The most frustrating thing since I've been here has not been the language barrier. It hasn't been the fact that I have class at 9am everyday, and it hasn't even been the times where I've tried to coordinate travel plans with multiple other people. No, the most frustrating thing about Spain so far has easily been the weather. Rain, rain, and more rain. At first it didn't bother me too much, but now I'm just sick and tired of walking to class in the rain, walking to meet up with friends in the rain, getting caught in the rain without and umbrella, etc. And I'm not looking forward to this week where there is rain in the forecast literally everyday. I stopped checking after Sunday... I'm not coming across bitter or anything, am I??
Annnnyway, since I've started out all my other posts the same way, why not say it again... A lot has happened since last time I updated. I went to Cadiz for Carnaval, a day trip to Cordoba, I made a weekend trip to Granada and Malaga, and I continue to barely stay awake for my classes and am enjoying my internship.
Carnaval in Cadiz (a town south of Sevilla, right on the coast) is kind of like the halloween of Europe, but on steroids. The only word I can use to describe my experience is "absurd." My costume was absurd, the atmosphere was absurd, the people I met were absurd, and the list goes on. I did not bring my camera because I didn't want to lose it since I didn't have a bag or coat or anything, so there are no pictures that I took. But as I said in my last post, I went as an "emo," which is a stereotype/style that is kind of a cross between a punk and a "goth," who wears a lot of black and is "emotional" (hence the name "emo"). The thing is, it wouldn't be unheard of to see someone dress the way I did on a normal day, so my costume could very well have been taken as the real thing. Either way, I had a great, great time, had my first taste of american food (burger king, I couldn't help it!), and even managed to fall and get a cut on my forehead while tying my shoe. Yes, apparently that is possible. We were only there for the night, so I hope to get back there during the day because I hear it is very nice, but like a lot of other trips I would like to make, I'm not sure if I will have the chance.
Cordoba reminded me a lot of Sevilla, just smaller. We were easily able to see everything in a day. The trip was through our program, which meant it was free, so that was nice! We got a guided tour of la Mezquita (the mosque- very cool), saw a bunch of pretty courtyards/gardens, and when we had some free time, what else was there to do but get some tapas and pastries, despite the lunches we all had our Senora's pack us. Pictures can be seen here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=1136880093&aid=2040362
Most recently, I went to Granada and Malaga on our 4 day weekend. We had no class on Monday because Sunday was Dia de Andalucia, which is a holiday for the province we live in (Andalucia). Granada was great! We spent a little more than 2 days and 2 nights there, and it's another city that I could see myself studying in if I were to hypothetically study in Spain again. One of the cool things about Granada is that with every drink you buy at a bar, you get free tapas with it. Talk about a good deal! I don't get why Sevilla doesn't do that too?! Anyway, Granada is also home to the Alhambra, which is a very old and very BIG castle/palace. We got a "guided" tour, meaning we bought one of those speaker things that is automated and tells you about the room that you are in at that time. The narrator was supposed to be a 1st person reflection of Washington Irving, who was an author who wrote about his stay at the Alhambra, which is what made the castle so famous originally. The speaker was kind of ridiculous in my opinion, using words like "beloved," "bestowing," and "decadent," as well as phrases like "I suggest that as you contemplate your surroundings, you teleport yourself back to the 14th century..." But after commenting on everything he said, I realized people were actually trying to listen, so eventually I stopped and took him seriously as well. Anyway, the Alhambra was massive and was the source of a lot of great views of the city!
In Granada, other then general sightseeing, we also went to see the gypsy caves, which was an interesting experience. It was on the top of a "hill," as high as the Alhambra, where people actually lived in literal caves and make-shift homes. I guess there was a museum and tourist path, but Josh and I thought it was a good idea to take the "local" path, where we were literally amongst the people living there. There were a ton of dogs, a ton of sketchy people, and a lot of interesting "homes." Pictures of them, as well as the Alhambra and the rest of Granada, can be seen here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2041427&id=1136880093&ref=mf
We also spent 2 days and one night in Malaga, which is a town on the coast similar to Marbella, which I went to before. However, I liked Malaga better. It had more of a "beach town" feel, rather than the "ritzy" feel of Marbella. The town also had a lot more culture and history, and the weather was great (except for the downpour when I needed to find an ATM, without an umbrella). I even got a little sunburnt! Also, on our way to our hostel, we ran into a guy from Canada who doesn't know a lick of spanish, but apparently just packed his bags and headed to Magala without a plan because weather.com said it had the best weather. He was a nice enough guy, and he actually ended up booking a room at our hostel and spending the rest of our weekend with us, which was both fun and interesting. All of my Malaga pictures can be seen here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2041398&id=1136880093&ref=mf
Other trips I've booked to look forward to:
March- Barcelona, Madrid, Toledo, Morocco, Rome, and Paris (Paris to meet up with 2 students from Vienna that I hosted in high school!)
April- Amsterdam, Munich/Frankfurt, and hopefully the Canary Islands
May- Lagos (Portugal)
And there may be a couple more!
My mom and my sister are also coming to visit next week, and I can't wait!!! I am going to meet them in Madrid, take a day trip to Toledo (and maybe another place), and then head back to Sevilla. That same week I will have my midterms, but my classes don't seem too difficult, so I hope to spend a lot of time with them regardless... I've even already picked out the restaurants I want to eat with them at!
Other than that, classes are still as boring as ever, although today for my finance class we had a "seminar" with other Spanish business students about a project we have to do, and half way through class we went to a bar across the street for free drinks!
My internship is also going well- I'm having a great time working with my "boss," and an old German couple has been added to our "Spanish-speaking coffee break group" that I've been going to, which has been fun.
Alright, that's all for now! Thanks again for your interest in my time abroad! I hope you are enjoying my blog, and as much as I'm loving it here, I can't wait to see you all again in the states!
Much love from Spain,
Ross
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