Goooaaaallllll!!!!!!

America's most well-known, played, and watched sport: football.
Spain's most well-known, played, and watched sport: futbol.
Don't be fooled by the similarity in names, these are two distinct sports.

Saying all of Spain watches and loves futbol (futbol=soccer) would be a generalization, but I'm pretty positive it's safe to say that most of Spain follows the sport.  I'd even venture to say that futbol is a significant part of Spanish culture.  With that said, attending a game is a cultural experience, right?

Right!!!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen I attended my first ever, REAL Spanish futbol game! And it absolutely was a cultural experience.

But before I begin my recollection of the game, let's review a few key points to understand Sevilla futbol, shall we?

Betis: Betis is one of Sevilla's two futbol teams.  Their colors are green and white.  Betis is the poorer of the two teams.  They come from the working class and represent the average Sevillano.  Our family supports Betis, so obviously I do too!

Sevilla: Sevilla is the other Sevilla futbol team.  Wearing the colors of red and white, Sevilla is more well off than Betis.  They represent the upper class Sevillano.  Much like the competition between the Cubs and the Sox in Chicago, a friendly rivalry exists between Betis and Sevilla fans.

Scouting: In America, scouting isn't encouraged or the safest way to buy a ticket.  In Spain, however, it's the way to go!  Scouting tickets is cheap and easy.  You talk to people outside of the stadium and negotiate a price to buy the ticket.

Bocadillo: Bocadillo's are truly Spanish.  Bocadillo basically means Sub sandwich.  Normally their made of ham, turkey, sausage, or the typically Spanish tortilla de patata.

So I began my cultural adventure on public transportation.  We got on bus number six to head down to Betis Stadium.  Packed like sardines, the bus was a sea of green. When we arrived, we met up with friends outside of the stadium, all of us first time scouters.
We all  looked at each other, hoping someone would know what to do.
"I guess we just ask someone?"
After laughing at our lack of "scouting-savvy" we approached a guy and asked where we could buy tickets.   He connected us with some "guido" looking guys who insisted on 30€.  But we're smarter than that. Unconvinced, we began to walk away...cursing (in Spanish) under their breath, they followed and lowered the price to 25€.  Still not happy, we moved on.  Luckily, we were approached by another guy.  20€ per person. SOLD!

Phew!  Tickets in hand, we entered into the Betis stadium.  As we searched for our seats, we quickly learned our assigned numbers meant nothing.  We spotted a bunch of empty seats with a better view and snagged those! As I sat down, I  felt a sense of nostalgia.  The stadium reminded me very much of baseball fields back home in the U. S. of A.

Betis Stadium 

However, the differences in the experience just kept coming!
Half time = Snack time.
But instead of buying a hamburger or hot dog from a stand, the Spaniards whip out their homemade bocadillos, wrapped up in foil!

Proof. Yes, that is a bocadillo in his hands.

Proof #2.

 It is genuinely an awesome sight.  The working folk attending Betis games know how to save a penny.  Unlike the U.S., the stadium security doesn't check if you're bringing outside food in.  More than that, there are few places to buy food inside the stadium! We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto.

The obvious cherry on top of the cultural differences cake is, as always, the language.  Just like the U.S. it's typical to yell and cheer at games.  However, instead of hearing, "Common, Let's go!" "Sh!t," I heard "Venga (Common), Vamos (Let's go)!!" "Joder (Curse word beginning with the letter F)" "En serio? (seriously?)" all evening!  Definitely an interesting twist to a familiar experience.

In the end, Real Betis tied Racing Santander 1 to 1.  The crowd left the stadium disappointed, but I had a smile from ear to ear.

To truly experience a new place, you have to live like the locals.
Attend a Betis game with Sevillanos, packed bocadillo and all.  Check.

Paris, France: Sightseeing, Wine tasting, and dodging traffic???

9:30 a.m. Saturday, February 25th.
Paris, France.

We woke to croissants and jelly again for breakfast. Free and delicious! Oh, and don't forget the orange juice.  I  have to admit, I am getting a bit spoiled when it comes to OJ. The boxed juice just canNOT compare to the fresh squeezed stuff I get everyday at my host home.

The weather fit Paris perfectly.  It was gloomy, misty, and slightly chilly. For some reason, whenever I imagine Paris, I always imagine it in a cold, kind of dark atmosphere.  Anyway, this Saturday fit my picture of Paris quite well.

Destination number one: Bonobus. Bonobus, my friend, is the boat version of a metro.  You can buy a ticket and the boat picks you up and drops you off at different stops along the Seine River. Unlimited for a day.  Good deal!!! Oh, and don't forget about my student discount! :)

First Stop: The Notre Dame Cathedral!

On the walk over to the cathedral, I stopped in my tracks to one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.  There, on one of the many bridges of Paris' Seine River, were thousands upon thousands of padlocks. They were all different shapes and sizes, but they all had one thing in common: they stood for love.  Lovers put their names or initials on the padlocks and secure them to the bridge to symbolize their everlasting love. I could just die!!! This makes my heart smile so much; seeing the representation of so much love in the world. :)

The bridge filled with love padlocks. 

Close up. 

As I approached the cathedral I couldn't help but think of one of my childhood favorites: The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  I also gawked, mouth open, drool collecting, at it's grand size and ancient beauty. I learned so much about the building as I walked through it. To sum it up:

It's old! 

Everything about the cathedral is so old and gorgeous!  It is such an outstanding piece of history.  We were even lucky enough to see the beginning of a mass! Here's a little clip of what we saw:

Next Stop: Hotel De Ville! Yes, like Cruela from 101 Dalmatians (another Disney classic set in France). 

Like everything else in Paris, it was amazingly detailed and beautiful.  

In the Plaza in front of the Hotel was a stand that sold waffles with melted chocolate.  Sweets! Ugh, my kryptonite strikes again! I had to...

Final Stop: Orsay Museum 

Unfortunately, we were too late. It was already closed. So we settled for some French wine in a quaint little pub.  

We then ventured for dinner, once again searching for yummy and cheap.  Does that exist?  Oddly enough, we ate Chinese food in France.  To our surprise, it was pretty good!

Another night out on the town, you ask? Oh, no. For the first time since I've been here in Spain. We stocked up on junk food and headed back to the hostel for a good, old fashioned girls night.

9:00 a.m. Sunday, February 26th. 

Guess what we had for breakfast?  Good guess. Croissants and jelly. And don't forget the boxed oj!  

Goal for the day: "See and do everything we possibly can within our last 24 hours!"   

Goal number one: Go up in the Eiffel Tower. Take amazing pictures. 

                            Done and Done!

View from the Eiffel Tower

Goal number two: Take pictures with the Arc de Triomphe like Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen did in Passport to Paris.  Oh, and don't get killed by the 18 way intersection. 

                             Check and Check! 

Just a helpful hint.  Do NOT try and cross the intersection. Turns out, they have a tunnel for that.  Ooops! Tourists...  

Goal number three: Walk down the Champs-Elysee. 

                             Did it! 

I felt like I should have been in a movie like Passport to Paris. :)

Goal number four: Try a hot dog in a baguette for lunch. 

                             Yum! 

It was quite an interesting experience. Not to mention, delicious! 

Most anticipated goal. Goal number five: Go to a wine tasting in Paris, France!

                             Check that one off the list!

One word: incredible.  From beginning to end, this by far was one of the best experiences I have ever had.  We tasted three different wines, one white and two red.  I learned the ways a wine should look, smell, and taste.  The wine conousiere was great as well!  He taught us so much and answered all of our questions.  And not to mention unbelievably nice!
Another highlight? The company. We met an awesome family from Switzerland and a cute couple from Latin America!  

I would definitely recommend this to anyone and everyone!  

What's the best way to put the cherry on top of a perfect afternoon?  For those of you who have been reading, you should know me well enough now to know what's coming next. 

Dessert. 

A Nutella and banana crepe to be exact.  "The nutella and banana flavors blend together so perfectly!" 

Heavenly...

8:00 p.m. Sunday, February 26th. Dinner time. 

Remember in my earlier blog when I said two things come to mind when I think of French food?  Well for dinner, we tried the later.  Escargot.
Translation: Snails. 

Not only did I try escargot, but it was also fed to me by a French waiter. That's what I call service! Shockingly, it was not bad at all, good even.  I would definitely consider ordering it again! 

Finally, to end a fantastic trip we traveled to the Sacre Creu, the highest point in Paris.  There, you can see a view of the entire city! It was beautiful.

Like something out of a movie, there was a band set up near the steps of the huge building.  People gathered around to listen, to dance, and to chat.  We sat down and enjoyed the rest of the free "concert."  It was genuinely a magical ending to a magical trip.  

In short, Paris was all I hoped it would be and more! 

"Merci Parrii"

8 a.m. Thursday, February 23rd. My eyes popped open minutes before the alarm sounded...

today is the day I leave for Paris, France 

UNREAL. 

This was my first trip out of Spain, my first trip I organized on my own, and my first trip traveling with Ryanair. Needless to say there were a few challenges. 

Challenge #1: Fit four days worth of warm clothes into a school backpack. 

                     Completed! The backpack was at maximum capacity, but I fit everything I needed into it! 

11:10 a.m.  Thursday, February 23rd.  

I was on the Renfe train with my three friends on our way to Malaga, Spain to pick up our flight to Paris.  Why go to Malaga first you ask? Because we thought it would be cheaper that way...

it wasn't. 

But don't you worry, we definitely learned our lesson.  

Challenge #2: Take as many modes of transportation as possible to get to Paris... 

                      DONE! 

We began our journey on a train to Malaga, then proceeded to take a bus from the train station to the airport (still in Malaga), then we took a plane to Paris, then picked up another bus from Paris' airport to the city, then hopped in a taxi to the Eiffel Tower.

Train ride to Malaga

We made it. We were in Paris, France!  After a lonnnnggg day of traveling, we made it and the twinkling Eiffel Tower made it all worth it. 

Oh, and don't forget our legs as the final mode of transportation to our very first hostel.  And, I mean, other than the whole "huts for bathrooms" thing, it was a pretty decent hostel.  At least breakfast was included, right?

And what better way to top off the amazing sight of the Eiffel Tower and the not so amazing sight of our first hostel, but with the best desserts France has to offer?! 

Can you tell I was excited?

"THANK GOD!"

8:30 a.m. Friday, February 24th.  

Truly immersing ourselves in French culture, we woke the next morning to croissants and jelly for breakfast.  I'm normally NOT a fan of croissants, but I had no complaints about FREE croissants. 

Friday was completely dedicated to sight seeing!  (I cannot express how unreal this experience was...I'm still pinching myself to make sure it was.) 

We began at the mini statue of liberty. 

"Why the heck does France have a mini statue of liberty?" - me 

"Because the statue of liberty was a gift from France. Didn't you know that?" - Kelsey 

"No! who knew?" -me 

"Uhmm, everyone! Haven't you seen National Treasure???" - Chelsea 

This conversation (more or less) is how I learned that the Statue of Liberty was a gift from France. Thank you Hollywood for educating my friends! 

From the mini Statue of Liberty we strolled down the Seine river and took in every sight we could. 

The Eiffel Tower again (duh),  Napoleon's Palace, and the Alexander bridge. 

Mini Statue of Liberty

Napoleon's Palace

Alexander Bridge

It seemed like everywhere we looked there was something beautiful to see! Paris by far is THE most beautiful city I've ever seen.  Yes, I understand this is a grand statement, but I completely back it up! 

14:00 pm Friday, February 24th.  Lunch time. 

When I think of French food, two things come to mind: crepes and escargot.  For lunch, we tried the former.  

I tried a typical lunch crepe: egg, cheese, and ham. If I'm going to be completely honest with you, it wasn't my favorite, but it was good. 

My very first French Crepe

After lunch... more sight seeing!!! 

The Opera House 

The Louvre. 

The Louvre is one of the most famous art museums in the world and home to the Mona Lisa. 

I bet you can guess what I'm going to say next... Yep, I saw the REAL Mona Lisa, in person, up close and personal!  

So I know what you all are thinking... Was it all you thought it would be and more? 

No, not really. 

It's much smaller than I imagined it would be.  And to be honest, I still have no idea why it's so famous?  And it's not just me. The super awesome French friends we made had no idea either. :)

Our French friends Matt and Marie

We didn't see much more than the Mona Lisa in the Louvre because its HUGE and extremely overwhelming.  Almost every inch of every wall is covered with art.  Basically, we didn't have the time or the patience. However, overall...

I was absolutely in awe I saw the real Mona Lisa with my own two eyes. 

And obviously, in awe that I stepped foot inside the Louvre. 

20:30 pm Friday, February 24th. Dinner Time. 

After the Louvre we wandered around looking for delicious, yet cheap food for dinner.  Quite an oxymoron when you think about how expensive Paris is! We settled for pizza and wine.

However, the highlight of the meal wasn't the food at all. It was the company.  An adorable British couple sat at the table next to us and before we knew it we were all chatting like we were old friends.  As the restaurant began to close up, we all decided to go to a bar for a drink.  We found ourselves entering an "Australian" themed bar!  Quite an interesting concept, huh?  The bar reminded me a little bit of Outback Steakhouse, only darker, louder music, and filled with French people.  

Anyway, we spent the evening laughing and talking with our new friends. Comparing and contrasting the cultural differences between England and America.
In other words: Bliss! 

This is what studying abroad is all about. Meeting people from all over the world, forming relationships, and learning! I couldn't ask for anything more!!!

"Baila Conmigo"

"Music is what life sounds like." Eric Olson

As we all know, my life usually sounds like country music with some dashes of alternative and pop.
So what does my life sound like in Spain, you ask?  What a great question!

Let your first lesson in "Songs You Need to Know to Survive in Spain 101" begin!!!

#1: Learn the lyrics to the #1 hit song.  You know the one I'm talking about, the song where everyone screams and cheers when they hear the first couple of beats! It is imperative to know this song...your Spanish social life depends on it.  Singing along to this song separates the posers from the REAL connoisseurs of popular Spanish music.  It's all about survival of the fittest.

Ai Se Eu Te Pego by Michel Teló

 No this song is not in Spanish, Portuguese. Cool, huh?

Oh, yes there is even a dance! and Oh, yes! People actually do the dance at the discos!

#2. Differentiate between "ay" and "oi"!

There are two super popular songs right now. Both include similar sounds during the chorus, but they are DIFFERENT.
Warning: Do not confuse.

The first: Danza Kuduro by Don Omar featuring Lucenzo

Lyric: Oi, oi, oi

Pronounced: [ooooyyyyeeee, oooooyyyyeeeee, oooooyyyyeeee]

The Second:  Ella no sigue modas by Juan Magan 

 Lyric: Ay, ay, ay...

Pronounced: [eyyeeee, eyyyyyyeeee, eyyyyyeeee] 

Quick Review: Differentiate between Oi and Ay.  Again, do not confuse. 

#3.  Brush up on your Reggaeton. Various songs are played often. 

Niña Bonita by Chino & Nacho 

Bailando por ahí  by Juan Magan 

Got to Love Ya by Sean Paul

Although this song is not in Spanish, it is DEFINITELY played everywhere.  A "must know" for a night out in Spain.  

That finishes up your first lesson in "Songs You Need to Know to Survive in Spain 101."

Stay tuned for more lessons in Spanish music, food, and culture!

¡Hasta Luego! 

Do these horses speak English???

I couldn't really start this blog with words.  How do you describe something this beautiful? 

Where was I you ask? Matalascañas! A small, gorgeous town on the Southwestern coast of Spain.  The town is part of a huge nature reserve called Doñana.  Basically one of the most beuatiful places I've ever been...no big deal.  

My alarm clock screeched at about 6:15 Saturday morning; yes, 6:15 in the morning.  When we left to walk to the bus station it was still dark. On our way we saw people walking home from the night before!!! Gotta love that Spanish night culture. 

When we arrived to our bus stop, we were a little worried because the bus was not there.  We waited nervously for about 10 minutes before we couldn't handle the stress anymore and we asked another person standing by.  Luckily, they were waiting for the same bus.  Phew! We were in the right place!  We got on the bus without any problems and I slept like a baby for the entire two hour bus ride. (I told you I can sleep on anything that moves). 

10 am rolls around and Sophie wakes me up. We're here! As we step off the bus we all immediately feel the shock of the cold morning!!! Ahhh! Quick somewhere warm.  We head into the first cafe shop we see and it's perfect.  It was the definition of a cute, charming, Spanish cafe. 

 The sweet older man behind the counter was charming and adorable as well.   We ordered some hot drinks and huddled around the old fashion fire.

 Just like this!

After spending a little time in this cafe we set out to find  the stables! 

We walked about a block and a half and we came to an entrance of what seems like a nature preserve.  We followed the dirt path and it led us directly to our destination.  The guys asked us if we made a reservation for four.  Yep, that was us.  (This is an important part of the story.) 

As we waited we met the most docile dog in the world.  He was such a sweet heart. 

The time had arrived!  Horseback riding along the beach in Spain. The guide took us through beautiful trees and everywhere I looked there was a stretch of gorgeous green.  Suddenly we began to walk uphill and as we reached the top I was literally speechless (which doesn't happen often).  I could do nothing but gawk in complete awe of God's masterpiece in front of me.  

That's not even the best part... we walked through a sort of cave-like structure and the Atlantic ocean sparkled in front of me!  The sand was almost white.  In order to get to the ocean we had to go through a little tide pool... yes, with our horses!  They splashed through the water like young children. :) 

Then... I can't even explain what happened.  My horse knew it was time to run and we were off! At first I bounced awkwardly, until I let my body relax and I began to feel the rhythm of the horse.  As cheesy as it sounds, I felt like we were one in the same and as if I was flying.  The wind thrashing against my face, the sound of the waves beside me, and the sight of a gorgeous beach were unbelievable.  The adrenaline was pumping vivaciously through me.  It was incredible.  So incredible that it almost feels like it wasn't real, just a great dream.  But it really happened! I have the pictures to prove it!!! 

On our way back to the stables, my horse chose to take an alternate route.  No matter what I did, I could not get him to follow the group.  He was stubborn with a mind of his own.  At one point he stood tall, stared at the group walking and blatantly turned in the other direction and we trotted off.  I couldn't help but laugh though, at least he knew what he wanted, right? 

When we finally made it back to the stables, we felt awkwardly sore from being on a horse for two hours.  As we finished taking our pictures, the boss approached me.  Apparently we had gone to the wrong stable, we made a reservation and paid online at a neighboring stable.  But since we had given his employee our receipt the boss said it wasn't our fault.  Remember when I said the guys asked us if we made a reservation for four girls? Apparently he didn't look at our receipt well enough.  So even though his stable charges 26€ for 2 hours, we paid 20€.  I offered to pay him the difference, but he refused; he said it was their fault.  It's not everyday that you run into great customer service like that! His kindness stood out to me as well and contributed to making the whole day an overall AMAZING experience.  

The Definition of Carpe Diem

Everyone always says "Live life to the fullest", "Live like there is no tomorrow", "Carpe diem"... but do we ever really do it???

I had no idea what I was going to do today when I woke up this morning...but today I finally "seized the day!" Literally, there might have not been a tomorrow... ;)

My group and I had an excursion to Ronda, a picturesque city slightly southwest of Sevilla. I slept on the bus. Shocker, I know (I can sleep on anything that moves).

When I got there, I was stunned by this...

Unreal, right!?!  Spain genuinely takes my breath away.

After taking picture after picture of this gorgeous scenery, we headed to the Plaza del Toros (Bull Ring) of Ronda!  It was so interesting! We got to walk out onto the actual arena!  We also got a sneak peak at the "behind-the-scenes;" where they keep the bulls and train the matadors.

That's me in the middle of the arena! :) 

After having some more fun with pictures, we moved on to the Puente Nuevo in Ronda.  One word: AMAZING! 

Puente Nuevo

Again I took picture after picture!  Then came the best part of the day: FREE TIME!  We had the option to go on a hike... 

                         I had NO idea a hike could be so exciting! 

We began to walk down the cliff just to the side of the Puente Nuevo (bridge).  Then I found out there was another way to get to the bottom... 

                                                    to climb DOWN the side of the cliff. 

The funny thing is... I didn't even think twice.  There was no doubt in my mind: I was doing this. 

I was in a gorgeous city, in an amazing country, thousands of miles away from home, trying new things... it would have been a CRIME to not take advantage of this adventure staring me straight in the face!

So with little thought, I took a look around at the gorgeous scenery, took a deep breath and put my foot on the first step down. 

The scariest one!

With the help of some incredible people I climbed all the way to the bottom, without a harness!  It may sound a little unsafe, but the adrenaline rush was unlike any other feeling I've ever had.  As my roommate described it, "This is truly living!"  Not everyone gets the opportunity to climb down an unbelievably beautiful cliff in a foreign country!



Afterwards I felt such a sense of accomplishment! It was a real adventure and as corny as it sounds, I felt like I was on top of the world!  I started the hike above the waterfall, and by the end I was looking up at it!

What a fantastic opportunity!  On the bus ride home, I started thinking... I am so lucky to be here, I am so blessed.  I am living out the dreams I've always had: to see and experience as much of the world as possible!
Carpe diem!

"Take a chance! All life is a chance. The person who goes furthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare." - Dale Carnegie
Ronda, Spain February 10, 2012