Friday, April 25, 2014

Semana Santa and Closing Remarks

After an amazing four days in the Canary Islands, it was time to return back to Seville in order to experience the well anticipated Semana Santa, Holy Week in english.  Holy Week is from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday every year and it is a chance for the churches to display their icons and altarpieces in their church.  Everyday is very similar with procession after procession and let's not forget the amount of people on the streets is ridiculous.  The processions are based around the center of Seville, near the Cathedral.  The history of this celebration dates back in the 16th century when many of the citizens were illiterate, and so in order for the Catholic Church to remind people of the importance of Easter, they displayed the sacrificing of Christ.  Every since then, it has been an annual event for all the churches to display their icon, the most popular being the Virgin Mary.  The people that are involved with a procession belong to the brotherhood that run the church.  Many people just stand on the sidewalks and gaze at the processions that go by.  It takes one procession about an hour.  During that hour you see, kids in these costumes above giving candy to other kids, music from the band, senior members holding these wooden crosses, and the most important the float.


This magnificant golden float is being carried by about 30 men.  It is an honor for these men to be appointed for this job and even to be in the procession to begin with is a great honor to represent your brotherhood.  These men practice and train two to three weeks prior to Holy Week and now I realize why.  I can't imagine the weight that is being applied to the men below and also on this specific day it was about 80 degrees.  You stand on the side gazing at the kids and members of the brotherhood walking by and then when the float appears everyone goes silent.  Some people will even reach out a hand and touch the float and then pray.  It was quite a sight and an experience especially coming from the US where going to church and praying on Easter is huge but there are so many distractions.  This is a week long celebration where even kids are involved learning to give candies to other kids at a very young age.  The city and people focus around this celebration and the significance these floats and processions have on this city is incredible.  Many business owners rely on Holy Week to make all their profits for the year and without this celebration Sevilla would not be Sevilla.  Getting around the city and even just eating lunch or dinner is near impossible due to the combination of people and processions.  Many places are completely blocked off for people that rented chairs in which all the floats go past certain areas.  These seats are very expensive but after experiencing Holy Week walking around and trying to see different processions, I can see where those seats might be a great investment.  


This past week was my last week of school in Seville.  My exams ended on Wednesday and then last night was our going away party.  It was at the same restaurant that our welcome party was located and it was weird because I felt like I was just their a couple weeks ago meeting all of these new students.  This time we were there recalling the special moments we had together, and the friendships I have gained through my travels here will stay with me forever.  It is amazing to talk to people who all had different reasons for coming here.  Some are here because they want to be spanish teachers.  Others are here because it was a great opportunity that they could not pass up.  Then there are others that came because they felt as though their lives were stuck in the same routine with the same people. My primary reason for coming to Seville was to play soccer.  Academics were a side note especially seeing the few amount of credits that are actually transferring over to CNU.  I did not expect the experiences that would ultimately change my life and my character.  Before coming to Spain, I was a confident person but like everyone I had my doubts.  With stress of soccer, school, and my future always in my head, there are always doubts that will arise.  I've lived in a foreign country for over three months now, having to speak a language that I really just started learning a year ago.  I have lived with a family that speaks zero English and I have played soccer with a semi-professional team that has the potential to becoming pro in Spain.  I have seen different cultures and realized the life that I want to live in my future.  Those stressors that I had  four months ago, are now looked at as challenges that I have the confidence to overcome, and know that my life will turn out the way I want it to.  I feel as though I can handle any situation or circumstance that comes my way no matter the difficulty.  What I know about the world and the people that live in it will never truly be complete, but my openness to others and their cultures is even more clear now.  My soccer ability has grown to a confidence that I never thought I would obtain just by practicing with a team.  I realize now that my "dream" of becoming a professional soccer player is now more a goal.  Lastly, my love for my family and friends is even more apparent then before.  You never truly understand the amount of love and necesity you have for your family until they are gone from your life.  The excitement I have to see my parents here in Seville is through the roof and the opportunity to travel Europe with my girlfriend, Becky, is something I have been trying to contain every since the plan to travel intiated.  Returning home to see friends and my siblings will be bittersweet because this city has completely changed me and I will never forget the moments and experiences I have had here.  I want to thank everybody that have kept up with my blog, there has been many posts and descriptions about my time here and I know at times it gets repetitive.  I hope I have done a good job sharing my thoughts and experiences through my eyes and it is because of you all that kept me blogging and remembering those moments that will always be here for my disposal.  I am not sure whether I will continue blogging during my travels around Europe but I will say that there will be one final blog when I return home.  A saying that I am going to leave you all with has been thrown around a lot within this past day, always remembering our time here in Spain.

No me ha dejado
(It has not left me)

Thank you all so much and can't wait to see you all back in the states! Especially, this little guy,

¡Adios amigos!
   


Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Las Palmas, Gran Canaria aka Shred camp




After my incredible week of soccer, a group of four students from SAIIE took a flight down to the Canary Islands for four days.  Our destination, was Las Palmas, which is the northern most beach on the island Gran Canaria.  We attended a surf camp for three days, a total of 6 hours taught on the water and then an additional 10 hours to go out and surf whenever you want.  My first trial surfing was in North Carolina this past summer and it ended badly.  This trial was ubelievable, I was able to stand up on the first day and then on the last day I was able to actually ride the waves at an angle, as shown on this awesome picture above.  The waves were absolutely perfect for beginners.  They were all about the height of the above picture, obviously a little bigger on some days but very consistent, with one wave rolling in right after the other.  The weather was beautiful everyday and the water was a little chilly when you first entered but then your body got used to it.  It was actually quite refreshing because of the heat especially on the black sand that covered the beach.  The four of us, Riley, Zaire, Chris, and I stayed in a hostel with 8 or 9 other kids also attending the camp.  They were from all around Europe, France, Barcelona, Sweden.  It was awesome to meet these people and get to know their backgrounds and why they were there.  Most of them, it was just a great excuse to get away for a week.  
This was the hostel with about 3 other rooms like this one.  There was also an upstairs that was for hanging out listening to music or watching tv or if you wanted to just take a nap on the hammock.  The nap was essential especially after a couple hours out on the water.  Fortunately, my friend Riley and I really took advantage of our 10 extra hours outside of class and we might not have completed all 10 but certainly came close.  We had a great time exploring the the nightlife of the island, it is definitely a surf town.  Everyone knows everyone and there is no worries.  What a life it would be to have the opportunity to wake up to sunshine everyday, teach some kids how to surf for a couple hours, take a break and go surfing, then head back home to get ready to go out and meet friends every night.  It was a great vacation with a lot of relaxation because our return to Sevilla for Holy Week was the exact opposite.  Let's just say we were not ready for the amount of people on the streets at a given moment.  An update on going home status, I fly back home in 37 days, crazy how time flies.  ¡Hasta Pronto!



 

Friday, April 18, 2014

Football Week


There is so much to update on that, I am going to have to blog in stages focusing on the main parts of my last week.  First, we are going to start with my soccer game on Tuesday.  Our last game of the semester was played in the newest college that was opened up in Sevilla that has the same format as a college in the US, with a campus and everything.  Unfortunately, we could not find another team that was available to play for this day and time so we had to scrimmage against ourselves.  The weather was perfect and the field was a lot newer than the ones we have been playing on so everything seemed to line up for a good night.  The coach stuck my roommate and I at forward together and let us try and do our thing.  The Triana team plays right through the middle of the field with little involvement with the wingers, so this style suited us really well because we got the ball often.  Especially me, because I took advantage of when I was not getting the ball often, I would drop into the center mid and try and impact the game that way.  It was perfect I was very much involved with every build-up and after going a goal down, I made this run where I beat one player on the dribble and had a shot with my left foot that winded up going upper 90 on the near post.  It was a great start to the game because for the rest of the game I had the confidence.  We then went another goal down just to bring it back even when I received a pass from the outside back, flicked it to the running outside mid, who then fired away another goal.  Goal and an assist for the first part of the first half, I was feeling really good and this definitely showed throughout the whole game.  The second half was wide open with not much build up and more of a counter attack method.  Although, it was sloppy at times I was able to find myself another goal and almost rack in a third to complete my hat trick, but the pass to me wasn't made.  We ended up losing 4-3, but can't be too upset with two goals and an assist.  It was a great way to end the soccer program here in Spain because I really focused on what I learned while I was here and tried implementing that as I played.  I train for a couple more weeks so I am not officially done but what an experience it has been.

My next soccer experience was on Thursday, where I had the opportunity to go to the second leg Europa quarterfinal game against Sevilla FC and FC Porto, a Portuguese team.  In the first leg FC Porto won 1-0, and so Sevilla had to come out attacking in order to get a couple goals.  There was a big section of Porto fans that traveled for the game and they were crazy.  They were loud from the minute they entered the stadium singing their chants and taunting the Sevilla fans until the whistle blew when their team went a goal down very early on.  When it was time for the fans to enter into their section there were about 25-30 cops lining up around their area.  Things got so heated that the fans were hitting and throwing bottles at the cops and in return the cops were hitting the fans with their sticks.  It was crazy, very close to a straight riot.  The atmosphere of the game was amazing, the fans sang their chants and songs loudly and you could feel the pride in everyone of the Sevilla fans' voices as they motivated their team to win 4-1.  It is great to see the passion that these fans have for the game of soccer and their teams.  It is nothing compared to soccer or even football back home in the US.  It is addicting, you find yourself wanting to be apart of the chants and you want to become those old guys that buy season tickets every year, that have the same seats for years and years.  From a player's point  of view, I can't imagine playing with that many people chanting and screaming your name.  I know for the most part you just tune out everything around you but wow the feeling of playing for people that would literally die for you would be such an amazing experience.  Even after the game, the fans were still going crazy.  Chanting continued to the streets and eventually when they couldn't be heard chanting in their cars, they started honking various tunes.  People on motorcycles and mopeds were honking and waving their scarves and flags all the way until we got home, which is about a 30 minute walk.  It was a great week for soccer and then the surfing started in the Canary Islands on Friday, which is the next topic to look forward to, ¡Hasta Luego!



Sunday, April 6, 2014

Save the Best for Last


An exciting second to last week spent in Sevilla.  On Monday, the two other students involved in the soccer program and I were able to visit a practice of one of the local professional teams, Sevilla FC.  Currently in their season, they are playing about two to three games a week so the practices are only in order to get their foot on the ball and stretch out the legs, nothing more.  The practice was boring to watch because you could tell that there wasn't a lot of desire to go hard in practice but it was awesome to take some pictures with some pro players that drove out.  The guy in the picture above, is currently the starting center mid captain called, Ivan Rakitic.  Obviously, he was as thrilled as I was to take a picture. The rest of the week was filled with classes and soccer.  This coming week I should have my last soccer game of the semester, which will be a nice sending off and hopefully it will go as well as the last game.  
  This week is the last week of classes.  Amazing how time flew by, you all are probably thinking that you just started reading this blog a couple weeks ago, maybe you did, but the times and experiences have been something I will carry with me the rest of my life.  Today,  I walked around Sevilla truly thinking that this is considered my city, a place where I could give people directions if they needed it.  Today, also marked the start of some very warm weather, it has been great all spring but today it was close to the lower 80's.  I took full opportunity of basking in the sun and watching some local soccer.  This week is going to be one of the best weeks because of everything planned.  Tuesday, hopefully we have our soccer game.  Thursday, my roommate and I have tickets to go see a Europa game against Sevilla FC and FC Porto.  Friday, our flight to the Canary Islands takes off and the start of our surf camp begins on Saturday.  Money well spent I would say.  Seeing that I will be in the Canaries next Sunday, most likely hitting the gnarly surf, I will not be able to update you all on my travels but don't worry when I get back I will have pictures and information regarding the amazing week.  I am missing home and the states, although I love it here I am definitely going to be excited to return home.  I also hope that everything goes smoothly with my sister and my soon to be nephew or niece.  I have no doubt that everything will be perfect and a new member of the family will be with us next week.  I want to thank everyone that has been keeping up with my blog and my life in Spain.  She might not like this, but I want to thank my girlfriend, Becky Sease, for being very supportive and patient with the means of communication while I've been here.  It has been difficult but in about a month she will be here in Spain traveling Europe with me and all the patience will soon pay off.
   Until next week, ¡Adios!
Not sure whether I posted this or not yet but I really liked it,
"Imagine all the people in the world living life in peace"

Sunday, March 30, 2014

The forgotten Triana Game


Well it looks like the semester is coming to an end, with only four weeks left.  Unfortunately, those weeks are filled with papers, exams, and projects but luckily, I have planned for them.  As many of you know, I spent my 21st birthday in Spain this week and what a memorable night.  Although it was nothing crazy, it was a birthday that I will never forget.  No traveling this weekend, but it was nice to spend the days in Seville, trying some different restaurants and enjoying the sun until the rain comes this week.  Two weeks ago, I had my first game but completely forgot to mention it on my blog.  This was not intentional because the game was amazing and a great experience for me.  I played right mid for the first half and then dropped into right back for the second half.  The way this team plays, is right down the middle, not much use of the wings, which is why for the first 10 minutes I found myself just running back and forth along the touchline.  Eventually, I made my way inside to try and find the ball a little bit more, which ended up working out well.  Some good plays here and there, but one run I was able to pick up the ball along the touchline.  Make a couple passes and find myself near the goal with some space.  I decided to slip the ball along the ground to one of my teammates for an assist.  It was great, my first game in Spain, and I get an assist in a position I do not play very often.  This gave me a lot of confidence for the remaing game.  I found myself having the ball a lot more when playing right back.  I tried being an attacking option but the game didn't really allow for me to go forward too often.  Nonetheless, I had some nice passes, couple moves, and the game finished up 3-3.  The level was not something completely shocking to me.  Don't get me wrong, they move the ball well and all of them have great touches but I found myself fitting in well with the rest of the team.  Perhaps a criticism I have of the team and the style that they play, is the amount of time they hold onto the ball before passing.  I understand that element of the game in Spain is huge but it seems that they take too many touches when the ball could have been off their foot a couple touches earlier.  Although I don't favor that style, I am trying to change my style to match that a little bit more.  I think coming back to the US, it will help my game a lot more to hold on the ball a little longer and maybe make more runs in attacking positions.  I am excited to play my second game and go home and try and implement what I have learned and what I am trying to change back home with my club over the summer.  I think I have improved a lot while being here as well as learned that the semi-professional level is no too far off where I stand today.  Sorry about not letting you all know about the game earlier but now that you know you can stop worrying about how I did.  Until next week, ¡Adios!

Monday, March 24, 2014

Marruecos, First Glimpse of Africa


Due to the strong caffeinated coffee, the three hour bus ride to the ferry was spent just awaiting the upcoming trip.  Trying to wrap my mind around what I was going to experience this weekend.  Looking back on the experience I just had, nothing could have gotten me prepared to be shocked like that.  Our ferry across the Straight of Gibraltar was short but spent in good company.  When we arrived in Tanger, it was off to the races to start exploring.  Our first stop was the city of Assilah, which is located right along the Atlantic Ocean.  Classic white and blue architecture filled each street along with very colorful and inspiring paintings along the walls.  While we were getting a tour around the city, the call for prayer came on the loud speakers spread throughout the city.  It was a memorable experience and although it woke me up at 5am the following morning it was rather peaceful.  There were many vendors and shops, least that is what I thought before we made our way to Tetouan on Saturday.  We stood out as tourists and the vendors would seek us out no matter how many times we refused.  Tourism is their source of income and although you might get some different looks, they appreciate you being there.  Moroccans are also very impressive in their vast understanding of languages.  Most Moroccans can speak English, Spanish, Arabic, and French.  Bartering would have been very difficult if they could not speak English.  Friday night we ate at the hotel because you were not allowed to go out in Morocco.  It is a completely different culture than that of Spain.  When you look out into the city at night, there was very few people around in the streets,  Saturday was perhaps the biggest shock for me and one that I will never forget.


  We left the hotel early in order to get a full day in the two cities of Chefchaouen and Tetouan.  Chefchaouen was a city that was filled with street vendors and some restaurants.  Again, the typical architecture with the blue and white was beautiful.  From the outside, nothing is given away in terms of whether the family is rich or poor.  The concentration is all on the inside, which is much different than life in the US.  Even in the hottest of days in Africa the color and shade provided by these houses make withstanding the heat rather easy.  My first experience bartering was successful and I was able to drop the price of this blanket down about 100 durum (currency in Morocco).  It is funny to think about whether you could have gone any cheaper and also the fact of how much it really cost them to acquire or make those goods.  A stream went through apart of the city in which to this day, women still go down to this stream to wash clothes.  It was quite a sight to see, you realize even in the 21st century people are still washing their clothes in a stream rather than the newest hightech dryer and washer from LG.  People are content with what they have and don't need excess to make their lives happier.  This was perhaps the most shocking after visiting Tetouan.


If I was dropped off in the middle of this city, I would never ever be able to find my way out.  There is no systematic layout of this city and what might seem like a way out, is just another conitnuous street of vendors.  As we were walking through the city, with our two body guards there was a funeral procession.  Four men holding a wooden casket followed by about 25 other men just walking down this crowded street with no warning or anything.  It is hard to explain how this single city affected me.  There were points where I was scared, excited, and amazed all at the same time.  This crazy way of life seemed so hectic and out of control from my perspective but to them, it was just another weekend.  People were satisfied with selling used shoes and maybe only getting the chance to sell about two a day.  Just when I think I've seen it all, I experience another culture and continent.  Lunch was spent at this amazing restaurant that served us authentic Moroccan soups, teas, and perhaps the best couscous I have ever had.  After exploring a little more of the city, we eventually made it out without any losses or anything.  We returned to Tanger where our hotel was and spent the night recalling what we just experienced.  Luckily, our recollection was over another amazing authentic Moroccan dinner.  


Sunday was nice and relaxful, seeing a different side of Morocco.  We stayed in the city of Tanger, where our hotel is, and made a couple touristy stops along the way to the Caves of Hercules.  The camel rides were a nice touch and I wish we could have taken them by ourselves for a little bit.  It makes for a nice humpday post on facebook and of course the profile picture.  We then visited the Caves of Hercules, which were very interesting because there were more vendors inside the caves.  A lot of the cave was man-made but the typical postcard of Africa is the picture I got below.  This trip to Morocco just made me want to experience more of the world.  There are places in the world that enjoy and live life differently than what I am used to and know of.  What I learn from these places simply makes me more aware of the world and the people inside it, but more importantly how it affects my life when I get back home.  





Sunday, March 16, 2014

The Calm before the Storm


Well another week in the beautiful city of Sevilla and the sun has been shining for a week straight now.  Unfortunately, no trips this week mostly due to wrong meeting spot.  It was a nice relaxing weekend, where I was able to get some work done for the future as well as get some studying done for this upcoming week of exams.  The picture above is one of the many amazing inventions from me and it turned out flawless.  Two buckets with some metal frame found in the corner of the porch, topped off with an extra mattress.  This led to quite a relaxful Saturday.  Even though we weren't able to travel around we were able to find some fun in the city.


This girl from Spain has become quite a friend and was able to get three of us free tickets to a professional basketball game.  I don't know basketball too well but I do know that there are a lot of college teams that could easily beat these teams.  Whoever wants to play professional basketball, just come on over to Spain.  It was a great experience and I probably needed to switch up the sports a little bit anyways.  The future in Spain is slowly slipping away, fortunately I am staying in Europe to travel for another month after the program ends, but it is amazing how fast the time has gone by.  School is getting hard, where every class has some sort of presentation or paper due within the next two weeks.  Luckily, I have stayed ahead of all my work and was prepared to do less as the time narrows and sun shines.  I have a few more trips planned out and one of them being Morocco this coming weekend!  I am very excited to see a new way of living, obviously everyone has been warning me about keeping my wallet safe.  It will be a nice relaxful time after this stressful week of exams.  I can't wait to let you guys know how everything goes and the new culture I will experience.  Sorry about the short blog but I need to get some last minute studying done for a couple exams tomorrow.  Until next weekend, ¡Hasta Luego!

Sunday, March 9, 2014

A Little Bit of Everything


Yet another amazing weekend has passed and I am pretty sure I did it all.  Friday was a day trip to Cordoba, which is a state just north of Seville.  It took about an hour to get there but once we arrived you could tell the Muslim influence on the city.  The great Mosque is located here and is the second largest in the world.  From the outside, it looks like a typical mosque structure with nothing fancy on the outside.  But once you enter inside the Mosque, the picture above, everything hits you at once.  The stone columns were taken from various Roman temples when the Muslims took over and destroyed many temples.  There are thousands of them throughout the whole Mosque.  The Roman aqueduct style is the basis to this whole building.  The architects were no fools either.  The mixture between brick and limestone on the arches are a perfect balance of flexibility and durability.  This allows some give to the structure which was very important when the earthquake hit the whole Iberian Peninsula, Portugal and Spain, back in the 18th century.  Also another interesting fact about this mosque is that back when it was in full use, about 20,000 Muslims would pray here about five times a day and this open area was just filled with people all facing Mecca (bottom picture)

Christians took over this mosque during the 15th century and ended up rebuilding the center of the mosque.  As sad as this is, the restruction actually saved the whole mosque from collapsing during the earthquake.  Although, the church in the center is absolutely amazing, it definitely takes away from the Islamic feel and no longer are you able to see from one end to the mosque to the other, which would have been quite a sight.  

This mosque was truly amazing and every glance seemed better than the next.  The surrounding area around the mosque were these small neighborhoods with cobblestoned streets.  A lot of very cool shops filled each store and I was also able to try the famous eggplant dish that is fried with some kind of honey glaze over stop of it.  There was so much history in Cordoba and the influence was very evident throughout the city.


Saturday was spent sunbathing on the beach of Matalascanas, which is in the state called Huelva.  This beach is only about an hour east of Seville and a bus to the beach and back is only 15 euro, which is about 17 dollars, so it was just begging for us to go.  We got our first glimpse of the bus experience and wow was it no joke.  A bunch of people lined up outside of the bus but once the doors opened, the line seemed to become a huge blob of people trying to squeeze into one door.  It was ridiculous how the people literally pushed and shoved to get on this bus.  I was very lucky and was the last person to get onto the bus and the rest of the people had to take another bus that stopped at several other stations making the trip to the beach take about two hours.  The beach was amazing when we got there and the weather was perfect.  No clouds and warm, very warm weather.  Yes, mom I kind of put on sunscreen but maybe a little more would have prevented the sunburn.  The water was freezing but that didn't stop most of the group to go swimming and body surfing.  It was very relaxing and just what I needed after a hard week of classes and visiting monuments.  It was a great weekend and so glad I was able to travel around a little bit.  There are only a few weekends left, so I have to make each one count.  Tuesday, I have my first game!! I am very excited and a little nervous.  I was able to watch the team that I practice with play today.  They have some really good players all over the field but are missing some solid players in some positions.  I hope to jump right in on Tuesday and start playing like I know how.  I will make sure to let you guys know how it goes at the end of the week but trust me it will be the first thing I talk about, depending on how I do.  I hope all is well back home in the States and I heard that it is finally warming up so that's good news except for my dad!  I look forward to sharing my upcoming week with you guys this comind Sunday.  ¡Adios!

 

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Already March


It is already March and the days are counting down quickly.  86 days until my flight home and much like this past month and a half, I am not going to waste a day.  There is a network in Spain called "intercambios", where you join a group on facebook and send a message saying that you are looking for some spaniards to meet and speak spanish with.  It is a great opportunity to practice spanish as well as get some inside information on where to go and the great places that only locals know about.  Usuallly, you meet for about an hour either over dinner or something like that.  For half an hour you speak constant Spanish where they will help out as best they can and then for the last half an hour you speak all English helping out their vocab and grammar.  I had my first intercambio last night where we went out to eat and spoke a lot of Spanish, to a point where my head was starting to hurt due to the amount of new vocabulary I learned.  I am definitely going to take more advantage of this, trying to meet with one or two people a week.  I think it is the best way to improve my speaking.  This week, in general, was pretty typical.  Classes and lots of soccer filled my week and nights.  Soccer is going very well, after all I am playing soccer is Spain.  I can see the improvements in my game already especially the speed of play.  I have my first friendly match March 11 and I am already getting prepared.  It is going to be a great opportunity to show myself even more and you never know who is watching, possibly the Real Madrid coach.  I might have dreamed about it.  


Many students in the program have fallen in love with Seville.  It is hard not to honestly, this city has it all from great restaurants to running trails.  Besides the unemployment rate, the city offers a lot especially to the younger crowds.  Several students want to move here permanently after they finish college.  I ask the question about missing their friends and family and surprisingly it falls to the wayside especially due to fact that family situations aren't the best.  I think about whether I could move here after college and I don't think I could be this far away from my family.  I am so fortunate to still have all four grandparents, that I know so well and have a great relationship with.  Even my aunts, uncles, and cousins are so close to my heart that not seeing them for a year is hard.  I am slowly finding out that I am a traditionalist in regard to being close to my family.  I will never live in the Northern Neck, let's get that straight but being close is so important to me.  Especially, with a new member of the family about to join in April, I can't express the excitement and desire to be the best uncle/godfather there is.  I am very upset I won't be able to be there for the birth of my first nephew/niece but I will make up for that over the summer.  I know this is definitely more of a journal post but I felt the need to express the importance of family in my life especially because most of my family keeps up with what I am doing here!  I never realized the full extent of how lucky I am to have a family that seriously epitomizes how a family and love for each other should work.  My brother and sister have influenced me in such a positive way throughout my whole life but I'm particularly happy that I have grown so much closer to both of them as I have gotten older.  I look up to them in so many ways, most importantly because their lives now seem to incorporate the best that life has to offer, happiness.  Thank you for reading through my journal for the week, I promise that I will continue my normal blogging here next week!  Until next time ¡Adios! 

    

Monday, February 24, 2014

Lisboa, Portugal

Sorry about the past week, I thought I posted my Artistic Monuments blog but I guess it didn't go through.  My week before Portugal was filled with exams but before my trip to Lisboa (Lisbon), Portugal my artistic monuments class got to tour the Sevilla Cathedral and climb to the top to see the aerial view of Sevilla.  The beautiful gothic cathedral was built over top of a mosque, which gives it a unique design.  There are aspects of Romanticism and Islam all in one cathedral, which creates a truely remarkable scene.  Not to mention this aerial view of Sevilla, amazing how all the houses look very similar with only a few modern buildings in the background.  This visit was only the start to an amazing weekend.



Our drive to Portugal took about 5 hours, which was spent in total silence.  We finally arrived in Lisbon and you could automatically see the differences between the two countries.  Portugal is much more diverse than Spain.  Many more ethnicities walking around the city compared to that of Seville.  Also, everyone knows English.  Portuguese people prefer to speak English than Spanish and are actually better at it because in Portugal, they grow up watching movies in English.  The main avenue, where our hotel was located, was filled with banks and offices rather than the abundance of bars and restaurants like Seville.  All that being said, it was a beautiful city, with a lot of history and monuments to remember it.  Our first visit was to the Castle of San Jorge, it overlooks the city and is filled with history and archilogical remains that never ceases to amaze me.  The weather made the sight of Lisbon that much better and luckily for us, it usually rains a lot during this time of year and it just so happens that it only rained at night while we were in town.  That night we spent walking around the city experiencing the night life of Lisbon.  The area, where we spent most of our time, was definitely for the younger crowd and honestly was a bit more sketchy than the areas in Seville.  We had a great time and met some new people.  I came down with a cold that night/next morning and it hit me hard.  I was clogged up and it was even difficult to hear anything.  Although this put a bit of a damper on my time in Portugal, it definitely helped that all of our visits were outside and pretty active.


Saturday morning we went to the Palace of Pena, which again overlooks the city of Sintra.  This palace was very interesting because there was no one style.  It is built upon a rock and actuallly the original palace is painted in red.  The yellow areas are all additions made to the palace by various kings.  The main style was Romanticism, which is meant to inspire something from within.  Although, Islam and Celtic style also plays a big part in designing this palace.  We were able to get a guided tour of the palace and the various rooms inside.  It was amazing to see how the upper class lived during those times.  A room for changing, sitting, or even just thinking.  The area surrounding the palace is a huge park that is filled with winding trails and some lakes that are meant to surprise you at every turn.  After the visit to the palace, we went back to hotel and relaxed until dinner.  A group of us went out to this Portuguese restaurant to see what kind of food they had to offer.  Seafood is big in Portugal and they did not disappoint.  Saturday night was the worst night for my sickness but I went to bed early and woke up feeling 50% better.  


Sunday was an early morning in order to fit in the rest of our Portugal adventure.  We had a tour on our bus that drove around the city pointing our various buildings and history associated with the city.  Our first stop of the day was at the Museum of Carriages.  We were able to see the innovations as well as artwork associated with the oldest to the newest carriages used by the Portuguese elites.  Then we drove to the Torre De Belen, which is the picture of me above.  It is right on the river, where I felt right at home.  Sailboats and people enjoying the view made me really miss and appreciate what I have at home.  Everyone was amazed at the sight of sailboats and how they wish they can sail, meanwhile I was thinking the minute I get home I am going for a sail with my family.  The sun was shining and the wind was blowing, which made the day that much better.  Overall, the trip was amazing and I am so fortunate to be able to cross off Portugal from my list of countries traveled to.  Having the opportunity to travel is one of the most important things in life.  If able to do it, the experience opens up new avenues and different ways of thinking that makes you more of a global citizen in the world.  Life isn't the same all over the world and appreciating those differences makes the return back home and the altered lifestyle much more significant.  



 




Artistic Monuments Class

 
This week has been filled with soccer, classes, and random walks around the city.  First exams will be next week so many classes were spent wrapping up the lesson and reviewing.  Outside of the classroom, it was ok weather throughout the week.  It rained a lot but rumor is that this will be the last glimpse of rain for the rest of our time here in Spain.  I hope that turns out to be true.  Soccer trainings with the semi-pro team is getting better, starting to jell with the team a little bit more as well as get involved more with the drills in practice.  The nights we don't have practice my roommate and I end up going to the nearby concrete field to just kick the ball around.  There is rarely a day that I do not play soccer.  Much like all the kids here in Spain.  
    My monuments class this week was very interesting and it seems that each class impresses me more and more.  The picture above is one of the many sanctuaries within Barrio Santa Cruz, which is the old Jewish neighborhood.  The narrow cobblestoned streets are shaded by the high buildings that was important for staying cool in the hot Spanish summers.  Every where you look there is some sort of color whether the benches, buildings, sidewalks, or even just the abundant amount of orange trees.  This area is now very popular with small cafes, bars, and restaurants on every corner.  This tourist location resides very close to the mosque of Giralda, which is by no coincidence.  

 

We also stopped into this church, which is regarded as one of the first churches built in the city of Seville.  Your eyes start at the apse, which is straight ahead in the first picture.  This art is made of all gold and once you think you've seen the best part of the church, your eyes make their way up to the ceiling.  The feeling that you are looking up into the heavens is purposeful.  The amount of time and effort that it took to make this church says a lot of about the importance of religion within Spain.  There are churches like these that are every where around the city and you are allowed to just walk in at any time and just gaze at each unique church.  


Our next visit was to the Alcazar, which was originally a military base.  On the outside, it is very clear that the function was purely for protection due to the size and strength of the outer wall.  When you enter, elements of Christianity and Islam decorate each wall and ceiling.  Islamic calligraphy and abstract carvings fill the walls from ceiling to floor.  Perhaps the best part about this visit, was the amount of gardens and the unique beauty of each one.  Islamic gardens are designed in order to stimulate each sense.  Water is also key within a garden because it symbolizes the purity of life, as well as stimulate all of the senses at the same time.  Every bush, tree, and fountain has a purpose within the garden and perhaps which is also a nice touch, palm trees are used everywhere.  The palm trees give you an element of space at the bottom but force you to look up towards the top, which symbolizes looking up towards heaven.  I can go on and on about the architecture and pure beauty of this place but even my professor said that he has been here at least 100 times and still sees something new each time.  It is great to have a class like this because even a "normal" week will always be a spent learning and observing places in Seville that are still impressing people.  We walked back to the school after our visit and outside a bar, read a sign that seemed to remind all of us about our experiences while in Spain.

"Life is made of the little moments 0€"

Next stop, Lisbon, Portugal!! ¡Adios!
  
  
     
 

Sunday, February 9, 2014

The Bullfighting City of Ronda, Spain


It is hard to believe that a month has already passed, but looking back at my experiences so far, it's hard to say that I've wasted a day.  Classes are getting a little bit tougher and we are approaching the week of first exams.  Unfortunately, my monuments class was cancelled this week, so no interesting pictures or facts about Seville, but definitely next week.  On Friday, we took a day trip to Ronda, Spain, which is about a two hour bus ride.  The drive was spent gazing outside the window at the endless fields and rolling hills.  Much different scenary than that of Seville, Ronda is a quaint city that has an old town and a new town, that is divided by a river that lies 100 ft. below.  Ronda is known for its bull fighting, and this ring is the oldest and second largest in the world.  They measure by the diameter of the circle rather than the capacity.  Our tour guide told us that tickets for some fights can range up to 1,500 euro.  They still hold bull fights here but in the meantime one of the oldest equestrian classes is stationed here and the marks you see in the picture above are from a recent class.  The official population of Ronda is about 30,000 people, but this number is a bit skewed due to the area surrounding Ronda, which is mostly farm land but nonetheless holds about 20,000 people.  


The picture of me above is to justify that I am really going to these places and not just pulling these from the internet.  The view from the city was stunning, a couple other students from the program and I spent majority of our time overlooking the valley.  Our tour guide told us that in the old days, in order to bring water up to the city, they would have to hike down to the river and then carry buckets of water up.  Symbolically, there were 365 steps towards to river indicating a step per day in the year.  There was a feeling of remoteness while in city, much like good ole White Stone, VA.  Only a day was spent in Ronda, but definitely a spot that might be revisted in the future.  Rain came this weekend, which made for a relaxful time, eating, drinking, and of course watching soccer.  Sunday will be spent video chatting my big belly sister, pregnant not fat, and watching Manchester United play at a local bar.  This is a great weekend to relax before I head to Lisbon, Portugal in two weeks!  Yes, I am already looking forward to that trip.  Hasta el próximo domingo (until next Sunday), ¡Adios!


Sunday, February 2, 2014

Shredding Cherry Pow Pow

 

The next chapter of my semester abroad has been written and what a week it has been.  Typical classes throughout the week.  Something new, on Wednesday night Chris and I walked down to this local futsal court and were able to play with a mixture between locales and other study abroad students.  It was a great time and believe it or not the soccer level was surprisingly fast paced, it will be a nice relaxing change from the strenous practices with the semi-pro team.  On Thursday, my monumets class, which is basically just a field trip every day around Seville, found us in this Muslim Palace.  The design and attention to detail was just an appetizer of what was coming this weekend in Granada.  Nonetheless, this two story  mosaic filled palace held pieces of history that are in incredible condition.  The focus of this palace is on the inside rather than the outside, I almost walked right past the palace because the outside blends in with the surrounding buildings.  Thursday night, Chris and I were able to actually have a full practice with the team and it was so much fun, very fast paced and for a second time this season I had a great practice.  After a satisfying practice, it was time to pack for the first of many trips around Spain, this time to Granada.

 

The drive from Seville to Granada took us about three hours.  In order to reach this ski city, you pass by the typical valley towns and farm lands.  Shipping companies, run down barns and farm houses, and rows upon rows of olive trees were the extent of what was around us while driving.  I realize now why olive oil is the biggest Spanish export because the trees are everywhere.  When we arrived at our Hotel Montecarlo, we could already notice the difference in cities.  Obviously, the climate but even the people were a little more relaxed, less smoking, and a younger crowd.  Friday afternoon, we were able to get a tour of La Alhombra, which is the pictures you see above.  It is the largest Muslim palace and I would bet the most beautiful.  Words and pictures could not explain the sheer beauty that went into creating this palace.  Every wall, floor, door, window, and even bushes were created with such a purpose of excellence, that it impresses anyone who steps inside the palace wall.  The positioning of this palace was on top of a hill overlooking the city of Granada. It was suppose to rain that day but as you can tell someone wanted me to take some more amazing pictures in order to make my frirends and family jealous.  Being in the presence of that view, art, history, and aura was surreal.  I kept pinching myself thinking I was going to wake up from a dream.  Friday night was spent discovering the night life of Granada.  Kababs, desserts, and bars filled every corner and this ski city is also very unique because everytime you order a drink, a free tapa (appetizer) comes with it.  The tapa is chosen by the chef but you can't go wrong.  Thinking that this trip could not get any better, Saturday morning six of us drove up to the Sierra Nevada to shred the gnar (go snowboarding).


No one brought gear to snowboard or ski in but luckily for only 40 euros, we were able to rent a board, boots, pants, jacket, gloves, helmet, and goggles.  I thought it was amazing we could rent all this stuff for so cheap and when we got out to the mountain I realized why.  My pants and jacket from the 90's soaked up water rather than repelling it.  My goggles were either covered on the outside by ice or fogged up on the inside making it impossible to see out of, it was already hard enough to see five feet infront of you. Luckily, the bindings of my board made it pretty much all day without falling apart but the last run was spent with only one strap keeping my foot attached to the board.  Hail and then snow whipped around the air creating the visibility shown above.  Although the gear and the weather was rough, this could not stop my excitment to snowboard in Spain.  We rode for about six hours straight not knowing where exactly we were on the mountain, at some points it was confusing which way was actually down.  It snowed the day before so there were pockets of untouched snow and this just added to the already great base.  The mountain didn't have a ton of runs compared to  some resorts out west in the States, but the runs they did have were steep and long.  This made lift lines short and rides long.  When 4:00pm rolled around I finished my shred session with an amazing flawless run all the way to the bottom, which took about 25 minutes without breaks.  I topped off the day by refueling my American side with a huge bacon cheeseburger.  As we were leaving the resort, the sun decided to break out from the clouds and reveal the mountatin that we were actually snowboarding on.

I was upset at first, but then realized, "seeing" is only one part of your senses in which you experience things.  This picture just added to the perfect day, sometimes it is easy to just go along with your day to day and not stop realize the beauty that is around you.  Snowboarding in the clouds today, not being able to see anything could have been looked at as a waste of a snowboard day, but making the most of it and then realizing the mountain I was able to snowboard on was yet another experience that I am going to remember for the rest of my life.  The drive back was spent taking some pictures of the mountains and in a trance of what we were able to just accomplish.  I occasionally would smile randomly just recalling where I am, what I'm doing, and what the rest of the trip is going to bring.  



Friday, January 24, 2014

Only the Beginning




First week of classes have flown by and the weather is finally getting warm.  Unlike in the US, during mid-day it is mid 60's with the sun heating you up.  On Wednesday, we went on a bus tour of Seville and the weather was perfect for sitting on the second level of the double-decker bus.  The picture above is one of the many pictures that I was able to get that day.  It was a very informative bus ride in which we learned a lot about the culture and history of the buildings.  While on the bus, all of us definitely felt like true tourists, all we needed were fanny packs and maps out at hand.  
    Yesteryday, consisted of class and then practice later on in the day.  Practice was again on the dirt, which I am definitely getting more used to.  All the guys on the team are very nice and helpful to Chris and I, which makes everything a lot easier.  Classes have been pretty typical nothing special, very informative with teachers that love what they are doing.  Most of the teachers at the school also have other jobs, which is really impressive the amount of time they are able to put into both of their jobs.  I am still getting used to the time change, at nights it is very hard to go to sleep so reading books has been my go to thing at night.  It also doesn't help that I take a couple of siestas throughout the day especially on my Mondays and Wednesdays.  


The Plaza de España is the picture above.  This beautiful semi-circle building is one of the most popular areas to visit in Seville and no wonder why.  It was absolutely stunning the attention to detail, mosaics lay along the ground, bridges, and building.  Every state in Spain is displayed as a Mosaic along the boarder of the plaza.  Pictures can never do anything justice and the same goes for this building.


This park is directly behind where I am standing in the picture of the Plaza.  Orange trees grow all around the city and in this park there were tons scattered along with other varieties of trees and vegetation. It was a great time to explore the city and the history that is scattered throughout.  The group met up with each other that night and we went to this Italian restaurant, which was very hidden and low key, as usual those places are always the best.  This was yet another restaurant that didn't disappoint, it is hard to beat fresh Italian food. One thing I have noticed throughout the city is the amount of people that stay out late.  The other night my roommate and I were at this outside bar and as we looked around us there was only older people sipping on some whisky, smoking cigars, and having coffee.  We looked at our clocks and noticed that it was 2am and these people were not even close to finishing their night.  The priority of socializing and spending time with friends is definitely on the top of the list here and I love it.  I think that is the purpose of bars and going out, it is to socialize and enjoy sipping on some beer or wine rather than trying to drink so much alcohol that you don't even remember your night.  I never thought the city was for me, especially growing up in a small town I always thought a large amount of people were so overwhelming.  Each day that I spend living here in Seville, the more I am enjoying the atmosphere that goes along with it.  One week down, many more to go but excitement starts this weekend when we get to go to Granada, a state to the east of Seville, to go snowboarding.  I will be sure to go into detail about the trip.  Until next time, ¡Adios!