That's a wrap

I've been back in the States for two days and I've already fallen back into my old routine. It's funny how you can be in a different situation for an extended amount of time, then return to "normal" life and just pick up where you left off. In the shower, I subconsciously went through all the motions — though everything felt a bit extravagant after having experienced a huge range of hostel showers. Cash came to scratch my bed my first morning back (5:30 a.m., which was fine, as jet lag made me wake up at 4:30 a.m. anyway) and I picked him up and he licked me as usual.

Back home in Chicago!

There are other examples too — but they've made me worried that I'm going to easily forget my experiences in Europe, where life can be very different than here in the United States.

As you know, I spent most of my time in Granada, Spain, which is in southern Spain. At the end of the semester, Becca, Melissa and I traveled for an additional two and a half weeks, slowly making our way up the continent, eventually ending in the U.K. As we continued north, the culture and the landscape reminded us more and more of the United States. Overall, northern Europe is more modern and more "Westernized" than the rest of Europe.

For this reason, I'm very glad that I chose to study in an area of Europe that was very different and challenged me, both in the language and the culture. 

My running route with the perfect view of the Sierra Nevadas. :)

Speaking Spanish was a struggle. I have improved immensely, but I am nowhere near fluent. Learning a language takes an enormous amount of practice — much more than one semester. The frustrating thing is that as you continue to learn a language, you are more aware of the mistakes you are making. You have the tools to fix those mistakes, but it takes a lot of practice to avoid those mistakes. This is what I struggled with — at a point, I started to feel embarrassed that I was still making these mistakes, which made me clam up. I will have to seek out opportunities wherever I am to continue practicing the language, be it speaking, reading, writing or listening.

The Spanish culture was also a struggle too. I would not give back my experience for anything, but at points, I had a really difficult time. Southern Spain is very traditional and not very progressive, not to mention it has an unemployment rate of 36 percent in Andalusia (2013). Living with a host family was a good experience, albeit challenging. After living independently for a good portion of our college careers, many of us struggled with staying with a family where we didn't really have access to the kitchen, couldn't clean our own clothes, had to be conservative with electricity and water usage and occasionally had trouble communicating. Spaniards are also very blunt — many of us were told things by our host families that took us aback.

But all these experiences have made me a different and stronger person. Continuing to learn Spanish has continued to open the door to another world. Like learning music, learning a different language makes you look at words and structures differently, and not assume that your language is the "right" or "best" language (a very important thing for us native English speakers). Being able to find out information or solve a problem in another language is also a powerful feeling. The fact that southern Spain was so different for us than life in the United States made me realize that most of the world is very different than what we're accustomed to. Many of us do live extravagant and very modern lives that seem normal, because that is what we are accustomed to. We (and countries in northern Europe) live "Western" lives, which are what many countries would like to replicate. We strive to be the cleanest, the most technological, the fastest, et cetera. But that is not the case in most of the world. In Spain, life moved slower. We couldn't use our credit or debit cards barely anywhere, and were given dirty looks when we tried to use a 20€ note to pay for an 8€ purchase, something that cashiers here would not even bat an eye at. It took almost three weeks for the Wi-Fi to be installed and working in my host family's apartment, something that would take just a few days here. And those ways are not wrong — we're just used to other ways.

On another note, I now feel more comfortable in my own skin. I've discovered more of who I am and how I operate in certain situations. I often had to exercise humility — I asked so many people so many questions, many of whom were very helpful and others who I just shrugged off when they looked at me with the "stupid tourist" face. I've always described myself as more of a shy person, but now I feel like I can talk to anyone about anything. I learned I actually love dancing, whether it be salsa or to funk music in a club in Amsterdam. I feel most free and alive in nature — during hikes, while skiing or standing by a lake in the suburbs of Copenhagen. I love meeting people who beat to their own drummer — those with fascinating stories who lead lives that are off the beaten path. I don't like being restricted — I need independence and responsibility.

The Trevi Fountain in Rome!

I could go on and on here, but this post is already getting long and I don't want to lose you. So, I just want to say this: No one studies abroad to actually study. You never hear someone say, "Yeah, I want to study in Paris because I really like the classes offered there." AND THAT'S OK. I didn't study abroad because I wanted to take Spanish classes. Yes, I finished my Spanish minor, but I also practiced the language, grew as a person and traveled a ton. Some people scoff at study abroad because you don't really study. But that's really not the point. As the world is more global and diverse, we are coming into contact with more cultures than ever before. For that reason, it is so important to understand other cultures. It took getting out of the United States for me to understand American culture (barbecues and Target, that's Americana right there). But now I also understand Spanish culture, and there are so many others that I now want to learn, so I can understand why people are the way they are. Our culture is very much a part of us, and it can sometimes blind us to other ways of life. If we could understand other cultures, our world would be able to integrate more easily than it is right now. This is a challenge that we are now facing in this modern and connected world, and one that needs to be worked on. So, if you get the chance, study abroad. Challenge yourself and go somewhere that's a little off the beaten path. I have changed, you will change, and I hope that we can remember and hold on to those experiences for our entire lives.

Alex, on the left, is my mom's friend from high school,
whom we stayed with at her home in Waterloo :)

The lovely Mannekin Pis in Brussels.
Also, my travel buddies for the last two and a half weeks!

Some of the Danish family!

More of the Danish family!

Thanks for reading my blog! This at times has been an outlet for me to get feelings off my chest, and at other times just to share my experiences. It was never a chore — something I more so looked forward to writing. I hope you enjoyed it. :)

Semana Santa: Paris, Nice, (Monaco) and Barcelona

The Monday after we returned from Semana Santa, I sent my large suitcase home with Melissa's family (who were visiting Granada) so I would only have to lug around my travel backpack on our post-semester Euro trip. In it, I put my laptop, hence this delay between blog posts. So here I sit at our hostel in Madrid, passing time before our overnight bus to Barcelona, and am writing about Semana Santa on Becca's laptop.

Semana Santa in Spain is the week leading up to Easter, and processions down the streets dominate the celebrations. Unfortunately and a little regretfully, I didn't see any of these processions. Becca, Melissa and I traveled to Paris, Nice and Barcelona for the entire week. I guess I'll just have to come back to Andalusia some other year. I'll take any excuse to come back. :)

Photo credit: lonelyplanet.com

Paris was my favorite city of the trip, so I'll focus on writing about the City of Light.

Now there's a lot of hype about Paris, so much that some people are soured toward it because of its popularity.

But in my opinion, it deserves all the attention it gets.

I was in Paris four years ago with my family, and I can tell you that traveling with family in Paris is very different than three girls traveling alone. (For instance, I definitely didn't get tipsy on champagne under the Eiffel Tower with my family.) On the other hand, it was different because four years ago I ate escargot, and this time I ate prepackaged couscous, using hunks of baguette as a spoon. 

Anyway. What I loved about Paris is that it was so affordable for us. European Union students under 25 can get into most museums and monuments for free. I didn't even realize I was considered an EU student until recently. (Yes, that shows you just how real school feels to me...) Paris has so many things to do and see that we would have broke the bank if we had to pay for everything, but we only ended up paying to get into the gardens of the Versailles Palace.

Sorry I couldn't rotate it...

Here are the highlights of what we saw: Notre Dame, the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay (which, to my delight, had a special exhibit on Van Gogh. I saw "Starry Night over the Rhone," which I had a print of hanging in my apartment at school. The exhibit didn't have "Starry Night," so I'll have to get to MoMa in New York to see that.), Musee de l'Orangerie (which is a very small art museum at the beginning of the Champs Élysées. It houses Monet's Nymphaes, or the lily pad paintings.),  the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, the Luxembourg Gardens and the Sacre Coeur Basilica.

Outside of Versailles Palace. Tip: Don't go in the morning/on the weekend! Extremely crowded.

Loving the Louvre.

One night, we rented bikes and rode along the Seine River. We also rode through the entrance area of the Louvre, with the big, glass pyramid. It felt so surreal to be biking through these absolutely gorgeous areas, and the feeling was amplified because it was night. All that was missing was an accordion soundtrack.

The best bike ride ever.

 Every night, we headed to the Eiffel Tower with a picnic and a bottle of champagne. There are lawns that spread out on one side of the tower, and many young people gather there to drink at night. Every hour starting at 9 p.m., there's a 5-minute light show on the tower, which is gorgeous. Men were constantly walking around, trying to sell beer and champagne, which we took them up on one night after haggling the price way down.

Cheap eats in front of Eiffel.

 We tried our airbnb for this trip, and ended up staying with a French couple in Malakoff, a town on the outskirts of Paris. I didn't know we'd actually be living with them, as opposed to a separate apartment they were renting out, so that was a surprise, but a good one. We got a little look into how the French live and were provided with fresh baguettes every morning for breakfast.

Great macaroons from Laduree. The blue/green one is called Marie Antoinette!

After Paris, we headed to Nice, a city on the French Riviera. I wasn't a fan of the city too much (a little too luxurious for me) but we stayed in a great hostel with really friendly people. A couple of the guys on the staff were from Madrid, so we had fun speaking a little Spanish. :)

Soaking up the sun in Nice.

One day, we took a day trip to Monaco, the second-smallest country in the world. It was just an hour bus ride from Nice. Monaco is an extremely luxurious country, so we felt out of place all day, but parts of it were pretty.

And this is Monaco.

Monte Carlo Casino.

After Melissa left to meet up with her family who was visiting Granada, Becca and I headed to Barcelona. It was interesting seeing the Catalan language (seemed like a mix of Castilian Spanish and French) and to see all the Catalan flags with the blue triangle and star on them, the sign of Catalan independence. I'm really interested to see what will happen in the next few years with these demands for independence from Spain.

The Catalan independence flag hangs from an apartment balcony.

 Toward the end of this trip, I was homesick for Granada, which was a different sensation for me. Granada has come to feel like my home, and I couldn't wait to maximize the little time we had left there.

Tips for future students studying in Granada

1. Bring a good umbrella. Or rain boots. Or a raincoat. It may have rained more than usual here this winter, but I was surprised when it didn't rain on any given day.

2. Buy a bus pass. You'll be making many trips to the Málaga Airport and occasionally around the city as well, and a pass is cheaper than paying on the bus every time.

3. Smart wool socks. Once again, that rain.

4. Find the Carmen de Los Martires garden sooner than later.

5. Catch on to how Spaniards speak. It's different than Latin American Spanish, and there are many nuances that we were not taught. Also, review the vosotros form.

6. Please don't pronounce the "tr" in "tres" or "tren" like you would "tree." Americans do it all the time, and it sounds super ugly. 

7. Bring slippers, as Spaniards never walk around the house in bare feet or just socks.

8. If anyone warned you about smiling at guys and giving them the wrong idea, don't worry about that.

9. It's OK to drink water from the fuentes.

10. Don't take the plants from the gypsies.

11. Your host family won't want you to shower more than once a day. Dry shampoo is helpful, and for those with lighter shades of hair, baby powder gets rid of grease.

12. Not every day is going to be amazingly wonderful. Don't feel like study abroad has to be great 100 percent of the time.
13. Try to do an intercambio. Despite your best intentions, you're going to end up speaking English with your friends. An intercambio will force you to really practice your Spanish.
14. There will be an adjustment period when you get here, but Granada is really a wonderful and beautiful city. I have two weeks left and I feel like there is still so much left to discover. Enjoy your limited time here as best as you can.

20 tips for future study abroad students

We're all given a lot of general study abroad tips before we jet off for wherever our program is located, but rarely are we given concrete inside information. Here are some tips that I've put together, some of which I knew going in and still think were helpful, others which I wished I had known before. A lot of these may apply more so for those who are in a place like Europe, where you will probably be doing a lot of traveling. ¡Buen viaje!

1. Travel a lot, but make sure to appreciate the city you're studying in.
2. It's a good idea to invest in a large travel backpack. Get something that's larger than a regular-sized backpack, but small enough to use as carry-on baggage on airplanes. REI sells a lot of good ones.

3. Bring empty travel bottles (100mL or less) for traveling. (Especially if you come with big bottles of sunscreen — you can dump some in these rather than paying a fortune at the beach.)

4. Get a credit card that doesn't charge international fees (like Chase Sapphire).

5. Tell your bank before you leave what countries you think you'll be traveling to.

6. Look for hostels with breakfast included or at least offered. If you can't get an ideal hostel location, book one with a high "good atmosphere" rating.

7. Neck passport carriers/money belts sound dorky, but are actually a good idea. You're probably not going to listen to me, but at least I tried.

8. Don't worry too much about fitting in. Wear what you want. People will know you're American no matter what you do.

9. Separate yourself from your camera. Selfies with the camels in Morocco may seem like a good idea at the time, but later you're going to wish you had let your own eyes soak in the sights more.

10. Go-to websites: skyscanner.com, hostelworld.com, airbnb.com, eurolines.com.

11. Don't always compare things to how things are in the United States. A culture isn't about how it's different from another culture — treat it as its own entity, completely detached from others. This will help you accept those "cultural differences" easier.

12. Don't be afraid to travel alone.

13. If you haven't already, start a postcard collection.

14. Download Viber and WhatsApp. And Google Translate.

15. If you learn how to flirt in another language, you'll come back a pro in your native language.

16. When you're traveling, get a city map and circle your hostel/apartment on it. Then stick that map in your boot when you go out.

17. Travel hand sanitizer is a very good idea.

18. If you have a tablet, use it to read books rather than lugging around heavy paper books.
19. Don't lose sight of yourself when you're abroad. Crazy things are going to happen, but don't chalk it up to "yolo" every time.
20. Your study abroad experience is completely your own. Do what you want. Don't feel like you have to do what everyone else is doing, or "live up" to everyone else's stories. You're studying abroad for your benefit. Grow, and have fun. :)

Lovely mornings in Granada

As usual, being productive here is proving very difficult, so here I am, writing a blog post instead of studying for my Arab-Islam test. It's OK though, I'll get to that afterward.

This morning I returned from a two-day ski trip in the Sierra Nevadas — it was great to go back and really explore the parts of the mountain that we didn't have time for in January!

But this past week in Granada was fantastic. On my afternoon run on Tuesday, I came across Francis, who suggested we run the next morning — at 7:15 a.m. I was hesitant at first because sleep is nice and I had class at 9 a.m., but I eventually gave in after he kept saying "Come on!" in his heavy Spanish accent.

The run was worth it — like always, he made me go harder and farther than I would have on my own, but it was cool to see Granada at daybreak.

The next morning, Elizabeth, Melissa and I trekked up into the Albaicín at 8 a.m. before class to buy sweets from the nuns in the monasteries. Elizabeth and a couple of other girls had done so the week before, and I really wanted to go see what this was all about for myself!

Apparently the nuns only sell the sweets until noon, so we rose early in order to make sure they wouldn't sell out. On the side of the convent, there was a door with a cross above it, and a little buzzer on the side. I pressed the buzzer, and it took a couple of minutes for someone to answer. As the nuns can't have direct contact with the public, I just heard of voice say, "¿Hola?" I responded with the very scripted response: "Hola madre, que dulces tienes hoy?" Translation: "Hello mother, what sweets do you have today?" She then told us to open the door, and there lay sweets on a lazy susan.

We told the nun we'd like the roscos fritos, and she then turned the lazy susan and there lay a bag of fresh roscos. We put the money on the counter, and she turned it back and gave us change. I thought it was so cool that the whole transaction was based on the honor system.

We then hiked a bit farther up to Mirador de San Nicolás, where we could get the most amazing view of the Alhambra and eat our roscos. Normally, that area is teeming with tourists and locals, so it was nice to have the whole area to ourselves (albeit one elderly couple with their two dogs).

After my morning class, I headed back up to the garden (Carmen de los Martires) my art history class visited a couple of days before. Even though it was on-and-off drizzling, it was so peaceful to walk through the garden solo and just enjoy the beauty of Granada outside of the city center.

Peacocks in the park! Two days before, this guy spread his feathers to impress the ladies
(It didn't work though, they just wanted the food that someone was throwing them).

The French sector of the garden — more organized and precise than the Spanish part.

What I miss, what I will miss

As my time is nearing its end in Granada (just about one month left!), there are a lot of things I'm starting to miss about life in the United States. It's great to live in another country for a while, but when you've been raised in one culture for 21 years of your life, there are bound to be things you're eventually going to miss. But, on the other hand, I'm realizing that there will be many things that I will miss about life in Spain. Here's a snapshot of what I'm missing, and what I think I will miss when I return home.

What I miss about the United States:

1. My family

This is the first time I've gone a solid five months without seeing my parents and brother. I haven't even Skyped them because, once again, of the bad Wi-Fi connection. I only talk with my parents on the phone once every one or two weeks, so I look forward to going home and telling them stories in person!

2. Living on my own

I cannot wait to be able to cook what I want, blast music in my room, bring friends over and shower whenever and however many times I want again.

3. Paved roads

The majority or the roads here are cobbled or made out of bumpy rocks, and because I walk at least four miles every day to and from school, the roads have worn my shoes thin and hurt my feet. 

4. Going to a gym

The workout culture here is different - there aren't as many people who exercise here for the sake of exercising. They either play sports, or exercise by walking everywhere. Thus, it isn't super common to belong to a gym. I was on a strict routine at my gym before coming here, and I'm really starting to miss it (Nike Training Club app!).

5. Milk

I haven't had a single glass of milk for three months, and I'm used to going through about a gallon a week at home.

6. Driving a car

I find driving fun, and I miss being able to hop in the car and zoom off to wherever I want.

7. Good 'ol American cuisine

While there aren't really any typical "American" dishes, there are certain foods that I crave, probably out of nostalgia: grilled burgers, corn on the cob, gooey brownies and watermelon, just to name a few. I also miss my mom's balanced meals (which I've picked up when I cook for myself). Here, many times I'll be presented with a smorgasbord of yellow and white food — AKA carbs, carbs and more carbs.

8. Cell phones that work even without Wi-Fi

Sure, we bought dinky little Spanish phones, but since we have to pay for every text and call we make, most of the time they just sit in our rooms. So, we use our regular phones when we have Wi-Fi. Sometimes I do a double-take when I see someone talking on the phone or texting on a bus or in the street, and wonder how their phones are working. Then I remember that normally phones are able to do that.

What I'll miss about Spain:

1. Having things done for me

Even though I said I can't wait to live on my own again, it is nice that I have breakfast, lunch and dinner cooked for me and my laundry done for me every week.

2. The weather

I escaped a terrible winter in Chicago and arrived in the mild, Andalusian winter. It's felt like spring for many weeks now here, and a nice spring only lasts for about a week or two in Chicago.

3. The food

Paella, toast with tomato spread and olive oil for breakfast, rice with milk (a dessert), chocolate pastries (0.50€!), strong coffee, tortilla española. Hopefully I can successfully replicate a lot of this at home.

4. The sights

Even though there's no grass here, there's always something beautiful to see. It may be extremely old buildings, or natural beauty. There's a running route that I take that leaves the city and offers an incredible view of all the Sierra Nevada mountains. And just yesterday I discovered a beautiful, large garden near the Alhambra (complete with peacocks!) with my art history class. Little discoveries like that so late in the game make me worry about what I won't discover about Granada before I leave! (My senõra's sister would say that's because I travel too much, which may be true, but I can't help it.)

5. Inexpensive bread and pastries

Never will I forget the bread lady and the bread man, who nourish Cegrí students with tortas de chocolate and, as I say, "el pan con aceite y pasas."

6. Courageous chicos

Unlike in the United States, where many guys walk past you as if they didn't have eyes or as if you weren't even there, guys here will use the eyes that God gave them and stare at you. I appreciate having my existence acknowledged.

And that's that. Traveling is wonderful, but home really is where the heart is.

Las Alpujarras

A view of the snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevadas in the Alpujarras.

The weather report for this past weekend forecast an 85 percent chance of rain on Friday and a 100 percent chance of rain on Saturday.

So many of us who we're supposed to go hiking in the Alpujarras this weekend went in thinking it would be a little miserable.

But it was quite the opposite.

The Alpujarras is a region of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Included in our tuition for this semester was a weekend trip to this region, where we'd hike with one of our resident directors, Miguel Angel, who lives for things like this.

After a bus ride of a little over an hour, we arrived at our hostel in Pampaneira, a little village in the natural park. And lo and behold, it was sunny and warm! So, we set out for a hike of about five hours, where much of the hiking was trekking up the mountain. 

We were in a valley between two mountains with a river flowing through the middle. At one point we saw a herd of goats on the other side of the mountain, where dogs were herding them into a concentrated area. Later we found ourselves on that side of the mountain, slowly making our way down a very steep and muddy path. And suddenly, the herd of goats was behind us! As there were 21 of us, we were causing quite a traffic jam and the dogs were running back and forth beside us while the sound of the goats and the bells around their necks added a cool soundtrack to our hike. Eventually we got down and they got down too, but I have no idea where the herd disappeared to.

And now it's the goats' turn!

The mountains were so green and offered amazing views of some of the peaks of the snowy parts of the Sierras. We stopped for lunch at a flat landing and pulled out the baguettes, chorizo, vegetables, apples, and goat and sheep cheese that we had been carrying in our backpacks. What a feast!

We then headed back to our hostel and after showering, we headed to a chocolate shop called "Abuela Ili" in the town. I'd heard that it offered chocolate samples, but I had not expected the huge array of samples that were laid out on the counter in the small store. There must have been at least 30 different flavors to try, including chocolate mango, chocolate with corn, caramel chocolate and chili chocolate. I kept waiting for the workers to tell us we had had enough samples, as we ended up "sampling" multiple flavors multiple times. I decided this couldn't exist in the States because people would just grab handfuls and run. We ate a lot, but at least we all bought a bit at the end too. This store exists in Granada too, so I think we'll all be making stops there in the future!

Shortly after that, it was time for dinner! We quickly (mentally) digested that chocolate and got ready for our 3-course meal: a salad with fruit, STEAK and fries, and for dessert, flan. Some people tried rabbit, and to my horror, the entire rabbit came out on their plates. Christine enjoyed sticking the head on a fork and bouncing it around in the air, while I unsuccessfully tried not to look. Later she and Tori ate the tongue and brain. Madremía. We were also served tinto de verano (AKA the poor man's sangria). So that, combined with our sugar high from the chocolate, made for a night of Patti, Elizabeth, Melissa and me laughing uncontrollably in our room about who knows what. Good times.

On Saturday, we didn't have as much luck with the weather. It started to rain early on, so after a breakfast of tostada con tomate, cafe con leche and zumo de naranja, we put on our ponchos and headed out on a different route. We were hiking on a route called the GR7, which runs through Spain, Andorra and France.

Clouds, ponchos and muscles.

We made it through about two and a half hours of hiking, but then it started to rain harder so it was decided to stop in a village and end our hike there. Our lunch was to be driven to us, so Miguel offered to buy us all hot chocolate in a nearby bar while we waited. We all crowded into this tiny place, complete with a friendly, 9-month-old German Shepard. Most of us ordered ColaCoa (which we finally realized is the way to order hot chocolate and not receive melted chocolate in a cup). A while later, the owner started blasted Spanish pop music for us, much to the apparent dismay of an old couple squished up against a wall of the bar. We obviously started dancing and singing, and when we eventually left the bar, we realized that the music could be heard basically throughout the whole town. What a way to spend a rainy afternoon.

After lunch, we were driven back to Pampaneira to pick up our bags and then we were bused back to Granada.

I've grown to love hiking after many forced hikes during my childhood. Hiking is funny because most of the time you aren't doing the hike just to get to the destination. The journey there is the point of hiking. I didn't get that when I was younger, but now I really appreciate and love the natural beauty of the Earth.