Merry big Christmas spirit

With the overflowing Christmas spirit around us lately in Sevilla my thoughts have been focused on how happy I am to come home to Chicago in just a short 8 days. Before coming to Spain, I never would have thought how 'Christmasy' it is here with decorations snd spirit. Under my balcony on my street, there is a canapy of lights and on a main street, there are plenty more to fill the cheerful spirits. Last weekend, there were people selling gifts, pastries, and other trinkets on my street in little stalls. Even though it's 60 degrees here, people are still bundled up with warm, fuzzy, and fur scarves, coats, and boots. The other night, it was hard to walk on a main street with the hustle and bustle of people Christmas shopping and being with the ones they love.

Chicago still has my heart for Christmas though, it always will-- no matter where in this world I am. I am blessed to be able to go home for 3 weeks (I am missing one week of school) so I can be with the ones I love---including mi novio Matt, los BShaks, mis amigas, and of course Lous and Oberweis!

Of all the different ways people celebrate Christmas, we cant forget the meaning behind all this spirit and excitment in the air...a celebration of Christ's birth. Jesus's story is simply beautiful written, the starry night setting and the events that unfold around the birth. I believe that has become hijacked within society as a commercialized event for presents, family, food, and fun. This isnt necessary a bad thing, family and tradition are very important things in life. I am not saying I dont celebrate in these ways, I do. We just cant forget the meaning behind the celebration.

"An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord".
--Luke 2:9-11

Step into Morocco

Drumming and dancing with desert Berbers around a flaming fire, sleeping under the bright stars in a blanket tent surrounded by desert, riding a camel in pitch darkness to our desert oasis and using bargaining skills with a moroccan for a woven blanket....... Getting lost in the medina of Fez within its 9,000 unnamed streets, tasting the wonderful aromas of the abundance amount of spices used in moroccan cuisine... and taking in all the other aspects of the moroccan culture are a few highlightes that made this trip epic.

Rich & colorful architecture, spices that make your mouth water, music that makes you want to get up and dance, instruments that bring a cultural sound in your ear, the sahara desert (yes it does get cold, in fact, freeeezing), friendliness and smiles among the hospitable moroccan people all of which make it unique & interesting in itself.

I wont bore you with the day by day details, although i will highlight some moments that contributed to the great 5 day trip through morocco.

15 hours of driving in the first 2 days in our 2 large busses started the trip, along with unique & interesting rest stops. One included our first 'squat toilet', and tasting new moroccan chips and candies. We stayed in unique moroccan hotels and ate tasteful moroccan food full of rich spices. On the second day, we did an hour jeep ride from the desert hotel cranked with moroccan tunes with twists and turns in the desert, and a half hour camel ride in the pitch darkness ALL to arrive to the Sahara desert.

My first moroccan meal at our first stop in Rabat, the capitol of morocco on the coast, was Pastilla, a national moroccan dish defined as an elaborate ‘meat pie’ with layers of phyllo dough, meat (we had chicken with spices, broth, almonds, onions), and a topping of ground almonds, cinnamon, and powdered sugar. The topping was the best part! Shout out to fam- I plan to make this sometime in the near future, potentially over break. After a great meal, we went to the ocean to view the beautiful scenery.

From the hotel, the jeep ride to where we would get our camels was a blast with our new and dear friend, Hanna, as we barley could communicate but with simple words. He had all smiles & laughter and wanted to make the ride as fun as possible (although my jeep ride back the next day was full of more bumps and turns).

Kirstie and I exclaimed this felt like the Indiana Jones Adventure Ride in Disney Land, which is favorite amusement park ride ever built! I was reliving my childhood at Disney Land on a real adventure ride in thereal sahara with a real moroccan. Riding through the desert in the dark on our first (of two) camel ride was an experience to remember. All we could see was miles upon miles of sand dunes lightened by the bright moroccan moon and the millions of shining stars above.

After settling into our blanket tents, we ate a moroccan meal filled with veggies, egg, and meat at low tables under candle light. We then gathered around the berbers playing moroccan music and beats with their drumming and other instruments. We danced, talked, and played music. There were about 15 of them, they all live in the desert with a low maintenance lifestyle. I even drummed with them for a while (you'd be proud Russ & Julie!)

After a few hours, we went to bed with the thought of waking up at 6:30am to see the desert sunrise at the top of a 30 minute climb of a sand dune. Unfortunately, i got sick that night (was outside my tent for 3.5 hours throwing up in the sand with stars above me) and was unable to get out of bed for the sunrise but as the day went on, I felt better.

Where I slept, with the dunes next to us

That day (the 3rd day) consisted of a 2 hour camel ride to a desert hotel where we got to shower, relax by the pool with the sun in our eyes, eat yet again, another great moroccan meal, and hangout in the sand dunes. We explored a unique desert town with only 50 families (if i remember correctly) and went in a beautiful carpet shop full of an abundance amount of color and endless beautiful hand woven carpets made by the berbers.

We enjoyed a moroccan desert sunset, had a jeep ride back, and was greeted with an obnoxious, slightly comedic- yet pleasing greeting of moroccans on the rooftop of the hotel. They were playing loud and large instruments. I stayed outside for about 5 minutes watching them gleefully. We were also greeted with moroccan dancers inside the hotel as we walk in. This was the coolest hotel we stayed in; it was very moroccan themed with lanterns and architecture that contributed, with beautiful lit walkways. The dessert table in the desert (how often can you put dessert and desert in the same sentence?), was a sight to remember, which i filled my plate with a full array of pastries, fruit, and chocolate flan....I might add before the meal.

Eleven hours of driving and a day and a half later, we arrive in Fez the second largest city in Morocco, with its own charm and interest, to explore the medina. The medina is a labyrinth of a city enclosed with people, 90,000 business, schools, or mosques. There were no boundaries between the historical and cultural past and modernity. A traveler must be in harmony with this or they will have a frightening experience.

A 3 minute walk into the medina and you could already have experienced one or more of these things: crushed be people carrying bags of groceries, step in poo (human or donkey?), have a donkey step on your foot, smell something you’ve never smelt before, have a small child beg you for money or have a seller offering a great price for a rug. There is no concept of space. People, mules, wheelbarrows, motorbikes, donkeys, beggars, and anything in between share the 2-6 feet wide streets. I can say that beyond all that, I enjoyed every moment.

The biggest challenge was yet to come...bargaining with a moroccan carpet seller. You have not experienced Fez without this sport, truly it’s a sport. I knew I wanted a carpet (I really just wanted to buy a magical blanket and be Aladin for a day) or blanket hand woven by the berbers in the desert so I found just that. Price: 200 euros. 200 EUROS! With my bargaining tactics (learned from the greatest, my dad), I brought the price to 45 euros. Its an off-white hand made blanket (or rug) with a simple black/green/red design on it. I am pleased with my purchase.

Along with the natural hustle and bustle of the medina, as a group we went into a spice/perfume/pharmacy. They definitely made business that day with all our american purchases, some included bags of spices (a 45-spice!), moroccan curry, saffron (cheap there) moroccan oils, lotions, lip balms, etc.

After a narrow winding mosaic staircase, we were up on a high terrace overlooking the workers in their leather making at the Chouwara tannerie. A site in itself. With the many, many steps from cow-skin to leather we were taught by a guide that this process has not changed much since the beginning...donkeys labor through the medina streets carrying animal skins to the dye pits in which the skins are boiled, and washed many times through a water generated wheel, then soaked in various substances, then they are dyed in indigo, saffron, and poppy for added color.

With everything that is said, written down, or photographed about Morocco, nothing can compare to physically being there. Every insignificant, overwhelming, or beautiful situation while traveling make up the whole experience. Depending on your expectations and preparations, you can have a spectacular or a lousy trip. Going on this large tour group type-trip, I knew it would be a different experience than my normal travels. I was willing to put that aside, and enjoy the trip! I met new friends in seville, made memories of a lifetime, left with beautiful henna on my left hand, and....of course, ate amazing food.

PS, go on facebook to see more photos not included in the blog, such as feeding & playing with monkeys, making friends with little moroccan boys who live in the small desert town, interesting moroccan doors, and beautiful moroccan scenery. Also, a video to be posted later.

a Thanksgiving post

The warm cozy Spanish home of Brittnee & Kelsee's in the small pueblo of Baza, an hour and a half from Granada is where I spent my first international Thanksgiving. Consisting of people from 7 different countries, the house was filled with laughter, stories, and fellowship with old and new friends. The smell of homemade Thanksgiving dishes, including sweet potatoes, veggie casseroles, and homemade apple pie, invited a holiday spirit in the home. I am blessed that some of my best friends and college roommates, Brittnee and Kelsee, planned this Thanksgiving dinner. We enjoyed meeting new people, exchanged teaching stories, and stuffing ourselves. Of course, thats what youre supposed to do on Thanksgiving.

I am blessed that I am living my dream right now in Spain. I am thankful for my wonderful family who supports me through anything, best friends that Ive known my whole life or met in college or the last years, a boyfriend at home who is always there for me, supports me in everything and is patiently by my side while i'm in spain, and I am thankful for my relationship with God.

Beyond the eating, football and shopping, Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks and look at what is important in your life and whats good, despite any hardships someone, or the world, may be going through. Gratitude is a positive emotion and can change your outook on life by making you happier. Giving thanks also beings people together. It brought a group from all over the country in a small home in the tiny town of Baza, Spain.

Climb up La Silletta, the Sadle

Within a few short minutes of the (soon to be) weekend adventure, my friend Ben and I realized it’s necessary to book train tickets from Sevilla to Granada in advanced. The train was unexpectedly full leaving us with a quick decision. We ran to catch a taxi to the bus station in hopes there would be a bus leaving soon WITH open space. As we were on our way, we started thinking of back up plans, but we held our hope high. To give away an ending, there was a bus that was leaving in 4 minutes, but was full. We ran to the ticket counter, and he said we can take the bus an hour later. Close one, but we made it.

We were on our way to Granada to stay in a hostel, then take a bus to the small mountain village of Dilar to start a hike up the mountains. We were climbing La Silletta, or the saddle (a 360 degree view at the top!) Friday night, we roomed the narrow pebble stone streets city of beautiful Granada. Granda still has the Spanish tradition when you buy a drink, you get a tapa gratis. We took advantage of that by going from bar to bar. Our first stop, the tapa reminded me of my classic familys’ recipe of german potato salad, so it was delicious. Because the tapas wern’t fulfilling our hunger, thanks to Ben’s advice, there are a lot of arab restaurants on a certain street so we headed that way in hopes of a good Middle Eastern meal. One we found, the small, cozy restaurants kitchen was closed, so we ordered crepes because they still were making those.

We rose the next morning, took advantage of the free typical hostel breakfast (toast, jam, a form of nutella, cereal, milk, juice, coffee...) and went to the bus stop. The town of Dilar is very small, in fact it seemed to have only one hotel, a few bars and shops, and small tiny spanish houses overlooking the mounains.

We had a good start of our hike when we stopped at a home to ask a spanish lady directions to the specific mountain we had in mind. She was more than gracious, offering us a water bottle and even grapes she was growing in the front of her house. She must have saw me eyeing the vines of grapes in the white bags hanging above our heads, and she offered us a bag. That experience showed us the nice, hospitable spanish culture. Not to mention, the homegrown grapes were delicious and a perfect treat before a long hike.

We found the path and started out climb! After thinking we made it to the top 2 times, we finally made it! We were hungry, tired and thirsty as all we had was a water bottle. We forgot to bring snacks and should have had more water on us. The rain storm was coming our way, we could see the rain clouds in site! It was getting dark soon, but we had to finish! We pushed ourselves and it felt great to be at the top. What a feeling at the top of a mountain.

During one point, we strolled from the path and went straight up the steep side of the mountain, instead of the easy slower way. It was exhilarating and fun. I was exhausted though. The church in Dilar was our landmark to the city again, and we’ve never wanted to see a church more in our life than now. ;) We crossed a field to get to the hotel to (hopefully) get water, the missed the bus, and sat in the cold rain for 45 minutes. Through it all, it was well worth it! God blessed us with beauty in site.

The day ended with stuffing ourselves with pizza and sharing a free XXL pizza that we received to the hostel workers. The next day went to the arab street for some shopping, and went to the bus station only for the train to leave in 2.5 hours. We made it back home safely.

Great conversations, running to make busses, watching a storm cloud head our way on the mountain, and ditching the trail to head up steep are just a few of the adventures from this epic Sierra Nevada trip. I will never underestimate the beauty of Gods creation. We are blessed to live in a beautiful world, not always perfect, but its important to remember the beautiful and positive.

Memories as they come

In the new book I recently started reading, "Norwegian Wood" by a Japanese author, Haruki Murakami, the protagonist looks back on his life 18 years later, his thoughts revolving around the story of him and the girl he fell in love with.

"Memory is a funny thing. When I was in the scene, I never paid any attention. I never stopped to think of it as something that would make a lasting impression..."

While sitting next to the window on the train to Utrera, I stared out at the passing fields and thought about this quote. I pondered some natural questions...

What am i doing today that will make a lasting impression years to come?

What scenes in my everyday life will i remember 20 years from now?

What if I forget the most important things?

Right now as i am teaching in spain, meeting new people, and traveling through spain and europe, I am certainly making memories. Will these memories last forever? fortunately, i have kept a journal through life since i was a little girl. i can easily retrace my thoughts from when i was a young child. but, those are just written words. Everything that was important back then is just a memory now. Its interesting what memories come in your mind like a rocket, they come so fast yet they are gone instantly. In Spain, i want to make memories that will last a lifetime. i want to remember them forever.

As quoted in "Norwegian Wood, "Life doesnt require ideals. it requires standards of action."

Cordoba bliss

(Pics will be here at a later date. My camera cord isnt cooperating)

A brief weekend getaway found myself, Raquel, and Hannah in the medium sized city of Cordoba in Andalusia. We took the renfe train at 9 am on saturday and was in the city an hour and a half later meeting Hannah. It was quite a journey finding our hostal because we didnt have the name of it. We tried other hostals, but they were full. We finally retrieved some numbers and called. The first place we called had a room for 3, thankfully it was a lovely place with Spanish character. There were 2 turtle pets in the center courtyard. So cute! We explored that afternoon and for dinner that night, we found a pizzeria to fulfill our cravings.

In ancient times, Cordoba was an Iberian and Roman city with Islamic calliphate. The architecture is a reminder when Cordoba was under Roman rule. Cordoba has the second largest old town in Europe, and its most important monument being the Great Mosque of Cordoba otherwise known as the Mezquita Catedral. Originally it was a pagan temple, then a Christian church, then a mosque. For three centuries, it was a very important place for the Islamic community to gather.

The design is remarkable featuring its giant doubles arches, open court, and windows of colored glass. There are about 800 columns. It is an eerie feeling knowing you are in a place with so much history.

The Roman bridge built in the 1st century is a beautiful piece of architecture. It was lovely walking across and seeing the city at a good view from across the bridge.

The Jewish quarter contains many irregular streets, winding roads, and beautiful patios (in May there is a patio festival). We wondered around there hours discovering cafes, shops, and interesting patios.

We woke up on sunday and found a lovely cafe to have our cafe con leches and decided to share a few pastries, including a chocolate croissant. We walked around, found the synagogue, and decided it was time for lunch. We stumbled upon a Chinese restaurant in which the menu lured us in. The place was filled with Asians, so we knew it would be good and that was just what it was. I ordered a chicken and veg stir fry, and it was very good, just what I had a taste for. Overall, the weekend was lovely. Cordoba lacked good tapa cafes and it was hard to find good food, but the history made up for it. I am looking forward to trips ahead including hiking in the mountains this weekend with a friend.

Home is where the heart is

(I wrote this LAST weekend. THIS weekends blog will be here tomorrow)

After my road trip through Andalucia last weekend, I decided to spend a lovely weekend in my hometown of Sevilla. Although I am still getting over my sickness, I still managed to get out of my piso and enjoy the city. Parts of the weekend included eating some delightful churros con chocolate, wandering the streets of Seville, having some drinks and american food at Merchants with friends, going to a local flamenco show at a bar venue, meeting some spanish people, trying out an aaaamazing smelling pizzeria, eating fro yo with nutella, and needed relaxation.

The flamenco show was unique because it wasnt like the big production touristy one, in fact it was free. The venue itself was interesting with flower pots and lights hanging from the cieling and oversized artwork with flamenco dancers filled the walls. Different flamenco groups came up every 30 minutes or so.

Flamenco has 4 parts to it, the cante (singing), toque (guitar playing), baile (dance), and palmas (handclaps). Each of those are pieced together to create a wonderful meolody and sound of Andalusia. People are brought up to learn and play flemco professionally. Just like americans who play soccer or dance their whole life growing up, a Spaniard can learn flamenco their whole life. Some people say you have to be born with it in your blood to truly be a great flamenco dancer.

an Andalucian roadtrip.

Our backpacks tightly sitting in the trunk of the car, yummy snacks waiting to be eaten, iPod ready to play tunes, and the windows down on a clear sunny day started the Andalucia roadtrip that we were embarking on. Carrie and I decided we wanted to go on a trip with monday and tuesday off of work. We decided to go with the sweet couple Emily and Rane in their car to 4 different andalucian cities.

First stop: Ronda

Ronda is a cliff city in the Malaga province. People go there to admire the mountainous region with a huge bridge spanning the El Tajo canyon below with the river running through it. A very popular american writer, Ernest Hemmingway spent summers here writing about the beauty and cliffs. The city of Ronda presents itself with diverse styles of architecture.

Ronda was quite amazing as we were passing through a territory with marks of history. We wanted to hike to the bottom of the canyon, but unfortunately couldnt find the path. We did hike a little around the bridge and canyon. Being in a unique natural environment was enjoying and I took in every moment of the landscape.

Second stop: Marbella

Marbella is a tourist resort town on the Mediterranean coast beneath La Concha mountains. It is known for the rich and famous bringing in celebrities and wealthy people. It is a destination for luxary cruise ships, mega yachts, and golf resorts. You might wonder why we went there. Well, it was beautiful. Why not feel like celebrity for a day? Mansion next to mansion on top of rolling hills was a site alone. When we arrived, we check in our nice hotel on the ocean. We paid a good price for what we got. For dinner, we walked a few blocks to a recommended (over priced), yet with character Italian restaurant. After good food and conversation, we headed back to the hotel to get a goods night rest for the next day to come. We woke up and decided to get breakfast at the hotel. We sat outside with the ocean view and ordered our cafe con leches right away. After exploring Marbella for a few hours, we decided it was time to hit the road again.

Third stop: Malaga

Our next stop was Malaga. If this sounds familiar to you, it is. I spent a weekend there last staying at a friends place with other teachers. After spending 30 minutes to find a local noodle restaurant, we gave up and decided on kebabs filling our tummys with beef, pita, vegetables, hot sauce and plenty of the yogurt white sauce. The others decided to climb up to the Alcazaba, which I has done so I shopped, ate frozen yogurt, and and people watched. After we saw everything else in Malaga, we decided it was time to get in the car and head towards our next destination, Granada.

Last stop: Granada

When we arrived, we went staight to the hotel which previously said there was room for 4 online. When we arrived, it was full. Next hotel, full. Next hotel, full. There was a contiuous pattern, every hostal and htoel were full. We asked a worker and he said it was because of the holiday on tuesday. people decided to go away for the weekend (just as in america) but little did we know it would leave us getting a hotel 30 minutes away from the city. This hostal has character. it was a ma and pa type of place where everyone knew each other in the bar and restaurant, which seemed to be the center of town. We walked in with all eyes on us. We ordered drinks and recived our free tapa (as it is in granada) and ordered dinner. After dinner, we went up to our room to sleep.

I was very excited to visit granada from things I have heard about it. Granada is situated at the foot of the Sierra Nevadas mountains with the Alhambra a moorish citadel and palace being a top tourst destination in Spain. We woke early to visit the Alhambra, but tickets were sold out. We then walked around Granada seeing the other sites it has to offer. We hiked up for a while to come across a beautiful view of the Alhambra. It was magical seeing something constructed in the 14th century for rulers. One thing i loved about Granada is the huge market they have filled with bags, ceramics, cloths, lights, trinkets from an international setting.

After granada, we hopped in the car and headed back to rota. we had a relaxing day for halloween at emily and ranes hose on the ocean. we played some nintendo 64 (she happened to have my one and only video game i like, donkey kong), grilled hamburgers, watched a movie, and enjoyed being with the girls.

Ronda



Marbella



Granada