Roomies and Paella

Last night was my first in the new place. I spent most of my time in the living room, where I was reading until Trini came in--we talked for many hours about each other, films, culture, religion, and stereotypes. It's harder for me to understand her more than the others, so I didn't get all of what she was saying. I can't wait to learn more Spanish, because she really has some things to say.

Later, Bea came home, and we talked about stereotypes and food. Bea's explanation of Spanish work culture made me laugh my head off. I wish I had recorded it. (In a nutshell, the Spanish work a lot more hours than the other Europeans because they make a mess of things, and spend so much time trying to fix it, that they end up not progressing). Trini said something about how we eat peanut butter, and I brought out the extra-large Skippy jar that I brought with me. Stereotype: true. Enter: laughter.
We also talked about marshmallows (that don't exist in Spain), and politics. At about midnight, Giacomo and three of his friends came back, and we all drank a chupito of lemon liquor. It's supposed to help you digest your meals.

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Trust me when I say this: at least once in your life, go to a nice place on the Spanish coast, and get paella de marisco. I'm not a big seafood person (which is changing quickly), but I LOVED this. We (Giacomo, and his friends Mateo & Giorgia) went to a place in La Albufera, and spent about 3 hours eating, and talking. Here's how it went:

1: Barón de Turís white wine, water, and bread
2: Salad, some cold fish that tasted like tuna, some other fish that was lightly battered and fried, tasty muscles (which I had never had tasted before), and fried calamari.
3: 2 dishes of paella. Paella Valenciana and paella de marisco (seafood).
4: Lots of jokes about a lady who was yelling to her friends throughout her whole meal, and more wine & water.
5: Postre. Mateo and I had apples because we were too stuffed, but Giorgia and Giacomo had flan. I still don't like flan.

After, we went to a bar to get coffee, and sat out in the sun to keep warm. It was a cold day, and I would love to return when I can wear my jorts and tank-top. While waiting for the bus, we all played on a small playground... probably some of the best fun I've had in a while. You know those animals that you sit on and have a big spring underneath, and you rock back and forth? Yeah. That's the one. I don't know why, but the ones here were so much more fun than any other one I've been on. I think their spring is larger.

I'm off to read some more, and go to bed. I'm not sure what sleep schedule I'm on, or what sleep schedule I should be on. Let's figure this out. Email me if you want to talk about something you read. I don't have many opportunities to engage in deep conversation, and it really is what fills my stomach.

The Place

Tunes: "Promise What you Will" (This song was perfect for some reason)

So, my roommates are Giacomo (the Italian guy), Bea, and Trini (the Spanish girls). I'm really impressed at how they run the place. It's a bit like French house--we have a labor chart, and there's comida común (aka guff). My balcony overlooks a really rad park with a soccer court, a roller-blading rink, a basketball court (nobody plays), outdoor ping pong tables, and outdoor chess tables.

I wanted to go to the beach, but I'm not sure if I will have time today. Need to go to the shop for bedding supplies. My room comes pre-equipped with a bed, desk, side table, lamp, bottle of windex, closet, shoe hanger, shelves, and a very particular red lamp. I have good vibes. Giacomo cooked lunch for all of us: pasta with bacon, then he mixed in about a half dozen eggs (with spices). Sooo good. He said he likes to cook on the weekends.

It's cool in my room, but fairly warm outside. Good sign for the summers. Recently, it's been quite difficult writing in English. I'm always second-guessing myself, and leaving words out. In the hostel, we had two lingua francas: one, an Italian/Spanish mix to speak to the italians. The other, a Spanish/English mix to talk to the other Europeans. So I think the grammar portion of my brain has been shut down since Tuesday due to overload.

To be honest, I think most of my brain have been shut down recently due to sleep depravation/jetlag/this odd culture. That's my cue.

Later

I have a flat!

Tunes: The Kooks

I found a flat yesterday! Address: Calle del Explorador Andrés 41 puerta 9. 3 Rooms, 4 people, a balcony, good-sized living room, and a full kitchen. It's a ten-minute walk to class, and a 15-minute walk to the beach. I haven't explored the area a whole lot, because I hadn't been looking in the area before. Magdalena, a girl from Oklahoma that I met here at the Purple Nest, gave me the number when she found another. Perfect.

The room is 160 Euros ($222) per month plus utilities, which average about 20 euros ($28) per month. So, $250 per month? Are you serious?! Guess that leaves me with more money for tapas and paella.

More later. I need to get to my apartment.

One more night @ Purple Nest

Tunes: Again, more old American rock/pop in the lounge.

Last night was great. After looking for a place, I took a little nap, then went for a jog through the park. I didn't know how far I was running, but I counted the number of bridges I ran under: 8. If you check a map, I ran from Pont de Real to Puente de as Glorias Valencianas. Beautiful park with lots of people running. It was dark outside, but the well-lit path, large trees, and many reflective bodies made everything quite magical. Brisk night. I stumbled upon the Campo de Rugby, and saw about 50 guys getting into it. Talked to one, and I might come by to practice with them.

So, we (the people at the hostel) got smart last night and cooked together. In total, it was about 1euro/person for pasta with vegetables, chicken, red sauce, bread, and drinks. We were up until 3:30 hanging in the lounge talking up a storm. I met Luis, a Mexican engineering student, and we hit it off. He was really excited to talk to me, because I speak "mexican." I was basically his translator from English/Spain Spanish to his spanish. Sooo fun.

Later, I had about a 1 1/2 hour discussion with the front desk man and two Italian girls. It was pretty bizarre, because we could communicate pretty well, even though the girls only spoke very little spanish. That really fed my soul, because we talked about religion, Jesus, relativism, and a bunch of cultural stuff. Right before we headed for bed, the three (awesome/friendly/funny) Turkish guys joined in on the convo.

Hopefully, I'll find a place today. Tonight is my last night here @ Purple Nest, unless if I dish out some more money. Let's pray that I get a place.

Later,

Josh

Walking and walking

I just realized my blogs were posting with a US time stamp, so add 7 hours to whatever time you see, and that's when I posted it. It's fixed now, so here marks the change.

Tunes:Go to Sleep (Little Man Being Erased

I'm pretty exhausted. Last night, I braved the Spain night life for the first time. There was a welcome party for the Erasmus students, and it was PACKED. Didn't bring my camera, because I wanted to have it for the rest of my trip. It was fun hanging with the hostel people, but I think I'd prefer going out with locals: this crowd was a bit rowdy.

Didn't get to take a siesta today because I planned to meet someone for a room in their apartment, and they didn't show. So I walked around a bunch, had an amazing lunch, bought dinner groceries, then came back to Purple Nest. Speaking of lunch, I had my first encounter with PAELLA Valenciana. It was soooo good. I got it from the same little café as yesterday (I'll post a picture sometime soon)

I'm gonna have to take a short nap. Run, another apartment at 9pm, dinner, then some huge gathering (2000+) at a the park tonight.

Cansado, pero con una cama y KOL,

Josh

PS, I'm going to put this in a song someday:
" Lift up your heads, O gates!
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle!
Lift up your heads, O gates!
And lift them up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory!" Ps 24:7-10

Random

Just bought one eggplant, one tomato, and a baguette for dinner at a little shop. Cute little place, and I mean little. I'm about to post some pics, and then cook dinner.

Oh yeah, the random things. Bear with me, because I like bullets:
-I have yet to see a black person walking with a non-black person. Must explore.
-EVERYONE smokes EVERYWHERE. It's making apartment finding difficult.
-Bicyclists ride on the sidewalk. I fear for my life.
-This city never stops.
-There are SO many natural areas/parks. I don't think I've even brushed the surface.
-Apartments are cheap. About 150-250 euros ($210-$350). I'm convinced they're so inexpensive because everyone spends their money on alcohol, tapas, cigarettes, café, y fashion.
-There are about 4 cafés on every street.
-We have a beer vending machine.

Saludos

Scampering zombie

Day two.
Tunes: Elephant, White Stripes

I finally have a converter for my electronics, so I can use my computer for more than 10 minutes. That also means that this is the first time in a while I've listened to my music--as soon as I heard the White Stripes, a large smile spread across my face. I'm pretty tired, and I'm about to take advantage of this siesta time. I have a meeting with a guy for an apartment at 4:20. They look pretty fantastic, but we shall see.

This morning, after many failed attempts to get out the door (due to printing malfunctions), I went to the university to get my info packet. I thought an info packet would have info on what I'm to do these next couple of days. Apparently not. I get to brave the internet to find which classes I want and when.

After I got my "info" packet, I ran into Ilaria, my Italian friend. We both were in dire need of café, so we stopped in at a small restaurant. I ate something that looked like a paella sandwich. It had lots of potatoes and eggs. I'm not exactly sure, because they spoke Valenciano. Anyway, it was delicious. Way too much for one sitting, so it was also my lunch. I'm a huge fan of their coffee--I think their café americano is 2 shots espresso, 2 shots hot water (not totally sure). Delicious.

Ilaria accompanied me to the store where I bought my power converter. She's pretty rad--as I said previously, she doesn't speak english, so everything is in Spanish. Perfect. We might have some classes together. She's from northern Italy, in the mountains, but she hates the cold... Apparently, the northern Italians are like the "southern comfort" Americans. There are 3 southern Italians here, and there is a stark difference between their personalities.

Right now, I'm chilling with Chris, an English bloke who's traveling around. We both have macs--as ANDREW CRAFT said, they don't really have Apple over here. So I hope I don't break my Roady (2) aka Josh in White aka my laptop.

OK. Siesta.

Ciao

First Day, Part deux

Tunes: Random American pop on a Spanish radio station

Getting tired, but I still need to stay up a bit more to get on schedule. This place reminds me of French House, probably just because of the large mix of nationalities. Been hanging out with a German and Italian--the German doesn't want to speak English, and the Italian doesn't speak English, so I'm hanging with the right crowd. We braved the Supermercado to get groceries for dinner. Lemon chicken salad, with random tastings of box white wine, foreign beers, and bottled water. They don't drink tap water here.

I have 1:44 left on my computer, because I didn't go to the right mall to get a power converter. That will have to wait until tomorrow. I also have an orientation meeting with my advisor. I have no idea which building I'm going to. Apparently, there are so many streets, that everyone knows where to go based on landmarks--it's gonna take me some time.

I still need to eat paella (ANDREW CRAFT). But hey, I've only been here about 7 hours.

Random: There was a rocking giraffe child's toy in the Zurich airport.\

Hasta mañana

First Day

Tunes: Random european techno playing in the lounge.
Okay, so I'm in the hostel, and I've already had one go at the city to get my sim card. It was a solid experience. The people at Vodafone didn't speak English, which is exactly what I wanted. I was able to get everything I needed, and while I was talking to the Vodafone rep, a lady who was also shopping helped me with some specifics (she has a vodafone).
(BTW, my number is 673-180-755. I think I get free incoming texts.)

The lady's name is Heidi, and she has a lot of energy. She found out that I'm at the university, and apparently her daughter is too! So, she gave me her information because she studies French and English, and figured we could do an "intercambio." After some talk, she insisted that I come to see her shop so she could give me 2 maps and a Valencia phonebook. She also invited me to a "happy hour" on friday at 7PM to meet some locals. I'm stoked. She didn't speak a lick of english, but I was able to understand about 95% of what she was saying.

I realized, after noticing many prolonged glances in my direction, that I stand out:
-I have a red beard
-I wear a mountain hardware jacket, not a peacoat
-I'm tall
-My jeans aren't dark
-I'm blonde. I've seen about 3 blonde people, and they were either on the plane or the metro.
-(I'm using a city map)

So... this is really fun. I'm going to go to the store to buy a power adapter and some food for dinner (unless if I stumble upon a tasty looking restaurant). I'll upload photos when I have power for my computer.

I'm Here!

Okay, not enough time to post yet, but below are the blogs I wrote on my flight. Didn't have internet until I got here.

1/25/10 3:59PM
Tunes: The Autumn Film & Goldfinger. Odd mix.

I’m sitting in the Dulles airport, waiting for the leg to Zurich. I passed my CLEP examination, and my sister got accepted to the UT Health Science Center for PA school. I like how she put it: “when life gives you lemons, God gives you the water of life.” He is providing in more than these two ways. I don’t enjoy sitting in the terminals—there aren’t any balconies or open-air lounges. Also, I can’t bring myself to pay for WiFi, so I’m going to stick to my books (not a complaint). Speaking of, I have the last 200 pages of Atlas Shrugged. I didn’t want to bring the entire book with me, so I tore it. Painful.

I have great music and two Tylenol PM for my next flight—thanks Glen & Stacy. If I can manage, I will sleep on the flight over, and wake up at 8:00AM local time. God willing, I will ease into my new time zone.

It’s fun listening to all of the different languages and seeing the different styles of dress. Pretty soon, I will be the one who’s interesting to listen to and stare at. The 35-day journey is very rich in my mind, as I have been mulling over it during my flight. Can I fast from America?
Highlights of my Austin-DC flight:
1) Flying over, through, and then under the large clouds while listening to Metric. I wrote about it.
2) “The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever!” Psalm 22:26
Well, I’m off to read about Jesus’s death, Atlas Shrugged, and and talk to this Spanish family sitting next to me.

1/26/10 8:45AM Zurich
Tunes: Swiss German
Turns out, Tylenol PM doesn’t stop babies from crying or planes from bouncing. Probably got about 45 total minutes of sleep, but I feel pretty good. Praise the lord for bathrooms, deodorant, and fresh shirts. This airport is stunning—I’ve been mostly wandering around, but I’m going to grab a coffee, a bite, and a book. Mucho gusto, Europe.


10:39AM Zurich, terminal A71
Tunes: Snowfall

I had the inter-continental breakfast: One kaffee, one frischner orangensaft, and one gipfel (Coffee, fresh orange juice, and a croissant). The coffee was amazing—strong like espresso, but very smooth and round taste. I thought it was funny that they had an “American Breakfast,” which consisted of sausage, eggs, bacon, hash browns, orange juice, and coffee. I guess we really do eat that much…

Psalm 23 kept me company. I’m not sure of the exchange rate, so I haven’t purchased anything more than breakfast. That is quite a feat, after passing multiple chocolate shops and stores with 50% off signs. Tricky airport advertising.
I love watching the many different airport cars dance about. There seems to be a different car for every task, and they are waltzing in the snow. I depart at noon-05, and will be in Valencia at 2PM. Time to read more about Francisco d’Anconia, and his spectacle of September 2nd.

Almost

Tunes: Taj Mahal

The going away party last night was amazing. Thank you so much to everyone who came out. Two more nights on a couch, and then I'm out of here. I just watched Under the Tuscan Sun, and I'm heading the Mediterranean call my name.

Keeping it short,
Josh

Morocco update

Tunes: Kingdom Come, and some old Coldplay

Just purchased my plane ticket to Casablanca, Morocco. I fly out March 14th and return March 18. NOTE: if I'm out of contact after the 18th, you should call the Air force, San Antonio VFD, my aunt Traci, and my twin brother. Just kidding, I don't have a twin brother.

Casablanca is supposed to be the economic capital of Morocco, so I'm looking forward to getting lost in the markets. Also, I plan to visit the Hassan II Mosque, the 3rd largest mosque in the world. I will definitely visit other places, but those are the top attractions. I'm sure the beautiful family I'm staying with will show me other places as well.

Things are tense in my body. It's almost time...

Testing Spainblog

G'day. Tunes for the day: Hamza El Din.

I've decided to share my adventures abroad. I will arrive in Valencia, Spain January 26th. I will return on July 2nd. So far, I plan to take 12 hours at the Universidad de Valencia, see as much of Spain as possible, and take a trip down to Morocco. I can't tell you much more than that, as I don't even have an apartment yet. Apparently, it's customary to fly straight in, find the nearest hostel, hang there for a few days, and find a place then. We shall see.

I'm getting more and more anxious as my departure date approaches. I have quite a lot of things I need to do, and many more things I want to do before I leave. I'm working on a to-bring list, reading my heaviest book so I don't have to bring it, studying for a CLEP that I take 2 days before I leave, running random errands, and sleeping too much.

If you're reading this, well done. I haven't even left the country yet. This is probably my only post before I head out.