“Write about a problem you had and how you solved it. Did you fix it yourself? Ask others for help? Who did you turn to for support? What was the resolution?"
One major problem that Katie and I had abroad was when we were having issues with showering at our house. From Day 1, our host mom, Encarna, had pulled out the packet from UPO, underlining the fact that water is limited in Spain and that we need to conserve, etc. For awhile, we were only taking 3 minute showers, if that, every other day because from what we had understood, Encarna told us that one of us could only shower per day. As if that wasn’t bad enough our hot water supply was limited, and it was still pretty chilly in our house to go without sufficient hot water, especially late at night or early in the morning. This got old, really fast.
One morning, a few weeks in to the semester, I woke up for school around 7am and needed to take a shower before class. However, I didn’t have ANY hot water that morning, and I just could not force myself to take a cold shower when our room was already only 62 degrees... so I went to class a.) without a shower and b.) extremely pissed off, which is not a good combination. When I got back from school that day, I decided that I had had enough; that was the last straw. I immediately emailed Jorge, the coordinator for international students at UPO, and told him about all of our issues. I was really frustrated with Encarna because I feel like she had to have known about the lack of hot water since she uses the water too. Anyway, Jorge emailed me back right away with no problem telling me that Katie and I can definitely take a shower everyday, and there should be no reason why we can’t have hot water. He told me that he talked to Encarna, and everything would be fixed right away.
Well, when Encarna got home that day, it was like the Tazmanian devil walked through the door. I don’t think she was very happy that I emailed Jorge because she was speaking so loud, so fast, and so stern. She told me that “she never said we couldn’t have a shower every day” which I think is still bogus because I was almost 99% sure that’s what she had originally said. I just didn’t know how to handle the problem, and it seemed like emailing Jorge was the best option because he explained everything a little better in English rather than having Encarna try to explain the same thing in Spanish, 100x faster. She was definitely offended that I didn’t talk directly to her about the issue at hand, but I’m just happy it got solved. It turned out that the gas that heats the water was so low and needed to be changed, in order to have steady heat instead of sporadic bursts, making for a very uncomfortable shower. Although it was really awkward for the rest of the day after our little scuffle, we fortunately haven’t had any trouble since, thank God!
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Morocco: the Land of Couscous, Camels, & Colorful Cities
The first weekend in April, Katie, Dan, and I embarked on a totally new experience thus far; we were leaving not only the country, but the continent. Yes, the continent. Friday afternoon, we loaded up on a bus with the Discover Sevilla tour company and headed south... to Africa!! We rode for three hours on the bus and finally arrived at the port to cross the Strait of Gibraltar. We had to wait awhile that night to cross because the water was so rough. Since it’s such a tiny stretch, all the water coming from the Atlantic that mixes with all the water coming from the Mediterranean, can make for a rocky thruway, especially if the weather is bad. We were delayed almost three hours, but we were so happy when we were finally able to board the ferry. The ferry was miserable though. I bought a Coke from the snack bar and came back with two barf bags for Katie and Dan as a joke before we set out; little did I know, I should have grabbed one for myself. It was the rockiest water I’ve ever been on in my life. It didn’t help that three children around me all got sick which was making me even more nauseous. I somehow made it through the entire ferry ride without getting sick (barely), but I was pale as a ghost and almost kissed the ground when we made it to the other side. Despite almost tossing my cookies, I was so happy to be in Morocco!
As we were heading to our hotel around 12am that night, I was finally able to relax on the ride. I was just sitting in my seat, enjoying the movie we were watching, when all of a sudden, we heard a loud noise like something hit the bus. Seconds later, a head popped up in a window on the other side, and the entire bus freaked out! We immediately got the attention of our directors on the trip, and he calmed everyone down with his explanation. It turns out that it was actually young kids, maybe around 10 or 11 years old, that were hiding in the motor and others that jumped on the outside of the bus when we were going around the roundabouts near the ferry. Our guides explained to us that the kids will often times try to hide in the buses and even jump on while they are moving because they think all of the buses are going to Spain. Even if it means they might die trying to make it onto the bus, they still try so hard because they desperately want out of Morocco in order to go to Spain in search of a better life. After the kids that were hanging on our bus realized we were going away from the port, they jumped off, probably in search of more opportunities. This broke my heart whenever they told us this because no child should have to risk their life, trying to independently search for better opportunities by fleeing the country. At ten years old, they should just be enjoying grade school and the playground, not waiting for coach buses to pass to sneak into another country. Anyway, our first experiences in Morocco were quite interesting to say the least. When we finally made it to the hotel, we were served chicken, couscous, and vegetables, which was good because we were all starving!
As we were heading to our hotel around 12am that night, I was finally able to relax on the ride. I was just sitting in my seat, enjoying the movie we were watching, when all of a sudden, we heard a loud noise like something hit the bus. Seconds later, a head popped up in a window on the other side, and the entire bus freaked out! We immediately got the attention of our directors on the trip, and he calmed everyone down with his explanation. It turns out that it was actually young kids, maybe around 10 or 11 years old, that were hiding in the motor and others that jumped on the outside of the bus when we were going around the roundabouts near the ferry. Our guides explained to us that the kids will often times try to hide in the buses and even jump on while they are moving because they think all of the buses are going to Spain. Even if it means they might die trying to make it onto the bus, they still try so hard because they desperately want out of Morocco in order to go to Spain in search of a better life. After the kids that were hanging on our bus realized we were going away from the port, they jumped off, probably in search of more opportunities. This broke my heart whenever they told us this because no child should have to risk their life, trying to independently search for better opportunities by fleeing the country. At ten years old, they should just be enjoying grade school and the playground, not waiting for coach buses to pass to sneak into another country. Anyway, our first experiences in Morocco were quite interesting to say the least. When we finally made it to the hotel, we were served chicken, couscous, and vegetables, which was good because we were all starving!
The next day, we took the bus into the city of Chefchaouen, the blue city. We walked throughout the small city, which was so beautiful. All of the buildings were whitewashed with pretty blue accents and blue doors. There was a little stream running through the city that we ended up crossing in order to get to the restaurant where we were eating lunch. We enjoyed a traditional Moroccan tangine (steamed chicken, vegetables, and rice) and had time to try our hand in bartering with the locals afterward. I ended up buying a thick woolen sweater and a beautiful white and pink blanket made of wool for less than 25 euros!
Around 6:00, we boarded back on the bus and headed back to the hotel. It was nice to relax after a long day outside. We ate dinner again that night at the hotel, went to a small party on the 6th floor with the rest of the people on the trip, and ended up calling it an early night.
Sunday morning, we woke up early to eat breakfast before leaving the hotel. Our first stop was in Assilah, a small beach town on the Northwestern coast of Morocco. We walked through the city, browsed through the shops, and took so many pictures, before leaving for lunch. That afternoon was one of my favorite parts of the trip. We stopped in another small coastal town and went down into the caves to see where the ocean washed in, then we went on camel rides! You can’t go to Africa and not ride a camel. They are really challenging to get onto though because the camels stand up first with their back legs and it’s very unexpected. I was not ready at all for my camel to stand up, which was why I almost flipped off the front of mine. I’m laughing about it now, but at the time, I thought I was going to face plant into the ground. Anyway, I survived the camel ride and have so many great pictures to prove it! Such a cool experience.
It wasn’t long after our camel rides that it was time to head back to the port and cross back into Spain. We successfully made it through the roundabouts without any kids jumping on the bus (although they did try), and fortunately for me, I made it across the Strait of Gibraltar the second time with no problems; the water was so much smoother on Sunday evening. In no time at all, we were back in Sevilla. Traveling to Morocco was probably one of the most rewarding weekends I’ve had since I’ve been abroad, plus it was so much fun to take a trip with both Katie and Dan. I was glad that all three of us got to experience it together!
Changed Views
After being abroad for nearly three months now, I have to say that my perspective on international students at W&J has changed tremendously! First of all, I give them so much credit for coming to the United States and taking classes with all American students. With my program at UPO, I’m not even mixed with Spanish speaking students in my classes, and I still feel overwhelmed at times! I know how hard it was to get adjusted to the way of life in Spain, and I’m sure they felt no different about the adjustment in the U.S. Yet there is such a small group of international students that come to W&J, in comparison to the 400+ that are studying at my school in Spain right now. I give each and every one of them so much more credit for having the courage to step into a brand new school, full of English speaking students, when some of them aren’t even that comfortable with English. Many people really don’t understand the daily struggles and stresses of an international student until they have walked in their shoes; I can finally understand so much better now.
Another thing I’ve noticed is that foreign people I’ve met abroad in their home countries are so patient with me when I’m speaking Spanish or trying to understand something I might find confusing. I rarely have anyone who doesn’t do everything they can to help me out when I’m struggling and need direction. However, this isn’t always the case in America. Too many times you’ll hear arrogant Americans saying the phrase, “Welcome to America, now speak English”, and I can’t even begin to describe how much this infuriates me even more now than it already did. I cannot even imagine someone saying that to me in Spain or anywhere else that I’ve traveled in Europe because in different high level stress situations, I would probably cry if someone was that rude to me. On a side note, it’s amazing how many places you go that citizens of that country not only speak their own language but English as well; and they love to practice their English! So many people in Europe are so intelligent when it comes to languages, and it’s so common to meet people that are at least bilingual but often times trilingual and more, which is usually the case for most of the international students at W&J, too.
When I put all of these observations together, I realize that all of the international students at W&J, as well as other college campuses throughout America, deserve all the credit in the world. Although I’ve never been too involved with the international students on campus in the past, I’m so happy that they are a part of our college, and I welcome them wholeheartedly!
Semana Santa a.k.a. Holy Week a.k.a. Spring Break #1
Semana Santa, Holy Week, one of the most highly anticipated weeks in Spain. I made great plans for my week off school, my long awaited spring break... MY MOM AND SISTER CAME TO VISIT! I was so excited to introduce my mom and sister to the famous city that I’ve raved about for the last two months. They arrived to Sevilla on Saturday morning, and I went to meet them at the airport. It was so great seeing them for the first time since January.
We took the airport bus back into Sevilla which conveniently drops off right in front of their hotel. They were able to rest a little bit before they came to meet my host mom, Encarna. Although it was very difficult/basically impossible for them to communicate without me translating, it was still nice for my family to see where I’ve been living all semester and become acquainted with Encarna. On a side note, the act of Encarna inviting my mom and sister into her apartment is HUGE. Spanish people rarely ever allow strangers inside their homes, no matter what the reason. In fact, that same morning, when I asked Encarna if I could bring my mom and Ellen to meet her, she told me only if she had time to clean/organize first. They take great pride in making sure their homes are very clean when they are expecting visitors. It’s funny when comparing my real home with my home in Spain because t’s basically a free for all at my house in PA; we always have guests! It’s not uncommon for people to drop by at any given time or for us to invite friends over whenever. Yet in Spain, my host mom in Spain only invites immediate family and close friends into her home, and few select guests, only if approved beforehand.
After we left, I took my family to go get tapas and experience some genuine Spanish cuisine. They tried paella for the first time and had some delicious Spanish desserts. Afterwards, although it was raining (in the city that supposedly “never rains”), we went a little personal tour of Sevilla, led by my “intercambio” (my Spanish friend), Lucía. I was matched with Lucía through my school here in Spain so that I have a little bit more of a connection with Spain. Every international student was matched with an intercambio. (I’ll expand more about Lucía in one of my next blogs!) Anyway, she speaks fluent English, and although I’m fully capable of showing someone the main attractions in Sevilla, I asked Lucía to come along because she can explain everything in greater depth than I can. We wandered through the city center, showing my family the Plaza de España, the Cathedral, the Alcazar, the Torre del Oro, the bullfighting ring, and some of the beautiful parks in the area. We ended the tour with some delicious churros with chocolate and a nice walk along the Guadalquivir River now that it had finally stopped raining.
Because my mom and sister were so jetlagged from their transAtlantic flight, I decided it was time for them to really embrace the Spanish culture. Yes, it was time for siesta... nap time. After our siesta, we went out for tapas that evening at an incredible tapas bar that is literally in my backyard. Tradevo is one of my favorite restaurants in Sevilla. Katie joined us for dinner, and between the four of us, we had endless amounts of fantastic tapas, accompanied by some exquisite Spanish red wine.
We went to bed early that night because I wanted them to be able to enjoy their next couple days in Sevilla. The next morning, I showed them around my neighborhood that rests outside the city center. We browsed through our mall and swung by the fútbol stadium. We ate lunch afterwards at another one of my favorite sandwich places, Montadito’s. The best thing is that on Sundays and Wednesdays, all of the little sandwiches are only a euro each! (You’ll find that I’m describing the food and restaurants a lot, but the food in Spain is TO DIE FOR, aside from my host mom’s... I don’t really like her food at all. I’ll explain at a later time.) So anyway, after lunch, I took them to see my school! It was nice to be able to show my mom and sister where I’ve been taking classes all semester and to walk around, enjoying the warm sunshine that day.
Later that day, we observed siesta time again and met Katie and her family for dinner that night at a great Italian restaurant recommended by Lucía (one of the many reasons why she’s so awesome.) We had a great dinner and enjoyed the evening with our families.
The next day was our last day in Sevilla, before moving on. Since many stores and shops were closed on Sunday for the first day of Semana Santa, I wanted to show them the thriving city center on a weekday. The streets were all set up for the processions, and luckily, we were able to see two that day! It was SO cool, and so surreal. I finally got to experience a traditional Spanish procession that I’ve only ever read about for the last nine years in textbooks. The people in the processions have traditional outfits that often scare Americans because they look exactly like members of the KKK. Thankfully, my mom and sister weren’t too scared. Anyway, a procession consists of a large, intricate, portrayal of some biblical character, whether it be Jesus or the Virgin Mary. These float-like creations, adorned in gold and jewels, are carried through the streets to the Cathedral, and the look-alike KKK members follow behind, along with many Spanish people simply watching and drawn in by this great tradition. I loved every minute of it. What I also loved was the delicious Italian meal that I ate afterwords, at one of the best restaurants in the city center. (Just thinking about the scrumptious pesto pasta that I had is making my stomach growl!) We had to eat a big lunch/dinner because we were boarding a plane to the beach the night!
After we grabbed our bags from the hotel, we went straight to the airport, where we were greeted by an unpleasant surprise... a protest. The restaurant workers inside the airport were currently on strike because they were not getting paid; as a result, they made all of the passengers traveling in and out of Sevilla suffer. Never have I ever seen or heard such an annoying protest; the airport was trashed! These people were walking up and down the airport, banging on drums, playing loud, obnoxious instruments, yelling, screaming, and chanting. Additionally, they had signs everywhere, accompanied by ripped up little pieces of confetti-like paper and toilet paper scattered all over the floors; it really was a wreck. However, protesting and strikes are common practices in Spain because the economy is just that bad, and unfortunately everyone suffers.
When we finally got through all of that madness and embraced the quiet terminals, we soon boarded our plane and headed to the Spanish island of Mallorca in the Mediterranean, final destination: the beach of Palma! I had heard from several people that the beaches of Palma were very beautiful and I thought it would be fun to relax on the beach, even if it wasn’t quite warm enough to get in the water. The flight was rather short (as most flights are in Europe), and we had no problem boarding the late bus toward our hotel. It was nearly midnight until we arrived at Hotel Playa Golf, and we could tell it was a quiet neighborhood already because there were too many things open aside from a McDonald’s where we grabbed late night snacks.
The next morning, we enjoyed the delicious breakfast at the hotel, in a huge room overlooking the ocean. From my observations that morning, and later that day, it was very evident that the small beach town outside the city center had tremendous amounts of German influence. It was almost like I went to Germany, without really going to Germany! Anyway, the first day, we walked around a little, but mostly relaxed by the pool, walked on the beach, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.
On Wednesday, we took a trip to the Palma aquarium, got our picture taken with a toucan, and saw a massive amount of aquatic life. Afterwards, we continued into the city center, viewing the cathedral, the main port of the island, and ending our day hiking up to a giant castle on the top of a mountain. Just kidding, we took a taxi...there was no way I was walking. The views over the city and the bay were incredible. Upon arriving back down in the city, we grabbed some coffee, did a little shopping, ate dinner at a little pizza place, and headed back to the hotel for the night.
The next day, I was so excited because we were leaving for Barcelona that afternoon! We laid on the beach for a little while before we left, and by 4:00, we were boarding the plane! I knew that I was going to love Barcelona, but I had no idea just how much. From the minute we entered the city, I was already gazing out at everything. It is probably one of my new favorite places; it’s like a fairytale! We checked in at our hotel on Princesa Street that night and enjoyed a delicious dinner. We went to this trendy little restaurant near the hotel in the Gothic district called El Foro. The cheesecake was heavenly (probably my all time favorite), and that goes for most of the food in Barcelona, in general! Each morning we went to a small coffee shop across from the hotel because the muffins/pastries/chocolates were to die for!
After breakfast on Friday morning, my family and I decided to do a bus tour of Barcelona which was honestly the best decision we could have made because we were able to see so much of the city in such little time. We bought the two day pass and saw many of the incredible landmarks and attractions that Barcelona has to offer. We rode on all three different bus routes on Friday, which allowed us to see so much of the city. We also saw the Royal Palace, the Cathedral, the castle on top of Tibidabo, the site of the past summer Olympic games, the Barcelona soccer stadium, the beautiful beaches and the harbor, among many other fascinating sights. The Sagrada Familia (church of the “sacred family”) was beyond beautiful, even with all of the scaffolding around it while they were making repairs. I loved seeing all of Gaudí’s architecture around the city, too; his work is so unique! One of my favorite things that we did while in Barcelona was definitely the Magic Fountain show. We went on Saturday night and watched the first two shows at 7 and 7:30, both of which I loved. The first was Disney themed songs and the second was some of the most renowned classical pieces, many of which I’ve danced to throughout the years in past ballet recitals, like the Dance of the Sugarplum from the Nutcracker for example! The fountain show was so much fun; I didn’t want to leave! Unfortunately since it was Saturday night, the next morning meant that it was time for my mom and sister to go back to the U.S. and for me to go back to Sevilla. We had accomplished so much that weekend and even had time to fit a trip in to the Primark in Barcelona! I was happy to be able to introduce my mom and sister to my new obsession. It’s the best store to buy nice quality clothes, home goods, etc. for such good prices!
The attractions, the cuisine, the shopping, and most importantly being with my mom and sister, all played a factor in making our trip to Barcelona one of my favorite weekends of the entire semester. The only thing that would have made spring break better is if my dad could have come, too. However, with spring being his busy season in his landscaping/excavating businesses, it was nearly impossible for him to take that much time off work. I’m already counting down the days until I get to see him again in a few weeks! Anyway, my Semana Santa was incredible, and I wouldn’t have changed a thing about it. My family helped to make my spring break one unforgettable experience!
We took the airport bus back into Sevilla which conveniently drops off right in front of their hotel. They were able to rest a little bit before they came to meet my host mom, Encarna. Although it was very difficult/basically impossible for them to communicate without me translating, it was still nice for my family to see where I’ve been living all semester and become acquainted with Encarna. On a side note, the act of Encarna inviting my mom and sister into her apartment is HUGE. Spanish people rarely ever allow strangers inside their homes, no matter what the reason. In fact, that same morning, when I asked Encarna if I could bring my mom and Ellen to meet her, she told me only if she had time to clean/organize first. They take great pride in making sure their homes are very clean when they are expecting visitors. It’s funny when comparing my real home with my home in Spain because t’s basically a free for all at my house in PA; we always have guests! It’s not uncommon for people to drop by at any given time or for us to invite friends over whenever. Yet in Spain, my host mom in Spain only invites immediate family and close friends into her home, and few select guests, only if approved beforehand.
After we left, I took my family to go get tapas and experience some genuine Spanish cuisine. They tried paella for the first time and had some delicious Spanish desserts. Afterwards, although it was raining (in the city that supposedly “never rains”), we went a little personal tour of Sevilla, led by my “intercambio” (my Spanish friend), Lucía. I was matched with Lucía through my school here in Spain so that I have a little bit more of a connection with Spain. Every international student was matched with an intercambio. (I’ll expand more about Lucía in one of my next blogs!) Anyway, she speaks fluent English, and although I’m fully capable of showing someone the main attractions in Sevilla, I asked Lucía to come along because she can explain everything in greater depth than I can. We wandered through the city center, showing my family the Plaza de España, the Cathedral, the Alcazar, the Torre del Oro, the bullfighting ring, and some of the beautiful parks in the area. We ended the tour with some delicious churros with chocolate and a nice walk along the Guadalquivir River now that it had finally stopped raining.
Because my mom and sister were so jetlagged from their transAtlantic flight, I decided it was time for them to really embrace the Spanish culture. Yes, it was time for siesta... nap time. After our siesta, we went out for tapas that evening at an incredible tapas bar that is literally in my backyard. Tradevo is one of my favorite restaurants in Sevilla. Katie joined us for dinner, and between the four of us, we had endless amounts of fantastic tapas, accompanied by some exquisite Spanish red wine.
We went to bed early that night because I wanted them to be able to enjoy their next couple days in Sevilla. The next morning, I showed them around my neighborhood that rests outside the city center. We browsed through our mall and swung by the fútbol stadium. We ate lunch afterwards at another one of my favorite sandwich places, Montadito’s. The best thing is that on Sundays and Wednesdays, all of the little sandwiches are only a euro each! (You’ll find that I’m describing the food and restaurants a lot, but the food in Spain is TO DIE FOR, aside from my host mom’s... I don’t really like her food at all. I’ll explain at a later time.) So anyway, after lunch, I took them to see my school! It was nice to be able to show my mom and sister where I’ve been taking classes all semester and to walk around, enjoying the warm sunshine that day.
Later that day, we observed siesta time again and met Katie and her family for dinner that night at a great Italian restaurant recommended by Lucía (one of the many reasons why she’s so awesome.) We had a great dinner and enjoyed the evening with our families.
The next day was our last day in Sevilla, before moving on. Since many stores and shops were closed on Sunday for the first day of Semana Santa, I wanted to show them the thriving city center on a weekday. The streets were all set up for the processions, and luckily, we were able to see two that day! It was SO cool, and so surreal. I finally got to experience a traditional Spanish procession that I’ve only ever read about for the last nine years in textbooks. The people in the processions have traditional outfits that often scare Americans because they look exactly like members of the KKK. Thankfully, my mom and sister weren’t too scared. Anyway, a procession consists of a large, intricate, portrayal of some biblical character, whether it be Jesus or the Virgin Mary. These float-like creations, adorned in gold and jewels, are carried through the streets to the Cathedral, and the look-alike KKK members follow behind, along with many Spanish people simply watching and drawn in by this great tradition. I loved every minute of it. What I also loved was the delicious Italian meal that I ate afterwords, at one of the best restaurants in the city center. (Just thinking about the scrumptious pesto pasta that I had is making my stomach growl!) We had to eat a big lunch/dinner because we were boarding a plane to the beach the night!
After we grabbed our bags from the hotel, we went straight to the airport, where we were greeted by an unpleasant surprise... a protest. The restaurant workers inside the airport were currently on strike because they were not getting paid; as a result, they made all of the passengers traveling in and out of Sevilla suffer. Never have I ever seen or heard such an annoying protest; the airport was trashed! These people were walking up and down the airport, banging on drums, playing loud, obnoxious instruments, yelling, screaming, and chanting. Additionally, they had signs everywhere, accompanied by ripped up little pieces of confetti-like paper and toilet paper scattered all over the floors; it really was a wreck. However, protesting and strikes are common practices in Spain because the economy is just that bad, and unfortunately everyone suffers.
When we finally got through all of that madness and embraced the quiet terminals, we soon boarded our plane and headed to the Spanish island of Mallorca in the Mediterranean, final destination: the beach of Palma! I had heard from several people that the beaches of Palma were very beautiful and I thought it would be fun to relax on the beach, even if it wasn’t quite warm enough to get in the water. The flight was rather short (as most flights are in Europe), and we had no problem boarding the late bus toward our hotel. It was nearly midnight until we arrived at Hotel Playa Golf, and we could tell it was a quiet neighborhood already because there were too many things open aside from a McDonald’s where we grabbed late night snacks.
The next morning, we enjoyed the delicious breakfast at the hotel, in a huge room overlooking the ocean. From my observations that morning, and later that day, it was very evident that the small beach town outside the city center had tremendous amounts of German influence. It was almost like I went to Germany, without really going to Germany! Anyway, the first day, we walked around a little, but mostly relaxed by the pool, walked on the beach, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.
On Wednesday, we took a trip to the Palma aquarium, got our picture taken with a toucan, and saw a massive amount of aquatic life. Afterwards, we continued into the city center, viewing the cathedral, the main port of the island, and ending our day hiking up to a giant castle on the top of a mountain. Just kidding, we took a taxi...there was no way I was walking. The views over the city and the bay were incredible. Upon arriving back down in the city, we grabbed some coffee, did a little shopping, ate dinner at a little pizza place, and headed back to the hotel for the night.
The next day, I was so excited because we were leaving for Barcelona that afternoon! We laid on the beach for a little while before we left, and by 4:00, we were boarding the plane! I knew that I was going to love Barcelona, but I had no idea just how much. From the minute we entered the city, I was already gazing out at everything. It is probably one of my new favorite places; it’s like a fairytale! We checked in at our hotel on Princesa Street that night and enjoyed a delicious dinner. We went to this trendy little restaurant near the hotel in the Gothic district called El Foro. The cheesecake was heavenly (probably my all time favorite), and that goes for most of the food in Barcelona, in general! Each morning we went to a small coffee shop across from the hotel because the muffins/pastries/chocolates were to die for!
After breakfast on Friday morning, my family and I decided to do a bus tour of Barcelona which was honestly the best decision we could have made because we were able to see so much of the city in such little time. We bought the two day pass and saw many of the incredible landmarks and attractions that Barcelona has to offer. We rode on all three different bus routes on Friday, which allowed us to see so much of the city. We also saw the Royal Palace, the Cathedral, the castle on top of Tibidabo, the site of the past summer Olympic games, the Barcelona soccer stadium, the beautiful beaches and the harbor, among many other fascinating sights. The Sagrada Familia (church of the “sacred family”) was beyond beautiful, even with all of the scaffolding around it while they were making repairs. I loved seeing all of Gaudí’s architecture around the city, too; his work is so unique! One of my favorite things that we did while in Barcelona was definitely the Magic Fountain show. We went on Saturday night and watched the first two shows at 7 and 7:30, both of which I loved. The first was Disney themed songs and the second was some of the most renowned classical pieces, many of which I’ve danced to throughout the years in past ballet recitals, like the Dance of the Sugarplum from the Nutcracker for example! The fountain show was so much fun; I didn’t want to leave! Unfortunately since it was Saturday night, the next morning meant that it was time for my mom and sister to go back to the U.S. and for me to go back to Sevilla. We had accomplished so much that weekend and even had time to fit a trip in to the Primark in Barcelona! I was happy to be able to introduce my mom and sister to my new obsession. It’s the best store to buy nice quality clothes, home goods, etc. for such good prices!
The attractions, the cuisine, the shopping, and most importantly being with my mom and sister, all played a factor in making our trip to Barcelona one of my favorite weekends of the entire semester. The only thing that would have made spring break better is if my dad could have come, too. However, with spring being his busy season in his landscaping/excavating businesses, it was nearly impossible for him to take that much time off work. I’m already counting down the days until I get to see him again in a few weeks! Anyway, my Semana Santa was incredible, and I wouldn’t have changed a thing about it. My family helped to make my spring break one unforgettable experience!
Monday, April 8, 2013
A Rather "Dirty" Mistake
One mistake that I’ve made in my new culture was nothing incredibly life changing or anything that taught me a grandiose lesson... To start, the one thing that I have noticed over the last few months is that personal hygiene isn't always recognized, and as a result, I’ve learned to always carry tissues, hand sanitizer, etc. with me at all times. Far too many times, at various restaurants, bars, and clubs, I’ve been underprepared, and for someone like me, this was not OK. I hate going into bathrooms lacking a single shred of toilet paper or going to wash my hands without soap or individual towels. Additionally, I’ve noticed that many establishments don’t even have an “Employees Must Wash Hands” sign and hot water is rare to find. This is one of the many reasons in which Spain is so different from the U.S. because having a full stock of bathroom "utilities" is MUCH more common back home. Even though this example is something minuscule that has low significance in comparison to other “life lessons”, my under-preparation at the beginning of the semester was definitely a mistake that I’ve learned the hard way in my new culture, and you better believe I never leave the house anymore without toilet paper or tissues in my purse, ever.
*I think that it is appropriate to add that directly after I typed this post, I went to use the bathroom in the library here at my school and actually got stuck in the stall for 20 minutes... The door handle on the inside of the bathroom was in fact broken (go figure), and I had to wait until some gracious Spanish woman came in to save me, as hell would have frozen over before I would have crawled on the floor to get out... perfect example to go along with my other frightening bathroom experiences. I can't make this stuff up...
*I think that it is appropriate to add that directly after I typed this post, I went to use the bathroom in the library here at my school and actually got stuck in the stall for 20 minutes... The door handle on the inside of the bathroom was in fact broken (go figure), and I had to wait until some gracious Spanish woman came in to save me, as hell would have frozen over before I would have crawled on the floor to get out... perfect example to go along with my other frightening bathroom experiences. I can't make this stuff up...
Dublin, Ireland: St. Paddy's Day Weekend!
First of all, I am so sorry that I haven’t had time to update you all in awhile; I guess I’ve just been having too much fun! However, to fill you in from where I left off, three weekends ago, Katie and I embarked on one of our most highly anticipated trips of the whole semester... to Dublin, Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day!
7am came really quick, and Katie and I were struggling to get ready. However, we put on our green (for the 3rd day in a row) and headed out to meet the bus. We actually made it to the bus 10 minutes EARLY... unbelievable for this pair, but we were very proud of ourselves. We boarded the bus and headed out on the 2.5 journey into Kilkenny. I slept almost the entire way which I didn’t feel too bad about because it was so foggy that morning that you couldn’t really see the countryside anyway. Our first stop was to the caves where the worst viking massacre in history took place. We ventured down into the cool and eerie caves and had a look around for ourselves. Our guide explained to us that over thousands ago, what is now the entrance to the caves, gave in and it became a hiding spot for many women and children. However, many of them were suffocated when the vikings entered with their flame torches and pitch forks. Our guide even turned the lights out at one point to show just how dark it really was; I could never imagine staying in that pitch black cave more than a few minutes, let alone months like some of the vikings. After we hiked up out of the caves, we went into the town of Kilkenny and wandered the city for part of the afternoon. We took pictures of the castle, saw the Colorado State Marching Band perform, and enjoyed a delicious lunch featuring a hearty cut sirloin steak, potatoes, and no surprise here, a Guinness. We boarded the bus soon after lunch and headed into the Wicklow Mountains. Katie and I got to see the “Hollywood” of Ireland and a national forest, yet what I was most excited for was seeing parts of the Irish scenery that was featured in the movie P.S. I Love You. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if Gerard Butler would have been there too. :) Our last stop was in the valley of Glendalough. We were able to wander through the ancient graveyards to view the medieval St. Kevin’s Round Tower and other antiquated churches and statues. Katie and I took our picture with one statue of a cross with a specific tale attached to it. Legend has it that if you hug the cross, within a year and a day you’ll find your true love and be married. (There’s not a doubt in my mind that I’ll be proving this legend wrong next year on March 17th ha!) Afterwards, we wandered deeper into the national forest, hiking trails, snapping great photos, and enjoying the nature. It turned out that we were enjoying ourselves a little too much because we wandered so far on the trails that when we looked at our watch, we realized it was almost 4:50, and we had to meet our bus by 5:00 at the entrance; needless to say, Katie and I got our workout that day. We sprinted as fast as we could back through the trails and made it to the bus by 5:03, a true record. Luckily, there was still a few more people coming behind us, so we were just happy that we weren’t the absolute last ones!
We had a midterm on Thursday morning and a paper due, which I had been up half the night studying for, so I was very tired by the time our test was over. Running on little energy and two hours of sleep, Katie and I took the metro right from school to catch the next train to Madrid. We got to the train station with no problems, and we were able to get on the 12:45 train. I love taking the train so much more than flying because it's nice to see the country, aside from the city life all the time. By 3:15, we arrived in Madrid, leaving us plenty of time to catch our 6:00 flight to Dublin. We hopped in a taxi to the airport, and before we knew it, we were boarding the plane. Once we got to Dublin about two and a half hours later, we stepped off the plane, and it quickly sank in that we weren't in southern Europe anymore. It was much colder in Ireland, but we were still so happy to be there. We were greeted in the airport with colorful green, orange, and white balloons (Ireland's flag's colors) and all sorts of St. Patrick's Day decorations. We loved it already! Katie and I easily found the bus stop and bought our tickets to the city center. Just 15-20 minutes later, we hopped off the bus and were standing right in the middle of all the action - we had finally made it to Dublin!
We were staying in a hotel right near O'Connell Bridge, which meant that we were basically right in the heart of the city and within walking distance to almost everything! The only problem was that we weren't sure which direction to head to get to the river, so I ended up asking these two guys standing outside a pub... big mistake. Our first encounter with the Irish happened to be two obliterated drunks that instead of helping us just offered to come with us; luckily, another young guy was standing nearby and came over to point us in the right direction and save us from the drunks (thankfully!) We ended up walking a lot further than we had to to find our hotel because we ended up walking right past it to begin with, duh! When we finally found it and checked in, we were so exhausted after such a long day that we decided we wanted to get something quickly to eat and hit the hay. We went back out in the city, and because it was late, we ended up getting Papa John's, took a few snapshots of the city all lit up in green, and called it a night.
The next morning, we woke up rejuvenated and ready to see the city. The weather forecast had originally called for sunshine all weekend, so we left our umbrellas in Sevilla... well, you guessed it, the first thing we bought in Ireland? Umbrellas. You really can never trust the weather. We grabbed some breakfast awhile and walked around the city a little more to see everything in the daylight. Katie and I met the Sandeman's New Dublin walking tour at the City Hall around 1:00 and took a three hour walking tour of the city. Our native Irish guide was fantastic, and she was very knowledgable about the city and the history of Ireland in general. We walked around downtown Dublin for about three hours and saw some of the most popular tourist attractions in the city. We saw Trinity College where scenes of Harry Potter was filmed, the location of ancient viking homes, beautiful cathedrals, Temple Bar where U2 first played before they made it big, and many other very cool sites. One of the most important things that our guide taught us was the Irish word “Slainte” which means “Cheers” (very important to know for a weekend in Dublin). After our tour, Katie and I headed for the Guinness Storehouse. We really took the scenic route to get there because I accidentally led us in the wrong direction, but it all worked out because we walked the length of the river and enjoyed the beautiful afternoon. Each bridge was a little different, and they made for a lot of great pictures! Even though it was a long walk to the storehouse and our feet were killing us, we knew that a couple cold beers were in our near future.
Three hours later, we arrived to the Guinness Storehouse (no I’m just kidding, I didn’t get us that lost.) Anyway, we waited in line to enter and finally bought our tickets. We toured the five different stories of the building; the bottom floors walked you through the process of exactly how Guinness is made, and the upper floors allowed you to sample the beer and even pour your own pint! It was very cool to see what goes into the long process of making Guinness, and it was even more fun to put my own bar-tending skills to the test! Eventually we went up to the gravity bar that was the highest layer of the building that consisted of a room with glass windows all around allowing you to look out over the city of Dublin. We enjoyed seeing the nightlife, but it was getting pretty late at that point and we were starving. Katie and I headed back to the hotel and found a nearby pub that we got dinner at. Afterwards we found a store called Carroll’s that supplied all of our St. Patrick’s Day needs. We bought t-shirts, Guinness paraphernalia, and other souvenirs. Afterwards, we walked around the city a bit more to take pictures of the many buildings that were all lit up green for St. Patrick’s Day. We loved seeing the city at night, but after about an hour, we were about ready to call it a night. I forgot to mention that earlier that day, Katie and I had gone to a tourist office and bought bus tour tickets into the countryside for the following day, and since our bus was leaving at 8:00am sharp the next morning, we didn’t want to take any chances of missing it. Plus, by 10:00 that night we were really cold and totally beat after being out for literally all day, so we stopped at the McDonald’s to get shamrock shakes on the way back (don’t judge me, it was St. Paddy’s Day, I had too!) Katie and I ended the evening watching P.S. I Love You, because the next day, one of our many stops during our tour was to see places in the countryside where it was filmed. :)
Arriving back in Dublin around 6:00, we didn’t have long to grab dinner and get ready for the night. Totally living up to the typical American status, we stopped at a Quizno’s quickly and headed back to the hotel. We had to get ready quickly and meet our pub crawl that was leaving from the Workman’s Pub by 8:30. Gearing up in our new St. Paddy’s attire with our shamrock tattoos, beads, and hair clips, complemented by our green St. Paddy’s shirts, we were ready to go. We met up with some friends from Florence at the first pub and enjoyed a great night out on the town. I won’t get into too many details, aside from the fact that it was probably the best St. Patrick’s Day ever. We had so much fun on the pub crawl, an at the end of the night, we even made a trip to Papa John’s.
We got to sleep in a little bit longer the next morning which was nice because we were trying to prolong our time in Ireland as much as possible. Since it was St. Patrick’s Day, there was a large parade at 10:30, but unfortunately we had to catch a bus to the airport before it started. It was raining that day, so that made leaving a littler bit easier, but I could have stayed in Ireland for awhile longer, and I already can’t wait to revisit Ireland again someday.
Two fun facts that I learned this weekend:
- A shamrock is actually an ancient religious symbol, whose three leaves represent the trilogy: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.
- If you say, St. “Patty’s” Day, you’re actually referencing a form of meat, in patty-like form. The correct term is St. “Paddy’s” Day, because Paddy is the correct nickname for Patrick, just F.Y.I. :)
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