Un Paseo por Madrid

This past weekend I went to Madrid with my Art History class to see 3 famous museums there: El Museo del Prado, El Museo de la Reina Sofia, and El Museo Thyssen. The trip was organized for Saturday and Sunday, so a friend and I changed our train ticket to Madrid to arrive on Friday so we could have an extra day of traveling. We had planned on going to Avila and Segovia which are two smaller towns outside of Madrid. After finding our hostel and taking the metro to the bus station, we came into a little bit of a time crunch. I won't go into too many details but in the end we felt forced and pressured to pay 8 times as much as we planned for a ticket (one way) to Salamanca, not Avila or Segovia. Ha! We walked away, not really realizing what had just happened, and found out only shortly after than Salamanca y about two hours further away than Avila. We weren't able to exchange or cancel our tickets soo....off to Salamanca we went! It was an adventure and we definitely made the most of it since we "accidentally" paid way more than we thought for the tickets, it was the only way to keep a positive attitude about it! It ended up being a good trip, we saw some buildings we had been studying in our class and had coffee and churros in a small cafeteria. So! Back to Madrid we go!

Saturday we met up with the rest of the group at a great hotel across the street from both the Prado and the Reina Sofia. We saw those both on Saturday and it was pretty incredible. We saw so many that we had been studying and to see them up close was surreal. El Prado had many works by Velazquez, Goya, El Greco, Juan de Ribera, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Rubens (The 3 Graces!), Brughel, and thousands more! El Reina Sofia has Guernica by Picasso, which was incredible to see in person since I have studied it before. They also had a large surrealism floor but it was sadly closed to reorganize the gallery :(. I hope to go back in a few weeks to see their huge collection of Dali paintings with Andy. That night I was able to meet up with my friend from St. Thomas, Cathy, who has been studying in Madrid since August. It was great to catch up with her and see another friendly face in such a big city!

Sunday we walked through the city and saw the Palacio Real where all the Kings of Spain lived and Plaza Mayor which had a stamp collecting fair going on :). Sunday afternoon we saw the Thyssen museum which was my favorite of them all. It is a private collection of the Thyssen family who was VERY VERY rich and over two generations collected 800 pieces of art! I saw Dali, Picasso, Monet, Van Gogh, Edgar Degas, Itten, Cevanne, Goya, and thousands more! It was incredible! We only had an hour and a half before we had to catch our train back to Sevilla so I felt rushed but would love to walk through it again sometime and really be able to see the more contemporary stuff!

This week I have two midterm exams before Andy comes on THURSDAY!! I cannot wait! :) It is going to be so great to see him! :) However my mind is NOT set on studying for these mideterms, so hopefully I can get through them okay! We are going to be in Sevilla, then Granada, Lisbon, then Madrid. Sadly my professors are expecting me to read two novels for when I return...not sure how that is going to go!

This semester is just FLYING by and I cannot believe I will be home in two months! :( I miss my family and friends but will miss Spain soo much too. It is going to be hard for sure to come back and readjust to the American culture again.

Well my procrastinating should probably come to an end now....ugh! Time to study!

Besos,
Betsy

Living The Life

So, I apologize again for not writing as often! I have just been getting caught up in life and school and traveling. It gets difficult to sometimes just sit down and think about what is going on. Soooo....school has been good! I have midterms this week and next week which are no fun at all but I am glad to get them over with before Andy visits next week!!! yay!! :) The professors are much more laid back than anything I have experienced, even than high school! They realize why we are here, what kind of lives we are living and what things we want to experience. They know we are traveling on the weekends and really don't have school too much on our minds, so they have that taken into account for the exams. For example, for my history exam we have covered history from around 1500 BC to around 700 AD and its only midterms! Its a ton of information and basically our exam on Thursday is a series of 5 broad essay questions about certain social groups....muy facil!

As for traveling, last weekend I went to Granada and had a great time! It is a smaller city than Sevilla sitting right at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains...loved it! Sevilla is in a pretty flat area of Spain so being able to see mountains and climb hills for amazing views was just what I was craving! The culture of Granada was so different that Sevilla too. It has had an enormous Arab and Muslim influence from history so while walking through the Albacyn (an old Arab neighborhood with tiny pathways, stores, and cafes) I would walk by tons of little cafes with Morroccan food, hookah, stores selling genie pants, and handmade scarves. By the way, genie pants are IN for the youth in Spain. Not sure if it is the hippie, rebellious kids trying to be different, but girls where them with heels! Pretty crazy! Would be very surprised if they make it to the US. Granada is much more of a hippie town, with a lot of character. Sevilla is more of the fancy, shopping, and richer kids town, even though there is a lot of character either way! I was actually looking at a program in Granada before I came here and decided on Sevilla since it is a bigger city. I am really happy where I am but really think I would have loved a semester in Granada too. Andy and I are going back there during his trip here so I cannot wait to show him around. In Granada there is also a great Arab fortress that was lated conquered by the Christians called the Alhambra that sits on top of a mountain overlooking all of Granada. I have pictures on Facebook to see the amazing views I got from there. Definitely a city with character and personality!

This weekend I am going to Madrid with my Art History class to see a lot of famous artwork and buildings. We are seeing El Museo del Prado, el Museo Reina Sofia, el Museo Thyssen, and the Palacio Real. I am going a day early with a friend to visit the small towns north of Madrid, Segovia and Avila. Should be fun and really fun to see such amazing works of art by Dali, Picasso, and many more! :)

Just like at home, I sometimes get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the things that make up my life. I have to stop myself and really think about how lucky I am to be in such a beautiful place, with the opportunity to better my Spanish speaking skills everyday. I don't always realize where I am because I have learned to call this home. I have become so comfortable in this culture that I forget that I have to leave it eventually and this life is going to be in the past. I must "stop to smell the orange trees" more. I realized this this morning and want to share with you what my morning was like before class...

This morning, it was drizzling a little. The first cloudy day in about a month so it would seem a little dreary. Everyday I pass my friend who works at the kiosk across the street from my house. Everyday he greets me with a smile and "Hola Guapa!" or "Buenos Dias Guapa!" Not in a creepy or sexual way whatsoever, but in a friendly, familiar way. Even if he is helping someone else he always greets me as I walk by his kiosk and I always leave with smile. What better than to leave your house and to be immediately greeted by a friendly face as you enter the social world! :) Gotta love it! Anyways, that was a side note, so I just got this great book for my literature class called "Beatriz y los cuerpos celestes" by Lucia Etxebarria that I absolutely love even though I have only read a few pages. (Translated to: "Beatriz y the celestial bodies") Its an existentialist theory novel about how the world is a big solar system and we, as individual people, are like stars, planets, and galaxies that have aversions and attractions to each other and interact with each other in different ways. Very interesting! Well, I rode the bus to el Centro and was walking down the main road Avenida de la Constitucion. I was early for class and a little hungry so I stopped in a cafeteria for a capuccino and a bolleria (little breakfast pastry). The place was packed as it was still morning with expresso machines buzzing and people chatting to eachother. I sat there, drinking my coffee, reading my book, and just stopped to look around me. I smiled to myself at how much I love Spain. How much I love the culture, the food, the people, the fact that I can have a conversation with a complete stranger next to me about my opinion of the bolleria. The fact that the group of women next to me ordered straight shots of expresso but took their time to enjoy them and eachother's company. Instead of just throwing it back and rushing to their next appointment. It just felt so perfect to be there, reading this book about relationships and human interaction and realizing how I was interacting everyday with this new culture that I never had appreciated or knew before 2 months ago.

Though it was drizzly, cloudy, and the cobblestoned streets had so many puddles that by the time I made it to school my shoes and socks were soaked through, I arrived at class so happy to be here and to be living a life so full. I don't want you to think that I have completely forgotten about the good ol' USA. HOWEVER, I think the only thing I miss about it is my family and friends. I really have no desire to return to the US except for incredibly missing my family and friends and the things we do together. I miss the moments and memories of my relationships with people I love in my life. I miss the familiar things, the traditions, and good home cooking. I know by the time it comes around for me to go home, it will be so incredibly bitter sweet. I love this place so much but at the same time miss my family and friends. I will definitely need some help because thinking about serving and dealing with stuck up Americans this summer at Via Cafe, kinda makes me rethink my summer job choice.

Well, sorry I wrote an essay! I just needed to get you all up to speed with my thoughts, my travels, and my life here! I hope that since I am telling you a lot through this blog as I go, I won't bore you with stories when I get back. Cross your fingers!

Gotta go prepare a presentation about literature of the realismo era in Spain! :) Wish me luck tomorrow! And for all of you who asked before, yes, we do have Daylight Savings Time...its this Saturday! I am looking forward to Andy's arrival next Thursday more than anything and its the only thing getting me through these next two weeks!! Can't wait!!! :)

With lots of love and kisses,
Con mucho amor y besos,

Betsy

Spanish Children = the cutest things alive!

So I know this is the third time I have blogged today...I guess I am making it up for not doing much the last few weeks. oh well! I just had to write about how excited I am to be tutoring again! I signed up to tutor Spanish children in English and tonight was my first night with the kids I was given. Their names are Reyes (girl) and Gonzalo (boy). Its funny because reyes means kings in English, but she's a girl, haha. Anyways, Reyes is in 3rd grade and absolutely adorable! She told me how she loves English grammar and speaking English and wants to be an English teacher when she grows up. ha She speaks English well just struggles on the pronunciation. She likes to quiz me on how much Spanish I know by asking me how to say the names of different animals! Gonzalo is in 5th grade and such a gentleman! I quizzed him on his notes because he has a test tomorrow which had some things I never learned in English class growing up. I had to read the directions and figure it out myself before I could help him! Crazy how they are using so many different methods now. The two kids were so cute and loved speaking English to me, and to eachother. Their mother doens't know any but I could tell she was so excited for me to be there and loved asking me about where I was from and about myself. Reyes kept giving me hugs as I left and said she thinks I am a good teacher...after just 1/2 hour with her! What a confidence booster! :) I had such a great time and it felt so great to be able to interact with children again. It just reenforces my excitement about teaching! Maybe I can start working in their school.....maybe. On top of all of that, which I am so excited about, I get paid too! 7 euro per hour ...I am loving this!

Really excited to go back on Wednesday night! :)

I'll try to get some pics with them. Maybe next time!
Besos,
Betsy

More reflection on Rome

So I had to cut my last post a little short before because I had to go to class, but now I have returned and I want to say a little more about what I have thought about since I got back from Rome. As you could tell, I absolutely loved the city for its art, history, and food. But now that I have been back to school, walked through the city, and interacted with the people of Spain again, I have realized a few things. I was so excited about what I had seen and done in Rome, that it didn't really phase me to think about the two different cultures in depth. I was definitely ready to be back in Spain at the end of the weekend because though it was a beautiful city, the people and the culture didn't really seem as beautiful as I had imagined. Since it is such a popular city there are thousands of tourists and I can imagine the Italian people would get annoyed with so many people that cannot speak their language. The cars nearly ran us over in the street in Rome, sometimes took aim, compared to Sevilla where you can just cross the street and any car will stop for you to cross, even with a nice Midwest-type courtesy wave with it. I don't think I talked to any Italians or interacted with them while I was there except for ordering food or buying museum entrance tickets. When we had to ask directions to find the Vatican Museum in Rome, we asked some Vatican workers and they told us it had already closed when it was supposed to be open for another 3 hours. We were upset but checked it out anyways just to make sure, and what do you know, its completely open. I've realized that they lied to us because they were American, no other reason and they just didn't care.

The hospitality in Spain is magnificent. People will strike up conversations with you on the bus, at restaurants, are more than willing to help carry bags, or explain a concept for you. I never really understood how generous it really is until I went to Italy. I am sure the customer service, the restaurant workers, and the people are very nice and I probably shouldn't make any generalizations that Italy is antiAmerican or less hospitable after only being there for two days. However, I was just happy to be back in Spain where I felt comfortable and actually a part of the culture. When I was in the airport in Rome about to come back to Sevilla, I was so excited to see the Spanish people in line with me and hear the language. I guess Italy was just my first experience being in another country where I couldn't communicate and it was difficult. I felt like such a tourist and in Spain, I feel like I actually understand and am a part of the culture.

Please don't get me wrong, I absolutely adored Rome and cannot wait to go back to Italy and travel more, but the trip definitely made me realize how much I have become a part of the Spanish culture already and how much I really love being here. :)

Thanks for reading my thoughts and supporting me!

Love you all!
Besitos,
Betsy

When in Rome, do as the Romans do....and I did!

Bonjourno! :)
Well this weekend was absolutely amazing! I went to Rome for the weekend and stayed with my friend Lindsay from St. Thomas. My flight was very early Friday morning and my alarm got me up at 3:30am! woo! My senora still hadn't been to bed yet. haha but I arrived in Rome and got connected with Lindsay just fine. Since I hadn't eaten all morning, the first thing we did was get pizza!!! It was so great! The pizza that I have had in Spain has been pretty pathetic (microwave style) so a legit Italian pizza hit the spot! We walked around the city all day long looking at sites and taking in the sun. We met up with another Tommie, our friend John, who ended up knowing almost everything about the Roman Empire and the significance of almost all the buildings we saw! pretty great! The first day we saw the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Coliseum, Roman ruins, and Circus Maximus which fit 250,000 people! It was a completely packed day but absolutely amazing. My favorite of all of them was Trevi Fountain. The water was so blue and the sculptures so incredible. We threw coins in to make sure we come back to Rome someday! I know I will be! Afterwards we got my first gelato!! It was soooooo good and creamy! Now I understand what everyone is talking about! That night, we all went to a restaurant and I got the fettucini with meat sauce. I wanted just a simple meat sauce dish to try to compare it to the kind of spaghetti I eat at home. It was really good and the wine was amazing too! Later we went to an Irish Pub to see a Rolling Stones cover band named The Stoners. They were such a hoot and very entertaining even though they weren't very good. The lead singer, Mick Jagger if you will, spent a majority of the time without a shirt on and wearing fake black leather pants. His preferred place to sing was on top of the tables or bar and people had to grab their beers to make sure he didn't kick them over. It was pretty funny.

The next day we woke up early and did the Vatican...ALL DAY. Lindsay lives across the street from it which was so fun to be able to see St. Peter's Basilica from her building. We first did the basilica. I was completely floored when I first walked in. I couldn't even walk or shut my jaw. It was the most beautiful building I have ever seen. As soon as we walk in, and after the initial shock was gone, Lindsay says, "Oh and here is the Pieta." !! Oh just Michaelangelo's Pieta, no big deal. haha it was absolutely amazing to see the incredible architecture, paintings, scuptures, mosaics, tombs, altars, everything. I believe we spent over an hour in the basilica itself. There was so much history, symbolism, and meaning behind everything we walked upon. I am still blown away by what I saw! Next we waited in line to see the Cuppola at the top of the dome of St. Peters. We could see all of Vatican City, of Rome, and the mountains too! It was so breathtaking. Next we went to the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. The museum in itself was so extensive and now I understand how it can take a whole day in itself to complete! We only did it for 2 hours I think. I loved Raphael's rooms. He had 3 or 4 rooms right in a row with frescoes covering every bit of the wall and ceilings. It was so incredible. I walked into one of the rooms and turned to look at the wall behind me and nearly screamed! It was the School of Athens by Raphael. I had no idea it was in that museum and I couldn't believe I was looking at the original right then! I still can't believe it! We continued and eventually got to the Sistine Chapel. No one is allowed to take pictures inside but it was so incredible. The fact that it took so many years to complete and it was so detailed and perfect just amazed me! Our necks were a little sore afterwards from looking up so much! It was so incredible and I have no idea when I will be able to see such a masterpiece again in my life. I feel so blessed to have had that opportunity to see some of the world's greatest pieces of artwork, sculpture, and architecture.

The whole weekend in itself was something that I probably will only get one chance to do in my life. Hopefully I will be able to return to Italy someday because I absolutely fell in love with it. The food, the hospitality, the art, the beauty, the history, all of it is so incredible!! I love Spain, don't get me wrong, but they are quite different cultures. I am pretty sure that Italy gained some serious brownie points this weekend in my book. I wish I could have had more time in the city, especially in the country. I really hope to return and be able to see more of the country including Florence, Venice, Naples, Assissi, Cinque Terre, and much more. That is definitely a tall order and not many people get the opportunity to see so much of their own country, let alone another one. I just feel blessed to have had that opportunity and I can't wait to go back and share it with more people I love.

Chao!

Betsy

Personality Type! :)

Okay! Well I saw Mollie´s blog about her personality type and thought I would do it too! Turns out it is pretty accurate for me too!

Extravert, iNtuitive, Feeler, Judger (ENFJ)
ENFJs represent between 2 and 5% of the U.S. population

Vivacious, warm, compassionate, and articulate, ENFJs are among the most skillful communicators. Tactful and diplomatic, they are patient listeners and have a rare gift for making personal connections. ENFJs are concerned with global issues, exceptionally attuned to others’ needs and passionate about finding creative solutions to help people in long-term ways. They are happiest when they have a plan and can work cooperatively with others to realize their goals. Being naturally orderly, ENFJs prefer an organized world and like to have matters settled, even if someone else is making the decisions. ENFJs radiate sympathy and understanding and are nurturing and supportive of others.

If you want to take it too!

http://www.personalitytype.com/quiz.asp

Rock of Gibraltar

Hello all! Well yesterday I took a day trip to Gibraltar and boy was it great! It's on the Iberian Peninsula of Spain but is a colony of the United Kingdom. It has a ton of antisentiment from Spain since the land was Spanish and England somehow calls it their own. Marilo had a lot to say about that when I returned...phew!

The drive down was absolutely georgous with many more mountains and lakes than there are around Sevilla. After going through customs and immigration, we connected with a tour company with buses to take us through the city and up the rock. We all packed into this tiny bus and started up the rock. The area used to be, and I believe still is, one of the biggest ports since it connects the rest of the Mediterranean, Europe, and Asia to Africa, North America, and South America. It is a huge industrial and port city. Anyways, we started up the rock up these tiny roads that our bus barely fit through. We had to go through many tunnels carved right out of the rock to wind up through it. Our first stop was going to the lookout point, pretty much at the top, but on the southern side that looked out towards AFRICA! We could really see it pretty well from across the Strait of Gibraltar even though it was a little cloudy. There was also a beautiful Mesquita (Mosque) at the top of the rock and a lighthouse. This lookout point was just georgeous and was the first time seeing the ocean since I got to Spain!

We then continued up the mountain to meet the MONKEYS! We saw St. Andrew's Cave first that was pretty amazing and millions of years old....but I would rather talk about the monkeys! ha....The rock is occupied by hundreds of Macaques that are usually only found in Africa and are the only group of wild monkeys on the Iberian Peninsula. They probably came over from Morrocco somehow. They live in a reserve on the rock and are protected but are so incredibly accustomed to humans that they are master thieves. We were warned by our guide to be careful with them because they WILL steal whatever is in reach. A girl in our group had her bocadillo for lunch stolen by one who broke the plastic bag it was in then ran to the top of a building to eat it. We were able to take pictures with them and be so incredibly close too! I wanted to hold one so bad but I didn't have any food with me to feed it :( I still got really close and the babies were fun to watch!

After all that excitement, we continued and got a bus tour of the city and ended up in the main plaza of the city to eat lunch. Luckily I left my bocadillos on the bus while we visited with the monkeys because I still had them available to eat for lunch later! We had free time and explored the city a little bit. It really was like a little Britain. There were telephone booths like those in London, English fish n' chips, and they accepted pounds (euros too but it was really expensive).

The whole trip was by far worth the money and really exciting to see such beautiful ocean, playful monkeys, and see, technically, another country other than Spain! This Friday I head to Rome! I can't wait!

School has been good and pretty interesting. There is not too much work to do but just a lot of reading. We only have one paper for every class due at the end of the semester and one oral presentation too. Those get piled up especially if they are all in the same week. So I have been trying to work on them a little as I go. The weather is turning officially into Spring with a high today of 72 degrees! Marathon training took a little dip last week but hopefully I can pick up the miles again this week and continue running every day.

Hope you are all well! I want emails and updates of your lives!

Also a big CONGRATULATIONS to my the Tommie Track ladies who got the MIAC Conference Title for the 10th time in a row! Miss you all and wish I could have been there to cheer you on!

Besos y Abrazos de Espana!
Hasta Luego!

Betsy

Mis Viajes

Hola todos! Cómo están?
No puedo esperar porque tengo muchos viajes preparado para las próximas fines de semana! Esta fin de semana voy a Gibraltar para ver la Piedra de Gibraltar, explorar cuevas, y oler el oceáno. Creía que eso punto era el fin del mundo antes de Cristóbal Colon zarpaba el oceáno azul. Gibraltar fue un candidato para Los Siete Maravillas del Mundo! También, el próximo fin de semana después de esta, me voy a Roma!! Voy a quedarme con mi amiga de mi universidad Lindsay quien está estudiando allí por el semestre también. ¡Solo estaré allí por dos días pero no puedo esperar! También despues de Roma, el próximo fin de semana voy a Granada con la programa, y entonces, el próximo, voy a Madrid para ver las obras magificentes en los museos grandes allí para mi clase de historia de arte. Y, ENTONCES, Andy llegará y vamos a muchos lugares en Portugal y España también. El mes de Marzo está lleno con viajes pero estoy tanta emocionada! Espero que tengas paciencia con mi español aquí porque quiero practicar más, y, por qué no! Si quieres, hay inglés debajo.

Gracias y escribiré sobre todos mis viajes tarde y poner fotos en mi facebook a ver.

¡Besos y Abrazos!

Betsy

Hello everyone! How are you all?
I can´t wait because I have many trips prepared for the next few weeks! This weekend I am going to Gibraltar to see the Rock of Gibraltar, to explore caves, and smell the ocean. It was believed that this point was the end of the world before Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue. (Yes his real name is Cristóbal Colón but we Americanized his name to make it a better story, and more of our own. hmmm). Gibraltar was a candidate for the Seven Wonders of the World! Also, the next weekend after this one I am going to Rome!! I am going to stay with a from my university Lindsay who is studying there for the semester also. I will only be there for 2 days but I cannot wait! Also, after Rome, I am going to Granada with my program and then the next, I am going to Madrid in order to see great works of art in the huge museums there for my Art History class. THEN, Andy will arrive and we are going to many places en Portugal and Spain. The month of March is full of trips but I am so excited! [I hope that you are patient with my Spanish here because I want to practice more and why not! If you want, there is English below].

Thanks and I will write about all my trips later and put pictures on my facebook.

Kisses and Hugs!

Betsy