Thursday, July 19, 2012
Studying Abroad
~*~
If anyone reading this is considering studying abroad, I say go. No matter who you are, how unsure you are, or how worried you are about money. Make it happen. You can get scholarships and even though it can be scary, it is totally worth it.
Some tips for choosing where to go:
1) Consider whether or not you are a Big City or a Small Town person. I am personally more of a small town person. I enjoy relaxing and taking things at my own pace but some other people like the fast paced feel of the city. Base the town you go to on that. If you are going to Spain, Madrid is a wonderful place for city people, but Bilbao/Getxo might not be you're cup of tea. I love Getxo. It's a small coastal city and it is so beautiful here, but if it's not for you, make it a weekend trip.
2) Language. If you speak a foreign language, go and practice it abroad. However, if you don't know one, go anyways. I feel like my worldview has been broadened and my mind has been opened by living somewhere I don't know the language. You grow to appreciate and feel empathy for the study abroad students in the US and realize a lot more than Americans are out there. It's the people that go to countries like Spain and try and demand they speak to us in English that give Americans a bad reputation. You have to realize that YOU are the guest and that if they know English, it is still better for you to try in their language and let them take pity on you instead of rushing in and saying "do you speak english?" at least try it as "hables ingles?"
3) History. I didn't look into the history of Spain very much before I came here. I came with what I assumed: a more conservative, strongly Catholic country that I'd assume would be reasonably stable. Nope. Many of the older generations here went through a civil war when they were young. Because of the dictator at the time, who was oppressively catholic, many of the people have become quite the opposite. There are a lot of nude beaches, rude people and people that hate religion. However, there are many people like my amazing teacher, Marta, who still believe in the old ways, mainly: manners, manners, manners. And she taught those to us in class.
Some of the things that are super different that I won't necessarily miss:
-Almost all of the people here smell terrible. I don't think that the older generations shower very often. Taking the 20 minute metro ride from the Areeta stop in Getxo to the Moyua stop in Bilbao is like being locked in a sweaty mens locker room for way too long. A lot of the time I just want to look at certain people and tell them to put their arm down and risk falling instead of holding the pole because that scent should not have to be endured by anyone.
-Some bathrooms don't have toilet paper. They don't even have toilet paper dispensers. I learned fast to carry some around in my purse wherever I go, especially when going out at night to bars or to the street fairs. In fact, the "toilets" at the street fairs like portable buildings that just have a hole in the ground that you close the stall door and squat over. It was a challenge but I was laughing the entire time because it was just so ridiculous.
- Nobody uses driers here. Washing my clothes got old real fast because we had a tiny little porch to hang all of our clothes on, no clothes line, and only one little cot thing to lay them across. They came out crunchy and not fitting quite right. Luckily, I'm an overpacker and basically only had to wash underwear and undershirts (which were crinkly but were pretty good at going back to normal).
- People here will flat out just pee on the streets. During the day. I was walking to school last week and saw a man teaching his maybe 3-year old son to pee on a tree in the sidewalk. Seriously, Spain!? It smells terrible. It's not as bad in Bilboa/Getxo, but in bigger places like Pamplona and Madrid it was everywhere and it smelled horrible no matter where you went.
- Girls our age look like the 60's hair styles blew up and settled in the Basque metro system. Honestly, I've never seen anything like it! And too many men here have rat tails, mullets, and other such atrocities.
La Lengua y La Cultura
~*~
I came to Spain to learn about the culture and to improve my language skills. I would say that I have achieved this goal and I will miss the challenges a lot when I go home. I feel like I challenge myself here every day and I'm much better at seeking out new challenges here. I am going to try to bring that home with me but I know that it won't be the same. I'll miss trying to figure out how to find somewhere or order something that I don't know the name of and describing it with the Spanish that I do know. It is a skill that I've been developing while I'm over here. I know that my Spanish isn't the best, but I know how to communicate despite that barrier. I know enough from high school Spanish and that class that I took here to be able to talk around words that I don't know. Theresa and I even had a conversation the other day with one of the women working at a store we were at about why she was buying a shirt and we worked together to figure out how to tell the story.
Another thing that I've found funny is that it's annoying and confusing when people talk to me in English now. I don't always understand what they say in English, but give me directions or say something in Spanish and I totally get it. I've started thinking in Spanish more. I've also started blocking people out. A lot of the younger generations will talk about us in Spanish and think that we don't understand but we catch the general gist of what they are saying and we used to just kind of glare back at them but now I just do my own thing and ignore it completely. It's gotten to the point that I am kind of off in my own world sometimes. Its partially choosing to ignore people and partially not understanding when people talk to me, but when someone says something to me I'll just kind of give them a blank look until I realize they're talking to me. Watch, that will totally follow me home and people will think that I'm slow or something.
Something that goes along with that is that people stare. A lot. It's not that they're trying to offend you, but as we were told, they are curious about us. It bothers a lot of people on the trip, but I've caught myself staring at people on the metro because they look interesting too. I figure, it's got to be the same kind of idea. I know at the beginning people stared at me because I dressed and looked different from them. However, enough people have come up to me asking me stuff in Spanish (like where's a good place to eat, or other things about the area) that I know I blend in now. I no longer look around like I'm lost and I know where I'm going so I walk more confidently. Because of that, I've come to realize that I'm stared at because I'm tall. Everyone here is SO short! I saw a tall guy on the metro the other day and I was like "Where have YOU been hiding? Making me feel like a giant this whole time..." and then he started speaking German and it all made sense. Speaking of which, the guys (like him) that speak very little English always say goodbye as "Byebye" and I find it really really funny. The women just say adios and dismiss us, but the men are usually more accepting of our stupidity when it comes to Spanish!
One thing that I learned through a strange observation on the metro: nobody here yawns. Ever. It's a thing. I asked my teacher about it and her response was, "I remember I yawned once." I kid you not. It is considered highly offensive because you are telling the people around you, teachers, friends, etc that they are boring and it is a horrible thing to do in front of people. Hiding it behind your hand is better than flat out yawning but it's better to just not let it happen. So, for the last 2 weeks I have been training myself not to yawn. You have NO idea how hard that is. I don't know how they do it. I can make it less noticable by clenching my jaw or looking down and breathing it out my nose, but I can't ever stop it completely. (Btw, thinking about yawning, I bet you've yawned at least once read this. You are a terrible friend. No worries, I'm yawning alone in my room just writing this.)
Another thing: we have a drink here that is coke mixed with red wine. For the last 3 weeks, we ALL thought that it was call "Calle Mucho" which I thought made zero sense when translated. We asked about it in class. Guess what? We've been saying it wrong this whole time. No WONDER all the bar tenders lean forward and are like "Que?" when we ask for a "Calle Mucho." It is actually called a "Cal y Mucho" named after the creators of the drink. It is popular throughout Spain, and apparently in some parts of the States, but it was created here in Getxo in the area known as Algorta at one of the street fairs! Some college students were trying to make some money and were selling wine but the wine tasted bad so they mixed it with coke and named it after themselves, saying it was a brand new drink. Obviously, it was a big hit since us Americans drink nothing but that and Tinto de Veranos (lemon fanta and red wine) while we're here.
Surprisingly enough, the music here is exactly the same. Sometimes at the street festivals the live musicians play spanish music, but no matter where I go I hear "hey I just met you! and this is crazy! but here's my number! call me maybe!" That is annoying. That and Payphone by Maroon 5. It's crazy.
I came to Spain to learn about the culture and to improve my language skills. I would say that I have achieved this goal and I will miss the challenges a lot when I go home. I feel like I challenge myself here every day and I'm much better at seeking out new challenges here. I am going to try to bring that home with me but I know that it won't be the same. I'll miss trying to figure out how to find somewhere or order something that I don't know the name of and describing it with the Spanish that I do know. It is a skill that I've been developing while I'm over here. I know that my Spanish isn't the best, but I know how to communicate despite that barrier. I know enough from high school Spanish and that class that I took here to be able to talk around words that I don't know. Theresa and I even had a conversation the other day with one of the women working at a store we were at about why she was buying a shirt and we worked together to figure out how to tell the story.
Another thing that I've found funny is that it's annoying and confusing when people talk to me in English now. I don't always understand what they say in English, but give me directions or say something in Spanish and I totally get it. I've started thinking in Spanish more. I've also started blocking people out. A lot of the younger generations will talk about us in Spanish and think that we don't understand but we catch the general gist of what they are saying and we used to just kind of glare back at them but now I just do my own thing and ignore it completely. It's gotten to the point that I am kind of off in my own world sometimes. Its partially choosing to ignore people and partially not understanding when people talk to me, but when someone says something to me I'll just kind of give them a blank look until I realize they're talking to me. Watch, that will totally follow me home and people will think that I'm slow or something.
Something that goes along with that is that people stare. A lot. It's not that they're trying to offend you, but as we were told, they are curious about us. It bothers a lot of people on the trip, but I've caught myself staring at people on the metro because they look interesting too. I figure, it's got to be the same kind of idea. I know at the beginning people stared at me because I dressed and looked different from them. However, enough people have come up to me asking me stuff in Spanish (like where's a good place to eat, or other things about the area) that I know I blend in now. I no longer look around like I'm lost and I know where I'm going so I walk more confidently. Because of that, I've come to realize that I'm stared at because I'm tall. Everyone here is SO short! I saw a tall guy on the metro the other day and I was like "Where have YOU been hiding? Making me feel like a giant this whole time..." and then he started speaking German and it all made sense. Speaking of which, the guys (like him) that speak very little English always say goodbye as "Byebye" and I find it really really funny. The women just say adios and dismiss us, but the men are usually more accepting of our stupidity when it comes to Spanish!
One thing that I learned through a strange observation on the metro: nobody here yawns. Ever. It's a thing. I asked my teacher about it and her response was, "I remember I yawned once." I kid you not. It is considered highly offensive because you are telling the people around you, teachers, friends, etc that they are boring and it is a horrible thing to do in front of people. Hiding it behind your hand is better than flat out yawning but it's better to just not let it happen. So, for the last 2 weeks I have been training myself not to yawn. You have NO idea how hard that is. I don't know how they do it. I can make it less noticable by clenching my jaw or looking down and breathing it out my nose, but I can't ever stop it completely. (Btw, thinking about yawning, I bet you've yawned at least once read this. You are a terrible friend. No worries, I'm yawning alone in my room just writing this.)
Another thing: we have a drink here that is coke mixed with red wine. For the last 3 weeks, we ALL thought that it was call "Calle Mucho" which I thought made zero sense when translated. We asked about it in class. Guess what? We've been saying it wrong this whole time. No WONDER all the bar tenders lean forward and are like "Que?" when we ask for a "Calle Mucho." It is actually called a "Cal y Mucho" named after the creators of the drink. It is popular throughout Spain, and apparently in some parts of the States, but it was created here in Getxo in the area known as Algorta at one of the street fairs! Some college students were trying to make some money and were selling wine but the wine tasted bad so they mixed it with coke and named it after themselves, saying it was a brand new drink. Obviously, it was a big hit since us Americans drink nothing but that and Tinto de Veranos (lemon fanta and red wine) while we're here.
Surprisingly enough, the music here is exactly the same. Sometimes at the street festivals the live musicians play spanish music, but no matter where I go I hear "hey I just met you! and this is crazy! but here's my number! call me maybe!" That is annoying. That and Payphone by Maroon 5. It's crazy.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
La Pala
~*~
Translation: paddle (for a kayak)
Today we went on an excursion to Vitoria, Spain. We started out with three hours of kayaking through this amazing river surrounded by beautiful walls of stone. We went through a cave, under some bridges, and stopped in this spot with a rock we climbed onto and jumped off of into the water. The water was way warmer than the air and possibly warmer than our shower at this point. It was pretty awesome! Morgan was Captain Morgan and I was the Navigator. Her and I made up the dream team today. It was great!
After kayaking, we went into the city of Vitoria to see a cathedral that is being re-done. We had to wear hair nets and hard hats to go inside because it isn't fully structurally sound. The columns holding up the ceiling are bending and so are the arches on top of them. It was really cool. I then slept all the way home.
~*~
I'm super bummed that I only have a week left in Spain. And at least 24 hours of that will be spent in a classroom learning Spanish. But I guess that is ok since that's why I'm here in the first place. Tonight, we're going to a street fair that doesn't start until 11pm so we're going to be out late at this street party that goes till all hours of the morning. It should be an interesting cultural experience but the people here party way to hard for me! The rest of the week, I plan on skipping my afternoon naps and doing stuff all day no matter what. I have so much more that I want to do here and so little time! I can go to bars and that kind of stuff when I get home, but seeing Spain is something that I won't get to do for a while (hopefully I'll be back).
It's funny seeing everyone's transitions over the past couple weeks. I could tell everyone started getting homesick a couple days ago because the topic of conversation lately has become centered around boyfriends or love interests back home. It's really funny because at the beginning it was all about everything else like Spain and school and talking about ourselves to get to know each other and now its about boys at home.
pictures up on fb
Translation: paddle (for a kayak)
Today we went on an excursion to Vitoria, Spain. We started out with three hours of kayaking through this amazing river surrounded by beautiful walls of stone. We went through a cave, under some bridges, and stopped in this spot with a rock we climbed onto and jumped off of into the water. The water was way warmer than the air and possibly warmer than our shower at this point. It was pretty awesome! Morgan was Captain Morgan and I was the Navigator. Her and I made up the dream team today. It was great!
After kayaking, we went into the city of Vitoria to see a cathedral that is being re-done. We had to wear hair nets and hard hats to go inside because it isn't fully structurally sound. The columns holding up the ceiling are bending and so are the arches on top of them. It was really cool. I then slept all the way home.
~*~
I'm super bummed that I only have a week left in Spain. And at least 24 hours of that will be spent in a classroom learning Spanish. But I guess that is ok since that's why I'm here in the first place. Tonight, we're going to a street fair that doesn't start until 11pm so we're going to be out late at this street party that goes till all hours of the morning. It should be an interesting cultural experience but the people here party way to hard for me! The rest of the week, I plan on skipping my afternoon naps and doing stuff all day no matter what. I have so much more that I want to do here and so little time! I can go to bars and that kind of stuff when I get home, but seeing Spain is something that I won't get to do for a while (hopefully I'll be back).
It's funny seeing everyone's transitions over the past couple weeks. I could tell everyone started getting homesick a couple days ago because the topic of conversation lately has become centered around boyfriends or love interests back home. It's really funny because at the beginning it was all about everything else like Spain and school and talking about ourselves to get to know each other and now its about boys at home.
pictures up on fb
Topic 2: Adventure
~*~
So it's been a while since I posted something so I'm going to try and keep each description short. That is why I separated today's post into two separate ones.
1) I absolutely love my Spanish teacher, Marta. I want to take her home with me. She is so patient with us and just gives us great information about Spanish culture and the kind of things I wanted to learn when I came here.
2) Surfing: I'm doing a surfing class! It's only 5 2 hour sessions, but it is tiring after 2 hours! It's crazy! So far I've only done it 2x, but I have three more for this week. The first day I did really well. I could stand up on the board a couple of times and rode some waves in. We weren't that far off of the shore, but I still felt super accomplished! It was a lot of fun. The second day, the waves were a lot bigger and my board was shorter, but I still got up a few times. I got a bruise on my right knee that is still there after like 5 days and my left knee was super swollen from the times I would fall and hit them on the sand. I kept going though! The other thing about surfing that really hurts is getting hit in the face with a board. The first time someone else lost hold of their's and it hit me in the jaw bone then the second time when I surfaced after being attacked by a wave, my own board hit me in the side of the head. Ow!
3) The other day, some of the girls and I went and got burgers "para llevar" (to go) and sat along the coast and watched the sunset. It was really relaxing and the sunset was beautiful! We also took a lot of goofy pictures, as always!
4) Friday I went off on my own and explored the Guggenheim. Technically Mariah was with me, but in the Gug it's like you're alone and then she left before me so it was my own solo adventure day! Outside is this massive dog that is covered in live flowers. They switch the flowers out at the end of every month and water them daily. The colors of the flowers they choose changes seasonally so right now they are summery and bright, but in the spring they are more greens and the winter, more blues. Fall is obviously autumn colors. They call it the "Pupy" and yes, its pronounced "Poopy." There are all kinds of other sculptures surrounding it as well. Pictures can be seen on Facebook. Once inside the museum, you are given a handheld remote that you hold up to your ear and punch in numbers to hear about all the different art galleries. My favorite by far was the one on the second floor that contained maybe 5 different renditions of the "Sermon on the Mount" by the same artist. It was his interpretations of what an older painting may have looked like before it was burned in a fire. The largest one was painted on 15 canvases (I think?) and covered an entire wall. It was massive and I stood looking at it for a long time. Another one of my favorite galleries had really funny titles to the paintings (all of which were also the same painting just in different colors). It was just too much to describe! One thing that I was not very impressed with was that one artist has converted to almost all iPad paintings. He paints on his iPad then prints it onto paper. Yes, it takes a lot of skill to do that, but I would not call it art, necessarily. I wouldn't go to an iPad gallery. Paint is just such an amazing artistic medium. I love seeing the paint strokes and everything. Its much more personal. Another thing I disliked was that one gallery was just filled with blown up photographs. I don't really see the art in that or the video of a guy taking up space in multiple different ways. I prefer paintings much more.
So it's been a while since I posted something so I'm going to try and keep each description short. That is why I separated today's post into two separate ones.
1) I absolutely love my Spanish teacher, Marta. I want to take her home with me. She is so patient with us and just gives us great information about Spanish culture and the kind of things I wanted to learn when I came here.
2) Surfing: I'm doing a surfing class! It's only 5 2 hour sessions, but it is tiring after 2 hours! It's crazy! So far I've only done it 2x, but I have three more for this week. The first day I did really well. I could stand up on the board a couple of times and rode some waves in. We weren't that far off of the shore, but I still felt super accomplished! It was a lot of fun. The second day, the waves were a lot bigger and my board was shorter, but I still got up a few times. I got a bruise on my right knee that is still there after like 5 days and my left knee was super swollen from the times I would fall and hit them on the sand. I kept going though! The other thing about surfing that really hurts is getting hit in the face with a board. The first time someone else lost hold of their's and it hit me in the jaw bone then the second time when I surfaced after being attacked by a wave, my own board hit me in the side of the head. Ow!
3) The other day, some of the girls and I went and got burgers "para llevar" (to go) and sat along the coast and watched the sunset. It was really relaxing and the sunset was beautiful! We also took a lot of goofy pictures, as always!
4) Friday I went off on my own and explored the Guggenheim. Technically Mariah was with me, but in the Gug it's like you're alone and then she left before me so it was my own solo adventure day! Outside is this massive dog that is covered in live flowers. They switch the flowers out at the end of every month and water them daily. The colors of the flowers they choose changes seasonally so right now they are summery and bright, but in the spring they are more greens and the winter, more blues. Fall is obviously autumn colors. They call it the "Pupy" and yes, its pronounced "Poopy." There are all kinds of other sculptures surrounding it as well. Pictures can be seen on Facebook. Once inside the museum, you are given a handheld remote that you hold up to your ear and punch in numbers to hear about all the different art galleries. My favorite by far was the one on the second floor that contained maybe 5 different renditions of the "Sermon on the Mount" by the same artist. It was his interpretations of what an older painting may have looked like before it was burned in a fire. The largest one was painted on 15 canvases (I think?) and covered an entire wall. It was massive and I stood looking at it for a long time. Another one of my favorite galleries had really funny titles to the paintings (all of which were also the same painting just in different colors). It was just too much to describe! One thing that I was not very impressed with was that one artist has converted to almost all iPad paintings. He paints on his iPad then prints it onto paper. Yes, it takes a lot of skill to do that, but I would not call it art, necessarily. I wouldn't go to an iPad gallery. Paint is just such an amazing artistic medium. I love seeing the paint strokes and everything. Its much more personal. Another thing I disliked was that one gallery was just filled with blown up photographs. I don't really see the art in that or the video of a guy taking up space in multiple different ways. I prefer paintings much more.
Topic 1: No Me Ducho
~*~
Translation: I don't shower.
But wait, it's not my fault. I really would like to shower, but our shower broke. The tube that connects the water to the shower head is falling apart and sprays water all over the place every time we turn it on. This isn't the first time it's happened either. It happened last week and we had to deal with this for almost 2 or 3 days.
How do we deal with it, you ask? Oh. It's terrible. We can't sit in the shower because it looks like it hasn't been cleaned since 1987. We're not going to buy cleaning stuff for a shower we only need for a short amount of time either. Therefore, we squat in the bathtub with a measuring cup and pour water over our heads. The hot water lasts at the most 4 minutes. It is completely dismal.
First thing I plan on doing when I get home: stand in a hot shower for at least 20 minutes and get fully clean.
On the bright side, a plummer will be coming at some point on Monday to fix it. Hopefully, he can fix it when he gets here and won't have to order a part or something. At least I can tell this as a funny story! It's not the worst thing that's ever happened... luckily, Alma, Theresa, and I are pretty flexible and adapted fast.
Translation: I don't shower.
But wait, it's not my fault. I really would like to shower, but our shower broke. The tube that connects the water to the shower head is falling apart and sprays water all over the place every time we turn it on. This isn't the first time it's happened either. It happened last week and we had to deal with this for almost 2 or 3 days.
How do we deal with it, you ask? Oh. It's terrible. We can't sit in the shower because it looks like it hasn't been cleaned since 1987. We're not going to buy cleaning stuff for a shower we only need for a short amount of time either. Therefore, we squat in the bathtub with a measuring cup and pour water over our heads. The hot water lasts at the most 4 minutes. It is completely dismal.
First thing I plan on doing when I get home: stand in a hot shower for at least 20 minutes and get fully clean.
On the bright side, a plummer will be coming at some point on Monday to fix it. Hopefully, he can fix it when he gets here and won't have to order a part or something. At least I can tell this as a funny story! It's not the worst thing that's ever happened... luckily, Alma, Theresa, and I are pretty flexible and adapted fast.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Conclusion: I Don't Want to be Homeless
~*~
Friday afternoon at 6:00 we boarded a bus to Pamplona, Spain. Our plan was to stay up all night, see the bulls run at 8:00 am then go home on the next bus at 1:00pm. We had NO idea what we were in for.
We wandered around for the first few hours and drank wine and saw the city, watched the sunset and just hung out. Everyone there wears all white with a red belt/scarf. There was a fair kind of area with food stands, the streets were filled with people and there were groups of people sleeping on the grass. Around 11 the fireworks started and I have to say, they were some of the best fireworks I've ever seen! I was actually really happy we were there for that because I was sad about missing the 4th of july. It made up for it and made the night THAT much better. The Spanish guys behind me kept saying "Que Bonitaaaa" every time one went off (HOW PRETTY!). After the 4th or 5th time they said it I just started laughing. I'll post the videos if I can!
After the fireworks, we walked to a Plaza with live music. We hung out and I photobombed as many pictures as possible, both our groups AND random peoples'. In the middle of the outdoor concert (around 12) I had to go to the bathroom and so did my friend Mike. He just peed on a trashcan like all the guys in Spain do, but he walked with me to find a bathroom on the other side of the Plaza. When we got back about 15 minutes later, everyone had left without us. That was a bummer, but we just made some friends. First we met some Australians that we ran into later, then we met some Spanish guys that helped us figure out how to get back to where we needed to be. We walked back to the fair ground area and sat there eating snacks. It was supposed to be our meeting spot, but no one every showed up. We talked for about 3 hours then decided we needed to find everyone else since they weren't finding us. We walked into the grass area and immediately found Ori, Lana and some other people sleeping in the grass. I was SO excited to find them. We huddled next to each other from about 3am till 4:30, trying not to freeze to death before getting up and going to stand by the deep fryer, hoping it would keep us warm. It didn't. Around 5, some other people showed up at the meeting spot and we all headed for La Plaza de Toros. We found the bull running street used as a track, followed it to the stadium and got in by around 6. By then things were ALREADY crazy. We sat and waited from 6-8 (watched the sunrise) and the bulls run.
The bulls running was by far one of the coolest things that I've seen here in Spain. It was CRAZY. Everyone was screaming and chanting and clapping. The bulls ran in and they corralled them into the other end of the ring while the people hung out in the middle. After everyone got to the ring, bulls and people, they started letting bulls into the ring individually to run among the people. They tossed people around and it was INSANE. Whenever people grabbed the bull's tail or horns, the crowd would yell, "hijo de puta" which translates to "son of a bitch" and threw stuff. Everyone seemed to agree that animal cruelty was unnecessary. It was actually kind of sad to see. After the show, we met up with everyone and went to the bus station and waited till 1pm to catch our bus.
~*~
1) I never want to live in a place like Pamplona or Madrid, it smells like pee too much. People pee EVERYWHERE.
2) I never want to be homeless. I felt dirty, too tired, and freezing.
3) If you ever go to Pamplona, get there late and leave early... or buy a hotel room. That would have been smart.
Friday afternoon at 6:00 we boarded a bus to Pamplona, Spain. Our plan was to stay up all night, see the bulls run at 8:00 am then go home on the next bus at 1:00pm. We had NO idea what we were in for.
We wandered around for the first few hours and drank wine and saw the city, watched the sunset and just hung out. Everyone there wears all white with a red belt/scarf. There was a fair kind of area with food stands, the streets were filled with people and there were groups of people sleeping on the grass. Around 11 the fireworks started and I have to say, they were some of the best fireworks I've ever seen! I was actually really happy we were there for that because I was sad about missing the 4th of july. It made up for it and made the night THAT much better. The Spanish guys behind me kept saying "Que Bonitaaaa" every time one went off (HOW PRETTY!). After the 4th or 5th time they said it I just started laughing. I'll post the videos if I can!
After the fireworks, we walked to a Plaza with live music. We hung out and I photobombed as many pictures as possible, both our groups AND random peoples'. In the middle of the outdoor concert (around 12) I had to go to the bathroom and so did my friend Mike. He just peed on a trashcan like all the guys in Spain do, but he walked with me to find a bathroom on the other side of the Plaza. When we got back about 15 minutes later, everyone had left without us. That was a bummer, but we just made some friends. First we met some Australians that we ran into later, then we met some Spanish guys that helped us figure out how to get back to where we needed to be. We walked back to the fair ground area and sat there eating snacks. It was supposed to be our meeting spot, but no one every showed up. We talked for about 3 hours then decided we needed to find everyone else since they weren't finding us. We walked into the grass area and immediately found Ori, Lana and some other people sleeping in the grass. I was SO excited to find them. We huddled next to each other from about 3am till 4:30, trying not to freeze to death before getting up and going to stand by the deep fryer, hoping it would keep us warm. It didn't. Around 5, some other people showed up at the meeting spot and we all headed for La Plaza de Toros. We found the bull running street used as a track, followed it to the stadium and got in by around 6. By then things were ALREADY crazy. We sat and waited from 6-8 (watched the sunrise) and the bulls run.
The bulls running was by far one of the coolest things that I've seen here in Spain. It was CRAZY. Everyone was screaming and chanting and clapping. The bulls ran in and they corralled them into the other end of the ring while the people hung out in the middle. After everyone got to the ring, bulls and people, they started letting bulls into the ring individually to run among the people. They tossed people around and it was INSANE. Whenever people grabbed the bull's tail or horns, the crowd would yell, "hijo de puta" which translates to "son of a bitch" and threw stuff. Everyone seemed to agree that animal cruelty was unnecessary. It was actually kind of sad to see. After the show, we met up with everyone and went to the bus station and waited till 1pm to catch our bus.
~*~
1) I never want to live in a place like Pamplona or Madrid, it smells like pee too much. People pee EVERYWHERE.
2) I never want to be homeless. I felt dirty, too tired, and freezing.
3) If you ever go to Pamplona, get there late and leave early... or buy a hotel room. That would have been smart.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Adios Madrid, Hola Bilbao y Getxo!
~*~
WARNING: THIS WILL BE A LONG ONE!
~*~
Hola a todos!
So on Sunday, we arrived by bus to Getxo, where we will be living for the next three weeks. It is pronounced Get-Cho. I live in an apartment in the area called "Las Areetas" in Basque or "Las Arenas" in Spanish. Depending on the area that your in, in Getxo, they call it either one. This can get confusing especially at the Metro when I'm figuring out where to get off/on. I have my own room (pictures attached. sorry it's messy.) which overlooks the little apartment complex I live in. Theresa and Alma both live with me and they both have their own rooms. We have a living room/tv area, a kitchen, bathroom, and a clothes drying room/porch. The only real problem we've experienced is that the shower is weird. As can be seen below, the glass door doesn't cover the entire tub so it doesn't keep the shower water from spilling over. Along with that, the shower head is so high up (i never thought I'd complain about that EVER) that the water is cold by the time it gets down to you and splashes everywhere so you have to hold it. Not TOO terrible right? I can work with it, just took some getting used to.
~*~
On Sunday, we settled in, got lost for a while exploring and trying to find food. In Spain, everything except for certain restaurants are closed on Sundays all day. Stores aren't open so we couldn't go buy food or drinks until Monday. Then we sat around watching the Spain vs Italy game and Spain kicked Italy's A$$! It was legit. Too bad we weren't in Madrid because no one here gets nearly as excited.
~*~
Monday we had orientation at the college so we took the Metro (about a 20 minute ride) into Bilbao (pronounced Bill-Bow) where our college is only a 5 minute walk from the metro stop. On our way home, we stopped at the store. Unfortunately, we forgot we had to carry all of our groceries home WALKING (only about a 7 minute walk) so we bought a little too much. I ended up carrying a box the size of a small child home. Pictures on facebook, as usual. Then we met up with everyone at a beach down in the section of Bilbao called Algorta. It is a beautiful place, but I don't have many pictures just yet. Luckily, the bar that our group hangs out at in the evenings/mornings (depending on how late you stay) is a 2 minute walk from our apartment. It's called West Side and it's pretty chill. A really calm place. I would compare it to maybe frog and peach on a week night. Empty except for our group of about 10-15.
~*~
Yesterday, Theresa and I got lost trying to find the school again and were late for class. It started at 8:45 and we got there at 9ish. We took a wrong turn from the metro which was embarrassing since you basically just go straight then make a left. My Elementary Spanish 1 class is SUPER easy but it's 4 hours long. As boring as it gets reviewing how to introduce yourself and ask someone's name, it is nice to have the refresher and not be in a hard class over here. Anyways, we went to the beach again and they have a bar there. We get this drink called "Calle Mucho" (i think that's how you spell it) and it's Wine and Coke. It's actually pretty good. Not going to lie, I feel like Spain is making me more classy. Drinking wine (without coke most of the time) and dressing all fancy-like! Weird... especially since I'm more often wearing shorts and tank-tops. I wore that on the metro to the beach and I felt like a Spanish whore.
~*~
Anyways, that is a general update. I've met WAY more people here the last few days and I just love everyone! The guys are very down to earth and easy to get along with and most of the girls are too. It's very refreshing to be in a group of people so similar to myself. So the plan for this weekend is off to Pamplona to see the running of the bulls. Right now: sleep. It's only 3:20 pm but I think I might be sick so I'm taking a recovery day (don't worry mom, I drank a fizzy).
Hasta Luego!
WARNING: THIS WILL BE A LONG ONE!
~*~
Hola a todos!
So on Sunday, we arrived by bus to Getxo, where we will be living for the next three weeks. It is pronounced Get-Cho. I live in an apartment in the area called "Las Areetas" in Basque or "Las Arenas" in Spanish. Depending on the area that your in, in Getxo, they call it either one. This can get confusing especially at the Metro when I'm figuring out where to get off/on. I have my own room (pictures attached. sorry it's messy.) which overlooks the little apartment complex I live in. Theresa and Alma both live with me and they both have their own rooms. We have a living room/tv area, a kitchen, bathroom, and a clothes drying room/porch. The only real problem we've experienced is that the shower is weird. As can be seen below, the glass door doesn't cover the entire tub so it doesn't keep the shower water from spilling over. Along with that, the shower head is so high up (i never thought I'd complain about that EVER) that the water is cold by the time it gets down to you and splashes everywhere so you have to hold it. Not TOO terrible right? I can work with it, just took some getting used to.
~*~
On Sunday, we settled in, got lost for a while exploring and trying to find food. In Spain, everything except for certain restaurants are closed on Sundays all day. Stores aren't open so we couldn't go buy food or drinks until Monday. Then we sat around watching the Spain vs Italy game and Spain kicked Italy's A$$! It was legit. Too bad we weren't in Madrid because no one here gets nearly as excited.
~*~
Monday we had orientation at the college so we took the Metro (about a 20 minute ride) into Bilbao (pronounced Bill-Bow) where our college is only a 5 minute walk from the metro stop. On our way home, we stopped at the store. Unfortunately, we forgot we had to carry all of our groceries home WALKING (only about a 7 minute walk) so we bought a little too much. I ended up carrying a box the size of a small child home. Pictures on facebook, as usual. Then we met up with everyone at a beach down in the section of Bilbao called Algorta. It is a beautiful place, but I don't have many pictures just yet. Luckily, the bar that our group hangs out at in the evenings/mornings (depending on how late you stay) is a 2 minute walk from our apartment. It's called West Side and it's pretty chill. A really calm place. I would compare it to maybe frog and peach on a week night. Empty except for our group of about 10-15.
~*~
Yesterday, Theresa and I got lost trying to find the school again and were late for class. It started at 8:45 and we got there at 9ish. We took a wrong turn from the metro which was embarrassing since you basically just go straight then make a left. My Elementary Spanish 1 class is SUPER easy but it's 4 hours long. As boring as it gets reviewing how to introduce yourself and ask someone's name, it is nice to have the refresher and not be in a hard class over here. Anyways, we went to the beach again and they have a bar there. We get this drink called "Calle Mucho" (i think that's how you spell it) and it's Wine and Coke. It's actually pretty good. Not going to lie, I feel like Spain is making me more classy. Drinking wine (without coke most of the time) and dressing all fancy-like! Weird... especially since I'm more often wearing shorts and tank-tops. I wore that on the metro to the beach and I felt like a Spanish whore.
~*~
Anyways, that is a general update. I've met WAY more people here the last few days and I just love everyone! The guys are very down to earth and easy to get along with and most of the girls are too. It's very refreshing to be in a group of people so similar to myself. So the plan for this weekend is off to Pamplona to see the running of the bulls. Right now: sleep. It's only 3:20 pm but I think I might be sick so I'm taking a recovery day (don't worry mom, I drank a fizzy).
Hasta Luego!
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Soy una Princesa en el Castillo
~*~
Hola a todos!
So quick update (I'll try and keep this one short!)
Today we went to the Valley of the Fallen which is a HUGE Basilica dedicated to those that died during the Spanish Civil War less than 100 years ago. It is a giant monument made of stone, carved into the mountain, and topped with a cross so big I can't even describe it. Inside we weren't allowed to take pictures so I'll just write about it. You enter into a cavernous hallway with a vaulted ceiling and tapestries lining either side. On each side there are three versions of the Virgin Mary, each about 20 feet tall and made of alabaster. Each marked the entrance to individual prayer rooms. At the end of the room/hallway (WAY too big for a normal hallway), there is the alter and benches, overlooked by an even taller, domed ceiling. The ceiling was decorated with a mural done with tiny individual tiles in an extravagant depiction of many Catholic symbols. To the left and the right of the alter are rooms that house the tombs of about 50,000 people that died during the war and each has a lowered ceiling with yet more tiled murals of Jesus and the apostles. At the four corners of the alter, against the walls are 4 statues standing about 25 feet tall representing saints (on being the guardian of death, face cloaked, and holding a sword). It was quite a sight to be seen. Pictures from the outside can be seen on facebook.
~*~
After that, we drove to Segovia, Spain. It is about an hour north of Madrid and the temperature was much cooler. We were privileged enough to see something that has been on my bucket list for a while now: the Roman Aqueduct which has been in existence for over 2000 years, running approximately 9 miles (i think) and it is still able to function today. TALK about engineering! If only we made anything even CLOSE to as great as that, America would have something to brag about! I have to say it was one of my favorite sights. It was beautiful, functional, and awe inspiring. I took a lot of pictures of it.
~*~
From the Aqueduct, we walked to the Castle in Segovia. It is the one that inspired Disney to create the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland! I have to say it looks EXACTLY like it but cooler and with less sparkles in the stones :P but the spires were blue, the moat was exactly where the Disney one is (we took a "disney picture" haha) and it was really really cool to see.
~*~
It seems like almost everything here in Spain is either directly influenced by or somehow affected by the Catholic church. The paintings are all Catholic, the tapestries, the stories all center around it (good and bad) and it seems to be a focal point for this culture. It's so interesting to see how it has shaped the past and is still impacting the future. Unfortunately, its perception has fallen since Queen Elizabeth (i think?) and was scarred in the minds of the Spaniards by the dictator that rose as victor from the Civil War.
Speaking of history, today is the climax of Gay Pride week here in Madrid. There was a HUGE parade and people are getting CRAY-ZAY! Mariah and I went to go get McDonalds (I found out they have gluten free buns!) and it was a struggle to get through ANY of the streets!
I had a moment of awe today as a sat at a cafe not even 30 feet away from the Aqueduct. I couldn't believe that this was my life. I keep waiting to wake up to realize that it's all been a dream! Seriously, this place is amazing. The people in my group are fantastic. I am having a great time.
Hola a todos!
So quick update (I'll try and keep this one short!)
Today we went to the Valley of the Fallen which is a HUGE Basilica dedicated to those that died during the Spanish Civil War less than 100 years ago. It is a giant monument made of stone, carved into the mountain, and topped with a cross so big I can't even describe it. Inside we weren't allowed to take pictures so I'll just write about it. You enter into a cavernous hallway with a vaulted ceiling and tapestries lining either side. On each side there are three versions of the Virgin Mary, each about 20 feet tall and made of alabaster. Each marked the entrance to individual prayer rooms. At the end of the room/hallway (WAY too big for a normal hallway), there is the alter and benches, overlooked by an even taller, domed ceiling. The ceiling was decorated with a mural done with tiny individual tiles in an extravagant depiction of many Catholic symbols. To the left and the right of the alter are rooms that house the tombs of about 50,000 people that died during the war and each has a lowered ceiling with yet more tiled murals of Jesus and the apostles. At the four corners of the alter, against the walls are 4 statues standing about 25 feet tall representing saints (on being the guardian of death, face cloaked, and holding a sword). It was quite a sight to be seen. Pictures from the outside can be seen on facebook.
~*~
After that, we drove to Segovia, Spain. It is about an hour north of Madrid and the temperature was much cooler. We were privileged enough to see something that has been on my bucket list for a while now: the Roman Aqueduct which has been in existence for over 2000 years, running approximately 9 miles (i think) and it is still able to function today. TALK about engineering! If only we made anything even CLOSE to as great as that, America would have something to brag about! I have to say it was one of my favorite sights. It was beautiful, functional, and awe inspiring. I took a lot of pictures of it.
~*~
From the Aqueduct, we walked to the Castle in Segovia. It is the one that inspired Disney to create the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland! I have to say it looks EXACTLY like it but cooler and with less sparkles in the stones :P but the spires were blue, the moat was exactly where the Disney one is (we took a "disney picture" haha) and it was really really cool to see.
~*~
It seems like almost everything here in Spain is either directly influenced by or somehow affected by the Catholic church. The paintings are all Catholic, the tapestries, the stories all center around it (good and bad) and it seems to be a focal point for this culture. It's so interesting to see how it has shaped the past and is still impacting the future. Unfortunately, its perception has fallen since Queen Elizabeth (i think?) and was scarred in the minds of the Spaniards by the dictator that rose as victor from the Civil War.
Speaking of history, today is the climax of Gay Pride week here in Madrid. There was a HUGE parade and people are getting CRAY-ZAY! Mariah and I went to go get McDonalds (I found out they have gluten free buns!) and it was a struggle to get through ANY of the streets!
I had a moment of awe today as a sat at a cafe not even 30 feet away from the Aqueduct. I couldn't believe that this was my life. I keep waiting to wake up to realize that it's all been a dream! Seriously, this place is amazing. The people in my group are fantastic. I am having a great time.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Toledo y Barbie
~*~
Funniest thing last night! So we were out wandering and Mariah, Mike, and I got separated from the group but we knew that we were planning to meet at a night club called El Capital so we went there and waited. We hung out in the mcdonalds until it closed then went out and sat on a bench down the street from El Capital. We were just hanging out when one of the guys that gives out the promotions for the clubs came over and started talking to us in spanish. He asked us where we were from and when he found out I was from California, he kept asking me "Tu eres un model?" and made me stand up so he could see how tall I was. That was my first mistake. He put his arm around me and wouldn't let go. Not in a weird way, but you all know how awkward I am in this kind of situation. I just kind of made faces at Mariah and Mike while, my new self-proclaimed boyfriend, Unberto (Alberto) sang me the Alejandra version of Lady Gaga and kept kissing my cheek and calling me "Un Barbie Tropical." I got that because when he called me a barbie I told him that couldn't be right because I'm una morena! Luckily, I was able to escape his clutches, which he was laughingly "upset" about (moved on to the next girl waiting in line at his club) and we ran off down the street. That's when we saw the rest of the group walk up and I don't think I've ever been happier to run into the group again! The night was fun after that, we ended up at the club "Feina" (translated to "Work" which makes no sense to me) and it was the Madrid version of the SF Pride week so that made things interesting!
~*~
Today I think I was one of the only people happy to be awake so early. Getting home at 4 am last night, I was one of the early deserters! That blew me away. We took a bus to the ancient/medieval city of Toledo and toured this BEAUTIFUL old catholic church. Just going inside of it gave me this immediate sense of peace and it was truly a sight worth seeing. Everything about it was elaborate and thought out, much like the rest of the architecture here.
~*~
I've been feeling kind of sick the last few days and I'm not sure if it's because I caught the flu before I left (fingers crossed its not that) or maybe adjusting to the water or even if the food that SEEMS gluten free, isn't (PLEASE NO, ITS DELICIOUS!). We'll see. Tonight I'm taking it easy, eating the peanut butter and rice caked I was forced to bring with me :P and getting some sleep. Starting tomorrow I'm going to try and only drink bottled water, no tap.
Speaking of the food...
ITS AMAZING. For all those who haven't heard much about the culture of Spain, they don't eat dinner until around 9 or so and for lunch, the main thing (it seems) that is served are "Tapas" which are basically appetizers. Some of the ones that I've tried are 1) Un Tortilla (aka a Spanish Omlette) which is eggs, potatoes, onions, and sometimes cheese baked in the oven so it comes out fluffy instead of flat, 2) Papas con Ae-oli which were these cut up potatoes with some kind of garlic mayo and a spicy aioli red sauce (TOTALLY reminded me of Bel Frites in SLO but possibly better) and 3) Esparrago con Tocino (Asparragus and Bacon) but it wasn't really bacon, it was like this flat, honeyed ham type thing and it was topped with what looked like a balsamic-based sweet sauce.
SO GOOD!
*sorry these are so long. i've got a LOT to tell about and this just barely skims the surface*
Below: Me at the viewpoint overlooking la Ciudad de Toledo
Funniest thing last night! So we were out wandering and Mariah, Mike, and I got separated from the group but we knew that we were planning to meet at a night club called El Capital so we went there and waited. We hung out in the mcdonalds until it closed then went out and sat on a bench down the street from El Capital. We were just hanging out when one of the guys that gives out the promotions for the clubs came over and started talking to us in spanish. He asked us where we were from and when he found out I was from California, he kept asking me "Tu eres un model?" and made me stand up so he could see how tall I was. That was my first mistake. He put his arm around me and wouldn't let go. Not in a weird way, but you all know how awkward I am in this kind of situation. I just kind of made faces at Mariah and Mike while, my new self-proclaimed boyfriend, Unberto (Alberto) sang me the Alejandra version of Lady Gaga and kept kissing my cheek and calling me "Un Barbie Tropical." I got that because when he called me a barbie I told him that couldn't be right because I'm una morena! Luckily, I was able to escape his clutches, which he was laughingly "upset" about (moved on to the next girl waiting in line at his club) and we ran off down the street. That's when we saw the rest of the group walk up and I don't think I've ever been happier to run into the group again! The night was fun after that, we ended up at the club "Feina" (translated to "Work" which makes no sense to me) and it was the Madrid version of the SF Pride week so that made things interesting!
~*~
Today I think I was one of the only people happy to be awake so early. Getting home at 4 am last night, I was one of the early deserters! That blew me away. We took a bus to the ancient/medieval city of Toledo and toured this BEAUTIFUL old catholic church. Just going inside of it gave me this immediate sense of peace and it was truly a sight worth seeing. Everything about it was elaborate and thought out, much like the rest of the architecture here.
~*~
I've been feeling kind of sick the last few days and I'm not sure if it's because I caught the flu before I left (fingers crossed its not that) or maybe adjusting to the water or even if the food that SEEMS gluten free, isn't (PLEASE NO, ITS DELICIOUS!). We'll see. Tonight I'm taking it easy, eating the peanut butter and rice caked I was forced to bring with me :P and getting some sleep. Starting tomorrow I'm going to try and only drink bottled water, no tap.
Speaking of the food...
ITS AMAZING. For all those who haven't heard much about the culture of Spain, they don't eat dinner until around 9 or so and for lunch, the main thing (it seems) that is served are "Tapas" which are basically appetizers. Some of the ones that I've tried are 1) Un Tortilla (aka a Spanish Omlette) which is eggs, potatoes, onions, and sometimes cheese baked in the oven so it comes out fluffy instead of flat, 2) Papas con Ae-oli which were these cut up potatoes with some kind of garlic mayo and a spicy aioli red sauce (TOTALLY reminded me of Bel Frites in SLO but possibly better) and 3) Esparrago con Tocino (Asparragus and Bacon) but it wasn't really bacon, it was like this flat, honeyed ham type thing and it was topped with what looked like a balsamic-based sweet sauce.
SO GOOD!
*sorry these are so long. i've got a LOT to tell about and this just barely skims the surface*
Below: Me at the viewpoint overlooking la Ciudad de Toledo
Thursday, June 28, 2012
El Palacio y El Parque y El Museo!
~*~
I'm trying to keep up with updates as I go because 1) I don't want people to think that I've died and 2) I don't want to forget ANYTHING! So last night we went to one of the bars and hung out outside while the game (Spain vs Portugal) was on because there was ZERO room inside of ANY of the bars we found! We got drinks (.5L of Sangria for 3.80 euros, not bad compared to SLO) and sat back and listened to the crazy people inside. When Spain won, everyone was screaming and yelling and stormed the streets. It. was. crazy. People were shooting off guns and jumping on each other and generally just being crazy haha it was awesome! We went home after that and I passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow. So, to say the least, I've adapted to the time change quickly.
~*~
Right now I am laying on my bed hanging out because it's "siesta" time in Madrid. All the stores close from around 3-5 (give or take an hour) and everyone goes home to relax and be with family... or in our case, sleep. I am for SURE taking a nap after this. We got up this morning to get breakfast at 8 then set off on foot for El Palacio Real de Madrid, aka the royal palace. It no longer houses the King, but that didn't stop until this generation! That was pretty cool to find out. Unfortunately no cameras were allowed in the Palace so we tried sneaking some cell phone shots, but they didn't turn out too well (I'll post them on Facebook anyways). There are over 100 rooms and I think we toured around 30 or 40 of them. Each room had a color theme ranging from royal colors of blue and white to rooms decorated in oriental themes with silk covered walls. All of the rooms had ornate furniture and each had a unique (set or individual) chandelier made either in France or Spain. They also had a strange amount of clocks. Apparently one of the princes was quite the shopper before he became king and would travel to France to shop with his fiance. Unfortunately for them, the 2 things they could shop for were furniture and clocks... lots and lots of clocks. They even had there very own personal church which we got to see as well! No longer in use, of course, but still decorated as if it were still the 18th or 19th century.
After El Palacio Real, we made our way through the city on foot to the E Prado Museo del Arte. We got to see a lot of really cool stuff but unfortunately cameras were also not allowed there. However I will tell you, there was an odd statue of a woman feeding her breast to a man, a painting of a man eating a baby (those of you that are in to Greek Mythology, that would be Zeus' father eating his offspring but it was gruesome), lots of painings of the royal family with artist self-portraits creeping in the background, and too many catholic-based paintings to describe. They were beautiful, though. I really wish I could have snuck a shot in, but I didn't want to damage them since flash photography can do that. While here, we also saw one of the paintings that I had seen in my Spanish book back at Vintage which was really cool. If anyone knows it, its a painting of the Princess at age 5 surrounded by her serving maids, a dog, and this creepy looking girl (la fea) who is actually a dwarf. Anyways, that one was there.
After this, we walked across town to El Parque del Retiro which was absolutely beautiful. Honestly, there is nothing that I have seen in America that comes even close. It makes Golden Gate Park look like a very small dump. It was not only beautifully landscaped, but was clean and had so many fountains and architectural stuff everywhere. We went rowing in the little lake then went back to the hotel. So that's where I am at now! A lot done and its only 5 in the afternoon (4 when we got back)!
~*~
For Pictures, Check Facebook! :)
of course... i'm still the tallest.
I'm trying to keep up with updates as I go because 1) I don't want people to think that I've died and 2) I don't want to forget ANYTHING! So last night we went to one of the bars and hung out outside while the game (Spain vs Portugal) was on because there was ZERO room inside of ANY of the bars we found! We got drinks (.5L of Sangria for 3.80 euros, not bad compared to SLO) and sat back and listened to the crazy people inside. When Spain won, everyone was screaming and yelling and stormed the streets. It. was. crazy. People were shooting off guns and jumping on each other and generally just being crazy haha it was awesome! We went home after that and I passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow. So, to say the least, I've adapted to the time change quickly.
~*~
Right now I am laying on my bed hanging out because it's "siesta" time in Madrid. All the stores close from around 3-5 (give or take an hour) and everyone goes home to relax and be with family... or in our case, sleep. I am for SURE taking a nap after this. We got up this morning to get breakfast at 8 then set off on foot for El Palacio Real de Madrid, aka the royal palace. It no longer houses the King, but that didn't stop until this generation! That was pretty cool to find out. Unfortunately no cameras were allowed in the Palace so we tried sneaking some cell phone shots, but they didn't turn out too well (I'll post them on Facebook anyways). There are over 100 rooms and I think we toured around 30 or 40 of them. Each room had a color theme ranging from royal colors of blue and white to rooms decorated in oriental themes with silk covered walls. All of the rooms had ornate furniture and each had a unique (set or individual) chandelier made either in France or Spain. They also had a strange amount of clocks. Apparently one of the princes was quite the shopper before he became king and would travel to France to shop with his fiance. Unfortunately for them, the 2 things they could shop for were furniture and clocks... lots and lots of clocks. They even had there very own personal church which we got to see as well! No longer in use, of course, but still decorated as if it were still the 18th or 19th century.
After El Palacio Real, we made our way through the city on foot to the E Prado Museo del Arte. We got to see a lot of really cool stuff but unfortunately cameras were also not allowed there. However I will tell you, there was an odd statue of a woman feeding her breast to a man, a painting of a man eating a baby (those of you that are in to Greek Mythology, that would be Zeus' father eating his offspring but it was gruesome), lots of painings of the royal family with artist self-portraits creeping in the background, and too many catholic-based paintings to describe. They were beautiful, though. I really wish I could have snuck a shot in, but I didn't want to damage them since flash photography can do that. While here, we also saw one of the paintings that I had seen in my Spanish book back at Vintage which was really cool. If anyone knows it, its a painting of the Princess at age 5 surrounded by her serving maids, a dog, and this creepy looking girl (la fea) who is actually a dwarf. Anyways, that one was there.
After this, we walked across town to El Parque del Retiro which was absolutely beautiful. Honestly, there is nothing that I have seen in America that comes even close. It makes Golden Gate Park look like a very small dump. It was not only beautifully landscaped, but was clean and had so many fountains and architectural stuff everywhere. We went rowing in the little lake then went back to the hotel. So that's where I am at now! A lot done and its only 5 in the afternoon (4 when we got back)!
~*~
For Pictures, Check Facebook! :)
of course... i'm still the tallest.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
10.5 + 4 hours later: Madrid!
~*~
So we just landed in Spain about an hour ago. It is 98 degrees and around 7:30 pm. Crazy! How I would describe Madrid is some kind of mix between San Francisco and Berkeley. But less hobos as far as I can tell. That actually kind of weirded me out because I was fully expecting and excited for everything to be completely different. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of strange things we've already encountered. My hotel roommate here in Madrid, Mariah (probably spelled wrong) calls them Mysteries of Spain! Some of these things include there being a urinal AND a toilet in every bathroom, the plugs not working until we figured out that the power in the room doesn't go on until you put your card key into this slot and leave it there (THAT took us WAY too long... at least 20 minutes) and other things like there being no wash clothes. Anyways, that is just a quick update on what I'm up to.
~*~
I met Theresa at the SF airport this morning and Alma (my Bilbao roommate) also just happened to be there! So that ended up being really cool because we stuck together for walking through the airport. Alma and I sat by this really nice Indian guy on that flight (and yes Otter... he smelled like Curry). When we got to London, we had about an hr and 40 min to get to our next flight to Madrid and made it there with only 15 minutes to spare. The line to get through to the terminal was, as Theresa called it, "super organized chaos." Finally got a little sleep on that flight, but not much. We wandered into the Madrid airport looking SO confused. Luckily, most of the signs are either in English or are in picture form. However, we could not figure out what the below picture was of! Seriously... if you know, please comment and tell me!
~*~
Ok! I'm off to meet up with my group to eat dinner! More pictures and updates to come! (tomorrow we are going on a tour of the city, having a picnic in the most well known park in Madrid, and SO much more!)
So we just landed in Spain about an hour ago. It is 98 degrees and around 7:30 pm. Crazy! How I would describe Madrid is some kind of mix between San Francisco and Berkeley. But less hobos as far as I can tell. That actually kind of weirded me out because I was fully expecting and excited for everything to be completely different. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of strange things we've already encountered. My hotel roommate here in Madrid, Mariah (probably spelled wrong) calls them Mysteries of Spain! Some of these things include there being a urinal AND a toilet in every bathroom, the plugs not working until we figured out that the power in the room doesn't go on until you put your card key into this slot and leave it there (THAT took us WAY too long... at least 20 minutes) and other things like there being no wash clothes. Anyways, that is just a quick update on what I'm up to.
~*~
I met Theresa at the SF airport this morning and Alma (my Bilbao roommate) also just happened to be there! So that ended up being really cool because we stuck together for walking through the airport. Alma and I sat by this really nice Indian guy on that flight (and yes Otter... he smelled like Curry). When we got to London, we had about an hr and 40 min to get to our next flight to Madrid and made it there with only 15 minutes to spare. The line to get through to the terminal was, as Theresa called it, "super organized chaos." Finally got a little sleep on that flight, but not much. We wandered into the Madrid airport looking SO confused. Luckily, most of the signs are either in English or are in picture form. However, we could not figure out what the below picture was of! Seriously... if you know, please comment and tell me!
~*~
Ok! I'm off to meet up with my group to eat dinner! More pictures and updates to come! (tomorrow we are going on a tour of the city, having a picnic in the most well known park in Madrid, and SO much more!)
Friday, June 22, 2012
4 Day 2 Take Off
~*~
As you know, I have signed up to go to Bilbao, Spain for a study abroad program. I will be living there in an apartment with a fellow student from June 26th through July 21st. I first fly into Madrid for a week long tour of the city before my class begins. I will be taking International Marketing at the University of Basque Country. The map of where Bilbao is located in Spain is attached at the bottom!
~*~
So far I have been feeling pretty ill prepared. I have been feeling like I was walked through all the steps for signing up for this program (USAC - Spain Summer Session II) and now I've all the sudden been left to figure it out myself now that I've paid and filled out all of the forms. I figured that we (the students from the USAC program) would all be staying in a common area. However, we are all spread out around the city. Not that this is any different from home, but I only have one roommate and everyone else is in the rest of the locations. That freaked me out a little bit. Not because I have a fear of walking but because it caught me off guard. I expect to be thrown by my deficiency in Spanish and because I'm the "lone wolf" Cal Poly student among people who are traveling with friends or acquaintances. I have no doubt that over time I'll learn enough Spanish to go about my day and I'm positive that I'll make friends. Its the unknown, the parts that I'm not expecting that stress me out.
~*~
To prepare myself, I've packed a fairly large suitcase, following the suggestions I found online about packing light (I'm trying), stuffing an extra bag at the bottom of your suitcase (in this case my "backpack"), and leaving room to bring stuff back home. However, I am breaking some rules too. I'm bringing toiletries, some food (just in case my allergies suck), and other stuff like that. The way I figure it, I'll use that stuff there, throw it out and have more room for souvenirs.
I'm really very excited! I have to make my video before I fly out so that I can get my grant money, but other than that, I think that I'm all set! Today, I'm off to say goodbye to Otter. From there, I'll meet up with my family in Modesto to spend some more time with them. Be back home by Monday so that I can hang out with Laura before I head to Spain on Tuesday and she follows soon after to go to Italy! I'm flying out of SF with another girl from the program, Theresa.
Lets do this.
As you know, I have signed up to go to Bilbao, Spain for a study abroad program. I will be living there in an apartment with a fellow student from June 26th through July 21st. I first fly into Madrid for a week long tour of the city before my class begins. I will be taking International Marketing at the University of Basque Country. The map of where Bilbao is located in Spain is attached at the bottom!
~*~
So far I have been feeling pretty ill prepared. I have been feeling like I was walked through all the steps for signing up for this program (USAC - Spain Summer Session II) and now I've all the sudden been left to figure it out myself now that I've paid and filled out all of the forms. I figured that we (the students from the USAC program) would all be staying in a common area. However, we are all spread out around the city. Not that this is any different from home, but I only have one roommate and everyone else is in the rest of the locations. That freaked me out a little bit. Not because I have a fear of walking but because it caught me off guard. I expect to be thrown by my deficiency in Spanish and because I'm the "lone wolf" Cal Poly student among people who are traveling with friends or acquaintances. I have no doubt that over time I'll learn enough Spanish to go about my day and I'm positive that I'll make friends. Its the unknown, the parts that I'm not expecting that stress me out.
~*~
To prepare myself, I've packed a fairly large suitcase, following the suggestions I found online about packing light (I'm trying), stuffing an extra bag at the bottom of your suitcase (in this case my "backpack"), and leaving room to bring stuff back home. However, I am breaking some rules too. I'm bringing toiletries, some food (just in case my allergies suck), and other stuff like that. The way I figure it, I'll use that stuff there, throw it out and have more room for souvenirs.
I'm really very excited! I have to make my video before I fly out so that I can get my grant money, but other than that, I think that I'm all set! Today, I'm off to say goodbye to Otter. From there, I'll meet up with my family in Modesto to spend some more time with them. Be back home by Monday so that I can hang out with Laura before I head to Spain on Tuesday and she follows soon after to go to Italy! I'm flying out of SF with another girl from the program, Theresa.
Lets do this.
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