I have been in Madrid now for three weeks and have noticed many differences between the US and Spain.
First of all the whole time schedule is different. When at home, you eat lunch around 3:00 and have dinner at 10:00. At first I was really hungry in the evenings because I was used to having dinner at 7:00 but I quickly got used to it. The school starting and finishing times are one hour later than in SF. School starts at 9:10 and finishes at 4:10. I like this better because I get to wake up one hour later than I would in SF.
The second thing that is extremely different is the style of schooling. CEU, which is where I am going to school, is completely the opposite in every way from Urban or MCDS. Urban focuses on the students guiding the classrooms and leading discussions. In the Urban classrooms the tables are positioned in a half circle while at CEU the desks are all in rows, separate from everyone and the teacher talks for most of the time. I would say that in Urban and MCDS, the class works together to learn but at CEU you are learning individually. We also have to wear uniforms which can be very frustrating when it is cold outside and you have to wear a skirt. On those days all I want to do is put on pants. I'm glad that I won't have to wear a uniform when I go back to SF. Personally I much prefer my school than CEU.
I have also noticed that the homes here have a lot more security. At the house I am staying at they have cameras all around the house with a big gate to keep other people out. Every night we bring down the metal shutters and turn on the alarm when ever we leave the house. In San Francisco we only put the alarm on when we go away.
Many people find my taste in weather to be very strange. I prefer cold San Francisco fog much more that hot sunny days which is different from most people. Being in Spain, I miss the fog and wearing pants with sweaters. I want to feel the fog on my face as I walk around the neighborhood with Jake and go to beach all bundled up. I have enjoyed summer but I'm exited for fall/winter to come.
The other day I pranked Ignacio by printing out selfies of him that he took on my phone and taped them to his walls and above his bed. When he walked into his room it was hilarious! He called his mom to come and asked her what happened and why. Patricia and I were cracking up so much. One week before that, Ignacio threw his dog's toy into a tree and was using a hose to try and spray it down(I don't know why). Since the hose wasn't working, I went to get a basketball to hit it down instead. As I was throwing the ball up, Ignacio sprayed me with the hose and got me soaking wet. Each time I threw the ball up into the tree he kept spraying me with the hose. Then Patricia walked outside and Ignacio stared spraying her as well.
A couple days later there was a costume party with their family and everybody had to make an appetizer for everyone else to eat. I made crepes with nutella inside and powdered sugar(they were delicious). Ignacio decided to dress up as a fire fighter which was perfect for my revenge. After everybody finished eating. I took a water bottle and poured the water all over him because fire fighters need water in order to do their job(obviously). He was so wet he had to go and change his shirt. When he came back he threatened to throw me in the pool which is why I decided to put the pictures up in his room.
First of all the whole time schedule is different. When at home, you eat lunch around 3:00 and have dinner at 10:00. At first I was really hungry in the evenings because I was used to having dinner at 7:00 but I quickly got used to it. The school starting and finishing times are one hour later than in SF. School starts at 9:10 and finishes at 4:10. I like this better because I get to wake up one hour later than I would in SF.
The second thing that is extremely different is the style of schooling. CEU, which is where I am going to school, is completely the opposite in every way from Urban or MCDS. Urban focuses on the students guiding the classrooms and leading discussions. In the Urban classrooms the tables are positioned in a half circle while at CEU the desks are all in rows, separate from everyone and the teacher talks for most of the time. I would say that in Urban and MCDS, the class works together to learn but at CEU you are learning individually. We also have to wear uniforms which can be very frustrating when it is cold outside and you have to wear a skirt. On those days all I want to do is put on pants. I'm glad that I won't have to wear a uniform when I go back to SF. Personally I much prefer my school than CEU.
I have also noticed that the homes here have a lot more security. At the house I am staying at they have cameras all around the house with a big gate to keep other people out. Every night we bring down the metal shutters and turn on the alarm when ever we leave the house. In San Francisco we only put the alarm on when we go away.
Many people find my taste in weather to be very strange. I prefer cold San Francisco fog much more that hot sunny days which is different from most people. Being in Spain, I miss the fog and wearing pants with sweaters. I want to feel the fog on my face as I walk around the neighborhood with Jake and go to beach all bundled up. I have enjoyed summer but I'm exited for fall/winter to come.
The other day I pranked Ignacio by printing out selfies of him that he took on my phone and taped them to his walls and above his bed. When he walked into his room it was hilarious! He called his mom to come and asked her what happened and why. Patricia and I were cracking up so much. One week before that, Ignacio threw his dog's toy into a tree and was using a hose to try and spray it down(I don't know why). Since the hose wasn't working, I went to get a basketball to hit it down instead. As I was throwing the ball up, Ignacio sprayed me with the hose and got me soaking wet. Each time I threw the ball up into the tree he kept spraying me with the hose. Then Patricia walked outside and Ignacio stared spraying her as well.
A couple days later there was a costume party with their family and everybody had to make an appetizer for everyone else to eat. I made crepes with nutella inside and powdered sugar(they were delicious). Ignacio decided to dress up as a fire fighter which was perfect for my revenge. After everybody finished eating. I took a water bottle and poured the water all over him because fire fighters need water in order to do their job(obviously). He was so wet he had to go and change his shirt. When he came back he threatened to throw me in the pool which is why I decided to put the pictures up in his room.