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
Thursday, April 27, 2017
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
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