This One's for Kaitlyn Frangipane

So I was skyping with my lovely friend Katie the other day and she made an interesting comment, that I don't document enough of my daily life. So here is a photo diary (a really bad one but one nonetheless) of a typical Monday for me here in Spain. So here we go!

I wake up around 9 in the morning and roll out of bed and enter the kitchen where I get a Buenos dias.

This is my typical breakfast and by typical I mean everyday, though usually replace the cheese with a chocolate spread. I didn't have any this Monday because I may or may not have finished off my second jar of chocolate spread since coming to Spain. 

Then I attempt to make myself look quasi-presentable for the world. 

Then when it's time to leave for class, I get on the scary elevator that I am sure I am going to get stuck in one day. It always makes weird noises. 

Next I start my walk to class. 

I cross the river! Isn't it pretty?

Then I wait at the stop light across from the McDonald's. 

I see quite a few homeless people begging.

I pass by three Starbucks on my way to class. Gosh, Brooklyn doesn't even have one! 

Then I walk by the cathedral! 

I see tourists getting their palms accidentally read like I did! 

Then I try to swim upstream in a sea of tourists...every morning...

Finally I get to the small streets that hardly anyone goes on, with the exception of a few lost tourists and cars whose only goal in life is to run me over. 

Then I arrive at CIEE!

I go to my classes! 

Eat lunch with my girl Caitlin! 

Then I watch La Casa de Tus Suenos! (AKA The House of your Dreams) its an HGTV show that they translate into Spanish. It gives my host mom a ton of misconceptions about the US. For example she was under the impression that when people move they just leave all their furniture in the house....

Here is my typical lunch. Yes it is all for me! A plate of vegetables, soup, bread and a slice of melon or some other type of fruit. 

Then I go to teach my English class and I take the metro to get there.

Creeper metro pics!

Then I end up in an area of Sevilla that is just crawling with adorable children!!

Then I arrive at Centro Arrupe where I volunteer with Voluntariado Claver.

This is my classroom! 

Creeper pic of my students!

My lovely coteacher Sierra!! This week's lesson was about food and family!

Then I go home for dinner! (Sorry I forgot to take a picture before I ate it) Also a creeper pic of my host mom!

Then I go to my interest group! We had pizza and watched a documentary that was really good called 14 Kilometers.  

And then my day is finally over. I got home at midnight! Next weekend I am going to Morocco so new and exciting adventures to come!! (no promises of when I will post about it :D ) 

I Can Surf!

So last weekend I went to Lagos, Portugal with my friends as part of a tour group called Discover Excursions. I had an absolute blast! So here is the break down of my weekend.

Friday we hopped on a bus to head to Portugal. It was slightly stressful since first Melissa and I didn't know where we were supposed to be and then one of our friends didn't make the bus. But all was fine in the end and off we went. The bus ride took about 3 1/2 hours before we arrived at our hotel which was literally steps from a gorgeous beach. So we promptly changed into our bathing suits and headed down to the beach.

Yep all that beauty just a few steps from my hotel!

After the beach we went to check out the pool on the roof of the hotel. It was really windy so we didn't swim...but it did cause the key to our room to fall off the side of the building and get stuck on a ledge...we had to get the janitor guy to grab the pool cleaner pole to get them. It was actually really funny. After that we went out for dinner and ice cream and then drinks afterwards. Overall, it was a great day! 

Saturday we got up and went to check out some cliffs also not far from our hotel. 

After that we went kayaking, which included going in and out of little grottos and eventually taking a stop on a beach only accessible by boat. (I pick up some sea glass for you Aunt Marcelle). We also could go snorkeling even though there wasn't much to sea and in the process I cut the bottom of my foot pretty bad (don't worry I'm almost better now). Next we went to the end of the world to watch the sunset. Unfortunately there were a lot of clouds but not so many as to completely ruin the display. Perhaps it wasn't the sunset we hoped for but I still see it as a blessing. It was also weird to think that before people that the horizon I was looking at went into nothingness but now I know that my country lies on the other side of that horizon. It was a really neat experience. 

Sunday we went to West Beach to go...SURFING! I have only ever been surfing once before in my life (I would like to thank Woodstock Academy) but I wouldn't even count that as surfing because the waves were so minute I couldn't have boogie boarded on them. But not here! Here it was the real deal! I am proud to report I was the first person up on their board! I got up at least ten times. Some random guy even took my picture and in the picture I actually look like I know what I'm doing! Most of my friends got up too! (Though some did struggle) After surfing we had to head home to Sevilla. But overall it was a fantastic weekend! That's how I like to do travel, doing active outdoorsy things! 

This weekend I stayed home for the first time since coming to Sevilla and man has it been great! But fear not! Just because I am not jet-setting off for a few weekends doesn't mean I won't have things to talk about! Until next time! 

When Life Gets Busy

Hello to my "fans" (as my mom likes to call you)! I know I have been doing quite a shabby job lately at keeping up on my blogging. But I've got to say I've been doing better than in France. Though my excuse there was that the internet didn't work, here its that I have just been too busy. Busy doing what you may ask? Well here is a list of things that are on my schedule weekly.

1. Classes (obviously) I'm taking five of them. There is a lot of homework...unlike in France...

2. Interest group meeting. This is to help round out my knowledge of Spain. My interest group is called "Other Spanish Realities" I know that title doesn't make much sense in English but I promise it does in Spanish. In the group we learn about other countries' influences on Spanish culture and our time together culminates in a trip to Morocco! (perhaps my true reason for joining the group)

3. I have an intercambio or basically a language exchange partner. We meet once a week so that I can practice my Spanish (as if I don't do it enough) and so that she can practice her English. Though to be honest we mostly speak Spanish.

4. I am teaching English classes twice a week to adults. I'll just say its an interesting experience that I am definitely going to learn a lot from, I could write a whole blog on this experience alone so perhaps I will. But today is not that day.

I think those are the major things and trust me they take up a lot of time! So now let me take you back 3 weekends ago to when I went to Granada for two days.

We arrived in Granada just before lunch time after a 3 hour bus ride. The lunch was amazing because it was buffet style!!! Finally I could take the amount of food I want not the extremely copious amounts of food my host mom gives me (again another post for another day). After the lunch we headed to the world famous Alhambra! This is the most visited tourist site in Spain next to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. Despite the rain and cold the place was packed with tourist. Which I will not lie irked me a bit because people tend to ruin my pictures. But no doubt I accidentally photo-bombed a few as well. Here are some pictures of the Alhambra. It is just so beautiful!

Alhambra from afar

After we finished our tour our guides took us downtown and showed us how to get back to the hotel then let us free. We went and grabbed coffee and then did a bit of shopping. In the process of shopping we stumbled upon a dance in one of the squares (I have no idea why I didn't take pictures or video of this) but it was really fun to watch because it was mostly elderly people dancing ballroom style. Some of these couples were really good! We joked about joining in on the fun but anyone who knows me knows I can't dance so we headed back to the hotel to change and freshen up before going out for the night. We went out for Moroccan food which just got me totally pumped for that trip to Morocco that I mentioned earlier. 

The next day they took us out for a tour of the town which would have been awesome except that it was raining. Its the only time it has rained in Spain since my arrival and of course it had to be that weekend...anywho we made the best of it! After a tour of the town we went and did a bit of souvenir shopping and then finally ended our time with lunch and a trip back to Sevilla. Some pictures of the old portion of Granada. By the way Granada in Spanish means pomegranate. (No granada for you Briana). This also reminds me of the word grenade and I wonder if they named them that because they kind of look like pomegranates? Maybe that's stupid...Okay so I googled the French word for pomegranate and it is grenade and so yes that is why grenades are called grenades, because they look like pomegranates. I guess I'm not so stupid after all...anyways pictures...

I know this post is long but bear with me, it's almost over. The next weekend I went to Cordoba. The coolest thing about Cordoba is its cathedral. Now most of the cathedrals here in southern Spain were once mosques and were transformed into cathedrals when the Christian rulers took over (typical). The cool thing about this one is that it still looks like a mosque on the inside! Except for the middle which looks like your typical baroque cathedral. I thought it was incredible to see the collision of culture in such an evident way. I also thought it was cool because churches come in all shapes and sizes. It doesn't matter if the church looks like a mosque, what matter is the hearts of the people inside it. So here are some pictures of the cathedral.

What a contrast eh?

We also saw the one of the only two synagogues left in Spain. It wasn't really that exciting to look at but it was interesting to learn that a place that was once home to many Jews now only has two synagogues. 

Sunday of that weekend I went to church for the first time since coming to Spain. (I know shame on me right?) One of my friends here, his parents are missionaries from Brazil to Kenya, and the pastor of this church is also Brazilian and happens to be family friends with Matheus' family. So we went to church and enjoyed worship, food, and fellowship! It was so wonderful, I have missed Christian community so much. The service was great and it was as though God was speaking right to me! This week I might check out a different church, we shall see! That's all, but stay tuned because I still haven't told you about PORTUGAL!!