Nearing the end....

Wow! How fast time has flown by! I am down to one week left of school, and then finals week. Since returning from Spring Break, I have settled into a nice routine, and really feel like I´ve adjusted to all of the changes….and now it´s time to move on to the next phase; traveling with my parents for several weeks before venturing out onto my own.

The past few weeks have consisted of sweeping sand out of my bedroom because I´ve been frequenting the beach before and after class! The weather is still off and on, but for about five days straight, it was nice enough to lay out and conquer some homework, or more like THINK about conquering it with my eyes closed soaking in the rays. Here, at the hint of sunshine, the locals are on the beach; all ages, to enjoy the Viatmin D, or play paddle ball, soccer, or volleyball, because in just a few hours, the weather can change dramatically. One thing that still is hard to adjust to are the public exposure regulations here…as in there aren´t really any….. which took some adjusting at first, but now it´s become somewhat normal when scanning the beach. I´ve even talked to my intercambios about it, and they say that it is just what they have grown up with, and so they are used to it.

Besides the beach, I went to my first soccer game, albeit a Second Divison game, between Real Sociedad (the San Sebastián team) and Valladolid. It was quite the experience: my friend Lisa and were seated in the section with every 10-15 year old Basque Boy, so we got to learn some nice chants from them, get sunflower seeds spit on us, and then watch a game that ended in a 0-0 score. Who knew soccer games could end in a tie? I guess it´s a pretty known fact, but that just means that I´ll have to find another one to go to. The fans here are excited because Real is on the verge of moving up into the First Division if they can get a few more wins.

Regarding school, I have been VERY busy trying to complete everything that will be due in the next two weeks. I absolutely love my two teachers, Mari Mar and Natalia, and they both have inspired me, and reminded me (although I didn´t need it) why I love teaching as well. They are 100% dedicated to the development of their students, and also doing anything extra they can to help us get to know their culture as well, as they are both very proud of their Basque Heritage.

I took advantage of a volunteer project for the ¨Week of the Book,¨ and visited a local elementary school in Zarautz, a town along the coast about 30 minutes by train from San Sebastián. One of the USAC office workers, Aizpea, has children that attend the school, and she arranged for us to go visit and read a book in English to students that are learning English. I was so thankful to have the opportunity, as the students (between the ages of 9 and 13 were all eyes and ears. I even had one of the teachers invite me to come back anytime I wanted to do it again. Bummer that I´ll be leaving soon, but it was great to be able to interact with students and see the eagerness that they portray at that age.

On the 22^nd of April, USAC organized the viewing of the documentary FLOW: For the Love of Water. It so happened to coincide with Earth Day, which was fitting as it relates the problem of water scarcity. It is a powerful film, with which I am very familiar, having put in over 100 hours this semester, translating from English to Spanish, lesson plans that correlate with the film, directed toward Teachers Without Borders. Natalia and our USAC Director, Patricia, collaborated with the director, from the United States last semester to translate the movie itself into Spanish (subtitles). Once they accomplished that, she asked them if they would be interested in translating lesson plans for teachers, which is where me and two other students came into the picture. We dedicated our spare time to the cause (and for me, graduate credit). Since finishing (or almost, we now have to change all of the ¨Vosotros¨ forms to ¨Ustedes¨ in ALL the documents), Natalia has been working to translate the movie itself into Basque and French. She is truly an intelligent woman. The project was-is tiresome, but it has instilled some excitement in me that I am excited to relay to my own students upon returning home regarding sustainability, and water. Lisa, Mikeli (the other two students I worked with), Natalia, and I were all recognized after the viewing of the movie, and we received a copy of the movie for ourselves, and a certificate stating what we have accomplished.

Since my time here in Donostia is coming to an end soon, I have started to reflect upon things that I am going to miss, and/or do miss from home.

WILL MISS:

The food: tortilla de patata, patatas bravas con ali-oli sauce, champi con foie, bocadillos, sidra…it is all incredible

The experiences: Pintxo hopping, enjoying coffee, reading the Diario Vasco newspaper everyday, walking everywhere I go, stopping off at the beach after class, window shopping without the urge to buy anything, meeting with my inter-cambios (especially María!), frequent visits to the grocery store a block from my apartment, seeing the town lit up at night, the busy/alive streets of the Parte Vieja at night, the Wednesday walk with my girl Helene to her English and Dance class and then visiting with her parents afterwards, saying ¨AGUUUURRR¨ (Goodbye in Basque) and ¨Eskerrik asko¨ (Thank you in Basque) when leaving any place, being in awe of all the well behaved dogs

WON´T MISS:

Living in a loud/messy apartment, the random rain catching you without an umbrella, people smoking inside restaurants, seeing every Basque man and woman look like everyone else and stares because I don´t look like them or have a Basque profile J (thank goodness), dogs inside restaurants

MISS FROM HOME:

Friends, family, MEXICAN FOOD, Starbucks, having a car when I need it

I´m sure there is more to come……..

Italia-Spring Break Pictures 2

Spanish Steps in Rome
Trevi Fountain in Rome
Piazza Navona in Rome
Michaelangelo´s Pieta in St. Peter´s Basilica in Rome
St. Peters Basilica
The Colosseum
Easter Sunday mass on the steps of St. Peters Basilica
Sunset in Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre
Manarola, Cinque Terre
Hike from Vernazza to Monterosso; a view of Monterosso
Vernazza, Cinque Terre
En route to Monterosso
Another sunset in Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre
Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre

Italia-Spring Break

Karen and I in Venice
St. Mark´s Basilica in Venice
Venice by night
Venice from the Clock Tower in St. Mark´s Square
Karen and I with the Grand Canal in Venice
San Croce Church in Florence
Ponte Vecchio in Florence
Karen, Cindy, and I in front of....one of the many churches in Florence
Florence from Piazza Michaelangelo

The Duomo in Florence

El que espera, desespera. I had been waiting patiently to be rewarded with Spring Break, but more so than just a break, to see one of my very best friends from home that I had not seen since her wedding in June! Therefore, it seemed as though the weeks leading up to Italy slowly dragged by, just because I was excited for them to begin! After a 6 hour overnight bus ride to Madrid, followed by an excursion through the Madrid Metro system, a RyanAir flight to Rome, a 40 minute bus ride to my stop for the night, followed by a 3 hour train ride the next morning, I was finally to Florence. And then, I waited another 2 hours, as Karen and Cindy wound their way around Florence, dragging their suitcases, and worrying that I would be kept waiting as they could not figure out where they were on the map because they´d gotten off at the wrong train station. The joys of traveling.

We spent two nights at the Hotel Ocagna in Florence, the first of them attending Italian mass in the Duomo church, which as is written in the random event pages of Karen´s life, she was asked to partcipate in the collection of the money. The next two days were filled with tasty Italian food, searching for the ¨perfect¨¨cute¨¨tasty¨Italian restaurant, and dodging the tourists much like ourselves who wanted to see all of the important sights in just a few days. Although we never made it to the Uffizi Museum, we certainly made up for it by Cindy´s keen eye for churches. I think we saw more artwork in the 4 days together than combined portraits and statues in the Uffizi. We got a great view of Florence after a hike up to Piazza Michaelangelo on a spectacular sunny day, where for some strange reason, there were about 70 ladies dressed up as brides we think, along with their grooms and bridal parties.....we are still confused.....maybe a photo shoot?, and then the opposite view after a bus ride up to the small town of Fiesole, which also overlooks Florence. We also treated ourselves to much needed Cappucinos as frequently as possible, and always followed dinner or coffee up with Tiramisu, just to compare the different varieties that make this a popular Italian dessert. To top if off, we had a great last meal in Florence at the ¨cute¨¨traditional¨restaurant we found in Rick Steve´s Italy 2006.....which every other person in the restaurant surely had used to find it as well...none of them being locals, but winning top prize in my book for the best food and most fun atmosphere!

Karen and I spent the train ride to Venice catching up on our lives over the past 9 months, still feeling astonished at the fact that we would reunite in Italy of all places, but feeling so thankful that we were able to do so. Stepping out of the train station in Venice, we immediately felt the maze that the city is comprised of, simply trying to find out hotel. Once finding Hotel Doge, we got a good laugh out of the fact that we would get ¨breakfast in bed¨...because there was no place else to eat it at the hotel. The energetic, not so fluent English speaking worker, was overly enthusiatic to inform us that she would be bringing us breakfast at 8:30am. Wow, we couldn´t wait to be woken up at that time!!!!! The entire situation reminds me of a play I just read in one of my classes mocking the bourgeoise society-Tres Sombreros de Copa, by Miguel Mihura. If you´ve read it, you can place how we were feeling just like Dionisio in the story :). Visits to St. Mark´s square and church, the clock tower that overlooks Venice, calling every bridge the Rialto bridge, and feeling like we were in the middle of Disneyland because of all of the tourists were some of the highlights of the beautiful city of Venice. We chose not to ¨Disneyland it up¨by doing a gondola ride, but instead, we fell into the trap again of finding the perfect café to indulge in a cappuccino. At the foot of the real Rialto Bridge, the epi center of tourism, in a café that turned out to be German of all things, overpriced, and for the stipulation that it needed to be warm, guess what we didn´t notice? It was an open air café. We got a good laugh out of our desperateness for a cup of coffee. I definitely should have used my veto power there huh Karen? :)

That night after a fine dinner at Osteria Alberto, another Rick Steve´s reccomendation, we decided to go for a stroll...um...not so easy in the labryinth. We got a little turned around, but eventually made our way back to Hotel Doge and settled in to await our wake up call. 8:30 rolled around pretty early, and the knock on the door led to us being served breakfast in bed. We must admit that we all felt pretty akward in our pijamas...being served by the hotel worker, but it turned out to be a nice little breakfast despite the comic relief it provided us all first thing in the morning. Day 2 in Venice treated us to a trip to Murano island, famous for Murano glass, our first Italian Gelatto, another trip to St. Mark´s Plaza, and of course several other churches. We ended the night with a farewell meal just 2 doors down from our hotel room.

Karen and Cindy´s departure opened the door for my solo stint of the trip, to Cinque Terre, or the ¨5 lands¨that had been raved about by everyone I knew who had been there. I arrived after a full day´s travel on train, getting off at the first La Spezia train station instead of the second, and a hike up the one hill that exists in the first town of Riomaggiore, to my hotel room at L´Arcobaleno. I hadn´t exactly worked out in a few days, but that trip up the hill with my little roller suitcase was as bit treacherous. I was then a little worried about the hikes that lied ahead of me in the next few days :). My first full day in Cinque Terre consisted of a hike from Riomaggiore (20 min) to Manarola, to Corniglia (40 min), to Vernazza (1 hr. 30 min). I decided to save the last leg of the trip for the next day, so I would enjoy it more being that it was the hardest leg of the trip. Some of the views of the towns, of the ocean, and of terraces carved in the hillsides used for agriculture were some of the most beautiful I´d ever seen in my life. It was also a really great few days for reflection and realizing the beauty of this opportunity in my life. During my time spent in Riomaggiore, I treated myself to a big lunch each day, one was a pizza mmmmm, and the other was Spaghetti Carbonara that was fabulous. I was also witness to two incredible sunsets, an interesting Good Friday mass at the local parish, and the locals who strolled the ¨street¨of Riomaggoire by night to check out the activities. All in all, Cinque Terre was one of the highlights of my trip for many reasons. One main thing was on my mind though.....when was the Fortier baby going to be born?????? (Another best friend from college was due...and I didn´t have Internet access in Riomaggiore :)....so I waited patiently...!

The rest and relaxation was necessary to tackle Rome, which is where I ventured next to stay with my friend David. Also turns out that another friend that I had grown up with, who is now living in Amsterdam, was going to be in Rome at the same time. Two girls from Corning, California in Rome, Italy??? Pretty fun! Katie Coke, her boyfriend, David, myself, and Lauren indulged in a ¨Welcome to Rome¨dinner in which I once again ate Spaghetti Carbonara, while others had mussel soup, fried codfish, pizza, bruschetta, etc, in an atmosphere that was clearly Italian with white and red checkered tablecloths, and garlic hanging from the ceiling! After dinner, we even got to watch a little bit of the men´s Final Four Basketball games as we continued to visit!! On Easter Sunday, I awoke early and headed to St. Peter´s to check out the atmosphere. I really didn´t have to know how to get there; I just followed the thousands of people! I didn´t have a ticket to the mass, but it was outside on the steps of St. Peters, so everything that we couldn´t see in detail, was projected onto the big screen. This was one of the ¨once in a lifetime¨experiences I´m glad that I had the chance to be a part of. Although I didn´t make it through the whole mass, the 2 hours that I was standing there, meant a lot to me. Easter Sunday ended with a great dinner with my new Rome friends, and topped off with another visit from Katie Coke!!!! I was also able to Skype my parents and brother and his family, which made for a nice dose of home.

I took the next two days in Rome to heart, and decided to do the tourist gig. Each day, I wandered the streets of Rome, hitting up all of the hotspots that I had already visited in 2004 with Lisa Mispley Fortier (she had her baby the day before Easter btw!): the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, St. Peter´s Square, the Colosseum, etc. My only dissapointment from the first time visiting was that I didn´t get to go inside of St. Peter´s Basilica. Seeing that 2010 I have proclaimed as my ¨Year of no regrets¨haha, I was bummed when I couldn´t even find the end of the line to get into St. Peter´s. I succumbed to the fact that I probably wasn´t going to get in this time either. Regardless, the awesome visit to Castel Sant´Angelo on the first day, and the Capucchin Monks Crypt (4 rooms decorated with nothing but bones of 4,000 monks because they were not allowed to be buried within the city of Rome) made the return trip to Rome worth it. The flipping of another coin over my shoulder at the Trevi Fountain 6 years ago really did work.....wish I could remember what my wish was then to see if that had come true. :) I continued the tradition again this year, and then bolted to give St. Peter´s one last try, as it closed in an hour. LUCK! I basically walked right into the Basilica, and was in awe being inside of one of the most famous, and meaningful places on Earth. Michaelangelo´s Pieta rivaled Bernini´s arches towering over St. Peter´s tomb and the main altar, as well as Bernini´s Dove Window, and the ¨kissable¨foot of St. Peter (I rubbed it instead of kissing it). The enormity of the building was an incredible sight, and upon leaving realized that I now felt not only happy with my trip to Rome, but much more fulfilled. Check that goal off the list :)

Lilathon 5K

Right after the warm-up; on the steps of the City Hall ready to start the race!
This was a band that was encouraging the runners along the Zurriola Beach in Gros.
The finish line
Done!! Rachel and I after partaking in an amazing experience!

One of the coolest (I know I say this every time I write), and most meaningful things that I have participated in since arriving here was the Lilathon Women’s 5K running race last Sunday. The USAC office sent us the information, and my friend Rachel and I decided we wanted to do something local, so we signed up. Upon arrival at Eder Alderri Park/Ayuntamiento/City Hall de San Sebastián, we were amazed at the thousands of people that were already roaming the area waiting for the festivities to begin. I believe that they chose to hold the women’s only race on Sunday because Monday was the day of the “Working woman.” We worked our way inside the building to complete our registration forms. Rachel and I wore our USAC T-shirts so we would feel like a team, and represent foreigners as well, because we had seen pictures from last year, with the women wearing matching shirts, and we thought it looked like a lot of fun. Once we got our registration number, we had to get our bag of goodies including a T-shirt, foot chip (to record the time), and numbers to pin on our T-shirts. I sported the straight spandex, which I would never do at home, but I thought, why not? When in Spain, do as the Spaniards do J. After prepping ourselves and realizing that we lucked out because the weather was amazing for an event like this, we headed to the front of the Ayuntamiento for an aerobic warm-up. Luckily, our friend Mary was with us and was our photographer for the day, documenting everything that we did. We hopped around, doing aerobic warm ups in front of a huge crowd for about 30 minutes before the race began. The environment was electrifying, women were so happy to be spending time with their friends, and to help promote women’s sports on the street in a historically machistic society. Right before the flag was lowered for the race to being, they played a song to which everyone danced, and being in the back of the pack, we got about a 5 minute later start that the other ladies because we were smashed together like “sardinas en lata” (sardines in a can). Once we officially had started the race, we felt like we were in the Boston Marathon, as people lined the streets for miles. Just being over 3 miles, we passed through some of the most notable places in San Sebastian; starting along la Concha Beach and then weaving through el Centro and passing the Buen Pastor Cathedral, running along the river, and then by Zurriola Beach, before turning around for the homestretch and ending up along the Bulevard in la Parte Vieja. Although we ran at a snails pace, with out cameras in hand to soak it all in, we certainly enjoyed taking part in an event somewhat like a “local.” And of course, all of this hard work merited a breakfast afterwards at the infamous (or not) La Vaca restaurant!!!!

Last Weekend in February!

Gotzon & Inigo Mujika
The 3 Mujika Brothers

Bilbaobasket vs. Lagun Aro San Sebastian Gipuzkoa Basket

This is for you Dad; on the wall at the concert
Bizkaia Arena; Bilbao

My press pass
This was my game time seat-Press Row!

I sometimes wonder why things happen. Then, when something like this happens, I just feel plain lucky, and really believe that sometimes things are meant to fall into place where they are supposed to be; when you least expect it. As I’ve written before, I decided on a whim to get a part time job, once a week. So, after putting in my request to the USAC Office, I was placed with a family and a 9 year old girl. First positive: getting to do my homework on the job while Helene is at English and Dance class. Second positive: getting paid 10 euro an hour for doing my homework. Third positive: Helene’s Dad works for the local TV station. Fourth positive: Not only does he work for the TV station, he is the commentator for the local professional basketball team (and covered the Olympics in Beijing. Etc. etc. etc.) So, when I saw a basketball laying in a basket in their hallway on the first day of “work,” I mentioned it to Helene’s father. This prompted me to tell my history with basketball, and then preceed to get an invitation to a game with him. At the time, I had no idea what his job entailed. Now, I have a first hand knowledge.

Xavi picked me up from in front of Buen Pastor at 10:00 am Sunday for the ride to Bilbao. With him, a journalist who covers the San Sebastián team, and the ex-coach (now co-commentator) of the same team. And me? Yep. We took the hour drive to Bilbao for the “derbi” (what they call a rivalry game), with the guys doing their best to include me in the conversation. When we arrived, I kinda new we were VIP when we walked up the back stairs of the stadium, and Xavi slipped me a card that said, “la prensa” aka “press” and said, “just in case anyone asks.” We each grabbed the media guides, updated stats, and the fan programs to use for “reference” during the game. Xavi then stopped to chat with everyone we passed, and then handed me off to two guys who took me to get some coffee; Xavi and Co. then joined us about 10 minutes later. On the semi-awkward-because I had no idea who these men were-walk to the café, which was inside the building that not only housed the stadium used for concerts, basketball, and huge events, but is also a cultural center, I came to learn that one of these men was a camera guy, and the other, his assistant. VIP, I tell you.

Before the game, I had no problem flashing my pass as I explored the stadium, and then joined Xavi in PRESS ROW, right behind one of the baskets. To my left sat the ex-coach, and to his left, Xavi. In front of them, there was a TV, so they could see what people at home were seeing, and a computer screen with the updated minute-to-minute stats. During warm-ups, interestingly, “Eye of the Tiger” played, along with several other popular warm-up songs from the U.S. On the San Sebastián team, there were two Americans, one Polish guy, and the majority of the rest were Spanish nationals. The arena filled quickly…with Bilbao fans, waving green, balloons, and chanting the song that goes (dunt, dunt, duntduntdunt, duntdunt, BIL BAO-or in Corning we say, “GO CARDS” at the end…you get the picture). After introductions, the atmosphere got loud quickly, as this is an intense rivalry. Xavi wore headphones during the game, so I was unable to speak with him, but could “listen” to what he was saying…but not understand, because he commentates in EUSKARA!!!

At the conclusion of each quarter, the “stat girl” came by and handed us all the updated stats for both teams. During the second quarter, as I grew accustomed to doing, I watched the small TV screen in front of me to see what the people at home were seeing, and to get an up closer look at the huddles. To my surprise, the side view of MY face ecompassing the entire screen is what I saw during a brief 5 seconds. After getting over the shock that my face had been on TV, Xavi was pointing, hands in the air at the screen mouthing, “DID YOU SEE THAT?” He promised that at work this week, he would cut the clip and send it to me. I’ll be sure to pass it on, as I just love the profile of my face.

Although the game was not a fabulous game to watch, as Bilbao is a much more disciplined team, it was entertaining none the less to see San Sebastián’s coach get a technical foul, as well as two players. For me, just being in the gym was a taste of life at home. On the ride home, the men talked about the game and critiqued every aspect of what they had seen, while I reflected on the fact that I had my first press row experience, press pass, and Spanish TV fame. I don’t know how I stumble upon experiences like this, but I am very grateful, and thankful for the experience!!!! This game ended a great weekend filled with a trip first to a sidrería on Thursday, a solo hike up Monte Urguall on Friday to soak in the sunshine topped with a delicious dinner at a local restaurant, and a concert Saturday. Each weekend just keeps getting better!!!

Andalucia, ctd.

Sevilla's cathedral: Santa Maria de la Sede
View from la Torre Giralda, in Sevilla's cathedral
Sevilla; Puerta de Jerez
Dave and I en route to Cadiz
Cadiz-Carnaval