Blog 5: Reina de los Pañuelos (Queen of the Tissues)

Reina de los Pañuelos (Queen of the Tissues)

         

So incase my title didn’t give it away estoy enferma (I am sick) which is not fun to say the least. For the past few days it has been me and a box of tissues. Even my host ‘dad’ commented on how muy rojo (very red) the skin right under my nose looks. It was kind of embarrassing. Oh well it could be worse and there’s a lot of people who also are feeling sick in my program. It must be a combo of post travel fatigue and the weather. I’m not used to this cold! Also just to anyone studying abroad. If you ever feel like a cold is in the works but still want to go out at night with friends…DON’T. You’ll end up sick for days, which is not fun. Lesson learned.

            Well ‘pre-cold’ I went on a tour of the Alcázar on viernes (Friday). In Spain, school is not in session on Fridays so everyone gets a three day weekend. ¡Qué guay! (How cool!) So my school plans field trip around the city and day trips to other cities in Spain on Fridays. The Alcázar is one the oldest palaces in Europe that is still being used today. It dates back to when the Romans were in Sevilla and continued to expand when the Muslim conquered Sevilla. Then the Alcázar went into the hands of the Christians when the Spaniards retook Spain.  As a result, Sevilla was a melting pot of cultures and religions. It was actually a pretty peaceful, religion tolerant place (until the Spanish Inquisition when the Jewish people were persecuted and expelled from Sevilla). So the Romans, the Muslims and the Christians influenced the Alcázar’s design. The meshing of all three makes the Alcázar an architecturally beautiful and interesting place. Our guide was a native from Sevilla and knew a lot of Spanish history. Maybe too much because I probably remembered about a fourth of what he told us. Each room and every courtyard was breathtaking. I’ve never been exposed to Islamic architecture, which is simplistic but also impactful for that very reason. Everything is so symmetrical and the focus on combining light, stars, and water with art is so fascinating. I really could go on and on about how compelling I find Islamic architecture. ¡Me encanta mucho! (I love it a lot) The palace also has extensive gardens, which have both traditional European and Mediterranean styles to them. I need to go back one day and walk through the gardens because we didn’t have enough time to wander far and it was drizzling that day.

            Finally on a side note…I’m going on a weekend trip to the beaches of Portugal and I also booked a flight to Ireland in May! Portugal is supposed to have some of the most geographically beautiful beaches in the world. And I’ve always wanted to go to Ireland because I’m quarter Irish (and half Japanese and a quarter English for those of you who still can’t tell after all those years of knowing me!). I think trekking solo in Ireland for two weeks (and maybe hitting Scotland as well) will be the experience of a lifetime. Then the family flies into Madrid and it’s Spain and Italy for a month. So looks like this blog will take you guys beyond the borders of Spain in the near future!

Blog 4: ¡Salud! (Cheers!)

!Salud! (Cheers!)

           

It’s been a week since I flew into Seville and I think I’m still in the ‘honeymoon’ stage with this city.  So far I’ve just been exploring the city and taking in all of Sevilla. Sevilla is such a walker friendly city so I’ve been taking walks almost every day. The people here are always walking, biking, or using public transportation if anything. I really like how people walk everywhere because in the states everyone seems to have a car unlike here. Sometimes I go exploring on foot with friends, but I also love venturing off on my own and absorbing everything at my own pace.  I’ve taken solo walks through the Parque de María Luisa and got lost in the beauty of the place. The park is a five minute walk from my house and is filled with ponds, pavilions, Plaza de España, and of course orange trees. I’ve also walked in the el centro and passed the Cathedral. I think it’s so neat how in the center of normal city life you can find such a grand, breathtaking cathedral. I haven’t gone inside yet but I can’t wait to learn more about it. Apparently this is where both Christopher Colombus and Ferdinand III of Castile are buried. The amount of history in Europe is absolutely mind numbing. If you ever go on a study abroad, which so far I highly recommend you do, it’s the perfect opportunity to do some self-exploration. Back in the islands I’m surrounded by family and friends I’ve known my whole life, and who I love and care about a lot. But here I have to depend on myself, which is a unique experience for me. I guess I’ve been an independent person, but here I really feel like I’m free to figure out what I want out of life.

            The nightlife here is definitely not like Maui (everything closes at 9!) and it’s hard for me to compare it to Oahu because I can’t go to the bars back home yet. But far the bar hopping here has been so fun! There are a countless number of bars to discover here and lots of tapas to pick on.  Think of tapas as pupus, small appetizers that you buy a couple plates of and share with friends. There are so many different types and so delicious! Here’s another thing worth mentioning… staying out late and chilling at a tapa bars is just part of the culture in Spain. Spaniards love going out late at night and if you keep to an American clock, you’d miss the nightlife. I’m still getting used to staying out until 5am on weekends. Also the alcohol here is so cheap! You can get a bucket of five beers for 3 euros and 1 euro chupitos (shots) at some places. But like anywhere, make sure you stick with a group when going out (especially as a girl) and have a ton of fun but be safe! Me and the other students in my program have gone out A LOT since we’ve been here. I really love the group I came with. Everybody’s so chill and we all get along really well. Especially all the Hawaii students seem to look out for each other (which is a nice feeling since age-wise I’m the baby of our group). Yesterday we all went to our resident director’s house and talked story while eating dinner and drinking wine and beer. Hopefully I can take a group of good friends away from this experience because I feel like we are going to have lots of bonding moments and good memories by the end of the trip.

Blog 3: Lo Siento, No Hablo Español (I'm sorry, I don't speak Spanish)

Lo Siento, No Hablo Español ( I’m sorry, I don’t speak Spanish)

Mi familia en España y mi compañera de cuarto (My family in Spain and my roommate)
Such wonderful people!

I’m in my pretty little casa with my compañera de cuarto (roommate) after going our first shopping adventure.  This is a necessary shopping trip since I only brought ONE carry-on to Spain. I’ll put up ‘spoiler pictures’ of what I bought just to give you guys a little idea of what Spanish fashion is like but I’ll talk about the experience next time. I already mentioned I really hate shopping, but I was excited for shopping in Sevilla because right now there are awesome sales! In many stores the entire store is 50% off even 70%!). I’m a notorious bargain hunter so this is totally my kind of deal. Plus who doesn’t get excited about shopping in Europe? Nadie (no one). Also I’ll talk about the crazy night-life in Sevilla in the next blog too. So shopping and night-life next time. ¿Vale? (Ok?) That should be fun to write! =D

           

Ok I’m getting a little ahead of myself. So I’m staying with a host family in Sevilla. This is one the scariest parts (for me anyways) of studying abroad because to be honest my Spanish is not that great. And somehow I have to communicate with my host family with the vocab of a three year old. But the really cool thing about my home in Spain is that they have a small guest house across an outdoor patio so my roommate and I have some privacy. Houses in Sevilla are not huge mansions like some American homes, they're muy pequeño (very small) but the house I live in feels very European. The room my roommate and I share is the cutest little pink room (already decorated) with tiled floor painted with intricate Mediterranean looking patterns. And I’m not going to lie…when I first met my host family I was super nervous. They know a little English but not too much so they speak in Spanish to me. Most times I can get the gist of what their saying, but speaking back is muy dificil (difficult). My roommate knows Spanish much better than me so she has been great about translating when I don’t understand. (May I just say how much I love my roommate!) But my family is really wonderful. They have a daughter and a son around my age and are very understanding about my horrible Spanish. We just had a big lunch during siesta. Siesta is when everything closes and everyone goes home for lunch and maybe a nap from 2:00-4:00pm. America take notes. All of us talked for a few hours (me using sign language as a means of communication at times like when I didn’t know the word for 'rainbow'(arcos iris)). I think it’s going to be hard and awkward at times but I'm not going to freak out and get discouraged. Learning a language is tough and there’s going to have to be some ‘learning pains’ in order to master it.

            Finally I just have to say that Sevilla is an incredibly beautiful city. Every building looks so ancient and picture worthy. And there’s so much greenery here as well (I literally live steps away from el Parque de María Luisa which I already know I will be jogging in) so Sevilla doesn’t feel like an urban jungle. (I’ll put up more pictures next time) My roommate and I saw the Plaza de España which was where the pictures were taken in previous blog.Those are definitely the most grand government buildings I’ve ever seen.  I've been to Paris and London (much bigger and more well known than Sevilla). But in my opinon Sevilla rivals even Paris as far as beauty. The views are so breathtaking my roommate and I went a little camera happy for over an hour. I just feel so blessed to be living in what is one of the most gorgeous cities I’ve ever seen!

Blog 2: Vino Blanco, Por Favor (White Wine Please)

Vino Blanco, Por Favor ( White Wine Please)

Note: I’m a little behind with writing…so much has happened since I got here! But the pictures are a preview of the blogs to come. Sevilla is too beautiful for words! ¡Muy muy bonita!

            Finally, finally I’ve set foot in España! I’m currently in Madrid eating a bocadillo con jamón y queso (pretty much a ham and cheese sandwich). I need this moment of peace and relaxation before I board the last flight of my journey. Luckily the flight from Madrid to Sevilla is just over an hour compared to the other painfully long flights I’ve already sat through. 40 hours of travel is just terrible! I’m not going to lie, flying from Hawaii to Spain is not fun. It’s stressful, especially if you’re alone, and requires an incredible amount of patience. The worst thing you can do when travelling solo is to doubt that you can make a long journey alone. I had this mindset when I first set out and that’s when the butterflies in the stomach started to kick in. I started to wish I was back home with my family or in college with the comfort of knowing I had close friends. But to release the anxiety I was feeling, I wrote in my journal ‘I CAN DO THIS.’  It may sound silly but sometimes a little self-reassurance can go a long way. In order to do anything gutsy in your life, you need to have confidence in yourself or else you really will end up letting yourself down or never taking the risk. But now that I’ve made it, it feels like big accomplishment.

            On the flight from New York to Madrid, I had a monumental moment (or maybe it just felt like it at the time). One of the flight attendants was coming down the aisle asking people if they wanted a drink. I noticed some of the Spaniards being handed a rather large cup (in airplane standards) of cerzeva (beer) or different types of vino (wine). And surprisingly it didn’t cost them anything! When the flight attendant came to me, I thought I would be automatically excluded from either drink so I asked for water. But instead the attendant asked if I wanted white or red wine. So I was handed large cup of white wine, which the flight attendant generously filled to the brim. Even though it’s far from sophisticated, I felt rather classy and grown up drinking cheap white wine from a plastic cup. I’m not sure if the flight attendant had just mistaken me as twenty-one or he figured ‘well she’s going to be legal in Spain anyways’ but it felt like an initiation to Spain. Maybe this is how Spaniards endure long flights. They sit back and relax with a cup of wine or beer while watching a TV show or film on the screen on the back of the seat (they were free too!). Now that’s good jet setting if you ask me!

 

Blog 1: ¡España, Aquí Vengo! (Spain, here I come!)

Sevilla, España

For me 2013 is all about adventure, travel, and self-exploration. And for those of you that don’t know, this is because I’m doing a semester abroad in Sevilla, Spain!  For about five months I’ll be living in Spain and after I’m going to travel in Italy. Hopefully I’ll get visit other countries too. No I have not dropped out of college haha. I knew I wanted to do a study abroad ever since I started college and it’s finally happening! So basically this blog is like an online diary for me but also a way for my friends back at home to see what I’m up to and maybe learn a little bit about Spain. Also I hope this blog can help anyone thinking about doing a study abroad. So there’s a little something for everyone I think.

            It’s pretty daunting but also exciting to think that I’m going to be living half way around the world from home. I just learned that Spain is nearly 8000 miles away from Hawai’i! Well that explains why my flight is 40 HOURS long. ¡Dios mio! And I’m flying alone… with no cell phone. I’ll admit I’m a little nervous about it. I’m worried that I won’t be able to navigate Madrid’s massive airport on my own. This is coming from someone who usually flies out of Kahului Airport which is well….my Maui friends will know what I mean haha. Gotta love Maui for its simplicity. But once I finally place my feet on Spanish ground, it will be well worth it I think.

            Now packing is either a girl favorite or least favorite part of travelling. I’m usually ok with it, but this time it was a challenge. My dad told me I should take a carry on luggage so I don’t have to go baggage claim in Madrid and don’t lose my stuff. I don’t think my dad understands that I am a girl and girls have a lot of stuff! Six months worth of things and no check in? But I attacked and conquered so I’m going to have to do a little shopping when I get to Spain (I usually hate shopping, I know I’m weird, but this I can’t really complain about =D) The key to packing light is to take essentials only. Want to bring a flat iron or blow dryer? Better just buy it there. And pack clothes that can mix and match. For me, I’m doing a lot of layering because I want to be able to transition from winter to spring to summer.  Also looking a European fashion blogs helped me understand their style a little better. European fashion appears to be less laid-back than what I’m used to so I bought some classic pieces and a coat for winter. Try on your outfit before hand so there are no surprises when you get there. I suggest packing at least a week in advance so you have time to remember things you have forgotten.

            That’s about it for now! I won’t update that often, but when I do I’ll try to upload pictures as well.  These pics are just of some outfits I'm taking with me. Can’t wait to share my experience living abroad! To all my friends, I will miss you and you all better keep in touch. ¡Hasta luego!