July Approaches…

In case anyone still is reading my blog, I’m posting and update on what’s going on as well as reaffirming that I’m still alive and eating (that’s directed to the mom obviously – with love of course). Time’s here have been very interesting on many levels, gaining experience with teaching English, speaking Spanish, and learning something about how young adults can be forced to socialize. On the first we had some modest success tutoring people English. Unfortunately it appears as University ends and summer rolls around in a country highly affected by the “CRISIS” – pronounced CREE SEES --  they don’t want to be tutored during the summer. Speaking Spanish has really finalized itself, and goes hand in hand with the third item.

I’ve realized that going out in the US we’ve all kind of been catered to behind the scenes so to speak. Even CIEE and those more “exposed” moments of our lives, we always know someone, or even the language in how to communicate (which gives a lot more confidence than I’d have thought). Whereas here we’ve been forced to learn how people here interact, IE what’s normal. As we realized, the awkward look and smile, just don’t cut it like they do in the United States. Here, it seems there’s some combination between confrontation and disinterest that apparently we’ve only mastered a couple times. The end result of all this discovery, is an improved confidence and ability with my Spanish speaking, as well as a greater appreciation for our comfortable – to me – culture and the Spanish one more wholly.

We’ve had a couple visitors. One of the guys we studied with at CIEE in Sevilla – Joe – came down to visit, and we showed him around town, which went well. Although it’s hard to suck at entertaining when we have a beach, nice weather, and he’s coming from 40-50 degree Celsius weather. As you can see everyone was having a good time. Joe featured to the left in the yellow shirt is the guy who came down to visit us. Right is Daniel, one of roommates, also enjoying the evening in typical fashion as the nights are enjoyed here in Cadiz. All in all, it was great to see someone from CIEE again, and hear about other stories about how the summer has been going in Sevilla. “HOT” – I believe – is the clear resounding answer.

In other regards, Cadiz has picked up thoroughly. For the others that have visited it’s a complete change from any prior experience here. With luck this will lead to lots of job opportunities – as it’s good to see that the crisis hasn’t been too bad for the economy of Andalusia. Walking into the Historic Center one receives reminders just how packed the place can be like the photo above. The beach is absolutely thronging with such a variety of people as you’d never believe. Anywhere from the youngest of toddlers & the wild groups of teenagers – to the more scholarly studying university students – all the way up to middle-aged and elderly folk taking in the waves and sunshine.

That’s all I can think of writing for now, but as more comes I’ll be sure to post up more. I also have some posts written out from Israel that I’ve yet to post, so as I find time or inspiration I’ll be sure to throw those up.

Cadiz New Beginnings (pt. 2)

Last Friday, nearly a week ago I packed up all my belongings, counted my money, checked I had my passport and moved myself with two friends down to Cadiz, Spain. Noted for being the longest consistently populated city in southwest Europe, we arrived loaded down with luggage, saddened from the recent departures of everything we knew (friends, cities and program), but bolstered by our new adventurous spirit. We arrived at our new apartment (pictures will go up soon), negotiated the end of our deal with our renters, paid our bill, and set up camp in Cadiz. Although at times the experience was stressful, in the end we couldn’t be happier to be where we are.

The last few days have been an incredible mesh of business, visitors, and adapting to a new city. Work hunts have been conducted, flyers for English work have been written, our seventh visitors arrived today, and grocery stores and home supplies have been purchased. All in all it’s been an incredible experience, and while we haven’t talked as much Spanish as we had hoped for yet (possibly due to the large amount of friends we’ve had visiting), we’ve managed to do some important activities solely in Spanish (read: renting an apartment in Spain etc).

The first of our guests were two friends Kayla and Phoebe. They joined us, and sooner than later Jillian and her two friends joined us. With all eight of us we ventured out, soaked in the new rays on the beautiful beach, with the Atlantic no more than five minutes from our door step. Scott and I went to the Cadiz soccer game, deciding we needed to begin experiencing the culture in our new town. Although the team is currently in Division 3 (on the brink of joining D2), the crowd has never been more ecstatic nor cheerful for any game I’ve ever been to. With my bright yellow Cadiz scarf –EL SUBMARINO AMARILLO emblazoned— wrapped around my neck I yelled along with the crowd calling the refs and the opposing players some of the most horrendous things I’ve ever heard said at a soccer game, but hey it’s just the culture right?

Living here is absolutely incredible. The vistas are breathtaking at all hours of the day, the beach is inexplicably perfect, the women are gorgeous, and the lifestyle is unforgettable. While it sounds like we’re all fun and no work, I don’t even know how much work could ever impose into one’s lifestyle here. The combination just lends itself to fun even when working.

To those we said goodbye to, you are thoroughly missed. Spain still calls out your name hoping for you to return soon (after you’ve welcomed back in your lives of course, no need to rush back it’s not going anywhere and most likely will still be on siesta when you return). All of us have been occupied by new experiences, guests, and new friends, but I’m sure the toll of being just the three of us will kick in soon.

anyway this post has become quite a novel. with that I end this post, I promise I will put up photos soon of the apartment, the city, the beach and anything else important. Otherwise I’m doing great life is incredible, and every once in a while send some news so we can keep ourselves connected!

Cadiz – New Beginnings

As of last Friday, Daniel, Scott & I waved goodbye to everything we knew besides each other in Spain. Thursday marked the last official day of our program, and unfortunately that meant a long day of goodbyes. Our program threw us a going away party, which at first I thought would border on ridiculous, drama-filled or even like something out of high school. The final result was great. Turns out when people are planning on packing up four months worth of crap, writing essays last minute and taking finals on the last day, people tend to be very busy. Consequently, it was nearly impossible to say goodbye nor was it possible to schedule any sort of face time with people I sadly might not see for a very long time, if ever.

The final party was great. I got to talk to my economics professor, who represented the figure head of a class that bonded extremely closely. The select few I was able to get to know on a more personal level outside of class, I will miss and hence getting a bit of closure on the class was welcomed. Other notable moments included Erin winning the writing prize for her piece (which I’m still hoping I get to read – now she won she can’t be bashful –hint hint if you’re reading), taking photos with friends, and getting a heartfelt message from one of my professors. He said some touching things, and I can’t quite even remember exactly what happened, but I was told I just sat there saying “thank you” and “I’m touched” over and over again. After the party, some friends left, some friends carried on but in general it was time to hit the hay. Furthermore, I had to start new beginnings the next day off towards Cadiz.

Before I move on however, I wanted to take a few moments and wrap up Sevilla. I spent nearly four months there, quite an incredible portion of my life, and to be honest some things have never seemed more real albeit at times sometimes they felt too fantastical. The friendships I formed were all incredible, some of which I hope stay strong or even grow stronger over the coming years. To those who’ve left Spain and I behind keep us in your thoughts and stay in touch.

The program was great, and inspired us to immerse ourselves in the language, and the culture. The sights were great, the trips I took were incredible. I wanted to thank my parents for all their support in the issue both financially and motivationally. Thanks for everyone being so supportive, friends and family. And I hope that someday as a favor I can sit myself down with you and share with you all the fantastic experiences I gathered while here.

Anyway… as this post suggests, the end of Sevilla led to new beginnings…. <to be continued in another blog post>

Morocco, Munich, Prague & Berlin - Photos & Maps

So I have yet to write my full stories of my trips through these great places, but I do have a lot of photos you all might want to see as well as a little map to show you where in the world I was, and you can trace the route.

First is the map of our trip in Morocco:

Turns out google doesn’t give driving directions for Morocco Africa, but you can imagine where we went. A to B to C to 1(D) and then back up to A to go back across the strait.

Morocco Pt. 1

Morocco Pt. 2

 

Now for the trip to Germany:

Munich - The City of Drinking

Prague - The City of Bridges

Berlin - The City of Nightlife

Supposedly there is one typo in one of my recent album’s comments. If something reads funny, I think it was nuns instead of soldiers, then know that it was simply a mistake. I’ll get around to editing it soon.

Hope you all enjoy, I’ll write up some stories later to fill you in, and some of my writing as well during the time.

Ciao!

Finishing Italy

Well Italy was a blast and I don’t have much more to add to the previous posts, but something I wanted to do was show people exactly where I went. So to do so I have a map compiled that cleverly shows the route!

Hopefully the scale works when posted online, it’s a cool little collection of places. Soon i’ll write about my trip to Munich, Berlin and Prague. Then a quick one about Paris, with a little blog about my experience at Feria. Expect a lot coming up soon between the studying hours and just to wrap things up before I move out and find somewhere else to stay this summer.

Hope you all are still reading, I promise i’ll update more frequently soon!

Cinque Terre …

This place is already blowing my mind and I have yet to set foot outside in the sunlight. Our room overlooks the Mediterranean sea with huge cliffs setting the tone towering over crystalline green waters that lap up against the sandy shore just below our window. The same white sand shore from which fisherman, often singing or bantering with the other fisherman, launch their small wooden fishing boats to begin the days harvest. Meanwhile we prepare ourselves for a day of hiking and sight seeing, setting off from a small town where cars aren’t even allowed beyond the mere one that does official town business.

Later: Today we romped between small towns tucked into the cliff side. Although at one point a landslide kept us from the trail the whole way, the most uttered words were INCREDIBLE, Unbelievable, and “Oh-My-God” (followed closely by a “look at that!”). The water was clear to the bottom even from 250 meters up where we at times crossed the cliffs via a one-person wide trail. The vibrant blues radiated in all lines of sight minus the vibrant greens from the terraced hillsides covered in pines trees and vineyards. I couldn’t help but think of those not with Christina and I to share in the breathtaking panoramas.. because the word vista just doesn't capture the inescapable beauty in all directions. As if the natural and man-made beauty were not enough, the towns emanated savory smells of fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, oreganos and basils, baking foccacia, and their prized pesto. Essentially what I’m trying to say is that I was afflicted by an unbearable insatiable appetite for the entire day. Nonetheless, it received welcome respites through the day from fresh fruits, prosciutto and mozzarella sandwiches, and pesto pizza. As well of a couple samples of limoncello, cream & limón, and melon liqueurs.

That was my first day in Cinque Terre, and the reactions that followed.

Photos from my trip to Italy

So I spent the last week in Italy, and took almost 400 photos of which I narrowed down to a smaller selection of shots that I wanted people to see from my journey. For those that don’t use Facebook, don’t check it, or whatever I wanted to post them to the blog so you could see them all. Here’s a list of the photo albums.

Cinque Terre - Part 1

Cinque Terre - Part 2

Venice - Masks & Canals

Rome - Sights around the city

The Pope - St. Peters - Latin Mass

I also have some videos that need to be uploaded on the mass and I'll be sure to add them when they become available. Also I wrote some blog entries while I was in Italy, and will be posting them as soon as I transcribe them from my Ipod.

Ciao!

Back to the Blog

Well it's been quite some time since I've posted anything with some content and I wanted to touch base and just comment on some of the great things Sevilla has given me and how times have been. First I want to just comment on how much walking we do here. I've quickly realized in some rather ridiculous ways how little we walk in the US. Shoes i love in the US just wouldn't work, or wouldn't last longer than two weeks here. I literally spend entire afternoons just walking around, one of my favorite ways to take in Sevilla. Especially now that the naranjos (orange trees) are starting to blossom, and I can only relate it to walking through fields of lilacs. Seeing all the people out, taking in the good weather. The good energy just fills the streets to where you can almost feel it brush against your skin.

A partial result of the increased amount of walking, I've quickly realized the genuine art of talking and conversing. As everyone who knows me know knows, talking and being engaged in a conversation has never been a problem I've had, but I've realized how stinted our society has become. Just like newspapers we're drifting towards a society of excerpts, filling content into tiny margins, and trimming the excess. The excess is the value though, and it can't be trimmed any more than a tree's roots, it gives the foundation to the idea. That being said I've really come to appreciate the nuances of shorter hour long conversations to those that span an entire day. Enjoying those quiet pauses, the simultaneous reactivation of conversation, the extreme over-discussion of points that are often too easily thrown aside as invaluable. Either way, it's simple something that when you spend an hour walking back from school with someone, you can really talk, something some of us, myself included, sometimes forget when we live such a A to B to C live.

In other more informative news, that is to say of a less pensive nature, Sevilla is going well. It's recently become quite official that a couple friends and I will be living in Spain for the entire summer. There's just too much to fit into four months and as I've probably said one too many times to my friends here, these first four months were amazing and I feel like i've seen Spain, but now it's time to get to know it. While this is my first real venture out of the US to go live somewhere else on my own, I feel that I've grown quite attached to the whole experience. Sevilla is no longer just a town, or a foreign city, or even a chaotic mess, it's growing to have it's own sort of organized form that is an integral part of my life. While this summer we will certainly not be living in Sevilla for all or even potentially any time, Spain has certainly a distinct vibe, and getting to know it will be an invaluable experience. A phrase i hold close to heart, if you do what you want to be doing, or even what you know you should be doing, everything else will fall into place.

The month of March has been great in Sevilla. Lots of wonderful weather, lots of good times, already lots of birthdays and more to come. April is coming upon us quickly which will be a month full of traveling, new experiences and then for the most part our pogram is close to coming to an end. Today or yesterday marked the halfway point, and it's sad to think that for those who are leaving at the end of the pogram, life will just pick back up where it left off. Nonetheless we all have been able to maintain an attitude that we need to be here while we can be, and worry about not being here when we're not. I've made a plethora of close friends of all degrees here, and hopefully our experiences here will keep us close for much more time to come.

I'll keep you all posted on things as they develop, as of now no traveling this month, no particularly interesting news for the masses, but I look forward to hearing from all of you, if anyone is coming to Spain in the next couple months look me up and we'll be sure to meet up and have a great time.

Hasta luego!

Spanish Club Scene

So a lot of the best times in Sevilla is going out to the discos and dancing the night away... literally. Well over the last couple days I've been doing a lot of work to find all the tunes we've been jamming to every night, and as a favor to those who are looking for them, and for those who are interested in listening to what we jam too here is a little taste. Of course if anyone knows more please post a comment so I add them to my own personal collection.


David Guetta's "Baby When the Light" (a catchy tune!)



Yves La Rock's "Rise Up" (That catch my dream is to fly song!)

This one can't be embedded:

Yves La Rock's Rise Up


Guru Josh Project's "Infinity 2008" (that saxophone you just can't get out of your head)



Robin S's "Show Me Love" (another tune you just can't forget"

An Investigation

Last night I was at dinner, talking with a close friend about what makes Sevilla, Sevilla? Something I've noticed particularly in Andalucia (of which Sevilla is the capital) is the following dilemma.

How can people that appreciate walking so slowly, love at the same time speaking so fast, to the point where they cut off the end of all their words? Is this contradictory, logical, or what can I take from it? I'll keep you posted.

The sound of oranges falling in the night

First non-blog post, just something and somewhere to write something.

Where does the wind blow us?
Sometimes we anchor ourselves
not from necessity, not from desire
merely from comfort. a place that
makes no sense, and perfect sense.
Let go! and let the wind blow.

Swans swimming in a dark pond,
ripples that emanate from their soft paddling,
their protective personality, hides a soft mystique.
does the wind blow them too?
if so, what do they do when the breeze quickens
do they stay, or do they go?

When the waves roll in and the sand flows out,
your footsteps are gone, completely erased.
forgotten? well that's a different question.
Did you take the steps expected, or those wanted?
either way, no one will ever be able to forget
the sound of oranges falling in the night.

Just flowed, no editing, no revision, are they separate or are they related? Either way...


... enjoy? jaja.

Warned you, it's just my words.

Update: Travels & Sevilla

Over the course of the last week since I wrote anything a lot has happened that I wanted to get down before it blew away with the wind. First two weekends ago a large group of us (6 in total) went to Malaga, Spain to officially begin "our" beach season, and see another city full of sights. We at first were disappointed when it seemed like everything was falling through, but quickly perked up when we found a beach where we could lay down and soak up the rays (in fact a few of us fell fast asleep). We made our own lunch, spent the day dilly-dallying and then went back to the hostel to prepare for our evening out. Luckily our hostel is also a hookah-bar (teteria), so me and daniel passed some quiet hours pensively questioning some deep thoughts. It was great to be inside such a warm and cozy hostel, where we could also use the terrace to look down upon the Meditterranean sea. Afterwards we all went out, had a good dinner, and then went into the city.

Malaga is a beautiful city, but designed completely differently from Sevilla. In regard to what I'm talking about, all the night life is put into essentially a one-kilometer or so square. As a consequence, in the the process of 30 minutes walking I saw more clubs than I'd pretty much ever seen in my life. After hopelessly getting free shots in a couple that wanted us to enter their club, our new friends from the hostel called and got us into this incredibly cool club with quite the line waiting out front. The club was called Liceo and if we heard correctly is where Antonio Banderas parties when he comes to Spain. Also a couple famous music videos were filmed on their white marble staircase. Inside there were two floors and it felt more like an old mansion than a club. Large marble staircase, from the top floor you could look down through a gap in the floor and check out everyone dancing below. All in all it was a great time! After that we visited the Picasso museum, incredible, and the large castle (how many of those have I seen!). The views were gorgeous up there, and you could literally see for miles.

One of the highlights of our Malaga trip was the bullfight we saw. Done exhibition style, to display a plethora of new rising stars in the bullfighting world, we were able to see two full fights (and it looked like three or four had happened before we'd even got there). I was astounded by the impeccable fluidity of these amateurs, and it has made me anxious to see the quality in a full-blown performance. I was surprised by how affected I was to see the death, however being no more than 20 feet away and being able to hear the blood pour onto the sand certainly was of no assistance. A top seat view would have certainly made that part less intense, but it was so invaluable to have an experience like that so close.

This past weekend I went to the Canary Islands with a good friend of mine. We went to Gran Canaria's capital, Las Palmas, and basically enjoyed a week of relaxing that has been needed for quite some time now. The beaches there were absolutely beautiful, the waves huge, and the city relatively bustling for not quite being tourist season yet. Although the weather wasn't our biggest friend and we did have a cloudy day on Saturday, Sunday relifted our hopes and we captured some nice moments in the warm sun before having to fly home. The city is really fun, the food was incredible, and the beaches were a place to pass the day even without the ideal weather. Some highlights were wandering through the city and seeing them building a huge pirate ship / set for a performance I'm sure will be performed in the coming weeks. Walking the coastline and seeing crabs dangling from rocks, near vertically at times, as the waves crashed in below them. Eating a tentacly piece of calamari that turned out being my favorite one, although the tentacles were certainly a mind-challenging first step to overcome. All in all an amazing weekend, a great trip, and well worth the effort to go see the Canarias (vale la pena!).

In other news there are a couple friends and I currently working on plans to remain in Spain during the summer. As of now there are still a lot of details that need to be worked out but I'll keep everyone posted on how this plan works out.

Hasta luegito!

10 Misconceptions I Had About Spain

So I decided at this point I've come to learn enough about what real Spain is that I could throw out 10 misconceptions i'd received either from my own expectations or from what people had told me about coming to Spain.

1 - Spain is an ultra-religious country

While it's true that Spain has a strong history with the catholic religions, it does not permeate society nearly as much as I had anticipated. Although partially due to my presence in the southern province of Spain, where Islam and Judaism have all had significant influence over the course of years here, religion takes place primarily in the privacy of churches. Nonetheless I have seen religious processions taking to the streets, but it's nothing more than celebration and far from proselytizing. In fact the general rule of thumb a spaniard informed me is take the number of churches, multiple by 20 (to be conservative) and that's the number of bars in Sevilla.

2 - Spanish food wasn't "great"

Far from it, I've not only loved every meal that has been given to me, but Tapas is one of the most genius and tasty ways to eat. The food consists of a lot of ham, meats, potatoes, tomatoes, and olive oil. But they're all prepared in a numerous variety of awesome ways. Also due to our presence in the south, arabic food is quite prevelant. Also Gazpacho is amazing, and surprisingly filling. Tapas is incredible because every dish is cheap, big for the price though, and you can eat a variety of foods. We generally just randomly order a bunch and while some aren't spectacular you don't have to eat them because it's just a small dish. That way you can always try new foods, find amazing ones, and filter out bad ones, all for a cheap cost!

3 - Spain is ultra-conservative

Although roughly half the population supports a strong conservative government, and by strong conservative i mean the most fanatic conservative you would find in the US, the other half supports a lifestyle more liberal than that found in San Diego. The end result, a country with two EXTREME polar opposites making the decisions. For instance, gay marriage, orientation etc is completely acceptable here. In fact children in TV shows are sometimes gay. On the other hand the conservatives have quite a swing too, but as their generally older population is dieing off, the liberal viewpoint is gaining more and more ground.

4 - Spain is warm in the winter

While it's relatively warmer, the humidity here and such have made it moderately cold. I'm certainly glad spring is coming!

5 - Spanish men are creepy

Ok that's not a misconception that just seems to be generally an accepted fact.

6 - We'd have a drink of wine with every meal

Well surprisingly this is not the case. Although an occassional beer (cervezita if it's during the day ) with a meal isn't unheard of, it seems to be the case that most meals are taken with just water. Wine is actually rarely consumed as a drink, and typically only used in food preparation as a spaniard informed my friend. When they asked where to go buy wine, they laughed and said something along the lines, well we dont drink that we just cook with it.

7 - Spaniards party hard

While this may sound confusing especially for those that have heard how late they stay out, they don't party hard in the US sense. Getting drunk is not a plan on any given night. Staying out until 7AM with friends at a disco certainly is, but if any getting drunk is going on it doesn't even BEGIN to happen until 5AM or later. These guys hold their alcohol well, and they don't consume innappropriately.

8 - I'd travel all the time

Although so far I have been traveling a good amount, I've come to realize Sevilla is home. In fact during our last trip there was certainly a sense of homesickness to be back in Sevilla after only just a weekend. Although I have many trips planned, I think the weekends I have left I will consider staying closer to home

9 - Technology wouldn't be up to date with the US

Primarily I figured i would rarely have internet, etc. Nonetheless the entire city is almost on free WIFI and if you aren't in that district purchasing your own WIFI isn't that hard. They've continued expanding the WIFI network so the entire city will have it in the next couple years. Also my hermano at my house had a touch cell phone (new blackberry etc), and all of them have even cooler phones than I've ever seen in the US. It's quite impressive. While there are certainly differences here and there, Spain is a very modernized country

10 - Spain would be great

I was wrong, Spain is INCREDIBLE!

Somewhere between..

the incredible amount of second-hand smoke we've inhaled, the increasingly powerful sunshine, the surprisingly late nights, trying to pass one small old woman who can command the space of a four person sidewalk, and the new friendships that have been sown, Sevilla has become a part of my life. It's no longer just a city i'm visiting, but a place I feel a growing kinship with. Coming home from trips is no longer sad, but an excitement rises within me to see Sevilla, speak with the sevillanos, and reunite with my friends that were off doing their own adventures. Hopefully over time, the culture, the language, the slang, and the areas i have yet to explore will all cease to be goals, and simply another part of the reality here.

This past weekend a large portion of the student population in Sevilla went to Cadiz to see Carnaval. An exact equivalent (in mindset) of Mardi Gras, Carnaval in Buenos, and those found around France and Italy, Cadiz incorporates a costume element. There is nothing more fascinating to say the least than a group of upwards of half a million people, spread in and around a city tightly packed, consuming large amounts of alcohol (the word copious comes appropriately to mind), in costumes such as lady bugs or cross-dressers (very popular among the men here). To be quite honest, I've never experienced such a packed feel and at times claustrophobia seemed to make so much sense. There was a plaza that is infamous, where a mosh pit the size of a city block can sometimes arise, and we were explicitly warned against going. Of course we all made it over to see, carefully avoiding getting sucked into the tide of people, and needless to say it's an interesting site.

In general the Carnaval was something I am glad to have seen and be able to witness. We went on "la noche de los guiris" which directly translates into the night of the foreigners. This night is characterized by drinking and nothing else, with a focus on party and getting everything out before Lent arrives. Later in the week, (starting on Sunday, we went on Saturday) the event becomes more about events, spectacles, music and other culturally charged activities. Obviously drinking in Spain is culturally charged, but i'm sure you get the drift. It's certainly worth seeing, but for those that are faint of heart, faint of stomach, or just unenthused about any bodily product you should certainly leave earlier than later. We left around 6Am and to say the least, it hadn't rained in weeks, but you could've been fooled.

Spain in general is going well. I haven't written an entry in a while, and thus want to just throw out some random thoughts. Classes are going well, i've now changed and dropped my Quijote class... to thank the lord is an understatement, supposedly the class is just getting more and more intense. That may sound slacker-ish, but considering I won't receive credit, nor will I receive recognition that it's even a literature course I'll be sure to read Quijote back at Bates. My new class, Cine Espanola Contemperanea (contemporary spanish film), is incredible. The teacher is great, the students fun, and all is well.

Food here is incredible, and tapas is the most misunderstood / underrated restaurant in the United States. To go out pay 2E a plate, and have cheap beer for all is incredible. Last night with my Scott's dad who was in town we went out, managed to stuff ourselves, drink quite a few too many beers all for under 10E a person. The best part was we ate a plethora of dishes, so we never got sick of one.

Friends here are doing well, just for the mere sake of throwing a shout out and letting you all know some names that you might be hearing for years to come for sure the ones I've spent the most time with are certainly Scott & Daniel, and the girls Christina, Tessi & Lexi. We've done a good amount of traveling together, and while we're all eccentric in our own distinct ways, it all works out when we're together. They're certainly an unexpected blessing.

This weekend I'll be going to Malaga, followed by another trip to the Canary Islands. For a kid who has now spent a good portion of his life in the mountains, or canoeing in the woods of Ontario, the beach is certainly becoming an important aspect of life. Today I also began planning my trip with a good friend Christina to Italy. We'll be doing this cool little expedition through the northwest portion of Italy hiking around, then stopping by Venice and later Rome (during Semana Santa) to make sure we get the two largest cities of Semana Santa: Rome and Sevilla. It will be fun, and while there is still much to plan, and many bills to pay it will be an unforgettable experience.

Anyway that's a week or two worth of news all thrown into a couple paragraphs. I'm sure there will be more I want to add, but I will do that another day. Hope all is well for everyone, those here in Sevilla, and those at home in the United States, Canada, and Israel. Safe travels to all that are traveling, prosperous times at home, and hopefully we can all meet up soon!

Jamon Flavored Chips

Every country seems to have their own distinct flavors of chips, and here the one i've found is Jamon flavored chips. It just goes to show you that Jamon isn't a food group, it's merely something of it's own sort. To illustrate what i'm confusing trying to express; a story told to us upon coming here, or one of my friends told me i forget to be honest, is that many times vegetarians say they dont eat any form of meat, and then the next meal they still get jamon. when they ask why they gave them ham, they say well jamon most certainly is not just a meat, it's just ham, you can't confuse it with meat like beef. Anyway, if you don't like ham, Spain (or at least Andalucia) is not the place for you, because man it's everywhere. Jewish people and vegetarians that I know are all starting to give in i'd imagine due to their large appetite from walking all day.

In other news, classes have started in earnest now. We're well into our second days of classes, and I already had to give a presentation today on music piracy... for those who know me the word had in that sentence is seeming oxymoronic. Most people can't get me shut up about the subject. Otherwise classes have gone well, for the most part they seem to realize we're here to have class, but also to be out and about. Thus it seems that most of our classes will be taking place in class, and only small light work outside of class, minus a few bigger things. In the end, it results in a nice medium. The classes im taking for those who may be interested focus on the 3 cultures of spain, (which is funny cause im also in an interest group called the four cultures of spain... im gonna know these cultures damn well).. it seems good although so far the prof has been in the hospital so we're still waiting to start that one. Then im taking spanish for business students, which seems to be my most intense class, but after today seems more light-hearted than i thought and it will prove extremely useful. Plus we're spending all our times on numbers and figures and that if anything seems to be the biggest red flag we're not spanish speakers... how many english speaking friends do u have that cant throw down 1/4 or 23.34% when they're reading aloud. Also im taking an econ history of modern spain class, which actually i think may be one of my most fun and enjoyable classes, even after i initially planned on dropping it immediately. finally the last class is Cervantes y Quijote. Although i swore to myself i'd never read it, im glad im going too although it will be quite a good read to say the least. One of the longest i've ever read, and its in old shakespeare-like spanish, fun times.

This weekend i'm going to Portugal, which should be a fun filled experience and maybe a couple hundred photos at the rate we're all going. We're taking the night bus to avoid having to hostel it up, but to maximize our time in Portugal. I'll fill you in after I get back from there how it goes.

Life is going well here in general. Everyone seems to be relatively happy, some people are surprisingly caught up on needing to meet college requirements, or maximize their GPAs, which is sensible, but reminds me how sea-lo-que-sea (what will be, will be) my personality is. Hope everyone's doing well, feel free to comment here if you want or if you use Facebook i'm reachable there too. It's nice being able to update so many people without having to actually send thousands of emails.

I'd love to skype anyone, although i'm six hours ahead and I don't spend much time in my house. Nonetheless if you want to add me go ahead and we'll chat it up if we ever get the right times settled.


Hope all is well, hope everyone has a happy valentine's day if i don't right before then, and otherwise i gotta go get things done!

To those who could still consider going abroad

Please do. I've never learned so much about myself in such a short period of time ever in my entire life. Although not all the experiences have been happy, on a whole they are and gneerally thy have been some of the most happy memories of my life to this point. Things here, living in Europe, being young, and just being surrounded by like-minded people while learning a language and a culture is an experience that you will never forget. My only word of advice is to bring yourself ready to throw yourself completely into the experience. The only people here who've seemed to have any trouble at all are those that came with things holding them back from previous places. Although this isn't always a choice made intentionally, if you can plan for it i'd suggest coming completely free.

If you are considering spanish places, particularly Spain I'd highly suggest Seville. The city here is incredible, full of life, touristy enough to be completely welcoming, but sevillano enough to ensure that you get a fully Andalucian experience. The city is relatively safe, the spaniards (while generally the most creepy men my girlfriends have ever met) friendly, and the option for travel to Spain, Portugal, and Morocco is an added bonus.

This place is certainly incredible, and everyday I certainly give thanks for the luck that this place is so great. I certainly could have put more effort into picking a place, but in the end by luck almost I got it right. Seville is awesome!

Can't wait for you to experience abroad.

Granada

A quick note about Granada.

A cool town, with a bohemian feel full of culture and life. Nonetheless I'm so glad i chose Seville to study in because I feel the town would have become claustrophobic after more than a week or two. The weekend trip was fun. We saw Capilla Real which was great because it's where the reyes catolicos are entombed. That would be Ferdinand and Isabela (the two that united Spain). Although the church was pretty it has nothing on our Cathedral. We also saw the jewish quarter of Granada which was cool, and cleverly built to avoid the hot temperatures, although being a mountain town it seems hard to imagine it ever being that warm. La alhambra (the famous muslim castle from years past when the muslims controlled the penninsula) was quite spectable, and impressive to say the least.

The biggest impression I got of Granada was the strong bohemian sense that permeated the streets and the air. With hookah bars every 15 feet (think tim horton's canadians, and dunkin donuts americans), the city certain holds a magical and enrapturing "vibe".

The trip was fun, and certainly an eye-opening experience.

Experiences

Ok so this is a little less about what's been happening and more of just something to write, so if you aren't interested this is your warning just to skip over this entry.

Almost everyone here i've talked to throws out the phrase, "I'm here primarily to experience, absorb, and learn the culture!" and recently I realized that we all have extremely different definitions of what that means and how one plans to go about doing it. In fact friend groups seem to be forming based on shared definitions of the phrase, although that is simply a side note and irrelevant.

I can take a class on Cervantes at Bates. I can learn grammar from a textbook. What i can't learn is how Spaniards speak in day to day life. I can't learn what living in Sevilla is really like from any book. And I can't know the people i'm with in a classroom. While I seem to be denying the validity of the other reasons for being here, that is the furthest thing from my intentions. At least now it's clear where I stand. I know a lot of us are in this same boat, and if there are more I don't know come on let's go get it done!

Convento de Madre de Dios

Today I went to Seville's oldest and most interesting church at least from my opinion, because I'd never been to another one quite like it. The nuns devote all their time to praying for the souls of society, and the remaining 10% of their time to making dulces (sweets, muffins etc) to sell to support the convent. They never leave, and they don't sleep because they task of praying for all of us is one of enormous proportions. Also it's the burial site of Christopher Columbus' family, and Hernado Cortez's as well. The convent is enormous, and where 200 nuns once lived and thrived, only 12 remain to care for the church and pray for society. Although their goals are ambitious, and incorportate everyone, they far from try to impress their beliefs upon you and welcomed all of us (most not of the catholic persuasion) to see their church and share with us. Nonetheless they spend all day praying and most don't like to talk or have lost most of their muscular ability to because they never do, and one is over 90 years old!

Also their muffins (Magdalenas - also the name of my professor), are amazing and toady we sampled all their food and it was super good. They're is certainly something to be said about hand made with the most organic most pure food their is, made by the hands of nuns and imbued with their love for people and God. Whether or not you believe in what they have to say, or believe in their religion particularly, they are truly exemplars of devotion, love and selflessness. After all they devote their entire lives to (in their eyes) save as many others as they can.

Their patron saint is San Martin (Saint Martin), who is the first African American saint. He was famous because although he spent all his time working, cleaning and doing as much as he could to help others without taking time to help himself, if someone came up to him and asked he would always give them a piece of bread out of his robes. He is considered a miracle, because he never had money to buy bread, and he was always out helping people so there was never time to sneak him bread, and thus it was considering a miracle of God that he was placed to give bread to those in need. It's quite a touching story, and during the poorer years in Spain he became quite popular because it's said his broom (if you put a blessed one in your house) will ensure that you are to never go a day without bread if need be.

A very interesting place, and it's one of the few places i've ever been that hasn't ever had even the slightest restoration. And it was built in 1492!! It was originally a synagogue prior to that (which you cant ell cause it's not shaped like a corss), and when they renovated it into a church it was done by muslims. The end result, a synagogue, with the design-work and inspiration derived from Islam, all in the name of Christianity where one group of dominican nuns has taken complete control of it for over 500 years!

This place is crazy....

Speed

I always thought time passed quickly, but only upon living in Seville did I ever fully realize how fast things can move. Not only is time literally flying by, where days feel like minutes and weeks like days, but everything feels like it's on speed. Languages are changing, my ability to communicate is increasing every day. Although it's sort of like noticing yourself get fat. You look at yourself everday so you never notice it happening, until all of the sudden one day your pants no longer fit. Today doesn't seem much better than yesterday, but I can tell it's better than the initial days. Even yesterday, I gave people directions to a bar i'd never been too based on the street names they knew, and they understood me. I couldn't decide if I should be more impressed that I knew the streets, that I somehow managed to convince them I speak Spanish, or that they approached me speaking Spanish (assuming, obviously that i'd understand them). While that may sounds funny considering I live in Spain, Seville is one of the most heavily penetrated societies, full of students and guiris (foreigners) from all over Europe due to the (generally) hospitable climate. Hence, the first couple days when all of us would wander around like packs of wolves lost in jungle, absconded from our typical forest, almost anyone who wanted to say anything to us would always initiate conversation in English. I also think that (being a guy) and also having an appearance that blends well with society has allowed me to become the guy people are afraid to walk by in the street thinking I'm the robber! It's great, because although i'm not exactly safe, at least most people are trying to avoid me.

Beyond languages, friendships are also apparently on speed as well. People I met two weeks ago are "my friends" and each of those weeks felt like a month in terms of the bond that grew between us. Perhaps it's due to the insane amount of time we spend living here, instead of just sitting around spending merely a couple hours a day together. Most likely it's merely we're all in a foreign place, and anything familiar can feel like a stronger bond than it would in the EEUU, but nonetheless, we've all grown close and I can already tell I'll be good friends with a lot of the people I meet for a long time. Even more intimate friendships seem to spring up more suddenly here. Either way, this experience has been a welcome one full of new people, new cultures, new language, new food, and new customs.

Some of the funniest customs I've encountered here are actually quite comical, and can be hard to get used to. As most of you likely know in europe it's considered completely innapropriate to eat with one hand under the table. Both hands need to be above the table, otherwise (according to them) only God knows what you are doing with the other one. Also when you're out you are considering to offer anything you consume to those around you. Whether cigarettes, gum, your only bocadillo (sandwhich) for the entire day, or the one euro bottle of water you just bought. And what's more, they are required to say thanks, and deny your offer. Although this seems like the most senseless process, especially considering they aren't even allowed to have any after all that, it can lead to some severely offended feelings. In fact my teacher told us that those two customs alone accounted for most of Spain's and Europe's spy detection program for Americans in years past. These two facts are considering so common and required, that when the american's failed to perform them, they were immediately outed as real foreigners. Quite tricky to say the least.

The other day I took a tour of the Catedral (cathedral) that is one of Seville's most famous landmarks. It was incredible, so grandiose. In fact it's the third largest cathedral in Europe after only the Vatican's and either London or Paris. I can't remember. It's huge and the giant tower (called Giralda) is an incredible viewpoint of the city. What's even more convenient is that when they built it, they decided to use a ramp instead of stairs to reach the top so that horses could quickly ride to the top in case someone needed to ring the bell during an emergency. Unfortuantely I didn't have my camera and thus failed to capture it's magnitude, I will return again to take photos and quick post them so that you can all see this beautiful monument.

Hope all is going well in the United States, or whereever you may be in the world. Life here is incredible, and passing too quickly. As i mentioned previously this weekend I'm going to Granada to see the famous and supposedly quite bohemian city, and the following weekend I'll be going with Scott, Daniel, Christina, Lexi, and Tessi to Lisbon, Portugal.


Life here is moving fast so i'll try to stay in touch, but I know it's hard especially because I don't have internet. Although I don't really miss the internet, in fact I'm enjoying not having it quite thoroughly, I do like to keep everyone updated, and I also want to have somewhere I can remember everything that happens. Stay in touch, post comments, and help me take advantage of this cool blog, because it's quite amazing how many things you can get for free today.

Repost: Hola a todos!

Figured I'd write another update to keep people up to date on how Seville is, as well as write down all the things that have happened to also help me remember. Although I've only been here two weeks, so much has happened that it's already hard to remember everything. Life here continues to be full of surprises and excitement. Last night (sunday - superbowl night O.o) was the first night I decided to stay instead of at the minimum going out with friends. ALthough people don't drink here everynight, you are are always out. In spanish culture its considered absurd to have friends to one's house even the parents, and so if you want to talk to someone after dinner (9-10PM) you need to be out in the streets. Hence you don't get much rest, because as everyone knows once you're out, you're out. Especially when you don't want to be walking home alone, and taking a cab albeit necessary sometimes can be expensive when you don't need to leave.

Anyway, Spain has been awesome, and we took a cool trip already to Italica. It's a roman city left today, although it is slightly taken apart because during Franco's time the citizens took it apart to rebuild roads or bunkers. Then again there is a city called Merida really close to here that is also a roman city. In fact it's the CITY in which Gladiator (think Russel Crowe) take's place. All in all there are 9 very distinct and different cultures that have lived in Spain. Considered the first true melting pot of the world. Initially there were the iberians (named by the romans), then Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greek, Egyptian, Visigoths, Hebreo (hebrew), Gitano (indian), and Musulman (muslim). All in all there were a lot of people and the most important fact is that no one ever destroyed anything here when they took over. Although they imposed their religions they often did so with a degree of amalgamation (might have made that word up). They incorporated the existing religions and instead of destroying their former religious sites, they improved them or built their new ones beside them. Ironically, Spain (typically considered a very conservative catholic and destructive society (think inquisition)), appears to be the first place in the world where large scale tolerance took place. In fact most spaniards agree that the people have never been intolerant it's only the large political structures and most important the religious leaders that ever held any hostility. The people themselves were always living the daily life (vida cotidiana). Nonetheless it has resulted in a culture that is full of crazy things. For instance I'm sitting in a muslim style courtyard in a traditionally catholic style building using techniques brought by the muslims to maintain a cool temperature even in extreme heat, decoated with jewish symbols on all the features. So we're talking three major religions that at times appear only to be hostile, all coexisting happily creating a building that looks great, functions well in heat, and has an inviting ambience. I think my english is degrading horribly, but i'm sure you can all understand.

For those interested in nightlife, this place is crazy. First of all i need more shoes, and I need them badly. If you want to go out here more than just bar hopping you better be what we call formal dress, which here is called casual. Button up shirt? Well it better be silk. Shoes? They better be leather, and formal (and shine!). Pants? Ok jeans can pass, but you'll be kind of a slob. People here get dressed up. Obviously girls can get away with a little more here, especially if its more revealing that not (where isn't that true), but guys you better be in tip-top shape. The biggest festival/street party here, you need to be in easter sunday clothes. ]The end result? a night out where people actually always look good. There is no slob who looks like he's a drunkard and doesn't belong. I'm sure even the most drunk people here manage to look half-decent because they're dressed for the occassion.

Also when we got here people told us Spaniards don't drink, so don't drink to excess. Obviously none of us want to get robbed, kidnapped or all the plethora of things us guiris (foreigners) are worried about in Europe, so we took and still do hold the advice to heart, but man do they lie. Spaniards do drink, it's just that most of the population is asleep (at least foreigners) before they ever show signs of being drunk. 1 am, sober, 2 am sober, 3am sober, it's only around 6 or 7am when spaniards finally show signs of ever having a drink at all. It's quite impressive to say the least, although i'm sure the massive amount of dancing that goes on certainly helps.

The other night we all went out and supposedly knew someone who knew this bar etc... long story short they forgot to put us on the list so we wandered aimless and obliviously to the next nearest one so we could at least share stories about the day. Unknown to us we wandered right into a gay bar, and danced our socks of, got free condoms (only at gay bars), etc. Finally we realized what we missed and then realized here its no big deal. Here everyone knows that if you want to dance there are two places to go. Clubs (discotecas), and gay bars. In fact my 50 year old senora informed me the next day at lunch that gay bars are here favorite place to go dance now, and she just loves going with her gay friends. That's when i discovered that yes there are ultra-conservatives here, but there are an equal but opposite group of ultra-liberals. I'm not talking liberals and conservatives in the US, but think of the most fundamentalist on each side, and thats the normal for each group. Two groups of completely opposite ideals making rules for one unified culture. It means there are some crazy situations here. An extremely conservative culture that maintains religion to the nth degree, and an ultra-liberal side that would put san francisco to shame.

Next weekend is our first CIEE (my program) trip to Granada. It should be exciting and i'll take lots of photos. It's a colder city, but hopefully things will start warming up there soon. Then the following weekend my friends and I (my friends of now just over two weeks, although it honestly feels like 4 months), are going to Lisbon, Portugal. It should be a blast.


Anyway adios for now, I'm sure I forgot 10000 things I wanted to say in fact I feel like i really just rambled on for 10 minutes, but in all the notes i've ever read from abroad that's what everyone says so maybe i'm doing something write.

Hope all is well, David keep me informed on Shanghai that sounds fun. Mom keep me psoted on the goings on in Colorado. (Everyone here must think i'm lieing cause it's so hard to explain "where i'm from"). Dad you too! Everyone who's abroad keep me informed, cause i don't have internet much so i could easily miss something, toss me a poke or a message or something if i should look at something.

Other than that miss you all and talk to you soon!

Repost: Sevilla - Las dias siguientes

Hola chicos y chicas!
So this is my second update on Seville and I wanted to write a little more since this time I’m writing it prior to going to CIEE (my abroad center) where I get internet so perhaps I can write more in the comfort of my room. Seville is so much fun it’s absolutely absurd. Right now is the time to be here for all you shoppers out there because they are having andalucian rebajas (sales).These are the normal 10-20% sales, we’re talking 50-70% off. Anyway, it certainly makes for some fun shopping when fancy dress shirts are 9 euro instead of 30-40. On another note, this city is so EXTROADINARILY clean. They ayuntamiento de sevilla (town hall), has a cleaning company running 24 hours a day 365 days a year constantly washing down and scrubbing the streets, picking up garbage and things of that sort. In the end it lends itself to an extremely clean city, by far the cleanest city (Canadian, US or European) that I’ve ever been too. Somehow I’ve randomly managed to learn all the streets and can pretty much walk anywhere without getting lost, which is odd considering I’ve never really needed to master a walking city. I live in a placed called Triana which one of the barrios of Sevilla. It’s nice because I’m across the river from the Centro (the business place), and the historic section, and live in a more neighborhood-based area. Our senora (I have a roommate) is super nice, she cooks amazingly (minus the one time she forget we had a meal), and provides a good chance to practice our Spanish. Although our rooms are quite basic (and currently without Internet, although this might change as Andrew wants it, and I can’t disagree that it would be nice), I rarely spend any time here except to eat, sleep, and of course ciesta (the best part of Spanish life). It’s a totally different operating schedule here for kids, jovenes (us), and adults alike. Little children are out until 12-1AM all the time, and even later on Fridays and Saturdays. As a couple of the girls here noticed, that means babysitting ain’t so easy, cause the kids don’t just pass out at 8PM. However the more normal schedule is even longer. The sun rises around 8-830AM here (Katherine you were right!), and that’s when businesses typically start to open. Then they close around 2 (banks for the DAY), for the ciesta. During this time most people have lunch (2-3:30PM) which is really the first meal of the day. They don’t do breakfast, and if they do it’s just a piece of toast and maybe a coffee or a fruit. Then a quick ciesta (or a longer one for the lazy or the hungover), leads right into the full swing of things. At 5PM everyone takes to the streets, and they’re busy until 1AM. After 1 the streets aren’t so busy because everyone is in bars, or discotecas around the city. In fact our second night, me and two other guys from the program met some sevillanos who introduced us to Sevilla’s most infamous night bar, because it’s the only one that’s designed specifically to OPEN at 2:30AM, and closes 6 days a week at 9AM (only day it doesn’t is Sunday cause they all gotta go to church). It’s crazy here, in fact my senora laughed at me when I said I’d only come home at 5AM, because that’s absurdly early for someone my age when there are no obligations the next day. I quickly learned to toughen up, as did my roommate. The food here is amazing and caters to almost everyone’s tastes except only the few vegetarians. Although they’ve all given up that misguided choice here. You tell someone you are a vegetarian here, and that means you just don’t eat beef. Chicken isn’t really considered meat, and Jamon (ham or pork) is considered its own food group and you would be laughed at if you even considered not eating it (well maybe that’s a slightly exaggeration, but you’d certainly get some weird looks). Classes started today and my class is great. Although technically labeled intensive grammar review or whatever, mine focuses on learning how to speak Spanish like Spanish people speak it. We are acquiring all the phrases, and expressions used by Spaniards and learning how to use them, as well as learning the culture of Sevilla. We went to a church today on our first day and got to see the official church of Santo Claus en Sevilla. He’s a hit here, and the church (albeit small by La Catedral’s standard – europe’s second biggest church located in Sevilla), was extravagant. We later learned that originally it was a Synagogue, then a mosque, and now a church, and there is evidence to suggest that it was founded on pre-hebreo (Hebrew) religions. Pretty cool place, and FULL of history. Otherwise I’ll be putting up photos soon, and writing more as I think of things to say. It’s super cool here, my legs are burnt out from walking and dancing in the discotecas. All I keep thinking is how lucky I am this city has literally millions of oranges growing all around the city and the countryside, Europe’s second most fertile region in fact. The vitamin C is certainly helping!

PS Eat your meals at 9-10PM every day, it makes going out SOOOOO much easier, because you never get hungry halfway through your night.

Repost: Seville - las dias primeras

Hey Everyone! For anyone interested, I just wanted to write a note to let everyone know how Spain has been, and since everyone (including my parents) use facebook, this seemed like the easiest way to reach everyone. So far it's really great, the Spaniards have certainly figured something out because no one here every seems unhappy, perhaps it's the lifestyle, or the climate either way this seems like a great place to be. Finally, it's nice to be somewhere where people are treated normally, and you can drink, walk around, be out late, go in early and no one can care less. In fact the culture here is suprisingly ordered considering the regard for potential chaos. When we arrived we were in a hotel with everyone in our program and it was really cool. We all got to spend time together, explore the city together, and go out together because we were all in one centralized location. Quickly we learned the cobble-stone streets, the arabic influenced architecture and the nice river in the center of town would be a welcome home. Also it helps we're here right now during the HUGE annual sales that last a month long and take place in every shop. We're talking 50-70% off here, not like 10%. AND NO TAX!! I quickly bought a nicer shirt for the discotecas cause i didn't feel like i had a nice enough shirt, and soon enough I'm going to have to buy more. However, the bars are where it's at. You can hang out with sevillanos, speak spanish with them, and get awesome facts about the city. Lately it's been straight orientation so all we've really done is been hanging out, going to the cofee shops here, walking around shopping, and then going out later at night and just getting a feel for the city. Luckily the first night we found this supposedly locally INFAMOUS flamenco bar, where they play live flamenco and have a dancer performing. It's so cool, and when we went back a second time out of desperation, we ended up meeting a bunch of sevillanos and singing along for a good portion of the evening to a bunch of american and then later (listening) to a bunch of spanish songs. It's very fun, and life here is awesome. It's cold even for ME, because the humidity tends to make the air colder and penetrate everything. Otherwise just enrolled in classes, and prepare for my intensive session on grammar on Monday. It should be super intense, and i'll be sure to keep everyone updated. I also have photos, but I havent yet put them on computer, not thinking i'd be heading to the internet today. Hope everyone is doing well, and I would love any information from home, so please feel free to respond in a comment here or send a message with some great information (if you dont want my parents to read your obviously scandalous comment).