Friday, April 22, 2011
And then there were 3
Three days until my 22 hour travel day back home to the states. I am very excited!! London and Dublin were absolutely amazing but maybe I'll write more about those during my 6 hour layover in Philadelphia. Bad ad that sounds, that's a heck of a lot better than the 26 hour layover we had in the beginning! See you all soon :)
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
It's the final countdown (part 3)
PEDRAZA
ONE DOOR IN AND OUT OF THE CITY
The wall of the city was a prison..crosses on the wood of the window
TRESPASSING TO THE MONASTERY
SPIDERMAN! The construction workers have fun while restoring the 15th century monastery
We climbed a 6 foot wall to trespass...
And escaped the cows
ONE DOOR IN AND OUT OF THE CITY
The wall of the city was a prison..crosses on the wood of the window
TRESPASSING TO THE MONASTERY
SPIDERMAN! The construction workers have fun while restoring the 15th century monastery
We climbed a 6 foot wall to trespass...
And escaped the cows
It's the final countdown (part 1)
LA GRANJA
our culture class trip...honestly this is where I learned more about culture than in that classroom
our culture class trip...honestly this is where I learned more about culture than in that classroom
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
TAG! You’re it!
Reader discretion is advised. This post is not suitable for audiences under the age of 15.
So the strangest thing happened to me in Segovia today and I need to get it off my chest. (No pun intended...you’ll understand later.) Earlier on the beautiful Tuesday afternoon, I was walking home for lunch after my last art workshop with Jesús (which was great by the way, I finished my work and I love it) with my roommate, Teah and my friend Shelby. We were minding our own business talking about something or other and we reached the aqueduct where many kids/students were. Well, one boy started walking with us...sort of. He was lagging behind us a bit which was fine and as we turn the corner and start walking on the street that Teah and I live on, he started to creep closer to me. This was totally bizarre to me because not many people live on the same street as us and it doesn’t get a whole lot of traffic plus, the kid was like walking next to me. Just as I thought he was going to say something to me, he put his hand on my chest (yes, and grabbed my boob) and began to ran away. Yes, I screamed! Immediately, Teah and Shelby begin to ask me, “What did he just do to you?!” and stunned, I wasn’t really sure what to think about what has occurred but I responded, “I think I was just tagged.” I don’t know if it was some part of game or a dare that his friends told him to do but either way, no one saw it so his buddies won’t believe him. Oh well, after being stunned for a while, I’m okay now. I can laugh about it and tell my friends at school about the Segovia boob tag game which I guess is cool to do around here.
:)
So the strangest thing happened to me in Segovia today and I need to get it off my chest. (No pun intended...you’ll understand later.) Earlier on the beautiful Tuesday afternoon, I was walking home for lunch after my last art workshop with Jesús (which was great by the way, I finished my work and I love it) with my roommate, Teah and my friend Shelby. We were minding our own business talking about something or other and we reached the aqueduct where many kids/students were. Well, one boy started walking with us...sort of. He was lagging behind us a bit which was fine and as we turn the corner and start walking on the street that Teah and I live on, he started to creep closer to me. This was totally bizarre to me because not many people live on the same street as us and it doesn’t get a whole lot of traffic plus, the kid was like walking next to me. Just as I thought he was going to say something to me, he put his hand on my chest (yes, and grabbed my boob) and began to ran away. Yes, I screamed! Immediately, Teah and Shelby begin to ask me, “What did he just do to you?!” and stunned, I wasn’t really sure what to think about what has occurred but I responded, “I think I was just tagged.” I don’t know if it was some part of game or a dare that his friends told him to do but either way, no one saw it so his buddies won’t believe him. Oh well, after being stunned for a while, I’m okay now. I can laugh about it and tell my friends at school about the Segovia boob tag game which I guess is cool to do around here.
:)
Monday, March 28, 2011
Granada & Málaga
THE ALHAMBRA IN GRANADA
MÁLAGA BEACH AT NIGHT
AREN'T THEY CUTE? DAY AT THE BEACH! = SUNBURN
MÁLAGA BEACH AT NIGHT
AREN'T THEY CUTE? DAY AT THE BEACH! = SUNBURN
Monday, March 21, 2011
55 days and 23 mastered games of sudoku later...
Here I sit, sunburned, bored, stressed, and content with the weekend I've just had! I know I haven't written about Barcelona or getting left on the Salamanca/Ávila trip but I'll just have to tell you those later. For now, I'll tell you about this past weekend. This weekend (after a long week of crap classes, might I add...) I traveled to Granada and Málaga. Honestly, it was a blast. I was traveling with people I don't usually talk to all of the time at school and I got an opportunity to know Kevin and Shelby better. That was probably my favorite part of the whole trip, to be lame but honest. I really like to listen and get to know people, people sort of fascinate me somewhat. They don't have stories like mine which I love.
Anyway back to the boring part: we took a bus from Madrid to Granada but before that 5 hour bus ride we had to get to Madrid at 5:45 from Segovia. That was tough. I was sort of running late and we literally had to CHASE the bus down as it was pulling out of the station. Off to a good start, right?! Well, we get on the bus and Michelle and Caitlin B were there and made fun of us a little then brought up the fact that Shelby wasn't on the bus. Turns out Shelby missed the first bus out of Segovia which was basically our only shot to get to our bus to Granada on time. Great... But on the bus ride to Madrid, we met a guy also studying in Segovia from the States (who wreaked of alcohol...) and was on his way to Paris for the weekend. Though slightly inebriated, it was neat to talk to someone else from the States studying abroad. When we got to the Madrid bus station (After a 30 minute Metro ride) we had about 30 minutes to kill which consisted of sitting and resting a bit and worrying about Shelby who, at that point, had just gotten to Madrid. Well, needless to say, she missed our 8 am bus and had to catch a different one at 11:30. Yikes! So when we arrive in Granada after a long bus ride with 8th graders (best quote of the trip by one of the 8th grade girls was, "My parents are worried I'm going to get pregnant and ruin my life" ...yes little girl, many other people on this bus also speak English and are laughing at you...) we arrived to a beautiful day and a beautiful hostel in Granada. Once there, Kevin arrived! (He took the train to get there) But turns out his ride in wasn't completely fool proof either. He lost his passport and didn't have a phone to call the director of the program to let her know. So at least we got the drama out of the way, right?! After setting in a bit, we started making our way to the Alhambra. (Which is basically an ancient palace thing that the Moors built in the 14th century...yeah that's the 1300s...it's OLD! And you can read more here if you're interested: ALHAMBRA ) After this 25 minute stroll through the central part of Granada (which is BEAUTIFUL by the way) we made it to the Alhambra (which was all uphill also, I'll add...thanks WKU for training in "hill-mastery") and I was absolutely astounded at the size of this thing! GIGANTIC! And with gorgeous gardens and views of the city! (Which Granada sort of looks like Greece with the white buildings and all) It was pretty fantastic to see! (And while we were here before our reservation to see the Nazarine Gardens, Shelby finally caught up with us! Boy, were we glad to see her! :) ) So after we had seen everything we could, we headed over to a look out spot that looked out on the entire Alhambra and fortress (plus it was sunset and just absolutely beautiful...when I made it to the top of THAT mountain, I didn't care so much that I had just walked 30 minutes in less than appropriate shoes uphill! At least I was fashionable as well!) Once done hanging out at the look out, we ate the BEST ice cream I think I've ever had! (I had dark chocolate and tiramisu if you must know) and was satisfied for the night. As exhausted as I was (along with feeling like I was getting sick) Caitlin and I headed to bed super early. The only thing I didn't like about this hostel was that we shared a floor with like 10 other people and they came in at about 5 am and our room being in the foyer-area, we heard EVERYTHING. But that's alright! We had an amazing free breakfast the next morning.
Then that afternoon we headed on a bus to Málaga. These bussed run pretty often so we caught one at 2 (though the reception guy at our first hostel told us Málaga was gross and the beaches suck, but it wasn't going to break our spirit! The Costa del Sol is a coast and that makes me a happy girl! He was just bitter about something...) We got to Málaga an hour after our bus left and we sort of with some trouble found our hostel. I think we've done really well on our hostel choices so far! All with breakfast and nice rooms and everything I could ask for! So after getting to our hostel, we went for a night walk on the beach after eating some dinner and a trip to the grocery store. This night walk was gorgeous! Plus we scoped out a spot to hang out at the beach the next day! So Sunday, we literally just sat out at the beach ALL day! We went out there pretty early in the morning and then clouds started to move in which made it quite cold. So we were not happy and came inside to hang out for a bit. Once the blue skies came back, we knew it was going to be a good day for the remainder of the afternoon. The sun felt SO good! It was so relaxing just to be on a beach not thinking about any of those Segovia school worries! I fell asleep several times at the beach (that what staying up until 5 will do to you...partly due to the German girls who were snoring at unbelievable volumes!) but it was so nice to just relax and fall asleep. Well, me being stubborn decided I didn't need sunscreen and ended up frying just a tad. So now I'm a little burnt but it'll turn to maybe a little tan I'm hoping so everyone can tell that I went somewhere fun this weekend! My skin loves the sun and so do I and I loved Sunday! After the beach, we made some dinner and just hung out and bonded and talked all night. It was great! Then now, Monday, it's time to go back to the cold land of Segovia. Not cool! Today is cloudy and sort of cold and not so fun. We've basically just been sitting here all day and time is CRAWLING...At least we're not waiting until that 1 am bus! We'll be leaving at 10:30 instead! Which still means Tuesday classes will be somewhat of a nightmare but I'll get through and I'll get everything I need to get done...somehow. Well, I guess that's all for today! Hope you enjoy reading my boring blog posts! I know they don't do this trip justice! It's been amazing though sometimes I wish I had closer friends here to share it with. I'm just ready for all of this homework drama to be done with. One of my teacher piled 4 mini paper things on us last week. It's tough, it really is. I mean, after all, everything is foreign. It's been a good experience but I honestly cannot wait until London and Dublin and then my long trip home! =] See you all soon! (34 days actually! And to explain the title of this post, I've been here for 55 days, obviously...but whenever I grab my phone to call someone back home, I end up playing sudoku. I never thought I was very good at sudoku but Spain has made me a master! I just like to get my mind off of missing home) Anyway, like I said, see you soon!
Anyway back to the boring part: we took a bus from Madrid to Granada but before that 5 hour bus ride we had to get to Madrid at 5:45 from Segovia. That was tough. I was sort of running late and we literally had to CHASE the bus down as it was pulling out of the station. Off to a good start, right?! Well, we get on the bus and Michelle and Caitlin B were there and made fun of us a little then brought up the fact that Shelby wasn't on the bus. Turns out Shelby missed the first bus out of Segovia which was basically our only shot to get to our bus to Granada on time. Great... But on the bus ride to Madrid, we met a guy also studying in Segovia from the States (who wreaked of alcohol...) and was on his way to Paris for the weekend. Though slightly inebriated, it was neat to talk to someone else from the States studying abroad. When we got to the Madrid bus station (After a 30 minute Metro ride) we had about 30 minutes to kill which consisted of sitting and resting a bit and worrying about Shelby who, at that point, had just gotten to Madrid. Well, needless to say, she missed our 8 am bus and had to catch a different one at 11:30. Yikes! So when we arrive in Granada after a long bus ride with 8th graders (best quote of the trip by one of the 8th grade girls was, "My parents are worried I'm going to get pregnant and ruin my life" ...yes little girl, many other people on this bus also speak English and are laughing at you...) we arrived to a beautiful day and a beautiful hostel in Granada. Once there, Kevin arrived! (He took the train to get there) But turns out his ride in wasn't completely fool proof either. He lost his passport and didn't have a phone to call the director of the program to let her know. So at least we got the drama out of the way, right?! After setting in a bit, we started making our way to the Alhambra. (Which is basically an ancient palace thing that the Moors built in the 14th century...yeah that's the 1300s...it's OLD! And you can read more here if you're interested: ALHAMBRA ) After this 25 minute stroll through the central part of Granada (which is BEAUTIFUL by the way) we made it to the Alhambra (which was all uphill also, I'll add...thanks WKU for training in "hill-mastery") and I was absolutely astounded at the size of this thing! GIGANTIC! And with gorgeous gardens and views of the city! (Which Granada sort of looks like Greece with the white buildings and all) It was pretty fantastic to see! (And while we were here before our reservation to see the Nazarine Gardens, Shelby finally caught up with us! Boy, were we glad to see her! :) ) So after we had seen everything we could, we headed over to a look out spot that looked out on the entire Alhambra and fortress (plus it was sunset and just absolutely beautiful...when I made it to the top of THAT mountain, I didn't care so much that I had just walked 30 minutes in less than appropriate shoes uphill! At least I was fashionable as well!) Once done hanging out at the look out, we ate the BEST ice cream I think I've ever had! (I had dark chocolate and tiramisu if you must know) and was satisfied for the night. As exhausted as I was (along with feeling like I was getting sick) Caitlin and I headed to bed super early. The only thing I didn't like about this hostel was that we shared a floor with like 10 other people and they came in at about 5 am and our room being in the foyer-area, we heard EVERYTHING. But that's alright! We had an amazing free breakfast the next morning.
Then that afternoon we headed on a bus to Málaga. These bussed run pretty often so we caught one at 2 (though the reception guy at our first hostel told us Málaga was gross and the beaches suck, but it wasn't going to break our spirit! The Costa del Sol is a coast and that makes me a happy girl! He was just bitter about something...) We got to Málaga an hour after our bus left and we sort of with some trouble found our hostel. I think we've done really well on our hostel choices so far! All with breakfast and nice rooms and everything I could ask for! So after getting to our hostel, we went for a night walk on the beach after eating some dinner and a trip to the grocery store. This night walk was gorgeous! Plus we scoped out a spot to hang out at the beach the next day! So Sunday, we literally just sat out at the beach ALL day! We went out there pretty early in the morning and then clouds started to move in which made it quite cold. So we were not happy and came inside to hang out for a bit. Once the blue skies came back, we knew it was going to be a good day for the remainder of the afternoon. The sun felt SO good! It was so relaxing just to be on a beach not thinking about any of those Segovia school worries! I fell asleep several times at the beach (that what staying up until 5 will do to you...partly due to the German girls who were snoring at unbelievable volumes!) but it was so nice to just relax and fall asleep. Well, me being stubborn decided I didn't need sunscreen and ended up frying just a tad. So now I'm a little burnt but it'll turn to maybe a little tan I'm hoping so everyone can tell that I went somewhere fun this weekend! My skin loves the sun and so do I and I loved Sunday! After the beach, we made some dinner and just hung out and bonded and talked all night. It was great! Then now, Monday, it's time to go back to the cold land of Segovia. Not cool! Today is cloudy and sort of cold and not so fun. We've basically just been sitting here all day and time is CRAWLING...At least we're not waiting until that 1 am bus! We'll be leaving at 10:30 instead! Which still means Tuesday classes will be somewhat of a nightmare but I'll get through and I'll get everything I need to get done...somehow. Well, I guess that's all for today! Hope you enjoy reading my boring blog posts! I know they don't do this trip justice! It's been amazing though sometimes I wish I had closer friends here to share it with. I'm just ready for all of this homework drama to be done with. One of my teacher piled 4 mini paper things on us last week. It's tough, it really is. I mean, after all, everything is foreign. It's been a good experience but I honestly cannot wait until London and Dublin and then my long trip home! =] See you all soon! (34 days actually! And to explain the title of this post, I've been here for 55 days, obviously...but whenever I grab my phone to call someone back home, I end up playing sudoku. I never thought I was very good at sudoku but Spain has made me a master! I just like to get my mind off of missing home) Anyway, like I said, see you soon!
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