Baby Steps, a Beautiful City, and a Big Decision

Hello All!

It's been far too long! I'll start with the small things first. I've taken a large step in my Spanish life: a telephone call. This may seem entirely insignificant, but for a girl who breaks into a cold sweat when ordering a pizza in the United States, this is a milestone. There's something about the high probability of misunderstanding,especially when speaking a non-native tongue, that get's my adrenaline going and leaves me feeling extremely anxious. Having said this, you can imagine my terror when I was sitting in my bedroom reading a book when Manolo (Lola's man-friend) entered holding the telephone. "It's for you," he said (in Spanish of course). I had no idea WHO could be calling, as I have given nobody the number to the house. I timidly answered the phone and was promptly greeted in Spanish by a woman who began to say something about "Alison" and the internet contract that I had with their company in September. Given that I arrived in February, and have purchased no such contract, I quickly put the pieces together that this woman was LOOKING for an Alison who had been studying the semester prior to me. I politely explained that I was not Alison, and did not know any Alison's here in Spain. After I hung up, I silently patted myself on the back for having a relatively comfortable conversation in Spanish. Basking in my small success I explained the situation to Lola, thinking she had been confused as well. My feeling of accomplishment was immediately extinguished when Lola responded to me saying, "OHHH, I thought YOUR name was Alison." So as it turns out I can talk my way out of an internet contract, but can't effectively communicate my name to the woman with whom I have been living with for 7 weeks....

I'm not sure if Lola knows my name now or not, but I do know that I had a BEAUUUUTIFUL weekend in Granada to lift my spirits! Granada is a city that is about a three hour bus ride from Sevilla. All the rain and clouds were no where in sight, which made for a marvelous view of the snow-covered Sierra Nevada mountain range that shined brilliantly against the bright blue sky. I started my trip with an embarrassing, YouTube-worthy run in with a small pillar in the sidewalk that is SUPPOSED to offer protection from cars. All I was offered was the comfort in knowing that I will never again see any of the people who saw me run directly into the waist-high pole (Let your imaginations run wild with this image). My minor injuries did not prevent me from taking an extensive tour of Granada's main attraction, La Alhambra, which served as the primary fortress during the eight-century Arab rein in Spain. the views were picturesque and the pictures I have included do not do it justice. Upon returning to the hotel, we took a luxurious shower, (normally the showers we take have time/hot water limitations) and practically collapsed from exhaustion. Saturday morning brought about more cultural visits to the crypt in which the first Catholic queen and king, Isabel and Fernando, were buried. Unfortunately no photos were allowed on this tour, but trust me when I tell you that it was fairly cool to see the coffins of two of the most influential figures in Spanish history. We then visited the Catedral of Granada and relished the sunshine after exiting it's frigid, marble-covered interior! Overall it was a fun overnight to take in a gorgeous little city, on a day that was no less than perfect. Rough life, huh?

Cute little houses on the Granada hillside

Gardens in La Alhambra

The Sierra Nevadas!

Reflecting on the word "Granada," which interestingly enough translates to "pomegranate."

Sitting precariously on the edge of the tower. Please note the really cool headphone in which we all wore to listen to the tour guide (named Nacho)

Top o' the tower

Apparently this incredible effect of the reflection was designed purposefully so that anyone coming to visit the king wouldbe sufficiently intimidated *GULP*

Inside of the Catedral. They could have paid a little more attention to detail....

Sunday afternoon was spent basking in the sunshine by the Guadalquivir river, but I won't rub it in too much. Yesterday I finally made the decision that I had been considering for over a week now: roller blades. I have become bored with the 35 minute walk and I wanted to spice up my travels to school a little bit. I haven't thrown on a pair of in-line skates in about 10 years, but I was raring to go! I have successfully made two round-trips to and from school WITHOUT falling on my face, although I've come close. So far the only shameful moments I've had was an 8-year-old passing me, and a near-disastrous encounter with a couple of fallen twigs. I'm determined to practice, however, despite the rebellion of all the muscles in my lower half!

Ok, I'll rub it in a LOT. Nice to let the feet breath a little.

In conclusion, I've had an interesting 10 days, including the extremely unfortunate discovery that I had booked a flight for the completely wrong day and was required to pay 200 euros (approx. $250) to make the necessary changes. Yikes. My second weekend trip to Barcelona this weekend better be EPIC.

Five Aspects of My American Life I Didn't Realize I Would Miss

Hola todos!

I decided I was probably due for another post, considering that all of my followers are gobbling up every crumb of my Spanish experiences! At first I was at a loss of what to write about, as these past few days have been relatively uneventful; no crazy excursions, no near breakdown over being lost, and no embarrassing communication errors! So what to write about? I have been here for over 6 weeks and continue to gush over my adoration of the culture, but with every great love, comes the list of qualities we could do with out. We all have that favorite pair of shoes that, on some days, rub in such a way that a small blister forms. It's time to get a little satirical, Spanish style. Listed below are five aspects of American life that nobody warned me I would miss.

1. Personal space

I choose this quality first because I am currently sitting in a bustling Spanish cafe filled with exuberant, overly expressive patrons, constantly moving the extra  chairs around my tiny little table to clear a path for their mammoth baby carriages. Ironically enough, the toddler sitting directly behind me has just reached over from the perch on her (unknowing) mother's lap and grabbed my shoulder, as I awkwardly try and scoot a couple inches forward, so as not to seem like a creep. Between the busy eating establishments, the slight touching of thigh on thigh with a stranger on the metro, and the fact that I practically stub my toe on the foot of my bed immediately upon opening the door to my room, I longingly reminisce on the days in which all my extremities moved freely.

2. Not living next to an elementary school


Anyone who knows me understands my occasional lack of patience with younger children. As I have explained before, all the children here are very precious as they stroll down the street in their little khaki pants, spouting out delightfully miniature phrases in Spanish accents. I don't know much about the Spanish schooling system but I DO know that school two doors down from me does not enroll cute little kids, but WILD ANIMALS. Recess apparently lasts between 10am and 1 pm and I am also convinced that during this period of time, they are rallying an army of tiny little monsters in preparation for some sort of coup. It really puts a kink in my siesta schedule when (through a closed window) I am inundated with actual chanting of about 100 Spanish 6-year-olds.

3. Dairy products that belong in the refrigerator 

This is not such a big deal, just a little disconcerting for a girl that was always taught that milk that has been left out for too long is sufficiently questionable. These days I am instructed to replenish the milk that was in the fridge with the back up stock....kept underneath the kitchen counter. I'm not familiar with how pasteurization processes work, and I have experienced any negative side effects, so I guess I'll just get over this one. Oh- by the way, if you're looking for eggs, just check the aisle with the dry spaghetti....

4. Knowing how to accurately express emotion

 At home I do not often put thought into the reflex reactions I have to a surprising piece of information, or bad news. I found myself laughing to myself in class the other day as we learned the colloquial phrases used to respond to such conversation matter. We all were instructed to formulate a hypothetical sentence that was either unbelievable, surprising, upsetting, or impressive. Upon hearing a sentence we were supposed choose from the list of reactions that were appropriate. Something about the way I silently, without expression racked my brain after hearing a classmate say "I JUST WON THE LOTTERY!" made realize how foreign I truly was. I was not aware that I would have to relearn emotions as well as every other vocabulary word and sentence structure!

5. World wide web as I know it
 This one is pretty obvious. I once learned about an ancient Incan society in the mountains of Peru in which the primary method of delivering messages from town to town was a member of the tribe who, in the span of an entire day would run from the base of the mountain to the top, wearing thin cloth sandals. I used to think that this was an unbelievable example of how far technology has come...until I tried to send an email. Emotionally I AM that Incan messenger, often finding the task of cyber communication to be a daunting one, that I must plan my entire schedule around. After a successful delivery, it is common that I do some sort of celebratory dance, and collapse in exhaustion.

In conclusion, these changes that I have encountered are sufficiently irritating, but are also interesting to reflect upon! Going back to my shoe metaphor, despite the aggravation, I in no way feel any sort of shopper's remorse. I simply get to appreciate more the times in which I am comfortable : )

Gastronomical Thoughts and a Crazy Carnival

Happy Monday everyone (I know it is Tuesday, but this was written yesterday and once again the internet connection fizzled out)!

Entering the week was a little bit difficult for myself given the two wonderful days off I have had from my 9 am schedule! My Sunday was filled with absolutely no plans as I was sleeping off my Cádiz Carnaval experience from the night/morning before! But more on that later...

First, I would like it to be known that this past week I had my first (of hopefully many) encounter with churros con chocolate. This is a big deal because it is probably Spain's go to breakfast sweet treat and I had been here for a month without so much as a whiff! But finally I treated myself to a post-class plate of these DELICIOUS fried dough-esque concoctions, accompanied by a bowl of cinnamon sugar and a cup of thick hot chocolate for dipping. Now quickly wipe the drool off of your computer screens before anyone around you notices. Since I have also procrastinated this post so long that dinner has rolled around, I'll have you know that I have JUST polished off a buenísimo saffron chicken burger. Needless to say, I'm not coming home.

Me, sufficiently enjoying my churro

What I am most tickled by here is the adoration of olive oil. Not only are there vats of this liquid gold stored in the kitchens of all the Sevillanos, but curiously enough, it is pretty much considered a vegetable in and of itself. My señora constantly boasts about how healthy the food she makes is, and always with "NINGUNA GRASA (NO FAT)" as I furiously nod my head in agreement while simultaneously mopping up the excess oil on my plate with a hunk of fresh bread. Anyone here will tell you that olive oil is NOT fat. My professor literally refused to discuss it with me, so for my stint in Spain, I'm sticking to that philosophy.

Ok, so back to the Carnaval de Cádiz! Basically this carnival is Halloween's drunk, crazy cousin. There is an unwritten requirement that you wear a costume as EVERYBODY is wearing one. I personally detest Halloween, but since everything is cooler in Spain, I played along and (lamely) dressed as a cheetah. Our bus arrived in Cádiz at about 11 pm and when I stepped out into the plaza I was immediately stunned by the masses of people all parading around in their various costumes. Bottles and trash had already filled the streets and we were all eager to get out and explore. We had no idea where anything was, but it wasn't really a trip for sight seeing, but rather for gawking at the thousands of crazy people running around the streets.

We spent the next few hours walking around and meeting different groups of people from various parts of Spain. The downside was that despite the abundance of (drinking) people, there very few public bathrooms available. The imagination doesn't have to run too wild to put together what the only logical solution was for many. All was fun and exciting until about the 3 am mark when the sun's warmth had completely vanished and the temperature dropped to a less-than desirable 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Unfortunately there still remained 2 1/2 hours before the bus home was scheduled to arrive so we stuck it out, huddled together, and of course purchased a very necessary 5 am hamburger with the works (I swear it was only for insulation). We FINALLY departed the littered city of Cádiz at 6 am, and I thanked every star in the solar system that I was not one of the hundreds of people passed out next to the fountain in the middle of the square! I dreamed of my warm bed during the 1 1/2 hour bus ride back to Sevilla and we arrived at about 7:30 am and luckily it was SO early, we got to take the metro instead of a pricier taxi! From the metro station, I walked the 10 minute home stretch back to my apartment with my eyes practically closed. There is a distinct type of shame when you pass a man who is fetching the morning paper while you are wearing a tail and have whiskers painted on your face. I was simply too exhausted to mind, and gave a weak smile/"hola" and kept walking. I hit the bed at 8 am (after washing off the whiskers) and didn't open my eyes until 3:30 pm. What an experience! The pictures provided show a little sampling of the types of people we ran into that night!

My best cheetah pose

My hippie friends found some ninja turtles

Best photo of the night

We found "police man¨ and a boy in a beautiful dress!

Now I'm back to the real-person lifestyle, but sufficiently enjoying my classes here! Not sure what adventures are coming next, but you'll all be the first to know!

¡Adios!