9.21.2010

The first day of my Gap year....

While I have a love-hate relationship with most of them, she’s always been my go-to love...and three years haven’t changed that. No, I’m not into chicks. Yes, I am talking about Ethpaña. First off I will be woman enough to say I broke like a punk before I left.

Yes, I cried! All over my siblings, my sweat shirt and possibly the couple beside me on the plane...jk, they were very busy making out --newlyweds probably-- so I didn’t even get to pretend to be friends with them :) Don’t judge...I hadnt slept in 2 days, okay!

No worries, you say. You can sleep on the flight...right? WRONG!

The giggling trollops in front of my, the sick man behind me and the gassy newlywed beside me made SURE I didn’t. Okay, like an hour and a half but that was it.

The last time I visited ethpaña the cabs were metered and I had to negotiate (on one year of college spanish) with a taxi driver …it was ugly. Today, I’m in a much better position. I wrangled my huge bags through the terminal and out front ready to go head to head with some elderly spanish man looking to get in my pockets. Instead I find TRA LA LA….METERED CABS!


All official, no possibility of manipulation by a greedy cab driver, air conditioning, leather seats, spacious interior. ZERO stress.

Did you catch that? 0 STRESS! I’ve honest to goodness had a harder time flying from RDU to Atlanta and getting back to Emory. He pulls straight up to my hostel, unloads my bags, gives me change and wishes me luck. That’s what I’m talking about.

I’m at my hostel. It’s 8:30 (2:30 EST) a.m. I can quickly skype my mom and get in a hot shower...except not! Despite the fact that reception is 24 H beds are only available after 3:30. But they WILL let me store my luggage. Fabulous! I still have two massive purses I refuse to leave in storage because people are something else so I cant really GO anywhere...except the kitchen...and the living room.

I am dirty, I haven’t slept and (according to my mother, shared via skype) I look like a sleep deprived homeless woman. Thanks ma! That’s EXACTLY what I wanted to hear. So what do I do...I fall asleep in the living room waking up when some idiot spanish boys run past giggling at me --I’m not a patient sleep-deprived woman-- then again at 10:00...10:45...11:55...12:15...1:25. At this point my body hates me. My legs hurt, my jaw hurts, my eyes hurt...I can’t take anymore.

At 3:15 I go upstairs to the desk were spanish McStupid proceeds to tell me I’ll have to wait...so I wait….3:40 rolls around and I am TOO though.

‘How much longer?’, I hissed in non too polite spanish. He makes a little ‘o’ with his mouth and says “oh, you can go to your room.”

“I don’t have a KEYCARD?”

“Oh, I didn’t know thats what you were waiting for...”

-_-;

I guess he thought I was standing there to admire his McDreamy hair...which I honestly only ogled for like 5 seconds. He gives me my card; I find my room; I think about sleeping but WAIT, I cant sleep...I have a mission AND its going on 4 p.m. Sleeping at 4 p.m. Is just gross.

I comb my hair (a little) and nix the hoodie in an effort to blend in more --yes, I forgot I was black-- and google the nearest vodafone location. Directions in hand I set out, recognizing street names, navigating twisting cobble-stone streets and feeling like an older (blacker) Dora the explorer. I get to vodafone and pause….why is there a silver gate pulled over the store...is this a mistake? Am I being punked?

No.

Vodafone is closed. Is there a sign saying when they will reopen...of course not, this is siesta, there is not posted time for anything.

So I figure, might as well make the best of it. I put my map away and proceed to get lost in La Latina...one of spains more rundown neighborhoods. Never fear, they were treasures.

Like...whatever this is...



and  Viva la Vida...


gracias a dios por el espanol, porque ellos no hablan ni una palabra de ingles. The drinks were passable...not worth the money I’d say. It is probably the ambiance that keeps people coming back. It was quite comfortable, like being at home.






Sidenote: I got lost (after having a lovely drink and skype chat w/ mom and bestie whilst in this cafe) for about an hour I was within five minutes of my place and didn’t even know it.


Gracias al hombre in the little mini mart I went to...he went out of his way to help me.

sidenote: only in ethpaña is it appropriate to use mannequins as decoration...on your balconey...for real.

That's right...look above the stranger trying to holla w his eyes...yessir, two mannequins.  Hood rat stuff.


Hasta luego, queridos.

9.17.2010

Gap Years and such...

First off, if you're taking a gap year before grad school know that you WILL be explaining yourself to MANY people who think you are being a lazy bum --which, in my case, was true.

My grandmother, mother, aunts, grandaunts and church aunts (jk) have all tried to talk me out of a gap year.  Apparently taking a gap year is the equivalent of getting knocked up, addicted to drugs and throwing away my future... -_-;

If you are brave enough to see it though (or lazy enough) there are a TON of programs out there for you. PAID programs...not that 'pay to volunteer' bull that people still manage to go for.  Got an undergrad degree? Working toward an undergrad degree?  OKAY! Stop working for free!

Someone is willing to pay your (barely) educated behind.

Case in point...
Austrian Ministry of Education

Spanish Ministry of Education

French Ministry of Education 

Korean Ministry of Education**

Korean Ministry of Education***


(UK/France/Spain) PGL

all (except the last) are through the gov and therefore doubly legit.
**requires 2 yrs undergrad, teaching primarily after school see more program differences
*** requires at least a bachelors, teaching during reg. school hours

So I recognize that theres a big difference between a ton of programs and the five that I've posted here.  I'll keep updating this as I find them.

In the mean time, have some ear candy.



9.08.2010

Preludio



11 days
266 hours
15999 minutes

till Alex hops on that plane and makes the trip home to Espana. About this time --before any of my adventures-- the gravity of what exactly I've done begins to sink in. Maybe I've done it too much to get nervous...maybe it'll hit when I get that window seat next to some awkward stranger for 12 hours.

I'm going to try and squeeze in a last minute trip to see guy, hereafter  referred to as A, despite the fact that he thinks it wont work because it happens to be the day before I leave. Alex says...I'm sleeping on the flight anyway.

Anyway A and Alex had fun this weekend. We now have a 'spot' and many established firsts. Him playing on a street corner/for a girl...a first.  Enjoying the trumpet...(for me) a first.  Sushi/Unagi...(for him) a first.  Walking out on a movie...a first; dude, flicks aren't cheap.  Chinese...(for me) a first, though I maintain that Arabic is superior.  Just doing....(for me) a first.  Having a plan...(for him) a first.  I do believe we are on the same page now ;) or at least I hope so because I totally put myself out there.

Anyway in the span of one weekend all the stuff I didn't want to say (but needed to) came out.  I think he did the same.  Relationships (that includes friendships yall, pfft) are about trust, free falling and all that crap.

I just really don't want to hit the ground because for a minute there I was channeling Meredith Grey in an...'I like you in a way that makes me hate you...pick me, choose me' way. *rolls eyes* Yeah.

I have a lesson to plan.