Corride de Toros

Hola a todos!
I am currently enjoying Spring Break number 2, which seems strange because I am hardly ever in class, but I am not complaining at all! This Sunday, I am heading to a place called Palma de Mallorca, a Belearic Island off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean. I am going with 5 friends from the program until Thursday, when we will trek up to Prague! Unfortunately, we have a layover in Bristol, so I hope the volcano in Iceland finished spewing ash or whatever it's doing. I will be in Prague until Sunday and I get to stay with my friend from UMD, Kiera, so I am so excited about this trip. In Palma, we are staying in an apartment with a kitchen, so I am looking forward to being able to cook again! And there are BAGELS in Prague...lots of them, so I will likely eat them for every meal.

Last weekend, I went to Lagos, Portugal, a beautiful beach town on the southern coast of Portugal. We visited the "end of the world" or the western-most point of Portugal where you can see nothing but ocean in the distance, so people thought they would fall off the edge of the earth if they sailed too far. I understand why they thought that, it looks like you'd fall off. But it was beautiful; there were caves in the cliffs that we couldn't go in because the waves were huge, but they were nice to look at. I got some serious beach time, which is always great. I also had a very rare steak for dinner which I hadn't had in about 3 months.

This past Tuesday, unfortunately, I went to a bullfight. I had been told that as an animal lover I shouldn't go, but I wanted to make up my own mind about the tradition. I absolutely hated it. The bull enters the ring already drugged and pinned in the back of his neck. Then 3-5 men torment him, making him run around the ring so he gets tired. Then a man on horseback stabs him in the back with a long spear. (The horses wear protection so they are not gored by the bull's horns.) Then 3 more men come out and stab him with 2 more each pins. And then, it's the matador's turn. He tortures the bull for a while until he thinks it will be the right time to kill him. He inserts a sword into the already punctured neck. Now, if this sounds like it's unfair, it is, and it's supposed to be. But watching the bull die was so absolutely sad and heart-wrenching, that I cannot wrap my head around the justifications for the tradition. And then they attach his body to a cart and drag it out of the stadium in a most barbaric way. Yes, the bulls are bred just for this and they are given a great life before the torture, but to make a spectacle of the death of an animal like this goes against everything I believe in. I closed my eyes for the next 2 bulls and left after that. Six bulls are killed in 29 fights every season. That is 174 bulls per year, in Sevilla alone, and this happens in many other cities in Spain. I still feel queasy when I think about what I saw. Apparently I should have stayed until the 5th round, because the matador was actually gored by the bull. He was injured and will need months of recovery. Also, I could not help picturing Duffy, my dog, in the ring because if you've met him, you know his body is remarkably similar to that of a large bull. I miss him too much to watch a bullfight.
(I attached some photos of the bullfight--notice the blood on the bull. I have much more graphic ones, but did not want to post them.)

So that is my rant against bullfighting. No me gusta. Regardless, I still love Sevilla, even though this tradition bothers me greatly. Keep me in your thoughts this week so I have safe travels and the following week when I actually have papers to write. Apparently, work in the study abroad world does exist, and after my vacation I will have to face it.

Hasta Luego!
-Aubs

Oops

Hello everyone. It has been almost a month since my last post. I know you missed my weekly greetings. Or you didn't realize that I haven't written in a while. Either way, I'm back.

In March, for St. Patrick's Day, I went to Dublin with my friend Karen from high school and my friend Alli from Sevilla. We had an amazing time. I absolutely loved Dublin and can't wait to go back there some time soon. It's such a vibrant city and there are pubs everywhere with live music and Guinness. What else do you need really? On St. Patrick's Day, we watched a crazy parade in the street and then went to a pub. Then we toured the Guinness Storehouse and took advantage of the free sample room. Then we went back to a pub and had Irish Carbombs. Ah, embracing my roots. Also, yesterday I learned what Black Irish means--and it has to do with Spain! Pardon the quick history lesson, I have to prove to my Dad that I actually go to school. When the Spanish Armada tried to invade Britain in 1588, they failed miserably and some of them ended up on the west coast of Ireland and decided to stay. So this is why some Irish people "Black Irish" have darker, more Mediterranean features! I have been wondering what this term means for about 10 years.

I have been able to explore Sevilla much more with my visitors (first Karen and then Mom, Dad, and Amanda). I finally went into the Cathedral (3rd largest in the world!) and the Real Alcazar (palace-type thing with beautiful gardens). These are 2 of the main attractions that people come to see, along with Plaza de Espana and Parque Maria Luisa.

So my awesome family came to visit me for Semana Santa (Holy Week). Spain's take on Holy Week is like nothing I've ever seen before. There are dozens of brotherhoods (hermadades) which each have 2-3 floats (pasos) that can be up to 500 years old. 30-40 men crouch underneath them and carry them on their backs on set routes in the city, from their home church to the Cathedral and back. Each float is preceded by up to 2000 people doing penance (nazarenos) who wear tunics and cone-shaped hats that also cover their faces. Some are barefoot. They walk from 8-14 HOURS depending on how far their church is from the Cathedral. People crowd the street to watch the processions (NOT parades) so the center of the city is nearly impossible to navigate. This goes on from Palm Sunday until Easter, but Thursday night into Friday morning is the craziest. Sevillanos stay out until all hours of the night, eating and drinking and watching the processions. It was one of the most fascinating things I've seen.

Of course, having the rest of the Baltimore Dorans here was awesome. We spent most of the week in Sevilla, but also had a night in Madrid and a day in Gibraltar. Gibraltar is a UK territory on the southern tip of Spain (Southern most point in Europe) and there are MONKEYS there. Lots of them. Cute ones, funny ones, mean ones. We had a great time on the rock of Gibraltar, where you can see Africa, the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean all from one spot. In Sevilla We toured the Plaza de Toros (bullfighting ring) where I will see a bullfight next week. We ate lots of tapas and just had a great time gallivanting across Sevilla.

In other news, getting back to class yesterday was a struggle. I was thoroughly confused when my alarm went off, because I am still in spring break mode. Luckily, I have another Spring break in 2 weeks. The weather here is perfect. Right now, it's not too hot (it will be soon) and it's been so sunny. I finally am getting some color that I've been waiting for since February. The Spanish people think we are nuts when they see all the American students in tank tops and bathing suits, laying by the river, as they walk by in pants, boots, scarves, and jackets. How they think that type of clothing is acceptable in 25 degree weather (yeah I use Celsius now) beats me, but to each his own.

I am going to Lagos, Portugal next weekend for a beach trip so I am looking forward to laying out on the sand next to the ocean. I wonder if Lagos will be as pretty as Ocean City! (HA)

Have a lovely Tuesday!
-Aubs

The Mediterranean Diet

Hola a todos! Great news...I woke up this morning and opening my cave-like shutters to see the SUN! It's a beautiful day! Not as great news...I am in the midst of midterm week, yes, we have them here. So I have two tomorrow that I should be studying for. I'll do it later. Maybe.

Last Thursday, I went to Rome (Amanda's old stomping ground) all by myself! Yes, that's right, Aubrey "No Travel Smarts" Doran made it to Rome and back with only a few minor hiccups. I actually did get the hiccups when I was there too. I met up with my friends from UMD. Meghan is studying in Rome and Kiera flew down from Prague. How amazing that we could meet in Rome for a few days! It was soo completely wonderful to see them. We got to catch up for reals on everything that has happened to us in the past month and half. Our experiences were somewhat similar, but definitely different because we are in 3 different types of programs.

Thursday morning I arrived in Rome and met up with Kiera (Meg had class) and we walked around, took in the sites, ate pizza, shot the breeze. After Meghan was finished with class we went to a restaurant near her school and her program was giving them free dinner, so Kiera and I happily ate free wings, onion rings, chicken tenders and got a free beer. After, we went to an area called Campo with a few bars and hung out with Meg's friends. It was so fun to be going out with them again!

Friday morning, Meghan's program had a field trip to the Vatican Museum/St. Peter's Basilica, and they let us join for free. (I love Meg's program. Also, she lives like 5 minutes from the Vatican--she passes it on her way to school--how awesome!) We saw all the stuff I guess you are supposed to see, the incredible artwork and statues, the Sistine Chapel, the basilica. It is almost overwhelming because there is just so much to look at. I think it would honestly take a lifetime to examine every piece of art contained in that relatively small area. We had a blast being tourists, making awkward poses in front of the pieces. We went to lunch at a cafe nearby, and I got some pizza. Then a couple hours later, I threw up said pizza. Yes, I got food poisoning in Rome. I think it was partly due to the fact that last week I bragged about going to Morocco and not getting sick. So I go to Rome, and I couldn't eat the food, which is probably one of the most upsetting things in the world. But I can always look at this as an excuse to come back soon.

So Friday night, I was out of commission, and Meg let me sleep in her bed and I watched The Wedding Planner and rested. Luckily I woke up the next morning feeling fine, but not hungry, which is something I rarely experience (hence the Mediterranean Diet). We toured the city from the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain (BEAUTIFUL!), the Colosseum, and the Pantheon. I did find some way to try the gelato that the Pope eats and it was absolutely amazing, even with stomach issues. Saturday night, the three of us went to a delicious dinner (thanks Mr. Quinlan and happy birthday Meg!). Due to my 6:30 am flight and 4:00 wake up call, we did not go out, but just had some wine at Meg's apartment and chatted. It was hard to say goodbye to them, but I will see them soon enough!

So I think that if I can get sick in a city and still love it, that is really saying something about the city. I loved Rome. It was just incredible to walk down the street next to these ruins that have been there forever and no on even thinks twice about them. There were so many tourists, which I am not used to seeing in Sevilla. Also everyone speaks English which was helpful because as my plane landed in Rome I realized I didn't remember how to say hello, please, or thank you. (Ciao, por favore, grazie). I do not like the taxi drivers there because I spent a small fortune on taxis, but when in Rome, right?!

Okay, back to Sevilla. Today I went to the library! Finally, I know, Mom and Dad. And you know what? It's just like a library at home...only, get this, all the books are in Spanish! Only kidding, it was pretty cool. I poked around in the art history section and looked at pictures. It was pretty crowded for a Tuesday morning. I do not know how to check out a book though. Sorry, I will do that next time.

This Friday, one of my best friends from high school, Ms. Karen Buchheister, is coming all the way from exotic Scranton, PA, to visit me. I could not be more excited to have her here and get to show her around the city. I am also looking forward to a weekend at home. Traveling is great, but it is exhausting, and sometimes you just need a weekend at home. Oh, and Tuesday we are going to Ireland for St. Patrick's Day. No biggie. Just going to say HI to the ancestors.

Adios Amigos!

The 13 Hour Travel Day:: Morocco

Wow I just got back from Morocco. What a trip. I have officially been on 3 continents, only 4 more to go. From Sevilla, Morocco is a short 3 hour bus ride and a "short" 35 minute ferry across the Mediterranean. I say "short" because it actually takes 3-13 hours depending on the day....

Friday afternoon, we departed for Morocco. The bus ride was no big deal, I have become very good at sleeping in an upright position. We got right on the ferry and went across the Mediterranean--My first time ever!- and it was a little wave-y, nothing I couldn't handle. Unfortunately when we got to the African coast, our berth was full, so our vessel had to circle around the harbor. For approximately 3 hours. We finally got off in Tanger, got back on the buses and drove an hour and a half to our hotel which was in Mdiq. Mdiq is a resort town, popular in the summer months, and a little deserted in February. We arrived at about 1:30 am, just in time for a dinner of meat and prunes. It was delicious, but at that point, we were all just ready for bed. Now, I had thought that our 4 star hotel Kabila would have had the things that come with 4 star hotels. Like hot water, blankets, a heater. Not so in Morocco apparently. It was a beautiful hotel, though, I was sincerely hoping for a hot shower after such a long day of traveling. Regardless, we got some sleep to prepare for the next day.

Saturday we toured Chefchaouen, Morocco, a beautiful small town known for it's blue buildings and one-of-a-kind rugs. We walked around with our tour guide who spoke some funny english. We ate the traditional Moroccan food of couscous with chicken. The food is very good. But you can't drink the water! Even brushing your teeth with the tap water because it will make you sick. Bottled water costs about 15 dirhams though! That's okay because that is about 1.50 euro. I got to do a little shopping with my dirhams in town before it started to rain, of course. Back on the bus to our hotel for some more couscous!

During dinner Saturday night, we had some live music and dancing entertainment. The first group was 5 young guys singing, dancing and playing their instruments. The second group was older men with drums and things singing and dancing. They were awesome. It was one of the boys on the trip's birthday, so the DiscoverSevilla (travel agency) people brought out a birthday cake and then there was a dance party and I was unwillingly involved. But it was tons of fun!

The next day, we woke up at 7 am to check out of the hotel and catch our 8 am bus to Tetuan. We took a tour of the city with a hysterical tour guide. Tetuan has a lot of Spanish influence, so some of the buildings reminded me of Sevilla and Granada. We went through the medina, city market, and amidst the smells and live chickens, there were fruits, nuts, dead chickens, live cats, random secondhand stuff. It was really interesting to see. The people there looked at us like we were crazy. We saw the king's palace that he uses in the summer, and we weren't able to take a picture of the guards in front. After more couscous, we got on the bus and traveled to Tanger (Tangiers).

In Tanger, I got to ride a camel! It was a short ride and a little scary getting up and down, but still really fun. I'm not going to lie, I am a natural at camel-riding. Who knew? Then we got to walk on the beach of the Mediterranean Sea, which was beautiful. It was a little windy and chilly, but amazing to see in the light of day. Then we had a "panoramic bus tour" of Tanger, which was just traveling to the port to catch the ferry home.

So it is now 6 pm Sunday, and as we got off the bus at the port in Tanger, it started to rain. Pour, actually, with thunder and lightning. Not the best thing to see as we were about to board a ferry. We got on the ship and then were told the ferry to Tarifa, Spain was canceled, but the ferry was going to Gibraltar, Spain. Now, I'm not entirely sure why the ferry could cross the sea to Gibraltar, but not Tarifa, but this is Africa, so I never found out. The buses sadly did not make the ferry to Spain, so they were stuck in Morocco, and they were our transportation back to Sevilla. So after an hour and a half ferry ride to Gibraltar, we were told we had to stay on the ferry, which would then take us to Algeciras, another port in Spain. We got off the ferry with the comforting knowledge that the buses would get on a 11 oclock ferry from Tanger to Algeciras. But their ferry would take 3 hours. So from approximately 10 pm until 4 am, we were stuck in the port of Algeciras, sleeping on the cold ground and eating gross overpriced pizza. At 4 am, the buses arrived on their ferry, but only one, so we had to wait outside for the second one for about half an hour. At this point, I was so thankful that my travel companions, 3/5 of the Spice Girls and I, kept positive attitudes the whole time and laughed about the situation instead of getting frustrated. We boarded the bus at last and made it back to Sevilla at about 6:30 am. By 7, I was happily in my warm bed, ready to sleep. So that was a 13 hour travel day for a distance that should have taken about 4 hours. I guess that's Spain and Africa for you, what can you do!

All in all, I am so glad I went on this trip. It was so much fun and exciting to see the different culture there. Morocco is not "traditional" Africa like the Sahara, but how awesome is it that I can say I've been there!

Some facts about Morocco you might not know:
-it's a constitutional monarchy with a king an elected parliament (elections every 5 years)
-there are 56 political parties. 56!
-I want to go back when I am older and have real people money and can afford a beautiful rug
-I recommend a visit to anyone, just be careful about the ferry!
-Look at more pictures from the trip! Just copy and paste the link into the address bar!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2035963&id=1222890148&l=e4811a6d24

What I love about Sevilla

Hola gente!
Because this is a "long weekend" in Spain, which for me and my 2 times per week class schedule means that I do not have class until next Wednesday, I figured I'd write about the things I love about Sevilla. This is a BONUS blog! Woo, lucky you! I have loads of free time right now, and although I found a free website with all of my favorite shows, I figured this would be a little more productive. Or it could be annoying, but I'm gonna roll with it.
These are in no particular order...

Mis amigos- To the Spanish-language-challenged, those are my friends. I have met some truly wonderful people here that I love spending time with. Whether it's running (not as often as I should), going out, having some wine by the river, or traveling, I know I am lucky to have met such great people. We have already begun to talk about how we will see each other after the program ends!

NO8DO- This is Sevilla's motto, and because I can not really explain it on my own, I'm using Wikipedia to help...don't judge me. The 8 represents a skein of yarn, or in Spanish, a “madeja.” When read aloud, “No madeja do” sounds like “No me ha dejado,” which means “It [Seville] has not abandoned me.” It has to do with Alfonso X, the wise king, and I don't know the whole story because it's a long legend, but I think it's awesome that you can see it all over the city. It's on posters, grates, billboards, everywhere.

The weather- Though it's been raining lately, all I can think about is the SUN we will see. It's averaging about 63 lately during the day, and the nights were cold at first, but they are getting warmer. When it's 75 and sunny everyday (by mid-March, I'm hoping!), I don't think I'll ever see the inside of my apartment. Unfortunately, both of my schools have mandatory attendance policies, so I will not be able to blow off class to lay outside (not that I've ever done that, Mom and Dad!)

The pace- Life here is much slower, which for anyone who has made plans with the Baltimore Dorans, knows I fit in well with this. I love that nothing starts on time! You might go to a store that "opens" at 10, but if the opening-shift worker doesn't make it on time, no big deal. She'll be there when she gets there. For Americans, this is often one of the hardest things to get used to, because it's unheard of in the States, but I must say, it takes off the pressure to be on time!

Nutella- Yes, I've had it before back home, but here it flows like, well like peanut butter in the US. A nice breakfast of coffee and toast with nutella is the perfect way to start your day. Probably should eat some fruit too though, which are delicious here as well. Kiwis, bananas, oranges (amazing), apples...I love them all!

Carmen- Carmen is my senora, or mi madre espanola. She takes care of my roommates and I, cooking, cleaning, and laundry-wise. She is so sweet and just like Nancy Pants, she works out all the time. She comes in when I am getting ready to go out, she looks at me, says "Vas a salir?" and I say "Si, todas las noches!" She probably wants me to work out more often, like my super-healthy roommates, but someone's gotta be the bad seed, right? I think she thinks I am crazy, especially when I have to act out what I am trying to say because I don't know how to say it in Spanish. I once forgot how to say "fly" (volar), so explaining that my parents were flying into Madrid when they visit and don't want to fly to Sevilla was verrry funny to her. Her husband Jose is also extremely nice and helpful. I showed him that my umbrella was broken (mi paraguas está roto!) and he fixed it! Very handy, very helpful.

Bike paths- The city is covered in bike paths and the riders take them seriously. A few years ago, Sevilla implemented this city-wide bike program, where you pay 10 euro and a 150 euro deposit and can rent a bike anywhere in the city, ride for a half hour, and then return the bike at any station. In a city with maybe 2 hills, this is amazing. I am going to try to find the website for it so I can sign up because it is insanely convenient.

La comida- the food! I was a picky eater until I was 15. And I mean picky. Turkey on white bread with nothing on it was my ideal meal. Now, I love Spanish food. They're big on fish, shrimp, garbanzo beans, lentils, patatoes, and I LOVE it. There has only been one meal that Carmen made that I didn't like, and it involved beets, which looked to me like cranberries, so imagine my surprise when I didn't taste sweet, I tasted beet. Other than that, it's all delicious. And the food at the restaurants is always awesome too. It's a lot of friend stuff, but the portions are smaller, so no biggie. It's all about moderation, right Dad?

Los Perros- The DOGS! There are dogs everywhere here. Everywhere. Most of the time they don't use leashes, because they are so well behaved. Their owners just walk around with them. It's so different, and I LOVE it. I've seen huskies, schnauzers, terriers, pitbulls, pugs, labs, everything. Seeing them make me miss Duffy, of course, but I absolutely love walking to class and seeing 20 dogs. I wish College Park were like this. My friends and I name all of the dogs Pepe, because it makes sense. It's hysterical to me when Carmen talks to Barbie (her dog) because she responds to Spanish! Sientase! (Sit) Venga! (Come). I think I will try to teach Duffy some Spanish commands when I return!

Los Ninos- Not to be confused with the weather patterns, this is the children. I love kids, as most of you know. But you haven't seen a cute kid until you've seen a 3 year old talk in Spanish. It is probably the most adorable thing in the world. And strange as it seems, I think even the Spanish children know that I'm American immediately. The people know definitely, but the kids always look at me like I'm nuts. Maybe I am just nuts, and they pick up on it, but I hope they can just tell by looking at me that I'm different.

Traveling- I have been lucky enough to see many states, Canada, a few cities in Mexico, Belize, the Bahamas, and El Salvador (I think that's it)...Oh and a quaint little town known as Ocean City, Maryland a few times. I am not knocking any of these past trips, but being in Europe for 4 months with a 4 day weekend every week is just beyond anything I could have imagined. I currently have trips planned for Morocco, Rome, Ireland, Portugal, Majorca, and Prague. Just thinking about this makes my heart skip a beat I am so happy! Not to mention the cities in Spain I've seen (Madrid, Cordoba, Granada). This is just so incredible.

So this list is not all inclusive, as I love too many things about this place to write. I hope that it was informative and not too boring. Again, I hope you're doing well in the US and not missing me too much!
LOVE,
Aubs

Nada pero Granada

Hola a todos! Aubrey here in Sevilla checking in again. Despite the projected 7-10 days of rain ahead of us, it is currently sunny and warm in Sevilla. We have been getting a ton of rain lately, but so has all of Spain, so what can you do. Apparently it hasn't rained like this in ten years, and if it keeps up we'll break the record from way long ago.

Thank you Aubrey for that weather report. Now back to you, Aubrey, with travel news. (Oh gosh, now I'm talking to myself on an imaginary news program.) This past weekend (Friday to Saturday) I ventured with my program CEA to Granada, a city about a four hour bus ride east of here. It is a beautiful city, very different from Seville or Madrid. It's in the snow-covered Sierra Nevada mountains, which can be seen in the distance. It has a high Arabic influence from when it was in the Islamic empire around the 10th (?) century. When we arrived, we took a short walking tour to our four star hotel (sorry to brag, but it was sooo nice!). Friday was very cloudy and foggy (as you can see in the pictures) but it was still a good tour. In Granada (and many other parts of Spain--except Sevilla) when you order a drink at a bar, you are given a free plate of tapas. This was very exciting for my friends and me, as a glass of wine and a little sandwich and pasta for 2 euro is a perfect meal. We went to a bar called La Bella y la Bestia (Beauty and the Beast) and had delicious free tapas. Saturday was beautiful, a little chilly, but sunny. We walked around, bought some souvenirs, and visited a tea shop. Granada is also known for its tea, and we went to a beautiful teateria with about 40 different kinds.

Granada is known for the Alhambra, a huge fortress and the most visited site in Spain. We went there Saturday afternoon. It is expansive and has many parts constructed at different times by different types of people, Christian and Muslim. We saw the 3 palaces (Palacios Nazaries) which had amazing ceilings with stalactites and walls covered with reliefs. The art is geometric and sometimes shows animals and also has lines from the Koran written in Arabic. There are gardens with fountains that use the force of water coming down the nearby mountains to propel them still! There is some Christian influence from when Charles V ruled there in the 15th (?) century. One of the most famous parts, the Palace of the Lions, is missing the lions because they are being worked on for conservation. I hear good things though. Our tourguide told us it is just an excuse to come back, they should be finished in 2 or 3 years (a very Spanish time line).

I was out last week with some of my friends who happen to be from Baltimore and we found a bar with a bartender whose girlfriend is from Baltimore. They had a UMD pennant, Orioles Drive sign, National Bohemian sign (hidden for some reason, but the bartender showed us because we were so excited), and the Maryland state flag. We were so shocked! The bar is really cool and they have a shot for each of the 50 states. We tried the Maryland and the North Carolina. Maryland was better, of course!

This coming weekend I am going to Morocco. I never thought I would say that I am going to Africa, but on Friday I am and I'm very excited.

Hope the US is still wonderful! I am going to enjoy the rest of my Tuesday doing homework and relaxing.
Love,
Aubrey

Día de San Valentín; Día de los enamorados

Buenas Noches! I hope you are all having a lovely Valentine's day. I know I did, spending it with my friends Alli, Kristen, and Will over a bottle or two of red wine and some chocolate. You don't have to be in a relationship to celebrate! But here is a link to one of my favorite websites postsecret's Valentine's clip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzq3srbYEUY (you may have to copy and paste the link). It's just a refreshing way to look at a very commercialized day.


Anyways, to the Spanish news! I am still loving Sevilla, even though it has been cold and rainy, to the point where the native Sevillanos are talking about it every day. I was able to do a little exploring this week. I saw the Plaza de Espana (featured in Star Wars Episode II--who knew?). It's absolutely beautiful, even though there is a ton of construction at the moment. I went running (again--who knew?) in the Parque de los Principes and Parque de Maria Luisa. They are both amazing, though Maria Luisa is much bigger and has a ton of really awesome spots in it. It might be one of my favorite places that I've found so far. And it's only a 20 minute walk from my apartment. Saturday I went to the archeological museum with some friends and saw a ton of great pieces taken from Italica, the city I visited last weekend and wrote about in my last blog. There were a ton of broken-nose statues and half-columns, but they were still really cool to look at. Outside of the museum was the Plaza de America, which was just absolutely 1000% full of birds. You can stand in the center and they will just land on you (and probably poop on you), so I avoided getting too close, but it was such a strange sight to see. Those darn pigeons are still forgetting about the deal! Tuesday night I saw my first flamenco show, which is a native Spanish dance involving elaborate costumes and hand clap things. It was really entertaining and the dancers are definitely talented. I have never seen men or women move their feet so fast, even having seen Riverdance once or twice on video. The dancers are very much into the character they are portraying, which made it more enjoyable to watch. The picture I put up does not give the show justice, because for a 2 hour show, the 7 dancers changed clothes about 5-10 times each depending on how many scenes they were in. I also made it on Wednesday night to the raggae club, apparently a local hotspot for the Hippies (Dad, I can take you when you visit). I have never been in a smokier room and my clothes reek of cigarettes, but it's all part of the experience!

Last night (Saturday) I took a 9 pm bus to a southern city Cadiz for los Carnavales. This is basically a huge outdoor costume party. And it's not like a regular costume party with your token witch and cowboy. Every single one of the more than 20,000 people there are completely dressed up...as bugs, clowns, mimes, everything. Many men dress as women. My friends and I were the Spice Girls plus our Manager, the Lady Bug. I was, as you definitely guessed, Scary Spice. I think we all know that made the most sense. After an hour and a half bus ride down to Cadiz singing along to the radio, which played everything from Shakira to Spanish pop music to Alanis Morsette, I was ready to party. And it was the craziest scene I've witnessed probably ever. We walked the streets (and hung out sketchily past our welcome at 2 tapas bars and Burger King) and danced until 2:30 am when we had to catch our bus home, which can only be likened to trying to get on a lifeboat off the sinking Titanic (sorry to any Titanic survivors or relatives), but it was cut-throat. I lost 3 of my bandmates and our manager, but we all made it home safely at 5:30 am (much to the unhappiness of my senora and her husband, who were not too happy to hear my roommates and I laughing about our experiences at that hour). After apologizing the next day, Carmen and Jose were thankfully no longer mad, and dinner was delicious.

School-wise, I have my first exam/text/quiz tomorrow (these words never really translate exactly into Spanish), so the degree of difficulty will be unknown until I get to class tomorrow.

Have a wonderful week, I'll post again soon! OH, and in other AWESOME news, I have trips booked to Morocco and Ireland (for St. Patrick's day). So be jealous ;)
Love,
Aubrey,

¡Hola!

Hello to everyone, many of whom are snowed in! Let me just for a second poke my head out the window and see the beautiful blue sky and sun shining. Ah, 60°F weather. Okay, now that's done. In all seriousness, I kind of miss the snow, so enjoy it and don't complain!

I am absolutely loving my new apartment. This is my bedroom--it's so cute and happy inside! My roommates are awesome also so living here has been great, even though it's only been one week!

So it's Tuesday, 9 February 2010, (Meghan Miehe's 21st birthday--she's in Rome), and because I don't have class, I am just hanging out in my apartment. I will probably do some homework later and go for a run. Tonight, my program (CEA) is taking us to a flamenco show, which is a native Spanish dance.

Last Friday, I went on a field trip to the Roman Ruins of Italica, which are only about 20 minutes outside Sevilla. There is much of an amphitheater left, and some remains of a large house and a bath house. The most exciting part about the trip was finding a little cat my friend and I named Romano, but don't tell my art history or history of Spain teachers that.

In more exciting news...this weekend I (along with 4 friends) successfully traveled on our own to Madrid. We took a 6 hour bus ride from Sevilla, and even though 6 hours is a long time to be on a bus, there was plenty of leg room and it wasn't so bad. Because of the field trip, Brooke and I left Friday afternoon at 3, and got to our Hostel at about 10. The hostel was exactly what I thought it would be--a mixed dorm room with people speaking all different languages. It was a little sketchy at first, but we made it through. We met up with our other 3 friends who had gotten there Thursday night and went out for tapas (small plates of food meant to share with the table). They were sooo delicious (For Gab, Kar, Kay, and Morg--brie with raspberry and brie with sirloin=awesome) Saturday, we walked all over Madrid. We went to the Prado, the largest/best art museum in Spain and saw pieces from Goya, Velazquez, Bosch. It's a huge museum and we only saw about 15% of it. We walked to the Plaza de Espana and the Templo de Debod, which is an Egyptian temple in the middle of Madrid. It's on a hill that gives you awesome views of the city, you can literally see for miles out. This was probably my favorite spot in Madrid.

Sunday, we caught the 6 hour bus back home (yes, Sevilla is most certainly my home now) and it felt so great to be returning to my city. I fully feel that it is my home now, which is an awesome feeling to have! I was so exhausted when we got back at about 7:30 that I did not watch the Superbowl for the first time in about 10 years. But GO SAINTS, I was glad to see that they pulled through over the worthless Colts--don't worry, I'm still from Baltimore!

If this link works, it should take you to an album of pictures that show my new room, the ruins, and Madrid.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2033892&id=1222890148&l=97d85b744e

Anyways, I miss you all but don't worry, I'm having a great time here! I hope the US is treating you well :)
Love,
Aubrey

¿Tenemos un trato con las polomas?

Don't we have a deal with the pigeons? If you know me or my family (which I assume you do because you're reading my blog), you know we love some Seinfeld. There is one episode in which George discovers he no longer has a "deal" with the pigeons, and when he walks toward them, they don't fly away. I am coming across that problem in Sevilla also. Thank you, Alyssa Papa, for reminding me of this episode.

I have awesome news...I moved! I was not exactly happy in my first apartment. There just wasn't enough space to live happily, so I asked for a switch. I am now in a "casa universitaria," which is an apartment with a "senora" who lives right across the hall. Se llama Carmen y su esposo se llama Jose. They are soo incredibly nice, and they cook 3 meals a day for me and clean and do my laundry. So I am getting some awesome treatment over here. Coming back and have to re-adjust to doing all of these things on my own might be hard. I am living with 2 girls, Angela from Virginia, and Julie (I share a room with her) from LA. I am so happy to be living here now.

My Spanish is definitely improving, as I now translate just about everything in my head that I can. Angela and I are going to label all the things in our apartment to get used to speaking in Spanish todo el tiempo. See what I mean?...the spanish just comes right out!

I have been exploring Sevilla a lot lately, finding tapas bars and cervecerias (bars). I also found the public library, but I didn't go in yet.

On Saturday, my program took us on a day trip to Cordoba, a city about a 2 hour bus ride away. It was beautiful. There is an extremely famous mosque there, a mezquita, which has been converted into a Catholic catedral. It was built during the 9th and 10th centuries and consecrated as the catedral in 1236. There are 850 columns inside. It's just absolutely amazing! We also walked around and visited other historic sights, but that one was by far the best. It is a beautiful city!

My class schedule turned out to be Mondays and Wednesdays 10:30-13:30 and 16:00-19:00. (I am trying to get used to military time). So, I have a lot on those days, but plenty of time to explore and travel on Tuesdays and the weekends. I am in fact going to Madrid this weekend from Friday to Sunday! I also have a field trip to the Roman Ruins of Italica, which are about 9 km outside Sevilla.

I hope all is well in the States.
Love,
Aubrey

Primera Semana

I am coming to the close of my first week in Sevilla. It has been hard to adjust to such a different culture, but I am slowly learning more and more. I have only had one day of classes, but I had 4 of them, and at an hour and twenty minutes long, that is much more than I am used to at UMD. That is more like how it was at Mercy, but today I started at 10:30 and went until 18:50 (that's 6:50 for you Americans) with a 2 and a half hour break in between. I had a major freak out the night before my classes because my schedule was all messed up and with no internet access, I had no way to fix anything. Luckily, I am trying to get everything worked out with that and I should know by Monday. I am taking classes at CEA GlobalCampus (the program with which I came here) and Universidad Pablo de Olavide, which is outside the city a bit. It's a 20 minute metro ride away from my apartment, which is in an area called Los Remedios (the remedies, as my Mother would tell you).

I have spent a lot of time at the Vodafone store (which is apparently owned by Verizon) trying to get a working cell phone. Today I finally got a working cell phone, which is supposed to have free incoming calls from the US to me. My number is +34 673 57 9292, if you ever get the urge to call. Just remember the time difference! I am 6 hours ahead of the east coasters.

I have met some really great girls here from all over the country. Wisconsin, Michigan, Texas, California just to name a few. I am really looking forward to actually being able to communicate in Spanish and enjoy the night life for real!

I hope all is well back in the US. I am taking a day trip to Cordoba on Saturday and I will hopefully come back with some beautiful pictures!

Hello

Hello Everyone,
This will hopefully be the site of my new blog whilst I travel (some of) the globe. Look here for posts, hopefully! Enjoy!
Love,
Aubrey