Donde esta la cerveza? Mary's tales from....ECUADOR!

Hola again!

2009-10-14T12:58:00.000-07:00

Hello again!
So to make up for a little lost time, I'm doing 2 blogs in one day. I am nothing but consistent. Well, in truth the other entry was written 2 weeks ago, so I didn't write them the same day, just posted them. Anyway, enough of that nonsense. Hope things are good back home!!!! Well, besides the Sox, which for everyones sake I will not talk about. Things are very good with me, especially right now cuz I'm on VACATION!!! Whenever I think of that word I cannot help but picture my Dad busting in the door the day before going to Newfound Lake and him singing, "V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N!! (clap clap clap clap) in the summertime!" I can remember him doing that for basically as long as I remember. What a guy hehe. Anyway yeah so my first teaching cycle ended last Monday and since last Tuesday I've been on Vacation which is 2 weeks long.

Last Tuesday as I believe I mentioned I went to the BEACH with my friends. We went to a place called Mompiche which is in Esmeraldas, the Northwest Coast of Ecuador. And it only took a mere 11 hours in bus to get there! It actually wasn't that bad though, the bus was comfortable and we slept most of the time. So Mompiche was very interesting. It is hardly developed at all which gives it a lot of character. It is very small with the "downtown" consisting of one internet cafe, a tiny grocery store and a few restaurants. Besides that there are a few other restaurants (99% seafood) and some cool juice bars and regular bars all along the big beautiful waterfront. Almost all of the houses/restaurants there have straw roofs and everyone walks around barefoot and Bob Marley is ALWAYS playing. Needless to say it is very relaxed. It was a pretty tranquil vacation but we did do some cool stuff: we went to a black sand beach, saw blue footed boobies (In case you don't know...those are birds) , saw huge light green fish, went swimming, played frisbee, ate amazing ceviche (a cold soup with tomato,onion and seafood) and of course topped off most nights with playing drinking card games in our little apartment which we rented for 8 bucks a night which was about 100 yards from the water. Another interesting thing about Mompiche was that for one hour a day, the whole town loses power. We realized this the first full day we were there when we were out at a restaurant eating seafood and the power went out. No one seemed to bat an eye though, and the waiter just brought out a few candles at which point he told us this happens every night. Interesting. All in all it was a very cool place though, definitely not the place you want to go if you want crazy nightlife and a ton of touristy things and crowded everything but if you wanted relaxed and unique and a quasi hippy commune, this was the place to go.

So this week I'm back in Quito. We got back on Saturday and Sunday I went to this Irish bar called Finn's with Pete that we probably spend a little too much time in to watch American football . It was cool though we know a lot of the people that go there now (a mix of Brits, Irish, Norwegians, and one Tazmanian) so thats fun. Also one girl made a traditional Irish roast dinner which was sweet. Then Monday I started my week long Spanish class at a Spanish school near the Polytecnica. It is for four hours a day and it is just me and Greg and the teacher, which is very nice. The class is just for this week but I'm thinking about continuing even when I start teaching again next week because, although I've lived here 3 months, my spanish is still not where I want to be. Partly due to the fact that for my job I obviously speak English all day and I live a little bit in an English-speaking-bubble because my good friends here are all Americans. However, I'm planning on breaking out of that with this class and also just by trying to meet more Ecuadorians. Another sweet thing about this class is that it came with a free salsa class which I took yesterday which was AWESOME. The teacher was great and went over things a bunch and so it wasn't actually that hard. I think I might have to continue with those classes too :-)

The rest of the week I think I will just kind of be hanging out and relaxing and prepping for the upcoming cycle. I don't know which levels I'll be teaching next or my schedule but I'll find out soon. Although having 8 week cycles is nice because they're kind of short and sweet, I'm a little apprehensive about getting alllll new students since I really got to know my last groups and felt comfortable again and now I will start over with all new students. However I know I'll get to know the new ones soon too. Speaking of my last group of students I don't think I mentioned this before but for my birthday in September one of my classes got a pizza and we had a party and another one of my classes got a big cake which, to my surprise, they promptly smooshed my face into. It was pretty funny especially cuz the girl that actually did the smooshing was this really shy really sweet hard working student so that was kind of hilarious. they told me that is an Ecuadorian tradition which I didn't really believe at first but then David confirmed it haha. Also for my birthday I had a party at my friends apt which was sweet too, these fun activities made it easier to be here and away from my fam and friends back home. I still can't believe I'm 24 though, that kind of scares me. Most of all because I feel like the time frame in which I can blame things on my youth is rapidly coming to a close. Oh well. Anyway I'm gonna wrap this up cuz there is a very important Ecuador/Chile soccer game on that requires my attention. As always, take care everyone and I miss you all!!!!
Love love love,
Maria

Oops!

2009-10-14T12:50:00.000-07:00

*Note: this blog was written on October 2nd.

Hello everyone!!!
Well, I must apologize again for my unintended blog hiatus. I’ll really try to be better at it!!! I hope all of you back North are doing well. One of the reasons I haven’t written as much is because I have been very busy, whereas right now, I have some time. The reason, however, I have a little time is not the greatest. I somehow acquired a stomach infection so have been bed-ridden for the past couple of days with all sorts of fun symptoms that I won’t go into. Anyway, I saw a Doctor, am on antibiotics and (I think) am on the road to recovery, so there’s that.
Let’s see, lots to tell! I’ll start with work. Work has been all sorts of things but most of them very good. The best part has definitely been getting to know my students and learning more about Ecuadorian culture through them. I have one class in particular that is pretty amazing. They are the most advanced level so we have easy conversations and they are really funny. My other class which is the same level, is pretty different. The class can be divided pretty easily into two halves: one half that always sits up front, is very polite, participates in class, and knows their stuff, the other half is very much the opposite of all of that. There is one student in particular, Edu, who I think has made it his mission in life to get under my skin. Not really, but a little bit. He will only speak Spanish in class (when it’s a school policy to only speak English, aaand he’s in the most advanced level so he knows English). He also is a total chatterbox and does not listen. Oh well though, like I said for the most part my students are friendly, considerate and respectful so I guess I’ll just have to deal with the occasional Edu every once in a while and if they really get to be a problem I’ll just say I didn’t leave the U.S. on purpose, I HAD to leave because I was wanted for a series of violent crimes. I think that should work. The most challenging part about teaching so far (besides the aforementioned) would have to be teaching the grammar in my advanced classes. It is difficult because a) a lot of the stuff I don’t even really know the rules for, I just know it) and b) my students have been studying English grammar consistently now for at least a year so they do know a lot of the rules and technical things that I also don’t know. So let’s just say I’ve had to spend more time with grammar books this cycle than I ever really wanted to.
A really great thing about the University where I work, though, is that the classes work in cycles, with each cycle consisting of 8 weeks and after every cycle we have 2 weeks of (paid) vacation which is pretty damn nice. And actually the last day of this cycle is this Monday woohoo! I’m very excited because some friends and I are going to a beach town called Mompiche for a few days. It is supposed to be beautiful and have black-sand beaches so I’m psyched. I also love the fact that it is October and we can go to the beach, and for that matter we could go in November, December, January, February….Ok I’ll stop before you guys hate me ☺
Also I’ve picked up a new hobby: hiking/mountain climbing. So far I’ve climbed three different mountains, and one of them twice. If I had to think of one word to describe my experience climbing these mountains I would honestly have to say CHALLENGING. The experiences have been challenging because the mountains we’ve climbed themselves have been pretty high and pretty steep and the altitude is also very tough to deal with. Even though I’m now accustomed to Quito’s altitude, the mountains are a very different story, so I often have a hard time catching my breath. But that feeling you get when you reach the top of the mountain is pretty unparalleled. The combination of the incredible views from the top and the feeling of accomplishment you get is pretty wonderful. So this is sort of an embarrassing anectdote but I climbed one mountain called Corazon, which was actually one of the most physically challenging things I’ve ever done. And there were a few times when my friends and I thought we were at the top, only to reach that peak and realize there was yet another peak to climb (that happened maybe 6 times…oy) and so there were moments where I really did not think I could do it, not because I didn’t want to, but I didn’t know if I physically had it in me. We had been climbing for about 4 and a half hours and I was just beat. But by some miracle I finally did reach the top and actually started to tear up because I was so happy, or maybe it was more sheer surprise that I had actually reached the top, or exhaustion, who knows hehe but it was pretty cool moment and just a really fantastic feeling to reach the top ☺
So, in general, things are going very well! Living with David is still great too. Last weekend we played guitar hero for more than a few hours, which, of course, was awesome. Also, 2 weekends ago I saw Mercedes and Leonardo (Gaby’s parents) which was wonderful too, it’s so great being so close to them. We also all skyped with Mike and Gaby which was awesome!
Well, like I said before, really hope everyone back home is doing well and keeping warm (My Mom said it was like 48 degrees! Yikes! Maybe you guys should all come visit?? ☺) I will write back again soon!!!!
Love,
Mary
p.s. Happy belated birthday beautiful Catherine!!!

2009-08-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

HI GUYS!
So I just looked at my last post and to my chagrin I realized my last post was weeeeks ago so I'm sorry!!!! Somehow though, I think you all managed to continue on with your lives as normal even without my posts :) I have been pretty busy though, in very good news, I got a job!!! I work at a University in Quito called Universidad Politecnica in their English program. I have 3 classes, one intermediate level class from 2-4 pm everyday with mostly teens and then two advanced classes from 4-6 and 6-8 pm everyday. The intermediate class with the teens is a little challenging-I think they are mostly there because their parents made them, so the participation is not wonderful but they are still sweet for the most part. On the opposite end my advanced classes are mostly adults in their 20's and 30's and they are awesome. They are almost all super-motivated and really care about learning and getting the most out of the material. Plus, most are just very friendly, funny, nice people anyway, so they are great to work with. The only hiccup is that because they are a high advanced level sometimes they know more English grammar than me (awkward). Needless to say I'm going to sit down this weekend with a big old grammar book and brush up. Do I know how to have fun or what??

In other news I am now very happily living with David! He's very easy-going and fun and its been great getting to know him better and of course practicing my spanish! My spanish has not been coming along as quickly as I had hoped, mostly due to the fact that I have American friends because of my TESOL course, and the fact that I'm speaking English the whole time in my classes. However I do get to speak with David and his friends and a few Ecuadorians that I've met here so thats been good! So a few other things to write about- I went to MIndo 2 weeks ago with my good friend Jess from my TESOL. Mindo is about 3 hours West from Quito and is very famous for being sort of a nature refuge. It's known for its "cloud forest," its hummingbirds, its many species of butterfly, and its waterfalls. We went there with a tour guide and first went to a butterfly sanctuary. We then went on a hike through the forest where we saw two waterfalls which were beautiful. I even went swimming under one of the waterfalls!! And by swimming i mean i kinda waded in and dunked my head and then ran out cuz it was freezing but it was still really cool and pretty sure its the first time i've done something like that. The tour guide also went in which was funny, he was actually the one who encouraged me to go under. He also tried to do the backstroke closer to the actual waterfall but the current was so strong he kind of just stayed in one place which was very entertaining. After the hike/waterfalls we went and saw some hummingbirds which were really cool although a little frustrating cuz you really can't take pictures of them (their little wings just move so fast!) So that trip was very fun.

That weekend I went on a 3 day trip to Otavalo with Jess, Greg and Bina, 3 of my best friends from my TESOL class. Otavalo is about 3 hours north of Quito and is famous for its huge market and its indigenous population who speak Quechua. So we left Friday night and stayed till Sunday and we stayed at a hostal. We went to the market all day Saturday which was really awesome. A lot of beautiful handmade jewelery, crafts and clothing. I bought, among other things, a mermaid necklace and a knit hat with earflaps which I consider to be very good purchases. The next day we did a hike up to see this famous tree called "El Lechero" which literally means the dairy but i'm pretty sure its got to have another meaning. Anyway this tree is famous for its supposed "healing powers" and who can say no to a little healing now and then??? The views from the top of the mountain were very beautiful too, we could see almost all of Otavalo, mountains, a lake, etc.

I also went to a wedding last weekend!! It was my TESOL Trainer Justin's wedding. There was, like most Ecuadorian functions, a TON of dancing which is just the best. Here, everyone dances, older people, kids, guys and girls. And people actually come up to you and ask you to dance and talk to you and its just so muchfun. I've learned the merengue and my next goal is Salsa---I'll let you know how that goes!!!

Today I am going to a barbecue that another teacher from school is having-should be fun! Then tomorrow I'm going to a soccer game with David which are supposed to be just insane so obviously I'm excited :-) Then Monday is the first test of the semester, aka the time in which I will find out if I am actually effective as a teacher---wish me luck!!!!

Anyway, hope everyone is happy and healthy and enjoying their summer!!! I guess its been really hot in the Northeast so try to stay cool!!!!! And please everyone have a nice large iced coffee for me (they don't got those here... )

Chao!!!
LOVE,
Maria

Yo Yo!

2009-07-31T09:48:00.000-07:00

Hellooo!
How is everyone? I'm very good. This is going to be a little short but I wanted to just write a little something something. I can't believe it, but today is the last day of TESOL Classes! The feeling I must say is bittersweet. The class has been a lot of work and sometimes sort of repetitive and sometimes really scary but it has also been a really great experience. I've learned a LOT and I'm especially grateful for the practice teaching sessions especially because the Ecuadorian students we've taught have been absolutely so sweet and patient with us. They actually threw us a little party yesterday for the last day of classes where they gave us nice cards and little multi-colored bags with "Ecuador" stitched on front. So sweet! They also brought us humitas which are like corn leaves stuffed with a cornbread type mixture--delicious. Last night I also moved in with David! I'm so excited about living there. I immediately feel more comfortable and happier.

This week was also fun because I got to see Mercedes and Leonardo! (Gaby's parents). Mercedes flew in from the U.S. on Tuesday so David and Leonardo and I went to the airport to meet her and her sister and niece. It was so nice to see more familiar faces!!!

So because it is the last day of classes when we finish today we are all going to go out for dinner and drinks which will be awesome. The 10 of us have actually spent SO much time together that it will be so nice to relax and have a drink and a much needed vent session about the program. I'm not sure what I'm doing for the rest of the weekend but I know Monday I will start looking for a job! I've gotten some contact information from a few schools so that will hopefully help. Right now I"m thinking I'm going to apply more at language institutes than high schools but who knows-i'm pretty much open to everything!

Anyway I gotta go to have my end of course evaluation which will hopefully be less painful than it sounds :-) Hope everyone is doing well and I MISS all of you!!!!!
LOVE,
Mary

2009-07-31T09:38:00.000-07:00

The Middle of the World

2009-07-20T18:58:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!!!!
So I must apologize for the delay, but I have good reason. My life in Quito has gone from molasses-slow to very very busy! Last week I began my actual TESOL Training. There are 8 of us in the class, 4 boys, 4 girls and 2 trainers. The people in my class are all American (one guy is Ecuadorian) and that’s pretty much where the similarities end. The ages range from 22-62 and almost everyone is in different stages of their lives. In other words, a group that would otherwise never be in the same room together is together for 10 hours a day M-F for 4 weeks. Needless to say, I feel I’ve gotten to know them pretty well! The class itself is actually great, more work and more intense than I had previously imagined but I’m learning a lot (I think). The trainers have a very student-centered, hands-off approach that I think is very effective. They have us create our own lesson plans and practice teaching with Ecuadorian teens and adults that want to learn English. And although that notion was initially terrifying (I had to teach an hour long class on Day 4) I think it has really helped me to understand how to teach… now it is just a matter of implementing what I’ve learned which of course is always easier said than done.

Ok now on to more interesting stuff. So 2 weekends ago I went to Mitad del Mundo (The Middle of the World) a pretty big tourist attraction about 30 minutes outside of Quito. I went with David, his friend Sofy and Sofy’s 4 year old daughter Sami who is one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen. We walked around, saw some indigenous dancers, had a very nice lunch and of course took all of the obligatory “one foot in one hemisphere, one foot in the other” photos. The next day I went to Church with Juanita. It was my first Protestant Mass and I will just say it was very different from Catholic Mass! Lots of singing and hands-in-the air swaying, etc. I think it made Juanita happy though that I went because she is very involved in her Church. The next day (Monday) I went with David and Sofy to the Center of Quito, or the “Old Town” where we saw a few really old churches and ate dinner on the top of this big hill overlooking Quito. We had an amazing view but more importantly had this amazing stuff called vino caliente, which is like hot sangria. On a chilly night it’s perfect.

Now I’ll jump to the next weekend because let’s be honest it is more interesting than what I do during the week. Last Friday concluded the first week of my TESOL class so 5 of the people in my class went out to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. It was nice to be able to finally relax a little with the people in my class.
The next day I went sightseeing and shopping with some more people from school. We went to a big outdoor market where one of the girls made the mistake of opening her walled to give a quarter to a little boy selling candy. No sooner had she put her hand in her pocket than we were swarmed by people asking for money. It’s strange when that happens because you feel terrible but at the same time you have to walk away because it is impossible to give all of them money and you also must be careful not to be pick-pocketed. On a happier note, after shopping the five of us went to a BBQ about 45 minutes outside of Quito. The host was the Ecuadorian friend of Dave, one of the guys in my class. We grilled outside, drank wine and yelled at the dogs who kept trying to steal the food (one of the dogs names was Donna, which just struck me as one of the funniest things ever). It was very fun and nice to get out of the city for a night.

The next day I went with David, Sofy and Sami to Otavalo, a small city about 3 hours from Quito and 2 hours from Colombia. Otavalo is in the province of Imbabura, which gets its namesake from the huge mountain also in the region. There we saw 2 gorgeous lakes, one I found really interesting because it was formed in the crater of a volcano, and thus sometimes has bubbles come to the surface. Another reason this lake was great was because we got to take a little boat ride on it! That was very beautiful, especially with the huge Imbabura mountain right next to it (I promise I’ll post pics soon). To sum up the rest of the afternoon, I ate a large meal of pork and banana, swung on a swing-set with David and (nearly) got spit on by a llama. Good times. Ok I’m going to leave you with that so I can go do some homework (I thought that ended when I graduated College??) but I hope you are all happy and healthy and I miss you!
LOVE, Mary

True Life: I live in Quito

2009-07-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

(Note: this post was written on Tues but not posted till Thurs because I did not have internet!)
Hello,
I hope everyone is doing well!!! I’m doing well myself. Today is Tuesday and thus Day 4 in Ecuador. Since I last wrote I have begun my TESOL program, which begins with a week of only Spanish classes and information on Quito and Ecuador. I’m really glad for the Spanish classes, especially since it is only me and one other guy in so it’s almost like having a private tutor! We are taking our class through a program called EIL, which stands for Experiment in International Living. It’s a pretty cool organization; they sponsor not only teaching classes but also cultural and volunteer trips. Everyone there is super nice and there is an awesome terrace at the top of the building where you can chill out and have coffee and just get hypnotized by the views. So far I’ve met a few people, a few Germans who are here volunteering, the other guy in my program, a 30 year old dude from Chicago who used to teach through EIL and now leads volunteer trips and an Irish guy, all of whom seem very nice. There is a computer in the EIL with internet that we can use but its gotta be from 1992 and is painfully slow, so if my updates/other internet correspondences are slow, that is why. So yesterday was my first day at EIL and Juanita went with me on the bus and then came back at the end of the day and we took the bus home together. Yesterday was a little funny because after I got out of school around 2, besides a tiny bit of homework I really had nothinggg to do. I watched a TV special on Farrah Fawcett with Juanita and then just hung out and waited around till it was an acceptable time to go to bed (9….don’t even know if that is acceptable) but hey I’m still adjusting to the altitude.
So today I took the bus today by myself, which was a big deal for me. You know those roller coaster rides you go on when you are little that jolt back and forth very suddenly and kinda throw you around? Those rides wish they could be as exciting as the buses here. And what did I do when I first stepped on to one yesterday? You guessed it, fell FLAT on my face. Sweet. The buses are an adventure. First of all they never really come to a complete stop, which means running to get on and then jumping off as the bus is still moving. Second of all, a guy up front to whom you give your quarter (that’s how much it costs, no matter the distance) shouts the names of the stops every so often but sometimes doesn’t so you’ve really got to be looking. Third is that the buses in Quito are like a pick-pocketers office. So not only is it not enough to watch your bag, you must have a hand on the zipper and hold it in front of you. Miraculously, I managed to take the bus all the way to school and back with no problems excluding the fact that I stayed on the bus one extra stop on the way back but I just got off and walked a little ways back to my house.
When I get to my house I think I’m done with my adventure but not quite. There are three different locks on three different doors that I must unlock before I can go in. There is a large sliding door on the very outside then you enter a little patio area, then open an iron gate then the front door. And the keys all look the same. Needless to say I might be outside my apartment but not actually inside till 10 minutes later haha. The food here is not bad. My Mom sent me to school yesterday with a bag lunch (Am I 6??) that was really good, it was rice with pieces of fried banana and meat and this good sauce. It sounds weird but it was good. One more thing- the weather here canNOT make up its mind. It is literally about 85 degrees and sunny one minute and overcast just a little bit later and then begins to rain. Then the process will begin all over again and this might happen a few times a day.
Now I’ll leave you with this little tidbit—Today I went to a papeleria to buy a notebook, all of which are behind the counter, and the woman comes back with one with a picture on the front of a very scantily-clad woman. In my broken Spanish I tried to explain that I would like a different one, which she didn’t understand at first but then finally got me another one. I figure I’m going to have enough difficulty making Ecuadorian friends with my sub-par Spanish already without carrying around a notebook with a half-naked lady on the front. On that note, I gotta run but hope everyone is doing well and I miss you all!
LOVE,
Mary

Here I am, Quito.

2009-06-30T14:18:00.000-07:00

Hola a todos!!!!

Well, today is my second day here in Quito, Ecuador. I can hardly believe I am here! Everything is going very well so far. I arrived last night around 6:30 and after about an hour and a half in Customs I got my bags and was free! So I’m pushing my cart with my bags that each weigh probably 49.9 lbs (50 is the limit) and I look up to see a mass of people calling out names and holding name signs. Then suddenly I hear,“Mary!” and boy my name has never sounded so sweet. It was David! We greeted each other and then he introduced me to my host Mother, Juanita, who he had met while they were waiting for me. There was then a flurry of activity in which I met Juanita, called my parents in the U.S., got a taxi and we left the airport. I could tell immediately I was going to like Juanita. She called me “mi hija” immediately (my daughter) and gave me a big hug. She also smiled a lot which is nice when you are not sure you are entirely understanding what a person is saying. So we got to her apartment which was about 15 minutes from the airport and that is when I met her son, Juan, who came out to help me with my bags. Juan is 26 and seems very nice. Juanita then showed me my room, which is very nice. Juanita and I then had a cup of tea together and talked (well, she talked, I caught some of it, and then I attempted to speak back) but again it was very enjoyable because she is a very happy, very caring, very warm person. One thing she said which I definitely understood was that she wants me to feel comfortable in her home so that is awesome!!! Today, I woke up, took a shower and ate some breakfast that Juanita made me (scrambled eggs, bread and cheese and REAL fresh-squeezed papaya juice….amazing) and then David came over to the apartment. It is so nice having just ONE person here that I know and that has to hang out with me because we are family J David and I took a taxi to the supermarket where he bought food and I bought sunscreen because the sun is so strong here and I’m the whitest gringa ever. David bought a couple of strange fruits which he made me try later, the names of which escape me at the moment but one looks like a grape except it’s a mustard yellow color and sort of tastes like kiwi, and another one that is really spiky and ugly on the outside and even uglier on the inside but tastes really good if you can get past the consistency which David pointed out is like “boogers” haha. After the supermarket David showed me his apartment, which is also very nice and probably the cleanest place that someone actually lives in that I’ve ever seen. David attributed his super clean pad to his Mom, Mercedes, whose cleaning habits he compared to Danny Tanner of Full House. I knew exactly what he meant. We spent the rest of the afternoon eating lunch, going to the mall and watching Spanglish, which could not be more appropriate for two people who can only communicate via spanglish. Alright, enough specifics, now for a few overall impressions. One, Quito takes your breath away, literally and figuratively. When I peered out of my tiny airplane window as we entered the vicinity of the city, all I could do was marvel at the beauty of the towering mountains and the misty amethyst clouds surrounding them. It truly was spectacular. Quito has also taken my breath away in terms of the altitude. Quito’s altitude is two times that of Denver, Colorado, and hence takes some getting used to. In general I’ve felt really good but after climbing some stairs or walking down the street I feel a shortness of breath, and while I would usually attribute that to my massive ice cream intake, I know this time it is really the outside conditions. Another first impression is how varied the people are—and I’m talking strictly looks because a. I’m superficial and b. I haven’t had the time to get to know anyone yet. But there are smaller, darker indigenous people and taller, paler people of more Mestizo and Spanish blood. There are people with black hair and almost blondish hair. But they definitely all speak Spanish. I only have heard English two other times here, when I’ve come across big groups of Americans all wearing the same lime green tee-shirt from a church or school group. That’s when I shake my head and think “Gringos”. Another first impression I’ve had is that generally people seem very receptive to others and are friendly. Each time David and I entered a taxi today we were met with a warm greeting and when we got lunch the lady who served us smiled a lot and joked with us. This has made sense to me knowing how warm and kind Gaby and her family is and now knowing Juanita who describes Ecuadorians as “muy carinosos” (very loving). I love it! Life’s too short not to care for and care about your fellow man or woman even if that love is shown in small ways. That sounds so cliché and simple, but I think its true.

Well, I’m going to head to bed as it is almost 9:30 haha (hey I’m still getting used to t the altitude!) and I need to wake up tomorrow to begin my TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) classes early in the morning. I’m excited to meet some other LanguageCorps peeps. I hope everyone is doing well and is healthy and happy and I miss you all already!!!!!! If I don’t write back soon, just wait longer.

Love,
Mary

T Minus 5

2009-06-22T11:07:00.000-07:00

As this blog title suggests, I go to Ecuador in 5 days. Insert excited/nervous scream here. I am extremely excited but at the same time, apprehensive about the unfamiliarity of so much that I will experience down there. Luckily, I have tons and tons of packing this week to hopefully distract me from some of those nervous thoughts. I keep thinking about how much I will miss all of my family and friends but at the same time I know how quickly 1 year can go by. I got information about my host-Mom with whom I will be living for my first 5 weeks down there while I get certified to be a teacher. She sent me an email (in all caps-I hope she wasn't yelling) that was very nice and said she and her son were excited for me to stay with them. At least thats what I think she said...the email was in Spanish and to say my Spanish is rusty would be a compliment. So just to fill people in that may not know, I'm going to Ecuador for a year to teach English. I'm going through a program called LanguageCorps (www.languagecorps.com) and will live with a host family for the first 5 weeks then will move in with Gaby's brother, David, who lives right in Quito. I don't actually have a job yet but will begin applying/interviewing once I get my TESOL certificate. Let's hope Ecuador's job market is slightly better than ours. Well I guess my clothes are not going to pack themselves so I'm gonna run but thanks for reading and much more exciting Ecuador posts to come!!!!!

Sevilla

2007-12-11T04:59:00.000-08:00

Hello friends and family,
I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday season thus far. As Thanksgiving has passed, that means I am allowed to listen to Christmas music and thus I am very happy. I´m so excited for Christmas, I don´t think it has ever meant more to me to come home and be with my wonderful family and friends for the holidays more than this year. Of course I will miss Madrid, my friends here, my host Mom, the spanish the tapas, and more, but I feel really good about where I am and what I have accomplished. Although I am still not fluent, I know my spanish has improved immensely. I am so excited to continue speaking with Gaby and some of my other friends who know spanish. Devoting a big part of my experience here to learning the language has really created a passion for conquering the language that definitely did not exist before this trip. I was always somewhat apathetic about spanish, I believe because I never saw the direct need for it. I was always in situations where I could speak english. But being here and forced out of my comfort zone and into the all-spanish-all-the-time zone has really changed that, and for this I am grateful and glad.

Anyway, enough reflection, now on to the traveling. Two weekends ago I went to Sevilla (Seville) with my program. Andalucia, the region of Spain that Sevilla is in, has always really interested me. It used to be known as the "city of three cultures" because for hundreds of years, Jews, Catholics and Muslims all coexisted in this one area. Thus there are churches with Moorish influence, sections of towns still labeled the "jewish quarter" and so on. It does make me a little sad though to think how far we are now from that type of coexistence and religious tolerance, but also a little comforting to know that it once was possible and maybe could be that way again someday.

The architecture was definitely one of the best parts of the city. There was a cathedral from the 12th century that was very beautiful as well as many other very old buildings and structures. I must say that another highlight for me, the broke college student, was the low prices of things! For example, you could get a caña (a little beer) that comes with a plate of tapas for about 1.50 euro. Not too shabby. Also, they had a river that ran right through the city which was nice, I always appreciate seeing bodies of water as Madrid is so dry!

On another note I went to an amazing flamenco performance last week with my class. There were 3 dancers (2 female, one male) two guitarrists and two singers. They were phenomenal. The dancers danced with so much passion and were really good at mixing up the intensity of the dance which you are supposed to do in flamenco, for example, switch from being really strong and stomping the ground with heels really hard to smiling and doing spins and etc. Also at one point they turned off the lights and the guitarrists put down their guitars and just pounded canes on the ground to make a beat that the dancers danced to. it was sweet. just so different from other dance forms. So if you want me to teach you how to do it you can start making requests now although I don´t know if you guys can afford me.

ALSO, i went to Milan this past weekend which I pretty much neglected to tell anyone until a day or two before...it happens. It was amazing but I think I am going to write about that in my next blog because I have class now. Speaking of class I have two finals each on this Thursday and Friday and then i´m done with school! Booyah. Then I have a free weekend and essentially a free week to do all the things I have been meaning to do in Madrid until I go home on Saturday the 22nd. I hope the preparations for my welcome home parade are going smoothly.
Anyway, I miss you guys terribly and I can´t wait to see you all. I hope everyone is having a really special holiday season thus far and for all of my Jewish peeps, I hope Hannukah Harry is good to you. Well, peace out for now and i´ll write back later!
Love,
Mare

escargot and derek jeter

2007-11-25T09:28:00.000-08:00

bonjour! I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. The dinner that my program had for us was actually really nice and ham-free! We had turkey, thanksgiving all that good stuff. I also was able to call home and talk to a lot of the fam so that was very nice. I'm upset I missed some Frank-isms but I'm sure there will be more at Christmas.

So last week I went to Paris! It was beautiful. We got to see a LOT of the city, thanks in large part to the fact that there was a public transportation strike and thus had to walk everywhere. But we managed and had a great time! I liked the city a lot, I think even more so because a lot of what I heard about France was negative, especially about the people being unfriendly. But all of the waiters and other people we came into contact with were really nice! So that of course was a nice surprise.

We were lucky enough to spend four days in Paris. We got there on a Thursday and went out to a nice meal right away. And get this I ate escargot! Man i'm so French. I actually felt a little sick a few days later though when my friend told me that they are from land, like from a garden when I thought they were from the sea like scallops. oops! Ah well. After that my friends and I walked around and took a boat tour on the River Seine, which was beautiful. It made me miss being around water. After that we went to the Eiffel Tower where we took about 7 billion pictures. At one point we saw this dude and I said, "Let's ask this crazy hippie dude to take our picture", so my friend did and come to find out he spoke English...oops. He was cool though, he was from California and ended up hanging out with us for a while and coming to dinner. The next day we went on a bus tour of Paris (which was luckily not cancelled because it was a private company) and saw some pretty stuff including the Luxembourg Palace. Later that day we went to the Louvre and saw someone famous. No, not Mona Lisa, although we did see her too, but no, Derek Jeter. I know that was going to be your second guess. My roomate Kani and I got a picture with him (I know, I know) and he actually seemed pretty nice, he also made sure to say "No myspace" haha. Later that day we walked along Champs D'Elysees which was very pretty and had tons of lights.

The next day my friends and I climbed the Eiffel Tower. Yes, thats right, climbed. All 668 steps. It actually wasn't too hard either, and the views at the top were worth it. Later we went and walked through a public garden and saw the Moulin Rouge, and may or may not have done the can-can in front of it. The next day, Sunday Morning we went to the Notre Dame and went to Mass (I don't know whats more unbelievable the fact that i went to the Notre Dame or the fact that I went to Mass) but it was very nice. All in french, soooooooo didn't get a whole lot out of it in that respect but it was still very beautiful and cool to be there. After that we went to the D'Orsay Museum and saw Monet's Waterlillies as well as some very pretty Van-Goghs. We then got crepes for about the 49th time that weekend (they are AMAZING) and then we had to go home, but all in all it really was a very exciting and enjoyable trip. This weekend I go to Sevilla which I am very excited about. It is in Andalucia, which is the birthplace of Flamenco I really hope we get to see a show there. Speaking of which I have my final for my flamenco class this Monday. My teacher told me that for the final we are all going to have to improvise our own dance at the same time, but not to worry because she is going to take the mirrors down and turn the lights down so we won't be embarrased. Hmmm, doesn't sound like she is very confident in our skills! haha. Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well and that you are getting into the holiday spirit. Personally I'm thrilled I can listen to Christmas music now that Thanksgiving is over!!!!!
Ok well I will write back soon,
Love, Mary

Gobble Gobble

2007-11-22T09:30:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! I apologize for the fact that I have been seriously slacking on my blog entries but lay off i´m busy. JK but I actually have been doing a lot! Two weekends ago, Spain didn´t know what hit it when Frank Mihovan and Pat Crowley came to Madrid. They stayed at the hotel right across the street which was really convenient and made it easy to do all of our little activities. I took it easy on them the first day because they were severely jet-lagged so we just went out to tapas and then we all took naps but then we all got up and went out to dinner in this cool restaurant where Hemmingway used to eat called Cervezeria Alemania (German bar/restaurant) and had, what else, lots of ham. And manchego cheese which was good. After that it was around 1 am (Spaniards eat dinner so late) so then we went home and went to sleep. So to recap day one: eat, sleep, eat, sleep. They were living like Europeans already!

My parents and I were all interested in seeing an area outside of the city for one of the days they were here, so on Saturday we took a day trip to Avila, a small walled-in city about an hour outside of Madrid. We got to walk on top of the wall which was pretty cool, and we saw some nice old churches and a Spanish bride and groom which was very romantic. That night we went out to a nice Italian restaurant for dinner. My parents were nice and humored me because I have gotten really sick of Spanish food (ham). The next day was Sunday, and we went to the Reina Sofia museum and saw Guernica by Picasso which was really cool. We also ran into my two friends Adrian and Robby from my program which you wouldn´t think would happen in a city of about 5 million. We then got bocadillos from a very traditional Spanish bar (think chubby, disgruntled but good-natured older Spaniards barking orders to a an older Woman in the kitchen). Then we went to Retiro Park and went on the rowboats around the pond which was awesome. I love being on water, and Madrid is unusual in that it is a big city not near the ocean or any big rivers, so that was cool. And my Dad rowed the whole time which was also cool. We then met up with a few of my friends where the hippies/African people drum all day. And that is where my Dad unleashed the magic that is his dance moves. Even my Mom danced! I told you, Spain didn´t know what hit it. That night we went out to Japanese food (mmmm non-ham) and then to my second home the ice cream place Giangrossi where they met my friend Rodrigo who works there and who makes fun of me because i always go there and always get the same flavor (who wouldn´t get chocolate with brownies and cherries???).

Anyway, all in all it really was a fantastic weekend, I´m so glad they were able to come. It was really fun showing them around and showing them that i can get along OK in a foreign city. I think they really had a great time too, they seemed to really like Madrid and how lively it is, especially during the night. And Madrid certainly is lively at night, and not just with people going to bars, but in restaurants, outdoor markets, coffee shops, walking along the streets, you name it. I was also really glad cuz I was getting a little down about not being able to come home for Thanksgiving and seeing everyone, but this helped a lot! Aaaaannnddd of course, they brought me stuff :-)

So I also went to Paris last weekend but I will write about that in a subsequent blog. My program is having a turkey dinner for us (thank God) so I´m going to that in a little while. I hope everyone has a really great Thanksgiving, and that you all eat what I would have eaten, although i´m not sure you can all eat half a turkey, two plates of stuffing, multiple pies...

Love,
Mare

churros con chocolate

2007-11-04T09:38:00.000-08:00

hello!
sorry i have not written in a while, things have been hectic here! For a little recap, last weekend I was in Madrid which was nice, I got to sleep and do some things around here that I had been wanting to check out. On Sunday I went to El Rastro, which is this HUGE outside flea market type deal. There are litterally hundreds of vendors selling everything from jewelery, to shoes to antiques, a lot of good stuff. They open early in the morning and by about 12 its packed and then its pretty much done around 1 at which time most people go to a nearby bar and get canas (small cups of beer) and tapas, like bread with brie, shrimp, or tortilla espanola. Tortilla espanola is one of the most popular foods here and it's not actually what you think of when you think of a tortilla. Tortilla is actually an omelette made with a potato that they eat pretty much all the time either by itself, with spicy sauce, or on french bread, which they call a bocadillo. Anyway, (sorry i get excited and go off on tangents when I talk about food) so that was fun, I'm glad I got to go to that. Later in the afternoon I went to a bullfight, the last one of the season. It was....interesting, I really can't say I liked it. I felt bad for the bulls! I guess I'm glad I went for the tradition of it, but I would not go again.

This past weekend my three friends from UNH, Sara, Belinda and Rachel came and visited me. It was awesome. Belinda got here on Thursday night at which time we went out for some kabob (also a really popular food here) and then went to this bar with my friend Vin (Phinney). They played good music and there was a drag queen there that was about 8 feet tall with heels and had two sets of eyebrows, so thats always a good time. After the bar we went to get chocolate con churros, which are long thin donuts and a mug of really thick hot chocolate that you dip the churros in. SO good. The chocolateria's that have these stay open really late so its a tradition to go there and get them after a night out. Anyway by the time we were done with the churros it was late enough (i won't tell you what time) that the metro had opened back up so we got to take that back to the hotel which was nice and definitely more economical than a taxi.

On Friday I had class, then I met up with the three girls for dinner in this area called Plaza de Santa Ana which has a lot of great authentic restaurants and bars. We had tapas for dinner (grilled veggies...a rarity here, tortilla, and a meatball and french fry dish...what an incredible combination) and then we went to a dance club place and we met up with my other friends. There were no drag queens at this bar but it was still fun, although I requested the dj to play "Gasolina" an awesome reggaeton song and he basically laughed in my face then proceeded to play Spice Girls and Ace of Base....hmmm... Then on Saturday we took a bus tour of Madrid. It was a really nice day and we got to sit on the top (it was a double decker) so that was cool. We then went out to lunch and i showed them my apt, and they met my host mom. Then we went to Retiro park and walked around and then hung out at this one area where there are always a bunch of dudes drumming ALL day and crazy hippies dancing to the music, kinda made me feel like I was back at UNH on Earth day. I guess you can find dancing hippies everywhere. Anyway, all in all a very good weekend. I was really glad that my friends got to come visit me. As much fun as we are all having abroad, when we were together we got a little nostalgic about UNH and home, and the things and people we miss there. But I guess that is yet another benefit of travelling, it exposes you to new things while giving you a new appreciation for what/who you have back home.

This weekend my parents are visiting and I can't wait! Everyone is sort of in disbelief that they are coming hehe as it was somewhat last minute, but I think it will be amazing. I'm know it will only be a matter of time before my Dad tells someone here that he is the leche, and when that moment comes, it will be incredible. Well, hope you guys are all doing well and are enjoying your fall. Ciao!

Go Sox!

2007-10-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

so i decided to write in my blog because i am in my second home the ice cream place that has wifi and no one from home is online because they are all in class or doing other things because it is 2:45 in the afternoon at home! It is 8:50 here and I am killing a little time before dinner which is usually at 9:30 or later which is not the leche. But i guess if one of the few things I really don't like about Spain is the dinner time, that is not too shabby! Today I had my first test in school. I took a mini class on Spanish literature and as it is a "mini" class it only lasted a few weeks so our final test was today and MAN do I hope every test here is like this one. We could use our notes, first of all, and then we didn't even get an essay question, just a topic, and then we just had to write everything we knew about it. So that was nice. I'm a little sad the class is over cuz we had this cool old guy that would randomly shout words in the middle of a monotone lecture like "AMOR!!!!!!!" I think he has Spanish literature tourettes. Yesterday I had my second Flamenco class. It was awesome. We just dance the whole class and when I say "dance" i mean the we basically try not to look like we are having epileptic seizures as we try to mimic our teachers movements. Flamenco is so pretty, there are all these dainty hand twirls and hip movements and clapping its pretty sweet. My program actually takes us to a Flamenco show in November I think so that should be awesome.

I'm very excited about this weekend as I will actually be in Madrid! I realized the other day I have not had one full weekend in Madrid as so far I have travelled to Santander, Toledo, Ireland, and Portugal respectively. I'm not sure what I will be doing Saturday but on Sunday I think I am going to "El Rastro" which is this big open market that sells things like scarves and jewelery for cheap and then my friends and i are going to a Real Madrid soccer game! Supposedly their fans and games are crazier than those of the Red Sox but I will be the judge of that. On that note, I have been doing what little I can to stay updated on the Sox which has been painful cuz there is not much more I can do besides read the highlightes online, although supposedly a few of the Irish bars around here broadcast the games so I will have to check that out. But anyway go Sox! Alright adios for now. Ciao!

Portugal

2007-10-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

yo!
Just wanted to write a quick little note about my trip to Portugal this weekend (Mom and Dad, not even sure you knew i went? hehe) Anyway it was very fun. 8 friends from my program and i went to Albufeira, which is right on the southern coast and stayed in an apt there for two nights, 3 days. The weather was great and warm enough to go to the beach. We also ate some great seafood and walked downtown where they had a little market. Being there made me think of Grammy and Poppa and how they loved it there and how they used to send Cath and me those cute postcards with the dancing girls in real fabric skirts. I'm glad I got to go to a place where they speak a language thats even more foreign to me than Spanish, knowing absolutely no Portuguese actually made me feel a little better about my Spanish abilities! So that was cool. But it was very nice to come home to Madrid. Even though I also loved Ireland, I'm really glad I chose Madrid for the language. Even though I know I would have had a blast studying abroad in Ireland, I really would have missed the constant challenge that the spanish language poses for me. It makes living here more exciting and provides a constant goal for my experience here. And I know it seems like all i do is party here, but i really am learning and getting a lot out of my time here. Anyway, hope you are all doing well and i'll write back later! :-)

my goodness my guinness

2007-10-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

top of the mornin! As you might be able to tell, I just got back from the Emerald Isle itself, Ireland. It was amazing. I was so happy to be going there as I am half irish although i'm sure every American person claims to be Irish when they go over there. But anyway it was cool for me to go and think that my relatives lived there at one time, and maybe some still do live there! The people there are unbelievably nice; what everyone hears about kind Irish people is absolutely true. People will talk to you in elevators and in cabs and in restaurants etc. and everyone treats everyone else like a friend whether they know them or not. So that was very heartwarming. Now on to the good stuff. So we arrived on Friday and my friend Sara from Lexington and Belinda from UNH and some others and I went to where else? A pub. When In Ireland. There was even an older guy playing the guitar and singing Irish music which was cool and created a quinticential Irish environment. So we got some Guinness (i am, after all, Carl's cousin) and caught up. It was so good seeing Sara and Belinda as they are too of my closest friends so it was so great to be there experiencing Ireland with them.

The next day we went on a bus tour around the city of Dublin. We saw St. Patrick's Cathedral, Trinity College, and then went on a tour of the Guinness factory. It was weird though, when I said Carl's name, they told me my kind wasn't wanted in there? Could you explain Carl? Just joking. Anyway we went on the tour and then had a free pint in the gravity bar on the top floor of the factory which has a 360 degree view of Dublin and beyond. Sweet. At night we went out to dinner and hit up a few pubs and clubs etc. Unlike Madrid though, The pubs actually close at a more normal time, around 2 or 3, which actually felt really early compared to Madrid where people party till 6 or 7. this is all speculation of course, people have told me about hte party scene when I am busy at the library.

On Sunday we went on a bus tour of the countryside which was phenomenal. Ireland is also as green as everyone says, and we saw so many green hills and mountains, and lakes and farms and sheep etc. We also had a great tour guide who said one thing I really liked about Irish people. She said that in the past, when Ireland was more economically depressed, most people were earning similar low wages, i.e. it didn't matter how much anybody worked because there would be no salary increases. But she said because of this, the Irish people valued work less and valued other things like spending time with family and enjoying themselves more. And this sort of mentality has kind of lived on. This is one thing about Europe that I like, people here in general have a much less rigid concept of time and don't work themselves to death. Anyway I flew back to Madrid on Monday and that concluded my trip which really was unforgettable. This weekend I go to Portugal with some of my friends on my program which should be very fun and WARM which I am psyched about as I am always cold. Anyway, i'll write back later and put pics up on my picasa site soon. Also, CONGRATULATIONS CARL AND HEATHER!!! <3

la leche

2007-10-07T15:03:00.000-07:00

Hola again!!!!!! it has taken a little bit longer than I had hoped to write again, cuz my internet access has been limited, so i apologize if i have been slacking on my internet activities. Spain is still awesome, I had my first day of classes on Thursday which was a lot better than i had thought. I normally really dislike spanish classes, i think cuz of a lack of motivation, but now i really like them so far because i can actually put into practice what i learn. The school looks kind of like a jail (Clarke) but it works and has a nice cafeteria with, what else? lots of ham sandwiches. The food here is funny, everything is small, except the ham sandwiches, which they call bocadillos and are about a foot long. But the drinks, bottles, servings, everything else is itty bitty but i guess thats why they are all so thin, that and they walk a lot and smoke a lot i think instead of eating.

This weekend was incredible. The other kids in my program and I went to Santander, which is inthe North of Spain on the coast. Our hotel was right on the water so we got to go swimming and walk around the beach etc. The town is very beautiful and old like many of the cities here. At night we went out to dinner and then all 30 kids on teh program had a party on the beach which was awesome and never would be allowed in the U.S. We then went downtown and to a couple of bars etc. Let's just say you don't want to know how little sleep i got this weekend (ballpark figure-under 6 hours for 2 nights...sorry Mom and Dad). Today, Sunday we went to this cave that has drawings on it from about 18000 years ago. i've seen better. just joking. I learned this phrase or "modismo" that they say here when they want to say something is really cool. It's "es la leche" which literally translates into "it's the milk"....and people make fun of me for saying wicked?! no se.

THis weekend I am going to Dublin and i am psyched. I am going with Belinda and Sara, two of my very close friends so it will pretty much be amazing, also I'm hoping that all i have to do is say Carl's name at the Guinness factory and we will get showered with free beer. Fingers crossed. Anyway hope all is well with everyone and i will write again soon. I love you all and you are all the milk. Adios for now.

they have lisps here

2007-09-30T08:16:00.000-07:00

hello!!!!
I hope this blog finds everyone well, not sure if that makes sense. I'm doing great. Big news I moved into my house on Friday. I met my host mom, Tatiana who is really cool and very different from what I expected of a Spanish host mom. She is about 34 and very laid back. She also has a cute little dog named Ringa, after Ringo Starr. Her apartment is in this wicked nice neighborhood and on this street that I can only compare to Newbury street in Boston with stores like Prada, Chanel (or as Tom says, Channel) Valentino, Burberry etc.) It's nuts living here. So because it is a posh neighborhood its very nice and clean and safe. Right now i'm sitting outside this heladeria which sells gelato and coffee and using their wifi, so of course i HAD to get an ice cream (i have a hard life). My roomate is also very cool, her name is Kani and she is from Ohio.

On Saturday all 20 or so people in the two API programs went on a day trip to Toledo. Toledo is a very old city in which there are still a ton of old fortresses and buildings and temples. It was really beautiful. Toledo is cool because for many years Jews, Christians and Muslims all lived together relatively peacefully, so we saw lots of cool cathedrals, mosques and synagogues. They also have a very famous painting by El Greco which was very beautiful. They have all this wicked narrow cobblestone streets and one time when we were walking down one we saw this procession of people marching down the street. There were priests, people playing instruments, regular people, and then some people carrying a huge structure of the Virgin Mary. It was really awesome and I guess they don't do that very regularly so we felt special. Later in the day I got to see my best friend Sara, who is studying abroad in Granada but was also visiting Toledo for the day, so that was sweet! I'm hoping to get down there and visit.

Last night I got my first taste of Spanish night life and let me tell you it is spicy. They don't go out until about 1 or 2 am, after pre-gaming of course (drinking before you go out for those who may not know) and then they party and drink and dance all night, until like 5, 6, or even 7. We left the club we went to at 5 am and there were TONS of people on the street. Today I slept until 1 and my parents called me and it was 8 for them and we were both having breakfast. I'm really liking the pace of life here, everything happens "in a while" or "soon", i.e. people are far less concerned with keeping a rigid schedule and cramming a bunch of activities into one day. People really enjoy life, which is how it should be!!!!!!!!!!

I'm also loving the language and can feel my spanish improving already. Although the other day someone asked me how old i was and i said, "doce" which means "12". Good job Mary.
Anyway, adios for now, and I hope everyone is doing well!!!!!

i'm here!

2007-09-26T15:55:00.000-07:00

holy moly i'm in Spain! And you are probably wondering why I said holy moly that but come on, I'm Frank's daughter, therefore I am not accountable for what I say. It is SO surreal being here. This whole day, my first one here, I've felt like I am in a dream, which I guess makes sense seeing as I"m running on 2 hours of sleep! The day started with my 9 hour flight from JFK, after which I picked up my luggage and went to go meet the program director, Quique (short for Enrique) or "Kiki" as my Mom called him. BUUUUUUUUT he wasn't there, so i got myself a sort of mysterious ham sandwich and a fanta and chilled wtih my giant stack of luggage. Soon enough I met Quique and he took me and another student from Pitt, whose name is Vinny, but I thought he said "Phinney" so I was calling him that for a few hours before he finally corrected me (maybe i should try to master understanding english first, then spanish?!). Anyway Phinney is cool, we were talking about the cool haircuts we saw in Madreeed including the always-popular mullet-rat tail combo. We called it "business in the front, party in the back, after-party in the WAY back". I think it will stick. On that subject i'm thinking i want to get bangs.

Enough of that, anyway, so on the cab ride to the hotel we got to see some cool areas, like the plaza real and some gardens and other cool shops and restaurants and cobblestone streets. Our hotel, hotel opera, (so named because of its vicinity to the local opera theatre) is realy cool and old and in a really interesting neighborhood right in the heart of Madrid. At night the people in the program and i all went out to a nice dinner (API's treat :-), which was really good, then we walked around and found this cool outdoor restaurant/bar, so we hung out there and drank amazing sangria and were entertained by this old British magician who referred to himself as "David Blaine" but he can't fool us. Anyway, he was doing a trick where he pulled out a euro from his mouth that he had made disappear and he accidentally spit it into the sangria glass of one of the girls on the trip, Annie, which was pretty funny.

So now I must go to bed, but I promise, more to come on mullets, sangria, and guys named kiki very soon. muchos besos.

hot diggity blog

2007-09-20T22:24:00.000-07:00

Ahh yes my first post! Well, nothing too exciting yet, as I am still in Lexington, but I will be taking Madrid by storm in just a few short days. I can't wait!