December 2011
4 posts
Lingering
Back in August, I essentially dived into a pool and began swimming. I saw so many new sights, smelled the scents of delicious food cooking or over-cologned passersby, and made my way through Spain. I was so taken by the new and different beauty of the country, and especially the customs. One of the first things I noticed was how social everyone seemed to be and how the plaza café was a cornerstone...
The Final Friday
I stepped down that last step on the porch, quickly glanced left and then right, zipping up my forest green North Face jacket as I did so. I adjusted my backpack and started walking as the heavy metal door slammed behind me. I watched my breath slowly turning into a white mist in front of me as I eased into my walking rhythm.
Cars were moving by, filled with people driving to work and school. I...
Anticipation & Gratitude
I’ve spent the last few days trying to figure out what else I have left to do here in Granada. I’ve made list upon list and scribbled through countless pages of my tiny pocket-sized moleskin that I keep with me everywhere I go. Conscious of time flying by and my eventual departure nearing with each minute, I’m scrambling to make sure I’ve fulfilled all that I want to do.
A week from yesterday...
Football!
Yesterday, I wore a red shirt. Not because of the coming holidays and my choice to do Christmas shopping for much of the day, but because the Wisconsin Badgers were going to play a very important game that night. As I hope all of you know, the Badgers played one of their biggest rivals (given Ohio State and Minnesota on cold streaks not unlike the Wisconsin winter) this season- Michigan State....
November 2011
4 posts
Happy Holidays!
Here in Granada, the streets have been decorated with light fixtures in the shapes of bells and snowflakes. Some homes even put up lights in their street-facing windows, and the shops that I pass to/from school have become noticeably busier. Yup, it’s holiday season again!
This is my favorite time of year as I’m usually back at Lawrence, working hard and stressing about finals (with my friends,...
Fitting In
A few weeks ago, I went to one of my favorite wine and tapas places for an evening with friends. The wine was fabulous as usual and the accompanying tapas was exceptional. It was time well spent, and when we were ready to leave, I went and asked for the bill from the bartender.
When he came back from the cash register, he told me the price in Spanish, but I hadn’t heard him completely since the...
My Diversion
Until this past weekend, I hadn’t had the opportunity to visit the mountains of Spain, something I had been longing to do since before I arrived. For those of you who know me well, you might know that I’m an Eagle Scout and also an avid outdoorsman. While I love being all awesome and cosmopolitan, I often find my escape in mountains and the outdoors. Although, given my hectic school schedules, I...
Journey to a Whole New World
This past Thursday (November 3rd) at about 1am, I arrived home from one of the most amazing trips I’ve ever taken. Each year, ISA (the program that I am studying with) organizes a six-day trip to Morocco for its participants, for which we pay extra. And I gotta tell ya, it was worth it.
My trip consisted of the following:
Ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar
Visit to one of the oldest cities,...
October 2011
4 posts
Sands of Time
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said:
“In three words I can sum up life: It goes on.”
I have this quirk that is all about time. One of my favorite accessories is my watch, which I usually wear on a daily basis and boy do I like wearing it! I feel so strange without it- I can deal, but it´s definitely something that is a part of me. I’m one of those people that firmly believes in being...
Colors, Collages and Community
Being in Spain and going to such a large school like the University of Granada is a great experience. Coming from a small school in the Midwest, I’m not used to the large crowds, walking 20 minutes to and from school, or the vast expanse of a university. It’s a way of life foreign to me like the language here, but it’s also something I’ve grown accustomed to enjoy over all these weeks.
Granada,...
Socializing– the College Way
As I’ve mentioned many a time before, Spaniards love to be social and spend time together, whether it’s meeting for walks, tapas and drinks, or simply sharing a bench in the park. This is true not only for old people, but for college students too. Since I live with 5 other guys, I’ve been able to witness firsthand how my two spanish flatmates– José and Miguel– conduct themselves and interact with...
A Brief Sojourn
Anyone that has traveled anywhere- whether it’s a long weekend trip to some destination or a longer vacation to some dreamy place will all tell you that there’s nothing like coming home. Yes, you go and have an (ideally) amazing time away, but it’s nice to put your house key in the lock, open the door, turn on the lights, drop your bags, emit a huge sigh and relax. Home....
September 2011
7 posts
The Past Month(ish) In a Nutshell
Many of you have been reading this blog (for which I thank you!) and have gotten snippets of what I’ve been doing with my free time and the kinds of experiences that I’ve been having since I’ve been in Spain. I’ve been here for about a month now, and I’ve yet to talk about my schooling experiences. So here goes!
The nutshell:
Arrival in Granada followed by placement exam to gauge language...
The Alhambra
As you can tell from my earlier posts, Granada is a gorgeous European city, filled with plazas, little shops, great restaurants, tapas, wine and amazing people. Art is everywhere and there’s this happy and content attitude amongst all the people here. Among all of this great ambience and such passion for life is structural beauty. Many of the buildings are gorgeous, the cathedrals are...
Vibrant Whisperings
I’ve always had this belief that the arts breathe life into who we are as people. The reason being that art, as a form of expression and creativity, allows us to ask new questions and explore who we are as people. The ‘we’ being the individual artist, a group of people that share a similar belief, or society as a whole, to name a few.
For me, my art has always been writing and...
Vacationing...?
Over these past 20 years, I’ve had the fortune to travel with my family, and also independently. Each trip is special in it’s own way and I’ve grown to love exploring a new place and culture in another part of this huge (yet increasingly small) planet of ours. However, it’s one thing to travel somewhere for a vacation, and an entirely different experience to go there and actually live there.
...
Chilling in the Plaza
The thing about Spain is, as far as I’m aware, they’re the least productive 1st world country. Quite frankly, I’m not surprised. People here are pretty lazy, but in a good way. [Sidenote: there has been some disagreement with these first two statements. I want to be clear that I am aware that Spain is still quite industrious, although they’re regarded even by Spaniards as...
This past week...in a nutshell
For the past week, I’ve been on the road for much of the time- leaving me sporadic internet availability, hence the lack of a blog update recently. So… to make my family happy I’m gonna give a brief overview of what I’ve been doing since I arrived in Spain!
Days 1&2– Madrid
Madrid is, obviously, a very beautiful city. But it’s also SUPER HUGE. As in, 5...
A Smattering of First Impressions
Leading up to last Saturday, I was really worried about Hurricane Irene blocking my way to Madrid, and thankfully this was not the case. The airport in Charlotte was running as usual, with the only cancellations being flights to NYC and Jersey. While I left on time, I would’ve loved to have seen the clouds from the plane, but there was nothing in sight for me.
Walking out of the Madrid...
August 2011
1 post
Leaving on a Jet Plane!
In what seems like no time at all (this Saturday, in fact!) I’ll be boarding a big ol’ plane in Chicago with my friends Tony and Kelsi, bound for Charlotte, North Carolina. Unfortunately Hurricane Irene is planning a date with the East Coast and we’re not sure how that’ll affect our flight, but we’re hoping it’s just a short delay… In any case, by 6:30am...
July 2011
2 posts
Curiosity Abound
This is my first time traveling abroad on my own for a long period of time. The last time I went abroad- Panamá -was for 5 weeks through a more involved program. Granada and Spain is different because I’ll be very independent. So, needless to say, I’m not sure where to begin!
In the midst of my summer work, I’ve been scanning different books to learn more about Spain and things...
Dreamy Euphoria
International travel has long intrigued me, and I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of a family that values travel. Many years of my childhood featured grand family vacations to Colorado Springs, New Mexico, Boston and New York to name a few. Each trip was in itself a quintessential family memory, yet they all had their own unique touch that only served to bring us closer together with...
