We’ve all had nights where out minds won’t allow us to sleep. Tonight is that night.
My friends are all fleeing St. Cloud for college and I’m starting to realize how stationary my life will be for awhile. Many asked if I would’ve liked to stay in Spain all year but I couldn’t have been away that long and I’m excited to buckle down on classes, save some money and get serious about my future.
Most people don’t believe this. According to my friend “Everything else will just be boring for you.” and my aunt “It’s all down hill from here.” So reassuring.
I’m more happy it happened than sad it ended.
Plus, I think one semester was all I (or my parents) could handle. They saved my voicemail from Venice.
A little down time can’t hurt.
Europe withdrawal has been surprisingly manageable so far thanks to facebook chat. I’m also constantly seeing friendly faces who welcome me home. When I start flipping through pictures I try to force it out of my mind and move on to the next goal. Reminiscing is great but I don’t want to live in the past or lose sight of positive aspects in the present. Classes start in 4 days and I can confidently say I’m ready for the future, whatever that may bring.
Who can say they committed to traveling a foreign country 3 hours after meeting a German boy at Oktoberfest? I can. Here’s my story of Florian Sobek.
2.5 months ago in a tent at Oktoberfest, I turned to a group of Germans and asked if anyone speaks English. Luckily, Florian had studied in Tampa and Colorado meaning his English is better than some of my less educated acquaintances. We immediately clicked and chatted the whole night before my flight out around 8am. Upon my returned to Toledo, I saw a friend request and a message from him so for the next two months we gradually finalized Dublin plans. He told me he has relatives we could stay with that also have a housekeeper who would do all the cooking (sign me up). The day before my flight he said there’d be a driver holding my name in the airport who would take me to his house. When I landed, I followed a friendly dubliner to his BLACK BMW. The driver made casual small talk by telling me he just drove a famous rugby player to the Stadium. Are. You. Serious. Here’s the house.
On top of this incredible welcome, he also brought me a coffee mug from Munich and some christmasy chocolate. Starting our Irish adventures, we watched the Rugby match at a bar and explored the city at night. Catching up a bit, it’s crazy how comfortable we became with each other after 4 consecutive days together. I’ve only ever spent that much time with my family. Plus, I’d just finished finals so the only thing I had on my plate was exploring Dublin and getting to know him. Seeing as the whole situation could have gone terribly wrong, it turned out pretty great and was definitely a once in a lifetime experience. The Mumford concert and Guinness factory were both great sights to behold but I was more happy with my company than the things I was seeing. In fact, we ended up spending an entire evening watching Family Guy and It’s Always Sunny. Long chats over Irish coffee turned into singing songs together at the pub and he taught me a lot about Germany. I’ve never been taken such good care of, he navigated everything and always asked what I wanted to do first, even checking if my feet hurt. The sad goodbye was a given as I’m not sure when/if I’ll ever see him again. Although, I can’t help but be happy for overcoming all odds and actually making a connection like this. After all, I was only in Germany for one night and in Spain close to the rest of the semester. With the right attitude, life is beautiful.
Shout out to my parents for supporting me financially and literally giving me the world. I’m so blessed to have such amazing people in my life. Thankful doesn’t even begin to cover it. Two days from now I’ll be home, just in time for Christmas 🙂
Well, I’m starting to notice a wave of emotions overcoming my daily thoughts… I have 15 days left in Spain and 3 finals to study for meaning my free time is limited. In addition to minor test anxiety, bittersweet feelings are slowly consuming me. I’m sad to leave my host family, the daily cultural experiences and this beautiful city.
However, I’m incredibly excited to be home for family Christmas and Will’s birthday (my little brother). Plus, after finals I’ll be spending 4 days in Dublin with my German friend! We plan to shop at the christmas market, go to a rugby game, visit the Guinness Storehouse (7 floors of beer including the ingredients, brewing process, transport and advertising areas) see the Cliffs of Moher (used in the Harry Potter movie) and attend The Mumford and Son’s Concert
After, I’ll spend a few more nights in Madrid trying to cover some highlights. The Prado Museum holds many masterpieces but my main focus is ‘Las Meninas‘ by Velázquez. I want to get my fill on some last few Spanish meals and meet a few more Spaniards before I depart indefinitely. Christmas markets and lights are prevalent in Madrid as well: plazas will be filled with holidazzle and I plan to walk around alone and let nostalgia take over.
I fly home at 7am on the 22nd (a few friends were curious) and arrive that night after gaining 7 hours. The next morning is our scheduled family Christmas and I’ll definitely be jetlagged emotional mess. That’s my official and public disclaimer to my family incase I’m being a brat. I’ve heard you can go through another whole set of culture shock or even depression when you return and I believe it.
I’ll miss:
– My host family and their pomeranian
– The beauty of the unknown
– Opportunities to practice spanish
– Having my laundry done for me
– Public transportation
– Paella/tapas/vino
– Easy, smaller classes
I’m excited for:
– Seeing my family and friends
– Officially unpacking for the first time in 4 months
– Driers (Spaniards don’t use them, girls you know the tight jean feeling I miss)
– Fewer smokers & a smoke free home
– The rest of my wardrobe
– Snowmen and sledding
– Our yard and big house
Have a great weekend everyone and thank you for checking up on me!
As many of you know, usually my travels consist of boarder hopping, minimal plans and questionable places to sleep. These past ten days were quite the opposite: all travels in Spain, hotels in place of airports, and itineraries instead of free city maps. Exactly ten days ago, the bus to Madrid brought me to the open arms of my parents and together, we saw the best of 5 Spanish cities.
Seville
If I had to choose my favorite place in Spain, Seville would top my charts as it’s comparable to Florence, my favorite city in Italy, and similar to how I imagine Paris. Beautifully decorated with street lamps, the bridges give a fantastic view of the river and the city. Crossing the main bridge, a glowing bullring appears and palm trees eloquently fold over outdoor dining areas. The cathedral is stunning (top right) as is the Alcazar (bottom left). Beyond the fancy tourist attractions, hidden bars have impromptu Flamenco past midnight and luckily some friendly locals lead us to a crowded one with no sign on the entrance. If you saw my Facebook video, this is where the talented musicians performed with their guitars. My kind of people, my kind of place – off the beaten path and a great opportunity to practice Spanish. Seville is the best-kept secret in Spain.
Granada
We only had about 8 hours here so the Alhambra was our main priority. Rich with history and Moorish influence, I’m happy we fought the crowds to see it. A unique attraction since gardens also surround this fortress and you could realistically spend days exploring, it’s huge. Granada is a pretty city but I think the Alhambra was the only attraction worth seeing. From here we rented a car and drove 4 hours north.
Toledo
This city never ceases to amaze, surprise or confuse me. Exploring with my parents, I saw things I forgot about or narrow streets I’d still never been on. My host mom showed us an ethnic restaurant and we got a tour of a gold crafting shop. We visited the cathedral – an incredible building I’m ashamed I hadn’t taken time to see before. We also popped into a couple museums, my favorite being The Church of Santo Tomé, which holds El Greco’s masterpiece “The Burial of the Count of Orgaz”. The painting remains in its original placement, above the gravestone of Count Orgaz. So many pieces of art I’d studied in history or previous Spanish courses I’ve now seen in real life! Every day I wonder if I’ll wake up from a long, detailed Spanish dream. Anyway, my favorite part of Toledo was having my two sets of parents finally meet. Can’t get enough of this video:
Barcelona
We kicked off our last weekend with the longest trip for my parents, three whole nights! We saw so much in this hug city I don’t even know where to start, but I’ll try. The first night we walked down La Rambla (a popular street just for pedestrians, lined with tapas bars) and slept early. The next morning we had lunch at the local market and saw some of Gaudi’s most famous architectural feats: La Sagrada Familia, a 300 year old church still undergoing construction, and Casa Batló, a famous house built for an incredibly wealthy family. Around midnight I went out to a Mediterranean beach club called Opium with some other students. The clubs you see in movies? They’re real. Saturday we woke up early and walked to the Picasso museum, an interesting chronologic exhibit of his early art, his blue period and his later years when his fascination with cubism arose. Later, we took a taxi to Park Güell and had a picnic in this colorful area that was also designed by Gaudi. We wandered the city the rest of the night and admired the Christmas lights until back at our hotel. For our final morning, we hit the Beach before heading to the airport at noon.
Madrid
My parents saw more of this city than I; I still need to hit a few key museums. But, we hung around the side streets on Sunday night doing some shopping and grazing at bars. We stayed with family friends, fun to see more familiar faces and speak in English. I said my goodbyes to my parents in the Madrid metro on Monday morning. Part of me wanted to fly home with them right then, but I’m going to make the best of my last few weeks here. Plus,
Hey there ladies and gents, I’m sorry for the excessive clutter I’ve been posting on here, facebook & twitter. I’m just truly, completely
H A P P Y
The kind where I wake up in the morning smiling. I haven’t felt this way in a long time, maybe ever. After such a disastrous year, I’m so appreciative for this experience. If I may, here are some incredible things that have gone right for a change:
1) Yesterday I had a fantastic date with an incredibly attractive Spaniard who works at El Palacio Real in Madrid. He speaks zero english and with a few drinks in me, we communicated just fine. I’M ACTUALLY LEARNING SPANISH : ) Embracing the Spaniard nightlife, we bar hopped until 5am when he dropped me off in his fancy pants car. Fist pump. In fact, it was so successful that he’s picking me up in an hour for a coffee date!!!
2) I got decent grades on my midterms! Actually knowing what I’m being tested on is refreshing. I also love the understanding teachers and smaller classes – a reason why SCSU is a good switch for me.
3) I’m able to legally drink. I can buy guns and vote in America but I can’t sit down at a restaurant and order wine with my meal? Alright. Anyway, wine. Red. YUM YUM YUM
4) My parents are coming in 12 days and I’m currently helping them plan our Barcelona excursion. My host family offered to have them over for dinner and go out for drinks. Meaning, I’ll be translating between my two sets of parents. I can hardly wait, I know they’ll get along great:)
Now I know what you’re thinking, “Rachel, you moron. Who wouldn’t be ecstatic with all that?” True, can’t argue there. But, happy is a mindset regardless of what you’re doing, who you’re with or where you are. I’m learning to be happy: searching for it within myself instead of through other people. And all this time to soul search has taught me a few things. I’ve learned to let go, forgive myself and keep moving forward. I’ll never stop making mistakes, they’re part of life. I’m not sure if you’ve heard the quote “Winners fail more than losers” but I hope that’s true because I’ve failed mucho. But that’s okay – accept it and move on. I’m finally realizing how things connect; we’re given experiences we need, not ones we want, to shape us. I may not have certain people in my life that I wish I did but I trust there’s a reason behind not getting everything we want. We lose certain people to make us stronger or fall down in order to stand back up more steadily. And actually, the reason I’m in Spain is because I was broken beforehand. I hated being reminded of who I was and I wanted another fresh start. Now I’m thankful I had bad experiences because they lead me to where I am today. So, I guess I needed fall before I could rebuild myself exactly how I want to be. That’s a tad melodramatic but you know what I mean.
Anyway, more than anything I want to constantly push myself to try new things. That’s when I’m happiest, when I’m bravest. Put yourself out there and I promise something great will come of it.
Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone
SO THAT’S WHERE I SPEND MOST OF MY TIME
I hope you have an adventurous day and find your happiness too.
– Rachel
It’s been a while since I’ve blogged about Spain and since I’ll only be here a few more days before I’m off to Italy and Belgium, I figured I’d give you guys a taste of the culture I’ve been living. The Real Madrid game I attended yesterday made me realize additional cultural differences between Spain and America that can be explained through their most loved sports, Fútbol and Football. I’m no expert. But through my classes, living with a family, teaching english to spanish children and associating myself with many natives, I feel like I’ve started to understand this culture.
Time. There is a 2-3 hour delay in Spaniard meal times, lunch being at 2:30pm and dinner around 9:30pm. In addition, Spaniards devote at least two hours out of their day to naps. This means stores close for “siestas” from 2-5pm, something unheard of in America. Restaurants serve dinner until 11pm-12am while bars/clubs are open until 6am. Sometimes, parents will even have their children with them at bars until midnight. The night life differences between these two countries seems strange but in Spain everything is just done later and after a nap.
On to the less concrete observation: Lifestyle. The time of day people do things doesn’t define their lifestyle. However, Spaniards are incredibly relaxed, not very punctual, and enjoy everything they do. Take this quote from Johnny Depp “Europe has a great culture and an amazing history. Most important thing though is that people there know how to live! In America they’ve forgotten all about it. I’m afraid that the American culture is a disaster.” That’s one way to say it. The best way I can compare and contrast America and Spain is to say Americans are intense while Spaniards are lax. For example, the fútbol game I attended yesterday exhibits a very Spanish way of life. The huge stadium in the capital of Spain should produce some kind of suspenseful video, announcement, or something to pump up the crowd, right? Not quite, before I knew it, the ball was on the field. Think about a hockey arena. Dimming lights, turning up music, and putting on a show gets your heart pumping and palms sweaty before the game even starts. America is intense. We work until we’re swamped, stressed and exhausted. We eat ourselves into obesity. We throw our children in physical sports at age 6. We drink until we blackout. We push ourselves to the brink of insanity and take pride in appearing tough. Even now, in Spain’s economic crisis, Spaniards are protesting or striking, but not out to fight each other. Americans are forceful: we want to be heard, seen and noticed.
The thing is, we are. Spaniards listen to our music, Europeans know of our celebrities, our television shows and movies are translated into multiple languages. My host mom has a Backstreet Boys CD. When in America do we absorb other cultures besides grabbing a Chipolte burrito? We’re cocky, we think we’re superior and we’re hesitant to accept change. Yet, maybe the reason for Spain’s economy is lack of motivation, lack of intensity. We watched a video about this in my heritage class, motivation is scarce among Spaniards – students are dropping out of school left and right. It’s a trade off and obviously there are exceptions. My spanish amiga is a triathlete and proclaimed “campeona absoluta” or absolute champion, meaning she is literally the best female competitor in our area of Spain, and 3rd in the country. María Ortega, triatleta. Google her, she’s incredible. My other amigo is also a triathlete and firefighter, equally successful. But overall, Spaniards enjoy naps and social gatherings. Americans tend to not enjoy company as much and stick to their materialistic preoccupations. Clearly generalizations are hard to make about an entire country and this is a bit exaggerated but these are just my observations 🙂
Friday – Arriving in Madrid, our group of 5 backpackers scope out energy bars at a GNC that save my life in 28 hours. A stroll through the capital and a metro ride brings us to the airport for our flight to Geneva at 8:30pm. Having went out last night, I sleep most of the flight but wake up to the smell of pizza and ask for a small bottle of wine. Complementary, of course! Swiss airlines, you rock. The cute middle aged spaniard next to me asks for the rest of my red merlot so I gladly pour it for her. We talk in Spanish about Spain’s economy and the problems with the Euro for the remainder of the flight. Huh, I actually learned a few things in class. Later, flight attendants serve Swiss chocolate and I start to wonder if I accidentally bought a direct ticket to heaven. Disembarking, we search for the train from Geneva to Grindelwald only to find out the next one doesn’t leave until morning. Airport sleep #3!
Saturday – After an unsuccessful rest, we struggle to locate the front desk and find anyone that speaks english or spanish (french and german being most common here). Many discrepancies have us waiting two hours until the customer service desk opens. Finally buying our tickets ($85 USD one way) and getting on the two hour train, we’re pleasantly surprised with the scenic views. Arriving in Grindelwald by 1:30pm, we set outto find food, water, a bathroom, and a map. Once all objectives had been reached, we started hiking. Taking a gondola 1/2 the way up was an option, we’re decide to be cheap, badass, and risky. Walking from Grindelwald to Faulhorn means 1600m (5250ft) of ascent and 14 miles. It took 5 and a half hours with our backpacks and frequent photo ops.
Skyrim and Lord of the Rings references were dropped so often it’s embarrassing:) Everything went smoothly until the last half hour when the sun set. Exhaustion, dehydration, hypothermia and altitude sickness kicked in as I suddenly felt like I’d been shot with 8 doses of morphine. My entire body was numb and heavy so I kept telling my friends “I just want to lay down” in the snow to face my imminent death. I started laughing uncontrollably and hallucinating, nearly walking off the mountain. Someone yelled my name and Sam drug me up the last stretch, but I was still loopy after reaching Berghotel Faulhorn and eating dinner. Getting in bed and with the ladies made me realize how cold I was. We slept with 4 blankets in every article of clothing we had.
Sunday – Around 1:30am I woke up to a blood curtailing scream in the 18 person hostel. Heart racing, I thought my life was over and a yeti had come to eat my brains. Then I realized, this was Sam having a nightmare which he warned us about yesterday. “Hey guys, sometimes I scream in my sleep. It usually happens when I’m really exhausted and in a strange place.” This night would fall into that category, since we just climbed a mountain and we’re away from civilization. Realizing it was just him, I laughed while Germans scurrying, unable to leave the room fast enough. I fell back asleep but woke up in time for the beautiful sunrise at 7:45am. We ate breakfast, checked out, and worked our way back down the mountain with our belongings. Luckily, we found a shorter path and weren’t hiking into the night. Getting a train to Geneva, finding Swiss chocolate became my priority and I didn’t hesitate to drop some Franks at a pricey shop on the tourist drag since our time was limited. We grabbed Mexican food then made a trip to see Lake Geneva and the geyser before getting back to the airport for another uncomfortable sleep. We woke up at 5am on Monday to catch our 7am flight to Madrid, making it back just in time for my 12:55 class.
Incredible weekend with amazing people and beautiful scenery. So grateful I went with the group I did: no drama, all laughs and a great time. Plus, they saved my life:)
I also received a package from my parents for my birthday which is today! 20, so strange… Anyway, they know me too well. Green tea, chocolate and crystal light mix made me miss home so much. Mid terms are next week so my travels are limited until then, and I’ll be either studying or writing essays. Thanks for reading, love you all and miss you lots. ❤
Well, I survived my backpacking adventure through Munich and didn’t sleep on anything resembling a mattress for 3 days. Let’s start from the beginning: Thursday we hopped on the 9pm bus to Madrid although our flight was at 7:40 am Friday. Having broke college student mindsets, we thought, “we can sleep in the airport!” False. We did no such thing, we tossed and turned while the cold, hard floor dug into our hip bones and lower backs.
Friday began with a 2 hour nap on the plane but once we landed, exhaustion was overcome by pure amazement. I loved the city, the sound of German and wanted to see as much as possible of Munich. Separating from the group of mostly Notre Dame students, I put on my ebay purchased Durndl and got in touch with my German roots. In doing so, I had to pay a half euro to even enter a bathroom stall. Cultural experience #1. I then found the tourist center, grabbed a map and asked a local to tell me his favorite building. After receiving directions, we were off to the Munich Residenz. Getting lost, we stumbled into a church, then the Town Hall building which had a great lookout of the city. Finally at the former royal palace of the Bavarian Monarchs, we even purchased informational headsets for the tour. After a sufficient feel for Munich came
Oktoberfest, which wassurprisingly organized – I expected everyone to be wasted but it was mostly classy and clean. The 14 beer tents fill up quickly and to guarantee a spot you either reserve a table or arrive in the AM. Without entrance to a tent, you don’t get beer. Did we do our research? No. So we show up at 6pm only to find that admission closed hours ago. After waiting 30 mins, we found a young German crew who snuck us in. Astonishingly lucky, even though they ditched us shortly after. Looking for someone to take us under their wing, we were in need of hardcore cultural lessons. I didn’t even know how to say hello in German. We decided to approach a group of 3 boys in lederhosens and not only did they speak fluent English, they were funny and helpful. We chatted for hours, rounds of beer, and sang German songs. They bought us a giant pretzel and when the tent closed we rode the swings pictured above. Florian even taught me a bit of German! They honestly saved our lives and gave us a great experience. For that, I am incredibly grateful. Some time during these festivities, it became
Saturday. Eventually we left the grounds and went to a local bar in Munich for more drinks. After, we wandered the park and decided to nap around 3 am in the grass. It was either 50 euro ($65) for a tent at a campground 45 mins from the city, or a free nap right here, right now, in the heart of Munich. Carpe Diem. Since it was cold, we sardine styled it. At this point, I’m still carrying my backpack, I have beer in my hair and a giant rip down the side of my dress. Ah, the life of a hobo. Waking up at 5am lead to a sad goodbye and a metro to the airport. Maggie and I started questioning our consciousness. Had we actually just gone to THE Oktoberfest? With Germans? Did I just meet a great guy who speaks 5 languages and plans to meet me in Dublin in December? Pinch me. In the words of my host dad “Lo más que duerme, lo menos que vive.”
Classes have been a reality check and I’ve been busy with college things recently. If you’re curious, I’m taking:
SPN 3104 Spanish Literature
SPN 3105 Heritage and Culture of Spain
ECN 3238 Economy of Europe
SPN 3236 Phonetics of the Spanish language
All taught in Spanish, all essays and tests in Spanish. Seems daunting considering I’m one of two sophomores and have close to the least experience out of the bunch. But who doesn’t have it rough, right? Shout out to my premed friends.
Here are some interesting cultural points I haven’t yet divulged:
1) Passports are your form of identification(not a driver’s license) and must be on you at all times.
2) Phone numbers here have one fewer digit than ours back home.
3) A majority of the intersections are roundabouts. So much faster.
4) Ham, queso and coffee are the 3 most loved food groups and apparently go with everything.
On to the fun stuff. In addition to my trips I’ve already planned, I bought my flight to Switzerland for the weekend of Oct 12-14 to go HIKING IN THE ALPS! I was a bit skeptical when my friends were booking it but after doing some research it looks amazing. Here’s a picture of our hotel:)
Yesterday my intercambios were nice enough to let me and a friend crash their party, get me free drinks because they knew the bar tenders, and drive me home. “Intercambios” are native Spaniards who want to learn english, so you help them with conversation and grammatical pointers while they help you with spanish. I even met two of their friends who want to practice their english with me as well.
An unforgettable experience with incredible people. The party lasted 10 hours, these Spaniards don’t mess around. Even though I’m having a blast getting to know others, I just realized it’s been almost a month since I’ve seen a familiar face. Starting to get a bit homesick, but pushing through it as much as I can. Not to forget all you great people, just to make the best of my time here:) That’s all for now folks, sending my love from across the globe!
Euphoria. Usually I try to contain my excitement until Sunday to write a new blog but I just can’t this time. I am unbearably excited. Perhaps hyperventilating as I speak, it’s hard to type.
I JUST BOUGHT TICKETS TO ITALY!!! I’ve been planning my itinerary for the past few days and it’s finally coming together. So far, it’s me myself and I on my little backpacking adventure and I’m not scared one bit. Carpe Diem, right? Sometimes I amaze even myself. Anyway, here’s my plan for our mid term break from October 25th-30th. Fly to Rome on the night of the 25th, spend a few days there doing Rome stuff and paying a visit to the colosseum and famous fountains. Train to Pisa and Florence on the night of the 27th, hostel it up. Spend the 28th here, take a stereotypical tourist pic by the leaning tower, leave for Venice on train. Hop on a Gondola in Venice, get some good food, etc. Fly out of Venice on the 30th for a TEN HOUR layover in Belgium (exploring time) then back to Madrid. Sleep in Madrid, bus back to Toledo on the 31st right before my 11:30am class. Look out Europe, here I come.
Side note, Oktoberfest is coming up awwwyeaaaa. Really hope my beer garden girl costume gets here in time.
Also, I ended up switching my flight so I have an extra week after finals to travel 🙂 I want to see Dublin and Paris. Lisbon too, but hopefully for a weekend trip since It’s a quick flight. If i’m not eating or in class, I’m planning my trips. This is beyond anything I could have ever imagined. And I’m sure as hell about to make the most of it. As always, thanks for reading!!
Con amor,
Raquel
Embracing the Spaniard nightlife, we bar hopped until 5am when he dropped me off in his fancy pants car. Fist pump. In fact, it was so successful that he’s picking me up in an hour for a coffee date!!!
BlondeVentures 
