Happy, Happy New Year!

Y'all it's that time of year again, we're all geared up and revving towards all the great possibilities that come with the beginning of a new year. New travels, new jobs, new loves, and possibly new babies, the newness is endless. I hope you are basking in all that is to come, but don't forget to grow from the old and cherish what once was because without it you would not be looking at all the new possibilities.

In tradition of the Off I Go blog post featuring some of the most popular travel quotes circling the web at this time I'm going to do the same for all the New Year goodness . . .

 

 

 

 

Did any of you adventurous readers make a few new years resolutions or is that now for the birds, let me know why or why not in the comments. I personally have a few goals, but moving to Spain came with it's own set of goals ( learn Spanish, Workout) and they are taking up plenty of my effort.

I wish each and everyone of you folks a blessed year ahead filled with laughter, love and more happiness than you ever expected.

Until next time, Adios, Hasta Pronto, and Be Blessed . . .

 

The Good, The Bad and The Over Traveled

As you may have noticed for the Barcelona post I did plenty of research and provided way too much detail for you blog readers.

 I did do my research before traveling to Ireland for Christmas and Paris for New Years, but the holiday closings put a bit of dapper on my plans. In Ireland I completely gave up and just walked the city- great finds where everywhere.

 In Paris, I bought a museum pass and with my friend walked the city for hours playing tourist. My last stop before trekking on home was Bayeux, France to visit the beaches of D-Day, but sadly I did no research and showed up dead in the middle of Off-season, ha!

The entire trip went well, I enjoyed more than I could have ever expected to experience and cannot wait to venture back to Ireland and complete all that I did not accomplish. Instead of a long- over done blog I'm just going to provide small feedback in the categories of The Good, The Bad, and The Over It . . .

Ireland

The Good:

• The Irish are friendly, welcoming, good-natured generous folk who have left a lasting impression upon me.
• The food is damn good, get a burger. Enjoy the portions and say hello to a traditional, solid breakfast for me please.
• The tourism is not overwhelming in Ireland. Seriously, in the museums, attractions or popular sites the lines were not ridiculous and the pace was very relaxed.
• The Irish love their arts so there are plenty of shows of all types to take-in when visiting. I was able to catch a Friday night show of Wicked, a book a fell in love with ages ago and a soundtrack I've been singing since freshman year of college.

The Bad:

• Dublin is a tourist location and therefor everything is priced accordingly. Budget well, so you don't go broke.

The Over It:

• The weather in Dublin can be wearing on the spirit- rainy, but no umbrellas allowed because of the wind. Or it can be a triumph that you didn't let it get you down, your choice.

Paris

The Good:

• Plenty of attractions, museums, and historical sites to see. One of my favorite surprise visits was the Military Museum, I saw knight armor in person for the first time in my life. Thanks for that Paris.
• The D'Orly, this was not on anyone's must see list, but I'm telling you to put it on yours. Words can not describe how easy this is compared to the Louvre, but yet still as intense in the level of art provided.
• Obviously, you are going to find some good shops at all different prices. I bought a purse that I was positive would require the loss of a leg, but it didn't and now I have a Modern Mary Poppins bag for life.
• Hidden gems around every corner, seriously. While walking down one street I turned and discovered these impressive doors that opened to amazing landscaping and architecture.
• Finding a travel companion who is on the same page as you works great. AND I found one in a old friend from when I was attending Spanish classes in Seville- Jaime! We had a blast, sight seeing or not sight seeing. Going to museums or shopping, thank goodness for this lady or Paris would have definitely been a bust.

  

  Travel Friends!

  
  

  

  Surprise Find!

The Bad:

• Every step you take there is a tourist. This is a city that thrives on Tourism and if you are looking to hang with the locals don't go here- they know you're not local and what nothing to do with your stinky tourist self.
• The metro is no joke. Once you get it, you still have much to learn.
• You better book it or research heavily ahead a time. Beginners luck is nice, but honestly cover charges exist, the streets twist and turn and if it's popular event you could easily miss out. Do your research, remember this is a popular travel city that offers much, but you can easily miss out if you don't plan.

The Over It:

• At many Information or Help desk I encounter folks who did not speak English or Spanish- that's two of the top spoken languages in the entire world. Unacceptable at a place were you are suppose to be helping people who are most likely from a different country.
• The Lines, even with a fast pass I waited in line at least an hour ( no longer than two thank goodness), but the poor folks buying tickets at that moment passed at least 4-5 ( The Louvre) in line. Get the fast pass or be prepared to only move inches over along time period.

The Louvre

Paris City Lights

Bayeux

All Good:

This is in Normandy and better known as the beaches of D-Day. As I did not plan and thank goodness because after Paris relaxation was just what the doctor ordered. Interestingly enough Bayeux, I was informed, did not suffer any damage during the wars and the historical buildings and houses are still standing; which, made for very whimsical cottage town scenery.
 The food was great, I believed in eating dessert and a full meal along with a drink known in the area as Cider Brandy, Calvados. The Brandy is sold in many stores. Should you go during season you'll catch many stores and cheese and wine cafes open, along with all tourist locations; such as, The Modern Museum and The Tapestry Museum.

These Bayeux Streets

And Home Sweet Jaen Again!

 

Whoosh, that was a lot! Maybe from here on I'll just go read in park. Actually, my goal for this semester is to see some more of Spain.

Even though I came to live in Jaen and not just exist until I could travel, there are places I'm planning on visiting, but please known getting to know all the wonderful people I've met here is my main goal.

I would love to hear all about your Holiday Breaks or even Holiday travel experiences, I hope each and everyone enjoyed those you love and took some time to relax. If you have any further questions about these places feel free to ask!

 Until next time, Adios, Hasta Pronto, Be Blessed  . . .

 

Barcelona: Where the Spanish Europeans Reside

I have no clue what exactly the comment, "Barcelona is the Europe of Spain" means, but I cannot count how many times the lovely folks of Andalusia said exactly those words when they found out I would be visiting the city of Barcelona. On our December Puente I was planning a solo trip to Barcelona because I love traveling solo and plenty of people speak English so getting from point A to B would not be to difficult.

 About a week before a new friend asked if she could join and I agreed without hesitation because sometimes company really is nice. We had a wonderful time and I was thankful for her ease with asking three strangers in a row if the directions we had received from five other strangers were correct so as to make sure we always knew where we were located and moving towards. Since we are new friends it was great getting to know each other and our conversation did not become stale or forced at any point. More importantly she did not judge my zealous desire to eat Barcelona whole in three days.

The plan according to all the advice and research I completed was to visit as many historical sites as possible and devour all the European style eats as possible- tapas are not free in Basque country and if I'm paying for the food I'd rather it be in large quantities.

So we walked and we visited and we ate, and we ate some more. Over all the trip was great, I definitely plan to return AND that is not an empty threat. Breaking down the places and spaces works better than trying to fit everything into a essay style analysis with witty commentary, so read what you want and comment when you want.

Sites

Barcelona: Seriously. The architecture and layout of the city is very different compared to the other cities of Spain. There are no Pueblos Blancos and Plazas have a different layout style. The buildings are different stone and the way they loom over the street gives way to a very gothic mind frame. After discussing with some Spanish friends it was explained to me that Barcelona is a Modernism city, one of two that fall under Spanish rule ( the other is actually located in Africa).
La Sagrada Familia: I was amazed at the genius that designed and built this Cathedral or Basilica. While the design and idea belongs to Guadi due to his unexpected death others have worked on the completion of the Cathedral for the last 100 years. At this time the area they are working on is a carving of an open book with the phrase, "Our Father Who Art in Heaven" in 25 different languages. Very powerful. While I was able to enjoy La Sagrada Familia I was not able to shake the notions that the Chapel was not meant to be downstairs. That Guadi meant for those attending to worship with the light flooding in many different colors and the presence of nature surrounding all present. He built La Sagrada Familia as a man of faith wanting to enhance the worship of others with the beauty of nature and that is not possible to do when the building is a tourist attraction. While I know that service is held on Saturday and Sunday, and I respect the decision of where worship service is held and tourist roam I cannot help but wonder if Guadi would be of the same respectful mind frame.
Guadi House: I was just fascinated in being able to visually see Guadi transform in his work and goals of design. Anyone interested in how much nature and faith played a part in his work life should definitely visit the house. Unfortunately I have no picture inside due to not knowing how to turn the flash off of my camera (ha!).
Park Guell: Take the elevator. Don't second glance the welcome sign for tourist ( not welcoming at all) and enjoy the views. Also, enjoy the lady playing the homemade harp. You are able to see the entire city of Barcelona, La Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, and Guadi House. All while surrounded by some beautiful wooded area. The park is named after the man who funded many of Guadi's projects. Guell intended for the area to actually be a housing complex were the house were small and the gardens large. The entire area screams "Guadi built me, enjoy"!
Picasso Museum: Picasso in his youth was a force to be reckon with, take note. I would definitely suggest the Audio Tour so that you can truly understand the images you are seeing. My favorite part was seeing the Picasso take on other famous works featured in the Prado in Madrid.

Eats and Treats

Poppy: THIS.PLACE. This sweet, dream circus of a playhouse. If I could have moved in I would have, but I doubt the regulars and staff would agree to such an agreement. The food was rich, the Swiss Coco had melted chocolate and homemade marshmallows. And that Carrot Cake, damn.
Kiosko: A burger the size of my head- I measured. You will wait in line. You will drool at those eating already while you wait. You will then check-off the ingredients that you want to fill and progressively fall-out of your burger as you eat. You will order, hunt down a spot ( no worries all are conscious of the quick life span of their seat, 30 minutes max), then sit in that spot and watch the counter until your food starts floating towards you in the hand of a nice server. Then you will eat the burger the size of your head. With your choice of fries, potato wedges, or papas bravas. While you eat you may or may not add one of the four sauces mixed in city and all good- your choice again. Everything is your choice, your wants, your desires and yours to enjoy.
Milk: I expected, Minimalism and clean cut. Wrong. First off all after walking to the end of Barcelona and taking an exit right before the ports you will find this place in what I later realized was El Born. The mood was more dive bar, speakeasy style. Which is perfect for me, especially since the lighting still allowed me to see the cute bartender. The burger involved onions caramelized in balsamic vinegar. Enough said.
The Pub: An English Pub located in the middle of everything. A great place for those strictly traveling to take a break- a little getaway. But honestly, really just a place to go if you do live in Spain after living somewhere else and know that other beers exist outside Cruzcampo.
Name Unknown: To the sweet little cupcake shop and legit pizzeria, I apologize that I was so focused on eating your deliciousness I did not pause for details. Sincerely, I'll make it up to you the next time I visit. Promise. Both are located in central areas and the cupcake shop was celebrating its grand opening to great success.

Aide and Advice

Ask your Spanish friends, ask your friends who have lived in Spain, ask people who know people who have study abroad in Spain and then ask friends whose parent traveled in Spain during their 25th anniversary. Once you've compiled a first witness account start doing some research on the World Wide Web and feel free to stop by the following places that gave me a little helping hand.

Pinterest:  Seriously, this place rules the world, so of course traveling the world guides are in abundance.
City Blink Blog: Thanks for the hangover suggestion places, but more importantly the introduction to Milk and Kiosko.
TimeOut: Honestly, if you plan on traveling to any city in Europe I would suggest stopping by the TimeOut Blog for some tips. They're considered for the Hipster crowd only, but honestly I just like that they think outside the box of places to visit.
Driftwood Journals: This blog is written by a gentleman who actually lived in Barcelona for some time and not only does he provide places to visit, but some cheap tricks to boot. For sure invest in the Metro card he suggest, you will need the metro to get to some Tourist spots AND from the airport/train station into the city.

 

If you've yet to visit I hope this little blurb helps you figure out where your headed and what to eat AND if you have visited feel free to add tips and tidbits to the comments section- the more the merrier! Below are some photos to thank you for your time and bearing with this very long winded blog post.

 

Hope you're enjoying the holiday season, Until Next Time . . . Adios, Hasta Pronto, Be Blessed!

Whatcha Doin', Nothing Just Chillin' in Spain

Nothing, just getting to know Jaen and Baeza a little bit better. Just a recap, I live in Jaen, but commute to the smaller town of Baeza to work. At first I was under the assumption that I was only to work in Baeza and play in Jaen, but thank goodness that fog as lifted.

Oddly enough, my true playtime did not begin until I quit working at the private academy I was teaching at during the evenings in Baeza on Monday and Wednesday. The two main reasons for my departure were the long hours into the night and the fact that I signed on to teach but later the school decided to go a different direction with assisting students in learning the English language. As I mentioned way back at the beginning of my moving to Spain adventure the point was to take a break and center my life goals. As much as I adored and miss, man do I miss, those kiddos I am definitely enjoying the freetime.

Despite being in graduate classes online and working, I was still able to do things I enjoyed in town, but now that I have more free time I've been able to transition into my natural groove of socializing and daily routine. I've worked out my carpool (just an fyi that is not a word in Spanish, you have to describe this one folks) and I'm enjoying the company and conversation well- not to mention my understanding of Spanish as tripled. I've been able to meet friends for dinner, coffee, or after work drinks- if you know me you know how much I just l.o.v.e. meeting up with folks in the evening and then heading home to an comfy bed and good book at a sensible hour. Because of siesta when I arrive to Jaen from Baeza after school everyone is locked away in their homes, but in the evenings the shopping and socializing come alive and I'm able to participate now. I know to some the point of this trip would be to visit all the town artifacts and stay up all night enjoying the infamous Spanish nightlife, but that's not how I work. In my opinion if you are constantly walking around looking at the buildings you miss out on the people, the living history that can tell you stories no history book would ever publish.

Tapas With Co-workers and their families.

However, no worries, I have spent plenty of time in Baeza- once even a long weekend (with many more to follow hopefully), which is actually a UNESCO World Heritage site, so I'm soaking up the history. In Baeza I have enjoyed, in my humble opinion, the best Tapas Spain has to offer. Many disagree, but I'm okay as long as they keep serving. I've found a place that throws great concerts every Thursday night AND I'm getting to spend more time with my co-workers and their families. From the personalized Pallella day, to tapas with other teachers in town, to a night out in Jaen.

A Fancy Kabob, in Baeza.

There is shrimp all in there, mmmgood!

At the same time I've been able to concentrate on graduate class, keep in contact with loved ones in the states more frequently and read about five books.

 Adjustment is not that bad at all, definitely unexpected in the relationships and routines I've developed, but an overall great start to this adventure.

Roommates walking through a lovely park we discovered in Jaen.

I'm sure you dear reader have had to adjust to something new and unexpected, whether moving to a different country or new marriage or a completely different job than the previous. I would love to hear all about it, feel free to even provide some tips and tricks!

Until next time, Adios, Hasta Pronto, Be Blessed . . .

The roommates doing Saved by the Bell Halloween Proper.

 

Albaicin: The Barrio of the Baeza People

The visit to Granada was great. The visit to Granada was the best. The visit to Granada was wonderful.

Spanish kindness in the form of Balien, showing us a good time.

 

Honestly that about sums up my feelings on the subject of my Visit to Granada.

Leaving the very homogenous atmosphere of Jaen and being transplanted to the mutli-cultural, alternative everyday life of Granada was just what the doctor order. Just as I was wondering when the homesickness would exit through the gift shop or when I just knew that the next Spaniard to comment negatively about my hair while tisking loudly about the color of my skin was going to be my prompt ticket home byway of the Civil Guard we took a little trip to Granada.

I bought no souvenirs, I didn´t make a life long connection with anyone I met at the hostel, and my visit to The Alhambra was regulated to the areas that dealt with King Charles. But who cares, I could not have planned a better trip.

I did meet some pretty great people at the Hostel, Makuto, whose travels across Spain seemed to be going quite well. I also meet this sweet little couple who in two weeks had traveled to 6 places and had 5 more to do before the end of the week. I was able to watch the sunset at The Miradora San Nicolas. There were so many street artist whose talent and skills went far beyond the norm idea for how objects, metals, images should be represented.

Then as the strawberry covered in chocolate topping  (I´m allergic to cherries) I attended the best guided tour anyone could experience. I signed up Thursday night for a Special Interest tour on the subject of King Charles and is impact on the Alhambra as well as the city of Granada. My tour guide graduate from university with a degree in Tourism and a master in History, focus on the development of Granada.

 The tour was on Sunday, it was in English and I was the only person to sign-up. It was more like a conversation focused on the Alhambra, past Kings and Queens, the Moor cultural impact on Spain and the history of Granada. I was able to see rooms and locations that I didn´t even know existed. My tour guide was obviously passionate about the subject and I´m even planning on attending a Wednesday night tour he guides about the roles of women in the growth of the city of Granada.

 

Alhambra at Sunset from the Miradora San Nicolas

Miradora San Nicolas midday from the Alhambra

View of the grounds from the Queens room.

On our first afternoon in Granada we ate at this little café called Cuatros Gatos and this college girl explained that while the city was great upon first arrival it could definitely get old after awhile. My plan is to visit often enough that it does get old- that we become old friends, with old haunts, and old memories that will last a lifetime.

Have you every visited Granada, please share your adventures and if not, is this somewhere you'd be interested to visit?

Until next time, Adios, Hasta Pronto, Be Blessed . . .

 

The Ladies and I enjoying the views!

 

Write Me Something, Anything Real

Toni Morrison at work.

This blog is just a piece of my thoughts or mind, your pick. It is not my entire writing ability, my complete thought process, or every bit of goings on from my daily life. Truly, you are taking part of the literal version of snap chat when reading a blog. Just a moment. No more.

Usually that works just fine for me honestly, I do plenty of my fiction writing in my free time that  I'm not bothered, but things have changed. There are so many things going on, I'm not able to free-write like I would prefer and due to my accepting the Independent Blogger Internship for CIEE I try to streamline this blog to aide future participants.

 What's a girl to do when the writing situation gets a little scrambled. Simple Journal. Instead of searching out random wisp of thoughts in my head I've decided to use a few prompts.

My new baby journal, so great! Mama loves you!

 

My journal is divide into sketch pages and lined paper. My first decision was to participate in "What I'm Thankful For" for every day of November. One sentence followed by a brief paragraph of explanation then I'm done. Next I answer a question from the following journal prompt page.

 

 There is prompt per day and the entire series for every month was designed to answer the same question for five years straight. Interesting.  

As for the sketch pages, once a week I have to sketch a drawing of what is consuming my life for the moment. The other days I have to choose a prompt from one of the following prompt generators. All prompt generators can be found on my Pinterest page, "Let's Have Some Fun". Stop on by for links to more!

 

 Not too creative I understand, but man am I excited to just write. So very excited.

 

Any suggestions for writing prompts feel free to add them or even share about your own writing preferences. All of you moving towards becoming Language Assistants next year, are you keeping a pre-trip journal? If so what do you find yourself writing about most?

 

Until Next time, Hasta Pronto, Adios, Be Blessed . . .

The Re-Education of D

I have taken two large steps in the growth department y'all and it feels good, real good to be honest. Let's start with the basics:

Co-teaching or even just aiding in subjects that I have no clue or memory registry about has opened my brain up to so much more information. In music I'm learning about the different instruments, the groups those instruments belong in and even the history of music in the middle ages. In technology I'm learning all the tricks and tips to Photoshop, how to weld metal, and how building structures work from every little angle. In art, well let's just say I'm trying. And math is a reawakening to words such as "exponent" and " least common multiple", these kids definitely figure out the equation before I do. I've always been an English and History buff, with very little deep interest in the other subjects, but now I have to be interested in order to aide the students in their language development AND I love all that I'm learning.

Awkard, and so naive on my first day at the private academy.

 

Now let's move to the hard part:

I was one busy baby one the school year started. I was headed to public school no later than 8:30, didn't leave school until 2:45. At which point I headed to private school around with the earliest arrival time being 3:15 and I set-up, planned for the days activities ( I taught five different ones, in a two day rotation). Finally I head home around 8:15, only to arrive around 9:30 and prep for dinner, hang with the roomies or work on graduate class homework. That's around the same hours I put in back in Texas with a lot less pay and in a much more enticing environment to have some fun. So I did the unthinkable after two weeks. I discussed the lack of sleep, extreme stress and lack of sleep with my Director at the private academy and we decided that no longer teaching my Tuesday/Thursday classes was definitely an option. I was definitely this overworked if not more in the United States and we had plenty of people who should've been qualified to aide in the workload, but after seeing so many of my colleagues fail at acquiring assistants in their hour of need I never spoke up and shouldered the battle. I know now that an as a work bee it is not my job to do all the work because others are to lazy or unaware of the position requirements, it is the person in charges job to make sure everyone is doing what they need to and doing it well. Just as ready as I was to say, "okay, adios" here I should have been just as ready to say "something has to change" back in Texas. Why we work bees, and women especially, feel the need to abandon all common sense and work our bodies into the ground while everyone else takes naps and orders drinks baffles me completely. But in a culture were siesta is an estimated time-frame and four day weekends are not rare there is the mind frame that overworking is a problem that needs to be fixed as soon as possible because you only have one life and it should not be lived at a desk, but with what you love and hold dear.

Now I'm moving to adjusting to my new schedule, being ahead in grad class, watching some television, dedicating my Tuesday afternoon to Spanish learning and just enjoying Spain.

 

Please share a time you had to step-back and decide what is important. Or if you're interested in the Language Assistant Program in Spain feel free to ask for job requirement details or extra income options.

Until next time, Hasta Pronto, Adios, Be Blessed . . .