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Published: April 4th 2006
The Cathedral
A view of the cathedral in Salamanca! All of the churches/cathedrals in Spain are huge and beautiful!Hey guys! I hope that yall are doing well! Thank you for your comments, Ayrica, Acacia, Jade and Tasha (I think that is everyone). I really enjoy reading them! It's great to hear from yall!
This past weekend was a really fun one! The other 3 Americans and I went to Salamanca which is a city/town a little bigger than Avila. It took approximately an hour to get there by train. The weather was perfect to spend the day walking around. I liked Salamanca a lot better than I like Avila when it comes to walking around and things to do. There are a lot more people of all ages there. The University of Salamanca is the oldest university in Spain founded in the 12th Century. So there were a lot more people my age there, which I don't see too many of in Avila. I also love seeing the families out and about together. A lot of the families sit with their friends in the Plaza Mayor and chat with their friends while the kids play together in the plaza. There are a TON of people in the Plaza Mayor. The weather was so beautiful on Saturday that people
The Cathedral
Inside the cathedral were lying down in the middle of the plaza. We joined in. It was very relaxing!
We also visited some famous sights of Salamanca. We went to a HUGE cathedral. It was amazing both inside and out. I've posted some pictures from that. The detail was so intricate and the columns and ceilings were so high. It amazes me that people were able to build this huge cathedral when there weren't any of the things like we have now.
We also walked across an old Roman bridge that was built during the time when the Romans ruled. When you are on the bridge, it gives you a great view of Salamanca.
Sunday was another pretty day. The American girls and I went on a hike with 3 other Spanish girls. We walked for about 45 minutes one way through the countryside of Avila and up some steep hills! We finally reached the top where there was an old church and a park. We laid around here for a while and enjoyed the view and weather. I saw a ton of animals on my walk. Cows, sheep, goats, and horses. It's really weird because the animals roam freely.
There were a few fenced in such as the cows and sheep and some of the goats, but there were also some horses and goats that were about 4 feet away from me without a fence. I was a little nervous that the goats were going to come after me with their horns! I really enjoyed getting out of Avila and seeing a different part of Spain. The countryside was beautiful and relaxing.
This week I have been in the high school that is attached to my school. Being in the high school has reemphasized why I want to teach elementary students. Most (not all) of the students are disrespectful, noisy, loud, rude, etc. One of the teachers that I am with is very good at keeping the students in order, yet still having fun with them. I have enjoyed my time with her. However, it is extremely difficult to be in a classroom where the kids are literally jumping on top of each other, slapping each other, you name it-its probably going on! I was with 2 other teachers today and this was the case. The discipline is very different here-for the most part there is none. Yall
Bridge
View of Salamanca (the cathedral in the background) from the old Roman Bridge might be thinking that this would be a nice thing, however, those students who do want to learn can't because it is too loud and for those who are being crazy, they are not setting a good impression. I was able to enjoy my time talking with a few girls and a couple of guys during the classes though. Some are very nice!
I am leaving on Friday morning to go to Madrid and then fly to the Czech Republic on Friday evening! I am really looking forward to it and having a break (since I haven't had a spring break yet!) I do not know if I will be able to update before then, but please continue to send me messages and let me know how you're doing! I'll be checking until Friday! I hope the test went well! Let me know what else is going on at Shakamak!
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