España Wins!

Tuesday, July 29
1:14am

Hola!

Viva España! We beat Portugal tonight 1-0. Portugal is the third best team in the world. I believe Spain is the second best. A few friends and I found a local bar, had some tapas, and enjoyed the game. Spain had plenty of shots on goal during the game, however only one fell in. The team looked good, though. They play Paraguay on Saturday at 8:30pm (1:30pm your time).

Tonight Melanie, Julia, and I went to the theater for the midnight showing of the Twilight Eclipse movie… Too bad the theater was closed and the movie cannot show here until it premiers in the US. At least we know the bus system a bit better now, right?

I am thoroughly enjoying my classes this semester. I am learning about the government system in Spain, geography, and important festivals here. We also have a 5 page, 1.5 spaced paper (not double space, sad day) the last day of class. Each person has a different topic. My topic is tourism. I believe I can write from many different points of view and speak with the local restaurants and bars, my host family, teachers at the school, and even a travel agent - I think I know someone who could help me. J

In Commercial Spanish, I feel that it is a different version of a conversation class. The teacher is approachable but corrects us when we mispronounce words or use them incorrectly. In English we may say, you need to see the Sears Tower when you are in Chicago. However, in Spanish, need is only used when it is vital. You would say something like, you ought to see the Sears Tower, or I recommend highly you see it.

Heading to bed!
Buenas Noches

Kristina

First Day of School - 2nd part

12:23pm
Monday, July 28

First day of classes in second month

Hola chicos!

Today was my first day of class in the second part of the program. In Civilization we are learning about the history and culture of Spain from the findings of Homo sapiens at the cave of Altamira to today. The class consists of much information packed into 16 days of class. Also I am taking a Spanish commercial class in which I learn the lingo of the business world. Many commercial words came from the English language and are thus very similar. Marketing = Marketing and Administración = Administration

We took the public bus for the first time to and from school. Since we have 22 people in our group, compared to 60, we no longer have the private bus. It takes about 40 minutes to get to school now, in comparison to 30 before. I enjoyed using the bus, and we actually met a few people from Ohio as well by exploring the public transportation.

Today I had a Spanish conversation partner. Due to the private donation to the program, we have conversation partners available for anyone who is interested in talking to natives for two hours in the afternoon. They are about 25 years old and live an hour from here. One of the girls I spoke with today loves Paris. She told me a few things that I have to do when I visit, such as take a boat tour from the Eiffel tower that will give me a view of the city in addition to Notre Dame. We are going to visit the city of our conversation partners this week to see another part of Spain and understand their culture. Today we just met at a local café.

After the conversation partners, I went for my second run here. I cannot explain my feelings of contentment once I ran. It is extremely hot here from 3 to 5 (noon heat in the US). I was a bit nervous about the heat, however, we I ran about 8:30pm, the skies became overcast and a short rain came. Ten minutes later, the temperature dropped 5 degrees Celsius. It was the perfect weather to run, as many other people had the same idea. I ran for about 35 minutes in the park close by. It is a beautiful scene with mountains to the left and children playing to the right.

Due to all of our walking, my feet need a pedicure pronto. I am on the look out for a ped-egg in Spain.. wish me luck! I think I’m going to wear tennis shoes for a few days.

Tomorrow at 8:30pm (1:30pm your time), Spain plays Portugal in the World Cup. The US lost against Ghana this weekend, so you should now show your support to Spain ☺. I look forward to watching the game and donning my new Spain apparel singing “A por ellos, ole” – all for them, oye – this is the theme song for the team.

Also, here the large birthday is 18. At this birthday you can drive, smoke, and drink. It is all in one birthday. Wahoo!

Heading to bed with a full day tomorrow.

Buenas noches,
Kristina

Photos of Trip (cont'd from post below)

Gardens of the Palace in Segovia



Body of water Columbus traveled to reach the Americas



Christopher Columbus' body in Cathedral of Seville

Seville & Cordoba

Sunday, June 27
6:37pm

Photos

- Mosque/Cathedral in Cordoba

- Panorama view of Cordoba

- Our Hotel in Cordoba

- La Mancha - Don Quixote


Andulucía Viaje (Andalusia trip)

Hola chicos!

Just returned “home” from a weekend in Andalusia, a territory in southern Spain. We visited Sevilla (Seville) and Cordoba. These two cities fulfill the stereotypes of Spain. Sevilla is home to the most famous bull-fighting ring in Spain, if not the world, in addition to being the heart of Flamenco dancing. We saw authentic, non-touristy Flamenco dancing in Cordoba, the famous mezquita (Mosque on outer rim, cathedral in the center). I will attach a video to the blog for you to see this amazing phenomena.

We left on Friday morning at 8:00am and had a 6-hour drive to Seville. We stopped at the city of La Mancha on our way, which is popular due to the book by Cervantes, Don Quixote. After we arrived in Seville, we placed our belongings in our 4 star hotel and toured the city. Las Sirpientes (not sure on spelling here) is a world famous street of shopping. We browsed, had some gelato, and enjoyed the narrow streets of the town. I fell in love with Seville and hope to return one day. I took a picture in front of the famous bull-fighting stadium and crossed over the river Columbus sailed to find the Americas.

The next morning we visited the renowned Cathedral in Seville. Christopher Columbus and his son are buried here. In addition, the cathedral is home to the largest alter in the world! After the tour we did a bit of shopping where I finally bought some guy gifts and had a great lunch at a local restaurant.

Many places have a “menu del día” or menu of the day. This includes a drink, bread, an appetizer, main plate, and dessert or coffee. We ordered vino blanco (white wine), paella, chicken, and café con leche (coffee with milk). After eating bread and rice, we began feeling a bit funny. We had only one glass of wine, but it was strong! I told my host family tonight at dinner that I had a glass of wine that was too strong . Mi padre quickly corrected me saying there is no such thing as a wine that is too strong and that this was just a sign of a good wine. I couldn’t help but laugh! If every wine were this potent, many people would save money on their bill.

We then hopped on our 70-person bus with no bathrooms to travel to Cordoba. Cordoba has much of the same atmosphere as Seville but without all the tourists. Since hotels that can hold 60 people are hard to come by, we descended to a 2 or 3 star hotel here. Our room had an interesting stint, a flat screen TV with no way to change the channel, and a roof view. We were lucky in that the air condition worked extremely well and we never had to use our hand-painted fans to find comfort.

NOTE: Hotels in Europe are extremely energy efficient. After 5 minutes of failing to be able to turn on a ceiling light or lamp, we realized our hotel key had to be placed in a holder next to the door in order for electricity to function. This brilliant idea, yet sometimes inconvenient, keeps lights and AC off when guests not present in the room. In addition, in order to use the hair dryer I held down a button the whole time. I guess they had a challenge with people keeping the hair dryer going on at night… Nonetheless, I appreciate the economic consciousness of Europe, and as I adjust to this culture, I want more to have a vacation home here… Maybe one day a second casa 8 hours away will be feasible.

Last night we attended a Flamenco dancing event. We are gracious for the private donation to this program where we were able to take the group to this event, free of charge to us. It took place in a courtyard outdoors with about 150 white fabric covered chairs placed everywhere. Waiters served you drinks as we marveled at the art of this sensual artistic dance. The women’s costumes consisted of long curve fitting dresses with ruffles at the bottom and tap dancing shoes. Men wore dress pants and a button up. At the second half of the show, a guy with long curly hair came on stage to dance. He only became more attractive as the show progressed, as anyone who can dance can woo my heart… J. In addition, not only were the dancers magnificent, the guitar players can move their hands and create sounds I have never heard before. Singers accompanied them with songs resembling what I would imagine as a morning song for those in worship. You can also think of Lion King with the whole, awoooooo akebahh. I hope this provides some auditory example.

This morning we visited the famous Mezquita (mosque) of Cordoba. The mosque, built in the ninth century, is one of the world’s must see sites with vivid expression of both the Muslim and Catholic cultures. During the Inquisition, when the Church slowly took over Spain, the mosque was to be changed into a cathedral. In order to keep the history and magnificence of the mudéjar (Muslim) style and significance, the outer of the mosque remain untouched and the cathedral was built only in the center. The wall facing the Mecca still stands in great condition on the far side of the building. The Muslims built horizontally and thus the building has a large land area. Catholics built vertically and so the center of the building is taller with high, decorative ceilings and gold covered sculptures.

After the visit to the Mezquita, we walked across a bridge that provided a panorama view of the city’s architecture. Cordoba is a beautiful city with a laid back lifestyle. Restaurant service is leisurely and enjoyment of life is top priority. While we waited for our food, that never came, we noticed women and men of all ages dressed as if they were about to attend a high school prom. Long dresses, hair styles from the beauty shop, and tuxes with tales lined the streets. When we asked our waiter the occasion, as we all felt very under dressed in our outfits from H&M, we found out this is the proper dress for weddings. Can you imagine going to the beauty parlor and buying a $100 dress for every wedding you attended… If I take up this tradition in the US, whenever I do get married, the attendance list and thus price of the wedding may reduce significantly... Mom & Dad would like this, right?

We arrived home today around 5:00pm. I went to church at the local cathedral and then uploaded pictures from the trip to Facebook. Heading to bed and going to catch up on some sleep. We do not have AC and the room is quite toasty… I do hope I can buy a fan very soon and that my family will not mind if I run it all night. Before I left home, the AC was out. I believe this prepared me for Spain, unexpectedly.

New classes begin tomorrow. I am taking Spanish Civilization and Spanish Commerce. I expect that commerce will introduce me to the business side of Spain and Civ will provide a background on my new culture. 38 out of 60 people in the group leave tomorrow morning for the states. The group will reduce in size, but I am looking forward to a close group and another awesome month in Europe.

Hasta luego amigos!
Thank you for following me on this journey. I love sharing my experiences with you.

Kristina

Thyssen Museum

7:54pm

Museo de Thyssen

Hola! Today we visited the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid. It is located very close to the Prado and Reina Sofia. This museum began as a private collection and has been passed down for two generations. The Thyssen family is part of the bourgeois and have a collection of art envied by many.

We saw original paintings from Pollock, Monet, Dalí, Van Gogh, and many more I cannot remember. The museum houses art that spans many different centuries and from all parts of the world, including North America. The wife of Thyssen played a large part in the opening of the museum to the public with her sizeable collection added to the compilation.

On another note, we take final exams to complete our first semester of classes on Thursday. I will have finished Arts & Museums and Advanced Grammar. New classes begin on Monday. We have about 50 students in our group and about half of them are leaving for the states on Monday to return home. It will be different with less people here but also give us time to do more (free) group activities!

Family has been wonderful. The girls finished school and are now home more often. The other day they were watching the popular show, “Glee”, in Spanish. When Melanie and I come home late, our padre waited for us with dinner on the table. He wants to know that we are safe.

At the beginning of summer in Spain, rebajas begins. Rebajas are huge sales in almost every store. Rebajas run through the month of July. I bought a nice purse that will hold notebooks and perfect to take to interviews for only 6 euros and a black shirt with lace at the top for only 5 euros. I need to hold myself back a bit as I have a trip to Paris planned very soon!

I am finishing my studying
Hasta luego,
Kristina

Spain - Honduras Partido

3:17am
Futbol game

Last night Spain played Honduras and won 2-0! A group of three friends and I traveled to Madrid to see the game in the stadium. It reminded me of Tuscaloosa on game day, but on steroids. Filled with mostly young students ages 15 to 22, everyone donned their red and yellow, face painted, and flags either hanging over their backs similar to batman or raised high with pride. I will try to place a video up to give you an example of this event.

When we arrived, the gates to enter where backed up as we wiggled our way through the line of police checking bolsas (purses) to throw out alcohol. People were drinking out of large coke bottles and smoking everywhere. The large screen was placed on a stage resembling a concert with flags marketing popular companies on the side.

Before the game, everyone jumped up and down singing a repetitive tune and continued this tune after every goal.

After the first goal, we left the stadium and found a nicer bar to watch the game. When we walked by the bar, we thought it was too nice for us, as we had painted faces and Spain scarves. Nonetheless, the waiter, Jesus, told us we may not be dressed in a suit but we were pretty, so we should come in. We watched Spain in its first victory in the World Cup along side many businessmen in suits and Jesus who practiced his English with me. They invited us back for the US game on Wednesday.

We arrived home late last night and caught the final bus back. I am extremely tired; however, it is hard to make time to sleep when there are so many things I want to do!

Hasta luego amigos!
Kristina

Barcelona

21 de Junio
5:24pm

Buenos tardes!

He volvido de Barcelona. I have returned from Barcelona!
The weekend in Barcelona was the best weekend I have had since being in Spain.

We arrived in Barcelona at 10:30pm by airplane on Thursday. Once we took the aerobus into the city, we were not familiar with the transportation to arrive at our hostel. The bus from the airport took us to the incorrect stop and we walked across the populated street called Las Ramblas. This street is known to be a bit peligroso (dangerous) due to the large amounts of robberies. We were a bit nervous but followed the advice of mi madre and walked with an attitude. We found our way to the metro stop and met two girls on our train who were staying in our same hostel. They showed us the way.

When we arrived at our hostel, we thought we made a huge mistake in staying here, as we had never stayed in a place with bunk beds, lockers, and people smoking in the common room. After we got over the initial shock of the hostel, we went to the common room. Within five minutes, a nice guy from Virginia asked us to join him and his friends for a game. We met his friend, a guy from Germany, and a lady backpacking across Europe solo. Melanie told me the night unfolded very similar to the movie “Hostel” with the guys showing us a store near our place; however, they did not abduct us.Nonetheless, by the time we left the hostel, we felt very comfortable with the accommodations and enjoyed the community atmosphere. I met people from Germany, England, Brazil, China, New Zealand, and many cities in the US while in the hostel for only three nights. It is fascinating learning about other people’s culture.

Thursday night we ate at the Hard Rock Café in Barcelona. I didn’t think I missed American food until I had two heads (literally) of romaine lettuce with chicken that tasted better than chocolate cake.. I love Spain, but it will be nice to have cold milk and food that stays in the fridge a bit more often when I return to the States. J

The hostel provided breakfast for us every morning, which consisted of instant coffee, three types of cereals, and bread. During the rest of the day they had an open kitchen where many people would gather and cook meals. We cooked pasta on Friday night in order to save some money.

On Friday, we visited the Sagrada Familia, the unfinished cathedral by the modernist and innovative artist, Antonio Gaudi. Gaudi died in a train accident and his plans for the cathedral were also destroyed; therefore, it was under construction when we visited it and will be completed by 2026. Gaudi is famous for many of his art creations in Barcelona.

After the Sagrada Familia, we visited the beaches of Barcelona to watch the USA game. The beaches were immaculate, a bit windy, and filled with those both clothed and nude - a different atmosphere for me. Yet, it is normal to see women without tops in Europe and no one but tourists are caught looking in awe or disgust. Also on the beach, there were many al fresco style restaurants with flat screen TVs. We sat down next to a few girls from Texas and a group of guys in their mid 20’s who graduated from Notre Dame in order to watch the game.

After the US tied 2-2, we explored the shoreline. The sand was coarser than the gulf beaches; however, the water was blue, oil free, and chilly. We did not overcome the initial chill and resided on the shore when a man selling henna tattoos approached us. I bartered for a butterfly tattoo on my ankle from 7 to 2 euro. People sell everything everywhere from tattoos to beer. The man gave me the tattoo on the beach only feet from the shore. When we were sitting down watching the game, a lady began massaging my shoulder trying to sell me a massage. People with roses and sunglasses visited our table numerous times trying to obtain money from excited tourists.

After the beach, we headed back to the hostel for our homemade dinner. The guys we met from ND called us later that night to see if we were interested in seeing the town with them and a girl they met the day before. One of my good friends, Julia, and I acted on a whim and a bit irresponsible by trusting these guys we met earlier that day. Nonetheless, we met them at a bar later in the night along with a charismatic and extremely intelligent 21-year-old girl named Irene. She knows 7 languages and is studying Physics. I can only hope to be as accomplished as her one day.

The night ended up being one to remember as Julia and I saw the non-tourist nightlife in Barcelona, interacted with locals, and made some new friends. At a few bars in Spain, when you order a drink, you mix it yourself. Thus, you can put as little or as much alcohol in the drink as you would like. A bit dangerous for some, yet no one complains they don’t get their moneys worth. After the bar, meeting Irene’s friends, and eyes a bit glazed over by the smoke, we headed to a local discoteca.

At the disco, people supposedly break their glass drink bottles on the wall or floor in Spain and there were small pieces of glass near our feet. We were fortunate to keep all our toes J. As many of you know, dancing is something I could do all night no matter my energy level. We danced until 6:30am!! I am still trying to catch up on sleep. However, we were able to take the metro back home as it stopped running at 1am and began again at 5am. The night turned out to be one of my best nights since being in Spain and one I will remember for years to come. I love the discos in Spain and hope to find at least one in the states, but will not get my hopes up…

The next day we visited the Picasso Museum. Each room told a different story of his life in chronological order. Picasso’s style was not always the cubism-Guernica-outlandish style that initially comes to mind. He once painted flowers and people! I enjoyed most the room on Picasso’s version of the Velazquez painting, Las Mecenas where you see his rendition of the same image depicted in a less realistic form.

A friend of mine, Kelly, and I walked the streets of Las Ramblas after lunch and visited the street vendors’ booths. We kept our hands on our purses and later found out that one of our friends had her iPhone stolen here. The streets were crowed with shoppers, street performers, and vendors.

Later Saturday night we watched the magic fountain in front of the Barcelona capital. The fountain was coordinated to music and is similar to the fountain in Vegas. I will attempt to attach the video of the fountain for you to see. On the same street as the fountain, there was a Harley-Davidson Barcelona event. Seeing people dressed in leather, helmets on and speaking Spanish was an oxymoron for me. However, bikes here must be just as popular as in the states. Included in this event was a very good Bon Jovi cover band. All the songs were in English but the singer spoke in between songs in Spanish. It constantly amazes me the English influences here in music and fashion. (there is the show Glee in Spanish here – songs in English, words in Spanish!)

We left on Sunday morning and arrived back home safely. What a trip to remember! I hope to return to Barcelona one day to see more work from Guadi and explore what the city has to offer. The city is beautiful, has an extremely efficient metro, and shopping galore! Adios!

Kristina