Gonna miss this place....Adios Madrid!

So it's my last day/night in Madrid. Kind of hard to believe 3 months are over, but time must go on I guess. It's been a great week filled with final exams and goodbyes. Some people from our program have already left, so it's kind of a weird feeling. Last night we had one last get together in the streets of Madrid, a Botellón. Botellónes are kind of a tradition here where young people gather in plazas to enjoy a few drinks and each other's company. It's cheaper than going to a bar...and it's actually a lot of fun.

We met in a plaza near our house with a bunch of people from the program and had a good time. Although the cops came and broke it up, it was definitely worth it. (don't worry Mom, no one got into any trouble, we just had to quickly vacate the area and find an establishment to go to).

I have met a lot of really great people on this trip, both from DePaul and all other parts of the world, and I've also learned a lot about myself. I've gained a lot of confidence and surprised myself a few times. I have some great memories here and a lot of experiences I will take with me forever. I'm so grateful for this opportunity, I cannot even begin to describe.

Although I'm really sad to be leaving Spain, I'm looking forward to the next chapters of my life. I'm anxious to see where life leads me. Spain has definitely captured a piece of my heart, but I know God has better things yet to come for me, and I can't wait.

I'm excited to see everyone when I get home too! I will see you all TOMORROW!!!

Adios.

Exámenes Finales

Less than 7 days left in Madrid :( but I still have 4 final exams standing in my way. The reality of leaving is finally starting to hit me a little bit. Last week, one of our roommates left, it's a little weird without him here. I think we're all starting to realize it's coming to an end...some are happy, others are sad. Right now, I'm somewhere in the middle. On one hand, I'm getting homesick. I'm really anxious to see my family and new dog for the holidays, etc. On the other hand, I'm definitely going to miss Spain.

The other day we were talking about the things we're going to have to get used to again in the states. For example: tipping at restaurants, not being pushed around on the metro, not saying metro, new daily schedule, going back to work, not staring, waiting 20 minutes for the el or a bus in Chicago, etc etc. It's gonna be weird. It's amazing how much you can adapt in 3 months. One thing I don't think I'm going to change when I get back is the eating schedule. This 9 o'clock dinner thing is really working for me. The Spanish schedule is perfect for my life...for sure.

Some things I'm looking forward to in Chicago: REAL pizza and Chicago hot dogs, Christmas and everything that comes with is, NOT being pushed around on the el, my family and friends, being 21 in the US, Chavo, baking, NOT seeing pig legs hanging in every restaurant, etc etc.

I'll be spending the next couple of days saying goodbye to Madrid. It'll be bittersweet, but I'm trying not to be sad about it. All I can do is take all my experiences with me and remember the good times I've had here. It's definitely been worthwhile...no matter how broke I am when I get home. At least I can take the pictures and the memories home with me.

GOOD NEWS tho, I was able to change my flight to be home in time for the Espersen Hoe Down this year. Originally I was supposed to spend the night in the Dublin airport, but not anymore! Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

Well, I'm off to study now...only 200 vocab words to learn tonite :) should be fun!

Morocco, Morocco

Hola a todos! Just got back from Tangier, Morocco late last night. What an experience!!! It was definitely a culture different from anything I have ever seen in my life before, but it was amazing to me how many things were similar to other places I've visited in the past.

When we arrived in Tangier (after a 12 hour journey by bus and ferry), we got a small tour of the city. Our guide took us down to the Kasbah and Medina market. One of the things Morocco is known for is its negotiation style of shopping. You never accept the first price, and you can usually talk the salesman way down. The market had anything from souvenirs to fresh meat to natural remedies. It was really cool to see, smell, and experience.

Saturday we headed out to Chaouen, a small city in the mountains outside of Tangier. On the way to the city, we got stuck in some really bad traffic near a sheep market. Apparently we arrived right before a big holiday in Morocco where they sacrifice sheep. It was cool to see the open market with thousands of Moroccans purchasing a sheep for the holiday, though.

Once we got past the traffic, we passed through the beautiful landscape to Chaouen. It's a beautiful blue and white city with small winding streets. We walked throughout the whole city and then had a chance to sample some great Moroccan food for lunch...YUM! Chaoen was definitely a cool place to see, and the weather was BEAUTIFUL. Although I'm pretty sure some guy hexed me on the way out for not donating money for Mohammed (he "gave me the black coin"...figuratively) I really enjoyed the time we had in the small city.

Sunday we got to sleep in before we headed out to ride camels!! Our guide took us to a place on the beach of the Mediterranean Sea where we got to ride on the animals for a little while. (at one point one of the guides even let me pull the camel!) It was a really good time. After the camel rides we headed over to the Caves of Hercules. I'm not exactly sure what the story behind these caves are, but there is an opening kind of in the shape of Africa where you can take pictures.


After the caves we headed over to Azilah...another blue and white seaside city. Here we had a couple of hours to roam around and eat before heading back to Tangier. It was a great little city, and all of the people were very kind.

I've never been to a Muslim country before, so Morocco was an interesting experience for me. Apart from the difference of religion, it was difficult for me to accept the role of women in their society. Although I tried to keep an open mind and accept their culture, I couldn't ignore the sideways glances from men and the absolute submission of women. Morocco has made some strides in this aspect, however. Our guide (who has two wives himself) informed us that recently a law was passed restricting men to only one wife instead of the four previously allowed. He also told us that women do not need the permission of their parents in order to marry anymore (I have heard it's still pretty difficult to do without it though). To me, coming from a society in which women are far more empowered, it was difficult to adapt to a culture that is so different. Far be it from me to say what is right or wrong or to judge their culture accordingly. But I did struggle with this throughout the weekend.

Another interesting thing I noted was how similar the country of Morocco was to other third world countries I've visited in Central America and even Mexico. A few other girls in the group also noted how similar some aspects were to part of Mexico. To me it was interesting how, even though the culture is 100% different, poverty is still the same all over the world. People face the same problems and solve them in much the same way.

All in all, it was a really great trip, and I am definitely glad I went. Now, less than two weeks left to enjoy Madrid before I head back to Chicago. I can't believe it's already coming to a close, but it's been the experience of a lifetime for sure. Only one more essay to write and about four finals to get through before I make it home. :)