Happy October!

I’m sitting in a small park, across the street from my apartment building. Across from me, there’s an old man sitting on a bench with his wooden cane resting against his leg. To my right are four señoras, sitting, chatting, with nowhere to go, nothing to do. Simply watching the world pass by.

Here’s a picture I took of four old men in the park this afternoon. I asked them if I could take their picture, and they just laughed. To them, it’s normal, but to me, it’s such a different way of living.

I’ve only been in Salamanca since Sunday, not even a week, but it feels like so much longer.  I imagine this first semester is going to fly by, kind of like my first semester at DU did freshman year.  I feel like a freshman again, having to get to know a new city and adapt to a different way of life.  I still haven’t gotten over the beautiful architecture that I see everywhere I walk.  From the old, stone churches to the towering apartment buildings and crowded plazas, I can’t imagine any city that it compares to in the United States.  

As for the food? It’s ok. What I miss most are foods like cereal, pasta, and mac and cheese. All those cheap, processed foods that are so very American!  I can’t complain, though.  The food my host mom makes is all very fresh. She grew up in the countryside, so she loves vegetables.  I’m very grateful for this, because I know other ISA students who are fed lot of meat and rice. Carb overload!  What I don’t like is that most of the food is cooked in oil, so it has an oily flavor and consistency.  Nobody here uses butter to cook. Maybe this is how they stay so thin!  

There’s only been one meal I didn’t like, and that was a beef stir fry served with a garlic and oil sauce that tasted and looked like soy sauce.  Ugh. And there was a tortilla she served with tuna, a very common meat here. No me gusta!  The tuna came from a giant can, like cat food.  For some reason, that really bothered me.  As advised by ISA, though, I tell my host mom when I don’t like meals, because if I don’t say anything, and lie and say I like it, she’ll make it again and again.  I know some students here are too afraid to say anything to their señoras, for fear of offending them, but I said something.  It wasn’t awkward or anything, and she’s hosted so many exchange students in the past that she doesn't take it personally...I hope! 

But, here are some meals I did like:

I like my host mom, Montse.  She’s younger than most of the other señoras that host American students.  She’s really good about letting me practice my Spanish with her, and corrects me when I’m wrong (which is a lot!) and speaks slowly enough so that I can understand her. It’s small things, like the difference between “por” and “para,” or “ser” and “estar” that I have problems with remembering sometimes. I don’t mind asking for help though, because that’s the only way I’ll learn! I hope that by the time Melissa and Dad come to visit, I’ll be speaking like a native.  My main goal is to not have an obvious American accent!

But, I need to avoid hanging out with Americans all the time if I’m ever going to improve.  

Back to the food: Hotdogs and fried eggs are very common. A lot of dishes are served with a fired egg on top, which is mixed into the dish. I don’t like fried eggs very much, because they’re usually pretty oily and don’t have much flavor.  Plus, to me it just seems weird to mix eggs with rice and veggies! Same goes for hotdogs.  Hotdogs are served as a main part of the meal, eaten like a sausage, without ketchup.  In my American mind, hotdogs are supposed to have a bun and be drowning in ketchup! 

Another weird, random thing: nobody here eats whole wheat bread, that I’ve seen. It’s all white bread. Not a huge deal, but something to get used to, coming from a culture where we have so many different types of bread. 

Well, it’s 7:30 pm. An hour and a half until dinnertime...and I’m so hungry! I need to get used to the different eating schedule here.  The streets are starting to get more crowded as families head to the parks and plazas. The cafe’s and restaurants are starting to get busy, and the city is coming alive as people have woken up from their siestas!  This is so unlike anywhere I’ve ever lived.

I started writing this about an hour ago. In front of me, the old man is still there. Still alone, just looking around, lost in though. To my left, the four señoras are still talking,and  haven’t moved. Two other women have joined them.  The plaza I’m in has more young kids running around screaming and laughing. 

There’s so much more I want to write about, so many things I’m noticing and experiencing. I know I have a whole year here, but I’m afraid it’ll fly by! I don’t want to take any of this for granted. So, I’m off to the plaza to join the masses!