‘Tis the week before finals, and all through the halls
students walk around slowly with red, sleepless, eyeballs.
Studying the entire day through, has given at least half of them a cold or a flu.
As they sit, cough, and sniff, their way through their classes
their awesome roommates, because of the stresses, all of a sudden become pains-in-their-asses.
And every so often, you’ll hear one student say
“Whatever happened to having a free day?”
No fun to be had as they all muddled through
The cumulative notes that nobody knew.
And eventually someone says to you
“I give up! I fail! Help me out here dude.”
Studying, studying all through the hours silently drained us of our great mental powers.
Our new diet consists of coffee, red bull, and tea.
The only solace we have is that in days, we’ll be free.
If we ever get free time from our horrible books, we may hop on Facebook in a small corner
nook, or play videogames, or watch a DVD, some may even try that foreign object: TV.
The library is packed with students ‘til two
When the staff finally says: “go home and sleep you.”
And some of them don’t and some of them do. We all are nocturnal around December 2.
But soon we’ll be done, we’ll be on holiday break.
We’ll see our friends back home, or maybe we’ll take, a step toward the future
after we make it
across the stage in that cap and that cape.
Only one more week people.
We can make it through. Believe me; I’m there, struggling right beside you.
We’ll get there together, I assure you, it’s true.
Just remember to take time to take care of you.
Until next time,
Avery
December 1, 2010
November 24, 2010
An early New Year's Resolution
"One day at a time--this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful it will be worth remembering." ~Ida Scott Taylor
Dear Ms. Taylor,
I have no idea who you are, or where you are from, or your significance to the world as a whole, but thank you for that. I needed a reminder.
Until next time,
Avery
Dear Ms. Taylor,
I have no idea who you are, or where you are from, or your significance to the world as a whole, but thank you for that. I needed a reminder.
Until next time,
Avery
November 23, 2010
The Comeback Kid
**Disclaimer, since I know some stop by, and will take all words seriously: this is in no way relating to any of my relatives, nor is it meant to be taken seriously. It is simply to inject some light humor in to the holiday season for the singletons. Please do not kill me, or give me death glares, when I see you over the holidays. Hasta pronto**
“So honey, do you have a boyfriend yet,” like it’s expected of you. Of course everyone stops eating and talking to find this out because they weren’t brave enough to ask it themselves.
If you do, good for you! You have successfully avoided the awkward moment that follows this question and can continue to have a wonderful conversation about him with your relative while the rest of the family goes back to eating and talking.
If you don’t, and you say you don’t, your response is usually met with:
a) A look like you’ve suddenly grown a third head
b) A sad “you’ve-failed-at-life” kind of look
c) An awkward “oh” and a sudden change of subject or exit from a room
OR
d) A combination of all three
Because you see, to this tactless relative it doesn’t matter that say for example: you studied abroad in Spain after saving money for years; it doesn’t matter that you have discovered what you’d like to do with your life/career in the future; it doesn’t matter that your first ever news article got published in your college paper, nor does it matter that you are now writing for them on a regular basis. It doesn’t matter that you’re meeting tons of new people while managing to work with your clubs, have a social life and control your workload; or that you’ve had an awesome interview; gotten a job; received a promotion or volunteered somewhere; nor does it matter that you’re almost done with school, or looking for an internship, and the fact that you’re doing a damn good job in your hardest classes ever is unimportant. All that matters to this tactless relative is that you don’t have a boyfriend for yet another year.
So, here are some comebacks that I’ve thought up, please feel free to write your own:
“Oh yes, his name is Hank, he just got out of prison and we’re looking at a wedding date sometime next year. Of course it will be after he goes through his anger management classes…”
“Oh yes, who knew that boring lecturers could be so interesting outside of the classroom.”
“Oh yes, who knew that [insert ridiculous age here]-year-olds knew so much.”
“No, but my girlfriend’s pretty nice.”
“No, but he’s going to be out on probation in June.”
“No, but I’ve decided to throw away my college education and become a nun after I graduate.”
Or my personal favorite, which is a quote from Katherine Heigl in 27 Dresses, paraphrased of course to fit the situation:
“No, but then I think of all the hot hate sex that I can have and everything seems to be better somehow.” (Wouldn’t that just give them all a heart attack?)
Now, if only I was brave enough to use them.
We’ll make it through this my fellow singletons, and we’ll have a blast, possibly more than others, celebrating in style! And hey, who says love isn’t possible along the way? Enjoy your holidays, and travel safely!
Until Next Time,
Avery
November 16, 2010
In Full Swing by:Avery Cropp
A headline published in the New York Times in August 1936 said: “DANCE INSTRUCTORS SEE DOOM OF ‘SWING’.” Philip S. Nutt, the president of the American Society of Teachers of Dancing who was quoted in that article did not believe that swing dancing would last beyond winter. “It’s like the other dances,” he said, “there for a month or so and then gone.” Well, the craze is still here and getting stronger on the campuses of Gustavus Adolphus College, Minnesota State University-Mankato, and Bethany Lutheran College.
But what is swing dancing? “Swing dancing is hard to explain,” junior Emily Heintz, a founder of Bethany Lutheran College’s swing dance club said. “You can give the dictionary definition of two people dancing, and doing fancy moves on the dance floor, but to me it’s just a great way to meet people.”
The craze began at Gustavus Adolphus College. “Chris Rupp started Gustavus’ swing club roughly 15 or 16 years ago,” senior Sara Van Vreede, Gustavus’ current secretary of swing dance club, said.
Gustavus’ swing dance club is still going strong. The club’s members meet every Wednesday from 9-11 p.m. in Alumni Hall or at The Dive, which is a lounge area in the Johnson Student Union. Lessons go from 9-9:30 p.m. and open dancing goes until the end of the night. “Or until they kick us out,” Van Vreede said with a smile.
Rupp later teamed up with Nick Burt and started The MSU Swing Dance Club at Minnesota State University, Mankato during spring semester of 2004. Club members meet up Monday nights in the Centennial Student Union Ballroom at 9:30 p.m. and dance until around 11:30 p.m.
Heintz and her friends decided to start a swing dance club at Bethany Lutheran College after they hosted a swing dance there on Thurs. Sept. 30, 2010 and had a great turnout.
Sophomore Jill Bartels, a member of MSU Swing Club’s leadership, mentioned that on one night in September the students from Bethany brought 30 people to MSU Swing Club’s open dance. “There are a lot of them,” said MSU Swing Dance Club president Wesley Anderson.
Everyone is welcome to come to the club meetings, though the main attendants are students. The members stretch across all majors, alumni come, and sometimes faculty members stop by. Students come to the club meetings from Bethany Lutheran College, Gustavus, MNSU-Mankato, and South Central College. Larger events, such as Gustavus’ fall dance, may even draw people from St. Olaf, Carleton and the Twin Cities area.
The layout of the night at Gustavus and Mankato start with lessons. There are three styles of swing dancing that are well-known: East Coast; Charleston; and Lindy-hop. The most basic is East Coast which is a six-step count involving two side-steps and a rock-step.
The Charleston can be done solo or as a pair, and involves an eight-step count where you kick out your left foot, set it near your right foot, step back on your right foot, forward on your right foot and repeat it all again.
Lindy is a more complicated eight-step count which involves triple steps. According to Bartels, it’s hard for some people to get the hang of, though Anderson, Van Vreede and Bartels said that it was one of their favorite styles.
“[At Gustavus] what will be taught that night is determined by leadership,” Van Vreede said, “The people that show up are split into skill levels of less-experienced people and more-experienced people. At our meetings a couple of couples volunteer to teach the levels and they decide what moves they will teach that night about 15 to 20 minutes before lessons.”
The same approach is taken at MSU’s swing dance club. “Beginners are always welcome,” said Anderson. “It’s really easy, though it kind of depends on gender. If you’re a girl it’s pretty easy: you just follow along. If you’re a guy we’ll help you out.”
After the lessons portion of the evening is finished everyone swarms the dance floor and dances the night away to music ranging from big band to jazz to pop. Couples pull out their favorite moves that include the boom-boom-boom, come-and-go, titanic, skin-the-cat, multiple spins in a row, and many more.
“I like switching partners when we have lessons, because I get to meet more people,” said Heintz. “I like open dancing of course, but that seems to be everyone’s favorite part.”
Once at MSU’s Swing Dance Club this academic year the number of people in the CSU ballroom topped out at 180. “We counted,” said Bartels. “This was a month into the year too. It’s been growing and we like that…the more people the better.”
A common problem for MSU’s Swing Dance Club is a lack of guys. Bethany doesn’t seem to have this problem though: “We wanted to start a swing dance club because we have a lot of guys interested this year,” said Heintz.
Whether there are enough guys or not, the smiles on the faces of the members tell you enough to know that no matter the crowd it’s always fun, and there’s always someone to talk to.
“The social aspect is huge,” said Van Vreede, “but dance is a way to relax, to meditate, to remember, to forget; a way to learn new things and make new connections with people.”
But what is swing dancing? “Swing dancing is hard to explain,” junior Emily Heintz, a founder of Bethany Lutheran College’s swing dance club said. “You can give the dictionary definition of two people dancing, and doing fancy moves on the dance floor, but to me it’s just a great way to meet people.”
The craze began at Gustavus Adolphus College. “Chris Rupp started Gustavus’ swing club roughly 15 or 16 years ago,” senior Sara Van Vreede, Gustavus’ current secretary of swing dance club, said.
Gustavus’ swing dance club is still going strong. The club’s members meet every Wednesday from 9-11 p.m. in Alumni Hall or at The Dive, which is a lounge area in the Johnson Student Union. Lessons go from 9-9:30 p.m. and open dancing goes until the end of the night. “Or until they kick us out,” Van Vreede said with a smile.
Rupp later teamed up with Nick Burt and started The MSU Swing Dance Club at Minnesota State University, Mankato during spring semester of 2004. Club members meet up Monday nights in the Centennial Student Union Ballroom at 9:30 p.m. and dance until around 11:30 p.m.
Heintz and her friends decided to start a swing dance club at Bethany Lutheran College after they hosted a swing dance there on Thurs. Sept. 30, 2010 and had a great turnout.
Sophomore Jill Bartels, a member of MSU Swing Club’s leadership, mentioned that on one night in September the students from Bethany brought 30 people to MSU Swing Club’s open dance. “There are a lot of them,” said MSU Swing Dance Club president Wesley Anderson.
Everyone is welcome to come to the club meetings, though the main attendants are students. The members stretch across all majors, alumni come, and sometimes faculty members stop by. Students come to the club meetings from Bethany Lutheran College, Gustavus, MNSU-Mankato, and South Central College. Larger events, such as Gustavus’ fall dance, may even draw people from St. Olaf, Carleton and the Twin Cities area.
The layout of the night at Gustavus and Mankato start with lessons. There are three styles of swing dancing that are well-known: East Coast; Charleston; and Lindy-hop. The most basic is East Coast which is a six-step count involving two side-steps and a rock-step.
The Charleston can be done solo or as a pair, and involves an eight-step count where you kick out your left foot, set it near your right foot, step back on your right foot, forward on your right foot and repeat it all again.
Lindy is a more complicated eight-step count which involves triple steps. According to Bartels, it’s hard for some people to get the hang of, though Anderson, Van Vreede and Bartels said that it was one of their favorite styles.
“[At Gustavus] what will be taught that night is determined by leadership,” Van Vreede said, “The people that show up are split into skill levels of less-experienced people and more-experienced people. At our meetings a couple of couples volunteer to teach the levels and they decide what moves they will teach that night about 15 to 20 minutes before lessons.”
The same approach is taken at MSU’s swing dance club. “Beginners are always welcome,” said Anderson. “It’s really easy, though it kind of depends on gender. If you’re a girl it’s pretty easy: you just follow along. If you’re a guy we’ll help you out.”
After the lessons portion of the evening is finished everyone swarms the dance floor and dances the night away to music ranging from big band to jazz to pop. Couples pull out their favorite moves that include the boom-boom-boom, come-and-go, titanic, skin-the-cat, multiple spins in a row, and many more.
“I like switching partners when we have lessons, because I get to meet more people,” said Heintz. “I like open dancing of course, but that seems to be everyone’s favorite part.”
Once at MSU’s Swing Dance Club this academic year the number of people in the CSU ballroom topped out at 180. “We counted,” said Bartels. “This was a month into the year too. It’s been growing and we like that…the more people the better.”
A common problem for MSU’s Swing Dance Club is a lack of guys. Bethany doesn’t seem to have this problem though: “We wanted to start a swing dance club because we have a lot of guys interested this year,” said Heintz.
Whether there are enough guys or not, the smiles on the faces of the members tell you enough to know that no matter the crowd it’s always fun, and there’s always someone to talk to.
“The social aspect is huge,” said Van Vreede, “but dance is a way to relax, to meditate, to remember, to forget; a way to learn new things and make new connections with people.”
October 20, 2010
Full Circle
It's funny really how much the kid version of myself knew about what was in store for me when I grew up. I never really listened to her until now.
The kid version of myself always knew that I would be writing, and researching new things every day.
I have been reading since before kindergarten. I taught myself, and my mom didn't believe me until she went to the library and checked out some books I had never read before. I blew her away when I read them all quickly.
I've also been writing since I started elementary school. God bless the parents that listened to my horrible poems and acted like they were the most wonderful thing in the world. They also sat through countless performances of the 'plays' that I wrote for fun over my breaks from school.
The kid version of myself also always knew that I would be fascinated by history. She always seemed to pick the books that had some form of historical significance to them, especially the American Girl books with Kit, Felicity, Josefina, Molly and that wonderful cast of characters.
What's even more interesting is that the kid version of myself knew what I would major in in college before I did. Those American Girl books, they had dolls with them. I chose to get Josefina, who spoke Spanish, and was around during the Mexican-American war and the Spanish-American war, for a birthday present. That little girl also saved up enough money to buy Kit, the girl from the 20's. The girl who wanted to be a reporter when she grew up.
The combination of Spanish and journalism, how odd.
Little did that girl know that the older version of herself would want to write for a living, major in Spanish and journalism, study abroad in Spain, and learn how to swing dance (which is definitely a dance straight out of the 20's).
Yes. I have come full circle. And I've known what I wanted to do all along, I'm just sorry I didn't listen to that little girl sooner.
Life's funny sometimes.
Until Next Time,
Avery
The kid version of myself always knew that I would be writing, and researching new things every day.
I have been reading since before kindergarten. I taught myself, and my mom didn't believe me until she went to the library and checked out some books I had never read before. I blew her away when I read them all quickly.
I've also been writing since I started elementary school. God bless the parents that listened to my horrible poems and acted like they were the most wonderful thing in the world. They also sat through countless performances of the 'plays' that I wrote for fun over my breaks from school.
The kid version of myself also always knew that I would be fascinated by history. She always seemed to pick the books that had some form of historical significance to them, especially the American Girl books with Kit, Felicity, Josefina, Molly and that wonderful cast of characters.
What's even more interesting is that the kid version of myself knew what I would major in in college before I did. Those American Girl books, they had dolls with them. I chose to get Josefina, who spoke Spanish, and was around during the Mexican-American war and the Spanish-American war, for a birthday present. That little girl also saved up enough money to buy Kit, the girl from the 20's. The girl who wanted to be a reporter when she grew up.
The combination of Spanish and journalism, how odd.
Little did that girl know that the older version of herself would want to write for a living, major in Spanish and journalism, study abroad in Spain, and learn how to swing dance (which is definitely a dance straight out of the 20's).
Yes. I have come full circle. And I've known what I wanted to do all along, I'm just sorry I didn't listen to that little girl sooner.
Life's funny sometimes.
Until Next Time,
Avery
October 3, 2010
Unnerving...
My thoughts have been in different corners of the world this week.
First in Ecuador, where my friend Amanda is studying right now. There was some unrest there earlier this week.
Last night I heard on the news that al-Qaida is believed to be planning attacks in Europe like those that occurred in Mumbai in 2008. So obviously, my thoughts are with my friends there today.
This morning I read an article in my hometown newspaper, The Minneapolis Star Tribune, that is quite unnerving to me. The headline is "U.S. Considers Telling European Travelers to Stay on Alert"
The online version is below:
http://www.startribune.com/business/104233398.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUac8HEaDiaMDCinchO7DU
Security levels are upped all over the place, and there is no travel warning for the U.S. reported as of right now.
If a travel warning is reported students who are studying abroad right now will be brought back home because of liability. So, from someone who has friends studying abroad in Spain and London, I hope that it doesn't come to that for anyone.
To my friends in Europe. Stay safe guys, I miss you!
It's quite sad how terrorist groups manage to not only strike fear into people but not allow further understanding of people, places, and cultures, to develop and grow when that is truly what will help us out in the long run.
Understanding is really the only way the world is going to get past the mess it's in right now.
So, to all my friends on the other side of the Atlantic, and studying abroad, stay safe!
I love you.
That's not said enough in today's day and age.
Until Next Time,
Avery
currently listening to: Many The Miles, Sara Bareilles
First in Ecuador, where my friend Amanda is studying right now. There was some unrest there earlier this week.
Last night I heard on the news that al-Qaida is believed to be planning attacks in Europe like those that occurred in Mumbai in 2008. So obviously, my thoughts are with my friends there today.
This morning I read an article in my hometown newspaper, The Minneapolis Star Tribune, that is quite unnerving to me. The headline is "U.S. Considers Telling European Travelers to Stay on Alert"
The online version is below:
http://www.startribune.com/business/104233398.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUac8HEaDiaMDCinchO7DU
Security levels are upped all over the place, and there is no travel warning for the U.S. reported as of right now.
If a travel warning is reported students who are studying abroad right now will be brought back home because of liability. So, from someone who has friends studying abroad in Spain and London, I hope that it doesn't come to that for anyone.
To my friends in Europe. Stay safe guys, I miss you!
It's quite sad how terrorist groups manage to not only strike fear into people but not allow further understanding of people, places, and cultures, to develop and grow when that is truly what will help us out in the long run.
Understanding is really the only way the world is going to get past the mess it's in right now.
So, to all my friends on the other side of the Atlantic, and studying abroad, stay safe!
I love you.
That's not said enough in today's day and age.
Until Next Time,
Avery
currently listening to: Many The Miles, Sara Bareilles
September 17, 2010
Vote it up
My best girl friends from high school and I are planning a trip for after they graduate this year
SO....
Vegas or Puerto Rico for a week?
what do you think?
Until Next Time,
Avery
SO....
Vegas or Puerto Rico for a week?
what do you think?
Until Next Time,
Avery
September 11, 2010
A moment captured in time
There is a picture from one of my trips that has always haunted me. Of course right now it is at my parents place in one of our many photo albums, but it has always been there in the back of my mind especially on today's date.
Nine years and three months ago in June 2001, a moment was captured on film on our grand East Coast Tour (18 states in 17 days) that I will never forget:
Nine years and three months ago in June 2001, a moment was captured on film on our grand East Coast Tour (18 states in 17 days) that I will never forget:
My sisters and I standing on a walkway in front of the New York skyline.
The World Trade Center is behind us.
Three months later on Tuesday Sept. 11, 2001 I was in--of all places--Mr. Miller's 7th grade U.S. history class waiting for a fellow student to get back from the cafeteria with a news question. All of a sudden that student burst into the room and said "The World Trade Center is on fire!"
The classroom television was immediately turned on, and Mr. Miller left the room to alert the rest of the staff. He came back shortly.
We watched the replay of the plane hitting the tower, over, and over, and over again, and just as we were getting the information that we needed more breaking news came on: The Pentagon had been hit. There were kids crying because they had uncles and aunts in those towers and at the Pentagon on the east coast. Cell phones were taken out of backpacks, lines were formed at the phones in the classrooms, and I noticed that throughout the day some students didn't come to class because their parents had picked them up.
I just sat there immovable as a stone. It was like a bad horror movie, it was so surreal that I didn't even believe that it could be happening. My family and I had just been there. We had stayed with friends all over the East Coast.
My thoughts flashed through the list,
Where did they work?
Were they okay?
Did my dad's friend, Dave Peterson, who was stationed in Baltimore work at the Pentagon? He only lived a half-hour drive away.
Was my friend Elizabeth Kaplan in Pennsylvania alright?
Did I know anyone who was flying that day?
What was going on in DC?
Would the statue of liberty be next? I had been up to the crown when we were there.
Then I thought of the people we had met in New York: the nice lady on the subway; the taxi cab driver that drove really fast through Times Square that one night; were they safe? Did they have friends or family in the towers?
Then I prayed. I prayed that Dave was safe at home with Colby and Janine. I prayed that the lady and the cabbie would escape the day unscathed. I prayed that the firefighters and the policemen would get everyone they could out of those towers safely. I prayed that one of the girls in my class, whose dad worked in the towers, would call her tonight when she got home from school.
In second period there were no televisions on except for in Mr. Miller's room. I think he might have defied the administration. We heard all of our information from those classes. We didn't do anything in our classes. It would've been too hard to concentrate. We were given pens, pencils, notebooks, talked and were told to do what we wished. I think it was all that the teachers knew to do. I can still remember the silence of the classrooms that day, so palpable with uncertainty that just sitting in it made you scared.
The announcement came over the intercom at 11:00am that the towers had collapsed.
My heart dropped to my feet as my thoughts flashed to the people of New York who had made a family from Minnesota feel so welcome in their amazing city.
I didn't find out about the crash in Pennsylvania until I got home that afternoon and hugged my mom. Everyone we had visited was present and accounted for. Thank god.
We were some of the lucky ones. I never found out if the girl's dad had called her that night; I was too scared to ask. I still wonder sometimes what happened to the lady from the subway and the cabbie.
That day was the day my generation grew up. It was our Pearl Harbor, our Kennedy Assassination, and our Challenger explosion, all rolled into one. Everyone I talk to knows where they were, who they were with, and what they were thinking on that day. The change in our world changed us. Some people grew less friendly, some people who were so outspoken clammed up, some people who had been quiet became more vocal, and some people, like me, found our calling.
I remember sitting and watching Peter Jennings constantly for the next week. He was trying to help everyone, as well as himself, make sense of this horrible tragedy. That's when I knew that I wanted to help people make sense of the senseless, inform people of things they needed to know, and tell the stories of those that are affected by their life experiences. I wanted to be a journalist, and one day I will be.
In the mean time, and today especially, I will always hold 9/11 in my heart. As I've learned over the past year, it's not just the places you go, but it's the experiences you have that shape who you are. They run the gamut of horribly awful to amazing it's how you react to them which shapes yourself.
August 28, 2010
As promised, the long overdue Seattle posting...
I'm so sorry that I've been making you all wait for so long to hear about Seattle. Life's been a little crazy with moving into my new apartment, and school starting up again.
Seattle was a very nice trip, it wasn't one of my favorite places that I've been to, but all the same it was fun to go somewhere new. My family and I travelled with some of our long-time friends, the Albares', so that was exciting. Nancy and Paul Albares used to live out in Seattle so we kind of had some insider tips on where to go and what to see.
Let's see, where do I begin.
Well, there were a few highlights: Orcas Island; Vancouver; and downtown Seattle.
Orcas Island
Orcas Island was a very beautiful place. This is a hiker's paradise people, so if that's what you're interested in doing, go there. We spent the night in Anacortes which is just about a
90-minute drive outside of Seattle. We took the ferry to Orcas Island the next day. The Ferry cost $12.15 for adults and $9.75 for people under 18.
My parents had rented a car which we took around the island and used for sight-seeing. I highly recommend going up to Mount Constitution and checking out the view from the top of the tower there, especially if you are blessed enough to have a sunny day.
Here is a picture of what I saw that day: 
San Juan Islands through a window in the tower
I would also recommend that you hike the trails to the waterfalls. As we were short on time we only saw Cascade Falls which is pictured below.
After our reservation in Anacortes ran out we took a short day-trip to Vancouver, Canada. It is a very beautiful city as the following photos show you:
This is Gastown
This is the waterfront
This is downtown
and this is the Olympic torch
We drove back to Seattle and we went sight-seeing downtown on our second to last day there. We saw everything, Pike's Market, the Gum Wall and of course the Space Needle.
The Must-See
Pike's Market is a must-see. It's a combination of a huge Farmer's Market and a bit of a tourist trap with all kinds of little souvenir shops to buy trinkets in. You can find everything from fresh fish to flowers and sweatshirts here and everything moves to it's own soundtrack of the street-performers, and the hustle and bustle of the crowd.
The Gum Wall
The gum wall is exactly that; a wall of gum...it's a tourist thing and it's really gross. What you do is chew some gum and put it on the wall. This is the end result:
Word to the wise: watch where you're walking or else every second step you take will be sticking to the ground for the rest of the day.
Word to the wise: watch where you're walking or else every second step you take will be sticking to the ground for the rest of the day. Last but not least: the famous Space Needle
We lucked out and got to go up it for free because a contact solution company was covering the cost of admission for the day. We had epic timing as we got to the top of the tower just as the sun was setting over the city. The line was very long but the view was well worth it.
And that is my Seattle trip in a nutshell!
Until next time,
Avery
August 1, 2010
I've been trying to find this for awhile
I'm big into quotes. After life-forming experiences I usually find something that can express my thoughts much better than I can ever express them myself. Words usually never fail me but during these times of reflection I find myself beyond words. The only word I have found to describe my experience in Spain has been "Amazing!" but that doesn't seem to suffice.
I found this on a friend's facebook profile, it's from a book that I have yet to read but it sums up what I've learned from Spain much better than I ever could put into words.
"You can kiss your family and friends good-bye, and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world, but a world lives in you." -Fredrick Buechner (from 'The Shack')
"because we do not just live in a world but a world lives in us."
How amazing is that?
Keep an eye out for updates: my family and I are heading out on our annual road trip on Aug. 8th. This year's destination: Seattle, Washington with possible stops in Oregon and a day in Vancouver. I'll update when I can.
Until Next Time,
Avery
I found this on a friend's facebook profile, it's from a book that I have yet to read but it sums up what I've learned from Spain much better than I ever could put into words.
"You can kiss your family and friends good-bye, and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world, but a world lives in you." -Fredrick Buechner (from 'The Shack')
"because we do not just live in a world but a world lives in us."
How amazing is that?
Keep an eye out for updates: my family and I are heading out on our annual road trip on Aug. 8th. This year's destination: Seattle, Washington with possible stops in Oregon and a day in Vancouver. I'll update when I can.
Until Next Time,
Avery
June 29, 2010
UN MONTON DE UPDATES!
Hello!
The whole city is going crazy right now because Spain just won in the World Cup against Portugal. I watched it on TV at my host-mom's house because I had to update this and do some studying for my tests on Friday. But I live right across the street from a bar so I heard all the disappointment, all the celebration, all the positive and negative reactions, all in unison, like the whole world was existing, living, breathing, just for this game. A unity I haven't experienced since after 9/11.
The Spanish are a passionate people, a loving people, A kind people. They are a people rich in history, tragedy, success, and culture that has shaped their lives and made them who they are. I can't believe that I'm leaving this place that has become my second home, in just a few short days. Time flies rapidly, too rapidly. It's a sad and happy thing at the same time.
I vary between the two extremes of never wanting to leave, and wanting to go home. Like the orchestra that I'm hearing play over at the Palacio right now...I have had high points, I have had low points, I have experienced parts that never seem to end, I have experienced parts that are nothing but a flash of memory in the recesses of my mind, and all of it has made a beautiful symphony of a trip: Life-changing, moving, and amazing.
There are no other words to describe it: Amazing covers all bases. And a part of my heart will always, always, always be in Spain.
The friends I've made, the people I've met, the experiences that I have had have formed a new person, a new me, a new outlook on life and it will be difficult to get used to that when I get back to the United States, because I will have changed but no one else has, and they'll expect me to be who I was before I left.
I don't think you can expect that after someone has been away on their own for two months in a country that was at first foreign but now feels like home. It's hard to describe, and I am usually not without words Congratulations Spain, you have successfully struck me deaf, dumb, and mute in your awesome presence.
Until Next Time,
Avery
The whole city is going crazy right now because Spain just won in the World Cup against Portugal. I watched it on TV at my host-mom's house because I had to update this and do some studying for my tests on Friday. But I live right across the street from a bar so I heard all the disappointment, all the celebration, all the positive and negative reactions, all in unison, like the whole world was existing, living, breathing, just for this game. A unity I haven't experienced since after 9/11.
The Spanish are a passionate people, a loving people, A kind people. They are a people rich in history, tragedy, success, and culture that has shaped their lives and made them who they are. I can't believe that I'm leaving this place that has become my second home, in just a few short days. Time flies rapidly, too rapidly. It's a sad and happy thing at the same time.
I vary between the two extremes of never wanting to leave, and wanting to go home. Like the orchestra that I'm hearing play over at the Palacio right now...I have had high points, I have had low points, I have experienced parts that never seem to end, I have experienced parts that are nothing but a flash of memory in the recesses of my mind, and all of it has made a beautiful symphony of a trip: Life-changing, moving, and amazing.
There are no other words to describe it: Amazing covers all bases. And a part of my heart will always, always, always be in Spain.
The friends I've made, the people I've met, the experiences that I have had have formed a new person, a new me, a new outlook on life and it will be difficult to get used to that when I get back to the United States, because I will have changed but no one else has, and they'll expect me to be who I was before I left.
I don't think you can expect that after someone has been away on their own for two months in a country that was at first foreign but now feels like home. It's hard to describe, and I am usually not without words Congratulations Spain, you have successfully struck me deaf, dumb, and mute in your awesome presence.
Until Next Time,
Avery
24-hours of Barcelona Mayhem
June 26, 2010
We got up at 5 to catch our flight at 7:40. I had some trouble getting to sleep because travelling always makes me a little nervous so I probably got just a few hours of sleep. I slept on the plane though so that gave me a little more time. We got to Madrid-Barajas at 6 and I printed off my ticket and we headed into the terminal. I got stopped by security because I forgot to take my metal clip out of my hair. We got on the plane and then we got to Barcelona at 8:50 a.m. and that's when the clock started. I had 24-hours exactly because my plane left at 8:50 a.m. on Sunday morning.
What an experience!
What an experience! Our first stop after we checked into our hostel was to go to Parq Güell which is where some of Antoni Gaudi's works are. It was so cool! I couldn't believe that I was there! I kept telling myself that I was in Gaudi park just so that I'd believe it! Since everyone I've talked to has no idea what I'm talking about I'll put up some pictures. 
It was so beautiful and there were tons of gardens that we walked through as well. Here we met up with Merissa's friends who are super nice. I had a fun time hanging out with them.
We went to Sagrada Familia after we met up with them which was also a very cool experience.
never in my life did I ever think I would be here. It's amazing! It's so amazing that I've been able to have this experience.
After Sagrada familia we had lunch, hit the beach, and then headed back to the hostel to change for the night. we went for tapas, and some drinks and then I went home around 1 since I had my flight early in the morning the next day. Of course, knowing me, I met some more people from Europe and the States and talked to them for an hour before I did get to bed.
4 hours later I got up, packed up, checked out and headed back to the airport.
An amazing 24 hours.
The experience of being a swedish poser....
Friday June 25:MIDSÖMMER!
How cool is it that I am meeting all these people from all around the world and learning more about their culture than I would in books. There's a big difference between reading about something and actually doing it. Midsömmer is a festival in Sweden that celebrates the longest day of the year. We met up with Mikaela, Viktoria, Dennis and some of their friends at Parque Retiro in order to celebrate. I love hanging out with these people. I'm going to miss them so much when I leave, they're just so much fun. Dennis was wearing a Swedish flag around his shoulders like a cape, and they had a roller-suitcase packed full of Swedish food.
We hung out with them for awhile and then Viktoria tried to teach us a Swedish drinking song. She eventually gave up and said "all the Swedes who are here right now gather round." And they all sang it together. Before the song they had filled some glasses with Swedish Snaps which is a popular drink there. The last line of the song translates to "now empty your cup and drink up."
The drink was 38 proof. Needless to say I was a bit drunk for awhile. I thought it tasted good but had I known it was 38 proof I wouldn't have asked for the other little bit. Then we walked to the metro to catch a train to Chueca where Mikaela and Viktoria had bought some flower crowns that look like the ones they have at the Renaissance Festival in Minnesota. They were so Beautiful, as you can see below:
After we picked up our crowns we dashed home, had dinner at Manuela's and then went back to Retiro for more celebration.
When we got there we danced around a tree since they couldn't find a pole at Ikea that day, and sang a song about frogs, and pigs. It was so silly but so much fun. We sang a couple more songs, and hung out for awhile and then the sky opened up and it totally down poured! I was pretty popular because I had my umbrella with me. I think there were about 5 of us under it at one point. Good times.
They all said that we had the total experience of Midsömmer. I guess it always rains when they have the festival in Sweden. I wouldn't mind going to the real thing one day. I think that would be a very cool thing...and hey I already have some built-in tour guides.
I'll make it there when I have some money if that's okay with you all?We left about midnight so that we could get some sleep before we left for Barcelona the next day.
Until next time,
Avery
How cool is it that I am meeting all these people from all around the world and learning more about their culture than I would in books. There's a big difference between reading about something and actually doing it. Midsömmer is a festival in Sweden that celebrates the longest day of the year. We met up with Mikaela, Viktoria, Dennis and some of their friends at Parque Retiro in order to celebrate. I love hanging out with these people. I'm going to miss them so much when I leave, they're just so much fun. Dennis was wearing a Swedish flag around his shoulders like a cape, and they had a roller-suitcase packed full of Swedish food.
We hung out with them for awhile and then Viktoria tried to teach us a Swedish drinking song. She eventually gave up and said "all the Swedes who are here right now gather round." And they all sang it together. Before the song they had filled some glasses with Swedish Snaps which is a popular drink there. The last line of the song translates to "now empty your cup and drink up."
The drink was 38 proof. Needless to say I was a bit drunk for awhile. I thought it tasted good but had I known it was 38 proof I wouldn't have asked for the other little bit. Then we walked to the metro to catch a train to Chueca where Mikaela and Viktoria had bought some flower crowns that look like the ones they have at the Renaissance Festival in Minnesota. They were so Beautiful, as you can see below:
After we picked up our crowns we dashed home, had dinner at Manuela's and then went back to Retiro for more celebration.
When we got there we danced around a tree since they couldn't find a pole at Ikea that day, and sang a song about frogs, and pigs. It was so silly but so much fun. We sang a couple more songs, and hung out for awhile and then the sky opened up and it totally down poured! I was pretty popular because I had my umbrella with me. I think there were about 5 of us under it at one point. Good times.
They all said that we had the total experience of Midsömmer. I guess it always rains when they have the festival in Sweden. I wouldn't mind going to the real thing one day. I think that would be a very cool thing...and hey I already have some built-in tour guides.
I'll make it there when I have some money if that's okay with you all?We left about midnight so that we could get some sleep before we left for Barcelona the next day.
Until next time,
Avery
last week
Hello all!
So what is there to update you on since the 22nd. I've been busy so I apologize for the bloglessness.
Weds. June 23:I felt like a local today because I heard some people talking in English, and they were completely confused about where to take the metro in Madrid. So I helped them find their way! I was quite proud of myself. There were a couple of other ladies from England who were also confused about if they were on the right line. I told them we were and then we talked for the whole time while we waited for the train to show up. I didn't know their names but it was cool to make a connection, however briefly.
This afternoon we went to Museo Sorolla with school. This was really cool because it was a museum that used to be the actual artist's house so it was cool to see how he lived while he was alive. He paid great attention to light and color, and his works are absolutely amazing!
Merissa and I went for chocolate con churros at San Gines after the tour and they were just as good as everyone said they were supposed to be. After this we went to see the movie Robin Hood with Manuela. She really loves us. She told me as we were waiting for Merissa that she hadn't been to a movie since her husband had died. They used to go to the theater every weekend. He's been dead for some time. So I felt honored that she chose us to go back to the theater. She was super cute she got all dolled up to go out with us and even put on some make-up. She's a very beautiful lady.
Viktoria and Mikaela invited us to celebrate Midsömmer, a swedish festival, with them on Friday.
Thursday June 24:We went to a bar, Ojos Negros, with school tonight and it was fun to hang out with some people from school. It was an open bar for Sampere so it was a lot of fun. As we left the bar this huge thunderstorm blew up and Merissa and I got drenched on our walk home. But it was a fun experience anyway.
Until next time,
Avery
So what is there to update you on since the 22nd. I've been busy so I apologize for the bloglessness.
Weds. June 23:I felt like a local today because I heard some people talking in English, and they were completely confused about where to take the metro in Madrid. So I helped them find their way! I was quite proud of myself. There were a couple of other ladies from England who were also confused about if they were on the right line. I told them we were and then we talked for the whole time while we waited for the train to show up. I didn't know their names but it was cool to make a connection, however briefly.
This afternoon we went to Museo Sorolla with school. This was really cool because it was a museum that used to be the actual artist's house so it was cool to see how he lived while he was alive. He paid great attention to light and color, and his works are absolutely amazing!
Merissa and I went for chocolate con churros at San Gines after the tour and they were just as good as everyone said they were supposed to be. After this we went to see the movie Robin Hood with Manuela. She really loves us. She told me as we were waiting for Merissa that she hadn't been to a movie since her husband had died. They used to go to the theater every weekend. He's been dead for some time. So I felt honored that she chose us to go back to the theater. She was super cute she got all dolled up to go out with us and even put on some make-up. She's a very beautiful lady.
Viktoria and Mikaela invited us to celebrate Midsömmer, a swedish festival, with them on Friday.
Thursday June 24:We went to a bar, Ojos Negros, with school tonight and it was fun to hang out with some people from school. It was an open bar for Sampere so it was a lot of fun. As we left the bar this huge thunderstorm blew up and Merissa and I got drenched on our walk home. But it was a fun experience anyway.
Until next time,
Avery
June 22, 2010
Time for an update
Hello!
It's been awhile. Sorry about that. I've been fighting a nasty cold for the past few days and I couldn't find time to update.
Anyway, on Thursday I went with school to a winery tour. It was a lot of fun. It wasn't really a tour of a vineyard but you learned how people make wine which was cool to learn. The place was called Rebelion de los Mandibles.
The exhibits were very interactive. There was one where you hopped up on this cart, and it took you on a virtual ride. We were the grapes. The cart moved, air that smelled like grape got blown on us (which was quite nice since it was so ridiculously hot outside), and at one point where the cart dropped its grapes off the thing went forward like a rollercoaster it was super cool.
There was one other exhibit where you stomped on "grapes" like in the old days. The grapes were plastic, but it was like a competition. There were three barrels and you partnered up with one person and stomped on the things like crazy. Every time you stomped more "wine" would show up on the screen. Viktoria and I lost but it was still a total blast.
The final exhibit was cool too. It was a guess the scent station. They had everything from leather to pineapple, thankfully I still had a little bit of my sense of smell so I could do it and it was fun I guessed almost everything correctly.
Of course in a wine tour you have to have some Spanish wine. It was delicious but with my cold it went straight to my head so I only had the one glass the whole night. Afterwards they took us to a bar where they are affiliated with and I had some water. I came home after that because I was pretty exhausted but it was a lot of fun.
Friday I looked and felt like death warmed over so I stayed in but Merissa had a wonderful time going out with Mikaela. I also stayed in Saturday simply because I couldn't make myself go out. After a whole lot of sleep on Saturday night, I was feeling a lot better and went to El Rastro and the Zoo with Merissa and Mikaela.
We went to El Rastro for just a little bit of time, and we were at the Zoo for about five or six hours. It's called the Madrid Zoo Aquarium and the place is HUGE! They have animals from every continent, and if I'm being completely honest I was done by Africa. But we made it to all the continents, and saw all the animals (they have pandas!), and by the end of the day our legs were about to give out on us but overall it was fun.
We came home after that and met our new compañera. She's a 46-year-old French lady, her name is Veronica, who thinks she's right about everything. She's very nice but she knows how to get on our nerves easily.
Example: We get back from the zoo, we're tired, and she asks about the metro. We tell her she has to take line 3 (PLAZA DE ESPANA) and switch at SOL over to Line 2 (RETIRO) which will take you to where school is.
She says "Mah, noh, Francisco dice que linea 2 es directo a retiro" We've been here for two weeks, we know how to get to school, and she's telling us we're doing it wrong. Irritation.
She keeps insisting that she's right and we are wrong and then keeps switching between Spanish and French so it's totally impossible to understand her. I eventually said the same thing at least five times in Spanish, Spanish and English (since she speaks it), and finally in English. And she tells me all 5 times that I'm wrong. I could've backhanded her!
Poor Merissa had to go to school with her on Monday and help her find her way since they have classes in the mornings. She was ready to kill her when I saw her in school. She's a character the next week will be interesting. Yesterday Merissa and I went out for some wine after class at the cerveceria near my house and it was very nice because we were able to sit in the sunshine and enjoy the afternoon for a bit.
Today we are going on a mission to find puppy chow ingredients since no one here has ever tried it before in their lives. Wish us luck!
Until Next Time,
Avery
It's been awhile. Sorry about that. I've been fighting a nasty cold for the past few days and I couldn't find time to update.
Anyway, on Thursday I went with school to a winery tour. It was a lot of fun. It wasn't really a tour of a vineyard but you learned how people make wine which was cool to learn. The place was called Rebelion de los Mandibles.
The exhibits were very interactive. There was one where you hopped up on this cart, and it took you on a virtual ride. We were the grapes. The cart moved, air that smelled like grape got blown on us (which was quite nice since it was so ridiculously hot outside), and at one point where the cart dropped its grapes off the thing went forward like a rollercoaster it was super cool.
There was one other exhibit where you stomped on "grapes" like in the old days. The grapes were plastic, but it was like a competition. There were three barrels and you partnered up with one person and stomped on the things like crazy. Every time you stomped more "wine" would show up on the screen. Viktoria and I lost but it was still a total blast.
The final exhibit was cool too. It was a guess the scent station. They had everything from leather to pineapple, thankfully I still had a little bit of my sense of smell so I could do it and it was fun I guessed almost everything correctly.
Of course in a wine tour you have to have some Spanish wine. It was delicious but with my cold it went straight to my head so I only had the one glass the whole night. Afterwards they took us to a bar where they are affiliated with and I had some water. I came home after that because I was pretty exhausted but it was a lot of fun.
Friday I looked and felt like death warmed over so I stayed in but Merissa had a wonderful time going out with Mikaela. I also stayed in Saturday simply because I couldn't make myself go out. After a whole lot of sleep on Saturday night, I was feeling a lot better and went to El Rastro and the Zoo with Merissa and Mikaela.
We went to El Rastro for just a little bit of time, and we were at the Zoo for about five or six hours. It's called the Madrid Zoo Aquarium and the place is HUGE! They have animals from every continent, and if I'm being completely honest I was done by Africa. But we made it to all the continents, and saw all the animals (they have pandas!), and by the end of the day our legs were about to give out on us but overall it was fun.
We came home after that and met our new compañera. She's a 46-year-old French lady, her name is Veronica, who thinks she's right about everything. She's very nice but she knows how to get on our nerves easily.
Example: We get back from the zoo, we're tired, and she asks about the metro. We tell her she has to take line 3 (PLAZA DE ESPANA) and switch at SOL over to Line 2 (RETIRO) which will take you to where school is.
She says "Mah, noh, Francisco dice que linea 2 es directo a retiro" We've been here for two weeks, we know how to get to school, and she's telling us we're doing it wrong. Irritation.
She keeps insisting that she's right and we are wrong and then keeps switching between Spanish and French so it's totally impossible to understand her. I eventually said the same thing at least five times in Spanish, Spanish and English (since she speaks it), and finally in English. And she tells me all 5 times that I'm wrong. I could've backhanded her!
Poor Merissa had to go to school with her on Monday and help her find her way since they have classes in the mornings. She was ready to kill her when I saw her in school. She's a character the next week will be interesting. Yesterday Merissa and I went out for some wine after class at the cerveceria near my house and it was very nice because we were able to sit in the sunshine and enjoy the afternoon for a bit.
Today we are going on a mission to find puppy chow ingredients since no one here has ever tried it before in their lives. Wish us luck!
Until Next Time,
Avery
June 16, 2010
Three days of lots of activities!
Monday: Class
That's about all that I did but I had chocolate con churros which is the best invention on the face of the earth!
Tuesday: Carmen Flamenco Style
Merissa and I went to the show Carmen, I discovered that I can run in heels because I discovered I had the wrong ticket and literally bolted to school to fix it since Manuela doesn't have a printer. I had an hour I missed the first metro train by seconds, I missed the second metro train by seconds, I literally ran to school. Printed off my stuff and ran back. I preceded to miss the other trains by seconds as well which added 10 minutes to my craziness. I got back to the house at 6:30 p.m. and then went back on the metro to get to the theater we got into our seats with five minutes to spare.
Despite all the craziness, and me being mad at myself for being so stupid for printing the wrong ticket, the show was amazing. I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to understand what was going on because I thought Carmen had more speaking parts in it. I think the original version does but this show was all Flamenco dancing. The music was piped in over the speaker system. I totally understood what the story was about as well. I think I paid more attention to the actors feet than the actual actors. Their feet were flying so fast that sometimes they were a blur. It was amazing and the costumes were fantastic. I wanted every single dress that crossed over that stage.
After the show Merissa and I did a photo shoot in Plaza De Espana and then came home for a delicious dinner of Lasagna.
Wednesday (today) check the bucket list and enjoy the game
Today was very exciting for me. I checked an item off of my bucket list. (the list that you make of all the things you want to do before you die) I saw Picasso's Guernica in real life. I don't know why that's on there but it has been since I saw it in one of my numerous Spanish classes I've taken. The painting is magnificent. It takes up one whole wall and it has it's own room!
That's about all that I did but I had chocolate con churros which is the best invention on the face of the earth!
Tuesday: Carmen Flamenco Style
Merissa and I went to the show Carmen, I discovered that I can run in heels because I discovered I had the wrong ticket and literally bolted to school to fix it since Manuela doesn't have a printer. I had an hour I missed the first metro train by seconds, I missed the second metro train by seconds, I literally ran to school. Printed off my stuff and ran back. I preceded to miss the other trains by seconds as well which added 10 minutes to my craziness. I got back to the house at 6:30 p.m. and then went back on the metro to get to the theater we got into our seats with five minutes to spare.
Despite all the craziness, and me being mad at myself for being so stupid for printing the wrong ticket, the show was amazing. I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to understand what was going on because I thought Carmen had more speaking parts in it. I think the original version does but this show was all Flamenco dancing. The music was piped in over the speaker system. I totally understood what the story was about as well. I think I paid more attention to the actors feet than the actual actors. Their feet were flying so fast that sometimes they were a blur. It was amazing and the costumes were fantastic. I wanted every single dress that crossed over that stage.
After the show Merissa and I did a photo shoot in Plaza De Espana and then came home for a delicious dinner of Lasagna.
Wednesday (today) check the bucket list and enjoy the game
Today was very exciting for me. I checked an item off of my bucket list. (the list that you make of all the things you want to do before you die) I saw Picasso's Guernica in real life. I don't know why that's on there but it has been since I saw it in one of my numerous Spanish classes I've taken. The painting is magnificent. It takes up one whole wall and it has it's own room!
It was quite possibly the coolest thing I've seen here. it's a beautiful masterpiece, and I just stood there in awe of it. I totally ignored Leti and her 20-minute spiel about it. It was an amazing and somewhat sickening thing to see.
Guernica is Picasso's anti-war response to the Nazi bombing, which was okayed by Franco, of a town in northern Spain called Guernica. It's in his cubist motif which is of course is Picasso's trademark. What it shows is the aftermath of the bombing and the horrors of war.
On the left near the bull, if you can see her, (they don't let you take pictures in the room you have to take them outside of the room don't ask me why) is a woman holding her dead child. In the middle is a man who is dead lying on the ground. There is another woman next to him but the one guy is blocking her, and on the far right is another woman. Through the window is a woman's head which signifies the souls that were lost. The smaller details are hard to see but they symbolize hope. There is a bird flying in the black near the bull, you don't see it until you get closer up to the painting. Near the dead man lies a flower and at the very top of the painting is a light that signifies the sun and hope that Guernica, and Spain, will rise out of the ashes of war a more peaceful country.
The Reina Sofia is definitely the most awesome museum I have been to while I've been here. I'm a sucker for Dali or Picasso, and they both have many paintings here. Unfortunately I didn't see the Dali piece with the watch (I don't know the title) They didn't have it here which I thought was strange since it's one of his more well-known works, but that's also on my bucket list. I'll have to look for it later.
After this I went to class, and after class I went to a Spanish bar and watched the futbol match between Spain and Switzerland. It was definitely a cool experience. everyone was yelling at the screen, me included--I figured I should blend in--and then we were all very disappointed when they lost. It's a tragic day in Madrid.
But for people who like my facebook status and run--Carlo--(yup I'm calling you out, I know you read this) Switzerland's goal was an ugly one, the goalie would've totally gotten it if your player hadn't run him over. Enjoy it for now, and don't party to hard tonight. I guess I've gotta cheer for the hometown team now huh? though I think Spain has a couple of other matches. If not, go USA! We did tie England the other day.
Until Next Time,
Avery
June 13, 2010
Shop and shoot til you drop
Today was a lovely day. The sun was out, the sky was blue, I didn't have to use my poor jean jacket to keep the rain off of me, and I finished my shopping for my family. Nope, I'm not telling you what I bought. You'll have to wait until I get home.
Today I went to El Rastro, The weather was perfect for it! It's this huge shopping district that pops up on Sunday mornings in Madrid, and it goes for blocks and blocks and blocks. There's everything there from t-shirts to antiques you can find anything for anybody and it's completely awesome. There were SO many people!
You don't take your handbag to El Rastro because it's a sight for pickpockets--ladies, you know where you put your cash--and I can see how they would take it from you so easily. Because there are so many people you are bumping into everyone all the time, which would be when the pickpockets snatch your stuff.I bought so many beautiful things for so many people and I only took 50 Euros there. It's the best place for cheap, wonderful stuff.
My score item was a ring that I bought from a man that made all kinds of jewelry. It's pure silver and it's inlaid with turquoise stone. It's so pretty that I've been looking at it all day, and I'm seriously considering wearing it to bed so I can see it in the morning when I wake up....yeah, I'm a freak about jewelry.
He was selling it for 28 I asked if he'd take 20 he said no, and then I remembered that I had 2 more euro in my pants pocket: 22 was the final price. He was really funny and we were joking back and forth the whole time during the bargaining.
As I left he said with a genial laugh: "Cuando más rica vuelves aquí y compraste mucho más cosas!" Translation: when you're much richer come back and buy more things.
I said "claro que si" translation: yes, of course. And I totally might too.
His stuff was amazing! Very renaissance-looking and some of you may know how much I love the renaissance period.We came home about 3 p.m. this afternoon and I checked my e-mail for a bit and then took a short nap then headed out in search of a mailbox. I didn't find one, but hopefully there are some near school because I have postcards to send! I turned it into a photography opportunity. The sky was a lovely shade of blue and I was able to take some amazing shots.
My internet is quite slow this evening, as it has been for the past few evenings, so I won't be uploading any pictures, but one of these nights I'm going out to do some night time photography too. The city is even more beautiful at night if that's even possible.
In other news I now officially have a ticket to Barcelona for 24 hours, literally. I'll leave Madrid in two weeks on Saturday June 26, arrive in Barcelona at 8:50 a.m. and leave the next day at 8:50 a.m. and get back to Madrid at 10 a.m. needless to say I'm not sleeping that day at all. At least not until I get home. It's going to be a wonderful adventure! And Merissa, my partner-in-crime, her friends she's meeting up with, and I are going to have a blast!
Until Next time,
Buenas Noches,
Avery
Today I went to El Rastro, The weather was perfect for it! It's this huge shopping district that pops up on Sunday mornings in Madrid, and it goes for blocks and blocks and blocks. There's everything there from t-shirts to antiques you can find anything for anybody and it's completely awesome. There were SO many people!
You don't take your handbag to El Rastro because it's a sight for pickpockets--ladies, you know where you put your cash--and I can see how they would take it from you so easily. Because there are so many people you are bumping into everyone all the time, which would be when the pickpockets snatch your stuff.I bought so many beautiful things for so many people and I only took 50 Euros there. It's the best place for cheap, wonderful stuff.
My score item was a ring that I bought from a man that made all kinds of jewelry. It's pure silver and it's inlaid with turquoise stone. It's so pretty that I've been looking at it all day, and I'm seriously considering wearing it to bed so I can see it in the morning when I wake up....yeah, I'm a freak about jewelry.
He was selling it for 28 I asked if he'd take 20 he said no, and then I remembered that I had 2 more euro in my pants pocket: 22 was the final price. He was really funny and we were joking back and forth the whole time during the bargaining.
As I left he said with a genial laugh: "Cuando más rica vuelves aquí y compraste mucho más cosas!" Translation: when you're much richer come back and buy more things.
I said "claro que si" translation: yes, of course. And I totally might too.
His stuff was amazing! Very renaissance-looking and some of you may know how much I love the renaissance period.We came home about 3 p.m. this afternoon and I checked my e-mail for a bit and then took a short nap then headed out in search of a mailbox. I didn't find one, but hopefully there are some near school because I have postcards to send! I turned it into a photography opportunity. The sky was a lovely shade of blue and I was able to take some amazing shots.
My internet is quite slow this evening, as it has been for the past few evenings, so I won't be uploading any pictures, but one of these nights I'm going out to do some night time photography too. The city is even more beautiful at night if that's even possible.
In other news I now officially have a ticket to Barcelona for 24 hours, literally. I'll leave Madrid in two weeks on Saturday June 26, arrive in Barcelona at 8:50 a.m. and leave the next day at 8:50 a.m. and get back to Madrid at 10 a.m. needless to say I'm not sleeping that day at all. At least not until I get home. It's going to be a wonderful adventure! And Merissa, my partner-in-crime, her friends she's meeting up with, and I are going to have a blast!
Until Next time,
Buenas Noches,
Avery
June 12, 2010
All night into the morning
Last night was a total blast!
I hung out with some friends from Sweden, and we went to a local bar, which turned out to be a gay bar (I don't think that the guys knew that so it was a bit humorous) After that we went to El Museo de Jamón which is this store with nothing but ham hanging from the rafters and had a platter of ham and a beer.
After that our group went to a discoteca here called Kapital. It's huge and has 7 floors with different music on each one. After a little exploration we picked floor one to stay on and dance which was all rock music. It was great! There were dancers and lots of people. At 30 minute intervals they blast a wind/fog machine down at the dance floor which makes dancing more tolerable. The machine is conveniently timed to go off just as everyone is starting to think about leaving. And the air is cold so it refreshes you. Toward the end of the night a drummer came out and pounded out some AMAZING beats as balloons fell from the ceiling. Totally worth the 12 euro cover charge. I had a wonderful time.
Merissa and I left at about 3:30 a.m. took a taxi home and conquered the door which was kind of a big deal since we've had so many problems with it lately.
We slept for a few hours and then woke up bright and early at 7:30 a.m. to go to school where we hopped a bus and headed toward Toledo. Needless to say I totally slept on the bus ride there.
Toledo is a place where in the past Christians, Muslims, and Jews all lived side by side for centuries, kind of like the Jerusalem today minus the violence, for a couple of centuries at least. We saw a Catholic Cathedral, a Synagogue, and a monastery with Islamic influence in the architecture.
They were all very beautiful but it was super frustrating because with all the beauty they didn't allow for good photos to happen. A.K.A. No Flash, or no photos period. That's one thing I hate about Madrid. Around here photography is practically outlawed. Anyway, after that we did some shopping, hung out with some new people that we met today who also go to school with us and came home.
Dinner tonight should be delicious. And then hopefully my host-mom has the channel I need to watch the USA v. England match because right now it's way too cold and rainy to leave the house and I'm pretty exhausted from last night, and if I'm going anywhere I'll be sitting since my feet still hurt from dancing the night away.
Tomorrow, weather permitting; we go to El Rastro a flea market that happens every Sunday. If all else fails, we play Metro Roulette, at least that's what I'm hoping for. I'm off to do homework, but I'll write soon.
Until Next Time,
Avery
I hung out with some friends from Sweden, and we went to a local bar, which turned out to be a gay bar (I don't think that the guys knew that so it was a bit humorous) After that we went to El Museo de Jamón which is this store with nothing but ham hanging from the rafters and had a platter of ham and a beer.
After that our group went to a discoteca here called Kapital. It's huge and has 7 floors with different music on each one. After a little exploration we picked floor one to stay on and dance which was all rock music. It was great! There were dancers and lots of people. At 30 minute intervals they blast a wind/fog machine down at the dance floor which makes dancing more tolerable. The machine is conveniently timed to go off just as everyone is starting to think about leaving. And the air is cold so it refreshes you. Toward the end of the night a drummer came out and pounded out some AMAZING beats as balloons fell from the ceiling. Totally worth the 12 euro cover charge. I had a wonderful time.
Merissa and I left at about 3:30 a.m. took a taxi home and conquered the door which was kind of a big deal since we've had so many problems with it lately.
We slept for a few hours and then woke up bright and early at 7:30 a.m. to go to school where we hopped a bus and headed toward Toledo. Needless to say I totally slept on the bus ride there.
Toledo is a place where in the past Christians, Muslims, and Jews all lived side by side for centuries, kind of like the Jerusalem today minus the violence, for a couple of centuries at least. We saw a Catholic Cathedral, a Synagogue, and a monastery with Islamic influence in the architecture.
They were all very beautiful but it was super frustrating because with all the beauty they didn't allow for good photos to happen. A.K.A. No Flash, or no photos period. That's one thing I hate about Madrid. Around here photography is practically outlawed. Anyway, after that we did some shopping, hung out with some new people that we met today who also go to school with us and came home.
Dinner tonight should be delicious. And then hopefully my host-mom has the channel I need to watch the USA v. England match because right now it's way too cold and rainy to leave the house and I'm pretty exhausted from last night, and if I'm going anywhere I'll be sitting since my feet still hurt from dancing the night away.
Tomorrow, weather permitting; we go to El Rastro a flea market that happens every Sunday. If all else fails, we play Metro Roulette, at least that's what I'm hoping for. I'm off to do homework, but I'll write soon.
Until Next Time,
Avery
June 10, 2010
Sorry for the bloglessness....
School so far has been great. I love my lit and history classes like nothing else. The professors are super nice and I love that my afternoon is spent with my nose in a book, and I don't have to think as hard as I did in Alicante because conversation and grammar is intense. But it seems to be getting easier for me to communicate so that's a big plus.
Let's see, what have I done this week?
Yesterday I went to El Museo del Prado with school. The works are absolutely stunning but I wish school would've let us walk around more and discover things for ourselves. I love art, but I really don't need Leticia talking to me for 20 minutes about something that I can see for myself. We saw only 2 artists of the however many they have in the museum so I was a bit disappointed. But, I saw Velazquez's Meninas and Goya's Saturno (look it up since I can't seem to find one that will fit really nicely in my blog).
Merissa and I went out with some friends from school for a couple of hours last night. There was a "free" entrance thing at a local club, but it turned out that it wasn't free. But if you paid 5 Euro you get to drink as much sangria juice as you like. (I say juice because it wasn't very good) That's okay though. It was fun hanging out with people from school and we met a bunch of guys from Portugal there who hung out with us as well, and one of them could dance! So it was fun. That's about it for my adventures for now. This weekend we go to Toledo with school!
Until Next time,
Avery
Let's see, what have I done this week?
Yesterday I went to El Museo del Prado with school. The works are absolutely stunning but I wish school would've let us walk around more and discover things for ourselves. I love art, but I really don't need Leticia talking to me for 20 minutes about something that I can see for myself. We saw only 2 artists of the however many they have in the museum so I was a bit disappointed. But, I saw Velazquez's Meninas and Goya's Saturno (look it up since I can't seem to find one that will fit really nicely in my blog).
Merissa and I went out with some friends from school for a couple of hours last night. There was a "free" entrance thing at a local club, but it turned out that it wasn't free. But if you paid 5 Euro you get to drink as much sangria juice as you like. (I say juice because it wasn't very good) That's okay though. It was fun hanging out with people from school and we met a bunch of guys from Portugal there who hung out with us as well, and one of them could dance! So it was fun. That's about it for my adventures for now. This weekend we go to Toledo with school!
Until Next time,
Avery
June 8, 2010
Update
Nothing too exciting in the past couple of days except that I now have an ABONO which is a pass that makes travelling around Madrid a whole lot cheaper. I found my way to school myself this morning since my classes are in the afternoon. Merissa and I went for a walk in Retiro today which is this huge park near school and we got lost and found our way back to the metro so I felt accomplished. Other than that nothing too exciting to report. I'm going to El Museo del Prado tomorrow with class and then to Toledo this weekend with school so hopefully I'll have some more stories to tell you soon.
Until Next Time,
Avery
Until Next Time,
Avery
June 6, 2010
Best. Surprise. Ever.
So, I woke up this morning to the best surprise ever! My Señora, Manuela, is supposed to have 3 girls living here this month. One of them had called late last night and said that she would be here in the morning because she had missed her flight and was going to spend the night in a hotel.
So, 8:00 a.m. rolls around and I was still sleeping when the buzzer goes off in the house letting Manuela know that someone is at the front door. It goes off three times because Manuela was sleeping and didn't hear it, and I certainly wasn't going to answer the door. Manuela gets to the door and opens it, and then I hear a semi-familiar voice but I thought I was hearing things because the person that I thought I heard was supposed to be at another house.
I waited until the person entered the house and went on a tour with Manuela and then snuck to the bathroom. No reason to scare my new roommate on the first day I'm here right?
Then I heard them talking and the person mentions my name, and I thought that I was going crazy because Merissa was NOT supposed to be here.So, curiosity got the best of me and I opened the bathroom door that connects to my other roommates bedrooms, and lo and behold there is Merissa, my friend from school, standing there in the middle of the room! You have no idea how excited I was to see a familiar face! It's going to be a great month.
¡Que Suerte! The travel gods are with me!
Until next time,Avery
So, 8:00 a.m. rolls around and I was still sleeping when the buzzer goes off in the house letting Manuela know that someone is at the front door. It goes off three times because Manuela was sleeping and didn't hear it, and I certainly wasn't going to answer the door. Manuela gets to the door and opens it, and then I hear a semi-familiar voice but I thought I was hearing things because the person that I thought I heard was supposed to be at another house.
I waited until the person entered the house and went on a tour with Manuela and then snuck to the bathroom. No reason to scare my new roommate on the first day I'm here right?
Then I heard them talking and the person mentions my name, and I thought that I was going crazy because Merissa was NOT supposed to be here.So, curiosity got the best of me and I opened the bathroom door that connects to my other roommates bedrooms, and lo and behold there is Merissa, my friend from school, standing there in the middle of the room! You have no idea how excited I was to see a familiar face! It's going to be a great month.
¡Que Suerte! The travel gods are with me!
Until next time,Avery
June 5, 2010
Safe in Madrid
Hello all!
I am safe in Madrid, the train ride was awesome. I didn't take any pictures though because there were some shady-looking people lurking around and I thought it wouldn't be smart to brand myself as a tourist. There was a movie available on the train and it was alright but I didn't want to finish it, because the outcome was kind of easy to guess. The guy wins his case against the company and gets millions of dollars.
Anyway after the train I went and found a taxi to take me to my host family's house. The first guy that Alexi talked to, I didn't get a good vibe off of him so I went to the older gentleman who’s taxi was parked in front of his.
He was very nice, and very friendly, and we talked the whole ride to my place which I think won me some points because he did have extra stuff for my bags on his meter but he didn't charge me anything for them. He cleared it off at some point during our conversation. I asked him what I should see and he was super excited to tell me all about his city. It was pretty cool.
When he asked me about where I was studying I told him. And I told him that I was studying literature and history, he thought that was awesome too. He didn't know about Estudio Sampere but it is pretty small so I forgive him. I asked him "Estoy aquí por una mes, que necesito ver" translation: I'm here for a month what do I need to see. And that started him off on a whole tour guide bit. It was so funny how he talked about stuff as we were driving by it.
"Oh you have to go there, you're place is so central to the city that you'll have a lot of fun. You go here to get a beer, you go there to go shopping, that's El Prado it's great for art and history, and that place is all botanical gardens, and if you want to buy something for your friends and family back home that's a nice place to go look." All of this of course was in rapid Spanish and it kind of made my day because I could understand everything he was saying. The cab cost 12.35 because I guess if you get picked up at the train station they charge you an extra 5 it was in Alexi's tourist guide so it was legit. Then I met my señora, Manuela and she is really cool.
I feel like a giant around her though because she is super short. I think her grandkids and their dad either live here or spend a lot of time here because I met them all this afternoon. Welcome to Madrid. But they seem super nice, and she is expecting two more students this evening so I'll have some more people my age to talk to. I hope they go to Sampere I wouldn't mind some travel companions as I have a single room here. Yup that's right, single room. WIN! And it's super pretty. Manuela made it very clear that no boys and alcohol are not welcome in the house. Sounds fine to me, I'm in agreement with that. Currently I'm using internet that the grandkids let me know about. They had the password and everything. It's attached to a University so I'm going to go with it is legit and they know someone who works there.
This afternoon I called my mom and let her know I was safe, took a nap, sent Concha an e-mail and let her know that I was safe, looked up information about how to get to school and what metro lines I need to take, and I called Alexi and made sure that she got to where she needed to be alright. My stuff is unpacked, and my room is all set up so I'm feeling very settled in, and I'm going to go see if Manuela is taking a siesta or is up and around. The family will be taking me to Parque Retiro tomorrow so that I know where I'm going on Monday.
Until Next time,
Avery
I am safe in Madrid, the train ride was awesome. I didn't take any pictures though because there were some shady-looking people lurking around and I thought it wouldn't be smart to brand myself as a tourist. There was a movie available on the train and it was alright but I didn't want to finish it, because the outcome was kind of easy to guess. The guy wins his case against the company and gets millions of dollars.
Anyway after the train I went and found a taxi to take me to my host family's house. The first guy that Alexi talked to, I didn't get a good vibe off of him so I went to the older gentleman who’s taxi was parked in front of his.
He was very nice, and very friendly, and we talked the whole ride to my place which I think won me some points because he did have extra stuff for my bags on his meter but he didn't charge me anything for them. He cleared it off at some point during our conversation. I asked him what I should see and he was super excited to tell me all about his city. It was pretty cool.
When he asked me about where I was studying I told him. And I told him that I was studying literature and history, he thought that was awesome too. He didn't know about Estudio Sampere but it is pretty small so I forgive him. I asked him "Estoy aquí por una mes, que necesito ver" translation: I'm here for a month what do I need to see. And that started him off on a whole tour guide bit. It was so funny how he talked about stuff as we were driving by it.
"Oh you have to go there, you're place is so central to the city that you'll have a lot of fun. You go here to get a beer, you go there to go shopping, that's El Prado it's great for art and history, and that place is all botanical gardens, and if you want to buy something for your friends and family back home that's a nice place to go look." All of this of course was in rapid Spanish and it kind of made my day because I could understand everything he was saying. The cab cost 12.35 because I guess if you get picked up at the train station they charge you an extra 5 it was in Alexi's tourist guide so it was legit. Then I met my señora, Manuela and she is really cool.
I feel like a giant around her though because she is super short. I think her grandkids and their dad either live here or spend a lot of time here because I met them all this afternoon. Welcome to Madrid. But they seem super nice, and she is expecting two more students this evening so I'll have some more people my age to talk to. I hope they go to Sampere I wouldn't mind some travel companions as I have a single room here. Yup that's right, single room. WIN! And it's super pretty. Manuela made it very clear that no boys and alcohol are not welcome in the house. Sounds fine to me, I'm in agreement with that. Currently I'm using internet that the grandkids let me know about. They had the password and everything. It's attached to a University so I'm going to go with it is legit and they know someone who works there.
This afternoon I called my mom and let her know I was safe, took a nap, sent Concha an e-mail and let her know that I was safe, looked up information about how to get to school and what metro lines I need to take, and I called Alexi and made sure that she got to where she needed to be alright. My stuff is unpacked, and my room is all set up so I'm feeling very settled in, and I'm going to go see if Manuela is taking a siesta or is up and around. The family will be taking me to Parque Retiro tomorrow so that I know where I'm going on Monday.
Until Next time,
Avery
June 4, 2010
Madrid Bound
My bags are packed, my train ticket is purchased, and I’m off to Madrid at 10:30 tomorrow morning. I have 30 days until I wake up in my bed at home in the U.S. It hardly seems like enough time.
I've been google-mapping the address where I will be living and I am very excited about the area around it. There are parks, it is near Palacio Real, and just across the street from Los Jardínes de Sabatini which all look gorgeous!
Today was a weird day. I went between so many emotions that I felt like I was on a rollercoaster. I was happy when I woke up because it was a beautiful day, I was sad as I was walking around the city with Concha knowing that it would be one of the last times we would spend together during this trip, I got angry at the sun for giving me sunstroke cutting my time at the beach short and making me feel like fainting on the walk back from the beach, and I was excited because I'm going on A TRAIN tomorrow!
Yeah, I'm a total freak that I'm excited about trains. You'd be excited too if you've never taken one before. Yup that's right I'm going to be that girl, the girl who takes pictures at the train station like a freak. I'll own it and be proud though. It'll be a good day tomorrow.
We went to a couple churches this afternoon and went inside. They were very pretty but the pictures didn't turn out as well as I wanted them to. For some reason the churches here do not like my camera.
After the churches we went to the city hall and saw all of the beautiful things there. There is a sculpture by Dali that is very cool, the flag of Alicante is up on a huge wall in the middle of a gigantic room, and there are so many other lovely things to see that I could've stayed there for a half-hour and not been bored.
After city hall we went to Postiguet for awhile, and I definitely overheated. Not enough water and too much walking will do that to you but its okay I'm much better now. I came home and did the old softball trick where you put coldish water all over yourself to cool down and drank a whole bunch of water so I'm fine now. But when you're walking home telling yourself you're not allowed to faint it's a little bit scary.
It's a good thing that Concha was there, she kept talking to me all the way back so I had to think and not let my brain disengage. I've been e-mailing and Facebooking like a fiend tonight so that I make sure to talk to everyone I can before I get to my new house, since I don't know if the owner has internet or not. I'll be on for awhile; I've got some more stuff to pack, so you should get in touch with me!
Until next time,
Avery
I've been google-mapping the address where I will be living and I am very excited about the area around it. There are parks, it is near Palacio Real, and just across the street from Los Jardínes de Sabatini which all look gorgeous!
Today was a weird day. I went between so many emotions that I felt like I was on a rollercoaster. I was happy when I woke up because it was a beautiful day, I was sad as I was walking around the city with Concha knowing that it would be one of the last times we would spend together during this trip, I got angry at the sun for giving me sunstroke cutting my time at the beach short and making me feel like fainting on the walk back from the beach, and I was excited because I'm going on A TRAIN tomorrow!
Yeah, I'm a total freak that I'm excited about trains. You'd be excited too if you've never taken one before. Yup that's right I'm going to be that girl, the girl who takes pictures at the train station like a freak. I'll own it and be proud though. It'll be a good day tomorrow.
We went to a couple churches this afternoon and went inside. They were very pretty but the pictures didn't turn out as well as I wanted them to. For some reason the churches here do not like my camera.
After the churches we went to the city hall and saw all of the beautiful things there. There is a sculpture by Dali that is very cool, the flag of Alicante is up on a huge wall in the middle of a gigantic room, and there are so many other lovely things to see that I could've stayed there for a half-hour and not been bored.
After city hall we went to Postiguet for awhile, and I definitely overheated. Not enough water and too much walking will do that to you but its okay I'm much better now. I came home and did the old softball trick where you put coldish water all over yourself to cool down and drank a whole bunch of water so I'm fine now. But when you're walking home telling yourself you're not allowed to faint it's a little bit scary.
It's a good thing that Concha was there, she kept talking to me all the way back so I had to think and not let my brain disengage. I've been e-mailing and Facebooking like a fiend tonight so that I make sure to talk to everyone I can before I get to my new house, since I don't know if the owner has internet or not. I'll be on for awhile; I've got some more stuff to pack, so you should get in touch with me!
Until next time,
Avery
June 3, 2010
Time and Nonesuch
It's been a week of finishing stuff up so nothing super exciting has happened. I've said goodbye to the Florida kids, I've taken my last classes, and I've had my review class with my two favorite professors at school: Isabel and Andres. I just took my final test today...I'm not sure how I feel about it, and on Saturday I take a train to Madrid. By the way, may not have internet there so don't expect as many updates.
Anyway, my tangent for today:
It's amazing really how transient travelling by yourself is. The only people who know you exist are the people you make an effort to meet here and then eventually they leave you. It's a life of constant change which is probably good for my restless self, because on some days in the states I wish I could just change everything around, go somewhere new, or pretend, for just a little while to be someone different. I'm sort of like a chameleon that needs change both for my protection and my sense of place in this world.
But I can't seem to get over how odd it is that you can meet someone who completely changes the way you see the world, opens your eyes to something bigger than yourself, and then just a short time later they've left your life forever. Well, I guess not technically left your life forever, you do have contact information but it's not exactly the same thing as being able to sit down and have a face to face conversation with that person like you did for those hours, days or weeks that they were there with you.
When you travel time is not important. You have no set schedule except when you arrive where you are and when you leave the place you are at. Any conversations you have with others are at that point in time, the most important thing in your world. (I have not checked my watch once since I've been here). You forget sometimes that everyone is on their own schedule. Going different directions, off to their next big adventures, and then you look back and sometimes regret that the conversation didn't go on for longer, that you didn't see them as much as you wished you had, and now you can't do much about it but stay in contact as much as possible.
It's a strange existence, travelling, but right now I think it's what I need in my life. I need the anonymity and the ability to adapt to and change in my surroundings, and maybe the restlessness that I have at home will subside a bit, not get rid of it, ever. I will always need that restlessness as a comfort since it's what drives me to encounter new experiences and meet new people from all different backgrounds.
Time goes quickly when you travel, much more quickly than it does at home. And sometimes it seems that even if you had more time it wouldn't be enough to really learn the ins-and-outs of the city you are staying in. I know I haven't learned half as much as I could about Alicante and I don't think I ever will unless I live here for years on end. But it's been a wonderful experience all the same, and I'm definitely looking forward to Madrid.
Anyway, my tangent for today:
It's amazing really how transient travelling by yourself is. The only people who know you exist are the people you make an effort to meet here and then eventually they leave you. It's a life of constant change which is probably good for my restless self, because on some days in the states I wish I could just change everything around, go somewhere new, or pretend, for just a little while to be someone different. I'm sort of like a chameleon that needs change both for my protection and my sense of place in this world.
But I can't seem to get over how odd it is that you can meet someone who completely changes the way you see the world, opens your eyes to something bigger than yourself, and then just a short time later they've left your life forever. Well, I guess not technically left your life forever, you do have contact information but it's not exactly the same thing as being able to sit down and have a face to face conversation with that person like you did for those hours, days or weeks that they were there with you.
When you travel time is not important. You have no set schedule except when you arrive where you are and when you leave the place you are at. Any conversations you have with others are at that point in time, the most important thing in your world. (I have not checked my watch once since I've been here). You forget sometimes that everyone is on their own schedule. Going different directions, off to their next big adventures, and then you look back and sometimes regret that the conversation didn't go on for longer, that you didn't see them as much as you wished you had, and now you can't do much about it but stay in contact as much as possible.
It's a strange existence, travelling, but right now I think it's what I need in my life. I need the anonymity and the ability to adapt to and change in my surroundings, and maybe the restlessness that I have at home will subside a bit, not get rid of it, ever. I will always need that restlessness as a comfort since it's what drives me to encounter new experiences and meet new people from all different backgrounds.
Time goes quickly when you travel, much more quickly than it does at home. And sometimes it seems that even if you had more time it wouldn't be enough to really learn the ins-and-outs of the city you are staying in. I know I haven't learned half as much as I could about Alicante and I don't think I ever will unless I live here for years on end. But it's been a wonderful experience all the same, and I'm definitely looking forward to Madrid.
Until Next Time,
Avery
May 31, 2010
Many updates from the weekend
SATURDAY: VALENCIA, SPAIN
Valencia, Spain. A place I've only read about in books, and today I got to go and see it. Granted I wish I would've been able to spend more time there, it is so beautiful, but it's a place I'll have to come back to later in my lifetime on my own time schedule and soak it all in. The old part of town is gorgeous. The architecture is wonderful and the history is amazing. This city is what I thought all of Spain would be like: winding roads, old buildings just waiting to be explored, and a different undiscovered place around every turn. The description is impossible to write down, that's what pictures are for, but it's a magical place if that makes any sense.
I went with school and took a chartered bus with a bunch of the kids from Florida. We met up at Alicante's Plaza De Toros which was really pretty. I wish we would've had more time there but we had to get on the road since Valencia is 2 hours away from Alicante. The bus ride was wonderful though a little cramped. There wasn't much space between my legs and the seat in front of me but that's okay because window watching was wonderful.
I saw the Spanish country-side for the first time and it was just what I expected to see from the movies: rugged (lots of limestone), with green terrazas for crops and tons of trees. There were old ruins on the side of the road and we passed towns with castles and forts at the highest point in the city (I wish I would've taken pictures).
We arrived in Valencia around 11:30 and the driver let us off at a random corner and then Natalia from school led us on a very short walking tour only an hour and then we were told to go do whatever we wanted.
Valencia, Spain. A place I've only read about in books, and today I got to go and see it. Granted I wish I would've been able to spend more time there, it is so beautiful, but it's a place I'll have to come back to later in my lifetime on my own time schedule and soak it all in. The old part of town is gorgeous. The architecture is wonderful and the history is amazing. This city is what I thought all of Spain would be like: winding roads, old buildings just waiting to be explored, and a different undiscovered place around every turn. The description is impossible to write down, that's what pictures are for, but it's a magical place if that makes any sense.
I went with school and took a chartered bus with a bunch of the kids from Florida. We met up at Alicante's Plaza De Toros which was really pretty. I wish we would've had more time there but we had to get on the road since Valencia is 2 hours away from Alicante. The bus ride was wonderful though a little cramped. There wasn't much space between my legs and the seat in front of me but that's okay because window watching was wonderful.
I saw the Spanish country-side for the first time and it was just what I expected to see from the movies: rugged (lots of limestone), with green terrazas for crops and tons of trees. There were old ruins on the side of the road and we passed towns with castles and forts at the highest point in the city (I wish I would've taken pictures).
We arrived in Valencia around 11:30 and the driver let us off at a random corner and then Natalia from school led us on a very short walking tour only an hour and then we were told to go do whatever we wanted.
Our first stop was at the above picture at La Plaza de Virgen who is the patron saint of Valencia. It was a beautiful place with a fountain and a gorgeous gothic church from the 1700s. We continued walking and ran into an animal rights protest which was kind of cool because it was very peaceful but very noisy. Their catch Phrase was "Espana despierta ya derechas de animales" which means wake up Spain and give animals rights already. It was about animal abuse. We had our bocadillos and saw the train station and were sent on our own. Alexi and I wandered the streets for awhile, and a guy from Florida southern, Digit, (seriously, that's his actual real name) came with us, he's a nice guy. We listened to a guy playing the spanish guitar for awhile before we headed back to the bus at 3.
After we all got back (the professor from Florida Southern was 30 minutes late. SO FRUSTRATING! and pissed off the bus driver too) so we only got to spend a half hour in La Comunitat de artes y Ciencas which is this ultra-modern museum center in Valencia. The buildings are so ridiculously futuristic that you feel like you're on a completely different planet. I could've spent all day taking pictures there. We would've had so much fun if we had had more time. 
We left Valencia around 4 and got back to Alicante at 6. we should've stayed longer but that didn't happen. just have to put it on the life list for later.
SUNDAY: FOOTBOL GAME!
After one last day at Playa San Juan with Concha and Roberto. I came home and went to my first pro-footbol (soccer) game! IT WAS PHENOMONAL! I went with some girls from my class some people from school, and Andrés came with us. We met up at school at 7:30 and walked to the stadium. Andrés jumped the line and got the last tickets for the price of 10 euro. We found 8 seats all together behind the goal and then the game started. It was amazing.
Alicante (Comunitat Valenciana) also known as the Mighty Hercules had a wonderful game. They scored the first goal of the game within the first 20 minutes and the place went nuts! The atmosphere was incredible: take all the sports crowds you've ever been in and add them together and that's what you got at the game. Everyone was yelling and screaming and everyone knew every single lyric to their teams cheers.
Andrés taught us one on the way there. "Alicante tiene tres cosas, que en España son muy famosas, sus playas y sus palmeras y el equipo que es mejor."
Translation: Alicante has three things that in Spain are very famous it's beaches and palm trees and the team that is the best.
It was such a cool experience to go to a footbol (soccer) game in EUROPE! it's definitely a way of life here. Granted, not as much as in Barcelona or Madrid but it was still amazing. Alicante scored four times on the end I was sitting on in the first half, and once on the other end. Albacete scored on a free kick which was a ‘gimme shot’, but I don't blame the ref, I was hoping they'd get something on the board since I felt bad for them.
It was the best experience ever.
TODAY: POCO TRISTE
I woke up a little sad today because I only have five more days left here. I'm definitely going to bawl like a baby when I leave because it's been such a wonderful experience but then it's on to Madrid! By the way, I highly doubt that I'll be updating as regularly in the next month as I don't think that my new host mom has internet since she's 71. But I'll try to update as much as I can. If you want to Skype me do it within the next four days I'll be on. The plan for today is study, study, study. I'm having some issues with subjunctive which is on my test. Wish me luck!
Until Next Time,
Avery
May 28, 2010
Two day update
Yesterday was a wonderful day. I had class and listened to my new professor talk the whole time which I am totally okay with because he is quite handsome so even though we're just learning grammar it is very interesting (a.k.a I zone out and just look at him and am jolted back to reality when he asks me a question) yup, I'm a total girl. It’s definitely not good because subjunctive is tough, oh well an excuse to ask for extra help. haha.
Anyway I had a good day. We went for Tapas with our professors Maya and Andrés (my new prof) The restaurant that we went to was called Lizarran's and what happens here is that the waiters bring out pinxos (pinch-chohs) which is basically just a bunch of appetizers put together by a toothpick. The toothpicks are different sizes which signify different prices: Small, Medium and Large. They don't exactly fill you up so you have to very conscious of how many things you have eaten and keep a mental tally in your head. I had fish, shrimp, chicken nugget, and beef surrounded by breading. It was all really delicious, and a really cool experience.
Carlo, Carlo's friend from Switzerland, Patrick, Lyz, Samuel, and Sullgi from my first class came with us so we hung out with them all night which was great because I've definitely missed having them in class and seeing them every day.
After tapas we went out to a bar where this kid from Florida in my class, Andrew, was playing some Jazz keyboards for one night only. He's a music major and has been playing for 12 years. He's a really annoying person to have in class because he thinks he knows more than the teacher, he totally doesn't, and that just bugs me. As obnoxious as he is though I do have to give the kid props, he can play a mean keyboard but i don't think he'll be making the big-time in this lifetime. The bar that we were in was made to look like an old speakeasy so it was a cool place to go see, sit and pass some time with friend’s in.
After awhile we went to a patio bar. We had some drinks and hung out until 2:30/3 a.m. just sitting, talking and enjoying each other's company. It was fun, and I had a good time. Today was a good day but a little difficult. I had to say my first goodbye to Lyz today. She leaves for Barcelona tomorrow. After Alexi and I were done having some coffee with our class and professor, we gave her a ring and decided to meet up for a coffee because it was too cold to go to the beach. So we met up for coffee in this beautiful outdoor cafe and had some coffee and tea and chatted for awhile. I'm glad we got to spend some time with her before she left. Then we had to say goodbye. It was weird to think that we had gotten so close to her in just two weeks and then had to say goodbye with no plans to meet again in the future.
That's going to be a common occurrence though in the next couple of weeks so I should get used to it. I have her as a friend on Facebook though so it's not like we won't have any contact again whatsoever. It was just really strange. But, as Concha told me tonight after dinner: "Life is like a train in a train station: a continuous cycle of meetings and the only way to truly appreciate them is to live in the moment." She's so smart. I love her.
On the way home Alexi and I got stuck in a thunderstorm so it was a good thing that we had packed for the beach as our towels blocked the rain from us on our walk home. We would've been soaked without them. Of course I found my umbrella that I haven't been able to find for the past week, in the bottom of my beach bag the minute I got home. Oh well, it was an adventure. Tomorrow we go to Valencia with our class! I'm so excited!
Buenas Noches,
Avery
Anyway I had a good day. We went for Tapas with our professors Maya and Andrés (my new prof) The restaurant that we went to was called Lizarran's and what happens here is that the waiters bring out pinxos (pinch-chohs) which is basically just a bunch of appetizers put together by a toothpick. The toothpicks are different sizes which signify different prices: Small, Medium and Large. They don't exactly fill you up so you have to very conscious of how many things you have eaten and keep a mental tally in your head. I had fish, shrimp, chicken nugget, and beef surrounded by breading. It was all really delicious, and a really cool experience.
Carlo, Carlo's friend from Switzerland, Patrick, Lyz, Samuel, and Sullgi from my first class came with us so we hung out with them all night which was great because I've definitely missed having them in class and seeing them every day.
After tapas we went out to a bar where this kid from Florida in my class, Andrew, was playing some Jazz keyboards for one night only. He's a music major and has been playing for 12 years. He's a really annoying person to have in class because he thinks he knows more than the teacher, he totally doesn't, and that just bugs me. As obnoxious as he is though I do have to give the kid props, he can play a mean keyboard but i don't think he'll be making the big-time in this lifetime. The bar that we were in was made to look like an old speakeasy so it was a cool place to go see, sit and pass some time with friend’s in.
After awhile we went to a patio bar. We had some drinks and hung out until 2:30/3 a.m. just sitting, talking and enjoying each other's company. It was fun, and I had a good time. Today was a good day but a little difficult. I had to say my first goodbye to Lyz today. She leaves for Barcelona tomorrow. After Alexi and I were done having some coffee with our class and professor, we gave her a ring and decided to meet up for a coffee because it was too cold to go to the beach. So we met up for coffee in this beautiful outdoor cafe and had some coffee and tea and chatted for awhile. I'm glad we got to spend some time with her before she left. Then we had to say goodbye. It was weird to think that we had gotten so close to her in just two weeks and then had to say goodbye with no plans to meet again in the future.
That's going to be a common occurrence though in the next couple of weeks so I should get used to it. I have her as a friend on Facebook though so it's not like we won't have any contact again whatsoever. It was just really strange. But, as Concha told me tonight after dinner: "Life is like a train in a train station: a continuous cycle of meetings and the only way to truly appreciate them is to live in the moment." She's so smart. I love her.
On the way home Alexi and I got stuck in a thunderstorm so it was a good thing that we had packed for the beach as our towels blocked the rain from us on our walk home. We would've been soaked without them. Of course I found my umbrella that I haven't been able to find for the past week, in the bottom of my beach bag the minute I got home. Oh well, it was an adventure. Tomorrow we go to Valencia with our class! I'm so excited!
Buenas Noches,
Avery
May 26, 2010
Today was a good day for the most part. I felt like looking cute today so I broke out my new skirt and the stilettos I bought from Blanco earlier in the month. Yeah, now my feet definitely hate me I have way too many blisters. I'm wearing tennis shoes for the rest of the week I really don't care what the spanish think of my shoes right now.
For our excursion for school today we went to El Museo de Hogueras. Hogueras are huge floats that artists in Alicante spend a whole year working on. They are brought out and shown in the streets of Valencia and Alicante during the Fiesta de San Juan in late June. They are exquisite like the one pictured below:
For our excursion for school today we went to El Museo de Hogueras. Hogueras are huge floats that artists in Alicante spend a whole year working on. They are brought out and shown in the streets of Valencia and Alicante during the Fiesta de San Juan in late June. They are exquisite like the one pictured below:
The night after the huge parade they burn them all, except for one, which finds a permanent home in the museum that we went to today. They put a scaled-down model in the museum of course because The real ones are 2 stories tall! How crazy is that?
They are all so gorgeous. I'm working on getting more onto my flickr account since there's limited space in my facebook album and I want to try and keep all the Alicante experiences together because I'm sort of OCD about pictures.
This weekend is looking like it's going to be a lot of fun. You might not hear from me for a few days because I've got tons of cool events coming up.
Tomorrow the students at my school are getting tapas with a couple of the professors: Maya and Andrés.
Friday I'll probably go out with some friends, or if that doesn't happen I'm going on a field trip with Concha to Elche I believe.
Saturday I go to Valencia with school
Sunday I'm going to go watch my first european style pro-football game! Alicante's team is playing this weekend, and we'll be going with our new class. I guess they're not that awesome but that's okay. I'm still excited you have no idea! It's supposed to be a major event too because if Alicante wins I guess they move up a class/level/division deal from 3rd to 2nd. (I don't quite understand why but that's what I got from class)
So it looks like the weekend will be a wonderful end to a very long and difficult week. I'll try and write soon.
My credit card works again! :)
Until Next Time,
Avery
May 25, 2010
Better day
The day started out pretty horribly. My phone couldn't reach my card company to see what was wrong with it, then I didn't have anymore minutes on my phone after those calls, my drawer fell on my foot, and the shower was cold.
But after I went and bought my TRAIN TICKET to Madrid in person at the station and used all spanish it got better.
We had a wonderful lunch and then went to class.
In class we learned more subjunctive and overall I understood it.
Then on the way home I found a gift for my dad, which has been nearly impossible as he already has everything. A man was sitting on the sidewalk of Maissonnave (the shopping district), he was an older man, and looked homeless and was making these beautiful things in the middle of the sidewalk. It was amazing. I was so impressed, but I'm not going to tell you what it was because then it will spoil the surprise for my dad, because I'm sure he has spies here. lol.
Then we had a lovely dinner, and I talked with Concha for awhile about life in general. And asked her for tips about what to do in Madrid as she's lived there before and I got a whole notebook page of information.
Now I'm watching a spanish soap opera with Roberto. It's quite interesting.
Until Next Time,
Avery
But after I went and bought my TRAIN TICKET to Madrid in person at the station and used all spanish it got better.
We had a wonderful lunch and then went to class.
In class we learned more subjunctive and overall I understood it.
Then on the way home I found a gift for my dad, which has been nearly impossible as he already has everything. A man was sitting on the sidewalk of Maissonnave (the shopping district), he was an older man, and looked homeless and was making these beautiful things in the middle of the sidewalk. It was amazing. I was so impressed, but I'm not going to tell you what it was because then it will spoil the surprise for my dad, because I'm sure he has spies here. lol.
Then we had a lovely dinner, and I talked with Concha for awhile about life in general. And asked her for tips about what to do in Madrid as she's lived there before and I got a whole notebook page of information.
Now I'm watching a spanish soap opera with Roberto. It's quite interesting.
Until Next Time,
Avery
May 24, 2010
not a good day...
I Started my new classes today. We're learning subjunctive in this one and it'll be a challenge because I've learned it only briefly before. Though I'd rather be in this class than bored out of my mind in the other one.
I hate my credit card, I tried buying my train ticket to Madrid online again, that's 4 times now and it won't let me do it. I don't get it and it's bugging the hell out of me. It's not like they don't know I'm here! Tomorrow I'm going to go and buy it in person. hopefully the damn thing works there. UGH!
Anyway. I'm cranky, and hungry, and I need to go to bed early tonight since my new classes don't let me take a siesta. And I sound like a spoiled brat but it's just been a long day.
I am having fun I'm just frustrated and tired.
On the plus side I caught myself thinking in spanish while I was walking to school today without even realizing I was doing it. Unfortunately after I realized I was thinking in spanish it just became difficult to keep it going. But that's a good sign! : )
Until next time,
Avery
I hate my credit card, I tried buying my train ticket to Madrid online again, that's 4 times now and it won't let me do it. I don't get it and it's bugging the hell out of me. It's not like they don't know I'm here! Tomorrow I'm going to go and buy it in person. hopefully the damn thing works there. UGH!
Anyway. I'm cranky, and hungry, and I need to go to bed early tonight since my new classes don't let me take a siesta. And I sound like a spoiled brat but it's just been a long day.
I am having fun I'm just frustrated and tired.
On the plus side I caught myself thinking in spanish while I was walking to school today without even realizing I was doing it. Unfortunately after I realized I was thinking in spanish it just became difficult to keep it going. But that's a good sign! : )
Until next time,
Avery
May 23, 2010
A book for today...
THURSDAY: Flying solo
I had a pretty chill day today but I needed it. People in general seemed to be getting on my nerves today so I took a walk by myself down to the explanada. Concha was so cute, as I was leaving she said, "quieres un helado por su paseo." I think she knew people were annoying me. My walk took about an hour and I decided that I need to take one at least every other day because I definitely need a mental break, and this way I can discover the city the way I want to, on my own time.
After my walk Kadijha a.k.a Luna. The former student that Concha had stay here about three years ago and now has a job/internship at the hotel around the corner was over. We ended up watching a movie with Concha and Roberto.
We were going to go out with Carlo for a bit tonight but he did not let us know his plans until 10:30 and didn't want to head out until 11:30/12 so we just went to bed.
FRIDAY: Out and about
We went to Playa Postiguet today with a friend from class, Lyz, she's from Vancouver and she was new this week. We stayed there for a couple of hours talking, hanging out, and watching some volleyball players. The team that was really bad got their butts kicked by the team they were playing. It was quite entertaining. Lyz and Alexi took a nap later so I wrote some postcards, and got a call from my dad telling me that he had escaped the hospital.
We came back home after that and had some dinner. Then we took a two hour nap and woke up at midnight to leave the house by 12:30 a.m. to get to Las Ramblas and meet up with Carlo and Lyz. There were so many people there. I know it shouldn't have surprised me but it totally did. Everywhere you looked there were people: coming out of bars/clubs, going into them, leaving apartments and people trying to get you to their particular bar and everyone was just sitting outside at the patios it felt like the whole world was there.
Carlo had had some drinks with his roommates before he met up with us and he was so funny. He was like a 5-year-old at an amusement park. He was super excited we had come out with him. Since he's Mr. Nightlife as he lives right near the Ramblas and has been there for longer than we had he was our tour guide.
The first bar we went to was Mulligan's, an Irish pub. Sangria was free for the girls so we had a glass. The bar was small but nice and the dance floor area in the back left a lot to be desired but it was fun to people watch.
Later we grabbed a table outside of another bar and we all ordered beers. Yes Miss Kristy Bendickson no fruity drink for me, the world just stopped turning for you I know. After the sangria it wasn't that bad actually. haha.
After this Carlo took us to a bar called Carpe Diem. It's a little dive bar in a back alleyway of the ramblas. The place had been turned into a club style area which wasn't very effective as it was super super small. There was definitely not enough room for everyone, I'm pretty sure that some fire codes were broken but that's okay. When in Spain...
We decided to leave around 3:00 since we all had to get up the next morning to go to Altea with school. Some guys tried to split the girls up as we were leaving by asking to dance with us but we all wanted to go so maybe we'll see them some other night. (they were kind of shady anyway)
Alexi and I got back around 3:30 which is early in Spain. This was confirmed when Concha asked us when we got back and she said "temprano eh?" Well they know how to party.
And don't worry mom, the streets around Alicante are really well-lit so we were super safe.
I fell asleep around 4 and was up and getting ready to go to Altea by 8:30. I was so tired but it was a fun night, definitely worth it.
SATURDAY: Altea Bound
We met up with the rest of the group around 10:00 a.m. and then we went to the tranvia station and the school bought our tickets to Altea. YAY FREE STUFF! Isabel was the only professor that came with us, but I love her so it was a great time. We hung out with her and the rest of our class that went there that same day. Samuel and Sgulli from Korea, Lyz, and Carlo and a friend of his that speaks german with him all the time.
The tranvia ride took about two hours. It was super long but a local guy who definitely had the hots for Isabel talked with most of us the whole time. It was fun to see him try.
After the bus-ride I found the place that I want to live in my next life: Altea, Spain. I would in this life but I definately can't go from cosmopolitan to a little tourist town/fishing village 2 hours from the nearest large city.
There's not much to do and the life of a fisherman/restaurant owner just wouldn't fit my style but I understand why someone would choose it because if you can live in a gemstone city like that the rest of life would be worth it.
White houses, red roofs, flowers of every shape, size and color seeming to bloom out of nowhere, all against the backdrop of turquoise blue water. Now that's my version of Paradise. Beautiful. Breathtaking. Peaceful. It's a very inspiring place. I see why there's an art school there. There are so many beautiful things to take pictures of. I was super exhausted tonight, so I didn't go out but that's for next week.
TODAY: Playa San Juan all day today with Concha and Roberto. it was nice and relaxing. I switch classes tomorrow so it should be an interesting day.
Told you I'd write a book!
I had a pretty chill day today but I needed it. People in general seemed to be getting on my nerves today so I took a walk by myself down to the explanada. Concha was so cute, as I was leaving she said, "quieres un helado por su paseo." I think she knew people were annoying me. My walk took about an hour and I decided that I need to take one at least every other day because I definitely need a mental break, and this way I can discover the city the way I want to, on my own time.
After my walk Kadijha a.k.a Luna. The former student that Concha had stay here about three years ago and now has a job/internship at the hotel around the corner was over. We ended up watching a movie with Concha and Roberto.
We were going to go out with Carlo for a bit tonight but he did not let us know his plans until 10:30 and didn't want to head out until 11:30/12 so we just went to bed.
FRIDAY: Out and about
We went to Playa Postiguet today with a friend from class, Lyz, she's from Vancouver and she was new this week. We stayed there for a couple of hours talking, hanging out, and watching some volleyball players. The team that was really bad got their butts kicked by the team they were playing. It was quite entertaining. Lyz and Alexi took a nap later so I wrote some postcards, and got a call from my dad telling me that he had escaped the hospital.
We came back home after that and had some dinner. Then we took a two hour nap and woke up at midnight to leave the house by 12:30 a.m. to get to Las Ramblas and meet up with Carlo and Lyz. There were so many people there. I know it shouldn't have surprised me but it totally did. Everywhere you looked there were people: coming out of bars/clubs, going into them, leaving apartments and people trying to get you to their particular bar and everyone was just sitting outside at the patios it felt like the whole world was there.
Carlo had had some drinks with his roommates before he met up with us and he was so funny. He was like a 5-year-old at an amusement park. He was super excited we had come out with him. Since he's Mr. Nightlife as he lives right near the Ramblas and has been there for longer than we had he was our tour guide.
The first bar we went to was Mulligan's, an Irish pub. Sangria was free for the girls so we had a glass. The bar was small but nice and the dance floor area in the back left a lot to be desired but it was fun to people watch.
Later we grabbed a table outside of another bar and we all ordered beers. Yes Miss Kristy Bendickson no fruity drink for me, the world just stopped turning for you I know. After the sangria it wasn't that bad actually. haha.
After this Carlo took us to a bar called Carpe Diem. It's a little dive bar in a back alleyway of the ramblas. The place had been turned into a club style area which wasn't very effective as it was super super small. There was definitely not enough room for everyone, I'm pretty sure that some fire codes were broken but that's okay. When in Spain...
We decided to leave around 3:00 since we all had to get up the next morning to go to Altea with school. Some guys tried to split the girls up as we were leaving by asking to dance with us but we all wanted to go so maybe we'll see them some other night. (they were kind of shady anyway)
Alexi and I got back around 3:30 which is early in Spain. This was confirmed when Concha asked us when we got back and she said "temprano eh?" Well they know how to party.
And don't worry mom, the streets around Alicante are really well-lit so we were super safe.
I fell asleep around 4 and was up and getting ready to go to Altea by 8:30. I was so tired but it was a fun night, definitely worth it.
SATURDAY: Altea Bound
We met up with the rest of the group around 10:00 a.m. and then we went to the tranvia station and the school bought our tickets to Altea. YAY FREE STUFF! Isabel was the only professor that came with us, but I love her so it was a great time. We hung out with her and the rest of our class that went there that same day. Samuel and Sgulli from Korea, Lyz, and Carlo and a friend of his that speaks german with him all the time.
The tranvia ride took about two hours. It was super long but a local guy who definitely had the hots for Isabel talked with most of us the whole time. It was fun to see him try.
After the bus-ride I found the place that I want to live in my next life: Altea, Spain. I would in this life but I definately can't go from cosmopolitan to a little tourist town/fishing village 2 hours from the nearest large city.
There's not much to do and the life of a fisherman/restaurant owner just wouldn't fit my style but I understand why someone would choose it because if you can live in a gemstone city like that the rest of life would be worth it.
White houses, red roofs, flowers of every shape, size and color seeming to bloom out of nowhere, all against the backdrop of turquoise blue water. Now that's my version of Paradise. Beautiful. Breathtaking. Peaceful. It's a very inspiring place. I see why there's an art school there. There are so many beautiful things to take pictures of. I was super exhausted tonight, so I didn't go out but that's for next week.
TODAY: Playa San Juan all day today with Concha and Roberto. it was nice and relaxing. I switch classes tomorrow so it should be an interesting day.
Told you I'd write a book!
Until Next Time,
Avery
May 22, 2010
May 19, 2010
Life is sweet in Spain again
Today was much better than yesterday. Surgeries went well on the other side of the pond and I polished up on the preterite and imperfect in class. I slept well last night, and I think I might've had a dream that was partly in Spanish which is good because it means I'm learning more and more of the language.
Classes were shortened today because we went to El Museo Arquelogico or El Marq this afternoon with school. The walk to get there was brutal but I think it was worth it.
El Marq used to be an old hospital but was then converted into a museum in 2002. In 2006 it won an award for the best museum in Europe which I definitely agree with. It was really cool. There were a ton of interactive exhibits for people to go to which was great for kids and fed my inner history geekoid. I'm a sucker for being able to interact with history.
At El Marq there are two exhibits. One exhibit is a permanent exhibit about the history of Alicante. The other changes a lot. The one that changes is about the mummies right now. It would've been cool to see but I felt that it would be more important for me to learn more about the history of the place where I'm at. If I really want to see the mummies I have 2 more weeks here. Wow, that went super fast.
I learned a lot about prehistoric times, the Iberians, the Roman takeover of Alicante, and the clash between the Christians and Moors. The professor, Beten, that taught about the clash between the Christians and Moors in one of the optional classes I've been to was our own private tour guide, and she knew a lot of stuff so I learned loads of information. It was awesome.
After the museum Alexi and I went for drinks at a bar with Carlo and Lyz. We had a fun time hanging out and chatting and then we came home and had a wonderful spanish dinner at Concha's house.
Life is sweet in Spain again.
Until next time,
Avery
Classes were shortened today because we went to El Museo Arquelogico or El Marq this afternoon with school. The walk to get there was brutal but I think it was worth it.
El Marq used to be an old hospital but was then converted into a museum in 2002. In 2006 it won an award for the best museum in Europe which I definitely agree with. It was really cool. There were a ton of interactive exhibits for people to go to which was great for kids and fed my inner history geekoid. I'm a sucker for being able to interact with history.
At El Marq there are two exhibits. One exhibit is a permanent exhibit about the history of Alicante. The other changes a lot. The one that changes is about the mummies right now. It would've been cool to see but I felt that it would be more important for me to learn more about the history of the place where I'm at. If I really want to see the mummies I have 2 more weeks here. Wow, that went super fast.
I learned a lot about prehistoric times, the Iberians, the Roman takeover of Alicante, and the clash between the Christians and Moors. The professor, Beten, that taught about the clash between the Christians and Moors in one of the optional classes I've been to was our own private tour guide, and she knew a lot of stuff so I learned loads of information. It was awesome.
After the museum Alexi and I went for drinks at a bar with Carlo and Lyz. We had a fun time hanging out and chatting and then we came home and had a wonderful spanish dinner at Concha's house.
Life is sweet in Spain again.
Until next time,
Avery
May 18, 2010
The time difference has never sucked so much
Today has been a difficult day.
I didn't sleep well last night because my brain wouldn't shut up, and just as I was falling asleep buses started to drive by constantly. It was frustrating. Because of a lack of sleep I couldn't concentrate in class, and had some trouble speaking. My mind was also elsewhere because my aunt and my dad are both having surgery today and I won't know anything from my mom until probably tomorrow because she won't want to call me at 2 a.m. my time. Then one of my homework assignments was to think about a person in your family, and write about them. The first person I thought of was my Grandma Novak, and those of you that know me, or know her, know that that is always a tough subject. (she has Alzheimer's) so homework was a bummer.
But despite all the difficulties it's been a good day. Alexi and I didn't go to the beach, but we met a new person today. She's super sweet, and she used to be a boarder here at Concha's house about three years ago. She was learning spanish as well. It's horrible that I didn't catch her name but her nickname that Roberto has for her is Luna. She's super nice and we sat with Concha and Roberto and chatted with her for awhile in spanish of course. She's from France and now she works here in Alicante at a hotel around the corner.
We took a walk around the city for awhile after we chatted. Roberto helped us find the train station where we'll buy our tickets to Madrid in a few days. And then he took all three of us: Alexi, Luna and I through the streets of Las Ramblas.
This is where I really realized that I was homesick because as we were turning a corner I heard the faint strains of a familiar song being played by a street musician. I couldn't quite place it at first, and I still can't remember the title but I do know that it was a choir song I sang with one of my women's choirs. It's in latin. It took me by surprise and socked me in the gut. I literally gasped when I heard it, and had to keep myself from crying. Luna asked me what was wrong and I said "Nada, solomente me encanto este canción" We followed the music and a man was sitting on the street corner playing a cello. It was the most beautiful sound I have heard in a while. As we walked past the song followed me until I couldn't hear it anymore. I think it was a sign telling me that everything is going to be fine and tomorrow will be a better day.
I love and miss you all!
until next time.
Avery
I didn't sleep well last night because my brain wouldn't shut up, and just as I was falling asleep buses started to drive by constantly. It was frustrating. Because of a lack of sleep I couldn't concentrate in class, and had some trouble speaking. My mind was also elsewhere because my aunt and my dad are both having surgery today and I won't know anything from my mom until probably tomorrow because she won't want to call me at 2 a.m. my time. Then one of my homework assignments was to think about a person in your family, and write about them. The first person I thought of was my Grandma Novak, and those of you that know me, or know her, know that that is always a tough subject. (she has Alzheimer's) so homework was a bummer.
But despite all the difficulties it's been a good day. Alexi and I didn't go to the beach, but we met a new person today. She's super sweet, and she used to be a boarder here at Concha's house about three years ago. She was learning spanish as well. It's horrible that I didn't catch her name but her nickname that Roberto has for her is Luna. She's super nice and we sat with Concha and Roberto and chatted with her for awhile in spanish of course. She's from France and now she works here in Alicante at a hotel around the corner.
We took a walk around the city for awhile after we chatted. Roberto helped us find the train station where we'll buy our tickets to Madrid in a few days. And then he took all three of us: Alexi, Luna and I through the streets of Las Ramblas.
This is where I really realized that I was homesick because as we were turning a corner I heard the faint strains of a familiar song being played by a street musician. I couldn't quite place it at first, and I still can't remember the title but I do know that it was a choir song I sang with one of my women's choirs. It's in latin. It took me by surprise and socked me in the gut. I literally gasped when I heard it, and had to keep myself from crying. Luna asked me what was wrong and I said "Nada, solomente me encanto este canción" We followed the music and a man was sitting on the street corner playing a cello. It was the most beautiful sound I have heard in a while. As we walked past the song followed me until I couldn't hear it anymore. I think it was a sign telling me that everything is going to be fine and tomorrow will be a better day.
I love and miss you all!
until next time.
Avery
May 17, 2010
My Host Family
Today has been a pretty chill day. No new adventures to write about. I basically went to class, came home, had lunch, took a nap and worked on my homework. We may go out later, we may not, it's all still kind of up in the air. The only new thing is that there is a new person in our class from Canada, her name is Lyz she's from Toronto, she's nice and she's here for a couple of weeks so Alexi and I got her info, and hopefully we'll get together with her soon.
So, today I'm going to write about my host family here in Alicante, since I always mention them in passing but you all don't know much about them except their names.
Concha is my señora. She is a lovely person and her house has so many beautiful things in it. Her house takes a lot of inspiration from India as she did some mission work there when she was about my age with church. She absolutely adores everything about indian culture. There are statues of Buddha in her entryway and pictures of hindu gods on the wall. She also combines her Christian, Buddhist, and Hindu beliefs into a really cool mix of religious ideology. She burns incense daily, she plays chanting music at night, and she works with her church to help people who can't help themselves by running errands for the elderly. She has done mission work with her church in Africa and India. She lived in Madrid for some time, and has travelled to New York and Canada with her family.
She loves color. Her walls are pink, blue, purple, and terra-cotta, and her house has many precious and beautiful things. She loves shoes, and she cooks well. I think I've eaten more vegetables here than I ever had in my entire life, and it sometimes gets old, but overall the food is delicious. Plus, it's 'free'. Yay not having to pay for meals here!
She is the chatterbox of her family. She can sit and talk with Alexi and I for hours, and not let us get a word in edge-wise but she speaks with a really cool lilty tone in her voice and I don't mind listening to it.
The only thing that's a little annoying about her is that she is all about the body healing itself, and how your mental state can impact your health. I respect it, and some of the stuff she's taught me is legit, but she's very mind-body-spirit concious and she diagnoses problems that I really don't have. Alexi's more of her favorite target because she knows she's an insomniac so she tries to find "soluciones naturales" to her ailments. She kind of yelled at me the other day when I took some Motrin for a headache I'd had for most of the day saying "you don't need pills, pills are bad for you. I'll fix it with this cream" and proceeded to put some stuff on my head. So, my meds have been hidden well in our room and we just won't tell her that we're taking them when we need them.
I think she's kind of psychic because when she does talk to us after dinner she seems like she's been in my head all day because she addresses stuff that I've been worried about without me saying anything. It's kind of creepy but I've learned a lot about myself from her.
Roberto is a completely different kind of person than Concha. He's pretty shy and quiet and it's hard for me to get a read off of him. He doesn't say much but when he does talk he talks a lot. He's an IT guy so he knows a lot about computers and mostly keeps himself to himself.
When I have hung out with him and talked to him it's always been fun. And he's pretty funny once he gets comfortable with you.
He's a product of Spanish chivalry. He holds doors open for you, and says you look pretty all the time, and he gives you compliments all the time. He might swell my head before I leave but I doubt it. When Alexi and I came home after the movie with his friends he walked with us though we told him that he should go and have fun since they only had room for five in their car and were going to a different city to hang out. I felt really bad but he seemed completely content to do that. It kind of blew my mind.
I think the American boys should take some lessons from the Spanish.
We have yet to meet Mario but I doubt that we will as he lives in Curacao. He's a graphic designer and he works for a magazine in Spain. He calls his mom at least once a day and from what Concha has told us about him he sounds like he would be a lot of fun. Concha said that "Cuándo Mario entra un cuarto es como un terremoto es allá" which translates to when Mario walks into a room it's like an earthquake is there. Apparently he hugs everyone and spreads the love.
He told Roberto and Concha that he wanted a picture of all of us so he could feel like he was here. I think the job in Curacao is new and he probably misses home.
So that's my host family.
They're pretty cool and I'm a pretty lucky girl.
Until next time,
Avery
So, today I'm going to write about my host family here in Alicante, since I always mention them in passing but you all don't know much about them except their names.
Concha is my señora. She is a lovely person and her house has so many beautiful things in it. Her house takes a lot of inspiration from India as she did some mission work there when she was about my age with church. She absolutely adores everything about indian culture. There are statues of Buddha in her entryway and pictures of hindu gods on the wall. She also combines her Christian, Buddhist, and Hindu beliefs into a really cool mix of religious ideology. She burns incense daily, she plays chanting music at night, and she works with her church to help people who can't help themselves by running errands for the elderly. She has done mission work with her church in Africa and India. She lived in Madrid for some time, and has travelled to New York and Canada with her family.
She loves color. Her walls are pink, blue, purple, and terra-cotta, and her house has many precious and beautiful things. She loves shoes, and she cooks well. I think I've eaten more vegetables here than I ever had in my entire life, and it sometimes gets old, but overall the food is delicious. Plus, it's 'free'. Yay not having to pay for meals here!
She is the chatterbox of her family. She can sit and talk with Alexi and I for hours, and not let us get a word in edge-wise but she speaks with a really cool lilty tone in her voice and I don't mind listening to it.
The only thing that's a little annoying about her is that she is all about the body healing itself, and how your mental state can impact your health. I respect it, and some of the stuff she's taught me is legit, but she's very mind-body-spirit concious and she diagnoses problems that I really don't have. Alexi's more of her favorite target because she knows she's an insomniac so she tries to find "soluciones naturales" to her ailments. She kind of yelled at me the other day when I took some Motrin for a headache I'd had for most of the day saying "you don't need pills, pills are bad for you. I'll fix it with this cream" and proceeded to put some stuff on my head. So, my meds have been hidden well in our room and we just won't tell her that we're taking them when we need them.
I think she's kind of psychic because when she does talk to us after dinner she seems like she's been in my head all day because she addresses stuff that I've been worried about without me saying anything. It's kind of creepy but I've learned a lot about myself from her.
Roberto is a completely different kind of person than Concha. He's pretty shy and quiet and it's hard for me to get a read off of him. He doesn't say much but when he does talk he talks a lot. He's an IT guy so he knows a lot about computers and mostly keeps himself to himself.
When I have hung out with him and talked to him it's always been fun. And he's pretty funny once he gets comfortable with you.
He's a product of Spanish chivalry. He holds doors open for you, and says you look pretty all the time, and he gives you compliments all the time. He might swell my head before I leave but I doubt it. When Alexi and I came home after the movie with his friends he walked with us though we told him that he should go and have fun since they only had room for five in their car and were going to a different city to hang out. I felt really bad but he seemed completely content to do that. It kind of blew my mind.
I think the American boys should take some lessons from the Spanish.
We have yet to meet Mario but I doubt that we will as he lives in Curacao. He's a graphic designer and he works for a magazine in Spain. He calls his mom at least once a day and from what Concha has told us about him he sounds like he would be a lot of fun. Concha said that "Cuándo Mario entra un cuarto es como un terremoto es allá" which translates to when Mario walks into a room it's like an earthquake is there. Apparently he hugs everyone and spreads the love.
He told Roberto and Concha that he wanted a picture of all of us so he could feel like he was here. I think the job in Curacao is new and he probably misses home.
So that's my host family.
They're pretty cool and I'm a pretty lucky girl.
Until next time,
Avery
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)