Los partidos de fútbol

Saturday night was the quarterfinal game of the Eurocup. Spain played.against France and won 2-0. The whole group of students went out to eat dinner and watch the game at a restaurant in Plaza de Mina. From the picture you can tell that soccer games in Spain are a huge deal. Everyone goes to plazas and cafes and bars to watch the games and celebrate together. And when Spain wins, everyone goes crazy. People stayed out in the street watching replays of the game and dancing for more than half an hour after the game ended. Someone working at a restaurant started spraying all the kids who were dancing with water. It was really fun to see something that the whole country can share and that so many people are so excited about. Although we have national sports in the U.S., the don't bring people together the way that fútbol does here. It was a really fun and interesting thing to experience.

El mercado central

Yesterday during Spanish class we talked about food that is typical in Cádiz. After some discussion and introduction of some new vocab, we walked to the central market where people go to buy fruit, vegetables, meat, and seafood. Compared to the typical American grocery store, the market is super exciting. Everything is fresh and is brought in at the beginning of every day. We tried some peaches and nectarines and they were very good, much better than anything I've had at home. In the seafood section, they had shellfish that were still alive and moving and fish that still had their bodies completely intact. As strange as all of this was, the concept of buying meat and fruit fresh every day seems very appealing. We talked to our host mom about how buying food is so different in the United States and we agreed that this system is much better. Instead of buying frozen meat that you don't eat for days, you go to the market every day to get what you are going to cook that day. Going the market definitely had some shock value because a lot of the meat and fish were pretty gross looking but the system of food here is a lot cooler than at home.

¡Primera dia de clases!

Yesterday was our first day of school. Our Spanish classes start at ten and last for about three hours. The school is a really cool and old building and it's about fifteen minutes away from our apartment. So far in class we've learned a lot about Cádiz. Today we went out in the streets and asked people about their favorite shops, the best parts of town, problems with the Spanish economy, and other things like that. It's really interesting to talk to people here and actually use Spanish that you've learned. Most people are pretty friendly and don't mind talking to Americans. Three times a week we also have our elective classes, which are either Spanish culture and conversation or Digital photography. In culture class, we went out and asked people about the difference in dialects in Càdiz and in Madrid. It's really cool to see the different accents thst are here just like in the United States. We also learned a lot of vocabulary that is specific to cádiz which was really interesting, too. Today, instead of electives, we had art and flamenco dancing classes. We painted fans for our families at home and had a introduction to flamenco dancing. The dancing was kind of embarrassing but still fun. The classes here are very specific to cádiz and we get to go out and use all the things we learn during class. This picture is the view from the second floor of the school.

Conil

Today we went on a trip to one of the smaller towns in Càdiz. This was the spectacular view of the city from the beach

First day!!!

So today was our first full day in Cadiz. We got a much needed late start to the day after a long day of traveling. I woke up around 10:30 and had a light breakfast with my host mom and her daughter. Breakfast isn't really a big deal in Spain so we just had muffins and juice. Then we met the group at the plaza de catedral (the picture I included is of the cathedral). We went on a quick tour of the city's major plazas. The city is beautiful and there's people everywhere and a lot going on. After our tour we headed down to the beach for a few hours. The beach was really crowded but still super fun. We had lunch there and went swimming and laid in the sun. After the beach we had some free time before dinner so we got ice cream and walked around the plazas some more. Then we had a quick shower and siesta and went back out for a dinner with the group. The restaurant we went to was really good. They served us in courses--bread, salad, potatoes, and then meat and more potatoes. After dinner we had more free time so we mostly just explored and talked to some locals. We met back up late at nights and then walked back to our homestays.

So far, the trip has been amazing. All the people (other students, staff, Spanish people) are so nice. I've been having a lot of fun meeting people and talking to them and also practicing Spanish with actual Spanish-speaking people. The city is gorgeous and no matter where you go there is something cool to see. My host mom is amazing and super sweet. She is so helpful and we can tell she just wants us to be happy and comfortable.

Tomorrow we are going on an excursion to another beach. I can't wait to see more Spain!

Hi! I'm Katie DeAngelis and I live in Louisville, Kentucky. I'm 17 years old and I'm going to be a senior in high school in the fall. I live with my mom, two dogs, three cats, and three chickens. I hope to study Spanish and medicine in college and I want to find a career in which I can use both. My favorite thing to do in my free time is go out to eat with my friends, walk my dog, Lucy, and watch movies. I work a part-time job at a locally-owned grocery store in my neighborhood.

In just a few short days I will be taking off to Cadiz, Spain, where I'll be taking classes and staying with a Spanish family. I am completely ecstatic about this opportunity to travel abroad and participate in a homestay program. I chose the Abbey Road program because it had everything that I wanted: a chance to stay in a Spanish home, language and culture classes, complete immersion into the Spanish culture, and it all takes place in a beautiful city. I've taken Spanish classes since I was in sixth grade and I'm very excited (and a little nervous) to use my Spanish in practical real-life situations. Another thing I'm really excited about is meeting new people. I love meeting people from other parts of the country and talking to them about how different their lives are from mine, and I'm sure meeting people from another country will be similarly exciting. I really hope I get a chance to explore the city and see as much as I can to get a really full and memorable experience. I can't wait to meet my host family and get to know them. I'd say the part of my trip that I'm most excited for is the complete immersion into a new and different culture. I can't wait to see new things and meet new people and try all the delicious Spanish food!!