This might be hard to do in a paragraph but I just want to go over what my trip was like in a nutshell.
My favorite parts:
-My boyfriend
-My new friends
-My new lifestyle/surroundings
-Being on my own
-Becoming more comfortable with my Spanish
-Learning about Europe/Culture
-Traveling to so many different places
-Botellons en la playa
My least favorite parts:
-Cockroaches/Medusas
-The Euro
-Being so far from my family
-My bedroom in my flat
-Leaving everyone
I had the most amazing trip and made so many new friends. The thing about my program is that I got to meet people from almost every country in Europe and learn so much about each one. I loved the language barriers (probably my favorite part of having friends who don't speaking English as their first language). I got to travel all over Europe and see beautiful places that pictures cant do any justice. I've tasted foods that I've never tasted and learned a few words from different languages. I've met an amazing person and even tricked him into being my boyfriend ;) Just kiddddinggg! But most importantly, I've learned a lot about myself and fell in love with Europe and all of it's diversity. Unfortunately this is my last blog because, let's be honest, who wants to hear about my travels to Boone, North Carolina or how I'm living the dream in Cary right now until it's back to school. Thought so. :) :) :)
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Venezia
So...sorry it took me so long to post my Venice blog but as you can imagine, I wanted to spend most of my free time with all of my friends during the last few weeks of my trip. But I will recap you on some things Koen and I encountered and did while we were in Venice for a few days!
June 4th--
We arrived at Marco Polo airport around 5:30 pm and had to take two buses to get to our campsite, Fusina. We didn't really know what to expect when we got there because some said it was a "backpacker's paradise" (whatever that means) and others didn't like it. Well it turned out to be like one of those sleepaway camps you go to when youre a kid. Tolerable. Tiny cabins with separate bathrooms and showers 30 yards away. However, it didnt really bother us because we werent planning on spending much time there anyways. Because sitting in a cabin our first nice in Italy would be too depressing, we bought a 3 day boat pass for the trip and hopped on the shuttle boat to the island. It was about a 20 minute ride and the sun was setting right as we were driving over there so it was beautiful. When we got to the island, naturally, my camera died immediately so I didn't get to take too many pictures. But we decided to walk over to San Marco square and surprisingly, it was pretty empty. The one thing I didn't like about this area was that it was swarming with guys selling roses. I mean this one guy came up to me telling me the rose was free (probably seeing me and Koen hand-in-hand was a promising sale for him) and then proceeded to follow us after I took it and asked Koen for money--ugh Indian Giver!! So i just handed it back to him and from then on, avoided eye contact with those guys. (They were more obnoxious than the ones in Alicante and I was beginning to think that was impossible). Then, because the last boat was leaving the island at 10:30, we started heading back to the dock and got some delicious gelato for the ride back. Good first day for how late we got there!
June 5th--
Today we woke up a little earlier and hopped on the boat to Venice. Because we had already seen St. Mark's the day before, we decided to navigate our way to Ponte di Rialto (one of the famous bridges) and Koen and I both being geographically challenged, made it there about an hour later. The good thing about Venice is that if you get lost, it's not so bad. There are cute little streets and bridges everywhere--great photo opportunities and birds are everywhere. When we finally made it, we got some very overpriced pizza by the Grand Canal and sat down near the water to watch the boats go by. Very relaxing. The bridge itself was crazy because it was full of tourists. Im not even sure why it's so famous because in reality, that bridge was not that great. It was funny because it was flooded with mostly Americans who were taking bazillions of pictures of themselves. You'd think you'd run into a lot of Italians while in Venice but to be honest, it's quite the tourist attraction. I mean, I'm thinking that when I ask this old man behind me to take a picture of me and Koen, he's going to hesitate and try to understand what I just said in English while I'm playing a game of charades and holding up my camera to act out what I want him to do. But he and his wife are just some couple on vacation that are from South Carolina. Boringggggg, but made the whole situation much easier. When we finished here, we made an attempt to reach a bridge called Ponte degli Scalzi where we could take a boat from the top of the canal to San Marco. However, we once again got lost a few more times in the San Polo area. When we got to the bridge, we took a break and had some slushies by the bridge ("slushpuppies" as Koen likes to call them). The other funny thing about Venice is that it's not really like most of the cities I've been to in Europe where there are several hot spots you "have " to make it to while you're there. It's just a very relaxed place where you take a stroll and eventually run into a pretty bridge or hidden piazza where there aren't tourists everywhere you look. That's probably why it was my favorite place....the peacefulness. Anyways, we decided to hunt for a certain piazza that was on the map named Piazalle Roma but to this day, I still don't think it exists because we could not find it if we had to save our lives. So we, being the lazy people we are, got on a watertaxi that we thought was supposed to take us to San Marco where we could eat lunch or have a drink. (Keep in mind this was 6 euros) About 8 minutes into the ride, we dock at one of the stops and the boat driver tells everyone they have to get off--we got on the wrong boat and were back at Ponte di Rialto. Dummies. So we made the best of it and walked to San Marco on foot. Once we were back at the square, we came upon a flock of pidgeons and oh my gosh! We got to both have one land on us. We call it our "love bird" because one of the birds who was brown (while the rest were black/grey) landed on both me and Koen. Everyone says they're really dirty birds and it's not sanitary but that was one of my favorite things--because how many people can say they've been to Venice and went to the famous piazza and had a bird land on them!!?? So cool. We did some more walking once the birds realized we were pretending to have birdseed and wouldn't fall for our tricks anymore. We got some delicious milkshakes and watched these hilarious Italian men in action. This guy apparently was going down the wrong canal with his boat and he and the gondola driver were yelling at each other Italian-style with their hands in the air and everything. So naturally, I took a picture. Finally my favorite part of the day came--dinner by a canal. I told Koen we had to eat at a cute restaurant right by one of the canals just so I could make my mom jealous and have some scenery. We ended up eating at a very overpriced restaurant by a canal and had some delicious carbonara pasta, I believe it was. Yummy.
When we got back to the campsite, we thought it was too early to go to bed so we went over to the campsite's bar and had some beers which were also very expensive and people-watched as the Americans pretended they were at the club inside wearing their Venetian masks and listening to Lady Gaga. I didn't feel like I was in Italy at this point but oh well..
June 6th--
Today, we went to Lido Beach, an island near Venice that is supposed to be beautiful and the ideal location for beach-goers. What did we get? A rainy, deserted island with lots of thunder and confusion. We arrived on the island and followed the 4 other couples who didn't look like they knew where they were going either and walked over to the main beach where we found deserted tiki huts and foldable beach chairs stacked up all over the place. It was rainy a little and lucky for Koen, I packed my rain jacket AND my flimsy umbrella from freshman year that wouldn't stand a chance if a gust of wind were to blow by. We heard thunder so we hopped on the first bus we saw and just rode it until we saw civilization. It was a very odd island for being a tourist attraction because there really weren't many restaurants nearby or places to hang out. We got off where we saw a coffee shop and ducked in there to wait for the storm to pass. It was fun to sit there with our little espressos and see people frantically riding by on their bicycles (soaking wet) caught in the unexpected hurricane!! Once it finally stopped raining, we walked by some shops and found a cute little cafe further downtown and had sandwiches and a beer. This the was what we did for the majority of the day until we realized we were probably pissing off the waitress who was just watching us sit there and people watch with no food in front of us, nursing our beers. So we walked some more until we found a place to walk on the beach and although it was raining, we didn't wanna sit in the cafe again so we just went out there and walked on a little jetty to take stupid pictures. Still raining, we waited for a bus to come and headed back to where the boat would pick us up. We, of course, got there a little too early and bought some beers over by the 24 hour store and sat by the dock and watched the sun finally come out!! Hurrayyy!! Once we were back, we changed into some dry clothes and took the bus to the train station to check out any other restaurants that might be cheaper than the one at our campsite. Another thing about Venice, everything pretty much closes down around 11 and there's no nightlife. Booooo. So we found a cheap little pizza joint, had some pizza and wine and walked back to the bus stop. It was an experience because it wasn't the nicest area of Italy I'm guessing and there were some pretty suspicious people around us (it was nighttime too so I was on edge) and I saw my first hooker. I'm sure Koen enjoyed my reaction to this because him being from the Netherlands it probably doesnt phase him when he sees one. They're an interesting breed...
June 7th--
Next morning, we had to check out at 10 am, however our flight was at around 4 or 5 so we really didn't know what to do. Hangout at the campsite or hangout at the airport? We chose the campsite, plus it was the perfect place to start writing my rough drafts for my blogs and for Koen to play endless games of bowling on my iphone. He's a nerd. We waited about 2.5 hours and caught the bus back to the airport.
June 4th--
We arrived at Marco Polo airport around 5:30 pm and had to take two buses to get to our campsite, Fusina. We didn't really know what to expect when we got there because some said it was a "backpacker's paradise" (whatever that means) and others didn't like it. Well it turned out to be like one of those sleepaway camps you go to when youre a kid. Tolerable. Tiny cabins with separate bathrooms and showers 30 yards away. However, it didnt really bother us because we werent planning on spending much time there anyways. Because sitting in a cabin our first nice in Italy would be too depressing, we bought a 3 day boat pass for the trip and hopped on the shuttle boat to the island. It was about a 20 minute ride and the sun was setting right as we were driving over there so it was beautiful. When we got to the island, naturally, my camera died immediately so I didn't get to take too many pictures. But we decided to walk over to San Marco square and surprisingly, it was pretty empty. The one thing I didn't like about this area was that it was swarming with guys selling roses. I mean this one guy came up to me telling me the rose was free (probably seeing me and Koen hand-in-hand was a promising sale for him) and then proceeded to follow us after I took it and asked Koen for money--ugh Indian Giver!! So i just handed it back to him and from then on, avoided eye contact with those guys. (They were more obnoxious than the ones in Alicante and I was beginning to think that was impossible). Then, because the last boat was leaving the island at 10:30, we started heading back to the dock and got some delicious gelato for the ride back. Good first day for how late we got there!
June 5th--
Today we woke up a little earlier and hopped on the boat to Venice. Because we had already seen St. Mark's the day before, we decided to navigate our way to Ponte di Rialto (one of the famous bridges) and Koen and I both being geographically challenged, made it there about an hour later. The good thing about Venice is that if you get lost, it's not so bad. There are cute little streets and bridges everywhere--great photo opportunities and birds are everywhere. When we finally made it, we got some very overpriced pizza by the Grand Canal and sat down near the water to watch the boats go by. Very relaxing. The bridge itself was crazy because it was full of tourists. Im not even sure why it's so famous because in reality, that bridge was not that great. It was funny because it was flooded with mostly Americans who were taking bazillions of pictures of themselves. You'd think you'd run into a lot of Italians while in Venice but to be honest, it's quite the tourist attraction. I mean, I'm thinking that when I ask this old man behind me to take a picture of me and Koen, he's going to hesitate and try to understand what I just said in English while I'm playing a game of charades and holding up my camera to act out what I want him to do. But he and his wife are just some couple on vacation that are from South Carolina. Boringggggg, but made the whole situation much easier. When we finished here, we made an attempt to reach a bridge called Ponte degli Scalzi where we could take a boat from the top of the canal to San Marco. However, we once again got lost a few more times in the San Polo area. When we got to the bridge, we took a break and had some slushies by the bridge ("slushpuppies" as Koen likes to call them). The other funny thing about Venice is that it's not really like most of the cities I've been to in Europe where there are several hot spots you "have " to make it to while you're there. It's just a very relaxed place where you take a stroll and eventually run into a pretty bridge or hidden piazza where there aren't tourists everywhere you look. That's probably why it was my favorite place....the peacefulness. Anyways, we decided to hunt for a certain piazza that was on the map named Piazalle Roma but to this day, I still don't think it exists because we could not find it if we had to save our lives. So we, being the lazy people we are, got on a watertaxi that we thought was supposed to take us to San Marco where we could eat lunch or have a drink. (Keep in mind this was 6 euros) About 8 minutes into the ride, we dock at one of the stops and the boat driver tells everyone they have to get off--we got on the wrong boat and were back at Ponte di Rialto. Dummies. So we made the best of it and walked to San Marco on foot. Once we were back at the square, we came upon a flock of pidgeons and oh my gosh! We got to both have one land on us. We call it our "love bird" because one of the birds who was brown (while the rest were black/grey) landed on both me and Koen. Everyone says they're really dirty birds and it's not sanitary but that was one of my favorite things--because how many people can say they've been to Venice and went to the famous piazza and had a bird land on them!!?? So cool. We did some more walking once the birds realized we were pretending to have birdseed and wouldn't fall for our tricks anymore. We got some delicious milkshakes and watched these hilarious Italian men in action. This guy apparently was going down the wrong canal with his boat and he and the gondola driver were yelling at each other Italian-style with their hands in the air and everything. So naturally, I took a picture. Finally my favorite part of the day came--dinner by a canal. I told Koen we had to eat at a cute restaurant right by one of the canals just so I could make my mom jealous and have some scenery. We ended up eating at a very overpriced restaurant by a canal and had some delicious carbonara pasta, I believe it was. Yummy.
When we got back to the campsite, we thought it was too early to go to bed so we went over to the campsite's bar and had some beers which were also very expensive and people-watched as the Americans pretended they were at the club inside wearing their Venetian masks and listening to Lady Gaga. I didn't feel like I was in Italy at this point but oh well..
June 6th--
Today, we went to Lido Beach, an island near Venice that is supposed to be beautiful and the ideal location for beach-goers. What did we get? A rainy, deserted island with lots of thunder and confusion. We arrived on the island and followed the 4 other couples who didn't look like they knew where they were going either and walked over to the main beach where we found deserted tiki huts and foldable beach chairs stacked up all over the place. It was rainy a little and lucky for Koen, I packed my rain jacket AND my flimsy umbrella from freshman year that wouldn't stand a chance if a gust of wind were to blow by. We heard thunder so we hopped on the first bus we saw and just rode it until we saw civilization. It was a very odd island for being a tourist attraction because there really weren't many restaurants nearby or places to hang out. We got off where we saw a coffee shop and ducked in there to wait for the storm to pass. It was fun to sit there with our little espressos and see people frantically riding by on their bicycles (soaking wet) caught in the unexpected hurricane!! Once it finally stopped raining, we walked by some shops and found a cute little cafe further downtown and had sandwiches and a beer. This the was what we did for the majority of the day until we realized we were probably pissing off the waitress who was just watching us sit there and people watch with no food in front of us, nursing our beers. So we walked some more until we found a place to walk on the beach and although it was raining, we didn't wanna sit in the cafe again so we just went out there and walked on a little jetty to take stupid pictures. Still raining, we waited for a bus to come and headed back to where the boat would pick us up. We, of course, got there a little too early and bought some beers over by the 24 hour store and sat by the dock and watched the sun finally come out!! Hurrayyy!! Once we were back, we changed into some dry clothes and took the bus to the train station to check out any other restaurants that might be cheaper than the one at our campsite. Another thing about Venice, everything pretty much closes down around 11 and there's no nightlife. Booooo. So we found a cheap little pizza joint, had some pizza and wine and walked back to the bus stop. It was an experience because it wasn't the nicest area of Italy I'm guessing and there were some pretty suspicious people around us (it was nighttime too so I was on edge) and I saw my first hooker. I'm sure Koen enjoyed my reaction to this because him being from the Netherlands it probably doesnt phase him when he sees one. They're an interesting breed...
June 7th--
Next morning, we had to check out at 10 am, however our flight was at around 4 or 5 so we really didn't know what to do. Hangout at the campsite or hangout at the airport? We chose the campsite, plus it was the perfect place to start writing my rough drafts for my blogs and for Koen to play endless games of bowling on my iphone. He's a nerd. We waited about 2.5 hours and caught the bus back to the airport.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Alert Alert! Immune System Tip!!
Well as many of you know, I have spent a lot of my time in Spain being sick and being forced to lay in my bed. My first illness was a throat infection--very random and something I probably wouldn't have gotten in Spain. It healed as soon as I went to the doctor and go antibiotics. However, now I have what I think is "Oral Thrush". I haven't been able to eat/drink properly, go outside much because my mouth looks awful, or see my friends a lot. If that is what I have, it's a disease that usually only occurs in babies and old people. So yeah. That makes perfect sense that I would have it..Right? Anyways, the point of this blog is to warn you guys (if you have the same immune system as I do) to take lots of vitamins, drink OJ, exercise, and eat healthy because I obviously haven't been taking good enough care of myself. Especially do this when you're in Spain because the medicine/ health care is slightly different here than in the US and maybe learn some medical terminology (thats the first thing I'll be reviewing when I get back). But luckily, I'm starting to feel better and hopefully I can get back out to the beach and make you all jealous back home about my lazy life here before the real work starts back home with Katie's wedding (!!!!!) and hopefully a temp job this summer?
Coming up...
I am booking a flight to Venice, Italy very soon for June 4-7th!! I'm very excited about this because I talked to my Dad who I had know idea had ever been to Venice and he told me about a few great places to go and to avoid pigeons pooping on me in St. Mark's Square (but to go with caution). He said it was one of Nana and Papa Gilliam's favorite places to go in Europe so I'm very excited to see that for myself. But for now, I will be soaking up the sun in Spain with all my European/American buddies..Man life is hard. :)
Love you all!
Coming up...
I am booking a flight to Venice, Italy very soon for June 4-7th!! I'm very excited about this because I talked to my Dad who I had know idea had ever been to Venice and he told me about a few great places to go and to avoid pigeons pooping on me in St. Mark's Square (but to go with caution). He said it was one of Nana and Papa Gilliam's favorite places to go in Europe so I'm very excited to see that for myself. But for now, I will be soaking up the sun in Spain with all my European/American buddies..Man life is hard. :)
Love you all!
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Ireland
April 28th-Dublin
Getting to Dublin was the most stressful experience yet. Once we got to the buss stop to catch the bus in London, mind you it was 2 am, we had this strange old man staring at us on the other side of the benches. It may not have been as creepy if it had been the middle of the day but this wasn't a good time to have someone staring at you. After 15 minutes of awkward eye contact, he came up to me and Caitlin and started talking to us but in a very thick, (Romanian- because he told us) accent. Great start to the day. Once we finally got to the airport, we tried checking our bag but it was 5 kilos too heavy (we didn't mean to check it for 15 kilos because we knew it was about 20) so had to repack and wear more layers on board. It was funny because we had to do this like 3 times before it was finally 15. I was about to cry and Caitlin was about to wear sweatpants over her jeans which would later be hilarious to me but I wasn't in the best mood at the time. Once we finally had our bag light enough, we went thru security and to make matters worse, I had to have my bookbag search because I forgot I had a bottle of lotion, toothpaste, and my foundation in there. This was the first time I've ever expressed anger towards someone so blatantly. We had about 10 minutes to get to our terminal which was in a completely different building and the lady was SLOWLY going through my bag and opening everything. Now I know its protocol, but come on!!! She had on plastic gloves and was touching everything and then told me I had to pay 1euro to buy a packet of plastic baggies and put my liquids in there to go thru security again. She took the rest of the baggies that I had paid for which was pretty stupid too because then I couldnt use them again on my way back even though I had paid for them. But we were late for the plane and at this point, I didn't really care. FINALLY, we got through and started running for the terminal. I was convinced we were going to miss the flight and with RyanAir that would probably cost us like 1000 euros or something ridiculous....(I hate this airline). But of course, there was a 10 minute line before we got thru the gate so we were fine. All that stress for nothing. When we got to Dublin, we took a bus to our hostel, Globetrotters (ranked 4th in Ireland). We were greeted by the sweetest Irish lady at the desk. Our rooms were really cute too. We were at the very top and had a private kitchen, down comforters, and our own bathroom! As soon as we dropped our luggage off, we hopped on a tram (called the Dart in Dublin) to Dun Laoghaire out of impulse (only because it was mentioned in one of my all-time favorite movies, P.S. I Love you). However, to our surprise, there was nothing there but a small harbor and a church. After we walked around for a little, we went back to the city and ate a quick lunch before going to the Guinness Storehouse. It was a pretty cool place I must admit. There were lots of different floors that explained the process for making Guinness and a little bit of the history. My favorite part about the tour was the Gravity Bar. You go up this elevator to the very top where there is a 360 degree view of the city and a complementary pint of Guinness. It was probably one of the coolest bars I've ever been to (this includes the Cave Bar in Madrid, of course). A little tipsy from our ONE beer, we went to see the St. Patrick's Cathedral and the famous Temple Bar. And get this, they have a Leprechaun Museum (who could have a guessed) but unfortunately it was closed when we went by it. Oh well. Later, we went back and rested at the hostel for a bit before going to find somewhere to eat. We went to bed fairly early because we booked a tour for the next day (MacCooles) and had to get up at 6:45 am to catch the bus to Galway (on the West Coast of Ireland).
April 29th
At 7:15 am, we boarded the bus headed to Galway for our tour. The ride was a little over 2 hours (Believe it or not, but Ireland is about the size of Maine) from coast to coast. From there, we caught another bus that took us to the Connolly farm located in the Burren Mountains. Our tour guide was really friendly and seemed to know a lot about the land. I got to feed a baby calf and there were baby lambs as well. Very cute. We hiked up the mountain behind their farm and saw quite a bit of scenery. You could see the water and the Aran Islands right off into the Galway Bay. (I, especially, liked the Aran Islands because they are pronounced like my name!!) Our tour guide had us lay down on the mountainside and listen quietly for this sound of this bird that lived nearby (not sure what this meant but it was still relaxing). We also observed the famine walls and their remains from a distance. When we climbed back down, we had some amazing homemade apple pie. It was fun to walk around the farm because the old man who lived their, MK, was a sweet Irishman who seemed very excited to have visitors because he was following us around while we were taking pictures and giving us props! He also let us pet his dogs and told us some interesting stuff about the farm. When we left the farm, we made our way through Poulnabrone Dolmen, an ancient burial tomb (2500 BC) and Lisdoonvarna, where the biggest singles matchmaking festival takes place each year. It was interesting. Our bus driver told us how in the old days, when people went to this festival, the matchmaker would pair them with someone and they would go away together and sometimes get married when they barely knew each other just because the matchmaker told them to. (or something like that). Then after eating a quick lunch, we finally got to go to the Cliffs of Moher (my favorite part of the tour). They were a bit scary (almost 700 feet tall) but one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen. The only thing I didn't enjoy were the millions of flies (kamikaze flies) that were in our eyes, hair, and clothes. It. was. disgusting. But that didn't bother us much considering where we were. We did jumping pictures (me and Caitlin's tradition wherever we go) but I wasn't too thrilled about this because we had to jump kinda close to the edge to get a cool picture and I was scared but later on, I was glad we did it. From there we boarded the bus and headed back to Galway City. On the way back, we passed several beautiful, old places. We saw the castle of Dunghaire which dates back to 1525. We also drove along the Burren Coastline and had a better view of the Aran Islands, the Connemara Coastline, and Galway City itself. When we got dropped off, we had an hour until our next bus picked us up so we explored a little an date dinner. I noticed that Galway has a much younger crowd that Dublin because of the colleges. When we got back to our hostel, around 10 pm, we had a nice little surprise. Our room had a leak so we were moved into a private suite which was pretty much like a hotel room with 2 twin beds, a tv and our own bathroom. It was nice because television in Spain sucks so I actually got to watch a little bit of normal tv in the comfort of my own bed! yESsss.
April 30th
Today we woke up and had the usual Full Irish Breakfast--this consisted of beans, eggs, toast, tomatoes, sausage, fresh fruit, oj, coffee, cereal, juice, hash browns, and ham. Nomnom. Anyways, we decided today that we would try to explore the Wicklow mountains which aren't too far from Dublin but the lady working at the desk said its hard to get out there without a car so she suggested we go to a small town about 30 minutes away called Howth instead. It turned out to be a cute little town and we met some nice people at a few of the small outdoor shops right next to the tram station. We got some coffee to warm up a little and looked at some of the jewelry shops. Although the weather wasn't as great as it had been, it never really rained too much to stop us from hiking along the coast for a little while. We walked around and took a few pictures by the cliffs. I was so jealous because along the path, there were these beautiful houses that overlooked the water..they were awesome. When we got tired, we took the easy way back through some neighborhoods and came back towards the tram station. We ate a quick lunch at this cute cafe by the water and went over to the harbor to watch the seals swim around. They were so funny. They literally look like water dogs and they just stare at you (probably waiting for some food to fall in the water) but it was cool because I've never seen wild seals before. Then we walked back over to the market area with all the outdoor shops and it was so funny. This cute lady that we had talked to earlier came over to us and was all excited that we had hiked for as long as we did and even hugged us. (That's another thing about Ireland, they treat everyone like family and as if they've known you for a long time) So we did a little shopping and headed back to Dublin and rested for a bit. Later, we went back over to the Temple Bar area and got burgers at a local restaurant. Tonight was our night to explore the nightlife and we went over to this bar called, Whelans (also in the film P.S. I love you) and hung out for a bit. We had a couple beers and watched people dance and all. The funny thing about the Irish that I noticed is that they love to drink. It was only 9 or 10 and some people we were wasted already. We had one guy who would just stare at us and if we looked back at him, he would walk over and start dancing but he had that look in his eye where you just knew he was drunk. It was hilarious because no one seemed to care what they looked like while they were dancing either. As Caitlin mentioned in her blog, they were dancing the way you dance in front of the mirror by yourself. Just ridiculous but they knew how to have a good time. We waited a while for the band to start up which, a few guys that we met told us was supposed to start playing around 11:30 but we waited until 12 and nothing seemed to be happening. So, we walked over to Temple Bar and did a walk through but being a tourist attraction, it was packed and not an enjoyable atmosphere since you could barely move. So we just decided to head home since we were tired.
May 1st
We woke up around 9 and had our last full irish breakfast and packed up our things and headed for the airport. Overall, I'd say the trip was a success and Ireland was my favorite part. If you ever go to Ireland, try to make a trip into the countryside--that is the part worth seeing because I've never seen anything like it. It was good getting back to Alicante because it feels more like home but I'm glad we left for a little while. :)
Similarities/Differences
--Ireland is much more home-y and welcoming to travelers
--The landscape is absolutely beautiful
--The partying takes place a lot earlier than in Spain
--The tourists are a little less diverse
--People seem to be very proud to be Irish and know a lot about Ireland's history
--Gaelic is everywhere on the signs (its their official language and children are required to learn it)
--They take breakfast very seriously
--Guinness is probably the most popular (we saw a restaurant that had 3 taps of Guinness and only one of everything else)
--People just seem happier here
--Beer drinking is intense
Getting to Dublin was the most stressful experience yet. Once we got to the buss stop to catch the bus in London, mind you it was 2 am, we had this strange old man staring at us on the other side of the benches. It may not have been as creepy if it had been the middle of the day but this wasn't a good time to have someone staring at you. After 15 minutes of awkward eye contact, he came up to me and Caitlin and started talking to us but in a very thick, (Romanian- because he told us) accent. Great start to the day. Once we finally got to the airport, we tried checking our bag but it was 5 kilos too heavy (we didn't mean to check it for 15 kilos because we knew it was about 20) so had to repack and wear more layers on board. It was funny because we had to do this like 3 times before it was finally 15. I was about to cry and Caitlin was about to wear sweatpants over her jeans which would later be hilarious to me but I wasn't in the best mood at the time. Once we finally had our bag light enough, we went thru security and to make matters worse, I had to have my bookbag search because I forgot I had a bottle of lotion, toothpaste, and my foundation in there. This was the first time I've ever expressed anger towards someone so blatantly. We had about 10 minutes to get to our terminal which was in a completely different building and the lady was SLOWLY going through my bag and opening everything. Now I know its protocol, but come on!!! She had on plastic gloves and was touching everything and then told me I had to pay 1euro to buy a packet of plastic baggies and put my liquids in there to go thru security again. She took the rest of the baggies that I had paid for which was pretty stupid too because then I couldnt use them again on my way back even though I had paid for them. But we were late for the plane and at this point, I didn't really care. FINALLY, we got through and started running for the terminal. I was convinced we were going to miss the flight and with RyanAir that would probably cost us like 1000 euros or something ridiculous....(I hate this airline). But of course, there was a 10 minute line before we got thru the gate so we were fine. All that stress for nothing. When we got to Dublin, we took a bus to our hostel, Globetrotters (ranked 4th in Ireland). We were greeted by the sweetest Irish lady at the desk. Our rooms were really cute too. We were at the very top and had a private kitchen, down comforters, and our own bathroom! As soon as we dropped our luggage off, we hopped on a tram (called the Dart in Dublin) to Dun Laoghaire out of impulse (only because it was mentioned in one of my all-time favorite movies, P.S. I Love you). However, to our surprise, there was nothing there but a small harbor and a church. After we walked around for a little, we went back to the city and ate a quick lunch before going to the Guinness Storehouse. It was a pretty cool place I must admit. There were lots of different floors that explained the process for making Guinness and a little bit of the history. My favorite part about the tour was the Gravity Bar. You go up this elevator to the very top where there is a 360 degree view of the city and a complementary pint of Guinness. It was probably one of the coolest bars I've ever been to (this includes the Cave Bar in Madrid, of course). A little tipsy from our ONE beer, we went to see the St. Patrick's Cathedral and the famous Temple Bar. And get this, they have a Leprechaun Museum (who could have a guessed) but unfortunately it was closed when we went by it. Oh well. Later, we went back and rested at the hostel for a bit before going to find somewhere to eat. We went to bed fairly early because we booked a tour for the next day (MacCooles) and had to get up at 6:45 am to catch the bus to Galway (on the West Coast of Ireland).
April 29th
At 7:15 am, we boarded the bus headed to Galway for our tour. The ride was a little over 2 hours (Believe it or not, but Ireland is about the size of Maine) from coast to coast. From there, we caught another bus that took us to the Connolly farm located in the Burren Mountains. Our tour guide was really friendly and seemed to know a lot about the land. I got to feed a baby calf and there were baby lambs as well. Very cute. We hiked up the mountain behind their farm and saw quite a bit of scenery. You could see the water and the Aran Islands right off into the Galway Bay. (I, especially, liked the Aran Islands because they are pronounced like my name!!) Our tour guide had us lay down on the mountainside and listen quietly for this sound of this bird that lived nearby (not sure what this meant but it was still relaxing). We also observed the famine walls and their remains from a distance. When we climbed back down, we had some amazing homemade apple pie. It was fun to walk around the farm because the old man who lived their, MK, was a sweet Irishman who seemed very excited to have visitors because he was following us around while we were taking pictures and giving us props! He also let us pet his dogs and told us some interesting stuff about the farm. When we left the farm, we made our way through Poulnabrone Dolmen, an ancient burial tomb (2500 BC) and Lisdoonvarna, where the biggest singles matchmaking festival takes place each year. It was interesting. Our bus driver told us how in the old days, when people went to this festival, the matchmaker would pair them with someone and they would go away together and sometimes get married when they barely knew each other just because the matchmaker told them to. (or something like that). Then after eating a quick lunch, we finally got to go to the Cliffs of Moher (my favorite part of the tour). They were a bit scary (almost 700 feet tall) but one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen. The only thing I didn't enjoy were the millions of flies (kamikaze flies) that were in our eyes, hair, and clothes. It. was. disgusting. But that didn't bother us much considering where we were. We did jumping pictures (me and Caitlin's tradition wherever we go) but I wasn't too thrilled about this because we had to jump kinda close to the edge to get a cool picture and I was scared but later on, I was glad we did it. From there we boarded the bus and headed back to Galway City. On the way back, we passed several beautiful, old places. We saw the castle of Dunghaire which dates back to 1525. We also drove along the Burren Coastline and had a better view of the Aran Islands, the Connemara Coastline, and Galway City itself. When we got dropped off, we had an hour until our next bus picked us up so we explored a little an date dinner. I noticed that Galway has a much younger crowd that Dublin because of the colleges. When we got back to our hostel, around 10 pm, we had a nice little surprise. Our room had a leak so we were moved into a private suite which was pretty much like a hotel room with 2 twin beds, a tv and our own bathroom. It was nice because television in Spain sucks so I actually got to watch a little bit of normal tv in the comfort of my own bed! yESsss.
April 30th
Today we woke up and had the usual Full Irish Breakfast--this consisted of beans, eggs, toast, tomatoes, sausage, fresh fruit, oj, coffee, cereal, juice, hash browns, and ham. Nomnom. Anyways, we decided today that we would try to explore the Wicklow mountains which aren't too far from Dublin but the lady working at the desk said its hard to get out there without a car so she suggested we go to a small town about 30 minutes away called Howth instead. It turned out to be a cute little town and we met some nice people at a few of the small outdoor shops right next to the tram station. We got some coffee to warm up a little and looked at some of the jewelry shops. Although the weather wasn't as great as it had been, it never really rained too much to stop us from hiking along the coast for a little while. We walked around and took a few pictures by the cliffs. I was so jealous because along the path, there were these beautiful houses that overlooked the water..they were awesome. When we got tired, we took the easy way back through some neighborhoods and came back towards the tram station. We ate a quick lunch at this cute cafe by the water and went over to the harbor to watch the seals swim around. They were so funny. They literally look like water dogs and they just stare at you (probably waiting for some food to fall in the water) but it was cool because I've never seen wild seals before. Then we walked back over to the market area with all the outdoor shops and it was so funny. This cute lady that we had talked to earlier came over to us and was all excited that we had hiked for as long as we did and even hugged us. (That's another thing about Ireland, they treat everyone like family and as if they've known you for a long time) So we did a little shopping and headed back to Dublin and rested for a bit. Later, we went back over to the Temple Bar area and got burgers at a local restaurant. Tonight was our night to explore the nightlife and we went over to this bar called, Whelans (also in the film P.S. I love you) and hung out for a bit. We had a couple beers and watched people dance and all. The funny thing about the Irish that I noticed is that they love to drink. It was only 9 or 10 and some people we were wasted already. We had one guy who would just stare at us and if we looked back at him, he would walk over and start dancing but he had that look in his eye where you just knew he was drunk. It was hilarious because no one seemed to care what they looked like while they were dancing either. As Caitlin mentioned in her blog, they were dancing the way you dance in front of the mirror by yourself. Just ridiculous but they knew how to have a good time. We waited a while for the band to start up which, a few guys that we met told us was supposed to start playing around 11:30 but we waited until 12 and nothing seemed to be happening. So, we walked over to Temple Bar and did a walk through but being a tourist attraction, it was packed and not an enjoyable atmosphere since you could barely move. So we just decided to head home since we were tired.
May 1st
We woke up around 9 and had our last full irish breakfast and packed up our things and headed for the airport. Overall, I'd say the trip was a success and Ireland was my favorite part. If you ever go to Ireland, try to make a trip into the countryside--that is the part worth seeing because I've never seen anything like it. It was good getting back to Alicante because it feels more like home but I'm glad we left for a little while. :)
Similarities/Differences
--Ireland is much more home-y and welcoming to travelers
--The landscape is absolutely beautiful
--The partying takes place a lot earlier than in Spain
--The tourists are a little less diverse
--People seem to be very proud to be Irish and know a lot about Ireland's history
--Gaelic is everywhere on the signs (its their official language and children are required to learn it)
--They take breakfast very seriously
--Guinness is probably the most popular (we saw a restaurant that had 3 taps of Guinness and only one of everything else)
--People just seem happier here
--Beer drinking is intense
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Madrid
About a week ago, my friends Caitlin and Selin and I decided to take a trip to Madrid for a few days. We left around 3:45 am in the morning to take our taxi to the airport and catch our 6 am flight. We arrived in Madrid fairly early (April 22) and it was kinda rough because none of us really got very good sleep the night before. I had gone to bed at 1 am but I never fell asleep (probably anxious about the trip or nervous I would forget something as usual) so I was dead. When we checked into our hostel, we went exploring and walked by Puerta del Sol (the main plaza), the theater, and the palace along the east side of town. We decided to find a place to eat lunch later on and had bocadillos (sandwiches) at a cheap little restaurant right by our hostel. Later, we decided it was extremely necessary to take naps before going back out. We all had different rooms in the hostel so we just met up in the main lobby when we were ready to leave. We walked over to the metro (which was conveniently right by our hostel) and took it to the Real Madrid stadium. It was HUGE! We were gonna take a look inside since they offer 16euro tours but unfortunately the line was wayy too long and we would just come back the next day or so to visit and get there earlier. After that, we made our way over to the Reina Sofia (a famous art museum). Of course when we needed to stand in line for a long time (a bunch of people were outside waiting to get free admission which had certain hours), it started to rain. Ughh.. So Caitlin told us to wait under the roof of some restaurant while she "roughed" it and stood in the rain under an umbrella. Once we finally got in, we saw a lot of famous paintings that I had only seen in books before and when we had to study them in Spanish class in high school so it was pretty cool to see them in person. We saw paintings like Guernica (which was much larger than I thought) and had lots of people guarding it. Crazy. I didn't realize this until recently, but museums are really exhausting. I mean you're walking around for hours and even though a lot of it is pretty interesting, its a lot of standing up. So when we couldn't walk anymore, we left and started searching for a place to eat dinner. We ended up eating Kebap (Turkish) and it was delicious as always. (They have a ton of Kebap restaurants in Alicante so we're used to it). It was nice because we were sitting outside and were able to people watch but then the bill came. And it turns out he had charged us each 2euro extra because he to "bring our beers outside". Never told us this beforehand and when we protested, he was playing dumb and saying that he didn't speak much English and we tried explaining in Spanish that he had never told us it was more expensive (otherwise we would have sat inside). But luckily Selin put him in his place and he ended up giving it to us for the normal price because we were causing a scene. Embarassing because everyone was looking at us but it was still ridiculous. Anyways, we finally left and made our way back to the hostel because we were all still really tired. However, my room turned out the be the party room around 1 am in the morning. I was just going to lay in my bed and skype Koen but of course, everyone was being rowdy and drinking. I felt like such an old lady because everyone was in their going-out clothes and I was sitting in my sweats. But there was no way anyone could pressure me into going out when I didnt sleep the night before. So finally everyone left and then when it is 3 am in the morning, its apparently okay for a bunch of girls to come back and turn the over head lights on (which are extremely bright if you never been in a hostel) and start talking to each other really loudly in some other language. Needless to say, I still didn't get much sleep. Blahhh...
Day 2 (April 23)
Because the line was so long the day before to go to the palace, we decided to get up early today and go. When we got in, we got to tour all of the rooms pretty much and they were beautiful. Each room had its own theme and decor. It was definitely a good day to go because the weather was bad again and it was too cold to walk around outside. The tour took about 1.5 hours because we also viewed the armory and the back yard (aka this huge landscape of the city--very pretty). When we were finished, we weren't sure what to do next because of the weather, so we went into a Starbuck's to kinda wake ourselves up and get warm. (We went to Starbuck's about 3 or 4 times while we were here because they don't have it in Alicante). We sat there for a while, while I tried to get in touch with my cousin, Emily, who was in Madrid on a school trip at about the same time. Unfortunately, I couldn't get up with her for a while so Selin and I decided to go ahead and go back the stadium to see if we could get in for the tour. (Caitlin walked around this huge park over by the Prado museum instead). We thought the tour only consisted of going to the nosebleed section and taking pictures of the field but the lady redirected us when we tried leaving and we got to go to the actual field, the locker room, a museum, and the press room. It was very cool. Especially the locker room..The thought of all the players showering and sitting in the jacuzzi amused me and Selin! hahaha Overall, it was well worth the 16 euros to see! Later, we met up with Caitlin and went to the Prado. Our friend was on his way back to the States but was staying in Madrid for the night so he came out to the museum with us as well. We didn't have much time to tour since we got there about an hour before it was closing so me and Selin just walked thru the rooms very quickly to see the most famous paintings (The Holy Trinity and Las Meninas). Once we left the museum, we met back up with Caitlin and Devin and made our way to the Chocolateria San Gines to get some churros con chocolate BEFORE dinner. :) They were delicious but filling. Then we figured we'd get something to eat with Devin still there and went to an Italian restaurant which was also delicious. (I will probably be 30 lbs heavier when I get back to the States ughh). But then we said our goodbyes to Devin and took off for the metro to find the cave bar that may sister has recommended several times. It was called El Chapandaz (she said its not the one she went to) and it was awesome. The inside literally looked like a cave so I'm glad I took my sister's advice on that one. They had this one thing by the bar that would shoot out steamed milk from one of the stalagmites or stalagtites (which one?) and it was cool because it would light up. Unfortunately, we didn't stay long because Caitlin and I had to get our stuff packed and head to the airport once again to catch yes, another early flight to London. Selin stayed back because she was just going back to Alicante in the morning.
Differences from Alicante:
--A lot more people, not as small town as Ali
--Starbucks duh
--More historic sites and sightseeing opportunities
--the metro is convenient
--Played more Spanish music rather than US pop hits like the bars in Ali
--much more European feel to it
--cleaner
--a lot easier to get lost!
Similarities:
--Has the same guys walking around selling flowers/random useless stuff
--Kebaps everywhere
--Spanish people! haha
Day 2 (April 23)
Because the line was so long the day before to go to the palace, we decided to get up early today and go. When we got in, we got to tour all of the rooms pretty much and they were beautiful. Each room had its own theme and decor. It was definitely a good day to go because the weather was bad again and it was too cold to walk around outside. The tour took about 1.5 hours because we also viewed the armory and the back yard (aka this huge landscape of the city--very pretty). When we were finished, we weren't sure what to do next because of the weather, so we went into a Starbuck's to kinda wake ourselves up and get warm. (We went to Starbuck's about 3 or 4 times while we were here because they don't have it in Alicante). We sat there for a while, while I tried to get in touch with my cousin, Emily, who was in Madrid on a school trip at about the same time. Unfortunately, I couldn't get up with her for a while so Selin and I decided to go ahead and go back the stadium to see if we could get in for the tour. (Caitlin walked around this huge park over by the Prado museum instead). We thought the tour only consisted of going to the nosebleed section and taking pictures of the field but the lady redirected us when we tried leaving and we got to go to the actual field, the locker room, a museum, and the press room. It was very cool. Especially the locker room..The thought of all the players showering and sitting in the jacuzzi amused me and Selin! hahaha Overall, it was well worth the 16 euros to see! Later, we met up with Caitlin and went to the Prado. Our friend was on his way back to the States but was staying in Madrid for the night so he came out to the museum with us as well. We didn't have much time to tour since we got there about an hour before it was closing so me and Selin just walked thru the rooms very quickly to see the most famous paintings (The Holy Trinity and Las Meninas). Once we left the museum, we met back up with Caitlin and Devin and made our way to the Chocolateria San Gines to get some churros con chocolate BEFORE dinner. :) They were delicious but filling. Then we figured we'd get something to eat with Devin still there and went to an Italian restaurant which was also delicious. (I will probably be 30 lbs heavier when I get back to the States ughh). But then we said our goodbyes to Devin and took off for the metro to find the cave bar that may sister has recommended several times. It was called El Chapandaz (she said its not the one she went to) and it was awesome. The inside literally looked like a cave so I'm glad I took my sister's advice on that one. They had this one thing by the bar that would shoot out steamed milk from one of the stalagmites or stalagtites (which one?) and it was cool because it would light up. Unfortunately, we didn't stay long because Caitlin and I had to get our stuff packed and head to the airport once again to catch yes, another early flight to London. Selin stayed back because she was just going back to Alicante in the morning.
Differences from Alicante:
--A lot more people, not as small town as Ali
--Starbucks duh
--More historic sites and sightseeing opportunities
--the metro is convenient
--Played more Spanish music rather than US pop hits like the bars in Ali
--much more European feel to it
--cleaner
--a lot easier to get lost!
Similarities:
--Has the same guys walking around selling flowers/random useless stuff
--Kebaps everywhere
--Spanish people! haha
Monday, April 4, 2011
Lately..In Alicante.
Hey everyone! Lots to update you on this time but not so many cultural things, just about me :)
So since Fallas, I've been pretty busy with school. Spain is all about some presentations. It's awful..But I'm almost done and it's really gone by fast! I have one week left (2 presentations, 2 papers, and then of course exams). I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do while I'm here without school to keep me occupied but I imagine it won't be so bad since I live by the beach, there's a castle with a beautiful view, and a culture I am still learning about. But we have booked a few flights to places in the past week including, Madrid, London and Dublin! I'm very excited for all of these but when we found out it wasn't TOO expensive to go to Ireland, I almost cried from pure joy. I never thought I'd get the chance to visit Ireland. (I even watched P.S. I Love You recently to get myself in the mood and admire the beautiful green grass) I've been told there's a Guinness Factory and a plethora of bars filled with Irish men with strong accents. Aka heaven on Earth. I hope everyone is very jealous of me because I may never get this opportunity again!
And I know he'll probably read this because he scans the page for his name every time I update my blog, but my new boyfriend, Koen took me on quite possibly the cheesiest yet nicest date I've ever been on. Once you go European, you'll never go back. First he "picked me up" from my apartment which consists of walking to my door and calling me to come down haha. But then we walked over to the castle around sunset and went about halfway up where it was quiet yet there was still a beautiful view of the city. This is the most hilarious part personally. He packed a bottle of red wine and bought two wine glasses but forgot to bring a bottle opener! HAHA so naturally, going back to my roots and being the drinker I am, I suggested to open it with keys (sitting at the castle without wine is just not the same). Then he surprised me with a pack of strawberries (the alternative was Brie--my favorite cheese--so either would have been fine!) and the dutch version of conversation hearts which is also a hoot. After we finished our wine, we walked down to the beach with some beer and chips (nomnomnom). Overall, as he predicted, it was a blast. :)
There's not much else going on besides the fact that I'm enjoying the warmer weather and being able to go to the beach when I'm done with class. Minus the fact that ladies (typically older women) go topless and make me feel really uncomfortable (especially when they get massages by the vietnamese ladies walking around selling them). Culture....
PS--One more thing I just remembered, during the trip to the castle, Koen and I encountered a CAT ON A LEASH!!! HAHAHA, Never have I ever seen a cat on a leash. And I'm talkin a huge cat. The lady came over because her cat was walking our way and all she said was...Yes, he's a siberian. AHhh yes, okay I was actually curious what kind of cat that was (on a leash) hahaha. Almost as hilarious as the leash we had for our pet guinea pig, Rocky years ago.
So since Fallas, I've been pretty busy with school. Spain is all about some presentations. It's awful..But I'm almost done and it's really gone by fast! I have one week left (2 presentations, 2 papers, and then of course exams). I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do while I'm here without school to keep me occupied but I imagine it won't be so bad since I live by the beach, there's a castle with a beautiful view, and a culture I am still learning about. But we have booked a few flights to places in the past week including, Madrid, London and Dublin! I'm very excited for all of these but when we found out it wasn't TOO expensive to go to Ireland, I almost cried from pure joy. I never thought I'd get the chance to visit Ireland. (I even watched P.S. I Love You recently to get myself in the mood and admire the beautiful green grass) I've been told there's a Guinness Factory and a plethora of bars filled with Irish men with strong accents. Aka heaven on Earth. I hope everyone is very jealous of me because I may never get this opportunity again!
And I know he'll probably read this because he scans the page for his name every time I update my blog, but my new boyfriend, Koen took me on quite possibly the cheesiest yet nicest date I've ever been on. Once you go European, you'll never go back. First he "picked me up" from my apartment which consists of walking to my door and calling me to come down haha. But then we walked over to the castle around sunset and went about halfway up where it was quiet yet there was still a beautiful view of the city. This is the most hilarious part personally. He packed a bottle of red wine and bought two wine glasses but forgot to bring a bottle opener! HAHA so naturally, going back to my roots and being the drinker I am, I suggested to open it with keys (sitting at the castle without wine is just not the same). Then he surprised me with a pack of strawberries (the alternative was Brie--my favorite cheese--so either would have been fine!) and the dutch version of conversation hearts which is also a hoot. After we finished our wine, we walked down to the beach with some beer and chips (nomnomnom). Overall, as he predicted, it was a blast. :)
There's not much else going on besides the fact that I'm enjoying the warmer weather and being able to go to the beach when I'm done with class. Minus the fact that ladies (typically older women) go topless and make me feel really uncomfortable (especially when they get massages by the vietnamese ladies walking around selling them). Culture....
PS--One more thing I just remembered, during the trip to the castle, Koen and I encountered a CAT ON A LEASH!!! HAHAHA, Never have I ever seen a cat on a leash. And I'm talkin a huge cat. The lady came over because her cat was walking our way and all she said was...Yes, he's a siberian. AHhh yes, okay I was actually curious what kind of cat that was (on a leash) hahaha. Almost as hilarious as the leash we had for our pet guinea pig, Rocky years ago.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Las Fallas
So this past weekend, we all went to Valencia with Erasmus for the Fallas festival. If you don't know what it is, look in my last blog post..there's a website that explains what the festival is for. But anyways, it was a very long trip. We left Alicante around 12 (noon) and it took about 2 hours to get there. Once we arrived, we went to this little bar where we were supposed to get free paella. It wasn't great but it held me over until later when I got my favorite: Tortilla patata :) mmmm....Anyways, we had a couple beers at the bar and then walked over to the city center to see what was going on. By this time, we had missed most of the cool fireworks but oh well...
We walked around and looked at all the statues that they were going to burn later that night. These things were huge!! I posted pictures on facebook but that still doesn't do them any justice. They were enormous. You could walk in the big plaza we were at and see it from all over. Anyways, we just kinda toured the city and looked at all the statues until around 7 when a parade started in Plaza de Toros. We couldn't see much because there were soooo many people but I saw a few things. There were people dressed up in strange costumes, torches with sparkling fire, and lots of unique floats. It was kinda stressful being around that many people because there was lots of pushing and shoving but I'm still glad I went over there. Then, we met back up with the group and went to this bar to drink for a little while we waited for the time when they would burn all the statues. It was a pretty fun bar. Lots of people we knew met up with us there and the music was good.
Finally, it was time to burn the statues. We walked over to where one of the smaller statues was (I don't know why we didnt go to the big one--it might have been burning later) and watched as they lit something that sparked. Then the whole thing caught on fire and slowly stuff fell to the ground or melted. The whole time, for safety reasons I'm assuming, they were hosing it down with water which in turn, made us a little damp. haha The heat from the fire was tremendous as well. We were somewhat close but still not close enough that I would have thought it would be so hot. I guess I've never been around that big of a fire! But it was a sight to see....There were also fireworks everywhere you went or those things that make really loud noises: Firecrackers maybe? Those were kinda scary because you'd be walking down the street and all of a sudden it would sound like a gunshot right next to you! Made me jump everytime.
Later, we went to the SuperClub95, where we had "free entrance" (aka what we paid for before we left). It was a lot of fun for a while and then my friend Selin and I got tired so we tried to catch the "early bus" at 4 am. Unfortunately they wouldn't let us on for security reasons because we technically went with Erasmus and not the University. Therefore, we were stuck with no where to go. We tried getting back into the club but the bouncer wouldn't let us without paying so we decided it would be a good idea to go to the train station where it was heated. Interesting place at 4 in the morning...Everyone was laying on the floor waiting for their train...Most were drunk. We waited until around 6 am when the bus finally came to pick us up. That was also an interesting experience. Half the bus was wide awake for an hour and half were asleep. Selin and I were some of the people trying to sleep as we had been wanting to leave 3 hours ago. By the way, charter buses are not a good place to sleep. I remember at some point, I was leaning forward with my head on the seat in front of me...Real attractive. We finally arrived back in Alicante around 9:30 in the morning and I went straight to bed. Slept until 7 pm and realized I had to skype my mom and celebrate Kira's birthday. Only reasons I woke up. Otherwise I would have slept until tomorrow morning. Hahah WHAT an adventure..At least I will only have to celebrate that festival once in my life.. :)
We walked around and looked at all the statues that they were going to burn later that night. These things were huge!! I posted pictures on facebook but that still doesn't do them any justice. They were enormous. You could walk in the big plaza we were at and see it from all over. Anyways, we just kinda toured the city and looked at all the statues until around 7 when a parade started in Plaza de Toros. We couldn't see much because there were soooo many people but I saw a few things. There were people dressed up in strange costumes, torches with sparkling fire, and lots of unique floats. It was kinda stressful being around that many people because there was lots of pushing and shoving but I'm still glad I went over there. Then, we met back up with the group and went to this bar to drink for a little while we waited for the time when they would burn all the statues. It was a pretty fun bar. Lots of people we knew met up with us there and the music was good.
Finally, it was time to burn the statues. We walked over to where one of the smaller statues was (I don't know why we didnt go to the big one--it might have been burning later) and watched as they lit something that sparked. Then the whole thing caught on fire and slowly stuff fell to the ground or melted. The whole time, for safety reasons I'm assuming, they were hosing it down with water which in turn, made us a little damp. haha The heat from the fire was tremendous as well. We were somewhat close but still not close enough that I would have thought it would be so hot. I guess I've never been around that big of a fire! But it was a sight to see....There were also fireworks everywhere you went or those things that make really loud noises: Firecrackers maybe? Those were kinda scary because you'd be walking down the street and all of a sudden it would sound like a gunshot right next to you! Made me jump everytime.
Later, we went to the SuperClub95, where we had "free entrance" (aka what we paid for before we left). It was a lot of fun for a while and then my friend Selin and I got tired so we tried to catch the "early bus" at 4 am. Unfortunately they wouldn't let us on for security reasons because we technically went with Erasmus and not the University. Therefore, we were stuck with no where to go. We tried getting back into the club but the bouncer wouldn't let us without paying so we decided it would be a good idea to go to the train station where it was heated. Interesting place at 4 in the morning...Everyone was laying on the floor waiting for their train...Most were drunk. We waited until around 6 am when the bus finally came to pick us up. That was also an interesting experience. Half the bus was wide awake for an hour and half were asleep. Selin and I were some of the people trying to sleep as we had been wanting to leave 3 hours ago. By the way, charter buses are not a good place to sleep. I remember at some point, I was leaning forward with my head on the seat in front of me...Real attractive. We finally arrived back in Alicante around 9:30 in the morning and I went straight to bed. Slept until 7 pm and realized I had to skype my mom and celebrate Kira's birthday. Only reasons I woke up. Otherwise I would have slept until tomorrow morning. Hahah WHAT an adventure..At least I will only have to celebrate that festival once in my life.. :)
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
St. Patrick's Day and other random updates
Hey guys, sorry I haven't blogged in a while. Just been really busy with school and being sick!! (AGAIN).
So last week was kinda rough. Since a lot of classes are split up into two parts and two teachers, we basically had like a midterm week here. I had all projects/quizzes/powerpoints/homework all due at once! Very stressful. But I made it through! All I have left this week is a presentation in my Entrepreneurship class tomorrow (St. Patrick's Day!) Speaking of which, I'm not really sure if they even celebrate St. Patty's Day here. I know we have lots of celebrations in the States but I think that's just our excuse to drink and the Spanish seem to be drinking all the time (plus I doubt a lot of them have Irish heritages).
However, Caitlin, Kira and whoever else wants to go may go over to Mulligan's and have a green beer or two just to be festive! I wish I had brought the St. Patty's Day stickers I stole from Katie two years ago so I could prove I'm truly Irish haha. Oh well.. I guess people will know from my name! It's all about the drinking anyways. I would've loved to actually go to Ireland for the holiday but for some reason flights to Dublin are always around 200€ and it's too much. Maybe when I'm married and on my honeymoon that will happen. Anyways, this weekend a bunch of us are going to Valencia for a day/night trip! There's a huge celebration going on Saturday called Las Fallas. It's a huge celebration/carnival down in Valencia that takes place every year and basically, they take scraps which after reading about this, I found out are usually made of styrofoam and not paper machet, and they burn it all. There are also fireworks and music and from what I've heard, they close down all the streets so if you don't get into Valencia before the festival begins, you're screwed :) I'm really excited. This is what I most love about Spain is all the festivals and crazy traditions they have here. You can read more about Las Fallas if you want: http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallas_de_Valencia
Anyway, things have been going great here besides my diseases that keep coming back. I swear I must have mono or something because I haven't been 100% healthy since I got here. I don't know if its what I'm eating, the fact that my room is a closet and is probably covered in mold, we are packed onto the bus to campus everyday like sardines, or that I've been going out too much (but I refuse to believe the last one). I may go see the doctor today but I'm really nervous about asking them because I don't wanna tell them the wrong thing and end up with x-rays and a colonoscopy..So we'll see. Usually these things just go away on their own.
Good news for you guys is: I'm 94 days away from coming back home. I'm not as excited yet because I want to see more things/places while I'm here and get better at my Spanish. I have also made a lot of really good friends here that I know for a fact I'm going to be sad to leave behind. But who wants to think about that right now when I have so much ahead of me!! I'll update you guys after this weekend and let know how the festival goes! Besos!
So last week was kinda rough. Since a lot of classes are split up into two parts and two teachers, we basically had like a midterm week here. I had all projects/quizzes/powerpoints/homework all due at once! Very stressful. But I made it through! All I have left this week is a presentation in my Entrepreneurship class tomorrow (St. Patrick's Day!) Speaking of which, I'm not really sure if they even celebrate St. Patty's Day here. I know we have lots of celebrations in the States but I think that's just our excuse to drink and the Spanish seem to be drinking all the time (plus I doubt a lot of them have Irish heritages).
However, Caitlin, Kira and whoever else wants to go may go over to Mulligan's and have a green beer or two just to be festive! I wish I had brought the St. Patty's Day stickers I stole from Katie two years ago so I could prove I'm truly Irish haha. Oh well.. I guess people will know from my name! It's all about the drinking anyways. I would've loved to actually go to Ireland for the holiday but for some reason flights to Dublin are always around 200€ and it's too much. Maybe when I'm married and on my honeymoon that will happen. Anyways, this weekend a bunch of us are going to Valencia for a day/night trip! There's a huge celebration going on Saturday called Las Fallas. It's a huge celebration/carnival down in Valencia that takes place every year and basically, they take scraps which after reading about this, I found out are usually made of styrofoam and not paper machet, and they burn it all. There are also fireworks and music and from what I've heard, they close down all the streets so if you don't get into Valencia before the festival begins, you're screwed :) I'm really excited. This is what I most love about Spain is all the festivals and crazy traditions they have here. You can read more about Las Fallas if you want: http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallas_de_Valencia
Anyway, things have been going great here besides my diseases that keep coming back. I swear I must have mono or something because I haven't been 100% healthy since I got here. I don't know if its what I'm eating, the fact that my room is a closet and is probably covered in mold, we are packed onto the bus to campus everyday like sardines, or that I've been going out too much (but I refuse to believe the last one). I may go see the doctor today but I'm really nervous about asking them because I don't wanna tell them the wrong thing and end up with x-rays and a colonoscopy..So we'll see. Usually these things just go away on their own.
Good news for you guys is: I'm 94 days away from coming back home. I'm not as excited yet because I want to see more things/places while I'm here and get better at my Spanish. I have also made a lot of really good friends here that I know for a fact I'm going to be sad to leave behind. But who wants to think about that right now when I have so much ahead of me!! I'll update you guys after this weekend and let know how the festival goes! Besos!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Elche and other random stuff...
This past weekend, on Saturday, a few of us went to Elche for the day. Elche is known for it's mass amounts of palm trees and cheap shoes! It was only 4 euros round trip by train and about 15 minutes away so it was definitely an inexpensive trip and excuse to get away from Alicante for a little bit. We traveled with a bunch of other Erasmus students so it was definitely a process to get there with such a big group. However, when we got there, we all kinda split up and did our own thing. We walked through several parks (which are everywhere) and took lots of pictures. We never got the chance to go to the outlets but since it's so close, I'm sure we'll have time to go back again and check them out! I need some cute new shoes for the warmer weather :)
Today, I have just been lounging around the flat. I think I'm sick again so that's always fun. I've been drinking orange juice and eating healthier so I don't know what it is but it's getting annoying. But it was probably a good thing because being stuck in my room forced me to clean it and do some laundry. I always put off doing laundry because it's such a pain here compared to in the States. The washing part is easy but it's the drying part that gets on my nerves. The clothes lines are always full because I have so many roommates so I usually just hang my clothes up in my room. It's such a mess now. I have pants hanging from my bed and shirts over the window! Ughhh.. But other than that, things have been great here. Definitely going to take more advantage of the gym this week though. I had a beer drinking competition with one of my German guy friends the other day and I still haven't recovered. I feel like a piece of lard. NEVER have a beer drinking competition with a German...Result: Loss. I have failed you, 'Merica.
Today, I have just been lounging around the flat. I think I'm sick again so that's always fun. I've been drinking orange juice and eating healthier so I don't know what it is but it's getting annoying. But it was probably a good thing because being stuck in my room forced me to clean it and do some laundry. I always put off doing laundry because it's such a pain here compared to in the States. The washing part is easy but it's the drying part that gets on my nerves. The clothes lines are always full because I have so many roommates so I usually just hang my clothes up in my room. It's such a mess now. I have pants hanging from my bed and shirts over the window! Ughhh.. But other than that, things have been great here. Definitely going to take more advantage of the gym this week though. I had a beer drinking competition with one of my German guy friends the other day and I still haven't recovered. I feel like a piece of lard. NEVER have a beer drinking competition with a German...Result: Loss. I have failed you, 'Merica.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Trip to Sevilla
Well, the Sevilla trip was definitely a success regardless of everything that almost held us back from going. Picture this, waking up at 3:45 am in the morning to pack your bags and walk to Plaza Luceros so Miguel (my favorite taxista) can drive us the airport for a 6:55 am flight to Sevilla. We decided to fly with RyanAir (notably one of the cheapest airlines in Europe) and it was awful. First of all, we get to the airport, walk to the front desk, and the receptionist asks us for our boarding passes. Well typically, in the States you can just ask them to print off your boarding pass for FREE if you have forgotten or don't have a printer. Turns out RyanAir charges 40 Euros for a piece of paper.. cool. Then neither Caitlin nor my bags would fit in the carry on sizer so we had to check our bags--35 Euros each. Not to mention, we had to pay about 150 Euros for the flight because we booked it a week before (bad planning on our part but you live and you learn, right?) Ughh.. so we were definitely in a bad mood after that.
However, things turned around right when we landed and the bull fight song sounded throughout the plane, people clapped and yelled Ole! Now you can't help but laugh and be in a better mood. Once we got off, we took the bus to the city center and were practically shaking with excitement at the sight of the first statue in the plaza we were in. Caitlin and I are kinda nerds on occasion. Anyways, we walked around for a bit, found a Starbucks which doesn't exist in Alicante so that was exciting, and eventually found our hostel: Nuevo Suizo. It turned out to be a very nice hostel compared to the dirty, cold, and creepy image I was picturing since I've never stayed in one. Once we dropped off our bags, we decided to walk towards the river where we found Torre de Oros and the Plaza de Toros where all the big bull fights are held. We toured Torre de Oros which had a naval museum inside. The view was gorgeous from the top of the tower if you look on my facebook.
Later, we decided to walk over to the cathedral (you definitely cannot miss this as it is huge and in the middle of the city). Luckily, Caitlin had this awesome book about Spain that included guided tours for most of the large cities in Spain. So naturally, we walked around most of the cathedral while Caitlin read aloud to me and discussed the meaning of each room inside. The cathedral is the largest gothic cathedral in the world so that was definitely cool to see. The inside was huge! And I mean huge. The ceilings weren't just your average popcorn ceilings either. Each room had been carved tediously with different pictures or designs--that was probably my favorite part. We also went up into the tower--Giralda where from the top, you can see all of Sevilla. Very pretty.
Exhausted from the hike up the tower and touring the cathedral, we went to get some lunch at a cute little restaurant nearby. I had paella and a glass of wine--how Spanish of me. Afterwards, we walked over to the Palacio Alcazar. At first, we thought it was going to be a puny little palace because when you first walk in you only see three sections but when you walk into the back, there's a garden that runs on for forever. It would take hours to tour the whole thing but we walked around for a little and saw peacocks, pretty fountains, lots of vines, and ponds. There are also pictures of these on my facebook. Then, we walked over a little ways to what was called the Plaza de Espana. I'm still not really sure what the building is used for but there was a pretty stream running around the whole thing where you could rent a paddle boat and there was beautiful tile everywhere. We spent a lot of time here.
That night, we were extremely tired so we turned in early so we would have energy for the next day when Caitlin's friend, Aaron came. Once we met up with him, we walked around for a bit and showed him and his friend some of the stuff we had already seen including the University of Sevilla and the river. It was nice too because after this, we walked over to some random plaza and everyone was just drinking in the middle of the day, there were empty 40's laying around all the stairs nearby and Sangria was like 1 Euro a piece. My kinda place. Later on, we went by this place that performed traditional Flamenco and bought tickets for the show that night. Let me tell you, Flamenco is something I know for a fact I will never be good at. Oh my gosh. They started off with a man playing guitar and this guy singing lyrics I couldn't make out. Then, they had a girl and guy dancing this really passionate dance and they moved their feet so fast. It was crazy. Definitely worth the 15 Euros I paid to see it. After that, we went to have a couple beers before we went to bed. Overall, I'd say a good trip. I would love to go back but I really want to see other cities in Spain while I'm here since I only have so much time.
It was funny because once we returned to Alicante, I had this feeling that I was back "home." I guess after only a month, it's kinda nice to be somewhere you recognize and know people at!! This weekend, I'm planning to go Elche, a town nearby. It's only 2 Euros each way by train and a couple other people in my program are coming with so stay tuned for more blogging in the future!!
However, things turned around right when we landed and the bull fight song sounded throughout the plane, people clapped and yelled Ole! Now you can't help but laugh and be in a better mood. Once we got off, we took the bus to the city center and were practically shaking with excitement at the sight of the first statue in the plaza we were in. Caitlin and I are kinda nerds on occasion. Anyways, we walked around for a bit, found a Starbucks which doesn't exist in Alicante so that was exciting, and eventually found our hostel: Nuevo Suizo. It turned out to be a very nice hostel compared to the dirty, cold, and creepy image I was picturing since I've never stayed in one. Once we dropped off our bags, we decided to walk towards the river where we found Torre de Oros and the Plaza de Toros where all the big bull fights are held. We toured Torre de Oros which had a naval museum inside. The view was gorgeous from the top of the tower if you look on my facebook.
Later, we decided to walk over to the cathedral (you definitely cannot miss this as it is huge and in the middle of the city). Luckily, Caitlin had this awesome book about Spain that included guided tours for most of the large cities in Spain. So naturally, we walked around most of the cathedral while Caitlin read aloud to me and discussed the meaning of each room inside. The cathedral is the largest gothic cathedral in the world so that was definitely cool to see. The inside was huge! And I mean huge. The ceilings weren't just your average popcorn ceilings either. Each room had been carved tediously with different pictures or designs--that was probably my favorite part. We also went up into the tower--Giralda where from the top, you can see all of Sevilla. Very pretty.
Exhausted from the hike up the tower and touring the cathedral, we went to get some lunch at a cute little restaurant nearby. I had paella and a glass of wine--how Spanish of me. Afterwards, we walked over to the Palacio Alcazar. At first, we thought it was going to be a puny little palace because when you first walk in you only see three sections but when you walk into the back, there's a garden that runs on for forever. It would take hours to tour the whole thing but we walked around for a little and saw peacocks, pretty fountains, lots of vines, and ponds. There are also pictures of these on my facebook. Then, we walked over a little ways to what was called the Plaza de Espana. I'm still not really sure what the building is used for but there was a pretty stream running around the whole thing where you could rent a paddle boat and there was beautiful tile everywhere. We spent a lot of time here.
That night, we were extremely tired so we turned in early so we would have energy for the next day when Caitlin's friend, Aaron came. Once we met up with him, we walked around for a bit and showed him and his friend some of the stuff we had already seen including the University of Sevilla and the river. It was nice too because after this, we walked over to some random plaza and everyone was just drinking in the middle of the day, there were empty 40's laying around all the stairs nearby and Sangria was like 1 Euro a piece. My kinda place. Later on, we went by this place that performed traditional Flamenco and bought tickets for the show that night. Let me tell you, Flamenco is something I know for a fact I will never be good at. Oh my gosh. They started off with a man playing guitar and this guy singing lyrics I couldn't make out. Then, they had a girl and guy dancing this really passionate dance and they moved their feet so fast. It was crazy. Definitely worth the 15 Euros I paid to see it. After that, we went to have a couple beers before we went to bed. Overall, I'd say a good trip. I would love to go back but I really want to see other cities in Spain while I'm here since I only have so much time.
It was funny because once we returned to Alicante, I had this feeling that I was back "home." I guess after only a month, it's kinda nice to be somewhere you recognize and know people at!! This weekend, I'm planning to go Elche, a town nearby. It's only 2 Euros each way by train and a couple other people in my program are coming with so stay tuned for more blogging in the future!!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Just a couple things that are different
So I figured I would fill you in on some of the things that are very different here compared to the US:
-They use graph paper instead of lined paper in notebooks and agendas--it was very hard to find one with regular lines!
-There are coffee vending machines in the school that make you a cup for about 60 cents as well as sandwich machines--the coffee is good but the sandwiches aren't great
-I'm pretty sure there isn't any heating in many buildings because the building that we have the majority of our classes in is freezing and dark. I'm hoping they have A/C once it starts to get hotter though!
-Leather jackets are a must-have here. EVERYONE seems to own one and I used to think they were kind of a rebellious fashion item but they've definitely grown on me and they make you look cool here ;)
-Also, really tall boots are popular with the girls here. Flashy knee-high leather. Another must have.
-I haven't seen a single girl wear a t-shirt in public here. If they do, they're probably Americans. I think we are very easy to spot here. Especially at the beach lately. Lots of boys wear capris and tighter clothing that you wouldn't see boys at home wearing. (Also, they have better jeans here!!)
-Having a dryer is a LUXURY. No one I know has one and it's something I'm definitely missing. It took my clothes 3 days to dry and then once they're dry, they're all crusty and hard. Ew.
-Smoking is very popular here. I've already had lots of people come up to me and ask for a cigarillo.
-They serve beer on campus--I've already mentioned this in another post but it still blows my mind that you can go drink a little in between classes. Maybe someday we'll have that in the States.
-My CrossCultural Business Behavior teacher told us that a popular breakfast is bread and olive oil. Kind of odd to eat early in the morning, but thats also the only kind of dressing they have here. No ranch or honey mustard!!
-You can buy beer at the McDonald's, Subway, or BK.
-The partying here is intense. We went out with some Spaniard boys last night and we didn't end up leaving for the bar until 2 am. And then you stay out until about 6 or so. It's exhausting and probably the reason I'm constantly sick. My sleeping habits are way off.
-Backpacks are also not very popular here. Most people have "murses" (man purses) or side shoulder bags that they carry their books in. Another way to tell we're all Americans
-The bus here is extremely packed everyday. All kinds of people use it and the group of people on it are very diverse. There's always some Americans every time I've ridden it. It's funny because I have an English speaking radar now. It's hard to eavesdrop when you don't know what anyone is saying so when I DO hear something I understand, it's exciting.
-You can't buy alcohol in the 24 hour stores after 10. I forgot if I already mentioned this but Kira and I went to go buy some 40s/Sangria at the store down the street around 11 and the guy looked at us funny but he still sold it to us. Then he explained why he was being so weird about it and sent us out some creepy side door and double bagged our drinks so the cops couldn't bust him. Only been here 2 weeks and we're already breaking laws. He said it's something like a 1000 euro fine if he gets caught.
-The grocery stores have a very limited amount of food. We had a lot of trouble finding tortilla chips and salsa. They also don't have peanut butter or bagels. I was very confused though because they do have cream cheese. For what? I dont know.
-They don't bag your groceries for you here. It's annoying when I buy a large amount of food because not only do I have to carry it all the way back to my flat, but I get all flustered when there's a long line behind me and I'm struggling to bag things! If you come to Spain, get some experience bagging groceries at your local Harris Teeter!
-People don't really smile here. I've walked by several old ladies with cute dogs and I say "Aww" and smile and they just put their noses up in the air. Not really sure what that's all about but now I know to just look down when I walk by them haha.
-J-Walking is very popular here. It's very brave to cross the street when the pedestrian crossing light isn't on because people on motorcycles come out of nowhere and they drive extremely fast!
-The fuses blow here a lot. I had my heater on in my room one day to keep it warm for when I got out of the shower and because I had the hair dryer running and one other light on, everything went out.
-My apartment is very dark everyday. Since my room is so small and my curtains are dark, I can never really tell what time it is. Not quite as sunny as Kira's flat.
-They use celsius--Always hard to tell how warm it really is but I'm getting used to it.
-They use a 24 hour clock. I haven't figured out if they actually say 15:00 or if they say 3 but I'm going to ask my roommate at some point because I don't think they do.
-I am not allowed to have guests stay for free at my apartment. I heard my roommate talking about how when her friends come, they have to pay 60 euros a night. It's weird because you think that since you're paying for your room, you should be able to do whatever, but ya can't!
-PDA is not a big deal here. I went to the beach today and people are practically laying on top of each other on their towels canoodling. I'm glad we don't do that back home but it's something I will have to get used to because it is everywhere.
-Techno/Dance music is what everyone seems to like here. They play it all the time at the bars so I'm starting to listen to more and more of it.
-Diet coke is called Coca Cola Light here.
-Little dogs with jackets are really popular. Makes me miss Marley!!
-I think I already mentioned this but there are random cats everywhere. They are all strays but I think I've had a black cat cross my path at least 20 times since I've been here--bad luck!!
-Scarves are really popular. They're everyone's accessory.
-Chupitos (shots) are given out like candy here. Esp if you're a girl.
-Futbol is everywhere. Always on the tv's in bars and restaurants.
-The keyboards in the library are impossible. The letters are in the same order but they are so confusing. When logging on, you have to use your student email and password and it took me about 5 minutes to find the @ button and discover that you have to use ALT to make it work. There are also keys with accents so if you get a message from me with weird letters, it's because I'm in the library (which is huge by the way).
-They use graph paper instead of lined paper in notebooks and agendas--it was very hard to find one with regular lines!
-There are coffee vending machines in the school that make you a cup for about 60 cents as well as sandwich machines--the coffee is good but the sandwiches aren't great
-I'm pretty sure there isn't any heating in many buildings because the building that we have the majority of our classes in is freezing and dark. I'm hoping they have A/C once it starts to get hotter though!
-Leather jackets are a must-have here. EVERYONE seems to own one and I used to think they were kind of a rebellious fashion item but they've definitely grown on me and they make you look cool here ;)
-Also, really tall boots are popular with the girls here. Flashy knee-high leather. Another must have.
-I haven't seen a single girl wear a t-shirt in public here. If they do, they're probably Americans. I think we are very easy to spot here. Especially at the beach lately. Lots of boys wear capris and tighter clothing that you wouldn't see boys at home wearing. (Also, they have better jeans here!!)
-Having a dryer is a LUXURY. No one I know has one and it's something I'm definitely missing. It took my clothes 3 days to dry and then once they're dry, they're all crusty and hard. Ew.
-Smoking is very popular here. I've already had lots of people come up to me and ask for a cigarillo.
-They serve beer on campus--I've already mentioned this in another post but it still blows my mind that you can go drink a little in between classes. Maybe someday we'll have that in the States.
-My CrossCultural Business Behavior teacher told us that a popular breakfast is bread and olive oil. Kind of odd to eat early in the morning, but thats also the only kind of dressing they have here. No ranch or honey mustard!!
-You can buy beer at the McDonald's, Subway, or BK.
-The partying here is intense. We went out with some Spaniard boys last night and we didn't end up leaving for the bar until 2 am. And then you stay out until about 6 or so. It's exhausting and probably the reason I'm constantly sick. My sleeping habits are way off.
-Backpacks are also not very popular here. Most people have "murses" (man purses) or side shoulder bags that they carry their books in. Another way to tell we're all Americans
-The bus here is extremely packed everyday. All kinds of people use it and the group of people on it are very diverse. There's always some Americans every time I've ridden it. It's funny because I have an English speaking radar now. It's hard to eavesdrop when you don't know what anyone is saying so when I DO hear something I understand, it's exciting.
-You can't buy alcohol in the 24 hour stores after 10. I forgot if I already mentioned this but Kira and I went to go buy some 40s/Sangria at the store down the street around 11 and the guy looked at us funny but he still sold it to us. Then he explained why he was being so weird about it and sent us out some creepy side door and double bagged our drinks so the cops couldn't bust him. Only been here 2 weeks and we're already breaking laws. He said it's something like a 1000 euro fine if he gets caught.
-The grocery stores have a very limited amount of food. We had a lot of trouble finding tortilla chips and salsa. They also don't have peanut butter or bagels. I was very confused though because they do have cream cheese. For what? I dont know.
-They don't bag your groceries for you here. It's annoying when I buy a large amount of food because not only do I have to carry it all the way back to my flat, but I get all flustered when there's a long line behind me and I'm struggling to bag things! If you come to Spain, get some experience bagging groceries at your local Harris Teeter!
-People don't really smile here. I've walked by several old ladies with cute dogs and I say "Aww" and smile and they just put their noses up in the air. Not really sure what that's all about but now I know to just look down when I walk by them haha.
-J-Walking is very popular here. It's very brave to cross the street when the pedestrian crossing light isn't on because people on motorcycles come out of nowhere and they drive extremely fast!
-The fuses blow here a lot. I had my heater on in my room one day to keep it warm for when I got out of the shower and because I had the hair dryer running and one other light on, everything went out.
-My apartment is very dark everyday. Since my room is so small and my curtains are dark, I can never really tell what time it is. Not quite as sunny as Kira's flat.
-They use celsius--Always hard to tell how warm it really is but I'm getting used to it.
-They use a 24 hour clock. I haven't figured out if they actually say 15:00 or if they say 3 but I'm going to ask my roommate at some point because I don't think they do.
-I am not allowed to have guests stay for free at my apartment. I heard my roommate talking about how when her friends come, they have to pay 60 euros a night. It's weird because you think that since you're paying for your room, you should be able to do whatever, but ya can't!
-PDA is not a big deal here. I went to the beach today and people are practically laying on top of each other on their towels canoodling. I'm glad we don't do that back home but it's something I will have to get used to because it is everywhere.
-Techno/Dance music is what everyone seems to like here. They play it all the time at the bars so I'm starting to listen to more and more of it.
-Diet coke is called Coca Cola Light here.
-Little dogs with jackets are really popular. Makes me miss Marley!!
-I think I already mentioned this but there are random cats everywhere. They are all strays but I think I've had a black cat cross my path at least 20 times since I've been here--bad luck!!
-Scarves are really popular. They're everyone's accessory.
-Chupitos (shots) are given out like candy here. Esp if you're a girl.
-Futbol is everywhere. Always on the tv's in bars and restaurants.
-The keyboards in the library are impossible. The letters are in the same order but they are so confusing. When logging on, you have to use your student email and password and it took me about 5 minutes to find the @ button and discover that you have to use ALT to make it work. There are also keys with accents so if you get a message from me with weird letters, it's because I'm in the library (which is huge by the way).
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Classes have started
Well, classes have started but it still doesn't feel like it. I have four business classes in english: Human Resources Management, Quality and Environment International Mgmt Systems, Entrepreneurial Initiative and Cross-Cultural Business Behavior (my favorite). They're all two hours long twice a week but it's not that bad. (Esp since my earliest class in two days a week at 11. :) Anyways, the partying has slowed down a little although it's difficult not to want to go out because our program, ERASMUS always has parties and stuff going on for the students. This past Tuesday they had a beer pong tournament which turned out to be hilarious because it was mainly Americans.. I'm guessing Beer Pong isn't that popular here like it is back home.
Not much else is going on besides those two things, but we just met a guy from Manchester the other day and will hopefully be able to go to England and stay at his apartment for a weekend or something. He's a referee up there and has to go home every weekend to work. Must be good or something. Anyway, he's invited us to come sometime so I'm excited about that if it isn't too expensive. I'm really anxious to travel but I figured I should learn more about Alicante before I go anywhere else. Hopefully Barcelona soon though??
Not much else is going on besides those two things, but we just met a guy from Manchester the other day and will hopefully be able to go to England and stay at his apartment for a weekend or something. He's a referee up there and has to go home every weekend to work. Must be good or something. Anyway, he's invited us to come sometime so I'm excited about that if it isn't too expensive. I'm really anxious to travel but I figured I should learn more about Alicante before I go anywhere else. Hopefully Barcelona soon though??
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Getting all of our classes and passes figured out
Yesterday, we went to the University to learn a little more about the IBP (International Business Program) classes that we would be taking. All of the professors have accents but they're not impossible to understand so thats good. I have decided that I may take Human Resources Management, Entrepreneurial Initiative (the one I have to take in order to receive my stipend), and Cross Cultural Business Behavior. I haven't decided which Spanish class I'm going to take yet because as I understand, some cost money if they're not through the university and I don't think I wanna pay for ALL my classes if its possible to avoid it.. I am interested in taking a Culture and Society class in spanish though so we'll see. Classes for my program officially start Monday so I"ll keep you updated on that soon.
After our meeting, Caitlin, Kira and I walked over to the gym to see how to get a pass. We talked to the lady at the desk and it ended up costing about 34 euro. I had to break a 50 euro bill and when I put it in the machine to pay, of course, it would only give me back coins so I am no carrying around 16 euros in coins..sweet. Haha But anyways, carrying a few extra pounds (the coins) we walked over to the track to check it out and since it was such a nice day, we decided that's where we wanted to be instead of using the machines in the other building (which is very dark and gloomy compared to the SRC at App fyi). We ran around for a little while and afterwards, because it was so warm, we layed down on the turf field in the middle. It felt amazing, although I was scared I'd get sunburn or something from that much sun exposure haha..i'm very pale.. But this means summer is right around the corner!!! Beach sooon??
Last night, we went to El Barrio and got into Mulligan's, a very popular bar around here. Kira and I met some Spaniard boys, however, because it was dark, I doubt they were very attractive, I was just excited to actually speak to them. However, they got me to put their numbers in my phone not that I have very many minutes to spare on people I don't know, but oh well..it's fun to have numbers!! PS. Still adjusting to kissing on the cheeks here. Probably did it 98798723 times last night. But it's fun, so watch out if I start kissing you all on the cheeks when I return. :)
Probably going out again tonight, but I will be going to the beach tomorrow for sure!! Kira said she might be wearing her bathing suit but I'm still not so sure I'm ready for that. It's a little windy here
After our meeting, Caitlin, Kira and I walked over to the gym to see how to get a pass. We talked to the lady at the desk and it ended up costing about 34 euro. I had to break a 50 euro bill and when I put it in the machine to pay, of course, it would only give me back coins so I am no carrying around 16 euros in coins..sweet. Haha But anyways, carrying a few extra pounds (the coins) we walked over to the track to check it out and since it was such a nice day, we decided that's where we wanted to be instead of using the machines in the other building (which is very dark and gloomy compared to the SRC at App fyi). We ran around for a little while and afterwards, because it was so warm, we layed down on the turf field in the middle. It felt amazing, although I was scared I'd get sunburn or something from that much sun exposure haha..i'm very pale.. But this means summer is right around the corner!!! Beach sooon??
Last night, we went to El Barrio and got into Mulligan's, a very popular bar around here. Kira and I met some Spaniard boys, however, because it was dark, I doubt they were very attractive, I was just excited to actually speak to them. However, they got me to put their numbers in my phone not that I have very many minutes to spare on people I don't know, but oh well..it's fun to have numbers!! PS. Still adjusting to kissing on the cheeks here. Probably did it 98798723 times last night. But it's fun, so watch out if I start kissing you all on the cheeks when I return. :)
Probably going out again tonight, but I will be going to the beach tomorrow for sure!! Kira said she might be wearing her bathing suit but I'm still not so sure I'm ready for that. It's a little windy here
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Tres dias de enfermedad...
Well, there's not much to fill you in on. I have been in my bed for the past 3 days. NO exaggeration. I literally slept all day and all night because I caught something the other day. I didn't eat anything until my roommates knocked on my door (probably checking to see if I was alive) and asked if I wanted some soup or milk. I was practically on my deathbed. Anyway, I felt much better today and I went out to Corte Ingles to pick up a couple things and eat with my friends.
Tomorrow is our first day of classes although technically I don't think that I have to go to any classes because my appointment with my adviser is tomorrow. It's very strange how it is set up here but basically I will just sign up for classes once I have visited them and decided I like them..The only thing I'm worried about is that Macarena, the one who is in charge of our department told Kira the other day that we can only take classes offered for a semester and we can't just start some in the middle of the year. This is bad because two of my spanish classes are considered year-long classes and if I can't take those, I have no idea what I'm going to take. I have to take at least 12 hours and assuming that I get into the two business classes I want (Entrepreneurship and HR Mgmt), I will still need to take 6 more hours... Ughhh.
Anyways, I'm going to bed now because I have to get up early to catch the bus and figure out where I'm going tomorrow! Hasta luego amigos!
Tomorrow is our first day of classes although technically I don't think that I have to go to any classes because my appointment with my adviser is tomorrow. It's very strange how it is set up here but basically I will just sign up for classes once I have visited them and decided I like them..The only thing I'm worried about is that Macarena, the one who is in charge of our department told Kira the other day that we can only take classes offered for a semester and we can't just start some in the middle of the year. This is bad because two of my spanish classes are considered year-long classes and if I can't take those, I have no idea what I'm going to take. I have to take at least 12 hours and assuming that I get into the two business classes I want (Entrepreneurship and HR Mgmt), I will still need to take 6 more hours... Ughhh.
Anyways, I'm going to bed now because I have to get up early to catch the bus and figure out where I'm going tomorrow! Hasta luego amigos!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Our first sunday..
Well, we've determined that basically everything is closed on Sunday, so I'm not sure what to do with myself today. It's a beautiful day outside but if you walk around, all the restaurants and shops are closed. Luckily, I went to the Mercadona yesterday and stocked up on a couple groceries. Mercadona is one of the local markets here and they are so different from Harris Teeters. First of all, you enter the market and there are these little baskets just like we have but they have wheels and a longer handle so you can drag them around like suitcases when you shop! Theyre so cute! Anyways, as I was shopping around, I found very interesting items on the shelves. You can buy the milk either refrigerated or not. It looked kinda weird unrefrigerated and I wasn't sure which kind to buy so I held off on the milk for a while but apparently the unrefrigerated stays good longer. Also, they have liquor in the store! I wish that had this in the States because I get so nervous buying it at the liquor store even though I'm already 21!
Big news! I ate my first official tapas last night! We went to this little restaurant in the historic district and bought a bunch of different tapas to share. I ordered chipirones which is calamari and we had many other tasty appetizers as well. Later that night, we went out to a couple bars, Parabarap and this other one that I forget the name of but they were hoppin. There were so many people packed into the tiny bars that I was not enjoying myself. It's fun to meet people though because they speak so fast and then immediately realize that you are American once you open your mouth.
Hopefully, tomorrow we will get to go visit the castle assuming that it's open and doesn't cost much to go inside. I imagine it is a hot spot for tourists so we'll see. But I think I'm going to go lay down and recover from the late night last night. I wish I could catch up on my tv shows but a lot of them wont work here because I'm not in the States. It's very sad, they have international agreements and can't show them online :( Anyways, adios for now!
Big news! I ate my first official tapas last night! We went to this little restaurant in the historic district and bought a bunch of different tapas to share. I ordered chipirones which is calamari and we had many other tasty appetizers as well. Later that night, we went out to a couple bars, Parabarap and this other one that I forget the name of but they were hoppin. There were so many people packed into the tiny bars that I was not enjoying myself. It's fun to meet people though because they speak so fast and then immediately realize that you are American once you open your mouth.
Hopefully, tomorrow we will get to go visit the castle assuming that it's open and doesn't cost much to go inside. I imagine it is a hot spot for tourists so we'll see. But I think I'm going to go lay down and recover from the late night last night. I wish I could catch up on my tv shows but a lot of them wont work here because I'm not in the States. It's very sad, they have international agreements and can't show them online :( Anyways, adios for now!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Miguel, el taxista
I forgot one more thing! Our taxi driver from last night, Miguel Angel was the most hilarious man I've met so far. We kept talking about all the drunk people on the streets and where the hot spots are for going out. He could obviously tell I was American so he tried to talk slower for me and explain things that I didnt understand. For example, when it was time to pay, he was like you don't understand the euros do you and gave me a bunch of coins to have so I could memorize what they looked like and not get so flustered when it comes time to pay for things. He wrote out a little cheat sheet and wrote the names of what they called the bills and the coins--monedas y billetes. I was dying laughing the whole time because he thought he was being so funny and then gave me a card that had his name and phone number if we ever needed a ride again. He may have been flirting a little too much for a 40 year old man but I will definitely be using him again in the future if we get lost coming home late at night.
Day 3...
So, we didn't do too much today since we were out late last night. However, we found the supermarket that has everything you can think of. It's called El Corte Ingles and there are 6 floors of "things". It's like a walmart but better. Anyway, we walked around there for a little while and bought our little space heaters for our room. They were much needed. Then we got really tired from walking and eating, so we went back to our flats and took siestas. My siesta was amazing due to my heater. No more cold nights for me!! Yayy!
After the siestas, I went and talked to my roommate and she was asking me how I liked it so far and we got to talking about the food here and she told me that paella here is awful and that I shouldn't eat it. So naturally, we go to a restaurant right off the board walk that's outdoor and eat paella. My appetizer was definitely not something I would eat EVER in the states. I ordered boquerones fritas (fried anchovies) and they were still in the shape of a fish and had tails but I forced myself to eat them (which took me about 5 minutes of staring at them and trying to put them in my mouth) and they turned out to be really tasty. The special paella of the day was this macaroni pasta mixed with different types of fish, shrimp, mussels, and Kira even found what looked like an octupus' tentacle. We ate all of it and it was only average. I'm not a big seafood eater though so the fact that I ordered it was brave. Although, I think I can do without the paella on my trip unless someone tells me of a place that DEFINITELY specializes in paella. Oh well.
I'm going to go to sleep because it is 12:31 am our time so adios y buenas noches!
After the siestas, I went and talked to my roommate and she was asking me how I liked it so far and we got to talking about the food here and she told me that paella here is awful and that I shouldn't eat it. So naturally, we go to a restaurant right off the board walk that's outdoor and eat paella. My appetizer was definitely not something I would eat EVER in the states. I ordered boquerones fritas (fried anchovies) and they were still in the shape of a fish and had tails but I forced myself to eat them (which took me about 5 minutes of staring at them and trying to put them in my mouth) and they turned out to be really tasty. The special paella of the day was this macaroni pasta mixed with different types of fish, shrimp, mussels, and Kira even found what looked like an octupus' tentacle. We ate all of it and it was only average. I'm not a big seafood eater though so the fact that I ordered it was brave. Although, I think I can do without the paella on my trip unless someone tells me of a place that DEFINITELY specializes in paella. Oh well.
I'm going to go to sleep because it is 12:31 am our time so adios y buenas noches!
2 Days in..
Hola amigos! I am very excited for my first post en Espana. I just got here 2 days ago and I'm already having an awesome time. Lets begin with the flight stories.
So basically I didnt have the best flying experience because A) its impossible for me to navigate in airports (especially the one in Madrid), B) I apparently can't sleep on flights, and C)I am paranoid about crashing. Anyway, I got to RDU and ran into a girl who is also from App, traveling to Alicante for the semester too. Her name is Caitlin and we had been friends on facebook because of the program so when we saw each other we stuck together. It was crazy because we happened to have two of the same flights and let me tell you, she is soo helpful with getting around. Once we arrived in Madrid, we split up and I met Kira at the airport outside our gate. It took a while to understand where I was supposed to go because the gates for your flight arent assigned until closer to the departure time so I was walking around aimlessly for 40 minutes trying to ask people where I should go. Oops. Anyways, it all worked out and when we arrived in Alicante and once we got outside we had this awful cab driver who was really rude and didnt understand that our flats were actually located in Alicante and not the location of the university. He kept (SLOWLY) typing in San Vicente del Raspieg which is where the school is and got mad when I said Alicante hahah. Anyways, Kira and I just got out at her stop and paid him and went to her apartment. We met her landlord who is this crazy lady who tried to help us walk to my apartment (which is like a 2 minute walk from Kiras) and turned it into this huge fiasco where we were asking people on the streets while dragging my two huge suitcases around.
So once we arrived to my flat, I realized I was living in a tiny, old, but cute apartment with three other girls. They are all really nice. Desiree is from Spain and is a math teacher. She doesnt speak any english so it's awesome because any time its just us in the house, I HAVE to speak to her in spanish and its really helpful. I also had the longest time understand what her name was because you can only imagine how weird the name Desiree sounds in spanish. Cristina is also from Spain and I haven't really seen her much but she doesn't speak any English either so we have trouble speaking and apparently my accent isn't the greatest when it comes to some words but oh well. Finally, Eva is the last one. She is from Poland and has been here for almost 2 years. She speaks almost perfect english and spanish (i think) but she has been very helpful with everything and its a good break for me to speak to her in English.
After we all met, Caitlin, Kira and I went to a restaurant at the plaza near us. I can't remember the name of the plaza but its about a 7 minute walk from my apartment and it's really pretty. There's a huge fountain in the middle with statues and a ton of restaurants and shops. We ate dinner at this restaurant in the plaza that served pizza and drinks. How spanish... haha I'm kind of embarassed that my first meal was pizza but we accidentally ate too early (6:45) so they were confused as to why were were ordering. Anyways, we had some Sangria and pizza and went back to our apartments and got some much needed sleep due to the jet lag.. Ughhh
The next day, we decided to go to the university and sign in. This time, Caitlin's roommate, Margaret came along. She is an erasmus student from Latvia. I asked her if she knew who Arturs Irbe (the former goalie for the Canes but I think she thought I was just asking about a random person that lived in her country). She is quite hilarious because her English is a little broken but she understands just about everything that we say. So we caught the bus that takes you to the school and that took about 30 minutes. Once we arrived, we went to the office for international students to check in and find out when our orientation time was which is tomorrow (Friday) at 10 AM. Then, we walked around some more and found the cafeteria and other buildings. The campus is gorgeous. It hasn't been sunny much since we got here but we got lucky when we went because the sun was shining making the campus look even prettier. There were palm trees everywhere and the buildings look really cool compared to App's. There were also lots of orange trees which I loved and if you didn't notice, I had to take a picture of them. Also, we noticed that many of the students were drinking wine when we went into the cafe around noon. Wouldn't that be nice if App's cafes served beer or wine during classes. hahah anyway, we ended up taking the bus back to our little part of town and decided to go the beach for a bit. Margaret decided to go back and sleep and it was the funniest thing, when we parted our separate ways, she yelled out, "okay see ya monday" and we were very confused because we had just been planning to make a trip to the TAM office (where you get your bus card) the next day. It was hilarious.
So we walked around the older parts of town which are near the beach, walked on the boardwalk, and saw many cute little restaurants that sell tapas. My mom would love them because she is obsessed with appetizers and fresh, crisp air by the beach. It was a little chillier at the beach because of the wind but it was beautiful and you can see the whole castle from almost everywhere on the beach. Loved it. Anyways, so we all walked back and decided to go back to our houses and hang out for a bit during siesta (we realized that everything is pretty much closed around this time). It's kinda annoying but who wouldn't like the idea of taking a break from working and taking a nap every day. Needless to say, I will be taking full advantage whenever possible.
Later that night, we decided to meet up with the boys, Devin, Daniel and Kyle. They are all really nice and so we went to this restaurant that was pretty much a regular sports bar and of course soccer was playing on the tv (incluyendo David Villa, mi amor). I had a rollo de pollo which was very hard to order because I kept saying Pollo de Rollo. It's weird. Anyway, after that, we went out to La Havana where all of the students were invited to for a welcome back party. They listened to the exact same music we do. I even heard Ke$ha playing at one point. And I'm guessing a lot of them had no idea what she was saying but they were singing along anyway haha. So we stayed there for a little while and drank some beers that only cost 1 euro and took advantage of some free sangria (girls got free sangria from 11-12 so it didnt last long). Then, Kyle told us that his roommate, Luigi knew of a bar over by his apartment called El Concierto. It was much nicer and we almost didnt get in because the boys shoes werent nice enough but eventually we went in. And no Luigi! But Kira and I ordered these crazy drinks that were poured from this hugeeee bottle of grey goose and they were extremely strong but only 4 euros. It was a good time.
So basically I didnt have the best flying experience because A) its impossible for me to navigate in airports (especially the one in Madrid), B) I apparently can't sleep on flights, and C)I am paranoid about crashing. Anyway, I got to RDU and ran into a girl who is also from App, traveling to Alicante for the semester too. Her name is Caitlin and we had been friends on facebook because of the program so when we saw each other we stuck together. It was crazy because we happened to have two of the same flights and let me tell you, she is soo helpful with getting around. Once we arrived in Madrid, we split up and I met Kira at the airport outside our gate. It took a while to understand where I was supposed to go because the gates for your flight arent assigned until closer to the departure time so I was walking around aimlessly for 40 minutes trying to ask people where I should go. Oops. Anyways, it all worked out and when we arrived in Alicante and once we got outside we had this awful cab driver who was really rude and didnt understand that our flats were actually located in Alicante and not the location of the university. He kept (SLOWLY) typing in San Vicente del Raspieg which is where the school is and got mad when I said Alicante hahah. Anyways, Kira and I just got out at her stop and paid him and went to her apartment. We met her landlord who is this crazy lady who tried to help us walk to my apartment (which is like a 2 minute walk from Kiras) and turned it into this huge fiasco where we were asking people on the streets while dragging my two huge suitcases around.
So once we arrived to my flat, I realized I was living in a tiny, old, but cute apartment with three other girls. They are all really nice. Desiree is from Spain and is a math teacher. She doesnt speak any english so it's awesome because any time its just us in the house, I HAVE to speak to her in spanish and its really helpful. I also had the longest time understand what her name was because you can only imagine how weird the name Desiree sounds in spanish. Cristina is also from Spain and I haven't really seen her much but she doesn't speak any English either so we have trouble speaking and apparently my accent isn't the greatest when it comes to some words but oh well. Finally, Eva is the last one. She is from Poland and has been here for almost 2 years. She speaks almost perfect english and spanish (i think) but she has been very helpful with everything and its a good break for me to speak to her in English.
After we all met, Caitlin, Kira and I went to a restaurant at the plaza near us. I can't remember the name of the plaza but its about a 7 minute walk from my apartment and it's really pretty. There's a huge fountain in the middle with statues and a ton of restaurants and shops. We ate dinner at this restaurant in the plaza that served pizza and drinks. How spanish... haha I'm kind of embarassed that my first meal was pizza but we accidentally ate too early (6:45) so they were confused as to why were were ordering. Anyways, we had some Sangria and pizza and went back to our apartments and got some much needed sleep due to the jet lag.. Ughhh
The next day, we decided to go to the university and sign in. This time, Caitlin's roommate, Margaret came along. She is an erasmus student from Latvia. I asked her if she knew who Arturs Irbe (the former goalie for the Canes but I think she thought I was just asking about a random person that lived in her country). She is quite hilarious because her English is a little broken but she understands just about everything that we say. So we caught the bus that takes you to the school and that took about 30 minutes. Once we arrived, we went to the office for international students to check in and find out when our orientation time was which is tomorrow (Friday) at 10 AM. Then, we walked around some more and found the cafeteria and other buildings. The campus is gorgeous. It hasn't been sunny much since we got here but we got lucky when we went because the sun was shining making the campus look even prettier. There were palm trees everywhere and the buildings look really cool compared to App's. There were also lots of orange trees which I loved and if you didn't notice, I had to take a picture of them. Also, we noticed that many of the students were drinking wine when we went into the cafe around noon. Wouldn't that be nice if App's cafes served beer or wine during classes. hahah anyway, we ended up taking the bus back to our little part of town and decided to go the beach for a bit. Margaret decided to go back and sleep and it was the funniest thing, when we parted our separate ways, she yelled out, "okay see ya monday" and we were very confused because we had just been planning to make a trip to the TAM office (where you get your bus card) the next day. It was hilarious.
So we walked around the older parts of town which are near the beach, walked on the boardwalk, and saw many cute little restaurants that sell tapas. My mom would love them because she is obsessed with appetizers and fresh, crisp air by the beach. It was a little chillier at the beach because of the wind but it was beautiful and you can see the whole castle from almost everywhere on the beach. Loved it. Anyways, so we all walked back and decided to go back to our houses and hang out for a bit during siesta (we realized that everything is pretty much closed around this time). It's kinda annoying but who wouldn't like the idea of taking a break from working and taking a nap every day. Needless to say, I will be taking full advantage whenever possible.
Later that night, we decided to meet up with the boys, Devin, Daniel and Kyle. They are all really nice and so we went to this restaurant that was pretty much a regular sports bar and of course soccer was playing on the tv (incluyendo David Villa, mi amor). I had a rollo de pollo which was very hard to order because I kept saying Pollo de Rollo. It's weird. Anyway, after that, we went out to La Havana where all of the students were invited to for a welcome back party. They listened to the exact same music we do. I even heard Ke$ha playing at one point. And I'm guessing a lot of them had no idea what she was saying but they were singing along anyway haha. So we stayed there for a little while and drank some beers that only cost 1 euro and took advantage of some free sangria (girls got free sangria from 11-12 so it didnt last long). Then, Kyle told us that his roommate, Luigi knew of a bar over by his apartment called El Concierto. It was much nicer and we almost didnt get in because the boys shoes werent nice enough but eventually we went in. And no Luigi! But Kira and I ordered these crazy drinks that were poured from this hugeeee bottle of grey goose and they were extremely strong but only 4 euros. It was a good time.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Five Days Away..
Alright, so I have five more days until my flight to Alicante on Monday evening! I am still in DC and the idea of packing everything I want for the next five months is definitely freaking me out! I have made a list of things and the Griffins are reminding me here and there of important things I'll need like blister blockers (apparently my freshly pedicured feet are gonna take a beating in the streets of Alicante). Das not good.
Good news is: my "Spanish" clothing supply has grown a little since I've moved up here (Don't tell my mom). I have acquired a few more dressier items that will help me to pass as a Spaniard (before I open my mouth that is)! I have to look dressy because I read online that no one ever goes to class wearing just a t-shirt and jeans. If you know me at all, this is my main look so I'm going to have to adjust quickly.
But besides all that, Katie's birthday and engagement party are coming up this week. This is my last chance to spend time with her and my soon-to-be brother-in-law, Drew before the real chaos of planning their wedding begins. However, I've promised that I will fulfill my duties as the Maid of Honor aka. "MOH" (as Drewby likes to call me) and be there for whatever Katie needs which will require lots of Skype conversations in the future.
So to conclude this post, if you can't already tell I'm getting very very excited for this trip. And in a few days I'll get to go home and spend a few days with my family and friends before I depart. (Especially kiss Javier, my immortal beta fish, goodbye). So stay tuned for the more exciting stuff in the next few days! :)
Good news is: my "Spanish" clothing supply has grown a little since I've moved up here (Don't tell my mom). I have acquired a few more dressier items that will help me to pass as a Spaniard (before I open my mouth that is)! I have to look dressy because I read online that no one ever goes to class wearing just a t-shirt and jeans. If you know me at all, this is my main look so I'm going to have to adjust quickly.
But besides all that, Katie's birthday and engagement party are coming up this week. This is my last chance to spend time with her and my soon-to-be brother-in-law, Drew before the real chaos of planning their wedding begins. However, I've promised that I will fulfill my duties as the Maid of Honor aka. "MOH" (as Drewby likes to call me) and be there for whatever Katie needs which will require lots of Skype conversations in the future.
So to conclude this post, if you can't already tell I'm getting very very excited for this trip. And in a few days I'll get to go home and spend a few days with my family and friends before I depart. (Especially kiss Javier, my immortal beta fish, goodbye). So stay tuned for the more exciting stuff in the next few days! :)
Thursday, January 13, 2011
MY FLAT!!
It's a little run-down looking but it's right near the beach, close to the University and close to my friend, Kira!! So it'll have to do :) Ps. My landlords name is Miguel. How original
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Calle+del+Teniente+Dur%C3%A1n,+25,2,+Alicante,+Espa%C3%B1a&sll=35.793388,-78.863247&sspn=0.007171,0.013711&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Calle+del+Teniente+Dur%C3%A1n,+25,+03004+Alicante,+Comunidad+Valenciana,+Spain&ll=38.351573,-0.489051&spn=0,0.054846&z=14&layer=c&cbll=38.351573,-0.489051&panoid=ycH4LY8_p57YQXrKUMAMHw&cbp=12,248.97,,0,4.01
Calle del Teniente Duran 25, 2° 03004 Alicante
Please note the cute little Spanish lady outside the building next door
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Calle+del+Teniente+Dur%C3%A1n,+25,2,+Alicante,+Espa%C3%B1a&sll=35.793388,-78.863247&sspn=0.007171,0.013711&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Calle+del+Teniente+Dur%C3%A1n,+25,+03004+Alicante,+Comunidad+Valenciana,+Spain&ll=38.351573,-0.489051&spn=0,0.054846&z=14&layer=c&cbll=38.351573,-0.489051&panoid=ycH4LY8_p57YQXrKUMAMHw&cbp=12,248.97,,0,4.01
Calle del Teniente Duran 25, 2° 03004 Alicante
Please note the cute little Spanish lady outside the building next door
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Update on my Visa (Not very interesting, I promise haha)
Well, my Visa came in earlier this week!! This is great because now I have booked my flight and I'm good to go. The only thing I'm still waiting on is my housing assignment. It's taking forever for some reason and it's driving me crazy because who knows where I'll end up. Anyway, 12 days left!!
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