Heloooo, Madison!
This is my last post. I'm sure many people have stopped looking at this blog by now, seeing as I arrived in Madison 8/19 and today it's 8/21 at 1:02 in the morning. I want to go back... that's all I can say. well... I guess it's not all I can say because I'm also really happy to be home and have my feet on the ground in a familiar place... no surprises, you know? It’s nice to be home… when can I go back? I miss the people, the community, the schedule, the food… everything! But, I missed all of you Madisonians… keep in touch!
This is my last post, so… bye!
maya :)
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
My Last Flight
Hello everyone! After a 9.5-hour flight from Madrid, Spain to Atlanta, Georgia, I am on a 2-hour flight to the Chicago Airport where I plan to meet my parents and go home. It is 5:30 PM on 8/19 in the air and I plan to arrive in Chicago at around 6:30 Central time (in two hours—don’t forget the time difference of 1 hour!). I don’t know what else to say. I had an amazing trip and am so grateful to the people who made it possible (haha… “made possible by… well, you know who you are! :) cheesy smile), those who helped along the way, and those who smiled at me during customs. :)
I should get off now. Have a great day :)
maya
I should get off now. Have a great day :)
maya
Thursday, August 18, 2011
The Last Night in Spain
Hey. I've sort of forgotten about you all for the past few days. It's been a little crazy and I don't have the energy to retell my stories in this blog because it's Friday, August 19 at 2:30 AM and I am EXHAUSTED!
I spent my last day in Spain wander throughout Madrid and it was incredible! I woke up at 9:30 AM and got out of bed at 9:45 AM to take a shower and ready myself to take the Metro in a different language in a different city. Because Madison doesn't have a Metro, I’ve never taken one alone before! EEEEK! It was really scary at first, as I was asking around to see if I was about to board the correct train (and people would try to help, no doubt), but it was much easier and less stressful when I decided to just get on the train I though would be right. SO... I did, and it went smoothly! First, I went to Opera, which is like the music area. They had music, dance, and of course Opera, so that was nice. I stopped at a Cafe where they served breakfast, but I only ordered a bottle of water. That was stupid. I hadn't had anything to eat or drink that morning and I decided to just order a bottle of water... wow, Maya... wow.
Then after my "breakfast," I walked over to the prince's palace, which is like the mini palace of Versailles. It was quite beautiful but, at first, I had no idea what it was! haha... oh innocent, uninformed Maya.
After walking around there, I started to ask people where the Museo del Prado was. People would say stuff like, "far walk," and "metro 1," but that's not what I wanted. To tell you the truth, all I wanted was a general direction so I could start walking in that general direction for about 20 minutes and then start asking around some more! I knew it couldn't be too far because I had glanced at maps! (ha. glanced at maps... haha) Anyway, I ended up asking a nice couple who were speaking in English to each other (who I believe were from Brooklyn or somewhere in New York--which made me think about my dad!) and they pointed me in the correct direction for the Museo de Prado. I walked for about 20-30 minutes and finally found the Museo del Prado, but of course, the line was SO LONG! I couldn't believe how long the line was! At this point, I had already had my lunch of guacamole & chips and patatas (unfortunately the meal was overpriced. ;( but at least I ate...) at a restaurant close by and it was about 4:00. But, the line was too long and I didn't feel like waiting in a long line for an 1.5 hours so I decided to go to the Museo Reina Sofia (which I took under 10 minutes to get in to--and you didn't need to pay a penny!). The Reina Sofia was about a 10-minute walk away down the main street and was well worth it! They had a Picasso Gallery and lots of other stuff, too! I made the mistake of not checking if the flash on my camera was on (you can take pictures w/o flash only) and it flashed at one of the famous Picasso pieces. Before I could blink, a guard came up to me and yelled at me in Spanish for a while. That was SO EMBARRASSING!!!! :(
I spent about 3.5 hours in the Reina Sofia and then walked about 2/3 of the way back to the Opera (which was about 45 minutes away at this point... more or less) and stopped and said to myself, "what am I doing? Why am I not trying to go to the Museo del Prado right now?????" It was awful! I got some ice cream and then briskly walked back to the Museo del Prado to find out that they close at 8:00 (I got there at 9:15 or so). The Pope had decided to visit Madrid the same day I was venturing around there, of course to see me :), so there was unbelievable traffic. Not of cars, though, of people. The main street was closed and filled with people sitting, standing, and waiting for the Pope's speech. On the main street, there was a very large television, which (I think) is always there, set up for the people to watch the Pope arrive, speak, and exit. After a attempted to get through the crowd and listen to the Pope for a while (having lost track of my primary goal--to walk around in the Museo del Prado for a while), I walked the short distance to the Prado. It was closed. :( Time goes by so quickly! It was sort of awful. :(
After the Pope's speech was a concert and I followed the large crowd of people to the concert spot where I had dinner and listened to the music from sort of afar (I was in a restaurant literally NEXT to the concert spot--so I could hear everything quite well).
Because of the Pope’s timely arrival, the subway was closed when I first arrived at the station. But about 5 minutes later (lucky me!) it opened up and I could take the subway back to Lines’ apartment (where I have been staying in Madrid. By the way, I arrived in Madrid on 8/17 at around 7:30 PM after taking about a 3-hour bus ride from Bejar (near La Gunilla), Spain. Back to the story: I took the subway home with a little tiny bit of problems due to the people traffic (one of the trains shut down for some reason so I had get off of it and then wait for another one—but they are really good about coming quickly with no more than a 5 minute wait… no joke), but I eventually got to the stop I needed (after switching trains only once!). This is where it got tricky. I got off the train and out into the open into a park (a very nice one, at that). I though I knew where I was going so I headed in the direction I thought was best. I was wrong. After walking for about 8 minutes I end up at a Hollywood Restaurant (they seem to be a big’ish chain in Spain) and not knowing, apart from that, where I was. It was about 11:45 PM at this point and Raquel had just called me to let me know that Lines was worried about me. I had been very irresponsible and had not called her or touched based with her at all throughout the day. I tried calling Lines after getting off the phone with Raquel, but apparently I had the wrong number and got some angry lady… eeeeek! So, what else should I do? I sat down at a park bench in front of the Hollywood Restaurant and called my daddy. Awwwwwwwwwwwww. :) After some crazy-good problem solving on my dad’s part, I ended up with Lines’ address and correct home and cell phone numbers! YAY! Harry Webne-Behrman strikes again! :) So I asked around to see if anyone had heard of Lines’ street and some people had, but no one knew where it was. The best was “I know it’s close to here.” HA… thanks! :) But everyone was so nice. On man even took out his iPhone and looked up the street on his map. Thank you nice couple and thank you family (I think) for your generosity and time . :) I headed off in the direction on the iPhone had said I should go (I had though at the time), but after walking for about 5 minutes (I guess it should’ve been less) I asked a couple (I think) if the metro station was ahead (I was heading to the metro station as a landmark from the iPhone). They said that it was in the opposite direction, so I walked and talked with them for a while. It turned out that they didn’t exactly know where the metro station was either, but they were going to help me find it. They said that it was on their way. The woman, Maria, was very close to fluent in English, but her partner (Mr. He Never Told Me His Name) was not (but very good, nonetheless), and I spoke for the whole walk. It was nice just to walk and talk in English with Maria while trying to find the metro station. When I did find it, Maria let me use her phone to call Lines, who ended up picking me up at the station. I cannot thank Maria and Mr. He Never Told Me His Name enough for not letting me lose myself again in Madrid. Also, thank you Lines for your incredible hospitality and kindness during my stay.
I’m off to sleep. I took a break from typing for a while and now it’s 4:15 in the morning. If I fall asleep RIGHT NOW, I’ll get 2hrs45mins of sleep… ha! Wow, Maya… wow. I’ll sleep on the plane, though… I hope :)
I love you Madrid! I love you, Spain! Thanks :)
Love, maya
I spent my last day in Spain wander throughout Madrid and it was incredible! I woke up at 9:30 AM and got out of bed at 9:45 AM to take a shower and ready myself to take the Metro in a different language in a different city. Because Madison doesn't have a Metro, I’ve never taken one alone before! EEEEK! It was really scary at first, as I was asking around to see if I was about to board the correct train (and people would try to help, no doubt), but it was much easier and less stressful when I decided to just get on the train I though would be right. SO... I did, and it went smoothly! First, I went to Opera, which is like the music area. They had music, dance, and of course Opera, so that was nice. I stopped at a Cafe where they served breakfast, but I only ordered a bottle of water. That was stupid. I hadn't had anything to eat or drink that morning and I decided to just order a bottle of water... wow, Maya... wow.
Then after my "breakfast," I walked over to the prince's palace, which is like the mini palace of Versailles. It was quite beautiful but, at first, I had no idea what it was! haha... oh innocent, uninformed Maya.
After walking around there, I started to ask people where the Museo del Prado was. People would say stuff like, "far walk," and "metro 1," but that's not what I wanted. To tell you the truth, all I wanted was a general direction so I could start walking in that general direction for about 20 minutes and then start asking around some more! I knew it couldn't be too far because I had glanced at maps! (ha. glanced at maps... haha) Anyway, I ended up asking a nice couple who were speaking in English to each other (who I believe were from Brooklyn or somewhere in New York--which made me think about my dad!) and they pointed me in the correct direction for the Museo de Prado. I walked for about 20-30 minutes and finally found the Museo del Prado, but of course, the line was SO LONG! I couldn't believe how long the line was! At this point, I had already had my lunch of guacamole & chips and patatas (unfortunately the meal was overpriced. ;( but at least I ate...) at a restaurant close by and it was about 4:00. But, the line was too long and I didn't feel like waiting in a long line for an 1.5 hours so I decided to go to the Museo Reina Sofia (which I took under 10 minutes to get in to--and you didn't need to pay a penny!). The Reina Sofia was about a 10-minute walk away down the main street and was well worth it! They had a Picasso Gallery and lots of other stuff, too! I made the mistake of not checking if the flash on my camera was on (you can take pictures w/o flash only) and it flashed at one of the famous Picasso pieces. Before I could blink, a guard came up to me and yelled at me in Spanish for a while. That was SO EMBARRASSING!!!! :(
I spent about 3.5 hours in the Reina Sofia and then walked about 2/3 of the way back to the Opera (which was about 45 minutes away at this point... more or less) and stopped and said to myself, "what am I doing? Why am I not trying to go to the Museo del Prado right now?????" It was awful! I got some ice cream and then briskly walked back to the Museo del Prado to find out that they close at 8:00 (I got there at 9:15 or so). The Pope had decided to visit Madrid the same day I was venturing around there, of course to see me :), so there was unbelievable traffic. Not of cars, though, of people. The main street was closed and filled with people sitting, standing, and waiting for the Pope's speech. On the main street, there was a very large television, which (I think) is always there, set up for the people to watch the Pope arrive, speak, and exit. After a attempted to get through the crowd and listen to the Pope for a while (having lost track of my primary goal--to walk around in the Museo del Prado for a while), I walked the short distance to the Prado. It was closed. :( Time goes by so quickly! It was sort of awful. :(
After the Pope's speech was a concert and I followed the large crowd of people to the concert spot where I had dinner and listened to the music from sort of afar (I was in a restaurant literally NEXT to the concert spot--so I could hear everything quite well).
Because of the Pope’s timely arrival, the subway was closed when I first arrived at the station. But about 5 minutes later (lucky me!) it opened up and I could take the subway back to Lines’ apartment (where I have been staying in Madrid. By the way, I arrived in Madrid on 8/17 at around 7:30 PM after taking about a 3-hour bus ride from Bejar (near La Gunilla), Spain. Back to the story: I took the subway home with a little tiny bit of problems due to the people traffic (one of the trains shut down for some reason so I had get off of it and then wait for another one—but they are really good about coming quickly with no more than a 5 minute wait… no joke), but I eventually got to the stop I needed (after switching trains only once!). This is where it got tricky. I got off the train and out into the open into a park (a very nice one, at that). I though I knew where I was going so I headed in the direction I thought was best. I was wrong. After walking for about 8 minutes I end up at a Hollywood Restaurant (they seem to be a big’ish chain in Spain) and not knowing, apart from that, where I was. It was about 11:45 PM at this point and Raquel had just called me to let me know that Lines was worried about me. I had been very irresponsible and had not called her or touched based with her at all throughout the day. I tried calling Lines after getting off the phone with Raquel, but apparently I had the wrong number and got some angry lady… eeeeek! So, what else should I do? I sat down at a park bench in front of the Hollywood Restaurant and called my daddy. Awwwwwwwwwwwww. :) After some crazy-good problem solving on my dad’s part, I ended up with Lines’ address and correct home and cell phone numbers! YAY! Harry Webne-Behrman strikes again! :) So I asked around to see if anyone had heard of Lines’ street and some people had, but no one knew where it was. The best was “I know it’s close to here.” HA… thanks! :) But everyone was so nice. On man even took out his iPhone and looked up the street on his map. Thank you nice couple and thank you family (I think) for your generosity and time . :) I headed off in the direction on the iPhone had said I should go (I had though at the time), but after walking for about 5 minutes (I guess it should’ve been less) I asked a couple (I think) if the metro station was ahead (I was heading to the metro station as a landmark from the iPhone). They said that it was in the opposite direction, so I walked and talked with them for a while. It turned out that they didn’t exactly know where the metro station was either, but they were going to help me find it. They said that it was on their way. The woman, Maria, was very close to fluent in English, but her partner (Mr. He Never Told Me His Name) was not (but very good, nonetheless), and I spoke for the whole walk. It was nice just to walk and talk in English with Maria while trying to find the metro station. When I did find it, Maria let me use her phone to call Lines, who ended up picking me up at the station. I cannot thank Maria and Mr. He Never Told Me His Name enough for not letting me lose myself again in Madrid. Also, thank you Lines for your incredible hospitality and kindness during my stay.
I’m off to sleep. I took a break from typing for a while and now it’s 4:15 in the morning. If I fall asleep RIGHT NOW, I’ll get 2hrs45mins of sleep… ha! Wow, Maya… wow. I’ll sleep on the plane, though… I hope :)
I love you Madrid! I love you, Spain! Thanks :)
Love, maya
Monday, August 15, 2011
I'm. In. Love. :)
Let me tell you something right now (now = 9:30 PM Monday, August 15). During this trip I have appreciated many people for their kindness, acceptance, patience, and flexibility with my language skills (which aren’t too hot). They listen carefully, attempting to puzzle out my grammar mistakes and constant “ums” and “arghs!” Now I must tell you, I have encountered the epitome of this description (of the kindness, acceptance, patience, and flexibility with my language skills—which aren’t too hot) and I love him. We’ve flirted for a while, but now it’s time to GET SERIOUS! :) His name is Child Kid. I am in love with children! (okay… now is the time when you laugh and say to yourself… wow, Maya… just… wow… and try not to think of me as a psychopath… okay? Ok! Back with my subject…) I am in love with children! They are the best when you’re in a different language speaking country. Especially if they are 5 or 6! That’s the best because they are fluent (so you can still learn), but they don’t speak fast like the adults and teenagers that you’ll run into! It’s wonderful! The best part is that they don’t use big words… wow when I’m writing this I feel sort of pathetic! :) haha. Ok… I think I’m going to go take a shower. But, if you ever go out of the country and don’t know the language very well, bring a kid about 5-7 years old with you that is fluent in that language. They’re cute, they’re young, and all they really want is attention and love! That’s fairly easy to provide… right? RIGHT! :)
Okay, well… I’m OFF!
I’ll see all you Madisonians in about 5 days! :)
maya
Okay, well… I’m OFF!
I’ll see all you Madisonians in about 5 days! :)
maya
Fate
You know what “gets” me? The fact that when I’m on a vacation or a trip or somewhere that is not in Madison, I meet people (not that I don’t meet people in Madison…) and become friends with them (if I want to—and if they want to)… and then there is the time when I leave and will probably never see them again. THAT is what “gets” me! Here in La Gunilla (it’s spelled La Gunilla… not La Unilla… haha), people come and go because most of the population lives in either Salamanca or Madrid (mostly Salamanca). Two people, who became my friends, inspired this blog post. Last night we were out listening to music at a concert and having lots of fun and then one of them (the one who was FLUENT in English… SCORE!) told me that it was his friends last night in La Gunilla and also his last night here. I sort of melted a little with sadness because why would our paths ever cross again? It wouldn’t make sense! How many times am I going to be able to travel to Spain? What are the odds that we will be walking the same path while I am in Spain (if I should ever return)? What are the odds that either of them will travel to the U.S.? AND what are the odds that we’ll be walking the same paths then? Let me tell you… IT IS VERY UNLIKELY! :(
So… The sad part is, I went away for about 5-10 minutes and they must’ve thought that I had left to go home… I came back and I couldn’t find them anywhere… :( One of them said that they were leaving after lunch. Lunch usually starts at around 2:30 or so. It is 4:40 on Monday, August 15 and that is that. *sigh*… I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye. :(
The second day in La Gunilla, I woke up at 11:45 AM. I was embarrassed. The third day in La Gunilla, I woke up at 1:45 PM. I was humiliated. The fourth day, today, I woke up at 12:40 PM. I was not embarrassed. At least it hadn’t been 1:00… THEN I would’ve been embarrassed. :/ But keep in mind, everyone has been getting up at that time. We’ve all been going to sleep at 6:30-7:30 AM every night. To give you an idea, NOTHING happens during the day during the fiesta. It ALL happens at night. ALL of it.
I think I’m going to take my siesta now. I’m getting so used to the Spain schedule… I don’t know how I’m going to adjust… :)
Have a fantastic day! Tootles :)
maya
So… The sad part is, I went away for about 5-10 minutes and they must’ve thought that I had left to go home… I came back and I couldn’t find them anywhere… :( One of them said that they were leaving after lunch. Lunch usually starts at around 2:30 or so. It is 4:40 on Monday, August 15 and that is that. *sigh*… I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye. :(
The second day in La Gunilla, I woke up at 11:45 AM. I was embarrassed. The third day in La Gunilla, I woke up at 1:45 PM. I was humiliated. The fourth day, today, I woke up at 12:40 PM. I was not embarrassed. At least it hadn’t been 1:00… THEN I would’ve been embarrassed. :/ But keep in mind, everyone has been getting up at that time. We’ve all been going to sleep at 6:30-7:30 AM every night. To give you an idea, NOTHING happens during the day during the fiesta. It ALL happens at night. ALL of it.
I think I’m going to take my siesta now. I’m getting so used to the Spain schedule… I don’t know how I’m going to adjust… :)
Have a fantastic day! Tootles :)
maya
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Too. Much. Food!
Ok… I have one thing to say. In Spain, there is SO MUCH FOOD! It is Saturday, 8/13 @ 6:36 right now and I am still too full from lunch. First we had a bowl of soup, then two big pieces of melon with dry meat (which might sound disgusting but it is GU-OOD!), then the main dish (which was like a pepper and lamb... I think... and very good sauce dish), and then we had a huge slice of watermelon (which is TO DIE FOR!), and then we had dessert which was a slice of a cheese cake/tart kind of thing and a 1in x 2in slice of flan (for me, at least –there were other little desserts to choose from)—and that with coffee and milk and sugar, and to top it all off we finished with a Mojito (which was very good –but at that point because I was so full I couldn’t finish it so I took it home with me and am thinking about finishing it now). *sigh*… soooo muuuuuch foooooood!
Here in Spain, there may be a time difference, but there is a totally different schedule as well. People wake up at around 10:00 AM, eat a tiny breakfast, hang out for a while, go out to drink a beer or two before lunch, have lunch, rest for about 3-4 hours, hang out, have dinner (which is fairly tiny compared to lunch—only 2-3 courses…), then get ready to go out and by that time it is almost 11:00. You go out, drink, have fun, dance, talk… I don’t know. It’s strange! I’m getting used to it, though. Last night, I came home at around 4:00 AM. I was the only one in my group to come back so early! I felt pathetic :) haha… but I’m planning on training myself a little bit. It’s going to work out! I’m excited :)
Everyone here is so nice. When you pass someone in the street, it is impolite NOT say something. You can say: “hola,” “buenas,” “hasta luego,” “buenas días,” etc. “Here,” by the way, is La Unilla (I think that’s the name/how it’s spelled), Raquel’s village in Spain. We arrived Thursday night 8/11 after camp ended. It is about 1 hour from Salamanca, Spain and about 3-4 hours from Soncillo, where the camp was.
Anyway, I’ve only gotten one comment. I’d like more so I feel like I’m communicating with you people in the US.
Have a fantastic day!
maya
Here in Spain, there may be a time difference, but there is a totally different schedule as well. People wake up at around 10:00 AM, eat a tiny breakfast, hang out for a while, go out to drink a beer or two before lunch, have lunch, rest for about 3-4 hours, hang out, have dinner (which is fairly tiny compared to lunch—only 2-3 courses…), then get ready to go out and by that time it is almost 11:00. You go out, drink, have fun, dance, talk… I don’t know. It’s strange! I’m getting used to it, though. Last night, I came home at around 4:00 AM. I was the only one in my group to come back so early! I felt pathetic :) haha… but I’m planning on training myself a little bit. It’s going to work out! I’m excited :)
Everyone here is so nice. When you pass someone in the street, it is impolite NOT say something. You can say: “hola,” “buenas,” “hasta luego,” “buenas días,” etc. “Here,” by the way, is La Unilla (I think that’s the name/how it’s spelled), Raquel’s village in Spain. We arrived Thursday night 8/11 after camp ended. It is about 1 hour from Salamanca, Spain and about 3-4 hours from Soncillo, where the camp was.
Anyway, I’ve only gotten one comment. I’d like more so I feel like I’m communicating with you people in the US.
Have a fantastic day!
maya
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Melancholy
Hello all. It is 12:35 on Thursday, 8/11. The camp ends today and I’m feeling bittersweet about the whole thing. I believe that I am ready to see other places in Spain, like where I’m heading today, but I also really enjoy the people here and the theme and everything like that. Also the scenery is INCREDIBLE! :)
Anyway… I guess melancholy isn’t the right word. I’m sad, yes, but I’m also happy and excited!
I woke up at my normal time, 9:17 AM, and quickly got dressed and was at breakfast by 9:25 AM. After breakfast I packed, and packed, and packed some more! It was fun! :) Then we had a quick run-through of the pieces that each orchestra is playing and because I’m helping in both orchestras, I was playing quite a bit! :) Then we sang with the choir and have assigned numbers so there isn’t too much confusion. By the time I got to choir the only numbers left were in the boys section… so I’m going to be a man for about 30 minutes today! That’ll be an experience ;)
After choir all the kids ran to greet their parents who were waiting at the gate. It made me a little sad because I knew my parents weren’t coming :( but that’s okay because the smiles of all the children and their families made up for it! Awwwwwwwwwwww…
Now I’m in my room… all of the kids are having fun with family and friends and I will end up leaving my room in about 5 minutes… tootles!
Have a fantastic day and… I don’t know… have a good day! :)
maya
Anyway… I guess melancholy isn’t the right word. I’m sad, yes, but I’m also happy and excited!
I woke up at my normal time, 9:17 AM, and quickly got dressed and was at breakfast by 9:25 AM. After breakfast I packed, and packed, and packed some more! It was fun! :) Then we had a quick run-through of the pieces that each orchestra is playing and because I’m helping in both orchestras, I was playing quite a bit! :) Then we sang with the choir and have assigned numbers so there isn’t too much confusion. By the time I got to choir the only numbers left were in the boys section… so I’m going to be a man for about 30 minutes today! That’ll be an experience ;)
After choir all the kids ran to greet their parents who were waiting at the gate. It made me a little sad because I knew my parents weren’t coming :( but that’s okay because the smiles of all the children and their families made up for it! Awwwwwwwwwwww…
Now I’m in my room… all of the kids are having fun with family and friends and I will end up leaving my room in about 5 minutes… tootles!
Have a fantastic day and… I don’t know… have a good day! :)
maya
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