It’s 3 am and I am finally packed and ready to go. No, that’s not quite right. I’m not ready exactly. More like prepared. I have my tickets printed and my passport packed. But if you called me right this second and told me I could stay, I would. Without a doubt.
Please don’t misunderstand me. I am ecstatic to see my family and my friends. I know, because I’m being honest with myself, that I will cry when I see my father. I will also cry when I see my nephews. I miss each and every one of their loving smiles. I cannot wait for the big bear hug that I know I will get when I see my brother. I’m also so excited to see my sister and mother. I feel like this trip has helped me grow closer with the both of them, though I’ve been thousands of miles away.
My friends, my many, many friends have no idea how much I learned about them and our relationship this semester. I have realized that I am blessed to have so many truly good friends. Best friends. And I cannot wait to see everyone!
I guess the real reason for my reluctance to leave is the unknown. I do not know when I will back. I do not know when I will get to walk these streets and breathe in the beauty that is Granada. And that not knowing is truly breaking my heart.
This city, it’s enchanting. That’s the best word I can use to describe it. As Jensen and I walked back to our apartment from our last night of tapas hopping with friends, we stopped by the cathedral to have one last look. And I was as in awe of it tonight as when I first arrived in Granada. In that moment, as I stood in front of one of the prettiest cathedrals I have ever seen, I realized what it is about this city that makes my heart race and beat slowly at the same time. It’s the magic here. I feel it everywhere. The Alhambra is a place of a thousand fairy tales, all of which a small part of myself knows to be true. The Albayzín is like teleporting to a different time and place. Everything here is covered in residue of the past. Residue of the lives that have touched it, and there is magic in that. And everyone that comes here is exposed. With enough exposure, it seeps into our bones and changes us. I know this to be true, because I have changed knowingly, gladly. And it was this city that made it possible, that helped me along.
In these past four months, I have learned so many things about myself. I’ve learned to accept things I’ve been ashamed of and to forget things that are unimportant. I’ve learned to face my fears head on. I’ve also learned to embrace the potential within myself, the potential that I have taken special care to hide from out of fear of failure. Those are just a few of the things I’ve learned from this city.
In my time here, I was given the challenge to push myself. Not just to learn the Spanish language, but to truly push myself, to find out what I am made of. I am proud to say that I rose to the occasion. I will no longer doubt my capabilities as a student, as a woman, or as an adult, no matter how young I may be. I was tested here, in this great city, and found myself to be a self-sufficient, resourceful, woman. I have no regrets from my time spent in Granada and am proud of all I have done. This trip wasn’t about succeeding or failing. It was about learning. And I truly believe I have learned some of the most invaluable things a person can learn about life and about themselves.
One of the first posts I wrote, I titled “You can fall in love at first sight with a place as with a person.” I could not have picked a more accurate or true statement. Nothing will ever be able to replace Granada, my first home away from home, in my heart. So I say this now, a pledge to city that I owe so much. This is not a goodbye, it is a see you later. And until then, you will be missed, never forgotten, and always loved.
I realize, after writing this, that it is time for me to move on. I have had the experience of a lifetime, I have learned invaluable things about life and myself and now it is time for me to put all of my knowledge to use. So, I guess I am ready after all. Let the next chapter begin....
Kaitlin Hope ♥
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
December 15th, A Heavy Heart
Today is a special day. Today is the birthday of someone that I love very much. Today my Aunt Penny would have turned 50 had she not passed away this last August. Today has been hard.
She was so excited when she found out I was coming to Spain. I didn’t even get to tell her, my grandmother did. Yet, somehow people from home were calling me saying how excited they were for me to be going to Spain. When I asked how they knew, more people than not said, “You’re Aunt Penny cut my hair and all she did was talk about how proud of you she was! She didn’t even know I knew you at first!” I still laugh at that because there’s no telling how many people know I went to Spain this fall.
My Aunt Penny was a handful. You will not find a person that knew her that will say she wasn’t wild. There are hundreds of Penny stories. I hope one day I’ll have friends that can talk about me as fondly as hers do of her. She wasn’t perfect but she was real. She wasn’t afraid of being herself. Ever. And that’s something I hope to learn from her, even though she’s gone.
This will be our first holiday season without her and it is going to be so strange. Strange not to hear her cuss my sister for getting the good present in Dirty Santa. Strange not to hear her sing “Little Johny” to any of the kids that want to hear it. And maybe some that don’t. It’s going to be strange not hear her ask when we’re karaokeing or when I’m going to “get me a man.” It’ll be even more strange not to hear her say her token “men aren’t worth s**t” response when I say I haven’t found one worth dating yet. I could go on and on. But I won’t dwell on the sad parts. I’ll just cherish the time I had with her.
As much as I love Spain, I am now ready to come home. I am ready to be with my family. I wish I could have been with them today. But as long as I’m here, I’m going to honor my aunt. I’m going to make as many memories as possible this weekend and I’ll think of her while I’m doing it. Actually, I’m sure she’ll be whispering in my ear, telling me to do things I probably shouldn’t! That’s what she did best : )
For those of you who knew her, I miss her too. For those of you who didn’t, that’s a shame... You missed out.
She was so excited when she found out I was coming to Spain. I didn’t even get to tell her, my grandmother did. Yet, somehow people from home were calling me saying how excited they were for me to be going to Spain. When I asked how they knew, more people than not said, “You’re Aunt Penny cut my hair and all she did was talk about how proud of you she was! She didn’t even know I knew you at first!” I still laugh at that because there’s no telling how many people know I went to Spain this fall.
My Aunt Penny was a handful. You will not find a person that knew her that will say she wasn’t wild. There are hundreds of Penny stories. I hope one day I’ll have friends that can talk about me as fondly as hers do of her. She wasn’t perfect but she was real. She wasn’t afraid of being herself. Ever. And that’s something I hope to learn from her, even though she’s gone.
This will be our first holiday season without her and it is going to be so strange. Strange not to hear her cuss my sister for getting the good present in Dirty Santa. Strange not to hear her sing “Little Johny” to any of the kids that want to hear it. And maybe some that don’t. It’s going to be strange not hear her ask when we’re karaokeing or when I’m going to “get me a man.” It’ll be even more strange not to hear her say her token “men aren’t worth s**t” response when I say I haven’t found one worth dating yet. I could go on and on. But I won’t dwell on the sad parts. I’ll just cherish the time I had with her.
As much as I love Spain, I am now ready to come home. I am ready to be with my family. I wish I could have been with them today. But as long as I’m here, I’m going to honor my aunt. I’m going to make as many memories as possible this weekend and I’ll think of her while I’m doing it. Actually, I’m sure she’ll be whispering in my ear, telling me to do things I probably shouldn’t! That’s what she did best : )
For those of you who knew her, I miss her too. For those of you who didn’t, that’s a shame... You missed out.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Irlanda: ♪One foot in sea, one on shore♪
I have been looking forward to Thanksgiving week since before I came to Spain. Why? You may ask. Well, because my best friend came to visit : ) We started planning this adventure last summer before I had even bought my plane ticket to Spain. At first I think we mentioned it as a joke but it took Parker about 5 minutes to actually decide to ask for a trip to Europe for Christmas. Bless her family for saying yes!
We set the plans in stone in September when Parker purchased her plane tickets. Because she was going to be here for a week, we decided we should go see another country while she was here as well. Unsurprisingly, we picked Ireland. Parker and I just had to go see our imaginary lover from our favorite book series which is set in Dublin. I’ll spare you the details, just know that we geeked out big time on this trip! Haha!
So, Parker flew straight to Dublin and I caught a flight out of Madrid. We met up on the 19th at around 1pm after I walked around terminal 1 for 20 minutes and then finally realized she was in terminal 2. That’s when the adventure began : )
We quickly realized that Irish people are some of the nicest people. They’ll talk to you just as easily and nicely as an Oklahoman! That may have been my favorite thing about Ireland. Don’t get me wrong, Spaniards are nice, but they’re not Oklahoma nice. Irish people come as close as it gets I think. On our bus ride into the city, we got to meet an adorably sweet old Irish man. He talked to us the entire 45 minute ride. In the first 2 minutes of speaking to us he announced that he was gay, 70 something, and liked to wear an earring to annoy all of his stuffy counterparts. I loved this man instantly and took it as a good indicator of how the trip would go. I’m happy to say I was right!
The first thing we did after checking into the hostel was check local movie times. At that point, it had been 3 months since I’d watched a movie in an actual movie theater. If you know me very well, you know that is an absolute blowout record of how long I’ve gone without going to the movies. I practically live at the Warren when I’m in the city and the Malco is the backdrop for about half of my favorite high school memories. Needless to say, I’ll never wait that long again. I felt like I’d been separated from a long lost family member or something. So, of course, Parker and I went to watch Breaking Dawn. Don’t judge me! I couldn’t wait until I was home in December while everyone was posting about it on Facebook during the mean time. And because we were already americanizing our first night in Ireland, we decided to have Burger King for dinner. Again, don’t judge. I had fast food only one other time in the three months I’d been gone. I’ll go ahead and admit that I also had Starbucks in Dublin, but I won’t apologize for that!
After our “big” first night out, Parker was tired from her flight so we went back to the hostel and planned our itinerary for the next day. We booked a trip to the south coast of Ireland to go see the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher. We woke up at 6am to go catch a bus at 715 to Galway and then met up with our tour guide group. It was a beautiful day and all of the Irish kept going on and on about how it was uncharacteristically warm. I take the credit because the exact same thing happened when I went to England for Bo’s wedding. Apparently I can’t help but warm a place up! I haven’t posted the photos yet but I will soon. The countryside of Ireland is stunning and luckily we got to take a walking tour up the Burren. The “Burren” in Gaelic means “the rocky place” which were actually rocky hills that provided an amazing view of the countryside. The photos I took don’t begin to capture the greenness of the country.
After the Burren, we went to the Cliffs of Moher. They were breathtaking! I felt like I was at the end of world, and staring off into the Atlantic was incredibly humbling. Not being able to begin to fathom the distance from Ireland to the States definitely makes you feel small. Along the way to and from the Cliffs, we got to see so many cute fishing and farming villages. I would love to go back and explore them all one day. We also saw a few Irish castles and English forts. Everything, old and new, in Ireland has an incredible charm to it. If you ever go to Dublin, I fully recommend taking a day trip to one of the coasts. You’ve never experienced anything like it.
After the Cliffs, our tour bus stopped to eat at a place called Fitzpatrick’s. That’s when we realized that there were 2 American guys on our bus. Well, they realized we were American when they overheard Parker and I ranting about football (as usual). They were studying abroad in London together and we got to hangout with them for a while that day. One of them was from Dallas originally. I apologized for his bad luck ; ) Even in Ireland, I felt his pain! Haha
On our third day in Ireland, we spent the day walking around Dublin. Surprisingly, Dublin is actually rather small. We could have easily walked from one end to the other in under an hour. We started the day off by going to see Trinity College. I’m sorry to all of my Sooners, and while I still love our campus, it pales in comparison to Trinity. OU’s campus will remain my favorite but I’m afraid Trinity may have stolen my heart. Seeing a campus like that did nothing to help my graduation jitters. I began to think up excuses to go study abroad there. I found a few, but none that would hold up too well against my parents.
After Trinity, we walked to the Guinness Factory. That building is by far, one of the coolest things ever designed. It’s shaped like a Guinness glass on the inside! While we were there, we learned how they make Guinness, took some amazing photos, and had a half a pint in the panoramic view on the top floor of the building. Shamefully, I’ve never been one for beer so I took a few sips but I just couldn’t hack it!
After, we walked to the Jameson Distillery and bought some gifts for some lucky ducks back in the states. The Jameson Distillery was pretty impressive as well but we decided against a tour because we wanted to make sure we had time to explore Temple Bar district. We had a superb dinner at an Italian restaurant and looked in some fun boutiques. Sadly, we didn’t get to have a night out in Temple Bar because we had a bus to catch back to the airport.
We spent our last night in Ireland at the airport in Dublin because we had an early flight to Madrid. Nonetheless, I had a good time just laughing and being absurd with my best friend. Without a doubt, all of the tired travelers sleeping next to us on the couches at Starbucks hated us, but I know we were entertained. Parker and I usually are. Overall, Ireland was fantastic and I cannot wait to go back. I’ve definitely added it the list of places I plan to know, not just experience.
Kaitlin
We set the plans in stone in September when Parker purchased her plane tickets. Because she was going to be here for a week, we decided we should go see another country while she was here as well. Unsurprisingly, we picked Ireland. Parker and I just had to go see our imaginary lover from our favorite book series which is set in Dublin. I’ll spare you the details, just know that we geeked out big time on this trip! Haha!
So, Parker flew straight to Dublin and I caught a flight out of Madrid. We met up on the 19th at around 1pm after I walked around terminal 1 for 20 minutes and then finally realized she was in terminal 2. That’s when the adventure began : )
We quickly realized that Irish people are some of the nicest people. They’ll talk to you just as easily and nicely as an Oklahoman! That may have been my favorite thing about Ireland. Don’t get me wrong, Spaniards are nice, but they’re not Oklahoma nice. Irish people come as close as it gets I think. On our bus ride into the city, we got to meet an adorably sweet old Irish man. He talked to us the entire 45 minute ride. In the first 2 minutes of speaking to us he announced that he was gay, 70 something, and liked to wear an earring to annoy all of his stuffy counterparts. I loved this man instantly and took it as a good indicator of how the trip would go. I’m happy to say I was right!
The first thing we did after checking into the hostel was check local movie times. At that point, it had been 3 months since I’d watched a movie in an actual movie theater. If you know me very well, you know that is an absolute blowout record of how long I’ve gone without going to the movies. I practically live at the Warren when I’m in the city and the Malco is the backdrop for about half of my favorite high school memories. Needless to say, I’ll never wait that long again. I felt like I’d been separated from a long lost family member or something. So, of course, Parker and I went to watch Breaking Dawn. Don’t judge me! I couldn’t wait until I was home in December while everyone was posting about it on Facebook during the mean time. And because we were already americanizing our first night in Ireland, we decided to have Burger King for dinner. Again, don’t judge. I had fast food only one other time in the three months I’d been gone. I’ll go ahead and admit that I also had Starbucks in Dublin, but I won’t apologize for that!
After our “big” first night out, Parker was tired from her flight so we went back to the hostel and planned our itinerary for the next day. We booked a trip to the south coast of Ireland to go see the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher. We woke up at 6am to go catch a bus at 715 to Galway and then met up with our tour guide group. It was a beautiful day and all of the Irish kept going on and on about how it was uncharacteristically warm. I take the credit because the exact same thing happened when I went to England for Bo’s wedding. Apparently I can’t help but warm a place up! I haven’t posted the photos yet but I will soon. The countryside of Ireland is stunning and luckily we got to take a walking tour up the Burren. The “Burren” in Gaelic means “the rocky place” which were actually rocky hills that provided an amazing view of the countryside. The photos I took don’t begin to capture the greenness of the country.
After the Burren, we went to the Cliffs of Moher. They were breathtaking! I felt like I was at the end of world, and staring off into the Atlantic was incredibly humbling. Not being able to begin to fathom the distance from Ireland to the States definitely makes you feel small. Along the way to and from the Cliffs, we got to see so many cute fishing and farming villages. I would love to go back and explore them all one day. We also saw a few Irish castles and English forts. Everything, old and new, in Ireland has an incredible charm to it. If you ever go to Dublin, I fully recommend taking a day trip to one of the coasts. You’ve never experienced anything like it.
After the Cliffs, our tour bus stopped to eat at a place called Fitzpatrick’s. That’s when we realized that there were 2 American guys on our bus. Well, they realized we were American when they overheard Parker and I ranting about football (as usual). They were studying abroad in London together and we got to hangout with them for a while that day. One of them was from Dallas originally. I apologized for his bad luck ; ) Even in Ireland, I felt his pain! Haha
On our third day in Ireland, we spent the day walking around Dublin. Surprisingly, Dublin is actually rather small. We could have easily walked from one end to the other in under an hour. We started the day off by going to see Trinity College. I’m sorry to all of my Sooners, and while I still love our campus, it pales in comparison to Trinity. OU’s campus will remain my favorite but I’m afraid Trinity may have stolen my heart. Seeing a campus like that did nothing to help my graduation jitters. I began to think up excuses to go study abroad there. I found a few, but none that would hold up too well against my parents.
After Trinity, we walked to the Guinness Factory. That building is by far, one of the coolest things ever designed. It’s shaped like a Guinness glass on the inside! While we were there, we learned how they make Guinness, took some amazing photos, and had a half a pint in the panoramic view on the top floor of the building. Shamefully, I’ve never been one for beer so I took a few sips but I just couldn’t hack it!
After, we walked to the Jameson Distillery and bought some gifts for some lucky ducks back in the states. The Jameson Distillery was pretty impressive as well but we decided against a tour because we wanted to make sure we had time to explore Temple Bar district. We had a superb dinner at an Italian restaurant and looked in some fun boutiques. Sadly, we didn’t get to have a night out in Temple Bar because we had a bus to catch back to the airport.
We spent our last night in Ireland at the airport in Dublin because we had an early flight to Madrid. Nonetheless, I had a good time just laughing and being absurd with my best friend. Without a doubt, all of the tired travelers sleeping next to us on the couches at Starbucks hated us, but I know we were entertained. Parker and I usually are. Overall, Ireland was fantastic and I cannot wait to go back. I’ve definitely added it the list of places I plan to know, not just experience.
Kaitlin
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Mixed Roman Emotions
Ever since I was a little girl I have been obsessed with Roman and Greek cultures. Hercules is still one of my favorite Disney movies, and while I’m pretty sure that movie was supposed to be based on the Greek Hercules, he was still a big hero to the Romans. Gladiator is still one of my favorite movies to watch with my dad. As I got older, I have to admit that I started to romanticize Italy. Everything I had heard about Italy was a grown woman’s fairy tale. Grape vineyards, beautiful countryside, good-looking Italian men, breathtaking architecture, and an incredible history were just a few of the things calling my name before I had even left the States. I mean, Shakespeare was even inspired enough to chose Italian cities as the backdrop of some of his most famous plays. Saying that, I don’t feel like the hype which Italy received was all on me. Which is why I am not taking the blame for the somewhat mediocre time I had there. Maybe I did have Rome put up on a pedestal and if that’s the reason why I found it somewhat lacking then let me make myself clear when I say that I have learned my lesson. I no longer have any expectations for the cities I visit. Maybe if I had felt that way before Rome, it would have been a little better.
In short, the city was kind of dirty and there were homeless people everywhere. The architecture was only pretty around touristy sights. Even though the city in its majority was a little lacking, I can say that the Trevi Fountain was breathtaking. I threw two coins in. Tradition says that you can throw three in but that can be bad luck. I’ll explain. One is so that you’ll come back. Another is to meet someone new (that’s not ambiguous at all) and the last is to either get married or divorced. How I understood it was that if you were already married it meant that you already had that special someone and the only thing you could possibly want is to return to Rome one day, but if you threw in an extra it meant that maybe you weren’t so happy and the wishes would take care of that for you by giving you a divorce (haha). So like I said, I threw in two coins. One, so I would return to Rome one day (and hopefully have a better experience) and another in hopes of meeting someone new. I currently had no desire to throw in a coin for that last wish and thought it best not to tempt fate : )
I have to admit that the Pantheon was very cool. You definitely felt like you were in a different time when you walked in. People don’t just makes building like that for the heck of it these days. The Coliseum also gave off that affect. Times ten. We walked out of the metro thinking it would take us a minute to find it and walk to it but we were mistaken. As soon as we excited the metro and walked onto the street, there it was staring us in the face. It was incredible! Just imagining the things that took place there and the people that witnessed it was enough to give me chills. It was sad to think about how such a great monument had somehow become a ruin. Half of the top layer of walls had fallen down and all of the columns were eroded. Still, the only things that took away from the experience were the cars passing literally 30 yards away and the metal bars surrounding it. We didn’t get to go in but I’m sort of glad we didn’t. It keeps some of the mystery alive for me.
The coolest thing about Rome wasn’t even technically Roman. It was the Vatican City. Fun fact: The Vatican City is the smallest country in the world. It is also the country where the Pope resides which is surrounded by Rome on all sides. Rocio, Jensen, and I took a tour of the museum which was incredible. I’ve never seen so many works of art and important pieces of history in one place. Michael Angelo is definitely my top respected artist. He had multiple Popes wrapped around his finger. He was just that good. I mean, the man drew naked people on the ceilings of this sacred place and they paid him for it! That’s impressive. When I was younger, pictures of the Sistine Chapel just looked like this ugly jumbled mess to me. Now, after seeing it, I can see just what a genius Angelo was. Every single object, person, and color represents something. Our tour guide told us an interesting story. He said that an adviser to the Pope, who had commissioned Angelo to do the Sistine Chapel, complained about the nudity and tried to have Angelo fired. When Angelo found out, he painted the adviser's face on one of the people he had placed in his depiction of Hell. I have a feeling Angelo was a funny guy = P
Saint Peter’s Basilica was stunning to say the least. However, I did feel a little sacrilegious going inside and taking photos. I’m not Catholic or anything but it still seemed a little weird. The basilica was really high on my list of things to see while we were in Rome, or should I say the Vatican, but after I found out what it was made of I was a little heartbroken. Our tour guide informed us that when Pope something something decided to have the basilica built, he ran out of money. That was when priests began charging money in exchange for forgiveness. Then to lighten the costs even further, the Pope ordered that they were to remove all of the marble from the Coliseum and use it to make cement for the marble columns that were to go inside the basilica. So when you watch Gladiator and you see that the Coliseum is all pretty and white, don’t think it’s a lie. It really was that stunning when the gladiators fought and the Romans watched. Just know that you can thank Pope What’s His Face for the reason it doesn’t look like that anymore.
The most important and best thing about Rome was the food. It was great everywhere we went. It was better than great, it was amazing! And if I never have crappy Pizza Hut pizza again for as long as I live, I’ll be okay because at least I can say I’ve had the best and that’s Italian pizza.
All in all, my trip was worth it because I got to see some of the greatest monuments of all time. I just wish the Italian men hadn’t been so creepy, that the homeless hadn’t been so scary, and that the old men had kept their hands to themselves. That’s all I’m going to say. Ciao!
Kaitlin
In short, the city was kind of dirty and there were homeless people everywhere. The architecture was only pretty around touristy sights. Even though the city in its majority was a little lacking, I can say that the Trevi Fountain was breathtaking. I threw two coins in. Tradition says that you can throw three in but that can be bad luck. I’ll explain. One is so that you’ll come back. Another is to meet someone new (that’s not ambiguous at all) and the last is to either get married or divorced. How I understood it was that if you were already married it meant that you already had that special someone and the only thing you could possibly want is to return to Rome one day, but if you threw in an extra it meant that maybe you weren’t so happy and the wishes would take care of that for you by giving you a divorce (haha). So like I said, I threw in two coins. One, so I would return to Rome one day (and hopefully have a better experience) and another in hopes of meeting someone new. I currently had no desire to throw in a coin for that last wish and thought it best not to tempt fate : )
I have to admit that the Pantheon was very cool. You definitely felt like you were in a different time when you walked in. People don’t just makes building like that for the heck of it these days. The Coliseum also gave off that affect. Times ten. We walked out of the metro thinking it would take us a minute to find it and walk to it but we were mistaken. As soon as we excited the metro and walked onto the street, there it was staring us in the face. It was incredible! Just imagining the things that took place there and the people that witnessed it was enough to give me chills. It was sad to think about how such a great monument had somehow become a ruin. Half of the top layer of walls had fallen down and all of the columns were eroded. Still, the only things that took away from the experience were the cars passing literally 30 yards away and the metal bars surrounding it. We didn’t get to go in but I’m sort of glad we didn’t. It keeps some of the mystery alive for me.
The coolest thing about Rome wasn’t even technically Roman. It was the Vatican City. Fun fact: The Vatican City is the smallest country in the world. It is also the country where the Pope resides which is surrounded by Rome on all sides. Rocio, Jensen, and I took a tour of the museum which was incredible. I’ve never seen so many works of art and important pieces of history in one place. Michael Angelo is definitely my top respected artist. He had multiple Popes wrapped around his finger. He was just that good. I mean, the man drew naked people on the ceilings of this sacred place and they paid him for it! That’s impressive. When I was younger, pictures of the Sistine Chapel just looked like this ugly jumbled mess to me. Now, after seeing it, I can see just what a genius Angelo was. Every single object, person, and color represents something. Our tour guide told us an interesting story. He said that an adviser to the Pope, who had commissioned Angelo to do the Sistine Chapel, complained about the nudity and tried to have Angelo fired. When Angelo found out, he painted the adviser's face on one of the people he had placed in his depiction of Hell. I have a feeling Angelo was a funny guy = P
Saint Peter’s Basilica was stunning to say the least. However, I did feel a little sacrilegious going inside and taking photos. I’m not Catholic or anything but it still seemed a little weird. The basilica was really high on my list of things to see while we were in Rome, or should I say the Vatican, but after I found out what it was made of I was a little heartbroken. Our tour guide informed us that when Pope something something decided to have the basilica built, he ran out of money. That was when priests began charging money in exchange for forgiveness. Then to lighten the costs even further, the Pope ordered that they were to remove all of the marble from the Coliseum and use it to make cement for the marble columns that were to go inside the basilica. So when you watch Gladiator and you see that the Coliseum is all pretty and white, don’t think it’s a lie. It really was that stunning when the gladiators fought and the Romans watched. Just know that you can thank Pope What’s His Face for the reason it doesn’t look like that anymore.
The most important and best thing about Rome was the food. It was great everywhere we went. It was better than great, it was amazing! And if I never have crappy Pizza Hut pizza again for as long as I live, I’ll be okay because at least I can say I’ve had the best and that’s Italian pizza.
All in all, my trip was worth it because I got to see some of the greatest monuments of all time. I just wish the Italian men hadn’t been so creepy, that the homeless hadn’t been so scary, and that the old men had kept their hands to themselves. That’s all I’m going to say. Ciao!
Kaitlin
Space
It's been about a month since I've posted on this thing. Since I've been getting more than a few requests to start filling you guys in on my life again, I figured I better start now. It's not that I didn't want to write. Okay, yes it is. But I have several reasons for not wanting jot down my every experience. I realized a month ago, when I was in Rome, that there is absolutely no way that I can help you guys understand how incredible this journey has been for me. So I gave up. My poorly written descriptions of the places I've been, the things I've seen, and the people I've met are sad in comparison to the real thing. It's like trying to describe color to a blind man. Okay, so maybe not that drastic, but I still feel like I'm not giving any of these things the justice they're due. On top of that, I wanted to be enjoying things to their fullest, not thinking about how I was going to jot down the details accurately later.
The other reason I was feeling reluctant to write is because I'm in Spain, people! I have 5 and a half weeks (to the day) left in this amazing place. I cringed as a wrote that. I hate admitting that time is running away from me here and this blog is kind of a reminder. Ever since my mother, grandmother, and aunt came to visit, I have had this internal countdown going in my head. When I wake up in the morning, still on the verge of unconsciousness, the thought "You have __ weeks and __ days left" manages to jolt me awake. It's enough to make me sick, and of course it manages to get my day off to a bad start instantly. At first I thought I was having trouble forgetting my looming departure because I was homesick. Then I took a minute to laugh and admitted that it's because I have a hard time dealing with deadlines. They make me antsy. Also, just knowing that I'm leaving soon is so unsettling. Partly because I feel so at home in this city and partly because it feels like I just got here. I'm not sure where the time has gone. It's also unsettling because I don't know when I'll get to come back to this place. And I hate not knowing.
I realized today that this blog is what is going to keep me sane. I’m going to try to fit as many new adventures and experiences as I can into this thing before I have to leave. Basically I just needed some space but now I'm back : )Just to let you know, I won’t be updating my Facebook every time I write a new post, so you’ll have to keep up with me on your own.
Mejor,
Kaitlin
The other reason I was feeling reluctant to write is because I'm in Spain, people! I have 5 and a half weeks (to the day) left in this amazing place. I cringed as a wrote that. I hate admitting that time is running away from me here and this blog is kind of a reminder. Ever since my mother, grandmother, and aunt came to visit, I have had this internal countdown going in my head. When I wake up in the morning, still on the verge of unconsciousness, the thought "You have __ weeks and __ days left" manages to jolt me awake. It's enough to make me sick, and of course it manages to get my day off to a bad start instantly. At first I thought I was having trouble forgetting my looming departure because I was homesick. Then I took a minute to laugh and admitted that it's because I have a hard time dealing with deadlines. They make me antsy. Also, just knowing that I'm leaving soon is so unsettling. Partly because I feel so at home in this city and partly because it feels like I just got here. I'm not sure where the time has gone. It's also unsettling because I don't know when I'll get to come back to this place. And I hate not knowing.
I realized today that this blog is what is going to keep me sane. I’m going to try to fit as many new adventures and experiences as I can into this thing before I have to leave. Basically I just needed some space but now I'm back : )Just to let you know, I won’t be updating my Facebook every time I write a new post, so you’ll have to keep up with me on your own.
Mejor,
Kaitlin
Monday, September 26, 2011
¡Ole!
It’s been 15 days or so since I’ve posted. I’ve just been busy/tired/not in the mood. But I figure it’s time to post something. Last week was a pretty chill week and this past weekend I got to experience a huge part of Spanish culture. I went to a bullfight! (CAUTION: I am about to go into detail. If you don’t want to read it, don’t go on)
Before going, I had heard awful, atrocious things. Most of them were true. I have to admit, though, that I stayed until the end and was fascinated. Did I enjoy the part where I watched 8 bulls die? Absolutely, positively not! But I had never seen anything like it before in my life. Before going, I had heard a dozen stories and opinions about the bullfight. Some said it was disgusting and some said it was like a dance. I can honestly say that I think it’s both. The hardest part for me (other than the part where the bull bleeds out) was how unfair I thought it was. For some reason I thought it would be this “man vs beast” thing. But no, it was definitely a “half of a dozen men with spears vs tired out beast” thing. I was without a doubt cheering for the bull every time with the exception of one bullfighter. But before I tell you why I was impressed I need to explain some things.
There are three stages of a bullfight. In the first, a bunch of matadors enter the ring with the bull, spread out and have the bull chase them which is essentially done to tire the bull out. Then 2 men on horseback, called picadores, come in with a type of lance and stab the bull in between the shoulder blades, trying to anger and weaken it. This, to me, makes it a sissy man’s game. It’s not impressive to kill something that’s already about to fall over from blood loss. The second stage has some of the matadors running up to the bull, jumping up over it’s back and throwing barbed sticks into its shoulders. This also causes minor blood loss and helps slow the bull down, because the sticks are weighted. This part wasn’t too hard for me to handle because it was nothing compared to the damage caused by the first stage. I won’t lie, I even thought it was impressive that those men were brave enough to run towards the bull like that. During the last stage, the main matador takes on the bull by himself. First, he taunts the bull with his cape and usually uses a long, thin sword to inflict small cuts as it runs by the matador. Luckily, I was far enough up in the stands that I couldn’t see any of the wounds but the one from the picador. Lastly, the matador trades swords, taking a somewhat shorter but thicker one, and proceeds to thrust it into the bull, tip to hilt. Most of them died within a minute but there were a few that stayed up and walked around for a bit. If you’re assuming that there were massive amounts of blood, you’d be correct. That was the worst part. I had to close my eyes every time one died.
Okay, now that you have an idea of what happens I can elaborate on why I was impressed with one of the matadors. This particular matador was by far the youngest and the skinniest of the five matadors that killed a bull. He also had 2 fights. But that isn’t what I found impressive, though it did add to my impression. He was the only matador that killed the bull without having it injured first. He declined the picadores. To me, I thought it made the fight a little fairer, and less like cruel and unusual punishment. This man won the best performer of the night and I’m sure that’s why. Also, I have never seen a man move so gracefully in my life. Now I know why Spaniards call it an art form and not a sport, though I’m not sure I would call it either. I still have very mixed emotions about the whole thing.
This probably sounds like a traumatic experience to some of you. Maybe most of you. But there were a few good things that happened. First, the second bull of the night was pardoned because its foot was injured prior to entering the ring and the crowd called for it to be released because it wasn’t a fair fight (at least Spaniards draw the line somewhere). This is great because, according to one of our CEA directors, bulls that are pardoned get to “live like kings” for the rest of their lives. I’m just not sure it applies in this situation because, typically, when a bull is pardoned it is because it was so impressive that the judges reward it by sparing its life. I hope that was what happened.
When I describe the second good thing, know that I use the term "good" loosely. There was a matador who was extremely cocky. Not in a “I’m a performer” way but rather in a “I’m a douche” way. I didn’t like this man. Lucky for me, I got to see him punished for his attitude. Harsh, I know. Unlucky for him, he got stuck with the meanest bull. This thing was ferocious. It was faster, stronger, and smarter than all of the 6 bulls we had watched before it. It tipped over a horse! I was not happy about that. But the horses wear protective padding and special gear so, luckily, it wasn’t injured. During the final stage, the matador turned his back to the bull to face the crowd and do something cocky (I don’t remember what exactly). Normally, when a matador turns his back, the bull is tired and won’t charge because the man isn’t shaking the cape. This bull did not care. It ran at the man, lifted him up on his head, threw him to the ground, and proceeded to try to gore him with his horns. At this point, all of the matadors are rushing the ring trying to save the guy, who turned out to be fine. Luckily, the bull’s horns were pointed in a position that kept them from actually injuring the matador. After being rescued, the guy starts shoving the other matadors off, picks up the sword and kills the bull. I was mad for multiple reasons. I thought that the guy should have been made to go to the hospital, and not allowed to finish the job. I was also mad because out of all the bulls I felt that this one was by far the best and deserved to be pardoned. I know what you’re probably thinking, “I can’t believe she was rooting for the bull!” But that man got cocky and got bested because of it. On top of that he was acting offended that the bull dare touch him (After all, the guy was just cutting him over and over). I'm just glad the bull got to get a hit in. I still don't think he should have been allowed to kill it.
I can say that I’m glad that I went to watch the bullfight. It was a cultural experience that is a rare opportunity. It’s becoming a very controversial thing here so it may not be around much longer. I’m also happy to say that I can form my own opinion about bullfights and don’t have to base my opinion on what others tell me. However, I have no intention of going to another one. The first one was educational, a second would make me feel a little sociopathic.
I hope I didn’t disgust you too much. If I did, I apologize. And I can guarantee you that none of my other posts will be this graphic. If I ever tell you a story about bulls again, it’ll most likely be about a good ol’ Oklahoma rodeo where the bull lives... Thankfully!
Kait
Before going, I had heard awful, atrocious things. Most of them were true. I have to admit, though, that I stayed until the end and was fascinated. Did I enjoy the part where I watched 8 bulls die? Absolutely, positively not! But I had never seen anything like it before in my life. Before going, I had heard a dozen stories and opinions about the bullfight. Some said it was disgusting and some said it was like a dance. I can honestly say that I think it’s both. The hardest part for me (other than the part where the bull bleeds out) was how unfair I thought it was. For some reason I thought it would be this “man vs beast” thing. But no, it was definitely a “half of a dozen men with spears vs tired out beast” thing. I was without a doubt cheering for the bull every time with the exception of one bullfighter. But before I tell you why I was impressed I need to explain some things.
There are three stages of a bullfight. In the first, a bunch of matadors enter the ring with the bull, spread out and have the bull chase them which is essentially done to tire the bull out. Then 2 men on horseback, called picadores, come in with a type of lance and stab the bull in between the shoulder blades, trying to anger and weaken it. This, to me, makes it a sissy man’s game. It’s not impressive to kill something that’s already about to fall over from blood loss. The second stage has some of the matadors running up to the bull, jumping up over it’s back and throwing barbed sticks into its shoulders. This also causes minor blood loss and helps slow the bull down, because the sticks are weighted. This part wasn’t too hard for me to handle because it was nothing compared to the damage caused by the first stage. I won’t lie, I even thought it was impressive that those men were brave enough to run towards the bull like that. During the last stage, the main matador takes on the bull by himself. First, he taunts the bull with his cape and usually uses a long, thin sword to inflict small cuts as it runs by the matador. Luckily, I was far enough up in the stands that I couldn’t see any of the wounds but the one from the picador. Lastly, the matador trades swords, taking a somewhat shorter but thicker one, and proceeds to thrust it into the bull, tip to hilt. Most of them died within a minute but there were a few that stayed up and walked around for a bit. If you’re assuming that there were massive amounts of blood, you’d be correct. That was the worst part. I had to close my eyes every time one died.
Okay, now that you have an idea of what happens I can elaborate on why I was impressed with one of the matadors. This particular matador was by far the youngest and the skinniest of the five matadors that killed a bull. He also had 2 fights. But that isn’t what I found impressive, though it did add to my impression. He was the only matador that killed the bull without having it injured first. He declined the picadores. To me, I thought it made the fight a little fairer, and less like cruel and unusual punishment. This man won the best performer of the night and I’m sure that’s why. Also, I have never seen a man move so gracefully in my life. Now I know why Spaniards call it an art form and not a sport, though I’m not sure I would call it either. I still have very mixed emotions about the whole thing.
This probably sounds like a traumatic experience to some of you. Maybe most of you. But there were a few good things that happened. First, the second bull of the night was pardoned because its foot was injured prior to entering the ring and the crowd called for it to be released because it wasn’t a fair fight (at least Spaniards draw the line somewhere). This is great because, according to one of our CEA directors, bulls that are pardoned get to “live like kings” for the rest of their lives. I’m just not sure it applies in this situation because, typically, when a bull is pardoned it is because it was so impressive that the judges reward it by sparing its life. I hope that was what happened.
When I describe the second good thing, know that I use the term "good" loosely. There was a matador who was extremely cocky. Not in a “I’m a performer” way but rather in a “I’m a douche” way. I didn’t like this man. Lucky for me, I got to see him punished for his attitude. Harsh, I know. Unlucky for him, he got stuck with the meanest bull. This thing was ferocious. It was faster, stronger, and smarter than all of the 6 bulls we had watched before it. It tipped over a horse! I was not happy about that. But the horses wear protective padding and special gear so, luckily, it wasn’t injured. During the final stage, the matador turned his back to the bull to face the crowd and do something cocky (I don’t remember what exactly). Normally, when a matador turns his back, the bull is tired and won’t charge because the man isn’t shaking the cape. This bull did not care. It ran at the man, lifted him up on his head, threw him to the ground, and proceeded to try to gore him with his horns. At this point, all of the matadors are rushing the ring trying to save the guy, who turned out to be fine. Luckily, the bull’s horns were pointed in a position that kept them from actually injuring the matador. After being rescued, the guy starts shoving the other matadors off, picks up the sword and kills the bull. I was mad for multiple reasons. I thought that the guy should have been made to go to the hospital, and not allowed to finish the job. I was also mad because out of all the bulls I felt that this one was by far the best and deserved to be pardoned. I know what you’re probably thinking, “I can’t believe she was rooting for the bull!” But that man got cocky and got bested because of it. On top of that he was acting offended that the bull dare touch him (After all, the guy was just cutting him over and over). I'm just glad the bull got to get a hit in. I still don't think he should have been allowed to kill it.
I can say that I’m glad that I went to watch the bullfight. It was a cultural experience that is a rare opportunity. It’s becoming a very controversial thing here so it may not be around much longer. I’m also happy to say that I can form my own opinion about bullfights and don’t have to base my opinion on what others tell me. However, I have no intention of going to another one. The first one was educational, a second would make me feel a little sociopathic.
I hope I didn’t disgust you too much. If I did, I apologize. And I can guarantee you that none of my other posts will be this graphic. If I ever tell you a story about bulls again, it’ll most likely be about a good ol’ Oklahoma rodeo where the bull lives... Thankfully!
Kait
Monday, September 12, 2011
Las Alpujarras
This past Saturday, CEA took us on an excursion to Las Alpujarras, which is about an hour south of Granada. That has been the best day in Spain so far and I would love to tell you all about it. First, we had to take an hour bus drive to get to the trail to hike up to the place we’d be spending the day. The hike in itself was fantastic because we finally got to see the mountains in our photos, which are pretty much in the background of every photo we’ve taken of the city, in person and up close. I could spend days in those mountains and still not have had my fill. The trails and tiny waterfalls alone are enough to use up my 4G memory card. Once we reached our destination, which was a type of adventure course (that I’m 100% sure surrounded the manager’s house) called Aventura Rural, we divided up into groups to start a rotation on all of the stations.
My group, which had about 10 different dirty names throughout the day, got to do the “bungee-slingshot”. They didn’t tell us what it was actually called so... I named it myself. Yeah, super original. I know. Basically, they hooked us up to 2 sets of bungee cords that were attached to two different trees. Then they attached us to the hitch of a jeep and drove forward until they literally could not go any farther without ramming the stone wall/ramp that lead up to the house. I know this because at one point we asked the driver to pull forward a little further and he hit the wall! All of the guys got to take their turn and I volunteered to be the first girl. I won’t lie, I was scared. Who wouldn’t feel scared when they are about to be flung out into the air over a mountainside? But it was worth the fear, because it was a blast! However, as usual, I had to have a “kaitlin-ism” and get myself hurt. I have no clue how, why, or where I was able to cut a gash into my shin and cause profuse amounts of blood to gush down my leg, all over both shoes, and into my socks. Lovely mental picture, isn’t it? I didn’t even realize I had done it until everyone started saying, “Whoa, you’re bleeding!” In case you’re wondering what I am referring to when I say “kaitlin-ism” I’ll go ahead and define it as the possibility and, more accurately, probability that I will hurt myself in an entirely hazard-free setting, normally in an unexplainable or unlikely way. Now, don’t get me wrong, I know that bungee-slingshotting probably isn’t exactly hazard-free. But how on earth does someone cut their shin open while suspended in mid-air? See, “kaitlin-ism”. Luckily, it didn’t hurt, the cut wasn’t too big, and the cute guide helped doctor me up!
Next we repelled down the mountainside. Here’s the part where I could mislead you and make you think that I actually did some serious repelling, or I could elaborate and mention the fact that we only went down roughly 15 feet... Maybe. Not the best activity, but hey, at least I can say that I did it.
After that we hooked up to a zip line that connected over the canopy of the trees, well kind of over. A few were sticking up and it was pretty impossible to miss them but it’s cool. It was fun. During this activity the guys got their “boy scout” on and spotted an almond tree full of almonds which they proceeded to chow down on. The amusing part was watching them beat them open with rocks. What men will do for food! haha
The next aventura was free falling. Over flat, hard ground. We climbed about 8, maybe 9, meters and let the guide attach us to a rope and we fell (by fall I mean we were supposed to spread eagle it over the edge), swung up behind the other side of the platform and back until we slowed down enough to be lowered to the ground. I went last. I don’t know what it is about jumping towards the ground, even when I know I’m not going to touch it, but it is about one of the hardest things for me to do. I’ve skydived with no problem, but that was different. I was so far up in the air that I couldn’t even see the ground. With free falling, the ground is staring you right in the face! Nonetheless, I sucked it up and did it. I wasn’t about to be the only person who didn’t do it! Plus, it did look fun. From the ground, that this. My big mess up was the fact that I was absolutely incapable of trying to lay flat on air. I bent at the waste and then tumbled over the edge. That’s me, graceful as ever! It might not have been good form, but it did the job. Everyone got a good laugh out of it too, so I’m not complaining.
Archery was the last thing on our list of aventuras. We got to shoot three arrows three times, and a practice round. I’m not ashamed to admit that I sucked it up at first. I’ve never shot a bow before! Give me a bb-gun and I’d probably hit the can before anyone else, but, I mean, I can’t start out great at everything ; P. Joking. Well, I did hit the bulls-eye before it was all said and done. Still, I’m not planning on turning pro anytime soon.
After we finished our rotations, we headed back through the village that was at the bottom of the mountain and walked to the park for lunch, then headed back to Granada. Overall, it was a fantastic day! I got to experience a lot of things that I probably would have never done if I was home so that alone makes it worth it. Not to mention that I get to add to my somewhat short list of crazy accomplishments. Well, that’s all I have for today. I’ve already uploaded the photos from the day on Facebook. Talk to you soon,
Cuidate,
Kait
My group, which had about 10 different dirty names throughout the day, got to do the “bungee-slingshot”. They didn’t tell us what it was actually called so... I named it myself. Yeah, super original. I know. Basically, they hooked us up to 2 sets of bungee cords that were attached to two different trees. Then they attached us to the hitch of a jeep and drove forward until they literally could not go any farther without ramming the stone wall/ramp that lead up to the house. I know this because at one point we asked the driver to pull forward a little further and he hit the wall! All of the guys got to take their turn and I volunteered to be the first girl. I won’t lie, I was scared. Who wouldn’t feel scared when they are about to be flung out into the air over a mountainside? But it was worth the fear, because it was a blast! However, as usual, I had to have a “kaitlin-ism” and get myself hurt. I have no clue how, why, or where I was able to cut a gash into my shin and cause profuse amounts of blood to gush down my leg, all over both shoes, and into my socks. Lovely mental picture, isn’t it? I didn’t even realize I had done it until everyone started saying, “Whoa, you’re bleeding!” In case you’re wondering what I am referring to when I say “kaitlin-ism” I’ll go ahead and define it as the possibility and, more accurately, probability that I will hurt myself in an entirely hazard-free setting, normally in an unexplainable or unlikely way. Now, don’t get me wrong, I know that bungee-slingshotting probably isn’t exactly hazard-free. But how on earth does someone cut their shin open while suspended in mid-air? See, “kaitlin-ism”. Luckily, it didn’t hurt, the cut wasn’t too big, and the cute guide helped doctor me up!
Next we repelled down the mountainside. Here’s the part where I could mislead you and make you think that I actually did some serious repelling, or I could elaborate and mention the fact that we only went down roughly 15 feet... Maybe. Not the best activity, but hey, at least I can say that I did it.
After that we hooked up to a zip line that connected over the canopy of the trees, well kind of over. A few were sticking up and it was pretty impossible to miss them but it’s cool. It was fun. During this activity the guys got their “boy scout” on and spotted an almond tree full of almonds which they proceeded to chow down on. The amusing part was watching them beat them open with rocks. What men will do for food! haha
The next aventura was free falling. Over flat, hard ground. We climbed about 8, maybe 9, meters and let the guide attach us to a rope and we fell (by fall I mean we were supposed to spread eagle it over the edge), swung up behind the other side of the platform and back until we slowed down enough to be lowered to the ground. I went last. I don’t know what it is about jumping towards the ground, even when I know I’m not going to touch it, but it is about one of the hardest things for me to do. I’ve skydived with no problem, but that was different. I was so far up in the air that I couldn’t even see the ground. With free falling, the ground is staring you right in the face! Nonetheless, I sucked it up and did it. I wasn’t about to be the only person who didn’t do it! Plus, it did look fun. From the ground, that this. My big mess up was the fact that I was absolutely incapable of trying to lay flat on air. I bent at the waste and then tumbled over the edge. That’s me, graceful as ever! It might not have been good form, but it did the job. Everyone got a good laugh out of it too, so I’m not complaining.
Archery was the last thing on our list of aventuras. We got to shoot three arrows three times, and a practice round. I’m not ashamed to admit that I sucked it up at first. I’ve never shot a bow before! Give me a bb-gun and I’d probably hit the can before anyone else, but, I mean, I can’t start out great at everything ; P. Joking. Well, I did hit the bulls-eye before it was all said and done. Still, I’m not planning on turning pro anytime soon.
After we finished our rotations, we headed back through the village that was at the bottom of the mountain and walked to the park for lunch, then headed back to Granada. Overall, it was a fantastic day! I got to experience a lot of things that I probably would have never done if I was home so that alone makes it worth it. Not to mention that I get to add to my somewhat short list of crazy accomplishments. Well, that’s all I have for today. I’ve already uploaded the photos from the day on Facebook. Talk to you soon,
Cuidate,
Kait
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Sweet Silver Lining
It’s jueves, just one more day and then el fin de semana! I am both ecstatic and relieved to say that my first week of classes has been pretty fantastic thus far. The first day of class was a bit of a scare for me, but I can already tell that I’m improving and becoming more comfortable in my Spanish “skin.” I’m still a long way off from being as advanced as I’d like to be, but I’m working on it. For me, the Spanish language is like an addiction (except in this case it’s not bad for me, I’m just bad at it). Everyday it feels like it’s getting easier, and everyday I want just a bit more. Eventually, I plan to have as much of it as I can get. But I can’t give all of the credit for my improvement to the language. My classmates are a blast. Especially my lovely new friend, Molly. She helps me power through the stumbles. I don’t know what I would do without her!
I also have to give credit to my profesoras. Last week I was ready to jump ship but, luckily, my first impression was incorrect . They are both so sweet but yet so funny and animated that the best part of class is when they try to define new words while only speaking spanish. I feel like we’re playing charades. They do so many hand motions and nod so much that you can’t help but to feel encouraged to participate. My first profesora goes over conversation techniques with us, which basically means she has us talking about random, everyday things for two hours. It’s good practice. We have her at 9:00am, and at that time most of the class is still half-asleep, but we love her so we try.
If I had to pick a favorite, though, I would pick my second profesora. The first day I was convinced that she was going to be the worst teacher I had ever taken but, thankfully, I was wrong. The list of the reasons why I love her is long. First, she’s always 10 minutes late to class- always- which means we get a 20 minute break rather than just 10. I’m sure she does that on purpose, which is excellent. Also, the way she teaches is so entertaining. She loves joking around so, of course, I like to joke back. I’m pretty sure she thinks that I am uber boy crazy, haha! Every time she asks us to talk about Spain I always mention how good-looking the men are. She loves it! She told me to keep a look out for the tall ones because they’re usually doctors! I told her that may be the best advice I’ve gotten since I’ve been in Spain (I was kidding, of course!). Today, among other things, we discussed how good-looking the policia are in Granada, how pretty Irish men are, and how it’s easier for girls than guys to get out of speeding tickets in the US. I think I left her very enlightened!
I sincerely hope that my classes continue being this enjoyable because it makes it that much easier to stay motivated to learn this language. Well, I hope I’ve given you a good idea of what my first few days of class have been like. It’s siesta time and I’ve got to get some rest before karaoke night tonight.
Hasta luego,
Kaitlin
I also have to give credit to my profesoras. Last week I was ready to jump ship but, luckily, my first impression was incorrect . They are both so sweet but yet so funny and animated that the best part of class is when they try to define new words while only speaking spanish. I feel like we’re playing charades. They do so many hand motions and nod so much that you can’t help but to feel encouraged to participate. My first profesora goes over conversation techniques with us, which basically means she has us talking about random, everyday things for two hours. It’s good practice. We have her at 9:00am, and at that time most of the class is still half-asleep, but we love her so we try.
If I had to pick a favorite, though, I would pick my second profesora. The first day I was convinced that she was going to be the worst teacher I had ever taken but, thankfully, I was wrong. The list of the reasons why I love her is long. First, she’s always 10 minutes late to class- always- which means we get a 20 minute break rather than just 10. I’m sure she does that on purpose, which is excellent. Also, the way she teaches is so entertaining. She loves joking around so, of course, I like to joke back. I’m pretty sure she thinks that I am uber boy crazy, haha! Every time she asks us to talk about Spain I always mention how good-looking the men are. She loves it! She told me to keep a look out for the tall ones because they’re usually doctors! I told her that may be the best advice I’ve gotten since I’ve been in Spain (I was kidding, of course!). Today, among other things, we discussed how good-looking the policia are in Granada, how pretty Irish men are, and how it’s easier for girls than guys to get out of speeding tickets in the US. I think I left her very enlightened!
I sincerely hope that my classes continue being this enjoyable because it makes it that much easier to stay motivated to learn this language. Well, I hope I’ve given you a good idea of what my first few days of class have been like. It’s siesta time and I’ve got to get some rest before karaoke night tonight.
Hasta luego,
Kaitlin
Monday, September 5, 2011
¡Gracías!
It is the first day of my second week in Granada. I cannot even tell you how lucky I feel to be here. I keep forgetting that I am going to be living here until mid-December, which might be a good thing because I feel like I’m reveling in the greatness that is Granada more now than if I was thinking, “slow down, you’ll be here for almost four more months.” I just want to take this time now to thank my parents for letting me do this. Thanks to my beautiful mother, who I keep referring to as a stud when I describe her, for pushing me and telling me she will help me with anything I need. Thanks to my controlling father (kidding, Dad : ] ), for loosening up and giving this trip the okay. Well really, his words were, “we’ll talk about it when you're safe at home in December.” I love my parents! I don’t use the word “blessed” very often because, while I think we’re all blessed in so many immeasurable and uncountable ways in just our everyday lives, I think throwing it around can make it seem less special. That having been said, in this place, with the people that I’m here with, with God looking over me, and the people I love supporting me, I am so very thankful to say that I have been blessed beyond what most people dream of. My next thank you is to anyone that is at home thinking of me and wishing me a great adventure. That truly and sincerely means the world to me and it makes me want to enjoy this time in my life even more. God has blessed me beyond anything I could possibly deserve and his thank you is from the bottom of my heart. Well, I suppose I've gushed enough. Hasta luego,
Kaitlin Esperanza
Friday, September 2, 2011
The Day has Arrived
My study abroad adviser at OU told me that I would experience some overwhelming feelings when I got here and that it may be on the first day and that it may be a week in. Everyone usually does. Well, mine hit me on day five. After attending my first class today, I am sitting in my apartment asking myself who on earth I thought I was when I thought I could come to Spain and speak Spanish and pass these classes. We didn't do anything hard, no homework. We just talked, and while I feel confident in my knowledge of the Spanish language when putting it on paper I feel like I may be mentally incapable of being able to hear it and fully understand and then respond. I know that it's a confidence issue more than anything, but being in a class full of people who know what they're saying and seem sure of their conversation skills while I feel flustered and incompetent does not help raise my confidence level.
I have never been afraid of doing well in a Spanish class at home. I love Spanish, I truly do, and at home it's my favorite class of the semester. I pride myself on doing well. But here, after testing into the high-intermediate (which is what I was supposed to be in), I'm wondering if my examiner shot me in the foot by placing me in that level or maybe I shot myself when I decided to come to Spain. Either way it's a lose-lose situation. On one hand, I can stay in the more advanced course and possibly do horrible, or I can go down a level and lose all chances of receiving the credit that I need to apply towards my minor. I feel so down about the entire situation, though I'm praying that after a few more days of class I'll start to feel more comfortable in the classroom setting. If you're the praying kind, please say one for me! Thanks.
Kaitlin Hope
I have never been afraid of doing well in a Spanish class at home. I love Spanish, I truly do, and at home it's my favorite class of the semester. I pride myself on doing well. But here, after testing into the high-intermediate (which is what I was supposed to be in), I'm wondering if my examiner shot me in the foot by placing me in that level or maybe I shot myself when I decided to come to Spain. Either way it's a lose-lose situation. On one hand, I can stay in the more advanced course and possibly do horrible, or I can go down a level and lose all chances of receiving the credit that I need to apply towards my minor. I feel so down about the entire situation, though I'm praying that after a few more days of class I'll start to feel more comfortable in the classroom setting. If you're the praying kind, please say one for me! Thanks.
Kaitlin Hope
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
"You can fall in love at first sight with a place as with a person." -A.W.
It’s 8:30 in the morning here in España. I’ve been awake for an hour and I couldn’t sleep last night. I have been bursting with excitement since the beginning of yesterday morning. CEA took us to our University and showed us the language buildings that we’ll be taking classes in. It’s all so gorgeous and the walk to campus is lined with so many interesting sights and shops that I’m sure I’ll get lost walking to campus simply because I can’t concentrate on where I’m going.
I love this city more than words can describe and I find myself in awe of its customs. In Spain, everything is much more slow paced. For example, breakfast is around 10:00 in the morning, that’s also when all stores open. Lunch is anywhere from 2:00 to 4 :00 in the afternoon, which falls into siesta “nap” time. Yes, Spaniards in Granada take a 3 hour siesta everyday, 2:00 to 5:00, during which all shops close down so people can either go home to rest or go get lunch. Let me just say that that is already my favorite part of the day! Entonces dinner is around 9:00 to 10:00 at night.
Yesterday, my first full day in Granada, was a dream. My roommate, Jensen, and I woke up early and decided to explore. We discovered that we are right in the center of Granada and can find literally everything we need. We finally found an ATM which, by the way, are not called ATMs like we learned in Spanish class. They are called caja automaticos or cajaras. That would have been nice to know our first night here when we were asking the chinese supermarket owner where an “ah-te-eme-” was located and she stared at us and then proceeded to show us some milk called almite even after Jensen took out her debit card and pretended to stick it in an ATM. Spanish class failed to prepare us appropriately for that! We also found some coffee shops we plan to try soon.
After morning orientation, the students from CEA had lunch at a Spanish buffet, or cafetería. It was superb. I can’t begin to describe the food that they had. I’ll try to get pictures if we go again. I’ll just say it was all amazing and leave it at that. After lunch, Jensen and I bought some muy importante things for our apartment, like a hairdryer and a straightner/curling iron. Now we just need to find a trash can and I need to find some sheets! That’s right! I have been sleeping on a mattress cover por dos días! To be honest though, I’m so ready to be in bed when I lay on it doesn’t even register that there is nothing on it. However, last night I got a bit chilly so I think today is the day I go find some sheets!
After siesta time (I slept for nearly two hours, which probably explains why I couldn’t sleep last night), we met up to go on a bus tour of the city. I was sitting on the top, open part of a double decker buss and I won’t lie, I felt like I was in a Harry Potter book pretty much the entire ride (geek, I know)! Granada is more beautiful than I can describe in this post, so I am going to try to post pictures very soon. On the tour, we went up into the hills that surround Granada. There we saw where gypsies had dug holes into the side of hills and made them their homes! It was pretty incredible to see a wooden door randomly inserted into a hillside. We got to drive past the Alhambra Palace, though we couldn’t see it very well because it is so deep in the hills. We’re supposed to be going to visit it soon, though. The entire city is colorful and each section has its own unique characteristics that make you feel like you’re traveling through time. There are buildings that came about when the Moors, the Arabs, the Jews, and then Spaniards ruled. It’s like someone decided to take the most breathtaking architecture in world history and put it all in one place.
After the city tour, a big group of the students went out to a few restaurants to have tapas. It’s a rule in Granada that when you order a drink, you get free tapas. Tapas are like an appetizer, but not, it's hard to explain. Let me tell you though, you’ve not lived until you’ve had Spanish tapas. I didn’t know this until I experienced it last night, but each restaurant gives you it’s own specialty tapas. I feel that this alone justifies me trying every restaurant in Granada!
This city is beyond anything I could have imagined or hoped for. I truly pray my experience continues in the incredible direction it's been heading! If the title quote is true, I've done it. I've fallen in love at first sight with a place and it's name is Granada! I hope I have given you a good glimpse of my first day and a half in Spain. Until I can type again,
Te cuida.
Kaitlin Esperanza
Monday, August 29, 2011
I'll sleep when I'm dead
9:55am
Finally found an outlet to charge my phone. Of course, it’s next to a smelly indian man. Trying not to gag. WARNING: London Heathrow Airport has a total of 5 outlets - 2 don’t work- in the whole dang airport, so I’m telling you now, turn your phone off through the 8 hour flight. You’ll regret it if you don’t!
The flight from Dallas to London went well, I slept about 3/4 of the way. I’m still exhausted, though. I woke up once because I was having a hard time breathing. That was scary. Luckily, other than the minor panic attack, the flight went pretty well and I don’t feel nearly as terrible as I usually do after being on a plane. Maybe it’s the excitement.
I’m so ready to be able to sleep in a bed!! This airplane snoozing just doesn’t cut it! Luckily, in just a few short hours ( I say short, I mean 7) I will finally be in Granada. Hopefully all will go quickly and smoothly at customs so I can get to my new apartment quickly and unpack. Somehow I doubt it does. I would just like a chance to shower! Not to sound like a snob, but foreign airports are sick!
2:30pm
Just got off my flight from London to Madrid. It was much better than the first flight! Now I’ve just got to wait another hour before I can board my plane to Granada. Finally met up with some of the other study abroad students with CEA and got to meet a few of them. So far everyone seems really nice. There are about 10 of us taking the flight from Madrid to Granada. Just one more hour of plane riding and then no más!
7:50pm
Just got to the apartment! The first thing I did was log onto our Wi-Fi. So glad our apartment has it!!! The apartment is small but super cute! We have 2 balcony windows that we can open to look down on the street. Our neighborhood is full of cute little shops, and right across the street is a bargain shoe store. That one is going to get me into trouble : ) The roommate, Jensen, and I are about to head out and explore. Our apartment is lacking most of the necessities so we’re gonna have to go out and find a good place to shop. Too bad Spain doesn’t have Wal-Mart! Also, it’s been 12 hours since I’ve eaten anything and 29 hours since I’ve had a real meal so I suppose it’s time for me to try some authentic Spanish cuisine. I’ll post again soon.
Una chica que está muy cansada,
Kaitlin Esperanza
Finally found an outlet to charge my phone. Of course, it’s next to a smelly indian man. Trying not to gag. WARNING: London Heathrow Airport has a total of 5 outlets - 2 don’t work- in the whole dang airport, so I’m telling you now, turn your phone off through the 8 hour flight. You’ll regret it if you don’t!
The flight from Dallas to London went well, I slept about 3/4 of the way. I’m still exhausted, though. I woke up once because I was having a hard time breathing. That was scary. Luckily, other than the minor panic attack, the flight went pretty well and I don’t feel nearly as terrible as I usually do after being on a plane. Maybe it’s the excitement.
I’m so ready to be able to sleep in a bed!! This airplane snoozing just doesn’t cut it! Luckily, in just a few short hours ( I say short, I mean 7) I will finally be in Granada. Hopefully all will go quickly and smoothly at customs so I can get to my new apartment quickly and unpack. Somehow I doubt it does. I would just like a chance to shower! Not to sound like a snob, but foreign airports are sick!
2:30pm
Just got off my flight from London to Madrid. It was much better than the first flight! Now I’ve just got to wait another hour before I can board my plane to Granada. Finally met up with some of the other study abroad students with CEA and got to meet a few of them. So far everyone seems really nice. There are about 10 of us taking the flight from Madrid to Granada. Just one more hour of plane riding and then no más!
7:50pm
Just got to the apartment! The first thing I did was log onto our Wi-Fi. So glad our apartment has it!!! The apartment is small but super cute! We have 2 balcony windows that we can open to look down on the street. Our neighborhood is full of cute little shops, and right across the street is a bargain shoe store. That one is going to get me into trouble : ) The roommate, Jensen, and I are about to head out and explore. Our apartment is lacking most of the necessities so we’re gonna have to go out and find a good place to shop. Too bad Spain doesn’t have Wal-Mart! Also, it’s been 12 hours since I’ve eaten anything and 29 hours since I’ve had a real meal so I suppose it’s time for me to try some authentic Spanish cuisine. I’ll post again soon.
Una chica que está muy cansada,
Kaitlin Esperanza
Sunday, August 28, 2011
'Twas The Night Before The 12 Hour Plane Ride...
And, while I wish no one was stirring, everyone except my lovely nephew McKennon is up and interrupting my packing. I love them all anyway. I have packed and repacked and unpacked and repacked all day trying to fit my things into 2 suitcases and a carry on. Tis near impossible, let me tell you! After all of that hard work, I am exhausted!
The reality of this upcoming expedition is finally starting to set in. It's strange really, thinking about being on my own for nearly 4 months, when I couldn't even pack for the trip by myself : ) Thanks, Jess (she knows who she is)! I think the hardest part will be the initial good-bye. My brother, my mother, and my nephews came to spend time with me before I leave tomorrow, here at my sister's, her husband's and my nephew, Luke's, house. It's been pure chaos all day, but that is my amazing family! I took the boys to the park and got to answer all of their funny questions about my trip. All of them pertained to the actual plane that was taking me to Spain, not what I was going to do once I got there
: ) I wish I could sneak them into my suitcases. Or maybe into a kennel. Zac does have a monkey suit he could wear! Sadly though, I don't think that would fly (get it? fly? haha). I guess skyping will have to do until I'm home again.
I'll be getting up bright and early at 6:30 tomorrow morning, to get ready and loaded up to head to Dallas to catch my flight. I'm definitely dreading the drive and even more so I'm dreading the flight. It's roughly 17 hours away, but I'm already ready to be in my bed in Spain. So sleepy!
Well guys, wish me luck! I'm sure I'll need it! The next time I'll be able to post I will be in Spain so, for now, adiós!
Kaitlin Esperanza
The reality of this upcoming expedition is finally starting to set in. It's strange really, thinking about being on my own for nearly 4 months, when I couldn't even pack for the trip by myself : ) Thanks, Jess (she knows who she is)! I think the hardest part will be the initial good-bye. My brother, my mother, and my nephews came to spend time with me before I leave tomorrow, here at my sister's, her husband's and my nephew, Luke's, house. It's been pure chaos all day, but that is my amazing family! I took the boys to the park and got to answer all of their funny questions about my trip. All of them pertained to the actual plane that was taking me to Spain, not what I was going to do once I got there
: ) I wish I could sneak them into my suitcases. Or maybe into a kennel. Zac does have a monkey suit he could wear! Sadly though, I don't think that would fly (get it? fly? haha). I guess skyping will have to do until I'm home again.
I'll be getting up bright and early at 6:30 tomorrow morning, to get ready and loaded up to head to Dallas to catch my flight. I'm definitely dreading the drive and even more so I'm dreading the flight. It's roughly 17 hours away, but I'm already ready to be in my bed in Spain. So sleepy!
Well guys, wish me luck! I'm sure I'll need it! The next time I'll be able to post I will be in Spain so, for now, adiós!
Kaitlin Esperanza
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Facts & "Q's and A's"
Before I begin posting about my escapades, I thought it would be a good idea to let everyone (or at least those that are reading this) know a few important details about myself, this blog, and this trip.
Important Facts:
Important Facts:
- Warning: I will be using a lot of Spanish vocabulary in these posts. Please make friends with Google Translate! It'll be good for you, I promise!
- My name is Kaitlin Hope ******* (I decided I wouldn't use my last name as a precautionary measure).
- Hope translates into Esperanza in the Spanish language, hence the Kaitlin Esperanza bit.
- I am a senior at the University of Oklahoma (normally).
- I am taking classes at la Universidad de Granada for the fall semester.
- I leave from the US on Sunday, August 28 and will arrive in Granada the following evening.
- I will return to the US on Wednesday, December 21.
- While I'm abroad, I will be taking 17 credit hours, all of which will be taught in Spanish and all of which will pertain to furthering my understanding and reading, writing, and speaking skills of the Spanish language.
- I will be staying in an apartment, off campus, with another student (and friend) from OU.
- When I refer to CEA, I am talking about the members and/or staff of the program that I chose to study abroad with. It stands for Cultural Experiences Abroad.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)