So the trip to Salamanca was certainly unforgettable, to say the least.
It was about a 2 hour ride or so and we went by some really nice looking country side. One of the first things we did was go on a walking tour and check out the plaza mayor there. It was really beautiful and only about a 10 or so minute walk to be in the heart of Salamanca from the dorms we were staying in there. The tour of the cathedral was pretty boring. After the tour we kind of just roamed around in Salamanca and found our way back to the dorms for free time and dinner.
After dinner was when the fun really started. The nightlife in Salamanca is unreal. The two guys and I (Harry and Francis) went out at around 1030 to scope out the scene and tell the girls where to go when they came out (1130). We ended up finding a bunch of really cheap bars and nobody was in there. Turns out people don't really start going out until 1 which is hugely different than colleges at the US. So when we met up with the girls we already mostly knew where the good spots were to hit.
In one of the clubs I ended up talking to a couple of guys about the music that was being played and became good friends with them. They were Pablo, Alvaro y Vailen (who I called Bailar just to make him mad cause I could never say his name right). They were really cool and I ended up introducing them around and hung out with them until we all left to go back to campus at around 3 am.
The next morning there was a planned excursion out to a "finca" (ranch/farm) and another one to a park to play field games. You would go to one place the first day, and then the next place the other. Well....I wasn't exactly feeling in top-form that next morning, so Harry and I decided to skip it. It wasn't a big deal really.....a lot of people did. We wanted to have a real orientation in the city anyways. Besides, looking back on it, we spoke much more Spanish that the people who went on the orientation trip did anyways. We all went out again the next night and met up with a guy someone else had met on the trip and he took us to another cheap bar that night. His name was Luke and he spoke great english and wants to be a translator. After that we went to another dance club to meet up with Pablo, Alvaro and Bailar. There we had a competition: EEUU vs. Espana. We first had a dance competition, which I firmly believe the US one. We showed them the YMCA and totally blew them away. I then had to arm wrestle Bailar which I easily won, however Alvaro was next. He made me use my left hand though and eventually, after a hard fought match, was able to overtake me. It was a sad day in the EEUU I am sure.
We stayed out quite late that night and once again, Harry and I skipped orientation with some of the other girls, and went out to lunch with our friend Luke. We spent a lot of time teaching each other slang in english/Spanish. It was a really nice deal because it was obvious he wanted to speak english with us, and that we wanted to speak spanish with him. So it all worked out taking turns speaking the other language. It was a nice setup, and while I was kind of upset about not going to the orientation trips, I think I benefited more from staying in Salamanca and learning more about the city speaking a lot of Spanish.
With my next post I will try to update more about people I've met, cultural difference I have learned and that sort of thing.
Until next time....Stay classy America!
In one of the clubs I ended up talking to a couple of guys about the music that was being played and became good friends with them. They were Pablo, Alvaro y Vailen (who I called Bailar just to make him mad cause I could never say his name right). They were really cool and I ended up introducing them around and hung out with them until we all left to go back to campus at around 3 am.
The next morning there was a planned excursion out to a "finca" (ranch/farm) and another one to a park to play field games. You would go to one place the first day, and then the next place the other. Well....I wasn't exactly feeling in top-form that next morning, so Harry and I decided to skip it. It wasn't a big deal really.....a lot of people did. We wanted to have a real orientation in the city anyways. Besides, looking back on it, we spoke much more Spanish that the people who went on the orientation trip did anyways. We all went out again the next night and met up with a guy someone else had met on the trip and he took us to another cheap bar that night. His name was Luke and he spoke great english and wants to be a translator. After that we went to another dance club to meet up with Pablo, Alvaro and Bailar. There we had a competition: EEUU vs. Espana. We first had a dance competition, which I firmly believe the US one. We showed them the YMCA and totally blew them away. I then had to arm wrestle Bailar which I easily won, however Alvaro was next. He made me use my left hand though and eventually, after a hard fought match, was able to overtake me. It was a sad day in the EEUU I am sure.
We stayed out quite late that night and once again, Harry and I skipped orientation with some of the other girls, and went out to lunch with our friend Luke. We spent a lot of time teaching each other slang in english/Spanish. It was a really nice deal because it was obvious he wanted to speak english with us, and that we wanted to speak spanish with him. So it all worked out taking turns speaking the other language. It was a nice setup, and while I was kind of upset about not going to the orientation trips, I think I benefited more from staying in Salamanca and learning more about the city speaking a lot of Spanish.
With my next post I will try to update more about people I've met, cultural difference I have learned and that sort of thing.
Until next time....Stay classy America!
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