Kicken it in Spain

So today is my 12th day here in Spain, and it feels like it's been a month or more. I'm not sure why time seems to be going by so slow, but I guess it's okay because I like it here!

My first day of school was on Friday, and it was quite.... boring. I said it's boring because I had a hard time understanding what my teachers were saying, and plus the first day is orientation and it always sucks!! It was hard, and even after school the rest of the day felt kind of depressing. I had that ¨oh crap¨ feeling because I forgot that I am actually here to be a student. I don't mind being a student, its just that until now I've just been hanging out, and having a good time with my friends. I'm not worried, I think it was just a wake up call saying something like ¨get your head out of the clouds you're not a tourist Jose¨ I'm still kicking it with my friends. When school really starts getting hard I´ll just have to discipline my self, and figure out my priorities.

So how is my Spanish doing?
agh.... getting better. Getting a LOT better. There are still times where I say something but its kind of just comes out as mumbling, because I can´t really say what I want to say correctly. Other times I can really speak it well. Well enough that people don´t doubt me when I say I speak Spanish. I´m starting to feel more comfortable speaking Spanish. I definitely feel more confident with my Spanish. Let's just say I feel confident enough to talk to Spanish girls. Last night me and my friends were hanging out downtown when we saw a group of fairly attractive girls hanging out by the river, so of course my friends dared me to go talk to the girls. Now, even in America, I wouldn't have a ton of confidence talking to strangers, but me being a dare devil I went to go talk to these girls. I had no idea what to say, with my somewhat limited Spanish I was just setting my self up for failure. But I  went up there and said the worst opening pick up line of the century, and it worked! I walked up and said ¨hola chicas, estoy nuevo aqui y no se donde estoy? este es El Centro si?¨ and they all looked at me and laughed, but then it got better, and I met some new people, and I have their facebooks now! So in the end it all worked out. I have to say I did not think my Spanish was as good as it is. And I came across to these girls as a bilingual American exchange student (at least that is what I thought)
. What a combo!!!

Me taking pictures with the Spaniard strangers

I'm having fun here, good that I made the choice to go on exchange!

One Whole Week

So last night was official my first week in España. I guess I can proudly say that I survived my first week. I´m glad because Rotary says that the first week is always the hardest. For me, it wasn't all that hard. Difficult at times, but nothing impossible to deal with. I guess it might get a lot harder because I haven't started school. I am actually excited to start school, unlike any other year of my life. I think this is because of  a couple of reasons, :

Reason 1. I still don't know a lot of people here, and I know going to school will introduce me to new people. Plus everyone knows about the new American student that will be attending their school. My host mom works at the school I will be attending, and she has been telling me that a lot of students that have gone to register have been asking questions about me... sweet!!

Reason 2. I'm slightly bored in my house. There is not really much to do besides hang out. I try to help out as much as I can, but whenever I try to help out my host family tells me ¨oh don't worry you don't have to do anything¨. This is kind of starting to bother me because in my house in the USA I am expected to help out, and do my chores. I feel like maybe I am dragging my weight. Also, I love my host family, but I feel at times my host brother Yered, can be quite..... obnoxious. I understand he is 9 years old, and when I was 9 years old I acted the same way. I feel like I have been very patient and respectful with my host family, I also know they have been more patient, and more respectful and understanding with me. So I want to start school maybe just to give the family some space I guess.

With all that said, my point is that I am excited to start school.

Spain really is a beautiful country. I have been enjoying it here a lot. Like I explained before, this city is old and what I would say antique. Everything here is smaller, the cars, buses, schools, houses, streets. Whats interesting is how much American culture influences this place. Here every one seems to know American music, TV shows, clothing, and other things in the pop culture sphere. It's interesting when I turn on the TV and Jersey Shore is on. Not that I like Jersey Shore, but as in the USA, a lot of people here like it too.  Its the same with all these other crappy MTV shows. Its kind of funny to see all of these American movies and TV shows dubbed in Spanish. Its interesting how American pop culture is shaping the pop culture of Spain too.

Well that's my week number 1 report! I am enjoying it here!

Jose

Me and Jess in the Balcony of my friend Dani's house

Jess, Rosa, Dani

Me standing next to the Palacio de Colon in El Centro

Gate to the Garden of the Alhambra

Me on the bus with my friend Ivan

La Playa de Salobreña

 

Today me, my host family, and some friends went to the beach. Awesome! I haven´t been to a beach in a long time. it was so awesome. swam a lot had fun! we rented a boat and went all over with it... it was fun. took some pictures. Check them out!!

 

 

 

Some Stuff I'm Doing

Arrival in Granada with my host family

So since I have gotten here, I have yet to play a single game of football (soccer). I have been playing a lot of basketball though. I think I joined a team. Yesterday my neighbor (friend) asked me if I wanted to go to El Centro (downtown) and play some basketball. I said sure that sounds fun, some pick up in the park! When I got there there was about 15 kids running around the court, and I thought to myself these guys are taking this ¨pickup¨ stuff pretty seriously with a pretty intense warm up, then my friend Adrian introduced me to the coach, than I said ¨oh this is an actual team¨. So I practiced with the guys, and I might even just be on the team. It was cool to play with the Spaniard kids though, I wore my Micheal Jordan shirt and everyone was telling me ¨que bonita camisa¨. I think the Spaniards like me already! So I look forward to playing a lot of basketball!

El Centro de Granada! It is crazy how old this city is. El Centro is a typical old European village, narrow streets, churches every where, people in the market. Its hard to believe that people can even drive cars and buses through these streets. These streets are small and narrow, I would compare them to the hallways of my school, and its funny because you´ll see cars speeding down the streets going like 50 mph. You see an Arch Tower built by the Moors right next to a Church. You´ll see a building that looks like it was built 6 centuries ago, and in that building is a JC Pennies. Its a bit of a contradiction to see the old next to the new just standing there. Its quite a scene.

Today I was with my host family at this place called Aventura Amazonia. Its kind of like a giant outdoor jungle gym. it was really fun. feel like I am bonding well with my host family.

I guess that's it for now... I´ll have more pictures soon, for all you followers to check out.

Bye!

First night in Granada

My host brother Yered

My view of Granada from my bedroom

My host brother Henok

Finally in Spain

So after two entire days of travel I am finally here and happy to be with my host family.
Getting here was hard, and when I was at the airport (DIA), it was a pretty emotional moment. Saying goodbye to my parents for a year was hard. I said good bye, and I think everyone cried, even my friend Taylor!

It took two whole days, you would think that now with all the modern technology it would be shorter, but it wasn't. One thing that's been weird since I have got here is what the time is. I have no idea what time it is. Its really weird. I don't feel like I am on Denver time, but I am definitely not on Spanish time.

My host family is really nice, really cool, really awesome, well I could say I already love them. My host family has a dad (Francisco Jose) a mom (Ana) little brother number 1 (Yered) and little baby brother number 2 (Henok). Henok is so cute, yesterday he was running around the house naked, it was actually quite hilarious. Yered is just so interested in me and asks me so many questions about what I am doing, or what I do for fun in the USA and all kinds of different things. Yered is also cute, and is a nice little host brother. Francisco a really nice dad too. He is pretty interested about what I used to do in the United States too. He knows a little bit of English, probably from watching American movies or something. Ana is so sweet, she is an awesome cook, and has been there for me a lot already. So I am really happy here already. I miss home, but I love it here a lot, plus I have had to speak so much Spanish and do so much thinking that I don't have time to miss home.

So now you have been wondering how I have been communicating with other people... well I have been speaking Spanish, for the most part. since I have been here there have only been three people I have really been able to speak English too, they are my two fellow exchange students and a guy named Dani who was an exchange student to the United States last year. Spanish has been hard, I cant get my point across clearly, but I feel like I am getting better. Already I am able to communicate with friends. I understand most of what is being said. Sometimes I don't get anything, sometimes I get everything, sometimes I can correctly respond, sometimes I can not respond. Sometimes I speak to people and make no freaken sense at all. Some times I make perfect sense.... sometimes! I am learning Spanish and I am enjoying this experience. The accent of Spanish here is different. It's hard to understand sometimes, but I like it. It's funny, a few times I have said Mexican words, and every one here is like what? It's been funny, a good learning experience. I love it here!

I am starting to meet my future classmates, It's weird because they all kind of know me, and I don't know them. I wish I knew them better, but as the year progresses, I will. Yesterday one of my friends, Fran, took me out to play basket ball with a bunch of guys... it was a really fun night, I got to show them how good I was (hahaha sort of good) and I got to speak Spanish and integrate myself in Spanish culture!

I start school in a week and I am excited to get started!

well that's it for now

Guti

My friend Taylor as set off to Spain

Me and the other 2 exchange students

New Beginnings

At this point many of you know that I am traveling to Spain for my junior year of High School. To be exact Granada… to be precise, Jun.  I will be there for an entire school year attending “La Madraza” (a school). The length of the trip will be about 10 months. This is an experience of a life time and I am extremely exited to go! I’m going to meet new people, go to new places, and do new things. I'm expanding my horizons, or whatever the expression is. I already have a host family and they seem very cool, and all I can say is I can't wait to meet them. I’m just waiting for the day that I leave this place for good!…. well at least for a year. This will be my blog while I am gone… here is my intro! 

Am I going to miss Denver and the people I’ve come to know? Not one damn bit… no I’m just kidding, of course I’ll miss people, places, just and old time tradtions that I regularly do. One thing I will miss is when me
and my friends would all go out to eat at McDonald’s after a long fun day and just BS about stuff we did and people we meat. It was just a way to waste our time away that I consider to be fun. I will also miss my family a lot, they have been there for me when I was the victim, and they have been there for me when I was the criminal. I guess it works both ways, and I have to thank my mom and dad a lot for actually letting me go on this trip, I know many parents who did not let their children go off. But I’ll miss the Mile High City of Denver, because I was raised here and I have known no other city to be home. Despite all of this I’m defiantly willing to let go and start not a new life, but a new chapter of my current life! So in this sense I’m willing to let go…   

Although every adventure starts with a beginning, no one said beginnings are easy. In fact my beginning really kinda sucks! I had a very hard time getting a visa for Spain, because of all the requirements. I was first required to have and FBI fingerprint done, I guess this way they know they aren’t going to get (as many) screw ups in their country. Another requirement was that I had to go to Los Angeles to apply for my visa. The trip was scheduled to be a 10 minute meeting. Before we went we had spent days making sure that we had all of the right papers we needed so the Spanish Consulate would except me and grant me a visa. Then finally the day to fly to LA came and we were off confident that we had what I needed to get my visa. At first it went well and the guy checked off all of the stuff we needed, and than he comes to us (us is me and my mom by the way) and says “you are missing a paper that tell us what your insurance covers, you are denied!” So we made some phone calls out of desperation and finally we are able to get a hold of someone who got us the paper. So then they finally agreed to hold on to my application. By mire chance, luck, or just destiny, I met another student at the consulate who happens to be going to Granada with me, and is going to be attending the same school I will be. This was one positive thing out of this whole stressful experience. A week later I was approved, and the following week I got my visa, so I was finally able to legally enter the country! With all my papers ready now, I just need to get myself ready! 

So why did I pick Spain if I knew I would have a hard time trying to get a visa? Well first of all I wanted to become fluent in Spanish, become more culturally aware, and above all, see the world. Secondly I had no idea it would be hard! XD!!! (a joke to myself) But here is the way I look at the world, you can only study so much to gain knowledge, but you must experience your studies to become a part of it. In this sense if I want to say I am a true citizen of the world, I have to go to other places than just downtown, or Mr. G’s Neighborhood Corner Store, I had to travel farther, and for a longer period of time. Maybe this is why rotary really seemed like a good option for me. I felt like normal school life in Denver bored me, and became redundant in the sense that I just like every kid who goes to my school will move up a grade, and continue to go to school with the same students. Especially after going to school with the same people since middle school, I felt like I needed to meet new people and do new things. I kept thinking to my self: how many people do you meet that can say that they went to an other country to study a year abroad? Not many, so I decide to commit myself to this unique rewarding experience, and I thank rotary for it! The places I go and the things I do in life are the stories I will pass on to the next generation… So why live the same every day life? Let me go out into the world and grow as a man, and become the person who I want to be! Why stick to a trivial way of life? Well I could go on about what emotions I am feeling or what exactly is going through my mind for ever, but that just wouldn’t be my style, so I’ll just say that I’m so excited to be going on this trip! By saying this, I save you (the reader) a few minutes of long paragraphs that are in some sense repetative and time consuming.  

So I am leaving on September 5th, Going to fly to New York I think, then Madrid, from Madrid I will be going to Granada! All I can say is I’ll be half a world away, but still in the same world! So I shall end with this: 

I’ll be thinking of the city of Denver, and the people I’ve come to know, and I will use my skills that God, Allah, Jehovah, The Sun God Ra, The Creater, science, or whatever religion fits me best, to become the person I was meant to be!

Jose

a.k.a

Guti