My Postcard to Salamanca

I meant to write this long ago, but I couldn't find the words. Finally, I did. (They were under my bed.)

Dear Salamanca,

I miss you!  I cannot believe it’s been almost three weeks since I left.  I had such a good time with you and it’s weird to think it’s all over.  How have you been? Oh….fantastic? That makes sense, because you’re in Spain.

Since I’ve been home I have worked full-time, seen many good friends, and forgotten too much of the Spanish I learned from you.  It’s been pretty much an anti-climactic return from the most exciting month of my life.  But really, what could possibly top you?

I have only one month left of summer and normally I’d be worrying so much about seeing my friends and soaking up the free time before going back to school.  This year, I feel none of that stress, because I’ve already had my most fulfilling summer in recent history.  You allowed me to meet new people and try things I would have sworn off only a couple months ago.  Even more, you gave me confidence in my independence and made me more excited about traveling the world!  It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, but I’ve been too afraid to try.  Somehow I landed in your beautiful streets, and I am so glad that I did.

Te amo, Salamanca.  Ojalá que, algún día, regrese a visitarte otra vez.  

Tu amiga,

Claire

The Long Journey Home

Per request from Helene, here is a recap of my long journey home.

This tale begins the morning of June 30th at 7 am in Madrid, Spain.  I awoke in my hotel room and promptly began assembling my things for departure. At 7:45, Ben, Amanda, and I set out for the Madrid-Barajas airport via Madrid's metro system -- one of my favorite means of transportation.  Two metro lines later, we had smoothly arrived at the airport at 8:50 am.

Amanda and I said goodbye to Ben at Terminal 2 and headed toward Terminal 1, quiiiiite the walk from the metro stop.  We were greeted by an alarmingly long check-in time....good thing I was 2 hours early! I waited and eventually got through the check-in process and security.  Only 100 feet later, Madrid felt the need to check my boarding pass and passport AGAIN. You never can be too safe, I suppose.

I was lucky to have Amanda by my side, who had access to the VIP lounge, where we got food and water before our trans-atlantic flights.  It was there that we parted ways and I headed for gate A2. Unbenounced to me at the time, A2 is literally the farthest point in the airport from the metro station. FANtastic. One more security check (seriously, Madrid?) and several moving sidewalks later, I was just in time to board my flight to Washington, D.C.

Flash forward 8 hours....

Upon arriving in D.C., I did the traditional customs, luggage pick-up and immediate drop-off (why? I wish someone could explain that to me) and then yet another security line.  All the while, we heard the following message on repeat: "May we have your attention please. The alarm that has been activated is being investigated by the fire department. Please stand by for further instructions." This continued for literally hours. I kept looking around to see if anyone else was slowly going mad with me, but there were no signs of mental deterioration.  

My flight was set to leave at 4 pm, but luckily was delayed a bit so I had plenty of time to eat a good ol' chicken burrito.  Plus, I knew I had a scheduled 4-hour layover in Chicago that I could chip away at if my flight from D.C. was a little late. Theoretically true, right? Except that upon arrival in Chicago, my final flight had been delayed a little over an hour. Right back to where we started. 

Now, I feel it will be helpful to do a little round-up of the time-difference conversions and such.  In Chicago, it was 6 pm.  That means it was 1 am Madrid time, meaning I had been awake for 18 hours with no sleep in the foreseeable future. Things were looking bleak....

Surprisingly, those 5 hours in the Chicago airport were not terribly bad.  I had a nice sandwich, talked to two of my siblings, got plenty of texting time in, etc. The airport itself was really nice, with one caveat: no free wi-fi. What century is this, Chicago? Every Starbucks around the globe has free wi-fi and you can't give some sleep-deprived travelers free access to their Facebook newsfeed? Although, maybe I am the sucker for not having a smartphone (update: just got a smartphone!) 

The bad got worse when my flight was delayed yet again to 2 hours past the original departure time. My spirits were shockingly high for those conditions and I viewed all the trouble as worthwhile for the wonderful month I'd just had in Spain. 

In hindsight, I cannot believe I survived it. 

My dad and sister, the troopers, retrieved me from the airport at 2 am on Sunday morning about as jet-lagged as I've ever been. For those following along at home, 2 am in Sacramento is 11 am in Spain, meaning I'd been awake for 28 hours by this point.  I made some small talk and dolled out souvenirs when I got home, but quickly retired to bed.  

If you've read my past posts, you'll know I compared my bed in Salamanca to a wooden plank (a comparison I stand by).  When I returned home, I found my bed had not one but TWO memory foam covers, making it officially the softest and most heavenly rectangle in the world. Its awesomeness was heightened by its difference from my Spanish sleeping conditions, of course, but I still give major props to Helene for the set-up.  Seriously, I have never been more comfortable than in my first night home.  

I've been back for about 48 hours now and it feels great. I am excitedly awaiting the return of my best friend from Italy (3 weeks and counting...) and look forward to reconnecting with all my friends at home. 

My final post (coming soon) will be the only actual "postcard" on Postcards from Far Away, so stay tuned! 

I ♥ Madrid

Oh, Madrid.

This had to be one of my favorite days of the entire month.  I have wanted to visit this particular city for years and all that anticipation culminated in a wonderfully satisfying day.

Four friends and I took an early bus together and then navigated the metro system (one of my favorite forms of travel!) to arrive at our hotel.  Only an hour later, Molly had to leave for the airport, so we were down to four people total.  Knowing we had less than 24 hours in the city, we immediately set off walking in a somewhat-arbitrary direction.

The first major landmark we hit was Parque del Retiro, which was absolutely beautiful. It was full of luscious green trees, statues, picturesque dirt walkways, a huge lake with boats, playgrounds, etc. I probably could have spent the entire day in this park alone.  I really cannot even explain how happy it made me to be in the park, and in Madrid in general.

Beautiful walkways

Some cool statue

When we were approaching the above statue, a woman holding a lot of rosemary came up and said she could predict our future. Though we declined her services, she insisted, telling us not to have fear (too late, lady), and "read" each of our hands.  After, she abruptly demanded 5 euro from each of us. Um, excuse me, I am NOT paying 5 euro for a bogus palm reading I did not request and in fact refused. I gave her 50 cents. 

After we left the park we headed for the Prado. Somehow, we hadn't acquired a map and had to just ask directions as we navigated. Luckily, Mardrileños were really nice and always pointed us in the right direction.  Once we found the Prado we were happily greeted by what Amanda and Leilani called "babies on a string." Observe: 

A bunch of babies, connected by a string. 

More babies, another string. 

The Prado is a famous and very large museum with lots of art. I'm not really an art person, though, so I'm ashamed to say that I probably did not make the most of this portion of the day. 

Famished and tired, we followed up the Prado with some tasty sandwiches but quickly moved onto another museum, Reina Sofia.  This is home to much of Picasso's work, including the Guernica.  Again, I'm not an art person, but it is cool that I can say I've seen such a brand name's stuff.  Most of the time, Amanda, Leilani, and I sat in their very beautiful courtyard while Ben was enjoying the artwork. 

A moving piece of art in the courtyard. 

Leilani and Amanda, being affectionate

Our next mission was to find the Gran Vía, since many people had told us this was a must-see in Madrid. Again with the help of the friendly locals, we found this famous street and were anything but disappointed.  The buildings were beautiful and it definitely felt like a big city.  There were tons of shops, the most ornate McDonald's I have ever seen, and lots of people.  

We were aiming for Plaza de España, which was not really what I expected. There was some event set up there that probably masked the beauty; in any case, we got frozen yogurt and then headed back to the hotel. 

On a map we eventually found, Plaza de España looked relatively close to our hotel, but in actuality the walk was almost an hour.  Our blistered feet demanded a bit of a rest before dinnertime, so we relaxed in the room for a bit before heading in search of our final meal in Spain.  Somehow, we landed on a burger place...but their were locals there, don't judge. The food was good, the company was even better, and it was the perfect end to a great day! 

If I could revisit anything I saw on this trip, it would definitely be Madrid. Only one day to explore such a large and exciting place was just not enough. I can't wait to return someday. 

Hodgepodge

These are a few stories, tidbits, whatever you'd like to call them, that I have wanted to share, but that did not fit in any other post.  Enjoy!

1. Salamanca is known as the Golden City in Spain, as many of the older buildings have golden-colored stone.  They take this title very seriously; so seriously, in fact, that businesses are required to have their signs lettered in gold. Even McDonald's changed their color scheme for this rule!

2. I am a huge fan of the cheek-kissing tradition here (and in many other European places). Except, of course, if the kisser is a creepy guy. I'm not so into that.

3. The other day, as I was walking back from lunch to my room, an old man I had never seen before turned around in front of me and began talking to me.  Below is a roughly-translated transcription of our conversation:
Old Man: You're not Spanish, are you? You're American!
Me: Yeah, I'm from the United States.
Old Man: You're not from here!
Me: Nope, I'm from the United States.
Old Man: Which state are you from?
Me: California!
Old Man: Oh, the peninsula! California is a peninsula.
Me: I think you might be thinking of Florida. California is actually attached completely.
Old Man: A peninsula is like an island that's kind of attached! Spain and Portugal are a peninsula, and so is California.
Me: Um...well Baja California in Mexico is but California in the U.S. isn't.
Old Man: No, it's actually a peninsula. peninsula.
Me: Well I have to go now....
Old Man: Goodbye! It's a peninsula.

So there's that.

4. My conversation class is held at a cafe. On one of my last days in class, an older, very excited-looking woman approached the table.  In her hand she held a die and asked each of us to predict what number she would roll.  She went around and forced each person at the table to guess.  My classmate, Andrew, guessed correctly and asked "so what do I win?" She said "a hug!" then just hugged him and went off.

Spanish people are funny.

That's all I can think of right now with my jet-lagged mind. I may add more things to this list later, though.

Expectations vs. Reality

Though I've never formally written it down, I love to compare my expectations for an event, trip, etc. to the reality I discover later on.  You'll find here, juxtaposed (look what cool words I know!), my preconceived notions of Salamanca and what I have come to known as authentic and true.

EXPECTATION: People in Spain are bilingual; even if I speak to them in Spanish, they'll likely respond in English.
REALITY: False. This stems from my experience in Paris (I don't speak French, but some of my friends did), where Parisians would only address us in English. Lesson learned: Salamanca is not Paris! Hardly anyone here speaks English, which works in my favor completely. I have had plenty of opportunities to practice Spanish and I am so glad I had to work through the few communication struggles I had. There's no better way to learn a language than needing it to order food.

EXPECTATION: The food will make me want to vomit.
REALITY: False. If you know me well, you know that I can be a picky eater at times.  Many people warned me that I would have to branch out when I went abroad.  But really, food in Spain is pretty normal. The most common food is bread. If you don't like bread, that's a bit ridiculous (unless you are sensitive to gluten...that's a pretty good excuse). While there are some strange foods here, overall I have had no troubles! Take that, amigos.

EXPECTATION: Everything in Spain is old!
REALITY: False. Not everything is old; though, lots of things are. In Salamanca, the central portion of the city has all old, stone buildings.  Outside this circle, however, there are almost exclusively modern apartment buildings and shops (who would have thought in the 21st Century?).  A good mix, I'd say! The older things are much prettier, though.

EXPECTATION: Spanish men are beautiful.
REALITY: Eh. Some are, some aren't. Pretty standard for the most part, I'd say. There are some gems, but we have those in America too. Thanks for misleading me, ladies haha.

EXPECTATION: I will fall in love with the city.
REALITY: True. I wouldn't say that Salamanca is my favorite of European cities, but it is definitely the one I know the best and I am sure to have a soft spot for it for the rest of my life.  I feel so comfortable navigating the streets now that it feels like my city.  Also, when people told me it was the best place to study Spanish I was skeptical; now, I am certain they are right.  I feel so lucky to have spent a month of my life here.

I have two more days in Salamanca plus one day in Madrid (ahhhhh I am so excited!!!) and then it's Party in the U.S.A.

Visita a Toledo

Yesterday, I took a trip to Toledo, Spain, with the Universidad de Salamanca.  Toledo is about 3 hours southeast of Salamanca, as you can see on the conveniently provided map below!

Toledo is just south of Madrid and to the southeast of Salamanca. 

The bus was scheduled to leave at 7 am, so I had quite the early wake-up call, especially for a Saturday.   Luckily, we were able to sleep some on the bus.  PHEW.

Toledo is a particularly interesting city due to its design: it's surrounded by walls and a river, which made it a desirable location for a nation's capital (fun history fact for you, Dad!) In its history, it has been ruled by Muslims, Jews, and Christians, and the city displays influences from each of these groups.  Its layout is not only practical for medieval times but makes for some gorgeous views.  On the way in, we stopped to take panoramic pictures. This one is my favorite.

Kinda ugly, Spain. Let's work on that. 

We arrived around 11 am and immediately began our tours, starting with el Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes. It had a really beautiful courtyard; otherwise, it was a pretty standard church.

One of the hallways lining the courtyard at the convent. 

Immediately following the tour, we walked a bit to la Iglesia de Santo Tomé to see El entierro del Señor de Orgaz, which is a famous painting done by El Greco.  We weren't allowed to take pictures of the painting and I know little to nothing about art, but it's supposedly an important work. Google it, I guess!

Since Toledo is an old Spanish town it obviously has a cathedral and of course we went to see it. But  seriously, it was one of the more beautiful churches I have seen in my life. It had that musky, cold smell that I love and some really lovely paintings and chapels.  

Jesus

After the lovely cathedral, we had free time, so Leilani and I got lunch at a bar (great spaghetti, by the way! If you're ever in Toledo...) and then went looking for marzipan.  I had no idea Toledo was famous for marzipan...or even what marzipan is! I still don't, actually.

At the end of our free time, we were told to meet in Toledo's biggest square, la Plaza de Zocodover. I have to say: it's got nothin' on the Plaza Mayor in Salamanca. To me, it didn't really stand out from the other parts of town, which were all pretty and interesting, but there did seem to be lots of people there.  

Plaza de Zocodover 

As I mentioned before, Toledo was once a Jewish city and had dozens of synagogues; when the Christians took over, many of these were destroyed. However, two still exist and we visited la Sinagoga de Santa María la Blanca (note that it is named after a Catholic saint...what?). By that point, it was over 100 degrees outside and we were dragging a bit.  Fatigue and dehydration were winning, but we had enough energy to take a few more pictures of the river and surrounding hills.

Just a short ride later, I was back in Salamanca in time for Spain to beat France in the fight for the Euro Cup!

Though the day was tiring and warm, I am so glad I went and explored some more of Spain. It gave me a better sense of the country and re-sparked my love of this beautiful place.  I leave in less than a week, and find myself wishing for more time.  If I could have an America day to tide me over (see my family, eat a burrito, etc.), I would love to stay and explore more of Salamanca and more of Spain.

¡Mucho amor y hasta luego!

¿Dónde está mi hogar?

Title translation: Where is my home?

College is a time of adaption: moving in and out of dorm rooms, back home for the summer, into an apartment, etc. It's a great time to perfect the art of last-minute packing and a good lesson about the hassle that is materialism.  During these past few years, I have become much better at adjusting to new settings and situations.

With all these moves, it's not hard to wonder where "home" actually is. In fact, my friends and I have discussed this more than once.  We were in agreement that the first time we referred to school as "home" was a strange feeling.  And if my school is in fact my home, what happens next year when I graduate? Where will my home be then?

Personally, I prefer to think of my home not as a place, but as a feeling.  I will always feel at home with my family and friends in my not-to-be-disclosed California town.  There I am relaxed, happy, welcomed, loved, and all sorts of warm emotions which are hard to capture with words.  But my time there is always too short -- I have to move on to the next place after only a few short weeks.

Luckily, I can find a similar feeling in other places too. I have found a home at school with my residential college's awesome spirit (JIBA!) and the wonderful people I've met there.  School is also the host of my intellectual endeavors which are a totally different kind of home.  These homey feelings are also reproduced by a Skype session or phone conversation with my siblings or good friends from high school.

Currently, I don't think my month here in Spain has permitted me to feel totally at home -- the flood of new people, places, and language in a small amount of time probably prohibit developing those intense emotional connections to a place.  Yet, I still have so much love for Salamanca as a town and for what it represents, which is an exploratory and exciting time coming directly before what will be one of the most surreal, stressful, and frightening years of my life.  This small dive into the unknown is only a preview of post-graduation life and I revel in its fleetingness. It's like having a safety net: I knew coming in that I would be confronted with new, and maybe scary, experiences but that after a month I would return to the coziness of my family and friends back home.

Sometimes (or... every time) when I think about my future, I am scared by all the imminent changes.  Who knows where I'll live, what I'll be doing, who I'll be with...my mind runs wild considering all the possibilities.  The best and only comfort is knowing I can find home again by picking up the phone and calling my family or my best of friends.