Jerez!!!

Maria and I finally made it to Jerez a while back to get our TIE cards taken care of. For those of you who are wondering what a TIE card is, it stands for tarjeta de extranjero and is basically a residency card. A long term visa. Because of our extended stay here, we need a TIE card!

So we made the 40 minute bus ride to Jerez de la Frontera and had a great day. We had a nice lunch and then met up with Maria's friend Jesus, who took us on a carriage ride around the city! We are such Princesses!!!!

Jerez is beautiful. We loved the tree-lined streets and all the charm and culture.

Our wonderful Spanish guide Jesus. 

TARIFA!!!!

Tarifa turned out to be an interesting trip! My friend and I got their and found a hostel and lunch, awaiting the arrival of my friends.

We went to the windy, gorgeous beach and got in the water. Strangely enough, when we were swimming, a guy holding a beer started talking to us. It was CLINT, a friend I made the weekend before in Cadiz. Ha. It is a small world after all!

After enjoying the big waves and great views of the beach, we went and explored the city some. We walked out to the Military base, where there are signs indicating Atlantic and Mediterranean!

Matt, Me, Clint, and one of our new friends

                               Me! So close to Italy!!!!!!! 

We went into the castle with some new friends and saw some great views. 

Exploring the castle!!!

TARIFA!!!!

I went to Tarifa, Spain this weekend. It is the Southernmost point of Continental Europe, and is also a beautiful, quaint old city. I will put my pictures up soon, but for now enjoy these pictures that other people have taken....thanks other people.

  Tarifa is the kitesurfing and windsurfing capitol of Spain!!!!

And yes, it was VERY WINDY.

The Nude Swimmers

In Cadiz, we did a lot of tanning on the beach and swimming in the ocean. The beach was very clean and the water clear and refreshing in the heat. Topless tanners where everywhere, soaking up the sun's rays, and most importantly, getting rid of pesky tan lines. 

I learned of a very apparent calculation; topless beaches = large amounts of old men. Yes, they stare and gawk like ten-year-old boys.

Maria, Leah, and I even spent a few hours each day naked swimming. I mean, we all got comfortable with one another fast so we ditched the suits...or in my case, threw my suit at Leah's head. 

While spotting the topless women on the beach, we all decided that by the end of our year in Spain, we would feel comfortable tanning topless and walking on the beach topless. 

...but by the end of the weekend, the three of us were topless, completely comfortable with one another and happy to be getting sun on our pale boobies. Hey, if you had these tan lines, you'd be going topless too. 

Hey, when in Spain. 

Cadiz, Cadiz!!!

My town, Sanlucar de Barrameda, is in the region of Cadiz, Spain. The actual city of Cadiz lays about 32 miles to the south, an hour bus ride.

Maria and I traveled to Cadiz friday afternoon and arrived at the house of our wonderful hosts Pedro, Leah, and Yajayra, picture below.

We had a wonderful time laying on the gorgeous beach, right outside our friends piso, and hitting up some fun bars and pubs in this ancient city.

Interesting fact about Cadiz? It is the oldest inhabited city the Iberian Penninsula, and possibly all of SW Europe.

We saw some AMAZING sunsets just by standing in their living room. LOOK!

It was also our friend Gabe's birthday! Our hosts through a fun cocktail hour for the gang before we hit up the bars. Gabe is on the far left, next to the diva girl herself. 

Here we are with the birthday boy at Loco Bar (Low Cost Bar). Cadiz has a much more "hopping" nightlife than Sanlucar, so it was fun to really go out and let loose (and club till 5:30 am!) 

And also, I GOT TO SEE HAPPY! Abbi was my bff during orientation and we had been seperated for nearly a week. MUCH TOO LONG TO GO WITHOUT SEEING HER!

LOVE CADIZ AND ALL OUR PEEPS THERE!!!

Our bank experience

After we settled into our piso and began school, we knew that one of the next important things we needed to do was open a bank account. One day, Maria and I headed to Calle Ancha to find a suitable bank to open an account. We went to a few banks and tried waiting for help. One of the banks sent us away. It is a large, popular bank in Spain. They told us we needed to put 2,000€ to open an account. We left immedietely, annoyed that they may have been lying so they wouldn't have to serve Americans. But come on, we work for the government people. WE ARE IMPORTANT. (That is actually what our program told us to think.)


Next, we walked into another bank. I thought it to be, oh how do you say, jank? Ghetto? We left that bank. Then we went to a third bank whose lobby was a chaos of people sitting and standing waiting for assistance. There was no help desk, no greeter to assist us, just four desks set up like stations. We waited for a few minutes and then Maria tried to ask a woman for help, to tell us where to wait. Instead of offering us help, the woman actually shooed us, as if we were homeless people begging for change. Terrible. I felt so annoyed and angry. Can't anyone help us? 


We tried a fourth bank, BBVA. We walked in and were pleased to find a large desk in the back of the room, where a few men stood helping customers. A man pointed to a line of desks and told us to wait for an open one. We sat down with Ana and she began to help us. She was friendly, approachable, and very pretty. She began with our process. After a few attempts at putting in my information, and about fifteen to twenty minutes of us waiting, she told us that their internet was down. Really? We were at a bank whose internet wouldn't work. WHERE ARE WE? Ana was very kind though, taking copies of our information. She told us to return the next week and sign everything, that she would complete the process and all we would have to do is sign. 


So we went back the next week. We stood in line for almost an hour. Finally Ana was available and we sat down. She immidietely asked us for our passports. What? Why did she need them again. She already took copies. Maria and I told her we would come back. 


Third time is a charm I guess. On friday before we left for Cadiz, we went to the bank and finally finished our process. We didn't just have to sign, we had to wait for about another half hour-fourty five minutes while Ana finished printing documents and having us sign multiple contracts. 


Finally, we were given our bank books. After three days of coming to the bank and about fourish hours, we finally had our accounts. FINALLY. The most annoying part? The banks in Spain, or at least our region, are only open till 2pm. So basically, if you want to do any banking, such as depositing money or cashing a check, you need to plan your entire morning around the lines and inefficiency of the banks. 


I guess this is something we need to get used to. How slow life moves here. All I know is, it would never fly back home, where people scream if they have to wait for five minutes and call managers if things like this go wrong. I mean, I can definitely get used to this laid back lifestyle, but I need to learn to not expect to get things accomplished in a timely manner. 


Oh, and I almost forgot, Ana told us to come back a week later to pick up our debit cards. Let's hope when I go to the bank on Friday that process is a lot quicker. 


OH DEAR LORD I HOPE SO. 

School daze

Right now I am sitting on the spacious terrace off my bedroom, sipping a glass of red wine and enjoying my busy, yet picturesque street. I can hear my neighbors going about their day post-siesta, children playing in the piso next to our kitchen terrace, and many loud vespas on their way past. Cars pull in and out of the many garages on our street, a stylish woman's high heels clack on the narrow sidewalk, and distant church bells can be heard, marking the beginning of a church bell frenzy that goes on throughout the day. 


I realized something yesterday...I have officially been in Spain for a month, WOW! Time has gone by so fast and I have traveled to some amazing places thus far. 


Our first weekend here Maria and I went to Cadiz and had an amazing time. 
This past weekend I went to Tarifa with a few people and some friends from Cadiz and absolutely loved the laid back kite-surfing town. 


School has been wonderful. Challenging and stressful at times, but very rewarding. Many stories to come.  


REFRESH to read the rest of my updates!!!!! I promise to catch up on blogging NOW! 

First day of school! First day of school!!!

Well actually, I have just completed my first week of school and I absolutely LOVE it!!!! The kids are so great and the teachers are wonderful, very welcoming and helpful. A lot of them speak Spanish really well!


Best part is...I am a GYM TEACHER. haha. I also teach Social Studies, Science, and Art. I switched a class with my partner in the school Jennifer, so I get to have a class with the four-year-olds in the preschool. Yay babies!!!! A bunch of the kids know my name and always call me out and say "Hello!" I've gotten a few presents from them as well, a piece of candy, a sticker, and even some butterfly tattoos! 


Feels so good to be a working lady! 

Too close for comfort???

We've spent two nights in our quaint piso. I absolutely love it, but its going to take a little getting used to. For one, the noise on the street is pretty loud, thanks to the roaring engines of the vespas zipping by. The street is not that busy, but at night it seems like everyone just has to drive down Carmen Viejo!

On our first night in the piso, I was laying in bed and could hear someone coughing. It was my neighbor across the narrow street, laying in their bed or sitting on their couch. Wowza...they are about twenty feet away from me!

I was hanging my laundry the other night on our terrace off the kitchen that over looks the courtyard of our building while Maria was cooking us dinner. My neighbors were hanging out of their windows, talking to one another and exchanging pleasantries. We can see into their apartments and into their bedrooms even, talk about close proximity. The one piso to the right of our terrace has a young family living their and an adorable boy named Luis. He and I were playing a little game; he would come up to the window and stick his face through the bars and I would look over and shout "Boo!" or something and he would run away laughing and then sneak back. I would hide around the door frame and then peek around slowly. He loved it.

Since it is so warm out, we have all of our windows and terrace doors open to allow a breeze and ventilation. So I hope the neighbors enjoy our English conversations and my constant singing. I deeply apologize for the English curses they will also learn over the course of a year...woops!

"i'm a bit buzzed to think strategically tho"

Quote of the day by Maria LaCava, Sanlucar's most popular comedian. 


Hmm....drinking a few tinto de veranos during the day have to be a good idea though, right??


I THINK SO!!!

"You've got some head on your face."

The other night, Sam, Maria, and I went to Plazza San Roque (our favorite plazza) and had a few tapas. Sam really wanted to try the dish that Sanlucar is known for, the giant prawns, or as they are called here; Langostinos de Sanlucar.

Sam's dish arrived after a few tapas and an expensive plate of cheese (woops, we ordered two portions on accident). The langostinos were HUGE! Biggest prawns I have ever seen. Their were four of them and they were served on a plain plate, without seasoning or decoration. These are the main food event in Sanlucar.

Sam and Maria each grabbed a langostino and dug in. They started picking at the prawn with their forks and pulling the heads off and tossing them into a pile. Sam gave me a piece of meat to try. It was okay, kinda of bland, with a very fishy taste. Nothing fancy about them. I would have preferred some garlic and lemon. When Sam was working on his last prawn, I noticed that the table next to us was watching Sam and making comments about how he was eating it. I told Sam and he looked over at the man, who was shaking his head and waving his finger "No, no, no". The man demonstrated how to properly crack a prawn open and then told us to suck the juices out of its head. As an avid lobster and crab eater, I know that the greenish, gutsy inside of the head of a lobster is a delicacy.

So, we each took a turn sucking on the head of one of these giant prawns, tasting the gooey chunks of brain and guts. Ehh, not for me. The taste was not the most pleasant, a very bland, salty taste....not my favorite. But, being the open-minded tourists that we are, we smiled and pretended to love it! I whispered to Maria, "I don't like it, but I'm gonna smile and  pretend like I do, they don't understand me". To which she responded, "Yeah, and you've got some head on your face."

Bidet?

I lived in Italy and traveled around Europe for five months and I've been living in Spain for almost two weeks.....and I just learned how to use a bidet. 

La Cucaracha!!!!

On our way to the beach yesterday to watch the sunset (which was beautiful!), Maria, Sam and I stopped by a heladeria (ice cream shop) for a treat. We were doing a quick review of how to order an ice cream cone and Sam told me to ask for a cucurucho, which means ice cream cone. 

So when the friendly woman asked me what I would like, I replied confidently, "Una cucaracha con carmel, por favor."....I asked her for a cockroach with caramel. 

But she was nice about it and laughed when I realized my mistake....oh wow, this is going to be a long eight months. 

Da Verdad?

Hunting for a piso (apartment) has proven to be quiet the challenge. 

But, as we waited for a woman to show us a place on Saturday, we were stunned by something we saw on the street. There was a family consisting of a man and his wife and their adorable daughters. The girls looked to be about three or four, possibly even twins. They were standing by a tree which had a little dirt around it, like a flower bed...with no flowers. All of a sudden, we saw the man pull down one of the little girl's pants. He picked her up and tucked her legs up, as if she was in the squat position. He literally aimed her butt towards the ground and she relieved herself. 

....really? 

When the girls were done, they pulled their pants up and continued on their merry way. 

....hey, it works for them!!!

Que Nombramiento??

This morning Maria and I were supposed to meet a taxi driver/real estate guy who was to show Maria a potential apartment. He said that he would pick us up at ten in his taxi. Well, he never showed. I mean...we were eating breakfast until 10:15, but we went and waited for him and he never came.

This is okay though, as we learned that the Spanish are not the most punctual people. Sometimes they honestly just forget about appointments, or maybe show up when they want to. I know this would never work back home, the relaxed lifestyle and disregard for punctuality. But hey...if Alvarro wanted to have a nice breakfast with his friend and then come get us, thats vale (okay) too...because in reality, her and I were enjoying a nice breakfast and weren't on time for him either. We all need to relax, take it easy...everything will work out in the end.

Okay now someone find me an apartment.

Adios Sevilla y Hola Sanlucar de Barrameda!!!

Orientation in Sevilla flew by so fast! I met so many amazing, friendly people and enjoyed a few days with them, laughing, our informational (and fun?!) classes, and getting lost in Sevilla. 

My roommate Maria and I had a much needed siesta and then found a quaint little cafe and had tapas y vino. We didn't really know what we were ordering, but just kind of picked a few things at random, hoping for the best. We were pleased with our choices, especially because I figured out what the word for sandwich is. This is very important...I love my sandies. We had a lot of ham, some little shrimp, and the most interesting dish, a fried eggplant with jamon y queso in the middle with a side of honey....muy delicioso!!! 

(Nuestra tapas ricos) 

("Dorky Eating" - the fabulous Maria LaCava)

After tapas, we got lost for a bit...but eventually made it back to our AMAZING hotel. It's called the Posada De Palacio and it is absolutely gorgeous. Tons of little courtyards and lots of natural light and a wonderful breeze. 

Tomorrow we are going apartment hunting, we'll see what we can find!!!

Sevilla, Sevilla!!!!!!

Here are a few pictures from some nights and days in Sevilla.

(Some pretty plazza!!!)

(Aquarium!!! Such a cool structure, it was bigger than this, extended over the road.)

(CIEE people drinking with the locals at Plazza del Salvador)

(Girls!)

(Boys!)

(More new friends!!!!)

Fun times, fun times. 

Chanchi's accident, Cacti, and the nicest Peruvian I have ever met.

My flight from Chicago to Madrid was incredible. Not only did Iberia give me free wine with dinner (yes!) I at one point had an entire row of four seats to myself! I had an aisle seat, and when the people a seat next to me got up to sit with their friends, I moved in and enjoyed three seats to myself. Nothing like my flight to Florence, where I was scrunched in the five seat row and couldn't even get to my backpack.

When I got to Madrid, I almost missed my transfer because my other flight got in just in the nick of time.

The flight to Sevilla was filled with Americans kids, all doing my program. We got to the airport in Sevilla and found Paloma, who was with the big CIEE sign. We were walking to our bus when I met Pol (pronounced Pole.) He was from Lima, Peru and offered to help me with my luggage...I was struggling (Diva packer for the win). So a few of us chatted with him, asked him where he was teaching and so on. He lost his luggage during the flight like some other teachers did. Then, he went to check in with Paloma and learned that he wasn't on our list. He wasn't even in our program...he was just a random traveler who joined our group. OH POL!!!!!...I felt kinda bad that he helped me with my bag and wasn't even coming with us...but hey, the bag was heavy....and he offered.

I found out later that Chanchi, my three-legged Chilean good luck pig, was destroyed during the flight. He is now a one-legged pig and is also missing an ear and part of his nose. So sad. But maybe he risked his precious little life so that I could arrive safely. Thanks little boo.

We got to our posh Hotel Hesperia and checked in. I got a nice nap in and then found Sam in his room. We had a little welcome session in the lobby and then some great tapas and sangria cocktail hour. The tapas would not stop coming!!!...the sangria too!!!! After the meet and great, ten of us went to a little cafe and had cervesas. An eclectic group of people, everyone was funny, we had a lot of laughs.

(A picture of the cafe, we were at the table by the red and white umbrellas.)

The next few days of Orientation were really fun. I took a siesta every day and am kind of obsessed with them. Hey, when in Espana, right? During our class time, we learned about how to live and work in Andalucia and tips on making extra money, what to do with our free time, and how to travel around Spain. Helpful stuff. 

I didn't feel like I really got to see all of Seville, considering we spent the most time in a school near the hotel and in our hotel, but that's okay. Sanlucar is less than two hours away from Sevilla, so I'll be back. 

SEVILLE!!!!

I am safe in Sevilla!!!! 


The first day has been so much fun. Lots of laughs meeting new people, so friendly! So refreshing compared to all of the clicks of my study abroad program!!!!....but everyone speaks great Spanish...shoot. 


More details to come!!!!


ESPANA!!!!

Feliz Cumpleaños Hermano!!!

So the plan for today is for my family to go meet up with Michael (or as I have always preferred to call him- Miguel) for his 25th birthday. He is a little annoyed that I "stole his spotlight" and had to leave today. In fact, he asked me about possibly leaving earlier, on another day, so he could be the center of attention. Sure, thanks brother. But too bad for him, the Diva comes first today. 


My flight is at 4:30, I transfer in Madrid and then I will be in Seville at 10:00 their time. How do time differences work? I could figure it out but...I don't do math.  


Adios a todos y FELIZ CUMPLEANOS MIGUEL!!!!

Europa Parte Dos

Here I go again. It seems like just a few weeks ago that I was packing my bags for a semester abroad in Florence, Italy. I was extremely excited for my first trip across the Atlantic and I had no idea of what an amazing experience I would have. After five fast months of traveling and immersing myself in the beautiful Italian culture, as well as that of ten other countries, I was home and desperate to return to Europe. And now...the time has come. 


I have been thinking about this moment all summer, since I was accepted into CIEE's Teach in Spain program and made the decision to return to Europe. Truthfully, I am nervous. Or rather, I was nervous, until a few days ago. While packing and running errands, a kind neighbor gave me an amazing book about a cousin of her's pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago in Spain. This particular quote stood out to me.

"Isn't this the way adventures go? You cannot plan for every eventuality or mishap, and you will always have some fear or reservation. If you are not falling down, you are not trying hard enough. All you can do is prepare as well as possible, face your fears, have a good laugh at yourself, and then put on your shoes and just walk forward, living your dreams."

This is exactly what I needed to see. I have accepted that hey, I may make mistakes, I may be nervous, and that life may not always be perfect, but this is an adventure. This is my adventure. 


So, that being said, I start my journey tomorrow afternoon when I leave O'Hare airport. A quick transfer in Madrid and I arrive in Sevilla ready for orientation. A few days from now, I will be settling into Sanlúcar de Barrameda; a serene, coastal town in the South of Spain, beginning the adventure of a lifetime......I am so ready for this.