Mallorca 1

Hey family! I´m writing this from the wonderful bar in Tierramar, our hostal (no sarcasm).

Quick story pre-Mallorca: I was on the bus and a woman leaned over and asked me in Spanish, what 30 minus 7 was. She was completely serious.

So the bus ride was once again very long to Madrid (6 hours) but we made it. We were a bit rushed to the airport to catch our 940 flight after leaving the bus station at 725. Ryanair service was actually just fine. They are very picky on what kind of bag size you can carry on - a way to boost their fees, so you just have to slide it in a metal box to prove that its small enough. I actually have more room to spare so I feel better about my upcoming week-long trips. The plane was actually very new and clean - not what i was expecting from a 31 Euro round trip flight. You just pick your seat when you get on the plane because there is no first class. Phil, Kyle and myself all had our own three person rows. All staff members were prolly 25 years old or younger. My guess is they work at a low quality company until they get enough experience to work at a better company. You could tell the staff on the plane really didn´t care. Also, throughout the whole hourlong flight they were selling things, food, drinks, treats, lottery tickets, the list goes on and on.

We walked about 5 miles to our hostal. It was brutal. We literally left the airport and asked a bus driver "which way is the water" - we´re on an island. We headed toward where we believed the water was and then knew that we simply had to head south along the beach. We walked along the highway, a service road, and then had to run accross a 6 lane highway - but then we made it to the water. Looking down the beach, we then realized that we had to walk another 3 miles down the beach to our hostal. After arriving in our GREAT rooms (i feel like I´m in a nice hotel) we got groceries and had lunch on the beach - waiting for Janet to arrive. We found out that she could take a 2 Euro bus from the airport to the hostal, wish we would´ve known... It was great seeing her! After getting her settled we went to the roof of the hostal (not quite allowed) to watch the sunset. It was perfect. The hostal is like half a block from the beach. After that we had a nutella and crackers party on Phil/Kyle´s large patio and went to bed at about 10. Oh - and, my shower is AMAZING. It reminds me of the Seinfeld where Kramer gets the showerhead for Elephants and circus animals.

We got up early to take a bus to the famous caves on the west coast of Mallorca, but while I was grabbing my iPod in the room, the bus drove by while about 7 people were waiting (all americans), the only one of the day. It was a bit frustrating because, just like in Seville, you need to wave your hand to attract the driver´s attention to get him to stop. So, plan B. We took a bus to an old-fashioned train leaving from Palma going to Soller. While waiting for the bus we got some ice cream (i went with cookies and cream - a taste of home :) )Its a well-known train that runs along and through mountains to the small city. We basically explored for the day, following some rivers and taking in some views. We also went to an ice-cream factory place that makes their own ice cream. I went with Caramel!

We got back at about 6, getting off the bus early to sprint to the beach and catch the sunset. We got off the bus so early that we had to walk about 2 miles along the beach after the sun set. It was worth it, we got some great views. After showers and eating we´re now having drinks with the owner and bartender of the hostal. He´s a great guy, a Brit. Catch you later!

Aust

To Bring or Not to Bring

Photos from our new favorite study spot. Coffee and hot chocolate is only a Euro. Outside seating that protects you from the rain. About a block away from our apartment, its just perfect.

Mallorca packing is happening now. I am using space-saver bag as Ryanair is extremely strict on what size carry-on you can have. Nevertheless, I have to elminate things. I am currently planning on wearing sweatpants over my jeans to the airport, along with three t-shirts. Janet agreed to bring peanut butter for the both of us after I covered a small hostal fee so that worked out! We should arrive at about 11:30 AM in Mallorca and will be arriving in Madrid at about 3 on Monday, getting home by midnight. I just discovered that our hostal is not only about 200 meters from the coast, but actually 200 meters from one of the best beaches on the island - 5 km long! We are also planning a Saturday hike for the northern mountainous area, along with a well-known beach on the north coast. I'll be leaving the apartment in about 3 hours and am getting very excited! We should arrive in Madrid at 7 AM tomorrow, so it'll be slightly rushed (but not really) to catch our 9:40 AM flight.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Video Blog Fail

Hey Everyone! I was unable to post my video blog. I'll try again sometime soon, maybe tonight. Here's what I was going to say last night:

Hope you enjoy the video blog! I figured it would be a pleasant change from my writing. Andree and I were able to study in the Plaza de America (photo). Rarely can you study in a place like this in February in Minnesota. I'm very blessed.

Travel Schedule

My schedule for traveling is basically finalized, except for the week in April when my parents will hopefully visit. I am posting the Saturday of the weekend trip to simplify the dates.

February 27: Palma de Mallorca
March 6: Barcelona
March 13: Alicante
March 20: Morocco
March 25-April 6: Milan-Venice-Ljubljana-Cagliari
April 10: Seville
April 15-April 25: Seville-Rome-Florence or Munich
May 1: Seville
May 8: Paris
May 15: Seville
May 22: Arriving in Chicago at 8:15 PM

I now have my first paper to write for Managing Cultural Diversity. Due tomorrow, 3-4 pages, haven't started. Also, I have Bible Study at 5. Have a great Tuesday everyone!

The Holy Land

To Ty, Aaron, Joel, Mark, Calvin and Matt:

You've all been asking me in private emails. It's okay - don't be ashamed. I found it: where Pau Gasol developed into the Lakers' best player (according to Spanish news). This court is either Holy Ground for Gasol or basketball is losing its popularity. Hope you enjoy!








In other news... Monday classes went well. I'm doing great in three of the classes, Historia Contemopanea de Espana is frustrating but I am developing motivation to do better and understand. Although, I am here to experience culture, learn the language and travel, not fight to bump a B up to an A. I think I'll do well overall, but the workload will start to increase now...

I almost had good Spanish service today. I went to Al Campo with Phil to get some small liquids for traveling, such as toothpaste and contact solution. Upon checking out (3 of 25 lanes were open at the time) I saw a woman getting her last two items scanned and hopped in line! However, she paid with a card, which wouldn't go through, in which the cashier had to then call the manager and wait. Then, luck struck again as another lane was scanning a woman's last few items. I ran in line, but oh, she couldn't scan my two items. It was time for her to close the lane. Finally, returning to the only functioning lane, I had to wait behind a woman that racked up 275 euros of groceries.

Gustavo tried peanut butter for the first time tonight - he seemed to enjoy it. Also, I had a spanish breakthough! We were watching a standup comedy show and I understood a joke that Gustavo didn't so I had to explain it to him!

God continues to allow me to be a magnet for Christ as I am growing closer with a couple Americans. These two I probably wouldn't be close friends with in the states but I feel that God is calling me to develop better relationships with them and show them love.

Demasiada Lluvia

Too much rain.

Today was a good day. Micah and I found our niche cafe. About two blocks from the apartment we found a cafe that offers great 1 euro hot chocolate or cafe con leche (coffee with milk) with outdoor seating. Although it doesn't have wifi, it's a great place to do homework. It was the first time I did homework not on my bed this semester. Using a table felt great. The outdoor area is covered so we did some homework while enjoying the sound of falling rain.

I went to a new church today, Encounter on the other side of the city. I was hoping to bike, but of course, it was raining. So Phil and I took the metro. Encounter is really small, there were probably about 50 people in attendence, two-thirds being American. The worship band was all Spanish, playing popular American songs that were translated into Spanish - the band rocked. The sermon came from a man named Dale, a second-generation missionary in Spain. He was American looking, but fluent in Spanish. He talked about his calling to Africa, specifically Morocco. Morocco has a heavy Muslim influence and the government does not allow Christian churches. So, he and his team has put up 10 rehabilitation centers all over the country for kids with down syndrom or other mental diseases. As they help these kids, they also do ministry work with the employees and families. I was really encouraged by his work.

It downpoured on the way back. We ran for ten minutes through the rain, of course getting stared at by all. When the rain stopped, we were near the Catedral and I opted to take a bike home and risk it. Good call. The rain had stopped for good and I enjoyed a nice 20 minute ride through wet Seville. We had chicken fajitas for dinner and had some great conversation.

Today was the third time that Thiago turned off my computer. He always goes right for my power button, regardless of what I say. I turned to talk to Gustavo and he turned it off. Ugh. He's cute, but that part isn't as fun.

Micah and I are in different finance classes but have the same professor so we will be partnering for the final paper. We have decided to write about Brazil and its financial history as a developing country. Andre (my roommate during orientation) also wants to write about the American Dream vs. Spanish Dream so we're going to partner for that paper. Woo hoo!

Ronda Photos

X.
Y. Some tough paths to go through
Z. Walking through old abandoned houses

Ronda Rocks!

Pun included. First of all, I bought a SEVici (bike rental pass) for the week for 5 Euros. Basically, there are bike rental stations every other block, with 10-20 bikes available, and you can have one rented out at any time. It's VERY convenient. I started that today. I feel like I'm flying. Mom and Dad you're going to love Seville. We will be able to bike EVERYWHERE.

Ronda was really awesome. The cliffs overlooking the river and landscape are SUPER high (see photo). Basically, we arrived at about 11:30 and found a map and a good way down closer to the river.

Side story: We ran into these two Japanese 20-year-olds in Toledo right when we got to the top of the rocks after climbing for 30 minutes. We saw them AGAIN in Ronda at a popular overlook. They fit many sterotypes about liking to take photos. First, the one guy had a camera bigger than my head. Second, they each took photos of Phil, Micah and myself as a group. Then, they had someone take a photo of all five of us. Then, each of them wanted solo pictures with each of us. It was quite the ordeal. Also, they are neither particularly good at English or Spanish. However, they are VERY nice and we were happy to see them again, what are the odds!? We have their contact info and if I ever need a place to stay in Japan...

Back to Ronda. This is the exact day I've craved since I was a kid. What day exactly? Calvin Walker, Mark Walker, and myself in Colorado walking upstream for hours along the river, going back and forth accross the river over the rocks. It was so much fun. The climb down was not too challenging, but there were some slippery areas and small holes we had to squeeze through (see Phil photo). We had lunch on rocks that were more or less surrounded by water, waterfall about 100 yards upstream(see lunch photo). We then followed the river downstream and caught a trail to make the climb back up. That was exhausting (see me exhausted photo). We almost went out for a second hike but were too exhausted. Phil left his glasses at the riverbank where we had lunch, so he had to go alllll the way back down for a second trip. We took the 6 PM bus and made it back for dinner. Hope you enjoyed!

Internet is not working for Ana and Gustavo. I need to shut off. Will post more photos soon.

Ronda Bus Fail

The first time I've actually encountered bad service from a Spanish organization. Typically, the service can potentially be slow or whatnot, but I've gotten used to that and previously disagreed with former abroad students that felt that Spanish service was poor. Case #1: We were told yestereday that the first bus leaving for Ronda will be today at 7:00 AM. However, this is not the case for Saturdays. The first bus leaves at 9:45. Awesome. Well, time for some homework and time in the Word before departing for the bus station a second time. Adios!

Ronda Tomorrow!

There's a couple of sites that we want to visit in the city, such as the Plaza de Toros, a bullfighting arena. Ronda is actually where bullfighting originated.

Other than that - we just want to hike. Currently Phil, Micah and myself are going but there's an open invitation for others. We will be tackling routes 3, 7 and 8. (More if there's time). You can read about the routes and all that jazz if you would like. Here is the website: http://www.turismoderonda.es/senderismo/eng/rutas.htm

Hasta luego!

Keep Dropping Euro!

1. I will be mking another big withdrawal son and man does a weak Euro help me out!

2. Also, if I was stranded on an island and ran into a Maxi Dia, MAS, or any other Spanish grocery store - I would starve to death before making it through the check-out line.

3. Anne will not be coming to Spain, this is certain. :(

4. Today, Micah and I were looking for good bottles to travel with for shampoo and body wash, being that they need to be under 100 ml for flights and have a solid cap. So we found cheap bottles for baby cologne. Each of us waited in line simply to buy two bottles each, man did we get some stares.

5. Today was a beautiful sunny day, tomorrow should be as well. I'm going to try to get as much homework done as possible today. The bus to Ronda leaves tomorrow at 7:00 AM and we should get back at about 9:30 PM.

Una Adventura con los Ninos

An adventure with the kids. When I arrived, the woman who I will typically be working with (who is fluent in English) asked me to take the kids upstairs, get them to take their coats and backpacks off, and seated on the giant mat in the corner. And then I was to ask one student to count the students. She said that she would be up in 5 minutes. Wow, okay these kids are 4 years old. I got the majority of them seated, but a group of kids surrounded me, each with individual problems 1) A girl with a hurt finger (when the teacher got there I learned that she wanted me to kiss it). 2) A boy got a scratch on his shoulder from playing outside yesterday aftenoon. 3) Pepe's jacket zipper broke, so he couldn't take it off. 4) A girl found a plastic frog and I think wanted to know what to do with it. 5) Marcos (a bit mentally slow) just stared at me, not taking his jacket or coat off, not doing anything. A crazy five minutes. After that when the teacher got there, we reviewed the clothes items and weather in English. It's interesting because I swear for 4 years old they would be just starting to work on these terms in Spanish... Then, we played a game where I passed out an image to each student such as banana, cat, etc. and I would tell them what it is, in English. The teacher was laughing at me because I got like four terms wrong, such as saying bunny instead of rabbit, alligator instead of crocodile, etc. It was a fun day.

This afternoon I did some reading for my Managing Cultural Diversity class. I have now read all the material up until the midterm in March. I have chosen my research topic for the final 15 page paper due in April, which is comparing the infamous "American Dream" to the "Spanish Dream". It appears that students go to school and work for different reasons here than in the US, I intend to look into this. I am rather behind in my history class, I have to write a 3-page paper for Managing Cultural Diversity, I have to read a chapter for International Finance, and finally I have to write my resume in Spanish for my Business Spanish class. This weekend is the last weekend that I will be in Seville until April 10 so I need to get ahead in classes. Tomorrow I will try to be devoted to homework and will be getting my bus ticket for a hike on Saturday with Phil, Micah and Rob in Ronda.

Aust

Anne to Spain?

It's possible. The idea has been pitched. My girl in Minnesota is working on a plan to come to Spain. Hopefully it works out!

Woo hoo for Scarlet Ann Porta! Congrats Karley and Phil!

The olympics - I didn't know that they had started until I noticed some Olympic-related topics on Facebook and ESPN. It's nonexistent here in Spain. No one cares.

Tonight I took a nice siesta after a filling pasta lunch and time in the Word. I then went down to a local store to pay 1.60 for 6 sheets of colored paper (loco) for Colegio Claret - the elementary school. I am doing an activity with colors and shapes for them tomorrow! :)

More rain today, more rain tomorrow, more rain every day for at least a week and a half. We're trying to plan out some hiking trips this weekend, but only Saturday was less than a 50% chance of rain out of the next 10 days. So we may try to go to Ronda (SE of Seville) for the hiking, mountainous terrain with apparently a VERY deep cliff with a river below. It's supposed to be very pretty.

Finally - this is my last free weekend until April, so I am going to try to get ahead in each of my classes via reading and studying and papers....Yeah we'll see. That's all I got.

Seville Shots

Phil and I went out last Thursday and snapped some photos around Seville, hope you enjoy!

V. One of the main bridges in Seville with river Gualdalquivir
W. Phil looking at the river - great day.
X. Torro de Oro (Gold Tower)
Y. Me at Plaza de Espana with the beautiful fountain behind me.
Z. Churros with hot chocolate dip. Open 24 hours :)

Rainy Days...

The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plains. Is that the saying? Lots of rain here.

I had my first meeting with the tutor today, which went smoothly. I was about ten minutes late, solely because I though it was almost nine when it was almost 9:30 when I was getting ready to leave. Nice Austin. We were able to discuss what I want to learn this semester in terms of grammar but also she really wants to help me with Historia Contemporanea de Espana - so that's a plus.

My cough is gone but now I have a cold. This doesn't seem to end.

I had Bible Study tonight, in which we discussed God's plan for our lives. I am confident that my walk with Jesus will be radically different when I return to the US. As Kevin in Home Alone says "I'm not afraid anymore!" This confidence comes from God, particularly during my quiet time with him, not necessarily the Bible Study, but it all helps. I feel strong in my closer relationship with Him as well as more knowledgeable from the time I've spent in the Word and listening to Mark Driscoll sermons. I pray that this may continue.

I've realized that I've become quite spoiled in terms of homework. I have about an hour of homework tonight of which I have been dreading. Back at home, CSOM had a hold of me - hours of homework a night and I was just used to it. Did I always enjoy it? Certainly no, but I put my time in.

Tonight I am going to watch a futbol game at 9 with Gustavo. It's the European cup, Real Madrid (his favorite team, not to mention they're Spanish) against some French team. I'll be home in less than 100 days - how crazy is that! Love you all.

Barca Has Been Booked

Phil, Rob, Lauren, Amy, maybe Maureen, maybe Micah, and myself are going to Barcelona from March 5 to March 7! The flight only cost 5 Euros each way! Ryanair has TONS of restrictions, such as no checked luggage (if you don't want to pay more) and the carryon can only by 21 x 12 x 7 inches. Basically - I can't bring my traveling backpack. I have to bring my small school backpack for the weekend. This won't be a problem now, but when I fly to Italy, it will be haha. Our plan for Italy is to wear tons of clothes for the plane ride, such as two pairs of pants, 3-4 shirts, you get the idea.

Also, continuing in my frugality we are only spending one night in a hostal. Our flight home leaves on Sunday at 6:40 AM in an airport an hour outside of the city. So, we're spending Friday night in a hostal and then on Saturday evening or early morning Sunday we will be heading to the airport without paying for an extra night in the hostal. Should be an awesome weekend!!

Aust

La Mejor Siesta

I went to take a siesta at about 7 to sleep a couple hours before dinner, assuming that either Micah or Ana would wake me up at about 9 or 930. Nope. I woke up at about 830 AM. There's a long siesta. Apparently Micah woke up at about midnight so he missed dinner too. I guess I was a little more worn out than I thought...

Today I am meeting with my tutor for the first time. Initially I figured it would just be helpful to practice spanish verbs and vocabulary. However, now I actually look forward to getting help for Historia Contemporanea de Espana, because I'm not feeling very confident in that class. I meet with her, Nuria, every Tuesday 10-11:30. After that, I'm going to spend some time studying and relaxing, followed by my weekly Bible Study at 4:56 in the center of the city.

Lastly, I believe Phil booked me a ticket (Ryanair never accepts my credit/debit cards) to Barcelona on March 5-7 for only 5.34 each way!! Gotta love Ryanair. Have a great day everyone!

Aust

Madrid-Toledo-Madrid Photos

R. Me near Palacio Real
S. Cat's Hostal
T. The Toledo parade
U. Me down by the river the encircles Toledo
V. Hanging out
W. Sauer and I overlooking Toledo
X. Me in front of a glass building "museum" in Parque de Buen Retiro
Y. Micah and I on the swings at a park in Madrid
Z. Mitch, Micah, Phil and myself in front of the Cathedral in Toledo

Madrid-Toledo-Madrid II

Sunday Sunday Sunday
Another cool day. Oh, by the way, Madrid was very cold. Anyways, we started off the day by heading to the Rastro, a huge flea market of sorts that takes place every Sunday. I got a red, striped hooded sweatshirt for 15 Euros after unsuccessful bartering. We then went to Museo Prado for our final museum stop. It was interesting, but again very tiring. I think that to appreciate a museum such as Reina Sofia or Prado, you need to be fully rested, have an entire day, have an appreciation for the arts, and have never been to any museum in over a month. None of those are true of me. In Sofia Reina, we visted about 1 and half floors, of four, in Prado, one of four. Each visits took about two hours. We finished off our time in Madrid by heading to Palacio Real. We caught the 6 PM bus heading back to Madrid. I got my homework down, quiet time, listened to a sermon, and read some of the book Miracles by C.S. Lewis. Heck, I have 6 hours. However, three Spanish kids about my age elected to either prank call friends (on speaker phone) or listen to music off their phone (no headphones). I could have gotten much more done, but it was quite a distraction. Getting back into Seville we were happy to be "home" but unhappy to come back into a downpour (I was going to purchase a bike pass and we were going to head back). Instead, we took a taxi. It is supposed to rain the next week or so, hopefully not if we try to go hiking and camping next weekend.

After each weekend, Micah and I chalk it up to a success if we make it back with all of our expensive items such as cameras, phones, etc. and if we are safe. Another successful weekend.

Toledo

Saturday was a great day. We left Madrid on an 11:00 bus where I ran into another MV alum - Allison Hamerly. She said, oh my goodness, you look just like this guy from my high school... Austin... I responded with "That's me"... but she still didn't get that it was ACTUALLY me, so she says, his name was Austin Savat. And again, I said yes, that is me!! Very random.

It was about a 40 minute bus ride and we walked around with Allison and two of her friends for a part of the day. We elected not to go in the cathedral for an additional 7 euros - we're "Cathedral'd out". The city was very beautiful and is full of sword and knife shops. Literally, every shop contains as least some knives or swords. Phil, a friend of mine, bought one.

I was able to meet up with Sauer at about 2:30 in the afternoon, which was a blessing. He's doing well and loving his family, friends and studies in Toledo. We took a closed off trail up to what he calls "Pride Rock" which overlooks the city. That's where we were in the video. On the way back down we took a detour to go all the way to sealevel to follow a small creek into the river that surrounds Toledo. That was a definite highlight of the day. On our way back to the bus at about 5 we stopped to watch the parade that Toledo was having. What a good day to come! They played all American music as the groups danced, which I thought was interesting. Imagine if during the Holidazzle in Minnesota that all of the songs were in Spanish! We then headed back to Madrid and I went to bed nice and early at about 10. I was exhausted (as always).

Madrid-Toledo-Madrid

As always, what a weekend! So, we left the apartment at about Midnight on the "morning" of the 1 AM bus at Plaza de Armas. We walked about 10 mins to the Metro, then realizing it was CLOSED. So we had to figure out the cheapest way to get accross Seville in 45 minutes. So, Phil and Micah had bikes, and I didn't. Although we were bringing three travel backpacks, and a full, small suitcase of groceries, we went for biking. I sat on the seat while Phil pedaled. Don't get the wrong idea - my job was the hardest. We made it with about ten minutes to spare.

The bus ride was... worse than expected. We have always had relatively empty buses, but this one was full. I maybe slept 3 or 4 hours. We arrived at 7 AM in Madrid just exhausted. No pun intended - but throwing Micah under the bus a bit here - love ya man. He reserved the hostal for us, but didn't write down a phone number, location or area as to where the hostal in Madrid. Kind of a big city. However, he was also great in two ways - he said he had a "general idea" as to where it was and so we took the metro to that area. Then, he entered a random hostal, used their internet and took a map, and we were good to go! We were actually only about 5 minutes away on foot to the hostel. The other option for a bus was 8 AM, arriving in Madrid at 2:15 PM. We elected that low sleep was not as important as 7 extra hours in Madrid.

We went to three museums on Friday: Thyssen-Bornemisza, Sofia Reina, and another. We took a much needed nap after checking in to Cat's Hostal - which was really nice by the way. We had a four person room between Micah, myself and Phil. A guy named Paul from Cali was our number 4. That evening we also made it over to Parque de Buen Retiro. We decided that Saturday would be a great time to go to Toledo, so we tried to fit in as much as we could in Madrid on Friday. We all went to bed early at like 10 or so on Friday. I'm going to post, my battery is getting low.

Home Safe

I am very exhausted, we rolled in at about 12:05 AM Monday Sevilla time and I am heading straight for bed. We had a great weekend and I look forward to telling you all about it tomorrow!

Mom and Dad - I GOT THE CARE PACKAGE!!!! You guys are the best!!!

Aust

MADrid

Off to Madrid in two hours. All packed up. Micah and I bought a small suitcase worth of food and drinks to avoid spending even a Euro in Madrid on food. Should be a good time. There's lots to see, and we'll be getting there tomorrow morning at 7:00 AM. It will be Phil, Micah and myself. Will be getting back at about midnight Sunday.

Also, working with the four-year-olds was awesome! They know some english words, such as the colors, its hot, its cold, its sunny, its cloudy and a few more. For clothes, they know these four words: coat, hat, scarf, and jumper. Haha. Jumper. Anyways, they are very cute and it looks like both english and spanish will be utilized by me. Also, today I sent in my application for SEVici, the Seville bike service. It costs 10 Euros for the year and I should get my card in about 10 days! Woo hoo!

I'll be in touch Sunday night. Talk to you then. Hasta pronto.

Happy Valentine's Day Anne

The closest picture to Cupid I could find! I love you and will see you... in 4 months? :)

Seville Slow-down

Five observations about Seville that I have found intersting. In general, no one is in a rush during any aspect of their day. A broad generalization, but we'll go with it.

1. No one walks up escalators. Just wait til it brings you to the top - you can stand on the left side, the right side, it doesn't matter, because no one behind you wants to walk up it. (A big contrast to London, where you walk on the left, stand on the right).

2. Crossing the street when you don't have a green symbol is unheard of. Today even, I was approached an interesection, a ONE WAY interesection with about ten spaniards waiting for green. I looked, no cars, I walked. After doing so, the entire group followed.

3. Sevillians walk really slow. They assume, because they're in Seville, that no one would be walking faster than them, catching them from behind. Therefore, abrupt turns, stopping or swerving on the sidewalk often leads to bumping into a fast-walking American.

4. People love crutches. They are different in shape than in the US, but they love em. I am being sarcastic when I say the following - it's almost a fashion statement. I feel that this is taken from the obsession with soccer, where somewhat real, somewhat fake injuries are tolerated. I probably counted 5 or 6 kids on crutches at the elementary school today, and 2 kids in wheel chairs with fully-functioning legs.

5. Sevillians over-prepare to exit a bus or metro train. A guy today got up from his seat and crossed the aisle, which made sense because in about 10-15 seconds we would be at the next stop. Nope, he was just making sure he would be ready for the second stop to come. I see this very often.

I love the Sevillian culture and people, I just figured you Americans reading this may appreciate what I have observed.

Austino

Ahhh... Thiago!

I was literally finished with this blog post when Thiago came in and accidently stepped on the power strip, effectively turning off my computer. Ahhhh.... trial #2.

I met my intercambio tonight. Her name is Nuria and she is 19 years old. She is really nice and funny. It was really fun conversing with her in the two languages, as you both appreciate the struggles that the other may be having. Her english is very good, she actually spent 4 months in colorado during high school. It's cool because it's not as if she will say, alright we've been speaking in Spanish for 30 minutes, it's time for English. We converse in both languages simultaneously, as sometimes we are both speaking in one language, or I would be doing Spanish while she responds in English. Now, let's start this story at the beginning:

I was supposed to meet Nuria on campus at 5:00 PM to grab some coffee. Shortly beforehand I found out that Reagan, a friend of mine actually has her as an intercambio as well and was also planning on meeting her at 5. She shows up at 5:30, I found out later because she was watching How I Met Your Mother. She brought with her a friend, Nacho, who came to meet with a third American, Justin. The five of us then drove to a local coffee shop in Seville and talked until 8. Reagan and I walked back along the river and I made it home by about 8:40. No soccer tonight I guess. But I'm glad I was there, it was an awesome experience. It was rainy here tonight so I heard that I really didn't miss any quality soccer because the field was slopppy.

I get very frustrated during my history class that is in Spanish. He speaks very fast and I take TONS of notes, but don't necessarily know what I am writing down all of the time. Anyways, today was a good day. Tomorrow night, technically Friday morning at 1 AM, Micah, Phil and myself leave for Madrid via bus! Tomorrow morning at 9-10 I am spending my first week with the 4-year-olds at Colegio Claret. Woo hoo!

Austino

My Friday: Your Wednesday

Tomorrow is my final day of class for the week, once again.

Tonight I went to Bible study where about 20 students came, it was very encouraging. Earlier in the day, Phil and I strolled along the river on our way to Plaza de Armas to buy bus tickets. We got tickets for this weekend going to Madrid for 33 Euros. Leaving at 1 AM Friday morning, returning by about 11:45 PM Sunday night. We also tried our first churros! They were great. There - I didn't hold back. I wasn't frugal. I bought a churro. Tonight I have a very small amount of homework, will be starting to read Miracles by C.S. Lewis, and will try to get to bed early. Yes, I have a new cough.

Tomorrow: Have class until 3, will enjoy my bocodillo (sandwich) on campus, and then am meeting my intercambio at 5 at a school coffee shop! Finally, I will be playing soccer from 8-10. Look out Spain.

Paris!!

Paris has officially been booked. May 7th-May10th. Friday morning to Monday morning. Direct flight Seville - Paris. No buses, no connecting flights, direct. For 64 Euros!! We spent days looking for flights and nothing was below about 120, until Amy, a friend of mine, found transavia.com. I am very excited!

Cordoba/Hike Photos

Q. Our tour guides, the one in the back is self-proclaimed Ivan the Terrible.
R. Rob, Micah and me at a tomb.
S. Los Tres Hermanos!! (The three brothers)
T. Me in this huge plaza in Cordoba. This was at about 2:00 PM, apparently the time and place to be.
U. Ahhh, the pizza... So myself and three other guys decided to eat off of someone's plate... that we didn't know. Basically, someone left half a pizza uneaten at this cafe, so we took advantage. Haha.
V. Micah and I inside the Cathedral area gardens
W. Incredible Ceiling
X. Shot of the Cathedral
Y. The Mosque-converted into a Cathedral in Cordoba
Z. Grabbing the bull by the horns. It's a metaphor. It actually happened though.

Updates

1. I am signing up for "Sevici" A bike service for 10 Euros/year in which you remove a bike from a lock and park it at any other lock station in the city (they are everywhere). As long as you repark it at another station within 30 minutes, its free!

2. I signed up to get a Spanish tutor. Why not?? I will meet with them once or twice a week to go over grammar rules, vocabulary, conversations, whatever I need!

3. I am thus far very impressed by CIEE and how many programs and events they offer. They treat students well. I signed up, although it may be full, for a cooking class this Thursday with Micah.

4. I will be meeting my intercambio on Wednesday! Intercambio is where we would speak in English for 30-40 minutes and then in Spanish for the same amount of time.

5. I am most likely going to Madrid this weekend and then hiking in Ronda and Sierra Norte the following. Time will tell. Should I take a 1 AM to 7 AM bus to Madrid on Friday, or a 8 AM to 2:15 PM bus?

6. I've now read through Acts and Romans and am starting 1 Corinthians tonight. I am looking forward to that.

Sunday Hike

On Saturday after returning late from Cordoba I went to bed early to prepare for the third weekend departure in a row leaving at 9 AM. The trip was actually available, although it filled quickly, to all CIEE students in Seville, which there are a couple hundred I believe. They only sent one bus on the hike. So about 6 or 7 from my specific program, International Business and Culture went on the hike, including Rob and Micah. The hike was fairly uneventful, although Mariano and Ivan the Terrible were our guides for the second hike in a row. I really enjoy speaking with them in Spanish, fun guys. The hike went through Huelva, southwest of Spain. We looked at some ancient tombs. While Rob was carving a sharp stick, I filled his backpack with rocks and weeds. He didn't notice the additional weight so I told him about a mile later haha.

I slept on the ride back and Micah and I made it home by about 5:30 PM. We then relaxed for a couple hours, had dinner, and I went out to go watch the Superbowl. I was heading to meet with Reagan, ran into Quinn (that is a first name) on the way, and we walked there together. There were about 10 of us there to watch the game at O'Neil's. We left at halftime, I was exhausted. I was cheering for the Colts by the way.

I realized this weekend that I truly am on a 5 month vacation. I had from Wednesday afternoon to Sunday night to do homework. One problem: I didn't have even one tiny assignment to do. Nothing.

Also, our apartment doesn't have a mat for the bathroom, or a towel, or anything. All the floors are tile. Interesting. Class went well today, my history class in Spanish is frustrating and tiring on the mind, but it's what I need - others are a bit lost too. Finance took me back to the fall semester of freshman year today, Econ 101 - too easy. I really enjoy my business spanish class.

I am now going to try to book a flight to Paris for the weekend of May 7th, hopefully it goes through! Photos to come soon :)

Austino

Cordoba

Friday night before Seville - After a needed nap Phil, Amy, Micah and myself went to Cien Montanditos (or something like that) for really cheap tapas and drinks. Tapas are as cheap as 60 centimos. We spent about two hours there and left at about 12:30ish. It was a place where they call your name when your order is up, SUPER difficult to understand. We kept going up to be safe and it was never our order. Also, I had a tapa which was melted white chocolate inside bread. Yum!

Cordoba - pretty cool, not spectacular. I think I have hit the limit as to how impressed I can be with the architecture of an Andalucian city after Seville and Granada. We started the day by crossing over this huge Roman bridge over muddy water. We had a guided tour through a Mosque-converted Christian Church for the majority of the day, finishing with two hours of free time.

Sad story: So we saw many women on the streets sitting or approaching us and asking for money. This by itself is not very unusual. EVERY SINGLE ONE was carrying a child. Now, I found this to be a very odd coincidence because in Seville, Granada, wherever, I have NEVER seen a poor woman accompanied by a child. A friend of mine heard that in Cordoba and sometimes other cities someone actually loans out their child for the day for a fee. The beggar gets more money because people feel bad that she has a child. A win-win for them, if you can call it that.

During the two free hours I fought off ice cream temptation and we wondered around the city. We found a pretty cool plaza where it was full of Spaniards enjoying the warm sun and having a drink. It was the place to be.

Finally: A blessing from God. The bus ride there was 1 hour, 50 minutes. We left Cordoba for Seville at 4:45 and arrived in Seville at 8:50. Yeah. There were two buses, and the one I wasn't in broke down. We had to wait with it, apparently. BUT, I had roughly a four-hour spiritual conversation with Jackie, but primarily Andre, one-on-one. Andre is very much like Micah with his open-mind and eagerness to learn about religion. He is well-versed in the Bible actually. Near the end of the conversation he called me empathetic, which I appreciated. Anyways, he really wants to sit down and continue to discuss where our conversation left off. God gave me 4 hours, not just under 2. :)

Once again, an early morning tomorrow. We have a 9-5 hike (man I have it rough in Spain - working on weekends). However, this is the first trip that actually filled up, and very quickly. Photos to come tomorrow. Buenas noches!

Cuando en Espana

(When in Spain...) I have the option to go to Paris, France roundtrip 95 Euros in May and Oslo, Norway in April for 85 Euros, both for a weekend trip. I would be a fool NOT to go, right? I mean, when in Spain...

Italica Ruins

Aparently I visited the 4th biggest Roman (gladiator) amphitheatre today, just 15 minutes outside of Seville. It was really cool and apparently most of the information in the movie The Gladiator is accurate. We also looked at some Roman houses and streets in the area. I am now very tired, will post some pics, eat lunch and finally take a good 3-4 hour nap. Enjoy the photos! Austino

T. He has problems
U. Senior photo!
V. Stopping to smell a flower
W. Preparing to head into the amphitheatre
X. Rob and I fighting
Y. The Arena
Z. I have wide feet

It's Too Bad I Didn't Get Kramer for Christmas

Because he would have a great story to tell over here in Spain. The travel plans are coming together. How I foresee the next couple months shaping up in terms of weekends:
Feb 13: Experience Seville solo (finally) or do two day trips to small neighboring towns for hiking with Phil.
Feb 20: Madrid with a sizable group.
Feb 27: Palma de Mallorca (Island in the Mediterranean - part of Spain) Janet, Kyle, Phil.
Mar 6: Barcelona with a sizable group.
Mar 13: Alicante with Janet
March 20: Morocco with half of CIEE
March 25-April 6: Journey through Milan, Venice, Ljbuljana (Slovenia), and Cagliari (Sardinia) with Micah, Phil and Rob.
April 10: No plans yet, maybe to rest, maybe Sauer will visit or I will visit him in Toledo.
April 15-April 25: Sevilla then probably Rome and Florence with my parents!!
May 1: No plans
May 8: No plans
May 15: No plans
May 22: Return Home
Those last three weekends we are considering some beachy places such as Lagos, Malaga, Canaries, Lisbon, Cadiz, or Valencia.

After a nap and la cena, Phil and I went to La Carboneria (yes my third time) and watched some live flamenco. we met up with a couple of his friends from PSU, and then Micah, Andre andRob met us there. They planned on taking salsa lessons, but it was full. I'm going to try most likely next week :) It's now 2:30 in the morning and I am going to some Italica Ruins tomorrow morning at 9:30. Buenas Noches!

Austino

Vosotras

Vosotros (notice the spelling difference) means "you all" in Spanish. If there are any males, even one, you use "vosotros". If it's all females, its vosotras. Well, there were 10 females and me at Colegio Claret today, the private, catholic elementary school for the volunteering orientation. Padre Agustin, started off by saying Hola Vosotras! I then raised my hand to identify that there was a male in the group.

Anyways, moving on. I will be working with 4-year-olds in a class of about 20 or so. Each age wears a certain color uniform, age 4 is blue. They are all very cute and I can't wait to get to the know the students. I start next Thursday! I'm really not sure what I will be doing tonight. I would like to have almuerzo (lunch), nap, send out some emails as I am VERY behind, and maybe mail a few postcards? :)

Demasiado Ruido!

Aparently, I opened the bathroom door too loudly and was consequently scolded by my senora.

My senora and I watched "Gran Hermano" (Big Brother) for about an hour and half tonight. It plays from 10:00 PM to 2:00 AM every Wednesday night! Que loco! This is like their prime time.

Short and Sweet

A quick one for you all. You deserve a rest from my long blogs. All 8 of my lectures this week started AT BEST 5 minutes late. Some started 15-20 minutes late. They don't end late, however. Ah the Sevillian lifestyle...

Travel plans is a daily job. I wish some people could be more decisive. I am ready to book various weekends because I've examined my schedule, I know where I would like to go, and the prices are fair but others just aren't quick to pull the trigger... I can't book things by myself without knowing for sure if any buddies will be joining me. So for now, as Tom Hanks says in The Terminal "I wait."

Lastly, I feel slightly sick//weak again. Ty, yes I've always been weak thank you.

Austino

Bible Study!

I went to the first Bible Study of the semester where I met with many new students from all over the US. They have hearts for Christ and will be great fellowship during the course of the semester! Just as the program is heavily weighted in girls, there were 7 girls and 3 guys including me.

Random: Anabel sprays Thiago with perfume, I believe regularly. We were just playing in his room and she grabbed a perfume bottle from Thiago's dresser and sprayed him 4 or 5 times.

Weekend plans (I can say this because my weekend starts tomorrow afternoon): On Thursday, go to a meeting for my volunteering at a preschool. I believe this will start next week when I work with the tots from 9-10 on Thursdays. Friday - free day. Most likely will wander around Seville, finally! Saturday - day trip to Cordoba with CIEE. Sunday - all-day hike with CIEE.

Austino

Stuck in Spain

I am "stuck" in three ways.
1. Tonight I went to the supermarket, entered the one-way entrance, saw the huge lines, and sought the exit. There is NO WAY to leave Maxi Dia without making a purchase. The entrance is a double-door motion-activated one-way funnel that I couldn't leave. The only other way, walking through the checkout lines, in which I tried and I was scolded. So I bought some bars, after waiting in line for about 15 minutes.
2. No company in Europe wants money from my credit cards. RyanAir wouldn't accept any form of credit/debit payment for six days, until we called and did it over the phone. Apparently its happening to "Americans and Canadians in Spain"... okay. TrenItalia now will not accept our forms of payment either. I sure hope we get to Italy as planned during Semana Santa.
3. I was ridiculed by Anne, as always, for using Spanish spelling on the word "phrasing" by repeatedly writing frasing. I am thinking in Spanish people! Don't side with her, 'un frase' in Spanish is 'a phrase'. Hence I am stuck in my Spanish thinking.

Un abrazo, Austino

Embarrassing Day...

...But not because I'm in Spain. Because I am just an idiot.

1. So to get through to the Metro you have to press your card on a reader and the doors will open. BUT you have to wait a few seconds after the last person goes through. I went to early, I thought the doors had just opened, but they were about to close. I slammed my knee at walking speed (imagine just walking into a wall) into the waist-high glass doors. I was surprised the glass didn't break, really.
2. I sat in the back row of Historia Contemporanea de Espana and attempted to lean back where I hit my head against the wall. Many heads turned.

I booked my Semana Santa travels, finally! Although the phone calls to RyanAir totaled 9 Euros, I don't care! March 25 - April 6: Milan, Venice, Slovenia, and Cagliari!!! Also, I booked the weekend to Alicante, round trip 26 Euros to meet Janet Yockers (who was with me in London you avid blog readers). So far it's just Micah and myself, but Phil may join us on the Santa trip. Now we need to book some trains, Milan to Venice, and Venice to Slovenia, and some hostels... :) And the Morocco trip is March 19-22. Three great weekends/weeks in a row!!

I'm going to try to get Mom and Pops out here and will start looking at cheap flights to southern Italy.

Classes went better today. I'm starting to understand my Spanish history class a bit better. The first day there were 25 students, second day 17, what does that tell you? Finance should be simps, same with Managing Cultural Diversity. Nap time. Adios!

Austino