Update

So my “Spring Break” is over but it wasn’t as fun as I hoped it to be. First I don’t know why everyone considers it a spring break because I still had classes, review sessions and exams during the time period. I also decided to stay during my break because I found a job. After I worked there for two weeks I got to work and there was a sign on the door stating” This Property has been seized by the leasing agent for not following the terms of the lease. If anyone tries to enter this property without direct supervision of someone from the leasing agency they will be arrested and charged with trespassing”. AKA They didn’t pay the rent so the place got closed. Not only did I not have a job the owner owed me 400 dollars and he nor his wife is answering any employee calls. I not only did not get paid but I gave up traveling for spring break. I did how ever go kayaking in the Sydney Harbor, and spent time with friends, which was fun. I am currently in the process of getting another job in Moore Park as waiter. It is a high class restaurant and since I haven’t really done any waiting  before It will be hard to keep the job. But I’m sure I will be able to manage. I only have two months before I go back to the states so I have to appreciate the rest of my time here! Check out the photos that I took on the way to Kayaking!

Marruecos

Marruecos (the Spanish name for Morocco) was my most recent trip. I went for a weekend with a few friends in a big tourist group called Discover Sevilla. The trip was fantastic!! It was like an entirely different world over there. We stayed in Tangiers and visited Tetuan and Chefchauen. All three cities were very different. Chefchauen was in the mountains, built on a hill. All of the buildings were painted white and blue, symbolizing love for Allah. Tetuan seemed a little bigger. It was filled with tunnels under residential buildings, which were like tiny streets.

The food in Morocco was delicious. Couscous is a way of life there, I guess like pasta is for Italy. I actually didn’t like couscous until this trip so it was clearly the best.

Overall the trip was beautiful, despite the unfortunate amount of rain, and an experience to remember!

  

Umbrellas, Backpacks & Skpe.

Umbrellas = Expenses

Backpacks = Traveling

Skype = Relationships.

Well its been a month since my last post and this is will pretty much be the summary of this month.

Having been awarded the Gilman Scholarship to study abroad was one of the best things to happen, but it also meant I allowed all that money to get into my head. First week here I went shopping like there was no tomorrow and bought countless of unnecessary  items, this brings me to a lesson in expenses. Although, traveling might be expensive in itself it does not mean you should take advantage of this time and spend all the money you have in a short time, think wisely, buying less in a longer span of time will be good- buying 120 pesos umbrellas, not so much. Now that I am well into my third month of studying abroad, I have learned to pack a bottle of water and a small snack for lunch instead of having to buy lunch everyday and eating out at fancy restaurants.

Saving money brings me to my second lesson- back packs  traveling. Having traveled quite a bit within the first two months has been an AMAZING experience- Uruguay, Cordoba and soon Iguazu Falls. Traveling is every study abroad students dream, having the chance to just pack up and go is a stress reliever and adventurous, something every student needs in a daily dosage. This past weekend I had the great opportunity to travel to the second biggest  city of Cordoba, Argentina. I had the chance to visit a few museums , churches and the Sierras de Cordoba. My 3 days spent there I had the opportunity to walk around the city with a few good friends and learn about some history, such as some details about the Guerra Sucia which took place during the Military Dictatorship in Argentina. Along with a history lesson, I had the chance to live the life of  Gaucho taking an entire day to travel up and down mountains horseback riding. My trip to Cordoba, was both unexpected and surprising to my bank account but truly an unforgettable experience for my heart and soul. Its not everyday a city girl from the Bronx, NY gets to ride a horse in the Sierras de Cordoba. With this lesson, always keep in mind that although money is important the memories you make from the money you spend is unforgettable and SO much more worth keeping .

Onto skype and relationships. Yeah, not many bloggers get this personal but truth be told- traveling and relationships are tough to balance. Three months here and I have yet to figure out when to call my parents, siblings and loved ones in a timely fashion. Although, difficult I have found ways to make it work. Emails, facebook and skype will become a good friend of yours when studying abroad. After a few weeks of not speaking to my brother, I finally sent him a lengthy email about my wonderful mishaps in Argentina, all of which he enjoyed. Keeping in touch with others is not only difficult but stressing, but an email a week will keep the worries away.

Well, these were my lessons in the dynamics of traveling. Hopefully they will be of good use and entertaining.

Oh, here as some cool pictures to go along with it =) Enjoy.

Halfway done

I have been in Australia for about two months now and I am already preparing for mid semester exams. I have one next week, and then one when I return. I am very happy to say that I finally got a job at a Brazilian restaurant. But the funny thing is, is that I am the only Brazilian there! hahaha It’s in double bay so not to close but all I have to to is walk to the train station, and take a train then walk 10 minutes. So it is pretty much a half and hour commute but the money is good, so I can’t complain. The Rugby season has officially started and we started off with a win over Petersham. I didn’t get to score but I played pretty well so I am happy with myself. I went to Manly Beach the other day and made a Chuurasco. Check out the photos and enjoy!

Semana Santa

We’ve been off from school for Semana Santa (Holy Week), which is a huge celebration in Spain. The streets are filled with processions. Unfortunately, a lot of the week was cold and rainy, which cancelled some of the processions. Nonetheless, the streets remained so packed at night that we could hardly walk anywhere near the Cathedral. It actually turned into quite the struggle because our favorite tapas restaurant was right in the middle of the madness. But we caught some great views of midnight processions!

This leads me to talk about one of the most important parts of our lives in Sevilla: the mighty Taberna Coloniales. We LOVE this place. Maybe I haven’t discussed the culture of Tapas yet, so here you go. In Sevilla (Spain’s most tapa-ified city) tapas are everywhere. Tapas are just small portions of any dish. It’s great because you can try multiple dishes and share with friends. We college students also love it because they’re usually 2.50 euros (yeah!). If you don’t get a tapa, you order a ration or half-ration. But rations are huge and are also meant to be shared. It all feeds into the social culture that southern Spain is known for. The weather is warm, everyone is outside, eats outside, drinks outside. All restaurants/bars have outdoor seating. It’s the Tapa way of life.

During our time off for Holy Week, we went to a Sevilla soccer game! That was awesome. The stadium is actually right near us so we had no problem making the trek on a rainy day. Sevilla played Mallorca, and of course Sevilla won. There was so much energy and singing/chanting. I’m glad I took part in a real Spanish soccer game. Who knows, I might take interest in watching soccer now!

 

In addition to the week off for Holy Week, my two classes were canceled the day before break because of Spain’s general strike. Although I didn’t see all the strike action, the aftermath left Sevilla’s streets quiet and deserted. There was a lot of student involvement from what I could see. In days prior, there were students with loud phones protesting through the University. I’m still not quite sure about the details of the labor strike. I guess there are political issues here just as there are anywhere in the world. It’s cool to say I experienced a bit of it.