All Flights Lead To Rome

This past week my friend Mallary and I went to Rome and it was fantastic. We were so excited to see the sites, taste some real Italian food, and listen to the beautiful language. What we did not know was that this was going to be a test of endurance, let me explain.

We booked a really cheap flight, which most european airlines offer, and because of this we had about a 6 hour layover in the Madrid airport. That really didn't bother me, but it is different when it is 12 to 630 in the morning! Mallary fell asleep, but I ended up staying up for what would become 1 and a half days. Mallary also had to bring all of her luggage because when it was time to go back to Sevilla, she was going to have to stay and catch her group flight. Again, we had to spend the night outside of the Sevilla airport because it closes for about 3 hours. But enough of that, we need to talk about our 3 big days in Rome.

Our first day started off at our hostal, Friendship Place, where we were not sure if we could leave Mallary's two huge suitcases, and get the safety of knowing no one would take them. It ended up being an amazing place to stay, but upon first glance Mallary and I both had the exact same look of horror. Luckily for both us, we trusted our new friends that run the place and it ended up being a really great stay. After checking in, we started walking around and ran into the Colisseum, yeah that's right, we practically saw this thing everyday. At one point we took a nap near the Colisseum, mainly because I had been up for about a day or so, and then we went and got our first tastes of Italian food with lasagna and pizza.

The next day was a Sunday, so everything like the Vatican or museums were closed, so we just started walking and ended up finding the Pantheon, some amazing Plazas, the Spanish Steps, and enormous churches where both us would say, "I wonder if this church is important." We had a lot of laughs as we were walking, everything is so huge and old and beautiful. I can't forget to tell you that we ate and had our fair share of Gelati and Italian foods. We also went into this beautiful church and sat and prayed and it was really amazing. After a long day of walking around, Gelati, people watching, and just absorbing every moment, we went back to the hostal to get ready for our last full day, which included the Vatican.

The last full day we woke up knowing what we were going to have to do, which would be walking to the Vatican, waiting in line, and waiting in line. It really wasn't that bad, we brought our books and read in line and we would play games and ask each other a billion questions, so what was 3 or 4 hours felt like 5 minutes. The Vatican was so beautiful, and enormous, and when we were at the top you could see all of Rome and St. Peter's square and it was really breathtaking. After the Vatican we really didn't do too much, we went and had more pizza, went to a cafe and read and had cappuchinos, and then called it a night.

After 3 full days of sites and tours and ruins, we walked around again, but not towards any of the ruins or the better part of Rome. We got some breakfast and Gelati and ended up finding this other side of Rome that was really cool, it was where the tourists WERE NOT! We basically had coffee or Gelati for a few hours and then took our flight back to Sevilla. Like I said earlier, we spent the night in Sevilla, and then Mallary and about half of the Tech students left for Lubbock, while I am here at a friend's apartment for 6 more days in Sevilla.

I have to say that this experience, not just Rome, but of Spain, Portugal, Africa, Italy, and all the other little cities I have been to have been something incredible. I feel like I have learned a lot about myself and how I deal with certain things, of course I have learned a lot of Spanish, and I feel like I have a lot to bring home as far as experience goes. I am so thankful for getting to do this and I cannot wait to be home soon to see family and friends and talk about all the things I have done! I hope to see you soon, and as always, hasta luego!

Africa!!!

I don't know how, but I forgot to mention that about 2 or so weeks ago some friends and I went to Africa. Remember, Africa is about a 45 minute ferry ride from Spain, and so we went and spent 2 days and 1 night in Tanger. We stayed there because it is the safest and cheapest deal if you are going to Morroco overnight. It was 4 guys, 3 girls, and we had the best time ever.

The first day was full of just actually getting there, which includes a 3 to 4 hour bus ride to Tarifa, a small beach town in Spain, a 45 minute ferry ride, and then time spent walking around trying to find a cheap hotel. Luckily, we ran into some Portugese guys my friends had met a few months ago, and they knew Tanger really well and showed us this really nice hotel that ended up being 13 euros for the night. Now let me tell you, this hotel was on the beach, nice beds, a cool receptionist, and we couldn't of had a better deal.

Next we went and found some traditional Morrocan food, tea, and other goodies. After that we asked our waiter where we could find a cool place to hangout and drink some more tea, and he told us about a place that was really close. We started walking and after about 10 minutes of asking and getting good directions, we finally asked some random dude on the street and he ended up being our tour guide for the night and the next morning. This is typical Moroccan culture, because this dudes idea was to show us around, show us to his friend's stores, and then we would end up paying him. He was really nice and it though it sounded shady, we had 4 guys and felt secure.

The following morning we met our friend, "Abdul", and he showed us to a store to buy some rugs, which some of my friends did, and then we went to a Moroccan pharmacy to buy spices and tea, and it ended being one of the best trips that I have been on so far. And yes, we did pay him for showing us around, but I am not going to lie, we were really smart, and did everything really well.

Anyways, sorry for a terrible update, I should have told you guys early. Hope you are enjoying the snow, haha. I miss you guys, will be home in a month, and of course, hasta luego.

Semana Santa

Before I begin and talk about what is going to happen this week during Semana Santa, I have to inform everyone that my beloved "Cafe y Ole" shut down this past week, and was taken over by a new owner. It is now called "Cafeteria" and is more focused on making meals, rather than "Cafe y Ole" who focused on coffee and other drinks. It is sad, and it is a little weird because within a week there was a new crowd and everything, it was pretty amazing how fast it changed. It went from mostly college students, to mostly families having full meals. It is sad, and like I told my professor Curtis, "Estoy haciendo un boycott". Thats right, I am boycotting the new "cafeteria".

Now, even though I am really sad about my cafe, I have to say that I am really excited about this coming week. This week is Semana Santa, or Holy Week, and what is going to happen in Spain is there will be floats and music and a celebration throughout the entire week celebrating Semana Santa. Also, this town of 800,000 is probably going to double this week with tourists, other spaniards, and so forth. The floats are really amazing, and most of them are of Mary and Jesus, and they are in different positions, decorated differently, and some are followed by bands playing very old traditional Semana Santa music. All of this starts on Sunday and goes until Friday.

In other news, school is going really well, I am preparing for this next semester and registering for classes. I also just talked to my advisor and actually only have 2 more Spanish classes left to complete my major. After the fall I will begin my Education classes and become certified to teach Spanish, so needless to say, I am really excited about school these next semesters.

Well, Spain has really flown by, the weather is changing, everything is blooming here, and it has become a really beautiful city. At the same time, I only have a month left, and I am a little excited to be heading back home. Hope everyone is doing well and until next time, hasta luego!

Spring Break in Madrid

I have been staying pretty busy for the past few weeks with trips to the beach, Portugal, and as I type I am taking the train to Sevilla from Madrid with the other students from Tech. I was really excited about Madrid for many reasons, and I guess I didn’t expect for it to be so different than how I thought it would be, but we had a great trip and I am really glad we got the chance to spend our Spring Break there.

One of the things I noticed is that Madrid seems like New York to me, not really in the sense of the tall buildings and commercialism, but rather the mezcla of culture in the city. I mean the city is HUGE, and it is like the center for all non-spaniards to live. It is so different to me because Sevilla is very Spanish in that they live off their Spanish traditions and thrive off of them. Also, Sevillanos love Spanish traditions and have this amazing pride not only for the Spanish language, but for Andalucian Spanish. Andalucia Spanish is very different than the Spanish up north and I found that the people in Madrid are very clear with their words and the people in Andalucia and Sevilla eat their letters. For example, to say “the guys” in Spanish is “los hombres”, but in Sevilla they would say it like “lo hombre”. Since I am learning in Sevilla, the Spanish in Madrid is very easy to hear for me and sometimes the waiters in restraunts this past week couldn’t understand me because I am so used to talking really fast and eating the letters too.

Another thing that I was excited about in Madrid is this Bar/Discoteca called Buddha Del Mar. It is actually a few miles outside of Madrid, but it is very classy, expensive, modern, unique, and did I mention expensive. It is one of the coolest set ups I have ever seen. It reminded me of the Baño Árabe because there are couches everywhere, and even beds that you can reserve and people are just relaxing and drinking 300 dollar bottles of wine. Some friends and I went and we ordered Coca Cola and what not, only because it was the cheapest thing, but I found out a lot of famous people come in and football players come there to relax and hangout. We actually saw 2 football players that play in Madrid, and we just had a really great time hanging out and meeting new Spaniards.

Other than that I have new classes going and I really enjoy them. One of them is a grammar class and I really like it because I feel like I am understanding the language, but there are a lot of little things that I still don’t understand and I am really excited to learn them. Also, Sevilla FC or Sevilla Football Club is doing really good in this tournament going on and I am really excited to see how far they are going to go, last year they actually won this tournament and hopefully they can do it again. Well, I have some homework I need to do, but now that I have about 2 months left I guess I am starting to think about the transition back to Lubbock and the United States and I have to say, that I am kinda excited to share and live out the things that I have learned and am learning over here.

I hope everyone is doing well and until next time, hasta luego.

Grant en Granada

Hola a todos,

This weekend was a tough one. We went to this city called Granada and I was really excited about it, but I didn’t realize that this would be the weekend that I would also get sick. No, I didn’t have to go the hospital or take any medicine or anything like that, let’s just say that I spent a great deal of time in the bathroom. But back to Granada…

One of the coolest things that we got to see in Granada was the summer home of Federico Garcia Lorca and the Cathedral where we saw the coffins of Isabel and Fernando. First off, Lorca was a poet and wrote about Sevilla and the area of Sevilla and some other cities, which is called Andalucia. His home was really cool in that we saw where a very well known writer did his work, or really, masterpieces, and we saw his garden, his room, and other original items. We even saw original pictures of him and his family at the house, and original art work that he did on little pieces of paper. For me it was cool because I have learned a great deal about him in the past month. The cathedral was really incredible because it is home to Isabel and Fernando, literally. There is a place where you can literally see the coffins of Isabel, Fernando, and three people that I have sadly forgotten (I’m sorry, I don’t have my notes on me). It was a little strange to see their coffins, but at the same time it made us see how real they were, and it gave me chills to see it. I would explain more, but I will let Sarah explain it in the email that I send to most of you guys.

I found another place that I love or as I like to say “Me encanta”. It is called Baño Árabe or Arab Baths and it is sort of like a Spa, but a lot more. Let me first say that I haven’t gotten to go to the Spa part yet, I haven’t had the time, but trust me, I will. I usually go to this wonderful place for its incredible tea. What happens is some friends and I will go on the weekend and there is a bar where you pick your tea, and they brew it, and you relax in the Arabic style living room. It is just one big room with couches and tables and it is incredible. Another cool thing is that it is on one of the smallest streets I have ever seen, so you feel like you are completely lost and before you know it, there it is right in front of you. It has this great feel to it and it is all open air and it is just a great way for us to relax after a week full of school.

Lastly, I have to talk about learning Spanish. A friend and I are going to go out for dinner with two of the professors sometime next week. One of them is my Childrens Lit teacher, Curtis, and his wife teaches one class, and her name is I’doia. Curtis is actually from Iowa, but never speaks English, which of course I love and I’doia is from Pais Vasco, which is north of Spain and south of France. The reason I bring them both up is because one time I asked Curtis for the best way to learn Spanish and he told me that whenever he began to learn Spanish, he didn’t speak a word of English for 4 months, and he learned it. Of course, his wife also speaks Spanish so I am sure that doesn’t hurt, but he is right, and I have to admit, that it is really hard to not speak English here. The reason is because at night I want to talk to my roommate in English or during the weekend I want to talk to my Tech friends in English. But we have all made a deal, since we all know what it takes to learn the language, we have all decided that if we go out, even if it is just two or three of us, as long as we are here, it is in Spanish, and I have to say that it has been helping a lot. I feel like lately I am not translating from Spanish to English and back to Spanish, but rather hearing Spanish and thinking in Spanish. In fact, a guy came up to me the other day asked me for directions and he was speaking in Spanish, and I answered really quickly and told him where to go. After our short conversation, I realized what I had just done and got really excited and even shared it with a few of my friends. It has been nice to have a really small group where we are all really dedicated to learning this language.

Well, I am really excited because next week I am going to this city called Cádiz for Carnival. It is an hour or so train ride and it is right on the beach. I am going with about 8 or 9 friends and it should be a blast. I have to say that being sick for a few days made me miss being at home and just being able to feel a sense of security, but I know that things are happening here for a reason and that they are already making an impact in how I think.

This week I am really really busy and can’t put up any pictures, but if you want the Tech Spain Newsletter then my email is grantweldon7@yahoo.com and if you send me your address I will definitely get it to you. Also there are 6 pictures up at grantinspain.fotopages.com and there will be more up within a week or so. I hope everyone is well and healthy and until next time…

Hasta luego!

Cafe & Ole

I am very protective about my coffee shops in Lubbock and I can be seen in one of three local spots, Daybreak, Sugarbrowns, or J&B. With that being said, one of the things I set my mind on before leaving for Spain was to find "my coffee shop" and really become a regular. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I found it, and it's name is Cafe & Ole. I love it, I am getting to know the locals, I now know most of the workers, it is really small and quaint, and it is also a minute and a half walking distance from my house. I go in there all the time, to study, to talk, to hangout, to learn Spanish from locals, and its beautiful.

No trips this weekend, so some friends and I went and explored Sevilla and went dancing Saturday night. We had a blast, met some Sevillanos, and this Thursday another Tech student and I got invited to a Spanish surprise party for this girl we met. Our director in Lubbock told us it took a month or so to settle in and I didn't believe her, but after being here for 3 or so weeks, I have found it to be very true. It has been hard adjusting to a lot of things, but I am really starting to feel like I am settling in and meeting new people.

Before I go, I have to tell you that one thing that I really wanted to happen to me was to meet and become friends with Spanish people. But I didn't just want to meet them, I wanted to know them and their story and really become close to them. I guess what I wanted to do was to become so close that if we were walking down a street, and I was on the other side of the street, they would be willing to yell out my name and say "hi" and exchange pleasantries. Well, it happened, I mean it wasn't across the street because we were on the same side, but it happened and I was so happy to think "wow, I really know someone, and I have barely been here". That seems to be the theme here in Sevilla, there are a lot of people in a small place, so whenever you meet someone, you are probably going to see them again. By the way, there are about 700,000 people who live here and the size of the city is roughly 1/4 of Lubbock, yeah it's small. Also, I met a Spanish girl our first day here (no I can't date her, she is already taken) and I saw her last night at a bus stop and she yelled out "HEY!" because she forgot my name. We talked for a little bit, but I guess it seems to me like I am really immersing myself, and I am not just a tourist, but I really LIVE here in Spain.

Well, I have some reading I need to do, and lunch I need to eat, but I miss everyone and I miss home and I hope everyone is doing well. Pictures are on the way, it is going to take more time to put up pictures because I am using a Tech computer right now and not mine. We don't have internet at our house, most students don't, so I need to study for a few things, but pictures will be up very soon on a different site.

Are You Ready For Some Futbol?

Hola a todos,

We are about to finish our third week of school, went on an excursion to Córdoba, and went to the ruins of a palace in Sevilla. Also, it is interesting to see how people are deciding to live their lives here in Spain for the next four months and at the same time there are so many diverse groups here. There are students here to study for their major/minor, some learning the language for the first time, and some who just wanted to be in Spain and travel. I have tried to limit my time to being with American students, and have also met and hang out with this guy named Dario. It’s actually kind of interesting how we started hanging out because he has a store right next to the school called “Dario’s” and I went in there to get a notebook. We talked for like 5 minutes and I asked where a cool Café was and he said right next door because that’s where he goes. Well, I went into his store again because were doing interviews for a class and after words I told him I would go to the Café after he gets off work. We ended up hanging out for a few hours and he listened to me talk in Spanish and was really interested in me wanting to learn his language. We now try to meet every night at 9 after he gets off work and I talk to him and the girl that works there.

We went to Córdoba this past weekend and it was a very cool place to go to and I wish we could have stayed overnight, but it was only a day trip. The main reason for our excursion was to see the Mosque in Córdoba and it was pretty amazing. The Mosque is really interesting because it is a Muslim Mosque, but it is also has a Christian Cathedral inside. Most Cathedrals face North to South and Mosques face East to West in order to face Mecca, but the Mosque in Córdoba was destroyed and taken over and was made in to a Cathedral. The Cathedral is in the middle of Mosque so the Mosque still looks Arabic, until you get into the middle where the Cathedral is, and the interesting part is that the Cathedral is still facing East to West. It might seem important, but it is kind of a big deal that the cathedral inside doesn’t face North to South. After the Mosque some friends and I found this really cool Café and had Tapas. Tapas are so great and they are all over here in Spain and basically they are like appetizers but a little bit bigger. It also depends on what restaurant you go to because some will serve them in different racions.

ROOOOO NAAAAAALLLL DHIIIIIII NOOOOOOOO. If you watch football, real football (I will not refer to it at as soccer while I am in Spain), then you know that what I just wrote out is the name of one of the greatest football players in the world, Ronaldhino. He plays for Barcelona who Sevilla Betis played last night (please note that only in Barcelona do the people yell out Ronaldhino like it is written above). I went to the game with some friends and we had a blast and I actually sat by some people from Canada (we spoke in Spanish mind you). The game went really well, but Sevilla Betis didn’t win because they both scored once and took the tie. Games don’t go into overtime and/or penalty kicks unless it’s a tournament or what they would call a Copa. Also, there are two football teams here, FC Sevilla (Fútbol Club Sevilla) and Sevilla Betis. I actually root for FC Sevilla mostly because I live in a FC Sevilla disctrict. FC Sevilla is also the number one team in the Spanish League right now, which is pretty incredible because there are some really good teams in this league.

Lastly, I wanted to talk to about Sevilla. A friend and I from Tech were walking around and we noticed something that we both love about this city, is that everyone here thinks that this city is pretty much the best place to live. In other words, pride. Sevillanos love their city, they love how close it is to the mountains or to the beach or they love the community that they have with each other. I can’t stress how important community is here and it’s funny because when I am walking around I see the community happening. For example, whenever a Sevillano needs to get something, it is usually a block or two away, so you walk. The difference is you don’t walk alone, if you go out, even for a cup of coffee by yourself, a Sevillano might say “¿Me acompañas?” meaning, can I accompany you. It is important for them to be with someone, even if it is for a walk or just to go get a coke downstairs, the idea of being with company at all times is very central to the way they live their lives.

I know that was a lot of information, but hopefully I can get some pictures up tomorrow. I am trying to figure out if maybe I need to make another site just for pictures, I don’t know. Also, classes are going great, I have a test coming up in Childrens Lit and in Music, but I also have some great teachers and it should be good. I miss everyone, but I am learning a lot and I will keep you informed on where you can see pictures soon. Hasta luego.

Ps. The palace that we went to probably had the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen in my life. The royal family actually still comes to spend time at the gardens today. Que interesante.