You Have Questions, I Have Answers!!!

Hola Mrs. Samaniego’s Class,
You all asked and I answered!!!!

1. What kind of food do they eat in Spain?

There are many similar foods that Spaniards eat that you might also enjoy. For instance, Spaniards eat similar fruits like bananas, apples, oranges, and pears. Also, there is chicken, ham, eggs, french-fries, and rice.

Much of the difference in foods comes in the way that it is prepared. For instance, the foods are prepared with different spices and oils that are not commonly used in the United States. Although, the foods are different, they taste very good. One of my favorite foods in Spain has been the Paella. Paella is a rice dish that is made with different types of meat and seafood. Some of the meat may include shrimp, muscles, or pork. My favorite Paella dish is cooked with pork and vegetables. I also like a baked chicken dish, fried eggs, french-fries, and a salad.

2. Are you married?

Hahaha Great Question! The answer to your question is no. I’m only 20 years old so I consider myself to be pretty young (although you all are much younger than me). I still have a couple of years left before I think about marriage.

3. Do you feel happy over there?

Yes, I am very happy. I can honestly say, I am having one of the best times of my life in Spain. I am enjoying learning about a new culture, learning a new language, and experiencing life outside of the United States.

I urge you all to learn as much as you can about other cultures. Learn about a culture’s history, language, food, and music. When you do this, you will have a better understanding of the world, and people who live in it.

4. Did knights, kings or queens ever live in the castle?

In most castles, knights, kings, and queens would live there. However, this castle was built for protection from people who would try to invade the city of Lisbon. The Lisbon army would protect the castle. I am not sure, but maybe knights protected the castle as well!

5. What kind of things were in the castle and were there colors inside of the castle?

Unfortunately, the castle was pretty empty while I was there. The castle was built over 700 years ago! It was pretty cool to be able to climb the castle walls and look over the whole city. Also, because the castle was so old, the only color was grey. The grey color was the stones that the castles was built from.

6. What is the weather like?

When I first got to Spain, the weather was very hot. It was around 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Now as we move closer to the winter, the weather is getting a little bit colder. I’m actually enjoying this weather a lot. It’s about 70 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, but at night it gets really cold. The past couple of days it has rained a lot. I am not a huge fan of rain.

7. Do you have a pet over there?

Unfortunately I do not have any pets here in Spain. In America, I have a dog and he lives at home with my parents. His name is Simba because when he was first born, he looked like Simba from the Lion King movie. He still does a little bit.

8. Do they have fancy pools over there?

The pools in Spain look very similar to the pools in America. I live about an hour away from the beach so whenever I want to swim, I can take a train to the beach for the day.

9. Are there any strange animals in Spain?

The strangest animals I’ve seen so far is a lizard walking in my bathroom. The eyes on the lizard were very large and on the side of it’s head. It kind of looked like the lizard from the movie Rango. Other than the lizard, I have not really seen any other strange animals. There are many cats that walk around the streets. There are also many pigeons. I see horses everyday that carry carriages so that people can ride in the carriage around the city.

10. Do you have friends with you there?

No & Yes! No because none of my friends from home came to Spain with me. I came to Spain not knowing anyone, not even my roommate! Yes, because I’ve made tons of friends as soon as my plane landed in Spain. When we were in Madrid, before coming to Sevilla, I got to know and befriend a lot of students, whom I still hang out with in Sevilla. Every Thursday night we all hangout because we have no class on Friday.

I’ve also befriended some Spaniards. They have really helped me improve my Spanish. Each time we meet, they help me practice my Spanish and I help them practice their English.

11. Are you living in a big house? What is it like?

You may be surprised to know that many homes in Spain are very small compared to America. There are a lot less rooms and the rooms are much smaller. One of the reasons for this is because the Spaniards don’t spend a lot of time in their houses. For example, one Saturday morning you may be bored and want to play with your friends so what do you do? You call your friends over to come visit you at your house. In Spain, people don’t usually do this. They usually go out to the park or out for lunch.

The house I am staying in is larger than the average Spanish house. There are five bedrooms and two full size bathrooms. While most students in my study abroad program share rooms with a roommate, I have my own room. In addition, the living room is large as well.

12. Is there a zoo there?

Yes there is a zoo in Sevilla, Spain! As strange as it might sound, I have not visited a zoo in maybe 6 or 7 years! I think that means I might need to visit the zoo.

I have visited an amusement park while here in Spain. It is a much smaller amusement park than Disneyland or Six Flags, but is still fun. My favorite rides were the roller coasters and the water rides.

13. When are you coming back to the United States?

I will be coming back to the United States on December 17th. That date is quickly approaching so I’m trying to enjoy my time as much as I can in Spain until that date.

Every single question you all asked were great!!! I had a fun time answering each question, and I hope my answers fully answered your questions. As always, if you have any more questions, please ask, because I would love to answer them.

This weekend I will be traveling to Morocco which is located in Africa! I will be there for a total of five days. I am very excited because this will be my first time traveling to Africa, and the third continent that I have stepped foot on (North America, Europe, Africa). I can’t wait to tell you all about my experience. Until next time,

Hasta Luego!

Martin