If i could have this experience over again, I would do so in a heart beat. Actually, less than that because i'd say yes without even thinking about where i would get the money or how much debt i'd be in at all.
Sevilla will always be my home. I will never actually leave it. I just hate coming to terms with the fact that I wont be able to walk over the beautiful bridge everyday anymore on my way to school. I wont be living in a city with more history in about a 10 foot block of cement than the whole USA.
My teachers here are amazing. They have helped me grow so much and made learning Spanish FUN again. I missed that. I missed being excited to go to Spanish class, any class for that matter. They relate to you and even though they have hundreds of students and those students come and go often, they still take the time to get to know who you are. I will never forget them.
The Directors at ISA were fantastic. I got close to many of them and it is very hard to say goodbye to them as well. It is weird knowing that im not going to be going into school and knowing who it is ill be able to say "hola, buenos dias" to in the morning.
I loved the closeness of our program. All of us had different friends, but when it came to hanging out in class or going out botellon-ing by the river, we came together like one big dysFUNctional family.
Don't get me wrong I am so excited to see my family and friends but truth be told, i wish i had stayed a whole year here. I don't have anything asside from my fam&friends that i need or care to go back for. I love being able to walk everywhere and look up and notice something i haven't noticed before. I like the place i intern at and I love the way of life here.
Lets play the word association game:
USA
Sevilla
WestFargo
St. Cloud
Triana
I don't know what you picked up from that, but for me it was USA=STRESS STRESS FAST LIFE STRESS, Sevilla=Sevilla.(meaning i think of alll the beautiful things here) West Fargo=where my family and friends are St. Cloud=kelly/where i go to school. Tiana=my bario.
It's hard to think about. And im happy to be going home but it hurts more that i know it will be a while before i get the chance to come back to Sevilla. Speaking spanish is an everyday thing here, at home, maybe if i speak up in class, then i get to say like 5 words but i dont have someone to constantly takl to me in spanish every single day to listen to the language on the streets, to hear the music in the streets, the flamenco dresses, the river, the real maestranza, the architecture...
anyway... im mopey, but i miss my family more than anything in the world and i am so happy to be going back and sharing my experience with them.
I have a hole in my stomach from the feeling i feel about leaving Sevilla.
Ill never forget this and ill be able to re-live it every time i look at my photos, but i will always miss it most when i think about it.
Sorry for the sappy post but its like ive been married to this city for 3 months, everyday, and now i have to leave it,,,
Now is the hardest part. I have nothing to take my mind off of this feeling. I dont have homework, or work or anything.
Something funny did happen to me this week though, I was awoken by a cockroach.. well Rachel, screaming about her having a cockroach in her bed. Jumped up ... woke up 'mom' ... scared her a bit.. end of story, she saved our life.
Who knew cockroaches could fly?
oh the things i learn in spain...
TQM/Hasta Pronto.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
My Letters to- Twilight- Lizzie McGuire- When in- That julia roberts movie- angels and devinci code...etc...Experience
THURSDAY-SUNDAY
We flew into Barcelona really late on Thursday night and after a bit of searching, stress, high tension, phone calls, and a taxi ride, we found the apartment we were going to be spending the next 3 nights in. It was in the most amazing location: Las Ramblas. We were super close to the largest Market in Barcelona, St. Josep: La Boqueria. This market was phenominal. They had everything. The fish you knew were fresh out of the ocean because they were still alive and kicking... literally... and if it was possible, im sure the other meat would have been so as well. At the Market we walked around and picked up some fruit for breakfast which was SO amazing. After that we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and do some exploring! First we took the metro (which by now, isnt a problem for us anymore) and then walked a little ways to Park Guell (aka the Gaudi Park). haha... It was again, so beautiful. The park was filled with live. Music, flamenco dancing, and of course tourists among other things as well. At the park there was a view over some of Barcelona which was just so breathtaking in itself.
After the park, we went back on the metro (because it was too far of a walk) to the amazing Sagrada Familia. It was such an eyecatching structure and it has such beautiful gothic architecture. This was one thing ive been dying to see for most of my life so i am SO greatful that i had the opportunity to do so. Here we met this guy who was telling us about this pub crawl-esq thing that night. Even though we were a little sketched out, he seemed like a good guy and that seemed like a really fun thing to do, afterall, we didnt know where to go out in Barcelona, so we gave him the 10€ deposit and got our tickets and his number and planned on meeting up later at the first club. Then we decided to hit one more big thing before going back to the apartment and went to Casa Mia. Obviously, as i stated before for everything i saw, it was amazingly beautiful and i again, am in awe at the structure of it.
Madelon and I stopped back at the market on the way home to make Guacamole. It was SOGOOD. Then we went to meet up with the group. Yes, we did meet up with them. It was actually really fun! we got to see some really beautiful places. One of the bars called MiraBlau, looked over all of Barcelona. Since it was at night, it was very very pretty.
The next day we didnt do much. Madelon and Britt went to the beach and Blair and I went to the Park in Barcelona. I like to call it the Hippie Park because well, obvious reasons, but seriously one of my favorite parks ive ever been in... go figure. It was beautiful. and there was a market outside of it and so it was just a really relaxing day. That night we went and watched the game (BCN vs Real Madrid) which was fun but only stayed till halftime because we had an EARLY flight.....
SUNDAY-TUESDAY
We got up at around 4 am for our 6am flight. Figured we could take a cab & get there with plenty of time since it was so early. This ended up being the story of our lives for all of the traveling.(hahaha). We got dropped off at the wrong terminal so we had to wait for the bus there but OH, the bus doesn't start running until 5am. So we waited and waited, and then once we got to the correct terminal, we checked in and got a little lost finding how to get to security. The line at security was so long, just like our morning would have predicted and so we made a game plan to RUN to the gate. Long story short, we made it. Thank goodness. And were finally on our way to ROMA. It was so beautiful. We landed and got marinara pizza for breakfast (more normal than it sounds) and explored a little bit around that side of town. Then we caught the bus and went towards Madelon's friend, Kate's house where we were going to be staying. SUP VAD. yeah. Right through the Vatican walls and your first left is the street we stayed on. It was so cute. Little pizza shop across the way and a little cafe on the corner. adorable. That day we set our stuff down and went into Vatican City, yeah, strait up its own city. You would say it like "Vatican City, Vatican City" not even "vatican city, italy"-NO. The vatican has its own post office, and everything. Since it was palm sunday, there was a service going on which was really cool to see. HEY POPE. yep, saw him, got a photo. no big. Again, how much closer to God could i be? It was so amazing. We stayed there for a little while and then walked around Rome more to explore. We walked across the river and explored a few Piazzas (plazas). We also visited the Pantheon which was such an amazing place. I was obsessed. So breathtaking...and we ate, and ate, and had Gelato. OH did i mention we ate? But luckily we only had Gelato like 3 times that day. haha Not a big deal. We might have been a little obsessed with it at first but little did we know in Florence we would find the best best BEST Gelato in the world, literally.
That night we went to see the Vatican at night lit up in all its glory and then walked about 30 minutes to this little neighborhood called Trastavere. Definitely the most "Italian" thing ever. The food was amazing and it was very very cheap. (we're talking 3 euro for a margarita pizza people). So we all drank wine and had a fun girls night and went back to Kate's apartment that night. The next day we were some serious tourists. We went and saw the Trevi Fountain. So beautiful and it was not even as crowded as we expected it to be so that was really nice. After the Trevi we had lunch at a little restaurant, and then proceeded to the Spanish Steps. That was really cool. hey tourists. All over, but it was still pretty to see. We had perfect weather every day of our vacation so i was so thankful for that. After the steps we went towards the Colosseum. Passed by a few ruins on the way, no big deal and some other really cool things. It was like walking in ancient Rome... except everything was broken. haha if that makes sense. SO COOL. The one thing about the Colosseum that was quite unfavorable were the crazy rock paths that they had. I fell almost. Not o.k. Then we saw the Arc de Triomph. Finally we headed back towards Kate's apartment again, after a long day of tourism. The final day in Rome, Madelon, Britt & I went inside the Vatican/St. Peter's Basilica. It was so beautiful inside. We also got to see the tombs of the passed Popes so that was definitely an experience as well. Then we started towards the train station on our way to Florence.
....Bored yet? I'm not but i lived it, so if you need, maybe now would be a good time to take a break, refresh your popcorn/beverage, and come back... Or you could just read on since there is just one place left of my Vacation and plus a little reflection of it all....
TUESDAY-FRIDAY
Once we got to the train station in Rome, we kind of wandered around for a little bit. As per usual, this caused us to sprint towards our train to get on in time. Not a big deal because by now we just assumed that as normalcy. haha. Anyway, got on the train and 3 hours later we were in Florence. We walked to our hostel, Soggiorno Madrid. It was the most quaint, adorable, perfect hostel ever. The owner was such a cute little old Italian man. It was a Bed and Breakfast so we had breakfast every day and the bathroom was AMAZING (comparing with the previous ones, this was like made for the Pope, literally) It was closed enough to the city and far enough away for a quite night of sleep. Plus they had wifi so we could all stay in contact with our families. We got there late, so we went to eat supper and came back to sleep. which was so nice. The next day we got up and walked towards the city center and went to the Leather Market. Florence is famous for it. Cheap high quality leather= im there. We bought some stuff and then went to the Market which was really cool as well. Then we ate lunch, but since we didn't eat till later (which is normal time for Spain 330 or so) a lot of restaurants were on their form of "siesta". After lunch Blair and I went to explore more of Florence. We decided first to go to Vivoli, which has won Worlds Best Gelato at least 13 times. not a big deal or anything. and we ended up running into the TRL Italia awards. again, not a big deal, it happens all the time in normal life. So we stayed there for a few minutes and watched a few people sing and then proceeded on our hunt for the Gelato, Once we found that there is only one way to describe it and it can't be put into words. You literally are astounded as how amazing this Gelato is. You might think im kidding, but try it yourself. T.H.E B.E.S.T I will ever have in my life. NOMMMNOM.
Then we found this piazza near the Uftzi aka worlds largest Renaissance art museum. It was beautiful. We saw replicas of a few things like the David among others, and then the main building in that Piazza was/is used for City Council/Senate. It was beautiful. So we walked around there for a bit and then kept walking, found like a Pinocchio-esq workshop, which was so cute. and then found Pizza Piti which is near these Beautiful gardens and things like that. We walked down to the river which was absolutly, again, i know, beautiful.
The next day Madelon Britt and I rented Bikes and rode round Florence (aka Frienze in Italian) and went up this hill to see the piazza de Michael Angelo. The whole bike ride was through this beautiful Park and so it was a very scenic route. Over Half way up we got a little hungry and stopped at this little restaurant in the mountains. It had literally the most AMAZING view ever. It was.. ok i can't even describe it without the words amazing or beautiful so you might get the picture.. oh PEACEFUL. just amazing. we made a new friend, his name was Vinchenzo. He was prob. like 2 or 3 and was so adorable. haha Then continued our Bike ride up to the Piazza where there was a FANTASTIC scenic view of the top of the city of Florence. Again, Breaktaking, this whole trip was and i have no idea how else to describe the state of peace i was in the whole time. We biked down and I took Madelon and Britt to the Gelato place and then we hung out at a cafe until it was time to go pick up our luggage from the Hostel, which so very nicely held it for us all day long. And onto the Train Station.
First we had supper at the first place we went in Florence which was cheap and so good. Talked, drank wine and just had a fantastic time. Then we all walked to the Station and tried to print out our ticket and, big surprise everyone, it wouldn't work. SO another dilemma. But obviously since this was bound to happen, we were prepared, asked for help and then finally asked a conductor of a different train if it was o.k. if we could just show the email we got on Madelon's phone to our conductor on the train and get on. "sure" he says "hop on this one".. "no sir.. we're going to Bologna".."yes, ok hop on. thats fine hop on".. "you stop in Bologna? our train isnt till 1030"... "yes, hop on go to 4"..."um.. ok!" AVE TRAIN. HELLO, these tickets usually START at like 60EURO and here we are getting a 37min (as opposed to 1 hr) ride for 7 EURO. So comfortable. And honestly, LUCKY US, we got to Bologna just in time for the last bus to the Airport.
We slept, or "slept" in the airport that night which was obviously as bad as it sounds. I covered up with a towel, and slept on my clothes and had my arm around my suitcase, so i guess that means i laid down on the disgusting airport floor for 6 hours and then 'woke up' at 4am to check in and get to the gate for our plane back. Today has been the longest day ever. I feel like I arrived yesterday but nope, that was this morning. We didn't get to see any Processions of Semana Santa today because it has been Raining so much. Basically Semana Santa = Semana de Agua. Que Pena. i feel so bad for those who have worked all year for this day and then their procession was canceled. Grown men have came into bars crying because of it and I feel so bad. Not only for the fact that I will prob. not get to see any processions, but because of those who waited and do wait all year for this week and then this had to happen. Apparently it is a record for Sevilla. Not a good one to have obviously, but a Record.
The entire trip i had has made me so grateful for what i have here, in Sevilla. I love it here so much and it will always be, and is like a home to me. Im ready to go home and see my family but the thought of having to wait so long to come back here pains me. Ive been thinking constantly of things i can do to come back and live here for a while again. It seems strange because ive leanred so much about myself on this experience but also ive gotten so attached to this beautiful city of Sevilla. I never want to leave so if any of the family feels like they want to move out here with me, let me know. :)
This week i have finals. Friday we take an overnight bus to the Madrid Airport and then Sat I fly home.
It is hard to accept but I have to. I love Sevilla and I know i will cry on the plane home, but I am so excited to see my family again.
TQM/Hasta.
--** The photos will be coming soon, there are 500ish of them for me to upload so please be patient. :)
Thursday, April 21, 2011
comming soon...
post on my Spring break in Barcelona, Rome and Florence. :) Stay tuned. its going to be a long one.
Monday, April 11, 2011
The Fabulous Life of...
photos de Lagos!
First off, I apologize for not blogging for like 3 weeks! Ok, now that thats over, lets start with the fun stuff..
As you all know I went to Mallorca the other weekend and it was fabulous. Mallorca is a beautiful island and just so relaxing. The beach was fantastic the first day and the next day we hung out by the pool and then monday before we left we went back to the beach but it was CRazY windy so we just kind of hung out by the pool later that day too. HELLO TAN. :)
This last week was incredibly busy for me trying to start/finish/do all of my final projects plus the homework that was assigned.. whoever decided it was a good idea to give out a presentation, a 5-10 page paper, and still assign homework while i am studying abroad, made a mistake. I'm in a big fight with that rule maker right now. But the rough week was WELL worth it for the weekend that i just had.
LAGOS, PORTUGAL
Prob. one of my favorite vacations so far. I love this town. It seems to big but in reality it is just a really sweet chill 'brah' surfer town and i love it. The people are really sweet, not to mention good looking, i mean, obviously.. and Discover Sevilla did SUCH a great job again. I am so glad i can call myself an intern there. the people are so great. They are like a little dysfunctional family to me and I love them all.
The first day we got to Lagos and a bunch of us ISA'ers went to this 'private cove' that we had found. IT WAS AMAZING. I cannot stop gushing about this place. we all drank and laid out on the beach and tanned and played in the water, when it wasn't rocking us out of the ocean. Finally the tide came up too far and it was time we went back and got ready for our first night out in Lagos. DS had a party set up at Grand Cafe. Before we went there, Madelon and i went to this place called Casa Rosa. The people that worked there were so awesome. i mean, we made friends. hahah One of them was Benni's, a guy who works at DS, brother so that was kind of cool. The food was SO AMAZING and best of all, cheep. haha The party the first night didn't last long for madelon and I... to much beach time that day.. (and when i say beach time.. its obvious).
The next day we went on a Sangria cruise (all of ISA again together, like the usual because we're amazing and bring the party) seriously, the other programs had no idea how to have fun like we did. ANYWAY, the cruise was 2 hrs and you got as much Sangria as you wanted and we went and explored caves and Jumped off the boat to go swimming (no eme, no fishies bited my feet haha) and that was REALLY fun. After that we went to the beach and tanned for the rest of the day. HELLO TAN AGAIN. hahah
That night madelon and i went back to Casa Rosa because we loved it so much. amazing food again, and drinks.. and drinks... and.. then we went to the bar where DS was having the party that night. It was so much fun except there was SO MANY PEOPLE. that kinda sucked but I mean, what can you do. So i enjoyed the whole night there till around 4 in the morning.
The next day we went to this 'surfer' beach. It was so windy i couldn't be comfortable tanning but i still enjoyed being by the ocean. It was a gorgeous beach as well so deff relaxing (- the wind).
We got back to Sevilla at like 1030 Sunday night so i was super tired. This week i had to give a presentation in Business Spanish that i think went really well. Wed i have a marketing presentation and then Thrusday a Spanish culture and civilization presentation. then SPRING BREAK!!!
During semana santa (aka for me this vaycay is 14 April - 22 April) i am going to go to Barcelona, Rome, Florence, and Balogna. I cannot wait. I cant express how excited i am to go to these places with the girls. Madelon, her friend Britt, and Blair are going with me and it is going to be an adventure.
Got a fortune cookie today (class presentation dont worry i'm not eating chinese here) that said :
How much more serious can that be? Omen? yes.
I am too sad about coming home so that is all I am going to say. Not walking the streets of Sevilla everyday, and not being able to just hopping over to Portugal or going to any wonderful place in Europe is too depressing of a thought.
TQM/Hasta.
First off, I apologize for not blogging for like 3 weeks! Ok, now that thats over, lets start with the fun stuff..
As you all know I went to Mallorca the other weekend and it was fabulous. Mallorca is a beautiful island and just so relaxing. The beach was fantastic the first day and the next day we hung out by the pool and then monday before we left we went back to the beach but it was CRazY windy so we just kind of hung out by the pool later that day too. HELLO TAN. :)
This last week was incredibly busy for me trying to start/finish/do all of my final projects plus the homework that was assigned.. whoever decided it was a good idea to give out a presentation, a 5-10 page paper, and still assign homework while i am studying abroad, made a mistake. I'm in a big fight with that rule maker right now. But the rough week was WELL worth it for the weekend that i just had.
LAGOS, PORTUGAL
Prob. one of my favorite vacations so far. I love this town. It seems to big but in reality it is just a really sweet chill 'brah' surfer town and i love it. The people are really sweet, not to mention good looking, i mean, obviously.. and Discover Sevilla did SUCH a great job again. I am so glad i can call myself an intern there. the people are so great. They are like a little dysfunctional family to me and I love them all.
The first day we got to Lagos and a bunch of us ISA'ers went to this 'private cove' that we had found. IT WAS AMAZING. I cannot stop gushing about this place. we all drank and laid out on the beach and tanned and played in the water, when it wasn't rocking us out of the ocean. Finally the tide came up too far and it was time we went back and got ready for our first night out in Lagos. DS had a party set up at Grand Cafe. Before we went there, Madelon and i went to this place called Casa Rosa. The people that worked there were so awesome. i mean, we made friends. hahah One of them was Benni's, a guy who works at DS, brother so that was kind of cool. The food was SO AMAZING and best of all, cheep. haha The party the first night didn't last long for madelon and I... to much beach time that day.. (and when i say beach time.. its obvious).
The next day we went on a Sangria cruise (all of ISA again together, like the usual because we're amazing and bring the party) seriously, the other programs had no idea how to have fun like we did. ANYWAY, the cruise was 2 hrs and you got as much Sangria as you wanted and we went and explored caves and Jumped off the boat to go swimming (no eme, no fishies bited my feet haha) and that was REALLY fun. After that we went to the beach and tanned for the rest of the day. HELLO TAN AGAIN. hahah
That night madelon and i went back to Casa Rosa because we loved it so much. amazing food again, and drinks.. and drinks... and.. then we went to the bar where DS was having the party that night. It was so much fun except there was SO MANY PEOPLE. that kinda sucked but I mean, what can you do. So i enjoyed the whole night there till around 4 in the morning.
The next day we went to this 'surfer' beach. It was so windy i couldn't be comfortable tanning but i still enjoyed being by the ocean. It was a gorgeous beach as well so deff relaxing (- the wind).
We got back to Sevilla at like 1030 Sunday night so i was super tired. This week i had to give a presentation in Business Spanish that i think went really well. Wed i have a marketing presentation and then Thrusday a Spanish culture and civilization presentation. then SPRING BREAK!!!
During semana santa (aka for me this vaycay is 14 April - 22 April) i am going to go to Barcelona, Rome, Florence, and Balogna. I cannot wait. I cant express how excited i am to go to these places with the girls. Madelon, her friend Britt, and Blair are going with me and it is going to be an adventure.
Got a fortune cookie today (class presentation dont worry i'm not eating chinese here) that said :
Next week will bring great fun and adventure
How much more serious can that be? Omen? yes.
I am too sad about coming home so that is all I am going to say. Not walking the streets of Sevilla everyday, and not being able to just hopping over to Portugal or going to any wonderful place in Europe is too depressing of a thought.
TQM/Hasta.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
where i will be this weekend
Just wanted to let everyone know where I will be spending the weekend.
Palma Mallorca.
(in case you want to come)
Palma Mallorca.
(in case you want to come)
TQM.
sorryboutit.
love, me.
(ps. will update when i get back)
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Lisbon, Lisboa, Lishboa... Portugal
Click to View Photos From my Portugal Trip!!
Portugal was amazing.
We went on this trip with ISA so obviously there was basically all the educational/learning experiences involved as they can pack in for a weekend.
We left Friday morning at 8 which means i was up at 630 getting ready to go. Lucky me. Madelon and I slept the entire way there, all 6 1/2 hours of it. Which was good because when we got there, we had a free couple hours to get settled in to the hotel we stayed at and go find some lunch. Luckily most of us had our moms pack bocadillos (which i have explained before are like a sandwich on french bread) and so we just ate that in the hotel until we left for our first couple excursions of the weekend.
The first of all, a little background on Portugal. Much of Portugal's capital city, Lisbon, was destroyed in a 1755 earthquake. Much of the city had to be rebuilt from the ground up and Lisbon lost many historic things. There was one church that stayed completely intact though (which we did get to tour). Their language and much of their architecture is influenced by the Muslims. There are about 7 (i believe) or so places in the world with the official language as Portuguese. ( Brazil and Portugal are two primary Portuguese speaking nations,Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde, Guiné-Bissau and São Tomé e Príncipe; Portuguese speakers are also found in Macau, East Timor and Goa.... got that list online so i don't know how correct it is.. hahah!) To me i was very surprised because i only thought it was Portugal, and Brazil. There are even places in the US today where many Portuguese people had came to from the past. There are around 240 million speakers, which makes Portuguese the sixth most spoken language in the world!
all the more reason for me to start my quest on learning Portuguese. :) It sounds so pretty and yet if they speak slow enough, and someone speaks Spanish slow enough, you can have a conversation. WHICH, in fact, i did to with our cab driver one night when we were going to dinner. He spoke in Portuguese and we spoke in Spanish and had a really easy time communicating. Funny the way it is.
Now, onto the excursions...
Friday after we got there and had lunch, and got checked into the hotel, We went to visit this Castle. I apologize for not knowing the name of it or the history about it but I assume it used to be a castle during the times of the conquest and reconquest. The view we had of Lisbon was beautiful from the top and sorry for not being sorry but we deff. got ourselves kicked out because all of us were climbing on the castle walls and on the ledges to take some daring (swweeett) photographs! haha ISA directors were not mad at all just kinda was like oh well and we continued on with our tour of Portugal.
After this we walked through a bario (neighborhood) and over by the Tagus river. It was a lovely stroll down and then got back on the bus to go to the Hotel. It was a short 'excursion' day but that was definitely O.K. with me. At the hotel we got to relax for a while and then Madelon, Kelly, Blair, Narolyn, Jen and I planned on going out for supper. We went and got a beer (which was worlds) better then the Cruzcampo here.. haha... and decided we really just wanted American food. Blair had mentioned she saw a Hard Rock Cafe (I know,cliche but what can you do) and since things were so insanely (like 14 EURO for a cheeseburger =20US$) expensive, we all split with each other. It was definitely worth it. That night we just kind of all hung out and some of the group went out and some of us stayed in.
The next morning, they had chocolate cake for breakfast (yeah. they CLEARLY have priorities here.) annnd i guess they had eggs and toast, sandwich meats, cheese, fruit, yogurt, sausages (ew) and deserts and cereals. Sidenote: the eggs i have had at hotels here, are actual eggs. meaning they taste like bob's and they could completely knock down any eggs put up against it here in the US. seriously. yum.
Furthermore, Madelon and i take breakfast buffets like this as an opportunity to pack a free lunch. And i mean we take that opportunity. We each made ourselves 3 little bun sandwiches and ate a lot of breakfast so we wouldn't be that hungry at lunch. (this is a usual thing as you can tell since day one in Madrid. hahah)
Anyway, Sat. we went on a panoramic tour of Lisbon and also went a visited the this really cool place (aka Kelly's home.. inside joke i suppose). it was nice because we were free to explore as we wanted and didnt have to sit and listen to a guide, hence the Kelly's home reference, meaning we made up our own story, and it was good. hahahah ohh boy. great day.
We had basically the whole day for free time so we conquered the Lisbon Metro (seriously everyone, im getting SO PRO at this) and went to one of the Largest Malls in Europe. It was fun but then we found this GIANT store that was like a Target/Sam's club and obviously got lost in there for a while. Madelon and myself got lost for Jen and Narolyn so we just decided to go back to the hotel. We hung out and just had a really really fun night at the hotel. We had planned on going out but I got tired afterwards so I didn't but the other girls did. Then Sunday we basically got up and came back home to Sevilla.
It was a really nice time in Portugal and I am so glad I get to go back in 2 weeks to Lagos with Discover Sevilla. :) So pumped. This week I am starting to work on final projects and papers. i can't believe it is almost April, I know i have said that before but it is so surreal for me. This weekend I am going to Palma Mallorca which is in the Balteric Islands in the Mediterranean. SO EXCITED TO TAN!!!
haha. well. i hope things are going well for all of you. Don't forget to look at the link at the top for my photos! anyone can click on it weather or not you have a facebook.
TQM/Hasta.
Portugal was amazing.
We went on this trip with ISA so obviously there was basically all the educational/learning experiences involved as they can pack in for a weekend.
We left Friday morning at 8 which means i was up at 630 getting ready to go. Lucky me. Madelon and I slept the entire way there, all 6 1/2 hours of it. Which was good because when we got there, we had a free couple hours to get settled in to the hotel we stayed at and go find some lunch. Luckily most of us had our moms pack bocadillos (which i have explained before are like a sandwich on french bread) and so we just ate that in the hotel until we left for our first couple excursions of the weekend.
The first of all, a little background on Portugal. Much of Portugal's capital city, Lisbon, was destroyed in a 1755 earthquake. Much of the city had to be rebuilt from the ground up and Lisbon lost many historic things. There was one church that stayed completely intact though (which we did get to tour). Their language and much of their architecture is influenced by the Muslims. There are about 7 (i believe) or so places in the world with the official language as Portuguese. ( Brazil and Portugal are two primary Portuguese speaking nations,Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde, Guiné-Bissau and São Tomé e Príncipe; Portuguese speakers are also found in Macau, East Timor and Goa.... got that list online so i don't know how correct it is.. hahah!) To me i was very surprised because i only thought it was Portugal, and Brazil. There are even places in the US today where many Portuguese people had came to from the past. There are around 240 million speakers, which makes Portuguese the sixth most spoken language in the world!
all the more reason for me to start my quest on learning Portuguese. :) It sounds so pretty and yet if they speak slow enough, and someone speaks Spanish slow enough, you can have a conversation. WHICH, in fact, i did to with our cab driver one night when we were going to dinner. He spoke in Portuguese and we spoke in Spanish and had a really easy time communicating. Funny the way it is.
Now, onto the excursions...
Friday after we got there and had lunch, and got checked into the hotel, We went to visit this Castle. I apologize for not knowing the name of it or the history about it but I assume it used to be a castle during the times of the conquest and reconquest. The view we had of Lisbon was beautiful from the top and sorry for not being sorry but we deff. got ourselves kicked out because all of us were climbing on the castle walls and on the ledges to take some daring (swweeett) photographs! haha ISA directors were not mad at all just kinda was like oh well and we continued on with our tour of Portugal.
After this we walked through a bario (neighborhood) and over by the Tagus river. It was a lovely stroll down and then got back on the bus to go to the Hotel. It was a short 'excursion' day but that was definitely O.K. with me. At the hotel we got to relax for a while and then Madelon, Kelly, Blair, Narolyn, Jen and I planned on going out for supper. We went and got a beer (which was worlds) better then the Cruzcampo here.. haha... and decided we really just wanted American food. Blair had mentioned she saw a Hard Rock Cafe (I know,cliche but what can you do) and since things were so insanely (like 14 EURO for a cheeseburger =20US$) expensive, we all split with each other. It was definitely worth it. That night we just kind of all hung out and some of the group went out and some of us stayed in.
The next morning, they had chocolate cake for breakfast (yeah. they CLEARLY have priorities here.) annnd i guess they had eggs and toast, sandwich meats, cheese, fruit, yogurt, sausages (ew) and deserts and cereals. Sidenote: the eggs i have had at hotels here, are actual eggs. meaning they taste like bob's and they could completely knock down any eggs put up against it here in the US. seriously. yum.
Furthermore, Madelon and i take breakfast buffets like this as an opportunity to pack a free lunch. And i mean we take that opportunity. We each made ourselves 3 little bun sandwiches and ate a lot of breakfast so we wouldn't be that hungry at lunch. (this is a usual thing as you can tell since day one in Madrid. hahah)
Anyway, Sat. we went on a panoramic tour of Lisbon and also went a visited the this really cool place (aka Kelly's home.. inside joke i suppose). it was nice because we were free to explore as we wanted and didnt have to sit and listen to a guide, hence the Kelly's home reference, meaning we made up our own story, and it was good. hahahah ohh boy. great day.
We had basically the whole day for free time so we conquered the Lisbon Metro (seriously everyone, im getting SO PRO at this) and went to one of the Largest Malls in Europe. It was fun but then we found this GIANT store that was like a Target/Sam's club and obviously got lost in there for a while. Madelon and myself got lost for Jen and Narolyn so we just decided to go back to the hotel. We hung out and just had a really really fun night at the hotel. We had planned on going out but I got tired afterwards so I didn't but the other girls did. Then Sunday we basically got up and came back home to Sevilla.
It was a really nice time in Portugal and I am so glad I get to go back in 2 weeks to Lagos with Discover Sevilla. :) So pumped. This week I am starting to work on final projects and papers. i can't believe it is almost April, I know i have said that before but it is so surreal for me. This weekend I am going to Palma Mallorca which is in the Balteric Islands in the Mediterranean. SO EXCITED TO TAN!!!
haha. well. i hope things are going well for all of you. Don't forget to look at the link at the top for my photos! anyone can click on it weather or not you have a facebook.
TQM/Hasta.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Cultural Differences as told by Katrina
I thought I would do an informational blog about the cultural differences in Spain compared to the United States so you can get a little taste of what it is REALLY like to live here. To start out, everyone walks everywhere...everywhere... or rides a bike.. or a moped.. even in their fancy business suits. Classy. There are many people that have cars but it is so expensive to buy a parking space (we´re talking about 40,000 Euro here people)
Further than that, I honestly have not seen a "house" here at all. What I do see are many apartment buildings located on top of businesses or simply and apartment building between buildings with parking below or down the block. No one rents here because "to rent is to throw away your money" I learned in class about "cultura de propieded" (culture of property for a direct translation). This basically is about the people who choose not to move to find a job or not to rent because they love having their own things (ie my own house, my own car) In fact, When i visited a company here called Abengoa, they work in sustainable development, and they said that because they have so many workers, they offered to let them have these passes that would allow them to ride the bus to work for free and the workers were so attached to their cars that they declined. Eventually maybe people will come around.
Unfortunately sleep-overs and making cookies/watching movies at 'home' is not allowed here. Some señoras (host moms) do allow friends to come over but the majority of Spanish life is lived outside of the home. You go to a café or to a restaurant or the park, basically you go anywhere except the home. People here enjoy their privacy and you can relax at your home as much as you want, but they really are not for friends. Not that in the 'States' the size of the apartment i am living in currently would be a no friend zone. Its actually quite large. Friends are outside of the home so along with walking everywhere, another reason aside from work or school would be to hang out with friends. Also, the novios (boyfriends/girlfriends) have to meet outside of the house to make out.. this they pretty much do anywhere they please, park, plaza nuevea, a bench, laying on the road, on a moped, by a fence, on a dumpster, you get it. SERIOUSLY. that is the situation.
As we travel throughout the day of los sevillanos (those who live in Seville) next comes the main event, eating. Now, In the US as you all well know, we eat 3 giant meals a day with the main meal being suppertime. The first and foremost difference, they don't do that here. In fact, the only similarity I would throw out there for the two are that there are 3 meals (sometimes more depending on age, size, diet, etc). A normal eating day here starts out with breakfast. This can be around 8 in the am we will say for an average time, and is usually something along the lines of café(coffee), pan(bread), cereal(which i get at my homestay and generally choose the fruit from the lunch before), fruit, or a little something speacial (aka tostada con jamón(york) tomate y acete de oliva or for those who dont speak spanish or have any idea what i'm talking about, its like a toast sandwhich with ham (jamón york is more like the ham in the US otherwise there is jamón iberica which is.. different to say the least) and olive oil). Prob's my favorite breakfast ever. There is a place right by school where i get one around 11ish (some days when i am not hungry for breakfast) and a cafe con leche... lets just say they know Madelon and I. Otherwise i usually just get toast with oliveoil tomato and salt. eitherway, still, DELISH.
On to lunch. This is the largest meal of the day. Yes, I know, crazy, you actually have a chance to work of what you eat. miracle. seriously. You usually eat at 230-4 (2 is still early) and is usually a few different platos (or like entrees/plates/whatever) and the first one is usually lighter than the other like a salad with olive oil (catching onto a theme at all yet??) vinegar and salt and maybe a few extra things like tomatoes corn... cucumbers, normal salad ingredients. The second plato is the main one i would say. Sometimes my host mom makes things like pasta but normally its some sort of meat and some sort of starch/carb like rice or potatoes or noodles even. You always get your own loaf of bread (seriously, non carb eaters, you will not survive here. its a way of life). yes a loaf like a... 'my size'... and for dessert, Fruit. Which again, sometimes we get something special like homemade arroz con leche (basically like a rice pudding but so much better). haha
Dinner on the other hand, is very light. This is eaten between 9-11pm. Sometimes i do go out for tapas or anything really, but portions are always smaller than in the US. At my home stay every night my lovely host mom makes us each a sandwich, the contents of which vary from day to day, and we usually get chips, pudding or yogurt, and chocolate (of course). Sometimes there is a little merienda (aka snackish.. which can be a bocadillo (aka sandwhich on a baguette) or something) between lunch and dinner but that is generally for younger kids.
As you can see there are quite a few differences within Spain and the US and I haven't even got in to the government and the people!! (which I wont do because, as well as my teacher teaches, it is still boring.)
There is however a PLAZA just about every turn you make. These are fun to hang out in just because you can eat your bocadillo, or just chill or anything you want basically. Little kids like to chase the pigeons or play fútbol aka soccer which is SO adorb. (Plazas are where you can see people making out as well, very popular ones are in parks). Speaking of children! The children/babies here are dressed up like DOLLS. not kidding. If i wanted to impose on someones life i would have taken a legitament photo of it because the baby is ALWAYS in realllly nice clothes whenever it is out in the calle (street). Boys wear tights with their shorts and or long socks. Smocks when they go to school, almost everyone has a school uniform, and the carriages? don't even get me started! can we say l.u.x.e?!
But enough about that, going to the doctor here is a breeze. You get medicine right a way, i got in right away, they literally have a cure for everything here, and if not a cure, something for you to take to deal while you have it. .L.O.V.E.
The style is is so different as well. its deffinately tights, leggins, skinnyjeans, very classy clothes (like me going to class in a nice business type suit) the shoes are all heels which i am still trying to figure out how in the hell they can wear those all day long on cobblestone streets. I on the other hand am happy sticking with flats! haha :)
The rio aka the river. I LOVE. I am pretty sure ISA said 'don't go' but i mean, my host mom said it was alright and i guess i would listen to my mom over anyone in the states, SO i go. i mean, everyone goes. to just sit and relax by the river, to tan to listen to music to botellon (aka pre-game).. run.. you can do anything by the river, and believe me, people do.
That i think is enough for my cultural lesson today and will discuss this topic continuously as my trip progresses. Just heading to Portugal this weekend, no big. (!!!!!!) I can't even begin to explain in this size 'normal' 12 font how excited i am to be going. I am also going to get a head start on some of my final projects for classes since i will be traveling basically every weekend until i come home, which i am actually trying not to think about now because i love it here so much. o.b.s.e.s.s.e.d.
TQM/Hasta.
Further than that, I honestly have not seen a "house" here at all. What I do see are many apartment buildings located on top of businesses or simply and apartment building between buildings with parking below or down the block. No one rents here because "to rent is to throw away your money" I learned in class about "cultura de propieded" (culture of property for a direct translation). This basically is about the people who choose not to move to find a job or not to rent because they love having their own things (ie my own house, my own car) In fact, When i visited a company here called Abengoa, they work in sustainable development, and they said that because they have so many workers, they offered to let them have these passes that would allow them to ride the bus to work for free and the workers were so attached to their cars that they declined. Eventually maybe people will come around.
Unfortunately sleep-overs and making cookies/watching movies at 'home' is not allowed here. Some señoras (host moms) do allow friends to come over but the majority of Spanish life is lived outside of the home. You go to a café or to a restaurant or the park, basically you go anywhere except the home. People here enjoy their privacy and you can relax at your home as much as you want, but they really are not for friends. Not that in the 'States' the size of the apartment i am living in currently would be a no friend zone. Its actually quite large. Friends are outside of the home so along with walking everywhere, another reason aside from work or school would be to hang out with friends. Also, the novios (boyfriends/girlfriends) have to meet outside of the house to make out.. this they pretty much do anywhere they please, park, plaza nuevea, a bench, laying on the road, on a moped, by a fence, on a dumpster, you get it. SERIOUSLY. that is the situation.
As we travel throughout the day of los sevillanos (those who live in Seville) next comes the main event, eating. Now, In the US as you all well know, we eat 3 giant meals a day with the main meal being suppertime. The first and foremost difference, they don't do that here. In fact, the only similarity I would throw out there for the two are that there are 3 meals (sometimes more depending on age, size, diet, etc). A normal eating day here starts out with breakfast. This can be around 8 in the am we will say for an average time, and is usually something along the lines of café(coffee), pan(bread), cereal(which i get at my homestay and generally choose the fruit from the lunch before), fruit, or a little something speacial (aka tostada con jamón(york) tomate y acete de oliva or for those who dont speak spanish or have any idea what i'm talking about, its like a toast sandwhich with ham (jamón york is more like the ham in the US otherwise there is jamón iberica which is.. different to say the least) and olive oil). Prob's my favorite breakfast ever. There is a place right by school where i get one around 11ish (some days when i am not hungry for breakfast) and a cafe con leche... lets just say they know Madelon and I. Otherwise i usually just get toast with oliveoil tomato and salt. eitherway, still, DELISH.
On to lunch. This is the largest meal of the day. Yes, I know, crazy, you actually have a chance to work of what you eat. miracle. seriously. You usually eat at 230-4 (2 is still early) and is usually a few different platos (or like entrees/plates/whatever) and the first one is usually lighter than the other like a salad with olive oil (catching onto a theme at all yet??) vinegar and salt and maybe a few extra things like tomatoes corn... cucumbers, normal salad ingredients. The second plato is the main one i would say. Sometimes my host mom makes things like pasta but normally its some sort of meat and some sort of starch/carb like rice or potatoes or noodles even. You always get your own loaf of bread (seriously, non carb eaters, you will not survive here. its a way of life). yes a loaf like a... 'my size'... and for dessert, Fruit. Which again, sometimes we get something special like homemade arroz con leche (basically like a rice pudding but so much better). haha
Dinner on the other hand, is very light. This is eaten between 9-11pm. Sometimes i do go out for tapas or anything really, but portions are always smaller than in the US. At my home stay every night my lovely host mom makes us each a sandwich, the contents of which vary from day to day, and we usually get chips, pudding or yogurt, and chocolate (of course). Sometimes there is a little merienda (aka snackish.. which can be a bocadillo (aka sandwhich on a baguette) or something) between lunch and dinner but that is generally for younger kids.
As you can see there are quite a few differences within Spain and the US and I haven't even got in to the government and the people!! (which I wont do because, as well as my teacher teaches, it is still boring.)
There is however a PLAZA just about every turn you make. These are fun to hang out in just because you can eat your bocadillo, or just chill or anything you want basically. Little kids like to chase the pigeons or play fútbol aka soccer which is SO adorb. (Plazas are where you can see people making out as well, very popular ones are in parks). Speaking of children! The children/babies here are dressed up like DOLLS. not kidding. If i wanted to impose on someones life i would have taken a legitament photo of it because the baby is ALWAYS in realllly nice clothes whenever it is out in the calle (street). Boys wear tights with their shorts and or long socks. Smocks when they go to school, almost everyone has a school uniform, and the carriages? don't even get me started! can we say l.u.x.e?!
But enough about that, going to the doctor here is a breeze. You get medicine right a way, i got in right away, they literally have a cure for everything here, and if not a cure, something for you to take to deal while you have it. .L.O.V.E.
The style is is so different as well. its deffinately tights, leggins, skinnyjeans, very classy clothes (like me going to class in a nice business type suit) the shoes are all heels which i am still trying to figure out how in the hell they can wear those all day long on cobblestone streets. I on the other hand am happy sticking with flats! haha :)
The rio aka the river. I LOVE. I am pretty sure ISA said 'don't go' but i mean, my host mom said it was alright and i guess i would listen to my mom over anyone in the states, SO i go. i mean, everyone goes. to just sit and relax by the river, to tan to listen to music to botellon (aka pre-game).. run.. you can do anything by the river, and believe me, people do.
That i think is enough for my cultural lesson today and will discuss this topic continuously as my trip progresses. Just heading to Portugal this weekend, no big. (!!!!!!) I can't even begin to explain in this size 'normal' 12 font how excited i am to be going. I am also going to get a head start on some of my final projects for classes since i will be traveling basically every weekend until i come home, which i am actually trying not to think about now because i love it here so much. o.b.s.e.s.s.e.d.
TQM/Hasta.
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