7.11.2011

16 days

It has been a while, but there isn't much to report. I stayed in Toledo this weekend with a few people, kind of wish I had traveled somewhere, but I'm saving my money for Barcelona.
Friday we went to a former palace called El Escorial. It was the summer palace for the king and queen and was up in the mountains with a view of Madrid off in the distance. Beautiful weather there, it was at least 10 degrees cooler there than in Toledo. Afterwards we came back and I pretty much slept all day, I know, I'm boring. I didn't get much sleep last week though so it was much needed. Saturday I worked on homework and slept some more and then a group of us met some locals that night. We also saw a really cool light show that Toledo had on a couple of buildings. They played music and showed paintings in order to honor El Greco, the artist who lived in Toledo for many years.
Yesterday I got to Skype with my parents for about an hour and got to see my puppies, as usual. Lucy is SO BIG, it's depressing. Then later my friend and I walked around Toledo for a while to avoid homework, something I've found to be very easy here in Spain. Now I have to do it all today..typical. I've definitely lucked out with my workload though compared to some other people, basically all I have to do is read, and I only have 1 paper to do in 6 weeks while others have 10.
I'm at work right now (all the others are at a funeral so I am in the office alone and bored) and writing this blog because I keep trying to talk to the guys in my office but they aren't responding to me . I've decided this is 1 of 3 reasons. 1. I am quiet. 2. My Spanish is bad, as one man informed me the first day (I believe he was joking). 3. I am a girl. After my internship class, I am really thinking that it's leaning towards the last one. We talked a lot about machismo, which basically means macho men thinking that women are inferior. It has improved some since Franco's death, but it's still nowhere near the semi-equality in the US. There is another person from the Fund who works here, a boy, and he says that they talk to him all the time. I try to start conversations but they don't really go anywhere, kind of frustrating. OHHHH how I love men!
16 days until I will be coming back to the US! I definitely have mixed emotions on that..I don't want to leave Spain at all, it's so amazing, but I am looking forward to seeing a great deal of people (and my puppies)


El Escorial


My 7000th picture of the Cathedral. Obsessed with this building. this was after the light show on Saturday

A bridge I have to do a presentation on. San Martin

1 comment:

  1. Sounds like you are enjoying your time there. :) I showed Kristin the pictures and she spotted you immediately - "There mah Bittny". ;)

    Interesting about the male/female dynamics. And an astute observation on your part about the U.S. Semi-equality is better but not as it should be. But, as Audra asks her sisters, "Which one of us is going to be President?" There's hope yet!

    Hope you are learning a lot at work and taking it all in. You'll be home before you know it. :)

    Sandy, Paul, Audra, Kate & Kristin

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