Last Weeks of October

End of October: Noche de Chicas #2, Fun with Friends, Mom’s Visit, and Halloween

The second to last week in October we had another “Noche de Chicas” on a Friday evening, which was really a combined activity night for guys and girls. We all gathered in the library at the school and watched the movie You, Me, and Dupree. I thought it was a pretty good movie. The school ordered pizza for us, and a bunch of girls did their nails while we just relaxed and enjoyed a fun night together.

The next day I hung out with my intercambio Fernando. We went to this amazing Tavern, called La Taberna Los Coloniales, for tapas. It was DELICIOUS. We walked around and talked and got some ice cream before saying goodbye for the week. On my walk back home, there was a modern art exhibition going on. The city was having a contest for thirty artists to paint the glass recycling containers that can be found on nearly every corner. They were all gathered right outside the school, painting, drawing, stenciling. It was amazing. Since then, the containers have been judged and exhibited throughout the city, with one container going into each of the neighborhoods.

The next day I was SO excited for my mom to come. Despite the difficulties with her flight, she arrived the next day, Sunday night. Lisa and I had taken the bus to the airport and were anxiously awaiting her in the receiving area. I even made a sign with her name on it, just in case she didn’t remember what I looked like. Haha The three of us took a taxi to her hotel in Triana and then walked across the river to grab some dinner at Pan’s and Company, which is liked a Subway meets McDonald’s type of restaurant. The next morning, I surprised her bright and early with breakfast before I headed to school: cañas de chocolate, apples, and orange juice. The cañas are my favorite breakfast treat here. Once every two or three weeks I will go to OpenCor and treat myself to one from the bakery there. MMMMmmmm. They are like a croissant shaped like a log, with chocolate filling, and chocolate sprinkles on top. Sometimes I get lucky and I buy them on the day that they are also glazed in chocolate over the top. Oh, man, now I really want to go buy one. Haha Anyways, I had a great time while mom was here. I got to show her some of my favorite places around the city, and while I was in classes in the morning she got to go exploring some of the touristy things. Wednesday night Lisa and I went with her to a flamenco show in the Jewish barrio of Santa Cruz. It was INCREDIBLE. I don’t understand how they can move that way! Thursday Mom got to come to our house and have lunch with my host family. We had paella, and I think it was mom’s favorite thing she had while she was here.

Friday we celebrated Halloween at the school with a little costume contest. I was a “Nudist on Strike” or “Nudista que está de huelga”. Basically, I just wore my normal clothes and then taped a sign on my shirt. Haha That night we all headed to the airport and said our goodbyes, Mom heading to her flight to Madrid and then back home, and me heading to Barcelona with Lisa and our friend Sarah for a week of vacation.

Sevilla Cathedral Visit

October 20: Sevilla Cathedral Visit

My art class was learning about Gothic architecture, so we met up one afternoon to have a tour of the cathedral here in Sevilla. It was downpouring, so we did get wet while we were waiting, but it was worth it. The cathedral is gorgeous inside, with tall vaulted ceilings and big stone columns. The main altar is covered from floor to ceiling in gold. The cathedral here is also one of the final resting places for Christopher Columbus’ remains. I say that it is only one of the final resting places because the poor man’s remains have been divided and so he now rests in some four or five different sites around the world. Also in the cathedral we saw a group of local miners on strike. They had been on strike for over 200 days, and were living in the cathedral as a manner of protecting themselves from the government. At the end of our visit we climbed La Giralda, the tower that rises high above all the other buildings in the city. Thirty-five steep ramps and a pair of throbbing calves later, I made it to the top, and was greeted with some amazing views. I then walked back to the school to do a few things before Solidarios that night and proceeded to get soaking wet, despite my umbrella. When it was warmer earlier in the semester and it rained, I just wore my Chacos. It was the easiest thing, and the most logical in my mind, since I didn’t have rain boots. My Spanish friends, however, thought I was completely nuts. They just couldn’t wrap their minds around the concept of wearing “chanclas” when it was raining. hahaha

The Scoop on Toledo and my Time with the Musser Family

Wow….sorry it took me almost forever to catch up on updates.

To begin: Toledo and my visit to the Musser family, October 15-18.

Our art class took a trip to Toledo to visit the cathedral there and to look at some famous paintings we were studying at the time. When we first arrived the first thing we noticed is that it was a whole lot colder than in Sevilla, and I immediately decided that I hadn’t brought enough warm clothes. Hahaha That afternoon we explored a little bit. I got pooped on by a pidgeon while I was eating my lunch, but thankfully we had napkins and hand sanitizer on hand! Haha After our explorations we met up with the art class to look at El Entierro del Señor de Orgaz in a small church and then when to a monastery to look at Romanic architecture. That night we went shopping and had lots of fun just walking around the city, even though we were freezing.

The next day we woke up and ate a delicious breakfast at the hotel and packed our stuff. We went as a group to the cathedral and after the tour we had free time for the rest of the weekend. We had the option of either returning to Sevilla with the school or doing or own thing. I had made plans to go visit the Musser family outside of Madrid for the weekend, so I caught a taxi to the train station. I learned that the taxi system in Toledo is far different than that of Sevilla. By that, I mean that I think there are two taxis in the entire city. We went to the tourism office to ask where the best place to get a taxi was, and they pointed us across the street, saying that that was the main taxi point in the city. So we went and we waited and waited and waited. Twenty minutes later, we saw a taxi and attempted to flag it down, but the driver shook his head and kept driving. There was another American couple behind me in line for a taxi, and they didn’t speak any Spanish, so I was trying to help them out, and while I was helping them I missed a taxi. So then I went back to the tourism office and had them call a taxi for me. The taxi picked me up and took me down to the train station. Where I found out that the next two trains were sold out, so I had to sit at the train station and do homework for a few hours while I waited. I finally got into Madrid Atocha station, figured out where my next train was, and wedged myself onto a packed commuter train with my huge backpack and my stuffed messenger bag. I got lots of dirty looks. Haha

The Mussers drove out to meet me in Alcala, where I got off the train, and drove me back to their house and fed me an INCREDIBLE American meal. It was so good! Haha Mrs. Musser gave me a tour of their house and I showed her some photos of my time here in Spain, and then I went to bed. The next day we got up bright and early to head out to a camp in the mountains in Guadalajara. It was an English retreat run by local missionaries, so I got to help out by speaking English with the different people. There were a few people there my age, and I made friends with Dani, who was my partner in the baking workshop session. We returned home that night, and went pretty much straight to bed. The next morning was church at the Evangelical Christian Academy across the street. It was so much fun, and there was a potluck after the service, so that was a nice treat. I caught the AVE high speed train to Sevilla in Madrid that night, and made it back home in less than 3 hours. :-)

A great weekend all in all! Sorry it took me forever to update!

Toledo and Madrid

I'm currently at a hostel in Girona on my way back from my week of vacations, and I don't have much time left on the internet. However, I assure you that I fully intend to update about the Toledo/Madrid trip and do another update immediately afterwards on my amazing week in Barcelona and Ireland! I apologize for the delay...I know many of you have been asking my mom why I haven't updated. And the answer is simply that I've been very busy with group projects and exams.

But once again, fear not, for I shall update soon. :-)