Adiós España… por ahora

June. Hot. Pretending to study. So much Spanish. Ice cream. Humidity. Exams. Last trip. Allergies. Friends. Goodbyes. 

That's what June has been like so far. 

Not bad. I'll get to the emotional part at the end, but this first part will be just about my end of school year trip with my friends from school. (Most of them). 

June 1st I left with the kids of Primero de Bachillerato on the end of course trip. 5 days, 4 nights in Andalusia, southern Spain. 

The first day we went from Valladolid to Córdoba, stopping every 2 hours as was (strangely) mandatory. So the 7 hour trip went to longer than 8. A night and half a day in Córdoba, seeing the famous mosque (now church) and the beautiful streets and patios of the old city. 

The next afternoon we got in the bus again and went to Sevilla (Seville) where we spent a night and a day seeing the beautiful city. That included Plaza España, the streets, and the cathedral. 

That night we headed to the coast, to a camping site. And got ourselves 5 cabins. There we stayed the remaining two nights. There was the beach, a monastery, and a national park. 

The last day on the way home we stopped in Mérida. A city with as many Roman monuments as Rome itself (or something like that). 

That concluded one of the coolest Spanish trips I've went on with some of the best people. 

Well it's almost time. I'm into my 10th month here in Spain. It's gone by fast, but also slowly (especially for my family, I know). It's been a great year. One to never forget, for sure. 

And I don't think I'd be able to forget it even if I tried. During this year I have changed quite a bit, and learned more than I can remember, literally. 

But now it's about time I head back to my family and friends and home in the USA. 

This week I've said "Adiós" for the last time too many times to count. And I still have 3 days left of more goodbyes. 

One of the hard things about doing an exchange year is that in the end, your new life that you've made has to end. And you don't truly know if you'll make it back to see the people you met and came to know again. You went from foreign to familiar. But you have to leave to become foreign again. Not knowing if you can or will be able to return to that familiarity again. 

This quote (that I found through a fellow exchange student [Anne Chase]) sums this up very well. 

"You get a strange feeling when you’re about to leave a place…like you’ll not only miss the people you love but you’ll miss the person you are no at this time and this place, because you’ll never be this way ever again." Azar Nafisi

Now that I've arrived to my second set of goodbyes, I understand this quote better. It makes sense. I might not have understood it before I left to Spain. Because at that time I didn't know how much I was going to change, or that I would change. I didn't really understand that. But looking back, I can see it very clearly. And this quote explains exactly how I've been feeling since the beginning of June. 

So I say "Goodbye Spain… for now."

Un saludo, Miguel Sabol

So Sunny May

Wow, I kind of really left this to the last moment. Last day of May and all, but no only that, I put it off the last two days, when I had time to do it. Then I remembered today and said, well I sure can't leave it for tomorrow. So here I am.

This month has been characterized by a few new things. One, sun. Well not really sun in general, we have that here, but warmth, and hotness coming from the sun in large quantities, if you know what I mean. Two, Americans. Literally Americans (and a girl from Canada). This month I have had more contact with Americans and have spoken more in English than probably the last 7 months combined. Three, an increased awareness (by all) that my time here is almost over (at least for this stay).

As for the sun, it kind of explains itself. The sun has officially came out in Spain, and sometimes it is hot and sometimes it is not. But now at least I can wear some shorts, and it's nicer to go out and stay out. The sun is fun.

As for the Americans, well, maybe we should just say Englsih speaking people. Even though most have been Americans.

Fun Fact: Saying that you are "americano" to any person from Spain does NOT mean that you are from the United States of America. It means that you are from the continent of America, which for Spanish people is from Argentina to Alaska. When you "americanos" understand what I wrote, you will probably be surprised. Ummm no, only Americans are americanos. But that's not really at all true, and it all has to do with the different views of what and which land mass is a continent. To learn more about this topic you can go to this article and the Wikipedia page that does have a cool gif even if the content [could] be questionable. 

Okay, back to the Englsih speaking people. A friend of the family, from Canada, came to visit for a few days, and she stayed in out house. During that same time my host mom decided that we could house two more Americans. Well, not house, but feed, they stay in a different apartment. They are two college students from St. John's in Minnesota. They are here for 5 weeks, and are earning all the Spanish credits they will need for college in this month by living and studying here.

Those two aren't the only "kids" from St. John's living and studying in Valladolid. There are about 40 of them, some of whom I have met. Another reason for there being a lot more Americans in Valladolid (and Spain in general) is that in America, a lot of schools are out for the summer and the college semester is over. And Spain is great for vacation, thus, Americans.

Well, as I mentioned before, it is alost time for me to be catching a plane from Madrid to state-side. Only a little more than two weeks are left of this stay in Spain. It won't be last time I'm here, but it brings to conclusion a long period of many new things, learning a language, and being away from home. Things will have changed everywhere, but it's time. Time for me to get back to my family and speak English [regularly] again. I won't say that I want to leave, but it's probably time to say goodbye (for now). Although, I will not be saying goodbye until the last second. (:

FYI: I now have a Facebook, which gets more frequent updates and probably more pictures, although I don't say much on there. If you know my face you can probably find me on Facebook. (;

Un saludo, Miguel Sabol

Paintballing with the friends

Fernando, Pablo, and Miguel Millaruelos's graduation. Only Fernando and a friend from class are pictured. 

A little trip to Madrid 

Pilar Millaruelo graduates from college (for the second time)

Miguel Sabol graduates college!!

Pamplona

En Abril, Aguas Mil

So obviously I've made this a monthly thing. You may have noticed. It helps me so that at least I have some motivation to sit down and write this, because without that little push, I'm really quite lazy. Not that I don't want to write to you guys, it's just difficult to sit down and write anything. Takes time and concentration. But this month I probably could have written a couple different blog posts without a problem, because of all the down time I've had.

It's been a quiet month. (I'm not saying that literally, by any means). I haven't done very many big things like some months. Mostly just school, studying, talking, and hanging with friends. 

I don't want to downplay the month that much, as it's been fun. Plus everyone needs those times of calm and "quietness" to think, collect thoughts, and rest. And after going hard for 7 months I have needed it. 

Oh and about this month's title... well, it translates literally to mean: "In April, a Thousand Waters", but what it really means is: "It rains a LOT in April". And it's true. I can vouch for that. It's been raining all month. Although, we have started spring and so in between the rains the weather is very nice. But it really does rain a lot. The Pisuerga river in Valladolid went up almost 6 feet at one point. Personally, I'm not a big fan of rain, or wetness. I am not sure if that's because I have lived in New Mexico for so long or that I just don't like water that much (except to drink). I have, however, more or less mastered how to hold and umbrella (out of necessity), which I'm proud of as I had no clue how to hold it when I arrived. 

School's going good. If you were still wondering, yes, it is all in Spanish, except my [foreign language] English teacher speaks mostly in English (although I don't pay much attention in that class). Also, yes, I understand everything. By now I know all of the words that they use or by understanding the context, I can easily figure out what they mean. Since when I said "everything" it was an ovious exaggeration, I'll tell you that when I do hear a word that I don't understand, I will either look it up in the little dictionary or will tell my classmates that I don´t know what the word means, and they usually are able to explain it to me. So that's all going fine and dandy. 

I don't actually study much, and when I do it's usually the stuff that I want to study: Spanish, math, history. Mostly Spanish because there's a lot you don't hear or understand unless you go over it. Plus since I mostly just learned Spanish by speaking and learning vocabulary, I have to learn all the rules of speaking and writing, also. Something that they've already stopped teaching in Spain at my age, so I have to do that mostly seperate from school. 

Well as for talking, all I can say is that they seem to understand me, and there haven't been too many misunderstandings. I'm pretty sure I can count myself as fluent because I've kind of stopped speaking English all together unless some asks me to speak for class or to help them. I also speak to my parents and grandparents in English, although sometime I go to start in Spanish and then realize that I should't.

To be honest speaking English nowadays is a real pain and slightly difficult. I can read, write, and think in English but when it comes time to speak, the Spanish tries to come out. I count that as a good thing, because I've at a point where I don't have to think to speak in Spanish anymore. (Well I still do but it helps the confidence). It's weird for me to think that I couldn't even speak Spanish (like almost at all). 

As for big things I've done this month, like I said, they are few. 

This month I have met more American people (kids) than in the whole trip combined. A lot of American East Coast schools send about a class of kids to Spain for one week, and these kids like know nothing of Spanish and are very "wide-eyed" about everything (exactly how I was when I arrived). Mostly I've just said "hi, how are you" to a them and then they go off one way and I stay here. 

Also, I a volunteering thing at a hospital in Valladolid, just giving a presentation to the kids that live there on the United States of America. It was a good experience. 

Went to see a rugby game, the final of the Copa del Rey, a very big tournament in Spain. My first live rugby game and probably the only one I've ever seen in full. I helped make a record for Spain, being one of the people to attend. The record was: the most attended rugby game in Spanish history. In case I said that wrong, I'm trying to say that more people attended that game than any other game, ever, in Spanish rugby. The king of Spain attended the game. They tell me it wasn't a great game and it also rained, but overall I had a good time. 

Well I think that is about it for April. Made this post a lot longer than usual because I'm not sure why.

I´m 8 months down in this trip and only one and a half left. It's hard to believe that at the same time it has gone by so fast and so slow. 

Well now I'm going to go play paintball with my friends (April has a few birthdays). 

Un saludo, Miguel Sabol

March Madness

If this blog comes up and you're looking for basketball or baloncesto, you're in the wrong place, but please, by all means, read on.

March has been a very crazy month for me, and it just so happens that it is named for craziness in the States because of basketball or something, I think. Anyways, let's start at the beginning: el Día de los Reyes Magos, January 6th. I had a strange, across the room conversation with my host mother as, around us the family was having a discussion of some matter, undoubtedly thelack of food in our stomachs at that moment. Well, at the end of that yelled conversation that took place in between me and my host mother, and a few texts later, I had a plane ticket from Madrid to London and a plane ticket from London to Madrid.

As a direct result, on the 3rd of March, when it was still the 2nd of March in all 50 States (3a.m.), I woke up from a two hour nap, and in 30 minutes had left the flat, and I along with my host mother, her best friend, and my host sister, left for the train station, where we would subsequently catch a bus, to the Madrid airport. That is where I used those tickets purchased 2 months before. By afternoon I was breathing the [probably] polluted air of London, England, and I was liking it.

After telling you all that stuff about only the first day, I am not going to elaborte much on how the trip went. It went very well, it was my first time in England, and I am pleased to say that I liked it very much. It was a great experience. As for the things I saw, well, I'm sure I did not see everything but I sure we got pretty darn close with all the walking that we did. We returned the afternoon of March the 6th. I will attach photos. Overall, I give London two thumbs up and a reccomendation (if any of you are willing to take my reccomendation).

March 11: I randomly met, Vincent del Bosque, Spain's international soccer team coach at my school. Well, I guess I didn´t really meet him, but he was there all the same.

March 12: Nothing, regular day.

March 13: for some reason, we kind-of-not-really got punished or something and were supposed to run a 5km race, but we decided to work a stand next to the race instead for the host mother. And take some cool pictures on top of a hill/castle thingy.

March 20: Made it to another Real Madrid match in The Bernabéu. I may even become a fan if we continue like this. Real Madrid v. Sevilla 4-0. 

Holy Week: Holy Week, better known as Semana Santa, is a very big deal in Spain. It is the week during the spring that all Spanish children get off. And it is always on Holy Week. So in the USA we have spring break, but in Spain they have Semana Santa. It is a very big deal, and very, very impressive. It is definetly a thing you should see if you are very into Holy Week or are in Spain at that time. It is a very complicated and long thing to explain but I'll make a short version using only English just for you guys.

Basically they have huge parades, well processions.

But like the people are wearing these habits/costumbres that look like the KKK fell in jars of different paints (you have too look it up to see what I'm talking about). And the only musical instruments played are the horn ones and the drum ones. (I don't know anything about music). And the floats are the giant statues that all the churches have, but they are taken dowen from the church and put on plantforms. Then, men and women grab hold of these platforms and lift them to their shoulders, and they process (parade) around the city, usually at night, for a few hours. Now multiply this by the number of brotherhoods (church denominatiuons that take responsibility for organizing the processions) that there are in the city, and the statues and all Holy Week long. It's a sight to see for sure. the one word I would use to describe it is: impressive.

You can check out these processions by looking up: Semana Santa, Semana Santa Spain, Semana Santa Valladolid (where I live), and Semana Santa Medina de Rioseco (a very impressive series opf processions). And you can just go to YouTube and they should come up. I do not reccomend that you watch them entirely because there are a lot of really, really long ones. But enjoy.


Hahaha I hope some people got confused about why I put March 12 on there like that. Well, the truth is I was just trying to be funny. March 12 was by birthday, I turned 17 years old, or better said: I completed my 17th revolution around the sun. Not bad, not bad at all.It was a good birthday, that for everyone who said Happy Birthday and even everyone who didn't remember, I forgive you, but you owe me a present when I get back. (; My parents said we could have another birthday party when I get home so maybe I'll invite you guys.

Anyways see ya later,

Un saludo, Miguel Sabol

Buckingham Palace: selfie with random strangers