Viva Roma

I haven't even come close to traveling the whole world, but the rest of the world definitely has some competition. Italy was by far the best place I have been in my 22 years. I would go back tomorrow and live there if I could, it is that amazing!

3 of my friends and I decided to take advantage of the long 4 day weekend and go to Rome. Several other students went to Dublin, but Rome sounded more appealing. Our flight left out of Madrid on Wednesday night, so right after class we took a 6 hour bus ride from Seville to Madrid. Our bus arrived late and we literally had to run through the airport to make our flight, but we did. We land in Rome around 11:30 and take a bus from the airport to Termini Station. Normally we would have just walked to our hostel, but being that it was 1 in the morning we decided to take a cab. The cab driver to advantage of us not knowing any Italian so we paid double, but at that point we just wanted to get to our hostel.

Our first impression of he hostel was a little iffy, but it quickly proved to be an awesome place. We got free breakfast (toast and cereal) and free dinner (pizza and pasta), and also free internet, so we were quite happy. Since we hadnt eaten all day, we set off into the city at 2 am. Of course nothing was open. We walked around until we found a little cafeteria, where we again overpaid. Our cokes were 4 euros and sandwiches 5. But we were so desperate that we paid it.

On Thursday we visited Vatican City. We hoped that since it was a weekday that it wouldn't be so crowded. I imagine it was less crowded than it would have been on the weekend, but it was still packed with tourists. We started with the Vatican Museum. There was so much art to look at, I am sure that we could have been in the museum alone all day. A few of my favorite peices to see were Salvador Dali's Angelic Landscape and a Van Gogh piece. Obviously the highlight of that day was seeing the Sistene Chapel. You are technically not allowed to take pictures, so I made sure that I was really sneaky about it, cuz you can't just not take pictures of it! We were literally in there for about an hour, just staring at the amazing work of Michelangelo. It is utterly breathtaking. You can't even describe it; that's why everyone should see it at least once in their lifetime!

From then we had our first Italian pasta for lunch...delicious! St. Peter's Basilica was next. The plaza itself was a sight to see. It is one of the largest churches in the world. Because we went in the late afternoon, the lighting was not the best. But because we were there at 5 p.m. we got to sit in on a mass. Even though we didn't understand a word, the environment and experience was spectacular. There was a choir that sang, and their voices would echo off the walls and give me goosebumps. It was such a beautiful experience. I was really disappointed when I realized that the Michelangelo's David is in Florence, not Rome. But then I saw the Pietà and it made up for it. This is the sculpture of Mary holding Jesus in her lap just after he was crucified. It seems impossible for someone to be able to carve something that beautifuly by hand out of stone. There were hundreds of other sculptures and alters that were incredible.

We decided to walk home from there so that we could see more of the city. I think the city is just as beautiful during the day as it is at night. Tonight was a memorable night for many reasons. At our hostel we met 6 other Americans that are studying in St. Petersburg, Russia. We immediately fell in love with all of them! So, we all went out to get gelado. Gelado is everything you ever dreamed it would be! My first cone was of vanilla with frozen blackberries and strawberries. We walked around the city with our new found friends and decided to go to the Trevi fountain. What a sight to see!! Especially at night. There are a lot of interpretations of the rules of the wishes, but everyone agrees that if you throw a coin in you are ensured to return to Rome. I threw in 3 coins, to ensure a marriage (so they say), and made a wish on each one, just in case. Afterwards we went to a nearby bar/cafe to get coffee and hot chocolate. My friend Alyssa and I were starving so we grabbed a pizza on the way. It was the way pizza should be...not sure how to explain it...but it was legit. We hung out at the cafe for a while and got to know our new found friends. I really bonded with Abbi and Tim. Abbi and I are so much alike, it's crazy! And you just can't not love Tim. He knows Russian, Chinese, English, and a little bit of Spanish, and he is an amazing singer as well.

Our groups parted ways Friday. They spent the day at Vatican City while we went to the Colossuem and Roman Forum. We actually visited the Pantheon first. Funny enough, I got the Pantheon and the Parthenon mixed up. I was a little disappointed when we came up to the building. But after I got my buildings and countries right, it was just as cool as the Parthenon would have been. For lunch we decided to eat American style and eat at McDonalds. Rome is a very expensive city, so we were trying to save our money for the museums rather than food. Next we came across El Piazzo de Bonaparte. There is an enormous white building that looks like a birthday cake. When you climb to the top you get a spectacular view of the city. It was phenomenal.

Alyssa has a friend who was stationed in Naples. We had originally planned on spending a day there, but he just got reassigned to Djibouti, so he just met us in Rome instead and came with us to the Colosseum. It was flooded with tourists from every country you can think of. That was the fun thing about Rome; hearing all of the different languages. It is such a melting pot. We all definitely got goose bumps once we climbed up the stairs and saw the view inside the Colosseum. The Gladiator can only show you so much. And it's thanks to that movie that no one is allowed down below anymore :(. As soon as the movie was released tourists came from east and west, just like they do now. We came at the perfect time as well, the lighting for pictures was perfect. Alex, Alyssa, and Valeria wanted to go and eat, but Lorraine and I wanted to take full advantage of our ticket so we went to the Roman Forum as well. You can actually walk in and around all the ruins. We got to walk through gardens and through Caesar's house. We could have easily spent all day amongst the ruins as well. There is just so much history it's impossible to soak it all up.

We had one last day in Rome and decided to dedicate it to shopping. Where do you go for shopping in Rome? The Spanish Steps of course!!! This is basically designer lane. Although we couldnt afford anything, we browsed the stores like we belonged :). Our group got split up and I spent the day with Alyssa while Lorraine, Valeria, and Alex explored the city. It was frusterating not being able to have a phone to call and ask where they had gone too, but we enjoyed ourselves all the same.

We went out for gelado again with our Russians and came back to the hostel and shared stories and pictures from our day. A group went out on the town again. Alyssa, Lorraine, Tim, Abbi, and I decided to just chill and talk at the hostel. We all had to be up early to catch our flights in the morning so we just wanted to take it easy. The night ended with us singing Christmas songs (harmony and everything). Those were the only kinds of songs that we all knew the words and tunes for. :)

Our flight left Rome at 7 so we were up at 4:30 to catch the bus at 5:30 to the airport. We said our goodbyes to our Russians. They were off to Milan for a day before they headed back to St. Petersburg. It was another close call and we had to run to the bus, but once again, we made it.

We all wished that we could have stayed in Rome a little longer to get a better feel for the city, since we had already gotten the touristy part out of the way. I would recommend going hands down to anyone, even if you don't like the history part. This is a trip that I will never forget...and if I start to hopefully my 600 pictures will help me remember!!

Lisbon, Portugal

I once again apologize for the huge gaps between my last blogs. these last 2 weeks have been full of travels. The last 2 weekends I was in Lisbon, Portugal; and I just got back from Rome.

I went to Lisbon with my school group. We had just finished our first set of classes so we spent a much needed 3 day vacation. While there we saw a monostary as well as a cathedral where Vasco de Gama, the explorer who went from Portugal to India, is buried. The rest of our 3 days was to be spent however we wanted.

One of the highlights was eating at a Brazilian steakhouse. The Spaniards do not eat much beef, so we were all very excited to enjoy the unlimited amount of beef (and other meat) that the restaurant offered. We called it an early night because we wanted to start the next day off early.

We visited El Cristo Rei. This is a statue of Christ that mirrors the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a humongous statue overlooking the city of Lisbon. Right after that a large group of us visited the Oceanarium. I have never been to a "real" aquarium before so I was in awe of everything we saw. We saw penguins, otters, puffins, sharks, octopus, sun fish, etc. etc. It was amazing!! That evening we decided to explore the city and shop. Lisbon is famous for their cork, so you can find pretty much anything made in cork; like hats, belts, and pencils. After dinner we went to the local hotspot, the barrio. In a few words it was just a mob of people that hang out on the streets; it was actually more claustrophobic than fun, but it was a part of the experience.

The next day we went to the nearby town of Sintra. We visited these amazing gardens in Quinta de Regaleira. There were secret passage ways, caves, and a beautiful estate. For dinner we went down to the docks and ate an authentic seafood meal. It was delicious. We also got to witness 2 Frenchmen make a scene and buy a lobster and set him free into the ocean.

Early the next morning before we had to head back to Seville, a few of us went to the flee market. The stands opened at 9:30 and we had to leave at 10, so we didn't have much time to look, but we saw some cool shops nonetheless.

Everyone was exhausted when we returned (it's about a 5 hours bus ride), and wasn't looking forward to class the next day. We started the new semester on Tuesday, but only had class until Wednesday because we had another long weekend that started on Thursday.

Before my most recent trip I had enjoyed Portugal the most. It has the most beautiful beaches, their towns are so quaint, and they speak English!!

Finals Week

We started our finals week yesterday. I had my oral exam. It went pretty well...I struggled a little bit, but I think I did ok. We just discussed various themes that we have covered over the semester. Today we had our listening exam, which was very easy. We watched clips from a few videos and answered questions about them. And then tomorrow is the written portion. I will be studying all day for that part. A bunch of us are going to a Chinese restaurant tonight and then going to study the rest of the evening.

We leave at 7 am on Friday for Lisbon, Portugal and won't get back until Monday. This will definitely be a well deserved rest for us! Then I will only have 2 days of school and then I am off to Rome!!

The weather couldn't be more perfect than it is right now. It peaks at about 85 and there has been a slight breeze lately. We have had a few rainy days as well. School is finally in full swing all across Seville, so you see all different types of students walking the streets in the mornings and afternoons.

I worked my 50th hour yesterday for my internship. Only 20 more to go! It has been a good experience for sure, but I will be glad to have free afternoons again! Everyone else has been able to do so much more exploring of the city than I have, so it will be nice to get to do that as well.

Thus far...

Some of you have been interested in hearing more of the little things that have been going on while I have been here. So here goes.

My internship is still in full swing. I have about 44 hours as of today. All of the women we watch over have grown accustomed to us, and I have grown attached to some of them as well. The only downside to the job is that many of the women either have alzheimers or have had strokes. So it is always hard when they are having a bad day, because when its bad its bad. We try to keep them occupied with crocheting and the garden and those sorts of things. This one lady Carmen who has more bad days than good, sometimes will just grab your hand and want to hold it while we sit on the porch. The job takes a lot of time and hard work, not to mention the actual class work that we have to do, but I feel like it will definitely be worth it. I hope that when I am done with my 70 hours that I will still have time to visit them a few times before I go back.

The first half of the semester is just about over. We have our finals on Monday and Tuesday. Then we go to Lisbon for 5 days and then the next round of classes will start. I will be taking Intro to Literature, Spanish Life and Culture, and will continue to take History of Spain.

I have become a little frustrated with my Spanish lately. I have grasped the hard things but just keep forgetting little vocabulary words that I should know. I am however getting a better ear for the language. I can seperate words better and usually understand! So there has definitely been progress.

I had a dream last night that I went to a grocery store and found Dr. Pepper. It was the best dream ever!! But unfortunetly it can't come true :(. I will definitely have a list of food that I will want my mom to bring with her to the airport. But there are a lot of foods here that I will surely miss as well. Croquetas for one. They are a tapa, or a kind of appetizer, at most cafes. The easiest way to explain it is that it looks like a mini corndog, but inside is pureed pork and cheese. I will miss the churro and helado stands on every corner, and the Magnum McFlurry. Haha yes, I have caved and eaten at McDonalds. But only the icecream. The Magnum McFlurry has dark chocolate chunks and dark chocolate fudge swirled in. It is to die for!

The half way mark of my stay is already around the corner. I can't believe how time has flown. I only hope that the next 2 months will be filled with lots and lots of learning and fun new experiences, just as the first half was.

Lagos, Potugal

Last weekend was probably my favorite trip up to date. We started the trip off by going to La Rabida which is where Christopher Columbus set sail. So we walked around and saw replicas of the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. Soon after we drove another 2 hours to Lagos, Portugal. Some say this is Europe's best kept secret. And I would definitely have to agree with them!

Staying in Lagos was optional. Our school excursion only paid for one day, so all but 2 of us wanted to stay the weekend in Lagos. So I had my first hostel experience. I think we got very lucky because our hostel was amazing!! we got breakfast and towels and were walking distance from the beach for only 12 euros a night.

Portugal is known for their spicy food. Many of us have been missing this kind of flavor because in Spain they don't do spicy. So we took advantage of the local Portugese cuisine. They are also known for their green wine. Not being a wine person, I actually somewhat enjoyed it.

We couldn't wait to take advantage of the gorgeous beaches and weather that we had. The first day was a little cloudy and it actually rained for a few minutes, but our last day there could not have been more perfect. The beach at Lagos is not just one long stretch of sand. There are coves and caves that you can explore and walk through to get to different "private" beaches. I was completely awestruck at the landscape...I have no words to describe its beauty. But thankfully we are going back to Portugal in just one week! Our next trip is to Lisbon. I can't wait!