Well…I can’t believe a whole month has already gone by here in Oviedo. It seems like just yesterday that I got here. This week mostly consisted of studying in various parks because our final was on Thursday.
Tuesday was the fiesta de San Juan which is basically a big party in the Cathedral square to welcome the summer solstice. At midnight they start a huge bonfire in the square and play music while people crowd around it. You are supposed to write down a wish or something you need closure on, on a piece of paper and throw it into the fire. This is supposed to bring you good luck. After the fire is over, many people jump over it because this brings you good luck for a year. Unfortunately the fire took forever to die down so I didn’t get to jump over it. It was pretty amazing seeing all these people gathering around to celebrate this tradition. They even had fire works and live music which was a pretty incredible thing to see. The only bad thing is that the fire didn’t end until around 2 in the morning and we all had class in the morning.
Wednesday was the day before our exam so I went with a friend to a nearby park and studied all day.I felt very prepared and the good thing is that he even gave us a sample test the day before of exactly the layout of the exam.
Thursday was the day! We took our exam which actually ended up to be easier than I thought. Afterword, for the second part of class we went on a “field trip”. Our professors took us to the market in the center of the city and separated us into teams. Each team had a list of things that we had to do in this market, basically like a scavenger hunt. We had to answer all these questions about typical Asturian things and come back with all the answers, which was different, but cool!
That night everyone decided to go out because all the Americans were leaving on Friday and Saturday. We ended up going to a few bars, but overall it was an early night for me as I was still extremely tired fro, Tuesday.
Friday was the last night for everyone! We all had to go out because it was our last night together, despite the fact that everyone had to leave early in the morning. Instead of going to sleep to wake up for their flights, a few of my friends decided to just stay up until five and then go to the airport to sleep on the plane. I’m not sure exactly how that worked out for them. It is super weird for me because I am here for another month, while everyone else is leaving. I am sad that I probably won’t ever see most of these people again. I’m hoping that the few people I met here that I have become good friends with will stay in touch and hopefully I will be able to see them in the future.
My name is Ashely Sirna. I am a junior at SUNY New Paltz and am double majoring in Spanish and psychology with a minor in disaster studies. This summer I am studying abroad in Oviedo, Spain for two months. I am very excited to learn about the culture and improve my Spanish!
First month done!
Well…I can’t believe a whole month has already gone by here in Oviedo. It seems like just yesterday that I got here. This week mostly consisted of studying in various parks because our final was on Thursday.
Tuesday was the fiesta de San Juan which is basically a big party in the Cathedral square to welcome the summer solstice. At midnight they start a huge bonfire in the square and play music while people crowd around it. You are supposed to write down a wish or something you need closure on, on a piece of paper and throw it into the fire. This is supposed to bring you good luck. After the fire is over, many people jump over it because this brings you good luck for a year. Unfortunately the fire took forever to die down so I didn’t get to jump over it. It was pretty amazing seeing all these people gathering around to celebrate this tradition. They even had fire works and live music which was a pretty incredible thing to see. The only bad thing is that the fire didn’t end until around 2 in the morning and we all had class in the morning.
Wednesday was the day before our exam so I went with a friend to a nearby park and studied all day.I felt very prepared and the good thing is that he even gave us a sample test the day before of exactly the layout of the exam.
Thursday was the day! We took our exam which actually ended up to be easier than I thought. Afterword, for the second part of class we went on a “field trip”. Our professors took us to the market in the center of the city and separated us into teams. Each team had a list of things that we had to do in this market, basically like a scavenger hunt. We had to answer all these questions about typical Asturian things and come back with all the answers, which was different, but cool!
That night everyone decided to go out because all the Americans were leaving on Friday and Saturday. We ended up going to a few bars, but overall it was an early night for me as I was still extremely tired fro, Tuesday.
Friday was the last night for everyone! We all had to go out because it was our last night together, despite the fact that everyone had to leave early in the morning. Instead of going to sleep to wake up for their flights, a few of my friends decided to just stay up until five and then go to the airport to sleep on the plane. I’m not sure exactly how that worked out for them. It is super weird for me because I am here for another month, while everyone else is leaving. I am sad that I probably won’t ever see most of these people again. I’m hoping that the few people I met here that I have become good friends with will stay in touch and hopefully I will be able to see them in the future.
Ashley Sirna
My name is Ashely Sirna. I am a junior at SUNY New Paltz and am double majoring in Spanish and psychology with a minor in disaster studies. This summer I am studying abroad in Oviedo, Spain for two months. I am very excited to learn about the culture and improve my Spanish!
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