Bienvenidos a Madrid!

So I am safe and sound in my hostel in Madrid. That´s not saying that it wasn´t a tough journey, but at least I´m finally here and I´m getting a chance to rest.
My journey started out at our apartment in Barcelona. I was the last one to leave, so naturally I was left with most of the cleaning. I also had to somehow figure out a way to get exactly 9 kilos in my carryon suitcase without leaving too much bulk for the other one so that I wouldn´t get as hefty as a fine this time around. I even pulled out our bathroom scale to get it justtt right.
After getting bored of watching the Flintstones in Spanish, I decided to head out around noon. I took both of my huge, heavy suitcases onto the metro and then to the bus stop for the Aerobus to pick me up to the airport. After 3 Aerobusses past by me without stopping, I overheard another man asking where to pick it up. I had been standing in the wrong place for about 30 minutes. Sooo glad I decided to give up those last 15 minutes of the Flintstones.
After walking with my 2 suitcases in tow to the next plaza, I waited for the bus. I was so excited to be first in line, until the bus door hit me when it opened. I can´t imagine anything more embarassing and dumb American-like than getting hit by a slowly moving autobus door.
I finally got to my terminal and waited in a looong line. When I got up to the front, the desk man informed me that not only is my bag 6 pounds heavier than I weighed, but my carryon was too large to be a carryon. I argued the point for a little while since I had taken that bag on as a carryon before, and I KNOW it fits. Nonetheless, I lost the fight and had to pay for 16 kilos of extra baggage. Luckily, Air Europa is 100000x better than ClickAir and doesn´t chare 10 euros per kilo. I was extremely relieved to hear 41 euros instead of 160.
The flight was probably the most pleasant part of my entire trip. Even though we took off about 45 minutes late, and my iPod died before it even lived, the whole flight itself was about 50 minutes so I could bare it.
I got off and decided to take the metro to my hostel. After 2 transfers, 3 elevators, 4 escalators, and about 5 flights of stares (just try to imagine me heaving my bags up a flight of stairs), I finally got to my stop. I swear if it wasn´t for a nice man at the top flight that offered to carry my bags, I swear I would have just given up and left them behind.
Of course, once I emerged, there was the ritual of walking in the wrong direction and turning around to get onto the right street. Then I walked a block past my hostel and had to go into a hotel and ask for directions. FINALLY I made it here. I love my hostel!! There are tonnsss of people all hanging out, watching TV, and cooking together. And a majority of them are American, so it´s nice to meet people from all over. Tonight I went to my fave restaurant MAOZ and lounged around watching TV with a bag of gummy bears. Soo relaxing.
Tomorrow I´m going to try to keep myself busy. I´m probably just gonna sleep in, walk around town, and maybe go back to the Reina Sofia Museum to see Picasso´s Guernica again. Ohhhh and tomorrow night my friend Kevin and I are going to a Real Madrid soccer game!!! It was the last thing on my list that I really wanted to do, and I´m stoked I get to fit it in!!
So I´m thinking I´ve definitely surpassed my 15 minute limit on the computers. Thus, I better get going (i.e. get going to sleep).
3 days until I´m home!!

Hasta pronto!!

Adios Barcelona!

Tonight is my last night in Barcelona. All of my bags are packed and I'm ready to head out to Madrid for a few days!!
Today was the perfect last day: I slept in, then Holly and I went to our favorite beach for the day. After showering and resting, Holly, Sarah, and I went to our favorite restaurant, MAOZ. I am going to miss it so much it was sooo good! I swear I went back to the veggie buffet like 18 times.
After our lovely dinner, we walked around Las Ramblas (the main drag of Barca) and looked at artistry stands and such. We got gelato (I splurged on 2 scoops) and then headed to the Magic Fountain. The Magic Fountain was built for the exhibition in 1929 and they have a light show every weekend during the summer. It was absolutely amazing! I took a video so hopefully you guys will see what I mean very soon!

Tomorrow my flight leaves at 3:45 so I'll have some time to get my stuff together before heading out. It's going to be a little interesting to manuever my 2 huge suitcases and a backpack through the metro, onto the aerobus, and then to the terminal. I guess I've manuevered my way through worse things, so hopefully it won't be that bad.

All in all, I'm sad I'm leaving Barcelona. I've had a great time seeing the 2 cities and I've met a lot of great people along the way. I'll write more once I get to my hostel in Madrid tomorrow!!

Hasta luego!

Salgo Barcelona en sabado

So this is my last week in Spain. I leave Barcelona on Saturday and I go directly to Madrid until Tuesday, when I fly back to the U.S. Now that time is winding down, my friends and I have frantically running around trying to do and see everything before we leave.
Monday was a beach day - we stayed there allll day and then went to the huge market for the last time. We had our favorite Monday night dinner at Maoz, an all vegetarian, all cheap, and all delicious restaurant. It has a hugeee buffet of different types of vegetables that you can put in a pita with falafel. And the best part is, you can go back as many times as you want!!
That night we decided to go to one of our favorite bars, L'Ovella Negra (The Black Sheep). It's an off-the-beaten-path kinda place and it's always packed. The ambience is very rustic yet fun. They have the bestttt Sangria there for the best price, so Sarah, Holly and I had to go. We ended up meeting some guys from Holland who spoke perfect English, in addition to French, Dutch, and more. When they asked me what languages I speak, I couldn't help but laugh.
They were fun guys so we ended up staying there until closing and then went to bed for class the next day.
Yesterday Sarah, Holly, and I went to Parc Guell, which is designed by Gaudi, the same person that designed Sagrada Familia. It was absolutely amazing! I love his architecture because it's different and completely unique, but it's not weird or disturbing. If you have some time, I definitely recommend that you look it up. Apparently it was originally supposed to be an entire neighborhood, but it never got that far. I would kill to live in a place that beautiful!!
Today I had a presentation in Spanish about my favorite place in Barcelona, and of course I did it on my favorite beach, Platja de la Nova Mar Bella. I don't think my professor was surprised at all, considering I always talk about "la playa" in Spanish class.
Today, Holly and I went to one of the oldest markets in Europe. They had everything you could ever imagine - tools, video games, clothes, shoes, pet cages, drapery, everything!! It was fun to see, but it's not really anything I'd want to bring home with me. Also, I'm not sure if everything sold there is legal, because I got yelled at by a man when I took a picture of his stand. Don't worry, I have learned to not respond when people yell at me in fear of another hand to the face.
Tonight my roommates and I are going to a park where they play live jazz music. We have our final tomorrow so we're keeping it pretty low key.

That's all for now! Talk to you soon!!

Vamos a continuar

Read the last post first...this is just the end of my weekend in Madrid.

So the first night (after our FREE dinner) my friends and I tried to go to a bar with live jazz. The cover was a little too steep for us, so after much thought, we settled on the first place we saw to get some drinks. Oddly enough, this ended up being an ice cream store. Needless to say, the drinks were less drink-like and more slushy-like. I´m almost glad I didn´t feel well so I didn´t waste my money on them.

After that we went to a Middle Eastern restaurant/bar. My friends ordered a giant tube of Sangria (it had 5 liters!!). They got to the point where they couldn´t even finish it. I´ve never seen anything like it before!!

The next day we had a walking/bus tours of the city. I loved it!! Madrid is absolutely gorgeous. Among the many highlights was a man trying to get a taxi with a black eye and blood all over the front and back of his shirt. I definitelyyy kept my distance...

We also went to the Reina Sofia Museum of Modern Art which was veryyy strange. I´m not a huge fan of modern art, so many of the pieces were almost laughable to me. This was one of our favorites:

I also got the chance to see Picasso´s Guernica, which was amazing! It was huge and very awe-inspiring. If you don´t know what it is, you should definitely google it.

That night we decided to go all out and go to this club that everybody was talking about called Kapital. It was SEVEN stories and had different music and ambience on every story. The first floor was my favorite - it had go-go dancers dressed as sailors and intense dance music. It got so hot that every 10 minutes or so there was a hugeee burst of cold air over the entire dance floor. Before we knew it, it was 6:30 in the morning and the club was closing!! I didn´t know I could ever stay up that late dancing, but I guess time really does fly when you´re having fun. My friends and I ended up walking home while the sun was rising.

All in all, it was a greatttt weekend!! I am so excited to go back to Madrid this weekend and hit up all the touristy places that I missed out on. (Especially a churros and chocolate place and the Sorolla exhibit at the Prado Museum).

This week is my last week in Barcelona. I am trying to live it up as much as possible!! I´ll let you know how it goes....

P.S. My roommate is getting a bunny today!! She´s taking it back home with her but she wanted to have it a few days before flying it home. I had to severely hold myself back from buying one myself.

Lo siento para la pausa larga

Heyyy everybody. Sorry for the delay in writing - I guess I just got a little lazy as of late. I will do my best to update you on the last week...

Last weekend my friends and I went to Pamplona for Running of the Bulls. It was absolutely ridiculous!! We got there around 8 PM and stayed up all night until the bull running the next morning at 8. Everybody (including us) was dressed in white from head to toe with a red bandana and a red sash around the waist. There were so many people I can't even describe it to you. Many of my friends likened it to Mardi Gras, if that gives you any idea. We walked in parades, watched fireworks, and slept in a field for an hour or two. I didn't know until a few days ago, but apparently while I was sleeping, some guy came up and cuddled next to my face. Luckily those of us sleeping had our other friends around to "keep watch" to make sure we didn't get anything stolen or get ourselves stolen.
That morning was the running of the bulls. We waited by the fence (they put up a giant wooden fence every morning where the bulls run) starting at 6 AM to get a spot. I swear those were the most painful 2 hours of my life. Just imagine trying to get some sleep while sitting on a narrow rung of a wooden fence!! Needless to say, it was pretty uncomfortable.
As I was sitting there, an American couple offered for me to take the man's spot while he was running with the bulls. I was so excited to get a seat on the fence so I could see everything!! Balancing on that fence for a half an hour, however, wasn't that much fun. 15 minutes before the bulls ran, I started to feel very sick and my feet started to fall asleep because of the position of my body. I had to get down because I felt sick, and a man took my spot! I yelled at him in English and Spanish but of course he either 1) Didn't understand me (unlikely) or 2) Didn't care. Needless to say I was in a pretty foul mood when I didn't even get the chance to see the bulls go by. I watched the video afterwards, however, and it was prettyyy brutal. My day was one of the worst days of all with 4 people gored by the bulls, 2 of them seriously. This year was the first in 10 years where somebody actually died (don't worry - it wasn't the day I was there.)
Here is a video of the Sunday running in case you're interested. Don't watch the last minute or so if you can't handle gore (like myself).

Picture of the ladies from Running of the Bulls:

Other than Pamplona, this past week was pretty tame. Until I went to Madrid with my program, of course. We had to take a 9 hour bus ride to get there (which, I must say, was 100 times better than the 6 hour bus ride to Pamplona). Unlucky for me, I got some sort of 24 hour flu or food poisoning right before I left. And honestly, there is nothing worse than a 9 hour bus ride while you're puking into a plastic bag. Luckily I only had one spell like that, but the rest of the ride was pretty miserable (and not to mention embarassing). When we got to Madrid I slept the rest of the day and was fine to go out (although not drink or eat anything too crazy) with my friends.

I have class so I'll update the rest when I get a chance!!

Domingo en Milan

Sorry everybody for such a delay in my writing! I've had quiteee the weekend (which I will talk about later), but for now I will finish up my Milan story.

On Sunday, Holly and I decided to go on an all-day excursion which included a boat ride, a tour of the city, a bike ride, and lunch. It lasted from 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM.

When we first got there, we realized that we were probably the only non-Italian people. Our boat drivers spoke English so we felt a little bit better about it - until they asked us to blow off the entire tour to have lunch with them. Needless to say the answer was NO.

Everything else was fine until we got to the guided tour. Imagine Holly and I standing the back of a tour group in front of a church, listening to a tour in Italian and pretending we knew what she talked about. We even went so far to turn around and look at something she pointed at to pretend we understood. (All the while our boat captains were staring at us from the side waiting for us to leave the tour. Not gonna happen).

Finally, after laughing quietly in the back of the tour about how awful it's turned out, Holly went up to our tour guide to ask if she spoke English. THANKFULLY she did, and she would explain everything to us in English after explaining it in Italian. She was so sweet and she said it was a treat for her to have us on the tour since it is usually filled with old people.

After the tour, we got our bikes and headed into the countryside. It was so much fun! We would bike for while, then stop for a little tour, and so on. After 2 hours or so, we ended up at this realllyyy nice restaurant for lunch. It was a 5 course Italian meal! It was a little difficult to explain our vegetarianism, but we finally got the point across. Afterwards we biked back to the boat and sailed home.

Holly and I biking through Milan!

That night we went out for some appertivos again - delicious as usual. Holly and I got some authentic Italian gelato (soooo good!), walked around by the river, and went home so we could sleep before our 9 AM flight. We never did end up paying for our hostel room.

This past week has been a blur. Monday night we had a jazz catamaran cruise on the mediterranean, tuesday night we watched a Casteller's training session which is essentially a human tower. We went just to watch them practice, and it's ridiculous how high they can make the towers.

A Casteller's tower - the people at the top are kids about 8 or 9 years old.

Thursday we had our first midterm in my Spanish class. It was pretty tricky but I think it went alright. We also went to a perfume museum which was pretty basic but it had some cool stuff like a bottle designed by Salvador Dali and the perfume case of Marie Antoinette. This week we're planning to go to the Picasso Museum and (hopefully) inside the Sagrada Familia.
This weekend in and of itself was so eventful that I must save it for a later post. I'll write about it quickly I promise!!

Hasta luego!

Milan es un ciudad muy extrano

So I have returned from my whirlwind trip to Milan. I really don´t think this blog will do it justice, but I will try.

Saturday: We woke up at 4 AM (before my other roommate even got home) to catch a taxi to the airport. We didn´t have any baggage to check or anything, so it made the whole process sooo much easier. After a plane ride, a train ride, and a metro, we emerged into...a parking lot. (Uhhh my first view of Milan is a parking lot??) We stopped at a fruit store for directions, and quickly learned that you are not allowed to touch the fruit you are purchasing in Italy (apparently they have to pick it up for you). We somehow got directions to our hostel even though neither Holly nor I speak a word of Italian. We finally got to our hostel on the 4th floor and were greeted by a 20 something Italian man that was still drunk from the night before (or so he told us). We couldn´t check in yet, so he invited us to drink cappuccino downstairs..which we got for free. You will come to see that ¨Fo´ Free¨ will be the motto of this trip
We hopped on the metro and went to see some sites. We saw the castle (no idea of its significance) and the big cathedral (didn´t feel like changing so we could go inside). We walked around the main shopping area where alll of the designer shops are. Sooo many of the main labels are from Milan: Prada, Gucci, Armani, and Versace. We went inside, looked at 1000€ purses and shoes, and had a great time. After a nice lunch (gnocci in pesto sauce) and a little more (window) shopping and walking around, we went back to our hostel.
Holly and I booked a 10 person co-ed dorm since it was the cheapest option. When we were taken to our room, we were put in a 2 person, queen bed room with its own shower. FO´ FREE. We didn´t pay for the upgrade, and we didn´t even end up paying for the hostel room at all. We stood there laughing for a full minute because we were sooo confused by the whole situation.
We went downstairs and asked to rent towels and use their computer. He gave us the towels (FO´ FREE) and let us use his laptop to go online. He even offered to cook us dinner that night.
Instead, we decided to check out some ¨appertivos¨. In Italy, if you order a drink, you get to use the buffet FO´ FREE. We went to a cute place called Le Bicciclette and quickly made friends with the bartender. After 2 specialty drinks and 2 shots FO´ FREE we decided to head home. (Totally forgot to mention that there was an Italian motorcycle race on TV...at LAGUNA SECA!! Apparently everybody knows about Laguna Seca in Italy...)
Sunday: I´ll finish later because it´s time for class!!

Voy a Milan!!

For all you non-Spanish speakers: I´M GOING TO MILAN!!!
My roommate and I decided that we wanted to go somewhere this weekend but we didn´t want to pay 500 dollars to go to Morocco. Just for fun, we started looking at flights and found a flight to Milan for 100 € round trip!! Soooo good! Plus, we planned it so that we can still go on our excursions on Friday anddd Monday. We´re gonna be exhausted but I don´t care.

Also, we are booking our trip to Pamplona for Running of the Bulls right now. I´m so glad that we´re taking initiative to be active and do things while we´re here.

Today roommate Holly and I went to the beach. We walked and it took about 25 minutes or so. I went in the Mediterranean and it was perfect! I am lovvinnngg this trip thus far.

Oh yeah, and I also had class today (That is why I´m here, right?) and I think I´m really going to learn a lot. My teacher speaks veryyy quickly but I can pick up on it, which is good for training my ear to understand native Spanish speakers. Overall, I think I will enjoy the class.

My apartment still doesn´t have internet, so my updates will be sporatic. I will write more as soon as I can!

Hasta luego!

Barcelona!!!

I am finally in Barcelona. My new apartment doesn´t have internet yet, so I haven´t really been able to update. Thus, I have lotttsss to tell you.


I flew into the airport Friday morning and went to our hotel. I had to get linens, so I went with a few girls from my CEA group. It took us sooo long to find the place! I was used to walking everywhere in Sevilla and I didn´t realize that we´d have to take the metro. An hour later, we finally found the linen store. I knew I was just going to leave them here when I was done, so I aimed to find the cheapest ones. The result? Scratchy sheets and a zebra blanket. No, not zebra print - a blanket with an actual zebra on it. Can you believe it was only 5 euros?





So yesterday we finally got into our apartment. SO cute! We are located not even a block from this baby...

It´s the Sagrada Familia, a cathedral that´s been under construction for the past 100 years. Absolutely amazing!

Last night my roommates and I went to the grocery store. When we got in the checkout line, we realized that we had to carry everything that we bought back home. You should have seen us trying to maneuver the metro with tons of shopping bags! Never again...

After shopping, we went to a restaurant where we were overcharged with Sangria then decided to go meet up with some CEA people at the clubs by the beach. On our way there, there were these sketchy guys that kept touching one of my roommates. Since I was the only one that could really speak Spanish, I kept telling him not to touch her but he wouldn´t listen. Then him and his friends started smoking a joint and shoving it in our faces. As I kept telling him not to touch her, he grew more and more angry with me and started yelling at me and telling me he ¨didn´t like my face¨. I think I had really just gotten fed up with being yelled at by men for the last month, so I slapped him across the face.
He stood there for a second, then slapped me as hard as he could across the face. Then his friend spit in my face as they got off the metro. I just stood there absolutely shocked. I was pretty upset and a man on the train followed me out to let me know that all men from barcelona are not like that, and even if you slap a man here he should never ever slap you back. I´m really glad he said something or else that would have tainted my entire view of barcelonian men.

After the slapping incident, I was determined to have a fun night. The first 2 clubs we tried had a 20 euro cover charge (approximately 30 dollars) so we went to some other club on the beach that was free. We danced for a while then headed back home to get sleep for the next day.

Today we took a tour of the city and stopped at this place called the Spanish Quarter. It was built for an exhibition and each area represents a different area of Spain. It has a bunch of shops and restaurants, and most of the stuff there is completely handmade. I wish we could have had more time there.

A few hours ago, we decided to check out the gay pride parade. Sooo much fun! It was HUGE! I had never seen so many feathers and glitter in my life. I´m really glad we decided to take that opportunity and check out what Barcelona has to offer.

Overall, I am loving Barcelona. It has sooo much stuff to do all the time. Oh, and the Tour de France anddd Running of the Bulls is when I´m here! Opportunity of a lifetime!!

I´m going to stop now considering that I´ve written enough for a small novel. Expect much more from me soon!!

Hasta luego!

Mi dia final en sevilla

Today is my last day in Sevilla. As I was biking around the city today, I got so sad because this truly is a beautiful place. I´m going to miss it here.

Yesterday somebody stopped me to ask me for directions in Spanish. I was super stoked because

1. They thought I looked like I knew where I was going (aka I look Spanish) and
2. They assumed I spoke Spanish well.

I told them where the bus station was in Spanish, but I told her that she should ask somebody else down the street because my Spanish isn´t very good. She promptly corrected me and told me I speak Spanish very well! So that was flattering, and even if she didn´t mean it, it´s still very nice of her to say. I really appreciate comments like that because it gives me a little more confidence to speak Spanish to the locals.

Last night we went to a club called Aqua. I had my final today, but we heard this club was really cool so we decided to check it out for a little bit. Although it was small, it was awesome! It had 2 pool connected by a waterfall, various lounge areas, and a tank of water where a mermaid dancer was supposed to swim (she wasn´t on by the time we left). It was awesome to see it before we left.

My final went well today. I´m really going to miss interesting classes and professors that know your name.

Today my roommates and I are going shopping and I´m hoping to go check out Plaza de Espana very briefly. It´s hard to cram everything in in one day!!
Tonight is our farewell dinner at a nice restaurant. Then everybody from my group is going to Buddha, our favorite club. Should be a fun night, even though we have to wake up at 6 AM.

Una experiencia cultural

I just ate Spanish Oreos. According to my roommate Ian, it should be considered a cultural experience. Apparently, Oreos taste differently depending on your location. Each country uses their own ingredients, which gives it a unique taste. I can't decided whether I like American or Spanish better. Spanish has less cream but tastes less fake, if that makes sense. I have gone on far too long about Oreos.
I'm leaving Sevilla on Friday morning. Thus, I only have 2 more days to squeeze in as much as possible. Some things on my to-do list:

• Go to Plaza de Espana and Parque de Maria Luisa (they're supposed to be beautiful!)
• Ride my bike around the city
• Get a picture of me on said bike (for proof, of course)
• Go to my favorite club, Buddha
• Drink 5 euro mojitos at Plaza de Alfalfa
• Go get tapas with friends and actually order something

That's all I can think of so far. I know that there are sooo many other things I want to do but they're slipping my mind at the moment.

And one more lesson learned:

• Never listen to an old man yelling at you from a car...the outcome can never be good.

Tomorrow I'm going to the Museum of Fine Arts with my architecture class. I'm excited!

Hasta manana...

Bici + falta pequena = mal idea

I have entered my final week in Sevilla. Now that the end is getting close, I am frantically trying to do everything I've wanted to do and to revisit everywhere I want to revisit. We'll see if I can fit it all in...

Today I had my presentation in Architecture in Painting. I had to go first, and I think it went pretty well. Sorolla (the artist I chose for my presentation) is my teacher's favorite artist, so I'm hoping that gives me an edge. I can't wait to go see Sorolla's special exhibition in Madrid in July.

My roommates and I went out for tinto de veranos and we started talking about things we've learned in Sevilla. Most of them are silly, but it's still a good way to remember the trip. I'm going to have to write my own list of lessons. One big one I learned today:

Don't ride a bike in a tight skirt. I seriously think I flashed about half of Sevilla. Whoopsies.

Some other notable lessons:

• Don't expect to do anything on Sundays (everything is closed)
• Don't walk on wet spots (chances are you will be dripped on)
• Never wear heels out! - You will regret it
• Never trust a man doing magic tricks (don't ask)
• Walking barefoot on the streets of Sevilla is cleaner than walking around your house barefoot
• If you can't walk without running into people, don't ride a bike and expect a different outcome.

That's it for now. For the rest of this week, I will keep updating the list.

Hasta luego!!

Te amo, Portugal

I had the most amazing time in Portugal!! I seriously wish I could have stayed there so much longer. It was a little weird not being able to communicate with anybody (except those that spoke english) since Portuguese is a little different from Spanish.
We left Sevilla on Friday morning and arrived in Lagos around 12 or so. Lagos was absolutely breathtaking. Even though it was foggy, you could see how beautiful the scenery was. The water was a beautiful greenish-blue, but extremely clear. The colors of the ocean were then contrasted by the neutral browns and tans of the huge rocks and caves protruding out of the water.
We then went to a beach in Lagos for a couple of hours. Once again, I spent most of my time swimming in the ocean. My friends (after many attempts) finally convinced me to jump off a huge rock in the middle of the ocean. It took me about 20 minutes to get up the rock (with the help of my friend John) and about another 5 or so to finally jump off of the edge. And guess what? It was so much fun! I hit the bottom of the ocean with my butt, but it was just sand so it was alright. I'm just glad that nobody decided to experiment and dive into the water.
After a few hours at the beach, we drove to our main destination, Portimao. We stayed in a really nice hotel right on the beach. The first night we were there, Sydney, Tara, and I walked around and looked at the shops until we were suckered into a nice dinner by a cute Portuguese man. We sat there for almost 3 hours just enjoying the food (sooo good!) weather (just perfect) and scenery. By midnight we decided to go home and hit the hay so we could get up early in the morning.
The next day we walked around the cute shops for a little bit and then spent the rest of the day beside the hugeee pool at our hotel. My roommates were tanning, but since my skin is super pale and got burnt the day before, I just sat under an umbrella and read a book. I was a little bummed that I didn't get to see more of the town, but I was very appreciative of the relaxation time. After tanning, we went to lunch and looked around the shops a little bit more until we had to return home.
I think I would have to say that Portugal is the second favorite place I've ever been to (it probably would have been first if we had more time to look around). My favorite place is still Capri from my trip to Europe when I was 14. But really, I think everybody should go to Portugal once in their life.
Last night we went out to a club, as it was our last Saturday in Sevilla :-(. Today I've been working on a powerpoint project on Joaquin Sorolla, but I just finished so now I have the rest of the day to relax.
I hope everybody is doing well and I look forward to seeing you all in July!

Hasta luego!

Me molestan las bicis

So here goes the funny story:
On Tuesday I decided to rent a bike for a week to save myself some time and just to spare my feet from all of the walking. Sevilla has a really good system where you can pick up a bike at 1 of 300 locations and drop it off anywhere you want.
So Tuesday morning before class I decided to pick up a bike. I was a little wobbly at first, but it was okay. It wasn't until I got onto the bridge that I realized my bicycle inexperience may be a problem. For some reason I didn't realize that I could stop pedaling and even press the brake without falling off. Thus, I ran into the railing of the bridge to avoid hitting someone. The second time I just decided to plow on by the person. The third time I almost ran over a little kid, and by the time I crashed into a baby stroller, I decided to walk the bike the rest of the way there. (Don't worry, the angry young couple was carrying their baby at the time).
So once I got to the station, there weren't any spots to put my bike. So I waited. And waited. And waited for somebody to come take a bike. 10 minutes later, nobody came. So I decided to walk my bike to another station. I ended up getting lost on the way there, and on the way back, making me 30 minutes late to class. From then on out, I vowed to never ride a bike again.
Untill....3 hours later. My roommates had bought a week long pass the same day, so we decided that if we all rode in a line, with me at the back, that people would move out of the way with enough time to spare. And guess what?? I'm cured! I finally figured out how to ride a bike! I've been riding it everywhere ever since. So I guess all's well that ends well...
Not much is new other than that. I went on a paddle boating excursion with my program on the river, but once again my roommates and I were late due to the bikes, so we had to ride with our angry program coordinator. Whooppsiesss. It still was a lot of fun though.
And tomorrow I go to PORTUGAL!! I am so excited!! I will definitely write about it once I get back.

Muchos besos!

P.S. I found an Internet cafe where I can upload pictures, so there will be some soon to come!

Finalmente - una foto!!

Here is a picture of me and my CEA group on the train at the winery in Jerez. This is the only one I can put up right now, but I´ll keep trying!!

P.S. I have a hilarious story, but it´ll have to wait until I get out of class...

Soy extrana

Nothing that new to report, except I got 100% on my midterm! Chicka chicka yeahhh.
It's hottt and it's supposed to get up to 105 degrees this weekend. I'm hoping it will be much cooler in Portugal.
Yesterday I went to the Cathedral with my roommates and our new Australian friends (they were in Sevilla for the weekend). It was beautiful, but we could only really see half of it because it was roped off for mass. I'm going to go see it again tomorrow with my class since we're studying Gothic architecture, so I'm really hoping I get to see the rest of it.
Later that night we got ice cream (my new obsession) with the Australian girls and then had to say goodbye :-(. They were so sweet and funny and I wish they were in our program. They seriously made me want to visit Australia just to meet more friendly people like them.
Not much else to report, although we did almost burn the house down (a gross exaggeration) trying to figure out how to manually light a gas oven. If anybody has any tips, pleaseee let me know as I feel rather pathetic that I don't know how to do this.
Tomorrow we are going paddle boating on the river...should be interesting.

Hasta luego!

Una cosa mas

It is currently 93 degrees outside. I only have one outlet, so I have to choose between plugging in my laptop and plugging in my fan. I'm sure you can guess which one is the current victor...

P.S. You're welcome.

Me broncee a la playa?

I have had a veryyyy long weekend. I had a midterm in class on Wednesday, and we went to the Alcazar on Tuesday, so I haven't had real class for almost a week!! Amazinnggg.
The midterm went well. I only had to study for a couple hours, and even that was too much. Our instructions for the test were to "write as much as you know" on two buildings in Sevilla. It took me 2 pages front and back to write all that I know, so I'm thinking I'm in the clear.
This weekend has been prettyyy lazy. The temperature's been in the 90s and 100s, so there is literally nothing you can do all day but lay around and sleep. My friends and I went out at night, but we're still trying to figure out the bar scene in Sevilla. For some reason, we have an uncanny ability of going to clubs on their off nights and not going to them when they're happenin'. Don't worry, it's a work in progress.
Last night, however, me and my two roommates Sydney and Tara got into an invite-only club - without an invitation. Sorry for the shameless bragging, but I was prettyyy proud of myself.
Yesterday Ian, Sydney, Tara, and I went to the beach in Matalascana. The beach was beautiful, but getting there was an absolute nightmare. I checked online for the bus times but each website I went to gave me different times, so I just went with the most common. We slept through our alarms so we didn't make it to the 9 AM bus, but we aimed for the 10 o'clock. Welllll turns out the next bus didn't leave until 11. Hanging out in a bus station is reallll fun.
Then, when it came time to line up for the bus, we were the first in line since we'd been there since forever. The only problem was that the screen at the bus station had the wrong bus number written down. So we had been standing in line for the wrong bus. When we went to the right bus, people were pushing and shoving trying to get on. Ian got on that bus, but the 3 of us girls got the bus doors pretty much closed in our face. Luckily I speak enough Spanish to ask the people around me what was going on, and they told me that another bus was coming.
Sooo we got on the bus!! Yay! Only an hour until the beach!
Until we got stuck in standstill traffic. All in all, it took twice as long to get there.
But once we got there it was completely worth it. The beach was warm, the environment was friendly, and water was warm enough to swim in! My roommates were all about tanning, but, due to my pasty-ness, I spent a lot of time in the water. I seriously wanted to spend as much time in that water as I could, since I couldn't even remember the last time I was able to swim in the ocean without freezing to death.
What's more, is that I didn't get burned!! 3 hours in the sun and I got tan, but I didn't get burned! (If you have ever seen my skin, you will recognize that as a true miracle). Okay, so I cheated by reapplying sunscreen every 5 seconds, but I am still proud of my derma-responsibility.
The beach trip was just what I needed. And I'm sooo excited to go to a beach next weekend... In PORTUGAL!!

Don't worry, I'll keep you posted - probably more often than you actually would like.

Hasta luego!

Que ridiculoso!

Sooo for those of you who don't know, I am a complete idiot. I booked my ticket home for August 4th thinking it was 2 days after my program ended. Yeahhh my program definitely ends on JULY 25th!! So I called the airline and booked the last ticket available on the 28th. What does this mean?
1) I shelled out 170 unnecessary dollars.
2) I will have 3 whole days to explore Madrid before coming home! and..
3) I'm coming home a week earlier!!!

That's right, mark your calendars ladies and gents, I will be returning to our glorious state on July 28th at 7:45 PM. Chicka chicka yeahhhh.


Besides being an idiot, my life has been pretty slow for the past few days. Today I went to the Alcazar in Sevilla, which is the oldest palace still in use in Europe. It was beautiful, except it was wayyyy too crowded. Sadly, I have grown to despise tourists (and try to convince myself that I am not a tourist anymore) so it made it a little frustrating. The palace is still beautiful, and it's cool because it's a mixture of all sorts of eras and architectural styles.
Tomorrow I have my first and only midterm. Of course I am procrastinating. I'm even contemplating going downtown and getting some ice cream instead of studying...
I decided finally, that in lieu of my little flight mixup, that I will not be going anywhere over the long weekend. I was thinking about going to Morocco, but it's just too expensive to go anywhere worth going to. This weekend is Corpus Cristi which is a huge religious celebration, so I thought I'd stay here and check that out. Also, I'll probably find my way to the beach one of these days...

That's all for now. Hasta luego!

Granada, la Alhambra, y el Corre de Toros

Saturday morning 5 of my friends and I left here for Granada, which is about a 3 hour bus ride away. At first I didn't like it and was creeped out by our hippie hangout of a hostel. After a while though, I began to appreciate the city for what it was and I finally grew to like it. It is just extremely different from Sevilla in that it has a hugeee Arab influence which really shows everywhere in the city. The streets above the downtown are windy and narrow and are lined with little shops selling products from the Middle East.
Saturday afternoon we went to the Alhambra. If you don't know what it is, I suggest you wikipedia it. We were really surprised we even got tickets, because they usually sell out by 1 PM or so. There are many different palaces on the grounds, and all of them are absolutely beautiful. The main one is just astounding - the walls and ceilings are covered with intricate designs carved into marble and wood. The views are also amazinggg. You can pretty much see the entire city from the top of the palace.
After the Alhambra, we went to get some dinner and then went shopping around the town. The tiny streets are all lined with the tiny shops, and we had some fun looking around and picking up some souveniers :-) We then went to go get ice cream (even though it was raining!) because ice cream in Spain is just wayyy too good to pass up.
Finally, we made our way back to the hostel. We ended up meeting 2 girls from Australia who had been traveling for 3 months and still have 3 more months to go. We also met a girl from Montreal and another from Puerto Rico. All 9 of us went out to what is known as a Teteria, which is an Arabic restaurant that serves tea, pastries, and hookah if you so desire. We all had a great time trying all of the different teas and desserts and ended up talking until 12 or so.
After a long and hard attempt to get into my tiny bunk bed (it was a triple decker and I was in the middle - just try to imagine how I may have looked attempting that one in the dark) and a good sleep, we headed back to Sevilla.

Last night we went to a bullfight, but I left after 2 bulls (there's a total of 6 per bullfight). I would call it less of a fight and more of a public slaughtering. There are about 6 matadors against 1 bull - really the bull doesn't have a fighting chance. I tried to view it in a cultural way, but I really had seen all I really wanted to see after the 2nd bull. Turns out, a lot of people in Sevilla don't like the bullfights for the same reason.

And here I am. In my architecture class we are going to the Alcazar, which is the oldest royal palace still in use, so that should be interesting. Wednesday I have my first midterm (soo soon I know!), so it may take me a while to post again.

And now for unas fotografias:

Okay nevermind on the photos, my internet is too slow. I will try to upload some within the next few days.

Muchos besos!

La semana pasada

So I know I've been pretty M.I.A. on the blog thing, so I'll try to update as much as possible.

On Tuesday night we went to a Flamenco show. It was pretty cool to see, although flamenco music isn't really my thing. All of the dancers were extremely talented and wore bright, fun outfits to go along with it. There was this one dancer who was absolutely amazinggg, but her facial expressions were wayyy too distracting to even enjoy. It seriously looked like she smelled something absolutely horrendous throughout the entire performance.

The next day I went to Italica with my Architecture and Painting class. Italica is an old Roman city about a 15 minute bus ride away, so it was awesome to actually go see what we have been learning about. It was built in 200 A.D., so everything is pretty ruined except for the mosiac floors and some of the larger structures. My favorite part, though, was the amphitheater. It's not as large as the Colleseum, but I like it more because it has a lot less tourists. When we went, we were the only group in there, which allowed me to really get a sense of what it would have been like to actually fight in the arena.

That night, Laura and some of our friends went to a discoteca which was sooo much fun. I really enjoy dancing here more than in the U.S. because the guys are a lot less creepy and dancing is done with more space between the people. The whole vibe is just a lot more fun-oriented, which I like. The only downside is that keeping up with Spanish hours can be a little difficult when you have class 3 hours after you go to bed. I've definitely learned my lesson and I will not be going out on school nights for a looong time.

On Friday we went to Jerez and Conil. Jerez is pretty much the sherry capital of the world, so we took a tour of a vineyard of the brand Tio Pepe. Aside from the repetitive information and the constant Tio Pepe propaganda, it was cool to see how it was all done. The best part though, as all of my friends can attest to, was the unnecessary Disneyland-like train that chauffered us to every area of the vineyard. Honestly, we probably could have walked it quicker, but it was fun nonetheless.
Conil was up next. Conil is a little beach town along the Atlantic Ocean. It was cute, but it was pretty windy and cold when we got there. (Of course, being the most pale person alive, I still somehow managed to get burned). The highlight was my first half swim-half walk in the Atlantic Ocean, which was pretty amazing the people in my program as I am one of 2 people from the west coast. Don't worry, there are pictures to commemorate the occasion.

This weekend we went to Granada, but I will put that in the next post to break it up a little bit.

Un dia peresozo en Sevilla

I've realized that Monday through Thursday I am going to have a lot of alone time between 12 and 3. All of my roommates have class until 2:30, so I'm trying to find creative ways to entertain myself during that time (besides sleeping and going on the computer - that's for after lunch).
Today it was a little colder (about 77 degrees) so I decided to go for a run. I decided that once again, I would try to get a little lost and then find my way back. Well, I think I picked the wrong route because I had to spend about 1/3 of my run actually walking on the heels of old ladies and married couples. I went up to Sierpes, which is the shopping district of Sevilla. Not only are there a lottt of people there, but the sidewalk is also approximately this big. So it's a little hard to get around people, especially when you don' t know the exact Spanish equivilant for "excuse me". But, all in all, it was a good run.
I also met some...interesting gentlemen that live down the street. They are car mechanics, and were outside working on a car when I walked by. They said "Buenos Dias." I said "uhhhhhhhhhhh...hola?" When I walked by the next time, they said "Good Morning." I wonder how they ever figured out that I'm not a native Spanish speaker...?
Tonight I'm going to the Flamenco show. It's the first night that me and my roommates are going to a discoteca, so it should be pretty fun. I'll have more updates tomorrow.

Adios!

El dia primero de clases

Today I had my first day of class. I am taking an Art History class called Architecture and Painting in Seville. It is going to be amazing! We are going to take a lottt of field trips so we can see everything first hand. I think we have about 2 field trips a week. This Wednesday we're going to Italica, which is an example of the Roman roots of Sevilla. I'm so excited! The only thing is that this class is going to move verryyy fast - I have my first midterm a week from wednesday!
After class I went shopping and had a great time. Afterwards, I decided I wouldn't look at a map and try to get home. And apparently it worked because here I am writing instead of wandering around the city like a lost puppy.
In not-so-good news, it seems that I'm getting a tad sick. Honestly, I think it's just because I'm constantly breathing in cigarette smoke. There are very minimal smoking laws here, so I always come home smelling like cigarettes whenever I go out. It also may just be the difference in climate from what I'm used to. I'm sure I'll be fine in a couple of days.
Tomorrow we have our first excursion to a Flamenco show. I'll write about it soon!

Hasta luego!

Me mudi a mi casa hoy

Today I finally moved out of my hostel and into my residencia. I lovee it!! It was quite the production to get all of my luggage over there on foot, but it all worked out. My senora's name is Filla (pronounced Fee-yah) and she is so sweet. She doesn't speak a word of English, so I'm really getting to practice my Spanish.
The residencia is so perfect! There's a room downstairs with a bedroom for 2 guys, a dining room, a bathroom, and a full kitchen. Upstairs, there is a common area with comfy lounge chairs and a TV. 2 girls live up here in one room, and I have a room to myself right next to them. There's even a terrace up on the roof where we can hang out and chat and look out to the street. The house is quite homey and I think I'm really going to like it here.
I wasn't expecting this, but so far I really like Spanish food. Today our senora made sooo much pasta and sandwiches that we couldn't finish it all. For dinner we had gazpacho (yummm) and tortilla espanola. My senora is so good about having good vegetarian options for me so it makes it really easy for me.
So far, I really like all of the people I've met here. We had a little reception with drinks and appetizers. There are probably only 20 or so people total in the program, which is kinda nice. That way, we can really get to know each other. The people I live with are all really fun and I'm so excited to get to know them.
So as for the computer drama, I paid 50+ dollars to get a charger overnighted to my house. Then, turns out, that I didn't blow out my charger, I blew out the converter, which will barely cost anything to replace. Just my luckkkk. Yet another lesson I learn in Sevilla.

I'm off to bed. We have orientation tomorrow brighttt and early so I gotta get some sleep.

Muchos Besos!

El dia primero en Sevilla

After a 2 hour drive to SFO, 3 1/2 hour flight to Dallas, 5 hour layover in Dallas, 9 hour flight to Madrid, 30 minute cab ride to the train station, and a 2 1/2 train ride to Sevilla, I am finally here!

Laura, (a friend from Berkeley) met me at the train station, and I am soooo thankful that she is here to show me around. My program doesn't start until Friday, so I am staying in a hostel on my own for two days. Yesterday Laura took me on a tour around Sevilla to see the Cathedral and to get yummy mini sandwiches, tinto de verano, and ice cream. She has introduced me to the beauty of Principe (bombbb cookie with chocolate filling) and boxed vino (only 50 cents...amazing) Once again I am soooo glad that she is here. I severely doubt I would even be able to find my hostel without her.

So even with Laura, this journey has not come without learning experiences. First of all, I have learned to ask directions. It took me 45 minutes to find the train - inside of the train station. Pretty embarassing to ask somebody where the train is when you're one floor below it. Also, I have learned that I need to set an alarm. I woke up to an empty train when we arrived in Sevilla. God knows how long I was sleeping there and how long I would have continued to sleep if I didn't somehow wake myself up.
Also, I have learned to read directions. When I was using my computer charger, I didn't realize that you had to change the converter to different settings depending on what kind of appliance I was using. Yep, definitely used the 1600 watt setting on a 50 watt appliance. Needless to say, my charger is no longer functioning. I'm hoping if I give it a little rest it will come back to life... ?(and Mom, don't worry, I have found chargers on ebay for 14 dollars with free international shipping).

Despite all the tribulations, I am absolutely loving Sevilla. There will definitely be more stories to come, so stay posted.

Hasta luego!



UPDATE: Charger works. Aye aye aye!!

Estoy esperando en Dallas para volar a Madrid

So here I am in Dallas. On my 5 hour layover. If my calculations are correct, I still have 4 hours left of said layover, and I've already run out of things to do. I got my "last supper" of mexican food and a corona, but it left a lot to be desired. (Cheese enchilada soaked in jack nacho cheese and a 7 dollar bottle of beer? Yeah....) For some reason I thought eating and changing my money to Euros would keep me occupied for the layover, but to my dismay, changing money takes about 10 minutes. I feel like there should be an optional obstacle course you must pass in order to change money for those of us that really have nothing else to do.
So here I am blogging about my boredom, which cannot translate into anything for you but boredom as a result of reading this blog.

In other news, I just read my itinerary for the next 4 weeks, and I am really really excited. We have several excursions planned as a group, but I won't tell you what they are cuz I don't want to spoil the surprise.

Hasta luego...

Voy a España mañana

I am leaving for Spain tomorrow. More updates to come when exciting things actually start happening to me.