A ROLLERCOASTER OF EMOTIONS…
First off, I feel like I should apologize to anyone who has talked to me recently- I’ve been in the weirdest mood of my life! And it’s been a little crazy- kind of a mixed between dead tired, homesick, really happy, and sort of stressed out. It makes for a fun combo- trust me. Living and studying in another country really runs you through the gamut as far as emotions are concerned- you love where you are but some days you have a harder time understanding than others and that’s hard, places are familiar but no place is home, and people are friends, but unless you came with someone, these people aren’t your closest friends. And surprise, surprise, I miss my Mama and Daddy and brother! It’s hard when I only get to talk to them once a week, if that. I don’t know- it’s weird and it sounds silly. I’m not really sure why I’m posting this on here, but now everyone knows where I’m at- so to speak, haha. And thank you to Josh Kercho (who is not reading this, but if any of you know him, pass along the message) for introducing me to Matt Chandler’s sermons. Chandler is like Dane Cook but in preacher form. He’s wonderful, and I’m hopelessly addicted to his sermons. I listen to them all the time. They’re keeping me sane, to an extent.
CINQUETERRE, ITALY- where in the world, or rather Italy, is that?
Okay, so we had our first holiday weekend and Amanda and I headed to Cinqueterre, Italy. For those of you who are scratching your heads wondering where that is, it’s on the north western coast, just south of Pisa. It’s five small towns built into the rocky coast line. The towns have only been reachable by land within in the last 50 years- previously, they were only reachable by boat. They are connected by paths, the most famous of which is the “Via Dell’ Amore” or “street of love”. This path connects Riomaggiore to Manarola. The path is lined with graffiti proclaiming the love of thousands of couples. Once upon a time (yes, story time!), the walk was the only way young people could meet from the two towns and that’s where they had “dates” and fell in love. Anyway, it’s beautiful, and at the end of the walk, couples “lock” their love on the railing with actual locks. It’s a really neat thing… I liked it a lot. The towns are beautiful, and now they are connected by local train. The place is off the beaten path, and until recently, has not been a tourist destination. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a break from life. It’s a place out of a fairy tale, a place trapped in time with no desire to escape or change. The CT is a place without the hurry of real life, a place where young adults come to take a break from school and traveling, it’s a place to rest, a place to revitalize the soul.
OUR ADVENTURE BEGINS- getting to the 5 Terre…
Amanda and I rode the bus from Bilbao to Madrid on Thursday to catch our flight from Madrid to Milan. The bus ride was uneventful and we were able to sleep and listen to our iPods sin problemas. We arrived in Madrid with some time to kill, but we headed to the airport anyway (we’ve done Madrid twice before) to explore terminals 1-3 (we explored T4 on our way to Switzerland). We walked around and found a place to sit and break out our rations- a box of cookies, granola bars, oranges, and a tortilla con patata (my favorite!!!!). We had about 3 hours to kill before we needed to check in, and for real, I looked at my watch after what I thought was about 30 or 45 minutes to only to realize that it was time to go! We headed up to check in only to learn that Travelocity had messed up our reservation and Amanda’s ticket was a child’s ticket. Thankfully, the fares were the same price and she only had to pay 15 euros to have the ticket reissued. Anyway, we checked in and had a 1.75 euro chicken sandwich from the greatest American restaurant, McDonald’s, and waited to fly to Milan. We arrived in Milan and caught a cab to the train station- thinking that we would make the 11:20pm train. HAHA- CHISTE GRANDE! Trenitalia’s website did not have correct information on it, and the next train to Monterosso was at 6am. Our cab driver didn’t want to leave us at Milan Central Station, but we told him that we were poor college students and stayed anyway. We hung out in the freezing cold station, moving every 20 minutes or so and keeping watch over ourselves and each other. Finally, we saw a couple and a woman sitting next to a wall. We went over and sat next to them, and shortly after that, a policeman came up. I showed him our ticket (thinking that we needed it to be on the platform), and he escorted Amanda and I to a heated room with benches and security guards and sleeping people! I actually slept, and it was wonderful and I had some crazy dreams- if only I could remember what they were. We boarded the train and slept almost the entire three hour trip to Monterosso.
THE LORD IS GOOD- and upon stepping off the train, we saw the Mediterranean…
I thought I was going to cry- we were so tired and our trip had, up to that point, been a crazy logistical nightmare. We stayed on the beach for about 45 minutes before purchasing our Cinqueterre cards (access to all hiking trails, trains, and buses- a wonderful deal) and heading to Riomaggiore to find a cheap place to sleep. We arrived in Riomaggiore and were greeted by pirates who were eager to offer us a cheap place to sleep. We found a place with MarMar rooms for 20 euros a night. The walk up smelled of wine, but the place was great- I would definitely stay there again. We put our stuff away and began to wander. We walked the Via Dell’ Amore and hit up a beach in Corniglia- the weather was perfect! We ate a late lunch/dinner at a pizzeria in Vernazza. The food was so good and wonderfully cheap! We watched an amazing sunset and headed to our room. We were asleep by 7:30pm- we hadn’t really slept in about 36 hours.
THE STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN DOES EXIST- it’s called the hike through 5 Terre…
Amanda and I set out to hike through all five towns- everyone there calls it “THE” hike. We took at train from Riomaggiore to Monterosso as Rick Steves recommends doing “THE” hike backwards. I’m glad we read his stuff on Cinqueterre- his information was crazy helpful, especially the info about the hike. Anyway, the first leg was hard! Monterosso to Vernazza is all stairs, and really, it’s pretty much straight up. The views are gorgeous, as you hike along the rocky coast line. There were plenty of people on the trail, so we were “forced” to take lots of breaks and drink lots of water. We made it to Vernazza around lunch time and hit up the same pizzeria for some fried bread (I can never remember the name of the stuff but it’s wonderful!). I had normale and with pesto, while Amanda tried the normale and with sun dried tomatoes. All were wonderful. We walked around Vernazza for a little bit- read: enjoyed the Mediterranean and rested. We found the trail marker and began the second leg of our hike- Vernazza to Corniglia. While this leg had plenty of stairs too, we found it to be easier but still crowded. The scenery just got prettier as we passed the vineyards on the hillsides. We arrived in Corniglia, and did just as Rick Steves suggested- tried the gelato made from the local honey at the only gelateria in town. He wins again, it was wonderful! Then, we headed from Corniglia to Manarola- a very easy hike. As we arrived in Manarola, the fishermen were lowering the boats in for the day. We stopped and watched them, and before we knew it, the sun started to go down! We watched a gorgeous sunset in Manarola before skipping down the Via Dell’ Amore to Riomaggiore. We watched the stars come out and headed back to our place in Riomaggiore to shower before dinner. We showered and went on a search for real Italian food. We found lasagna and ravioli and crepes (with Nutella!) and some crazy company. While we were eating (on a terrace outside), we met some Australians, a crazy Tasmanian called Tazzy, and two other Americans. All were close to our age with incredible stories to tell. One of the Americans, Jason, is 22 and traveling the world. He fights forest fires across the US (although he left before the San Diego fires got huge) and wanted an adventure. Another crazy thing about this dude- he was one of the first people down to New Orleans after Katrina, and I wish y’all could hear him talk about the things he saw- a total war zone littered with dead bodies. Clearly, this guy was really interesting to talk to. His journey started in London and is moving his way eastward across Europe to Athens, Cairo, and Thailand (but he’s skipping Spain- shame, shame, SHAME!). His adventure will end in December after some time in Australia. He taught me how to use the “manual” setting on my camera, and this made me very happy. Anyway, we chatted it up with these cool kids for several hours (they were all sorely disappointed that I did not have a deep south accent… ) and then headed back to our place to get some sleep.
WE HAVE RADARS FOR PARKS…
We caught the 6:05am train from Riomaggiore to Monterosso and the 6:55 train from Monterosso to Milan. While in Monterosso, we got yelled at by an angry Italian man for sitting at his tables eating cookies- we were 2 of 4 people at this place. Anyway, we said buenos dias to our amigo and moved down to the beach to watch the sunrise. It was gorgeous! We arrived in Milan with several hours to spare before our flight, so we explored the city for a little bit. Milan is okay- parts are pretty. We found a park with a castle. The leaves were really pretty. We ate some of the cookies from our box. We finally headed to the airport, and wait, when did we get our gate number? 10 minutes prior to boarding. We rode the tram to the plane, boarded, and took off. We arrived in Madrid and headed to the bus station. We made it in time to catch the 7pm bus. We were dead tired on the bus, but our bus driver was determined to prevent us from sleeping. For real, the guy blasted the radio (Spanish radios all play American pop music/ early 90s music) for the ENTIRE bus ride until we stopped. When we got back on the bus after our 30 minute stop, a Spanish woman asked him to turn his dance party down. Finally, we were able to sleep. We made it back to Bilbao around 12:30am and waited in line for a cab. I slept at Amanda’s host family’s apartment since the metro was closed and I am too cheap/ poor to pay for a bajillion dollar cab ride from San Mames to Las Arenas (a 45 METRO ride). Amanda and I slept and then headed to school for her 9am class and my 10am class.
OVERALL…
Overall, it was a great weekend. Logistically, it was a nightmare and I wouldn’t do that part again. I was blessed with a great travel buddy, and we kept each other’s sanity when we both wanted to break down in Milan Central Station on Thursday night (yes, we went through every guy we’ve every liked, relived every sappy sweet moment we’ve had in our lives, etc.)We had a blast in CT and we met some really cool people. Everyone has a story to tell, and traveling through Europe as a college student has been a great way to hear a few. I’m headed to Germany this weekend, sadly, without Amanda. I’m going with another friend and I’m excited- I know we’ll have a blast. More on that adventure next Monday…
THIS WEEK’S SET OF SHOUTOUTS- in case anyone is really reading this… haha.
Palace ladies- you’re in my thoughts and prayers daily- the purple beads come with me everywhere. I love all of you!
Amigos- I can’t wait to see yall when I get back to the states! And I mean all of my friends across the US- from Arizona (JULIE!) to Texas to Mississippi and everywhere in between.
Mama and Daddy- I love you and I miss you and I can’t wait to talk to you soon! Tell Grandaddy that I love him and I miss him and that I can’t wait to see him when I get home!
Robbie- I wish you were here with me! You’d be so much fun to travel with… someday, we’ll do Europe together, someday. In the more recent future, can we just hang out? Over Christmas break, please? I’ll fight Cameron and Albert for time with you… haha, but seriously. Good luck on Friday night!
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
estoy enfadado con Barcelona!
Okay, so this is definitely my favorite European city so far… we had a blast!!! I went with some of the girls from my program who know people studying in Barcelona this semester- we got a pseudo local taste of the place which was wonderful!
Barcelona is located in Catalonia (on the Mediterranean) where they speak catalán (a mix between French and Castilian Spanish). It’s the same deal as the el país vasco where they speak eurskara (where I live in Spain). Gaudí had a huge influence on the architecture, and the buildings show it… check out my pictures on facebook to see exactly what I mean. We stayed at Centric Point hostel near Plaça Catalunya and Las Ramblas (the famous street!) and Passeig de Gràcia. The place was nice (for a hostel), cheap, and in a perfect location! Plaça Catalunya is in the heart of Barcelona.
WHERE WE WENT…
DAY 1
We arrived late Thursday night and went to bed almost as soon as we got there. The next day we ate breakfast at our hostel (I love it when b’fast is included!), got a map, and headed out. We ventured down Las Ramblas first. Las Ramblas is the most famous street in the city. There are all kinds of crazy street vendors and performers and shops. They sell pigeons (why you would want one is beyond me…), rabbits, touristy stuff, etc. along the street. The place is crazy but wonderful! The street leads to Plaça Portal de la Pau, where the Christopher Columbus monument is located. We stopped and hung out by the Mediterranean, which is a gorgeous blue right now! We visited the Gothic Quarter and Catedral de Barcelona, which was started in the 13th century and finished in the 15th century. The church was under construction when we were there. We saw the outside, and it’s gorgeous. The Gothic Quarter is very “old Europe” with narrow streets and tall buildings. The rest of the day was spent wandering aimlessly around Barcelona (Barceloneta, The Eixample, etc. ) and hitting up every market we saw. I love European markets- you can find all kinds of stuff in them and really get a sense of the local culture. On Friday night, we ate a Citric, a really great restaurant that serves all kinds of stuff. We met up with some of the girls’ friends and went to several really neat places along Las Ramblas, etc. The only bad part of the night was the rain, and we got drenched. My jeans were not dry by the next day.
DAY 2
After breakfast, we were on a mission to find “The Bagel Shop”. Yes, that’s the real name of the place and it exists off Las Ramblas in Barcelona. We found the Bagel Shop only to hear some terrible news- they didn’t have any bagels, but if we came back in an hour or so, they would. We headed back to the Mercat St. Joseph for some fresh fruit! We bought some fruit salad and headed back to Plaça Portal de la Pau to enjoy our fruit and the incredible weather. After we finished our fruit, we headed back to the Bagel Shop and purchased our bagels. We took them to Parc Güell, a beautiful park designed by Gaudí. The place resembles something out of a Dr. Suess book. It’s crazy fun! We ate our wonderful bagels and 3 or 4 hours just hanging out at this place- like I said, the weather was perfect! We met up with another one of the girls’ friends and he took us to Olympic Stadium, where we got in for free- some sort of children’s festival was going on there.
We also went to Montjuïc (the main sight for the ’92 Olympic games) at Plaça d’Espanya to watch the light show- the fountains light up to music and it’s really cool! I sound like a little kid, but it was awesome! I was freezing though because I was in shorts- my jeans were still wet from the night before and I only brought one pair. That night, we went to the beaches at Vila Olímpica and met up with some more college kids on a quest to find the 3rd World Series game. We found the game at an Irish Pub and had a blast watching the Red Sox win again- and former Ole Miss player Seth Smith get a hit for the Rockies.
DAY 3
We missed the free breakfast, so we hit up Dunkin Donuts for a taste of the states. We took our time on Sunday. Many shopes are closed, even in touristy Barcelona so we strolled through the city and it was wonderful. We visited the Sagrada Família, Gaudí’s masterpiece. We headed to Vila Olímpica, well actually we meant to go to the Olympic Village, but ended up at Vila Olímpica, a mistake but not a bad one. The beaches are gorgeous and I found plenty of sea glass- something I can’t find on my beloved Emerald Coast beaches. We ate tapas/real food at a local place, and it was good and very cheap. We headed to the Barcelona soccer stadium, hoping to catch that night’s game. Turns out, we bought tickets for the “B” team game. Oh well, we had fun anyway. I finally found churros- I love them. They’re wonderful, and I’ll tell that to anyone- despite what my friends might say. haha. We ate dinner at a Pita Inn, and the food was excellent. I really like pitas- they take me back to my time spent in the San Juan mountains, eating hobo packs. Yum!!! We headed back to the hostel, and I went to sleep while everyone else headed back to the Irish Pub to watch the Sox win it all!
OVERALL-
I love Barcelona, a lot. I’ll go back in a heartbeat, so if any of you decide to plan a trip their, let me know because I want to go with you! We had a blast and I got back just in time for class on Monday morning. The weather was great- a nice change from the rainy grossness of the Basque country. Anyway, I’m headed to Cinqueterra, Italy, this weekend and I’m stoked. Next weekend, I’ll be in Pamplona and maybe Burgos? Who knows. Anyway, I love all of you! Robbie- congrats on that TD pass and the MA High School Heismann nomination- I’m proud of you, little brother!
Barcelona is located in Catalonia (on the Mediterranean) where they speak catalán (a mix between French and Castilian Spanish). It’s the same deal as the el país vasco where they speak eurskara (where I live in Spain). Gaudí had a huge influence on the architecture, and the buildings show it… check out my pictures on facebook to see exactly what I mean. We stayed at Centric Point hostel near Plaça Catalunya and Las Ramblas (the famous street!) and Passeig de Gràcia. The place was nice (for a hostel), cheap, and in a perfect location! Plaça Catalunya is in the heart of Barcelona.
WHERE WE WENT…
DAY 1
We arrived late Thursday night and went to bed almost as soon as we got there. The next day we ate breakfast at our hostel (I love it when b’fast is included!), got a map, and headed out. We ventured down Las Ramblas first. Las Ramblas is the most famous street in the city. There are all kinds of crazy street vendors and performers and shops. They sell pigeons (why you would want one is beyond me…), rabbits, touristy stuff, etc. along the street. The place is crazy but wonderful! The street leads to Plaça Portal de la Pau, where the Christopher Columbus monument is located. We stopped and hung out by the Mediterranean, which is a gorgeous blue right now! We visited the Gothic Quarter and Catedral de Barcelona, which was started in the 13th century and finished in the 15th century. The church was under construction when we were there. We saw the outside, and it’s gorgeous. The Gothic Quarter is very “old Europe” with narrow streets and tall buildings. The rest of the day was spent wandering aimlessly around Barcelona (Barceloneta, The Eixample, etc. ) and hitting up every market we saw. I love European markets- you can find all kinds of stuff in them and really get a sense of the local culture. On Friday night, we ate a Citric, a really great restaurant that serves all kinds of stuff. We met up with some of the girls’ friends and went to several really neat places along Las Ramblas, etc. The only bad part of the night was the rain, and we got drenched. My jeans were not dry by the next day.
DAY 2
After breakfast, we were on a mission to find “The Bagel Shop”. Yes, that’s the real name of the place and it exists off Las Ramblas in Barcelona. We found the Bagel Shop only to hear some terrible news- they didn’t have any bagels, but if we came back in an hour or so, they would. We headed back to the Mercat St. Joseph for some fresh fruit! We bought some fruit salad and headed back to Plaça Portal de la Pau to enjoy our fruit and the incredible weather. After we finished our fruit, we headed back to the Bagel Shop and purchased our bagels. We took them to Parc Güell, a beautiful park designed by Gaudí. The place resembles something out of a Dr. Suess book. It’s crazy fun! We ate our wonderful bagels and 3 or 4 hours just hanging out at this place- like I said, the weather was perfect! We met up with another one of the girls’ friends and he took us to Olympic Stadium, where we got in for free- some sort of children’s festival was going on there.
We also went to Montjuïc (the main sight for the ’92 Olympic games) at Plaça d’Espanya to watch the light show- the fountains light up to music and it’s really cool! I sound like a little kid, but it was awesome! I was freezing though because I was in shorts- my jeans were still wet from the night before and I only brought one pair. That night, we went to the beaches at Vila Olímpica and met up with some more college kids on a quest to find the 3rd World Series game. We found the game at an Irish Pub and had a blast watching the Red Sox win again- and former Ole Miss player Seth Smith get a hit for the Rockies.
DAY 3
We missed the free breakfast, so we hit up Dunkin Donuts for a taste of the states. We took our time on Sunday. Many shopes are closed, even in touristy Barcelona so we strolled through the city and it was wonderful. We visited the Sagrada Família, Gaudí’s masterpiece. We headed to Vila Olímpica, well actually we meant to go to the Olympic Village, but ended up at Vila Olímpica, a mistake but not a bad one. The beaches are gorgeous and I found plenty of sea glass- something I can’t find on my beloved Emerald Coast beaches. We ate tapas/real food at a local place, and it was good and very cheap. We headed to the Barcelona soccer stadium, hoping to catch that night’s game. Turns out, we bought tickets for the “B” team game. Oh well, we had fun anyway. I finally found churros- I love them. They’re wonderful, and I’ll tell that to anyone- despite what my friends might say. haha. We ate dinner at a Pita Inn, and the food was excellent. I really like pitas- they take me back to my time spent in the San Juan mountains, eating hobo packs. Yum!!! We headed back to the hostel, and I went to sleep while everyone else headed back to the Irish Pub to watch the Sox win it all!
OVERALL-
I love Barcelona, a lot. I’ll go back in a heartbeat, so if any of you decide to plan a trip their, let me know because I want to go with you! We had a blast and I got back just in time for class on Monday morning. The weather was great- a nice change from the rainy grossness of the Basque country. Anyway, I’m headed to Cinqueterra, Italy, this weekend and I’m stoked. Next weekend, I’ll be in Pamplona and maybe Burgos? Who knows. Anyway, I love all of you! Robbie- congrats on that TD pass and the MA High School Heismann nomination- I’m proud of you, little brother!
Monday, October 22, 2007
a wonderful weekend exploring the Basque country...
BTW- IT'S COLD NOW... and that does not make me smile... haha. but for real, it's really cold here!
URDAIBAI y GERNIKA y SAN JUAN DE GAZTELUGATXE
So on Friday, CIDE took us to the places listed above, and we had a wonderful day. The weather was gorgeous which was perfect for our hike down to the peninsula of Gaztelugatxe.
Urdaibai is a biosphere located in the Basque Country of Spain. The area of land encompasses 22 pueblos and 45,000 inhabitants. The most famous town located in the biosphere is Gernika. Gernika is the historic capital of the Basque Country. The tree of Gernika represents the freedom of the Basque Country and anti-Franco sentiments. We watched a video (in English!) that explained the history and part of the video was definitely from the perspective of an acorn. On April 26, 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, the town of Gernika was bombed. Pablo Picasso’s “Guernica” depicts this tragic day in Spanish history. I had the opportunity to see the original painting while in Madrid at the Reina Sofia. I enjoyed learning the history behind Picasso’s historic work. Also in Gernika, we had the opportunity to visit the Museo de la Paz- Gernikako Bakearen Museoa- translation: the Peace Museum at Gernika. The museum was incredible! Everything was in Spanish, and for once, I felt like I understood most of what I read, a huge improvement from recent weeks. Words inspiring change for peace from Gandhi to Mother Theresa and Martin Luther King, Jr. to the Dalai Lama adorned the walls. After our trip to Gernika, we headed to a restaurant for a traditional Basque lunch: potato and carne soup, cod (tasted like a salt lick and definitely still had the scales on it), and a wonderful chocolate dessert. Daddy- I know you’re shocked, but yes, I tried the fish. Actually, I’ve tried everything here. I’m all about experiencing the culture to the fullest, which sometimes means eating stuff I wouldn’t touch in the states. Anyway, after lunch we boarded the bus for the short ride to Gaztelugatxe. On the peninsula of Gaztelugatxe sits the church of San Juan. The walk is not easy but definitely worth every step. The church is 74 meters in altitude and there are approximately 231 steps from the top to the bottom. The origins of the church can be traced back to the 10th century and it has been of great importance to the local fisherman. The church is beautiful and offers incredible views on all sides. The walk up to the church slightly resembles the Great Wall of China, only shorter. I loved the opportunity to get some real exercise. My body craves time away from the city, and I finally got it! The walk down was fun, and much to my surprise, I’m still in decent shape. Stations of the Cross line the walk from the bottom of the steps to the church. Like I said, the place was gorgeous! The weather was perfect- a nice breeze and plenty of sunshine. The walk up was definitely tougher- it reminded me oh so slightly of the hike up to the Top of the World. It was definitely not that hard but it was definitely steep. Anyway, we enjoyed a wonderful day on our last CIDE excursion.
VITORIA- the capital of the Basque country
On Saturday, I headed to Vitoria with some of the girls. We left Bilbao around 1:30 and arrived in Vitoria in the middle of siesta- yup, everything was closed. We walked around, saw a church, found the old town, the Basque government buildings, and a bunch of other stuff. Sadly, it was all closed. We sat in a park for a little bit, enjoying the sunshine and the ducks. We walked around for a little bit more and headed back to the bus station. On the way to the bus station, we found a Chinese store and I bought a pair of black flats for 10 Euros. They’re pretty cute, but they’re not quiet broken in yet. We headed back to Bilbao and met up with another friend at Casco Viejo, only to find out that on a Saturday night, everything closes at 9pm. We were left to find food elsewhere, so we headed to Zubiarte, the mall near Deusto, and grabbed a pizza. It was a nice way to end a good afternoon exploring the Basque country.
ART in the USA- celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Guggenheim Museum
On Sunday morning, I met up with the same group of girls and we ventured over to the Guggenheim Museum. The museum celebrated its 10th anniversary this weekend, and lucky for us, part of the festivities included free admission on Saturday and Sunday. We walked around for almost an hour. The current exhibit is a wide variety of art from the US, from the Revolutionary War to today. We saw works by Edward Hopper, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, and Thomas Cole, just to name a few. I definitely enjoyed getting to see a bit of home in Europe. We also toured the Basque artist exhibit which was interesting to say the least. Let’s just say that I’m still learning how to appreciate modern art- haha.
Overall, it was a good weekend. My week went pretty smoothly. I feel like I got a lot done. The next two weeks are about to be crazy busy, as I’m traveling both weekends and I have a final in my grammar class and a debate in my conversation class and our Europe in the World professor was not happy with how little we all knew in class on Thursday. Anyway, this coming weekend I’ll be in Barcelona! I’ll be sure to write how that goes next Monday. I’m excited to say the least. I really enjoy the group of girls I’m going with, and the following week, Amanda and I are taking on the world again with a trip to Cinqueterre, Italy. I love all of you… girls, I miss y’all like crazy and hope that I can come see y’all in the spring! Mama and Daddy and Robbie- like I continue to say, I wish y’all could be here with me. Friends in Oxford- oh man, spring is going to be a blast! I only wish that all of you were going to be there when I get back. Anyway, have a great week!
URDAIBAI y GERNIKA y SAN JUAN DE GAZTELUGATXE
So on Friday, CIDE took us to the places listed above, and we had a wonderful day. The weather was gorgeous which was perfect for our hike down to the peninsula of Gaztelugatxe.
Urdaibai is a biosphere located in the Basque Country of Spain. The area of land encompasses 22 pueblos and 45,000 inhabitants. The most famous town located in the biosphere is Gernika. Gernika is the historic capital of the Basque Country. The tree of Gernika represents the freedom of the Basque Country and anti-Franco sentiments. We watched a video (in English!) that explained the history and part of the video was definitely from the perspective of an acorn. On April 26, 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, the town of Gernika was bombed. Pablo Picasso’s “Guernica” depicts this tragic day in Spanish history. I had the opportunity to see the original painting while in Madrid at the Reina Sofia. I enjoyed learning the history behind Picasso’s historic work. Also in Gernika, we had the opportunity to visit the Museo de la Paz- Gernikako Bakearen Museoa- translation: the Peace Museum at Gernika. The museum was incredible! Everything was in Spanish, and for once, I felt like I understood most of what I read, a huge improvement from recent weeks. Words inspiring change for peace from Gandhi to Mother Theresa and Martin Luther King, Jr. to the Dalai Lama adorned the walls. After our trip to Gernika, we headed to a restaurant for a traditional Basque lunch: potato and carne soup, cod (tasted like a salt lick and definitely still had the scales on it), and a wonderful chocolate dessert. Daddy- I know you’re shocked, but yes, I tried the fish. Actually, I’ve tried everything here. I’m all about experiencing the culture to the fullest, which sometimes means eating stuff I wouldn’t touch in the states. Anyway, after lunch we boarded the bus for the short ride to Gaztelugatxe. On the peninsula of Gaztelugatxe sits the church of San Juan. The walk is not easy but definitely worth every step. The church is 74 meters in altitude and there are approximately 231 steps from the top to the bottom. The origins of the church can be traced back to the 10th century and it has been of great importance to the local fisherman. The church is beautiful and offers incredible views on all sides. The walk up to the church slightly resembles the Great Wall of China, only shorter. I loved the opportunity to get some real exercise. My body craves time away from the city, and I finally got it! The walk down was fun, and much to my surprise, I’m still in decent shape. Stations of the Cross line the walk from the bottom of the steps to the church. Like I said, the place was gorgeous! The weather was perfect- a nice breeze and plenty of sunshine. The walk up was definitely tougher- it reminded me oh so slightly of the hike up to the Top of the World. It was definitely not that hard but it was definitely steep. Anyway, we enjoyed a wonderful day on our last CIDE excursion.
VITORIA- the capital of the Basque country
On Saturday, I headed to Vitoria with some of the girls. We left Bilbao around 1:30 and arrived in Vitoria in the middle of siesta- yup, everything was closed. We walked around, saw a church, found the old town, the Basque government buildings, and a bunch of other stuff. Sadly, it was all closed. We sat in a park for a little bit, enjoying the sunshine and the ducks. We walked around for a little bit more and headed back to the bus station. On the way to the bus station, we found a Chinese store and I bought a pair of black flats for 10 Euros. They’re pretty cute, but they’re not quiet broken in yet. We headed back to Bilbao and met up with another friend at Casco Viejo, only to find out that on a Saturday night, everything closes at 9pm. We were left to find food elsewhere, so we headed to Zubiarte, the mall near Deusto, and grabbed a pizza. It was a nice way to end a good afternoon exploring the Basque country.
ART in the USA- celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Guggenheim Museum
On Sunday morning, I met up with the same group of girls and we ventured over to the Guggenheim Museum. The museum celebrated its 10th anniversary this weekend, and lucky for us, part of the festivities included free admission on Saturday and Sunday. We walked around for almost an hour. The current exhibit is a wide variety of art from the US, from the Revolutionary War to today. We saw works by Edward Hopper, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, and Thomas Cole, just to name a few. I definitely enjoyed getting to see a bit of home in Europe. We also toured the Basque artist exhibit which was interesting to say the least. Let’s just say that I’m still learning how to appreciate modern art- haha.
Overall, it was a good weekend. My week went pretty smoothly. I feel like I got a lot done. The next two weeks are about to be crazy busy, as I’m traveling both weekends and I have a final in my grammar class and a debate in my conversation class and our Europe in the World professor was not happy with how little we all knew in class on Thursday. Anyway, this coming weekend I’ll be in Barcelona! I’ll be sure to write how that goes next Monday. I’m excited to say the least. I really enjoy the group of girls I’m going with, and the following week, Amanda and I are taking on the world again with a trip to Cinqueterre, Italy. I love all of you… girls, I miss y’all like crazy and hope that I can come see y’all in the spring! Mama and Daddy and Robbie- like I continue to say, I wish y’all could be here with me. Friends in Oxford- oh man, spring is going to be a blast! I only wish that all of you were going to be there when I get back. Anyway, have a great week!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
I AM TALL... watch this video. please.
http://olemiss.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=611985224624
I'll post for real tomorrow, but please, everyone, my girls especially, watch this video. This is why I've worked at Sky Ranch, this is why I love that place, this is why I came back, this is why it will forever be one of the best jobs I've ever had, this is why I too am tall...
oh man, I love sky ranch... i miss you ladies of the palace!
I'll post for real tomorrow, but please, everyone, my girls especially, watch this video. This is why I've worked at Sky Ranch, this is why I love that place, this is why I came back, this is why it will forever be one of the best jobs I've ever had, this is why I too am tall...
oh man, I love sky ranch... i miss you ladies of the palace!
Monday, October 15, 2007
spanish independence day in the spanish basque country... not your typical 4th of july celebration
Another fabulousy rainy week in Bilbao and a restful weekend…
Okay, so this week was crazy hectic too… that’s pretty much become the story of my life. I finally found some medicine for the junk I had in my pecho (yo tengo “crap” en mi pecho). One of the girls gave me some Nyquil from the States and it worked wonders. I slept through the night and woke up feeling refreshed! What a nice feeling! I had another test in my Spanish 300 class and a presentation on the European Parliament for Europe in the World (my all time favorite class!). I think both went well, but we shall see when the grades come back. I spent a lot of time at the dorms this week- studying for my test and just hanging out. The guards don’t really like me- I have a hard time leaving by curfew, but I’m learning… haha.
SPANISH INDEPENDCE DAY IN EL PAIS VASCO… yeah, they want their own.
Okay, so on Tuesday, there was a bombing in Bilbao. ETA is the terrorist group here, and basically, they want the Basque country to be its own independent country. The six year cease fire ended the week before I got here in September. Recently, there’ve been riots in San Sebastian and Pamplona. Really, it sounds crazy but it’s not anything we worry about. Well, we walked into school on Thursday morning, and there was graffiti everywhere (on the walls, etc)! What did it say you might be wondering? I have no idea as it was all written in the Basque language of Euskara. Friday was Spain’s 4th of July (a national holiday). The Basque country refuses to celebrate, as they want their own independence day. We received an email from the US Embassy in Madrid encouraging us to be careful and pay extra attention when in public places. ETA doesn’t want any extra casualties, but as one of the guys said, even unintentionally killing Americans is like bonus points. We’re targets and we felt it this week, hence why we really stayed in on Friday. I have yet to feel really unsafe here. The Spanish are not allowed to carry guns- which is comforting- at least I have some chance to save myself. Anyway, Friday was a wonderful day of sleeping in and hanging out with Kristin and Boo in the dorm. Bilbao was pretty empty on Friday anyway.
ASHTON SEBASTIAN VISITS SAN SEBASTIAN- for those of you who remember Chandler’s ridiculousness from 8th grade…
On Saturday, Kristin and Boo and I went to San Sebastian for Boo’s Basque Culture class project. We got up and caught the 11am bus (it’s about 1hr and 15min away). We sat in the back and listened to our iPods, which was wonderful. We arrived and began meandering around the city. The day was beautiful- the weather was warm and the sky was clear. We visited the Cathedral of the Good Pastor, walked around the old town, climbed to the top of the statue of San Sebastian (above the city), and played in the sand on the beach. We ate hamburgers at an outdoor café and got some really tasty helado for dessert. We met up with the Richmond guys (who are in Boo’s group for this project) and took lots of pictures. We had a blast, said goodbye to the boys, and headed back to Bilbao on the 6:30pm bus. On Saturday night, we went to a fiesta! We got off the bus and saw what looked like a state fair, but as we walked along we found several concerts, people dressed in traditional Basque attire, and a whole lot of random junk. It was definitely a cultural experience…
Here’s what’s going on this week- the usual Monday of 2 hours of class and a nice hour long run before I use the internet at the school in the afternoon, Tuesday- Amanda and I are hitting up the other half off postre shop (um, best thing ever!) after a long day of classes, Wednesday- my day in the lab with Kristin and Boo, half off postres, and studying for the culture quiz on Thursday, Thursday- culture quiz! and the day that I spend a bajillion hours at school- from 10am-5:30pm, Friday- our last CIDE sponsored excursion to the Biosphere- I have no idea what this is… and money for books is due- ugh. Saturday, wine country tour! Also on my agenda for this week, finish my Koch fellowship application, make my schedule for Spring 2008 in oxford, and plan when to meet up with Kate, book my flight to Sevilla, and figure out what’s going on with Paris. I hope everyone has a wonderful week- I love you all!
Okay, so this week was crazy hectic too… that’s pretty much become the story of my life. I finally found some medicine for the junk I had in my pecho (yo tengo “crap” en mi pecho). One of the girls gave me some Nyquil from the States and it worked wonders. I slept through the night and woke up feeling refreshed! What a nice feeling! I had another test in my Spanish 300 class and a presentation on the European Parliament for Europe in the World (my all time favorite class!). I think both went well, but we shall see when the grades come back. I spent a lot of time at the dorms this week- studying for my test and just hanging out. The guards don’t really like me- I have a hard time leaving by curfew, but I’m learning… haha.
SPANISH INDEPENDCE DAY IN EL PAIS VASCO… yeah, they want their own.
Okay, so on Tuesday, there was a bombing in Bilbao. ETA is the terrorist group here, and basically, they want the Basque country to be its own independent country. The six year cease fire ended the week before I got here in September. Recently, there’ve been riots in San Sebastian and Pamplona. Really, it sounds crazy but it’s not anything we worry about. Well, we walked into school on Thursday morning, and there was graffiti everywhere (on the walls, etc)! What did it say you might be wondering? I have no idea as it was all written in the Basque language of Euskara. Friday was Spain’s 4th of July (a national holiday). The Basque country refuses to celebrate, as they want their own independence day. We received an email from the US Embassy in Madrid encouraging us to be careful and pay extra attention when in public places. ETA doesn’t want any extra casualties, but as one of the guys said, even unintentionally killing Americans is like bonus points. We’re targets and we felt it this week, hence why we really stayed in on Friday. I have yet to feel really unsafe here. The Spanish are not allowed to carry guns- which is comforting- at least I have some chance to save myself. Anyway, Friday was a wonderful day of sleeping in and hanging out with Kristin and Boo in the dorm. Bilbao was pretty empty on Friday anyway.
ASHTON SEBASTIAN VISITS SAN SEBASTIAN- for those of you who remember Chandler’s ridiculousness from 8th grade…
On Saturday, Kristin and Boo and I went to San Sebastian for Boo’s Basque Culture class project. We got up and caught the 11am bus (it’s about 1hr and 15min away). We sat in the back and listened to our iPods, which was wonderful. We arrived and began meandering around the city. The day was beautiful- the weather was warm and the sky was clear. We visited the Cathedral of the Good Pastor, walked around the old town, climbed to the top of the statue of San Sebastian (above the city), and played in the sand on the beach. We ate hamburgers at an outdoor café and got some really tasty helado for dessert. We met up with the Richmond guys (who are in Boo’s group for this project) and took lots of pictures. We had a blast, said goodbye to the boys, and headed back to Bilbao on the 6:30pm bus. On Saturday night, we went to a fiesta! We got off the bus and saw what looked like a state fair, but as we walked along we found several concerts, people dressed in traditional Basque attire, and a whole lot of random junk. It was definitely a cultural experience…
Here’s what’s going on this week- the usual Monday of 2 hours of class and a nice hour long run before I use the internet at the school in the afternoon, Tuesday- Amanda and I are hitting up the other half off postre shop (um, best thing ever!) after a long day of classes, Wednesday- my day in the lab with Kristin and Boo, half off postres, and studying for the culture quiz on Thursday, Thursday- culture quiz! and the day that I spend a bajillion hours at school- from 10am-5:30pm, Friday- our last CIDE sponsored excursion to the Biosphere- I have no idea what this is… and money for books is due- ugh. Saturday, wine country tour! Also on my agenda for this week, finish my Koch fellowship application, make my schedule for Spring 2008 in oxford, and plan when to meet up with Kate, book my flight to Sevilla, and figure out what’s going on with Paris. I hope everyone has a wonderful week- I love you all!
Monday, October 8, 2007
el pais vasco en francia y mas
So, this past week was pretty crazy. It rained- a lot. Spain likes rain, well at least the Basque country does. Speaking of which, I stinkin’ love the Basque country. It’s not touristy at all. They speak two languages- Castilian Spanish and Euskara (Basque). But yeah, this week was nuts. I had a ton of reading and spent most of the week frustrated- the speaking lab computer program doesn’t understand a word I say which means that it takes me twice as long to get stuff done in there, and I couldn’t articulate a thought to save my life in my language class. But it ended, and on Friday, CIDE took us to the French Basque country and the cities of St. Jean de Luz and Biarritz in France and Loyola, Spain. St. Jean de Luz and Biarritz are both on the Atlantic coast and are beautiful little towns by the sea. We visited la Plaza Louis XIV, la Maison Louis XIV, la iglesia de San Juan Bautista, el paseo de la Grande Plage, el Hotel du Palais (a palace turned into a hotel), el iglesia ortodoxa ruso (Russian Orthodox church), la roca de la virgen (so gorgeous- the rock of the virgen Mary by the sea- check facebook for pictures!!!), el Mercado culderto de la Rue des Halles, la Plaza Clemenceau, la calle Edouard VII, la Basílica de Loyola, and La Casa Torre. The Basílica de Loyola is the church of San Ignacio. It’s gorgeous- once again, check facebook for pictures. Mama, Daddy, and Robbie- I wish yall were here to experience all of this with me! Mama and Daddy- yall would’ve loved the basilica. The history behind it all, the in laid marble, the resemblance of every basilica to the architecture of Church of the Ascension, it’s all incredible. We had a good time, and the French Basque country is very similar to the Spanish Basque country, only they aren’t an autonomous body within France and they’re desire to secede is almost non existent compared to the Spanish. Everything was written in Euskara and French. Tapas, pintxos, basque cream cake (it’s gross- I promise), and the flag were everywhere. We had paella (a rice and meat dish- it’s yummy!), chicken, pan (mucho pan!), and flan (so gross- it tasted like eggs, and yes, I know it’s made from eggs) for lunch. Our bus broke down in Spain, just outside of the French border, and we had to wait an hour for another one. All I have to say is that one hour is nothing compared to the thirteen I spent in Amarillo this summer- my girls know exactly what I’m talking about- how about that motel and breakfast with Texas shaped waffles? haha. I love yall! We got back, and I hung out at the dorm for a little bit with Boo and Kristin. I got yelled at by the guard because I left 2 hours late- oops. On Saturday, we celebrated Amanda’s 21st birthday. We had a blast and dressed up- Dan and Steve looked very dapper in their button downs with a tie (Dan) and sweater vest (Steve). I enjoyed the opportunity to wear Grove attire on a different continent. haha. We went to a discothèque and had a blast. We’ve decided that, as Americans, it’s our job to show the Spaniards how to have fun. And for real, we do it… The Lord has blessed CIDE and me with some crazy fun kids and I’m having a blast. If I can ask yall to pray for one thing, I’m fighting a chest cold- my voice is pretty much gone and I have more phlegm in my lungs than I know what to do with (Mama- I know, I know, I should just suck it up and go to the doctor). Anyway, I love yall and hope you have a wonderful week! Check facebook for pictures of the French Basque country. I love all of the comments on my pictures and the messages!
viva Switzerland, baby!
So, I apologize for not updating this recently. My computer no longer recognizes the AC power adapter at my house, so I am left to charge and use my computer at school. Does this aggravate me? Heck yes, but I’m learning to deal with it. Europeans are not as technologically advanced as the world may think… haha. Okay, so here’s the recap from the last two weeks, including Switzerland and the CIDE trip to the French Basque country.
BEAR and WIG GO to GENEVA, SWITZERLAND…
My friend Amanda and I went to Geneva, Switzerland, for the weekend.
WHY GENEVA?
I found crazy cheap airline tickets from Madrid, and neither of us had ever been. So we were headed to the city of world peace without any expectations, knowledge of the city or the customs, or a place to stay (nosotros somos muy inteligentes! ha).
BILBAO to MADRID- the first leg of our trip
Our adventure started out on Thursday night- we had to catch the 1:30am bus from Bilbao to Madrid and the metro stops running at 11pm Sun- Thurs. We’re college students living in Europe, and thus, entirely too cheap to pay for a cab. Amanda lives up the hill from the dorm so I met her at the Sarriko metro stop at 9:50 (I completely overestimated my commute time) and we headed to San Mames- home of the Bilbao bus station. We arrived with 3.5 hours of excess time, so we walked around for about half an hour in the dark and encountered some of Bilbao’s finest citizens. At midnight, we joined the line to purchase our tickets (correct- we did not purchase our bus tickets before hand), and at approximately 1am, we boarded the bus. We got on first because Amanda gets car sick and prefers to sit at the front. Well, little did we know, but each seat is assigned. We ended up sitting in a woman’s seat, and apparently, we looked like morons because she kept repeating ocho, ocho, and then eight, eight. I responded with yo entiendo (I understand), but she kept on saying it. Anyway, the bus was freezing so we didn’t sleep much. We arrived in Madrid at 6:15am and began the second leg of our trip- getting from the bus station to the airport. Lucky for me, Amanda is an excellent map reader and we successfully navigated the metro to the airport for only 2 euros- go us! We chilled in the airport for 6 hours- we downed two cups of café con leche (one of the most incredible drinks the Spanish make- half super strong coffee with milk and sugar), watched a couple make out intensely for about thirty minutes, ate some postre, and walked into every duty free shop in the entire airport (or so it seemed). Finally, we boarded the plane to land of peace.
STEP 1- FIGURE OUT HOW to GET OUT of the AIRPORT…
Fortunately, we both slept on the plane, but the flight was short (less than 2 hours). We landed and quickly learned that Geneva is a francophone city and French is the official language. Unlike in Spain, the public transportation maps are written without keys, in gibberish, and are overall, completely useless. We spent a solid hour trying to figure out how to work the Swiss train system. We finally guesstimated enough to figure it out, and after a bocadillo (that my host mom packed us), we headed into town with one objective- find a place to sleep for the night. Geneva is a small city, so we left the train station and began wandering. As luck would have it, we found the tourism office (after we were sidetracked by the world’s second largest fountain! and a clock…) and they gave us a map and a list of hotels and one hostel. I found a Geneva at Hand book, which proved to be an essential for our trip. After examining several hotels (read- checking prices), we headed to the hostel and it was full. We kept walking down the street and came across another hostel- an International Youth Hostel. They had space! For about 20 euros, we got a bed, a locker, bedding, access to the bathrooms, and BREAKFAST! Talk about a score! We put our backpacks in our lockers and went out to explore the city! We saw a lot of stuff, but really, we saved our true exploration for day 2. We ate fondue- cheese and champagne with fresh French bread. It was incredibly rich- we didn’t even come close to finishing the pots, definitely a good choice for the first night. After dinner, we hit up a convenience store for some chocolate and began the walk back to the hostel. On our way back, we met some two dudes in town for some convention at the United Nations. They took our picture by the Mont Blanc Bridge and entertained us for a few minutes. We made it back to the hostel by 11pm, and slept soundly until our French roomies barged in and decided to bang around the room for a while.
DAY 2- HOW to SEE ALL of GENEVA in ONE DAY…
We woke up at 8am, got ready, and headed downstairs to a breakfast of OJ, coffee (con leche!), Swiss hot chocolate (so, so good!), yogurt, cereal, and fresh bread with jam (I’m still craving this stuff). We decided that the two things that both of us really wanted to see were the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum, the Flower Clock, and the United Nations. The day was beautiful, so we took pictures by Lake Geneva and meandered our way across the river. We found the Mont Blanc park and Flower Clock (made of 6500 flowers!). We visited Old Town. We saw St. Pierre’s Cathedral. We met a gypsy woman, and for the only time during our trip, had the opportunity to speak Spanish with her. We found two open air markets and ate our way through both of them- fresh organic cheese, meats, and cake. We saw the Grand Theatre Opera House, the National Monument, the University of Geneva, La Poya (a statue), the Jardin Anglais (where I got to walk barefooted on the beach!), the Palais Wilson (for President Wilson- 14 points- the pathway to the UN), the Palais de Nations, and the world’s second largest fountain- up close. We bought Swiss army knives, ate croissants con jamón for lunch, walked around the commercial district (where I talked to a woman in French), and then headed over to the UN and Red Cross Museum. On our way to the UN, we saw the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. We toured the Red Cross Museum for less than $5 and it was worth it- we learned a lot. I’ll have to write more later about what I learned. It was definitely cool. The UN is right across the street, so we headed there and saw the broken chair. The broken chair is the international symbol for mutilated victims (primarily of mines), and the mere sight of it is powerful. Someone placed a child’s chair next to the actual chair to show the size difference, and for real, wow! So, so cool! We ventured over to the Palace of Nations- where the UN meets to discuss things (but I’m not really sure what exactly). After a day of walking all across the city, we went to a pizzeria for dinner and it was incredible. We sat for over three hours, resting our legs, feasting on a huge calzone and wonderful dessert of hielado y chocolate, and just enjoying each other’s company. Amanda’s a wonderful person to travel with and I’m excited about our future excursions. We finally left the place, and headed to the Mont Blanc bridge where we sat and talked some more. Rain came so we headed back to the hostel and sat in the lobby for another hour.
HEADING BACK to the LAND of the VIEJO…
We made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare, and both got stopped at security for our knives (which we were told that we could carry on) only to learn that we’d gone to the wrong gate and had to go through security again (where we got stopped again). We bought our last bit of Swiss chocolate and boarded our flight to Madrid. We arrived in Madrid with enough time to make the 3pm bus back to Bilbao- or so we thought. We waited in the Passport Control line for over an hour. We made it back to the bus station and waited in line for an eternity. We got our assignment- the 4:30pm bus. We grabbed a bocadillo and a Kaz (yum, yum, yummy orange soda) and found our terminal. We got a two story bus and had the front window seat- as in, we sat above the driver and it was incredible. We made it back to Bilbao before the metro closed, and I arrived home at about 10:30pm- after spending over 12 hours on public transportation. It was an incredible trip, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to see the city that has been the leader in world peace. I would recommend Geneva to anyone… it’s gorgeous, the people are wonderful, and the food is incredible.
BEAR and WIG GO to GENEVA, SWITZERLAND…
My friend Amanda and I went to Geneva, Switzerland, for the weekend.
WHY GENEVA?
I found crazy cheap airline tickets from Madrid, and neither of us had ever been. So we were headed to the city of world peace without any expectations, knowledge of the city or the customs, or a place to stay (nosotros somos muy inteligentes! ha).
BILBAO to MADRID- the first leg of our trip
Our adventure started out on Thursday night- we had to catch the 1:30am bus from Bilbao to Madrid and the metro stops running at 11pm Sun- Thurs. We’re college students living in Europe, and thus, entirely too cheap to pay for a cab. Amanda lives up the hill from the dorm so I met her at the Sarriko metro stop at 9:50 (I completely overestimated my commute time) and we headed to San Mames- home of the Bilbao bus station. We arrived with 3.5 hours of excess time, so we walked around for about half an hour in the dark and encountered some of Bilbao’s finest citizens. At midnight, we joined the line to purchase our tickets (correct- we did not purchase our bus tickets before hand), and at approximately 1am, we boarded the bus. We got on first because Amanda gets car sick and prefers to sit at the front. Well, little did we know, but each seat is assigned. We ended up sitting in a woman’s seat, and apparently, we looked like morons because she kept repeating ocho, ocho, and then eight, eight. I responded with yo entiendo (I understand), but she kept on saying it. Anyway, the bus was freezing so we didn’t sleep much. We arrived in Madrid at 6:15am and began the second leg of our trip- getting from the bus station to the airport. Lucky for me, Amanda is an excellent map reader and we successfully navigated the metro to the airport for only 2 euros- go us! We chilled in the airport for 6 hours- we downed two cups of café con leche (one of the most incredible drinks the Spanish make- half super strong coffee with milk and sugar), watched a couple make out intensely for about thirty minutes, ate some postre, and walked into every duty free shop in the entire airport (or so it seemed). Finally, we boarded the plane to land of peace.
STEP 1- FIGURE OUT HOW to GET OUT of the AIRPORT…
Fortunately, we both slept on the plane, but the flight was short (less than 2 hours). We landed and quickly learned that Geneva is a francophone city and French is the official language. Unlike in Spain, the public transportation maps are written without keys, in gibberish, and are overall, completely useless. We spent a solid hour trying to figure out how to work the Swiss train system. We finally guesstimated enough to figure it out, and after a bocadillo (that my host mom packed us), we headed into town with one objective- find a place to sleep for the night. Geneva is a small city, so we left the train station and began wandering. As luck would have it, we found the tourism office (after we were sidetracked by the world’s second largest fountain! and a clock…) and they gave us a map and a list of hotels and one hostel. I found a Geneva at Hand book, which proved to be an essential for our trip. After examining several hotels (read- checking prices), we headed to the hostel and it was full. We kept walking down the street and came across another hostel- an International Youth Hostel. They had space! For about 20 euros, we got a bed, a locker, bedding, access to the bathrooms, and BREAKFAST! Talk about a score! We put our backpacks in our lockers and went out to explore the city! We saw a lot of stuff, but really, we saved our true exploration for day 2. We ate fondue- cheese and champagne with fresh French bread. It was incredibly rich- we didn’t even come close to finishing the pots, definitely a good choice for the first night. After dinner, we hit up a convenience store for some chocolate and began the walk back to the hostel. On our way back, we met some two dudes in town for some convention at the United Nations. They took our picture by the Mont Blanc Bridge and entertained us for a few minutes. We made it back to the hostel by 11pm, and slept soundly until our French roomies barged in and decided to bang around the room for a while.
DAY 2- HOW to SEE ALL of GENEVA in ONE DAY…
We woke up at 8am, got ready, and headed downstairs to a breakfast of OJ, coffee (con leche!), Swiss hot chocolate (so, so good!), yogurt, cereal, and fresh bread with jam (I’m still craving this stuff). We decided that the two things that both of us really wanted to see were the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum, the Flower Clock, and the United Nations. The day was beautiful, so we took pictures by Lake Geneva and meandered our way across the river. We found the Mont Blanc park and Flower Clock (made of 6500 flowers!). We visited Old Town. We saw St. Pierre’s Cathedral. We met a gypsy woman, and for the only time during our trip, had the opportunity to speak Spanish with her. We found two open air markets and ate our way through both of them- fresh organic cheese, meats, and cake. We saw the Grand Theatre Opera House, the National Monument, the University of Geneva, La Poya (a statue), the Jardin Anglais (where I got to walk barefooted on the beach!), the Palais Wilson (for President Wilson- 14 points- the pathway to the UN), the Palais de Nations, and the world’s second largest fountain- up close. We bought Swiss army knives, ate croissants con jamón for lunch, walked around the commercial district (where I talked to a woman in French), and then headed over to the UN and Red Cross Museum. On our way to the UN, we saw the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. We toured the Red Cross Museum for less than $5 and it was worth it- we learned a lot. I’ll have to write more later about what I learned. It was definitely cool. The UN is right across the street, so we headed there and saw the broken chair. The broken chair is the international symbol for mutilated victims (primarily of mines), and the mere sight of it is powerful. Someone placed a child’s chair next to the actual chair to show the size difference, and for real, wow! So, so cool! We ventured over to the Palace of Nations- where the UN meets to discuss things (but I’m not really sure what exactly). After a day of walking all across the city, we went to a pizzeria for dinner and it was incredible. We sat for over three hours, resting our legs, feasting on a huge calzone and wonderful dessert of hielado y chocolate, and just enjoying each other’s company. Amanda’s a wonderful person to travel with and I’m excited about our future excursions. We finally left the place, and headed to the Mont Blanc bridge where we sat and talked some more. Rain came so we headed back to the hostel and sat in the lobby for another hour.
HEADING BACK to the LAND of the VIEJO…
We made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare, and both got stopped at security for our knives (which we were told that we could carry on) only to learn that we’d gone to the wrong gate and had to go through security again (where we got stopped again). We bought our last bit of Swiss chocolate and boarded our flight to Madrid. We arrived in Madrid with enough time to make the 3pm bus back to Bilbao- or so we thought. We waited in the Passport Control line for over an hour. We made it back to the bus station and waited in line for an eternity. We got our assignment- the 4:30pm bus. We grabbed a bocadillo and a Kaz (yum, yum, yummy orange soda) and found our terminal. We got a two story bus and had the front window seat- as in, we sat above the driver and it was incredible. We made it back to Bilbao before the metro closed, and I arrived home at about 10:30pm- after spending over 12 hours on public transportation. It was an incredible trip, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to see the city that has been the leader in world peace. I would recommend Geneva to anyone… it’s gorgeous, the people are wonderful, and the food is incredible.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Madrid y Toledo
So it was definitely a great weekend spent in Madrid and Toledo with CIDE. We left bright and early on Friday morning (8am!) and arrived in Madrid around 2pm, just in time for lunch! Every meal in Madrid had three courses, and for the most part, the food was pretty good. In Toledo, not so much.
FRIDAY in MADRID- Palacio róyale y Puerta del Sol y Plaza Mayor
We spent Friday afternoon touring the Palacio Royale and the Armada. For real, they were gorgeous! The Palace is huge, and I can’t imagine living in a place like that. The royal family no longer lives in the Palacio Royale; however, state dinners are held in the dining room on an average of three times per week! Apparently, Bush has eaten there more than once. My favorite part about the whole palace was the chandeliers! They’re everywhere and they’re gorgeous. I can’t imagine what the place would look like if it were all lit up. We spent a good bit of time at the Palace, even though only 20ish of the 500 rooms are open to the public. The place was perfect for photos and we definitely took plenty! They’ll be up on facebook as soon as I have a chance to go through them all. We left the palace and headed to Puerta del Sol y Plaza Mayor- two of the most famous places in Madrid. Both spots are hot tourists spots, so of course, we had to go. We hung out in Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol and enjoyed the perfect weather. We had some free time (yes, they took us to the center of the city, dropped us off, and said- good luck getting back), so several of us went on a quest to find the perfect sword shop. Indeed, we found it, and I purchased several owl thimbles- I am a chi omega. ha. Anyway, we had a good time wandering all over the city on our own and arrived shortly before dinner. Dinner was incredible, and we managed to get two desserts- our waiters thought we were crazy, but alas, who doesn’t? haha. We were pretty beat after our insanely long day, so instead of hitting the bar scene, a bunch of us girls went on a quest for an outdoor café and some sangria. We had success and found both. And after an hour or so, we headed back to the hotel and called it a night.
TOLEDO- my new favorite European city
Toledo was incredible! We couldn’t have asked for better weather- the sun was bright all day and there wasn’t a cloud in sight. Toledo is about an hour away from Madrid, and for anyone planning a trip to Spain in the future, it’s definitely worth the trip! Toledo is known for the tres culturas, or three cultures- Christian, Islamic, and Jewish. The Tagus River surrounds the city on three sides and once served as a fortress. Apparently, very little has changed in the landscape of the town since the 1500s. This is the town that inspired El Greco, and we had the opportunity to view several of his works while touring the Catedral del Toledo. The cathedral is said to be one of the greatest gothic structures of all time. The church was finished in 1493, and is itself, a work of art. We had a crazy tour guide, who got us through pretty quickly at about an hour and a half. After touring the cathedral, we headed to a tavern for lunch, where I’m not sure any of us know exactly what we ate. The whole meal, including the wine (the school provided it), was only okay. Shortly after lunch, we headed back to Madrid- we all took siestas on the bus to rest up for las noches blancas!
LAS NOCHES BLANCAS- Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia
Okay, so apparently this is a new thing, but I’ll do my best to explain las noches blancas. It’s happening in several cities across Europe this fall, including Milan and Paris. The way it worked in Madrid was that all of the museums were open from 10pm-3am, FOR FREE! There was live music, karaoke on the streets, reduces covers at the discothèques, vendors, and millions of people out all night. It was crazy, but so much fun! I went with several other girls and we hit up the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, an incredible modern art museum which houses works by Salvador Dali and Picasso, among others. On our way to the museum, we definitely passed a Dunkin Donuts, sandwiched between a Chicago Style Hotdog joint and KFC. Beinvenidos a l’Espana. The highlight of the museum was seeing what many people consider to be Picasso’s most famous work Guernica. Unlike the Guggenheim, I was actually able to appreciate the modern art in the Reina Sofia. We walked all over Madrid for the rest of the night, in search of churros (we never found any) and coffee (but got 4 euro cokes instead- rip off!). We had a blast seeing Madrid in a new light, but for real, I couldn’t take that many people on a regular basis. And how many people can claim that they’ve seen Picasso for free? not many!
EL MUSEO DEL PRADO
While the Reina Sofia is known for modern art, the Prado is known for classical art. On Sunday, we had the opportunity to tour the museum and see works by Rembrandt, Velazquez, Goya, El Greco, and Murillo- among others. The place is huge, but I definitely enjoyed it. The Prado made me anxious to see the French impressionists at the Louvre in Paris. I’m headed to Paris in October and I can’t wait! Basically, the Prado was great and another must see if you’re headed to Spain. Some of us walked back to the hotel from the Prado and found a park- el parquet de retiro. It’s a wonderful place to sit and enjoy the weather. There are several cafes around, along with plenty of running trails, playgrounds, fountains, and a lake with boats. Once again, the weather was impeccable. Shortly after lunch, we boarded the bus and headed back to el pais vasco, my favorite place in Spain.
OVERALL THOUGHT
I like Madrid, I really do, but I love the Basque country. The Basque country is a place that most tourists don’t ever see and that’s a shame. El pais vasco is beautiful and very different from the rest of Spain with its rolling hills and greenery and mountains. Central Spain is dryer and redder and flatter. The Basque country is not, and it’s gorgeous! I also love the fact that Bilbao is a small town- I’d get lost in a place like Madrid. So for any of you planning a trip to Spain, make sure you don’t miss the most unique area- el pais vasco. It’s off the beaten trail, but trust me, you won’t be disappointed. I had a great weekend, and I have a crazy busy week with a test and an essay due on Thursday. I’m excited about this weekend- I’m headed to Geneva, Switzerland, and I can’t wait. I’m still looking for shoes (it’s getting colder and I need something besides my beloved Chacos) and Amanda and I need to find a place to stay in Switzerland. Anyway, I love you and I miss you all. For all my friends dealing with rush this week, I’m praying for you- your sanity will come back eventually! Hasta luego, and I’ll write again when I have a chance!
FRIDAY in MADRID- Palacio róyale y Puerta del Sol y Plaza Mayor
We spent Friday afternoon touring the Palacio Royale and the Armada. For real, they were gorgeous! The Palace is huge, and I can’t imagine living in a place like that. The royal family no longer lives in the Palacio Royale; however, state dinners are held in the dining room on an average of three times per week! Apparently, Bush has eaten there more than once. My favorite part about the whole palace was the chandeliers! They’re everywhere and they’re gorgeous. I can’t imagine what the place would look like if it were all lit up. We spent a good bit of time at the Palace, even though only 20ish of the 500 rooms are open to the public. The place was perfect for photos and we definitely took plenty! They’ll be up on facebook as soon as I have a chance to go through them all. We left the palace and headed to Puerta del Sol y Plaza Mayor- two of the most famous places in Madrid. Both spots are hot tourists spots, so of course, we had to go. We hung out in Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol and enjoyed the perfect weather. We had some free time (yes, they took us to the center of the city, dropped us off, and said- good luck getting back), so several of us went on a quest to find the perfect sword shop. Indeed, we found it, and I purchased several owl thimbles- I am a chi omega. ha. Anyway, we had a good time wandering all over the city on our own and arrived shortly before dinner. Dinner was incredible, and we managed to get two desserts- our waiters thought we were crazy, but alas, who doesn’t? haha. We were pretty beat after our insanely long day, so instead of hitting the bar scene, a bunch of us girls went on a quest for an outdoor café and some sangria. We had success and found both. And after an hour or so, we headed back to the hotel and called it a night.
TOLEDO- my new favorite European city
Toledo was incredible! We couldn’t have asked for better weather- the sun was bright all day and there wasn’t a cloud in sight. Toledo is about an hour away from Madrid, and for anyone planning a trip to Spain in the future, it’s definitely worth the trip! Toledo is known for the tres culturas, or three cultures- Christian, Islamic, and Jewish. The Tagus River surrounds the city on three sides and once served as a fortress. Apparently, very little has changed in the landscape of the town since the 1500s. This is the town that inspired El Greco, and we had the opportunity to view several of his works while touring the Catedral del Toledo. The cathedral is said to be one of the greatest gothic structures of all time. The church was finished in 1493, and is itself, a work of art. We had a crazy tour guide, who got us through pretty quickly at about an hour and a half. After touring the cathedral, we headed to a tavern for lunch, where I’m not sure any of us know exactly what we ate. The whole meal, including the wine (the school provided it), was only okay. Shortly after lunch, we headed back to Madrid- we all took siestas on the bus to rest up for las noches blancas!
LAS NOCHES BLANCAS- Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia
Okay, so apparently this is a new thing, but I’ll do my best to explain las noches blancas. It’s happening in several cities across Europe this fall, including Milan and Paris. The way it worked in Madrid was that all of the museums were open from 10pm-3am, FOR FREE! There was live music, karaoke on the streets, reduces covers at the discothèques, vendors, and millions of people out all night. It was crazy, but so much fun! I went with several other girls and we hit up the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, an incredible modern art museum which houses works by Salvador Dali and Picasso, among others. On our way to the museum, we definitely passed a Dunkin Donuts, sandwiched between a Chicago Style Hotdog joint and KFC. Beinvenidos a l’Espana. The highlight of the museum was seeing what many people consider to be Picasso’s most famous work Guernica. Unlike the Guggenheim, I was actually able to appreciate the modern art in the Reina Sofia. We walked all over Madrid for the rest of the night, in search of churros (we never found any) and coffee (but got 4 euro cokes instead- rip off!). We had a blast seeing Madrid in a new light, but for real, I couldn’t take that many people on a regular basis. And how many people can claim that they’ve seen Picasso for free? not many!
EL MUSEO DEL PRADO
While the Reina Sofia is known for modern art, the Prado is known for classical art. On Sunday, we had the opportunity to tour the museum and see works by Rembrandt, Velazquez, Goya, El Greco, and Murillo- among others. The place is huge, but I definitely enjoyed it. The Prado made me anxious to see the French impressionists at the Louvre in Paris. I’m headed to Paris in October and I can’t wait! Basically, the Prado was great and another must see if you’re headed to Spain. Some of us walked back to the hotel from the Prado and found a park- el parquet de retiro. It’s a wonderful place to sit and enjoy the weather. There are several cafes around, along with plenty of running trails, playgrounds, fountains, and a lake with boats. Once again, the weather was impeccable. Shortly after lunch, we boarded the bus and headed back to el pais vasco, my favorite place in Spain.
OVERALL THOUGHT
I like Madrid, I really do, but I love the Basque country. The Basque country is a place that most tourists don’t ever see and that’s a shame. El pais vasco is beautiful and very different from the rest of Spain with its rolling hills and greenery and mountains. Central Spain is dryer and redder and flatter. The Basque country is not, and it’s gorgeous! I also love the fact that Bilbao is a small town- I’d get lost in a place like Madrid. So for any of you planning a trip to Spain, make sure you don’t miss the most unique area- el pais vasco. It’s off the beaten trail, but trust me, you won’t be disappointed. I had a great weekend, and I have a crazy busy week with a test and an essay due on Thursday. I’m excited about this weekend- I’m headed to Geneva, Switzerland, and I can’t wait. I’m still looking for shoes (it’s getting colder and I need something besides my beloved Chacos) and Amanda and I need to find a place to stay in Switzerland. Anyway, I love you and I miss you all. For all my friends dealing with rush this week, I’m praying for you- your sanity will come back eventually! Hasta luego, and I’ll write again when I have a chance!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
pastries are half off today!
pretty much that sums up the day- the bakery on the way to the deusto metro stop sells everything for half price today, so of course, I got something. I have yet to eat it, but there's no doubt that it will be nothing short of amazing. And Dan's burning me Spanish CDS! pretty much that's been my day. I'm looking for shoes this afternoon. Pray that I find some. My feet are cold now, as it's dad gum stinkin' cold in this country! Anyway, more later- probably not till after my weekend in Madrid, but that's aight. Life's exciting but not that exciting. haha. Anyway, I love yall! Robbie- good luck on Friday night! And someone please cheer on the Rebs... they're gonna lose terribly, but c'mon...
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
el partido de futbol
HOW ABOUT THAT STATE GAME? ROLL TIDE!
Aight so I'm back again, and it's pouring outside and we're passing around some sort of cold thing. I'm feeling okay except for the 8 thousand mosquito bites that I've acquired. I get bitten in my sleep- it's either the window's open and I get bitten by mosquitos or the window's closed and I suffocate. Not really sure which choice is better. So the soccer game was really fun. I'm not really a huge fan of soccer, but alas, the Europeans know how to do it right. They get as crazy for soccer as Americans do about football (SEC fans excluded). They throw sandwhiches on the field during bad calls and yell all kinds of craziness. I wish I could've understood what they were yelling, but alas, I did not- maybe next time. I'm pumped about Madrid this weekend! We leave bright and early Friday morning (8am- translation 1am for everyone in the CST). We're headed to Madrid and Toledo, and it should be incredible. Toledo is on my must see list. It's a 5 hour bus ride to Madrid, but I'm going with CIDE and our group is pretty stinkin' fun. We've had a blast together so far. As of yesterday, I'm headed to Geneva, Switzerland, next weekend, and I'm pretty pumped. I found an amazing deal on tickets, so a few of us are headed there. It should be a good time- I've heard it's gorgeous. That's pretty much all for right now- I still have one more class left today, but it's my favorite one- Europa en el Mundo. Prayers for the mosquito bites (Mama- you'd be sad if you saw my hands and arms) would be greatly appreciated. To my fam and friends, I love yall and miss yall! I'll post again later in the week... and can someone tell me why Ole Miss is playing the worst they've played since I've been in college?
Aight so I'm back again, and it's pouring outside and we're passing around some sort of cold thing. I'm feeling okay except for the 8 thousand mosquito bites that I've acquired. I get bitten in my sleep- it's either the window's open and I get bitten by mosquitos or the window's closed and I suffocate. Not really sure which choice is better. So the soccer game was really fun. I'm not really a huge fan of soccer, but alas, the Europeans know how to do it right. They get as crazy for soccer as Americans do about football (SEC fans excluded). They throw sandwhiches on the field during bad calls and yell all kinds of craziness. I wish I could've understood what they were yelling, but alas, I did not- maybe next time. I'm pumped about Madrid this weekend! We leave bright and early Friday morning (8am- translation 1am for everyone in the CST). We're headed to Madrid and Toledo, and it should be incredible. Toledo is on my must see list. It's a 5 hour bus ride to Madrid, but I'm going with CIDE and our group is pretty stinkin' fun. We've had a blast together so far. As of yesterday, I'm headed to Geneva, Switzerland, next weekend, and I'm pretty pumped. I found an amazing deal on tickets, so a few of us are headed there. It should be a good time- I've heard it's gorgeous. That's pretty much all for right now- I still have one more class left today, but it's my favorite one- Europa en el Mundo. Prayers for the mosquito bites (Mama- you'd be sad if you saw my hands and arms) would be greatly appreciated. To my fam and friends, I love yall and miss yall! I'll post again later in the week... and can someone tell me why Ole Miss is playing the worst they've played since I've been in college?
Friday, September 14, 2007
hooray for the weekend!
Okay, so I survived my first week of classes, and for real, I love them all! Europa en el mundo will be my most challenging but definitely my favorite class. I love the professor and the subject matter is incredibly interesting. Let's just say that all political desires have not been lost. Mama and Daddy- I'm forseeing law school for sure now. Yesterday, we talked about international organizations and their functions and all kinds of other really exciting stuff. Basically, this class is the European version of my comparative politics class (and this one isn't stupid like the one I took at Ole Miss). My Spanish culture class is incredibly interesting. Spain is a very unique place, and I'm glad I chose to study in a part that is off the beaten path so to speak. The Basque country is definitely it's own world, and I love it! We're going to a European soccer match tomorrow and I'm super stoked. Other exciting news- I booked a trip to Italy in November- to go hiking in Cinque Terre for $240 for 2 people- yes, I am travel savy even in Europe! haha. Anyway, I couldn't be happier. I love this place and I love the people. I really like my program. More updates on school, the weekend, etc. when time allows. I love you all, and good luck tonight, Robbie!
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
mis clases y el fin de semana
So I've finally been to all of my classes, and honestly, I really enjoy them. This week has been crazy- actually getting into a routine of going to class, etc. I've mastered my morning commute and now it only takes me 25 minutes to get to the university from Las Arenas- all of that power walking has helped me out! haha. Normally, I go to school in the morning and come home for lunch (around 1ish) and head back to the university/Bilbao for the rest of the afternoon and early evening (depending upon when I have class, etc.). I don't generally get home before 9pm. The Spanish have insanely long days. I'm learning to adjust. I've eaten a lot of frozen pizza (my host mom loves it) and I've managed to find several good bakerys that sell goods at half price on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The baked good here are wonderful! I'll post more pictures on facebook after this weekend so get excited. CIDE is taking us to Madrid next weekend, so hopefully, I'll have more interesting stuff to write. I know this is kinda borning, but I'm sure my parents appreciate it (btw- I love yall!). Next up on my agenda- a lot of reading, shoe shopping, finding a bank that will change my currency, and trips for the next few weekends!
SPANISH III ALTA- my 10 hour class...
My professor for SpanIII is hilarious and is really doing all he can to help us master the language. I'm definitely the slower one in the class (of 7), but I feel like that's halfway expected since I've only had 1 year of Spanish and everyone else has had many more. Today we drew pictures, and of course, mine was THE best. haha. My professor laughed at it... I wish I had a picture of it.
CONTEMPORARY SPANISH CULTURE & POLITICS- oh jeez...
I've been to this class twice and I really like it. It's basically all about Spain and the people and customs and why they do the things that they do. I think I'm gonna learn a lot, and my professor probably has the coolest accent I've ever heard- a mix of Spanish and British. The class is taught in a combination of English and Spanish. I don't really have a problem understanding my professor because she speaks clearly and pretty slowly. I'm excited about the opportunity to learn about Spain (alas, I never did in high school... only France). More to come on this class later...
EUROPA EN EL MUNDO- if only I understood more Spanish... ha.
Okay, so this class is taught primarily in Spanish. Sometimes I have a hard time understanding the professor, but he does his best to get his point across. This will probably be my most challenging class because of the language barrier. Most of the readings are in Spanish which tends to take a little bit longer to get through. I'm hoping my speed will pick up the longer I'm here. This class is kind of like my AP Comparative Politics class- a look into the governments, economies, etc. of European countries and the EU. I'm pretty excited about it.
EL FIN DE SEMANA- we're working on plans...
Futbol is huge here- think on par with Americans and football. Bilbao has a team and they're playing at home on Saturday night, so a bunch of us are gonna go experience a little bit of authentic Spanish culture. I'm not a soccer fan by any stretch, but I think it'll be fun. Some people from the program are headed to San Sebastian this weekend, and if I can find someone to go with, I might just go for the day on Friday. I'd rather see the soccer game than spend all weekend in San Sebastian (a town about an hour away).
GOD iS GOOD ALL THE TiME, ALL THE TiME GOD iS GOOD!
SPANISH III ALTA- my 10 hour class...
My professor for SpanIII is hilarious and is really doing all he can to help us master the language. I'm definitely the slower one in the class (of 7), but I feel like that's halfway expected since I've only had 1 year of Spanish and everyone else has had many more. Today we drew pictures, and of course, mine was THE best. haha. My professor laughed at it... I wish I had a picture of it.
CONTEMPORARY SPANISH CULTURE & POLITICS- oh jeez...
I've been to this class twice and I really like it. It's basically all about Spain and the people and customs and why they do the things that they do. I think I'm gonna learn a lot, and my professor probably has the coolest accent I've ever heard- a mix of Spanish and British. The class is taught in a combination of English and Spanish. I don't really have a problem understanding my professor because she speaks clearly and pretty slowly. I'm excited about the opportunity to learn about Spain (alas, I never did in high school... only France). More to come on this class later...
EUROPA EN EL MUNDO- if only I understood more Spanish... ha.
Okay, so this class is taught primarily in Spanish. Sometimes I have a hard time understanding the professor, but he does his best to get his point across. This will probably be my most challenging class because of the language barrier. Most of the readings are in Spanish which tends to take a little bit longer to get through. I'm hoping my speed will pick up the longer I'm here. This class is kind of like my AP Comparative Politics class- a look into the governments, economies, etc. of European countries and the EU. I'm pretty excited about it.
EL FIN DE SEMANA- we're working on plans...
Futbol is huge here- think on par with Americans and football. Bilbao has a team and they're playing at home on Saturday night, so a bunch of us are gonna go experience a little bit of authentic Spanish culture. I'm not a soccer fan by any stretch, but I think it'll be fun. Some people from the program are headed to San Sebastian this weekend, and if I can find someone to go with, I might just go for the day on Friday. I'd rather see the soccer game than spend all weekend in San Sebastian (a town about an hour away).
GOD iS GOOD ALL THE TiME, ALL THE TiME GOD iS GOOD!
Monday, September 10, 2007
the first day of classes and my thoughts on spain
MONDAY- my first day of school
No me gustan mis clases! Actually, I do but I’ve only had one. So remember the Spanish placement test that I thought I bombed? Yeah, not so much. It turns out I placed into the highest level of Spanish III. Comparatively speaking, that’s really not that awesome but I’ve only taken one legit year of Spanish. Anyway, I placed into the class that I needed to, but they split the class into two sections- a high level and a low level based on test scores. I placed into the high section. I laughed- go figure. My Spanish III class is set up a lot like the intensive classes that I took at Ole Miss- no English in the class, a lot of speaking, and in turn, a lot of learning! More to come on classes later…
OVERALL THOUGHTS- for now anyway
I love the program so far. The first few days were long and filled with lots of information, but alas, what did I expect. I’m excited about my classes. I go Monday through Thursday anywhere from 2-6 hours a day. I’ve made some friends. Naturally, I tend to stick with the Southern kids (there aren’t very many of us). It seems that every other person is from either Grand Valley State (in Michigan) or the University of Illinois, so finding other people who sound like me has made the transition a little easier. I love my host mom, but I wish we had internet and that we didn’t live so far away from everything. The commute is mildly annoying, but I’m in Spain so I can’t really complain. I love the fact that the Spanish wear American t-shirts with random English words on them. A fresh baguette is delivered to our apartment every morning, and I eat bread (pan) a whole lot. Every morning, I eat pan and this incredible marmalade that has the texture of American jam. I love it. My host mom has made a lot of frozen pizza, and I get potatoes at every meal. The water tastes a little different, and I’m learning to get used to it. I’ve had some of the guys get me American football scores because I don’t get to use the internet very much. I think most of them are surprised to meet an American girl who loves college football. BTW- what is going on with Ole Miss? I checked the game stats to see how my guys did and where was Dexter McCluster? And how about that Auburn game- losing to USF in OT? All I have to say is it’s about time. I’m surprised y’all couldn’t hear me yell with excitement across the ocean. Anyway, I guess that’s really it. I’ll post again eventually- who really knows when but that’s okay. God is good... all the time.
No me gustan mis clases! Actually, I do but I’ve only had one. So remember the Spanish placement test that I thought I bombed? Yeah, not so much. It turns out I placed into the highest level of Spanish III. Comparatively speaking, that’s really not that awesome but I’ve only taken one legit year of Spanish. Anyway, I placed into the class that I needed to, but they split the class into two sections- a high level and a low level based on test scores. I placed into the high section. I laughed- go figure. My Spanish III class is set up a lot like the intensive classes that I took at Ole Miss- no English in the class, a lot of speaking, and in turn, a lot of learning! More to come on classes later…
OVERALL THOUGHTS- for now anyway
I love the program so far. The first few days were long and filled with lots of information, but alas, what did I expect. I’m excited about my classes. I go Monday through Thursday anywhere from 2-6 hours a day. I’ve made some friends. Naturally, I tend to stick with the Southern kids (there aren’t very many of us). It seems that every other person is from either Grand Valley State (in Michigan) or the University of Illinois, so finding other people who sound like me has made the transition a little easier. I love my host mom, but I wish we had internet and that we didn’t live so far away from everything. The commute is mildly annoying, but I’m in Spain so I can’t really complain. I love the fact that the Spanish wear American t-shirts with random English words on them. A fresh baguette is delivered to our apartment every morning, and I eat bread (pan) a whole lot. Every morning, I eat pan and this incredible marmalade that has the texture of American jam. I love it. My host mom has made a lot of frozen pizza, and I get potatoes at every meal. The water tastes a little different, and I’m learning to get used to it. I’ve had some of the guys get me American football scores because I don’t get to use the internet very much. I think most of them are surprised to meet an American girl who loves college football. BTW- what is going on with Ole Miss? I checked the game stats to see how my guys did and where was Dexter McCluster? And how about that Auburn game- losing to USF in OT? All I have to say is it’s about time. I’m surprised y’all couldn’t hear me yell with excitement across the ocean. Anyway, I guess that’s really it. I’ll post again eventually- who really knows when but that’s okay. God is good... all the time.
el fin de semana!
Here's the weekend recap
SATURDAY- "plants hold the secrets to the world"
We visited the famous Guggenheim museum. Modern art really isn’t my thing, but a lot of the stuff was pretty interesting. I still prefer the French impressionists though. Several of us from the program ate pizza at an American pizza house. It was amazing and a nice change from the pasta, etc. that we’ve eaten a ton of since we’ve been here. That afternoon, the two girls who live near me and I went to the beach for a couple of hours, just to relax. We enjoyed our time, flipping through a Spanish phrase book and laughing. We left and went on a crazy search for a bakery. I was craving some sort of pastry. For real, Basque cake is NOT a pastry. Our hunt proved to be successful and we found a great bakery close to the metro stop. We had what I’d call a cupcake with chocolate on the inside. It was wonderful, and exactly what I wanted. At night, a whole bunch of us met up from Deusto and headed to Areeta (the Las Arenas metro stop) for a festival. Sadly, when we got there, the festival had ended. We headed back into Bilbao to Casco Viejo, an area of town with discothèques, etc. It was a great night!
SUNDAY- a day of rest
The Spanish understand the part of the Bible that describes the Sabbath. Everything is closed and life just slows down, a lot. They truly rest on Sundays. I slept in and then headed to the beach. The beach is so pretty! A bunch of us from the program met up and enjoyed the afternoon on the beach, eating bocadillos (kinda like a sandwich on French bread but the middle is this egg and cheese thing), laying out, and getting in the frigid Atlantic. The water temperature is colder than Cave Springs and slightly warmer than the upper Taylor River, which basically means that it’s somewhere between 40 and 60ish degrees. In the deep South that means it’s freezing! The day was definitely well spent even though I got a little burned. When I got back, I showed my host mom pictures of school, home, and summer. I had to explain everything in Spanish, as she speaks very little English. All I have to say about that is it’s hard enough to explain Derby Day to a person who’s unfamiliar with the Greek system, but in Spanish? Are you kidding me? I have no idea how I did that, and really, who knows if my explanation was even close to what it actually is.
SATURDAY- "plants hold the secrets to the world"
We visited the famous Guggenheim museum. Modern art really isn’t my thing, but a lot of the stuff was pretty interesting. I still prefer the French impressionists though. Several of us from the program ate pizza at an American pizza house. It was amazing and a nice change from the pasta, etc. that we’ve eaten a ton of since we’ve been here. That afternoon, the two girls who live near me and I went to the beach for a couple of hours, just to relax. We enjoyed our time, flipping through a Spanish phrase book and laughing. We left and went on a crazy search for a bakery. I was craving some sort of pastry. For real, Basque cake is NOT a pastry. Our hunt proved to be successful and we found a great bakery close to the metro stop. We had what I’d call a cupcake with chocolate on the inside. It was wonderful, and exactly what I wanted. At night, a whole bunch of us met up from Deusto and headed to Areeta (the Las Arenas metro stop) for a festival. Sadly, when we got there, the festival had ended. We headed back into Bilbao to Casco Viejo, an area of town with discothèques, etc. It was a great night!
SUNDAY- a day of rest
The Spanish understand the part of the Bible that describes the Sabbath. Everything is closed and life just slows down, a lot. They truly rest on Sundays. I slept in and then headed to the beach. The beach is so pretty! A bunch of us from the program met up and enjoyed the afternoon on the beach, eating bocadillos (kinda like a sandwich on French bread but the middle is this egg and cheese thing), laying out, and getting in the frigid Atlantic. The water temperature is colder than Cave Springs and slightly warmer than the upper Taylor River, which basically means that it’s somewhere between 40 and 60ish degrees. In the deep South that means it’s freezing! The day was definitely well spent even though I got a little burned. When I got back, I showed my host mom pictures of school, home, and summer. I had to explain everything in Spanish, as she speaks very little English. All I have to say about that is it’s hard enough to explain Derby Day to a person who’s unfamiliar with the Greek system, but in Spanish? Are you kidding me? I have no idea how I did that, and really, who knows if my explanation was even close to what it actually is.
it was a long week indeed
Hola! So, it’s been a long time since I’ve had the chance to write, but I decided to write at home and post this at school. My host family doesn’t have internet, so it makes communicating with the rest of the world pretty difficult. Spain has been wonderful. For real, it’s beautiful- pictures to come soon!
UN POCO SOBRE BILBAO y BASQUE- a little bit of info about where I live
Bilbao is a port city on the northern coast of Spain known for industry and Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum. It’s the capital of Viscaya, a province or something like that. Bilbao is also in the heart of the Basque country, the northern part of Spain that has its own language and flag. The Basque want to secede from the rest of Spain and create their country, from what I understand it’s kinda like the South during the Civil War. They have yet to succeed, but they do have a terrorist organization (ETA) that’s targeted a few government officials in Madrid. The cease fire ended in June of 2007, but fortunately, most of their actions are verbal, directed at the Spanish government, and if they chose to attack, they make the target known before hand. Unlike the other crazy terrorist organizations in this world, ETA is not all about killing a bunch of random, innocent bystanders, which is fortunate. The only signs we’ve seen of ETA are the dudes with machine guns that stand outside of the main plaza in Bilbao by what we assume is the Basque government headquarters. Sidenote- there was an attack this weekend in San Sebastian, a city about an hour away.
TUESDAY- my first day in Bilbao
So, on Monday, I got up and went back to the Madrid airport to catch my flight to Bilbao. I didn’t have any problem getting to the Madrid airport, but for real, the traffic was insane! I’m talking Fort Worth on a Monday morning kind of bad. I made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare which was fortunate because I was dropped off by the shuttle at the wrong part of the airport. I had to trek across the whole dad gum airport with my life in two suitcases and a backpack. Really, it wasn’t that much fun. I finally found SpanAir and checked in and headed to the gate. In Madrid, they don’t give you your gate at the check-in place; you have to rely on the monitors. Well, they change the gates a lot, and as the periodic announcement said, they don’t announce gate changes. My gate changed three times, and fortunately, I was paying attention. I got on the flight, and once again like in Amsterdam, there were small children running up and down the aisle during the flight. All instructions were in Spanish and the flight attendants gave us hard candy during the flight. I landed and got plugged in with Deusto. I was dropped off and met my host mom. She lives in Las Arenas (translation- very far away from school). That night, we met up with some of the other girls in the program and their host moms. We bought our metro passes (we had to get an ID too… weird) because little did we know but we’d be riding the metro a bajillion times a day everyday. We watched the sunset at the beach and ate incredible ice cream (cremabaska es muy fabuloso!).
WEDNESDAY- beinvenidos a Deusto
So what do you think the school would do with 35ish jet-lagged college kids? Ah yes, make them sit through an eternal orientation session and then walk them around the city. Basically, they told us all about Deusto, showed us around campus and the city, read our manuals to us, talked a whole lot in Spanish, and fed us an insanely large meal. The campus is really pretty, although Ole Miss is still prettier to me (I’m a rebel for life- haha). Spanish customs are pretty different than those in the US. The first one I really took note of was meal times. We also experienced our first real Spanish lunch. Lunch is eaten at like 1:30pm and is the biggest meal of the day. We had a three course lunch, and it was pretty good. I’m not really used to eating that much food, but when dinner isn’t until 9pm, I’m learning to get used to it. People take over an hour and sometimes two for lunch- I’m not sure the workaholics in the US would be okay with that- haha. The Deusto people showed us around the city, and alas, flying all the way across the ocean has not helped my direction sense. I still get pretty turned around in the city, but who’s surprised. Don’t worry Mama- I’m getting better and I’m able to ask for directions in Spanish. The city is beautiful; the architecture is 19th century or something like that. After the tour, I walked around the city with some people; yes, I am making friends. We found a park and some other stuff, but I probably won’t be able to get back to any of those places- haha.
THURSDAY- Spanish placement test and the eternal bus ride
On Wednesday, we took our Spanish placement test. I placed into the Spanish classes that I needed, but for real, the test was flipping hard. After our test, we toured the beaches of Plentzia and Las Arenas. Plentzia is about 45 minutes away and is known for the prettiest beaches in the area. The water is a deep blue, a drastic contrast from the aquamarine blue waters of the gulf. We ate another really huge meal and enjoyed yet another Basque cream cake, yum but not so much. We walked a lot and rode the bus a long way which was mildly entertaining. We finally made it to Las Arenas, near my house. We walked up and down lots of hills and enjoyed the view. Our last stop of the day was a bar for some Spanish sangria. Spain is known for their wine, specifically their sangria.
FRIDAY- the day they kept us over
We went to Deusto for academic orientation. Basically, we go to school all day Monday through Thursday. I’m taking 10 hours of Spanish grammar, comp, etc, Europe in the World, and Contemporary Spanish Culture and Politics class. They read our manuals (that were printed in English) to us. We were supposed to get out in an hour, but alas, that did not happen. That afternoon, some of us went to the beach at Las Arenas. FYI- the beaches are all topless in Spain. I went for a run, and sadly, I’m still paying for it. I went back to campus to check and send a few emails, etc. That night, I met up with some of the people who live in the dorms and we went out in Bilbao. We had a lot of fun and hung out with some of the other international Deusto students. Also, how random is this but I met a guy who graduated from Wyomissing High school in PA with my secondish cousin Allie. He’s the first person I’ve ever met outside of PA that’s heard of Leesport as well. What a small world…
UN POCO SOBRE BILBAO y BASQUE- a little bit of info about where I live
Bilbao is a port city on the northern coast of Spain known for industry and Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum. It’s the capital of Viscaya, a province or something like that. Bilbao is also in the heart of the Basque country, the northern part of Spain that has its own language and flag. The Basque want to secede from the rest of Spain and create their country, from what I understand it’s kinda like the South during the Civil War. They have yet to succeed, but they do have a terrorist organization (ETA) that’s targeted a few government officials in Madrid. The cease fire ended in June of 2007, but fortunately, most of their actions are verbal, directed at the Spanish government, and if they chose to attack, they make the target known before hand. Unlike the other crazy terrorist organizations in this world, ETA is not all about killing a bunch of random, innocent bystanders, which is fortunate. The only signs we’ve seen of ETA are the dudes with machine guns that stand outside of the main plaza in Bilbao by what we assume is the Basque government headquarters. Sidenote- there was an attack this weekend in San Sebastian, a city about an hour away.
TUESDAY- my first day in Bilbao
So, on Monday, I got up and went back to the Madrid airport to catch my flight to Bilbao. I didn’t have any problem getting to the Madrid airport, but for real, the traffic was insane! I’m talking Fort Worth on a Monday morning kind of bad. I made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare which was fortunate because I was dropped off by the shuttle at the wrong part of the airport. I had to trek across the whole dad gum airport with my life in two suitcases and a backpack. Really, it wasn’t that much fun. I finally found SpanAir and checked in and headed to the gate. In Madrid, they don’t give you your gate at the check-in place; you have to rely on the monitors. Well, they change the gates a lot, and as the periodic announcement said, they don’t announce gate changes. My gate changed three times, and fortunately, I was paying attention. I got on the flight, and once again like in Amsterdam, there were small children running up and down the aisle during the flight. All instructions were in Spanish and the flight attendants gave us hard candy during the flight. I landed and got plugged in with Deusto. I was dropped off and met my host mom. She lives in Las Arenas (translation- very far away from school). That night, we met up with some of the other girls in the program and their host moms. We bought our metro passes (we had to get an ID too… weird) because little did we know but we’d be riding the metro a bajillion times a day everyday. We watched the sunset at the beach and ate incredible ice cream (cremabaska es muy fabuloso!).
WEDNESDAY- beinvenidos a Deusto
So what do you think the school would do with 35ish jet-lagged college kids? Ah yes, make them sit through an eternal orientation session and then walk them around the city. Basically, they told us all about Deusto, showed us around campus and the city, read our manuals to us, talked a whole lot in Spanish, and fed us an insanely large meal. The campus is really pretty, although Ole Miss is still prettier to me (I’m a rebel for life- haha). Spanish customs are pretty different than those in the US. The first one I really took note of was meal times. We also experienced our first real Spanish lunch. Lunch is eaten at like 1:30pm and is the biggest meal of the day. We had a three course lunch, and it was pretty good. I’m not really used to eating that much food, but when dinner isn’t until 9pm, I’m learning to get used to it. People take over an hour and sometimes two for lunch- I’m not sure the workaholics in the US would be okay with that- haha. The Deusto people showed us around the city, and alas, flying all the way across the ocean has not helped my direction sense. I still get pretty turned around in the city, but who’s surprised. Don’t worry Mama- I’m getting better and I’m able to ask for directions in Spanish. The city is beautiful; the architecture is 19th century or something like that. After the tour, I walked around the city with some people; yes, I am making friends. We found a park and some other stuff, but I probably won’t be able to get back to any of those places- haha.
THURSDAY- Spanish placement test and the eternal bus ride
On Wednesday, we took our Spanish placement test. I placed into the Spanish classes that I needed, but for real, the test was flipping hard. After our test, we toured the beaches of Plentzia and Las Arenas. Plentzia is about 45 minutes away and is known for the prettiest beaches in the area. The water is a deep blue, a drastic contrast from the aquamarine blue waters of the gulf. We ate another really huge meal and enjoyed yet another Basque cream cake, yum but not so much. We walked a lot and rode the bus a long way which was mildly entertaining. We finally made it to Las Arenas, near my house. We walked up and down lots of hills and enjoyed the view. Our last stop of the day was a bar for some Spanish sangria. Spain is known for their wine, specifically their sangria.
FRIDAY- the day they kept us over
We went to Deusto for academic orientation. Basically, we go to school all day Monday through Thursday. I’m taking 10 hours of Spanish grammar, comp, etc, Europe in the World, and Contemporary Spanish Culture and Politics class. They read our manuals (that were printed in English) to us. We were supposed to get out in an hour, but alas, that did not happen. That afternoon, some of us went to the beach at Las Arenas. FYI- the beaches are all topless in Spain. I went for a run, and sadly, I’m still paying for it. I went back to campus to check and send a few emails, etc. That night, I met up with some of the people who live in the dorms and we went out in Bilbao. We had a lot of fun and hung out with some of the other international Deusto students. Also, how random is this but I met a guy who graduated from Wyomissing High school in PA with my secondish cousin Allie. He’s the first person I’ve ever met outside of PA that’s heard of Leesport as well. What a small world…
Monday, September 3, 2007
bienvenidos de españa
hola de españa! yes, after over twelve hours of travel, I am finally in Spain. And really, it feels great to be here. Today's been, perhaps, the longest day of my life. I left Alabama at 4:35pm and didn't make it to Madrid until 4pm (roughly 10am-ish 'Bama time). The flight from Memphis to Amsterdam was great. I love Holland! I want to go explore- the place is so green it's unreal! I love the windmills and the tulips. Ah, it will forever be my first taste of Europe, and pretty much from that point forward (less than 12 hours ago), I've been hooked! Sidenote- my favorite thing about the Amsterdam airport: "paging passenger so and so headed to place x, you are delaying this flight. If you do not arrive shortly, we will have to deboard your luggage." This phrase was sometimes followed with, "passenger so and so, we have deboarded your luggage". The crew of my flight to Madrid gave all of the instructions/information in Dutch. To me, Dutch sounds like English gibberish. You think you heard English only to listen closely and realize that you're not. Alas, I finally made it to Madrid. This afternoon, after I checked into the Best Western in old Madrid, I had the opportunity to go explore on my own. The puerta del sol is the center of town in Madrid, and really, it's gorgeous. Everywhere you look you see these old 15th/16th century style buildings housing department stores, hostels, hotels, etc. For dinner, I walked over to plaza mayor which has been around for centuries. The Spanish, like most other Europeans, like to sit on the terraces of local restaurants for hours. So for once in my life, I gave sitting still a good try. I sat on the terrace of a restaurant for about an hour while I ate my dinner (Roman pizza) and sipped my Coke. I loved the opportunity to sit and watch the people and listen to what seemed to be a hundred different conversations in a hundred different lanugages. I really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to making it to Bilbao tomorrow. I've heard Bilbao is gorgeous beyond belief. The Lord continues to bless this opportunity. I'm excited to see what He's going to show me this semester. Adios de españa!
Sunday, September 2, 2007
and in less than 24 hours, i'll be on a plane...
Even though I'm not sure anyone's reading this at this point, I feel like I should say that this will be my last post until I reach Europe on Monday afternoon. I'm finally done packing, well almost. And once again, I have packed my life into two suitcases and a backpack. Let's just hope those two suitcases are not over the fifty pound weight limit. My daddy headed up to Reading today to help my grandparents move, and I cried for the first time. I'm sure it won't be the last time either. I'm starting to realize just how much I'm going to miss my family. I know this is a great opportunity, and for real, I'm so excited, but at the same time, I'm a little sad. My mom and I have gotten to be really good friends over the last two weeks, and I'm sad that I'm not gonna be able to talk to her everyday like I do when I'm in Oxford. God is good though. I just want to get there and get into a routine, but alas, I must be patient. Also, I'm a little nervous but not as much as I was earlier in the week. I pray that the Lord continues to take that anxiety away. I pray that He takes away my sadness.
FUN FACT- during the LSU vs. Mississippi State game, ESPN aired an OLE MISS commerical rather than a State commerical. Hotty Toddy, GO REBELS! haha... gotta love journalism.
my THOUGHTS on the OPENING DAY of COLLEGE FOOTBALL
So, today is the opening of college football, and seriously, I didn't think I'd be sad about missing this season until today. Ole Miss beat Memphis, barely (23-21). I would love to say that this season is gonna be different and the Rebels are gonna do better, but I'm not sure that any drastic improvement is actually going to occur. Today, the Rebs played like they always do- great until the end of the game. They can't finish a game, just look at the game notes from last season's UGA, 'Bama, Auburn, LSU games. Luckily, the guys held onto this win. On a really exciting note (for real, I feel like a mom), a bunch of the guys I tutored last semester started. Jonathan, Daverin, Nate, Dexter, Marcus, and Shay all saw a good bit of action today. I spent an insane amount of hours tutoring these guys in JOUR101, and I love watching them succeed on the football field as well as in the classroom. So for all the Rebel fans, here are the numbers to cheer really loudly for: 3, 5, 16, 22, 26, 28, 30, 42, 72. 90, and 92. Most of these guys are defense guys with the exception of two, maybe three. I've loved watching the SEC games today, and I'll fight anyone who disagrees that it's not the best conference in the country. haha. My school won as did my two non-SEC teams (A&M and Penn State), so I'd say overall, today was a good day. Hasta luego!
FUN FACT- during the LSU vs. Mississippi State game, ESPN aired an OLE MISS commerical rather than a State commerical. Hotty Toddy, GO REBELS! haha... gotta love journalism.
my THOUGHTS on the OPENING DAY of COLLEGE FOOTBALL
So, today is the opening of college football, and seriously, I didn't think I'd be sad about missing this season until today. Ole Miss beat Memphis, barely (23-21). I would love to say that this season is gonna be different and the Rebels are gonna do better, but I'm not sure that any drastic improvement is actually going to occur. Today, the Rebs played like they always do- great until the end of the game. They can't finish a game, just look at the game notes from last season's UGA, 'Bama, Auburn, LSU games. Luckily, the guys held onto this win. On a really exciting note (for real, I feel like a mom), a bunch of the guys I tutored last semester started. Jonathan, Daverin, Nate, Dexter, Marcus, and Shay all saw a good bit of action today. I spent an insane amount of hours tutoring these guys in JOUR101, and I love watching them succeed on the football field as well as in the classroom. So for all the Rebel fans, here are the numbers to cheer really loudly for: 3, 5, 16, 22, 26, 28, 30, 42, 72. 90, and 92. Most of these guys are defense guys with the exception of two, maybe three. I've loved watching the SEC games today, and I'll fight anyone who disagrees that it's not the best conference in the country. haha. My school won as did my two non-SEC teams (A&M and Penn State), so I'd say overall, today was a good day. Hasta luego!
Thursday, August 30, 2007
about the title
Now that I've posted about my summer this explanation should make a little more sense. On the way from Ute Trail to Dallas at the end of our first session, our bus broke down in Amarillo, Texas, the most dangerous city in the entire state. Fortunately, we did break down in an actual city rather than on the side of the road. Kirk, Abbie, Josh, Reeder, and I were forced to be adults at 3:30am in a Pilot gas station after two weeks of basically no sleep. Kirk figured out all of the logistics with the bus company, and the rest of us kept our eyes on our kids, all 52 of them. We ended up spending about three hours in five hotel rooms at America's Best Inn and Suites; for real, those three hours might be the best sleep I've ever gotten in my life. As we were getting ready to check out of the hotel around 9 or 10 and figure out what to do next, Kirk received a text message from one of his buddies reading "may the vision of the Lord be the death of me", what a perfect message to send to five college kids stuck at a gas station with 52 high school kids. It's stayed with me, and I continue to refer back to it. My life is not my own; I want more of Him and less of me. I want to submit my life for His will... which means letting go of me to take hold of Him.
the countdown begins with a little summer backtrack
Only 3ish days till I step on an airplane that will take me farther than I've ever been, and I'd be lying to you if I said that I wasn't nervous. I trust in the Lord, so my current prayer is that He'll free me from this anxiety I have. He's made it clear that this is where I'm supposed to be. For real, the Lord has blessed me every step of this process. The cost is less than it would be if I were staying at Ole Miss for the semester, my visa came through, I worked at Sky Ranch this summer.
SUMMER BACKTRACK:
I feel like I should put something in here about my summer because I feel like the Lord used the summer as a time of preparation for Spain and never in my life have I been so changed in the short time of 3ish months. So when I reference my summer in the future (because it's gonna happen), here's a little background. I had the amazing opportunity to serve as a Quest counselor with Sky Ranch, so here's a little bit about my summer and what the Lord did.
WHAT is QUEST? glad you asked...
Quest is a two week leadership camp for high school kids. The first week is spent at Sky Ranch @ Cave Springs in Oklahoma learning how to do inductive Bible studies, playing in the ice cold springs, doing a wide variety of activities such as ATVs and the ziplines, participatin in tribal comp (ZULU bleed blue!), having a blast at the stinkin' awesome night events (MI is a total exception- haha), learning how to love each other, and tearing down walls. The second week is spent at Sky Ranch Ute Trail in Colorado where everything learned at Cave is put into practice through practical experience, doing the ropes course, whitewater rafting, hiking up to the top of the world (rock in tow) and spending the night outside, and learning how to serve others through various chores around camp.
WHO MAKES QUEST AWESOME? even better question...
The Lord blessed Quest with two sets of fabulous assistant directors (ADs) with Chris, Kendra, and Brenton at Cave and Courtney and Malcolm at Ute. They planned everything, loved on us, and overall, made our jobs much easier, as did Dustin and Ryan, the camp directors, and their wives, Julie and Jen. I was put on a team with five of the most incredible people you will ever meet, should you all have the opportunity to meet them. Together, we traveled over ten thousand miles across Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Kansas. We were together for obscene amounts of time, and by the grace of the Lord, we never ran into serious conflict, well, none after the Lord healed mine and Josh's relationship. Together, we loved on kids and we loved on each other. We survived a crazy 13 hour delay in Amarillo, Texas, a month without a true day off, JP, Carmie, and Coach Mullins- our fearless bus drivers, dinners of cheese sandwiches and cocktail weinies, two hikes up the mountain with hail (Abbie, Reeder, and Courtney) and countless other things that have not made this list. I may never see these people again, but to Kirk, Abbie, Josh, Rusty, and Reeder, I am forever changed because of the role you played in my life this summer. Thank you for your encouragement, your laughs which kept my sanity, your shoulders that caught plenty of my tears, your prayers, and your love. I love all of you and I pray that the Lord will continue to use you in the lives of others.
WAIT, SO WHAT DID YOU ACTUALLY DO? besides ride a bus for insane amounts of hours...
Basically, my job was to love on the girls that came through the program, while pushing them beyond their physical and spiritual limits. My cabin was the Palace, primarily 15 year old girls, and I got to be a big sister/friend for two weeks. The Lord created a safe environment within my cabin and allowed my girls to open up and share who they are with me. In return, they had the opportunity to see who I am, a college kid trying to live my life for Christ. These girls kept me laughing and kept me relying on the Lord. They asked tough questions, and the Lord provided answers. I'd be lying to you if I said this job wasn't hard, just try spending crazy amounts of time on a bus and having to be energized at all hours of the day and night. The Lord is faithful, and He provided- he kept me energized and healthy and filled with the Holy Spirit. He also kept me on my toes and never allowed me, or the rest of my team, to get comfortable. Comfort brings complacency, and really, who benefits from complacency? For real, it was the best job ever. I learned how to love and what it really means to be a servant of the Lord.
SUMMER BACKTRACK:
I feel like I should put something in here about my summer because I feel like the Lord used the summer as a time of preparation for Spain and never in my life have I been so changed in the short time of 3ish months. So when I reference my summer in the future (because it's gonna happen), here's a little background. I had the amazing opportunity to serve as a Quest counselor with Sky Ranch, so here's a little bit about my summer and what the Lord did.
WHAT is QUEST? glad you asked...
Quest is a two week leadership camp for high school kids. The first week is spent at Sky Ranch @ Cave Springs in Oklahoma learning how to do inductive Bible studies, playing in the ice cold springs, doing a wide variety of activities such as ATVs and the ziplines, participatin in tribal comp (ZULU bleed blue!), having a blast at the stinkin' awesome night events (MI is a total exception- haha), learning how to love each other, and tearing down walls. The second week is spent at Sky Ranch Ute Trail in Colorado where everything learned at Cave is put into practice through practical experience, doing the ropes course, whitewater rafting, hiking up to the top of the world (rock in tow) and spending the night outside, and learning how to serve others through various chores around camp.
WHO MAKES QUEST AWESOME? even better question...
The Lord blessed Quest with two sets of fabulous assistant directors (ADs) with Chris, Kendra, and Brenton at Cave and Courtney and Malcolm at Ute. They planned everything, loved on us, and overall, made our jobs much easier, as did Dustin and Ryan, the camp directors, and their wives, Julie and Jen. I was put on a team with five of the most incredible people you will ever meet, should you all have the opportunity to meet them. Together, we traveled over ten thousand miles across Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Kansas. We were together for obscene amounts of time, and by the grace of the Lord, we never ran into serious conflict, well, none after the Lord healed mine and Josh's relationship. Together, we loved on kids and we loved on each other. We survived a crazy 13 hour delay in Amarillo, Texas, a month without a true day off, JP, Carmie, and Coach Mullins- our fearless bus drivers, dinners of cheese sandwiches and cocktail weinies, two hikes up the mountain with hail (Abbie, Reeder, and Courtney) and countless other things that have not made this list. I may never see these people again, but to Kirk, Abbie, Josh, Rusty, and Reeder, I am forever changed because of the role you played in my life this summer. Thank you for your encouragement, your laughs which kept my sanity, your shoulders that caught plenty of my tears, your prayers, and your love. I love all of you and I pray that the Lord will continue to use you in the lives of others.
WAIT, SO WHAT DID YOU ACTUALLY DO? besides ride a bus for insane amounts of hours...
Basically, my job was to love on the girls that came through the program, while pushing them beyond their physical and spiritual limits. My cabin was the Palace, primarily 15 year old girls, and I got to be a big sister/friend for two weeks. The Lord created a safe environment within my cabin and allowed my girls to open up and share who they are with me. In return, they had the opportunity to see who I am, a college kid trying to live my life for Christ. These girls kept me laughing and kept me relying on the Lord. They asked tough questions, and the Lord provided answers. I'd be lying to you if I said this job wasn't hard, just try spending crazy amounts of time on a bus and having to be energized at all hours of the day and night. The Lord is faithful, and He provided- he kept me energized and healthy and filled with the Holy Spirit. He also kept me on my toes and never allowed me, or the rest of my team, to get comfortable. Comfort brings complacency, and really, who benefits from complacency? For real, it was the best job ever. I learned how to love and what it really means to be a servant of the Lord.
getting a visa- really not that much fun.
Okay, so for any of you who ever plan on getting a visa, start the process now! Oh, if only that were an actual possibility. For real, getting this visa has been the biggest headache of the whole study abroad process. Spain, like most European countries, requires visas for all people remaining in their country longer than 90 days. In short, of course I needed a visa. Thankfully, student visas are more readily available than work visas. I applied for my visa this summer but only after receiving my passport (it had to be renewed). European consulates ask for your passport with your visa application, which means that you can't leave the country until you get your visa- clever, really. About ten days before I left, I realized that I still didn't have my visa, so I got on the phone with my congressman in Washington. After a week of calling my congressman, the Spanish consulate, and my study abroad advisor in Oxford, and a whole lot of prayer, I finally got approval from the consulate. Once again, the Lord provided beyond my expectations. He also blessed my mom and I with a wonderful night in New Orleans. In order to get my visa, I had to show my face to the Spanish consulate. New Orleans is a wonderful city, even two years after Katrina. We ate on the balcony of a local restaurant on Jackson Square, where we were serenaded by New Orleans jazz from the street below. The night was topped off with beignets at Cafe Du Monde (a must for any newbies to New Orleans!) and a nice walk down Bourbon Street, which my mom called our "educational experience" of the night. At 9am on Monday morning, I went to the Spanish consulate, and I now am in possession of my visa and passport! God is good!
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
i'm missing football season because?
Last fall, I knew that I wanted a change of scenery at some point during my college career, preferably during rush (I love Chi-O but rush is one of my least favorite times of the year). Honestly, I initially thought that I'd be a visiting student at Texas A&M or the University of Oklahoma. I visited some of my Sky Ranch friends last fall at A&M for the OU game, and really, I never imagined loving a school that much that wasn't my own. I talked with my honors college advisors about possibly doing research for my senior thesis (topic is still TBA) at another school in the states. After more research, I realized that, as much as I may want to be an aggie or a sooner for a semster, studying abroad would provide a greater benefit. After listening to my academic goals, my study abroad advisor at Ole Miss recommended that I investigate CIDE (Centro Internacional Deusto de Español) and their program with the universidad de deusto in Bilbao, Spain. The program proved to be everything that I was looking for, all I had to do was ask my parents. I received their approval on the condition that Spain would not cost anymore than Ole Miss would for the fall. God is good and provided beyond my expectations. All of my scholarships transfered over to Spain. I wouldn't have to pay for food at the sorority house (a decent expense at Ole Miss). For the first time, Northwest Airlines offered a free plane ticket to 2 Ole Miss students traveling abroad in the fall. I filled out the application, and much to my surprise, I received the scholarship. I will always be grateful for Jim Barksdale, the founder of Netscape, and his commitment to excellence at Ole Miss and the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. Because of his generosity, in the form of a $100 million endowment, I had the opportunity to apply for, and subsequently, received a student stipend. The Lord provided beyond my expectations, and studying in Spain will actually be cheaper than studying at Ole Miss in the fall. God is so good!
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