Salvador Dalí's home
The view from atop a volcano in Olot
July 8th, 2011
What a day, we went to three different cities! We woke up early to meet up with the whole group in the center of town to catch a bus that would take us around for the day. Anna and I walked (like we do everywhere, it's awesome), so we were almost a little late. She told me we had set a new record in the time it took us to get from her house to the center of Olot. We grabbed some croissants on the way and they had some sort of glaze on them that made them taste amazing. We went by bus to Girona and walked across a huge 1000 year old bridge. Try to knock it down, you can't. It was amazing to see such a historic site, older than anything that exists in the States. Anyway, afterwards we got back in the bus and headed to the next city, where we would go to a Museo de la Historia Judia, or "Jewish History Museum." This one was very similar to the one we saw in Toledo, so many of us became bored rather quickly. Promptly after, we had a small picnic in an open space and talked about the good things and bad things about the trip so far. Needless to say, no one had anything bad to say about anything or anyone on the trip. Then, I dropped my lens cap down a sewage grate, so that was cool... Later, the bus took us to a large Catalonian mall where I bought another lens cap. Mission accomplished. Then, we all went to a small lake to swim. Many of us had forgotten bathing suits but it wasn't a big deal, I swam in my boxers. The water was a little dirty but very refreshing. Finally, we returned to our respective homes for dinner. We ate some Mexican-style tacos, which I never expected to be eating in Spain! Contrary to common belief, Spanish food isn't spicy at all. In fact, there are hardly any tacos, burritos, etc., because all of those foods hail from Mexico. After dinner, Anna and I went to Rob and Alba's house to play some basketball and hang out. Tomorrow, I think we finally get to sleep in a little, so I'm very excited for that!
July 9, 2011
I slept until about 12:30 today, which brings me to lacking a total of about 3 hours of sleep I should have gotten since we got off the plane. I feel like I could sleep forever. I'm not really physically tired as much as I am mentally, it's difficult to make even the simplest decisions. Pero no pasa nada, I love Spain so much and I am having a great time! Rob and Alba woke me up today, so that was a nice surprise. Afterwards, we went swimming a little bit before Rob tripped and hurt himself, putting an early end to our swim session. Afterwards, we ate some delicious homemade paella for lunch with my family, and afterwards, my mom drove the four of us to the top of a mountain where we would have lunch. The view was beautiful and spectacular. We walked to the video store in town and rented a Spanish horror film called "Rec." We spent most of the time turning off all the lights and trying to scare each other when one of us went to the bathroom, got some food, or generally just left the group. Afterwards, we headed to Alba and Rob's house to play some basketball and other Catalonian games that Rob and I had a difficult time understanding. To end the night, Rob told us all ghost stories (in Spanish) from Puerto Rico, where the majority of his family live. It's interesting to see not only the culture from Spain, but from the other Americans in the group as well. I feel like I've made friendships and bonds that will last a lifetime here.
July 10th, 2011
Today was sweet! Anna woke me up and informed me we were going to the beach with Alba and Rob! We drove about 30 minutes away to a popular beach close to Olot. The sand was pebbly, but the water was the cleanest and clearest that I've ever seen! Rob and I put on masks and swam around little reefs just off the shore. There were fish everywhere and it was beautiful! Afterwards, we got a bite to eat at a small cafe. I ate some pizza and french fries (first American-esque meal I've had since our arrival), and Rob satisfied his American-food cravings with a hamburger. Then, we decided to head back home to relax. We rented some terrifying Spanish movie (again) that was the sequel to "Rec." It was pretty much a hybrid of the movies "Quarantine" and "Paranormal Activity." Some people stayed over at Anna's for a sleepover-type thing. Then we ate some gyros from a restaurant in town, they were amazing. We stayed up pretty late because the movie had freaked everyone out, so the next day it was especially difficult to get out of bed.
July 11, 2011
Wow, lots of walking today! We ate a quick breakfast and hiked up to the peak of a small volcano (no big deal) where an abandoned church and beautiful view awaited us. The ascent was arduous, but we muscled through because we didn't want to encompass the lazy-American stereotype. Anyway, the payoff at the top was spectacular! There was a small fountain of natural water to drink out of, which is awesome, and an amazing view of the whole town (also awesome)! Later, we returned home for some lunch- I ate pasta con atún- and to sleep. Afterwards, we met many of Anna's friends at the movies and saw yet another movie entirely in Spanish; however, it was muy facíl to understand. We returned to one of Anna's friends house to play some soccer, where Rob, Max, and I completely made fools out of ourselves. At least we had a lot of fun doing so! After getting dominated in soccer, we left Carlos' house to return home for the night. What a day!
July 12, 2011
The days have been flying here in Olot! We leave here in only three days for Barcelona! I already know I won't be ready to go yet, the people here are incredible and I've grown many friendships since our arrival. Today, we woke up around nine to say our goodbyes to Alba, who is traveling to France (essentially it's right down the street...) for a small duration of her summer. Then, many of us walked around the center of Olot with our host sisters looking in stores; we even bought some milkshakes. Later, Anna, her friend Judit, and I returned home to make some lunch. I ate salmon, something similar to mozzarella sticks, french fries, and fruit. Afterwards, I fell asleep while the others watched a movie. I was dragged out of the chair a few hours later to be taken to a large municipal park. At the park, the Americans decided to walk to the supermercado for some ice cream, only to be ambushed by water balloons on our return (the Catalonians call them "globos"). We all had a huge water balloon fight in the park, it was fun and refreshing! We returned to Rob's house to eat some dinner and play some basketball. I cut my foot pretty badly in scoring the only basket I made in Rob and I's one-on-one game. Luckily for me, Rob's host-mom is a nurse at the hospital, so she patched me up and all was well. We hung out at Rob's for a long time with his little host-brother until it was time to go home and rest.
July 13th, 2011
So I finally found out what they call these awesome automated blinds they have on all of their windows here. They are called "persianas" and I definitely want some. Anyway, today was super long and filled with activities! We walked into town to catch a bus to Figueres, where we saw the Museo de Dalí. Salvador Dalí being one of my favorite surrealist artists, the experience was, well, surreal. I got to see many of the original paintings and artwork that I've only read about or simply seen in a text book. Afterwards, we went to a small beach to hang out and relax, it was beautiful and not very crowded (always a nice plus). After, we walked to Dalí's house, which has been converted into a museum. His house's architecture and layout was eccentric, to say the least; however, the house was magnificently decorous and grand. My favorite part was probably a large contraption designed by Dalí himself which enabled him to move his canvas up, down, or sideways so that he could remain completely stationary (and sitting) while he was painting. Later, we stopped by a port-town for some dinner and gelats! Finally, we rode the bus back to Olot and my host-mom came and got Anna and I. What an exhausting day, now to bed!
July 14th, 2011
useful word I learned today: Atropellar- to run over
Today started off with Anna and I waking up early, as always, to go visit a yogurt factory called "La Fageda" with the rest of the group. The factory is a local co-op that also provides work for the mentally handicapped. We took a tour of the factory and saw how the yogurt was made, processed, and packaged. We got to feed cows, pet baby calfs, and even try some of the fresh yogurt made on site. It was so good that Jeff, our group leader, bought two more packs to take home. Later, we went home to siesta a little bit. I woke up to a lot of voices to find that a majority of the group had come over to watch some movies and hang out. It was a great time and we watched some American films in Castillian. Afterwards, we said our goodbyes and Anna's family made us sushi for dinner! It was incredible, the ingredients were super fresh, and not to mention sushi is my favorite food. Later, Anna's sister, Laura, took some of us to the center of Olot to get some gelats at a small cafe, then we returned home to sleep.
July 15th, 2011
Today was the last day of the homestay here in Olot. we woke up really early to go play basketball at a public outdoor court. We had a big game of Catalonians versus Americans. After a disappointing defeat (we lost 30-28), we walked to the market to get some snacks and much needed water. Later, Anna and I returned home for some lunch. We ate pescado con patatas fritas. Grilled fish with fried potatoes, a typical dish of Olot. I took a short siesta to regroup from basketball. When I woke up, a bunch of people had come to Anna's to swim. Later, we walked through some stores buying last minute souvenirs on our way to our farewell dinner. At the dinner, the Americans each gave a small speech in order to thank everyone involved for their hospitality over the past two weeks. Afterwards, we headed to a traditional Spanish activity, people stacking. Here, many people gather together to form giant human pyramids. I even got the opportunity to try it! It was a great last night.
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