Christmas was great. I had a lot of fun seeing all of my family and friends. I am still in Dallas right now... where I have been living it up! This is the fun part about being back to the States. Over the past couple of weeks I have seen so many people that I haven't seen in forever. It crazy!
I haven't made any New Years Eve plan yet. Part of me wants to go up to Lubbock and celebrate with all of my college buddies... and the other part wants to stay at home and enjoy it while I can. It's still up in the air!
One this is for sure I am NOT ready to start school again! Spanish 1 and 2 wore me out! By the way, I made a "B" in Spanish 2. I am pretty excited about that one!
Well, I guess I will go and do something productive while the day is still young
Brandon
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Friday, December 17, 2004
HOME!
So, I got back to Texas yesterday! It is waay crazy being back. I am glad to be home for the holidays! I kind of miss Europe, but I really feel comfortable now! I am home!
I had a long long travel! I left my apartment around 9:00pm (Spain time) and went to Santa Justa Train Station. Took the AVE (High Speed Train) to Madrid. Once in Madrid we made our way to the Aeropuerto... where we stayed the night! It is "fun" staying the night in an airport. haha. Well, we made it fun!
The next morning we boarded our flight to Miami, where we went thru customs and then caught a connecting flight to DALLAS! home sweet home!
My parents picked me up and helping me with ALL of my luggage. We went to dinner. It felt great to share some of the stories I had. I know no one will ever get to see Europe the way I did... through my eyes. It was one of the best experiences of my life and I will never forget it!
I will go back one day. soon.
I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday! I wish the best for you and yours!
Hasta Luego!
Brandon
I had a long long travel! I left my apartment around 9:00pm (Spain time) and went to Santa Justa Train Station. Took the AVE (High Speed Train) to Madrid. Once in Madrid we made our way to the Aeropuerto... where we stayed the night! It is "fun" staying the night in an airport. haha. Well, we made it fun!
The next morning we boarded our flight to Miami, where we went thru customs and then caught a connecting flight to DALLAS! home sweet home!
My parents picked me up and helping me with ALL of my luggage. We went to dinner. It felt great to share some of the stories I had. I know no one will ever get to see Europe the way I did... through my eyes. It was one of the best experiences of my life and I will never forget it!
I will go back one day. soon.
I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday! I wish the best for you and yours!
Hasta Luego!
Brandon
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Spanish Holiday Fun!
"Spring Break, High 5 WOO!" haha... These past few days have been really cool. Last Thursday in class we had our oral exam. It was pretty rough. I was really nervous studying for it. Aaron was my partner and we pulled through it pretty well. We don’t have our grades back yet, but I was just relieved that it was over.
Friday there were only 4 people (out of 24) in class... and I was not one of them. We were just reviewing some stuff that we went over previously. So I had off school Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday (Spanish Holiday), Tuesday, and Wednesday (Spanish holiday)... and it has been great! I started reading an autobiography. Marlon Brando: Songs my Mother Taught Me. I started on Sunday, and I am about half way through the book. It is kind of weird reading all about someone else’s life, hearing the stories, and perspectives of others. He (so far) led a very different, yet extraordinary life.
Other than that, I have been studying for my Spanish final (which is on the 15th) and hanging out with my friends here in Sevilla. Some people traveled this weekend. I decided to hang back here and enjoy this last break in Spain. I have had a lot of fun going out, and having nothing else to do. No worries. Just enjoying the company of other college students from all over, and meeting new people.
Tomorrow it’s back to the daily grind. We have evening class tomorrow night, but I have to go to the consulate tomorrow and renew my student visa, because it expires before I go back home. Busy day. The countdown is on. I am really going to miss being in Europe, but it will be good to be back in Texas. 8 more days until I land on Texan soil. Until then, Hasta Luego.
(There are some party pictures up on the photobucket... check it out! http://photobucket.com/albums/v518/brandonstokes/ )
Friday there were only 4 people (out of 24) in class... and I was not one of them. We were just reviewing some stuff that we went over previously. So I had off school Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday (Spanish Holiday), Tuesday, and Wednesday (Spanish holiday)... and it has been great! I started reading an autobiography. Marlon Brando: Songs my Mother Taught Me. I started on Sunday, and I am about half way through the book. It is kind of weird reading all about someone else’s life, hearing the stories, and perspectives of others. He (so far) led a very different, yet extraordinary life.
Other than that, I have been studying for my Spanish final (which is on the 15th) and hanging out with my friends here in Sevilla. Some people traveled this weekend. I decided to hang back here and enjoy this last break in Spain. I have had a lot of fun going out, and having nothing else to do. No worries. Just enjoying the company of other college students from all over, and meeting new people.
Tomorrow it’s back to the daily grind. We have evening class tomorrow night, but I have to go to the consulate tomorrow and renew my student visa, because it expires before I go back home. Busy day. The countdown is on. I am really going to miss being in Europe, but it will be good to be back in Texas. 8 more days until I land on Texan soil. Until then, Hasta Luego.
(There are some party pictures up on the photobucket... check it out! http://photobucket.com/albums/v518/brandonstokes/ )
Monday, November 29, 2004
France & Italy!
WHAT A GREAT TRIP!
I really like to travel, but I just don’t see how people do it for years and years. Over the past 8 days I have been to two different countries, and back to Spain. My roommates and I took a train to Madrid and then flew to Paris, France for 4 nights at the beginning of our trip. I really enjoyed myself in Paris. The we continued onto Italy for 4 nights.
Some of the things that I saw in Paris include: Arc de Triomphe, Palace of Versailles,The Conciergerie, The Louvre, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Orsay Museum, Rodin Museum, The Eiffel Tower, La Place de la Concorde, and I also walked down Champs Elysees. Pompidou Center. It was a blast. One of my favorite things had to of been the Rodin Museum. I always like this work, but the pictures do it no justice. Some of his sculptures are so detailed. I must have taken so much time to complete each one. Everything else is pretty much what I expected and more!
We met some guys from Ireland and a girl from Australia. They were really cool. I was great to hang out with people from other countries and see their views on things and how they live their day-to-day lives. I met some really interesting people in France.
On the 5th day in Paris we did some laundry and last minute running around town, and then headed to Italy.
Now I must say that Italy is one of my favorite places that I have been to so far, and I was only in Rome and the Vatican City. There is still so much more that I could have seen. I really enjoyed myself there. The food, the culture, the history! Together they combine to be a great 4 night trip.
Some of the things that I saw in Italy include: The Colosseum, Vittoriano, San Pietro, The Imperial Forums, The Trevi Fountain, The Roman Forums, Piazza di Spagna, Castel Sant’ Angelo, Arco di Costantino, The Pantheon, St. James’, The Sistine Chapel, The Vatican Museum, Museo e Galleria Borghese, and The Picasso exhibit.
I couldn’t get enough. I had to see it all. No matter how exhausted I was from walking around all day and touring things... I kept telling myself "When in Rome..." haha. No really, I didn’t wanna miss anything, in both Italy and France. I wanted to consume as much as I could (in fear that I might not make it back for a long time).
Thanksgiving night we met up with some other Tech students and ate at this great little Italian place. I really enjoyed being around a lot of other people. I made it feel a little like home.
Traveling back home was a horror, but I think after a long trip like this, when you are constantly on the go, and you have more things on your list than you have time for, it is always going to be like that. It was well worth it. I would do it all over again in a heart beat. I am thankful for the opportunity.
I had to start a new photobucket.. cause the other one was FULL! haha. here is the new link... http://photobucket.com/albums/v518/brandonstokes/
OH yea, did I mention I got an "A" on my midterm in Spanish 2! Rock On!
enjoy!
I really like to travel, but I just don’t see how people do it for years and years. Over the past 8 days I have been to two different countries, and back to Spain. My roommates and I took a train to Madrid and then flew to Paris, France for 4 nights at the beginning of our trip. I really enjoyed myself in Paris. The we continued onto Italy for 4 nights.
Some of the things that I saw in Paris include: Arc de Triomphe, Palace of Versailles,The Conciergerie, The Louvre, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Orsay Museum, Rodin Museum, The Eiffel Tower, La Place de la Concorde, and I also walked down Champs Elysees. Pompidou Center. It was a blast. One of my favorite things had to of been the Rodin Museum. I always like this work, but the pictures do it no justice. Some of his sculptures are so detailed. I must have taken so much time to complete each one. Everything else is pretty much what I expected and more!
We met some guys from Ireland and a girl from Australia. They were really cool. I was great to hang out with people from other countries and see their views on things and how they live their day-to-day lives. I met some really interesting people in France.
On the 5th day in Paris we did some laundry and last minute running around town, and then headed to Italy.
Now I must say that Italy is one of my favorite places that I have been to so far, and I was only in Rome and the Vatican City. There is still so much more that I could have seen. I really enjoyed myself there. The food, the culture, the history! Together they combine to be a great 4 night trip.
Some of the things that I saw in Italy include: The Colosseum, Vittoriano, San Pietro, The Imperial Forums, The Trevi Fountain, The Roman Forums, Piazza di Spagna, Castel Sant’ Angelo, Arco di Costantino, The Pantheon, St. James’, The Sistine Chapel, The Vatican Museum, Museo e Galleria Borghese, and The Picasso exhibit.
I couldn’t get enough. I had to see it all. No matter how exhausted I was from walking around all day and touring things... I kept telling myself "When in Rome..." haha. No really, I didn’t wanna miss anything, in both Italy and France. I wanted to consume as much as I could (in fear that I might not make it back for a long time).
Thanksgiving night we met up with some other Tech students and ate at this great little Italian place. I really enjoyed being around a lot of other people. I made it feel a little like home.
Traveling back home was a horror, but I think after a long trip like this, when you are constantly on the go, and you have more things on your list than you have time for, it is always going to be like that. It was well worth it. I would do it all over again in a heart beat. I am thankful for the opportunity.
I had to start a new photobucket.. cause the other one was FULL! haha. here is the new link... http://photobucket.com/albums/v518/brandonstokes/
OH yea, did I mention I got an "A" on my midterm in Spanish 2! Rock On!
enjoy!
Friday, November 19, 2004
Merchant's & Mid-terms
"It’s times like these you learn to live again, it’s times like these you give and get again. It’s times like these you learn to love again. It’s times like these time and time again."
The days are quickly slipping away and before you know I will be back in the States. It is crazy to think that I have less than a month here. This past week was really rough. We had our mid-term in Spanish 2, and I am not quite sure how good I did. I have been a little sick all week. The whole cough/cold/sore throat thing has been circling the center. So I just spent last week studying and recuperating. I feel a little better now... and I will be fantastic if I pass my test... hell, even if I came close.
On Wednesday we invited a class from UPO that is learning English to a local Irish pub called Merchant Malt House. My whole class, some other friends of ours here... in different programs, and a class of Spaniards all got together. It was a lot of fun. We got to meet a lot of new people and practice our Spanish. We reserved the entire second floor of the pub and hung out.
Later in the night some of us went down stairs and ran into Sergio Garcia (he is a famous golfer from Spain...) I got to see him win the Byron Nelson Classic in Dallas this year. Sergio is in Seville because there is a big golf tournament here this weekend. We got to talk to him a little. He seems like a really nice guy. I got to talk to him for a bit and managed to get his autograph on a beer coaster.
After we left Merchant’s, we ended up at Club Catedral, and then to another bar we often go to. The night was a blast. I really hope we get to reserve that place more often. It was a great way to celebrate after that hard mid-term. The rest of the week has gone by pretty fast.
We have a break from classes. The group is traveling through Spain. I opted to travel elsewhere. My roommates and I leave in the morning. We are taking the high speed train (the Ave) to Madrid, and from there gonna catch a plane to Paris, France for 4 nights. Then we are flying to Rome, Italy for 4 nights. There are going to be a lot of people from our group in Rome when we get there. We are supposed to get together for a make shift "Thanksgiving Dinner" ... It should be a lot of fun!
Hasta Luego.
The days are quickly slipping away and before you know I will be back in the States. It is crazy to think that I have less than a month here. This past week was really rough. We had our mid-term in Spanish 2, and I am not quite sure how good I did. I have been a little sick all week. The whole cough/cold/sore throat thing has been circling the center. So I just spent last week studying and recuperating. I feel a little better now... and I will be fantastic if I pass my test... hell, even if I came close.
On Wednesday we invited a class from UPO that is learning English to a local Irish pub called Merchant Malt House. My whole class, some other friends of ours here... in different programs, and a class of Spaniards all got together. It was a lot of fun. We got to meet a lot of new people and practice our Spanish. We reserved the entire second floor of the pub and hung out.
Later in the night some of us went down stairs and ran into Sergio Garcia (he is a famous golfer from Spain...) I got to see him win the Byron Nelson Classic in Dallas this year. Sergio is in Seville because there is a big golf tournament here this weekend. We got to talk to him a little. He seems like a really nice guy. I got to talk to him for a bit and managed to get his autograph on a beer coaster.
After we left Merchant’s, we ended up at Club Catedral, and then to another bar we often go to. The night was a blast. I really hope we get to reserve that place more often. It was a great way to celebrate after that hard mid-term. The rest of the week has gone by pretty fast.
We have a break from classes. The group is traveling through Spain. I opted to travel elsewhere. My roommates and I leave in the morning. We are taking the high speed train (the Ave) to Madrid, and from there gonna catch a plane to Paris, France for 4 nights. Then we are flying to Rome, Italy for 4 nights. There are going to be a lot of people from our group in Rome when we get there. We are supposed to get together for a make shift "Thanksgiving Dinner" ... It should be a lot of fun!
Hasta Luego.
Sunday, November 07, 2004
¡Feliz Cumpleaños a mí!
Someone once said... you are not getting older, you are getting better. As my birthday passes I find myself wishing time will stand still and I will stay 21 forever! I might be asking a little too much though. I had entirely too much fun celebrating my birthday.
Thursday night after dinner I went to the internet café to get online, and the e-mails had already started to come in! It was great to hear from everyone. That night after midnight we went out to start the celebration off right... (since it was officially my birthday!) We kinda hopped around from place to place. I didn’t get in until late. The majority of us skipped class on Friday (which I had planned on doing earlier in the week) ... I wanted to have a day off to do something different in the city. Only 10 people ... out of 24 went to class on Friday. The rest slept in! Haha.
Friday, I got up just before lunch and Isa made me a special lunch. She also had a birthday cake there for me! It was really nice. The cake was decorated really nice. She really made me feel special. After lunch I met up with a few friends and went down to Plaza Nervion... and walked around and got some ice cream. It was a lot of fun just walking around the city.
Thursday night after dinner I went to the internet café to get online, and the e-mails had already started to come in! It was great to hear from everyone. That night after midnight we went out to start the celebration off right... (since it was officially my birthday!) We kinda hopped around from place to place. I didn’t get in until late. The majority of us skipped class on Friday (which I had planned on doing earlier in the week) ... I wanted to have a day off to do something different in the city. Only 10 people ... out of 24 went to class on Friday. The rest slept in! Haha.
Friday, I got up just before lunch and Isa made me a special lunch. She also had a birthday cake there for me! It was really nice. The cake was decorated really nice. She really made me feel special. After lunch I met up with a few friends and went down to Plaza Nervion... and walked around and got some ice cream. It was a lot of fun just walking around the city.
After I got home I hung around the house for a little bit and watched some tv. Around 8:30 about 15 of my friends went out to eat at this Italian place. It was really good. A few of them chipped in and surprised me with another cake. Haha. We went to the park near my house and cut the cake and ate it. Then we started to Botellion in the park (which is basically like a party in the streets)...
A Chinese lady walked by selling stuff. My friends thought it would be cool to buy me a "birthday hat" and make me wear it at every club we went to. I looked ridiculous ... but really too happy to care.
After that we just hopped around from bar to bar to club. I had a really good time. I got home around 7:15am and crashed out. Thanks to everyone for the gifts, cakes, chocolates (brought to me all the way from Germany), the phone calls, the birthday cards, the money, coming out and showing me a good time...and overall....making this the best birthday ever!
There are some pictures up on the photobucket. There are more to come! http://photobucket.com/albums/v461/brandon5/ "Birthday Pics"
After that we just hopped around from bar to bar to club. I had a really good time. I got home around 7:15am and crashed out. Thanks to everyone for the gifts, cakes, chocolates (brought to me all the way from Germany), the phone calls, the birthday cards, the money, coming out and showing me a good time...and overall....making this the best birthday ever!
There are some pictures up on the photobucket. There are more to come! http://photobucket.com/albums/v461/brandon5/ "Birthday Pics"
Monday, November 01, 2004
Morocco!
I woke up bright and early on Saturday morning to leave for Tarifa (known as the Hawaii of Spain) ... I went out the night before and just before going home I had a hamburger from a street stand. Not a good idea. The weekend started off poorly. I found myself on a 3 hour bus ride with food poisoning, and I definitely paid for it. After we arrived and found our Hostal... and a Farmacia... I started feeling a little better. Ali and I went on the early bus, and everyone else came on the 3 o’clock bus. (Hunter, Christine, Candice, Mike, Michelle, Amanda, and Sara)... We went down to the beach and watched all of the Kite-Surfers. It was really cool. I have never seen that up close. It really looked like a lot of fun. There were a ton of billabong and hurley shops all along the streets. It really felt like Hawaiian atmosphere. We went into a lot of the shops and stuff and looked around. Once everyone else got there we went to the Surf Kebab place and got a Kebab Pita. It was so good... I love the kebab places. That night we didn’t do much. I wasn’t sure if I was going to get to keep my dinner for too long. Haha. We ended up just hanging out and hitting the sack fairly early. That night I ran a little bit of a fever.... from the food poisoning. Just my luck.
We all got up early the next morning and bought a fairy ticket to the town of Tanger in Morocco, Africa. The boat that we went over on can hold 500 people and up to 40 vehicles. It was huge. When we arrived we met up with a man that was going to give us a tour. We all hopped into this Mercedes van and he took us all through the town and our first destination was to see some camels. I got to ride a camel! It was so weird... something I will probably never get the chance to do again. It is crazy because the camel gets down on all fours so you can get on its back and then stands back up.
Next we went through the city some more and saw a fruit and veggie market. The diverse culture was very picturesque for us. I took a lot of pictures hoping I would never forget seeing the things I saw while in Morocco. We had all been forewarned about safety issues while in Africa... so we all stuck together and made sure everything was stellar. We had lunch at a really nice Moroccan Restaurant. I got to try Cous Cous... and a beef kebab, and mint leaf tea. It was a really good meal. I was impressed with the place. There was a Moroccan band playing throughout our meal. Very impressive. The culture there is so amazing. Although a lot of the area lives amongst poverty and such... they really make and grow things themselves sufficiently. They are known for their pottery and hand stitched rugs and throw blankets.
After that we went to a lot of the Moroccan markets. I bought some Moroccan drums. They are so awesome. (I have no idea how to get them back to The States... but I guess we’ll see) Some of the other people bought some cool rugs, wood carved boxes, clothes, silver daggers, more drums, and jewelry. Some things were cheap... some of the things weren’t so cheap (especially the hand stitched rugs... they were truly amazing looking)
In the streets we were bombarded with people trying to sell us things. It was so crazy. All the kids kept coming up asking us for money. As much as someone might want to stop and give a kid some money.... you know better because it is easier for someone to steal your money or you have 10 other kids come up and ask for some as well. Our tour guide kept a lot of the people in check. If someone was bothering us he would help us tell them to leave. I honestly never felt like I was in danger. I am glad that we had a tour guide... but I don’t think it is as bad as people make it to be.
At the end of the evening we went back to the fairy and went back to Tarifa. I took with me some really cool purchases and a completely new perspective on life, and diversity that National Geographics cannot offer.
When we got back we grabbed something to eat and rested for a bit. It was Halloween night, and we saw a couple of kids running around with costumes ... but it’s not really celebrated as much here. That night we went to a place to get some food and a couple of drinks, and then went to a bar where it was decorated and the bartenders were dressed up for Halloween. It was pretty cool to see all of this going on! It made me think about home a lot.
We got up the next morning and caught the bus back to Sevilla. I am so glad that I got the opportunity to go to Africa. What an amazing weekend!
(Check out the new albums TARIFA and MOROCCO AFRICA! Those two albums have pictures from this weekend!) http://photobucket.com/albums/v461/brandon5/
We all got up early the next morning and bought a fairy ticket to the town of Tanger in Morocco, Africa. The boat that we went over on can hold 500 people and up to 40 vehicles. It was huge. When we arrived we met up with a man that was going to give us a tour. We all hopped into this Mercedes van and he took us all through the town and our first destination was to see some camels. I got to ride a camel! It was so weird... something I will probably never get the chance to do again. It is crazy because the camel gets down on all fours so you can get on its back and then stands back up.
Next we went through the city some more and saw a fruit and veggie market. The diverse culture was very picturesque for us. I took a lot of pictures hoping I would never forget seeing the things I saw while in Morocco. We had all been forewarned about safety issues while in Africa... so we all stuck together and made sure everything was stellar. We had lunch at a really nice Moroccan Restaurant. I got to try Cous Cous... and a beef kebab, and mint leaf tea. It was a really good meal. I was impressed with the place. There was a Moroccan band playing throughout our meal. Very impressive. The culture there is so amazing. Although a lot of the area lives amongst poverty and such... they really make and grow things themselves sufficiently. They are known for their pottery and hand stitched rugs and throw blankets.
After that we went to a lot of the Moroccan markets. I bought some Moroccan drums. They are so awesome. (I have no idea how to get them back to The States... but I guess we’ll see) Some of the other people bought some cool rugs, wood carved boxes, clothes, silver daggers, more drums, and jewelry. Some things were cheap... some of the things weren’t so cheap (especially the hand stitched rugs... they were truly amazing looking)
In the streets we were bombarded with people trying to sell us things. It was so crazy. All the kids kept coming up asking us for money. As much as someone might want to stop and give a kid some money.... you know better because it is easier for someone to steal your money or you have 10 other kids come up and ask for some as well. Our tour guide kept a lot of the people in check. If someone was bothering us he would help us tell them to leave. I honestly never felt like I was in danger. I am glad that we had a tour guide... but I don’t think it is as bad as people make it to be.
At the end of the evening we went back to the fairy and went back to Tarifa. I took with me some really cool purchases and a completely new perspective on life, and diversity that National Geographics cannot offer.
When we got back we grabbed something to eat and rested for a bit. It was Halloween night, and we saw a couple of kids running around with costumes ... but it’s not really celebrated as much here. That night we went to a place to get some food and a couple of drinks, and then went to a bar where it was decorated and the bartenders were dressed up for Halloween. It was pretty cool to see all of this going on! It made me think about home a lot.
We got up the next morning and caught the bus back to Sevilla. I am so glad that I got the opportunity to go to Africa. What an amazing weekend!
(Check out the new albums TARIFA and MOROCCO AFRICA! Those two albums have pictures from this weekend!) http://photobucket.com/albums/v461/brandon5/
Thursday, October 28, 2004
...and then there were 3
One of my roommates, Paul, left for the States yesterday. He only needed the first 6 credits of Spanish... so he is back in Texas! It is kind of weird. After class (the day before Paul left) we went all around the city because he needed to get some things to take back. We stopped and had a couple of beers here and there and then continued on. That night we went out to eat with some friends to celebrate Paul’s last night in town. Then we went to a couple of bars that we normally go to. At the end of the night (or early morning) we went back and I helped him get all of his stuff together and went downstairs and put him in a cab. Our Senora (Isabel) was really sad to see him go. The house is going to be different without Paul. Hell, Sevilla will be different. He is one crazy kid.
It is definitely more of a reality now that I only have about 7 weeks left here. Time is flying by, and as much as I miss all of my family and friends... it is going to be weird once I am back in the States. I have adapted (or at least I think I have anyway...) to the Spanish culture and lifestyle. I enjoy living in the city. Sometimes I think about what it is going to be like when I get back. Obviously I have grown a lot during my time here (and I am merely half way through) I wonder how different the people that I surround myself will be. 4 months (in college days) can really feel like an eternity. I am definitely going to sit back and watch things unfold.
Currently I am worried about my Spanish two class. I thought the other one was going to be bad. Hmmm well this one is going to be worse! Tomorrow I am going to Tarrifa with a group of friends. Tarifa is known as the Hawaii of Spain. It is going to be awesome. On Saturday we are going to take a fairy across the Strait of Gibralter into Morocco, AFRICA! Oh yea, that is right... add another country onto the count! :)
I hope all is going well with you all. There is a new album of Paul’s last night here in Sevilla. Check em out! http://photobucket.com/albums/v461/brandon5/
It is definitely more of a reality now that I only have about 7 weeks left here. Time is flying by, and as much as I miss all of my family and friends... it is going to be weird once I am back in the States. I have adapted (or at least I think I have anyway...) to the Spanish culture and lifestyle. I enjoy living in the city. Sometimes I think about what it is going to be like when I get back. Obviously I have grown a lot during my time here (and I am merely half way through) I wonder how different the people that I surround myself will be. 4 months (in college days) can really feel like an eternity. I am definitely going to sit back and watch things unfold.
Currently I am worried about my Spanish two class. I thought the other one was going to be bad. Hmmm well this one is going to be worse! Tomorrow I am going to Tarrifa with a group of friends. Tarifa is known as the Hawaii of Spain. It is going to be awesome. On Saturday we are going to take a fairy across the Strait of Gibralter into Morocco, AFRICA! Oh yea, that is right... add another country onto the count! :)
I hope all is going well with you all. There is a new album of Paul’s last night here in Sevilla. Check em out! http://photobucket.com/albums/v461/brandon5/
Monday, October 25, 2004
Portugal!
Well I can honestly say that I have been to the "End of the World" and back... Friday morning we set off for Portugal. Our first stop was for something to eat and continued on to Sagres. It is in the southern part where we got to see the "End of the World"... or so explorers used to thing before time (and columbus) would actually prove them wrong. Sagres was amazing. I kept singing "it’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine" Gotta love REM! We visited Prince Henry’s School of Navigation.
Next we continued on to Lisbon. We traveled into the city on a giant bridge that looked like the Golden Gate in SF... we also saw this huge aqueduct that was built in 1975 after a huge earthquake. We arrived and checked into our hotel. It was later in the day so we all went out to eat at this restaurant call "Chimarra’s". We have places similar in the States. Basically we paid 12 Euros and it was a buffet of sides a the men that worked there walked around and sliced all different kinds of meat off into your plate. It was great... and cheap! We all stuffed ourselves and headed out. We didn’t do much the first night... we just all hung out together and experienced the city a little bit.
The next morning the group left to go see a couple places on the itinerary... Jared (a buddy of mine) and I slept in ... because we wanted to do our own thing. We got up and oriented ourselves on the map... and went to grab a quick bite. We saw so much in the city! I loved it, and I am so glad that we didn’t go with the group. I feel like we got to see what they saw plus many other things that we wanted to. We allotted ourselves as much time as we wanted and saw everything! The Jeronomite Monestary was one of my favorites. We visited the building where they used to hold political sessions. Jared and I also went to this outdoor gallery they had. It was called From the Top of the World. And they were all areal photographs. It was really cool. They had a big picture of the Twin Towers.
That night we all got ready and went to the Docas (The Docks). Basically they are old warehouses that have been converted into fancy clubs, restaurants, and bars. We went to about 4 different clubs. They were all packed and hopping. The clubs in Lisbon are pretty cool. Then everyone wanted to go to The Lux. It is like one of the top 35 clubs in the world! Let me just fill you in on a little information first. The clubs there can charge basically whatever they want. Most of the time if you pay a 10 euro cover... it comes with 2 or 3 free drink passes. The Lux is a famous club, and it is also famous for being pretty cheap at the start of the night (around 12 euros) and once they start filling up... they are really expensive to get into. We get there (a group of about 8 OBVIOUS Americans) and it is well into the night ...(early for them) ... and we stand in line to get in. We approached the door ... and without even cracking a smile the door man said "that will be 180 euros." ...I automatically thought he was talking about the entire group. I was quickly corrected. Hmmm, 180 each! After we picked up our jaws, we hailed a cab and continued elsewhere. There were brazillian and Portugese people going in left and right ... apparently they were "members" haha. We got the shaft. Realized it and left! Haha.
We continued on throughout the night. Then headed back to the hotel and crashed out... only to get up a couple hours later and had breakfast and headed back. We stopped off at a battle field (Batalla de la Albuera, 1811) It was pretty cool. Dr. Ingles told us all about it. He brought a sword the was more than likely used in that battle and we got to use it chopping up melons. Some people in the group searched the ground for little buck shots from the battle.
That is all I have for now. I started Spanish 2 today. The teacher is going to be extremely hard... I can already tell! My trip is about half way over now! My 21st birthday is at the end of next week. I am pretty excited about that... but I am not sure what I wanna do yet... hmm ... Well, make sure you check out the Portugal album! http://photobucket.com/albums/v461/brandon5/
Hope all is well. Talk to you soon!
Brandon
Next we continued on to Lisbon. We traveled into the city on a giant bridge that looked like the Golden Gate in SF... we also saw this huge aqueduct that was built in 1975 after a huge earthquake. We arrived and checked into our hotel. It was later in the day so we all went out to eat at this restaurant call "Chimarra’s". We have places similar in the States. Basically we paid 12 Euros and it was a buffet of sides a the men that worked there walked around and sliced all different kinds of meat off into your plate. It was great... and cheap! We all stuffed ourselves and headed out. We didn’t do much the first night... we just all hung out together and experienced the city a little bit.
The next morning the group left to go see a couple places on the itinerary... Jared (a buddy of mine) and I slept in ... because we wanted to do our own thing. We got up and oriented ourselves on the map... and went to grab a quick bite. We saw so much in the city! I loved it, and I am so glad that we didn’t go with the group. I feel like we got to see what they saw plus many other things that we wanted to. We allotted ourselves as much time as we wanted and saw everything! The Jeronomite Monestary was one of my favorites. We visited the building where they used to hold political sessions. Jared and I also went to this outdoor gallery they had. It was called From the Top of the World. And they were all areal photographs. It was really cool. They had a big picture of the Twin Towers.
That night we all got ready and went to the Docas (The Docks). Basically they are old warehouses that have been converted into fancy clubs, restaurants, and bars. We went to about 4 different clubs. They were all packed and hopping. The clubs in Lisbon are pretty cool. Then everyone wanted to go to The Lux. It is like one of the top 35 clubs in the world! Let me just fill you in on a little information first. The clubs there can charge basically whatever they want. Most of the time if you pay a 10 euro cover... it comes with 2 or 3 free drink passes. The Lux is a famous club, and it is also famous for being pretty cheap at the start of the night (around 12 euros) and once they start filling up... they are really expensive to get into. We get there (a group of about 8 OBVIOUS Americans) and it is well into the night ...(early for them) ... and we stand in line to get in. We approached the door ... and without even cracking a smile the door man said "that will be 180 euros." ...I automatically thought he was talking about the entire group. I was quickly corrected. Hmmm, 180 each! After we picked up our jaws, we hailed a cab and continued elsewhere. There were brazillian and Portugese people going in left and right ... apparently they were "members" haha. We got the shaft. Realized it and left! Haha.
We continued on throughout the night. Then headed back to the hotel and crashed out... only to get up a couple hours later and had breakfast and headed back. We stopped off at a battle field (Batalla de la Albuera, 1811) It was pretty cool. Dr. Ingles told us all about it. He brought a sword the was more than likely used in that battle and we got to use it chopping up melons. Some people in the group searched the ground for little buck shots from the battle.
That is all I have for now. I started Spanish 2 today. The teacher is going to be extremely hard... I can already tell! My trip is about half way over now! My 21st birthday is at the end of next week. I am pretty excited about that... but I am not sure what I wanna do yet... hmm ... Well, make sure you check out the Portugal album! http://photobucket.com/albums/v461/brandon5/
Hope all is well. Talk to you soon!
Brandon
Thursday, October 21, 2004
Spanish 1 is OVER!
So I am officially done with Spanish 1! I took my final exam for the first 6 credit hours this morning. I am so glad that is finally over! This test just about killed me. I have been so stressed out about it. I still don’t know my grade in the class, but I know that I passed... and that is all that matters (right Mom and Dad? Haha)
So my photobucket site that I have been using... I went over the "free space" amount... so I had to delete a lot of the pictures off there.. So I could show post more for future trips... hopefully you all got a chance to look at them. About 1/2 of them are still on the site... There is a new pic in the Wake boarding album... of some of our friends from Gettysburg. They are pretty cool!
I leave for Portugal in the morning... It is going to be awesome! I am excited about going to another country... I will tell you all about it when I get back!
So my photobucket site that I have been using... I went over the "free space" amount... so I had to delete a lot of the pictures off there.. So I could show post more for future trips... hopefully you all got a chance to look at them. About 1/2 of them are still on the site... There is a new pic in the Wake boarding album... of some of our friends from Gettysburg. They are pretty cool!
I leave for Portugal in the morning... It is going to be awesome! I am excited about going to another country... I will tell you all about it when I get back!
Sunday, October 17, 2004
2004 Wake Board Championship
Vamos a ver... (here we go...)
What a great weekend. It was the Wake Board World Championship in Sevilla. It was a lot of fun. Thursday after class ...6 or so of us went down by the river to watch the qualifying rounds. It is really pretty down in that area and I enjoyed myself. Wake boarding is a lot of fun to watch. Friday we stopped down there and it was the Jr’s tournament... We didn’t stay too long cause we had other things to do. Friday we met up with some girls near my house and hung out all night. Ended up at Stiffler’s bar (we call it that cause there is a picture of Sean William Scott "Stiffler" and the owner up in the bar... he was here last winter) and then came home. Saturday morning I woke up and met a few friends at Kroxan’s for some Tinto de Verano and headed to watch the Pro Men’s finals. There were a ton of people at the wake boarding competition! (I took pictures ... and most of them turned out kinda bad because it was fast movement.. but if u look on the pictures with the boats you can normally see the wake boarder flipping in the air...) It was crowded and there were vendors everywhere. We met people from all over the world that were in the tour. There was also a kid named Martine (7 years old) from Madrid competing. These guys and girls get to travel all over the world and see some of the best beaches because of Wake Boarding! I have never been to something like this before and I never expected to see something like this in Sevilla. It was quite an experience. I met a lot of people and enjoyed good conversation. I needed a down weekend like this! Sunday I didn’t do much. Went to Starbucks and studied for a quiz that I have Monday. Next stop for the tour... Australia! Next stop for me.... class! Thursday we have our final for Spanish 1. Next weekend I am going to Portugal and then I start Spanish 2. It is "crunch time" here in Sevilla. I have so much going on and I don’t feel like I have enough time to do it. I hope I do good on this test!
CLICK the link to see my VIDEO... it should automatically play in whatever media player you have on your computer. http://www.aarondickens.com/images/wakeboarding.avi
Hasta Luego mi amigos!
(check out the new Wake Board album..)
http://photobucket.com/albums/v461/brandon5/
What a great weekend. It was the Wake Board World Championship in Sevilla. It was a lot of fun. Thursday after class ...6 or so of us went down by the river to watch the qualifying rounds. It is really pretty down in that area and I enjoyed myself. Wake boarding is a lot of fun to watch. Friday we stopped down there and it was the Jr’s tournament... We didn’t stay too long cause we had other things to do. Friday we met up with some girls near my house and hung out all night. Ended up at Stiffler’s bar (we call it that cause there is a picture of Sean William Scott "Stiffler" and the owner up in the bar... he was here last winter) and then came home. Saturday morning I woke up and met a few friends at Kroxan’s for some Tinto de Verano and headed to watch the Pro Men’s finals. There were a ton of people at the wake boarding competition! (I took pictures ... and most of them turned out kinda bad because it was fast movement.. but if u look on the pictures with the boats you can normally see the wake boarder flipping in the air...) It was crowded and there were vendors everywhere. We met people from all over the world that were in the tour. There was also a kid named Martine (7 years old) from Madrid competing. These guys and girls get to travel all over the world and see some of the best beaches because of Wake Boarding! I have never been to something like this before and I never expected to see something like this in Sevilla. It was quite an experience. I met a lot of people and enjoyed good conversation. I needed a down weekend like this! Sunday I didn’t do much. Went to Starbucks and studied for a quiz that I have Monday. Next stop for the tour... Australia! Next stop for me.... class! Thursday we have our final for Spanish 1. Next weekend I am going to Portugal and then I start Spanish 2. It is "crunch time" here in Sevilla. I have so much going on and I don’t feel like I have enough time to do it. I hope I do good on this test!
CLICK the link to see my VIDEO... it should automatically play in whatever media player you have on your computer. http://www.aarondickens.com/images/wakeboarding.avi
Hasta Luego mi amigos!
(check out the new Wake Board album..)
http://photobucket.com/albums/v461/brandon5/
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
LONDON!
Good Day Chaps!
I just got back into Sevilla from LONDON, ENGLAND! It was one of the best 5 day trips I have ever had! It was such a good time. I spent loads of money but it was really worth it!
We arrived in London around 4pm on Friday (I don’t even want to talk about traveling! What a day!) We caught a cab from Liverpool Station to Astor Hyde Park Hostal and checked in. The hostal was good. We were all in separate bunk rooms. The room that I was in slept 8 people. After that we kind of familiarized ourselves with the area that we were in and went to some shops and stuff. We ended up at this Chinese food place for dinner which was a little different, but good.
Saturday: got up early and had breakfast at the hostal. We took the Tube (the Underground Subway) to St. James Park. It was really nice. We also saw St. James Palace. Chris, Aaron and I wanted through the park to get to Buckingham Palace. After we left there we walked down to Westminster Abbey area. Westminster Abby is a living church as well as an architectural masterpiece. It has a very gothic style. We also saw Big Ben and The House of Parliament. I really enjoyed this area. There were some protest signs up over there also. We visited Trafalgar Square and The National Gallery (which was amazing). I got to see collections from Rembrandt, Claude, Canaletto, Monet, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Van Gogh, Pierp della Francesca, as well as many other artists. It was great. If my 8th grade art teacher could only see me now, ha! It was weird cause I knew or studied a lot of this art during school (when I was younger) and now I had the chance to see it up close. Next we went to the British Museum and saw an awesome exhibit on Mummies. The British Museum was huge! We went down to Piccadilly Circus, The SoHo District, China Town, and Oxford Circus. I wish you all could have seen it!
That night back at the hostal we made a few friends and all went to Hard Rock Café to eat dinner. It was really good. This one girl named Jess just graduated from college (she is from Massachusetts) and she has just been traveling all over Europe for the past couple of months. It was really cool to hear about all of the interesting places she had been and the people she had met!
Sunday: We went back to Buckingham to see the Changing of The Gaurds. It was quite interesting to see how they do this (and they do it just about everyday!) Jess came with us... it was nice to have an addition to the group. We went to Abbey Road and stood on the very spot the Beatles did for the famous CD Cover. This really made my day! One of the coolest experiences ever! Then we went to The Tower of London and The Tower Bridge. There is so much history in this city!
After that we got tickets to see The Complete Works of Shakespear (Abridged). It was at Criterion Theatre, in Piccadilly Circus. It was so funny. I had such a good time seeing the play. That night Me, Jess, Chris, Hi (a girl from Japan that we met), Aaron and Neil (a guy from France that we met)... It was good!
Monday: Jess and I hung out all day. We went to The Dickens House. It is where Charles Dickens used to live. The Sherlock Holmes Museum, Notting Hill Gate, Portobelo Market, and then to The Gate Cinema to see a movie... The Motorcycle Diaries (a book I am currently reading about ‘Che’ Guevara’s mid-20's trip all over South America.
Tuesday was pretty much full of traveling and we made it back here to Sevilla safely and exhausted! Ahh I have so much more to say about all of this but not enough time to do so. I have a test tomorrow in Spanish which is going to whoop my butt.
CHECK OUT THE NEW LONDON ALBUM!
Hasta Luego!
Sunday, October 03, 2004
CADIZ!
Hola, from Sevilla. This are going pretty good here. I just got back from an amazing weekend in Cadiz. Mike, Candice, Hunter, Christine, Allison and I all took a train to the beach. The train right was nice. It was almost 2 hours away. The province is true ancient history. Cadiz was settled over 3,000 years... ago which makes province the oldest in the Western World. The city was awesome.
We arrived and checked into Hostal Marques. It was a one star hotal. Enough said. Haha. No, it really wasn’t that bad, but it was small and kind of hot. We checked in, changed into our beach clothes and went directly to the beach. After hanging out on the beach all day... soaking up the sun, we went back to get cleaned up and went out to dinner. Good conversation. Good meal. Good times. There were lots of cool little shops and stuff all over the city.
The following morning we checked out of the hostal, and went to grab some Burger King. Allison and I wanted to stay the whole weekend, so we went to find another Hostal (a nicer one.. Haha) ... so we saw them off to the train station and we checked in and went around to some more shops and stuff. We went to check out the Cathedral there. It was beautiful. We sat on the steps as a flamanco guitarist played in the courtyard. He was really good. It was nice. There were lots of shops and restaurants around. The little kids were chasing the pigeons around. Alli and I ended up buying his CD. It’s awesome.
After that we went back to the beach all day. It was great just relaxing on the beach. I had a really good time. I am glad she and I decided to stay! We met some more Americans that were from Seattle. After we got done at the beach we stopped off for something to drink at this little café and went up stairs to get cleaned up. Our hostal was so much nicer. It was a 2 or 3 star hostal with our own bathroom, sat. tv, and air conditioning... Hallelujah! It was great.
We went down to this nice little Italian place and had the best food, and ordered a bottle of wine. Then we went down to the beach to check it out at night time. The wind was blowing hard and it was "muy frio". Today we got up and went to this café to get a Bocadillio (sandwich) and then around the corner to get a pastry. Then we slowly but surely made our way to the train station.
Once we got back here we ended up at the Tex-Mex place for some good food and NFL with a few of our other friends. Good weekend.
OK PICTURES ARE UP... sorry about the quality. They are scanned in ... because I forgot my digital @ mi casa. Enjoy! http://photobucket.com/albums/v461/brandon5/
Hope all is well. Adios!
We arrived and checked into Hostal Marques. It was a one star hotal. Enough said. Haha. No, it really wasn’t that bad, but it was small and kind of hot. We checked in, changed into our beach clothes and went directly to the beach. After hanging out on the beach all day... soaking up the sun, we went back to get cleaned up and went out to dinner. Good conversation. Good meal. Good times. There were lots of cool little shops and stuff all over the city.
The following morning we checked out of the hostal, and went to grab some Burger King. Allison and I wanted to stay the whole weekend, so we went to find another Hostal (a nicer one.. Haha) ... so we saw them off to the train station and we checked in and went around to some more shops and stuff. We went to check out the Cathedral there. It was beautiful. We sat on the steps as a flamanco guitarist played in the courtyard. He was really good. It was nice. There were lots of shops and restaurants around. The little kids were chasing the pigeons around. Alli and I ended up buying his CD. It’s awesome.
After that we went back to the beach all day. It was great just relaxing on the beach. I had a really good time. I am glad she and I decided to stay! We met some more Americans that were from Seattle. After we got done at the beach we stopped off for something to drink at this little café and went up stairs to get cleaned up. Our hostal was so much nicer. It was a 2 or 3 star hostal with our own bathroom, sat. tv, and air conditioning... Hallelujah! It was great.
We went down to this nice little Italian place and had the best food, and ordered a bottle of wine. Then we went down to the beach to check it out at night time. The wind was blowing hard and it was "muy frio". Today we got up and went to this café to get a Bocadillio (sandwich) and then around the corner to get a pastry. Then we slowly but surely made our way to the train station.
Once we got back here we ended up at the Tex-Mex place for some good food and NFL with a few of our other friends. Good weekend.
OK PICTURES ARE UP... sorry about the quality. They are scanned in ... because I forgot my digital @ mi casa. Enjoy! http://photobucket.com/albums/v461/brandon5/
Hope all is well. Adios!
Saturday, September 25, 2004
Corridas de Toros & Sevillian/Flamanco Dancing
Sunday night the group went to the Sevilla Arena and watched a bull fight. It was quite interesting. A corrida starts with the paseillo, when everybody involved in the bullfight enters the ring and presents themselves to the president and public. Two alguacilillos on horseback look up to the president's box and symbolically ask for the keys to the puerta de los toriles.
Behind that door the bulls are waiting. When the door opens and the first bull enters the spectacle starts for real. It consists of three parts, called tercios ("thirds"), the separation of which is signalled with a bugle call. There are three toreros-bullfighters (the better-known word "toreador")-in each corrida, each being allotted two bulls. In the first tercio the bullfighter uses the capote, a rather large cape that is a pinkish-mauve colour on one side and yellow on the other. Now the two picadors enter on horseback, armed with a sort of lance.
The second tercio is la suerte de banderillas. Three banderilleros must stick a pair of banderillas into the charging bull's back. In the final suerte suprema the bullfighter uses the muleta, a small red cloth draped from a stick. He has to show his mastery to dominate the bull, and to establish an artistic symbiosis between man and beast. The corrida ends with the torero using his sword to kill the bull. It was quite .... hmmm it was interesting. I have never seen a man kill a bull with a sword.
Aside from that... 5:00pm this evening we had a Sevillian / Flamanco Dance lesson. They are starting a little class up at the school. They brought in professional dancers to teach. We didn't really do a whole lot besides learn basics and watch them dance. If we attended this class we got extra credit on our exam tomorrow.... and since we need everything we can get... everyone went. There are like 15 people signing up for the class.. I on the under hand will not be partaking in the class. I am a big white boy with no rhythm haha. It was interesting to see I guess.
Check out the new pictures I uploaded from the Corridas de Toros
http://photobucket.com/albums/v461/brandon5/
I also added a MISC. PIC album... if you want to check that out!
Friday, September 24, 2004
GRANADA!
¡Hola Amigos!
I am now back in Sevilla. The Granada trip was by far the best trip so far! We studied intensely on Monday and Tuesday to cram in a week's worth of class work, and all of our hard work has paid off. What's not to like? Granada is a city charged with history located in a picturesque spot amongst the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Probably one of the only cities in Spain where you can travel 20 minutes up the mountain and ski or travel 30 minutes south and enjoy a day at the beach!
Wednesday we saw the Jeronomite Monastery with one-of-a-kind design in the main chapel which could be described as elaborate Renaissance. The other highlight Wednesday was viewing the burial place and actual coffins of Isabella and Ferdinand at The Cathedral. We also walked through all of the Morrocan style bazaars and the hilly streets of Granada. Next a few of us on the way back stopped at a bar to have some Tapas and a couple of beers. La Hotel Gran Luna de Granada was awesome. A true 4 star hotel that suited my ever need and most of my wants. It was in a good area and had a fantastic air conditioner! haha.
Wednesday night we went to this Plaza that over looked the infamous Alhambra. It is one of the seven wonders of the modern world! We arrived just at sunset and it was one of the best views ever! We were up on a hill... Looking across to it, and down in the valley where the rest of the city lay. You'll understand what I mean once you see the pictures!
Night life in Granada was everything I expected and more. We walked down hill to the Plaza Nueva and went to some Irish Pub ... There was a group of about 10 of us or so, and about 8 of us continued onto a local club ... Some promoter gave us coupons in the street so we got a lot of discounted drinks. I talked to a gorgeous Spanish girl. She knew some English.... And I know a little Spanish... haha it was interesting.
Thursday was a mostly a free day and we wandered around the city and had some good food... and slept a much as possible. At 10pm, we took a night tour of La Alhambra. It made it harder to take pictures on the inside, but it definitely made the tour ten times better. The building is truly amazing!
Friday morning I got up and had some breakfast and went out and about to all of the markets and Arabic and Moroccan shops to pick up a few things, and then we headed back to board the bus. About half way home we stopped at this cool little place to grab lunch. The director told us that there was a surprise... And that is that the cost was already included and told us to order whatever we wanted .... It was being paid for by the TTU Center and left over excursion fees. $1,000 later (and a bunch of well fed Texas Tech students and faculty)... We went outside to looked at the river and the trout farm. It was very cool!
Well that is my 3 day Granada trip. I had an amazing time and I would love to go back! I hope you are all doing great! Tomorrow morning (Saturday) we have to meet at a supermarket for class.... Basically we are shopping in Spanish for a grade. Tomorrow night we are going to see the bull fight! I will let you all know how that goes!
Well, have a good one and I will talk to you all soon!
CHECK OUT THE NEW GRANADA ALBUM!
http://photobucket.com/albums/v461/brandon5/
I am now back in Sevilla. The Granada trip was by far the best trip so far! We studied intensely on Monday and Tuesday to cram in a week's worth of class work, and all of our hard work has paid off. What's not to like? Granada is a city charged with history located in a picturesque spot amongst the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Probably one of the only cities in Spain where you can travel 20 minutes up the mountain and ski or travel 30 minutes south and enjoy a day at the beach!
Wednesday we saw the Jeronomite Monastery with one-of-a-kind design in the main chapel which could be described as elaborate Renaissance. The other highlight Wednesday was viewing the burial place and actual coffins of Isabella and Ferdinand at The Cathedral. We also walked through all of the Morrocan style bazaars and the hilly streets of Granada. Next a few of us on the way back stopped at a bar to have some Tapas and a couple of beers. La Hotel Gran Luna de Granada was awesome. A true 4 star hotel that suited my ever need and most of my wants. It was in a good area and had a fantastic air conditioner! haha.
Wednesday night we went to this Plaza that over looked the infamous Alhambra. It is one of the seven wonders of the modern world! We arrived just at sunset and it was one of the best views ever! We were up on a hill... Looking across to it, and down in the valley where the rest of the city lay. You'll understand what I mean once you see the pictures!
Night life in Granada was everything I expected and more. We walked down hill to the Plaza Nueva and went to some Irish Pub ... There was a group of about 10 of us or so, and about 8 of us continued onto a local club ... Some promoter gave us coupons in the street so we got a lot of discounted drinks. I talked to a gorgeous Spanish girl. She knew some English.... And I know a little Spanish... haha it was interesting.
Thursday was a mostly a free day and we wandered around the city and had some good food... and slept a much as possible. At 10pm, we took a night tour of La Alhambra. It made it harder to take pictures on the inside, but it definitely made the tour ten times better. The building is truly amazing!
Friday morning I got up and had some breakfast and went out and about to all of the markets and Arabic and Moroccan shops to pick up a few things, and then we headed back to board the bus. About half way home we stopped at this cool little place to grab lunch. The director told us that there was a surprise... And that is that the cost was already included and told us to order whatever we wanted .... It was being paid for by the TTU Center and left over excursion fees. $1,000 later (and a bunch of well fed Texas Tech students and faculty)... We went outside to looked at the river and the trout farm. It was very cool!
Well that is my 3 day Granada trip. I had an amazing time and I would love to go back! I hope you are all doing great! Tomorrow morning (Saturday) we have to meet at a supermarket for class.... Basically we are shopping in Spanish for a grade. Tomorrow night we are going to see the bull fight! I will let you all know how that goes!
Well, have a good one and I will talk to you all soon!
CHECK OUT THE NEW GRANADA ALBUM!
http://photobucket.com/albums/v461/brandon5/
Monday, September 20, 2004
Tech, Tests & Tex-Mex
Things that are rockin' my world right now...
Numero Uno: Tech killed TCU on Saturday (ha, in yo face Andrew --sorry had to do it. It wasn't looking so good in the first quarter. We didn't watch it, but listened to it over internet broadcast)
Numero Dos: I made a pretty nice "B" on my test (that I was so worried about) ...
Numero Tres: Last night we went to the "Tex-Mex" that is right by the Cathedral. This place is awesome. They serve our style of Mexican food as well as burgers, cheese fries etc. They have budwieser on tap, and here comes the best part... they broadcast NFL football on TV ... pretty much all day Sunday. Heaven.... I'm in Heaven...
It's so weird though, cause we walked in the back part where they show football and there were Texas college tee-shirts and banners hanging up. There were 3 Texas Tech T's.. as well as UT, A&M, RICE, etc... Most of them were signed by students (whom I assume studied here previously) There is a lot of western stuff hanging up also...and an Urban Cowboy movie poster... with all of the cowboy motifs ... it's obvious why so many people in this world think just because I am from Texas I own a horse.
After we left there ... our Spanish friend (Peter) called and asked if we wanted to come over to his house and watch "An American football match on the TV" haha... so we went home to eat real quick and Peter and his girlfriend came to pick us up... and then went to pick up his cousin Ben. When we got to his house we watched New England beat Arizona. During half time we watch The Simpson in English haha... and then we ended up at the bar in Plaza de Alf-Alfa.
Well, this week is a short week at school. I leave Wednesday morning @ 7am to go to Granada for 3 days. It is going to be amazing. I cannot wait to get there and see everything. I will take lots of pictures and post them asap. Take it easy people
Adios!
Numero Uno: Tech killed TCU on Saturday (ha, in yo face Andrew --sorry had to do it. It wasn't looking so good in the first quarter. We didn't watch it, but listened to it over internet broadcast)
Numero Dos: I made a pretty nice "B" on my test (that I was so worried about) ...
Numero Tres: Last night we went to the "Tex-Mex" that is right by the Cathedral. This place is awesome. They serve our style of Mexican food as well as burgers, cheese fries etc. They have budwieser on tap, and here comes the best part... they broadcast NFL football on TV ... pretty much all day Sunday. Heaven.... I'm in Heaven...
It's so weird though, cause we walked in the back part where they show football and there were Texas college tee-shirts and banners hanging up. There were 3 Texas Tech T's.. as well as UT, A&M, RICE, etc... Most of them were signed by students (whom I assume studied here previously) There is a lot of western stuff hanging up also...and an Urban Cowboy movie poster... with all of the cowboy motifs ... it's obvious why so many people in this world think just because I am from Texas I own a horse.
After we left there ... our Spanish friend (Peter) called and asked if we wanted to come over to his house and watch "An American football match on the TV" haha... so we went home to eat real quick and Peter and his girlfriend came to pick us up... and then went to pick up his cousin Ben. When we got to his house we watched New England beat Arizona. During half time we watch The Simpson in English haha... and then we ended up at the bar in Plaza de Alf-Alfa.
Well, this week is a short week at school. I leave Wednesday morning @ 7am to go to Granada for 3 days. It is going to be amazing. I cannot wait to get there and see everything. I will take lots of pictures and post them asap. Take it easy people
Adios!
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
School, The Spanish, & More Trips!
!Hola Mi Amigos!
::::deep breath and exhale:::: I made an "A" on my on my quiz from the other day! I was really surprised I did that well... I thought I did bad .. but I guess going with your instinct is really the best thing to do. This definitely boosted my spirits and my outlook on this class. I guess all I needed was a good grade to boost my confidence. We have a test tomorrow and an essay Monday... So I guess we will see how those go! After dinner we are all gonna hit the books pretty hard. I really need a good grade on this test. Gotta make mom and dad proud :)
Last night was a lot of fun... I was down at the Internet Cafe and one of the owners (Peter--his name is actually something like Zolou... but they pronounce Z's and C's with the TH sound...no one can say his name ...so Peter it is!! haha) he and I were talking about some stuff, and he introduced me to his cousin (who is here --from MASS. studying abroad like I am) ... then they asked if Chris and I wanted to go grab a drink. So we piled into Peter's car and went to Plaza Alf-Alfa. Apparently that area is supposed to have a lot of Americans... I didn't see too many people from Estados Unidos (United States) ... but we still had a good time. We got to practice our Spanish with them, and Peter was working on his English with us. They are cool people. I am glad that we hung out with some Spaniards... I would like to hang out with just Spanish people a lot more... It really helps me to learn the language better.
Also, the TTU Center is going to be setting each of us up with an Intercombio. Basically it is a Spanish person who is studying English and wants to work with us on it, and at the same time we get to practice out Spanish with them. We are supposed to meet them outside of school (at a bar or cafe or something) and work together to help each other out. I told the lady that is putting it all together to hook me up with a hot Spanish girl to study with :) we'll see how that goes.
This "viernes" -Friday we are going to Cordoba to visit some of the most famous buildings in Europe... We will be back that night and "sabado" -Saturday we are supposed to take a tour of the Cathedral and a few other places here in Sevilla. On "domingo" -Sunday, I am setting up a day trip back to Chipiona ... While it is still warm. Ahhh Sunday is definitely the day to relax on the beach! I am looking forward do it. I will definitely take some pictures! :) ...stay tuned!
!Hasta Luego!
::::deep breath and exhale:::: I made an "A" on my on my quiz from the other day! I was really surprised I did that well... I thought I did bad .. but I guess going with your instinct is really the best thing to do. This definitely boosted my spirits and my outlook on this class. I guess all I needed was a good grade to boost my confidence. We have a test tomorrow and an essay Monday... So I guess we will see how those go! After dinner we are all gonna hit the books pretty hard. I really need a good grade on this test. Gotta make mom and dad proud :)
Last night was a lot of fun... I was down at the Internet Cafe and one of the owners (Peter--his name is actually something like Zolou... but they pronounce Z's and C's with the TH sound...no one can say his name ...so Peter it is!! haha) he and I were talking about some stuff, and he introduced me to his cousin (who is here --from MASS. studying abroad like I am) ... then they asked if Chris and I wanted to go grab a drink. So we piled into Peter's car and went to Plaza Alf-Alfa. Apparently that area is supposed to have a lot of Americans... I didn't see too many people from Estados Unidos (United States) ... but we still had a good time. We got to practice our Spanish with them, and Peter was working on his English with us. They are cool people. I am glad that we hung out with some Spaniards... I would like to hang out with just Spanish people a lot more... It really helps me to learn the language better.
Also, the TTU Center is going to be setting each of us up with an Intercombio. Basically it is a Spanish person who is studying English and wants to work with us on it, and at the same time we get to practice out Spanish with them. We are supposed to meet them outside of school (at a bar or cafe or something) and work together to help each other out. I told the lady that is putting it all together to hook me up with a hot Spanish girl to study with :) we'll see how that goes.
This "viernes" -Friday we are going to Cordoba to visit some of the most famous buildings in Europe... We will be back that night and "sabado" -Saturday we are supposed to take a tour of the Cathedral and a few other places here in Sevilla. On "domingo" -Sunday, I am setting up a day trip back to Chipiona ... While it is still warm. Ahhh Sunday is definitely the day to relax on the beach! I am looking forward do it. I will definitely take some pictures! :) ...stay tuned!
!Hasta Luego!
Monday, September 13, 2004
Paradise. School. & Dr. Pepper!
Ahhh starting my third week here in Seville and everything is starting to set in. It no longer feels like a vacation. When I walk the streets they feel a lot more familiar to me and it just feels weird. Ahhh just think... only 15 more weeks to go! I will enjoy it while I can ... cause I know that it will fly by... and I will be back in the States.
This week I have a quiz and a test and Monday ... we have our first essay due... our first oral is due sometime soon also... I am hoping a lightening bolt of knowledge hits me before then ... because I am just not getting the hang of this whole Spanish thing. I was talking to this girl that works at the internet cafe ... she speaks pretty good English... and I could tell that she is not Spanish... so I asked her where she is from. She told me that she was from France. I was like "woah... you know English, French, and Spanish" ...and she was like "...and German." So then I just felt dumb...haha! Geez, we Americans are just lazy :) It is very normal for students around the world to be fluent in more than one language by the time they are in secondary school.
...you want another interesting fact? Apparently 95% of Spain's population are Catholic... but only around 15-20% are practicing... That isn't very much!
So what are the new movies out right now? I know it hasn't been long since I have been gone... but there has got to be some good ones out now. Has anyone seen the new Colin Farrel movie... Alexander? I bet that one is gonna be pretty good.
I was in the internet cafe and one of the owners Peter starting asking me a lot of questions about American products... because they are selling them in the cafe starting tomorrow. I was helping him out with a lot of stuff... so he gave me a free Dr. Pepper! ahhh it was so great. Peter told us that in 2 weeks they are installing a screen in the cafe and they are going to broadcast ESPN! ahhhh it's going to be awesome....
I decided today that I want to go to Italy at the end of October... right before my birthday. So I guess we will see how that pans out. *keepin my fingers crossed*
[ I snapped a couple pictures of the TTU Center @ Universidad Pablo Olavide the other day when i was in there... that is like our "hang out room" ...and there are computers in there... there are also a lot of travel guides and stuff in there! I will take more of the "Universidad" soon and post them also! http://photobucket.com/albums/v461/brandon5/ ]
Well I will take this to an end. Talk to y'all soon!
-::BRANDON::-
This week I have a quiz and a test and Monday ... we have our first essay due... our first oral is due sometime soon also... I am hoping a lightening bolt of knowledge hits me before then ... because I am just not getting the hang of this whole Spanish thing. I was talking to this girl that works at the internet cafe ... she speaks pretty good English... and I could tell that she is not Spanish... so I asked her where she is from. She told me that she was from France. I was like "woah... you know English, French, and Spanish" ...and she was like "...and German." So then I just felt dumb...haha! Geez, we Americans are just lazy :) It is very normal for students around the world to be fluent in more than one language by the time they are in secondary school.
...you want another interesting fact? Apparently 95% of Spain's population are Catholic... but only around 15-20% are practicing... That isn't very much!
So what are the new movies out right now? I know it hasn't been long since I have been gone... but there has got to be some good ones out now. Has anyone seen the new Colin Farrel movie... Alexander? I bet that one is gonna be pretty good.
I was in the internet cafe and one of the owners Peter starting asking me a lot of questions about American products... because they are selling them in the cafe starting tomorrow. I was helping him out with a lot of stuff... so he gave me a free Dr. Pepper! ahhh it was so great. Peter told us that in 2 weeks they are installing a screen in the cafe and they are going to broadcast ESPN! ahhhh it's going to be awesome....
I decided today that I want to go to Italy at the end of October... right before my birthday. So I guess we will see how that pans out. *keepin my fingers crossed*
[ I snapped a couple pictures of the TTU Center @ Universidad Pablo Olavide the other day when i was in there... that is like our "hang out room" ...and there are computers in there... there are also a lot of travel guides and stuff in there! I will take more of the "Universidad" soon and post them also! http://photobucket.com/albums/v461/brandon5/ ]
Well I will take this to an end. Talk to y'all soon!
-::BRANDON::-
Saturday, September 11, 2004
Jarez Winery & Chipiona Beach!
(ALWAYS REMEMBER 9-11)
Ahhh so much is happening this weekend...it's crazy. We traveled with the group to Cadiz and visited a town called Jarez (pronounced Heir-eth) ... which is where Sherry wine origionally comes from! When we got there we took a tour of the Domecq Winery, and got to see how the wine is processed and aged. At the end of the tour we got to sample all of the wine they make. I thought this part of the trip was going to be very boring... but it was very interesting. Our guide spoke english (which was good!) and she told us a lot of interesting things... such as... if a Sherry wine doesn't come from that area of Spain it is not a true "Sherry Wine"... those are wines are like sherry... but not.
Next we boarded the bus and went to Chipiona Beach. The group left around 6pm... but a group of us decided to get a hostal and stay the night. We set off in the town of Chipiona to find a hostel ... well bare in mind we are in the midst of a holiday weekend. Most of the hostels were full... but we rented out an aparment that is apart of "Hostal San Miguel" which actually worked out for the best. It slept about 6 people... so we crammed 11 into it! There were bodies everywhere. We spent the rest of the afternoon down at the beach and that night there was a huge festival for the holiday. They shot off tons of fireworks and had this ceremony... It was amazing. I was exhausted and called it an semi-early night. We all got up the next morning and found a quick bite to eat.. everyone except Chris and I went to catch the 2:00 bus back to Sevilla. We planned on taking a later bus... and went down to the beach again. After the beach we went to a little joint to grab a bite to eat. After that chris and I started making our way toward the bus station.. (which wasn't much of a station anyway) ... had some good conversation (or at least I think so haha) and board the bus to come back to Sevilla.
Well that was my fun filled weekend. I had such a good time. It was quite a challenge doing everything (such as finding the hostal, the bus station, etc) all on our own ... but we made it work and had a good time doing so.
Check out the new Photo Album > Jarez & Chipiona
http://photobucket.com/albums/v461/brandon5/
Ahhh so much is happening this weekend...it's crazy. We traveled with the group to Cadiz and visited a town called Jarez (pronounced Heir-eth) ... which is where Sherry wine origionally comes from! When we got there we took a tour of the Domecq Winery, and got to see how the wine is processed and aged. At the end of the tour we got to sample all of the wine they make. I thought this part of the trip was going to be very boring... but it was very interesting. Our guide spoke english (which was good!) and she told us a lot of interesting things... such as... if a Sherry wine doesn't come from that area of Spain it is not a true "Sherry Wine"... those are wines are like sherry... but not.
Next we boarded the bus and went to Chipiona Beach. The group left around 6pm... but a group of us decided to get a hostal and stay the night. We set off in the town of Chipiona to find a hostel ... well bare in mind we are in the midst of a holiday weekend. Most of the hostels were full... but we rented out an aparment that is apart of "Hostal San Miguel" which actually worked out for the best. It slept about 6 people... so we crammed 11 into it! There were bodies everywhere. We spent the rest of the afternoon down at the beach and that night there was a huge festival for the holiday. They shot off tons of fireworks and had this ceremony... It was amazing. I was exhausted and called it an semi-early night. We all got up the next morning and found a quick bite to eat.. everyone except Chris and I went to catch the 2:00 bus back to Sevilla. We planned on taking a later bus... and went down to the beach again. After the beach we went to a little joint to grab a bite to eat. After that chris and I started making our way toward the bus station.. (which wasn't much of a station anyway) ... had some good conversation (or at least I think so haha) and board the bus to come back to Sevilla.
Well that was my fun filled weekend. I had such a good time. It was quite a challenge doing everything (such as finding the hostal, the bus station, etc) all on our own ... but we made it work and had a good time doing so.
Check out the new Photo Album > Jarez & Chipiona
http://photobucket.com/albums/v461/brandon5/
Thursday, September 09, 2004
Ahhh the weekend!
On Wednesday we went to this store called Al Campo. It's like a big walmart inside of a shopping mall... it's pretty cool...they also have a burger king. i didn't buy anything... but the guys bought things like socks and shirts. they didn't pack like i did! haha i took full advantage of bringing just about everything i could.
Yesterday we booked a trip to London at the beginning of October. lots of traveling a head of us! We are staying in one of the nicest hostels in London (it's right by hyde park ... with would be the equivalent to central park in NYC -- or so i am told) I am pretty excited about this one.
Other than that... everything has been going pretty good.
We had a quiz today in Spanish ... ugh I really don't think I am going to catch on haha. Well our teacher said we would be surprised as to how good we did... but I seriously think that quiz whooped me. I guess we'll see. We don't have class tomorrow and I am very excited. Headed to this Winery tomorrow... and then straight to the beach. The group is coming back tomorrow and we are gonna stay an extra day.... I need some sun and a little R&R. I will post some pictures when I get back! Adios!
Yesterday we booked a trip to London at the beginning of October. lots of traveling a head of us! We are staying in one of the nicest hostels in London (it's right by hyde park ... with would be the equivalent to central park in NYC -- or so i am told) I am pretty excited about this one.
Other than that... everything has been going pretty good.
We had a quiz today in Spanish ... ugh I really don't think I am going to catch on haha. Well our teacher said we would be surprised as to how good we did... but I seriously think that quiz whooped me. I guess we'll see. We don't have class tomorrow and I am very excited. Headed to this Winery tomorrow... and then straight to the beach. The group is coming back tomorrow and we are gonna stay an extra day.... I need some sun and a little R&R. I will post some pictures when I get back! Adios!
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
The Good and Bad
Well today was interesting... we got up and went to class... today I was a lot more tired than usual. I didn't sleep much last night. Class went by pretty slow but we got a lot done. After class we went to the computer lab over in the TTU Center. Then we caught a bus to Plaza Nueva. That is where the outdoor mall is and a bunch of restaurants. Paul and I went to McDonald's and Chris and Aaron went to Burger King. Ahh it was so good to have "American food" (if you can call it that)...
After we got done eating... we walked all the way home and took a nap. We woke up and shortly after we had dinner. I don't even know what to call the food we ate for dinner. I have liked pretty much everything that Isa has cooked since I got here. It had bacon and eggs and onion in it. It was like a pot pie I guess.. .but it was not very good. She wasn't to pleased that we didn't like it... haha .. oh well. It's a good thing I bought some pringles at The Corte Inges the other day! :)
We are planning a little weekend trip to the beach this weekend. Its the Chipiona Beach. Sara (Dr. Inglis' asst.) said that Chipiona is a nice beach and it should be a good time. We don't have class on Friday... so I think we might catch a bus thursday down there.. and come back on saturday... we'll see how that one goes. On Sunday we are all going to the Bull Fight in Sevilla. Those things can get pretty intense! I will keep y'all updated.
That is all for now. I hope everyone is doing well. Talk to you soon. Adios!
-B-
After we got done eating... we walked all the way home and took a nap. We woke up and shortly after we had dinner. I don't even know what to call the food we ate for dinner. I have liked pretty much everything that Isa has cooked since I got here. It had bacon and eggs and onion in it. It was like a pot pie I guess.. .but it was not very good. She wasn't to pleased that we didn't like it... haha .. oh well. It's a good thing I bought some pringles at The Corte Inges the other day! :)
We are planning a little weekend trip to the beach this weekend. Its the Chipiona Beach. Sara (Dr. Inglis' asst.) said that Chipiona is a nice beach and it should be a good time. We don't have class on Friday... so I think we might catch a bus thursday down there.. and come back on saturday... we'll see how that one goes. On Sunday we are all going to the Bull Fight in Sevilla. Those things can get pretty intense! I will keep y'all updated.
That is all for now. I hope everyone is doing well. Talk to you soon. Adios!
-B-
Sunday, September 05, 2004
Blog 3 - Italica & Sevilla Night Life
(NOTE: here is the link to my place where i can post pics. There are two albums so far... one is Sevilla (22 pics) and the other is Italica (11 pics) ... make sure you check out all the pics. if i were you ... i'd just click on side show and view all of them in each album. you can change the intervil seconds if u'd like .. http://photobucket.com/albums/v461/brandon5/ )
Ahh finally a day to relax. I got a chance to sleep in today because on Sundays we told Isa not to cook us breakfast. Yesterday was a fun filled day. We traveled to a town called Italica. While we were there we saw Roman Ruins that date back to 205 b.c. It was really cool. The amphitheatre was probably my favorite part. There is so much history there. We talked about how sometimes Christians and Jews were fed to the lions down in those pits for practicing their beliefs. To be standing on the same ground where as much as 2000 years ago gladiators were fighting was very weird. This amphitheatre is the 3rd largest in Roman history. It was very different to see how they constructed things.
The statues (although they were only replicas - the real ones are in a museum in Italica so they can be restored) were awesome. I don't think the pictures can even explain how great this place was. After we left there... We went across the street to a little bar and recovered. Then we continued on to the theatre. ahhh there is so much history in Europe.
After we got home we all took a siesta... And then got up and ate dinner. Isa made pork chops and potatoes... It was good. After dinner we went to the internet cafe to catch up on e-mails and such. To end the night... My roommates (Chris, arron, and Paul) went across the street to the local bar. We've made friends with the bartender over there. He is an aussie named Ian. When we got there a bunch of other people from our group were over there. We've been talking this bar up so much they had to come check it out. After a couple of drinks we caught a cab to go down by Plaza de Cuba ... It is over by the river. There are a lot of dance clubs / bars / and shops over in that area. It was pretty fun. Sevilla really knows how to party. We got home around 6am and crashed.
Well that is what has been going on with me the last couple of days. I hope everyone is doing well. I will talk to you soon.
Ahh finally a day to relax. I got a chance to sleep in today because on Sundays we told Isa not to cook us breakfast. Yesterday was a fun filled day. We traveled to a town called Italica. While we were there we saw Roman Ruins that date back to 205 b.c. It was really cool. The amphitheatre was probably my favorite part. There is so much history there. We talked about how sometimes Christians and Jews were fed to the lions down in those pits for practicing their beliefs. To be standing on the same ground where as much as 2000 years ago gladiators were fighting was very weird. This amphitheatre is the 3rd largest in Roman history. It was very different to see how they constructed things.
The statues (although they were only replicas - the real ones are in a museum in Italica so they can be restored) were awesome. I don't think the pictures can even explain how great this place was. After we left there... We went across the street to a little bar and recovered. Then we continued on to the theatre. ahhh there is so much history in Europe.
After we got home we all took a siesta... And then got up and ate dinner. Isa made pork chops and potatoes... It was good. After dinner we went to the internet cafe to catch up on e-mails and such. To end the night... My roommates (Chris, arron, and Paul) went across the street to the local bar. We've made friends with the bartender over there. He is an aussie named Ian. When we got there a bunch of other people from our group were over there. We've been talking this bar up so much they had to come check it out. After a couple of drinks we caught a cab to go down by Plaza de Cuba ... It is over by the river. There are a lot of dance clubs / bars / and shops over in that area. It was pretty fun. Sevilla really knows how to party. We got home around 6am and crashed.
Well that is what has been going on with me the last couple of days. I hope everyone is doing well. I will talk to you soon.
Thursday, September 02, 2004
woah.. I'm in SPAIN!
hey everyone, how is it going? Hopefully all is well! Well I am here. I made it. The traveling was LONG, but it wasn't too bad. I guess you gotta experience a little of the bad to get a whole lot of good outta the deal.
We stayed in a hotel for orientation for the first two nights. It was pretty cool. The hotel was like a 4 star. The first day here we walked all over downtown... For about 3 hours.. (which is hell on the feet) ...
I have met so many new people. There are around 35 people here from Tech. Everyone is pretty nice. We moved into our casa's the other day. Isabel is our house mom. She is really nice and can cook REALLY good. She cooks a lot though, and I cannot eat everything.
It is hard communicating right now, but it will get better. We started classes today. Ugh... I am going to be so overwhelmed. It seems so hard. Seriously the teacher spoke in English for maybe 10 minutes at the start of class.. And the rest of the 3 hours were in Spanish. I am having a tough time keeping up... But our teacher said that is normal. Supposedly by the end of next week I will be able to carry a decent convo.
Well that is all for now. I will post more as soon as possible. Talk to you all soon!
We stayed in a hotel for orientation for the first two nights. It was pretty cool. The hotel was like a 4 star. The first day here we walked all over downtown... For about 3 hours.. (which is hell on the feet) ...
I have met so many new people. There are around 35 people here from Tech. Everyone is pretty nice. We moved into our casa's the other day. Isabel is our house mom. She is really nice and can cook REALLY good. She cooks a lot though, and I cannot eat everything.
It is hard communicating right now, but it will get better. We started classes today. Ugh... I am going to be so overwhelmed. It seems so hard. Seriously the teacher spoke in English for maybe 10 minutes at the start of class.. And the rest of the 3 hours were in Spanish. I am having a tough time keeping up... But our teacher said that is normal. Supposedly by the end of next week I will be able to carry a decent convo.
Well that is all for now. I will post more as soon as possible. Talk to you all soon!
Thursday, August 26, 2004
This is my new blog site...
Hey everyone, this is the new blog site. I will be posting here while I am in Europe this semester. I will send the link as often as I think about it. I would love to hear from all of you also! Take it easy and keep in touch!
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