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Letters from Spain
Reyna Gillead is a graduate of Youth Radio's training program,
and worked for us as a peer teacher and reporter from 1998 through 2002. She
is a sophomore at Emerson College in Boston, and is currently studying in Salamanca,
Spain. These are her letters to Youth Radio.
Wednesday, May 5, 2004:
Hey All,
I’ve been country-hopping the last two weekends, and it’s been GrrrrrEAT! Two weeks ago I spent three days in Lisbon, Portugal, it was an excursion with the University. This was the first school trip I’d taken, and it was a good opportunity to meet a whole bunch of new folks that go to the University of Salamanca. I went with my two friends Matt and Patrick, and a couple of kids from my class, this Belgian kid named Tone and this German guy named Jense.
The first thing I noticed about Lisbon is how much it reminded me of San Francisco. They had a major earthquake a while back that really destroyed a lot of the city, including one of their bridges. Before rebuilding the bridge, they researched bridge structures that could withstand an earthquake and ended up building a replica of the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s so cool because you hella feel like you’re in Frisco, but you’re in Portugal...crazy, right? I made sure to take a couple pictures so you can see what I’m talking about. The other cool thing about Lisbon is that they have cable cars in the downtown area, just like Frisco, and a crooked street that resembles Lombard St. Every few seconds I saw something that reminded me of home--that's probably why I loved it so much.
Lisbon is also really diverse, which was nice. Lots of Africans and Asians. And while walking down the street you hear all kinds of languages. The Portuguese speak English, Spanish and Portuguese fluently. They basically just wait to hear what language you’re going to use and they respond accordingly. It was so nice and easy to get around. I spoke mostly Spanish there just because I’m so accustomed to speaking it, but sometimes threw in a little English at the end.
The people are soooo nice, a lot kinder than the Spanish--a lot—and, once again, I stress A LOT. We got the BEST service in restaurants and cafes than we’ve gotten since we arrived in Europe. They checked up on us multiple times, asked us if we needed anything else--real customer service. And the weather was amazing--a little breezy but warm.
I would love to go back to Portugal at some point in my life, the only problem is that I HATE the Portuguese language. It sounds like some kind of German French Spanish on crack. Though I have talked to a couple of people from Brazil, their accent is a lot different and more pleasing to the ear. But all in all, I have nothing but very positive things to say about Portugal.
The following weekend I met up with my best friend from home, Nicole, in Morocco. We went to Marrakech, which was the sooooo tight. Let me start off by saying that Nicole and I agreed that it was like being on the real live set of Aladdin, no joke. There were snake tamers, fools were selling carpets, everyone kept telling you they had a very good price for you (my friend). But the people are beautiful.
It was weird; having been to Africa already I didn't really feel like I was in Africa as much as in an Arab country. A lot of the women wear veils, but not all of them. Some only rock the head veil, others do it up with the head and face combo, only exposing their eyes, and some just don’t wear anything. Nicole and I couldn't really figure out what determined whether a young lady was veiled or not, because one girl could be walking down the street with another girl and only one of them was veiled. So it wasn’t like those who chose to veil only socialized with other women who veiled...I don’t know, it was interesting.
The cutest thing I noticed was that the men hold hands when they are walking down the street together. I even saw some guys riding their bikes next to one another holding hands. Nicole was telling me that in Senegal it the same. I wish boys in the states would stop making everything a question of sexual preference and hold hands with their friends. But can you really imagine Oakland boys holding hands at the 57 bus stop? I don’t know, but I can dream damn it, I can dream.
The city of Marrakech is amazing. There are so many parks and gardens with all kinds of trees and flowers…it’s a really green place, but the streets are straight up dirt. Don’t get me wrong, they do have paved roads. The people generally all speak French and Arabic, both of which I don’t speak a lick of. I basically relied on Nicole the entire trip, yay for French-American Education. Some of the street vendors spoke Spanish, clearly since a lot of Spanish tourists come to Morocco for vacation since it’s so close.
Molly, one of the girls from my program, was actually in Morocco with her Spanish host parents from last Semester when she studied in Seville. We ran into them randomly, because that kind of stuff always happens when you’re on vacation. They were in a horse and carriage and me and Nicole Wild Wild Wested it and jumped on. Now Nicole was introduced to my world of Spanish and she did just fine and got to practice a little of it.
All in all, the trip was very relaxing. Everything in Marrakech is hella cheap. I figure its like going to China in a sense; you can get anything and everything for half the price and even though it might not all be the real deal, it really doesn't matter because nobody but you can tell the difference, right Nicole?
Reyna
P.S. I’ll send you pictures from Portugal and Morocco soon. I didn't take that many in either place so I’ll send them as one folder. Miss you all but Ill be back sooner than you know it. Take care.
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Thursday, March 11, 2004:
Hey All,
As most of you already know this morning, March 11, Madrid was hit by its biggest terrorist attack in Spanish history. Bombs were planted at two large stations in Madrid, killing what is now calculated to be 174 people. Of course this number is subject to increase after more bodies, or sadly enough, body parts are discovered.
Having lived through September 11, this terrorist attack surely hit home. I couldn’t help but relive all the feelings I had during that moment again today. The people of Salamanca started their day calling family members, friends and loved ones to make sure of their safety. The fear, not only in my señoras eyes, whose daughter lives in Madrid (she’s fine, she actually woke my señora up to tell her she and her husband were ok), but the fear of all my professors, the conversations I’ve had with them today, were the real proof that this attack was like no other Spain has EVER experienced. People are scared, clearly, but composed.
The news clips on TV are horrible, mind you that they show you everything on Spanish news (people covered in blood, people who lost limbs...they are not censored like we are in the states).
There is a lot of speculation that this was an attack of ETA, a terrorist group in Spain that originated in the Basque country (remember, I sent pictures from when I traveled there) of northern Spain, bordering France. ETA is a major terrorist group, with members spread throughout Spain, that, I’ve heard, is usually responsible for attacks that occur in Spain, but apparently it is out of character for them to construct an attack of this magnitude, not to mention the fact that it was targeted toward normal, everyday people going to work. My art teacher has suspicions that this is the work of a much larger group, something like Al Qaeda, in which Bin Laden might be a part of. I hadn’t even put it together that 1) the president of Spain is friends with Bush and has given him lots of support during this war, and 2) Although it may just be a coincidence, it is the eleventh day of the month. Of course nothing is for sure right now and like the first hours during September 11 the news is only given to the public a small amounts. I know that there were more bombs that the police have deactivated (sorry, I’m starting to forget my English, is that the right word?), one of which was in the president’s car.
They say there could be another attack tonight, but they always tell the public things like that. I remember after September 11 people were sure there would be another attack on the West Coast, in another big city city like San Francisco, but no one really knows for sure. My roommate Ariel has friends who flew into Madrid today and were on their way to the train station to go to Salamanca. They said they were three blocks away when they saw people running in a state of panic from the station. Welcome to Spain, right? But on a positive note, a lot of people have gone out already to donate blood, something that they actually have a lot of right now, which is good.
I’m doing ok, I can’t believe I’m in the same country, again, during a terrorist attack.
Tomorrow, Friday, at 7 p.m. there is going to be a gathering in the Plaza Mayor for the victims of what is now being called El Once de Marzo. I plan on going with friends to show my support for the families who lost their fathers, mothers, grandparents, cousins, best friends and children. You can all imagine how hard this moment is for the people of Spain and living here right now I can’t help but be affected as well. Luckily I didn’t plan to go to Madrid today for any reason, to be honest, and this is beside the point, Madrid isn’t really my favorite city so I don’t really travel there often, except when I have to pass through it to get to other destinations.
Well, that’s it for right now, I’m interested to know what they are saying about the attack in the U.S. It’s always interesting to hear about news from another country’s point of view, not that I’d pick the U.S. first but I don’t really know anyone in any other countries right now. Except for Mehmet (let me know man) and the Emerson crew at the castle in the Netherlands.
Ok, I hope some of you will get back to me and if you have any questions I will do my best to answer them. And if I don’t know the answer I’ll find someone who does. I love you all, take care.
Reyna
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Wednesday, February 11, 2004:
Hi All,
I hope everyone is doing fantastically well, quite fine by far (Outkast reference
for all you old fogies out there...just joking you don’t look a day over 25).
There were a couple of interesting things I’ve learned or that have come to
my attention while I’ve been in Spain that I wanted to share with you. Now
some of this info you may already know (Grandma Joy, that basically means
you since you seem to know EVERYTHING, it’s amazing I wish I could absorb
as much information as you do...you should go on Jeopardy, I’ll set that up
for you, ‘k?)
Let’s call this FACTS FROM SPAIN:
(Pay attention cause I’ll be giving you all a quiz on this material when I
get back, so study up)
1) Did you know that because of the Spanish Inquisition, Spaniards use both
of their surnames? During the inquisition it was required so that everyone
would know who your family was, father and mother. Now, it’s just sort of
something that got carried over into the culture. I’m not sure if it matters
which order the last names are in, but I know they are both included. So Nat
you’d be good in Spain (Natalie Marshall Hirsch.
2) Did you know (I promise not to start all of them off with did you know...this
will be the last one) that most all of the buildings in Salamanca are built
with this yellowish-orangey-pinkish-white clay, of course I forgot the name
of it, that is apparently really easy to mold and sculpt when wet and when
dry it’s supposed to be extremely strong. All of the Cathedrals, old apartment
buildings and shops are built out of this clay concrete. The cool thing about
it is that it changes color in the sun. When the sun is coming up all the
buildings turn this yellowish color and when the sun goes down, which is my
favorite, the buildings turn this reddish gold color that you just have to
see first hand, it’s so beautiful. (Deb, you might want to get Rob out here
to check this stuff out, we may be able to change the skyline of Oakland,
California. I don’t know, just an idea.) (See I get these ideas, you know,
and there’s just no stopping me.)
3) Anyone ever had a Chupa Chup? (hope that’s how you spell it...oh, just
sound it out people.) Well, if you have then you may already know that they’re
a delicious lollipop, usually caramel-based, but not always. Well, they are
an invention from Spain. Actually Gotti, the artist, was sitting with a friend
(his name is not important...ok fine, I don’t remember it) and they were like,
"Hey man, I want to make something for the kids," so then Gotti, like Gotti
does, started scribbling a little drawing of a candy wrapper and his friend
was like, "Hey man, that looks good, can you touch that up a bit and let’s
really make this happen. I know, we’ll call ém Chupa Chups." And the rest
is history. Well it wasn’t exactly like that but you get the drift. But the
wrapper they currently use on the Chupa Chups is different, they changed it
like 30 or more years ago, I don’t know why. So everyone go out and eat a
Chupa Chup and think of me and Spain when you do.
4) Another Spain invention is the mop, yes folks THE MOP. You see this guy
(I need to start writing down people names so I won’t forget) was noticing
how the men working on the seaports had to scrub down the docks on their hands
and knees. So he was like, "That stinks, they should be able to get the job
done just as well without having to be on their knees the whole time." And
the rest is history. The mop was born in Spain ladies and gentlemen. So everyone
go out and mop something, and when you do think of me and Spain.
5) Ok, this is the last invention I have...Did you know (yeah I brought back
the did you know) that Foosball was also invented in Spain. I thought you’d
like to know that one Eli, aka the Foosball master. It’s kind of strange because
I haven’t found anywhere here to play Foosball, but you’d think it would be
like "the thing" here. I don’t know, I’ll let you know if I come across a
Foosball competition or something. Lord knows I won’t be competing (don’t
think I have that good eye-hand coordination.
The 4th of February is Dia de las Mujeres, which means Day of the Women! (Go
ladies it’s your birthday, we’re gonna party like it’s your birthday--50 Cent
reference, copyright 2003) On this day ladies in Spain put their feet up for
a day of servitude. Women are not to cook, do the dishes, pick up the kids
from school...you get the drift. But it’s not just Moms, it’s all women and
girls. In some families the men have to buy gifts for all the women in their
family, but that’s not customary. But gifts for your wife/girlfriend/life
partner/significant other--whatever other politically correct labels there
are. At night all the women take to the street for FIESTA! So ladies, if you’re
looking for a good time and you’re in Spain, make sure you make it in time
for Dia de las Mujeres, February 4.
Well, that’s it for now, if I learn any more interesting facts I’ll make sure
to let you know. I miss you all, take care
Reyna
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Sunday, January 25, 2004:
 Hey All,
Sorry I’ve kind of been slippin’ with the email update. This week has been
sort of busy and I’ve been sleeping every moment I get (don’t worry I’m not
getting lazy I’ve just been catching up on sleep). So let me tell you about
my trip to Sevilla last weekend. First off , me and the two other girls in
my program, Molly and Ashley, left Salamanca at around 1 a.m. Saturday and
slept the entire six and a half hour ride. Once we got to Sevilla, we walked
around a bit, then dropped into a café to get hot chocolate. Let me explain
what it is in Spain. The hot chocolate is like melted fudge or pudding--it’s
thick, warm and rich. For all of you who love chocolate you’d go crazy off
this stuff. I’ve only had it twice, it’s so rich you can’t have it all the
time, only once in a while. Then we ordered churros to dip in the hot chocolate.
It was SOO GOOD! Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.
After "breakfast" we went to another café to have coffee. When I’m in the
states I almost NEVER drink coffee. Here, I drink at least one cup a day.
The coffee here is so good, and even though you can get it strong I usually
get what’s called a café con leche (coffee with milk), which is basically
one third coffee and two thirds milk. It’s delicious. Molly usually gets a
cortido which is a small shot of espresso and a little bit of milk. Molly’s
only like 5 feet so she doesn’t eat or drink much. After coffee Molly called
her host parents from last semester to see if they were home. We ended up
going over there for a nap a snack and then lunch. They were so nice! They
wouldn’t let us stay at a hostel, so instead we stayed with them. Their house
looked like it was cut out of Pottery Barn or Ikea, it was so nice. I couldn’t
believe Molly stayed there for an entire semester...craziness. I took a couple
of pictures of the house so I’d remember.
(Oh, I’m not sure but my roommate Tommy was telling me that you can turn in
your memory card for your digital camera at the internet cafe and they’ll
download them for you so you can send people pictures via e-mail. Now don’t
every body get excited all at once, I’m going to check it out, but if it’s
the truth-Ruth then you’ll all be getting some pictures from Spain soon.)
 While in Sevilla (we were only there until Sunday night--we left at 10:30
p.m. and got back to Salamanca at like 6:30 in the morning), the bus driver
made everyone get off the bus in the middle of the ride for like 20 minutes
for no reason, while he stood there and looked at us from out the window.
(Can someone say freak!) We mostly walked around taking pictures and being
full-blown tourists. The most amazing thing we saw in Sevilla was La Heralda
Cathedral. It’s GINOURMOUS! The architecture was amazing. The entire inside
is filled with biblical paintings and sculptures. There is no wall that isn’t
covered with some kind of intricate sculpting. The ceilings in these cathedrals
are amazing, not only because of the artwork but also because of how tall
they are. I can’t imagine having to paint, sculpt or install glass that high
in the air. My neck hurt just looking at the ceiling. At the top of the cathedral
is a bell tower where you can look out on the entire city. It was so cool,
we could see the house where we were staying. Sevilla is huge, a lot bigger
than Salamanca, but it doesn’t have a city feel at all. It’s super old and
at times felt a like Cuba, the way some of the buildings are all dilapidated.
 There’s a small plaza called Plaza de San Francisco that we stayed walking
distance from. I took a couple of pictures there simply because the name of
the plaza made me feel at home. There is lots of shopping in Sevilla...I know,
dangerous right? But I did good. I actually bought one skirt for 5 Euros and
some leg warmers (which are just as in as the mullets are here) for 3 Euros.
I’ve banned myself from rebajas (sales) from now on.
Another plaza called Virgin de los Reyes (Virgin of the Kings) connects the
Heralda Cathedral and my favorite site in Sevilla, La Alcazar. The Alcazar
is like an old Moorish living area with beautiful entryways, domes and a huge
garden. This was the first park/garden I’d been in while in Spain. I never
knew how much I enjoyed gardens until I was without one. When I go home I’m
about to hang in Golden Gate park on the daily, and how I appreciate the Boston
Commons so much now, even in the winter. The park was great. There’s a maze
that I wanted to play hide and go seek in, but I don’t think the other girls
were really up to it. Oh, how I wished Lealah or Jazz were there (remember
the days of hide-and-go-seek guys? Can you imagine it in a bush and tree maze...crazy
right?). It´s the moments when I want to do something fun and stupid like
that and don’t have anyone to do it with that I miss home.
 Another impressive place we went to see was the Plaza de España. The plaza
is so big with a fountain in the middle. A large building curved like a horseshoe
surrounds the plaza. On the building the history of Spain is depicted on tile
on these small seating areas. Every city and region of Spain is represented.
We took pictures in front of the Salamanca one. A lot of the colorful tile
pictures include biblical stories and old maps of the different areas in Spain.
Oh…I forgot the most important part about Sevilla--the weather. It’s soooo
warm like all the time. There were moments when me and the girls just sun
bathed for like half an hour. My skin didn’t get darker, but it felt so good
to have sun on my face. Salamanca’s so cold right now. One thing I didn’t
like about Sevilla was that there was always poop on the side walk. I don’t
know if they just clean the streets more in Salamanca or what but the poop
problem in Sevilla is ridiculous. If any one is looking for a job maybe you
should move to Sevilla and start a dog poop pick up company...I just gave
you all the golden ticket my friends. The other thing that didn’t interest
me was the night life. It’s a lot more dead and there’s tons of broken class
every where. I almost sliced my foot three times. I couldn’t deal with that.
And there’s nowhere really to dance.
All in all the trip was way worth it. Sevilla is beautiful and well worth
visiting. I don’t think I would ever want to study there, not enough going
on for me, but I’d go back just for the weather.
Recently I went to a Flamenco show I heard about through school that was pretty
good. The male dancer was great, outstanding but a little cocky (taking off
his shirt and stuff...please). The woman couldn’t really keep up with the
guy, which made her look worse. She was good though, but mom remember going
to see Carla perform? There’s no doubt in my mind that Carla could have blown
that lady off the stage.
 I’m continuing to have an amazing time. The worst day I had was the day I
LOST MY PHONE! I know, but in Salamanca it doesn’t really matter cause I run
into everyone anyway. I’ve given all my friends Angel’s number cause I’m usually
with him, so they can reach me. It’s so funny, he always thinks the calls
are for him but they’re usually for me I’m actually glad I don’t have the phone,
it’s like another form of freedom. I can just go where I want and do as I
please without people constantly trying to reach me.
Last night I went to this place called Jacko’s, it’s a Michael Jackson-themed
club, so you know I was lovin’ it (all McDonalds style--get the joke? No?).
There are all these frames pictures of the “King of Pop” and they keep his
music in rotation, which is nice. They mostly play his old stuff, which is
really the best stuff. But they play some of the random songs like "Out of
my Life" and "Who is it" which I’m always surprised by. They also have video
games and music videos playing. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a hole in the wall
kind of place, but it’s got character. I took a picture with my roommate in
front of the place.
Classes are still going well, I’m a little worried though because everyone
has had a test or a paper by now except for me. I guess I should be glad but
I know it’s just going to come up sooner than later and I’m not going to be
feeling it but....that’s life (not just a saying but also a very popular song
here in Spain...la la la la) Okay, I’m sure I’ve bored you enough. I’ll try
to wrote something next week after the excursion I’m going on the weekend
coming up. Where am I going you might ask...I don’t know, I don’t remember,
it’s up north somewhere, which means it’s going to be freezing. Can’t wait.
Talk you all soon. Love you muchisimo.
Reyna
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Friday, January 16, 2004:
 Hello Everyone,
Here’s what’s been going on with me. First off, I just want to thank everyone
who I’ve either talked to or who has e-mailed me back since I first wrote.
It feels so good to hear from you all. But enough about you, let’s talk about
me.
My classes have been going really well. The only class that has been giving
me some problems is Spanish History and that’s basically because the teacher
is a little boring and doesn’t explain things that well. And while the subject
is okay, it’s hard to take a history class in another language. It’s hard
enough taking one in English, feel me? But my other classes are more than
great. Spanish Art history is so interesting, my teacher brings in slides
and tells us about museums we have to go visit in Spain. It’s so cool to be
taking an art class where you can study and talk about certain pieces of art
and then physically go see them for yourself.
I’ve only been to one museum since I’ve been in Spain and that was in Madrid,
it was called the Thyssen, I think. We tried going to the Prada but it was
closed the day we wanted to go. Whatever, there’s so much to see I can’t worry
about that. My teacher says I have to go to Barcelona, Sevilla also. Me, Molly
and Ashley (the two girls in my program) are thinking about going to Sevilla
this weekend actually. It’s about six hours south by train and doesn’t cost
much at all. Molly studied in Sevilla last semester so she already knows a
hostel we can stay in and all the places to take us.
 My grammar class is excellent. I’m learning so much every day it’s crazy.
That class is the longest (2 hours) and it always seems the shortest. My teacher,
Marina, is amazing. She’s a great teacher, I feel like I haven’t had a great
teacher in a while...no offence to Emerson because I have had some really
good professors (Cynthia Miller, Michael Selig...) it’s just different when
you’re talking about learning a language. I almost feel you have to up the
complement a little, you know. In my communications class we’re learning how
to ask for the check at a restaurant. Today we learned the parts of the body
and we’re going to cover telephone conversations soon, which I really need
help with because it’s so hard for me to talk on phone with my Señora in Spanish.
A couple of you were asking me about the students in my classes. I’m studying
in the International school for language comprehension so there aren’t any
Spaniards in my classes, but there are people from ALL over the place. There’s
one kid, Pepe--that’s his Spanish name--who’s from Shanghai, China (He’s so
funny, his Spanish is almost robotic.) There are a number of Japanese kids
and Taiwanese in my classes as well. I sit next to this one guy, Juan Antonio
(again, his Spanish name), who speaks Spanish very well. We always chat before
and after class. I have two classes with him. There are a couple German kids,
kids from Norway and a couple from Canada. The kids who are from the States
are from all over. New York (of course, can’t go any where without running
into a cocky New Yorker...No offense Dad, Alea or Marlene, but I don’t fancy
your people). For some random reason there are lots of kids from Nashville
and the Dakotas in my classes. On the first day my art teacher asked this
girl from Nashville what there was to do there, I jokingly answered, "Nothing."
I thought it was funny, but I’m not sure how the girl took it, but then again
I don’t really care. She tried to defend my comment with Elvis, which just
made me laugh more.
 Besides the two girls in my program, Molly and Ashley, I’ve been hanging out
with this one kid Patrick who’s from Chi-Town (Chicago) and this cool girl
from London, Katie. Katie’s part Scottish and part English. She has the best
accent in the world, it’s so great. Those two I could see being my good friends
while I’m here, they’re so chill, a lot like Bay Area kids.
I’ve also kinda sort of met someone. He’s Dominican and he only knows a couple
words of English so talking to him has been REALLY good practice for me. I
met him the second day was in Salamanca at the Chipateria, and he was the
only guy who wasn’t trying to talk to me because I was Morena (look it up
folks I’m not your personal dictionary, only joking it’s a person with darker
skin, a black person). Well they love us out here and it gets so annoying
having people scream "Morena!" everywhere you go. I knew he wasn’t Spanish
because he wasn’t aggressive with me at all, which I appreciated. I actually
thought he was from the states at first, but when I saw that he didn’t have
his pants halfway down his thighs I knew he had to be from somewhere else.
I was dancing with his friend and eventually started talking to him. I had
been talking to his friend in English (his friend was Haitian) so I expected
him to speak English too, I was wrong.
Our first conversation was so confusing. Here I am trying to listen for English
and he’s trying to figure out why I’m not speaking Spanish. Anyway, my friends
and I went to place where we could dance. So I finally got to dance with him
and all I can say is WOW! I’ve never danced with a boy who can dance the way
he can. He can salsa, he’s a great partner dancer and he...well...he can basically
dance better than me! He moved to Salamanca with his mom to go to school.
His mother was looking for work and she ended up staying in Salamanca because
she met some Spanish guy. Oh, my bad, his name is Ángel, he’s 19 (20 in February)
tall, like six two or six three, he’s darker than me--but then again who isn’t,
right. He’s like Kui’s complexion or a little darker. He dresses so well,
he’s always clean. Apparently he cuts hair and wants to open up a barber shop
in Salamanca for people whose hair isn’t like the Spaniards’, you know what
I mean.
 The most important thing about him is that he’s really nice, sincere and makes
an effort to get to know me. He’s learning a little bit of English from me
but we really only speak Spanish with one another. He’s helped me improve
soooo much already. We’ve hung out every single day since I meet him. It’s
great I have someone to practice Spanish with all the time who I can’t just
give up and start speaking English with. It’s been a difficult relationship
because there are times when we both get so frustrated but...that’s life.
To him I speak like a 5 year old, but the more we hang out the more my personality
shows and the more we like spending time with each other. I think it’s so
funny that I came to Spain and meet a guy from the Dominican Republic!
I was asking him how the Dominicans feel about the Haitians back at home because
of their history. He told me that a lot of the older generations still display
a lot of hate toward the Haitians, but because the younger generation didn’t
live through what is now history they don’t feel the same way as, say, their
parents might or grandparents do. He’s very interesting, he’s got a lot of
opinions as well as a different point of view about certain things, which
makes it so cool to talk to him. At first, if he said something I didn’t understand
I would just smile or nod my head, but one time I did that and he asked me
why I wasn’t being real with him. He said something to the effect of, "It
looks a lot more stupid for you to act like you know what I’m saying than
to just ask me to repeat myself or rephrase what I’m trying to say. When you
just nod your head and smile, which makes it very obvious you didn’t understand
me, I feel like you’re not being real with me." I couldn’t say anything to
that, he was right, so I make sure not to act like I know what he’s talking
about when I don’t. Lesson learned, one down.
But he’s a lot of fun, he helps me with my homework and he makes me comfortable
in this new city. All my friends really like him too, which always makes you
feel good. In conclusion, the boy is also very, very GUAPO (FINE!).
 This weekend me, Molly and Ashley are going to Sevilla (get out your maps
folks, that’s in Southern Spain). It’s like a seven-hour bus ride, but I’m
planning on sleeping the entire way down. Molly studied in Sevilla last semester
so she’s going to be our tour guide for the weekend. The weather there is
supposed to be a lot nicer than it is in Salamanca (it’s like 40 degrees here
not including the wind chill factor or something...needless to say, you need
a scarf and gloves when you go out). But after going to school in Boston,
it’s not really that cold to me. Shout out to Dan, Shelby and Sam. I’m excited
about going to Sevilla, it’s supposedly beautiful, but to me everywhere I’ve
been so far in Spain has been beautiful. The Sevilla program is arriving on
Saturday so we’ll probably go meet those kids while we’re there. The next
trip we’re planning is Portugal, not sure where yet probably just across the
border, not as far as Lisbon. Morocco is in the works as well, that’s just
a ferry ride away. Apparently you can see Morocco from the southern coast
of Spain across the water. I can’t wait.
Well, I think that’s good for now. I love and miss all of you very much and
hope you’re all doing fantastic. Don’t worry about little old me, I’m just
living amongst the Spaniards, taking fun classes, partying with friends and
dancing with the fine Dominican boy. So I guess you could say I’m so-so.
Write Me!
Reyna
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Wednesday, January 7, 2004:
Hello Everyone,
 Sorry it’s taken me so long to write. Let me update you all on what’s been
up with me. I’m in Salamanca now but stayed in Madrid for three days and left
on Wednesday. My first day was not that great. The flight lasted a lifetime,
and the guy sitting in back of me was so tall that his knees kept hitting
the back of my seat, not to mention the fact that I couldn't recline my seat
the entire ride! I had a connecting flight in London’s Heathrow airport. Grandma
you didn't lie, that airport is GINORMOUS! Luckily I didn't get lost, it's
very well labeled. Customs was a piece of cake. I slept the entire ride from
London to Spain, about four hours...I think, I blocked it out.
Once I got to Madrid my bags were the first ones out the luggage claim. I
found a cart because you all know I was not about to carry my big bags-I have
very little arm strength ! Kui, tell your mom thanks for the tip on the carts
(push down, then the wheels move).
So I go to meet Maria, my site director and I can't find her nor do I know
what she looks like. I'm waiting, and waiting, and waiting. The ASA people
(Academic Studies Abroad- -that's the program I went with) are supposed to
be holding an ASA sign and a red bag. I'm just looking around, getting worried,
I'd been waiting now for about 40 minutes. So I decide to call the program
director, his phone is off and his message machine says he's out of the country...duh,
I knew that but it didn't help. Then I call Maria's cell, she doesn't answer
but I leave a message saying I'm here. Now I'm all kinds of worried. I have
no idea what hotel the program is staying at, everyone keeps asking me if
I need a taxi and I can hardly understand anyone...I PANIC! I try calling
mom but the stupid international operator starts yelling at me because I can't
understand her and she can't hear me. I hang up the phone sit on my bags and
cry for, like, three minutes...this was my welcome to Spain.
All of you who know me well know I don't fancy crying, especially in public.
Luckily no one said anything to me. Even if they did I wouldn't have understood
them anyway which probably would have made me cry more. Once I get myself
together, as much as I can even though I'm still in tears, I try calling mom
again. Right as I pick up the phone Maria, the site director for the Salamanca
program, walks up and says, "Reyna?" I turn around surprised that someone
knows who I am and reply, "Maria?" She explains that she was waiting at the
exit right next to where I was but didn't see me. She said once I called she
rushed to wear the nearest phones were to look for me and, jackpot. She apologizes
over and over even though it wasn't her fault, we had just missed one another.
 Once we got in the Taxi I was fine, it was good to be found. We went straight
to the Hotel Special in central Madrid to meet the two other girls in the
Salamanca program...I know small program, right? The girls, Molly and Ashley,
were waiting in the lobby for me to help bring my bags up and introduce themselves.
Molly is from San Diego and Ashley is from the boonies in Colorado. I had
my own room which was nice. The first thing I did was take a long bath and
find the only radio station that played American music. I needed familiarity
that first day in order to deal with the culture shock.
After my bath me, Maria (Maria's mother was there also because they had been
celebrating the holidays) and the girls went walking around El Centro Mayor
where there was some kind of concert going on. The first thing I hear is really
bad beat boxing followed by a step show (thought of you Ku). We watched for
a while then moved on. All the Christmas stuff is still all around the city.
The city actually looks a lot like New York, parts of it at least. Lots of
tall buildings and millions of people. I ate out with the girls at a local
restaurant near El Centro. I had garlic and egg soup, one of Spain's soups
that I read about on the plane in my Spanish Culture Travel book (thanks Rob
and Deb). I also ate salted prawns, they were GOOD! That was it for the first
night.
 I spent the next two days sightseeing. Maria and her mother took us to Palacio
Real, where Royal Family used to live. Unfortunately, most of the buildings
were closed for Three Kings day, Spain's gift exchange day. Christmas is purely
religious. Nice to see some cultures still remember who Jesus is and the real
significance of Christmas. Stupid consumers!...anyway, then we went SHOPPING!
I only window shopped and I finally know what Mango is, the store. (Dan, you
know how Sam is always talking about Mango...it's like the European H&M) We
also visited the gay neighborhood in Madrid. Apparently everyone really likes
it there because it used to be an are full of crime, but the gay community
moved in and cleaned the place up...Yeah for Gays! There were a lot of nice
shops there, again mucho shopping in Spain.
We woke up early the next morning to leave for Salamanca the next morning.
And now here I am. My señora is soooo nice. Her name is Rosa and she has a
big dog named Kara who only understands English, she's a sweety too. The other
girls live walking distance from me and we all live about a ten-minute walk
from the Universidad de Salamanca. I haven't been able to really see all of
the city yet, so I'll have to get back to you on that. Rosa can burn, the
first meal we ate was lunch today. Garbanzo bean soup ( I can't spell that)
with fried cheese and ham and a salad (her dressing is just like yours mom).
Then for dinner I had chicken noodle soup, eggs (they always eat eggs for
dinner here) and more salad. Tomorrow I take my placement test at the university.
Classes start on Friday, I hope I'm ready. From what I've seen I really like
Salamanca. It's a much smaller city than Madrid.
Well, that's it for now.. Talk to you all later and I'm really doing fine.
Ciao!
Reyna
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