Yo soy del sur...

So I've been taking a weekly Sevillanas dance class throughout the semester with four other girls in my program. It's a really pretty dance, basically a version of flamenco, and is what the people dance during the Feria of Seville. There are a bunch of songs about Andalucía and its charms, and one of my favorites is the title of this post, Yo Soy del Sur. It's about the how the people of Andalucía are proud of knowing how to enjoy themselves by having fun, taking naps, and eating tapas. So true! Haha. And Feria is coming up next week (!!!) and so all of us are super excited to fiesta and show off our new Sevillanas skills.

Last Thursday, our dance teacher, Carmen, invited us over to her apartment for a get together and dinner. She is one of the most hilarious and warm people I've ever met, and we all had a blast. Carmen loves cooking, and made us tortilla española and risotto, which were mouthwateringly delicious. After dinner we tried on a few of her trajes de flamenco, or flamenco dresses, and took a bunch of pictures. She even brought out her jewelry and hair decorations for us to try on!

Aren't the dresses gorgeous? We also played some dancing games on Carmen's Wii. Obviously not Sevillanas, but it was so funny watching everyone flail around trying to imitate the dancer on the TV screen.

Fabulous time. I'm so glad I decided to sign up for the class. A few weeks ago I was contemplating dropping it because I had the opportunity to take on a second tutoring job. But I figured that I'd rather get more of the cultural experience (I'm abroad after all) and now I don't regret it one bit. Now I am super pumped for Feria...it'll be an experience like none other!

"Home"ward bound

And here I am now, on the train. What a week it has been. Lots of traveling, seeing the Spanish countryside through the windows of our rental Ford. Even though we were not able to spend too much time in each of the cities we visited, I feel like we got a good “summary” of Spain and Portugal. 

And of course, it was good spending time with my family again. We definitely have our ups and downs; it’s really inevitable when we’re all together. Short-temperedness and a tendency to be anxious are traits that we do share. And it would be a lie to say that everything is fine and dandy back at home, because things definitely are changing and we are all a little bit on edge starting new chapters of our lives. 

Looking back, I only wish we all spent a little more time relaxing together and enjoying the feeling of being a family rather than stressing about what to do next, which road to take, and how much we are eating. Maybe it’s just me; maybe it’s the fact that I no longer feel like a little kid around my family anymore; maybe it’s just because we are all growing older. But I don’t find it as easy to communicate without differing opinions, tempers, or unintentional offenses getting in the way. When there is down time in our hotel or apartment rooms, the wi-fi and iPods and laptops take priority over conversation, filling the room with nothing more than silence. 

I don’t want to end this post on a negative note. This week of traveling has been anything but negative, though; it was a really, really good time and I loved visiting all of the places on our itinerary. And as with every experience, it was an opportunity to get to know the world better, to get to know my family better, and to get to know myself better. 

Now I’m going back “home”, back to beautiful Sevilla. The upcoming months will be filled with more exciting events – Eileen is visiting me next week, the following week is Feria (for part of which I’ll be going to Madrid and Paris), Cadiz in early May, and then after three of my classes end Sherry will be visiting for two and a half weeks. So even though I’m a little sad to see my family go after this nice week of traveling, I am looking forward to the weeks to come. Only a month and a half til I go back to the US, and I can’t believe it. But I plan to make the most of the time I have left, and hopefully (dutifully...!) keep you posted on this blog. 

Anddd el capital, Madrid

Our last city was Madrid. We arrived in the late afternoon on Saturday, and so we only had a few hours to see the major sights. So we quickly walked through the palace and Plaza Mayor and down Gran Vía. Madrid is a much cleaner and pristine city than Barcelona. Lilly and I made some analogies to cities in the US. Madrid is like the clean and orderly Chicago, Barcelona is like the old and multidimensional New York City with all its different neighborhoods, and Lisbon is a lot like San Francisco with its rugged hilly streets and laid-back atmosphere.

 

For dinner, we found a yummy tapas restaurant on Gran Vía after some unsuccessful searching in the smaller back streets. Afterward, we went to the outdoor market in the plaza right outside our hotel to do some final shopping. My mom, Lilly, and I all bought a bunch of scarves and jewelry. It got really cold by ten in the evening so we headed back to curl up in bed for our final night.

Easter Sunday we woke up to a sunny morning. We packed up and took some pictures on the balcony of our 9^th story room, where we could see the palace and the rooftops of Madrid. After packing everything onto the car, we drove to Estación de Puerta Atocha where I got off to catch my train back to Sevilla. We said our goodbyes, and my family drove off to catch their plane back to the States.

Wandering through Gaudi's Wonderland

Barcelona was my favorite out of all the cities we visited. It really reminded me of New York city. There is a street down the middle called La Rambla, filled with markets and stores and thousands of pedestrians. During our full day in the city, we went to a bunch of buildings built by Gaudi, an architect who was active during the early twentieth century. Gaudi must have been insane. His buildings do not have any straight lines, and appear as though they came straight out of a scene in Alice and Wonderland or perhaps a Dalí painting. One of his (incomplete) constructions was la Sagrada Familia, a gigantic basilica with towering spires and Christian symbols all over it. We contemplated going inside but the line was absolutely insane, wrapping around the entire block and beyond, so we decided to trek up to Parque Guell, an entire park built by Gaudi. 

Sagrada Familia

We had barely walked around for ten minutes before the downpour began. Luckily, there I was stuck in ridiculous indoor line for the bathroom and did not get drenched. My mom and Lilly were not so lucky however. I came out of the bathroom and find them huddled by a cliff with their legs completely soaked. My dad had found shelter under one of the big café umbrellas after he went to the bathroom. Fortunately, thought, the rain ended quickly and we made our way back downhill to the Parque de Ciutadella and el Museo Picasso. Lunch was followed by a stroll through the park and a long walk up to Montjuic, where we saw the Olympic Stadium from the 1992 games. Then, we saw the Magic Fountain (which unfortunately did not have any water) and the Plaza de España. To Lilly and my delight, we were back on La Rambla early enough to do some shopping before heading home to dinner. 

Olympic Stadium

catching part of the Semana Santa parade on La Rambla!

Lilly's Kinder and KitKat gelato

My smurf and hazelnut gelato

The next morning, my mom and I got up a bit earlier to do some exploring at la Boquetería, the huge bustling food market off La Rambla. It was the coolest market I’d ever seen…I’d never seen so many freshly-made smoothies (I got a pineapple-coconut one!) and tropical fruits, colorful displays of dried fruits and nuts, and hunks of Spanish ham everywhere. 

As we drove out of Barcelona, I kept on thinking that I would definitely come back to visit. I’d even be willing to live there for a few months…a day and a half certainly did not do the city justice; I feel like I’ve barely even scratched the surface. I got the impression that it’s a city with so much personality and hidden places to explore.

Huelva and Valencia

And we were back on our way to Spain once again. Our next stop was Huelva, a beach city on the southwestern coast of Spain. We had a super nice apartment right by the beach. In the morning, I got up to go for a short run on the beach, where I picked up some seashells and enjoyed the ocean breeze. It was a little bit chilly, but I can imagine Huelva being the perfect beach getaway during the warmer summer season. It was a very short stay for us, because as soon as we finished a home cooked brunch, we were off to Valencia, a seven hour drive away.

stopping for tapas in Córdoba

We got to Valencia at a pretty reasonable time, and went out to dinner at a paella restaurant recommended by the receptionist of the Holiday Inn we were staying at. We ordered a paella Valenciana (with chicken, rabbit, and vegetables) and a seafood paella (with cuttlefish, shrimp, oysters, and monkfish). They were ehhh. Super salty, and definitely made a dent in our wallets. But hey, it’s the experience that really counts right?

We took a walk around the city to aid the digestion of our big dinner. My mom and I took the same walk the next morning. There are a few buildings that were really cool and modern-looking located right next to our hotel. These included the opera house, the art museum, and the aquarium. They were built of a bright white tile in mosaic style that glistened in the morning sunlight. We weren’t able to spend any time going inside because before we knew it we were off to our next stop, Barcelona.

Lisboa

The next day, we took off for Lisbon. Since we arrived rather late at our apartment, we just went to the supermarket to buy some groceries and then back home to cook. It was a nice and relaxing night, allowing us to rest before another long day of sightseeing.

The sights included, el Torre de Belém, the Monastery, Pasteis de Belém, the Castle of St. Jorge, and dinner in downtown Lisbon. My favorite parts were trying out the famous pastries at Pasteis de Belém and exploring the Castle of St. Jorge. At the castle, we saw this beautiful white peacock…absolutely gorgeous. If only it had opened its feathers!

The following day, on our way out from Lisbon, we stopped by Christo Rei. It’s basically a gigantic statue of Jesus by the river with his arms outstretched. 

 Doesn't that bridge look kind of like the Golden Gate? Beautiful views from up there.

Sevilla with the fam bam

The next day I took my family around Seville to see the usual sights – the cathedral, the Alcázar, Universidad de Sevilla, and the Metropol Parasol. We had churros con chocolate at the Triana bridge, and some ice cream at Rayas. Again, delicious, but led to a not-so-happy tummy afterward.

After a long day, we went over to my host family’s house to have dinner. It was an interesting dynamic, since my family doesn’t understand Spanish, and Teresa’s family has limited English skills. But we had a great time nonetheless! It was great to be able to introduce my family and my Chinese-American culture to Teresa and Juan, as well as show my parents how much Spanish I’ve learned.

tapeando con la familia: Vinería San Telmo

The past week was Semana Santa in Spain! My family came to visit me and we went on a big roadtrip across the Iberian Peninsula. I met up with them last Friday night when they arrived in Seville. We had a delicious dinner of gourmet tapas at Vinería San Telmo. It was probably the best food I’ve had in all my time in Spain, and I’m definitely going back in the very near future, probably taking my friends there when they come to visit!

This post is just basically a gallery of the amazing food from Vinería. Yes, this does indeed deserve its very own post!!

Squid-ink pasta

Jamón and salmorejo on bread

Wild rice with mushrooms

Marinated tuna and seaweed

Blood sausage

Tower of eggplant, tomato, goat cheese, and salmon

Flan and banana cream cake for dessert!

'Cause this is Africa!

After the weekend of Granada, I went to Morocco. Three other people from my study abroad group and I went with a big group of exchange students. Our first stop was Gibraltar, on the very southern tip of Spain. (But it’s actually part of the UK.) There, we saw a lot of monkeys and a cool cave. Then we took a ferry across the strait of Gibraltar to Ceuta, a Spanish colony on the African continent. It took our bus almost two hours to cross the Spain-Morocco border because there was a drug bust. No joke. Everyone was looking out the window at a group of policemen gathered around a man and his car. The man was in handcuffs, sitting on the bumper of his sedan, looking down and trembling. Another policeman was hoisting up the back of the car, probably looking for stuff underneath the car. Soo sketchy!

Morocco itself was really cool. Like nothing I’ve ever seen before. All the streets were tiny and very rugged, I guess you could describe it as primitive. Chefchaouen was my favorite of the towns we visited. All the walls were painted this beautiful shade of indigo, which looked gorgeous as the backdrop of colorful textiles hanging from the clotheslines. Tetuan was pretty cool too. We spent a lot of time in the outdoor markets, and I practiced my bargaining skills. One merchant tried to sell me a tiny wallet for forty euro. Um, as if. I insisted that he give it to me for one euro. When I turned away, he yelled, “Three euro! I’ll sell it to you for three!” I didn’t buy it…hehe. Oh well. 

We ate a ton of couscous and mint tea. And we rode camels! We also met this 23-day old baby camel and took like 130498305 pictures with it. I’d say that was one of the highlights of the trip.

The week after that was spent studying for my differential equations midterm. It had been a while since I seriously studied for anything, and the fact that I had to do it in two languages sucked quite a bit of energy from me. The midterm turned out all right though, and I find out my grade tomorrow. I keep on telling myself that I only need a passing grade, which is a 6 out of 10 on the Spanish grading scale. Still a little nervous, but I think everything will be okay. Fingers crossed!

well hello again!

Wow, it’s been a while. Being a good blogger is a lot harder than I thought. This is actually the third blog I’ve started…the first was a personal one that I semi-abandoned and is now a compilation of cool pictures I find on the internet. The second was a food blog that I started last summer, which fizzled off after a few months. And now there’s this one. There’s just so much to write about, since I’ve been traveling, exploring Seville, etc. So I apologize for the lack of posting but now I will update on all that has happened since my last post. I'm going to break all the updates up into separate posts though, to make everything easier to read...