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!
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
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
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