ways to stay busy in spain.

1. study. i haven't really gotten too much homework, but it is a way to pass the time.
2. exercise. there is a gym about five minutes from my house, so that's great. not super big, but it's good enough. it's weird though, they use all sorts of different units here, so the weights are in kilograms instead of pounds, and the treadmills measure distance in kilometers instead of in miles. weird. so i don't ever really know what i'm lifting/running but whatever. it's better than nothing.
3. party. i don't know if this is the best way to stay busy, but it's what the kids do, that's for sure. they party hard. usually what this translates to for the american students is an hour or so of pre-gaming and ping pong at the local city park, and then going to "el paragua", a big courtyard area which has a giant umbrella in the middle of it, and then going around to different bars, dancing where there's a dance floor and hanging out. it's not my favorite past time, but as i'm without almost all of my favorite past times here in spain, i'll take what i can get.
4. well after i finished season 3 of the office, i was sort of without anything american and/or familiar to me, media-wise. so i downloaded season 1 of the ricky gervais show from itunes. oh my goodness. it's six and a half hours of ricky gervais, stephen merchant, and karl pilkington just talking. and it is so funny. ricky and steve are the creators of the original bbc series the office, on which the american show is based. they are also the writers of the great hbo show extras. two incredibly hilarious shows. anyway, the ricky gervais show was originally just a podcast featuring ricky and steve and their preposterous, free-thinking friend karl just talking about stuff. mostly it's karl spouting out the most ludicrous ideas and then ricky and steve laughing/maligning him. great stuff. it's kept me entertained for the last week or so.

obviously there are more than four ways to pass the time in oviedo, but these are the only ones i feel like writing about. this weekend is just kind of a bore. most everybody went to barcelona, and i didn't go with because of some extenuating circumstances, and now i'm stuck in oviedo with no one to go see. tomorrow i will probably take a nice long walk around the city with my buddy ipod and see what there is to see. but it's weird being in a city like this on your own. there's no one to go see that i know. i don't feel at home with the language yet, so basically every single thing i could see or do is foreign to me. i can't go anywhere and feel comfortable talking with a store clerk, or a museum guide, or even just juan schmo on the street. and that sucks. i got no beef with spanish, i just can't speak it very well yet so i'm in an uncomfortable predicament. but it's alright. i'm learning how to rock bittorrent on my mac, so that will provide a bit of home to me soon. and i don't have my guitar! it's killing me not having played for like over a month. ridiculous. at least during the week i have classes to occupy my mind and my time. hurry up and get here monday.

-jon

heath.

i know this is the buzz, the talk of the town right now, but i want to write about it cause it's affected me in a weird way. i was really shocked and actually kind of sad about heath ledger's death. and i don't know why. it's not like i was the moderator of his fan club's discussion board or anything. i liked most of the movies i saw him in, thought he was a pretty good actor, clearly a handsome dude. as far as crap teen movies go, 10 things i hate about you is one of my favorites. he seemed like a nice guy, in interviews i saw or whenever he was on tv. i was never in love with him though, never a huge huge fan, and that's why i don't understand why i'm kind of sad about his passing. maybe it just seems tragic to me, anyone dying at 28. that's so young. he had a two years old daughter. it doesn't matter that he was famous, any two years old girl losing her dad to what seems like an accident is horrible. i've read most articles i could find on yahoo, cnn, and mtvnews, and what i've gathered is that absolutely no illegal drugs were found in his apartment, just sleeping pills. it also seems to me as though it was accident. i don't know. i think part of it seems a bit closer to home to me because for the last few months i have been following/ GREATLY anticipating The Dark Knight. as soon as i had heard that heath ledger was cast as The Joker, i was immediately stoked. i thought it was a perfect fit. when i first saw the mug shot of The Joker released as part of the viral marketing campaign, i was totally creeped out and equally amped. i knew he was perfect for the part. heath ledger had personified The Joker into exactly what i had always imagined he was like in real life (by real life i mean my imagination). so i had been keeping up with the movie and its production for awhile, and now to hear about heath ledger's death, it's just sad. not really because he was famous or a celebrity but because he was a dad; he seemed a nice young guy. it's not going to change my life. just kind of a sad thing. and he will be mourned for awhile, and especially around the release of The Dark Knight. (is it respectful to still be extremely excited for what could very well be one of my Top Five Favorite Movies Of The Last Decade?) but his memory will eventually fade, and our culture will goo-gaa over whatever other ridiculous celebrity is making the news. he was just a talented actor, and a nice young guy. and now he's gone. The Dark Knight still looks incredible.

things i miss in the states.

in no particular order:

1. funny american tv shows. i was given office season 3 for christmas right before i came to spain, which has surprisingly been a huge blessing. on bored nights i've been watching commentary, deleted scenes, other special features. it's such a funny show. i miss that kind of thing in the US, good entertainment. the tv here leaves something to be desired. i'm missing all my arrested development dvds, conan o'brien, the occasional family guy episode, i even miss leno. heck, i would take even letterman at this point if it was offered to me. that's how bad the tv is here.
   
2. one dollar bills. as previously mentioned, they don't have a one euro bill, and it's very upsetting to me. i miss having regular greenbacks that fit in my wallet the way they should.
3. my backpack. i'm rockin' one of those side saddle briefcase-ish bags, which holds my computer, and was a gift from an eternally generous human being, so i appreciate it a ton, it's just not the greatest for more than my computer. i miss the two-shoulder strap; doesn't make my shoulders as sore. who knows though, maybe i'll come back with some seriously ripped delts. that all being said, with the saddle bag i can be much more sure of myself regarding pickpockets. that's a plus.
4. fountain pop. this is really killing me. they only have coke and pepsi here, and pepsi only at grocery stores or kiosks. sucks. and if you order pop at a restaurant, you get a little sixteen oz. glass bottle that costs you like two euros. and no free refills. even at burger king the other day they wouldn't give me a free refill. ridiculous. i just want a gigantic 44 oz mountain dew. i miss that a ton.
5. american music culture. more on that in an upcoming post.
6. colleen. obviously.
7. on that note, just more people that i recognize than this group of fifteen students from uni. i took for granted the variety of people i knew that were around cedar falls until i only had one or two around here. sucks.
8. and my family. duh.
   
9. two 12-hour cycles throughout the day. i don't like that i have class until 21:00. that just sounds stupid.
10. 110/120 voltage. i have to fumble around with all these dumb adaptors and converters. very obnoxious.
11. my comforter/pillow. both incredible.
12. driving cars. granted i would not want to drive here, i still miss it a ton.
13. hanging out at friend's houses/apts. they don't do that here for some reason. maybe it's different for adults, but for the younger people, you don't have someone over to your house, everybody meets out. like out on the town. meaning at a bar/restaurant/park. the park is the only public place where you don't have to buy something to be allowed in. which sucks. i just want a panera or something where i can sneak in, use their wireless, and just sit for hours and not have to pay for anything. it really sucks not being able to say "hey let's go to ____'s house and hang out for awhile." it's "i know it's really windy and cold outside but i don't want to buy a 2 euro non-refillable coke so let's go to the park." terrible.
14. MILK. i just want a tall cold glass of the stuff. no one drinks real milk here. it's all stuff that can be kept in the cupboard rather than in the fridge. gross, i know. and cereal, oh how i long for a big bowl of quaker oatmeal squares.
15. movies in english. j.j. abram's cloverfield comes out this friday, and i would love to see it, but unfortunately the only theaters they have here in spain will show movies in spanish. major bummer. and i know there are a lot of movies that will come out this spring that i will miss. oh well.

could be worse i guess. i could have been born here.

-jon

went to church this morning. at this place:


it's far more impressive than even this picture shows. this is the Cathedral of Saint Salvador. from my Let's Go! Spain & Portugal 2008 travel book:

"A recent renovation restored Oviedo's 14th century Gothic cathedral to its original splendor. The Capilla de Santa Maria del Rey Casto, which contains the royal pantheon, was chosen by Alfonso II el Casto in AD 802 to house the remains of Asturian monarchs and Christian relics rescued from the Moops. [Just kidding.] In this chapel, also look for the statue of San Pedro (Spanish for Saint Pedro) holding a metal key in his hand. According to legend, if you make three wishes and turn the key around three times, one of the wishes will come true [i cannot verify this]. The cathedral complex includes pristine cloisters, the famous crypt of Santa Leocadia, which holds the remains of the martyrs Eulogio and Leocadia, and a camara santa (holy chamber) containing several enormous golden and jeweled crosses. The highlights of the church museum, a Bible from the 12th century and a modern painting of Mother Teresa, warrant the entrance fee."

so from the outside this place is just magnificent; the inside is nothing less than spectacular. i hadn't gone in until this morning, and i was totally blown away. it is gigantic, and there is gorgeous architecture just covering every wall. it's like everywhere you look is some impressive new thing. so great. there is a main hall area, and they had a church service off in a smaller hall. i have only been to a catholic service once before, and this being my second, and in spanish, i didn't follow it all that well. here's what i got from it. these people are faithful. not necessarily geniune, but faithful in the consistent sense. i felt like i was intruding on some secret ancient club from four thousand years ago; there were all these rituals, times to say certain things, such an exact way to say and do everything. very impressive to sit in on. it just struck me as interesting that while i'm sure there are many devoted, sincere, faithful (as in have a profound faith in God) catholics, it is such a faith system based in the head. it seems as though these people are going through motions and rituals without really feeling a thing, feeling anything they are saying or doing. these traditions have been around for two thousand-ish years and they are still going strong, that is a testimony to the will power of these people. c.s. lewis wrote,

"Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy's will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys." - Screwtape, The Screwtape Letters

now i have no idea if this people actually think like this, but let's be honest, to keep up so many intricate traditions for so long is commendable. my generation of christians has the opposite problem. no one cares for very long. our hearts are so fickle and that's exactly what my generation gets its jollies from, "feeling", from "the heart". none of us want to think, and that leads nowhere. the catholic faith feels too cerebral to me (feels cerebral=oxymoron). my modern christian faith feels too fairweather, too flighty for my liking. to find the middle ground is near impossible. i've been trying to pull it off for like five years and it's never really worked the way i'd like it too.

but it's quite an experience, this church. i'll keep going for now, at least until i find a protestant church, but i'm not expecting too much. i'd love to hear "Be Glorified" in spanish.

-jon

more of the same.

a few more initial observations of spain:
1. almost everyone wears really nice clothes. this is more reserved for young adults-super old people, kids/teens dress much the same as they do in the states. but holy cow everyone else? women in heels, fur coats, elegant hats, men in suits, jeans with black or brown shoes, argyle sweaters, sports coats, slim ties. it's a very fashionable place.
2. a lot of doors don't actually shut themselves. i went to the university library yesterday and i walked in and the door didn't shut behind me, i had to shut it manually. doesn't seem that weird, but it really is.
3. it is not uncommon to see couples kissing in the park. or in bars. or at school. or anywhere. and i'm not just talking quick pecks here and there, straight up making out in public. it's weird. the other day i was walking through the big central park in town and i saw this couple on a park bench, the girl was sitting side saddle on the guy's lap and they were just sucking face like there was no tomorrow. and i don't normally use the expression "sucking face" very often, in fact almost never, because i don't really like it, but it applies here. the people here are passionate and wild. it's nuts.

so class is over for the week and i think i've got my schedule down pat. i am taking vocab, grammer, literature, art, and translation. pretty excited about these classes. it's strange though, my earliest class starts at 2 in the afternoon and my latest class ends at 9 pm. yeah. 9 pm. the whole day/night system for these people is so different than in the states. the nightlife doesn't really even get started until about midnight or 1, and then kids stay out most of the night and then just sleep until 10/11 in the morning (or later depending on the laziness of the kid, craziness of the previous night, etc.). so i'm still getting adjusted to that.

and euros! what a worthless currency. i don't know who decided to only make 1 and 2 euro coins and have the smallest paper bill be a 5 euro bill. sucks. i need a coin purse. which is the femmiest term i could've possibly thought of for that. also, the bills are a weird size so they don't fit in my wallet very well. i'm not totally on board with euros, but i'm in their country so i don't really have much a choice. on a brighter note, i've found people still do drop 1 cent euros, which i have taken to picking up whenever i see them on the ground.

i haven't listened to my ipod tons and tons since i've gotten here; a lot of walking time has been spent with other people and at night, and we were told not to use our ipods at night cause of theft problems. but when i get the chance, the main thing i've been listening to is michael jackson. don't know why. other than it's incredible. it's not the most "spanish" thing i could choose though. whatev. baby be mine and p.y.t. are in fierce competition for favorite song off thriller. it's hard because each song is winning until i play the other one. i miss playing guitar. a kid from our group brought his guitar though, and i've found a music shop downtown so i will hopefully get to play some guitar soon. and everytime i listen to thriller all i want to do is play with it. maybe sometime soon.

futbol game this weekend in gijon, a town twenty minutes away. i'm excited.

-jon

first few days.

some initial observations about spain:
1. nobody ever seems to work. except people in shops and stuff. during the day i see people of all ages just walking around the city, talking, shopping, whatever. it's weird. it's like no careers exist in this town.
2. everybody hangs up their clothes on hangers outside their windows to dry. really paints the apartment buildings into these gorgeous mosaics.
3. there is stunning architecture everywhere. every building looks different, older, and grander than it would look in the states.
4. the cars here are insane. everyone drives like they're in a jason bourne movie. it's ridiculously unsafe.
5. the food is not phenomenally different than the states. i've seen pizza shops, pasta shops, even a macdonalds and burger king. and among other things, my host mom has made me a grilled cheese sandwich, chicken noodle soup, bean stew, and a dry meat and cheese sandwich for school. and they eat bread. they eat so much bread.

so far the trip has been good. started off pretty rough but has steadily gotten better and better. and now that classes have started time is gonna go hella fast so now the fun begins.

but let me start back with the plane ride. it was fun. more fun than i thought. we didn't experience hardly any turbulence...which i was a bit bummed about, i wanted to get a tiny taste of it. but it was still fun. but oh my goodness cramped. didn't sleep hardly at all, which was in retrospect a very dumb idea. but it was my first plane ride, i didn't want to miss anything. our flight into madrid was in the dark so we couldn't see anything, but the flight from madrid to oviedo was at noon, so that's when we really got to see where we were. gorgeous countryside. a perfect blend of mountains and farmland and forest. breathtaking. getting to our hotel that first day was a huge relief. there was a bidet in the bathroom, which was great. blake and i showered, put on some killer dress clothes to go roaming around the city, then found outdoor ping pong tables in the park across the street from our hotel and went back and changed into scrubs and played our first games in a foreign country. awesome.

the evening was not so hot though, as we were supposed to meet our contact luna with our group. we all met at the hotel just fine, and she took us to this gigantic cathedral close by with a grand courtyard. in the courtyard there were a lot of christmas exhibits, and while taking a lot of pictures, we realized the group had walked on without us and didn't notice. so blake and i wandered around the city for awhile, looking for them slash somewhere to eat, cause we were starving. we managed to find some food and then decided to crash back at the hotel because we were still so lagged from the plane ride. bad night.

next day was scary. we met our host families, and mine has turned out to be awesome. carmen and jose are in their late sixties and have one grown-up daughter and have hosted international students for eight years, three students per year. so they know how to do this. they are phenomenally hospitable, basically saying i can do whatever i want, whenever i want. so that's nice. we've had some great conversations over all these awesome meals they've made for me. they have this small apartment about ten minutes from school and ten minutes from the main downtown area, so i'm in a great location.

the next day our group met again with luna and basically hung out all day. which was great. strength in numbers you know? luna showed us around the city a bit, most of the kids were able to buy cell phones, and we had our first school meeting where we took our placement test. not bad.

yesterday was the first day of classes, and these first three days of class are basically just a trial period; since there are seven classes to choose from in both intermediate and advanced sets, we can choose how many slash which ones we want to take. so yesterday i went to all five that were held, and i'm going to three more tonight. the classes are fine, basically the same as spanish classes at uni, a spanish person teaches a bunch of struggling american students. but i enjoy it.

so far so good. it's so weird to think i'm actually gonna be here for four and a half more months. i think i'll put up picture on facebook and write on here so check when you want. here's one on the house though:
pretty sweet huh? there is a flock or whatever of them that just hang out at the park where we play ping pong. weird.

-jon

viva la espana!

i'm in spain. for another four and a half months. i've met my host parents. they're great. when you're in a foreign country and you pick up foreign internet, most websites show up automatically in spanish, or the language of your wireless. oviedo is a gorgeous city. from what i've seen, spain is a gorgeous country. in the big central park of the city, there is a row of ping pong tables made of stone. winning the first game between blake and myself in spain is probably the highlight of the trip so far. everything is overwhelming but it will all be great. more to come.