Seven Months Have Passed...

Well, it is hard to believe that I have already been back in the United States for two months longer than my duration in Spain.  I certainly miss my friends and family that I made in Granada apart from the beautiful scenery, food, and Spanish culture, but I have enjoyed being back home as well.  My first semester of my junior year is coming to a close, and I can honestly say that this semester was definitely one of my favorites (besides Spain of course, I do not think any semester can ever top it).  All of my classes really seemed to overlap and relate well with one-another, and I found myself making awesome comparisons and expanding information from one class and utilizing it within another course.  I would like to continue writing in my blog because I think it is a good way to keep memories (and I am much more likely to remember to update a blog than to write everything down in a journal).  Anyway, back to this semester.  I loved having a lot of my fellow Spain study-abroaders in my classes this semester, and reminiscing with them and talking about our wonderful memories helped ease the feeling of nostalgia.  I also met two other girls who are from Salamanca, Spain, and we have become pretty good friends, so they are fun to practice Spanish with and compare cultures and our experiences in each other's countries!  I am glad that they will be returning next semester as wellWe are all certainly planning on going back to Granada, hopefully in the not-so-distant future!  Like I said earlier, my classes this semester really intrigued me.  I have become extremely interested in language acquisition/linguistics, and through my Linguistics course and my Child and Adolescent Growth & Development course, I have been thinking about potential Master's programs after receiving my undergraduate degree.  I would love to pursue something in Sociolinguistics or Psycholinguistics, because I am very intrigued by how the brain acquires language during the different stages of development, and these two courses really went hand-in-hand in further developing my interest in these areas.  Who knows, though!?  I could end up anywhere.  Everything seems to have interested me this semester - I am lucky to have had some pretty awesome professors this semester.  My Hispanic-American Culture class was also interesting (at times...).  While I must admit that this course was not my favorite, I still obviously love the Spanish language and variety of cultures that it encompasses.  My passion for teaching this language is quite strong, and became even stronger during my C&I 212 course about "Issues in Secondary Education," where we tackled issues such as English-Language Learners, poverty, bullying, school funding, and other "sore subjects".  It all became very real, but it just made my passion to teach even greater.  However, I would love to receive my Master's degree, and hopefully (eventually) a Ph.D and become a university professor.  Before getting into the business of teaching and furthering my education, I have been considering an experience to live and teach abroad for a few years.  We will see what happens!  I have to focus on the present moment, and I have no worries that my future will work itself out for the best.  For now I need to worry about getting through the rest of my finals (which I am supposed to be studying for right now, but decided to write in my blog instead!).  Next semester will be quite the busy one as well, with fifteen credit hours, a research project with a well-respected faculty member, and another honors project to complete.  Furthermore, many of my classes require observation and volunteer hours, and I will be helping a teacher at U-High as a part of my lab portion in one of my Curriculum and Instruction courses.  Late into first semester I got back into tutoring for the ESL courses at Heartland Community College (I had been helping last fall as well before I left for Spain).  It feels really good to get back into it and help out when I can, especially since it relates to my major and minor.  I love doing it and it further confirms my passion and desire to become an educator!

Furthermore, I digress back to Spain... I have been keeping in contact with Carmen (my host mom) on a monthly basis through telephone calls and sending her occasional packages with photos and what not.  Unfortunately, her son Luis passed away shortly before Thanksgiving.  He had been very ill and in and out of the hospital beforehand and all throughout my time in Spain, and he became very ill again this fall.  I admire Carmen's strength because she has also been recovering from chemotherapy and dealing with her own health concerns.  I wish I could be there for her to provide support, but I do the best that I can halfway across the country!  Other than that, my life has been busy filling time with a social life and running every morning as always.  I think I would go crazy if I did not run six days a week, it is definitely a great way to cope with stress.  I am looking forward to going home and spending time with my family, friends, but most importantly my dog Cooper during winter break!  As much as I love school (I really do love it to death), I think taking a break from everything for a month will do my mind and body good.  I will try and update more frequently, because I really have missed writing about my life.  I will post a few photos from my semester thus far (some of them aren't showing up, so I will fix this later):

Put the holiday lights up on the ISU house!

Why Child and Adolescent Growth and Development is my favorite class of my college career

My roommates!

Some members of the Spanish Club during our Día de los Muertos party

I had my face painted for our party!

Some of my amigas and I being inducted into the National Spanish Honor's Society

My brother and I on Thanksgiving

Read More

Nostalgia

nostalgia |näˈstaljə, nə-|
nouna sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations
Any other word does not describe my mood at this moment. I have just read an article from my friend's blog, and thought I would share it with you all, because this is better at accurately describing my mood at the moment.
What Happens When You Live Abroad  <--- Click 

Read More

Lagos, Portugal and my last few weeks in Spain

Hey everybody,

My time here in Spain is winding down... I only have one week left! It is definitely bittersweet.

Anyway, two weekends ago our entire program went to Lagos, Portugal, which is situated in the lower-west part of Portugal along the Atlantic Ocean. Needless to say it was absolutely breathtaking! The trip was so long though, about six hours on a bus, but it was totally worth it. When we arrived Friday afternoon, we went on a boat ride in the Atlantic, and got a great view of a lot of the cliffs and the beautiful scenery. A few of us were brave enough to dive into the ocean for a quick dip, and WOW was it freezing! The boat ride was such a blast though - we took turns going onto a smaller boat to ride around and explore some of the cliffs and caves which was quite a great view. After the boat ride we had some down time, so we hung out in the hotel and took a nap and explored the city a bit. Portugal is so beautiful, and our hotel was amazing! We had great rooms and even a hotel pool! Later Friday evening we went and got to try one of the top-ranked burgers in the world! It is ranked among the top fifty burgers, and wow was it delicious! It made me miss American burgers, because the burgers here in Europe just don't compare... but that burger was very very delicious. After that, we went and explored the city some more and then we hung out in a friend's hotel room.

On Saturday we woke up early for some breakfast and then we were off to go to two different beaches for the day! On our way to the beach we made a quick pit stop to climb to the top of some of the cliffs, and the sight was one to see. It was a great view and we all stopped to take pictures for about a half hour. After that, we made it to the first beach and there was a cliff that we were able to jump off of and into the ocean! Knowing my adventurous self, of course I dove right in and swam to the cliff to have my turn. The cliff really hurt climbing, and I had a few scrapes and was bleeding, but it was totally worth it. It was so fun diving off of the cliff and into the Atlantic! After a few hours at that beach, we packed up to go visit another beach which was also very pretty. It was really nice hanging out with everyone in our program on our last trip together as an entire group. It was a little bittersweet, but it was so fun! Saturday night before dinner, our tour guide took us to what is called "The End Of The World" in Cape St. Vincent, Algarve, Portugal. Cape St. Vincent was already sacred ground in Neolithic times, as standing menhirs in the neighborhood attest. The ancient Greeks called it Ophiussa (Land of Serpents), inhabited by the Oestriminis and dedicated here a temple to Heracles. The Romans called it Promontorium Sacrum (or Holy Promontory). They considered it a magical place where the sunset was much larger than anywhere else. They believed the sun sank here hissing into the ocean, marking the edge of their world. It was probably the most beautiful view I have ever seen... the sunset was breathtaking and the water was so blue, the cliffs were perfect. After all of that, we decided to go out and have a good time at a bar and then the next day we were back on our way to Granada.

After the Portugal trip, there were a handful of noteworthy events to write about. The first one was on May 3, which some parts of Spain celebrate what is called the "Día de la Cruz". This fascinating and colourful fiesta is as much a demonstration of pagan tradition as it is of Christian faith and its origins are rooted in a confusion of legend and folklore. As a representation of the Cross of Christ, its religious significance is obvious and the fiesta is intended to be a time of prayer and religious devotion. But for many the cross was also a symbol of the meeting of the four elements as well as the union of male and female. The point of intersection represents the essence of creation, matter, the world and universe - all of life itself. Its the celebration of this life, reborn with the spring solstice, that brings natural jubilation to the celebrations in the form of floral offerings and decorations, music and dance. This fiesta is very popular throughout Andalucía and Almuñécar is no different. Traditionally, the crosses were only displayed in the houses of nobles and gentry but now anybody who wants can set up a cross in his living room or patio. Often neighbours get together to decorate a street corner or plaza. And, of course, the children make their own crosses too. Flowers, shawls, mantillas, assorted household objects, musical instruments or even agricultural implements may be used to create a tableaux surrounding an ornamental cross, usually made almost entirely of flowers. Each display is the centre of a non-stop fiesta formed by anyone and everyone who wants to drop by. Naturally the wine and song is never lacking.

The week after that we had our program's "Farewell Lunch" at a Nun Monastery which served paella, grilled chicken, and a variety of desserts and side dishes. It was all very good, but it was kind of sad to think that that could have been the last time I may see some of my friends from our program and our program directors. It was nice getting to talk to everyone because I feel like our group has really bonded and gotten to know each other and we all generally get along with one another, which is awesome. Another fun activity has been making frequent trips to the park because it is now filled with hundreds of beautiful flowers and plants! Especially since the weather has been nice and warm and sunny, the park is just perfect to hang out with friends and relax.  

This week I had the pleasure of getting to ride on a motorcycle with my Algerian/Spanish friend named Omar! We met at an intercambio through my program, and we became friends and decided to do some fun activities together! This week we went on a motorcycle trip up to an awesome viewpoint where you can see the entire city of Granada below you. It was so beautiful, and it might have been the last time that I will get to see all of Granada like that. 

To celebrate the last full weekend in Granada, almost everyone in our program got together and went out and enjoyed ourselves! It is hard to believe that we have already been here five months... I still remember the first days vividly and now it has come and gone, and I will be leaving in six days... We made sure to go out with a bang and we certainly did this weekend! Last night we especially had a fun evening because we also celebrated two of our friends' birthdays!

This upcoming week I have finals everyday... and well, I just have been "accidentally" not studying for them... I can't help it that the weather is beautiful, my mind is distracted because I am one week away, and I just want to spend time doing things in Granada! I am pretty sure my finals will be fairly easy though, so I am not too worried.

Read More

La Playa! (The beach!) + My first bullfight!

Hey everyone!!! Wow, I can't believe it's been about three weeks since I have updated my blog! After my trip to Ireland, I had a lot to get working on for my schoolwork! Finals and final projects are coming up, so I have been getting a head start on those. Also, two weekends ago I went to a beautiful beach about two hours from Granada called Nerja. Nerja also has some historical caves, so myself and five friends packed up and went to the beach for the day and did some exploring! The cave was really neat, super huge and a lot of walking, but the sight was worth it! We spent a few hours there, then hiked our way over to the beach to be your typical beach bums! As we were hanging out, we noticed some climbable cliffs, so of course knowing our adventurous selves, we went and did some more exploring. It was neat finding a little cove of cliffs to climb on and enjoy the view. After the long day, we packed up and took the bus back home. It was a nice sight seeing the sunset on the bus ride home! That evening, we went out with some other friends and had tapas and a drink.

During the week, our program directors took our group to an AWESOME Flamenco show in Sacromonte. We were actually inside a small cave, and the dancers, singers, and guitar players were all very talented and lively. Definitely felt the "duende" vibe that is what Flamenco is all about.

After the week ended, four friends and I packed up to go to ANOTHER beach, this time on the largest island part of Spain, Mallorca. We went to Palma, which is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It was breathtaking! I could have sat and watched the waves forever. My mindset for this trip was literally just to relax and do what I want, whenever I want. We have all gotten a little tired of all the hustle and bustle on other trips, trying to plan what to see and this and that, so we decided that having a "lazy" and relaxing vacation just hanging out on the beach is just what we needed. And that's exactly what we got! The weather was not entirely the greatest, but it was nice enough to enjoy the sun and lay out and relax on the beach. I even went swimming in the Mediterranean for a bit! Our hostel was really nice too - it was like our own little apartment for four days. Besides hanging out on the beach, we went mini-golfing, had some delicious pizza, had girl-talk, did some touristy-shopping, and went to the city center to explore a bit. I also had the pleasure of waking up each morning and running along the shore... right next to the Mediterranean, as the sun was rising. It was so entirely beautiful and I can't even begin to explain how awestricken I was. It was a great trip, just what I needed to relieve a bit of stress before getting back in the mix of all the projects to do for school.

Yesterday, perhaps one of the most exciting days since being in Spain, I went to my first Corrida de Toros, or bullfight as other people would say. I wasn't entirely sure how I felt going into it, except that I respected it as a cultural activity and it is something that the Spaniards take pride in and something that is part of their identity. I ended up having a great experience - I had an awesome seat, and I sat next to the friendliest (and quite wealthy) Spanish family, who shared all their food, beverages, and most importantly their knowledge of the "cultural event" with me throughout the three-hour event. At sight of the first bull, I have to admit I was a little nervous. I had known what to expect because I had learned all about the process during my culture class, but actually seeing it live is a different story. I set aside my "American" thoughts for awhile and adopted the Spanish attitude, and I really enjoyed it. The first and second toreros were really exciting, but mainly because I had never seen it actually happen before. They were both impressive and clean in their strikes, and the second torero had a lot of charisma and the crowd loved him. The toreros didn't wear their trajes de luces (aka their fancy suits) because this corrida was a special event, benefiting children with Down's Syndrome. The third torero, named El Fandi, is the top-ranked torero in all of Spain, and I was honored to see him right before my eyes! I don't know if some people would call this an accomplishment, but I was lucky enough to see him give the final strike to the bull right before my eyes. My absolute favorite photo is of El Fandi at the end shouting with joy as the bull had fallen to the ground. The fourth and fifth toreros were pretty "bland", but very well-done and interesting enough. However, the last torero was in a run for his money. He is a newer torero, and it was his first time in Granada, which means he needed to "impress" the crowd to try and win them over. He kneeled on the ground, waiting for his bull to run out, when all of a sudden the next second he is immediately being trampled by the bull. I thought he was going to be a bloody mess, but others managed to run in and distract the bull long enough before it could really damage the guy. He continued onward, but his luck wouldn't come to him - as he was wearing the bull out and getting ready to strike the final blow, he failed to do so nearly three times. This means that failing to strike the bull cleanly on the first try will create a penalty for the torero, where he will lose money and his ranking because he did not give it a clean strike. They have this rule because they consider that not killing the bull on the first strike of the sword creates too much suffering and teasing of the bull, which is inhumane and unjust. I felt bad for the torero, but the bull really was a "bad bull", always going after the human instead of the muleta (the red banner-looking thing).

Afterwards, I decided that while I did enjoy seeing this cultural event, I did feel like some parts were a bit too much teasing of the bulls. However, I fully understand that this is a "cultural" event for Spaniards and it is a long-lasting tradition. I would definitely recommend going to visit a corrida de toros if you ever get the chance, because having the cultural experience really helps you to understand the Spanish people in a better manner. And NO, not ALL Spaniards agree with what occurs in the corrida de toros, which is a stereotype that unfortunately most people believe.

Tomorrow my Señora has surgery to finally close everything up with her breast cancer. I am so happy for her and I am awed at how strong she is to be able to go through all of this while putting up with me... :P Please send out a prayer her way as she goes through this enduring time, and as she recovers.

This weekend I am headed off to Lagos, Portugal with my entire study abroad group, which will be a great time to bond! A little bittersweet though, as well. I can't believe I only have about three weeks left, and then I'll be back in Illinois! I miss everyone a lot, especially my dog, but I am a bit reluctant to leave the lifestyle in Spain as well. Well, this is enough for now... I have written about two novels already, and I could keep writing even more... Here's some photos!

The caves

Our group

The beach in Nerja

 The girlies

 Hanging out

The little cove we found

Palma de Mallorca!

 Hanging out in the Mediterranean

Love this photo

And this one...

And this one...

And this one...

View from the balcony of our hostel

Enrique Ponce

Enrique Ponce

Enrique Ponce

Manuel Díaz - "El Cordobes"

Manuel Díaz - "El Cordobes" showing off a bit

 Blowing kisses at the bull

 Waving to the crowd

David Fandilla - "El Fandi" - The top-ranked torero in all of Spain. 

 Running with the bull

Getting ready for the final strike

This is my favorite picture from the corrida... love this shot of El Fandi.

Cayetano

Cayetano - He's an Armani model

Jesus Fernandez - "Yiyo"

Jesus Fernandez - "Yiyo"

El Nico

El Nico... being trampled

I thought it was going to be a blood bath

Ashamed...

Read More

Dublin, Córdoba, Sevilla

Greetings everybody! Sorry I haven't been keeping up lately - these past two weeks have been full of traveling.

The day after my parents left to go back home, I packed up my own things to head to Dublin, Ireland with three amigas for four days. My goodness was I surprised at how much I loved Ireland! Maybe it was just because it was a nice get away from speaking Spanish, and it seemed a lot more Americanized, but the scenery and just everything about Dublin was beautiful! I absolutely adored it. We arrived Thursday afternoon and mostly just hung around a bit because we were tired from traveling, but we did go to the Jameson Whiskey Distillery, where we learned all about the process of how the whiskey is made and what not. It was very interesting, and I learned that Irish whiskey is the only whiskey that is distilled three times before it is sold to customers. Jack Daniels is only distilled once. At the end of the tour, I was chosen among seven others to be an official "taste-tester" of three different whiskeys (Irish, Scottish, and American). It was really interesting to taste the differences between the types, but I was a little bias and I thought that the American one tasted the best. I received a certificate for my job well done and then we called it a day. Afterwards we went to go see "The Hunger Games" in theaters because (HOORAY) in Ireland they speak English!
On Friday we went to a few different churches, which of course were interesting to see... but to be honest they are all starting to blend in and look the same to me now. I'm sure I will miss the beautiful sight-seeing when I am back in America, though. We also went to a huge garden/park called Saint Stephen's Green which was beautiful and I never thought I could have been happier to see grass in my life! Hahaha. Later that evening we went to the Guinness Storehouse where we also learned how they brew the beer and all sorts of random information. We even got to pour our own pints of Guinness, so now I am an official bartender... but not really. It tasted good, though! That evening we walked around town and we ran into some hilarious street performers that were quite entertaining... and we ate at an awesome restaurant called the Badass Cafe, where I ordered a Crazy Cowboy cheeseburger. It was a delicacy.
On Saturday we went to Saint Patrick's Cathedral, which was HUGE and very beautiful! As I said before, it is similar to a lot of the other churches I have seen so far, but the park surrounding it was gorgeous. All the cathedrals in Europe are so beautiful, the architecture is amazing. I will never get over it. After that, we tried to enter the Dublin Castle but unfortunately all the tickets were sold out for the tour. We were bummed, but we did get to go visit the free part which was enjoyable.
On Sunday we packed up and left, and it didn't really feel like Easter :( But, we got back in Granada in the afternoon and rested up and felt better. Europe isn't as big into Easter as Americans are, but it's all good. It was awesome getting to see a lot of the processions take place beforehand, anyway.

The next week (this past weekend), I went to Córdoba and Sevilla (two Spanish cities) with my program. Unfortunately, on the bus I was somehow plagued with conjunctivitis (pink eye), so it hindered my visibility quite a bit, but I tried not to let it affect my mood and my ability to enjoy the trip so much. We only stayed in Córdoba for about five hours, but I really loved it. I bought a clay recorder which I quickly fell in love with and started playing Lady Gaga, the Titanic theme song, and some other random tunes... We visited the huuuuuge mezquita, which was so so so awesome and we had a little bit of free time to wander around and hang out. For lunch we decided to go to Burger King and I found it hilarious that they bag up every little item you order and put it in its own separate bag. I had a bag inside a bag inside a bag, and I was given two big bags to carry. I felt like a fattie, but it was awesome to have some American food. Unfortunately, as I was 3/4 into my burger, the last little bit fell into the river we were sitting by, and I about had a heart attack. I was depressed. It would be okay, though, I quickly got over it. After we visited the mezquita, we were on our way to Sevilla where we stayed for two nights in a pretty nice hotel. I stayed with two of my good friends and we had some good bonding time together! It felt nice having a "slumber party" and hanging out because we aren't allowed to have guests in our homes with our host families.
On Saturday we went to the famous Castillo similar to the Alhambra and also the Cathedral. Both of them were amazing... I don't really know how to describe them because they are pretty much replicas of what is in Granada... except in a different city. The Cathedral was very interesting because it was conquered by like three different religions, so there were different sections for each different religion. I think it is the second largest cathedral in the world, but don't quote me on that. On Saturday night our program directors took us out to a local bar and we had a few drinks, then went back to bed because we were pooped!
On Sunday we went to the famous Plaza de España, where each Spanish city is represented by a different plaque sort-of thing. It was so pretty! And we went on a boat ride and had all kinds of fun. We stayed there for a few hours or so and then we were back on our way home to Granada!

Overall it was a very exciting two trips that I went on and my eye is feeling much better now. I can't believe that I only have just over a month before I come back to the United States again... time has flown by so quickly since I've been here! Here are some photos:

Read More