I think that perhaps as soon as I typed the words “weather is getting beautiful” in my last post, the weather changed. Last week was day after day of torrential downpour, relentless wind, and horrible lack of sun. I am a self-diagnosed sufferer of seasonal affective disorder, so the weather hit me particularly hard. Just as the sun refused to rise, ever, so did my mood. But I realized that I was being quite the Debbie Downer, and luckily we had some nice weather this past weekend in Granada and have had nice weather so far this week, so I am feeling much better.
Last weekend we went to Granada, and it was absolutely incredible. It has a much more visible Muslim influence than Sevilla does, especially in the architecture and remaining monuments around the city. I loved the architecture in particular, especially at La Alhambra, a colossal palace on the top of a mountain. Granada itself is primarily built into the sides of mountains and the valley in between them. It has snow-capped mountains in the distance and daunting hills that most avoid walking up. Instead, people take minibuses to get around, but as you go up into the mountains, the streets become narrower. It felt like a roller coaster, and for only 1.20! The bus drivers are truly of another breed; I would not be able to handle the stress of jamming as many people onto the bus as humanly possible and then being responsible for careening them all through streets so narrow, there is literally a centimeter between the buildings lining them and the side of the bus.
Last weekend was also the first time that Caroline and I met Yolanda’s son, Claudio, who took the train home from University of Madrid for the weekend. I personally loved having him here; he is Patrick’s age, so it felt more like home having a little brother in the house. It was so interesting to observe the mother-son relationship; Yolanda kept reminding him to wear his jacket and reaching over the dinner table to cut his food for him. She also had a welcome home sign for him in the kitchen; much like my family always does for me whenever I come home! She was visibly excited to see him; on Thursday night, he had some friends over and she called us all into the kitchen and poured us some wine for a toast to Claudio’s return. It was really precious. That dinner was also really interesting to be a part of; Claudio and his friends were talking so fast! I noticed that Yolanda made him dinner but not his friends, so they just sat in the kitchen talking to him while he ate. They didn’t seem to mind; this must be a customary thing. I was looking forward to hearing them talk a lot the next day at lunch, but I think Claudio was a little resaca (hungover) because he was not so talkative!
So we had two beautiful days in Granada, and got back Sunday night. This weekend is a long weekend, for Día de Andalucia. Many people are clearing out on their first excursions independent of the program, but I am staying here because I rarely have my act together and certainly was not able to plan a trip myself for so early in the program. I am actually looking forward to my quiet weekend here like no other. Some friends and I might take a trip to wine country for the day on Friday (weather permitting), and I might try to go see a dance show on Friday, but the weekend is pretty much free and clear otherwise. I am looking forward to being able to explore Sevilla without trying to squeeze in the sights in between classes and homework! Granada was beautiful, but it made me eager to see all the things that I still have not seen here. However, if you want to see those things that I have seen so far, click below!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026463&id=1391040171&l=eea5b09a4e
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026464&id=1391040171&l=326433ca5e
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
MIA
My impeccable record of consistent blogging has been interrupted by my lack of having a computer! Welcome to Spain, McIntyre, where Dell does not exist, free computers are available to you only between classes and only on Mondays through Thursdays, and everybody else seems to have perpetually perfect computers and to have never had computer problems, making you the pioneer in this country to have them. This issue, slowly but surely, has been kicking my butt as classes have started, communication with loved ones has decreased to a frustrating rate, and I am recognizing that it is damn near impossible to figure out how to fix a broken computer without the use of one to find a place to go. On the other hand, I believe it has been a blessing. I knew all along that I had gotten too used to having America be too accessible, as well as the vice versa. I have taken this situation to be a subtle reminder to get out more.
so, i update you: real classes have started. i have two at the ciee study center and two at the university, though the ones at the university are with all american students as well. all classes are conducting in spanish, which has made my phonetics class, a field in which i have had class for a week now and still don´t quite understand what it entails. i am told by classmates that the only way this class will make sense is if i have a background with at least one class in phonetics. Uh, well, I don´t. So that should be interesting. My flamenco class is amazing. We are currently studying the five types of flamenco music, and my professor teaches through his guitar and rythmic clapping that makes me feel as ifI actually have some level of musical inclination past listening. My two CIEE classes are very interesting as well. One is a social justice practicum that includes the most interesting readings on human rights ever, as well as a volunteer component. we are picking our service sites this week and going into the community beginning next week. I cannot wait. My other CIEE class studies literature of marginalized societies and is taught by a crazy woman with big frizzy hair who doesn´t make a whole lot of sense (and i don´t think she would even if she were speaking english) but whom i have already come to adore. So those two classes and phonetics are all back to back, guaranteeing that I am hauling it from ciee to the university in a twenty minute time frame twice a week. However, flamenco is my only class on mondays and wednesdays, and no class on fridays, so i cannot complain.
The past two weekends I have done a bit of traveling, with friends and with CIEE, to some pretty incredible stuff. Last weekend we went hiking to Spain´s version of stonehenge, which was fun. Yesterday, I went to Aracena, a small town that I knew little about and didn´t get to spend much time in, but loved. This reminds me, Dave give me my postcard back. Anyway,Aracena is home to las grutas de maravillas, this really cool set of caves! So we toured the caves and that was a blast. We also saw some mine, which was actually pretty cool. A very geological day. Can´t say I´ve ever used that word to describe a day before. The mine is situated on a naturally exisiting lake called the rio tinto because the minerals of the rocks around it have filtered in, making the water blood red. After that little jaunt yesterday, we got on another bus to Cadiz, a coastal town that is famous for its Carnaval celebrations. Three friends and I dressed up as the four seasons, which I thought was pretty creative. Wish I could take credit for it. I unfortunately only took one picture, I am terrible about that, but I will maybe jack some off Facebook to give you kids a taste. It was a great night that I got home from at seven thirty this morning, which my senora says is typical and I should start getting used to.
As for my own immersion experience, I am still working on it. in the next few weeks, i will be starting an intercambio, where i meet with a student from the university of sevilla who is studying english, and we practice my spanish and her english. depending on how that goes, i might try to get another one. i am also starting volunteering soon, which i am so psyched for. i also might try to audit a university class (with real live spaniards, gasp) if my schedule allows it. I am working on it. i am still trying to find my favorite place in the city, though i am thinking it is this plaza near my house that is apparently the place where the young college kids and locals hang out. It is lined with coffee shops, bars that host live music nightly, and ice cream places. The cool spaniards have good taste. I have spent the past month in many bars and clubs that are far more american than spaniard, but i think i may have found where all the spaniards flee to. i hope they don´t mind.
travel plans for semana santa, my first of two spring breaks, are coming together. i will be in rome, florence, and santorini greece, and will be home with enough time to enjoy the end of semana santa as well. Semana santa is the weeklong easter celebration here that i have heard is pretty much the same thing each day. there is a schedule of processions, during which the different holy catholic brotherhoods process toward the catedral in the center of the city. at the end of the week, it is easter. I am definitely excited that I will be able to see part of this week. One of the processions is starting from my apartment building! Though I doubt i´ll be here for it. It was actually a pretty eerie night when I figured out that one of the processions was starting here. I was in the kitchen and heard a huge commotion outside the kitchen window. I looked outside and honest to god i thought a cult was meeting. About fifty men or more were all filing into a garage on the ground floor of the building, wearing shirts tied to their heads that were similar to turbans, but tied in a way that i had never seen before. I feel bad about saying this, but I got a little nervous. I just literally had no clue what was going on. I kept watching, and all of a sudden i saw this enormous wooden structure moving out of the garage. It was moving by the help of at least forty men under it carrying it. Each procession for Semana santa carries one of these wooden structures, which by semana santa resemble an altar I believe. I realized that these men were practicing for semana santa, and once I realized that, it was a very cool experience.
Next weekend we are going to granada, which I am excited about! classes are also getting rolling. hopefully some travel plans will come together as well. I caved and gave into the shoe sales a little bit this past week. hopefully i will have stronger willpower this week.
weather is getting BEAUTIFUL, unbelievable, although we are definitely not out of the cold weather yet. however, when it is warm, which it was about three or four days last week, it is sixty and not a cloud in the sky. Though I am definitely jealous about missing the five day snovafest happening at villanova right now, i am more pleased that i am essentially skipping winter, my least favorite season by far. I can run outside along the river in shorts and a t shirt, and i pretty much smirk the entire way because i feel like a champ for missing winter!
so, i update you: real classes have started. i have two at the ciee study center and two at the university, though the ones at the university are with all american students as well. all classes are conducting in spanish, which has made my phonetics class, a field in which i have had class for a week now and still don´t quite understand what it entails. i am told by classmates that the only way this class will make sense is if i have a background with at least one class in phonetics. Uh, well, I don´t. So that should be interesting. My flamenco class is amazing. We are currently studying the five types of flamenco music, and my professor teaches through his guitar and rythmic clapping that makes me feel as ifI actually have some level of musical inclination past listening. My two CIEE classes are very interesting as well. One is a social justice practicum that includes the most interesting readings on human rights ever, as well as a volunteer component. we are picking our service sites this week and going into the community beginning next week. I cannot wait. My other CIEE class studies literature of marginalized societies and is taught by a crazy woman with big frizzy hair who doesn´t make a whole lot of sense (and i don´t think she would even if she were speaking english) but whom i have already come to adore. So those two classes and phonetics are all back to back, guaranteeing that I am hauling it from ciee to the university in a twenty minute time frame twice a week. However, flamenco is my only class on mondays and wednesdays, and no class on fridays, so i cannot complain.
The past two weekends I have done a bit of traveling, with friends and with CIEE, to some pretty incredible stuff. Last weekend we went hiking to Spain´s version of stonehenge, which was fun. Yesterday, I went to Aracena, a small town that I knew little about and didn´t get to spend much time in, but loved. This reminds me, Dave give me my postcard back. Anyway,Aracena is home to las grutas de maravillas, this really cool set of caves! So we toured the caves and that was a blast. We also saw some mine, which was actually pretty cool. A very geological day. Can´t say I´ve ever used that word to describe a day before. The mine is situated on a naturally exisiting lake called the rio tinto because the minerals of the rocks around it have filtered in, making the water blood red. After that little jaunt yesterday, we got on another bus to Cadiz, a coastal town that is famous for its Carnaval celebrations. Three friends and I dressed up as the four seasons, which I thought was pretty creative. Wish I could take credit for it. I unfortunately only took one picture, I am terrible about that, but I will maybe jack some off Facebook to give you kids a taste. It was a great night that I got home from at seven thirty this morning, which my senora says is typical and I should start getting used to.
As for my own immersion experience, I am still working on it. in the next few weeks, i will be starting an intercambio, where i meet with a student from the university of sevilla who is studying english, and we practice my spanish and her english. depending on how that goes, i might try to get another one. i am also starting volunteering soon, which i am so psyched for. i also might try to audit a university class (with real live spaniards, gasp) if my schedule allows it. I am working on it. i am still trying to find my favorite place in the city, though i am thinking it is this plaza near my house that is apparently the place where the young college kids and locals hang out. It is lined with coffee shops, bars that host live music nightly, and ice cream places. The cool spaniards have good taste. I have spent the past month in many bars and clubs that are far more american than spaniard, but i think i may have found where all the spaniards flee to. i hope they don´t mind.
travel plans for semana santa, my first of two spring breaks, are coming together. i will be in rome, florence, and santorini greece, and will be home with enough time to enjoy the end of semana santa as well. Semana santa is the weeklong easter celebration here that i have heard is pretty much the same thing each day. there is a schedule of processions, during which the different holy catholic brotherhoods process toward the catedral in the center of the city. at the end of the week, it is easter. I am definitely excited that I will be able to see part of this week. One of the processions is starting from my apartment building! Though I doubt i´ll be here for it. It was actually a pretty eerie night when I figured out that one of the processions was starting here. I was in the kitchen and heard a huge commotion outside the kitchen window. I looked outside and honest to god i thought a cult was meeting. About fifty men or more were all filing into a garage on the ground floor of the building, wearing shirts tied to their heads that were similar to turbans, but tied in a way that i had never seen before. I feel bad about saying this, but I got a little nervous. I just literally had no clue what was going on. I kept watching, and all of a sudden i saw this enormous wooden structure moving out of the garage. It was moving by the help of at least forty men under it carrying it. Each procession for Semana santa carries one of these wooden structures, which by semana santa resemble an altar I believe. I realized that these men were practicing for semana santa, and once I realized that, it was a very cool experience.
Next weekend we are going to granada, which I am excited about! classes are also getting rolling. hopefully some travel plans will come together as well. I caved and gave into the shoe sales a little bit this past week. hopefully i will have stronger willpower this week.
weather is getting BEAUTIFUL, unbelievable, although we are definitely not out of the cold weather yet. however, when it is warm, which it was about three or four days last week, it is sixty and not a cloud in the sky. Though I am definitely jealous about missing the five day snovafest happening at villanova right now, i am more pleased that i am essentially skipping winter, my least favorite season by far. I can run outside along the river in shorts and a t shirt, and i pretty much smirk the entire way because i feel like a champ for missing winter!
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