bmgray’s blog

The weather is outragous

Posted on June 26th, 2008 by bmgray.
Categories: Uncategorized.

The weather here right now is shocking. I have been taking 2 cold showers a day and live in front of my fan but still manage to have trouble breathing because it is SO HOT! Trying to study in this heat was the worst of all! We went to the beach yesterday for the first time in awhile to celebrate the end of our final exams. The water felt so incredibly nice! My finals were pretty hard. I studied a lot for all of them but I only felt super comfortable in 20th century art (the class I studied the least for). It turns out that I didn’t even pass my Baroque art class! I’m not sure if this will affect my GPA at home. I hope not because it seems wrong to be penalized for taking a chance with classes in a foreign University with foreign students in a completely foreign language. I learned more in that class, even though I didn’t pass, than what I would have learned at home. Not because our classes at home are not up to par, because they are, but here I had to stay completely on top of everything to make sure that I would understand. I have one exam left but I think it will be okay! I liked the class a lot.

I can’t believe this amazing semester is coming to an end. I want to stop time! It will so strange to be home again and I will miss being here. A lot of the American students have already been gone for about a month. This weekend there are several “fiestas de despedida” (good-bye parties) for other European students who are going home. I hate good-byes!

“Don’t be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again after a moment or lifetime is certain for those who are friends.”

Leslie and Courtney came to visit me a couple weeks ago and it was so fun to be able to show them around Murcia. They were suprised, they thought it was going to be a lot different. I got to take them to my favorite place to eat, a little tapa bar called “El Palomo”. It is dirty, cheap, noisy and you eat on paper but I absolutely love the atmosphere. We also went to climb the bell tower of the Murcia Cathedral…that is something that I have never done! The view was so pretty! The students that I study with here all speak Spanish so when they came it was weird to have to translate. Sometimes I would just stare at them and wait for them to respond to someone, just assuming they understood, but then finally I realized that they didn’t. I felt so dumb! While they were here we had a party at my apartment so they could meet some of my friends. A Spanish guy was leaning in the give Leslie the typical “dos besos” (2 kisses)on both cheeks when he met her. Leslie had no idea what he was doing and freaked out a bit and then stuck out her hand to shake his. They were both so confused, it was hilarious!

Right now I just have a couple weeks to hang out here in Murcia until I have to take my last exam. After that Exam Roberto and I are going to Amsterdam for the weekend. That will be interesting! Last night Quentin (my Belgian friend…he is from the French part of Belgium but he also speaks Dutch..and English fluently…and Spanish…geez!) made me a list of Dutch phrases that I can use while I am there. It is amazing how similar it is to English! For example “Where is?” in Dutch is “War is?”…there are many things that seemed like I was just speaking English with a funny accent. I guess it won’t be too difficult to understand!

I have been kind of worried about the way my classes are going to transfer back at home…I hope okay! This experience that I have had here is worth any bad grade or change in my GPA. I have learned so much and have a different view on life and the world. =)

“Imagine we are all the same. Imagine we agree about politics, religion, and morality. Imagine we like the same types of music, art, food, and coffee. Imagine we all look alike. Sound boring? Differences need not divide us. Embrace diversity. Dignity is everyone’s human right.”
–Bill Brummel (Documentary filmmaker),

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness… Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
–Mark Twain

“For if every true love affair can feel like a journey to a foreign country, where you can’t quite speak the language, and you don’t know where you’re going, and you’re pulled even deeper into the inviting darkness, every trip to a foreign country can be a love affair, where you’re left puzzling over who you are and whom you’ve fallen in love with.” -Pico Iyer

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2078011&l=ff737&id=47202615–  a mix of photos from the whole semester

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2078012&l=baef2&id=47202615 –recent photos!

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Making Tail

Posted on May 28th, 2008 by bmgray.
Categories: Uncategorized.

First of all I would like to apologize for abandoning my blog for a couple weeks! Finals are around the corner and I have been trying to get some studying done and finish my papers before Leslie and Courtney come to visit next weekend. I am hoping to be able to go to Madrid with them but it all depends on how much work I get done!

You are probably wondering why I’ve decided to call this blog “Making Tail”. I just think it is a funny phrase in Spanish “to make tail” means to stand in line! I am starting to feel as though I sort of fit in here, finally after 4 1/2 months! The deal breaker was when I was standing in line at the “Mercadona” (the super market that, in my opinion rocks the socks off Wal-mart) I participated in little conversation between a few other customers and the cashier. I felt like such a Spaniard! It wasn’t anything special we were just discussing a new type of tomato sauce that just came out but it was a cool feeling to be able to casually talk to someone without stuttering and sweating.

It has been quite some time since I have written so I will tell you a little about Almeria and Malaga. We went to Almeria first and explored the town. I loved it so much because there was hardly anyone out in the streets. There were a lot of people dressed up for weddings and first communions. We climbed up to an Arabic Castle and wandered around the fortress for hours. It was full of flowers and little ponds! The Cathedral in Almeria was also gorgeous. I went with a Bulgarian girl named Lyuba and two Italians, my roommate Rosaria and her friend Corrina. There was a statue of John Lennon there, Almeria is where he wrote “Strawberry Fields Forever”. I have been having a lot of trouble with allergies here. I am not sure what I am allergic to but it was really bad in Almeria and I was unable to go out with the other girls one of the nights.

After Almeria we took the bus to Malaga. I really enjoyed Malaga, but I think I preferred Almeria. My reason being that Malaga was full of tourists from northern Europe and Almeria was so tranquil, I felt as though we were the only ones walking around the town. The bus ride from Almeria to Malaga was absolutely fabulous, I swear I think I may have enjoyed it more than the city itself. Here is something I wrote in my notebook on the bus…

music, cliffs, water crasing the shore, kittensoutside, hole in the wall, rest stop, windows open, wind rushing through, laughing, clanking of glasses, white pueblos, more laughter, thoughts of home, not taken for granted…

Right now I am listening to a CD that Roberto made me, it is Joan Manuel Serrat and I love it! I recommend it!

In Malaga there were a lot of things to see. My favorite was the Picasso museum, there was a beautiful modern photography exhibit in the museum. We also got to see Picasso’s childhood home, part if it was changed into a museum and the other part was left as though it were the living room of the Picasso family. We went to more Arab fortresses and also a wonderful lookout of the city. Rosaria had a friend there who invited us to eat with her family. We had ensaladilla rusa, one of my favorite Spanish tapas! It is basically tuna salad with potatoes! Her family was was so warm and welcoming, it is nice to be in a family atmosphere once in a while because I don’t get it very often here. I wrote this sitting in the plaza in front of Picasso’s house where he used to play as a child…

Sevillana, Dancers, brisk wind, flowing charcoal dress, mandarin kissed lips and flowing hair, music. music. palomas, periwinkle flowers resting in in the sqaure of tress, lonely bicycle, boys playing ball, sunshine on my shoulders, trotting pup, castle to my right, bliss.

Since I have been back my days are pretty repetitive but definitely not dull. I wake up in the morning about an hour before my classes begin and I eat breakfast and have some coffee. For breakfast I have been eating “tostada con tomate”, baguette bread with tomato. I leave for class and usually have to be there for 3 or four hours. After class sometimes I go get a coffee with my friend German who is in some of my classes or I go home and study (don’t think I am always working hard I have also perfected the art of the siesta!). When I get home from my classes I always make something to eat for lunch, I eat so much earlier than the average European (especially the average Spaniard). Can you believe that 1 pm is early? I can’t. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I have my Spanish class across town, it is quite the hike! I enjoy the walk because I have my ipod and the weather is nice. I try to get there a bit early so I can buy a coffee and sit outside a little while before the class. If I don’t have Spanish class in the afternoon Roberto sometimes comes over to hang out or I will go hang out with some other friends here in Murcia. Although I do the same things everyday my life never seems monotonous. I learn something new everyday and I am always noticing the beauty around me. The people here are so friendly and open! There is always men whistling in the street or an old woman squeezing your cheeks telling you how “guapa” (beautiful) you are. The other day I went to charge my phone at a little booth in the street and the man asked me “Do you know Beethoven? I just love him” then he began singing and laughing! This man works in stuffy booth charging phones and selling newspapers for a living and he’s as happy as can be.  It’s truly beautiful!

“Until I saw Chardin’s paintings I never knew how much beauty lay around me in my parent’s house, in the half cleared table, in the corner of the table left awry, the knife beside the empty oyster-shell.” Marcel Proust

Last weekend Roberto and I went to Calblanque and Cabo de Palos. Calblanque is a beach in the middle of nowhere, there was hardly anyone there! It was amazing! Cabo de Palos was a little pueblo (town) with wonderful views from cliffs of the water. It was like a dream! I love the rocky coasts and I get high off of the beautiful crashing of the waves against the shore. I am so glad I’ve had the opportunity to know such great people in my life and do such fun and interesting things. I wouldn’t change who I am or what I’ve experienced for anything.

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe in Spanish…just for fun!

Pito Pito, gongonito, donde vas tu tan bonito, a la era, verdadera, pin pon, fu-e-ra

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2074237&l=4c4b0&id=47202615 (pictures from Almeria)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2074238&l=23888&id=47202615 (pictures from Malaga)

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Sunny sunny Spain!

Posted on April 30th, 2008 by bmgray.
Categories: Uncategorized.

    The weather has been so nice lately! I wake up in the morning to go to class and I have to bring a jacket, but when I leave class the weather is absolutely perfect. It is going to get a lot hotter, I’m not sure if I will be able to stand it. I totally understand the siesta now! It is too hot during the day to function so the people have to sleep during the hottest part of the day and then stay up later at night.

I have been hanging out a lot with my friend German who is in two of my classes. He is super nice and always helps me when I don’t understand something or if I need notes that I missed.  Last weekend we went to Cartagena because a Spanish student in Rosaria’s class invited us to go eat with her family at her house.  When we first arrived in Cartagena we hung out by the port and walked up to a Castle on the top of a big hill.  In Cartagena there are also many Roman ruins, what was really cool was  the big theater.  We went to Miriam’s house and met her family there. Her Mom was a amazingly nice, almost too nice! She would never stop talking! She just kept saying “you are precious, you are gorgeous, what a sweetheart!”  Her Dad was pretty quiet and just sat on the couch, he would occasionally laugh out of nowhere or smoke a cigarette.  We ate Paella con Marisco (seafood), tapas, salad and strawberrys with cream.  The food was delicious!  After we ate we made a toast, or I should say the Mom made the toast and it lasted about 10 minutes.  Then she invited us to her “special place” and we went into this room where she had lit candles and incense.  She had soft music going and she began reading us poetry, poetry from books and also poetry that she wrote herself.  At the end she started crying saying that it was such a special moment for her. I wasn’t sure how I felt…it was kind of strange and at the same time very sweet!

This past week I went to a Sevillana dance class (Flamenco).  The word “flamenco” is Spanish for Flemish and is a bit confusing.  The people used to  mistake the gypsies here in Spain for Flemish people.  The dance is originally from the gypsies living in Andalusia, Seville in particular.  I suppose it’s a bit more “politically correct” to say Sevillana rather than Flamenco.  There are still a lot of gypsies living here in Spain. I also notice a lot of racism towards the gypsie people from the Spaniards that I have talked to.  In Murcia the majority of the gypsies live in a dangerous part of town.  The dance class was hard for me, that could have something to do with my complete lack of coordination.  At the end we were paired up with partners and my partner was a young girl, probably about 15 or 16.  I got so flustered that I began spouting things out in English.  The poor girl just looked at me like I was insane.  I would say “sorry, sorry, no left left!” Poor thing! I plan on going back again next week!

This past weekend my roommates and I went with German to a little church up in the mountains here in Murcia.  A friend of his, Fatima, works in the church and gave us a little tour.  We all went to eat together at this beautiful restaurant in the country.  The restaurant was big and had a huge terrace looking out over the scenery.  We sat a talked for awhile and then we went for a small hike in the woods.  I really like leaving the city and seeing the country!

This week has been pretty laid back.  Last night I made Paella with my friend Chris, from Saint Louis.  We brought it over to his friend Pablo’s where there were some other students watching the soccer game.  Today I went to a High School in a small town outside of Murcia to talk to some of the English classes.  It was strange because none of the students wanted to say anything in English, they kept insisting on speaking Spanish.  We asked them if they had any desire to study abroad or to learn another language and they said no, all of them!  I guess I would expect that from younger children, but not from high school students.  I would think that at least one student out of the several classes that I spoke to would like to study in another country, or even visit! They all said they just wanted to stay in their “pueblo” forever.  I guess it’s okay if that’s what they really want, if they all want to hey can stay in their town and breed amongst themselves.  Maybe they will change their mind!

Tomorrow morning I have to wake up early to catch our bus to Almeria and Malaga. I’m sure it will be a great time!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2072727&l=d3fa0&id=47202615

above are some pictures from the anything but clothes party and also from Cartagena

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Back to the daily grind

Posted on April 16th, 2008 by bmgray.
Categories: Uncategorized.

Spring Break was so fabulous and relaxing, now classes are back in session and I have to actually work. I have been good about not missing any of my classes. Sometimes when I leave the class I realize that I hardly took any notes, but listening to my professors speak is helpful. My Spanish language class is really boring! I am glad I am taking it though because it is helping me to remember all of the grammar rules and understand them a bit more clearly.

Since the last time I wrote Thomas’ girlfriend Marta came to visit from Poland. She lives in Poznan, Thomas studied there for a year and that’s how they met. They have been together for four years now and she stayed with us for three weeks. When she was here we went shopping and to the beach. One night she made us a strange dish, it was chocolate chicken! When I was eating it I really couldn’t decide how I felt about it. The chicken and I had some sort of love/hate relationship. I felt as though I needed about five bites to get used to it. Marta kept commenting on my face as I was eating. We had a party at our apartment one night during her stay and it was a blast. There were probably 30 people here and all from different countries (Poland, Bulgaria, Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, United States, Italy). Everyone brought something to eat or drink and we hung around talking for several hours. Another day we spent at the beach with a pretty big group of people. We brought a picnic and laid in the sand soaking up the sun!

I made a great friend in my class whose name is German, pronounced Herman. He has helped me a lot with learning new vocabulary and also took me up to see the lookout in Murcia. His friend Fatima is great too, she is from Murcia and studied three months in LA . Her English is decent, we are going to meet and practice one day soon.

Mathilde came to visit last week from France. German and Fatima took us up to the lookout again and we sat on the terrace with some drinks. We also went to the Thursday morning farmers market in town by the Plaza de Toros. The farmers market is huge and you can find fresh fruits and vegetables. They also sell shoes, scarves, clothes and even toilet plungers!  T

he best part of her visit was the trip to Granada! I have pictures below. It is very hard to get a ticket to see the Alhambra in Granada so if anyone reading this plans on going you should definitely book your ticket ahead of time online. They are usually sold out for the weekends. Mathilde got pretty sick the first day we were there and we decided it would be a good idea to go to the Emergency Room. We waited 4 hours until they would see us! I had to translate for Mathilde and the Doctor, but then they told me that I had to wait outside! I was so bored waiting outside of the room. I went out to sit in the sun a bit and listen to music while I waited. Thomas called and told us that he was going to come to the hospital and visit, he needed to know the name of the hospital. I asked a man outside the name of the hospital, but to me it was gibberish. I asked him if he could write it down from me and he said “Listen girl, I don’t know how to write!” I asked another man and he told me the name so I could give it to Thomas. Another little girl kept coming up and talking to me, she was probably about 4 or 5. She was going on and on about a pink dress that she has at home and how much she loves it. She was adorable! Then she went on to tell me that she couldn’t bring her dress, or her toys, because her Mom hits her. I had no idea what to say! Then her Mom comes up behind me yelling at the girl and attempts to get the little girl to come with her. The little girl latches onto my leg and refuses to let go. What an awkward situation! The next day we were actually able to tour the city and enjoy ourselves. One of the cool parts of Granada is the Arab District. It is full of outdoor markets with scarves, tea and jewelry. There are also little tea shops where you can go smoke hookah and drink delicious tea. It was beautiful!

Today we don’t have school because there is a party for the entire Humanities department. I haven’t really done too much today! Tonight someone is throwing a party where you can wear anything but clothes. This does not mean you go naked…you can wear garbage bags, sheets, pillow cases, towels etc. You have to be creative! I will be wearing the Spanish flag! Olé!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2072501&l=55423&id=47202615

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Spring Break

Posted on March 26th, 2008 by bmgray.
Categories: Uncategorized.

Now we are on our spring vacation; it is so nice to have two weeks off school for Spring Break. The first week of break was Semana Santa, during the first week there are lots of religious ceremonies to celebrate Easter. The second week, what is going on right now, is a week of Spring celebrations. I asked a lady in the streets to explain to me the difference between the first week of celebrations and the second. She told me “Well that’s simple; the first week is for praying the second is for drinking”. In Murcia this week there are “barracas” (huts) that are set up around town with typical Murcian food and games. Last week I went to some of the religious processions in the streets and they were pretty amusing. There were people marching and carrying various religious statues, all dressed in Klu-Klux-Klan type outfits. On Easter there was the biggest procession and the people marched without their veils. I went to the midnight mass in the Cathedral the night before Easter. I couldn’t believe it was so crowded that some people had to stand, even in that huge church! It was a beautiful mass but some things were slightly different. I thought it was strange that during the Baptisms the priest would hold the naked baby up in front of the whole crowd and then fully dunk the screaming child under water. In our Easter masses at home they simply pour the holy water on the baby’s forehead.

The weather has been fantastic, lots of sun and a always nice breeze. Yesterday was an event called “El Bando de la Huerta” and it was one of the best days I’ve had here in Murcia. Everyone was dressed in typical costumes from the region and out in the streets drinking. There were parades all day, buses with loud music driving all over down and booths with food set up on every corner. I went with Roberto and his friends to a park where most of the students were meeting. They had more food than they needed and even more to drink. We went in the morning and sat there in the sun all day in our costumes, we didn’t leave until 10 or 11. Some of them wanted to practice a bit of English, it was rather amusing! A group of three students started to sing “head and shoulders knees and toes knees and toes…” I thought I was going to die laughing! They were even doing the movements! Another guy told me he was a graffiti artist and asked me if I wanted to go graffiti the town with him. Tempting very tempting.

The first weekend of our break I went to the Czech Republic with 3 other American girls that I met here in Murcia. We stayed there for about six days and had an amazing time. It started out a little hectic because I almost missed the bus to leave for Barcelona. I was attempting to enroll in my classes and they kept sending me to get more paperwork. By the time I got back to my apartment I only had ten minutes to eat, pack and run to the bus station. It took us so long to get to Barcelona because the bus continued to stop for 45 minutes at each stop the whole way there. When we arrived in Barcelona it was midnight and we had to stay awake until we could catch another bus to our airport at 6 in the morning. We arrived at the airport at 7 in the morning and then had to wait for our plane to Brno that was leaving at 10. When we did finally get to the Czech Republic we were so tired but had to start our day because we didn’t have a place to sleep yet. Our friend Cassie studied in the Czech Republic for a year so it was really helpful to have her with us. She speaks fluent Czech and Russian (and obviously Spanish because she is studying in Spain)! How impressive! She was our translator and also taught us basic phrases so that we could be semi-polite. The first night we met up with some of her friends in Brno and got drinks with them. One of her friends showed us this cool little chocolate bar where we had hot chocolate with chili powder, it was really good! In Brno we climbed up to a city lookout.  We decided to stop and get a drink in a little tavern like place on the top.  We ordered beers and when the server was leaning over to set the appetizer on the table she spilled my beer on my head!  I was drenched, even my glasses were dripping with beer! I had to go to the bathroom and change into the second of my three outfits I had brought with me.  Worst of all she didn’t even give me a free drink!

I really like the Czech food, the best thing I ate was the Halusky and the Goulash. The Halusky was a mixture of pork, thick dumpling like noodles, and sauerkraut. We stayed one night in Brno and then went to Prague. The first day we wandered around Prague and found our Hostel. This was really the Hostel from a horror film. We walked out the front door and there was broken glass and graffiti. We saw almost everything in Prague and we weren’t rushed. We saw Charles Bridge, Old Town Square, Nicholas’s Cathedral, Wenceslas Square, Dancing House (by Frank Gehry), the Synagogues in the old Jewish quarter, Prague castle, and more. I fell in love with the Mucha museum! We were invited by some guy we met in a club from Arizona to go to a big Art opening in Prague castle. The president of the Czech Republic and the Mayor were going to be there, the only problem was that it was formal and we only had one outfit for the whole week. We didn’t sleep for three days on our way home, just small naps on random buses and trains. We had to spend the day in Barcelona waiting for our bus to leave to Murcia so we decided to go check out the city a bit. We took a tour of the Casa Batlló by Antoní Gaudí. Gaudí was an Art Nouveau-Art Deco artist working in Barcelona in the early 20th century. He built most of the tourist attractions that make Barcelona so famous. La Pedrera with Casa Mila, Casa Battló, Parc Guell, Sagrada Familia, and more! The house is like something out of who-ville in a Dr. Suess book.

Right now I am sitting at the kitchen table with Rosaria. She is studying (how good she is) I need to get on that myself. I told her I didn’t like the milk here in Spain, really it is super strange. She just asked me if we had milkmen in the United States that bring us glass bottles of milk to our doors. Oh the television! Enjoy the pics!

I decided to put my photos on like this because I can show more and they take less space!

http://http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2068229&l=bc4c4&id=47202615 (pictures from Paris)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2070812&l=e4239&id=47202615 (The beach and Czech Republic)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2070815&l=bcecf&id=47202615(Barcelona y Semana Santa)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2067296&l=662dd&id=47202615(Madrid, Toledo and Murcia)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2067222&l=0c7c0&id=47202615 (Murcia)

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Daily Life

Posted on March 10th, 2008 by bmgray.
Categories: Uncategorized.

The past couple weeks have been pretty laid back. I finally feel like I have a set schedule and a routine. My walk to school is nice as well. I finally found a route that didn’t take me around the perimeter of the city, it turns out I live pretty close to campus! My morning walk is now 10 minutes as opposed to the previous 30. My friends are continuously making fun of my sense of direction (it’s nonexistent…thanks Mom!). Thomas has also given me some interesting new music that I listen to during my walk to school…it’s called Beirut-check it out!

This week I decided to make a full American dinner for my roommates so they could try something that we typically eat (at least in my family…if everyone else disagrees with my choice of food I apologize). I made roast beef, green beans, mashed potatoes, carrots, and a salad. They had never had it before! I am constantly surprised by the things that they eat. I am also astounded by the fact that they have never tried some of the things that I enjoy so much. I am proud to say I was able to witness Rosaria’s first morsel of the delicacy we like to call corn on the cob. The next day I saw she had bought corn at the market and it was on her shelf in the refrigerator, I gave myself a pat on the back! Not only am sharing my culture, but they are introducing me to new things as well. Rosaria eats some things that I would never think of. Sometimes she takes oranges, cuts them up, and then covers them with olive oil and salt–she calls it orange salad. She also takes carrots and potatoes and mixes them with eggs for some sort of scrambled egg/ vegetable mixture. It seems that I am also a culprit of stereotyping because I was expecting pasta and tiramisu every night. Thomas eats a lot of pasta (plain), with meat (sans spices). I’m not going to judge French cuisine by only watching what Thomas eats because he even admitted that he can’t cook. I can say I have never seen him eat snails!

Thomas and I are always complaining about the noise upstairs. It is like a never ending game of musical chairs. Finally I couldn’t take it anymore and I stormed into Thomas’ room and woke him up from his nap. We went upstairs together to tell them to quiet down. As we reached the top of the steps we saw a sign that said “Center for Down Syndrome Children”. We looked at each other and silently turned around and headed back to our apartment.

This Thursday we are leaving for Prague and I am super excited! We will go visit Cassie’s family there because she was studying in Prague last year. She gave me a little cheat sheet with random phrases to use when I arrive. I will write more later! I apologize for the lack of pictures but for some reason they are not working right now!

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Hamburguesas todo el tiempo

Posted on March 2nd, 2008 by bmgray.
Categories: Uncategorized.

I am shocked to hear that the rest of the world really believes that we eat hamburgers and fries everyday! I knew that these foods were always associated with Americans, but still thought that people knew that we eat other foods! We had an international dinner last week in the International building on campus and everyone brought a dish from their country. My friend Grace and I made mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, they were a big hit! There are students here from everywhere…more than I thought! Mexico, Lebanon, Czech Republic, Poland, Colombia, Uruguay, all European countries and more! The food was so fun to try! My favorite was the food from Mexico and South America! (Real Mexican food like Chicken with Mole). We have such a bad reputation with the rest of the world it is unbelievable. Every time my other American friends here and I meet someone and tell them that we are American they are constantly surprised that we are not fat, loud, and unable to carry on a conversation about anything besides Paris Hilton’s latest hairstyle. Another Spanish student that I met who is planning on studying the United States has been constantly warned that when he is studying in United States he shouldn’t be offended when everyone just assumes he is Mexican because he speaks Spanish. He has been told that Americans are unaware that any other country speaks Spanish besides Mexico. He said his friend was asked in the United States, “Oh, you’re from Spain? That’s in Mexico? How do you feel about the immigration policies here?”…..qué horror! My other roommate from France asked me “Do you even know who the president of France is?” He was astonished that I knew because he said that every American he had asked here in Spain had no idea. The only reason I know is because of Mathilde. The news here in Europe is constantly showing international events. How are we supposed to know anything when CNN in the U.S. is constantly updating us on Britney Spears and celebrity D.U.I’s. Our reputation really infuriates me…I don’t know if I can hear anything else about the United States! I know I will.

Paris was a blast! When I arrived Mathilde met me at the airport and we went directly to the Louvre to see it lit up at night. Later we met her friends who are studying in Paris and made dinner. The next day we woke up and went to see the Eiffel tower, Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe, and other tourist spots. We ate lunch at a little restaurant overlooking the Eiffel tower. Afterwards we took the train to Montmartre (where Amelie was filmed) and sat outside the Basilica of the Sacré Cœur listening to some guys from Mexico sing for two hours. That night we went to a get together at her friends apartment and then went to bed. The next day we went to the Louvre. It is so big you can’t possibly see everything in one day! It was fun to see a lot of the 19th century paintings that we studied in Dr. Braysmith’s class. We walked around that afternoon with two of her friends and went to Notre Dame and other beautiful streets. That night we ate dinner at her friend from Spains apartment. He made us dinner and then we went to a bar near his place. It was an interesting night because there was a huge language barrier. Mathilde and Raul spoke French, Raul and I spoke Spanish, and Mathilde and I spoke English. There was always someone out of the conversation!

My classes are really driving me crazy! They keep changing the schedules and canceling classes! I feel so out of it. I need to talk to my professors but they are never in their offices when they say they will be. Today I will try to send an e-mail. For example Tuesday. One of my classes was canceled all week and the teacher is going to recuperate the hours next week. After class I went to the computer lab to print my book list but my I.D card wasn’t working so I couldn’t use the computer. I had to walk 20 minutes to the International building in another part of town and meet with my coordinator for ISEP. He “fixed” the card and when I went back to campus it didn’t work again! In between this time I had been constantly trekking up and down the stairs in the building where the professors have their offices attempting to talk with them about what on earth we are supposed to be doing in our classes. I was finally able to meet with my adviser and she asks me “So, do you have the schedule for the classes yet? Do you have any idea of what you would like to take?” I am thinking “Yes! I’ve had my schedule written out and I’ve been memorizing it for the past 4 weeks! Classes have already been in session two weeks!”. They are so laid back here! Afterwards I had to find the I.D. office and have them fix my I.D. so I could have my list. Finally it worked…but then the printer was out of paper! Afterwards I found my books in the library and went home to take a long siesta. I hope I begin to understand what I need to do!

My new roommate from Italy arrived Thursday night. She is a super sweet girl named Rosaria from Sicily. One night she is going to make a typical Italian meal! I am excited to try her food! She also made me an orange salad that she eats in a lot in Italy. Thomas and I have been getting along very well… he is hilarious. Friday night I went out with Grace (U.S), Ron (Scotland) and Luis (Colombia). We went to a bar and hung out for awhile. The Colombian kept trying to get us to say tongue twisters in Spanish. He told me I spoke Spanish like a French girl and I really need to work on my R’s! haha. Afterwards Roberto (Spain) met up with us and we went to another bar. I have been hanging out with him a lot he is a great guy and is helping me a lot with my Spanish. It really helps that he doesn’t speak English because I can’t really resort back to English when I can’t think of something. I have to describe it in Spanish until he can tell me the exact word. Yesterday Rosaria, Grace, Quentin (Belgium-french part) and I went to the beach for the day. We packed a picnic of fruit and bread and just sat on the beach for hours. It was to cold to wear a bathing suit but it was nice to be by the sea and relax. Today I have to do some reading for my classes. Tonight we are going to meet and go to a movie The other Boleyn sister? I think that is what it is called…in Spanish “Las hermanas bolena”. =)

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Madrid

Posted on February 19th, 2008 by bmgray.
Categories: Uncategorized.

I am so happy that we took a week to see Madrid because there are so many things to do and see there! Right before I left I met with my landlady to pay her for the next couple months. She told me she had just gotten back from visiting her Mom. I asked “Oh great, how is your Mom?” She says “she’s dead” and then bursts into tears! I don’t know what to do so I just give her a hug. I had no idea what to say but I remembered Dr. Latorre teaching us once how to say “Mi más sentido pésame” or “My deepest sympathies” (Thanks Dr. Latorre!). The poor thing just sat on the couch wrapped up in a blanket crying. I am so lucky to have such a nice landlady.

On the way to Madrid we missed our bus and had to take a taxi to the airport. We arrived in Madrid and had no trouble finding our hostel that we had booked before we left. The first day we went to the Prado and the Reina Sofia. We spent the whole entire day in both of the museums, from open to close. It was absolutely amazing! We also wanted to go to the third museum on the art walk but there wasn’t enough time. In the Prado we saw all of the famous paintings by Velázquez in a special exhibit they have right now called Fábulas de Velázquez Mitología e Historia Sagrada en el Siglo de Oro. There was also an exhibit showing the Greco paintings in the Prado. The last time I went with Dr. Skoglund’s group at school my favorite painting was “The Descent from the Cross” By Van der Weyden. This time I had a new favorite and it was “Los hijos del pintor en el salón japonés” by Mariano Fortuny 1874. If you have some spare time you should google it! Goya’s “Third of May” was off limits which is really a shame because we studied it a great deal last semester in Dr. Braysmith’s class. The Reina Sofía had a big Picasso exhibit and also a vanguardia/flamenco exhibit. There was too much too look at! At first I was full of energy and super excited about every piece we saw, but as the day dragged on my head was spinning! Our hostel was in the “Little India” district so we had Indian food twice while we were there. I love Spain, but if there is one thing that I would improve it would be the food because it is extremely bland. Indian food in Madrid was like a gift from God! The next day we took the metro to the bus station and drove out of town to the Escorial. The Escorial is a huge monastery outside of Madrid that was begun in 1563 and finished in 1584. It was built by Felipe II with the intention of building a mausoleum for his father Carlos V. The monastery is absolutely amazing from the outside. There is not a lot of decoration on the outside and it is completely built with stone, the building is cold and austere. We saw the bed where Felipe passed away. From his bed he could look out and see the mass being held in the huge Cathedral in the center of the Escorial. We also went down to the mausoleum and saw the tombs of all of the Kings, Queens, and family members, it was pretty creepy! Our tour guide was a Spanish women who was at first pretty hard to understand but she slowed down significantly after realizing we were foreign. We spent the third day wondering around the city. We went to Plaza Mayor, Puerto del Sol, and the Palacio Real. It was nice to slowly explore the city, stopping to drink a coffee or browse in a little shop. The last day we took a bus to Toledo and spent the day there. We went to the Cathedral and also went to the smaller church Santo Tomé to see the El Greco painting ¨The Burial of Count Orgaz¨. Toledo is an enchanting town, it takes you back to medieval times!

When we got back to Murcia I spent Sunday catching up on sleep because our real classes started on Monday. The first day was fine, my teachers were a little difficult to understand but nothing too bad. Today I woke up and went to my empty classroom and sat there until 15 after. Finally there were students, but I didn’t recognize them from the day before. Finally the teacher walked in and shut the door. That’s when I realized he wasn’t my teacher and I was in the wrong class. In our pre-semester intensive class our professor told us that the classes here are different than in the U.S., it is a “Clase Magistral”. According to our professor in this type of class the students don’t speak, they just sit and listen attentively. They are not allowed to leave the class or come in late so I just sat there until the end of the class. The class was pretty small and they had already had a class the day before and a reading assignment that they were discussing. I had no idea what this man was saying. He was the most animated human being that I had ever seen in my life. He paced all around the classroom yelling and flailing his arms. He would get in the students faces asking “me entiendes” and then look at all of us and ask “me entendéis”. (Do you understand me?) All of a sudden he would stop, say something, and then laugh for a good five minutes. I was clueless. I was in the class for a full hour and I still couldn’t tell you the actual subject matter, something to do with literature or poetry? I ended up taking some notes though (trying to be less conspicuous), why not? I wanted to laugh/cry the whole class. I will be sure to look at the number on the door next time before I assume it is the right class. This weekend I am going to visit Mathilde in Paris and I am very excited! Right now I better go look up some of the words my teachers used today because I am pretty lost, it is almost humorous that I am even able to be in these classes. Adios!

1 comment.

Trip to Águilas

Posted on February 12th, 2008 by bmgray.
Categories: Uncategorized.

I have been having an amazing time here in Murcia. My new friends in my Spanish class are great and a lot of fun to be around. After class we usually go together and get a coffee or go get some tapas. Yesterday we went to a place called “The Tapa” in the Plaza de flores, the tapas were amazing. We tried the Murcian Salad, the various Russian salads with octopus and tuna, roast with garlic and tomato, and more. Olives and tuna are very popular in the food around here. In a couple hours I am leaving with two of my friends to Madrid. We are going to spend 4 days there and have plans to go to Toledo, the Escorial, Museo de Prado, La Reina Sofia, and more! Next weekend Mathilde is going to meet me in Paris. Never in my life did I think I would visit two world capitals in two weeks!

I really miss my dryer, I have to hang dry my clothes and takes 3 days for them to dry. Today I decided to try the line in the courtyard instead of using the rack in the salon. It rains about 5% of the year here in Murcia and of course it began raining as soon as I left the house to go to class after hanging all my clothes! A couple days ago our water heater wasn’t working and I couldn’t figure out how to relight the gas. I had to boil water on the stove and dump it into my bathtub. I also have trouble with the hard floors in the apartment. They are all marble and when I walk around in socks I constantly slip and fall, I am bruised up and down my legs! Right now there is a girl from the German part of Switzerland living with us until she can move into here apartment.

Last weekend I went to a town called Aguilas to celebrate the Carnival with a big group from Erasmus. We were with students from Norway, France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Belgium, and more. It was the craziest party I have ever seen! The parade was huge and afterward everyone stayed out until 7 in the morning. Everyone was wearing wild costumes with their faces painted. The day before we walked from the train station to our hostel and it took us two hours! The second day after the carnival we had to walk back and we were so tired. The walk was breathtaking! We walked up and down cliffs along the Mediterranean Sea. I wanted to stop and take a picture every two seconds because everything was so beautiful. I love the “hustle and bustle” of the city but the feeling you get when you are in the middle of nowhere listening to the waves crash against the coast is one of a kind

When you go on vacation everything is exciting, and exotic. Studying abroad is such an amazing experience because at first everything new and then you start seeing things in a different light. You see the pluses and the minuses and you love the place for both!

Our intensive Spanish class is over and we start our regular classes next week. Today we had an exam and a presentation. I think the class was very helpful because I was able to listen to a native speaker 5 hours a day. Our teacher was always open to any question we had over the language and was willing to help us with everything. I think he did an amazing job keeping the class animated, he always had funny expressions! I have to go pack my bags for Madrid because our bus leaves in two hours! Besitos!

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Me encanta Murcia =)

Posted on February 3rd, 2008 by bmgray.
Categories: Uncategorized.

I am starting to feel a lot more comfortable here. I know the streets a little better and I am beginning to speak Spanish with ease. I am really glad I decided to take the pre-semester language class because I have met so many other students that are studying here. Each day my Spanish improves and that was my main reason for wanting to study here. I also really like the culture, la vida española. There are always people outside in the streets. Everything is done much later here compared to at home, breakfast is later, lunch is later, and people don’t start to go out until 1:30 am. Usually people leave the bars around 5 in the morning! Breakfast is very light and lunch is very heavy, their lunch is like our dinner. People eat lunch around 2 or 3 and dinner around 10 or 11. Everything closes around 2:00 in the afternoon because it is time for “siesta” and then re-opens at around 5. These days a lot of people don’t take the siesta, but everything still closes and people can go and eat some tapas and relax a bit.

One thing that is funny for me to see is all the movies and television shows on T.V. with English dubbed in the background! It is so weird to hear Steve Martin or Diane Keaton speak Spanish while their mouths are speaking English!

I went out with some friends last night and it was very fun. The bars are so crowded you can’t even move. It’s funny because if you go out at 12:00 the bars will be completely empty, but if you stay until around 2:00 there are loads of people! Right now it is Carnival, a festival season. They celebrate Carnival here in Spain and also in several other places like South America, other parts of Europe and even U.S… hence Mardi Gras (Mardi Gras means fat tuesday in french). Carnival started as a big party before the beginning of Lent because people knew they would be fasting and abstaining from lots of different foods, such as meat. Now there are lots of traditions that go along with Carnival. Many people dress up and go out in costumes and there are also a lot of parades. The word carnival is suspected to have come from the late latin “carne vale”, which means “farewell to meat”. The most famous Carnival is here in Spain is in the southern city of Cadiz. In Cadiz some people (called chirigotas) train all year in order to put on shows in the costumes during Carnival.

Today my new roommate from France arrived. His name is Tomas and he is very nice. He was studying Medicine in Poland and now he is here to do is practicals at a hospital in Murcia. He has a girlfriend in Poland who might be visiting pretty soon.

Today was a great day! I woke up pretty late and met my friend Paulina at a café. We had a coffee, talked for awhile and then went to explore the city. She is a super sweet girl from the Czech Republic. She is about 25 and was working in a jewelry store in Spain during the summer when she decided she wanted to learn Spanish. She is studying economics here in Murcia. We went to a movie theatre that has lots of different movies. If one thing is cheaper in Spain, and only one thing because everything is is sooo expensive, it´s the movies. It is only 2.50 Euros to see a movie in the theatre…granted I´ll probably only understand every other word…but still! We went to a gallery where there was a photography exhibition. It was cool because in the gallery there were parts of the floor that weren´t tiled because there were parts of Roman ruins throughout the building! Afterwards we went to ¨tapear¨ (eat tapas) in la plaza de flores. We went to the tourism office to ask the lady where the best place to eat tapas is in town. The verb tapar in Spanish means to cover. “Tapas” are like a “lid” or a “cover…it originated when people used to use a small piece of bread to cover their wine glasses in bars to keep insects out. Now it is very common for people to go out and have the several small plates of food with a drink! We had four different tapas today and they were all delicious! One was a mixture of salmon, fish, and tuna with some pickles and capers. Another is called “tortilla” and it is my favorite, it reminds me of a quiche. I like it better plain, but today we had it with tuna. Another favorite is pork in a tomato sauce, it is called “magra con tomate”. We also had a plate of olives. When I went back to my apartment, which everyone here calls “el piso”, a guy from Italy that lives near us was making Spaghetti! So I ate again! We ate with our new roommate and afterwards Tomas and I went to meet some other friends in front of the Cathedral. We went to a couple different bars with Grace and Erica (two girls from the U.S.), Charlene and Morgan (from France), and Ana (from Portugal). I have been hanging out with Grace and Erica a lot and they are so sweet. It is nice to have other American girls here experiencing what I am experiencing. The girl from Portugal taught me lots of little Portuguese chants that they use when they are out drinking. They are pretty fun! Although I am happy to have other American friends, I am also extremely happy to have friends from other places because I can practice my Spanish with them. Even though it has only been 2 weeks I feel like I have improved a lot. I am even starting to think in Spanish! Yay! Tomorrow I think I will meet up with a guy I met from Spain named Roberto and get some coffee. He seems like a nice guy. Well, Hasta Pronto! Besos!

Here are some pictures.  The second one is a building called “Ayantamiento” It is next door to my apartment and is basically of government building. In the third a guy in a tapería asked if I wanted to listen to some of the American music on his cell phone (Celine Dion and Michael Bolton…wahoo!).  The fourth is my friend Violette from France and Erica from Washington hanging out in a plaza after our class.  The last one is a tree that I think is probably older than our country!

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