Marrakech II (Spring Break)

2/26/15

Day 42 

Today I made a poor life decision. We rode camels. Who knew that riding a camel is a painful and potentially fatal experience? Not me. To be fair, I think  I think my seat was too far forward on my camel (whose name was Booze- that should have told me something). You hold onto this skinny metal handle so you don't have a good grip and it's not a smooth ride at all. Every step feels like the camel's going down. I'm not really sure why no one talks about any of this but I was ready to get off after like 10 minutes. It was hard, painful, not fun and scary. We'd gotten a 2 hour ride and only used an hour and 45 minutes of it. Also the camels were either mad or sad the whole time because we're pretty sure they are abused. When we were getting on, mine protested a little and the guide forced it down by hitting it. Throughout the ride, it would sometimes kick and stomp its feet but finally gave up. The whole thing was really sad and kind of terrifying because I was like 10 feet in the air on the back of this huge animal that didn't want me there. As any good pessimist would, I started imagining how it would feel when I got bucked off and it stepped on me. What if it broke my ribs and punctured my lung? Also that's an embarrassing way to die. I went home and googled the number of casualties and camel-related accidents per year. Seeing the palm grove was cool but I was glad to dismount and upload camel pictures from the comfort of 5 feet off the ground. 

The camel adventure also nicely illustrated the number one rule of traveling: everything is more expensive than you thought. The ride itself was 300 dirham (30€) but the guide doesn't make any profit from that since it all goes to the company, so he lives off tips. (This is unconfirmed- he told us that so it might have just been that he wanted us to give him more money) Then, we also had to tip the driver that took us to the palm grove 20 dirham (2€). So 30€ quickly became closer to 40€ and annihilated my budget. But I rode a camel! 

The #2 rule of traveling is that you never really know what to expect so you just kind of have to prepare for everything. I messed up on this today. Normally, my leather jacket/winter jacket combo is perfect for adventuring because I can put my phone in my leather jacket. My winter jacket has an inside pocket that conveniently fits my passport and wallet and I can zip it up and keep everything safe. I didn't really think it through but I got dressed assuming this would work for camel riding since it worked so well for everything else. What I didn't take into consideration was that it is really really hot in the direct sunlight near the equator. I was wearing 2 black coats and had zero hands free (they were busy saving my life from certain death) so I just sat and baked for almost 2 hours. 

We came home for a few minutes, only to turn around and go back out to the market in search of lunch. 

We snacked our way through the stalls, finding the best deals on small food instead of sitting down in an expensive cafe. I became an official tourist. I bought a tshirt that says Morocco in Arabic. But for dinner, we went to another rooftop cafe so we could admire the view of the Place Jemaa El-Fna as the sun set. I got another delicious tagine, this time it was roast beef and it was so tender it melted in my mouth. Before we left, we had a good view of the lights turning on in the square in preparation for the night market. 

It was a really nice evening except my friend accidentally paid with a 20 euro bill instead of a 20 dirham bill (they look really similar so it's an easy mistake)! We would have stayed out to investigate the night market but we didn't know how safe Marrakesh was at night, so we had to race home before it actually got dark. 

After being here for a couple days, I've noticed a couple interesting things. First, there isn't as much of an English/American influence as there is on Europe. We didn't see any McDonalds, and finally we found non-Heinz ketchup. But Coca-Cola is pervasive enough to have made it into almost every store- it's sold with the familiar coke logo on one side and the Arabic translation on the other!

Another thing that was interesting to see was that Americans are OBSESSED with dessert, Europeans like it in small doses, and Moroccans have fruit after dinner and call it dessert. It was a little disappointing but it was good for my bank account. One other thing that was noticeable on the America/Europe/Africa gradient was that Americans use credit cards for everything. Europeans sometimes tolerate them for big purchases or in tourist-friendly zones, but the only time we could use credit cards in Morocco was to pay for the riad. I think that, along with the percentage of people that have smartphones, is a fascinating indicator of modernity. My friends and I came to the conclusion that Americans don't realize how advanced America is from the rest of the world. We assume that Europe is more or less as developed as America and everything's probably the same, but I think there are small but significant differences. Sometimes though, the "advancements" aren't for the better. We also saw that America makes everything disposable. We build buildings out of wood and drywall and we when get bored, we knock them down. Everything is new because we just build a new one if something gets old. Florence still has old stone palazzos that they repurpose over and over again and use for centuries. 

It's really fun to look at America in comparison with countries and cultures it has almost nothing in common with. It puts things in a new perspective to be able to view everything you've ever known more objectively. And the best part is that I now appreciate America a little more! The job market is much better than Italy, which is much better than Spain, which is still much better than Morocco. And it has been really influential on the rest of the world. I sometimes think of America as past its peak, when we led the industrial revolution and invented a lot of the modern world, but we still are doing a lot. I tend to discount all the progress we made technologically. The invention of the smartphone and social media was a revolution equal to the industrial revolution and it happened during my lifetime. America is still doing great things, or else English wouldn't be the global default language. 

Good Night Marrakech (Spring Break)

2/25/15

Day 41 

Our riad comes with a free breakfast every morning, so we woke up to freshly squeezed orange juice, coffee, tea, bread, crepes with strawberry and apricot jelly, and Dannon yogurt- which is Danone here, or else it's written in Arabic. 

After breakfast, we sat in the garden and relaxed while we had wifi (since we don't have it in our room) before heading out for the first time. 

We were all feeling a mix of curiosity, excitement, and some fear of the unknown since we didn't know what to expect past the doors of our riad. We had no map and none of the streets were labeled. They also follow traffic laws even less here than in Florence, which is pretty hard to do. So crossing the highway for the first time was kind of an interesting endeavor. It was really just a free for all. On the other side, we passed a really fancy hotel and small tourist shop and suddenly, the hijabs were replaced by shorts and tank tops. We were looking to ride camels in the desert, and saw an ad for excursions in the tourist shop, so we went in and looked through a book of all the options. I definitely am coming back here before I die because every single one looks so tempting and we don't have enough time or money while we're here. The upside of traveling is that you really have no idea what's gonna happen next but the downside is that you really have no idea what's gonna happen next. If I got to redo spring break, I would've skipped Spain entirely and tried to come back later for the weekend or something and instead come straight to Tangiers, Morocco. From there, I could've caught the bus to Chefchaouen (the blue city), and then taken the night bus to Marrakech. Once I got here, I would've taken the long desert tour (3 days, 2 nights) to see the "real desert" and the Dades Gorges in the Atlas Mountains before staying in Marrakech and hiring a guide (so we could find the cool places to go and have dinner with a family) until the end of break, and maybe doing one day trip to the Ouzoud Waterfall, like we're doing now. But we had no way to know that Madrid was gonna suck and that the Blue City was even a possibility. So the plan now is to ride camels on Thursday and go to the Waterfall on Friday and then we leave Saturday night. 

We decided to look at some other places too to compare the prices of excursions before buying, but before we left, we asked where to go for food. The guy talking to us about tours sent his friend to lead us to a good restaurant. We ate at a rooftop cafe overlooking a busy street but we also had a clear view of the mountains in the distance. I even sunburn a little under the hot sun as I ate my tajine. 

After that, we walked down the street and saw lots of signs for other tour companies. We wanted to check the prices, so we went into another one and got a much better deal. This time, the guy walked us to a hammam that we wanted to go to. A hammam is an Arab spa thing kind of like a sauna but less steamy and involves different phases of cleansing. Google it because I can't describe it as well as Wikipedia can. It was nice that the tour company employees helped us navigate the city, but we couldn't help feeling a little suspicious because both the restaurant and the hammam were pretty expensive...

Apparently the main thing to do here is to go to the Jemaa el-Fna market or the souks around it, so that's what we did next! It was simultaneously exactly like I'd imagined and nothing like I'd imagined. The sellers are very aggressive and will chase you if you show any interest so that rumor was confirmed. It made shopping difficult because we could only go into stores we knew we were gonna buy from... and that was not a lot. Otherwise, we just kept walking and barely let our gaze sweep across the wares. I ended up buying a pair of the loose, patterned pants I've wanted for years and had to haggle for a decent price but I really liked that the guy never yelled at me or chased me. Since he was really patient the whole time, I took the plunge and went against what everyone warns you not to do- I bought the pants the first place I saw them. Everyone tries to rip you off (maybe because everyone is desperate for money- Morocco's job market sucks) so the only way to get the "cheap prices" everyone talks about is to play two different sellers against each other. But the biggest surprise was that you can't take pictures! Of stores! WHAT. This was a huge disappointment. Of course that didn't stop me from doing it, it just made me extra sneaky about how I did it. Also I hadn't thought about how big the souk would be, or that there would be an upstairs. Being there was so so different than looking at pictures of it online. This goes back to the main upsetting realization I've come to about taking pictures: they don't do justice to spaces and experiences. You can't know what it feels like without being there, and if you let yourself think about it for too long, taking pictures is futile. 

Although the prices were steep in the main square and at the entrance to the souk, they gradually came down as we ventured deeper. We found an interesting stand that made naan bread with tomatoes and onions inside the bread itself, grilled it and soaked it in oil, and wrapped it up. For only 5 dirham, or .50€, we had a delicious snack. 

It was my roommates birthday so we were planning on doing something special for dinner, but as the sun started to set, we realized we had to find our way back to the riad and still didn't really know where it was. Unfortunately, the night market is supposed to be really cool but we also didn't think it seemed like a good idea to stay out after dark so we started heading back. For dinner, we found a place where we got chawarma wraps for 20 dirham (2€)... although they did taste like they only cost 2€... And we didn't find anything good to bring back for dessert, so her 21st was pretty uneventful. We were all tired from a full day of exploring and trying to take it all in while staying on guard, so it wasn't the end of the world that we had to be back before dark. 

And then, our first day in Marrakech was over. 

Good Morning Madrid (Spring Break)

2/24/15

Day 40

Disclaimer: A lot of the pictures I took are on my camera, which I can't upload until I get my computer back, so I'll have to add them later. Sorry. 

I woke up early to catch the sunrise over Madrid from our awesome vantage point. I got a somewhat disappointing time lapse because there were clouds covering the sun. I tried to go back to sleep for a few hours but soon we were leaving to make it to the Palacio Real for the fourth and hopefully final time in four days. Well, it would definitely be the final time because we had to leave before 3. With our student IDs, the 11€ admission was 6€ and we decided to just do it. 

I hadn't really thought through that "Royal Palace" (the translation of Palacio Real) meant there would be a crown and throne inside but to my surprise, there was!

Unlike Italy, you can't take pictures... But I got a few anyway.

And then got yelled at.

It was cool to stand close enough to the Spanish crown to see my reflection. The palace itself reminded me a lot of Palazzo Pitti in Florence, minus the crown and sceptre. 

After we'd seen everything in Palacio Real, we decided we didn't have time to do everything before we had to leave so we went straight back to the apartment and took the elevator to floor 13 one last time. We finished packing and headed out. We took a taxi back to the airport, this time with a much nicer driver, but it still was a little more than the "flat fee" of 30€. And then we waited in the airport until our flight at 9pm. In retrospect, by taking the cheaper night flight, we effectively wasted an entire day of spring break. Lesson learned- sometimes it's worth it to pay a little extra for significantly better quality or a better deal. And I should've gotten food in Madrid because even a Burger King burger was over 10€ at the airport!

We flew into Marrakech after dark so my first impression was just of clusters of lights I could see from the sky. They were clustered in the town and dotted along the outlines of highways. I wasn't expecting our wheels to hit the runway when they did and it was a rough landing but I still couldn't help feeling like this was the greatest moment of my life, even though I always think that as my plane touches down on a new continent. Today marks my 3rd continent- maybe even 4th if you don't count Honduras as part of North America. Now I can say I've been to Africa! Flying in at night, tomorrow feels like a present because I still don't know what Marrakech looks like. I can't wait to unwrap it, even though I'll be exploring with extra caution. 

It only got better after we got picked up by our riad (hotel) and shown to our room, which was light years beyond my expectations. The riad overall is also stunning. It looks like it's straight out of a movie. Every doorway is beautifully shaped and every wall is carved or decorated with complicated patterns. 

I'm still dying to know what the rest of Marrakech looks like. I'm sure there aren't neighborhoods like I'm used to in America, but even Italy doesn't have those. So does it look like I'd imagine from the pictures I've googled, or is it like in Rome, where the pictures online show only the tourist attractions? Tomorrow I'll find out!

Madrid IV (Spring Break)

2/23/15

Day 39

Disclaimer: A lot of the pictures I took are on my camera, which I can't upload until I get my computer back, so I'll have to add them later. Sorry. 

Overnight, 2 out of the 6 of us left to catch a flight to Barcelona. The rest of us were feeling the pain of abused bank accounts and stayed in Madrid. Again, we slept in until we woke up without the help of alarms. Then we took our time planning out our day so we would get to the Palacio Real in time for the free admission. 

We started off by going to the Dunkin which we've discovered satisfies our American cravings and for the first time in my life, I bought more than one thing! I tried the bacon egg and cheese bagel and got a caramel iced coffee and a kit kat donut. I felt so American. It was heaven. The donut was filled with some kind of special creme and... maybe Madrid isn't so bad after all... (The way to my heart is food) It was cool because the name here is Dunkin Coffee not Dunkin Donuts like in America, and so even the logo has to say "Dunkin Coffee", not "DD". I don't really get it. 

Then we headed for Parque del Ritiro. It was really pretty and there were these funny trees that I fell in love with: 

When I got home and got wifi (since we don't have data or wifi when we leave the apartment and every "free wifi" sign is a lie), I saw that we'd missed all the cool stuff. In this same park, there's a really fancy gate and also the "Crystal Castle". We saw probably not even a 1/3 of the coolness. I want to be ambitious tomorrow and go see the other 2/3s... 

We went to Palacio Real for the 4-6pm free admission at 5:13, only to find out that the last tickets are sold an hour before closing time. So add that to the list of things to do tomorrow too. As we left, we saw a rainbow over the fountain! 

We then ran back across town in the opposite direction to get to the Templo de Debod for sunset.

It was a nice spot not only because of the Egyptian monument but also for its view. At sunset, the sky over parts of the city was stunning.

We could see the back of the Almudena Cathedral lit up by the last rays of sun through the clouds. (It had been raining off and on and the clouds were only getting more ominous) While we were there, a pig appeared out of nowhere and played in a mud puddle??!

It was cute so I pet it. For the record, pigs are not very cuddly. Before it rained, we ran home. 

We were still in the mood for American food and there was an American 50's diner near our apartment with really good milkshakes. I was about to get a Twix milkshake but the waiter stopped me and told me Nutella was the best- and it was! Then a struggle ensued about how to best pay the bill, since they don't split checks in Europe apparently. I think it took us longer to figure out how to pay than it took us to eat the meal. I also was the lucky winner of the change and had to figure out how to fit the leaning tower of euros into my wallet. (This wasn't even all of them)

It was weird seeing Heinz ketchup so far from home. I'm used to seeing it's familiar logo on my kitchen table or on the side of the Heinz building in Pittsburgh. But everywhere here, I keep seeing American brands. Same in Italy, I guess Europe doesn't produce its own printers (I saw an Epson printer in Dunkin), or mustard (next to the Heinz was French's mustard), and they love Coca Cola. On quite a few doors, I've seen Trip Advisor stickers and right off the main plaza here is a massive Apple Store, not to mention the Starbucks, Dunkin, and McDonald's we've been to. It's one thing to use American ketchup in America, but I'd assumed that Spain would have its own ketchup brands. They also watch a lot of American tv- they just have someone voice over the translation or put captions at the bottom. It's really interesting to see how much of an impact America has on the world. 

We briefly contemplated going out but quickly realized we're broke and lazy. So instead we got pizza and went to McDonald's. I think I've eaten more American food since I've been in Spain than I've ever eaten in America. 

Finally, I took the most perfect shower. Last time I showered here, the water was ice cold and there was no water pressure. But this time, it was warm and everyone else was asleep. My hair was so soft that I kept washing it because it felt like it still had conditioner in it. It hasn't been that soft and smooth since maybe elementary school when it wasn't nearly as long, and since being in Italy, it's only gotten worse. Things no one tells you: Italian water and/or climate will wreck your hair. And I mean destroy it. But apparently something about Spanish water fixed the problem because right now I can run my fingers through it without getting knots :)

Tonight is our last night here so I tried to take in the view from my bedroom before I pulled down the blinds one last time. Even with them closed, the city still sparkles through the gaps and I can make out the electric blue of a building at the other end of Gran Vía. Goodnight Madrid. 🌙

Madrid III (Spring Break)

2/22/15

Day 38

Disclaimer: A lot of the pictures I took are on my camera, which I can't upload until I get my computer back, so I'll have to add them later. Sorry. 

The original plan was to wake up early and make it to the El Rastro flea market before the crowds but, well, we barely got there a little before it closed at 3. It was a fun experience because it apparently has over 3500 different stalls (according to gomadrid.com), but none of us ended up finding anything we were really excited about. 

As we shopped, a parade of African drumming and dancing came through. Luckily, instead of going early enough to beat the crowds, we went late enough! 

After resting a little while back at this beautiful place on earth, we walked down Gran Vía (the main road, also where we're staying) all the way down to the Palacio de Cibeles. I honestly had given up on Madrid and did not expect it to be as cool as it was! We didn't even go in but it redeemed Madrid from its boringness at least a little. Against a darkening sky, it's white spires stood out and the pictures don't do the fountain justice. Every building we passed on the way to it had gotten progressively more beautiful until we reached the palace itself.

I think I judge cities based on their uniqueness, especially how they show up in pictures. (Hello it's me- I can't go to a new city and not take pictures and if I'm gonna take pictures, they better be good). Architecture and fountains make for good pictures- which Madrid didn't have any of until today! 

We'd gotten our chocolate and churros yesterday, but we still hadn't been to "the best place"... Chocolatería San Ginés. Not only was it cheaper than yesterday, but the chocolate was so much better and the churros were perfectly fried and crispy on the outside.

I'm still a teeny bit disappointed that the churros here aren't covered in cinnamon and sugar and aren't as big as what we think of as "churros" in America, but these were really really good, despite those setbacks. 

Since we're Americans, our fatness did not stop there. We were still hungry. We'd passed a burger place on our way to Cibeles and had been craving it since then. On our way home, we stopped at "The Good Burger" and it hit the spot. The packaging obviously shouldn't matter but it does to me, and TGB's packaging was. on. point. (It's the little things) It came in a box and had TGB stamped on the bun!

We had been planning on going out until we learned that Kapital is only open Thursday through Saturday nights... I guess we'll never know if we were "elegant" enough to get in... I'll have to add that to my growing list of things to do next time I get a chance to come to Spain!

Madrid II (Spring Break)

2/21/15

Day 37

Disclaimer: A lot of the pictures I took are on my camera, which I can't upload until I get my computer back, so I'll have to add them later. Sorry. 

Turns out I should have investigated Madrid more before I came here. There is apparently nothing notable or worth seeing except the clubs in Madrid. It's apparently only known for its night life, and maaaaybe shopping. It's also weird because I thought it was such a big, international city, and it is a lot more modern and similar to America than Florence, but no one speaks English. Usually I'd love that because it means I get to learn Spanish but I think it's intended to be rude, not because they actually don't know English. Actually, the only time people speak English is when they want your money- and then it's flawless. Except for that, everyone seems annoyed when you order in English or try to speak really bad Spanish. I'm curious about what other visitors do in Madrid. What if you're from Germany or Japan? Chances are you speak English, not Spanish because English has kind of become an international language. If your job is in an international city, isn't it kind of part of your job description to be able to interact with customers?

We've been doing pretty well though relying on just numbers and product names. For lunch we got calamari sandwiches, which I guess Madrid is kind of known for. 

They were really good but might have been a little better with some kind of sauce on them rather than fried calamari in a hoagie roll. Right after, we found beer sold in a candy store for 50 cents- and tried it! 

We walked around a little bit and found a chocolate churros place. Since we got here we have been dying to try this combo. The churros come looped and you can dip them in hot liquid chocolate. 

I'm not sure how I felt about the churros because I was expecting them to be rolled in cinnamon and sugar but the chocolate was delicious. Basically, today was a day of food tasting. In other words, Madrid is kind of a let down. There's like two cool places to take pictures (my personal metric for the level of a city's coolness) and one is the Palacio Real which is free if we come back another day so we didn't do it today and the other is a rooftop bar which we haven't made it to yet. But there aren't any really special buildings or landmarks that we HAVE to see, like the bridges in Venice or the Colosseum in Rome. Or maybe it's just that now I'm familiar with Italy and know not to expect great customer service but feel safe knowing that no one will flat out lie to me about what something costs or what's included in a fee. There's something uncivilized about dishonesty that feels barbaric in comparison with even the most aggressive selfie stick sellers on the streets of Florence. Either I don't like the Spanish culture that deems it socially acceptable to act like this, or else Spain's depressed job market has caused people to become desperate. Either way, strong negative reaction.

On our way home we stopped in a few shoe stores to look for inexpensive heels. We'd heard that you needed to look "elegant" to get past the strict bouncers for Kapital. We found one starting at 6€ and I decided to buy the plainest pair of black heels I could find to justify the purchase since I don't own any heels. 10€ later, I was mentally preparing for my feet to hurt, semi-satisfied with the financial damage I'd done. Guilty, I found 2€ pizza (Hawaiian, DUH!) for dinner. 

We napped for a little while and then, it was time to get ready to go out. The goal was to get into Kapital, so we were aiming to look as "elegant" as possible, even though we hadn't packed anything that really fit that description. My roommates drank before we left and then we screenshotted every inch of the route on Google Maps before leaving. We asked a group of people on the street which way to Kapital and they laughed at us and said we should take a taxi because it was really far. That sounded expensive and we'd already shelled out for shoes to fit the dress code (which I'm not even sure exists...) so we kept walking. Our feet were killing us from our new heels. As we got further from home, two of us started to seem really drunk. We stopped in a cafe for water and snacks and they fell asleep on the tables so, after all our efforts, we decided to give up and go home. And then we stopped in a McDonald's to make ourselves feel better about the waste of the night. 

Less Study, More Abroad (Spring Break)

2/20/15

Day 36

*Disclaimer: A lot of the pictures I took are on my camera, which I can't upload until I get my computer back, so I'll have to add them later. Sorry. 

Today didn't really have a beginning because yesterday didn't really have an end. But it was the first day of spring break! A couple hours after the 3 am bus ride we got to the airport and checked in and went through security and waited around until our flight at 6 or something. Security in Italy was nothing like it is in America- we didn't even have to take off our shoes unless they set off the detectors! I found out I somehow got priority boarding and was in the very 3rd row of the plane. 

When we landed, we were trying to find a van to take the 6 of us but the lady directing the taxis was aggressive and forces us to split up because it was easier. We realized immediately that our cab driver spoke no English which was surprising to me. The architecture was beautiful as we drove past and Madrid felt a lot more like a "city" than a lot of the Italian "towns" I've been to so far, but yet it didn't feel so modern that I might as well have been in New York. Rome seemed like I was either in Ancient Rome or New York City and it was hard to find a happy medium. 

But the fun part of traveling came to an abrupt halt when our cab driver dropped us off on a street that didn't look like our apartment and we didn't have any cell phone service to check, or a way to communicate through the language barrier. I realized how dependent I am on my data plan but at the same time, I can't imagine a way to live without it. It also comes in handy in Italy when I need google translate and I definitely could have used it here with the taxi driver who was trying to drop us off. It was supposed to be a flat fee of 30€ for the ride but when we handed the driver our two 20's (our bills were so fresh they were unbroken), we got 1.50€ in change... We asked why/complained and he showed us the meter where it said 38.50€ and continued yelling at us in Spanish to get out. Tired and already pissed about the customer service in Spain, we had to camp out in a restaurant while we got breakfast and waited for our check-in time. 

After a few hours, there was a line forming at the door and the waitresses were starting to throw dirty looks at the 6 of us and our luggage, so we relocated to a Starbucks even though only one of us actually ordered anything. While we were there, a teenage boy came up to us and pulled a map out and started to ask a question. Luckily, one of us realized he was using it to cover up a phone he wanted to steal and instinctively grabbed the phone and yelled at him to leave, then the barista jumped up and chased him out. It was the most action I've seen before noon in awhile and was a helpful reminder to all of us to be aware of all our stuff. 

Finally we found our apartment and dropped our stuff off. Opting to stay in an apartment that sleeps 6 rather than booking 6 rooms in a hostel was absolutely brilliant because we not only are on the Main Street in Madrid (Gran Vía) but we have an unbelievable view. 

We then ventured out to see the town. First we explored the Plaza del Sol and then worked our way towards the Mercado San Miguel to find food. We tried a seafood paella that was really good, despite only having one piece of seafood in it.

But, I was so tired from my lack of sleep that for probably the first time in my life, I wanted to sleep rather than travel and explore a new city. After walking to the Palacio Real, we decided to take a nap before getting dinner and going out. 

I woke up and felt like death but got dressed anyway. We went to a place called Ojala where the basement was an indoor beach bar!

The tacos I got were not what I pictured when I ordered, but they turned out to be probably the best tacos I've ever had. They were 2 little tiny hard flat circles loaded with lettuce and guacamole and chicken and dressing and were surprisingly filling. We also tried the Sangria that Madrid is known for and it lived up to its reputation. It was such a cool dining experience!

Of course, Madrid is known for its night life so my friends wanted to check out the clubs- without stayig out all night because we were still tired. Not my thing, but since I'm here I figured I had to. Everywhere we walked, promoters jumped down our throats and tried to get us to go to their clubs. I'm not sure why we stopped to talk to one but before I knew it, Christian was leading us towards his club and promising free drinks and a bottle of champagne with admission. He said our tickets would work for the next three nights and would get us into a few different clubs, including Joy which we wanted to try anyway. It seemed like the perfect deal for 7€ (Except for me bc I would've been happier going home and sleeping) so we went along with it. Once we were inside the club, he disappeared before we found out that there was no champagne included, Joy was not an option, and our "free drink" was 99% ice and 1% juice. The club itself was the size of a big closet and there were maybe 15-20 people jammed inside. One girl tried to fight us because we "looked at her the wrong way" and then we left. 

I've decided I hate Spain. 

End of Exams

2/19/15

Day 35 

My final two exams after a full week of no sleep and not having time to eat until night time were painful. Well the first was fine but by the second, I was just checked out. Hopefully I did ok. 

Of course today I finally got the notification from the Apple Store saying my computer was done, the day I leave for over a week. I was supposed to call a number to tell them I'd be late to pick it up but a) I don't speak Italian and my limited language skills really don't even cut it in person when I can resort to charades b) I don't have minutes on my phone plan so it would be expensive to be on hold for hours c) I'm terrified of the phone. Pretty sure I have a phobia. So, being the crafty devil that I am, (honestly I have no idea how I did this) I got one of the CAPAS staff to call for me and tell them if be able to pick it up in early March. Huge sigh of relief! I'm so grateful for people taking pity on me!

Side note: before I left, I got pulled into a meeting on my roommate situation and hopefully something's finally being done. 

I needed to go back to the leather market to get the sunglasses I'd seen last week. I needed sunglasses plus I'd fallen in love with them the more I thought about them. This was the first pair I couldn't get off my mind:

My friend also needed a suitcase (Ryanair has really tight restrictions on luggage so my roommate and I decided to bite the bullet and pay for a suitcase for both of us to split) so she came. On our way, I tried a dough ball with a "surprise" which turned out to be salami inside. It was covered in salt and surprisingly delicious. We found it right next to Dante's church. This was crazy because my midterm was all about Dante and after the exam, I was just wandering around Florence and accidentally stumbled on his part of town. It just underscored how cool it is to be here and studying art history and literature- even and especially if they're not my favorite subjects. 

The most fun part of my day by far was having to go back to the TIM store because my cell phone service was nonexistent. The language barrier was in the way which made things extra enjoyable but the employees were also really annoyed with us. We experienced firsthand the difference between our cultures on the value of time. Everything moved painfully slowly and no one really cared that we were wasting our precious time that we could be using to pack or sleep. It took and hour to diagnose a really obvious problem: apparently it's common (and legal?!) in Italy for the pop-up ads to siphon money from your phone credit if you click on them by accident. Even if you clicked on the ad weeks before, as soon as you add credit, it disappears. And if you don't have credit, the Internet doesn't work. It was a pretty easy fix to call in and put us on the "black list" but what I don't understand is if this happens to everyone with a phone in Italy (which the Italian man next to me confirmed happened to him, and I know had also happened to a lot of my friends), why aren't new users automatically added to the list? I don't understand. And I guess I finally have had my first taste of the inefficiency Italy is known for. It was unbelievably frustrating. Now TIM hates us and we hate TIM. 

When I got home and saw my bed, I flopped into it and didn't feel like moving for the next three forevers. This didn't really work with my schedule because we had to catch a bus to the airport in Pisa at 3 am, but I just laid there without moving for awhile before I found the energy to pack and shower. 

I also found an hour or two to nap which may have made my lack of sleep feel worse rather than better. Because after only sleeping from 4-7 last night, sleeping from 12-2 was really rough to wake up from. 

Before I knew what was happening, I was rolling out with my roommate and friends past the Duomo and Santa Maria Novella and boarding the bus. 

And then my data stopped working again!

Studying and the Secret Bakery

2/18/15

Day 34

I sacrificed my typical Wednesday morning extra sleep to get in a little extra studying but Art History went decently so I was glad I did. I didn't really even study for my Italian quiz, deeming it negligible compared to the rest of my midterms, but it went really well despite my lack of effort!

I was in a good mood so we decided to go to the TIM store to get a plan while we're abroad for the next week and a half. I left in a significantly worse mood. There is no data plan for traveling so that's stupid. You can just choose to pay 4€ a day if you need Internet. And it costs .50€ per text so I probably won't use that. But just to be safe, I added 12€ of credit to my phone. We asked why, despite paying for a plan with extra data, our data hadn't been working, even in Italy. We were told it was because we needed credit to use the data, so after adding the 12€ it seemed to work. 

I was starving and when we stopped at a place for my roommate to get a waffle with Nutella, I caved and got a cannoli (with nutella on it!). My other roommate got gelato and ended up paying 7€ for a normal size and not especially good cone! We were stupid enough to have bought it near the Duomo without price checking so that was a rookie mistake. 

We studied intensely for hours, since my two roommates had Art History the day after me and I had two finals tomorrow. To cheer ourselves up, we spontaneously decided to make a secret bakery run.

We found a different secret bakery that had nothing on the first in terms of parties offered, but it had the advantage of being within seconds from our apartment... Also we could go inside to get the goods :) 

Teaching English

2/17/15

Day 33

I started teaching English today!! It was weird because apparently today was Halloween- kind of. I got placed at an elementary school and it's the last day of carnival so everyone was in costumes and the whole day was a celebration with food and games. It was madness. I don't go back for two weeks because of spring break and then they're on a school trip to England (how much cooler are their field trips?! Pretty sure ours were only to like Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell or something) but I'm hoping it will be fun. It seemed like it should be interesting. My partner also told me she knew of a place to get 10€ wool sweaters which I'm on the hunt for! It sounds too good to be true but I will definitely be investigating. 

On the walk back, we stopped at a cafe and I got a joke of a sandwich but I also got my first EstaTHE! For some reason, the strangely shaped juice box brand sticks out in my mind as iconic of Italy and I've been eagerly anticipating it. It did not disappoint. 

The least exciting part of my day was obviously taking my final but it went well I think. 

Afterwards, I went home to study for Renaissance Art History which will probably be my hardest midterm and covers a ridiculous amount of information... 

It was also laundry day in anticipation of spring break. So my room became a drying rack again. 

Procrastination

2/16/15

Day 32

Mondays I have my extra hour of Italian and I started to learn past tense! My conversation skills are slowly improving but right now I can only understand words that use "have". There's definitely some fancy grammatical term for that but I can say I "have studied" or I "have done" and I don't need to know what it's called to be able to use it! 

I also refilled my phone plan but decided that since there is no good data plan for roaming (which is dumb bc everyone who studies abroad would obviously get the roaming plan) I'll probably just have to turn airplane mode on unless I absolutely need it abroad. :( 

And then I FINALLY studied! And it was quality studying because my friend came over and we learned everything about Urban Studies and Global Cities and Immigration and it was great. Hopefully it was enough- I'm still not sure how harsh my professors are planning on grading...

The Day I Did Nothing

2/15/15

Day 31

Today I didn't get out of bed. I got up maybe once to eat and then resumed the position. I didn't even study which was the whole point of not traveling so I just successfully wasted an entire day of my life. 

The end. 

The Leather Market and My Failed Attempts at Proactivity

2/14/15

Day 30

I had the best intentions for today. I really did. I was just about to start reading when Alex asked if I wanted to come with her and Katie to the leather market. 

I was thinking 'yeah: adventure and roommate bonding!' but when I got there I realized it was going to be a test of my willpower. I suddenly discovered my pressing need for sunglasses that make me look pretentious, and of my deep seated desire for a really warm wool sweater. And maybe a new wallet since mine broke? And you can never have too many scarves! 

I miraculously made it through every inch without buying anything for myself. To be fair though, I'd just gotten stuff yesterday and I did buy a present for someone.

When we'd finished window shopping (well, they were more than window shopping! They found a few really good deals!) we headed inside and then to the upstairs of Mercato Centrale. I'd never been to the second floor and was surprised to find endless food but luckily wasn't hungry. I even managed to walk away from the gelato.

But my resolve was wearing thin. My roommates had gone to a bar/cafè earlier in the semester and told me it was good for taking pictures of the Duomo. Naturally, I'd been dying to go. On our way home, we decided to stop by for a drink and to celebrate the fact that we should have studied for midterms all day and miserably failed! We sat on the top floor, outside. While we waited, the little girl next to us ordered a hot chocolate that made us all jealous. It was cold out so I copied her. It was interesting that her dog was sitting calmly under the table while her family ate because the lower floors were a department store that the dog had to walk through to get here. Italians let their dogs come everywhere with them and it's really cute. They also let them poop everywhere though and that is really not cute. The duomo was obviously as beautiful as ever and was the perfect backdrop as I sipped on what had been described to me as "melted chocolate in a cup", aka Italian hot chocolate, and it did not disappoint.

 I ate it and it was gone. It was thick and rich and warm. It could have been a little bit sweeter but I still enjoyed it a lotttt. And I got another duomo shot to add to my collection! 

As we were getting pretty close to home, we unfortunately made a stop at a bakery. I succumbed to the peer pressure to get a donut. And even once I was safely home, I went back out for aperitivo on one of the few weekends I've been in Florence so far. 

Today was definitely not what I had in mind, but it was a lot of fun, even if it was maybe a little irresponsible!