London (And more) Part 1

I realize that I haven't written in a little while, but I guess that's a good thing because I've been incredibly busy! I seriously don't know where the time goes. I swear that I wake up and next thing I know, it's time for bed. A lot has been happening in the past few weeks, so I have decided to break my London post into two parts to make it more manageable for myself. I'm also going to add in some details that have absolutely no relation to London. So bear with me. Here we go.

Kim and I in London near the Tower Bridge.

Last Thursday, I left for London directly after class. And I mean directly. I took the bus home, made a quick stop to pick up my travel bag, and just barely caught the bus in time to the airport with my juice box in hand. I arrived to the airport in plenty of time, but that was a good thing because some confusion ensued. I knew that I needed to get my visa checked, but I didn't know where. If there is one thing that I've learned about the Spanish people, it's the fact that they have a different sense of "lejos" (far). Many of the people who were directing me to the office where I needed to go were telling me that it was far away on the right. I guess by their standards it was, but I still think that they could have just easily pointed me to the office, which I thought was pretty close. So after taking several laps around the Alicante airport, I finally got my visa checked, and the trip continued as normal. However, I was still a little stressed about what would happen when I finally arrived in London. The airport was about an hour away from where I needed to be, so I was hoping to catch the right train to get to Kings Cross station (the same station that Harry Potter uses).

Anyway, talk about a mini-culture shock when I landed in London! Here I was, walking Spain pace-- which is quite a bit slower than even my normal pace-- and I was about to get trampled by the Brits! Seriously, they don't mess around. Everything is fast-paced. No one stands still. Somehow I managed to get on the right train, but everything happened so fast that I wasn't quite sure I'd done everything right. Thank goodness for no language barrier because I was able to confirm with those around me that I was headed in the right direction.

(Side note: I'm convinced that travelling is a combination of patience, humility, and luck. Often times, I feel like I'm just lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to catch all of the planes, trains, and buses that I need with relative ease. When things seem more difficult, it's best to be patient with others and to ask. During this trip, there were times where I thought, "Oh, I can totally figure this out on my own." Well, long story short, I couldn't. I just needed to practice humility and to ask around. People are actually quite helpful. Especially when you are patient with them.)

So I made it to St. Pancras, which is right next to King's Cross station, and I had planned to meet Kimmy at a Starbucks near a McDonald's. (Funny, right?) Anyway, I found her! Best moment ever! After feeling eternally rushed, I finally had a minute to sit with one of my best friends and to enjoy a Grande Starbucks coffee. So tasty! I checked into my hostal with ease, and then I spent an enjoyable night with Kimmy and her friends exploring a few pubs in London. I even experienced the craziness known as the London Tube and the chaos that is the double-decker bus, which broke down on us a few times.

Big Ben!

The next day (Friday), Kim took me to many of the major sites in London: Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, the Tower Bridge, etc. We had a great day, and we walked a ton! I loved the pace because we just took our time and didn't try to rush. I knew that I wasn't going to conquer London in this trip, but it was nice to see some of the major sites. We rode on the tube a lot, and of course, that provided us with some great people-watching as well. You just never know what you are going to see on public transportation. That night, we explored a few more bars/pubs. So much fun to be had! The only undesirable part- we met the most intense creeper. He was trying to convince us that he was from America, when in actuality he was probably from somewhere in Asia. He didn't talk much but his looks were long and uncomfortable. Oh well. We were safe, and it provided some great laughs later.

Now, I'm going to leave you in suspense here, but I promise that I'll write about the rest of my London trip soon! There's still a lot of adventure to be told. But now I want to fill you in on what's been happening in Alicante. I've had a great week! I'm feeling incredibly good about my Spanish skills, and I've been meeting lots of new Spanish-speaking friends. On Monday, I was sitting on a bench in the plaza near where I live when an old man and an old woman sat down next to me. We were both minding our own business. For a little while, at least. They saw that I was journalling in English, and so they asked me if I was a student. The rest is history. We talked for about an hour, and they were just so darn adorable. What jokesters! Apparently they are recent best friends since both of their spouses have passed away. They live with their kids, but they like to have company when they sit out in the Alicante sunshine. The lady was 89 and the man was 86, so their activity was pretty impressive to me. The man even gave me some Hershey's chocolate! They sit there frequently, so they invited me to join them again if I see them around. The caretaker of the woman has two daughters, who are also interested in practicing English and Spanish with me. So much conversation to be had, so little time.

So, as you can probably tell, I absolutely love Spain. I'm starting to feel at home here, and my language ability is reflecting my transformation. Sometimes it even freaks me out a little bit-- whoa, I can actually understand and respond (within limits) to what they are saying in a totally different language! I'm almost halfway through my time here, so I can only imagine what it will feel like at the end. Hopefully I won't become unbearably annoying as I compare everything back in the US to my time in Spain. Well that's all for now, but I'll be writing again soon. I'm going to Madrid this weekend, which will be a different taste of Spanish culture. Can't wait!

Oh, Carnaval

Whoa. Biggest weekend of my life.

On Friday, Carnaval began in Alicante. Carnaval is basically a huge fiesta that occurs just before lent starts in the Catholic tradition. It goes from Friday until this upcoming Wednesday, but Saturday is the biggest part of the celebration. On Saturday, one of the major streets here was closed off to traffic, and two stages were set up on opposite ends of the street. In between the two stages? An outdoor bar. These Spaniards really know how to fiesta. Anyway, Carnaval is also a time to dress in costume, and without one, you would surely stand out. So with these basics in mind, I will recount a few highlights from my weekend.

On Friday, I went with friends to an intercambio gathering. This mixer was meant to match up Spanish speakers with English speakers so that everyone could practice using languages outside of their native tongues. My group of friends got partnered with a large group of guys, and we found out later that most of them have been friends since kindergarten. Many of them are studying law at the University, and they are a fun and friendly group. And we all hit it off right away! We spoke only in Spanish with the promise that we will meet again to speak in English another day. However, our night did not end there. After exchanging some contact info, we decided that we would all meet up later to hang out. Fast forward to midnight: there we were hanging out with our new Spanish friends in a local bar. Such a fun night! It was great to get to know our new friends better, and we even talked a little bit in English. They were so nice to us-- true Spanish caballeros (gentlemen). Overall, I probably spent about 5 hours talking in Spanish that night. Fast forward until 4am: still there. So yeah, it was a good night.

One of my favorite photos from the night.
(I was supposed to be a hippie)

Saturday was a gorgeous day, and I was able to go to the beach for a little bit to take in some sun between catching up on sleep and prepping my costume for the evening. And then round two began! My friends and I started our night in an apartment before hitting the streets around midnight (which is actually still considered early in Spain). There was so much to be seen: crazy costumes, parties in the street, two simultaneous concerts, and people-watching galore. There was also a lot of fun to be had: bars, clubs, anywhere in Alicante. Fast forward to 5am: we met with our new friends from the night before. I was so pleased that I could converse in Spanish to arrange our meeting not only at such a late hour, but also after a night of fiesta-ing. Fast forward to 6:30am: finally in bed after an unsuccessful attempt to get a snack. Oh, Carnaval, so much fun but not a lot of rest! Needless to say, I'm using the first part of this week to catch up on sleep before I head to London to visit Kim this weekend. The adventure continues.

A City of Tapas and Kings

The Alhambra

To sum up my first overnight trip abroad: absolutely wonderful. This past weekend I went to Granada with the entire USAC program. It was basically an extended field trip because the costs of lodging and of travelling had already been paid in my program fees. It was all planned for us. And what a treat it was!

The Sierra Nevadas and the Alhambra.

My journey began at 10am on Friday morning, and the only thing standing between me and my destination was a four-and-a-half hour bus ride. Filled with coffee and cornflakes, I boarded the bus, and the ride turned out to be rather beautiful with lots of spanning countryside. After arriving in Granada, we took a walking tour of the city. One of my favorite stops on this tour was El Mirador de San Nicolas, where you could see almost all of Granda-- complete with a view of the stunning Alhambra (more to come on this place later). Granada is nestled beneath the Sierra Nevada mountains of Spain, and this was fun for me since it reminded me of the Sierra Nevada mountains from home. Even after travelling thousands of miles, I guess home still does mean Nevada.

Anyway, after the walking tour, we were set free on the city of Granada, which translated to tapas time! After re-grouping, a bunch of us went out to tapas because Granada is well-known for its superior tapas. (For those of you who don't know what tapas are, I'll quickly explain. Tapas are appetizers that come with drinks, usually at little bar restaurants. They are delicious and cheap!) Friday night was a good learning experience because by Saturday night, we were tapas pros. We already had a favorite place in mind called the Minotaur, so we made a dinner of it. For just 2 euro (about $2.60) you can order a drink, as in beer or wine, and get a tapa for "free." At Minotaur, the tapa was a hearty sandwich with chips. Best deal ever! I'm pretty sure that you can't even get a drink alone for that price in the US. So needless to say, that was one of the highlights of the Granada trip.

Friday night was also completed with an unintentional and impromptu walking tour of most of Granada. After tapas and bar hopping, a few of us were ready to hit the hay in our super nice hotel because we had an early morning the next day. My directional abilities have always been less than desirable, but for some reason my friend and I were convinced that we knew the exact way home. Well, to make a long story short, we didn't. The good news: we made it back. The extension of this news: we made it back in an hour when it probably should have only took us fifteen minutes. Lesson learned, and I actually quite enjoyed seeing some new parts of the city. As most of you know, I'm always willing to have an adventure (within reason, of course).

A beautiful scene at the Alhambra.

The next day began with a guided tour of the Alhambra (see pictures), which was SO GORGEOUS! The Alhambra is seeped with history because it dates back to times of Arab kings in Spain. Another fun fact: Christopher Columbus and Bill Clinton have both been there. It took us about 3 hours to see the whole thing, and it was well worth the trip. I opted for the mostly Spanish-speaking tour guide, so I got to practice my Spanish as well. After experiencing the Alhambra, I wandered down the hill through a gypsy-influenced neighborhood with some friends. There were so many interesting tea and trinket shops. At this point, we were quite hungry and opted for the traditional Spanish menu del dia. The menu del dia gives you two plates of food and a dessert for a relative cheap price-- 10 euro (about $13). The sun was shining as we enjoyed our delicious Spanish cuisine. Then after lunch it was time for the most important Spanish tradition-- the siesta. We took a rest (and in my case, the best hot shower of my life) before getting ready to have tapas. And you know the rest from there. The only other notable experience: a scrumptious batch of chocolate and churros at a hopping specialty place. I'm seriously getting addicted to that treat!

On Sunday, we returned to Alicante, and it was neat to experience the feeling of coming "home" after a trip. It solidified in my mind the fact that Alicante is my home for the next few months. I've been here a month now, and in this short time, I've had experiences and realizations that will last me a lifetime. I can't wait to see what the upcoming months bring!

A Day Away

I can't believe that I've been living in Alicante for over 3 weeks now. What did I do to celebrate this fact? Well yesterday I went on a day trip to Valencia-- just north of here-- with a group organized through the university. Five other friends from my program joined me as we boarded the bus full of international students at 8:30 am for a fun-filled day. This weekend's lesson: a few laughs and a cup of coffee can make everything better. I'll explain.

In front of a beautiful cathedral
with my friend Katie.

We arrived in Valencia around 11am, and the first half of our journey took us through the city center. Because the weather called for highs in the 50s and only a light chance of rain, naturally, it was instead probably in the 40s and lightly raining. No pasa nada. I was still in awe at the beautiful buildings that comprise the heart of Valencia. Our tour guide explained everything in Spanish, so that was also a great learning experience. It's getting easier all the time! I did catch that Valencia is the third most important city in Spain, only topped by Madrid and Barcelona. This fact doesn't surprise me after witnessing the combination of beauty and history in the city center. 

After the tour, we had an hour and a half to eat and to explore. Because of the chilly weather, we all wanted to eat the kindly-packed lunches from our host moms inside, but it was difficult to find shelter that wasn't a restaurant. So what did we do? We went to a dessert and drinks place and sat on the second floor, hoping that they wouldn't be bothered my our aluminum foil-wrapped sandwiches. Well, they were. So we hastily ordered small drinks and quickly paid before leaving still in hunger. The Estonian boy who had been hanging out with our group was mortified that we had tried to be impolite, and he also could barely speak English or Spanish, which made conversation a bit tricky. So when it seemed that everything was falling to pieces outside the curb of said restaurant, of course it started to rain harder. Definitely a learning experience. But the good news: it doesn't take long for things to turn around.

The reason it's easy to put on weight here.

Three of us decided to brave the elements and to just make do with what we had: a park bench, sandwiches, and a good sense of humor. We scarfed down our sandwiches in the rain, and one friend decided to feed the pigeons with a bit of bread. I've never seen a swarm of birds like that it my life! I swear that they flew from miles away just to fight with the other thousands of pigeons (I'm exaggerating again) for a measly piece of bread. We got a good laugh out of the situation, and the day only got better as my next purchases included a slab of chocolate cake and a hot cup of coffee. I even found a bathroom: thank you, McDonald's. After all of this, it was time to head to embark on the next part of our journey: the Oceanografic.

Site of pigeon attack!

And how beautiful it was! It's the largest and most well-known aquarium in all of Europe. I'm sure in the summer it's probably like Sea World without the rides. Regardless, it was an incredible few hours spent wandering among fishes, sharks, and whales. When I first planned on visiting the Oceanographic I thought, "I've been to aquariums and I've seen Finding Nemo, how special can this be?" I was wrong. It was by far, the most impressive aquarium that I've ever visited, and I don't think it can be topped. There is a special section of Valencia called the City of Arts and Sciences, which I'm sure holds more wonders to be seen, but the Oceanografic was definitely worth the trip.

One of my favorite rooms.

I look forward to the upcoming weekend as well because I'll be travelling to Granada with my entire program (after I take the final for the first part of my intensive Spanish class-- time flies!). I've heard that Granada is a must-visit, and I can wait to see for myself.