A Warm Welcome

I finally slept! I got a full eight hours, and although I definitely could have continued had my alarm not woken me up, I feel much better. In addition, my classmate Donna, who has studied here in Salamanca twice before, showed us a much easier way to get to our classroom. I'm not at the point where I could find it completely on my own yet, but I think by tomorrow's return trip I'll have it down. Yay for progress on both fronts!

My classes continue to be pretty interesting. Today Sonia talked about the history of tapas. I already knew how they got their name (originally the little plates were set on top of your wine or beer glass to keep out flies, creating a "tapa" or "top" to the glass), but this is the first time I learned about how they became a custom in the first place. Apparently, the 13th century King Alfonso X became concerned about public drunkenness, and felt that it had a lot to do with people consuming alcohol on an empty stomach. Therefore, he passed a law that all purchased glasses of beer and wine must come with a free small plate of food. The custom continues, and you typically will also receive a tapa when ordering a soda as well. Between this and serving as the inspiration for Seville's "No me ha dejado" (You haven't abandoned me) motto, Alfonso X was a pretty cool dude.

Our history class was cut short today so that we could attend the official Beginning of Term ceremony for all of the international programs at the University of Salamanca. Since it is the most popular place in the world for international students to study Spanish, there were a decent amount of us piled into the centuries-old stone hall. Several administrators sat at a panel at the front of the room and took turns welcoming us. They also introduced the key note speaker, a well-known Spanish author and journalist named Rosa Montero. Although most of the Spaniards in the room weren't thrilled with the diatribe of Spanish stereotypes and tidbits she referenced, there were a few chuckles when she suggested that there were nearly 100 more bars than doctors per household in this country. One thing to remember here, however, is that tapas bars truly are part of the social experience in Spain, not just for tourists but also for locals. Most evenings, the terrazas (terraces)of the tapas bars in Plaza Mayor and throughout the city are filled with people enjoying a small plate of patatas bravas or croquetas along with a glass of wine, as they sit with friends and family and talk about their day. It's actually quite lovely. In any case, what I most appreciated from Montero's speech was the quote "Cada lengua es una traducción del mundo" (Each language is a translation of the world). I have often tried to express to my students that culturally speaking, a language is so much more than words, but I think she said it much more succinctly and poetically than I ever have.

It's kind of crazy when you find yourself in a room that is significantly older than your country.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, we were all invited to a reception in the courtyard. I was expecting a couple of light snacks, but it was more like a cocktail hour at a wedding. There were stations serving beer and wine in each corner, and tables full of manchego cheese, gazpacho, and all sorts of delicious tapas that were consistently replenished.

left to right: Isabel, Diana, Kati, Sarita, Donna, and Carmen (our teacher)

Yummy Goodness

This is my fifth time studying abroad, and I've never witnessed such a welcome. Thank you, Universidad de Salamanca, for making me feel at home, and for reuniting me with my long lost love, tortilla.