Back in business

Ok people, the blog is back.

After a year-long hiatus, I feel like writing again, and I could not be more thrilled. I apologize to everyone (especially Alli and Jen) who faithfully read my blog and have been nagging me since my last post. I have missed "siempre de moda," but now I feel refreshed and ready to once again pour out my strong opinions. In future blogs, I will return to posts of a more topical nature (theories about society, opinions on celebrities, things that I love/detest), but I think I will use this one to catch my readers up on my life.

So many things happened in the past year. I spent a wonderful school year living with Joel "JoelCat" Richardson, and interviewed at seven different medical schools, traveling to Omaha, Hershey (PA), NYC, Iowa City, Rochester (MN), Chicago, and Milwaukee. Four of them wanted me, and in the end I decided on the University of Iowa, Carver College of Medicine. Right before Christmas my paternal grandfather died, and he has now been singing in the celestial choir for six months. In May, I graduated from Grove City College with a BA in Spanish and a BS in Molecular Biology. Laura Bush spoke at my graduation. I also receive the Robert H. Sisler award from the Modern Language Department for my commitment to modern languages and "joie de vivre."

Since I last wrote, I also have learned many new things. I gained a working understanding of the German language, and made paella, tortilla, and ensaladilla rusa for the first time. I learned how to be a better friend and worked on putting others first. Dad taught me how to cross country ski, and I was trained to work in the GCC Admissions office. At graduation, I also learned how to say goodbye and have been trying to learn how to be a better long-distance friend over the past few weeks. Currently, I am learning how to be content by myself and how to be self-driven with a less rigorous schedule.

Like any summer, I have several goals and projects to keep me busy. I am once again committed to physical fitness and have been working out every day. Ideally, I would eat healthier too, but my 22-year love affair with Mac n Cheese is hard to end. I am working on attending as many friends' weddings as possible and hope to make it to as many East of the Mississippi as I can. Since I sleep in a basement at home, have a deep window well instead of a normal window. I have hated this window well since I was a child, but this summer I filled it with potted plants and am even growing tomatoes in it. My shopping list for the summer includes a car, laptop, apartment, and backpack. I also want to work on my Spanish and keep learning German.

My parents bought me a Nook Color for my graduation present, and I have used it almost constantly since receiving it. I have been devouring books and highly recommend anything by Stieg Larsson. Next I plan to check out the Hunger Games or reread some Harry Potter. On my Nook, I have also been playing a ton of Angry Birds, surfing the web, checking my email, listening to music, and doing sudokus. For those of you who do not know, the Nook Color is basically a Kindle but cooler and more useful.

I can sense that this is the point in my blog posst where I tend to start rambling, so I will end things before that happens. For the eighth summer of my life in a row, I am working at the Hospers Pool and thus have plenty of time to think up new topics for blogging. You will be sure to hear from me again in the near future.

Until then, love from me and my PC!

La última semana en España

How did six weeks pass so quickly?

I have been home now for over two weeks, and I cannot believe that I spent the first six weeks of summer in Spain. I have already written of my trip to Gibraltar and Marbella during the last weekend in Spain, but I thought there were a few good stories from the last week and trip home that might be interesting.

On our last Tuesday in Spain, our three ISA directors had a farewell dinner for all of the current ISA students. Our group of summer students plus other ISA students who were there for longer periods of time met outside of the ISA office to walk to the restaurant. Before meeting with the group, Rubia and I went to a Language Exhibition that Malaga had put together in la Plaza de la Marina. We walked through, learning about the evolution of language and taking pictures with the creepy statues of cave people.

All of the information was in Spanish, and we grabbed the Spanish pamphlets at the front door, but a security attempted to be helpful and brought us the English pamphlets. Rubia and I were committed to using our Spanish skills and proceeded to ignore the English versions. At the end of the exhibit, we found an opening with mirrors and a video in the back. Since there were mirrors on every surface, this provided another great photo opportunity. We shamelessly climbed into the display and took as many pictures as we could before the next people came along.

After the Exhibition, we met the group outside the ISA office and followed the directors to the restaurant. Everyone was dressed up, and that added to the sense of festivity. I ended up sitting next to Raquel, one of our directors, Pedro, and across from Rubia, Jen, and another of our directors, Heidi. They made excellent dinner company. After the waitresses (camareras) got our drinks, they began to bring out plate after plate of food. At first we thought they were just serving us appetizers, but as more and more plates of shared food came, we realized we were getting a feast of Spanish cuisine. There were more than 10 courses, and I ate a little bit of each one.

During the meal, Raquel and I discussed our shared love of Twilight and discovered that we like all the same tv shows. We also found that we both have a talent for doing weird things with our eyeballs and speaking in British accents. Basically, we are just ideal friends. We used a lot of Spanish, but switched back and forth since both languages are needed to express different ideas. After dinner, everyone took pictures and headed in their own directions.

Wednesday of the last week was the Festival of San Juan. This festival is local to Spain and especially popular in Malaga. On that night, everyone goes to the beach for a giant party. They make lists of bad things that happened in the past year and through them in bonfires. People jump over the bonfires for luck, and at midnight, everyone goes into the sea to wash their faces and hands for purity. Rubia, Jen, Kendra, Lisa, Elena, and I hung out that night, watching the concert on the beach and then heading to Burger King to sit and chat. I had originally planned to stay out all night, but my bed called my name around three in the morning.

I went to class the next day, but a lot of students did not, for obvious reasons. Kendra and I found out that we were the only two going to literature, so we decided to skip and going shopping instead. Our teacher, Antonio, had told us the previous day that he did not expect to see any of us after San Juan so it was all good. I found a creepy little shop with an old man and old woman staring at me, but they directed me upstairs. After walking up the rickety stairs and down a few narrow hallways, I found a bright, neat room filled with souvenirs and gifts. I bought purses for my mom and sister and a guitar keychain for my father. I later bought coffee roasted in Malaga as an additional gift for my father.

During my last week at school, I made sure to go to the beach everyday during break. I liked to stop at a little grocery store, get some snacks, and then read Crepusculo, listen to my iPod and take naps while browning my skin. I wanted to come home nice and brown and ready to further my tan at the pool. Friday was the last day of classes before finals, and I made sure to go to the El Palo beach for the last time that day. As I gazed at the beautiful sea, I could not believe this was my last day on this beach. After my final Literature class, I headed back to Tere's apartment feeling a little sad. Like I wrote in my previous blog about Gibraltar, my friends and I went out that night for one last fun time together. We danced until early in the morning and got little sleep, but it was worth it.

After returning from Gibraltar and Marbella on Saturday, I felt wiped out and got some much needed sleep. I woke up late on Sunday, and after spending some devotional time, I headed out for one last day on the Malagueta beach. Apparently there had been a huge festival the night before in Malaga, and the beach was packed with Spaniards from out of town. I found my little piece of sand and took a nap on the sizzling ground. After waking up, I took a long walk through the water and then through town, taking some photos of the harbor and going into gift shops, trying to find a present for my brother. I wanted an Espana Jersey, but the stores were all sold out.

I studied for my finals that night, and got up early on Monday morning to prepare. After my first test in Culture, I really was not worried, but I wanted to finish strong. The Culture final was simple, and the Literature final was by far the easiest test I have ever taken. I said goodbye to a few friends at school, and it felt strange to realize that I would most likely never again see these people who had been so important to me for six weeks. Tere made paella for lunch that day, and her daughter, Terecita was there as well. Terecita took a photo with Matteo, Tere, and me after the meal.

Matteo and I packed up our bags and scoured the room, making sure we had not forgotten anything in the room. When we left the apartment for the last time, I gave Tere a thank you note I had written in Spanish and thanked her deeply for everything she had done. She gave us the dos besos, and sent us and our bags down the elevator one at a time. When I got in the elevator, a few tears slid down my face. For the first time, I fully accepted the fact that I was leaving Spain. Zach joined Matteo and me outside, and we walked across town to the Cathedral. I met a few other host parents who had taken their kids to the bus, and we said our goodbyes to the students who were saying and to our fabulous directors: Iker, Heidi, and Raquel.

Iker made the overnight trip with us to Madrid. We were pretty rowdy and shared memories--no one really felt like sleeping. Andrea and I watched the most recent episode of the Bachelorette on our way to pass the time. When we arrived at the Madrid airport, the three Grand Valley Girls (Aftyn, Andrea, and Jen) hopped in a taxi and took off across the city to meet their Bilbao group. The rest of us stumbled into the airport, knowing that at 4 am we would have to wait a while before checking into our flights. Kendra and I were flying the same airlines so we headed to the same security checkpoint.

At the Duty Free store inside the airport, I finally found a gift for my brother: an authentic Spain World Cup scarf. I ate Subway as a way to transition back into the American way of life, and slept until my flight began to board. On the Madrid to Amsterdam flight, I sat by two Madrilenas in their early twenties. They were on holiday to Amsterdam, but neither spoke English or Dutch. We spoke for about two hours in Spanish and had a lot of fun. When we arrived in Amsterdam, I pointed them in the right direction and gave them some English tips.

Dutch airports are different because instead of having lots of sitting room and boarding by sections, everyone just makes a giant line and stands around for two hours until everyone is on the flight. On my trip across the Atlantic, I sat by a girl from Germany. A few years before she had spent a year in Minnesota as a foreign exchange student and had visited regularly ever since. We discussed many things and like the Madrilenas, she told me about the international significance of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. I never realized how much of a global effect that event had, but all three women could identify where they were when it happened and how it had changed their home countries.

Customs in Minneapolis went smoothly, but after helping many people get their luggage off the conveyor belt to put it back through security, I found that mine was missing. The airport guard told me to just go through security with my carry-on and claim the luggage in Sioux Falls. I decided their was no point in worrying, and headed off to my gate. Once there, I switched on my cell phone and felt like I was finally home. On my final flight to Sioux Falls, I sat by an elderly mother and her adult daughter who had just vacationed in Canada, taking a tour of the garden's of British Columbia. This sounded dull to me, but they seemed to have enjoyed it.

Mom and her friend Becky picked me up in Sioux Falls. I made a luggage claim before leaving the airport, and they delivered it to my house in less than two days. We drove home to Hospers, and I dropped my bag in my room, took a shower, and got ready to go out again. Although I had not slept in over 48 hours, I really wanted to go to the Midnight showing of Eclipse with my sister. We saw the film, and it was both the perfect ending to a magnificent six weeks in Spain and a marvelous beginning to the rest of summer.

Part of my heart is still in Spain. One day I will go back and retrieve it.



Click here for photos!

Monkeys and British people

Sometimes you just need to go play with monkeys.

Two Saturdays ago, June 26, Rubia, Jen, and I decided to take advantage of our last weekend in Spain by visiting the Rock of Gibraltar and its infamous monkeys. We waded our way through the confusing bus schedule on the internet and found a way to go Gibraltar for the day, and then spend a few hours in the late afternoon/early evening in the capital city of the Costa del Sol, Marbella. It all looked good on paper, and we planned to meet Pedro and Alejandro in Gibraltar after they took a later bus.

Our bus left at 7 am and that time came far too early for Rubia and me. Wanting to soak up every last moment of our ISA Malaga experience, we went out Friday night, hanging out with friends and dancing in the discotecas until much later than we should have. We walked back together to our neighborhood around 3:30 am, and I slept until around 5:30 am. This was the earliest I had woken up in over six weeks, and I was feeling pretty sleep-deprived and nauseous.

However, I took a bunch of ibuprofen, grabbed the sack lunch Tere had packed me, and walked over to the Plaza de Toros to meet Jen and Rubia. Jen loves monkeys more than anything else in this world so she was filled with joy and excitement. Rubia and I were semi-comatose. We hailed a cab and asked the drive to take us to the Estacion de Autobuses. After a zippy cab ride, we arrived at the bus station, purchased our tickets, and got on the bus.

Rubia and I ran to the back of the bus, taking advantage of the full bench in the back row and taking a nap for an hour and a half. When we got to the Marbella bus station, our nap had to end for the bus filled up with people, including a sailor-mouthed Englishman who sat between Rubia and I on the bench and rolled his own cigarette while telling us about his life and how to get to Gibraltar. When we got to the final stop in the Spanish city of La Linea de la Concepcion, he grabbed his pack, pointed us in the right direction, and headed for the border.

Rubia and I were a bit more alert and this point, and Jen was still the happiest and most optimistic I have ever seen her. We made our way to the border, and showed our passports. To get to the city of Gibraltar, you have to walk across the Gibraltar airport--in fact you have to walk on the airport's one runway. Gibraltar is owned by England, and upon entering the United Kingdom, we immediately spotted one of those red telephone booths that everyone takes a picture inside when they go to England. I have been jealous of those photos for years, so I made sure that I got my photo taken in it.

We followed the signs toward the historic town center. Along the way, guides called out to us, offering to show us the highlights of the rock. Jen and I believe that those things are scams, so while Rubia wanted to take advantage of that opportunity, we wanted nothing to do with it. We passed through the town center, and Rubia got some Gibraltar pounds out of the ATM. In the distance, we saw a cable car system going up the Rock in the center of the town, and we decided to try to find where it went up.

When we got to the bottom of the cable car center, we were confronted by a highly persuasive guide that offered to show us the main sites of the rock for 25 euro. He told us that we would save over 3-4 kilometers of walking, gain entrance to some sites on top, and still pay less than the cable car. Despite Jen's and my initial prejudice against that sort of this, this made a lot of sense so we finally listened to Rubia and joined a British family and our guide in the van.

Our first stop was at the southern most point of the Rock. From the lookout point, you can see Africa. Legend says that a mountain used to separate the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, but Hercules smashed it, connecting the bodies of water and leaving behind two columns. Gibraltar is one of the columns and some African mountain is the other. At the closest point, only 3-4 miles separate Spain and Africa, and it was incredible realizing that we were looking across the sea at another whole continent.

We got back in the van and the little English boy, Tim, sat by me. He was short and plump with glasses and a British accent, and we found him hilarious. Our next stop was some caves within the rock, and on the way Tim asked me, "Do you like caves? I'm a bit afraid of them, but I do rather like them." Tim was on holiday with his mother and father, and his maternal grandparents. His grandfather used to be in the navy and lived in Gibraltar for a while before returning to England.

When we got out of the van, we saw our first Gibraltar monkeys. The guide told us to ignore them--there would be more later--but we could not resist taking a few photos of them scampering up walls and clinging to their babies. We went into the caves and while they were beautiful, I thought that the ones in Nerja were better. Jen, Rubia, and I left the caves before the British family and were greeted by our guide and a pack of monkeys. He had each of us take a turn standing by a post. A monkey then jumped on our head and crawled onto our shoulders, eager to get a peanut from our hands.

Tim was really excited about the monkeys. However, when it was his turn, a much bigger monkey got on the post. The guide tried to shoo him away, but the monkey was determined. It jumped on Tim's head, almost knocking him over, and we all tried to convince Tim not to be freaked out. After that, the guide gave us more peanuts and taught us how to make the monkeys jump up on our arms, warning us, "You don't touch the monkeys--the monkeys touch you!" Jen's face was filled with the purest glee and joy I have ever seen. All of her dreams came true in that short time.

Our next stop was a lookout point on the peak of the Rock. We took some wonderful pictures and saw some more monkeys. Our final stop was the tunnels of Gibraltar. The Rock is filled with kilometers and kilometers of man-made tunnels that the British made for defense back in the day. The tunnels we traveled were filled with mannequins dressed in traditional British military garb and posed in different scenes that would have occurred in the tunnel. Going down was much easier than going up.

Outside the tunnels we had one last photo opportunity before heading back down. Jen's camera broke while in the tunnel, deleting all but eight of her photos so she lost her good temperament and sulked the rest of the day. We still love her. Tim's father took photos of Rubia and I with Spain and the sea behind us, and we let Tim jump into a few photos. Our guide finally got us back in the van and took us back down to the city. Money well-spent.

The next bus did not leave until 3:30 pm so we still had about two hours to kill in Gibraltar. Rubia had spotted a restaurant with lots of vegetarian options on the way to the cable car site, so we made our way back there. After weeks of practicing our Spanish in every restaurant, it was strange to order food from a made speaking English. I ate the bocadillo Tere had packed me and tried a cheese and ham pizza at the shop. We spent the rest of our time wandering and exploring little shops and displays on the way back to the bus stop.

We called Pedro on our way back to the center, and he told that the 10 am bus had too full for Alejandro and him to board. Despite my tired start of the day, I was thankful that we had pushed ourselves to get up so early. When we got back to La Linea, we discovered that the bus information online was wrong and the next bus did not leave until 4:30. I was out of money and wanted to find an ATM, so we ventured into the city of La Linea. It was hot, dry, and unattractive. We felt blessed to have studied abroad in Malaga, and based on what I saw, I do not recommend that International Studies Abroad create ISA La Linea.

Finally our bus came, and we headed off the Marbella. Tragically, the change in bus times left us with only two hours there instead of three. When we arrived at the Estacion de Autobuses in Marbella, we quickly got off, bought our tickets from Marbella to Malaga, and sped walked the twenty minute walk to the beach. We decided we had about 45 minutes to spend and the beach before we had to head back, so Rubia and I quickly changed into our swimming suits. Jen sat by the stuff while we ventured out on the pile of rocks that extended far out into the sea.

On our way back to the sandy part of the beach, Rubia realized her dream of playing paddle ball with natives, and I swam my way back to the main beach. Marbella's beach was beautiful and filled with shells, and I decided to collect some. I met a young boy from Sevilla there, and he helped me find shells. Like many young Spaniards, he was excited to hear that I was from the United States. While I did not make many lasting connections with Spaniards, little interactions like this made my experience so much more worthwhile.

Our time flew by far too quickly, and Jen, Rubia, and I returned to the bus stop, drying our swimsuits and bodies as we walked. Marbella was a beautiful town and put La Linea to shame. The Spanish bus system further caused problems, and we accidentally got on a non-direct bus to Malaga instead of the express bus for which we had paid an extra two euro. I slept on the bus, weary after a day of monkeys, sun, and high-energy British children. We took another zippy taxi ride back to la Plaza de la Malagueta and headed to our respective apartments. Thankfully, Tere had supper waiting for me to heat up when I returned.

Despite all the stress and confusion, a monkey sat on my head--that made it all worth it.



Click here for photos!

Una visita granadina

After an amazing Friday in Nerja, we spent the rest of the weekend in Granada.

Granada is one of those must-see cities in Spain, not just because Evan Moore studied there, but also because of the history and beauty of its buildings and scenery. Since it is only about an hour from Malaga, we got to sleep in a bit later, meeting at la Manquita at 9:45. As per usual, a few people were late and we were on the road by 10 AM. I slept a little, but watched the countryside and felt excited about a new city.

Our first day in Granada was much more relaxed than the usual first day of our excursions. We had a little free time to use los aseos and grab a coffee when we arrived. Most of the bus piled into El Corte Ingles (it is similar to a big Macy's), and feverishly went up and down the escalators, desperate to find the bathroom. After successfully completing my mission, I saw one of those Espana futbol scarves on sale in a display of Copa Mundial (World Cup) stuff. Knowing how much it would enhance my college dorm room, I bought it.

We reunited with our directors, Heidi and Raquel, and took a leisurely walk down the colorful streets of Granada on our way to the Catedral de Granada. When we got there, Raquel warned us not to accept rosemary from the gypsies--if you take it, they will harass you for money. I do not think that system of business can be very successful. Instead of visiting the main cathedral, however, we went around the corner to visit la Capilla Real (Royal Chapel).

Once inside, I saw the hateful sign that said I could not take pictures, so my memory will have to serve to remember it. La Capilla Real was built by los Reyes Catolicos (Fernando y Isabela) after they conquered Granada. It serves as a mausoleum for five people: them, their daughter, Juana la Loca, her husband, Felipe el Guapo, and their oldest grandson, Miguel da Paz. Like every religious building in Europe, it was ornate, beautiful, and overwhelming.

After the chapel, we took a little paseo (walk) with our guides. They took us down a scenic path from where we could see la Alhambra up on the hill. At this point, we were all hungry and grouchy and wanted to take siestas. We walked to our hotel, got our keys (thankfully more than one this time!), and found our rooms. As always, Matteo, Felipe, and I shared a room, and when we got inside, we discovered that my bed was in a separate room, giving me a "private room." Since Matteo usually gets back two hours after I do, and Felipe two hours after him, this worked well. Its amazing how this pattern always plays out, even if I do not come back until 4 AM.

The three of us headed off with Alejandro, Zach, and Jordan to find a buffet house for which a man on the street had given us fliers. We arrived and stuffed ourselves with salad, paella, pizza, pasta, and ice cream. Honestly, we ate so much that we almost just took naps outside on the street. The walk back to our hotel seemed to take forever and when we finally got there, Matteo, Felipe and I collapsed in our respective beds, taking four-hour siestas.

After our siestas, we got up to prepare for our "surprise" that was listed on the itinerary. We headed out at 8:30, and Raquel lead us up the narrow streets of Granada, always going up and up the slanted streets. She told us we were "entering Morocco" due to all of the Moroccan shops and a nearby man said, "No, es Granada!" We had no idea where she was taking us, although many people hoped it would be a flamenco show.

Eventually, we stopped at a lookout point and were amazed by what we saw. The whole city of Granada was beautifully laid-out and filled with the glow of sunset. Directly in front of us, across the city we saw the beautiful La Alhambra, a fortress/city/castle built by the Muslims and the final defense against the Christians during la Reconquista. We also said that that was all the surprise we needed, but I think in our minds we all hoped there would be more, especially after all that walking.

Raquel then lead us down some more narrow streets, eventually stopping outside a Flamenco theatre! It was small and authentic, and we were so very excited. They sat our group on the left side of the room; the right side was filled with Japanese tourists. I sat in the very front row with Andi, Brandi, and Meghan, literally three feet from the stage. The waiter came and took our drink orders (Coca Cola Light for me!), and we got ready to enjoy the show.

Two different groups performed that night, made of six performers each. Some sang, others played guitar, and one person danced at a time. Flamenco involves a lot of stomping and clapping and at some points reminded me a little bit of Step Up or Stomp the Yard. The dances were beautiful, and I got to see an old woman dance while clicking her castanets, my favorite part of flamenco. I eagerly took video clips and photos, hoping to make a compilation video when I got home.

At the end of the show, the dancers began to snatch people up from the audience to participate. Alejandro went first, followed by a student from another Study Abroad group. I always get chosen for that sort of thing, so I put down my sunglasses and gave my camera to Andi in preparation. Sure enough, the old castanet lady looked at me, smiled, and crooked a finger so I jumped up on the stage. I made a complete fool of myself but got a lot of cheers, especially when I shook my butt. Basically, it was just a wonderful night.

We headed back to a night life center close to our hotel head-over-heels in love with flamenco. I had a nice talk in Spanish with Heidi, asking her if she put Matteo and I together as roommate because we both have badonkadonk butts. She said no. When we got to the center, Pedro, Brandi, Lisa, Alejandro, Jen, Rubia and I decided to go for tapas. We went to a little restaurant where I got Spanish tortilla and split some sangria with Alejandro and Pedro. Our tapas left us wanting a little more, so the girls went for ice cream while the boys got kebabs. Classic.

Since we had a big day at the world-renowned Alhambra the next day, we decided to call it an early night and get a little sleep. I went on my computer, checked a few things, and went to sleep. Matteo followed the two hour rule, but Felipe did not get back until after 8 AM. Oh Felipe... We got up in the morning at 9, had a delicious breakfast buffet at the hotel, and then rode the bus to La Alhambra.

We were all quite excited about La Alhambra. Our guide lead us through some gardens first, followed by some sort of stables. La Alhambra really is a city filled with houses and castles, gardens and fountains. I walked with Raquel most of the time, having a Spanish conversation about our mutual love for Crepusculo (Twilight). Although Raquel is Spanish, she read the books in English. I think books are always best in their native language. Raquel told me she had already bought her ticket for the first showing of Eclipse in Spain. Twilight unites everyone.

There was so much beauty within the various buildings and gardens of La Alhambra--I really cannot even describe it. Look at my pictures; they do a better job. Within the walls, there is one hotel which used to be a Franciscan monastery. Our guide told us that it is super expensive to stay there, but some people do it. There was also a palace built by Christians which was never actually used. We saw the power and majesty of the Sultan within his buildings, and the ever pervasive marks of a Moor dwelling: fountains and orange trees.

After leaving La Alhambra, we had a little free time for lunch. Aftyn, Katie, Brittni, Andrea and I went into one restaurant, but when we saw they did not have menus we ran for it. We met up with Rubia, Elena, and Lisa at another outdoor restaurant, and I ate delicious veal ravioli. By the way, they do not really eat ground beef in Spain. If you eat cow, it is going to be veal. Always.

Halfway through la comida, some of our classmates joined us with their recently purchased fake Ray Ban sunglasses. Wanting my own pair, I set off to find the Africans who sold them to them. I had almost given up hope and was about to get on the bus home when one walked my way and approached me with his sunglasses display. He wanted 15 euro for the glassed but there was no way I was paying that much. We haggled for a while, and when I finally walked away and started to get on the bus, he agreed to let me buy them for 8 euro. Thank goodness for my Spanish skills.

When we got home, I showed them to Tere. She asked me if I had bought them at a real store or from "un negro." (This is actually the politically correct word in Spain, so don't be hatin'!) After I told her how I got them, she taught me the Spanish verb for "to haggle" (regatear) and gave me supper. I was surprised by how much I liked returning home after trips and saddened at the thought of returning to my permanent home in a little over a week.

Granada was beautiful--I am not ready to return to America.


Click here for photos!

Nerja > Clase

I never got to do Senior Skip Day in high school.

As part of their communist-totalitarian coalition, my principal and vice principal decided that Senior Skip Day was a violent uprising against their supreme authority and declared harsh penalties for anyone that participated my senior year. Robbed of the chance to take a day off and enjoy the company of our classmates before graduation scattered us to the wind, my classmates and I trudged our way through classes while a dozen foolish individuals still skipped.
The administration called their parents, and they were all back by noon.

With this tragic history, you can imagine my excitement at the change to take a skip day in Malaga. Two Fridays ago, June 18, we decided to take the day off and go to Nerja, a nearby city. On Thursday, we informed our teachers that we were skipping class, and they responded by suggesting places to go and things to do. I love Spain and Spanish teachers.

Our group met by la Plaza de la Marina at 9:30 the next morning to buy our bus tickets. We got on the bus, napping during the hour-long bus ride. Nerja is known for both its beautiful beaches and also its epic caves, and while most of the group was only interested in the former, Daniela, Meghan, Cristina, Andi, Polly, Rubia and I wanted to see the caves. We paid the bus driver an extra euro to keep going after he dropped the rest of the passengers off in the center of Nerja.

When we got to la Cuevas, Meghan discovered that the sweet old lady next to her had stolen her clutch, containing 40 euro, her driver's license, a copy of her passport, and her credit cards. The bus driver helped her look for it and took her to a lady at the gift shop who spoke English to give Megan advice. Meghan called her mother to cancel the cards, and by the time her mother called, the woman had already taken hundreds of dollars out of Meghan's bank account. It is sad that you cannot trust anyone when you are traveling.

After that big mess, we headed into las cuevas. The caves at Nerja are HUGE, but they only let you see about 1/3 of them. We read some information about them at the entrance after having an awkward interaction with the photographers at the entrance, and then entered the main cave. I was immediately overwhelmed by the grandeur and immenseness of the cavern. We had met two little old British ladies earlier when we asked them to photograph our group, and they summed up my feelings perfectly when they began to sing "How Great Thou Art" while walking through the cave. On our way out, I found a floppy white hat they had left on a bench and gave it to a security guard, telling him it belonged to "las ancianas inglesas que cantaban." He knew exactly who I meant.

We took the bus back to Nerja, and then walked our way through town down to la Playa Burriana. In contrast to the sandy beaches of Malaga, la Playa Burriana consists of smooth, small rocks which I greatly preferred. Malaga has two main beaches and both fall short of Nerja's beach. El Palo leaves you covered in sticky sand, and La Malagueta dirties your towel, suit, and body with dust.

Upon arriving, I discovered that quite a few people had already gone to lunch so I went and joined them. Nerja has an amazing all-you-can-eat paella place right on the beach. I sat at a table with Matteo, Alejandro, Elena, and Pedro and quickly signaled the waitress to bring me a plate. She brought me a plate covered in delicious paella made with whole crayfish called langostinos and small clams called almejas. Elena taught me how to rip the head and tail off of the langostinos and how to remove its shell and legs. It was kind of an epic fail and I got crayfish blood on my shirt, but I ate until I was stuffed.

After lunch, I decided to conquer my fear of heights and jump off a cliff. While I was paralyzed in fear my first time climbing up, the rest of the times were much easier and I jumped six different times. At the top of the cliff, I met two Spaniards who apparently lived in Nerja and jumped off cliffs all the time. I felt a little like Bella Swan meeting the Quileute cliff jumpers. We chatted for a little while and they told me they were rooting for me. They also told me that you had to yell "Gazpacho" when you jumped. I love traditions and quickly embraced this one.

Stepping out on the edge, I gazed out all the clear blue water and resolved myself to the jump. I took a deep breath, launched myself from the cliff, and yelled "Gazpacho!!!!!" My body hit the water hard, but the adrenaline and rush of the jump kept me from feeling the frigidity of the Mediterranean. As my head broke the surface and I gasped the sweet air and tasted salt water on my lips, I felt complete euphoria. God clearly made cliff next to the sea so that we could jump off of them. Our whole group enjoyed the jump, and despite the fact that the sharp rock cut my hands and feet on the climb up, I felt like I could do it for the rest of my life.

After jumping over and over, I decided a nap was in order. I laid out my towel, put on Glee soundtrack on my iPod, read some Crepusculo, and then drifted off to sleep. Beach sleeping is so relaxing and has the added benefit of rewarding you with a tan. Over the next hour or so people began to head off to the bus stop to go home.

When I awoke, Lisa, Elena, Rubia, Alejandro and I decided to go for a little adventure before heading back to the bus. My culture teacher, Cristina, had told us about el Balcon de Europa which is a beautiful lookout spot in Nerja, and I really wanted to find it. We traveled down the beach, coming to a little cove where two teenage girls were hanging out with a much older man. It was a little sketchy. We ignored them and heading over to a broken stone staircase. Elena and I waited there while the other three went off to climb some rocks and take pictures.

After that extensive photo shoot, we climbed a staircase up the cliff, spotting a secret garden of cats. We walked for a while, and I fearlessly led the group as we wondered narrow streets, trying to find el Balcon. After about 20 minutes of walking, we found it. El Balcon is huge and extends out over the sea, giving us some more photo ops and letting us soak up the wonder of the Mar Mediterraneo.

After our photo taking adventure, the five of us hurried back to the bus stop, hoping to make the next bus. We made it with a few minutes to spare, finding the rest of the group ready to go home as well. Rubia and I shared a bus seat, and we read our respective books in Spanish. Everyone was exhausted and fell asleep on our way back to Malaga. As Rubia and I walked back from the bus stop, we saw a flamenco concert going on in the park. This country never stops fascinating me. When Matteo and I got home, Tere was already in bed but she had left us delicious bocadillos, chips, and flan. We love her.

Nerja was infinitely better than class.


Click here for pictures!

Una excursión sevillana

Excursions broaden the study abroad experience.

So far I have visited Madrid, Toledo, Ronda, Malaga, and this past weekend, Sevilla, with ISA taking care of hotels, transportation, and tours. They give us plenty of time to wander, buy touristy stuff, eat food, and experience culture first hand. ISA Malaga also sponsors weekly visits to buildings and museums within Malaga and sends us a weekly itinerary of cultural events. Somehow they are able to help us soak up as much Spanish culture without making us feel like kindergartners visiting the zoo, and I appreciate that.

The trip to Sevilla is a blur. After staying up late blogging, I felt tired in the morning so I skipped my usual cafe con leche to help me sleep on the bus. Tere packed Matteo and me a lunch of bocadillos, manzanas, and Cola for the trip--we love her. My first hour and a half on the bus consisted of an iPod-induced music coma followed by a fuzzy-brained trip to the rest stop. Like rest stops in every nation the food was overpriced but my sleepy brain wanted a bocadillo. Then it told me to get back on the bus to finish my morning nap.

An hour and a half later we arrived in Sevilla, a huge, beautiful city intersected by the Guadalquivir River which we learned to be historically important in Cultura class. Spain has a linear coast with irregular rivers so Sevilla is the only city with a puerto fluvial (port on a river). River ports are much easier to defend, making Sevilla an important port city that flourished during the days of los Reyes Catolicos when all sea voyages had to start in Sevilla. Cristobal Colon (Columbus) himself prepared for his New World voyage in Sevilla.

Upon arriving, we quickly left the bus for our first stop on the trip: el Alcazar, the royal palace of Sevilla. This palace is a blend of architectural styles from over five centuries of construction and additions. It is one big hot mess. Despite the confusion, it ended up being both beautiful and interesting. We saw plazas, bedrooms, gardens, and even the dungeon. We were told that one of queens had been murdered in the dungeon, drowned in the pool of water by her husband for having an affair with his brother.

Our guide told us about Rey Pedro I of Castilla on whom the legend of Don Juan is based. Each night he disguised himself to seduce women and then kill their husbands or fathers. Pedro I promised to behead whoever this horrible man was. When the alcalde (mayor) of Sevilla discovered it was Pedro I himself, he went to the king and told him he had discovered the perpetrator. When Pedro asked the mayor to show him the man, the mayor held up a mirror. Pedro had a statue made of himself and cut the head off the statue. Kings do what they want.

After seeing the dungeons, the guide led us out of the Palace through la Juderia (Jewery). During the many years centuries of Christian rule of Sevilla, Jews were permitted to stay and keep their own religion as long as they lived in this certain part of town. Having their quarters connected to the palace proved to be a helpful thing for the Jews, for whenever something went wrong (plague, drought, murder, war, depression), people blamed the Jews, and the king protected them from massacre. We took a little break there, and I ate my bocadillo.

Our next stop was la Catedral de Sevilla, the largest cathedral in Spain and the third largest Christian cathedral in the world. An entire football field could fit inside. It was overwhelmingly beautiful. It had a variety of different chapels where misa (mass) could be heard, and the main one had the largest chapel front piece in the world, covered in pan de oro (gold leaf). We saw the final resting place of one of Colon's sons and a famous painting of San Antonio from the which the image of San Antonio was stolen and recovered. Since St. Anthony is the saint of lost things, no one was too surprised when they got it back.

Colon's body is suspended in a box held up by four figures which represent the four kingdoms of Spain: Castillo, Leon, Aragon, and Navarra. There was a big controversy over whether Sevilla or the Dominican Republic had the real body of Colon. Sevilla tested the DNA of the sample with the DNA of many other relatives of Colon, both alive and dead, and found that Sevilla does have Colon's body, or at least part of it. The DR has refrained from testing what they have.

Our last stop at the Cathedral was a trip up la Giralda, the tower. The whole thing has a ramp instead of steps, so while the climbing is easier, it seemed like we would never reach the top. However, all the climbing was extremely worth it. From the top, we saw the entire city of Sevilla layed out beautifully. When you look from the tower, the city extends for what seems like forever in every direction and you see the beauty of the capital city of Andalucia in a whole new light.

After the Cathedral, our group had some free time for lunch, and Elena, Lisa, Alejandro, Jen, Rubia and I wandered for a while, going into gift shops and watching some tunos play their guitars and sing. I was kind of grouchy and tired, so as soon as we got to our beautiful hotel, I collapsed on my bed--Felipe and Matteo did the same. We took aggressive siestas for a while until I was awoken by a call from Rubia.

We wanted to watch the U.S./England World Cup match and decided to have a party in my hotel room. In true celebration of our American roots, Jen, Rubia, Alejandro and I went to KFC and Dominos and purchased a disgustingly large feast. We stuffed our faces in American food and watched the Americans tie. I should clarify that Alejandro and Rubia watched them tie--Jen and I were on my laptop, looking at facebook and skyping my brother and sister.

Alejandro left to go to bed and Felipe came back, ready to go out for the night. Jen, Rubia, and I decided to take in a little nightlife ourselves, so we put on nice clothes, crossed the Guadalquivir and met a bunch of our fellow ISA students. Jen, Rubia, and I were distracted by a marching band playing at 1 AM so we decided to investigate. On a backstreet, we discovered a huge mass of people crowded around a procession celebrating the Virgin Mary. The last part of the procession is the best, with dozens of men carrying a huge silver throne covered in candles and a statue of la Virgen. Every so often the throne would stop and a man would relight the candles while another man sang a song about the Virgen from a balcony above the street. We felt privileged to be part of a tradition that has been happening for hundreds of years.

Jen, Rubia and I felt tired after that so we headed back to the hotel. The hotel foolishly only gave out one key per room, so I woke up at 4:30-5:00 to hear Felipe kicking on the door. I opened it for him and saw a puddle of blood on the floor. On his way back to the hotel he had suffered a massive bloody nose, and he quickly hurried to the bathroom. I went into pool manager mode and quickly cleaned up the drops of blood, doing my best to make the hall and room look less like a crime scene. After making sure Felipe was ok, I crawled back into bed and fell asleep. I do not remember much of Felipe coming back--he told me about it in the morning.

While Spanish breakfasts are usually light, at hotels they are buffets and we all took advantage of that before heading out. One of the ISA directors, Iker, was our guide for this day, and he took to a park. We stopped at la Glorieta de la Palomas, a plaza filled with white doves and other pidgeons. He bought some pigeon food and gave us all a little bit--I am proud to say that I merely opened up my hand and a pigeon flew up and began to eat the food. After owning a parakeet, I must be a bit of a bird whisperer now.

We walked through the park and after seeing the world's tiniest and most adorable puppy, we arrived at la Plaza de Espana. La Plaza de Espana is breathtaking. It was built for Sevilla's World Exposition and now is open to the public. Each of the 52 provinces of Spain has a little booth painted with a characteristic scene and covered in symbols that define the region. Iker told us that part of Episode II of Star Wars was filmed there. If you watch the clip, you should know that the scene was edited slightly--however, that is basically how the Plaza looks.

For lunch, a bunch of us found a Tex-Mex and enjoyed some Mexican food in Spain. Believe it or not, Spanish food and Mexican food are quite different--Tere has never served me a burrito, taco, enchilada, or quesadilla for a meal. I ordered a giant bowl of guacamole and sank deep into avocado heaven. After eating, we made our way back to the bus (after stopping at Starbucks as Profesora Cristina had commanded us).

I slept the three hour trip back and groggily wandered my way back to Calle de Santa Cristina and up the elevator to my apartment. Sevilla was nice, but Malaga felt like home.


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Soy malagueño

Malaga has begun to feel like home.

First of all, I want to apologize for not updating my blog in a while. Despite the fact that my life is mostly free time, I feel like the days go so quickly. However, I do not really have an excuse, so I will man-up and try to be better in the future.

Wednesday (2 weeks ago) was our first day of class. Matteo and I got up at 7:45 since we had to be at the school at 9. Tere made us cafe con leche and gave us pan tostado with mantequilla and mermelada de fresa. In English, that is coffee and toast. I had purchased my bono-bus pass the night before, so Matteo and I walked half a block to the bus stop and waited for el Once (number 11). Here's a traveler's tip: Matteo couldn't buy his pass yet because he couldn't cash his travelor's checks. NOWHERE IN SPAIN TAKES TRAVELER'S CHECKS. Matteo FINALLY got them changed to money yesterday, and he has been trying for over two weeks.

When the bus came, we quickly missed it because we had no idea what we were doing. Eight minutes later the next bus came, and we got on. At this point we were a little worried about making it to school on time. Our nervousness made us get off 4 paradas (stops) too early so we had a bit of a hike before making it to school. However, Spanish school never starts on time so our lateness did not really matter. We took a placement test, and I made advanced, exactly what I needed. Since I was not taking language, I had three hours off, so Jen, Andrea and I headed back home to la Playa Malagueta to catch some rays.

Since then, we have fallen into a nice pattern of school and nightlife. Each day I have culture class from 9-11 and literature class from 1-3. During the two hour break in the middle, Andrea, Jen, Kendra and I hang out, sometimes buying fruit at the fruit stand at the corner, getting bocadillos across the street, going to the beach, checking our email, napping, reading books, or watching the Bachelorette, although that last part is mostly Andrea. I have a love/hate relationship with the bus--I love the idea of mass transit but practically it is annoying.

After class I head back to Tere's piso for comida (lunch). I usually get home around 3:20 but Matteo gets home at 2:20. I found out today that he usually eats lunch with Tere's 8-year-old nieto (grandson) during which they both watch Kim Possible in Spanish. This makes me more jealous than I think you can understand. By the time I get home, everyone else has eaten, and Matteo is enjoying one of his 2-5 hour siestas. The typical Spanish siesta is 20-30 minutes, but we Americans tend to abuse the system a tidge. Sometimes Tere's adult son or adult daughter come for lunch, and that takes longer, giving me some dining companions.

I usually spend my afternoons at the apartment or at the beach in front of our building. Sometimes I watch a tv show, take a siesta, or go grab some rays. A few days we have gone shopping--there are some great malls and shops that we can reach with a short bus ride. Supper is usually eaten around 9-10, and Tere prefers 9 since she goes to bed a little earlier. Tere goes out a lot at night to visit friends and family, so she frequently prepares our bocadillos beforehand and leaves them in the toaster oven for when we are hungry. We love her.

After dinner, we see what the night brings. There are seven of us from ISA Malaga that live on la Playa Malagueta, so people meet on the beach every night at 10:30 to hang out. Sometimes that means just chilling; other nights it means hitting the Centro and going to the Discotecas to dance the night away. A few days into our time at Malaga Matteo bought a guitar, and now he brings that down to sing and play. He and I are collaborating on a recording of Kanye's Heartless. Other nights we go out for tapas or helado. Ironically, our two meeting points tend to be the Burger King at Plaza de la Malagueta and McDonald's at Plaza de la Marina. We are so American.

One night Pedro, Sarah and I went to el Centro Comercial Larios to watch Prince of Persia: Arenas de Tiempo in Spanish. Thankfully you do not need to understand much of the dialogue in action films. I highly recommend it--I really enjoyed the film. It has one of the happiest endings of any adventure film I have seen in a long time.

So many crazy things have happened, and I have more stories than I could every tell or write. I have been catcalled by a transexual, interrogated by an old crazy man about where the Weapons of Mass Destruction are in Iraq, dined in the shadow of the Arabic castle and the unfinished Cathedral, danced with Jen to protect Rubia from a creepy Spaniard that would not leave her alone at the discoteca, had several old ladies think I was Spanish and call me guapo, attended church with six other people, gotten very lost in el Centro, pretended I did not understand Spanish, eaten so many pitufos de tortilla, gone swimming in the Mediterranean, made friends with two kebob guys, climbed Mount Gibralfaro, met people from Australia, Germany, Italy, Holland, Spain, the DR, Cuba, Colombia, England, France, and Canada, and so much much much more. I cannot wait to tell people everything in person.

We have taken a few trips since coming here, and I have enjoyed them all. Iker, a native Spaniard and one of our directors, gave us a tour of Malaga on our first day. Since then, he also gave us a tour of la Alcazaba, a Muslim fortress and castle, and took us to the Museo de Costumbres y Artes (Museum of Customs and Arts). We also took a day trip to the picturesque city of Ronda which is divided by a HUGE ravine and may have the prettiest vistas (views) I had seen since coming to Spain. Tomorrow we head to Sevilla for the weekend, and I am excited to see yet another magnificent city of Spain.

Life is beautiful. Skype me!


Click here for photos of MALAGA
Click here for photos of LA ALCAZABA
Click here for photos of RONDA

El viaje a Málaga

After three and half days of living out of a suitcase, we were ready to settle down.

We piled onto the bus bright and early, once again closing curtains, playing iPods, and wearing shades, hoping to sleep for part of our seven hour trip south. For the first half of the ride, I slept fairly well, putting myself in a Gaga-coma that carried me many miles down the road. Before you start hatin' on me for being inauthentic with my music while in Spain, I need to tell you that since arriving in Spain, I have heard almost exclusively produced music. Everywhere you go, Rihanna, Ke$ha, Gaga, and Beyonce follow you--even to the discoteca. Earlier today I watched a rough-looking Spaniard walk by my bus stop while playing Evanescence on his phone. Gaga is very español.

Eventually, however, the landscape become too exciting for me to stay in oblivion. Southern Spain is full of mountains and mesas, and covered in olivos (olive trees). Nothing but olive trees could thrive in the sandy soil, and the farmers have taken advantage of that fact. As we traveled we saw snow capped mountains in the Sierra Nevada range and abandoned buildings that looked as though that had been built hundreds and hundreds of years ago. I felt awed as the landscape continued to impress.

We took two breaks as we traveled, one around eleven and another around two for lunch. In America, breaks on bus trips usually last about ten-fifteen minutes, and maybe twenty-five, if it is time for lunch. However, in Spain, that would be simply impossible. We ate lunch at a rest stop in the nicest rest stop restaurant I have ever seen. We ordered el Menu del Dia which includes two courses, bread, drink, and dessert for an economical price. In what was becoming a pattern, Jen, Rubia, and Alejandro and I sat together. By the time this meal had ended, we had already been at the rest stop for over an hour and fifteen minutes. Oh Spain...

By the time we arrived in Malaga, everyone was pretty giddy. I felt nervous about meeting my Senora, my mom while I would be in Malaga. As we drove through Malaga towards the Cathedral, I noticed that Malaga was much different from the other cities we had visited. The buildings were more modern than that of Toledo but less cosmopolitan than those in Madrid. There were palm trees everywhere, and the whole city felt like it was dragging us to the sea. Our first view of the sea from the outskirts of Malaga got us more excited than anything else on the trip.

When we pulled up at the Cathedral, the Senoras were all lined up, ready to whisk us off to their casas. We looked out the bus windows, sizing the Senoras up. I hoped that Matt and I would not get the grouchy looking one standing by the bus door. Our director Heidi dismissed us from the bus a casa at a time. She introduced Matt and I to a dark haired woman standing in the back, and we gave one another the customary "dos besos." She asked me if I spoke Spanish. I said yes, and the Sra next to her told her how lucky she was.

Sra Maria Teresa Borrego Martinez led us to a taxi (my first taxi ride!) and directed the driver to take us to la Calle Santa Cristina. Senora spoke with me a little, and I found her strong Andalucian accent a bit difficult to understand. Andalucians do the ceceo where c's and z's sound like "th," drop a lot of s's at the end of words, and often drop d's, g's, and b's out of words. I have been working on developing this accent, but it is not the easiest thing to do! I was thankful that Srta Forrester's Phonetics class had prepared me for this accent, so that this was not the first time that I had heard it.

Upon arriving, we got out and wheeled our maletas to the building and brought them up the elevator to the fifth floor. Sra's apartment is quite spacious with two sitting rooms, one-and-a-half bathrooms, a kitched, a dining room, a terrace, and three bedrooms. Matteo and I share a bedroom and a bathroom. Our new mom gave us keys, showed us around, and encouraged us to unpack so that we could put our suitcases in her storage unit on the roof. When I called her Senora, she quickly corrected me and said to call her "Tere" which she pronounces like "TAY-day."

After unpacking, Tere asked us if we had brought computers. We were thrilled to find out that Tere has wireless internet, and she gave us the clave (password). Tere showed us around her apartment which is filled with art, books, and antique Arabic weapons. She told me that she is part Castillian and part Arabic. Her whole family has been in the military, and they own an art gallery somewhere. She is so cool.

We went to the beach after that and loved it. El Mar (Sea) Mediterraneo is cold cold cold, but the sun is also hot hot hot. To get there, we have to walk out our apartment door, cross the road, and sit down. Yes, we live that close. The beach by us is called La Playa Malagueta, and it is fairly popular. Tere told me that she goes there every day. I think that I probably will too. The darker I get, the more I will blend in with the Spaniards.

That night, Tere made us a bocadillo con jamon y huevos and patatas fritas with a little cup of flan. We would later discover that a sandwich, chips, and flan or yogurt would be the standard dinner for each night. After dinner, Matteo and I were really tired so we just got in bed and fell asleep around ten. Spanish night life would have to wait for another night.

Falling asleep to the sound of the waves hitting the sand is consistently amazing. La vida es brillante.


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Holy Toledo

When I remember Spain, I think that my brain will first go to images of Toledo.

After two days in Madrid, we woke up relatively early for an hour bus ride down to Toledo. Since most of us had enjoyed a pretty late night, we pulled the curtains on the bus, put our sunglasses on our faces, plugged our iPod headphones in our ears, and took a little siesta. I sat by Nikki, a fellow Iowan who also wanted to get a nap in on our way to the holy city.

However, upon arriving in Toledo, we could not have been more alert. Toledo is over 2500 years old, and proved an important city for the Romans, the Visigoths, and in more recent times, Christians, Jews, and Muslims. We learned that while the Jews and Muslims were driven out from the rest of Spain in 1492, many remained in Toledo, under the radar of the Reyes Catolicos (Ferdinand and Isabella).

We first took a little bus tour around the perimeter of Toledo while our guide, Silvia, told us a bit about the history of Toledo. Most of our guides use all Spanish or do both Spanish and English, helping us to expand our vocabulary and spend more time thinking in Spanish. There are two parts of Toledo: Toledo Antiguo, which is surrounded by high walls and a natural moat, and the rest of Toledo, which no longer fits inside the original walls. We drove across an ancient bridge that used to be the only way in and out of Toledo.

Our group stopped at a viewpoint outside the city to take photos of Toledo. The view there is breathtaking. Since we are all narcissistic Americans, we all needed to get our picture taken with the city behind us. Heaven knows that photo will make a great Facebook profile picture! Southern Spain is dry dry dry, so many students ran over to the cleverly placed Tabaco to buy these giant 1.5 L bottles of water they sell here.

To get up into the old city of Toledo, you have to take a series of escalators. I think there is a picture of this in my Facebook album somewhere. Apparently the architects/engineers who figured out how to put this in without making it look awful won an award and the King himself came to Toledo to give it to them. The best part about the escalators was that they were perpetually in the shade. La asombra (shade) is SO important in Spain because el sol siempre es fuerte! (the sun is always strong!).

In the city, we toured the Cathedral of St. John of the Catholic King and Queen. Today is it a monastery, but we were able to see the nave and the cloisters. There were symbols of Isabela (Ysabela) and Fernando every where, Y's, and f's, and the yoke of Aragon and arrows of Castile. In the central area of the building, I saw a real orange tree with oranges growing--I do not know why I thought that was so cool, but it was. We also went to the top part of the cloisters and looked at the hand-woven ceiling, once again covered with symbols of los Reyes Catolicos. On the outside of the cathedral hang many pairs of shackles--we learned that after the Reyes Catolicos defeated the Muslims in Granada, they hung the Christian slaves' shackles up their as a thank you to God.

We took a little break after that, and I went into a store to buy water. Once inside, I discovered shelf after shelf of Don Quijote stuff. I love Don Quijote. La Mancha, the area of Don Quijote was from, is associated with Toledo, and for that reason, the gift shops of full of stuff related to him. I got into a long talk with the cashier about Don Quijote, and when she saw Michelangelo's David, on my credit card, she told me all about how she loves los artes romanos, Roman art. I did not want to cut the conversation off since we were communicating so well in Spanish.

When I got outside of the shop, my group was gone. In my American life, this would not have been a big deal, but at this point, I did not have a phone, did not really know anyone in the area, and Toledo is basically one never-ending maze. I sprinted down a few different alleys and resigned myself to just walking over to the Plaza Zocodover where the tour would end, when I heard Rrrrrrraquel calling my name. My friend, Rubia, had noticed that I was no longer with the group and sent her back to find me. Dios es fiel!

After that, we toured a synagogue that had been transformed into a church, and saw la obra maestra (masterpiece) of El Greco, El Entierro del Conte de Orgaz. The tour group in front of us was from Japan, and their tour guide was yelling really loudly. Silvia told them off for being too noisy in Spanish, and the poor guide did not speak enough Spanish to know what to do so they just left. I think most of us felt a little smug for knowing what Silvia had said.

We proceeded down a narrow alley, and came out upon the great Cathedral of Toledo, from which we get the phrase "Holy Toledo." For many years, Toledo was the religious center of Spain and Fernando and Ysabela planned on being buried there. The Cathedral may be in my top ten of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. It was so tall, so imposing, and so powerful.

Our final stop on the tour was la Plaza Zocodover where we had lunch at a little cafe after taking some photos with the statue of Cervantes. After lunch, Rubia and I ran back into the maze of Toledo to find some of the mazapan (marzipan) that the nuns in the convent make. We found it and it was delicious. We also stumbled upon a little dulceria (sweet shop) where we bought candy shaped like cherries, motorcycles, fingers, fried eggs, and coke bottles.

That night, after arriving at our hotel, enjoying the siesta, and having a meeting, Rubia, Alejandro, Jen, and I headed out into the city for an "authentic" dinner. After walking for a long time and asking a nice Sra walking her dog where all the restaurants were, we found a place called Donner Kebab. Kebabs in Spain are a bread pocket stuffed with meat, vegetables, and sauces. I had a ternera (veal) kebob. So good.

I started talking with the two men behind the counter, and we had a nice conversation. They were impressed with my Spanish and asked me how I had learned so much. As we ate our food, we watched a Spanish tv program similar to Candid Camera that was hilarious. One of the guys behind the counter just about fell down from laughing. I think that they really liked us, because when it came time for the bill, they only charged us 20 euro. I went through the bill item by item with them because we thought it was closer to 36 euro, but he said that was all we owed.

After making a stop at an ice cream and pastry store, we headed back for the night. Every day is an adventure.


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La vida madrileña

Madrid surpassed everything I expected it to be.

I flew from Sioux Falls to Minneapolis to Amsterdam to Madrid with a few hours in between each flight. While travel is draining, there were several highlights. I enjoyed the long flight across the Atlantic, watching three films and a few tv shows on my personal viewing screen. The Amsterdam airport was filled with people speaking Dutch, and I loved it so much. The flight attendents were blonde and adorable and gave us Dutch snacks in Delft print packages. Such a delight.

When I arrived in Madrid, I made my way to the baggage claim and gathered up my suitcases. After walking clear across the airport, I changed my money to euros and met up with my group. Heidi, one of our directors, quickly found me and welcome me in Spanish. I met seven of my classmates, all girls, and we waited for a bus to come and take us to the hotel.

Our hotel was named NH Nacional Hotel and was amazing. I roomed with Matteo, my future roommate in Malaga, and Felipe, a guy from Dubuque, Iowa. Two things--I am giving everyone on my study abroad nicknames and there are 5 of the 30 people doing ISA Malaga are from Iowa. Their names are actually Matt and Phil. We marveled at the gorgeous view, spacious bathroom, and curious bedet.

That night we had a driving tour of the city courtesy of our native ISA director, Rrrrraquel, but I kept falling asleep. Madrid is beautiful and fascinating--definitely a European city with an international feel. At times I felt that it was remeniscient of Manhattan--at other times it was a completely new experience. Please take a look at my photos of Madrid--it was absolutely breathtaking. We had dinner at a little cerveceria around 8:30 or so and then headed back to the hotel for the night.

I think I should clarify a few things for people unfamiliar with the Spanish schedule. Spanish people live their lives around the sun. They eat desayuno (breakfast) after the sun rises--at 9 or 10, and then eat a huge comida (lunch) around 2 or 3 in the afternoon. After comida they take a siesta. During this time, most of the stores are closed. Around 4 or 5 the stores reopen. Spanish people do not eat dinner until 9 or 10 at night. The sun does not fully set here until about 9:30-10:00 so daylight goes forever. After a few days, I am totally used to this schedule and actually prefer it.

Also, I will probably write about going to a lot of bars and cervecerias. In Spain, they really do not have places that just sell food or just sell alcohol. The Spanish bar is a place where you go to get tapas (little meals) and talk with friends. I think this clarification is important so that no one thinks I have become an alcoholic while abroad.

On Domingo we got up and had a delicious breakfast at the hotel before walking to the Museo del Prado. Tragically, we could not take pictures inside, but I go to see paintings by El Greco, Velazquez, and Goya, three famous painters of Spain. Thank you CivArts and Dr. Munson. I loved getting to see Las Meninas, Saturno, and many other famous works, as well as understanding most of what our excellent tour guide said.

After a break for lunch and having some montaditos at the cerviceria, we visited el Palacio Real, the royal palace of Spain with more than 2000 rooms. We only saw a handful of these rooms, but it was so chic. Each room had a different purpose and type of decoration. There was a throne room, a room for lunch, a room for dinner, a room for drinking, a room for drugs, etc. The palace also have 5 Stradivarius instruments. If you know what that means, you are impressed.

We had the afternoon off, so we took are time walking back from the Palacio, heading through the Plaza Mayor and the Plaza del Sol. Felipe, Rubia, Pedro, Alejandro, and I found a little back-alley cafe where we enjoyed delicious paella with gambas and conejo (shrimp and rabbit). Paella is my favorite Spanish food so far--it is basically just rice with meat on it and generally it is a dish that you share. We spent almost two hours there--Spanish meals are meant to be leisurely endeavors, and you have to be aggressive when asking for the check. The mesero (waiter) will not bring it until you get his attention and forcefully demand "la cuenta, por favor!" On a positive note, tipping is uncommon, and if you tip more than one euro per twenty euro bill, it is considered very strange.

After lunch, I went with Alejandro, Pedro, and Rubia to el Jardin Botanico. The gardens are really beautiful, and we took some fun pictures. Afterwards, everyone got dressed up, and we went back to my favorite Cerviceria 100 Mondaditos for two euro jarras of sangria. Then we found another little cafe and enjoyed each others company. I had a wonderful conversation with a girl named Helen (no nickname yet!) who encouraged me to try the "dos besos" wherever I go. "Dos besos" is the customary girl-girl and guy-girl greeting in Spain where you touch cheeks and air-kiss on each side. It is far more natural that it might seem.

I headed back to the hotel afterwards and decided to get some sleep before heading to Toledo the next day. Life is beautiful.


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