2/23/2010
Travel plans made!
It's a scary thought, but I officially have ALL of my travel plans made until I leave Spain. I would usually be a bit bummed about this, but I get to go to some killer places. I'll be sure to post pictures on my Flickr account so anyone who is interested can see.
This weekend I am going with my friend Lolo to Granada and Cordoba. Granada is a city I've been wanting to go to for a really long time, so I'm glad I finally get to go with him. He went to college there and says it's his favorite city in Spain, which I can see why from his description. Every kind of nightlife I could want: indie music, electro, minimal, jazz, rock and roll bars, etc. It's got THE Alhambra, an Arabic palace that many say could be considered amongst the wonders of the world. Not to mention, Granada is at the foot of the Sierra Nevadas, for snow aficionados, and 40 km away from the Mediterranean. Pretty killer I'd say. Then, the next day we are going to Cordoba, his childhood home and another equally beautiful and interesting city I'm told. Either way, I'm excited to go see his old stomping ground with him since we always have a good time together; and, I'm sure if he finds these places interesting, I will too.
The following weekend, I am going to meet Annie in Madrid. Uma may come too!!! That would be so cool to have two of my best friends here at the same time...but we'll see. We'll spend the weekend in Madrid, and if my friend Matt comes, we may take bus to Toledo to check that out for the day. Really stoked for this.
Thennnn, Annie and I are going to Barcelona for 4 days due to my awesome ability to find cheap flights. It's basically as far away from my city as you can get in the country, and we got round-trip tickets for 65 euro each. I'm hoping to Couchsurf there to 1) save money and 2) show Annie how awesome Couchsurfing is.
Finally, two weeks after that, for Semana Santa I'll be heading back to see my mates in Herbede-Witten, Germany. They've lured me in with Doner (turkish kebab, but felafel in my case), beer and a road-trip to Paris. I would have gone anyway, but I've been really wanting to get to Paris and it would be an awesome way to do it. Woot!
So, please, if anyone has any suggestions on things to do, or wants a postcard or something from anywhere I'm going, drop me a line and I'll get it to you. Peace and love!
This weekend I am going with my friend Lolo to Granada and Cordoba. Granada is a city I've been wanting to go to for a really long time, so I'm glad I finally get to go with him. He went to college there and says it's his favorite city in Spain, which I can see why from his description. Every kind of nightlife I could want: indie music, electro, minimal, jazz, rock and roll bars, etc. It's got THE Alhambra, an Arabic palace that many say could be considered amongst the wonders of the world. Not to mention, Granada is at the foot of the Sierra Nevadas, for snow aficionados, and 40 km away from the Mediterranean. Pretty killer I'd say. Then, the next day we are going to Cordoba, his childhood home and another equally beautiful and interesting city I'm told. Either way, I'm excited to go see his old stomping ground with him since we always have a good time together; and, I'm sure if he finds these places interesting, I will too.
The following weekend, I am going to meet Annie in Madrid. Uma may come too!!! That would be so cool to have two of my best friends here at the same time...but we'll see. We'll spend the weekend in Madrid, and if my friend Matt comes, we may take bus to Toledo to check that out for the day. Really stoked for this.
Thennnn, Annie and I are going to Barcelona for 4 days due to my awesome ability to find cheap flights. It's basically as far away from my city as you can get in the country, and we got round-trip tickets for 65 euro each. I'm hoping to Couchsurf there to 1) save money and 2) show Annie how awesome Couchsurfing is.
Finally, two weeks after that, for Semana Santa I'll be heading back to see my mates in Herbede-Witten, Germany. They've lured me in with Doner (turkish kebab, but felafel in my case), beer and a road-trip to Paris. I would have gone anyway, but I've been really wanting to get to Paris and it would be an awesome way to do it. Woot!
So, please, if anyone has any suggestions on things to do, or wants a postcard or something from anywhere I'm going, drop me a line and I'll get it to you. Peace and love!
Top of the Rock of Gibraltar, with Morocco in the background.
2/21/2010
Great Week.
My friends and family are the best. I had so many emails, Facebook wall posts, etc. that my homesickness went away. You'd think that I would miss everyone home even more for all of that, but truthfully it made me feel a bit more at home here. I know (and should have known all along) that my friends and family will support and love me no matter where I am. Pretty awesome group people, these familiares of mine.
It gets better though. On Thursday I went to my friend Lolo's house to hang out for a bit, like I usually do, before we go out for the night. The girls had said they were feeling down and had a movie that they would rather watch, so I was excited to have a guys' night for once. But, being the old man that I am, I was starting to lose steam as we were "waiting" for Xabi to get out of the shower; this is what I thought at least. Finally, he called us to come over, and when I showed up the lights were all off and Xabi was acting a bit weird. He got me to go into the living room and there I found about 10 of my friends waiting, with a cake, with American flags and trick candles. I was blown away by the amount of planning and thought that went into it. I really think I owe the most to Hannah, since she seemed to be the mastermind of the operation.
I've never gotten so many good gifts either. The professors at my school gave my coworker and friend Abby money to go and buy me something on their behalf. She hit the jackpot by buying me three bags of awesome food. My friend Lolo gave me a copy of a book that he said changed his life. One of the profs that I work with, Alfonso, got me a new cycling jersey. Hannah got me a rubber picha with little seamonkeys inside. Everyone is really to good to me.
Then, Friday I had two French Air Force cadets couch surf at my place. I took them around, showed them the city a bit, made dinner for them and had some great talks. They left at noon the next day and I didn't think that I would see them again. They called me later that day and said their departure - they were participating in a charity race across Morocco - had been delayed and that they wanted to hang out. I was stoked, since I was sad to see Tim and Fabien leave. We had a great time last night and they ended up giving me two of their flight suit badges as souvenirs of our brief, but fortuitous encounter.
Now, I've got one of my good friends Jose staying with me here at my house until Friday. It's really nice because in only one day I've had a great time chatting and learning from him. He's a guy that has seen a lot, done a lot and knows how to share it. He speaks five languages, has lived in many countries, and is one of the most honest, inviting people that I know. It's a shame that the reason he is staying with me is because he's moved out of his apartment and is leaving the city for good soon. I'll be sad to see him go. But, I think that I can take something from this. People, good and bad, come and go from our lives every day. We can't get down about this; rather, we have to cherish the moments we have with those special people. I honestly feel blessed to have so many great people in my life to say "see you later" to.
If this entry has been a bit corny or emotional for you, tough. Suck it up. Because the truth is, if you are reading this, you are probably one of the reasons I am feeling so lucky in life.
It gets better though. On Thursday I went to my friend Lolo's house to hang out for a bit, like I usually do, before we go out for the night. The girls had said they were feeling down and had a movie that they would rather watch, so I was excited to have a guys' night for once. But, being the old man that I am, I was starting to lose steam as we were "waiting" for Xabi to get out of the shower; this is what I thought at least. Finally, he called us to come over, and when I showed up the lights were all off and Xabi was acting a bit weird. He got me to go into the living room and there I found about 10 of my friends waiting, with a cake, with American flags and trick candles. I was blown away by the amount of planning and thought that went into it. I really think I owe the most to Hannah, since she seemed to be the mastermind of the operation.
I've never gotten so many good gifts either. The professors at my school gave my coworker and friend Abby money to go and buy me something on their behalf. She hit the jackpot by buying me three bags of awesome food. My friend Lolo gave me a copy of a book that he said changed his life. One of the profs that I work with, Alfonso, got me a new cycling jersey. Hannah got me a rubber picha with little seamonkeys inside. Everyone is really to good to me.
Then, Friday I had two French Air Force cadets couch surf at my place. I took them around, showed them the city a bit, made dinner for them and had some great talks. They left at noon the next day and I didn't think that I would see them again. They called me later that day and said their departure - they were participating in a charity race across Morocco - had been delayed and that they wanted to hang out. I was stoked, since I was sad to see Tim and Fabien leave. We had a great time last night and they ended up giving me two of their flight suit badges as souvenirs of our brief, but fortuitous encounter.
Now, I've got one of my good friends Jose staying with me here at my house until Friday. It's really nice because in only one day I've had a great time chatting and learning from him. He's a guy that has seen a lot, done a lot and knows how to share it. He speaks five languages, has lived in many countries, and is one of the most honest, inviting people that I know. It's a shame that the reason he is staying with me is because he's moved out of his apartment and is leaving the city for good soon. I'll be sad to see him go. But, I think that I can take something from this. People, good and bad, come and go from our lives every day. We can't get down about this; rather, we have to cherish the moments we have with those special people. I honestly feel blessed to have so many great people in my life to say "see you later" to.
If this entry has been a bit corny or emotional for you, tough. Suck it up. Because the truth is, if you are reading this, you are probably one of the reasons I am feeling so lucky in life.
2/16/2010
23...any different?
Yesterday I turned 23 years old. It's quite strange, I've actually thought more about where I've come since as far back as I can remember on this birthday more than any other. Let's put things in perspective now:
*My mother had already had my big head to take care of for two years by the time she was 23 years old. I can't even imagine having a kid right now. But, hey, different strokes for different folks right?
*I've been alive for almost a quarter of a century; that's a pretty substantial amount of time considering that when I was developing my sense of time, I was less than I decade old.
*We have had 4 different presidents in my lifetime, including two double-termers. That is pretty significant, come on; also, these geniuses have managed to get us in innumerable wars/battles/etc. and have succeeded in destroying much of what the U.S. once was and stood for.
*I never, never, NEVER, imagined I would be who I am today or am where I am at. For better or worse, for knowing all of you, having my wonderful family and friends, I am pretty content with my here and now.
*No matter how old I am, I don't feel like I have ever really "arrived" at the next step or where I was going. Whether this is because I am always having to plan for the next thing, or whatever it may be, it's sometimes unsettling. On the other hand, I think that it keeps me moving forward as well, so I'm trying to live with this.
Off the subject from my birthday directly, this last week has been pretty interesting. On Thursday, while walking home at 5:30am from a night out, I was stopped by the police. They thought I looked suspicious and as such followed me. I was getting spooked because I walked through an area that makes me a bit uncomfortable at that time of night. After hearing a few sounds behind me, I pulled out my big, bad 1 inch pocket knife. As soon as I did that, the secret police in their unmarked soccer-mom van pulled up to the curb, jumped out and started yelling at me. One cop was particularly rude and was awfully pushy with his baton. "You aren't in the U.S. you know. You can't walk through the streets with guns and whatever you want." Suck it dude. They wanted to fine me 300 euros for a concealed weapon. but then let me go since I explained that we foreigners aren't well educated in international weapons and firearms laws. I should be a lawyer.
The following day I went to Carnaval in Cadiz. In a word, insanity. The city goes from a population of somewhere around 400,000 to over 1.2 million in a weekend. People come from all over the world to spend this "holy" festival with the Spaniards. Friday night is just a big party in public plazas and in the street. I was out until about 6 am with my friend Dave and had a pretty good time. I would say that the churros and chocolate on the way home were definitely the highlight of the event. Saturday is when everyone dresses up like on Halloween, most often in group costumes. A few of us went as the Ninja Turtles, yours truly being Donatello. Since I couldn't fit in a child's costume, I made my own out of basketball shorts, green tights, a green t-shirt and a purple pair of woman's underwear that I cut into my headband. About 8 of us went out together after a bit of a party in my friend Matt's house. We met up with another good friend Lolo and his friends from Granada...they are insane bunch. There were 7 of them dressed up as bees, going around the crowd buzzing, and "stinging" people with their tails. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to going and seeing them soon. My night came to a sudden halt with an unfortunate accident (no, not incontinence), but overall I think I got the idea of the insanity that is Carnaval.
*My mother had already had my big head to take care of for two years by the time she was 23 years old. I can't even imagine having a kid right now. But, hey, different strokes for different folks right?
*I've been alive for almost a quarter of a century; that's a pretty substantial amount of time considering that when I was developing my sense of time, I was less than I decade old.
*We have had 4 different presidents in my lifetime, including two double-termers. That is pretty significant, come on; also, these geniuses have managed to get us in innumerable wars/battles/etc. and have succeeded in destroying much of what the U.S. once was and stood for.
*I never, never, NEVER, imagined I would be who I am today or am where I am at. For better or worse, for knowing all of you, having my wonderful family and friends, I am pretty content with my here and now.
*No matter how old I am, I don't feel like I have ever really "arrived" at the next step or where I was going. Whether this is because I am always having to plan for the next thing, or whatever it may be, it's sometimes unsettling. On the other hand, I think that it keeps me moving forward as well, so I'm trying to live with this.
Off the subject from my birthday directly, this last week has been pretty interesting. On Thursday, while walking home at 5:30am from a night out, I was stopped by the police. They thought I looked suspicious and as such followed me. I was getting spooked because I walked through an area that makes me a bit uncomfortable at that time of night. After hearing a few sounds behind me, I pulled out my big, bad 1 inch pocket knife. As soon as I did that, the secret police in their unmarked soccer-mom van pulled up to the curb, jumped out and started yelling at me. One cop was particularly rude and was awfully pushy with his baton. "You aren't in the U.S. you know. You can't walk through the streets with guns and whatever you want." Suck it dude. They wanted to fine me 300 euros for a concealed weapon. but then let me go since I explained that we foreigners aren't well educated in international weapons and firearms laws. I should be a lawyer.
The following day I went to Carnaval in Cadiz. In a word, insanity. The city goes from a population of somewhere around 400,000 to over 1.2 million in a weekend. People come from all over the world to spend this "holy" festival with the Spaniards. Friday night is just a big party in public plazas and in the street. I was out until about 6 am with my friend Dave and had a pretty good time. I would say that the churros and chocolate on the way home were definitely the highlight of the event. Saturday is when everyone dresses up like on Halloween, most often in group costumes. A few of us went as the Ninja Turtles, yours truly being Donatello. Since I couldn't fit in a child's costume, I made my own out of basketball shorts, green tights, a green t-shirt and a purple pair of woman's underwear that I cut into my headband. About 8 of us went out together after a bit of a party in my friend Matt's house. We met up with another good friend Lolo and his friends from Granada...they are insane bunch. There were 7 of them dressed up as bees, going around the crowd buzzing, and "stinging" people with their tails. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to going and seeing them soon. My night came to a sudden halt with an unfortunate accident (no, not incontinence), but overall I think I got the idea of the insanity that is Carnaval.
2/08/2010
Narrowing lens, changing perspective.
The internet is FLOODED with things to spend time on. I can bounce from Youtube video to Youtube video, to blog, to news website, to you name it. Let us not even begin to mention the life-sucker that is Facebook. I hate how many times a day I check my Gmail account and how sometimes I feel slightly anxious or disconnected when I am away from my computer for a few days.
When did I start communicating with people just as much through this as in person? Maybe, it was when I moved away from my old friends and family. Maybe, it was when I made new friends in other places and wanted to keep in touch with them. It's so great that I can keep in contact with so many people through internet. But, do we communicate because we want to really and would otherwise without it? I feel like sometimes things like Facebook and email may have us communicating with each other out of obligation to want to be connected with so many people in so many different ways.
The more I do this, the less I communicate with my immediate environment. I don't take time to just think, I don't listen to the words of the music that I have on, I don't take deep breaths of the way I used to, I don't smell it, and I don't always chew my food to taste it. It seems like all of these things become the background my laptop, whether it be while I am reading news from one of 5 websites I check daily, or an episode of Californication.
Our way of communicating is changing. In many ways this is great and I'm happy to be able to stay close to my loved ones while I am out and about, doing my thing. But, I think in some way, for me personally, the constant inundation of sounds, information and stuff that I find on my computer has me losing touch with myself. I'm turning into a consumer of another variety. I can take and read and listen and take in mass amounts of whatever it may be, just because it is at my fingertips.
I realized this between soccer on the beach in Getares yesterday and my morning rituals here in my apartment. I was surrounded by natural beauty, having a good time with friends, and appreciating it all, while somehow feeling anxious because I couldn't check my mail at a moment's notice. And yet, this morning, I sit here at my computer, no less anxious, no more fulfilled.
When did I start communicating with people just as much through this as in person? Maybe, it was when I moved away from my old friends and family. Maybe, it was when I made new friends in other places and wanted to keep in touch with them. It's so great that I can keep in contact with so many people through internet. But, do we communicate because we want to really and would otherwise without it? I feel like sometimes things like Facebook and email may have us communicating with each other out of obligation to want to be connected with so many people in so many different ways.
The more I do this, the less I communicate with my immediate environment. I don't take time to just think, I don't listen to the words of the music that I have on, I don't take deep breaths of the way I used to, I don't smell it, and I don't always chew my food to taste it. It seems like all of these things become the background my laptop, whether it be while I am reading news from one of 5 websites I check daily, or an episode of Californication.
Our way of communicating is changing. In many ways this is great and I'm happy to be able to stay close to my loved ones while I am out and about, doing my thing. But, I think in some way, for me personally, the constant inundation of sounds, information and stuff that I find on my computer has me losing touch with myself. I'm turning into a consumer of another variety. I can take and read and listen and take in mass amounts of whatever it may be, just because it is at my fingertips.
I realized this between soccer on the beach in Getares yesterday and my morning rituals here in my apartment. I was surrounded by natural beauty, having a good time with friends, and appreciating it all, while somehow feeling anxious because I couldn't check my mail at a moment's notice. And yet, this morning, I sit here at my computer, no less anxious, no more fulfilled.
2/04/2010
One week til Carnaval! Visitors this weekend! etc.!
Next weekend is the big weekend of Carnaval. Hannah, Meghan, Rocio (my roommate) and myself are going to stay with our friend Matt and hopefully have a blast. The streets are supposed to be just ridiculously packed with people all dressed up in group costumes. We've decided to bring an idea we've seen in the US to Spain. We are going to go as Facebook pages, a few of us at least. If you have not seen this, you need to do a Google image search and educate yourself. I think it's pretty brilliant and should be a lot of fun since we are going to have a blank wall and allow people to write on it. Ha, we may have to censor the pictures depending on what people write.
This weekend Matt and Amy are coming from Cadiz and Puerto de Santa Maria (a.k.a. Little Guantanamo) to visit us. It's always a good time to see these two. Matt usually stays with me and Amy with the girls, B v G. Stupid jokes aside, it should be good since we usually cook, hang out and just do whatever. I'm up for a weekend like that after an extremely planned last couple of months...or at least it feels like that.
I'm feeling more musical these days and am going to start playing my friend Lolo's guitar a bit more often, and maybe the one in the school when I have the chance on breaks. I need some kind of outlet in this sense. My outlet has been searching and listening to new music. I have to say lately I'm really liking Apparat, Modeselektor, Moderat, Jonsi, Ratatat and Andrew Bird. A bit more on the tranquil side, but that is what the mood calls for.
Oh, and bonus! Uncle Sam is going to be returning me enough money to buy my new airplane ticket home! Too bad I wanted to buy meaningless crap with it to stimulate the economy...of Spain!
Alright, I'm going to go prepare a lesson. Here is a video that I can enjoy any time of the day and in whatever odd mood I may be in.
Sigur Ros - Við spilum endalaust - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.
This weekend Matt and Amy are coming from Cadiz and Puerto de Santa Maria (a.k.a. Little Guantanamo) to visit us. It's always a good time to see these two. Matt usually stays with me and Amy with the girls, B v G. Stupid jokes aside, it should be good since we usually cook, hang out and just do whatever. I'm up for a weekend like that after an extremely planned last couple of months...or at least it feels like that.
I'm feeling more musical these days and am going to start playing my friend Lolo's guitar a bit more often, and maybe the one in the school when I have the chance on breaks. I need some kind of outlet in this sense. My outlet has been searching and listening to new music. I have to say lately I'm really liking Apparat, Modeselektor, Moderat, Jonsi, Ratatat and Andrew Bird. A bit more on the tranquil side, but that is what the mood calls for.
Oh, and bonus! Uncle Sam is going to be returning me enough money to buy my new airplane ticket home! Too bad I wanted to buy meaningless crap with it to stimulate the economy...of Spain!
Alright, I'm going to go prepare a lesson. Here is a video that I can enjoy any time of the day and in whatever odd mood I may be in.
Sigur Ros - Við spilum endalaust - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.
2/01/2010
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