Actualizaciones (updates)

A few fun facts about Spain:

-Kids here do not play Simon Says, they play Simon (see-moan) disais. 
-Winking is not (always) done to be flirtatious. It's more of a way to let someone know you share a secret or a joke. Teacher's even do it (a bit shocking to me at first).
-When you're served your food it insults the cook if you don't eating immediately. It doesn't matter if no one else has their food. 
-Nap time, is the best time.
-They use a 24 clock here not a 12 hour. So 4 p.m. here is 16:00.
-Hard Rock cafe shirts are VERY popular. 
-As is the Portuguese song Nosa Nosa. Primarily because the soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo does the dance to this song every time he scores a goal (google it! It's worth watching). 
-And unfortunately s'mores are non-existent here. There are no graham crackers or mallows to be had in Spain. My host brother has never even had one, he's just seen them on TV.
-Speaking of TV, they don't get the E channel here. Which means they don't know what Fashion Police are, or The Soup, or even...Ryan. Seacrest. Wow. I know. 

Now for a few updates on my life in Spain:

I had my first real night out, a concert with other exchange students. It was the MTV Madrid Beach Party. Four of us went together and a 5th planned to meet us there. Then, when he couldn't find our group in the crowd, 20 random Spanish high schoolers invited him to hang out with them. Then eventually he found us and we were introduced around too. That's one thing I really love about Spain, that you can go to a concert by yourself and leave it having met 20 new people. 

That was also the night I successfully navigated 6 metro stations. A very proud moment. 



School meanwhile, is a mash-up of endless hours of Spanish and moments of pure entertainment. Today in my Lengua Castellano y Literatura (Spanish language and literature) class for instance, we learned about Spanglish. Yes, you read that right. We read an article that was written half in English, half in Spanish. I'd tell you what it said, but unfortunately my English half far outweighs my Spanish. So I only understood part of it.

Then in my Advanced English class (where classmates look at me like i'm the source of all knowledge) I was asked "what is the difference in the pronunciation between the word beach and the word b*7$%." Yes, my teacher actually asked me to say the word out loud for the class to hear.

What's happening in my other classes I can't really say, because I don't know. But I can now understand some phrases and when I hear people speak they don't sound like someone hit the fast forward button anymore, a very big improvement. Part of which, I think, comes from the notes other students write to me during class on slow days. I get to practice my Spanish and at the same time answer all their questions about California: do we all look like we're from the TV show The O.C.? Do we all know how to surf? Do we say dude? 

I'm also very pleased to say my teachers have now caught on to the fact that no, i'm not French (je ne parle pas français), and no, i'm not German either (Ich spreche kein Deutsch). Apparently, I don't look American. So, when my classmates first met me, they started to lean in for besos (cheek kisses) assuming I guess that I was European and would be okay with it (which I would've, when in Rome and all that). But, then the girl who was introducing me around would say "She's American!" And suddenly my classmate would be 5 feet away from me, with one arm completely outstretched for a handshake...do people in other countries think Americans shake hands a lot?

After three days of people leaping away from me every time they learned I was American I finally asked another student. His response was "no we don't think Americans shake hands a lot, we just know you like more personal space than we do here and you're from California which is really cool and special to us so we do a handshake as like a polite, formal hello." I've tried dropping hints I'd really prefer the besos over my awkward handshakes. But they took that to mean I wanted high fives instead...It makes it a little hard to fit in when all your classmates go around the circle giving besos in the morning then they get to you, jump back, and say "give me 5." But they mean well.

Asi hasta mañana

Primer dia de la Escuela

Another exchange student summarized for me the first day of school experience. "The first day really sucks. You heard it would, but the sheer amount of suckiness is hard to believe until you actually experience it. But, then the next day it sucks a little less, and the next day even less and eventually it's at a level of suckage equal to that at your old high school." Funny, depressing and accurate all at once.

My first day was exactly like I'd heard it be, difficult (if not impossible) to understand anything that was said, people were helpful and understanding (those that spoke english made sure to sit nearby to help me) and there were a lot of awkward stares. When you're preparing for your exchange, previous years exchange students warn you that the first couple weeks of school will be very hard. But most of us fail to believe it till we get there and realize they weren't exaggerating. People are friendly, don't get me wrong on that point, no one hates an exchange student (and eventually they'll love you). But they're friendly, they're not friends.

And like exchange students everywhere, I did suffer some of those big, oops moments (one exchange student I know got flustered and accidentally told a boy she loved him instead of asking him his name. It happens.) You know you're going to make these sorts of mistakes, but of course you hope it won't be on the first day...I guess on the flip side though, at least I got them over with.

I mean, mistaking the boys bathroom for the girls, for instance, was a bit embarrassing (followed by my attempt at a nonchalant walk out of the boys room and into the girls). Getting locked out of my history class because I got a little confused and lost, was also a bit upsetting since I then had to hang out in the school lobby for 30 minutes pretending to read bulletins (which of course I couldn't actually read because they were in Spanish). But, you have to remind yourself, this is the hardest day of school I will ever have, tomorrow can only be easier.

And it's tomorrow now, and I'm very happy to say it was easier. I was invited to sit with a group at break. I understood maybe 10% of what was being said in class (a big jump from yesterday's 0) and was able to speak a little bit more Spanish than the day before. A few more people introduced themselves, and said hello the next time they saw me in the hall. For the three classes we have together one boy (I think his name is Yifil) has made sure to sit by me both days because he speaks English fluently. In my World Lit class Guyermo (William), Enrique (Henry) and three other kids whose names I've completely forgotten (it's hard when they're not all Matt, Emily or Kevin) have invited me to be part of their group...well, at least I think that's what they said. The teacher told me I needed a group and Enrique did a thumbs up at himself and his friends and said si! So I assumed that meant I was in (perfect example of an average conversation with a new exchange student). In my Advanced English class (a class I can not only pass, but am also helping to teach) I've made a few friends by offering english help in exchange for Spanish help. And math...surprisingly is my best class (with the exception of english).

School here definitely makes me miss my friends, but I have to remind myself I've only been there two days, real friendships will probably take a few more than that (but I'm thinking three's a good number :) Luckily a number of other Rotary exchange students live nearby and three Rotexs (kids from Spain who went on exchange the previous year) are also just down the street. So I have a built in friend group outside of school which helps.

The reality of being here for a full year has finally hit me though and as scary as it is, every day I notice something new that's completely unlike anything in California, it keeps it fresh and exciting for me. At school for instance: kids call their teachers by their first names. Students in 11th grade pick which path they want to be on (Humanities like me, Social Sciences, or Sciences) and then have to take the 8 classes required for this path for 11th and 12th grade.  You have six classes per day for one hour each. The teachers change rooms not the students (except for certain classes, for instance, my advanced english class is in a different room) so you're generally with the same kids for all of your classes. Schools here are also generally much smaller. There are about one hundred kids in my entire grade. Which, the way I see it, means a hundred new friends to meet.

The room where all of my classes (except Advanced English) take place.

Asi hasta mañana

Nuevos Amigos/New Friends

Today I made my very first friend here in Madrid! He lives two floors above me. He's very, very cute, has dark curly hair, big brown eyes and the most adorable accent I've ever heard. He's also three...and speaks (slightly) better Spanish than I do. Our conversation went along the lines of Me Tarzan. You Jane (or the Spanish equivalent to it). But once he showed me the different lights on his tricycle and I could name their colors (rojo, verde, y azul) I think he decided we'd be fast friends.

My host parents went back to work today and my host brother started University, I meanwhile don't start college (high school) till Wednesday. So, I found myself wandering around the building in search of something to do (other than study for my upcoming SAT).

After hanging around the communal garden, taking photos and making friends with my new neighbor, I decided to brave the big city by myself. Walking alone in a major city you're new to is daunting to begin with. Add on the fact that your conversation level is equal to a toddler's and you've got one heck of an adventure in front of you.

So, off I went. House keys, cellphone, and camera in hand on my little adventure. I hope in my black button down, shades and techie looking camera I seemed to passerby's more art student than American tourist. But probably not. I was in the California girl uniform: blue jeans, flip flops and of course blond hair. It's a nice thought though.

Then when my host parents got home we met with my Rotary tutor (the Spanish word for counselor) Javier, his wife and their daughter Ellie (who's 20) for coffee and sweets. They're basically assigned to be another family looking out for me while I'm on exchange and they were all very kind, telling me I'm welcome anytime and saying "mi casa es su case." Unfortunately only Ellie speaks English and she is leaving for Hungary for a year, but she'll be back for New Years and invited me to go to a New Years party in Madrid with her and her cousin. It's nice to have plans again. It's odd being somewhere new and not having a schedule or much to do (except learn Spanish) since I'm not in school yet.

Last night I also went out with my host brother and fifteen of his friends from university to a restaurant called 100 Montaditos (the subway of Spain). So, I got a preview of what school is going to be like. Little me lost in a sea of Spanish. Alvaro told everyone not to speak English, but to speak Spanish a bit more slowly so I could attempt to understand the conversation (I couldn't much). Everyone was incredibly friendly though and after three hours of me struggling through responses my upstairs neighbor (the three year old) could have given, they gave me a break from Spanish so they could pepper me with questions about California, U.S. universities and silly ones like do Americans know "Peanut butter jelly time?"Pure fun.

(The outside of the restaurant)

Nightlife itself is definitely different here than in Carlsbad. For one, they have it. Alvaro and I left to meet his friends at 7:30, we walked from our house in the fashion district to the city center and didn't return home till 12:30ish. In the restaurant people sat at low tables on little stools and if they had a large group like ours, they pushed the tables together. It was also very cheap and for 25 euros you could get 25 mini sandwiches (montaditos) and 25 drinks. The sandwiches ranged from delicious (chorizo, sort of like ham, with cheese on a small baguette) to the disgusting (chocolate chip baguette with white chocolate cream, strawberry sauce and m&m's).

(Montaditos)

Now I'm just waiting anxiously for my first day of school (tomorrow) and my first Rotary Orientation (Thursday night-Saturday morning) where I'll meet the other 100 exchange students staying in Spain this year.

Así que hasta mañana

A Tidbit of my Journey to France!

So, I decided to go all out and I joined a fancy shmancy organization to give me one full school year in France--all high school credits included! The part they neglect to mention? It all includes a five-day orientation. No...no that sentence isn't giving it enough credit...let me try again:

After extensive plane rides and a confusing string of trains (all if French of course) I finally made it off my track into Paris, where I was previously informed of a short orientation purely for describing each participant's situation to him or her. Upon my arrival I was put into a hotel with three roommates: one from Norway, one from Japan, and another from normal Colorado--FUN PART: using english was actually ten times as difficult as just explaining everything with hand motions. Even more fun? This little pre-adventure lasted for 120 hours. That's right. Five days.

I should mention that my school in France is in session during these five completely unnecessary days of orientation.

All lifeless days of listening to different safety speeches aside (and yes, each was repeated in English, French, and Spanish), I did actually make a ton of friends! Before I even started my trip, I learned a Russian card game, a Bulgarian song, made friends who are from Norway, almost every state, and then some other countries whom must be beautiful to live in, however their names escape me at the moment. Totally worth  the five days of safety speeches.

And, oh yeah, did I mention we all went to Paris on a tour through the city?

'Cause we definitely did that.

After all the fun of meeting new people and seeing new places though, it was time to go "home" and see my family.

All the foreign kids with our big fancy shmancy corporation got sent off to their host families, and I got lucky enough to actually have four kids in my same region! We did our hugs and kisses (no literally that's a French thing) and greeted and all that jazz. And finally, after hours of unpacking, I sat down and had a moment to myself...so that I could give you guys a moment of my past week!

Tomorrow is my first day of school, and I'll be waking up bright and early--oh, and apparently the school's principal is giving me a campus tour and introducing me to each class. Subtle, right? I'll keep you updated on that tomorrow--but until then, au revoir et bon soir! (Goodbye and Goodnight!)

First night out in Spain

If you love fashion, then not only is Madrid a good place to go, it's THE place to go. Prove it you say? I give you three words. Fashion's. Night. Out.

One night per year Madrid hosts an all night shopping extravaganza. You can peruse the best stores ($5,000 shoes? Check!) while snacking on free food, sipping free drinks and listening to the best bands play live just a few feet away from you. And it's all done at midnight while wearing your most Vogue-worthy outfit. (Picture Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway in “The Devil Wears Prada,” but with a Spanish flair).

For the event traffic is brought to a complete halt in the fashion district of Madrid (where I live) to make room for the masses of Madrileños in their most fashionable ensembles in search of the perfect outfit and a great night out. Celebrities and well-dressed locals are interviewed for Fashion magazines. Stages are erected outside stores for various types of entertainment to attract customers to their stores. Live models in the shop windows. And then there are the freebies. Free pink balloons from Juicy Couture? Stick-on tattoos baring the Dior logo? It'll make your head spin.

Then there's the holy grail of Fashion's Night Out. A coveted spot in Vogue magazine as a best dressed Madrileño. Girls try on jackets and accessories straight from the Vogue wardrobe department, have their photo taken by a professional and hope it’ll land them the fashion lovers dream of being in Vogue Magazine. This all happens in the middle of the street where a huge set is built just for the contest.

It’s definitely a sight to see and hear (which if you live where I do, you most definitely will until the early hours of the morning). For my first night out in the city this was an amazing way to start.

Hasta mañana

At Hard Rock Cafe on Fashion's Night Out with (from left to right) My host brothers, Daniel and Alvaro, Alvaro's girlfriend Paula, my host dad Jose Domingo, host mom Mari Carmen and me.

Introducing the Aloha State... My Way

Aloha.

Boy, that’s awfully cliché but I suppose there really was no other way to kick this thing off…

Anyway, for those of you who haven’t figured it out yet, I'm Shon and a couple months ago I took off from the mainland for Hawaii, to live out my final year as a high school senior. For fear of sounding a bit like a boring travel guide, I’ll spare you the overused descriptions of “white sandy beaches” and “huge verdant cliffs.” Instead, I’ll give you my more simplistic (and altogether more satisfying, in my opinion) take on island life.

First off, I feel I must add that the views ARE amazing. I mean take one look at the photos I’m posting that are all in the direct vicinity of my house and there will be no arguing that. I just don’t want to get caught up describing them. What I have gained from these amazing views are insights into some amazing pastimes.

Who knew that a place could be so dedicated to water sports…even more than Carlsbad. I swear if Hawaiians could they would grow gills and swim off. Swimming, paddling, spearfishing, sailing, surfing, stand up paddling, and bodyboarding make up about 80% of all recreational activity here, in a statistic I randomly generated right now.

Also, gorgeous bluffs and mountains all around provide for some pretty sweet hikes… mix in some rain and you’ve got waterfalls, which (though I’ve yet to see one) the locals tell me are a sweet, sweet sight.

From a day-to-day standpoint, life in the islands moves at two paces: slow and slower. If there exists a bone in the body of the locals that isn’t laid back, I’ve yet to find it.  My first days here have been long, easy ones: school, run, beach…sometimes in that order, sometimes omitting one of those. Yet, the variation of routine is minimal and you can always expect to catch a few rays regardless.

This casual routine lifestyle has brought me into contact with a lot of casual island kids, and contrary to popular belief, I haven't seen any non-Hawaiians get any form of grief from the locals… all-in-all it seems to me that Hawaii may quite possibly be the most relaxed and breathtaking place on the globe.

Over the next couple of weeks I'll occasionally come on and chat with you all: about school, about food, about the local lingo, and I'll introduce you all to some pretty chillin' locals. Gonna be quite a ride so make sure to check back soon. 

Mi primer día en España!

So, yesterday I flew across the Atlantic Ocean and landed in Madrid, Spain (That sounds very cool to say). The funny thing is I flew on an Irish airline that looked like someone spilled a box of Lucky Charms in it (no joke, they had Shamrocks painted on the wings). I had a Russian woman accidentally steal my seat and spent the flight chatting with a University student currently living in Madrid, but born in Belgium, previously from Indianapolis and then Poland, but who was actually 100% Portuguese. I was pretty much completely culture confused at this point.

Then I land. Suddenly, I'm in a sea of Spanish...and truth be told I know...well, next to nothing. As it turns out, an eight week Saturday class doesn't cut it. I make it through customs (incredibly nerve-wracking experience) and out the double doors (with my giant cart of luggage) to my host family. My host dad, Jose Domingo, mom, Mari Carmen and brothers: Daniel (18) and Alvaro (21) were there to greet me with a handmade sign with my name on it so I could spot them. Not really necessary since I was wearing the Mandatory Rotary Youth Exchange blue blazer which is hard to miss...I have nothing nice to say about the blazer...it's hideous, it's too big and very blue, but the sign was very sweet.

Meeting my host family though brought a new challenge, do I assume this is a time for the awkward cheek kisses (they're actually called besos, but for an American new to Spain awkward cheek kisses is more accurate) I decide yes and I was right! This was a big moment for me because in the 20 minutes I'd been in the country so far I’d kind of fumbled a few things. For example, I couldn’t read the instructions on the luggage cart which said to push the handles down to make the wheels roll, so instead I dragged my cart halfway across the airport before I caught on...yeah, gave some security guards a good laugh with that one. 

So, after 13 hours I was finally in Madrid. My host family brought me home at around 8 a.m. (11 p.m. in the States), and gave me a Spanish cake/bread thing for breakfast. My dad, Jose Domingo took me around the neighborhood after that and at 2 we had lunch at an Italian restaurant nearby with my host brothers. My host dad speaks English well, but doesn't know many English expressions so he's having me teach him, but Daniel and Alvaro are fluent so for now they are speaking English to me. My host mom though speaks no English.

The first day she and I had a lot of trouble communicating. Alvaro and Daniel told me how excited she was to finally have a daughter to shop and gossip with which made me feel terrible since at this point she and I could hardly understand each other. The only good part about the situation though was realizing our communication can only get better from here, it’s not like I’ll know less Spanish tomorrow. 

After lunch Alvaro took me sightseeing. I was hoping for a siesta, but sadly those are a thing of the past in Spain (except in some places in the South and on holidays) We stayed out late, had dinner with the family around ten (pretty much all meals are eaten en familia, the exception being dinner since sometimes you go out with friends to eat and dance).

The second day I slept very late (jet lag hits hard) and this time went sightseeing with Daniel. Mari Carmen made us lunch around 3 and afterwards she and I went shopping. I was nervous because I know she’s the one I need to make the most effort with. I hit it off with Daniel, Alvaro and Jose Domingo right away. Mari Carmen I liked a lot, but bonding is hard when all you can say is hola and si. So before we left I tried to memorize as many Spanish words in my dictionary as I could.

But I guess I actually knew much more Spanish then I thought. We had a great time. I did have to stick to one or two word questions and answers, but it was a start and I learned we share a love of: shopping and chocolate (how can we not get along knowing that?) My host dad even commented on how much my Spanish had already improved.  

Apart from the language in the past two days I have definitely noticed some other differences between Spain and California. The besos are the most obvious one.

I was surprised to learn they’re not reserved for family. Men sometimes do shake hands instead, but for women it's not optional. If you meet someone, anyone, guy, girl, a family member's friend, or stranger then you're going to give them sort of an air hug (only touching their arms) and two kisses, one on each cheek (really though you're just pressing your cheek against theirs, but I’ve heard some people do go straight for an actual kiss on the cheek or even on the mouth...they're very friendly. The exception is businesses; you don't go and give the guy who makes your coffee a beso when you're ordering a café con leche.

In Spain, friendliness extends past kisses though. They’re very touchy. Mainly it’s to show they like you or to make you feel welcome and also probably just an extension of their habit of talking with their hands. It's a little surprising a first, since in the U.S. we really only touch people we know very well and then only to say hello and goodbye. They also stand much closer together than Americans do. But, you get used to it very quickly. 

Now I should say that friendliness doesn’t mean politeness. Cars do not stop for you. It doesn’t matter if the sign says walk. You wait until no cars are coming (and they’re always coming and very quickly too) then you do not walk, you run to safety. If you think L.A. drivers are scary, come to Madrid.

So far I love it here. Madrid’s a beautiful city with lots to see and do and my host family is amazing (which is a really scary thing about exchanges, whether or not you will have a good host family). But, today it finally hit me that I have ten more months to go before I see my friends and family again. And Skype really doesn’t cut it. You feel kind of like you’re drifting the first few days of the exchange. Back home you had a schedule: friends to see, a dog to walk, class work, etc. Here though I won’t start school for a week.

But I do have lots of Spanish learning to keep me busy and Alvaro is currently teaching me the finer points of soccer (excuse me, football) video games. 

Así pues, hasta mañana. (So, until tomorrow...) 

Here is a picture from the surprise going away party we threw last night for my host brother Daniel (he leaves Friday for his exchange in Germany). Daniel is in the second row on the right in a plaid shirt. My host brother Alvaro is in the first row on the far left in yellow. Next to him is my host dad, Jose Domingo and my mom, Mari Carmen.