I have lots of fingers

That's what Thiago told me today. He said I didn't have as many.

I added four pictures of my parents: At the lake in Parque de Buen Retiro, at Museo Reina Sofia (you can see part of "Reina" going up the building) which means Queen Sofie, walking in the park at Buen Retiro, in a glass museum in park Buen Retiro.

Today was a lazy day. I went to a cafe after breakfast to get time in the Word and work on my paper a bit for Managing Cultural Diversity. After lunch I took a long nap and eventually went for a run at 830 by heading towards the football stadium, circling it, and coming back. I'm trying to run all four days this weekend.

The Senagese

The people from Senegal are on many street corners trying sell things to trafic at a red light and Sevillianos walking on the sidewalk. They're almost always in very cheerful moods and get along great with the population. I am typically at the same cafe by my apartment and have noted that the same man works the same traffic light 8:00-8:00 every day. Doesn't matter how hot it is or if it's raining, he's working. I rarely see him make a sale, although he's always fist bumping and high fiving anyone with their window down. They live in overcrowded apartments.

I decided to ask Ana her opinion on the matter. Here's what I learned:

1. The majority are doctors or teachers back in Senegal. They've taken formal education but opted to come here.
2. No one will hire them, she didn't know of one African immigrant working in any store or restaurant for any business.
3. One Senagese man found a bank bag with 5000 Euros and handed it in to the police and went straight back to work. Wow.
4. I asked Ana if she felt Spain was somewhat racist towards them and I think she was saying not really. But I pointed out that they can't find a job anywhere. No one will hire them.

Well, that's it for that.

Today I went to the Colegio Claret as previously mentioned, then returned for a nap followed by lunch. At about 5 Kelly and I went to my favorite cafe and sat in the cool shade until about 8. Afterwords I actually worked out. I ran to the Cathedral and back (touched the closest corner :) ) which took 29 minutes. I then did some abdominales and grantija (situps and pushups). Dinner was good, fresh tomatos and spring rolls. Finally, I capped off the night with watching the Liverpool - Atletico Madrid game which went to overtime.

I still don't understand agregate scoring:
If a team wins 3-0 and then loses 0-2, they win overall 3-2. (Typically in tournaments teams play twice). Liverpool was up 1-0 at the end of regulation and then it went into overtime. I assumed that Liverpool must have lost 0-1, or 1-2, or 2-3 etc the first time. But then, each team scored a goal in overtime and that meant that Atletico Madrid advanced (won) even though they lost the match 1-2. I dont know.

Oh well, have a good Wednesday night everyone!

Franco Essay

You don't have to read this - I don't expect you to. I just wanted to post a paper written at the peak of my Spanish ability.

Franco fue líder en España durante la guerra civil y las anteriores décadas. Aunque su partido político, los nacionalistas, ganaron la guerra, fueron repercusiones para las próximas décadas en España. Él empezó a ganar poder político en 1936 y lo retuvo hasta su muerte en 1975. Yo discutiré las decisiones y las acciones de Franco y repasaré los impactos directos e indirectos, buenos y malos en los españoles desde 1930s hasta 1970s.
Franco ha sido una figura controversial a quien amaban y odiaban hasta hoy en día. Espero que encuentre y explique los resultados objetivamente de sus acciones durante y después la guerra civil. Voy a organizar cronológicamente las decisiones de Franco y los resultados inmediatos y a largo plazo.
El Frente Popular, un partido político en el centro e izquierdo ganó las elecciones en febrero de 1936. El Frente Popular reactivaría las reformas de 1931-1933 (militar, agraria, y religiosa) e inmediatamente después de las elecciones de 1936 los Nacionalistas organizaban un golpe estado en contra del Frente Popular. Manuel Azaña, quien era líder de Gobierno provisional, tenía una estrategia que era enviar a los generales Goded, Franco, y Mola muy lejos. Sus destinos eran Baleares, Canarias, y Pamplona, respectivamente. Sin embargo, después de ser presionado por otros líderes, Franco apoyó el golpe de estado. Finalmente, el plan fracasó y empezó la guerra civil entre el bando nacional (derecha) y el bando republicano (izquierda). Alemania e Italia apoyaban a los Nacionalistas, a la URSS y a México que luchaban para los Republicanos. Una razón por la cual Franco obtuvo el control militar nacionalista es que tenía buenas relaciones con Italia y Alemania y por eso podía obtener armas y el soporte militar de los países .
El 21 de Septiembre de 1936 Franco fue comandante nacionalista. El militar nacionalista ganaba batallas de un lado a otro en España y el militar republicano intentó contraer la paz en 1938 con los nacionalistas pero Franco quería rendición incondicional. En consecuencia, la guerra continuó y tuvieron que morir más personas a causa de Franco. La guerra civil en España terminó con las tomas de Valencia y Madrid por los Nacionalistas.
Durante y después de la guerra civil, las ejecuciones fueron muy comunes abajo del liderazgo de Franco. En 1936, más de 200 oficiales republicanos murieron. Desde 1937, todas las ejecuciones fueron asignadas por o conocidas de Franco. Además, durante la guerra civil alrededor 50.000 personas fueron asesinadas sin procesos. También, más de 15.000 fueron ejecutadas después de la guerra y mucha más se encontraban presas o tenían que trabajar sin cobrar. A continuación, con los presos y muertos, Franco desarrollaba la división entre la izquierda y la derecha políticamente. A pesar de que la izquierda se rindió a Franco, sentía opresión y persecución por la derecha debido a los asesinatos sin procesos y los encarcelados injustamente. Me gustaría citar el cuento de “Idioma de los Muertos,” que cubre las vidas de presos durante y después de la guerra civil. Aunque Juan Senra, el protagonista, no es real, el cuento describe las situaciones verdaderas de los republicanos que estaban presos cuando Franco adquirió España.
En “Idioma de los Muertos” Juan Senra era profesor de chelo. Estaba en la cárcel desde mayo de 1938 porque su expediente era comunista y criminal de la guerra civil. Iba a condenar a Juan a muerte como al resto de la gente de la prisión a largo plazo. Pero, él mentía para proteger su vida. Juan creaba cuentos sobre el hijo de coronel Eymar quien había muerto. El coronel Eymar era responsable de decidir si alguien moría o no. En la prisión se encontraban dos galerías: la segunda y la cuarta. Cada mañana los oficiales gritaban nombres de presos de la segunda galería para ir al tribunal para condenarles a muerte o perdonarles. Antes del tribunal de Juan Senra, ya habían condenado cientos de presos a muerte. Después de ser condenado a muerte, el culpable esperaba en la cuarta galería hasta que decían su nombre. En este caso, el coronel Eymar simplemente le preguntaba al preso si conocía a su hijo, Miguel. Entonces, cientos de presos murieron debido a no conocer a Miguel Eymar. El proceso era demasiado corto sin justicia y muy arbitrario para los presos. A pesar de que Juan vivía a causa de sus mentiras, el estilo de vida y las condiciones de la prisión eran horribles. Los presos tenían frío durante las noches, Juan tenía un “sinfín de dolores,” y todos los presos sufrían de miedo. Por ejemplo, los presos tenían que asistir a misa cada semana donde a los encarcelados les gustaban participar en comunión específicamente para comer un poquito más. El ejemplo de comunión también representaba la opresión de libertad que empujó a Franco hacia la gente . Esto lo discutiremos más tarde. Para obtener menos resistencia y más obediencia el miedo se hacían cientos de ejecuciones sin procesos durante la guerra aprobada por Franco .
A pesar de la habilidad para evitar la muerte de Juan, él vivía una vida sin sentido. Él tenía un amigo con quien compartía secretos de sus tribunales y procesos pero este murió. Eventualmente, después de tristeza sobre la muerte de su amigo, Juan dijo la verdad al coronel Eymar porque no le importaba vivir. Él murió sólo, como los demás presos sin ningún cambio . El cuento de Juan Senra fue experimentado por miles de republicanos durante y después de la guerra civil, en parte de la autoridad y decisiones de Franco.
Debo clarificar que las ejecuciones sin procesos no eran solo realizados por los nacionalistas, sino también por los republicanos. Aproximadamente 30.000 nacionalistas murieron ejecutados. Sin embargo, después de la rendición de la izquierda en 1939, ¿por qué Franco tenía que permitir más muertes injustas de republicanos? Además, cientos de miles de republicanos fueron encarcelados durante la década de la guerra civil bajo el liderazgo de Franco. La persecución de republicanos no terminó con el fin de la guerra civil en España, mucha gente republicana huía del país.
Cientos de miles de republicanos huían de España durante y después de la guerra, trasladándose 500.000 a Francia . Obviamente, la emigración de la gente Española perdió a muchas personas importantes y útiles incluyendo médicos, profesores, maestros, abogados, artistas y más ocupaciones cruciales. Los profesionales con éxitos eran beneficiales a sus sociedades nuevas, al ingreso en España. Además, una porción de la gente republicana se quedó en España pero perdió su trabajo ya que se contrataron a personas con menos cualificaciones. A causa de las muertes y la emigración de la gente, ¿Franco perdió los próximos líderes buenos de España? ¿Cerró la puerta a la posibilidad para mejorar el sistema de agricultura? ¿Franco mató al médico que podría curar el cáncer? Hay muchas preguntas que no podemos contestar. Por cierto, España no se benefició del talento perdido.
Algunas personas que habían huido a Francia se reunían en el gobierno de Francia para trabajar y vivir en condiciones injustas. Si era parte de la población Española, tenían que quedarse en el campo hasta que el gobierno los empujó para regresar a España. Las personas que regresaron a España eran enviadas a campos de concentración franquistas, se llamaba Miranda de Ebro. Después, mucha gente tuvo que ir a la Alemania Nazi, al campo de concentración que se llamaba Mauthausen, donde más que 5.000 Españoles murieron .
Franco inculcó un efecto psicológico de miedo y control para que la gente se pusiera en contra de los Nacionalistas. Durante y después de la guerra, Franco conoció y aprobó juicios sumarios, donde entre 15 a 20 personas eran asesinados después de un “proceso” de cinco minutos . Como el gobierno tendría poder para ejecutar a cualquier persona yo hacía lo que este me dictara. Veremos que el derecho a la libertad terminó durante el reino de Franco incluyendo la libertad de religión, política, idioma, cultura y economía.
Políticamente, a causa de Franco, España perdió la democracia. Basado de los antedichos hechos sobre los juicios sumarios, encarcelamientos injustos, y las huidas de republicanos, vemos que los republicanos tenían incentivos para ser callados sobre sus opiniones políticas. Franco utilizó ejecuciones durante el principio de la guerra para difundir miedo a sus enemigos, específicamente a los republicanos. En una época de crecimiento, para la democracia política, Franco era un cáncer. La minoría gente, los vencidos de la guerra civil, no tenía el poder para expresarse y se sentían inferiores. Asimismo, los “Franquitos” eran personas con una filosofía y personalidad similar a la que Franco que desarrollaban la “represión del abajo”. El miedo existió en el gobierno alto, en la jerárquica, pero los Franquitos estaban entre la gente normal. Psicológicamente el miedo de Franco y “franquitos” prohibía democracia .
Franco limitaba la libertad de expresión para permitir solo el idioma español en España. Él suprimía otros idiomas por una ley en contra del uso de otros lenguajes como catalán y gallego. Se podía utilizar solo español en las escuelas, en los anuncios, en los signos, en documentos comerciales y en el gobierno. Si querías hablar otros idiomas, tenían que hacerlo en privado . Su idioma nativo era una parte de su cultura, identidad e historia. Franco lo eliminaba la libertad de preservar estas cosas elementales.
Ya que Franco hizo malas decisiones económicamente desde los 40s hasta los 70s, la gente de España luchaba por una vida mejor pero no tuvieron éxito. Aunque todos los problemas económicos no pueden ser atribuidos a Franco, el líder de un país es más responsable que el resto del gobierno y la población. El país empleaba cartas de racionamiento para proporcionar alimento a la gente, pero no era suficiente. Era una época en la que España con un mercado negro crecía y la controversia del estraperlo en los casinos. Construir una fundación de confianza y crecimiento en el gobierno y la economía era difícil con los problemas abajo del liderazgo de Franco durante el principio de su reino. Franco no permitió que España realizara intercambios internacionales hasta “La Apertura” de 1959 . La gente fue atrapada por su pobreza.
Durante el reino de Franco, el catolicismo fue declarado la religión oficial de España. La Iglesia Católica apoyaba a Franco y los nacionalistas durante la guerra civil . Asimismo, en algunos trabajos se requería que fueras católico. También, los matrimonios aprobados por la segunda república no eran aceptados sin consentimiento de la Iglesia Católica. Los divorcios y abortos fueron prohibidos . La libertad aparte de la religión, específicamente la Iglesia Católica, terminó con la política de Franco.
La cultura de España, algo muy especial y respetado por los españoles hoy en día, fue limitado para algunas personas. Pero, Franco permitía que algunas tradiciones continuaran, particularmente las de Andalucía, como corridas de toro y flamenco. Como las otras libertades fueron suprimidas, la limitación de tradiciones culturales en España muestra el objetivo de Franco que era minimizar la diversidad en el país. Algunas actividades culturales fueron prohibidas cuando otras fueron censuradas. Referente a las limitaciones y prohibiciones de libertad de religión, tradiciones culturales, economía, idioma, y política, el dicho es justo donde se dice que España “perdió el tren de la democracia” durante el reinado de Franco .
Estoy en contra de las decisiones y acciones de Franco durante su reino de España en relación con las razones antedichas. Para ser objetivo, voy a presentar las cosas que Franco logró para su país. Franco fue líder de España hasta su muerte en 1975. Desde el principio de los 60s hasta que murió, la economía crecía a ritmo de 7% anual. Después del “Despegue” y “La Apertura”, la inversión extranjera aumentaba porque España fue un país muy rentable para los inversores. También, Franco condujo al país a una monarquía parlamentaria por la Ley de Sucesión de 1947. Más tarde él nombró a un líder, Juan Carlos I, quien restableció la democracia .
Sin embargo, en la actualidad y recientes desarrollos vemos que Francisco Franco era “cáncer” para el progreso español. Debido a sus relaciones con la Alemania Nazi y la Fascista Italia durante la guerra civil España fue aislada durante y después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Asimismo, la gente que huyeron durante y después de la guerra civil a Francia y México, por ejemplo, perdieron su nacionalidad española. Al perder su nacionalidad, ellos perdieron su herencia, su cultura, su hogar y toda la identidad de España. Debemos repasar la ley actual, de 2006, la Ley de Memoria Historia. Hoy en día, el país no quiere recordar el nombre de Franco. Quitan símbolos franquistas como estatuas y nombres de calles. La ley quiere encontrar las fosas comunes de juicios sumarios que estaban bajo el control de Franco. En Andalucía, por ejemplo, hay casi 400 fosas comunes . Franco es un insulto para la gente hoy en día. Nadie sabe donde las fosas comunes están, es un misterio, es un cargo para la ley, destapar el pasado. Es difícil recordar el pasado malo ya que Franco ha muerto. Algunas personas como juez Baltazar Garzón todavía quieren reabrir el caso de Franco porque piensan que debe ser declarado culpable de los crímenes que realizó durante su dictadura y yo estoy de acuerdo. Él fue culpable antes y todavía lo seguirá siendo de los encarcelamientos y asesinatos injustos aunque esté muerto. Si no juzgamos la historia, vamos a cometer errores similares.

Bar Levies + Carboneria

Had a great day on Wednesday. My finance class was cancelled and my Business Spanish test went pretty well. After a cold pasta lunch, I managed to nap from 4-730 which ultimately meant I was too late to leave and play soccer. I did figure out there was a Barcelona-Intermilan game on which started around 830 that Micah, Kelly and I watched. Afterwords, at about 1015 we went to Bar Levies. They biked ahead and I met up with Reagan, a friend from CIEE that I haven't seen for about a month, and we walked as she didn't have a bike.

Although the weather is painfully hot during the day, by about 11 PM it drops to about 70-75ish which is perfect for walking through the city. We also met up with Sam, a friend of Kelly's from New York. It was a fun night overall, the flamenco dancer at la carboneria (Mom and Dad maybe you remember her) is keen on shushing everyone during every song. She's also quite the stomper while she dances.

I just had my time at Colegio Claret with the 4-year-olds which was great. Elo was back which was a relief. Isabel, myself and Ana were walking to class (two students) and Isabel, my favorite says "se han casado" to me and Ana. Which means "You two got married" haha it was really funny. They're all so innocent it's fun to hear what they have to say.

Also, all of the trees in the playground are dropping these green seeds, which all the kids started to call guisantes (peas). "Querremos guisantes" they started to chant, which means "We want peas." By the time we made it to class there were no more 'peas' left in the playground and all of the kids had 20-30 in their pockets.

The words they learned today were: sandwich, biscuit, ice cream, and banana cake.

Also, before I leave Seville I will post some reflections, such as: What I miss about USA, what i will miss about Spain, what I won't miss about Spain, what I've learned, how I've changed, best moments, worst moments. If you think of any you want me to do let me know. Thanks!

I attached my favorite meal photo: breaded chicken with mashed potatos.

The Heat

The rain has gone away. The sun is here to stay.

It is 9:15 PM as I write this and the temperature is 82 degrees. Yeah. I was studying from about 6-8 tonight (Bible and Business Spanish) and was sweating simply in sitting in the shade outside. It's a fun change of pace though - I now understand why shops close during the afternoon, particularly during the summer, because of the tremendous heat.

121 Down, 25 Left

I have 25 days left in Seville. It sounds like a very short period of time but I feel like it will be a while until I'm back in the states.

1. The other day a girl in my class told me that "Minnesota Nice" is completely true, according to the two Minnesotans she knows. Myself, and a guy named Aaron, are exremely different, but both equally nice I guess. She's from New York so I guess nice people stand out.

2. I'm doing everything possible in History to improve my current C+ grade. (The only part of my grade that I know so far is my midterm score which was a C+). I participate as much as possible and frequently ask him questions about my paper or the historical period were talking about after class.

3. Recap on Feria: Basically Feria de Abril (April Fair) is a weeklong celebration in hundreds of Casettas in one area of the city. A casetta is basically a tent that a person will rent out for the week and only allow who they want in the tent. 98% of the casettas are like this (private). It's meant to be a Sevillian-specific party where people dance (a sevilliano dance - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsKqCyi_9lQ&feature=related) or just chat and have some drinks. This goes on from mid-afternoon to well after midnight. As I biked back from the bus station after returning from Madrid after my parents left for home I saw lots of women in dresses along the river in the afternoon ( http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LG-xx1SWdAM/0.jpg ).

I went Sunday night for the final night of Feria. This was the first and likely only time I will be wearing by brown shoes and brown pants haha. I saw the casettas, their HUGE "no8do" sign (the Sevilla motto), and fireworks. The fireworks started at midnight and were really fun. I watched them from a bridge and the noise made it feel like they were really close to you. It was as if you could feel the bangs. It was really fun and I'm glad that I was able to both see/experience Feria and travel with my parents all week to Italy.

4. I thanked Jesus, my finance prof for giving me advice on restaurants for my parents. He seemed genuinely interested in how Mom and Dad enjoyed the trip and how we liked the restaurants. He's a great guy. I also handed in my finance paper finally, 18 pages with Micah, whew. Feels good to be done. I also handed in my 9 page History paper, IN SPANISH. I present next week.

5. Yesterday, without motivation or caffeine I was able to get through my four classes. After lunch and a great skype talk with Johnny Myers I took a two hour siesta. Kelly, who is staying for 4-5 days, a friend of Micah's and a fellow LOST fan, watched Lost with me last night. I haven't watched that with a partner in quite some time. I love discussing theories. Today I biked over to CIEE for my tutor session and learned por/para (both mean "for" in English but have very different uses. I think this weekend I may be helping her on English a little bit. I then biked back to the nearby cafe to get cafe con leche and I actually read Matthew 3-12 today. Took about 3 hours but I loved it. I'm now writing this post on Tuesday before lunch as Thiago colors beside me. He intentionally over and over colors on my notebook to get in trouble and attention.

6. Just a minute ago Ana comes in screaming about a Palmela (a bird) which I didn't know what a Palmela was but she kept saying it. Somehow a bird got in the apartment and I had to get it out haha.

7. The family LOVED the presents mom and dad! Thiago likes the stuffed animal, but did immediately try to rip off his Hat haha. Ana just absolutely loved the angel you got her and can't wait to move it to Alicante. Gustavo will enjoy his gift too.

8. The weather here went from rainy and cold to too hot in a matter of weeks. It is 85 and sunny as I write this. I sweat when I even step outside. I love it, but by the end of May I'll be happy to land in semi-warm Minnesota.

Photos from Savat Eurotrip 2010

1. Visiting Ty's favorite church in Rome on Tuesday morning
2. Sunset on the Spanish Steps in Rome
3. Mom's favorite Margherita Pizza in Rome
4. Along a trail heading away from Positano
5. Hiking down to the beach in Sorrento
6. Biking in Seville
7. At 100 Montaditos in Seville
8. Mom on the hike down with our Caprician friend Antionetta
9. Lunch on top
10. Dad going up the one-man chairlif to the top of the island of Capri

More Flight Problems

They made it to New York safely. Their flight to Minnesota, however, was cancelled. They've switched airports and are hoping to hop on a plane shortly from La Guardia.

Austin's Reflections

Enough of the old water buffalo. I'd like to reflect on the week. Austino is back in the casa. If I repeat anything, it's because I haven't really read over the previous few blogs.

I had an incredible time with the family. As I was receiving emails and calls from them prior to their departure from the US, I could tell their was excitement but also nervousness. I realized this as well when they went through Madrid on their own to make it Seville through Dad's emails. They sacrificed a lot to be here: money, time, and new personal discomfort. I love them for going through that to be here in Europe with me.

My favorite part of the whole trip was biking through Seville for over an hour, seeing the Cathedral, small side streets where shops weren't even open yet, biking along the river and through parque Maria Luisa and Plaza Americas, without ANY rain. In that hour I think they were able to get a feel for Seville and particularly southern Spain (Andalucía).

I believe I was able to show them that confidence is 3/4 of the battle, and language is helpful, but only knowing English is not a huge barrier to travel. I may have done most of the navigating and question asking in Italy, but it was of course all in English.

I love that I was able to show them Seville's metro (one line in total) which is new and fairly empty as well as Madrid's metro which is always crowded, dirty, old and has 12 or so lines intersecting across the gigantic city. My Dad observed in Madrid that "Everybody takes the metro, rich or poor, young or old, it doesn't matter." I did ask them while we were using the Madrid metro, which looks like a spider web on a map with so many lines, "What if I just got off on the next stop and ran away?" My mom enjoyed that comment - as she would surely be a bit lost...

My parents got a whiff of another thrill of travel: meeting others. We had dinner with an Austrian couple in Rome, they were able to meet a Californian (Micah my roommate) in Seville, we had dinner for 2-3 hours with Brits in Sorrento, and met an Italian woman that spoke phenomenal English and showed us her garden and chapel on the island of Capri. We may have only traveled to Spain and Italy, but they got a taste of several other cultures. I also always feel that I can leave a positive lasting impression on USA by interacting with others.

I would like to assume that after this trip my parents are more open to traveling abroad. Some of the greatest places to be are in the US and even lovely Minnesota, but I think they are excited about having experienced (and survived :) ) Europe and would highly consider returning.

Seville:
I am so glad that we were able to cover all of the ground that we were able to cover. They felt Seville's hot sun for a few moments during coffee and ice cream, saw Guadalquivir - our river, experienced typical bad service from cafes and restaurants, had café con leche saw our park, plazas, winding streets, well-dressed population, flamenco, and tapa nightlife.

Rome:
We were a team. We conquered Rome in a day (although it wasn't built in a day). All walking. We saw tourist traps like the guy that gives you "free flowers" and then five seconds later asks you repeatedly for money. We saw history. We did as the Romans did. We had Italian pizza.

According the my parents, the hotel service was bad. According to United States service, it was bad. I thought it was fine for a couple reasons: I'm used to sub-par service in Europe and I usually stay in cheap hostels.

Sorrento:
Breathtaking. Positano, Amalfi, Atrani, Capri. Wow. What a nice way to close out the trip. If you don't see God's beauty of creation here, I don't know where you'll see it. My highlight was walking through the narrow neighborhood to the less-touristy Atrani and the windy-road bus ride along the cliffs.

Madrid:
To see Spain for a second time, even if for a few hours, was a blessing. I loved showing them the convenient metro as well as Picasso and Dali works at Museo Reina Sofia, an art museum. The Guernica is there. It was hard to say goodbye once again, but nothing like December 28. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and know that I will see them before I turn 21.

I do Paris in two weeks and do the USA in four. It'll go fast now.


Once again, I love my parents for sacrificing a lot to be here to see me/Europe. Even if they absolutely loved the trip, they still sacrificed a lot. Love you guys. See you soon.

Parents' Flight Cancelled

Madrid to Atlanta at 11:00 this morning was cancelled. My parents were able to meet an American student in Madrid that could help them. Most were rescheduled for flight tomorrow. Mom and Dad and Kristin (student they met) were able to find a flight to New York. Should be taking off at about 5:45 PM Seville time (10:45 AM in the States). They'll be staying overnight in New York and arriving in Mpls at 11ish on Sunday.

Austin

Capri and Madrid

April 22:


Joel and I ran our "5K" this morning early, and that felt really good! We ran down the main street and also down some cobblestone streets as the shops were starting to open. We both ran hard and it turns out that Dawn was actually shopping as we ran. We put a lot of miles in today. A gorgeous sunny warm day to visit the Isle of Capri! We took a jet-boat there, rode the "funicular" - a trolley-type short tram up the hill to the village of Capri, then bussed the narrow, winding road up to Ana Capri, then rode a gondola up to Mount Solaro…beautiful views of the Mediterranean, Mount Vescuvius(sp?) and the coastline by Sorrento. We had a picnic of bananas and tasty pastries from the local bakery. What a great lunch!
Everyone else took the gondola back down, but we chose to hike down on a small path. We "took the road less traveled by and that made all the difference." We saw an old, small chapel and met a local Italian woman with a very friendly dog (like Uncle Jon's). Of course, Joel struck up a conversation with her (nice to have an extrovert on this trip ) and we walked down to Ana Capri with her. She told us a lot about the island and invited us to her home where we saw her amazing garden. She grew lemon, orange, fig, pear, cherry and apricot trees; many kinds of lettuce, varieties of beans, onions, strawberries, blueberries and much, much more. Then she showed us the chapel around the corner, which was over 700 years old. What a wonderful way to learn about these new places by talking to the locals! From there, we chose again to walk all the way down, rather than the funicular. She invited us to stay at her apartment that they rent. She said we are always welcome. Once we left her house we were well off the path. She gave us instructions on how to find the bus. Not very easy. We talked the best we could to folks and luckily found the bus. All part of the experience.
When we got back to Sorrento, Joel and I found another wonderful café for our café americano/ caldos... three parts espresso, glass of hot water and glass of hot milk with froth (Italian coffee is warm, not hot….so we ask for it "caldo") while Austin "siested." We enjoy just watching the children playing "football" on the street, Grandmas leaning out of windows watching the traffic, Grandpas pushing their grandbabies in old-fashioned strollers, and street vendors with their fruit markets.
Later that evening, we met our new British friends for a very enjoyable dinner overlooking the Mediterranean (supposedly the best view in town). We had fun comparing our traditions, similarities and differences. We loved their company. His father was an officer in the RAF fighting the Germans. Just fantastic memories speaking with them. I hope that our paths cross again and I think that they will.




April 23:


Early morning again for us…we're getting the most out of our available hours on this trip! We flew to Madrid and Austin showed us the metro system where at one stop a local street musician boarded and played his mandolin, the Riena Sofia Museum which showed Picasso and Dali, Buen Retiro Park and we had another fabulous early dinner(for the Spainards - late lunch!) Joel says this was one of the best meals yet…pimeinto con padron (green peppers and potatoes), steamed mussels with lemon, potatoes with roquefort dressing, Spain's prized ham and warm, fresh bread..mmm…mmm!


Tomorrow, we leave for home, and Austin goes back to Seville for another month. It has been so much fun seeing him and learning about his spanish home. We have loved every place we visited, and would love to come back!

Sorrento and More

April 20:

This morning we visited Tyler's favorite church when he was in Italy….then walked around Rome for a final time before we boarded the train to Naples. Great way to travel!!! Enjoying the view as we sip coffee and eat biscuits and chocolate!
Arrived in Sorrento to shop and eat and enjoy the views. Love the cafes and shopkeepers who chat with everyone….more small co bblesone streets, lots and lots of scooters and motorcycles…Joel is tempted to ride one! A much more relaxing day…visited the beach and walked lots.

April 21

We took the bus to Positano, and later to Amalfi, enjoying the famous coastline,,,then hiking to Atrani.
Another fabulous day. Lunch at Atrani, gelato in Amalfi, shopping and dinner in Sorrento.

Interesting and Favorite Moments of the Day:

-Joel being scolded by the shopkeeper for "messing up her neatly folded sweaters" as he was trying to buy one.
-Walking through the Amalfi and Atrani neighborhood …a maze of stairways and hallways…quaint!
-Lunch on the Mediterranean….blue skies, light breeze, watching Austin eat squid.
-A wild and sometimes scary bus ride from Sorrento to Positano on winding roads, cliffs, one way tunnels and lots of horn honking.
- Met a devoted restaurant owner that successfully invited us into his store. Nice Italian guy.

We will update fully soon! :)

Rome in a Day

Today was a full day of sightseeing, miles of walking, enjoying Italian food and atmosphere at sunny sidewalk cafes….WOW!!! Our walk through Rome was very successful due to our efficient guide leader Austin. We checked everything off of our "must see" list. And then some.

The day began with a full breakfast at our hotel - Joel and I may be ordering more machiattos or café con leches when we get home to our local Caribou…we're really enjoying the coffee in Spain and Italy!
As many of you know, this trip was planned in detail…many, many months ago (ha)…it's "cultural week" in Rome, so many museums and events are free! Yay! Our day began at the Colliseum, on to the Royal Forum and Palatine Hill. The good news here was that is is culture week. Free passes for all. It was a big savings. We used the audio tour with some success although a private tour would be nice.

Lunch was at the Tratorria Ristorante, where we had delicious bruschetta and spaghetti. The brushetta was especially good. Something about the tomatoes that made it special. Best I have ever had.

This was soon followed by tasty gelato. It is so fun to walk in Rome, where the narrow streets go every which way, uneven cobblestone, window boxes filled with flowers, local storekeepers sweeping their entryways, and café owners stand outside and invite you to their tables to eat. Crossing the street is an adventure! Every street was sooo narrow that the cars, motorbikes and people must all live and survive in harmony, less a little honking. Mrs. S would often walk down the middle until pull to safety by one of us.

We have learned to do as the Romans do….don't hesitate, just go….the traffic will stop.
The Vatican was amazing! What history. We saw all including the chapel. It was a wonderful experience. While in the Vatican Museum a thunderstorm hit. It was hailing big time. I now know why I was put there. To make it from the Vatican to St Peter's you had to go out side down a ramp and several stairs. One of the folks was going to try to make it quickly during the hail storm in a wheel chair. Austino and I ran to catch him and carried him down the stairs. I feel like the opportunity was a blessing to us both. Mrs. S ran through the hail carrying all the bags.

Speaking of bags don't think that Mrs. S does not shop from time to time at all the stands. I must say she is very frugal. (Joel claims that he was talking about the "bag" that I purchased!?)
Just like when you say a picture doesn't do justice, words cannot describe the artistic talent that we saw all around us….at the Vatican….Sistine Chapel….many churches, fountains, buildings…it's amazing, and we're so glad we were able to see it. Joel and I hesitated many times when considering this trip, thinking about the time away from work and the cost, but the moment we got to Spain..we are so happy with our decision!

Dinner was at the Piazza Navarone, another sidewalk café(the maitre de was out in the street kissing the girls)where we enjoyed the meal as much as people watching…..later to Gigliotti's for their Tyler-recommended gelato….except I thought I was buying Joel a berry type flavor "pompelno rosy" and it was not-so -tasty grapefruit. Dawn's description here is an under statement. I think that no one has ever ordered grapefruit twice. The other flavor was very good.

The Spanish steps were very cool. We sat, climbed and rested at the top. As I write this we are passing mountains and sheep herds. The first class train guy stopped and provided coffee and cookies. The coffee would be one gulp in America. It is still quite fun and you learn to go slow.

We are coming back to Rome! We tossed our coins in the Trevi fountain and this ensures our return, right?

Never Given A Name

We made it to Rome! It's my turn to blog (this is Dawn). When we woke up this morning, we weren't sure if our travel plans would be changed due to the volcanic ash warnings. There have been many cancellations, but we were fortunate to make it here (although as you will read….the volcano was the least of our dangers!) It was a long day of travel, but before we left, we biked to Austin's "spanish" home to drop some things off. Even though his host family wasn't there, it was fun to see where he's been living these past few months. Biking in Seville has been a wonderful way to see Austin's city! Joel and I absolutely loved our time in Seville, and Austin was a fabulous host, showing us everything…it was so fun to see how comfortable he is communicating in Spanish.

We took a flight from Seville to Madrid, then to Rome. We were pretty sleepy when we got off our flight, but that changed quickly when we stepped into our waiting taxi. Apparently, our driver used to specialize in NASCAR racing….what is 140 kilometers in Americanspeak? Why did we have to be the fastest car on the road…either lane…any lane…middle of the lane? And did you know that Italian cars have loud horns and like to use them often? Our Italian driver also tried to tell us about landmarks that we should know and when he used his hands (gesturing as Italians like to do) I had to look to see if anybody was in control of the steering wheel. And he kept calling me "senora" and waving his hands, saying "benito" but I didn't know he was talking to ME…maybe I was too nervous about all the car crashes we kept driving by. Luckily, we had Senor Austino in the back seat, who could communicate semi-spanish, english, whatever. I'll take a volcano any day over an Italian taxi driver.

We got to our hotel, and our stomachs had settled enough to realize we were very hungry. We went to "Trattoria Pizzaria" down the street and joined a wonderful Austrian couple for some delicious pizza and tiramisu. Austin downed almost 2 large pizzas. Our room is interesting, lots of marble, lots of windows, even the window in the bathroom gives us a quick exit down the alley (!!)

Tomorrow will be a full day of sightseeing!

Greetings from the Ole' Buff. I survived another day. We are on the ground floor so I will be guarding Mrs. S from the bad guys tonight. She locked the window 6 times. We are going to retire to our Rob and Laura Petrie beds. Some of you old folks will get it.,


God Bless.

Austin here - I am writing this last bit in Rome hotel on Monday night. We just spent the entire day in Rome Monday and think we've seen the essential parts of the city. We have had internet connection problems and phone problems. We are well and leaving for Sorrento tomorrow morning at 10.

The Water Buffalo is Back for Another Day

Greetings to you all. More like greetings to you both.

The Old Water Buffalo surived another day. I know that some of you were betting against that but you lose I won.

We had a day that was fantastic. As I write this the old buffalo is very tired. I'll tell you why.

The day started out with an early breakfast. (Prior to breakfast Mrs. S and I tried to sneak to Star Bucks as Austin is against us going there) Guess what they are not open at 8:00 AM here so no luck. That is the last disapointment of the day.

After breakfast at the hotel we used the Seville bike system to ride to the river, Maria Lusisa park and then to the 3rd largest Cathedral in the world. Met folks from Holland on the ride and had a pleasant chat. (Dawn's favorite moment of the day....riding our bikes through narrow, curving cobblestone streets while locals were starting their day...and the church bells were ringing above us!)

We then met Austin's roommate at a coffee shop and had a tour of the Cathedral. It was, as you can imagine very cool. We walked up a ramp that I thought would never end to the top. The reason that it was a ramp instead of stairs is so that they could get horses to the top. The Water Buffalo was sucking wind at this point. Easy prey but avoided the bad guys again.

We then went to the summer palace of the king and toured it. Wow. It was quite the place. After the tour we went to a cafe and had lunch. We had Quail egg tapas, at least some of us did. I noticed that some one ate around the eggs. She will deny this fact.

After lunch we again road bikes and went and looked over a bull ring. It was a very nice stadium that must hold 30,000 folks. They were having a fight that day so we could not tour. Next we road the bikes to a cafe for ice cream.

As you can imagine the old buff was getting a little sleepy by this time. We all took a siesta. It was the best 1.5 hours of sleep I've ever had.

While Austin was still sleeping, the buff and Mrs. S decided to try to sneak to Starbucks once more. When we went out it was crazy. Right next to our hotel. I mean right next door a soccer game was going to take place. The staduim holds approx 50,000. The streets were jammed. It was a wild scene. We got to Starbucks by the way and the brewed coffee machine was broke. We went back and woke Austin and went to the game. Crazy. Seville won 3-0.

Next Austin took us to a professional flamencao dance. We sat in a very small room and watched some very talented people. Although they did not perform the weinie snap like Uncle Jon. After this dance we went to Austin's favorite place for dinner and more flamenca. We rode our bikes back to the hotel, well past midnight, and stopped to visit with 3 spanish westies!

We are now putting the Old Buff down for a long needed sleep. What a day.

Tommorow more from Rome. God Bless.

Blog Has Been HIjacked

The blog has been taken over. For all of you that are bored with Austin's blog good news. I will now take over. It's me- Dad. Some of you call me Joel.

We flew from the Twin Cities early this morning, sat in the NY JFK airport for a few hours,noticing that many flights to Europe were being cancelled due to the volcano, flew 8 hours to Madrid, took a cab to the train, waited in the train station for several hours, took a great two and half hour train ride and then got to hold our little boy once more. ( he will always be our little boy and no one will change that).

Dawn was yelled at for stepping in line at the train station for not taking a number first. We ordered what we thought was coffee and got an expresso the size of a thimble.

I told many of you that I was concerned about pick pockets and theives. I look at it like this. On the African plain the cheetehs, lions and tigers always drag down the old and weak water buffalo. I see my self as that buffalo. I'm the slow and the old that the thieves will take down easily. They would never mess with Dawn as she is pound for pound tougher than me. She can also out run me as she has proved the last two times we have ran together.

We did have a lot of fun today however. We ate tapas with Austin and his roommate. We took a long walk learning about several places in Seville that Austin loves. It was very fun.

The "old buffalo" will be back tomorrow with more hijacked blogging. The "old buffalo" is now shifting his focus to surive the predators in Rome.

Adios amigos.

Parents Safe at Madrid Train Station

Woo hoo my parents have arrived in Madrid! They made it to the train station from the airport via taxi, and ordered coffees but actually got expressos as they wait for their 12:00 train.

My disgust with using a travel agent continues, as she got them 12:00 tickets from Madrid to Seville, even though the plane was scheduled to arrive at 7:25 in Madrid that morning. But, she said it'll be no problem because you can just switch trains to an earlier one if you want to. Well, they're all full. So, my parents are spending the first part of the day in Madrid by themselves waiting for a train and will now not be able to meet Ana, my senora, for lunch, because she leaves for Alicante at 2.

Well, thanks to God that they're safe in Spain. I look forward to seeing them soon.

Aust

Volcano

They did in fact take off, although thousands of flights have been cancelled because of the volcanic eruption. :(

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/04/15/iceland.flights/index.html?hpt=T1

Dawn & Joel on their way

They've landed safely in New York and are awaiting their flight to Madrid that is still on time. It's only hours until I see them... :)

I'm going to finish up editing my Spanish paper (7 pages), get some quiet time in the Word (I'm currently going through Revelation), finish planning our time in Seville, and hit the hay!

They should be arriving at Madrid at 7:15 tomorrow, which means they'll hopefully be in Seville by about 10:30-11:00ish. We're kicking off the vacation with lunch with Ana (the Senora I live with) in the apartment. I gave my mom the idea, and she seems on board, that I will let them take over the blogging this week while they're here. It'd be fun to be inside of someone else for a change. Anyways, see you soon parents!

Killing Time

Franco & God

I am writing my Spanish History paper on Franco and his impact on the Spanish population during his reign from the 1930s to 1970s. I should mention that I do plan on posting it on my blog once complete, even though no one else will understand it. So I went through this paper with my tutor, she's Sevilliano, and she thoroughly improved what I wrote. Something to note: I am writing as very anit-Franco, as everyone I've come across has been. I labeled him as a cancer to democracy during that period. My tutor, Nuria, was reading a certain paragraph where I explain that more than 500,000 Spaniards fled to France, and then some were forced back to Spain. Nuria's grandma was one of those people. She was on the verge of tears while reading that part. I really didn't know what to say... but wow. History right in your face. Her grandma was a part of that!

Bible Study: What a great study. Rosie, an Australian, whose parents are missionaries, gave a great study about why she (and all of us) don't trust God. These points included fear and independence. Her parents left when she was 16 so she learned to be independent from her parents. When they got back she tried to explain hat she didn't need their help anymore. When they left once again when she was 18, Rosie got a lip-ring to proclaim her independence from all. She told us that she's always given excuses for why not to take out the ring, because, after all, she's learned to DEPEND on God. She took our her lip ring at the Bible study for good. It was so great.

Worship! It's been a long time since I was able to worship God with others, since a church service about a month ago. We had a couple guitars and the 20 of us did some singing in a local park. Oh yes, we got some stares. But I get those anyways when I'm not worshipping... ;)

Second Languages:
I think as an American that always talks Spanish to Spaniards such as in class, at the store, at home, etc. it's accepted that I only speak so fluently. I am only so able to communicate. I have two classes where the professors talk in Spanish. Gustavo is another example. Every once in a while, though extremely rare, they utter something in English. After looking up to them as brilliant Spanish minds - it's comical to hear they're English. They sound foolish. I'm not saying this in a mean way - I'm just used to being the one that can't speak the foreign language very well. It's great when the tables turn.

My Spanish History class, the one where I am going to be fighting for a B- is going quite well. 1) praying before class starts is key - I pray for peace and perspective on how important this class really is. 2) We have been discussing Franco all week and so I have participated about half a dozen times in two days. I prolly participated a total of two times the last two months. 3) I think my paper will rock the house.

Well, I see my parents in two days and couldn't be more excited!! Safe travels you two!! +34 633 477 344 is my number.

Espanol

La Familia

I finally got a photo with the whole family! Hope you enjoy!

Today I slept in and then kept working on my Spanish paper - it's now three pages long! Soooo boring.

Gustavo, Ana, Thiago, myself, Micah and his parents all went out for tapas across the street for a late lunch (4:00). It was quite fun playing translator for the two sets of parents. Micah's parents are very nice and fun to talk to. They went to a bull fight today where aparently six bulls were killed. Micah was very glad he went but I think wouldn't see it again. Anywho, short blog.

I read that it's supposed to rain/T-sorm when my parents come. Hopefully that is not the case.

Aust

Gustavo is Back!

...for the weekend. I got up this morning early to head across the street to work on my Spanish paper. It is really hard to get work done when you're in Europe in the midst of perfect weather facing an extremely boring topic. I took some notes on the topic and made it back to the apartment at abou 12. I set aside all of the stuff I want to send home with my parents - lots of stuff ;) and just relaxed during the afternoon, anticipating lunch. Lunch never happened.

It was 3:15 and sill no one else was home to make lunch. So I found food sitting in the oven, it was turned off, and I threw that in the microwave and ate in my room. Turns out they got a flat tire on the way home. After some hot chocolate at a local coffee shop slash bar where I felt really out of place - just for being an American, you know, that sort of thing, I went back to grab dinner with the fam.

Side note: Being generous is a good thing and to God you should be a sacrificial giver. Think about that. So in the bar I was at today a woman approached me and asked me for money. I had money in my pocket, plenty. I didn't give her any. I am asked almost daily for money from somebody. There's typically people waiting ouside mainstream grocery stores asking for money. Now - yes it would be generous to give her money, and she probably needs it more than I do. HOWEVER, where is that money going? I would hope it would go for food and other necesities. So, clearly my money would be better used by going to a food shelf, soup kitchen, Feed My Starving Children, etc. where I know the money is going to feed the hungry. However, what if she is going to go straight to the grocery store afterwards to feed her kids. How dare I judge her and assume worse things? What do you all think?

Our two favorite neighbors came over today. I still don't know if they're married or live together or anything. I would put them both at about 60-65. The man is the one that played professional soccer for 14 years, 6 for Seville. We watched one of the biggest soccer games of the year, Madrid vs. Barcelona where Barca won 2-0. I'm off to bed, hopefully I can get all of my homework done tomorrow which will take some stress off this coming week. I will probably be meeting Micah's parents tomorrow for lunch as well so that should be fun.

Peace!

Technology

I studied a 40-page Spanish text all day and did manage to finish it. I read 26 pages and it literally consumed my entire day. But I finished it. Over the course of the next two days I have to write a 5-8 page paper and prepare a 15 minute presentation using this text and supporting historical evidence. It's about a guy living in a prison post-civil war in Spain during the late 1930s.

Here's technology for you: Today I needed to find out what classes I will be registering for this coming Tuesday. I used Skype under my $6/month plan to call "free" to the U of M academic office at Carlson. My friend Mal was actually the one to answer. I told her exactly what she was looking for, and within a half-hour I received a scanned-PDF document of the sheet I needed with helpful notes from an academic advisor. Today - technology was golden.

Tomorrow I am going to bike towards the center of the city and will try to find a new coffee place. I gotta test out some spots before my parents come ;)

Tranquilo

This means be tranquil, or calm down, or don't worry about it.

Spaniards have such a healthy lifestyle in many ways. I was at the cafe and an employee was trying to get something behind me so I naturally slid in my chair to get out of the way and be polite. He lightly grabbed my arm and said "Tranquilo".

It's hard to put a finger on it - but Spaniards are just more relaxed and easy going. Yes, this oftentimes leads to crappy service but in everyday situations the result is typically more posiive than a similar scenario in the United States.

I got up at about 10 today, went over to the cafe to grab some coffee and I spent time reading God's Word (I am trying to give Him the firstfruits of my time), then for Managing Cultural Diversity (specifically on intercultural non-verbal communication), and then International Finance (on Interest Rate Parities and Forward Premiums). I had lunch at the apartment and then met with Andree at 5:00 for our Managing Cultural Diversity paper on the American vs. the Spanish Dream. We only spent about 20 minutes discussing that and followed with a couple hours of discussing philosophy and learning more about each other.

The weather here is soooo perfect. We went to meet at Plaza America and then walked into Park Maria Luisa to get work done. Mom and Dad - you'll see all of this. It's gorgeous.

Oh, Mom/Dad - Sevilla bike rental system is not flawless. The first station I went to at 7:30 tonight didn't allow me to remove any bikes. The next station only had one bike which had a backwards seat and broken chain. I eventually found a station with a good bike but still, be prepared parents.

Grandma Savat - I got your letter today! I love receiving mail from you and hearing about how you are doing. I look forward to sitting down with you soon and catching up.

I am going to work on a paper a bit now and then head to bed. Have a good weekend all!

Rest and Relaxation and... Hard Work

This weekend will be pretty laid back... with the exception of working really hard to study and catch up on schoolwork. Dad - don't worry. Working hard in school was my plan this week :) Must be in the Savat blood.

I made it through my four classes today - it felt weird to return to school. I felt as though I had forgotten how to be a student. I used to get frustrated in my Spanish history class - I just don't sweat it anymore. No matter how hard I concentrate, he's speaking in Spanish so it's difficult. I pray before I start my day of classes each morning and God is always there for me.

I was able to go to a nearby cafe to order a coffee with milk and then I threw some white chocolate in there - what else? I read about 2 months worth of Managing Cultural Diversity notes for 3 hours and read all of 1 John despite being very tired. I headed back because its a cafe/bar and a soccer game was about to start. I was acually hoping to watch it here but the TV doesn't seem to work and I can't find the remote.

I have the next four days to get some serious work done in my classes and hopefully scrape up some decent grades by the end of the semester. I am really looking forward to seeing my parents in about 9 days and show them around my new home! It's midnight and I'm off to bed. Love you all.

Aust

Home Safe from Italy!

Hey all - I made it back!

After trying to get online at McDonald's for some time we decided to head to the airport and were able to find free wifi there.

Why I know what criminals feel like: I am one. But not really. So Ryanair technically only allows certain dimension and certain weight bags for carry-ons, as well as check luggage. However, I know that my bag has NEVER been under 10 kg, as it is supposed to be and usually doesn't fit the dimension requirements. This time, after having virtually emptied our checked baggage to ensure that it's under 15 kgs, my bag was stuffed to the brim. We also saw that the woman was very strict and had you weigh and measure your carry on. Wow - I am not about to pay a 30 euro fee. We had phil and Rob, go watch our bags while Micah and I checked in and we simply told her we didn't have a carry on. It's strange, because ALL Ryanair passengers basically carry on something. Anyways, we then had to get our bags and walk back past her line of vision. We had Phil and Rob block her vision of us as we squeaked by. Not over yet - then she is the same woman checking you in as you prepare to board the plane! We made it through safely but realized how some may feel after commiting horrendous crimes, trying to avoid being noticed and reported. Ha it was interesting.

We made it smoothly back to our apartment and I am lying in my lovely bed as I write this. It was great to see Ana and catch up in her life. With Gustavo in Alicante and us gone for 11 days I'm sure it was very quiet around here...

Currently I have no motivation for school work so I am going to relax and get to bed soon. This weekend should be good because I am not traveling anywhere and will consequently have Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday to get work done.

Photos: The first three are from Cagliari, the last four are from Venice.

Italy and Slovenia

Sit down - longest one yet. I'm back online :)

Tuesday night in Venice:
We left the hotel at about 845, Italian pizza in hand as we fought through the downpouring rain to make it to the train station. At this point I was feeling better because I had strong ibuprofen in my system. The train left at 9:30 and was scheduled to arrive at 1:40 AM in Ljubljana. The seats made you feel like you were on the Hogwarts Express, with private cabins for groups of 6. Initally we spoke with a Slovenian man (in English) about what he does and such. He is trying to start a business in the U.S. and just returned from California. The lights were turned off in our cabin because one of the two Slovenian people (the other four were me, Rob, Micah and Phil) had them turned off prior to our arrival. We decided to head to the diner on the train for reasonably priced food. I was still feeling weak so I first tried a fruit bowl with whipped cream which was delicious. My mistake was then ordering broccoli cream soup – that didn’t sit well. At two consecutive stops, the train remained stopped for 30+ minutes and we didn’t know why. Apparently some cars were low on energy so TrenItalia had to leave them behind and make hundreds of people move to other cars. Ugh. I was feeling sicker and colder at this point and this worsened until we got off the train, FINALLY, at 3:50 AM. I walked out of the train station uncontrollably shivering and ready to get to Rock’s (Micah’s friend’s) apartment. Our taxi ride was smooth and we made it in at about 4:15. Rock is a great guy and has traveled all over the world. Micah knows him because Rock stayed with Micah in California a few years back. His bookshelf is covered with travel guides to most countries in the world, and maps fill every room of the apartment, including the bathroom.

Wednesday in Ljubljana:
I was asleep by about 4:30 and slept okay, not great. I woke up feeling extremely weak and thirsty at about 1 PM. It was really hard to get out of bed, I sat up for about 10 minutes and then finally gathered the strength to stand and leave the bedroom. After some water and ibuprofen, I now feel a bit better. Rock made me a mixture of warm milk, chocolate flakes and cinnamon which was really good – I just wanted to be sure that I didn’t eat it all and later have the desire to throw up. I haven’t seen much of Slovenia yet, and it’s supposed to rain both today and tomorrow all day. It is a very gray city.

Today Micah, Rob and Phil are going to join Rock at a traditional restaurant in Slovenia. Rock told me it’s very filling – no thank you. I’m still working on the warm milk mixture. These next two days I will try to get some rest, relax, maybe get some homework done, and hopefully I will be back to normal on Friday, where we may go for a hike. On Friday we have to train from Ljubljana to Trieste and then we fly Trieste to Cagliari at 10:10 PM. I am feeling pretty terrible, but don’t worry too much. I’ll survive :)

What’s a bit frustrating is that I am the only one that won’t drink tap water in any city, only bottled. And I am the only one that is sick.

Oh yeah – I just remembered! God uses me – whether sick or not – and I love it! Rock told us he is atheist and especially has problems with the institution of religion and because of the history of Christianity in Europe. Fair enough. He was out with Micah from about 4-8 PM in Slovenia. During that time I read all of James and the first 3 chapters of 1 Peter. He asked me what I was doing while he was gone. Naturally I told him what I was doing. He is a very open person and he initiated the religious discussion because I think he was very interested. I was at the table and he sat down and just started asking questions. 1. How do you know the Bible is accurate? I explained that if God is real, he would not allow his Word to be overly distorted in which it mars rather than glorifies the name of God. It says that “all scripture is God-breathed.” 2. How come Muslims are much more welcoming to me than Christians? (He has traveled all over the world. Rock has certainly experienced many different kinds of people. Rock felt strongly that Muslims were much warmer and more willing to take care of a foreigner, which he didn’t feel was right.) Fair enough. I completely agreed with him, it’s not right. And I told him that. I said that according to the Bible, one of the worst things is to claim to be Christian and to not truly have faith in God. Hypocrisy. I also added that many claim to be Christian without truly walking with Jesus and that true Christians would truly welcome others, such as Rock. He left the conversation knowing that I am either right or wrong. Either Jesus is God or he’s not. Islam, Judaism and Christianity are not all correct. They don’t all worship God. Jesus said that he is the way, the truth and the light, and that no one gets through the gates of heaven except through him. If Jesus was God, then Christianity worships the one true God. If not, then Christianity is not worshipping God. If anyone wants to ask me more about all of this stuff, you’re welcome to!

We had some bread, salami, turkey and cheese for dinner. Micah and Rock were going to eat out in the city but there was lightning and heavy rain. Micah and I also gave Rock the gifts we got him, which were a huge hunk of Italian cheese, a glass-blown (Venice is known for glass-blowing) wine top that seals wine after it’s been opened, and Jack Daniels whisky – an American product. I finished off the night by heading to my bed at about 10 and watching about half of the movie Troy. I just needed to rest my body even though I was having a great conversation with Rock and Micah. (The Christianity discussion had ended hours ago – I would never cut that one short).

Day 1 in Slovenia: D

Thursday in Slovenia
I woke up feeling very weak once again, but not as weak as the day before. I basically just hung out for about an hour, sitting on the couch before deciding to go to the supermarket for some food and drinks. Rock is great – he came with. I got some juice, sprite, milk + cereal, oranges, and crackers. Hopefully this is the combination that will lead to healthiness. :) Micah, Rock, Phil and Rob are now in the city somewhere doing something. Ha that’s about all I know. I decided without hesitation to stay in again today. Being on my feet for the 15-20 minutes at the supermarket was exhausting. I slowly drank a bit of my apple juice and eventually had my first food of the day (cereal) by about 4 PM.

Rock and I were able to have further discussion on religious topics. He wanted to know my beliefs on homosexuality. It was a great conversation and I think his perspective of Christianity in terms of its view of homosexuality was changed. I felt strong enough to join Micah and Rock in going to a local restaurant by walking through the rain. The place was basically closed so we decided to simply get their cake – which Rock loves. When I heard cake I immediately imagines American style sweet cake. This was made up of warm apples, cottage cheese, walnuts and a crispy crust. It was pretty good. It’s now past midnight and I am heading to bed.
I have kind of relinquished the leadership reigns for this part of the trip after being sick and I’ve noticed that things are a bit less organized and timely. Maybe I am biased.

Day 2 in Slovenia: D+

I am fighting opposing feelings. My throat and head have been hurting, so I’ve been taking ibuprofen. However, I am fairly certain that taking this ibuprofen is causing stiffness and pain in my neck. Which pain is worse? That’s the battle I am facing…

Friday in Slovenia
I finally offered to leave bright and early (1030) with Micah and Rock to meet the guys at the train station to work on our plan on getting to Trieste (an Italian city bordering Slovenia) where our flight would leave from. After much debating and looking over a train to X city, then a bus to Y city then a taxi to Z city, Rok was able to give us a number to a company that could send us a van to pick us up for 25 euros a person. This is about what we would have paid with all of the other transportation methods, but this was much easier in that it is direct and would pick us up where we wanted them to.

Micah and I then returned to Rok’s apartment to pack our luggage and bring it to Phil and Rob’s hostel. My neck was really hurting at this point, but my throat and head were greatly improved. To make matters worse, we got on the wrong bus and had to walk about 20 minutes back to the apartment. Man – why does my neck hurt so much? I went back to the apartment and took a hot shower, took ibuprofen, and prayed about it. One of those or all of those worked :). I am now writing this on the Trieste to Cagliari plane and feeling great. Whether God said yes or no to my prayer I praise Him for my good health. After meeting with the guys at about 3 in the afternoon we had about three hours to check out the city of Ljubljana.

Metelcova (I know I didn’t spell this right): It’s a semi-autonomous community within Ljubljana made up of artists and freelancers that aren’t necesairly rebels but don’t like government or their control and basically resist them. It’s hard to explain. All of their buildings are full of graffiti and art and its really interesting.

I was able to see the most beautiful areas of the city center. I saw some of the main plazas and was able to see their castle at the top of the hill overlooking the city. I saw the river that cuts through the city. One of the coolest things about Ljubljana, an observation I make after having seen it for a total of 3 hours, is its graffiti. Although it’s not legal, those that do the graffiti have a much more political or social intent. They are not simply looking to write their name in a cool way or that sort of thing. I was also able to enter a gorgeous orthodox church for the first time in my life – which was crazy! First, there is no benches or chairs or anywhere to sit. Some kind of prayer was coming from speakers and you couldn’t see who was saying it. All of the walls and ceilings were blue but covered in paintings of Jesus or apostles.

We said thanks once again to Rok and said our goodbyes and hopped on the van to Trieste at 6:30. The van was actually quite nice, as was the driver, and we made it to the airport at 8 and repeated the carry-on-checked-luggage game with Ryanair by checking exactly 15 KG and stuffing to the brim to near explosion of things in our carry-on bags. The security guards wanted to look in my bag for somethings after going through the X-ray machine, which is fine, and I finally discovered that they were looking for a book. Yeah… I do have a book? I’m now on the plane and I’ll let you know if we land ;)

We landed. We left the airport and found a bus running to the city center of Cagliari. We then searched for a bus for a couple minutes and then determined that by 12:30 AM most probably weren’t running. A taxi driver approached us (walking) and asked if we needed a ride. So yeah we did, but first we asked if he knew where our address was ( he didn’t even look at the sheet) and he motions for us to get in. Taxi drivers first need to get you in, then they’ll check on the address. Also, he didn’t have a meter running – he didn’t even have a meter. We’re traveling pros by now so we that without asking before the first couple minutes and he’ll jack up the price when we arrive. So we kept saying “Cuanto costo” which, in Italian, means How much does it cost? That’s practically all we can say. Finally he wrote down a price of 22 euros total, which is fair. We had some miscommunications getting to the hotel but we made it by about 1 and were surprised to find it the nicest hostel we’ve been in for the entirety of the trip! It’s a beautiful two-bed room with a great bathroom and balcony with a 32 inch flat screen tv. The guy that helped us in brought us into what looked like the hotel but actually only three rooms are technically under the name “Fenicottero” and so this guy doesn’t even have like a desk but somehow owns the place. It’s weird. Anyways we told him we were hungry and looking for food even though it was 1 AM and he came back down, at no charge, with a full cake-type thing. He apologized because it was “all he had” haha. It was so nice of him.

Saturday in Cagliari:
We got breakfast at Lucky Café down the street (where we have vouchers for coffee and donut or croissant because we’re in the hotel). We left at about 11:40 for the bus stop to head to a nearby beach. We ran into other Americans and they actually gave us bad advice and we took a bus the wrong direction a few miles and opted to get off and try to find a beach farther that direction which is supposedly great. However, it was very unsuccessful. We waited at the bus stop for over an hour – no bus. We took a bus the other way and finally made it to Cagliari’s 10 km beach at about 2:45, it was a gorgeous beach. I need more descriptive words because I always use beautiful, pretty or gorgeous. I’m always tired when I write these, so go easy on me.

Cool story. So when we were lost trying to find a beach we asked this guy and girl. Eventually and older gentleman joined and the young guy left. Turns out they were father and daughter and were just soooo nice, she spoke English. She offered us a ride to a nearby bus station to get us going (before asking Dad), but he agreed. It was great to see people helping people. (Yes Mom I was in a car with strangers). She wanted two kisses from each of us as we left, which I did – just like in Spain. But she corrects me, “No, in Italy it’s the other way around” and so we did a second two-cheek-kiss exchange starting with the opposite cheeks. The informality of it all (or formality?) just seems weird.

We then hung out on the beach for about 30 minutes until we couldn’t stand to be shirtless in the sun from coldness. Yeah. The wind cleared out all people at the beach because it was blowing so much sand around and because it blows in cold air from the sea. There were loads of kitesurfers on the water and then some people have three wheel cars that the drive around the beach being pulled by their kite. Crazy. We then wandered toward this mountain we really had the desire to climb. On our first attempt, we found no easy way up – Micah and I at least didn’t. So we had left and then engaged in a conversation (spiritual – what else?) and we realized that Rob and Phil still hadn’t come back. So I look up and sure enough they are halfway up the mountain. They loved the view and we are all going to climb up tomorrow so I can’t wait. We got some local Italian pizza (technically for the first time – it was “Istanbul” pizza in Venice) and enjoyed it while watching “Its Always Sunny in Philidelphia”. The other guys then went to meet up with some girls they met earlier and I opted to stay and get some quiet time with God and just quiet time away from others. Alone time is needed here and there and I loved it. Time for bed – it’s 1. Sorry if I am writing too much…

Day 2 in Cagliari
Quick funny reflection on yesterday’s pizza incident: money. We had to pay 16 euros for the pizza. Each of us had all of the money we had in our pockets. We couldn’t afford the pizzas. Ha, so Micah and I ran to an ATM about 5 mins down the road and it worked out.

Woke up at about 1030 today. I love you Jesus for rising from death as you promised and showing the disciples of the time that death is nothing to fear. I listened to Mark Driscoll’s 2009 Easter sermon for the 2nd time and it was very fitting. Being that today is Sunday and Easter, most things here are closed. The buses don’t even run very often, if at all. We quickly decided that today would be a school work day and we enjoyed the nice weather from the hotel balcony. After unsuccessfully going to the breakfast restaurant with our vouchers as we normally should (it was closed) we talked to our guy and he ran out and brought us back coffee and croissants, how nice!! I then started outside working in the sun and for some reason the others remained inside? Eventually they trickled out and we enjoyed that sun until about 4 when it started getting chilly. I spent about 4 hours working today and have made it through 8 pages of my Spanish book, of the 40 I need to read. I’m working on it.
Really not much going on here today. Oh, I bet by now you’re all wondering why you haven’t heard from me – well I haven’t had internet! It took us a while to find food because we’re out and grocery stores are closed. We found a cheap Panini place down the road and each got two paninis (I also got a chocolate filled and covered croissant).

I think I value silence more than everyone else. I’m not saying they talk too much – not by any means. For me, however, I enjoy more quiet time and quietly taking in good views or enjoying good walks + hikes.

I hope you all had a good Easter Sunday and really think about its meaning! Jesus is the only living God :)

Back to my terribly unfun, yeah unfun, Spanish book…

Grade for the day: B-

Monday in Cagliari (Day 3):
We left really early, grabbing the 725 bus towards the city center. We then took an 815 bus to Villasimius, a well-known beach to the east of the city. We got in at about 10:30 after winding the cliffs and mountains of Sardinia on our drive there. After finding a grocery store we made it to the beach by 11. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day. Beaches are really windy (why do you think waves come in to shore?) and so that makes the environment colder but it was still sufficient to lay out and enjoy God’s wonderful sunshine. I did my best to apply sunscreen to myself. Big tough guys like us don’t ask eachother for help.

In retrospect – I should have asked for assistance. The entire midsection on my back is painfully burnt (don’t worry I recorded video evidence) – where I couldn’t reach.
Anyways, back to the beach. It was fairly secluded with maybe 100 or so people there. It is basically a bay with rocky points on both ends – which turned out to be great of exploring/hiking. The windy was so annoying that we each built walls on the windy side in an attempt to block the majority of the wind. It kind of worked, but wind would come off the top of our walls and cover our bodies. We stayed put until about 3:30, where we switched off, Rob and Micah first, then Phil and me, exploring the rocks on the east side of the beach. We caught the 6:30 bus home where I napped the whole way. When we were near the hotel, almost home, we grabbed our favorite 3 euro Italian pizza to enjoy in the hotel room. We were all zonked from the long day in the sun – here is when I discovered the pain on my back was a deep red burn. I battled pain in the shower and finished the night by finishing 3:10 to Yuma.

Day 3 in Cagliari grade: A-

Tuesday in Cagliari (day 4):
We caught a bus after getting some food at the grocery store and are now at the McDonald’s in the bus station trying to get some Wi-Fi. I’ll let you know how the rest of the day plays out. By the way, I’m sure by now everyone is wondering what is going on with me – I mean I said I was very sick and haven’t really posted anything since then haha. I’m okay!

Slow Recovery

I am going to try and join the boys today as Rok shows us around the city. Just so you know, I have been writing full blog posts on my laptop but am not able to post them until I get wireless.

My health is slowly improving but its not great. Somehow my neck is sore and that has become the worst part of my illnesses. We leave tonight to take a train to Trieste where our plane leaves at 10:10. Hopefully Cagliari has better things in store for me. :)

Still Sick in Slovenia

Still feeling weak and I have a sore throat. Will probably spend the whole day in the apartment, just like yesterday. Rock and Micah have been great helping me out. Dont really know what else to write... I just hope I get better.