Calatrava buildings in the Centro de Ciencias y Artes
Another view
Another building in the Calatrava quarter
It looks like a fish head!
A FANTASTIC ending...
Well after all of the chaos and mess, camp finally came to a close. Thursday was the day the last student left. We had a small little staff tapas dinner followed by some of us heading back into Madrid for some fun. The group included, Kristin, Jenn, Fernando, Kevin, Jonathan, Andrew, Shiva, Ryan, Alex and myself. The plan was to get to Hotel ME before cover started at 11.
Well we got there before 11, but evidently on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, there is always a cover no matter what the time. Cover started out being 15 euro, but after some fancy talking at the door by Jenn, we got in for 10 euro which included a glass of champagne. The whole draw of this hotel is its rooftop bar/club. Which while it was cool, the view was just ok in my opinion, and it wasn't really my scene. I prefer someplace more laid back, if we had had one of the tented tables for our group I might have enjoyed it more.
We stayed at the hotel until about 1:30am, at which time Kevin, Andrew and I left to find some tapas and head home. The rest of the group was still upstairs, after trying to find a good tapas place, we ended up finding the rest of the group again. A bunch of us, (minus Fernando and Kristin), set off to find someplace where the kitchen was still open. We succeeded and everyone enjoyed some late night snacks.
After tapas, Ryan, Kevin, Andrew and I, said our goodbyes to the rest of the group who were going to meet up with Rachel, Anabel, Kristin, and Fernando at a club near Sol.
Our night ended there, but evidently we missed out on all of the fun. There was a HUGE fight between Anabel and the group which was quite funny to hear about from Jonathan and Jenn.
Friday morning, Shiva, Jonathan and Diogo had plans to go to Valencia, Kevin made up his mind to go with them, Jenn joined the fun, and after talking with Maureen and canceling our hotel room in Madrid, we joined the fray. The majority of the group left on the 1:00 bus, Maureen and I took the 3:30 bus. The bus was only 44 euro roundtrip and about 4 hours long. I later realized that the roundtrip bus ride to a beach town is LESS expensive than a taxi ride from UFV to the airport...that just doesn't seem right.
When Maureen and I finally rolled into the hotel, the rest of the group was waiting for us. We quickly got changed and set out in search of food. We ended up at a small little restaurant that was across the street from a park. The first batch of sangria was delicious, the second could take the paint off the walls! But luckily Guillermo, our camerero, liked us and took it back to make another batch. We all shared a bunch of different tapas, my favorite at this place was the chorizo revuelto, it was great!!
After dinner we headed to find a place Guillermo suggested, La Plaza de las Virgens. Well once we got there it seemed like a pretty chill place with cafe's all around it, people enjoying the night air and each other's company.
We got crappy over priced drinks and then the show started. An argument broke out between some plastic bag beer salesmen. From what we could gather, one was encroaching on the other's territory, it lasted quite a while as they chased each other all over the plaza and various people got involved. Eventually the cops, 2, showed up after one of the assailants began chasing the other with a broken bottle trying to slash him.
Diogo and Shiva continued their night and the rest of us went back to the hotel.
Saturday morning we got up and went on a walking tour of Valencia. We walked in the direction of the Calatrava buildings, which I must say are pretty cool looking. We went back to the hotel and picked up the party boys and continued over to the old city, where we came upon the market, which was closing. We were able to make some purchases for a buffet of sorts later by the pool.
The group broke up a short while later when some of us wanted to shop and some wanted to sleep.
We went to the rooftop pool, which was the size of my tub, and enjoyed our purchases and some wine which was donated by Maureen, before we went out on the bus to the beach. Our whole plan was to enjoy a Valencian specialty, paella. The boys, in their numerous conversations with the concierge, got the names of 3 restaurants. So we had a game plan and we set out to make it happen.
After a 10 minute bus ride, we made it to our destination. We found all three restaurants and settled on the third one. The service wasn't necessairly the best, but the food made up for it. We shared two types of paella; Paella Valenciana (chicken and rabbit) and Paella Marinera (seafood). Paired with some wine and cava and it was a very good meal with very good company.
We took our time and enjoyed the meal and the conversation. As we were paying the bill, we heard some loud noises coming from the beach. When we go out to the boardwalk, they begin a fireworks show. We were so close we could smell the sulfur and the ash rained down on us. I thought it was spectacular.
After the show we walked down to the water and got our feet wet, and I got my jeans wet! Stupid waves. None of us were ready for the night to be over, after all it was early for Spain standards, only 1:00am. So we set off in search of a bar where we could sit and talk. We sat down at the last bar on the boardwalk and waited...and waited...and waited. The waitress finally came over to get our order, and we waited, waited, waited. Then we were too frustrated and got up and left. 4 of us were in good spirits, 3 were not. When we finally got cabs, 3 went to the hotel, the other 4, me, Jonathan, Shiva and Kevin, headed to L'Umbracle, an open air club in the Centro de Ciencias y Artes.
I loved it, it was a very chill place. There were couches and benches where you could sit and hang out, as well as 2 dance floors if that is more your scene. You can't find places like that here.
We eventually headed back to the hotel at 4 ish. I got up at around 10am the next day. We all wanted to spend the day on the beach.
We jumped into 2 taxis and headed over to the beach. On the way both the taxistas educated us on the RICE PADDIES! Yes, evidently Valencia has the largest rice paddy in all of Europe and it is vitally important to all of Spain and Europe. I guess it makes sense considering the regional dish is rice based.
Once at the beach we got some lunch and then staked out a place. The majority of the group went right into the water, I relaxed on the beach. I listened to my IPOD, took a walk, napped, etc. I reapplied suntan lotion twice. I was a good girl for once with that, and what did it get me. BURNED! I got really crispy. My knees especially.
After an entire afternoon on the beach we walked into the tiny town and got some refreshments before getting on the bus and heading back to the hotel. We stayed on the bus a stop longer than needed and Jonathan guided us to the Gulliver park, which is a huge playground modeled after the story Gulliver's travels. It seemed like fun for all ages.
Back at the hotel we showered and packed up before getting our last dinner in Spain as a group. On the way to dinner I purchased a 19 euro bottle of aloe to help soothe my skn that was now on fire. None of us were picky that night, so we settled on a pizza place, and the pizza in my opinion was good!
After dinner we settled in the hotel lobby and enjoyed the company of the group until it was time for Diogo, Maureen and I to head to the bus station for our 1am bus back to Madrid.
More later...
Well we got there before 11, but evidently on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, there is always a cover no matter what the time. Cover started out being 15 euro, but after some fancy talking at the door by Jenn, we got in for 10 euro which included a glass of champagne. The whole draw of this hotel is its rooftop bar/club. Which while it was cool, the view was just ok in my opinion, and it wasn't really my scene. I prefer someplace more laid back, if we had had one of the tented tables for our group I might have enjoyed it more.
We stayed at the hotel until about 1:30am, at which time Kevin, Andrew and I left to find some tapas and head home. The rest of the group was still upstairs, after trying to find a good tapas place, we ended up finding the rest of the group again. A bunch of us, (minus Fernando and Kristin), set off to find someplace where the kitchen was still open. We succeeded and everyone enjoyed some late night snacks.
After tapas, Ryan, Kevin, Andrew and I, said our goodbyes to the rest of the group who were going to meet up with Rachel, Anabel, Kristin, and Fernando at a club near Sol.
Our night ended there, but evidently we missed out on all of the fun. There was a HUGE fight between Anabel and the group which was quite funny to hear about from Jonathan and Jenn.
Friday morning, Shiva, Jonathan and Diogo had plans to go to Valencia, Kevin made up his mind to go with them, Jenn joined the fun, and after talking with Maureen and canceling our hotel room in Madrid, we joined the fray. The majority of the group left on the 1:00 bus, Maureen and I took the 3:30 bus. The bus was only 44 euro roundtrip and about 4 hours long. I later realized that the roundtrip bus ride to a beach town is LESS expensive than a taxi ride from UFV to the airport...that just doesn't seem right.
When Maureen and I finally rolled into the hotel, the rest of the group was waiting for us. We quickly got changed and set out in search of food. We ended up at a small little restaurant that was across the street from a park. The first batch of sangria was delicious, the second could take the paint off the walls! But luckily Guillermo, our camerero, liked us and took it back to make another batch. We all shared a bunch of different tapas, my favorite at this place was the chorizo revuelto, it was great!!
After dinner we headed to find a place Guillermo suggested, La Plaza de las Virgens. Well once we got there it seemed like a pretty chill place with cafe's all around it, people enjoying the night air and each other's company.
We got crappy over priced drinks and then the show started. An argument broke out between some plastic bag beer salesmen. From what we could gather, one was encroaching on the other's territory, it lasted quite a while as they chased each other all over the plaza and various people got involved. Eventually the cops, 2, showed up after one of the assailants began chasing the other with a broken bottle trying to slash him.
Diogo and Shiva continued their night and the rest of us went back to the hotel.
Saturday morning we got up and went on a walking tour of Valencia. We walked in the direction of the Calatrava buildings, which I must say are pretty cool looking. We went back to the hotel and picked up the party boys and continued over to the old city, where we came upon the market, which was closing. We were able to make some purchases for a buffet of sorts later by the pool.
The group broke up a short while later when some of us wanted to shop and some wanted to sleep.
We went to the rooftop pool, which was the size of my tub, and enjoyed our purchases and some wine which was donated by Maureen, before we went out on the bus to the beach. Our whole plan was to enjoy a Valencian specialty, paella. The boys, in their numerous conversations with the concierge, got the names of 3 restaurants. So we had a game plan and we set out to make it happen.
After a 10 minute bus ride, we made it to our destination. We found all three restaurants and settled on the third one. The service wasn't necessairly the best, but the food made up for it. We shared two types of paella; Paella Valenciana (chicken and rabbit) and Paella Marinera (seafood). Paired with some wine and cava and it was a very good meal with very good company.
We took our time and enjoyed the meal and the conversation. As we were paying the bill, we heard some loud noises coming from the beach. When we go out to the boardwalk, they begin a fireworks show. We were so close we could smell the sulfur and the ash rained down on us. I thought it was spectacular.
After the show we walked down to the water and got our feet wet, and I got my jeans wet! Stupid waves. None of us were ready for the night to be over, after all it was early for Spain standards, only 1:00am. So we set off in search of a bar where we could sit and talk. We sat down at the last bar on the boardwalk and waited...and waited...and waited. The waitress finally came over to get our order, and we waited, waited, waited. Then we were too frustrated and got up and left. 4 of us were in good spirits, 3 were not. When we finally got cabs, 3 went to the hotel, the other 4, me, Jonathan, Shiva and Kevin, headed to L'Umbracle, an open air club in the Centro de Ciencias y Artes.
I loved it, it was a very chill place. There were couches and benches where you could sit and hang out, as well as 2 dance floors if that is more your scene. You can't find places like that here.
We eventually headed back to the hotel at 4 ish. I got up at around 10am the next day. We all wanted to spend the day on the beach.
We jumped into 2 taxis and headed over to the beach. On the way both the taxistas educated us on the RICE PADDIES! Yes, evidently Valencia has the largest rice paddy in all of Europe and it is vitally important to all of Spain and Europe. I guess it makes sense considering the regional dish is rice based.
Once at the beach we got some lunch and then staked out a place. The majority of the group went right into the water, I relaxed on the beach. I listened to my IPOD, took a walk, napped, etc. I reapplied suntan lotion twice. I was a good girl for once with that, and what did it get me. BURNED! I got really crispy. My knees especially.
After an entire afternoon on the beach we walked into the tiny town and got some refreshments before getting on the bus and heading back to the hotel. We stayed on the bus a stop longer than needed and Jonathan guided us to the Gulliver park, which is a huge playground modeled after the story Gulliver's travels. It seemed like fun for all ages.
Back at the hotel we showered and packed up before getting our last dinner in Spain as a group. On the way to dinner I purchased a 19 euro bottle of aloe to help soothe my skn that was now on fire. None of us were picky that night, so we settled on a pizza place, and the pizza in my opinion was good!
After dinner we settled in the hotel lobby and enjoyed the company of the group until it was time for Diogo, Maureen and I to head to the bus station for our 1am bus back to Madrid.
More later...
A night out...
Well, I had my day off on Tuesday, which was nice and relaxing. I slept in until about 11:30 am and then got up and showered and met Lourdes, (one of the girls that works the reception desk) at 1pm to go into the city for a bit.
We met up with Marta´s au pair, Allison, who is from South Carolina but goes to school in DC. We had lunch, walked and shopped a bit. I made it back to campus at around 6ish(?)
We had a staff pizza party. The pizza was delayed due to the fact that we didn´t tell the vigilante at the gate that we had ordered it and he refused to let him enter the campus. Quite comical that the press can make it on to campus to harass us but the pizza guy can´t.
Yesterday, was probably my favorite day here so far. The majority of the staff had off and went to Toledo. Due to the fact that my day off was Tuesday, I had to work the morning (8-2) shift in the office. By work I mean, appear to be busy so that the other people in the office won´t ask me to do stuff. Facebook is a wonderful tool for this type of avoidance of work.
Between 2 and 3 pm, Maureen finished up what she was working on in the office and began cleaning up a bit. When she was done, we got ready and grabbed Shiva, and went into the city. We took the longer bus ride and the short metro ride into Sol.
We called the Toledo group and made plans to meet up at about 7:30 for a night of fun. Shiva, Maureen and I began with our first jarra of sangria. LOVE IT! We sat at a little cafe just outside of plaza mayor and just enjoyed the breeze and people watching. There was the cutest little girl at the table beside us, whose name was Maria. She entertained us for quite a while.
At 7:30 we headed over to the Tio Pepe sign to meet up with the Toledo group. From there the night got fun. We went to Plaza de Santa Ana and shared some jarras of sangria, where we were treated to the incessant honking. Shiva volunteered to direct traffic and the funniest part was that the cars actually listened to him!!!
After our first round we picked up and headed to get some food. Kevin, Alex and Joel had gone to a restaurant called En busca del tiempo on a previous trip to the city and raved about the food, so that´s where we ended up. They were right the food was great. We shared steak and fries.
After dinner we were all feeling really good and went to an Irish pub for some irish car bombs. They were delicious...Afterwards, Joel has a strange, unexplainable fascination with the Museo de Jamon. It is probably because the beer is extremely cheap. After a round and a half there we went on a hike to the older part of town, the entire walk I had to pee. We finally stopped at a random bar with a really cool bathroom. Jenn, Maureen and I were the only girls and we all used the bathroom. The funniest part of that experience was that all of the men were being so loud in the bathroom next to us, we could hear everything that they were talking about and it was HILARIOUS.
After a few more bars, losing Shiva, finding Shiva and then Joel getting into an argument with me and Kevin about what the problem is with the american educational system. We ended the night at San Gines, the oldest and most famous churreria. The churros were amazing after a night of drinking.
We made it back to campus via taxi at about 2:30 am. I slept like a rock and was up and ready to go at 8am. Which is very impressive considering I felt less than great. But overall it was well worth it.
Also Maureen and I decided to share a hotel room on Saturday and Sunday night. The hotel is the Vincci Capitol and its a great deal for the price and location. We will be right on the corner of Gran Via and Callao. Which is practically in the center of it all.
I am looking forward to ending the trip on a good note by staying there.
Today, more packing and wrapping up the last minute things here.
We met up with Marta´s au pair, Allison, who is from South Carolina but goes to school in DC. We had lunch, walked and shopped a bit. I made it back to campus at around 6ish(?)
We had a staff pizza party. The pizza was delayed due to the fact that we didn´t tell the vigilante at the gate that we had ordered it and he refused to let him enter the campus. Quite comical that the press can make it on to campus to harass us but the pizza guy can´t.
Yesterday, was probably my favorite day here so far. The majority of the staff had off and went to Toledo. Due to the fact that my day off was Tuesday, I had to work the morning (8-2) shift in the office. By work I mean, appear to be busy so that the other people in the office won´t ask me to do stuff. Facebook is a wonderful tool for this type of avoidance of work.
Between 2 and 3 pm, Maureen finished up what she was working on in the office and began cleaning up a bit. When she was done, we got ready and grabbed Shiva, and went into the city. We took the longer bus ride and the short metro ride into Sol.
We called the Toledo group and made plans to meet up at about 7:30 for a night of fun. Shiva, Maureen and I began with our first jarra of sangria. LOVE IT! We sat at a little cafe just outside of plaza mayor and just enjoyed the breeze and people watching. There was the cutest little girl at the table beside us, whose name was Maria. She entertained us for quite a while.
At 7:30 we headed over to the Tio Pepe sign to meet up with the Toledo group. From there the night got fun. We went to Plaza de Santa Ana and shared some jarras of sangria, where we were treated to the incessant honking. Shiva volunteered to direct traffic and the funniest part was that the cars actually listened to him!!!
After our first round we picked up and headed to get some food. Kevin, Alex and Joel had gone to a restaurant called En busca del tiempo on a previous trip to the city and raved about the food, so that´s where we ended up. They were right the food was great. We shared steak and fries.
After dinner we were all feeling really good and went to an Irish pub for some irish car bombs. They were delicious...Afterwards, Joel has a strange, unexplainable fascination with the Museo de Jamon. It is probably because the beer is extremely cheap. After a round and a half there we went on a hike to the older part of town, the entire walk I had to pee. We finally stopped at a random bar with a really cool bathroom. Jenn, Maureen and I were the only girls and we all used the bathroom. The funniest part of that experience was that all of the men were being so loud in the bathroom next to us, we could hear everything that they were talking about and it was HILARIOUS.
After a few more bars, losing Shiva, finding Shiva and then Joel getting into an argument with me and Kevin about what the problem is with the american educational system. We ended the night at San Gines, the oldest and most famous churreria. The churros were amazing after a night of drinking.
We made it back to campus via taxi at about 2:30 am. I slept like a rock and was up and ready to go at 8am. Which is very impressive considering I felt less than great. But overall it was well worth it.
Also Maureen and I decided to share a hotel room on Saturday and Sunday night. The hotel is the Vincci Capitol and its a great deal for the price and location. We will be right on the corner of Gran Via and Callao. Which is practically in the center of it all.
I am looking forward to ending the trip on a good note by staying there.
Today, more packing and wrapping up the last minute things here.
1 week
Do all of you remember how excited I was to come to Spain this summer? I am just as excited if not more so that I am coming home in a week.
The majority of you got the run down of the crisis here this past week and I am happy to report we are almost done dealing with it...THANK GOD!!!
The majority of the kids are gone at this point, with the rest leaving hopefully on Wednesday. Thank god...
After the kids leave I am not exactly sure what we will be doing but I guess I will find something. I missed out on the excursions this weekend due to the fact that I had to stay in the office to help troubleshoot. Which sucks, but I didn't feel like walking for 8+ hours on Saturday AND Sunday, so I am ok with not going.
But that being said I have tomorrow off, supposedly. Originally I was hoping to go to Avila on my day off, but due to my present lack of sleep and desire not to make my day off more stressful, I think I am going to simply sleep in and then go into Madrid to shop (my carry-on bag broke on one of my bajillion supply runs, and I want art and some souvenir stuff, and more post cards to mail.) And I will find a rooftop bar/restaurant that sells Sangria by the keg (only does this happen in my dreams).
So for today, same old same old in the office. Maybe some pizza for dinner...personally I am looking forward to that.
The majority of you got the run down of the crisis here this past week and I am happy to report we are almost done dealing with it...THANK GOD!!!
The majority of the kids are gone at this point, with the rest leaving hopefully on Wednesday. Thank god...
After the kids leave I am not exactly sure what we will be doing but I guess I will find something. I missed out on the excursions this weekend due to the fact that I had to stay in the office to help troubleshoot. Which sucks, but I didn't feel like walking for 8+ hours on Saturday AND Sunday, so I am ok with not going.
But that being said I have tomorrow off, supposedly. Originally I was hoping to go to Avila on my day off, but due to my present lack of sleep and desire not to make my day off more stressful, I think I am going to simply sleep in and then go into Madrid to shop (my carry-on bag broke on one of my bajillion supply runs, and I want art and some souvenir stuff, and more post cards to mail.) And I will find a rooftop bar/restaurant that sells Sangria by the keg (only does this happen in my dreams).
So for today, same old same old in the office. Maybe some pizza for dinner...personally I am looking forward to that.
Taxi ride of death...
So now that things are calming down a bit here, I can tell you about the crazy drivers in Spain.
First of all the Spaniards LOVE their glorietas, or as we like to call them the roundabouts or traffic circles. These are used to replace traffic lights. I personally am a bit scared of them, mostly because I get visions of National Lampoon's European Vacation stuck in my head. The scene were Clark gets stuck in the traffic circle in London and can't get out.
I digress, I have had the opportunity to ride in the car about 4 times with Marta, our campus liason. I love Marta, she is a wonderful person, very sweet and very attentive during our time of crisis here. But Marta drives likes she talks, at the speed of sound.
Half the time when I am speaking to her I can't process what is being said, especially when she is on the phone. If I am face to face I can do a much better job. Someone on the staff likened her speech to a machine gun, which I must say is very very accurate.
My 4 trips with Marta, were life altering. She doesn't care about speed limits. Nor does she care about the speed "bumps"(which in reality are speed mountains). I swear each time we went over one we literally caught air. Also she doesn't care if the bus is stopped in front of us, we can just merge into the oncoming traffic lane to get around it because she evidently knows that the bus that is coming at us head on is going to magically stop. (Too bad I am not as certain as she.)
Street driving is bad enough, lets not talk about the parking lots or the parking garages, there are lots more stationary objects that can be hit there. We came close so many times it isn't even funny!
But after all of my ranting and raving about riding in the car with her, she is the epitome of a good driver compared to my taxista from last night. The entire time I was praying that I would make it back to the university alive.
I had a clear view of the odometer and it was consistently at 150kph, which converts to 94mph!!!!
He was changing lanes every 3 seconds, weaving in and out of traffic like none other.
A normal 30-45 minute taxi ride, was only 15 minutes...yeh that is ridiculous. The most ridiculous part though, is that it was the most expensive taxi ride from the airport to the campus EVER, totaling 63 euro. The shortest ride, but the most expensive, yeh that makes sense.
Ok, hopefully tonight will be very very very low-key.
First of all the Spaniards LOVE their glorietas, or as we like to call them the roundabouts or traffic circles. These are used to replace traffic lights. I personally am a bit scared of them, mostly because I get visions of National Lampoon's European Vacation stuck in my head. The scene were Clark gets stuck in the traffic circle in London and can't get out.
I digress, I have had the opportunity to ride in the car about 4 times with Marta, our campus liason. I love Marta, she is a wonderful person, very sweet and very attentive during our time of crisis here. But Marta drives likes she talks, at the speed of sound.
Half the time when I am speaking to her I can't process what is being said, especially when she is on the phone. If I am face to face I can do a much better job. Someone on the staff likened her speech to a machine gun, which I must say is very very accurate.
My 4 trips with Marta, were life altering. She doesn't care about speed limits. Nor does she care about the speed "bumps"(which in reality are speed mountains). I swear each time we went over one we literally caught air. Also she doesn't care if the bus is stopped in front of us, we can just merge into the oncoming traffic lane to get around it because she evidently knows that the bus that is coming at us head on is going to magically stop. (Too bad I am not as certain as she.)
Street driving is bad enough, lets not talk about the parking lots or the parking garages, there are lots more stationary objects that can be hit there. We came close so many times it isn't even funny!
But after all of my ranting and raving about riding in the car with her, she is the epitome of a good driver compared to my taxista from last night. The entire time I was praying that I would make it back to the university alive.
I had a clear view of the odometer and it was consistently at 150kph, which converts to 94mph!!!!
He was changing lanes every 3 seconds, weaving in and out of traffic like none other.
A normal 30-45 minute taxi ride, was only 15 minutes...yeh that is ridiculous. The most ridiculous part though, is that it was the most expensive taxi ride from the airport to the campus EVER, totaling 63 euro. The shortest ride, but the most expensive, yeh that makes sense.
Ok, hopefully tonight will be very very very low-key.
Vale
Here's another random Spanish thing.
Spaniards love to use the word "vale," which means ok.
They use it at the end of every conversation.
During the beginning of our time here, when we were setting up the site, I noticed something and I developed a theory.
The number of times a Spaniard says vale indicts whether whatever it was you were talking about will get done or not.
If you get, "vale," (in the singular) the chances are pretty good that whatever your request was will be fulfilled.
If you get, "vale, vale, vale," you might as well forget that you ever asked for whatever it was that you asked for.
Here are some examples:
"Es posible recibir una copia de las actividades?"
(Is it possible to get a copy of the activities?)
"Vale."
Sure enough 10 minutes later we have a copy of the activities.
"Es necesario que nuestras estudiantes tienen acceso a los computadoras esta noche."
(It's necessary that our students have computer access tonight)
"Vale, vale, vale."
I hae nicknamed this response the triple vale of death. When you get the triple vale, you can almost guarantee that your request has fallen on deaf ears. And you had better ask again in five minutes.
I hope you have enjoyed this short insight into the Spanish daily life.
Spaniards love to use the word "vale," which means ok.
They use it at the end of every conversation.
During the beginning of our time here, when we were setting up the site, I noticed something and I developed a theory.
The number of times a Spaniard says vale indicts whether whatever it was you were talking about will get done or not.
If you get, "vale," (in the singular) the chances are pretty good that whatever your request was will be fulfilled.
If you get, "vale, vale, vale," you might as well forget that you ever asked for whatever it was that you asked for.
Here are some examples:
"Es posible recibir una copia de las actividades?"
(Is it possible to get a copy of the activities?)
"Vale."
Sure enough 10 minutes later we have a copy of the activities.
"Es necesario que nuestras estudiantes tienen acceso a los computadoras esta noche."
(It's necessary that our students have computer access tonight)
"Vale, vale, vale."
I hae nicknamed this response the triple vale of death. When you get the triple vale, you can almost guarantee that your request has fallen on deaf ears. And you had better ask again in five minutes.
I hope you have enjoyed this short insight into the Spanish daily life.
Lacking
Hi everyone!
Sorry for my lack of posts this week. It has been a crazy week and not crazy fun either. There has been a bunch of stuff that has occurred that I don't feel comfortable talking about over this type of communication, but I will have one hell of a story to tell you all when I get back on the 27th!
I can also tell you all that I am still in love with Spain, I might put off moving here for a few years but each day. I am proving to myself in the various situations that I have been put in that I can make it here with my language abilities and how to get around the country.
Here are some random things that are different about Spain.
1. Due to the extreme heat from the sun, all domiciles have either sun shutters or sun shades. Which are metal and are very helpful when used properly. Which being used properly means, putting them down during the afternoon, when the sun is blazing, and then opening them in the evening once the sun has set a little.
2. Everything, except for the touristy things, is closed on Sundays. Didn't the US used to be like this?
3. La hora latina, it means when someone says that it will take a hour to do something, it will actually be 2 or 3 hours, maybe more.
That's all for now. More stuff after this weekend's adventures to Madrid (again!) and Segovia.
Sorry for my lack of posts this week. It has been a crazy week and not crazy fun either. There has been a bunch of stuff that has occurred that I don't feel comfortable talking about over this type of communication, but I will have one hell of a story to tell you all when I get back on the 27th!
I can also tell you all that I am still in love with Spain, I might put off moving here for a few years but each day. I am proving to myself in the various situations that I have been put in that I can make it here with my language abilities and how to get around the country.
Here are some random things that are different about Spain.
1. Due to the extreme heat from the sun, all domiciles have either sun shutters or sun shades. Which are metal and are very helpful when used properly. Which being used properly means, putting them down during the afternoon, when the sun is blazing, and then opening them in the evening once the sun has set a little.
2. Everything, except for the touristy things, is closed on Sundays. Didn't the US used to be like this?
3. La hora latina, it means when someone says that it will take a hour to do something, it will actually be 2 or 3 hours, maybe more.
That's all for now. More stuff after this weekend's adventures to Madrid (again!) and Segovia.