Cramming...

It's that time again.

End of the term. Last minute cram sessions. 

I may not have anything posted for the next two weeks as I have five final exams to study for by next wednesday (plus classes to still attend). Unfortunately, their smester doesn't technically end till January, when they take their final exams. Thus, we have to take our early, before Christmas break. And the kicker, we still have material we haven't covered yet, so we still have to attend class up to exam day. No deadweek for my classmate, Landon, and I. 

Afterwards, I'll meet up with my parents for Christmas in Spain, and try to put up a post. I might get something in this weekend (as writing would be a nice break), but no promises. Just wait for the surprise. :) 

Wish me luck. Till my next post. 

LT

BARCELONA

Castell de Montjulic

After my final prueba (test) Thursday, I packed my bags and grabbed the bus to the Alicante airport--final destination: Barcelona. With Ryanair's deals we had a round trip for under 60€. If you complied with all their regulations, were timely, and had the necessary documents, you weren't penalized with fees. This kept things pretty cheap. What I found though, is Ryanair can be slightly sketchy. So much so, that it's a common tradition to clap afterwards once you've arrived safely.  Haha humorous, but slightly worrisome. :S 

We got in late, and unfortunately only a few buses were running to and from the airport. Luckily there was one bus left (bus 46) that we could take into town. From there we walked to our hostel (Hostel 1), along with the airport staff who just clocked off work. They were kind enough to give us directions and ten minutes later, we arrived :) Thus began our adventure. 

Park Guell entrance

The people were the best part of the trip. We made friends quickly on the bus, plane, at the hostel,...everywhere. One of the first evenings, we met up with a friend of a friend who is a native Spaniard studying his masters for translation in Barcelona. We joined him, his girlfriend, friend, and entire class for dinner at 100 Bocaditos (a restuarant with 100 different mini sandwiches). Cheap beer, tapas, and genial conversation. From there we headed out to the discoteca. Razzmatazz is their most popular dance club. It's huge. We never made it there, but if your in Barcelona, it's the place to go. (Frankly the name reminds me of my Jamba Juice days and that ever popular drink I had to make). Instead of the Razz, we went to Sidecar (pronounced C-day-car in their accent). We found one of their promoters outside and got a stamp for free entrance before 1:30 am, (this being Spain though, that's too early for anything to really start). So we went in, stayed for a dance, and went back out, receiving a second entrance stamp to let us back in, free, whenever we wanted to return. That's the fun part of the night, looking for cheap bars and dance clubs to get into for free if possible. But simply being, it was a fun night were we felt like one of the locals; where you really understood the power of connections and it seemed we had friends all over the world. 

  

During the day, we wore out our legs walking the town. There are so many things to do. You can wonder the beach and skyscraper district. Explore the various malls. Take a stroll down Passeig de Garcia and shop among the high class stores (you'll pass by a couple Gaudi houses along the way). Watch the pigeons flock into the sky in the Placa de Catalunya. From there you can cross-over to La Rambla, a street full of small tiendas, artists, and more. Near the end you'll find the world's largest fresh food market--La Boqueria--full of the most exotic, enormous, and vast assortment of foods and sweets. 

Splurge on an item or two, but save your money for the cheaper items that are inward or on the outer parts of the market. 

Olympic village on Montjulic Hill 

Further along the sea, on a giant hill, there sits Parc de Montjuic. It's incredibly large. At the top is Castell de Montjulic, a watch tower built during time of war, centuries ago, and free to enter. You can see all of Barcelona from it. Nearby, on the same hill, is the '92

Olympic Village

Olympic village. You can walk through and enjoy the spacious grandeur of it all. Adjacent to the village is the MNAC art museum. A fabulous place to go during the day or at night! There are three levels of marvelous fountains that follow the hillside down to the Magic fountain (which lights up with music and color Friday and Saturday nights, like the water shows in Las Vegas). The fountain displays a show every half-hour between 7-9 pm every Friday and Saturday. I recommend viewing it from the top of the MNAC and then work your way town to the base, enjoying each level of the scene.

MNAC viewing the Magic fountain

Far North of the city, towards the mountains, is Parque Guell. Here is the famous Gaudi parque. It looks like you stepped into Candy land with al the twisting architecture,  winding mosaic-seats, dazzlingly colorful statues, and more. You can then hop on the metro and see Gaudi's SangradaFamilia. Buy your tickets online to save time in the cue. And trust me, it's worth every penny to see. Finally, if you’re a sports fan, you can check out Camp Nou. We went for a Barcelona game and it was fantastic. :) They also offer tours during the daytime, but check online for price and date details.

Park Guell

Ready for the Barcelona game 

Speaking of the game. I'm a huge futbol (soccer) fan. So it was my dream to see a match. The tickets were fairly cheap, considering other teams, and the game was high scoring (double bonus)! We watched Athletic Club-Bialbao vs. Barcelona; and the score ended 5-1 Barc. :) The crowds weren't as rambunctious as I thought they would be, but it didn't make the games any less enjoyable. It was incredibly fun! And of course the metro was a nightmare to return on. 

Catalonia independence flag
Photo by me

Also, while there, you'll notice Catalonia flags everywhere. In streets, balconies, and local businesses. A sign of pride and their desire to gain independence from Spain. 

In regards to the language, there are five official languages of Spain. Each are a dialect of Spanish. When you enter Barcelona, you'll notice the dialect is different immediately. Every sign is in Catalán. Although, while it is spelled differently, it's pronounced similarly to Spanish. There are times and many words however that are completely different.

Overall I loved Barcelona. It's a great city for site-seeing; leisurely spending your time; relaxing on the beach or pier; or enjoying the tranquility of the various parks. The Gaudi works are impressive. The best architecture I've seen so far. A despite the chilled sleepover at the airport upon our return, it was a blast. It was all worth it. 

 

I'll go back for sure. Likely for New Year's. We'll that's the plan anyway. ;) 

Just a few recommendations: 

• When traveling to Barcelona see everything I had mentioned (and there's more if you have the time) 
• Stay at the Hostel 1 for the friendliest service and best dinners (they're free! Along with the breakfast and it's more than just toast). 
• Buy the T-10 pass if you're there for two days or so. It allows for 10 trips on nearlly all modes of public transportation in Barcelona for just under 10 euros. (We only needed zone one for everything and used about 15 trips total over three days) 
• If you're staying in hostels buy a tiny lock with a diameter smaller than a pencil and quick drying towel. (Some locks won't fit because they are too big, and the quick dry towel can be packed again quickly without the musty smell) 
• A toiletry bag helps keeps your essentials tidy and together
• And finally a slim fanny pack or purse that hangs around your neck keeps your money safe. 
• If you are flying in late, there may be limited service to the airport, so check what public transportation service are operating late or be prepared to grab a cab. 

Back in Murcia, I'm enjoying la Puente (translation: bridge; but is their termonolgy for an extended weekend) in celebration of St. Nick's day. It's a good time for me to catch up on my studies as I only have two more weeks left of school... :O

....Till my next adventure...

Viva la Vida 

Besos! xx 

Lyndsay

P.S. For more of my Barcelona photos, look at my previous post: Just a Teaser ;)

Just a Teaser ;)

Un embromador de Barcelona 

Commentary to come soon....

Barcelona, here I come!

Barcelona, aquí yo vengo! 

My last test is this Thursday and then I'm off to Barcelona. (I'll need the break). 

Looks like it will be sunny this weekend but a little chilled (around 55 to 60 degrees F) 

We've got tickets for a Barcelona match Saturday and will see all the Gaudi pieces we can :) 

I can't wait. :) 

I'll have my next post afterward. Till then...Viva la Vida! 

Besos. XX

LT

Happy Thanksgiving!

Feliz día Acción de Gratis 

It's been a whirl wind of a week. I'm missing home and the traditional days off, extended weekend, lounging, football watching, grand dinners with the family, Black Friday shopping with my mom, and sleeping in till half the day is gone. 

Time doesn't slow down for our holidays here in Murcia. The lack of promotional advertisements and the haunting of pruebas (tests) this week makes Thanksgiving seem irrelevant. In honesty it was hard to feel the spirit (it later came when the feast begun).

The Americans and I got together and started the attendee’s lists for the well known holiday. There were British, Irish, Spanish, Portuguese, French and probably more! It quickly grew from 20 to 30 to almost 50 people! My friend and I looked at each other "I don't think one turkey is going to be enough." Haha 

We organized it at an English girl's flat. Very large, 9th floor, great view of the city, and neighbors didn't mind the noise. :) It was perfect. We asked everyone to bring a side dish, drinks, or plates/utensils/napkins. We shared links of traditional side dishes, but a few people brought their own specialties. It was a multicultural potluck with a heavy Thanksgiving theme. Haha I loved trying everything (some people got really creative). And also learned the traditions of the other American's (for example: cornbread in stuffing? Never heard that before till my East coast friends introduced me to it. Slightly sweeter but still delicious). 

It was hard to find a couple things. We were missing cranberry sauce, franchise onions, and pumpkin mix (we substituted with sweet potatoes and made a pie similar in taste :)). We got the turkey though! Rachel and I were preparing it all day long. We had to order it at the grocery store. It was still fresh with a couple of feathers needing plucking. We lathered it up in butter, lemon, salt, and tons of herbs, then slow roasted it for a good chunk of the day. 

DESSERTS!<3

But what's Thanksgiving without a few stumbles along the way. We definitely scrambled to find tin trays to cook the turkey. We ran out of gas when making the gravy (our final item and we were already an hour late!) and had to run upstairs to the neighbors I knew and use their stove. We used every odd ball item as a tub-a-ware to transport it to the party, and showed up fashionably late to a starving crowd only to realize no one there knew how to crave a turkey! (All the men were foreign and the other American men were either late or had never been passed the blade and honored to do the task back home). So we winged it! And in the lighting, we had a panic attack--it looked under cooked!! After all that work and it's undercooked!?! I took it to the kitchen to see that it was just dark meat and tinted lighting from the other room. The turkey was fine. So we craved it up and devoured it. Can't say I did a fabulous job craving it, but I can say it was delicious--juicy and flavorful. ;) 

I wanted to Skype my family, but was too caught up in the mayhem of the party. I'll see you all soon though. :) No te preocupes. 

I missed my family. I missed my friends. But I had a fantastic dinner here as well. Once we arrived at the dinner and I was surrounded by "a family," it felt like Thanksgiving. I'm blessed to have such great people in my life (here and back home). Love and miss you all. 

Happy late Thanksgiving. 

....And let the Christmas promotions begin! 

A Typical Day In Murcia

Un día normal aquí en Murcia

It's test time in Spain. This week and next I have a few exams to prepare for, so I thought why not talk about my typical week in murcia and typical day of school.

Wake up around 7:30 to 8 to make a quick breakfast, pop in my headphones, and start my 15minute walk to the tarnvia. It's the nicer form of transportation, compared to the bus. On the 9 am tram, we're usually packed in there like sardines . Takes another 20 minutes to get to Campus. Campus is in Espinardo, similar to a suburb of Murcia. My faculty (building with my classes) sits at the top of the hill up a path or beautiful palm trees. My classes are the fifth floor, at the top with the perfect view of Espinardo.

Classes are some tight quarters. I squeeze into the tiny rows and wait for the teacher to come to class. Unlike the states, the teachers rotate, not the students. And speaking of students, they all wait outside till the teacher enters. They stay away from it like it's something vulgar.  The schedule may say 9:30, but it really starts ten minutes after (9:40) and even then students will walk in late. Although sometimes you'll be turned away for tardiness (and there have been some interesting instances where this occurred). My class mates are young, and not respectful toward the professors. It's annoying to be among such immaturity, but things are slightly improving as the term goes on and  stop attending class ;). 

My classes are introductory, but extremely focused on the little details. In that sense it is difficult. The math mathematical equations and ways of resolving equations, is different too. You'd swear your were staring at another language when you look at the board and the cornucopia of notations. ...At least they are all in English..

So what do I do after school?

MONDAY

Tandem at night

TUESDAY
At other tandem

WEDNESDAY
Tutor children

THURSDAY
Soccer

FRIDAY
Soccer

SATURDAY & SUNDAY
Hiking/Exploration/More soccer/Professional sporting events/Running/Trips


See I do study. Es no fiesta todos los días. ;)

Novatadas (aka hazaing)

A unique tradition of Spain is there annual hazing event called Novatadas (click the link above to see more). It's traditional party for the Freshmen class. The students pay the upper classmen to participate, and on D-day everyone is gathered. The "pollo" (chickens as they are called) are drawn on and suited in garbage bags. It's typically crude drawings, demeaning words, written on their faces and arms. The upper classmen are suited up in the theme of their choice--pirates...or like this year, army gear. They have water guns with sangria, water balloons of vinegar, spray cans, baking powder, syrups, and other sticky/messy things. The "little chickens" are trashed! They're scamper off campus (as it's not legal to do--like hazing in the states) and festivities truly begin. 

It's not a select few that participate, it's near everyone. And as I said, they PAY to participate. Why? Because it's also the party of a life time, a rite of passage in at awkward age, a bondage with classmates, and a chance to be on the other end the next year. Seriously take a look a the link above. It's quite a site.