This was one of the best weekends I've had since I arrived. Àngels, a 4th grade teacher from the school invited me to come out to her town for the weekend. I was like half daughter/half tourist for two days! She took me to her house in Cervera to have lunch with her daughter and husband. We did a tour of some important things in the city. It's where Fernando and Isabella the catholic rulers were married! There was a very old house with all of the original furniture from the 19th century that we got to tour and a very old building which is now the town hall. They used to make ice in the cellar there and sell it to the rest of Catalonia. There was also an old prison and the platform where they did hangings. Her husband also showed me a hanging round basket on the side of the building. He said they used to put the decapitated heads from the guillotine executions there to scare the townspeople from committing crime!
After lunch Àngels took me and her daughter to Lleida. Mostly we just did some shopping (and I bought a pair of brown leather boots for 29€ which was a steal!), but we also got to see the church lit up at night. It's called El Seu Vella.
That night we stayed at her old house in Almacellas which was very nice and we slept in nice and late. When we were well rested, we got up and drove to the countryside. How lucky was I to see town, city and country all in 2 days! At her parents' farm, I got to do something I hadn't done in a long time - go horseback riding! She took me on a leisurely walk up a hill where we could look out over the valley. Everything was different colors: shades of gree, yellow, golden, brown, reddish colors - depending on the vegetation and cultivation. It was so beautiful, I wanted to kick myself when I realized I had left my camera in the car. She has invited me out again sometime, so hopefully I can take photos then. She said it was apparent that I had ridden before. Thank Michelle! Even though it's probably been 8 or 10 years, the lessons you gave me still stick with me a bit. :)
I think that Àngels and her family are going to be long lasting friends and I can envision myself visiting them in the future if I come back to Catalonia on vacations. I think that I will be able to do some other things with them this year also. They said I could come if they go skiing in December or January. They invited Jon to come too! I'm so happy. :)
I also got to spend more time with Anna and her partner this weekend. His name is Fransesc. They invited me to come out for dinner on Friday night and I met some of their friends. I met so many people that I don't think that I will remember their names, but I was happy that I was able to communicate in Spanish pretty well all weekend.
I'm finally beginning to feel at home here. When I returned from my weekend away I felt comfortable in my flat and went for a walk knowing where I was without a map! It's a great feeling once that happens. I have command of this new city. I know where I am and where I'm going. I live here. The truth has finally started to settle in.
After a weekend with locals, I have even more goals to learn Catalan. And quickly! I just hope I can find someone I'm comfortable practicing with. This week I am going to start doing conversation hour with another teacher named Noemi. I am going to ask her if we can split our time between Catalan and English. Her first language is Spanish because she's from Aragon, not Catalonia, so I think she would be more sympathetic when I make mistakes. LOL
Until later!
Christina
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