So this will probably be my shortest blog yet. We're now in our last week of classes, and I have mixed feelings about it. Of course I'm thrilled that I'm almost done with papers and getting up extremely early, and I'm insanely excited about going to Wales in less than two weeks, but the closer I get to being finished with everything, the closer I get to leaving Spain, and I'm just not ready for that.
Yesterday was my last day of teaching the education majors and the first group of 2nd years. For the former, we talked a little about movies and I showed them clips from The Princess Bride, one of my favorite movies. They seemed to really like it because they laughed a lot. Unfortunately, I had to put the subtitles in Spanish because it was a bit difficult for them to understand it. For the latter, we had to talk about money, so we did that and played a game, but then I let them watch an episode of Modern Family, one of the greatest comedies on tv right now. No joke. It's awesome. They liked it so much that they decided to stay later so that they could finish it. Why does it seem that they like me more when we're practically over? Oh well. I never knew how it was going with some of these students, but all of them were great.
Last night, I was in the strangest mood to watch Beauty and the Beast, so I found it online. It's always nice to be brought back to your childhood. Today, I have an exam in Translation. Yay. It's English to Spanish, so we'll see how it goes!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Bridget in Spain
Okay. So it has yet again been a very long time since I've written anything here, but I do have a good excuse. I'm tired. That's it. I'm just freakin' tired. Well today I actually have free time, so I thought I'd write about my cousin Bridget's stay with me in Spain. First of all, I can't say how excited I was that Bridget came. She's absolutely my best friend and I don't know what I'd do without her! But like all good stories and adventures, this one started off on the wrong foot.
The night before Bridget arrived in Madrid, Caceres was celebrating WOMAD, the world music, art, and dance festival. I won't go too into that because that's another blog all its own, so let's just say that it was close to Carnaval in Badajoz. Well, since I had to get up extremely early in the morning to go get Bridget at the airport, I wasn't planning on sleeping. However, I had to take one of my friends home for reasons that don't need to be explained here. Since I was already leaving, I decided to go home, too and sleep a few hours. The problem though was that I was so tired that I slept through my alarm. Instead of getting up at 5 am, I got up at 7 am. My bus left at 6 am. So, near panicking, I grabbed my things, called a taxi, and hoped that there would be another bus soon. Fortunately, there was an express bus, but it cost me almost 30 euros. I have no words to explain how horrible I felt at knowing that she would have to wait longer for me. As we were approaching the outskirts of Madrid, she called me to tell me where she'd be waiting--in the food court by a big picture of a lion. I figured that'd be easy to spot, so I didn't worry. I got through the metro fine, but once I was in the airport, I couldn't find the picture of the big lion anywhere. Eventually I went to Information where they said she would be waiting downstairs. Go figure. So I went downstairs and lo and behold, there's this massive lion and my cousin waiting near it. I was so excited to see her, but I felt so bad because she was obviously exhausted. We left almost immediately to the metro and to find the hotel. Here are some things that happened next: the metro ticket machine took my money because it was credit card-only; one of the escalators stopped dead as we were riding it, forcing Bridget to carry her massive suitcase up the rest of the stairs; and having to drag that pink monster across Puerta del Sol to our hostel. Once we were there, we napped a little, waiting for Steph and her posse to come. We went out for dinner that night and then just crashed.
The next day, Bridget and I walked around beautiful Madrid. I took her to the Royal Palace, we met Don Quixote, and we sat on a bench just talking. Once we got back to Caceres, it was cold and rainy--not exactly the Spanish weather that Bridget was expecting. Also, I left my change purse in the cab with about 23 euros inside. Major bummer. I wanted so badly to take her to WOMAD, but it was absolutely pouring, so instead, she, Kerry, our friend Drew, and I ordered some pizza and played beer pong at my piso, the first time I've ever played, and I must say, I did quite well.
Over the next few days, we didn't do much of anything, but when Tuesday night came, I think Bridget was finally enjoying herself. We decided to have yet another American dinner. Kerry came over and we had a strange combination of ranch chicken, baked mac & cheese, blueberry pancakes, broccoli and cheese, and apple cobbler. I was shocked when I actually got Bridget to eat the cobbler and she liked it! I am quite proud of myself I must say. We Americans and the British had a great time. Sadly, it was Drew's last night in Caceres as he had to go back to the U.S. the next day because the basketball season was over. The first of many goodbyes.
The following Thursday, Bridget and I explored the city a little. I took her to the big Eroski (exciting I know) and then we roamed around Old Town, which I think Bridget liked. We got some fun pictures out of that. That night, we had British night at Rob's. He and Natalie made roast chicken, carrots and broccoli, some sort of heavenly potatoes, something else that I've forgotten but that I'm sure was delicious, and apple crumble. Then, we went out for a while. The next day, we headed back to Madrid. The problem this time was that we were running late. As we walked up to our bus at the station, the driver actually honked his horn at us. Then, as we were climbing into the bus, he tried to tell me that our tickets that I had printed out were for only one person. I tried to tell him over an over that it was two tickets that I printed out, but he wouldn't hear it. I decided to be a bit stronger and refuse to give up, so I said that there were two names on the ticket, so how could it be for just one person. He finally got another opinion, a man who worked there who looked them over, and he said that there were two tickets. Take that cranky bus driver!!!
It rained more, but at least we got a shuttle to the hotel and it was close to the airport. We didn't do much that night except find out how to get to downtown and get food. We ended up taking the pizza back with us to the hotel and sleeping for 12 hours straight. It was incredible. Not to mention, our shower was probably the best shower that I've ever had. The next day was beautiful. It was still a little cold, but the sun was finally out. Once we got to the center of Madrid, I took Bridget to the Paseo del Prado where we just walked around and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Madrid is absolutely gorgeous in late spring. Then, we ate at Burger King because we were trying to eat cheap. We eventually made our way over to Retiro Park, which was so incredible. We saw trees that looked more like broccoli, tried to climb up onto columns at the lake (I still have the bruise), and fell in love with the Crystal Palace. That night for dinner, we ate at a cute little Irish pub near our hotel. We had ham croquetas (minus most of the ham), chicken, cheese, and onion tostas, and a white chocolate brownie with chocolate sauce. It was soooo gooood.
I can't say how much I love my cousin. We've argued a lot, but this week we got along so well. I wish she could've stayed longer, but the next time we travel, I'll have to join her in a foreign country. She says I've changed since I've been here. She says I'm not as uptight about certain things and I laugh off the bad things a bit more. She says I've changed for the better. And I think she's right. Thanks cousin for a great adventure. I can't wait for the next.
The night before Bridget arrived in Madrid, Caceres was celebrating WOMAD, the world music, art, and dance festival. I won't go too into that because that's another blog all its own, so let's just say that it was close to Carnaval in Badajoz. Well, since I had to get up extremely early in the morning to go get Bridget at the airport, I wasn't planning on sleeping. However, I had to take one of my friends home for reasons that don't need to be explained here. Since I was already leaving, I decided to go home, too and sleep a few hours. The problem though was that I was so tired that I slept through my alarm. Instead of getting up at 5 am, I got up at 7 am. My bus left at 6 am. So, near panicking, I grabbed my things, called a taxi, and hoped that there would be another bus soon. Fortunately, there was an express bus, but it cost me almost 30 euros. I have no words to explain how horrible I felt at knowing that she would have to wait longer for me. As we were approaching the outskirts of Madrid, she called me to tell me where she'd be waiting--in the food court by a big picture of a lion. I figured that'd be easy to spot, so I didn't worry. I got through the metro fine, but once I was in the airport, I couldn't find the picture of the big lion anywhere. Eventually I went to Information where they said she would be waiting downstairs. Go figure. So I went downstairs and lo and behold, there's this massive lion and my cousin waiting near it. I was so excited to see her, but I felt so bad because she was obviously exhausted. We left almost immediately to the metro and to find the hotel. Here are some things that happened next: the metro ticket machine took my money because it was credit card-only; one of the escalators stopped dead as we were riding it, forcing Bridget to carry her massive suitcase up the rest of the stairs; and having to drag that pink monster across Puerta del Sol to our hostel. Once we were there, we napped a little, waiting for Steph and her posse to come. We went out for dinner that night and then just crashed.
The next day, Bridget and I walked around beautiful Madrid. I took her to the Royal Palace, we met Don Quixote, and we sat on a bench just talking. Once we got back to Caceres, it was cold and rainy--not exactly the Spanish weather that Bridget was expecting. Also, I left my change purse in the cab with about 23 euros inside. Major bummer. I wanted so badly to take her to WOMAD, but it was absolutely pouring, so instead, she, Kerry, our friend Drew, and I ordered some pizza and played beer pong at my piso, the first time I've ever played, and I must say, I did quite well.
Over the next few days, we didn't do much of anything, but when Tuesday night came, I think Bridget was finally enjoying herself. We decided to have yet another American dinner. Kerry came over and we had a strange combination of ranch chicken, baked mac & cheese, blueberry pancakes, broccoli and cheese, and apple cobbler. I was shocked when I actually got Bridget to eat the cobbler and she liked it! I am quite proud of myself I must say. We Americans and the British had a great time. Sadly, it was Drew's last night in Caceres as he had to go back to the U.S. the next day because the basketball season was over. The first of many goodbyes.
The following Thursday, Bridget and I explored the city a little. I took her to the big Eroski (exciting I know) and then we roamed around Old Town, which I think Bridget liked. We got some fun pictures out of that. That night, we had British night at Rob's. He and Natalie made roast chicken, carrots and broccoli, some sort of heavenly potatoes, something else that I've forgotten but that I'm sure was delicious, and apple crumble. Then, we went out for a while. The next day, we headed back to Madrid. The problem this time was that we were running late. As we walked up to our bus at the station, the driver actually honked his horn at us. Then, as we were climbing into the bus, he tried to tell me that our tickets that I had printed out were for only one person. I tried to tell him over an over that it was two tickets that I printed out, but he wouldn't hear it. I decided to be a bit stronger and refuse to give up, so I said that there were two names on the ticket, so how could it be for just one person. He finally got another opinion, a man who worked there who looked them over, and he said that there were two tickets. Take that cranky bus driver!!!
It rained more, but at least we got a shuttle to the hotel and it was close to the airport. We didn't do much that night except find out how to get to downtown and get food. We ended up taking the pizza back with us to the hotel and sleeping for 12 hours straight. It was incredible. Not to mention, our shower was probably the best shower that I've ever had. The next day was beautiful. It was still a little cold, but the sun was finally out. Once we got to the center of Madrid, I took Bridget to the Paseo del Prado where we just walked around and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Madrid is absolutely gorgeous in late spring. Then, we ate at Burger King because we were trying to eat cheap. We eventually made our way over to Retiro Park, which was so incredible. We saw trees that looked more like broccoli, tried to climb up onto columns at the lake (I still have the bruise), and fell in love with the Crystal Palace. That night for dinner, we ate at a cute little Irish pub near our hotel. We had ham croquetas (minus most of the ham), chicken, cheese, and onion tostas, and a white chocolate brownie with chocolate sauce. It was soooo gooood.
I can't say how much I love my cousin. We've argued a lot, but this week we got along so well. I wish she could've stayed longer, but the next time we travel, I'll have to join her in a foreign country. She says I've changed since I've been here. She says I'm not as uptight about certain things and I laugh off the bad things a bit more. She says I've changed for the better. And I think she's right. Thanks cousin for a great adventure. I can't wait for the next.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Sevilla
Two weeks ago, my roommate Steph and I decided to go to Seville, a city in the south of Spain. Most Anglophones are familiar with Seville because of the song, "The Barber of Seville". Well, as I found out, Seville is famous for much more than grooming. We took the bus early on a Friday morning and traveled about 3 1/2 hours to Seville. We didn't have class that day or the following Monday, so we made a long weekend out of it. After we arrived at the bus station, we walked around forever trying to figure out where to get a taxi. They didn't have a map, so we couldn't walk anywhere. Eventually, we found the taxi line and drove to our hostel. By the way, I had never been in a hostel, so I really didn't know what to expect. I'd told myself that I'd never stay in a hostel, but when you're broke...It actually wasn't bad. There were no bugs, serial killers, or guests with unusual sleeping habits. After we got settled in, we started walking around the city to see what Seville had to offer. There was a big fair going on that weekend, so we thought it'd be fun to go there. After a tram and a bus ride later, we found the fair. It was unlike anything I've ever seen before. There are maybe 200 little tents lined up side by side and each one is like a mini restaurant. They serve beer and tapas, and of course, there's flamenco. That's what makes this fair so incredible. Everywhere you look, there are hundreds of women dressed up in their most colorful flamenco dresses. And no two are the same. Also, there are horse-drawn carriages and Spanish cowboys and cowgirls that ride up and down the streets. And that's just one side of the fair. On the other side, there are the typical rides and attractions that we would see at home. Steph and I walked in to one of the tents to have a drink and some olives. After about five minutes of trying to explain to the barman that I wanted olives, the food that olive oil is made from, we finally got some for free. We also went to another tent on a different night. What we didn't know though was that most of the tents were private, and you needed a ticket or an invitation to get in. Apparently, no one noticed us, so it was okay. After the fair, we had dinner outside of a cute little restaurant. I ate grilled shrimp. Yum. After, we got ice cream. And that was day one.
On day two, we left our first hostel and went to the second. Because we made reservations late, we had to book three different hostels for the three nights we were there because there wasn't enough room every night. We had the tiniest double room I've ever seen in my life, but at least it was private and we had a sink. The bathroom however was off to the side and was a toilet and basically a drain in the floor covered with wooden panels. And because I'm so tall, I had to duck to shower. On this day, we decided to explore the city some more, and man did we find some pretty awesome things. First, we literally accidentally found this amazingly beautiful cathedral with a Moorish tower connected to it. That was la Giralda. We eventually found our way into the cathedral, which as we learned later is the third largest cathedral in Europe, but it was la Giralda that I found so incredible. We hike up the ramps to the top (there were no steps or elevators) and were able to view all of Seville. It was amazing how beautiful the city was. Maybe even enchanting. The art and architecture of these two buildings are astonishing. I just can't imagine 1) how someone can create these images in his/her mind, and 2) how they can be created into such masterpieces. Then, we walked some more and ended up at the Torre del Oro, another pretty cool piece of architecture. As we were walking back to the hostel, we saw a man painted in green and dressed in what looked like some sort of plant get-up with branches and fruit and flowers all over him. Not to mention, he was standing in a pot. We call him Plantman. Steph thought he was so funny that she wanted a picture with him, which he loved. After I took the photos and Steph was walking back to me, Plantman pointed at me and said "Okay. Your turn Barbie." While Steph was laughing hysterically, I said, "I have a name." He said, "Yes. Barbie." As I walked over to take a picture with him, I said, "No. It's Stephanie." He said, "No. You are big Barbie." Well, some things are universal after all. Great. And now that's another nickname to add to the list. That night, we went back to the fair. I learned from Steph that she could go on any theme park ride on the planet as long as it was permanent. However, if it was a temporary park ride, it terrified her. Eventually, I was able to convince her to go on one of those rides that looks like an octopus and the legs go up and down. We were sitting in one of the legs. Well, once the ride started, Steph wasn't too happy. As we got faster, she was screaming like a crazy person and yelling "Stephanie! Stephanie!" Well, even though I was having a blast, I started to feel a little bad, so I yelled at her that I'd buy her a beer. Eventually, the ride started to slow down, but just when I thought it was finished, it picked back up again. Steph screamed more than ever. She was still yelling my name, so I said I'd buy her two beers. When we got off the ride, I thought she was going to be furious with me, but instead she said that she kind of like it. Then, we went on the pirate ship ride. Same thing happened, so there's no need to repeat anything. But it was fun. That morning around 5:30 or 6:00 am, we woke up to a terrible banging sound. Some drunk was trying to get into his room, but his friend had locked the door and then had fallen asleep I think. The man went on banging on the door for about 30 minutes. And it took that long for someone from downstairs to say something, too. Eventually, after scaring us to death, it stopped.
On day three, we went for a boat ride along the river, which was so nice. It was getting very hot and we didn't bring any cool clothes, so we were burning. It was nice and cool under the boat's awning, and there were so many beautiful buildings on the bank. After dinner at this really cool tapas bar that we absolutely fell in love with, Steph and I went to see a flamenco performance. I've never seen dancing like that--the way the dancers let the music possess their bodies. The women were stunning with their dresses and their combs and flowers. Even the men impressed me with their moves. It was definitely worth watching, and I'd recommend it for anyone. Once it was over, we met up with a friend of Steph's from Nantes who is studying in Seville right now and we had a drink with him. By that point, my feet and legs were uncomfortably swollen and burnt. Always carry sunscreen to Seville. Always. And that basically sums up day three.
On day four, we went to the Alcazar and its lush gardens. Much of the architecture here is also Moorish. Almost everything was carved in intricate and complex lines and patterns. Everything was so green and there were many flowers in full bloom. I got lots of really pretty pictures from there and from Seville in general. We met up with Matt for lunch and then he took us over to see the University. It was also incredible with wide hallways and old wood doors. Pretty much everything about Seville was beautiful. After the University, we got a taxi to the station and headed back to Caceres. The ride home was absolutely miserable because of the heat, the lack of air conditioning, and the fact that the sun was right in our direction for some of the trip. It took a few days for the swelling to go down in my feet, but I'd say it was worth it to see Seville. It's a city that I would definitely recommend going to see. One more city down. Thousands more to go.
On day two, we left our first hostel and went to the second. Because we made reservations late, we had to book three different hostels for the three nights we were there because there wasn't enough room every night. We had the tiniest double room I've ever seen in my life, but at least it was private and we had a sink. The bathroom however was off to the side and was a toilet and basically a drain in the floor covered with wooden panels. And because I'm so tall, I had to duck to shower. On this day, we decided to explore the city some more, and man did we find some pretty awesome things. First, we literally accidentally found this amazingly beautiful cathedral with a Moorish tower connected to it. That was la Giralda. We eventually found our way into the cathedral, which as we learned later is the third largest cathedral in Europe, but it was la Giralda that I found so incredible. We hike up the ramps to the top (there were no steps or elevators) and were able to view all of Seville. It was amazing how beautiful the city was. Maybe even enchanting. The art and architecture of these two buildings are astonishing. I just can't imagine 1) how someone can create these images in his/her mind, and 2) how they can be created into such masterpieces. Then, we walked some more and ended up at the Torre del Oro, another pretty cool piece of architecture. As we were walking back to the hostel, we saw a man painted in green and dressed in what looked like some sort of plant get-up with branches and fruit and flowers all over him. Not to mention, he was standing in a pot. We call him Plantman. Steph thought he was so funny that she wanted a picture with him, which he loved. After I took the photos and Steph was walking back to me, Plantman pointed at me and said "Okay. Your turn Barbie." While Steph was laughing hysterically, I said, "I have a name." He said, "Yes. Barbie." As I walked over to take a picture with him, I said, "No. It's Stephanie." He said, "No. You are big Barbie." Well, some things are universal after all. Great. And now that's another nickname to add to the list. That night, we went back to the fair. I learned from Steph that she could go on any theme park ride on the planet as long as it was permanent. However, if it was a temporary park ride, it terrified her. Eventually, I was able to convince her to go on one of those rides that looks like an octopus and the legs go up and down. We were sitting in one of the legs. Well, once the ride started, Steph wasn't too happy. As we got faster, she was screaming like a crazy person and yelling "Stephanie! Stephanie!" Well, even though I was having a blast, I started to feel a little bad, so I yelled at her that I'd buy her a beer. Eventually, the ride started to slow down, but just when I thought it was finished, it picked back up again. Steph screamed more than ever. She was still yelling my name, so I said I'd buy her two beers. When we got off the ride, I thought she was going to be furious with me, but instead she said that she kind of like it. Then, we went on the pirate ship ride. Same thing happened, so there's no need to repeat anything. But it was fun. That morning around 5:30 or 6:00 am, we woke up to a terrible banging sound. Some drunk was trying to get into his room, but his friend had locked the door and then had fallen asleep I think. The man went on banging on the door for about 30 minutes. And it took that long for someone from downstairs to say something, too. Eventually, after scaring us to death, it stopped.
On day three, we went for a boat ride along the river, which was so nice. It was getting very hot and we didn't bring any cool clothes, so we were burning. It was nice and cool under the boat's awning, and there were so many beautiful buildings on the bank. After dinner at this really cool tapas bar that we absolutely fell in love with, Steph and I went to see a flamenco performance. I've never seen dancing like that--the way the dancers let the music possess their bodies. The women were stunning with their dresses and their combs and flowers. Even the men impressed me with their moves. It was definitely worth watching, and I'd recommend it for anyone. Once it was over, we met up with a friend of Steph's from Nantes who is studying in Seville right now and we had a drink with him. By that point, my feet and legs were uncomfortably swollen and burnt. Always carry sunscreen to Seville. Always. And that basically sums up day three.
On day four, we went to the Alcazar and its lush gardens. Much of the architecture here is also Moorish. Almost everything was carved in intricate and complex lines and patterns. Everything was so green and there were many flowers in full bloom. I got lots of really pretty pictures from there and from Seville in general. We met up with Matt for lunch and then he took us over to see the University. It was also incredible with wide hallways and old wood doors. Pretty much everything about Seville was beautiful. After the University, we got a taxi to the station and headed back to Caceres. The ride home was absolutely miserable because of the heat, the lack of air conditioning, and the fact that the sun was right in our direction for some of the trip. It took a few days for the swelling to go down in my feet, but I'd say it was worth it to see Seville. It's a city that I would definitely recommend going to see. One more city down. Thousands more to go.
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