Alcalá Week I am no longer keeping track

Tree that took me 10 minutes to climb, and yes it was only about 5 feet off the ground

I apologize that my extreme laziness has prevented me from updating this in a while. Here are some picture's from Spring Break, when I went to Málaga in the south of Spain to relax on the beach!

Helloooo! Sadly, not any tanner despite all my time spent in this local

We climbed up a steep hill for a nice view of the city from an old palace

Processions are a big part of Semana Santa, people in hoods hold candles and walk REALLY slowly in front of a float depicting a weeping Mary or Jesus. Also Mary is way decked out.

About 50 men carry each float and they stop to rest every 100 feet or so. Hence, the parade is very very long!

Alcalá Week 9

What my half of the room usually looks like :/

Bah it's already been 2 months since I arrived in Spain! Nothing too noteworthy to write about this week, I got a cold (AGAIN) so I have been trying to recuperate. Lately I've been thinking about things I will/won't miss about Spain --

WILL:

• chorizo and calimocho (sausauge-y type meat and wine/coke combo)
• going to Nivola (the campus bar) on Wednesdays when it's Packed
• grocery shopping at Mercadona- may seem odd, but there's no grocery store on the Madison campus! Plus I like picking out new food to try
• Taking the bus 25 minutes to school every morning- I have to get up earlier, but I find it relaxing
• Spaniards gratuitous use of 'joder', 'hostia' and other swears (as in every other word- no joke) also, 'hostia' literally means holy communion (like in Church)
• 'tía/tío' which roughly translates to girl/dude but is used much more commonly here among friends. I think it is cute. Again, the literal translation gives you no sense of its use, cause these words mean aunt/uncle!
• shopping! and how well Spaniards dress in general
  
• my residencia! I like living fairly independently, surrounded by other students and with 6 other girls! There's always someone around :)

The majority of my roommates sitting around the tv, aka a typical day
From left- Sofia (who speaks Spanish, Portuguese and English and reads this blog-- Hi Sofia!), Miriam, Sandra, Ines, Sara

If only one of them had a cigarette in hand then my Spanish study abroad experience would truly be captured

WON'T:

• no oven OR dishwasher in the kitchen
• pop can sizes that are significantly smaller than America's (I'm always thirsty afterwards!)
• non-existence of spices, food is so bland without A1 Sauce :(
  
• reeking of cigarettes whenever I go out

I'm not sure if I will or won't miss "terribly dubbed movies"- the same 5 voice actors dub EVERY SINGLE ONE... but they are easy to understand since they talk slower and I usually already know the plot!
If I write a list of things I miss about America it will just turn into a grocery list for the day I return, so I'll spare you. (Oh, and I assume "family and friends" are a given- don't worry you guys rank above food-- maybe)

Update***

Since I am having a hard time uploading videos onto this blog, I created a youtube channel. Just click on the link at the bottom of the post to see the flamenco video and an additional video of my residencia!

http://www.youtube.com/user/felkerlaura

Alcalá Week 8

My new haircut in Real Alcazár!

• This past weekend was a group trip to Andalucía, one of Spain's autonomous regions covering most of the south. The forecast called for rain and unfortunately it turned out to be correct, but that was the only damper on these otherwise amazing cities!

• Our first stop was Córdoba to see La Mezquita- a mosque converted into a Cathedral, but it looks more like a church was plopped into the middle of the building. When the Catholic monarchs kicked out the Moors out of Spain in 1492, many mosques were outright destroyed, so it was actually quite lucky that this particular one was only modified, because the mosque portion is impressive! Double red and white striped arches are held up by 857 individually made pillars that are not quite the same height. My favorite part was a wall of bricks, each inscribed with a different Arabic signature- the creators of the pillars!

Some of the arches, I tried to capture how extensive they are!

The decoration was so intricate!

• The cathedral is kinda lame in comparison... it sneaks up on you since it's only open on one side and very narrow. The ceiling is vaulted and domed (as opposed to the flat ceiling style of the mosque portion), with a huge organ and over the top art behind the altar.
  

Gonna go with "meh" on this one

The ceiling was pretty cool and I bet that organ is LOUD

• We got back onto the bus after only a few hours in Córdoba so that we could get to Sevilla before the day's end. Sevilla is the capitol of Andalucía and the home of the Don Juan and Carmen legends (the former being a womanizer who repented later in life by joining the monastery and the latter a sexually independent woman killed by her scorned husband in a cigar factory--> both true stories, I believe)

• We awoke Saturday morning to a constant drizzle! The Real Alcazár was our first stop, I am learning that many cities have "alcazáres" which I choose to make synonymous with "royal christian hangout". This particular one was built in the imitation of Moorish style, a design my tour guide called "kitschy"- but I liked it! One major difference is that the Muslim religion prohibits the representation of animals or humans in its designs (so you focus on God), but the Christians slapped the lion symbol of Castile-Leon on everything they could get their hands on. All the architecture was very elaborate and intertwining and a very nice shade of royal blue.

One of manyyyy

• We were allowed to explore the royal gardens on our own, which I was happy about. "Los jardines" were a series of courtyards and open parks packed with orange trees, tiles and fountains. There was also a hedge maze and an elevated walkway for a nice bird's eye view. Everything looked super green in the rain!

In the hedge maze

• Next was the Cathedral. It's the 3rd largest cathedral in the world and contains the "remains" of Christopher Columbus and one of his sons, Hernando. That's in quotes cause I guess there's less than a gram of him left and DNA testing states that there's only a 30% chance it's actually him. I feel like I've talked about churches a lot in this blog, so I'll just say that I saw artwork by Goya, Zuburán and Murillo and let the photos speak for themselves. Oh ps the Giralda (bell tower) was part of the original mosque and was used to call Muslims to prayer 5 times a day, now it chimes the time and you can see all of Sevilla from the top.

Columbus's tomb

A statue of Mary holding baby Jesus that has something to do with Semana Santa

• Ok now for my favorite part- flamenco! The dance I saw had 3 people on stage- a guitarist, a singer/clapper and a woman who danced. A lot of flamenco is stomping really fast and keeping beat with your feet and hands. The dancer was covered in sweat by the end and a look of sheer intense concentration literally never left her face. Occasionally the singer would yell "guapa! guapa!" (beautiful). It was awesome.

• Sunday we toured Maria Luisa Park, which has a lot of outdoor statues and trails to walk, plus the Plaza España! It's an elliptical plaza surrounded by a really neat building with mosaics representing all the Spanish cities. Also, a Star Wars: Attack of the Clones filmed a scene here, which is pretty cool. (Click here to watch the scene!)
  

Plaza España

These statues represent (from R to L) the 3 stages of love: infatuation, consummation and abandonment. I chose to be the fourth stage: desperation!

Alcalá Week 7

My roommate Sandra trying a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for the first time ever! Her conclusion? "Weird, but good"

This week was midterms so nothing too exciting happening... these bullet points are just going to be some random thoughts and stories

• Every Wednesday I have my Criminology class through the Universidad de Alcalá. There are about 20 students in the class and I am the only non-Spaniard. This past week my teacher called on me (since she knows I am American) and asked me what I thought about Spain's long standing bull fighting tradition. Not wanting to get into a complicated conversation and worried about speaking aloud in Spanish/ offending someone, I just said "a mi no me gusta" (I don't like it). I'm hoping my professor got the hint and never calls on me to convey American opinions about different cultures again!

Stairs inside the Law School where I take my class

• Our tv has not worked for the past 2 weeks but this weekend my roommate Sara's boyfriend brought us a new one! We now have 31 channels instead of only 7, which I am very excited about. I think listening to tv programs is one of the best ways to passively improve your Spanish. PS No one here cares about the Winter Olympics-- I didn't see ONE event

• I just realized I haven't put up any photos of my "residencia" (dorm, but more like an apartment). Here are some:

My street- it looks like a prison but really they're not so bad

B.2-5, home sweet home

• Interestingly, my life here is a lot like my life in Madison, only in Spanish. During the week I go to school in the morning, drink coffee/ walk around a bit/nap in the afternoon, do homework, then watch tv at night. I thought studying abroad was going to be one big whirlwind adventure but I actually I prefer it the way it is. I haven't even made many travel plans because I enjoy spending the weekends hanging out with my roommates. Living such a low key existence makes me feel more at home.

• Finally, I cut my hair- I have bangs now! Pictures soon

Alcalá Weeks 5 & 6

Peekaboo Florence!

Prepare for a longgg post, since I'm covering two weeks plus a trip to Florence, Italy!

• A quick shout out to 2 tv shows that I watch weekly- Lost (Perdidos) and El Internado. The second is an extremely complicated soap opera with many characters and subplots. Most of the time I don't know what's going on (I think last week some evil organization was stealing homeless people off the street in order to test biological weapons on them??) but anyhow they're what I look forward to Mondays and Tuesdays so they deserved a mention.

I think mostly I like El Internado because of their adorable blue uniforms

• The weekend of February 12th was Carnavale, which is like a cross between Mardi Gras/Halloween. On Saturday I went into Madrid to watch a movie (Valentine's Day dubbed into Spanish) and a big parade in honor of the holiday. The floats and costumes were ELABORATE and the streets were packed! The next day there was a small parade in Alcalá for adorable children in their precious costumes. It was so so so cute. Almost all of my roommates went home for the weekend so overall it was a bit boring.

I understood almost the entire movie! Granted the plot was pretty cut and dry. PS Ashton Kutcher sounds sexy in Spanish

Hopefully this video works, it is of the pirate ship float in the parade

• February 17th was Ash Wednesday! I attended mass that was presided over by the Bishop Juan Antonio. I recognized all the readings thanks to many years of mandatory church attendance for school and, interesting to note, they sprinkled ash onto my head instead of drawing a cross on my forehead.

• The following weekend I traveled to Florence Italy! I was only a little sad that I missed more Carnavale activities (I guess it's two weekends long?) because the costumes of my roommates were really cool and there was a huge competition hosted by the dorms.

I'm not in this photo, I just thought it was cute some of my Spanish friends went as the Duff girls from the Simpsons

• I flew into Bologna and hung out there for a few hours but must admit I was not impressed with the city. Florence (or Firenze as they say in Italy) was much more impressive, I took a train into the bustling center of the city and met my friends German and David, who I met at Wisconsin last semester but who attend law school in Florence (also, they are from Spain).

• On Friday I did a lot of solo exploring which was interesting since I speak about 10 words of Italian (including "non parlo italiano" and "grazie!"). However Florence is very touristy in the summer and has a lot of study abroad students during the school year so many people spoke some English, which was helpful. Or not so helpful, in the case of street vendors trying to sell me things (I guess I look American cause they spoke English to me without me even opening my mouth). The kiosks here are full of leather goods like belts (I bought 2), wallets and purses plus scarves and the typical touristy stuff.

Oops! Guess this guy knew I was photographing him

• My first stop was El Duomo, the cathedral of Florence. The outside is decorated with green and pink geometrical designs plus about a million statues, it is very impressive. I decided to view the city from El Campanile (bell tower) and subsequently walked up 414 narrow, twisty, cement steps. I was short of breath by the end but it was worth the trek! The rain had JUST stopped so there was this warm misty breeze that hit my face as I took in an incredible panoramic view of Florence. The entire city is the color of rust backed by the green countryside surrounding it. My photos cannot do it justice but here they are anyhow:

The cathedral.

The bell tower next door

View from the bell tower. The Duomo is 6 meters taller but the Campanile is cheaper! You can sort of see the people standing atop the cathedral.

More views of Florence

• Downtown Florence is very compact and easily walkable, so it was a quick stroll over to Piazza della Signoria. There is a huge government building there with a bunch of statues sitting out front. Flanking the entrance are statues of Hercules and a replica of Michelangelo's David. Looking to the right, there is a small gallery of statues, most of which are pretty violent. Most are life sized and my favorite was the one of Perseus holding the head of Medusa. It was created in 1554 as a warning to Cosimo I's enemies.

David on the left, Hercules with Cacus by the hair on the right

Perseus says beware!

• Speaking of Cosimo I, he was the original Medici, a powerful family that ruled over Florence and were patrons of the arts. They also produced 4 Popes! I know this family probably assassinated a ton of people but they're basically gave birth to the Italian Renaissance (according to Wikipedia). German pointed out this elevated indoor walkway that runs from the Uffizi art gallery to the Pitti Palace- constructed by the Medicis so they wouldn't have to mingle with the commoners whenever they wanted to change venues. It passes right over the Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge in Florence- the Nazis destroyed all the other ones in a last ditch war effort. It used to be lined with meat vendors but has since converted into a spectacle of expensive jewelry stores.

On the Ponche Vecchio

Same bridge from afar. Can you see the walkway with the little shops underneath??

• Saturday I spent at the Uffizi Gallery. It was originally built as an office building for the magistrates of Cosimo I ('uffizi' means office) but now houses the impressive multi-century art collection of the Medicis, bequeathed to the Florentines by the last of their clan, Anna Maria Luisa. The paintings were arranged chronologically and it was interesting to see how art styles were ever changing, particularly perspective-wise, as early painters had no sense of spatial depth! Almost 100% of the artwork featured the Virgin Mary, baby Jesus, a saint, or some combination of the three. The most famous piece is The Birth of Venus by Botticelli, featuring the serene looking goddess on a seashell being blown to Cyprus by the wind gods. Primavera, by the same painter, is also famous because it celebrates the pagan festival of spring instead of some religious figure. The Holy Family, by Leonardo DaVinci, is an art-world landmark because it features baby Jesus NOT on Mary's lap, and the Virgin is in an unusual twisted pose. Finally, Sleeping Venus by Giorgione has been called "the most beautiful nude ever painted" but was scandalous because the her seductive pose. Sorry if this paragraph was boring, I read 2 guidebooks about the Uffizi and seeing artwork gets me really excited!!

The Birth of Venus

The Holy Family

• Some of German and David's friends invited them over for dinner Saturday night and that meal was the highlight of the past 6 months. Delicious homemade meatballs over couscous, homemade bread AND homemade cheesecake that I ate with mango jam. I'm full just thinking about it. Other food I've eaten here includes: artichoke pizza, gnocchi with spicy tomato sauce, pesto, these yummy italian cookies at German's house, more pizza and about a million gelatos. Words cannot accurately describe how delicious gelato is, I am obsessed.

Mmm artichoke pizza. Plus wine.

If I could transport gelato to Spain, my life would be perfect right now.

• Sunday I went with German and David to Piazza Michelangelo for another stunning view of Florence. This time we were across the River Arno and saw the city through some light rain. Despite having a terrible cold and getting lost on the bus several times, Florence was absolutely fabulous and I would highly recommend it everyone. Thank you German and David!!!

View from Piazza Michelangelo. The smiling increases as you look left to right :)

I touched the warthog's nose, so legend has it I must return to Florence