These past few weeks have felt like a dream! I honestly can’t believe that I’m here!
When Elizabeth and I first arrived in León, we were greeted by our apartment owners at the train station. Right away they greeted us with hugs and kisses on our cheeks, which kind of threw us off. We learned that is a normal thing that they do here in Spain when greeting friends and family! Another thing that scared me when we first got here is that no one really says “excuse me” here. Elizabeth and I were saying that countless times because we didn’t really know what we were doing, and that’s what our parents taught us back in the U.S. We got really weird looks from people when we would say that we also used to get a lot of really weird looks from people in general when speaking English. I think it’s because León is a smaller city compared to somewhere like Madrid were speaking a language other than Spanish is normal. We don’t really mind the stares, I understand that they’re not very exposed to other languages and cultures, so hearing something like English might throw them off!
Another thing I noticed is that crime doesn’t really exist. You could leave your backpack out in the open and no one would take it, the majority of people respect others’ belongings and such, which is a very nice change from the U.S. were you feel like you always have to be vigilant of your surroundings and your belongings.
It’s been a few weeks since we started school now, I can’t say that I love it, but I also can’t say that I hate it. We have school every day from 9:30 – 11:30, a 30-minute break, then class from 12:00-2:00. The concept of a 30-minute break wasn’t really surprising for me, but what did surprise me is that the majority of the students at the Language Center go to a nearby coffee shop and have a coffee and tapa during this break! It’s really cool, I think we’ve become regulars there now. I have one professor from 9:30-11:30 that teaches us grammar and then after that, it varies day by day. From 12:00-2:00, I have a different professor each day, one that teaches culture, another that teaches art/history, and another that teaches oral/grammar. In total I have 4 professors and I’d have to say, Noelia, my culture professor, is my favorite so far. She’s so upbeat and funny, I wish I had her for more than 3 hours a week.
Finally, we’ve been on two trips already! Our first trip was to Las Médulas which is an ancient Roman gold mine. The views from the cave and outside of the cave were amazing. I never thought I would be able to see such beauty in person, it’s mind-blowing. We also went on a small hike afterward which no one was prepared for, I wish I hadn’t worn my white shoes! A week later we went on a trip to Burgos and La Rioja. The trip to Burgos was just to see the cathedral, which looks like a castle from a fairytale. I felt a little scared of how big it was, but it’s not the only cathedral we’ll see this semester so I can’t say it’s my favorite just yet. After Burgos, we headed to La Rioja which is a town that is well known for its wineries! We went on a tour at a winery called “Marques d Caceres” which is supposedly the most established and prominent winery in all of Spain. We learned about the process of making wine, where it’s stored, we saw all the palettes full of wine ready to be sent off for sale, and more! We even had a wine tasting, but I didn’t really like any of the wines. The cheese that accompanied it was very yummy! Overall, I’m really enjoying my time here so far. I hope to be able to travel somewhere outside of Spain soon, talk to you guys later!
– Jasmine
