July 3rd, 2011
Words I learned in Catalon today:
Gelats - ice cream
d'accord- Ok
Tobac- Tobacco
Fluvía- Stream
Today was the first day of our homestay in Olot. I met my host madre y padre and my host-sister, Anna. Everyone is so nice and accommodating here. Their house is very nice and has an infinity pool and not to mention the incredible view of the volcanoes in the surrounding area (but not to worry, they're dormant). After settling in and getting a tour of the house from Anna, the family invited some friends over for a barbacoa. I feel like I've been incredibly full this entire trip because the food is so good that it's hard not to keep eating. When lunch ended, siesta began. Siesta is the period of rest right after lunch for a few hours where many stores close and everyone has time to relax in the middle of the day. I ended up falling asleep in the first comfortable bed I've had this whole trip. Anna woke me up a little later and told me we were meeting with the rest of the group and their host families for dinner. We walked outside and started down the street when I noticed a few people dressed in these costumes that made them look like giants. It's hard to explain, as they're not using stilts, but the costumes appear to be about ten to fifteen feet tall. Anna casually told me "those are just the giants" in Spanish. I guess that's something common for Olot. We ended up getting caught in a rain storm and had Anna's friend and Rob's host-sister come pick us up. At dinner, I got to know the other host-brothers and host-sisters of the members of my group. When dinner ended, Max, Rob, and I, along with our host-sisters, all went to a small cafe to grab some Gelats, Catalan for "ice cream." The primary language here is Catalan, which pulls many influences from Spanish, French, and Latin. Luckily for me, it's not that difficult to understand. thank you, MBA... However, everyone here also speaks Spanish and many a little English as well.
July 4th, 2011
Catalan:
formatge - cheese
bona nit(sp?)- goodnight
bon día- good morning
rebaixes- sales (discounts)
Today was great, I was able to sleep in until about nine, when Anna came to wake me up. We ate breakfast at her house, which consisted of milk with Colacao (a sort of chocolate milk powder mix) and cereal. The Spanish tend to have a very small breakfast in the morning, then a large lunch followed by another smaller meal for dinner. After eating, we met up with some of Anna's friends and went to the market. There were tons of people buying fruits and vegetables, along with clothes and other trinkets. It reminded me a lot of Nashville's farmers market. Later, we all went to the movies to see "El Resacón 2" (The Hangover 2). Although it was all in Apanish, I was able to understand most of it. I can feel my Spanish getting stronger as we come into the third day of the homestay. I find myself not having to think so much about what I want to say, it just sort of flows out. After the movies, we met Rob, Max, and their respective host sisters Alba and María at a small cafe for some tea. We ate dinner at a local "fast-food" restaurant. There isn't fast food in Olot, but Anna told me that this was the closest thing. It was still delicious, unlike what I think of when I hear fast-food. Anyhow, we were able to celebrate the 4th of July by lighting off some fireworks with Alba's younger brother and his friend in a small park. Finally, we headed back home and Anna and I exchanged funny internet videos (a little US culture, I suppose). Adiós!
July 5th, 2011
Catalan:
Festa- party
lapilli/grada- small volcanic rock fragments (no easy definition for this one...)
Wow, today was an experience! We woke up very early to eat a quick breakfast at our house and then were picked up by Alba and Rob to go hike around the base of Croscat, the biggest and most visited volcano in Olot. Our guide told us on one side there is a closed crater (where the eruption left a large hole in the top of the volcano), and on the other side there is an open crater (where the lava flowed down the side of the volcano and carved out a large section of the base). Above is a picture of the Americans at the base of the volcano. After this, we headed to one of Anna's friends houses to swim. The cold pool was incredibly refreshing on such a hot day, especially after having two days of storms and not really being adapted to the Olot heat! When we were all too pruny to swim anymore, we decided to play a little fútbol. Needless to say, Rob and I pretty much dominated. Anna made us a delicious lunch of bocadillas (sandwiches), small corn and vegetable patties, something similar to mozzarella sticks, and pasta. We watched a little bit of the second Harry Potter movie in Spanish before we both ended up passing out on the couch from exhaustion. Swimming and soccer can take a lot out of someone. We both continued to sleep through siesta, giving us the energy we needed to carry out the day. If there's one thing I definitely know I'll miss a lot when I return, it's siesta. It's been amazing to have a few hours each day to rest and relax. After lunch, we met back with the rest of the group and walked around the small pueblo looking at shops, seeing the beautiful countryside, and talking with locals. The town is so small that it seems like everyone knows each other here. Every day we have been stopped multiple times in the street to find a neighbor or acquaintance wanting to talk and catch up for a while. Finally, we stayed up until midnight to wish Rob a happy 17th birthday. His family even gave him a picture frame with a picture of us and our host sisters in it. Tomorrow I think there will even be a party for him.
July 6th, 2011
Catalan:
Adéu- goodbye
Coques- sandwich
Well, Rob and I are now speaking a mixture of Spanish and Catalan we like to call "Spanalan," or maybe "Catalish." I haven't decided which I like better. Anyhow, the day started off great when Anna and I went to go surprise Rob and Alba at their house for Rob's birthday. We went to a local bakery and got croissants, cookies, and fresh milk from a milk-vending machine that you have to bring your own bottle for. Best milk I've ever had in my life, no lie. Then, we met some of their friends in a small park for a picnic. Afterwards, we walked to a cafe to meet some more people and get some iced-tea (Rob's favorite drink). I ate a delicious meal of pescado con patatas y verduras (fish with potatoes and veggies), cooked by mi madre. As always, it was amazing and I ate every last bite. Later, Rob came to Anna's house (well, I guess it's my house too) and swam in the pool for a little bit while Alba was at a family outing. We walked to a local grocery store in the pouring rain and bought some groceries, then returned home to dry off and get ready to meet everyone for dinner. When we arrived, everyone from the group and their host-sisters were at the restaurant waiting for Rob with a cake and some gifts. Feliz cumpleaños, Rob! It was a great time, and finally Anna and I returned home to get some sleep!
July 7th, 2011
Catalan:
taula- table
ordinador- computer
cadira- chair
lampara- light
llit- bed
Woke up relatively early again today and made some bocadillas for later. Then, Anna and I met up with some of her friends to go play some fútbol and other games at a public track/field area. We ate breakfast there and then played some games for a long while. Afterwards, we returned home for lunch and siesta, where I proceeded to sleep three and a half hours. But before that, Anna and I made arroz a la cubana for lunch. This dish consists of rice with tomato sauce and a fried egg on top, muy rico. We ended up making way too much rice, but it was so delicious that we ate it all anyway. They cook a lot with oil here, never butter. I found that a nice reprieve from all the southern cooking I get at home in the states. Anna woke me up around 6pm from siesta to let me know that "some" of her friends had arrived. I drowsily walked outside to find a ton of people our age all speaking Catalan, it was a little overwhelming. It was really hard to remember all the names, so for then everyone was Carlos or Carla. Anyway, we had dinner at Alba's house today for her parents' 20 year anniversary. Dinner consisted of pan con tomate (bread with tomatoes), tortilla (a type of omelette with potatoes, onions, and peppers), and small goat cheese pizzas. I, again, ate way too much and was full the rest of the night. Afterwards, we set off some fireworks and ate some cake. We also drank water out of some strange lamp looking apparatus that lets you pour the water into your mouth from really high up. It was fun, and everyone was soaked by the end of it. We taught our host-sisters how to play dodgeball and played a few rounds before walking to a small park to get some exercise after such a large meal. Finally, we returned home for some sleep. Tomorrow, we go through three cities on a group excursion, should be lots of fun!
No comments:
Post a Comment