So I'm finally speaking Spanish...

This is the week that I have finally gotten serious about speaking Spanish here. Yes, I know I'm six weeks (maybe seven) into my adventures (and it isn't like I haven't spoken any Spanish since I've been here), but I'll be honest, it's been pretty easy to get away with speaking a lot of English. This week though I've spoken more Spanish than I ever have in my life.

On Monday I went out with Sonya, Julie and Sonya's friend who is Russian, but would only speak to us and let us speak to her in Spanish. That was a solid two and a half hours of Spanish conversation and it was nice because while Sonya's friend's Spanish was really good, she isn't a native speaker so I didn't worry about sounding super dumb in front of her.

Then on Tuesday I sat next to a woman on the bus who had books that really interested me and I spoke with her in Spanish. She ended up being a professor of geography at my university. It's funny, and I don't know if it's because of the sorts of topics that I'm used to talking about in Spanish or what, but I'm much more confident when I speak about academic topics (like books, history, etc.) than I am when I speak about my personal life. Later on I played fútbol with some people from ISA and that was an interesting mix of Spanish and English. It was so much fun though. I've been sore for two days because I'm so out of shape (and also because I did this awesome slide-tackle sort of thing...on a surface like a tennis court), but I think fútbol day will be something I very much look forward to each week.

Yesterday (Thursday) was the best Spanish-speaking day. I went to this talent show at the ISA office. I don't really have any talents; I just went to watch. I got there at 5, when the email said it would start, because I really cannot bring myself to be Spanish and arrive late to things. I try, I really try. I tell myself that I will leave my house later and such, but I always get to everything on time. Anyway, I met these two Spanish girls there who came for an intercambio. The "rules" of an intercambio are vague, but the idea is that you practice Spanish with a native speaker of Spanish and they practice their English with you (a native speaker of English). I ended up talking with these girls (mostly in Spanish) for three hours. One of the girls, Esmeralda, thought I was funny because I was so "tactful" when I corrected her. She was like, "I might seem rude when I correct you; I can't help it--I'm Spanish." But I told her that Spaniards aren't rude, they're just very forward. (They are also very good at giving backhanded compliments.) Anyway, both of the girls were really nice and we exchanged phone numbers and email addresses so that we can go get coffee next week and continue practicing with each other. I'm jealous though--they say their English isn't very good, but if I spoke Spanish half as well as they speak English, I'd feel pretty good about myself.

Granada!

(Katie, me, and Kathleen)



(My new friend Katie and me at the Alhambra)

Wow. I just have to say right away that I had so much fun in Granada. It was an excellent weekend and I met some really fun people from ISA that go to the other university.

On Friday we left Madrid at 8:30 and then had a six hour bus ride to Granada (it's in Andalucía--in the south of Spain). I slept most of the way there. When we got there we settled into our hotel and then had some free time to explore the city. We all met together later that night and went on this crazy, twisty walk through the Albayzín which is a very old neighborhood in Granada. We saw this beautiful view of the Alhambra all lit up at night. But the best part was when we finally (after getting lost or something--I don't know, the directors did not seem very sure about where they were going) got to the espactáculo de flamenco. The flamenco show was amazing. It involved dancing, singing, clapping, guitar playing...It was just incredible to see how the whole body was used as an instrument and how each element of the show added something to the overall energy of the performance. The show was probably one of my favorite "cultural experiences" that I've had on my trip so far. After the show we went out for tapas and I had the yummiest pork and garlic sauce sandwich. Mmmmm. (If you haven't noticed I love eating and then talking about the deliciousness of the food later.)

The next morning we ate breakfast at the hotel (and they had real bacon! not Canadian bacon like they serve everywhere else--alas they did not have pancakes.) Then we saw the Alhambra. I've seen pictures of it before and I read about it before, but those could not compare to actually seeing it in person. The Alhambra is this fortress/palace/town that was built near the end of the Muslim rule in Spain. It is the perfect example of Islamic architecture. Granada was the last city to be re-conquered by the Christians, so when that happened the Reyes Católicos moved in. We were in the room in which Columbus asked for money to fund his trip to find his voyage to the Indies. (Usually I'm rather indifferent to the whole Columbus tale, but the history of the room felt pretty overwhelming--until my friends started cracking jokes about what Columbus would have said to the queen: "Yooooooo quierooooooo dineeeeeeerrrrrooo." Hahahaha--it was funny at the time.) Overall, the gardens and palace were gorgeous. If you only look at one set of pictures look at the set for the Alhambra.

In the afternoon Katie, Kathleen and I walked through the city until we found the Parque de Ciencias. Because I sometimes have the maturity level of a five year old I had so much fun. It was a hands-on museum and we saw this huge exhibit about the human body (I found out how much water weight I have--a lot). We saw an exhibit on Antarctica. We went though some butterfly gardens. I hyperventilated though the exhibit about venomous animals and saw like 20 (live) poisonous snakes, like cobras, vipers, mambas, etc., in tanks (I'm terrified of snakes; they are my biggest fear--I guess I watched Indiana Jones too many times when I was little). We did a lot of other things there too; it was well worth the five euro admission. If you're ever in Granada, whether you have kids or not, go there--it will bring out the small child inside of you.

Sunday morning we went on a walking tour around the city center and such. We went inside the gorgeous cathedral. We also went to the Royal Chapel and saw the tomb of the Reyes Católicos. After that we had a bit of free time before having to get on the bus, so we got some diet cokes and sat out in the sun in the plaza and watched the musicians and Pooh Bear, Pikachu, and the red Teletubby entertain people. It was the perfect lazy Sunday afternoon. Later we hopped on the bus and I did not sleep (well maybe for a half hour). Instead I took in the scenery and read. It was a very relaxing bus ride. Yet, after everything, when we got back to Madrid I was happy. I liked Granada a lot, but it was very small compared to Madrid and it just felt good to be back in the big-city vibe that Madrid gives off.

Photos:
Friday
La Alhambra (Saturday morning)
Saturday Afternoon
Sunday

Quick Update

So this week has been a pretty normal week so far, so I don't have much to write about it. I just didn't have anything happen that was story-worthy! But I am going to Granada tomorrow through Sunday, so expect a long update Monday!

To pass the time while I'm gone, check out some of the other blogs that I've linked to (if you haven't already). You can find them on the right side of this page under "my blog list."

Weekend Fun!

I cannot believe that it is only February. I don't mean that in a bad way; time is flying by. But the weather here has fooled me into thinking that it's April already. I'm pretty sure the temperatures yesterday hovered around 60 and the sky was so blue. Today feels a little cooler, but it's warm enough that I have my balcony doors cracked open a bit to let some fresh air in.

This weekend I didn't go on any sorts of excursions, but like I said in my last post, I love Madrid so I had a really good time just staying in the city. Friday night my friends and I went to this cute restaurant called El Jardín Secreto for dinner and then saw Revolutionary Road. The acting and directing were really good, but it's kind of a downer of a movie. It's definitely not a first date sort of movie.

Yesterday we went to the park and had a picnic lunch and people-watched. I wanted to take a boat out in the estanque, but there was a line to rent them! I'll have to do that next time I guess. At night we went to a birthday party for our Italian friend. The picture with this post is of my roommates (Kathleen left; Kendra center) and me at the party. I stole this picture from Kathleen's facebook and her caption that goes with it is awesome: "Roommates! When you live three four metro stops from everywhere, never underestimate the wonder of having someone to split cab fare home with." While that is true (the cab ride home was really cheap!), Kathleen and Kendra are so sweet and I'm just so glad that they moved in for reasons other than cheap cab fare.

Click here for park photos!

I love this city.

It struck me this week that I have been in Spain for over a month and I realized that I'm really content here. I do miss my friends and family a lot, and there are things that get on my nerves here (like the lack of Diet Mountain Dew), but I honestly can say that I am having a great time.

I think one thing that has lifted my spirits is that the weather has been gorgeous the past couple days. Madrid is especially beautiful when the skies are blue. Today, I couldn't see a single cloud. Really, the city is an entirely different place when the weather is nice compared to when the skies are gray and it's cold and rainy. All the people walking around just seem happier. Yesterday my friend and I walked from Puerta del Sol to the metro stop near her house (well she walked home then) and it took over an hour, but the walk was just so refreshing that the time passed so quickly. Most of our walk was along the Paseo de la Castellana and I really like that street because although it runs through a fairly commercial area, all of these new buildings sit right next to these old buildings and they just seem to fit together. I think that street will be really beautiful in the spring. Actually I think the whole city will be beautiful when everything is finally blooming in the spring.

Also yesterday in the late afternoon I had to go back to Sol for an ISA meeting and after it two other friends and I wandered around for a bit. I never really get sick of Sol. I've seen it many times now--I've seen a lot of things in the city over and over again--but it still amazes me each time. I'm glad that I'm not getting jaded and that I still feel a bit of a sense of wonder about the sites, even the ones that I see as I walk to the bus stop to go to school every day.

I think I'm going to take a nap now. I have turned into a real Spaniard in that I take a nap almost everyday. Tonight is 1 euro night at 100 Montaditos (this little kind-of-like-a-tapas-bar that we go to every Wednesday) and I want to be wide awake to enjoy the best patatas fritas con salsas in Madrid.

Toledo!

Hi everyone,

Yesterday ISA took us to Toledo and it was a lot of fun. For one thing Carlos and Carmen led the trip and they're the funniest ISA directors. (Carlos loves to get on the bus microphone and talk about absolutely nothing. It's funny.) We also had this entertaining, passionate tour guide, Marcos.

Toledo is beautiful. It's on top of a hill (we actually took this outdoor escalator to get up the hill) and surrounded on three sides by the Río Tajo. We went on a walking tour of the city and explored the Monestario de San Juan de los Reyes and the Sinagoga de Santa María la Blanca. The synagogue was so interesting because it was a Jewish synagogue, but the architecture was very Moorish. Later on Christians converted it into a church. During the Middle Ages all of these cultures coexisted in Toledo (before the unification of Spain under the Reyes Católicos and the subsequent expulsion of Jewish and Muslim people) and it was interesting to see all of the cultures leave their own marks on one building.

We walked around some more and stopped for a quick bathroom/snack break. I bought a Coca Cola Light at this one taberna so I could use its bathroom and they gave me this little plate of chorizo and potatoes in this delicious tomato based sauce. It was amazing and I don't know what it was called because I didn't ask for it; the woman behind the counter just gave it to me. I'm seriously craving it right now. Then we went to the Iglesia de Santo Tomé and saw one of El Greco's masterpieces, The Burial of the Count of Orgaz. I really enjoyed seeing the painting because we studied it for almost two days in my art history class this past week. I've really come to like El Greco's work. We also walked past the cathedral and on to the Plaza de Zocodover.

After that we had some free time. My new roommates (the other ones moved out because they wanted to have someone cook for them) and I went to lunch at this cute little restaurant. We ate and then sat and talked for a while and really got to know each other. I love Spain because you can just sit forever after you're done with your meal and they don't try to hurry you out of the restaurant and they don't annoy you by asking you if you want dessert 50 billion times. Eating meals is really relaxing here. Anyway, I really like my new roommates a lot and we went shopping a bit after we left the restaurant. I had kind of wanted to go to the Alcázar, but it was okay. It was nice exploring more of the winding streets. And after all that, we got on the bus and I took an hour siesta until I arrived back in Madrid.

Click here to see my photos!

The Corte Inglés Rant

I have mentioned it a few times on this blog, but today I'm going to expound on my dislike for the Corte Inglés. Corte Inglés is this Spanish chain of stores. The stores themselves are huge and are kind of like a department store (like Macy's) with a grocery store in the basement. Then outside of the main store you can usually find a Corte Inglés bookstore and/or music/movie store. Some of the stores also have travel agencies in/around them. Pretty much this huge store is located in almost every neighborhood of the city. (There is one two blocks away from my house in one direction and about five or six blocks away in the other direction.) Also, outside of Madrid there is Hipercor (which is owned by Corte Inglés) which I haven't been to, but I'm guessing is kind of like Costco or something. So I guess my first reason for disliking the Corte Inglés is that I feel like it tries to be too many things.

Anyway, the store is supposed to have anything your little heart desires. Well in my opinion, the stupid store has both everything and nothing at the same time. I can find pretty much anything that I don't need and nothing that I do need. And the stuff that I can find is in the most random places. And everything is super overpriced. I don't know why I even go there, but today I did. I needed a new mesh laundry hamper thing and some tights for this party I'm going to on Friday night. First I decided to look for the laundry hamper. I figured it would be in the pet store part (by the hangers--see this post for that story) and I was kind of right. I wandered around for a while and finally asked somebody where I could find something to put my dirty clothes in (I didn't know the Spanish word for hamper at the time). Well the worker guy showed me this 20 euro hamper thing and after I scrunched up my face at the price (I was looking for like those mesh pop up laundry hampers that you can by at Target for like five dollars) he poked around some more before finally saying he didn't have anything else and scampering off. I gave up that search and decided to look for the tights.

I found those without any problem. However, I picked up this decent looking pair and they were 21 euro. My question is, who would pay 20-some euros for tights that will probably end up getting snagged on something the second time you wear them? Not this girl (the fact that I'm a klutz means I would probably snag them the first time I wore them). Then I wandered around some more and they just had so many to choose from that it was overwhelming. The problem with all of the options was that, aside from those 20-some euro tights, most did not have a price on them. Finally I just picked up an inexpensive looking pair and checked out (and was relieved to find out that they were, indeed, fairly inexpensive).

So yes, these experiences have not been terribly traumatic in and of themselves (well the experience in the Corte Inglés coupled with my post office experience was a bit traumatic), but each time I go to that store I just get more and more annoyed with it. And no, the Corte Inglés is not some metaphor for Spanish culture in general or anything like that (because I do really love Spain and Madrid and everything). It's just a store that really annoys me and makes me really miss Target. Seriously, I'd give just about anything to have Target only two blocks away.

Oh and just to let you know, tonight I walked around the neighborhood with these two girls who just moved in and I pointed out the "chino"* located around the corner. We went inside to look around and I found a mesh hamper in there almost right away for only four euros.

*(It's kind of hard to explain what a chino is without sounding a little bit politically incorrect or something, but in most neighborhoods there are these super cheap stores with the most random assortment of stuff in them that are generally owned by Chinese people. The Spanish word for Chinese is Chino, thus the Spaniards refer to these stores as chinos.)

Zaragoza

(At the Palacio de la Aljafería--l to r: Sonya, Kate, Rachel, me, Christina)

So I had a fantastic weekend in Zaragoza, which is northeast of Madrid. Zaragoza is the capital of the autonomía (kind of like a state/province) of Aragón and it's located on the Río Ebro. It took us about four hours by bus to get there. I have to say, I was really impressed with the bus service we took. The bus was fairly comfortable. We watched a James Bond movie on the way to Zaragoza and on the way there and back we stopped halfway through for a 20 minute break to eat, go to the bathroom, etc (and there was a bathroom on the bus too!). Best of all the ticket was only 26 euros round trip and we were able to buy the ticket the day of the trip (and we also kept our departure date open so we were free to come back when we wanted). We just went to the bus station and bought it--it's so simple! I have travelled by Greyhound in the U.S. and I just have to say that my experience with this bus company, ALSA, was 100x better.

Then we got to Zaragoza and after a city bus ride that took us in the wrong direction and a little bit of a walk in the right direction we found our hostel. It was the only actual hostel in Zaragosa and it was really nice. There were five of us and we were in an eight person room, but we had it all to ourselves the first night and only one roommate the second night. Actually we had only planned on staying one night, but liked it so much and it was so cheap that we decided to stay for a second night. After getting settled we ate and wandered around a bit. We found the river (it wasn't hard to find because it was only about half a block away) and the beautiful basilica there. The basilica was immense and I liked it because Goya had painted some of the vaulted ceilings. There was a mass going on while we were there and it was interesting to watch. But over all the architecture and decorum of the church was just amazing. Then we walked around a lot more and went to the grocery store because the hostel had a kitchen and settled in for the night. We were all really tired, so it was nice to go to bed early.

The next day it rained and that put a damper on our plans to bike around the city. We went to this cafe for a late breakfast, but spent two hours there and ended up ordering lunch as well. I had the best hamburger of my life there. It was just the hamburger--no bun or anything like that--served with a fried egg. It was just so good...I'm totally craving it now. Then we walked around the city and found the Palacio de la Aljafería which was built in the 11th century. We also saw the Plaza de Toros. After our siesta we walked around the city and night and Zaragoza is a city that was made to be lit up. There are floodlights everywhere. The basilica and river were just so amazing all lit up at night. We were so glad it had stopped raining, so that we could enjoy the time out.

By Sunday morning though, I was ready to go back to Madrid. Zaragoza was a really nice small-ish city, but I just feel more at home in Madrid now. I know that it may not sound like we did anything super exciting while we were in Zaragoza, but I think what made the trip so much fun was that the five of us really got to know each other. I mean, I've only known Sonya, Kate and Rachel for two weeks (and met Christina the morning of the trip!) but all of us just get along so well that I'm pretty sure we're going to stay friends even after this semester ends. Also this trip showed me how easy and relatively inexpensive it can be to travel. Now I just want to stop going to school and wander around Spain for the rest of the semester!

So here are the photos from my journey. I'm sorry but I didn't have a guide book for this trip, so my captions aren't super informative. Anyway, click on any/all of these links to see Zaragoza:
The Road to Zaragoza
Around Zaragoza: Day 1
Around Zaragoza: Days 2 and 3
Zaragoza at Night
Zaragoza Graffiti/Wall Art

Back in Madrid

Hi everyone,

We decided to stay in Zaragoza an extra day, so I just got back about an hour ago. I still have homework to do, so I will write all about it and post photos tomorrow.