North Carolina State University Athletics
Meredith and Katie's Summer in Spain
6/8/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
NC State rising juniors Meredith Parilla and Katie Ruiz are spending the summer in Segovia, Spain as part of the study abroad program. Both Spanish majors at State, the soccer playing duo are writing a blog for GoPack.com this summer and will keep the Wolfpack nation in tune with their experiences both in and out of the classroom.
June 7
48 hours and I'll be back in New Jersey .. it is hard to believe! I am not looking forward to the jet lag when I get back so I have devised a master plan. I've been staying up about 30 minutes later each night for the past four nights and tonight and tomorrow night will be a grand finale. I'm going to stay up until the very earliest 4am today and then sleep all day Sunday. On Sunday, we have a group dinner at this nice restaurant in Segovia and then everyone will hang out after. We are all going to stay up until the morning, come home, shower, grab a bite to eat and head to the bus for Madrid and just sleep on the plane. We'll see how it works.
Today we went to Toledo and Madrid for our last excursion. Toledo was the prettiest city we've been to with some of the most amazing views ever. Everywhere you looked there were mountains, rivers, cathedrals and beautiful stone buildings. After Toledo we headed to Madrid to visit "El Mueso del Prado" which was short and sweet. There was a bit of free time after the Prado so Ru and I just walked around and enjoyed the views.
Tomorrow we have our final dinner with the group at a very nice restaurant in the Plaza Mayor, I'm really looking forward to it. I've had a lot of fun on this trip and I'm so grateful I was able to be a part of something so incredible. It was especially fun since Ru was able to come with me and we were able to share it together.
Now it is time for me to walk to the bakery and enjoy my last Spanish pastry. Thank goodness my mom told me not to try any pastries until my last few days here or else I would find a favorite and eat it every day. Well I did find a favorite and have eaten one each day for the past three days. Woops! Guess I'll be running a few extra laps when I get back home. MERSH!
June 4, 2008
What a difference the sun makes! Spain has been so great these past few days no one wants to leave next week.
Yesterday was a picture perfect day and I even managed to lay outside on my balcony to catch some rays before lunch. Ru and I did a stairs workout instead of a run yesterday and we killed it! We were originally doing eight sets and as tired as we were after that, we did the last two to get to 10 because Coach Kerrigan would tell us that's overtime and we need to work our hardest when we are tired. I made a comment to Ru on the last one "Come on Ru push it, 30 seconds left in OT and you have (insert opposing players name here that I can't repeat) in a foot race to the ball at the top of the 18" and she came back with a quick one "Heck no Mere, I fouled her back at the 50 ref never saw it!" And with that .. we were finished with our workout :)
After the run I finally decided to go buy a certain jacket and necklace I had seen on my first day but thought was too expensive. I had been thinking about it the whole time so decided it could be a little birthday present to me from me. Wellll an hour, two shirts, a pocketbook, a ring and a few bracelets later (UGH! work is not going to be fun when I get back!) I never even made it to the store I was trying to get to. It had closed before I could get there. Looks like I will be doing some more shopping tomorrow!
Today the group went Kayaking on a river in Duraton, it was beautiful. We had two people to a kayak so of course Ru and I hopped in together and began our adventure. I made her promise before we got in that she wouldn't tip it because you never know what could be lurking beneath the water!! She agreed and we finished our trip with a nice tan and very dry :)
Well it is time for some dinner then off to catch the Spain vs. USA men’s soccer match with the group at a sports restaurant around the corner. GO USA!
June 2, 2008
And the countdown begins! One more week here in Spain so we are doing our "lasts" of everything. Today in class we went over our final week here and the homework and projects that are due for all of us. We are going kayaking on Wednesday which should be very interesting! Thursday and Friday we are presenting our final projects and Saturday is our last (tear) excursion. Toledo and Madrid are the destinations of choice and from what I hear, there might be sun. Call me crazy but I'm counting on it.
Speaking of sun .. I saw it today!!! For a whole 3 hours!!! All jokes aside I forgot how enjoyable a sunny day was and how much happier it makes everyone. I ran through the streets this afternoon and all of the restaurants had their outdoor seating set up and the parks were filled with people just enjoying the day. It wasn't warm enough to get a tan, however have no fear! Upon my arrival to beautiful Wyckoff, N.J., I will spend the first 12 hours of sunlight outside at my pool (the same pool that I so conveniently managed to miss the opening of aka the tedious yard work and cleaning my brothers had to do for a whole week - hahahaa) and before you know it I'll be golden again :)
Ru and I have been keeping up with the baseball team here in Spain and we're definitely bummed out (yet equally as excited we're in Europe) that we couldn't be in Raleigh for their games. I've been reading about their games and they all sound really close and exciting, makes me miss my summers in NJ going to Yankee games and watching Paul O'Neill stroke home run after home run (ok maybe not that many .. but he was my favorite!).
Not much else going on here. The sunset was beautiful tonight and I will be sure to share some pictures soon. Until then .. GO PACK!
May 31, 2008
Only nine days left here in Spain, hard to believe it's almost over. Ru and I went to Madrid for our free weekend and stayed with my friend Wipe. It was cut a bit short though and we returned late last night. It was SO great seeing him (it had been a year) but his apartment was very tiny and there were seven of us so it was better for us to come back to Segovia. Besides, we ARE here for school and our final project is due this week :)
We spent all day yesterday walking around the city and popping in and out of shops. Wipe's friend came with us and by the fourth store we stopped in I think he figured out it was a bad idea to join us on our trip. I don't ever advise males to go shopping with females, it just does not make sense.
Today, I slept in for the first time the whole trip and I was hoping I'd wake up to the bright sun shining into my room but I had no such luck. I have faith though that before I leave I will see the sun. I just got back from my run and will probably finish up my project today and hopefully meet up with Ru. As much as I am loving Spain, I think I'm ready to go home. I'm hardly ever in New Jersey and will head back to Raleigh by the end of June so I'm definitely ready to just sit by my pool with the family and enjoy the most wonderful state our country has to offer. But until then I will be sure to enjoy my final week here in Segovia :)
Hasta Pronto!
May 28, 2008
More rain here in Spain! From now on just assume we had a rainy day and if it changes I will be sure to share the good news :)
Yesterday we went on an excursion to Granaja where we visited a palace and a glass factory. The glass factory was really cool because we actually got to see the glass being made by hand and saw the workers blow each piece themselves. Our tour guide was lots of fun and chose Ru and I to help him out with something, which was quite comical.
After the excursion we came back to Segovia, had a quick lunch with our families and went to class. The day was very long with lots of walking around but Ru and I felt the need to make it longer and went to a hotel to use the gym so we could workout. The 30-minute walk itself was a workout and somehow we managed to walk uphill both ways which I didn't know was possible but apparently it is here in Spain!
There was only one treadmill so Ru let me use it first and I wanted to run our treadmill program. I felt very fit and couldn't wait to tell Coach Kerrigan that I was running on 9.1 for my jog and 13.0 for my "slow" sprint with no problem. I mean I just couldn't wait to hear how proud she was of me and brag to all my teammates how easily I got fit this summer. Well then common sense rolled around and I realized the treadmill was not in miles per hour but kilometers per hour. Oh well .. for those 5 minutes that I thought I could join the cross country team I felt really great :)
Class just got out and I'm about to have lunch with my "madre" then work on my final project, which is due next week. Time sure does fly by here! Only 12 more days and I'll be back home in New Jersey (and 14 until my birthday .. incase anyone was wondering). Time for "almuerzo".
Hasta Pronto
May 26, 2008
I forgot how wonderful a hot shower really is!! Before we left for Madrid this morning I took my first shower in my house since moving back in last night and it was nice to have hot water again :) I'll be very excited though to get back to New Jersey so I can have the luxury of a shower head mounted on the wall at the front of the shower, not the middle. Here in Spain most of the shower heads are hand held and all of the faucets are in the middle of the shower ... I haven't quite figured out why though.
We had an awesome day today and it only rained for one hour - definitely a bonus! Wake up was at 8 am and the bus left at 9 am for Madrid. We spent the entire day in Madrid and I am very happy that Ru and I decided to go there for our free weekend because there is SOOO much to see and we didn't have enough time to do it all in just one day.
A tapestry factory was our first stop, it was short and sweet. We watched the workers make rugs and both Ru and I deemed there is no way with my attention span (which is similar to that of a three year old for those of you who do not know) I would be able to accomplish such a tedious and time consuming task. Some of the rugs took years to make! Our tour guide told us the rugs cost 1.000 euros to make (around $1,600) per square meter, can you believe that!?
After the factory we had some down time, then onto a museum followed by lunch and more down time. The city was beautiful and a lot of fun to walk around. You have to be careful what you say though because the majority of the people are bilingual unlike where we live in Segovia, some of us found out the hard way :/
The rest of the week is filled with excursions and then Thursday everyone leaves for their free weekend. I can't wait to see Wipe and I'm excited for Ru to meet him. It will be fun!
Hasta luego
May 25, 2008
Finally!! I have moved back into my regular house. My "madre" got back from France late last night so after breakfast this morning she picked me up and I moved all my stuff back into my house ... I missed it!
Yesterday we were out all day in Salamanca and Avila visiting Cathedrals and sightseeing, it was beautiful. Salamanca was great and the Cathedral there was incredible, I've never seen something so amazing. I keep meaning to get up and go to Church here but never wake up in time. Hopefully Wipe will force me to get up next Sunday while we're in Madrid because I heard the Cathedrals there are amazing too.
Avila was nice too but it poured on us the whole time so we didn't see much. After awhile we all just accepted the fact we were going to get soaking wet and did away with our umbrellas. I felt like I was swimming in an ocean or something. It would've been nice to see Avila because it is a really cool town. The entire town is surrounded by an old wall built in the 11th century to help protect the people inside, it was very pretty.
Today I am just going to unpack a little bit and catch up on some emails before I go run. It's supposed to rain all next week so I will try and enjoy my rain free run today.
Ciao
May 22, 2008
11 days already??? I feel like we just got here. Today we took a tour of a glass factory and a whiskey factory, it was very ... interesting. We had to wear these dorky goggles at the glass factory and wear ear plugs so we didn’t hurt our ears since it was so loud inside. Everyone thought it would be funny to remind me I only needed one (because I'm deaf in my left ear) .. haha not so funny!
All of our excursions involve a ton of walking, mostly up and down hills, so all of us are exhausted when we get back. I now know why the "siesta" (nap) is so popular in Europe!! I'm still trying to figure out the reasoning behind eating dinner at 10:30pm though, it doesn't make a ton of sense to me but I still have another two weeks to figure it out.
Yesterday I watched the UEFA Championship game and it was AWESOME! There is a sports bar right near my apartment here in Segovia and the people were going crazy. I missed a little bit of it though because my family here does not watch soccer and chose to watch The Simpsons during dinner instead (what great luck - I come to Europe where everyone loves soccer and I get the one family who doesn't!). It was a really exciting game and I was pulling for Manchester United but I hated that it came down to PKs. Regardless though it was fun to watch and if Cristiano Ronaldo happens to read this, call me!
That's all for now, time to get ready and have dinner before the group gets together to hang out tonight.
Adios!
Meredith
May 21, 2008
Not much has been going on here in Segovia for Ru and I. We have class every day from 10:30-1 and then are free after that. Usually we will go back to our house and hang out, call home, take a nap or do homework and lunch is served around 2:30pm. After lunch we meet up to go for a run and after that we will either hang out at Rus house or go shopping here in town. Between the two of us it looks like we will need to buy another suitcase to get home .. WHOOPS!
Yesterday when we went for a run we stopped at the field first to stretch and there were little boys playing soccer. They kept staring at Ru and I but when I asked if we could play they clearly were not interested, they just giggled and ran the other way. Were hoping we can find a group to play with while were here but who knows.
Tomorrow we have an excursion instead of class but its suppose to downpour and that wont be much fun. Im hoping the rain holds up and we can still enjoy the day.
We have planned our trip while were here in Spain for our free weekend. Were going to go to Madrid and stay with my good friends Wipe and Beli who are studying here from Guatemala. I am very excited to see them, its been a year which is entirely too long. It will be a lot of fun and since Wipe has been living in Madrid for 6 months now hell no where to take us and what to show us. Que bueno!
Time for class ...
Meredith
May 18, 2008
Ru and I had a very busy weekend here in Spain. Friday we were supposed to meet up with everyone and play soccer but it was thundering and lightening so we decided to save it for another day. I also had to move houses which was not so much fun. My "madre" here in Spain was going to the Cannes Film Festival in France for a week so I had to move to another house while she was gone. My new "madre" is very, very nice but the house doesn't have the internet so I am struggling just a bit! It's hard to get in touch with the other students to see what they're doing because we don't have phones here so the internet is the only way we can get in touch. I'm at Katie's house right now just hanging out laughing about our weekend.
Yesterday we went to a monestary, a few castles and a vineyard ... they were all beautiful. We left at 9:30 am and didn't get back until 7:30 pm so it was a long day. The castles were incredible and the views were immaculate. Ru and I are actually thinking about moving into one, which would be lots of fun :)
After our long day we took a nice run through the city and finished through the valleys, it was really pretty. When I swore to Ru I was going to die she just told me to look at the mountains in front of us and when I did I got another boost of energy. We have the most amazing views here everywhere we look. It's an experience we will never forget.
Today the two of us are just relaxing and hanging out. We had school the next three days and then another trip on Thursday :)
Ciao
May 14, 2008
Today was another gloomy day but no rain so that was good. Class was a bit more enjoyable as we are now adjusted to the time change and I was able to keep my eyes open the whole time! I really like my professors. James McConnell is a professor from NCSU and Luis is from Segovia. They are both funny and make us laugh the whole time.
After class I went to take a nap before lunch and then Ru and I met up to kick the ball around. We got warmed up and then decided one of us would jump rope while the other did 150 consecutive juggles and we'd switch. It was easy until about the third round when my calves started to burn and my legs got heavy. I can't tell you how many times I got to about 130 and dropped it. When Ru has a killer season in the fall you can thank me for the good jump rope workout I provided her in Spain!
We went on a run afterwards and it was AWESOME. Not only was it fun to explore something new but the views were amazing. We started our run through the valleys where you could see the entire city and finished running up the city streets. Genius Meredith thought it was only a 1/4 of a mile to the house and the hill wouldn't be that bad. It was closer to a full mile .. all up hill .. and my legs are definitely feeling it right now.
Hopefully I can walk tomorrow ...
Buenas Noches
Meredith
May 13, 2008
Well whoever told me after the first day I wouldn't be tired anymore was clearly crazy. I woke up today at 9:30 am for school with no problem but at about 11:20 am, right in the middle of class, I felt like I was hit with a ton of bricks (which is similar to the feeling when I have to be up at for early morning workouts in the spring in case anyone who schedules practice at NC State was wondering (LK)!!). As soon as class ended I headed straight home for a nap.
Afterwards Katie and I met up and headed back into Segovia for a day of shopping. The weather wasn't very nice and it rained on us a little, but if you know me there is little that will stop me from shopping, so we kept going. Our Spanish is getting better little by little and we had no problem conversing with people on the streets. Segovia is a people friendly city and many parts, especially near the Plaza Mayor, don't allow traffic so there is a ton of people walking around.
We stopped at a sports store to pick up "una pelota" (a ball) to play soccer with for the rest of the trip. Obviously I'm going to own Katie in every game we play but there isn't much competition here so I guess she will do (only kidding). We weren't able to get a run in today, however, we did walk up the second most grueling amount of steps both of us have ever encountered and we have video to prove it. The first most grueling you wonder? The WB steps at NC State!
It's 10:00 pm and time for dinner. Hasta que el proximo tiempo.
Meredith
May 12, 2008 Day 1
Ru (Katie Ruiz) and I arrived in Madrid after a longgg flight from JFK at around 9:40 am local time. Our flight leaving NYC left nearly two hours late but we still made it in time to ride from Madrid to Segovia with the rest of the group. Neither of us slept on the plane and I'm definitely regretting that now. We left at 9:00 pm from NY last night and I have not slept since Saturday night (it's 10:30 pm local time now and I feel like death!).
Today we met our host families and met at the school to go over a few things before classes tomorrow. Afterwards everyone followed our teacher on a casual tour around Segovia, it is beautiful. I've already taken 70 pictures. Ru and I couldn't resist stopping in a few (or 10) shops on the way home and got a bit lost due to our detour. Luckily it stays light here until about 9:00 so we were fine.
I got home just in time to see the most amazing sunset from my balcony. Afterwards my host mother, Ana, and I had dinner and now I'm getting ready for probably my best nights sleep to date .. I'm exhausted! Ciao!
Meredith
