlantic, and I won't have to repeat stories quite as many times. I probably won't be on facebook as much- don't think I'm abandoning you all, I still love you very much, but it will be much better for me to integrate and adjust into Spanish life without constant contact from the USA.
So here
is my goodbye post. I've made a few posts already but they are pretty boring stuff, written for other exchange students so don't judge me.
From here on out, it should get much more interesting from España! I
don't know how good
I'll be at actually updating this regularly but I promise to try! I'll
try to have lots of pictures, because that's always the
most interesting. This is what I am really considering the start of my blog.
I should explain in more detail exactly what I'm doing: I am going to spend the next 10 months with a carefully screened host family in a small town in Northwest Spain, through the American Field Service exchange program. It does cost tuition. I speak some Spanish, took four years of it in school, but I'm nowhere near fluent. Not to mention the region in Spain I will be in also has Galician (very similar to Portuguese) as another main language. I will still graduate on time because I have taken classes to make up credits ahead of time online and over the summer. My school here in Texas does not want to accept any credits I may earn abroad, but I'll be okay anyway. My host family seems absolutely wonderful and I'm so happy they are opening their home to me this year.
Of course I'm nervous about some things (I'm voluntarily leaving behind everything and everyone I know! I can't say that's not scary), and of course I will miss the U.S., but my excitement more than balances it out. I
know I don't really have any idea what it will be like. I can't even imagine
everything I'm going to experience or how things will turn out, but I
can't wait to find out for myself.
I
guess I'll list just a few of the reasons I'm doing this... I'll gain skills in a
foreign language (or two), discover and appreciate different culture,
gain a new perspective on US culture, gain confidence and independence,
be part of a world community, meet new people, and learn to really live
in the moment. (Those were taken directly from the AFS handbook so
please pardon the cheesy phrasing!)
Getting
to right now has been a VERY long process. All the time, and money, and
effort, and papers, and signatures, and planning, and everything has
gone toward right now, departure. I can't thank my family enough for
supporting me through this and helping me get here and letting me go.
Having this opportunity really does mean more than I can ever say.
Speaking of the challenges of applying, I applied for my Spanish student visaAugust 2 at the Houston consulate.... and I still don't have my visa and passport back. It has been approved but I haven't received it in the mail yet, and at this point my parents will have to overnight it to me in NY or Boston unfortunately. This has been the most stressful part of the whole process. (Just last week the consulate called and said they'd
mail my passport that day and I was beyond happy for about 3 minutes, until they called back again and said that was a mistake and it stilled hadn't
been approved. It was traumatic.)
Today was my last day in Austin. I spent it doing last minute packing
checks and visited my school and friends for the last time and had
dinner with my family. Tomorrow I fly to Boston to spend a few days with
family friends, then I'll go to New York for orientation with AFS
(which I'm really looking forward to because many of the other kids
going to Spain who will be there have gotten really close through
facebook and I already know we will have a great time) then there is another orientation in Madrid before I travel by train to meet my host family. The next week and a half
will be absolutely crazy, but I don't think I've ever been more excited
in my life!
please email me (amyking14@yahoo.com),
comment on here, or on facebook to keep in contact with me! I love y'all and I will miss you! I don't know
when I'll next have internet or time to use the computer but I'm ready
to start this journey.
I packed, by some miracle.
the start of packing...
segway tour of my city... i'm so cool. but isn't it pretty?
my cake at my going away party! hahaha gotta love typos "adios"
my girls since literally forever
my other darlings
if you don't look closely at my twitching eye it's me with a texas flag
I love you and I'll miss you!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
hahaha i will really miss my girl.
thanks for this beautiful drawing sofie. it's really accurate i'm sure.
aaaand a liz lemon 30 rock joke from her year abroad because tina fey is fabulous.
and a random galician folk song just for kicks.
Wow, this post turned out much longer than I'd planned. Oh well. If you stuck it out all the way to here, you're my favorite.
