Monday, January 25, 2010

Rhythm

I have never written a blog post before so pardon me if this is not the norm. Rather than give a detailed account of what we did this week I’m just going to say a little bit about the general experience. There’s no way I could recount what everyone did anyways because I’m sure we all have a different experience.

For me this week was about rhythm. I’m sure everyone reading this has experienced some sort of large transition in life that called for rhythm. Well coming to Spain has definitely been a large transition. First things first, sleep. As if trying to go to sleep thousands of miles away on a different continent in a strange house and a strange bed isn’t hard enough we are also 6 hours different here. This week I think we have all completely adjusted to the time difference and hopefully also to our new surroundings. I can finally fall asleep without needing the help of my Ipod (music can make you feel so much better sometimes).

Language was also obviously a big part of the transition as well. While I’m sure none of us would claim to have mastered the Spanish language yet, I’m sure each and every student here would tell you they have improved drastically and feel at least a little more comfortable conversing in Spanish than when they arrived. I know I am reading better in Spanish than I ever have before thanks to all our homework! Believe it or not Spain is not all fun, games, beaches, and nice weather.

However in between all our homework we are definitely having fun. Well I suppose I should not speak for everyone, but I know most of us are having a great time. Sure we all miss home, we miss families, friends, girlfriends, boyfriends, English, not losing money to a terrible exchange rate; but we are also having experiences and making memories of a lifetime. Fortunately our group happens to be super cool which makes being in an amazing country like Spain even better! I know I have started to make some really good friends and am starting to appreciate every single person in our group (not a bad apple in the bunch!).

Basically this week has been a week about establishing some rhythm in our lives that were rather chaotic when we arrived. We have figured out when we need to wake up for class, purchased any school supplies we didn’t bring along, received our books for classes, figured out where to score internet and coffee, discovered amazingly beautiful boardwalks to run on next to the Mediterranean sea, etc. Not to say we aren’t still doing some new things too. We visited the local castle on Friday and received a free guided tour. Some people also attempted to climb the mountain but decided to explore some caves instead. This coming weekend we are headed to Barcelona. Many of us also planned our spring breaks this week. It’s so fun deciding whether we would rather visit Rome, Paris, Sevilla, the Canary Islands, Marseille, London, etc. Truly we are having the chance of a lifetime over here.

For everyone back home, I know I can speak for the entire group in saying you are all missed and thought of often. Hopefully you are thinking of us too. Prayers are appreciated as well. I know of at least one person who is, “praying a hedge of protection around me.” Always thought that expression was funny… Anyways, cyberhugs all around. And don’t worry we are being well looked after by our mamas and teachers here. The only thing you should worry about is us all coming back a little chubby from the large quantities of wonderful food our Spanish mothers are stuffing us with.

-Written by Ryan Deters

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Finishing up interim

Our group has just finished the last full week of "interim" classes. That means a couple of things 1)final exams next week =( 2)excursion to Barcelona next week! Although all of us we quite busy this past weekend writing papers and studying we had some free time to roam around Denia. On Friday afternoon, we went to Denia's castle as a group (thanks to one of our profesor's at the UNED it was free of charge!). On Saturday a group of students headed out to climb Montgo'. Unfortunately the fogginess and chance of rain on Saturday prohibited a full climb and we only got to see an old Roman cave and a dedication to one of Denias most famous fathers partway up the mountain - too bad. More to come about this past week soon. In the meantime please enjoy the pictures! To read more about Denia's castle go to www.denia.net/uk/seccion/visitas/denia/patrimonio/castillo.asp .


The entrance - arabic style

Our tour guide Jaime
Resting outside the cave - great view of the city even with the fog

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Photos from the weekend


The group in front of the church in Javea--our only group photo so far!


The group hanging out on the roof of the gothic church in Javea. We had a great view in all directions from up there.



Some of the group at the reception in Javea - before the vino and tapas!



El Catedral where "The Holy Grail" is located. (Valencia)




The most diverse aquarium in the world in "la ciudad de las artes y ciencias". (Valencia)





Post Office (Valencia)





Week of January 11-16, 2010



Hey all! So this morning, I was getting ready for church and making myself some fresh orange juice with oranges hand-delivered by a friend of my mama’s from his orchard, and I couldn’t help but think, “This is the life.” We’ve been in “The Land of the Fruit,” as my mama calls Spain, for almost two weeks now, and the things we’ve experienced can’t be captured in words, though I’ll do my best. We’re starting to get used to drinking milk out of the box, walking everywhere, speaking Spanish always, and having one large meal in the middle of the day. Most of our host moms give us one huge meal and two almost-equally big meals a day, so we’re also getting used to jogging on a more frequent basis!



This past weekend we went to Javea, a little town to the south, on Friday night for a reception and a tour of the city with our wonderful hosts. We went up to the roof of the church there (climbing stairs barely wide enough for one person!) and got to see the entire city and the sunset over the mountains in the distance. The view was… incredible. There are no words to describe what it felt like to be standing on the edge of a wall a good 15 stories off the ground seeing the light of the sun go down and those of the city go up. That night we split up, some going out to various places of the city, and a smaller group of us to the beaches for the first time. The next morning we woke bright and early to go to Valencia, a bigger town to the north that hosts Europe’s largest aquarium, some incredible churches, museums, and, of course, a market full of fresh fruits and foods to buy. At the aquarium we got to watch a great dolphin show and throughout our time in Valencia took advantage of the “Rebajas” (a two-month long period of sales in Spain), toured the city, and got back onto the bus wanting to go back immediately.



Our interim class is going well and giving us time to continue to be acclimated to Denia, figure out our way around, and settle in with our families. Our Spanish is also improving daily, like today when I realized that I could understand almost the entire sermon in church, whereas last week I could only understand about half of it. The church here has affected us already, the largest discovery being the fact that, though we come from different homes, different cultures, and different languages, our God is a God of the world, and in Him, we can come together and worship in any language.



Our group is becoming like a large extended family, celebrating birthdays, and helping with homework, talking about you all when we’re lonely, and having fun together always. It’s bizarre that we’ve already been here for two weeks, and the time is only going to go faster until we’re on the plane back home to the States. While we love and miss all of you, it’s going to be difficult to come home. Life is not quite the same without Meijer and Reese’s cups, but the Internet cafés and churros with chocolate almost make up for it. Check back again next week for more news from this side of the world!



-Written by Kelly McCormick

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Our First Days in Denia






Hola todos,




After two long bus-rides and three long flights and a nice run-through in Madrid's airport, we are finally here in Denia! Some people have their luggage, but unfortunately some don't yet :( The people of Denia have been so embarrassed for the weather right now because it is so unusually cold, and there has been snow in the tops of the mountains, which apparently never happens! All of the news programs are about the snow and the cold temperatures, and it feels a little like home because it's so cold here. We arrived on Thursday afternoon, met our families, and took our first long siestas! Friday we started our classes and took a walk through Denia and the university where we'll be studying. For the night life that night, we went to a couple of bars to celebrate the birthday of Rebecca, which was on Thursday. Feliz cumpleanos Rebecca! Saturday many people slept in and then took about a 5 mile hike to the Torre del Gerro (above), an old tower up in the mountains. This morning some students went to Catholic mass, while many others went to the Baptist church with modern songs and praise. Just like at home, it's Sunday night and we're all doing our homework for tomorrow morning. Most people are still in the excited phase and not homesick yet.
Adios for now!