“La mejor universidad es el viajar”

Paris. What an AMAZING city! Great company, amazing food, unforgettable site-seeing and swollen feet! We had a 6 day break at the UCA so we decided to take full advantage of it, and pay the iron lady a little visit. I took 800+ pictures…so I’ll try making a web album b/c posting 3-4 pics just won’t do the trick!

October 7, 2010

We woke up early to meet up in the old part of Cádiz to catch our train that would take us to Sevilla. The train ride took 2-ish hours (?) but it didn’t seem that long, we stuffed our faces with bocadillos our host moms had prepared to make the time go by faster! =0) Once we got to Sevilla we took the shuttle to the airport and were finally on our way to PARIS!!!!! We got there and tried to figure out the train system in order to get to our hostel….Thank goodness for Akel, I would have been SOOOO lost if he hadn’t figured everything out beforehand! After asking a couple people and feeling completely lost we finally found the train and were on our way to the Caulaincourt Hostel. Our room was TINY!!! We seriously had to walk sideways in order to get past each other! Hahaha The neighborhood was super cute! We did some exploring around our neighborhood that night, and found a little fruit stand and had that for dinner. It was super weird, I didn’t get “the feeling” when we got to the area around our hostel. It’s that feeling you get when you can’t believe what you’re seeing…or you can’t believe you’re there….anyway, I didn’t get that which was a little disappointing.

October 8, 2010

Woke up pretty early and was super ready to get started with the whole site-seeing thing! We ate breakfast at the hostel, and took the train to Concorde, which was where we had decided to start visiting sites. As we got out of the subway, we looked over and could see the Eiffel Tower in the horizon….THIS is when I got “the feeling.” It was crazy! I literally had to just sit there for a second and take it all in. We walked through the Jardin Des Tuileries and I couldn’t believe it was real! It was amazing! We walked through the park and got to the Louvre! I knew the museum was big….but it’s ridiculous how huge it is! The Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, Napoleon III Apartment, Venus de Milo, Egyptian antiques, Psyche and Cupid…..CRAZYY!!!!! After 4 hours of wandering around the museum, we finally decided it was time to go. Except for one small detail, we were a little lost for a bit, and FINALLY found the exit! I had the BEST mocha at the Louvre!!!!! After the museum we went back to the park and had lunch and some ice cream….and then found some chairs by the fountain and took a little siesta; the Spanish ways have rubbed off on us =0) We then went on to walk through the Champs Elysee and finally made it to the Arc de Triumph! We bought our tickets, climbed a million stairs, and finally go to the top in time to watch the sun set! After that it was another train ride home. Again we paid the fruit stand a visit and had fruits, veggies, cheese and fresh orange and apple juice for dinner! I tried speaking French…um….not so much! I think the guy at the fruit stand thought I was borderline retarded…..

October 9, 2010

Another early morning except for it’s getting A LOT harder to get up and be enthusiastic about walking for hours! After breakfast and the routine visit to the fruit stand, we took the train to a different part of town. We found a cute little place called Rendez-Vous for some croissants and coffee. We then went to the catacombs…it was CRAZYYYY!!!! There were THOUSANDS of skulls and bones. We then went around the Latin Quarters and walked around, and ended up going to the Pantheon. It was soooo crazy! It has the largest pendulum in the world. After that, we went to Notre Dame…where again; I got “the feeling.” It is amazing! The stained glass windows really can’t be captured in pictures….it just doesn’t do it justice. After struggling to walk any further, we found a little restaurant and had a glass of wine and some salad, and headed back home ready to CRASH!!!

OMG I tasted a fruit that looks like a tomato, but tastes like a mango/pear….and I also tried a fruit that tastes like a pear made love to an apple…SOOO GOOD!

October 10, 2010

The energy levels are definitely dropping! Last full day in Paris so we HAD to take advantage of it! Today was the designated shopping/wandering around day…and the grand finale, the Eiffel Tower. We walked for hours again, saw a man get hit by a car, saw 4 ladies in wedding dresses…but no grooms….and went to the most insane mall of my life! It looked like an opera house from the inside, and was 7 stories!!! Everything was super expensive….we couldn’t even afford things that were 50% off. There was a floor designated to designer stuff…..Gucci, Prada, Dior, LV, Versace, Givenchy, D & G…someday…someday! After the shopping mood was crushed by the insane prices, we headed out to our final destination. We walked for TWO HOURS and waited in line for like two more, and finally made it to the top of the tower. It was perfect timing because we were there in time for sunset. It was crazy to see military guys with guns out…but it was comforting in a weird way. It was SOOO windy and cold! But after we took our pictures and took it all in, we headed out to our final dinner…and yes, I had to try it..SNAILS!!!! They are pretty delish! When in Rome, right!?

October 11, 2010

Check out from the hostel, and head out to the airport. We made it to Barcelona and had an 11 hour layover so we took a train to go see La Sagrada Familia…..AMAZING!!! That’s the craziest architecture I have seen in my life! It was too late so we couldn’t go inside, but I at least got to see the outside. We had dinner and went out to a bar (la oveja negra) to kill some time. Our flight left at 6 am so we got there a bit early and passed out on the floor of the airport! Hahaha then…time to go back home and SLEEP!!!!!

Such an awesome trip! I am so glad I went…. We had perfect timing too. We left Paris on Monday and then saw in the news that Paris was pretty much shut down on Tuesday! People were striking throughout the city, and employees were walking out of tourist sites. 50% of flights out of Paris were canceled b/c people were on strike because the government wants to increase the retirement age by 2 years…..Made it out just in time!

* c'est la vie *

**I've been REALLY bad with pictures lately......no new ones to share. WUUUUPPPSSS!!! **

Time is going by WAY too fast here! I wish time would stop so that I could enjoy Spain/Europe until I got sick of it (it that’s even possible), then start back up so I could return to my life in Seattle. Ugh….wishful thinking….

On September 29 there was a national strike because of the unemployment issue that’s affecting Spain right now. Here in Cádiz buses stopped running, classes were canceled, EVERYTHING was closed, and the biggest issue we faced was that there were no bakeries open so we didn’t have bread with any of our meals. That wasn’t the case with bigger cities though. I watched the news and it finally hit me how desperate people are for jobs here. University grads can’t find ANY jobs! They are willing to get beat by cops, thrown in jail, or get fired from the odd jobs de DO have, in order to try to make a difference. My host sister already has her BA in broadcasting AND has her masters, but had to go back to school because she’s been unemployed for over a year, being able to get only small, odd jobs. That means she’ll be in school for 4 more years to start her SECOND BA. I though the US had it bad but it’s definitely true what they say, there’s always someone who’s worse off!

On a much lighter note, I went to watch Eat Pray Love (Come Reza Ama) for the second time! This was my first movie in Spain! I absolutely LOVE this movie!! It inspires me to travel and definitely reminds me that I am where I am because I’m pursuing my passion. If I could do this for the rest of my life, I’d take up the opportunity in a heartbeat! I didn’t think it was possible, but I’m actually in love with a country that’s not considered 3^rd world. The longer I’m here, the harder it is for me to even think about going back to the states! Can my friends and family just come live here with me forever!? Ok, thanks!

On Sunday I went to mass with Karly, I was so amazed! It’s definitely a different experience. The Cathedral is HUGE and at first it was so hard to understand the priest because of the echo, but after a while it got better. Karly and I were the youngest people there…everyone else looked like they were 50+

AHHHHH tomorrow I go to PARIS!!! I have never been to France and I’m super excited to check a lot of things off of my “to do before I die” list! It’ll be interesting to see how we manage to get around! Not gunna lie, I am a little nervous because of all the stuff I’ve been hearing on the news, but…c’est la vie. OH YAAAAA already speaking French sukkkkaaaaaaasss!!! =0) I hope I pick up on a few words AT LEAST! We are getting a French student at my house in Spain on the 25^th of this month, and I don’t think he speaks any English OR Spanish! AWKWARD!!!

Enough for now… be on the lookout for a Paris blog/pictures!!!!!

De “guiri” en España

I’ve already been in Cádiz for a month….NOT O.K.!!
Time seriously FLIES when you’re having fun! Updates worth blogging about..

I have discovered the beauty of salsa dancing on a Tuesday night! The best part about it is that it’s right down the street from where I live. It’s a small place called la Isla Azul (it’s right across the street from the beach) and they offer free classes every Tuesday night. It’s super exciting because we are becoming “regulars” at this place. This only means one thing, SPANISH FRIENDS!!! =0) After salsa dancing at this place, we head over to another club called Barabas. Barabas is a lot bigger and they play salsa music up until about 3 a.m. then they start playing hip-hop and house music (I actually just made that up! I don’t know if that’s what it’s called! Hahahaha) anyway! You get the idea! The only bad thing about these Tuesday night outings is that we have class at 9 am the next morning!

So, last Tuesday we went to Barabas, and when I looked at the time, it was already 7….so that only meant one thing…naps on the beach the next day! After about an hr and a half of sleep after salsa dancing, we went to class and got through our Literatura y Cine class with no problems…then we realized we had to wait around campus until our next class, which started at 4:30 pm. So, we did what any other person would do….find a nice shaded area on the beach and PASS OUT!!! We had no towels or swim suits, so I’m guessing we looked like bums…but we got some sleep. Then the WEIRDEST thing I have EVER seen in my life happened!!!!!!! I woke up because some people with a nasty ass accent decided to sit RIGHT by us and start talking super loud….but then I looked up for some reason and saw a lady taking her little girl (probably about 4 yrs old) to the sandy part so she could poop!!!! Hahahahah WHO DOES THAT!!! Then the lady picked it up with a plastic bag. It grosses me out when people do this with their dogs crap….now imagine a mother doing that to her child!! SICK!!! OMG I am traumatized! Needless to say, my napping mood was over, and all I wanted to do was slap the people with the ugly accent, and the lady who let her kid poop on the beach!

Moving on…..Culture:

One of our professors was explaining the “right way” to take a siesta. Apparently, it should only last about 20 minutes, anything more and you are no longer taking a siesta, instead; you are just being straight up lazy. A siesta should never be taken lying down, it should always be done while sitting up, leaning over onto one hand. One of the methods you can use is to grab a “coffee spoon” using your thumb and pointer finger and slowly doze off….once the spoon slips from your fingers and hits the floor, your siesta is over. It’s pretty interesting because every time I took a “siesta” I would go into my room, get into bed and get up two hours later! Hahaha ooops!

Another thing I’ve seen here that I just think is absolutely AWESOME is the fact that a group of friends can be sitting out having a coffee or eating tapas, and all of a sudden some will start clapping, others will start singing, and it never fails that at least one person will be moving their hands like they’re dancing flamenco. It’s SOOOO awesome!

Last thing…I finally cut my hair!! Ok....Thanks, bye!

Literatura, “Americo Vespucci” e falando portugeis….

This blog is a little late....but better late than never!


Week three is officially over and all I can say is WOW!!! I think week three has been my favorite so far! 3 major things happening….One, I finally started classes at the University of Cádiz at the facultad de filosofía y letras. Two, went to a super fun party on the “Americo Vespucci,” and three, went to Lagos, Portugal!



1.)Classes at the UCA: We finally started classes at the UCA!!! WOOO I’m super excited to start! My goal is to make some Spanish friends at the school! So far we’ve had to go to all the classes so we can get an idea of what the class would be like, and finally make a final decision on the classes we will be taking for the rest of the semester. After going to all the classes I can honestly say that I’m super excited to start! I am taking historia de España, literatura y cine, lengua IV, and Variaciones. I’m feeling super official now! I can’t wait until classes start for classes to start for ALL university students (school officially starts on the 27th). My goal is to make Spanish/European friends that go to the UCA.



2.)On Tuesday of last week we were at the beach and 2 Italian Navy guys came up to us to invite us to this boat party they were having. So…Wednesday night rolls around and we decided to give this little boat party a try. We show up, and their boat seriously looks like a pirate ship! They were all dressed in their little navy uniforms. They had drinks, dancing, and cake for everyone who showed up…and of course, the sexy Italian accent was EVERYWHERE!!!! =0) we had a fun night of dancing, drinking, and learning how to count in Italian haha.



3.)Since we are in Europe we have to take advantage of how easy it is to go country hopping…so the first outing w/ a group of people was to Lagos, Portugal. We ended up having a group of about 30 students who wanted to go to Portugal for the weekend, so we rented a bus and headed out Friday afternoon. It took us a while to get there, but when we did it was well worth it! Friday night we got to “The Rising Cock” which is the hostel we were staying at. Hahaha each room had its own name, and I ended up staying in the “tea bag” room. We decided to go out Friday night, and celebrate the fact that we were in Portugal. Saturday morning we woke up, had some breakfast, and got ready to go on the booze cruise that was being put on by the hostel. That thing was CRAZY!! They provided beer, sangria, sandwiches, and tours on the boat. It was SOOOO pretty! After the tour we wanted to try some Portuguese food so we walked around and found a cute little place. I had a soup that was kind of the Portuguese version of Paella….it was SOOOO good!!! Saturday night was spent recovering from Friday’s fun and Sunday was a beach/ site seeing day. We ended up going to a beach where you could swim out to a cave like thing, which led to a different little beach. It felt so surreal being out there. I really want to start taking advantage of traveling while I’m here!

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page. -St. Augustine

On Friday the 10th we had a “party” to celebrate being (almost) done w/ our orientation. I tried paella for the first time ever and LOVED it!!! It is sooooo freaken good! It had a mix of seafood w/ some chunks of chicken. It tasted almost like the meat was from pozole, yet the actual rice didn’t taste like pozole at all. Of course it wouldn’t be a real Spanish get-together if there wasn’t sangria involved…so some of the professors from our school made some for us =0) I am definitely a fan of sangria! After the school get-together, we wanted to go out. So 2 friends and I went to find some “drinks” to take to La Punta. We realized that getting to La Punta (where it’s legal to drink out in the open) at 11 pm is a bad idea. NO ONE is out at that time. We each had one drink and sat on a ledge that overlooks the water, and realized we were too tired to go out. On our way to find a taxi we walked by the Plaza de España and stopped for a bit when we saw some people singing flamenco music. It was SOOO awesome. I sometimes still can’t believe I’m in Spain, but sitting at the plaza watching people perform definitely made it more real! We stayed for a bit and luckily made one of the last busses that leaves the parte Antigua and goes toward the parte nueva (which is where we live) and made it home at a pretty decent hour.

On Saturday we had our second excursion. It was to the Torre Tavira which is the tallest tower in the old part of Cádiz where you can see the whole town. They have this really cool thing called a “dark camera” which is literally like a huge ass mirror that reflects live images from outside, and displays them on this huge bowl-like thing inside of a dark room. We then went up to the terraca and got to see all of Cádiz. The cool thing was that when we were up there, we got to see plane practicing for an air show that was going to happen Sunday.

Sunday morning air show: The air show is literally the equivalent of Seattle Seafair , except that the one here is like 2 hours long, and I thought it was a lot better. The Blue Angels are pretty cool…but damn, these guys are crazy! I had no idea helicopters could flip and do all that crazy stuff too! The beach was super packed with people who were there to watch the show. It started off with sky divers, then went into the old planes doing Blue Angel-like tricks, then the plane that puts out forest fires….then the helicopters, then this plane that was CRAZY loud and went super fast! The coast guard was out on boats….very very nice! J

Culture: I have seen SOOOO many boobs here! People on the beach go topless and just lounge around taking in some sun. What’s awkward about it is that sometimes they’ll be sitting around playing cards with their families just “hanging out.” The men wear Speedo’s and some women go in thongs too. My goal is to go back to the states with no tan lines! Hahaha JOKE!

I am in the process of creating a list of things I want to do while I’m here. I am SUPER determined to learn Italian while I’m here! I’ll also be traveling and exploring new places. A big group of us are planning a weekend trip to Portugal which will take place this upcoming weekend! I will definitely have to post pictures/blog after a I get back! For now, I’m just getting ready to start REAL classes on Wednesday! YAY!!!