Old Cáceres and Our Trip to Mérida

Sorry everyone. I’ve been so caught up with the excitement here in Cáceres that I’ve had little free time to write in my blog. Anyway, my first class isn’t until late afternoon today so I have the whole morning free which finally gives me time to add another entry.

 The first week in Cáceres has been amazing! The food is great and the night life is so much fun. I think the best experience this past week was the tour through the old city of Cáceres.  The old city contains a mix of Roman, Arabic, and Christian culture as seen in the walls that surround the city as well as the buildings, palaces, towers, churches, etc.  My professor that teaches History of Islam in Spain gave us a walking tour of the old city. He was an excellent guide and I am really excited to have him as a teacher.  We walked along the hilly cobblestone roads, excited and surprised at everything that we saw. While in the city, we went inside the Museum of Cáceres. There were Spanish prehistoric artifacts displayed as well as artifacts from different eras. In my opinion, the coolest part of the museum was the aljibe. An “aljibe” is a cistern that many palaces back then had to collect water.  Because Cáceres is in the desert, I can see why having an aljibe would be so important.  After the museum, we went up one of the towers of the old city to see an awesome view of the city! We walked around some more and then our day came to a conclusion.

 On Saturday, Sept. 25, we took a day trip to Mérida which took about an hour to get there by bus. The city was amazing! It was a town built by the Romans during the time of the Roman Empire. Thanks to the conservation efforts of the people, many of the ancient Roman structures still stand in Mérida. To enter the city, we had to cross the Roman bridge.  I believe the guide said it is the second largest bridge built by the Romans! We saw an aqueduct that transports water to the city, an amphitheater, and a large Roman theater. The acoustics of the theater were amazing. I heard that if you drop a coin on the stage, the whole audience will be able to hear it!  We also took a tour of what used to be a Roman house and we went inside the museum of Roman art.  Afterwards, we were treated with a delicious three course meal for lunch.  After lunch, we were going to take a look at the race track where chariots used to race but unfortunately, it was closed that day.  After a great day, we went home taking our siestas (naps) on the bus.

We Made It!

Well, I finally made it to Caceres! After being on a plane for hours, it felt great landing on Spanish soil. We arrived in Madrid at around 9 am, picked up our luggage, and met up with Doctor Pineda and Denise Elekes, the resident directors. We took a bus from Madrid to Caceres and the ride took about 4 hours. The scenery was great! There were countless billboard ads and the terrain ranged from flat to mountainous. I couldn't believe I was finally here after waiting a whole summer.

When we arrived in Caceres yesterday, all the host families were there waiting for us. They were so happy to see us! They've probably seen only pictures of us and it must be exciting for them to finally see us in person! My host mother greeted me with a kiss on each cheek, which is customary when greeting someone. Her name is Sra. Laly Gonzalez Jimenez. I also have a host brother in my new home named Angel. He's 25 years old and he's pretty cool! When I arrived to the house, my mom served a lunch of lasagna, salad, and bread. I was laughing a bit to myself because for my first meal in Spain, I had Italian food. Later that day, Angel took me to a couple supermarkets to show me what the Spaniards like to eat. Then, he drove me through parts of the city. Last, we took a walk at the Parque de Rodeo. It was a really nice park with a small manmade lake in the middle with a waterfall on one side. After that, we went home and called it a day.

Today, my group and I took a walking tour of the city of Caceres. I love the city! Dra. Pineda and Denise showed us around and pointed out some important shops and landmarks throughout the city. There was an older part of the city that we saw. The building are close together and the streets are narrow. The other part looked much newer. The buildings are larger and the streets are much wider. During the tour, I'm sure we were getting looks from the Cacerenos because we looked different from them. After the tour, I came home to have lunch with the family. Today, my mom's sister and her husband are visiting from Merida, a town close to Caceres. After lunch, I played some cards with my mom and her sister. I had a great time. Later tonight, I might hang out with some friends from the group somewhere in the city. I am really forward to my time here!

Preparation and Excitement!

Hey everyone!  If you have not known already, I will be spending my fall and winter quarter in Caceres, Spain studying in La Universidad de Extremadura (the University of Extremadura)!  It is a 5 month program and I'll be staying there from mid September until mid February.  It is Tuesday, September 7, 2010 and I have one week left until I leave!  I will be traveling with 20 other students from Kalamazoo College to Caceres, Spain.  My flight is at 2:00 pm Chicago time and I will be flying with US Airways.  We will depart from the Chicago O'Hare airport, transfer in Philadelphia and fly to Madrid from there.  I believe our resident director will pick us up from the airport and we'll take a bus to Caceres.  Next Wednesday, my parents will take me to Chicago and we'll spend the night there.  The next day, the 16th, I will be dropped off at the airport.    

So far, I've done quite a bit in preparation for this.  I've made copies of all my important documents so that my family at home can have a copy, I requested a currency exchange at the bank so that I'll already have some Euros in my pocket when I arrive, I purchased a Spanish SIM card for my cell phone so that I can make calls while I'm there, and many other things.  My next big assignment will be to gather what clothes I'll need to bring and see if my suitcase will be within the weight limit to check in at the airline desk at the airport.  Wish me luck!