You are looking at posts that were written in the month of July in the year 2008.
Posted on July 20th, 2008 by bmgray.
Categories: Uncategorized.
It’s incredible the way the time has flown here. It seems like yesterday I was unpacking my things in my new room and now I am packing everything back up again. I am trying to make the most of my last week, I have a lot of mixed feelings. I am super excited to be going home and seeing my friends and family and at the same time I am sad to be leaving this wonderful place and all of my new friends here. The good part is that Murcia will always be here and if I have to opportunity to come back I will surely do it.
Last week was nice because I didn’t have to study and I could hang out with friends. One day I went with German in the morning to get coffee and breakfast and then we went to go pick out a graduation present for his girlfriend. We ended up finding a pair of earrings and a pretty card. We went and ate lunch at a little restaurant in Murcia. I had gazpacho, pasta and a flan type dessert. Afterwards we just walked around town for hours looking in stores trying to find little things for his girlfriend. I have a lot of fun with German and he has been great helping me with my Spanish. He studied a semester in Italy and he knows what it’s like to learn a foreign language. Almost every afternoon last week I went with Roberto to the “campo” (countryside?) to one of his friends houses and we hung out there. We played trivial pursuit and ordered hamburgers (how American!).
This weekend was our last trip, Roberto and I went to Amsterdam. I am completely broke and have about 20 dollars to my name but we managed to make it eating the cheapest food we could find and finding a cheap hostel outside of town. We rented bikes downtown and were able to ride them wherever we wanted to go. It was so much fun to just ride around this beautiful city! Everyone rides bikes, the town is completely set up for bike riding and there are hardly any cars. It’s amazing because it is such a big city you would expect a lot of noise, but there is a stillness that is almost creepy. In Amsterdam we went to the Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank House. The Van Gogh Museum was a lot bigger than I expected, they say it’s the biggest Van Gogh Collection in the world. The Anne Frank house was really neat to see after hearing so much about the book in grade school. I felt like I had gone back in time being there! More than anything I loved the atmosphere with the old houses and the canals. I was fabulous!
Last night Roberto’s family invited me to a family dinner at his house to celebrate his Mom’s birthday. They have a giant family! His Mom’s side was the only side of the family that was there but it was still a huge family dinner! His Mom has 7 sisters and brothers and his Dad 5 or 6? as well. Once everyone got there we ate empanadas, pasteles de carne, ensaladilla rusa, bocadillos and for dessert una tarta. (translation—empanadas (little bread envelopes with tuna and other things inside) pasteles de carne- (a bread cake stuffed with eggs and meat—typical from Murcia) Ensaladilla rusa—(my favorite-basically tuna salad with potatoes and eggs) tarta—fruit cake! His family was so nice and a lot of fun to be around. Everyone was always laughing and so loving.
Today is my last day! Tonight we are going to have a little going away get-together on the terrace above my apartment. We are not going to have anything too big but something so I can say good-bye to the people who are still here in Murcia. It’s going to be sad but at least I am going home to friendly faces and people who love me in Indiana! This semester has been amazing and anyone who has the opportunity to study abroad should take advantage of it because the experience is worth every penny.
Photos-
Spain wins the Eurocup!!—
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2079098&l=083dd&id=47202615
Amsterdam
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2079647&l=2fe15&id=47202615
Cabo de Palos
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2075628&l=96987&id=47202615
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Posted on July 4th, 2008 by bmgray.
Categories: Uncategorized.
Time keeps flying! Last week was the final game of the Euro-cup (Spain vs. Germany). We won 1-0! Spain hasn’t won since 1964 and let me tell you that this town went insane! After the game the whole entire city was honking and screaming. Almost everyone here was wearing the Spanish colors yellow and red. Everywhere you went there were people singing at the top of their lungs about Spain and waving a giant Spanish flag. It was an amazing experience to be here during the game! There were a few German students at the game who were crushed afterwards. I am really not that into sports but I truly enjoyed this one! After the match we went to some bars to celebrate. I stayed out with Rosaria most of the night. It was funny to see all of these Spaniards wrapped in Spanish flags humming their National anthem so proudly!
My last exam is next Monday! Then I will be free! After talking with some of my teachers and revising some of my exams I ended up passing everything I have done so far! It feels SO good! I was completely nervous but it is so nice to know that hard work pays off. I could go on for hours about how special this semester has been for me. I have learned so much! You learn something every time you go to the grocery store, every time you go out to eat…with everything you do. Not only am I learning more and more everyday about Spain but from my roommates here in my apartment. Rosaria and I talk for hours about the differences between the United States and Italy. Little things that you would never think of like the buttons in the elevator. Here the ground floor is 0 while in the U.S. it’s 1.
I found the city pool and I have been spending some of my days there reading. It makes the weather somewhat tolerable. Every day that I go I meet someone new and interesting. One day I was just standing in the pool and a guy, he was probably about 18, came up to me and started asking me questions…
“What’s your name?”
“Brittany”
“Are you from England?”
“No, United States”
“Do you like Narnia?”
“Excuse me?”
“You know the fantasy world?”
Every day there is someone new! They always think I am from England!
All of my close friends are gone now besides my roommates! Roberto and I are going to Amsterdam for one last trip before I go home. I am excited to see the Anne Frank house and the Van Gogh Museum! The Rembrandt Museum should also be interesting!
Sorry if I am bombarding everyone with quotes but I read this one the other day in a book and I fell in love with it…
Plotinus (A.D. 205-270)
Withdraw into yourself and look. And if you do not find yourself beautiful yet, act as does the creator of a statue that is to be made beautiful; he cuts away here, he smooths there, he makes this line lighter, this other purer, until a lovely face has grown upon his work. So do you also…never cease chiseling your statue. =)
Today I have been studying for my examen that I have on Monday. I think I will go to a going away party tonight for a girl from Germany and another girl from Greece. I have to take advantage of my time left. One night this week Rosaria and I went on a walk by the river. We found a spot to sit where we could see the Calatrava bridge in Murcia, The Cathedral, The old bridge (that is super beautiful and my favorite) and the river. There was a light breeze and we sat there talking for about an hour about life and our experiences from the semester. I have been so lucky with everything I have been able to do here in Murcia! I couldn’t be more grateful!
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