Catching up

Okay, I have a lot to catch up on here, but I don't want to make a giant long post with a thousand pictures so I'll be posting again soon with more updates.

Lugo
Several weeks ago, my family and I went on a trip to Lugo, Galicia for a festival (San Froilan). I don't actually remember the date, but I think it was back at the end of September. Whoops.

on road to Lugo.

"O castineiro" is the chestnut roasting train in the back. And I love the man's face.

awful picture... but it's traditional dancing.

part of the city seen from an ancient Roman wall.

lots and lots of people for the festival

"gaiteros" or bagpipers are in the lights

puplo / octopus

cooking it

again terrible picture, but it's the Roman wall.

Okay, moving on. These next photos are not in an particular order, some are more recent than others.

This is carved in stone at the entrance to "one of the best places in Marin" (according to my sister and most people). It's sort of a playland of cool effects outside. Like the fence is an instrument and makes music when the wind blows. It's fascinating and I'd love to go back because we only say a little bit.
"Park of the Senses- finca de briz
I closed my eyes and imagined a magical place where I was transported by soft waves of my land, where the trees spokes of the smiles of chiles, the waters whisered love stories, and the stones hide the pulse of a people. I opened my eyes, and began to work on this dream. I invite you to enter and enjoy it with me."
(more or less the translation).

Lifelike Portrait of Amy by Elba, age 5 (my niece and nephews aren't shy around me any more, which is really helps me feel like part of the family)

Public transportation = boat from my mom's work to Vigo for Julia's birthday october 22

Marin by night

wild horses on a mountain

View of Vigo (i'll never get tired of the lanscapes here)

Hola de nuevo

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.

my host mom is kind of super awesome