When I decided to study abroad, people would ask me, "Caroline, what do you want from your study abroad experience?" My answer, always, was a family. I wanted to have a family in Spain that would make it hard to leave, that I would talk to once I got home, and that I could bring my future family to meet in 10-15 years (hopefully earlier).
Throughout my whole life, family has always been the most important thing to me. Growing up, I used to go into my parents' room after dinner every night and tell them the dramas of pre-teen/teen life. They knew exactly what was going on in my life then, and I can proudly say they still know what's going on to this day. I knew from the beginning that leaving my family and home for four months would be very difficult for me. Four months may sound like nothing, but to someone who is a home body and whose mom is one of their best friends, this time away has felt like forever and nothing all at once. I feel like February was yesterday and like I've been here for years, all at once. Nevertheless, I knew that I needed to have the family here I envisioned when people asked me what I expected from Spain.
God gave me that in ten-fold. I could never in my wildest dreams expect what I walked away from study abroad with. Mamá Carmen is one of the most loving and caring people I have ever met. Although she never married or had kids, she was an amazing mom in every sense of the word. When I was in my bad place in the beginning, she understood why I needed time to sit at home and why I worried. She understood that I was a little different from the other kids, so she never pressed me when I didn't go out when my peers did. Carmen was everything I needed in a time when I didn't feel like I could go on. Returning every day to the place that has become home and to my host mom was my saving grace this semester. Knowing that I would get a kiss on the cheek and a hug every time I got home and every time I left let me know that love doesn't know language, and family doesn't have to mean blood.
Through Carmen, I also found family in my roommate who is forever understanding of my (almost) constant crying and will listen to me talk for ages because if you know me, you know I never shut up. God knew exactly what he was doing when he made us roommates, and I am forever grateful to Him and to her (you know who you are). I also have an aunt now through my host mom's sister, Paqui, which also gives me a cousin in her study abroad daughter. Paqui's children and grandchildren need to be added to the list of family too. Thanks to them, I have made roots in a place that seemed so foreign and cold to me for too long. Am I sad to leave them and the ties I've made behind? Of course. Today was a very hard day for me, and I know that it will probably hit me again in a week when I feel like I've finally settled in.
This next week will be very transitional for me. I've spent the past 4 months living a completely different lifestyle, and I have to go through reverse culture shock now. I am thankful though that I have a summer to rest at home and settle back into the pace of life. I've learned more about myself and life than I ever thought possible this past semester. The change that I feel has happened to me is one of my most exciting take-aways from study abroad. I hope my family and friends notice the changes too. Spain taught me that life doesn't always have to be work. You can have fun too and be successful. I've learned to slow down and soak up every moment because you never know when you will say goodbye to people or places. I also pray more now than I have in many years. God works in mysterious ways, and this semester I was shown just how good He can be. I am undeserving of all the good things that happened to me this semester, but He still gives and gives if you give him a little time each day. It's truly amazing.
I think this is it from me. Thank you to everyone who has read my blog. I appreciate every ounce of love and support I have been given. I hope you have laughed, cried, and smiled at my posts just like I did when I wrote them. My journey to Spain has been incredible, and four months ago, I would never have imagined myself at the place I'm at now. My life is blessed, and that's all I can say.
The end.
xoxo,
Caroline
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
La Vida es Mejor Durante La Féria
One week. One week until I leave Sevilla.
I am spending my last week in Spain living up life at la Féria, so here's what I have been up to since Los Torros and the exit orientation last week!
On Friday night, we spent the evening and night at my host aunt's house working on a final project and eating dinner. I feel like that, when I look back on Spain, I will want to remember days like that spent with my host family. On Saturday, I got to walk around Seville and do a lot of shopping. It's so surreal walking around the city that I have come to know these past four months, and it's also surreal to imagine that I won't be a part of this city anymore in one week. My emotions are at such a stand still. It's like I'm holding my breath and waiting for all of it to hit me at once that I'm leaving. It's a crazy feeling.
On Saturday night, my roommate, host cousin, and I went to see the lighting up of the entrance at la Féria. We didn't stay super long, but we walked around to find the public casetas (tents) and our host family caseta which is actually for military family members. We didn't dress up that night because it's not as common, but we definitely decided then that we were looking forward to going dressed up this week.
On Sunday, my host cousin and I went to Los Rejones which is a bull fight from horseback. These horses are worth, at the least, $1,000,000, but they can be more. Throughout the fight, they are constantly changing horses, and the horses don't have the protective mat like the horses en Los Torros do. I feel like the bull fighting for Los Torros was better in the technique and showman ship department, but the horses at Los Rejones were out of this world. The amount of training these horses have to go through must have been extremely intensive. Their elegance was like nothing I have never seen before. Any person, even without knowledge of horses, could see how obviously amazing their performance was. Everyone was on the edge of their seats the whole time because the people on the horses kept less than a foot in between the horse and the bull. The theatrics were truly impressive.
After that, we went to the Féria all dressed up (which we wore during Los Rejones too), and we danced Sevillanas in the public tents with some locals! It was really fun.
On Monday, my host cousin, host aunt, host mom, and I spent the day together at my apartment eating lunch then dinner together. My host aunt's daughter and children came over to have fajitas with us. The granddaughter is only eight years old, and she speaks Spanish and English fluently. She is so intelligent, and my host cousin and I were completely in awe. We would be speaking Spanish then switch to English then switch back to Spanish. It was awesome. The grandson is four and a half years old, and he was just a bundle of energy. So cute.
Yesterday was another Féria day! My host cousin and I got all dressed up, and we met with our Sevillanas teacher to go dance at la Féria. She taught at another school too in Seville, and those students met up with us as well. They were from all over the US, and it was cool to hear about where each person comes from and what they like most about Spain. We danced outside las casetas of families, and people were amazed at this group of Americans who knew THE dance of Seville. They clapped for us. cheered, took videos, and pictures. It was crazy fun. We all got super hungry from that, so we had our last dinner with the teacher before parting ways. We returned to la Féria after saying goodbye, and we got into a private caseta which is a really cool thing because these are owned by the people of Sevilla. There was a dj and a lot of dancing. We also had the chance to dance Sevillanas a few more times before leaving at the ripe hour of 3:30 am. All in all, it was one of my most favorite days in Spain!
Today was a chill day full of Netflix, food, and laughs with my host cousin. I will head back to la Féria tomorrow with my whole host family and probably every day until it ends on Saturday night. My next post will be the night before I leave Spain and the day I leave Sevilla, so be on the look out for it.
xoxo,
Caroline
I am spending my last week in Spain living up life at la Féria, so here's what I have been up to since Los Torros and the exit orientation last week!
On Friday night, we spent the evening and night at my host aunt's house working on a final project and eating dinner. I feel like that, when I look back on Spain, I will want to remember days like that spent with my host family. On Saturday, I got to walk around Seville and do a lot of shopping. It's so surreal walking around the city that I have come to know these past four months, and it's also surreal to imagine that I won't be a part of this city anymore in one week. My emotions are at such a stand still. It's like I'm holding my breath and waiting for all of it to hit me at once that I'm leaving. It's a crazy feeling.
On Saturday night, my roommate, host cousin, and I went to see the lighting up of the entrance at la Féria. We didn't stay super long, but we walked around to find the public casetas (tents) and our host family caseta which is actually for military family members. We didn't dress up that night because it's not as common, but we definitely decided then that we were looking forward to going dressed up this week.
On Sunday, my host cousin and I went to Los Rejones which is a bull fight from horseback. These horses are worth, at the least, $1,000,000, but they can be more. Throughout the fight, they are constantly changing horses, and the horses don't have the protective mat like the horses en Los Torros do. I feel like the bull fighting for Los Torros was better in the technique and showman ship department, but the horses at Los Rejones were out of this world. The amount of training these horses have to go through must have been extremely intensive. Their elegance was like nothing I have never seen before. Any person, even without knowledge of horses, could see how obviously amazing their performance was. Everyone was on the edge of their seats the whole time because the people on the horses kept less than a foot in between the horse and the bull. The theatrics were truly impressive.
After that, we went to the Féria all dressed up (which we wore during Los Rejones too), and we danced Sevillanas in the public tents with some locals! It was really fun.
On Monday, my host cousin, host aunt, host mom, and I spent the day together at my apartment eating lunch then dinner together. My host aunt's daughter and children came over to have fajitas with us. The granddaughter is only eight years old, and she speaks Spanish and English fluently. She is so intelligent, and my host cousin and I were completely in awe. We would be speaking Spanish then switch to English then switch back to Spanish. It was awesome. The grandson is four and a half years old, and he was just a bundle of energy. So cute.
Yesterday was another Féria day! My host cousin and I got all dressed up, and we met with our Sevillanas teacher to go dance at la Féria. She taught at another school too in Seville, and those students met up with us as well. They were from all over the US, and it was cool to hear about where each person comes from and what they like most about Spain. We danced outside las casetas of families, and people were amazed at this group of Americans who knew THE dance of Seville. They clapped for us. cheered, took videos, and pictures. It was crazy fun. We all got super hungry from that, so we had our last dinner with the teacher before parting ways. We returned to la Féria after saying goodbye, and we got into a private caseta which is a really cool thing because these are owned by the people of Sevilla. There was a dj and a lot of dancing. We also had the chance to dance Sevillanas a few more times before leaving at the ripe hour of 3:30 am. All in all, it was one of my most favorite days in Spain!
Today was a chill day full of Netflix, food, and laughs with my host cousin. I will head back to la Féria tomorrow with my whole host family and probably every day until it ends on Saturday night. My next post will be the night before I leave Spain and the day I leave Sevilla, so be on the look out for it.
xoxo,
Caroline
Thursday, April 27, 2017
The Beginning of the End
My last post was a week and a half ago, but I've lied low this past week and stayed in Seville. Like I said in my last post, I'm not traveling anymore and enjoying my last weeks of life in Spain by staying in Seville. Last weekend, we had a nice girl's night on Friday which was much needed.
On Saturday, my host mom, her sister, and their friend took my roommate, their host daughters, and I to their "club" on Saturday. It's basically a country club for people whose family was in the army. My host mom's dad and grandfather were both in it, and I know for sure that they fought in the Civil War. We spent the day walking around the country club and eating lunch. It was a nice, relaxing day that I definitely needed after all of the traveling from the week before.
This week is my last full week of classes. Next week is the fair of Seville, so we are off class all of next week. I had my final test in culture yesterday, and I have my final in literature tomorrow. From today, there are only 4 days left of class. The end looms in the near future for us students of Texas Tech Seville.
Yesterday was also our trip to Los Torros. This is where the bull fighting happens. There is a judge who sits under a canopied area, and he controls the flow of the bull fight. It starts with the bull entering and the bull fight with the Torrero until the horses enter. The men on the horses have a stick with a sharpened, metal end on it, and they put this into the bulls back to stop it from running into the horses. This happens twice. After that, there are three men with two barbed sticks each. These men run at the bull, and in the last second, turn sideways and put it in the bull's back. From here, the Torrero (bull-fighter) gets the red cape which signifies the end of the bull fight. He uses this cape with the bull until he is lined up correctly for the kill. When he is ready, he retrieves the killing sword from a person along the ring and kills the bull by putting it in between its shoulder blades. Six bulls for sure go into the ring to die, but there can be up to eight if other bulls are pardoned for being good bulls and get to live as a reward.
At first, I was very skeptical of the event. No part of me wanted to go watch it. After Spring Break when we visited the farm where the bulls are raised, my mind was changed. I decided to go to at least see the culture. Nothing could have prepared me for it, and it was very different from my expectations. In all honesty, it was bloodier than I expected. I cried when the first bull died and didn't know if I would make it to the end. As the event progressed though, I understood it a lot more. I also handled it by reminding myself that some cows in America sit in a barn and never move out of the number of square inches they take up, and they never see light or grass or sun. These bulls are treated like kings their whole lives then come to the ring where hundreds of people are cheering them on and want them to do good/triumph. It's truly a unique experience to be a part of a crowd of people giving a bull a standing ovation for performing so well. It was in that moment that I came to respect the event for what it is. Like I said in my post from the farm, the meat gets donated to a market, and the money raised from that goes to a charity/charities. I guess I liked it enough to go back again on Sunday to see los Rejones, bull fighting on horseback.
Today marks two weeks until I step on America soil again. Today is the beginning of the end.
We had our "exit orientation" today where they warned us about culture shock going back into the United States. Like when I first arrived to Spain, I'll have my first roller coaster week of excitement until it sets in that I'm readjusting to a different culture, different schedule, and different foods all over again. As much as I love my family and friends at home too, I know I'll miss my host mom because I've come to love her as well. The thought of saying goodbye makes my eyes prick with tears and makes my throat feel like it's full of cotton. I'm trying not to think about saying good bye, but it's hard when you're finalizing your travel plans to home and buying souvenirs for people. I would appreciate some prayers of strength for these next four weeks. Also, thank you to anyone still reading my blog. I appreciate the support. <3
xoxo,
Caroline
On Saturday, my host mom, her sister, and their friend took my roommate, their host daughters, and I to their "club" on Saturday. It's basically a country club for people whose family was in the army. My host mom's dad and grandfather were both in it, and I know for sure that they fought in the Civil War. We spent the day walking around the country club and eating lunch. It was a nice, relaxing day that I definitely needed after all of the traveling from the week before.
This week is my last full week of classes. Next week is the fair of Seville, so we are off class all of next week. I had my final test in culture yesterday, and I have my final in literature tomorrow. From today, there are only 4 days left of class. The end looms in the near future for us students of Texas Tech Seville.
Yesterday was also our trip to Los Torros. This is where the bull fighting happens. There is a judge who sits under a canopied area, and he controls the flow of the bull fight. It starts with the bull entering and the bull fight with the Torrero until the horses enter. The men on the horses have a stick with a sharpened, metal end on it, and they put this into the bulls back to stop it from running into the horses. This happens twice. After that, there are three men with two barbed sticks each. These men run at the bull, and in the last second, turn sideways and put it in the bull's back. From here, the Torrero (bull-fighter) gets the red cape which signifies the end of the bull fight. He uses this cape with the bull until he is lined up correctly for the kill. When he is ready, he retrieves the killing sword from a person along the ring and kills the bull by putting it in between its shoulder blades. Six bulls for sure go into the ring to die, but there can be up to eight if other bulls are pardoned for being good bulls and get to live as a reward.
At first, I was very skeptical of the event. No part of me wanted to go watch it. After Spring Break when we visited the farm where the bulls are raised, my mind was changed. I decided to go to at least see the culture. Nothing could have prepared me for it, and it was very different from my expectations. In all honesty, it was bloodier than I expected. I cried when the first bull died and didn't know if I would make it to the end. As the event progressed though, I understood it a lot more. I also handled it by reminding myself that some cows in America sit in a barn and never move out of the number of square inches they take up, and they never see light or grass or sun. These bulls are treated like kings their whole lives then come to the ring where hundreds of people are cheering them on and want them to do good/triumph. It's truly a unique experience to be a part of a crowd of people giving a bull a standing ovation for performing so well. It was in that moment that I came to respect the event for what it is. Like I said in my post from the farm, the meat gets donated to a market, and the money raised from that goes to a charity/charities. I guess I liked it enough to go back again on Sunday to see los Rejones, bull fighting on horseback.
Today marks two weeks until I step on America soil again. Today is the beginning of the end.
We had our "exit orientation" today where they warned us about culture shock going back into the United States. Like when I first arrived to Spain, I'll have my first roller coaster week of excitement until it sets in that I'm readjusting to a different culture, different schedule, and different foods all over again. As much as I love my family and friends at home too, I know I'll miss my host mom because I've come to love her as well. The thought of saying goodbye makes my eyes prick with tears and makes my throat feel like it's full of cotton. I'm trying not to think about saying good bye, but it's hard when you're finalizing your travel plans to home and buying souvenirs for people. I would appreciate some prayers of strength for these next four weeks. Also, thank you to anyone still reading my blog. I appreciate the support. <3
xoxo,
Caroline
Monday, April 17, 2017
I Took a(n Allergy) Pill in Ibiza
Who am I if I go to Ibiza and don't quote the Mike Posner song?
On Sunday (the 9th), I packed up my bags, watched the pasos of San Roque church from the roof of the school and hopped on a plane to Ibiza. This past week has been Semana Santa, holy week, which means that I had all week of class off and don't go back until Tuesday. We got to Ibiza late Sunday night, and we grabbed some food before passing out to be well rested for the next day.
We woke up Monday and made our way to the old town part of Ibiza. To be honest, it was pretty dead there. It's off season right now (too early in the year), so there weren't a lot of people there, just locals really. We got food at this cool tapa place in old town where we paid for our meal by the amount of sticks we had at the end. The tapas each had these sticks through them, and each stick was less than $2. The food was great, and it got all of us ready to walk around more before heading to the beach. We stayed at the beach pretty late-ish, and when we got home, we cuddled up and watched My Big, Fat Gypsy Wedding in Spanish. The whole night was spent laughing, and it felt just like the sleepovers you had when you were younger. This night was my favorite out of the whole trip, arguably the whole semester.
On Tuesday, we went to a beach in the southern part of the island, and we stayed there all day. We tanned and slept on the beach for at least 5 hours (I think more. I wasn't keeping track of time). Sun burnt and sun worn, we headed back to the hotel to pack up and get ready for our early flight the next day to Barcelona.
At the ripe hour of 6:30 am, we made our way to the Ibiza airport. The flight was super short, and we were back in all of our favorite place again! After checking into the hostel, we walked around some until deciding it was in our best interest to rent bikes for the day. We rode them around the port, up the beach, and to the Sagrada Familia. While the bikes were really fun, they were emotionally distressing. I was behind a man and his wife, and I rang my little bell to warn them I was coming up behind them. When I rode past them, the man KICKED MY WHEEL on my bike to knock me off. Little did he know, I'm a pro bike rider, so I didn't fall. You can sure as heck bet though that I rounded on that man and asked what his problem was. Nothing came out of it, but that is just ONE instance out of like three where people were rude because we were riding bikes. I have a new-found respect for bike riders, y'all. We need to get out of their way.
The next day, we all woke up exhausted because the beds at the hostel were awful, and none of us slept well. We didn't let this stop us for filling the day with lots of activities. We took the metro to Park Guell. Sadly, all the tickets to go inside the park for the two days we had left there were sold out, but we walked everywhere around it. We also saw the Gothic district and cathedral before heading to the port (and the mall there) to wrap up the night.
We checked out Friday morning and got some brunch before seeing out the Roman necropolis. By this point, this was about time for my friend/study abroad cousin, McKayla, and I to head to the airport to catch a flight to our last stop. Málaga.
We got there late Friday night, and I was exhausted and done. Our hostel did not help this fact at all. First off, we checked in at a bar. NONE of the reviews mentioned that check in was at a bar. I had to scream over the music for the receptionist to hear me. It was a mess. ALSO, the wifi "has issues" hooking up to iPhones, so guess who didn't have wifi for awhile? You guessed it.
We had to get out of that place quick, so we watched a few pasos there and found a Taco Bell to chill/eat at. After that, we sadly had to return to the hostel, but it couldn't get worse, right? Wrong.
There was a grown man with grey hairs in his beard in our room. I can't make this stuff up, y'all. Thankfully, he passed out early because he was a little borracho.
We checked out on Saturday, and the room they had to hold our bags until we left had no lockers. The stuff just sat out there, and I asked the receptionist if it was safe. She said, "Yeah. I keep it locked and have the key around my neck." Okay because that stops people from going in there and saying my bag is theirs? We dipped with our bags and checked them in at lockers in the train station.
McKayla and I had enough time to eat lunch and spend about an hour in the Cathedral and its museum. The Málaga catedral is honestly my favorite, probably. It was a beautiful mix of the Seville and Granada catedrales. It wasn't insanely big, but I could've spent forever looking at the chapels.
We had to the leave though to catch a bus to Seville. The ride was awful, and for some reason, I get carsick now when I'm on long bus rides (i.e. to Toledo, Madrid, Portugal, and that time). I pray that this whole carsick thing is just a Spain thing.
I slept a lot Saturday and binged all of 13 Reasons Why on Netflix. Traveling and going nonstop is pretty exhausting, but I am happy to say that this was my last big trip before coming home. I might go to a beach town for a few days before I leave, but this past week was it for me. I haven't gone outside of the Iberian Peninsula, and I am completely okay with that. There is so much to see in Spain itself, and I came here to experience this place and this culture. I'm not dogging on the people who traveled a lot outside of Spain, but I am really happy that I spent my time here in my now second home. From today, I have 24 days left. I remember it being February and feeling like there was no way I'd make it to the end, but here I am. 12 days of class left and a little over three weeks left. It'll be hard for me to leave my roots here, but you can sure as heck bet that I can't wait to hug my loved ones in the states again.
xoxo,
Caroline
On Sunday (the 9th), I packed up my bags, watched the pasos of San Roque church from the roof of the school and hopped on a plane to Ibiza. This past week has been Semana Santa, holy week, which means that I had all week of class off and don't go back until Tuesday. We got to Ibiza late Sunday night, and we grabbed some food before passing out to be well rested for the next day.
We woke up Monday and made our way to the old town part of Ibiza. To be honest, it was pretty dead there. It's off season right now (too early in the year), so there weren't a lot of people there, just locals really. We got food at this cool tapa place in old town where we paid for our meal by the amount of sticks we had at the end. The tapas each had these sticks through them, and each stick was less than $2. The food was great, and it got all of us ready to walk around more before heading to the beach. We stayed at the beach pretty late-ish, and when we got home, we cuddled up and watched My Big, Fat Gypsy Wedding in Spanish. The whole night was spent laughing, and it felt just like the sleepovers you had when you were younger. This night was my favorite out of the whole trip, arguably the whole semester.
On Tuesday, we went to a beach in the southern part of the island, and we stayed there all day. We tanned and slept on the beach for at least 5 hours (I think more. I wasn't keeping track of time). Sun burnt and sun worn, we headed back to the hotel to pack up and get ready for our early flight the next day to Barcelona.
At the ripe hour of 6:30 am, we made our way to the Ibiza airport. The flight was super short, and we were back in all of our favorite place again! After checking into the hostel, we walked around some until deciding it was in our best interest to rent bikes for the day. We rode them around the port, up the beach, and to the Sagrada Familia. While the bikes were really fun, they were emotionally distressing. I was behind a man and his wife, and I rang my little bell to warn them I was coming up behind them. When I rode past them, the man KICKED MY WHEEL on my bike to knock me off. Little did he know, I'm a pro bike rider, so I didn't fall. You can sure as heck bet though that I rounded on that man and asked what his problem was. Nothing came out of it, but that is just ONE instance out of like three where people were rude because we were riding bikes. I have a new-found respect for bike riders, y'all. We need to get out of their way.
The next day, we all woke up exhausted because the beds at the hostel were awful, and none of us slept well. We didn't let this stop us for filling the day with lots of activities. We took the metro to Park Guell. Sadly, all the tickets to go inside the park for the two days we had left there were sold out, but we walked everywhere around it. We also saw the Gothic district and cathedral before heading to the port (and the mall there) to wrap up the night.
We checked out Friday morning and got some brunch before seeing out the Roman necropolis. By this point, this was about time for my friend/study abroad cousin, McKayla, and I to head to the airport to catch a flight to our last stop. Málaga.
We got there late Friday night, and I was exhausted and done. Our hostel did not help this fact at all. First off, we checked in at a bar. NONE of the reviews mentioned that check in was at a bar. I had to scream over the music for the receptionist to hear me. It was a mess. ALSO, the wifi "has issues" hooking up to iPhones, so guess who didn't have wifi for awhile? You guessed it.
We had to get out of that place quick, so we watched a few pasos there and found a Taco Bell to chill/eat at. After that, we sadly had to return to the hostel, but it couldn't get worse, right? Wrong.
There was a grown man with grey hairs in his beard in our room. I can't make this stuff up, y'all. Thankfully, he passed out early because he was a little borracho.
We checked out on Saturday, and the room they had to hold our bags until we left had no lockers. The stuff just sat out there, and I asked the receptionist if it was safe. She said, "Yeah. I keep it locked and have the key around my neck." Okay because that stops people from going in there and saying my bag is theirs? We dipped with our bags and checked them in at lockers in the train station.
McKayla and I had enough time to eat lunch and spend about an hour in the Cathedral and its museum. The Málaga catedral is honestly my favorite, probably. It was a beautiful mix of the Seville and Granada catedrales. It wasn't insanely big, but I could've spent forever looking at the chapels.
We had to the leave though to catch a bus to Seville. The ride was awful, and for some reason, I get carsick now when I'm on long bus rides (i.e. to Toledo, Madrid, Portugal, and that time). I pray that this whole carsick thing is just a Spain thing.
I slept a lot Saturday and binged all of 13 Reasons Why on Netflix. Traveling and going nonstop is pretty exhausting, but I am happy to say that this was my last big trip before coming home. I might go to a beach town for a few days before I leave, but this past week was it for me. I haven't gone outside of the Iberian Peninsula, and I am completely okay with that. There is so much to see in Spain itself, and I came here to experience this place and this culture. I'm not dogging on the people who traveled a lot outside of Spain, but I am really happy that I spent my time here in my now second home. From today, I have 24 days left. I remember it being February and feeling like there was no way I'd make it to the end, but here I am. 12 days of class left and a little over three weeks left. It'll be hard for me to leave my roots here, but you can sure as heck bet that I can't wait to hug my loved ones in the states again.
xoxo,
Caroline
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Adiós a El Colegio de la Sagrada Familia
Today was my last day at my internship at the school I've been working at. 70 hours later, I have made bonds with these kids that I was really sad to let go. With the older kids, we exchanged Instagram accounts, so I'll be able to stay in touch with them. I'm more sad about saying good bye to the little first graders. I have no idea how elementary teachers can spend a whole year with their students and survive saying good bye to them every year. I was a wreck today, and I was only with these kids for 70 days. Teachers are some kind of strong, and we should appreciate that strength more.
I feel like through this semester these children have thought me that language and culture doesn't mean anything when you get down to it. They love and laugh just like I do. I never once felt like the language barrier with these children hindered the relationships I made with them. When I was saying good bye to them (and crying), they understood exactly what was happening, and I knew that from the somber looks on their faces that mirrored my own. We all stood there and hugged each other, and after we said goodbye for the last time, some students came around for a second hug because emotions don't know language. I pray these children stay blessed and happy. I am thankful for the 70 hours I had with them and the other kids as well. My internship was a success in my eyes.
As much as I hate to say it, I only have five weeks left in Spain. Yes, you read that right. Five. I still can't figure out where the time has gone. One of the other students at the colegio interviewed me today, and in the interview, she asked me, "What places in Sevilla are your favorite? What will you miss?" For me, this was a really hard question to answer because there aren't places in Seville, aside from my host house, that I feel like I really like a lot. When I leave Seville, I will not miss the places here.
I'll miss my host mom and the way she tells me to eat more bread, like all the time.
I'll miss my walk to school each morning even though it's 1.5 miles long one way.
I'll miss the classmates that have become my second family.
I'll miss the children at the school and the teachers there.
I'll miss how normal it is to listen to Spanish music (don't expect this to stop anytime soon)
I have never been a person to really miss certain places. I'll miss people or things like I miss driving my car around Lubbock on a warm day with the windows down, and the wind blowing in my hair while I listen to my Lynn&Laina playlist. Today, I felt really nostalgic and homesick for a place I haven't even left yet. I just pray that these next five weeks are full of happiness, laughter, and memories to last a lifetime.
xoxo,
Caroline
I feel like through this semester these children have thought me that language and culture doesn't mean anything when you get down to it. They love and laugh just like I do. I never once felt like the language barrier with these children hindered the relationships I made with them. When I was saying good bye to them (and crying), they understood exactly what was happening, and I knew that from the somber looks on their faces that mirrored my own. We all stood there and hugged each other, and after we said goodbye for the last time, some students came around for a second hug because emotions don't know language. I pray these children stay blessed and happy. I am thankful for the 70 hours I had with them and the other kids as well. My internship was a success in my eyes.
As much as I hate to say it, I only have five weeks left in Spain. Yes, you read that right. Five. I still can't figure out where the time has gone. One of the other students at the colegio interviewed me today, and in the interview, she asked me, "What places in Sevilla are your favorite? What will you miss?" For me, this was a really hard question to answer because there aren't places in Seville, aside from my host house, that I feel like I really like a lot. When I leave Seville, I will not miss the places here.
I'll miss my host mom and the way she tells me to eat more bread, like all the time.
I'll miss my walk to school each morning even though it's 1.5 miles long one way.
I'll miss the classmates that have become my second family.
I'll miss the children at the school and the teachers there.
I'll miss how normal it is to listen to Spanish music (don't expect this to stop anytime soon)
I have never been a person to really miss certain places. I'll miss people or things like I miss driving my car around Lubbock on a warm day with the windows down, and the wind blowing in my hair while I listen to my Lynn&Laina playlist. Today, I felt really nostalgic and homesick for a place I haven't even left yet. I just pray that these next five weeks are full of happiness, laughter, and memories to last a lifetime.
xoxo,
Caroline
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Noa Falo Portuguese
This last week was a fun one! It's been over a week since my last post, but it won't take too long for me to cover everything. Wednesday was my roommate's birthday, so we had a week of celebrations. It started Wednesday with gifts and an afternoon snack with friends, tortilla de patata, and tarta chocolate (chocolate cake). Also to celebrate her birthday, all of us girls (11 of us) booked a weekend trip to Portugal to celebrate! We Love Spain was the travel company we used, and it was a really great time! 10/10 do recommend to future study abroad students.
We left Friday morning for Albufeira, Portugal. This city is a neat little beach town in between Faro and Lagos. We showed up and checked into our hotels before heading straight to the beach! We took this time to lay out and get started on our tans (or sunburns). The sun and the beach were so refreshing, and it was a great way to relax after a test week. Our hotel has kitchens in the room, so we had spaghetti for dinner before getting ready to start our weekend in Portugal!
On Saturday, we loaded up the bus early to go to Sagres, Portugal to see the End of the World. Before people knew the Earth was round, they believed that this place was the end of the world, and it was very sacred to the Romans. They believed that the sun set into the water here, and this was place where the sunset was the widest and biggest. The cliffs were so huge, and it was breath taking to see a place so old and rich with history. The mythical beliefs and stories around this place are fascinating and worth a google. After this, we went back to Lagos to enjoy the beach there for a few more hours. Santa Maria beach was where we went to first to spend four hours sun bathing, exploring caves, and looking at the sea life like an octopus and some shells! After this, we went into the heart of Lagos for dinner and relaxation before heading back to Albufeira.
The next day, we went to another part in Albufeira, and the bus dropped off some of the people at one beach. The rest of us who signed up to kayak and paddle board went to a different beach to do those activities. I've never paddle boarded before, and now that I've done it, I can't imagine how I have gone 20 years without knowing about this. It was so fun and so relaxing. This is going to sound really corny, but I felt very at one with the ocean, the expanse of the Earth, and life while I was in the coves and cave. That doesn't really make sense in writing, but at the time, all I could think about was how everything made sense. There is so much to our world, and we only live in a teeny, tiny part of it. I'm so lucky to have the opportunity to travel and see all of these places and be on the ocean and feeling like anything is possible. It was an adrenaline rush minus the feeling of urgency. I could've just sat on the ocean all day, and I would've felt fine just being there. I was also on the same ocean that touches America which is a cool thought. It made me feel close to home.
We grabbed lunch after that then made our way back home. We all parted ways a little red, a little sandy, and a little sun exhausted. I slept better that night than I have in a very long time.
Yesterday was the dress rehearsal and last class for the Sevillanos dance that I've been learning this semester. We put on our dresses, and the teacher did our make up in el estillo de Féria. We danced and had such a great time! It was sad saying goodbye to our amazing teacher, but we swapped Facebooks. Thank God for social media now because it really can connect the world. It's a cool thing. I have pictures from all of this past weekend and yesterday in my 2017 pt. 2 album, so check 'em out! This is a short post, but the next one will be super long because I'm going to Ibiza, Barcelona (again, I know), and Málaga next week! Until next post.
xoxo,
Caroline
We left Friday morning for Albufeira, Portugal. This city is a neat little beach town in between Faro and Lagos. We showed up and checked into our hotels before heading straight to the beach! We took this time to lay out and get started on our tans (or sunburns). The sun and the beach were so refreshing, and it was a great way to relax after a test week. Our hotel has kitchens in the room, so we had spaghetti for dinner before getting ready to start our weekend in Portugal!
On Saturday, we loaded up the bus early to go to Sagres, Portugal to see the End of the World. Before people knew the Earth was round, they believed that this place was the end of the world, and it was very sacred to the Romans. They believed that the sun set into the water here, and this was place where the sunset was the widest and biggest. The cliffs were so huge, and it was breath taking to see a place so old and rich with history. The mythical beliefs and stories around this place are fascinating and worth a google. After this, we went back to Lagos to enjoy the beach there for a few more hours. Santa Maria beach was where we went to first to spend four hours sun bathing, exploring caves, and looking at the sea life like an octopus and some shells! After this, we went into the heart of Lagos for dinner and relaxation before heading back to Albufeira.
The next day, we went to another part in Albufeira, and the bus dropped off some of the people at one beach. The rest of us who signed up to kayak and paddle board went to a different beach to do those activities. I've never paddle boarded before, and now that I've done it, I can't imagine how I have gone 20 years without knowing about this. It was so fun and so relaxing. This is going to sound really corny, but I felt very at one with the ocean, the expanse of the Earth, and life while I was in the coves and cave. That doesn't really make sense in writing, but at the time, all I could think about was how everything made sense. There is so much to our world, and we only live in a teeny, tiny part of it. I'm so lucky to have the opportunity to travel and see all of these places and be on the ocean and feeling like anything is possible. It was an adrenaline rush minus the feeling of urgency. I could've just sat on the ocean all day, and I would've felt fine just being there. I was also on the same ocean that touches America which is a cool thought. It made me feel close to home.
We grabbed lunch after that then made our way back home. We all parted ways a little red, a little sandy, and a little sun exhausted. I slept better that night than I have in a very long time.
Yesterday was the dress rehearsal and last class for the Sevillanos dance that I've been learning this semester. We put on our dresses, and the teacher did our make up in el estillo de Féria. We danced and had such a great time! It was sad saying goodbye to our amazing teacher, but we swapped Facebooks. Thank God for social media now because it really can connect the world. It's a cool thing. I have pictures from all of this past weekend and yesterday in my 2017 pt. 2 album, so check 'em out! This is a short post, but the next one will be super long because I'm going to Ibiza, Barcelona (again, I know), and Málaga next week! Until next post.
xoxo,
Caroline
Sunday, March 26, 2017
Finally A Real Matador
My last blog post was a week ago (yesterday, oops), but there is so little time left here and so much left to do. A week ago today, I watched the live-action Beauty and the Beast. It left me #shook. I recommend the movie to ALL audiences because it was truly a modern masterpiece. I appreciated the forward thinking by the producers to include a gay character and a transgender person into the film (even if it wasn't explicitly stated) along with multiple interracial couples. It gave a little modern twist to a Disney classic that represents all people from a variety of backgrounds. I could go on forever and ever about the new music (Beast's song) and CGI work, but this is a travel blog not a cinematic one. So back to mis viajes.
I spent the beginning of last week recovering from all of the Spring Break traveling. Against my sleepiness, I went to Sevillanos, the dance class, and I learned I am way more behind than I thought I was. I have only missed the last two classes. One was the day after the Barcelona flight disaster, and the other was when my parents and froomie were here. All in all, I have some catching up to do and some dancing to practice before Fería week. We only have 21 days left of class (25 if you include last week), so our classes are also getting to crunch time. With finals, final papers, and projects looming in the near future, I wonder how people in the past accomplished all this traveling and finishing/studying for everything we have to get done before May 10th.
On Thursday, I went to my internship as normal, and I told my best friend, Javier (age 7), that I would be done working there in two weeks. Javier was very upset by this, but he had the best idea ever. He got a little post it note and handed me a pencil then proceeded to say, "Give me your number." This cracked me up, but I know where Javier is coming from. He wants to have my number, so we can continue to talk after my job is over. I told him that it wasn't a good idea for me to give him my number, but his mom could add me on Facebook maybe. Like Javier, I don't want to lose the connections and relationships I have made through this. It breaks my heart to think that I have talked to these kids for the past 5 or 6 weeks, and when I leave, that's it. Nothing more. I'll never hear from them again, and I'll never know what ends up happening to them. I guess this is how all teachers feel after they say good bye to students they have formed bonds with. It sucks. A lot. It almost makes me a little thankful I switched away from teaching because I get too attached to people too easily. Good byes of this sort have always been hard for me, even when I was little. I vividly remember sitting on my swing set and crying when I was six after my last day of Kindergarten because I was sad to never see my teacher again. I cried on the last day of school every year until I was through elementary as well. Anyway, I may be happy to have free-time once I finish with my job, but I am not happy to have to say good bye to my favorite students.
That same day, we had orientation over the Toros. Bull fighting has a strong history within Spanish culture, and before this meeting, I refused to go watch the Toros. No part of me wanted to see a bull struggle then ultimately get killed after being hurt and worn to exhaustion. I did learn a few things during that meeting that turned my hard no into a perhaps. First off, the meat from the bull goes to a market, and all of the proceeds go to a charity. In the past, the meat was donated to orphanages or things of that nature, but now it's easier for the money to be donated and the meat sold. With the particular breed of bull necessary for the fights, their meat isn't good after they've lived for five years, and the bulls usually go to the ring around 4-5. Either way, they would have gotten butchered. Bull fighting, in the eyes of Spaniards, isn't about the bull dying either. It's about cheering on the bull for being a good bull and serving its life before dying valiantly. It's about the bull fighter and bull being connected, and the bull fighter learning about how the bull works. It's emotional, and it isn't taken lightly. We also got to meet a bull fighter, Jesús Franco Cardeño, and he showed us the capes the bull fighters use to provoke the bull, the capes they wear, and el Traje de Luces. He was very nice and let us put on/play with all of his stuff including the sword they use to end the bull's life. I felt like a real like Matador (#longlivethematador) which is also known as a Torero.
Here is a link for the video of when his face got gored by a bull's horn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5-r5tmPsA4.
To follow up the meeting about the Toros, we spent the next day at la Finca Las Monjas. This is a farm where they raise the bulls for the bull fighting. In each bull fight, 6 bulls are killed by either 3, 2, or 1 person. These bulls are raised to be very large with defined muscle tone. They are also very specific about the bull never seeing a person walking (i.e. on two legs) , so the bull doesn't know what a person is when they enter the ring. They only handle the bulls through a tractor or on horse back, so we rode around in a trailer attached to a tractor to view the bulls. They were exactly like I expected them to look. Beefed up and gross looking, to be honest. They live in large cercas (area enclosed by fence) where they could walk around and roam. The people on horse back make sure to handle with bulls with a lot of care and caution as well. Being on a farm gave me a lot of nostalgia for home. Not to mention, I got to ride a horse AND cuddle with a puppy.
After we viewed the cercas, we watched them test a cow to see if she'd be a good mother for future bulls. She was put into the ring and tested on aggression, endurance, and the ability to learn not to run into the horse (this will make sense when you look at pictures and videos). They acted as if she was a bull in the ring complete with the capes and all. I thought she did a good job, but I later learned that the owner thought the opposite which means she went to the butcher that night. They are very selective with their mother-picking process, and sadly, not everyone can make it through. The cow that day started strong and ended weak. They look for cows that start out so-so and end strong.
We spent the rest of the weekend celebrating a friend's birthday and catching up on the seemingly endless amounts of homework !!! how fun
I only have 46 days left here, and I can feel the end creeping up. My host mom, roommate, and I talked about it the other day, and we are all very sad about parting ways. Leaving Spain will be very difficult, but my little nostalgic day at the farm in the country reminded me why I've been missing home and Texas skies so much.
xoxo,
Caroline
I spent the beginning of last week recovering from all of the Spring Break traveling. Against my sleepiness, I went to Sevillanos, the dance class, and I learned I am way more behind than I thought I was. I have only missed the last two classes. One was the day after the Barcelona flight disaster, and the other was when my parents and froomie were here. All in all, I have some catching up to do and some dancing to practice before Fería week. We only have 21 days left of class (25 if you include last week), so our classes are also getting to crunch time. With finals, final papers, and projects looming in the near future, I wonder how people in the past accomplished all this traveling and finishing/studying for everything we have to get done before May 10th.
On Thursday, I went to my internship as normal, and I told my best friend, Javier (age 7), that I would be done working there in two weeks. Javier was very upset by this, but he had the best idea ever. He got a little post it note and handed me a pencil then proceeded to say, "Give me your number." This cracked me up, but I know where Javier is coming from. He wants to have my number, so we can continue to talk after my job is over. I told him that it wasn't a good idea for me to give him my number, but his mom could add me on Facebook maybe. Like Javier, I don't want to lose the connections and relationships I have made through this. It breaks my heart to think that I have talked to these kids for the past 5 or 6 weeks, and when I leave, that's it. Nothing more. I'll never hear from them again, and I'll never know what ends up happening to them. I guess this is how all teachers feel after they say good bye to students they have formed bonds with. It sucks. A lot. It almost makes me a little thankful I switched away from teaching because I get too attached to people too easily. Good byes of this sort have always been hard for me, even when I was little. I vividly remember sitting on my swing set and crying when I was six after my last day of Kindergarten because I was sad to never see my teacher again. I cried on the last day of school every year until I was through elementary as well. Anyway, I may be happy to have free-time once I finish with my job, but I am not happy to have to say good bye to my favorite students.
That same day, we had orientation over the Toros. Bull fighting has a strong history within Spanish culture, and before this meeting, I refused to go watch the Toros. No part of me wanted to see a bull struggle then ultimately get killed after being hurt and worn to exhaustion. I did learn a few things during that meeting that turned my hard no into a perhaps. First off, the meat from the bull goes to a market, and all of the proceeds go to a charity. In the past, the meat was donated to orphanages or things of that nature, but now it's easier for the money to be donated and the meat sold. With the particular breed of bull necessary for the fights, their meat isn't good after they've lived for five years, and the bulls usually go to the ring around 4-5. Either way, they would have gotten butchered. Bull fighting, in the eyes of Spaniards, isn't about the bull dying either. It's about cheering on the bull for being a good bull and serving its life before dying valiantly. It's about the bull fighter and bull being connected, and the bull fighter learning about how the bull works. It's emotional, and it isn't taken lightly. We also got to meet a bull fighter, Jesús Franco Cardeño, and he showed us the capes the bull fighters use to provoke the bull, the capes they wear, and el Traje de Luces. He was very nice and let us put on/play with all of his stuff including the sword they use to end the bull's life. I felt like a real like Matador (#longlivethematador) which is also known as a Torero.
Here is a link for the video of when his face got gored by a bull's horn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5-r5tmPsA4.
To follow up the meeting about the Toros, we spent the next day at la Finca Las Monjas. This is a farm where they raise the bulls for the bull fighting. In each bull fight, 6 bulls are killed by either 3, 2, or 1 person. These bulls are raised to be very large with defined muscle tone. They are also very specific about the bull never seeing a person walking (i.e. on two legs) , so the bull doesn't know what a person is when they enter the ring. They only handle the bulls through a tractor or on horse back, so we rode around in a trailer attached to a tractor to view the bulls. They were exactly like I expected them to look. Beefed up and gross looking, to be honest. They live in large cercas (area enclosed by fence) where they could walk around and roam. The people on horse back make sure to handle with bulls with a lot of care and caution as well. Being on a farm gave me a lot of nostalgia for home. Not to mention, I got to ride a horse AND cuddle with a puppy.
After we viewed the cercas, we watched them test a cow to see if she'd be a good mother for future bulls. She was put into the ring and tested on aggression, endurance, and the ability to learn not to run into the horse (this will make sense when you look at pictures and videos). They acted as if she was a bull in the ring complete with the capes and all. I thought she did a good job, but I later learned that the owner thought the opposite which means she went to the butcher that night. They are very selective with their mother-picking process, and sadly, not everyone can make it through. The cow that day started strong and ended weak. They look for cows that start out so-so and end strong.
We spent the rest of the weekend celebrating a friend's birthday and catching up on the seemingly endless amounts of homework !!! how fun
I only have 46 days left here, and I can feel the end creeping up. My host mom, roommate, and I talked about it the other day, and we are all very sad about parting ways. Leaving Spain will be very difficult, but my little nostalgic day at the farm in the country reminded me why I've been missing home and Texas skies so much.
xoxo,
Caroline
Saturday, March 18, 2017
Meat and Potatoes
It has been 10 days since my last blog post. I cannot describe how busy these past ten days have been, but I'm going to try to type it all down for y'all. Wednesday and Thursday of last week was spent patiently waiting for my parents and froomie (friend and roommate) to get to Spain! On Friday, I had to tour around the Bella Artes of Sevilla, and while I tried to be all in it, I was honestly beside myself with excitement knowing I was hours away from seeing them. I made a sign that I said "Bienvenidos a Seville David, Michelle, and Amber" with the NO8DO symbol of Seville. NO8DO means "No me ha dejado" and carries a lot of significance to Seville. I would explain it, but this post is already going to be long (you can google the meaning, and it's a short little read). I met them at Atocha, and we all shed a few tears of happiness. The first stop on our crazy week of traveling was in Cádiz. My parents and froomie were jet lagged, so we all went to bed early after watching the sunset on the beach. They also slept in early on Saturday since they were awake for so long traveling. I got them up around lunch though, so we all went to the Plaza de Las Flores and Parque Genoves. At this point, we only had three meals in Spain, but my dad was already asking, "Where is the steak house? I need meat and potatoes." Let's just say that Dave had a hard time adjusting to the food here which I understand completely. The Mediterranean diet is so different from the rich foods we are used to eating in America. We made fajitas one night in Seville (which I haven't had in forever), and I was so full from all the richness of it that I felt uncomfortable trying to fall asleep that night. Back to Cádiz, we went to the beach after the plaza and parque to catch some rays before dinner. After dinner, we went to the Plaza de España and the plaza outside of the Catedral. We got to look at the boats in the port as well before walking 2.5 miles back to the AirBnb.
Early Sunday, we traveled to Seville for lunch with my host mom who was very excited to meet and host my parents. She really outdid herself with a four course lunch meal. First course: Shrimp, ham and cheese, and bread. Second course: Vegetable soup. Third course: Roast beef and cheesy potatoes. Fourth course: Ice cream with cookies, whipped cream, caramel, and fruit and a sugary drink. It was so, so good, and Dave FINALLY got to eat the good food he wanted. My mom and froomie enjoyed it as well. We all left stuffed and happy. It was really special to me that my parents got to meet my mamá Sevillana because she's a part of my family now to me. My home in Texas will always be home, but Mamá Carmen and her apartment are home now too.
After lunch, we took a siesta before watching the sunset at the Setas and seeing the outside of the Cathedral at night. I had class Monday morning, but we went to the Plaza de España after (Seville has the best one). There is a museum of the Spanish armies in the plaza that we went through as well. It was really cool to see their army's history because there is SO MUCH to it since Spain is so old. Way older than the young 300 yr. old America, that's for sure. We did a little bit of shopping before the orientation about the big week long trip ahead of us. That was the night we made fajitas (yummm) and went to bed early because we were leaving Seville at 6:30 am.
We spent the better half of the next two days on a charter bus. The first stop on the Toledo-Madrid trip was in Almagro to visit a golden age theater that was found during excavations to the building. We also got to watch tatting done in this pueblo which is kind of like knitting, but it looks like lace. The process is really interesting, and I'll be uploading a video for y'all to see how tatting is done. After this, we continued to Consuegra where we saw the windmills in the book, Don Quijote by Cervantes. It was VERY windy and very reminiscent of Lubbock. We hurried to Toledo to stay the night there. This city is up on a hill, and the lights at night are luminous and give Toledo an almost mystical appearance. We took an escalator (yes, it saved our feet and legs) to the bottom of the hill to get a view of the whole city at night. Dinner was after that, and we ate at a nice restaurant where I had an ACTUAL steak for the first time in over 2 months. *blessed* It was very, very good.
The next morning, our group went to la Iglesia de Santo Tomé to see El Greco's painting, “El entierro del Conde de Orgaz." The painting depicts El Conde de Orgaz's death, and his soul's entrance into heaven. It is hung right above his tomb, and I highly recommend looking into the painting. A lot is going on with it, but it's totally worth looking at and researching. We went zip lining after this as our last hoorah before leaving Toledo. My parents and roommate absolutely loved this city and wished we could've stayed longer.
But on we went to El Escorial. This palace is austere and was home to Felipe II. All of Spain's kings are buried here with the exception of two. We got to see the original royal bed rooms, waiting rooms, dining rooms, courts, and gardens before entering the tomb. All of it was so eye opening because movies give us such a warped vision of what palaces we were like. The beds aren't big because the people weren't big. The rooms are open and have some tapestries. The palace was beautiful in a different way than I had pictured or envisioned in my head. It was really neat to see. We headed toward Madrid after this and stayed there from that day (Wednesday) until today (Saturday). Wednesday was our last day of long traveling on a charter bus!!!!!! WOO because I was tired of being car sick and having a headache.
On Thursday morning, we visited another palace called La Granja. This one wasn't as austere as the other, and it housed some of the Bourbon family. The king and queen that lived there had a competition to see who could collect the most art, so this palace was full of paintings everywhere. It was very grandeur, and it had two rooms that held porcelain from China just to show how far they could go and how much they could get. This palace is often compared to the Versailles palace. La Granja also held a beautiful, extensive garden. After this, we made our way toward the heart of Segovia. This town has a large aqueduct system running through it, and it was still working up until recent times when they had to take down part of it to build a road. There are still parts of it around the town though, and these parts are about 2,000 years old. In this town, we had a large lunch of soup, suckling pig, and a dessert. The suckling pig is what the town of Segovia is known for, so we signed up for this lunch through the school. I thought it was okay, but my dad was super happy with the meal because meat. Hahaha. I had a school thing to do after lunch, so I met up with my parents and froomie after that. They shopped around a little before I got there, and dad and I sun bathed while we waited for the bus.
Yesterday morning, I had another school thing to go do, so I met up with my crew after that to eat lunch and go to El Prado. I went two months ago when I first arrived in Spain (wow, I cannot believe two months have passed), so I showed them my favorite painting ever, "Las meninas." We looked around there for a little bit before returning to the hotel for a siesta. After siesta, we had dinner at a "BBQ" place. They had ranch which was pretty cool. None of us had the bbq, but the meal was overall okay. We went to Plaza Mayor and El Mercado de San Miguel after that to browse around before heading back to the hotel. I spent the rest of the night with my parents talking and setting up social media for ole Dave. I just really wanted to spend my parents' last night with them just hanging out and being together.
We woke up early today to finish packing up and to eat breakfast. They called a taxi and were off by 9. Saying goodbye is never easy and never will be. I feel so lucky that a friend and my parents got to come visit me for a week because it was such a relief to my home-body self to see some of my people. Their visit had gave me something to look forward when times were rough, and it will get me through the second half of this semester for sure. From today, I only have 54 days left. Over half of the semester is over. This time is flying by so, so quickly, and I honestly don't know how to feel about it. Part of me doesn't want to leave my host mom and the roots I've made here, but a large part of me is so ready to be home and so excited to start my PreLaw career this fall. I'm also excited to have my best friend at school with me. It's a lot of mixed emotions, but I know that no matter what I will keep truckin' on and movin' on. Life is happening whether we are ready or not, and every passing moment is a blessing.
xoxo,
Care
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
¡Take Me Back to Barca!
Wow. What a weekend! First things first, I LOVE Barcelona. It is easily my favorite city in Spain so far. Catalan is a language from another word, but we all eventually caught on to some of it. It's a mix of Spanish and French kind of? For example, calle is carrer, and próxima is propera. We should kick it back to the beginning of the story first.
So my travel group flew to Barcelona very early in the morning around 7 am. The flight went super well and passed quickly. We arrived in Barcelona a little before 9 am, and from there, we took a bus and a train into the city because it's huge. My group and I checked into the hostel, which was awesome by the way, and we headed toward the Sagrada Familia. We met with my cousin and her friend there which just made my weekend. I missed my family so much, and even though I don't see this cousin often, it was really nice to see someone familiar that I knew and loved. I *might have* shed a few tears. After I was done being dramatic and emotional, we entered into one of the most, if not the most, beautiful place I have ever seen. Pictures do not do the Sagrada Familia justice at all. It is so grand and has the most amazing stained glass windows. The windows are divided into areas and done by colors, so you'll see blue light in one area and red or orange in another area. The lighting is just other worldly, and I couldn't capture it's true essence on camera. It's really one of those places you just have to see.
After that, we walked to a Mexican food restaurant called Mexcla and wow. Just wow. That guacamole and those carne asada tacos made me feel some type of nostalgia. It was THAT good and tasted just like home. We made our way to Park Güell where we got a great view of Barcelona all the way to the beach. Our little group just walked around here, took pictures, and soaked in the sights of Barcelona. After this, we went to the Magic Fountain of Montjuic where we watched a light show from within this HUGE fountain. This was just the icing on the cake to a really great day. Side note: In total, we walked 10 miles that day.
We went to bed early Friday night because the plan was to go hiking on Saturday morning, but the temperature at the mountain was 32 degrees with rain. We decided not to risk getting sick and stayed in for the morning. Once we got going, we went to La Boqueria (a market) by La Rambla to chow down on some lunch. This place was so cool. The animals in the seafood section were still moving on their ice slabs, so you know that stuff was pulled out of the ocean that morning. I ate an empanada, a corn dog, fried cod, french fries, and ice cream at this place. My inner foodie was dying if happiness. We went to the port after this where we sun bathed and took some pictures. From here, the group went onto the beach, but I went back to the hostel for a Skype interview! I was being interviewed to be a PreLaw ambassador, and I will get the email next week if I got it. I'll post on Facebook as soon as I get some news! I met back up with the group for a celebratory burger afterwards. My cousin and her friend met us there too, and we all headed back to the hostel after to get ready for a night out. Side note again: I dipped early because I made the mistake of wearing heels to a discoteca. Never again.
We mournfully packed our bags up Sunday morning and checked out of the hostel (they held our bags for us until we left). None of us wanted to leave because we had so much fun. Nevertheless, we went to Arc de Triomf and Parc de la Ciutadella. The park had this amazing fountain/statue of Aphrodite. It was completely fantastic, and I have never seen anything like it. The fountain flowed over a mossy structure and ended in a pool. Right by that, a group of Barcelonians who were a part of a Swing group were dancing in a gazebo which reminded me of my grandpa because he likes that music. It was really cool. We grabbed lunch in the Gothic quarter, and I had steak (bless up) and patatas bravas (spicy potatoes). They weren't spicy though, but I enjoyed it just the same. My cousin and her friend left us for the last time here. I really didn't want to say goodbye to them because it was so nice having them around that weekend. Especially my cousin because I feel like we connected in a way we haven't before which is really special. I am looking forward to visiting her in England (hopefully) and seeing her over the holidays this fall. My group went to the port area again where we watched a band play. They did so good that I HAD to buy a cd! I can't wait to play it in my car in America and look back on a great weekend with great friends.
We went to the airport after this, and here is where the story takes a turn. The people in my group got to check-in online through our airline, but I didn't get the email to check-in online which means I had to check-in in person. I go to do that, and the person says I am late for check-in and can't be allowed on the flight. It had already closed, and there was nothing I could do (the flight was delayed btw). I didn't realize I had a specific check-in time to meet, and they didn't mention it when we flew out of Seville. Looking back, this wasn't that big of a deal because all I had to do was buy a ticket for the next flight and leave later than my group. At the time though, my anxiety took over, and I was in full on panic mode. I was bawling, couldn't breathe, my hands were shaking. I have no idea what I would have done without my roommate because she is so understanding and helped me talk to the people to figure out how to fix the situation. They wouldn't talk to me until I calmed down, but I quite literally couldn't do it. I wish that when I am in situations like that I could calm myself down, but it's nearly impossible. I called my parents, and my dad thankfully talked me down. He reasoned with me and helped me to understand that everything was okay since my anxiety wouldn't let me see that at the time. All went well though. My later flight was delayed due to the air strike in France, so I didn't leave Barcelona until 10:30 pm which put me in Seville at 12 am. Shout out to my roommate for waiting an hour at the airport for me. All in all, Sunday night at the airport was a great learning lesson for me though, and you can sure as hell bet I will always be super early every time I have a flight from now on.
I skipped my first class on Monday because I was physically and mentally exhausted, and all I did yesterday was sleep.
Right now, I am currently looking forward to my roommate for Lubbock and my parents coming to Spain THIS FRIDAY!!!!!! I AM SO HAPPY AND FULL OF LOVE AND HAPPINESS THAT MY HEART COULD BURST. I cannot wait to see them. My next blog post will update their arrival and our weekend trip to the beach! (if I can find time to write because I'll be super busy with them)
xoxo,
Caroline
So my travel group flew to Barcelona very early in the morning around 7 am. The flight went super well and passed quickly. We arrived in Barcelona a little before 9 am, and from there, we took a bus and a train into the city because it's huge. My group and I checked into the hostel, which was awesome by the way, and we headed toward the Sagrada Familia. We met with my cousin and her friend there which just made my weekend. I missed my family so much, and even though I don't see this cousin often, it was really nice to see someone familiar that I knew and loved. I *might have* shed a few tears. After I was done being dramatic and emotional, we entered into one of the most, if not the most, beautiful place I have ever seen. Pictures do not do the Sagrada Familia justice at all. It is so grand and has the most amazing stained glass windows. The windows are divided into areas and done by colors, so you'll see blue light in one area and red or orange in another area. The lighting is just other worldly, and I couldn't capture it's true essence on camera. It's really one of those places you just have to see.
After that, we walked to a Mexican food restaurant called Mexcla and wow. Just wow. That guacamole and those carne asada tacos made me feel some type of nostalgia. It was THAT good and tasted just like home. We made our way to Park Güell where we got a great view of Barcelona all the way to the beach. Our little group just walked around here, took pictures, and soaked in the sights of Barcelona. After this, we went to the Magic Fountain of Montjuic where we watched a light show from within this HUGE fountain. This was just the icing on the cake to a really great day. Side note: In total, we walked 10 miles that day.
We went to bed early Friday night because the plan was to go hiking on Saturday morning, but the temperature at the mountain was 32 degrees with rain. We decided not to risk getting sick and stayed in for the morning. Once we got going, we went to La Boqueria (a market) by La Rambla to chow down on some lunch. This place was so cool. The animals in the seafood section were still moving on their ice slabs, so you know that stuff was pulled out of the ocean that morning. I ate an empanada, a corn dog, fried cod, french fries, and ice cream at this place. My inner foodie was dying if happiness. We went to the port after this where we sun bathed and took some pictures. From here, the group went onto the beach, but I went back to the hostel for a Skype interview! I was being interviewed to be a PreLaw ambassador, and I will get the email next week if I got it. I'll post on Facebook as soon as I get some news! I met back up with the group for a celebratory burger afterwards. My cousin and her friend met us there too, and we all headed back to the hostel after to get ready for a night out. Side note again: I dipped early because I made the mistake of wearing heels to a discoteca. Never again.
We mournfully packed our bags up Sunday morning and checked out of the hostel (they held our bags for us until we left). None of us wanted to leave because we had so much fun. Nevertheless, we went to Arc de Triomf and Parc de la Ciutadella. The park had this amazing fountain/statue of Aphrodite. It was completely fantastic, and I have never seen anything like it. The fountain flowed over a mossy structure and ended in a pool. Right by that, a group of Barcelonians who were a part of a Swing group were dancing in a gazebo which reminded me of my grandpa because he likes that music. It was really cool. We grabbed lunch in the Gothic quarter, and I had steak (bless up) and patatas bravas (spicy potatoes). They weren't spicy though, but I enjoyed it just the same. My cousin and her friend left us for the last time here. I really didn't want to say goodbye to them because it was so nice having them around that weekend. Especially my cousin because I feel like we connected in a way we haven't before which is really special. I am looking forward to visiting her in England (hopefully) and seeing her over the holidays this fall. My group went to the port area again where we watched a band play. They did so good that I HAD to buy a cd! I can't wait to play it in my car in America and look back on a great weekend with great friends.
We went to the airport after this, and here is where the story takes a turn. The people in my group got to check-in online through our airline, but I didn't get the email to check-in online which means I had to check-in in person. I go to do that, and the person says I am late for check-in and can't be allowed on the flight. It had already closed, and there was nothing I could do (the flight was delayed btw). I didn't realize I had a specific check-in time to meet, and they didn't mention it when we flew out of Seville. Looking back, this wasn't that big of a deal because all I had to do was buy a ticket for the next flight and leave later than my group. At the time though, my anxiety took over, and I was in full on panic mode. I was bawling, couldn't breathe, my hands were shaking. I have no idea what I would have done without my roommate because she is so understanding and helped me talk to the people to figure out how to fix the situation. They wouldn't talk to me until I calmed down, but I quite literally couldn't do it. I wish that when I am in situations like that I could calm myself down, but it's nearly impossible. I called my parents, and my dad thankfully talked me down. He reasoned with me and helped me to understand that everything was okay since my anxiety wouldn't let me see that at the time. All went well though. My later flight was delayed due to the air strike in France, so I didn't leave Barcelona until 10:30 pm which put me in Seville at 12 am. Shout out to my roommate for waiting an hour at the airport for me. All in all, Sunday night at the airport was a great learning lesson for me though, and you can sure as hell bet I will always be super early every time I have a flight from now on.
I skipped my first class on Monday because I was physically and mentally exhausted, and all I did yesterday was sleep.
Right now, I am currently looking forward to my roommate for Lubbock and my parents coming to Spain THIS FRIDAY!!!!!! I AM SO HAPPY AND FULL OF LOVE AND HAPPINESS THAT MY HEART COULD BURST. I cannot wait to see them. My next blog post will update their arrival and our weekend trip to the beach! (if I can find time to write because I'll be super busy with them)
xoxo,
Caroline
Thursday, March 2, 2017
Freeze Frame Time
Last week was a pretty lazy one for us Texas Tech students. We didn't have an excursion during a three day weekend for the first time, so we had a lot of time on our hands. On Saturday, we all took a bus to Cádiz for Carnaval. It was a big city sort of celebration. I am honestly not sure why it's a thing. All I know is that it's two weeks long, and people dress up like they do for Halloween. I was a ring leader of a circus which was fun! I'm not one for big crowds and lots of people in a small space, so Carnaval wasn't really for me. At least I can say I've gone to one!
This week was pretty slow too. Tuesday was Día de Andalusia, so a lot of things were closed for the festivities. There was a March for Dignity that happened right by our school. They were protesting Andalusia's high unemployment rate (27%) and the government for not helping. There were also other groups like communist protesting. Some people protested diabetes, and some protested education. It was a large mix of people. One of my friends who was in it said, "Nuns are walking side by side with communists. People from all over the world came to partake in the March." I've never seen a protest like that up close, so it was really eye opening. Police had traffic stopped and directed the protesters through the streets. It was a very peaceful protest too. People called at us through our school's windows to join them in the March even!
Tomorrow will be exciting because I am flying to Barcelona! My cousin who is studying in England is meeting us there, so I am also very excited to see her and catch up. We have a lot planned, and I can't wait to upload pictures and write a blog post about that experience.
Also this weekend, I have an online interview with the PreLaw program at Tech to (maybe) become a PreLaw ambassador! I am beyond excited at the opportunity to be interviewed, and I am very hopeful that I will get a position, God willing. The time difference and a Skype interview is going to be interesting to see how it works since I've never done an interview like this before. I am nervous but ready.
That's really it from me. Now that I am realizing how fast time is passing, I kind of want it to slow down. At first, I thought I would be here forever, but time is sprinting right now. I feel like February was so short, and March will go fast too. From here on out, I have three whole weeks of school off too which just makes me more anxious about the end coming soon. I finally feel like I am settling here, and soon enough, my roots will be ripped up. Don't get me wrong though. I miss home so much, but I could probably wait a little bit now that I'm getting into the swing of things.
xoxo,
Caroline
This week was pretty slow too. Tuesday was Día de Andalusia, so a lot of things were closed for the festivities. There was a March for Dignity that happened right by our school. They were protesting Andalusia's high unemployment rate (27%) and the government for not helping. There were also other groups like communist protesting. Some people protested diabetes, and some protested education. It was a large mix of people. One of my friends who was in it said, "Nuns are walking side by side with communists. People from all over the world came to partake in the March." I've never seen a protest like that up close, so it was really eye opening. Police had traffic stopped and directed the protesters through the streets. It was a very peaceful protest too. People called at us through our school's windows to join them in the March even!
Tomorrow will be exciting because I am flying to Barcelona! My cousin who is studying in England is meeting us there, so I am also very excited to see her and catch up. We have a lot planned, and I can't wait to upload pictures and write a blog post about that experience.
Also this weekend, I have an online interview with the PreLaw program at Tech to (maybe) become a PreLaw ambassador! I am beyond excited at the opportunity to be interviewed, and I am very hopeful that I will get a position, God willing. The time difference and a Skype interview is going to be interesting to see how it works since I've never done an interview like this before. I am nervous but ready.
That's really it from me. Now that I am realizing how fast time is passing, I kind of want it to slow down. At first, I thought I would be here forever, but time is sprinting right now. I feel like February was so short, and March will go fast too. From here on out, I have three whole weeks of school off too which just makes me more anxious about the end coming soon. I finally feel like I am settling here, and soon enough, my roots will be ripped up. Don't get me wrong though. I miss home so much, but I could probably wait a little bit now that I'm getting into the swing of things.
xoxo,
Caroline
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Find Happiness in the Small Things... like ranch
Last Friday at the ripe hour of 7 a.m., Texas Tech loaded up the bus to go to the beautiful Grenada. As soon as we arrived, we unloaded at La Alhambra to tour what was the last thriving Moorish region in Spain. La Alhambra has a mass of gardens that we walked through first which led us into out skirting palaces and eventually into the walls of the city area. Once inside the walls of the city area, we viewed two palaces. One was where Charles I (or V, Holy Roman Emperor, however you want to look at it. He has a lot of titles) fell in love with his wife, Isabella, from Portugal who was considered one of, if not the, most beautiful queen to ever live. The other was the original Palace where the Moorish royalty would have lived. The area was beautiful and open, and the palace had a lot of fountains/water running through it. If I has to pick one word to describe the Alhambra, I would pick enchanting. It was truly a sight to see.
After that, we checked into our hotel rooms. We didn't have too much time to walk around, so we rested a little before heading onto the Real Capilla de Grenada y la catedral. La Capilla was made by Fernando and Isabella de Castilla to mark their victory in the last Moorish territory in Spain. The moors handed over the keys to Isabella (the brain of the operations) in 1492 while her husband (the brawn) was in charge of the troops and being general. La Capilla was their way of staking claim of the city and stronghold. On the building, there are the emblems of Fernando and Isabella, a yoke and arrows. In addition, their initials line the top of the building. Isabella's symbol, the bald eagle with a crown, is found on the outside and inside as well. Once on the inside, the main thing to see is the tomb of Fernando, Isabella de Castilla, their daughter, Juana La Loca, her husband, Felipe El Hermoso, and their boy prince who died when he was young. I couldn't take pictures when I was in there, but that was another truly interesting thing to see. Above the tombs, there are carvings of the married couples out of marble. Fun fact: Isabella's head is sunk deeper into her pillow on their carving because she was very intelligent therefore her head "weighed more" (because of all the knowledge in there). We took stairs down under the statues, and we saw the coffins of two of the most powerful people in history. I'm talking 3 feet away from them. If there wasn't glass over the bars, we could've reached in and touched them. It was wild. Literally history at our fingertips.
We went into the catedral after la Capilla. I'm not going to lie. I thought, "Really? Another cathedral?? I've had it up to my eyes in cathedrals." This one was different though. It was surrounded on all sides by buildings, so it wasn't painted dark on the inside like the others. It was painted white and felt very open and airy. The Gothic style really meshed well with the white, in my opinion, and there was an area where you looked up and saw light blue and gold paint. This part was really beautiful too. I really enjoyed the cathedral more than I thought I would. (A group of girls and I ran to this Henna place after the cathedral because we saw it on the walk there. Peep my photos on Facebook to check it out.)
On Saturday morning, the upper-level Spanish literature students went to the Lorca house to tour it. Federico García Lorca was a poet in the early 1900s in Grenada and openly gay which was taboo at the time. He wrote beautiful poetry, and he also had a theatrical group that he traveled with, wrote for, and designed costumes for. In 1936, he was dragged outside of his home by Nationalist Fascists and killed by gunshot in front of his home to set an example because he was outspoken in his opinions amongst a rise in political and social tensions. He became a symbol for the popularist, but Franco won the civil war in Spain. He has continued living through his work and his family who allow visitors into the house he lived in for the purpose of education.
Sadly, we left Grenada after that. I truly loved the city and its beauty. I would go back again for sure before I leave, and I definitely plan on it if I can find the time. On our was back to Seville (and on the way there too), we had to stop at a rest station for the buses to fuel up. WELL this gas station had RANCH. I wasn't aware of that the first time we stopped there, but during the second time there, I ordered chicken strips and fries. They brought us our trays with ranch, and I actually cried. As silly as it sounds, you don't realize all of the things at home you cherish until they are taken away from you. I've always loved ranch growing up, and it has been sucky not having it. Finally, I found some and cracked. The purpose of me saying this is because if I reacted like that at something as simple as ranch, I don't even know how I'll react when I see my parents and friend, Amber, when they get to Seville in 17 DAYS!!! I am SO excited to have them with me. Being away from home really put into perspective how important everyone is to me. I already knew there were important but going away added a different depth to it. I look forward to seeing them again and hugging them until my arms hurt.
On Sunday, some friends and I went to the top of Las Setas in Seville to watch the sunset. If you don't want what Las Setas are, I'd give it a google because I honestly don't know how to describe it. BUT, I do know it's a great place to watch a sunset. Sevilla sunsets might not be a Texas sunset, but it is close enough. It's all about finding happiness in the small things like having warm tea every morning and finding ranch in a rest stop in the middle of nowhere.
For class Monday, we walked around the Jewish barrio in Seville and were guided by a Jewish singer and her violinist friend. We stopped at different places where she'd give us a brief history, and at some stops, she would sing us a song in old Castilian Spanish while he played the violin. It's amazing to me that Spanish has such a rich culture that one weekend I'm in a Moorish palace, and three days later, I am walking through the Jewish neighborhood listening to people sing traditional Jewish songs. I am very blessed to be here and learning so much. The time is flyingggggggg so quickly for us students. I feel like it was just yesterday that I landed in Madrid when in reality it's the last full week on February.
With February winding down, I am looking forward to having my parents and friend here, going to Cádiz this weekend for carnival and again two weeks when they get here, and going to Barcelona next weekend. I am also counting my many blessings here like my roommate, my host mom, the friends I am making here, the fact that I am even here, my family and friends in the states, and so many other things that I wouldn't have enough time to list them all. I fall asleep at night saying a prayer of thanks because there is so much to be thankful for.
Oh and ranch. Can't forget the ranch. (;
xoxo,
Caroline
P.S. - We had two major exams last week, and I made a 95 and 100!
After that, we checked into our hotel rooms. We didn't have too much time to walk around, so we rested a little before heading onto the Real Capilla de Grenada y la catedral. La Capilla was made by Fernando and Isabella de Castilla to mark their victory in the last Moorish territory in Spain. The moors handed over the keys to Isabella (the brain of the operations) in 1492 while her husband (the brawn) was in charge of the troops and being general. La Capilla was their way of staking claim of the city and stronghold. On the building, there are the emblems of Fernando and Isabella, a yoke and arrows. In addition, their initials line the top of the building. Isabella's symbol, the bald eagle with a crown, is found on the outside and inside as well. Once on the inside, the main thing to see is the tomb of Fernando, Isabella de Castilla, their daughter, Juana La Loca, her husband, Felipe El Hermoso, and their boy prince who died when he was young. I couldn't take pictures when I was in there, but that was another truly interesting thing to see. Above the tombs, there are carvings of the married couples out of marble. Fun fact: Isabella's head is sunk deeper into her pillow on their carving because she was very intelligent therefore her head "weighed more" (because of all the knowledge in there). We took stairs down under the statues, and we saw the coffins of two of the most powerful people in history. I'm talking 3 feet away from them. If there wasn't glass over the bars, we could've reached in and touched them. It was wild. Literally history at our fingertips.
We went into the catedral after la Capilla. I'm not going to lie. I thought, "Really? Another cathedral?? I've had it up to my eyes in cathedrals." This one was different though. It was surrounded on all sides by buildings, so it wasn't painted dark on the inside like the others. It was painted white and felt very open and airy. The Gothic style really meshed well with the white, in my opinion, and there was an area where you looked up and saw light blue and gold paint. This part was really beautiful too. I really enjoyed the cathedral more than I thought I would. (A group of girls and I ran to this Henna place after the cathedral because we saw it on the walk there. Peep my photos on Facebook to check it out.)
On Saturday morning, the upper-level Spanish literature students went to the Lorca house to tour it. Federico García Lorca was a poet in the early 1900s in Grenada and openly gay which was taboo at the time. He wrote beautiful poetry, and he also had a theatrical group that he traveled with, wrote for, and designed costumes for. In 1936, he was dragged outside of his home by Nationalist Fascists and killed by gunshot in front of his home to set an example because he was outspoken in his opinions amongst a rise in political and social tensions. He became a symbol for the popularist, but Franco won the civil war in Spain. He has continued living through his work and his family who allow visitors into the house he lived in for the purpose of education.
Sadly, we left Grenada after that. I truly loved the city and its beauty. I would go back again for sure before I leave, and I definitely plan on it if I can find the time. On our was back to Seville (and on the way there too), we had to stop at a rest station for the buses to fuel up. WELL this gas station had RANCH. I wasn't aware of that the first time we stopped there, but during the second time there, I ordered chicken strips and fries. They brought us our trays with ranch, and I actually cried. As silly as it sounds, you don't realize all of the things at home you cherish until they are taken away from you. I've always loved ranch growing up, and it has been sucky not having it. Finally, I found some and cracked. The purpose of me saying this is because if I reacted like that at something as simple as ranch, I don't even know how I'll react when I see my parents and friend, Amber, when they get to Seville in 17 DAYS!!! I am SO excited to have them with me. Being away from home really put into perspective how important everyone is to me. I already knew there were important but going away added a different depth to it. I look forward to seeing them again and hugging them until my arms hurt.
On Sunday, some friends and I went to the top of Las Setas in Seville to watch the sunset. If you don't want what Las Setas are, I'd give it a google because I honestly don't know how to describe it. BUT, I do know it's a great place to watch a sunset. Sevilla sunsets might not be a Texas sunset, but it is close enough. It's all about finding happiness in the small things like having warm tea every morning and finding ranch in a rest stop in the middle of nowhere.
For class Monday, we walked around the Jewish barrio in Seville and were guided by a Jewish singer and her violinist friend. We stopped at different places where she'd give us a brief history, and at some stops, she would sing us a song in old Castilian Spanish while he played the violin. It's amazing to me that Spanish has such a rich culture that one weekend I'm in a Moorish palace, and three days later, I am walking through the Jewish neighborhood listening to people sing traditional Jewish songs. I am very blessed to be here and learning so much. The time is flyingggggggg so quickly for us students. I feel like it was just yesterday that I landed in Madrid when in reality it's the last full week on February.
With February winding down, I am looking forward to having my parents and friend here, going to Cádiz this weekend for carnival and again two weeks when they get here, and going to Barcelona next weekend. I am also counting my many blessings here like my roommate, my host mom, the friends I am making here, the fact that I am even here, my family and friends in the states, and so many other things that I wouldn't have enough time to list them all. I fall asleep at night saying a prayer of thanks because there is so much to be thankful for.
Oh and ranch. Can't forget the ranch. (;
xoxo,
Caroline
P.S. - We had two major exams last week, and I made a 95 and 100!
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Just Being Kids
The further I get into the semester, the harder it is to find time to sit down and write (even in my journal). My routine has become pretty solid the past few weeks.
Wake up. Eat breakfast. Go to school. Go to my internship. Go the to gym or take a nap. Homework or meetings. Dinner. Sleep. Repeat.
Last week on Wednesday, we had tutores which is when students our age from the Universidad de Sevilla come to our school to meet with us. We go to a cafe or restaurant for an hour and a half to practice our Spanish with them and learn about Spain. We have these every other week, and last week we talked about the job situation here. Unemployment is high in Spain (roughly 20-22%, can be more or less depending on the place). The north part of Spain has less unemployment because there are more manufacturing businesses there. The southern part is the place that has more problems. A fun fact about employment in Spain is that companies have to pay the people they lay off if the company doesn't have a good reason, but if they can prove a transgression, they don't have to pay. The laid-off person is paid what they would make in 40 days multiplied by the amount of years they have worked there. For example, a person makes 2,000 euros in 40 days and worked for 8 years. He or she is laid-off, and the company has to pay them 16,000 euros to fire them. Crazy right? Companies are particular about hiring people for this reason. Also, they usually don't have the money to pay the number of workers they need.
The school took us to La Rábida on Friday. We saw a well first where Christopher Columbus filled his boats with fresh water before going to the New World. After that, we visited the monastery where he become close to monks who had ties with the king and queen at the time, so the monks could put in a good word for him. The monastery still runs to this day which is pretty cool, in my opinion. The chapel has a crucifix of Jesus made out of only wood that Christopher Columbus probably prayed under before his voyages. It felt like we were connecting history with our time. We also got to see one of the first maps of the new world and original documents that Christopher Columbus and other people wrote. In addition, there is a room there with all of the flags from the lands Spaniards have discovered with a box of their soil.
After the monastery, we went to the Matalascañas beach. Even though it was rainy and 50 something degrees, we took off our shoes and played in the water. Some were even adventurous enough to go swimming! My friend, Maddie, and I were trying to take a picture with the water when a huge wave came up suddenly and got our pants wet. Yes, I walked around with wet pants for the rest of the day. Talk about freezing. One wave came up so high unexpectedly that a person's backpack and shoes almost got swept away. I had a lot of fun at the beach, and I can't waittttt for April and May to go back when it's WARM. The town we were at was like a ghost town because winter, so we were the only people walking around. Even the locals stayed inside their houses for the most part. All in all, it was a fun day.
Also, in between the monastery and the beach we stopped at a park, and you would've thought us college kids were crazy. We played on that playground like a group of kindergartens and left breathless from laughter. It was really refreshing to forget about being an adult for a few minutes while we spun around on the spiny thing (I don't know the name of it) and swung on the swings.
It rained a lot this weekend, so I left my host house a grand total of two times. One time to go to the gym and the other to take a picture with a plaque for extra credit. I took advantage of the rain to study for a test I have Monday and start reading Before I Fall (for a second time). On Monday, I had dance class which was fun like always. The dance we are learning is divided into four parts, and we started learning the beginning of the second part that day. Today, our school met up with a trade school called La Macarena. The students are our age, and next time we meet up, we are going to go to their school. We started off class by talking to them about the education system here and learning about each other in general. After that, we walked around and did presentations on landmarks here in Spanish and English because they are learning English. We had SO MUCH fun with these people. Instantly, we were all talking, laughing, and exchanging Instagrams/phone numbers. They thought things we said were funny, and we thought they were funny too. It was just a time full of laughing and learning about each other's culture. Also, they thought it was crazy that my family has a pig. They all wanted to see pictures of it and thought it was so cute. One of the people asked if it lived in my house, and I said, "Yes because I am an animal obviously." They thought this was hilarious because of course the pig doesn't live in my house (This made me happy because that meant my sarcasm was understood). Today was a pretty good day. I am excited for the new friendships I made today.
Also, our school got a new student today from William Carey University in Mississippi (They were in a different semester system than we do, so that's why she got here yesterday). She is living with my house mom's sister, and I got to meet her yesterday. All of us Tech students are really excited for her to be here, and I think she is excited too. She seems so sweet, and I know she'll be good friends with us in no time.
Andddd that's my last week in review. Until next time.
xoxo,
Caroline
Wake up. Eat breakfast. Go to school. Go to my internship. Go the to gym or take a nap. Homework or meetings. Dinner. Sleep. Repeat.
Last week on Wednesday, we had tutores which is when students our age from the Universidad de Sevilla come to our school to meet with us. We go to a cafe or restaurant for an hour and a half to practice our Spanish with them and learn about Spain. We have these every other week, and last week we talked about the job situation here. Unemployment is high in Spain (roughly 20-22%, can be more or less depending on the place). The north part of Spain has less unemployment because there are more manufacturing businesses there. The southern part is the place that has more problems. A fun fact about employment in Spain is that companies have to pay the people they lay off if the company doesn't have a good reason, but if they can prove a transgression, they don't have to pay. The laid-off person is paid what they would make in 40 days multiplied by the amount of years they have worked there. For example, a person makes 2,000 euros in 40 days and worked for 8 years. He or she is laid-off, and the company has to pay them 16,000 euros to fire them. Crazy right? Companies are particular about hiring people for this reason. Also, they usually don't have the money to pay the number of workers they need.
The school took us to La Rábida on Friday. We saw a well first where Christopher Columbus filled his boats with fresh water before going to the New World. After that, we visited the monastery where he become close to monks who had ties with the king and queen at the time, so the monks could put in a good word for him. The monastery still runs to this day which is pretty cool, in my opinion. The chapel has a crucifix of Jesus made out of only wood that Christopher Columbus probably prayed under before his voyages. It felt like we were connecting history with our time. We also got to see one of the first maps of the new world and original documents that Christopher Columbus and other people wrote. In addition, there is a room there with all of the flags from the lands Spaniards have discovered with a box of their soil.
After the monastery, we went to the Matalascañas beach. Even though it was rainy and 50 something degrees, we took off our shoes and played in the water. Some were even adventurous enough to go swimming! My friend, Maddie, and I were trying to take a picture with the water when a huge wave came up suddenly and got our pants wet. Yes, I walked around with wet pants for the rest of the day. Talk about freezing. One wave came up so high unexpectedly that a person's backpack and shoes almost got swept away. I had a lot of fun at the beach, and I can't waittttt for April and May to go back when it's WARM. The town we were at was like a ghost town because winter, so we were the only people walking around. Even the locals stayed inside their houses for the most part. All in all, it was a fun day.
Also, in between the monastery and the beach we stopped at a park, and you would've thought us college kids were crazy. We played on that playground like a group of kindergartens and left breathless from laughter. It was really refreshing to forget about being an adult for a few minutes while we spun around on the spiny thing (I don't know the name of it) and swung on the swings.
It rained a lot this weekend, so I left my host house a grand total of two times. One time to go to the gym and the other to take a picture with a plaque for extra credit. I took advantage of the rain to study for a test I have Monday and start reading Before I Fall (for a second time). On Monday, I had dance class which was fun like always. The dance we are learning is divided into four parts, and we started learning the beginning of the second part that day. Today, our school met up with a trade school called La Macarena. The students are our age, and next time we meet up, we are going to go to their school. We started off class by talking to them about the education system here and learning about each other in general. After that, we walked around and did presentations on landmarks here in Spanish and English because they are learning English. We had SO MUCH fun with these people. Instantly, we were all talking, laughing, and exchanging Instagrams/phone numbers. They thought things we said were funny, and we thought they were funny too. It was just a time full of laughing and learning about each other's culture. Also, they thought it was crazy that my family has a pig. They all wanted to see pictures of it and thought it was so cute. One of the people asked if it lived in my house, and I said, "Yes because I am an animal obviously." They thought this was hilarious because of course the pig doesn't live in my house (This made me happy because that meant my sarcasm was understood). Today was a pretty good day. I am excited for the new friendships I made today.
Also, our school got a new student today from William Carey University in Mississippi (They were in a different semester system than we do, so that's why she got here yesterday). She is living with my house mom's sister, and I got to meet her yesterday. All of us Tech students are really excited for her to be here, and I think she is excited too. She seems so sweet, and I know she'll be good friends with us in no time.
Andddd that's my last week in review. Until next time.
xoxo,
Caroline
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
No Más Countdowns
It's been a week since my last blog post! My only excuse is that I have been SO busy. I'll start from last Wednesday and write up until now. On Wednesday, my class took a little trip to Real Alcázar de Sevilla. It is a palace here that it open for the public to walk through complete with courtyards and a garden maze. When the royal family visits Seville and decides to stay the night, they would sleep in the palace and shut down the visitations. They usually won't stay the night here though, so they don't have to go through the procedures of shutting part of it down. In the pictures that I uploaded from this day, there is one with a long pool and dim lighting. It looks like it could be underground. That shot is from Games of Throne for you fans out there. After going back and reading my journal entry from Wednesday (because I couldn't remember what I did last Wednesday), I was reminded that I felt paranoid that day about not having my "place" amongst my peers. When we were walking around, I felt like I was floating from group to group, and I didn't really have MY place in the groups that have already been formed. I don't think I necessarily believe this to be completely true, but I think these feelings came from a deep part of me that is paranoid that I won't make connections here because I have never had an easy time making lasting friendships. After talking with my parents though, they reminded me that my place is here in Spain not among a group of people. Also, I had people and even friends here, so it doesn't matter if I don't fit perfectly into one certain group.
On Thursday, I started my internship at a school here in Seville. It was an interesting day. I gave the students an oral English exam which was extremely eye opening. When they were frustrated at not understanding what I was saying, I could see it in their faces (I'm sure I have made the same face a thousand times since I arrived here), and I sympathized with their feelings. Part of me wished I could tell them that it's okay to not be perfect. They were still getting the point across well and communicating. It helped me feel a little better too to know that I wasn't the only one trying to learn a new language and feeling kind of "bleh" about it.
The next day, our school took us to Córdoba to see the Mezquita/Catedral. The building was originally a mosque, and after the Christian reconquest, they put a cathedral in the middle of it. When you walk in, the area is large and square with tombs in the floor. There was also an area with clear flooring, so people could see the original Visigothic church structure that the mosque was built on top of. I put pictures of all of this on my Facebook page as well. After that, we went to see a synagogue which was a good variation from the cathedrals we have been seeing. I don't know much about Judaism, so it was neat to have my Jewish teacher explain the building to us. We ran around the town and took a lot of pictures after that. I also got into a fountain which was fun. (: I ended up having a great day.
One thing about that day that DID bother me though was something one of my professors said. My roommate and I were late because we got lost on the way to the train station, and when we walked up, he said, "Of course it was the two blondes." 1). My roommate has black hair, so he would not have made that comment if my hair was dark too. 2). Blonde jokes are SO 2000s. Can we stop already?? After he said that, I said, "lol yeah so funny." He came up to me later and told me to hit his hand for his comment, and I didn't do it. Me hitting his hand wouldn't take away the fact that he had to make a derogatory joke based off of a physical characteristic of mine. ANYWAY..
On Saturday, we went to a winery in Bollullos in the providence of Huelva. They showed us the process the grapes/wine go through then we tested their popular flavors. The winery we went to produces a lemon wine that they claim is the only lemon wine in the world which is pretty cool if that's true. I also have pictures from this one my Facebook. We spent Sunday lazing around and doing homework.
Yesterday, I went back to the school after class. Monday through Thursday until 3 is my schedule there. I help with first graders and junior high students. The first graders are crazyyyyyyyyy. They run around the classroom, talk to other students while the teacher is talking, steal other students' things, crawl under the desk, and don't listen. I am talking complete and total chaos.
Side note: I'm also pretty sure I made one of them cry today because I told her to sit down and made her stop coloring, so she would be on the right page for the lesson.
After that mess, I went to the junior high students for the tutorial class. It's once a week, and they talk about their feelings/emotions during this time. That day they discussed what makes them frustrated, how they react when they're frustrated, and how they calm themselves down. I feel like this class session, even if it's only once a week, is really important. The discussion reminded all the kids that they are all the same. The same things upset them, and they react the same too. I think it brings a level of awareness, and it would be cool to see something like this implemented into American schools, in my opinion. I also had my Sevillanos dance class last night which is ALWAYS fun.
Today was a long day. I was at the school for an extra hour because I get out of class an hour earlier on Tuesday/Thursday. The first graders were a little bit better today because they weren't as excited about having an American in the classroom. They were over the excitement of someone new, ya know. We did arts and crafts which is an easy way to pass time. I gave more oral English tests to the junior high students after that. Since these kids were older, it was an easy time. After going to the gym, I went to the dress store and bought my Féria dress. It's official y'all! I am so excited, and my host mom was SO sweet about it when I came home and tried it on for her.
Speaking of Mamá Carmen, she is the reason I am not longer counting down my days until I go home. I feel an actual pain in my chest at the thought of saying goodbye to her in May. All I wanted from my study abroad experience was a host family and a home to remember for the rest of my life, and Mamá Carmen has given me that by tenfold. I know I haven't lived with her for very long, but now she is very much a part of what I call my family. I was telling my real mom the other day about how it makes me sad to think of leaving Mamá Carmen, and I actually started crying about it. She calls me her "niña" or her "corazon" which lets me know that she probably doesn't want us to leave either. So, I am now committed to not worrying about saying goodbye to her and just enjoying my time with my mom here. It's kind of funny that in real life, when I talk to people, I refer to my moms as "my mom in the US" and "mi mamá de aquí."
Anddddd that's my week in review folks. I hope you enjoy!
xoxo,
Caroline
On Thursday, I started my internship at a school here in Seville. It was an interesting day. I gave the students an oral English exam which was extremely eye opening. When they were frustrated at not understanding what I was saying, I could see it in their faces (I'm sure I have made the same face a thousand times since I arrived here), and I sympathized with their feelings. Part of me wished I could tell them that it's okay to not be perfect. They were still getting the point across well and communicating. It helped me feel a little better too to know that I wasn't the only one trying to learn a new language and feeling kind of "bleh" about it.
The next day, our school took us to Córdoba to see the Mezquita/Catedral. The building was originally a mosque, and after the Christian reconquest, they put a cathedral in the middle of it. When you walk in, the area is large and square with tombs in the floor. There was also an area with clear flooring, so people could see the original Visigothic church structure that the mosque was built on top of. I put pictures of all of this on my Facebook page as well. After that, we went to see a synagogue which was a good variation from the cathedrals we have been seeing. I don't know much about Judaism, so it was neat to have my Jewish teacher explain the building to us. We ran around the town and took a lot of pictures after that. I also got into a fountain which was fun. (: I ended up having a great day.
One thing about that day that DID bother me though was something one of my professors said. My roommate and I were late because we got lost on the way to the train station, and when we walked up, he said, "Of course it was the two blondes." 1). My roommate has black hair, so he would not have made that comment if my hair was dark too. 2). Blonde jokes are SO 2000s. Can we stop already?? After he said that, I said, "lol yeah so funny." He came up to me later and told me to hit his hand for his comment, and I didn't do it. Me hitting his hand wouldn't take away the fact that he had to make a derogatory joke based off of a physical characteristic of mine. ANYWAY..
On Saturday, we went to a winery in Bollullos in the providence of Huelva. They showed us the process the grapes/wine go through then we tested their popular flavors. The winery we went to produces a lemon wine that they claim is the only lemon wine in the world which is pretty cool if that's true. I also have pictures from this one my Facebook. We spent Sunday lazing around and doing homework.
Yesterday, I went back to the school after class. Monday through Thursday until 3 is my schedule there. I help with first graders and junior high students. The first graders are crazyyyyyyyyy. They run around the classroom, talk to other students while the teacher is talking, steal other students' things, crawl under the desk, and don't listen. I am talking complete and total chaos.
Side note: I'm also pretty sure I made one of them cry today because I told her to sit down and made her stop coloring, so she would be on the right page for the lesson.
After that mess, I went to the junior high students for the tutorial class. It's once a week, and they talk about their feelings/emotions during this time. That day they discussed what makes them frustrated, how they react when they're frustrated, and how they calm themselves down. I feel like this class session, even if it's only once a week, is really important. The discussion reminded all the kids that they are all the same. The same things upset them, and they react the same too. I think it brings a level of awareness, and it would be cool to see something like this implemented into American schools, in my opinion. I also had my Sevillanos dance class last night which is ALWAYS fun.
Today was a long day. I was at the school for an extra hour because I get out of class an hour earlier on Tuesday/Thursday. The first graders were a little bit better today because they weren't as excited about having an American in the classroom. They were over the excitement of someone new, ya know. We did arts and crafts which is an easy way to pass time. I gave more oral English tests to the junior high students after that. Since these kids were older, it was an easy time. After going to the gym, I went to the dress store and bought my Féria dress. It's official y'all! I am so excited, and my host mom was SO sweet about it when I came home and tried it on for her.
Speaking of Mamá Carmen, she is the reason I am not longer counting down my days until I go home. I feel an actual pain in my chest at the thought of saying goodbye to her in May. All I wanted from my study abroad experience was a host family and a home to remember for the rest of my life, and Mamá Carmen has given me that by tenfold. I know I haven't lived with her for very long, but now she is very much a part of what I call my family. I was telling my real mom the other day about how it makes me sad to think of leaving Mamá Carmen, and I actually started crying about it. She calls me her "niña" or her "corazon" which lets me know that she probably doesn't want us to leave either. So, I am now committed to not worrying about saying goodbye to her and just enjoying my time with my mom here. It's kind of funny that in real life, when I talk to people, I refer to my moms as "my mom in the US" and "mi mamá de aquí."
Anddddd that's my week in review folks. I hope you enjoy!
xoxo,
Caroline
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Looking Up
This past weekend was a slow but fun one! It was exactly what I needed after last week. Before I go into how my weekend was, I was surprised by the amount of feedback my last blog post got by other students who are here with me. I had a few text me and say things like, "I've been feeling the exact same way as you." or "I really needed to read that." It helped me to know I wasn't alone as much as it probably helped them to tell someone who understood. I've been talking to these people more and developing friendships with them that I'm really excited for.
This weekend it was just my host mom and I because my roommate was gone, and the communication between us went well. I usually look to my roommate when I am confused since she is a heritage speaker, but being alone made me try harder which was good for me. On Friday, I got to Face Time a friend from school and my family (which will always include my best friend, Alaina). I also started a short story that came into my head the other day on my walk to school. It seems like people are enjoying my blogs, so I am going to give writing in another form a shot.
On Saturday (and Sunday) morning, I went to the gym to start the day and give myself an outlet. I wasn't a gym goer in the U.S., but it's a good way for me to kill time here besides throwing myself in my homework. On Saturday afternoon, I met up with four other girls who didn't travel that weekend like me. We shopped a little bit then went to the movies to see Split. First off, we were told the movie would be in English with Spanish subtitles. The movie was ACTUALLY in Spanish with NO subtitles at all. We all had a good laugh out of it, and it was all good. I really liked the group of girls I was with, and I pray that we turn into good friends before we leave.
Now about the movies here, they are boiling hot unlike the refrigerator American movie theaters. The heat made me feel sick which made it hard to focus, but I understood most of the movie. I was pretty proud of myself. After that, I came back home and watched Got Talent Spain with my host aunt because my host mom was visiting a friend. Sunday was a lazy day of homework and cat naps.
Monday was a good day as well. We painted tiles in my culture class with lead. Yes, you read that right. We used lead paint. That didn't freak me out at all. Lol. I'm excited to see it after it's baked.
We also had dance class on Monday night which will prepare us for Féria in April. It's basically a big festival all week, and all of Seville shuts down for it. I'm catching onto the dance quickly which makes me very excited for it! Because if you know me, you know I LOVE to dance. I told my parents that I was going to win over a Spaniard with my dancing/ Féria dress while I was here, and I'd bring him home with me. Hahaha. My dad said, "Make sure he's royalty."
Today after class, my roommate, a friend, and I went to try on Féria dresses. I found one that I LOVED, but being the indecisive Libra I am, I wanted my host mom's opinion before I bought it (I will be posting pics of the dress to my Facebook). The start of this week has been good so far, and I can't wait to visit Córdoba this weekend. It's looking up for me here as I finish up my third week in España.
xoxo,
Caroline
Thursday, January 26, 2017
What They Don't Tell You
I don't feel like I can put into words what I have been feeling since Friday, but I'm going to try my best. Before studying abroad, we had orientations, and culture shock was vaguely mentioned in passing. This could be because they didn't want us to worry or because they didn't think it would be a problem. Regardless, I was under prepared and under informed about it. Culture shock is something experienced by people who are taken out of their culture for an extended amount of time and put into a new one. Common symptoms include: extreme homesickness, feelings of helplessness/dependency, disorientation, isolation, hyper-irritability (inappropriate anger), sleeping and eating disturbances, etc. After talking to some people who studied abroad, I assumed this would happen, but it was something I would recognize and could fix easily. Boyyyyy, I was wrong.
It started on Friday with feelings of frustration and anger at not being able to communicate in small talk with my host mom. I over looked it though as me being upset from having to move the day before. But that night and some parts of the weekend, I found myself unnecessarily angry at things or people that didn't make a lot of sense. Not to mention that I have spent 5 out of the past 6 days crying about something. No one told me it would be like this. No one warned me. On TOP of that, I have an anxiety disorder to balance. I'm not talking about anxiety that is like "Wow, I have a test tomorrow that I am worried about." I am talking about deep rooted anxiety that I have had from a very young age (acknowledged for the first time by therapist at 8 years old). My parents always said that when I was little (2-3 years) there were certain things that caused me to freak out, and they just knew to avoid those for me to stay calm.
This anxiety is adding to my culture shock in a way that I could not have prepared for. In my first post, I talked about having to get medical clearance to go abroad, and from that, I meant that I had to sit down with a doctor and plea with her that I was mentally stable enough to go overseas because she had doubts on whether I could handle it after checking my files. At the time of the meeting, I was doing great after almost a year of counseling. I had found my theater friends at Tech (shout out to the realest) and had the best roommate/friend I could've asked for (shout out Amb). We spent Saturdays in my dorm playing Cards Against Humanity and watching SNL. That's my kind of fun in my kind of place. In Spain, I don't have that which makes me feel extremely out of my element.
It breaks my heart that I don't know how to explain to my host mom that it's not her fault I cry a lot. She feels like she did something wrong when in reality she's one of the only good things here. It's hard to hide my tears and frustration from my peers who don't know what I am like outside of Spain. I like to think I am funny and energetic, but I'm finding it hard for me here to get excited about much. It's almost too easy for me to think "I only have 105 days left here, so what's the point in trying to act like I belong here when I obviously don't?" I can't allow myself to think this way though, and for now, I am trying to figure out ways to balance the culture shock, anxiety and adjusting to life here.
Luckily, I have amazing family and friends who understand, especially my roommate here. It's hard to be around, be friends with, or be with someone who is in a constant state of worry and stress. Since Monday, I have been praying at least twice a day to try to combat this. I continue to write in my journal to ease my mind. Writing down my anxieties helps get it out of my head, so I don't think about it and obsess over it. Today was the first day that I have felt mostly normal/okay since Friday. The rain (my absolutely favorite weather) has helped a lot. I *might have* done a little shopping therapy too. In the midst of trying to enjoy myself in a very foreign place, I remain hopeful that I will get over this and have a good experience in Spain.
xoxo,
Caroline
It started on Friday with feelings of frustration and anger at not being able to communicate in small talk with my host mom. I over looked it though as me being upset from having to move the day before. But that night and some parts of the weekend, I found myself unnecessarily angry at things or people that didn't make a lot of sense. Not to mention that I have spent 5 out of the past 6 days crying about something. No one told me it would be like this. No one warned me. On TOP of that, I have an anxiety disorder to balance. I'm not talking about anxiety that is like "Wow, I have a test tomorrow that I am worried about." I am talking about deep rooted anxiety that I have had from a very young age (acknowledged for the first time by therapist at 8 years old). My parents always said that when I was little (2-3 years) there were certain things that caused me to freak out, and they just knew to avoid those for me to stay calm.
This anxiety is adding to my culture shock in a way that I could not have prepared for. In my first post, I talked about having to get medical clearance to go abroad, and from that, I meant that I had to sit down with a doctor and plea with her that I was mentally stable enough to go overseas because she had doubts on whether I could handle it after checking my files. At the time of the meeting, I was doing great after almost a year of counseling. I had found my theater friends at Tech (shout out to the realest) and had the best roommate/friend I could've asked for (shout out Amb). We spent Saturdays in my dorm playing Cards Against Humanity and watching SNL. That's my kind of fun in my kind of place. In Spain, I don't have that which makes me feel extremely out of my element.
It breaks my heart that I don't know how to explain to my host mom that it's not her fault I cry a lot. She feels like she did something wrong when in reality she's one of the only good things here. It's hard to hide my tears and frustration from my peers who don't know what I am like outside of Spain. I like to think I am funny and energetic, but I'm finding it hard for me here to get excited about much. It's almost too easy for me to think "I only have 105 days left here, so what's the point in trying to act like I belong here when I obviously don't?" I can't allow myself to think this way though, and for now, I am trying to figure out ways to balance the culture shock, anxiety and adjusting to life here.
Luckily, I have amazing family and friends who understand, especially my roommate here. It's hard to be around, be friends with, or be with someone who is in a constant state of worry and stress. Since Monday, I have been praying at least twice a day to try to combat this. I continue to write in my journal to ease my mind. Writing down my anxieties helps get it out of my head, so I don't think about it and obsess over it. Today was the first day that I have felt mostly normal/okay since Friday. The rain (my absolutely favorite weather) has helped a lot. I *might have* done a little shopping therapy too. In the midst of trying to enjoy myself in a very foreign place, I remain hopeful that I will get over this and have a good experience in Spain.
xoxo,
Caroline
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Everything Is So Slow
Hola mis amigos. I have been in my new host house for three days now, and I cannot describe how happy I am to be here. Mamá Carmen has been such a blessing. Not only am I grateful, I'm excited to be living here for the next 4 months. I envisioned my host family experience to be full of love and lots of family since it's important to me in the United States, and I have that here with Carmen. Her sister is always around talking to us, and she will bring her grandkids over too (11 and 9 yrs old). I always get a goodbye kiss on my cheek and a hug before anyone leaves the house and before bed. Mamá Carmen is so giving and sweet, and she's making my time here so much easier. We all sit around the table and talk just like back at home.
After being here for almost two weeks though, the finesse of Spain is wearing off a little. While I am extremely happy for the experience, little things here are starting to get to me. For example, there was always that ONE kid in high school that walked slow down the hallway. Picture that person and how frustrated that made you. That's EVERYONE in Spain. They all walk SO SLOW everywhere!!!!! It drives me crazyyy. I walk fast and have major pep in my step, and I don't understand how everyone walks so slow. It's like time doesn't exist here, and they just stroll causally everywhere they go. It stresses me out hardcore. Also, they aren't concerned with when things start or end. If someone tell me to be somewhere at 3:00 pm, I need to be there at 2:45 pm. That's not a thing though here. They aren't worried about being late or how long something takes. I can feel my chest seizing right now at the thought of being late. These next four months are going to majorly test my patience.
Other than everything being slower here, I've been doing good! I haven't gotten *too* frustrated with the language barrier. There was one day where I just wished more than anything that I was super fluent because it's hard when someone tries to tell you something, and you have to ask for it to be said a few times and a little slower. I swear how they talk here is the only fast thing in Spain. On Friday night, my host mom had her great niece and nephew over, so I got to practice a lot of my speaking with them. I find it easier to talk to children because I'm not as afraid to make mistakes to them. My host mom's great niece is especially easy to talk to because she was very patient with me and understanding that I am learning. She would talk slow for me, and if I didn't understand, she would find ways to reword it. I had so much fun Friday night staying in and talking to her. She showed me how she flamenco dances (she's the 11 yr old), and I braided her hair for her before we went to bed. It was arguably my favorite night I've had here so far.
Bright and early on Saturday morning, my roommate and I were running through the streets to catch the bus to Itálica. It is the first Roman city outside of Italy, and it has the world's fourth largest amphitheater! I didn't realize how much influence the Romans had on Spain until this trip. Remember a few posts back when I talked about how the houses on the countryside had courtyards? That's a thing the Roman's brought here. Itálica even had representation in the Italian government system during the time it was operating. It's just ruins now, so we had to picture a lot of it. It was still pretty cool though. I really enjoyed the amphitheater and mosaics (pictures in my 2017 album). They also had a lot of bath houses where people congregated to take baths together in water that continuously flowed through the pool. People also had the choice of a hot water bath, medium heat, or cold. The Romans pulled this off with their extensive aqueduct systems and impressive engineering. Hearing about all of the amazing things they pulled off without the use of electricity or steam power puts into perspective how much the people in the world now rely on major forms of energy. One thing about Spain that is interesting is that they are not wasteful of any resources which I feel ties in well to energy use. Everything is turned off and unplugged at night. In addition, water conservation is important here. It's interesting to see the contrast to what I am used to doing with energy back in America compared to here.
While getting used to the change in life and culture, I find solace in writing about it here and having people read it, sympathize with it, laugh at it, and enjoy mi viaje conmigo. Gracias.
xoxo,
Caroline
After being here for almost two weeks though, the finesse of Spain is wearing off a little. While I am extremely happy for the experience, little things here are starting to get to me. For example, there was always that ONE kid in high school that walked slow down the hallway. Picture that person and how frustrated that made you. That's EVERYONE in Spain. They all walk SO SLOW everywhere!!!!! It drives me crazyyy. I walk fast and have major pep in my step, and I don't understand how everyone walks so slow. It's like time doesn't exist here, and they just stroll causally everywhere they go. It stresses me out hardcore. Also, they aren't concerned with when things start or end. If someone tell me to be somewhere at 3:00 pm, I need to be there at 2:45 pm. That's not a thing though here. They aren't worried about being late or how long something takes. I can feel my chest seizing right now at the thought of being late. These next four months are going to majorly test my patience.
Other than everything being slower here, I've been doing good! I haven't gotten *too* frustrated with the language barrier. There was one day where I just wished more than anything that I was super fluent because it's hard when someone tries to tell you something, and you have to ask for it to be said a few times and a little slower. I swear how they talk here is the only fast thing in Spain. On Friday night, my host mom had her great niece and nephew over, so I got to practice a lot of my speaking with them. I find it easier to talk to children because I'm not as afraid to make mistakes to them. My host mom's great niece is especially easy to talk to because she was very patient with me and understanding that I am learning. She would talk slow for me, and if I didn't understand, she would find ways to reword it. I had so much fun Friday night staying in and talking to her. She showed me how she flamenco dances (she's the 11 yr old), and I braided her hair for her before we went to bed. It was arguably my favorite night I've had here so far.
Bright and early on Saturday morning, my roommate and I were running through the streets to catch the bus to Itálica. It is the first Roman city outside of Italy, and it has the world's fourth largest amphitheater! I didn't realize how much influence the Romans had on Spain until this trip. Remember a few posts back when I talked about how the houses on the countryside had courtyards? That's a thing the Roman's brought here. Itálica even had representation in the Italian government system during the time it was operating. It's just ruins now, so we had to picture a lot of it. It was still pretty cool though. I really enjoyed the amphitheater and mosaics (pictures in my 2017 album). They also had a lot of bath houses where people congregated to take baths together in water that continuously flowed through the pool. People also had the choice of a hot water bath, medium heat, or cold. The Romans pulled this off with their extensive aqueduct systems and impressive engineering. Hearing about all of the amazing things they pulled off without the use of electricity or steam power puts into perspective how much the people in the world now rely on major forms of energy. One thing about Spain that is interesting is that they are not wasteful of any resources which I feel ties in well to energy use. Everything is turned off and unplugged at night. In addition, water conservation is important here. It's interesting to see the contrast to what I am used to doing with energy back in America compared to here.
While getting used to the change in life and culture, I find solace in writing about it here and having people read it, sympathize with it, laugh at it, and enjoy mi viaje conmigo. Gracias.
xoxo,
Caroline
Thursday, January 19, 2017
Packing my life into a suitcase, a carry on, and a backpack... Again
For everyone reading, I am sorry it has been awhile since I wrote last! I have had a lot going on the past few days, and I wanted to wait for all of that to die down before I wrote again. I'll get to that later, but for now, I am going to start where I left off.
Sunday night, my host mom made this Italian dish that's like lasagna, and it made me really happy. When we asked what it was and my host sister said Italian food, I said, "Ohhhhhhh, that makes sense" in my head. We went to watch the cowboys game after that, and I was so tired that I left at halftime. I'm glad I missed the end. I'll finish the discussion there. (-':
Monday was the first day of class! So far, so good. It doesn't seem like it'll be too, too hard. A lot of our learning is through studying the culture and going in the streets to be in the moment. We also are doing a lot of excursions for our classes too. It seems like there is something going on every week, and it's all fun and educational which is up my alley (#nerd). In addition to that, we also have Spanish language assistants who come and talk to us in Spanish to increase proficiency. Monday was a pretty lazy day for me for the most part.
Tuesday is when things started to change for me in Seville, and this is where I can explain why my title is about packing my life again. Without going into details, my roommate and I were having problems at our host family house that was outside our control and the university's control. I want to make it extremely clear though that I have no hard feelings or resentment to my host mom or family at the time. She ended up getting us comforters, so we would be warm, and she told me I could cook them an American dinner since I like cooking. My roommate and I also met some family, so I just want everyone to be aware that I did like my old host family as people. Some things just can't be lived with or fixed. You know?
My roommate and I addressed the issue to our coordinator, and she told us pretty much right there that she was assigning us to a new host family. We were told not to say anything about it, especially my old host family, in order to keep the peace until they found us a new home. Not only did I feel guilty for acting like everything was fine in my old home for two days when it wasn't, I didn't want my host parents at the time to get the wrong impression by our move. It was something that had to happen for the greater good of the experience of studying aboard. It was a little traumatizing to have all of this happen in the first week of being in Seville, but I knew then like I know now that it is for the best.
Our coordinator confirmed on Wednesday that my roommate and I would have a new host mom. We were to move in Thursday afternoon and try to pack as inconspicuously as possible over the next day until we could leave. So instead of writing for this, I have been busy sorting that out and doing homework. On the brightside of Wednesday, I got to visit Plaza de España for a presentation on Gerona which is where part of Star Wars was filmed for you Star Wars people. I also got to see part of the Universidad of Sevilla which was cool. It's nice seeing other kids your age and know that they are doing normal things like you in a place that can seem so foreign. Happiness aside, I spent most of yesterday extremely stressed out and anxious. I knew what was happening, and I had to act like I didn't which ate at my mind. I couldn't escape it no matter how far away I took myself from their apartment. It was hard on me, but there is no such thing as coincidence. Everything happens for a reason, and I was put with that host family first to remind myself how much I appreciate life in America and to be more grateful for my next host family.
Today after class, my roommate and I packed everything up as quickly and quietly (we weren't good at this one) as we could. Our host mom kind of caught on at some point, and she asked if we were happy there. She also asked why we took our shampoo and conditioner out of the bathroom. This really worried me, so I called the coordinator to come early. The plan was for her to knock of the door then talk to them without us around to explain the situation. The act of us moving out went different than I expected. It didn't seem like there were hard feelings, and my old host mom and dad even helped us move our stuff outside. We said our goodbyes, and I was off to my new start. We had to stay at the center for a little bit then went to our new house by taxi.
As soon as I walked into my new host house, I could just feel that it was home. My new host mom has never married, and she took care of her mom who recently died this past November (she has a large extended family though that come around often). She is so sweet and small. I can't help but think of my grandmas when I'm with her and in her house. My host mom has been wanting to host students to help with being lonely and bored, but she was a few days late for the application in the fall. Thankfully though, they felt like she was the perfect fit for us, and I couldn't agree more. She gave both of us huge hugs and called us her "mijas." The happiness she had at finally having us here was just radiating. We are the first host kids she's ever had, so this is new for all of us. We all fell right into place though, and the past 6 hours together have been great. She used to own a fashion store here, and she'd travel to Italy for every season to pick out the latest fashions. Also, her apartment is full of pictures and books. I love it so much. It feels like where I am supposed to be. Her dinner was amazing too. I honestly can't remember the last time I ate that much food.
I am really happy where I am, and my heart is full of gratitude and hope. I hope you enjoy the update.
xoxo,
Caroline
Sunday night, my host mom made this Italian dish that's like lasagna, and it made me really happy. When we asked what it was and my host sister said Italian food, I said, "Ohhhhhhh, that makes sense" in my head. We went to watch the cowboys game after that, and I was so tired that I left at halftime. I'm glad I missed the end. I'll finish the discussion there. (-':
Monday was the first day of class! So far, so good. It doesn't seem like it'll be too, too hard. A lot of our learning is through studying the culture and going in the streets to be in the moment. We also are doing a lot of excursions for our classes too. It seems like there is something going on every week, and it's all fun and educational which is up my alley (#nerd). In addition to that, we also have Spanish language assistants who come and talk to us in Spanish to increase proficiency. Monday was a pretty lazy day for me for the most part.
Tuesday is when things started to change for me in Seville, and this is where I can explain why my title is about packing my life again. Without going into details, my roommate and I were having problems at our host family house that was outside our control and the university's control. I want to make it extremely clear though that I have no hard feelings or resentment to my host mom or family at the time. She ended up getting us comforters, so we would be warm, and she told me I could cook them an American dinner since I like cooking. My roommate and I also met some family, so I just want everyone to be aware that I did like my old host family as people. Some things just can't be lived with or fixed. You know?
My roommate and I addressed the issue to our coordinator, and she told us pretty much right there that she was assigning us to a new host family. We were told not to say anything about it, especially my old host family, in order to keep the peace until they found us a new home. Not only did I feel guilty for acting like everything was fine in my old home for two days when it wasn't, I didn't want my host parents at the time to get the wrong impression by our move. It was something that had to happen for the greater good of the experience of studying aboard. It was a little traumatizing to have all of this happen in the first week of being in Seville, but I knew then like I know now that it is for the best.
Our coordinator confirmed on Wednesday that my roommate and I would have a new host mom. We were to move in Thursday afternoon and try to pack as inconspicuously as possible over the next day until we could leave. So instead of writing for this, I have been busy sorting that out and doing homework. On the brightside of Wednesday, I got to visit Plaza de España for a presentation on Gerona which is where part of Star Wars was filmed for you Star Wars people. I also got to see part of the Universidad of Sevilla which was cool. It's nice seeing other kids your age and know that they are doing normal things like you in a place that can seem so foreign. Happiness aside, I spent most of yesterday extremely stressed out and anxious. I knew what was happening, and I had to act like I didn't which ate at my mind. I couldn't escape it no matter how far away I took myself from their apartment. It was hard on me, but there is no such thing as coincidence. Everything happens for a reason, and I was put with that host family first to remind myself how much I appreciate life in America and to be more grateful for my next host family.
Today after class, my roommate and I packed everything up as quickly and quietly (we weren't good at this one) as we could. Our host mom kind of caught on at some point, and she asked if we were happy there. She also asked why we took our shampoo and conditioner out of the bathroom. This really worried me, so I called the coordinator to come early. The plan was for her to knock of the door then talk to them without us around to explain the situation. The act of us moving out went different than I expected. It didn't seem like there were hard feelings, and my old host mom and dad even helped us move our stuff outside. We said our goodbyes, and I was off to my new start. We had to stay at the center for a little bit then went to our new house by taxi.
As soon as I walked into my new host house, I could just feel that it was home. My new host mom has never married, and she took care of her mom who recently died this past November (she has a large extended family though that come around often). She is so sweet and small. I can't help but think of my grandmas when I'm with her and in her house. My host mom has been wanting to host students to help with being lonely and bored, but she was a few days late for the application in the fall. Thankfully though, they felt like she was the perfect fit for us, and I couldn't agree more. She gave both of us huge hugs and called us her "mijas." The happiness she had at finally having us here was just radiating. We are the first host kids she's ever had, so this is new for all of us. We all fell right into place though, and the past 6 hours together have been great. She used to own a fashion store here, and she'd travel to Italy for every season to pick out the latest fashions. Also, her apartment is full of pictures and books. I love it so much. It feels like where I am supposed to be. Her dinner was amazing too. I honestly can't remember the last time I ate that much food.
I am really happy where I am, and my heart is full of gratitude and hope. I hope you enjoy the update.
xoxo,
Caroline
Sunday, January 15, 2017
Vale
Friday was the thirteenth (!!!scary!!!), but we kick started the day right by eating breakfast and touring the Cathedral in Seville. As a group, we walked to the Cathedral in a very touristy fashion complete with an audio guide and headphones. La Catedral is the oldest religious, Gothic structure in the world. It was once a mosque, but after the Christians reconquered Seville, they converted it into something they could use. Next to the Cathedral is the archbishop's palace which is also beautiful in a more modest way. Once inside the Cathedral, we stayed in the courtyard for a little bit. The courtyard is full of orange trees, and it has an irrigation system built into the ground that the Islamic people had made back when it was a mosque. The monks would wash their hands in the water before they went to their praying times. After the courtyard, we went into the cathedral which held multiple chapels, a few organs, the remains of Christopher Columbus and his son, and many fantastic religious paintings. We walked through all of that before going up many flights of ramps to the bell tower called Giralda. At the top of Giralda, there are many large bells and a working wind vane that looks like a woman holding a cross and a palm branch (I think). To see pictures of the Cathedral, peep my Facebook page.
We had lunch after that, and if I'm going to be completely honest, I am already *kind of* sick of the food. I love food too. This is an issue. I am trying very hard to maintain an open mind though, but it's getting a little hard. I am sort of waiting for the culture shock to set in. Every time someone asks me how Spain is going, I say, "So far so good" because I don't want to go on and on about how great it is when at some point it might not be anymore. That may be pessimistic to say, but those are my thoughts right now. Culture shock is also a reality that I know will happen eventually.
We did more orientation activities that night where my friend Sarah Riggs and I were laughing and crying so hard over the word "vale" and the fact that they don't use fans. Vale is easily the most used word here, and it means "okay" or "good." It's a lot like bien. Also, they are all about energy conservation here, and that's why there are no fans. We also are limited on how long we can shower/use water. This is when we were told the dos and don'ts in our host family house, and we found out housing arrangements. My roommate in Seville is someone I know which made me really happy. At this time. I also found out my host parents' name. This added to the excitement because all I have wanted was a good host family that I could be close to.
That night, all of us Tech students went to this little bar here that all of the Tech students have been going to for years. It's a tradition to go and sign this big wooden fork with your name in addition to the semester you studied. The bar owner has kept it for a long time because he loves when the Tech students come to Seville each semester. The next day, we were up and ready early to be picked up by our host family! All of us sat in anxious excitement as we waited for our new mamá to pick us up. Mine got me about 40 minutes after pick-up time started, and I was off again to my next place.
Here were my expectations: A house with a quaint yard, little steps that led up to the door, and maybe a gate on the fence. That is not what my housing situation is at all. I didn't realize that Seville doesn't really have houses unless you're on the outside where some suburbs are. They had to build up with population growth, so I am in an apartment. It is completely different from what I am used to, not better or worse. It's going to take some adjusting, but it's vale. My roommate and I share a room and closet as well. The table we eat at is in the living room with a space heater under the cloth, so when you sit down, you pick up the table cloth and sit it in your lap. This is the ONLY part of the house with heat. To say that I am freezing is an understate (I am being a little dramatic here). But it is very cold in the apartment because there is no insulation in the walls or floors which are thin. Again, it's different than what I am used to or expected, but part of my experience is living their lifestyle. So, I'm trying.
I bet at this point you're wondering "What about your host parents? What're they like??" Well, my host mom and dad are older and retired. My host mom doesn't talk very much and seems sort of somber. I don't really know how to describe it. She is always really serious or in thought maybe. The closest I got to her showing some emotion is when she put out her hand for me to feel how cold it was (my hands are always warm, so I held hers for a second to warm them), and I told her that my mom always says. "Cold hands, warm heart" which made her smile. My host dad used to work with phones and talks nonstop. He seems very nice and open. I also have a host sister named Christina who is only 4 years older than me. She thought I was year older than her until I told her I was actually just 20 which shocked her, and we had a good laugh about that for a second. My host family, roommate, and I have been talking in Spanish this whole time too. It's a little hard because the accent here is so different. I feel like I keep missing words too which stresses me out a little bit. It was hard to tell my host mom is Spanish that I have a texture aversion to certain foods as well. I am sure she has never heard of anything like that before ever. She also keeps asking why I don't eat a lot, and it's because they serve us SO MUCH food that I actually can't eat it all. For lunch, we had a plate stacked high with pasta and yogurt. Dinner was yogurt, mashed potatoes, and pizza. The pasta was really good. She gives me yogurt since I can't eat fruit. I was excited for the mashed potatoes until I took one bite and remembered they don't use butter here. Mashed taters are one of my favorites, so I was a little disappointed. I've never been a pizza person either, so I didn't eat much of that.
Going back a little bit, my host family called me very tall right off the back. I am about a head taller than my host dad if that tells you anything. The shower head at its tallest is right below my chin. Being the tall, German girl that I am, I took one look at that and knew it was going to be a long semester. When I take a shower, I just kind of give up and kneel down to wash my hair. That way, I won't hurt my back from bending over so far. The water in the shower gets really hot, so there is a positive side to this situation.
I am in a constant state of reminding myself that I am integrating myself to a culture much different than my own, and like Dr. Inglis said, it's just different. I will continue to remind myself that and be vale.
xoxo,
Caroline
P.S. - We'll be watching the Cowboys game tonight at the TTU Center, so let's beat Green Bay!!! amiright? I don't have to be en los estados unidos to watch fútbol americano.
We had lunch after that, and if I'm going to be completely honest, I am already *kind of* sick of the food. I love food too. This is an issue. I am trying very hard to maintain an open mind though, but it's getting a little hard. I am sort of waiting for the culture shock to set in. Every time someone asks me how Spain is going, I say, "So far so good" because I don't want to go on and on about how great it is when at some point it might not be anymore. That may be pessimistic to say, but those are my thoughts right now. Culture shock is also a reality that I know will happen eventually.
We did more orientation activities that night where my friend Sarah Riggs and I were laughing and crying so hard over the word "vale" and the fact that they don't use fans. Vale is easily the most used word here, and it means "okay" or "good." It's a lot like bien. Also, they are all about energy conservation here, and that's why there are no fans. We also are limited on how long we can shower/use water. This is when we were told the dos and don'ts in our host family house, and we found out housing arrangements. My roommate in Seville is someone I know which made me really happy. At this time. I also found out my host parents' name. This added to the excitement because all I have wanted was a good host family that I could be close to.
That night, all of us Tech students went to this little bar here that all of the Tech students have been going to for years. It's a tradition to go and sign this big wooden fork with your name in addition to the semester you studied. The bar owner has kept it for a long time because he loves when the Tech students come to Seville each semester. The next day, we were up and ready early to be picked up by our host family! All of us sat in anxious excitement as we waited for our new mamá to pick us up. Mine got me about 40 minutes after pick-up time started, and I was off again to my next place.
Here were my expectations: A house with a quaint yard, little steps that led up to the door, and maybe a gate on the fence. That is not what my housing situation is at all. I didn't realize that Seville doesn't really have houses unless you're on the outside where some suburbs are. They had to build up with population growth, so I am in an apartment. It is completely different from what I am used to, not better or worse. It's going to take some adjusting, but it's vale. My roommate and I share a room and closet as well. The table we eat at is in the living room with a space heater under the cloth, so when you sit down, you pick up the table cloth and sit it in your lap. This is the ONLY part of the house with heat. To say that I am freezing is an understate (I am being a little dramatic here). But it is very cold in the apartment because there is no insulation in the walls or floors which are thin. Again, it's different than what I am used to or expected, but part of my experience is living their lifestyle. So, I'm trying.
I bet at this point you're wondering "What about your host parents? What're they like??" Well, my host mom and dad are older and retired. My host mom doesn't talk very much and seems sort of somber. I don't really know how to describe it. She is always really serious or in thought maybe. The closest I got to her showing some emotion is when she put out her hand for me to feel how cold it was (my hands are always warm, so I held hers for a second to warm them), and I told her that my mom always says. "Cold hands, warm heart" which made her smile. My host dad used to work with phones and talks nonstop. He seems very nice and open. I also have a host sister named Christina who is only 4 years older than me. She thought I was year older than her until I told her I was actually just 20 which shocked her, and we had a good laugh about that for a second. My host family, roommate, and I have been talking in Spanish this whole time too. It's a little hard because the accent here is so different. I feel like I keep missing words too which stresses me out a little bit. It was hard to tell my host mom is Spanish that I have a texture aversion to certain foods as well. I am sure she has never heard of anything like that before ever. She also keeps asking why I don't eat a lot, and it's because they serve us SO MUCH food that I actually can't eat it all. For lunch, we had a plate stacked high with pasta and yogurt. Dinner was yogurt, mashed potatoes, and pizza. The pasta was really good. She gives me yogurt since I can't eat fruit. I was excited for the mashed potatoes until I took one bite and remembered they don't use butter here. Mashed taters are one of my favorites, so I was a little disappointed. I've never been a pizza person either, so I didn't eat much of that.
Going back a little bit, my host family called me very tall right off the back. I am about a head taller than my host dad if that tells you anything. The shower head at its tallest is right below my chin. Being the tall, German girl that I am, I took one look at that and knew it was going to be a long semester. When I take a shower, I just kind of give up and kneel down to wash my hair. That way, I won't hurt my back from bending over so far. The water in the shower gets really hot, so there is a positive side to this situation.
I am in a constant state of reminding myself that I am integrating myself to a culture much different than my own, and like Dr. Inglis said, it's just different. I will continue to remind myself that and be vale.
xoxo,
Caroline
P.S. - We'll be watching the Cowboys game tonight at the TTU Center, so let's beat Green Bay!!! amiright? I don't have to be en los estados unidos to watch fútbol americano.
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