This is a digression from the travel posts on to a more philosophical topic.
Dealing with deployment has been pretty hard for me. I am lonely most of the time, and I have no one here I can really talk to. I can't email my friends every day about it. There is only so much they can say. But lately I have heard a few amazingly impactful words. Never underestimate the power of words. Here is a list of some of the things I have been told lately. From the boy, the bestie, or distant friends, these have meant so much to me.
"You are my hero."
"You are my light and my way. I could never do this or anything without you in my heart."
"Of course I have a giant hug waiting for you"
"HUGS! PS Smile!"
"Just keep going and ignore those stupid thoughts that you can't or shouldn't"
"You'll have a hug waiting for you whenever we meet up for the rest of our lives"
"Few people are fortunate enough to have a friend like [you]"
"You need to remember, even through the tough times, you are amazing."
"You'll be challenged the next few weeks/months, but I know you'll make it through, and in the end your love for [the boy] will be even greater and you'll be able to overcome any obstacle life throws at you."
"Love triumphs all."
"I love you."
In high school my band director always used to say "every interaction you have with someone can change their day. What will you do with that power?" I am so lucky to have people around me who use that power for good. People who will love me, support me, and make me strong when I am not. Some of these kind words came from the boy, some came from my best friends, and some came from someone I have not spoken to in years. All were amazing, beautiful, and had a profound impact on me. These are only a few examples of the beautiful things I've been told in my life. Of course, there are people who will want to tear you down; people who will want to hurt you, who will be hurtful, and who will only want to see you weak. Ignore them. Those words mean nothing.
I had the hardest time ignoring hurtful words for a long time. I was told I was not cut out to be a military girlfriend/spouse. I was told I was not strong enough. I was told I could not do it. When the boy told me I was his hero, that one simple sentence changed everything. When he said that, I realized how much strength he sees in me. Strength sometimes I cannot always see in myself, but strength he knows is there. When my friends tell me they have hugs waiting for me, I realized how much I was loved and supported. When I was told to keep going and ignore the doubts I realized how much people believe in me. When I was told this would only make the boy and I stronger I saw that there can be good sides to every bad situation.
Never underestimate the power of words. Never let people tear you down. I see strength in you. I know you are good, and kind, and strong. You can do anything, you are amazing. I love you, because you are you.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Sevilla
Last week was largely uneventful as far as exciting Spanish things go. I had some class, ate some good food, and mostly talked to the boy a lot. Not excited for this deployment, but I know we'll make it through it. We always do. He is so amazing, I just wish he were here so much.
This weekend 6 of my friends and I went to Sevilla. It is about a 3.5 hour bus ride from Caceres. We left Saturday at 11:30 and returned Monday at 10:45. We had class Monday morning at 11, and were definitely late by about 30 minutes, but that's okay. Saturday we got there, ate our pre-packed lunches, and found our hostel. Our first hostel was pretty nice. We had 2 rooms of 4 for the 7 of us. One room was for just girls, and the other room was co-ed. I was in the co-ed room with the 2 boys. One of whom has sleep apnea and therefore snores loudly. It was pretty hard to sleep. That day we wanted to go to a bullfighting ring, but it closed at 7, and we were not going to make it in time. Instead we largely walked around. We hung out by the river for awhile, which was beautiful. We also found this amazing park called Maria Louisa. It was so pretty. One of my friend's "garden senses" started "tingling" and we found beautiful gardens, ponds, statues, and fountains. It was all amazing. The park led to the Plaza de Espana. There is a huge beautiful building there. From the Plaza we decided to take a horse-drawn carriage ride. It was so pretty. I am really glad we decided to do it. We rode around the plaza, the park, and a little all around the city. It was awesome. Then we started walking to a Flamenco show. We had all watched some Flamenco Friday night in Caceres and loved it, so we wanted to see another. On our way to the show (we had time to kill) we passed a park. It was one of those parks where you look at it and go "playground, or art?" because it is not like swing, slide, etc. It had these slanted poles that you stood on and your body weight made them spin around super fast. It was amazing fun. There was also a zip-line that was really long. We all did that. It started raining as we were taking turns on the zip line, so the part to stand on was really slippery. When it was my turn I jumped on to the swing and totally fell. I ended up sliding down the chain and sitting on the zipline, so it was still super fun, but my hands hurt terribly. We continued to play in the rain for awhile, then decided to start walking again. That was so much fun. I had been having a hard time earlier because I wanted the boy there so much, but that part made me just enjoy the moment and feel happy again.
Eventually, after a stop for some Doner Kebab for dinner, we made it to the bar the flamenco show was at. The bar was so crowded, and I don't know if there was a Spaniard there. There definitely wasn't a person from Sevilla there for sure. It was super crowded, and we ended up leaving after only about 20 minutes because the crowds were too much. We got back to our hostel, and our less than restful sleep. Sunday morning we woke up early, checked out of the hostel, and went for churros with chocolate: the world's greatest breakfast treat. From there we went to the Real Alcazar. It is a giant palace with these amazing tile mosaics everywhere. The whole place seemed to be a giant mosaic. I can't imagine how much time it took to do all that art. And for as beautiful as the inside was, the gardens were the best part. They were huge and beautiful. There were small, walled-in gardens near the castle, and expansive gardens further away. There were places where there used to be hedge mazes, and I saw where the first tennis court in Spain was, which was pretty cool. There were also tons of orange and lemon trees everywhere. It was amazing. We spent about 2 hours at the Alcazar and still did not see everything.
After the Alcazar we were all tired of carrying our backpacks, so we went to our second hostel to put stuff away. This hostel was a little...sketchy. While all the other doors looked perfectly fine, our room had no doorknob nor a lock. We had lockers, but only 4 of the 8 worked. They were large, though, so we could share. Also, there was a gross smell. I was, however, very happy that we had a hostel. We played the Positive Game, where we said one good thing about the hostel. It helped even though it sounds really cheesey. After a lunch of clementines, nutella sandwiches, and cookies, we headed out again. We went to the Cathedral first. This was the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world, and it was beautiful. It was huge, of course, and there was so much gold work. I think if I understood Christianity more it would have been cooler, but it was interesting. I am also not the hugest fan of Gothic architecture, but it was cool to see the largest one. Inside the cathedral was Christopher Columbus's tomb, so that was nifty. Also, inside the cathedral is a tower called the Giralda which you can climb up (no stairs, just a giant winding ramp: interesting) and see an amazing view of Sevilla. It was so pretty. After the Cathedral we went to the bullfighting ring. Here we took a tour and learned a lot about bullfighting. It was really interesting. I hope I get to see a fight while I am in Spain. It might be a little gross, but it is so much a part of the culture that I want to experience it.
After the bull ring we went to the Torre de Oro, which is where Columbus set sail to discover the Americas. It was pretty cool. We did not go in, but we saw the outside and hung out by the river a little more. After that, we went back to our hostel and started our homework, which was not super fun, but was definitely necessary. That night the boys and I went out to dinner while the rest of girls ate more nutella sandwiches. I could not do nutella for 2 meals in one day. I need one real meal. That night I was determined to fall asleep before the guy with sleep apnea. I understand it is not his fault he snores, but I had to sleep, so I fell asleep quickly. The others could not say the same, and they did not sleep well at all. Monday morning we woke up at 5:30 to catch our bus at 7. We returned to Caceres around 10:45, and made it to class around 11:30. Our professor knew we would be late so it was okay.
Monday evening, despite how tired I was, I met a woman my host dad set me up with to do an Intercambio. She helps me with my Spanish and I help her with her English. It was actually really interesting. I learned a lot about the history of Caceres, which was very cool.
Now I am off to buy envelopes, stamps, and spend my day wandering the city! Hopefully I'll fully catch up on sleep tonight.
This weekend 6 of my friends and I went to Sevilla. It is about a 3.5 hour bus ride from Caceres. We left Saturday at 11:30 and returned Monday at 10:45. We had class Monday morning at 11, and were definitely late by about 30 minutes, but that's okay. Saturday we got there, ate our pre-packed lunches, and found our hostel. Our first hostel was pretty nice. We had 2 rooms of 4 for the 7 of us. One room was for just girls, and the other room was co-ed. I was in the co-ed room with the 2 boys. One of whom has sleep apnea and therefore snores loudly. It was pretty hard to sleep. That day we wanted to go to a bullfighting ring, but it closed at 7, and we were not going to make it in time. Instead we largely walked around. We hung out by the river for awhile, which was beautiful. We also found this amazing park called Maria Louisa. It was so pretty. One of my friend's "garden senses" started "tingling" and we found beautiful gardens, ponds, statues, and fountains. It was all amazing. The park led to the Plaza de Espana. There is a huge beautiful building there. From the Plaza we decided to take a horse-drawn carriage ride. It was so pretty. I am really glad we decided to do it. We rode around the plaza, the park, and a little all around the city. It was awesome. Then we started walking to a Flamenco show. We had all watched some Flamenco Friday night in Caceres and loved it, so we wanted to see another. On our way to the show (we had time to kill) we passed a park. It was one of those parks where you look at it and go "playground, or art?" because it is not like swing, slide, etc. It had these slanted poles that you stood on and your body weight made them spin around super fast. It was amazing fun. There was also a zip-line that was really long. We all did that. It started raining as we were taking turns on the zip line, so the part to stand on was really slippery. When it was my turn I jumped on to the swing and totally fell. I ended up sliding down the chain and sitting on the zipline, so it was still super fun, but my hands hurt terribly. We continued to play in the rain for awhile, then decided to start walking again. That was so much fun. I had been having a hard time earlier because I wanted the boy there so much, but that part made me just enjoy the moment and feel happy again.
Eventually, after a stop for some Doner Kebab for dinner, we made it to the bar the flamenco show was at. The bar was so crowded, and I don't know if there was a Spaniard there. There definitely wasn't a person from Sevilla there for sure. It was super crowded, and we ended up leaving after only about 20 minutes because the crowds were too much. We got back to our hostel, and our less than restful sleep. Sunday morning we woke up early, checked out of the hostel, and went for churros with chocolate: the world's greatest breakfast treat. From there we went to the Real Alcazar. It is a giant palace with these amazing tile mosaics everywhere. The whole place seemed to be a giant mosaic. I can't imagine how much time it took to do all that art. And for as beautiful as the inside was, the gardens were the best part. They were huge and beautiful. There were small, walled-in gardens near the castle, and expansive gardens further away. There were places where there used to be hedge mazes, and I saw where the first tennis court in Spain was, which was pretty cool. There were also tons of orange and lemon trees everywhere. It was amazing. We spent about 2 hours at the Alcazar and still did not see everything.
After the Alcazar we were all tired of carrying our backpacks, so we went to our second hostel to put stuff away. This hostel was a little...sketchy. While all the other doors looked perfectly fine, our room had no doorknob nor a lock. We had lockers, but only 4 of the 8 worked. They were large, though, so we could share. Also, there was a gross smell. I was, however, very happy that we had a hostel. We played the Positive Game, where we said one good thing about the hostel. It helped even though it sounds really cheesey. After a lunch of clementines, nutella sandwiches, and cookies, we headed out again. We went to the Cathedral first. This was the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world, and it was beautiful. It was huge, of course, and there was so much gold work. I think if I understood Christianity more it would have been cooler, but it was interesting. I am also not the hugest fan of Gothic architecture, but it was cool to see the largest one. Inside the cathedral was Christopher Columbus's tomb, so that was nifty. Also, inside the cathedral is a tower called the Giralda which you can climb up (no stairs, just a giant winding ramp: interesting) and see an amazing view of Sevilla. It was so pretty. After the Cathedral we went to the bullfighting ring. Here we took a tour and learned a lot about bullfighting. It was really interesting. I hope I get to see a fight while I am in Spain. It might be a little gross, but it is so much a part of the culture that I want to experience it.
After the bull ring we went to the Torre de Oro, which is where Columbus set sail to discover the Americas. It was pretty cool. We did not go in, but we saw the outside and hung out by the river a little more. After that, we went back to our hostel and started our homework, which was not super fun, but was definitely necessary. That night the boys and I went out to dinner while the rest of girls ate more nutella sandwiches. I could not do nutella for 2 meals in one day. I need one real meal. That night I was determined to fall asleep before the guy with sleep apnea. I understand it is not his fault he snores, but I had to sleep, so I fell asleep quickly. The others could not say the same, and they did not sleep well at all. Monday morning we woke up at 5:30 to catch our bus at 7. We returned to Caceres around 10:45, and made it to class around 11:30. Our professor knew we would be late so it was okay.
Monday evening, despite how tired I was, I met a woman my host dad set me up with to do an Intercambio. She helps me with my Spanish and I help her with her English. It was actually really interesting. I learned a lot about the history of Caceres, which was very cool.
Now I am off to buy envelopes, stamps, and spend my day wandering the city! Hopefully I'll fully catch up on sleep tonight.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Here's to you, Shalyn
Shalyn, I told you I would write a blog post tonight. It is late, and I have slept a total of 8 hours since Friday. Therefore, the blog about Sevilla (long, detailed, and awesome) is going to come tomorrow. As in the Spanish culture, "tranquila, tranquila, manana manana..." or, "don't worry, we'll do it tomorrow..." So I am channeling my inner Spaniard, and putting it off yet another day. Sorry. Sevilla was awesome, and I want to do it justice. In my current state, I simply cannot do that.
Love from Spain
Love from Spain
Monday, February 14, 2011
Valentine's Day
Today was, of course, Valentines Day. I was really lucky and got to talk to the boy for about two hours, which is more than we've ever been able to talk on Valentines Day. I can't wait for the day we can celebrate together, but I don't really foresee that happening while he is still in the military. We also got to talk for several hours yesterday, which was great. I have missed seeing his face so much.
For Valentines Day my friends and I went out for coffee and pastries, because nothing makes sadness disappear like coffee and pastries. One of the girls and I are both in very serious long-term relationships: mine of just over 2 years; hers of just over a year and a half. Thus, we decided to be each other's valentine today, since we are missing our real valentines. On my way home from school today I stopped by a Chino (dollar store run by Chinese people. Really, everyone calls them Chinos) to pick up valentine's gifts for my boy. I can not afford to send them to him now, but I will make him a themed care package when I get home. While I was there I decided to get my fake valentine something too, so I picked her up a teddy bear that I think is meant for a baby (Clue: It says "baby" on the foot), and a bouquet of blue lilies. I have heard that blue is a good sympathy color, so I chose sympathy for her being away from her boy. It was really cute and it was kind of fun to have a valentines day with tons of friends. I remember last year I was completely alone and didn't even get to talk to the boy, so I literally sat in my dorm and ate ice cream and ordered pizza
The old man I live with smokes like a chimney. This is not new. However, he has almost always kept his door closed or been considerate enough to go outside to smoke. Lately, however, he has been walking around the house with a cigarette or leaving his door wide open while he smokes. I am so not a fan of smoking to begin with, but I can handle it on the street, or if I am visiting someone else's home. However, since this is where I am living for 3 months, it is really not okay for this to happen. I feel bad asking him not to, however, because he is really sickly (wonder why. I am sure it has nothing to do with the three packs he goes through a day) so I don't want to make him go outside every time he needs a cigarette, and it is his home, so I don't want to tell him how to live in his own home. It also clearly doesn't bother my host parents, and this is their house so they make the rules. I just feel bad telling other people how to live, but this will make me sick if I have to deal with this the entire time. I emailed our coordinator in Caceres. Hopefully she will be able to give me an idea on what to do.
Happy Valentine's Day
Remember you are loved
For Valentines Day my friends and I went out for coffee and pastries, because nothing makes sadness disappear like coffee and pastries. One of the girls and I are both in very serious long-term relationships: mine of just over 2 years; hers of just over a year and a half. Thus, we decided to be each other's valentine today, since we are missing our real valentines. On my way home from school today I stopped by a Chino (dollar store run by Chinese people. Really, everyone calls them Chinos) to pick up valentine's gifts for my boy. I can not afford to send them to him now, but I will make him a themed care package when I get home. While I was there I decided to get my fake valentine something too, so I picked her up a teddy bear that I think is meant for a baby (Clue: It says "baby" on the foot), and a bouquet of blue lilies. I have heard that blue is a good sympathy color, so I chose sympathy for her being away from her boy. It was really cute and it was kind of fun to have a valentines day with tons of friends. I remember last year I was completely alone and didn't even get to talk to the boy, so I literally sat in my dorm and ate ice cream and ordered pizza
The old man I live with smokes like a chimney. This is not new. However, he has almost always kept his door closed or been considerate enough to go outside to smoke. Lately, however, he has been walking around the house with a cigarette or leaving his door wide open while he smokes. I am so not a fan of smoking to begin with, but I can handle it on the street, or if I am visiting someone else's home. However, since this is where I am living for 3 months, it is really not okay for this to happen. I feel bad asking him not to, however, because he is really sickly (wonder why. I am sure it has nothing to do with the three packs he goes through a day) so I don't want to make him go outside every time he needs a cigarette, and it is his home, so I don't want to tell him how to live in his own home. It also clearly doesn't bother my host parents, and this is their house so they make the rules. I just feel bad telling other people how to live, but this will make me sick if I have to deal with this the entire time. I emailed our coordinator in Caceres. Hopefully she will be able to give me an idea on what to do.
Happy Valentine's Day
Remember you are loved
Sunday, February 13, 2011
La Montana
Yesterday my friends and I slept in after our long day at Merida, and then went for churros around 11. They were delicious. Imagine funnel cake dipped in thick hot chocolate. So. Good. After filling up on churros and meeting up with almost the entire rest of the group we went to the mountain just outside of Caceres to climb it. The climb involved crossing a shallow creek (rock steps in the middle) and a couple flights of rock steps. We also passed the house of Don Quijote on the way up. I don't think it's the same one as in the story, but it's fun to pretend. The boy called me on my way up, which was a happy surprise since I wasn't expecting him at the hotel until 7-9 my time. 30 minutes of climbing later, we reached the top. There is a statue of Jesus and the most beautiful view of Caceres ever. It was amazing. All of us brought lunches, and my friends and I had bought Oreos, Tinto de Verano (tint of summer: fruity wine + some pop = delicious), and Fanta Limon to share amongst the whole group. I asked for a small lunch for the day. I told my host mom 1 sandwich and water would be fine. She handed me a lunch of 2 full baguette sandwiches, 2 oranges, yogurt, cake, orange juice, water, and orange Fanta. I don't know who she thinks she is feeding, but I don't need 2 full baguette sandwiches! We had a lovely lunch and siesta on the top before heading back down around 3.
When I got back home the Michigan girl had left, so I could move into her room. While I was happy to have my permanent room, I was tired and just wanted to nap. After I got all moved in, I showered and siesta-ed. It was lovely. When I woke up I called the boy and got to Skype with him for the first time in about a month. It was so great to see his pretty face! After talking to him for awhile, I had dinner with my family and then went out last night with my group. Ended up coming home around 3:30. My host family woke me up at 11:30 this morning for a lovely breakfast of homemade churros. Spain is wonderful!
When I got back home the Michigan girl had left, so I could move into her room. While I was happy to have my permanent room, I was tired and just wanted to nap. After I got all moved in, I showered and siesta-ed. It was lovely. When I woke up I called the boy and got to Skype with him for the first time in about a month. It was so great to see his pretty face! After talking to him for awhile, I had dinner with my family and then went out last night with my group. Ended up coming home around 3:30. My host family woke me up at 11:30 this morning for a lovely breakfast of homemade churros. Spain is wonderful!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Merida
So today started with me waking up after 5 hours of sleep (following a lovely panic attack lasting until 3:30 am) with my hair a mess, makeup residue smudges all down my face, and wearing gangster sweats. Opened my bedroom door to walk to the bathroom, and saw three strangers touring my apartment. I asked who they were and got the patented blank stare response. So, maybe I'll never know, but that was a nice surprise this morning. Took my shower, ate my breakfast (in my now stranger-free apartment), and went to Merida for the day.
Merida was beautiful. The old Roman bridge was awesome, as was the coliseum and the theater. We ate gelato on our long lunch break, did some shopping, walked across the bridge, and then went to the museum where all the actual stuff from the coliseum and theater were held. One of the statue heads was missing a nose and from the side looked exactly like Voldemort! It was so funny. After a long day of Merida we were all ready for bed, but instead we went and planned trips. We now have all our hostels booked for Spring Break, and are looking into going to Ireland for St Patrick's Day. We can even skip class for 2 days to come home on the 9 euro flights on Tuesday! We are also looking into going to Lisbon this weekend, but we keep having troubles buying train tickets online. We are hoping to remedy this by just going to the train station Monday to buy tickets.
The boy left training today, and, after a crazy long bus ride, will spend a few days in a hotel before heading out for his deployment. This means I will actually get to Skype with him and see his face for the first time in 3+ weeks! He has internet on the bus now, but no power, and his computer is a piece so it doesn't work if it's not plugged in. His phone is also dead now (I don't think he charged it before he left =( ) but at least I know that by tomorrow night I will be able to talk to him! I absolutely can't wait to see his face again. Even if it is over a computer across thousands of miles.
Love from Spain
Ellyn
Merida was beautiful. The old Roman bridge was awesome, as was the coliseum and the theater. We ate gelato on our long lunch break, did some shopping, walked across the bridge, and then went to the museum where all the actual stuff from the coliseum and theater were held. One of the statue heads was missing a nose and from the side looked exactly like Voldemort! It was so funny. After a long day of Merida we were all ready for bed, but instead we went and planned trips. We now have all our hostels booked for Spring Break, and are looking into going to Ireland for St Patrick's Day. We can even skip class for 2 days to come home on the 9 euro flights on Tuesday! We are also looking into going to Lisbon this weekend, but we keep having troubles buying train tickets online. We are hoping to remedy this by just going to the train station Monday to buy tickets.
The boy left training today, and, after a crazy long bus ride, will spend a few days in a hotel before heading out for his deployment. This means I will actually get to Skype with him and see his face for the first time in 3+ weeks! He has internet on the bus now, but no power, and his computer is a piece so it doesn't work if it's not plugged in. His phone is also dead now (I don't think he charged it before he left =( ) but at least I know that by tomorrow night I will be able to talk to him! I absolutely can't wait to see his face again. Even if it is over a computer across thousands of miles.
Love from Spain
Ellyn
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Nutella Frosting
Tuesday was my friend's birthday, and I must say, Nutella frosting is the best idea ever. For real, everyone, go buy or make a cake right now and dollop on the Nutella. You will not regret it.
At her birthday we also planned Spring Break. Originally I was going to go to Amsterdam with one girl, but I thought she wanted to stay in Spain for Semana Santa (this blew up in my face because I had misunderstood and she thought I had just ditched her. It was a total misunderstanding and I feel terrible about it!) so I joined up with a group going to Italy. Italy ended up being really expensive, so some of us are going to London and Paris for 3 days each. We will fly into London, chill there for 3 days, take the chunnel to Paris, and stay there for 3 days. Our return flight home leaves at like 5 am, so we decided that instead of paying for a hostel for 3 hours we are going to stay out all night and just be really tired when we get to Madrid. Then, since it will be like 7 am in Madrid, we are going to hang out there for the day (running entirely on coffee) and head back to Caceres for the end of Semana Santa. I am really excited. Even though I have been to London and Paris before I was sick when I was there, so it will be really cool to go healthy. Maybe I can see Wimbledon while I'm there, too!
Tomorrow we are going to Merida, which is apparently an old Roman walled city. It is the capital of Extremedura (the state I am in) and should be a good trip. Saturday my friends and I are climbing "la montana" or "the mountain" which I think has some religious symbolism but I don't really know. We are going to bring lunch and we bought Fanta limon (why does America not have this stuff?) and some fruity wine drink that is apparently the best girly drink around, and Oreos (the most craved American food of the moment) and will picnic at the top before returning home in the mid-afternoon. I think the boy will have internet this weekend, so I will Skype with him a few last times before he heads off to Afghanistan, which will be really nice.
Tonight my friends and I are going to finalize our spring break plans (get hostels) and then we are going out with some ERASMUS students, so it should be a good night. I don't know how, but almost our whole friend group is falling ill right now. We all have sore throats, are losing our voices, and just in general have lost our energy. I, of course, have fallen victim to it with my champ of an immune system, but it is not too terrible, so hopefully I'll be all better by Saturday to climb the mountain.
On the subject of things America needs to have, here is my list of desires so far:
Fanta Limon. Top of the list for a reason. It's like carbonated lemonade, and it is amazing.
Kinder chocolate. Equivalent to dying and going to heaven.
Trufas. Almost as good as Kinder chocolate.
The heated table. This is a comforter over a small table and a space heater underneath. Where have you been all my life?
Siesta. Who doesn't want a break in the middle of the day?
Public transportation in abundance. Convenient, cheap, and environmentally friendly.
Hostels. For when you just don't want to spend upwards of $100 for a bed.
Good seafood. Maybe this is just the midwest, but seriously, the fish here is so good!
Little cars. Safe, environmentally friendly, and easy to parallel park.
On the flip side, there are some things America has that Europe needs to catch up with:
Hot water. I get it, you like the environment, so do I, but I like my hot shower just a little more.
Heating. See above. (I think this is just a Spain thing, but still)
Dentists. I have seen enough yellow, crooked, rotten teeth for a while.
Showers. Yes, they have them, but they should really start using them more. Again, I know they like the environment, but my nose doesn't appreciate this.
At her birthday we also planned Spring Break. Originally I was going to go to Amsterdam with one girl, but I thought she wanted to stay in Spain for Semana Santa (this blew up in my face because I had misunderstood and she thought I had just ditched her. It was a total misunderstanding and I feel terrible about it!) so I joined up with a group going to Italy. Italy ended up being really expensive, so some of us are going to London and Paris for 3 days each. We will fly into London, chill there for 3 days, take the chunnel to Paris, and stay there for 3 days. Our return flight home leaves at like 5 am, so we decided that instead of paying for a hostel for 3 hours we are going to stay out all night and just be really tired when we get to Madrid. Then, since it will be like 7 am in Madrid, we are going to hang out there for the day (running entirely on coffee) and head back to Caceres for the end of Semana Santa. I am really excited. Even though I have been to London and Paris before I was sick when I was there, so it will be really cool to go healthy. Maybe I can see Wimbledon while I'm there, too!
Tomorrow we are going to Merida, which is apparently an old Roman walled city. It is the capital of Extremedura (the state I am in) and should be a good trip. Saturday my friends and I are climbing "la montana" or "the mountain" which I think has some religious symbolism but I don't really know. We are going to bring lunch and we bought Fanta limon (why does America not have this stuff?) and some fruity wine drink that is apparently the best girly drink around, and Oreos (the most craved American food of the moment) and will picnic at the top before returning home in the mid-afternoon. I think the boy will have internet this weekend, so I will Skype with him a few last times before he heads off to Afghanistan, which will be really nice.
Tonight my friends and I are going to finalize our spring break plans (get hostels) and then we are going out with some ERASMUS students, so it should be a good night. I don't know how, but almost our whole friend group is falling ill right now. We all have sore throats, are losing our voices, and just in general have lost our energy. I, of course, have fallen victim to it with my champ of an immune system, but it is not too terrible, so hopefully I'll be all better by Saturday to climb the mountain.
On the subject of things America needs to have, here is my list of desires so far:
Fanta Limon. Top of the list for a reason. It's like carbonated lemonade, and it is amazing.
Kinder chocolate. Equivalent to dying and going to heaven.
Trufas. Almost as good as Kinder chocolate.
The heated table. This is a comforter over a small table and a space heater underneath. Where have you been all my life?
Siesta. Who doesn't want a break in the middle of the day?
Public transportation in abundance. Convenient, cheap, and environmentally friendly.
Hostels. For when you just don't want to spend upwards of $100 for a bed.
Good seafood. Maybe this is just the midwest, but seriously, the fish here is so good!
Little cars. Safe, environmentally friendly, and easy to parallel park.
On the flip side, there are some things America has that Europe needs to catch up with:
Hot water. I get it, you like the environment, so do I, but I like my hot shower just a little more.
Heating. See above. (I think this is just a Spain thing, but still)
Dentists. I have seen enough yellow, crooked, rotten teeth for a while.
Showers. Yes, they have them, but they should really start using them more. Again, I know they like the environment, but my nose doesn't appreciate this.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Birthdays, Baths, and the Boy
Today is one of my friend's birthdays! We are going to make her a cake with nutella frosting (because apparently the Spaniards don't have premade frosting) and then we are going out for tapas with the whole gang. It should be a good time. I am excited for it. I am a little sicky today, but I am almost certain it is only because I have only had coffee today and no real food. That probably is not the best decision ever. I am hoping after lunch and siesta I feel better because I don't want to be the sick Debbie Downer at the birthday shenanigans tonight.
In other news: My host mom showered for the first time since I've been here! It was so bad I had to hold my breath when I walked past her. It was terrible.
Yesterday we had a meeting with ERASMUS students, which is basically inter-European exchange. We met some cool kids, and practiced our Spanish a bit, which is always good. We then bought our textbooks, but since we are sharing them 5 ways, it only cost 8 euro each for 2 books. Good deal compared to the 700 I usually spend on a semester's worth of books!
The boy leaves sometime soon. Not sure of exact dates or anything, but it is really hard. The closer it gets the more it hits me. Like today in class it seriously hit me like a ton of bricks. It was bad. I don't really know how I'm going to handle it the day he actually leaves, I just know I am not excited for that day. I guess the sooner he leaves the sooner he is home safe, but I still hate knowing that he is going to war and I can't do anything to keep him safe. I guess I am just so scared that I am not going to do enough to be supportive. Honestly, I have never known anyone who has been deployed in my lifetime (uncles and grandparents before I was born, and I know others in the military, but none who have been deployed). It wouldn't make it any easier having been through it before, but at least I might know what to expect. It is just really hard. All I can do now is pray and hope, I guess. And try to relax and enjoy myself as much as possible.
"A part of you has grown in me, and so you see, it's you and me together forever and never apart, maybe in distance but never in heart." <3
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Trujillo!
Yesterday 14 people in my group went to Trujillo. It was approximately a 45 minute (uncomfortable, hot, sickening) bus ride to the most beautiful place I have ever seen. We went to a castle, a church, Pizarro's house, and a wine and cheese museum (complete with samples) and out to lunch. The weather was beautiful (upwards of 60 degrees and not a cloud in sight) and it was so gorgeous. you could see mountains off in the distance, and the whole landscape was scattered with rocky ledges in the middle of these grassy plains. It was just so beautiful. For lunch we went to a place that came highly recommended (two host families, and several prior visitors). They gave us wine, water, and sparkling water, and then we had an amazing four course meal. Our first course was tortilla patata, salad, bread, and salami. Our second course was your choice of like 8 different things: we shared paella, gazpacho, and macaroni, which was not macaroni noodles but rigatoni in a marinara sauce with sausage. Delicious. For our third course, the meat course, we shared chicken something and beef and tomatoes (and of course both came with french fries because they just love their french fries here!) Then for desert we had our choice of flan, cake, yogurt or ice cream. I was the only one who ordered cake, and he gave me two pieces! I won't argue! All of this was only 15 euro a person! Good luck finding a 4 course dinner in the US for $20! We came home, and I again felt sicky on the bus, but thought it was only the bus. Unfortunately, however, the sickies didn't go away after the bus, so I stayed in last night and feel much better today. I'm a little bummed I missed the black and white party everyone else went to, but I know I'd have been miserable the whole time if I had gone. When I got home I got to talk to the boy a little, which was nice, but somehow he lost his phone throughout the night! I kept trying to get a hold of him and his commander ended up answering.... oops. At least I know he wasn't just ignoring me! He should get his phone back in a few hours (I was promised he'd have it first thing in the morning) so hopefully we can talk again today. I am just staying in and doing homework today (yeah, I have to study here...weird...) and later tonight I think I'm talking to my parents and my sisters.
In funny news, the girl from another program I live with came home last night at like 6 am and for unknown reasons (and she didn't remember doing it) she walked into my room! Haha. I thought it was very funny and I was thoroughly confused. I asked her about it at lunch, and she had to recollection of doing it at all. Made my day a little bit!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
School....what a joke!
So classes have mostly started. One of our professors just hasn't shown up yet, so we had a random hour just sitting in our classroom confused today, but we've had all our other classes. One of our professors is impossible to understand, and one is just sort of a jerk. The other one is awesome. I can understand everything he said, and he taught us drinking games today! Spain is kickass.
I am trying to plan spring break now. Originally I was going to go to Amsterdam, Brussels, and Dijon, but the girl I was going to go to Amsterdam with isn't going anymore, and I don't want to do that alone. I can do Brussels and Dijon alone, but not Amsterdam. So instead one of the guys here and I are going to do Amsterdam after the trip is actually over, and I might to Italy during Semana Santa. I think it would be more fun to be with a group, anyway. I am okay with traveling alone on some weekends or whatever, but for a whole week would be sort of a downer.
Tonight we are going to go out and "fiesta!" and on Saturday we are going to Trujillo. Tomorrow we have some dumb welcome at the University that no one really wants to go to, but after that we might climb the mountain. It'll be a fun time. I am also finally going to talk to my sisters and parents this weekend, and hopefully the boy too! I haven't talked to him all week, so that's been hard, but I've been keeping busy and making awesome friends. Ah, I love love love Spain! And I love watching the news and seeing Snowpocalypse hit Iowa. It's kind of funny from 5000 miles away.
Love from Spain!
I am trying to plan spring break now. Originally I was going to go to Amsterdam, Brussels, and Dijon, but the girl I was going to go to Amsterdam with isn't going anymore, and I don't want to do that alone. I can do Brussels and Dijon alone, but not Amsterdam. So instead one of the guys here and I are going to do Amsterdam after the trip is actually over, and I might to Italy during Semana Santa. I think it would be more fun to be with a group, anyway. I am okay with traveling alone on some weekends or whatever, but for a whole week would be sort of a downer.
Tonight we are going to go out and "fiesta!" and on Saturday we are going to Trujillo. Tomorrow we have some dumb welcome at the University that no one really wants to go to, but after that we might climb the mountain. It'll be a fun time. I am also finally going to talk to my sisters and parents this weekend, and hopefully the boy too! I haven't talked to him all week, so that's been hard, but I've been keeping busy and making awesome friends. Ah, I love love love Spain! And I love watching the news and seeing Snowpocalypse hit Iowa. It's kind of funny from 5000 miles away.
Love from Spain!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
My Crazy Host Family
Today I talked to the girl from Michigan who is staying here. We rode the bus home from the University together. She told me all about my host family. Apparently, they are insane. I guess the old man is not related to them at all. He has lived here for 2 years and just pays rent. There is also a 19 year old daughter that I did not know existed. She lives with her boyfriend and her newborn baby. Apparently they come to visit for weeks at a time. Weirdest part: I live in a hostel! Apparently they host people all time time: it is mainly a hostel for long stays, and when they aren't hosting students from exchange programs like what I'm on, they open it up as a hostel! Crazy! One day, the Michigan girl told me they were filming at the apartment, but she had no idea why, and they wouldn't tell her what it was for. She was supposed to be interviewed, but she just left and didn't do it, because that's weird. Our host dad works, and our host mom doesn't leave the house or change clothes for weeks at a time. The whole thing just seems very very strange to me! Especially the fact that I live in a hostel!!!
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