School Week Roundup

• On Tuesday, one of my professors had lost his voice. Nothing like a professor, who you don't completely understand to start with, not being able to talk. He ended class early though, so there wasn't too much material to struggle through.
• David and I had a conversation about names on Tuesday night, because he thought my name was spelled all kinds of weird (Cornine... what is this nonsense). So then I told him that my brother's name was Cordis, and had a really tough time trying to explain where the name came from and still make it sound cool in Spanish (minimal success). And then he asked what's up with our names and if our parents don't love us or something. Because, while I love my name a lot, Cordis and I really do have horrible Spanish names. Like, if we grew up in Spain, we'd be those awkward kids teachers felt sorry for because of their unfortunate names. Sorry Mom and Dad...
• One of the girls in my Music in Spain class offered to loan me her notes at some point since our professor goes so fast that even the Spanish kids get lost sometimes. Given that I usually look at this girl's notes to try to catch up and figure out what's happening when I get lost anyway, I was pretty happy with this offer.
• Thursday afternoon, ISA offered a tour of the original university building, the one that was built after the city started growing and the Old Cathedral couldn't contain the size of the university anymore.

This is the famous façade the University is known for. Unfortunately, this is a terrible photo because they currently have equipment set up so you could go see the facade up close and personal, and while that's fun and all, it makes my photos turn out really badly. I'll take another photo when they finally take this down. In any case, it's super intricate and one of the things that tourists always want to see at USal.

So here's a super old classroom...

And one of the many really awesome ceilings in the building

This is the diploma of the very first female student in the world, who attended the University of Salamanca. Also, the first female professor in the world was at USal. And it was one of the first universities to be technically separate from the Catholic Church.

Theology classroom

University Chapel

Multiple fun facts about this chapel. First, only students are allowed to get married here. There's a 3 year waiting list, but you could do it if you wanted to. And because I'm at USal, even for just a few months, I could technically get on that list. Also, I mentioned before that Franco had his headquarters here in Salamanca back in the day. His house is just outside the back wall of this church. And because Franco wasn't exactly the most popular kid on the block, he had places set up all over the city in case he had to go into hiding for political reasons. One of those places is behind the painting in the very middle of the altar. Apparently, the painting is actually just a screen that you could roll up, and there's a whole room back there–sneaky.

TGIF

So today's post photo is brought to you by the Crayon Guy, who literally just hangs out around town with a box of Crayolas and draws these murals:

All crayon. And they're everywhere in the pedestrian part of town.

Also, we had a meeting about my upcoming excursion to Morocco with ISA, where I learned that if someone asks you if you want chocolate in Morocco, you say no. Because that means drugs. Just say no to chocolate (but only in Morocco!!).

After the meeting, I went to this coffeeshop/café we've discovered and really like with Sam & Britt, two girls from ISA. They have really good smoothies and milkshakes, but today I ordered café mandala which was condensed milk, coffee, and whipped cream. With chocolate sprinkles. Probably the sugariest coffee drink I will ever drink ever, but it was pretty delicious. Also, here's an artsy photo I stole from my friend Hannah's Facebook page, of some of the decor in Mandala.

Thank you to Hanna Mae for being artsy

After I got home from coffee, I ended up practicing English & Spanish with David for about an hour. Spent half an hour talking about motorcycles in English, and then another half hour in Spanish talking about guns (he works with the police) and the Spanish education system. Good times.

María made us tortilla española for dinner, om nom nom. That's the sound of my stomach being a very happy camper. Tomorrow we have to get up super early to get on a bus and visit Segovia, which, according to María, is really only good for the Roman aqueduct there, but apparently ISA knows of something that'll take up 10 hours, so hopefully I'll have some good photos to share tomorrow!

Chinese Food & English Practice

Last night, we decided to go out for Chinese food. So this is what it looks like when six American girls order Chinese food in Spain

They also set Orange Duck on fire when you order it... my friend's face looked like a little kid on Christmas, it was priceless

And we cleaned up pretty decently. Very good food, and the best part was it comes in slightly smaller portions. We all ordered two plates and just shared among the table. Deliciousness abound. A very good find, especially since if we just want to do one plate each, it's just 3-4 euros per plate. Last night we were all kinda starving for some reason...

Today was back to the grind of school. Bright side: Even though I have to do a partners project, I did not get stuck with some super awkward quiet kid, my partner seems really nice. And like she has a cold, but that's kinda irrelevant for now.

Also, when I got home, I ended up helping David practice his English for a little while. We talked about jobs, and I found out that his first job was a pizza deliveryman. However, if you put in just the word for "deliveryman" on Google translate (without adding the "pizza" beforehand) it spits out "dealer." So I then explained to David that he was definitely a deliveryman because if he told people he was a dealer and left off the pizza part, people might assume some not so good things. Definitely one of the better conversations we've had, just saying.

Weekly Roundup

• Sunday–we stayed in most of the day and I was finally able to Skype my mommy and catch up on all the Broomfield gossip. Always a good time. Later, we went el cine (movie theater) and saw the movie Las Aventuras de Tadeo Jones. We were the oldest people in the theater who didn't bring kids, but we could actually understand this movie, so it was all worth it. It was a cute movie too. Apparently it's known as Tad, the Lost Explorer in 'Merica, so just imagine that in Spanish. Except the song "That's What Makes You Beautiful" is still in there too, don't worry.

• Monday–we had to run down to the ISA office to pay for part of our Morocco trip, so that was a fun time. And then we went shopping again, because it's just too easy to do on our way home. On the bright side, growing up with my mom means I shop nothing but sale racks so I'm not broke yet! Woo!
• Tuesday–Megan had to work all day, so I went wandering all over the city. Really nothing exciting happened today, sorry team.
• Wednesday– Today I realized that a) I was out of eyeliner and b) I have no idea where I'd even buy makeup. They don't sell it at supermarkets. Thus began my exploration of (slightly expensive) makeup stores in the city. I finally found one that sold cheaper eyeliners, and lucky for me it's right on the way to the Plaza from my apartment so I'll actually remember where it is!
  Also, I went to this gym that María was telling me about and finally got a semi-decent workout in. I was still super nervous despite the fact that it's basically all the same equipment as back home (the directions are even in English on half of them...), so I didn't get a super great workout in, but it's a start! I'm going to try to go again when it's not so busy so I can get a workout in and figure out the gym a little bit better.
• Thursday–I went back to the gym in the morning, got a real workout in and felt awesome! In the afternoon I had a tour with ISA of the various buildings on campus so we'd know where our classes are on Monday. I have one right across the plaza from the Catedral Nuevo, and another kind of by the building where our intensive classes we just finished are. I know that means relatively nothing to those of you reading this blog, but that's okay! I'll take photos sometime.
  And it rained today! Finally a little bit of relief from the heat, plus I love the rain so much.
• Friday–So today there was this ceremony and parade in the Plaza Mayor in honor of the military, which David (my "brother") was going to be in so María was over-the-moon excited to go. It consisted of a lot of standing around and listening to speeches in the blistering Salamanca sunshine, but it was kinda cool to see. María and I went separately, so I ended up being alone watching it and had a conversation with this guy who was there to see his son, so he kept pointing things out to me so I wouldn't get too confused. I also realized that I don't know the Spanish national anthem, but when they play the British one (see the flags they put up in the photo below) I sing "My Country 'Tis of Thee" instead of "God Save the Queen". Thank you, elementary school music classes.

 Flags of Portugal, Spain, France & the United Kingdom

Stage where all the speakers sat

Some of the military. Don't worry, they just swing their arms really high, they don't actually walk like that!

The guy in the middle there is my super-serious host brother David being super-seriously serious. He was very entertained by the fact that I told him he looked angry in the photos I took at the parade.

Salamanca, finalmente.

Today began with another buffet breakfast–gracias ISA!

 After that, we trekked back onto the bus and began our drive back north to just outside Madrid at El Escorial. El Escorial is quite large, and made all of granite, the same as the granite used in the aqueduct in Segovia! The Romans liked that one, apparently.

When we arrived, we met up with a tour guide who began in inglés but switched to español the moment we asked, so we could practice a little more! It's a really awesome thing that everyone in the group is excited enough to learn Spanish that we're actually asking for people to speak Spanish to us. Win. Other groups we've encountered on this trip have been… less than happy to be in a place where they don't speak the language. I believe the phrase "Get on the English train" was used the other day. We may have relentlessly mocked them ever since… Sorry guys.

Anyway, we went on in that giant door you see in the picture above, and, after going through our bazillionth bag & metal scanner, entered el Patio de los Reyes, where there were several quite large statues of kings that all were related to King Solomon's Temple somehow. Solomon is the one on the middle left I believe.

We got to tour inside, but sadly I couldn't take any photos. We toured the museum surrounding the church in the middle. The left side of Escorial is a private college, and the right side is where the monks of El Escorial live. So in the museum there were a lot of old paintings and old artifacts, things like old beds, an old office, et cetera. We saw the bed where el Rey Felipe II passed away while listening to mass, because the bedchamber has a door that opens to the main church room, so he could lay there and listen to mass, since he was sick. 

Then we went down to the crypt where a whole bunch of remains are kept. First we went to the main crypt where the kings and mothers of kings are buried. Beautiful dark granite and gold detailing. I was so sad I couldn't take photos. But since I have no photos, here's a fun fact I learned. They only put the bones in the caskets. So where, you may ask, does the rest of the body go? Well, when a royal passes away, they bring the body to a room that basically translates to "rotting room". And the body sits there for 25-40 years, until the bones can be separated to put them into the casket. You know you find that fascinating, even if it's a little bit repulsive. Anyway, at the end of this story, I'm about 80% sure I walked by the door of the rotting room where the parents of Juan Carlos, the current king, are currently residing and waiting to fill the last two empty spaces in the crypt!

Mkay back to real life now. We went to lunch, we got ice cream (dulce de leche flavor, yum!) then got back on the bus for 2 hours until we reached Salamanca!

Once in Salamanca, we trooped off the bus and all got picked up by our respective host mamás! Everyone was all skittery and nervous, it was kind of funny. Megan and I were picked up by David, María's son. He brought us back to the apartment building, where María met us on the first floor with besitos and a barrage of Spanish! She's absolutely fantastic and was so excited to meet us. So excited that we seemed normal too, she was scared she'd have crazy ones or something. She's been working with students for 15 years though, so she's got a pretty good handle on it! And our room is just the cutest thing, just like María. 

She made us tortilla española for dinner, which is basically a quiche-looking thing that has potatoes and eggs. It's delicious! And salad, which consisted of lettuce with corn on it. New, but actually pretty good. Also, everywhere I've been has a little holder for salt, pepper, oil, and vinegar on the tables, including María's house!

I'd love to write all about how amazing it is to finally be here, but we only get internet until 10 PM and I am just a few minutes outside of that, so I'll leave you with my first photo of Salamanca before I go! This is really all I've seen of the city. I get a tour (and therefore you get more photos) tomorrow!