Yes, Sploggy. Why don’t YOU come up with something better.*
But welcome!
So this is it. For those who didn’t know, I’ll be in Santander, Spain, this summer for a study abroad program. Santander is located on the northern coast of Spain — just west of the Basque Country, if that means anything to you. It’s a coastal city that draws mainly Spanish tourists, and universities like to send students there because it remains fairly pure in its Spanish-ness and makes for a more immersive experience. Or something. I’ll be testing that theory out this summer while staying with a host family.
Some background: A trip to Spain has long been in the cards for me. I took up a Spanish major hoping to develop my speaking skills, and while I’ve been studying the language since ninth grade, classroom instruction doesn’t actually lend itself to fluency development like you might think. In fact, the most real-life exposure I’ve gotten recently is speaking in quasi-Spanglish with Vikram, whose high-school-level Spanish knowledge often leads to the creation of such words as “touch-ando-ing.”
I’ll be keeping everyone who’s interested (or those who aren’t but whose Facebook feeds I pop up in) updated with my life in Spain and various goings-on. Maybe some other stuff, too. Politics, pop culture, Jon & Kate drama commentary, etc. I’ve never had a blog before and never jumped on the Xanga bandwagon in sixth grade, so forgive me if I’m having way more fun with this than I should. (Note: I considered Twitter, as I like reading some people’s, but my thoughts immediately turned to rage and hatred, as they often do when the subject of Twitter comes up. I’m 70 years old.)
I’m leaving Wednesday, so T-minus two days!
*I’m actually serious. I’ll take your suggestions for a blog title. Something typically Spanish, I’m thinking. I was kicking around something about lazy nap takers or weird timetables. Yes? Send ’em in. Please, nothing offensive or stereotypical.
Sploggy 