tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25682225457675567622024-03-05T14:01:51.659-05:00Emily Unemployed Let's eat Arby's and talk about our feelings.
Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06002267430397458780noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568222545767556762.post-49679356670216208432014-12-05T11:35:00.000-05:002014-12-05T11:39:21.060-05:00Thanksgiving in Ireland!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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This post took me all week but I didn't want to forget anything! </div>
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When I was in college 15 minutes away from home, I never had to miss a holiday or family get together. The only holiday I think I've missed is Easter last year, because I had to work, but I spent it with Katie's family instead which was great! When I realized I would be abroad for Thanksgiving, I thought I might be a little sad without my family, the traditions, and the food, but that I would have a turkey sandwich and Skype with them and life would just go on like normal. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get to go to Ireland on this trip, let alone spend Thanksgiving weekend there.</div>
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What is really amazing about this trip is that my future in Europe was foggy when I got on the plane here. What I mean is that I had no idea who I was to meet in the airport and who would become my friends and travel companions, and shape my weekend experiences here. As it turns out, the people with whom Katie and I sat at the airport meeting point for several hours became those people. We got phone numbers, got to know each other, and started planning trips! It just so happens that one of those girls we met, Mackenzie, had a friend in Ireland who she had worked with during the past summer in New York. Mackenzie's friend Sarah not only invited her to stay for Thanksgiving but said she could bring some friends as well! It's just so funny how things work out; somewhere I've always wanted to go just popped up as an opportunity after a series of random meetings and conversations with people who were strangers not long before, and all of that was after a series of decisions and opportunities at home that allowed me to get to Europe in the first place. </div>
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It's just mind-blowing. Anyways. Katie and I met up in Madrid on Wednesday night and stayed with our host brother Jaime again, he's such a great host and always ready to put up with us! We got up early and took a jog to the train station where we caught the shuttle to the airport. We just happened to meet up with our friend Ellis who was going to Ireland too! (The shuttle had wifi...how fun!) We made it to the airport, met up with Mackenzie and Megan, and had a coffee before we started the day.</div>
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Fun in the Airport (Note: I do not like bullfighting at all but this was just so touristy we had to do it.)</div>
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The rain in Spain falls mainly on the PLANE.</div>
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We took Ryanair, which means you have to have a small bag, you don't pick your seats, and it's a bit chaotic, but we all made it. I sat behind a cute little girl who was just as amazed by the view out the window as I was. I didn't sleep a wink because I was too excited. I saw the red and brown land of Spain get further and further away and finally disappear below the clouds; then as we descended, the utter contrast of it with the green squares of Ireland below me was something I'll never forget. </div>
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The signs in the airport were written in Gaelic and English which was super fun. We had to go through customs though which was a little nerve-wracking. Luckily the customs official that I went to told me to "bring my friends up," and talked to us all in a group. He was super nice about asking us all the things he had to; he wanted to know where we were from, what we studied, how long we would be in Ireland, who we were staying with and what we were going to do while we were there, etc. Then a really nice worker outside arranged a cab for us and we headed to downtown Dublin! This was our first taste of seeing the cars driving on the left side of the road and the steering wheel on the right side of the car. It wasn't as weird as I thought it would be, but taking some turns and driving in roundabouts made me grip the seats pretty hard, because it felt like we would be smashing head-on in to oncoming traffic at any second. </div>
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We found Sarah and headed to have lunch at a restaurant called <a href="http://dakotabar.ie/">Dakota</a>! It was super cozy and warm, all decorated for Christmas, and it just felt like the best welcome to Ireland. I had nachos for an appetizer (still missing spicy food) and fish and chips which was all great. Then we took a little walk through the city and went to the bus stop. We had to take an almost 4 hour bus ride to Sarah's town, Ennis, in County Clare. This bus had wifi too, but it was really warm and we couldn't all sit together, but everyone just kind of zoned out or took a nap. </div>
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When we finally got to Ennis, Sarah's mom and dad picked us up and took us back to their house and we were welcomed with the smell of Thanksgiving dinner cooking and a warm fireplace to sit by. It was such an amazing feeling to just be able to get cozy and comfortable in an actual house with a family, and not have to worry about the stress or grossness of a hostel. Sarah's mom and grandma cooked a super delicious Thanksgiving dinner for us: Turkey and dressing, ham, two kinds of potatoes, gravy, brussel sprouts, carrots and parsnips, turnips, delicious cake, and wine and Bulmer's Irish Cider for all. We had a great time talking and getting to know each other and learning a little more about Ireland. Thankful does not even begin to cover it. </div>
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We watched a movie in front of the fire (I slept through it - that turkey tryptophan, man) and went to bed with full bellies and big smiles, excited for the next day's adventures. Which did not disappoint. We had delicious Irish Brown Bread or Soda Bread with butter and jam for breakfast and it was something I definitely want to learn to make. We took a drive on winding roads through the country, past little towns, cows and sheep, stone walls, haunted, deteriorating buildings, endless green fields, autumn-colored trees, and finally to the coast. This area of Ireland is famous for surfing if you can believe it! We finally arrived at...</div>
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THE CLIFFS OF MOHER. </div>
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My new favorite place in the whole world. </div>
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O'Brien's Castle, the tallest point at the cliffs.</div>
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Technically, when we were on this side we were walking on someone's farm...</div>
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The path was a little muddy and perilous, but it made for great photos! </div>
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I seriously could have stayed there exploring all day. All week. For a year...</div>
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The visitor's center for the cliffs was really neat too, it was built in to the hill like a hobbit-hole and it's super sustainable and environmentally friendly. </div>
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After the cliffs, we took another beautiful drive and headed into Ennis for lunch. Sarah's grandfather seems to own half the town and this beautiful restaurant called The Cloister was one of his establishments; a Chinese restaurant and a bar are a couple of others. Please look at the "Cloister History" page on the website...part of the 13th century wall of the Ennis Friary is built in to the building... <a href="http://cloister.ie/index.php/history-of-the-cloister/">http://cloister.ie/index.php/history-of-the-cloister/</a> If you want to check out the gallery on the website too it has better pictures than I do. We did a little walking and shopping (SO nice not to hear anything about Black Friday) and then headed Patrick's Public House that their family owns for a quick drink. They have Blue Moon, so that's what I got - a little taste of home as there would be plenty of time for Guinness the next day. Here's the bar's website in case you're ever in Ennis and want to check it out. <a href="http://www.patricks-bar.ie/">http://www.patricks-bar.ie/</a></div>
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This is the fancy upstairs of The Cloister.</div>
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Afterwards, we went back to the house, put on our pajamas, and tucked in to a delicious meal of Thanksgiving leftovers, just like home! We were just planning on hanging out and watching a movie but then Sarah's dad said we absolutely must go to Durty Nelly's for a bit and he was absolutely right. So we changed our clothes and took a little drive to Bunratty Castle and the famous pub next door. This pub sits right next to the castle and is such an impressive sight. We each got an Irish coffee and took a look around; some Irish blokes who were celebrating a friend's wedding that weekend invited us to sit with them for a bit and insisted we have a Baby Guinness shot with them. And so began the evening of the singing Irishmen! Some of Sarah's dad's friends were there and we talked to them for a while; they were middle aged and older gentlemen and just the jolliest people you could ever meet. In fact everyone we met in Ireland was kind and fun, they're just a great people!<br />
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At that point I looked up and noticed that the walls around the bar were covered in police and fire badges, I think almost all from the United States. I got super excited and started my search for the Dayton Police badge that I'd grown accustomed to seeing for my whole life. All I had to do was walk around the corner of the bar and look up and there it was! I can't really describe the feeling it gave me, but it made the world seem a little smaller I think. It's like my Dad could have been there the day before to stick his badge up there on the wall. I don't know, it was just the coolest thing to see something that came from someone from my city 3,547 miles away that could have been someone that my Dad knew or worked with. </div>
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After looking at the badges I went back to the other side of the bar to make sure my coat was still where I had left it near Sarah's dad, and one of the jolly older Irish gentlemen, I think his name was Joe, called me over to chat. He handed me a Guinness and said that the Irish are such a kind people that if I had left my coat there over night it would still be there in the morning when I came back for it...he went on to say with a sly grin and a chuckle that if I was left at the pub, I would probably not still be there in the morning. The night continued with Joe and the other guys singing Irish song after Irish song at the bar to us ladies with arms around us, and ended with a kiss on the mouth from Joe, who revealed that he was a sprightly 82 years old haha I had tears in my eyes while he was singing this song, My Lovely Rose of Clare. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdaXqTH5GFA">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdaXqTH5GFA</a> I think it was because I just couldn't believe where I was or what was happening; I was in Europe, in Ireland, in an Irish pub, next to a castle, drinking Guinness, and being serenaded with Irish songs by old Irish gentlemen...so surreal. And the joke was that I was the only one of us who had gotten to kiss an Irish guy that weekend, which was the real goal of the trip, of course. ;) </div>
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The next morning we packed up and had a delicious breakfast of bangers, bacon rashers, and black pudding (aka blood sausage)! We headed to the bus station in two trips, Megan, Ellis, and I and then Mackenzie, Katie, and Sarah. We were really nervous that the bus was going to leave the second group behind; the bus driver started the bus and Megan and Ellis ran to the front to ask if he could wait just one minute for the other 3 to arrive and he said, "I can give them 1 minute, that's it." We held our breath and stared at the road and were so relieved when we saw them pull in about 45 seconds later. Crisis averted. After another long but relaxing bus ride, we got a ticket for the Dublin rail tram, (like a trolley/train system that's really cool convenient) and headed off to do the Guinness Storehouse tour! </div>
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Here's an article: 25 Odd and Unusual Facts You Didn't Know About Guinness</div>
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<a href="http://news.discovery.com/human/life/to-arthur-25-odd-and-unusual-facts-you-didnt-know-about-guinness.htm">http://news.discovery.com/human/life/to-arthur-25-odd-and-unusual-facts-you-didnt-know-about-guinness.htm</a></div>
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My favorite one is that Arthur Guinness signed the lease in 1789 for the factory grounds for 9000 years and it only cost $160 - he was pretty confident in what he was doing!! I think this is one of the touristy activities that I've done that's been worth the money (it's only about 15 Euros, including your free pint). You get a full tour of the storehouse which shows you how the beer is made teaches you about the ingredients, along with the opportunity to do a Guinness Tasting, and pull your own pint! For the tasting you go through this dark hallway with flashing and fluorescent lights and come out into this completely white room that looks like the TV Room in Willy Wonka. There are 4 pods where steam comes out with the different smells of the ingredients in Guinness - it feels like you're in a science lab or something! They pull cute little samples of the beer and you go into the next room for the tasting. Actually just look at these pictures and you can see what I'm talking about: <a href="http://bompasandparr.com/projects/view/the-guinness-tasting-rooms">http://bompasandparr.com/projects/view/the-guinness-tasting-rooms</a>. It's all black and gold and has the only known portrait of Arthur Guinness. I can't imagine having a job where all you do is teach people how to sip Guinness properly - kind of sounds like a dream. </div>
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I didn't pull my own pint, which I was a little bummed about, but half of the group was already through the tour and waiting in the Gravity Bar in the very top of the building and drinking their free pint. In the bar there is a 360 degree view of Dublin which is very cool. Guinness was never really my first choice of beer when I go out, but now I have a much stronger appreciation for it and I think I'll be ordering it more! </div>
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This was the day of the OSU vs. Michigan game so Katie, Megan (an OSU graduate) and I were cheers-ing to OH-IO! </div>
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After the tour we headed back downtown to do some shopping, check out Trinity College (beautiful, but I wish we could have seen a lot more), and have dinner. For dinner we were going to go to <a href="http://www.porterhousebrewco.com/">Porterhouse</a>, a local microbrewery pub type place but they ran out of room downstairs in the restaurant. They led us upstairs to the adjoining establishment to sit which just happened to be one of the most famous and lavish cocktail bars in the city, Lillie's Bordello. Sarah said she had jumped a rope to get in there before, and also it's the place where the famous musicians who play in Dublin go after their shows! It's gorgeous, with red velvet couches and chandeliers. <a href="http://www.lilliesbordello.ie/">http://www.lilliesbordello.ie/</a> We were the only people in there for a while and they food was amazing too! I couldn't believe our luck. (Mom and Dad, I tried their Temple Brau lager and it was pretty delicious!) </div>
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After that we met up with Sarah's friends at a pub called Sinnotts on the Green which had cheap drinks and tons of original literary pictures and prints. We danced a little, drank, a little, and had a really good time chatting and people/boy watching. Then it was time to get some curry chips (french fries with a lot of curry sauce) and head back to Sarah's apartment before we had to go to the airport. We all face-planted for like an hour and then were woken up by Sarah saying, "The taxi's here." It was the worst feeling, after a few drinks, and the tiniest nap, we had to run outside in the cold and around the corner at like 2:30 in the morning to leave Ireland. But we made it to the airport, checked in, went through security and posted up in a lounge area and tried to close our eyes for a bit before our flight at 6:15 a.m. The sleeping didn't go so well, but on the plane I dozed a little. </div>
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We made it through customs in Madrid again, though the guy asked Katie a million questions and made her count the number of days she would have stayed in Spain to make sure she wouldn't overstay her passport...a little scary. We headed to the train station and in my zombie state I ended up taking the wrong train 40 minutes to the middle of nowhere, and missing my train home. There wasn't anyone on the platform to ask and so in my rush I got on the one to Alcala de Henares instead of the one to Alcazar de San Juan because I only saw the abbreviated names...ugh. But when I got to Alcala a little freaked out, I stammered (I go blank when it comes to Spanish if I'm panicked) at a nice security guard and he told me to get right back on the train back to Atocha in Madrid and go from there. By that point I was just exhausted and upset with myself, but there was nothing I could do about it for 40 more minutes. When I got back I bought a ticket to Ciudad Real and then one to Daimiel from there. I got Burger King, which made me feel a bit better. I had a 4 hour "layover" in the train station in C.R. even though Daimiel is 30 minutes away by car and 15 minutes by train. But I relaxed, got a coffee, did some writing and talked on the phone for a while; the station has really good wifi luckily. I also got to hear the Cheers theme song on repeat for almost 4 hours. There was a kiosk on one end of the station that only plays that song and so I've had "where everybody knows your nameeeee" in my head this week. I was also thinking about this clip from Friends when Joey is in London for Ross's wedding and is missing everyone at home: </div>
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But I finally made it and then slept for a day. Even though traveling home was a bit of a fiasco, I learned that I could keep my ish together for the most part and make the best of it. And of course it was worth every second that I got to spend in Ireland! I can't wait to go back one day, hopefully with my family! </div>
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Now it's less than a month before I come home and I know it's going to go super fast, but be filled with a ton of adventures. This is a long weekend so I'm relaxing, going to the National Park in my town and then going to visit Katie in her town and see some Don Quixote windmills! Hope everyone has a great week! </div>
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<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06002267430397458780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568222545767556762.post-87234539158357036762014-12-02T04:38:00.002-05:002014-12-02T04:38:44.826-05:00Grand Old GranadaI think Granada may be close to the top of the list of my favorite cities in the world.<br />
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On Friday I took a super cheap bus (about 2€) from Daimiel to Ciudad Real and got in around noon. I then had a few hours to kill before everyone else arrived so I walked around the part of town I hadn't seen much of when I was living there. I walked through the park and also visited two museums; one had an archaeological exhibit, a reptile exhibit, and a dinosaur exhibit, and the other was the art museum. It was only 3€ to see both museums so it was a great use of time and money! </div>
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They had a mastodon skeleton! </div>
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Then I went to the grocery store and picked up a loaf of bread, some turkey, cream cheese, and a yogurt (for under 5€) for the best makeshift lunch to tide us over for the 3 hour drive. I met up with Katie, Elaine, and Hannah and we met our driver from BlaBlaCar. This is a ride sharing company that's much cheaper than taking the train! The drive was beautiful; we went from the low, red, plains, to the green hills, to the higher hills covered with olive trees, to low mountains with some fall-colored trees, and finally to Granada, where as we were driving past palm trees, we could see the snow-capped Sierra Nevada Mountains in the distance. The view and the weather were incredible; it was about 70 degrees the whole weekend.</div>
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Our driver dropped us off and we walked to the McDonald's to use the bathroom and get a snack before our Couch Surfing host, Jose, picked us up. Couch Surfing is amazing because you not only get the advantage of getting to know a local who can give you advice on what sights to see (and in our case take us out to his favorite tapas bars), but it's also FREE. His apartment also had the most amazing view. I still cannot believe it was free. Jose is in his last year of university in Granada and is studying Chinese, along with his roommate Carmen. Granada is a city of about 200,000 people, and he told us that 70,000 of that is students, so it empties out in the summer time and is much quieter. </div>
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When we arrived we got settled in, took in the view from the balcony, had a bit of cheesecake and reveled in how lucky we got with everything. Then we got ready to go out! The apartment is in the historic Arab quarter of Albaicin, which has narrow, hilly, windy, cobblestone streets that are more like walkways and white-washed houses. I thought I was going to take a tumble a couple of times. </div>
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We went to a wine and tapas bar where we ate like royalty: tortilla espanola, bacon and quail eggs, fried zucchini and eggplant chips, pork and red peppers, a garlic and meat stew, and bread with all of them of course. We met some of our hosts friends and some of the people who work at the bar, because our host was friends with them! Then we went to another bar where we had beer, fried fish, french fries, and clams with this great sauce! We were in heaven. In Granada you pay for the drinks and the tapas come free, but it's like a full dinner! We went to a fun disco and then headed back at like 7 in the morning!</div>
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Aftermath of the fish and clams, captured by Katie</div>
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We slept late and then went on a walk through the neighborhood with Jose and his friends and had a bit of a tapas lunch in a square. At this point the wind picked up to a ferocious velocity and started to blow away peoples' chairs, tables, bottles, and umbrellas, so we moved to a table inside where a family was having a birthday celebration for their 10 year old son. We sang happy birthday to him and in return they gave us some chocolate cake! </div>
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Alhambra beer with Jose in the background</div>
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Then we went up to the Mirador de San Nicolas which is an overlook where you can see the Alhambra (more about that later). It was beautiful but also the windiest weather I've ever been in. Even the locals said that it wasn't normal at all. The beautiful view became a bit scary for a few moments when one of the plastic roofs over the restaurant one street below the overlook blew off and up to where we were. It was probably 6 feet long and 4 feet wide of half an inch thick flexible plastic and I thought it was going to take our heads off! Everyone was alright although one girl was very close to getting smacked with it. </div>
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The 4 of us continued our walk while our friends went back to their house. We stopped in a few cute shops along the way, as well as talking to a street poet who had set up a table and was writing poems and doing art with a typewriter! We walked down the center of the city and got some dinner, and then excitingly, Katie and Elaine decided they wanted to get piercings while we were in Granada! We went to a very professional piercing/tattoo parlor and Katie got her nose and tragus pierced and Elaine got a bullring kind of piercing in her nose! Everything went swimmingly and we were very proud of their gumption and bravery! They looked great. To celebrate we got gelato! This was my first gelato of my trip and boy was it worth holding out for. I had dark chocolate and mint and it was a spiritual experience. </div>
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We also stopped in a tea shop (Granada is known for their tea), and in what we thought was the Cathedral but was actually a smaller church next door. We felt a little silly that we were so impressed by just the church, but it was still beautiful. We found our way back to the apartment miraculously and spend the rest of the night on the balcony with some wine and good company.</div>
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We had to wake up kind of early to walk to the Alhambra, but it was a beautiful walk through the city and then through this beautiful park. Again, I can't stress enough how much the fall colors made everything even more beautiful. </div>
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We made it in line just a few minutes after our scheduled time to enter, so we were all prepared to fight or cry if they weren't going to let us in. Here's some info from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra">Wikipedia</a>, so if you want to know more, have a look: "Alhambra was originally constructed as a small fortress in 889 and then largely ignored until its ruins were renovated and rebuilt in the mid-11th century by the Moorish emir Mohammed ben Al-Ahmar of the Emirate of Granada, who built its current palace and walls. It was converted into a royal palace in 1333 by Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada....After the conquest of Granada by the Reyes Catolicos ("Catholic Monarchs") in 1492, some of the portions were used by Christian rulers....After being allowed to fall into disrepair for centuries, the buildings being occupied by squatters, Alhambra was rediscovered in the 19th century by European scholars and travelers, with restorations commencing." </div>
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This is the view from the back side of the castle portion. I felt like I was on top of the world. </div>
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This part used to be a convent and King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella were buried here until their royal chapel was completed in the center of the city next to the Cathedral. </div>
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This is the view from a part of the Generalife gardens and palace that dates from the beginning of the 14th century. </div>
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We spent at least about 4 hours exploring and I probably could have stayed for several more. But then we caught a bus to the city center again and visited the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granada_Cathedral">cathedral</a>. I didn't learn much here because the audio guide cost several more euros than I was willing to shell out, but it was beautiful. Somehow I never get tired of the churches and cathedrals here. </div>
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Then it was back to the apartment to pack up and get one last good look at the city from the balcony before we headed back to meet our BlaBlaCar driver. It's been awesome meeting new people and even making new friends on all the different trips we take and this was no exception. We couldn't thank Jose and Carmen enough for the experience. Three hours later we were back to Ciudad Real and I took a short 15 minute train ride back to Daimiel. </div>
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Stay tuned for the next post about IRELAND!<br />
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Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06002267430397458780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568222545767556762.post-30583716934786463092014-11-17T14:11:00.002-05:002014-11-17T14:11:42.294-05:00New Home, New Family, New Town: Daimiel! GUYS, GUESS WHAT.<br />
I ate burritos and apple pie this weekend.<br />
Also, I moved to a new town with a new family!<br />
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Since three months is kind of a long time to commit to hosting a stranger, I get to have two families while I'm here! On Friday, I moved from Ciudad Real to Daimiel which is actually the town where my school is located. This means no more waiting outside for a ride for a 30 minute commute! Daimiel only has about 18,000 people so it's much smaller than C.R.'s 75,000 people. It only takes a couple of minutes to drive to the city center and my school from my new house, and it's not a bad walk either. I had a few tears when I left my host family in Ciudad Real; my host mom started crying and said it was just like having another daughter in the house and so that made me all kinds of emotional. I wasn't expecting to get so lucky again with host families on this trip but it seems like I really have gotten put in the best possible circumstances. We saw a huge, gorgeous rainbow on the drive to Daimiel and that really made me feel better about the relative unknown of my new situation.<br />
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Anyways, my new family is great! I'm staying with the French teacher from my school, Edith, her husband Jesús, and their 3 kids: Carolina (17 yrs.), Jesús (14 yrs.), and Valeria (10 yrs.). Carolina and Jesús I knew a little bit already from being in their English classes which was nice, and Valeria is a ball of energy and we've just gotten along wonderfully since I arrived. I already feel at home which is awesome; I think it has something to do with the fact that I come from a family of 4 kids and I'm used to the general commotion and sibling debauchery that goes with that. I'm also used to having younger siblings so this is super comfortable. It almost feels like I've been transplanted into my family of about 6 years ago! I'm also glad I've had experience working with kids and teenagers of all different ages, it makes things a lot easier.<br />
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On Friday night we took a little walk through the town and picked up a map for me so I know where I'm going, and I also met Edith's parents. Her dad is from France and so most of the family can speak French at various levels! I hope I pick up a bit during the month that I'm here!<br />
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On Saturday, we took another walk and I saw where the gym and swimming pool was, and then I was invited to spend to day with one of my students, Andrea, who is a dual citizen of the US and Spain and whose family is bilingual. Her dad, Caleb is from Texas and her mom, Mercedes, is from here in Spain and so since Andrea and her brother Ian were born their dad has spoken to them in English and their mom in Spanish. Andrea, who is 14, has only spent about 3 months total in the US, and hasn't been there since she was 7, but her English is perfect! Ian who is 6 speaks very well also, but he's still learning. They said it was nice the Andrea and Caleb could be tag-team teachers for Ian. I ended up spending the whole day with them from 12:30 to about 9:15 and it was wonderful! It's such a unique situation, and the mix of languages and cultures is so intriguing to me. The kids have such advantage, and an invaluable skill in this day and age. I could go on for days, it's so awesome. My kids WILL be bilingual - and if I have to move back here with them for that to happen then so be it. ;) It's was strange getting to speak English for practically the whole day, because I usually don't speak so much unless I'm traveling with Katie or the other Americans in my program, but it was great.<br />
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We had burritos for lunch!! I have been craving Mexican food so it really hit the spot. Mercedes also made a delicious apple pie! It tasted like America mixed with a little bit of heaven.<br />
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After lunch, we went up to La Mirador de la Mancha. It's kind of a weekend getaway/tourist spot/restaurant/venue for events and weddings. They have cabins, a pool, and a giant wooden Don Quixote! It's set up in the hills over Villarrubia de los Ojos, which is a tiny town about 15 minutes away from Daimiel. Here's the website with some more pictures and a video at the bottom of the page so you can see what it looks like. <a href="http://www.elmiradordelamancha.com/">http://www.elmiradordelamancha.com/</a> There's not a lot of wood buildings here so seeing this place in the middle of nowhere practically was pretty cool. </div>
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Even though it was a little bit cloudy, windy, and rainy, it still made for some pretty spectacular views of the countryside. They said that in the summer it's even prettier, and you can see even more. </div>
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Here is a panoramic view of the courtyard...I think I will get married here - I just need to find the lucky guy! </div>
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Of course a selfie was needed with Andrea and Ian! Ian was super duper cute, he told me he loved me and asked me for a kiss while we were having a drink in the restaurant/bar area! I feel like I've found yet ANOTHER amazing family with whom I hope I'll be able to spend time and keep in contact, not just for the next month and a half, but for many years to come! </div>
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That night when I got back, I went straight out with Carolina to get Chinese food with her and some of her friends! It's just like Chinese food in the US, very tasty. It was awesome to get to know and spend time with her and her friends, who I only know from seeing in class! On Sunday, we had a super relaxing day. Everyone stayed in their pajamas pretty much the whole day, and that's when I knew for sure I could fit in here! I did some backyard archery with Jesús and Valeria with suction cup arrows, then played lots of games with Valeria. </div>
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We played a Scrabble kind of game, and we used English and Spanish words which was great for both of us. Then we played Trivial Pursuit Jr., which was pretty hard for me because the vocabulary for the questions was all very specific, but there were some that I surprised myself by knowing and I learned a lot of new words (and trivia!). I also taught her how to play Crazy 8's - the playing cards are different here apparently, but I haven't seen a deck yet. </div>
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That night we finally got dressed and went for a walk with the grandparents through the town again. We got some candy, and their grandma got me a barquillo, which is pretty much an over-sized waffle cone! Delicious. </div>
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In the main square of town there is a fountain and this olive tree...which is supposedly about 1000 years old! WHAT. How cool. </div>
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Of course, a selfie with the sisters in a mirror on the ceiling of a shop! Shortly after this Valeria told me this was going to be the best month of her life and I almost cried. The family is worried that she is always bothering me, but I don't think I will ever get tired of her! Super sweet. When we got home Carolina and I watched Gran Hermano (Big Brother) together - everyone here loves it! </div>
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The food has been delicious, as usual. We had pork chops and roasted potatoes yesterday for lunch, and ham and cheese omelette (tortilla francesa) for dinner. Today, it was penne pasta with cut up hot dogs and cheese! So far the meals are not very different from meals I've had in the US! I'll keep you posted though of course. </div>
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There are also Pringles here, therefore duckface! </div>
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That's it for now I think! Enjoy your snow all you Ohio people, I'm enjoying the sun and 50 degree weather! Next weekend I'm going to Granada so stay tuned!<br />
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Abrazos y Besos,<br />
Emily<br />
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<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06002267430397458780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568222545767556762.post-23459422293637087432014-11-12T12:56:00.001-05:002014-11-12T12:56:28.125-05:00Marvelous Madrid<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
This past weekend was fantastic. On Friday I had a stomachache; I don't know what it was from but maybe the combination eating of tortillitas de camarones (fritters with the tiniest mini shrimp I've ever seen), puree soup made from a straight up gourd (I think it was just squash but I like my description better and there's really only one word for pumpkins/gourds/squashes that I've heard), and mussels on potato chips in one day had something to do with it (I liked everything except the mussels). Either way I stayed in on Friday and then got up at a reasonable hour to get ready to go to Madrid on Saturday. </div>
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These aren't the ones I ate but this is what tortillitas de camarones look like. </div>
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This is what I've had for breakfast several times, including today and Saturday. These are called Ensaimadas but it's pretty much just individually wrapped really soft rolls with powdered sugar on the outside. Super delicious. </div>
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I got dropped off at the train station and had another lovely and short trip to Madrid by myself. Even if I'm not sure exactly where to go, I think I've really mastered the "I've done this a thousand times" stride of confidence. Katie was getting in to Madrid at almost the exact time that I was and I actually found her before we got to our designated meeting point; I nudged her backpack on the escalator which was funny for me, but she was about to turn around and slug someone! The reason we went to Madrid was to visit our host brother Jaime! When we studied abroad in Segovia, Spain in 2011 we stayed with him and his family for a month and have kept in contact ever since. He's visited the US twice, during the summer in 2012 and this past summer so we've gotten to see him more than I thought we might when we left Spain the first time, but it's just such a special and exciting thing to be able to see him here in Spain where it all started. </div>
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Jaime had sent us his address and we saved the directions to our phones so we set off from the train station to try and find his apartment. It only took us a little longer than he said it would; we paused a few times and looked like tourists checking our maps and looking for hidden street signs but we finally arrived after about 15 or 20 minutes. </div>
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We sat around his apartment and talked for a long time, he made us lunch, we looked at pictures from his trip to London, and then while he showered we helped his roommate with an English proficiency test he had to take! The questions were pretty hilarious and obviously not written by a native English speaker. Then we went for a walk down by the river which had some lovely sights and was very relaxing. On our way back we stopped in La Casa Encendida, (a socio-cultural center which has different programs in the arts, traveling exhibitions, and a resource center) for a half hour or so to see an exhibit called "<a href="http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.lacasaencendida.es/&prev=search">Metamorfosis.</a>" It's hard to explain, but the link takes you to a translated page of the description if you are curious. Here's a picture of part of the exhibit, the other parts focused on cinematic art with different animated bits included too. </div>
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After that we went to the grocery store, which I love to do here. Seeing all the different brands and random foods that we don't have in the US is super interesting. Maybe I'll do a post entirely about the grocery store one of these days! The most important things we bought were 2 huge milk chocolate and Oreo candy bars to share. That night we had a snack and then helped Jaime make homemade empanada to bring to his friend Alejandro's birthday party! It had Gouda cheese, bleu cheese, bacon, and dates inside of a pastry and it turned out so good. We carried the pan in a plastic bag on the metro so we looked pretty goofy but it was absolutely worth it. There were probably 20 people at the party so we met a ton of Jaime's friends, and some of his friends of friends, which led to very lively conversations in Spanish and English. One of the guys had spent 3 summers in the UK and so his English was incredible and he had a strong British accent. He kept imitating our accents and calling America, "The Colonies," but it was only because he loved us, so he said. There was also an interesting conversation about the use of the N-word in Spain versus in the US - apparently it's not a big deal in Spain at all, so we (mostly Katie) were trying to explain our American experience of the word. I think the message might have been lost on account of the sangria though. Another guy, Emilio, wanted to know about the word "yeah," and if he sounded more fluent if he said "yeah" instead of "yes." I told him, "Yeah!" There was a huge table of food to snack on (which has been the norm in all 4 of the birthday parties that I've been to in Spain so far), and there was also cheesecake with candles! It seemed a lot more put together and low key than most of the birthday parties I went to in college.<br />
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We were going to go to the famous disco that has 7 floors, called Kapital, but it would have cost 17 Euros and we would have had to try and catch night buses back home in the rain. We took a pass on that to get some sleep so we could get up and have a lot of time on Sunday to spend together. We got up and had some breakfast at Jaime's apartment (toast and butter [haven't seen butter in ages] and jam with a pear), and then walked to El Rastro. El Rastro is a huge open air market in Madrid that's held on Sundays and public holidays. There can be up to 3500 stalls and there are also antique stores that are usually open along the way too. "El Rastro" means "trail" and apparently this name comes from the trail of blood that was left by cattle when they were transported from the slaughterhouse near the river, to the tanneries located where the part of the market is now. It was cool to see all the stalls selling anything and everything: t-shirts, jeans, leather jackets, posters, paintings, jewelry, purses, flags, books, DVDs, furniture, etc. </div>
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Near the beginning of the market there was an American store that we stopped in! It was crazy to see so many things that we had either not realized they didn't have in Spain, or things that we had been craving. Katie was excited to see bagels and ended up buying some peanut butter and pumpkin pie filling! I was excited to see Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch and ended up buying Reese's cups, of course. We also picked up some ginger ale and root beer to share so that Jaime could try them; he really liked the root beer! They also had some American beers like Sierra Nevada and Blue Moon, and A1 Steak Sauce!</div>
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This is one of the antique stores that we went in. It had tons of furniture stacked up to the ceiling, books, and other knick-knacks. </div>
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This is a space where lots of hipsters hung out, listened to music, and drank beer. There was also a community garden on one side. It was pretty neat even though we didn't really know what exactly you would call it. A concrete park in the middle of the city? </div>
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After the market we went to have some tapas! Jaime has really good karma; we always got to the metro just in time for the train and we got a table right away at this crowded bar! We each ended up having two - mine had some kind of chicken and that delicious roasted green pepper that we had in Barcelona, Jaime's was pork, onion, and cheese, and Katie's was salmon and cheese with an itty bitty pickle. </div>
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My second one was bacon and Gouda cheese. A veritable STACK of Gouda cheese. Amazing. </div>
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At the second bar we went to we all had a big slice of bread with guacamole and chicken and shared a small dish of paella. Haven't had guac in a while and it made me crave Mexican food; I don't think I've ever gone this long without a taco or chips and salsa. </div>
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Finally, we went back to Jaime's apartment to grab our stuff, meet his girlfriend Ines, and take a quick walk through part of El Retiro, Madrid's famous park. It's like Central Park in New York but it's a little bit less than half the size. We didn't get to see much but of course we had a great time anyways. </div>
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Sadly it was time to go back to our respective cities. Katie's train was at 6:30 and mine was at 7:15 so Jaime and Ines waited with me until I had to leave. The Atocha station is awesome and has stalls with food in the middle of an indoor tropical garden complete with a turtle pond. </div>
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I did my confident "I'm so Euro" stride again, but it was a lonely walk to the back of the train. There are some people you meet in life who instantly become "your people" forever, and Jaime and Katie are two of those people. They're more than just my friends and more than just part of my host family, but they're people with whom I feel at home, no matter where we are in the world. It's always sad to leave them, but that just means it's time to plan the next adventure together. I am so lucky to have a lot of those forever people, because even when I feel a little lost and drifting, I know there are always people I can call home who will understand.<br />
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Stay tuned, more big things are coming - I'm moving in with a new host family on Friday! </div>
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If you want to read more about my feelings (of which there are a lot), you can pop over to the blog my best friends and I keep together: <a href="http://www.awholepanofbrownies.blogspot.com/">www.awholepanofbrownies.blogspot.com</a><br />
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I also encourage you to check out one of those best friend's personal blogs: </div>
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<a href="http://www.mypursuitofwonder.wordpress.com/">www.mypursuitofwonder.wordpress.com</a></div>
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Sam is in grad school in New Zealand and she's having many adventures and feelings to which I relate, and about which she writes beautifully.<br />
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Much love,</div>
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Emily<br />
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Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06002267430397458780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568222545767556762.post-53376422923095598902014-11-04T08:00:00.002-05:002014-11-04T08:00:33.562-05:00Almagro<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
On Monday on our day off, we took a little trip to Almagro! It was only about a 20 minute drive from Calzada. It's an important part of the Historic/Artistic Zone of Spain and only about 8,500 people live there. None of the churches were open to see but we took a walk through much of the town. Almagro is a big theater town; they have numerous theaters and an International Festival of Classical Theater in the summer time. </div>
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Here is the city hall: </div>
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And the really charming Plaza Mayor: </div>
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In the summer, there are tables and chairs set up all along the square for the cafes. </div>
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Many of the churches and buildings I saw were from the 16th century! There were lots of manor houses built for rich families at this time. </div>
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Almost all of the buildings were whitewashed and had blue trim. </div>
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<br />This is palace called Palacio de los Marqueses de Torremejia. </div>
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Even the streets had a blue and white pattern. </div>
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Many of the buildings have a little patio within them like this; this is a meeting center with classrooms.<br />
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Another view of the plaza. </div>
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We didn't see inside the Plaza de Toros, but that's alright with me. Bullfighting was my least favorite thing about Spain the last time I was here. </div>
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This was a cute little garden in front of a hostel that used to be a convent. Also probably 16th century. They also have a national theater museum in Almagro, and a Corral de Comedias. Here's a site about that, (in Spanish, but there's pictures) and there's a video if you scroll down. It reminds me of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre a little bit.<a href="http://www.almagromonumental.com/corral-de-comedias.html"> http://www.almagromonumental.com/corral-de-comedias.html </a></div>
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I forgot to say on the last post that we went to another birthday party on Friday and I had these! I'm getting a reputation here for liking every food I try so I had to give them a chance: Eggplants pickled in vinegar, paprika, olive oil, and red peppers! They're called "berenjenas" and they're very typical in this region. They were pretty good, reminded me of a pickle more than an eggplant though!<br />
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It was a short but lovely visit, and then it was back to Ciudad Real to get ready for the week!<br />
Hope you all are well!<br />
Emily<br />
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<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06002267430397458780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568222545767556762.post-50320082340182318492014-11-04T07:32:00.001-05:002014-11-04T07:32:38.484-05:00Halloween Weekend<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Happy Halloween! I saw some places in Ohio got snow this weekend and I'm so sorry for your luck! The weather here has been in the 60s and 70s, but this week it's getting a little chillier, only in the 50s! Halloween isn't as big of a deal in Spain as it is in the US, so I was curious to see how people celebrate. We did a whole week of learning about Halloween in school, and I gave a presentation about where the holiday comes from. Did you know it came to the US from Ireland?? I think I gave the students a better idea of what Halloween is like, and I learned some things too. The students wanted to know if everyone throws eggs at houses, because that seems to be the image of American Halloween over here. But we had a bank holiday this weekend, so that meant Friday and Monday off of work! </div>
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I went to Calzada again this weekend with the host family and the first thing we did on Friday was stop and buy two flower arrangements to take to the cemetery for All Souls Day. Here are some pictures of the cemetery - I know there are some more similar to this in New Orleans and other places but it's pretty different from the cemeteries I'm used to in Dayton. </div>
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This kind of tree is very often found in cemeteries; there were some in the cemetery of the 13th century castle I visited a few weeks back so it's apparently a long-standing tradition. </div>
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The graves are raised instead of being below the ground completely and the cemetery is surrounded by a high wall all around. </div>
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The crosses on the right and left with the two flower arrangements are the graves of my host parent's parents and there are various other family members buried nearby. It seemed like the whole town was at the cemetery bringing flowers and cleaning off the graves. For the people my age, whether they went to the cemetery on All Souls/Saints Day seemed to be a similar issue as going to mass on Holy Days of Obligation is for young Catholics in the US; some people go because they want to, others because their parents make them go, and others don't go at all. </div>
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Here are some pictures from the corralon that I was talking about before. They spend a lot of time here in the summer in the pool and having meals in the yard. The door is to the big room with the fireplace, tables and chairs, and bathroom. </div>
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Being back in Calzada means being back with Fermin, our little gatito!! </div>
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He's alone all week so he's so excited when we arrive for the weekend. </div>
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So cuteeee. </div>
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On Saturday, I went with two of Ana and Fatima's friends to watch Ana play soccer! She plays for the Ciudad Real city team which is pretty cool. It's girls from around age 14 all the way up to around Ana's age, 24. (She's one of the oldest.) It definitely made me have itchy feet and want to start playing again. When I get home I'm signing up for indoor soccer right away. Cristina and Fatima wanted a bathroom selfie so here it is. </div>
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After we got back from the soccer game we got ready and headed out for tapas and drinks with more friends! </div>
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This is Fran, the 13 year old son of the cook at one of the popular bars/cafes in the main square of Calzada. Everyone knows him and he's just a super chill kid; I was showing him pictures on Facebook of my family and friends and the cats, and pictures of what everyone was doing for Halloween. I'm sad I didn't get a better picture, but he's a character I'll remember. </div>
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Usually you get sunflower seeds if you order a drink and in most of the cafes and bars you just throw the shells and napkins on the ground and they sweep it up at the end of the night (kind of like peanuts at Texas Roadhouse). </div>
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We ended up at Agape, which is the popular bar/disco that everyone goes to and saw tons of people. It was very well decorated for Halloween, with spiderwebs, spooky wall hangings, and bartenders dressed like jesters! There were some people dressed up, and some with crazy makeup, but for most people it was just a normal Saturday night, and we stayed out until 6am! A lot of the kids dressed up and went to the cemetery on Friday night apparently, but I don't know what kind of shenanigans they got into. There was a haunted house (Casa de Terror) in town too, but we didn't go to that thankfully, because I'm a scaredy cat. </div>
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Here's a creepy little statue from one the corralon of one of Fatima's friends. We went there on Sunday night for dinner and to stream Big Brother on a laptop in front of the fire. Very fun, but I think I would like Big Brother more if I understood all of the subtleties of the profanities they were using and insinuations they were making as they were shouting at each other. Reality TV seems to be the same all over the world.</div>
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Happy Halloween! </div>
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Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06002267430397458780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568222545767556762.post-84507019665733228452014-10-30T07:03:00.000-04:002014-10-30T07:03:09.803-04:00La Motilla de AzuerLook Ma! I'm learning!<br />
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On Wednesday I went on a field trip! I went with about 50 students to an archaeological site about 15 minutes away from the school. It would be akin to a class going to Sunwatch Indian Village in Dayton, except for the fact that Sunwatch was built around 1050 A.D. and La Motilla was in use during the Bronze age from <a href="tel:2200-1500" x-apple-data-detectors-result="0" x-apple-data-detectors-type="telephone" x-apple-data-detectors="true">2200-1500</a> B.C., which makes it almost 3,000 years older...<br />
DANG.<br />
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I haven't seen any regular school buses here in Spain, but if students needed transported they use charter buses usually. So we took a charter bus and our driver seemed to me to be the most talented and fearless bus driver in the world. I have no idea how he navigated the tiny streets of Daimiel where my school is, or did a 3 point turn around a roundabout while getting within inches of buildings and other cars. I was a little afraid for my life, but the adventure continued as we turned off on an UNMARKED DIRT ROAD to get to the site. I don't know how you would visit if you were just a tourist on your own because there's no signage for it until you get there. We squeezed through a small gate and we had made it.<br />
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We split in to two groups and we had a tour guide for each. The tour was of course in Spanish, so I understood different information based on how far away I was standing from the guide and how well I could hear her. When I got home I looked it up too so I could fill in my gaps. </div>
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Here's a couple articles that describe the fortification:</div>
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<a href="http://www.world-archaeology.com/world/europe/spain/motilla-del-azuer-a-spanish-broch.htm">http://www.world-archaeology.com/world/europe/spain/motilla-del-azuer-a-spanish-broch.htm</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.antiquity.ac.uk/projgall/aranda306/">http://www.antiquity.ac.uk/projgall/aranda306/</a></div>
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Outside of the 50m wide fortification was a small settlement for about 100 people which extended to a 50m radius from the walls. La Motilla has the oldest known well on the Iberian Peninsula! There is also a necropolis/burial ground area within the settlement. Those buried there were found in the fetal position, and from what I got from the tour guide was supposed to signify the person returning to the comfort of the womb of Mother Earth (or something like that...). The walls were of course to protect the people and their water, provide a space for them to process different crops, produce pottery and other artifacts, and sometimes keep livestock. They ate lots of different kinds of animals, including dogs and horses! (eek)</div>
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<br />The different colors show how high the water was at one point. </div>
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This was really interesting, but again it's hard to wrap my mind around how old it really is!</div>
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Here's a cool video that shows you the whole thing. </div>
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Siempre,</div>
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Emily </div>
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Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06002267430397458780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568222545767556762.post-62228165082197098492014-10-28T19:45:00.001-04:002014-10-28T19:46:29.101-04:00Gaudí, Bó de B, BarcelonaI had quite the experience on my trip to Barcelona this weekend!<br />
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It began with a Thursday evening Ave from Ciudad Real where I live to Madrid. The Ave is the high speed train that has routes all across Spain and can travel up to around 300 km/hr or 186 mph. I took the hour long train ride all alone and it was exhilarating. This was my first big excursion during this Spain experience and to feel confident enough in my Spanish and in my travel savvy to know I could get where I needed to go was so exciting. It's only been three weeks and my confidence in myself and my ability to do what needs to be done has skyrocketed. After a little bit of a search I found the restaurant in the train station where I was meeting Katie and 3 of the other girls from my program, and then we headed off on the metro to the other station where we would catch our overnight train.<br />
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A travel lesson was learned this night: if you book an overnight train, be sure to book a BED on the overnight train or you will be attempting to sleep for 8 hours in the position that you see Katie demonstrating below. It could have been worse and it could have been better - I have the whole first Harry Potter Audiobook in Spanish on my iPod so I turned that on and tried to get comfortable. The lights stayed on all night so I felt like I woke up every five minutes, but on Friday I felt pretty good considering the situation.<br />
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We got in to Barcelona at around 7:30 a.m., met up with the 6th member of our group, and found our way to <a href="http://generatorhostels.com/en/">The Generator Hostel</a> to store our luggage and change our clothes. On the way to the metro we got coffee and some random Barcelona citizen walked right up to our friend Mackenzie, smacked her coffee cup out of her hand and gave her the finger for no reason!! It was pretty shocking so early in the morning. Unfortunately this was not our only encounter with rude people in Barcelona. Then we began our weekend of walking! We probably walked at least 5 miles each day I'm guessing? My calves have been killing me this week. This market called La Boqueria on Las Ramblas (a huge pedestrian street) was simply amazing. </div>
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There were stalls as far as you could see, filled with any kind of food you could imagine. There were fruits and vegetables and seafood that I couldn't even tell you the names of and the smells were constantly changing at every turn. Here's the website: <a href="http://www.boqueria.info/index.php">http://www.boqueria.info/index.php</a>. But it was hard to resist trying a little bit of everything. The 6 of us got a few different things to try and it was all so tasty. I had an empanada with chorizo sausage in it and most of the girls got a fresh fruit juice drink. We also had an encounter with a not so nice vendor in the market. We were standing and looking at one of the stalls and this woman pretty much screams at us to move out of her way as she was walking from one stall to the one we were looking at. We weren't doing anything wrong and she could have gone around us or said, "Excuse me." Then she proceeded to cuss us out and give us the finger from her stall after we gave her a funny look. Caroline took it upon herself to talk back to her a bit, which we appreciated, but man our blood pressure shot right up. </div>
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While we were walking around we had a couple more instances of people being rude. They would hear us speaking English (talking about how amazed we were about whatever we were looking at) and say something snarky. One guy said, "Oh my GOD!" really loud in accented English as he walked by us, and I just didn't appreciate it. We weren't bothering anyone and we were appreciating the culture and history of the city we were visiting. It's that injustice feeling in your gut that has you wanting to chase him down and yell, "You don't even know me!!" </div>
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But that's not how I'll remember Barcelona. Luckily, the culture and history there can speak for itself <span style="font-family: inherit;">and doesn't need it's citizens to tell me how amazing and beautiful it is. We randomly stopped in the <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=Bas%C3%ADlica+de+la+Mare+de+D%C3%A9u+de+la+Merc%C3%A8&es_sm=122&biw=1366&bih=624&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=aRhQVKXwL-fQygPy8IKgDg&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg#tbm=isch&q=Bas%C3%ADlica+de+la+Mare+de+D%C3%A9u+de+la+Merc%C3%A8">Basilica de la Mare de Deu de la Merce</a> which was an incredible, 18th century, baroque style basilica. It's named for the patron of Barcelona, The Lady of Thanks, I think it would be; I really liked the St, Michael altar area. </span></div>
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We did a lot more walking and wanted to get a sandwich at this supposedly phenomenal restaurant called Bo de B (Bocadillo de Barcelona) that someone recommended to us, but it hadn't opened yet so we got some vegetable paella that was pretty great. They we returned to the hostel to check in, shower, and get ready for the evening. This hostel was pretty swanky. Our beds were so comfortable, we had a bathroom all to ourselves, we could rent towels, and they had a bar with a drink special just for us! Needless to say we took advantage of that, and happened to meet the British blokes that were checking in at the same time we were. </div>
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The next morning we all got various breakfast foods and drinks to try and recharge from the night. One of the best things I learned the last time I was in Spain, is that a couple loaves of bread and a package of Philadelphia cream cheese is the perfect breakfast/lunch/snack/dinner. It's better than a toasted bagel with cream cheese or toast with jelly; it just hits the spot and it's easy to share. </div>
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We walked to La Sagrada Familia and waited in line for our tickets, but our entry time was until 2:45 so we took a stroll for a couple of hours through a lovely park and this great arch. We went back to Bo de B to eat but the line was too long and we would have missed our entry into La Sagrada Familia had we waited. So alas, Bo de B had to wait. </div>
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And then finally we got back to<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagrada_Fam%C3%ADlia"> La Sagrada Familia</a>. This is one of my favorite places in the world. Even though I saw it last time I was in Spain, my jaw still dropped when I walked inside. It's unlike anything else in the world, and has been named a World Heritage Site. It's been under construction since 1882 is not slated to be completed until 2026 which is the 100th anniversary of Antoni Gaudi's (the architect's) death. I encourage you to check out the Wikipedia for this place to learn more and see more photos, because mine don't do it justice! Every square inch of it incorporates symbolism and stories from Christ's life, inspiration from nature, and architectural genius that will remain for centuries. </div>
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The Nativity Facade </div>
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After an exhilarating and quick hour in La Sagrada Familia we headed up to Park Guell, another one of Guadi's masterpieces. Unfortunately they have started charging 8 euros to see the monuments, so we only got to walk the trails around it. We went up as high as we could go in the park and were rewarded with a magnificent view of Barcelona and the Mediterranean Sea in the distance.</div>
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After days of talking about it, we FINALLY made it to Bo de B. Third time's the charm and boy was it worth the wait. I ordered a chicken sandwich and got a full sized BAGUETTE loaded with freshly grilled chicken, fresh vegetables, about 6 kinds of sauces, and feta cheese and it was great. Some of the other girls got chicken tzatziki which is pictured below and boy were there were a lot of feelings. I think it tasted extra amazing because of all the time we had waited and looked forward to it. </div>
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Megan was a champ and almost ate it all! </div>
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After that 3 of the girls went back to the hostel and 3 of us stayed in the main plaza for a while playing cards, enjoying the weather, and chatting. It was a calm and relaxing night for sure. The next morning Katie and Mackenzie left at around 8:30, and so the 4 of us remaining walked more. We went inside the Cathedral of Barcelona which was stunning of course. They were having Mass so we couldn't walk through the entire thing, but I kind of wish we had planned on going to Mass. Oh well. Another city, in another cathedral for sure. Caroline and Ellis left next at around noon, so Megan and I continued our stroll. This time we went down along the water and along the beach! It was strange to see people at the beach so far into October, but the weather was beautiful and we sat at a beach restaurant for lunch. The stories about the nudity at beaches in Spain is true - I not only saw some topless ladies, but also a fully nude older lady just hanging out (pun intended)!</div>
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Our final adventure was the walk back to the hostel. On the way we had to use the bathroom, and for some reason bathrooms are a little elusive in the streets of small shops. Plus if you want to use them, shop owners want you to buy something of course - if you don't, rudeness ensues. But we took our chances on an Irish pub, ignored the signs that said in 3 languages "Toilets are for customers only," and through the bar, past the bartender and down the stairs. Not getting yelled at on the way out was almost the crowning achievement of Barcelona weekend for Megan and I. </div>
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Then it was time to collect our things and head to the train station. I took an Ave back to Ciudad Real (by myself again!) and it was very nice. The seats are more comfortable than a plane and they played the movie Saving Mr. Banks in Spanish which I was able to understand and enjoy! It was only a 3 hour and 45 minute trip which was much better than the 8 hour one. </div>
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Here's my first souvenir! I love bears and I love Spain and this handmade necklace from a street market in Barcelona will be the perfect mix of the two! </div>
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Barcelona was more expensive than I thought so I think I need to slow down my weekend trips a bit. Living and learning over here and I'm doing alright.<br />
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Siempre,<br />
Emily<br />
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<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06002267430397458780noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568222545767556762.post-65418880468672591912014-10-28T09:00:00.000-04:002014-10-28T09:00:20.862-04:00Whirlwind Weekend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last weekend was super busy and on Sunday I opted to upload lots of pictures to Facebook instead of working on a post, so here we go!<br />
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Wednesday night, Fatima and I went out for a drink with her friend Sara because one of the bars had a special: big mugs of beer and a mini sandwich for 1 euro! We ended up at one of Fatima's favorite discotecas (pretty much a bar/club with dancing), which is called Sion Abbey Pub and it was a lot of fun! <a href="https://twitter.com/SionAbbeyPub">https://twitter.com/SionAbbeyPub </a><br />
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Then on Thursday we went out for tapas with a few more of Fatima's friends at a bar in the main square of Ciudad Real. Her friend is pregnant and due in a few weeks so that was very exciting! </div>
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After that Fatima, Sara, and I met up with a few more people at Prestige, another discoteca. We knew someone who got us in for cheap and with some free drinks and my new pal Alvaro was there too! We ended up going back to Sion afterwards too. The nights here last much longer than what I'm used to going out in the US; getting home at 3:00 a.m. is an early night and 5:00 a.m. has been the average for Thursday - Saturday. Luckily I don't have to work on Fridays and can catch up on some sleep. </div>
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On Friday we went to a birthday dinner for Fatima's friend Pilar. There were 12 of us in her apartment and she and her boyfriend had prepared quite the spread for us. Pinchos (meat skewers), tortilla, empanada, chorizo, crab pouf things, etc. After that we went back to Sion! It's apparently the best bar in C.R. </div>
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On Saturday we went back to Calzada for another birthday party. This one was out in the country - like drive on a dirt road for 20 minutes kind of country. We got there at around 6 and the girls were playing a game they had invented for the birthday girl. She had to find words in a giant word search and then do tasks that had to do with those words. For example, for one she had to line all the guests up in age order, and and then another was to take a selfie with the whole party! Then some of the girls had prepared a choreographed dance for the birthday girl and so they performed that for us; it was super cute and well done. We then had TWO kinds of birthday cake and everyone started dancing on the porch. I feel like everyone in Spain knows how to instinctively dance incredibly well; even the goofiest guys had some moves. And this group of people love Flamenco music and so they were all singing it too! I have some videos on my YouTube channel of them if you want to check them out. </div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr6pmll_rwD46ym8OIUezAg">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr6pmll_rwD46ym8OIUezAg</a></div>
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View from the porch at the birthday party</div>
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The dancing and singing went on for a while and I did my best, but then they wanted me to sing American songs for them! 1. I can't sing. 2. Singing in public in front of strangers is like my worst nightmare. 3. I was still pretty sick from what I think was a sinus infection. So all of this made me very sweaty and red in the face, but I busted out a few stanzas of Thrift Shop which I think they appreciated. Then when they wanted me to sing I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston, I screeched out a few lines with some of the other girls and then took my seat. How embarrassing. Oh well. After that we had meat from the grill and more dancing. We ended up staying until around 1:30 a.m. and then went to the disco back in town for a little while. Another late night. I'm shocked that I recovered from whatever sickness I had. </div>
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Birthday party guests! </div>
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The next day Fatima, and her friends Carmelo and another Fatima, and I went to El Sacro Convento Castillo de Calatrava la Nueva which is a castle and convent near Calzada! It's a 13th century construction and was like a small town. There are streets where artisans and vendors would work and sell their goods, a few fields for livestock, a church, a cemetery, and various levels for living spaces. The higher up in the fortification you go, the nicer the accommodations; for instance peasants lived in the lowest, then the priests and knights, and then the royalty. The fortress sits on top of a huge hill, I think it's about half a mile straight up, and the narrow, spiral, rocky road that leads up to it is about 1.5 miles. The view of the surrounding county is incredible and it didn't look real to me, more like a panoramic painting. There's not much that compares to it, that I have ever seen. We don't have very much in the United States that is as old as the castles and monuments here and it's hard to wrap my mind around how long ago things were actually built. I'm amazed at the 200-250 year old monuments we have in Washington D.C. and so being here is just mind-boggling sometimes. One of the teachers in my school was saying that there are so many castles in Spain that many of them fall into disrepair because the government can't afford to maintain them, especially because of the crisis/recession. Crazy. </div>
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After the castle, we went to a nearby restaurant where Fatima and her family go once a week during the summer. She knows the owner and several people who work there, so we stopped in to have a coffee! The owner was very nice and gave me my coffee for free! It was a beautiful day at a beautiful restaurant. Here's the website for it: http://www.villaisabelica.com/</div>
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Finally this post is finished, over a week later! I'll be posting about my trip to Barcelona next so stay tuned! </div>
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Siempre, </div>
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Emily</div>
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<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06002267430397458780noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568222545767556762.post-29301158534156632062014-10-15T13:38:00.002-04:002014-10-15T13:38:29.438-04:00Mis Alumnos! <div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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I haven't really talked much about my school or what I'm doing there yet so here it goes! </div>
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My school is called Ojos del Guadiana and it's located in Daimiel, Spain, which is a smaller town about a half an hour from where I live now in Ciudad Real. This means I carpool to school every day (well, Monday-Thursday when I work) with other teachers who live in Ciudad Real. I've been getting picked up and dropped off by different teachers in different locations everyday so I've gotten to know my neighborhood and some of the other teachers a little bit better. </div>
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I only have 12 hours scheduled to work during the week and that includes 3 hours of 1 on 1 Spanish lessons for me. That means during my break times I'm in the teacher's lounge preparing a presentation, working on Spanish, or talking to the other teachers. Many of them want to practice English with me which I think is great and I'm super happy to do. My school is a bilingual school so not only are English classes being taught, but regular subjects like Math and Technology (Woodworking?) are being taught in English. It's really impressive, but also has some difficult aspects when the teachers aren't native English speakers. I'm looking forward to sitting in on these classes and seeing how they really work. </div>
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The Spanish education system is a bit different from the US's. In my public school we have ages from around 11-18 years old. So it's basically middle school through high school, 7th-12th grade I think. And here the 11th-12th grade is called "bachillerato," and it's optional; you go through bachillerato if you plan on going on to college but if you plan on going into another line of work or technical college you skip it. Anyways, I've been in class with just about all of the levels to introduce myself, and I made a powerpoint to explain how high school works in the United States. They all want to know if it's like the movies, a la High School Musical! </div>
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The younger kids have in general been a little more talkative; they have a bit more confidence with their English skills and are less embarrassed to speak for the most part. The youngest ones you couldn't get to be quiet which was so fun. They had all these questions written out like, "Do you prefer spending time with friends or sleeping?" "Do you prefer The United States or Spain?" It was super cute. They don't have clubs or sports teams at their school and so they were interested in what I participated in. </div>
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Today I met a new class and they even decorated for me!! So nice. As you can see, America is all about football, basketball, baseball, cowboys, hamburgers, and hotdogs! After my powerpoint I've been showing them the Carroll High School Lip Dub video from my alma mater so they can see what high school looks like in the US, and they seem to enjoy it! </div>
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I've already gone on a field trip with one of the classes to the local museum! I think they're in 8th or 9th grade?? They did mini presentations on some of the exhibits in the museum in English! I learned about the famous sculptor/painter, D'Opazo and the architect who designed their school and several other important buildings, Fisac. </div>
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I'm still figuring out my role in the classes, but so far it's been great. It's interesting to share things about America that I never used to think twice about, for instance that we have cafeterias in schools that serve lunch everyday. At this school they have a "canteen" with drinks and snacks if you want, but almost everyone waits to eat until after school at around 3. I'm sure I'll have lots more updates about my time in school.<br />
Siempre,<br />
Emily<br />
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<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06002267430397458780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568222545767556762.post-25053207234170382052014-10-14T17:49:00.000-04:002014-10-19T16:22:37.023-04:00Food: Week 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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Here it is, the pride of Spain: Paella! </div>
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Saffron and rice with veggies, jumbo seafood with eyeballs and antenna, calamari, chicken, and those are mussels, right? When I ate this for the first time in Spain 3 years ago, I knew I had turned a culinary corner and vowed to try everything in front of me from then on. I still have some "texture issues" as my good old American family has taken to calling it, (still getting used to the texture of seafood because I never used to eat it) but no longer consider myself a picky eater which I think is a good step in the direction of adulthood? </div>
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OK. This is going to shock my mom. I was sure I wasn't going to like this because I don't care for mushrooms very much and almost never eat them, but these had a basil/garlic/bay leaf pesto sauce which I liked a lot and I ate it with my precious bread. Still not crazy about the texture of mushrooms but the taste was great. </div>
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These are like onion rings but instead of onions it's calamari inside! These were awesome, I probably would eat them with ketchup next time. </div>
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I loved this. It was perfect on a fall day when I was feeling kind of sick. It's lentil soup with potatoes and chorizo and it tastes a lot like the navy bean soup with potatoes and ham that my mom makes, only chorizo has a much stronger flavor than ham. Seriously yum. </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is like potato salad with tuna and more veggies! I still don't like olives very much which is probably a Spanish sin...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSj7njawZ-pvPPsE-5r4mcvSWcx5SDin6SpxNoJ2roqkyuoe2V6u7z-EC_zOaLryZhHRrkPizAF0uryuzQvPhTB6ffSdvVXwGH8M50cIyiGMwMrQJE8ivV4izjwWaTFnMoZ6lTEWgG5gM/s640/blogger-image-2046585390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSj7njawZ-pvPPsE-5r4mcvSWcx5SDin6SpxNoJ2roqkyuoe2V6u7z-EC_zOaLryZhHRrkPizAF0uryuzQvPhTB6ffSdvVXwGH8M50cIyiGMwMrQJE8ivV4izjwWaTFnMoZ6lTEWgG5gM/s640/blogger-image-2046585390.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Another amazing soup - chick peas/garbanzo beans, potatoes, carrots, and spinach. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Gnc1V1UKzzseUReaAO2aU202kCO8UcPwMsUWLTZ7w7VqlvJXtHcF9Axs9OdK2rtiA0xSipKXZ6puLjoeOQOIx2WqJy0BDBZyecHOgaOwjYbM1MIgsqDHt7Tp3UthmwImseVL74tKafI/s640/blogger-image--2022822435.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Gnc1V1UKzzseUReaAO2aU202kCO8UcPwMsUWLTZ7w7VqlvJXtHcF9Axs9OdK2rtiA0xSipKXZ6puLjoeOQOIx2WqJy0BDBZyecHOgaOwjYbM1MIgsqDHt7Tp3UthmwImseVL74tKafI/s640/blogger-image--2022822435.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Snack time! A churro and one of the best donuts I've ever had. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbFIiIXl7FjAYZ-mAUkOKujjvlF15JWyRAYT2qKV2lk-_O0rnX455Sco3jBItqDJZCD8-bweAr41Q0pWU8u1yO_XqR05lcWOMffyBiFfPT5_ILfHib3Ntew5wVm3OdhV7VotbA1F82lH0/s640/blogger-image--1477487653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbFIiIXl7FjAYZ-mAUkOKujjvlF15JWyRAYT2qKV2lk-_O0rnX455Sco3jBItqDJZCD8-bweAr41Q0pWU8u1yO_XqR05lcWOMffyBiFfPT5_ILfHib3Ntew5wVm3OdhV7VotbA1F82lH0/s640/blogger-image--1477487653.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Rice with a fried egg on top and little hot dog/sausages and chorizo on the side. </div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitc6Ka7drrwOslcr4YkPi9jk7xkdvGeY-qIRkELlqTy8RLc-jA9Ng_LemUIcDSWA86ngb9QIAyRnaZX2rhdJxq-j3ferAvm-71RcFLyE5clmh6y1mL8phBPNGpw0e5y00Y-QHGU7YxLpU/s640/blogger-image--54875521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitc6Ka7drrwOslcr4YkPi9jk7xkdvGeY-qIRkELlqTy8RLc-jA9Ng_LemUIcDSWA86ngb9QIAyRnaZX2rhdJxq-j3ferAvm-71RcFLyE5clmh6y1mL8phBPNGpw0e5y00Y-QHGU7YxLpU/s640/blogger-image--54875521.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Went to a really nice restaurant for a coffee and had this with it. Yum. </div><br></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-dfe3RZd1XkeRn3hyphenhyphenxt_ErDgbBvGLbraP7q02gpMxdP9wrCHKsTkFcnDr92rhDBFZQOYNzwz_dVlac-7Q1EXZW2T7C3N3Uv7crcXcI6grXTgZq0CjczwBmDzEiplBrksMpYJiz8e_8I/s640/blogger-image--1934635545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-dfe3RZd1XkeRn3hyphenhyphenxt_ErDgbBvGLbraP7q02gpMxdP9wrCHKsTkFcnDr92rhDBFZQOYNzwz_dVlac-7Q1EXZW2T7C3N3Uv7crcXcI6grXTgZq0CjczwBmDzEiplBrksMpYJiz8e_8I/s640/blogger-image--1934635545.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Grilled Cheese and Turkey! </div><br>
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So my mostly internet free weekend has been pretty awesome! My host family brought me with them to "el pueblo," which means town but to them means their "hometown." Augustina and Augustin grew up and met here in Calzada de Calatrava and then married and moved to Ciudad Real which is only about a half an hour away. My family has a second apartment and spends a lot of time here in the summer. There's a patio area they use a lot and they also have a "corralon," which is a garden/patio area with a high wall around it that also has a garage, a room with a fireplace, tables and chairs, and a bathroom. They have a small above ground pool and they spend a lot of time there in the summer also. </div>
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On Friday at around 9 we went to a screening of a film that one of the locals made that shows all of the local traditional festivals and fiestas. It went through the whole year from La Semana Santa (Holy Week) to the feast day of the patron of the town, Salvador del Mundo. Every town has different feasts and celebrations but most of the ones in Calzada involved a procession through the streets from the church with a large kind of parade float with the giant crucifix or statue of the Virgen Mary on it. There's also specific outfits for each festival and then brass bands usually march along with the procession. It's very interesting stuff but also hard to explain. </div>
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Then at around 11 or so I went to a few bars with my host sisters and met a few of their friends. We had non-alcoholic beverages and tapas and I played fooseball! One of their friends, Alvaro, said he loved me in English which was pretty funny. He said it was difficult to be romantic in English haha There was a little dancing at the "disco" we went to but everyone said the big night to party was Saturday. We were out until about 3:00am anyways; this is very typical in Spain to go out late and stay out late. </div>
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Not sure if I really explained tapas but it's another amazing part of Spanish culture. Whenever you go to a bar or cafe and order a drink, you get a tapa, a small dish of food that's like an appetizer but you don't get a meal afterwards. You get a dish with every drink you order so you can end of having a whole meal of tapas and it doesn't cost very much. Some examples of tapas: Serrano ham with crackers/bread, tortilla española (omelette with potatoes), chicken chunks (better than Frickers), meatballs, potatoes (in many forms, but mostly fried or like breakfast potatoes), small sandwiches, kabobs, etc. Last night I think I paid 2€ for 2 small beers and tapas which is about $2.50. So cheap. </div>
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Anyways, on Saturday we slept late and then went to an outdoor market that had lots of clothes, shoes, and purses for sale, had some tapas, took a long siesta, and then ate again. We painted our nails and were finally ready to go out at about 11. We took some pictures before we went out and that felt very familiar haha we went to a couple of bars/cafes for cokes and beers, and then went to the disco again. We got a huge punch bowl of tinto de verano for 8€ split between four of us and we each had 3 glasses. Again, so cheap! We did a little dancing and I met a bunch of people. One guy who is obsessed with the US told me his dream is to travel Route 66, that he loves the Oakland Raiders and the LA Lakers, and he knew where Cleveland was! My new friend Alvaro and I danced a little salsa and talked for a while, with him speaking English and me speaking Spanish! It's really good practice for everyone that way! We got home at about 5am and then slept until 1! My college days have been good training for this but I'm a bit out of practice staying up so late. </div>
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Another thing I've had to get used to is whenever you see your friends here, meet new people, and say goodbye, you give them "dos besos," which is that Euro thing you've all seen where you kiss each other on each cheek. It's very different from the American handshake, obviously but it's not a bad thing. It's kind of like hugging people in the United States when you first meet them, for me maybe? I don't know but I feel like I've dos bes-ed half of Spain by now with all the people I've met.</div>
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Also the family has a kitten at their hometown house! His name is Fermín because he was born on the feast of San Fermín in July. He's so cute and we became best friends of course. They call him Mini or Minmin which is adorable. </div>
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Anyways it's siesta time again. I'm not sure when we're going back to Ciudad Real today but then I'll have Internet so I can publish all these posts. </div>
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Siempre,</div>
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Emily </div>
Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06002267430397458780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568222545767556762.post-25289714988993369902014-10-12T17:01:00.000-04:002014-10-12T17:01:03.059-04:00Food Roundup: Week 1If you know me then you know I love to eat just about everything. Food is a very important part of the culture here in Spain and I intend to try everything put in front of me. I'm going to try to take pictures of what I'm eating, not for the sake of slapping an Instagram filter on it (that will only be sometimes), but so you all can see what kind of things we have here! My family eats very healthily because my host dad had a heart attack about 10 years ago.<br />
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Breakfast is pretty light here, with juice, a piece of fruit, cookies that are a little like vanilla wafers, sweet bread, or other pastries.<br />
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This is the kind of milk we have, it's shelf stable I think so it was room temperature this morning when I had it with Nesquik. </div>
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On the left is yogurt with candy to dump in it, and on the right are the galletas or cookies. </div>
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I haven't looked this up but I think it's like Nutella and it goes well with the cookies of course. </div>
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This is some type of melt in your mouth pastry with sugar on the outside, I can't remember the name. </div>
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I think that these are like Swiss Rolls but I haven't tried them yet! </div>
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Here's a kind of juice I got at a cafe yesterday, it's like Mediterranean fruits: </div>
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Lunch time is usually around 3 in the afternoon after kids get home from school.<br />
Meatballs and French fries and bread:<br />
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Sardines and bread and croutons for the vegetable purée soup we had:</div>
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This is some kind of potato soup that was really good and chicken. </div>
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This is the kind of melon we have a lot, it's sort of a mix of cantaloupe and honeydew but it's just called melón. </div>
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We eat bread everyday, often twice a day, and I think it may be my favorite thing when it comes to food here (along with chorizo). I haven't been able to find a bread in American grocery stores that compares. It's the right amount of crunchy on the outside an soft on the inside and perfect to mop up whatever other delicious sauce is on your plate. </div>
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Everyone keeps asking me if there is a typical food in Ohio but I can't really think of one. I keep saying that we have a mix of foods that people eat, from pasta to pizza, hamburgers, hotdogs, tacos, and Asian food. Oh well. </div>
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Siempre,</div>
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Emily </div>
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Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06002267430397458780noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568222545767556762.post-59869501768141624092014-10-12T16:58:00.000-04:002014-10-12T16:58:17.931-04:00Cervezada de Química<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
October 10, 2014</div>
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My host sisters were trying to explain to me what Cervezada was all week but I had no idea until I got there on Thursday! Apparently it's a university sponsored party that happens every week, and it's great. Each department of the university takes turns sponsoring it and it costs 5€. Get this: they use a water park! It's closed during the school year so it's the perfect place for this. There's a DJ and allllll the university students can come and bring their cervezas (beer) or botellones (bottles) of alcohol and whatever mixing drink they want. I saw a lot of calimocho (wine and coke) and tinto de verano (wine and Fanta de limon). "Cervezada" is a type of "Botellon," which is simply the drinking in large groups with bottles of stuff. This one was sponsored by the chemistry department and next week it's the med school/department. There were security guards there but I didn't see any trouble. People were dancing in the pool area that had been emptied and going to the bathroom outside the gates in the field next door. Luckily I'm no stranger to this activity, as my parents took us on many camping trips with no bathrooms. I can't really think of anything to compare it to, maybe like Dayton to Daytona for one day a week from 4ish-11ish and without the free beer? Anyways I went with Ana and met several of her friends which was awesome. We went back to her friends Marichi and David's apartment and ate pizza, watched Spain lose in futbol, and talked about all kinds of things in Spanish and in English. We did an awesome exchange of "do you watch this show?" "do you listen to this artist?" "have you seen this movie?" Everyone was so nice and now I have more Spanish friends on Facebook woo! Here are some pictures so maybe you can understand what I'm talking about a bit more. </div>
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I feel like my English is already suffering because I'm trying to think about how to say everything in Spanish, but I suppose that's a good thing. Anyways, more posts are on the way and I will post this one once I get back to somewhere with wifi.<br />
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Siempre,</div>
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Emily</div>
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<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06002267430397458780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568222545767556762.post-12835503885976232632014-10-08T13:44:00.002-04:002014-10-08T14:06:47.480-04:00Mi Familia<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Day 3</span><br>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Yesterday I came to my host family's apartment at about 7:30 p.m. to meet them. The flat is interesting to me because I don't see many families living "the city life" in apartments at home. It's on the 3rd floor and has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, a dining room, kitchen, and living room. I'll try and snipe some pictures soon and add them in here. </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">My host mom's name is Augustina and get this, my host dad's name is Augustin! I have 2 host sister's named Fatima (25 yrs. old) and Ana (24 yrs old). Fatima teaches English and Ana is learning English so it's been fun communicating back and forth in English and Spanish. My brain gets tired easily I've found because sometimes I'm trying to think in Spanish and they're trying to speak in English, so it gets a bit confusing. Ana also plays for the Ciudad Real Futbol team! I'm hoping that one of these weekends I can go watch her play. The family goes to the "hometown," Calzada I think it's called, on the weekends so that's where I'm going this weekend! The family has been super nice and welcoming, although I've barely heard Augustin say 3 words haha. </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Today I slept late, went out for a walk and some tapas (beer and potatos with aoli) with Ana and her friend Maria, came back for lunch of pasta CON CHORIZO (chorizo es mi favorito) and melon, and then slept a little more. We are going out tonight a little later to meet some of Fatima's friends I think. (Side note: it throws me off when the family shortens her name to Fati, it sounds like they're calling her "Fatty" to me!)</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Tomorrow is my first day in the school which is exciting! I've been reading some of the other CIEE program people's short blurbs on Facebook about their experiences and most of them sound great! It will be nice to have a schedule! I'm also already getting in contact about teaching English lessons in Ciudad Real, like one on one conversation lessons, so that will be great for extra money. </span><div><font face="Courier New, Courier, monospace"><br></font><div><font face="Courier New, Courier, monospace">I know most people don't care but I'm trying to look like less of a slob over here so here's my outfit of the day. </font></div><div><font face="Courier New, Courier, monospace"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEFjGtPkMt6idpwVwVeIUZmCmaUpJbgi8J3Krhh8b2H1kUpDyrwq5TDIVXQInIcjS1bYgXqxs4lF2bwhgEv8BwvieBn3_K-F8DVmId-qNdekgFEsNJpQS_uQ18QDuOBR6O7l8OZ4Trx3Y/s640/blogger-image--415115557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEFjGtPkMt6idpwVwVeIUZmCmaUpJbgi8J3Krhh8b2H1kUpDyrwq5TDIVXQInIcjS1bYgXqxs4lF2bwhgEv8BwvieBn3_K-F8DVmId-qNdekgFEsNJpQS_uQ18QDuOBR6O7l8OZ4Trx3Y/s640/blogger-image--415115557.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Siempre,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Emily</div><br></font></div></div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06002267430397458780noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568222545767556762.post-73030805143489582102014-10-08T11:55:00.001-04:002014-10-08T12:00:24.091-04:00Ciudad Un-Real<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: white; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20.2859992980957px;">Tuesday, October 7, 2014</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20.2859992980957px;">Ahhhhh!!!! Still can't believe I'm here. Katie and I were talking about how we weren't uncomfortable at all here because it feels like coming home. It's like we stepped right back into our old Spanish life and every tiny cobblestoned street we turned on felt familiar to us somehow. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: white; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Toledo is a beautiful historic city and so we all walked around and got lunch when we arrived. My first Spanish meal was tapas of course! Partridge pâté, beef stew, croquettes, tuna and potato salad, Manchego cheese and ham, and patatas bravas with sangria! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: white; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Then in the evening we met back up with group for dinner at this yummy restaurant with lots of little alcoves to fit us. It felt like we were in a little cave. I had more pâté, croquettes, and cheese, an egg and sausage biscuit, veal and potatoes, and ice cream with wine and sangria again. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: white; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Then we went to the roof of our hotel which had a nice bar area and a bunch of us played Cards Against Humanity! It's a good way to get to know everyone haha I wish we were all going to be staying a little closer to one another but it will be good to be a little separated so we make Spanish friends. We're all going to make travel plans together which will be nice. This was the panoramic view off of the balcony in my hotel room with the Cathedral in the distance. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: white; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Today we woke up and had a light breakfast </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: white; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">and went to our orientation at the library of Toledo: </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: white; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">We learned a little more about our roles in the school and got some practical information. Then we met our tutors! Maribel is a 34 year old English teacher in the school I'll be at in Daimiel, but she lives in Ciudad Real which is about a half hour away. She picked me up from orientation and we drove about an hour and a half to her apartment. She ordered pizza for me (a very delicious peperone) and I met her boyfriend Samuel. Samuel is also an English teacher; he was born in Portugal, then went to South Africa when he was a year old and spent 17 years there, and then went back to Portugal for 15 years. They're both pretty cool to say the least and we got along well. (ALSO she told me I looked very Spanish right after I met her AND she says my Spanish is good!! Those are THE highest compliments and I love her for them). She showed me my timetable for school and explained how things would work. Then we went to the city center, met her parents, and took a walk! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: white; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Ciudad Real has about 75,000 people so it's about double the city of Dayton proper without suburbs. I had some ice cream (Chocolate Brownie), met one of Maribel's friends, and talked to the boss of the English academy where Samuel works to inquire about whether I could teach English lessons for "pocket money" as she says. The answer to that question was "vamos a ver," so "we'll see." I'm so excited and grateful for every aspect of this experience and I can't wait to see how this will change me and make me better. It feels so unreal to be here, and thus the punny title of the post. I'll probably be hashtagging it so prepare yourselves. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: white; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I think I'll save my introduction to my host family for the next post because it's 12:58pm here and I am ready to sleep for a whole day. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: white; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Siempre,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: white; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Emilia</span></div>
Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06002267430397458780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568222545767556762.post-62905102131878960022014-10-08T11:54:00.001-04:002014-10-08T11:59:52.564-04:00Ay. Dios. Mio.<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="font-size: 30px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">
<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: white; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">Tuesday, October 7, 2014</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: white; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Our flight went well. I was writing a very poetic post during it about how I felt like I was in outer space, but then a very friendly gentleman in front of us named Manny started talking to us over the seat for like a half an hour at least. He's a business man and does something with tiling roofs and also managing landfills? But he has a dog named "Lost," because he said he found it, which is pretty funny. Anyways. I slept a tiny bit, we watched Maleficent in Spanish (may have to see it in English now), and we got a pretty good dinner including free wine! I love Spain! We touched down at about 8:15am Spain time which was 2:15am EST and made our way to get our luggage, buy a SIM card for our phones, and then took an airport bus to another terminal to our meeting point. We found out that the girl sitting behind us on the flight was also in our program but not until after we landed! Then we had to wait until 1:30pm our time to take the bus with our group. We got coffee (cafe americano para mi), a donut AND FANTA DE LIMÓN. It's like regular Fanta but lemon flavored and it sparkles like sunshine. You can't get it in the US but it's so good and Katie and I both have missed it. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: white; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">All of the people we've met have been super nice so far and we spent the past few hours talking about where we're from, previous travel experiences, and where we would all like to travel while we're here. I feel right in the middle of the pack when it comes to experience traveling abroad and language ability, but I also feel a real connection to these 50 people because most of them chose this program for similar reasons as I did (love of travel, love of Spain, not knowing what the next life step is, etc.). </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: white; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Feelings I'm having: ALL OF THEM. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: white; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This feels like a continuation of a dream I've been having for the past 3 years. It already almost feels like I never left. My month here felt like an entire lifetime and so it feels as if I'm jumping right back into that life. I've never experienced anything like this before. The street signs, billboards, and store signs are in Spanish and/or kilometers, the music on the bus is a mix of American top 40 and songs in Spanish which is fun, the terrain is just like I remember it, really dry and arid looking with some hills and mountains in the distance, and the sky is blue as can be. I'm so happy to be back and see what this adventure is going to be like! </span></div>
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Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06002267430397458780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568222545767556762.post-49692729139321115762014-10-08T11:52:00.000-04:002014-10-08T11:59:06.872-04:00Bon Voyage y Buen Viaje!<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: white; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20.2859992980957px;">Sunday, October 5, 2014</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20.2859992980957px;">I</span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20.2859992980957px;">'m currently typing this on my phone in the plane from Columbus to New York which is so cool! When I went to Spain the first time (also the last time I flew) I didn't even have a smart phone so I'm interested to see how this trip with be different social media-wise. Anyways, I LOVE flying. This is only the 3rd time I've flown for a trip so it's still very exciting and new. When we were taking off I had the thought, "How amazing are the Wright Brothers and how cool is it that I was born and raised in the same city as they were?" I'm excited to tell my host families where I'm from and see what they know about good old Orville and Wilbur! </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: white; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Everything went really smoothly checking in and going through security, I was about a pound over weight on the checked bag but I shifted a couple things to the carry on and it was all good! Our parents all watched us go through security and waved us off (thanks for the ride Mom and Dad!). Katie and I got some Starbucks since I was up until 4am packing and needed a pick me up, and we caught up on life happenings since we saw each other last. It's very strange to go from living together to living an hour away from each other. All this travel time together is great for us!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: white; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It's finally starting to sink in that Spain is actually happening. There are no more things on the To-Do List after 10 months of talking about it and planning and preparing and packing. Now it's just a whole lot of Wonderful Unknowns. It's hopefully a smooth process the rest of the time; we have over 4 hours at JFK before the next flight so there's time to get our bearings and have some food. We're both craving hot dogs so I think it would be a fitting last American meal for three months. The weather is beautiful and the view out the window has been a beautiful sight to see. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: white; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I'm going to keep sipping on my cranberry apple juice and watching Katie doze and I'll post this when we arrive at JFK! ;) </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: white; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Siempre, </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: white; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Emily W. </span></div>
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Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06002267430397458780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568222545767556762.post-62972621333189972462014-10-08T11:50:00.001-04:002014-10-08T11:58:24.435-04:00List(a)<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: white; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20.2859992980957px;">Thursday, October 2, 2014</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20.2859992980957px;">Estas lista?" in Spanish means "Are you ready?" I've always remembered this phrase by saying to myself, "You're only ready if you've made your lists!" and I believe it. I'm the type of person who has notebooks and notepads and random pieces of paper in every purse and every surface of my room with different lists scribbled on them. Whether it's a To-Do list or a list of songs I want to look up, I find that they are essential for my productivity and probably for my hygiene (how else am I supposed to remember to shower, or at least put deodorant on in the morning??).</span><br style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20.2859992980957px;" /><br style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20.2859992980957px;" /><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20.2859992980957px;">I'm quite the accomplished procrastinator (hence why I am writing on the blog about packing, rather than actually packing), and so I have yet to begin to fill my suitcase with the things I think I'll need for the next 3 months, even though I leave on Sunday. BUT, today I made my packing list and I already feel much better about everything I have to do. The list is very exhaustive and neatly categorized; even though I still haven't crossed anything off of it, I think I'll be able to handle it on Saturday, when I assume I'll actually pack. There are some other hurdles to come though, and weight limits and heartbreaking choices about shoes are the first ones that come to mind.</span><br style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20.2859992980957px;" /><br style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20.2859992980957px;" /><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20.2859992980957px;">On some level this does not quite feel real yet. I've been looking forward to going back to Spain since I left there in July of 2011 and it's all I've talked and thought about for months and months. But it's finally almost here, and it's time to get this show on the road! I have a feeling it might not sink in until I'm on the plane, but my heart is ready. Of tonight though, all I can say is that cats, internet, phone calls and texts from important, old friends, and the antics of my little bro have all brought me to this point: with Lists, but not quite Lista.</span></span>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06002267430397458780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568222545767556762.post-74555590214816217292013-08-02T16:32:00.001-04:002013-10-30T09:51:41.610-04:00Working with Kids<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">I wrote some guidelines for new volunteers at East End based on my experiences for the past almost 7 months. It's been challenging and rewarding all at the same time and I will be very sad to leave my kids. The best way to learn about our kids is just to be here and listen to them, but hopefully these snippets of advice help too! </span><br />
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Volunteers<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Build
Relationships</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Relationships matter. Start out your
relationships with the youth by introducing yourself and remembering the names
of the students you meet. Use their names often and ask them how they are doing
or how their day is going – generally, the more you show interest in their
lives, the more they are willing to open up to you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]-->Trusting and supportive relationships are
necessary in order to be able to keep the peace and to discipline youth when
necessary. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Create
a Positive Environment for Youth<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]-->The Youth Center is meant to be a place where
students who may have troubled home lives or who have lived or still live in
disadvantaged neighborhoods can have positive interactions and experiences in
order to build their character, improve social interaction skills, and concern
for their community. Every student is different; you can have no idea about
their background until you get to know them and it is important not to treat
them differently than you would any other student who might not have had a
difficult background. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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Rather Than Tell<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]-->When having serious or sensitive discussions,
it’s important to let kids share what they believe and understand why they feel
the way that they do. If you are trying to impart a lesson to them, don’t just
tell them, let them come to the understanding themselves. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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Firm with a Good Measure of Grace<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]-->“Being strict won’t get the results you want; nor will being
unstructured. We don’t always give youth what they want, but what they need
because sometimes they are unaware of what they really need themselves. When
discipline is called for we must always seek to rehabilitate, to guide youth
toward positive growth rather than to simply punish. There are times when a
firm hand is needed, and there are times when grace is needed. Explain what you
see as the problem and encourage the teens to help come up with a solution.” <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Set
Boundaries & Expectations for Youth: Be Consistent<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Make sure that everyone is on the same page
about the rules, team and youth included. Let the kids know what behaviors are
acceptable and what are not, and be consistent about your enforcement of the
rules. A good system is to use the system of one clear warning on the first
offense, a time out and a chat with a staff member on the second offense, and
removal from the Youth Center/time out for the rest of the day on the third
offense. Even if the kids are not used to having to abide by specific rules,
let them know that there is a time and a place for their behavior and at the
Youth Center they have to abide by the rules. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Appropriate
Responses to Youth Behavior<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->“Build a good healthy respect for youth into your discipline.
Never embarrass a youth in front of his peers. When there are problems, try to
deal with a youth alone. Never attack the person, only the behavior. Rewards
and punishments must be appropriate and aimed to encourage positive behavior
while discouraging negative behavior. Both the “stick” and the “carrot” are
effective and have their moments, but we should not go to the extremes of
bribery for positive behavior and getting revenge for negative behavior. When a
youth breaks a rule, don’t overreact with harshness, but correct the problem
with compassion. Students need to know what will happen when a rule is broken
and the consequences must be fair and fit the action.”<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Actively
Involve Youth<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->“Allow your youth to help you plan and implement activities. The
more ownership youth have in the event, the less discipline problems you’ll
have. Involvement and responsibility creates commitment. Whether [the group] is
large or small your functions should include a variety of activities that cater
to a variety of energy levels and interests, especially with younger youth.
During discussions, break up the youth into small groups so no one is left out.
Often youth who don’t get involved are the ones who cause the most problems.
Also be conscious of transitions. Move smoothly and quickly from one activity
to another. When a lag occurs between activities, problems tend to occur.”<br />
Also be aware of kids who may be left out on purpose. There is zero
toleration for bullying at the Youth Center and that kind of behavior and/or
verbal bullying need to be addressed and corrected immediately. Defend kids who
get picked on and let them know that you are on their side. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Actively
Involve Caring Adults</span></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Communicate with your team. Tell each other
about incidents involving the kids, share information about the kids’
backgrounds so that you know them a little better, and have each other’s backs
when it comes to discipline. Acknowledge strengths and weaknesses with certain
kids and problems and use that knowledge to build better relationships with the
kids. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Quotes and headings taken from: http://www.creativeyouthideas.com/resources/youth-ministry/tips-for-working-with-youth-and-handling-discipline-problems/<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06002267430397458780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568222545767556762.post-22040166826086811942013-07-02T21:34:00.000-04:002013-07-02T21:34:37.474-04:00How to Make a Beautiful LifeI found a birthday card from my parents from several years ago in the cleaning and purging of my room, and though it's kind of simple, I think it's worth sharing. Yay, Hallmark!<br />
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How to Make a Beautiful Life - Reflections for a Daughter on Her Birthday (or everyday)<br />
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Love yourself.<br />
Make peace with who you are<br />
and where you are<br />
at this moment in time.<br />
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Listen to your heart.<br />
If you can't hear what it's saying<br />
in this noisy world,<br />
make time for yourself.<br />
Enjoy your own company.<br />
Let your mind wander among the stars.<br />
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Try.<br />
Take chances.<br />
Make mistakes.<br />
Life can be messy<br />
and confusing at times,<br />
but it's also full of surprises.<br />
The next rock in your path<br />
might be a stepping-stone.<br />
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Be happy.<br />
When you don't have what you want,<br />
want what you have.<br />
Make do.<br />
That's a well-kept secret of contentment.<br />
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There aren't any shortcuts to tomorrow.<br />
You have to make your own way.<br />
To where you're going<br />
is only part of it.<br />
You need to know where you've been, too.<br />
<b>And if you ever get lost, don't worry.</b><br />
<b>The people who love you will find you. </b><br />
<b>Count on it.</b><br />
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Life isn't days and years.<br />
It's what you do with time<br />
and with all the goodness and grace<br />
that's inside you.<br />
Make a beautiful life...<br />
The kind of life you deserve.<br />
<br />
Love,<br />
Mom & Dad<br />
<br />
<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06002267430397458780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568222545767556762.post-22965382212471301182013-06-27T18:12:00.001-04:002013-06-27T18:12:21.529-04:00Mis Amigas <div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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This was the best thing my Tuesday could have brought me: a Google Hangout date with two of my best friends Katie & Kaitlyn! Google Effects is the second best thing because it made me laugh so much to see us all in beards, mustaches, kitty cat masks, and eye patches and trying to talk about serious stuff, like when we were going to get to see each other next. UD brought us together on the same floor of our freshman dorm, and going to Spain together two summers ago cemented our sisterhood for life. We talked for hours like only best friends can talk. We shared fears and excitement for the future, job hunting woes and encouraging advice, and many expressions of love and utter joy that we were finally getting to talk face-to-face after many weeks apart (even if from 3 different cities)! I don't know if I can explain how much these two girls mean to me in words; they empower me to do big things, believe in and love myself, have faith in what the future holds, and to find the sunshine on any gloomy day. </div>
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Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06002267430397458780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568222545767556762.post-14797904231141347102013-06-25T13:41:00.001-04:002014-08-08T19:13:20.920-04:00Thank You CardsI am so extremely grateful for all of my wonderful friends and family and the support they've given me through my time in college and during my whole life, but boy, writing thank you notes is killing me. I would much rather give everyone a giant hug and say "Thanks for everything." Thank you cards are like small talk, only smaller, mandatory, and more awkward than regular small talk, if that's even possible. I sound stupid in them and have no idea how I'm supposed to say gracefully, "Thank you so much for making me somewhat less poor, only not really, because all of this money really should be going to my large student loans and it really doesn't make THAT much of a dent and I'm going to be so very poor for many more years to come so what does this $20 even matter? Also I don't know what I'm doing with my life yet so sorry that you don't know exactly what kind of future you're contributing to. Extra thanks to those who gave me gift cards, I will buy so much cute apartment stuff at Bed, Bath, & Beyond and Target once I find a job and an apartment. Maybe I should just work at Target? Anyways, thanks a TON! Love, Emily."<br />
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Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06002267430397458780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568222545767556762.post-57493054388801197562013-06-16T23:40:00.001-04:002013-06-16T23:40:20.881-04:00Five Stages of Graduation GriefWhen I was a senior in high school, we had to write a 10 page research paper for my AP English class on a topic that was of interest to us. I took the opportunity to choose my topic to heart, because I had always hated teachers giving specific writing assignments with little room for personal feelings. My Grandpa had been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer in February of my senior year and so I decided to write about Elizabeth Kubler Ross's 5 Stages of Grief and relate them to how a family deals with a dying relative. It's kind of a heavy topic, but I have always found solace in educating myself about the difficult things that are going on in my life, or in the lives of those around me (Psych major, hello). I used the research paper as a way to learn how my family and I might react and feel to the different stages of my Grandpa's illness. I haven't thought about that research paper in a while, but I recently read a special feature article on Cincinnati.com called "The Rules of Grieving." The article, written by John Faherty, (<a href="http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130609/NEWS10/306090001/The-Rules-Grieving-They-still-boys">http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130609/NEWS10/306090001/The-Rules-Grieving-They-still-boys</a>) tells the stories of 5 boys from Moeller High School in Cincinnati who are a part of a grief support group there. It's a very powerful story and I encourage you to read it for yourself, but it got me thinking about the different kinds of grief there can be and how they can affect a person differently. Grieving the loss of a pet may be different than grieving the loss of a parent, sibling, friend, or a friendship, and everyone grieves differently. That, I think, is the cardinal rule when it comes to grief. We can't feel exactly what others feel, we can only struggle to imagine what it would be like for another person and then support them in whatever way we can.<br />
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Where I'm going with this may seem trivial or dramatic, and not everyone may be able to relate to this feeling, but I have begun to equate graduating from college with sustaining a significant loss that requires time for grieving. I feel so lucky that I ended up at the University of Dayton. Not everyone can say they feel the same attachment for their school, and in particular the people at their school, that I can. At the end of each era of my life I have found myself struggling to transition when the time came; I wasn't ready to leave the womb, I didn't want to leave 8th grade, I didn't want to move on from high school, and I sure didn't want to be done with college (except for the part about paying tuition). </div>
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Denial: For each semester of college that passed, more and more I found myself saying, "I can't believe I only have so much time left," or "How could I possibly be a junior in college already?" And other people were saying it to me too; "I can't believe you're so grown up!" I would just say, "I can't believe it either!" As senior year approached, I wouldn't even say the word "graduation," instead opting to call it, "the G-word," if I referred to it at all. I would tell people that I never wanted to and I never would graduate because I loved college so much. I just tried to enjoy myself everyday because somewhere in the back of my mind I knew we were running out of time. </div>
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Anger: This stage's best example is an interaction I had with a family friend many months ago. At a Superbowl or graduation party we were talking and he very innocently asked what I would be doing after graduation, as in "Then what?" At that point I snapped back and said something to the effect of, "I don't know!! I wish people would stop asking me that!!" I got pretty red in the face and he was probably offended as he has remembered it to this day. I know adults in my life are concerned and curious about what I will be doing or what I want to do, but those questions have always, and still do, cause a mini panic attack inside me. Should I know what I want to do with my life? Should I have a plan? Some would say yes, but the fact is that I'm still trying to figure it all out. I need answers for myself before I can tell other people about them.<br />
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Bargaining: I could feel the last few months of college zooming by like I was watching them in fast forward on a VHS tape. I kept willing them to slow down. I was running out of time and I just kept thinking about all the adventures I still wanted to have. I was trying to do it all without burning out, I didn't want to have any regrets. I was bargaining with myself; I'm exhausted from work so I'm not going to go out tonight, but I'm going to go out hard tomorrow, all day and all night! I'm going to see everyone and go everywhere! I was also caught in the "what if's?" What if I could stay another year? I would get another major and another minor! Please! I'll work so hard! What am I going to do?? <br />
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Depression: Without a doubt, this is the stage I'm in now, though I'd much rather just call it Sadness. I know I'll be okay and I still have fun and laugh and everything, but it's just a sad time. I'm so sad that my friends and I don't all have more time together in the way that we had before. I'm sad when I think about all the phenomenal memories we have made and the fact that things won't ever be the same. I was used to spending all of my free time with certain people and I didn't know what it would be like not seeing them or talking to them every day like before. At school you are never really all alone. There's almost always someone else in the house, and if not someone could come in the house unannounced at any given moment. Now, I am alone a lot and stuck in my own head, being sad and missing people. Graduation should be a celebration, but I have started calling it the funeral for my youth. How sad! I kind of want to be able to be sad for a while though. The fact that I'm sad means that these past four years meant something, and that they were life-altering, in a good way. Again, I know good things are coming my way in the future, and this is all just a part of life, but I don't think I can accept that yet until I have this time of sadness to come to terms with all that I got to experience.<br />
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Acceptance: I don't know when I'll accept that this new reality of being graduated is a permanent reality. I will want to continue on as if college hasn't ended, and I will want my friends and roommates around like old times, but I will eventually come to realize that for life to move on as it's meant to, this just cannot be so. "We can never replace what has been lost, but we can make new connections, new meaningful relationships, new inter-dependencies. Instead of denying our feelings, we listen to our needs; we move, we change, we grow, we evolve. We may start to reach out to others and become involved in their lives. We invest in our friendships and in our relationship with ourselves. We begin to live again, but we cannot do so until we have given grief its time." <span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"> (</span></span><a href="http://grief.com/the-five-stages-of-grief/">http://grief.com/the-five-stages-of-grief/</a>)<br />
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Life will go on, I just have to go with it. </div>
Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06002267430397458780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568222545767556762.post-62253637972067015272013-06-06T20:00:00.001-04:002013-06-25T12:17:52.740-04:00Summer Job! So I'm not technically unemployed, but I think it makes for a good blog title! I don't have what I would consider a "big girl job," because it's not full time and not in Columbus, which is where I want to move at the end of the summer.<br />
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I am currently just a dog sitter/house sitter, but I just signed the paperwork to be hired on at East End Community Services as a Youth Center Staff Mentor. This job is basically what I've been doing since January except that I'll get paid for it! This past year I participated in a Semester of Service through school and I was placed with East End. Through the SoS program I was a mentor and tutor in an urban, public PK-8 school. I got to hang out with who would be considered the "bad" kids, who got sent from class to the In-School Restoration Room, which is a kind of like in-school detention or suspension, but with a restorative justice aspect. It's one of the first schools in the area to have a program like that where the kids are held accountable so that they have to apologize and rebuild the relationships that were injured during their acting out. Then after school I mentored/hung out with a group of junior high kids, and we learned about making healthy decisions, managing a budget, and participating in service to the community. Finally, in the evening we would walk down to the Youth Center, where a free meal was served to kids from 4th-12th grade, who then participated in academic and activity time with several other volunteers and employees of the center. We're a safe and positive environment for kids who don't always have that to go home to and I've loved getting to know all of the amazing kids that I've come in contact with. This summer at this job I get to hang out with all of the same kids from 3-8 everyday at the youth center, where we will learn about a variety of different subjects, go on field trips, and play all day!<br />
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I can't really explain how much the Semester of Service experience has meant to me, except to say that's it's pointed me in a direction that could lead to a future career for me. I've never had any kind of career aspirations (besides when I wanted to be a chef for a few years in junior high), but helping and hanging out with kids is something for which I've really discovered a deeper passion. This job is a sigh of relief for this summer - I don't have to meet all new people just yet, I can save money for my eventual move, and I can take more time to search for a job that is going to be right for me. I applied for a job a few months ago that I never heard back about, but in that waiting period I realized that I didn't really want to move away at the beginning of the summer, and that it wouldn't have been the right job for me. It felt more like my decision, than the decision of someone who didn't want to hire me, and I think that's how I need to look at everything that's going to be happening to me in the next couple of months. I am capable of making good decisions and I need to recognize that in myself. Those kids who I didn't think I had anything in common with back in January make my life more meaningful everyday, and I learn something about them and their world every time I talk with them. I am so blessed to get to have a few more months with them and I cannot imagine having to say goodbye at the end to all of them. I am SO relieved to have some income too. How lucky am I to get paid to do something that I love so much!? That's what I think a career should be everyday and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that something like that comes along for me.<br />
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Love always,<br />
Emily<br />
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<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06002267430397458780noreply@blogger.com0