I have spent the last couple of weeks in Vitoria. It has been nice to take it easy and enjoy the last couple of weekend in Vitoria especially after all the traveling I had done over my break. I realized that I haven't updated you on my job and other happenings in Vitoria in a while. So here is what I have been up to since I have returned.
Working in the school has been going really well. I definitely feel like I have gotten to know some of my students a lot better. However, it is hard to get to know all of them since I only see each of them once a week. It is always nice when they stop in the hallways to try to talk to me in English.
Last weekend one of the English teacher's, Jesus, volunteered me to take some of my students to the University in Vitoria. There was an open house at the University in Vitoria for prospective students. So last Saturday morning I met some of my students from my favorite class in the center and then we all walked over to the University together. About 8 of them showed up. They were all impressed with my ability to speak Spanish since I don't think they have heard me speak it before. At the University I walked around with them to different booths while they picked up information on majors they were interested in. Most of the girls are interested in teaching and most of the boys are interested in Engineering. There is also a picture of me in the local newspaper that is now being hung in the English department from the event.
After we all went out to cafe to get a coffee and something small to eat. I stayed there for about an hour talking to them in both English and Spanish. It was great to spend sometime with my students outside of class. I definitely felt like I got to know them a lot better and it was fun going back to their class this week.
Starting next week I will be helping out in two more of Fernando's classes. These classes are younger and at a lower level of English than the other classes I teach with him. It sounds like I will have a lot of fun and he seems excited to have me take part in these classes. It will be nice to have a few more classes to teach and a little more responsibility in the school. I have also started tutoring two more teachers at the school. One knows very little English but is very determined to learn and seems very good at languages. The other has a very high level of English but would like to continue practicing it.
I astarted taking this gym class at one of the Civic Centers in Vitoria which is just like a community center. It is called Physical Condition. I go twice a week during lunch time and I have enjoyed it so far. It is a good way to stay active and involved in Vitoria. Last week we played a game of basketball for a good proportion of the class. It was clear that I hadn't play for a very long time. However, I had a lot of fun and they were all very supportive.
I have continued to do a few intercambios in English and Spanish. An intercambio is when I meet with someone at a cafe. We spend about 30 minutes talking in Spanish and 30 minutes talking in English. It is a good way for both to practice our non-native language. In fact one of my roommates' Spanish professor's asked if I would be interested in doing an intercambio with him so I think I will start doing that. I have continued hanging out with the other language assistants here along with my roommates. It was definitely nice to come back and see everyone.
sábado, 30 de enero de 2010
viernes, 15 de enero de 2010
My Excursion through Italy!
I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to travel to so many parts of one country at once! I have decided if I ever want to learn a new language it is going to be Italian. It is very similar to Spanish and it is just beautiful. Follow along to see what I did and saw during my 11 days of traveling Italy.
Day 1 and 2: Tuesday December 29 and Wednesday December 30
I arrived to Milan late on Tuesday night. I spent Tuesday night in a hostel alone and the next day I met up with my friend, Mary, and two other American Auxilliares in Spain, Collin and Thomas. It was great to finally see Mary. We spent the afternoon walking around the center of Milan. In the center plaza (Piazza in Italian) there is a large, beautiful Cathedral, El Duomo, that we visited. Nothing like I imagined. It is the third largest church in the world! In the center of the piazza there was a very tall Christmas Tree with lights all around it with large boxes of Tiffany's Jewelry underneath it, which definitely added to the feel of the piazza. Milan is known as the Fashion District of Italy. In the same Piazza next to the Duomo is a covered double arcade consisting of all the designer shops you could ever think of called Galleria Vittorio Emanuele.
Later that evening we visited another church outside of the main piazza covered with beautiful lights. There was a light show with music playing in the background and the lights turning on and off in a certain fashions.
El Duomo
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele
The Church with the light show
The Milan Train Station
Day 3 and 4: Thursday December 31 and Friday January 1
On New Years Eve day we took a train from Milan to Bologna to celebrate the New Year. We celebrated New Years Eve. in Piazza Maggiore, the center of Bologna. In this piazza there was a large mass of people crowded around a stage with a live band performing along with many firecrackers going off to bring in the New Year. It was all very exciting until my foot got hit by a firecracker but still made up for the experience.
On New Years Day Mary and I walked around Bologna, wanting to experience everything there was to see. There are two towers in the center of the city known as Asinelli and Garisenda towers which are the land marks of the city. We went into the taller one, Asinelli, and climbed many stairs to reach the top. Climbing up we had no idea what we were in for but absolutely worth the climb with the view we saw from the top. We rewarded ourselves with a delicious Italian lunch consisting of pizza and lasagna. What more could you ask for?
San Petronio Basillica in Piazza Maggiore
The Two Towers
Climbing down Asinelli
From the top of the tower
Day 5 and 6: Saturday January 2 and Sunday January 3
On Satuday morning we left Bologna and headed to Venice. When we arrived we had to take a ferry (Vaporetto) from the train station to the center of Venice. When we got off the Vaporetto we experienced a true flood. Torrential down pour and water covering all of the side walks forcing us to haul our luggage on top of these wooden platforms as we watched some workers trying to sweep water out of the doors of their restaurants. We were lucky enough to find a small apartment to stay for the night right in the center. I would definitely come back and stay there again!
Our first stop for the day was San Marcos Square. Absolutely beautiful. When we first arrived water covered the whole entire piazza. You could not step off the wooden platforms unless you had rain boots up to you knees. There we visited San Marco's Basillica. The architecture outside of it is incredible. Connected to the Basillica is the Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale di Venezia). It was where the Duke of Venice lived. It is enormous with artwork covering the walls and ceiling. After leaving the palace all of the water covering the Piazza had receded and it was as if there never was a flood. It was so crazy. Clearly this is something that occurs on a regular basis after seeing how all the people dealt with it.
Entering San Marco's Basillica
Palazzo Ducale di Venezia
Ponte di Rialto (The main bridge used to cross the river)
Sunday morning we woke up to the sun shinning through our window in the center of Venice! It was a complete 180 reversal from the day before. We only had the morning to finish exploring Venice before heading to our next destination. So Mary and I got up early and just walked the city talking in the beauty for the next couple hours. We continuously walked over all of the little bridges, taking pictures with no direction in mind. It was nice being out early with few people on the street. It was so calm and peaceful. I don't think I have experienced anything like this. Venice was by far my favorite! By afternoon we had left Venice and headed to Florence.
Mary and I on Ponte Di Rialto
The Gondola (Boat tourist can ride in to get a scenic view of the city)
Day 7 and 8: Monday January 4 and Tuesday January 5
On Monday we visited another Cathedral called El Duomo in the center of Florence. Mary and I climbed to the top of the El Duomo. There was a stopping point that allowed for us to see all of the details of the paintings on the ceiling of the cathedral. Once we got to the top there was a beutiful view of the city even though it was raining and gloomy out.
View from the top of El Duomo with the Bell Tower in the Background
On Tuesday we went to the other side of the river that separates the city. It is known as the "Old Bridge" or Ponte Vecchio. It is quaint with lots of small yellow and orange buildings and shops.
While on this side of the city we walked to the top of a large hill in this park that overlooked the whole city.
View of El Duomo from on top of the hill
We then visited the largest and most famous art museum in Florence known as Uffizi. It consists of many different rooms filled with paintings from different time periods. There is large hallway that all of the rooms are built off of consisting of very detailed paintings on the wide ceiling. Considering Florence is known for all of its' art work, this museum was definitely worth the see.
Day 9,10 and 11: Wednesday January 7 and Friday January 8
We left early Wednesday morning for Pompei. We had plans to go to Napoles but skipped out after hearing from multiple people how dangerous the city is. Needless to say we were beyond scared walking through the train station in Napoles to switch trains to Pompei. We didn't get into Pompei until late evening so we just relaxed in the hotel for the night to scared to go out.
The next day we traveled to Mt. Vesuvio. It is a mountain outside of Pompei with a volcanoe that erupted in the 1940's. We took a van part way up and then climbed the rest. We were fortunate enough to have non-rainy weather for once after all the rain we had the past several days. However, it was still gloomy and cloudy from the top and therefore it did not give us a very good view. It was still a great experience and cool to see.
As we drove up and down the mountain we saw a beautiful view of the city of Napoli. When we arrived back to Pompei we visited a Cathedral right in the center. It was much more modernized with less intricate architectural detail from the outside than the other ones we had visited.
On top of Mt. Vesuvio
The View of Naples
The Cathedral
The Center Piazza of Pompei with the Cathedral behind it.
Before departing Pompei on Friday we visited the Roman Ruins. The site was enormous with so much to see. However as we trekked through the rain it was hard for us to identify what many of the things may have been used for. The size of the site made us feel like we were actually there.
By early afternoon we left for Rome arriving in the evening. It was so crazy to think that I had already seen this worldly culturally known city before when I was last in Europe. I still wanted to see a few things again before leaving. We stopped at the Trevi Fountain and through a coin in and then visited the Pantheon. We ended our trip through Italy with one last Italian dinner consisting of Lasagna. All in all it was an amazing trip and definitely made up for me not going home for Christmas!
Day 1 and 2: Tuesday December 29 and Wednesday December 30
I arrived to Milan late on Tuesday night. I spent Tuesday night in a hostel alone and the next day I met up with my friend, Mary, and two other American Auxilliares in Spain, Collin and Thomas. It was great to finally see Mary. We spent the afternoon walking around the center of Milan. In the center plaza (Piazza in Italian) there is a large, beautiful Cathedral, El Duomo, that we visited. Nothing like I imagined. It is the third largest church in the world! In the center of the piazza there was a very tall Christmas Tree with lights all around it with large boxes of Tiffany's Jewelry underneath it, which definitely added to the feel of the piazza. Milan is known as the Fashion District of Italy. In the same Piazza next to the Duomo is a covered double arcade consisting of all the designer shops you could ever think of called Galleria Vittorio Emanuele.
Later that evening we visited another church outside of the main piazza covered with beautiful lights. There was a light show with music playing in the background and the lights turning on and off in a certain fashions.
El Duomo
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele
The Church with the light show
The Milan Train StationDay 3 and 4: Thursday December 31 and Friday January 1
On New Years Eve day we took a train from Milan to Bologna to celebrate the New Year. We celebrated New Years Eve. in Piazza Maggiore, the center of Bologna. In this piazza there was a large mass of people crowded around a stage with a live band performing along with many firecrackers going off to bring in the New Year. It was all very exciting until my foot got hit by a firecracker but still made up for the experience.
On New Years Day Mary and I walked around Bologna, wanting to experience everything there was to see. There are two towers in the center of the city known as Asinelli and Garisenda towers which are the land marks of the city. We went into the taller one, Asinelli, and climbed many stairs to reach the top. Climbing up we had no idea what we were in for but absolutely worth the climb with the view we saw from the top. We rewarded ourselves with a delicious Italian lunch consisting of pizza and lasagna. What more could you ask for?
San Petronio Basillica in Piazza Maggiore
The Two Towers
Climbing down Asinelli
From the top of the towerDay 5 and 6: Saturday January 2 and Sunday January 3
On Satuday morning we left Bologna and headed to Venice. When we arrived we had to take a ferry (Vaporetto) from the train station to the center of Venice. When we got off the Vaporetto we experienced a true flood. Torrential down pour and water covering all of the side walks forcing us to haul our luggage on top of these wooden platforms as we watched some workers trying to sweep water out of the doors of their restaurants. We were lucky enough to find a small apartment to stay for the night right in the center. I would definitely come back and stay there again!
Our first stop for the day was San Marcos Square. Absolutely beautiful. When we first arrived water covered the whole entire piazza. You could not step off the wooden platforms unless you had rain boots up to you knees. There we visited San Marco's Basillica. The architecture outside of it is incredible. Connected to the Basillica is the Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale di Venezia). It was where the Duke of Venice lived. It is enormous with artwork covering the walls and ceiling. After leaving the palace all of the water covering the Piazza had receded and it was as if there never was a flood. It was so crazy. Clearly this is something that occurs on a regular basis after seeing how all the people dealt with it.
Entering San Marco's Basillica
Palazzo Ducale di Venezia
Ponte di Rialto (The main bridge used to cross the river)Sunday morning we woke up to the sun shinning through our window in the center of Venice! It was a complete 180 reversal from the day before. We only had the morning to finish exploring Venice before heading to our next destination. So Mary and I got up early and just walked the city talking in the beauty for the next couple hours. We continuously walked over all of the little bridges, taking pictures with no direction in mind. It was nice being out early with few people on the street. It was so calm and peaceful. I don't think I have experienced anything like this. Venice was by far my favorite! By afternoon we had left Venice and headed to Florence.
Mary and I on Ponte Di Rialto
The Gondola (Boat tourist can ride in to get a scenic view of the city)Day 7 and 8: Monday January 4 and Tuesday January 5
On Monday we visited another Cathedral called El Duomo in the center of Florence. Mary and I climbed to the top of the El Duomo. There was a stopping point that allowed for us to see all of the details of the paintings on the ceiling of the cathedral. Once we got to the top there was a beutiful view of the city even though it was raining and gloomy out.
View from the top of El Duomo with the Bell Tower in the BackgroundOn Tuesday we went to the other side of the river that separates the city. It is known as the "Old Bridge" or Ponte Vecchio. It is quaint with lots of small yellow and orange buildings and shops.
While on this side of the city we walked to the top of a large hill in this park that overlooked the whole city.
View of El Duomo from on top of the hillWe then visited the largest and most famous art museum in Florence known as Uffizi. It consists of many different rooms filled with paintings from different time periods. There is large hallway that all of the rooms are built off of consisting of very detailed paintings on the wide ceiling. Considering Florence is known for all of its' art work, this museum was definitely worth the see.
Day 9,10 and 11: Wednesday January 7 and Friday January 8
We left early Wednesday morning for Pompei. We had plans to go to Napoles but skipped out after hearing from multiple people how dangerous the city is. Needless to say we were beyond scared walking through the train station in Napoles to switch trains to Pompei. We didn't get into Pompei until late evening so we just relaxed in the hotel for the night to scared to go out.
The next day we traveled to Mt. Vesuvio. It is a mountain outside of Pompei with a volcanoe that erupted in the 1940's. We took a van part way up and then climbed the rest. We were fortunate enough to have non-rainy weather for once after all the rain we had the past several days. However, it was still gloomy and cloudy from the top and therefore it did not give us a very good view. It was still a great experience and cool to see.
As we drove up and down the mountain we saw a beautiful view of the city of Napoli. When we arrived back to Pompei we visited a Cathedral right in the center. It was much more modernized with less intricate architectural detail from the outside than the other ones we had visited.
On top of Mt. Vesuvio
The View of Naples
The Cathedral
The Center Piazza of Pompei with the Cathedral behind it.
Before departing Pompei on Friday we visited the Roman Ruins. The site was enormous with so much to see. However as we trekked through the rain it was hard for us to identify what many of the things may have been used for. The size of the site made us feel like we were actually there.
By early afternoon we left for Rome arriving in the evening. It was so crazy to think that I had already seen this worldly culturally known city before when I was last in Europe. I still wanted to see a few things again before leaving. We stopped at the Trevi Fountain and through a coin in and then visited the Pantheon. We ended our trip through Italy with one last Italian dinner consisting of Lasagna. All in all it was an amazing trip and definitely made up for me not going home for Christmas!
domingo, 10 de enero de 2010
Christmas Festivites in Germany!
I just returned to Vitoria last night from my three week excursion through Germany and Italy. Since I have so much to share I will devote this blog to Germany and follow up with another one on Italy within the next couple days.
Day 1: Tuesday December 22: I went to my first German Christmas Market. It was a Medieval Market called Wilkommen in the city Esslingen. It was a beautiful walk to the market down a steep cobblestone path underneath a small arch way that over looks the city. This market is apparently different from all the other Christmas Markets in the sense that it has the medieval feel. It was neat to see all of the people at each of the vendors dressed up in Medieval clothes and there were even different performances intermingled in the streets of the market. At this market I tried a typical German drink called Kinder Punch which is a drink typically generated towards kids. It is a warm drink kind of in the form of Apple Cider with a little spice of cinnamon. Very tasty. As you order drinks at these markets they give you a decorative ceramic mug with the name of the Christmas Market on it to take home with you.
Underneath the Arch that overlooks Esslingen with Carol, Alli and Frito, the dog.
The Medievel decorations and the German buildings
The large pots they used to cook out of
Alli and I with the Nutcracker
I climbed a rock wall and we played in this cool playground after the market.
Day 2: Wednesday December 23: I went to my second Christmas Market; a more typical German Christmas Market in the city of Stuttgart. It was definitely a lot bigger with many more booths and vendors set up. Both of the markets sold the same sort a things with a little variety. They mainly consisted of many typical German Christmas decorations, leather, jewelry and crafty type of things. Along with large pots of typical German food being cooked and different beverages typical of Germany. As you walk through the streets of these markets you will see many people standing around drinking and eating a lot. At this market I tried another drink called Gluehwein. It is a red wine spiced with cinnamon. I liked it however it is a very different taste considering it is a warm wine.
The entrance to the Weihnachten Market
This stand is dedicated to Moose...Love and miss him!
Day 3 and 4: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day: we spent most of our time at the Crisps' home in Stuttgart just relaxing and taking part in normal Christmas festivities. On Christmas Eve, Alli's mom prepared a stuffed shells dish, which is something my mom prepares every year at home on Christmas Eve. On Christmas day my family was kind enough to send me a package of gifts so I could have some things to open under the tree along with a few gifts from the Crisp family. In the evening we enjoyed a Christmas dinner with Alli and her family consisting of ham, twice baked potatoes, green bean casserole salad, cooked carrots and a salad. Very delicious. It was nice to have a place to go to for Christmas.
Day 5: Saturday December 26: we drove to visit a beautiful castle, Burg Hohenzollern, located on the top of a mountain. We drove part way up and climbed the rest to reach the castle where we walked around the perimeters of the castle. There was a beautiful view that overlooked the city on almost every side of the castle.
The View on our way up the mountain
The front of the Castle and the view from the side.
Day 6: Sunday December 27: Instead of visiting other areas in Germany to do some site seeing we took part in some American activities in the community the Crisps live in. We went bowling in the afternoon and that evening we saw the movie Avatar, which was very good.
Day 7: Monday December 28: My last day in Germany. We went on an excursion to a city called Rothenburg. It is a beautiful city with all of the typical cobblestone pathways and colorful German houses that you may see when typically thinking of Germany. Many of the streets were still decorated with many Christmas decorations such as Christmas Trees, vines and lights. There are also a few towers with archways that mark the boundaries of the city. We entered the city by walking along the older sections of the city which was really pretty with all of the stone walls and arch ways. In the older section of the city we also climbed up a wooden structure and walked along it. It gave a good view of all the German buildings including little holes that functioned as windows to provide a good look out of the rural area surrounding the city. While there we also visited a church called Zwolfbotenalater. As we left the city I tried a treat typical to Germany called Schnee ball which is a doughy like sweet in the form of a ball consisting of many different flavors.
The old section of the city
The center with the big Christmas tree
The tower that marks
entrance and exit to the
city
I had a great week in Germany. It was really nice to finally see my friend, Alli, again and be able to experience the culture of another country. Stayed tuned to hear about my adventure through Italy!
Day 1: Tuesday December 22: I went to my first German Christmas Market. It was a Medieval Market called Wilkommen in the city Esslingen. It was a beautiful walk to the market down a steep cobblestone path underneath a small arch way that over looks the city. This market is apparently different from all the other Christmas Markets in the sense that it has the medieval feel. It was neat to see all of the people at each of the vendors dressed up in Medieval clothes and there were even different performances intermingled in the streets of the market. At this market I tried a typical German drink called Kinder Punch which is a drink typically generated towards kids. It is a warm drink kind of in the form of Apple Cider with a little spice of cinnamon. Very tasty. As you order drinks at these markets they give you a decorative ceramic mug with the name of the Christmas Market on it to take home with you.
Underneath the Arch that overlooks Esslingen with Carol, Alli and Frito, the dog.
The Medievel decorations and the German buildings
The large pots they used to cook out of
Alli and I with the Nutcracker
I climbed a rock wall and we played in this cool playground after the market.
Day 2: Wednesday December 23: I went to my second Christmas Market; a more typical German Christmas Market in the city of Stuttgart. It was definitely a lot bigger with many more booths and vendors set up. Both of the markets sold the same sort a things with a little variety. They mainly consisted of many typical German Christmas decorations, leather, jewelry and crafty type of things. Along with large pots of typical German food being cooked and different beverages typical of Germany. As you walk through the streets of these markets you will see many people standing around drinking and eating a lot. At this market I tried another drink called Gluehwein. It is a red wine spiced with cinnamon. I liked it however it is a very different taste considering it is a warm wine.
The entrance to the Weihnachten Market
This stand is dedicated to Moose...Love and miss him!Day 3 and 4: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day: we spent most of our time at the Crisps' home in Stuttgart just relaxing and taking part in normal Christmas festivities. On Christmas Eve, Alli's mom prepared a stuffed shells dish, which is something my mom prepares every year at home on Christmas Eve. On Christmas day my family was kind enough to send me a package of gifts so I could have some things to open under the tree along with a few gifts from the Crisp family. In the evening we enjoyed a Christmas dinner with Alli and her family consisting of ham, twice baked potatoes, green bean casserole salad, cooked carrots and a salad. Very delicious. It was nice to have a place to go to for Christmas.
Day 5: Saturday December 26: we drove to visit a beautiful castle, Burg Hohenzollern, located on the top of a mountain. We drove part way up and climbed the rest to reach the castle where we walked around the perimeters of the castle. There was a beautiful view that overlooked the city on almost every side of the castle.
The View on our way up the mountain
The front of the Castle and the view from the side.
Day 6: Sunday December 27: Instead of visiting other areas in Germany to do some site seeing we took part in some American activities in the community the Crisps live in. We went bowling in the afternoon and that evening we saw the movie Avatar, which was very good.
Day 7: Monday December 28: My last day in Germany. We went on an excursion to a city called Rothenburg. It is a beautiful city with all of the typical cobblestone pathways and colorful German houses that you may see when typically thinking of Germany. Many of the streets were still decorated with many Christmas decorations such as Christmas Trees, vines and lights. There are also a few towers with archways that mark the boundaries of the city. We entered the city by walking along the older sections of the city which was really pretty with all of the stone walls and arch ways. In the older section of the city we also climbed up a wooden structure and walked along it. It gave a good view of all the German buildings including little holes that functioned as windows to provide a good look out of the rural area surrounding the city. While there we also visited a church called Zwolfbotenalater. As we left the city I tried a treat typical to Germany called Schnee ball which is a doughy like sweet in the form of a ball consisting of many different flavors.
The old section of the city
The center with the big Christmas tree
The tower that marks
entrance and exit to the
city
I had a great week in Germany. It was really nice to finally see my friend, Alli, again and be able to experience the culture of another country. Stayed tuned to hear about my adventure through Italy!
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