Blogs from Andalusia, Spain, Europe - page 297

That´s right...I went hiking. Laura and I signed up and didn´t know what to expect, but while we´re doing things out of our comfort zone already, we figured, why not?! It was absolutely worth it though. The hills were steep at points, but the exercise felt great and the cold morning air was only refreshing as we looked over and saw the Sierra Nevadas to our side. Though we went on a slightly cloudy morning, the clouds made the hills and mountains look that much more beautiful. Now we´re catching up on our e-mails and ready to spend the rest of the day relaxing and hanging out with friends at night---this is the life! One week of class left, which will probably be the longest week of our lives (the classes are a little monotonous by ... read more

After visiting old Muslim-turned-Christian neighborhoods in Granada, we had lunch in the sun at a plaza and are headed back for a serious siesta! What a relaxing day. I hope to have new pictures up by early next week. Also, we found a Protestant church that we´re going to try on Sunday where they have Spanish services, but once a month they have English ones so we´ll see how they all go! Below is my address here in Spain. Because of customs, insurance, etc. packages aren´t very fast, but if they are sent, a couple things must happen: -Use World Wide Express from the US Postal Service -On the customs sheet, tell them it´s something plain, like peanut butter (I´m serious...weird, i know) -Don´t put insurance down...only the allowed free $50 Otherwise, letters are definitely ... read more

Though we´ve only been here a week, Laura and I feel as though we already know the ropes! Well, not completely, but we´re learning quickly. A lot of things here are different: people don´t visit other people´s houses, if you want to meet a friend, you go to a pub. Cell phones don´t have plans, you put minutes on your phone and use it till it runs out: called selda. They eat a ton---very greasy food. Our señora makes us three meals a day, very filling and says we don´t eat enough even though we leave stuffed!! It´s a good thing we joined a gym.... Also, they don´t have central heating so though it is in the 60s during the day, the nights get cold (20s or 30s) and their houses are very chilly. To ... read more

After delays due to the midwest winter, we arrived in Spain today after a rest in London to get rid of the jet lag. Though London wasn´t much for Laura and I--we slept all morning, woke for dinner and a haircut (for me) and went back to bed! Since we were a day late, the tours were over and there wasn´t much for us to do. Today we arrived in Spain, met our host family and decided to explore the town in the evening---a very typical european city. A tour of the town begins tomorrow and language classes start Monday, so it has all begun! More exciting entries soon :) Besos, jacque... read more

With all due respect to honest work, the profession as a toll booth collector must clearly be the least glamorous and rewarding imaginable. Seriously, what are the requirements for this position? The ability to sit and count to 1 (coin or token or bill). Although there is some interaction with people, it would be completely wrong to label it as a customer service job. There is some money involved - otherwise the whole concept with a toll road would defeat the purpose - but the bookkeeping cannot possibly be more advanced than the simplest calculus. The advancement opportunities also appear very limited - possibly there might be chances to advance to a toll booth station supervisor (or whatever is the title for the person who is responsible for it). Probably all these potentially negative thoughts occurred ... read more