Preparación para la Segunda Aventura

So the real reason why I'm back at this blog again is that I'm about to embark on my second major trip- this time to Argentina! I'm going abroad through a program called AIESEC which is an organization that provides students with internship and volunteer opportunities in different countries.  I chose to do a Global Community Development program because I want to spend my time helping others while practicing my Spanish at the same time! A win-win situation! I am going to be doing a program called The Andes Way Project, which hosts about 60 different interns from around the world to volunteer in one of three cities (Córdoba, Mendoza, and Tandíl) for the first six weeks and then move to Buenos Aires for the next six weeks. I chose Córdoba because it is the second largest city in Argentina and it is filled with young people (because of the University there). I hope to also travel to Mendoza at some point because it is known as wine country. Sounds pretty great, right?

All I really know so far is that I'm going to be doing Fundraising for NGO (not sure which one yet) in Córdoba for six weeks and Marketing for Circo Social del Sur- a CIRCUS in Buenos Aires for the other six weeks. Once I found out that I will be working at a circus, I was not thrilled to say the least.  But, I read more about it and it actually sounds pretty cool!  It is not your typical circus, with elephants and tigers, etc.  It is more like Cirque du Soleil, focusing more on acrobatics. This circus was designed as an outlet for kids and teens living in low-income neighborhoods to spend their time in a positive manner. Their mission is to keep children off the street and build a network of support for them.  So it's definitely not your typical volunteer project, but I'm keeping an open mind about it!  I'm just happy to have the opportunity to travel one last time before starting my full-time job as well as use the skills that I learned in college to help better the community. I keep telling my friends that I am running away to join the circus, because I had no idea I would ever get matched with such a program!  Laugh all you want (I know I did hahaha). I'm sure I will get some good stories out of it. Maybe I will come back with some trapeze skills or something random like that.

Here is a link to a review about the circus in English if you want to know more about it...

http://www.circosocialdelsur.org.ar/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/The-argentimes-Julio-20081.jpg

I'm a little nervous to say the least right now because I'm supposed to leave in 9 days, and I still don't have a plane ticket!  I have been having some problems finalizing my contract but hopefully it will all work out!

When I tell my friends about what I'm doing this summer, they think I'm a little bit crazy. I'm definitely taking a risk with this trip- going to a country where I know absolutely no one, traveling by myself, speaking a different language, and living in a hostel for 3 months probably does not sound appealing to most people.  I think it will be a great adventure and I'm excited to see what the future holds for me this summer!

Here are some inspirational travel quotes that I found on Pinterest (HAHA)...

Adios amigos! The next time I post, I will be in Argentina! :)

España- Otra Vez!

I know that this post is about 4 months delayed, but I know some of you want to hear about my second trip to Spain!  So I went back over winter break and I was able to see a few cities that I had not seen the first time around as well as visit my favorite places again.  First, Gonzalo picked me up in Madrid and we stayed there for 2 nights. I have been to Madrid before, but it was a completely different experience the second time around.  It is amazing how different trips can be when you are traveling with someone who is native to the country!  I was able to see a lot of different places that we missed out on the first time. We spent a lot of time shopping and walking around and seeing all the major tourist sites again.

Here is a picture of me at Parque del Retiro...

I was also reunited with one of my favorite Spanish foods in Madrid- Jamón Ibérico! SO GOOD!

Our next stop was Segovia, a small town close to Madrid.  I had never been there before but I learned about the town from my friend Libby, who says that she wants to retire there someday.  I really wanted to see what this cute little place had to offer and I was definitely not disappointed!  Segovia is known for having the largest aqueduct in the world- it was SOOOO COOL.  Here is a picture of me at the top of the aqueduct as well as a picture of the sun setting behind it...

I loved this place to say the least!  Everyone just seemed so happy and there were very few tourists.  I would love to go back someday!

Our next city was Salamanca, where my friend Libby studied abroad the previous year.  I would describe Salamanca as the Madison of Spain.  It is filled with University students, but does not offer as many tourist attractions as other major cities in Spain.  Here is a picture of me in the main plaza and a picture of Gonzalo with one of the major Cathedrals in Salamanca....

Our next stop was SEVILLA- my favorite place in the world (obviously).  I stayed with Gonzalo's family while I was there and I was able to meet Gonzalo's sister for the first time.  She was studying abroad in France while I was studying abroad in Spain, so I never got to meet her.  Here is a picture of me and Gonzalo's family on New Year's Eve...

On New Years Eve, you have to eat 10 massive green grapes within 10 seconds or you will have bad luck.  This is so much harder than you think!  We had just eaten a huge dinner, so I could not even fathom eating more at this point.  Needless to say, I failed miserably.  The bad luck has not hit me yet though (knock on wood) :)

We also visited my favorite place in Sevilla- Plaza de España!  I rode the boats and the bikes for the first time- both things I wish I had done when I studied there.

At the end of the week, we were able to stop by my host family's house.  They were so happy to see me and to finally meet Gonzalo.  I missed them so much!  

In addition to Plaza de España and seeing my host family, we were able to visit all of my favorite places in Sevilla.  We ate Churros at me and Rebekah's favorite cafe, we went shopping at all my favorite stores, we met up with our friend José, and just spent time walking around the city.  This second trip was such a great time and I am so happy that I was able to go back!

El Partido de Fútbol

¡Hola a todos! I never got around to finishing my blog about Spain so I will give you a brief run-down of my final week there.  Since it has been a year since I studied abroad, I really just remember one major moment from the final week that is worth writing about.  So, during this week, there was a really important fútbol game between Real Betis and Sevilla FC (the 2 soccer clubs based in Sevilla).  Basically, half of the city supports Betis whereas the other half supports Sevilla.  As Gonzalo would say, "the good people of Sevilla support Betis" whereas the tourists and the "bad people" of Spain support Sevilla FC.  So, of course I decided to support Betis, trying to fit in with the likes of my Spanish friends and trying not to be a typical tourist.  This is where it gets interesting.  Unfortunately for me, the game was at the Sevilla stadium rather than the Betis stadium (which I did not know at the time makes all the difference for the fans).  So of course I walk to the stadium, thinking I'm super cool in my Betis jersey that I bought for like $5 from a sketchy street vendor in Morocco, when someone starts pointing and yelling at me.  I think to myself, "well, that is to be expected, people are very serious about their soccer here"- kinda similar to how the students in Madison are diehard Badger supporters.  I kept walking but then people started looking to see who the guy was yelling at and as more and more people saw the green striped jersey (me) in a pool of red (everyone else), there was about 200 angry Sevilla fans yelling at me.  This was scary to say the least.  Immediately, a police officer approached me and asked me where I was from (because obviously Sevillanos are not stupid enough to wear a Betis jersey to the Sevilla stadium) and told me that I had to either take off the jersey or leave.  Apparently people who support Betis have to enter in a different entrance so that they won't start problems.  So glad I knew that before I left.... not!  Luckily, I was wearing another shirt underneath, so I was able to stay at the tailgate.  I also decided to buy a Sevilla scarf as well to fit in more, but I felt like such a traitor!  And that's the story about how I almost started a riot!

Here is a picture of me and my friends wearing our Sevilla scarves at the beginning of the game...

I was secretly cheering for Betis, but wearing a Sevilla scarf.  About 20 minutes into the game, I put my Betis jersey back on because the people sitting behind us were Betis supporters, so I felt like it was finally safe to do so.  My friends were not thrilled about that...

I actually ended up being really happy that I had my Betis jersey with me because in the end they won by one point with like 10 seconds left in the game.  It was crazy!!  Here is a picture of how excited I was...

It was such a hilarious way to end the semester.  It goes to show that I still have a lot to learn about Spanish culture and norms.  That just gives me another reason to go back! :)