I'll Be There For You

I have spent the majority of this blog talking about my adventures traveling the world (or at least Europe) but I haven't spent much time talking about my people. The people that make my days, the people that understand the bubble we live in here in Madrid, the people that will never leave my memories because they are the ones that made them. Whether it is the person sitting next to me in the most ridiculous class of my life just trying to get me to laugh, or the person that I have lived with for the last 5 months, all of these people mean everything to me. We have only been here for a short while, yet we have had experiences of a lifetime that we will never be able to forget. These experiences happen while sitting in grammar class struggling to understand the subjunctive, while dancing at a club surrounding by questionable spaniards and while eating as many kebaps as possible. Since I was little I have been able to relate better to the characters of friends than to anyone else. Their humor, their lives and their situations get me through the day and allow me to make connections to just about situation I've ever been in. As my neighbor/psudo sister would tell you when the show ended I cried for 3 hours because I didn't want to accept that I was getting older and that things were able to come to an end. As one of my many connections, I feel like I may have the same reaction to the end of this semester. I have waited years to return to this country that stole my heart, years to spend a semester in a foreign country and years to find people that share my same love of traveling. It's hard to believe that this is all coming to an end, and I guess the best I can say or do is that I'll be there for you. For every person that held my hand through my ridiculous fear of bus rides, for every person that I shared a laugh with about terrible communication errors and for every person that has made this semester what it has been. I'll be there for all of you.

Eurotrip to say the least

In celebration of the entire country of Spain shutting down for Semana Santa (Holy Week) my roommate Mary and I backpacked across Europe. We started out wandering the streets of Paris at night after munching down a savory crépe and stumbled upon Notre Dame, how this happened we have no idea since our walk home was significant enough to massacre my feet, however it was well worth it. Throughout the next 4 days we saw the usual sites of the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, the crazy busy Champs Élysées, and the even busier Sacré-Coeur. Along with the tourist sites we checked a few oddballs too like the Door's lead singer, Jim Morrison's, grave and the Moulin Rouge to which the soundtrack was running continuously in my head. Of course after enjoying the sun (to the dismay of my skin) we saw the ever popular, and ever tiny, Mona Lisa in the Louvre, and the impressionist paintings in the Orsay. Of course while in Paris I had some goals:
#6 visit jim morrison's grave...also the cemetary of oscar wilde and chopin!
#8 see the moulin rouge...seen the movie, sang the movie, saw where the movie takes place
#14 get scoffed at by the french...my french consists of about 5 phrases, so this was easy
#30 learn to appreciate wine...thanks to my roommates insistence and the help of both the Spanish and the French
#35 got to visit my friend Lindsay who is working in Paris, and she took us on a picnic by the canal
#52 Find the napoleon's Mom lived on while in France...delicious, but not quite as addicting as she let on


After bidding adieu to Paris we headed to Amsterdam to visit the tulips that were blooming, Anne Frank's house and the Heinekin Brewery. While at Heinekin Mary and I were certified in the art of pouring a pint of Heinekin the correct way from a tap, hailing from brew city with German and Irish blood this came naturally. It was amazing how the crowds migrated from the streets in the city center during the day to the streets of the red light district at night, not a place I liked to frequent however when in Holland do as the Dutch do I guess.
some things accomplished in Amsterdam were:
#51 visiting the red light district
#72 see how small Anne Frank's annex actually is...rumor had it that it was larger than one thinks, after waiting an hour and a half to just get through the door, it was confirmed, it was a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be, however I'm going to say it is because there is no furniture anywhere in the building

Three days went by in a blur, and suddenly we found ourselves in Berlin. We met up with my good friend Laura (yes another Laura) who was an exchange student living with my best friend's family when we were in high school. Laura is originally from Essen Germany, but studying in Potsdam, a little city just outside Berlin, so as thrifty college students this was an amazing opportunity for a free couch to crash on. Potsdam is home to over 20 castles, 2 of which we were able to see. We took a free historical tour of Berlin and reviewed the mysterious history of this obviously effected city such as the Berlin wall, and numerous jewish memorials. Also in Berlin is the beloved "ampelman" directly translated, traffic light guy, in east Berlin the traffic light guys (larger version pictured below) wear hats (that are adorable). These popular little guys are so beloved they have entire tourist shops devoted solely to them.
Germany helped me gain:
#23 Collect Beer Caps...i was determined to get a specific one: Berliner Pilsner (it had a cute bear holding beers on it...a beer bear if you will)
#65 Make it to Germany to visit an old friend...got to stay with Laura!!
#74 Visit a concentration camp...I think it is something everyone must see first hand at least once to truly absorb the events in history, it was horrible enough to visit, let alone endure firsthand
#92 Play in a fountain...this goal sprung off an experience I had in Spain when I visited here the first time, this time it was a hot day, and there were kids playing in it too, so it was a little bit more socially acceptable, but probably no more hygienic than the last fountain i climbed in

All in all, this trip was amazing, new cultures touched on, new history learned, and new memories made and never to be forgotten.

This is School Right?

One of the last weekends of March usually means lots and lots of snow for a native Minnesotan like myself, however this year I was sunburned. Although a sunburn is completely normal for someone as white as a ghost, a sunburn in March was almost as unfathomable as my location: The Alhambra. As a program we traveled to Granada for the weekend to experience a different spanish culture, this included going to Arab baths and getting massages, eating tapas, and drinking wine…best. field trip. ever. We visited the Cathedral where the Reyes Catolicas are entombed (Isabel y Fernando) and discovered that orange trees are more for decoration than for eating since they seemed to taste like lemons, however there was no lack of nutrition while in Granada. If you’re unfamiliar with the region, Granada takes pride in their tapas. Upon ordering a drink, whether it be a beer, wine or simply a coke, one receives an entire plateful of “free” food. For a poor college student like myself and my classmates, this was like winning the lottery. In addition to the food, flamenco is a part of their culture as well, and thus late one saturday night we found ourselves in a cave watching a family of gitanos (gypsies) dance inches away from our faces, and almost stomping on our feet. Overall, I would say it was an unbelievable trip, and as always I was left with the resounding question…this is school, right?

Another One Bites the Dust...

Well figured along with some travel updates I may as well update the checklist so here it is:
#7 Going backpacking seemed like a joke to most of my friends as packing in anything smaller than a rolling suitcase seemed impossible, however after many weekend long trips wearing the same outfits, and packing minimal footwear I have mastered the technique of packing a pack.

#16and #75 this was a two birds one stone kind of deal, after a late night at discotecas celebrating one of my friend's birthdays my roommate Mary, and a few of our friends went to San Gines (world favorite chocolate con churros café) in order to pass the time between when the club closed and the metro opened. The place was packed as it seems that early morning snacking doesn't exist here other than at this one-room café with melted dark chocolate and grease-filled pastries. Promptly after filling ourselves with sufficiently greasy food we hopped on the first metro of the day at 6:30am, I'd say it was a good start to a long day.

#17 After having some detours when arriving in London at midnight, I got to cross riding in a car in England off my list. Yes, it was just a taxi, but it was a car nonetheless. Originally the goal was to actually drive a car in London, however after watching traffic and getting confused just crossing the street, I decided it was probably a better idea to let someone else do the driving.

#31 Although I haven't yet developed the dependency that most of my peers have, I have indeed learned to appreciate coffee. I have learned to appreciate it's smell, it's taste and it's talent at keeping me awake in quiet cafés while studying for midterms.

#33 Inevitably helped me to accomplish #31. Thanks to midterms and a momentary break in my fake life here in Madrid I got to sit in a café all day and study for my classes that didn't seem to exist until two weeks before the exam.

#38 Scary movies are still scary in a different language. I went to see Black Swan or Cisne Negro with one of my friends while here in Madrid. Although I had already seen in back in the States, I was still squeemish, squirrely and scared.

#56 Fish and Chips are on every corner in London almost like Döner Kebaps are on every corner in Madrid, however Harry and I wanted to be creative in our consumption of this dietary necessity while visiting England. We ate them from a tiny stand, at a market and loved every second of it.

#57 Not as exciting as it was cracked up to be. Since it was raining there were no Beefeaters (I guess they're not like USPS where they work rain, shine or blizzard). Also, no princes, and sorry Molly, I couldn't break up the royal wedding for you, trust me I would have given it my best given the opportunity.

#58 As a child I was told that we all live in a yellow submarine by my father. My lullabies consisted of the stereotypical songs, but also a variety of Beatles songs, so walking on Abbey Road was awesome. I got to walk in the same road as the greats, and got to take a picture where they once stood.

#91 As it turns out, rain is frequent, and many walks in the rain have occurred, however recently it has been more pleasurable since it has been so gorgeously warm.

#94 As always, a person is bound to make friends with some people over others, but I believe I can safely say that there a few people that will be friends for a lifetime.

Pardon Me, But Why Did We Secede Again?

As a beginning to my next month and a half of travel on weekends, I traveled to London England with my friend Harry, and was left wondering why we ever left this awesome country. The best way to describe it is a better version of the States. Unlike Spain, everything was functional and made logical sense. They had food with lots of flavor and some with spice, and of course, they had chipotle which is a default winning qualification. In addition to your usual options you had a choice between white or brown rice;it was weird not having to order in Spanish not because I've been in Spain, but because . I tried the fish and chips, and almost died because it was so sinfully good (I have an addiction to anything with salt and vinegar). I traveled with my friend and we hit up most of the stereotypical sites like Parliament, Big Ben, London Eye, Tower Bridge, etc...and some obscure ones like Drury lane from the childhood song about the muffin-man who lives there, however we were unsuccessful in finding him. While there I was able to run into one of my best friends from high school since she is studying there, and we got to go out and see a tame version of England's nightlife. Coincidentally I ran into two other girls from high school too that I had not seen since graduation...The world really is as small as they say it is. Overall it was an amazing trip, and can't wait for the next one to come!

The Rain Seems to Follow Me

Well, another day trip with IES, this time, destination: Toledo. This small historic city lies just a half hour bus ride outside of Madrid (assuming it is not monsooning out of course). We walked around the seemingly vacant city and its religious landmarks such as the Cathedral. In between running into chapels, synagogues and mosques we snacked on some amazing marzipan. While walking around it was obvious that the thing to buy was swords. We were told that the swords used in West Point Academy are handcrafted in Toledo. Even I can admit that they were gorgeous, and I'm not even a knife person, however they had a large variety of those too. This is the last day trip we will be taking as a large group, however all of my big adventures are just about to begin!

Only 1€ Separates Me from Madrid Society

While attending the wide variety of city, county and state fairs with my family we have always said that only a few dollars separate us from everyone else at the event. Everyone pays the same amount to get in no matter where you are from, the amount of your income or level of education. The same goes for the metro in Madrid, however the metro is almost a requirement while living here. If you look on the map, I ride from one side of the yellow line to the other everyday to get to class, it's about a half hour ride in total. It's amazing what one can accomplish in half an hour:

-watch an episode of your favorite show with commercials

-workout

-read a couple chapters of a favorite book

-or- in my case, spend 30 minutes of the best people watching ever

I have seen people apply a full face of makeup, read twilight, harry potter and any other variety of preteen books as well as some classics. I have watched women give themselves pedicures, men pull out the equivalent of 30 Red Vines covered in sugar from his "murse" and stuff them all in his mouth within 10 minutes. It's amazing what people do when they think you're not looking i.e. continue to pick one's nose continuously for an extended amount of time, but it's even more amazing what people will say when they think you don't understand what they're saying. Also, it seems fitting that since Spanish is a romance language that romance is in the air...a little too frequently. While on the metro I'm sure I have seen at least 3 babies conceived on the seat across from me. For some the experience would be overwhelming, but for me it's like striking people watching gold.