I once had a dream that seemed to last all night. That was the longest dream I have ever had. Well, recently I had a dream that lasted even longer than that one.
This dream lasted about 5 weeks. I guess you cant really classify it as an authentic “dream” though, because apparently it actually happened. But as I sit here in my living room back in Seattle, Washington, I sure feel like it never did.
Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever experienced something so wonderful, so enriching, that when you looked back on it, you could have sworn it never really DID happen, because it was just too good to be true? Well, that’s something that im dealing with now.
As I sit here in this empty house, I have to pinch myself because I feel as if time stood still for 5 weeks, just as it does when you dream at night. I sit here and feel like nothing ever happened because no one around me knows what really DID happen. I was trying to explain these emotions to my grandma, and she said, “well katie, I felt like I was right there with you when I read your blogs!”
yes, that may be true, but, who can I run to and reminisce with about, “that one time we jumped off the mountain to paraglide!” or, “that one time when we were in spain while they won the world cup!” or, “that one time we climbed up that rock and got all cut up to just then go jump right off it again!”
I have no one here who can relate to me about those experiences or feel what I felt. I have the awesome people I experienced this all with, but they’re now dispersed throughout the country, and sad to say, I will probably never see them again.
So I sit here in this weird in between stage- struggling with the fact that the most amazing experience of my life seems as if it all occurred in this one beautiful dream. A dream that I unfortunately, had to wake up from.
But since this all indeed DID happen, friends and family- from the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank you for taking the time out of your busy lives to follow and support me on my adventures throughout Spain. I am a young women who is blessed beyond words. I cannot begin to thank everyone and everything who was a part of making this experience a reality. But most of all I thank God for choosing me to go on this trip, at this time, to this place, all while keeping me ever so safe. I am a woman richly blessed.
There is something else I feel is very important for you to know. Not only did I SEE several “very cool places,” but, I experienced LIFE in another city, another country, another culture, another world.
I now well understand another way of life. And ya know what? I appreciate it. I appreciate that 180 degree different way of life, and, I actually came to love it. I am happy I went on this trip for several reasons. But I am primarily happy I went on it because I now know life outside of the life I thought only existed. it’s valuable knowledge to gain, and I suggest you all go out there and learn about life outside of what you know, too. It may surprise you.
Many of you have no idea what it is like to go abroad alone or be alone for an extended period of time- where you have no loved ones to run to, or confide in, or just rest your head on their shoulder. You are forced to make new friends, be vulnerable, be different.
In all honesty it was all of your support and love that got me through one of the most amazing, yet CHALLENGING times of my life. Your constant encouragement forced me to feel loved even if I felt abandoned and to feel in good company even if I felt alone.
Thank you for letting me take you with me on this adventure, and I hope you enjoyed reading this blog as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Now, after reading all of the triumphs and challenges I faced throughout this journey, let me propose something to you. Please, for my sake, go out there and see what the world can do for YOU, because just as I experienced, you never know what can happen.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Barcelona and all its beauty.
i woke up in my dorm room on the morning of Saturday, the 31 and knew it would be the last time i would sleep on this somewhat uncomfortable, hard mattress. despite knowing i would not miss the mattress, feelings of sadness still came over me.
i got up, got ready and packed up the rest of my stuff to leave this room, this dorm, and this city that had served as a home for me. i wasn't very happy.
monica and i said bye to everything. to the wonderful bathroom that kept us clean especially after the days where our feet were black with dirt, to the kitchen where we kept our sacred water cold, to our balcony where we spent several nights looking up at the spanish stars and to our over sized room which we were VERY grateful for.
we walked out of the building, suitcases in hand and said goodbye to a place that would forever hold a special place in our hearts.
we caught a cab to the granada airport together so that monica could catch her flight to boston in order to visit her brother and for me to catch my flight to barcelona to start yet, a new adventure.
as we left the city, we passed by the city center, which was the host of many exciting moments for both of us, including: high fiving strangers during the world cup, that tree over there falling on aileen, the policemen chasing the robber, the meeting place for all the nights we went out and the events we met up for and the burger king that gave me a little piece of home a few late nights. we were leaving a place that was full of nothing but memories, and we were both silent as we said goodbye.
we got to the airport and knew we had to go our separate ways. we embraced each other with a long hug and thanked eached other for being such wonderful roommates. it was a sad yet happy moment at the same time. bittersweet.
monica caught her flight which would eventually take her back to the states and i caught mine which would take me to another city, full of adventure and fun.
i got on the flight to barcelona with 2 other girls whom i met through a friend back in the dorm. their names were Sarah and Tracy. both girls who also did not know each other before the trip, yet both from California. Sarah goes to the University of San Deigo and Tracy proudly represents the student body of UCLA. (yes, i did ask her if she had seen any "important people" before, and she said that yes, in fact her freshman year she had a class with James Franco! WHAT?!!?!? very cool. if i were her, i would have learned nothing in that class, on account of studying the facial curves of James Franco more than the class itself) ;)
so here i was getting on this flight with 2 girls i didnt know very well, about to take on a whole new city in this country. but this time, we were dealing with a city that was a little bit bigger than granada.... ;)
we landed in Barcelona and got off the plane to an awesome airport. supposedly they finished renovating the Barcelona airport in 2009, and boy was it amazing. seriously, makes the U.S. airports look like old, beat up wharehouses.
we made our way out of the airport, but not before we had to ask about 3 different "information" kiosks which bus out of the 20 different buses we took to bring us into the city to our hotel. finally, figured out which bus to take and then hopped on, suitcases and all.
we drove about 20 minutes and sat in silence as we looked out the windows at this massively overwhelming city. everywhere we looked, there was something to see, and i knew right then that it was a good move to stay in spain a little longer to see what was so awesome about this city called barcelona.
we got off at one of the main squares in barcelona and whipped out the map to figure out where the heck our hotel was. tracy figured it out and lead sarah and i. tracy ended up being "the mom" of the trip as she would figure out the maps and walk ahead as sarah and i would trail behind ;)
we hauled our suitcases (yes, plural, all 3 of us had 2-3 suitcases) about 12 blocks until we got to our hotel. my, did that seem like a marathon with all that extra weight. it was so far that the wheel on one of my bags broke off! (sorry, mom!)
we got settled into our hotel, changed, and went right back outside to explore and get our bearings on this city.
we walked back out to the square that the bus dropped us off at and saw all these real colorful signs around. "european athletic championships, Barcelona 2010" they all read. "what does that mean??? did this already happen?? is it going to happen? have you heard of this??" we all kept asking each other. hm, whatever! we all thought.
we walked around and saw the beginnings of what would be a magnificent city.
we tried to look for somewhere to find dinner and boy did that seem to take a while. tracy and sarah were really into finding the CHEAPEST places possible to eat, so sometimes this would result with us walking around for hours just looking at prices on menus until we found the best one. i just went with it as i didnt want to complain ;)
we found a place that was selling yummy slices of pizza for just 2 euro. pretty sure we wouldnt find a cheaper place, so we settled for it and ate there.
we spent a good part of that evening walking around, taking pictures and exploring. one time, i tried taking a picture of tracy and sarah, and in the 15 seconds or so it took to take the picture, 3 DIFFERENT spanish men yelled out, "smile!" or, "oh, guapas!" ("oh, pretty!!") or something along those lines. we just laughed and decided that we would try and make our future pictures more sublte as the spanish men in barcelona are sure aggressive!
as we were walking around that night, i couldnt help but notice all the dogs i kept seeing! i sware i saw every kind of dog there is! those people in barcelona sure mean business with their dogs, too. they were neatly groomed and well behaved, almost being treated as if they were children. it was funny though, because many people had only dogs and no kids. i even saw dogs pop out purses while sitting in nice restaurants! i guess its a way of life over there :)
it made me think of this statistic i heard one time. in this study done about 8 years ago or so in seattle, there were more dogs in the city of seattle than children! WHAT?! crazy. im thinkin that barcelona may have seattle beat in that statistic!
it was getting dark and we were tired so we made our way back to the hotel for the night. tracy went with sarah to go get money out of the ATM and i waited in their room. they came back and sarah seemed upset and flustered.
"what happened?!" i asked.
"ugh the machine ate my debit card!!! and it didnt give me my money!!" she responded frantically.
she got out her international cell phone and called her mom back in california and told her what happened and asked if her mom could cancel the card and make sure there was no charge to her account. her mom said everything would be ok and that she would take care of it.
she hung up and was still real upset about it all as she wasnt sure if she had enough money to last her the rest of the trip.
tracy and i were letting her cool down and were talking to each other about something until we heard sarah go, "OH MY GOSH!!!!!!"
"what!?" tracy and i asked, somewhat frightened.
sarah walked around the corner with a debit card in her hand.
"we're confused..." tracy and i said.
"you guys..... i have had my card all along!! i must have been so upset that the machine didnt give me money, so while i was upset about it, i must have taken the card out and not even realized i did! i'm SO STUPID!!!" sarah yelled, halfway joking.
tracy and i couldnt help but laugh at her.
knowing that her mom was already in the process of canceling the card, sarah decided not to call her back, because she knew her mom would just think she was going crazy- and no mom should be thinking that of her daughter while she is abroad on her own. ;) so sarah marched downstairs to ask the front desk guy for scissors so that she could cut her debit card up, just to be safe.
i guess the guy gave her scissors followed by a real confused look when he saw her cutting up a debit card.
"what are you doing?????" he asked in a quizical way.
she then went on and tried to explain what happened in spanish. but apparently she wasnt making much sense because he was still confused as to why she was cutting up a perfectly good card. she gave up and just ran back upstairs, totally embarrassed. ;)
"i cant believe i did that!" she kept yelling. "sarah wins the dumb award for the day!" she jokingly said.
that was definately the most entertaining part of my day ;)
the next morning we woke up bright and early to go out and conquer the city. we bought tickets for the [extremely touristy] "hop on, hop off" bus tour that would bring us to all the best sights in barcelona. that bus ended up being a lifesaver. our feet were definately thankful. turns out barcelona is WAY bigger than we thought it would be. and not only that, all the big sights to see are spread out all over the city. they arent really in one area. "dear somewhat embarrassing and obnoxious hop on, hop off bus- you saved our feet from falling off. thank you, love- katie, sarah and tracy."
that first full day we went all around and saw the stadium/area of where barcelona hosted the 1992 summer olympics. VERY cool. we also went to the waterfront and walked around and ate lunch near the beautiful harbor full of sailboats. we then hopped back on the bus and it took us to this really neat park with the strangest shaped sculptures i have seen in a long time. we took pictures and sat in these oddly shaped chairs that are definately more for show than they are for comfort. lastly we walked to the Picasso Museum. any of you ever heard of Picasso? ;) yes, his museum is in barcelona and we did see it but we did not go inside because: 1. it was very expensive to go in and 2. the line to get in was around the building and we didnt really feel up for standing in a line in mid day in 95 degree heat. pass. but still, very cool that we got to see it. Picasso, a man whose work will stand the test of time!
the bus brought us back near our hotel, and tracy, being the big mcdonald's fan she is (though it you would NEVER guess she has eaten anything unhealthy in her life when looking at her!) insisted we go to mcdonald's for dinner and see what their dollar menu is like. hahaha.
we went and she got some stuff off the dollar menu while sarah and i were fascinated with the way they spell some things, such as the word "chocolate."
let me explain a little something to you.
spanish is the main language in spain. but, there are also 3 other "dialects" in spain that have parts of spanish to them, but are also very very different in style (they pretty much look like different languages). spanish is also called "castellano" (the "dialect" word for spanish). and then there are the 3 other dialects. in southern spain, where i was in granada, they spoke castellano (spanish). but in northeastern spain, like in barcelona, they speak a DIFFERENT dialect. that being, catalan. so, in catalan, they spell the word chocolate, "xocolata" which is somewhat similar to the castellano spelling- "chocolate," but not really at the same time.
sheesh, as if it could get any harder to communicate with people....now we were dealing with a whole different dialect!
the next day we got up early again to see more of the city. i was most excited for this day as i knew we would be seeing some of the famous work of the architect: Antonio Gaudi. i learned about him and his work in my art history class in granada!
we got back on the hop on, hop off bus and made our way to his different masterieces. and yes, they were masterpieces.
he is famous for: casa battlo (a house he built for a rich family with the last name battlo), la pedrera (another building i never did learn the purpose for) and then la sagrada famillia (a cathedral which is open for the public to use).
we decided to pay the expensive entrance fee for casa batllo and boy was it worth it.
gaudi's style is described as having a "modern" style. and all of barcelona is known as being a city with "modern" art. let me tell you, i have been all over europe and i have seen some neat art, buildings and sculptures. but what is so neat and different about barcelona is that the art is different than all the other art in europe. it is not deeply rooted in ancient history with its perfectly handcrafted gold carvings (which dont get me wrong, are AWESOME!), but it is much different. it is colorful and inventive and different than anything i have ever seen. and thats what made me fall in love with it.
gaudi is a genius. i say that with confidence. his unusual style in casa batllo blew me away. he was a man obsessed with nature (no joke). he especially had a fascination with the sea. he built this house with the sea in mind. the walls, windows and ceilings were all built so that it looked like the sea had curved them into being. each window and wall allowed light to circulate through in just a way so that the temperature and lighting of each room was built to his taste. such time and thought was put into his work. he was a man with a love for the sea, and no matter how odd it may have seemed in his time, he will forever be known as the revolutionary figure of modern art.
i'd say him and i have a shared love for the sea. and if i could choose someone to bring back to life to have dinner with, he would be one man i would love to meet.
but little did i know what antonio guadi could really do.
we got back on the bus and drove about 15 minutes out to a remote part of the city. we turned a corner and once again, as europe always seems to do- BOOM. there was yet another, huge, amazing, tall, grand masterpiece standing right in front of us. i literally had to tilt my head as far back as it would go as this building in front of me was massive.
la sagrada familia is what guadi coined it.
we got out and i stood in awe of this structure in front of me. i tried taking pictures but i literally could not fit the entire building into the frame of my camera. i kept backing up, further and further, trying to get as much of it as i could and i backed up into a fence and could no longer go anywhere else in order to take the picture. this thing towered over EVERYTHING. it was enormous.
we went inside and boy i have never seen architecture like that before. i cant even describe it. for those of you on facebook, take a look at my pictures and you will get a glimpse of what it was like. i can honestly say that it was the most awe inspiring building i have ever been in.
it was mid day, so we ventured over to starbucks. i was excited because i had a starbucks card and i could get a nice blended drink with it! come to find, "oh, we don't accept american starbucks cards in spain, sorry!" so much for starbucks being an international corporation.
next stop was park guell. i had never heard of it, but supposedly it is one of the neatest, most unique and prettiest parks in the world. it was indeed. it had several trails that lead different places, park benches and columns and small figures that were all made of this awesome ceramic-like glass. everywhere we looked, there was a different color or shape. there were no similarities.
last stop for the day (and boy were we ready for it!) was the barcelona football (aka soccer) stadium. this place was huge! it was so neat seeing this place because several of the players on spains world cup team play for the barcelona team. i was right there where those players have spent a lot of their time! we learned that it seats over 100,000 people and that it is the largest stadium in europe. very cool.
that night we went back to the hotel, relaxed after an 11 hour day of touring and went to bed early. curling up in the blankets with the air conditioning blowing on my face never felt better.
it was our last day in barcelona and we wanted to do the few things we still had on our agendas. we walked around more (of course), got some souvenirs for friends/family and then went to the beach. yes, the beach was beautiful and the sand was comfortably warm on my little feet while i walked on it. but, there were a few strange/difficult things about this beach... 1. it was CROWDED. i have never been to such a busy/bustling beach. people were everywhere and we barely found a spot to sit. i'm not a huge fan of crowds/people invading my personal bubble. oh well, i have to get over it because in life, that pretty much is bound to happen probably about every day. ;) 2. i had no idea that going to the beach in barcelona also meant going shopping. how is this so, you may ask? well, while we were sitting there, trying to have a relaxing afternoon after 2 and a half days of exhausting touring, probably about every 20 seconds, we were approached by some sort of vendor trying to sell us one of the following things: a massage (yes, its true. they would flash their little license's at us and say, "MASSAGE?!"), a henna tattoo, mohito's, overpriced soda, dresses (sarah almost gave in), burittos (yes, burittos on the beach, true story. they were HUGE!) and all sorts of other things that i can't even remember. boy these people were persistent too! they would stand in front of us and say over and over, "mohito? mohito? mohito? mohito? quieres? mohito? mohito?" ok.... "dear vendors in spain, what do you NOT understand about the word NO?!!?!?!?!?!? love, katie."
boy oh boy sometimes i can be mean when i get annoyed.
the beach was a bit overwhelming but definately relaxing. for any of you who plan to go to a beach in spain, though, make sure to watch your stuff closely! 3 DIFFERENT people approached us and told us our bags were in easy spots to steal and that if we kept them there, "they would be gone in 5 minutes." being back in the states now, i keep clinging my purse to my side, and then i relax a bit knowing that the U.S. is not quite as bad in regards to pick pocketing. thats pretty nice i guess ;)
i then went on a speed boat tour through the bay. the girls didnt want to pay the 10 euro (dont really know why, because c'mon! its a speed boat! in spain!). it was really fun/neat seeing the city from the perspective of the mediterranean sea :)
on the boat, i saw a helicopter fly by and it had a sign on it that read "helicopter ride over barcelona, 45 euro." eeeeeg. a little steep. but boy, that would be cool to do some day :)
the last day in barelona was perfect. beautiful weather, interesting beach experience, great food, great city. i did not want to leave. not at all.
we went back to the hotel and i had a question to ask the guy who worked at the front desk. i asked him about the taxi service to the airport and wake up calls and such. when i was about to walk off, he said in english, "i like you shirt."
"um, what?" i responded.
"i like you shirt." he repeated, again in english.
i looked down at my shirt and realized that it really was nothing special at all.... "why is he saying this?" i thought to myself.
"thank you......." i said, as my voice somewhat trailed off.
i walked away (with a quickness to my step) and wondered what it means in spanish culture to tell someone that you like their shirt...? it could mean several things, and i kind of dont want to think about it anymore.... either way, sorry buddy, but i highly suggest you use a different line on the next american girl who comes by..... ;)
the girls and i went up to their room, exchanged some pictures then i said good bye to them, as i had a flight at an ungodly hour the next morning.
it was sad saying goodbye, because who knows if i will ever meet up with them again? i just shared this awesome experience with them, then i have to leave it all right there, right then. such a strange and unsettling thing to do.
i packed up my stuff and layed down for the night. i slept restlessly, knowing that i would be SCREWED if my alarm somehow didnt go off in the morning.
luckily it did and i got ready, grabbed my stuff and got in the cab waiting for me outside the hotel. i prepared myself for what would be, a. long. day.
(it ended up being a 24 hour travel day (yes, true story) consisting of: 3 separate flights with ridiculously close connection times, checking my 49 pound (eeeeeg!) bag 3 separate times, going through security 3 separate times, customs, 2 skytrams and an annoying man behind me on my 10 hour flight from madrid to texas who kept laughing OUT LOUD during the movie "date night." ok, "dear people of this world, i as well enjoy getting a good laugh in movies when i am bored sitting on a plane for 10 hours, but for the sanity of those around you, could you refrain from allowing everyone from rows 25-42 from hearing your obnoxious laugh? thank you :) love, katie").
as i got into that cab in barcelona, it was still dark outside (5:40 a.m.) and i sat in the back by myself and looked out the window as we passed the sights i had spent the previous 3 and a half days admiring. as we took the main road out of the city and onto the freeway, i shed a tear as i turned around for the last time and said goodbye to a city, and a country that had been oh so good to me.
i got up, got ready and packed up the rest of my stuff to leave this room, this dorm, and this city that had served as a home for me. i wasn't very happy.
monica and i said bye to everything. to the wonderful bathroom that kept us clean especially after the days where our feet were black with dirt, to the kitchen where we kept our sacred water cold, to our balcony where we spent several nights looking up at the spanish stars and to our over sized room which we were VERY grateful for.
we walked out of the building, suitcases in hand and said goodbye to a place that would forever hold a special place in our hearts.
we caught a cab to the granada airport together so that monica could catch her flight to boston in order to visit her brother and for me to catch my flight to barcelona to start yet, a new adventure.
as we left the city, we passed by the city center, which was the host of many exciting moments for both of us, including: high fiving strangers during the world cup, that tree over there falling on aileen, the policemen chasing the robber, the meeting place for all the nights we went out and the events we met up for and the burger king that gave me a little piece of home a few late nights. we were leaving a place that was full of nothing but memories, and we were both silent as we said goodbye.
we got to the airport and knew we had to go our separate ways. we embraced each other with a long hug and thanked eached other for being such wonderful roommates. it was a sad yet happy moment at the same time. bittersweet.
monica caught her flight which would eventually take her back to the states and i caught mine which would take me to another city, full of adventure and fun.
i got on the flight to barcelona with 2 other girls whom i met through a friend back in the dorm. their names were Sarah and Tracy. both girls who also did not know each other before the trip, yet both from California. Sarah goes to the University of San Deigo and Tracy proudly represents the student body of UCLA. (yes, i did ask her if she had seen any "important people" before, and she said that yes, in fact her freshman year she had a class with James Franco! WHAT?!!?!? very cool. if i were her, i would have learned nothing in that class, on account of studying the facial curves of James Franco more than the class itself) ;)
so here i was getting on this flight with 2 girls i didnt know very well, about to take on a whole new city in this country. but this time, we were dealing with a city that was a little bit bigger than granada.... ;)
we landed in Barcelona and got off the plane to an awesome airport. supposedly they finished renovating the Barcelona airport in 2009, and boy was it amazing. seriously, makes the U.S. airports look like old, beat up wharehouses.
we made our way out of the airport, but not before we had to ask about 3 different "information" kiosks which bus out of the 20 different buses we took to bring us into the city to our hotel. finally, figured out which bus to take and then hopped on, suitcases and all.
we drove about 20 minutes and sat in silence as we looked out the windows at this massively overwhelming city. everywhere we looked, there was something to see, and i knew right then that it was a good move to stay in spain a little longer to see what was so awesome about this city called barcelona.
we got off at one of the main squares in barcelona and whipped out the map to figure out where the heck our hotel was. tracy figured it out and lead sarah and i. tracy ended up being "the mom" of the trip as she would figure out the maps and walk ahead as sarah and i would trail behind ;)
we hauled our suitcases (yes, plural, all 3 of us had 2-3 suitcases) about 12 blocks until we got to our hotel. my, did that seem like a marathon with all that extra weight. it was so far that the wheel on one of my bags broke off! (sorry, mom!)
we got settled into our hotel, changed, and went right back outside to explore and get our bearings on this city.
we walked back out to the square that the bus dropped us off at and saw all these real colorful signs around. "european athletic championships, Barcelona 2010" they all read. "what does that mean??? did this already happen?? is it going to happen? have you heard of this??" we all kept asking each other. hm, whatever! we all thought.
we walked around and saw the beginnings of what would be a magnificent city.
we tried to look for somewhere to find dinner and boy did that seem to take a while. tracy and sarah were really into finding the CHEAPEST places possible to eat, so sometimes this would result with us walking around for hours just looking at prices on menus until we found the best one. i just went with it as i didnt want to complain ;)
we found a place that was selling yummy slices of pizza for just 2 euro. pretty sure we wouldnt find a cheaper place, so we settled for it and ate there.
we spent a good part of that evening walking around, taking pictures and exploring. one time, i tried taking a picture of tracy and sarah, and in the 15 seconds or so it took to take the picture, 3 DIFFERENT spanish men yelled out, "smile!" or, "oh, guapas!" ("oh, pretty!!") or something along those lines. we just laughed and decided that we would try and make our future pictures more sublte as the spanish men in barcelona are sure aggressive!
as we were walking around that night, i couldnt help but notice all the dogs i kept seeing! i sware i saw every kind of dog there is! those people in barcelona sure mean business with their dogs, too. they were neatly groomed and well behaved, almost being treated as if they were children. it was funny though, because many people had only dogs and no kids. i even saw dogs pop out purses while sitting in nice restaurants! i guess its a way of life over there :)
it made me think of this statistic i heard one time. in this study done about 8 years ago or so in seattle, there were more dogs in the city of seattle than children! WHAT?! crazy. im thinkin that barcelona may have seattle beat in that statistic!
it was getting dark and we were tired so we made our way back to the hotel for the night. tracy went with sarah to go get money out of the ATM and i waited in their room. they came back and sarah seemed upset and flustered.
"what happened?!" i asked.
"ugh the machine ate my debit card!!! and it didnt give me my money!!" she responded frantically.
she got out her international cell phone and called her mom back in california and told her what happened and asked if her mom could cancel the card and make sure there was no charge to her account. her mom said everything would be ok and that she would take care of it.
she hung up and was still real upset about it all as she wasnt sure if she had enough money to last her the rest of the trip.
tracy and i were letting her cool down and were talking to each other about something until we heard sarah go, "OH MY GOSH!!!!!!"
"what!?" tracy and i asked, somewhat frightened.
sarah walked around the corner with a debit card in her hand.
"we're confused..." tracy and i said.
"you guys..... i have had my card all along!! i must have been so upset that the machine didnt give me money, so while i was upset about it, i must have taken the card out and not even realized i did! i'm SO STUPID!!!" sarah yelled, halfway joking.
tracy and i couldnt help but laugh at her.
knowing that her mom was already in the process of canceling the card, sarah decided not to call her back, because she knew her mom would just think she was going crazy- and no mom should be thinking that of her daughter while she is abroad on her own. ;) so sarah marched downstairs to ask the front desk guy for scissors so that she could cut her debit card up, just to be safe.
i guess the guy gave her scissors followed by a real confused look when he saw her cutting up a debit card.
"what are you doing?????" he asked in a quizical way.
she then went on and tried to explain what happened in spanish. but apparently she wasnt making much sense because he was still confused as to why she was cutting up a perfectly good card. she gave up and just ran back upstairs, totally embarrassed. ;)
"i cant believe i did that!" she kept yelling. "sarah wins the dumb award for the day!" she jokingly said.
that was definately the most entertaining part of my day ;)
the next morning we woke up bright and early to go out and conquer the city. we bought tickets for the [extremely touristy] "hop on, hop off" bus tour that would bring us to all the best sights in barcelona. that bus ended up being a lifesaver. our feet were definately thankful. turns out barcelona is WAY bigger than we thought it would be. and not only that, all the big sights to see are spread out all over the city. they arent really in one area. "dear somewhat embarrassing and obnoxious hop on, hop off bus- you saved our feet from falling off. thank you, love- katie, sarah and tracy."
that first full day we went all around and saw the stadium/area of where barcelona hosted the 1992 summer olympics. VERY cool. we also went to the waterfront and walked around and ate lunch near the beautiful harbor full of sailboats. we then hopped back on the bus and it took us to this really neat park with the strangest shaped sculptures i have seen in a long time. we took pictures and sat in these oddly shaped chairs that are definately more for show than they are for comfort. lastly we walked to the Picasso Museum. any of you ever heard of Picasso? ;) yes, his museum is in barcelona and we did see it but we did not go inside because: 1. it was very expensive to go in and 2. the line to get in was around the building and we didnt really feel up for standing in a line in mid day in 95 degree heat. pass. but still, very cool that we got to see it. Picasso, a man whose work will stand the test of time!
the bus brought us back near our hotel, and tracy, being the big mcdonald's fan she is (though it you would NEVER guess she has eaten anything unhealthy in her life when looking at her!) insisted we go to mcdonald's for dinner and see what their dollar menu is like. hahaha.
we went and she got some stuff off the dollar menu while sarah and i were fascinated with the way they spell some things, such as the word "chocolate."
let me explain a little something to you.
spanish is the main language in spain. but, there are also 3 other "dialects" in spain that have parts of spanish to them, but are also very very different in style (they pretty much look like different languages). spanish is also called "castellano" (the "dialect" word for spanish). and then there are the 3 other dialects. in southern spain, where i was in granada, they spoke castellano (spanish). but in northeastern spain, like in barcelona, they speak a DIFFERENT dialect. that being, catalan. so, in catalan, they spell the word chocolate, "xocolata" which is somewhat similar to the castellano spelling- "chocolate," but not really at the same time.
sheesh, as if it could get any harder to communicate with people....now we were dealing with a whole different dialect!
the next day we got up early again to see more of the city. i was most excited for this day as i knew we would be seeing some of the famous work of the architect: Antonio Gaudi. i learned about him and his work in my art history class in granada!
we got back on the hop on, hop off bus and made our way to his different masterieces. and yes, they were masterpieces.
he is famous for: casa battlo (a house he built for a rich family with the last name battlo), la pedrera (another building i never did learn the purpose for) and then la sagrada famillia (a cathedral which is open for the public to use).
we decided to pay the expensive entrance fee for casa batllo and boy was it worth it.
gaudi's style is described as having a "modern" style. and all of barcelona is known as being a city with "modern" art. let me tell you, i have been all over europe and i have seen some neat art, buildings and sculptures. but what is so neat and different about barcelona is that the art is different than all the other art in europe. it is not deeply rooted in ancient history with its perfectly handcrafted gold carvings (which dont get me wrong, are AWESOME!), but it is much different. it is colorful and inventive and different than anything i have ever seen. and thats what made me fall in love with it.
gaudi is a genius. i say that with confidence. his unusual style in casa batllo blew me away. he was a man obsessed with nature (no joke). he especially had a fascination with the sea. he built this house with the sea in mind. the walls, windows and ceilings were all built so that it looked like the sea had curved them into being. each window and wall allowed light to circulate through in just a way so that the temperature and lighting of each room was built to his taste. such time and thought was put into his work. he was a man with a love for the sea, and no matter how odd it may have seemed in his time, he will forever be known as the revolutionary figure of modern art.
i'd say him and i have a shared love for the sea. and if i could choose someone to bring back to life to have dinner with, he would be one man i would love to meet.
but little did i know what antonio guadi could really do.
we got back on the bus and drove about 15 minutes out to a remote part of the city. we turned a corner and once again, as europe always seems to do- BOOM. there was yet another, huge, amazing, tall, grand masterpiece standing right in front of us. i literally had to tilt my head as far back as it would go as this building in front of me was massive.
la sagrada familia is what guadi coined it.
we got out and i stood in awe of this structure in front of me. i tried taking pictures but i literally could not fit the entire building into the frame of my camera. i kept backing up, further and further, trying to get as much of it as i could and i backed up into a fence and could no longer go anywhere else in order to take the picture. this thing towered over EVERYTHING. it was enormous.
we went inside and boy i have never seen architecture like that before. i cant even describe it. for those of you on facebook, take a look at my pictures and you will get a glimpse of what it was like. i can honestly say that it was the most awe inspiring building i have ever been in.
it was mid day, so we ventured over to starbucks. i was excited because i had a starbucks card and i could get a nice blended drink with it! come to find, "oh, we don't accept american starbucks cards in spain, sorry!" so much for starbucks being an international corporation.
next stop was park guell. i had never heard of it, but supposedly it is one of the neatest, most unique and prettiest parks in the world. it was indeed. it had several trails that lead different places, park benches and columns and small figures that were all made of this awesome ceramic-like glass. everywhere we looked, there was a different color or shape. there were no similarities.
last stop for the day (and boy were we ready for it!) was the barcelona football (aka soccer) stadium. this place was huge! it was so neat seeing this place because several of the players on spains world cup team play for the barcelona team. i was right there where those players have spent a lot of their time! we learned that it seats over 100,000 people and that it is the largest stadium in europe. very cool.
that night we went back to the hotel, relaxed after an 11 hour day of touring and went to bed early. curling up in the blankets with the air conditioning blowing on my face never felt better.
it was our last day in barcelona and we wanted to do the few things we still had on our agendas. we walked around more (of course), got some souvenirs for friends/family and then went to the beach. yes, the beach was beautiful and the sand was comfortably warm on my little feet while i walked on it. but, there were a few strange/difficult things about this beach... 1. it was CROWDED. i have never been to such a busy/bustling beach. people were everywhere and we barely found a spot to sit. i'm not a huge fan of crowds/people invading my personal bubble. oh well, i have to get over it because in life, that pretty much is bound to happen probably about every day. ;) 2. i had no idea that going to the beach in barcelona also meant going shopping. how is this so, you may ask? well, while we were sitting there, trying to have a relaxing afternoon after 2 and a half days of exhausting touring, probably about every 20 seconds, we were approached by some sort of vendor trying to sell us one of the following things: a massage (yes, its true. they would flash their little license's at us and say, "MASSAGE?!"), a henna tattoo, mohito's, overpriced soda, dresses (sarah almost gave in), burittos (yes, burittos on the beach, true story. they were HUGE!) and all sorts of other things that i can't even remember. boy these people were persistent too! they would stand in front of us and say over and over, "mohito? mohito? mohito? mohito? quieres? mohito? mohito?" ok.... "dear vendors in spain, what do you NOT understand about the word NO?!!?!?!?!?!? love, katie."
boy oh boy sometimes i can be mean when i get annoyed.
the beach was a bit overwhelming but definately relaxing. for any of you who plan to go to a beach in spain, though, make sure to watch your stuff closely! 3 DIFFERENT people approached us and told us our bags were in easy spots to steal and that if we kept them there, "they would be gone in 5 minutes." being back in the states now, i keep clinging my purse to my side, and then i relax a bit knowing that the U.S. is not quite as bad in regards to pick pocketing. thats pretty nice i guess ;)
i then went on a speed boat tour through the bay. the girls didnt want to pay the 10 euro (dont really know why, because c'mon! its a speed boat! in spain!). it was really fun/neat seeing the city from the perspective of the mediterranean sea :)
on the boat, i saw a helicopter fly by and it had a sign on it that read "helicopter ride over barcelona, 45 euro." eeeeeg. a little steep. but boy, that would be cool to do some day :)
the last day in barelona was perfect. beautiful weather, interesting beach experience, great food, great city. i did not want to leave. not at all.
we went back to the hotel and i had a question to ask the guy who worked at the front desk. i asked him about the taxi service to the airport and wake up calls and such. when i was about to walk off, he said in english, "i like you shirt."
"um, what?" i responded.
"i like you shirt." he repeated, again in english.
i looked down at my shirt and realized that it really was nothing special at all.... "why is he saying this?" i thought to myself.
"thank you......." i said, as my voice somewhat trailed off.
i walked away (with a quickness to my step) and wondered what it means in spanish culture to tell someone that you like their shirt...? it could mean several things, and i kind of dont want to think about it anymore.... either way, sorry buddy, but i highly suggest you use a different line on the next american girl who comes by..... ;)
the girls and i went up to their room, exchanged some pictures then i said good bye to them, as i had a flight at an ungodly hour the next morning.
it was sad saying goodbye, because who knows if i will ever meet up with them again? i just shared this awesome experience with them, then i have to leave it all right there, right then. such a strange and unsettling thing to do.
i packed up my stuff and layed down for the night. i slept restlessly, knowing that i would be SCREWED if my alarm somehow didnt go off in the morning.
luckily it did and i got ready, grabbed my stuff and got in the cab waiting for me outside the hotel. i prepared myself for what would be, a. long. day.
(it ended up being a 24 hour travel day (yes, true story) consisting of: 3 separate flights with ridiculously close connection times, checking my 49 pound (eeeeeg!) bag 3 separate times, going through security 3 separate times, customs, 2 skytrams and an annoying man behind me on my 10 hour flight from madrid to texas who kept laughing OUT LOUD during the movie "date night." ok, "dear people of this world, i as well enjoy getting a good laugh in movies when i am bored sitting on a plane for 10 hours, but for the sanity of those around you, could you refrain from allowing everyone from rows 25-42 from hearing your obnoxious laugh? thank you :) love, katie").
as i got into that cab in barcelona, it was still dark outside (5:40 a.m.) and i sat in the back by myself and looked out the window as we passed the sights i had spent the previous 3 and a half days admiring. as we took the main road out of the city and onto the freeway, i shed a tear as i turned around for the last time and said goodbye to a city, and a country that had been oh so good to me.
Friday, July 30, 2010
a history bath, goodbyes and the start to another adventure.
the other night i took a history bath, yup.
monica, aileen, aileens friend maggie, and i went to the arab baths here in granada and literally took history baths!
we really had no idea what to expect. all we heard about it was, ¨you have to try it!¨
we walked in and it smelt soooooo amazing in the waiting area. everything was dimly lit (i loved that!) and very clean and classy. we signed in and they told us how the night would work and we got really excited!
we went and changed into our swimsuits and then walked to this massive, old stone door that we couldnt figure out how to open at first ;)
we walked into this big open area that was again, dimly lit and a bit misty/hazy. in this large room separated by old, medieval looking collumns were 7 different ¨baths,¨ 2 massage areas and a larger room where you could sit and have sweets and Moroccan tea.
the baths were all different in size and temperature. some resembled mini sized pools, others were more like regular hot tubs.
we were told that there were 6 warm baths and 1 cold one.
we walked around and tested each one to see which one was the cold one.
the girls chose one bath to start in and i took a picture of them and of some of the other baths. soon after, this woman approached me and told me that pictures were prohibited because it is a place of relaxation and the flash disturbs people.
whoops :)
this place was sooooo cool. everything was so old looking and the tiles and structures were so elaborate and unique. definately different than the typical spa back in the states ;)
everywhere we looked, we saw a sign that read ¨silencio.¨ and apparently they dont joke around with this word.
as monica was telling us about her day, she was talking somewhat loud as she has quite a projective talking voice.
suddenly, from a source we have yet to figure out, we hear, ¨ssshhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!¨ in quite the forceful tone.
whoops :)
that happened to us about 3 more times throughout the night as we figured out that they really do mean business with those ¨silencio¨ signs!
they probably get really annoyed of chatty american girls who come through every night ;)
we were all given a number when we went in but were not really sure what it was for.
all the sudden someone called our numbers and we got up and walked to the place where the lady who called our numbers stood. 3 other ladies stood there and led each one of us to a separate little room where we would lay down for a......wait.....A MASSAGE!? SWEET!!!!
they used scented oils that felt especially warm on my already hot back.
they massaged us for about 15 minutes.....and man.....those were some of the best 15 minutes i have had while here! it was awesome!!!! i almost fell asleep but i didnt let myself because i wanted to enjoy it!!
we then went back out and got some of the delicious Moroccan tea and continued to enjoy the baths. i made sure to try each one out (yes, even the cold one, brrrr!!!) and each one was a bit different. i loved it!
take a history bath in spain: check!
the baths were pretty much the last thing i have done this week that was eventful/worth mentioning due to the fact that i have pretty much been quarantined to my room on account of school.
oh wait, i guess i saw something a little strange on my way home tuesday night. i turned this corner on the street and saw an old WOMAN peeing right there on the side of the street. i seriously had to double take as i wasnt sure why she was in an awkward half squat position when i first saw her. i then saw the liquid coming out of her and it was confirmed. ew.
the strange thing about this is that people were walking by her and acting like it was no big deal.
um, what!?!!?! this is disgusting! definately not allowed in the states. and i guess that is one other thing i like more about the states than here.
oh, well i guess there is another thing i like more....while were on this topic.
i dont know what it is about this week, but there have been 6 DIFFERENT times (yes, i counted) that i have walked by a pile of dog crap RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of the sidewalk.
ok again, WHAT!?!?!
¨dear spanish dog owners, please bring your dogs to a park to do their business. OR, pick up their crap so that people like the poor man in front of me dont step in their **** while trying to walk down the side of the street. thank you very much. -katie¨
aye aye aye.
ok, i am quite excited right now because i just finished my last exam and am officially done with school for the summer!!! yay!!!
complete a session of school in a foreign country: check!
all i have left to really do is pack up my stuff in my room and say goodbye to the awesome people i have met here.
today at lunch, almost all of us American students were there at the same time, and one of them proposed we do a standing ovation for our cook, antonio. who, i can say with confidence, must be one of the best cooks in spain! ;)
he was very surprised by our praise and yelled out, ¨vale, vale, ya se, ya se!¨ implying, ¨ok, ok you guys.... i already know im great!¨ hahaha. oh antonio.
as i pack up and leave a city that has offered nothing but beauty, excitement, challenges and joy to my life, i will leave one thing behind, and that is the totally different person who came here and had no idea what she was getting herself into ;)
i leave here with a new perspective and appreciation for culture and life outside of what ive grown up in.
now, off to barcelona for a few days to visit and explore what is said to be, one of the most popular and beautiful cities in the world.
i love you granada, see you later ;)
monica, aileen, aileens friend maggie, and i went to the arab baths here in granada and literally took history baths!
we really had no idea what to expect. all we heard about it was, ¨you have to try it!¨
we walked in and it smelt soooooo amazing in the waiting area. everything was dimly lit (i loved that!) and very clean and classy. we signed in and they told us how the night would work and we got really excited!
we went and changed into our swimsuits and then walked to this massive, old stone door that we couldnt figure out how to open at first ;)
we walked into this big open area that was again, dimly lit and a bit misty/hazy. in this large room separated by old, medieval looking collumns were 7 different ¨baths,¨ 2 massage areas and a larger room where you could sit and have sweets and Moroccan tea.
the baths were all different in size and temperature. some resembled mini sized pools, others were more like regular hot tubs.
we were told that there were 6 warm baths and 1 cold one.
we walked around and tested each one to see which one was the cold one.
the girls chose one bath to start in and i took a picture of them and of some of the other baths. soon after, this woman approached me and told me that pictures were prohibited because it is a place of relaxation and the flash disturbs people.
whoops :)
this place was sooooo cool. everything was so old looking and the tiles and structures were so elaborate and unique. definately different than the typical spa back in the states ;)
everywhere we looked, we saw a sign that read ¨silencio.¨ and apparently they dont joke around with this word.
as monica was telling us about her day, she was talking somewhat loud as she has quite a projective talking voice.
suddenly, from a source we have yet to figure out, we hear, ¨ssshhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!¨ in quite the forceful tone.
whoops :)
that happened to us about 3 more times throughout the night as we figured out that they really do mean business with those ¨silencio¨ signs!
they probably get really annoyed of chatty american girls who come through every night ;)
we were all given a number when we went in but were not really sure what it was for.
all the sudden someone called our numbers and we got up and walked to the place where the lady who called our numbers stood. 3 other ladies stood there and led each one of us to a separate little room where we would lay down for a......wait.....A MASSAGE!? SWEET!!!!
they used scented oils that felt especially warm on my already hot back.
they massaged us for about 15 minutes.....and man.....those were some of the best 15 minutes i have had while here! it was awesome!!!! i almost fell asleep but i didnt let myself because i wanted to enjoy it!!
we then went back out and got some of the delicious Moroccan tea and continued to enjoy the baths. i made sure to try each one out (yes, even the cold one, brrrr!!!) and each one was a bit different. i loved it!
take a history bath in spain: check!
the baths were pretty much the last thing i have done this week that was eventful/worth mentioning due to the fact that i have pretty much been quarantined to my room on account of school.
oh wait, i guess i saw something a little strange on my way home tuesday night. i turned this corner on the street and saw an old WOMAN peeing right there on the side of the street. i seriously had to double take as i wasnt sure why she was in an awkward half squat position when i first saw her. i then saw the liquid coming out of her and it was confirmed. ew.
the strange thing about this is that people were walking by her and acting like it was no big deal.
um, what!?!!?! this is disgusting! definately not allowed in the states. and i guess that is one other thing i like more about the states than here.
oh, well i guess there is another thing i like more....while were on this topic.
i dont know what it is about this week, but there have been 6 DIFFERENT times (yes, i counted) that i have walked by a pile of dog crap RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of the sidewalk.
ok again, WHAT!?!?!
¨dear spanish dog owners, please bring your dogs to a park to do their business. OR, pick up their crap so that people like the poor man in front of me dont step in their **** while trying to walk down the side of the street. thank you very much. -katie¨
aye aye aye.
ok, i am quite excited right now because i just finished my last exam and am officially done with school for the summer!!! yay!!!
complete a session of school in a foreign country: check!
all i have left to really do is pack up my stuff in my room and say goodbye to the awesome people i have met here.
today at lunch, almost all of us American students were there at the same time, and one of them proposed we do a standing ovation for our cook, antonio. who, i can say with confidence, must be one of the best cooks in spain! ;)
he was very surprised by our praise and yelled out, ¨vale, vale, ya se, ya se!¨ implying, ¨ok, ok you guys.... i already know im great!¨ hahaha. oh antonio.
as i pack up and leave a city that has offered nothing but beauty, excitement, challenges and joy to my life, i will leave one thing behind, and that is the totally different person who came here and had no idea what she was getting herself into ;)
i leave here with a new perspective and appreciation for culture and life outside of what ive grown up in.
now, off to barcelona for a few days to visit and explore what is said to be, one of the most popular and beautiful cities in the world.
i love you granada, see you later ;)
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
i played in snow....in july.
the other day i hiked up a mountain. yes, i did.
hm what should we do on saturday? i asked monica. we talked about it and i came up with the idea of taking a bus to the sierra nevada mountain range where we could then hike to the top of the 2nd (ALMOST 1st!) highest peak in spain. sounded like a pretty sweet idea, right?
so we bought our bus ticket for 10 euro and woke up early on saturday morning (this time bringing PLENTY of water) and went to catch our 2 separate buses that would take us high up the mountain to drop us off for the hike that we would do.
the bus ride was about an hour long and the entire time, the bus was just huffing and puffing as it climbed this massive mountain. luckily i sat on the side of the bus that had the view of the small lakes that had formed in the hills and the waterfalls of the snow that was melting from the peak. it was absolutely beautiful. the trees were much greener and i could sense the air was getting cooler. yay!
the bus dropped us off at the highest point it could go and we got out and i took a deep breath of some of the cleanest air i have ever breathed (except for the air in bellingham, which, i must brag, is in the top 10 of the cleanest air in the WORLD, thank you very much :). however, though the air was clean, it was thin and i could immediately tell the difference because of the altitude.
i looked up at the peak that you could supposedly climb "in 6 hours" and somewhat laughed to myself thinking it was WAY too far away to do it in 6 hours. the others agreed.
"oh well, we will just go as far as we can and turn around when we want to or need to" i said.
we started walking. and oh man......
after a good 10 minutes i was definately feelin the steep incline in my legs and in my lungs. we were hiking up this terrain that was real difficult to walk on, as my feet kept slipping on the thin rocks that never seemed to stay in place.
"oh no....what did i sign up for????" i thought to myself. oh well, im in spain ;)
kept going and saw that the others we went with from our residence hall were far behind us and it was only brett, hillary, monica and i up front. we kept hiking as we were determined to somehow get as close to the peak as we could.
we hiked for another 20 minutes until we hit the first patch of....... thats right, snow.
let me tell you, snow was the LAST thing i expected to see.....in july....in spain..... after all this heat i have been living in this past month, snow didnt seem to exist to me anymore.
we walked around in it and picked it up and i am not lying to you, i most definately kissed it when i had it in my hands. the cool, crisp feeling it gave was so refreshing and renewing.
we didnt stay in the snow long as we knew we had to keep going. a small road was up in the distance and i thought about walking on the road to see if it would be easier than this impossible trail. once i got there, i found that it was much easier to walk up the road than the trail. so hillary and i decided to take it for a little while, noticing that it ran parallel with the trail.
as we walked, we saw cows (what!?), ski lifts that were not in use and ski jumps that no longer were cushioned by snow.
what a beautiful hike it was.
eventually we met up with the others as the road intersected with the trail. "that peak is a day away guys, lets stop for lunch. we wont get to the top, so no need to be in a hurry" brett said.
we agreed and decided to walk a little further for a good look out place to eat lunch.
we walked another 5 minutes and monica, who was ahead, yelled, "YOU GUYS! GET OVER HERE!" we ran over and as we met up with her at the top of this hill, we saw what she was talking about.
there we stood at this cliff that overlooked not only the second highest peak in spain, but also the highest peak. there were cliffs that plunged into the valley and rocks with jagged edges that could easily split you in half.
"ok... this looks like a decent place to eat...." i joked.
that was probably the most beautiful view i have ever had while eating a simple sack lunch. we sat there with our legs over the edge and took in the beauty of spain.
after 20 minutes, we decided to keep walking to see if we could get any closer to the top.
as we got higher, the wind blew harder and definately made the "hard" status hike move up to the "difficult" status.
we had been hiking for about 3 hours until we realized that we may actually be able to make it to the top.....it seemed possible! after realizing this, we seemed to pick up the energy and keep moving as if our lives depended on it.
we got closer and closer....but not without getting more and more tired.
i was close to telling the others that i had made it high enough and that i was satisfied with the view i already had, but i went against what my body was begging of me.
we were almost to the top and i started to get so excited.
finally, there we were. at the top of spain, literally.
the air was so thin up there. when i would breathe in, it was almost as if i was breathing nothing, as the air pressure was minimal. (which didnt exactly help the lungs at that point....).
i looked around and off to one of my sides, saw that we were standing above the clouds. wow. we were pretty high up there....
we took some pictures of the beauty.....gave each other "high fives" for our A+ effort ;) and then had to make our way back down, knowing that the bus would leave at 5, with our without us.
as we made our way down, i was excited because i was sure that it would be easier coming down than going up.
not so much.
i mean, dont get me wrong, it was EASIER.....but.....there are harder aspects to walking down a mountain than there are walking up. hillary and i were talking about how you totally use different muscles in your legs to walk up something than you do when your feet are stomping on the earth as you walk down something in order to keep you from tumbling down ;)
as we were walking down, we had about 45 more minutes and man were we ready to be there. we were exhausted.
we were on hour 5 and half of pure movement and i was ready to check in.
we were so close when all the sudden....."is that a sprinkle of rain????"
it started down pouring on us.
now, when i got dressed for a hike up a mountain in the mid of summer... in spain....i did not dress for rain. so of course i had a tshirt and shorts on and was getting drenched by the rain. "um......dear mother nature, im not in seattle. please stop raining. love, katie." ;)
luckily, after about 1 minute of rain, it stopped as if mother nature knew rain was the last thing a girl from seattle wanted while she was hiking a mountain in spain ;)
we were so close to the end of the hike when hillary goes, "gosh.....it would have been nice if they would have put some signs up....like, 'warning, this hike is difficult.' " HAHAHA!!! "so true!" i agreed.
if you ever go on a hike in spain, dont expect any signs of where the trail is, where it leads, "warning-possible land slide" signs, or the level of difficulty. in spain, i guess you can use the term that, "they throw you at the wolves." they kinda see what your made of. well, i guess that keeps things interesting huh? ;)
we made it to the bottom and we all felt so accomplished. us girls all passed out at the first table we could sit at. we simply put our heads on the tables and the guys were nice enough to make sure our stuff wasnt stolen as we passed out for what appeared to be a long winters nap.
i definately made use of the ibuprofen my mom packed for me. i havent needed ibuprofen so bad in my life. not only were my legs sore, but my hips were throbbing in pain. yeah, i have gone 2 hours or so running around a soccer field, but i have never gone 6 hours with solid physical activity. yikesabee.
since the hike, i have been pretty much drowning in schoolwork here. i guess the spanish culture is to trick you into thinking that school here isn't too bad....then BOOM- "its the last week! we should give you big projects and tests, all due on the same day!"
man do i miss the structure of the american school system. (but thats really all i miss about the american school system ;)
so i have been busy making powerpoints, studying random art history spanish vocabulary, learning the various mountain ranges and rivers in spain and of course preparing for an oral presentation on the differences between spain and the U.S. aye aye aye, hello books.
well, despite the massive loads of homework that i must now return to, i can now say that i hiked one of spains highest peaks the other day.
be physically challenged while abroad: check!
hm what should we do on saturday? i asked monica. we talked about it and i came up with the idea of taking a bus to the sierra nevada mountain range where we could then hike to the top of the 2nd (ALMOST 1st!) highest peak in spain. sounded like a pretty sweet idea, right?
so we bought our bus ticket for 10 euro and woke up early on saturday morning (this time bringing PLENTY of water) and went to catch our 2 separate buses that would take us high up the mountain to drop us off for the hike that we would do.
the bus ride was about an hour long and the entire time, the bus was just huffing and puffing as it climbed this massive mountain. luckily i sat on the side of the bus that had the view of the small lakes that had formed in the hills and the waterfalls of the snow that was melting from the peak. it was absolutely beautiful. the trees were much greener and i could sense the air was getting cooler. yay!
the bus dropped us off at the highest point it could go and we got out and i took a deep breath of some of the cleanest air i have ever breathed (except for the air in bellingham, which, i must brag, is in the top 10 of the cleanest air in the WORLD, thank you very much :). however, though the air was clean, it was thin and i could immediately tell the difference because of the altitude.
i looked up at the peak that you could supposedly climb "in 6 hours" and somewhat laughed to myself thinking it was WAY too far away to do it in 6 hours. the others agreed.
"oh well, we will just go as far as we can and turn around when we want to or need to" i said.
we started walking. and oh man......
after a good 10 minutes i was definately feelin the steep incline in my legs and in my lungs. we were hiking up this terrain that was real difficult to walk on, as my feet kept slipping on the thin rocks that never seemed to stay in place.
"oh no....what did i sign up for????" i thought to myself. oh well, im in spain ;)
kept going and saw that the others we went with from our residence hall were far behind us and it was only brett, hillary, monica and i up front. we kept hiking as we were determined to somehow get as close to the peak as we could.
we hiked for another 20 minutes until we hit the first patch of....... thats right, snow.
let me tell you, snow was the LAST thing i expected to see.....in july....in spain..... after all this heat i have been living in this past month, snow didnt seem to exist to me anymore.
we walked around in it and picked it up and i am not lying to you, i most definately kissed it when i had it in my hands. the cool, crisp feeling it gave was so refreshing and renewing.
we didnt stay in the snow long as we knew we had to keep going. a small road was up in the distance and i thought about walking on the road to see if it would be easier than this impossible trail. once i got there, i found that it was much easier to walk up the road than the trail. so hillary and i decided to take it for a little while, noticing that it ran parallel with the trail.
as we walked, we saw cows (what!?), ski lifts that were not in use and ski jumps that no longer were cushioned by snow.
what a beautiful hike it was.
eventually we met up with the others as the road intersected with the trail. "that peak is a day away guys, lets stop for lunch. we wont get to the top, so no need to be in a hurry" brett said.
we agreed and decided to walk a little further for a good look out place to eat lunch.
we walked another 5 minutes and monica, who was ahead, yelled, "YOU GUYS! GET OVER HERE!" we ran over and as we met up with her at the top of this hill, we saw what she was talking about.
there we stood at this cliff that overlooked not only the second highest peak in spain, but also the highest peak. there were cliffs that plunged into the valley and rocks with jagged edges that could easily split you in half.
"ok... this looks like a decent place to eat...." i joked.
that was probably the most beautiful view i have ever had while eating a simple sack lunch. we sat there with our legs over the edge and took in the beauty of spain.
after 20 minutes, we decided to keep walking to see if we could get any closer to the top.
as we got higher, the wind blew harder and definately made the "hard" status hike move up to the "difficult" status.
we had been hiking for about 3 hours until we realized that we may actually be able to make it to the top.....it seemed possible! after realizing this, we seemed to pick up the energy and keep moving as if our lives depended on it.
we got closer and closer....but not without getting more and more tired.
i was close to telling the others that i had made it high enough and that i was satisfied with the view i already had, but i went against what my body was begging of me.
we were almost to the top and i started to get so excited.
finally, there we were. at the top of spain, literally.
the air was so thin up there. when i would breathe in, it was almost as if i was breathing nothing, as the air pressure was minimal. (which didnt exactly help the lungs at that point....).
i looked around and off to one of my sides, saw that we were standing above the clouds. wow. we were pretty high up there....
we took some pictures of the beauty.....gave each other "high fives" for our A+ effort ;) and then had to make our way back down, knowing that the bus would leave at 5, with our without us.
as we made our way down, i was excited because i was sure that it would be easier coming down than going up.
not so much.
i mean, dont get me wrong, it was EASIER.....but.....there are harder aspects to walking down a mountain than there are walking up. hillary and i were talking about how you totally use different muscles in your legs to walk up something than you do when your feet are stomping on the earth as you walk down something in order to keep you from tumbling down ;)
as we were walking down, we had about 45 more minutes and man were we ready to be there. we were exhausted.
we were on hour 5 and half of pure movement and i was ready to check in.
we were so close when all the sudden....."is that a sprinkle of rain????"
it started down pouring on us.
now, when i got dressed for a hike up a mountain in the mid of summer... in spain....i did not dress for rain. so of course i had a tshirt and shorts on and was getting drenched by the rain. "um......dear mother nature, im not in seattle. please stop raining. love, katie." ;)
luckily, after about 1 minute of rain, it stopped as if mother nature knew rain was the last thing a girl from seattle wanted while she was hiking a mountain in spain ;)
we were so close to the end of the hike when hillary goes, "gosh.....it would have been nice if they would have put some signs up....like, 'warning, this hike is difficult.' " HAHAHA!!! "so true!" i agreed.
if you ever go on a hike in spain, dont expect any signs of where the trail is, where it leads, "warning-possible land slide" signs, or the level of difficulty. in spain, i guess you can use the term that, "they throw you at the wolves." they kinda see what your made of. well, i guess that keeps things interesting huh? ;)
we made it to the bottom and we all felt so accomplished. us girls all passed out at the first table we could sit at. we simply put our heads on the tables and the guys were nice enough to make sure our stuff wasnt stolen as we passed out for what appeared to be a long winters nap.
i definately made use of the ibuprofen my mom packed for me. i havent needed ibuprofen so bad in my life. not only were my legs sore, but my hips were throbbing in pain. yeah, i have gone 2 hours or so running around a soccer field, but i have never gone 6 hours with solid physical activity. yikesabee.
since the hike, i have been pretty much drowning in schoolwork here. i guess the spanish culture is to trick you into thinking that school here isn't too bad....then BOOM- "its the last week! we should give you big projects and tests, all due on the same day!"
man do i miss the structure of the american school system. (but thats really all i miss about the american school system ;)
so i have been busy making powerpoints, studying random art history spanish vocabulary, learning the various mountain ranges and rivers in spain and of course preparing for an oral presentation on the differences between spain and the U.S. aye aye aye, hello books.
well, despite the massive loads of homework that i must now return to, i can now say that i hiked one of spains highest peaks the other day.
be physically challenged while abroad: check!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
i do.
today a very dear friend of mine from back home is getting married. and i am here on this relaxing sunday in spain wishing i was there to give her a big hug and wish her and her awesome husband a wonderful life together.
to my Molly Purcell and Caleb Lind- i am thinking of you today and wishing you a life full of happiness! i cannot wait to see the wonderful places God takes you!!
i have no doubt that Molly will be stunning today. i mean, she is naturally so beautiful (my mom once told me that Molly reminds her of the actress Anne Hathaway. i very much so agree.) and Caleb is a lucky man for snagging her. but i would want no one else for my Molly :)
i guess things like these happen when your away frolicking around in another country. you miss big things like these. but i guess thats the sacrifice that comes with the privilege.
all things worth having come at a price, right?
love you, Molly and Caleb.
to my Molly Purcell and Caleb Lind- i am thinking of you today and wishing you a life full of happiness! i cannot wait to see the wonderful places God takes you!!
i have no doubt that Molly will be stunning today. i mean, she is naturally so beautiful (my mom once told me that Molly reminds her of the actress Anne Hathaway. i very much so agree.) and Caleb is a lucky man for snagging her. but i would want no one else for my Molly :)
i guess things like these happen when your away frolicking around in another country. you miss big things like these. but i guess thats the sacrifice that comes with the privilege.
all things worth having come at a price, right?
love you, Molly and Caleb.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
a day and a life in spain.
i have to share something really fun with you. yesterday in my language class, we were obviously discussing the language of spanish. but we were also discussing other languages in general, and my professor decided to end the class with the following video. please, i ask you to watch this. i hope you find it as humorous as i did. here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INOL2zVv7mw
this story is a good one, but i think my parents and sisters would like it most- :)
today i was in the lobby studying because monica was still asleep and i didnt want to wake her. from a far away distance, i heard this faint sound of little girls laughing/talking/yelling- just behaving as normal little girls always seem to. the noise came closer and closer until 3 little girls all ran up to the main entrance of my dorm and it appeared as if they were waiting for someone to come let them in. finally a man (who looked like their dad) came and opened the door for them then told them to sit and wait in the lobby while he went upstairs to get something. what made this whole situation even more precious was that they were all speaking english, so i knew what they were saying.
as they sat across from me in the lobby, i just smiled as i noticed how oddly similar those 3 girls looked in age, looks and behavior- as my 2 sisters and i. i just love it when i see 3 little girls who are all somewhat similar in age. it just takes me back to my childhood.
the girls were obviously staring at me so i looked at them and asked them in english, ¨how old are you?¨ (but i wasnt sure if they would answer, knowing that little kids seem to be pretty good at ¨not talking to strangers¨). the older one gasped and said, ¨you speak english!? no one here your age speaks english!¨
i laughed and told her i was from america and that i was here studying spanish.
they seemed very intrigued as all 3 of them walked up to me and started getting closer and closer as if i was one of the famous disney characters at disneyland.
i eventually told them that i had 2 sisters back home as well. they LOVED hearing this.
¨oh!!! are you the oldest!?¨ the oldest girl asked me.
¨no, i am the middle child¨ i said as i smiled at the middle child of the 3.
¨oh! what does your older sister look like!?¨ the oldest child asked.
i told them that both my sisters looked a little like me but that they had pretty, blonde hair.
¨oooooohhhhhh......¨ they all said in unison, as if blonde hair was a foreign delicacy.
i just couldnt stop staring at the youngest girl as she rolled around the floor in her little diaper just humming some tune to herself. her acute features reminded me so much of when steph was little.
suddenly i heard someone walking down the stairs behind us.
¨quite the conversationalists aren´t they?¨ a man asked me.
¨they sure are!¨ i replied. ¨are these your daughters?¨
¨they sure are¨ he said.
he went on to tell me that he was here with a group of students from florida and he was the director of the program bringing them around and that his wife and girls came with this time as well.
¨well im actually 1 of 3 daughters, too¨ i shared with him.
¨ah.... well let me ask you, how did your parents do it?¨ he said with a laugh.
¨well, if my dad were here, he would tell you to just keep them busy. then they will stay out of trouble¨ i shared.
as we were talking, the middle child continued to crawl around his leg as if it was some pole out on the playground.
¨and did it work?¨ he asked with an intrigued look.
¨it sure did. we all turned out great and we´re best friends to this day.¨
¨well i´ll keep that in mind¨ he said with a laugh.
they took off out the door and i had a smile on my face as i felt like it was just yesterday when my sisters and i were that age.
i was walking to school today and i turned one of the corners at the main intersection in town. as i turned the corner, i saw 2 policemen standing there, which was odd because i had never seen policemen just standing around except for when spain won the world cup.
¨hm.....¨i thought to myself, just shrugging off the occurrence.
suddenly a man´s arm hit my bag as he went sprinting by me. i turned in his direction and saw that he was running at full speed. i then heard someone else running from behind me, and as i turned, i saw it was one of the policeman running after him. the policeman passed me as well and was off in pursuit of the man.
i took a closer look in the direction they were running and saw that several of the other men who were street vendors were quickly packing up their things that they were selling and also began running in the same direction as the other man. i tried to see if the first guy had anything in his hands that he had may be stolen, but i saw nothing. he sure was running fast.
pretty sure the policeman had no chance to catch him as the man ran with the endurance and speed of an olympian.
¨interesting.....¨ i thought to myself as i semi quickly walked away from the scene.
who knows what was really happening there...
but i guess these types of things are bound to happen everywhere, huh? ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INOL2zVv7mw
this story is a good one, but i think my parents and sisters would like it most- :)
today i was in the lobby studying because monica was still asleep and i didnt want to wake her. from a far away distance, i heard this faint sound of little girls laughing/talking/yelling- just behaving as normal little girls always seem to. the noise came closer and closer until 3 little girls all ran up to the main entrance of my dorm and it appeared as if they were waiting for someone to come let them in. finally a man (who looked like their dad) came and opened the door for them then told them to sit and wait in the lobby while he went upstairs to get something. what made this whole situation even more precious was that they were all speaking english, so i knew what they were saying.
as they sat across from me in the lobby, i just smiled as i noticed how oddly similar those 3 girls looked in age, looks and behavior- as my 2 sisters and i. i just love it when i see 3 little girls who are all somewhat similar in age. it just takes me back to my childhood.
the girls were obviously staring at me so i looked at them and asked them in english, ¨how old are you?¨ (but i wasnt sure if they would answer, knowing that little kids seem to be pretty good at ¨not talking to strangers¨). the older one gasped and said, ¨you speak english!? no one here your age speaks english!¨
i laughed and told her i was from america and that i was here studying spanish.
they seemed very intrigued as all 3 of them walked up to me and started getting closer and closer as if i was one of the famous disney characters at disneyland.
i eventually told them that i had 2 sisters back home as well. they LOVED hearing this.
¨oh!!! are you the oldest!?¨ the oldest girl asked me.
¨no, i am the middle child¨ i said as i smiled at the middle child of the 3.
¨oh! what does your older sister look like!?¨ the oldest child asked.
i told them that both my sisters looked a little like me but that they had pretty, blonde hair.
¨oooooohhhhhh......¨ they all said in unison, as if blonde hair was a foreign delicacy.
i just couldnt stop staring at the youngest girl as she rolled around the floor in her little diaper just humming some tune to herself. her acute features reminded me so much of when steph was little.
suddenly i heard someone walking down the stairs behind us.
¨quite the conversationalists aren´t they?¨ a man asked me.
¨they sure are!¨ i replied. ¨are these your daughters?¨
¨they sure are¨ he said.
he went on to tell me that he was here with a group of students from florida and he was the director of the program bringing them around and that his wife and girls came with this time as well.
¨well im actually 1 of 3 daughters, too¨ i shared with him.
¨ah.... well let me ask you, how did your parents do it?¨ he said with a laugh.
¨well, if my dad were here, he would tell you to just keep them busy. then they will stay out of trouble¨ i shared.
as we were talking, the middle child continued to crawl around his leg as if it was some pole out on the playground.
¨and did it work?¨ he asked with an intrigued look.
¨it sure did. we all turned out great and we´re best friends to this day.¨
¨well i´ll keep that in mind¨ he said with a laugh.
they took off out the door and i had a smile on my face as i felt like it was just yesterday when my sisters and i were that age.
i was walking to school today and i turned one of the corners at the main intersection in town. as i turned the corner, i saw 2 policemen standing there, which was odd because i had never seen policemen just standing around except for when spain won the world cup.
¨hm.....¨i thought to myself, just shrugging off the occurrence.
suddenly a man´s arm hit my bag as he went sprinting by me. i turned in his direction and saw that he was running at full speed. i then heard someone else running from behind me, and as i turned, i saw it was one of the policeman running after him. the policeman passed me as well and was off in pursuit of the man.
i took a closer look in the direction they were running and saw that several of the other men who were street vendors were quickly packing up their things that they were selling and also began running in the same direction as the other man. i tried to see if the first guy had anything in his hands that he had may be stolen, but i saw nothing. he sure was running fast.
pretty sure the policeman had no chance to catch him as the man ran with the endurance and speed of an olympian.
¨interesting.....¨ i thought to myself as i semi quickly walked away from the scene.
who knows what was really happening there...
but i guess these types of things are bound to happen everywhere, huh? ;)
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
on top of the world.
the other day i felt what it was like to be a bird.
and the moment my feet touched the ground again, the dream had come and gone just like that.
on monday i skipped my classes to do something that not many people have been able to do or i guess you could say "have had the guts" to do. and let me tell you, it was totally worth missing that day of school.
on monday the girls and i went flying. thats what we called it. its more commonly known as "paragliding."
from the moment i decided to do it up until about 5 minutes until i actually did it, i wasnt nervous at all. i guess i really didnt think about what i was getting myself into.
our group met up with the pilots at 4 p.m. on monday afternoon and we caught the bus from the city up into the hills of granada. from there, we met up with the other pilots where they would drive us to the top of the mountain.
when they pulled up, they pulled up in one of those creepy "rapist" white vans with no back windows. yes, true story.
my dad used to have one of those vans and he would haul his dental equipment in the back when he had dental contracts with different jails around washington state. looking back, im sure people would stare at us when he would drop angela and i off at school in this old, ruggedy beat up "rapist" van with no back windows, and as angela and i would jump out of the front seat because we had to share it since there were no seats in the back. (yes, again, true story) hahahaha.
so we all jumped into this creepy white van and sat there for a moment and realized that the pilots were having a hard time getting it to start.
"oh gosh you have got to be kidding me" i thought to myself.
they tried starting it about 20 times, then they went under the van with a hammer and began hitting some part of the van with the hammer, as if that would make it start. i just couldnt help but look at monica and laugh.
then they had the brilliant idea of putting the car in drive then pushing it backwards. as we were rolling down this hill backwards, in a creepy white van that was not on, i just put my head in my hands and hoped that something would get this car to start.
i dont know what happened, but as we were gliding backwards, the engine ignited and the van started. the guys started hooping and hollering and all of us girls just looked at each other, shook our heads and laughed.
the driver turned around and said, "see! no problem! its the spanish way!" hahahaha.
these spaniards never give up on their cars here ;)
they drove us up to another area where we then got into smaller cars (that yes, were normal and had windows).
i was in the car with 4 other girls and our driver was a younger pilot who had not yet gotten his license to take other people in the air.
we were driving up this mountain on this one way road and i of course was on the side of the car closest to the cliff. i pretty much clung to amanda the ENTIRE ride up because we probably had about 5 inches to spare on the right side before the car would go tumbling off the side of the road down that mountain. our driver really didnt seem to notice our nervousness though, as he went on about his crazy life which consisted of "making his wife pregnant.....twice.....ah...us humans....we never seem to learn our lesson....thats why there been so many world wars.....!" (in his cute, broken english accent). im sure us 4 would have thought his life story was a little bit more funny if we wouldnt have been so preoccupied by the giant cliff that was dangerously close on our right side.
we made it to the top safely as our driver said, "See! no problem!"
i wish i was as carefree as they are!
wow was it beautiful up there. standing up at one of the highest peaks of the sierra nevada mountain range in granda, spain.
not only was it beautiful, but it was SILENT. you could hear a pin drop from up there. it was as if we were in our own world. well, i guess we pretty much were.
the other pilots came after us, hauling the parachutes on their backs. i give them props for carrying those massive parachutes as if they were nothing. because it must have been about 100 degrees up there. man it was hot. and none of us thought to bring water. "shoot.....hope this doesnt take too long or we might pass out from dehydration" i thought. :/
the pilots unloaded their backpacks and started putting everything together. as i sat there and waited, i started to get a little nervous as i saw that we stood right in front of this massive drop off cliff. i knew that we were at this particular drop off for a reason....but i didnt really know how this process actually worked.
the pilots looked ready and they walked over to us to square us away.
they explained the process of paragliding which basically consists of this:
"we strap you up to us, you look straight ahead, wait for my signal, and when i say run, you run as fast as you can. and run straight toward that cliff until you cant run anymore. and thats it!"
oh ok....so let me get this straight.... you want me to run until i have pretty much jumped off that cliff right there? hm, ok, no problem. YEAH RIGHT!
they told us that our minds will tell us to try and sit down on these little seats we had but that we couldnt sit until they gave us the signal. they told us that we had to keep running and running and running because the parachute will force us in the opposite direction, so its up to us girls who are in front to be the "front wheels" and counteract the force.
gosh, this is when i started to get a little nervous.
i dont know about you, but i have never jumped off a mountain before....and this just seemed suicidal.
oh well, no turning back now! i am already at the top of this damn mountain and im so thirsty that i dont want to open my mouth to the dry heat... im ganna do this!!!
the pilots hooked hillary and i up first. i asked the pilot where i should put my camera and he strapped it to one of the handles then did a little whistle thing and pointed down his shirt which basically meant that i should put it down my shirt. i couldnt help but laugh. it was a good idea though!
i was about to go when hillary and her captain started their "take-off." as i watched, my heart began to beat hard. the pilot was keeping his eye on how the wind picked up the parachute so whenever he moved in the direction the parachute did, he dragged hillary with him. so i was basically watching her get dragged from side to side on this rocky edge until finally he seemed to get situated then yelled to her, "corre! corre! corre!" (run! run! run!) and she took off with all her might and ran as hard as she could. yet, the wind was pushing them both backwards and they both struggled for a few seconds then finally began running full speed towards the cliff. hillary did well as she ran until she had no more earth to run on. luckily, right in time, the parachute caught the wind and took them soaring into the sky.
"hm........ok.... this is a little harder than i thought it would be...." i thought to myself. i began to mentally prepare myself to get tossed around by the wind and by the pilot and i kept thinking to myself, "gosh this dang parachute better catch the wind once im flying off that cliff!!!"
it was my turn. the pilot asked, "are you ready chica?" i said "si!" with the most confidence i could seem to muster.
the same thing happened to me. i was tossed around and i almost lost my balance a few times and then he yelled to me, "corre! corre! corre!" and i ran as fast as i could but it didnt seem to be working. i felt like we were starting to lose runway space when all the sudden the pilot yelled to me, "STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and i came to a screeching halt about 2 feet from the edge of the cliff.
oh. my. gosh. i. almost. fell. off. that. cliff.
the pilot turned to me and told me i wasnt running fast enough. "you must run with more decision!" he said in english.
ok.....i dont know about you....but i was sure running with "as much decision" as i could- since i knew that running was what it took to get this thing to work.
shoot. i dont know how much faster/harder i can run but i guess it needs to be better.
so the pilot picked up the parachute and we walked back about 50 feet to where we began to try again. he asked me if i was ok, as if he sensed my worry and i said "yes, yes, im fine. lets go!" i just wanted to get in the air and get the hard part over with!
second try....here we go.
"corre! corre! corre!" he yelled again and this time, i WITHOUT A DOUBT ran as fast as my short little legs would take me, with all the "decision" i had in me. i was NOT going to die because i ran off of the edge of a cliff. heck no.
i ran and ran and ran until my feet were off the ground and oh. wait. i was flying.
oh. my. gosh.
for the first 30 seconds i was literally hanging off the seat we are supposed to sit in because the wind was forcing me from sitting down. the pilot had to pull my shirt back toward him so that i could sit down rather than being in the free fall position, strapped on for dear life by these 2 small bands.
once he pulled me back, i was sitting and at that moment, i realized we had ascended even higher- and there i was. i was paragliding!
after taking a few breaths from the take off, i settled in and enjoyed the view.
words cannot express the joy i felt at that moment.
i've met a lot of people in life whose one wish has been to fly.
if you want to see what thats like, you can do a few things. you can go sky diving, bungee jumping, parasailing or paragliding.
but let me tell you why paragliding might be your best choice.
in bungee jumping, you really cant see where you are going, as gravity is pulling you to earths core at quite the rapid pace.
in sky diving, im sure the view and experience is AMAZING, but i imagine that the pressure of the wind and the rush of the free falling would take you from seeing whats really around you.
with parasailing, you really dont go that high in the air and your view is not much different than the view of those in the boat pulling you.
but with paragliding, this is something much different than the rest.
you sit down in this surprisingly comfortable chair and as the wind hits your face at a rather pleasant speed, you have all the time and comfort in the world to see what is around you.
with paragliding, you really can experience what its like to be a bird.
and for those of you who ask, "what about being in an airplane? does that come close?" absolutely not. ;)
after about 10 minutes of this out of body experience, i noticed we were already descending.
"wait...." i thought to myself.... "they said we would be up in the air for about a half an hour...."
the pilot yelled to me, "when land, run!"
"ok" i thought, "this wont be too bad...!"
we got closer and closer to the ground and i kept hoping and praying i wouldnt break my legs from too hard of a land or an impact.
minus the tree branches we went through (hahaha) we landed well and i started running with the momentum we had going. we came to a stop and the parachute fell.
the pilot then turned to me and told me something i would have rather not heard.
"there was problem with the lines. had to land early."
um..........what did you just say?????
that definately freaked me out and 10 minutes before this, i would have never thought that being on the ground was somewhere i would have been happy to be.
we walked back up to the cliff we were on and the girls there gave me a confused look like, "whoa. that was fast.....?"
i know this sounds bratty, but i kind of felt jipped. right when i was starting to enjoy my time up there and get comfortable with the feeling of flying in the air, we already had to land.
at the time, i was so grateful for having flown, but at the same time, the money i had to pay almost didnt seem worth it.
hillary, who went before me, landed about 10 minutes after i did and was confused to see me already sitting there. i explained to her what happened and she felt bad and didnt know what to say.
"oh well katie, at least you did it. have a good attitude about this" is what i kept trying to tell myself.
the other girls went and as they would be gone upwards of 40 minutes and as i sat there in the heat, as thirsty as i have ever been in my life, i started to get a little upset. but again, i kept telling myself to chill out and get over it. "may be they wont make me pay as much.....?" i thought to myself.
once the others were done, we were about to leave when my pilot ran up to me and said, "you ready?!"
i was confused....
i looked at him and said, "what?"
he said, "last time, you not fly long enough. we fly again. now."
oh..........!
i wasnt sure if i should be happy or scared all over again.
i mean, sweet! i really wanted to fly for longer.....but were the lines "going to be a problem" again....or was my take off going to make me almost have a heart attack again? sheesh.
the word "ok!" almost seemed to involuntarily slide out of my mouth as i was on the fence in agreeing to putting my life on the line, again.
the pilot got the parachute ready, strapped me up, and there i was again, about to run off the cliff. aye aye aye. what did i sign up for?!
"corre! corre! corre!" he yelled to me and there i went again. running. with. all. my. might.
after only a few steps, we flew into the air. "yes!" i thought, thinking that this take off was much better than the last one. but right after that thought, we hit the ground again and the pilot yelled, "corre! corre! corre!" and i ran as fast as i could again, seeing the edge of the cliff come creeping closer and closer.
we took off into the air one more time yet to be pulled by earths force back down. "corre! corre! corre!" he yelled again and i took the last 5 steps i had before the edge of the cliff came to force me to fly and that last step i took, i shoved my body over that cliff with as much umph as i had in me and there we went- the parachute caught the wind and we quickly gained altitude.
"thank you Lord!!!!!" is what immediately came to my mind. i was in the air and all seemed well.
"very nice run!" the pilot yelled to me.
"gracias!" i yelled back, with a slight quiver in my voice ;)
this time around was even better as we took more altitude and as the pilot reassured me that the lines were "perfecto!"
"oh good...." was all i could think to myself.
we flew for about 20 minutes until the pilot apparently decided to see how my spanish was. he began asking me in spanish if i had ever flown anything before and if i ever wanted to try. i guess i thought i knew what i was saying back to him but all the sudden he told me to take the gears that control the parachute so that I. COULD. FLY. US.
ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, what?!?!?!!?!?!?
before i knew it, my hands had the controls and i. was. flying. the. entire. thing.
ok.......... i had no idea what i was doing.
trying to take commands in a different language while you are already in semi fear of your life is quite the task, ladies and gentlemen. but to be honest, the pilot really gave me no choice as he had already let go of the gears and said "i can sleep now!"
UM....NO YOU CANT!!!!!! i said back ;)
he laughed. i totally didnt at the time ;)
i definately flew that thing for a good 5 minutes as he told me to lean left and pull right and lean forward and level out then lean right and pull left. i was actually taking turns and bringing us up and down in the sky.
way. to. cool. for. my. own. good.
as he began explaining to me how i would land, i finally stood up for myself and said that i preferred not landing the thing and that i would really appreciate it if he would land it for us ;)
he laughed and said "ok then!" hahaha. wow.
after a few minutes, the pilot yelled, "hold on and lean right!" right when i did, we began spinning in circles and i felt a sudden decline as i realized that the "normal" way to land these things is to lean one way and pull the gears that same direction which then lifts the air out of the parachute to land it. we were spinning in these tight circles for about 30 seconds and at this point, the wind was beating my face as i tried to hide it behind my arm.
before i knew it, we were about 100 feet off the ground and again, the pilot yelled, "ok! we land! you run!"
i prepared myself and scooted myself out of the seat so that i was hanging in mid air and as we hit the ground, i began to run with the momentum. we came to a halt and i watched the parachute fall to the ground.
the pilot looked at me and said, "you like?!"
all i could seem to say was, "si!!!! como un sueno." (yes! it was like a dream).
would i do it all again?
you bet i would.
and the moment my feet touched the ground again, the dream had come and gone just like that.
on monday i skipped my classes to do something that not many people have been able to do or i guess you could say "have had the guts" to do. and let me tell you, it was totally worth missing that day of school.
on monday the girls and i went flying. thats what we called it. its more commonly known as "paragliding."
from the moment i decided to do it up until about 5 minutes until i actually did it, i wasnt nervous at all. i guess i really didnt think about what i was getting myself into.
our group met up with the pilots at 4 p.m. on monday afternoon and we caught the bus from the city up into the hills of granada. from there, we met up with the other pilots where they would drive us to the top of the mountain.
when they pulled up, they pulled up in one of those creepy "rapist" white vans with no back windows. yes, true story.
my dad used to have one of those vans and he would haul his dental equipment in the back when he had dental contracts with different jails around washington state. looking back, im sure people would stare at us when he would drop angela and i off at school in this old, ruggedy beat up "rapist" van with no back windows, and as angela and i would jump out of the front seat because we had to share it since there were no seats in the back. (yes, again, true story) hahahaha.
so we all jumped into this creepy white van and sat there for a moment and realized that the pilots were having a hard time getting it to start.
"oh gosh you have got to be kidding me" i thought to myself.
they tried starting it about 20 times, then they went under the van with a hammer and began hitting some part of the van with the hammer, as if that would make it start. i just couldnt help but look at monica and laugh.
then they had the brilliant idea of putting the car in drive then pushing it backwards. as we were rolling down this hill backwards, in a creepy white van that was not on, i just put my head in my hands and hoped that something would get this car to start.
i dont know what happened, but as we were gliding backwards, the engine ignited and the van started. the guys started hooping and hollering and all of us girls just looked at each other, shook our heads and laughed.
the driver turned around and said, "see! no problem! its the spanish way!" hahahaha.
these spaniards never give up on their cars here ;)
they drove us up to another area where we then got into smaller cars (that yes, were normal and had windows).
i was in the car with 4 other girls and our driver was a younger pilot who had not yet gotten his license to take other people in the air.
we were driving up this mountain on this one way road and i of course was on the side of the car closest to the cliff. i pretty much clung to amanda the ENTIRE ride up because we probably had about 5 inches to spare on the right side before the car would go tumbling off the side of the road down that mountain. our driver really didnt seem to notice our nervousness though, as he went on about his crazy life which consisted of "making his wife pregnant.....twice.....ah...us humans....we never seem to learn our lesson....thats why there been so many world wars.....!" (in his cute, broken english accent). im sure us 4 would have thought his life story was a little bit more funny if we wouldnt have been so preoccupied by the giant cliff that was dangerously close on our right side.
we made it to the top safely as our driver said, "See! no problem!"
i wish i was as carefree as they are!
wow was it beautiful up there. standing up at one of the highest peaks of the sierra nevada mountain range in granda, spain.
not only was it beautiful, but it was SILENT. you could hear a pin drop from up there. it was as if we were in our own world. well, i guess we pretty much were.
the other pilots came after us, hauling the parachutes on their backs. i give them props for carrying those massive parachutes as if they were nothing. because it must have been about 100 degrees up there. man it was hot. and none of us thought to bring water. "shoot.....hope this doesnt take too long or we might pass out from dehydration" i thought. :/
the pilots unloaded their backpacks and started putting everything together. as i sat there and waited, i started to get a little nervous as i saw that we stood right in front of this massive drop off cliff. i knew that we were at this particular drop off for a reason....but i didnt really know how this process actually worked.
the pilots looked ready and they walked over to us to square us away.
they explained the process of paragliding which basically consists of this:
"we strap you up to us, you look straight ahead, wait for my signal, and when i say run, you run as fast as you can. and run straight toward that cliff until you cant run anymore. and thats it!"
oh ok....so let me get this straight.... you want me to run until i have pretty much jumped off that cliff right there? hm, ok, no problem. YEAH RIGHT!
they told us that our minds will tell us to try and sit down on these little seats we had but that we couldnt sit until they gave us the signal. they told us that we had to keep running and running and running because the parachute will force us in the opposite direction, so its up to us girls who are in front to be the "front wheels" and counteract the force.
gosh, this is when i started to get a little nervous.
i dont know about you, but i have never jumped off a mountain before....and this just seemed suicidal.
oh well, no turning back now! i am already at the top of this damn mountain and im so thirsty that i dont want to open my mouth to the dry heat... im ganna do this!!!
the pilots hooked hillary and i up first. i asked the pilot where i should put my camera and he strapped it to one of the handles then did a little whistle thing and pointed down his shirt which basically meant that i should put it down my shirt. i couldnt help but laugh. it was a good idea though!
i was about to go when hillary and her captain started their "take-off." as i watched, my heart began to beat hard. the pilot was keeping his eye on how the wind picked up the parachute so whenever he moved in the direction the parachute did, he dragged hillary with him. so i was basically watching her get dragged from side to side on this rocky edge until finally he seemed to get situated then yelled to her, "corre! corre! corre!" (run! run! run!) and she took off with all her might and ran as hard as she could. yet, the wind was pushing them both backwards and they both struggled for a few seconds then finally began running full speed towards the cliff. hillary did well as she ran until she had no more earth to run on. luckily, right in time, the parachute caught the wind and took them soaring into the sky.
"hm........ok.... this is a little harder than i thought it would be...." i thought to myself. i began to mentally prepare myself to get tossed around by the wind and by the pilot and i kept thinking to myself, "gosh this dang parachute better catch the wind once im flying off that cliff!!!"
it was my turn. the pilot asked, "are you ready chica?" i said "si!" with the most confidence i could seem to muster.
the same thing happened to me. i was tossed around and i almost lost my balance a few times and then he yelled to me, "corre! corre! corre!" and i ran as fast as i could but it didnt seem to be working. i felt like we were starting to lose runway space when all the sudden the pilot yelled to me, "STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and i came to a screeching halt about 2 feet from the edge of the cliff.
oh. my. gosh. i. almost. fell. off. that. cliff.
the pilot turned to me and told me i wasnt running fast enough. "you must run with more decision!" he said in english.
ok.....i dont know about you....but i was sure running with "as much decision" as i could- since i knew that running was what it took to get this thing to work.
shoot. i dont know how much faster/harder i can run but i guess it needs to be better.
so the pilot picked up the parachute and we walked back about 50 feet to where we began to try again. he asked me if i was ok, as if he sensed my worry and i said "yes, yes, im fine. lets go!" i just wanted to get in the air and get the hard part over with!
second try....here we go.
"corre! corre! corre!" he yelled again and this time, i WITHOUT A DOUBT ran as fast as my short little legs would take me, with all the "decision" i had in me. i was NOT going to die because i ran off of the edge of a cliff. heck no.
i ran and ran and ran until my feet were off the ground and oh. wait. i was flying.
oh. my. gosh.
for the first 30 seconds i was literally hanging off the seat we are supposed to sit in because the wind was forcing me from sitting down. the pilot had to pull my shirt back toward him so that i could sit down rather than being in the free fall position, strapped on for dear life by these 2 small bands.
once he pulled me back, i was sitting and at that moment, i realized we had ascended even higher- and there i was. i was paragliding!
after taking a few breaths from the take off, i settled in and enjoyed the view.
words cannot express the joy i felt at that moment.
i've met a lot of people in life whose one wish has been to fly.
if you want to see what thats like, you can do a few things. you can go sky diving, bungee jumping, parasailing or paragliding.
but let me tell you why paragliding might be your best choice.
in bungee jumping, you really cant see where you are going, as gravity is pulling you to earths core at quite the rapid pace.
in sky diving, im sure the view and experience is AMAZING, but i imagine that the pressure of the wind and the rush of the free falling would take you from seeing whats really around you.
with parasailing, you really dont go that high in the air and your view is not much different than the view of those in the boat pulling you.
but with paragliding, this is something much different than the rest.
you sit down in this surprisingly comfortable chair and as the wind hits your face at a rather pleasant speed, you have all the time and comfort in the world to see what is around you.
with paragliding, you really can experience what its like to be a bird.
and for those of you who ask, "what about being in an airplane? does that come close?" absolutely not. ;)
after about 10 minutes of this out of body experience, i noticed we were already descending.
"wait...." i thought to myself.... "they said we would be up in the air for about a half an hour...."
the pilot yelled to me, "when land, run!"
"ok" i thought, "this wont be too bad...!"
we got closer and closer to the ground and i kept hoping and praying i wouldnt break my legs from too hard of a land or an impact.
minus the tree branches we went through (hahaha) we landed well and i started running with the momentum we had going. we came to a stop and the parachute fell.
the pilot then turned to me and told me something i would have rather not heard.
"there was problem with the lines. had to land early."
um..........what did you just say?????
that definately freaked me out and 10 minutes before this, i would have never thought that being on the ground was somewhere i would have been happy to be.
we walked back up to the cliff we were on and the girls there gave me a confused look like, "whoa. that was fast.....?"
i know this sounds bratty, but i kind of felt jipped. right when i was starting to enjoy my time up there and get comfortable with the feeling of flying in the air, we already had to land.
at the time, i was so grateful for having flown, but at the same time, the money i had to pay almost didnt seem worth it.
hillary, who went before me, landed about 10 minutes after i did and was confused to see me already sitting there. i explained to her what happened and she felt bad and didnt know what to say.
"oh well katie, at least you did it. have a good attitude about this" is what i kept trying to tell myself.
the other girls went and as they would be gone upwards of 40 minutes and as i sat there in the heat, as thirsty as i have ever been in my life, i started to get a little upset. but again, i kept telling myself to chill out and get over it. "may be they wont make me pay as much.....?" i thought to myself.
once the others were done, we were about to leave when my pilot ran up to me and said, "you ready?!"
i was confused....
i looked at him and said, "what?"
he said, "last time, you not fly long enough. we fly again. now."
oh..........!
i wasnt sure if i should be happy or scared all over again.
i mean, sweet! i really wanted to fly for longer.....but were the lines "going to be a problem" again....or was my take off going to make me almost have a heart attack again? sheesh.
the word "ok!" almost seemed to involuntarily slide out of my mouth as i was on the fence in agreeing to putting my life on the line, again.
the pilot got the parachute ready, strapped me up, and there i was again, about to run off the cliff. aye aye aye. what did i sign up for?!
"corre! corre! corre!" he yelled to me and there i went again. running. with. all. my. might.
after only a few steps, we flew into the air. "yes!" i thought, thinking that this take off was much better than the last one. but right after that thought, we hit the ground again and the pilot yelled, "corre! corre! corre!" and i ran as fast as i could again, seeing the edge of the cliff come creeping closer and closer.
we took off into the air one more time yet to be pulled by earths force back down. "corre! corre! corre!" he yelled again and i took the last 5 steps i had before the edge of the cliff came to force me to fly and that last step i took, i shoved my body over that cliff with as much umph as i had in me and there we went- the parachute caught the wind and we quickly gained altitude.
"thank you Lord!!!!!" is what immediately came to my mind. i was in the air and all seemed well.
"very nice run!" the pilot yelled to me.
"gracias!" i yelled back, with a slight quiver in my voice ;)
this time around was even better as we took more altitude and as the pilot reassured me that the lines were "perfecto!"
"oh good...." was all i could think to myself.
we flew for about 20 minutes until the pilot apparently decided to see how my spanish was. he began asking me in spanish if i had ever flown anything before and if i ever wanted to try. i guess i thought i knew what i was saying back to him but all the sudden he told me to take the gears that control the parachute so that I. COULD. FLY. US.
ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, what?!?!?!!?!?!?
before i knew it, my hands had the controls and i. was. flying. the. entire. thing.
ok.......... i had no idea what i was doing.
trying to take commands in a different language while you are already in semi fear of your life is quite the task, ladies and gentlemen. but to be honest, the pilot really gave me no choice as he had already let go of the gears and said "i can sleep now!"
UM....NO YOU CANT!!!!!! i said back ;)
he laughed. i totally didnt at the time ;)
i definately flew that thing for a good 5 minutes as he told me to lean left and pull right and lean forward and level out then lean right and pull left. i was actually taking turns and bringing us up and down in the sky.
way. to. cool. for. my. own. good.
as he began explaining to me how i would land, i finally stood up for myself and said that i preferred not landing the thing and that i would really appreciate it if he would land it for us ;)
he laughed and said "ok then!" hahaha. wow.
after a few minutes, the pilot yelled, "hold on and lean right!" right when i did, we began spinning in circles and i felt a sudden decline as i realized that the "normal" way to land these things is to lean one way and pull the gears that same direction which then lifts the air out of the parachute to land it. we were spinning in these tight circles for about 30 seconds and at this point, the wind was beating my face as i tried to hide it behind my arm.
before i knew it, we were about 100 feet off the ground and again, the pilot yelled, "ok! we land! you run!"
i prepared myself and scooted myself out of the seat so that i was hanging in mid air and as we hit the ground, i began to run with the momentum. we came to a halt and i watched the parachute fall to the ground.
the pilot looked at me and said, "you like?!"
all i could seem to say was, "si!!!! como un sueno." (yes! it was like a dream).
would i do it all again?
you bet i would.
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