Lagos, Portugal

I'm back in Spain! I had a great time in Portugal, I'm glad I went. I'm not too fond of the way the DiscoverSevilla program focuses its energy on hard partying, but I did meet a couple of girls who were more like me and interested in seeing Lagos while sober. Lagos is a beautiful town with stretches of beaches and rocky cliffs along the coast. I took over 500 pictures in 2 days, if that gives you any idea of how pretty Lagos is.

We stayed in apartments at a 4-star hotel. Each had a bedroom, a bathroom, and a living room with a fully-equipped kitchenette. My roommates and I didn't do any cooking, but we utilized the fridge and microwave and silverware plenty. The hotel was beautiful, but the layout was pretty confusing. My room was pretty easy to find, but some of the others were at the end of mazes. All the doors were labeled emergency exit, and many of them didn't actually lead to an exit from the building. I hope that hotel never catches fire, the guests in the more isolated parts of the hotel could get lost trying to find a way out.

Our first night there, DiscoverSevilla had a party for us at a bar/club. There was a lot of dancing, and at one point the bartenders lit the bar on fire. I had a nice time, but I think I was one of the first people to leave, along with Natalie, Alex, and Stephanie, my group of level-headed ladies. (I wish I'd met these girls earlier, they're wonderful people.) On our way out, we saw two other girls from our program also trying to make it back to the hotel. One was fairly drunk, the other was downright plastered. We tried to help the more sober girl escort her friend safely back. Then yet another drunk friend of hers emerged from the bar, and that one was crying. Natalie and Stephanie went to help the friend attend to the new drunk girl, while Alex and I took over the first one. We walked her back to the hotel. We had to support her while she walked, she was very wobbly and wearing heels. I asked her lots of questions and tried to keep her talking and distracted enough to keep from going back to the bar, which she tried to do several times. Once we finally got back to the hotel, it took us about 15 minutes to find her room in the maze. Alex and I came in with her to make sure she was okay before leaving. Apparently she and her roommates had a party of their own before going out, there were four empty bottles of hard alcohol in the living room. The other roommates came back, so Alex and I left and went to bed. My other nights were, thankfully, much less eventful.

The hotel provided the most delicious breakfast buffets. In Spain, eggs are unheard of, everyone eats toast for breakfast. Our hotel had eggs, bacon, sausag, fruit (including oranges as big as grapefruits), meat, cheese, cereal, and a wonderful selection of delicious breads and rolls. I used the breakfast buffet to make my lunch sandwich and grabbed some extra fruit for the day, whih probably saved me a good amount of money on lunches.

Since it was our first full day in Lagos, my roommates and I went to the beach. Modesty is a very different concept in Lagos, apparently. I had never seen (female) topless sunbathers in public until this weekend. Up until my hike the following day which led me to places with views of some of the more secluded beaches, I had never seen a nude beach either. It was pretty shocking. The roommates wanted to go take a walk along the beach and they wanted me to stay behind and watch all our things. I wasn't too excited about sitting on a beach alone with nothing to do, but they told me they'd "be right back," so I waited. Apparently, "be right back" means two hours. I learned that my roommates were not the best people to go on excursions with after that.

That night, DiscoverSevilla took us to Cabo San Vicente, which was once believed to be the end of the world. The edge of Cabo San Vicente is made of these huge cliffs towering over the ocean. When you look out toward the horizon, the water stretches as far as the eye can see. We watched the sunset from the cliffs, it was beautiful.

On our last full day in Lagos, I decided to take a hike by myself over to the lighthouse at the far corner of the town. I planned on following the main road, but I instead found some very appealing side trails, so I took those instead. I found some gorgeous cliffs, beaches, and views I would not have seen otherwise. What could have been a 30 minute walk was instead 2 hours. I didn't mind at all. I finally made it over to the lighthouse, and from the cliffs I could see all the beaches on the east side of Lagos. I could also see up part of the west side. I hiked all the way to the bottom of the cliffs to take some pictures of the rocky caves, then made a grueling hike back up. I made it all the way around to the other side of the lighthouse and was wrapping up my hike when my camera stopped working. The lens wouldn't come out when I turned it on, and it automatically shut itself down whenever I tried to start it up. To relieve the suspense and make a long story short, it magically started working again two days later, after I got back to Sevilla. Luckily, I'd already taken almost all of the pictures I could have wanted in Portugal. I'm guessing the wind and sand in the windy and sandy lighthouse area caused the problem, and it seems fixed now. I turn on my camera every once in awhile to make sure it still works, and it's doing just fine. Hurray!

That night, I hung out with Natalie, Alex, and Stephanie. We went out for Chinese food for dinner, which I haven't had since I was at home. It was delicious, and very cheap when split between the four of us. Natalie invited us to her apartment in Sevilla next weekend for dinner and a movie, so hopefully I'll get to hang out with this group again soon.

The next day was our last day, so it was pretty relaxed. I hung out with Stephanie while Natalie and Alex went to take surfing lessons, and we walked around the town center. Stephanie bought t-shirts from the Rising Cock hostel for some friends, and we took the walk over to the lighthouse so that she could see the view. At some point during that walk, my water bottle leaked in my purse and onto my iPod and camera. The camera screen fogged up for awhile and I was worried that it was broken for good, but everything turned out okay. Both still work, and they function just fine. Another relief.

Pictures:
1) one of many beaches near our hotel
2) the water was very clear that day
3) our first dinner in Lagos
4) one of the streets in the center
5) the main plaza
6-8) Cabo San Vicente, end of the world (it was VERY cold and windy)
9-15) gorgeous views of the coast from my long hike

Feria

I have now seen the first couple days of la Feria, and I think it's almost as big as Semana Santa. Some Spanish people save up their money all year for Feria. The casetas (tents) and rides and games and food carts take up so much space, I wonder what they do with that space during the other weeks in the year. Many, many women dress in bright flamenco dresses. I took the special event bus to Feria on the first day and saw all these colorful skirts standing in the long line that went down the block. Traffic was so bad, it might have almost been faster for me to walk. It's about 45 minute to an hour walk from my apartment to the Feria.

Once I got to Feria, I noticed a lot of horses. Sometimes it's hard to cross the street, there are so many horses trotting about. There are no cars in Feria, but it's interesting to see horses with carriages venturing out into the street and mingling among the cars. A horse and carriage carrying people in traditional Andalucian garb looks a bit out of place among the buses and taxis. Riding in a carriage is very expensive, and is a sign of status.

I think I mentioned casetas before. They are temporary tents people set up for the week of Feria. They serve food and drinks inside, and people dance "sevillanas" to the music they play. Some of the casetas are very elaborate inside. I saw one with lovely decorations, including a fountain! Remember, these are only set up for this one week out of the entire year. Most casetas are private, and they have security at the entrances to make sure only owners and invited guests come in. (This is another sign of status.)

Luckily, I visited Feria with a friend who knew a Spanish person who had access to a caseta. We went in and spent some time munching on little desserts and watching people dance. Spaniards learn to dance from a very young age. I saw a couple of little girls who looked about 5 years old dancing. Angel tells me that everyone learns to dance young, though some are better than others. It is more common for the women to pursue their dancing talents.

The food looked very good, there were tapas everywhere. It was all very expensive, though, so we didn't order any. Apparently Feria has its own drink, the rebujito. It's manzanilla (white wine that is "muy suave") with 7-up or Sprite. Feria has rebujito, Semana Santa has torrija, I wonder what foods and drinks are characteristic of the other holidays.

Tomorrow morning I leave for Lagos, Portugal, and I get back on Sunday night. I don't think the reality of my upcoming exams will sink in until then, when I scramble to make the most of my last week of classes. There's not a lot I can do to prepare before we do our class reviews, though. My portfolio for my seminar is almost done, and I just have to put together a short presentation on Jews in Spain for next week. I think this is all managable.

Pictures:
1) crowds and casetas
2) a game where you try to throw a shoe and hit George Bush (sound familiar?)
3) mom and daughter wearing matching flamenco dresses
4) dancing in a caseta
5) a couple of my new Spanish acquaintances, plus Brittney
6) one of the many carriages
7) a giant dish of paella
8) part of the amusement park portion
9) more matching dresses
10) little children riding miniature cars in their flamenco dresses and "trajes cortos" (short suits)
11) even the little ones in strollers get dressed up
12) men in trajes cortos on their horses
13) ladies in flamenco dresses waiting in line for the bus to Feria
14) the house of terror
15) rides, rides...
16) and more rides

Another weekend with Jews

During the weekend, Sara from the Passover seder came to visit. She had already seen the Plaza de España and la Catedral during her first visit, so we spent most of our time walking around and seeing some of the less touristy things. We went to the Alcázar and walked through the gardens. We wandered through Parque María Louisa and around the river that cuts through part of the city. We also walked around the Centro and enjoyed delicious ice cream flavors.

Yesterday we went to where Feria is set up. It technically doesn't start until midnight tonight, but it seemed to mostly be up and running. Casetas are little tents that are set up in long rows next to the temporary amusement park (Calle de Infierno, or Hell's Road). Most of the casetas are private, but some are open to the public. People go inside to eat, drink, and make merry. It's hard to believe that I have a second week of vacation from school. It was fun wandering around the Feria and taking in the sights, but I don't think I'll be directly participating in it as much as some of the other people I know. Everything is expensive, from the food to the rides, and it's honestly not that different from the boardwalks and amusement parks I visit at home. I think I'll be an observer this week. I can watch other people get drunk in the casetas and ride the rides. Perhaps it's better that I watch from a distance...

Sara and I took a lot of pictures in the parks while she was here. Feria pictures will come soon.
Pictures:
1) my lovely university
2-4) climbing trees
5) the gate into Feria
6) a man in one of the plazas blowing bubbled for the children
7-9) the gardens of Alcázar
10) this week they put up new artwork in the Centro
11) one of the fountains inside the Universidad de Sevilla
12) hand feeding doves at the Plaza de América

There is no psychology in Spain

Hello all, quick update. I received an email from my Pitzer adviser last night which began with the following:

"Congratulations! You have met the qualifications for membership in Psi Chi, the national honors society for Psychology majors."

This is very exciting! However, because I am abroad, I am unable to sign the paperwork and participate in the initiation ceremony. My adviser has advised me to join next year, if I think I can keep my GPA up and stay in the top third of my class (which I think I can), so I'll wait until then when I can actually do this without complications.

One of the things I miss most about Pitzer is taking Psychology classes. I'm very excited about the courses I'm taking next semester. If all goes well with registration, I'll be taking two psych classes (Psych of Work and Family; Memory and Language with Lab), a sociology class (Sociology of Emotions), two choirs, working my job at HEO, and researching with psychology professors (the same ones who are teaching Psych of Work and Family, actually). I'm going to be busy as ever. That also means that I'll finish all my major and graduation requirements early. Knowing me, even with all my requirements done, I'll still be busy as ever senior year.

Time flies

Only three more weeks to go! The semester goes by slowly while I'm living in it, but looking back it seems much shorter. Change of plans for this weekend, Sara is coming up from Jerez to visit and I'm going to show her around Sevilla on Saturday and Sunday. She's one of the nice Jewish girls I met at the seder during Semana Santa. She's from Baltimore, and she's spending her junior year (of high school!) in Spain. Very impressive. I have decided that showing Jews around Sevilla is a recipe for fun.

Next week is la Feria, which will be a whirl of tents, carnival rides, horses, and flamenco costumes. I'll post pictures once it gets started. Thursday through Sunday I'll be in Lagos, Portugal. I then have one week of classes, a weekend in Cádiz, and one week of finals. I have four finals to study for, one presentation (about Jews in Spain), and two essays for Pitzer to finish. I'm still working with Marc on a few details of our Europe trip, but most of the larger pieces have fallen into place and we're starting to get a better idea of what we'll be doing. These next couple of weeks are going to be busy, stressful, and fun.

Pictures (a few leftovers from Ronda):
1) one of the lovely gardens
2) classical guitarists play in the parks (and sell to the tourists)
3) a man asking directions from a young Rondan
4) a very classy Spanish menu
5) Gregorian chant music in one of the displays in the church (I learned to read this with Professor Kamm way back in freshman year)
6) very pretty street vendor jewelry

Happy Spanish birthday

I turned 21 yesterday! Mercedes told me she would cook whatever I liked for lunch, so I was expecting to eat well. I was not expecting the lovely birthday lunch I got yesterday. They set the nice table in the living room (we have always eaten in the kitchen). The entire family ate together, which has only happened once or twice while I've been here. Usually I just eat my meals with Angel, or sometimes Angel and one of my host brothers. So the table was set and my host parents forced me to sit and not help while they set the table and brought out food. I really wanted to help, especially since they were giving me such a nice lunch, but they insisted on taking care of it.

I noticed the table was set for six, when the doorbell rang. It was Allison! Allison is a friend from class who volunteers at the same school I volunteer at (a job I set her up with) on Thursdays with Mercedes. Apparently Mercedes had invited her over the day before. We'd been trying to find a time for Allison to join us for a meal for awhile, and it was such a nice surprise to have a friend over for lunch. After lunch, I was surprised again with an ice cream cake and candles. I finally got a picture with the family, too! It was a lovely celebration, and I think I have the perfect host family.

Today the Geranios program had an excursion to Ronda. It's a very pretty city with lots and lots of cliffs and spectacular views. I took over 300 photos, but they just look so 2-dimensional compared to the real views. Coming up to the edge of those cliffs to take pictures was pretty scary, even though there are barriers.

I can't believe that in four weeks, I'll be in Madrid with Marc. I'm very excited about that and the time leading up to it. I should probably start studying for my finals soon. Most of my classes give 50% of my grade for the midterm and the other 50% for the final. The Spanish students have it much worse. Some of their classes are year-long, and their entire grade is based on one giant cumulative final on all the material they learned that year. It sounds absolutely terrifying.

I will probably be traveling every weekend up until I leave Sevilla. If all goes according to plan, I'll go to Granada next weekend and stay with Elliot and his roommates for a couple of days. Elliot is the friend from my Jewish internship who visited me here a couple of weeks ago. I'd love to see him again while we're both still in the country, and I sure wouldn't mind seeing Granada again either. The following weekend I'm going to Lagos, Portugal with the DiscoverSevilla program. I'm probably going to room with Hillary and Brittney, two friends I've hung out with in Sevilla. The next weekend, Geranios is taking us to Cadiz for an overnight trip, and Hillary and I will be rooming together there too. I have two weeks of classes, one week of vacation (Feria), and one week of finals left. The rest of my time here is going to go by very quickly.

I have some leftover pictures from the end of Semana Santa, and I don't want to neglect Ronda, so there will be a lot of pictures today. I have also been asked to post pictures of my apartment, so you'll see one here.

Pictures:
1) my apartment building, the top balcony is mine
2) my neighborhood, with the same rentable bikes you'll see all over the city
3-5) flowers in the park next to my university, I had fun taking pictures the last day of Semana Santa
6) Angel, Mercedes, Alex, Alvaro, me, and a delicious cake. The boys have their serious movie star faces down pat.
7-12) Ronda, with steep cliffs and the tallest bridge I've ever seen
13) in Ronda, you get fined for not picking up after your dog
14) inside the cathedral in Ronda
15) some people taking their dogs for a... walk?