I last wrote just before we went to Seville, and the reality is, it was a perfectly normal weekend, nothing exciting happened really. We had rain rain and some more rain, as per usual this time around España, and Emily, Tina, Allison, Alyssa and I spent our time eating, sleeping, and shopping. Since we had already been to Seville we didn't have to tromp around in the rain at the Cathedral or Alcazares, so that was nice, we just had a 4 star weekend in the hotel! We ate at this delicious Wok restaurant, basically an Asian food buffet, with Chinese/Japanese/Thai food. Yum! And I hear there is one in Granada which I'll definitely be checking out soon.
This past weekend was a busy one! Thursday night I went out with my roommate Jess (also from Washington, not sure if I've mentioned that before-she's from the Federal Way/Tacoma area) and her friend Mischa, who's from the Czech Republic. We went to Hannigan's Irish Pub for karaoke, which I've done once before and I think through both times, I have decided that karaoke is somewhat lame and annoying. Especially when people get up and sing like they're actually trying..who does that? So after waiting an eternity with the same Spanish guy going up like 20 times and belting his tunes, Jess, Mischa and I went up and sang, "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor. Let's just say I don't think I'll be doing karaoke again. I think the negatives of being embarrassed, everyone looking at you strangely, not knowing all the words and feeling awkward are not worth the satisfaction of belting out a classic 70's song. I can do that on my own, anytime I want. When we finally left Hannigan's it was pouring down rain, and I had no umbrella, raincoat, or suitable shoes, so naturally I got soaked. I am beginning to truly hate rain. I live in Bellingham, I have never hated rain! It just absolutely does not work here in Granada. We darted into a club that I'd never been to before to escape the rain. It was called Havana Club, and immediately when I went in I noticed 2 things: I loved the music & the look of the club, and I was surrounded by middle aged men. I would say the youngest people besides us were 28-29, and there were maybe 4 other girls in the place. Surprisingly I ran into our favorite waiter Mauricio from Café Fútbol, but I kept it short and sweet and just said hello as I didn't want my fave waiter to get creepy, as they sometimes do in places like this. After 15 minutes I was totally uncomfortable and ready to leave, it's a shame that the clubs that have good music have to be filled with creepsters so that I can't go and enjoy myself.
Friday was dedicated to cleaning the apartment as it was the day of mine and Ana's birthday fiesta. Around 7 I ran up to Plaza Nueva and met up with Annie Thordarson, who I went to high school with and she was visiting with her program from Seville. It was so good to see somebody from home! Annie and I aren't even really that good of friends but she is super nice and we share a lot of the same friends in Arlington so that was really cool to see her. I took her and some of her friends to tapas at Feng Shui (CLARO!) and we just had a good time chatting and I liked hearing about their program/studying in Seville.
When I got home, Jess and I grabbed shawarma for dinner, and it was the most delicious shawarma I have ever had in my life! So crazy, because usually you don't want to be eating that stuff unless you're intoxicated enough to forget what it consists of. Then Sam came over and we all finished up getting ready for the party. Sam swept and mopped the piso for us--how convenient! :) I blew up balloons and set them up around the house, and then we all got ready in time for people to show up. Jess let me borrow one of her dresses and I got lots of compliments, plus I was totally comfy! I won't waste much time on the party--It was much like the Fiesta de Navidad the girls had here in December, except I knew way less people. It was a lot of fun meeting people though, including some of Ana's Spanish friends that I haven't met before. Mischa was so sweet and brought Ana and I bracelets for our birthdays! Her other gift to us was some sort of hard alcohol from the Czech Republic...that stuff was crazy! Yikes! haha. Again, the piso was totally crowded but it was a ton of fun. Afterwards I went to Vogue (a dance club near my apartment) with King, Allison, and Brian, and that was when I lost 20 euros...way to go MacKenzie! awesome....not. Dancing was fun but eventually we left and King and I grabbed some shawarma to top off the night. Yes that's right....2 shawarmas in one night. What is the world coming to!? haha
Saturday was pretty unproductive with the exception of a tapas date with Leah and her friend Katilin, Emily, Allison and I. We found a tapa place that has hot dogs! Epic...and of course went to POE because it's just delicious (thai chicken!) and then finished off at Feng Shui. That night I tried to get to bed early but could not fall asleep which was a shame because I needed sleep to be ready for SNOWBOARDING! Which is what we did on Sunday!
My experiences in Europe snowboarding have been so different than going to Mt. Baker at home. But that's ok because the point is that I'm here so it probably should be different! I woke up at 6:30 and Jess and I got ready to go, and Allison met us at our piso just after 7. I was a little antsy about making it to the bus station on time, but sure enough we did! It was the set up for an interesting day-Allison has been snowboarding for awhile, I am just fine at snowboarding but nothing special, and Jess was planning on trying out skiing with her friend Alejandro who works up at the Sierra Nevada. We got up there and waited for him, then bought our lift tickets which he got us on discount for 35 euros. We found a shop to rent snow pants for Jess and gloves for Allison. Then the adventure began with finding equipment. At this point it was already 10 am, and we waited for nearly an hour only to find that there were no snowboards left at that rental shop. 11 am. We go to a different rental shop and quickly get outfitted in snowboards (Jess ended up snowboarding because her friend had to actually work that day) and by 11:30 we were hitting the chairlift. Not as early as we had hoped, but finally we were taking to the snow. It was going to be a different sort of day for me because this was only Jess' second time snowboarding! And the teacher in me came out because I wasn't just going to leave Jess! After all if I was in her position, especially on a strange mountain in Spain I wouldn't want to be left. I didn't really know how to teach how someone how to snowboard but I guess I know what I'm doing because Jess couldn't really do anything at first but at the end of the day she was totally doing toe-side and heel-side turns and linking them and sometimes taking big spills but the majority of the time just taking her time and doing awesome! I was so proud of her! And proud of myself too because I doubted my abilities to help her out. But I just tried to stay really patient and teach her everything that I know. I love teaching! It's a good thing that I'm pretty sure that's the direction I'm headed in life. And maybe someday if I improve immensely I can be a snowboarding instructor! Anyways as far as weather goes the day was alright, there were periods of straight sunshine but by the end of the today the mountain was totally foggy and it was kind of stressful snowboarding. I didn't have my typical sort of snowboarding day because I was mostly with Jess the whole time, but I did get a few quick runs in. New experiences, that's what it's all about.
My friends have I have been becoming big fans of Asian food here in Granada. Little did I know, the Oriental cuisine goes so far beyond Feng Shui and I had no idea! I really am going to miss Granada's cheap meals and tapas when I leave this place. Yesterday Emily, Alyssa, Allison and I went to lunch at a Chinese restaurant and the night before we had tapas at a sushi place! Delish! :) Oh and in other news the beautiful weather is back! Today I wore a dress and leggings and a cardigan and flip flops, and the cardigan was only so the fur coat wearing Spaniards wouldn't think I had completely gone off my rocker. But it's like 70 degrees today! Yahooo!!
Another update is that API had two basketball games through the CLM against other programs. The first was last Tuesday and we kicked butt, I discovered my friend King is a total baller, I had like 10 points and it was a lot of fun except for me nearly getting killed by the completely out of control person named Sam on the other team. But we won, so that was exciting! Then yesterday we had our next game (the intramural system is kind of set up like a tournament, play until you lose, and we unfortunately lost. The team was way better, we weren't playing together like the week before, King was off, I turned the ball over every time I touched it, etc. Not so good. It was a bummer though because the next game would have been next week and my mom would have gotten to see it! That's alright though we still have volleyball beginning in April.
On a much more serious note, my roommates and I have had a very interesting past week. We found out on Saturday that Ana's mom has breast cancer (we knew something was up because she always came to Granada to visit the doctor but we didn't know for sure) and she had an operation yesterday. I don't feel weird writing about this because it's been really emotional and it's a huge part of my life right now. In the operation they learned that there was more cancer than they thought, so she'll be in the hospital for another week and they're waiting to see if the glands surrounding the tumor are cancerous. Ana has obviously had a really hard time with all of this and I'm just trying to do my best to be here for her. Her family has been in and out, and her dog Tim is staying with us right now, which has been frustrating for me because whenever everyone is gone (all the time because they're at the hospital) he barks and barks and barks and cries and it's just so terribly annoying because I can't get him to stop. I have been taking him out when he needs it, I figure it's the least I can do for Ana during this tough time. But everyone, keep Ana's mom Simona in your hearts and thoughts! :) She's a wonderful woman and I know she can fight through this.
Among all the chaos and the good things as well, Mom is coming on Saturday. The timing isn't very good what with the complications of Simona's health, but I still can't wait for her to get here. I miss her so much and it is so unreal that she is actually going to be in this apartment in just a few days! On Saturday I'm taking the bus up to Madrid to meet her at the airport and to get 5 hrs of quality study time in. Oh yeah...school...well I officially have SIX essays to write this semester (IN SPANISH) not to mention midterms and finals and travel travel traveling! It's overwhelming but wonderful. This has been an interesting week but I just need to keep my chin up because there is always something positive. Always. :) Life happens, there's no avoiding it, and there's no reason to want to avoid it. I'm not a religious person, but I think things happen for a reason, and there truly is good in everything.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
Photo Blog
Oh! I nearly forgot! With the inspiration of Floe, I have started a photo blog, just through this same Blogspot website, to showcase my photography and look for input/advice/comments from anyone who is experienced or just anyone who is interested! All of the photos are on facebook from one time or another, but I just wanted to organize it so all of my favorite, quality photos are in one spot. There isn't any particular order, and I'm not done loading everything, but if you're bored and have extra time after reading my novel-esque blogs, feel free to check it out! Here's the Link:
http://photomack.blogspot.com/
http://photomack.blogspot.com/
people & talking.
I want to talk about people. And how much I love them. I have been finding so much joy in the littlest things lately. People & Spanish are concepts that go hand in hand and skyrocket my confidence and joy and curiosity and every other emotion. This may seem confusing. And it is, to me even. But the reality is, learning this language is opening up so many doors for me. And not doors like careers or resumes or grad school or all that bullshit. But doors to the lives of the people who live in Granada. It's like I have a secret code to find out who they are, and the more I know, the more I can explore and delve into the lives of the people who live here.
I am getting much more comfortable with my roommates. I have always liked them and enjoyed them, but now I can really just talk to them, and it's getting easier to talk to Jess in Spanish, even though our common tongue is that of Washington! The more Spanish I master, the better I get to know my roommate Ana, and she is going to be my friend for a very long time, I know it. Today though, we were just sitting in our sala (living room) chatting and laughing and I don't even have to think. I don't even have to think. That is what is so amazing about this process. I feel like in the last week or so I have had some sort of breakthrough, I know that I can communicate and when I realize that, just the confidence boost alone improves everything else.
Today I went to a salon type thing near our piso called Solarium and got a full leg/bikini wax (sorry if that's too much info), but hey we must pamper ourselves once in awhile. Anyways, for all of that it cost me 14 euros, which is equivalent to $19. Nineteen US Dollars!! A full leg and bikini wax at Gene Juarez in the US costs WELL over $100....unbelievable! I have found that the US is so CONSUMED with money. I can't even really explain it, but seriously-WHY should something cost so much? Anyways, this was not why I brought up my waxing experience, nor was it to make you uncomfortable. Back to talking about people, and Spanish. After the whole salon thing, I was just laughing and talking with the salon girls like I would in any situation in the US...and it is so silly how happy that made me, how invigorating it is to be able to be understood, to joke, to do things that are so normal for you in your native language but are so hard to be comfortable with when you're learning your second...it was lovely. :)
Life is so good. When I pass Cafe Bar Playa (where I used the internet last semester) I give a smile and a wave to Antonio and Pepe, the bartenders who know my name! On my way home from my last class I say hello to my Moroccan friends Morad and Josef who work at the shawarma place near my house. I am just so happy being a part of this city. One notable change from last semester is that I do not go out or drink as much as last time. This is both a good and bad thing. It is good because it is healthier, it saves money, I don't spend my days sleeping or my classes wanting to kill myself because I want to be sleeping. It is bad because I feel less social, haven't met as many people as last semester, I know when I get home I will will wish I had gone out more, etc etc. But honestly, I am enjoying a lot more just going out for tapas and chatting with my girlfriends than going to botellón or discotecas or drinking like a fish. And I think that's just fine! :)
Last Monday was a really nice turn of events, because one, the weather was BEAUTIFUL (it has since returned to it's dreary state, please don't be alarmed!) so Alyssa, Allison and I went on a hike for a few hours. I didn't know where we were going really and we just walked along the river until it turns into a dirt road, and leads out of Granada towards an outside pueblo. We crossed the freeway away from the river and started up some trails into the hills outside of Granada. It felt so amazing. I can't even express it. I live in Bellingham, I am not a city girl, there is nothing I love more than getting outside and roughing it a little (with access to a shower afterwards of course, I'm not that rough as we all know). It was so adventurous, just hopping through the mud and brush and climbing up hills that weren't so easy as I was holding on to roots and the dirt was crumbling beneath my feet! Don't worry, it wasn't dangerous, just a little more outdoor-sy than I'm used to, what with being in the city for so long. We finally reached the top of the mountain, and sat and ate crackers and hydrated ourselves, just chatting and looking out at the Sierra Nevada and the pueblo beneath us. It was so beautiful, quiet, and peaceful. It felt like we weren't even in Granada, like we were the only people in the world that day! Eventually though, we had to make our way back to the city, and to be honest, I can't wait for the next nice day to retreat into the campo again!
Classes are going alright. I absolutely love my Spanish Civilization and Culture class. My professor is so nice and funny and all the topics we cover are so interesting to me. We covered briefly the history of Spain including the Moorish rule, Franco's dictatorship, and now we are talking about gypsies! History is just so much more interesting to me when I can see remnants of it all around me, when I am living in the result. And I am really enjoying how a lot of things I learn in my classes are intertwining, relating, overlapping with one another. For example, the treatment of women in Spain comes up in a lot of my classes-in Civ & Culture, obviously in Images of Women in Spanish Literature, and also in Hispanic American Lit. I love it because it all connects for me and I feel like I'm actually learning something. That feminist lit class is getting a lot better, and now that I'm used to my professor's accent, it's a lot easier to get into and I am really enjoying analyzing the literature from this perspective because it's a complete new topic for me. My Hispanic American Lit class is pretty boring, all we do is read the works out loud in class and a lot of it is old Literature so it's difficult to understand, sort of like reading Shakespeare is difficult to read in English because the style of old English is different. Linguistics...ahhh what a class. I always feel anxious because we have to actively participate, but I guess that's good because if we didn't have to participate I would completely check out and have no clue what's going on. Back to Civ & Culture...one thing I think is amazing is that before coming to Spain, I knew nothing of their history. From the 30's until 1975 Spain was under a horrendous fascist dictatorship, and I had never heard any of this in the education that I've received in the US. I understand that we can't learn everything, but it frustrates me that the United States does not teach us about anything unless they were directly involved in it. Here, we learn that Franco is a name that goes RIGHT alongside and is associated with Hitler and Mussolini, but before coming to Spain, I had never even heard of this dude Franco. It's amazing to me. Hitler helped bring Franco to power, and Franco reigned a completely isolated, controlled Spain for 40 years or so, killing thousands of his own people. I know this is probably not exciting at all to you, but to me it is SO interesting, and appalling that I had no idea this happened until moving here. My POE class is funny and manageable, but it's frustrating because I won't receive credit towards my Spanish major for it so I have no motivation to do anything in that class. But overall it's just a bunch of laughs, and we learn important ways to communicate in Spanish and a lot of coloquial terms that the young people use, so I guess overall it's helpful.
In other news, I received my first phone bill of the semester, and was horrified to see that it was $179! I had no idea that using my phone in Switzerland would be so harmful, but my one week staying there and sending a few text messages/having a few short phone calls brought me down about $100. Soooo frustrating. That is one thing the US has on Europe, the dang phone system. Come on guys, doesn't unlimited texting/1000 minutes a month for like $40 sound nice? YES.
Two weeks ago we went to see the Spanish movie Nacidas para Sufrir, which was very strange, I don't like Spanish cinema all that much from what I've seen but it's good to go and practice the Spanish. Last week a few of us girls went to see Valentine's Day, which was a fun little outing, and the movie was nothing special but it was fun to see in Spanish. I don't think I would've thought it was worth seeing in theaters in the US, but in Spanish yes. Last Thursday we had an intercambio with API and it went really well. Allison and I talked for a little while with a woman in her thirties and a younger guy who studies engineering, and it was fine but overall there wasn't a lot of conversational chemistry and it was kind of boring. But then I met this guy Pablo and we spoke in Spanish the entire time which was really fun! Again, it's so exciting and makes me so happy to have experiences like that where you can just TALK to people.
Tonight we're going to Seville, I have to leave in like 45 minutes actually. We went last semester so I'm not going to visit the cathedral or Alcazares (kind of like the Alhambra here in Granada) and it's supposed to rain the entire weekend so that's a bummer. But it will be nice to shop and stay in the hotel and just walk around and stuff. Mom comes two weeks from tomorrow! I am very excited because last weekend I was slightly homesick missing Jordan's show (I watched the videos online though, if you haven't gone and you're within 2-3 hours driving distance from Arlington-you MUST go! It looks incredible) plus I am just really pumped for Mom to be in Spain! Excited to see her, excited for her to get the opportunity to travel, and PUMPED for our cruise during Semana Santa! Looking forward to everything. Also just booked tickets to Lisbon for April 30-May 3, and my friends still have to buy their tickets but they haven't done so yet. So....I'm definitely going...hopefully not alone! haha.
okie dokie I should go because this is getting long and I need to get ready to leave. I will write again sometime next week!
I am getting much more comfortable with my roommates. I have always liked them and enjoyed them, but now I can really just talk to them, and it's getting easier to talk to Jess in Spanish, even though our common tongue is that of Washington! The more Spanish I master, the better I get to know my roommate Ana, and she is going to be my friend for a very long time, I know it. Today though, we were just sitting in our sala (living room) chatting and laughing and I don't even have to think. I don't even have to think. That is what is so amazing about this process. I feel like in the last week or so I have had some sort of breakthrough, I know that I can communicate and when I realize that, just the confidence boost alone improves everything else.
Today I went to a salon type thing near our piso called Solarium and got a full leg/bikini wax (sorry if that's too much info), but hey we must pamper ourselves once in awhile. Anyways, for all of that it cost me 14 euros, which is equivalent to $19. Nineteen US Dollars!! A full leg and bikini wax at Gene Juarez in the US costs WELL over $100....unbelievable! I have found that the US is so CONSUMED with money. I can't even really explain it, but seriously-WHY should something cost so much? Anyways, this was not why I brought up my waxing experience, nor was it to make you uncomfortable. Back to talking about people, and Spanish. After the whole salon thing, I was just laughing and talking with the salon girls like I would in any situation in the US...and it is so silly how happy that made me, how invigorating it is to be able to be understood, to joke, to do things that are so normal for you in your native language but are so hard to be comfortable with when you're learning your second...it was lovely. :)
Life is so good. When I pass Cafe Bar Playa (where I used the internet last semester) I give a smile and a wave to Antonio and Pepe, the bartenders who know my name! On my way home from my last class I say hello to my Moroccan friends Morad and Josef who work at the shawarma place near my house. I am just so happy being a part of this city. One notable change from last semester is that I do not go out or drink as much as last time. This is both a good and bad thing. It is good because it is healthier, it saves money, I don't spend my days sleeping or my classes wanting to kill myself because I want to be sleeping. It is bad because I feel less social, haven't met as many people as last semester, I know when I get home I will will wish I had gone out more, etc etc. But honestly, I am enjoying a lot more just going out for tapas and chatting with my girlfriends than going to botellón or discotecas or drinking like a fish. And I think that's just fine! :)
Last Monday was a really nice turn of events, because one, the weather was BEAUTIFUL (it has since returned to it's dreary state, please don't be alarmed!) so Alyssa, Allison and I went on a hike for a few hours. I didn't know where we were going really and we just walked along the river until it turns into a dirt road, and leads out of Granada towards an outside pueblo. We crossed the freeway away from the river and started up some trails into the hills outside of Granada. It felt so amazing. I can't even express it. I live in Bellingham, I am not a city girl, there is nothing I love more than getting outside and roughing it a little (with access to a shower afterwards of course, I'm not that rough as we all know). It was so adventurous, just hopping through the mud and brush and climbing up hills that weren't so easy as I was holding on to roots and the dirt was crumbling beneath my feet! Don't worry, it wasn't dangerous, just a little more outdoor-sy than I'm used to, what with being in the city for so long. We finally reached the top of the mountain, and sat and ate crackers and hydrated ourselves, just chatting and looking out at the Sierra Nevada and the pueblo beneath us. It was so beautiful, quiet, and peaceful. It felt like we weren't even in Granada, like we were the only people in the world that day! Eventually though, we had to make our way back to the city, and to be honest, I can't wait for the next nice day to retreat into the campo again!
Classes are going alright. I absolutely love my Spanish Civilization and Culture class. My professor is so nice and funny and all the topics we cover are so interesting to me. We covered briefly the history of Spain including the Moorish rule, Franco's dictatorship, and now we are talking about gypsies! History is just so much more interesting to me when I can see remnants of it all around me, when I am living in the result. And I am really enjoying how a lot of things I learn in my classes are intertwining, relating, overlapping with one another. For example, the treatment of women in Spain comes up in a lot of my classes-in Civ & Culture, obviously in Images of Women in Spanish Literature, and also in Hispanic American Lit. I love it because it all connects for me and I feel like I'm actually learning something. That feminist lit class is getting a lot better, and now that I'm used to my professor's accent, it's a lot easier to get into and I am really enjoying analyzing the literature from this perspective because it's a complete new topic for me. My Hispanic American Lit class is pretty boring, all we do is read the works out loud in class and a lot of it is old Literature so it's difficult to understand, sort of like reading Shakespeare is difficult to read in English because the style of old English is different. Linguistics...ahhh what a class. I always feel anxious because we have to actively participate, but I guess that's good because if we didn't have to participate I would completely check out and have no clue what's going on. Back to Civ & Culture...one thing I think is amazing is that before coming to Spain, I knew nothing of their history. From the 30's until 1975 Spain was under a horrendous fascist dictatorship, and I had never heard any of this in the education that I've received in the US. I understand that we can't learn everything, but it frustrates me that the United States does not teach us about anything unless they were directly involved in it. Here, we learn that Franco is a name that goes RIGHT alongside and is associated with Hitler and Mussolini, but before coming to Spain, I had never even heard of this dude Franco. It's amazing to me. Hitler helped bring Franco to power, and Franco reigned a completely isolated, controlled Spain for 40 years or so, killing thousands of his own people. I know this is probably not exciting at all to you, but to me it is SO interesting, and appalling that I had no idea this happened until moving here. My POE class is funny and manageable, but it's frustrating because I won't receive credit towards my Spanish major for it so I have no motivation to do anything in that class. But overall it's just a bunch of laughs, and we learn important ways to communicate in Spanish and a lot of coloquial terms that the young people use, so I guess overall it's helpful.
In other news, I received my first phone bill of the semester, and was horrified to see that it was $179! I had no idea that using my phone in Switzerland would be so harmful, but my one week staying there and sending a few text messages/having a few short phone calls brought me down about $100. Soooo frustrating. That is one thing the US has on Europe, the dang phone system. Come on guys, doesn't unlimited texting/1000 minutes a month for like $40 sound nice? YES.
Two weeks ago we went to see the Spanish movie Nacidas para Sufrir, which was very strange, I don't like Spanish cinema all that much from what I've seen but it's good to go and practice the Spanish. Last week a few of us girls went to see Valentine's Day, which was a fun little outing, and the movie was nothing special but it was fun to see in Spanish. I don't think I would've thought it was worth seeing in theaters in the US, but in Spanish yes. Last Thursday we had an intercambio with API and it went really well. Allison and I talked for a little while with a woman in her thirties and a younger guy who studies engineering, and it was fine but overall there wasn't a lot of conversational chemistry and it was kind of boring. But then I met this guy Pablo and we spoke in Spanish the entire time which was really fun! Again, it's so exciting and makes me so happy to have experiences like that where you can just TALK to people.
Tonight we're going to Seville, I have to leave in like 45 minutes actually. We went last semester so I'm not going to visit the cathedral or Alcazares (kind of like the Alhambra here in Granada) and it's supposed to rain the entire weekend so that's a bummer. But it will be nice to shop and stay in the hotel and just walk around and stuff. Mom comes two weeks from tomorrow! I am very excited because last weekend I was slightly homesick missing Jordan's show (I watched the videos online though, if you haven't gone and you're within 2-3 hours driving distance from Arlington-you MUST go! It looks incredible) plus I am just really pumped for Mom to be in Spain! Excited to see her, excited for her to get the opportunity to travel, and PUMPED for our cruise during Semana Santa! Looking forward to everything. Also just booked tickets to Lisbon for April 30-May 3, and my friends still have to buy their tickets but they haven't done so yet. So....I'm definitely going...hopefully not alone! haha.
okie dokie I should go because this is getting long and I need to get ready to leave. I will write again sometime next week!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
updates
Well I have a few stories to tell...and a bit of time to tell them, so here we go!
Carnaval is a celebration that occurs immediately before Lent, with two weeks of celebrating! The most famous in the world is in Rio de Janeiro, and the most famous in Spain is Cadiz. So when we heard about a 22 euro round trip bus ride to Cadiz, we were hooked. I crafted my Greek goddess toga costume out of Jess' costume from Halloween, Allison dressed up as a flapper, Emily as farm girl with my American Eagle plaid shirt, and Tina as "stripes" (just dressed all in stripes!) and we were off. The bus ride to Cadiz was boring but manageable, and when we got there the streets were alive! Kids everywhere, adults everywhere, alcohol everywhere, but most of all COSTUMES! Music filled the air along with the screaming and laughter of everyone around, and although the wind was brisk and the sky overcast, it seemed to be the beginning of quite the night! (And oh how it was...more on this to come) One thing I noticed was that it seemed the majority of people were dressed up in groups, either all identical or had costumes in some way relating to each other. There were groups of chickens, babies, American football players, gladiators, etc. I loved seeing all the costumes, but they did make me feel very non-creative. But Emily said that the Spaniards take this costume thing very seriously, and put a lot of time/money/effort into their Carnaval get-up. I didn't put any of those things into my costume so I guess that's ok then! We spent a short amount of time by the water, but it was extremely cold over there so we hung out mostly by the cathedral and were just talking to people. Meeting Spaniards, meeting more API people, it was really fun to just chat, especially in Spanish! I love that I'm at the point where I can completely have a conversation with someone, now I just need to start creating more opportunities for using Spanish. I would say that right now, 70% of my life is in Spanish. and that is when Ana hasn't been home (her & Jess are in Paris for over a week). I want to make it so about 90% of my interactions this semester are in Spanish! What a goal....Oh, anyways, back to Carnaval. So it was pretty dang fun, and around midnight, it started to rain. No big deal, I brought out my rain jacket and my fleece underneath to stay warm, we pulled out some umbrellas, no pasa nada, right? WRONG. so....very....WRONG! The rain got increasingly worse over the next half hour so we decided to try to find some sort of cover...So for an hour or so we were crammed in with hundreds of Spaniards who were blowing whistles, screaming, just completely drunk and pushing us all over the place. This is only the beginning of the misery. Honestly, I would love to elaborate with every hour of the night, but it was so awful I don't really want to recall the entire thing, and I can safely write that we were STANDING for six hours waiting for the rain to stop, which it never did. The bus wasn't going to be unlocked until 6 am, so it was a tortuous wait, and at first we tried to be positive and chatty and play games, but that lasted maybe 45 minutes. And after that it was all about taking my mind elsewhere, trying to forget about how my feet were wet, the wind was blowing, I was freezing and unhappy and REALLY wishing I hadn't dished out 22 euro for this clearly NOT FUN evening. It was so hard to not be outwardly negative so I kind of did the turtle thing and retreated into my shell for the entire evening so as not to bitch at any of my friends unintentionally. But I think they understood, because we were all in the same boat.
Finally Sam called me and yelled over the people with him and all the crazy Spaniards with me, "COME! THE BUS IS UNLOCKED!" And from there it was go time. Emily, Tina, and I just started to book it to the bus which was located about 15 minutes away from where we'd been standing. The rain had picked up and the streets were mostly flooded. My polka dotted Vans were filled with water, my toga was drenched and nearly falling off, my North Face was completely soaked but thank god it protected my fleece and tank top underneath. It was a mad rush to get to the warmth of the bus, and on the way in the lakes of water on the road we saw abandoned umbrellas, shoes, costumes, garbage, CHAOS. I felt like we were in the movie The Day After Tomorrow or something, it felt, sounded, and looked like we were in a small scale hurricane. Finally we reached the bus, and everyone was half naked, trying to get as far away from their drenched clothes as possible. Thank the Lord, I had a pair of jeans and a tshirt that I had worn on the way to Cadiz before changing into my toga, otherwise I would've been a disaster, I don't know what I would've done, sat naked? sat completely freezing and soaked for the 5 hour bus ride? Who knows. Once the bus started going I was drifting in and out of sleep, but it was really uncomfortable because I was trying to keep my feet off the soaking wet floor of the bus. When we got back to Granada it was fairly sunny and I wished more than anything I had never left. I got home, and my violently growling stomach induced me to make a huge bowl of pasta and crash for the next 7 hours. So my sleep patterns this week have been a little off, what with Carnaval and yesterday, my birthday!
We started with the negative, now we'll go with the positive! After class yesterday Allison, Tina, Emily, Emma, Sam and I went to Chile Grande (the same restaurant where we ate Thanksgiving dinner last semester) for my Mexican dinner! I of course ordered chicken fajitas and Allison oh so sweetly paid for me as my birthday present! Tina bought me a BOTTLE of rum, which I am going to share with my friends the next time we have a gathering. She also made me a cupcake, but since cupcakes don't exist in Spain, it was made out of clay from the Chino store! Aaahhh it was so funny and crafty and sweet! I loved it. Allison and I had ice cream on the way home, and since Sam didn't want to go home he just came to my apartment and we hung out for a while waiting for everyone to come over. But...surprise surprise, Ana's mom and aunt showed up at the apartment at almost 11 pm, announcing they were staying the night. This was so awkward, and so confusing, and kind of frustrating because it was my birthday and I wanted to have a few of my friends over before going out dancing. But, it's their apartment, so what could I do? I got changed and then we headed to the Chupiteria & Bar Marisma (two of my favorite places in Granada), and then eventually went to Mae West for dancing. I loved that club! It was super fun, the music was really good, there weren't any Americans there really, the only disadvantage was it was absolutely PACKED. We left at like 4 am and I skipped my morning class today. It was such a good birthday!!
Speaking of my morning class, it's Spanish Civ & Culture and I love it! I'm trying really hard to get into my literature classes, they're just designed so differently from my lit classes at home. I think POE is a stupid waste of time but it's easy so whatever, and Linguistics is the bane of my existence, but I'm trying really hard to focus in the class so that I can be more enthusiastic about it. On the positive side, I feel like this is the first time since taking like, math, that I've had to use that part of my brain and learn concepts like that! Haha.
Tonight we're going to see Valentine's Day, which in Spanish is called Historías del día San Valentín, and tomorrow I have an intercambio with API, hope I meet some more Spaniards! Mom comes in 3.5 weeks and I couldn't be more excited! It's going to be such a blast. And I'm pretty close to booking a trip to Portugal for the end of April. I want to get my hair cut and highlighted (first time ever!), because it's cheaper here and Ana has a place in her pueblo she says is good. Which also means at some point I'll be going to Ana's pueblo which should be fun! Exciting things to come! I feel like this weekend I will be emotionally torn a little because I will be missing home like crazy. Jordan's show is this weekend and I'm soooooo sad that I'm missing it. He's such a talented singer and I love watching him sing! I am just thankful it's not his senior year and I'll be home to watch him finish out jazz choir next year. But my friends from Western are going, so he'll have a support system! It's still going to be hard though.
OK I need to go eat something and head to my Hispanic American Literature class, miss everyone!!
Besos,
MacKenzie
Carnaval is a celebration that occurs immediately before Lent, with two weeks of celebrating! The most famous in the world is in Rio de Janeiro, and the most famous in Spain is Cadiz. So when we heard about a 22 euro round trip bus ride to Cadiz, we were hooked. I crafted my Greek goddess toga costume out of Jess' costume from Halloween, Allison dressed up as a flapper, Emily as farm girl with my American Eagle plaid shirt, and Tina as "stripes" (just dressed all in stripes!) and we were off. The bus ride to Cadiz was boring but manageable, and when we got there the streets were alive! Kids everywhere, adults everywhere, alcohol everywhere, but most of all COSTUMES! Music filled the air along with the screaming and laughter of everyone around, and although the wind was brisk and the sky overcast, it seemed to be the beginning of quite the night! (And oh how it was...more on this to come) One thing I noticed was that it seemed the majority of people were dressed up in groups, either all identical or had costumes in some way relating to each other. There were groups of chickens, babies, American football players, gladiators, etc. I loved seeing all the costumes, but they did make me feel very non-creative. But Emily said that the Spaniards take this costume thing very seriously, and put a lot of time/money/effort into their Carnaval get-up. I didn't put any of those things into my costume so I guess that's ok then! We spent a short amount of time by the water, but it was extremely cold over there so we hung out mostly by the cathedral and were just talking to people. Meeting Spaniards, meeting more API people, it was really fun to just chat, especially in Spanish! I love that I'm at the point where I can completely have a conversation with someone, now I just need to start creating more opportunities for using Spanish. I would say that right now, 70% of my life is in Spanish. and that is when Ana hasn't been home (her & Jess are in Paris for over a week). I want to make it so about 90% of my interactions this semester are in Spanish! What a goal....Oh, anyways, back to Carnaval. So it was pretty dang fun, and around midnight, it started to rain. No big deal, I brought out my rain jacket and my fleece underneath to stay warm, we pulled out some umbrellas, no pasa nada, right? WRONG. so....very....WRONG! The rain got increasingly worse over the next half hour so we decided to try to find some sort of cover...So for an hour or so we were crammed in with hundreds of Spaniards who were blowing whistles, screaming, just completely drunk and pushing us all over the place. This is only the beginning of the misery. Honestly, I would love to elaborate with every hour of the night, but it was so awful I don't really want to recall the entire thing, and I can safely write that we were STANDING for six hours waiting for the rain to stop, which it never did. The bus wasn't going to be unlocked until 6 am, so it was a tortuous wait, and at first we tried to be positive and chatty and play games, but that lasted maybe 45 minutes. And after that it was all about taking my mind elsewhere, trying to forget about how my feet were wet, the wind was blowing, I was freezing and unhappy and REALLY wishing I hadn't dished out 22 euro for this clearly NOT FUN evening. It was so hard to not be outwardly negative so I kind of did the turtle thing and retreated into my shell for the entire evening so as not to bitch at any of my friends unintentionally. But I think they understood, because we were all in the same boat.
Finally Sam called me and yelled over the people with him and all the crazy Spaniards with me, "COME! THE BUS IS UNLOCKED!" And from there it was go time. Emily, Tina, and I just started to book it to the bus which was located about 15 minutes away from where we'd been standing. The rain had picked up and the streets were mostly flooded. My polka dotted Vans were filled with water, my toga was drenched and nearly falling off, my North Face was completely soaked but thank god it protected my fleece and tank top underneath. It was a mad rush to get to the warmth of the bus, and on the way in the lakes of water on the road we saw abandoned umbrellas, shoes, costumes, garbage, CHAOS. I felt like we were in the movie The Day After Tomorrow or something, it felt, sounded, and looked like we were in a small scale hurricane. Finally we reached the bus, and everyone was half naked, trying to get as far away from their drenched clothes as possible. Thank the Lord, I had a pair of jeans and a tshirt that I had worn on the way to Cadiz before changing into my toga, otherwise I would've been a disaster, I don't know what I would've done, sat naked? sat completely freezing and soaked for the 5 hour bus ride? Who knows. Once the bus started going I was drifting in and out of sleep, but it was really uncomfortable because I was trying to keep my feet off the soaking wet floor of the bus. When we got back to Granada it was fairly sunny and I wished more than anything I had never left. I got home, and my violently growling stomach induced me to make a huge bowl of pasta and crash for the next 7 hours. So my sleep patterns this week have been a little off, what with Carnaval and yesterday, my birthday!
We started with the negative, now we'll go with the positive! After class yesterday Allison, Tina, Emily, Emma, Sam and I went to Chile Grande (the same restaurant where we ate Thanksgiving dinner last semester) for my Mexican dinner! I of course ordered chicken fajitas and Allison oh so sweetly paid for me as my birthday present! Tina bought me a BOTTLE of rum, which I am going to share with my friends the next time we have a gathering. She also made me a cupcake, but since cupcakes don't exist in Spain, it was made out of clay from the Chino store! Aaahhh it was so funny and crafty and sweet! I loved it. Allison and I had ice cream on the way home, and since Sam didn't want to go home he just came to my apartment and we hung out for a while waiting for everyone to come over. But...surprise surprise, Ana's mom and aunt showed up at the apartment at almost 11 pm, announcing they were staying the night. This was so awkward, and so confusing, and kind of frustrating because it was my birthday and I wanted to have a few of my friends over before going out dancing. But, it's their apartment, so what could I do? I got changed and then we headed to the Chupiteria & Bar Marisma (two of my favorite places in Granada), and then eventually went to Mae West for dancing. I loved that club! It was super fun, the music was really good, there weren't any Americans there really, the only disadvantage was it was absolutely PACKED. We left at like 4 am and I skipped my morning class today. It was such a good birthday!!
Speaking of my morning class, it's Spanish Civ & Culture and I love it! I'm trying really hard to get into my literature classes, they're just designed so differently from my lit classes at home. I think POE is a stupid waste of time but it's easy so whatever, and Linguistics is the bane of my existence, but I'm trying really hard to focus in the class so that I can be more enthusiastic about it. On the positive side, I feel like this is the first time since taking like, math, that I've had to use that part of my brain and learn concepts like that! Haha.
Tonight we're going to see Valentine's Day, which in Spanish is called Historías del día San Valentín, and tomorrow I have an intercambio with API, hope I meet some more Spaniards! Mom comes in 3.5 weeks and I couldn't be more excited! It's going to be such a blast. And I'm pretty close to booking a trip to Portugal for the end of April. I want to get my hair cut and highlighted (first time ever!), because it's cheaper here and Ana has a place in her pueblo she says is good. Which also means at some point I'll be going to Ana's pueblo which should be fun! Exciting things to come! I feel like this weekend I will be emotionally torn a little because I will be missing home like crazy. Jordan's show is this weekend and I'm soooooo sad that I'm missing it. He's such a talented singer and I love watching him sing! I am just thankful it's not his senior year and I'll be home to watch him finish out jazz choir next year. But my friends from Western are going, so he'll have a support system! It's still going to be hard though.
OK I need to go eat something and head to my Hispanic American Literature class, miss everyone!!
Besos,
MacKenzie
Monday, February 15, 2010
Roma, no podré olvidarte!
In case anyone is wondering, the title means, "Rome, I won't be able to forget you!" And that's the truth. I must say that cities like Rome and Paris will constantly have me coming back, begging for more. I haven't felt that way with other cities like Munich, Vienna, Amsterdam, Prague, even Budapest. But with Rome and Paris, there's always something else to see. Which is why I will always be back.
I wasn't super excited about jetting off to Rome after only being in Granada for three full days. But hey, I paid for it, and a stay in a 4 star hotel, and what kind of selfish brat would I be not to go and appreciate it for what it was? And so, at 5 am on Thursday morning I was promptly meeting other API students at the bus stop to head to Malaga for our flight to Italia.
We arrived in Rome to overcast weather on Thursday, but it wasn't raining, so I was thankful. (I slowly met new API students throughout the weekend, which was good, but it's proving to be difficult to remember everyone! There are so many of them!) Allison, Sam, King (new person-awesome!) and I went to our first Italian meal at a restaurant called Pastarita near the hotel. I had some pizza and it did not fail to satisfy me--delicious! Then Allison and I relaxed and napped a little at the hotel. After showering we decided to walk over to Vatican City which wasn't more than a 10-15 minute walk from our hotel. We entered the "city" at dusk just as Mass was going on, and I must say it couldn't have been a more beautiful sight. People were gathered in the center of the plaza, in front of Saint Peter's Basilica that loomed above them, and each person held a candle in a red candle holder, giving the illusion of thousands of red tinted flames among the crowd. A choir sang hymns, and every so often the crowd would utter their prayers in complete unison, echoing throughout the giant courtyard. Allison knew the prayers they were speaking even though I think they were in Italian! Or Latin maybe. She was raised Catholic so she knew them just from the flow of the words. Darkness continued to envelop the Mass, and as we walked further away from Vatican City we could still hear the prayers, songs, and see the faint lights. It was really a calm, beautiful experience.
We wandered over to the river, and as we were walking, the shrieking sound of firecrackers hit our ears. So we ran over to the river for a better view, and for 15 minutes fireworks sailed over atop the Basilica and the river. "What a nice welcome to Rome?" I couldn't help thinking to myself. Sometimes when I'm here in Europe I just can't believe I'm actually partaking in the things that I'm doing. As we were walking, we were just thinking, oh, you know, no big deal, just walking along the Tiber river in Rome, underneath fireworks being shot off from the Vatican, on a Thursday night. Cool! :) I have these moments from time to time. I had a hunch that a collection of blue lighted arches on the other side of the river signified Gelato. So we crossed, following our stomachs, and sure enough, we happened across our first Italian Gelatería! I had chocolate (like always) and we walked back to the hotel completely satisfied with our delicious treat.
Thursday night Allison, Sam, King and I, along with a few other API people that I am not totally sure of their names, partook in a pub crawl. This was really fun because I haven't ever done a pub crawl before, and I've heard they can be rip-offs but this one seemed well worth the price. It began at the Colosseum, and from there a huge group of people headed off to this restaurant, where we received awesome t-shirts, had an hour long open bar, and got pizza included in the price. From there the entire group-I'm guessing over 50 people headed to another pub by bus, and then again to another. I spent most of my time at the second pub dancing with fellow API students, some Italian boys, and just having a really fun time! The pub crawl was really fun because I met Brits, Italians, Swedes, Spaniards, Americans--it was a blast!
Friday we awoke to a most curious sight-SNOW! Apparently we were fortunate enough to be in Rome during it's first snow in something like 30 years. So, while I was quite cold, and my feet were very wet, it was still a cool and very memorable experience that morning. We went on a bus tour of Rome, which I was quite sleepy during and kept nodding off in the warm bus, only to be rudely interrupted by random walks outside in the slush rain snow. Allison and I ditched the tour a little early because it was just extremely cold and wet and we were borderline miserable. So we hopped into a café and downed some hot chocolate, which is really more like melted chocolate than hot cocoa, and then headed back to the hotel. I had some quality bonding time with Allison, which was nice! We have a similar budget for our travels, and we'd both already been to Rome so we weren't interested in the touristy stuff so much. We started watching the Olympics! And took a nap in our lovely hotel room. Man, I miss that bed and those towels! haha. We were living the high life. Friday night after dinner we walked up to the Spanish Steps, had a nice little romantic time up there, ha! And then we took an early night in due to Thursday's late night out, and we were like a little married couple reading our books in bed in the hotel listening and half watching to BBC. Precious!
Saturday, our final day in Roma, was shockingly beautiful! Not a cloud in the sky, we could hardly believe we were in the same city as the day before where it had been snowing! Allison and I ate a delicious breakfast at the hotel and then set out on a leisurely stroll towards the Colosseum. We walked by the river the entire way, as it was a nice walk and a good alternative to getting completely lost in the streets as we headed to the Roman Forum. It was toasty warm to us Washingtonians, so we just walked around in our t-shirts. Yes it was probably like 55 degrees, but compared to the snow on Friday, it seemed like summer! We got many stares though from fur-coated Italianos. Don't be hatin! :) Seeing the ruins in Rome was cool as ever, I always imagine who walked around there thousands of years ago! We finished off our day with some shopping at H&M, I bought a new coat! and then spent the afternoon napping like usual. I know it sounds lame, and lazy, but I've been sick for two weeks, and after walking for four hours one is quite tired! We finished off our trip to Rome by meeting up with Tina, Emily, and Alyssa, some of the other "Year" girls. We grabbed our last gelati for the weekend and took another spin by the Spanish Steps.
And that was basically Roma! =) It was a blast, I loved every minute of it, from the naps to the walks to the buffet breakfast at the hotel, to the pub crawl. It was an amazing time.
And I am out of my funk that possessed me before leaving for Rome. Now I'm back in action, communicating a lot more clearly in Spanish, and ready to plan some trips! I just purchased reservations for the a Mediterranean Cruise for when my mom comes to visit me! It will go to begins in Barcelona and goes to Spain, France, Italy, and Africa!! It's going to be a blast, I can't wait for her to get here, and it's right around the corner. This weekend I'm going to Cadiz for Carnival, and I think Ana has come up with a good, warm idea for me to dress up as a kitty cat! :) Still trying to fit in trips to Portugal, Galicia, and Morocco, but we'll see how the rest of the semester treats me, both money/time wise. My 20th birthday is a week from tomorrow, and I'm excited to celebrate but bummed because Ana and Jess will be in Paris! But a whole week alone in the apartment will allow me to adjust and start a cooking routine for the rest of the semester. Life is lovely, I am very happy and settling in quite nicely at this point. I will go to the gym tomorrow for the first time, exciting! And my only wish is that the weather would improve a bit, so I wasn't so cold all the time! That's about it though. Anyways. Oh-Olympics--go US!! I hope I can catch a few events at a bar or something while I'm here! Love & miss everyone, hope to set up some skype dates in the near future!
Besos, MacKenzie
I wasn't super excited about jetting off to Rome after only being in Granada for three full days. But hey, I paid for it, and a stay in a 4 star hotel, and what kind of selfish brat would I be not to go and appreciate it for what it was? And so, at 5 am on Thursday morning I was promptly meeting other API students at the bus stop to head to Malaga for our flight to Italia.
We arrived in Rome to overcast weather on Thursday, but it wasn't raining, so I was thankful. (I slowly met new API students throughout the weekend, which was good, but it's proving to be difficult to remember everyone! There are so many of them!) Allison, Sam, King (new person-awesome!) and I went to our first Italian meal at a restaurant called Pastarita near the hotel. I had some pizza and it did not fail to satisfy me--delicious! Then Allison and I relaxed and napped a little at the hotel. After showering we decided to walk over to Vatican City which wasn't more than a 10-15 minute walk from our hotel. We entered the "city" at dusk just as Mass was going on, and I must say it couldn't have been a more beautiful sight. People were gathered in the center of the plaza, in front of Saint Peter's Basilica that loomed above them, and each person held a candle in a red candle holder, giving the illusion of thousands of red tinted flames among the crowd. A choir sang hymns, and every so often the crowd would utter their prayers in complete unison, echoing throughout the giant courtyard. Allison knew the prayers they were speaking even though I think they were in Italian! Or Latin maybe. She was raised Catholic so she knew them just from the flow of the words. Darkness continued to envelop the Mass, and as we walked further away from Vatican City we could still hear the prayers, songs, and see the faint lights. It was really a calm, beautiful experience.
We wandered over to the river, and as we were walking, the shrieking sound of firecrackers hit our ears. So we ran over to the river for a better view, and for 15 minutes fireworks sailed over atop the Basilica and the river. "What a nice welcome to Rome?" I couldn't help thinking to myself. Sometimes when I'm here in Europe I just can't believe I'm actually partaking in the things that I'm doing. As we were walking, we were just thinking, oh, you know, no big deal, just walking along the Tiber river in Rome, underneath fireworks being shot off from the Vatican, on a Thursday night. Cool! :) I have these moments from time to time. I had a hunch that a collection of blue lighted arches on the other side of the river signified Gelato. So we crossed, following our stomachs, and sure enough, we happened across our first Italian Gelatería! I had chocolate (like always) and we walked back to the hotel completely satisfied with our delicious treat.
Thursday night Allison, Sam, King and I, along with a few other API people that I am not totally sure of their names, partook in a pub crawl. This was really fun because I haven't ever done a pub crawl before, and I've heard they can be rip-offs but this one seemed well worth the price. It began at the Colosseum, and from there a huge group of people headed off to this restaurant, where we received awesome t-shirts, had an hour long open bar, and got pizza included in the price. From there the entire group-I'm guessing over 50 people headed to another pub by bus, and then again to another. I spent most of my time at the second pub dancing with fellow API students, some Italian boys, and just having a really fun time! The pub crawl was really fun because I met Brits, Italians, Swedes, Spaniards, Americans--it was a blast!
Friday we awoke to a most curious sight-SNOW! Apparently we were fortunate enough to be in Rome during it's first snow in something like 30 years. So, while I was quite cold, and my feet were very wet, it was still a cool and very memorable experience that morning. We went on a bus tour of Rome, which I was quite sleepy during and kept nodding off in the warm bus, only to be rudely interrupted by random walks outside in the slush rain snow. Allison and I ditched the tour a little early because it was just extremely cold and wet and we were borderline miserable. So we hopped into a café and downed some hot chocolate, which is really more like melted chocolate than hot cocoa, and then headed back to the hotel. I had some quality bonding time with Allison, which was nice! We have a similar budget for our travels, and we'd both already been to Rome so we weren't interested in the touristy stuff so much. We started watching the Olympics! And took a nap in our lovely hotel room. Man, I miss that bed and those towels! haha. We were living the high life. Friday night after dinner we walked up to the Spanish Steps, had a nice little romantic time up there, ha! And then we took an early night in due to Thursday's late night out, and we were like a little married couple reading our books in bed in the hotel listening and half watching to BBC. Precious!
Saturday, our final day in Roma, was shockingly beautiful! Not a cloud in the sky, we could hardly believe we were in the same city as the day before where it had been snowing! Allison and I ate a delicious breakfast at the hotel and then set out on a leisurely stroll towards the Colosseum. We walked by the river the entire way, as it was a nice walk and a good alternative to getting completely lost in the streets as we headed to the Roman Forum. It was toasty warm to us Washingtonians, so we just walked around in our t-shirts. Yes it was probably like 55 degrees, but compared to the snow on Friday, it seemed like summer! We got many stares though from fur-coated Italianos. Don't be hatin! :) Seeing the ruins in Rome was cool as ever, I always imagine who walked around there thousands of years ago! We finished off our day with some shopping at H&M, I bought a new coat! and then spent the afternoon napping like usual. I know it sounds lame, and lazy, but I've been sick for two weeks, and after walking for four hours one is quite tired! We finished off our trip to Rome by meeting up with Tina, Emily, and Alyssa, some of the other "Year" girls. We grabbed our last gelati for the weekend and took another spin by the Spanish Steps.
And that was basically Roma! =) It was a blast, I loved every minute of it, from the naps to the walks to the buffet breakfast at the hotel, to the pub crawl. It was an amazing time.
And I am out of my funk that possessed me before leaving for Rome. Now I'm back in action, communicating a lot more clearly in Spanish, and ready to plan some trips! I just purchased reservations for the a Mediterranean Cruise for when my mom comes to visit me! It will go to begins in Barcelona and goes to Spain, France, Italy, and Africa!! It's going to be a blast, I can't wait for her to get here, and it's right around the corner. This weekend I'm going to Cadiz for Carnival, and I think Ana has come up with a good, warm idea for me to dress up as a kitty cat! :) Still trying to fit in trips to Portugal, Galicia, and Morocco, but we'll see how the rest of the semester treats me, both money/time wise. My 20th birthday is a week from tomorrow, and I'm excited to celebrate but bummed because Ana and Jess will be in Paris! But a whole week alone in the apartment will allow me to adjust and start a cooking routine for the rest of the semester. Life is lovely, I am very happy and settling in quite nicely at this point. I will go to the gym tomorrow for the first time, exciting! And my only wish is that the weather would improve a bit, so I wasn't so cold all the time! That's about it though. Anyways. Oh-Olympics--go US!! I hope I can catch a few events at a bar or something while I'm here! Love & miss everyone, hope to set up some skype dates in the near future!
Besos, MacKenzie
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
settled?
Right now I'm feeling slightly...annoyed with myself and with parts of Granada. First of all, the weather has been terrible since I arrived, which is really the only reason I'm annoyed with Granada. My boots are currently soaked, and I'm hoping it doesn't ruin them, because right now they look very...spotted with rain.
I'm annoyed with myself because I feel like I can't speak Spanish (though this has improved over the past few days). Sometimes when Ana talks to me I just feel like my mind is blank and I haven't a clue how to form the sentence of what I want to say.
I am not eating very healthy. Switzerland got me into a chocolate eating frenzy, and the giant Toblerone bar that Brigitte sent me off with is only getting smaller. I FEEL extremely bloated and fat...as all I've been eating really is carbs carbs carbs....counteracting everything I did over break. When I come back from Rome I need to do a serious healthy shopping trip-for meat, vegetables, eggs, and fruit. I need to not buy the junk I've been buying and limit those things to only once a week or even once a month! On a positive note though, Allison and I joined a gym today. It is 45 euros a month for students, with limited hours, but they're great hours for me. I can work out Monday-Friday from 7 am-4 pm, which is perfect because the majority of my classes are in the evening and I wouldn't want to exercise after class anyway. I am not sure if I'm actually gaining weight or if I'm just facing the grave realization that if I continue eating this way and not exercising I WILL gain weight. ahhhhh....so frustrating. Anyways though. The gym. Very nice, has a pool, cardio equipment, weights, and lots of fitness classes that I plan on partaking in. Allison and I have a meeting with a trainer next Thursday (we're not exactly sure why...the guy who registered just told us we have to). So we're not sure if we're having a training session or just learning the way the gym works...or what? Ha I don't know. But I'm very excited to go to the gym every weekday, and the weekends will be my rest days, or just days to run by the river or something.
Granada doesn't quite feel the same yet, I haven't gone out since I've arrived. Granted, I've only been here 3 nights but still. This city feels very strange without some of the people from last semester. I am walking the same streets and seeing the same places, but the faces are all unknown, different, and not Shannon, Eric, Courtney, Cory...I could go on. I don't want to seem like I'm dwelling on the fact that they're not here, because I'm not, but I do miss them very much and sometimes I feel antisocial because they're not here. I really love living with Ana and Jessica though, they are both just wonderful people and I'm enjoying getting to know them more. I also feel like part of the reason I've been somewhat anti-social is because Ana and Jess have finals going on and no class, so they're kind of holed up in the apartment all day long. It's just very different not having Courtney & Eric pestering me to go out nearly every night! Haha. I'm sure things will find their normal course when I return from my trip to Rome, but this week has just been kind of strange.
I had my first days of classes today and yesterday. I'll give a brief rundown. My first class yesterday was POE which seems like it's going to be an easy buy pointless class. Second class, Images of Women in Spanish Lit, is going to be tough. My teacher has a pretty strong Andalucían accent, and it just seems like it's going to be hard to follow unless I'm completely focused all the time. My third class, which gets exhausting, having 3 1.5 hr classes in a row, is Linguistics, and I can already tell that this class is going to kick my butt. Not only is the concept difficult, like I feel it would be hard to learn in English, but this professor also speaks rapidly with a strong accent. So...Tuesdays and Thursdays aren't going to be too much fun. But today was a lot better. First of all I have class from 11:30-1, Civilization and Culture of Spain. My professor speaks really clearly, the class seemed pretty interesting, and I get to go home for a few hours afterwards. This is nice because I walk twice to school on Mondays and Wednesdays, which can only help me, that's for sure! Then in the evening I have Hispanic American Lit with another clear speaking professor, and we started watching a movie today which was pretty good, but hard for me to understand because the accents were Argentine and it's really different from Spain's accent. Overall I feel like I need to put in a little extra effort to school compared with last semester. Which is ok with me, but I feel like I can't summon up the amount of energy it takes to focus completely in class! Hopefully this will improve once I start working out in the morning and eating a healthier diet.
Hhhmmm....what else? Well I have to meet at the API bus stop in...6 hours, we're off to Roma! I'm kind of excited, kind of not. I don't want to spend money doing anything touristy in Rome because I have already seen everything, and money is not something I want to waste. However, I am excited for the good food and the shopping! Kind of bummed because the weather is supposed to be rainy (also supposed to be rainy in Granada for at least the 10 day forecast ahead-which I don't get because it rained like 4 times last semester). But I think once I get going Rome will be fun. Allison and I are rooming together and we'll probably be hanging with Sam quite a bit. I also hope to see Liz and get to know some of the new people.
Oh! Today I had two great encounters, I ran into Marí Carmen, Pepe, and David walking to my first class this morning! I was so excited to see them and they seemed very happy to see me too. David is so cute!! And then on my way home in the rain from my evening class, I ran into Marí (the daughter), David (the husband), and David (the baby)! David was all excited and said "Camión" (truck). I couldn't believe he's learning new words! Both run-ins seriously lifted me up, I feel like so much that I'm experiencing is overwhelming new-ness....and it was just good to have some familiarity for once.
Overall, I would say I'm doing OK. I anticipated that re-assimilating back into life in Granada would be much easier. But what I'm realizing is that EVERYTHING I'm doing is completely different. My living situation. The style of my classes. My food preparation. My friends. It's pretty overwhelming. I hope I can get out of this slump soon...And really it isn't a slump, just a general uneasiness that I can't quite put a finger on what is at the heart of my troubles.
But, the show must go on. I'm going to Rome tomorrow! And I need to be thankful. :) Everything will turn out right, I just need some time to adjust.
Till I return...Miss you all!
Besos,
MacKenzie
I'm annoyed with myself because I feel like I can't speak Spanish (though this has improved over the past few days). Sometimes when Ana talks to me I just feel like my mind is blank and I haven't a clue how to form the sentence of what I want to say.
I am not eating very healthy. Switzerland got me into a chocolate eating frenzy, and the giant Toblerone bar that Brigitte sent me off with is only getting smaller. I FEEL extremely bloated and fat...as all I've been eating really is carbs carbs carbs....counteracting everything I did over break. When I come back from Rome I need to do a serious healthy shopping trip-for meat, vegetables, eggs, and fruit. I need to not buy the junk I've been buying and limit those things to only once a week or even once a month! On a positive note though, Allison and I joined a gym today. It is 45 euros a month for students, with limited hours, but they're great hours for me. I can work out Monday-Friday from 7 am-4 pm, which is perfect because the majority of my classes are in the evening and I wouldn't want to exercise after class anyway. I am not sure if I'm actually gaining weight or if I'm just facing the grave realization that if I continue eating this way and not exercising I WILL gain weight. ahhhhh....so frustrating. Anyways though. The gym. Very nice, has a pool, cardio equipment, weights, and lots of fitness classes that I plan on partaking in. Allison and I have a meeting with a trainer next Thursday (we're not exactly sure why...the guy who registered just told us we have to). So we're not sure if we're having a training session or just learning the way the gym works...or what? Ha I don't know. But I'm very excited to go to the gym every weekday, and the weekends will be my rest days, or just days to run by the river or something.
Granada doesn't quite feel the same yet, I haven't gone out since I've arrived. Granted, I've only been here 3 nights but still. This city feels very strange without some of the people from last semester. I am walking the same streets and seeing the same places, but the faces are all unknown, different, and not Shannon, Eric, Courtney, Cory...I could go on. I don't want to seem like I'm dwelling on the fact that they're not here, because I'm not, but I do miss them very much and sometimes I feel antisocial because they're not here. I really love living with Ana and Jessica though, they are both just wonderful people and I'm enjoying getting to know them more. I also feel like part of the reason I've been somewhat anti-social is because Ana and Jess have finals going on and no class, so they're kind of holed up in the apartment all day long. It's just very different not having Courtney & Eric pestering me to go out nearly every night! Haha. I'm sure things will find their normal course when I return from my trip to Rome, but this week has just been kind of strange.
I had my first days of classes today and yesterday. I'll give a brief rundown. My first class yesterday was POE which seems like it's going to be an easy buy pointless class. Second class, Images of Women in Spanish Lit, is going to be tough. My teacher has a pretty strong Andalucían accent, and it just seems like it's going to be hard to follow unless I'm completely focused all the time. My third class, which gets exhausting, having 3 1.5 hr classes in a row, is Linguistics, and I can already tell that this class is going to kick my butt. Not only is the concept difficult, like I feel it would be hard to learn in English, but this professor also speaks rapidly with a strong accent. So...Tuesdays and Thursdays aren't going to be too much fun. But today was a lot better. First of all I have class from 11:30-1, Civilization and Culture of Spain. My professor speaks really clearly, the class seemed pretty interesting, and I get to go home for a few hours afterwards. This is nice because I walk twice to school on Mondays and Wednesdays, which can only help me, that's for sure! Then in the evening I have Hispanic American Lit with another clear speaking professor, and we started watching a movie today which was pretty good, but hard for me to understand because the accents were Argentine and it's really different from Spain's accent. Overall I feel like I need to put in a little extra effort to school compared with last semester. Which is ok with me, but I feel like I can't summon up the amount of energy it takes to focus completely in class! Hopefully this will improve once I start working out in the morning and eating a healthier diet.
Hhhmmm....what else? Well I have to meet at the API bus stop in...6 hours, we're off to Roma! I'm kind of excited, kind of not. I don't want to spend money doing anything touristy in Rome because I have already seen everything, and money is not something I want to waste. However, I am excited for the good food and the shopping! Kind of bummed because the weather is supposed to be rainy (also supposed to be rainy in Granada for at least the 10 day forecast ahead-which I don't get because it rained like 4 times last semester). But I think once I get going Rome will be fun. Allison and I are rooming together and we'll probably be hanging with Sam quite a bit. I also hope to see Liz and get to know some of the new people.
Oh! Today I had two great encounters, I ran into Marí Carmen, Pepe, and David walking to my first class this morning! I was so excited to see them and they seemed very happy to see me too. David is so cute!! And then on my way home in the rain from my evening class, I ran into Marí (the daughter), David (the husband), and David (the baby)! David was all excited and said "Camión" (truck). I couldn't believe he's learning new words! Both run-ins seriously lifted me up, I feel like so much that I'm experiencing is overwhelming new-ness....and it was just good to have some familiarity for once.
Overall, I would say I'm doing OK. I anticipated that re-assimilating back into life in Granada would be much easier. But what I'm realizing is that EVERYTHING I'm doing is completely different. My living situation. The style of my classes. My food preparation. My friends. It's pretty overwhelming. I hope I can get out of this slump soon...And really it isn't a slump, just a general uneasiness that I can't quite put a finger on what is at the heart of my troubles.
But, the show must go on. I'm going to Rome tomorrow! And I need to be thankful. :) Everything will turn out right, I just need some time to adjust.
Till I return...Miss you all!
Besos,
MacKenzie
Monday, February 8, 2010
Estoy aqui. :)
Home Sweet Home. After just over 24 hours in my new apartment, I am feeling pretty dang settled. Not every single thing is in place, but everything is unpacked, I have groceries in the kitchen, I purchased sheets, which are not yet on my bed but in the wash along with my dirty clothes from Switzerland, and I am home.
Pedro Antonio de Alarcón 73 1C
18002, Granada, España
Ana and Jess welcomed me with open arms last night around 9 pm after my 13 hours or so of consecutive train, plane, and bus traveling from Chur to Granada. Ana had made some delicious pasta that I wolfed down gratefully, and Sam, Sabrina, and Allison came over to hang out for a while. It was great to see people! I was so tired and pretty out of it so I didn’t have the best time, but it was nice all the same.
Once everyone left I was exhausted and my room was full of bags, shoes, clothes, everything I own here in España. I didn’t know where to find anything or even where to begin with unpacking, and overall I was just extremely overwhelmed. However, I will note that I am very thankful that I arrived in Granada with a lovely piso (apartment/flat) waiting for me, where as many of my fellow API year colleagues were not so fortunate, and had the stress of being homeless/finding a place to live for a few days. That being said, I was still overwhelmed. ;) I knew the only logical solution at that point (1:30 am) was sleep, so after that fact being confirmed by good ol’ J Floe (love you bestie) I hit the hay.
Today, I can gladly say, was PRODUCTIVE. Slow kind of, but productive. I figured out my schedule, which is as follows, for those of you who care. ;)
Monday/Wednesday: 11:30 am-1 pm Spanish Civilization & Culture
6:30-8 pm Hispanic American Literature
Tuesday/Thursday: 3:30-5 pm Oral & Written Production (POE)
5-6:30 pm The Image of the Woman in Spanish Lit.
6:30-8 pm Intro to Linguistics
So tomorrow I’ll have class from 3:30 to 8. All my classes are in Spanish. I’m pretty happy with my schedule except for the fact that I have to take POE (it doesn’t count towards my major at WWU). It will be strange having class in the evening (never experienced this before) but also awesome that I never have to wake up early. Yay! And…sitting through nearly 5 hours of class on Tuesdays and Thursdays will be rough. But manageable I suppose.
Anyways. So the other things I accomplished today were grocery shopping, purchasing a pillow & sheets and other random things I needed, enjoying a nice slice of pizza and some quality hang out time with Miss Allison who I have dearly missed, and looking into joining a gym. There is one a block over from my street that is very big, very nice, and pretty expensive but I think I am going to join it because of everything they offer and the hours they’re open. Hooray for not getting fat again this semester!
This weekend, Thursday actually, API is going to Rome. This is weird to me for two reasons. One, I feel like I just got here, which I did. And two, I know basically nobody out of the nearly 70 spring API students. But, no pasa nada, I’m going to Rome this weekend, how many people can say that? It will be fun and I’ll get to know the new people. Things in API are strange though, Eli is now gone, she got a new job. So now it’s Carmen, Alicia, Jonathan, and Laura. So strange…And I introduced myself to a few new peeps but there’s so many it’s a tad overwhelming and I can’t even possibly imagine knowing all of them. Anyways, that’s all for the updates of program, travel, and life I guess.
Tonight for dinner I had strawberries, crackers, and a sandwich. And you know what I loved most? The fact that I chose exactly what I wanted to eat. Jess, Ana and I watched Internado, a Spanish telenovela (soap opera) which was silly, intense, and fun. I think I’m going to like this. Actually let me rephrase myself. I know I’m going to like this. Life is good. =)
Hasta pronto, y os echo de menos!
MacKenzie
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