Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Daytrips in Andalucía

These past couple weeks I hadn't really had anything planned so I ended up going on a couple of daytrips in Andalucía so they were close and pretty cheap. First, myself and three other friends went to Cadíz for Carnaval, the pre-Lent festival that pretty much goes on all around the world. Cadíz is definitely the best city in Spain for the festival and it goes on for about 2 weeks. We took a bus there that afternoon and came back very early in the morning and it was amazing. Definitely an experience I won't forget soon.
Here are some pictures from Cadíz:

 (entrance to the city)

 (big plaza in front of the cathedral)

(a chirigota) 
(our makeshift costumes haha)

The Carnaval in Cadíz is known for being the most sarcastic and the wittiest of the carnavals around the world. I didn't really know what that meant before I went but I think I have a slightly better idea now. Everyone there is dressed up in costumes whether it be a mask or face paint or something more elaborate, usually making something in current events. The most iconic part of Cadíz are the chirigotas which are small groups that write and sing songs in the streets throughout the festival. Their songs are apparently famous for being witty and for making fun of politics and such. Carnaval definitely was a crazy experience with the sheer amount of people crammed into this city and it was a lot of fun. I'm glad I had the chance to go. 
The weekend after that we had a more mellow day trip as we decided to take a train to Ronda, a small Spanish town that has some fame because Hemingway spent time there and wrote about it.
Here are some pics:







Ronda is situated on top of some cliffs and the older and newer neighborhoods are separated by a river. It is famous for its beautiful bridges that cross the river. It was a really fun day. It was nice to get out of Granada for a day and explore a random Spanish town that we really knew nothing about. We ended up just walking around all day, grabbing coffee, stopping in a restaurant and then heading back to Granada as nighttime fell.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Dinner the other night

The other night Bret and I made some fish tacos and I think we were pretty proud of them. They came out really good and it was just nice to have actual mexican food for the first time in a very long time. Also, it's just nice to have something that tastes like home every now and then. Especially amidst all the Spanish food and tapas.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

New Year

I know I've been kind of AWOL from the blogging world for the past month and I apologize to all of my fans out there who have been waiting anxiously for more posts (hey Mom). The winter break was a lot of fun. My family came and visited me in Granada and it was awesome to show them around town and give them a taste of what my life is like on this side of the Atlantic. After that Kelsey came after her program in London ended before heading back to the States and I really enjoyed having her here and doing all the touristy things I had done. By that point I knew my monuments of Granada pretty well and I think I made a pretty good tour guide for the time she was here. Anyways, now that I'm back from my brief respite from this blog which I've been so adamant about updating, I'm realizing that the New Year has given me some perspective about my time abroad thus far:

1. Learning a language is hard. You can go months at it and feel like you haven't really improved very much when all of a sudden you realize that you have learned more than you thought... which is both good and frustrating at times. But i guess that's life.

2. Based off that last statement, I will never take for granted how much easier everything is when you are fluent in a language, whether it be going to the movies, asking for directions, making small talk in an elevator, trying to talk in a loud bar, etc. Luckily by now I am feeling comfortable with doing all of these and simply living in a country where I am not fluent. Partly because my Spanish has improved and partly because I have grown more comfortable with being uncomfortable.

3. Which brings me to my next point, being comfortable with the uncomfortable is a very good thing. There is nothing quite as uncomfortable as living in a country where the people speak gibberish (luckily I've moved past this phase but nonetheless my point remains). But after a while of forcing myself to enjoy that feeling of discomfort I can truly say that there is a part of me that likes that nervousness and feeling of discomfort now and I'm proud of that. I think it's something that a lot of people don't necessarily have.

4. Living in Spain feels far more independent than going to college ever did. When I first went to college in the States I felt incredibly independent moving away from home but a big part of me still felt tied to home (which was really nice). It's not that I don't feel tied to home now, but that I just feel more independent on a larger scale. I'm planning trips to other countries, living with semi-random Spaniards in a city my family and friends had never seen until this last month. It's definitely a strange sensation.

5. Which brings me to my last point. Living abroad is more independent but also more difficult. I have absolutely loved my experience here in Spain and there have been so many truly incredible aspects to it so far. Nonetheless, living in a foreign country is also very difficult. While I love experiencing and learning this new culture I think it's easier to get more homesick over time because you're missing out on the things that make you comfortable, whether that be your home and family and friends or something less important like an American cheeseburger. Either way, I have no regrets about being here so far but I'm realizing also how important my home is to me as well in a lot of ways.