I just finished reading the 4th Harry Potter book...literally just finished it like 10 minutes ago. I lost all self control...like I lost it last week with the Nutella, I lost it today with Harry. But don't think I'm just a ridiculous American kid reading Harry Potter when I should be immersing myself in Spanish culture...I was reading it in Spanish! So I've now read the first 4 of 7 Harry Potter books in Spanish. And I have every intention of going to the bookstore down the street tomorrow or Tuesday to buy the next. How can I be expected to take planes to and trains through Italy for 11 days without Harry? I certainly can't just study for the finals that will be awaiting me 2 days after I return!
This weekend was the first weekend that I stayed in Sevilla...well since the beginning of the program. It was a much needed break from travelling, and really turned out to be a fun and relaxing weekend. When I woke up on Thursday, I made the mistake of checking my facebook. Why was that a mistake? Because EVERYONE is posting something on facebook about going home for Thanksgiving, spending Thanksgiving with family, or cooking something delicious for Thanksgiving. And no one cares about Thanksgiving in Spain. So I was a bit sad at first. But then I met Maddie for a run down the Guadalquivir (the river in Sevilla), and it was absolutely BEAUTIFUL outside...70 degrees and sunny...and I was so happy and thankful to be in Sevilla! I returned home to make OREO BALLS with Meital! For those of you who are not familiar with oreo balls (aka bombas en espanol), they are little balls of HEAVEN: crushed oreos mixed with cream cheese (queso filadelfia), covered with white chocolate, and put in the fridge. So simple, so good. So Meital and I brought my laptop into the kitchen, turned some music on, and went to town making them. We had so much fun making them while talking to our host sister Pechi, and they were SO GOOD. Pechi and her Irish boyfriend had life changing experiences when eating my oreo balls.
After that, Meital and I headed over to Nervion, a neighborhood in Sevilla, to eat a Thanksgiving feast with some members of the program! It was delicious! Everyone contributed something (oreo balls for us), and we really succeeded in having a good American-ish Thanksgiving meal, with turkey, gravey, cranberry (it was really just jelly), green bean casserole, pumpkin bread, stuffing, apple crisp, oreo balls, and brownies. There are probably more things that I've just forgotten, but we had a ton of food. We also had sangria, so it wasn't completely American. :)
And later that night, Meital, Maddie, and I went out flamenco dancing with our flamenco teacher Carmen! It was so fun! She took us to a small flamenco bar that had one flamenco guitarist and 2 women singing. Trying it in the typical Spanish setting of this tiny flamenco bar was really cool. They enjoyed having 3 Americans in there trying to dance, but it definitely wasn't the norm. So we succeeded in finding a really typical un-touristy flamenco spot!
When we arrived, they shifted into a small room lined with benches and seats, and started playing various "Sevillanas" songs and an occasional Rumba. Sevillanas is the type of flamenco done in Sevilla, and literally everyone has some understanding of how it goes. There are 4 different dances that you learn, but then you can basically go with your own flow after that. That is, you can go with your own flow if you're a native Sevillana who has that strange rhythm in her blood. So I pretty much stick to the rules. Also, the room was so small! In class, we basically have as much room as we want to dance, but that was not the case in this tiny room. So running into people occasionally was just part of it. It added a challenge to my already-nervous-about-dancing-Sevillanas-in-front-of-so-many-spaniards-self. It was still fun though! I definitely wasn't very good (although the Spanish man 15 years my senior who kept dancing with me insisted that I was). One other thing to add about that night, is that in Spain, age difference really doesn't matter. It is not weird for a 20 year old girl (or 3) to spend their night out dancing away with men 10-20 years older than they are. And it's also not completely inappropriate for those men to hit on the young girls. They didn't mean to be creepy, but hey, things like that just aren't really okay in the good ole Estados Unidos.
In any case, like a typical Spaniard, I returned home at 5 am and slept til my host dad knocked on my door for lunch time (2:30) the next day. And that was how my un-American Thanksgiving happened: oreo balls, big meal, and flamenco dancing.
On Saturday, I had un dia muy tranquilo. Somehow the word tranquilo just seems to express it better than any English word! (Oh the dilemmas of a study abroad student trying to learn a new language...). I went for another morning run with Spencer, then did some touristy things that I hadn't yet done in Sevilla. I went with Stef, Courtney, and Megan to La Casa de los Pilatos and Las Setas. La Casa de los Pilatos is the palace of the famous, old, ugly, and recently-married Duchess. Her house is beautiful though, and although the audio guide would NOT shut up, it was still cool to see it. Afterwards, we went to Las Setas, a recently opened structure that fills up La Plaza de la Encarnacion and basically looks like a big waffle-like thing. You can ride up in an elevator to the top and see some beautiful views of Sevilla. I believe one will be appearing in the Lanners family Christmas card...me with la Catedral in the background. After walking around on the top for a while, I went down to the bottom and checked out the roman ruins. Apparently when they went to build Las Setas, they found a little roman ruin village down there, so they managed to make it a cool display. I've heard that roman ruins are another reason (along with la crisis) that it's taking so long to build the next subway line. Ohhhh, the construction problems Europeans have!
On the way home from Las Setas, I decided to not bike, but to stroll through Sevilla, and it was so nice! I wandered in an out of stores, meandering through the streets, and I really enjoyed it. I found a store right next to the cathedral that sells really cool old posters too. The store has a bunch of original posters from bullfights and the Feria (a HUGE festival/fair of Spanish culture that Sevilla is famous for) from years ago. Those are expensive, but I bought a cool copy of a feria poster from sometime in the 1920s, I think. It'll be a nice addition to my dorm room or room at home!
And today has been another dia tranquilo! I went for a run, got some work done, read far too much of Harry Potter, and wrote this entry! All in all, a really nice, fun way to spend my last weekend in Sevilla. Why is it my last weekend in Sevilla? Because I'm headed out on Thursday for my 11 day trip through Italy with Meital, Joan, and Mori! Very excited, but a bit sad to be leaving Sevilla for so long with such little time left here. I'm definitely going to be excited to get home, see friends, family, etc., and to head back to my Davidson life. But I'm gonna miss it here in Sevilla! Alot!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Confessions of a Nutellaholic
Nutella is possibly one of God's greatest gifts to humankind. And it is NOT appreciated enough in the U.S. of A. Really, the deliciousness of the hazelnut (avellano) with the chocolate is life-changing. And when I arrived in Spain, I immediately knew things were gonna be great when my host mom informed us that a jar of Mister Choc (off-brand, but still delish) would be available to us 24/7. I also knew I'd be fighting with an addiction. After a few weeks of struggling, I finally got to the point that I wasn't having it all the time...really for the most part, I don't even crave it any more.
But then I went to Milan. And thinks got out of hand. Nutella seems to be appreciated even more in Milan, if that's possible. On Friday morning, Kate, Meital, Livy, and I woke up and headed to il Duomo, but we had to first stop for breakfast. Our hostel was lame (and cold) and didn't have any. So we found a little place with pastries and bread. They had freshly baked croissants filled with nutella. This is not a joke. It was absolutely 100% as delicious as it sounds. And that's when I realized that Sevilla has a very limited supply of real pastries. They just aren't always fresh---always good, but never life changing. And this was.
The gelato places in Milan also almost always had a nutella flavor. One particular gelato shop really rocked my world. You go in, pay 2.50 euros, and are given a number. When it's your turn, you're asked to choose between dark, milk, or white chocolate. They literally have 3 different fountains of those flavors and stick a cone under the fountain, filling the bottom of the cone with (in my case) white chocolate. You then choose 2 flavors of gelato...and the chocolate flavor choices are incredible. I chose java, a rich chocolate--darker than milk, but not too dark--and some nutella something or another. The man helping me scooped out some vanilla gelato, then went over and dipped a spoon into the nutella jar. He proceeded to twirl nutella around the top of my gelato cone, leaving me with a cone filled with white chocolate, topped with one scoop of chocolate ice cream and one scoop of vanilla covered in nutella. Jay T. Lanners Jr. would have been in the same heaven I was in.
So needless to say, I ate well during my weekend in Milan. Pizza (bufalo being my favorite), pasta, foccacia, and nutella all over the place! And the touring wasn't too bad either!
Kate had a friend from Northwestern who showed us around the entire city. She was an awesome guide for us. We went to the Duomo, Milan's incredible cathedral, the castle, the park, the old theater museum (the theater where Alessandra Ferri was trained and danced for a decent number of years), and ate a ton. Meital and I also went to the little church that has Leonardo da Vinci's last supper. It was sooo frustrating to get those tickets. You have to get them months in advance, and despite help from mis padres, I thought I'd lost my chance. After a few calls to Italy, though, I made it happen! So Meital and I were able to go see the masterpiece! It was really cool to see it, and I'm definitely glad I did. It really is disintegrating though, which was intriguing. Apparently he used a new technique that allowed him to take his time painting it directly onto the plaster instead of having to hurry and do it before the plaster dried. That also meant that by 1517 (only a few years after da Vinci completed it), it was already starting to peel off the wall. In any case, lots of restoration attempts left the original painting covered by other layers of paint, so a 1999 restoration got rid of all of those layers, leaving you with da Vinci's work. In any case, it was cool, very cool.
So now I'm back in Sevilla and I'm here for a while! I officially have one weekend without travelling! So I will send my Thanksgiving love to the United States directly from Sevilla. And instead of running around in some other place, I'll run around here, right a paper or 2, and try to solve Davidson housing dilemmas (ohhhh, to be a homeless junior returning from abroad).
And my next trip? Well, my last trip will be an 11 day tour through the rest of Italy: Venice, Bologna, Florence, and Rome, with Meital, Joan, and Mori. Then finals, and then.........America.
But then I went to Milan. And thinks got out of hand. Nutella seems to be appreciated even more in Milan, if that's possible. On Friday morning, Kate, Meital, Livy, and I woke up and headed to il Duomo, but we had to first stop for breakfast. Our hostel was lame (and cold) and didn't have any. So we found a little place with pastries and bread. They had freshly baked croissants filled with nutella. This is not a joke. It was absolutely 100% as delicious as it sounds. And that's when I realized that Sevilla has a very limited supply of real pastries. They just aren't always fresh---always good, but never life changing. And this was.
The gelato places in Milan also almost always had a nutella flavor. One particular gelato shop really rocked my world. You go in, pay 2.50 euros, and are given a number. When it's your turn, you're asked to choose between dark, milk, or white chocolate. They literally have 3 different fountains of those flavors and stick a cone under the fountain, filling the bottom of the cone with (in my case) white chocolate. You then choose 2 flavors of gelato...and the chocolate flavor choices are incredible. I chose java, a rich chocolate--darker than milk, but not too dark--and some nutella something or another. The man helping me scooped out some vanilla gelato, then went over and dipped a spoon into the nutella jar. He proceeded to twirl nutella around the top of my gelato cone, leaving me with a cone filled with white chocolate, topped with one scoop of chocolate ice cream and one scoop of vanilla covered in nutella. Jay T. Lanners Jr. would have been in the same heaven I was in.
So needless to say, I ate well during my weekend in Milan. Pizza (bufalo being my favorite), pasta, foccacia, and nutella all over the place! And the touring wasn't too bad either!
Kate had a friend from Northwestern who showed us around the entire city. She was an awesome guide for us. We went to the Duomo, Milan's incredible cathedral, the castle, the park, the old theater museum (the theater where Alessandra Ferri was trained and danced for a decent number of years), and ate a ton. Meital and I also went to the little church that has Leonardo da Vinci's last supper. It was sooo frustrating to get those tickets. You have to get them months in advance, and despite help from mis padres, I thought I'd lost my chance. After a few calls to Italy, though, I made it happen! So Meital and I were able to go see the masterpiece! It was really cool to see it, and I'm definitely glad I did. It really is disintegrating though, which was intriguing. Apparently he used a new technique that allowed him to take his time painting it directly onto the plaster instead of having to hurry and do it before the plaster dried. That also meant that by 1517 (only a few years after da Vinci completed it), it was already starting to peel off the wall. In any case, lots of restoration attempts left the original painting covered by other layers of paint, so a 1999 restoration got rid of all of those layers, leaving you with da Vinci's work. In any case, it was cool, very cool.
So now I'm back in Sevilla and I'm here for a while! I officially have one weekend without travelling! So I will send my Thanksgiving love to the United States directly from Sevilla. And instead of running around in some other place, I'll run around here, right a paper or 2, and try to solve Davidson housing dilemmas (ohhhh, to be a homeless junior returning from abroad).
And my next trip? Well, my last trip will be an 11 day tour through the rest of Italy: Venice, Bologna, Florence, and Rome, with Meital, Joan, and Mori. Then finals, and then.........America.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Poisoned by Spanish Food...and some Davidson love on the side
So last weekend, my group took a trip to Granada. 2 Important things came of that trip:
1. I was able to eat lunch with the lovely Corinne Hester! It was the first time I had seen anyone from my "past life." Seriously, I'd gone 2 months without seeing a single soul from my pre-Sevilla life. So needless to say, when I rounded the corner of my hotel, distracted by trying to get to my phone so I could call Corinne, and looked up...I was SO HAPPY! There she was! It was a fantastic moment, a fantastic lunch (did you know that when you order a drink in Granada, you get a free tapa? Why hasn't this passed on to other parts of Spain??), and just great to see Corinne!!
2. FOOD POISONING. Seriously, one of the worst evenings of my Spanish existence. On Monday, I had just changed clothes to go run to a contemporary dance class, when Meital (my roommate) convinced me that I was tired, felt a bit weird, and would be okay if I skipped a day of exercise. After a quick nap, BAM. FOOD POISONING. I'd never had it before, but I certainly wouldn't recommend it. I shortly learned that at least 5 people in my group were also sick, and by the next day, almost half of the 20 person group was either sick or feeling so close to sick that they spent all day in bed. My host family took care of me, bringing me aquarius (kinda like gatorade, with some electrolytes and such) and manzanilla (chamomile tea). But I literally spent all day in bed on Tuesday, drinking aquarius and manzanilla, barely eating, sleeping, and studying for my midterm the next day. By Wednesday, I had enough strength to go to class, but honestly didn't feel completely recuperated until yesterday! A whole week of feeling a bit weak. Not fun, but I'm okay now!
Granada also involved the Catedral, Capilla Real (where los reyes catolicos are buried!), and Alhambra...all of which were very cool, very old, and super-llena de historia.
So on Wednesday, in addition to being kinda weak and going to 8 hours of class, I also flew to Barcelona!! I spent Thursday morning with Joan and her friend from high school touring the Sagrada Familia and Park Guell. The Sagrada Familia was awesome! I thought I would find it weird...and it was weird...but I also thought it was beautiful. On Thursday afternoon, I was headed to the elevator of my hostel to spend some quality time reading Harry Potter 3 (in Spanish) while waiting for Rachel Kilman to arrive when BAM. The elevator opened, and there was Rach!!! Exciting Davidson reunion #2.
So then Rachel and I spent the rest of the weekend bonding, avoiding our weird hostel roommates-and their French friends- (first a Swiss woman, then some other American students), and checking out Barcelona! Gaudi's stuff is all over the place: we were a block from Casa Battlo, another few blocks from Casa Mila, Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, etc, = Gaudi everywhere! We also went on a free tour of the Gothic Quarter (where our rude hostel mates did not tip our unpaid guide), so that was cool to check out.
On Friday evening, Rachel and I were strolling through the main shopping area when we ran into another Davidson person, totally by coincidence! Her friends from Davidson had been planning on meeting her, but flight problems, etc, had left her alone to explore Barcelona. So on Saturday, we met Mary Kemp for a really cool and tasty dinner at a nice little restaurant. So much Davidson love!!
By Sunday at noon, I was back in my little home in Sevilla, back on my perch on my bed, and dreaming of a siesta...
But by Sunday afternoon, I had had my FIRST FOUNTAIN DRINK IN 2 MONTHS!! Liz and I met at the McDonald's near our program's office to work on a partner paper (on printing and engraving, ooh la la), and I gave in and did the American thing: got a fountain drink. So good. They just (sadly) don't do fountain drinks in most parts of the world, but I thoroughly enjoyed mine.
The fountain drink and the fact that I have only about a month left in Sevilla have made me think about the things I'll really want as soon as I get home. And I've concluded that I'll probably want my dad to make me a big American cheeseburger before I can eat out at any sort of restaurant. I mean, I really don't crave American foods much here, surprisingly. Only if I really think of it or have some sort of taste-bud reminder. Like today, for instance, when Alexa brought me one of the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that she and Livvy made this weekend. Ohhh the good tastes of America......
1. I was able to eat lunch with the lovely Corinne Hester! It was the first time I had seen anyone from my "past life." Seriously, I'd gone 2 months without seeing a single soul from my pre-Sevilla life. So needless to say, when I rounded the corner of my hotel, distracted by trying to get to my phone so I could call Corinne, and looked up...I was SO HAPPY! There she was! It was a fantastic moment, a fantastic lunch (did you know that when you order a drink in Granada, you get a free tapa? Why hasn't this passed on to other parts of Spain??), and just great to see Corinne!!
2. FOOD POISONING. Seriously, one of the worst evenings of my Spanish existence. On Monday, I had just changed clothes to go run to a contemporary dance class, when Meital (my roommate) convinced me that I was tired, felt a bit weird, and would be okay if I skipped a day of exercise. After a quick nap, BAM. FOOD POISONING. I'd never had it before, but I certainly wouldn't recommend it. I shortly learned that at least 5 people in my group were also sick, and by the next day, almost half of the 20 person group was either sick or feeling so close to sick that they spent all day in bed. My host family took care of me, bringing me aquarius (kinda like gatorade, with some electrolytes and such) and manzanilla (chamomile tea). But I literally spent all day in bed on Tuesday, drinking aquarius and manzanilla, barely eating, sleeping, and studying for my midterm the next day. By Wednesday, I had enough strength to go to class, but honestly didn't feel completely recuperated until yesterday! A whole week of feeling a bit weak. Not fun, but I'm okay now!
Granada also involved the Catedral, Capilla Real (where los reyes catolicos are buried!), and Alhambra...all of which were very cool, very old, and super-llena de historia.
So on Wednesday, in addition to being kinda weak and going to 8 hours of class, I also flew to Barcelona!! I spent Thursday morning with Joan and her friend from high school touring the Sagrada Familia and Park Guell. The Sagrada Familia was awesome! I thought I would find it weird...and it was weird...but I also thought it was beautiful. On Thursday afternoon, I was headed to the elevator of my hostel to spend some quality time reading Harry Potter 3 (in Spanish) while waiting for Rachel Kilman to arrive when BAM. The elevator opened, and there was Rach!!! Exciting Davidson reunion #2.
So then Rachel and I spent the rest of the weekend bonding, avoiding our weird hostel roommates-and their French friends- (first a Swiss woman, then some other American students), and checking out Barcelona! Gaudi's stuff is all over the place: we were a block from Casa Battlo, another few blocks from Casa Mila, Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, etc, = Gaudi everywhere! We also went on a free tour of the Gothic Quarter (where our rude hostel mates did not tip our unpaid guide), so that was cool to check out.
On Friday evening, Rachel and I were strolling through the main shopping area when we ran into another Davidson person, totally by coincidence! Her friends from Davidson had been planning on meeting her, but flight problems, etc, had left her alone to explore Barcelona. So on Saturday, we met Mary Kemp for a really cool and tasty dinner at a nice little restaurant. So much Davidson love!!
By Sunday at noon, I was back in my little home in Sevilla, back on my perch on my bed, and dreaming of a siesta...
But by Sunday afternoon, I had had my FIRST FOUNTAIN DRINK IN 2 MONTHS!! Liz and I met at the McDonald's near our program's office to work on a partner paper (on printing and engraving, ooh la la), and I gave in and did the American thing: got a fountain drink. So good. They just (sadly) don't do fountain drinks in most parts of the world, but I thoroughly enjoyed mine.
The fountain drink and the fact that I have only about a month left in Sevilla have made me think about the things I'll really want as soon as I get home. And I've concluded that I'll probably want my dad to make me a big American cheeseburger before I can eat out at any sort of restaurant. I mean, I really don't crave American foods much here, surprisingly. Only if I really think of it or have some sort of taste-bud reminder. Like today, for instance, when Alexa brought me one of the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that she and Livvy made this weekend. Ohhh the good tastes of America......
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Ladies of Ambiguous Nationality
After spending time in Spain, Portugal, and Turkey, it has come to my attention that I am the proud owner of ambiguous nationality. And Joan is as well. In Spain, it's normal for people to assume I'm Spanish (I've even been told my introductory phrases sound legitimately Spanish...the basic, hi, i'm sarah, where are you from?, y cosas asi). In Portugal, that didn't change. Joan and I were believably Portuguese. In Istanbul, yet again, that didn't change. We were Turkish. Well, Joan more than I. Apparently she not only looks possibly Turkish, but legitimately Turkish. And I'm believably Turkish. So when you're a Turkish man, trying to get the attention of 2 tourists in the Grand Bazaar, what language do you use? We occasionally got English, but we also got Turkish, Spanish, Italian, and French thrown at us.
There's something about being a very dark-haired American that makes touring easier...I honestly believe it. If you're a tall blonde walking around Turkey, no one will ever think you're Turkish and you will probably always stand out. But we could blend, and it makes things fun! It's also fun to make it into a game: Go up to a stall in some bazaar and look at something they're trying to sell. Don't say a word. Watch the vendor struggle with deciding which language to throw at you when they desperately want to convince you to buy that necklace you're looking at. And then see what they finally choose. Great fun!!!
So as you've gathered, I just spent 5 days in Istanbul! It was really cool! The city is huge (Sevilla=faux city, Lisbon=clean city with history, Istanbul=legitimate huge occasionally dirty city with lots of history), but I felt safe the whole time. We stayed in Sultanhamet, the area of the city with all of the historical sites:
a.) Blue Mosque: We went twice. The first time, it was PACKED. There was a sign saying that women should cover their heads (we were prepared with scarfs) and wear skirts below knee length (not sure if I own a skirt of that length), and that everyone should take their shoes off. The only thing enforced was the shoes...tons of women were wearing pants and no one (except Muslim tourists) covered her head. So Joan and I went with the flow. It's beautiful on the inside...tons of teeny blue intricate tile designs. There's a section for visitors and a section for worshippers coming to pray. I personally found that it put the pray-ers on display for the foreigners, but I can't assume that they felt that way. The second time we went was a completely different vibe. It had very few visitors (apparently the cruise ship folks come in the morning), and most of the women there covered their heads. Joan and I followed suit. We also were able to just sit on the floor and soak in how beautiful everything was. Superguay.
b.) Hagia (Aya) Sophia: It was built in like the 4th century as a church, eventually converted into a mosque, and now is a museum. Also superguay (english: super cool). Huge, awesome decorations, beautiful, the whole shebang. We did the whole audio-tour thing, which was relatively informative.
c.) Basilica Cistern: a huge underground room filled with columns built forever and ever ago (6th century during the Byzantine (Christian) Empire) for the purpose of storing water. When the city became Muslim, it wasn't used because Islamic societies use running water, not still. It's creepy down there, but has 2 random columns with giant Medusa-heads (one upside down and the other sideways).
d.) Topkapi Palace: big old palace that various sultans lived in a long long time ago. We decided to go for paying for a tour guide, but Istanbul has an interesting system. Random guides come up to you while you're waiting in line and try to convince you to pay them for a tour. At the Hagia Sophia, Joan and I were skeptical of this method, but realized that those are the only guides you can get; the various sites don't offer guides through the museum. It was interesting to have a guide, but I definitely took some of what the goofy man said with a grain of salt! Topkapi Palace is made up of lots of parts: 4 courtyards, the parliament building, a kitchen, the huge harem, etc. The guide spent a decent amount of time telling us that he could not fulfill our fantasies; the sultans did not have hundreds of concubines! But...well, they did have hundreds of women living and educated in the harem. The sultans mother would choose which (up to 4) he would marry, and which would actually be his concubines (in the normal sense of the word). The palace also has several rooms filled with various treasures...including the spoon-makers diamond, I believe the 4th largest in the world. There's another series of rooms with various religious relics, including (supposedly) Abraham's staff, Muhammad's footprint, locks from his beard, etc. There was no background given on the history of acquiring these relics, so I'm rather skeptical, but it is definitely interesting (for a religion major) that even though I might be skeptical, other people really believe that those relics are what they say they are, and really care about seeing them.
So these sites were all within 2 minutes of each other and within 5 minutes of our hostel! Great location, but also obviously a very touristy area. But you could easily escape the touristy area to do things like...EAT. Joan and I ate some of the best food ever. Turkish food is incredible, it really is.
One day, we went down by the water (the "Golden Horn") to get some fish, as our hostel recommended. Literally, there're a bunch of boats with bizarre designs rocking with the force of the waves. There are about 5 men on each boat cooking fresh fish like crazy. You walk up under a pavilion, ask for a sandwich (or put up 2 fingers to show that you'd like 2 since you don't speak Turkish), pay about $2, and they throw a piece of fish on good bread with some lettuce. If you can find a table (think baby-sized, with little stools around it), you sit down and put some lemon juice and salt on your awesome fresh-fish sandwich. Men are walking around selling drinks and fried dough with pistachios (the favorite nut of Turkey). We had both. When you walk across the bridge next to this awesomeness, you find tons of men fishing. Some have even set up little bridge fishing stores, with bait, hooks, etc. Then on the other side of the bridge, you have fresh fish for sale, more men cooking fish sandwiches (but with little grills on land, not on a boat), and some fish "restaurants" attached to the fish market. So good. Joan and I are happy that we both really like fish.
We also ate the world's best baklava. Baklava is EVERYWHERE in Turkey. And there're so many different types! One restaurant is known to have the best. People order like 4 pieces (minimum...for one person!) and sit there chowing down, while Joan and I managed 2 each. We decided we were dieting compared to these folks! We tried the famous Turkish coffee there, too. If you like REALLY strong coffee with NO cream, you might like Turkish coffee. But don't try asking for it with milk in most legitimately Turkish places...they will look at you sadly and explain that there is no coffee with milk. It's Turkish coffee.
Kebabs and Meatballs. So good. The Turks love their lamb, and I personally love the Turks for their love of lamb. And they use yogurt as a sauce for this lamb. And they love eggplant. All so delicious.
One day, Joan and I took the public ferry....to Asia. Istanbul is a city split by the Bosphorus, and on the west (where all the historical sites are), you're in Europe. On the eastern side, you've made it to Asia! We went to a restaurant we found on a blog called IstanbulEats. More delicious Turkish food involving lamb and yogurt, and more happiness!! I'm now 5 continents down and still counting. Although, I guess you can't really count an hour and a half in Asia and a day trip to Morocco when I studied in Cadiz last summer.
So now to analyze the religion in Istanbul! Allegedly, Turkey is like 99% Muslim. Only about 30% of the women cover their heads. It's illegal to wear a headscarf in public institutions in Turkey, but women absolutely wear them in the streets. It's interesting to see that most who do want to cover themselves do so well, without any full hijab. They'll wear a headscarf, wrapped up very neatly, and a long coat, that at least goes down to their knees, if not to their ankles. A wise woman named Riley Brigham once told me that Istanbul is so hot in the summer. "Hotter than Sevilla." I shudder to think of wearing a long coat (no matter how thin the material) in heat worse than Sevilla's. In any case, I didn't stand out as someone with free-flowing hair. There were plenty of women with head-scarves, but more without! So I really didn't feel uncomfortable, not even once. Plus, I'm believably Turkish :)
And a last thought, the Grand Bazaar and Spice/Egyptian Bazaar are awesome. And they know they're awesome and that they're appealing to tourists. Even still, it's fun to go and buy gifts for friends and family!!
So now I'm back in Sevilla, enjoying a week here (for the most part). Our group is staying one night in Granada, and I get to hang with mah girl CoCo Corinne Hester! It'll be my first Davidson contact in a long time! Then on Wednesday night, I head to Barcelona to spend the weekend with Rachel Kilman!! Yay Davidson all over the world!!!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
The Rain in Spain falls Mainly on the Plain
Well, it rained in Sevilla yesterday. For the first time. Literally, it rained the day we arrived and hadn't rained since, and it POURED yesterday. I got up for class and had to walk the 2 miles or so to the university with rain attacking me from all angles and wind making it difficult to hold onto my umbrella. When I arrived in class (with my hair going crazy and my keds, socks, and jeans soaked up to my knees, i might add), everyone looked rather raggamuffin like. It was actually funny. No one knows how to handle the rain! A good third of the class arrived late, and pretty much everyone was soaked. It was so weird. It does not rain here. But oh wait! It's supposed to rain again on Thursday. Is that a sign of winter actually arriving? And by winter, I mean that the high temps for the week are all in the low 70s. Anywho, I'll miss that rain by running of to Istanbul! I probably will have to walk through 2 miles of it with my super-cool backpack to get to the bus that goes to the airport, but I'll worry about that when the time comes!!
So, the past 2 weeks have been crazy, but great! And filled with Lanners love. Last 2 weeks ago on Tuesday, my friend Joan and I left Sevilla on a midnight bus to Lisboa (Lisbon), Portugal. That was an intriguing adventure, being that the bus was your typical greyhound style and the ride was about 7.5 hours long. The bus also arrived in the Sevilla bus station 45 minutes late (making some little American girls worry!). As soon as we crossed the border into Portugal (no customs, passport check, nada, because we're travelling within the European Union), the bus driver began to speak ONLY in Portuguese. It's a particularly crazy sounding language, and it sounds nothing like Spanish. In any case, we made it to Lisboa after a bad nights sleep on a bus, a metro ride through the early morning (still dark outside), and a bit of searching. We couldn't check in to our hostel at 7:30, but they did kindly let us have some of their homemade breakfast: a choice of scrambled eggs and toast or 2 crepes with nutella. No joke, best breakfasts ever. So after some nutella and crepes, Joan and I headed to see the old town of Lisboa, fondly known as Belem.
Belem is known for it's pastries. So after nutella crepes and a trolly ride to Belem, we ate the best pastry ever. It's filled with a creamy inside (almost like creme brulee, but not) and is fantastic. We then went to the monastery and church in Belem, which are both BEAUTIFUL. Very awesome. Joan and I both have a thing for touring churches and cathedrals. That's what happens when you put a Catholic and a religion major together! We then checked out the Discovery of the America's monument (pretty cool, and coincidentally shaped like a cross from one angle), and climbed a tower. For lunch, we found ourselves eating hamburgers and fries. Now before you think we were being typical Americans, I might add that we were NOT. This hamburger was made of pork and the fries were cooked in olive oil, all very Spanish (and Portuguese, apparently) takes on a very American meal. And we knew that. So you know you're a fake Spaniard when you start craving the Spanish version of an American food.
That night, Joan and I went to a very typical Portuguese restaurant with ZERO tourists. That means lots of delicious, fresh fish for very cheap. It also means no English or Spanish is spoken. But, we learned very quickly that if we speak in Spanish, the Portuguese completely understand us. The problem? We have no idea what they say back to us in Portuguese. It made for an interesting dynamic throughout Portugal, but we were able to communicate!
The next day, we headed to Evora, a small town with little bits of cool history on a small scale. There's some Roman ruins (pretty cool, but small scale), a pretty church (or 2 or 3), and a chapel lined completely with BONES. Yes, apparently Portuguese monks used to meditate in the bones chapel, which reminded them of their mortality.
On Friday, after a visit to the Cathedral of Lisbon, we moved out of our hostel and found MY PARENTS! Yay! Mom and Dad arrived in Lisbon on Friday. We had lunch, they took a nap, and Joan and I climbed up a mountain to see Lisbon's castle. The directions we were given to see the castle included, "Walk up the mountain. Just keep going, and you'll find your way there!" Which actually worked...with a few moments of doubt.
Saturday, the whole happy family (Joan included) went to Sintra, a town about 40 minutes from Lisbon that used to be a popular summer destination for the wealthy of Lisboa. For that reason, you've got an awesome castle, a palace, a palace on top of a mountain, and another palace from some random rich guy. It's definitely a cool town (almost more to do there than in Lisbon!) and we had a lovely day!
The next day, Joan and I headed home on another long bus, while Mom and Dad took in the sights of Lisbon. They flew into Sevilla on Monday, and I began a whirl-wind 3 days of classes, normal activities, writing a paper, and hanging with my 'rents in my current home: Sevilla. They got to come meet my host family and see the house, which was really funny. Pechi, my host-mom, doesn't speak a word of English, but insisted on serving wine and cheese to my parents. We had a lovely conversation that involved me translating everything for Pechi and my parents. It was really nice and really sweet.
By Wednesday evening, though, I was on a plane with my parents to Bilbao! Bilbao is in northern spain in el Pais Vasco, aka Basque country. the Basque Country has a really different vibe from Sevilla and southern Spain, and it was cool to see the difference. First thing I noticed: super-clear Spanish. The taxi driver and I chatted about it, and he through a little jab at Sevilla, saying that they talk like they have a mouth filled with marbles. (I found similar jabs from other people...like, "Oh, you study in Sevilla? Your Spanish must be REALLY good if you can understand them!") Bilbao also just has a different feeling. For one, it was cold, and for another it's more of an industrial city, but filled with cool modern art...and the Guggenheim museum. Apparently the Guggenheim really revitalized Bilbao, so modern art is prevalent in the city. The museum is really cool...it's an architectural wonder of a building. And the inside is cool, but filled with modern art....not really my favorite.
With recommendations from a family friend on things to do, we went in search of Pintxos in Bilbao. What are pintxos? Well, we had no idea. Mom was determined that they were some sort of apartment. I was determined she was wrong. :) They ended up being the Euskeran (Basque language) word for tapas! But it's a bit different. You walk into a bar that has about 15 plates lined up all along the bar. Each plate is filled with little pre-made tapas. You ask for your own plate, and just grab what you want, then pay later! They're all cold, but still pretty good. I think I prefer the tapas of Andalusia, but I definitely did enjoy them.
After Bilbao, we headed to San Sebastian, a beautiful beach town near Bilbao. We had a hotel (we think it actually might have been a hostel) in the middle of the Plaza de la Constitucion in the heart of the old town, which was a really great location. The hotel/hostel was TINY though. It was funny having the 3 of us try to maneuver around the beds and constantly running into things. San Sebastian really was beautiful though. Beautiful churches, beautiful beaches, a funicular, a castle, and even a Jesus statue on top of the castle! We also went to a cool museum on Basque history. There's definitely alot of Basque pride in Northern Spain, and we all noted that the museum seemed to scream, "BASQUE COUNTRY IS GREAT AND FILLED WITH CULTURE! DON'T DOUBT IT!"
In any case, it was interesting to learn about some of Basque history. I would've liked to have heard a bit more of modern political Basque history, but I think it's still a relatively fresh subject--ETA, the terrorist Basque political group still exists, and there are definitely still people wanting independence from the rest of Spain.
On a side note, the Basque language is crazy! The taxi driver in Bilbao told me that it doesn't come from Latin, so that's why it's so different from Spanish. Apparently it was around before the Romans showed up in Spain. And the Arabs never made it up to northern Spain, so you don't have the Arabic influence in the language either. Signs around the cities were always written in both Euskera and Spanish, but most people speak Spanish in the cities...more Euskera in the countryside.
So now I'm back home in Sevilla! And mom and dad are back home in GA. And I'm headed to Istanbul with Joan on Thursday! Sorry for the painfully long entry that might have gotten a bit to detailed. In any case, I'll try to post after each trip in the future, rather than combining 2.
So, the past 2 weeks have been crazy, but great! And filled with Lanners love. Last 2 weeks ago on Tuesday, my friend Joan and I left Sevilla on a midnight bus to Lisboa (Lisbon), Portugal. That was an intriguing adventure, being that the bus was your typical greyhound style and the ride was about 7.5 hours long. The bus also arrived in the Sevilla bus station 45 minutes late (making some little American girls worry!). As soon as we crossed the border into Portugal (no customs, passport check, nada, because we're travelling within the European Union), the bus driver began to speak ONLY in Portuguese. It's a particularly crazy sounding language, and it sounds nothing like Spanish. In any case, we made it to Lisboa after a bad nights sleep on a bus, a metro ride through the early morning (still dark outside), and a bit of searching. We couldn't check in to our hostel at 7:30, but they did kindly let us have some of their homemade breakfast: a choice of scrambled eggs and toast or 2 crepes with nutella. No joke, best breakfasts ever. So after some nutella and crepes, Joan and I headed to see the old town of Lisboa, fondly known as Belem.
Belem is known for it's pastries. So after nutella crepes and a trolly ride to Belem, we ate the best pastry ever. It's filled with a creamy inside (almost like creme brulee, but not) and is fantastic. We then went to the monastery and church in Belem, which are both BEAUTIFUL. Very awesome. Joan and I both have a thing for touring churches and cathedrals. That's what happens when you put a Catholic and a religion major together! We then checked out the Discovery of the America's monument (pretty cool, and coincidentally shaped like a cross from one angle), and climbed a tower. For lunch, we found ourselves eating hamburgers and fries. Now before you think we were being typical Americans, I might add that we were NOT. This hamburger was made of pork and the fries were cooked in olive oil, all very Spanish (and Portuguese, apparently) takes on a very American meal. And we knew that. So you know you're a fake Spaniard when you start craving the Spanish version of an American food.
That night, Joan and I went to a very typical Portuguese restaurant with ZERO tourists. That means lots of delicious, fresh fish for very cheap. It also means no English or Spanish is spoken. But, we learned very quickly that if we speak in Spanish, the Portuguese completely understand us. The problem? We have no idea what they say back to us in Portuguese. It made for an interesting dynamic throughout Portugal, but we were able to communicate!
The next day, we headed to Evora, a small town with little bits of cool history on a small scale. There's some Roman ruins (pretty cool, but small scale), a pretty church (or 2 or 3), and a chapel lined completely with BONES. Yes, apparently Portuguese monks used to meditate in the bones chapel, which reminded them of their mortality.
On Friday, after a visit to the Cathedral of Lisbon, we moved out of our hostel and found MY PARENTS! Yay! Mom and Dad arrived in Lisbon on Friday. We had lunch, they took a nap, and Joan and I climbed up a mountain to see Lisbon's castle. The directions we were given to see the castle included, "Walk up the mountain. Just keep going, and you'll find your way there!" Which actually worked...with a few moments of doubt.
Saturday, the whole happy family (Joan included) went to Sintra, a town about 40 minutes from Lisbon that used to be a popular summer destination for the wealthy of Lisboa. For that reason, you've got an awesome castle, a palace, a palace on top of a mountain, and another palace from some random rich guy. It's definitely a cool town (almost more to do there than in Lisbon!) and we had a lovely day!
The next day, Joan and I headed home on another long bus, while Mom and Dad took in the sights of Lisbon. They flew into Sevilla on Monday, and I began a whirl-wind 3 days of classes, normal activities, writing a paper, and hanging with my 'rents in my current home: Sevilla. They got to come meet my host family and see the house, which was really funny. Pechi, my host-mom, doesn't speak a word of English, but insisted on serving wine and cheese to my parents. We had a lovely conversation that involved me translating everything for Pechi and my parents. It was really nice and really sweet.
By Wednesday evening, though, I was on a plane with my parents to Bilbao! Bilbao is in northern spain in el Pais Vasco, aka Basque country. the Basque Country has a really different vibe from Sevilla and southern Spain, and it was cool to see the difference. First thing I noticed: super-clear Spanish. The taxi driver and I chatted about it, and he through a little jab at Sevilla, saying that they talk like they have a mouth filled with marbles. (I found similar jabs from other people...like, "Oh, you study in Sevilla? Your Spanish must be REALLY good if you can understand them!") Bilbao also just has a different feeling. For one, it was cold, and for another it's more of an industrial city, but filled with cool modern art...and the Guggenheim museum. Apparently the Guggenheim really revitalized Bilbao, so modern art is prevalent in the city. The museum is really cool...it's an architectural wonder of a building. And the inside is cool, but filled with modern art....not really my favorite.
With recommendations from a family friend on things to do, we went in search of Pintxos in Bilbao. What are pintxos? Well, we had no idea. Mom was determined that they were some sort of apartment. I was determined she was wrong. :) They ended up being the Euskeran (Basque language) word for tapas! But it's a bit different. You walk into a bar that has about 15 plates lined up all along the bar. Each plate is filled with little pre-made tapas. You ask for your own plate, and just grab what you want, then pay later! They're all cold, but still pretty good. I think I prefer the tapas of Andalusia, but I definitely did enjoy them.
After Bilbao, we headed to San Sebastian, a beautiful beach town near Bilbao. We had a hotel (we think it actually might have been a hostel) in the middle of the Plaza de la Constitucion in the heart of the old town, which was a really great location. The hotel/hostel was TINY though. It was funny having the 3 of us try to maneuver around the beds and constantly running into things. San Sebastian really was beautiful though. Beautiful churches, beautiful beaches, a funicular, a castle, and even a Jesus statue on top of the castle! We also went to a cool museum on Basque history. There's definitely alot of Basque pride in Northern Spain, and we all noted that the museum seemed to scream, "BASQUE COUNTRY IS GREAT AND FILLED WITH CULTURE! DON'T DOUBT IT!"
In any case, it was interesting to learn about some of Basque history. I would've liked to have heard a bit more of modern political Basque history, but I think it's still a relatively fresh subject--ETA, the terrorist Basque political group still exists, and there are definitely still people wanting independence from the rest of Spain.
On a side note, the Basque language is crazy! The taxi driver in Bilbao told me that it doesn't come from Latin, so that's why it's so different from Spanish. Apparently it was around before the Romans showed up in Spain. And the Arabs never made it up to northern Spain, so you don't have the Arabic influence in the language either. Signs around the cities were always written in both Euskera and Spanish, but most people speak Spanish in the cities...more Euskera in the countryside.
So now I'm back home in Sevilla! And mom and dad are back home in GA. And I'm headed to Istanbul with Joan on Thursday! Sorry for the painfully long entry that might have gotten a bit to detailed. In any case, I'll try to post after each trip in the future, rather than combining 2.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Remember that time it was October, but still 90 degrees?
So, it's still 90 degrees. Well, to be more accurate, the temperature in Sevilla ranges from a high of 85 and 94 in this crisp autumn month of October. And frankly, I'm ready to wear jeans. I'm always a fan of summer, ALWAYS. I love everything summer stands for: beaches, peaches, swimming, dresses, and general summer happiness. But I really am ready for it to be a bit cooler! Everyone else on my program finds this heat so bizarre. Half go to North Western near Chicago, so they're used to bitter cold in the winter. And well, we won't be getting anywhere near that here in Sevilla! But even I am not used to having a summer quite this long! Today, a group of about 8 of us took a day trip to Cadiz (the beach!). It was perfect weather to spend a few hours on the beach, eat some pescaito frito (fried fish...except the restaurant was closed on Sundays so we ate random tapas instead), and head back to Sevilla. It's about an hour and 45 minutes away by train, and a great way to spend a Sunday, because well, obviously I don't have homework to do. That's a whole 'nother issue...
The Spanish educational system seems a bit bizarre to me. I'm still trying to figure it out, but the general understanding is that there are very few daily assignments. Whereas at Davidson, I'd be reading at least 30 pages of something to prepare for each class, buying a book and reading it for class is basically optional. You're certainly not going to discuss reading in class the next day, so buying a book that the teacher may or may not recommend is really up to you...a personal preference! So, homework doesn't happen super often.
I don't mean to say that I don't work! I've already given a presentation on the country Estonia in my European Union class and written a paper on the American stereotypes of Europe in the movie Eurotrip. And done a few other things...
But, when you're comparing a typical Sunday in Sevilla with a typical Sunday at Davidson....well, writing this blog is the most work I've put in. But that's why I'm going to fill my Sundays with travel! Starting very shortly, I'm going to be a travelling fiend. Tuesday, I'm headed to Portugal with my friend Joan. And on Friday, we'll be joined by my lovely parents! And then the next weekend I'll head to the north of Spain with the padres. And the next weekend to Istanbul, and the next to Granada, and the next to Barcelona, and well, you get the point. I'm not going to be staying put. Because I just want to see the world!!
Now for a bit of a back track of things I've done since the last blog post:
1. Sinogoga: In true religion major fashion, I went with my friend Stef to the teensy little Synagogue here in Sevilla. I'd never been to any sort of Jewish service, so it was really cool! And Stef answered all of my questions! And now I'm more enlightened. Flashback to the first few weeks of the program: I also went to mass in Sevilla's Catedral with my friend Joan. Lots of relig-maj-moments.
2. Ronda: Our group went to visit Ronda, a small town nearby Sevilla that has a REALLY awesome bridge, some Arabic baths, and the oldest Plaza de Toros ever. Stef and I ended up taking the free time we had to climb down a hill to the bottom of the awesome bridge...and it was totally worth it. Beautiful views, beautiful photos, and even a beautiful German student that was also checking out the bridge.
3. Sarah gets Antsy: After the Ronda trip, I got antsy to travel more. These group day trips are lovely, but I'm ready to go places! Well, my wish comes true in 2 days when I leave Sevilla on a midnight bus to Lisbon (Lisboa), Portugal.
4. Classes: I've now survived 2 weeks of official classes (in classrooms that usually seem to function without air conditioning...in a really old awesome building, but a really hot old awesome building). 2 weeks also only means 6 days. I only have class Monday through Wednesday! That does mean that I have 8 hours of class on Wednesday though...a bit like death, but I make it through. My classes? La Proyección de las Tres Culturas: Cristianos, Musulmanes, y Judíos en España Medieval; La Influencia Árabe en la Literatura Española; Técnicas Artísticas; La Unión Europea. Some are more interesting than others, but they do the trick.
5. Bought Flamenco Shoes: I'm taking weekly flamenco classes (Sevillanas being the specific type of flamenco) with my roommate Meital and friend Maddie from an awesome and funny teacher named Carmen. I bought the official shoes, which make me much more legit. They're kinda like character shoes (for my fellow dancers), but a bit different. They're designed to make a bit more noise when you dance.
6. Cordoba: I went to Cordoba for the 3rd time in my life! I went with my fam in high school and the Cadiz group when I studied in Cadiz last summer. La Mezquita de Cordoba es tan impresionante, but I got the point of how beautiful the mosque was after time number 2. In any case, it was a fun little trip, but I'm ready for big trips to new places!! Portugal in 2 days!
7. Discoteca with Meital's new Spanish friends: Apparently, there are mosh pit moments in Spanish discotecas...that is, if you find yourself in a dubstep discoteca. I'd never heard that word til last night (to my friends' dismay), but it basically is some intense techno type of music. Not generally a situation you'd picture sweet Sarah in? Well, think again.
8. Cadiz: see earlier paragraph.
And now, I'm here in my room looking writing a really long blog and looking forward to a few things: 1. a 2 day week (Spain has a holiday Wednesday!) 2. heading to Portugal! 3. Seeing Buncie and Jay-los padres llegan en Portugal el viernes!
That's the update for now!
The Spanish educational system seems a bit bizarre to me. I'm still trying to figure it out, but the general understanding is that there are very few daily assignments. Whereas at Davidson, I'd be reading at least 30 pages of something to prepare for each class, buying a book and reading it for class is basically optional. You're certainly not going to discuss reading in class the next day, so buying a book that the teacher may or may not recommend is really up to you...a personal preference! So, homework doesn't happen super often.
I don't mean to say that I don't work! I've already given a presentation on the country Estonia in my European Union class and written a paper on the American stereotypes of Europe in the movie Eurotrip. And done a few other things...
But, when you're comparing a typical Sunday in Sevilla with a typical Sunday at Davidson....well, writing this blog is the most work I've put in. But that's why I'm going to fill my Sundays with travel! Starting very shortly, I'm going to be a travelling fiend. Tuesday, I'm headed to Portugal with my friend Joan. And on Friday, we'll be joined by my lovely parents! And then the next weekend I'll head to the north of Spain with the padres. And the next weekend to Istanbul, and the next to Granada, and the next to Barcelona, and well, you get the point. I'm not going to be staying put. Because I just want to see the world!!
Now for a bit of a back track of things I've done since the last blog post:
1. Sinogoga: In true religion major fashion, I went with my friend Stef to the teensy little Synagogue here in Sevilla. I'd never been to any sort of Jewish service, so it was really cool! And Stef answered all of my questions! And now I'm more enlightened. Flashback to the first few weeks of the program: I also went to mass in Sevilla's Catedral with my friend Joan. Lots of relig-maj-moments.
2. Ronda: Our group went to visit Ronda, a small town nearby Sevilla that has a REALLY awesome bridge, some Arabic baths, and the oldest Plaza de Toros ever. Stef and I ended up taking the free time we had to climb down a hill to the bottom of the awesome bridge...and it was totally worth it. Beautiful views, beautiful photos, and even a beautiful German student that was also checking out the bridge.
3. Sarah gets Antsy: After the Ronda trip, I got antsy to travel more. These group day trips are lovely, but I'm ready to go places! Well, my wish comes true in 2 days when I leave Sevilla on a midnight bus to Lisbon (Lisboa), Portugal.
4. Classes: I've now survived 2 weeks of official classes (in classrooms that usually seem to function without air conditioning...in a really old awesome building, but a really hot old awesome building). 2 weeks also only means 6 days. I only have class Monday through Wednesday! That does mean that I have 8 hours of class on Wednesday though...a bit like death, but I make it through. My classes? La Proyección de las Tres Culturas: Cristianos, Musulmanes, y Judíos en España Medieval; La Influencia Árabe en la Literatura Española; Técnicas Artísticas; La Unión Europea. Some are more interesting than others, but they do the trick.
5. Bought Flamenco Shoes: I'm taking weekly flamenco classes (Sevillanas being the specific type of flamenco) with my roommate Meital and friend Maddie from an awesome and funny teacher named Carmen. I bought the official shoes, which make me much more legit. They're kinda like character shoes (for my fellow dancers), but a bit different. They're designed to make a bit more noise when you dance.
6. Cordoba: I went to Cordoba for the 3rd time in my life! I went with my fam in high school and the Cadiz group when I studied in Cadiz last summer. La Mezquita de Cordoba es tan impresionante, but I got the point of how beautiful the mosque was after time number 2. In any case, it was a fun little trip, but I'm ready for big trips to new places!! Portugal in 2 days!
7. Discoteca with Meital's new Spanish friends: Apparently, there are mosh pit moments in Spanish discotecas...that is, if you find yourself in a dubstep discoteca. I'd never heard that word til last night (to my friends' dismay), but it basically is some intense techno type of music. Not generally a situation you'd picture sweet Sarah in? Well, think again.
8. Cadiz: see earlier paragraph.
And now, I'm here in my room looking writing a really long blog and looking forward to a few things: 1. a 2 day week (Spain has a holiday Wednesday!) 2. heading to Portugal! 3. Seeing Buncie and Jay-los padres llegan en Portugal el viernes!
That's the update for now!
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Being the Token Southern Girl
Over the course of the past few weeks, it has been brought to my attention that I might be the only true-blooded southerner on this Sweet Briar program in Spain. What defines one as a true-blooded southerner other than the frequent use of the word yall? Well, for one, a southerner who chooses not to leave the south to receive a fine education. (Grey and Liz might be from the south...but they bailed for a northern education!) And who also might have a cute little southern accent occasionally. And, this story explains more...
Spencer: My middle name is Earl. It's a family name.
Me: 'Caus Earl had to die...
5 seconds of awkwardness in a group of 8 people...
Joan: I got it Sarah.
For those of you who haven't caught on, that was a reference to a dixie chick's song that every southerner knows/should know. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw7gNf_9njs
See this youtube video for enlightenment if need be.
In any case, in a southern situation, at least 3/4 of the group would have either a) laughed at my joke or b) thought of it before me. But no, I'm in a very northern situation, and so everyone gets to make fun of me (with love in their hearts, i know) for being a small town southern girl. :)
On another note, I went to the beach this weekend! We took a group trip to Chiclana, but went first to Jerez, where we did a sherry tasting. I hate sherry. It. Is. So. Gross.
Chiclana was lovely! We stayed in a really nice 4 star hotel with an incredible buffet for dinner, breakfast, and lunch. Why is a buffet so impressive? Well, for 3 weeks (and for the next 3 months), none of us get a say in what we eat. We eat what our host families prepare, which might be delicious or might be a plate full of asparagus (true life, that was my dinner Thursday night...with little bitty shrimps and onions in a plateful of asparagus). So having so many delicious choices in front of you really rocked our worlds. They also had absolutely delicious french fries...like the thick cut kind they have at steak houses. If the ketchup hadn't tasted like non-American ketchup, I might've felt completely American. And they had omelets made-to-order (I miss commons!).
In addition to eating like a pig, I went to the beach, took some sun (a direct english translation from a great spanish phrase), and finished reading the first Harry Potter book in spanish. It was lovely! Harry beat Voldemort! Who would have guessed? Kate bought the second, and Maria bought the third, so Kate is bringing me the second tomorrow. I'm pumped.
Tomorrow is the first day of university classes! Ah! I have five hours of class in a row: 2 hours of The Projection of the 3 Cultures: Muslims, Jews, and Christians in Spain; 2 hours of The Arabic Influence on Spanish Literature; 1 hour of Artistic Techniques...a course directly in the university with a bunch of spaniards and a professor who won't slow down for foreigners. In any case, it'll be a long 5 hours of classes, but it'll be nice that I'm completely done with class at 2! I'll stick some magdalenas in my purse (muffins) to snack on between classes...since apparently it's a faux pas to munch in classes in Spain. Not that I ever munch during classes at Davidson, but the option is always there...
Spencer: My middle name is Earl. It's a family name.
Me: 'Caus Earl had to die...
5 seconds of awkwardness in a group of 8 people...
Joan: I got it Sarah.
For those of you who haven't caught on, that was a reference to a dixie chick's song that every southerner knows/should know. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw7gNf_9njs
See this youtube video for enlightenment if need be.
In any case, in a southern situation, at least 3/4 of the group would have either a) laughed at my joke or b) thought of it before me. But no, I'm in a very northern situation, and so everyone gets to make fun of me (with love in their hearts, i know) for being a small town southern girl. :)
On another note, I went to the beach this weekend! We took a group trip to Chiclana, but went first to Jerez, where we did a sherry tasting. I hate sherry. It. Is. So. Gross.
Chiclana was lovely! We stayed in a really nice 4 star hotel with an incredible buffet for dinner, breakfast, and lunch. Why is a buffet so impressive? Well, for 3 weeks (and for the next 3 months), none of us get a say in what we eat. We eat what our host families prepare, which might be delicious or might be a plate full of asparagus (true life, that was my dinner Thursday night...with little bitty shrimps and onions in a plateful of asparagus). So having so many delicious choices in front of you really rocked our worlds. They also had absolutely delicious french fries...like the thick cut kind they have at steak houses. If the ketchup hadn't tasted like non-American ketchup, I might've felt completely American. And they had omelets made-to-order (I miss commons!).
In addition to eating like a pig, I went to the beach, took some sun (a direct english translation from a great spanish phrase), and finished reading the first Harry Potter book in spanish. It was lovely! Harry beat Voldemort! Who would have guessed? Kate bought the second, and Maria bought the third, so Kate is bringing me the second tomorrow. I'm pumped.
Tomorrow is the first day of university classes! Ah! I have five hours of class in a row: 2 hours of The Projection of the 3 Cultures: Muslims, Jews, and Christians in Spain; 2 hours of The Arabic Influence on Spanish Literature; 1 hour of Artistic Techniques...a course directly in the university with a bunch of spaniards and a professor who won't slow down for foreigners. In any case, it'll be a long 5 hours of classes, but it'll be nice that I'm completely done with class at 2! I'll stick some magdalenas in my purse (muffins) to snack on between classes...since apparently it's a faux pas to munch in classes in Spain. Not that I ever munch during classes at Davidson, but the option is always there...
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Replaced by a Spanish/Scottish Baby.
Any older siblings out there? Remember that feeling of utter rejection when your younger sibling was born and no one cared about you anymore? Well, let's be real; I'm that cute little younger sibling, and I'm sure Jay had a terrible time of being rejected for my preciousness as a wee child. But I've got a problem now! My host sister (who lives en casa con her boyfriend from Scotland) just had a baby. And when I say just, I mean just. She brought that baby home from the hospital on Sunday. Baby Esperanza! She's so precious! I'm not sure of cultural norms with babies, so when I sit next to them, I always wonder, "could I poke that baby's belly and talk about how cute it is, or would that be crossing a line that might not exist in the US of A?" So I sit there awkwardly and say things like "Que preciosa!"
In any case, the baby really is adorable! But what's gotten less adorable is dinner time. The whole fam is enamored by Esperanza (and who can blame them?)...that well...the older children (who also happen to be 20 year old Americans) have been rejected a bit. Lots of sandwiches...which, well, can be strange in Spain. Example: Last night's dinner: white bread, hot dogs cut in half, mayonnaise, lettuce, white bread, cheese, butter, white bread. I wasn't quite feeling it. Another sandwich tonight, but it was much better. Still not fantastic. We're supposed to tell our fam's when we don't like something, but my southern upbringing is making that difficult. Every day, when she asks, "Os gusta?!" how can I really say no?! Well, i tried it out tonight. It was difficult, but I said, well, I don't really like sausages alot.... (hoping that saying that about the sausage in my bocadillo tonight would also encompass the "sausages" aka hotdogs from last night).
But I don't blame them, really! I mean, they have tons of family coming over all the time (hide yourself in your room so as not to interrupt family time? what's appropriate?) to see this precious new baby, and they don't wanna make me a good dinner! I just like good dinner....
Haha but all is well!! It really doesn't matter, because I do love the family, the baby, la vida sevillana! In fact, I've been trying to find more ways to immerse myself in la lengua espanola. I just googled popular Spanish songs to add to my "canciones espanolas" playlist on itunes! Most of the songs I found were in English, but I added a few, including some Shakira excellence. I'm also reading the first Harry Potter in Spanish. Harry's about to try on the Sorting Hat! Ah! Don't pick Slytherin!
Writing this blog doesn't exactly help my Spanish immersion, but lucky for all of my faithful readers, I will continue to update you on my life every now and then! :)
Last weekend, I went to Italica, a city about 30 min from Sevilla with a whole bunch of Roman ruins! It was cool, but not superguay. Guay means cool. Add super in front of it, and you have superguay! Then on Sunday, we went on a hike aka senderismo. It ended up not being a hike through any mountains but more of a 18 km walk on a pathway next to the mountains. At the end, we swam in this beautiful litter waterfall that was also FREEZING, like knock the breath out of you cold. On the bus back from rando town to Sevilla, well, we were stranded when the bus broke down. Got on another one, and eventually made it home.
This weekend, well, I don't quite yet know what's in store! I do know I'll be going to a futbol game! There are 2 Sevilla teams: Betis y Sevilla. Neither is something to write home about (although I guess you could say I'm writing home about both right now...), but Sevilla is slightly better. I don't yet have allegiance to one or the other, but we're watching Sevilla play on Saturday!
We're almost done with week 2 of orientation classes! I also plan on taking my first ballet class (in Spanish? with French words? Crazy) tomorrow. I'm ready to get my regular schedule going with University courses! We still have one more week of orientation classes, and then on to the cool classes!
In any case, the baby really is adorable! But what's gotten less adorable is dinner time. The whole fam is enamored by Esperanza (and who can blame them?)...that well...the older children (who also happen to be 20 year old Americans) have been rejected a bit. Lots of sandwiches...which, well, can be strange in Spain. Example: Last night's dinner: white bread, hot dogs cut in half, mayonnaise, lettuce, white bread, cheese, butter, white bread. I wasn't quite feeling it. Another sandwich tonight, but it was much better. Still not fantastic. We're supposed to tell our fam's when we don't like something, but my southern upbringing is making that difficult. Every day, when she asks, "Os gusta?!" how can I really say no?! Well, i tried it out tonight. It was difficult, but I said, well, I don't really like sausages alot.... (hoping that saying that about the sausage in my bocadillo tonight would also encompass the "sausages" aka hotdogs from last night).
But I don't blame them, really! I mean, they have tons of family coming over all the time (hide yourself in your room so as not to interrupt family time? what's appropriate?) to see this precious new baby, and they don't wanna make me a good dinner! I just like good dinner....
Haha but all is well!! It really doesn't matter, because I do love the family, the baby, la vida sevillana! In fact, I've been trying to find more ways to immerse myself in la lengua espanola. I just googled popular Spanish songs to add to my "canciones espanolas" playlist on itunes! Most of the songs I found were in English, but I added a few, including some Shakira excellence. I'm also reading the first Harry Potter in Spanish. Harry's about to try on the Sorting Hat! Ah! Don't pick Slytherin!
Writing this blog doesn't exactly help my Spanish immersion, but lucky for all of my faithful readers, I will continue to update you on my life every now and then! :)
Last weekend, I went to Italica, a city about 30 min from Sevilla with a whole bunch of Roman ruins! It was cool, but not superguay. Guay means cool. Add super in front of it, and you have superguay! Then on Sunday, we went on a hike aka senderismo. It ended up not being a hike through any mountains but more of a 18 km walk on a pathway next to the mountains. At the end, we swam in this beautiful litter waterfall that was also FREEZING, like knock the breath out of you cold. On the bus back from rando town to Sevilla, well, we were stranded when the bus broke down. Got on another one, and eventually made it home.
This weekend, well, I don't quite yet know what's in store! I do know I'll be going to a futbol game! There are 2 Sevilla teams: Betis y Sevilla. Neither is something to write home about (although I guess you could say I'm writing home about both right now...), but Sevilla is slightly better. I don't yet have allegiance to one or the other, but we're watching Sevilla play on Saturday!
We're almost done with week 2 of orientation classes! I also plan on taking my first ballet class (in Spanish? with French words? Crazy) tomorrow. I'm ready to get my regular schedule going with University courses! We still have one more week of orientation classes, and then on to the cool classes!
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Sevilla! Sevilla! La Mejor Ciudad en el Mundo!
Sevilla!! Prepare yourselves for a relatively long post, because I’ve got lots o stuff to talk about!
I’m here! On Wednesday, Jay arrived back home after 3 months in South America. We overlapped only about 2 hours at our lovely home in Oxford, GA before I left for the airport, but in that 2 hour period of time, he unpacked his backpack so that I could pack it up with a bunch of my stuff. We shared a delicious family meal—the perfect burger (I had to have a super-American meal before leaving for 3.5 months!), and I was on my way! I flew from Atlanta to JFK to meet with my group, then from JFK to Madrid, then from Madrid to Sevilla. A longgggg day of flying, but I was sitting between my new friend Kate who is on this program and a girl who was headed to study in Valencia with UVA. All in all, the long flight was enjoyable with fun people on either side of me! Kate was the first person I met on my program when I arrived at JFK. I was rather flustered trying to meet up with the group, and the Iberia terminal was a madhouse. A random security woman threw me in the middle of the line with another person with a Sweetbriar College Junior Year in Spain (JYS) tag. And that person was Kate!
When we arrived in Sevilla, I learned that my roommate would be Meital Caplan from Northwestern. About half of the people on the program are from Northwestern, but it’s funny because very few of them know each other particularly well! So Meital and I live with a really awesome family in a really awesome barrio (neighborhood): Los Remedios. Actually, as I write this, I’m sitting on the balcony of our homestay looking at some sort of café on the street below. It’s a beautiful day, in a beautiful area! We live on Calle Asunción, which is a medium sized-pedestrian friendly-shopping street. It only takes about 15 minutes to walk to the center of town, where the JYS office and Universidad de Sevilla are. Our apartment is soooo much bigger than I expected! Meital and I actually have our own rooms, which I was not expecting at all. In general, the apartment is much bigger than most in Europe. And it has wifi, so it’s easy for me to post my blog for all my fans!
My family is so nice! My host mom is Esperanza, but she prefers to go by Pechi, a nickname she’s had since birth (shout out to my mama Buncie, who has a similar situation!). Her daughter, Pechi 2, is probably in her late 20s, and lives at home in the room next to mine with her husband(?) or boyfriend from Scotland. She is very pregnant, so we’re going to have a baby in the house by the end of September! She met her husband/boyfriend in Scotland when she studied English there for 2 years. He barely speaks any Spanish, which is cute with the whole family. Pechi 2 has 3 brothers, but none of them live at home right now.
I love my family! And my roommate! Her Spanish is better than mine (both parents are Argentinian, so she gets to practice with them. Too bad my parents aren’t so cool. Just kidding!) But in no way does she try to speak for me when I get tongue-tied. In fact, today she was saying that she thinks roommate pairs were done by level, which means that I’m in the highest level! Yay!!! I should hope some of this travelling would pay off. Also, I didn’t even realize this, but apparently I have to take a class directly in the university because I’m in the higher level…which is cool, because I wanted to do it anyways. Yay immersion! Really, my whole home life here is an awesome situation. And since I have earplugs, I don’t think it’ll be too bad having a baby next door either. J
So! That’s the lay of the land in Sevilla! Now a bit about what I’ve been doing since arriving! I won’t go into detail about everything, so have no fear.
Throughout Sevilla, they have these bikes. Similar to community bikes at Davidson? Well, they’re all throughout the community, but that’s about it. You pay 10 € to rent them for 30 minute periods of time for one week. So Meital and I rented some for the week! It’s been so nice! There are parking stations all around the city, and I’m looking down at one right next to our apartment. You just type in your number, choose a bike, and ride! It’s a fun way to explore, enjoy the sun, and get some exercise. We rode all around yesterday, and it was lovely!
Last night, Meital and I went out for a night on the town with Kate and her roommate Maria. It was a hilarious night, largely because of this one incident con los tejanos. Seriously, they embarrassed Texans everywhere! So here’s the story:
As a group, we really try to speak a lot in Spanish. Everyone wants to improve, so we try to as much as possible. It’s really easy to fall into the English trap, and we do occasionally, but we definitely speak a lot of Spanish. In fact, this blog is totally messing with my Spanish flow, so my loyal readers, be grateful that I write it. J Anyways, the 4 of us only spoke Spanish for the 5 hours that we were out and about (yes, we were out from midnight to about 5 am, which is pretty typical for Spain). At one point we saw a bunch of Americans. Assuming that they might know some Spanish, and trying to keep with the language flow, we asked them their names and where they were from (in Spanish). They responded with slightly confused faces in English, but for whatever reason, Meital y yo continuabamos hablar en español. When they asked where we were from, I said Atlanta, but 10 minutes later, they asked if I spoke any English. I responded, “solo un poquito.” So you can imagine how the next hour went. Meital and I were both Sevillanas who only spoke a bit of English, and Kate and Maria became our translators when we were “confused” by the English the Texans spoke or when they were legitimately confused by the Spanish we spoke. We began referring to them as los idiotas, because truly, they were. We’ve got good Spanish, but we will always have an accent. And they literally had no idea. They said they were here to study Spanish and had taken a few classes but hadn’t learned anything. Again, an embarrassment to Texans everywhere.
So today is Sunday, and I had planned to go to mass at the giant awesome Cathedral with some friends, but for whatever reason, my alarm didn’t go off. The alarm on my phone doesn’t seem to have an option of am or pm, so maybe it’ll go off tonight at 11:20? Yo no sé. In any case, I woke up at 12:30 this afternoon and began reading some Harry Potter in Spanish. We had some delicious gazpacho and pasta, and who knows what the day has in store for me now! We begin orientation classes tomorrow, but until then, I’m just chillin in Sevilla, la major ciudad en todo el mundo!
Oh, and a disclaimer about my blog for anyone who cares:
This will not be a work of art. In fact, I will probably write quite spazztically often! Please excuse the lack of poetry here. I frankly don’t want to spend that kinda time on this blog! Really, I just want people to know what’s going on in my exciting Spanish life, so I’m gonna write it, and I’m gonna write it fast. J
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
From Santiago, Chile back to the States!
I made it home! I arrived home Sunday morning at like 5:30 in the morning after a 10 hour flight. At least I had a friendly seat-mate...he was headed to the states as an exchange student for the next year. Even though his English was probably better than my Spanish (maybe?), we spoke in Spanish the whole time. It was nice to sit next to someone friendly and talkative!
Santiago was great! I really loved the city, although that might have had something to do with how absolutely beautiful the weather was. It was around 65 degrees and sunny the whole time we were there! Argentina had been so cold compared to that. When we arrived in Santiago (after our 10 hour bus ride through the Andes), we had been planning to go straight to Valparaiso. The bus was so late arriving, though, that there weren't any more buses to Valparaiso. So, we found a hostel and decided to stay in Santiago for 4 nights as opposed to the 2 we had originally planned. And I'm so glad we did! It's a really great city.
Our first day, we went on a four hour walking tour all around the city. It was an incredible way to learn about the history and politics of the city. There've been a bunch of protests going on for education reform. One protest involved calculating how much it would cost the government to pay for college for the country for an entire year. After the determined the number, they promised to run around the government building for that many hours. So you'd see people running by carrying black flags or Chilean flags.
Day 2 we spent going back to some of the sights from our tour: Pablo Neruda's house (the Nobel Prize winning poet who had an obsession with boats so designed his houses like boats), the Pre-Columbian Museum, the churches, etc. The weather was beautiful again, and the city was great! That night, we decided to go see Captain America...or Capitan America. It was in English with subtitles. We were running late for the movie, and the only place we could find for food was of course a McDonalds. In true American fashion we had McDonalds and a movie...a movie called Captain America no less!
Day 3 we spent taking a day trip to Vina del Mar and Valparaiso. As soon as we got to the bus station, some tour company managed to convince us to go with them and ride around in their bus. We fell for it far too easily, but it was a good way to see both cities! It ended up being kinda hilarious. We drove around with a group of mostly Brazilians (Portuguese speakers), some Spanish speakers, a few French folks, and us. And every time someone new got on the bus, the guide re-introduced us all and where we were all from. And then he explained that the Americans in the back understood Spanish perfectly, so no one should worry! He then proceeded to speak Spanish, throwing in a Portuguese word every now and then, and throwing in an English sentence when he felt the need. All in all, I liked seeing the cities, but I probably would have preferred to wander through them without the funny tour guide! Oh, also, this tour did not let us stop for lunch until 4:00 in the afternoon. Seriously, fat Americans cannot handle that nonsense. At one of our stops, Jay and I ordered empanadas, but as soon as we'd ordered them, it was time to go! The guide said he didn't mind waiting, but we ended up holding the whole bus up for like 5 minutes. Then I had to walk onto the bus with a bag of steaming hot empanadas that smelled up the bus and made everyone jealous. Fat Americans, fat Americans, fat Americans. Don't mess with our food.
For my last day in Santiago and in South America, Jay and I went on a wine tour at a really cool vineyard! Concha y Toro was the vineyard, and it was beautiful. We also did a tasting section of the tour that involved 4 different wines paired with some delicious cheeses! As a part of the tour, the vineyard gave us each a wine glass that says Concha y Toro and also gave us the cutting board that our cheeses were on that has their name on it as well! Of course the tour lasted longer than it was supposed to, so then Jay and I had to run to get a taxi, to take the metro, to run to the hostel, to wrap his shirts around the wine glasses, to pack those and the cutting boards, to call a cab to the airport and GO!
So I made it home safely! It's been a bit weird being back in the states. I'm used to wearing the same clothes over and over again, so I get a little freaked out every time I open my closet door. Not that I have THAT much clothing....but I do when compared to living out of a backpack for 2 months. I also hadn't driven in 2 weeks.
So no more blogging for the next few weeks! I assume no one really cares about the excitement of my life in Covington, GA. But have no fear, I will pick it back up once I arrive in Spain! I fly out on August 31st for 3.5 months in Seville, Spain.
Santiago was great! I really loved the city, although that might have had something to do with how absolutely beautiful the weather was. It was around 65 degrees and sunny the whole time we were there! Argentina had been so cold compared to that. When we arrived in Santiago (after our 10 hour bus ride through the Andes), we had been planning to go straight to Valparaiso. The bus was so late arriving, though, that there weren't any more buses to Valparaiso. So, we found a hostel and decided to stay in Santiago for 4 nights as opposed to the 2 we had originally planned. And I'm so glad we did! It's a really great city.
Our first day, we went on a four hour walking tour all around the city. It was an incredible way to learn about the history and politics of the city. There've been a bunch of protests going on for education reform. One protest involved calculating how much it would cost the government to pay for college for the country for an entire year. After the determined the number, they promised to run around the government building for that many hours. So you'd see people running by carrying black flags or Chilean flags.
Day 2 we spent going back to some of the sights from our tour: Pablo Neruda's house (the Nobel Prize winning poet who had an obsession with boats so designed his houses like boats), the Pre-Columbian Museum, the churches, etc. The weather was beautiful again, and the city was great! That night, we decided to go see Captain America...or Capitan America. It was in English with subtitles. We were running late for the movie, and the only place we could find for food was of course a McDonalds. In true American fashion we had McDonalds and a movie...a movie called Captain America no less!
Day 3 we spent taking a day trip to Vina del Mar and Valparaiso. As soon as we got to the bus station, some tour company managed to convince us to go with them and ride around in their bus. We fell for it far too easily, but it was a good way to see both cities! It ended up being kinda hilarious. We drove around with a group of mostly Brazilians (Portuguese speakers), some Spanish speakers, a few French folks, and us. And every time someone new got on the bus, the guide re-introduced us all and where we were all from. And then he explained that the Americans in the back understood Spanish perfectly, so no one should worry! He then proceeded to speak Spanish, throwing in a Portuguese word every now and then, and throwing in an English sentence when he felt the need. All in all, I liked seeing the cities, but I probably would have preferred to wander through them without the funny tour guide! Oh, also, this tour did not let us stop for lunch until 4:00 in the afternoon. Seriously, fat Americans cannot handle that nonsense. At one of our stops, Jay and I ordered empanadas, but as soon as we'd ordered them, it was time to go! The guide said he didn't mind waiting, but we ended up holding the whole bus up for like 5 minutes. Then I had to walk onto the bus with a bag of steaming hot empanadas that smelled up the bus and made everyone jealous. Fat Americans, fat Americans, fat Americans. Don't mess with our food.
For my last day in Santiago and in South America, Jay and I went on a wine tour at a really cool vineyard! Concha y Toro was the vineyard, and it was beautiful. We also did a tasting section of the tour that involved 4 different wines paired with some delicious cheeses! As a part of the tour, the vineyard gave us each a wine glass that says Concha y Toro and also gave us the cutting board that our cheeses were on that has their name on it as well! Of course the tour lasted longer than it was supposed to, so then Jay and I had to run to get a taxi, to take the metro, to run to the hostel, to wrap his shirts around the wine glasses, to pack those and the cutting boards, to call a cab to the airport and GO!
So I made it home safely! It's been a bit weird being back in the states. I'm used to wearing the same clothes over and over again, so I get a little freaked out every time I open my closet door. Not that I have THAT much clothing....but I do when compared to living out of a backpack for 2 months. I also hadn't driven in 2 weeks.
So no more blogging for the next few weeks! I assume no one really cares about the excitement of my life in Covington, GA. But have no fear, I will pick it back up once I arrive in Spain! I fly out on August 31st for 3.5 months in Seville, Spain.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Extended visit in Mendoza: wine, horses, and unfortunate hot springs
I am currently on a bus headed from Mendoza, Argentina to Santiago, chile! As i write this, i look out my window at the beautiful snow capped andes mountains...such an incredible view! I was supposed to be on this bus yesterday according to our original plan. The pass from Argentina to chile through the Andes was closed yesterday and all weekend as well. So jay and I were stranded at our very comfortable hostel in Mendoza for one more night.
On Saturday morning, we arrived in Mendoza super early, around 7 I believe. Neither of us slept particularly well on the bus from cordoba, so we were sooooo happy when the hostel let us check in early and go to sleep. Important note: this hostel had a heater in the room. A serious plus. After our nap and some lunch, we went on a half day wine tour of 2 bodegas: one of young wines and the other being a family operated winery. We also stopped at an olive oil factory, which was fun.
On Sunday, we decided to go horseback riding with 2 other people from our hostel, one from holland and the other from Pennsylvania. Horseback riding was great! We drove like an hour to a spot in the mountains where a nice argentine gaucho had a ranch. After sipping mate (popular argentine tea that you drink with a group, sharing the same mate cup), we began our journey through the mountains on the horses. Mine was a really sweet horse named solito. The ride was beautiful! The mountains themselves were beautiful and we also were able to see some condors, which we weren't able to see in cordoba. At the end, jay's horse kind of fell on him....but all is well. Only a few bruises, nothing more!
On Monday, we hoped to head on to chile, but since that didn't happen, we went to some hot springs-also in the mountains. They were an epic fail. I left my bathing suit at my hostel in Tela, Honduras, so I brought a tank top and running shorts to wear. They had a sign up saying that women could not wear shorts and had to wear a bathing suit. So jay and I had to walk down the road so I could buy a crappy bathing suit that was like $20. When I went to put it on, the strap snapped off of the top. The bottoms were not quite as conservative as your typical American bathing suit. So, I was wearing a sports bra and skimpy floral bikini bottoms. People in Argentina don't seem to have a problem with butts like we do in america, but I was very aware of my slightly exposed tush while we were there. It really wasn't that skimpy, but just enough to make me uncomfortable. In any case, it was total b.s. that they wouldn't let me wear my shorts since they let men wear normal shorts...or even whitey tightees as I saw on one man. The springs were also not natural and were too crowded. There was a covering over them that blocked out the beautiful mountain view. Conclusion? Be wary of the brochures you find advertising lovely hot springs outside of Mendoza, Argentina.
Yesterday evening, I ended up spending the evening hanging out with people in the hostel. We ordered empanadas to be delivered, and just enjoyed hanging out. One girl I met is in Argentina teaching English on a Fulbright grant. I loved picking her brain about that. It sounds really cool, and who knows, I might try to apply for one!
On to chile! Hopefully, jay and I will be able to get a bus from santiago to valparaiso, where we had hoped to spend last night!
On Saturday morning, we arrived in Mendoza super early, around 7 I believe. Neither of us slept particularly well on the bus from cordoba, so we were sooooo happy when the hostel let us check in early and go to sleep. Important note: this hostel had a heater in the room. A serious plus. After our nap and some lunch, we went on a half day wine tour of 2 bodegas: one of young wines and the other being a family operated winery. We also stopped at an olive oil factory, which was fun.
On Sunday, we decided to go horseback riding with 2 other people from our hostel, one from holland and the other from Pennsylvania. Horseback riding was great! We drove like an hour to a spot in the mountains where a nice argentine gaucho had a ranch. After sipping mate (popular argentine tea that you drink with a group, sharing the same mate cup), we began our journey through the mountains on the horses. Mine was a really sweet horse named solito. The ride was beautiful! The mountains themselves were beautiful and we also were able to see some condors, which we weren't able to see in cordoba. At the end, jay's horse kind of fell on him....but all is well. Only a few bruises, nothing more!
On Monday, we hoped to head on to chile, but since that didn't happen, we went to some hot springs-also in the mountains. They were an epic fail. I left my bathing suit at my hostel in Tela, Honduras, so I brought a tank top and running shorts to wear. They had a sign up saying that women could not wear shorts and had to wear a bathing suit. So jay and I had to walk down the road so I could buy a crappy bathing suit that was like $20. When I went to put it on, the strap snapped off of the top. The bottoms were not quite as conservative as your typical American bathing suit. So, I was wearing a sports bra and skimpy floral bikini bottoms. People in Argentina don't seem to have a problem with butts like we do in america, but I was very aware of my slightly exposed tush while we were there. It really wasn't that skimpy, but just enough to make me uncomfortable. In any case, it was total b.s. that they wouldn't let me wear my shorts since they let men wear normal shorts...or even whitey tightees as I saw on one man. The springs were also not natural and were too crowded. There was a covering over them that blocked out the beautiful mountain view. Conclusion? Be wary of the brochures you find advertising lovely hot springs outside of Mendoza, Argentina.
Yesterday evening, I ended up spending the evening hanging out with people in the hostel. We ordered empanadas to be delivered, and just enjoyed hanging out. One girl I met is in Argentina teaching English on a Fulbright grant. I loved picking her brain about that. It sounds really cool, and who knows, I might try to apply for one!
On to chile! Hopefully, jay and I will be able to get a bus from santiago to valparaiso, where we had hoped to spend last night!
Monday, August 8, 2011
Getting to know the Jesuits
After a few days in cordoba, we're headed to Mendoza! I liked cordoba...filled with religious history. The Jesuits pretty much created the city of cordoba, so there's a whole Jesuit block...church, university, and intense high school. The Jesuit churches are interesting. They want to be European, but have a bit of a south American flare. Our tour guide at the university was precious. She'd studied English in school, but had never been to an English speaking country, so she spoke super slowly and super clearly, enunciating every word. We were the only people on the tour, so we became best friends forever. Funny translation moment: she was talking about the cats that are randomly around the university are always meowing really loud. She said that the cats really just want to be 'cherished' or something to that effect. Cherished? Probably petted. I love awkward language moments.
On Thursday, we left cordoba and went to Alta gracia for the day. A small town famous for the museum of Che Guevara and it's Jesuit estancia, a old church/ranch thing that the Jesuits used to provide for their evangelizing of the continent. Slightly less cool than I was hoping, but still cool. We did the tour in Spanish, which was intriguing. Compared with the tours we did last summer in Cadiz, Spain, I understood so very much more. I really did feel pretty good about understanding the guide's Spanish.
The hostel in cordoba was nice. The guy that owned it told us everything we needed to see in cordoba and marked it all on a map. We met several groups of people who were taking or had taken a weeks worth of spanish classes in hopes that they would be able to get around and understand what people were saying as they traveled the continent for the next several months. I hate to break it to them, but I've been taking Spanish for years. It ain't that simple. A week is not going to get you even semi-comfortable with the language!
Today, jay and I took a chill day around the city. He'd been a bit sick, so we didn't go on a hike in a national park with condors. Instead, we went on a walk in cordoba's little park...an unattractive hunk of grassless land that led us directly to the zoo. So we spent about 2 hours looking at hippopotami, zebras, lions, etc, and even saw a show with a seal...in Spanish, a lobo aquatico. Literally? A water wolf. We finished the evening by going bowling on the top floor of a mall...space bowling to be specific. Jay barely beat me the first game, but let it be known that I dominated the second.
Now we're on our second and final overnight bus headed to Mendoza-wine country.
Sorry for the late post. This was written on Friday night but not posted til Monday evening!
On Thursday, we left cordoba and went to Alta gracia for the day. A small town famous for the museum of Che Guevara and it's Jesuit estancia, a old church/ranch thing that the Jesuits used to provide for their evangelizing of the continent. Slightly less cool than I was hoping, but still cool. We did the tour in Spanish, which was intriguing. Compared with the tours we did last summer in Cadiz, Spain, I understood so very much more. I really did feel pretty good about understanding the guide's Spanish.
The hostel in cordoba was nice. The guy that owned it told us everything we needed to see in cordoba and marked it all on a map. We met several groups of people who were taking or had taken a weeks worth of spanish classes in hopes that they would be able to get around and understand what people were saying as they traveled the continent for the next several months. I hate to break it to them, but I've been taking Spanish for years. It ain't that simple. A week is not going to get you even semi-comfortable with the language!
Today, jay and I took a chill day around the city. He'd been a bit sick, so we didn't go on a hike in a national park with condors. Instead, we went on a walk in cordoba's little park...an unattractive hunk of grassless land that led us directly to the zoo. So we spent about 2 hours looking at hippopotami, zebras, lions, etc, and even saw a show with a seal...in Spanish, a lobo aquatico. Literally? A water wolf. We finished the evening by going bowling on the top floor of a mall...space bowling to be specific. Jay barely beat me the first game, but let it be known that I dominated the second.
Now we're on our second and final overnight bus headed to Mendoza-wine country.
Sorry for the late post. This was written on Friday night but not posted til Monday evening!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Leaving Honduras and Making it to Argentina!
I made it to Argentina! But first, a bit about leaving Honduras...
Thursday was Megan's last day of camp, meaning that I had all of the second graders by myself for the day....a bit crazy. Thursday was also the day that the kids started to realize that their teachers wouldn't be around forever. They started getting sad, and so did I! Their hugs were so cute when they said goodbye to Megan. On Friday, after our Fiesta Friday party (cake, ice-cream, pinatas, and Montuca Sound System- a Honduran band, and water games), I got so sad saying goodbye to everyone!! There were a few boys in my class who had been pretty badly behaved in the beginning of camp. They improved drastically, and I loved them by the last week! On Thursday, I played basketball with a few of them, and they thought it was hilarious that 'la miss' was playing with them. On Friday when we said goodbye, they gave me hugeeeeee hugs...making me cry. After they left, I went to give Maria, A particularly sweet student, a hug. I was crying, so she started crying too. How pathetic of me, I know. I had really become attached to some of these kids though!
I had also become attached to Cofradia. At some point that last week, I went into a store to buy a baleada. I was sitting there by myself waiting and felt so comfortable being a gringa in Cofradia...like really comfortable. So needless to say, it was a bit sad leaving Cofradia, the friends I made there, and my students!
But no time to dwell on any sense of sadness, because I was on to the next adventure!
I flew out of San Pedro Sula on Saturday afternoon, stopping in costa rica and panama city, and ultimately making it to buenos aires at about 5:30 on Sunday morning. After going through customs, etc, i took a taxi to jay's apartment. I slept maybe 45 minutes max on the plane, so jay and I both napped for about 2 hours before beginning to see the city! We went to the market in San telmo, ate churipan, went to the cemetery in recoleta which also had a market, and a famous bookstore called el ateneo-it's a theater turned bookstore. We went to a fancy restaurant for dinner and I almost fell asleep in my food because I was so tired...but still enjoyed the food! I slept like 11 hours that night in an attempt to recover.
On Monday, jay and I continued touring and eating our way through buenos aires, seeing el caminito en la boca and cafe tortoni. I also got a small taste of buenos aires nightlife with a group of jays roommates and also Liam Miner from Davidson...he's studying for the semester in b.a. Yay for davidson connections around the world!
On Tuesday, we toured the teatro colon and also did a wine tasting that jay's roommates gifted him for his birthday. I felt very cultured and fancy doing so. As a general note, I feel very fancy in pretty much everything I do since I've left Honduras. Life was so simple there compared to this! It's also cold, which is kinda no fun. It was so hot in Honduras, but I do love the summer.
Right now, it's about midnight on Tuesday night/Monday morning and jay and I are on an overnight bus to cordoba! I will post this when i arrive at the hostel. Let the backpacking/hostel-living begin! Yay for siblings traveling around the world together. Taxi drivers think it's precious.
Thursday was Megan's last day of camp, meaning that I had all of the second graders by myself for the day....a bit crazy. Thursday was also the day that the kids started to realize that their teachers wouldn't be around forever. They started getting sad, and so did I! Their hugs were so cute when they said goodbye to Megan. On Friday, after our Fiesta Friday party (cake, ice-cream, pinatas, and Montuca Sound System- a Honduran band, and water games), I got so sad saying goodbye to everyone!! There were a few boys in my class who had been pretty badly behaved in the beginning of camp. They improved drastically, and I loved them by the last week! On Thursday, I played basketball with a few of them, and they thought it was hilarious that 'la miss' was playing with them. On Friday when we said goodbye, they gave me hugeeeeee hugs...making me cry. After they left, I went to give Maria, A particularly sweet student, a hug. I was crying, so she started crying too. How pathetic of me, I know. I had really become attached to some of these kids though!
I had also become attached to Cofradia. At some point that last week, I went into a store to buy a baleada. I was sitting there by myself waiting and felt so comfortable being a gringa in Cofradia...like really comfortable. So needless to say, it was a bit sad leaving Cofradia, the friends I made there, and my students!
But no time to dwell on any sense of sadness, because I was on to the next adventure!
I flew out of San Pedro Sula on Saturday afternoon, stopping in costa rica and panama city, and ultimately making it to buenos aires at about 5:30 on Sunday morning. After going through customs, etc, i took a taxi to jay's apartment. I slept maybe 45 minutes max on the plane, so jay and I both napped for about 2 hours before beginning to see the city! We went to the market in San telmo, ate churipan, went to the cemetery in recoleta which also had a market, and a famous bookstore called el ateneo-it's a theater turned bookstore. We went to a fancy restaurant for dinner and I almost fell asleep in my food because I was so tired...but still enjoyed the food! I slept like 11 hours that night in an attempt to recover.
On Monday, jay and I continued touring and eating our way through buenos aires, seeing el caminito en la boca and cafe tortoni. I also got a small taste of buenos aires nightlife with a group of jays roommates and also Liam Miner from Davidson...he's studying for the semester in b.a. Yay for davidson connections around the world!
On Tuesday, we toured the teatro colon and also did a wine tasting that jay's roommates gifted him for his birthday. I felt very cultured and fancy doing so. As a general note, I feel very fancy in pretty much everything I do since I've left Honduras. Life was so simple there compared to this! It's also cold, which is kinda no fun. It was so hot in Honduras, but I do love the summer.
Right now, it's about midnight on Tuesday night/Monday morning and jay and I are on an overnight bus to cordoba! I will post this when i arrive at the hostel. Let the backpacking/hostel-living begin! Yay for siblings traveling around the world together. Taxi drivers think it's precious.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Leaving So Soon!! So Sad!!
So camp is winding down! It's been a bit of a stressful week, trying to think about all of the things we need to do to to conclude camp, but also thinking about flights (multiple flights in my case--one stop in Panama City before I make it to Argentina), and packing as well! In any case, I've really enjoyed this last week. I got a bit stressed last week; the kids were pretty badly behaved and I was not sure how to handle it. But this week, they've all been so sweet. It's been great to see how certain ones really have improved in behavior, etc. They're so sad that I'm leaving and keep asking me to come visit! I really will miss them!
Off to Argentina on Saturday para viajar con mi hermano! Can't wait!
Short post, sorry, got to go shower before all of the volunteers eat baleadas at Don Wil's house. The best baleadas will be happening soon.
Off to Argentina on Saturday para viajar con mi hermano! Can't wait!
Short post, sorry, got to go shower before all of the volunteers eat baleadas at Don Wil's house. The best baleadas will be happening soon.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
A Couple of Opportunities to Drown...
This weekend has been great! I've really had a good, relaxing, fun, exciting weekend.
On Friday, a group of us went to play soccer. After playing for a bit, it started to rain, which is not really an unusual occurrence or a problem. So we kept playing, and it started MONSOONING. Our shoes were drenched, so we started playing barefoot. The water was pooling on the field so every time you kicked it (as hard as you could), it would go like 4 feet max. After attempting to play like this for a while, we slowly but surely started all leaving the game to run and slide down the field or cartwheel, and just run around being crazy. It was so fun! It really was an awesome afternoon.
I was also told at one point, "I was going to say that you were the least graceful person I'd ever met, and then you did those cartwheels and redeemed yourself." Me, laughing: "Do you realize I'm a ballet dancer?" Apparently my dancing skillz leave me graceless on the futbol field. :)
On Saturday morning, we left around 7 am to take a bus to Lago de Yojoa. We split up into 2 groups: one for a long hike, and one for a shorter. I was on team short hike. We ended up roaming around a beauuuuutiful archeological park near the lake. It was great, but we were all tired. We came back to our hotel at the D & D Brewery, a really cozy place run by an American, and took naps. I was staying in a cozy little cabin with 3 others, but they were all on the longer hike, so I had the place to myself. I ordered a freshly made limonada, some nachos, and read my book. I then took A HOT SHOWER. It was amazing, really. When team long hike got back, they all showered, and we stayed at the brewery, just hanging out. It was a really cool place. They made all of their food and drinks, so everything was tasty. They had different flavored homemade sodas, strawberry, rasberry, and apricot beers, and lots of other deliciousness. A man who has a bar in San Pedro also led a game of trivia. My team lost in the tie-breaker, but we still got a consolation prize! We only had so much success because of a Honduran named Rafael who joined us at our table. He knew many answers because he had played regularly at the bar in San P! He was also successfully creepy.
If you ever find yourself in Lago de Yojoa, you should stay at the D & D Brewery. Great prices, great people, and a great time is destined to be had by all.
This morning, we had a great breakfast at the brewery, then left to head to the Pulhapanzak Waterfalls. TERRIFYING, BUT AWESOME. We literally climbed up into a waterfall. The water was pouring onto you, so you couldn't see anything. The guide was somewhat of a comfort, but it really was terrifying. We also got to jump into the water from rocks at various heights. At one point, we jumped either 25 feet or 25 meters, the guide had a translation moment and told us both. Awesome, but scary. There is no way this would be advertised/recommended in America for tourists. So scary, but so awesome.
Tomorrow begins the last week of camp! Dinosaur themed! Also, 5 days til I head off to Argentina to meet mi hermano! Shout out to my big bro, who turns 22 on Tuesday!
On Friday, a group of us went to play soccer. After playing for a bit, it started to rain, which is not really an unusual occurrence or a problem. So we kept playing, and it started MONSOONING. Our shoes were drenched, so we started playing barefoot. The water was pooling on the field so every time you kicked it (as hard as you could), it would go like 4 feet max. After attempting to play like this for a while, we slowly but surely started all leaving the game to run and slide down the field or cartwheel, and just run around being crazy. It was so fun! It really was an awesome afternoon.
I was also told at one point, "I was going to say that you were the least graceful person I'd ever met, and then you did those cartwheels and redeemed yourself." Me, laughing: "Do you realize I'm a ballet dancer?" Apparently my dancing skillz leave me graceless on the futbol field. :)
On Saturday morning, we left around 7 am to take a bus to Lago de Yojoa. We split up into 2 groups: one for a long hike, and one for a shorter. I was on team short hike. We ended up roaming around a beauuuuutiful archeological park near the lake. It was great, but we were all tired. We came back to our hotel at the D & D Brewery, a really cozy place run by an American, and took naps. I was staying in a cozy little cabin with 3 others, but they were all on the longer hike, so I had the place to myself. I ordered a freshly made limonada, some nachos, and read my book. I then took A HOT SHOWER. It was amazing, really. When team long hike got back, they all showered, and we stayed at the brewery, just hanging out. It was a really cool place. They made all of their food and drinks, so everything was tasty. They had different flavored homemade sodas, strawberry, rasberry, and apricot beers, and lots of other deliciousness. A man who has a bar in San Pedro also led a game of trivia. My team lost in the tie-breaker, but we still got a consolation prize! We only had so much success because of a Honduran named Rafael who joined us at our table. He knew many answers because he had played regularly at the bar in San P! He was also successfully creepy.
If you ever find yourself in Lago de Yojoa, you should stay at the D & D Brewery. Great prices, great people, and a great time is destined to be had by all.
This morning, we had a great breakfast at the brewery, then left to head to the Pulhapanzak Waterfalls. TERRIFYING, BUT AWESOME. We literally climbed up into a waterfall. The water was pouring onto you, so you couldn't see anything. The guide was somewhat of a comfort, but it really was terrifying. We also got to jump into the water from rocks at various heights. At one point, we jumped either 25 feet or 25 meters, the guide had a translation moment and told us both. Awesome, but scary. There is no way this would be advertised/recommended in America for tourists. So scary, but so awesome.
Tomorrow begins the last week of camp! Dinosaur themed! Also, 5 days til I head off to Argentina to meet mi hermano! Shout out to my big bro, who turns 22 on Tuesday!
Friday, July 22, 2011
Only a week left of camp??
I just finished the third week of camp!
It was a bit of a long week. The kids were especially crazyyy. One student, who is particularly adorable, is also particularly crazy. She actually told one student that she would get her dad to kill him because her father has no problem with killing. Pretty terrible, and a sign of some problems!
But there are the good kids that make up for these issues! One of my favorites is Jasson Alberto. He is ADORABLE, and absolutely gives the best hugs. Have some sadness? He will hug it away.
Today was fun Friday, and so we played water games, basically throwing water all over each other and the students. Fabiola and Irma are (I believe our 7th grade?) helpers who are godsends!!! And Fabiola particularly loves to throw water all over me, which is also fantastic since it's so hot! And since I obviously don't care one bit about my appearance down here.
I'm going to be so confused when I leave Honduras. I'll be in Argentina, where it's winter (and therefore colldddddd!). I won't be sweating all the time! I won't be in exercise clothes all the time! And I might care ever so slightly about my appearance (maybe?). When I get back to the States, who knows what I'm going to do with all the air conditioning! It will be weird to leave! And I only have one more week left in Honduras!
In just a bit, I'm going to play soccer, yay! I've been told that defense is my calling.
That's right, I'm super athletic.
No but seriously. Offense freaks me out. My self-analysis tells me that this is because I am spacially challenged. When someone passes me the ball, I don't know how to see where I am relative to all the people on my team and make something happen! It's stressful. Howeverrrr, on defense, I have no problem holding back and just running at the person with the ball. And I've been told I can kick pretty hard.
That's right, be impressed.
Tomorrow, we'll head to Lago de Yojoa. Google it; there are some BEAUTIFUL pictures on google images. Maybe I'll be able to capture a few while I'm there.
It was a bit of a long week. The kids were especially crazyyy. One student, who is particularly adorable, is also particularly crazy. She actually told one student that she would get her dad to kill him because her father has no problem with killing. Pretty terrible, and a sign of some problems!
But there are the good kids that make up for these issues! One of my favorites is Jasson Alberto. He is ADORABLE, and absolutely gives the best hugs. Have some sadness? He will hug it away.
Today was fun Friday, and so we played water games, basically throwing water all over each other and the students. Fabiola and Irma are (I believe our 7th grade?) helpers who are godsends!!! And Fabiola particularly loves to throw water all over me, which is also fantastic since it's so hot! And since I obviously don't care one bit about my appearance down here.
I'm going to be so confused when I leave Honduras. I'll be in Argentina, where it's winter (and therefore colldddddd!). I won't be sweating all the time! I won't be in exercise clothes all the time! And I might care ever so slightly about my appearance (maybe?). When I get back to the States, who knows what I'm going to do with all the air conditioning! It will be weird to leave! And I only have one more week left in Honduras!
In just a bit, I'm going to play soccer, yay! I've been told that defense is my calling.
That's right, I'm super athletic.
No but seriously. Offense freaks me out. My self-analysis tells me that this is because I am spacially challenged. When someone passes me the ball, I don't know how to see where I am relative to all the people on my team and make something happen! It's stressful. Howeverrrr, on defense, I have no problem holding back and just running at the person with the ball. And I've been told I can kick pretty hard.
That's right, be impressed.
Tomorrow, we'll head to Lago de Yojoa. Google it; there are some BEAUTIFUL pictures on google images. Maybe I'll be able to capture a few while I'm there.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
A Brief Beach Weekend
I have just returned from the beach!
On Friday evening, we stayed in Cofradia, playing an intense game of soccer (my bruise--proof of fierceness--grew larger). That evening, we all took it easy and just hung out, and a few of the year-long teachers for SJBS (who arrived last week) came over to the house to join. I was INCREDIBLY tired, so I went to sleep incredibly early, about 10. Actually, 10 hasn't been that early here. Because the sun is so bright so early in the morning, and because I have to wake up early for camp anyways, I generally go to sleep around 10:30. In any case, I was especially tired on Friday, and learned later (around 2 am) that it was because I was sick.
Before anyone throws me a pity party, don't worry. Having some sort of stomach problems in Honduras has become the norm. We're used to stomach problems of all sorts. But my brief sickness did lead to an uncomfortable Saturday, a loss of appetite, and an uncomfortable bus ride to the BEACH!
On Saturday morning, we left at about 8 am to go to Tela, a beach city a few hours away. After arriving (and after Natalia and Maddie roamed around to find one), we settled into a hostel, put on sunscreen and bathing suits, and went to the beach! The sun is incredibly bright in Tela, so it was very hot. Despite sunscreen application, we all got at least a teensy bit burned. The water felt greeeattttt though. And I LOVE THE BEACH and swimming too¡ (This mac just changed languages and so the punctuation just got a bit funky. I apologize for any confusion this may cause¡)
At one point, a group of us walked down to the pier and ended up jumping off¡ It was great¡ The Hondurans that were jumping too thought it was pretty funny to have some random gringas come join in, which added to the humor. As we walked back down the pier (and when I say pier, imagine one that looks like it might fall apart at any point while you walk down it), a guy in the water yelled, :No No NOO¡ If you leave, I;ll be bored¡: in perfect English. (again, sorry for the punctuation problem¡) He continued by asking for our numbers as we walked away. Later, he walked by our towels on the beach and asked for our numbers again.
That night, we all went out to dinner. We split into 2 groups, and I went with half to a seafood restaurant. I wanted to ear fried shrimp so badly, but due to my recent stomach problems, I (sadly) opted for some pasta...which was still delicious. The beachfront restaurant took FOREVER, so I ended up leaving it with Maddie and Megan to go straight back to the hostel and sleep, rather than joining some others to go out for a bit.
We went back to the beach this morning, then took the bus back to Cofradia. To leave and to come back from often involves a bus change at the terminal in San Pedro Sula. Which happens to have a food court. Which happens to have a pizza hut. I realize that this is not the most intelligent thing to do to a sensitive stomach, but I got a personal cheese pizza, and it was DELICIOUS. Seriously good stuff. So far so good with the stomach issues and cheese pizza¡
On to the next week of camp¡ This week is underwater themed. I;m thinking we;ll be watching Finding Nemo at some point¡
On Friday evening, we stayed in Cofradia, playing an intense game of soccer (my bruise--proof of fierceness--grew larger). That evening, we all took it easy and just hung out, and a few of the year-long teachers for SJBS (who arrived last week) came over to the house to join. I was INCREDIBLY tired, so I went to sleep incredibly early, about 10. Actually, 10 hasn't been that early here. Because the sun is so bright so early in the morning, and because I have to wake up early for camp anyways, I generally go to sleep around 10:30. In any case, I was especially tired on Friday, and learned later (around 2 am) that it was because I was sick.
Before anyone throws me a pity party, don't worry. Having some sort of stomach problems in Honduras has become the norm. We're used to stomach problems of all sorts. But my brief sickness did lead to an uncomfortable Saturday, a loss of appetite, and an uncomfortable bus ride to the BEACH!
On Saturday morning, we left at about 8 am to go to Tela, a beach city a few hours away. After arriving (and after Natalia and Maddie roamed around to find one), we settled into a hostel, put on sunscreen and bathing suits, and went to the beach! The sun is incredibly bright in Tela, so it was very hot. Despite sunscreen application, we all got at least a teensy bit burned. The water felt greeeattttt though. And I LOVE THE BEACH and swimming too¡ (This mac just changed languages and so the punctuation just got a bit funky. I apologize for any confusion this may cause¡)
At one point, a group of us walked down to the pier and ended up jumping off¡ It was great¡ The Hondurans that were jumping too thought it was pretty funny to have some random gringas come join in, which added to the humor. As we walked back down the pier (and when I say pier, imagine one that looks like it might fall apart at any point while you walk down it), a guy in the water yelled, :No No NOO¡ If you leave, I;ll be bored¡: in perfect English. (again, sorry for the punctuation problem¡) He continued by asking for our numbers as we walked away. Later, he walked by our towels on the beach and asked for our numbers again.
That night, we all went out to dinner. We split into 2 groups, and I went with half to a seafood restaurant. I wanted to ear fried shrimp so badly, but due to my recent stomach problems, I (sadly) opted for some pasta...which was still delicious. The beachfront restaurant took FOREVER, so I ended up leaving it with Maddie and Megan to go straight back to the hostel and sleep, rather than joining some others to go out for a bit.
We went back to the beach this morning, then took the bus back to Cofradia. To leave and to come back from often involves a bus change at the terminal in San Pedro Sula. Which happens to have a food court. Which happens to have a pizza hut. I realize that this is not the most intelligent thing to do to a sensitive stomach, but I got a personal cheese pizza, and it was DELICIOUS. Seriously good stuff. So far so good with the stomach issues and cheese pizza¡
On to the next week of camp¡ This week is underwater themed. I;m thinking we;ll be watching Finding Nemo at some point¡
Thursday, July 14, 2011
A Gringa Plays Soccer With Hondurans
So I've now played soccer 4 times. For a non-soccer player to jump in and play with Hondurans and various other gringos (almost all of whom played at least in high school) was bold. Really. I've played 4 times now. The first time was a fail. I ran around the field in a state of confusion and fright.
The second time was even more of a fail. You know that desire to be perfect? Well, it really sucks when you've got that desire and you are TERRIBLE at something. And then even worse, your frustration gets in the way. Well that was me on attempt number 2. Not only was I confused about the rules (I don't think we even got to offsides in my YMCA soccer team...I quit by the age of like 8), but I was also frustrated by being so terrible. And then I got mad at myself for being so frustrated about being so bad. Haha, not fun. But everyone was encouraging, and I finally got back in the game and wasn't quite so caught up in worrying about being terrible.
Times 3 and 4 got progressively better! Now I don't worry about getting in the way...I just run and go for it! I have a few bruises to prove it.
And what better way to avoid going for a jog? My exercising options here are: running, Gillian Michaels workout video (possibly the most ridiculous human being ever), and soccer. Unfortunately, I have to go for a jog today. But Natalia and I go together, and occasionally a little boy on the street runs with us, which is really cute. And encouraging...when a 6 year old is about to beat you, you need to pick up the pace.
We're almost done with the second week of camp! Megan and I definitely have a system now. And our 7th grade helpers Irma and Fabiola are lifesavers. Today, one girl, Pabely, gave me a plastic orange flower ring, and another girl, Kyara, gave me a pink beaded bracelet! So precious!
Not sure what the plan is for this weekend...maybe Cusuco, Lago de Ojoa, or Tela? We'll see, but I'm sure an excellent blog will follow!
The second time was even more of a fail. You know that desire to be perfect? Well, it really sucks when you've got that desire and you are TERRIBLE at something. And then even worse, your frustration gets in the way. Well that was me on attempt number 2. Not only was I confused about the rules (I don't think we even got to offsides in my YMCA soccer team...I quit by the age of like 8), but I was also frustrated by being so terrible. And then I got mad at myself for being so frustrated about being so bad. Haha, not fun. But everyone was encouraging, and I finally got back in the game and wasn't quite so caught up in worrying about being terrible.
Times 3 and 4 got progressively better! Now I don't worry about getting in the way...I just run and go for it! I have a few bruises to prove it.
And what better way to avoid going for a jog? My exercising options here are: running, Gillian Michaels workout video (possibly the most ridiculous human being ever), and soccer. Unfortunately, I have to go for a jog today. But Natalia and I go together, and occasionally a little boy on the street runs with us, which is really cute. And encouraging...when a 6 year old is about to beat you, you need to pick up the pace.
We're almost done with the second week of camp! Megan and I definitely have a system now. And our 7th grade helpers Irma and Fabiola are lifesavers. Today, one girl, Pabely, gave me a plastic orange flower ring, and another girl, Kyara, gave me a pink beaded bracelet! So precious!
Not sure what the plan is for this weekend...maybe Cusuco, Lago de Ojoa, or Tela? We'll see, but I'm sure an excellent blog will follow!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
First Week of Camp and a Weekend in Copan!
Well, I survived the first week of camp! On Monday, the children arrived, and Megan and I were shocked into action. Really, we had some figuring out to do the first day. We had anticipated about 25 children (some from San Jeronimo--in Cofradia--and some from Vida Nueva, a school that BECA is just starting to work with), but instead we had a few more than 35. And because Vida Nueva had just begun its bilingual program, these second graders (making up about 25 of the 35 students) speak NO english. Our plans of speaking only English went down the drain pretty quickly, when the kids were begging me to go buy a snack at a nearby pupuseria, but couldn't understand why I said no, I gave in and responded in Spanish. As the days went on, we realized more and more how to handle such a large group of students, with so few understanding English. Gone was our total dedication to the weekly themes (space last, safari next), although we have still followed as best as possible, and gone was our dedication to English only. We also realized that because simple instructions were hard to follow, and because the group is so very large, that we'd need to take all of our plans down a notch.
The week got progressively less crazy, although we are definitely very worn out by the end of every camp day (9-12:00). Before camp, we have a walking caravan of volunteers and students going to school. It's cute, and so are the kids, but it takes a while because the kids are so slow, and we get to school already quite sweaty! After camp, we have an hour break, and someone (I think a mother of a student) brings the volunteers delicious food. Lots of rice, beans, egg, vegetables, tortillas (soooo much better than the US version), etc. From 1-3, we tutor various students. I'm tutoring a 6th grader in math and english and a 4th grader afterwards in math and english as well. It's interesting tutoring these kids. They really need my help, and it's nerve-wracking to know that I am the one who will come up with the lesson plans for Michael to learn long division and that I am the one who will figure out a way to help Efferson work through his speech impediment to pronounce English words. The speech especially worries me. I will do my best, and I've told Efferson's mother that I will help him, but I have no speech therapy training. At all.
After tutoring, the walking caravan returns home, usually meaning that I'm back around 4. The day continues with things like a run with Natalia (and Nolbin, our 8ish year old friend who sells bottles on the street and likes to race us down the boulevard and back), a Gillian Michaels workout video with Maddie, preparing for the next days camp and tutoring, and preparing and cleaning up dinner.
It's a full day. And after waking up around 7 every day, I generally crash around 10:30.
This weekend, a group of us took a break from the heat of Cofradia and traveled up the mountains to Copan. We stayed in a fantastic hostel for just under $5 per person the first night. Sarah Hamilton and I had our own room, and the shower was nearby. We went to dinner at a restaurant right next door (oooh, a restaurant!), showered, changed, and went out for the night. Copan has a fun nightlife--very different from the nonexistent one in Cofradia, since it caters much more to tourists because of the ruins.
The next morning, we woke up early to go eat pancakes at Max (SJBS graduate and general friend to Cofradia's gringos)'s cousins house. The pancakes (with mantequilla and honey) were great, but we were all going off of about 4.5 hours of sleep, so we weren't particularly talkative. At Max's cousin's house, we met a peace corps volunteer who is living with them, engineering a water system for Copan.
We then went to the Copan Ruins! They were beautiful, and well worth the visit. It was interesting to learn about the culture and religion of the Mayans that lived there. Rejjie and I decided to pay the extra to see the tunnels that show some of the temples that are underground--Mayans would cover the temples to preserve them after a ruler died. All very cool!
After the ruins, we made the last minute decision to stay one more night in Copan! Max's cousin invited us to stay at her house; her hospitality was limitless it seemed! So that night, we checked out the hot springs about an hour and a half from Copan. Kyla, the peace corps volunteer, let me and Sarah H borrow bathing suits! Ben, BECA's administrator, met up with 4 of us to go. He was in Copan visiting a friend from college. On the back of a truck, we went up the mountain to the ridiculously named Luna Jaguar Spa Resort. It was incredible. The ride up the mountain was beautiful, and the area around the springs was as well. There were several different springs. One was a mud bath, one was a natural foot massage, and most of the rest varied in heat, from luke warm bath water all the way up to a far far too hot bath water. I didn't make it into the hottest! It really was relaxing though, and because we were there for the 2 hours before they closed, it emptied out, and we were the only people there...enjoying the hot springs in the darkness! After not having a hot shower for a week and a half, it was wonderful!
On the ride back down the mountain, we got to watch lightning light up the whole sky, and it was beautiful! When it started to rain, though, it became less ideal!
When we got back to the house around 9, we were EXHAUSTED and cold from the rainy ride down the mountain. I showered in a shower that had heat! Apparently, Max's cousin's boyfriend's aunt (complicated, I know), had designed the house to be very American, so it had space for a washer and dryer (they didn't actually have one) and had hot water! We had a big group dinner with homemade tajadas (plantain chips), and after, I was so tired, that I fell asleep right next to a speaker playing Justin Timberlake. About an hour later, everyone else was tired as well. Kyla let us borrow t-shirts to sleep in, and we all went to sleep on several mattresses on the floor of the living area. Kyla was so nice, and insisted that this was totally peace corps style!
We woke up early again this morning to catch the 7 am bus back to Cofradia! The heat difference is amazing in Cofradia--it's so much hotter because we aren't up the mountain! Nevertheless, it's starting to feel like home!
Now on to planning next week's camp!
Sorry for the extremely long, extremely detailed account of camp and the weekend. I try not to bore my wonderful readers, but sometimes, it happens.
The week got progressively less crazy, although we are definitely very worn out by the end of every camp day (9-12:00). Before camp, we have a walking caravan of volunteers and students going to school. It's cute, and so are the kids, but it takes a while because the kids are so slow, and we get to school already quite sweaty! After camp, we have an hour break, and someone (I think a mother of a student) brings the volunteers delicious food. Lots of rice, beans, egg, vegetables, tortillas (soooo much better than the US version), etc. From 1-3, we tutor various students. I'm tutoring a 6th grader in math and english and a 4th grader afterwards in math and english as well. It's interesting tutoring these kids. They really need my help, and it's nerve-wracking to know that I am the one who will come up with the lesson plans for Michael to learn long division and that I am the one who will figure out a way to help Efferson work through his speech impediment to pronounce English words. The speech especially worries me. I will do my best, and I've told Efferson's mother that I will help him, but I have no speech therapy training. At all.
After tutoring, the walking caravan returns home, usually meaning that I'm back around 4. The day continues with things like a run with Natalia (and Nolbin, our 8ish year old friend who sells bottles on the street and likes to race us down the boulevard and back), a Gillian Michaels workout video with Maddie, preparing for the next days camp and tutoring, and preparing and cleaning up dinner.
It's a full day. And after waking up around 7 every day, I generally crash around 10:30.
This weekend, a group of us took a break from the heat of Cofradia and traveled up the mountains to Copan. We stayed in a fantastic hostel for just under $5 per person the first night. Sarah Hamilton and I had our own room, and the shower was nearby. We went to dinner at a restaurant right next door (oooh, a restaurant!), showered, changed, and went out for the night. Copan has a fun nightlife--very different from the nonexistent one in Cofradia, since it caters much more to tourists because of the ruins.
The next morning, we woke up early to go eat pancakes at Max (SJBS graduate and general friend to Cofradia's gringos)'s cousins house. The pancakes (with mantequilla and honey) were great, but we were all going off of about 4.5 hours of sleep, so we weren't particularly talkative. At Max's cousin's house, we met a peace corps volunteer who is living with them, engineering a water system for Copan.
We then went to the Copan Ruins! They were beautiful, and well worth the visit. It was interesting to learn about the culture and religion of the Mayans that lived there. Rejjie and I decided to pay the extra to see the tunnels that show some of the temples that are underground--Mayans would cover the temples to preserve them after a ruler died. All very cool!
After the ruins, we made the last minute decision to stay one more night in Copan! Max's cousin invited us to stay at her house; her hospitality was limitless it seemed! So that night, we checked out the hot springs about an hour and a half from Copan. Kyla, the peace corps volunteer, let me and Sarah H borrow bathing suits! Ben, BECA's administrator, met up with 4 of us to go. He was in Copan visiting a friend from college. On the back of a truck, we went up the mountain to the ridiculously named Luna Jaguar Spa Resort. It was incredible. The ride up the mountain was beautiful, and the area around the springs was as well. There were several different springs. One was a mud bath, one was a natural foot massage, and most of the rest varied in heat, from luke warm bath water all the way up to a far far too hot bath water. I didn't make it into the hottest! It really was relaxing though, and because we were there for the 2 hours before they closed, it emptied out, and we were the only people there...enjoying the hot springs in the darkness! After not having a hot shower for a week and a half, it was wonderful!
On the ride back down the mountain, we got to watch lightning light up the whole sky, and it was beautiful! When it started to rain, though, it became less ideal!
When we got back to the house around 9, we were EXHAUSTED and cold from the rainy ride down the mountain. I showered in a shower that had heat! Apparently, Max's cousin's boyfriend's aunt (complicated, I know), had designed the house to be very American, so it had space for a washer and dryer (they didn't actually have one) and had hot water! We had a big group dinner with homemade tajadas (plantain chips), and after, I was so tired, that I fell asleep right next to a speaker playing Justin Timberlake. About an hour later, everyone else was tired as well. Kyla let us borrow t-shirts to sleep in, and we all went to sleep on several mattresses on the floor of the living area. Kyla was so nice, and insisted that this was totally peace corps style!
We woke up early again this morning to catch the 7 am bus back to Cofradia! The heat difference is amazing in Cofradia--it's so much hotter because we aren't up the mountain! Nevertheless, it's starting to feel like home!
Now on to planning next week's camp!
Sorry for the extremely long, extremely detailed account of camp and the weekend. I try not to bore my wonderful readers, but sometimes, it happens.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Staring
Have you ever wondered why Americans find it inappropriate to stare? I mean really...you could analyze so much more if it was okay to just stare at a person. In Honduras, they don't find this to be a problem, PARTICULARLY if you're a gringo. It's kinda funny how much attention you get. Envision a car driving by with an entire family. Literally every person in the car is staring right at you, right into your eyes, without the slightest hesitation. They might even be doing so hanging out the windows. They also might start making kissy noises if you're a gringo. They might say, "I love you forever, baby." They might say, "Bye-bye!" My particular favorite has been, "hola muneca (insert squiggly line over the n)!" A muneca is a doll, by the way. I've never felt so popular in my life!
Really, though, it's funny. And it isn't threatening, so don't get worried. The kissy noises aren't exactly appropriate, but the staring really is just like "oh look, gringos, let me analyze them."
I haven't ventured out alone yet, but if/when I do...and if/when I do so wearing an outfit that doesn't scream gringo (i.e. running shorts and tank tops), I wonder if I'll get as much attention...just because I've got dark hair, not super pale skin, and dark eyes. Maybe it's believable that I'm not a gringo? We'll see...
On another note, it's hot as hell. Right now, I'm sitting directly next to a fan, so I'm doing okay, but if you go an hour without sweating, it's a good day. Cold shower every day=heaven. I do always think of Charlotte in the Sex in the City movie whenever I do shower. There's a scene when she goes to Mexico and is SUPER paranoid about the water. Just as she's enjoying the shower, she opens her mouth and drinks a bit. She proceeds to have serious(ly hilarious) stomach problems. It also is kinda sad, though, when you shower and watch your tan go down the drain....i.e. all of the dust that has piled up on your skin. :)
But seriously, these aren't major complaints. It's great here! I mean, it's hot, but my body's getting used to it! And why do we always need to look so clean in the states anyways? Who're we trying to impress?
We started doing some major planning for camp today. I'm working with Megan Fernandez with one of the first and second grade groups. Supposedly, this age is the best if you want to improve your listening ability with Spanish, because they'll be speaking spanglish. Our camp theme is Camp Adventure, and this next week will be space! Good thing I took astronomy and learned so much about the planets!
We're going into San Pedro Sula tomorrow to buy some supplies and check things out. There's a water park there (not super fancy, but I love water parks!!), that no lie, I really want to check out. There's also a big carnival in San P that apparently has a rodeo to end things this weekend.
I'm about to head out to play my first game of Honduran futbol with some other counselors and some Hondurans!
Sorry for the long post. Hope it was entertaining. :)
Really, though, it's funny. And it isn't threatening, so don't get worried. The kissy noises aren't exactly appropriate, but the staring really is just like "oh look, gringos, let me analyze them."
I haven't ventured out alone yet, but if/when I do...and if/when I do so wearing an outfit that doesn't scream gringo (i.e. running shorts and tank tops), I wonder if I'll get as much attention...just because I've got dark hair, not super pale skin, and dark eyes. Maybe it's believable that I'm not a gringo? We'll see...
On another note, it's hot as hell. Right now, I'm sitting directly next to a fan, so I'm doing okay, but if you go an hour without sweating, it's a good day. Cold shower every day=heaven. I do always think of Charlotte in the Sex in the City movie whenever I do shower. There's a scene when she goes to Mexico and is SUPER paranoid about the water. Just as she's enjoying the shower, she opens her mouth and drinks a bit. She proceeds to have serious(ly hilarious) stomach problems. It also is kinda sad, though, when you shower and watch your tan go down the drain....i.e. all of the dust that has piled up on your skin. :)
But seriously, these aren't major complaints. It's great here! I mean, it's hot, but my body's getting used to it! And why do we always need to look so clean in the states anyways? Who're we trying to impress?
We started doing some major planning for camp today. I'm working with Megan Fernandez with one of the first and second grade groups. Supposedly, this age is the best if you want to improve your listening ability with Spanish, because they'll be speaking spanglish. Our camp theme is Camp Adventure, and this next week will be space! Good thing I took astronomy and learned so much about the planets!
We're going into San Pedro Sula tomorrow to buy some supplies and check things out. There's a water park there (not super fancy, but I love water parks!!), that no lie, I really want to check out. There's also a big carnival in San P that apparently has a rodeo to end things this weekend.
I'm about to head out to play my first game of Honduran futbol with some other counselors and some Hondurans!
Sorry for the long post. Hope it was entertaining. :)
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Bienvenidos a Cofradia!
I made it to Honduras!
After an uneventful 3.5 hour flight (next to a friendly man who spoke no English, but who made no effort to enunciate or slow down his Spanish), I made it to Honduras! Customs was rather unorganized, but I survived. Laurence (BECA's director) picked up me, Sarah Hamilton (my Honduran roommate and incoming freshman at Davidson), and Robel (our lone male volunteer) and we drove about 40 min to Cofradia.
Cofradia is so colorful! Everything is painted some beautiful color, including the house that I'm staying in. Shout out to Julia Richardson for the watch she gave me for my birthday that is coming in handy already. Very few clocks around. It's hot as hell. Actually, not that much hotter than Covington, but no air conditioning, so you sweat all day long. On my first day, the power and water went out for a bit (gotta dive right into the fun!). No worries, though. Also all showers are cold...which is rather refreshing. We have fans all over the house, so I managed to sleep through the night and feel clean after my shower until this morning!
Sorry for the spazztic blog posts! They're probably going to be like that, because I'm trying not to hoard Michelle's computer for too long. But when we start camp on Monday, I can calm down and use the computers at school!
Oh, also, milk is in a bag here. I've had boxed milk in Spain....but didn't know about bagged milk....still tastes good though!
Today, we're hanging out and shopping for groceries, getting to know each other, etc. We're also going to check out the school. We'll start planning camp themes tomorrow!
Love you all!
After an uneventful 3.5 hour flight (next to a friendly man who spoke no English, but who made no effort to enunciate or slow down his Spanish), I made it to Honduras! Customs was rather unorganized, but I survived. Laurence (BECA's director) picked up me, Sarah Hamilton (my Honduran roommate and incoming freshman at Davidson), and Robel (our lone male volunteer) and we drove about 40 min to Cofradia.
Cofradia is so colorful! Everything is painted some beautiful color, including the house that I'm staying in. Shout out to Julia Richardson for the watch she gave me for my birthday that is coming in handy already. Very few clocks around. It's hot as hell. Actually, not that much hotter than Covington, but no air conditioning, so you sweat all day long. On my first day, the power and water went out for a bit (gotta dive right into the fun!). No worries, though. Also all showers are cold...which is rather refreshing. We have fans all over the house, so I managed to sleep through the night and feel clean after my shower until this morning!
Sorry for the spazztic blog posts! They're probably going to be like that, because I'm trying not to hoard Michelle's computer for too long. But when we start camp on Monday, I can calm down and use the computers at school!
Oh, also, milk is in a bag here. I've had boxed milk in Spain....but didn't know about bagged milk....still tastes good though!
Today, we're hanging out and shopping for groceries, getting to know each other, etc. We're also going to check out the school. We'll start planning camp themes tomorrow!
Love you all!
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