Nothing very exciting happened this week of classes although the homework load is definitely starting to pick up. Especially in Econ although what I am learning is very interesting and will definitely be very useful in the future. It has made me realize how little I know about Europe in modern times... post WWII. I don't really like the teacher that much. He's a bit dry and has a weird sense of humor and laugh, but it's alright. I think I'll do well in the class although I'm pass failing it. I think it's just my perfectionism shining through a little which I guess isn't bad. I just need to try... to not try as hard because I don't really have to.
On Monday Sean, Michi, Dan, Jack and I went to see Inglorious Bastards.. it was absolutely amazing. I loved the move although I've heard varied thoughts on it by different people. I don't know exactly what it was about it that I like about it so much but I felt completely drawn into the movie as if I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. The characters were very well developed and the plot was solid. I'd definitely recommend it if you haven't seen it yet. It was in English with Spanish subs which was helpful because 1/3 of the movie is in French or German..
The week really went fast. I felt like it was School, gym, nap, work, sleep. Then Thursday rolled around and it was already time to pack for Barcelona. Unlike with Seville, I left myself a bit more time to pack for this trip so I could leisurely pack and walk over to Atocha to meet up with the group of about 60 Erasmus students to embark on our 8 and a half hour bus ride. I've had about enough now with long bus rides. I think I need a week off from them. It was a bit weird when I got there because I have 3 distinct friend groups that are on the trip: The California Group, the Wash. Univ. Group, and the Int'l group. I decided to stick mostly with the Int'l group although I spent most of one day with the Wash Univ. group. It was a good decision I think although I felt bad almost ditching the California group. But you can't hang out with everyone because if you try then you will end up not really getting to know anyone. I sat next to Diana from Romania on the bus although I didn't know her at all. She was friends with Kasia and Greg so I figured she'd be nice. Between Kasia, Greg, Diana and I we talked for the first 2 hours of the trip and by the last half hour it felt like half the bus had joined the conversation. Diana is extremely nice.. maybe too nice and too selfless. We spoke mostly in Spanish but used some English because she wanted some practice because it had been awhile since she'd spoken it much. She had worked in the US for a summer and her English is extremely good. Same Greg's and Treron (can't spell it correctly) but it's almost intimidating how high of English levels they are at. They understand practically everything. We talked about Kasia's wedding, how Diana loved the US and the people there and how the stereotype about American's is far off in her opinion, and many other things. Then it was time for sleep because in just hours we'd be starting our long weekend in Barcelona..
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Seville Day 2 - Flemenco
Got up just before 10 to take advantage of the free breakfast in the Hostel.. just toast, jelly, yogurt, and some tea, but who can complain.. it was free! and my wallet is starting to get very light and I no longer have a nice bundle of cash stached away in the card deck in my room in Madrid.. I really need to get that debit card soon/ now.. but I know I´ll make in by in Seville without any money problems.. After breakfast we waited around for a bit before the free walking tour (tips expected) around Seville. When the tour guide got there.. you knew..she was very outgoing and an in your face kind of person. But she was pleasant and talked alot so we got a bunch of good and interesting information about all of the city and all of the buildings we passed which included all of the major ones in the city. For 5 euros.. it was definitely worth it and I though better than the horse ride.. but that´s money already under the river.. She told us all about the rich history of Seville starting with the more morose story about the persecution, execution, and expulsion of the Jews and ending more or less with the more lighthearted story about how legend has it that anytime a virgin walks under the big statue of a Angel with a horn at the entrance to the old cigarette factory, the horn would blow... She said the horn didn't play very often; that girls from Seville know how to have a good time.
Got some great pictures too because the weather was tremendous on Sunday! Sunny, low 80s and very clear. It was supposed to rain constantly both days.. but the weather people are clearly always wrong. Should have listened to Jess´optimism.. We ended the tour at the bull fighting arena and she told us about the history of bullfighting and explained in her opinion and that of the majority of Spanish people, why bullfighting is an art form and why it doesn't deserve all the negative criticism that it is currently receiving; that all these bulls that die in the arena have lived long and very fulfilling lives. They have been given plenty of food and exercise and were able to have sex with (her words not mine..) with all the cows they could ever want. We will see because in a couple weeks I will be going to a bull fight with our program here and I guess I can get my own opinion on the subject after watching it.
After the tour Luz, Margarita, Melinda, Alice, and this one student from Cornell decided to walk around for a bit and go over to the Gypsy side of the city (Triuno) over the bridge. We found some small restaurant to eat at before a lot of the group had to get back to catch their bus. It was very different on the Gyspsy side of the river though. I got a very different vibe from it. Perhaps it is the fact that the two sides of the liver lived almost completely in separation because there was no bridge built between them until the 19th century. Before that they had just roped boats together to bridge the water and so that the young women working in the cigarette factory couldn't smuggle much tobacco to their side. There is such a rich history in old cities like this and something that I wish we had more of in the United States. I think when I get back I'll need to start doing a few more of the touristy thing in Boston and also explore more of my own country and perhaps take a road trip to California.
But after everyone left it was just Luz and I and we walked all around the city very leisurely. Then we went over to Real Alzazar, a massive palace built in the 14th century to which I had not yet gone. It was extremely beautiful and elaborate, but I think that I like the Cathedral better. But it was very relaxing there especially when we sat down for awhile just to talk in the gardens. It was late afternoon and at that point when the light has lost just a bit of its strength and the temperature has dropped just a couple degrees with a light breeze. It was the perfect temperature and atmosphere. There were birds flying around and the distant echoes of the small, slightly ghetto waterfall there. Around 6 we left for La Casa de La Memorias, a professional Flemenco club, where we got tickets for a show that night. Then we walked back to the Cathedral and managed to slip into a mass there for a little before leaving for a quick bite to eat before the Flemenco show. The section of the Cathedral where the mass was held was absolutely beautiful and I think the most pretty part of the building largely because it was more clean than the other parts. I've been thinking about religion and the Catholic Church a decent amount since I've been here since 95% of the history is linked in some way to the Catholicism. I feel like behind all of these beautiful works of art there is so much pain and hypocrisy at times. The majority of the funds and raw materials for these amazing sculptures buildings, and paintings came from taking advantage of a variety of different peoples. In most cases it was the Native Americans or the Jews. Although they are amazing and inspirational pieces of art... where do you draw the line as to what defines art. In class we were shortly discussing whether or not Bullfighting is art and many students mirrored the thought that it is not because it is directly bringing about the harm and death of a life form. Although I do not yet have a strongly established view on the topic, I feel that if all of this Catholic art can be called art, then bullfighting should as well. Whatever the source of the money is, I'm not going to deny that these are the most amazing works of mankind that I've ever seen.
Got dinner at some little tapas bar and then eventually made our way over to the Flemenco Club after getting a little lost in the narrow winding streets. We were the only two young people there other than one or two others that were there with their parents. I think it is because it takes a bit more planning to get in because the tickets sell out very fast. It cost 12 or 13 euros for the show and I can honestly say that it was the best buy I've made since I've been here. It was an electric and magical environment and the dancing was absolutely pheonomenal. The movements were so crisp yet fluid and perfectly in sync with the music and singing which accompanied it. Flemenco is a little like tap dancing with an Arabic vibe to it with respect to the arm movements. The passion in their faces and in each of their movements made it an unforgettable night. I just wish Jess could have been there to see it all. We're definitely going to need to travel together more because there is so much to see out in the world and now is the best time to travel and see it all. Provided that I still have money, but I think I'll be fine. Studying abroad really makes you get the world traveler bug. After the show we went right to the bus. Got a bit of sleep on the buss.. much more than on the way down and got back at 5:15 am. Took a couple of days to get back into the normal rhythm of things again.
Got some great pictures too because the weather was tremendous on Sunday! Sunny, low 80s and very clear. It was supposed to rain constantly both days.. but the weather people are clearly always wrong. Should have listened to Jess´optimism.. We ended the tour at the bull fighting arena and she told us about the history of bullfighting and explained in her opinion and that of the majority of Spanish people, why bullfighting is an art form and why it doesn't deserve all the negative criticism that it is currently receiving; that all these bulls that die in the arena have lived long and very fulfilling lives. They have been given plenty of food and exercise and were able to have sex with (her words not mine..) with all the cows they could ever want. We will see because in a couple weeks I will be going to a bull fight with our program here and I guess I can get my own opinion on the subject after watching it.
After the tour Luz, Margarita, Melinda, Alice, and this one student from Cornell decided to walk around for a bit and go over to the Gypsy side of the city (Triuno) over the bridge. We found some small restaurant to eat at before a lot of the group had to get back to catch their bus. It was very different on the Gyspsy side of the river though. I got a very different vibe from it. Perhaps it is the fact that the two sides of the liver lived almost completely in separation because there was no bridge built between them until the 19th century. Before that they had just roped boats together to bridge the water and so that the young women working in the cigarette factory couldn't smuggle much tobacco to their side. There is such a rich history in old cities like this and something that I wish we had more of in the United States. I think when I get back I'll need to start doing a few more of the touristy thing in Boston and also explore more of my own country and perhaps take a road trip to California.
But after everyone left it was just Luz and I and we walked all around the city very leisurely. Then we went over to Real Alzazar, a massive palace built in the 14th century to which I had not yet gone. It was extremely beautiful and elaborate, but I think that I like the Cathedral better. But it was very relaxing there especially when we sat down for awhile just to talk in the gardens. It was late afternoon and at that point when the light has lost just a bit of its strength and the temperature has dropped just a couple degrees with a light breeze. It was the perfect temperature and atmosphere. There were birds flying around and the distant echoes of the small, slightly ghetto waterfall there. Around 6 we left for La Casa de La Memorias, a professional Flemenco club, where we got tickets for a show that night. Then we walked back to the Cathedral and managed to slip into a mass there for a little before leaving for a quick bite to eat before the Flemenco show. The section of the Cathedral where the mass was held was absolutely beautiful and I think the most pretty part of the building largely because it was more clean than the other parts. I've been thinking about religion and the Catholic Church a decent amount since I've been here since 95% of the history is linked in some way to the Catholicism. I feel like behind all of these beautiful works of art there is so much pain and hypocrisy at times. The majority of the funds and raw materials for these amazing sculptures buildings, and paintings came from taking advantage of a variety of different peoples. In most cases it was the Native Americans or the Jews. Although they are amazing and inspirational pieces of art... where do you draw the line as to what defines art. In class we were shortly discussing whether or not Bullfighting is art and many students mirrored the thought that it is not because it is directly bringing about the harm and death of a life form. Although I do not yet have a strongly established view on the topic, I feel that if all of this Catholic art can be called art, then bullfighting should as well. Whatever the source of the money is, I'm not going to deny that these are the most amazing works of mankind that I've ever seen.
Got dinner at some little tapas bar and then eventually made our way over to the Flemenco Club after getting a little lost in the narrow winding streets. We were the only two young people there other than one or two others that were there with their parents. I think it is because it takes a bit more planning to get in because the tickets sell out very fast. It cost 12 or 13 euros for the show and I can honestly say that it was the best buy I've made since I've been here. It was an electric and magical environment and the dancing was absolutely pheonomenal. The movements were so crisp yet fluid and perfectly in sync with the music and singing which accompanied it. Flemenco is a little like tap dancing with an Arabic vibe to it with respect to the arm movements. The passion in their faces and in each of their movements made it an unforgettable night. I just wish Jess could have been there to see it all. We're definitely going to need to travel together more because there is so much to see out in the world and now is the best time to travel and see it all. Provided that I still have money, but I think I'll be fine. Studying abroad really makes you get the world traveler bug. After the show we went right to the bus. Got a bit of sleep on the buss.. much more than on the way down and got back at 5:15 am. Took a couple of days to get back into the normal rhythm of things again.
SEVILLE Day 1
Turns out that I was the only one in the bus that ended up having two seats to myself. After 6 hours of off and on sleep we finally made it there, but we were too tired and it was too dark for us to start enjoying it yet. It was only 7am and it was very cold and I had just a t-shirt and shorts on.. not the smartest choice, but I was in a rush. But one thing I did manage to bring or do that no one else remembered to do was to get directions to the hostel from the bus station. Fortunately I had taken a picture of the email they sent us about how to get there so after the deliberation and imminent slow action of any large group, we made our way over to the hostel which was near the center of the city and about 15 minutes away walking. Unfortunately we couldn´t check in until 10:30am so we sat around and ate breakfast on some park benches for an hour or so until we dropped ourself off hesitently in the commonroom of the hostel. They said it was safe but I wasn´t quite confident about it considering it was my first stay in one. Then we made our way together to the absolutely amazing Cathedral which is the 3rd largest in the world and the 2nd largest gothic structure as well. It wasn´t open yet for tourists, but what was running was a tour of the city by horse and carriage.. I was in and we got together a group of 4 to do it. It was just 10 euros and it was worth it. It wasn´t amazing but it was very relaxing and gave you a quick look at everything in the city and many things we would not have otherwise had time to see. The driver was this old Sevillan man who was the quinticential carriage driver.. it was like he was out of a movie and he was very nice although a bit quiet at times. Went by the Cathedral, the bull fighting arena, one of the oldest and best in Spain, the University of Seville (70,000 students) which is located inside of the city´s old tabacco factory which is massive and beautiful and has a moat around it, the Palace of Alcazar, the Plaza of Spain, the Gardens, and much more. After the tour we did some tourist shopping, relaxed a bit and then went into the Cathedral as soon as it opened. It is spectacular inside.. kept in tremendous condition and is the proven resting place of Christopher Columbus or at least a large portion of him.. I can´t explain it all but please check out the pictures that will be up this Wednesday! We then walked over and got lunch... took almost 30 minutes to find the place that had been recommended to us but we eventually found it and it was very good.. maybe not worth the walking.. but it was affordable. But one thing I like here is that although they say that in the US everyone is Capitalistic and out for the money, but here they charge for everything.. eating outside.. 30 cents per tapa ordered.. 7% tip included.. the bread which we didn´t even ask for.. and sometimes they even charge for the bathrooms here. But we spent about 2 hours eating and talking. It was very nice and was just the 4 of us. It was an interesting group.. I don´t know if I´ll be great friends with all of them but they definitely have different perspectives and come from California or Mexico so have had very different lives than I. I´ll spare the details about each of them but two had a little thing going on between them although they are very, very different. I don´t see the relationship going far especially because one of them has a girlfriend back in the States.. but according to him it´s a don´t ask don´t tell kind of agreement when abroad..
After lunch we joined up with the main group back at the Hostel to take a much needed nap. The Hostel was nice.. or definitely good enough for our purposes. And the room I was in was with just BC people so I didn´t have to worry about my stuff as much although it would have been nice to have been with others in order to meet new people. From then on I stuck with the other group while the group of now 3 hung out by themselves for the majority of the rest of the trip. I like the new group better and found them more fun overall. After waking up we went over to get Flemenco tickets but they were sold out for the night unfortunately. Then picked up some wine and sangria for our botellón later and then went out to a nice tapas place for dinner. Got chiken kababas(thought they were going to be more like the bonner kabab sandwiches which are delicious, but they weren´t) which were good but nothing special.. I wasn´t very hungry. Then I ended up eating half of Margarita´s dish which was a squid in a black sauce of some sort which was great although a bit salty. Definitely more like what I wanted. I need to learn some more spanish food words so I know what I´m ordering moreso. I just want to try something native and different everywhere I go. Pizza would be nice at some point though..haha After talking about cameras with Melinda and other things at dinner we went back to pregame a bit on the roof of our Hostel with a view over all the city. Then we went over to the free, ameteur Flemenco show which was not very impressive and I got a bit tired afterwards, but after leaving I decided to stay out with 3 other girls and explore the city a bit more at night because it was only 1am.. Earlier I had walked around on my own for about an hour and so had established my bearings in the city, so I guided everyone around to Plaza España and a bunch of other buildings and places which looked magnificent at night. We ran into this Fair of the Nations and a outdoor restaraunt next door which looked informal, yet very romantic where people were eating on velvet beds outside. It was very interesting and refreshing becaues we had no expectations. Before heading back we found the party district.. but we weren´t in the mood to go out late that night and were all starting to get a bit tired but it did seem like a lively and young party scene. Didn´t get lost surprizingly given the very thin and winding streets and then went right to bed.
After lunch we joined up with the main group back at the Hostel to take a much needed nap. The Hostel was nice.. or definitely good enough for our purposes. And the room I was in was with just BC people so I didn´t have to worry about my stuff as much although it would have been nice to have been with others in order to meet new people. From then on I stuck with the other group while the group of now 3 hung out by themselves for the majority of the rest of the trip. I like the new group better and found them more fun overall. After waking up we went over to get Flemenco tickets but they were sold out for the night unfortunately. Then picked up some wine and sangria for our botellón later and then went out to a nice tapas place for dinner. Got chiken kababas(thought they were going to be more like the bonner kabab sandwiches which are delicious, but they weren´t) which were good but nothing special.. I wasn´t very hungry. Then I ended up eating half of Margarita´s dish which was a squid in a black sauce of some sort which was great although a bit salty. Definitely more like what I wanted. I need to learn some more spanish food words so I know what I´m ordering moreso. I just want to try something native and different everywhere I go. Pizza would be nice at some point though..haha After talking about cameras with Melinda and other things at dinner we went back to pregame a bit on the roof of our Hostel with a view over all the city. Then we went over to the free, ameteur Flemenco show which was not very impressive and I got a bit tired afterwards, but after leaving I decided to stay out with 3 other girls and explore the city a bit more at night because it was only 1am.. Earlier I had walked around on my own for about an hour and so had established my bearings in the city, so I guided everyone around to Plaza España and a bunch of other buildings and places which looked magnificent at night. We ran into this Fair of the Nations and a outdoor restaraunt next door which looked informal, yet very romantic where people were eating on velvet beds outside. It was very interesting and refreshing becaues we had no expectations. Before heading back we found the party district.. but we weren´t in the mood to go out late that night and were all starting to get a bit tired but it did seem like a lively and young party scene. Didn´t get lost surprizingly given the very thin and winding streets and then went right to bed.
Peluquería, Paella, y Pasando tiempo
I lied when I said I could sleep in... kinda. I had to get up around noon because I had made a haircut appointment for today at 1pm at a ¨pelucuría¨nearby which Eugenia had recommended to me. After heading over to the grocery store beforehand to buy some very fresh fish and some other items for the paella that was for lunch that day, we went over to the haircut place together. I have enough trouble trying to explain what I want done with my hair in English, let alone Spanish.. so it was interesting to say the least. The guy, Alvonzo, is a typical male barber.. gay but he seemed nice although a bit quiet.. which was nice because I had enough to concentrate on.. watching him cut my hair. I didn´t feel trying to muster conversation in Spanish with him. He did a pretty good job.. a bit to short on the sides though but it´ll be fine in a week or so. Not a big worry of mine. After getting back I almost immediately went over to Mendez Alvaro, a bus station near by, to buy my ticket to Seville for that night. I didn´t realize that I was low on cash.. so I ended up having just 2 or 3 dollars to spare after getting my ticket. For the rest of the day I ate lots of paella, relaxed, used the computer, tried to nap, talked with Eugenia and went through a bunch of her photos, took photos of the moon and spied on some neighbors using my camera with Eugenia. It was a fun, and low-key night which is necessary some times even in Madrid. Some people go out 5 days a week till 5 or 6 every night.. but I don´t think that is what we´re here to do in the first place. We´re here to learn about and experience the culture and there´s only so much you can get from going to the clubs. It´s also not cheap by any means..
Lastly I skyped with Jess up until the last possible second almost and then packed all my stuff away really quickly hoping that I had everything I´d need.. did pretty well I´d say.. just forgot.. or rather neglected to bring a sweatshirt. Before leaving I had to change out of my FC Barcelona jersey upon the advice of Eugenia.. and that I might get shot for wearing it in Madrid.. I listened closely and took heed to it. Ran out the door and to the cercanias to get to Mendez Alvaro which is just 2 stops away, but it stopped running 2 or 3 minutes earlier which I had not realized and so I ran to the metro which could get me there just a bit slower but probably on time, but it was 9 minutes till the next one arrived and that would be cutting it too close so I ran back up to the street and got a cab. It only cost 6 euros or less which sucks compared to nothing, but it´s better than missing it altogether and I only had a 50 on me so we had to drive over to a bar quickly so he could run in and get change for me... unfortunate timing considering I was already running pretty late, but eventually I made it there on time and met up with everyone in the main bus lounge. I only knew 3 or 4 of the people there out of the 12 so I introduced myself and before I knew it we were off to the bus and into our seats...
Lastly I skyped with Jess up until the last possible second almost and then packed all my stuff away really quickly hoping that I had everything I´d need.. did pretty well I´d say.. just forgot.. or rather neglected to bring a sweatshirt. Before leaving I had to change out of my FC Barcelona jersey upon the advice of Eugenia.. and that I might get shot for wearing it in Madrid.. I listened closely and took heed to it. Ran out the door and to the cercanias to get to Mendez Alvaro which is just 2 stops away, but it stopped running 2 or 3 minutes earlier which I had not realized and so I ran to the metro which could get me there just a bit slower but probably on time, but it was 9 minutes till the next one arrived and that would be cutting it too close so I ran back up to the street and got a cab. It only cost 6 euros or less which sucks compared to nothing, but it´s better than missing it altogether and I only had a 50 on me so we had to drive over to a bar quickly so he could run in and get change for me... unfortunate timing considering I was already running pretty late, but eventually I made it there on time and met up with everyone in the main bus lounge. I only knew 3 or 4 of the people there out of the 12 so I introduced myself and before I knew it we were off to the bus and into our seats...
Friday, September 25, 2009
Classes (condensed version)
Had econ this morning.. it was alright. I don't really like the professor that much. He is kind of an asshole at times and at times I get the feeling that he thinks we're less intelligent just because we can't articulate our thoughts very well because of the language barrier. And the one kid who is fluent in the class always asks questions and interjects although his questions and comments are not very educated. After class I had a 3 hours or so to spare before my next class so I got some lunch with some int'l friends and finished up my homework for the next class. Got back home and started planning for the trips we'd go on for the next few months. Got it all figured out and sent out TONS of facebook messages to try to coordinate things and get people to travel with.. I'm very excited to just get things booked. But I want to wait to get at least 1 person to travel with for all of the trips. I'm not going alone unless I know people where I'm going. I didn't have all that much to do that night but was up late planning and doing other things on the computer.. other than blogging.. sorry for letting these pile up to one day. Sometimes it's so easy to procrastinate..
Nothing exciting or novel happened the next few days. Classes went as normal and went to the gym afterward.. it's funny and weird being one of the strongest people at the gym every time I'm there.. I guess Spaniards just don't work out as much as people in the US. There are none of those crazy jacked guys at this gym.. This Wednesday I had my first class with Ana and she simply introduced the class and what we would be doing and then we had a presentation given by a guy representing the Morocco Exchange Program. I think I'm going to go.. it seems like a very cool and unique experience and I'm very excited to go. I think I'm going to be going on the weekend of October 16th. So one other funny thing happened the following morning.. normally my classes begin at 10am but on wednesday my classes used to begin at 11am until Ana's class started at 8:30am on Wednesdays.. so Thursday morning for some reason I thought class began at 11am and that I had a late start that day. So I got up at 9 or so after a great night's sleep and I felt great. Caught up on my sleep and strolled to school very relaxed. I even got there "early" and waited outside of class reading our homework over until about 10 minutes before it "started." So I opened the door and the class was filled with people and the professor was talking.. i was completely confused. Looked at my watch several times and found a spot up in the front right next to the professor... unfortunately. After checking my phone to see if I had the right time.. it hit me that class began at 10am this morning and that I just walked into the 1 hour class.. 50 or more minutes late.. I felt terrible. Very disrespectful. Had I realized it before I would have just stayed outside of class. But fortunately we were discussing a story that I had already read in high school and so I had already gone over it once before although it is all very hazy to me now. Then I had econ again and we went over our homework assignment about GDP which was extremely frustrating and difficult as I mentioned before in another post. Took a long time to do it, but I did a good job with it and it turns out that we're going to be working with what we did in the future and expanding on that and adding a lot to it so fortunately I now have a good foundation to work with. I had to give a presentation to the class about my graph and about the basic economic history of Spain using what I had prepared because he had asked for a couple volunteers. It went really well and he really liked what I had done .."Casi perfecto" just a few minor changes that I needed to make after class.. and I even touched it up some more afterward and it looks great now. I just felt a little bad because I'm a bit of a perfectionist at times and I'm pretty good with excel so it looked really good and hopefully I didn't set the bar too high for everyone else or make them look bad with respect to me... I say this all with the utmost humility.. haha I got back home after class and going to the gym quickly and had a great lunch compliments of Eugenia.. it was the dinner she had prepared for me last night. I had mistakenly eaten the wrong dish from the refrigerator, but it wasn't a big deal. All the food is great! Then I spent hours on the computer doing stuff. Time seems to pass so fast on the computer. I don't know why. Then I tried to take a nap for a bit but wasn't really that tired. It was just that I was going out that night to the Joyeria.. 5 dollar open bar till 12:30am and then to Joy, the discoteca, after. Couldn't sleep really and so I just talked with Eugenia and then Skyped before getting ready and going out to meet up with Perrine and her boyfriend. I got to Sol to meet up 45 minutes late but it turned out that they were 50 or so minutes late and it worked out great. I had actually tried to find la joyeria on my own for a little bit walking.. because I had been there once before but I wasn't paying much attention at the time so I was having a little trouble finding it. But the weather was great.. perfect.. and I was very relaxed and not it any hurry and so all was good. I felt very Spanish.. no rush at all. Then I walked back to sol and ran into Perrine and her boy friend.. Daniel.. I think that's his name though I could be mistaken. We eventually found la Joyeria together although we were a bit late and only had 30 mins or so to drink although that was plenty. Ran into a bunch of friends there. It's great that any thursday I can go there.. alone if I want and I'll run into 20 or 30 people that I know. Had a great time there although it was STEAMING hot inside there. 30 mins was more than enough. I then headed over to Joy with Derise, a friend from my Spanish class and a few of her friends and waited for almost an hour in line to get into Joy. It was crazy but definitely worth it. Just missed the free cut off though by 5 or so minutes but what can you do.. Got 2 free drinks with the 12 euro entrance free which was more than enough for me. Maybe a bit too much. It was the most drunk I've been so far in Spain. I think it's that I normally drink more but it's Sangria and it's in a long period of time. But we danced for hours in there but I left at 3:30 or so because I felt like I was a bit too drunk and didn't want anything to happen or my dancing partner to try to make a move or anything although she already knew that I had a girlfriend and all. I had had a great time already anyways and it was a good time to leave. Walked home.. only took about 15 minutes but that was when I realized that I was actually pretty drunk. You don't really realize it when you're in a club with loud music. But I was fine. Made it back alright and on MAIN ROADS mom. Don't worry about me. Time to sleep in, relax, and get ready for Seville!
Nothing exciting or novel happened the next few days. Classes went as normal and went to the gym afterward.. it's funny and weird being one of the strongest people at the gym every time I'm there.. I guess Spaniards just don't work out as much as people in the US. There are none of those crazy jacked guys at this gym.. This Wednesday I had my first class with Ana and she simply introduced the class and what we would be doing and then we had a presentation given by a guy representing the Morocco Exchange Program. I think I'm going to go.. it seems like a very cool and unique experience and I'm very excited to go. I think I'm going to be going on the weekend of October 16th. So one other funny thing happened the following morning.. normally my classes begin at 10am but on wednesday my classes used to begin at 11am until Ana's class started at 8:30am on Wednesdays.. so Thursday morning for some reason I thought class began at 11am and that I had a late start that day. So I got up at 9 or so after a great night's sleep and I felt great. Caught up on my sleep and strolled to school very relaxed. I even got there "early" and waited outside of class reading our homework over until about 10 minutes before it "started." So I opened the door and the class was filled with people and the professor was talking.. i was completely confused. Looked at my watch several times and found a spot up in the front right next to the professor... unfortunately. After checking my phone to see if I had the right time.. it hit me that class began at 10am this morning and that I just walked into the 1 hour class.. 50 or more minutes late.. I felt terrible. Very disrespectful. Had I realized it before I would have just stayed outside of class. But fortunately we were discussing a story that I had already read in high school and so I had already gone over it once before although it is all very hazy to me now. Then I had econ again and we went over our homework assignment about GDP which was extremely frustrating and difficult as I mentioned before in another post. Took a long time to do it, but I did a good job with it and it turns out that we're going to be working with what we did in the future and expanding on that and adding a lot to it so fortunately I now have a good foundation to work with. I had to give a presentation to the class about my graph and about the basic economic history of Spain using what I had prepared because he had asked for a couple volunteers. It went really well and he really liked what I had done .."Casi perfecto" just a few minor changes that I needed to make after class.. and I even touched it up some more afterward and it looks great now. I just felt a little bad because I'm a bit of a perfectionist at times and I'm pretty good with excel so it looked really good and hopefully I didn't set the bar too high for everyone else or make them look bad with respect to me... I say this all with the utmost humility.. haha I got back home after class and going to the gym quickly and had a great lunch compliments of Eugenia.. it was the dinner she had prepared for me last night. I had mistakenly eaten the wrong dish from the refrigerator, but it wasn't a big deal. All the food is great! Then I spent hours on the computer doing stuff. Time seems to pass so fast on the computer. I don't know why. Then I tried to take a nap for a bit but wasn't really that tired. It was just that I was going out that night to the Joyeria.. 5 dollar open bar till 12:30am and then to Joy, the discoteca, after. Couldn't sleep really and so I just talked with Eugenia and then Skyped before getting ready and going out to meet up with Perrine and her boyfriend. I got to Sol to meet up 45 minutes late but it turned out that they were 50 or so minutes late and it worked out great. I had actually tried to find la joyeria on my own for a little bit walking.. because I had been there once before but I wasn't paying much attention at the time so I was having a little trouble finding it. But the weather was great.. perfect.. and I was very relaxed and not it any hurry and so all was good. I felt very Spanish.. no rush at all. Then I walked back to sol and ran into Perrine and her boy friend.. Daniel.. I think that's his name though I could be mistaken. We eventually found la Joyeria together although we were a bit late and only had 30 mins or so to drink although that was plenty. Ran into a bunch of friends there. It's great that any thursday I can go there.. alone if I want and I'll run into 20 or 30 people that I know. Had a great time there although it was STEAMING hot inside there. 30 mins was more than enough. I then headed over to Joy with Derise, a friend from my Spanish class and a few of her friends and waited for almost an hour in line to get into Joy. It was crazy but definitely worth it. Just missed the free cut off though by 5 or so minutes but what can you do.. Got 2 free drinks with the 12 euro entrance free which was more than enough for me. Maybe a bit too much. It was the most drunk I've been so far in Spain. I think it's that I normally drink more but it's Sangria and it's in a long period of time. But we danced for hours in there but I left at 3:30 or so because I felt like I was a bit too drunk and didn't want anything to happen or my dancing partner to try to make a move or anything although she already knew that I had a girlfriend and all. I had had a great time already anyways and it was a good time to leave. Walked home.. only took about 15 minutes but that was when I realized that I was actually pretty drunk. You don't really realize it when you're in a club with loud music. But I was fine. Made it back alright and on MAIN ROADS mom. Don't worry about me. Time to sleep in, relax, and get ready for Seville!
Relajando
Got up around 12:45, but by then it was already too late for mass which started in 15 minutes or so and still needed to take a shower and wake up.. Eugenia made lunch for me to go because I was going to be out for most of the day walking around and going to the library to get some work done.. But first on my list of things to do was to go to the Rastro, a big marketplace in which there are tons of street vendors all on one street. Bought a few things there. Then I just started waking again. It's the best way to get to know a city especially when the majority of your traveling is done underground in using their metro system, which is absolutely amazing btw. Boston really needs to do some work on its metro system.
I made my way over to the outskirts of the city center right near the Palace of Madrid and over to this big, grassy hill where I decided to eat lunch with a view of the entire city as it sprawled out into the countryside and to the mountains which surround the city on that side. It's was absolutely magnificent. Million dollar view. It was a very relaxing day. Then went over to the library and got all my work done for the next few days. The workload is pretty light here although it is picking up a little bit but not at all like at Boston College. Life is good here.
I made my way over to the outskirts of the city center right near the Palace of Madrid and over to this big, grassy hill where I decided to eat lunch with a view of the entire city as it sprawled out into the countryside and to the mountains which surround the city on that side. It's was absolutely magnificent. Million dollar view. It was a very relaxing day. Then went over to the library and got all my work done for the next few days. The workload is pretty light here although it is picking up a little bit but not at all like at Boston College. Life is good here.
La Noche en Blanco
We rented bikes today to take around Madrid and over to Casa de Campo. We were going to meet at 1:00pm in Sol but I woke up a good hour and a half early so I decided to leave early for Sol and walk there and take the scenic route/ explore the city a bit more. It only took about 10 minutes to walk from my place to Plaza Mayor which is then only 3 or so minutes from Sol, but I had much more time then that so I started wandering around.. found a really cool Cathedral to which I'll start going to mass.. for the weekends when I am in Spain that is.. Absolutely beautiful inside and I managed to take a quick picture when no one was looking because its mal educado to do so. I didnt have time to stick around for mass though.. and wasn't quite properly dressed in my athletic gear and ipod headphones draped over my shoulder. I then found my way over to a very cool marketplace right next to Plaza Mayor with all sorts of fresh fruit, wine, cheese, fish, churros, and all things in between. Jess and I will have to go over there at some point to eat. I'm going to have to start getting some recommendations for places to take her to eat as well.. at least sit down places because I've only been to a limited few so far... I blame Eugenia. None of these restaurant's food compare to her's most of the time. But I do like Spanish food a lot. But I think after 3 weeks I can say that I like American food better and I think it's actually healthier in the US as well. Or at least it feels healthier. Maybe it's that we use so many preservatives.. I don't know. I just love our variety.
...So after walking around for a bit I made my way back to Sol where before meeting up with the group I watched this one group of street performers playing classic music.. they were tremendous! Pretty soon after I got to the rendevous we all walked over to the bike rental store. I was the only one who knew where the place was.. good thing I looked into it beforehand.. gotta love google maps and street view. We actually started off walking in the exact wrong direction and then I asked where we were going and they said that they were just following Julia. Turns out Julia was just randomly walking hoping to find it.. haha Biking was great after we got out of Sol and away from the hoards of people. We made our way all the way over to Casa de Campo, a massive park a couple miles away. I'll definitely be taking Jess there on her runs. They even have a gondala-esque thing which would give you a tremendous view of the city because it's located on a big, gentle hill outside the city. Almost ate lunch at this Equadorian food festival where they were cooking food in front of you but I held out for Bonner Kabobs a bit later once we got back.. I had never had one yet at that point but I had heard that they are amazing. The park was very nice and we found some cool graffiti in a tunnel there. On a whole I'd say the graffiti is prettier here. Actually one graffiti I found is actually the background on my computer right now. Once we made it back we quickly got rid of the bikes and got over to the Kabob place.. they were not lying!! So soo good and not very expensive at all. 5 euros for the whole meal. But it must be terrible for you.. but once in a while it's not bad to indulge yourself.. but then again I had a second one that night so who am I to tell you about self restraint..
Got back home for a strategic 2 hour nap before meeting back up with the group for La Noche en Blanco! I was very excited for all the festivities of the night where the city doesn't go to sleep. There were SOOO many people out tonight it was crazy. It was like new years in NYC(not that I've ever been) all over the place.. I think there were around 1,000,000 people out in the streets that night.. that's what the paper said but I have no idea how they measured that. I was a little let down though by the number of events we got to.. we only really went to two places and the second was a mistake.. there were thousands of events around the city to go to.. but it is hard to find them and navigate through the masses. But I still had fun. Got back home at 3:30 or so just before the metro stopped running because for some reason I was getting very tired and wan't really in the mood to go to Joy.. it's hard to expect your body to get up at 8 am every day during the week and go to bed at a reasonable hour and then turn around to the weekend and go to bed at 6am.. I don't know how some people do it. Are they doing it to simply say they went out every night till 6am or are they really enjoying it.. The latest I've done is 4:45 or so.. which is pretty good. But I did feel weak because my Senora didn't get home that night till 6:30am.. so I lied to her and told her I got back at 4:30.. haha
...So after walking around for a bit I made my way back to Sol where before meeting up with the group I watched this one group of street performers playing classic music.. they were tremendous! Pretty soon after I got to the rendevous we all walked over to the bike rental store. I was the only one who knew where the place was.. good thing I looked into it beforehand.. gotta love google maps and street view. We actually started off walking in the exact wrong direction and then I asked where we were going and they said that they were just following Julia. Turns out Julia was just randomly walking hoping to find it.. haha Biking was great after we got out of Sol and away from the hoards of people. We made our way all the way over to Casa de Campo, a massive park a couple miles away. I'll definitely be taking Jess there on her runs. They even have a gondala-esque thing which would give you a tremendous view of the city because it's located on a big, gentle hill outside the city. Almost ate lunch at this Equadorian food festival where they were cooking food in front of you but I held out for Bonner Kabobs a bit later once we got back.. I had never had one yet at that point but I had heard that they are amazing. The park was very nice and we found some cool graffiti in a tunnel there. On a whole I'd say the graffiti is prettier here. Actually one graffiti I found is actually the background on my computer right now. Once we made it back we quickly got rid of the bikes and got over to the Kabob place.. they were not lying!! So soo good and not very expensive at all. 5 euros for the whole meal. But it must be terrible for you.. but once in a while it's not bad to indulge yourself.. but then again I had a second one that night so who am I to tell you about self restraint..
Got back home for a strategic 2 hour nap before meeting back up with the group for La Noche en Blanco! I was very excited for all the festivities of the night where the city doesn't go to sleep. There were SOOO many people out tonight it was crazy. It was like new years in NYC(not that I've ever been) all over the place.. I think there were around 1,000,000 people out in the streets that night.. that's what the paper said but I have no idea how they measured that. I was a little let down though by the number of events we got to.. we only really went to two places and the second was a mistake.. there were thousands of events around the city to go to.. but it is hard to find them and navigate through the masses. But I still had fun. Got back home at 3:30 or so just before the metro stopped running because for some reason I was getting very tired and wan't really in the mood to go to Joy.. it's hard to expect your body to get up at 8 am every day during the week and go to bed at a reasonable hour and then turn around to the weekend and go to bed at 6am.. I don't know how some people do it. Are they doing it to simply say they went out every night till 6am or are they really enjoying it.. The latest I've done is 4:45 or so.. which is pretty good. But I did feel weak because my Senora didn't get home that night till 6:30am.. so I lied to her and told her I got back at 4:30.. haha
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