Medeterranian in the Winter?

Today's adventure has to be one of my favorite so far. I awoke approximately at 12:00 this afternoon and met up with my crew (we roll deep here) to leave for the playa (beach) today around 12:30. Plans change here frequently and it changed to leaving at 2:45 sharp (so we could have lunch at the cafeteria for free). We were given directions to hop on a tram that led us directly to the beach. We were punctual to the destination. My first order of business. Off with the shirt, off with the pants (relax I have on a swim suit under my jeans), toss the shoes aside and set out a towel. My new compadre Ryan has beat me to the sand and immediately runs for the water. Although I think he's an idiot it looks enticing. I join hands with him (shut up they held hands in lord of the rings and people think that movie rules.) and we skip (you've got me here) and run as fast as we possibly can to the water. Everyone is wearing winter coats and scarves here, and I run for the water. Bear Grylls has nothing on me any more.

I also learned something new. Gargoyling. Find any sort of perch and camp out like a Gargoyle. I found a lifeguard stand. Gargoyled it. Found a fountain that shoots water that looks like a boat. Gargoyled it. Tram station. Same story.

Our last adventure tonight was getting Paella, an extremely famous Spanish food. On the "boardwalk" of Spain we find a cozy restaurant and are told that the food will arrive 45 minutes from when we order it. 2 and a half hours slip by (we talked about leaving multiple times) and we are finally served. 11 people are with us and it looks like we barely put a dent in it. Needless to say we got boxes and shared the wealth with the rest of our program. All in all I would say today was a successful day. It ended with an exhausting wait at the tram station (the food situation was more than exhausting after a beach trip). We all purchase our tickets as a train approaches and we hold the doors open to keep it from leaving. Well we did just that. The "conductor" walks back as we had already boarded and yells at us to get off because we held up the tram. I was told that in Spain they wait on everything. The Tram station didn't get that memo. We had to wait for the next one. The next conductor was much nicer.

Here are some pics of the day, including one Gargoyling with Ryan.

Official Introduction

I realized today that I haven't introduced you to my habatacion. I was taught in the States that cuarto was the correct word for room or bedroom but to my finding there are differences between European and Mexican style as well as Argentinean ect. In Valencia they speak four languages which took a bit to figure out. One of them is a combination of Spanish and French (who would have thought). I do tend to think that classes in the States should focus on all area's of Spanish and not limit it to the closet Spanish speaking country. I didn't learn Vosotros (the you all form of a verb) until Junior year of college when I had a Spaniard professor from a small town inside Catalonia (which also speaks Catalan). I'm sure you're thanking me for the history lesson. I've included a few pictures, some from our hotel room in Madrid and our new habatacion in Valencia. I also threw in a picture of the police vehicles around here. Maybe cops will go soft in America and criminals will get taken away in a Prius...

- Sean

Torres deSerrano

Today was the Torres deSerrano. We had a tour guide to explain quite a bit to us, but not knowing Medieval vocabulary left me not knowing quite a bit about what was going on. Nonetheless the castle we went and looked at was magnificent. The sun was setting at the time and it was actually fairly clear out. It was possible to see the entire city from the towers which was a great sight. Here are a few pictures:



Although it was quite chilly out, It was still quite a view. Tonight I was pleasantly surprised that the cafeteria here had chicken noodle soup with chicken breast and rice. It was great to have a meal that filled me up and had lots of protein. Walking is as common as fat kids hanging out in dunkin' donuts here. It's been great so far to have these excursions in the city planned out for us. We would be basically clueless to the city had we not been fortunate enough to have people around the college plan these great adventures. Who goes to a famous art museum and then the next day goes to a castle?

- Sean

Sean Buy's a Phone

Today was our second day of class and I had a culture class. The professora is very good and extremely energetic about teaching us the Spanish culture. Classes are an hour and a half which seems like a marathon to American students. Tomorrow I have class from 9 until 2 straight with a half hour walk to and from (grandpa you have nothing on me walking uphill both ways in snow). The professors speak extremely clear Spanish but as students of a second language we have to focus extremely hard on what they are saying which wears us all out quickly. Siesta at 2 in the afternoon is almost mandatory for the first few days to get adjusted with everything.

Today we went to a museum for one of our activities. Sorolla was the painter and had some great works. This was my favorite:

It's the beginning of Semana Santa a Religious Holiday where the "sinners" walk in front dressed somewhat like a dark version of the KKK. They carry Mary on their shoulders and have very ominous music playing from what we are told.

After Sorolla, we went to Corte Ingles the local store. The store is much like a mall but it is a single store. It is basically a Walmart that you would find on Saks 5th in New York. It has really fine quality items and most of them are a fair price.

Although there are TWO of the 6 floor Corte Ingles' within 100 yards of each other it took us a while to find the second. I was so impressed with how buying a phone works here. I paid 19 euro (around 35 dollars or so) for a phone and it has 15 cent texts. If I put 20 euro's on it by next week Vodaphone will double it for free. It was such a hassle free way to buy a phone and I can easily communicate with everyone on the team now. I believe I can accept incoming calls for free but in case you were wondering my phone is 617168847 (you may have to look up the area code if you desire to call me).

- Sean

Valencia, My First Days

We arrived in Valencia on Saturday via un autobus. We arrived at the college dorms where we are staying. The spanish kids set up shop in the courtyard and wanted us all to come by one at a time and say our name. Some of the kids had some funny signs they made, like numbers to rate the girls as they walked by 1-10. One kid was dressed up like a matador and had a bouncer to let us through or not. We were all quite tired so it wasn't quite as amusing at the time. They all invited us to go out and have a beer with them at a local bar. Side commentary: We were in a very small bar but picture someone driving an el camino in Alabama with la cucaracha playing out the windows and you've pegged the bartender. The Spanish kids are very friendly but are studying for finals now so they're a bit tied down.

We had our first day of classes this morning. From the dorms its approximately a 30-40 minute walk to the "campus". The city looks like a typical European city. My best comparison would be Washington DC without concrete sidewalks. All of the professors on the program introduced themselves today and we had our first class. My first professor(a) is a native to Valencia and speaks the clearest Spanish I've heard. Hey mom, I paid attention for an hour and a half in her class and understood almost everything she said. It was a bit hectic trying to find classes not just at a different college but at an entirely different country.

I managed to find a stationary bicycle which will help me start to train for tri's when I get home. Tri's For Africa just might own a few races this summer. These Spaniards have to start feeding me more though. These kids love feeding us French Fries. I guess that's what people think of when they think America, George Bush and freaking French Fries.

- Sean

Madrid?

So its been a little while since I have been able to update. I flew from Hartsfield Jackson to Frankfurt, Germany. We had a 2 hour layover to explore Frankfurt and flew from Frankfurt to Madrid, Spain. Although the plane ride was somewhat uncomfortable for a taller guy like myself, I can't complain when I am ending up in a foreign country.

We stayed in Madrid from Wednesday until Saturday morning/afternoon. I have been to Europe before, but a Spanish county isn't anything like I have seen before. You always have the idea in the back of your mind that everything will be different but until you get there, really its not. Everything is in Spanish (obviously). Everyone speaks almost exclusively Spanish which is sometimes difficult. I can see how the G.I. (story on that later) easily could have gotten frustrated with the language barrier of a German soldier.

The city of Madrid itself is beautiful. There are hundreds of people on the sidewalks and in the plazas. During the day the Plaza del Sol contains a few street performers. They range from Dulcimer players, to headless cowboys. My favorite were the statue people. As an unexperienced American traveler I made the mistake of taking a picture of a G.I. Joe. He was a human statue and posed for me. After I took the picture I walked off and got harassed by a G.I. Joe that couldn't have been bigger than 5'5". You're supposed to give them money. "No Tengo Moneda"

The nightlife in Spain is completely different than the United States. Discotecas stay open until 6 in the morning. There are a few really exclusive dance clubs in Spain including one called Joi. The professional attire wearing bouncers were not letting people in if they had tennis shoes on. We were given free passes by a man we met in line to go but cover normally is 16 euro which is around 20 to 22 American. If you get hot from dancing "una cervesa es nueve euros." 9 Euro's for a Single beer. The place was actually pretty cool, there was a VIP area that served champagne with fireworks shooting out of it. It's a converted Theatre so it has 3 levels to dance on.

I decided to adventure by myself one of the days to go visit the enormous parks they have. I took the Metro for the first time in Spain. I've taken the metro in Austria but not in Spain. I made it there fine but coming back I got lost. I walked around Madrid for an hour and a half (after I had walked for 3 hours around the parks and museums and parks) to find my way home. My Spanish improved after that day because of asking for directions.

We took a bus to Valencia yesterday and met a few of the Spanish students. It's a bit intimidating right now, not only because of being in a different country but the language barrier is the most intimidating part. If I didn't have the American's (which are among the best people to travel with bar-none) on the program I think I would be completely lost. For the most part we are all on the same level and can have a basic Spanish conversation.

We have orientation for school tomorrow and we have to meet in the lobby at 7:30 tomorrow morning. If you're up at 1:30 tonight in the States, I will be on my way to school. I have no idea what to expect but hope my classes are top notch.

We toured the city this morning and because it is Sunday most of the shops are closed. I ventured around the dorms and found a small weight room. They actually have a few decent spin bikes which makes me more than happy to be able to train for the summer. I am able to run and bike through the city.

- Sean

Packing Day

Well it's January 18th 2010. I have a suitcase, a brand new backpack quite a few clothes and a few electronics. I will be hopping on a plane tomorrow evening around 6:15 to travel abroad to Valencia, Spain.

We will be flying from Hatsfield Jackson to Frankfurt De international then on to Madrid. Our first "excursion" will be in Spain for a couple days. I have been told to expect "culture shock" and am a pro at overcoming jet-lag due to the ability to sleep on command. I believe that was a small gift from above.

I have never done the "blogging" thing, but hope I will have a few regular followers. I wish I could take everyone with me. I will be taking the southern style with me and will proudly say yall to whoever talks to me in English.

I wanted to also say that this weekend I helped out on my brother Spencers eagle project. He had the vision to donate 1000 pairs of shoes to Uganda. Not only did he get his goal, he exceeded it by 1580 shoes for a grand total of 2580 shoes. He will be receiving his Eagle rank soon like his older brothers.

- Sean