little update about the everyday life

February 12, 2008

The past few days we have gotten to play Frisbee and futbol (you can’t say soccer here). It has been so much fun!! We had a pretty good group the first day – just enough to look like a game, and then a huge group the next day – we got some good games going then. :) Some Spaniards even played with us! It’s really a relief to be able to get outside and get some energy out!

I went running tonight and it was wonderful! There is an 800 meter stretch on the campus right by my house… it’s pretty with lots of trees and bushes, but it gets boring after about 4 loops. I ran a little in the neighborhood earlier but there were too many people on the sidewalks and they stared at me because I don’t think they’ve ever seen anyone running. People are too composed here. The only place I’ve ever seen people running is on the campus – and they don’t come out until it gets dark.

So I had a good run. And then Mama Luisa completely made my night. I came home to probably the biggest salad I’ve ever eaten, and please believe, I ate the whole thing. I wish I had taken a picture of it because it was glorious. It had lettuce obviously, shredded carrots, corn, chunks of ham (she finally stopped giving me tuna), corn, and pickles with oil & vinegar dressing. And pineapple rings for dessert.

Classes started last Thursday and have been pretty good so far. I’m taking a grammar class, a speaking/writing class, and culture/civilization of Hispanic America all at the CLM – classes with mostly Americans. And I start my class at the university next week –social work in health – that will be challenge but I’m looking forward to it.

I am also looking forward to being back at the hospital to play with some more kids. I will be upstairs in the school/play room this time. :) The kids are so cute and I always look forward to that part of my day. I’ll try and put up pictures of the hospital (at least the outside) next time I go back.

Much love to all of you at home!! :)

München and Salzburg!

February 7, 2008

This past week was our break between classes. We had the intensive language course during January – travel break! – and then semester classes started today. I traveled with Marysa and Catherine, in my program, and Cole, a guy we met here at the CLM.

On Tuesday night we took a 5 ½ hr bus from Granada to Madrid (that left at 1:30am!) then flew to Munich Wednesday morning. We stayed at the Euro Youth Hostel (which we loved! It is cheap and fabulous.) We were a little apprehensive about staying in the 18-person dorm room because it was cheaper, but we ended up meeting so many people that we were glad we took the chance. We had to leave our mark behind the bar. Solid Orange! (even though we had to use black)

Our first day in Munich we did a free walking tour of the city. (It SNOWED!! Okay, so it was just a little bit but it still counts!) There is a company that has tour guides in a lot of the big cities so that people can still learn a little something about the place they’re visiting and still be on a budget. (I think they had us in mind!) The tour guides only get tips from their tours, which works out even better because they have to be entertaining. Our Australian guide, Travis, was very animated and told us a lot of things that you won’t find in a guide book. We learned that a lot evidence of Munich’s WWII history has either been removed or had the attention drawn away from it. It’s there if you know what to look for, but a lot of it you just walk right over it without knowing it.

One quick example of this is the street in the picture to the right. Without getting into the story I can just say that a lot of people were killed for walking down this street as an act of passive resistance to the Nazis. It was called Dodger’s Alley because they walked down this street to avoid giving the Nazi salute to a plaque on a different street. Hitler found out and had these people arrested and killed. There is nothing written about the meaning of the gold line, and the Nazi plaque has also been taken down. The second picture is where it used to be. So, you can kind of see how things have been removed but evidence of it is there if you know what to look for.

The 2^nd day we went to Dachau, one of the first Nazi concentration camps. I had been there before but it was much better with a tour guide. She told us a lot about the physical torment that the prisoners went through as well as mental and emotional. The gate to enter the camp (picture on the right) says “work will set you free,” which made them think that if they worked enough they would be freed. Another example, they had to always have their complete uniform on at all times and be wearing it properly. Even a missing button was punishable. When they returned from the work camps they were not allowed to have any “foreign” objects on them. So, say a button popped off while you were outside of the camp working – you’re screwed. If you keep it to sew on later you have a foreign object on you and are punished. But if you come back without that button then you are wearing your uniform incorrectly and are punished.

3^rd and last day in Munich: We met up with Cat’s friend, Katya, and hiked up to the top of St. Peter’s Church – 300 something steps! Good glut workout for only 1,50 €… sweet! (with our packs on our back the whole way up and the whole way down! Not such a bright idea… it was a tight squeeze) I finally had sausage and sauerkraut this day – delicious.

We went to the H house one night. I got a mass of beer and a roasted pork knuckle. It was delicious. PICTURE Cat fb Other people got sausage and sauerkraut which was good as well. No one was adventurous enough to try the cow cheek or the udder... :O

There is so much more I could say about Munich but on to Salzburg. It was much more expensive – no free tours :( but the city is gorgeous so we just walked around a lot and enjoyed the old city. We walked up to the fortress for a beautiful view of the historic city. I don’t have any good pictures of the city because my camera battery died the first day there so this is the lone survivor. We also walked around the Mirabell Gardens where part of the Sound of Music was filmed. We saw the church Maria gets married in, all the places shown on “play days” – the gardens they run through, the fountain of Pegasus they dance around, the stairs they hop up and down, the tunnel of vines they run through… so cool! The hostel we stayed in showed the movie everyday, so our last day there we watched it and had so much fun pointing out all the places we had just been!

The last night of our trip we went back to our hostel in Munich to waste time before heading to the airport. I learned a little German finally. I can now count to 10, and ask for an apple and for free bread. :) We had so much fun on the trip but are so glad to be back in Spain! We really appreciate our home-cooked meals and our own beds. No more bread and Nutella for a while. It’s good stuff, but you can only eat just so much of it before you want a real meal.

So, the trip was lots of fun. It was nice to spend a good amount of time in each place (3 days each) so that we weren’t rushed to squeeze everything in. I love seeing new places and experiencing different cultures. I can’t wait to do it again in March when Carly comes! :)