Adios Spain!

Well, that time has finally come. The time I have been dreading/looking forward to for so long. It's such a weird mix of feelings to be leaving, but at the present time, those feelings are mostly sad. I have grown to love Spain and my life here so much, that I almost can't imagine life before it. Like I had said before, time is weird here. It feels like I've only been here for a day, yet it also feels like I've been here for years.

Anyway, I had planned to write out a nice, long post about my deeper feelings and thoughts on moving away, but naturally, I waited to pack until last night which was no easy task. And I'm writing this now as I should be heading out to catch my bus to the airport. So I'm sure once I get home I'll try and recreate those feelings as I'm sure they'll still be just as strong.

But as for me right now, I'm getting more and more excited for my whirlwind two week tour of Scandinavia! First Copenhagen today, then Malmo and Stockholm, Sweden for a few days, then Oslo and Bergen, Norway. It's going to be crazy, but it's going to be incredible. Especially finally getting to see Anne in her home environment.

So for now I'm saying adios to Spain with a sad heart, but with a little excitement for the next phase, too.

Hide and Seek in Spain

Okay, so I know I've already written once today (if you haven't read the previous post yet, go check it out, it's a good one!) but I just got in from one of the best nights of my life thus far. Possibly ranking in top 5, but the jury is still out.

Regardless, it was a good one. :)

So it is currently 3:09 A.M. Spain time and I just got in. Was I out drinking you ask? Nope, not a drop. Did I go dancing? No, or not at a discoteca at least.

So what was it that I did that was such a blast? Three little words.....

Hide and Seek.

A big group of us (basically me and all the girls since there are no Oklahoma guys left and Matt is gone now) decided to go out on the town tonight and celebrate finals being over since classes officially ended today. Yet Alcala is kinda dead on Monday nights and most of our usual places weren't open. So we decided to make our own fun and play hide and seek in Plaza de Cervantes. So all of us are running around and being completely oblivious to all of the spaniards around us, and we don't really realize that we're really gaining their interest.

So this big group of big tough-looking Spanish guys come up to us and we're all wondering what exactly they are about to do......

And they ask us if they can play.

Oh man, and then the game was on. Old people in the plaza started showing us good places to hide and giving us tips on when to go and when to stay hidden.

And we definitely played until after 2 in the morning. And I really can't think of any better way to pass the time.

After our new Spanish friends left to head off to bed, all of us Okies decided to stick around in the plaza until the next bus came, which was supposed to be in about an hour. And we got up in the huge gazebo in the middle of the Plaza and played "signs" which is a game that Cherrie suggested. We were all a bit skeptical at first, but it ended up being a blast too.

Finally, we realized that the bus wasn't coming and all of us just decided to make the long walks home. Which wasn't too bad since everyone had a buddy to walk with.

Basically, it was a fantastic night with good friends. If every one of the upcoming nights go like this, then Spain will definitely go out with a bang.

The Beginning of the End

Well folks, that time is rapidly approaching. I've already begun the goodbyes, the end of school celebrations, and the lasts (the last weekend in Alcala, the last time to see Retiro, the last time to see the kids). And as hard as I try, I just can't really wrap my mind around the fact that my time in Spain is almost done and that I have been here for nine weeks. I knew that time was going to fly from the beginning, but I had no idea it would go this fast.

So these last few days I've been trying my absolute hardest to squeeze in every last drop of Alcala, Madrid, and my host family because I know it will be awhile before I see any of the above again. Hopefully not too far in the future (if everything goes to plan), but still, it could be awhile.

So first thing on the agenda had been to spend a lot of time with my little hermanos. And, after much waiting and wondering, I finally have a couple of pictures of the two.

First of all, meet Guille (pronounced GEE-yay). Guille is nine years old and he is the perfect model of a spanish big brother. Sometimes he picks on Mario, but it's always out of love. :) He is really athletic and he loves to play soccer and swim, and he loves it when I join him for either one. He acts like a tough guy, but really he's just a big softy.


Now meet Mario. Mario is seven years old and he is also the perfect image of a spanish little brother. Occasionally he can be whiny when he doesn't get his way, but he always has a smile on his face again before too long. He is a little ball of energy and can barely stand to sit still for more than five minutes at a time. He never could be around me without climbing up onto my shoulders or into my arms.

So last night, I had to say my final goodbye to these two. They're going on vacation with their mom to Ibiza and they won't be back until after I'm gone. For the last couple of days, Mario has been telling me that he doesn't want me to go and they both have been getting kind of upset talking about it. So last night when they finally had to leave, they both ran up to me and cried and gave me big hugs.

My gosh I am going to miss those kids. Who knew that I would get so attached?

So other than saying my first of few goodbyes, I have also been going out to get my last views in of Alcala and Madrid. One our favorite traditions this summer has been to go to Gabanna, a bar/discoteca, to hang out and hit the dance floor. We always meet up there every Thursday night, and this Thursday was our last one. Here are a few pictures from our last gathering.

Here are Hannah and Cherrie and their french roommate (whose name I can't pronounce). And of course, Briana squeezed in the background and Ashley slid in the side.

Here I am with Evie and Ashley, the dynamic duo. And together we make up the Three Musketeers! I've had so much fun with these two this summer that I can't even describe it.

Another thing that I've done a lot while I've been in Spain is travelling around the country and taking in as much Spanish culture as possible. Well, Hannah and I decided to make one last day trip together seeing as how we make such great travel buddies. And this time we decided to go to Zaragoza in the northeast of Spain, because we had heard to much about the Zaragoza Expo. However, I have one little bit of advice for anyone thinking about going to Zaragoza:

Don't go.

Hannah and I had really high hopes for this trip. We had been told that the Zaragoza World Expo was really cool and that it alone was worth the trip. However, we soon learned that the expo was just a big science fair. Nearly every country in the world had a pavilion that was supposed to show you a little bit about their culture and to educate you on water problems and how their country is solving it. However, it was a lot less culture and a lot more nerdy stuff. Hannah described it as "MGM without the rides." I described it as "science camp." Basically, it was the type of thing that you would go on a school field trip to, except we had to pay to get in.

This is Hannah when we first got off the bus. Notice how she's smiling and actually has a happy look on her face. If only we knew that this trip was going to be a bust. haha

Here is Hannah in front of the Nepal expo. As you walked in, you had to spin these little golden wheels as you walked by. Nepal was actually kind of cool, because they had some more cultural stuff. But other than that, the expo didn't really reach our expectations.

So after we left the expo, we decided to walk around Zaragoza and see some of the city's sights. We basically just needed something to redeem the city. And on our way, we found this fountain, which partially did that. haha

After getting lost for awhile, we finally found this giant basilica, which was actually pretty impressive. Impressive enough to change our opinion on Zaragoza? Well.......nearly.

Final verdict on Zaragoza? Thumbs down.

And of course, I couldn't possibly squeeze my last favorites in without spending as much time in Madrid as possible. It is such an incredible city and I love wandering around and taking it all in. This weekend a group of us went up to go inside the Royal Palace and to see a few of its surroundings.

Here are Hannah and I in front of the Palace Cathedral.

While we were in front of the Cathedral, we were treated to this really awesome cultural show that seemed to be almost Irish. There were bagpipe players and dancers and it was basically a huge parade. We're pretty sure it was for some festival in Spain, even though a lady told us that it wasn't.

And then here are Molly, Hannah, and I in front of the Bank of Spain, I think. We really just walked around for the rest of the day and took in as many sights as possible.

So is it sad to be leaving Spain? Definitely yes.

Is it hard to have so many goodbyes and lasts in such a short period of time? Without a doubt.

Is it all worth it? Definitely.

Productivity - Life's #1 Morale Booster

Woo-Hoo for being productive! There's nothing like riding an adrenaline high to really make your outlook on the world oh so much better.

I got so much accomplished today, that I really feel the need to tell the world. And by the world, I mean those two or three people who actually read this blog. :)

So things started out fairly normal. Got up for class as usual. However, things began to get really productive at the break between classes when I decided to take my current situation in my own hands. (of course, I've gotta give some credit to those few friends who also gave me a lot of encouragement to do so)

So I went and talked to Ernesto, my program director, about the stolen Alcala student ID. At the beginning of the program, we were told that losing the ID would mean paying 100 euros to have it replaced. And ladies and gentlement, I was most definitely not excited about doing that, especially when the exchange rate made it about 170 American dollars. Sick. So Ernesto tells me that if I go to the police and file a report and bring it to the school, I won't have to pay. Hooray for me. However, I don't get to go to the local police. Oh no. Not even the Madrid Community police. No, I had to go to the big daddies, the Policia Nacional. One step below the military. (or so I assume, haha) And let me tell you, these guys are kind of intimidating. However, I used my spanish and filed my police report and got everything taken care of. So now I have a Spanish police record! How many people can say that?! :)

So do I have to pay for the student ID? NO! And that is good enough news for me.

Oh, but just wait. I'm not even finished yet.

I made my way up to Madrid to go to the Western Union that my parents used to wire me some money, and man was that ever a fiasco. First of all, we had been told that I had to have two forms of ID in order to pick up my money, which, thanks to some asshole spanish pickpocket, I no longer have. So I had to bring Hannah into the mix so that my parents could send the money to her.

So we get to Calle O'Donnell where this place was supposed to be. But according to the western union (that's right, they no longer get capital letters from me) website, they were only open until 5. So naturally Hannah and I stroll up to the area around 4:45 and still don't really have a clue where to go. So we take off sprinting through the city to find it before it closed. And did I mention that the temperature was around 110 degrees today? Oh, well it was.

So we finally get there right at 5 only to see that, nope, they aren't closing, and nope, we can't get our money there. Great.

So we make our way to the REAL place we needed to go to, sign in, get my money, and head out. Of course, I've gotta mention that I was super paranoid about guarding my money until I got it home safely tucked far away from any possible thieves.

Oh, and of course they ended up only asking us for one form of ID. So I didn't even need to drag Hannah along on any of this. Wow, did I feel (and still do feel) like a jerk for that one. What a good friend Hannah is. Not sure what I would do without her. (you raised a good one, Mr. Sharp!) haha

Regardless, the fact that I have money now is very, very good news.

Okay, so in my state of blissful productivity euphoria, I have decided to announce to everyone still reading my exciting new life plans! Because if you've made it this far, you deserve to get this, right?

So there is a program at my school, the Universidad de Alcala, for a Masters in Language, Literature, and Culture of the Hispanic World. Which is really perfect for what I want to do! I want to work in international marketing, which demands a very strong knowledge of the language and culture you want to work in. So could there be a more perfect masters program? I think not.

But it gets better! There is an option to teach English in the Madrid schools that would pay the entire tuition, a stipend for room and board, and a partial stipend for the flight over. So I could be getting paid to go to school for a year in Spain! And I would get to mold the lives of little future Spaniards (and maybe teach them the perks of deodorant at an early age). How awesome would that be?

Even better, a couple of my friends are seriously considering it as well, so we're thinking about coming back over here and living together to make rent cheaper.

Man, I'm getting all excited just thinking about it!

Of course, I would want to go back to the US to get my MBA, but with a Masters in Spanish language and culture and a Masters of Business, I can't imagine getting any less than an incredible job, right?

Feel free to give me your opinion against this. But just know that any anti-Masters in Spain remarks will be met with extreme animosity and hatred. :) Just kidding.

Kind of.

Living Like A True Spaniard

So today was easily one of my favorite days in Europe thus far. I can honestly say that with 100% sincerity.

And the incredible thing is that I didn't step foot into one tourist spot, one cathedral, one souvenir shop, or anything else like that. All it took was for me and a couple of friends to decide to go on a hike on one of the mountains outside of Alcala. And good times soon followed.

First of all, let me begin by saying that being pickpocketed makes you pretty much famous. Everyone wants to talk to "that guy" and hear his story of how his pocket got picked. My plan was to keep things on the DL so that I wouldn't have to re-tell the story 100 times, but that went out the window pretty quick. So now, even though I'm basically a tourism statistic, I've at least gained some popularity around here.

Okay, on to the fun times that were had today.

After class I got a facebook message AND a text message from Kayla and Hannah to go on a hike on one of the mountains around Alcala. And when those two tell me to be somewhere, I've just got to give in and go with it. haha

So we met at the school and made our way to the outskirts of the city led by Hannah who had gone on this hike last month. We get out to the path and come up on the river, which we have to wade through to get to the mountain.

Here is a picture of Kayla and Hannah right before we trekked across the dangerous, slippery pathway. :)

For real though, there was this little dam where the water was rushing pretty quickly over the side, and a really slippery walkway that made it kind of tough to walk across. So we all slowly inched our way across because none of us really wanted to walk away with a soaking wet cell phone or iPod.

And here are Hannah and I crossing over. You can tell pretty well how quickly the water was rushing if you look at it pooling up around our feet.

We were SO lucky to get this little surprise at the river as well. You know, there really is nothing quite like an old, fat, hairy man in a tiny purple man-thong. It just really brightens your day, you know?

And of course he was completely oblivious to the fact that we were taking pictures of him. Whatever he was reading must have been really interesting.


Finally we got to the other side and begin the hike up the mountain. Which for a smaller mountain, it was awfully steep in some parts. So we got quite the workout making our way up the mountain. This picture was taken right as we got near the top, where you can see it kind of level out. And I can't lie, we had to stop and take several breaks. Pretty much any shady spot became reason enough to stop and wait for awhile. But we got some great chats in and made tons of plans for next year in those stops. :)

But the view from the top was definitely worth the climb. I've always thought that Alcala was a beautiful old city, but the view from high up made it look even more spectacular.

And while we were up there we all took the time to stop and pose in front of the view. This is Kayla and I. And yeah, I know I look pretty shaggy. I needed to shave and I've been needing a haircut for about a month now.

Here is a picture of Hannah and I. Hannah has pretty much become my travel buddy throughout the summer, which has been great. We both get stared at a lot, me for being tall and Hannah for being tall and pretty, so it takes a little bit of the awkwardness of it off. haha

And here are the girls with a little bit of a view of the other mountains in the background.

The sun finally started getting to us, as Spain definitely heats up in late July (over 40 degrees Celsius pretty much every single day), so here is a picture of us making our way down the mountain. You might notice that the path we took down is a bit different than our path up. This mainly revolved around the fact that there was a lot more shade on this side of the mountain.

So finally we got back down to the river. And I don't think you could see in my earlier pictures of the river, but there were several spaniards hanging out in the river. There were a few guys fishing, the random old fat guy in a thong sunning himself, and a bunch of kids that had either brought swimsuits or just stripped down to underwear and jumped in the river for a swim.

And as hot as it was outside, the three of us looked at each other and basically said, "You know, these kids have got the right idea." So we all stripped down and made our way into the water to cool off.

Here is Hannah jumping in.

And here is Kayla.

And of course I was the last one in, so no pictures of me. But I promise I stripped down and jumped in, too!

However, one thing that you can't really see in this picture are the 3 boys (probably around 13 years old or so) who decided to come swim with us. Except these weren't just your ordinary, run-of-the-mill Spanish boys. These were some vulgar little dudes. In addition to making some fairly lewd hang gestures, they pretty continually said to the girls "Madre Mia, las tetas!"

Which I'm pretty sure you can translate on your own. :)

So they kept swimming around us and being general little pests and the girls finally started getting some payback by holding their little heads under the water. hahaha

And finally, here is a picture of the 3 of us after we went for our dip. It was a really incredible afternoon, dirty little 13 year olds and all. Definitely not one I'll soon forget.

A Little Shot of Reality

Well, there is nothing quite like having your bubble burst.

Today, after a long, satisfying day walking around Madrid, seeing some incredible sights, and buying some great souvenirs, I stepped onto the subway to head home and was robbed. Just as the day ended. Big boo to that.

And let me tell you, being in a foreign country with no cash, no identification, and no access to your bank account is really, really not fun.

So here's how things went down. Hannah and I are waiting to hop onto the subway, literally on our way home. It pulls up and we see that it's super crowded, which really isn't all that unusual. Yet this time as we step on there is a ton of pushing and shoving as people to try to get on and off. That should have tipped me off right there.

So all of the sudden I see this guy's hand slip into this lady's purse and I think to myself, "Oh man, the shit's about to hit the fan." Luckily the lady notices, turns around and slaps the guy across the face and proceeds to keep slapping him and screaming in his face. That's when I feel around my pockets to take account of everything and realize, "Well damn. My wallet's gone."

So I immediately look around to try and catch the guy and this old Spanish man points to this guy that was walking away and I take off after him. He turns around, sees me coming after him, and sprints off. The metro was so crowded that I lost him within seconds.

I guess I really only have myself to blame. I had my wallet in my back pocket, which I usually don't do. Except today I had on shorts that I was able to button the pocket on, so I thought the wallet was safe. Yet I forgot that Madrid has some of the most talented thieves in the world. I literally never felt a thing as this douchebag unbuttoned my pocket and slid my wallet out of my pants.

My only consolation is that I didn't have a single dollar in there. He did get my debit card, but I promptly called home and had it cancelled within minutes. And it's not like he can do a lot with my drivers license or student ID. Have fun with that stuff man. I guess there is a bright side to everything. :)

However, it's going to be a pain figuring out how I'm going to spend the rest of my time here without having access to cash. Things could get interesting as I get really, really cheap.

Another good thing that has come of this is that it was an important lesson learned. I was becoming way too relaxed in my life here and wasn't nearly vigilant enough. As comfortable and at home as I feel here, I'm still a foreigner and an easily visible one at that. I am always a target wherever I go.

Regardless, I refuse to let this ruin my time in Europe. I have had way too amazing of an experience here to let this trash everything. And I have too much exciting stuff coming up that I can't let this ruin as well. I'm so ready to see Anne that it's ridiculous and I know she's excited to see me, too.

So this experience really was a little shot of reality. It reminded me that there are bad people everywhere in the world, but that all I can do is persevere and keep my chin up. Things can always seem horrible and tragic, but in the grand scheme of life, it doesn't matter. What will matter is that I kept on chugging along and made the best of it and became a better person for it. That is my silver lining.

But still. Damn pickpockets.

A Very Spanish Weekend

As my time in study abroad slowly but surely winds down, I find myself wanting to spend the maximum amount of time possible exploring and appreciating Spain. Whether that means going out every night to sit in the Plaza de Cervantes with friends or to take several day trips all over the place, I'm trying to get my final views in of the country.

Thursday Hannah and I decided to take the Ave, Spain's bullet train, down to Sevilla to check out everything the city has to offer. And first and foremost, let me just say that Sevilla has a reputation for being the hottest city in Spain, and it definitely lives up to it.

But Hannah and I had a nice long list of things we wanted to see in the city. And we only had about 9 hours to do it in, so as soon as we got there, we hit the ground running. And when we got there, we got a little view from back home (or at least fairly close to it).

Right as we step off the train we see an exit for Kansas City. I guess we took a wrong turn somewhere along the way, but that sure was a fast trip from Madrid to Kansas.

The first place we went to see was this giant, ancient mansion with all kinds of Roman, Muslim, and Catholic influences in it. Even though it had a ton of renovations going on in it, it still was pretty cool to walk through.

And then Hannah got arrested. It was really sad, but I had to keep going because there was still way too much to see. haha

One of the main things we wanted to do was see the Sevilla Cathedral and the giant tower that stands over it. Supposedly (according to our guidebook, of course) the Segovia Cathedral is the third largest cathedral in the world, after Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome and Westminster Abbey in London. So we expected great things.

And I've gotta say, the cathedral delivered. It was absolutely massive from the inside and outside and it was pretty jaw-dropping. I couldn't use a flash inside, so the pictures didn't turn out too incredibly well, but you can kind of tell how high up the ceiling is here.

And you can definitely tell how massive the pillars were when you see Hannah standing next to them. I mean, Hannah is a tall girl and all, so when she looks like an ant standing next to them, you know it's big. haha

We definitely wanted to climb the tower, which was around 30 stories tall (I think) so it wasn't an easy climb. What was cool about it was that it was built without any stairs at all. It's just a big circular ramp that goes all the way up to the top. This is a picture of Hannah in one of the windows on the way to the top.

Of course once we got to the top the view was totally worth the climb. Sevilla is a really pretty, almost Mediterranean looking city with all of its white-washed houses. And it was great to get to see it all from so high up.

Here is a picture of the great view from the top of the tower.

And, as always, Spain has a never-ending supply of weird/crazy people. So as Hannah and I settled down for lunch in one of the parks in Sevilla (there were several) we got to see this handsome fella strip down to his boxers and proceed to bathe off in one of the fountains. Hey, I guess if you need to wash off, a fountain is just as good as any shower. :)

While Hannah and I walked around, we stumbled onto several different landmarks that we didn't plan on. So we had several impromptu photo shoots, which usually ended in some interesting pictures. This is Hannah in front of a Colombus monument. Which it was actually kinda tough to get Hannah to point in the right direction. Pointing behind you is surprisingly difficult.

Another really cool thing we saw in Sevilla was the huge palace that, like most Spanish palaces, used to house the royal family but now is just kind of a museum for the masses to come see. This is a picture of the beautiful gardens that were outside of the palace.

The next day (Friday) I went to Segovia with the school. Because you just can't beat a free trip no matter how hard you try. Sadly Hannah, my travel buddy, had already been there and didn't go on this trip. But luckily I had some other Okies to tag along with. This is a picture of Julie, Kayla, and me in front of the gardens of another palace on the way to Segovia.

One cool thing that Segovia has is this huge ancient Roman aqueduct. Segovia has a TON of history with the Romans and there are little reminders of it everywhere, but none as prevalent as these. It really is amazing to think about how these aqueducts have been standing for literally centuries. They've been there since around the time of Christ. Just crazy.

Pretty much the main attraction in Segovia is this castle right here. Look familiar? It should if you like the movie Cinderella! Walt Disney modeled the castle in the cartoon after this exact castle, so they are almost exactly the same.

However, one of my favorite parts of the castle was this incredibly beautiful view. The castle is situated up on a hill, so you get a great vista of the outskirts of Segovia and the rural area around it. The view was just so incredibly spanish. And the view from the castle windows looked really cool.

And here is a clear shot of the view. I don't know about you, but when I think of a Spanish pueblo, this is exactly what comes to mind.

And a castle just wouldn't be a castle without some suits of armor. Or at least in Europe. I can't really say for all those American castles we have. But these guys were also very Spanish looking, mainly just because of their conquistador helmets. No matter what, I've never seen a suit of armor that actually looked comfortable.

The Spanish version is particularly vicious, mainly because of their shoes, pictured here. The reason they have these sharp little points is for when the guy is riding his horse. That way when he rides by other guys on foot or other guys riding on horses, he can kick them and do some serious damage.

Here is a picture of the entire Segovia group. This was such a fun bunch! And it's even more incredible, because we are such a diverse group. Some of these kids are from Loyola in Chicago, some from Tennessee, some from James Madison in D.C., some from Pittsburgh, and of course, the Okies. So the experience here moves past just learning about Spain, but also about learning about other areas of our own country.

And then here is a picture of the 4 Oklahomans. We stick together. haha But from left to right you have Julie, Molly, me, and Kayla.

And we're always ready to rep our University and throw up an OU. You better believe we have Oklahoma pride.

So all in all it was a great time. For the rest of the weekend I'll just be hanging around Alcala and Madrid trying to soak it all in and enjoy things. It's almost impossible to believe that this is my last full week in Spain. I just hope I'm able to finish out strong!