I must admit... I have been slacking. With my newfound talent for procrastination, it has taken me a whole 13 days to write something new. What have I been up to you ask?? Well... a weekend excursion to Asturias (the northern mountainous, coastal region of Spain), some nights on the town, a few of The Office episodes I found streamed illegally online, trip planning and of course anything else that does not include homework.
Within all my free time (which should be spent writing one of my 5-6 papers due at the end of May), I have come up with a very logical explanation for this procrastination. (Note: my dad would call this an excuse, though I beg to differ.) When I signed up for this time abroad, I was told by numerous sources: "this is the best time of your life" or "classes only involve one exam where you just regurgitate everything in your notes" or "school abroad is a joke" or "it's more about the cultural learning experience." I accepted this wisdom and embarked on my journey ready to take in the culture and practice the language; I was prepared to take great notes and spend fun nights out on the town. I was not prepared for PAPERS, two of which are 15 pages. I feel duped; somehow the system betrayed me, and in my last feeble attempt to right this wrong I am protesting (sidereel.com and sunscreen in hand). Perhaps, one could say I am mentally preparing to finish these ill-begotten assignments in record timing and excellent quality. Yet, I know the truth... it's my own form of individual, non-violent civil disobedience. I am trying to bring about change, or rather un-change the last years of progress in the Spanish University system. I'll let you know how this goes... though, I may cave eventually, if I can draw myself inside away from the suddenly beautiful weather long enough.
On to less traumatic events in my life, you will find below a link to pictures from Asturias. It's beautiful countryside and a hidden treasure of Spain.
Hope everyone has been more productive than I have! Hasta Luego!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2112438&l=b6409&id=141072
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Italia: land of giant lemons and gelato
In an attempt to avoid writing an essay on the interplay of religion and politics in Spain (due tomorrow), I thought I could update all of my loyal followers- ha- about my fantastic voyage to the land of EEEEtalians, as my dad would say. Don't worry I shall spare you the details of my other, more urgent essay which is painfully making me more aware of my limited communication abilities these days.
Simply listing all the cities we visited sounds impressive, so I think I'll start there:
~Florence: the duomo, ponte vecchio, academia, ufizzi gallery and of course gelatería's all warranted visits
~Venice: a one-day whirlwind tour of the canaled city was impressive and handy (for all the Venetian glass souvenoirs, obviously)
~Naples: while driving along the lane-less streets of what seems like an anthill of people was not the most enjoyable experience, the views are impressive and the pizza was to die for
~Positano: giant lemons made for some not-so-great-but-famous-nevertheless limoncello (on my 21st bday), this town is beautiful and the boat ride to Capri and along the Amalfi Coast was also amazing
~Pompeii: although i have no groundbreaking insight into this historical treasure, i can say thank you to mr. volk for the little latin i did remember
~Rome: the pantheon, trevi fountain, spanish steps, the forum, the coliseum and of course the vatican were all packed tightly into 2 days, but it was easy to see that the city itself has character, which my mom might call 'dirtiness' but i adored
Seeing my family again was a much needed vacation, which conveniently marks the midpoint of my time in Spain. It was amazing to be able to spend time with my parents, Raime, Chris, London and the Buzicks... and to share the incredible trip was a double bonus.
By far, this was the best birthday anyone could have asked for. And, yes, for those at Gtown who worried, Peter Haas did inscribe "TOMBS" on my forehead the next weekend, so I did not miss D.C. toooo much. ;)
Enjoy the pics and GRAZIE (which I realize doesn't not really make sense in the context, but it's the only Italian word I remember... :)
Photos!
Simply listing all the cities we visited sounds impressive, so I think I'll start there:
~Florence: the duomo, ponte vecchio, academia, ufizzi gallery and of course gelatería's all warranted visits
~Venice: a one-day whirlwind tour of the canaled city was impressive and handy (for all the Venetian glass souvenoirs, obviously)
~Naples: while driving along the lane-less streets of what seems like an anthill of people was not the most enjoyable experience, the views are impressive and the pizza was to die for
~Positano: giant lemons made for some not-so-great-but-famous-nevertheless limoncello (on my 21st bday), this town is beautiful and the boat ride to Capri and along the Amalfi Coast was also amazing
~Pompeii: although i have no groundbreaking insight into this historical treasure, i can say thank you to mr. volk for the little latin i did remember
~Rome: the pantheon, trevi fountain, spanish steps, the forum, the coliseum and of course the vatican were all packed tightly into 2 days, but it was easy to see that the city itself has character, which my mom might call 'dirtiness' but i adored
Seeing my family again was a much needed vacation, which conveniently marks the midpoint of my time in Spain. It was amazing to be able to spend time with my parents, Raime, Chris, London and the Buzicks... and to share the incredible trip was a double bonus.
By far, this was the best birthday anyone could have asked for. And, yes, for those at Gtown who worried, Peter Haas did inscribe "TOMBS" on my forehead the next weekend, so I did not miss D.C. toooo much. ;)
Enjoy the pics and GRAZIE (which I realize doesn't not really make sense in the context, but it's the only Italian word I remember... :)
Photos!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)