Waterpark

1:04am
Sunday, July 4

Happy July 4th! Too bad I had to explain to my family the significance of this day in the USA. I am sure all of you watched fireworks, had some BBQ, and spent time with the fam… Just pretend I was there with you! Our group celebrated the fourth with a trip to the water park and dinner at Tony Roma’s (yes they exist in Spain!!)

The weekend has been one of the most relaxing I’ve had since coming here. On Saturday, it was raining hard and I didn’t feel 100% after the excursion to Cuenca the day before. I skipped out on the amusement park and thus slept in and then spent most of my morning at a small café with my computer allowing me time to finish my homework for Monday and begin my tourism paper due at the end of the semester. I recharged all day and was thus full of energy for the Spain game at 8:30pm.

A group of us met up at a local bar to watch the soccer game against Paraguay. We arrived 5 minutes after the game began and every seat, except 3, by a few 16-year-old boys was open. We thus made some new friends and shared drinks and tapas during the table-quenching, mood changing excitement. There were quite a few yellow cards during the game and each team had penalties inside the goal box resulting in a p-kick (penalty kick). Paraguay had the opportunity first to score on a p-kick; however, our goalie is phenomenal and blocked the kick. Almost two minutes later Spain had a chance at a p-kick. Our first one went in beautifully, and then the referee called it illegitimate as one of our players stepped into the penalty box before goalie touched the ball (or something along those lines). We shot again and missed… still 0-0. Restaurant enraged and on edge of our seats. Spain later has the ball near the goal, first person shoots and ball bounces off a goal post. Second teammate there for the follow up where the ball hits the far goal post but bounces back in for a goal. I’m talking hugs, screams, cheers, dancing, and singing in the bar… The game ended and the score remained 1-0. Spain continues to the semifinals on Wednesday night. 8:30pm here – 1:30pm in US

After the game, the streets consisted of cars driving around the roundabout waving Spain flags out the window and honking horns. Singing, dancing, and yelling were in abundance. I will attempt to attach a video to portray just a small bit of the streets.

This morning we slept in again and headed to the water park around lunch. It took about 4 hours to get there as we used train, metro, and bus. We doubted the existence of the park as after the bus let us off, we walked 10 minutes through neighborhoods and a country club before finding the water park in the distance. The park is located in the country with the most beautiful views of the city surrounding it. We had a million dollar view from every start line of the water slides.

We played for about 5 hours and felt like little kids again. We rode almost every slide at least once and completed a water obstacle course consisting of a zip line into the water, rope monkey bars, and more. I didn’t want to leave the park and the last hour we were there, a few of us kept racing down one of the rides that consisted of 5 slides where you race each other. I must say I have mastered the art of quick sliding and beat a few people… Nonetheless, one of the most enjoyable days I have had in a non-art, history, or educational way. Our ride back home seemed to go by much quicker as I had the chance to sit next to someone in our group I haven’t talked to much in the past. The small group atmosphere is really bringing most of us together.

At the water park, young girls up to four or five years old go without tops, and thongs and extremely cheeky bottoms are completely acceptable for ladies. Speedos were abundant among the guys and almost two out of every three people had a visible tattoo.

Since it is the 4th of July and we had to celebrate, we went to Tony Roma’s. I had BBQ chicken and a baked potato. The menu was in English and the restaurant was full of other students studying abroad. We would have found a local disco for tonight; however, many people in the group have Literature essays due tomorrow. Día triste (sad day)

Headed to bed!
Hasta luego amigos!
Kristina

City of Cuenca

Photos

1. Group at top of mountain in Cuenca

2. Park in Cuenca - rock shaped like a dog

3. Mel & I at Twilight movie

4. On the bridge in Cuenca with famous hanging houses behind me


10:23 pm

Hola!

I am currently enjoying the tranquility of life without electricity. We had a strong but very short 10-minute thunderstorm here, which has resulted in the termination of electricity three times now. When power is out, my family refers to it as “no luz” = no light. I call it no electricity, but since we already live without air condition, I guess light is the main thing lacking. A life of simplicity means easier adaptation when innovations fail you.


CUENCA

(video at the end of post of the city)

We went to Cuenca today; a small town two hours outside of Madrid, known for their hanging houses on the cliffs of mountains. We took a bus; however, this time each person had his own aisle of seats to lie down. However, the AC in the bus was broken and in combination with my lunch, the heat, and the curvy mountain roads, I was a bit pale and under the weather most of the afternoon.

Nonetheless, the sites of Cuenca were some of the most beautiful and unique I have seen since being here in Spain. We had a tour guide the whole day who was witty and guapo (handsome). We rode the bus to the top of the mountain and slowly made our way down on foot while seeing the remnants of walls placed around the city by Jews and Christians centuries ago, the main bridge crossing the gulley between the mountains, and a historic cathedral. There are 13 chapels in the Cathedral. It is told that if someone is to pray in seven of the chapels, that are specifically marked, all their sins will be forgiven and are guaranteed a closer passage into heaven. I may have the story slightly mistaken, but the main point is that all sins will be forgiven. Too bad we were not given time to say a few prayers.

After talking with a few young people in Spain, the general consensus is that church is something that only grandmothers attend on a weekly basis. Many people here say they are Catholic and celebrate weddings, funerals, and baptisms in the church but do not practice it otherwise. What a shame to have such exquisite cathedrals rarely visited. Catholicism has been on a very sharp decrease in Spain for 20 years now.


FREE TIME / FAMILY

We attempted the movie theatre again yesterday and successfully saw Twilight in Spanish. I was surprised at how much I understood. Not having read the books nor seen the second movie, the Eclipse (third movie) nonetheless kept my attention the entire time. I now have a passion to read the books and pray that my Edward is out there somewhere (or that Brice is secretly a vampire…) Go see it! I am going to see it a second time when I return to the states to ensure I understand all the super cheesy teenage love poetry exchanged. (photo above of Mel and I at the movies)

On Wednesday, we traveled to the local town of Colmenar to visit our conversation partners. It is about an hour from here. They showed us around their city, which included the Cathedral, a park with a view of the city, and a local tapas restaurant. The Cathedral is a historical landmark as it was the first church built with the gothic style. Also, the restaurant we visited served the largest tapas I have ever seen FREE with the purchase of any type of drink. A few people had hamburgers, others hotdogs, and I had a mixto (toasted ham and cheese sandwich). It cost 2.20 euro for a drink and tapa – great place for college students!

Additionally, this week Mel and I had political conversations with our family, teachers, and other Spanish speakers. We talked especially about the Franco era in which Spain was under a dictatorship. The dictatorship began after the Civil War, which was a war against the government. Franco was one of the only generals left at the conclusion of the war and thus took over the country. Despite Franco having died in the 1970s and the reinstitution of the government to a republic monarchy, some people still have fear when saying anything negative about his reign.

This week I fulfilled my churros craving as I woke up early one morning and met friends at the local Churro Chocolateria at 7:30 before we walked to class. It was delicious and rich. No more for me! However, we are walking quite a bit since we no longer have a private bus taking us to and from school. Mel and I walk about 45 minutes to school every morning and use the public transportation on the way home, as it is the hottest part of the day.

I believe July will fly by even quicker than June. Now I feel very comfortable with the city and enjoy the people in our group, my family, and the culture here. I have a few things written down that I would like to do before I leave in three weeks. Wish me luck! Also, we are on a mission to find somewhere to celebrate July 4 in Spain without receiving looks of disgust and confusion from the locals.

Here in Spain, or at least my house, they do not flush the toilet every time they use it in order to save money on water.

Tomorrow we head to a water park, if the thunderstorms do not continue.

We are still without power. I am going to get ready for bed and finally get more than 8 hours of sleep – wahoooo!!

Hasta luego!
Kristina

P.S. I really like the name Kristina and will be sad when I drop a syllable on my return to the states.

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