And so it is, tomorrow evening I embark on a 12 hour bus ride to Barcelona where the following morning I board a long long plane ride to plant my feet upon american soil once again. Que va.... [View Full Entry]

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Word Association Game Part I: "SPAIN" "FLAMENCO!!" "GYPSYS WITH ROSEMARY, para suerte con amor!!!" "OLIVES!!!" "DRY AND HOTTER THAN HELL!!" "LADYS IN POLKA DOT DRESSES" "OLE!" "BULLFIGHTS!!" "WINE!!" "SIESTA!!" "CASTANETS!!" "MADRID!!" "PICASSO!!" "GAUDI!!" "BEAUTIFUL WOMEN" "EURO-MULLET!!" "BICI'S!!!" "ALHAMBRA= THE BEER ANDDD THE PALACE" "TORTILLA AND OR PAELLA!!" "JAMóN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" "TAPAS" , eagerly shout my prodigious students. "Very good" I say, positive reaffirmation, they have done their homework it seems. Above are some examples of things people think of when they think of SPAIN. It is all true, to various degrees. But most of that is Andalusian imagery. And a completely other world [View Full Entry]

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Well, first week in Bárzana has ended and a new one has begun. They have a burra, A donkey, that is named Micaela. Such a charm. Hasn't been getting much attention lately. I will probably go visit her again in the next few days with all of the hard as a rock, white , stale , nutrient free, loaves of spanish bread. she will be happy i think. I have never met a donkey until now. I have done some garden work and plan to again tomorrow. Another WWOOFER has arrived and will be my new hiking buddy. so now I [View Full Entry]

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Finally, a bit of work. I feel like I have a purpose when there is work to be done. Today, Juan Carlos is trusting me enough to cook lunch ALL BY MYSELF. Mostly, I doubt myself more when i sense that other people are doubting me. I don't blame him though, for being a good experienced cook who likes to eat well. I am merely a 20 year old nina who can only prepare a few different dishes such as carne asada that will bring a grown man to tears, and gazpacho. Both very time consuming. after lunch, i will go [View Full Entry]

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So here I am in Barzana, Quiros, Asturias, Spain. haha. WWOOFing. It is very tranquil and I am living in an old house with owls as upstairs neighbors. Literally right off a tiny highway tucked inbetween mountains on each side. GREEN LUSH MOUNTAINS a sight for the eyes. perhaps even a feast Today I cleaned the house and plan to cook dinner. I am going to the store in a minute to purchase tomatoes and lettuce for a salad. I have been briefed on the fact that I will be asked many questions as the few townsfolk that exist here are [View Full Entry]

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I could not have asked for a better final week in Granada. Wandering through the sweltering heat, going to Salobrena the beach, hiking one last time through Monachil swimming in the river, staying out late and getting up early. Walking through the Albaiyzin one last time. salsa dancing until almost dawn, Discovering and finding a beautiful park in town that is free / and generally free of people to boot!, picnicking in an olive grove with Alex and jess,watching parades of brides and grooms and wedding parts file past me like a fashion show, listening to flamenco music in my favorite [View Full Entry]

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It is funny how many times this week I have said goodbye to my friends or gone to little goodbye parties... yet no one has really left until now. and we will all be picked off one by one from the international student circuit in Granada I do not know if Granada would be the place it is to me, if it were not for some of the people who have added various incredible elements to my life here. Today, I played guitar in the street. I made a euro. After which I wandered the streets of Granada. Returned a library [View Full Entry]

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I camped under the star, tent free for the first time ever. It was beautiful. And hot. Hot and beautiful. I worried about being too cold at night, not the case. I woke up in the morning, sun blazing, me melting under my blanket. Like a puddle of melted chocolate, forgotten in someone's pocket on a hot summer day, in whichever month. On the hike back down, we swam in the river. Yesterday, I went to the Alhambra. A once forgotten treasure, swallowed by time in the form of foliage like many ancient bulidings, was once the home of stray animals [View Full Entry]

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I do not know if ya'll have been keeping up on the news. Well, I was in the airport in Italy, I decided to pick up a newspaper to see what has been happening in the world, while I was forgetting about it on vacation. I read about how the price of oil shot up quite high, a new record, over the past few days. And also about how in protest truck drivers blocked off major higways on the border of France and Spain. I didn't really think much of it. To be honest, I just kinda thought to myself, "Hmph..." [View Full Entry]

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For the past nearly two weeks I have been traveling through Italy. I arrived in Milan by plane and did not like the feeling of the city one bit. I was also a bit nervous: "Maria, what were you thinking traveling by yourself? You don't know how to speak Italian, how foolish..." I decided quickly to catch the last train of the evening to Venice. So I ran to the train station. As I exited the train station, I walked out to find many other travelers sitting on the steps watching boats pass through the canals. Just like in the movies, [View Full Entry]

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