Barcelona is in an autonomous region in Spain, which happens to have their own language called Catalan. Catalan is a combination mainly between French and Spanish, but I believe there’s a bit of Italian thrown into the mixture as well. Regardless, unlike here in Pais Vasco, Catalan is spoken on the streets. Basque, the language where I live, is written on every street sign, menu, and government building; however, I have yet to hear it spoken. Whereas in Barcelona I was approached more than once by Spanish men speaking Catalan, who had the impression that I understood them. I suppose they were half correct, as I could understand that language, I would have no idea where to start attempting to formulize my own responses. I am glad for various reasons that I am not in Barcelona for the semester, because as rich as the culture is, not only is it too big for me, but the English (due to tourists) and use of Catalan would have detracted from the experience that I would have hoped to have.
Here I get to experience the nationalism of the Basque country, while seeing its effects through its written language (and the occasional riots as well). I much prefer that trade as I am still completely perplexed by the Basques, who all seem pro-succession, a concept I’m hoping to understand before I leave. The rational for nearly everyone whom I have talked about nationalism with is different, and perhaps that is why they have no real solid political grounds to carry through their plea for independence. They cannot agree with each other on why. If they intertwined their arguments, perhaps they’d have a leash that could be given slack, but for now, they are on the Spanish noose remaining a country.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Barcelona.
Another thing to cross off: seeing the Mediterranean. Barcelona is quite the city. It had the big city feel, minus the feeling that I was ever going to get lost. The only real downfall is that we could not ask anyone for directions (when we needed them) because it literally was a struggle to find someone on the streets that we were on that was not a tourist.
We arrived in Barcelona Thursday night and checked into our hostel. It was a pretty nice place, we were in a room of twelve, so we had 7 roommates—not the quietest bunch, but I sleep like a log so I was not affected thankfully. Also, it had a pretty sweet free breakfast lined up in the mornings as well, which was always worth it. Though, we did have to stop at Dunkin Donuts once (or twice...) simply due to the fact that it was here, and I rarely see them outside New England.
Friday was our first day of sightseeing. We weaved through the crowds and street performers on La Rambla (most famous street in the city). We found a huge market of fruits, meats, desserts, breads, the works. We decided to return the following day to get goodies for our picnic lunch that we would have at Gaudi’s park. For those of you who do not know who Gaudi is, he is awesome. He was an architect with a rather intricate imagination. His work resembles a mix between Van Gogh’s paintings and Dr. Seuss books. It really is quite fascinating. We ended up seeing his park, La Pedrera and the Sagrada Familia, all thoroughly enjoyed. We arrived at La Pedrera well before it opened (impressive I know) so we actually bypassed seeing that. What’s nice is that since he is an architect, you can see his work from the streets, as the attractions are the buildings themselves. The Sagrada Familia will be a work in progress for a few more decades. Gaudi left plans for them to be finished, but no one can agree or carry through the masterpiece that he began, so sadly, it is currently a construction site.
Aside from Gaudi (whom you should look up his work if you don’t know about him) we still managed to enjoy ourselves. We toured the ports and beaches, and actually ended up hanging out at the beach one night for a few hours. Incredible. Since it was the weekend, the streets were filled with markets of every kind, foods, crafts, medicines, anything you could need, more than you would want. Markets however, are always an incredible time, because there are generally free samples and entertaining people to talk to.
Our first night out, we met up with friends who were visiting Barcelona, as well as some that were studying there for the semester. Our hosts showed us two great places to hang out for the night, one being an Irish Pub with a pool table (apparently the only one in Barcelona) and then a bar that was decorated like a forest, waterfalls and all. Both were very enjoyable. The second night we went to a bar that simulated the stock market, it was called the Dow Jones bar. Every hour the price of drinks changed based on how the stock market was doing, it was quite comical to see the floods of orders on the hours.
The last night was my favorite. We decided that since we were in Barcelona, and their fútbol team is rather good, that we should watch a game. We went to the stadium, purchased our tickets, then got dinner in a café while waiting for the game. Come game time we were thoroughly disappointed as we were passed by hoards of people going in the opposite direction. We bought tickets for the wrong game. Fantastic. The stadiums are directly across the street from each other, and we apparently purchased tickets for the junior match. Though it was good, no one was in the stadium as they were all at the “real game”. Oh well, it was fun. Barcelona won (both games).
Then after the Barcelona match we were walking on one of the main streets and saw the Patriots game in a sports bar. Of course we popped in to watch the tail end of the slaughter against the Redskins. This night turned entirely into a sports night, as the Red Sox were going to play their fourth (and final) game of the World Series. Mind you, we are six hours ahead of Eastern Time, and therefore the game didn’t start until 1am. This however did not particularly phase us, as we had to be up at 4:30 anyways for our flight, we stuck it out and stayed up all night watching the Red Sox capture their second World Series victory in my lifetime. Great way to end the weekend. Classes today were a bit rough after no sleep, but hey, I’m in Spain. I don’t need to sleep every day.
We arrived in Barcelona Thursday night and checked into our hostel. It was a pretty nice place, we were in a room of twelve, so we had 7 roommates—not the quietest bunch, but I sleep like a log so I was not affected thankfully. Also, it had a pretty sweet free breakfast lined up in the mornings as well, which was always worth it. Though, we did have to stop at Dunkin Donuts once (or twice...) simply due to the fact that it was here, and I rarely see them outside New England.
Friday was our first day of sightseeing. We weaved through the crowds and street performers on La Rambla (most famous street in the city). We found a huge market of fruits, meats, desserts, breads, the works. We decided to return the following day to get goodies for our picnic lunch that we would have at Gaudi’s park. For those of you who do not know who Gaudi is, he is awesome. He was an architect with a rather intricate imagination. His work resembles a mix between Van Gogh’s paintings and Dr. Seuss books. It really is quite fascinating. We ended up seeing his park, La Pedrera and the Sagrada Familia, all thoroughly enjoyed. We arrived at La Pedrera well before it opened (impressive I know) so we actually bypassed seeing that. What’s nice is that since he is an architect, you can see his work from the streets, as the attractions are the buildings themselves. The Sagrada Familia will be a work in progress for a few more decades. Gaudi left plans for them to be finished, but no one can agree or carry through the masterpiece that he began, so sadly, it is currently a construction site.
Aside from Gaudi (whom you should look up his work if you don’t know about him) we still managed to enjoy ourselves. We toured the ports and beaches, and actually ended up hanging out at the beach one night for a few hours. Incredible. Since it was the weekend, the streets were filled with markets of every kind, foods, crafts, medicines, anything you could need, more than you would want. Markets however, are always an incredible time, because there are generally free samples and entertaining people to talk to.
Our first night out, we met up with friends who were visiting Barcelona, as well as some that were studying there for the semester. Our hosts showed us two great places to hang out for the night, one being an Irish Pub with a pool table (apparently the only one in Barcelona) and then a bar that was decorated like a forest, waterfalls and all. Both were very enjoyable. The second night we went to a bar that simulated the stock market, it was called the Dow Jones bar. Every hour the price of drinks changed based on how the stock market was doing, it was quite comical to see the floods of orders on the hours.
The last night was my favorite. We decided that since we were in Barcelona, and their fútbol team is rather good, that we should watch a game. We went to the stadium, purchased our tickets, then got dinner in a café while waiting for the game. Come game time we were thoroughly disappointed as we were passed by hoards of people going in the opposite direction. We bought tickets for the wrong game. Fantastic. The stadiums are directly across the street from each other, and we apparently purchased tickets for the junior match. Though it was good, no one was in the stadium as they were all at the “real game”. Oh well, it was fun. Barcelona won (both games).
Then after the Barcelona match we were walking on one of the main streets and saw the Patriots game in a sports bar. Of course we popped in to watch the tail end of the slaughter against the Redskins. This night turned entirely into a sports night, as the Red Sox were going to play their fourth (and final) game of the World Series. Mind you, we are six hours ahead of Eastern Time, and therefore the game didn’t start until 1am. This however did not particularly phase us, as we had to be up at 4:30 anyways for our flight, we stuck it out and stayed up all night watching the Red Sox capture their second World Series victory in my lifetime. Great way to end the weekend. Classes today were a bit rough after no sleep, but hey, I’m in Spain. I don’t need to sleep every day.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Tid Bits
As a way to practice my Spanish, I read the local newspapers every day. It’s good practice. There was an interesting article this week about immigration in Spain. I knew that Spain actually was looking for immigrants within recent years, as it does not have youth due to low birth rates during the past few decades. Spain now is the number two country in the world, trumped only by the US, as having the highest percentage of immigrants in the population. 9.9% of Spain is now immigrants, which translates into just over 45 million people. The article disappointingly was short, and therefore did not get into detail of the country origin of the immigrants, but from what I recollect from my Spanish classes last year, I believe that Spain attracts many South Americans (who by the way are rather offended if you do not call them Americans). Thus, everyone in Spain still speaks Spanish, so despite the sky-rocketing influx of immigrants, language is not an obstacle that commonly needs to be hurdled.
Another interesting headline was there is one bar for every 123 Spaniards. Which means there quite a few bars in these parts. The statistic does not actually surprise me too much, as it is very apparent that there are numerous bars on every block here. Looking on my bedroom window, I can see at least three. Bars here have much more of a café environment and serve food during the day before the drinks at night. They are a common destination for a casual afternoon rendezvous or a quiet night out. Mind you they certainly have their clubs and rowdy bars as well, but their bar scene is much more part of their culture than it seems to be in America.
Also, changing gears again, the presence of religion here is continually something that I am struggling to understand. The president of France, who is undergoing a divorce, is a huge scandal; yet Spain is apparently become less Catholic every year. It is slowly becoming a melting pot of Religions, much like every country is becoming. The ease of travel and accessibility I’m beginning to believe not only allows travelers to learn about new cultures, but leave a part of their culture behind. Corny, but I’ve been taking footprint pictures of all the places that I’ve traveled, to capture a piece of me that I left behind everywhere that I went. As strong as every culture seems to be, and as traditional as they claim they are, all the cultures in Spain are undergoing changes. Bilbao is the perfect example. It still has its traditional roots in the old city called Casco Viejo; the city itself however, is incredibly modern. I was talking to one of my professors about how the Bilboians (natives from Bilbao) feel about this, and she said though they appreciate the convenience of the city, many still wish that it reflect more of their roots and traditions. I’m not quite sure how an older city would exemplify this better, but apparently it was a major issue that was addressed before the renovations to the city occurred. The metro and the Guggenheim are two aspects that were highly debated; both of which I’ll be going to tomorrow.
Another interesting headline was there is one bar for every 123 Spaniards. Which means there quite a few bars in these parts. The statistic does not actually surprise me too much, as it is very apparent that there are numerous bars on every block here. Looking on my bedroom window, I can see at least three. Bars here have much more of a café environment and serve food during the day before the drinks at night. They are a common destination for a casual afternoon rendezvous or a quiet night out. Mind you they certainly have their clubs and rowdy bars as well, but their bar scene is much more part of their culture than it seems to be in America.
Also, changing gears again, the presence of religion here is continually something that I am struggling to understand. The president of France, who is undergoing a divorce, is a huge scandal; yet Spain is apparently become less Catholic every year. It is slowly becoming a melting pot of Religions, much like every country is becoming. The ease of travel and accessibility I’m beginning to believe not only allows travelers to learn about new cultures, but leave a part of their culture behind. Corny, but I’ve been taking footprint pictures of all the places that I’ve traveled, to capture a piece of me that I left behind everywhere that I went. As strong as every culture seems to be, and as traditional as they claim they are, all the cultures in Spain are undergoing changes. Bilbao is the perfect example. It still has its traditional roots in the old city called Casco Viejo; the city itself however, is incredibly modern. I was talking to one of my professors about how the Bilboians (natives from Bilbao) feel about this, and she said though they appreciate the convenience of the city, many still wish that it reflect more of their roots and traditions. I’m not quite sure how an older city would exemplify this better, but apparently it was a major issue that was addressed before the renovations to the city occurred. The metro and the Guggenheim are two aspects that were highly debated; both of which I’ll be going to tomorrow.
Nationalism
Even the Romans were afraid of the Basque culture and language. They know that it would be impossible to assimilate them into their empire, so they gave up. This was centuries ago, before Julius Caesar; which means that the Basque culture has been chiseled into the land and people here for many many years. I have had mixed feelings about choosing Bilbao as my Spanish city, simply because of the Basque influence (which is impossible to escape). Yet, I realized that nearly every other city that I would visit has an international culture, as they are much more integrated than the Basque cities whose citizens are primarily Basque nationalists. And no, nationalist does not mean terrorists, as many tourists commonly believe. It simply is a very strong allegiance to their nation, which is Pais Vasco first, and Spain second.
One of the courses that I am taking here is called nationalism and regionalism in Spain. Before we learn about the separate regions within Spain, we have been attempting to grasp the concept of, “what is a nation”? Through many of the definitions, there is no reason why Pais Vasco (which is the Spanish name for the Basque country) should want to succeed. Other definitions that we—the class—has formed, cover nations as a people, much like one that could be applied to the Kurds. The concept is quite an interesting one.
Today was one of the best days that I’ve had since I arrived in Spain: I went to Gernika. This was the last American excursion, and it was incredible. For those of you who don’t know what Gernika is, it is the location of a WWII bombing, made famous by Picasso who began his work, entitled “Guernica” the day after the bombing. I saw this painting in person, when I visited the Reigna Sofia in Madrid, but it has much more meaning now that I know the story behind it.
Side note: Guernica and Gernika are the same thing, different languages.
We visited two buildings in Gernika: La Casa de Juntas de Gernika and La Fundación Museo de la Paz de Gernika. The first is where the infamous tree of Gernika stands. A new tree was required in 2005 when the old tree needed to be refreshed as they put it. The assembly house (which is in the shade of the tree) and the tree both symbolize the history of the Basque people. Meetings were held by representatives of the territory to discuss issues and problems of the province. Though the meetings were abolished for over a century, they began again in 1979, right around the same time ETA, the nationalist terrorist group was formed. Though there is no direct connection, I find it rather coincidental.
After la Casa de Juntas de Gernika, we headed off to the Museum of Peace. Each section of the museum posed a different question that related both to Pais Vasco itself, and its place in the world. The first themed question is “what is peace?” It addressed the concepts of peace, conflict, and resolution by providing different views and aspects of the topic. The next section is “what is the legacy of the bombing of Gernika?” This section was mainly an oral recording, which I struggled a bit with, as a great deal of the speeches were in Basque, a language I that entirely befuddles me. It however, addressed the bombing itself as well as the reconciliation between the survivors and their attackers. The last topic “what about peace in the world today?” was interesting as you literally looked through Picasso’s “Guernica” and are faced with attributes that contribute or detract from peace in the world today. Fantastic exhibit. I would highly recommend this to anyone who speaks Spanish. Though they have English tour guides available (so I was told) all of the writing is in first Basque, followed by Spanish. Therefore it would be rather hard to appreciate the museum without knowing the language.
It was certainly a day well spent as not only was Gernika itself gorgeous, but a little culture exposure is always a nice touch. Plus, the CIDE program offers great meals if you like good food. We had a cream of potato soup containing tuna, and a choice of octopus or cod fish for the entrée—both common, though expensive, Basque dishes.
One of the courses that I am taking here is called nationalism and regionalism in Spain. Before we learn about the separate regions within Spain, we have been attempting to grasp the concept of, “what is a nation”? Through many of the definitions, there is no reason why Pais Vasco (which is the Spanish name for the Basque country) should want to succeed. Other definitions that we—the class—has formed, cover nations as a people, much like one that could be applied to the Kurds. The concept is quite an interesting one.
Today was one of the best days that I’ve had since I arrived in Spain: I went to Gernika. This was the last American excursion, and it was incredible. For those of you who don’t know what Gernika is, it is the location of a WWII bombing, made famous by Picasso who began his work, entitled “Guernica” the day after the bombing. I saw this painting in person, when I visited the Reigna Sofia in Madrid, but it has much more meaning now that I know the story behind it.
Side note: Guernica and Gernika are the same thing, different languages.
We visited two buildings in Gernika: La Casa de Juntas de Gernika and La Fundación Museo de la Paz de Gernika. The first is where the infamous tree of Gernika stands. A new tree was required in 2005 when the old tree needed to be refreshed as they put it. The assembly house (which is in the shade of the tree) and the tree both symbolize the history of the Basque people. Meetings were held by representatives of the territory to discuss issues and problems of the province. Though the meetings were abolished for over a century, they began again in 1979, right around the same time ETA, the nationalist terrorist group was formed. Though there is no direct connection, I find it rather coincidental.
After la Casa de Juntas de Gernika, we headed off to the Museum of Peace. Each section of the museum posed a different question that related both to Pais Vasco itself, and its place in the world. The first themed question is “what is peace?” It addressed the concepts of peace, conflict, and resolution by providing different views and aspects of the topic. The next section is “what is the legacy of the bombing of Gernika?” This section was mainly an oral recording, which I struggled a bit with, as a great deal of the speeches were in Basque, a language I that entirely befuddles me. It however, addressed the bombing itself as well as the reconciliation between the survivors and their attackers. The last topic “what about peace in the world today?” was interesting as you literally looked through Picasso’s “Guernica” and are faced with attributes that contribute or detract from peace in the world today. Fantastic exhibit. I would highly recommend this to anyone who speaks Spanish. Though they have English tour guides available (so I was told) all of the writing is in first Basque, followed by Spanish. Therefore it would be rather hard to appreciate the museum without knowing the language.
It was certainly a day well spent as not only was Gernika itself gorgeous, but a little culture exposure is always a nice touch. Plus, the CIDE program offers great meals if you like good food. We had a cream of potato soup containing tuna, and a choice of octopus or cod fish for the entrée—both common, though expensive, Basque dishes.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
how silly of me
I recieved my first real homework assignment. By real, I am referring to a "long term" assignment, in which I will be writing five short papers. When one of my classmates inquired as to the due date of the assignment, my professor simply smiled, and said "assignments are due when you finish them". Well golly gee wizz. I can choose when I want to do my homework. How convenient. I however, not wanting to get behind, have already started.
This past weekend I had a friend visit me who is studying in Sevilla this semseter (Meredith Kamis). We decided to go hiking along the cliffs and mountains in Santander: stunningly beautiful. Santander is outside of Pais Vasco, and again, this is very apparent due to the hanging of the Spanish flag--everywhere. It was uncommon for us not to see a Spanish flag from any particalur spot we were standing down town. The reason why were were outside all day was because Friday was a holiday. Christiphor Columbus Day to be more exact. Actually its two holidays, but Christiphor Columbus day is one of them. I thought that was interesting.
Saturday we decided to explore the old part of the city, called Casco Viejo. Gorgeous area. Lots of shops and cafes, usually markets as well. Saturday however was shopping day, and there were too many people in the streets for the markets to be open. Shopping day, from what I gathered, meant that there were massive sales, and taxes were discounted. I didn´t quite take advantage, as I didn´t find anything that I really needed.
Saturday night was quite fun. We went out and were on our way to my favorite club when we passed a cafe that was still open. We peeked inside and were immeditaly waved in. It was a wedding party. We were wedding crashers. The bride and groom had left for their honeymoon and rented the cafe with an open bar for their wedding party. We quickly became the center of attention as everyone wanted to practice their English. I´ve found that wedding parties are usually a good bet for finding English speakers, as people generally travel for weddings, which heightens the chances that they´ll speak English.
Sunday was simply a chance relax and arrange the rest of our trips. We quickly became broke after booking three trips, and planning the fourth. Next weekend I´ll be off to Barcelona, in November I´m sneaking off to Sevilla, and in December I´ll going to finally experience Paris. I won´t lie. I´m a tad bit excited.
This past weekend I had a friend visit me who is studying in Sevilla this semseter (Meredith Kamis). We decided to go hiking along the cliffs and mountains in Santander: stunningly beautiful. Santander is outside of Pais Vasco, and again, this is very apparent due to the hanging of the Spanish flag--everywhere. It was uncommon for us not to see a Spanish flag from any particalur spot we were standing down town. The reason why were were outside all day was because Friday was a holiday. Christiphor Columbus Day to be more exact. Actually its two holidays, but Christiphor Columbus day is one of them. I thought that was interesting.
Saturday we decided to explore the old part of the city, called Casco Viejo. Gorgeous area. Lots of shops and cafes, usually markets as well. Saturday however was shopping day, and there were too many people in the streets for the markets to be open. Shopping day, from what I gathered, meant that there were massive sales, and taxes were discounted. I didn´t quite take advantage, as I didn´t find anything that I really needed.
Saturday night was quite fun. We went out and were on our way to my favorite club when we passed a cafe that was still open. We peeked inside and were immeditaly waved in. It was a wedding party. We were wedding crashers. The bride and groom had left for their honeymoon and rented the cafe with an open bar for their wedding party. We quickly became the center of attention as everyone wanted to practice their English. I´ve found that wedding parties are usually a good bet for finding English speakers, as people generally travel for weddings, which heightens the chances that they´ll speak English.
Sunday was simply a chance relax and arrange the rest of our trips. We quickly became broke after booking three trips, and planning the fourth. Next weekend I´ll be off to Barcelona, in November I´m sneaking off to Sevilla, and in December I´ll going to finally experience Paris. I won´t lie. I´m a tad bit excited.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Politically correct
Though I wouldn´t call it a women´s rights or a feminist movement, there is a need to be more politically correct when referring to women in Spain. This is not too much of a problem in English, but in Spanish all nouns and adjectives are either masculine or feminine. Nearly all nouns that end in an "O" are masculine in Spanish, and its gender partner would be the "A" for females. Therefore, when talking to a group of friends, one would have to choose between the words amigos, and amigas. Traditionally in Spain, this group would be called amigos, so long as there was at least one male. 1:9 ratio in favor of females? Shucks. Women would be out of luck, the word would still be amigos.
Times are changing however. Spanish is a continually changing language, especially in the agreement realm. Depending on the word, the plural term could be determined by the majority of the group, not simply the presence of a single male. Or, to make matters even more complicated, they would use both words, I am going out with my amigos and amigas. It elongates quite a bit. In the written language they are surpassing this barrier with a symbol we already commonly use. Amig@s. The "at" symbol qualifies as the neutered character, as it represents quite well both the "O" and "a".
This whole argument I am still a bit confused by, as gender of a word is not necessarily directly correlated to a sex. Picture for example is feminine, while eyes are masculine. Why? Beats me. But I know that all words are not related to sex, and therefore if we removed sex from this equation and simply focused on gender of the word, as I was taught I should learn, life here in Spain wouldn´t have to be complicated, and their dictionary wouldn´t have to be continually growing.
Times are changing however. Spanish is a continually changing language, especially in the agreement realm. Depending on the word, the plural term could be determined by the majority of the group, not simply the presence of a single male. Or, to make matters even more complicated, they would use both words, I am going out with my amigos and amigas. It elongates quite a bit. In the written language they are surpassing this barrier with a symbol we already commonly use. Amig@s. The "at" symbol qualifies as the neutered character, as it represents quite well both the "O" and "a".
This whole argument I am still a bit confused by, as gender of a word is not necessarily directly correlated to a sex. Picture for example is feminine, while eyes are masculine. Why? Beats me. But I know that all words are not related to sex, and therefore if we removed sex from this equation and simply focused on gender of the word, as I was taught I should learn, life here in Spain wouldn´t have to be complicated, and their dictionary wouldn´t have to be continually growing.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Delayed post on France.
I was debating whether or not to post about my trip to France last week, as it consisted of merely on a few hours. I was under the impression that we were going to spend the entire day in France, viewing an old seaport town and it´s sights. Instead, we were given maps, and allowed to roam the town ourselves for an hour and a half before having to return to the bus. Mind you, Biarritz was gorgeous. Biarrtiz is a town in France that is encapsulated in the French quarter of el Pais Vasco. The language that is spoken in the Spanish part of el Pais Vasco, was virtually non-existent in France.
It appears that the nationalism is much stronger in Spain than it is in France, as many French flags were waving from flag poles--I have yet to see many Spanish flags here, they are all Basque. Despite being let alone to do our own navigating, I did enjoy France while we were there. I asked for directions a few times, simply to talk to people in French. We took a coastal tour along the cliffs and saw the palace where Napoleon III stayed. As tempting as the open market foods were, we began to lose our appetites after seeing turkeys being sold, heads and feathers included.
Something I have found striking is that I still have yet to have my passport stamped by any country besides Spain. After now being to Italy, Vatican City, and France, no one took a second glance as I crossed the boarded. No identification needed. I hadn´t realized how state-esque the EU has made its countries. Having the same currency while travelling as certainly made life much easier.
Returning to my France trip, after we left Biarritz, we travelled to Loyola to see la Casa Torre of San Ignacio. San Ignacio was the founded of the Jesuit religion, and as nearly every culture is tied to its religion, our program leader decided that we should learn about Jesuit roots. It was a nice history lesson.
Travelling to France however, has now heightened my anticipation for going to Paris, which I will be doing in December. I am still blown away by how defined the culutres here are. Every city and country that I have now visited is very proud and has its distinct culture, a very regional nationalism. I´ve found that more people from Spain would say that they are from their Providence before their city, despite it being as well known as Sevilla or Barcelona. I will be learning more about Spanish nationalism in one of my classes, and am considering doing my research paper for my political theory class for it as well.
This weekend I have a friend from Richmond visiting, Meredith Kamis, who is studying in Sevilla for the semester. Thus I´ll be playing tour guide for the weekend, good practice for the end of the month! Miss everyone, yet am loving it here. Besos to all.
It appears that the nationalism is much stronger in Spain than it is in France, as many French flags were waving from flag poles--I have yet to see many Spanish flags here, they are all Basque. Despite being let alone to do our own navigating, I did enjoy France while we were there. I asked for directions a few times, simply to talk to people in French. We took a coastal tour along the cliffs and saw the palace where Napoleon III stayed. As tempting as the open market foods were, we began to lose our appetites after seeing turkeys being sold, heads and feathers included.
Something I have found striking is that I still have yet to have my passport stamped by any country besides Spain. After now being to Italy, Vatican City, and France, no one took a second glance as I crossed the boarded. No identification needed. I hadn´t realized how state-esque the EU has made its countries. Having the same currency while travelling as certainly made life much easier.
Returning to my France trip, after we left Biarritz, we travelled to Loyola to see la Casa Torre of San Ignacio. San Ignacio was the founded of the Jesuit religion, and as nearly every culture is tied to its religion, our program leader decided that we should learn about Jesuit roots. It was a nice history lesson.
Travelling to France however, has now heightened my anticipation for going to Paris, which I will be doing in December. I am still blown away by how defined the culutres here are. Every city and country that I have now visited is very proud and has its distinct culture, a very regional nationalism. I´ve found that more people from Spain would say that they are from their Providence before their city, despite it being as well known as Sevilla or Barcelona. I will be learning more about Spanish nationalism in one of my classes, and am considering doing my research paper for my political theory class for it as well.
This weekend I have a friend from Richmond visiting, Meredith Kamis, who is studying in Sevilla for the semester. Thus I´ll be playing tour guide for the weekend, good practice for the end of the month! Miss everyone, yet am loving it here. Besos to all.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
After a month.
Reasons why I am still easily pegged as either an outsider, or an American.
1. I don´t wear all black, every day
2. I wear shorts at the gym
3. I go to the gym (being a female this is a bit unusual apparently)
4. I don´t smoke
5. I haven´t figured out how to weave my way through sidewalk traffic to avoid all the smoke
6. I don´t have bangs, a mohawk, mullet, dreadlocks, or a rat tail.
7. I do wear my hair in braids
8. I walk up the escalator
9. I smile. A lot.
10. I use the monthly metro pass.
11. I don´t use my umbrella unless it is actually raining
12. I prefer lined paper
13. I don´t drink coffee
14. I don´t talk during class, when the professor is talking
15. I ask questions in class, or go to office hours
16. I am never late to class
17. I don´t eat mayonnaise on my salad, chicken, or french fries (or anything for that matter)
18. I still squirm when eating vinegar saturated vegetables
19. I don´t own a pair of casual sneakers
20. I am actually have a personal space bubble
21. I´m blonde, naturally
22. I eat or drink while walking on the sidewalk
23. I am uneasy with the silence on the metro
24. I prefer not to go grocery shopping, every day
25. I like to use soap and paper towels when I wash my hands
26. I am accustomed to having toilet paper in the bathrooms
27. I understand every song that comes on the radio in the grocery stores or at the gym, because they are all in English
28. I am tall. Taller than most men here.
29. I don´t like ham, cheese, eggs, or seafood--the most common food here
30. I actually like it here, and am happy to be here. I feel like I am the only one!
1. I don´t wear all black, every day
2. I wear shorts at the gym
3. I go to the gym (being a female this is a bit unusual apparently)
4. I don´t smoke
5. I haven´t figured out how to weave my way through sidewalk traffic to avoid all the smoke
6. I don´t have bangs, a mohawk, mullet, dreadlocks, or a rat tail.
7. I do wear my hair in braids
8. I walk up the escalator
9. I smile. A lot.
10. I use the monthly metro pass.
11. I don´t use my umbrella unless it is actually raining
12. I prefer lined paper
13. I don´t drink coffee
14. I don´t talk during class, when the professor is talking
15. I ask questions in class, or go to office hours
16. I am never late to class
17. I don´t eat mayonnaise on my salad, chicken, or french fries (or anything for that matter)
18. I still squirm when eating vinegar saturated vegetables
19. I don´t own a pair of casual sneakers
20. I am actually have a personal space bubble
21. I´m blonde, naturally
22. I eat or drink while walking on the sidewalk
23. I am uneasy with the silence on the metro
24. I prefer not to go grocery shopping, every day
25. I like to use soap and paper towels when I wash my hands
26. I am accustomed to having toilet paper in the bathrooms
27. I understand every song that comes on the radio in the grocery stores or at the gym, because they are all in English
28. I am tall. Taller than most men here.
29. I don´t like ham, cheese, eggs, or seafood--the most common food here
30. I actually like it here, and am happy to be here. I feel like I am the only one!
Thursday, October 4, 2007
At least I wasn´t the only one.
I survived the first week of classes. By survived, I actually mean understood all my classes--but one. I was forewarned before I arrived in Spain that the classes would be very large, only lecture, and grades would comprise of entirely the final. Wrong on all accounts. I have attendance requirements, which is not something I planned on. I have to write papers, which wouldn´t so too bad, except I don´t know how 15 page Spanish papers will look. Participation is required, in all my classes. My biggest class now has about 35 students, my smallest five.
The one that has five only meets once a week, Thursday nights, for 3.5 hours. Modern Political Theory. Today was my first session of this class, and I get there early, in case the class in full, to get a seat towards the front. By the time class started, there were two other students (both in their mid-twenties) and someone who looked like he might be a graduate student helping teach the class. Our professor walks in, looks at me, and asks "what are you doing here?". (keep in mind yes, this is in Spanish)
"I´m here to study political theory"
"No, more general. Why are you here?"
"To learn about another culture, and to improve my Spanish"
"Where did you come from?"
"The United States"
At this point he simply shook his head in despair and proceed to ask the graduate student next to me the same question, "why are you here?" "I am here because according to ----- theory (still don´t know which theory it was) nature must not only reproduce, but produce new things before reproducing itself....."
Of course. How silly of me not to have known that. Failed task one. I then had some saving grace when he ask me to name five current presidents. He then fired questions at as, and since there were multiple answers, and we had a small group, everyone had to respond. I immediately began answering first, simply because I didn´t want my answers taken. Bad call. The professor then felt I had redeemed myself, and knew what I was talking about.
After 2.5 hours, he decided to let us out early, to give us time to prepare our research topics for the semester. Lost, I asked "I didn´t know we had a research project, what is it about?" "Modern Political Theory", laughs, and leaves. Greatttt.
The other 4 students in class however were as wide-eyed as I was, and we had a pow-wow to attempt to figure what had just taken place during the past few hours. We collectively decided that he wanted us to create a question orientated thesis regarding a basis human theory, and connect it to Sociology and Politics. Fantastic. No pressure.
I have come to a conclusion however. I can argue and debate better about politics or academic related fields better than I can order food in a restaurant in Spanish. My basic Spanish still has wide gaps, which will hopefully be closed upon my return home. Yet my points, as odd as they are, are conveyed quite clearly in class. Go figure.
Tomorrow I am off to the south of France with another preplanned trip with the Americans. Incredibly excited that I will have been to Italy and France in the same week--two places I´ve always wanted to visit.
The one that has five only meets once a week, Thursday nights, for 3.5 hours. Modern Political Theory. Today was my first session of this class, and I get there early, in case the class in full, to get a seat towards the front. By the time class started, there were two other students (both in their mid-twenties) and someone who looked like he might be a graduate student helping teach the class. Our professor walks in, looks at me, and asks "what are you doing here?". (keep in mind yes, this is in Spanish)
"I´m here to study political theory"
"No, more general. Why are you here?"
"To learn about another culture, and to improve my Spanish"
"Where did you come from?"
"The United States"
At this point he simply shook his head in despair and proceed to ask the graduate student next to me the same question, "why are you here?" "I am here because according to ----- theory (still don´t know which theory it was) nature must not only reproduce, but produce new things before reproducing itself....."
Of course. How silly of me not to have known that. Failed task one. I then had some saving grace when he ask me to name five current presidents. He then fired questions at as, and since there were multiple answers, and we had a small group, everyone had to respond. I immediately began answering first, simply because I didn´t want my answers taken. Bad call. The professor then felt I had redeemed myself, and knew what I was talking about.
After 2.5 hours, he decided to let us out early, to give us time to prepare our research topics for the semester. Lost, I asked "I didn´t know we had a research project, what is it about?" "Modern Political Theory", laughs, and leaves. Greatttt.
The other 4 students in class however were as wide-eyed as I was, and we had a pow-wow to attempt to figure what had just taken place during the past few hours. We collectively decided that he wanted us to create a question orientated thesis regarding a basis human theory, and connect it to Sociology and Politics. Fantastic. No pressure.
I have come to a conclusion however. I can argue and debate better about politics or academic related fields better than I can order food in a restaurant in Spanish. My basic Spanish still has wide gaps, which will hopefully be closed upon my return home. Yet my points, as odd as they are, are conveyed quite clearly in class. Go figure.
Tomorrow I am off to the south of France with another preplanned trip with the Americans. Incredibly excited that I will have been to Italy and France in the same week--two places I´ve always wanted to visit.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Welcome to the World of Spanish Classes.
Three down and one to go. I successful have made it through 3 of my classes, understanding the lectures AND the homework assignments. That was a huge plus. I am a bit confused as to why no professors here like syllabi, and as I am a huge fan of them, may struggle without them. Especially with my fluency level, being able to work ahead would be a great asset, but alas, that ball is not in my court.
The hallways are swarming with students. However, when I say students, it refers to people studying, not necessarily the college age type student you might envision. For example, today I sat behind two 30 year old women. I know, it´s strange that I would ever sit behind someone, as I generally am in the front row, but I was sadly too intimidated to do such today. I am glad that I have time between my classes, as I would never be able to navigate a path through the congestion of people packed into the hallways. There are 17,000 students at Deusto, and two buildings in which classes are held. The halls, library, and cafeteria are all utter chaos.
The classes however are not nearly as large as I envisioned. I was forewarned that as there is no cap on classes, a lecture hall could be filled with close to 125 students. My largest class thus far however, probably only has about 40 students. Definitely manageable.
I do have rather early classes, I´ll have to wake up at 6:15 on Wednesdays to get ready, catch the metro, walk to campus for class to start at 8:00. It was a fair trade though, as I have a travel cushion on free Fridays and late classes on Mondays. I envision it will be worth it. I may need to bring my flashlight on Wednesdays´s though, as the sun rises around 8:00. It will definitely be entertaining. Maybe I´ll finally see empty streets, as that as not yet occurred.
The hallways are swarming with students. However, when I say students, it refers to people studying, not necessarily the college age type student you might envision. For example, today I sat behind two 30 year old women. I know, it´s strange that I would ever sit behind someone, as I generally am in the front row, but I was sadly too intimidated to do such today. I am glad that I have time between my classes, as I would never be able to navigate a path through the congestion of people packed into the hallways. There are 17,000 students at Deusto, and two buildings in which classes are held. The halls, library, and cafeteria are all utter chaos.
The classes however are not nearly as large as I envisioned. I was forewarned that as there is no cap on classes, a lecture hall could be filled with close to 125 students. My largest class thus far however, probably only has about 40 students. Definitely manageable.
I do have rather early classes, I´ll have to wake up at 6:15 on Wednesdays to get ready, catch the metro, walk to campus for class to start at 8:00. It was a fair trade though, as I have a travel cushion on free Fridays and late classes on Mondays. I envision it will be worth it. I may need to bring my flashlight on Wednesdays´s though, as the sun rises around 8:00. It will definitely be entertaining. Maybe I´ll finally see empty streets, as that as not yet occurred.
Gladiators Glory.
After the Vatican we were a bit weary that we had chosen the most impressive attraction as our first one. We were wrong. The Colosseum was amazing. We arrived early again, to miss the lines, of which there were none, and we were told admission was free that day. Perfect. Thus we splurged for the audio tour, hesitating, but electing to do it English instead of Spanish. It was a good call, as I would have been disappointed to miss out on the tour.
When the Colosseum opened, 5,000 animals were killed in the first hundred days. It was a slaughter house. When the Colosseum was in its prime, the Romans had 140 holidays in which it was used. Everyone gained free entrance, and were assigned seats prior to their arrival. The senators sat in the front rows with their names engraved on their seats.
Though the Colosseum is nearly all ruins on the inside, you could still see the cells where they housed the slaves and animals that fought for their lives in front of what they believe were nearly 50,000 viewers. I was unaware the that Colosseum later became a place of Christian interest, as the early Christian Priests claimed that the games were unjust and were not permitted. Thus many Christians were killed for this at the time, and now the Colosseum is a remembrance of the Christian martyrs who died for their beliefs. After the Colosseum we headed over to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, both of which were complete ruins.
I had to return to the Colosseum our final evening just so that I could take pictures at sunset. My best pictures were of this massive construction; which I am rather pleased about.
When the Colosseum opened, 5,000 animals were killed in the first hundred days. It was a slaughter house. When the Colosseum was in its prime, the Romans had 140 holidays in which it was used. Everyone gained free entrance, and were assigned seats prior to their arrival. The senators sat in the front rows with their names engraved on their seats.
Though the Colosseum is nearly all ruins on the inside, you could still see the cells where they housed the slaves and animals that fought for their lives in front of what they believe were nearly 50,000 viewers. I was unaware the that Colosseum later became a place of Christian interest, as the early Christian Priests claimed that the games were unjust and were not permitted. Thus many Christians were killed for this at the time, and now the Colosseum is a remembrance of the Christian martyrs who died for their beliefs. After the Colosseum we headed over to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, both of which were complete ruins.
I had to return to the Colosseum our final evening just so that I could take pictures at sunset. My best pictures were of this massive construction; which I am rather pleased about.
The Vatican
Though as I mentioned before, nearly all admissions were free in Rome, we opted not to do the free tour of the Sistine Chapel. The last Sunday of the month, that the Pope was speaking, we decided that it would be far too chaotic to attempted. Thus the Vatican was our first stop, Friday morning. Though we arrived early, an hour before they opened, we waited in line for nearly two hours in the rain to gain entrance to the Chapel. We made some friends, mainly those trying to sell us umbrellas despite the fact that we were each appropriately attired with them.
The Chapel was overwhelming. There was too much to see. You could spend hours in every room, just admiring all the art work that was put into every column, window, wall and painting. One of the most impressive rooms was done entirely in mosaics, floor included. It was spectacular. I was previously unaware of the Egyptian architecture influence that many of the rooms. I fancied the statues and actual framework to the paintings and tapestries, but everything was impressive.
We we arrived in the actual chapel, we were rather amazed. For two reasons: it was incredible, and nothing like we expected. The ceiling was not domed, as we all had envisioned, and the main piece was not what we had previously envisioned. We are still on a hunt to find what room we all had expected the Sistine Chapel to look like, as we all had similar images in mind.
After the Chapel we headed off to the St. Peter´s Basilica which was a masterpiece as well. The Center Square where we waited in line gave us a great view of the Roman columns and fountains that surround the Basilica. The best aspect of the Basilica was the Copula (the outer top of the dome, with a panoramic view of the city). None of us actually knew what Copula meant, but saw a long line, which we translated to mean that this was a site worth seeing. All we knew is that we had to climb 525 stairs. So we did. I felt however, that we were climbing a castle to the towers and the staircases were very narrow, titled, and spiralling. Without the center rope, we would have fallen--especially on the way back down. The hike was well worth it however, as it was gorgeous view, not just of the Vatican, but of the whole city.
We spent the whole day at those two attractions, and it was a day well spent. Religious or not, everyone who entered the Vatican was impressed.
The Chapel was overwhelming. There was too much to see. You could spend hours in every room, just admiring all the art work that was put into every column, window, wall and painting. One of the most impressive rooms was done entirely in mosaics, floor included. It was spectacular. I was previously unaware of the Egyptian architecture influence that many of the rooms. I fancied the statues and actual framework to the paintings and tapestries, but everything was impressive.
We we arrived in the actual chapel, we were rather amazed. For two reasons: it was incredible, and nothing like we expected. The ceiling was not domed, as we all had envisioned, and the main piece was not what we had previously envisioned. We are still on a hunt to find what room we all had expected the Sistine Chapel to look like, as we all had similar images in mind.
After the Chapel we headed off to the St. Peter´s Basilica which was a masterpiece as well. The Center Square where we waited in line gave us a great view of the Roman columns and fountains that surround the Basilica. The best aspect of the Basilica was the Copula (the outer top of the dome, with a panoramic view of the city). None of us actually knew what Copula meant, but saw a long line, which we translated to mean that this was a site worth seeing. All we knew is that we had to climb 525 stairs. So we did. I felt however, that we were climbing a castle to the towers and the staircases were very narrow, titled, and spiralling. Without the center rope, we would have fallen--especially on the way back down. The hike was well worth it however, as it was gorgeous view, not just of the Vatican, but of the whole city.
We spent the whole day at those two attractions, and it was a day well spent. Religious or not, everyone who entered the Vatican was impressed.
The Big Picture of Rome
6 buses and two planes later, I am safe after my trip to Rome. This trip was cheap for a reason—traveling was not the most direct route. The only time we actually used public transportation however, was to and from Rome, once we were there, map in hand, we walked everywhere.
I’ve decided I like hostels—a lot actually. They are inexpensive, welcoming, and you get to meet a multitude of people. Lindsey, Terese, and I slept in an 8 person mixed room. Every night all the beds were occupied, and we never saw the same people for more than 2 nights. I thoroughly enjoyed coming “home” exhausted, and hearing about everyone else’s travels. The conversations in the room most nights would be in Spanish, which was interesting. Though everyone knew English, Spanish was many of the other travelers’ first languages, so lucky me; I still got to practice my Spanish.
I never however, got to use my superb Italian skills. I ever had a hand written dictionary of 20 useful phrases that I thought I should know. Everyone however, knows English there, or if I had to, I would resort to Spanish as a second option. I was blown away at how easy it was to spend the weekend in Rome. The city was incredibly easy to navigate, our hostel was in a prime location, walking distance from every sight we wanted to see, and we didn’t have to worry about a language barrier, as there was none. Tours for all the museums could be given in English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese or Korean. On the topic of the overall museums, nearly everything was free. It was “European Days of Patrimony” and the last Sunday of the month, which apparently translated into all admissions being free (which the exception of the Sistine Chapel, which god forbid, I had to cough up 8 Euros for.
The food of course, as anticipated was phenomenal. I love Italian food. I really was struggling to ever be hungry, as it was too hard to resist eating all the wonderful food. We ate gelato on the Spanish steps. Were serenaded outside the Trevi Fountain while enjoying our three course meal. Devoured pizza and calzones at an outdoor patio on a side street. Really, we quite enjoyed the Italian diet.
I’ve decided I like hostels—a lot actually. They are inexpensive, welcoming, and you get to meet a multitude of people. Lindsey, Terese, and I slept in an 8 person mixed room. Every night all the beds were occupied, and we never saw the same people for more than 2 nights. I thoroughly enjoyed coming “home” exhausted, and hearing about everyone else’s travels. The conversations in the room most nights would be in Spanish, which was interesting. Though everyone knew English, Spanish was many of the other travelers’ first languages, so lucky me; I still got to practice my Spanish.
I never however, got to use my superb Italian skills. I ever had a hand written dictionary of 20 useful phrases that I thought I should know. Everyone however, knows English there, or if I had to, I would resort to Spanish as a second option. I was blown away at how easy it was to spend the weekend in Rome. The city was incredibly easy to navigate, our hostel was in a prime location, walking distance from every sight we wanted to see, and we didn’t have to worry about a language barrier, as there was none. Tours for all the museums could be given in English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese or Korean. On the topic of the overall museums, nearly everything was free. It was “European Days of Patrimony” and the last Sunday of the month, which apparently translated into all admissions being free (which the exception of the Sistine Chapel, which god forbid, I had to cough up 8 Euros for.
The food of course, as anticipated was phenomenal. I love Italian food. I really was struggling to ever be hungry, as it was too hard to resist eating all the wonderful food. We ate gelato on the Spanish steps. Were serenaded outside the Trevi Fountain while enjoying our three course meal. Devoured pizza and calzones at an outdoor patio on a side street. Really, we quite enjoyed the Italian diet.
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