So cute. SO FREAKING CUTE.
Thank you Isabel for packing it in my lunch.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Baby apples are the best apples
This little guy deserved its own post.
So cute. SO FREAKING CUTE.
Thank you Isabel for packing it in my lunch.
So cute. SO FREAKING CUTE.
Thank you Isabel for packing it in my lunch.
La Huelga - Quema las calles!
A few weeks ago, we received an email from the BC program director telling us classes had been cancelled because of a teacher huelga, or strike. (Technically not all classes were cancelled - teachers could decide whether or not to show up...of course none of my classes were cancelled)
In Madrid, there are three different schools BC students are able to attend: Carlos III (mine), Complutense, and Comillas. The strike at Complu was much, much different than at Carlos. People were setting things on fire, students were locking themselves in buildings overnight...the passionate Spanish people were definitely sending a strong message. (as opposed to Carlos where
nothing extra special happened and a lot of people still showed up for class.)
When my parents were here and we were on our bike tour (See: Swastek Family takes over Madrid) we were able to ride in the streets because many of them were closed for the strikes. This is a clip of a strike about the Spanish health care system:
Not the best quality or anything and I have no idea what they're chanting, but you get the idea.
Very interesting to (kind of) be a part of. We received a message from our program director with the list of all the scheduled strikes encouraging us to stay away. We weren't in danger or anything, but it would be better for us to be safe than sorry. I've gotten so comfortable here in Madrid, so it was definitely a wake-up call reminding me I'm still in a completely foreign country.
In Madrid, there are three different schools BC students are able to attend: Carlos III (mine), Complutense, and Comillas. The strike at Complu was much, much different than at Carlos. People were setting things on fire, students were locking themselves in buildings overnight...the passionate Spanish people were definitely sending a strong message. (as opposed to Carlos where
nothing extra special happened and a lot of people still showed up for class.)
When my parents were here and we were on our bike tour (See: Swastek Family takes over Madrid) we were able to ride in the streets because many of them were closed for the strikes. This is a clip of a strike about the Spanish health care system:
Not the best quality or anything and I have no idea what they're chanting, but you get the idea.
Very interesting to (kind of) be a part of. We received a message from our program director with the list of all the scheduled strikes encouraging us to stay away. We weren't in danger or anything, but it would be better for us to be safe than sorry. I've gotten so comfortable here in Madrid, so it was definitely a wake-up call reminding me I'm still in a completely foreign country.
Swastek Family takes over Madrid
FAMILY FAMILY FAMILY FAMILY!!!!!!!
Two weekends ago, my mom, dad, and little brother (sorry Kev you were with us in spirit?) packed up and make the trek over the Atlantic to come visit me in Madrid! (and also fit in a quick lil weekend trip to Rome too...not a bad deal if I do say so myself.)
The theme of the week was how many touristy things can we do in 4 days? (We did quite a lot, I'm happy to say.) When they first got here, my host mom Isabel invited them to dinner so we ate a feast and my Madrid familia got to meet my Michigan family.
After, my family went back to their hotel and went to bed for the night. (It was 5pm. LOL time changes)
The next day, we met up and went on a bike tour of Madrid which ended up being awesome. I've done a lot of touristy things so far on my own (TOURIST TUESDAYS HOLLA!) but when I go to the touristy places, sometimes I don't know the significance of things or I don't really know what I'm looking at. So this was a great way to actually learn about the things I've seen. We hit every big site: Templo de Debod and Parque Oeste, el Palacio Real, Plaza Mayor, Mercado de San Miguel, Chueca, Retiro, Prado (just the outside), Puerta de Alcala, Plaza de Cibeles, Gran Via, Banco de Espana...the fam was really able to see it all in 4 hours, which was perfect. Strongly recommend it to anyone with parents visiting! After, we met up with Isabel and some of my friends and then all went out to lunch together. (at a buffet place recommended by Isabel who actually goes nuts when it comes to buffets. Like I'm pretty sure she got like 5 plates of food.)
The next day (Monday) I was on campus from 9am to 715 pm (hooray 4 class Mondays!) and so they went on a day trip to Toledo. After, we all met up for dinner and were able to relax!
Tuesday was a bit of a disaster day. We were supposed to go to the Teleferico (a gondola that goes over the city and ends in Casa de Campo, the largest park in Madrid) but it turns out in October it's only open on the weekends. Then we went to Casa de Campo by metro, but when we got there, there wasn't too much to do. So, I decided that to make up for that, I'd introduce the family to Chocolateria San Gines, and thus, chocolate and churros bumped up the day to a success. Then they headed off to the airport to go to Rome. (I'd be meeting them Wednesday night.)
It was such a great few days showing the family around my home and being able to show them everything that I've only been able to talk about over the phone. My favorite people in one of my favorite cities!
And the best part was that the next day I'd be meeting up with them in the land of pizza and pasta!!!!!
(To be continued.......)
Two weekends ago, my mom, dad, and little brother (sorry Kev you were with us in spirit?) packed up and make the trek over the Atlantic to come visit me in Madrid! (and also fit in a quick lil weekend trip to Rome too...not a bad deal if I do say so myself.)
The theme of the week was how many touristy things can we do in 4 days? (We did quite a lot, I'm happy to say.) When they first got here, my host mom Isabel invited them to dinner so we ate a feast and my Madrid familia got to meet my Michigan family.
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| My two favorite women |
The next day, we met up and went on a bike tour of Madrid which ended up being awesome. I've done a lot of touristy things so far on my own (TOURIST TUESDAYS HOLLA!) but when I go to the touristy places, sometimes I don't know the significance of things or I don't really know what I'm looking at. So this was a great way to actually learn about the things I've seen. We hit every big site: Templo de Debod and Parque Oeste, el Palacio Real, Plaza Mayor, Mercado de San Miguel, Chueca, Retiro, Prado (just the outside), Puerta de Alcala, Plaza de Cibeles, Gran Via, Banco de Espana...the fam was really able to see it all in 4 hours, which was perfect. Strongly recommend it to anyone with parents visiting! After, we met up with Isabel and some of my friends and then all went out to lunch together. (at a buffet place recommended by Isabel who actually goes nuts when it comes to buffets. Like I'm pretty sure she got like 5 plates of food.)The next day (Monday) I was on campus from 9am to 715 pm (hooray 4 class Mondays!) and so they went on a day trip to Toledo. After, we all met up for dinner and were able to relax!
Tuesday was a bit of a disaster day. We were supposed to go to the Teleferico (a gondola that goes over the city and ends in Casa de Campo, the largest park in Madrid) but it turns out in October it's only open on the weekends. Then we went to Casa de Campo by metro, but when we got there, there wasn't too much to do. So, I decided that to make up for that, I'd introduce the family to Chocolateria San Gines, and thus, chocolate and churros bumped up the day to a success. Then they headed off to the airport to go to Rome. (I'd be meeting them Wednesday night.)
It was such a great few days showing the family around my home and being able to show them everything that I've only been able to talk about over the phone. My favorite people in one of my favorite cities!
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| El Palacio Real - not impressive at all |
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| Family in Retiro! |
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| Lunch with Isa |
And the best part was that the next day I'd be meeting up with them in the land of pizza and pasta!!!!!
(To be continued.......)
Boston College does Andalucía
So I've fallen into the trap of almost every study abroad student who decided to keep a blog of the semester and promised themselves that they'd write a post or two weekly…..and then weeks go by with nothing. So sorry, world! I know how much my posts have been missed. (Do you want a tissue to stop crying?)
A few weeks ago the 40 BC in Madrid kids packed up our bags and boarded the bus for a 5 hour trip to Córdoba in the Spanish region Andalucía. (aka the South of Spain aka warm and sunny weather all weekend aka adding on to my extra few months of summer that I've gotten in Spain can I get a hell yeah?) Unfortunately, while the trip was sure to be buckets of fun, we all went because of the art history class we're taking together with our program director, Ana……which meant not only was it buckets of fun, but it was buckets of note taking as well…..goody.
We spent half the day in Córdoba looking at mosques, cathedrals, architecture, blah blah blah. I'll spare you the gory details because truth be told, I don't really know the gory details… but here's some nice pictures for you to look at while I distract you from the fact that I know no information…
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| View of the city |
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| La Quibla in the Mezquita de Córdoba |
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| outsidethe city |
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| PALM TREES!!! |
Then we hopped back on the bus and drove the 3 hours to Granada, another city in Andalucía where we'd be staying for 2 nights. Highlight of the bus, you ask? Well, I have to give a big shout out to Matt Consalvo for suggesting a sing-off between the front and back of the bus. (reminiscent of the pitch perfect riff-off.)
Note to self: never underestimate the competitiveness of 40 Boston College students competing (for literally no prize. THERE WAS NO PRIZE PEOPLE) in a small space. Yikes.
Interestingly enough, Granada has a lot of Arab influences (The muslims ruled there for quite some time way back when and their Palace, La Alhambra which was a big part of our trip, is still there now), therefore it was hummus, kous kous, and falafel for everyone! They also had a ton of restaurants where you order a drink and get a plate of free tapas with it! We spent the few days exploring La Alhambra and Generalife, the garden right now to La Alhambra that was created by the muslims to give the sultan a "summer home." It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in my life. So many flowers, fountains, and beautiful views.
Saturday night, all the BC kids headed out to Arab baths. BC had rented out the place for us that night (so mom & dad that's where your tuition money is going to!) and we were given the option of getting a massage while we were there. It's a little hard to explain, but basically it's a large room with 7 different temperature "baths." They were more like mini-pools and over-sized hot tubs but the purpose was to change between the temperatures. The point was also to be silent and relax, but with our group, that was def not going to happen. I ended up getting a massage and lemme tell ya, I was a pretty happy girl after that. I felt so incredibly relaxed and was absolutely loving life. That night was the holiday la Noche en Blanco (White Night), a fiesta started in Paris in 2002 where all the shops stay open until very early morning and there are concerts and parties, etc. We got to see the concerts and be a part of the celebration, which was super super cool.
Sunday afternoon, we hopped back on the bus, everyone with their Moroccan-inspired souvenirs (friends - be on the lookout I bought quite a few Christmas presents while I was there wink wink) and drove the 5 hours back to Madrid. The highlight of this bus ride? We watched the Alfred Hitchcock movie North by Northwest which definitely helped pass the time.
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| In Generalife. Super impressed with the Iphone camerca |
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| View of La Alhambra |
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| The ceiling in the palace of the sultan |
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| La Noche en Blanco concert! |
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| View of La Alhambra |
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| BC Colors :) |
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| BC fail |
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