Hello ladies and gentlemen!
Two weekends ago I went to El Torcal de Antequera, which is a massive national park about an hour north of Málaga. It is in the Sierra del Torcal mountain range. My Chilean friend Mariana also came with me. This was another MSE (Málaga South Experiences) trip, which included the bus ride and a big hike through the mountains. However, this national park wasn’t really mountains, but more like a Dr. Seuss world. The rocks looked like something out of the Lorax. I really enjoyed being in nature again, since living in the city can be draining sometimes. Being in nature with a good friend was a nice re-charging experience, with hiking, beautiful views, and stimulating conversation about lives and ideas.
Two weekends ago I went to El Torcal de Antequera, which is a massive national park about an hour north of Málaga. It is in the Sierra del Torcal mountain range. My Chilean friend Mariana also came with me. This was another MSE (Málaga South Experiences) trip, which included the bus ride and a big hike through the mountains. However, this national park wasn’t really mountains, but more like a Dr. Seuss world. The rocks looked like something out of the Lorax. I really enjoyed being in nature again, since living in the city can be draining sometimes. Being in nature with a good friend was a nice re-charging experience, with hiking, beautiful views, and stimulating conversation about lives and ideas.
My week went downhill after that. My credit card details were stolen from my American credit card when I used it at an ATM, and all of my American money was gone. My credit card company didn’t contact me because the card was being used in the United States! Thankfully, my mother is connected to my account and saw the spending discrepancy. My bank is refunding me all the money and my account has been closed. So, ladies and gents, please regularly check your balance, and be careful using ATMs! It was most likely a card skimmer put on the outside of the ATM card slot. So check your ATM before you use it!
Two different professors have now told me that my Spanish is mediocre. That was enough to blow my self-confidence to pieces. It’s extremely difficult to try and live in Spain and do things like going to the grocery store, let alone manage to do well in four classes that are taught in Spanish. I think taking four classes in Spanish was MUCH too ambitious of me. (And R-MC requires a C- or better for the class to transfer. Oh, and it affects my GPA too).
I’m going to be honest here. I’m introverted, and going out and doing things with friends and going to class is exhausting in the United States, let alone in a country where my grasp of the language isn't the best it can be. I am managing, but I’m not excelling. I want to excel with my entire being, and come back and be three times better at Spanish then I was when I came. Just, my mind and body won’t let me sometimes.
My professors said I need to drop all of my English-speaking friends, only watch Spanish tv, only listen to Spanish music, and not message home as much. I’m apparently using English as a crutch. It’s just incredibly hard to do full immersion when my flat mates and I’s common language is English as well as my other Erasmus friends. I want to make Spanish friends, but I don’t know enough Spanish to have friendship creating conversations.
And I can't drop my english speaking friends. They are such a blessing to me to have. They are a support group, a source of happiness, as well as people I can force my american customs onto (Howdy, y'all!). So dropping them is out of the question. I will also continue to message home because my mother and boyfriend mean so much to me. All of these english speakers have kept me sane when I can't figure out how to buy Band-Aids at the store.
I’ve started listening to Spanish music more, but our TV in our apartment doesn’t work. I don’t have any sort of Spanish Netflix or anything so I don’t know what to do there. I will try to do an intercambio (where English and Spanish speakers meet up to talk) soon. I get so nervous when I try and speak Spanish, so I stutter and conjugate things wrong, or accidentally say an English word, or forget my vocab that I know. It’s frustrating when I get an A- in a Spanish Conversation class in the States but can’t manage to ask where the hair conditioner is at the store in Spain.
On an up note, I am going to be visiting Wales and England in June with my friend Sophie, who is from near Cardiff in Wales. So I can tick two more countries off the list. My mother will also be here on Thursday, and I am so excited to see her. My boyfriend Bailey may also be visiting, as well as my friend Teal Reynolds. It will be nice to see them. I also was chosen to be an RA at Randolph-Macon this upcoming year and I am so excited for it! (I hope I don’t get freshman village lol)
I am craving Chik-Fil-A so much here. Goodness gracious.
Until the next update,
Natalie <3
Further Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torcal_de_Antequera
Two different professors have now told me that my Spanish is mediocre. That was enough to blow my self-confidence to pieces. It’s extremely difficult to try and live in Spain and do things like going to the grocery store, let alone manage to do well in four classes that are taught in Spanish. I think taking four classes in Spanish was MUCH too ambitious of me. (And R-MC requires a C- or better for the class to transfer. Oh, and it affects my GPA too).
I’m going to be honest here. I’m introverted, and going out and doing things with friends and going to class is exhausting in the United States, let alone in a country where my grasp of the language isn't the best it can be. I am managing, but I’m not excelling. I want to excel with my entire being, and come back and be three times better at Spanish then I was when I came. Just, my mind and body won’t let me sometimes.
My professors said I need to drop all of my English-speaking friends, only watch Spanish tv, only listen to Spanish music, and not message home as much. I’m apparently using English as a crutch. It’s just incredibly hard to do full immersion when my flat mates and I’s common language is English as well as my other Erasmus friends. I want to make Spanish friends, but I don’t know enough Spanish to have friendship creating conversations.
And I can't drop my english speaking friends. They are such a blessing to me to have. They are a support group, a source of happiness, as well as people I can force my american customs onto (Howdy, y'all!). So dropping them is out of the question. I will also continue to message home because my mother and boyfriend mean so much to me. All of these english speakers have kept me sane when I can't figure out how to buy Band-Aids at the store.
I’ve started listening to Spanish music more, but our TV in our apartment doesn’t work. I don’t have any sort of Spanish Netflix or anything so I don’t know what to do there. I will try to do an intercambio (where English and Spanish speakers meet up to talk) soon. I get so nervous when I try and speak Spanish, so I stutter and conjugate things wrong, or accidentally say an English word, or forget my vocab that I know. It’s frustrating when I get an A- in a Spanish Conversation class in the States but can’t manage to ask where the hair conditioner is at the store in Spain.
On an up note, I am going to be visiting Wales and England in June with my friend Sophie, who is from near Cardiff in Wales. So I can tick two more countries off the list. My mother will also be here on Thursday, and I am so excited to see her. My boyfriend Bailey may also be visiting, as well as my friend Teal Reynolds. It will be nice to see them. I also was chosen to be an RA at Randolph-Macon this upcoming year and I am so excited for it! (I hope I don’t get freshman village lol)
I am craving Chik-Fil-A so much here. Goodness gracious.
Until the next update,
Natalie <3
Further Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torcal_de_Antequera