The cultural re-entry workshop that I went to yesterday has started to get me thinking about great things ending so other things can begin again. All good things must come to an end, and unfortunately the end to my amazing journey is approaching faster than I can say Spain. Having finished my classes for the semester, I’ve started to think ahead to the exams that I have next week, and ultimately my life after Spain. The transition from my time in Madrid back to the US is already beginning, and I think it’s going to be much harder than my transition was from the US to Spain. Although I’ve been separated from all of the people I love and miss the most for the last four months, it doesn’t mean their lives or my life has been on pause. I think the most difficult part of coming home is having to pick up right where I left off as an entirely different person than I was when I left. I’m thankful for the challenge that I faced everyday in a country where the native language was not my own, the pace of life slower, and the customs different. I’m thankful for overcoming the reoccurring waves of feeling like I’m alone on an island and I’m thankful for riding out this rollercoaster with poise and confidence. Along with the struggle I have found great success, and a new perspective on life, the United States, and most importantly myself that I’m not ready to give up- now or ever. I’m just left hoping that life will be this good again someday.

I’m definitely going to miss the little things about Spain—their complete lack of rush to do anything, the ‘alimentacion’ where I got a bottle of water on my walk to school, always making time for other people, the metro & unbelievable public transportation, living in a lively city, happy hour at Fridays, meeting everyone in Parque del Buen Retiro after class to watch the sunset with a bottle of wine, having a more demanding social life than academic life, feeling more or less technologically disconnected from the world, our 10 euro picnic lunches for 6, and the rest of the world waiting two hours in any direction.

Let’s get real, this transition is going to be just as sweet as it is bitter…..I tear up just thinking about the day I get to see people I know and love face to face. I’ve discovered a new found appreciation for having loved ones if not in the same state, in the same country and same continent. I think I took for granted before how easy it was for me to be able to see & spend time with the people who are most important in my life. I will never again forget these immigrant like feelings; no matter the situation, emotional adjustment is not an easy task. I’m looking forward to having my complete independence back. Living with a family has been the most unbelievable facet of this experience, but I do sacrifice a lot of my independence to make sure that I fall in line with their schedules and needs. I’m too excited to be overwhelmed at Target, more than I have ever been in the past. I’m salivating at the thought of my first bagel and slice of New York pizza. It hurts me to have the beach further than a bay’s leap away. I cannot wait to make a phone call or send a text and not think about how much it’s going to cost me. Most importantly I can’t wait to breathe in a deep breath of fresh, salty, air that is smoke-free.

When I went to Barcelona last weekend I got a taste of the beach that I had been missing and it reminded me of why I missed it so much. There’s nothing more relaxing or reviving than a day on the beach. (In Barcelona you can even get a massage!) So as I take my place as a hermit at my desk in this beautiful 85 & sunny weather for the next four days, I will be thankful knowing that I’ve lived perfectly these past four months. I am thankful that I’ve had such an unbelievable experience, and that I have so much to look forward to as I get myself into goodbye gear.

For my mom, and all of the amazing ‘mom-like’ women in my life, happy mother’s day! I love you, miss you & thank you!

Gran Canaria- May 15^th

BEYONCE in MADRID! – May 19^th

New York- May 20^th

My last major trip has come and gone and London & Paris have both lived up to their big time reputations; again. With few bumps in the road and a few raindrops short of perfect weather, Katie & I loved every minute of our six-day excursion. Though we did do all of the major sites in both cities, I think the reason that I had such a great time was because we also did a lot more indulging, shopping, exploring and soaking in both cultures than I have done on other trips. When you only have a weekend in a city, it’s like a huge rush and race against time to make sure you see everything the city has to offer, and a lot of times, this makes it less enjoyable. After all of this traveling I have come to realize that the trips on which I’ve had the most fun, are the trips where I’ve let myself stop and enjoy the city I’m in. In London & Paris we weren’t rushed, we didn’t really have an itinerary, and we were just able to enjoy each other’s company and take in two of the greatest cities in the world.

The last time I was in London I was 14, so I’m sure you can imagine that this was a bit of a different experience. We arrived late last Wednesday, and Katie’s mom was gracious enough to get us a car that picked us up at the airport and took us to where we were staying in London. One of the best parts of this trip was that we stayed with family friends the entire time and it was really nice to be in someone’s home. Although this may sound weird since I too live in a home here, I have this extended hotel feel that doesn’t go away. I don’t really lounge in the living room or sit on the couch and watch TV because it’s in Spanish, and it was nice to hang out and watch music videos on VH1 for a little while. I guess I appreciate the little things. In London we stayed with a friend of Katie’s brother who is 28 and working for a firm in the business district. He was amazing, took us out both nights and showed us a great time. While we were there we picnicked on the lawn by Buckingham Palace, dined in Notting Hill, had a drink at a bar Hugh Grant frequents, and took in Chicago the Musical in the theater district on Friday night. We were very sad to leave London. It’s a young, lively city and we had such a great time with Paul and his girlfriend Liz that I think we could have stayed forever.

We took the Eurostar to Paris on Saturday morning; you know that train that goes under the English Channel at 180mph. I have officially decided that train travel in Europe is the way to go. Why has the United States not discovered the AMAZING high velocity trains??? If I never had to fly again I would be the happiest woman alive. When we arrived in Paris after a quick two and a half hours on Saturday at 1pm, we dropped our stuff off at my friend Dan’s enormous apartment, where we were staying for Saturday night and headed straight to the Louvre. That is definitely something everyone should get to see before they die. I’ve been two times now for a total of about nine hours and I think I could pitch a tent and live there forever. The things you see are things you read about, and it’s just overwhelming to have it all in one place. It was straight out of The DaVinci Code. After the Louvre we walked along the river and ended up at Notre Dame. When I was in Paris last Thanksgiving, I dubbed it my favorite Cathedral. Now, I have seen at least one cathedral in every city I’ve been to, and Notre Dame is still on top. It’s breathtaking but doesn’t have the overwhelmingly huge feel that some have, and best of all it’s still used daily. When Katie and I went in, there was a mass starting, it was 5pm on a Saturday, and we decided to stay. In all honesty, this may have been the coolest thing that I have done since I’ve been abroad. Although the mass was all in French, we could pretty much follow along, and the incense, music, organ, everything was just what you would hope for. I received communion in Notre Dame; seriously? It was a beautiful afternoon.

One thing that I wasn’t able to do the last time I was in Paris was Chateau de Versailles, so I made sure this was a must see this time around. This is more like a day trip, a 45 minute metro ride outside the city, but it was well worth the trip, and may be my favorite site in Europe. Immense with beautiful gardens, fountains and lakes as far as the eye can see, this place is groomed and spectacular. We got lost in the maze of gardens and fountains, wandered around Marie Antoinette’s summer estate fairytale, watched the fountains water show, and talked about how it wasn’t possible that we didn’t live there. I would even settle for getting married there. Our swollen tired feet told us it was time to go home around 6pm. (we only spent about 7 hours there!) That night we moved to an apartment in a beautiful part of town (3 metro stops from Champs d’Elysees) where we stayed two nights with Katie’s Aunt-in-Law and her 10 year old daughter Nathalia. They were two perfect nights. Compared to my hot dog & tuna pizzas which I’ve been lucky enough to have lately, the pasta carbonara and rosemary chicken dinners we ate had me feeling like a queen. Barbara made us feel completely at home, and even recommended places for us to see, shop, and explore. We spent almost all of Monday in the oldest neighborhood in Paris, La Marais, before hitting the Champs d’Elysees just in time for the Hannah Montana premiere and Miley Cyrus. We waited but we didn’t actually see her, unfortunately.

My 5 am wake up call on Tuesday morning was brutal, and not just because of the time. Katie and I had an unbelievable week together and we both talked about wanting to A. stay in Paris forever or B. change our flight from Paris to the US. I think our homesickness emerged with one another’s company on this trip. It is special getting homesick three weeks before you’re due to come home. I think a lot of it is that I know that I have the two worst weeks of my time abroad ahead of me. Weeks of paper writing, studying and exams, make me want to jump ahead to my last trip to the Canary Islands and the Long Island Summer that is so close yet still out of reach. The other side of it is, I know that I miss everyone and everything about home, yet I know exactly what is going on while I’m gone, and wouldn’t actually prefer to be doing that than this; I’d just prefer to be doing this with all of those people I miss. So to clear my head of all of this stuff that I can’t let damper my last three weeks, I made a list of all the things I miss most. Although some of it may seem silly, there are tons of conveniences at home that I’ve really come to miss too.

10 Things I Miss Most:

1. My family

2. My friends

3. The Beach

4. BC

5. Driving in my car

6. The food—bagels, breakfast sandwiches, turkey, cheeseburgers, salads with variety, Carvel, wheat bread

7. Grande Skim Vanilla Chai Tea Latte– GOOD coffee—TO GO!

8. Target and everything it has to offer

9. My blackberry—makes keeping in touch ridiculously easy

10. Pop Culture, there is so much television and music I can’t wait to catch up on

THERE, it’s out….. and I’m over it like Katharine McPhee. The next 3 weeks are going to be amazing and I won’t have it any other way. I leave tomorrow for my last hurrah in Barcelona and I come back to my last week of classes, something to celebrate! Happy May!

Barcelona Tomorrow!

Gran Canaria May 15th!

New York May 20th!

]]> http://mbdwyer.wordpress.com/2009/04/30/glory-days/feed/ 0 mbdwyer http://mbdwyer.wordpress.com/2009/04/19/taking-back-madrid/ http://mbdwyer.wordpress.com/2009/04/19/taking-back-madrid/#comments Sun, 19 Apr 2009 21:58:49 +0000 MB Dwyer http://mbdwyer.wordpress.com/?p=110 Read more]]> Talk about a little turnover time; after getting home from Greece at about 10pm on Friday and getting a decent night sleep for the first time in 10 days, not 12 hours went by before we had visitors in Madrid! This past week has been a week of visitors and spring break part II- Madrid! In the past week we’ve had Allie Tripp & Lizzie Kidder who we saw in Athens and are studying abroad in Thessaloniki, Brian who’s in Scotland, Darcy who’s in Paris, and Laurena from Ireland arrived today. If you think I haven’t gone out every night for the last 2 weeks, you’re wrong. It has been a crazy fun time, if not exhausting showing them around and letting them experience Madrid for what it truly has to offer— nightlife. We were not short on 4tapas or Lateral, white wine, or buckets of Heineken at Dubliners this week, and it has been great having them see what our life is like here.

Although great to see them and surely sad to see them go, I’m definitely going to be a little selfish and say I’m ready to take back Madrid. With only four fast weeks left before I have to say goodbye to this wonderful city in which I will forever be at home, and all the amazing people that I’ve met here, I want to be a local again for a little while. It’s weird that typically when we go out here, we do have Spanish friends, we read Spanish menus, and speak generally to everyone in Spanish. However when we have people visiting we become tourists too. It’s almost impossible to avoid; you’re speaking English to one another, easily picked out in large groups, and completely targeted by pickpockets, cabbies, and the natives alike. Hopefully the last few weeks for me will be a little more sane a little less crazy, and I’ll be able to sink my feet in one last time before I’m uprooted from my second favorite city in the world to the only one that tops it- good old New York.

Before that rough day rolls around, I still have a few things up my sleeve. Yesterday BC in Madrid took their last group field trip to El Escorial, which is a royal palace from the time of Felipe II and Carlos V, and we also visited Valle de Los Caidos, which is where Franco’s tomb lies along with the fascist Falange leader. El Escorial, I have to say was less than impressive. The marble tombs of the kings and queens were ornate and impressionable, but I’ve raised my level of “wow factor” significantly since I’ve been here and El Escorial didn’t do much to move the meter. Valle de los Caidos, carved into a mountainside with a large cross rising up to the sky, was one of the simplest, most impressive, monuments I have ever seen. However the meaning behind it took my breath away. This low-lit monument to fascism and the fact that people still attended mass there daily, gave me the chills and put a pit in my stomach that stayed there for the rest of the day. Sad, but definitely a must see.

As for the next four weeks, goals include: trying as many new places as I can in Madrid, making sure I’m really living in the moment here, strengthening the relationships I’ve made here, never stop making new ones, take a few more amazing trips, and spend as much time with Eva & Juan as I can, they’ve become my family here. On Wednesday night, I’m of to London-Town and Paris with my BC roommate Katie for 6 days, and in Paris we’re meeting up with a handful of BCers. Although that will be my last big trip, I’m also going to Barcelona the first weekend in May, and the Canaries for a relaxing stint on the beach after I finish finals. The one thing I might be most excited for before I head home however, is going to see Beyonce in concert in Madrid! Seriously, she’s coming. It will be a great segway back to America, and a great last night in this unbelievable city that I will miss so much.

With a budding spare tire, a suitcase full of dirty clothes, a full stomach, and a larger than life smile, I came home from Greece on Friday, and am just starting to come down off of the highest high I’ve ever known. Greece was breathtaking in everyway. The antiquity, architecture, hospitality, beaches, and it’s ability to somehow stay quaint, beautiful and true to its Greek identity, despite being a popular tourist destination, has left me only wanting to go back.

I’ll spare you what would be the 9 page day by day itinerary, and give you the wow moments; there were more than enough of them. First of all, people continue to surprise and amaze me with their unbelievable hospitality and welcome over here. We were staying in Athens for only 2 nights, arriving at around 11:30 pm to our hostel the first night, and my girlfriend Teresa who was studying in Athens but was leaving at 8am the next morning for a field trip— sent me directions on how to get from the airport to the city center, met us at the bus stop with a bottle of wine, showed us to our hostel, and then took us out to all the places that she frequented in Athens. I have never been more grateful, the next night we looked like locals, except for the not being able to speak Greek part—Ohi was about the extent of Greek I learned—although I would put the word “no” right up there on the need to know scale.

After cruising around Athens, seeing the Acropolis, Agora, Parthenon, the Keramikos Cemetary, Olympic Stadium & Temple of Zeus by day, and enjoying a solid diet of Greek salad, tzatiki dip, pita, and moussaka by night, we were grateful to meet up with a few other BC girls, and celebrate the end of housing, registration, and overall the only 3 days we had been even slightly stressed in the last 2 and a half months. (all news is good news, I GOT A MOD!!!) We waved goodbye to the girls, who we would see in our hometown in a breezy week, and puddle jumped over to the Cyclades with the first stop in Santorini.

Since we arrived at night the amazing sights we had seen in movies and on postcards didn’t quite jump at us, but we were welcomed with an upgrade to a suite and greeted with a beautiful empty-pool side villa. That was a blessing in disguise because unfortunately we had torrential rain for all of the 3 days we were in Santorini. So we did spend more time than we would have in our hotel room. We made it to the beautiful little village of Oia, just north of the capital Fira, where we were staying. Despite the pouring rain & clouds, we went to where you’re supposed to watch the sunset on a sunny day in Oia, shopped in the traditional jewelry boutiques, and lunched on a terrace overlooking the cliffs that give Santorini its awe-filled reputation. Ambitious the next morning, we tried for a volcano hike at the nearby volcanic island. After taking the cable car down to the port and finding the pirate ship that would bring us on our tour, it promptly started to pour once again. I have to say the pouring rain and 40 mph gusts made what would have probably been an amazing day in any other conditions, hardly bearable. As a result, we stopped by our favorite “Toast Club” joint and picked up our everyday-diet of greek salad, tzatiki and Heineken, before heading back to our hotel, showering and climbing into bed.

Happy to say goodbye to the bad weather and move on to warmer & dryer things, we were ready when the Blue Star Ferry shipped out of the Santorini port to Paros on Tuesday afternoon. Just as we pushed off the dock, the sun came out and we were already off to a better start on our Greek island journey…..

The most memorable part of Paros was the sunset right after we got off the ferry & Lou Ann Loveday. Lou Ann Loveday, was a Texas native who spent 25 years in Canada, and then casually decided to buy a villa on Paros and move there with her husband a little over a year ago. The reason we were fortunate enough to meet Lou Ann was because she pulled over on the side of the road after seeing the four of us dragging about 60 lbs of luggage along the boardwalk on the walk to our hotel, and offered to give us a ride. Although we were at first skeptical of this incredibly nice gesture, after she mentioned that she was from Texas, we realized that it was just an example of that good old southern hospitality. She said “Ask me anything!” and of course it was a 20-question frenzy about restaurants, bars, clubs, the town, anything we could think of. She also revealed that we conveniently arrived a day after 2 Greek Soccer teams had been there. Typical. Nevertheless, Lou Ann’s unprompted, random act of kindness aligned with the beautiful sunset choked me up, it had been the nicest thing that anyone had done for me since I’d arrived in Greece, maybe even Europe. As Lou Ann chatted us up, we got a glimpse of the first sunset that we were able to see in Greece; it was out of a movie. Someone spilled a pastel paint palette across the sky and delicately finger painted, it was something I can’t describe, and that pictures won’t do justice. I’ve always been a sunset kind of girl, because with the end to every day, you are left with a hope for tomorrow to be another new, better and more beautiful day. And Wednesday was.

After a quick 40 minute ferry ride, we stepped off in Mykonos to beautiful sunshine and Dmitri who worked at the villa we were staying in. As we settled into our little apartment that would be our home for the next 2 nights, we knew that Mykonos would be a great end to our amazing week. Highlights of Mykonos included renting ATVs from Hercules, lying on the beach for 2 days, seeing Nicole- my best friend from home, cooking a big pasta dinner with Greek salad, tzatiki and eggplant dip, and finally getting the relaxing, beachy spring break we were looking for. We had two beautiful sunsets in Mykonos that we watched on the boardwalk in Mykonos town, and by our empty pool at the Villa that overlooked the harbor, and when Friday was upon us we wished we had one more day in beautiful Mykonos before we had to say goodbye…..

When it rains, it pours…. We had unbelievable luck with weather up until Greece, and if nothing else, I’ve come to take out of this trip that things aren’t always what you expect. Although Santorini was definitely not how we expected, and there were little things about the entire week that didn’t work out exactly how we had planned, we had an unbelievable time. I definitely think it’s extremely important to be flexible in life, not stress the small things, and know the things you can’t change, and work with them. With the week in Greece falling right after senior housing and fall class registration, I’m almost officially a senior in college. I think the thought of that shocks me more than anything I’ve experienced since I’ve been abroad. Along with my fleeting time abroad, there is one wildly ticking clock right behind it-on my college career. And for the first time, there is no set “what comes next.” Although undoubtedly frightening & unknown, there is one thing I’m sure of, I’m starting to embrace that fact that the ten year plan I made for myself when I was 18, is almost 100% untelling of the next (now) 7 or 8 years of my life. Why rush? (Must be the Spain in me…..) After conquering the uncertainty of these past 3 months, I’ve discovered that writing your own story as you go is way more fun than having a plan, and the spontaneity is completely liberating & what makes life so interesting and fun. Plus why waste time worrying about what most likely work out the way you want it to anyway? I wouldn’t have it any other way. So don’t blink, don’t rush, don’t look away, don’t lose your faith & don’t run away, for, it’s only life.

Just for laughs, here’s the 10 year plan I made in High School:

1. Go to Boston College and leave with a Secondary Ed and Mathematics Degree in 4 years
2. Go Abroad to Latin America
3. Work in an Public School in New York City
4. Take Masters Classes at Night
5. Live in an apartment in Manhattan with 4 of my friends— that one was based in the Vanessa Carlton “White Houses” song
6. Fall in Love and get married by 27 (that’s not looking so good at the moment….)
7. make a lot of money & move to the suburbs
8. Start my family by 30

So far I’m 0 for 2……

-HOUSING LOTTERY for next year, MODS are on the line….

- Class Registration, which includes Student Services sending every student abroad the WRONG registration code. special.

- A 7 page paper due that counts for about 40% of my grade

- and the unbearable anticipation of my trip to Greece.

The middle two I have already sorted out, and that leaves me with 1 + 4. With the madness and ambiguity of registration & housing on the same day, I’m thinking that we should probably choose our careers, spouses, and ideal children today too just to be safe. thoughts? So i don’t have to worry about the worst april fools joke ever, I’m going to Happy Hour and I’m going to ONLY concern myself with Greece. So tomorrow, i’m jetting off to Grecia to spend 2 nights in Athens, 3 in Santorini, 1 in Paros, and 2 in Mykonos. I hope this trip is straight out of Mamma Mia & Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. I have high expectations.

I also went and visited Salamanca, Spain last friday-saturday to celebrate my friend Meghans 21st birthday. There was a cathedral, one of the oldest universities in Spain, and the plaza mayor where the movie Vantage Point was filmed. The only other thing that i discovered while I was there, is that they have good wine for under 5 euros, judge me.

Anyway i’ll be thinking of all of you this week when i’m cruising through the Parthenon, watching the sunset from the top of the town in Santorini and have my feet in the sand on Mykonos! happy easter!

It’s been almost 10 days since my last post, but for good reason. I finally took my coveted tour du Ireland last week(end). We had a couple of days of fiesta in Spain for their Father’s day, conveniently directly after St. Patty’s Day, and took full advantage. Despite the fact that they don’t lie about the weather, it was pretty miserable, we had a few sunny days, and Ireland was the first place that I’ve visited where I could have seen myself studying abroad. The Irish are my people. They are quite possibly the most friendly and accommodating culture I’ve experienced ever, the cities and towns are quaint, but the pubs numerous, and they live everyday with one goal in mind—to enjoy it. Although I can definitely apply that to the laid back lifestyle here in Madrid, the Irish reminded me that life should be about being happy and having fun. And oh the fun we had in my 5 day Irish romp.

Everything started off great when a beer we had bought in the airport exploded in my bag while we were waiting to board the plane, and thoroughly soaked and skunked everything in my purse. After then sitting on our plane, at its gate, in Madrid for over an hour before actually taking off, we were trying to go out when we finally arrived at our surprisingly nice hostel in Dublin on what was more like Thursday morning. A few of our friends were still leftover in Dublin from St. Patty’s madness the day before, but unfortunately when we tried to contact them, we realized that NONE of our phones worked. So deciding the luck of the Irish was actually against us on Wednesday, we decided on going to sleep and starting our day of fun in Dublin at an early 9am on Thursday morning. First stop on Thursday was the Guinness Factory, and what a way to start the day! We learned about the ingredients in beer, the brewing process and had fun with the waterfall & barley samples, before we hit the tasting room and climbed up to the gravity bar for a foggy view of Dublin & our complimentary Guinness pints. Satisfied with our hometown beer experience, we headed out in chilly Dublin for a little bit more traditional sightseeing. We hit Christ Church Cathedral, St. Patrick’s Cathedral & park, the Dublin Millennium Spire and then Trinity College. We washed down a ‘toastie’ special with a Guinness at a little pub off of Dame Street called the Stag’s Head that was well worth the thorough search we put out to find it. Allie and I said goodbye to Jenna and Alex and hopped on a bus at the Busaras station for Cork!

In Cork, we were staying with gal pals Megan Maginnis (she might be a little irish) and Laurena from BC! We finally arrived at their apartment at around 11:30pm on Thursday, and when we arrived we were greeted with hugs and chocolate chip cookies, and stayed up chatting and sharing international stories and mishaps until we couldn’t keep our eyes open. It was a big girl slumber party of sorts. Laurena & Meg had a ton of work that week as it was their last week of class before their 1 month travel break prior to exams, so on Friday morning we got up and took a bus to the nearby town of Blarney when they headed for the library. Of course the draw in Blarney is the stone that gives you the gift of eloquence, as if I need any help talking, but Allie & I climbed our way to the top of the castle Blarney and kissed the stone! Blarney was filled with daffodils, rolling hills and beautiful nature walks, and we spent the afternoon wandering around the castle property before heading to a pub for a burger and some of the cute Irish shops for a little gifting. We headed back to Cork that afternoon and took a much needed nap, before all joining forces to make a taco feast in Megan’s apartment, and heading out for a night on Cork-town! Cork was an adorable quaint little Irish town that was completely walk-able and river centered, as it appeared most Irish towns were. On Saturday morning we thanked the girls and grabbed another 4 hour bus to Galway’s coastal paradise! When we arrived around 5pm on Saturday afternoon we dragged our luggage all over the city looking for our hostel. But when we finally arrived after taking an impromptu tour of Galway, the adorable little old man who owned/ran the Nimmos Hostel was hysterical! He was what I would have imagined as the face of Ireland, and couldn’t have been more accommodating or helpful! The honeymoon continued as Allie & I headed out to explore. Stop #1 was the Galway fire department, to hook my Dad up with an Irish FD patch. The men there were so friendly even when I started tearing up with the overwhelming emotion that seemed to all hit me when I walked in. It was like I was slapped in the face, and the realization that I was taking the trip that I have always known my Dad dreams about choked me up; it was at that moment that I truly realized how much of an unbelievable experience this has all been so far, and the only thing I was missing on this trip was my Dad. I hope someday we get to go back, I know how much he’ll love it and how much more he will appreciate it than even I feel like I have. After thanking them a ridiculous amount of times and apologizing for getting emotional, we went on our way…

Noticing the abundance of people in the streets, the packed club windows which I guess I didn’t think was unusual for a Saturday afternoon, but certainly didn’t anticipate, we headed into a bar that a traveling friend in Galway had recommended. The Quays (pronounced Keys) was packed with Irish rugby fans—Ireland was playing Wales in the championship of Rugby’s 6 Nations that afternoon, and we just happened to be in Ireland while this monumental event was taking place. We squeezed into the back of the club, and watched backwards, Ireland come back to win the Championship for the first time since 1948 and the history of the ‘6 nations’ (last time they won it was 4). It was a great night for Galway, a great night for Ireland, a great night to be Irish, and a great night for us to say the least. After getting a taste of authentic Irish night life on Saturday, we woke up very early on Sunday to meet our bus & experience the wondrous Cliffs of Moher. We spent the day making our way down Ireland’s west coast stopping to get out and enjoy the view at Blackhead, LeHenge, Doolin, the Cliffs of Moher and finally checking out a famous stone tomb dating back to the 4^th century BC (like a mini Stonehenge) & trekking through the cool Ailwee Cave. We got back in Galway in time to catch a 6pm bus back to Dublin, checked into our hostel there, feasted on the equivalent of yummy “Johnny’s” diner food and headed off to bed, not too excited about our 5 am alarm Monday morning.

As we headed to our gate in the airport the next morning I picked up an everything bagel with cream cheese, knowing it would be the last one I would enjoy for another 8 weeks. Saying goodbye to Ireland for me was almost like leaving to go abroad all over again. I’ve adapted to life here by adopting this “learn to live without” attitude, where I’ve really tried not to think or worry about all of the things I don’t have, and focus on all the new & different things I do. However, my trip to Ireland really reminded me of all those things I’ve given up for an extended Lenten period. Everything seemed to remind me of friends or family, and it was definitely hard to go from a place where I’m once again sure of myself, back into a place where things are still sometimes lost in translation. I’ve decided that although I’ve been everything but homesick since I’ve been here, with Easter nearing, and me having crossed the halfway threshold, I miss the people that make up ‘home’ for me most right now, and I hope you know that I think about all of you everyday. It’s weird living two almost entirely disconnected lives and the process of coming ‘home’ is going to be more like a process of becoming ‘new’ I think, and somehow finding a way to bring these two distant worlds into one for me. I’ll have to make myself “learn to live without” a completely new list of people & things then too…. and although they say you can’t have it all, I feel like right now I’m extraordinarily lucky to have something very close.

Greece–Athens, Santorini, Paros & Mykonos, the dream starts THURSDAY!

As I prepare for my first midterm in Spanish Culture and Civilization and return from my trip to Cordoba & Granada in Southern Spain, I can’t help but notice the Aladdin-esque foundations that Spain has risen out of. In the 8^th century, the Iberian Peninsula was occupied by the Moors, and in the United States, we usually focus on the importance of the Christian’s Reconquest in the 11^th century when learning about the Iberian, completing skipping over the amazing influence and works of art and culture that the Moors have left behind in Spain; the Moors who have to a large extent, shaped the unique Spanish (and Catholic) culture and civilization that you’ll find in Spain today! Granada being the last Muslim stronghold on the Iberian sported a TON of that Islamic influence.

Before making our way down to beautiful Granada, we made a quick stop in Cordoba, also a city with immense Islamic influence. Other then having what was the most disgusting meal I’ve had yet in Spain, I couldn’t even look at the fried turkey & chorizo hot dogs, we did a walking tour of Cordoba experiencing the old town inside the city walls and La Mezquita, which is now a Cathedral, and altogether an overwhelming clash of Catholic and Muslim culture. Inside the walls of this Muslim masterpiece is one of the most beautiful Catholic altars I’ve ever seen, and because it has been transformed into a Cathedral, the Muslims are forbidden to practice their religion there….irony? Cryptically confused, we cleared our palates with some gelato and headed back to our “classic bus” for a little more quality motor coach time. 3 hours later, and 8 pm on Friday, we finally arrived in Granada! After making a quick shower and change, we headed out to get the first of too many Kebaps we would enjoy last weekend, before continuing on our way to, where else, an Irish pub! In honor of St Patrick’s Day, the fact that we will be studying for a midterm on the REAL St. Patrick’s day, and our genuine love for Irish pubs in any city, we were drawn to Hannigan’s. When we drank them dry, we headed to the river to catch a peek of the Alhambra, the Sultan’s historic palace, at night before we were truly able to experience it the next morning.

Saturday, our 9 am alarm went off about 3 hour too early, and we headed out for a 3 and a half hour tour of the Alhambra. Highlights included our British tour guide who was a hysterical, walking American flag, the unbelievable view of the Sierra Nevada’s from the top of the watch tower, the stunning gardens that would have been an amazing place to get married, the reflecting pool in the Nazaries Palaces, and Generalife, the Sultan’s summer-day-retreat mansion just outside of the Alhambra walls. It was like a dune road summer house, but different. After being wowed by the Muslim mosaic, art, architecture, calligraphy, and basically anything they touched, we headed back to the patio of our favorite Kebap place for a lunch time fix, before heading to the Arab baths. This was by far my favorite part of the trip. There were 8 different temperature Jacuzzi-like pools, and you went from cold to hot, to warm, to cold and just closed your eyes and relaxed to the soothing music, before you were called for your massage. We had the entire place to ourselves, for an hour and a half; it was a slice of heaven. That was SO my scene. Since it was upwards of 75 degrees the entire time we were there and I packed jeans, I made a quick stop in Zara on the way home to grab a pair of shorts for Sunday before heading back to our 3 star hotel for a quick nap.

Saturday night we did about a 20 minute hike up to a little mountain town where we watched a Flamenco show with the lit up Alhambra as the backdrop. The view was breathtaking; I kept forgetting to watch the show. Although I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t a traditional Flamenco show, but an interpretation of ALADDIN through Flamenco, it was funny all the same hearing A Whole New World and Arabian Nights sang in Spanish and being able to follow along. I did my best to carry the spirit through the rest of the night, by starting A Whole New World sing along anywhere we went. After doing the famous “buy a drink get a tapa” Granada thing, we headed out to experience Botellon at its finest. Botellon is literally drinking in the streets, and is a Spanish past time when it’s warm outside (despite the fact that it’s illegal, there’s strength in numbers). We were taken to the packed Hiper Cor plaza, where there were hundreds of people & bottles of wine, and it may have been one of the best nights since I’ve been in Spain. Not only did I spend almost no money, but it was really fun to be doing something I would probably never again do in my life.

The 2 hour walking tour of Granada’s old town was a little rough Sunday morning, but we did manage to get a group shot in front of the Alhambra at a beautiful lookout. There is actually no flat ground in Granada, you’re either going uphill or downhill, talk about miserable. After making our way down from the lookout, we headed to the Capilla Real, adjacent to Granada’s cathedral, where the tombs of Ferdinand and Isabel are, yes we went down in the crypt and saw their caskets and yes it was freaky.

After one last Kebap and some gelato, it was back on the bus for a 5 hour ride back to Madrid, reality and miserable Mondays.

Granada was great! Partly because everything was planned out for us and we didn’t waste anytime figuring out what we wanted to do and partly because we were all together. All 40 BC kids were in the same hotel, did the same things, and spent the whole weekend together. It was like a big family and was really great spending time with everyone! Better still, I’m already tan, it’s all natural and it’s MARCH! Jealous?! One short week after another, I just have to get through tomorrow morning’s midterm, before I head out for Ireland tomorrow night for 5 days! I’m taking it back to my roots, again. We have a bold itinerary of Dublin, Cork (&the blarney stone), and Galway (& the Cliff of Moher) all in 5 days. I think we can work it out; we have the luck of the Irish on our side!

I have traveled two weekends in a row, there were tons of visitors last week on account of BC’s Spring Break, I think I slept a total of 15 hours Thursday-Sunday. As nice as it was to have visitors/travel I was exhausted when I got home on Sunday night. I didn’t even want to skype on Sunday which, if you know me, my favorite past time is talking, and since Skype is my cell phone over here, that was like going a day without eating (which I don’t like to do either). After my trip to Seville this weekend in Spain’s gorgeous southern autonomous community of Andalucia, I’ve decided that I have chosen the most expensive city in Spain to be abroad in. I have also determined that missing your bus on Friday morning doesn’t lead to a casual, carefree or cheap weekend getaway. I’m learning a lot here, seriously.

After I bought a significantly more expensive ticket on the AVE high speed train to Seville on Friday morning, life was good. The train put me there by 1:30 as opposed to 2pm and when I stepped out of the train station, it was 70 and sunny. If that’s the worst travel mishap I have, I’m considering myself very lucky. Freddie picked me up at the train station on Friday when I arrived and his 21^st birthday weekend was underway! I looked almost as bad as him when he picked me up; I guess he started on Thursday too. After settling into our unusually clean hostel we did a little walking tour of Seville, saw his school that used to be a tobacco factory (only in Spain!), walked a little bit along the river, experienced the little shopping area, and finally settled into happy hour at P. Flaherty’s, which may or may not have been my favorite part of the weekend. It’s really funny how Irish Pubs seem to be the most popular bars in any city and any culture. There’s something about them Irish, they just do it right.

10pm rolled around and it was dinner time in Spain! We headed to a cute and cheap little tapas place that Freddie had discovered, and enjoyed FAR TOO MUCH of his favorite tapa—potato aioli—I don’t know if you’ve ever tried this, but potatoes in garlic herb mayonnaise is a crowd favorite over here. Anything in garlic herb mayonnaise is a crowd favorite to be honest. Three portions for 6 people was a little greedy I guess and the patatas aioli didn’t sit great with me as we moved onto Buddha bar for a little dance action.

Saturday we enjoyed a cup of coffee & a napolitana in the glorious 75 degree Sevilla sunshine before heading over to the 3^rd largest Cathedral in the world behind St. Peter’s in Rome and St. Paul’s in London (I will have visited all 3 by the end of this adventure!) La Catedral–Great name, even greater view from the top of it. If you made the trek up the 34 ramps (they count for you) you have an amazing view of the entire city from all sides! After enjoying the view & making our way back down, we picked up bocadillos, the poor Spanish imitation of deli sandwiches, and headed to the park for a picnic. While eating our sandwiches Freddie & I concluded that we would both kill for a little of his mom’s Cape Cod Chicken Salad, or anything from his deli in all honesty. Spanish food is awful. We checked out the Plaza de Espana, basked until sunset and then reenacted Freddie’s 40 minute daily hike to his apartment complex. I’ve never been more grateful for my 15 minute walk back and forth to my metro stop daily.

After another less then satisfying dinner on Saturday night, we ran into something that I had never before experienced while in Spain, and I hope to never run into again. Seville is where Flamenco began and on Saturday night, Freddie had hoped to take us to an authentic and famous Flamenco bar called Carboneria. After getting a little lost on the way there we finally arrived around 11:30. Freddie and his friends walked in before me and when I went to walk in, the bouncer stopped me and said “Hoy en dia, no.” meaning—‘today, no’. I was so shocked that I had been stopped I couldn’t even come up with the word WHY and I’m pretty sure my face did all of the talking. Figuring it was because he had heard us speaking English while waiting in line, I thought I would surprise him with my Spanish. I finally barked “why?” in Spanish hoping that it was just because the club was too full. The answer I got however was the same one I had received a mere 2 minutes before. By this time Freddie had turned around and come out to see what the matter was, and when he realized what was going on he began asking why as well. The man was still unable to give us a concrete answer, and finally Freddie asked “is it because we are Americans?” because it was clear by that point that it was, and after acting appalled that we would even ask, he called Freddie a Fascist and we went on our way.

Seville’s beauty lies in its Spanish authenticity, but at the hands of this Spanish city I’d had my first “ugly American” run in. Freddie was so apologetic, but in all honesty, sometimes you need to be put in your place and that experience was definitely a wake up call. Americans aren’t liked everywhere, mainly for their stereotypical ignorance with language and at times selfish & know it all attitude. Most people I have encountered here are fluent in 2 languages, sometimes 3 and have traveled 2x as much as I have. That is one thing I find admirable about Europeans, for the most part they refuse to be content in the “my country is the only country attitude” and this is something that Europeans definitely find Americans to be living in. After being in Spain, I’ve definitely learned to appreciate America for the speed at which things are accomplished, the incomparable work ethic, and general conveniences and luxuries of life. However, if we hadn’t been speaking English in that line we may have gotten into that Flamenco bar. I’m glad we didn’t, it may have been the lesson I’ve learned these last 8 weeks.

Sunday was the nicest day of the weekend and we laid out by the river taking it all in—75, sunny and humid—like Westhampton on a nice day in June! Sundays are always bittersweet, by then I’m usually ready to get back to my cozy little apartment in Madrid, the familiar and the routine that I’ve developed there, however, it’s always hard to say goodbye! I had really appreciated Seville for its true Spanish identity, but I was more content then ever to come back to Madrid where I felt welcomed and at home! Talk about bittersweet, I’m at the halfway mark on this little journey of mine and I booked my flight back to the US two nights ago almost in tears. The thought that this Spanish love affair has a definite end and it’s SOON, is frightening! I feel like I just arrived and have really developed a great relationship with my family here. So much so, that when I told my Spanish mom last night that my flight home was on May 20^th she looked disappointed and asked why I wasn’t staying until June! That day is going to be filed far in the back of my mind, and I know that the emotions I’m drowned with that day will be a mix of pure excitement and joy along with complete sadness and dragging my feet to leave. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to eat dinner at 6pm again…I’ll deal with that when I have to, but from now until then, there is many a sunny day to enjoy and many a trip to take!

This weekend: Cordoba and Granada with BC in Madrid!

Next week(end): St. Patty’s Day in Dublin, Cork & Galway, Ireland!

March 27^th: San Sebastian, Spain’s coastal wine country in the North!

April 2^nd: 9 days in GREECE for Spring Break!

When in Rome…..eat pizza at every meal.

When in Rome…..get lost in the Vatican Museum & find yourself in the Sistine Chapel.

When in Rome…..relax on the Spanish Steps before climbing to the top to watch the sunset.

When in Rome…. make a wish in the Trevi Fountain.

When in Rome…. eat Italy’s favorite Gelato!

When in Rome…. take pictures with Gladiator mascots (against Katie’s will).

When in Rome…. allow yourself to be wowed by the Coloseum.

When in Rome…. do a pub crawl with 30 other kids from BC…?

When in Rome…..experience CLUB Gildo…..2x.

When in Rome…..laugh too much with people you haven’t seen in too long.

When in Rome….do everything the Romans don’t do.

This weekend we stood in the center of it all: the foundations of the world, where it all began, and the single culture that permeates most every other culture in the world. The Romans really did know what they were doing, The Coloseum should definitely be the 8^th wonder of the world, and I’m still in awe. From the Vatican to the Coloseum, the Trevi to the Spanish steps, the Pantheon to Piazza Navona, everything about Rome has a story of its own and history deeper and richer then the entire existence of the United States. This past weekend really made me appreciate my roots, and respect the fact that although we are powerful, the United States isn’t everything. There’s a whole big world out there that pieced together the identity of the United States, and for all intents and purposes, we have a lot to learn and a lot to be grateful for. For the opportunity to visit places like Rome, see the Sistine Chapel for real, check out the Pantheon during a special liturgy and of course enjoy the best food EVER. Seriously, there’s no pizza like Roman pizza, and no place like Rome.

The best part of all of this is that I got to share this unbelievable weekend experience with seven of my best friends. The overwhelming history and age of Rome also made me realize that time is finite, and worrying about the past only limits how you live the present. It’s amazing the deep history we have made in such little time at BC. Four of the seven people I spent the weekend with I’ve met only in the last 6 months. The other three I have known for 3 short years, and in both cases, I don’t think I could have picked a better group to casually cruise around Rome with (unless we added a few who are always missed). Tourists by day, fun 20-somethings by night, and friends through it all, not to mention a little freaked out by how fast this whole abroad & college experience is ending and the sneaky real-world that is rapidly coming up on us from behind, everything just felt so natural this weekend. There was more than one occasion where I really felt at home and forgot that we had all just met up in the oldest city in the world to romp in ruins, no big deal. I really began to see different sides of people this weekend including Katie, our gracious tour guide, queen of Rome, and still the fashionista that she’s always been. Jack is still Jack, but much more outgoing than I ever remember him. Lynch WAS Brad Pitt in Katie’s Marc Jacob’s sunglasses. Ashley, played the disgruntled soccer mom at how slow we were all moving; we did have an extensive itinerary. Allie was the eternal tourist, making sure that we didn’t miss ANYTHING on the itinerary, and she did enjoy her pizza almost as much as me. Lunig, well lets just say he eats gelato like no one I have EVER seen before or EVER hope to see again, and has a laugh that is always contagious. And Stacey, the paparazzi and new-found sensitive one? I’ll never forget when she turned to me in the Vatican Museum on Friday afternoon after she had arrived a mere 3 hours before and said “We need to play ‘Many the Miles’ when we get back tonight before we go out, it’s just so fitting.” When I told her that I had never seen this sensitive side of her before she quickly replied “And that’s the end of it.” And it was just what I needed to hear, just who I needed to see, and exactly why I didn’t want to leave on Sunday morning.

Although that was probably the last time I will see the boys in Florence (until were back in the states that is), Stacey and Ashley head back to BC on Sunday, and I have to wait about 6 more weeks before Katie and I go on our romantic lovers getaway TAKE 2, on Thursday afternoon I was starting to get a little lost in this big city they call Europe and just like seven little lifesavers, they bailed me out, gave me something to hold onto as I got on the plane back to Madrid on Sunday. With my BC fix, a cleared mind, and a surprising amount of work this week, I will be ready to do as the Spanish do…. when in Madrid.

On the Itinerary for March:

Seville, Spain for Freddie’s 21^st birthday this weekend!

Cordoba & Granada next weekend with the BC crew for some massages on the Alhambra

IRELAND for St. Patty’s Day!

San Sebastian in the North to celebrate Meghan’s 21^st the last weekend in March!

And in less than a month it’s SPRING BREAK IN GREECE!!!! with a special appearance by Nicole

Madrid this week was one of rediscovery and pure Relaxation. Believe it or not, this is a pretty accurate description of the last five days. No class on Friday and only 1 class on Thursday, the weekend starts Wednesday here, and with the 60 and sunny weather for the last week or so I’m REALLY glad that it does! This was definitely a week of getting in a routine and sort of refocusing on school for a little while—I really think the mentality about school in Spain is just so different. From teachers not coming to class at all, to continually arriving 15 minutes late, to their no homework policy, to Spanish students’ less then devoted attitude towards schooling, I really have been put in the mentality of school as an after thought. That is what I think about AFTER I spend my entire afternoon soaking up the sun on the steps of the monument in Parque del Retiro. Just a different, more cultural kind of education, no?

Find of the week: Happy Hour at TGI Fridays, thanks Polark. We took full advantage of that as you can imagine. It’s really a happy 3 hours, but happy hour just sounds better.

Relaxation

During the week, the workload actually started to thicken a bit, and by thicken I mean I had to open a book. Have to love the 3.5 days of school, 3.5 days of weekend split….. Does it get any better? After the week was over on Thursday afternoon, I went for a run in the beautiful park by me that has an open air roman style amphitheater, man made lakes with beautiful fountains in the middle, a lot of grass, and a lot of sun, but oh wait, it’s all uphill. Struggling to the top was well worth it, and you were rewarded with a beautiful view of the entire city. I feel that I’m going to be struggling up that hill a lot more often. After a quick shower and change, I headed downtown to Parque del Retiro to meet a bunch of friends, where we sat on the steps of the Colosseum-looking monument discussing how unbelievably lucky we are to have lived a day like we did on Thursday, and watch the sunset over the lake.

After a long night test run of another discoteca in Sol on Thursday, along with some churros, Meghan, Katie, Kassia and I were rewarded with a cooking lesson on Friday for lunch. We climbed out of bed and headed downtown to Barrio Goya where we were met by this wonderful mom Christina, who is one of Ana’s (my teacher and resident program director here) good friends. She showed us the in’s and out’s of cooking traditional Spanish dishes such as Tortilla Espanola, Paella and most importantly Sangria. (Ask me to make it for you when I get home, I CAN!) After her “showing us” how to cook everything we got to eat all of it, needless to say I asked her if we could do it again sometime. The food was AMAZING. When we were able to thankfully tear ourselves away from lunch, we spent the rest of the afternoon shopping, trip planning, exploring the city and eventually happy hour, and a lounge bar in Chueca… where Saturday evening’s festivities will continue…

Rediscovery

I called it a relatively early night Friday as we had to meet the bus for our trip to Toledo on Saturday at 9am. GROSS. Saturday we spent the day exploring Toledo for our Spanish Culture and Civilization Class. Its monastery, church, cathedral, synagogues and monuments were all among some of the most beautiful gothic architecture & displays of the unparalleled period in time where Muslims, Catholics and Jews lived together in harmony. This trip was actually one that I have liked the least so far however, mainly because we had to focus more on writing down every word Ana said during the tours so we would be able to write our essays and unable to truly enjoy the art of Greco, the gothic architecture, and the ruins of cultures past. A beautiful city nonetheless, and I think I enjoyed our sunny lunch of cheese, bread and wine in the plaza more than anything!

When we arrived back in Madrid around 6:45 on Saturday night, roads were closed, traffic was heavy, and there were people everywhere. It’s Carnaval! The best way I can describe Carnaval, parade and all, to those who’ve never experienced it, is that it’s a mix between Mardi Gras and Halloween, with an overwhelming abundance of Transvestites. After noticing a ton of balloon and streamer decoration on Friday night, and hearing that Chueca is where the heart of Carnaval lies, we went for it Saturday. While I was walking to the metro on my way out there were Jesus and Mary, clowns, pirates, cowgirls, etc. Everyone was in costume and it made for a really fun atmosphere that night. We tried a local bar, but eventually got pulled out into the street to take pictures with the group of about 10 gron men cross dressed as various stereotypical women—cheerleaders, nurses, dancers, hookers—I have never seen so many in my life, but it was hysterical. We continued on to a lounge place called Locale that was a little bit more low-key and joined the other sans-costume Carnaval-goers. It was a nice way to end a wild night.

Sunday I slept until about 1pm before heading straight to Retiro to soak up the sun and enjoy the unbelievable weather, sights, African drum band and springing smells. Meghan, Alex, Robbie, Kassia and Jenna all met me and we eneded up getting a table by the lake and enjoying Sangria in the late afternoon as the sun set. Can someone please pinch me?

It was back to school and reality yesterday, but it’s another short week, as I head to Rome on Thursday night for a little BC reunion of sorts! My best friend Katie is in Rome, a few of our guy friends in Florence are coming over, Amy, Stacey and Ashley are flying over for BC’s spring break, and Allie and I are coming in from Spain for the weekend! It’s going to be really great to spend a weekend with familiar faces and in no better place….

As for March, I’m going to try and stick to Spain….

Mallorca, Cordoba & Granada, St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland! and San Sebastian…