Hola otra vez!
Today has been a very weird day. It seemed to drag, and now I am completely exhausted. I was planning on going for tapas but now I am not because I am too tired. Sorry Peter and Chase.
I tried my first Spanish Christmas goodies today, thanks to our Granada Seminar professor, Jose. The first is called Alfajor de Almendra, and it reminded me of a soft almond crescent, with a hint of lemon. I liked it the best out of the two.
The second is called Rosco de Vino, and its shaped like a donut, and tasted remotely of black licorice. No thanks.
Today we also had our very last meeting with Veronica (except for the full group meeting next week, and the “bye-bye dinner” [as she calls it]), and it was very bitter sweet. We talked about going home and all that, and she gave us this form to use to organize our thoughts, and I think I will share it with you:
1. When I think of leaving, I feel…conflicted. I really want to be home with my friends and family, but it almost seems too soon to be leaving. I still feel like we just got here, but yet it feels like I’ve been here forever.
2. My experience here has been…absolutely wonderful. I have learned a lot about myself, and have gained a greater appreciation for the little things I took for granted at home.
3. For me, Spain has been…a learning experience. I have broadened my food horizon a ton, learned that I am a lot tougher than I thought, and have learned a ton about Spanish culture and the language.
4. The things that I will miss are…being able to relax a lot more and not worry about things so much. Siestas. Traveling. Tapas. The friends I have made. My host family. Too many things…
5. The things that I will be happy to leave behind me are…the creepy, leering Spanish men. How no one knows how to walk on their side of the sidewalk. Dog poop everywhere on the sidewalks. All the second-hand smoke. The freezing house at night.
6. When I talk to other students about leaving…we cannot believe it is time to leave! It is even harder than when I had to come to grips with leaving for the semester!
7. When leaving a place, I usually…try to fit in too many things, see too many people. I keep to myself and get very reflective at times too. Many times, I cry, even though it is embarrassing.
8. The easiest point of leaving for me will be…returning to my family and friends that I’ve missed, and the food I have been craving that they do not have in Spain.
9. Before I leave, I really want to…visit the arab baths. Parque de las Ciencias. The Cartuja. Explore more. Get tapas again. Visit Federico García Lorca’s house…too much.
10. The ways I think I have changed are…I learned I am a lot more independent than I realized. I am a lot more open to change, and have become more patient and grateful for what I have.
11. The most stressful part of leaving will be…getting to the airport for my 7am flight! And saying my goodbyes…
12. When I think of returning to my country I feel…excited but overwhelmed. I have A LOT to go back to and throw myself back into! I am happy to see my family and friends again, though, but it will be a tough adjustment.
13. The ways I think my friends have changed are…I have no idea. Life goes on even while I am not there. They’ve probably matured and changed in their own ways. I will only notice when I get there.
14. I will be going back to…lots of family. Christmas. Kappa Delta. Bradley. Internship applications. Books. Classes. Real lilfe.
15. I think my family will expect me to…tell them everything, show them all of my pictures, and be really upbeat all the time. Be an entirely new person, which I am, but I am not.
16. I expect that my friends at home will…be excited I am home, but also have to adjust to my return themselves. They will have changed too.
17. I think the hardest part of going back for me will be…adjusting to the life I missed the semester before with the people who lived it without me. Food times. The scenery!
18. I think the easiest thing for me to handle will be…the food! I can’t wait. Being with my family because they are always there no matter what.
19. I am really looking forward to…Christmas with my family. The 3rd Annual Bradley Family Dinner. Ana’s visit. Home food. Baked goods. Working out (who knew?!). Having no language barrier. My own room. My doggies. My comfy bed. Soft laundry. Being in Kappa Delta again. The Banambra!
And that concludes that. Now to go over some more Islam slides…
Showing posts with label Tapas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tapas. Show all posts
2.12.08
30.11.08
Turkey(less) Day, (fake) Black Friday, and the best Tapas I've had
Oh, hello there! :)
Now that the festivities and I am stuck doing my homework and starting my study ventures for finals, I thought this would be the perfect time to update about Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and yesterday! Oh the life of procrastination. It has followed me, even here. Oops.
My program had Thanksgiving dinner up in the Albycin and this really wonderful restaurant, whose name I do not recall. We had a delicious 6 course meal of the following:
1: Salad and fruit (there will be a picture of this when I put the pictures up!). There was a weird vinegar drizzle over everything, which made the kiwi taste absolutely awful but that's alright. The rest of the fruit was delicious and very welcome.
2: Assorted meats and cheese, like chorizo, which some people made sandwiches out of, haha. It was normal tapa food.
3: Bring on the fried fishies and shrimp. There was shrimp (which were delicious), medusa (I was not even aware this was a real kind of fish), anchovies (I didn't partake, I am sick of them by now. Thanks Senora!), and some other thick fish I do not know the name of that you need to prepare with lemon juice and cut into chunks because it is fried. It was my favorite out of all the fishies.
4: Ham croquetas and pasta salad. The pasta salad had zero taste at all, but the croquetas were absolutely delicious. I have only ever had chicken and beef croquetas at my senora's house, so this was a nice change. I still like the chicken ones best, however.
5: The main meal. Instead of your proverbial turkey-filled Thanksgiving meal, we had, uh. Pork chops. Yes, pork chops. For those of you who know me well, you know the problem with this, and for those of you who don't...well, I abhor pork chops. Absolutely. But I ate them. Pork chops with a Marsala glaze and 2 raisins, and french fries instead of turkey and mashed potatoes. Who knew?
6: Dessert (is stressed spelled backwards...)! We had this flan-type dessert, which was the best flan I have ever had in my ENTIRE life. It was so delicious, and it wasn't really bitter on the bottom like it usually is. I was so full at this point, but I made room because there was just no other option!
And then we also could have water, wine, beer, and pop with our meals. It was a wonderful time, and then afterwards our program directors took us out with them to this nice bar called Gustav near Plaza Nueva. It was so much fun.
Then came Black Friday. In the true spirit of the craziness going on in the states, Anne and I spent the day wandering around in shops and doing some shopping. No shoving was involved, thank goodness, but now I have all of my Christmas shopping done! Hooray! Well, close. I have one or two things left to get, but I am waiting until later to see if somehow the prices go down, and if not, well, I will re-evaluate. :) But I got a wonderful new winter jacket from Mango, as well as a sweater, and a sweater dress from Zara for myself. And the a bunch of stuff for everyone else. I spent too much money, but it was worth it.
Last night Anna, Peter, Sara, Ben, Tanya and I went to this tapa bar called Poe (with the umlaut over the e) and they had the most wonderful tapas ever! They actually had some spice! We spent quite a bit of time there enjoying ourselves, and then headed to this bar called (feel free to laugh, I did) L'Escandolo and it was actually really nice and fun. After getting a call from Becky and Shay, we left to go meet up with them at Hannigans, but then left shortly after that because we were tired and it was late. It was raining the entire walk home, and I think I had more water in my shoes than not. It was gross.
Now I am here wasting time instead of doing homework, even though I really should. I will, but right now, no.
But that's all I've got, so yeah. Have a wonderful dayyyy! Hasta pronto (en 18 dias!)!!!
Now that the festivities and I am stuck doing my homework and starting my study ventures for finals, I thought this would be the perfect time to update about Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and yesterday! Oh the life of procrastination. It has followed me, even here. Oops.
My program had Thanksgiving dinner up in the Albycin and this really wonderful restaurant, whose name I do not recall. We had a delicious 6 course meal of the following:
1: Salad and fruit (there will be a picture of this when I put the pictures up!). There was a weird vinegar drizzle over everything, which made the kiwi taste absolutely awful but that's alright. The rest of the fruit was delicious and very welcome.
2: Assorted meats and cheese, like chorizo, which some people made sandwiches out of, haha. It was normal tapa food.
3: Bring on the fried fishies and shrimp. There was shrimp (which were delicious), medusa (I was not even aware this was a real kind of fish), anchovies (I didn't partake, I am sick of them by now. Thanks Senora!), and some other thick fish I do not know the name of that you need to prepare with lemon juice and cut into chunks because it is fried. It was my favorite out of all the fishies.
4: Ham croquetas and pasta salad. The pasta salad had zero taste at all, but the croquetas were absolutely delicious. I have only ever had chicken and beef croquetas at my senora's house, so this was a nice change. I still like the chicken ones best, however.
5: The main meal. Instead of your proverbial turkey-filled Thanksgiving meal, we had, uh. Pork chops. Yes, pork chops. For those of you who know me well, you know the problem with this, and for those of you who don't...well, I abhor pork chops. Absolutely. But I ate them. Pork chops with a Marsala glaze and 2 raisins, and french fries instead of turkey and mashed potatoes. Who knew?
6: Dessert (is stressed spelled backwards...)! We had this flan-type dessert, which was the best flan I have ever had in my ENTIRE life. It was so delicious, and it wasn't really bitter on the bottom like it usually is. I was so full at this point, but I made room because there was just no other option!
And then we also could have water, wine, beer, and pop with our meals. It was a wonderful time, and then afterwards our program directors took us out with them to this nice bar called Gustav near Plaza Nueva. It was so much fun.
Then came Black Friday. In the true spirit of the craziness going on in the states, Anne and I spent the day wandering around in shops and doing some shopping. No shoving was involved, thank goodness, but now I have all of my Christmas shopping done! Hooray! Well, close. I have one or two things left to get, but I am waiting until later to see if somehow the prices go down, and if not, well, I will re-evaluate. :) But I got a wonderful new winter jacket from Mango, as well as a sweater, and a sweater dress from Zara for myself. And the a bunch of stuff for everyone else. I spent too much money, but it was worth it.
Last night Anna, Peter, Sara, Ben, Tanya and I went to this tapa bar called Poe (with the umlaut over the e) and they had the most wonderful tapas ever! They actually had some spice! We spent quite a bit of time there enjoying ourselves, and then headed to this bar called (feel free to laugh, I did) L'Escandolo and it was actually really nice and fun. After getting a call from Becky and Shay, we left to go meet up with them at Hannigans, but then left shortly after that because we were tired and it was late. It was raining the entire walk home, and I think I had more water in my shoes than not. It was gross.
Now I am here wasting time instead of doing homework, even though I really should. I will, but right now, no.
But that's all I've got, so yeah. Have a wonderful dayyyy! Hasta pronto (en 18 dias!)!!!
13.9.08
Now That I Have Eaten
This has been a way longer day than it should have ever been. But Granada is amazing, and I love it already!
So starting Friday (the 12th) I finished packing, and headed off to O'Hare airport with my padres. Once there they checked my bags all the way through to Granada, which was nice, got me my boarding passes, and then I actually had to carry my luggage to the belt to have them put it with the rest that was going on the plane! Who knew!
After getting though security, I got some lunch, met up with Sara (she goes to St. Ambrose, and I am rooming with her this evening) and then we went to the terminal to wait for our flight. in the midst of waiting, we somehow got on the subject of our flight from Madrid to Granada and realized that contrary to our belief...we were definitely NOT on the same flight to Granada as we previously thought. This is all like 15 minutes before we needed to board the plane, mind you. Oops.
So we go to the counter, and the woman tells us she needs to talk to her supervisor...so she does and is told she needs to talk to a different supervisor...and we get the run around until they tell us we need to call Iberia. So we do that. They tell us there are no more seats on that flight (my flight) at all (which I later found out was completely false, there totally were like 15 seats open...), and then we are told to try to ask them again once we arrive in Madrid.
So apparently it is a security risk to have someone go on an earlier flight, and come back later to pick up their baggage from a later flight. So that was the real reason Sara couldn't switch flights...but they never thought to tell us that.
My flight left Madrid at 11:50 and was only around 40 minutes (if that) to Granada. There ended up being quite a few other girls from my program on that flight, which was wonderful. One girl, Becky, decided to stay at the Granada airport with me the four hours i had to wait for Sara to get into Granada (which wouldn't have been until 5:00 p.m. ...when I had arrived at around 1:30 in the afternoon) because her roommate for the evening was coming on the same flight as Sara.
Needless to say we became very giddy from being so tired and hungry, and played so many two-player card games (Gin, Go Fish!, Golf, Crazy Eights, Super Happy Fun Game [which we made up and is awesome!!] just to name a few) inside the fort we made around our seats with our enormous amounts of luggage. It was great. :)
When they finally arrived, there were so many of them! Peter was on that flight too, and then we found out two girls had their luggage lost somewhere along the trek, so we waited with them before we got our cabs. The cab ride was, uhm, very speedy to say the least. But we got there for 27 Euro (split by two) and he did all the heavy lifting for us to get the luggage inside the hotel we're stay in.
Which, by the way, is so adorable. I will post pictures soon, I promise. Once i get enough to make it a worthwhile upload. :)
And then we got ready, after notifying everyone at home of our safe arrival, and went to a tapas bar. It was a lot of fun, and I stuffed myself silly with machengo(? I do not know how to spell it...its goat cheese!), spanish omlette, bread, this delicious wine and lemonade and seltzer water mix (it isn't gross like it may or may not sound!!), and mussels. Nom nom nom...
After we enjoyed our food, Sara and I came back, and we ended up talking to another guy from our program, named Azra (he's originally from LA), who is also staying at our hotel this evening. I think I am going to go to bed now.
Like seriously, NOW.
Much love.
So starting Friday (the 12th) I finished packing, and headed off to O'Hare airport with my padres. Once there they checked my bags all the way through to Granada, which was nice, got me my boarding passes, and then I actually had to carry my luggage to the belt to have them put it with the rest that was going on the plane! Who knew!
After getting though security, I got some lunch, met up with Sara (she goes to St. Ambrose, and I am rooming with her this evening) and then we went to the terminal to wait for our flight. in the midst of waiting, we somehow got on the subject of our flight from Madrid to Granada and realized that contrary to our belief...we were definitely NOT on the same flight to Granada as we previously thought. This is all like 15 minutes before we needed to board the plane, mind you. Oops.
So we go to the counter, and the woman tells us she needs to talk to her supervisor...so she does and is told she needs to talk to a different supervisor...and we get the run around until they tell us we need to call Iberia. So we do that. They tell us there are no more seats on that flight (my flight) at all (which I later found out was completely false, there totally were like 15 seats open...), and then we are told to try to ask them again once we arrive in Madrid.
So apparently it is a security risk to have someone go on an earlier flight, and come back later to pick up their baggage from a later flight. So that was the real reason Sara couldn't switch flights...but they never thought to tell us that.
My flight left Madrid at 11:50 and was only around 40 minutes (if that) to Granada. There ended up being quite a few other girls from my program on that flight, which was wonderful. One girl, Becky, decided to stay at the Granada airport with me the four hours i had to wait for Sara to get into Granada (which wouldn't have been until 5:00 p.m. ...when I had arrived at around 1:30 in the afternoon) because her roommate for the evening was coming on the same flight as Sara.
Needless to say we became very giddy from being so tired and hungry, and played so many two-player card games (Gin, Go Fish!, Golf, Crazy Eights, Super Happy Fun Game [which we made up and is awesome!!] just to name a few) inside the fort we made around our seats with our enormous amounts of luggage. It was great. :)
When they finally arrived, there were so many of them! Peter was on that flight too, and then we found out two girls had their luggage lost somewhere along the trek, so we waited with them before we got our cabs. The cab ride was, uhm, very speedy to say the least. But we got there for 27 Euro (split by two) and he did all the heavy lifting for us to get the luggage inside the hotel we're stay in.
Which, by the way, is so adorable. I will post pictures soon, I promise. Once i get enough to make it a worthwhile upload. :)
And then we got ready, after notifying everyone at home of our safe arrival, and went to a tapas bar. It was a lot of fun, and I stuffed myself silly with machengo(? I do not know how to spell it...its goat cheese!), spanish omlette, bread, this delicious wine and lemonade and seltzer water mix (it isn't gross like it may or may not sound!!), and mussels. Nom nom nom...
After we enjoyed our food, Sara and I came back, and we ended up talking to another guy from our program, named Azra (he's originally from LA), who is also staying at our hotel this evening. I think I am going to go to bed now.
Like seriously, NOW.
Much love.
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