First Batch of Pictures for You All

Well hey there everybody!

Coming up on my fourth week in Spain this Saturday then two days after that will be officially one month in my new home. It's crazy and I'm finally starting to get to the point of being able to look back a little bit and go " Well hey look at that! I've made a little progress!" You have no idea how much a relief that is for me and will only start getting better from here.

I love all your blog comments so much and it gives me great pleasure to read them. Thank you so much for that. I'm doing great and all but from time to time having something to make you smile really helps. The language is still really difficult but having gone from a baby's understanding of language when I landed here to now I would say I'm doing alright.

The European Union has established a whole bunch of language centers across Europe where you can take any kind of language classes for really cheap. I started my first two classes of Spanish this week so hopefully that will help to speed the whole process along. Cross your fingers yah?

It's the third week of school in Palencia and I feel like I'm finally starting to fall into a groove. By now mostly all the teachers understand not to really call on me unless if they want to waste a good ten minutes trying to convey something through body gestures. So for the most part I'm just left to my own means during class which really helps for me to listen and not have to worry about anymore embarrassing scenes. All the students are really great though and super friendly and patient with my language troubles. I'm very grateful to them all and their continuing support when I am utterly confused.

Last weekend was one of David's (My host families son who is on exchange in South Carolina) friend's birthday so I went to that. One thing I thought was interesting is that on someone's birthday you give them the amount of tugs on the ear for how old they are. Thought that was interesting and different. During the weekends I for the most part go out with David's friends and go around Palencia. They are all amazing guys and I am so grateful that they are will to adopt me as a worthy substitute David. One of the main problems for many exchange students is not having friends or this to do so you just sit at home and get homesick. I am very very lucky in that I was never given that option and that I had friends even before I landed in Spain. One more thing I am very grateful for. It's a shame they don't do Thanksgiving in Spain cause these days I seem to have so much to be thankful for.

So you'll all be proud of me in that I now will finally be able to post some pictures in this blog. I am at this moment in the public library with wonderful free internet access. I have a whole slew of pictures to show you but I won't to overburden you all so I will post the ones that give you a general jist of Spain. Now while looking at them please to remember I am in no way a decent photographer and my camera is wonderful, but isn't the Hubble. So ya just keep that in mind. I put in there a few pictures of Palencia as well but there are many more parts of the town then what I posted. If you wish you can go online and quite easily check out the most interesting parts of the town. It's a wonderfully city and I absolutely love it so I would advice you all to take a look if you have a sec.

I will be moving into our flat in the town of Palencia this weekend so that will hopefully ease up any strain on internet access that I have had up unto this point. Thank you all again for your continuing patience on this fact and if I haven't yet gotten back to you individually I promise I will soon. Thank you all again for your continuing support and remember to stay in touch!

So I hope you don't mind that most of my pictures are of old churches or bridges but I kind of find that stuff interesting. Bear with me. This is one of the many many many old churches in Palencia. Not only Palencia but basically all of Spain is chalk full of old Catholic churches. Pretty much everywhere. Who knew. The picture above this would be the sort of town hall in Palencia.

This is the Calle Mayor in Palencia. Sort of a Main Street that runs through most of the city but your only allowed to walk on it. They're big about walking in Spain. Not so much running but walking is big. Even very old people come out every night and go and walk around town. Very cool to see and possibly a more healthy life style in some ways. Not the running part but the walking is cool.

This would be a sort of normal street in Spain. Most of these streets I don't see how two cars fit on them. It's crazy. Well, two wouldn't fit on this one anyway.

This is a very old bridge in Palencia. It was actually built during the Roman occupation. So very very very old. Its very cool to walk over and know that some Roman Solider could of done the same.

The picture below this the massive Cathedral in Palencia. Absolutely huge its crazy. And very beautiful. This is just a small part of it.

This is a canal that runs by where I live.

This is a one of many plazas in Palencia that people hang out.

Another old bridge that's fallen out of use. Can you guess why?

Another of the very very old churches. My spanish isn't too good but from what I understand its like a bunch of hundreds of years old. I know thats a very ruff estimate but you get the idea.

Oh so last weekend I went to the north of Palencia and went on a hike with my father in the mountains. Now this is Palencia the county we'll say. So I live in Palencia the city in Palencia the county in Castilla y Leon the State in Spain. They have different names but you get the idea. Beauty though huh?

That's my father Juan. He really likes trees. He tried to teach me all the different names. I'm having trouble constructing simple sentences let alone remembering all the different types of trees.

This is the bull fight I went to. Didn't really mean to put the dead bull picture first but oh well. I guess we can just get that out of the way. So ya. This is a dead bull.

This is a picture of me and a bull fighter. The person who took me to the fight was very excited that we got this picture. He says they never take pictures with people so I'm special. As you can see we had to get him while he was in his van.

Another picture of my hike with Juan. Sorry a little out of order here. My bad.

This is an old castle that went by. So ya Spain's big into castles. Lots of castles. Like my state is Castilla y Leon. In Spanish castle is Castillo or Castilla. and they prefer the language being called Castillian instead of Spanish. Which is the Castle language. Yep, they like their castles.

This is an old canal in Palencia that goes right by my house. The canal was started in 1751 and took over 70 years to finish and goes for something like a hundred miles. They say it was one of Carlos III 's big mistakes. Well i like it anyway.

And now back to the bull fight. This is a man that I took a picture with. Don't really know who he was but he wasn't to happy I took a picture with him though. I still like him anyway.

This is at the bull fight. I'm with a priest and a policeman. I thought the perfect coupling. And if you can see the priest has a large drink in his hand. Thats Spain for ya.

The bull ring.

The bull during one of the fights. Those are those spear things that I talked about in one of my earlier blogs.

The bull with the fighter. crazy huh?

Back to our hike. This is Juan in a cave. Pretty cool.

This is the craziness after the bull fight. I don't know if you can see it but this street is filled with thousands of people for like a mile. It was so crazy. And they do this all night.

This is people all in a parade on their way to the bull fight. All playing instruments and dressed up.

This guys whip the pavement and make really loud noises. They are kind of dangerous. They don't really look when their whipping.

A picture of the Spanish countryside. Sorry. this are really out of order. But ya this is typical Spain counrtyside.

This is one of many pictures like this. Me with some random person. The guy I was with would just randomly grab people and make me take pictures with them. He was very happy about me being there. I have a whole bunch of these. Like the old man before. He's my favorite.

This are the royalty of the festivals they are called. Don't really know why but they are.

This is the Spanish version of the Arch de Triumph and even has a quite similar name as well. This is also in Madrid. But hey check up the sun coming down on it an all. And you wonder where people get the idea's like Manifest Destiny?

A big flag of Spain in Madrid

As I said before there is much more of Palencia online that you can check out. For instance overlooking the town on a 850 meter high hill is a 20 meter high Jesus statue. Now thats a big Jesus. He has both his hand put up like he wants to give you two big high fives. I pretend to give them to him everyday. He's the second biggest Jesus in the world after the Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Now thats cool, check it out!