Hello my friends.
It’s been a while since I have regaled you with my tales from abroad, so I’ll break it down again.
Monday (last week!):
Well, to be honest I don’t even remember all the details of this day. I had Literature and we talked about Don Quijote and I had Spanish Art History and we talked about architecture of the Renaissance time period. Mostly about the various types of columns, or columnas. Because there is a lot of information about art history and we can’t cover it all, we just get little tid-bits of information. But it is actually really fun to be able to tell what time period a building was built in by looking at the columns. (Or at least to know what time period inspired the columns. Most large cathedrals and buildings took decades to build so Gothic turned to Renascence and Renascence turned to Baroque, etc.)
The highlight of my Monday: Chocolate y Pan. It is one of the best pastries I have ever tasted. It gives Old World Bakery a run for its money, family… In one of the Plazas on the way to CEGRI, there is a little kiosk where this woman (the Pan Lady) sells cheap delicious pan and pastries. This little bite of heaven only cost 50 cents! (Euro Cents) Considering I’m not getting much in the way of veggies and fruits, I may need to find an alternative route to school so I don’t end up eating too much of this ambrosia. I can’t resist the Siren call of chocolate y pan.
Tuesday:
Tuesday was a little rainy and a little gloomy, but the thing about rain and gloom in Spain is that you’re still in SPAIN! Today I had my Culture of Spain; we talked about the geography of Spain. After class, I worked on my homework (a presentation for Culture of Islam.) Then I walked over to MaryPat’s casa, where we did P90X! We just did Cardio because we don’t have weights. But it felt great to be active. Though the “wacky jacks” left us sore for quite a while.
Oh, I have a new name. In some of my classes my name was written down at "Keya." So that is my Spanish name now I guess!
Oh, I have a new name. In some of my classes my name was written down at "Keya." So that is my Spanish name now I guess!
At night Kelly, Justine, and I went out in a different part of Granada. This place is so big. Whenever I’ve gone out in the past we’ve just gone to the center of Granada. But there are millions of tapas bars and places to go throughout. There is a “Shot” bar that has 69 types of shots. They even have an Absinthe shot…don’t worry, I’ve seen Mulan Rouge enough times to know I don’t want to mess with the “green fairy.” We traveled down to Justine’s neck of the woods and went to a tapas bar that served American style tapas—it was delicious. And then we met up with friends and danced at a bar called, “Feeling.”
Finding our other halves in Spain.
Good tapas, right guys?
Kelly's looking for her own mini Ronaldo.
Wednesday:
Classes. I was a bit tired for my first class of the day, but in the afternoon we went and saw the Cathedral in Granada. It is stunning. The Granada Cathedral is one of two Renaissance churches in Spain. The other one is in Córdoba. And Granada’s Cathedral is the second largest in Spain after Sevilla’s Cathedral. According to Rick Steves’ travel info about Granada, this cathedral started as a Gothic church, used with Renaissance elements, and then decorated in Baroque style.
Dad, I thought I'd ask you if I could get married here--but just wait...
That night Katherine came over to my house and we planned out all the flights and hostels for our first Spring Break. (Semana Blanca) It only took about 6 hours, BUT I figured it out so we are spending less than €400 for the travel expenses! We’re taking a bus from Granada to Madrid—flying from Madrid to Paris, meeting up with friends (Arianna! Celebrating her 21st in Paris!), staying 4 days—flying from Paris to Dublin, 4 days there—Dublin to London, 4 days (We’re probably going to go see a musical!)—then London to Madrid, then home. I love traveling on a student’s budget.
Thursday:
Thursday was my first moment of that negative side of the “culture shock.” In my first class, Culture of Spain, I was struggling this day with understanding some of the Spanish spoken. I didn’t say much throughout the class, but Antxion called on me to read and then translate what I had read. Of course, when I read Spanish out loud I am only focusing on the sounds. Basically I had no idea what I had just read. And he kept on me a bit. Not a big deal, just minor embarrassment. Moral of the story: I really need to be practicing Spanish and reviewing grammar in my free time. I want these challenges to manifest in motivation for me to learn Spanish to the best of my ability.
Of course, right after class I saw that I had a package from my family. A little love from home goes a long way. (But trail mix does not…Mom, you sent me about 30 packets and I think I’ve had two a day…)
In the afternoon, I gave my presentation on Morocco (Maurrecos). It went well. I chose Morocco because there is a group trip there this upcoming weekend. My family (and my doctor) told me they preferred if I did not go. So I have chosen to not. BUT I think that the group trip would be perfectly safe. People from Spain travel to Morocco often—it is so close, and the Moorish culture is present in Spain and is in an interesting culture to see. After scratching the surface on information about Morocco, I think it would actually be pretty safe for Americans to travel there in a group.
Interesting Facts about Morocco and the U.S.:
- · Morocco was the first state to recognize the United States as an independent nation in seventeen eighty seven (1787).
- · At the start of the American Revolution, American Merchant ships were attacked while sailing the Atlantic by pirates. The Sultan of Morocco declared that American merchant ships would be under his protection. This treaty of friendship between the United States and Morocco is the United States oldest friendship treaty.
- · And Morocco is one of the U.S.’s major non-NATO allies.
Nevertheless, Katherine (who has also chosen to nix the Morocco trip) and I are going to visit her friend, Britta, in VERONA this weekend!!! Needless to say: I’m PUMPED!
Thursday night I stayed in to watch episodes of Psych (thank goodness for Megavideo) and pack for our weekend trip to Sevilla.
I know what you’re thinking Mom. Don’t worry. I sometimes watch things in Spanish to keep the immersion going. La Bella y La Bestia.
SEVILLA
Friday:
We all met up at 9am and hopped on a bus to get to the ALSA Bus Station for our 10am trip to Sevilla. Sitting next to Kelly, we chatted for a bit and then I fell asleep because 3 hours felt like a half hour. We arrived in Sevilla to find the weather was several degrees warmer.
The Sky is so blue!
Enjoying the warmth, we found our way to the TI (Tourist Information) to get free maps and information about activities in Sevilla. (I already owned a handy dandy map, thank you very much, Arianna. It was very useful for our weekend.)
We found our way to our hostel—Hostel Friends. (I love that it is an oxymoron.) Originally, we had booked our stay at a different hostel. About four days before our trip, we were informed that there had been a problem with the “tubes” and they switched us over to Hostel Friends. Good thing too. Hostel Friends was just down the street from the Cathedral and the center of Sevilla. We each paid about €18 for two nights. Justine, Kelly, Katherine, Devin, Kevin, and I shared a co-ed dorm for 6. It was simple: 3 bunk beds and 6 lockers. But it was sanitary (for the most part…a random patch of blood did appear on the ground, though none of us were bleeding…) And there was a single bathroom with a shower. We have all decided to purchase flipflops for our next hostel showering experience. We showered in our socks—only enjoyable if your name is Justine.
Enjoying our Hostel!
Kevin and Devin
<3
The Hostel:
My friend from High School, Tara Gille, is currently studying in Sevilla in the same program as Justine’s best friend, Katie. After we shopped and looked around Sevilla. (Much more modern and touristy than Granada. They had about 4 Starbucks within 10 minutes of each other and a McDonalds. Granada only has a Burger King.)
Yup, that's a McDonalds on Paseo de Las Delicias
We met up with our two friends and some of their Sevilla friends for tapas. Granada and I think Jaen are the only places in Spain that still give free tapas.) After paying a small fee, we hung out waiting for the nightlife to take off. Though poor Justine was sick and took the night off to sleep and get better.
Ironically, at the discotecca we went to, I ran into Tia, my friend since kindergarten. That was a wonderful surprise! This was an expensive, but fun discotecca. There were lots of little “couch/day bed” areas with pillows surrounding the edge of the dance floors.
~Old Friends~
Tara and Me
Me and Tia
Spain is very interesting.
More than just a cat call: Proclamation of Love #1. The men fall in love very quickly. Or so they say. I met a 28 year old Spaniard from Barcelona. He told me he played for the Spanish Tennis team…or something of the sort. He spoke English. When I tried to speak Spanish to him, he told me that we should just stick to English. Reason 2 for me to practice more Spanish. Anyway, when I started to walk away he informed me that he was “falling in love.” To which I replied, “How? How is that possible?” He then asked me how he could get to know me better and proceeded to pinch my cheeks…?!?!? I asked him his age (cause it was his Birthday) and when he told me he was 28, I exclaimed that I was only 20 and my oldest brother was 28. He said so? His sister was 20. Haha, so yes, cultural differences.
Also, Spain is odd because you can buy underwear in the bathroom: (Thanks for modeling this transaction, Katherine.)
In a hurry to get to the club? Forget your underwear? NO PROBLEM.
Overall, Friday night was lots of fun. Lesson learned: MaryPat is a good friend to have around when being creeped on by Spanish men. Reliving our roomie days, MaryPat became an honorary member of our hostel room and shared my top bunk.
Saturday:
Saturday morning I woke up, slightly dangling off the side of the bunk, to Kelly wide awake and journaling! Her eagerness to start the day was infectious and we rounded the troops to go do some site seeing. Our first stop was the Cathedral. The Sevilla Cathedral, Santa Maria de la Sede, is the 3rd largest Cathedral in Europe. (Second to St. Peter’s at the Vatican and St. Paul’s in London.) It is the largest Gothic church anywhere. It took 120 years to build.
Dad--I want to get married HERE. Let's start saving. Elaine doesn't need to go to college...
Fact: There are restoration braces supporting huge pillars. These are supposed to keep the pillars from collapsing.
The High Altar is the largest altarpiece ever made—65 feet tall, with 44 scenes from the life of Jesus carved out of walnut and chestnut with gold. Across from the High Altar is a choir with an organ of 7,000 pipes!
Across from the altar and choir is the Tomb of Columbus.
Tomb of Columbus
Bell Tower (300ft tall)
View from the Bell Tower
After a lovely lunch of Paella, Garbanzo beans and spinach, chocolate pudding, and some vino (wine.) We lumbered our way to the Alcázar. Alcázar was originally a 10th-century palace that was built for the governors of the local Moorish state. The building still functions as a royal palace. It is in fact the oldest in use in Europe.
After the Alcázar we split ways as Justine, Devin, Kevin, Kelly, and Katie wanted to go paddle boating. Katherine, MaryPat, and I looked around the shopping area some more. They have an H&M in Sevilla…crazy.
Then we all met up back at the hostel. After one of the most pleasant days, we all took a little group siesta. Although Devin went for a run, making the rest of us feel lazy.
For dinner, Katherine, Kevin, and Devin went to Corte Ingles, a giant department store with a super market. For dinner they purchased two loaves of bread, a package of chicken lunch meat and turkey lunch meat, a jar of Nutella, a jar of Peanut Butter, Jelly, a bag of chips, pretzels, grapes, apples, and oranges. Needless to say the 7 of us pigged out on this “American” food, of course, it is in actuality the same food as a 5th grader’s bagged lunch.
Feeling extremely stuffed, we got ready and met up with Tara, Katie, and their Sevilla friends along the river. After hanging out for a little bit. We went to this discotecca, known as “Buddha.” Buddha has four floors with different dancing and music. We hung out on the American music level for a while and danced. As the night progressed we moved up to the techno music floor. The music was so loud at this discotecca, when standing still our clothes vibrated to the bass. Our second night in Sevilla was definitely a lot of fun, but it came at a price: our hearing. On our way home, we stopped at a 24 hour Churro stand. MaryPat and I split these churros in a circular shape covered in chocolate. At the time, we thought they were delicious. The next morning we realized that in reality they were just a churro version of the Entemann’s chocolate donuts. As we all climbed into our beds, Kelly meditated us to sleep with images of islands where all the food and water was provided...
Sunday:
Sunday morning we had to be out of the hostel by 11:30. So we loaded up and carried our luggage down to the Bullfighting arena. We looked around, but opted not to have a tour. (It’s the off season for bull fighting. Bullfighting and Flamenco dancing are huge in Sevilla.)
So we stopped by McDonalds for a meal and wound our way down towards the river and spent a lazy afternoon of sitting, napping, and talking in the sunlight while waiting for our 5pm bus.
My Poster from Sevilla
So we stopped by McDonalds for a meal and wound our way down towards the river and spent a lazy afternoon of sitting, napping, and talking in the sunlight while waiting for our 5pm bus.
Sevilla: A+
Monday:
(Happy 20th Birthday again, Colin.)
Classes were pretty basic. Talked about Don Quijote some more. Watched a little bit of the movie. Then in Art Class we talked Baroque. And man is the art style of Baroque intense. Some buildings look like someone just threw up art all over the place! Still pretty.
night I did decided to stop by a Chinese Convenient store to get some candy. I picked out what I thought looked like a gummy strawberry. Turns out it was a hot pepper gummy?!?! CANDY IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE PAINFUL. That’s all.
Tuesday:
Yesterday, in Culture of Spain we talked about schedules. It’s interesting how late everything is open in Spain. They start the day early, say 9ish, close around 2-5 for Siesta, and then restaurants and bars stay open until 12/1. And Discotecca’s open around 12, but people don’t show up until around 3am. Where do they go??
After class, Kelly and I took a picture of the doorway of the Cathedral for Art class (we need to sketch it.)
The actual picture
My sketch.
And walked around, talking for a bit. I then proceeded to talk a nap that made my senora and her dad ask me if I was sick. No, I just like to sleep…
Last night after class we figured out some travel information, dealt with some hiccups in our plans, and got it all figured out. Katherine and I are really glad that our plans to go to the Canary Islands this weekend fell through. We had a hostel booked and a flight picked out, but when we went to buy our tickets everything had doubled. That was way too expensive, so we cancelled it all and planned for Verona. Thank goodness though. There is some serious flash flooding going on in Gran Canary. I watched it on the news yesterday with my senora. There were no casualties, but the ground and some buildings are just being rocked by the flooding. Say a little prayer for those living there.
[VERONA: We leave tomorrow night (Thursday) at 6pm to get to Madrid and fly out tomorrow morning at 6am to get to Verona! I probably won’t have access to the internet during this weekend.]
At the end of the day, Kelly and I stopped at a papeleria. I needed to buy an assignment notebook. Katherine had a bought a Hannah Montana one here (because it was cheap and tiny.) So I figured I would have to do the same. BUT look what I found hiding out behind Hannah Montana!!
YUP! JB!! It made my day. I love Spain.
Today:
Today was a good day. I slept in until 10. Then I started writing out this blog…it takes a while. Then I went to class, came home, sketched a doorway for our Art Class, and ran off to Art. OH! At lunch today we had these small little fish things. They were Blue fish? And you had to hold it by the tail and peel off the meat on each side. And then you’re just left with the tiny little spine. I tried one to be polite, but it’s not my favorite food item here.
For Art we went to a Monastery called “Cartuja de la Asunción de Nuestra Senora.”
We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside, but we went to see its Baroque style. And wow. Baroque art is an eye sore. As our teacher, Monica, said it doesn’t matter if you like it or not, the point of Baroque was to shock and awe. If you focused on individual aspects of the altar and walls, it was beautiful. But there was too much going on to take it all in. I think simplicity is beauty. Still it was very interesting. The room that used to be used to eat in was this long room with a bad echo. During meals everyone was silent and someone would stand on this elevated platform to read Bible passages. Along the walls were paintings. In these paintings were gruesome scenes. People being hung, heads chopped off, stomachs cut open. There was a series of paintings of two men that looked to be monks with an arrow through the chest and hatchets through the head. It was odd. Didn’t really inspire a religious connection.
Now I am home finishing up this blog! Good news, Kelly and I are going to be teaching little kids English and a Catholic school! I’m really excited for this. Hopefully it will help me with my Spanish?
I am really happy to be here. And really grateful to my friends I came with and the friends I’ve made here. I’ve appreciated all the love and support. It’s only 3 weeks in and I can already tell this will be one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
Quote of the Week:
Justine: “You know it’s not illegal here to steal children, just frowned upon.”
Kelly: “Really?”
Justine: “Absolutely not.”
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