Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Nostalgia

Written by Hillary V. on Tuesday, May 22, 2012 in Spain/Europe with No comments

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

Lagos, Portugal and my last few weeks in Spain

Written by Hillary V. on Monday, May 21, 2012 in Portugal, Spain/Europe with No comments

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.

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

Written by Hillary V. on Thursday, May 03, 2012 in Spain/Europe with No comments

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