viernes, 22 de febrero de 2013

Super Bowl

This year's Super Bowl was different than my previous ones.  For one, kickoff began at 12:30 am, making my 9:00 am class later that day more dreaded than ever.  Also, I had to head to an Irish bar in order to see the game.  The bar was a change from the family-event atmosphere I'm used to back home; the patrons were all smashed or at least trying their best to be, and all the yelling was done in Spanish.  I wasn't sure that everyone cheering knew what they were rooting for, but it didn't stop them from sharing some of the passion they have for soccer with our own football.


Although there was considerably less crying.


As the night went on, the Spaniards' drunk yelling increased, and the game seemed to gain more and more importance.  It became a matter of pride above all else.  Eventually the 49ers lost, as was expected, and all was right in the world.  Until I had to go to class three hours later, without sleep.  It's at times like those when the six hour time difference gets to you.





lunes, 11 de febrero de 2013

Residence Living

This semester I elected to switch from a host family to a residence.  As much as I love Nancy, I felt like I needed a change of location.

What an adorable woman.

When I got out of the airport, I did my best to find the new residence.  This was made harder by having to navigate two bags through the streets of Madrid, as I was able to have an extra bag for free, since I was moved up to business class.  This second bag, filled entirely with ramen noodles and Little Debbies, proved to be a hassle when moving through the impatient crowds.

My Spanish was rusty, having just gotten back to Spain, so I managed to have an incredibly awkward conversation with the doorman of my new residence.  This is the same man that I accidentally dumped a bag's worth of empty sunflower seeds on from the balcony a few days ago.  I now try to avoid him at every cost.

The room that I got assigned is a double but has sliding doors that divide the two halves of the large room.  However, these doors are functionally just windows as they're made almost entirely of glass, making their purpose completely unknown to me.  It's nice living with more people this semester, because you can always find something to do.

Overall, it's a different experience from my time with a host mom.  I live closer to the center of the city and go out and walk around my neighborhood more often.  I do miss Nancy and her delicious cooking, but I'm excited for the semester ahead.









domingo, 3 de febrero de 2013

Sevilla

While Madrid is much warmer than back home, I should have been smart enough not to leave my jacket at my host mom's house.  I suffered through the first few days in Madrid with little more than my self-pity and churros to keep me warm.  Luckily, this semester's orientation trip was to Sevilla, in the Andalusia region.  Even though still in Spain, it was noticeably warmer.  I have been there once before, but not with a group so big.

The orientation trip had more people this semester, a large number of them from Chapman.  It was strange recognizing so few people, when I had come to know almost everyone from last semester.  Almost all the freshmen came back , and although it was different than Salamanca, it was equally as fun.

The first day we had a short tour of the area around our hotel, which took us through the maze of apartments that made up the Jewish district and to the cathedral.


Photo by Sean Laffey









The Catedral de Sevilla is one of the largest in the world and overlooks Seville.  Aside from the cathedral itself, there is a tower that allows you to see across the entire city from the top.  The 30 something floor trip to the top was a reminder of how out of shape I've become, but the walk was well worth the view from the top.







Photo by Taylor Kunselman


The second day began with a trip to Las Grutas, caves with stalagmites and other formations.  We were not allowed to take pictures, so naturally, plenty of photos were taken.

    
Photo by a loose-cannon that doesn't play by the rules


Somehow, Spain chose the one weekend that we were supposed to hike to rain, so the rest of the day was mainly spent eating.  We went to a farm that specializes in jamon serrano, the disgusting-looking, yet delicious specialty of Spain.  I learned that this delicacy is created by salting pig legs and letting layers of mold grow, until it hardens and is ready to serve years later.


yum.



The last full day was spent focusing on flamenco dancing.  As amazing as I am at dancing, as anyone who is embarrassed in public with me can attest to, I was more into watching the shows than getting involved in them.



Everyone was too focused on how attractive the dancers were to take pictures, but here are some flamingos instead




At Cortijo Pino Montano, where the dancing took place, we saw a humane bullfight.  There was also horse dancing, but prancing around on a horse is often overshadowed by badasses fighting bulls.



Photo by Taylor Kunselman




Pictured: something not nearly as cool as bullfighting



My favorite place I visited when I was in Sevilla last time was Los Reales Alcazares.  I was glad to know my memory served me right, and that the palace was as elaborate as I remembered.
Photo by Taylor Kunselman

The palace was originally a Moorish fort, and features intricately decorated walls and an immense garden.

Photo by Taylor Kunselman




It was great to be back in Sevilla and I hope that in the future I can make my way to this city once more.