2.5 Months Later: Reflections on Spain

Despite my best intentions of blogging weekly, three sad entry-free weeks have passed without sharing any updates on my life here with ya'll (#southerncharm). Last weekend was my first FULL weekend in Sevilla since the beginning of March and, as fate would have it, I caught the stomach flu. It was very short-lived, but needless to say I spent the majority of the weekend resting in bed. As annoying/uncomfortable as it was, in retrospect it was a blessing-in-disguise because it forced me to stay home and fully recover from what had been a month of nonstop action as well as reflect a little more on my experience here. 


Wow, what a special and unique time the study abroad experience is! As any student studying in a foreign country will tell you, the experience is characterized by one giant messy clusterfuck (sorry for the language) of infatuation, exhaustion, amusement, nostalgia, fiesta, self-doubt, self-assurance, and, to sum it all up: LIFE! Life... but a very specific chunk of it that is quite removed from reality. Honestly, when am I going to encounter another opportunity quite like this one where I can get away with traveling to hidden gems every other weekend, meeting new people everywhere I turn, practicing a language I love daily, and living in the heart of southern Spain without having to worry about work, school (only a little), and the general responsibilities of day to day life?? Probably NEVER! This time in my life is so special that I truly need to squeeze as much juice out of those naranjos (orange trees) as I possibly can. That being said, it is important to reflect as well upon the times that have not been so fun here in Spain. I have felt lonely, struggled with relinquishing the control that I'm used to having over my life at home, experienced fatigue more times than I can count, and genuinely missed the familiar.


The thing is, though, discomfort is necessary to get the most out of this experience. If we never learn to test new waters and try on Spanish Ray Berries (ok, terrible metaphor) then what are we truly here for? I did not move to Spain to come back the same person. Life is a game of perspective; a beautiful game in which we hold the cards and can win every hand if we learn to play them right. In this light, loneliness is an opportunity to make new friends, relinquishing control is setting ourselves free from habit, fatigue is an opportunity to reflect rather than act, and nostalgia pushes us to fall in love again with the things in life we take for granted.


So when bad days look like that, how can you not be thankful for them??


Here are some quick snippets of what I've been up to lately:

I stayed in a hotel on a beach in Morocco

I walked on the coast of northern Africa

I went to a spice shop in Tetuan

I kissed a two-week old camel in Tangiers

I took a picture with our amazingly kind guide in Chefchaouen 

I had rooftop drinks overlooking the cathedral in Sevilla

I made new friends :)

After a very tranquil two weeks, I leave again tomorrow to explore the northern coast of Spain in Cantabria! I am taking a 7 hour train ride from Sevilla to Santander (stopping in Madrid) and am so excited I can barely handle it (it's Semana Santa next week so we don't have school, I will be traveling from Saturday to Wednesday). In planning this trip, I literally google imaged "northern coast of spain", "cliffs northern spain", and "scenic northern spain" then clicked on the prettiest pictures to decide where I wanted to visit (...before doing a little more extensive research). I originally planned to travel solo but my friend Russell has decided to tag along as well, so it'll be great to have some company as I frolick around the beaches, cliffs, and mountains of this gorgeous region. I can't wait to write about my adventure when I get back!! Hasta luego, xo.

TRAVEL, TRAVEL, TRAVEL.

Woah baby, where to begin. The last 2-3 weeks have been a whirlwind of ups and downs, liberation and discomfort... growth, in so many words. Within the past WEEK, I have been to:
1. Ronda
2. Grazalema
3. Paterna
4. Bollulos Par del Condado
5. Cadiz

All 5 cities are located in Andalucia (within 1-2 hours of Sevilla) yet, topographically, differ vastly from one another. From the mountains to the beach, rolling countryside to steep cliffs, I have seen it all within the past 6 days. This week has been so packed with adventure, excitement, and exhaustion that, as amazing as it's all been, I am completely overwhelmed and genuinely struggling to find a healthy balance between sleep, schoolwork, travel, and a social life. For the second time since being here, my body has rebelled against me and I have completely lost my voice. It's shot. Kaput. Maybe I could squeal a teeny tiny bit if I really exerted myself... but aside from broken, raspy, guttural attempts I can't communicate verbally. In retrospect it makes complete sense why I'm kinda sick again, but it's so easy to get caught up in the moment here that I don't really realize how much I've over-extended myself until it's too late. With that said, I just woke up from 15 hours of sleep and finally have 2 full days where I can rest and recover without obligations, something that is so necessary for me right now!

SO, let me tell you about my trips!!!

By a huge stroke of luck, I found myself with 6 consecutive days without school this week thanks to Dia de Andalucia, a workers' holiday where classes and many businesses close for the day. Since all of my classes fall on Tuesday/Thursday and this holiday happened to fall on a Tuesday, I didn't have class for a full week from Thursday to Thursday. I decided to take advantage of this unexpected free week by planning a 3 day trip by myself to Ronda and Grazalema, two beautiful cities situated in the mountains and foothills of Andalucia. This trip was fairly impromptu, aka I bought 4 bus tickets and booked 2 nights in a hotel the day before I left, and turned out to be one of the best decisions I've made for myself since being in Spain. The 3 day adventure was unbelievably refreshing in that it enabled me to foster a whole new sense of confidence and self-reliance (because we all know I can be a little spacey from time to time). Done safely and consciously, I would recommend a long weekend of solo travel to anyone. Here are some pictures from Ronda and Grazalema:

Ronda: Day 1

Ronda: Day 1

Ronda: Day 1

Grazalema: Day 2

Grazalema: Day 2

Grazalema: Day 2

Ronda: Day 3

Ronda: Day 3

As you can see, both cities are absolutely breathtaking. I arrived back in Sevilla Tusday night (I left Sunday morning) and on Friday morning left again to visit a factory where olive oil is produced (un molino en espanol) in a small city called Paterna and, right after, a vineyard in Bollusos Par del Condado with my gastronomy interest group. We had a PERFECT day visiting these two pueblos, I am so glad I got the opportunity to go. 

When we arrived in Paterna, we were greeted with a breakfast of bread, olive oil, cheese, honey, and juice. YUM.

Me leaning against a giant cylinder of olive oil

The manager of the molino

Our lovely gastronomy group

Extra virgin olive oil in the making

At the winery in Bollulos with it's crazy owner!

Wine aging in its barrel. The layer of residue on top is to prevent the wine from oxidizing.

Comparing wines

Our feast at the end of the tour. Complete with FIVE separate wines to accompany the various courses. Needless to say we all got a tad bit tipsy.

This post is getting so long and I haven't even talked about Cadiz yet! So in an effort to wrap it up, Cadiz is a city on the coast of southern Spain and is one of the "must-see" sites in Andalucia. The seafood there is to die for. To give you an idea of how the trip went... let's just say my iphone is now buried somewhere in a bag of rice, my leggings, skirt, shirt, bra, socks, shoes, and sweater are all still DRENCHED from yesterday, I may have a new scar to brag about on my right hand, and 2 hours after returning to Sevilla I slept for a solid 15 hours. Here are some pictures of the beautiful city:

 A foggy morning on the beach

From the top of the Cathedral, overlooking the coast

At the enormous seafood market

Am I in Ireland or southern Spain? This is my favorite place in Cadiz.

Serenity.

Well, that's about all I have for now! I feel like I could go on writing for hours because there is such an abundance of information, stories, and experiences to share, but I think I'll leave it at that. Next weekend I'm off to Barcelona with Lauren to visit our friend Chris from high-school. Hopefully this week will be much more restful than the last one. Hasta luego! xo