So, as many of my followers already know, my nana recently passed. One of the many thoughts that flew through my head when I found out was this- I never got to tell her about all my adventures abroad... Adventures that, upon hearing them, she would have laughed, shared similar stories, and above all would have been proud that I took the initiative to enjoy myself and my experiences in Europe. I think I deserve it to myself, to those that were following me before my blogging hiatus, and most of all to my nana (and, let's face it, this is required for school) to finish telling the story of my study abroad experience. Hopefully my memory won't fail me, and if it does I always have Jacklyn, who's been there with me through it all, to turn to.

Even if the number of views doesn't change upon my finishing this blog, I hope that one person in particular hears my stories and smiles.

Read more »

Alright, so I realize I've been really bad about updating my blog recently, but with good reason I promise! Spring break was a whirlwind, and the weeks after haven't given me time to write either. They really pile on the work towards the end of the semester :/ Plus, I had already planned trips for these past two weekends since before Spring break... little did I know I would want a rest after two straight weeks of traveling!

But, for those that are wondering (I will write more extensive explanations later), here's a short synopsis of what I've been up to!

Spring Break...

• Ten days in Italy, including Rome, Florence, Siena, Cinque Terre (My favorite... beautiful town on the coast), and Venice.
• Three full days in Paris.
• Two full days in Barcelona, I have to go back!

After Spring Break...

• Weekend trip to Tangiers, Morocco! Yes, I made it to another continent!
• Weekend trip to Dublin, Ireland. Day trip to Wicklow and Glendaloch. MUST go back. Loved it.

Obviously there's a lot to tell for each of these trips, but I'll have to save that for later! Gotta gat back to work. Miss everyone and can't wait to see you at home! It's right around the corner, I can't believe it...

Read more »

Since I had a test on Wednesday, the official St. Patty's Day, I decided to postpone my celebrations until Thursday after classes. My friends and I all dressed up in green and headed to an Erasmus party at Sala V.I.P- we made it to the right club this time. It was fun, but nothing like an American St. Patty's Day party and those Spaniards were severely lacking in their green attire. I'm pretty sure it's just another excuse for them to drink, and they don't bother with showing their Irish spirit. In any case, it was a fun time but I'm excited to be done with parties in Bilbao for a while and have a change of scenery from the "Orgasmus" parties.

The weekend prior was definitely what I would call a lazy weekend, though still not measuring up to some of the weekends I've had at Mary Wash. Either way, I promised myself before this trip that I would take advantage of every moment and not fall into laziness! So, this weekend I took charge. Jacklyn, Nina and I were all on the same page and wanted to so something fun, so we planned a day trip to Bakio, a small coastal town about half an hour away that was having a festival for el día de San José (the region's version of Father's Day). Where at first I was a bit skeptical of the fair, it was a fun time hanging out with two of my best friends here in Spain (even though Nina likes to deny it).

Nina and I on the beach of Bakio.

It was a wine and cheese festival- dad, you should have been there, not me!- and we ordered lomo (pork) sandwiches with hand-ground corn tortillas (talo), along with small glasses of txakoli (the wine the Basque Country is famous for, a bit sour though.. blech).

We walked around a bit more, finding cows and horses that we were allowed to pet. I'm not really sure about the latter, though, because I tried to pet one of those massive cows and I'm pretty sure it would have bucked me if I didn't stop...

After buying some delicious chocolate (already gone...), Jacklyn convinced me to head to the beach that was close-by and known around the region for being a good surf spot. I'm glad we made the walk, because it was a beautiful beach and we had a ton of fun. I even showed the other girls how climbing was done on a jungle gym on the beach. We collected rocks and sea glass, goofed around, and watched the surfers until we decided to head back to Bilbao. A successful day ended in a very successful night of getting comfy and watching Beauty and the Beast with the girls. :) hahaha.

We had to carry Nina across the water.

The next day, I got up early and caught the bus to Castro Urdiales to visit Olga once more before Spring Break. She invited me the weekend before to visit, saying that her family wanted me to come on an excursion with them to Burgos. However, she couldn't do it at the last minute, and we postponed the visit to this past weekend. Unfortunately, her dad wasn't there and we couldn't go to Burgos (they want me to come back soon to go, though I don't know when that will be- all of my weekends are filling up with trips around Europe!).

I was glad I visited either way, because it was Olga's friend Elena's birthday and all of her friends that I met during my last visit were celebrating. Before heading to the academía to throw a surprise party for Elena, Olga's mom made a delicious lunch after which Olga and I walked around her town, Montealegre (Happy Mountain... haha)- a small, rural town with countless sheep, dogs, donkeys, and ponies. During our walk, Olga was telling me about a barbeque place that people form Bilbao and all over come to during the Summer because you only have to buy a drink in order to get unlimited barbeque. She suggested I come back with my friends in May, and I think I will definitely have to fit that in. Another thing Olga was telling me was that she didn't like Ireland (she went to camp there four summers in a row)... let's hope I think differently!

We went to the academía and met with her friends to plan the surprise. Spanish teenagers, rather than having house parties, will rent out a space and each chip in to pay the monthly bill. In Olga's case, her friends and her rented an academía. I found out that for anyone's birthday, their friends do a surprise- so Elena knew something was happening, just not what. All of them wrote riddles on a piece of paper, revealing who they were and where they were hiding in the academía, so when Elena came in she had to find them. After the surprise, we all sat, talked, and ate the food that Elena made (pizza, sandwiches, tortilla de patata) and the tarta (cake) that Olga and I bought. We thought it was a brazo gitano (literally translated as gypsy arm!), but it wasn't- still tasty all the same.

The night ended with us going to the street with all of the bars, full of people of all ages (en serio-- I saw a baby in a stroller at 3am, and old couples too). Then, I left Olga's in the morning to get some work done.

Wish me luck this week! Two tests, then off to Italy, Paris and Barcelona for Spring Break!!!!!!! Can't wait! I'll update you all when I return from my two weeks of travels!

Read more »

Look what Jacklyn and I found one night! Bilbao is full of surprises.

On the Ranita Loca (Crazy Frog)!

Read more »

I've been slacking on my blog recently! However, I know some of you might be wondering how my weekend in Madrid was, so I won't leave you hanging...

A few weekends ago, my program went on its last planned excursion- to Madrid and Segovia. My friends and I were so excited to go to Madrid, and especially to stay in a hotel paid for by CIDE. I think we might have looked forward to the trip a bit too much, because in the end Madrid didn't live up to our expectations.

After a 5 hour bus ride, we arrived in a rainy, grey, and freezing Madrid. The CIDE trips are seriously cursed when it comes to the weather!! We were glad to get into the hotel and find our rooms. Jacklyn, Nina and I were looking forward to rooming together, but someone snagged the last triple before us so I roomed with Jacklyn. Our room was really nice, especially in comparison to the hostels we are used to. Before lunch, we settled in and watched a bit of tv- something I hadn't seen in a while. One channel asked us to enter our room number... which should have put up a red flag, but I guess it was lost in translation that we were ordering porn. Yes, Nina ordered porn on our tv! You should have heard the shrieks when we realized what we'd done... though I haven't heard anything of it since so I'm guessing CIDE took care of the bill :)

The cafeteria at the hotel was really nice, and since it was buffet-style we never left hungry. After re-fueling, the group headed to the Palacio Real for a tour of some rooms in the palace, which is now really only used for state ceremonies. As I remembered, the rooms were overly extravagant and I really don't know why anyone, even the King, would want to live somewhere where the food is served to you cold because the kitchen is too far away. Impressive nonetheless.

My friends and I trying to re-create the pose

from my first visit to the Palace in 2006

(2006)

We then had a quick visit to the Catedral de la Almudena, which wasn't to my liking because of the mix of modern stained-glass with the classic style of the church itself. Our professors then walked us through the Plaza de la Villa, the Plaza Mayor, and the Puerto del Sol. I'm glad I had such a great experience in Madrid in 2006, or I would not like Madrid in the least. This time around, it was so rainy and cold that it was hard to stay in good spirits. After the guided part of the day ended and we were given free time, my friend and I went into a café to drink coffee and stay warm. That night, my friends and I opted to stay in the hotel and out of the rain, entertaining ourselves with the standbys: charades, pictionary, and even a bit of hide-and-go-seek. Yes, that happened :)

The next morning, we woke up early to head to Segovia about an hour away. The bus to Segovia took us through what seemed like every season, and I woke up at one point thinking I was in snow-covered Narnia then arrived in Segovia with sunny skies and gorgeous weather- which I'm sure had a big part in why I think the former capital of Spain is much better than the current one.

We first saw the aqueducts in Segovia, which were so amazing! 2,000 years old, no mortar, and they are still in perfect condition. Those Romans really knew what they were doing.

After getting lost from the group for a bit, we found the Alcázar de Segovia (Castle of Segovia) and were given a guided tour. Though I didn't catch any of this from the tour, I found out that one of the rooms was the site where Christopher Colombus asked King Ferdinand and Queen Elizabeth for funding to his expedition that led to the discovery of America! Also, as my roommate discovered, Walt Disney used the castle as inspiration for many of his movies. After the tour, we climbed a tower at the top of which was a gorgeous view of Segovia. An interesting lunch and some souvenir shopping later, we got back on the bus and headed back to Madrid.

The rest of the night was free time, so some friends and I walked around Madrid for a bit- stopping at Starbucks (!), but then deciding to go back to the hotel to nap. The nap was a fail, and so was the rest of the night as it turned out. Oh well, "I spit on Madrid!" (only kidding).

The next day was a struggle for many people, as it was museum day and also the day after clubbing (not for me, sigh). However, I was looking forward to this day the most as it was the say we were to visit el Prado- my favorite museum!! Sadly, our tour guide was much ot be desired, but I made the most of it. Even though I've stood in front of them before, I was still in awe standing in front of Las meninas, El dos/tres de mayo, La maja desnuda/vestida, Las pinturas negras de Goya, and countless other works of art by artists that I have learned so much about and admire (all thanks to Sra. Barrueta).

Then- back to Bilbao! Sweet, sweet Bilbao.

Read more »

On Wednesday, the girls and I bought cheap tickets to a friendly match between Athletic Club and Paraguay. We ended up having pretty good seats, right behind the goalie and defender of Athletic Club! Since the match didn't count towards anything, Athletic was playing their second string team (they lost 1-3). We just happened to sit next to two members of the first string team watching the game! Not that I would have known had it not been for the masses of kids that lined up to get their autographs once they recognized them. We managed to get a picture, too, though not without a struggle...

with Michelle and Jacklyn.

The group with Gorka Iraizoz, the goalie!

All of the kids lined up to get autographs & pictures.

We ended the night with kabobs and chocolate ice cream by the Stadium... can't beat the kabobs here. They are amazing.

Read more »

The group at the top!

After going to Irish Stones the night before (mainly so that Jacklyn could sneak out a prized Murphey's glass) to hang out with friends both Spanish and American, we didn't wake up in time for the 8am hike with hiking club. However, Jacklyn, Nina and I were determined to get a hike in this day, especially after seeing the beautiful pictures our friends had taken the day before on their hike. The same group of guys that went hiking Saturday, plus a few more, agreed with us that a hike was a good idea so we all headed out to the mountain after lunch. This was a plus (we thought) because they knew where the mountain was.

Bilbao is bordered by the Bahía (Bay) on one side and by mountains--well, they look more like grassy hills from afar-- on all others. As we were marching to the mountain, it became increasingly more daunting. We decided to climb the same one that the boys had already climbed, even though they had said it was a really rigorous hike. Despite their warnings, I was not prepared for the sort of hike that was in store for me...

First, we arrived at a construction site at which point the boys said we had to march through it, climb up a water pipe, and get onto a hill (on which I could see no path in site). That was when I knew I shouldn't have listened and found my own path with the girls. But no, we went up the water pipe and found ourselves facing a steep slope, without a path, and with barbed wire being the only thing keeping me from falling of a cliff. However, we journeyed on and found ourself face-to-face with a pissed-off donkey that was angry we were invading his territory.

We stayed on the other side of the fence from "Mr. Chocolate" and started climbing up the grassy slope (on a donkey path...). I was fine until the last bit, at which point began clawing at clumps of grass to hoist myself up and prevent me from collapsing and tumbling down the hill. Once we got to the "top", though, it wasn't the top. Of course!

Clawing up "Donkey Hill"

Luckily we found the path and followed that from then on, though it wasn't much more of a flatter surface and all I was missing was the grass to help me climb. We made it to a rest area with picnic tables and we all took out the snacks we had brought in our backpacks. A few of us walked a bit to a lookout nearby that had a fantastic view of Bilbao.

We decided thanks to "Leader Matt" to continue on, and we followed the path even further up the mountain (it was really never-ending) to an even better lookout point! We had made it to the top!! It was a great feeling, and I couldn't help but feel like I was in The Sound of Music, with rolling hills and breathtaking mountainsides. :) There were even ruins of an old church, strangely enough. Not sure who made it to mass at that place.

After taking it in, we headed down... and found the path we were originally supposed to take had we not been so adventurous. I'm glad we didn't take it up, though... it was certainly an adventure and without a doubt worth every gasp for air! I need to hit the gym.

Nina, Jacklyn and I ended the night with our first, and well-deserved, Chinese food of Spain! The dumplings and fried rice certainly weren't Peking Gourmet, but I was grateful for anything slightly ethnic-tasting.

Read more »

Jacklyn, Nina and I woke up considerably early to make it out to Plentzia beach- the last stop on the metro right on the ocean- to take advantage of a very sunny day in Bilbao. To our surprise, too, it stayed that way! A 30-minute metro ride and we were in Plentzia, and with a bit of difficulty we found the beach.

Plentzia is a beautiful beach, and I can only imagine how it would be in the summer. There were surfers in wet suits, but I am sure it would be so nice to swim in the water and take in the sun during the warmer months. Though we couldn't get in the water, we took off our shoes, laid down on our towels, relaxed and goofed off a bit. I really wished we had brought paddle ball...:/ Michelle and Lizzie showed up a little later when it started to get a bit chilly, so we left shortly thereafter. I can't wait to go back when it's warm!!!! That and San Sebastian, Barcelona, and Majorca...

We caught the metro back just in time, because my advisor and Spanish teacher at Mary Washington, Dr. Sainz, was visiting Bilbao (his hometown where he still lives part-time) for the week and had set a time for all of the Mary Wash students in Bilbao to meet. After taking a cat nap on the metro (and apparently being stared at by the lady next to me), we made it to Sam Mamés at 7pm to meet with the group.

Not all of the Mary Wash students could make it on account of hangovers, trips to Pamplona, and other reasons, but we were all happy to se Dr. Sainz in Spain! Though the bar that he normally goes to by the San Mamés Stadium was closed indefinitely as a result of the economic crisis, there was not a lack of bars nearby. Dr. Sainz was nice enough to buy us all a round of beers, or whatever we fancied, and we casually discussed how we liked it this semester- all of us agreeing it was the best decision we could have made. All thanks to Dr. Sainz, too!

Next, we followed our new guide to Moyua where he was going to show us one of his favorite spots to grab a bite to eat. With someone leading us that had grown up in Bilbao and knew the city back to front (I'm accustomed to getting lost by now), everything in Bilbao seemed closer and we made it to Moyua in no time. We walked into a crowded bar that Sainz said had been there ever since he could remember, and was the favorite spot of every local to get the best pintxos morunos (moorish tapas or seasoned skewers of pork) in town. Apparently the line during the weekend goes out the door, and for good reason! The skewers were grilled right in front of us and were served hot with a piece of bread to soak up the juices. My mouth is watering ("me hace la boca agua") even now! We have to make the trip back...

Pintxos morunos

From Moyua we made our last stop at Casco Viejo where we went into a Simpsons-themed bar (they're not uncommon here, strangely enough) owned by a longtime friend of Dr. Sainz. We were served homemade sangría on ice (he used a special recipe including cinnamon and sugar!), which was amazing. It was a great way to finish up the night and we all thanked Dr. Sainz for showing us around town and treating us to such a great time! The sangría even inspired Jacklyn, Nina, and me to make our own sangría the next night... but without much avail. It was good, but definitely needed ice. As Dr. Sainz says, it's the perfect drink to sip on and feel refreshed in the summertime... so maybe not warm in the dorms :)

We finished the night with the documentary Grizzly Man... failed movie night! I swear, that dude is crazy... naming Grizzly bears "Mr. Chocolate", foxes "little Timmy", and crying over a dead bee. Though, we did have a lot of snacks, so I was happy.

Read more »

Can I just mention how the Spaniards LOVE to dress up?? I feel like Carnaval has been going on for about 3 weeks, and the party in the dorm last Thursday was no exception. Yes, I said party in the dorm. This isn't the US anymore!

We had a great time getting to know the non-American Unamuno residents and dancing to Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys. However, I am DONE dressing up!!! At least till Halloween...

Michele, Caitlin, me, Jacklyn.

All the Americans!

Arr, matey.

Read more »

I met with Olga this week for lunch with her friends, which was nice although I got a bit lost in their conversation occasionally. Also, one of her friends said I look like Reese Witherspoon... hah.

Afterwards, Olga and I walked around town, during which she asked me some things that she has been wondering about in regards to American culture....

She asked if I had seen High School Musical (I haven't- but I get the gist) and if high school is really like that in the US- with the entire school cheering on basketball games, going to dances every year, and so on. Apparently school in Spain is all about studying, studying, studying, whereas school in America I feel is more about forming a social life while keeping a balance with school work. This includes being on sports teams, going out with friends on the weekend, going to school dances, and showing school spirit... which isn't big here Olga told me. She thought it was so strange to see her friends from the US wearing clothing showing the name of their high schools.

Olga was also telling me about getting into college (la universidad) here, and it is SO much more difficult than in the US. She said that while she was tirelessly studying, her friends from New York were going on vacations to Hawaii!

She was jealous of our lifestyle, but I wonder which is better.

Oh, and did I mention that Olga and her family want me to come back to Castro so they can take me to another town to visit!!

Read more »

We had bought tickets for the Sunday game at the San Mamés Stadium, home of Athletic Club, where they would be playing Tenerife from the Canary Islands. Though Athletic was predicted to win, and win they did 4-1, it was an exciting game to watch.

After sitting at some bars nearby before the game with Lizzie, Michelle, Nina, and Jacklyn, we headed to the stadium to find our seats. We weren't able to do the latter, and ended up sitting on the North side of the field only 3 rows back from the field! This made the game so much better, and it was awesome to be a part of the stands with the die-hard Athletic fans surrounding us and yelling, "¡¡cabrón!!", "¡venga!", etc, etc. Even Michelle became a fan of Athletic that day, usually siding with Real Madrid. What a chaquetera (fare-weather fan)!!! Our side was so lively, I think we made it onto TV!

All of us in front of the field, not far from our seats!

Nina and I!

Can I add the CIDE trip, the Guggenheim and Fever parties, La Rioja, and the Athletic game all occurred in just one weekend?? :D

Read more »

On Saturday, Jacklyn and I decided to go on a wine tour (can you believe it, dad?) with some new friends in the town of Haro, part of the La Rioja region of Spain where the country's best wine originates. Tired from the night before (yes, another night of clubbing at Fever. Not sure I'll go for round 3...), Jacklyn and I hopped on a bus to Haro and arrived with 30 minutes to get to the Bodega Bilbainas to meet up with the group and take the tour. As is customary for Jacklyn and I, we arrived at our destination without any sort of preparation: no map, no minutes left on our phones, insufficient clothing... So as you can guess, we got off the bus and were immediately lost, and to make it worse it seemed we were in a deserted town with nobody to be found on the streets or the stores to ask for directions.

Haro (pic courtesy of Ashley)

Jacklyn and I wandered the streets thinking it would be easy to find what we knew would be a cluster of different bodegas, where we would be sure to find our Bilbainas. Easier said than done. We hunted down any person we could find to ask directions, each pointing us towards the so-called "river". We couldn't find any such river, and you'd think that'd be the easy part, right? Jacklyn asked a man where the "río" was, and he said he didn't know what that was. I said it, and he said... "¡aah! rrrrío", rolling his "r"'s... yeah, that's what we said!! Then we started running, realizing we had found the hidden river and bridge we had to cross.

Crossing the bridge was easy... but then what?? The bodegas were far apart, and even though Ashley managed to call and tell me where it was we were still completely hopeless at finding any sort of Bodega Bilbainas. Then, low and behold, a Guardia Civil (one of the 3 police forces in Spain) pulls up and stops to ask us if we need help, knowing well that we were lost and American. Instead of telling us where to go (we only had 5 minutes to make it for our reservation), they offered to give us a ride. So, as you can imagine, the group of maybe 30 Spaniards waiting for us at the bodega immediately started to laugh when two American girls, in nothing but cardigans on a 40-degree day, show up late for the tour in a Guardia Civil truck. Needless to say, we sure made an entrance.

So, the tour began. And all I could think of the entire time was how damned cold I was. Our tour guide spoke very fast in Spanish, and while I tried paying attention in the beginning, that quickly went downhill. The tour began with an explanation of the wine made at this particular bodega, then we went outside (brrr!) to the barren vineyards, then to the fermentation plant, and then to the cellars.

Storage cellar.

Thus far, the tour had been freezing, and I couldn't help but think it would be so much better in the Summer months. However, as we headed into the cuevas (caves), the temperature rose, as did the creepiness. I swear Gollum lives in these caves- the smell of mildew, the dim lighting, the stone walls covered in a black, slimey mold (which Jacklyn almost pushed me into)- it was all pretty scary, but I didn't mind because I was back into good spirits with the warmth. This is about the time when Jacklyn and I couldn't stop laughing, and only made ourselves look more like goofs in front of the natives :)

¡Las cuevas!

The wine tour ended with a wine tasting in a cozy room, where the guide showed us the proper way to hold the glass and appreciate the taste of the wine. We were only offered two reds, and I didn't find the taste all too appealing. Sorry dad, I didn't get you a bottle of this stuff.

The group during the wine tasting.

We ended the day with a MOVIE NIGHT! Finally some down time. Nina, Jacklyn and I all settled down in the theater room in the dorm to watch Mamma Mía and sing Abba.

Oh, and I am currently recovering from a cold I contracted from this adventure. :/ I knew wine tours were a bad idea, see mom and dad?

Read more »

Another party in the Guggenhem! This time all of my friends were there...

Read more »

This past Friday, the CIDE group had another scheduled day trip, this time to the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve. Despite the name, the Bioshpere Reserve is just an area that spreads across 22 different cities in the Basque Country, two of which we would be visiting on our excursion. 

Our first stop was to Gernika where we visited the Assembly House, the Tree of Gernika, and the Museo de la Paz. Though Gernika is considered the historical capital of the Basque country, I didn't find the Assembly House nor the Tree of Gernika all that impressive. The current Tree of Gernika was just planted in 2005, so it's status as symbol for the Basque people was hard to appreciate, especially in February without any leaves.

The entire CIDE group in front of the Tree of Gernika.

Jacklyn and I posing in front of the Tree.

Next we visited the Museo de la Paz in order to understand the significance of the tragic bombing of April 26, 1937 that obliterated the town of Gernika. Seeing the effects of the the Civil War on the Gernika definitely left an impression. Though I had seen Picasso's painting Gernika depicting the bombing during my school trip back in 2006, it was a different experience being in the town itself.

After a lunch that consisted of seafood paella (claws, feelers, and all) and fish, we headed to Mundaka. The beach at Mundaka on a sunny, warm day I'm sure would be the place to be (especially for surfers). However, as is our luck, rain and wind was in the cards for us so we weren't able to fully enjoy Mundaka. However, Nana, I'll have you know that your hot-pink flower umbrella is coming in handy... even if it makes me stick out from the crowd :)

Mundaka.. hopefully I'll go back when it's warm!

Read more »

I found boots that fit over my calves! Right when I was about to hunt down the only fat person in Spain and ask where they bought their boots. Thanks for the thunder calves, DAD!

Ta-da!

Read more »

Carnaval, 2010= crazy! This past weekend was a constant party in Bilbao, and was full of new adventures- one of which I know my mom would be proud of, hence the title of the blog. First, let me start from the beginning.

Thursday night: The start of Carnaval (at least for the Americans). While we thought we were to dress up every night, as the weekend progressed we realized that most people only dress up on Saturday night. In any case, Thursday night my friends and I planned on going to a party for both foreign and Spanish students (Erasmus parties) in downtown Bilbao called Sala V.I.P. I dressed as a cowgirl ("vaquera"), Jacklyn as a Native American, Kelly as a devil, and Nina as an angel. The night wasn't all too different than any other night out in Bilbao, but it was made 10x better by the fact that I could shoot everyone with my plastic guns. There's a new sheriff in town.

Jacklyn and I goofing off in the metro station.

Jacklyn, Lizzie, Michelle, and I.

Friday: A few of my friends and I went to the tapas bars in Casco Viejo during the afternoon to try the renowned pintxos in Plaza Nuevo. It was a nice surprise on the way back to the dorms to find a carnival set-up in the plaza, complete with cotton candy, churros, games, and rides. Jacklyn, Santi and I shared THE BIGGEST cotton candy I have ever seen. And it was amazing. Friday night, we had planned to go to another Erasmus party, this time having rotated the costumes amongst ourselves. Somehow we went to the wrong club, but decided to stay there despite the fact. It was kind of comical, though, because we were the only people in the place, save maybe 5 others. Mind you, this is the club ("The Loft"), that was so packed the last weekend I thought I would have a panic attack. Let's just say it was the opposite this time- but we made the best of it. Jacklyn, Nina and I went to the top part and had a dance party all to ourselves... :) (We found out later that the DJ could see us the whole time)

Jacklyn and I.

Some Scottish guy picking my nose.

Saturday: THE night. As background, the week prior I was assigned to what is called a "Tandem" conversation partner- a person who goes to my university that I can meet up with so that she can learn English and I can practice Spanish. During the meeting, I met my partner, Olga, and we only briefly spoke in order to exchange contact information as we were both running late to class. We spoke via Skype later that day, and I suggested meeting for a bocadillo or coffee, just to get to know each other. Olga had something a little different in mind. Seeing as it was Carnaval, she invited me to come to her house for the weekend, stay with her family and go out with her friends. If you know me, you would know then that I was trying to find an excuse to get out of it- until I realized that, what the heck, I should just... go! I knew mom would tell me to go try something new, I knew I would have a good time, and I for sure knew I would regret not doing it. As dad said, it's very "European" to just invite me over like she did.

So, on Saturday at around 6pm I took the bus to Olga's town, Castro, which is about a 30-minute bus ride from Bilbao. When I got to Castro, Olga and her mom were waiting for me at the bus stop and we drove to her house where I met her dad and got a tour of her home. Her mom and dad didn't speak English, but were eager to speak to me so I could practice Spanish. They were also very hospitable and after showing me to my own room immediately offered me a sandwich and Coca Cola (which, I think they got just for me?). After meeting the parents, Olga and I had to rush over to her friend Itziar's house where all of her friends were getting into their clown costumes for the night. The house was full of girls rushing to get their makeup and costumes ready, so it was sort of awkward for me to be there without anything to do. I'm not even sure at that point if they knew I understood Spanish... :)

From Itziar's, we went to an old school house that was no longer in use, and that someone's mom owned, to hang out and meet up with other people. Walking into a room of even more Spaniards was definitely intimidating, but they warmed up to me and I to them soon enough. They asked me questions about lyrics to English songs, what my favorite TV shows were (they were really into Gossip Girl, Lost, and Grey's Anatomy), if I had a "novio"... those sorts of things. They would laugh after singing American songs out loud in front of me in case they said something wrong- and it was kind of funny hearing "All the single ladies" sung as "I'm a single lady". I found it most hard to understand them when they were speaking to each other, or telling a joke, but overall I was able to keep up (and if I couldn't, I'd just laugh). Humor is still hard for me to grasp in another language.

Olga and I.

Then we went to the street. There was a single street in the old part of town (Castro is a small town) that was completely packed with people in the most outrageous, ridiculous, and sometimes scary costumes. From the Terminator to Michael Jackson, to men dressed as women or babies, the Spaniards definitely know how to dress up! I liked how everyone, in contrast to the in the US, didn't worry about looking like a sexy clown or a slutty bunny. No, if they wanted to be a clown, they WERE a clown. After a long and fun (and unfortunately cold) night of going from the street to the bars, Olga and I were picked up by her dad. I laughed when Olga said to me, "noches alegres..." and I was able to finish it by saying, "mañanas tristes" (Hey, class really does come in handy!). 

The next morning (I had to be woken up by the alarm- the shades these people have over their windows could keep me in bed all day!), Olga's parents had donuts and Cola Cao waiting for us. Then, Olga said that it was custom on Sundays for them to go into town to the bars before lunch to have a glass of wine, mingle, and eat tapas. They showed me around Castro, a small mariner's town complete with cliffs to dive from and a pretty beach. I was so grateful to be shown into the tapas bars by native Spaniards, and they even taught me how to order tapas in crowded bars- it's as simple as taking them and paying later. Olga, her mom and I sipped on non-alcoholic wine (it's a type of wine, more like grape juice) while her dad had vino tinto (red wine). After going to a few bars, we headed back to the house where we sat down for a home-cooked meal courtesy of Olga's mom. Can't beat that!

Olga and her dad were nice enough to drive me back after lunch, and said I am welcome anytime. Olga has already invited me back this weekend for her birthday, and said that her friends really liked me! Let's hope they did- I thought they were all really cool, and goofy like me. I told her she should come out with my friends and me as well, so that she can practice English. So mom, as you can see, you're always right. ;)

Great weekend!

Read more »