Semana Santa y más

So, this past week was Semana Santa, or Holy Week, which I'm sure as you can guess is the week before Easter, which represents the journey of Jesus through the city of Jerusalem and ends with Easter, the day of his resurrection. Here, it is a pretty big deal, basically as big as Christmas. Everything closes for the second half of the week (Thursday or something). There are tons of processions, which are actually pretty much the same, they just take different routes and end up at different churches. Of course, there are lots of Catholic masses throughout the week. Basically, it s just a week to relax and spend time with the family. Restaurants weren't even open, so there was absolutely nothing to do, unless you had people to hang out with.

I have posted some pictures here that I took of one of the procession that I went to. It was very interesting, and I learned a lot from the local friends that I went with. In the pictures, the banners/flags that are on poles that they carry are called "estandartes." Some of them have gold tassels on them, which are actually made from real gold, not golden fabric. Basically, many churches were represented in this procession, I think about 10 or 15. Each had their own outfit and crest or design. In this procession, there were five floats like you would see in a parade, except they were wooden. Each one was a different important part of the Easter story, and they were carried by people underneath them. One was Jesus carrying the cross, one was him on the cross, and another was an open casket which represented the Resurrection. The whole procession lasted almost three hours, because it ended at a cathedral where they took the floats into the building and had a mass. They also played organ music and prayers over a loud speaker, some of which were recitations of the Lord's Prayer and Hail Mary.

After the procession, my roommates and I and one of our Spanish friends met up with the Spanish girl's boyfriend, who was actually in the procession. We went and ate "tapas" at a local diner, which was really good. Among some of the things we ate were (brace yourself) sliced donkey meat which you put on bread and eat with a little olive oil, as well as some sort of bread dish with a sauce/chili type thing on it made out of blood, yes blood. I think it was pigs blood, but I'm not sure. Either way, it was really good, actually. I'm glad they told us AFTER we ate this stuff though, because otherwise, I'm not so sure I would have tried it. I also found out from my roommates (who are from Belgium, remember) that they eat horse meat back home, which was really strange to me. I know too many people in the States would be up in arms against that.

This past week, I also tried something called Kebab, which is really popular here. It is a Turkish dish that is made from either chicken or beef, but it is sort of like a pita. I mean, it has lettuce, tomato, the meat, a toasted sort of bread/pita thing, and a Turkish sauce that I can't really describe, except that maybe it is like a mix between mayonnaise, Thousand Island, and Barbeque sauce. But, it was delicious! I wish we had it in the States, because it is one of the best things i have eaten here. And, it is really cheap too.

As far as the weather goes, I am completely confused. Three weeks ago it was basically in the 80s. Now, it is hovering around 60. We actually had hail on Friday, but it was only pea sized. But, it hailed for at least 30 minutes...more than it has rained here in the whole two months that I have been here. It was really cool, but very strange. In fact, it got down to the 40s this past week, in the middle of April. I really can't figure it out.

Other than that, I spent the week just working on papers and playing video games on my computer. All of my friends went home or went traveling this week, so I didn't have anyone really to hang out with. I got a lot done, as far as schoolwork goes, so that makes me happy. Be on the lookout for more pictures in the next few weeks. I am going to Portugal in about ten days, and I am going to Ibiza (a Spanish Island in the Mediterranean) in the middle of May. So, I should have some good pictures of the the beach for that trip. I'm REALLY excited, because Ibiza is basically the Bahamas of the Mediterranean. The beaches are gorgeous, and the city is very active. So, I know I will have some really good pictures.

Either way, I hope you enjoy the pics that I have posted from Semana Santa, and I can't wait to see you all again soon. I am almost halfway done with my trip (in eight days I will be), so I will be home before you know it. I hope everyone enjoyed their Easter holidays! Take care guys.

Churros, Peacocks, Potatoes

Well, another week later, and a lot has happened in just a few days. First I guess I will start with last weekend. One of my roommates went to Madrid with a friend for the weekend, so it was just me and Femke. On Saturday, we decided to head to some of the big supermarkets in the center of the city because we were looking for cheddar cheese and sour cream in order to make twice-baked potatoes. Apparently, cheddar cheese and sour cream are commodities here, because we went to four little supermarkets and the two big ones (roughly the size of a Kroger or something). We never found either of those ingredients, so we had to make due, but the potatoes still turned out pretty well. Femke had never had them, so she was incredibly excited to try them, which she thoroughly loved, so that made me happy.

On our way to the supermarkets though, we stopped in this little chocolateria, and we shared a plate of ¨churros con chocolate¨ which are these long fried pastry things. They give you a cup of liquid chocolate to dip them in...a truly authentic Spanish breakfast food. They were amazingly delicious, so I'm really glad I got to try them. They are in the the picture at the top.

After the supermarkets, Femke and I walked through one of the bigger parks in town, just because it was on our way home. It was really cool because it was like an oasis in a concrete jungle. I mean, it just really peaceful to see some trees and grass and dirt. Plus, they had peacocks in the park, which was awesome. They weren't in cages or anything, they could just walk wherever they wanted. I saw at least 20 of them, and one of them was even white, like completely white. Overall, I really like that park, so I think I will head down there sometime soon to take pictures and maybe do some reading.

So that was basically last weekend. Then, this week started, and it has been a stressful adventure to say the least. First, I had my group project due on Wednesday for my law class, so that was really stressful meeting with everyone and trying to finish the project. But, within that, I realized that I didn't need this law class. It doesn't fit in with my degree program at home (and not just because it is a law class, but rather because it is an extra class in general that I don't need). However, in order to keep some of my scholarships, I have to have at least 4 classes, so I can't drop it unless I pick up another one, which I have decided to do. My alternate class? History of the United States of America. No seriously, I think that is the class I am going to take. A little ironic, yeah, but it will be easier for me, and I will actually learn something useful instead of a bunch of legal jargon and laws that don't apply to my studies. I have emailed the professor, but he hasn't responded yet, so if he doesn't by Monday, I will just go by his office. True, it is late in the semester, but I think he will let me in considering my situation. Plus, the Spaniards have a different concept of time, so I think to them basically as long as I get in before the final exam, I can join the class!

Anyway, back to my group project. Once I found out I could change classes, I didn't stress too much about the project. But when we presented the project, the professor basically told us that we did it all wrong and that it wasn't what he was looking for. In my opinion he was kind of a jerk about it, because he interrupted us WHILE we were presenting, and he said it in front of the whole class. We had spent the better part of three weeks working on this project, so it wasn't because we didn't put in the effort. So, the professor is yet another reason why I wanted to change the class.

So, that has been my week so far, pretty exciting and stressful, but I am glad that it is over. I hate administrative red tape like figuring out whether or not I can drop a class, and having to talk to five different people about it (advisors, financial aid, study abroad coordinators, professors)...yeah, it's a real pain. Anyway, Remember that I am thinking of you all, and I will be home in 97 days! Yes, I'm keeping track. :) Take care of yourselves!

St. Patty's Day in Spain

Although I haven't been doing anything incredibly spectacular lately, I did get the opportunity to spend St. Patty's Day in an authentic Irish pub (or at least as authentic as you can get in Spain!). I went out with some friends, just for a little celebration to relax and fellowship. The atmosphere was really cool: dark, rustic wood everywhere, very dim light inside, a mountain of beers to choose from, two stories with a balcony, exposed rafters in the ceiling, etc. It was a really cool place. I had something that my friend told me was a ¨black beer,¨ which I think was some sort of Guinness. It had a really strong flavor, but it was still pretty good. We went to another place after that, but it wasn't any good, so we decided to just go home. Overall, it was a great night with friends, a much-needed escape from the daily grind of school.

Today was a regional holiday of sort basically called ¨Día de los Padres¨ or in English Parents' Day. It's actually a day dedicated to Saint José, or Joseph the father of Jesus. So, everything closes down, I mean EVERYTHING. There wasn't a celebration or anything. I think it is more a day to relax with your family. So, I didn't have classes or anything. I was able to do a ton of reading and other homework, like work on my group project I have due next week. I'll be happy when that is over with...haha.

My parents sent me a package in the mail last week, which I received on Tuesday. The bad thing was, I wasn't home when they delivered it, so they put a slip in out mailbox and I had to go to the post office to get it. The only problem is, there is only one post office in this city (which has 400,000 inhabitants, mind you), and it was on the complete other side of the town. It took me 30 minutes to walk their ONE WAY. It was terrible. But I got my package :) It had some Skittles in it, some peanut butter (which they don't really sell here), some Bottlecaps candy, and some Cheez Whiz, which they also don't sell here. So, I was very excited when I got the package.

My classes are going well, just maintaining a pretty steady pace. I'm actually trying to get ahead as much as possible so that I relax later on in the semester. I have two 15 page papers and one 6 page paper due at the end of the semester, so I want to finish those before I have to start studying for exams, which of course are over the whole semester.

So anyway, life is becoming pretty routine here. I miss everyone, and can't wait to see you all again in July. Take care guys.

Trip to Sevilla and More

Once again, I have to apologize for not updating this any sooner. Life has been pretty busy this past week and a half. I've had a lot of homework, as well as the fact that I went to Sevilla (Seville) this past weekend.

So first, I guess I will start with just catching everyone up on the daily stuff I have been doing here, since the information about Sevilla will be pretty extensive (I had some adventures, to say the least). Anyway, recently, our internet has been out, so we have had to borrow the neighbors when we needed it. Our landlord came by today, at which point I found out that we aren't the only ones who are having problems. In fact, the zone that we are in has been having issues for the last week or so, but of course, the company promises to fix it soon. Whether that will happen or not, well, I have my doubts.

Schoolwork has been very good. I mean, I am finally starting to feel rather comfortable in my classes. I understand probably at least 75% of what the professors say now, so I don't feel as stressed anymore. In other words, I am finally starting to feel like I fit in here. The one class that I don't like that much is International Environmental Law. Of course, it focuses on European law, which I know absolutely nothing about. It was interesting, because last week, my professor made me get up in front of the whole class and give a semi-presentation about off-shore windmills in the US. That was brutal. Not only did I have to talk to a bunch of law students about something I know nothing about, but I had to do it in Spanish, a language I am still learning. Pretty rough... But, I have a group project due for that class in about two weeks, so because of that, I have made some friends in that class which is good. My other classes are more interesting, and have less work to do throughout the week, so I enjoy them much more.

One problem I am having, however, is the food thing. Although there is variety, I feel like I am eating a lot of the same things, so I am getting sick of the food. I would kill for an American burger from Applebee's or something, or a maybe a steak and baked potatoes. I tried to make hamburgers tonight, but the supermarket didn't have any ground beef (sad but true), so I had to buy these pre-made patties that weren't very good. Anyway, my point is, I'm really starting to miss ¨American¨ food. The good news is, a good portion of the breakfast foods here are really chocolatey, so I thoroughly enjoy that =-)

Really quickly, one thing I noticed recently is that the people here do a TON of window shopping. I mean, whether it's a bookstore, a ¨dollar store¨ or an undergarment store, people will stop to look in the windows, much more than in the States. Shops change what they put in their windows almost everyday, I guess to attract more customers. But anyway, that is one more little thing that I noticed.

Other than my trip to Sevilla, my life has been pretty normal. I mean, I go to class, come home, eat dinner, watch a little tv, do some homework, call family and friends, and then go to bed. Monday and Tuesday are my busy days, so I usually enjoy the second half of the week more. Anyway, on to my trip to Sevilla.

We left from Valladolid at about 12:00 at night on Thursday, and we rode a bus all the way to Sevilla with about a 30 minute stop to use the bathroom and eat something, so the whole trip took us about 7 hours. About 50 of us went, all of which were exchange students. When we arrived, we found out that about half of our rooms had not been cleaned yet, so some of us had to sleep in the lobby for a while. Then, we found out that they had a three person room available, so five of us shared it for several hours until they cleaned our room. I ended up in two-person room with a guy from Holland named Bart. He is 34 years old, but is an exchange student here in Valladolid. He studies history.

Anyway, Friday morning started one of my adventures. We had to leave for our tour at 10:00, so we all woke up around 9:45 just to freshen up quickly and leave. (We didn't sleep very much on the bus ride down.) Things were a little hectic because we were in the three person room. Plus, at this hostel each room only had one key. Well, I went to use the bathroom before leaving, and when I came out, everyone had already left the room. Now is a good time to mention that two of the people in my room were coordinators for this trip, so they had the roster with everybody's names and such. Anyway, when I went to open the door, I realized that it was locked. Upon further investigation, I realized that you have to have the key to unlock the door even from the inside of the room. So essentially, I was trapped in my own room. We were on the second floor, so I couldn't jump out of the window (trust me, I thought about it). I waited for a few minutes, because I thought ¨Surely, they will notice that I'm not with them and come back to the room.¨ After about ten minutes, I realized they weren't coming back, so I started beating on the door. After another 15 minutes of beating, some other girls staying in the hostel (not from Valladolid) heard me and got the key from the office and opened the door for me. By this time is was 10:30, and I discovered that the group had actually left me to go on the tour. I decided to use the payphone to call my coordinator (Eliseo), but I realized that I only had a 50 euro bill, and the guy at the desk wouldn't change it for me, so I had to bum a euro off of some guy in the lobby to use the payphone. Then, I called Eliseo and told him that they had left me and that I wanted to go. Then, the phone cut off because I didn't have enough money to continue. I figured they would turn around and come get me, so I waited for about an hour, at which point I realized that they weren't coming back. Nobody came back to the hostel until 6:00 that evening. I decided to just meander around the city on my own, find something to eat, and otherwise relax until they got back, so that was my first adventure. It was frustrating at the time, but looking back is actually pretty funny.

So, because I missed the tour, I woke up earlier on Saturday to do my own tour. Our group tour didn't start until 2:00 that day, so I left around 10:00 and headed to the Real Alcázar de Sevilla, which is an old Roman castle that was converted by the Moors (Muslim empire that dominated Spain for hundreds of years)to a palace in the 700s. Anyway, it has extensive gardens behind the palace/castle, which are beautiful. I spent about an hour and a half there, just wandering around taking photos. Anyway, after I left there I went back to the hostel (it was about a 45 minute walk from where we were staying). I met up with the group and then we took a bus to the city center where we ate some lunch and then went to the bullfighting arena there in Sevilla. Although it is historical, it is still in use. The bullfighting season starts in April, by the way. I got to see all the ¨behind-the-scenes¨ areas of where they keep the bulls, where the ¨toreros¨ (bullfighter) enter the arena, etc. Anyway, that was really cool. Then, the group split up and some went back to the hostel. I went with four other people on an hour-long river boat tour. I got to see all the bridges and many of the important monuments in Sevilla, so that was really nice. After that, we ate some dinner before going back to the hostel. After getting showered and everything, the group of 50 headed to a club called Caramelo and we just hung out. I didn't get back to the hostel until 3:30ish, but many other people didn't get back until 6:00 or so.

On Sunday, we woke up and left at 11:00 and rode the bus back to Valladolid. We got back around 7:00 that evening and returned to the daily grind. I will mention that the weather was really nice in Sevilla. I didn't even need my jacket, and a few people with fair skin actually got a little sunburned. So it was really nice. Plus, everywhere there are orange trees, which you can see in the pictures. They are producing fruit right now, so it was really nice to see some color on the trees. The negative side of the city, however, was that it was really dirty for some reason. A lot of trash in the streets.

Well, now that I could have written a book, I think I'm going to call it quits, at least for now. Maybe I will add another post as more details come to my mind in the days to come. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

On the Town

First, I want to apologize for not updating this in a while. Honestly, there hasn't been anything too exciting going on lately, just trying to figure out my classes, which are still somewhat strange to me. I'm trying to get over the fact that I don't have much homework to do. I keep feeling like I am not being productive, or that I am not doing something right. Either way, I have just been dealing with a lot of that bureaucratic side of colleges: I still haven't gotten my university ID, because the bank where I am supposed to get it failed to tell me that I need a photo of myself as well as proof of registration and enrollment. So, I have to do that Monday before I can even go up to the bank (probably Tuesday) to get my card. It's really frustrating.

Anyway, last night was my first night out on the town. I met up the girl here from GCSU (her name is Sasha) and some of her friends. She has been here since last August, so she knows the town pretty well. Plus, one of her friends that went with us is a local, so she (Maria) showed us around. First, we went to a cafe and ordered ¨tapas,¨ which are little appetizer-like things that you get when you order drinks. Usually, they can be olives, or a small pieces of fish or meat, or cheese or many other things. It's just something to balance out the alcohol in your stomach. Then, we walked to a little café and had some coffee and tea, before we went to some of the clubs. They were dance clubs, but not really like those in the States. I mean, they played more salsa and merengue music, instead of electronic ¨hip-hop¨ kind of stuff. So, I got more of a flavor for the authentic Spanish night scene. The first club was called ¨La Latina¨ and the second one we went to was called ¨El Manuscripto,¨ but the locals just call it ¨Manu.¨

I can't stop here without telling you guys about ¨Carnaval.¨ It's a huge celebration throughout a large portion of Europe during this time of year that is sort of like Halloween in the States. People from all ages dress up and go out on the town. It lasts several days. I mean, I started seeing people dressed up on Friday, and Carnaval in Spain doesn't end until this Tuesday, so basically five days. There are concerts, a parade, and people go out and have a good time with friends, and sometimes even with complete strangers! haha I mean, when we were out last night, we saw witches, pirates, police officers, jailbirds, angels, devils, clowns, hippies, and everything else under the sun. Plus, the people were incredibly friendly. They would just walk up to you and start talking. They would even let you borrow some of their costume pieces to take pictures! It was really great.

People stay out really late too. Plus, my friends told me that it wasn't just because of Carnaval. That's just how the people here are. I mean, we got home around 5:00 in the morning (yes, very late, I know). But, there were still people partying and eating out at restaurants and walking the streets. This is a very animated place. They have a completely different concept of time than we do in the States. I mean, they might stay up until the sun rises, and then sleep for a few hours, go to work at 8:00 or 9:00, come home at 2:00 for a nap until 5:00, and then go back to work. After work, they might start the whole process over again. Not everyone does that of course, and not everyday either. In fact, during the week, most people are home by 1:00 at night at the latest. But on the weekends, they really just let go and relax and have a good time. In fact, one of my friends said that during the warmer months, families with young children (like in kindergarten) will be walking the streets as late as 12:00 and 1:00 in the morning.

One last thing I noticed about this town is that I haven't seen any crimes. I know a lot of people in the States have this perception that Europe is a dangerous place, because of robberies and purse-snatching etc., but I honestly feel extremely safe here. The people are very friendly, and you will almost never be alone on a street. People are out at all times of the day and night. Plus, Valladolid isn't really a tourist town, so I would say that most ¨robbers¨ aren't going to focus here. Madrid was a different story though, as I felt very cautious of my surroundings and aware of what was happening. Although there were tons of people in the streets, it was a very disorganized place (at least in the part where I stayed), so I feel much safer in Valladolid than in Madrid.

Anyway, those are the updates so far. I might be going to Sevilla in the next few weeks or so, since there is a group of exchange students going. If there is availability I will go, especially since it only costs 110 euros for several days worth of activities (the majority of expenses included). Sevilla is in the southern part of Spain, roughly 40 or 50 miles from the coast. In fact, it is only about 100 miles from the northern tip of Africa, the Strait of Gibraltar. Anyway, I will hopefully have more pictures soon, but I can't promise anything. ¡Ten cuidado!

Even More Pictures

Just to let everyone know, I added even more pictures to the blog today, but these are more of the city to the north/east. I think these are much more interesting and intricate. I hope you like them. I'll post again soon!

More Pîctures

I just updated the photos that I took today while I was meandering around town. I also added the pictures I took of my apartment. I hope to upload a video tour of my apartment soon, but my internet connection is bad right now. Hopefully by Wednesday, I will have a better connection to upload it and communicate with everyone more often.

Today, I was able to walk around the city (at least to the south) to discover some of the treasures of Valladolid. I know some of these pictures look like nothing more than buildings, but they truly are beautiful in person. I still didn't see any cathedrals (my roommates tell me they are more to the east and north), but I saw some wonderful fountains and a large plaza. Other than that, we have been hanging around in the apartment. Shops usually close around 3:00 or so on Saturdays, so there isn't much to do. On Sundays, everything is closed, according to my roommates, so I probably won't be doing much tomorrow either.

One thing that I noticed yesterday, that I mentioned to my Mom, was that the people here seem to like ham. Everything has ham on it: pizza, frozen dinners, even chips are ham flavored! It is really interesting to pick up on the little cultural differences that define us.

Anyway, that's it so far. I guess I will update this again on Monday or something. (I assume we won't be doing anything too exciting tomorrow.) Take care everyone.