Today

Today I am thankful. I won’t be eating turkey, dressing, or pumpkin pie today for the first time in my life, but this year I don’t need all of that to remind me to be thankful. Today I look around and I see the largest gothic cathedral in the world amidst hundreds of orange trees that charismatically line each and every cobblestone street, and I am thankful. I am thankful for this opportunity to study a language that I love in such a beautiful country. Sure, I could choose to dwell on the fact that I am missing a yummy Thanksgiving meal with my family back home, but I choose to see how very LUCKY I am to be missing that one meal to be here in Spain instead. I am learning new things; I am growing as a person from these things; and I am experiencing a culture different than my own. For all of these things I am thankful.

Part II- Spain

Mamasita was lucky enough to be able to use some of her American Express points towards obtaining a free room at one the most luxurious hotel in Sevilla. And I must say that the luxury was very welcomed after our hellish day of travel from Italy. I had to leave mom by herself a lot while we were in Sevilla since I have school in the mornings, but our Sevillian afternoons consisted basically of seeing the high points of Sevilla and shopping, of course. The best part about her being in Sevilla was that she got to meet my host parents and see where I’ve been living for the past 2 and a half months. She briefly met my host parents the first night, but I brought her back on that Thursday to have a big ole, Spanish-style, family lunch. Seeing as though my mother speaks zero Spanish and my host parents speak zero English, I had my work as translator cut out for me. From everything I’d told her about the food I’m served here, mom was a bit concerned with what she was about to consume. I, personally, couldn’t wait for her to get to see and taste what I’d been enduring the last 2 and a half months. Well wouldn’t you know that my host mom decided to put on a show for my mom and serve us maybe the best meal we’ve had since we’ve been here?! We had braised chicken, vegetables (which we rarely have), French fries (typical), plates of cheeses, prosciuttos, and olives, and wine (which we’ve never had) to top it all off. Afterwards, we had coffee and dessert, and mom looked at me said that she didn’t really understand what all my complaining was about. I quickly reverted her attention back to the chicken nugget story. I can’t complain about this though because she did get to experience a real Spanish lunch, which is much better than the alternative norm that Jennifer and I experience everyday. And guess what she did after her first big, fat, Spanish lunch? She took a siesta, of course.

Her second weekend in Europe had us visiting Barcelona- mi corazon (look it up if you don’t already know it). I have to admit that I was a much better tour guide of Barcelona than I was of Sevilla. Funny how I lived there for a shorter period of time but I feel like I know that city better than I do Sevilla. Anyhow, our first night in Barcelona was probably the most fun/epic night of the whole trip. I wanted her to meet my friends Jordi and Raul, and Jordi was leaving for the weekend the next day so our first night was the only night she could meet him. The plan was to go to Jordi’s bar to visit and have a few drinks. Well we didn’t get checked into our hotel until about 11p.m., so we didn’t even get to the bar until midnight. The famous quote of the night was something my mom said when we were walking to the bar- “Callie, I’m not staying out until 2 o’clock in the morning.” Little did she know…

Sweet Jordi greeted us with big hugs and two glasses of free sangria. We honestly weren’t planning on staying long, but the atmosphere at Summum (Jordi’s bar) was so lively and fun that we just went with the flow. We were flowing and the free drinks were flowing; it just makes for a good time. Two guys sitting nearby who were clearly already well into the drinks decided to strike up a conversation with us. One was from France and the other was from Columbia, but looked like he was from China. They of course insisted that we were sisters and proceeded to tell me that if she really was my mom, then I was only about 16 years old. Had either of them been remotely cute or a tad bit interesting, this may have irked me. That wasn't the case. In a nutshell, I was playing defense all night for my ever-so popular mother. Who's surprised? The funniest part came when the Columbian looked at her a bit later and said, “What’s my name?” and she responded with, “I don’t remember, but it was something funky.” He threw his head back and erupted into squeals of laughter that instantly made me realize exactly who he reminded me of- Long Duck Dong from the movie Sixteen Candles. If you’ve ever seen the movie, you can understand why I would almost wet myself every time the boy let out so much as a giggle. After numerous failed attempts at hitting on my mother, and with the arrival of my other friend, Raul, the terrible two-some finally left us. Raul is the one who co-owns the restaurant, Caramba, with Jordi. He has a big passion for cooking, so naturally he and Mama made fast friends- and even faster friends when he made nachos for her at 3 o’clock in the morning. It’s hard not to make fast friends with Jordi and Raul though. They are 2 of a kind! The night was so eventful that before we knew it, it was 4 a.m. That’s right ladies and gents, I kept my mother out until 4 o’clock in the morning. And I will say that there was no twisting of the arm involved. At least she was right when she said she wasn’t staying out until 2!

We got a late start to our first full day in Barcelona, but that’s okay because that’s how we do it over here in Spain. And by we I mean us Spaniards. We started the day at La Boqueria, which is the biggest, most fabulous outdoor market you could ever imagine. I think it tortured her a little to be there and not be able to buy anything. After we left the market we walked down Las Ramblas, which is the main strip of the city, to the port and beach area. Mama got to touch the Mediterranean for the first time in her life and I show her where I worked that summer and take her to the exact spot on the beach I used to go to every day after work. It was definitely special to get to show my mom where I spent that unforgettable summer. Naturally, she fell in love with Barcelona- it’s impossible not to. The versatile city has something for everyone in my opinion. Typical of our luck, the Pope happened to be in Barcelona the same weekend as us, so it was extremely crowded at all the tourist hot spots. Between only having two days in Barcelona and the Pope’s being there, I have to say we did a pretty good job of covering the city.

I felt it appropriate to do one of the most Spanish things I could think of before Mama left, so I took her to a flamenco show on one of her last nights in Spain. We drank red wine and ate tapas at a table so close to the stage that I’m pretty sure I could feel the taps of the dancers’ tap shoes in my chest. The traditional Spanish dance show was a great way to send her out with a bang. We had so much fun during the 2 weeks she was here, shared so many laughs and drank so much red wine. While there were times that were stressful or overwhelming, whether it was getting ripped off by a dirty, old man on a train or being bested by a gypsy with a sprig of rosemary, we’ll look back at those times and laugh because they’ll make for some of the funniest stories. I’m so thankful to have such a close relationship with my mother. We are the best of friends. Before she came, I told her how excited I was to have her visit me over here because no one in my world back home really knows this part of my world, and of all people, she would be the one who would be able to see the part of me that shines in this world. Spain is so special to me and it’s a place that has played a small part in shaping the person I’ve become, and to have had the chance to show it to the person who played a HUGE part in shaping the person I’ve become is something I’ll always cherish. Thanks for the memories, Mamasita! We’ll be talking about this one for the rest of our lives!

Italy Pics

Thelma and Louise do Europe, Part 1- Italy

Hola, strangers! So I know it has been forever since I blogged, but between school, traveling with Mama, being her tour guide AND translator, I didn’t have time for much else. I have to admit I have missed blogging though! I have so much to write about that I think I’ll do it in increments, so here goes part 1 of the adventures of Thelma and Louise….

As you already know, mama came to visit me over here for 2 weeks. Or maybe I should say my sister, because everyone we met on our trips insisted that she was just my older sister. It was a recurring theme for sure. Reaaaal original, people; like I’ve never heard that before!!! Anyway, We met in Rome the first night, a Wednesday, and our first meal of the trip was at a tiny little restaurant that we accidentally stumbled upon, and it turned out to be one of the best meals we had on the whole trip- authentic Italian cheeses, the best prosciutto either of us have ever tasted, a big plate full of pasta, and of course lots of red wine. It’s a very good thing I’m not studying abroad in Italy or I’d be coming home and going straight to fat camp. We were only supposed to spend 1 night in Rome and leave for Positano the next morning, but due to lost baggage, we had to stay 2 nights in Rome. I was actually happy about this because I’ve never been to Rome, so I wanted to see a few sights. We toured the Coliseum, a bunch of the ruins, the Pantheon, and the Trevi fountain. I’d say we did pretty good for 1 day!

We woke up Friday and took a train down to Salerno, where we then took a ferry to the fairy-tale town of Positano. Tucked away into the mountainous coastline of Amalfi, this sweet, little town was unlike anything I’d ever seen. All of the buildings are built into the mountains, each and every one of them promising an amazing view of the Mediterranean. Since the whole town is built into the mountain, you have to take steps and winding pathways, overhung with vines and flowers, to get anywhere. We stayed at a cozy bed and breakfast called La Fenice, run by a man named Constantino, his wife, Angela, and their 2 sons. Paradise found. Once past the gate, you climb a steep, winding, vine-covered stairway to the main house, turning around all the while so as not to miss a single view of the sea and landscape.

Our first full day in Positano, we hiked around the town, taking in the sights, and doing a little window-shopping. We ate at a beachfront restaurant called Chez Black where my mom was served the biggest portion on pasta I’ve ever seen, so big that they brought her a bib to wear while indulging. I ordered a pizza and it came in the shape of a heart. This is what happens when you smile at people over here. It’s interpreted differently than it is back home. Mama and I looked around and everyone else’s pizza was just in plain ole’ circular form. And I had made eye contact with the pizza chef earlier so I smiled at him, just like I do everyone that I make eye contact with!! So, tip for tau- If you smile at a European man, he will think that you like him. And then he will make you a heart-shaped pizza.

For dinner, we went back down to a restaurant on the beach and had drinks after at an outdoor bar. There are a couple of “stray” dogs that roam around the beach and like to just mosey on in and visit with the tourists. (I put stray in quotes because everyone that works on the beach takes care of them and feeds them.) There was a German Shepherd mix named Nando who came right up to us to visit, and when he obviously sensed that we were dog people, he hopped right up on the booth with mama and put his head in her lap. We made fast friends with Nando and a little, black dog who’s name we never knew; such fast friends that when we started heading back up to the hotel, they followed us. It didn’t take long for me to notice that the little dog was very sick. He was trying his hardest to keep up with us but he kept stopping and going into coughing fits. Well, you better believe I told mom that we had to carry him because he couldn’t make it up all the steps. And by we carry him, I mean her carry him. Considering she works out with a big, ex-Ole Miss football player twice a week, she was the better candidate for carrying the 20-pound dog up the town of stairs. When we got halfway back up to our hotel some men asked us why she was carrying the dog and we told them that they were going to follow us either way so we might as well carry the little one to save him the trouble. One of the men said he’d drive the little dog back down to the beach in his truck, so mama put him in the truck bed and we went on our way. We were just barely around the corner when we heard little man running after us yet again. He had jumped out of the truck bed to follow us! We had heard earlier in the night that Constantino (the hotel owner) used to be a veterinarian, so mama scooped up the little dog again, thinking that Constantino wouldn’t mind too much if we brought them home. It wasn’t until we got back to the hotel and had 2 stray dogs sitting on our beds that we looked at each other and kinda went, “uhhhh what have we done?”. We finally came to our senses that as much as we wanted to cuddle with them all night, they just couldn’t stay in our hotel room. So being the dog-lover and marathoner that she is, Mama put on her running clothes at midnight to take the dogs back down to the beach so that they wouldn’t get run over on one of the winding roads by our hotel. All I have to say about this story is that some things just never change! It’s reminds me of the saying from “Sweet Home Alabama”, you can take the girl out of the honky tonk but you can’t take the honky tonk out of the girl!

Sunday found us in a small town up the mountain called Ravello. This is where we took the most beautiful pictures that you may have seen on my facebook page. The town is so tiny that I think the only reason people go there is for the views and to eat at a restaurant called Cumpa Cosimo. We had read about it in Fodor’s and we followed their recommendation to order the mixed plate of pastas of the day to share. Best recommendation ever. They brought over a huge plate full of 5 or 6 different types of pasta and divided it evenly onto each of our plates. Mama cleared her plate first and the owner’s son came over and asked her if she wanted more. She unconvincingly said no but he grinned at her and said, “Yes, I bring you more.” Being the Italian that he is, he was not trying to hide that he had a crush on mama in the least. After the pasta refills, he brought us a plate full of desserts and 2 shots of Limoncello on the house. It was hands down, the best food of the entire trip.

We left Positano early Monday morning to head to Spain, and the day just started out bad from the get-go. We had to be up at the crack of dawn to catch a bus to Sorrento, where we had to take a train to Naples, where we had to catch another train to Rome to get to the airport. It was just one of those days where if something could have gone wrong, it did. When we got to Rome we wanted to take a taxi to the airport instead of the metro because our bags were so heavy. Well go figure that there would be a marathon going on in Rome and so most of the main roads were blocked off and traffic was horrendous. Our cabdriver took advantage of the fact that we were female tourists and acted like he didn’t know which roads were closed so that he could take a big 25 euro loop just to end up right back at the train station. So basically, he started the meter at 25 euro and wasted 30 minutes of our precious time. When we finally got to the airport an hour later, we only had 1 hour before our flight, and the lovely creature dropped us off in the pouring rain (not underneath the overhang), and told us it would be 100 euro. This is a time when you wish with all your might that you could speak “slang” Italian but considering I was getting drenched standing out on the sidewalk with all the bags, mama wasn’t really in a position to argue; so the asshole got the better of us. Excuse my French… Or should I say Italian?? Once inside the airport, the geniuses thought they had no record of us, but ended up finding our reservation. We were connecting in Barcelona and it wasn’t until we got on the plane that we realized that they’d only checked our bags through to Barcelona. It was really an unbelievable day. To wrap things up, we ended up missing our connecting flight in Barcelona since we had to go out and get our bags, but fortunately the airline put us on a later flight free of charge. We made it to Sevilla, bags and all at about 8:30 p.m. As wonderful as Positano was, we learned that it is VERY hard to get to and from, and that one should leave much room for error when traveling. Thus ends Part 1 of our adventures in Italy. Stay tuned for Part 2 Spain edition. Ciao bellas!

Just a glimpse at my host Mama and her precious granddaughter Sara. I might just have the most stylin' host mom in town! And I'm getting to watch sweet baby Sara grow up every day. She is over here all the time while her parents are at work and she's really taken a liking to me and Jennifer. I've was here for her first birthday and got to witness her first steps. She was crawling when I got here and now she's just walking all over the place! Such a special little family with so much love for one another, and they've welcomed me with such open, loving arms and made me feel like one of their own.

Another Week Passed

Hey peeps! I have had quite the week this past week! I was just laying low in Sevilla studying for midterms and such. I woke up with a 24-hour bug on Tuesday morning, which would just figure since I had a midterm paper due Wednesday and 2 midterms Thursday. I managed to make it to my classes, but having to excuse myself every now and then. Gotta save those absences for traveling!! Wednesday found me feeling better, weak and headache-y, but better. I managed to make it through the week somehow. I’m not sure how well I did on my midterms, but they’re over now and I don’t have to think about them anymore!

Since I haven’t blogged in a while, I haven’t even written about what I got to do last weekend. I was out exploring the city a little bit with my new friend, Taylor from Texas, when she said that some of her friends were over close to the cathedral playing guitar and singing, and that we should go watch. Sure enough, 2 of her guy friends were taking turns playing and singing, and had their guitar case open for people to throw in money if they felt so inclined. I mentioned that I wished I could play the guitar so I could do something like that, and so James got me to get up there and sing with him. It took us a few songs to get it together, but soon we were making some magic and jamming out to “Sweet Home Alabama” on one of the more crowded streets in Sevilla. People were stopping to listen and actually quite a few were throwing money in the guitar case. We had a blast doing it and decided that if we practiced a little bit together, we could quite possibly make our going-out money doing something we both love to do. So, seeing as there might be more to come, stay tuned for news from the musical escapades of Callie and James.

So most of you have heard or may have read something about my dissatisfaction with the food that my host mother serves Jennifer and I. Well, out of the want to try and be positive about every aspect of this experience, I have been holding back from writing about how truly awful the food actually is in my house. Everyday before lunch and dinner, Jennifer and I sit in our room listening to the crackle and sizzle of the deep fryer, and wonder and fret if we’re going to be able to stomach what we are about to be served. And more often than not, we already know the answer, which leads me to a story of epic proportions. This past Tuesday night, Jen and I were called into dinner and because she was finishing up a skype call, I got to be the first to witness what we were imminently expected to consume- a plate full of nothing but 8 fried chicken nuggets. I kid you not when I say “nothing but”. There was nothing on either of our plates but chicken nuggets. I’m not sure what happened to diversity of color on a dinner plate, but it was definitely lacking on this night more than usual! As I sat there staring at my place with a huge smile on my face (because it was humorous at this point), Jennifer walked in and I told her I was smiling but I really just wanted to cry. Normally I can stomach a chicken nugget, but the kind she gives us are the most awful tasting things I have ever encountered; I’m really not even sure they are chicken. Our host dad was at work and our mom just happened to not be eating with us this night- she was just coming in and out of the room. So as we sat there, stared at each other, tried to nibble at a nug or 2, and talked about what we should do, I asked Jennifer if the window was open or closed because I couldn’t tell. (This window being about 4 feet away from me on my right and open enough so that there was about a 12 by 12 inch opening.) She simply responded with, “Open, I think. Why?” She found out why as soon as I stood up and hummed a chicken nugget out of our 7^th floor apartment window into the courtyard below. Overtaken with shock, Jennifer started laughing so hard and could not stop so then of course neither could I. When we regained control of ourselves, Jennifer decides to try this clever idea, but misses the window and hits the curtain instead. Since she was on the other side of me, I had to be the one to get up and search for this thing quick before our host mom came back in. So I’m looking and looking and I can’t find the damn thing anywhere. I can hear our host mom coming so I sit down right before she re-enters the room with her cup of tea. It was taking all that we had to hold it together- I think Ma thought we just had a case of the giggles. She started rummaging through a basket of phonebooks that sits right beneath the window, and I just knew she was about to find this chicken nugget. Fortunately, she did not, and she left the room again. Before I know it, Jennifer is trying again and she hits the curtain AGAIN, but this time the thing gets wedged between two folds of the curtain and you could literally see it sitting there in the curtains! I hopped up and grabbed that thing as fast as I possibly could and was barely seated when Ma came waltzing back in with a yogurt for each of us. So we are all sitting there and Jennifer and I are like ok where is this other chicken nugget?? Ma left the room again and so again I hopped up to search for this chicken nugget. I just started shaking the curtain and down falls the missing chicken nugget! I picked it up and threw it out the window and sat down to catch my breath! As much of a rush as it was, we decided that since there were so many people down below, we wouldn’t throw anymore chicken nugs out the window. The image of pegging someone in the head with one already had us in stitches. So we ate our yogurts, stuffed about 2 nugs down in the container and stuffed our napkins on top to hide them. Since we managed to make it look like we’d each eaten about half of the nugs without actually having eaten a whole one, I would call this a victory. We left dinner starving (but yet victorious) and retreated to our rooms to munch on our beloved granola bars and goldfish that our parents sent us. It was definitely a night I will never forget. I laughed more that night than I had in a while. I guess sometimes our favorite memories come from our least favorite of circumstances.

Tonight I’m going to a Sevilla futbol (soccer) match with some girls. This will be my first European futbol match ever, so I’m looking forward to experiencing the most popular sport live! I am meeting my mama in Rome on Wednesday and we are taking a train down to a town called Positano on the Amalfi Coast. We’ll stay there for the weekend and then come back to Sevilla for the week. I can’t wait to hug on her and catch her up on everything I have been doing the last 2 months. We’ve never really had just a mother daughter-trip, so I’m very excited to get to share this part of my world with the best mom in the whole world! This is all I have to report for now so until next time, Ciao!! Xoxo.

Switzerland

Well I’m back in Sevilla after a trip to beautiful Switzerland with Megan. It was a bit of a trek to get to from Southern Spain, but it was well worth the trouble. We stayed the first two nights in a town called Vevey, which is right on the beautiful Lake Geneva in the French speaking part of Switzerland. These two nights would be my first experience in a hostel and to be completely honest, I was a bit nervous. Upon arrival into our room, we saw all empty beds except for one that was housing a sleeping male whose origin we knew not. We must have been a little loud because he awoke in a startle- very shocked to see us. We asked him if he spoke English and he said no, only French and Italian. Perfect. We speak only English and Spanish and you speak only Italian and French. Megan then exited the room to go use the Internet and I was left alone with the Italian. I soon found out why he was so startled to have been awakened by us… He was napping in the nude!!! He said something to me in Italian and motioned something at me, and it took me a second, but I realized that he was asking me to turn around while he got up. I awkwardly turned my head and waited for the ok to continue about my business. He okayed me and then sauntered around the room in his towel for a few minutes before exiting to the restrooms. This would be my first experience in a hostel, I thought to myself.

Later on, Megan and I got cleaned up after a day of traveling and set out to find a nice place to eat dinner. After making a couple of loops around the town, we decided on a crowded Italian place with relatively cheap prices and what appeared to be very yummy food. We went in and sat down, only to find that our waiter was none other than our naked Italian roommate. It just figures. He seemed more than thrilled to see us and was actually a really nice guy. Due to language barriers, we never actually figured out why he was staying in a hostel if he worked there in the town; so I will forever be puzzled by Estefano and his strange or quite possibly, unfortunate situation.

Day two of our travels had Megan and I drinking expensive coffees, or should I say “renverses”, eating authentic Swiss chocolate, and hiking around a few vineyard towns where we actually got to taste wine that was an hour old and wine that was a year old. By late afternoon of day two, we were growing bored with the small town of Vevey and much looking forward to leaving for Interlaken the next morning.

We got an early start on Saturday so that we could catch an early train to Interlaken to have most of the day to spend there. It was on the train that I started to see lots of cows and noticed that Swiss cows really do wear bells around their necks- every single one of them. I found that quite quaint. They made for very lovely windchimes. When we got to Interlaken we stored our bags, had a quick lunch, and hopped back on a train to go to a town about 30 minutes away called Grindelwald. This is where we found the most breathtaking views of the Alps, and basically just walked around all afternoon and gazed at the beauty and sheer majesty they possessed. When we rode the train to and from Grindelwald, we could see the snow-capped mountains and I felt like I was in the movie The Polar Express on my way to the North Pole!

Sunday we woke up early again and had our breakfast outside on the patio in the cold, autumn air. The change of color there was just so beautiful that we couldn’t stand to be inside more than we had to. The town of Interlaken is enclosed by mountains and to be there for the fall colors felt like we were being engulfed in red, orange, and yellow. The only thing that would have made the morning even better would have been a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks. We signed up for a horseback ride that afternoon and were surprised when we got there to find that we were the only two signed up. A cute German girl who looked to be only about 17 took us out on our own private tour of the countryside of Interlaken. I cannot rave about the fall colors enough. It was the most beautiful horseback ride I think I’ve ever been on. Just imagine the mountains with the red, orange, and yellow trees on one side, fields with cows with bells around their necks on the other side, and snow-capped mountains in the backdrop and that is where I was riding. Sunday really was the most picturesque fall day anyone could ever ask for and to be able to spend it on horseback with the cold air whipping by only made it that much more perfect.

We ended the day with chocolate fondue that disappointingly did not live up to the rest of the day. We thought we just HAD to get fondue since we were in Switzerland, but to tell you the truth, I’ve had better fondue at the Melting Pot. That was the only disappointment of the entire trip. While Lake Geneva was beautiful, Interlaken was hands down my favorite of the two. By the end of the trip, I was ready to be back in Spain to get my feet back on the ground again in my life here. I’m not traveling anywhere for a couple of weeks until my mama comes, so I’m looking forward to putting on my running shoes and exploring and divulging into my city further.