HABIBI!!

I've been to Africa! This past weekend Lindsay and I went to Morocco with the program We Love Spain. I had such an amazing time and it was definitely the coolest place I've traveled to while I've been here. It's just so different from anything I've ever experienced. I've never been anywhere where the people are so poor but the land is so beautiful.
We drove 2 hours in a bus to the coast. When we arrived at the ferry station we found that many ferry trips were canceled because of bad weather. But after a slight delay we got on the Fast Ferry. We sat OUTSIDE in the BACK of the boat. BIG MISTAKE! The trip was supposed to take 35 minutes but it took over an hour because of bad weather. Let me tell you, that was the worse boat ride I have ever been on. There were numerous times I seriously thought we were going to capsize. I felt very seasick. And we were on a HUGE boat - big enough for cars to go on and the fact that the wind could toss around that big of a boat was scary!
But we did survive. Our guide Mohammad met us in the ferry station in Ceuta, which is still in Spain even though it's on the continent of Africa. So then we had to drive through the border to Morocco. That took a while because they had to stamp all 32 of our passports. It was pretty late and dark by the time we were driving again. What's weird about Morocco is that besides in the cities, there are no street lights. We arrived in Tetuan and went straight to our hotel. It was pretty nice. We checked in and then the hotel prepared our dinner. We had lots of bread and then some tasteless soup and roasted chicken. Right after dinner we went to bed because it was late. (Morocco is 2 hours behind Spain time so it wasn't late for them)
The next morning we had breakfast in the hotel and then we checked out of the hotel and boarded the bus. We drove to the Spanish section of Tetuan and walked through the streets. We went to this Pharmacy-type spice store where this guy gave a presentation explaining different spices and such. Lindsay and I bought this perfume cube-type thing that smells SO GOOD. Then we went to see handmade Moroccan rugs. They were beautiful.
After we went to this very nice restaurant for lunch. We had cous-cous and Moroccan salad, bread and cookies. Then we had this hot mint tea that was cery sweet.
After lunch we boarded the bus again to head for our next city, Tangier. This is where we got to ride camels! This was definitely my favorite part of teh trip. I love camels. After we went to see where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean Sea. I was very excited because I was scared that I wouldn't be able to see the Mediterranean but I did! Next we went to the caves of Hercules. These were pretty cool. After that we went to the center of Tangier for some free time for shopping. In Morocco you get to use the art of bartering. The vendors set the price really high so you pretend you're not interested and walk away. But they really want your sale so they chase after you and say, "What price?" and you can usually get the price down a significant amount. There are also the street vendors who carry their merchandise on them and follow you and won't stop bothering you until you buy something. Most are kind of annoying but we had some favorites.
After we took the bus to our hotel in Tetuan. This hotel was much nicer. We had a delicious dinner of breaded white fish, potatoes, and vegetables. And, of course, more bread. After we just went to bed.
The next morning we boarded the bus early and headed to Chefchaouen. It was about a 3 hour bus ride through the beautiful mountainous African countryside. It was absolutely gorgeous. Chefchaouen is located between 2 mountains.
Our guide in Chefchaouen, Ahmed, was the funniest little man I think I've ever met. He was hilarious. He had this deep, scratchy voice and kept yelling "HELLOOOO" if any of us fell behind. He said the funniest things too like that there's no crime in the city, no hustling in Chefchaouen. Also, one time Lindsay and I weren't paying attention so he called to us, "Hello! Sweets!" haha. I laughed every time he spoke.
Chefchaouen is a beautiful city and is known for all of their blue walls and doors. Everything was blue and it was so pretty! We saw another store where they sell rugs and blankets. And then we had free time to shope. Then we had lunch in this nice hotel. After we boarded the bus to head back to Ceuta to take the ferry back to Spain.
I absolutely loved Morocco but I would never go without going with a group. You would think that the men in Morocco have never seen an American girl. They stare. All of the stare and most make comments. I heard many cat calls and compliments. Some know a little English and can tell you are American so they will just shout out the words they know. My favorite was when one guy yelled "Flower power!" haha I loved my trip to Morocco and learned so much about a new culture and can now say I've been to Africa!!

Semana Santa

Happy Easter! So Semana Santa is over. They don't really celebrate Easter here which is strange in my opinion. Actually, most Spaniards are sad on Easter because Semana Santa is over. I, on the other hand, am very grateful that it is over. Don't get me wrong, it was a great experience and I am very glad that I got to take part in it, but there are some things about Semana Santa that I just do not like. For one, all the people. Let me tell you, it is pure madness. EVERYONE comes to Sevilla for Semana Santa which means the streets are incredibly crowded and tourists are everywhere. Well, I guess that's the only thing I don't really like about Semana Santa, but it's enough to keep me away. It's the kind of thing you only really need to experience once. For example, we wanted to find a place to eat one night and everywhere was full and we couldn't cross certain streets because of the processions. It was very overwhelming. I really did like all the processions this week, though. They were very interesting and I loved seeing all the different pasos and I really loved the music they played in the processions. There were lots of processions every day and the best ones to see are the ones you just stumble across while walking through the street.
What was very cool about this week was that I got to experience Semana Santa in both Sevilla and Madrid. Lindsay and I went to Madrid for less than 24 hours to meet Lindsay's friend Kimmie for some sight-seeing before she came to Sevilla for a few days. After dinner Wednesday night we walked outside of the restaurant and there was a procession going by. It was a lot like the ones in Sevilla. There were Nazarenos (the people in the KKK-like uniforms) a band and a paso of Jesus carrying the cross. We were right in the front row because 1) they don't really make such a big deal out of Semana Santa in Madrid as they do in Sevilla and 2) there is more space in the streets. Also, it was FREEZING in Madrid. I don't blame people for not going out for the processions, it felt like winter again!
While in Madrid I went to el Prado!!!! I was sooooo excited because I studied a lot of Spanish artists back in Spanish IV in high school and it was so cool to see the paintings I had studied in real life! I saw Las Meninas by Velazquez, some paintings by El Greco and La boda and El quitasol by Goya. There is just so much great art in el Prado and I'm very excited that I get to go back as part of my trip to Madrid with my interest group in 2 weeks!
I really don't want to have to go back to class tomorrow. I have really enjoyed just relaxing and reading in the sun. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous here and it really feels like summer :) I love it! But the crazy thing is that I only have 6 weeks left here! It is just flying by! Part of me is getting ready to go home and part of me just wants to stay here forever! Rosa (my senora) keeps telling me she doesn't want me to leave. She wants me to come back after I'm done studying at Gordon and work here in Sevilla and live with her! She's so sweet and I'm really going to miss her. Sometimes I seriously think I could live here for the rest of my life. But the more rational side of me realizes I couldn't ever be that far away from my family and friends. So for those of you who are concerned that I will never come back, no worries. I will definitely return to the U.S. :)

VACATION!!!

That's right, I don't have class for the next 10 days. The reason we have a break is because next week is Semana Santa (Holy Week) and pretty much the whole city shuts down for the whole week. Semana Santa is a BIG DEAL here. People flock to this city to celebrate here. There are going to be so many people in the streets for the processions. The streets are PACKED. I'm really excited to be a part of this, though. It's such an experience. I don't even know where to begin to describe it. You should probably google it. Google Semana Santa in Seville, Spain. Oh, one thing I am not looking forward to are the Hermandades (Brotherhoods) who walk through the streets. They are all dressed in costumes that look like the KKK. And even though they are not scary and are a normal sight for people here, I still get scared every time I see a picture or image of one. They are scary. But other than that, and all the people, I am really excited for this week. They have processions everyday with these things called pasos which are these huge float-type things that men carry. These pasos are so heavy that they take about 40-50 men to carry them. And the men kind of hunch over and carry them on their necks. And these processions last a loooooong time. Some can be 12 hours. And on these pasos are images of the passion and death of Christ. Also, they have images of the Virgen Mary. Those pasos are called palios. So all of the churches in Sevilla march from their church to la Catedral in the center of the city. Another interesting fact about Semana Santa, they don't really celebrate Easter. They celebrate the passion and death and suffering of Christ, but not his resurrection. I find this so fascinating because in the U.S., Easter is a big deal. I mean Jesus conquered death. But for the people of Sevilla, they find Easter a sad day because it is the end of Semana Santa. Also, it's not so much of a religious ceremony as it is traditional nowadays. It's been really neat though, learning all about it in my classes and trying the traditional food. Also, the city is being transformed, streets blocked off and risers being brought in. It's crazy. I really can't wait and am very excited that I'll be able to experience this part of their culture. :)

89.6

No this is not the grade I got on my first mid-term (although that would be really nice if it was) And no this is not the number of pages I have read in my book for my Women's Lit class. No, people, this is the temperature in the sun today!! That's right, we are .4 degrees away from 90 degrees. On March 16th. This is the weather I've been waiting for!! I just can't get enough of the sun. The study center where I take classes has wireless and benches on the roof so I sat up there in the sun today for a good 2 hours and was loving it :) Also, this past weekend I kept going to the park to just sit on a bench and read in the sun and my senora decided that instead of me having to go all the way to the park, she would clean off our little patio/balcony area so that I could sit out there in a nice orange beach lounge chair and take in as much sun as I want to :) She keeps telling me, "You'll be tan in no time!" haha Little does she know I only burn. But I am convinced that this time will be different. That this time I will indeed tan rather than burn. Hey, it could happen.

Here comes the sun, doo doo doo doo... :) :) :)

Tiempo libre

Yes, this has been the theme of the past few days: free time. I have had a lot of free time recently. Which hasn't been the best thing seeing as I've had a lot of time to think about being depressed. They warned us about this, though, before we left. They said we would be in "Honeymoon Mode" when we first got here where everything is so new and fun and great. But then we would get into "Hostility Mode" where you are used to everything and it's not so new so you start despising everything about the country you are living in and just want everything to be like America. I never thought I would get into this "mode" because I really do love life here in Spain. But they were right. I've been kind of homesick and very lonely. I don't necessarily want life here to be like it is in America, because I really do love Sevilla. But I just wish I could go home or back to Gordon for like a weekend so I could see everyone I miss but then come back here. But, alas, I do not have enough money to do that, and it's a little irrational. But then when I think about it, I only have 2 months left here so I better live it up! It really doesn't help that it rains here all the time. But yesterday and today have been really good days. Yesterday was gorgeous!! The sun was out and it was in the 70s. I also had a really good conversation with my senora about home and my classes here. I also had fun just relaxing and hanging out with her and her son. Also, we ordered pizza! Let me just warn all of you: the old Ellen who used to just eat boring cheese pizza is gone. The new Ellen eats pizza with, are you ready for this?, ham, peppers, tuna, onions, and tomatoes. Soooo yummmmmy!!! :) And today I only had one class from 11-12:35 and now I have the rest of the day to do whatever I want. I will probably just study because I have my first mid-term tomorrow. It shouldn't be too hard. I'm not too worried about it. Before lunch I went for a run through the park. Oh how I've missed running! It felt great!! I hope that now the weather is getting better, I will keep up with it. I ran for about 3 km which I think is about a mile, maybe a little more.

Some more about the culture. The city shuts down from 3-5 for siesta. I love this. I think America should incorporate this into their culture. What's better than having a nice break in the middle of the day to take a little nap and refresh yourself for the rest of the day? Also, nudity is not that big of a deal here. The news, the movies, just show naked people like it's not a big deal. And usually, it's the women who are naked, typical here where the media is slightly sexist, remnant of the lovely dictatorship of Franco who was very machista (sexist). The thing about the news here, though, is that they are very aware of the news not only in their country, but also in all of Europe and the United States. Also, they tell the stories like they are. They don't gloss over the controversial details like they do in the U.S. I kind of like it. I'm much more aware about the world just by watching the news here in Spain. I do feel very ignorant though when they ask me about famous Spanish people and I don't have a clue who they are yet they can tell me everything about the pop culture in the U.S. If I've learned anything during my time here is that I want to be more aware about life in the rest of the world, and even in the United States.

Just relax

This weekend is the first weekend when I have had nothing planned. No day trips or weekend trips, nothing. And it's wonderful. I have enjoyed relaxing. Lindsay's friends from Gordon are here for a week for their spring break so I've been hanging out with them which has been so fun. Yesterday we went to the top of Giralda at La Catedral, my third time. This shouldn't surprise anyone seeing as it's my favorite building. Then we went to La Carboneria, the free flamenco bar. We got there around 9:30 thinking it went on all night, but it really starts at 11. So we just sat around and talked and had some drinks. Also, Lindsay's host sister, Marta and her boyfriend Lolo came to the bar to hang out with us. I had so much fun talking to her in Spanish and helping translate seeing as Lindsay's friends don't really speak much Spanish. The flamenco was amazing. It's just so crazy how they are able to move their feet so fast. After we walked around trying to find food but just ended up going to get churros. On my taxi ride home it started to downpour and a thunderstorm rolled in. That thunderstorm lasted so long and it was scary because the lightning seemed so close!

The rain won't stop. Everyone is in shock here about how much rain we are getting. The rivers are getting so high and there is flooding everywhere. It's insane and I hate it. I want the sun. Thursday it was sunny in the morning and early afternoon so I just sat outside soaking up as much as I could between my classes. Since then, though, I have not seen the sun. I'm very sad. I miss it.

I've been learning a lot about the culture here in Spain in my Seminar on Living in Seville class and now I will share some of what I have learned. Pretty much, the most important values here in Spain are opposite of the values in the United States. Here family is VERY important. Especially extended family. It is normal for the children in the family to live at home until they are about 30. Also, they live for the here and now. Why worry about tomorrow when today isn't even over? I feel like in the U.S. it's all about planning for the future but here they don't worry about that so much. Also, they don't like change here. For example, they will go to the same place for vacation every year and not try anywhere new. Also, they will buy products that they have been buying for years, no matter if there is a better or cheaper product, they will continue to buy the same thing. Life is also much more laid back here. They take their time and they value relationships over anything else. I like this even though it's taking some getting used to. I always walk so much faster than the people here but am trying to take my time and slow down. There is a lot more that I'm learning but I just can't remember right now. I really do like learning about culture and their traditions and values. It's so fascinating and I feel that the most of my learning is occurring outside of the classroom, by just living in this culture. It's such a great experience.

I feel like I'm in the world of Harry Potter...

Yes, I am a Harry Potter geek and that was the first thing I thought when I heard all of the British accents when I got to London. :) I had so much fun this weekend traveling to London!!! Lindsay and I left Thursday night and took a bus from Sevilla to Madrid. We arrived Friday morning and after a 2 hour delay, finally arrived in London around 3 pm. While at the airport, the fire alarm went off. That was fun...not. All we wanted to do was go to our hostel, but no, we had to wait outside in the cold, windy London weather. But finally we got on a bus and got to our hostel. How do I describe the lovely hostel we stayed in?? Let me just say, I never want to stay in one ever again. haha It wasn't thaaaat bad and I got used to it the longer we were there. But our beds were like cubbies with linens that were like stiff tissue paper. Our "private bath" was really just a sink with a mirror over it and six tiles. We had to use a community bathroom that was for both girls and guys. Yuck! Luckily our showers were separated! But I think in hostel language 24 hour hot water showers is something different because I would not call my shower hot. After we settled into our room, Lindsay's friend Kimmie who is studying in London this semester took us to this fish and chips place. It was so delicious!! Then we went to bed really early because we were exhausted!! Saturday we woke up early and went to Borough Market. This place was HUGE and so good!! They have every type of food you could ever think of to sell and everyone has free samples! I tried everything from Turkish Delight, jam, ham, olive oil, to hot mulled wine (not my fave!) apple and pear juices. Everything was so yummy!! After that we went to the National Portrait Gallery which has free admission for everyone. I saw some famous portraits of people like Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. Next, we went to Trafalgar Square and took some fun pics. After we went to the National Gallery, also free, and I got to see some paintings by VanGogh, Monet, and Picasso. Very cool. After that we went to the Hummingbird Bakery and had delicious Rocky Road cupcakes. Then we went to Covent Gardens which is kind of like Phaniel Hall in Boston. Then Lindsay and I went to dinner at Pizza Express and had very good pizza and after we went to a show. I guess you can't go to London and not see a show. We saw Chicago and it was AMAZING!!! The actors were great and I loved all the music and dancing. It was great. After that we just went to bed. On Sunday we got up and headed to King's Cross to, yes, you guessed it, get our pictures taken at Platform 9 3/4. For those of you who don't know, it's a famous place in the Harry Potter books. It was so cool. Next we tried to make it to see the changing of the guard but missed it because some of the lines were down on the tube. But because of that we got to ride a double-decker bus for free which was very cool. Then we went to Buckingham Palace. Next we walked to see Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. After that we went to Harrod's. I love Harrod's. It's just so big and there's so much to do even if you aren't there to shop amongst designer clothes. After that we were very tired so Kimmie, Lindsay, and I went back to our hostel and just hung out. Then we went out to eat at this restaurant called Giraffe. They have food from all around the world. We had had dinner and drinks and just had a great time hanging out and relaxing after a long weekend sight-seeing. Monday, Lindsay and I woke up super early and headed back to Sevilla. We ended up traveling ALL DAY and didn't make it home until 1:30 in the morning. But it was so worth it!! I had such a great time and did so much in just 3 days!! I realized how much I love British accents and the fact that they say lift for elevator, and that their metro is called the tube, and that they say "Mind the gap please" and this train terminates at_____ instead of ends at_____. So yes, I loved London and think that everyone should go there if they can! :)