A Month after Returning

Okay. It doesn't really seem like it never happened, but it could soon. That is always the most disappointing part of a wonderful experience -- it becomes the past. I guess when there are things you don't want to remember (like childbirth or pain from an accident) it's not a bad deal but when it is something you want to keep fresh and alive, this human process can leave you too distant. I loved the experience of traveling--of meeting people, seeing different cultures, tasting new spices, smelling unique smells, and hearing the various languages all at once. Now that I'm back, I'm a bit bored. I still have plenty of things to do (work, exercise, organize, etc.) but they seem a bit routine at the moment.

As I reflect, I'm pleased with the opportunity I had and wonder what it would be like to live in a different culture for a longer period of time. I'm imagining that I might miss the many people I care about, but I think it might take awhile before that would seem awful. I guess I didn't really get lonely much this summer. Of course, it helped having Cody, Setare, Cheryl, and Marat to spend time with while there. I think you build a network where ever you are (as Cheryl has done).

The things I'm left wondering: can I truly learn a new language? would I grow disillusioned with the various cultural realities? would I feel older? younger? lonely? sad? does requiring women NOT to cover just become another controlling entity? where next shall I go.

If you have answers to these questions -- let me know. Thanks for reading my blog and I will return when I have more to say.

Cody's article about Spain: Campeones del Mundo

Campeones del Mundo

In the summer of 2010 nations from around the world played futbol in South Africa with the goal of bringing eternal glory to their respective country. Friends one day became enemies the next. With the game on the line, the hopes and dreams of millions followed each player’s every move. This World Cup produced magnificent wins, heart wrenching defeats, and enough controversy to last a lifetime. But for one American “soccer” fan learning Spanish and spending a relaxing summer in Espana, summer was all but relaxing; it was an exhilarating opportunity of a lifetime. Each day of class was nicely complemented with pinch of culture thanks to the most popular sport in the world.

I arrived in Alicante a week before my session began and learned how many Spaniards watch THE game. Sitting outside in downtown Alicante with thousands of fan surrounding me doing the same, I first caught a glimpse of what was to become a remarkable summer. Chants of “Yo soy espanol, espanol, espanol” was sung in perfect harmony to the Vuvuzela horns echoing off the buildings. Gasps of horror sounded when an opponent’s goal seemed inevitable, but sights of relief soon followed as the keeper made a tremendous block. A hero emerged during these first few games, a man known as David Villa. Countless times during the next month a memorable phrase could often be heard throughout the game: “Villa, Villa, Villa, Villa maravilla.”

In Madrid, the excitement and futbol fever increased ten-fold. Spain kept winning, knocking off neighbor Portugal and then Paraguay. Countless thousands watched from the Madrid stadium as more flocked to every bar in the city. The commotion that followed a simple shot on goal rivaled the most important touchdown in a Texas football game. No words can describe the scene as victory was declared. Drums, horns, and screams meshed to produce a symphony that even Beethoven would have loved. The only thing more impressive then the sound was the sight. Everywhere one looked only red and yellow appeared.

For two more games the frenzy continued until, after two hours of futbol on the 11th of July, 2010, the final whistle blew. Only one team remained. The score: Espana one, the Netherlands zero. Spain had survived its greatest game of all time to become, for the first time, campeones del mundo. And I, a college student who had played this wonderful game as a child gained a new appreciation for the enthusiasm and honor futbol could bring to a country.



My name is Cody and I am a Senior at the University of Oregon. I am studying
Political science, but after my experience in San Sebastian, I need to add
traveling, a beach, wonderful food, and una siesta into requirements for my
next job. I enjoy all of the aforementioned activities as well as backpacking
and cooking. I look forward to another year of school, graduation in the
spring, and another opportunity to explore the world.

Barcelona and leaving

After the incredibly stressful time looking for bus tickets and leaving Amanda behind, Setare, Cody, and I took the overnight bus to Barcelona. We slept some and, unfortunately, missed what probably was beautiful scenery.

When they say, keep your hands on every piece of luggage at all times in Barcelona, they knew what they were saying. As we got off at the combined bus, train, and metro station in Barcelona we tried to figure out where our hotel was located. While looking at maps and being distracted by someone asking Setare and I directions, apparently an accomplice picked up my backpack and disappeared. I was, of course, disappointed to lose my computer (with pics downloaded), flash drive, all electrical cords, my nook, new scarf and white shirt from Alicante, and journals detailing my expenses and travels. As I kept remembering the things in the backpack I tried to remind myself that luckily I had my passport, money, and camera in my purse, AND, we were all safe.

However, we were tired -- and it was still only 7 a.m. We found our way to the hotel, dropped our luggage and took off walking. After having a light breakfast, we walked towards a park until deciding to buy tickets for the jump off and on tour bus. Just our luck, there was a marathon going on that day so the route was changed and we still ended up walking around most of the places. We saw some of the women running in the marathon, looked at some interesting buildings used for the Olympics, say the beautiful fountain with gold horseman on top and meandered our way into the cave like area that housed the Picasso Museum and old cathedrals. Thinking that we would get back to these places the next day, we didn't go into anything. Instead, we got checked into our hotel.

What an interesting room! It was the penthouse with two bedrooms, a living room, bath, kitchen and huge balcony overlooking the La Rambla. Cody and I left Setare to rest, shower, and settle in while we went to the airport to pick up the suitcase I had left there prior to leaving for San Sebastian. When we returned we discovered that Amanda would be in later that evening so we got a bit to eat and the three of us rode the bus around town looking at the outside of many of the Gaudi structures throughout Barcelona. Although many of these buildings were unusual and interesting, our tiredness made it difficult to truly enjoy what we were seeing. We finally headed back to grab Amanda and get ready for the evening's festivities. Amanda's trip had been horrendous and she had ended up losing one of her pieces of luggage. The saving grace for the "kids" was the plans to head out to one of the clubs in town -- RazzleDazzle. After a short rest, they headed off to meet Maggie, Ali, and Alex (some of their classmates from San Sebastian), and returned around 6 a.m. I decided not to be a tag-a-long and instead enjoyed some sleep.

Sunday was Setare and my last day so we were busy trying to get packed and ultimately to take our luggage to the train station and storing them in lockers so they would be ready for pick up when we took off on our overnight train that evening. In the meantime, Cody was trying to find internet to book for his time the following week in Italy. This day was truly more about "traveling" then enjoying the travels. As Cody said, sometimes this is the most stressful part -- and certainly the least enjoyable. Everyday brought some sort of difficulty and nothing ever went as you might expect. Including that when Amanda had gone that morning to get a ticket for the jump on and off tour bus she inadvertently bought tickets for the wrong company and, again, was not with us. Things kept getting in the way of our having a relaxing time in Barcelona. Maybe food would help! We found a nice, inexpensive place and treated ourselves to our last Spanish meal -- Paella and Sangria. It was a fun time and lifted our spirits and gave us energy to jump on the metro and find our way to the Parc Guell -- more Gaudi to see. With only a short time, Setare and I observed, left Amanda and Cody at the park, and headed on to the train station to leave from Madrid.

I felt sad leaving Cody -- I felt our last couple of days were a bit disappointing and frustrating. Luckily, he had a few more weeks to travel so maybe things would improve for him. We, in the meantime, got on the 1st class section of the train and headed out. Meeting a few people on the train proved interesting and I continued to see the social side of Setare as she met people easily and used her new found Spanish language. Yet, she was so ready to get home that when we were offered a 5 star hotel and 500 Euro to delay our return trip to the US, she declined. I, too, decided that returning together was a better idea. The trip was truly winding down!

Bilbao & San Sebastian, Spain

After storing my large suitcase at the airport in Barcelona, I took off to see Bilbao and visit Cody. Since I arrived in Bilbao around 10:30 a.m., I could go right to the Guggenheim Museum. It certainly is a wonderfully interesting building and fun to take pictures of. The exhibits are not really my cup of tea (very modern) but some were definitely better than others. Richard Serra's "The Matter of Time" was definitely interesting and I really liked the work of Anish Kapoor and his different exhibits. The reflecting metal mirror room, the bright pure colors of his first works, and the large paintball shooting canon exhibit were particularly fun to see.

Bilbao is basically an industrial town and not particularly attractive or interesting (to me). I'm sure that someone staying there would tell me many wonderful things to see so maybe it was just my desire to get on in to see Cody. So, I left on a bus around 6 p.m and saw the beautiful scenery between Bilbao and San Sebastian along the way. This is really the first green I've seen in a long time. Cody met me on his bike when I arrived in San Sebastian and we walked to the hotel/hostel he had booked for me near his homestay. As I settled in he took off to meet some friends for dinner and hooked back up with me around 10. He, MacKenzie (a friend of his from Oregon State) and Rich (an older student who was in Cody's Spanish class) met me at the Cathedral and we went into the old town area to have San Sebastian's version of tapas, called pinxos. Great version. Rich is somewhat of a gourmet about this food so it was fun to see his excitement. He also was certain he had met me before. Lo and behold, he had. He was on the Madrid tour that I was on in late May and he remembered talking with me in a coffee bar when we went to Toledo. Once he reminded me, I remembered as well.

So, while Cody was finishing up his last three days of school, I got to experience a bit of San Sebastian. What a gorgeous place. The statue of Jesus overlooking the city is a great place to walk up to, the old town with it's wonderful cathedral, millions of tapas bars and stores is very appealing, and the three beaches make this a great resort town. As Setare says, "this is a great place to visit and perhaps even honeymoon in." She still loves Alicante though and I can see that it is harder for the group to remain connected when they are spread further out across town. We did get to a salsa bar to dance one night and I got to experience all three beaches. The walk up to the funicular on the third beach where some wonderful iron sculptures have been placed was a special venture and I enjoyed getting to know some of the students that Cody had been with this month. They had all taken a few surfing lessons and Cody had gotten hooked up with two intercombios as well as taught English to a 14 year old teenage boy to make some extra money, so he had many people and things to say goodbye to.

I also got to meet Cody's house parents--a middle-class couple with grown children--who were very kind and seemed to think he was one of the "good American kids." Their home was quite lovely and it was another time that I wished I could speak Spanish. I believe he was very lucky and it really helped his Spanish. My hostel/hotel was close, had easy access to the beach, and had a delightful breakfast, so it wasn't hard to take off from there each day and experience a bit of the town. The cathedral near Cody's place was a nice one and I could see how this had been a good place for students to study, use the internet, and meet.

As we prepared to leave on the final evening, Cody had gotten bus tickets for he, Setare, Amanda (another student from Texas) and me to go overnight to Barcelona. At the last moment, as we packed up, Cody couldn't find the tickets he had bought for all of us. We ultimately went to the bus station (in his house father's car -- that Cody didn't even know he owned) and hoped that they would let us on the bus. Luckily, a woman who was checking people in remembered Cody and let us get on. The unfortunate part, however, was that Amanda missed the bus. Apparently she is typically late and this time she was just too late. We felt badly but couldn't do anything about the situation.

Leaving Turkey for San Sebastian

With only about a day left in Istanbul, there were still so many things left to do! For some last minute shopping and a "must do" activity, Marat and I headed over to Mike's restaurant for brunch on Sunday. Cheryl had spoken often of this place and the proprietors and friends she has developed from there. It was clearly a low-key type place that reminded me of a cross between Danal's in New York City and a marijuana den in San Francisco. The food was very good and the atmosphere was unique. There must be a thousand lamps hanging from the ceilings and many textiles all over the walls. The hotel/restaurant is truly only a dalliance for his bigger business of carpet and textile sales. Since I had already spent my carpet allowance in Morocco, I looked at some Anatolyan tapestries and found a couple of pieces that I couldn't live without and would leave me with special memories. One I will put in my University cube to remind me of the larger picture of life so I can stay calm when stressed over things there. Another will grace my entry table at home. Unfortunately, the grand bazaar was closed so I guess I will truly have to return to Istanbul to see it and the numerous other things I'd missed.

We walked around Taxsim Square more this day and got to a couple of the museums that I had missed thus far. A must see was the famous Turtle Tammer picture and then we took off for the modern museum. I typically am not too fond of modern art but this museum had some special pieces and exhibits. Marat knowing the place helped as we had little time but strategic viewing opportunities. There was a special exhibit related to fashion that was very interesting and one that I would definitely recommend to others if they got a chance to see it. As we left this museum we saw another warehouse open with some avant garde type art displays. This was free -- and unusual. Many were visual clips -- for example, of a futbol game being played by men in suits -- and were aimed at challenging the manner in which we think about money and the economy. One display showed three gas pumps on one side and the devastation of gasoline fires on the other. All very interesting. Closing the day with the same dinner we had the first day put a nice final touch to my visit in Istanbul.

Seeing Marat's University was also one of the other must do things. We did that on Monday morning and I got to meet his colleagues and boss, as well as enjoy the view that he enjoys when working in his office. I could see why he was happy working here. I had a nice conversation with his past department chair and other young professional women who are beginning their careers as University instructors as well. The department chair, who has been researching, writing, and speaking about women's Islamic issues, was particularly interesting since her work brings up some of the same questions that I'm reading in my new novel, Snow by Orhan Pamur. She recently completed a novel that I look forward to being able to read when it is translated into English.

Ultimately all good things must come to an end, however, and my wonderful time in Turkey was closing out. I bid Marat farewell (leaving him a few things to bring to me in the US when he returns in September) and headed to the Asian side, again, to take a plane to Barcelona. The first big glitch occurred here when my luggage was 8 kg. over their weight limit and they charged me about $100 to send my things. Although I protested (since I could not get anything done online ahead of time), it was to no avail. Arriving in Barcelona at about 7 p.m. I went to an airport hotel so that I could get to the airport early the next morning.

It's hard to be in a town you want to visit -- yet, not visit it. That will have to wait till Cody, Setare, and I return next week. Now I was preparing for San Sebastian.

Samos, Greece

Bidding Alexis goodbye (she was heading towards the Mediterranean coast of Turkey), I went up to see Lee Anne (the woman we had met last night at dinner) to discuss my next adventure. I had decided that I wanted to take a ferry over to a Greek Island and the only question was to decide which one and from where. Lee Anne's hotel actually sold tickets for the ferry from Kusadasi to Samos and since that was closer than heading back up to Cesme and going to an island from there, this seemed like the best plan. It also worked for more easily getting to the airport of Izmir on Saturday so my plan was set.


Kusadasi is a thriving port city where many cruise ships arrive so that folks can take the excursion up to Ephesus. The bazaar built around this port area was huge. Clearly, they know that many times folks are looking to buy something to remind them of Turkey so you could find almost anything there. I noticed that the scarfs I had bought in Istanbul for 5-10 Turkish lire were 20 here. I did see, however, that some of the ceramic items were less than I had found in Selcuk. I guess it serves one well to "shop" around. I headed for the ferry, got through customs, and enjoyed a cool breeze for the nearly 2 hour boat ride over to Samos.

This small island seemed to have everything that Greece is known for -- small, curvy, hilled pathways, beautiful water, and outdoor cafes everywhere. I almost landed a great room about 1/2 mile from city centre but the room was gone when I got there so the owner told me he'd save a room for me for the following day (it overlooked the water) and took me to another pension back in the middle of the city. The proprietor was gruff, intense, and probably on a bi-polar high when I checked into his place. Not my ideal, but close to town, I took the room and headed out to explore. The lateness of the evening left me time for dinner and a rest so that the following day I could explore the island more.

After settling into the original hotel for the second night the owner drove me to the bus station and I took a bus to the opposite side of the island where it had a rocky shoreline but wonderful winds. This became my day of rest. Renting a lounge and umbrella I slept, read my book, ate and drank by the water, and contemplated the joys of a beautiful location. When I walked back into the small town I found a beautiful little beach town with tons of beach bars, souvenir shops, and people windsurfing. It was a gorgeous location and one that reminded me a bit of Hawaii. Not a bad way to take a peaceful timeout. I found a cute little blue dress that I'll probably never find a place to wear back home but got anyway and headed back to my hotel and dinner. The following day would be about traveling back to Istanbul.

I can't say that Greece is particularly well organized. We were told to be at the port by 8:30 for a 9 a.m. ferry ride but they didn't even open up customs till 9:30. I met an interesting Swedish woman (retired or unemployed school teacher at the moment) who was heading home to her condo in Kusadasi after being in Crete and enjoyed the ferry ride back to Turkey. When I arrived back in Selcuk I went to the restaurant I'd been to several days previously and had some cool hummus, bread, and salad. He actually remembered seeing me the time before and recommended that I check out the train as my way to return to the airport. Apparently if you went by bus, they dropped you off in the middle of the freeway and you either walked or found a taxi to get into the airport.

This day included the following multiple transportation options -- car to the ferry, ferry from Greece to Turkey, small mini-bus from Kusadasi back to Selcuk, train from Selcuk to the airport, plane back to the Asian side of Istanbul, a large bus from the airport to the European side of Istanbul, and a taxi (later) to Marat's apartment. I was only missing a bike and a motorcycle. The most interesting was the local train. We crammed on -- standing in a non-air-conditioned ante room -- hoping to find a seat for the one hour ride. I was pleased to see the care of people. As a small baby cried from the heat of the situation, nearly everyone in the train tried to offer the mother their seat. Since she was getting off soon, she didn't take the seat so we all tried fanning the baby to help keep her temperature down in this sweltering heat. Luckily, she didn't have far to go but my belief in mankind was definitely reinforced.

Although a short venture, I was pleased I had gone to the Aegean Coast and that I had taken the time to go over to Greece. I would like to return to both of these areas (and go further down on the mediterranean coast and into the center of Turkey) as there is so much more to experience.

Turkey's Aegean Sea Coast & Ephesus

After such a wonderful time in Istanbul, I decided it was time to take off on an adventure -- giving Marat a break from company and giving me a chance to experience a different part of this diverse country. Tuesday, July 20, I took a plane to Izmir on the Aegean Sea coast. Once called Smyrna, Izmir is actually now the 3rd largest city in Turkey and the hub from which one can head out to see important archeological remains and beautiful parts of this important region of the world. Staying there one afternoon/evening was plenty. My sense of safety was challenged a bit as I tried walking to "Alexander the Great's Velvet Palace." It turned out to be a park with some ruins up on a hill where there were few people. I ultimately needed to access it via taxi and leave the same way. This was not my typical mode of transportation so it felt quite odd (and costly). Back down by the marina there were a few small city markers (a miniature mosque and small watch tower) and the wonderful ocean to explore. It clearly is a port city, but more for commerce than for tourists. I trusted my intuition and allowed a man who worked at the restaurant where I ate to walk me back to my hotel. The area seemed a bit questionable and he seemed sincere. I'm pleased to say my intuition was right on and we had a lovely conversation as we walked.

The next morning I finally decided which direction to go next. While Cesme (the windsurfing capital of the area) was beckoning, I finally decided to head south by bus to Selcuk, a small community near Ephesus. How could I actually come this close and not go to the 2nd largest ruins in the world? I met a young woman who teaches English Literature in a Manhattan High School and we found a reasonably priced pension to base the day out of. (By the way, her Lonely Planet book seemed much more useful for finding accommodations than the book that I was using.) The short bus ride to Ephesus was a local experience -- crowd as many people in as possible and find a way to deal with the heat -- but Ephesus itself was packed with tourists galore. I can certainly see why. What a historical site! To imagine this place as a bustling community was not difficult. The structures were magnificent, with frescas and huge columns, but the final two are the greatest. The library facade is nearly perfect--and a beautiful site--while you could almost hear music exploding from the large theatre. It, in fact, was last used in 2000 and had been the site for Ray Charles, Elton John, and others to bring their talent. The most important part, however, was that this is the theatre where the Apostle John spoke about Christianity in 57 AD. The silversmith were concerned that this new religion would hurt their trade for silver items with the images of gods (like Artemis) and were able to get the community to run John out of town.

This area has many biblical markers -- the house that Mary (mother Mary) lived the last years of her life after Jesus died, and the Bascilica to St. John. Apparently John returned to this area to write his apostle and found the area so appealing that he came back and died here at the age of 100. The Bascilica housed his tomb and was at one time a beautiful church. The ruins here were intermingled with flowers and the varying shapes and sizes made for wonderful pictures. The view of the surrounding area was 360 degrees and to imagine this community so many years ago was exciting. We saw from a distance the final remaining column of the Temple of Artemis--one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. If it had not been so...... hot, this would have been a perfect time.

Unfortunately, there was no shade and I had no umbrella so I imagined my dermatologist screaming in my ear about "protection." I did get a terrible rash (heat or sun, who knows) and was able to find a small natureapathic store to get a salve that helped. Some day I hope to refind the name of it because it was terrific in healing my skin. Speaking of the heat, I'm so glad I bought two things in Spain -- a fan and something to hold my hair up off my neck. I've never been so hot and these items were life savers. Actually, I think Scottsdale and Las Vegas might be cool in comparison.

The other adventure in Selcuk was learning a bit about (some) Kurdish men. The flirtations from men half my age were humorous and the manner in which a carpet salesman attempts to "soften" you for the sale was really interesting. I had an hour long conversation with 2 cups of tea and a quart of water with one man who I'm sure was disappointed when my teacher friend showed up to whisk me away to dinner -- prior to his sales pitch. I must say, however, that I can see how this style, while irritating to some, could be very engaging and fun for others. They certainly knew how to charm and hold the conversation. Marat later told me that many times women are intriqued by the Kurdish men's attentiveness only to find it stifling after a relationship develops. For me, I enjoyed the conversations and found the lack of concern for time an interesting culture shift and exactly the type of thing that would remain a memory. This included the friendly proprietor of the restaurant where we had dinner. His style was charming and we enjoyed our time--and the food.

At the restaurant we also met a woman who was now a local. She had come from New Zealand and fell in love with the community and the country. She was working in an upscale hotel up the hill and shared her warm feelings about Turkey. The following morning she helped me plot out the next adventure -- a ferry ride to a Greek Island. That I will share in the next post.

Istanbul -- First five days

Well, although I'm writing this way after my time there, I want to share the wonderful experiences I found in this extraordinary city. Since my pictures and journals were stolen along with my computer in the backpack, I will be trying to recreate from my memories. Thus, places may be spelled incorrectly and I hope to upload pictures to Facebook in the future--after I receive them from Marat.

I was unaware that Istanbul is the only city on two continents -- Europe and Asia. The Bospherus River divides the sides and I can imagine why this has been such a pivotal place throughout history. In fact, every time I had a view of the city I would see different time periods with people in different attire using different modes of transportation. My imagination was more vivid here then in anyplace I've ever been. Imagine with me the 1400s or the late 1800s or even 600 AD. What an amazing place this was in all of those different times. It has influenced so much of history and I felt blessed to have decided to come to this unique and very diverse place with friendly people. Many things reminded me of New York City and San Francisco combined with a middle eastern flavor.

I landed at 1:30 a.m. on the Asian side and my host/friend, Marat, was waiting for me. What a great way to keep me from freaking out in the newness of such a cosmopolitan area. We jumped on a bus that took us 45 minutes back to the European side, and then another bus to an area about 2 blocks from his apartment. We stopped for some of the greatest lentil soup and kebob plate of foods I have tasted in a long time. Finally, to bed around 5 a.m. I hope to be such a wonderful host to others in the future.

Marat had to work the next two days at his University so I set about to do some site seeing around the city. After taking Marat's directions for using the bus and tram to get around town and I took off to the Topkapi Palace. As a first day's venture, it was a great place to start. After much ruin, the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II built mosques, monuments and this magnificent Palace in the 1600s. I saw the harem living quarters, the rest of the palace buildings, as well as the many gorgeous treasurers that have remained from that time. Some of the items reminded me of what can be found at the Smithsonian and in Egyptian exhibits of beautiful jewels, swords, daggers, etc. Later that evening we meet for dinner in the Sultanahmet area (the historical centre of the city with many tourists) and had a long, delightful conversation about life, love, and adventure. The next day's site seeing included the underground Byzantine cistern (one of my favorite spots) with stone images of Medusa, the Aya Sofya, and the Blue Mosque. The Aya Sofya was originally built around 500 AD and has been both a mosque and a church. It's dome was an architectural wonder and the mosaics continue to be restored to show the splendor that was allowed during its Christian period. I believe it is considered one of the wonders of the old world. I also visited the Blue Mosque which had the softest carpet I have ever experienced and beautiful tile work. I felt honored to be able to visit a mosque and to have a better understanding of this spiritual place of worship. I hope to visit the other special mosque -- the Suleymaniye Camii -- in the future.

After experiencing these human made places, Marat and I took a boat trip up the Bosphorus and I got to experience a nature made wonder. It was a delightful time of day (sunset) and the cool air of the water took the edge off the heat of the day. We finished the boat ride off with tea and dessert overlooking the Bosphorus and then headed off for a concert in the park near his apartment. What fun!! The music was an older turkish band called Grup Gunderstrum and the seating area was packed. Everyone sang along, children danced down in front and I felt like this was the perfect ending to a day that would be one of my best memories of the trip. Little did I know that all days in Istanbul are so full.

The weekend included walking through the Taksim area (filled in the daytime but packed at night), taking the tunel (a short underground train built in 1835 with beautiful tulip tiles along the walls), seeing a great and unexpected cultural dance program performed by students of differing regions throughout Russia/Turkey/surrounding countries, visiting the spice market, going to another concert in a park up on the Golden Horn area. I completed this section of the Istanbul trip Monday with a visit to the Galata Tower and surrounding area. It was exciting to walk around a corner and all of a sudden see this important tower appear. The view of Istanbul from the top was magnificent. I then took off to see a special exhibit on the human body that was available near the museum of modern art and stopped off to have tea at a small area that apparently is where everyone goes to smoke water pipes. It was a very relaxed area and people seemed very calm and easy going. We finished off this day with a delightful seafood meal at a restaurant with a colleague of Marat's and her boyfriend. He was from a small Kurdish village in the central area of Turkey and come to find out, the waiter was from the adjoining community. It always is a small world -- where ever you go.

I think I will complete this blog with this image -- life is filled with many people and places but when it is all said and done, we are so very much alike. Sharing good food, friendship, and beautiful sites and sounds brings much comfort and joy.

Leaving Morocco

I'm at the end of my stay in Morocco. It has been a wonderful time. Ifrane is attractive and cooler than the cities, the people throughout Morocco are friendly and full of humor, the food has been great, the shopping productive, and Cheryl a wonderful hostess.

This weekend we went to a Riad in Fez. Although it was incredibly hot this was a great experience! The owner of the Riad took 12 years to refurbish it. It actually was five different merchants' homes that was combined. There was a beautiful pool and the rooms had all of the accouterments to make it quite special. I was up above looking down while Cheryl's room was at the ground level with a very high ceiling. Dinner and breakfast came with the room. We had lamb tagine and, of course, the many different Moroccan salads. Dessert was a very rich chocolate mousse. After dinner we went for a walk in the Medina. It is very easy to get lost since they have such small alleyway type paths and many of them look much the same since there are merchants everywhere. We thought we had ourselves pretty oriented but when we turned around to come back, many storefronts were closing up and things looked different. We ended up passing our turn and had to retrace our steps. As we made our 3 left turns, we were getting a big worried so asked some women who were walking in front of us if they could help. Apparently no one really knows their way well, so another man began to take us. Luckily, I saw the sign for our Riad and one of the women who worked there was waiting for us and stopped us and we started to walk on by with our escort. They say don't go out alone in the Medina but, although we got a bit nervous for a few minutes, we did pretty well navigating.

Breakfast on Sunday included the wonderful fresh squeezed orange juice you find all over Morocco, flat breads, their version of pancakes, and a chocolate crepe. After breakfast, Cheryl and I had a great tour of the Medina. Her friends, Thomas and Fazia, have a travel business where they hook people up for special adventures and they had set everything up. They booked the Riad and the tour for us. Fazia had also gone with us rug shopping earlier in the week so I feel like I'm getting to know her a bit. She came to Morocco on a studies abroad program when she was in college in Canada and she never went home. That was 13 years ago. Thomas, on the other hand, is a twin who is also a writer and runner. He is presently writing a book on barefoot running.

Ameen, our tour guide, was a wonderful, funny, informative man and a treat to spend time with. Of course, he knew his way around and was "certified" to be a tour guide. He had recently gotten his papers of marriage but the ceremony is planned for two weeks from now. He invited us to his wedding but unfortunately, I will be gone and Cheryl will still be back in the states. He took us around the different type areas of merchandise (fruits, chicken slaughtering area, silk threads, garments, embroidered belts, drums, etc.) and to the mosque, the two different schools, and ultimately to the tannery. Everything was a feast for the eyes -- and the pocketbook. It was hard to limit myself since prices are so much better here for many items. A few trinkets and some nice leather became the focus of the purchases here. Mostly, I loved experiencing the culture.

On the ride home from Fez in the later afternoon it was very hot. I appreciated the great old structures, the roadside honey stands (hummmmm, an idea for the Heitkam bee keepers crew), the traffic, and the adventure no matter the heat. I'm assuming it might be nice to visit in the fall when it is not so hot but for me it didn't matter. Although, I must admit, I've never had my hair up so much as since I've come to Morocco.

I ended my weekend watching a great Espana team win the World Cup! It was very exciting and I could imagine the activity in Alicante and Madrid as everyone celebrated. It was a bit more calm here but most were supporting Spain so there was some cheering and one horn honking.

Our final big meal was last night when we went to a very classy french restaurant at a special new resort that looks like Squaw Creek Resort -- except for the sculpted boar at the entrance and the sculpted horse lamp in the lobby. They had a wonderful duck dish that I partook in and the temperature was like one of those perfect nights in Reno. I'm starting to take "food pictures" that will be fun to share with my next door neighbor, Monica.

As my adventure here ends, I'm trying to figure out how to ship things back to the states and get some work things completed prior to taking off for Istanbul. I met with someone looking for more folks to hire as faculty and realized that I would have no problem in spreading the word of what a great experience this could be for some one interested in new adventures. It sure looks like Cheryl is enjoying it and there are many who have come and stayed. Of course, you have to be willing to handle the frustrations inherent in dealing with an new culture and the realities that some things become more complicated. But, for those adventurous sort, this is a great place to experience!

Morocco -- First Week

Well, I've been in Morocco now for six days. I expected to feel more culture shock than I have so far. Perhaps that comes from the fact that Ifrane, where Cheryl works and lives, is in a high mountain plateau and has a very french influence. Also, since it was so hot in Fez when they picked me up, we immediately headed up the mountain to beat the heat a bit and to ready ourselves for a small picnic outing with other University faculty families -- to celebrate 4th of July.

Cheryl (Woehr), an international counselor at TMCC, took a contract here for a year to teach and be the only counselor for an American style University of 1400 students. It is called Al Akhawayn University and was created by the King of Morocco and the King of Saudi Arabia. It is a beautiful campus. Most of the students are young people from privileged backgrounds who are living here in the residences. For many this is their first time away and they are trying to discover themselves. The faculty is quite diverse. Of course, there are Moroccan instructors but there are also American, Italian, Canadian, Turkish, and others. Cheryl set me up to do a presentation for students on Thursday. 70 students attended! It was interesting an fun -- just a little difficult due to the acoustics making it even harder for me to understand their french/arabic sounding English. I'm so impressed with how many languages everyone speaks and certainly wish that languages came easier to me.

We have gone to the spice market and shopping for rugs so far. Had a wonderful couscous lunch with the family of the rug shop owner. He has sold many rugs to Cheryl so they have become good friends. Friday is couscous dinner day and so his mother made this wonderful traditional dish of couscous, vegetables, and beef that we all shared. It was set in the middle of the table, we all had a spoon and section of our own, and we ate. There was he, his mother, his sister, his wife and her brother, and three of us at the table. Then the children were around playing. Their 8 month old daughter was the sweetest, large eyed little girl I've seen in a long time and they had a 2 year old little boy who was also delightful. The older children ate in a room separate and saw us periodically. I really appreciated being invited into their home and getting to see family life--what an opportunity for a family therapist!

The rug purchasing adventure was also an interesting experience. They pull out numerous carpets, overwhelming you with options, and then you start putting them in piles of yes, no, maybe. Finally, you do it again so you can start eliminating down to the ones that you want. There are many different types of berber rugs, some made of silk, some in wool, some knotted, some not, and very lovely differences. It was very hard to decide -- of course, now I want to go and get more.

We are taking off for a Riad in a few hours so I will report on the second half of the Moroccan adventure in a few days.

Alicante -- the final week

Well, this part of the summer adventure has come to an end. I had my final two classes, graded papers, sent Setare and Cody off to Madrid, and spent some nice times with the students. My European Women's History class continued to be a highlight. Pilar will remain a special person in my memories. Her energy, enthusiasm, manner of teaching and being with the students, and openness was a special treat. I hope to remain in contact with her in the future. Luis was already off for Madrid so I was only able to contact him via email but he, too, has a special way with the students. USAC is lucky to have these people working with them.

As the students were studying and planning their departures, the last part of the week was a bit low key -- except, of course, for the Espana games in the World Cup. This continued to also be a highlight. The Spanish clearly know how to celebrate and cheer. Setare and I found fans that are designed like the flag and Cody found a teeshirt so we were definitely in the right attire. And, Spain did not disappoint! They won two more games this week and are heading to the quarterfinals against Germany. What a great time to be in Spain. I only wish that I might be there for the finals when they win....

Many students left Friday so I ended up one last time at Lizzaran's Tapa Bar with "the mexicans" as they called themselves. Lauren, Mercedes, Lupe, Francisco, Cristine, and Andrea spent a great deal of time together and were always laughing. After saying goodbye to them, I found Maria and Kylene having paella with Maria's family to say goodbye there, too, took a walk down the esplanada and headed home to my last "normal night." I had to move out of the apartment and found a hotel close by to stay in for Saturday. Went to the beach one last time and met up with Irene and her boyfriend, Brian. They will be heading out on their month long trek tomorrow (to Spain, France, and Greece) so we decided to meet up to watch the final Espana game outside at Austin's with the great crowds. As mentioned earlier in this blog, we were not disappointed.

Sunday was departure day and I headed out for Morocco (with two suitcases and a backpack). My next adventure includes figuring out how do unload items inexpensively so I don't have to cart so much around to Turkey.

Granada, Spain

Although I'm going to Morocco, Setare and Cody are not so we had heard that Granada was a place not to miss. This would be their one opportunity. So, we watched beautiful fireworks on the beach Friday night, stayed up almost all night downloading pictures, and finally headed off on a 4 hour bus ride to Granada.

We arrived, found the local bus to our hotel, rested a bit, and then headed out to do some exploring. We were going to La Alhambra tomorrow morning so today was the bits and pieces day. Granada was the last stronghold of the Moors when the Catholics took over so there is a lot of Muslim influence in the architecture and food while still definitely being a Spanish town. We roamed some back streets and ultimately ended up at the great cathedral. This was the first one that S & C had seen so they were very impressed. It was gorgeous and certainly was every bit as interesting as the others I had seen around Madrid.

Another adventure for this day was to attend a Flaminco Show in the cave district. Rather than just going to the University for their performance, we decided to be tourists for a change. That meant we got picked up by a bus, given a walking tour of the area so we could see Alhambra at night, a drink in the show, and a ride home. Although we really didn't like being tourists this was pretty spectacular. We were lined up against the walls of a small cave and the Spanish crowd was very excited. They were singing and dancing themselves prior to the performance. If only we had known the songs so we could have joined in. Setare was cheering and laughing the whole time. Then the performances were in two blocks. We think it was the younger upstarts in the first group of three and then the older, more experienced dancers in the second group to perform. They were all very spectacular! The first group was very serious and the second group smiled, laughed, and even stopped to say "thank you" when some one in the crowd said "whapa!" Although I'm probably spelling it wrong, I believe the word means "beautiful!" What a fun night!

Sunday morning we headed off to La Alhambra -- spending about 4 hours walking around the grounds, seeing the old fortress, the gardens, the general living areas, and ending with the palace. It was probably a bit of a let down for Setare since she has seen many beautiful places in Iran when she has visited there in the past. But, it was still very interesting (but hot). When we returned we rested and decided to go out of Moroccan food since we were getting very tired of tapas. Tapas are served free with a beer but we wanted a real meal. We weren't disappointed -- two different chicken dishes, couscous, vegetables, and wonderful mint tea. Unfortunately, however, it made us arrive at the free classical piano concert we had come upon too late so we couldn't attend. Since Granada was having a special arts festival with many free performances, we decided to walk to a different one that was contemporary modern dance starting at 10 p.m. Of course, we got lost and finally found a lovely french/spanish couple that were out taking a walk who helped us find our way to the venue. Cody started trying his Spanish more and they were wonderfully helpful. Later I saw that they decided to come to the program as well. It was very good -- although a little hard for us to understand since we couldn't read the program to understand the symbolic meaning of the movements. Still..., we enjoyed it.

The final day in Granada was a bit low key. I think we were all ready to get back to Alicante yet the bus was not leaving till 5 p.m. We walked around, bought a few souvenirs, looked at more architecture, stopped at the bull ring, and got to the bus station. About that time, however, Cody noticed that we had a small problem with our bus tickets. When we were booking them on line we apparently had not changed the date for the return form the arrival and our tickets were for two days earlier. They wouldn't exchange them and there were no seats on this or the next two buses so we bought tickets for the 3 a.m. ride arriving in Alicante at 9 a.m. (Just in time for me to make it to my class). After doing some grading in the train station, we took the city bus back into town and found a nice place to have dinner. Tried to make another classical musical performance but this one was full within 5 minutes of ticket availability (we arrived at 8 minutes after). So I guess we weren't supposed to hear music on this trip. We walked to another venue that was in a park with 3 young gymnasts who were doing an avant garde performance. Interesting.

Finally we headed back to the bus station and made sure that we didn't miss this bus. Clearly, we were resourceful, though. Everyone stayed calm and we made the best of a confusing error. Cody and Setare are fun to travel with because they are so easy going--and they love Alicante!

"I love Alicante!!"

Well, I'm very far behind on keeping this blog up. Cody and Setare have come and gone already but I will share some of the great adventures we had during their stay. First, the title is in honor of Setare. She couldn't stop saying this the first few days she was here.

When I met them at the train station on Tuesday the 22nd I was looking at two very tired young folks. Apparently the train is not as easy to sleep on as one might think. Apparently they talked in monosyllables all the way here -- each one starting a dialogue to find the other one drifting off to sleep, I brought them to my apartment and they emailed and rested for a couple of hours prior to our beginning our crazy week of the Hogueras Festival. Little did they know that rest was not soon to come -- Alicante during this festival time grows from 300,000 people to over a million and people party with bands in the streets till around 6 a.m. Additionally, a band goes up and down the streets in the mornings to wake people up at 8, 9, and 10. Also, there are firecrackers going off all of the time. What excitement in the air. The University closes for Thursday and Friday as do many other businesses and the city is ready to celebrate!

Pilar, the instructor for our European Women in History class met the class at 7:15 p.m. so we could get an insider's view of the Festival and it's many traditions. As I might have said previously, there had already been several parades (traditional and character-based) that would go down the two main streets of the city centre for about 3-4 hours. Chairs were set up on each side of the road so folks could sit for hours to observe. Pilar's Uncle and Aunt dress up and have been doing the parades for about 50 years, including when she was a young girl and would go with them. We first got to meet them and her Mom as well as to see the areas that people pay all year to enjoy. Many small neighborhoods pay to have their special large street area where everyone eats lunch together (around 3 p.m.) and all ages play outside to the wee hours. I could certainly see the Creighton Way bunch taking to this activity with a lot of gusto.

We then toured around looking at the magical art structures that are created throughout the city. There are about 100 in total and they are placed in size and cost categories and compete for prizes. I've posted some pictures of them on Facebook but will try to see how to get a few up here in a bit. Most of these structures are cynical and satirical about politics and culture. They remind me of a cross between Mardi Gras and Burning Man -- what a great site to run around and see. There was a beautiful one representing the Picasso painting in the Reine Sophia in Madrid. (A special painting that he would not let be brought back to Spain until Franco was no longer in power). It is amazing that they are so willing to burn them on Thursday evening.

After our tour we were off to celebrate one of the student's 20th birthday (two other students had turned 21 last week). We ended up at one of the marina bars dancing till around 3:30 a.m. Although I had school the next day, the kids were able to sleep some and try to get up just to join up with others after their classes. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday was a whirlwind of activities -- market shopping, attending the 2 p.m. firecracker competitions, going to the beach, enjoying great food (paella, tapas, churros, etc.) running around town, watching futbol games, dancing, and moving through the crowds and noise. Wednesday night saw the largest beach party I have ever seen -- clearly a place that many high school students did and then Thursday midnight's fires were absolutely spectacular! It is truly hard to explain what we saw.

The idea of the Hogueras de San Juan (the Baptist) is a very old festival to celebrate the arrival of the summer solstice. The purpose of the rite is to "give more power to the sun." Symbolically the fire is also about "cleansing" so it includes the homemade bonfires on the beach where folks jump over the fires to mean moving into the new days. The big bonfires are the burning of these huge structures. Now Spain has, of course, made this into a party. The bambaros are playfully taunted till they turn the water on the crowd and everyone gets totally drenched. If you go to http://www.euroresidentes.com/Fiestas/Hogueras_Alicante.htm you can see many pictures of the activities I've been describing. Also, we have some wonderful pictures on our Facebook pages (Cody and I) if you want to see those.

This was a wonderful week for them to be here! Yo (Heart) Alicante!

Were not in Brussels?

Last Friday night we headed out to Brussels via Ryan Air. This is a cheaper airline of Europe and if their ranking of best on time is accurate, I wouldn't want to fly anything else. They were an hour late leaving (and returning on Sunday). When we finally arrived around 10 p.m. we went to take a taxi (for seven folks) and found out that we weren't in Brussels!! We were about an hour outside to the south. It was funny and we learned a valuable lesson: research, research, research.

Of course, that lesson continued throughout the weekend. Five students had decided to try and stay in one room (sneaking three in) while another student and I had booked a room at a recommended hotel about 20 minutes away. Initially, the distance seemed like a hassle and a bad decision. Ultimately, however, it was a good one. When we dropped them at their hotel several thought maybe they should just stay in the taxi. It was a very tiny place in the midst of remodeling -- about a 1 star version. Apparently they got caught and ultimately locked out of the hotel with their items inside with the other two. While we were walking around getting something to eat, trying to find them, and discovering the city center they ended up getting a taxi, coming to our hotel, and booking a separate room. The next morning they were able to get their things and, in fact, the first two also moved to our hotel. We, on the other hand had this ultra modern hotel (4 star version) for the same price. Our lesson, though, was that they inadvertently gave us breakfast which cost a lot of euros more. (25 each per day). We complained and got it cut in half but it was still very expensive. Our breakfast then cost as much as our dinner had on Sat. night. Always lessons. There is never something for nothing!

Brussels was an interesting and fun place to visit! The night we arrived was the night that Algeria had tied England in their World Cup game. Honking horns, crowds cheering, and random kisses were everywhere until way in the morning hours. We walked to the city centre on Saturday morning, finding many interesting things to observe and partake in. Several of the girls bought cuban cigars for later in the day and, of course, we had to buy Belgium waffles and chocolates for here and to send home. There are many different companies but we focused on Whitaker chocolates since they had won best chocolates of Belgium this year. I also found a great tapestry store that I could have spent hours in (but didn't) -- many recreations of famous paintings and, of course, lots of Van Gogh images. We ended up not going into the lace stores as the buildings were what I really wanted to see.

As we wondered it would move from sunny, to rain, to overcast, to cold, to sunny again. Unfortunately, I didn't bring anything warm so I ultimately decided I needed to get a jacket or else I would freeze that evening. Great thinking -- I had planned mostly for mediterranean weather apparently. That occurred as we walked

The buildings in Belgium are gorgeous -- the square magnificent and the cathedral impressive. Mostly I liked the outside of the structures because together they make a glorious vision. Unfortunately we got back to the musical instruments museum too late and missed being able to go inside. It is such a cosmopolitan town -- clearly the capital of Europe, as they say. The little statue was a hoot -- he was dressed in a black cape and couldn't be seen much but I got a very cute picture of it anyway. It was raining during that time so we kept moving in and out of the area to avoid the downpours. They are right when they say you never know when it is going to rain in Belgium. Dee reminded me that when we went back in 1969 it was raining as well. It was our last day in Europe so I didn't even remember going. Linny recently sent a Facebook message asking me if I had seen the special alter. That again, shows how research would truly help. I didn't even know what she was talking about -- so, maybe I saw it and didn't know what it was.

After returning to the Hotel Bloom -- my goodness my feet hurt -- we took a siesta to prepare for the evening adventures. We took off off to find a restaurant that we had seen earlier in the day -- 13 euros for a 3 course meal. I had a smoked salmon with bread first course, a bowl of mussels for second course, and a flambe for dessert. Then we headed out for the main Delirium Bar. This is a Belgium beer and Kylene, one of the students with us who works at Bully's, was certain that we needed to go there. She was right. A big, two story building filled with people. Although it was hard to move around the two cigar smoking girls lead us to the floor where you could smoke, we grabbed beers (one in a boot since that was a tradition that one of the girls wanted to experience), and found seats. People watching was very fun. We ended up talking with a group of British guys who were in Brussels for their friend's bachelor party. They were all dressed up in religious outfits (a monk, Jesus, the Pope, a priest, etc.) and getting pretty "happy." Finally a few of us (4 of the 7) decided to head back to the Hotel while 3 went off to another bar. Again walk, walk, walk. I wonder if I will have feet after this trip to Europe.

Luckily we had our original taxi cab driver meet us at 7:30 a.m. and we headed back "out" of Brussels to take Ryan Air back to Alicante. The Spanish folks are so polite -- they clap when the pilot lands safely. Well, we're back.

keeping up

Wow, it is so hard to find the time to keep up on everything. Today I was thinking that the travel to and from places adds time that we typically use for phone calls, emails, etc. in the states. Getting to and back from the University takes about 30 minutes each way and walking to the beach or to meet folks is a good 20-25 minute walk. It is amazing that for the first time in my life I am actually on time almost all of the time.

The third week in Alicante had some rain and cooler times. I spent more time in the apartment preparing for class, reading for my European Women class, and making travel arrangements for some of the coming adventures. Have finalized going to Granada with Cody and Setare when they arrive, a 10 day trip to Morocco to see Cheryl Woehr, about 5 days in Istanbul to see Marat and that area, sometime in Barcelona and ??

The instructor in the European Women class is fantastico! Her name is Pilar and she is quite engaging and energetic. We are teasing her about creating a following called "Pilarism." She took us to the MARQ museum on Thursday and we were able to see the archeological findings from the area of Alicante. It is a beautiful museum (won best museum in Europe in 2005) and fit very well with our studies in her class. The films we are watching help put everything in context and have really made being here interesting and fun. It has also created a bonding for this smaller group. We ended the "tour" with a special drink at a great outdoor cafe called Soho. Great trees and shade. I had a blanco y negro which is like an slushy iced coffee with a plop of vanilla ice cream on top. Very refreshing. The same waiter is always there whenever we have been there. They also have great Sangria!

We watched soccer some more this week as well. Wednesday Espana won and the crowds were ecstatic! It is wonderful to be here during soccer. There were guys running up and down in front of us between the three outdoor bars so we did the wave and screamed. I have a small flag but many of our students are wearing shirts, scarfs, etc. We are becoming Spaniards!! Hercules, the local team, also won their second game so now they will be going up a division to play with the big teams -- Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, etc. The city folks were cheering in the squares until 2 a.m.

On Thursday we finished our snorkeling adventure to the island of La Trabaca. There were 12 girls screaming everytime we went over the waves, a Russian and a Spaniard captain laughing at us, only a couple of sick chicas (they had celebrated the twins, Jasmine and Jacqualine's 21st birthday till 5 a.m. the night before), and a great cave to explore. It was very cold as we returned around 11.

Due to the extra partying Wed. night many students didn't show up for class on Thursday. They are all given a single miss so almost everyone in my class has taken it. Having more general studies students makes the class a bit different then when I'm teaching folks who plan on being counselors. There are a few, but others are just interested in the topic and didn't want to take another language class. The summertime students are a bit less focused on learning, however, it is interesting to note the variety of students -- from Clemson to Chico to U of Maryland to UNLV to upstate Michigan to Point Loma in So. Cal to Cornell, to N. Dakota. While many are working towards spanish minors, most are planning to go on to grad school.

Well, Brussels is next so I'll do that in a separate post.

Week 2 in Alicante

Alicante remains a delightful spot to sun, celebrate, and educate. The days for sandy beaches and opportunities to watch soccer are increasing. Now that the World Cup has begun we all meet often to watch the next game. USA's tie with England was a fun night of 15 women screaming and jumping (some of the students played soccer as young children and in high school so most truly understand the game) and I'll be watching the upcoming 1st game for Spain on Wednesday. We also went to the local team (Hercules) game last night and cheered almost as loud as the 50,000 regular fans. If they win their next game they move up to the next division next year so everyone is very excited. It's is really fun to be somewhere where folks are very passionate about their futbol.

In terms of work, I got to visit the Gender Studies program at the university here (they are doing some great things, I think) yesterday, and today we went to visit a treatment program. Half of the students in my class came due to upcoming midterms but the ones who did were very pleased. The psychologist who showed us around had spent part of the day translating his slide show into English for us. Very nice man. As one of the students said "I could tell him my life story easily." Cocaine and alcohol are the big drugs of abuse and about 20% in the program were women so it was interesting to see how they are similar and how they are different. I've given a midterm and we are now half way through the course. Amazing how time flies.

Spain's political situation is quite unique from other European countries. Like England and Belgium they have a monarchy but they are more socialist in nature than many of the other more "right leaning" republics. They have an advanced law regarding violence (since 2004), same gender marriages were legalized several years ago and show up as a group on their statistics, and healthcare is free to everyone. Divorce is very acceptable for all but the more religious and they certainly love a good parade. There were two this weekend! A traditional 3 1/2 hour long one on Saturday night and a frivolous, fun one with folks dressed in characters on Sunday night. All of this begins the great festival that is commencing.

Our field trip this Saturday was to a town (El Elche) south of Alicante with thousands of palm trees and then to the only inhabited island that has no paved roads or motorized vehicles. Of course, I don't know where they would go since the island was very small. Supposedly there is great snorkeling nearby (something we are planning to do on Thursday evening).

Saturday night back in Alicante included a big outdoor dance party at the end of the pier and many people out in the streets celebrating life. Awww, what an interesting time to be here.

Well, I need to start making plans for after the session so will close now. Hoping to post some pictures if I can figure out how. If you can't wait, check my Facebook page for some already posted there.

Alicante

Okay -- I've been really busy so haven't blogged in a long time. In fact, I haven't even talked about my time here in Alicante.

We arrived by bus to the city centre (Plaza Luceros) and were each met by our landlord or home stay family. Pablo and his wife met me and took me to my new 3 bedroom, 2 bath apartment two blocks up the hill. It is modest but well situated and has a nice breeze coming through the long corridor. It's on the 6th floor so I feel quite safe. He is comfortable with Cody and Setare coming for a week so everything is in order. There is a supermercada about a block away but the beach is a good 25 minute walk. Pablo is from Argentina and quite gracious. He even got me a DVD player since I don't understand anything on the t.v., have no radio, and the speakers on my computer are going out.

There is a beautiful promenade down by the beach called the Esplanada with small tiles all configured on the walkway. I will post a picture later. All of the older folks come out at night, find a chair (that they keep nearby so no one takes it from them), and chat with friends. It is right across from the Marina and has palm trees to block the sun a bit. The weather has been delightful. Rain one evening, overcast a couple of days, but sunny and not too hot so far. I've heard that June is very pleasant but July can be very muggy.

The Valor chocolate company has a small restaurant where you get a "cup of liquid chocolate" and churros for 4.9 euros. Quite tasty but I think I need to not do this again till Cody comes to visit. It was dinner one evening. Otherwise, I went out for tapas last Friday night with some of the students. They were delicious!!! Finally got to go to the big market for food and what a sight! Two floors of sellers in a building about as big as a cathedral or the size of Lawlor Event Center. Otherwise, I've eaten in and tried not to keep the custom of eating so late. Not really possible so far though because it is nice to walk around after going to the beach. Usually get back to the apartment around 9 -- just in time to email, do some prep for classes, and eat.

Speaking of prep, my class is Tuesday and Thursday from 11:30-12:45. I ended up with 8 students in my class (as big as any other class available) so I'm pleased. It is difficult, however, because 2 classes have already been cancelled due to a state worker strike and a big festival planned in a few weeks. I keep trying to cut things out of the class so that we have fun but they get the most important learnings. I'm arranging a visit to a treatment center here so that could be eye opening for the students.

I am taking a class everyday from 1-2:40 on European Women in History. She is quite passionate and I'm learning a ton. We are watching many movies and then putting them in context to the readings. So far have watched one with Sean Connery about the Spanish Inquisition, another about St. Teresa (she started the service oriented branch of the Carmelite nuns and was a powerful, determined woman who became a saint), and Elizabeth I with Cate Blanchett. The Teresa one was very interesting and incredibly erotic.

The University is quite large and pleasant. The students are in finals so there is activity but not as much as normal, Luis says. I get there by train and return by bus (schedules work better that way), since it is about 3 1/2 miles from the city centre. The staff at USAC are great and very helpful. They organized our first field trip last weekend to a small town called Altea and the coast of Calpe just up the coast a small way from Alicante. Great small towns. I've posted one picture on Facebook from there but will put in more later. We have another field trip to an island this Saturday and then a local soccer game Sunday evening.

Since it is time to get ready for class, I will write a new entry about this weekend's adventures soon and try to get some pictures downloaded.

Madrid

After an uneventful flight, I landed in Madrid last Tuesday. After finding the hotel, getting settled in, and walking around like a zombie due to jet lag, I finally met up with the group from Spain that would be doing the Madrid tour. As the only non Spanish speaking, non college-age student, I could see that things might be different from 1969. The "kids" were excited to meet new folks and I was becoming quieter. Hum mm, how easy it is to lose your confidence!

The Madrid tour, however, was very educational and interesting. The staff of USAC were friendly and the tour staff engaging. Here's a bit about what we got to see: The first day started with a walk to the Prado Museum. We saw paintings by El Greco, Velazquez, and Le Goya. The history was already beginning to be revealed. The information was short but thorough and even when I went back to see more later, I realized the best had been seen and heard about in the hour or so tour. We walked on to the Palace and went through many of the rooms. Of course, not reading signs well I was admonished for attempting to take pictures of forbidden views. Naive rebellion never seems far from my experiences. That day ended for me walking around looking for food. I was a bit hesitant of the empty streets (ahhh., it was just too early in the evening to know what were safe areas and what weren't. I finally found a wonderful restaurant that had some of the best calamari I have ever tasted. Along with salad and wine, who could ask for more.

The second day included a bus ride to Segovia, a mountain city to the northwest of Madrid. On the way we passed a monument to Cervantes and his most well known book, Man of La Mancha. When we arrived in Segovia we were greeted with an amazing site. A 2000 year old Roman built aqueduct graces the town and was actually working until only 100 years ago. To think that there was that awareness of engineering so long ago still amazes me. No wonder engineers remain a much coveted profession. We also toured a special castle -- the one Disneyland's "Magic Castle" was modeled after. It was the vacation home for the Catholic Kings, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. What a beautiful building and it's very helpful to have visuals to explain the way it was in olden times. I actually think my history of Spain will be enhanced from this trip. After lunch with a couple of the students from Maryland, we did an independent tour of a cathedral. This reminded me of the many cathedrals I visited with Dee and Melody. Dee's Catholicism and our need to remain safe as young women made such visits mandatory those many years ago. Now, the world's interest seems to be waning, however, the buildings are still quite amazing.

Upon our return to Madrid we "ran" through the Museum Sophia with our guide, Isabella. Her knowledge is great and it was fun to see Picasso, Miro, and Dali. I thought of Margo's book about Father Hunger since one of Picasso's signature blue period pieces was on display. His large painting that was brought back to this, his home country, after Franco was no longer the Dictator of Spain was magnificent. But, in truth, I was most intrigued by the symbolism of Dali's work. Clearly our tour guide knew her art. It certainly made me appreciate the more recent masterpieces. Since I'm a lover of impressionism this was a new enjoyment. After returning to the hotel that night, I decided to walk around the shopping area. What an amazing street -- people were everywhere. With the excitement of adventure, I took myself to a small showing of Carmen, The Flamingo Ballet. For only 20 euro, I was very pleased with the quality and professionalism of the dancers. Finally, at 11 p.m. I sat in a square, drinking a beer and watching people meander by on a Friday night.

The following day we went to Toledo -- the oldest city just southwest of Madrid. With many cobblestone streets, this original capital of Spain was the place where three religions existed peacefully for 400 years prior to the 1400s--Jewish, Christian, and Muslims. Since this was where El Greco lived there were many representations of his in the cathedral there. It was miraculous and the town was readying for a great celebration. What a beautiful representation! I also was invited to have lunch with the faculty, tour guides, and bus drivers. It was nice to share this time with all of them -- even though I was not able to follow their discussion of eating escargot that well. After we returned to the hotel, I rested my weary feet and then headed out to see the botanical gardens (there was a special Japanese arrangement show going on) and the turtle bond in the train station. I think I did myself in because my feet were not particularly comfortable with walking much more that evening.

The next morning we left for Alicante -- a story to be continued in my next post. Soon I will catch up and keep this going more reqularly.

the first week

Well this is my story -- the adventures of a "middle aged" woman revisiting a land she flirted with as a young "ingenue." The times are different and the reactions (mine and everyone else's) seem somewhat muted in comparison to my memories of the first visit to Europe.

Then, everyone was interested in what several young women could possibly want with such an adventure. It was not the typical situation for midwestern college girls in 1969. The adventuresome women from the East Coast were heading off to Woodstock and the rest of America was interested in sending men to the moon. We, on the other hand, decided to see what the world looked like and what people from different cultures and countries actually felt, said, did, and wanted. Not a bad research project for someone pursuing a psychology or sociology major. At that time I was unfamiliar with plane travel or independent movement. The good news was that I had studied French some in high school and college and the first four days would be spent in Paris. Not a bad way to start off a new adventure.

Now, the plan is a bit different. Instead of working as chambermaids, waitresses, and hat check girls, I am teaching a course on women and addiction to college students studying abroad. Also, I'm in a country where I have never been able to get the language to roll off my tongue. I continue to want to say "bonjour" rather than "hola" and I'm quite alone rather than with a peer. With all of this difference, however, I begin....