ACTIVIDADES DEL MAR
- Hannah McDonald
- Jun 13, 2017
- 4 min read
Today was full of activities, but first we had our normal classes. In the morning we started reviewing the present subjunctive, one of my weakest and least favorite pieces of Spanish. We reviewed the verb forms and some of when it is used. This is practice that I am definitely needing. During our second class we worked on more vocabulary. We started by playing a vocabulary game similar to the concentration game. If you don't know the concentration game, you simply take turns saying a word that fits into a chosen category. We then briefly paused the class to play a few games of Mafia. This is when the group learned just how bad of a liar I am. I was the Mafia and gave in as soon as I was accused. That was a very short round. Resuming class, we looked at typical foods eaten in Spain and the culture around meals. This just reassured what we had already begun to discover with our host families: light breakfast, big lunch eaten around 2:00 pm, and a smaller dinner eaten around 9:00 or 10:00 pm. It is a much different lifestyle than in the United States and a difficult one to get used to.
Afternoon activities started very quickly for Makaela and I as we had a Stand Up Paddle Boarding lesson at 2:30 pm on the other side of the river at La Concha beach. After classes got out at 2:00 pm, we would have made it relatively on time, but Makaela decided to take the scenic route. She took us all the way around the hill we hiked yesterday, by the coast, instead of cutting through the city, which added about thirty minutes to our time. It was pretty, but we ended up arriving thirty minutes late. None the less, they still gave us a thirty minute lesson, and it was worth it. Once we got our boards and paddles, we carried them down to the beach. Let me tell you, stand-up paddle boards are very heavy. It was a struggle, similar to the wetsuits. Once we made it, we walked the boards into the water, then stood on our knees on the board. We had to paddle over the breaking waves to get into mellower water. The instructor helped push us over the waves, then left us to paddle. Getting over the waves was actually kind of fun, but I'm not sure if I would have made it without his help. Once past the waves, we stood up. It was a little bit of a difficult transition with balance, but neither Makaela or I fell. It was just the two of us and the instructor, so it was an easygoing lesson. We just paddled around the ocean, only loosing my balance a few times, and talked to the instructor, in Spanish. He was super nice, and the half hour was very relaxing. Needing to go back in, the instructor told us we had to catch a wave. Makaela then turned and said, "so this is where I fall." Neither of us had fallen yet, but she was right. We both fell on the way in.
After paddle boarding, we had another surf lesson, at the other beach, on the other side of the river. We went the fast way this time though and made much better time. We even had time to get Makaela a gelato on the way over, and she said it was the best yet. I had a feeling that was a good shop because there were always people lined up for it. She decided to relax on the beach and take pictures instead of surf today. However, I pulled on a wetsuit and got ready to surf with Faye, Victoria, and Nadia, all other La Cunza girls from Germany. We had a different instructor this week, and he was much better. He spent a lot more time teaching us how to surf and helping us along the way. We started in the sand, like last week, and reviewed what we had learned. We then went into the water to try and catch some waves. The water was very calm and the waves were small. It was nice and relaxing because there wasn't a big current to fight. I stood up on several waves myself, but also found myself falling on many more. For one of the waves, the instructor said to me, "paddle hard, like your from the US." After immediately falling in that wave, he said to me, "nah, you might be from Canada." He was super fun and kept the mood light. He told me I was doing well, but, with the number of falling pictures I have, I'm not so sure. None the less, it was super fun, and a great day to surf.
Having rinsed all the sand off, I met back up with Makaela. We needed to restock on snacks, so we took a trip to the super market. On our way, it was determined that this super market is probably the place we've been to the most in the city. Reading ingredient labels in Spanish, however, was quite the adventure. It may have taken a little while, but we figured it out and now have snacks for the week.
Returning to my host family's house, I had chicken and rice for dinner. I have been eating dinner here between 7:30 and 8:00 pm, which is nice because it is more similar to home than the typical dinner time in Spain is.
All the water activities today lead to some much needed sleep. Tomorrow we will explore the San Sebastian aquarium.
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