Well, Cadiz was interesting. Picture with me if you will KU´s NCAA basketball championship celebration. Now, mix that with Halloween and some crack cocaine and then I think you´ll get the idea of how crazy Carnaval really was. It all started on Saturday when about 15 of us got on a bus at 1:30 p.m. in Ronda. We had heard that it was pointless/impossible to get a hotel room in Cadiz during Carnaval so we hadn´t bothered with getting a reservation...you can see where this is going, can´t you. Our plan was to get there around 4 p.m or so and stay up all night until our bus ride home the next morning at 9 a.m.
The ride there was very relaxed. We were all semi-dressed-up in our costumes and the number of young people heading to Cadiz only grew as we went along. After a few hours we arrived. Like every other city in Spain, Cadiz was beautiful. It had great beaches, the weather was NOT 20 degrees as our teacher had predicted and it was filled with tiny alleys that all looked like my version of Diagon Alley in Harry Potter. Getting off of the bus, we were surrouned by people in costumes. I believe the most popular were: men in drag, men as babies, Avatars, hippies and power rangers. We didn´t actually know where to go so we just followed these crazies away from the station into the center of the city.
In the main square there was a giant stage set up for a competition for Miss Carnaval. Amazingly enough, this actually proved to be one of the highlights. It had women from spanish-speaking countries all over the world do a quick, one minute traditional dance and then give a quick speech (none of us could understand them). In a shocking turn of events, Miss. Cadiz won and then cried.
After the competition, the rest of the night was utter chaos. There were so many people! We were litterally running through the streets trying to find either one another or one of the many bands to dance to. It was really fun! Eventually we all ended up in separate groups with mine venturing away from the city´s center to go to the beach. So at about 4 a.m. me and three of my friends had the beach all to ourselves. What did we do? We went swimming! And, yes, it was cold. But how many times can you say that you swam at 4 in the morning in the south of Spain during Carnaval?
After the beach we headed over to the train station to wait with the rest of our group in a warm, dry spot.
I feel like I´ve already gone on too long so I won´t bore you all with the details but the train station was intense. I guess word had gotten out that you could wait there for free so everyone and there mother was trying to get in. I felt like a passenger on the Titanic and I think my friend Abbie was thinking the same thing because in the middle of the shoving and pushing she screamed, "women and children first!" In the end we, along with everyone else, were kicked out of the train station. So we ventured over to the bus station (why we weren´t here first I couldn´t really tell you).
This too looked like a scene out of Titanic. Everyone there was cold and hurting and you could tell. To make matters worse, there were a few revelers who had not come down from the excitement of Carnaval and were going around playing their plastic guitars and singing some sort of football song. I just remember thanking the Carnaval gods that these blokes were not going to be on my bus.
After several cold and uncomfortable hours, our bus finally arrived. We all got in line to board when suddenly from across the way we see the same band of revelers who had kept everyone up in the station. They were on our bus! And did they stop singing anytime on the ride back? No. Were they just as obnoxious on the bus as they were in the station? God, yes. Thankfully most of their attention was turned towards a middle aged man who pleasantly let eveyone know that he had had a good time at Carnaval when he started running up and down the bus and conducting everyone with his toothbrush.
All-in-all I´m glad that I went to Cadiz. It wasn´t all pretty (two of my friends got pickpocketed) but for me, it really was a once in a lifetime experience and I feel like I did it right.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Pre Cadiz
So far so good this week...no trees. Tomorrow my new friends and I will be heading to Cadiz, Spain for the annual Carnaval celebration. It´s a beautiful city and was even the cite of Halle Berry´s infamous James Bond beach scene. This time of year the beaches are pretty deserted, but Carnaval brings in droves of people from all over the world. (Don´t worry parentals, I shall stay clear of any and all Albanians). Everyone is dressing up for the affair. We have the band members from Kiss, two Jamaicans and plenty of cowboys and indians (I fall into the latter category). Adding even more interest to this blessed event is the fact that it is supposed to be 20 degrees fahrenheit. But we´re all genuinely excited to see what lies in store for us there.
Aside from Cadiz, this week I got to experience more of what Ronda has to offer. On Tuesday I went to a free flamenco dance class where I was reminded of the fact that I can´t dance. But I did get really good at rotating my wrists and snapping in unison! A big group of us also went down to explore the gorge. It was pretty darn cool. There were several abandoned houses that we all decided had been a part of an old electric company that was once based in Ronda. I was very proud of myself in that I found an opening to the basement of one of the houses and went downt to explore it and its horror-movie-like qualities.
Wednesday was a bit rough. After taking a nap, I HAD to go out and eat tapas for one of my culture classes. I was served delicious salmon rolls, mini hamburgers, sandwiches and skewered chicken. All of this was unfortuately paid for by KU. The torture continued only today in class when my teachers took everyone out for churros and coffee in the morning and played a Craniumish game the rest of the time. I´m afraid of what next week will bring.
Other things worth mentioning:
-Superbowl/soccer: Last Sunday we all went out at 12 a.m. to our favorite American bar, Huskies. The atmosphere in the bar was a bit more subdued than it had been the night earlier with the Real Madrid soccer game, but we all still had a blast. I picked the Saints to win and in doing so won two free drinks from my pals. Thank you Saints!
-Discotech: When I heard that there was a discotech in Ronda, I immediately pictured a room full of crazy dancers bopping around to techno music. So you can imagine my surprise when I went there and discovered that the European version of dancing is to stand in place and bend your knees up and down. Now, as you know I am not the biggest dancer, but you will be proud to know that your American brotherin held our own that night and went crazy on the dance floor. This led to several stares and a friend of mine getting licked in the face (she has since recovered) but all in all it was fantastic.
-My clumsyness has reached a new level here. I have: rammed into an old man on the bridge, slapped a woman in the face (I was trying to point out the odd birds) and of course, tripped countless times. Keep you posted.
Aside from Cadiz, this week I got to experience more of what Ronda has to offer. On Tuesday I went to a free flamenco dance class where I was reminded of the fact that I can´t dance. But I did get really good at rotating my wrists and snapping in unison! A big group of us also went down to explore the gorge. It was pretty darn cool. There were several abandoned houses that we all decided had been a part of an old electric company that was once based in Ronda. I was very proud of myself in that I found an opening to the basement of one of the houses and went downt to explore it and its horror-movie-like qualities.
Wednesday was a bit rough. After taking a nap, I HAD to go out and eat tapas for one of my culture classes. I was served delicious salmon rolls, mini hamburgers, sandwiches and skewered chicken. All of this was unfortuately paid for by KU. The torture continued only today in class when my teachers took everyone out for churros and coffee in the morning and played a Craniumish game the rest of the time. I´m afraid of what next week will bring.
Other things worth mentioning:
-Superbowl/soccer: Last Sunday we all went out at 12 a.m. to our favorite American bar, Huskies. The atmosphere in the bar was a bit more subdued than it had been the night earlier with the Real Madrid soccer game, but we all still had a blast. I picked the Saints to win and in doing so won two free drinks from my pals. Thank you Saints!
-Discotech: When I heard that there was a discotech in Ronda, I immediately pictured a room full of crazy dancers bopping around to techno music. So you can imagine my surprise when I went there and discovered that the European version of dancing is to stand in place and bend your knees up and down. Now, as you know I am not the biggest dancer, but you will be proud to know that your American brotherin held our own that night and went crazy on the dance floor. This led to several stares and a friend of mine getting licked in the face (she has since recovered) but all in all it was fantastic.
-My clumsyness has reached a new level here. I have: rammed into an old man on the bridge, slapped a woman in the face (I was trying to point out the odd birds) and of course, tripped countless times. Keep you posted.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
An Overdue Update
Hey everyone! I have now been in Ronda for a little over a week and already have so much to tell you. First of all, the city is absolutely gorgeous. The streets are cobbled, the stores are chic and the views are better than you can imagine. Every morning I walk across the Puente Nuevo Bridge to get to my school. Of course, being the curious individual that I am, I always have to stop and look down at the giant gorge below. From this sometimes-awkward perspective, I not only see the canyon, but the miles of green countryside and giant mountains surrounding Ronda.
On weekdays I attend school from 9-2. This includes an hour “snack” break when we are encouraged to go to the local coffee shops and get some café or a sandwich. Oh, and did I mention that my school is a former Islamic palace? Well, it is. From my classroom I can see a horse and sheep farm, groves of olive trees and a water park in the distance. Two out of three isn’t bad. My teachers are Carmen and Ana and they are absolutely fantastic. Spunky and confident, they really make you want to learn Spanish. Every day we start off learning grammar and going over culture, but by the end of it we’re usually learning how to order beers or deny someone our phone numbers. That’s another thing; I get the idea that our teachers want us to go out until the ungodly hours in the morning. Case in point, last Thursday my school had an official “Welcome to Ronda Party” at a local tapas bar. While the party began in one place, by then end of the night, we had moved on to another bar and a discotech. I did not get home until 5 a.m.. But when we got to school at 9, the teachers said that they thought we were all too tired and put on a movie. Boy, did that sure teach us a lesson.
But of course, not everything has gone smoothly. After only a few days of staying in Ronda, I officially topped my awkward moments chart. This is a lot considering my history. But alas, it is true. So what is this story you might ask. Well, one day, after a brief siesta, I got bored and decided to go for a walk. It was around seven or so and I had about three hours to kill until dinner. (Eating here is crazy, I know). So I decided to walk to the park to look at my favorite views. When I got there, I noticed a hidden path in the corner of the park that I had never seen before. Now, this path was blocked by a gate and while the gate was not completely closed, it had ropes and caution-like tape draped across the opening that all but screamed, “keep out”. But I thought, what the heck, I’m in Spain. So I snuck through the ropes and began to walk down the path. For awhile it was great. The trail had beautiful views and it was kind of nice to be by myself. After walking for a little bit longer, I found a bench and sat down to be Yoda-like and relax. Only a few minutes after sitting down though, I heard some security sirens in the background and being the semi-paranoid person that I am, I thought, Oh no, the park’s security guard is going to catch me trespassing on this stupid trail and get me kicked me out of my study abroad program. Really, I don’t know why I thought this. So, I decided to get up and make my way towards the trail’s entrance. But suddenly, I began to hear voices and footsteps coming from the direction of the entrance. And what did I do? Did I keep my cool and simply walk out like nothing had happened? No. I panicked and bolted the opposite direction. So here I was, a blonde American girl who had only been in Spain for three days, running down the path away from the entrance and some security guard who I for some reason thought wanted to kick me out of my program. I rounded a corner and finally saw my way out: a massive, iron gate. But when I ran over to open it, my hopes of escape were dashed in the form of a giant padlock.
I could hear the footsteps getting closer and started to panic. So, in a last minute attempt to save myself, I leaped behind a pine tree to wait for the guard to pass. After a few minutes, the culprit I had been running from rounded the corner and walked towards me. It didn’t take too long for me to see that it was not the security guard. Peering out from my branched haven, I made out three young men as they walked by me and sat down to partake in some illegal inhalants. Now, I would like to say that I thought long and hard about just jumping out of that tree and walking away but for some very good reasons I decided to stay. First of all, it was starting to get dark and they weren’t exactly the nicest looking lads on the block. Secondly, Ronda is a small city. If I suddenly appeared from outside of a tree I would be known as that creepy blonde girl who watches people from shrubberies. So I waited for them to leave. And waited. And waited. I waited for an hour. By the time they finished doing their thing it was completely dark and I was freezing. Finally, they all got up and started to walk away and I thought I was out of the woods…ha! But of course, fate had different plans for me. I swear, the moment they rounded that corner, one of their cell phones went off. While my Spanish isn’t perfect, I knew enough to make out “birthday” and “bring wine.” Then they stayed where they were to wait for their friends to bring alcohol and have some big party. I was stuck in my tree. While they couldn’t see me anymore, they were still blocking my only way home. So, I decided to take action. Keeping an eye on the corner, I walked over to the padlocked gate. Looking at it, I knew that there was no way I could scale the thing; it was way too tall. But I noticed that there was a ledge on the side that was only a bit taller than me. I thought that maybe, if I got up onto the ledge, I could scale the gate and achieve my freedom. It sounded like a good idea, but I was also desperate. Either way, I swung one of my legs up onto the ledge and used the gate’s iron bars for support as I hoisted myself up. Unfortunately, even from this height there was no way that I could scale the gate. But I noticed a small opening at the top of the ledge that led into someone’s yard. It wouldn’t get me into the street, but it would get me out of the park. Thus, climbing over barbed wire and ripping my pants in the process, I made my way into some poor stranger’s yard.
Looking around I realized that I was still stuck. The yard I had jumped into was gated and had no access to the street. The only way for me to go was up. I went over to the side of this person’s house and, using the fence for support, hoisted myself up onto their roof. I swear, I am no lying. Slithering across the roof, I inched my way towards the street until I could finally see the sidewalk. This was all done while ducking my head as other people walked by. When the coast was clear, I used yet another barbwired-gate to lower myself to freedom! I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy in my entire life. When I got back to my house, my host mom Carmen was a bit curious about the branches sticking out of my hair and the giant tear in my pants...but thankfully she didn't really seem to want to know.
So anyways, that is one of the many stories I have acquired while here in Ronda. Hopefully, the rest of them will not be quite as ridiculous but you never really know. Miss you all!
On weekdays I attend school from 9-2. This includes an hour “snack” break when we are encouraged to go to the local coffee shops and get some café or a sandwich. Oh, and did I mention that my school is a former Islamic palace? Well, it is. From my classroom I can see a horse and sheep farm, groves of olive trees and a water park in the distance. Two out of three isn’t bad. My teachers are Carmen and Ana and they are absolutely fantastic. Spunky and confident, they really make you want to learn Spanish. Every day we start off learning grammar and going over culture, but by the end of it we’re usually learning how to order beers or deny someone our phone numbers. That’s another thing; I get the idea that our teachers want us to go out until the ungodly hours in the morning. Case in point, last Thursday my school had an official “Welcome to Ronda Party” at a local tapas bar. While the party began in one place, by then end of the night, we had moved on to another bar and a discotech. I did not get home until 5 a.m.. But when we got to school at 9, the teachers said that they thought we were all too tired and put on a movie. Boy, did that sure teach us a lesson.
But of course, not everything has gone smoothly. After only a few days of staying in Ronda, I officially topped my awkward moments chart. This is a lot considering my history. But alas, it is true. So what is this story you might ask. Well, one day, after a brief siesta, I got bored and decided to go for a walk. It was around seven or so and I had about three hours to kill until dinner. (Eating here is crazy, I know). So I decided to walk to the park to look at my favorite views. When I got there, I noticed a hidden path in the corner of the park that I had never seen before. Now, this path was blocked by a gate and while the gate was not completely closed, it had ropes and caution-like tape draped across the opening that all but screamed, “keep out”. But I thought, what the heck, I’m in Spain. So I snuck through the ropes and began to walk down the path. For awhile it was great. The trail had beautiful views and it was kind of nice to be by myself. After walking for a little bit longer, I found a bench and sat down to be Yoda-like and relax. Only a few minutes after sitting down though, I heard some security sirens in the background and being the semi-paranoid person that I am, I thought, Oh no, the park’s security guard is going to catch me trespassing on this stupid trail and get me kicked me out of my study abroad program. Really, I don’t know why I thought this. So, I decided to get up and make my way towards the trail’s entrance. But suddenly, I began to hear voices and footsteps coming from the direction of the entrance. And what did I do? Did I keep my cool and simply walk out like nothing had happened? No. I panicked and bolted the opposite direction. So here I was, a blonde American girl who had only been in Spain for three days, running down the path away from the entrance and some security guard who I for some reason thought wanted to kick me out of my program. I rounded a corner and finally saw my way out: a massive, iron gate. But when I ran over to open it, my hopes of escape were dashed in the form of a giant padlock.
I could hear the footsteps getting closer and started to panic. So, in a last minute attempt to save myself, I leaped behind a pine tree to wait for the guard to pass. After a few minutes, the culprit I had been running from rounded the corner and walked towards me. It didn’t take too long for me to see that it was not the security guard. Peering out from my branched haven, I made out three young men as they walked by me and sat down to partake in some illegal inhalants. Now, I would like to say that I thought long and hard about just jumping out of that tree and walking away but for some very good reasons I decided to stay. First of all, it was starting to get dark and they weren’t exactly the nicest looking lads on the block. Secondly, Ronda is a small city. If I suddenly appeared from outside of a tree I would be known as that creepy blonde girl who watches people from shrubberies. So I waited for them to leave. And waited. And waited. I waited for an hour. By the time they finished doing their thing it was completely dark and I was freezing. Finally, they all got up and started to walk away and I thought I was out of the woods…ha! But of course, fate had different plans for me. I swear, the moment they rounded that corner, one of their cell phones went off. While my Spanish isn’t perfect, I knew enough to make out “birthday” and “bring wine.” Then they stayed where they were to wait for their friends to bring alcohol and have some big party. I was stuck in my tree. While they couldn’t see me anymore, they were still blocking my only way home. So, I decided to take action. Keeping an eye on the corner, I walked over to the padlocked gate. Looking at it, I knew that there was no way I could scale the thing; it was way too tall. But I noticed that there was a ledge on the side that was only a bit taller than me. I thought that maybe, if I got up onto the ledge, I could scale the gate and achieve my freedom. It sounded like a good idea, but I was also desperate. Either way, I swung one of my legs up onto the ledge and used the gate’s iron bars for support as I hoisted myself up. Unfortunately, even from this height there was no way that I could scale the gate. But I noticed a small opening at the top of the ledge that led into someone’s yard. It wouldn’t get me into the street, but it would get me out of the park. Thus, climbing over barbed wire and ripping my pants in the process, I made my way into some poor stranger’s yard.
Looking around I realized that I was still stuck. The yard I had jumped into was gated and had no access to the street. The only way for me to go was up. I went over to the side of this person’s house and, using the fence for support, hoisted myself up onto their roof. I swear, I am no lying. Slithering across the roof, I inched my way towards the street until I could finally see the sidewalk. This was all done while ducking my head as other people walked by. When the coast was clear, I used yet another barbwired-gate to lower myself to freedom! I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy in my entire life. When I got back to my house, my host mom Carmen was a bit curious about the branches sticking out of my hair and the giant tear in my pants...but thankfully she didn't really seem to want to know.
So anyways, that is one of the many stories I have acquired while here in Ronda. Hopefully, the rest of them will not be quite as ridiculous but you never really know. Miss you all!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Tour of Ronda
Today is a big day for me. After approximately 72 hours, I am finally changing my clothes for the first time! Now, you might be thinking, geez Kelly, that´s absolutely disgusting. Well, you´re right. But I would like to argue that it´s not my fault. You see, when I got on a plane headed to Barcelona, my suitcases decided to forgo the spanish lisp and instead went to Amsterdam. But all is well now. I just finished taking a tour of Ronda with my new classmates and it is gorgeous! The main bridge you see when you google image the city is "moderno" but was built hundreds of years ago. The tour guide said that while it´s not proven, there are some scholars who believe that that bridge and Ronda are featured in, For Whom the Bell Tolls. After seeing the city, I´d say it´s worth mentioning in a book. The streets are all lined with orange trees and there is a park at the end of my block that has palm trees and beautiful views of the cliffs. One of the host mothers said that when it gets warmer students from the music conservatory come out and play free concerts in the park. The city also has a bull ring. If I heard right, the tour guide said that it is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, bull ring in Spain. As far as my classmates go, so far so good. All of them seem to be very nice and I really like the ones from KU. In fact, in about 30 minutes we´re all meeting at the town´s plaza to hang out until dinner time (10 p.m). Apparently the plaza is quite the spot for students. After dinner they go out until 3 or 5 a.m. (I´m not so sure how long I´ll keep up with that routine). My host mother Carmen is very nice. I wasn´t sure how we would get along in the beginning but I think we´re starting to figure each other out. Tomorrow I start school for real. Fingers crossed! I miss you all very much.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)