When in Córdoba...Snails

Caracoles, or snails,  are a specialty unique to Córdoba. They are a seasonal snack that just started showing up in stands a week or so ago. I've never liked bugs or crawly things, but all my life what I've detested the most are snails. Blech. Snails are just so slimy and disgusting.

Then today, I ate one. And another one. And then another.

They didn't taste too bad, in fact they kind of reminded me of similar chinese dishes. It's just how they looked that are hard to get past. You can see their teeny little antenna things and everything. But if you just ignore how they look and poke them with your tooth pick, they are quite alright. Afterwards, we were also instructed by the vendors to drink all the juice too. I don't see myself ever having caracoles again. Once was enough, just for the experience.

Volunteering (follow-up)

Remember that day when I was insanely terrified to teach immigrants english?

I wish my Present Self could go back to my Past Self and give Myself a big slap on the face. And then say YO, CHILL OUT. IT IS GOING TO BE FINE.

Because it was! I love volunteering! Yay!

My class isn't very large, about 8 students, but the students are all extremely friendly. Their ages range between 23 and 50s. Actually, most are older, I just have one 23 year old student from Senegal. His name is Makhtar and he is awesome.

I came into my first day prepared with a detailed lesson plan, along with a plan B, C, D, E and F. My biggest fear was having awkward silence and not being able to fill my 1.5 block of time. I've never taught any kind of class for that long before.

Luckily for me though, the format was much more informal. The small class size helped a lot with that. We all just gathered and I taught useful phrases and answered lots of questions. The time completely flew by without me even noticing. At times my spanish was definitely inaccurate, but a few of my students have some prior experience with english so they were able to understand what I was trying to say and help translate to the other students who know absolutely no english.

Despite the varying language levels, all my students exude enthusiasm. They are all taking these english classes because they want to learn it so much. It's a kind of enthusiasm I've never come to show while learning spanish, even though spanish was never a requirement for me. Interesting to think about, no? My classmates and I love complaining about spanish. There's too much homework...the tests are too long...why do the teachers speak in spanish and so fast? What the heck did she say just now?

My students actually asked if I could speak more english, to help them practice listening. I started out speaking only spanish because I didn't want them to feel intimidated, so I was surprised when they spoke up about wanting me to speak more of it. They remind me of little baby birds hopping around, eagerly waiting for the day when they can finally take flight. It's very (excuse my cheese) heart warming and makes me love spending my time with them. I just don't want to let them down.

Trying Madrid

Julie and I decided to do Madrid during a 7 hour layover on our way back from Portugal. It just sounded so feasible in the comfort of our stupid, overconfident minds while we were planning our 4 day weekend trip. We just knew we would Make it Work, which of course, we did.

But it definitely wasn't the easiest thing.

In all honesty, my over-all opinion of Madrid is okay. I don't hate Madrid, but I'm not in love with it, either. There may be a few reasons for this:

1. The context: I'm entering this city for the first time after 2 hours of sleep and a 2 hour airplane flight.
2. Time: We didn't have enough time (or energy) to really see the sites we were supposed to see. Oops.
3. I have a fierce pride for Córdoba and Andaluz in general. I think I just prefer the more rural look as opposed to the modern posh scene that Madrid has. Without a doubt, Madrid is beautiful too. It's just beautiful in a posh, Upper West Side Meets Paris kind of way, whereas Andaluz is more unique. I think Julie said it best though: Madrid is like a good book, but (Andaluz) is like a good poem. It just depends on your preference, I think. No doubt if we had more time in Madrid though we would have been able to discover more. And I bet the night life there is amazing.

Anyways, here are some pictures of me and Julie trying to do Madrid. I don't know if I will get a chance to go back. In retrospect, I realized we definitely did not see the most important sites. Not even close. At least the company was good; there isn't anyone else I could have pulled this off with.

So, Madrid, I'm sorry for not giving you your due time. We tried, we really did.

Gran Hermano

Gran Hermano time is silencio time.

Imagine two 20-30-year-old mothers jumping, screaming, and singing during the opening credits of a television show. It's quite a sight, I promise you.

Gran Hermano is a reality show featuring a group of 20-something people living together in a house. The house has a "big brother" robot voice that tells them things (that I don't quite understand). And of course the majority of the group is young attractive and super hormonal Spaniards. One of the girls is from Córdoba! Apparently, we have something like it in the States, but I never even watched MTV before so I really wouldn't know (Am I the only kid who grew up on Disney Channel? Lizzie McGuire, anyone?) It's funny because the title, "Gran Hermano," or Big Brother, is named after the George Orville novel, who I actually have heard of because I read his book 1984. Clearly the point of this is that I was, and still am, the coolest kid on the block.

No, but this show is really funny because it is clearly the trashy reality tv show of Spain. And my two sisters Merchi and Ana love it. They silence the boys whenever it is on and refuse to talk to them until comercial time. I'm in the living room with them when it is on, but honestly I don't think I would like it even if it was in english. But it is the one show that the kids immediately shut up and surrender the remote control for. 

And even without spanish fluency, I see the exact same trashy reality tv drama that is mirrored in all the Kardashians-Go-Shopping-With-Teenage-Mothers-Who-Are-Obese shows we back in the States. Is it still considered a common ground if the common ground is cultural travesties?

Don't mistake me for hating, though. I love Gran Hermano now too, but more so because I like observing the viewers more than the silly people in the show. 

Street Art in Granada

I love the graffiti in Granada so much (sorry for sounding like a broken record player), that I wanted to compile all the pieces I was able to see during my trip onto a single post. Unfortunately, my pictures don't do it justice because for me at least, a lot of the beauty isn't just the art itself, but also the way it complements or changes its surrounding environment. It's the contextual picture of the scenery and art placement put together that makes the art even more fascinating.

Either way though, the pieces are beautiful. There is clearly a lot of artistic talent in the city of Granada. Which makes sense based off what I've been learning in my Spanish Lit/Cinema class, since a lot of Spain's famous art figures are from Granada. Look guys, I'm learning in my study abroad! About actual relavant things!

Granada

• Visited the Alhambra, which is one of the most beautiful pieces of architecture I have ever seen. It's an ancient palace from the old Arab empires. My pictures nor words will never do it justice. You just have to go see it for yourself in person.
• Ate delicious tapas! Granada is renowned for having the best tapas around and now I can say I see why.  
• Got to see a lot of beautiful street art. I love graffiti art work and I think it adds an interesting flavor to the surrounding street and neighborhood. 
• Was invited to eat lunch with Julie and her spanish family. Spanish culture is unique in that it doesn't encourage visitors in the house. Which is why being invited over was a real treat and such a lovely experience. I love Julie's spanish mama and her lovely dog Haida! 
• FUNNY STORY, when I gathered Julie and her family to take a group picture, Haida the dog immediately LEAPED onto the table and insisted on being in the picture! Greatest dog ever.
• FUNNY STORY part 2: took down a 6" tall ex-football player boy on our way back to the hostel. Maybe I'm stronger than I look? We got honked at too...but long story short, we made it back alive. 
• Again, accidentally ate goat brains. It may have been unintentional, but at least I can say I really "absorbed" the authentic culture of where I was? Yay? 
• Bought awesome fatboy pants. They're puffy with a cool bohemian pattern. Can't wait to wear my matching pants with Julie in Portugal! 
• Was brought back to life at a teteria. Thank god Julie and I are on the same page are on really similar pages when we need it the most. 
• Partied in gypsy caves until 4:30 AM with a bunch of international students from all over Europe 
• Saw the Sierra Nevada mountains.
• Spent the entire weekend with Julie Brown. 
• Successfully caught the bus back to Cordoba with only 1 minute to spare, and spent 3 hours taking in beautiful scenery with Yalda while riding back home. 

Easy to say, it has been a great weekend. 

And you know you are having the best possible home stay experience when, after 72 hours of exploring/eating/sleep deprivation, you get off your 3 hour bus ride, enter your apartment, and get that yeees, I am home feeling. Great weekend, great life.

Inside the Alhambra

Inside the Alhambra

One of the 8937422394 tapas I had this weekend

Julie, Tara and their spanish mama.

Posing by the Alhambra

The Alhambra

Look at the Sierra Nevada mountains! 

More beautiful views of the mountains

Friendship! Love! White on Yellow love!

On my bus ride home

Losses in Translation

Language barriers make the easiest tasks become hikes to Mt. Everest. For instance, trying to tell someone how you almost locked yourself out of your apartment becomes a 2 hour long Odyssey monologue. Painful, long, and really awkward to hear. Luckily, I haven't had too many serious mishaps yet. But language barriers can quickly go from something comedic to serious, especially if you're dealing with things like allergies, electronic malfunctions, or taxi/bus driver directions. So far, my language barrier experiences have been the "shake my head in shame" kind, and not the "crap, do I need to call the US embassy?!" kind. 

• In Cordoba last week, two high school classmates who are studying abroad in France and London came down to Córdoba for a day trip. It was really fun showing them around and getting tapas with them. While ordering tapas from Casa Santos, a tapas place well known around town, I tried getting myself a cup of vino blanco but ended up with fino, which is a wine unique to Cordoba. It has kind of a weird fishy taste and isn't my favorite drink. When I took my cup and took my first sip, I thought, god damnit, I got stuck with fino AGAIN!? This has definitely happened to me more than once. Sigh.
  
  

  

  This is what a NOT free "tapa" looks like

• In Granada this past weekend, I was getting tapas for lunch and was trying to figure out which ones were free to choose from with my wine. Accidentally ended up ordering a 9 euro entry somehow, while thinking it was a free tapa the entire time. Ouch for my wallet, but at least it was really delicious for my tummy.
  
• Again in Granada, I accidentally, not knowingly, ate brains. We were eating at a very well known and delicious restaurant called Casa Juanillo (It's in the Sacromonte district-up in the mountains by the gypsy caves and a gorgeous view of the Alhambra). There weren't too many vegetarian options, but I see "Tortilla de Sacromonte" and decide to order that. Tortilla is really common in Andaluz and is just eggs and potato cooked into a nice, spongy, cake-type thing. What I got though was different from any tortilla I've seen. It was much for thin, like the egg "bing" I was used to eating from my parents. No problem. I eat my tortilla thinking nothing of it. It is pretty good, nice and spongy and flavorful. I guess I never caught the part where our waiter jokingly told us "there is a surprise ingredient but I won't tell you what it is until after you eat the food." HONESTLY, if I had caught him saying that, I wouldn't have gone within 10 feet of the plate. Maybe it is because I'm chinese and I come from a culture of people who eat weird and disgusting things (I.E fish brain, blech!!!), but that sentence right there is the dead giveaway that you are about to consume an internal organ. But no, OF COURSE, I didn't hear or understand him saying that. Which is how I ended up eating goat brains in my tortilla.

Let me just repeat myself one more time for emphasis.

During my trip to Granada, I ate goat brains.

You know what, I forgot what the original point of this post was. Now I can't stop thinking about the goat brains again.

The end. 

Apple Skins

It's true, I never learned how to skin an apple, because my parents did it for me until the age where I could deal with eating the skin.

This past Sunday, some friends and I agreed to meet up at 8:30 am for a hike. Of course, I crawled out of bed at 8:06 am. Running on a very tight schedule, I rushed into the kitchen to grab an apple for breakfast and pack my water bottle. (Side note: living in a world without Berkeley Time has made me realize how horrible my punctuality is). It's cold and dark, and I am the only one awake in the apartment. Except for my little brother. I turn around from the sink and see Currito sitting at the table, staring at me with his big, wide, un-humanly awake eyes. 

"Manzana?"

I quickly hand him my apple and reach for another, when I hear rustling behind me. I turn around to see Curro grabbing a knife, in an attempt to skin his apple. Without a second thought, I took the knife from him and began butchering his apple. I would use the verb "skin," but that would imply that I didn't cut off more than 50% of his apple in my attempt to peel off only the thin, waxy exterior. Oops. I handed him back his apple, now completely cut up in different angles and barely recognizable. Still, it was without skin. By this point it is 8:40 am and I have 4 missed calls. But the usual, stressed out anxiety you get from being super late to somewhere, was replaced with a warm feeling accomplishment. For being able to peel an apple for the first time, and to be able to do it for someone else. 

I've never been a big sister before. I'm an only child and in my entire family, I am the baby. So skins get peeled for me without me even having to ask. How else could a girl get away without knowing how to skin one herself for 21 years? But for some reason, this small random incident sticks with me because it reminds me that for the first time in my life, I am not the baby. In fact, someone else is instead of me. 

I'm not trying to imply that I deserve a marching band and ten gold stars for taking the time to skin an apple. This is what should be done. I'm only reflecting on this very nuanced but noticeable change in my lifestyle, because it really is a unique and interesting experience for me. I am happy to say that I'm enjoying the role-reversal though. I just hope that I'm playing the part of older sibling correctly, and not letting my Only Child show. 

Love From Abroad

Happy Valentines Day from España! Here, it is called dia de enmorado (day of love) or simply, dia de saint valentino, after the actual saint. I don't think the holiday is as commercialized, which is refreshing.


So last year, I spent Valentines day in the library studying with my friends.

Passing love notes in the library like a Taylor Swift song but better

This year I got to spend it with my travel group eating delicious cheap food in Spain, followed by a night of wine and clubbing.

Very delicious and authentic dinner at Sociedades de Platos with the group

Very typical wine of Córdoba

Club Gongora with Melanie, me and Virginia

On both days, I have felt equally loved.

Happy Valentines Day! May your life be filled with l o v e from family, friends, life and most importantly, yourself. I think this year, my Valentine is my Life. I just love it so, so much right now. 

Scenes de Córdoba pt 3

Yesterday, I was walking from my apartment to a new cafe where I was meeting up with some of mis chicas to plan future trips. Usually, since my apartment location is very central, everyone meets on my street. This was the first time I walked by myself to Cort Ingléis.

On the way there, I asked a nice, 20-something year old boy if I was going the right way. He ended up walking me the entire way to the cafe, since he said (?) that his apartment was nearby anyways.

Before I continue, (since I know you're reading this, Mom) let it be known that this wasn't creepy at all. It was broad day light. And this boy was seriously so kind and patient with me. Maybe it sounds creepy when it is being told second hand, but if you were there you would have also seen how nice and not serial-killer-esque this person is.

On our walk, we spoke spanish together the entire time, even though I felt like a baby when listening to him talk. I learned that he was studying for his LSAT and that he has lived in Córdoba all his life. His number one choice for law school is in Barcelona and it is one of his favorite cities, even though he has rarely travelled outside Córdoba.

It was a really nice walk and I am so glad I put myself out there and talked to a local. "Excuse me, how do I get to..." is probably my most fluent phrase in Spanish as of now (So surprising! Said no one). This may be one of the first times where being a direction-inept Asian has seriously benefited me. It's such a great way to meet nice non-serial-killer locals. 

I Survived Carnaval de Cadiz and You Can Too

Here's how:

1. Know what you are getting into

Carnival is a week long celebration in all of Spain that involves comedic theatre shows (that you can watch on television), lots of costume shop sales and of course, drinking. The most well-known celebration though, is held in Cadiz, which is the oldest city in Spain. Cadiz is a small city by the coast that hosts a famous street party on Saturday in conjunction with the traditional carnival festivities. To give you a better visual, think ginormous, unlimited Halloween-frat party but with a wider age range and even wider range in costumes. The party starts around 9pm and doesn't end until the morning. Most people come from different cities that will send buses to and from Cadiz. Kind of like your grad-night ceremony, the bus sends you to Cadiz and picks you up in the morning. In between, they leave you to your own chaotic, drunken devices.  May the odds be ever in your favor.

2. Wear the shoes you care about least, but make sure they are comfortable

Because you will do a lot of walking. And there is a lot of pissing. Guys and girls piss all along the streets, all night long. The best is when you see a row of princesses standing along the street with their penises whipped out, doing their business. It's cute because they're like bathroom buddies, but guys!

3. Go all out with your costume, because everyone else is

One of the best things about Carnival is that it isn't just a parade of girls in their underwear and bra costumes, trying to best each other in who has the skinniest body and skimpiest outfit. People here take the meaning of  costumes literally. The most common costumes of the night that I saw were: chickens, cows and pirates. And let me just say, most of those chicken men I saw were pretty damn sexy. But there was pretty much everything you could think of, from playing cards to the Joker to spidermen, and lots and lots of cross dressers. Spanish guys know what's up.

4. There will be body parts

Oh yeah, fake boobs and giant penises were also a popular costume accessory. Just go with it, it's *~!*~cArNIvAaAaLlLlL~*!*~

5. You might see your mom there

Seriously, there were some upper-middle aged folks walking around, with their plastic beer cups and giant cervezas in hand. Try to get a picture with them if you can because they're awesome.

6. Dress Warm

When you're drinking and walking around in entirely crowded streets, you don't feel the cold. But as the night transitions into morning and earlier buses start leaving, you start to feel the cold. No one cares about costumes at this point, it's best to just layer up. Especially if your group decided to go all out and isn't leaving until 6:45 am.

7. Pack!

I chose to bring a backpack and fill it with booze, jackets, a water bottle and a lot of snacks. There are definitely pros and cons to bringing a backpack (note: our friend Taylor left her backpack to go to the bathroom and got it stolen), mostly regarding thief and pickpocketing. But personally, I'm pretty cautious about my stuff especially when I am partying in a foreign place. If you keep your belongings on you at all times or make sure someone is always watching it, you shouldn't have a problem. Besides, people are too busy drinking and peeing on streets to pickpocket you.

8. Be ready to walk

Kind of along the same lines as bringing comfortable shoes, carnival isn't exactly one specific event. When you get dropped off, no one really tells you what is going on. All you see is that you are all the sudden completely surrounded by drunk, dressed up people. So you follow the crowd. Except as you keep walking you realize the streets get more convoluted and it becomes more like a maze than singular pathway, and there really is no destination. The point of carnival is to do just that: walk the streets, talk and meet and take pictures with new people, and drink continuously. There will probably be lots of shouting and loud singing involved, too.

9. Take pit stops for the bathroom

Honestly, ladies, we can do anything men can do. And if the time calls for it and you got to go, it is totally okay to pee in the streets. My friends and I formed friendship circles and had females take turns peeing in privacy. It isn't really a big deal, we can make it work. But personally, I would advise just stepping into the closest open bar and peeing there. The streets are literally flooded with a disgusting mixture of booze and other people's piss, and my friend Lyna accidentally flashed her ass at some guys who were looming in the corner. Oh, and I think I splashed pee on my friend Will. Talk about
friendship on crack...sorry Will!

10. Pee before you get back on the bus

Why is carnival sounding to be all about taking a piss? Anyways, you are in for a long bus ride so you would rather take a piss on a piss-infested alleyway surrounded by drunken strangers than have your kidneys explode on that 4 hour bus ride. Trust me.

11. Spanish buses are the worst! Be prepared!

Our spanish bus was literally moving at 30 mph, making our supposed "3 hour trip" turn into approx 6 hours. Don't be the group that stupidly decides to start drinking right away because 1) you have a long night ahead of you and 2) again, what will you do when you have to pee? IT'S ALL ABOUT PLANNING AROUND PEEING CONSTRAINTS.
Your spanish bus will also likely start playing really horrible 80s spanish music at full blast on your ride home, at 6:45 am, when your poor exhausted body just wants to sleep. You'll sleep through it, but you will probably be really annoyed and wake up with the worst songs ever stuck in your head.

12. People are going to yell at you if you're Asian

If Lyna and I had a dollar for every time we heard "CHINITAAAAAAAA," I wouldn't be paying tuition anymore. Lyna and I worked with it though and just laughed back, YEAAAA, CHINITTAAAAA. WANT A PICTURE WITH THE CHINITAAAAS? Honestly, people weren't trying to be offensive and everyone was drunk. Whatever. We made it work.

13. Don't fixate on a big group

Even though we  came in a big group, we got separated almost instantly. Me and Lyna decided to utilize the buddy system approach going in, because we expected this to happen. We just made sure that at the very least we were always together in order to maximize safety and fun. Us Chinitas had a fcking good time together though before we somehow reunited with people.

14. You find people when you don't try

This is a rule of thumb for almost everything in Europe, but it proved especially true last night. Don't try to find or reunite with your group, it honestly won't work so don't waste your phone minutes. If you keep walking around with your buddy, eventually you will miraculously run into people you know. I don't really understand why this is so, but it is.

15. Let Go and Have Fun

Honestly, being stuck in a freezing city without any means of going home is daunting. I've definitely never partied that long (nor been around that much piss...) in my entire life. But I definitely made it work and had an absolute blast. Keep an open mind too. Take pictures with people. Talk to people and let them talk to you. Take shots with strangers. Y.O.C.O: You Only Carnival Once. And towards the end, when everyone is starting to feel really cold and tired and just wants to go home and sleep, it is important to keep your spirits up. It's all part of this unique experience not many people get to have.

16. Have Fun but don't go too hard

You don't want to be that person throwing up or feeling nauseous on the bus. Nor do you want to be that person getting sick on the piss infested streets. Not that I was this person, but just saying. And actually, despite the crazy party that Cadiz is, I didn't see much of this kind of behavior while I was walking around. Europeans know how to party just the right amount, case #195 of things Europeans do better than us.