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.

A Fear Conquered?

This past weekend I traveled with my program (IES Madrid) to the northern region of Spain known as Pais Basco. We traveled to the cities of Bilbao and the legendary San Sebastian. How we got there you ask? A 6 hour bus ride. Now, if any of you know me, you know how much I hate buses so this wasn't a simple weekend trip. We boarded at the break of dawn (aka 7am), but not with a little bumps like a few people being a bit late, and me having to run off at the last minute. In the end we all made it on, and stopped 3 hours later in Burgos for breakfast at a nice hotel. There were eggs, chorizo, fresh fruit, cheese, and bread galore. I didn't realize how much I missed sunday mornings with my family eating eggs and reading the paper until I feasted on some of the best eggs ever. Of course after the feast, I faced the bus again for another 3 hours.

Upon arrival a few of us walked around and checked out the bridge designed by Calatrava (the same designer of our art museum back home in Milwaukee). It was gorgeous, both the weather and the scenery. As a program we took a historic walk of the city of Bilbao where we will be staying for the next three days. It's a tiny city in comparison to Madrid, but it's cute. We went out for pintxos (basque version of tapas) later that night and returned home at a decent enough time to get up and go to San Sebastian.

San Sebastian would have been the most gorgeous place I have ever been assuming I wasn't soaked, my shoes weren't puddles and I didn't have a cold. However even in spite of all of these things, it still was up there for one of the most beautiful places I have seen up there next to Denali, Venice and Sevilla. We walked around, saw the coast, visited the town and had an absolutely mind-blowing lunch. The steak was super tender, the bread fresh and warm and parmesan cheese that melted in your mouth for dessert. Overall the weekend was a success, minus a couple of 6 hour bus rides on either end. I may have survived the ride, however bus will not be my mode of transportation ordinarily. I believe for now, this fear has conquered me.

Obrigado Portugal

As our first attempt to backpack across Europe, my roommate Mary and I bought our tickets the day before we left and set on our way to Portugal. To say the least it was not what we were expecting. Did you know that the majority of Portuguese speak English over Spanish? Win for us to say the least. We quickly found our way to the hostel (which we quickly fell in love with, picture is attached). We were roommates with a family of 3 Australians and their best friend. It was quite possibly the best situation we could have imagined. Everything was furnished in Ikea, we got free breakfast, and we were staying at the #2 hostel in the world for a ridiculously cheap price.

While there we did toursity things like going to museums, parks, towers, castles etc. Portugal was kind of a mystery to us since we decided to go so last minute, but it was quite the adventure. In an attempt to order their famous Port Wine Mary ended up with a glass of whiskey, this was just one mishap to be mentioned. Another was visiting a "brand-new" castle, as it was built in the late 1800's and had a lot of modern day inventions like photographs, telephones, running water and electricity. Royalty...so demanding...

While there along with the "Port Wine" we tried the traditional cod and some custard tarts. We heard a Fado, although I'm sure we would've appreciated it more if we understood portuguese (don't be fooled it sounds nothing like spanish, however we were able to read it). Portugal was a good ease into the life of living out of a backpack, I'm sure the next trip we take we'll be pros for sure ;)

Some Things to Check Off

As time has passed since I started this, I have been able to cross off some of the things on my list of things to accomplish. So far I have crossed off about 13/100 things off my list:

• I crossed off #9 by eating a leek. It's not that I hadn't wanted to eat a leek before, I jsut hadn't, well, leeks happen to be my host mom Marisol's favorite ingredient in everything. Like most other foods, I enjoyed the leek and look forward to having it frequently while here.
• #21 was crossed off this weekend when I mailed international postcards to a couple of my best friends from home, and to my family, however fingers are crossed I sent them the right way.
• #26 was crossed off this summer when I stayed up all night finishing up the mural I was painting at my local pool with my friend Erin. The mural took days, but on the last day we pushed through and stayed until 7am the next day, just in time for breakfast.
• #27 while in Portugal my roommate Mary and I visited the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian, it wasn't a large museum, completely feasible to read all the subtitles and not go crazy while doing so.
• #39 as a group, my program paid for all of us to go see a flamenco show. This time I wasn't sick so I was able to stay awake and pay attention for the whole, and it turned out to be pretty cool!
• #41 was no problem to get since eating tapas is basically a requirement
• #53 took a couple weeks here to get, wasn't hard, but there were a couple wrong turns in there and some missed stops
• #73 the whole portuguese thing didn't really work, but going to portugal did! (pictures to follow soon!)
• #82 Teatro Kapitol is a famous discoteca in Madrid that is 7 stories of late night craziness, I was lucky enough to have some of my friends in town from UST to go with along with my friend Harry and my roommate Mary
• #85 while in portugal we stayed in the #2 rated hostel in the world (it was awesome)
• #93 while semi successful, running on cobblestone is still not suggested
• #97 I have always been good at napping, thus siestas were made for me

As of now those are all I've accomplished, but there will surely be many more of them to be crossed off!

I Knew Sleeping Beauty wasn't a fairytale!

IES brought all of us to Segovia this past friday. I had been before when I was traveling in high school, but this was cool since we got a complete historic tour of it. We heard all the anecdotes, and earned all the understanding, so I'll try to share:

An alcázar is a Spanish fortress or palace, and this one is no different...aside from the fact that a children's fairy-tale takes place in this one. This is the castle that Disney based Sleeping Beauty on. It was the "farmhouse" for royalty back in the day. They would escape here during the summer to avoid the heat and chaos in the city.

The second picture and third pictures are of some of the churches in Segovia. The second is one of the oldest cathedrals in Spain. While on our tour the bells were ringing at the stroke of 11...for about ten minutes, talk about letting people know the time. The third picture is of Iglesia de la Cruz.

After touring Segovia we waited in the sun for our bus to come. From left to right are my friends Marina, Laura, Sylvia, Hannah, my roommate Mary and I.

A Picture of Madrid

These are just SOME of my photos from my time in Madrid thus far. It's gorgeous here, a little chiller than expected, but nothing this Minnesotan born girl can't handle. The pictures starting at the top are as follows:

A couple of what are called "señoras" here. Señoras are typically women anywhere from 60+ years old, some are widowed, others divorced, but generally they're all adorable. Señoras are who host us foreigners in their houses to keep them company, which not only helps them from being lonely, but us students to practice our Spanish, so it's definitely a win-win situation.

Mercado de San Miguel is the second picture from the top. This market is home to some really cool things. They have fresh milk (this is a rarity and only for true cravings...like a couple days ago), pastries, a fish and meat market, a giant cheese booth and a variety of little counters to order tapas or drinks from. It kind of resembles a super fancy/modern version of a farmer's market.

Next is the Plaza Mayor. It used the be the major meeting place back in the "old days." Now it is home to lots of tourists, giant easter celebrations and some enthusiastic street performers. All of the windows that are seen in this picture are apartments, and the only way to live in one is to be grandfathered into one. Each apartment has about 8 bedrooms, and since it is considered a historic landmark, and since all of the residents' families have lived there for centuries, they pay a set fee of only 70€ a month (wouldn't that be nice!)

Below the Plaza Mayor is the Cathedral. This is the Cathedral across from the Palacio Real (Royal Palace). It was built for only the court to attend, but due to a lack of funding the public's taxes were raised, and it was opened to the public later on since the public itself had helped pay for a large amount of it.

The last picture is of the Palacio Real itself. The current monarchy does not live here as it is historic, however the grandfather of the current king did indeed live here. It is filled with lavish rooms filled with all sorts of gaudy furniture and decorations, don't get me wrong, it would be awesome to live there, but it is crazy what the palace is decorated in. The palace is also home to the largest collection of Stradivarius instruments in the world. As a former Violinist these instruments truly are the most gorgeous of them all. (sidenote, in order to keep them from rotting or depreciating, someone has the job of playing them for an hour everyday...what a sweet job!)

Estoy

No cool pictures, but some awesome updates!

So far my trip has been successful. I flew out on sunday, made it on the plane without a scratch, however the stewardess did give the wrong meal to about half the plane...important requirement for a stewardess: knowing which is meal 1 and which is meal 2. I was not capable of sleeping due to the large, drunk, over-sharing Polish guy next to me, however his redeeming quality was that he was really nice. The ride seemed to drag on for a while, but obviously I made it off. I got approved through the oven that Madrid Barajas Airport calls customs even though most of us were pretty sure we were going to pass out because of the heat ducts looming over us.

When I got to baggage claim I guess it was asking too much for the carousel to be labeled as to which bags were from which flight. I found two other girls who looked just as confused as me, turns out they're in my program too. Eventually we found our bags, and our guides and got into a taxi soon thereafter. A girl named Sylvia and I shared a cab and then ended up sharing a room in the hotel. Our room was nice, but it was definitely more appreciated for the shower it had than anything else. After a quick catnap we went to lunch, met some people, listened to some lectures and scurried out to get some quick internet at the Starbucks around the corner.

Later on we took a walk with some Spanish students around the city, it's funny how much déjá vu I had while strolling (shout out to my previous spain trip people). After the walk we spent an hour in the phone store trying to figure out phone plans and which one made the most sense economically and functionally. Tapas followed, along with trying to go to bed early.

The next day we had some lectures and then met our host families. Mary and I are living with a couple in their late 60s who have been married for 10 years, first marriage for both, but obviously too old for children of their own, so they have hosted 6 students a year for the past 7 years, all of them girls except one. He never spoke and that was the end of the male sex in the apartment. The apartment is about 40 minutes from school, walking and metro involved of course. It is small, but large enough for Mary and I to share a bathroom and have our own bedrooms (which is so nice). Marisol is a woman of the house who is kind of neurotic about food. She reminds me of my grandma at home, whom is never able to sit down while others are eating for fear that her guests are uncomfortable, may need something, or possibly want something else. Eduardo is the porter of the apartment complex and only has to work one more year before his pension kicks in, but that means that he will always be here. Theyre both super nice. Everything is so much healthier than what it is in the states. We've had a variety of food from vegetable paella to zucchini soup so there's a wide variety of food around, but since we don't as much as the girls that lived with her before she is constantly paranoid that we don't like her food, however it is quite the opposite. I think that's it for now, more updates to come!

Equipaje

Baggage is not only something that a person brings into a relationship, but also something that can carry memories, mementos, souvenirs, and in my case, enough clothes for four months. Traditionally I am an extremely light packer, however this time proved to be more difficult. Planning for a change of season, change in climate and a change in scenery while traveling from country to country is a very hard task. Luckily, I picked a warm-ish country to go to; I won't have to worry about a thick winter coat or snow boots for when I have to trudge to class, but I also can't get by on the stereotypical American college uniform of a hoodie, jeans and any variety of odd footwear. I am typically a person of comfort, wearing what I please, when I please to. Many test runs were conducted over the course of the past week: packing and repacking, folding and unfolding, picking and choosing. Clothes were selected based upon favoritism, durability and general comfort level with some class associated with it. After packing for the last time tonight, with a duffel weighing in at 40lbs I think I am ready to head out tomorrow.

The nerves are definitely catching up to me. I have responded many a time recently that I am very excited to be there and go everywhere, but a little sad to leave home. It was nice having a month to bum around home, babysit my favorite family, interview for a real job, and hangout with old friends and my family. I will miss watching american tv with my siblings, or the game-show network with my best friend, but I know they will be here when I return, and for now I have to say, as tigger would, TTFN, ta-ta-for-now.