For those who do not speak Spanish,
The title of my blog is "vale" and it means "okay" or "sure" and it is the most used word by every Spaniard. Likewise, it has quickly become my favorite word to use nowadays.
I am here in Europe having the time of my life, there is so much to see and do that there is no time for little else. So my answer to questions is always "Vale" because if I say no I could be missing out on something incredible. I have to take advantage of everything/one I can while I am here.
That is exactly why I chose to have "un/a mas por favor as my URL address for this blog because it is a common phrase I am asked everyday.
It means: "one more please"
so I am often asked or I often say "un mas por favor"
"un mas ............. por favor" (one more please)
............. scoop of paella?
............ hour of dancing.
............ pint of beer.
............. time of waking up at 7 in the morning for a tour?
............. more trip to this monument?
............ chipito Johnny?
............ trip around Europe?
.................................................................
Of course the answer is always "Vale"
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
A glimpse of the start
Hola Amigos!
I am writing to you from the gorgeous city of Granada nestled in the providence of Andulucia in the south of Spain. The group of us (8 guys and 34 girls) arrived to the city on August 30th, 2008 after we had a three day excursion in London which included: a trip to Big Ben, a viewing of the changing of the guards, and a visit to a dirty English pub. On our ride from the airport to the drop-off spot we were quickly briefed on where are new families apartment was located, who are roommate was, and were given a few do’s and don’ts. I soon met the lady that would be my motherly figure for the next three and a half months. She is an extremely nice lady that does not speak a word of English, and happens to only stand 4 feet 2 inches off the ground, so she has to stare up at my roommate who is about 6 feet 5 inches and I am a sturdy six feet flat. She cooks us three massive meals a day and even when we tell her too give us smaller portions she snuffs at the idea and tells us we are to skinny and we need to feed our tall frames. Even though her authentic Spanish cooking is very delicious it is not nearly as tasty as my Mothers. I do not have a picture of my Spanish mother, but when I get one with the whole family in it I will be sure to share.
This is my city!
I took this picture from atop a lookout point at the Alhambra. We went to visit the Alhambra the first Saturday after we arrived, and it was magnificent. We woke up at 8 AM to take a tour of the monument and most of us had not gotten much sleep that week, because we were enjoying the fruits of being in Europe. Nevertheless, it was easy to see why it is one of Spain’s most celebrated monuments and on the list of the 7 man-made wonders of the world. The apartment I am staying is not in view, but in the middle of the picture you can see a large structure coming out of the smaller buildings, and the is the cathedral of Granada. A group of us enjoy sipping on a drink while we sit on the steps and stare in amazement at the intricate façade, and we are often serenaded by a local playing his Spanish guitar.
This is the Alhambra looking back on it from the beautiful Gardens. The Muslims built it in the 13th century and they occupied it until the Christians invaded Granada in 1492 and instead of knocking it down, like they did with most Muslim inspired buildings, they added onto it. So there is this really cool Muslim architecture and right next to it towers and enormous overpowering Roman building. The religions are very contradictory, so this is one of the only places in the world where the two are mixed. I plan on returning for a couple of more visits.
This is me posing in front of the area where the Sultan’s giant chair would sit in the Alhambra, this is where he would lounge, give orders, and meet incoming guest while his many wives surrounded him. I think I would have enjoyed living as a Sultan.
We took this picture at the Basilica de San Juan de Dios a church built in the 18th century with a beautiful altarpiece with some of the pieces actually being made of real gold.. After the rest of the group moved on to another room on the tour my friends and me were feeling very religious, so we thought we should pretend to pose as the priests for the moment. There is a contest for best picture at the end of the term and right now I think this has a good chance to win.
This is me and my buddy intently fixed on the bull fight in front of us. We were waiting for the inevitable outcome. Many people abroad and here in Granada think that the bullfights are cruel animal punishment, but I feel that it is part of their culture, so I embraced the culture took part in the event. They are going to eat the bull anyways, so why not give it a chance to get back on the slaughterer. It truly is a great experience and I recommend it to anyone visiting Spain. This is a day after the Rays won the AL East so I had to represent. Unfortunately, my buddy sitting next to me is wearing his Boston Red Sox shirt. But what he has not realized yet is that the Rays are about to beat the Red Sox in the ALCS, and when that happens he is going to have to take a certain someone out for a night on the town, all expenses paid.
As you can see I am having a blast learning the language and embracing the culture.
But this is only a mere glance of my time here in Spain.
There will be much more to come
Hasta luego!
Johnny
I am writing to you from the gorgeous city of Granada nestled in the providence of Andulucia in the south of Spain. The group of us (8 guys and 34 girls) arrived to the city on August 30th, 2008 after we had a three day excursion in London which included: a trip to Big Ben, a viewing of the changing of the guards, and a visit to a dirty English pub. On our ride from the airport to the drop-off spot we were quickly briefed on where are new families apartment was located, who are roommate was, and were given a few do’s and don’ts. I soon met the lady that would be my motherly figure for the next three and a half months. She is an extremely nice lady that does not speak a word of English, and happens to only stand 4 feet 2 inches off the ground, so she has to stare up at my roommate who is about 6 feet 5 inches and I am a sturdy six feet flat. She cooks us three massive meals a day and even when we tell her too give us smaller portions she snuffs at the idea and tells us we are to skinny and we need to feed our tall frames. Even though her authentic Spanish cooking is very delicious it is not nearly as tasty as my Mothers. I do not have a picture of my Spanish mother, but when I get one with the whole family in it I will be sure to share.
This is my city!
I took this picture from atop a lookout point at the Alhambra. We went to visit the Alhambra the first Saturday after we arrived, and it was magnificent. We woke up at 8 AM to take a tour of the monument and most of us had not gotten much sleep that week, because we were enjoying the fruits of being in Europe. Nevertheless, it was easy to see why it is one of Spain’s most celebrated monuments and on the list of the 7 man-made wonders of the world. The apartment I am staying is not in view, but in the middle of the picture you can see a large structure coming out of the smaller buildings, and the is the cathedral of Granada. A group of us enjoy sipping on a drink while we sit on the steps and stare in amazement at the intricate façade, and we are often serenaded by a local playing his Spanish guitar.
This is the Alhambra looking back on it from the beautiful Gardens. The Muslims built it in the 13th century and they occupied it until the Christians invaded Granada in 1492 and instead of knocking it down, like they did with most Muslim inspired buildings, they added onto it. So there is this really cool Muslim architecture and right next to it towers and enormous overpowering Roman building. The religions are very contradictory, so this is one of the only places in the world where the two are mixed. I plan on returning for a couple of more visits.
This is me posing in front of the area where the Sultan’s giant chair would sit in the Alhambra, this is where he would lounge, give orders, and meet incoming guest while his many wives surrounded him. I think I would have enjoyed living as a Sultan.
We took this picture at the Basilica de San Juan de Dios a church built in the 18th century with a beautiful altarpiece with some of the pieces actually being made of real gold.. After the rest of the group moved on to another room on the tour my friends and me were feeling very religious, so we thought we should pretend to pose as the priests for the moment. There is a contest for best picture at the end of the term and right now I think this has a good chance to win.
This is me and my buddy intently fixed on the bull fight in front of us. We were waiting for the inevitable outcome. Many people abroad and here in Granada think that the bullfights are cruel animal punishment, but I feel that it is part of their culture, so I embraced the culture took part in the event. They are going to eat the bull anyways, so why not give it a chance to get back on the slaughterer. It truly is a great experience and I recommend it to anyone visiting Spain. This is a day after the Rays won the AL East so I had to represent. Unfortunately, my buddy sitting next to me is wearing his Boston Red Sox shirt. But what he has not realized yet is that the Rays are about to beat the Red Sox in the ALCS, and when that happens he is going to have to take a certain someone out for a night on the town, all expenses paid.
As you can see I am having a blast learning the language and embracing the culture.
But this is only a mere glance of my time here in Spain.
There will be much more to come
Hasta luego!
Johnny
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