We went on an excursion last weekend to Leon and Salamanca to fulfill parts of our culture credits. It was nice to have an entire weekend of travel, food and lodging planned for us by our program coordinator. In Leon we saw the Santa María de León Cathedral, Casa Bonites, and Basilica of San Isidoro. We’ve been learning about the history and architecture of all these historical monuments in our art history class and I love being able to see it with my own eyes.
On Saturday morning we traveled to Salamanca which is a few hours away from the city of Leon. Salamanca is bigger than Leon and there’s a large university with about 22,000 students. Leon was calm and quiet in comparison to Salamanca which was full of young people, lots of bachelor and bachelorette parties, and lots of monuments to see. Because the city was full of students it was easy to make friends. There were even a couple of times that before I could even introduce myself, Spanish students would ask to take a picture with me because I’m American. I should have offered to sign autographs too.
By midday in Salamanca we were all tired, hot, and hungry. We went to a restaurant in the city center that would host 17 people for lunch and it was chaos trying to order food. There were 4 choices for the first plate and 4 choices for the second plate plus desserts and drinks. It took forever for the waiter to explain each dish, for our coordinator to translate, for the picky eaters to ask questions about each dish, and everyone to get exactly what they wanted. Everyone was on edge and frustrated with one another. I don’t really like traveling in large groups for that reason. At the table I was sitting near a few people who were beginning to annoy me as they talked loudly about stupid topics and would complain about the food. When they began to sing the popular YouTube video song “Harry Potter Puppet Pals- The mysterious ticking noise” I lost my patience and snapped. I turned to them and with a stern voice said “I’m tired, hungry, and it’s hot out so I’m feeling on edge. You’re being so annoying and if you don’t stop singing that stupid song right now I’m going to punch someone. Please stop it.”
Their eyes opened with surprise and they stopped immediately. They sympathetically responded with “ok, ok, ok, we’ll stop and be quiet.” I’ve learned that because I’m not usually an outspoken person, when I am assertive people respond fairly quickly. I also noticed that they scooted away from me as much as possible, in case I decided to throw a punch.
After lunch we got to see Plaza Mayor, New Cathedral, Old Cathedral, and University of Salamanca. After two full days of seeing monuments I felt bad for our tour guide in Salamanca. All of our eyes glazed over and we were more interested in taking pictures instead of listening to her. Do we really have to talk about another sculpture of Jesus? It looks just like the last 50 sculptures we saw.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Sunday, May 20, 2012
YOLO, Carpe Diem, Disfruta al Momento
May 3
When I got back from my 5 day weekend I was so happy to be home. Being in Santander felt like my home away from home. My host mom made me paella and tortilla atún which are my two favorite Spanish dishes. That feeling of being connected to a place that was once foreign but is now home, being with people who were strangers but now know you well, and feeling successful have made me fall in love with Spain more and more each day.
On May 2, I came home for siesta to find a package from Land and Dad. They sent me a sweatshirt, peanut M&M's (anyone who knows me well knows those are my favorite study snack), and other candies. Although I love Spain, it was nice to have a little taste of home. After siesta I met up with Erika, Geoff, and Natalie to go shopping. I was on the hunt for a watch but came back with a belt, leather jacket, sun glasses, and a tank top. I must have been sick because it's unlike me to buy that much in one shopping trip. I practically gave myself a heart attack. It must have been all the sun and feeling refreshed after my trip.
In grammar class this week we read an article about an elderly couple reflecting back on their life and what advice they have for others to live a fulfilling life. They talked about how we come up with excuses like “I would only be happy if…” and “my life would be better if...” that keep us from being happy. Life is full of “laters” but it’s time to take advantage of the great things you have sitting in front of you. Turn “tomorrows” into today. Take the time to stop and smell the roses. Carpe diem. Disfruta al momento. A modern day translation would be “YOLO” which stands for “you only live once.” Reading it hit home and accurately described how I’m feeling about this experience. I'm having the time of my life in Spain and trying my best to soak up every moment and take advantage of every opportunity I have. It was also just what I needed to hear to confirm my decision of buying a leather jacket.
Here's the quote from the article:
"Nos convencernos a nosotros mismos de que la vida será mejor después... Después de terminar la carrera, después de conseguir trabajo, después de casarnos, después de tener un hijo y después de tener otro. Luego decidimos que nuestra vida será completa cuando a nuestro esposo o esposa le vaya mejor, cuando tengamos un coche mejor, cuando nos podamos ir de vacaciones, cuando consigamos el ascenso, cuando nos retiremos.
La verdad es que no hay mejor momento para ser feliz que ahora mismo. Si no es ahora ¿cuándo? La vida siempre estará llena de "luegos," de retos. Es mejor admitirlo y decidir ser felices ahora de todas formas. No hay un luego, ni un camino para la felicidad, la felicidad es el camino y es ahora. Atesora cada momento que vives."
Today Natalie and I met up with another conversation partner to practice Spanish. Her name is Ana, she’s 22, and studying history. We met her for coffee and talked about our adventures in Spain, what we like to do on the weekends, about our families, differences in culture, and she gave us ideas of things to do in Santander. In meeting Ana I realized how much I’m improving at my Spanish because I could understand almost everything she said, and she was not speaking slowly. In conversation I used all the different verb tenses I know (not sure how accurately, but I tried) and we had a real conversation. It’s neat to realize how many doors I’ve opened since learning Spanish. I’m getting to know people that I woudn’t have the opportunity to meet because of my language abilities.
Disfruta la vida! Love your life!
When I got back from my 5 day weekend I was so happy to be home. Being in Santander felt like my home away from home. My host mom made me paella and tortilla atún which are my two favorite Spanish dishes. That feeling of being connected to a place that was once foreign but is now home, being with people who were strangers but now know you well, and feeling successful have made me fall in love with Spain more and more each day.
On May 2, I came home for siesta to find a package from Land and Dad. They sent me a sweatshirt, peanut M&M's (anyone who knows me well knows those are my favorite study snack), and other candies. Although I love Spain, it was nice to have a little taste of home. After siesta I met up with Erika, Geoff, and Natalie to go shopping. I was on the hunt for a watch but came back with a belt, leather jacket, sun glasses, and a tank top. I must have been sick because it's unlike me to buy that much in one shopping trip. I practically gave myself a heart attack. It must have been all the sun and feeling refreshed after my trip.
In grammar class this week we read an article about an elderly couple reflecting back on their life and what advice they have for others to live a fulfilling life. They talked about how we come up with excuses like “I would only be happy if…” and “my life would be better if...” that keep us from being happy. Life is full of “laters” but it’s time to take advantage of the great things you have sitting in front of you. Turn “tomorrows” into today. Take the time to stop and smell the roses. Carpe diem. Disfruta al momento. A modern day translation would be “YOLO” which stands for “you only live once.” Reading it hit home and accurately described how I’m feeling about this experience. I'm having the time of my life in Spain and trying my best to soak up every moment and take advantage of every opportunity I have. It was also just what I needed to hear to confirm my decision of buying a leather jacket.
Here's the quote from the article:
"Nos convencernos a nosotros mismos de que la vida será mejor después... Después de terminar la carrera, después de conseguir trabajo, después de casarnos, después de tener un hijo y después de tener otro. Luego decidimos que nuestra vida será completa cuando a nuestro esposo o esposa le vaya mejor, cuando tengamos un coche mejor, cuando nos podamos ir de vacaciones, cuando consigamos el ascenso, cuando nos retiremos.
La verdad es que no hay mejor momento para ser feliz que ahora mismo. Si no es ahora ¿cuándo? La vida siempre estará llena de "luegos," de retos. Es mejor admitirlo y decidir ser felices ahora de todas formas. No hay un luego, ni un camino para la felicidad, la felicidad es el camino y es ahora. Atesora cada momento que vives."
Today Natalie and I met up with another conversation partner to practice Spanish. Her name is Ana, she’s 22, and studying history. We met her for coffee and talked about our adventures in Spain, what we like to do on the weekends, about our families, differences in culture, and she gave us ideas of things to do in Santander. In meeting Ana I realized how much I’m improving at my Spanish because I could understand almost everything she said, and she was not speaking slowly. In conversation I used all the different verb tenses I know (not sure how accurately, but I tried) and we had a real conversation. It’s neat to realize how many doors I’ve opened since learning Spanish. I’m getting to know people that I woudn’t have the opportunity to meet because of my language abilities.
Disfruta la vida! Love your life!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Remember when we got written up by cops in Spain?
Cinco de Mayo
A few weekends ago some friends and I went to Rio de la Pila in Santander . It was a warm Friday night so we sat on a set of stairs overlooking the rio while drinking a beer. All of a sudden cop car parks in front of us and the officer locked eyes with us. My heart dropped and images of a cold jail cell, packed bags, airplanes, and paying expensive fines crossed my mind. The two officers got out of their car, puffed up their chests, and tightened their belts. They asked for our ID’s and we handed them over quickly. They asked where we lived so we each gave our Santander addresses with confidence. They looked at each one of our passports and started scribbling on his tablet. We sat in silence for a minute until I built up the confidence to politely ask what the problem was. Drinking isn’t allowed in public (even though everyone does it) . We were exploited because we are foreign while the groups of Spaniards across the street and groups sitting above us were left alone.
I asked what will happen now, what they were writing down and how much the ticket would be. He replied in a casual tone of voice, “nada.” He explained in spanglish that we don’t have to pay anything since we’re foreigners, and nothing was going to happen to us except we have a “record.” He explained that for us, the record doesn’t actually mean anything unless we commit a horrible crime like murder. By this point it just felt like a joke because even the officers were rolling their eyes and making jokes as they wrote us up. After he finished scribbling, he handed us our passports back, and told us to enjoy the rest of our stay in Spain. They didn’t make us move, dump out our drink, or do anything. It’s our new running joke, “remember that one time we got written up by the cops in Spain?”
A few weekends ago some friends and I went to Rio de la Pila in Santander . It was a warm Friday night so we sat on a set of stairs overlooking the rio while drinking a beer. All of a sudden cop car parks in front of us and the officer locked eyes with us. My heart dropped and images of a cold jail cell, packed bags, airplanes, and paying expensive fines crossed my mind. The two officers got out of their car, puffed up their chests, and tightened their belts. They asked for our ID’s and we handed them over quickly. They asked where we lived so we each gave our Santander addresses with confidence. They looked at each one of our passports and started scribbling on his tablet. We sat in silence for a minute until I built up the confidence to politely ask what the problem was. Drinking isn’t allowed in public (even though everyone does it) . We were exploited because we are foreign while the groups of Spaniards across the street and groups sitting above us were left alone.
I asked what will happen now, what they were writing down and how much the ticket would be. He replied in a casual tone of voice, “nada.” He explained in spanglish that we don’t have to pay anything since we’re foreigners, and nothing was going to happen to us except we have a “record.” He explained that for us, the record doesn’t actually mean anything unless we commit a horrible crime like murder. By this point it just felt like a joke because even the officers were rolling their eyes and making jokes as they wrote us up. After he finished scribbling, he handed us our passports back, and told us to enjoy the rest of our stay in Spain. They didn’t make us move, dump out our drink, or do anything. It’s our new running joke, “remember that one time we got written up by the cops in Spain?”
Malaga
May 1, 2012
Last night in Malaga we stayed in a hostel called “The Melting Pot” which has been rated as one of the top ten hostels in the world. It had a laid back, fun, and comfortable vibe. It had a great view of the ocean, an outdoor patio hangout area, and lots of fun employees to chat with. We stayed in a dorm style room and shared it with 4 other people. I felt like I was at summer camp again sleeping in bunk beds. We had pizza for dinner which was an excellent break from my travelers’ diet- cheese, crackers, bread, and nutella.
Today is Marisol’s birthday so we celebrated by joining a pub crawl with a group from our hostel. My favorite places we went to were the discotecas because they played good dance music. One place played American hip hop/ rap music (which is rare) and then saved the best discoteca for last where they played lots of salsa and Latin music. I checked another goal off the list- I salsa danced while speaking Spanish in Spain.
Over the course of the night I clicked with one of the guys from our hostel named Will. He is from Australia but is studying in Sweden for a year, and traveled to Spain for the week. We were either wearing sweaters (or jumpers as the Aussies call it) that were cramping our style on the dance floor. We draped them over our shoulders and tied them around our neck like some of the Spaniards do. We felt like dorks, but we turned it into our running joke for the night. It was functional and fashionable.
Last night in Malaga we stayed in a hostel called “The Melting Pot” which has been rated as one of the top ten hostels in the world. It had a laid back, fun, and comfortable vibe. It had a great view of the ocean, an outdoor patio hangout area, and lots of fun employees to chat with. We stayed in a dorm style room and shared it with 4 other people. I felt like I was at summer camp again sleeping in bunk beds. We had pizza for dinner which was an excellent break from my travelers’ diet- cheese, crackers, bread, and nutella.
The view of the beach from the hostel
Today is Marisol’s birthday so we celebrated by joining a pub crawl with a group from our hostel. My favorite places we went to were the discotecas because they played good dance music. One place played American hip hop/ rap music (which is rare) and then saved the best discoteca for last where they played lots of salsa and Latin music. I checked another goal off the list- I salsa danced while speaking Spanish in Spain.
Over the course of the night I clicked with one of the guys from our hostel named Will. He is from Australia but is studying in Sweden for a year, and traveled to Spain for the week. We were either wearing sweaters (or jumpers as the Aussies call it) that were cramping our style on the dance floor. We draped them over our shoulders and tied them around our neck like some of the Spaniards do. We felt like dorks, but we turned it into our running joke for the night. It was functional and fashionable.
Oresta, Alex, Michael, Will, me, Natalie
This time with the birthday girl, Marisol!
La Alhambra en Granada
April 29, 2012
Happy Spanish montheversary! I can’t believe I’ve been in Spain for a whole month. Where did the time go?
We added Granada to our list of places to travel because we had been learning about La Alhambra in our art history class and the most famous Muslim palaces in Spain. When we woke up in the morning it was pouring down rain. We couldn’t believe it because all the weather reports said it was supposed to be sunny before we left and we had only packed warm weather clothes. We busted out our umbrellas and hiked to the top of the hill to see it anyways. Because we’re young, naïve college students we didn’t think that we would need to get tickets ahead of time to get in. We got to see the outskirts of Alhambra but it wasn't anything impressive. We were devastated that we traveled all this way and were so close to seeing it, yet so far away.
Our original plans were to leave later that evening for Malaga because that’s where we booked a hostel. It was important to me to see the Alhambra and I figured that in the context of my life I could handle paying a little extra for two hostels in one night (we were too late to cancel our reservation) and that seeing this monument would be more important than laying on the beach in Malaga. It was a tough decision to make because half the group wanted to stay and half the group wanted to leave. In that moment I had to think for myself and do what was best for me.
I was so pleased I made the decision to stay, and in the end the others were too. We had a chance to stay in an amazing hostel that just opened up, relax and sleep (not on a bus for once), and see more of the town. It was just what I needed to relax my poor feet, aching body and get a chance to dry out the puddles I collected in my shoes. We met a group of Australian guys and British girls in the hostel common room that we went out with in the evening for tapas. Whenever you order a drink they give you free tapas. One of the waiters loved us and kept on bringing more and more and more food so there must have been at least 10 different tapas to try.
My favorite part of Alhambra was the view from the tower overlooking all of Granada. I probably took a million pictures of that alone. I had fun putting my photography skills to good use snapping pictures of everything I saw and trying to shoot from different perspectives, using different light, and compositions. It was cool to have learned about Alhambra in class and then have the opportunity to see it with my own eyes. Although I tried, pictures can’t possibly reveal all its beauty.
When we got back to the hostel to gather our things we met an American girl named Megan who has been living in Madrid for a year. She an aupair and nannies for a family in Madrid and teaches the children English. She told me all about her experience and how much she loves her job because she works, travels, and gets to learn more Spanish. Talking with her inspired me and got me to start thinking about what I want to do after I graduate. She opened my eyes to the idea of coming back to Spain. I have the rest of my life to have a “real” job, whatever that means. Maybe becoming an aupair or teaching English in Spain will be in my future.
Happy Spanish montheversary! I can’t believe I’ve been in Spain for a whole month. Where did the time go?
We added Granada to our list of places to travel because we had been learning about La Alhambra in our art history class and the most famous Muslim palaces in Spain. When we woke up in the morning it was pouring down rain. We couldn’t believe it because all the weather reports said it was supposed to be sunny before we left and we had only packed warm weather clothes. We busted out our umbrellas and hiked to the top of the hill to see it anyways. Because we’re young, naïve college students we didn’t think that we would need to get tickets ahead of time to get in. We got to see the outskirts of Alhambra but it wasn't anything impressive. We were devastated that we traveled all this way and were so close to seeing it, yet so far away.
Our original plans were to leave later that evening for Malaga because that’s where we booked a hostel. It was important to me to see the Alhambra and I figured that in the context of my life I could handle paying a little extra for two hostels in one night (we were too late to cancel our reservation) and that seeing this monument would be more important than laying on the beach in Malaga. It was a tough decision to make because half the group wanted to stay and half the group wanted to leave. In that moment I had to think for myself and do what was best for me.
A man playing flamenco on the walk to Alhambra.
Paraguas- Umbrellas
This picture accurately described the day- Sad and wet
Oresta and Marisol warming up at Alhambra cafe
Cafe y leche con Alex, Me, Natalie
Cool staircase
Me in the "free" part of Alhambra.
That may or may not be a fake smile
My poor wet feet
I was so pleased I made the decision to stay, and in the end the others were too. We had a chance to stay in an amazing hostel that just opened up, relax and sleep (not on a bus for once), and see more of the town. It was just what I needed to relax my poor feet, aching body and get a chance to dry out the puddles I collected in my shoes. We met a group of Australian guys and British girls in the hostel common room that we went out with in the evening for tapas. Whenever you order a drink they give you free tapas. One of the waiters loved us and kept on bringing more and more and more food so there must have been at least 10 different tapas to try.
The brand new hostel we stayed in. I felt like a princess
Me, Natalie, and Alex out for tapas in Granada
On day two of Granada we woke up at 6 am to hike back to Alhambra to try and have better luck at getting tickets. Waking up early paid off because we made it in time! The second we stepped into the first garden I knew I made the right choice to spend extra time in Granada. I loved every minute of it. My favorite part of Alhambra was the view from the tower overlooking all of Granada. I probably took a million pictures of that alone. I had fun putting my photography skills to good use snapping pictures of everything I saw and trying to shoot from different perspectives, using different light, and compositions. It was cool to have learned about Alhambra in class and then have the opportunity to see it with my own eyes. Although I tried, pictures can’t possibly reveal all its beauty.
When we got back to the hostel to gather our things we met an American girl named Megan who has been living in Madrid for a year. She an aupair and nannies for a family in Madrid and teaches the children English. She told me all about her experience and how much she loves her job because she works, travels, and gets to learn more Spanish. Talking with her inspired me and got me to start thinking about what I want to do after I graduate. She opened my eyes to the idea of coming back to Spain. I have the rest of my life to have a “real” job, whatever that means. Maybe becoming an aupair or teaching English in Spain will be in my future.
Natalies "Gnome Away from Home" named Hector Maurricio
This was my favorite view!
Oresta, Natalie, Alex, y yo
Natalie, Alex, and Oresta making sad faces because El Plaza de Leon behind them was under construction. It's one of the main icons for Alhambra
El Techo
Natalie and I in the gardens
Gato en el sol
Me, Oresta, Alex, Natalie
We're happy as clams after seeing all of La Alhambra. It was toatly worth it!
Monday, May 14, 2012
Feria de Abril- Seville
April 28, 2012
After spending a day in Seville it has become my favorite city in Spain. We couldn’t have had better timing because we were there during Feria de abril. It is an annual festival in April that has been tradition in Seville since 1847. It’s a celebration of the culture including the cattle, bullfighting, family, and flamenco in Andalucia. During the day we got to see many famous monuments in Seville including Plaza de Espana, Cathedral de Santa María de la Sede, Isabel II's Bridge that cross the Guadalquivir River, Plaza de Torros, and Torre de Oro. One of my favorite parts of the day was seeing the beautiful women of Spain around town wearing traditional flamenco dresses, Spanish jewelry, shawls, and flowers in their hair. I was envious of every girl I passed. They looked so beautiful and elegant in their festival attire.
During the night my favorite part was going to the Feria celebration. It was pouring down rain but it didn’t stop us from enjoying the fun. There were tons of circus like tents filled with people and twinkly lights strung between each tent. Sounds of laughter, flamenco music, and the Spanish language poured out of the tents. The city was so full of life and magical. The people gave off vibes of happiness, positivity, cheerfulness, sensuality, and cheer. It reminded me of my younger sister Lane and made me miss her.
I was in heaven when I got a chance to go inside one of the tents and watch men and women dance flamenco to live guitar. The movement of the dresses, the music, quality of dance, the power in their rhythmic stomping and clapping, and the intensity between the leads and follows gave me goose bumps. I crossed another goal off my Spain checklist- watch flamenco dancing. It was even better than I imagined because I got to see the style in its truest form where it was born in the south of Spain. As I checked one thing off my list, I’ve added another. I hope to have an opportunity to travel to Seville again and learn how to dance flamenco.
After spending a day in Seville it has become my favorite city in Spain. We couldn’t have had better timing because we were there during Feria de abril. It is an annual festival in April that has been tradition in Seville since 1847. It’s a celebration of the culture including the cattle, bullfighting, family, and flamenco in Andalucia. During the day we got to see many famous monuments in Seville including Plaza de Espana, Cathedral de Santa María de la Sede, Isabel II's Bridge that cross the Guadalquivir River, Plaza de Torros, and Torre de Oro. One of my favorite parts of the day was seeing the beautiful women of Spain around town wearing traditional flamenco dresses, Spanish jewelry, shawls, and flowers in their hair. I was envious of every girl I passed. They looked so beautiful and elegant in their festival attire.
During the night my favorite part was going to the Feria celebration. It was pouring down rain but it didn’t stop us from enjoying the fun. There were tons of circus like tents filled with people and twinkly lights strung between each tent. Sounds of laughter, flamenco music, and the Spanish language poured out of the tents. The city was so full of life and magical. The people gave off vibes of happiness, positivity, cheerfulness, sensuality, and cheer. It reminded me of my younger sister Lane and made me miss her.
I was in heaven when I got a chance to go inside one of the tents and watch men and women dance flamenco to live guitar. The movement of the dresses, the music, quality of dance, the power in their rhythmic stomping and clapping, and the intensity between the leads and follows gave me goose bumps. I crossed another goal off my Spain checklist- watch flamenco dancing. It was even better than I imagined because I got to see the style in its truest form where it was born in the south of Spain. As I checked one thing off my list, I’ve added another. I hope to have an opportunity to travel to Seville again and learn how to dance flamenco.
Cathedral de Santa María de la Sede
Plaza de Torros
Pepe Luis Vazquez Statue
What a macho man
Alex y yo infront of the Plaza de Torros
Girls in flamenco dresses
Torre de Oro
The blurryness adds to the artistic photograph, right?
La Plaza de Espana
Girls in flamenco dresses at La Plaza de Espana
I was very jealous by this point
I was very jealous by this point
Me in the Santander section of Plaza de Espana
A young flamenco girl
Luz
Flamenco dancers at Feria de Abril
The lighted arch at Feria de Abril
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