Barca, Te Quiero

This weekend we went to Barcelona and I fell in love. This city was absolutely fantastic. It is so much bigger than Seville. It’s so bustling with a huge, diverse population of people that I couldn’t help but be reminded of home. Barcelona is completely different from New York City but it has some similar vibes. There were people of every and any nationality, style, age, appearance, attitude.

Barcelona is also full of modern art. We went to see La Sagrada Familia, the most modern cathedral in the world, but only saw the outside. That was really a sight. Plus, to know that we captured a moment of it still in process of being built is pretty awesome.  

The famous architect, Antoni Gaudí, not only designed La Sagrada Familia, but is the artist behind a lot of other Barcelona landmarks. His Park Güell was also beautiful. It was filled with famous mosaic pieces, plus two really cute buildings that looked like gingerbread houses. We went into the Gaudí House, which was full of more Gaudí designs. We also got an outstanding view of the city. It was nice spending half of a day seeing a more relaxing tourist spot.

Aside from Gaudí’s works, there were some really beautiful and interesting parts of the city center. We walked down La Rambla, a famous street packed with people. Just off of La Rambla was a beautiful market called La Boquería. It’s supposed to be one of the best in all of Europe. We tried some exotic fruits- yum! The whole place was filled with color from the fruits, veggies, sweets, cheeses, chocolates and meats. It sounds ordinary but it was actually the best part of our day!!!

 

The whole trip actually made me realize just how much I love and miss New York City. Then again, it goes to show just how different and unique Seville is from anything I’ve ever experienced. Seville really captures the heart of Spanish culture and tradition. Then again, I know my heart will forever belong to NYC. Words from a city girl, through and through.

Not Much new has happened this week, but I had a job interview a wine bar that is opening up at two weeks that went pretty well. I also have two interviews next week at a hotel and another at a shopping center. Hopefully I am able to land a job soon. We won all of our Rugby games and I got a lot of playing time. My next game is tomorrow vs epping, hopefully we can get another win. I went to Bondi beach today with Kasey and Megan, and here are the photos.

One month. Stage Two.

A few days ago I made one month of being in Argentina, and at that same moment I realized I’ve entered stage 2.

When getting ready to study abroad one goes to many presentations hoping to become aware of life abroad, but truth is nothing can prepare you for life in another country. So, I’ll now hit you with the truth- the first hand encounter of a student of color studying abroad.

Well to get things started studying abroad is having the ability to have an open mind to new cultures, people, ideas and a new life. It all seemed exciting when granted the Gilman Scholarship ( a scholarship awarded to students who need financial help to study abroad- which was first awarded to students of minority to help them study abroad) I felt like I could conquer the world and slowly but surely start by traveling to Buenos Aires, Argentina. A month in, it doesn’t quite feel the same – not even a bit.

Entering stage 2 is what we call ” the hole” or at least I’ll call it that. In the life of studying abroad there are different stages, stage 2 being rock bottom, the realization that you are entering a zone where studying abroad seems like the worse idea you’ve ever made. In stage 2 you face : anger, irritation, culture shock- in a negative way, sadness, homesick, and everything else that will pretty much want to make you pack your bags and get home as soon as possible. Now where does the idea of being a student of color change things? Well being here in Buenos Aires I have had the opportunity to meet quite a few different people, for the most part people who have been privileged enough to both attend a private high school, private college and an education that surpasses that of which I was not granted growing up in an Urban neighborhood.

To be honest, I have never been ashamed to tell people where I’m from or to speak about my past in an underprivileged area, but after a month of being here it gets difficult. Coming from the Bronx, New York my middle school days consisted of running home during halloween because gangs would throw frozen batteries at kids, or how during my high school years I had to both pass through a metal detector and get scanned to make sure I was safe in school to get an education that many now deem “not enough”. Meeting the people I have, I can’t share the same stories about running track after school under the sun, or having bragging rights about how many AP courses I took my senior year, when asked I simply respond with “I’m just proud I graduated high school and had the chance to attend college”. Many people have judged the way I speak as “ghetto” or “not making sense”, sitting down and trying to explain to others that I speak Ebonics isn’ t the easiest of tasks, but its something I one day will have the pride of sharing with others. My spanish native speaking skills are not appreciated either, being told I don’t know the “correct” spanish in order for others to understand me- isn’t quite flattering.

The food, the culture, the people – it’s all becoming so estranged and difficult. Although this all seems difficult I know that just like you and anyone else reading this, we have made it this far and never will I forget the hardships and adversities I have overcome to get here. Having the amazing opportunity to attend college thanks to the EOP (Educational Opportunity Program) and taking that opportunity to expand it and travel to Argentina with the Gilman Scholarship is enough to say that it’ll only get better from here. Listening to others stories about the opportunities they have been privileged with only reminds me of how much grateful I am for the ones I have been granted. I hope that for all who read this, you realize that, there will always be a downpour but in the end the sun will always shine.

Rugby

Last weekend I had my first Rugby tournament at Orange, which is a 4 hour drive from Sydney. On our way there I wasn’t really able to see much of the country because it night. Once you leave about an hour outside of Sydney its pretty much all farmland. There weren’t even lampposts on the highway so we had to drive with our high beams on pretty much the whole ride over. We stayed in one my teammates houses and played six games on Saturday. It was only a 10’s tournament so halves are only ten minutes long. It was probably one of the funnest weekends I have had here so far because I was able to get know and become friends with some of the boys on the team. During the week I didn’t do much just went to class, studied, cooked, and looked for a job. Yesterday we had our first trial match at home against St Ives at our home ground in Parramatta. Our home ground is at the Kings School. The Kings School is one of the richest and best k-12 school in Australia. Tuition to the school costs 25000 AUD a year and the school grounds are bigger than SUNY New Paltz. The game was so much fun, I was able to play three full games. Check out some of the photos!

The 10's Team up in Orange

Matalascañas, Flamenco y Tio Pepe

The last week has been JAM PACKED. Last Sunday we went horse back riding through Doñana National Park and then on the beach. The scenery through Doñana was breath taking. I had a blast, especially because I’ve never ridden a horse before. Although my horse was NOT having it, he was exhausted. I felt so bad because there was obviously nothing I could do but force it to move.

   The town was called Matalascañas. Surprisingly, the beach was actually pretty crowded. It’s weird because we Americans often get responses about how we’re dressed for summer during their winter. But there were hundreds of Spanish people sun bathing on the beach there! I’m confused. Cultural differences that maybe we’ll never fully understand. Nonetheless, the weather was beautiful. The past week has been 80 degrees more or less. We’re starting to see less winter coats around, which is a good sign for those of us who want to wear spring attire.

On Friday night we FINALLY took ourselves to see a Flamenco show. It was amazing! Everything about it was fascinating; the dancing, the singing, the guitar. I never really knew what flamenco was before this. I see now that it is actually a collaboration of art forms, not just the music or the dance. The dance is apart of the music because of her intricate, rhythmic footwork. The singer even participates in the dancing when so inclined. The guitarist has to pay such careful attention to communication between all three of them. It was really beautiful experiencing a great group of artists, even though I didn’t have much to compare it to.

To top off the week, we took a day trip on Saturday. We took a bus down to Jerez de la Frontera, a town famous for its sherry wine. It’s much smaller than Seville. Cute and quiet. We went on a very fancy tour of the Gonzalez Byass vineyard (with the logo Tio Pepe). We ended up talking to a really nice couple from Sevilla for about a half hour. They actually invited us to visit their tent during Feria in Sevilla!

All in all a great week!

 

Update!

I haven’t really had time to post anything cause I have been so busy! Week three of school has started and there has already been so much work! All I do is study, play rugby and look for a job. Hopefully I can find a job here cause everything is so expensive. I have tried to put up photos but it’s a pain in the butt. I will try to upload them after this weekend, after this weekend!

Colonia del Sacramento, Punta del Este and Montevideo Uruguay !

Traveling, spending money, figuring out the currency exchange, realizing time either went back an hour-forward or didn’t change at all and experiencing the richness of a different country. These are just a few of the things I got to enjoy during my weekend trip to Uruguay.

Leaving early Friday morning to travel for about 2 hours via a ferry was not something I would complain about, although tired from no sleep the night before and having to run to get there on time, it was well worth it.

Our first stop was Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay a lovely city about an hour away from Buenos Aires, Argentina. A small well renowned tourist destination which is very quite and slow paced. My time there consisted of staying at a nearby SUR Hostel which was both nice and convenient. Later on after getting acquainted we decided to swim in the river, walk around and grab some dinner. My time spent here although short was very rewarding.

After my stay in Colonia, we traveled by bus onto the next best place- Punta del Este. Punta del Este is known as a resort town not too far from the Capital of Uruguay, Montevideo. In this small town we had the luxury of staying near the wonderful beach which was just a few minutes away, we also stayed at a nearby hostel of “The Trip”, although it was a bit of a last minute choice and not the best – it was a wonderful experience. During my time here we had the chance to head to the beach not once but twice in the month of February and had a wonderful, bit expensive dinner.

Final destination- Montevideo, Uruguay. The capital of Uruguay is the simmered city of Montevideo, unlike any other city, the city of Montevideo is both fast and loud paced. Although the capital and the city, Montevideo seems very quite and not very fast paced to a tourist like myself. Our time here was spent in the lovely hostel of Pocitos, which was a bus away from the terminal we had arrived in. Here, we had the chance to view the old city which has what once was the tallest building in South America and the fantastic dish of the Chivito, which is known as Uruguays National dish.

After all is said and done, my trip to Uruguay could not have been any better. Now home safe and sound, hopefully you enjoy this mini tour of the wonderful country of Uruguay.

 

Esohippy!

“Esohippy!” We learned that phrase for saying “hey!” to a friend. The real Sevillano lingo!

I can’t believe we’ve already been here for a month and a half. Midterms are coming up this week, so we’re all starting to feel a little stressed. On the other hand, the weather is only getting more beautiful by the day. We’ve had one day of “rain” which consisted of a light drizzle and cloudy skies. It was really awful, unbearable to say the least.

Tomorrow I’ll be going horseback riding through the nearby national park Doñana, and then riding along the beach on the Atlantic cost. I’m really excited to explore beyond the city. Being with a little nature could be a nice getaway just for a day. Plus I’ve never been horseback riding! It should be a lot of fun.

We’ve been without internet in our building for a few days so I haven’t been able to post. But last week on Friday we had a tour of Plaza España and a bit of Maria Luisa Park. Plaza España is a large circular building with mosaics representing every Spanish city. Maria Luisa Park is absolutely gorgeous. It’s full of little gardens and has lots of large, beautiful trees. I want to go back on a nicer day and explore the park for myself.

Here are some photos of our tour!

(And if you recognize Plaza España, it’s probably because it’s in a few movies, including Star Wars! Cool right?)

    

Only in Buenos Aires !!

So I’ve walked around and taken pictures of a few things I’ve found to be both different and cool and although there is not much to say about them, I’ve decided to dedicate a blog to these pictures.

Here they are.

 

 

Always bring your camera.

Since my last post I have been wandering the lovely streets of Buenos Aires, visiting several places and taking in the beauty of it all.

One of the places I have recently visited was the neighborhood of LaBoca and it’s wonderful touristic attraction of El caminito.

La Boca is a neighborhood which is a bus ride away from Recoleta, it offers the wonderful touristic place of “El caminito”. El caminito is a nice small area that offers a colorful perspective for tourist all around. Although, El caminito is considered a large tourist attraction, it is highly recommended to be careful within that area. Within the past few years the area of La Boca has fallen apart and has been growing to become a very dangerous area for tourist to travel to, luckily my time there was splendid.