Hola amigos y familia!

To make good on my promise for frequent life updates, I am currently coming to you live from a bus traveling back to Madrid after a long weekend away. These past few weeks have been insanely busy with both school and traveling in full gear, and so I have only now found the time to write this update as I sit here grumbling over the eight freaking hours I have left on this bus. *Sigh,* life is hard. Anyway, before the semester starts to speed on by, I want to recap the first couple free weekends that I have had in Spain. So without further ado, here is my review on the Zaragoza Province, Toledo, and Barcelona.

On the Saturday of our first free weekend, a group of us traveled to the Zaragoza region of Spain on a pre-organized trip to see the Monasterio de Piedra. The Monastery was a long two and a half hour bus ride from Madrid, and brought us into a rural area of the country with beautiful scenery and backdrops. It was a cold and rainy day, even snowing at one point, however we still loved walking around the old Monastery and learning the history of the region. The highlight of the trip, though, was actually the surrounding gardens of the Monastery, which featured a huge number of beautiful waterfalls. We spent the day hiking around the picturesque garden area and admiring all of the immense waterfalls, crystal-clear lakes, and vast caves. It was a wonderfully organized trip, that left us feeling as though we had stumbled upon a hidden jewel in the heart of Spain.

The next day we traveled to Toledo with the same prearranged group. This too was a very fun trip that offered loads of information about Spanish history and specifically the medieval town itself in relation to this history. We visited the huge cathedral and the various religious quarters that are situated around the center of the city. Eventually, a smaller group of us wandered off to explore the city for ourselves and hiked around the winding, cobblestone streets. The day trip was incredibly relaxed, and we took our time eating lunch and sampling the locally-produced sweet, marzipan. Toledo was extremely interesting to visit due to its turbulent history involving the coexistence of Christians, Jews, and Muslims all within the city’s boundaries. Evidence of such differing religious preferences is still very evident within Toledo, thus producing a very unique culture set within the context of a visibly ancient city. Now, because I have been cursed to live a life characterized by an endless string of embarrassing moments, it was only a matter of time before this was transferred over to my life abroad. The most notable embarrassing moment from this particular trip, (note that I say the MOST notable, signifying that I could actually write an entire blog entry on embarrassing moments from these first few weeks alone), occurred when we were visiting a synagogue that had been converted into a museum. After walking in the entrance, I spotted a trash can in the corner of the room which I proceeded to dump a pocket full of tissues in. This was immediately followed by an angry security guard yelling that it was not in fact a trash can as I had originally thought, but an umbrella holder. Feeling super flustered and embarrassed, I did the only thing that seemed logical in the moment, and ran away to hide in the middle of my tour group. I spent the rest of the museum tour simultaneously admiring the old synagogue and hiding from every security guard that passed, as I was SURE that they were all after me for my tissue debacle. My American education failed me, as it did not prepare me for culturally-superior Europe where umbrella holders are apparently a thing. However don’t worry about my self-esteem, as I will continue to blame my great country for all of the failures that I have already experienced and will surely continue to experience overseas.

While the two previously described trips consisted of short, day excursions, our trip to Barcelona required a full Thursday-Monday block of time. After traveling seven hours by bus to reach the city, my roommates and I spent the weekend exploring the different neighborhoods and attractions by foot. We visited the city’s infamous tourist sites, such as the port area, the busy La Rambla street, the open air La Boquería market, and the Gaudí house, Casa Batlló. We later realized that we had walked over seven miles this first morning in Barcelona, definitely justifying the 15 Euro haul of candy I had bought earlier in the day.  After a much needed siesta and late lunch, we hung around the hostel that we were staying in for the weekend and received our first taste of hostel-living. Much to our surprise, the hostel was not a gross, cesspool of random people, which definitely defied my initial expectations. In reality, the hostel was a fun living space which both motivated us to explore the city by offering special activities and facilitated interaction between the guests. We met travelers from around the globe, including from Scotland, Germany, Australia, Panama, and Egypt to name a few, and spent the rest of our weekend with these once random strangers. One of the girls we met in our hostel clicked so well with our group that not only did we spent the rest of the weekend sightseeing with her, but she actually came to visit us in Madrid a few days later. After this trip I feel confident in saying that I now truly understand the appeal of hostels and am looking forward to booking more during my travels. The next day in Barcelona was spent visiting La Sagrada Familia and the gothic neighborhood of the city. Both areas were very interesting, though in my opinion, only necessary to visit once in a lifetime, and for a short amount of time. We eventually found ourselves in need of caffeine and warmth, and so found a local Starbucks (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) to spend some time recuperating in. I am NOT exaggerating when I say visiting a foreign Starbucks has been the largest culture shock I have yet to receive in my time abroad. Drip coffee in Spain is not popular, but never in a hundred million years did I imagine that a Starbucks would not prominently display the “normal” coffee offerings that I have grown so lovingly accustomed to in the States. Please take a second to empathize with my situation, as I was unable to order my grande, blonde roast coffee with room for cream. I understand if you immediately feel disgustingly horrified, just as I did, at the fact that a young, culturally-stupid, American could not order her usual coffee beverage. Such a shame. I will say, though, that what Starbucks lacked in coffee offerings, they made up for in pastry options. They offered a huge selection of unique selections that I had to literally walk away from in order to resist the temptation. Now before I completely digress into this Starbucks tangent, I will stop myself and return to the deep, worldly, and thought provoking experiences that I am supposed to be having and that you actually want to read about. However while I am on the topic of food, we did end the night at a great tapas restaurant, where we ordered a huge selection of small plates to fill our food-deprived bellies. On our final day in Barcelona, we visited the famous Park Güell that had been designed by Gaudí. The park was a very great end to our trip, as it offered amazing views of the city. Our overall impression of Barcelona was incredibly positive, with all three of us roommates agreeing that we needed to return later in the semester when we could fully enjoy the beaches and warm weather that is typical of the city.

To end this post, I want to prove to my parents and any other haters out there that I am actually learning a thing or two in my travels.  Here is a compilation of fun facts that I have learned about/from the places I have traveled to thus far:

• From the Monastery:
  • Drinking wine and eating pork in public areas were very important in medieval Spain, as it signaled that you were a “good” Christian. This was especially important during the Inquisitions, and is one of the reasons why butchers hung pork in the windows of their shops.
  • The alters of medieval churches are always oriented to the east. This is because Jerusalem is located to the east of these European countries, and so the alter was used to point the way toward the holy land.
• From Toledo:
  • There are only three medieval synagogues left in Spain, which two located with Toledo. Much like the alter in the Christian Cathedrals, the Holy Wall of the synagogue was ornately decorated and always oriented toward the east to signify the direction toward Jerusalem.
  • The river that surrounded most of the city acted as a natural moat that protected Toledo from foreign threat. Walls were erected around the area of the city that was left exposed.
• From Barcelona:
  • Park Güell was originally meant to serve as a backdrop and private park for the extremely wealthy families that would eventually be living nearby. However a lack of interest and money lead the park to be given to the city of Barcelona, who then opened it as a public park.
  • Gaudí is buried in the crypts of La Sagrada Familia, as it was deemed as his most cherished, life project.

Thanks to everyone who completed reading this week’s blog! I promise they will not all be this extremely long, but I am a little behind and ask you to bear with me as I attempt to catch up in my entires. Please check out my pictures which I have uploaded to Facebook as well, I promise they are probably much cooler to look at than reading this blog is. Lots of love for you all, and stay tuned for entries detailing life in Madrid, trips to Morocco, and other random abroad experiences!

Benvenuto! I have survived almost an entire month in this beautiful foreign land and I have lots to share about the weather, the people, and most importantly- to me at least, the food. Though arriving here was a story to be told in itself, I’ve already made a home away from home atop the hill locals call Balduina, otherwise known as the “stairclimber” that houses the John Felice Rome Center. However you chose to stumble upon my page, I welcome you! Please stay, take a seat, make a snack-or two and pour a cup (of coffee) because I tend to write more than I actually talk in person. Obviously, I have lots to say during this new experience in my life, so I am so very happy you came to join in a little piece of my study abroad story that I choose to share with you.

GETTING HERE: My trip to the John Felice Rome Center was anything but ordinary. Choosing to fly without a group to a hemisphere of the world that I’ve never been to actually wasn’t the hardest part of my trip. It was, in fact the weather. Thank the Heavens for unpredictable Midwestern weather that caused Chicago int’l airport to limit all flights in bound and outbound to 2 lanes due to wind-yes, wind… gotta love the MidWest. This caused a plethora of cancelations including my flight to Chicago which is where I was to connect to London then on to Italy. Four delayed hours later, a grande iced coffee from Starbucks (which I had no idea would be my last…), and a few nervous sweats later I found myself on a flight to Chicago and on a rescheduled overnight flight to London. In London I met the nicest English people who showed me the European version of “Southern Hospitality” by giving me free food and coffee after I stress ranted to random strangers after they caught me staring up from my book… not sorry about it. And though I found myself enjoying listening to the soft whispers of many accents while in London, it was a strange and new relief to had finally made it to my final destination in Rome, Italy 3 airborne  hours later.

BEING HERE: When you’re first introduced to study abroad you think of all the luxuries you’ll experience while in another country. New people, new places, so much to see and experience. They however, do not share with you how to overcome the ever confusing language-speed barrier… I’m slowly getting through it with Italian 101 knowledge (and without a curling iron, because Google Translate does not tell you the various responses a hair salon can give you after you simply ask for “un ferro arriciacappelli”) or the drastic difference in transportation (public transit is everyone’s friend, except in Italy where it takes 45 minutes for your “arriving” bus to get to the stop) BUT that’s the point, right? I didn’t travel across the world to expect things to be exactly like America. Nonetheless, things take time getting used to and I’m all for it- give it to me, Italy!

Getting the opportunity to travel around the Eastern Hemisphere alone was something that really attracted me to applying for this program. I’ve always considered myself a soloist or at least someone who is perfectly content with being independent. But I didn’t realize how much “alone” time I would have until the first week when I found out that most, if not all people came here with a group of friends. As a Psychology major I know that people need established relationships in order to thrive. And though I love being alone it was a hard transition when I didn’t know many people. Like all new things though, I knew that people would be in the same boat as me, so I wasn’t completely discouraged to find fish just like me (ha ha). To make a long story short, I found some wonderful people– very deserving the long story, but will save for later– who love donuts as much as I do, pump coffee as much as I do, and listen to music that I figured nobody else cared for (WOW, the world works in strange ways, right?)

((I THIINK It’s always important to remember that no matter what you’re feeling, someone is also experiencing the same thing. So I urge you to have the courage to find them, share some food– in my case, pizza at a touristy restaurant- and be you… as complicated as it may all sound, it gets quite easy to discuss over a meal.))

This entire month has been jam packed with new experiences, some very hard, others so exciting and new, but I wouldn’t change it. As cheesy as it all sounds, the reality is that transition is tough, but we all need to do it- and I did! I can now truthfully text my mom that, “I’m okay” (she’s been worried, as you can imagine sending her golden child across the pond). I’ve now made a new home on a hill and the start has been 1) very cold outside, 2) full of endless bottles of wine (do as the Romans do -at dinner- right?), and 3) ready for me to take full advantage of the scenery, the culture, and the food, oh my, the food.

As my study abroad life continues, I will update this blog for all who can tolerate my run-on sentences. I hope each time you leave my page with some words of wisdom- or a laugh or two (laughing is good). We all need something to look forward to- so I’m looking forward to seeing you soon!

Here are a “few” pictures from Orientation weekend here at the JFRC to the coast of Italy. Enjoy and Arrivederci!

Fun fact: There are only six national parks in Ireland.
Another fun fact: I want to all of them before I leave.
This past weekend I started and went to Killarney National Park. I talked about my needing to start my National Park Challenge enough that five other girls agreed to go with me. It was one of those trips in which you could plan and research it inside and out, but then have no idea what to expect when you go. So basically any international trip. The girls and I got on a bus bright and early Saturday morning, only knowing we had to get off in Killarney. Where exactly? We weren’t sure. The bus ride was around two hours long, but all of us wouldn’t have cared if it were five hours long. Our eyes were glued to the window and to the green wonderland that was passing by. Rolling hills covered in different green swatches, charming farm houses with sheep frocking in its field, and heartwarming towns that smelled like candies and happiness-we could have looked out the window all day. Although, about an hour and a half into our journey all of us were shocked to our core; there before us were snowcapped mountains. IRELAND HAS MOUNTAINS! All of us stared in disbelief at the scene and then started yelping for joy when we realized that we were going to those mountains. Those mountains were Killarney National Park! (Okay so maybe we didn’t plan and research this trip inside and out).
Getting off the bus, we found our way into the park and instantly were in awe. The monstrous mountains stole our attention as they guarded over the green valleys and forests of the park. The sky and trees had a morning mist, a thin layer of fog blanketed the grass, and you could feel the earliness of the hour in the air. Everything was dense, yet gentle. An overwhelming peace crept over us and it seemed as if we all entered a dream state. Dazed, we just started walking. We followed no path nor any sense of direction. Just go to the mountains. We walked  through the rain, the muck, and the grass until we came to a fence. We honestly did not know what to do and just kind of stood there waiting for it to open or something. In silence we stood for over a minute in the hazy surroundings, trying to snap out of it and gather a plan. Then a car drove up to us. I did a double take. Sure enough, in the middle of this green valley a white van was pulling up to us. Unsure how to even start comprehending this, I simply waved my hand and got the van’s attention. The white van pulled over and two nicely dressed Irish men politely gave me directions to a path they thought we would enjoy and then causally drove away into forest. This was easily the most bizarre scenario that could have happened but we all just went with it like it was normal. We followed their directions and sure enough found a mossy path along a gurgling river. The Irish men were right, we would enjoy this path.
The rushing blue river was lovely, but our main attention was on the trees. There were massive trees with branches eagerly reaching towards to the sky and moss scampering to cover any bare bark. There was not enough room for these trees to expand so the roots and branches became entwined and tangled together, creating an allusion of one overpowering tree. It was love at first sight and I never wanted to leave. But all good things have to come to an end, so we turned the corner.
I couldn’t feel much remorse, for leaving the woodsy enclosure for each part of the hike was a new type of mesmerizing. We walked through open green fields, looking at the now clear and wide view of the mountains; we walked through stone cobbled paths by the lake, listening to the luring lullaby of the water; and we walked through fairytale-like forests, smelling the fresh earthy soil. It was hours of pure bliss. Nature has an odd way of making me feel like my truest self, of making me feel like I belong, of making me feel like I am home.
We left Killarney with heavy hearts and our heads full of plans to come back. Walking around ten miles worked up an appetite, so we walked around the little city outside the park and found a place to eat. After a nice relaxed meal, we checked our phones and left the restaurant in a chaotic sprint trying to find our bus stop. We had twenty minutes before our bus left. Panicked, with ten minutes left, we scrambled aimlessly around the city asking anyone and everyone for help. Five minutes left, we were running distressed from street to street. Two minutes past the departure time, we see our green bus driving towards the exit of the city. Screaming and waving we run to it. The bus driver spots us, pulls over, waits for us to reach him, and then lets us on with a warm welcome.
What to take away from this article; Irish people are the nicest people on Earth, Ireland has mountains, and Killarney National Park is beautiful.

Sometimes I don’t believe that Google translate is correct. Do you ever wonder what would happen if you were so sure you were saying something correctly in a foreign language but it actually means something entirely different? Luckily my friend and I were pleasantly surprised to find out that most people in Berlin do in fact speak English-which saved a lot of effort on our part when we both felt painfully disrespectful when even trying to pronounce the simplest of words. No matter, Welcome! to Berlin, Germany that is.

25 January marked the first weekend of travel freedom for the JFRC students. Being in the heart of Europe, it’s hard not to want to visit every possible country in this beautiful hemisphere of the world. Sitting in the coffee lounge after dinner hours you can hear the excitement as friends book their travel plans and the pitter patter of keys on a laptop as they fill out their itineraries. Though I try my best to be as put together and pre-planned as possible, this trip was a spur of the moment/ “wow flights are cheap on a Monday prior to the weekend we want to travel” kind of thing.

I never thought I would actually have the opportunity to travel to any of the places I have saved underneath my “Places to go” notes tab on my phone; let alone look at any of my saved Pinterest pins for traveling, but now I have 14 weekends to do so. The first trip I planned was Berlin, Germany- a 2 hour flight and polar opposite culture than Rome. Small difference include the language (English, German, French, Hindi, and so many others), the FOOD (different cultures=variety of delicious food!), and the scenery (no mountains?!).

Some bigger, more noticeable differences were the transit systems, which were very similar to that of Chicago or any largely populated city. Berlin had an above and underground rail system, buses, and a dart train-wow! It was surprising that still many people owned cars in a city so public transit friendly. The fast pace of the transit made me miss Chicago and the 147 outer drive express bus and dare I say even the L.

Another huge difference was the graffiti! Tags, paste-ups, wall art, murals, you name it! Walls of the most elegant buildings were juxtaposed with the signage on ground level. No matter what part of the city we traveled to, there was bound to be graffiti on every corner. Being the photo fanatics that we are, my friend and I decided to go on a graffiti tour to (1) discover the underlying stories about Berlin’s graffiti scene and (2) take some amazing photos of some of the rarest graffiti pieces. During our tour, we learned about the stories of famous artists who travel around Europe to display their art, Berlin being one of the most famous stops for most because of the inspiring culture. We found out that most Germans or people who live within the graffiti-stricken city find the art to be super cool! Artists often work together on pieces and most walls are dedicated to activism- which makes for a good explanation as to why Berlin seems like a really up-and-coming, proactive city. Most people would rather display the artwork done by others rather than spend lots of money to cover it up, which also explains why many new building are covered in art months after the build is finished–a new canvas! Despite what many may think of graffiti, having the opportunity to learn more about what some artists try to portray in their pieces was something I’ll always remember.

We also made a trip to see the ruins of the Berlin Wall along the East Side Gallery, where the most well preserved portion of the wall still stands and displays famous murals done by artists. It was a moving experience getting to see the wall that divided and conquered so many lives. Seeing the artists portrayal of the shared feelings among the world during that time brings about many parallels to our own society today. Though the wall is among the most visited tourist destinations in Germany, it was difficult not to understand what the wall once stood for. Pictures and trinkets do no justice to seeing the wall for yourself.

Besides the incredible art, Berlin also has some of the most amazing food I’ve ever had! From American inspired burgers, to traditional Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine, should you ever find yourself in Berlin, here’s a couple places you MUST (trust me, and if you don’t, trust Google, TripAdvisor and Yelp which all helped us find these places) go try.

Roamer’s Coffee and Booze- A folky, Pacific North West inspired cafe that curated the most amazing homemade breakfast dishes. When I say “you could taste the love in each bite” I do not kid. From freshly squeezed juices, to mint infused–free– water (which they don’t have anywhere else in Germany!), to scratch made walnut apple cinnamon rolls, this cafe did every possible things to win my heart a thousand times over. We found ourselves grabbing the menu after finishing the last bite of what we had just before, because everything was worth trying. Fair warning that the restaurant storefront was quite small, but place is well worth a wait.

Brammibals Doughnuts- Donuts in a foreign country? Wacky flavors? (This was a smoked coconut and maple donut…yum) I’m all for it. This small donut lounge was adorned with shabby decorations, and neon lights- one’s that I just wish I could have taken a photo of, but neon lights aren’t photogenic in broad daylight… The hipster vibe was the perfect destination for a quick coffee stop during our weekend exploration. Pop in for a delicious donut and sip on the most fabulous almond milk chai latte like the one I had- you won’t regret it OR the sticker you can grab on the way out with a cute pink donut on it.

Enjoy the art, enjoy the food, but most of all, enjoy Berlin and all that it has to offer.

Words of advice: GO TO VENICE

I had high expectations for my trip to Venice, and I can safely say my expectations were exceeded. If you study abroad, Venice should most definitely be on your top 5 list! I arrived in Venezia, Italia at approximately 19:30. Right in front of my face as I walked outside of the train station, was the grand canal and beautiful, colorful buildings. Due to my lack of geography knowledge, I was not aware Venice was an island until I was planning my trip. My friends and I had to take a ferry down the grand canal to get to our Airbnb. Even in the dark and cold, Venice was beautiful. Seeing the lights of the buildings reflect on the water of the grand canal and breathing in the salt water air was quite the greeting.

The following day, my friends and I visited the Peggy Guggenheim Collection Museum. This is a must do when you’re in Venice!! As someone who is very interested in art, I was stoked for this. Peggy had gathered quite the collection of art in her life. She owned pieces by Salvador Dahlí, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, and Jackson Pollock. Getting to see Dahlí and Picasso pieces in person was incredible! 10/10 would recommend this museum.

Later in the day, we visited the Libreria Acqua Alta. This is a famous bookstore in Venice that has many different books of all kinds, languages, and years. In addition, there is a very large gondola in the middle of the store FULL of books. And of course, in the back, there are steps made out of books that you can physically step on. The wear and tear from the books being outside and surviving the elements is visible but makes it that much cooler.

Of course, my favorite thing about visiting Venice was the gondola ride. It wasn’t until I was on the gondola in the middle of the grand canal with the Rialto Bridge behind me and the gondolier yelling Italian that it really sunk in that I am really here…in Italy…studying abroad. I am having experiences that I never thought I would have, and especially at the age of 20. I have learned to fully immerse myself in the Italian culture and love the things I didn’t at first. I am forever grateful for my parents, who made it and continue to make it possible for me to be here. I am learning to live more in the moment and appreciate my surroundings.

I am only a month into my study abroad experience, and I feel that I am already different than I was when I left Chicago. I highly recommend studying abroad to anyone who is able to. Everyone needs to be taken out of their comfort zones sometimes and view things from a different perspective. You learn differently when you study abroad. I am learning and experiencing things that could have not been possible sitting in a classroom.

Until next time, arrivederci! 🙂