So, I've been waiting for some sort of stroke of genius to make today's post happen but it didn't come. The reason behind my lack of brilliance is probably due to the fact that Er and I's lovely new friend Abbe (pronounced like Abby) knew of a magical website that would let me use NETFLIX in SPAIN! See, the problem was that I was on Season 6 of Grey's Anatomy before I left for this beautiful country and thought that I was going to be Netflix-less for the next 8 months, BUT ALAS! So I'm three episodes back into it as I write this while I drink half a bottle of European Fanta (which is infinitesimally tastier than the American stuff).
Have any of you ever traveled somewhere for an extended period of time? I don't mean like a few weeks, I mean months. I've stayed in Europe the last couple of summers for a few months at a time, but never for this long. It's like... well it feels like I've already been here for ages, yet it's only been days. And having 8 months to soak all this up...? Unbelievable.Instead of having to rush to take it all in, having to try and see all the sights, eat all the food, do everything all at once.. I have time. Erin, Abbe and I walked around downtown Murcia for hours today, about 7 miles to be exact. 7 MILES! So my feet may fall off but good Lord was it beautiful. I took lots of pictures (for those of you who happen to be my Facebook friends, you can see them - for those of you who are not my Facebook friends.. how unfortunate for you). I've never walked around like that without an intended direction, we walked for hours and when we were about to keel over and die we picked out a little bakery and Er bought me a freaking delicious little pizza with goat cheese and tomatoes and rosemary, it was stupid good. We walked some more and found the cathedral of Murcia... it is worth the walk. Er and Abbe and I cannot wait for La Semana Santa (Easter Week) because Murcia has one of the most amazing and beautiful Holy Week festivities in the country, and it all happens around that magnificent cathedral. We found a bridge similar to the one in Paris with the locks that couples put up to be all precious and lovey and stuff. There are palm trees everywhere, which reminds me of home, and bridges all over the place that cross over the river that flows through Murcia which are surprisingly modern looking in contrast with the beautiful rustic feel of the older parts of downtown. I am falling in love with this place. There. I admitted it. Er and Abbe and I are talking about going to Portugal this coming weekend... The fact that I can plan a weekend trip to Portugal... Dreams actually, truly do come true. In other news, aside from my undying love for this country and everything that it entails, I also may be in love with Erin. She is the Christina to my Meredith. Last night threw me a bit of a curve ball and Er - God bless her - dropped everything and showed up at my door with a bottle of sangria and churros dipped in chocolate (heavenly). We watched Wolverine - because who likes sappy movies anyway - and cuddled. I don't mean like I leaned on her shoulder cuddled, I mean like she was the little spoon to my big spoon and anyone who saw us would have questioned our sexuality. I mean to each their own but I swear I prefer boys. Personally. Anyway, my point is, she is a Godsend. Speaking of best friends, I got to talk to Jessie Marie last night and that girl knows just what to say to brighten my day. We "cheers'd" each other through the phone which was oddly more sentimental than you'd think. We talked and caught up a bit but goodness I miss that girl. I talk to John and Ky and Becerzzz consistently because I certainly can't get rid of them (trust me I've tried). Oh, my word of the day! The word is charco, which means puddle. I learned this lovely new word today when I failed to realize that the stupid shower - which only stays hot for like 8.7 minutes - was spilling over the edge and I left it there post shower because I am the least observant person.. ever. So anyway I had to mop it up with an exceptionally European looking mop. That's the story for my word of the day and while you and I both know that it is not a particularly riveting story, that's how I learned it.. I don't know what to tell you. I'm good but I'm not great, ya get what ya get. This post was less emotionally profound and more of an update, but alas. I start my Spanish Language Intensive tomorrow! We have three hours of class from 9:30 - 12:30 each day for the next two weeks and then big kid classes start on the 27th. The test we took this past week put me in a level just under native speakers and I mean not to sound all high and mighty but I mean... that makes me feel pretty good. So that starts tomorrow and then afterwards I have to be more productive tomorrow than I have been in the past week. After class I have to open a bank account, get groceries, buy school supplies, and do a course request list for classes. Also get doeners with the girls (the German version of gyros). All in all I'm expecting a good day, but I'll be sure to let you know how it goes! Later!
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Do you remember that song about the minutes and moments and movements used to measure time? The one nobody except choir nerds knows the the words to aside from the actual "five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes" that comes at the end? (By the way I had to take some serious time to think out how to spell that number). But anyway, I never really fully understood that song. Time is time, it passes. My most recent semester at WVU was measured mostly by cups of coffee, library schedules and tables waited on at work. And let's not forget the horrible awful terrible mess it was to get into this freakin' Spain program. But my point is this: here, time passes differently. Life isn't measured by hours in a day, instead I tell time by my morning cafe con leche with a tostada covered in crema de tomate. I tell time by my the warmth of the sun on my face when it finally escapes from behind the clouds for those beautifully warm hours of unadulterated daylight. I tell time by my absolutely wonderful flatmates knocking on my door telling me it's time to wake up and have dinner (whose real time is about 9 or 10pm for those of you who don't know - these people are like energizer bunnies I swear they function without sleep). I tell time by how many glasses of sangria I've had while talking with friends at the bar. I tell time by the songs that we dance to in the club, laughing at the fact that Pitbull is everywhere and we cannot escape his featured raps in songs that would otherwise be terrific. I tell time by the number of people who are out and about so late at night, everyone from high school kids to the most precious little old couples has their own place whether it be at a tapas bar or a little cafe or on the steps of the Facultad de Letras.
It is not to say that I didn't have all these beautiful things and people in my life before I got here. Truly, I have the most wonderful family I could ever even begin to ask for and I honestly don't know what I did to have been so lucky. Laughing with my sisters, butting heads with my dad, being silly with my mom, astoundingly supportive and loving grandparents, all of it is such a blessing. I could not imagine my life without them and I hope to God I'll never have to. But at home.. at school... life is crazy. Truly. My family is known by everyone we know as the ones who always have somewhere to be or something to do. Always. At school, I take almost the limit of allowed credit hours and I work 30 hours a week and occasionally am lucky enough to see my best friends like every fifth weekend. I can't slow down because life won't wait for me to catch up. So while I get to enjoy my time with the people I adore in the places I love, I do not get to fully appreciate them for who they are and what they do for me, because there is always something else going on that I ALSO have to focus on (I know it doesn't look like I can handle more than walking and breathing at the same time but you'd be surprised; sometimes I can even chew gum while I do all that). But this isn't fair to them. To my family, to my friends, or even to myself. In many ways I think I live my life like I prepare my plate for Christmas dinner: I get a little bit of everything, a lot of some things, and then a few little extras just in case I run out. And then I get full. And also fat, but that's a story for another time. My point is, Spain has given me a chance to really appreciate the world around me. I mean sure, it's a hell of a lot easier to appreciate the world around you when you're in one of the most beautiful places you've ever been and all you have to do is sit there and try to look pretty until classes start, BUT, I swear this semester is going to be different. I don't look at my watch because I'm running late, I look at it because I want to see how long I've been having a great time with my friends. I don't walk quickly because I'm late for something, I do it because I'm so excited to get wherever it is I'm going. I don't care which street I choose to get into the city center because I would so much rather wander and find new things to see than I would find one path and stick to it because it's easy and faster. I don't check my phone because first off I don't have service but even if I did there is so much to take in it's absolutely unbelievable, I even avoid blinking for fear of missing something. There is a saying that one of the professors here taught us: Trabajamos para vivir, no vivimos para trabajar. It means "we work to live, we do not live to work." The people here epitomize this saying. Everything is closed on Sunday not because of religious reasons or laziness or what have you, but because the Spanish are not allowed to have more than a 40 hour work week, and Sunday is a day of relaxation. Did you read that? If not go back and look. THEY HAVE A DAY SET ASIDE FOR RELAXATION. AMERICA, WE'RE DOING IT WRONG. Time does not pass in Murcia like it does elsewhere. I fall more and more in love with the beautiful Mediterranean architecture and style every day, and even more so with the people who welcome you like an old friend even if you've just met and who are more than happy to help with anything you could possibly need. Every single time I walk by my campus, I can't help but think how lucky I am to be here. I live here. I have to repeat it to myself over and over again and sometimes I still can't believe it. But I think living here.. It will undoubtedly change me. I will not be the same person when I leave. I'm sure there will be good and bad, as with everything else in life, but if nothing else, I hope to take this new found perspective on life with me as I move on through the milestones of my life. I have loved and learned a lot in my 20 years. I know that it may not seem like much, but it's been quite a time, let me tell you. I know I will love and learn even more as these years continue, but I'll get there when I get there. My life is truly unbelievable. It almost leaves me breathless to think about how blessed I am. At this point I just want to soak up everything I can about this atmosphere and way of life and appreciate everything how it is now, because soon my semester starts, and while I know it will be different, it's still school, and I have issues. Please, if you get nothing else out of my relentless babbling, please just take a moment.. A minute, an hour, whatever you like, but just... Stop and smell the damn roses. Because they're more beautiful than you can ever imagine, and Heaven help the person who misses out on the opportunity to appreciate their beauty while they can. Tell your sisters you love them. Tell your dad you get your stubbornness from him. Tell your mom you're actually pretty pumped you'll look like her in 20 years. And tell your best friends, you know, the ones that couldn't get rid of you even if you tried, that they should come over and have some sangria, cause who doesn't love sangria, right? OH, because I can't not mention it, the word of the day is actually a phrase: La cama que tanto amo. More or less, it means "the bed that I love so much." So this thing is a twin, right? A freakin' twin sized bed. And it is absolutely freezing here at night (at least in my room - and there's the added fact that I'm a total wus (Yas has a word for people who are prone to being cold which I can't currently recall but if I remember it I'll let you know - OH, it's friolera). And yet, despite the previously stated facts, I love this damn bed. I love my authentic Spanish siestas. I love that I can stand on this piece of crap and climb out onto the terrace. This thing is great, and I don't mean to toot my own horn but I'm pretty sure it loves me too. Anyway, this has been my favorite phrase as of late for when my exceptionally lazy behind refuses to get out of bed, and I think I'm gonna run with it. Or.. lay in bed with it, if you will. Sorry for all the mushy crap to anyone who actually read this all the way through (you poor soul), it was a long night. Next time, I promise I'll talk lots about my orientations and "making friends" and how the whole only speaking Spanish thing is going and the living like a big kid in a real person apartment with an actual kitchen part and whatever else happens to pop into my itty bitty little brain. Hasta la proxima vez! PSA: This is a bit more of a diary entry sounding thing than a bloggy thing buuuut I figure I should keep it interesting (if that's possible) and switch it up.
6 miles. I walked at LEAST 6 miles today. There is a distinct possibility that my legs are going to fall off. The reason for my never ending hike from Hell is that while all my friends live directly on the Merced campus, I live about a 25 minute walk away from it, and from what I understand, most of my classes will be on the Merced campus which while it's a hike is also a blessing because the Espinardo campus is 40 minutes away by tram and as tempting as that sounds... no thank you. So basically, I'm gonna rent a bike for the next few months OR learn how to walk faster. My flatmates (God bless them) said that they would show me a shortcut on Saturday that only takes like 15 minutes so that this semester doesn't kill me. All three of them have exams for the next few weeks which here are at least 70% of your grade (ouch) so they've been wonderful and welcoming and fantastic but finals kill so I can't wait for them to be over so they can show me the city etc. I GOT TO SEE ER TODAY! We met on the stairs of the Facultad de Letras, which is actually my main building of study because it's for language and the like. YAY! The campus is in the center of town and it's absolutely gorgeous, I still can't believe I actually live here. We went and got coffee and walked around awhile (back and forth from my apartment) and then met with Jake and his flatmate Nick. We walked a bit more and then I got the most amazing cappuccino that was NUTELLA FLAVORED. I could honestly have died happy then and there. Side note - I spoke English today for the first time in a few days while catching up with Er but as soon as we were all caught up we switched back into Spanish. We went grocery shopping and Erin unpacked a bit and then we had a meeting at 430 with the school - apparently we also had a meeting this morning buuuuut we're gonna pretend that didn't happen because none of us knew..... honestly. So we went to this 2 hour meeting with a tiny little man in camouflage pants that gave us all the information one could ever hope to have, and God only knows what the orientation tomorrow will be about - my brain is small, so we'll see how much more information I can handle before I explode. And after the orientation we have to take an exam to see what level intensive we will be in for the next two weeks, and then we're free! Except I have to open a freakin' Spanish bank account tomorrow and be productive so we'll see how far that goes.. And I have to re-choose my classes, which was sooo much fun the first time. I am taking Literature of the Middle Ages (WHEW!), Syntax and Semantics (YIPPEE!), German something or other (HOORAY!), and Introduction to Penal Rights (can't save this one with a well placed parenthetic shout). Anyway, after the super duper fun meeting everyone went home, planning to meet up at a bar later, buuut we're all so tired I think we're just gonna call it a night... Some might call me a party animal. Currently hanging out with the girls while I write, they're studying and we're talking and I honestly think this is going to be an amazing semester, these girls are so so so sweet and I'm so glad I got them as my flatmates. Oh I almost forgot! My word today is gafe - which means "jinx" in English. Isa and Yas said it and when I translated it into English, Yas was absolutely positive that Jinx is a Pokemon! It's kinda funny how there are so many words that you don't even consider to have names aside from what they are in English, you know? Maybe that's just me. Believe it or not I've actually learned a lot these past few days, I have more confidence in my Spanish speaking abilities than I ever thought to have, although I don't know if I'll ever be able to order food as easily as Ines just ordered kebabs for everyone.. In other news, my flatmates and I are now Facebook friends, so if it wasn't real before, it certainly is now. Ciao bellas <3 Today was my first full day in Murcia! Part of me still doesn't feel like it's real. It's like I've been waiting and working and wanting to get here and it seemed so unobtainable until I finally got to my new apartment.
Alright so to rewind a little bit - My name's Alex. I'm from Southern California but I'm a Marine Corps brat so I've lived a little bit of everywhere. I study Spanish, German and Linguistics at West Virginia University, but this semester I am in Murcia, Spain to take classes at la Universidad de Murcia and I will be attending a university in Fulda, Germany this coming summer to take classes and do an internship. Upon my return, I will begin my third and last year as an undergraduate student - slightly terrifying. Also, to clarify, I decided that for post titels I will use a word that I learned for the first time on the day that I write each post. Today my word is "perchas", meaning "hangers", something I am in dire need of. So anyway, back to the whole Murcia thing. I left my house in Temecula at 3am for the airport for my 6am flight. Of course, there was a delay, because God forbid I travel without encountering at least one. Three hours late, I arrived in Newark for a 3 hour layover. I subsequently flew from Newark to Madrid for 8 hours which was just lovely. There was a mother and daughter fighting next to me the entire time in Spanish and I had no desire to get in the middle of it so I slept and kept to myself, but I couldn't help thinking of my own mother and how if my visa had arrived on time that we already would have been in Spain, having the time of our lives together (for those who don't know, my mom is my very best friend). I'm not totally heartbroken though cause she's visiting in March! I arrived in Madrid at 10am completely unsure of what my next step would be. I had to buy an international SIM card so I could let my family know I wasn't dead yet and the lady at the counter was absolutely precious, I don't know what I would've done had she not been so helpful - I asked her the best way to get to Madrid, thinking I would have to take a taxi from the airport to the train station, but this beautiful woman told me I could take a shuttle to another terminal that held a small train station that could eventually get me to Murcia. I almost kissed her. So I went and found this itty bitty little train station, all the while carrying the duffel bag from Hell (whose shoulder strap I had completely forgotten was in one of my other bags until I found it later while unpacking). I tried using one of the machines for Renfe - the most prominent train company in Spain - but it didn't accept American credit cards so I went to customer service and bought two tickets - one to Atocha and then one from Atocha to Murcia. On my first train ride I met quite coincidentally a girl named Melania who's from Ibiza - a Spanish island in the Mediterranean. We both stopped in Atocha and grabbed coffee in a little cafe in the train station before our respective trains arrived. We actually added each other on Facebook and she wants me to come visit her in Cordoba! Funny how you can find the most wonderful people in the most unlikely places... I rode from Atocha to Murcia without a problem and met a lovely woman who lived in Murcia and we talked for a few hours before arriving. She let me use her phone to call my landlord and let her know I was coming AND she made sure a cab came before she left for her home... talk about a Godsend. I took a taxi to my new apartment and my landlord met me outside. She showed me around my new apartment (which is really very nice by the way) and I met my first flatmate, Isa. She's really sweet and loves to cook so I'm hoping somewhere along the line we can start trading recipes. It was only about 730 when I finally got to take a breather but as soon as I did I knew it was bedtime - 30 consecutive hours of travel will do that to you, or so I hear. I slept until 730 this morning, which was in plenty of time to go watch the sunrise from our private terrace (I know, I'm spoiled). Isa got home from her boyfriend's place around 10am and we went grocery shopping in the town center, which is luckily only a five or ten minute walk from our apartment. Okay so grocery shopping in and of itself deserves its own paragraph. Like any European country, Spain has stores for different things, places for just fruit, just drinks, etc. But there are lots of mercados that have most of what you need for everyday stuff, which is where we went. So you walk in and there are locks for carritos at the front (little carts with fabric bags that people bring when they walk to the store and have to carry things home). Most people use baskets that have long handles while in the store - it feels like you're pulling a wagon more or less. So you pick up fruits and veggies like you normally would and put them in small plastic bags, but then you weigh it tell the machine what it's weighing and it PRINTS YOU A CUTE LITTLE TICKET WITH THE PRICE ON IT! Suffice it to say I bought a few extra things just cause I liked the stickers. Anyway, I got mostly normal stuff that I already have experienced cause I didn't wanna starve but as I settle in I plan to buy more native foods. I got Fanta because I absolutely love European Fanta - it's way better than the American version. I got salad but they don't use freakin' dressing here so I can't even eat it unless I want to use oil and vinegar - ew. BUT, I'm here to adapt, not to continue doing the same things I would were I in the States, so guess who gets to try that tomorrow... it's me. Oh and you have to bag your own food and buy the plastic bags when you check out! Also, it feels like everything except the meat is cheaper here than in the US but I also have to keep in mind the conversion rates of the euro. Moving on from my very exciting grocery store experience, when we got back I met my second flatmate, Ines. She is absolutely precious, I think we're going to get along really well. The girls went into their rooms so I went and watched half a movie on my computer - side note: Netflix does NOT work in Spain. Had I known this, I may have stayed in the States..... Just kidding, but I may soon have symptoms of withdrawal, especially considering I was in the middle of season 6 of Grey's Anatomy.. Thank God my dad downloaded some movies onto my computer.. Then Ines wanted to get lunch so I went with her because I may or may not have been dying of starvation. I got the Spanish version of spaghetti which was delicious and she got eggplant with this amazing sauce that made me want to steal her meal. Interestingly enough, there was a sign with the menu outside the store, and the menu changes every day, which I think is pretty cool. We sat in the living room with the tiny TV on and talked for a few hours and then she went to the library to study with Isa and I took a nap. I woke up to Ines knocking on my door saying it was almost 9 - thank God she woke me up because I slept for 5 hours - and when I came out I met my third and final flatmate, Yas! She's from the the Canary Islands so her accent is significantly more difficult to understand but I can handle it so far, she just has to clarify a little more than Isa and Ines, who are from Murcia and Valencia respectively, but she's super sweet! Isa made herself some dinner and so did Yas but Ines doesn't like to cook so she ate her leftovers from lunch and I made a sandwich for myself. I don't have much to eat yet so my diet has been cut in at least half so I hope my body doesn't go into starvation mode... But in a few days I'm sure I'll feel more comfortable I can start cooking and the like. I still feel like a stranger in someone else's home although the girls have been very welcoming. I'm not worried though, these things take time. We talked for a bit and then the girls started doing homework and I began this lovely blog that you may or may not be reading right now. Erin and Jake just arrived in Murcia so I'm meeting Er for breakfast tomorrow and doing some shopping. I can't believe I get to live here with one of my favorite people in the whole wide world, AHH! Our apartments aren't super close but there are buses and trains for that sort of thing so I'll live, the same goes for Jake and I. On another note, I still haven't been able to unpack half my clothes because I don't have any freakin' hangers so I get to go find some tomorrow which should be fun.. Also, I don't know which campus I'll be at but Merced is a 5 minute walk and Espinardo is a 40 minute tram ride so while I would prefer the former, I have a feeling it will be the latter. Anyway, it's 1230am which translates to time for bed, despite my lengthy nap. I can't wait to start my intensive so I have something to DO! I've never ever had this little to do... ever. It's disconcerting. And just let me say that writing this blog has been really odd because I've only spoken Spanish since I got here... I kept having to erase a few words that had somehow come out in Spanish instead of English, but what can you do. Until next time! |
IntroI wrote this blog while living in Spain my second year of college - figured it wouldn't hurt to share. |