Friday, February 25, 2011
Resfriado
It's that time of year... I am, along with most of the rest of PRESHCO, suffering from a bad cold/sinus infection. Gross. Went to the clinic today and got an excessive amount of medicine for only like 10€! Pretty sweet. I will post a better update this weekend about our excursion!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Primero Amigo!
Today in my direct matriculation class our professor took us to the school cafeteria for coffee! Sounds lame but it is like a legitimate restaurant in the school. And yes, he paid for the class, and it was his birthday!! I like that Spanish tradition. Mi amiga de PRESHCO and I decided to suck it up and talk to the kid next to us. His name is Pedro (could his name be anymore stereotypical?) She was good because she has been speaking Spanish longer than me, but I managed to say a few things. Anyways, he invited us to go out on the weekend and he would show us some good places to go. Yay Spanish friends!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Por fin, estoy en Córdoba
The tour has ended and my first week here in Córdoba is wrapping up… or just beginning depending on how you look at it. Overall the tour was a lot of fun. We went to so many places and saw a lot of history and impressive art and architecture.
Barcelona was nice to visit, but similar to Athens… I do not think I will be going back. It might have just been my experience, but true to some of the warnings I received before going there, they do not like Americans. It is understandable as to why-- Americans are a pain. There is an influx of students that descend on the city for each semester who go there to party and many do not try to learn the language or interact with the Spaniards. Americans are loud and obnoxious, and of this I am guilty. We spent most of our free time walking in large groups around the city. Honestly, the only good part about the city was the beach during the day and the park that overlooks the city.
The nightlife was overpriced (15€ entrada con bebida) but was nonetheless fun and we danced until 4 in the morning. Luckily the friends of a Preshquita knew the name of a club promoter, Kike (Keekay, also known as sketch-ay) and we got in for free for the Valentine’s Day Party. Free Lollypops as well! Barcelona seemed like you needed a purpose to be there. It is more of a working city and for people who have money-- we Preshquit@s do not. From Barcelona we took the AVE (high-speed train) to Córdoba and our host parents met us in the train station.
My host “mother” is really nice and we get along well. The first day here we ate on the balcony that overlooks the Rectorado of the Universidad de Córdoba and the view of the mountains in the back. It is a great view to wake up to every morning. Her dog is fun as well. I am glad that there is a little puppy around to keep me warm. I know I had said it was not that cold on our tour, but it is freezing here in Córdoba during the evening. Everything is made out of stone for the summer months which are longer than winter… I just wished things would dry. I do not think my towel has completely dried since the first day I used it! Oh well. It will be warm soon enough and I cannot wait.
The first week here has been pretty busy. Between resting up from all the travelling I had been doing I went to some classes at the university. I have decided to take the history of Al-Andalus which is the Islamic name for this section of Spain. The professor talks slow enough that I think I will understand him! The classes taught by PRESHCO professor start this next Monday as well as guitar lessons. I get to rent a guitar through PRESHCO and they offer free Spanish guitar lessons which I think will be really fun. There seems to be a lot of interest in it also so it will be a great way to meet people. My host mom Olga and her boyfriend took me to and olive oil factory in the country and then Málaga for lunch Sunday. It was a great way to see the countryside and get another tour of Spain. I feel like I have been all over the country already! (I have just got to get to the Canary Islands now… It is warm there!). Today we went to the Mezquita in the center of Córdoba which was much prettier than I had thought. The beauty is just hidden inside the building. The building has a long history and was built upon and reused many times. As we were leaving the courtyard, they were setting up for a concert of some sort and “Imagine” came on. It was funny but a good way to remember the visit.
Córdoba is a nice city. Definitely a manageable size that I feel like I will get to know people. Not only Spaniards but also other Europeans because there are a lot of study abroad programs in the city… specifically Erasmus which is the inter-European study abroad program. The neighborhoods are quite interesting and I am glad I live in the Ciudad Jardin. There are a lot of cheap bars and restaurants here as well as a nice park where people walk their dogs. Also, I am in love with the Chinos-- their racially designated version of a dollar store. You can find anything here, but as a word of caution, do not walk in with another chino bag. I did this and the little boy of maybe 10 working the register yelled at me. They sell the same things in each store apparently and they do not want you stealing. Understandable, but it is different. And the sales here are great this time of year! Everything in all the stores is between 30-70% off. I have gotten to know the city a little through both my running and shopping with Preshquit@s (gender neutral). Tomorrow we have a trip to Medina Azahara.
Barcelona was nice to visit, but similar to Athens… I do not think I will be going back. It might have just been my experience, but true to some of the warnings I received before going there, they do not like Americans. It is understandable as to why-- Americans are a pain. There is an influx of students that descend on the city for each semester who go there to party and many do not try to learn the language or interact with the Spaniards. Americans are loud and obnoxious, and of this I am guilty. We spent most of our free time walking in large groups around the city. Honestly, the only good part about the city was the beach during the day and the park that overlooks the city.
The nightlife was overpriced (15€ entrada con bebida) but was nonetheless fun and we danced until 4 in the morning. Luckily the friends of a Preshquita knew the name of a club promoter, Kike (Keekay, also known as sketch-ay) and we got in for free for the Valentine’s Day Party. Free Lollypops as well! Barcelona seemed like you needed a purpose to be there. It is more of a working city and for people who have money-- we Preshquit@s do not. From Barcelona we took the AVE (high-speed train) to Córdoba and our host parents met us in the train station.
My host “mother” is really nice and we get along well. The first day here we ate on the balcony that overlooks the Rectorado of the Universidad de Córdoba and the view of the mountains in the back. It is a great view to wake up to every morning. Her dog is fun as well. I am glad that there is a little puppy around to keep me warm. I know I had said it was not that cold on our tour, but it is freezing here in Córdoba during the evening. Everything is made out of stone for the summer months which are longer than winter… I just wished things would dry. I do not think my towel has completely dried since the first day I used it! Oh well. It will be warm soon enough and I cannot wait.
The first week here has been pretty busy. Between resting up from all the travelling I had been doing I went to some classes at the university. I have decided to take the history of Al-Andalus which is the Islamic name for this section of Spain. The professor talks slow enough that I think I will understand him! The classes taught by PRESHCO professor start this next Monday as well as guitar lessons. I get to rent a guitar through PRESHCO and they offer free Spanish guitar lessons which I think will be really fun. There seems to be a lot of interest in it also so it will be a great way to meet people. My host mom Olga and her boyfriend took me to and olive oil factory in the country and then Málaga for lunch Sunday. It was a great way to see the countryside and get another tour of Spain. I feel like I have been all over the country already! (I have just got to get to the Canary Islands now… It is warm there!). Today we went to the Mezquita in the center of Córdoba which was much prettier than I had thought. The beauty is just hidden inside the building. The building has a long history and was built upon and reused many times. As we were leaving the courtyard, they were setting up for a concert of some sort and “Imagine” came on. It was funny but a good way to remember the visit.
Córdoba is a nice city. Definitely a manageable size that I feel like I will get to know people. Not only Spaniards but also other Europeans because there are a lot of study abroad programs in the city… specifically Erasmus which is the inter-European study abroad program. The neighborhoods are quite interesting and I am glad I live in the Ciudad Jardin. There are a lot of cheap bars and restaurants here as well as a nice park where people walk their dogs. Also, I am in love with the Chinos-- their racially designated version of a dollar store. You can find anything here, but as a word of caution, do not walk in with another chino bag. I did this and the little boy of maybe 10 working the register yelled at me. They sell the same things in each store apparently and they do not want you stealing. Understandable, but it is different. And the sales here are great this time of year! Everything in all the stores is between 30-70% off. I have gotten to know the city a little through both my running and shopping with Preshquit@s (gender neutral). Tomorrow we have a trip to Medina Azahara.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Nuestro Viaje
I got to Spain alright and on time! The flight was pretty quick… probably because I fell asleep for part of it. Let me just say the weather here is much nicer than New England. There have only been sunny days since we landed. Surprisingly, there is some snow on the ground near Segovia. PRESHCO has been keeping me busy but it is great because we get to travel to all the major historical sites of Spain. We started off our tour by seeing the town of Ávila and then spending two nights in Salamanca. On our way to Madrid we went to Segovia which was very cool. The architecture is very impressive as well as the amount of decoration that went into the castles and churches we are seeing. It is all very intimidating knowing that you are surrounded by art and buildings that are hundreds, even thousands of years old. I did get to put some of my art history knowledge to good use in the churches and got most of the time periods and styles of architecture right. Point for Wheaton.
There are only two Wheaties here on the trip and a bunch of people from Wellesley. Oberlin, Trinity, and Smith are the other colleges in the program. Everybody is getting along well, so far, and making friends is easy. We have gone out a few times and today during our free times we have explored the cities and museums. Once we arrived in Madrid we made some day trips to El Escorial (an amazing site) and Toledo. Yesterday we had a bus tour of Madrid and then some free time that lasted into today.
Today was very exciting. I visited the Museo Nacional del Prado and the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza and had lunch in El Parque del Buen Retiro. The Prado was amazing. It had, obviously, a large collection of Spanish artists like Velázquez, El Greco, etc. There was so much to take in there but I did a good job of seeing the masterpieces they recommended and that I have studied in school. The amount of trypitchs on display was incredible and those were probably my favorite. The Thyssen-Bornemisza was a newer museum that had a great collection also. I really enjoyed the American pieces they had. New England was represented as well as the Native Americans. It was interesting to see what aspects of America were represented abroad. Although I was even more excited when I saw the Hopper pieces they had! It was a flashback to Provincetown and the Hopper exhibit we had there since he taught in Provincetown. The previous day we had visited the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia and they had a piece by Motherwell. Provincetown really does produce world renowned artists.
Our tour of Madrid is wrapping up today with a group dinner. The weirdest part about Spain so far is when to eat. I still have not figured that out yet because dinner is always after 9 and then there is Siesta in the afternoon. Lunch is always just squeezed in somewhere. Also, I find it humorous that the Spaniards are wearing wool coats and scarves midday when it is 55-60ºF. The mornings are a little cold, but I end up taking my jacket off around noon and then I get even hotter when I see the old women walking in groups of three decked out in their furs. Anyways, tomorrow we head to Barcelona for a few nights and then we take a train to Córdoba. Cannot wait to see Barcelona.
Pictures: Catedral Nueva en Salamanca, Segovia, Toledo
There are only two Wheaties here on the trip and a bunch of people from Wellesley. Oberlin, Trinity, and Smith are the other colleges in the program. Everybody is getting along well, so far, and making friends is easy. We have gone out a few times and today during our free times we have explored the cities and museums. Once we arrived in Madrid we made some day trips to El Escorial (an amazing site) and Toledo. Yesterday we had a bus tour of Madrid and then some free time that lasted into today.
Today was very exciting. I visited the Museo Nacional del Prado and the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza and had lunch in El Parque del Buen Retiro. The Prado was amazing. It had, obviously, a large collection of Spanish artists like Velázquez, El Greco, etc. There was so much to take in there but I did a good job of seeing the masterpieces they recommended and that I have studied in school. The amount of trypitchs on display was incredible and those were probably my favorite. The Thyssen-Bornemisza was a newer museum that had a great collection also. I really enjoyed the American pieces they had. New England was represented as well as the Native Americans. It was interesting to see what aspects of America were represented abroad. Although I was even more excited when I saw the Hopper pieces they had! It was a flashback to Provincetown and the Hopper exhibit we had there since he taught in Provincetown. The previous day we had visited the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia and they had a piece by Motherwell. Provincetown really does produce world renowned artists.
Our tour of Madrid is wrapping up today with a group dinner. The weirdest part about Spain so far is when to eat. I still have not figured that out yet because dinner is always after 9 and then there is Siesta in the afternoon. Lunch is always just squeezed in somewhere. Also, I find it humorous that the Spaniards are wearing wool coats and scarves midday when it is 55-60ºF. The mornings are a little cold, but I end up taking my jacket off around noon and then I get even hotter when I see the old women walking in groups of three decked out in their furs. Anyways, tomorrow we head to Barcelona for a few nights and then we take a train to Córdoba. Cannot wait to see Barcelona.
Pictures: Catedral Nueva en Salamanca, Segovia, Toledo
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Anticipation and Liberation
Well if you are anywhere from Texas to Maine you might be able to understand a bit of the nail biting I’ve gone through today. This storm and impending ice storm better not stop me from getting to New Jersey tomorrow. I’m leaving early in an SUV… keep your fingers crossed. Just want to get out of here to the 60ºF weather in Córdoba! Since I’ve spent all day doing it, here’s a picture of my luggage that I’m so proud of.
It’s kind of funny that most of my personal belongings fit into just two suitcases. And I definitely do not understand how I managed to get the same amount of clothes and random items into such a small place when you compare it with my car returning home from Wheaton the past two semesters.
The return home from Provincetown was even more crowded. I probably broke some maximum capacity law...
With that being said, there is something oddly liberating about not having any ‘big ticket’ items any more. My car is getting sold to the junkyard and my phone is turned off, although I get one from PRESHCO in Spain. I am not that old school. I’ve left my two jobs from break and paid the government my taxes. Yet again, I am a nomad. Only this time I’m crossing the ocean I spent so much time next to when I was a traveling last.
Anyways, got my visado and am ready for Madrid and our tour before classes start. Hopefully the flight leaves on time tomorrow. If not, I’ve have the Spanish themed Christmas gift from my dad, Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls.
*Photo Credit to Shane, photo 3.
It’s kind of funny that most of my personal belongings fit into just two suitcases. And I definitely do not understand how I managed to get the same amount of clothes and random items into such a small place when you compare it with my car returning home from Wheaton the past two semesters.
The return home from Provincetown was even more crowded. I probably broke some maximum capacity law...
With that being said, there is something oddly liberating about not having any ‘big ticket’ items any more. My car is getting sold to the junkyard and my phone is turned off, although I get one from PRESHCO in Spain. I am not that old school. I’ve left my two jobs from break and paid the government my taxes. Yet again, I am a nomad. Only this time I’m crossing the ocean I spent so much time next to when I was a traveling last.
Anyways, got my visado and am ready for Madrid and our tour before classes start. Hopefully the flight leaves on time tomorrow. If not, I’ve have the Spanish themed Christmas gift from my dad, Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls.
*Photo Credit to Shane, photo 3.
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