So it is already my second weekend here which is just crazy. Time is already flying by! My first full week of class was okay. I actually enjoy the classes and they aren’t too bad. It is a fun way to learn Spanish. Last night (Friday) was the soccer game between the US and the Netherlands. It was a pretty interesting game. My plan was to go to the Ovida which is the residential building that a lot of my friends live in, to watch the game.
I know that they usually take a bus, so I thought how hard could it be? Hard. As I am not used to taking public transportation, I am forced to learn it here. I went to one of the bus stops that is close to my apartment and started to wait for the bus. Not too soon after my host mom came over to make sure it was the right bus and talked to man who was convinently waiting at the station also. After much debate, they agreed that this bus would take me where I was trying to go. Unfortunately, what I didn’t know was that after a certain time in the afternoon, the buses come every 30 minutes instead of every 10.
After getting on the bus, the man who was also waiting at the bus stop made conversation with me and even showed me where I needed to get off. He also told the bus driver to make sure that I get off at my stop which was very nice. It seems that everyone that I have met thus far in Oviedo is very nice and very willing to help out. Once I finally made it to my bus stop, my friend was waiting there for me. Although it did take me about an hour in total to travel, I’m so happy I actually made it.
We met up with two other girls that I am friends with and decided to watch the game, as many of the bars didn’t show the US soccer games. Surprisingly, the US actually beat the Netherlands! Afterward, we hung out for a bit and then decided to start heading to the bars.
One thing that is majorly different about Spain is that when it rains instead of having worms, they have snails. Apparently you can hear crunches when you walk in the rain because of all the snails. These really grossed me out and I was EXTRA careful not to step on any.
Even though it was raining, there were so many people out. It seems that there is never a slow night here. We decided to go to a bar called Diario Roma which was right in El Centro. The bartenders are very friendly and greeted us with a kiss on both cheeks (which I am still getting used to). After staying out for a few hours we decided to head back. I took my first taxi here and it was so much faster than walking, which I was grateful for.
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!
La segunda fin de semana
So it is already my second weekend here which is just crazy. Time is already flying by! My first full week of class was okay. I actually enjoy the classes and they aren’t too bad. It is a fun way to learn Spanish. Last night (Friday) was the soccer game between the US and the Netherlands. It was a pretty interesting game. My plan was to go to the Ovida which is the residential building that a lot of my friends live in, to watch the game.
I know that they usually take a bus, so I thought how hard could it be? Hard. As I am not used to taking public transportation, I am forced to learn it here. I went to one of the bus stops that is close to my apartment and started to wait for the bus. Not too soon after my host mom came over to make sure it was the right bus and talked to man who was convinently waiting at the station also. After much debate, they agreed that this bus would take me where I was trying to go. Unfortunately, what I didn’t know was that after a certain time in the afternoon, the buses come every 30 minutes instead of every 10.
After getting on the bus, the man who was also waiting at the bus stop made conversation with me and even showed me where I needed to get off. He also told the bus driver to make sure that I get off at my stop which was very nice. It seems that everyone that I have met thus far in Oviedo is very nice and very willing to help out. Once I finally made it to my bus stop, my friend was waiting there for me. Although it did take me about an hour in total to travel, I’m so happy I actually made it.
We met up with two other girls that I am friends with and decided to watch the game, as many of the bars didn’t show the US soccer games. Surprisingly, the US actually beat the Netherlands! Afterward, we hung out for a bit and then decided to start heading to the bars.
One thing that is majorly different about Spain is that when it rains instead of having worms, they have snails. Apparently you can hear crunches when you walk in the rain because of all the snails. These really grossed me out and I was EXTRA careful not to step on any.
Even though it was raining, there were so many people out. It seems that there is never a slow night here. We decided to go to a bar called Diario Roma which was right in El Centro. The bartenders are very friendly and greeted us with a kiss on both cheeks (which I am still getting used to). After staying out for a few hours we decided to head back. I took my first taxi here and it was so much faster than walking, which I was grateful for.
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!
Next ArticleSecond excursion