guess what i'm reading...

thaaat's right!

harry is grand.
gotta prep for november!

commUNITY

driver sought after crash kills villanova student

nova nation <3

huelga general

huelga nf 1: strike 2 hacer huelga : to strike, to go on strike

today was the general strike across the entire nation of spain. workers are upset about the pay cuts and lack of jobs due to the economy, and there's no doubt about it! i had seen this red graffiti everywhere, and once i heard about the huelga on september 29...it all came together. 

so today was the day. yesterday, esperanza told me that we weren't leaving the house at all today. then i said i had to because i had to go get some class scheduling problems figured out. the university was closed today, but not the ciee office where i have classes. it took a while to communicate this, but then she said i wasn't technically her niña and i should ask my parents but if i leave she'd pray the whole time i was gone. this morning i wake up and she's going for a walk around the block! it's really always a toss up what's going on in this place, haha. so i went on a run to 'el centro' where the demonstrations would be. i missed the heavy stuff, thank goodness. i saw some peaceful congregating and flags and a guy leading some chants through a microphone, but not much else. because i was on a run, i didn't have my camera with me...but i took some pictures from my friend, laura:

throwing darts at pictures of government officials.

here's what laura wrote about what went on this morning:

"The violence of the strike took place in the morning when the buses tried to go their normal routes and were met by angry mobs. There were burning cars, deflated tires on police vans, tear gas, and the police force had to detain people in front of the Universidad de Sevilla. Luckily, all this was over by the time I went to class, only to find police barricading the main entrance, all the lights turned off, and the classroom door locked. Class? I think not."

pretty interesting, right?

 

in news totally irrelevant, but totally necessary:

last night at midnight in haverford, 2 villanovans were driving in a car when they were hit by someone driving a stolen land rover. dan (a senior) passed away, and pat (a junior) is in critical condition in the upenn hospital. it takes my breath away, time and time again, how amazing the villanova family is (and how blessed i am to be a part of it). Tonight there is a prayer service in the villanova church, and i have no doubt that every seat will be occupied. the villanova campus has the ability to come together with such grace and zeal, no matter what the cause. tonight it's for the family and friends of these 2 boys, and dare i say, the driver of that stolen vehicle. i wish i was physically with the villanova family, but i know that it doesn't stop at campus' borders. prayers are coming to the main line from all over the world. that says quite a lot about the nova nation. 

rest in peace dan giletta.

Add a caption

buenísimo

"Don't use words too big for the subject. Don't say 'infinitely' when you mean 'very;' otherwise you'll have no word left for when you want to talk about something infinite." -c.s. lewis


i feel like this is a common conflict among those practicing a religion. i know for me, when you stop and think about it, saying that "aah those sneakers are amazing" or "i had the most awesome nap today"...amazing and awesome. that's how we explain God. what words can we use for God, if we're putting him on the same playing field as shoes and procrastination techniques?

this is how i feel about the word "buenísimo."
it's not that things aren't 'beyond good,' for that's technically what it means.
you add "ísimo" to the end of adjectives and that makes the adjective become stupendous.
esperanza uses "buenísimo" at least once a day, and it's always regarding food.
now, please don't get me wrong. homegirl loves her food, but not every food should be deemed so excellent, because then that means it's all just on the same level. is all food equally delicious?
i submit that it is not.
por ejemplo: i don't like potatoes. maybe i'm a ra-tard for coming to a country who eats potatoes like they're going out of style, but shoot. and i've explained how i don't like potatoes to esperanza. we've talked about it multiple times. then she asked me how my mom prepares them. well... my mom doesn't run a restaurant, but she doesn't make potatoes because i don't like them. they eat that stuff when i'm not around for dinner. so, she knows. but what do we have quite often? mashed. instant, from a box mashed. now i don't have a preference from where the substance derives, i just simply don't like it! i stopped her after a scoop, because i knew she was about to pile more on there, (that's how she do), and told her i didn't want any more. she didn't go for another scoop, but she did say that there's butter and milk in there..."están buenísimo." i wouldn't go that far.


what i would call "buenísimo" is the lovin' i've been getting from home. i got 5 letters that weren't from my mom. good work, team. (i know there's a competition going on between some of you...i got some in color, some in the form of a puzzle, some in fancy handwriting, and some with pictures & stickers... i say there needs to be at least a second round)

 compliments of jodie

 these muffins (on top of the letters) are ridiculously delicious. i wanted baked goods and i got them. they come from a place around the corner, where a bunch of nuns sell 12 'magdalenas' for 3.50.

buenísimo.

señor mcdonald

yes. that's right.

i ate at mcdonald's.

in spain.

at first i was feeling a little shameful.

1. i simply just don't eat fast food!

2. an american chain while in spain. (that rhymes)

but then i got over it...i was hungry! and it was open after our long walk back from the futbol game.

"california grill"

apparently mcdonald's is better in europe. i realized i can't confirm that because i can't remember the last time i had it at home, but either way... i enjoyed the burger!

also, we went for mcflurries after our 8 mile senderismo (hike) and i've come to a few conclusions:

1. that place was hoppin'. seriously. spaniards love it. i'm only trying to fit in around here.

2. most of them were getting ice cream. they obviously know where it's at.

3. it's a bargain. i haven't been real impressed with the ice cream here. let me tell you, it's no gelato. and they're pretty stingy with the dipping. you can get one teeny little ball of ice cream on top of your cone (not inside of it) for 2.30. that's euros. not dollars. you can get a whole mcflurry for 2.30...and it's so much more bang for your buck (and your mouth)!

4. you can mix a sauce (chocolate, white chocolate or caramel) with a topping (oreos, kit kat, crunch or peanut m&m's) to get so many different variations!

5. it just makes me so happy.

un jueves loco

1. demonstration: apparently there are some people here that aren't happy, and it's not because they're homesick or culture shocked. it's because of lost jobs and pay cuts. on september 29th there will be no public transportation because workers are striking. but little did i know, september 23rd marked a little rally in the calle. on my way to school i heard yelling, then i saw what was ahead. a huuuuge group of men all wearing the same white shirt were marching and chanting for the "solucion" to be "mas dinero"..it was interesting. it got more interesting when 3 guys walked off the street while pulling the collar of their shirts up over their noses. was i a little nervous for a second? yes. yes, i was. but they weren't after pedestrians. they were after the huge garbage bins on the side of the street. they flipped them and continued marching. 

 2. reales alcazar: this is the old palace where the king and queen would stay during their short visits to sevilla. i took a tour with some other ciee kids that afternoon after class. unfortunately it was raining and cloudy, but that didn't keep me from realizing how gorgeous this attraction is. it's free for students so i figure i'll return (probably with you, maa & paa), hopefully on a sunnier day!

 ^ the gardins... beeeeautiful!

and look what keeps popping up around town.....

 3. Sevilla F.C.: we had the opportunity to join "grupos de interes"...interest groups/clubs with other kids from ciee...and there are a few spanish students in each group too. i joined "sports & nature." each group takes a trip the 3rd weekend in november. mine is going to madrid to tour the big stadium there. until then we have activities together just about every week. this week's was the futbol game!

 a tie against santander racing f.c

no madeja do

if you come to sevilla and say that you didn't see this symbol - NO8DO - anywhere...you didn't have your eyes open. it's everywhere. buses. flags. bike racks, man hole covers... 

i didn't get it at first, but the story behind it is awesome.

this is sevilla's official motto.

it's a play on words (which ranks pretty highly in my book).

this is what my research told me:

"The motto is in fact a play on words, made from combining the Spanish syllables (NO and DO) and a drawing in between–the figure ‘8’. The figure represents a skein of yarn, ‘madeja’ in Spanish. When read aloud, ‘No madeja do’ sounds like ‘No me ha dejado,’ which means ‘It [Seville] has not abandoned me [King].’

Kings Alfonso X, ‘The Wise King’ was a scholar king, a poet, astronomer, astrologer, musician and linguist. When Alfonso’s son, Sancho IV of Castile, tried to make a grab for the throne from his father, the people of Seville remained loyal to their beloved ‘Wise King’. After defeating his son, King Alfonso X rewarded the fidelity of the ‘Sevillanos’ with the words that now appear on the official emblem of the city of Seville. Seville did not abandon the King so it shall be honoured forever with NO8DO ‘It has not abandoned me’.

 

a veces, este es mi vida:

que ridiculoso

mis sueños --
my dreams are getting a little ridiculous. i think i've heard other people talk about this too, but since i've gotten here, i've had weird dreams, just about every night. usually i don't remember them until they come flashing back to me in the middle of the day... was that reality or not? now i just need leo decaprio so we can perform inception. like earlier this week i woke up, and wasn't sure where i was: was i in my señora's casa? because i was just at home, realizing that i was home for christmas and could watch the last 2 seasons of friends that i didn't finish this summer! unfortunately, i have about 14 more weeks until i can do that. but they get a little more serious. this morning i woke up pretty upset, i'm talking 'in tears' upset, because i had a freakily realistic dream that i wasn't going back to villanova, but transferring to a school in boston. i think it was umass or something like that. i don't know, but it was awful. no offense, massachusetts, but i love philadelphia, pennsylvania, villanova & home FAR too much to leave it sooner than may 2012. i forget why, but my parents were making me do it. i had to choose a school, and i woke up after i started crying in my dad's truck, upset that i had to go. what is this about?! you'd think my head is on overdrive all day long, it'd wanna take a freakin break at night!

where's my patience? --
for as sweet and cute as my señora is, she's getting the teeniest bit on my nerves. there are small things, like why does she keep feeding me potatoes when we've had long conversations about how i don't like them? or why is it necessary that i have a novio (boyfriend)? we've gone over that i don't...and i'm so far away from anyone i would date, for several months, so why would i do that to myself? but then i'm skyping and she whispers as she walks by my door "tu novio?" ...haha nooo esperanza. i'm talking to my dad. let's look at this morning for example: my first morning without an alarm clock. awesome. i woke up around 9:30, but then went back to sleep, had that awful awful boston dream, then woke up again around 10:45. i went out to the kitchen were she was making herself toast, and so she put toast in for me too. then she realized she didn't have tea. she had run out...not a problem! it's not imperative that i have a hot drink for breakfast every morning. or at all really, but she insists. so i go with it. since i didn't want cafe con leche...i would have been fine with oj! or water! but no. she sends me to the store for tea. (i just woke up 4 minutes ago and i'm walking across the street, looking zombie-ish, to the store to buy tea. i come back, and eat up (and drink up)...and go to the bathroom, then sit down on my bed to start my relaxing sunday of reading and homework, when i hear: chica! chica. ven. ven. venga. venga. (that means, come. come. come. come.) the apartment's small. it's not like i didn't hear her. or as if i didn't respond with "si" each time, but it's gonna take me 2 seconds to slip my shoes on, since walking around barefoot inside means you'll get a sore throat. give me those 2 seconds, then another 2 to get from my room to you. i sound awful. i sound absolutely horrible. and i love esperanza. but i'm gonna need a little less rapid-fire conversation. (and by conversation, i mean her speaking and me saying "si," "no entiendo" or just nodding my head.


& this is just a fun little photo that i really, really love. i'm sure those of you who know these 2 hooligans will appreciate it:

love you!

¡cádiz!

 

bienvenido a cádiz! 

today was our little day trip to cádiz, which took about an hour and a half by bus to reach this coastal town. it's a little smaller than sevilla and i loved it. we got there are took a tour of the different plazas and cathedrals before beach time. (yes. i could appropriately sing "vamos a la playa...")

the colors, i really love them. 

(barking dog was an additional perk of the tour. he could definitely get right through those bars.)

women dressed up for a wedding! we've seen so much of this already...and seeing everyone so snazzily dressed doesn't get old. these women have bold-colored shoes & bags & dresses & hairpieces that match perfectly. it's awesome.

 

 who do you think trims these trees? dad, can you pull this off?

 

and this little niño was just too cute not to photograph. the pigeons, not so much. but they're freakin' everywhere. even on the beach. they don't like sand kicked at them. i tested that out.

the way to the top of the tower of La Catedral. italy's towers all were teeny, narrow, spiral staircases. not here! ramps! i think this is because they took horses up there. don't ask me why. this reminded me of that book where the cow went up the stairs, but couldn't get back down. no one knew what i was talking about... mom. what's the name of that book?

FROM THE TOP! BEAUTIFUL & BREEZY

then we walked along the water. cádiz is a penninsula...so there was a port side, where all the big boats came in, and the beach (playa) side!

and i obviously had to include the kermit graffiti (SO happy to see this, by the way).
fun fact: "kermit the frog" is "rana gustavo" in spanish. that's his name!
i knew rana means frog (thanks señora redford!)
and then it was free time. score. time for beaching...

i wont show you the picture of my sunburn. that's almost too painful to look at. no...it's not that bad. but i definitely got some defined marks from where my suit was and was not. whoops!

plans for tomorrow? first day without a despertador (alarm clock).

sevici

let me introduce you to sevici! - the bike borrowing project that sevilla has going. i thought this would be the answer to my 45 minute walk to class. i could leave a little later, sweat a little less... that, unfortunately, isn't the case. but it does mix up the day a little bit! 

how it works: see that gray station? you swipe your long term pass there, or enter your short term number, then a pin number, and you choose a bike and you're off! to get a pass for a week, i paid 5 euros (and a 150 euro deposit...in case i decide to never return the bike i use. let's hope i get that money back come next monday...) i had some trouble the first few times trying to subscribe. but i eventually figured it out. the thing about using bikes that everyone else and their mother uses is that they're a little worn down. i'm not complaining, i've always gotten where i needed to be without leaving bike parts behind me - but it is a little frustrating when the seat keeps wiggling down as you peddle, or the seat is at its lowest position and has no clamp to keep it a little higher. i felt a little gangster, not gonna lie, sevici-ing for the first time, with my arms reaching up for the handle bars and my knees coming up a little higher than they should.  

also, there are spots where the bike than just disappears, so at one point, i was on the road, getting honked at, and yelled at "watch out!" and no, i'm not translating that into english. a guy literally said "watch out." i guess the word "american" is permanently plastered on my forehead. 

since that traumatizing experience. i've had some successes. changed my route a little. got the return system down. actually, i've been sevici-ing like a boss. ("como una jefe," if you will) ...however, i may opt for a metro card soon.

in other news: i have a 'midterm' tomorrow, as well as my first composition due tomorrow. one page: my new life in spain. good times. it's also good to know my procrastination skills don't waver, no matter which side of the atlantic i'm on.
my señora made hot dogs (salchichas) for dinner. she gave me 3 and a huge toaster roll...i'm not sure who she thinks i am, but i am certainly not mark sanchez and 2 hot dogs is even more than enough. i guess the salad helped, but i'm certainly on some sal-overload.

i might as well look as alien as possible because it reinforces a point i am making. my whole thing is that i approach everything as an absolute outsider. it's the only way i can break so many rules. [...] who makes the rules anyhow? - klaus nomi

there is such a thing as good grief...

...just ask charlie brown. (thanks, michael scott)

the past week has truly been an emotional rollercoaster, to say the least.
i understood, before leaving home, that the first few weeks would be kinda awkward and difficult.
but i guess this is what they call homesickness/culture shock.
i also knew that i was coming to spain for the fall semester to challenge myself and to prove that i could do it, living in a country where english is not the first language and people stay out until the sun rises.
not that i have a huge problem with eating lunch and 3 and dinner at 10, but it does take some adjusting.
i guess my biggest problem was that no one i knew would be here with me. that's the best/worst part.
hearing about my mom making raspberry muffins, my dad yelling during the eagles game, my dog barking while looking for the source of my voice, it's all very bitter. but the sweet is that i will broaden so many horizons, even ones i knew knew existed.
oh and the walk from west to main campus come spring semester...piece of cake.

me duelen los pies!

that's right, translators! my feet hurt!
it's funny because many people think that going abroad for a semester means that you will gain all this weight because you gotta eat all the rich food and drink up because you're legal and there's no time like the present, yada yada yada... not only is that one way to see all your euros go, but it's true. it is a great way to pack on the poundage. however, i foresee myself not having that problem. i walk A LOT. yesterday i had that song "i would walk 500 miles, then i would walk 500 more..." in my head, probably because it was so appropriate! from my homestay to the 'palacio' where all my classes will be - it is a 45 minute walk. good times. and i'm not the most punctual, neither are meal times, so i'm usually hustling to make it to the study center on time. i mapped it out (thank you google) and it's about 2 miles one way. therefore, i will walk at least 8 miles per day. (one's gotta go home for siesta and lunch!)

 come una manzana y no lleva al médico. (~an apple a day keeps the doctor away)
this week has been quite the food experience. tapas are awesome. at las tapaerias, there are SO many to choose from. each is a small portion, compared to dinner in america, but it feels just the right size. do you know how good goat cheese is with a small piece of toast and jelly? it's the bomb. my señora is pretty classy in the kitchen, too. i'm fortunate that she's very health-conscious, too. i've heard many things from other kids that they haven't had an vegetables yet, but we're good! she's to provide all my meals. since i moved in on wednesday, breakfast has been the same. 2 pieces of toast with butter and honey, tea and sometimes oj. the first day she asked if i liked oil or butter. not really hearing everything due to her fast lips and my nervousness, i only caught "mantequia" so i said "si!" what i didn't know is that oil was my other option and that she doesn't use butter. so we had to leave the house and go to the store... we stood in front of all the butter, which is margarine, and she told me that she doesn't use it, it's bad for your heart. awesome. but she picked out one that said it was made with vegetable oil, contained omega 3 and 6, then she asked the guy stocking next to us if it contained salt. he said 'no' so we bought that one! she talks about potassium in bananas and calcium in yogurt a lot too. the first day we had beef and cooked carrots together. and with that was gazpacho (a cold soup made with tomatoes, and garlic and some other stuff in there, i'm sure). delicious. twice we had salad for dinner. with cheese, a hard boiled egg, tomatoes and lettuce. then yogurt to finish it off. dinner is much smaller than lunch. lunch is at 2 or 3 ish, and dinner is around 9 or 10ish. it's pretty weird to get used to. lunch yesterday: fried sardines. i don't think i've ever had sardines before...i tried to tell her i'm not real big on fish, i guess she didn't really get that. i couldn't see the head or spine, but the tail stuck out of the fried business. i tried it, of course. but i wouldn't need to eat it again! today was fishy too, paella almost exactly like the paella we had during orientation earlier in the week (yes. with the whole shrimps). i ate one, but left the other, eyes in tact and everything. tonight's dinner was una tortilla española... basically an omelette (eggs) with potatoes in it. i told her i don't like potatoes, too. the tortilla wasn't bad though. paired with it were sliced tomatoes (with salt, vinegar and oil on top). not my favorite dish, but i didn't not like it either! after every meal (lunch or dinner) we always have a piece of fruit, whether it be a banana, melon, peach or apple. all are awesome!! the melon is unlike anything i've ever had at home. the seeds are in the middle and look like they're a little orangey (like cantelope) but the actual melon is white, sweet, delicious! she cuts the skin off everything. and eats it with a fork. i told her we eat bananas like "los monos" at home (like monkeys)... she said she didn't mind which way i ate it! (i guess i can throw that "no switching hands with your silverware" stuff out the window!

registered for classes yesterday! i'm all set. monday starts the intensive session: intensive advanced spanish grammar. 12-3, monday through friday for 2 weeks. then i have a final on saturday. then that next monday (the 27th), regular class session starts. i'll have 4 classes: 3 cultures in spain (jews, christians & muslims), academic writing and critical thinking, women writers in 20th century spain, and the one for which i'm most excited - social justice and community service practicum. i'm excited to get into a routine. not that i want my life here to be so routine...because it's obviously not! but when my body won't be so mad at me and how messed up i've made it. when i have a schedule, goals, homework (yeah, i never thought i'd say this, but i'm ready to be in school-mode).


"what is the feeling when you're driving away from people, and they recede on the plain until you see their specks dispersing? it's the too huge world vaulting us, and it's goodbye. but we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies." -jack kerouac

visual aids

the bridge i'll cross to get from home to class - sevilla at night!

paella - i ate around the little guys though.

sangria - tinto de verano con fruta!

 croquettes with ham -- like little fried ham and cheese balls. very tastey. tapas son deliciosos!

 

ciee study center -- where my classes will be. it's called "el palacio"

a sign in the study center.

my desk!

my room!

where we went for tapas last night. verrrry tastey. (we'll probably go here, m&d, if i can find it again)

map city -- it's tough figuring out where everyone is staying & how to get places on our own!

learning table manners

yep, it looks like i'm gonna need to re-learn how to eat with a knife and fork.  at home, we cut what we have to cut, holding our knife in our right (if that's the dominant hand) and the fork in the left. then when we take a bite, we put the knife down and switch the fork to the right hand and eat up! well not up in here. in spain, it's rude to do that, or so i've read. you're supposed to keep your utensils in the same hand the whole time. also, it's sketchy to have one hand on your lap - both hands on the table is what's best. and through what i've seen so far, it's true! (and awkward for my left hand!)
i moved into my homestay today! (and by today, i mean yesterday. sept, 8) i'm living with a senora, esperanza, and she is lovely. we had meat with cooked carrots for lunch, along with gazpacho, which is cold soup (with ice cubes) made mostly out of tomatoes. and we ended the meal with delicious melon! she asks me a lot if i'm happy/content and i say "of course!" she got to meet my parents yesterday via skype, which made all parties very happy, i'm sure. there's also a pool with the apartment complex... getting some color in september, i think so.

4 out of 5... impaired.

my senses, not so good.
waking up on sunday morning with a pretty nasty cold was not a good sign, considering i was flying to spain that afternoon. with a meatloaf sandwich and apple pie packed in a lunch box, i said goodbye to holly and the house, and we were off to jfk! apparently traffic is bad in new york on sunday afternoon of labor day weekend.... but not to worry, i made it to the correct gate with about 20 minutes to spare. 20 minutes of tears, that is. the waterworks started once i hugged my mom and dad goodbye... and they didn't end for a while, off and on. i boarded to my window seat (39L) and sat next to a sweet, sweet woman, who put her hand on my arm and asked if i was alright... and i thought i was being subtle!
so not only did my sinuses affect my nose taste, but my tears impaired my eyesight.
landing (both in madrid and sevilla) was pretty painful. i thought my head was gonna explode! my ears were not down for popping - making my head down for pain. i think my right ear is still not all the way there. but hey, at least i have my sense of touch! i could feel my luggage in my hands!

i'm staying in a hotel tonight and tomorrow, then wednesday is the day we move into our homestays. that will be pretty nerve-racking! tomorrow is packed with orientation business, and now, i'm packed with nyquil. ciao! -- aaaah! i mean "adios!"

one day at a time

i feel like i've been preparing for the next 3 months for longer than 3 months. ok, so i only started physically packing a couple of days ago, but i've been mentally preparing myself since i received that acceptance letter in the spring. i'm going to study in spain for the fall semester.
there's no way i can really prepare myself. heck, i don't even know where & with whom i'm living! i can be flexible and wait til they tell me all this (important) information during orientation...however... my mind has been all over the place, especially over the last 2 months. coming home from italy made me wish i wasn't going at all. not that i didn't want the experience, but that i didn't want to miss out on siena reunions and the rest of my lovely nova family. then i just felt nothing but nervousness. i'm not very confident in my spanish skills. and to have my classes taught in spanish, to live with a spanish family... beyond nervous. and the past week has just been shock and excitement. all this time & energy talking and thinking about it... it's here. it's finally september! my suitcase has clothes in it....just not folded. i'll do that tomorrow. i have a pile of books to read on the plane and i bought euros at aaa.
i have one whole day left....
today opened my eyes. i always knew villanova was a great place, but today i really felt how great. that campus is full of some of the most impressive people i know. if you're reading this and i ran into you/spoke to you/hugged you/got teary in front of you during my visit...just know you've made an impression on me. i'll carry it with me all semester and through til january when i return to campus with a vengeance (and a fully-functioning wildcard)!

i know that the next 3 months will fly quickly by. i also am prepared for the first week or so when it's awkward city and i'll just want my mom, my bed & my friends... but i'm also prepared the the weeks in between that and my flight home. it's just hard to imagine that everyone else's lives will not pause. it will be a week til christmas eve once i return. i will not be joining my family at the thanksgiving table.
but one day at a time. so that means tomorrow: a viewing. work. meatloaf with mac&cheese. packing. lecki. wings. see you later's. last sleep in my bed.


"i was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence, but it comes from within. it is there all the time." -anna freud