Sevilla

Staying in tonight. After walking in the 100 degree weather to school and back twice a day...Sarah and I are calling it a night. We are sore, have blisters, and probably slightly dehydrated.

* View from the top of the ISA Office roof.

Sevilla is beautiful, romantic, and full of history. It doesn't even compare to Madrid or Toledo. I can't imagine liking another city in Spain more. I walked alone to my first class this morning with my ipod in. It was a great almost hour of alone time to just take in the sights and zone out a little bit. I'll have to take the camera out some time soon.

It's still a little bit uncomfortable living with a host family. My host mom is extremely gregarious and warm but it's still not my house and I'm still unable to have a conversation with her. Maybe if I wasn't in here updating my blog I'd be out in the living room learning some Spanish. Just a thought.

Chacos are saving my feet. I attempted another pair of sandals one day. That just resulted in a huge blister that made me limp for days...I will not sacrifice comfort for fashion again. Especially not when I'm walking on cobblestone and such for at least 3 hours total a day. Everyone here jokes I should be paid for the amount of advertising/free marketing I give them. I've literally recommended them to everyone here. I just can't walk in other shoes. Even our ISA Handbook says to never wear tennis shoes and white shoes unless you're going straight to the gym. It's just socially unacceptable. Silliness. Spaniards are missing out. Dressing like you're going to work out when you're not is just a win-win situation. It's extremely comfortable, it is possible to sleep it in and just get up last minute and run to class, you just look healthier...because well you look like you're about to work out or perhaps just finished working out, and because you certainly don't need to coordinate everything to match if you're just 'working out'.

Wine is cheaper than water. Go figure. I think this would be dangerous in Athens, Ga. Last night we all went out to this bar called Tex Mex and watched the Spain vs. Portugal game. It was exhilarating seeing their enthusiasm and excitement. Quite contagious. It was such fun. They are just out of control about soccer. There was lots of singing, chanting, dancing, and yelling. Also, a lot of them were wearing Spanish flags as capes. Doesn't that just take you right back to childhood?

* Paige took these pictures. Isn't she so great with a camera?!

perdido uno zapato del talcon alto

First day. The University is about a 35-45 minute walk from my host family's home. Finally got there and was ushered in ( in loud, fast Spanish) to take my placement exam. I finished first out of the entire group. Quite impressive, I know. I only answered 20 out of 80 multiple choice questions. I was advised to only answer the ones I knew or I wouldn't be being "sincere" to myself. They did tell me that in English. Of course I wish to be sincere to myself.

This morning started off with one missing shoe. Not just any shoe but one of my favorite shoes. It's quite stressful and difficult to find comfortable heels....and when you do...You certainly want to hold on them and not just go off losing them somewhere between Madrid, Toledo, and Sevilla. I'm "sincerely" hoping that perhaps this one shoe never left Madison, Georgia.

I hate loosing things. That's maybe why I label everything. We were discussing Friends today. Others have already noticed I'm Monica. I might as well embrace it. She's not too bad, right? I personally like her. Besides, what's wrong with labeling and planning?

I know a lot of food names in Spanish now. Imagine trying to explain you don't eat gluten (wheat) or lactose (sugar found in dairy) to a woman that speaks only Spanish and maybe 5 words in English. My head is still swimming from that experience. I'm in bed right now. I'm supposed to be siesta-ing. But it's 3 o'clock in the afternoon....and even if I'm still somehow still jet lagged...it would be 9 am back home. Neither one of those are exactly prime time sleeping hours. I did eat toast from breakfast because that was the only thing left set out for us this morning prior to explaining I don't eat bread...so I was extremely sleepy until around 1pm...but now I'm feeling great. Siesta time needs to hurry up and end so fiesta time can start. Did I mention I have a class at 5:50pm to 7:40pm? I'm not even joking.

Do you flip? Because I flip. and today flipping helped me find my way back home. No joke. I kid you not. We pulled it to recognize which street turns to take. It was a glorious feeling.
 

P.S. Don't bring running shoes to a country that is forced to nap in the afternoon because it's too hot to even be outside. Waste of suitcase space. Early morning running won't work either because we only shower at night.

Still smiling, nodding, and trying to look enthusastic while not understanding anything,
Taylor

ehhh....overwhelmed.

I'll get around to updating about everything new...but right now I'm just sitting in bed...alone in this room...and feeling honestly a little overwhelmed. The past few days have been really terrific and adventurous but today I moved in with my host family. Sarah and I each have our own rooms, which I'm sure with time will be seen as a blessing but as of right now I just wish someone else was here that I could talk to. My host family is wonderful. They speak very little English and I speak very little spanish. I might speak the least amount of spanish out of everyone doing this program this summer. My head hurts from trying so hard to understand, learn, and remember. Since the initial meeting earlier today with angeles and maria (host mom and her daughter) I have been attempting to give 100% in order to understand and learn how everything here works...but my spanish is just so limited. I'm in over my head. I don't usually feel easily intimidated or overwhelmed and I don't mind being uncomfortable....I've just never felt so limited? I don't know the word that I'm looking for. I have no voice here. I struggle to make even the simplest sentences. It's frustrating. I can't express myself and vocalize how I feel and that liberty seems so quintessential to who I am.  I can't even offer to help with the dishes or express how truly appreciative I am of something. I don't know how to even process how this makes me feel yet. I'm just here wide-eyed, nodding, and smiling until something starts to click.

madrid

 

Friday, June 25th

We started off the morning early with a delicious breakfast at the hotel. Perfect in every way, except bacon should not be cold, limp, and flat. I questioned if it was even cooked at all. Following breakfast we headed off to tour the Prado Museum. The Prado holds more than 3,000 paintings. Francisco de Goya is the most well known painter and has entire rooms dedicated to his works.  It also holds the Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez, which Rick Steves reports to be “considered by many to the be world’s finest painting, period”. Our tour guide spoke mostly in Spanish and well my Spanish 1001 education was far from being sufficient so most of my information came from tour guide books. Gene Openshaw wrote the tour that I followed, on my own, because I probably speak the least amount of Spanish in the group. The Prado is known for being the greatest painting museum in the world. No photography was allowed within the museum so I’ll be posting some google images of the different paintings I saw.

The most well known painters that we saw; Diego Velazquez, Francisco de Goya, Titian, Peter Paul Rubens, and El Greco

After touring the Prado we walked through the Puerta del Sol, which is the center of Madrid. From here we could see the TIO PEPE sign, which was Madrid’s first billboard and the only one of its kind allowed today, and the governor’s office. Outside the governor’s office was where the war against Napoleon started in 1808. Long story short ( as Hunter likes to  say...) Napoleon wanted his brother to be King of Spain and when he made that happen the people waiting to hear in Madrid rioted and the French guard massacred them all. (Why the French guard was there...I’m not really sure?) This is where the scene of the Second of May, 1808 and the Third of May, 1808 came from because Goya worked just right up the street.

We then walked through the Plaza Mayor, with a statue of Philip III directly in the middle. Before ole phil was in the middle, it served as a stage for theater. One of my travel books say that “during the Inquisition, many were tried here- suspected heretics, Protestants, Jews, tour guides without local license, and Muslims who conversion to Christianity was dubious. The guilty were paraded around the square before their execution, wearing billboards listing their many sins. Some were slowly strangled as they held a crucific, hearing the reassuring words of a priest as this life was squeeze out of them with a garrote. Others were burned”. (Rick Steve’s Spain 332)

The Royal Palace- Which I actually have one video from inside. Yes, I did get scolded harshly and my “ No Hablo Espanol” did little to appease the guard.
-More than 2,000 rooms. We maybe saw 20?
Lions everywhere! Symbol of power
Royal family no longer actually lives here. Good choice. I would hate for tourists to walk through my house all day long.
Video clip I’ll be posting soon is of the Gala Dining Room.
- More information to follow soon.

toledo

june 24th- madrid

June 24th 2010- Midnight
    Safe, warm and dry in Madrid? Try safe, soaking wet, and shivering...but thrilled to be here. I boarded the plane yesterday evening after some interesting mishaps. My carefully bag was 20lbs overweight after adding all my books and bottles of vitamins. Luckily, I had left a duffle bag in the car just incase something went wrong with bags. Thank goodness or I would have been hit with a $150 fee for an overweight bag...verse the 55$ fee for an additional bag. That’s my first lesson learned with checking bags
Stand on the scale first and weight yourself then stand on the scale holding the bag. If you’re unable to do this because it’s too heavy and you half way fall over...it might be too heavy
Pack an additional bag in the car just incase the lbs or LWH restrictions are exceeded.

Couldn’t sleep at all on the flight. Which lead to the nap that caused Sarah and I to miss the bus tour of Madrid. The flight was fine. I was able to study Spanish, watch a movie, play games, play one particularly intense game for exactly an hour and 45 minutes..., and eagerly await someone else aboard Delta 108 to log on for a chess challenge. No one was ever on..any of the games...not even trivia....

Made friends with a girl wearing the same shoes as me leaving the plane. We assumed we were on the same program since we were both looking for ISA people....turns out she was going to barcelona...disappointing but quite alright because I couldn’t really decide if I liked her much anyways.

Too my surprise, one of my bags smelled very strong of very sweet honey/flowers. I opened it up to switch all of the contents back to my one large bag when I discovered that my conditioner bottle had busted and the zip-loc bag it was in had large holes in it.... Thank goodness it was inside of another cosmetics bag.

I met my roommate, Sarah, in the airport along with a few others. Looking for lunch in Madrid was much the adventure. Turns out...Sarah and I went back to the same place for dinner. We were out running errands ( looking for a hair dryer and looking for food) when it started to pour. Think Athens in the Spring...the type of rain that almost breaks your umbrellas. The guys working there remembered us from the group earlier and we got to practice our Spanish on them. Turns out- they love trying to speak English. They invited us to go to the discoteca with them on Saturday night. Of course we agreed and of course we (absolutely) will not be going. We got slightly lost. So I “Donde esta el hotel (Insert our hotel name)?”-ed numerous passerby's. Only one sent us the wrong way.

*Internet is tough to come by- will upload pictures and videos from the Prado Museum and the Royal Palace soon.

Much Love,
Taylor

fireflies

Today has been such a long day of packing. I did get to finish it off with a few great phone conversation outside on the porch swing. The sun was setting and the scenery transitioned to the darkness of night lit with the glow of fireflies. It was peaceful and a much needed close to the day. Starting in the Fall, as well as in Spain, I'd really like to learn how to just sit, be still, and enjoy the company of others. Or to just enjoy solitude and spend time reflecting. "Resting in the Lord" is how I'd heard it referred to before.

I picked up the Sun Also Rises (Hemingway) today at Borders. It was suggested as a read that would further promote cultural awareness.  Hopefully will keep me occupied while traveling. I need to be studying Spanish on the plane ride over....Placement exams...tsk tsk.

hello neighbors.

I finally met my neighbors...most of them...on a search for an essential kitchen application that I had lost.

I'm much younger than most of my neighbors. I still haven't figured out if the walls are fairly sound proof or if everyone else is just quiet. I reason that I would have heard complaints by now, especially because I listen to Christmas music year round.

I went to the Career Center today and canceled Charter Tv. i'm quite proud of myself. canceling tv might prove to be more beneficial and helpful than actual career planning in the long run.

dedicated to joe

Jenna Lyon

Jenna Lyon
This is just stunning.

the great debate

Flip Video or Sony Bloggie?

I've read countless reviews but I still have a few youtube videos to go to find out which one of these two cameras I'll be purchasing. So far the Sony bloggie has been recommended by two separate electronics departments. The 270 degree angle that it has is also very nice. Along with the SD card, which initially I was excited about since I already have a very large one for my canon powershot but a HD video camera requires a different SD card that's capable of storing HD shots. The price is about the same (the bloggie is on sale at target right now then plus the cost of the SD card).

I really can't make up my mind. I've heard wonderful things about the flip video. But there are no options...no buttons..no settings...no zoom....

and the bloggie has all of those things...but do I want something complicated?

battery life is similar. the flip has AA batteries though...which I don't like.

If anyone reading possesses either...please let me know what you think. I need to have this figured out by Monday at the absolute latest.

mornings

Oh how I've missed my mornings. Completely my fault. I still sleep only 8 hours a night. My sleeping schedule just shifted from 12am- 8am to 3am -11am. Last night I could hardly sleep at all.

It's an odd thing..being mostly blind without glasses. When I get ready for bed at night I take out my contacts and put on my very thick big brown glasses. After I remove this waking up in the middle of the night feels so strange. much like i'm still dreaming. everything surrounding me is out of focus, edgeless, and blurred. It's like I'm the only thing that exists. Only my thoughts and my own being.  when you can't sleep....this is almost the last feeling you desire to possess.

I awoke around 7 this morning. I've been reading interpreter and I'm just about to finish outside on the back porch. it's still early enough to be cool.

I love being home. I love the way my house smells. I love the way the hardwood floors feel under my feet. and I particularly love the way my german shepherd gallops around in circles as if she's horse when she's excited to me.

today is going to be a long day of packing and planning. I'm skimming through anthropologie's may magazine. it's gorgeous and featured in india. it look stunning...and I find myself desiring the background much more than the featured clothes. it looks romantic and lush in way that you know that learning the history would be bewitching to the point that one may not want to leave. I also think I've always had completely unrealistic notations about india. Surili informed me that Holi is much more of "grope fest" than a celebration for the burning of holika. Needtoless to say, I was very disappointed. this is the one international festival that I most wanted to attend. I imagined the excitement could revival that of christmas morning, thanksgiving feast, or the fireworks of the fourth of july.  I suppose I just need to learn more about other culture's holidays and festivals. Surely, I'll find one I'm equally curious and excited about.

my obituary

I fell asleep on the couch immediately after dinner today and it was a glorious nap that I thought would take me through the nap...but unfortunately I woke up and here I am...
trying to sort my life out for next year. I just want to do too many things. I want to be too many things.

at passion 2010 andy stanley suggested that we all practice writing our obituaries and imagine the types of things we would like for people to have said about our existence here on earth. He claimed that doing so would help us all grasp an understanding of what qualities and personalities traits are of the most importance to us. after knowing these perhaps other things wouldn't quite seem so important.

I think he's got to absolutely true and onto something.
for example... I will never care if people comment that changed my toe nail polish to make sure it never clashes with a sundress, that i own really cute notebooks, that I vacuum probably twice a week, that I was always up to date on the latest episode of the real housewives ( I've seriously got to stop watching that) and etc.
I mean these are horrible examples of silly things that are important to me...but I mean...I don't exactly want to openly embarrass myself on my own blog but we all know that we all have things that we're attached to and care a lot about that are so trivial.

So, perhaps tomorrow I'll be writing my obituary. I'll be imagining the types of things I'd like for all of you to say about me after passing away.  I hope I'm not sounding morbid. but I think this will help me become a better person and to become more committed to others.

frans

I almost forgot...
(my friends mentioned how much they like to see their names on my blogs and it makes it much more interesting for them)

So,
I just back from the pool with maggie, katherine, and liza. They are all wonderful and tanner than I am.

interpreter of maladies

One of the admirable traits of hannah is her love of literature. I also admire her impressive collection of books. ( I also fear it may come tumbling down) She loaned me a few right before she left for oxford. I'm in the middle of 'Interpreter of Maladies'. After my asian american comparative literature class last semester I have a newfound appreciation and curiosity for Indian culture. This book is comprised of nine short stories...and they are phenomenal. They all explore the lives of Indians or Indian-Americans are they come to terms with their new lives and identities here in American and how they adapt.  The stories are short and often leave you mentally grasping for  more as well as sticking with you. It's interesting to see which parts of their native cultures they cling to and which ones they easily shed and the overall effect of immigration on one's identity.

if only we all had noses like this....life would always be a laughing matter

stranger than fiction

I'm sitting in here my kitchen. indulging in tosititos and salsa, which is a wonderful snack when you're sodium deficient. It's kind of like convincing yourself that if you consume 5 mountain dew slushies from race trac that you're acheiving your daily water intake of 8 glasses...which you are...but this is different- contains similar logic but actually borderline healthy.
I'm stumped. I'm frustrated. and I'm flat out bugged. I just finished watching Stranger than Fiction. I adored it. but I can't even begin to vocalize that I thought of it. There is some "it" there. It's there. and I'm missing it. It's like when you read literature and it literally grabs a hold of you...and holds you captive but you know that there is some theme, allegory, allusion, usage of hyperbole, irony, etc. etc. that you're missing. Something is there. It's there and you can feel it and it clouds up your head. and bothers you until you can sort it out into words.

perhaps it was supposed to be didactic...but I can only conclude that a man willingly sacrificed his own life for the sake of art. I have no idea what I thought of the film. Not a clue. and those movies are always my favorites.

whoever would have thought that a will ferrell would prove to be so intriguing? Well I'm out of salsa so I will be going to be bed now.

pockets

My staple shorts are the classic, city-fit jcrew shorts that I own in probably 8 or  9 different colors. Or nike running shorts.

Now the jcrew shorts are simple and easy. But the pockets are small.
the running shorts have these wonderful tiny little pockets that sit right above your right side hipbone that hold about 2 dollars in cash and a house key. i've thought it was just ideal. the freedom of not carrying anything but my house key and a few dollars.

until today. I bought a pair of huge light blue shorts. They sit perhaps even above my belly button. the pockets are enormous. I was filled with jealous of men today....(this has never happened before) everything i possibly needed fit into these pockets and they were large enough to almost conceal my keys, my cell phone, my chapstick, my drivers license, my debit card, my ponytail holder, change, and some gum. No purse.

Nothing heavy hanging across my body. Nothing to return to retrieve when forgotten. Nothing to stress about in restaurants or while studying  near "sketchers". and pockets severely limits the about of "stuff" lugged around with you. Nothing to hop into the car with and get stuck while trying to close the door, nothing to throw you off balance when climbing various obstacles, nothing to interfere with your choice of shoes, belt, etc. Nothing to take up enormous amounts of space in your closet.

If only all my clothes had these pockets... i wouldn't carry snacks, bandaids, pepper spray, my camera, a note pad, a pen, some highlights, lipgloss, ipod, all the jewelry that I start out wearing and then take off being it's bothersome, cell phone charger, a book to read, a long to-do list, etc. Life would be simpler.

I just wish the fanny pack would come back into style. I might seriously have to break out during football season. I've just left my purse too many place too many times before.  Also dresses with pockets are just phenomenonal. It certainly helps with the "i feel awkward" because I'm so dressed up and I don't know anyone here events that leave you clueless with what to do with your hands. usually i clasp them together in a " i might have some experience singing along with a harp" -esque pose that completely doesn't line up with anything in my past.

Great day in Madison.
Watched the World cup- usa vs england-
Laura and Lindsay came to visit. 

welcome back to athens, laura!

almost alice

Guess who???

hint- it's someone I miss a lot.

windows for walls

,

Right now, I'm at home in Madison sitting at this table writing letters. I haven't been home during the day in long time...especially not since these trees blossomed. It's gorgeous. This is my favorite room in the house.

diy- how to be as creative and artistic as hannah in 3 minutes

In case I haven't ever said it before...I admire Hannah's creativity. I know that I'm not the only one. Here's a simple, quick project to help the rest of us decorate in attempts of creating rooms as interesting as the ones Hannah inhabits.

Materials needed
Clipboards. At office max
Nails- ( More than four!)
Jeff Anderson
Pictures, Magazine clippings, quotes

(This would be a great way to post memory verses and easily swap them out)

life in plastic. it's fanastic.

A few weekends ago, my family and I traveled for to Knoxville, Tennessee for Daniel's high school graduation. While we were there...we got to talking about our barbies. Well, all other females were reminiscing about their barbies and which ones they would never forget and their absolute favorite outfits that they had. I never really caught on the the barbie doll concept...after a while I wasn't given anymore because I chopped their hair off and usually popped off all their heads. Nowadays, the idea of creating outfits for a doll comes across as very appealing. I would love to design miniature versions of dream outfits. My Nana actually had her old collection of barbie dolls. I thought they were really neat- especially the clothes that she and her grandmother made.

comedy of errors

i picked hannah and maggie up from the airport on monday night.
it's midnight and all of us- jeff included- are sitting in ladydale reading Shakespeare's comedy of errors aloud right now to help hannah finish up all her reading before she lives for oxford. i certainly hope she feels beyond loved right now. my character isn't speaking in this scene. at least my british accent is getting some work.

rain rain go away but come again another day

Today was just another lazy day in athens. yesterday was great. last night I got to play 4 square in the rain. I haven't played 4 square probably 3 or 4 years. Once...I did play 9 square. It was unbelievable. I just got back from a run. Stopped by Abby D's house for the first time ever...and she lives down the street from me...ridiculously cute house. She says that's because she lives with two art majors.

I'm just cooking up a dish for an all girls dinner over at Ladydale right now. I'm wearing my anthropologie apron. I feel beyond domestic right now. it's wonderful.

sweet summer time

It's Sunday afternoon and I'm sitting on Springdale front porch writing letters and trying to get caught up on all my friends' summer adventures. My maymester class ended last Wednesday. Since then my time has been nothing but a blessing. I realized I've been on not one, and not two, but three family road trips in the past month. One funeral, one high school graduation, and one wedding. Out of out state, of course, so lots of FFF time in the car. FFF, in case you're wondering, stands for Forced Family Fun time. I'm mostly kidding.

I'm so thankful for everyone here in Athens! Liza and Maggie P. just got back from taking kids to camp so I'm looking forward to time with them this week. Josh and Holly just left for a week with our Wyldlife kids. So please keep that trip in your prayers this week.

Yesterday I went to Georgia's Strongest Man competition with Kasey. Let's just say that's not something either one of us would have randomly decided to have gone to but it certainly was interesting! Kasey is such an awesome girl and I really enjoyed talking to her and learning from her! Tons of people went to Cali N Titos last night for dinner followed but soccer on Herty Field and then a trip to TC pool. It was great Saturday. I also got to spend time with Supriya, from high school, on Friday while going on a thifting adventure. We weren't very successful in finding much. I did find a Beth Moore book, To Live is Christ, for a dollar. I'm looking forward to reading that.

Laura F. came home from Australia last night. I was super excited to see her. I have some cute pictures of her and Stephen dancing at dinner. Australia is somewhere where I've always wanted to go. I can't wait for people to get back in Athens so I can see all their pictures. I know most of them will be posted to facebook and other various websites but it's so much more interesting when they get the chance to narrator all their picture albums and share their reactions and thoughts.

If you missed Classic City this morning- You really missed out! The electricity went out. So everything was acoustic.