Living a Dream

I've been in Spain for two and a half weeks now, and I cannot express how in love I am with this city! My dad asked me the other day if I still believe I made the right choice to come here. I said without hesitation that, yes, this was the perfect place for me. There are many beautiful things to experience here – the gorgeous cathedrals, the narrow, winding streets, the way the city looks candlelit at night, and the lovely people. I've done some exploring on my own recently and have seen a whole new side of the city. When I’m with my group of friends here, the city is still amazing but I’ve appreciated its beauty on a whole new level in solitude. I went alone to the Art Nouveau museum a few days ago, and had a lovely time looking at the elegant sculptures housed in the very 1920s style building. They really create an experience there – the building has stunning views of the city, the windows are all stained glass in intricate patterns, they play only 1920s style music, and the little café inside is decorated in a plush red color with furniture from the same period. I’ve seen most of the “tourist attractions” in the city, but my next stops will be the Convento de las Duenas, and I also want to rent a rowboat and enjoy the river with a few friends.


Let’s see, what else? School is going very well. Currently, I am in an intensive month session, taking classes Monday through Friday, four hours a day. My classes are Advanced Spanish Grammar, Spanish Culture, and the History of Spain; my teachers are really experts in the field, but there is one professor I have a little trouble understanding. She is from the Basque country up north, has a very thick accent, speaks quickly, and has a raspy voice, but my understanding has gotten better so I should be ok. Oh, and something else that is interesting about my classes. My professors don’t even attempt to call me “Rachel” or ask if that is what I would prefer to go by. They simply call me “Raquel Sanchez,” no questions asked. It’s fine with me though because I’m used to it, and it’s kind of fun : ). But I did make sure with my API director that on my official transcripts it says “Rachel Sanchez” because I didn’t want to have trouble bringing my units back home!

Miscellaneous things of importance: there were two cockroaches in our residencia today. I am most definitely not a fan, and thank God we have Andrea (from Mexico) who doesn’t mind killing them for Hanna and I. Another exciting thing, I got kissed by a real, authentic Spanish boy! This boy had been flirting with me through the evening at a club and was very sweet. Of course, it wasn’t any big deal, but what’s an American girl to do when a cute Spanish boy is speaking in that beautiful accent and acting all romantic!? But my friends here were very protective of me (and rightly so), and although he really REALLY wanted to walk me home, they told him that it was a nice offer but I was most definitely going to leave with them. It was a fun night, and who knows, maybe I’ll bump into him again…

On Saturday, six of us went to the small town of Avila, which is about an hour and a half train ride from Salamanca. It is a very quaint medieval, fortified city, with the best preserved city walls in Spain. It is popular with pilgrims, as it was Saint Teresa’s hometown and houses the convent she instituted (the Carmelite Order). In the convent, there is even a room with some of Saint Teresa’s personal belongings and relics, including a shoe sole, her Bible, and most shocking, HER FINGER! It’s actually very well preserved and a bit on the creepy side but really cool, with a large diamond and emerald ring still on it. We also visited an impressive cathedral in Avila, had a very authentic lunch, and visited the Monastery of Saint Thomas. In the monastery, they have a room of exotic dead animals that were found on religious missionary trips during the age of exploration, brought back, and stuffed. It really gave me the spooks (I got some major chills) but we took some great pictures! I was fine until I saw some giant stuffed and very ugly bats, and then I pretty much ran out of the room, to everyone’s great amusement. I think it was literally just a little too close to home for me right now! In Avila, we also tried the sweet town-specialty called "yemas," which are made by the local Carmelite nuns. They are egg yolks that have been cooled and sugared; I know they don't sound good but they're actually delicious and everyone has been craving them since we got back.

The festival is still going on in the city, and there is something fun to do at nearly every hour of the day and night. We have been enjoying ourselves immensely, and are starting to plan some more excursions out of the city for the next few weeks. We’re hoping to take a trip to Porto, Portugal in the near future, if we can get our transportation route down (it’s a lot more complicated than you would think). And personally, I am planning my trip to Florence to visit my beautiful, sweet friend Brianna, who I miss like crazy! I’m positive we’re going to have an amazing time together at the end of the month, and I can’t wait to have all the arrangements in order. Right now, I am writing in my usual spot with wonderful views of the city, and I’m looking forward to every new day in Spain as an adventure waiting just for me!