Tag Archives: cultural understading

Current mood: in love

“Sono andata da Firenze a Ginevra e ritorno!”

Just got back from a calm and relaxing weekend in Geneva, Switzerland (“Ginevra, Svizzera” … Can you guess the title?!) where I visited my Aunt and Uncle for the weekend. (Or, I suppose, grand-aunt and grand-uncle would be more like it!) I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Geneva and their home, flying over the Swiss Alps on the plane ride there, and then again gaping at the view of the Alps through their kitchen window! Unbelievable.

We also saw some beautiful neo-impressionist art by a Swiss painter named Signac, enjoyed Swiss fondu and delicious chocolate (“il cioccolato”), took those naps, and indulged in life convos over coffee, croissants, and oj at the breakfast table! This was definitely my favorite weekend by far!!! I also heard tons of French (“Francese”) and learned a little bit as well, but just enough to get me through the airport and back to Florence!

“Oggi a Firenze”

“Today in Florence” for my Italian class, our teacher met us at the Piazza della Reppublica to practice our speaking and listening skills. We introduced ourselves to random Italian people, and we asked them if we could interview them for our class! All in Italian! It was so much fun! The people we spoke to were all very gracious in helping us do our assignment. Today was also an incredibly warm and sunny day (“oggi”), which has been quite a change from the past few. It was so warm, I was even able to hang out on the front steps of la Basilica di Santa Croce. Church (“chiesa”) steps seem to be a common place for Italians to hangout.

Current mood: in love

I feel like all the beauty in the whole world is just being revealed to me, and I’m just standing here speechless receiving it all in my heart, feeling tons of emotions, and loving everything. I’m so little (almost too little to handle it), but so in love, and I can’t imagine ever going home! (“Ti amo Firenze!”)

At this stage in my study abroad experience, I think the song “I See The Light” from Tangled sums it up perfectly…

Chorus
"All those days watching from the windows
 All those years outside looking in
 All that time never even knowing
 Just how blind I've been
 Now I'm here blinking in the starlight
 Now I'm here suddenly I see
 Standing here it's all so clear
 I'm where I'm meant to be..."

And, the people I’m meeting? Incredible. A good friend (“la mia amica”) of mine named Annie told me today, “It’s never too late to have a childhood. It’s never too late to be who you are, and it’s never too late to add to yourself.” She’s had some inspiring life experiences working with kids at her day camps. She’s like the kind of girl you’d read in a storybook! Like, Merida from “Brave” or Rapunzel from “Tangled.” She’s a brave, brave girl with a kind heart and a wicked sense of humor! She also has a horse named Annie too, but purely by coincidence!

I met a girl named Rena, who’s like a sister (“sorella”) to me! We are so similar! And, Cici, and Megan, and Brian, and Heather, and Nick! Such adventurous and endearingly optimistic people. And Sara, my beautiful friend from Florence, and David and Andrea, who work at the cafe next door to school (“scuola”) and put up with me trying to learn Italian!! What a dream this is! It must be!

Finding my bearings!

So far, I’ve been here for 23 days, and I’ve experienced quite a whirlwind of events.

Italian Notes | Photo credit: Rena Kassak

Since I’ve last written, I’ve gotten into the thick of my classes and have fallen in love with the staff of ISI Florence. Professors here are a bit more laid-back than in the States. Our Italian Language teacher ensured us that we’re on the same level, and he made sure that we know we can go to him for help with anything at all during the semester! From my past experiences with college, which I carry solely from the U.S., this hasn’t always been the case. His heart is focused on helping us learn, and the same goes for my photography professor. Put simply, ISI Florence is taking absolute wonderful care of us!

Learning the language

I’m in love with the language here. It’s so beautiful. Today we engaged in conversations with four Italian speaking 20-somethings who visited our class; it was kind of like speed-dating! I speak “un po” (only a little!) Italiano, and they could speak a little bit of English. It was neat to see how well we could communicate.

View of Florence from the top of the Duomo!

Also, last week, I met up with a Florentine girl named Sara. We met through a language exchange website. She loves traveling and learning languages, and she studies English, French, Spanish, and Chinese. It was so lovely to meet her and to learn about Italy from her perspective! I very much enjoyed our conversation, which was mostly in English seeing as she speaks English better than I can speak Italian. And, not to mention, I am still a bit shy! (“Sono un po timida”)

Il Duomo di Santa Maria del Fiore - View from Piazzale Michelangelo

A view of the Duomo from Piazzale Michelangelo – In the last photo, I was looking out from the tippy top of this one.

We talked about the differences between Italian boys and American boys, indulged each other with stories of our past relationships, and bonded over a love of purity. She also taught me some slang words in Italian, like “figo,” which means beautiful but is used how we would use the word cool, and also its synonym: “ganzo,” which is only characteristic of Florence.

Wine tasting in Chianti

On a school trip to Chianti, we met Gino, a family-oriented man, who showed us the “sweetness” of life. The Italians’ mentality is much different than what’s common back home.

A view of Chianti from Gino’s vineyard

“There’s no food without wine and no wine without food,” he said. Gino also emphasized the joys of taking things slow and really enjoying everything with all of our senses as not to get drunk but to enjoy the wine. “Wine is everything,” he said, it’s even where you are and the people you are with; “wine is life.” He advised us to drink good wine with good friends, and warned us to never drink alone. He also taught us that just because a wine is expensive, that doesn’t mean it’s a good wine! It could just mean that it comes from a very small vineyard. The only way you can tell if a wine is good is “with your eyes, your nose, and your mouth.”

Adventures in Siena

Last Saturday, I visited Siena! Signing up for the trip by myself, I wasn’t sure I’d know anyone there, however, a stellar group of kids, Heather, Brian, and Nick (Nick, who is actually in my buon fresco class) were there!

I had an amazing time spending the day with them enjoying the city view from atop the Cattedrale di Siena, stopping for gnocchi and “picci,” a thick pasta prized by Siena, and visiting the Church of Saint Dominic where we found the relic of Saint Catherine of Siena. It was so awesome to learn about her life right in her home city! Apparently people were drawn to her, and it’s no wonder since she was so drawn to Christ! Later that day, we ventured over to San Gimignano, a small medieval town with an incredible view that I could have easily mistaken as a painting had we been inside!

V for Venezia!

Then, of course, there’s the gorgeous city of Venice! With its waterways instead of streets and boats instead of cars, Venice is one of the most quirky places I’ve visited. We were able to catch the parade where the floats were literally floating (boats, of course!) And, we enjoyed what the Venetians call the Carnevale.

People wear all kinds of fun masks during the carnival!

Venice is quite touristy, and I’d suggest going later on in the week to witness the carnival in full effect. We were unaware of this, and we actually made plans with a tour group in advance. The skies turned out to be overcast, and it was only the first day of the carnival–much too soon for the fun to pick up!

Although I met some great people on the bus, I ended up spending most of the day by myself. But, on the bright side, I got to check out the Chiesa di Santa Lucia, a church by the grand canal, where I saw the relic of Saint Lucy’s incorruptible head and visited the Blessed Sacrament of our Lord in a side chapel.

I actually didn’t get to go to mass on this day (Sunday), which was pretty upsetting to me. It was mainly poor planning. I’m still figuring out how to adapt to this life on the road because, at least at this point in my life, it’s so easy for me to get distracted. But, truly God is the most beautiful!

The not-so-wonderful truth

Although the travel life can seem romantic and glamorous from stories and photographs, I’ve been here for less than a month and as you can tell, I’ve already experienced a few bumps along the road.

Crepe and waffle alla nutella date in between classes! I don’t know how we made it through Italian class after this! Photo credit: Rena Kassak

Pro tip: If you ever go to Italy please, please drink tons of water, and be weary of your dairy intake! I absolutely love picking up new foods from the market, especially cheese because it’s fresh, inexpensive, and we’re in Italy! So, why not try them all? (“perchè no?”) Well, just recently, I learned the hard way… that too much cheese and other dairy foods, like gelato, can actually cause constipation. (“Come sei dice embarrassing?”) Fortunately, a call home to mom, some prune juice, and laxatives really did the trick! Thank God!! I had no idea how painful that could be!
Next? Well, I lost my cell phone one evening when taking out the trash. I would have gone diving in after it!!! But, the trash disappeared into the ground. They have some clever dumpsters here, and I didn’t even feel my phone slip out the moment it happened…
Is this not the most beautiful motor vehicle you’ve ever seen?! Spotted near Firenze S.M.N. train station.

Since the garbage company was already closed for the night, we had to wait to call in the morning. At this point, it was already compacted into a teeny tiny cube. I was able to communicate with my family and friends online, and my parents had mercy on me. Fortunately, I was able to replace the phone, and everything is semi-back-to-normal, if you can even call it that.

Despite the appealing aspects of travel, it definitely has its fair share of adjustments, ups, and downs (and there are even more if you’re clumsy!), but every single one of these has come and gone, and it continues to amaze me that I am actually here… Praise you, Jesus! And, thank you, Mom and Dad!

Next stop… Roma!

Bariloche: the Swiss Argentina and so much more!

Class Field Trip!

This trip was probably the closest I have ever gotten to having an out of this world Magic School Bus trip. I had an amazing time traveling to Bariloche on our field trip. Bariloche was so beautiful: mountains, lakes, trees changing colors, while roses crept up the side of our cabin. We stayed right on the edge of the lake, Nahuel Huapi, the namesake of the national park that surrounds Bariloche.

Bariloche´s location in relation to Buenos Aires

The cabins where we stayed by Lake Nahuel Huapi

The town of Bariloche was so quaint: wooden edifices with cobblestone streets that wound around the lake. We had free time to wander through the small town filled with chocolate shops. I enjoyed taking in the crisp, fresh air, as well as the changing colors of fall that have only just started to arrive in Buenos Aires.

We were able to take a few hikes while we were there, and I am afraid to say that my legs have completely forgotten what hills feel like in the flat pampean landscape of Buenos Aires. Indeed, that will be a rude awakening when I return to State College. Neverthless, it was great to spend sometime in the National Park and learn more about the ecology of Patagonia. There is not a huge amount of biodiversity, but a lot of species found there are completely unique to that area. So I saw a lot of interesting trees and plants that our guide, an ecologist, pointed out to us.

These types of trees only grow in Patagonia.

Learning first-hand

I am so glad I was able to take this trip with my class. Of course the touristy spots of Bariloche were spectacular, but with my class, we saw other parts of Bariloche outside of its tourism that I would never have seen on my own. For example, one day we went to a Mapuche community, an indigenous population of Argentina, and they prepared us a typical Mapuche meal. They prepared curanto. To prepare the meal they create a fire over rocks outside, and once the rocks are heated, they remove the firewood. They then lay fabric down over the hot rocks and put all of the food- chicken, beef, lamb, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and apples- and cover the food with leaves from trees typical of the region. After folding the fabric over top of the leaves, they shovel earth on top of the mound to seal it off and allow everything to cook.

As they prepared our meal, we listened to a lawyer´s lecture about indigenous rights in Argentina and heard community members´perspectives on securing these rights. The community we visited is one of the few that have obtained the right to their traditional territory, although the government has created laws to allow this reclamation to happen for all native communities. Once the food was ready, they called us outside for the process of disinterring our meal. Steam rose from the earth, and we could smell the distinct combination of earth, the leaves, and our food.

Cuarnto; a typical mapuche meal prepared on hot rocks beneath the earth.

The food was amazing, and the experience entirely unique. With everything I have learned through my anthropology class about Patagonia in mind, I was able to interact and share a first hand experience with this Mapuche community.

With my class, we also had the opportunity to see art that is prohibited from being shown in the museum. Why? Because the art was painted by a Nazi-refugee, Toon Maes, in Bariloche. The town was actually a refuge for many Nazi leaders, where they lived quietly and solitarily until they died. Once the artist’s past was discovered, human rights activists protested for his art to be taken out of exhibitions. So when we went to see the art, the paintings were just leaned up against a wall. Normally they are kept in an office, hidden from the public. Our teachers spoke to us in English about the paintings instead of Spanish, because the person who maintains the collection was once a student of the Nazi artist. She really cared for him, so they didn’t want to disrespect her by denouncing these paintings as art created by a Nazi.

Art by Toon Maes, a Nazi leader who found refuge in Bariloche, Argentina

We also visited a school in El Barrio Alto of Bariloche, a poorer neighborhood outside of the touristy center of the town. Our bus drove through dirt roads, with precarious homes on either side of the road. We arrived at the school, filled with happy children and surrounded my colorful murals on every walls. We brought with us musical instruments to donate to their school band and posters of pictures of our homes in the US. My group had a picture of mac and cheese on our poster, and the kids excitedly asked, “What’s that, what’s that?” They loved asking us questions about football and wanted to know what our school´s mascots were. The town´s newspaper was actually there and wrote an article about how we donated instruments to the school.

http://www.elcordillerano.com.ar/index.php/actualidad/item/26001-universitarios-estadounidenses-donaron-instrumentos-musicales-a-la-escuela-cailen

These excursions were very special and made my experience in this beautiful town all the more incredible. So, I was disappointed to leave this peaceful place but was happy to come home to my homestay family. They waited for me to arrive before they sat down to eat and were so excited to hear all about my trip.

My Kind of Town

Descanso

Last week I had a break after completing our midterms. It felt like a spring break because in my mind I’m in the mode of spring. But in Buenos Aires in May, the winds are picking up leaves, rains have come, and autumn is bringing colder air. On Facebook, I see tulips blooming at Penn State and my friends finishing up their finals, while I just completed midterms! I still do not know when my local university course’s final exam will be; they say sometime in the first half of July.

Nevertheless, I cannot believe I am already halfway through my semester abroad! I am so happy I choose to come to South America, although adjusting to the opposite of seasons still confuses me and I will return to the US in late summer. Studying in Buenos Aires, I have been able to really get to know one city, one culture. I feel that even after being in this city for five months, there will be things I still wish to see. Every week, there is something new that I plan to visit or do: whether it be another fair of artisans, a bar popular with the locals, or a tango show.

Because it is impossible to exhaust the long list of things to do in BA, I love staying here every weekend and am excited to return when I do travel elsewhere in the country. So when my mom decided to visit me over my break, I had a huge list of things to show her in this city. For the week we were here, we went all over the city. No one in her hotel spoke English, and most restaurants don’t speak English. Some offer menus in English with funny translations. For example, once I saw a menu that translated jamón (ham) as jam. For me, I know Spanish speakers pronounce the letter j like the letter h in English, so jam sounds like ham. But to an English speaker, like my mom, jam is something very different from ham. So in this context, I was able to show my mom the fruits of all my years studying Spanish.

My mom and I at a restaurant.

Traveling around the city, my mom experienced the adventure of the colectivo, the bus here in BA. We successfully hailed buses from unmarked bus stops and arrived safely at our destinations. We went to a lot of museums: the MALBA, Bellas Artes, Museo Bicentenario, Museo Etnológico, and Evita. Many museums do not have English translations, and I was able to translate the descriptions and add what I had learned from my history class about particular periods in Argentine history.

Visit to Juan B. Ambrosetti Museo Etnológico

A work by Eugenio Cuttica, an Argentine artist in Museo Bellas Artes.

We had a wonderful time. My mom saw my home stay and my favorite tea shop, and we ate Argentine food, like a fugazzeta (a thick crust pizza with cheese and onions), and drank Malbec wine. My host family here also went out to dinner with my mom, my house mate, my house mate’s family, and myself. Although the language barrier sometimes seemed overwhelming, it was very special to share a delicious meal together and enjoy everyone’s company.

I loved sharing this wonderful city with my mother. The more time I spend here, the more grateful I am that I made the decision to study here in this city, in South America. I always thought I would study abroad in Spain, but as advisers talked to me about choosing a place, the more I became disenchanted with going there. Through this experience, I really wanted to become familiar with a particular culture and immerse myself in Spanish. Buenos Aires has been the perfect place to accomplish both of these goals. I still want to go to Spain in the future but am so happy that I chose to study abroad in Argentina.

Exploring new cities

This weekend, I am going to Bariloche with one of my classes. It is an anthropology course about Patagonia. So we have learned about the first conquerors and explorers’ perspectives of Patagonia, Argentine explorers and scientists’ ideas about the region, along with current perceptions of Patagonia, indigenous peoples and their cultures. Through this trip, we get to travel there and see what we have learned firsthand. In Bariloche, we will see the touristy parts like Nahuel Huapi National Park, as well as the more subtle political and social issues within the city. For example, we will travel to a poorer neighborhood of the city and visit a school in this neighborhood.

At the end of the month, I am traveling to the northwest of Argentina to Salta. I am excited for this trip because this region, unlike the rest of Argentina, was once ruled by the Incans and still retains these Incan cultural influences. But even on this trip, I will continue to practice my Spanish and have the opportunity to get to know another part of Argentine culture.

Location: Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina

So, are you fluent yet?

An Interminable Progress

One of my pet peeves is when I talk to my friends at home and they ask me, “So are you fluent yet?” Considering I came to Argentina to improve my Spanish and practice it living day to day in a foreign country, this is a valid question. After being here for about two months, my Spanish vocabulary and my ability to speak has improved immensely. However, it is very hard to say yes, I am fluent in a second language. I am still learning constantly, so I would say that I am certainly proficient in Spanish. But saying I am fluent makes me feel that I am done learning Spanish, that I am satisfied with my ability to communicate in a second language. I always try to improve my accent, but I am resigned that this is very hard to do. Even people whose first language is not English who have lived in the US for decades often still have accents. Even with this being said, I do not think I will ever be satisfied with my fluency in Spanish. Even in English, I love reading and learning new words to enrich my vocabulary. Of course, I would say I am fluent in English. But the never ending process of learning a second language – learning new vocabulary, learning the context of when words and expressions are used- makes it harder for me to say yes, I am fluent in Spanish.

I need something that glues things together a.k.a glue

For example, the other day I needed glue or tape to finish a poster project about fracking in Argentina for my Spanish class. As I was walking to the store to buy glue, I realized I couldn’t remember the word for glue in Spanish. This presented a problem because in the school supplies stores here, the worker asks what you need and they get it for you. I couldn’t just look around for glue and pay without speaking. However, I remembered the verb to glue. So I asked the worker in the store for something that I could use to glue paper to a poster. She understood and asked if I wanted liquid form or the stick. Of course, this was not the most concise way for me to buy glue, but I got what I needed and finished my project. But now, I now the word for glue and won’t forget it anytime soon. This kind of learning is a daily occurrence.

Living in a foreign country that speaks your second language is the most incredible learning experience. All of my courses here are in Spanish. Whether I’m in my Argentine poetry class or my Patagonia anthropology class, I’m constantly learning new words. When I take the bus through the city, advertisements and store signs flash by me, teaching me new words and expressions. When summer was ending here, every store had signs of “rebajas, rebajas!”, “sale, sale!”. I learn new social and political terms when I pass by signs campaigning for candidates. In the Plaza de Mayo, there are always political demonstrations or political graffiti and posters across from the Casa Rosada, the equivalent of the White House.

The poster hung in the Plaza de Mayo says Truth…? Memory…? Justice…? Inclusion…?: Lies from those governing!
We want to believe in their commitment to memory, justice, and truth.

Sail or candle?

Although I read La Canción de la Pirata (The Song of the Pirate) in my Spanish literature class, I have never had a sailing unit in any Spanish class at Penn State. When I first told my host family I was going sailing, I remembered the word for sail, but my host family didn’t understand me at first. I second-guessed my memory of the word for sail because it also means candle. But after going sailing, I have a concrete experience of sailing, had conversations with our Spanish speaking captain, and learned lots of new words related to sailing and the river: words like sailing, stern, and words for different types of sailboats.

Sailing with my friends on the Río de la Plata

Oh, I can read a menu in Spanish… I think

We also had alfajores on our sailing trip. Alfajores are two cookies that have dulce de leche in between them, and the whole thing is dipped in chocolate. A lot of Argentine dishes, like in any language, have their own specific name. So, it has surprised me how difficult reading menus or reading labels in the market has been. For example, lomo is a word I commonly see on signs near large cuts of meat at delis. I am normally a vegetarian at home, so not knowing what type of meat my sandwich has freaks me out. I think, “Oh, is lomo rabbit? Deer? What could this possibly be?” Turns out lomo is just a cut of meat. Argentines are very serious about meat, so normally signs and menus always include the cut of meat, no matter whether it is a to-go sandwich shop or a nice French restaurant. I also saw a quiche that was labelled “puerro” in the market. This also freaked me out because puerro sounds very similar to perro, meaning dog. However, I found out puerro means leek, so I didn’t need to worry that the market offered dog quiche.

My favorite bakery: In the name of dessert!

An alfajor

I have even learned a lot of words for vegetables, fruits and herbs here: eggplant, basil, arugula, parsley, grapefruit. When I go to my favorite bakery, En el Nombre de Postre, I learn new words for spices like cinnamon or the phrase for whole-grain bread.

Another language challenge is the ice cream parlor. You would think this would be simple, but if a foreigner came to an ice cream store in the US, there are plenty of names that don’t really describe what the ice cream actually is. For example, what the hell does moose tracks actually mean? There are many ice creams like this in Spanish too. I have been intrigued by one flavor named Roger. Sometimes I feel silly asking what an ice cream is like, so I remind myself that there are a lot of nonsensical names for ice creams in English too. I ask my friend who owns the store what the mysterious Roger ice cream is like, and he says that it is like the candy Ferrero-Rocher. So I tried it, and it was amazing!

So, all in all, I work on my Spanish constantly outside of the classroom. A lot of it depends on my own effort to learn. I can either point and gawk, or I can exercise my ability to ask Argentines what something means or get my point across without knowing the exact word that I want to use. So sometimes, it seems so much easier to point instead of say, “what is this like?”, “what is this made out of?”. So even though sometimes I feel like a complete idiot asking silly questions, I am an idiot that is learning new things every single day in the city, unlike any experience in a contained classroom at Penn State.

Location: Paraná 1205 Buenos Aires, Argentina

Welp, it’s packing time again

Time to pack up and head on home… to the US that is. I never thought I would feel the need to clarify the US as my home after only six weeks here in Mexico. However, I truly feel that tomorrow, as I board the airplane back to Philly, I will be leaving my newfound home here in Puebla. Although I am leaving today, I would still like to include one or two additional entries summarizing a few of the fun things we did while here… they deserve attention!

However, right now, I want to say how much I will miss my life here in Puebla. I saw Teotihaucan, the largest pyramid in the Western hemisphere, watched La Lucha Libre (Yup! It’s real!), and experience the nightlife of Cholula with fellow college students both from Penn State, and Mexico. I hiked a mountain and swam under a waterfall, played soccer with school kids, and truly experienced the world cup. I learned how to salsa, how to take the bus (and how not to fall off the bus!), and how to bargain. I learned that forgetting to say goodbye can really offend a person here, but also that trying your best to communicate is 100x better than not speaking at all.

I learned that Mexicans are amazingly expressive, interesting, and compassionate people. I feel that I will always be welcome here in Puebla, and I never would have wanted to study abroad anywhere else. I will be leaving my house here tomorrow at 9:00am, and it still has not registered for me that this experience is just about over. I feel that it has motivated me to study the Spanish language more in appreciation of the value of communication, and also, to come back and visit again! I would love to visit my host family again, as well as some of the places I may not have had time to see.

This was quite the sappy love story. But what can I say? Puebla was awesome! I will certainly miss it until I return again.

Location: Puebla, Mexico

Taxi Adventures

The title says it all 🙂 I am here in Puebla with a group of 8 other students, and for four weeks we had nothing but great luck with taxis. I mean, the occasional driver would shun us and drive away if we tried to bargain too low, but that was the extent of any misfortune. The day we visited Cholula though, the taxi Gods were not on our side.

The ride there was proceeding normally- we flagged the one of three taxi drivers waiting next to the curb, asked him the price, hopped in, and went on our way… until we hit standstill traffic. I was sitting in the front seat admiring the highway view when I noticed a rapid change in the driver’s facial expression from content to extremely distraught. He quickly looked over his shoulder and in the rearview mirror, then down at his wallet. He clicked the door open, and marched outside, swiftly and definitively, waving his arms as if he had just won the lottery, but with furrowed eyebrows that said something much different. We had been hit on the bumper by the car behind us, and the taxi driver was not happy. After three minutes of lecture, he returned to the car and inadvertently taught us some not-so-nice Spanish words (never to be said of course, only understood). The driver’s anger fizzled as we began moving again and we all burst out in laughter. We laughed and joked about the incident the rest of the ride. I’m sure the taxi driver appreciated that dent like he would the flu, but hey, at least it was a conversation starter! 🙂

Cholula was fun! We climbed the famous Great Pyramid, and saw the view from the top where a Church was built a hundred years ago. It was truly magnificent (Mexico is full of amazing views!!) Afterwards, we broke off into smaller groups to sight-see and buy refreshments. Another friend and I went to buy ice cream, and as we were talking, the nightly rain began to fall.

We decided to leave at around 8:30. After a 7 minute long search for a taxi in soggy sweatshirts and jeans, we finally spotted one. Again, we asked the price, hopped in, and went on our way. We told him we needed to go to “9B Sur, 43 Poniente in Puebla,” which he seemed fine with. He called his guide person (which many taxistas do) to ask for directions. My friend and I were chatting away, when we started to notice the time was going by a little too slowly. Looking around, the neon lights of the surrounding night clubs were anything but familiar. I reminded the driver, “Puebla, Se�or” and he replied that we were almost at 9 Sur. My friend and I exchanged knowing looks- we were lost. We told him we needed to go to Puebla and he repeated what he said, we were almost at 9 Sur… 9 Sur in ANOTHER town! We attempted to tell him that this was not the correct route, but he remained confused. Four weeks in Mexico still did not provide us with quite enough vocabulary to communicate our needs clearly. However, after about twenty minutes, our broken Spanish somehow got us to Angelopolis, the mall nearby to our neighborhood. The landmark was a relief and we told him we were close! (emphasis on the exclamation point). As we neared the correct street, our relief turned to shock as he drove straight past it. It took fifteen more minutes for us to process this incorrect direction (we were in shock for a bit), tell him we needed to turn around, and for us to actually arrive at our destination. Neither of us felt unsafe during that ride, but the experience was definitely an eye-opener!

Moral of the story: Taxi rides are good for learning both the map, and the language. Taxi problems, although take some extra time, enhance learning even more. Be open-minded to learning everything you can in your new country, and there will never be “problems,” only experiences and stories to tell!

Location: Puebla, Mexico

A Little Bit of Mexico City

For future reference, four days in Mexico City is enough time to see seven museums, an entire city of Aztec ruins, try about 9 different restaraunts, and buy as many souveneirs as your budget allows, but is still only enough time to merely scratch the surface of the city. I’m proud to say that our group proved this last weekend, but also glad to have many reasons to return.

The first stop was Teotihuac�n, the ancient Aztec ruins that contain the largest pyramid in the western hemisphere, the Pyramid of the Sun. This was the kind of thing you see in post cards, or read a blurb about in seventh grade Spanish class, or even discover details about in Latin American history class. You marvel at its wonder, but never imagine actual escalating its rocky side.

This trip granted me the opportunity to climb this great structure to the top and witness its magnificent view. The Aztecs did not build this city, but found it abandoned and named the structures independently. I can only imagine how the Aztec people felt when they came upon this structure and climbed its heights. The experience in its entirety is truly mesmorizing.

We also visited Frida Khalo’s house, La Casa Azul. Frida’s infamous unibrow is the first thing that pops into most people’s heads when they hear her unique name. However, I recommend watching the movie, “Frida” for anyone looking to learn a little more about her. This dramatic film featuring Salma Hyek as Frida, presents the artist’s life story through her eyes, breaking through the front of her solemn work. Her life was a roller coaster, but her personality and artistic view makes her a true inspiration.

The walls of her house were dotted with hundreds of works of her and Diego’s art. The house was beautiful, the perfect place for painting. It also presented Frida and Diego’s relationship in a way that emphasized not necessarily a mushy-gushy love, but more of an eternal care that each passionately possessed for one another. These artists are worth learning about, even if only for an interesting surprise.

This is a long entry, and trust me, I could write tons more about this trip! I will spare you the details however but inform you that El Museo Nacional de Antropolog�a is absolutely incredible, and requires about a full day, maybe two, to wholly appreciate its depth of information about Mexican Civilization history (which is very interesting). La Palacio Nacional features Diego’s last murals on its walls, which shows the history of Mexico in picture form if that’s more your style. Lastly, the “Basillica of our Lady Guadalupe” not only displays the religiosity of the nation, but also the city’s swampy foundation! (see photo)

Just a little taste of what Mexico City has to offer. The history of the city makes it especially unique, so in order to fully feel its charm, these types of attractions are definitely worth visiting!

Location: Prados Agua Azul, Puebla, Mexico

Barcelona > Praha > Budapest > Roma

Bonjour tout le monde!

Sorry for such a huge gap in between posts (there was no room for my laptop on this trip)! It is safe to say that our Winter Break was a huge success! Barcelona, Prague, Budapest, and Rome! I might have aged about 10 years during the span of three weeks but it was well worth it. I got to see SO many things in such a short span of time. I am so lucky and blessed (and happy to make it back in one piece). Three weeks worth of fun is a lot for one blog post so I will give you the condensed version (without leaving out the good parts). For some reason I am having trouble uploading pictures, so once I fix that I will be able to show you everything I did!

Chapter One: Barcelona, Spain

I would compare the city of Barcelona to that of a black hole. It sucks you in and once you’re there it is impossible to get out. We started the first leg of our journey traveling by car to Barcelona. We found a carpooling website where people post what days they will be driving to and from certain cities. My roommate Greta and I signed up to ride with a young couple from Montpellier directly to Barcelona. It was only a three-hour ride and only cost us 20 euros! We were a little worried about this concept, but we got there safe and sound and would definitely recommend this type of transportation if you are looking to safe a little bit of money. The weather in Barcelona was so beautiful when we arrived and I could not wait to get out and see the city. Our friends took us to Bo De B’s, a super famous sandwich shop in the Gothic area of town. The restaurant was super tiny, only seating about 15 people but there was still a line wrapped around the block. I was instructed to get the chicken sandwich with everything on it (except for the spicy sauce). It was delicious but the greatest part about it (and the reason this place is so famous) is that it only costs 3 euros! During the weekend we were in Barcelona, and the main reason for our trip there, was for Abroadfest. Abroadfest is three nights of concerts at different clubs in Barcelona. It is a chance for all American students who are studying abroad to get together in one place and have one hell of a time. During the course of our stay in Barcelona I got to see all my friends from school who I haven’t seen in months. Some highlights of the weekend were watching the sun rise on the beach, getting the best pancakes from Milk, seeing Cedric Gervais play his remix of Adore You by Miley Cyrus(my fave), and getting kicked out of our hostel (not fun). Since no one in Barcelona goes to bed before 6 am or wakes up before 3 pm, it was hard to do the touristy sight seeing things. My roommate and I did get to see the famous Sagrada Familia Basilica though. It was absolutely beautiful! Sunday morning we got a cab home from the club, packed our things and were headed straight to the airport for our 8 am flight to Prague. Don’t worry, Greta and I got to nap in the terminal during our 5-hour layover in Brussels. After an exhausting day of traveling and barely any sleep, we arrived at our hostel in Prague at 8 pm and went directly to bed. But not before buying Chinese food for $3! I knew Prague was going to be a wonderful place.

Chapter 2: Prague, Czech Republic

Greta and I were relieved to have chosen a nice hostel compared to our experience in Barcelona…

This one provided us with a HUGE free breakfast every morning (music to our ears). When we left the hostel on Monday morning, and saw Prague for the first time during the day light I was a little shocked. It was definitely different from any other European city I had been to. Being a post-communist city, everything from the buildings, to the clothing and the people were just slightly off. The currency was the hardest thing for me to get used to. 1 Czech Koruna = $0.05 USD. So the first time I ordered a beer and saw the price was 300 Koruna, I was a little baffled. I was even more surprised when I calculated that to be only $1.50 USD! Just like in Barcelona, so many of our friends from school were in Prague visiting because it was Penn State’s spring break. It was nice to travel in a big group and actually do some sight seeing (opposed to Barcelona). We went on some very informative historic tours of the city, got to visit the beautiful old castle, and of course enjoy the authentic Czech cuisine.

Fun Fact: The Rolling Stone’s paid for the lights to be installed around the castle because they wanted it to be seen from the city at night. Sick.

There was surprisingly a huge nightlife in Prague, which I was not expecting. By Wednesday night, we had pretty much seen and experienced everything we wanted to and were ready for our next stop: Budapest.

Chapter Three: Budapest, Hungary

We decided the best way to travel from Prague to Budapest was to take an 8-hour overnight train. This ride ended up being 10 hours long (because of unforeseen train problems) and we arrived in Budapest at 10 am on Thursday morning. Being woken up at every boarder to have your ticket checked on the train isn’t really considered a “good night’s rest” but we were so excited to be in Budapest so we weren’t phased by the little sleep we got on the train. We checked into our hostel and immediately went out to explore. We traveled from the Pest side (where our hostel was) to the Buda side to check out the castle and the amazing view from the top. After stopping for some authentic Hungarian cuisine (sausages and saut�ed vegetables) we went on a tour of the Jewish Quarter. We learned about the Jewish history of Budapest and saw every synagogue in the city. The tour ended at one of the most famous “ruins” bars in the world. Despite looking like a hole in the wall from the outside, this bar was ENORMOUS on the inside. It was kind of like a yard sale meets a tailgate and it was very cool. Budapest was filled with very cool modern bars, which was very surprising to me considering they were just a communist country only 25 years ago. Because Budapest is known for its traditional Turkish baths, this was on the top of my list for things to do during our stay. We went to the Szechenyi Baths, one of the biggest baths in Budapest. There were 21 different pools that are open all year long. It was a little nippy the day we went but even the outside pools were nice and warm. Although the majority of the crowds at the bathhouse were old men in speedos, it was an experience of a lifetime and definitely something you should try if you ever make it to Hungary! Budapest was definitely my favorite city on the trip. That was until I tried the spaghetti in Rome…

Chapter Four: Rome, Italy

By the time we arrived in Rome, we were completely exhausted (mentally, physical, emotionally) from traveling around Europe for the past week and a half. It was becoming routine to being dropped in a new country I had never been in and figuring it out. Figuring out public transit, which restaurants to go to, landmarks to see (all while trying to be conscious of spending) is something I was getting quite accustomed to. So by the time we got to Rome we were pros at figuring out the lay of land, which was perfect because Rome has SO MUCH to see and do. I immediately fell in love with the language. It seemed like everyone in Rome was so happy, outgoing and excited. Everyone was very helpful and willing to speak English, which is always a plus. We got to see all of the main attractions: The Vatican, The Spanish Steps, The Trevi Fountain, The Colloseum, and of course indulge in the AMAZING cuisine.

Note: Gelato every day is a must!

Sadly, I don’t think I will ever be able to eat spaghetti again unless it is in Italy (I don’t know if this is good or bad…). The only down side of Rome was the annoying men at every tourist attraction trying to sell you crap. They run right up into your face and try to put things in your hand. After four days of being harassed by them I was ready to leave. Except for that one little downside, Rome is the most beautiful and interesting city I had ever been to. I would recommend anyone to go there and would really like to make it back some time in my life. Although I saw so many things in my short stay, there is still so much of that huge city to discover.

Montpellier felt like a completely different place when we returned. The weather was warmer and there were many more people on the streets. I was so excited to take a nice hot shower and be back in my own bed. I slept for about 14 hours the night I got home (much needed) and woke up feeling so refreshed. The last three weeks were some of the most amazing weeks of my life. I got to see and do more things than many people do in a lifetime! It really reminded me how lucky I am to be here and experience so much culture.

� bient�t!

Location: Montpellier, France

2 weeks left in Paris…

So, this is our last week before finals and it is a busy one. Last weekend, I went to Montmartre because I wanted one of the artists to draw a picture of my daughter as a Christmas present for her. Unfortunately, I chose the wrong artist because it was horrible! It didn’t even look like her! So, I will try again this weekend. There was a really nice woman there whose drawings were fantastic and I showed her the picture I wanted drawn and she assured me it would be no problem, so wish me luck. I just wish she had been there earlier, but oh well, lesson learned, right?

My friend, Melanie and I really wanted to visit Notre Dame again, so we squeezed it in right after class. I absolutely love this church; the architecture, sculptures, history, symbolism, etc… This guy is one of many chimera along the top levels of the church and he is probably one of the most famous due to his expression as he looks out over the city.

Wait! Who is that checking out the view from high atop Notre Dame? It’s Steel Troll and Steel Ducky! Yes, they wanted to make one more appearance before we departed this beautiful city. The winds were kicking up quite a bit that day, so Steel Troll had a bit of trouble staying on his feet (either that or he had one too many at happy hour the evening before), but he managed it just long enough for this picture.

Inside Notre Dame, there is a tresory, which holds many treasured items of the history of France. There is a box said to hold the crown of thorns of Jesus, as well as a piece of the wooden cross from his crucifixion, however you really can’t see those items, just the boxes they are said to be in. Below are some items donated by several Popes from their visits to Notre Dame.

This is the awesome view from the top of the bell tower of Notre Dame. All of the views are amazing and you want to spend all day up there. Usually, the doors to the bell tower are open, but since the bells were ringing while we were up there, they were closed. Bummer, because the main bell is huge! It is actually housed inside a wooden support casing that is inside the tower itself, but the wooden support does not touch the tower. That structure was conceived and built by Violet-le-Duc (just a little something I learned in my history class).

This is one of only three city gates still standing today. In the 1700s, Nicolas Ledoux, an architect, was charged with building over a dozen city gates that everyone leaving and entering the city had to pass through. These gates were put in place to collect taxes on everything from cheese and wine to cattle and any other goods to be sold. Every gate had its own design, but when Baron de Haussmann restructured the city under the rule of Napoleon III, he demolished all but three.

Hope you all enjoyed my hodge podge of pics this week, I have been running all over Paris trying to fit in everything before I leave. So far, so good.

Mary

Location: Paris, France

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Tag Archives: cultural understading

Current mood: in love

“Sono andata da Firenze a Ginevra e ritorno!”

“Oggi a Firenze”

Current mood: in love

Finding my bearings!

So far, I’ve been here for 23 days, and I’ve experienced quite a whirlwind of events.

Learning the language

Wine tasting in Chianti

Adventures in Siena

V for Venezia!

The not-so-wonderful truth

Next stop… Roma!

Bariloche: the Swiss Argentina and so much more!

Class Field Trip!

Learning first-hand

My Kind of Town

Descanso

Exploring new cities

So, are you fluent yet?

An Interminable Progress

I need something that glues things together a.k.a glue

Sail or candle?

Oh, I can read a menu in Spanish… I think

Welp, it’s packing time again

Taxi Adventures

A Little Bit of Mexico City

Barcelona > Praha > Budapest > Roma

2 weeks left in Paris…