a taste of africa

mis amigos y famila genail!
where to even begin? to be honest, i am still sorting out my moroccan adventure and all the thought-provoking experiences that have left their mark on my young self. i guess i will start with the basics: 1. i went to Morocco with a program started by a peace corps volunteer for 4 days with 13 other students. 2. i literally had NO idea what to expect. (i only had dreams of eating thanksgiving stuffing while riding a camel...and hey, part of it came true!) 3. Morocco may be on my favorite places i have even visited.

morocco is unlike any other place i have traveled. for starters, the country is primarily Musilum, they have a King who makes the majority of their national and international decisions, and it is pretty darn removed from the Western world--and it is only 8 miles away from southern spain! that being said, i don't think i've ever felt more welcomed or constantly curious in a new place. my first true encounter with a local in Tanger (northern city, on the mediterranean) was with an older man sitting on the side of the road selling a mound of leafy vegetables. as usual, i couldn't help myself--i had to ask if i could take a photo... when i pointed to my camera and smiled the man brilliantly smiled back, slowly stood up, and motioned that he wanted to be in the photo with me. definitely surprised, and not so sure what to do, i handed my camera to my friend Shannon and stood side by side with a stranger who has known a life i can never truly comprehend. after taking the picture the man shook my hand, looked me strait in the eyes, and said in arabic "may you be blessed in you travels." this same openness and genuine generosity was the perfect opener to a trip that embodied this man's gesture.



the city of Tanger is quite beautiful in it's own way. the ancient city (and quite the international hub) is sprinkled by palm trees and old squares full of all ages enjoying the mild climate. i spent the majority of time here at the local women's center designed to give women a safe-haven and provide literacy education as well as functional knowledge for future work oportunites. here we got to talk to local students about everything from religion, to dating in morocco. plus, i got a taste of my first real, authentic moroccan food. i'm not sure i can explain the deliciousness that rocked my tastebuds: cous cous with veggies and chicken, served alongside classic mint tea.

next, we were Rabat bound (the capital of Morocco) to get settled in with our host families and explore one of the major cities of this dynamic country. but first: some stops had to be made. first big surprise was the camel ride--i'm not gonna lie, i was ecstatic. although i literally almost took a nose dive into the sand when my camel awkwardly stood up (and i even more awkwardly held on for dear life) it was a moment of pure: i'm in africa and riding a camel along the ocean--life is pretty sweet. i was still on a high from my camel encounter when we stopped in a little, artsy town built along the coast.





obviously, i went a little picture crazy. this place is just so picturesque...
after some more driving along lush, green countryside (not at all what i envisioned morocco to be) we made it to Rabat. upon arrival we were divided up to meet our host families and go back to their homes for dinner. two other california girls and i ended up with an adorable couple and rambunctious son in their traditional home built with a courtyard in the middle (made for an interesting sight when it rained...in the middle of the home!)
sooo, Rabat. pictures speak better than words sometimes:

one of the main markets full of handmade scarfs, traditional wood carvings, roasted nuts and goodies sold everywhere, and never ending things to look at. i could have con insane with all the goods...

so i gave in to my scarf addiction. this is a typical little shop...the longer you spend in there, the more treasures you will find--fact.

doorway on the walk to my home stay family. it may be silly, but i have a deep connection to the number 18--soccer number and life lucky number. haha hence, where there is an '18' there is a picture :)

here is the outside of the public gardens (once the private garden of the king)

maybe one of my favorite parts of the trip was getting to hang out and see the city through the eyes of a couple locals, "Abs" (real name Abdelmounim...so, Abs-myster it was) and Yassi. such interesting discussions about the moroccan/algerian conflict, terrorism, and rap music (i did my best) were covered while walking through ancient markets and over moroccan tea.

day adventures:

old ruins from various empires including the romans. on top of the tower various storks chill out.

maybe the oldest mosque, possibly the only mosque i will ever be able to step into.

wild poinsettia--reminds me of my madre :) get to spain already!!!

this was once the construction project of the first king of morocco...after his death the project was never finished.
now that i've gone on for a tad too long, i'll leave you with two quotes that defined my trip.

"we must be brave enough to meet the other"
one of the guys in rabat said this during one of our discussions and it stuck with me throughout the trip. as much as i believe all humans are more alike than different, and the more i travel the more i see the similarities than the differences, there is no denying that there are many differences that separate us all. i'd be lying if i said i wasn't nervous about going to a primarily muslim country where women have a distinct role and the culture is like nothing i had ever experienced. but, meeting these moroccans, sharing stories, and hearing their perspective on the world was one of the most valuable experiences of my time abroad.

"don't ask yourself what the world needs,
ask yourself what makes you come alive,
and then go do that.
because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
my new favorite quote and one i truly believe in. this trip made me come alive in a new way...i'm still figuring out how this is going to play a role in my future, but the spark was there. peace corps? full bright? teach for america? travel in the dessert on a camel? we shall see :)

take a walk with me

instead of blabbing on about travels, spain revelations, or personal inquires, i've decided to share with you the classic blog entry: my walk to class. so here we go! lucky for you, this past monday morning was a gorgeous one and only required one coat and a light scarf :)

each morning i open my sleepy eyes to this one of a kind purple man hanging directly in front of my mini-twin sized bed. now, at first i thought about creatively draping a moroccan tapestry over his colorful presence or removing him in the dead of night and strategically placing him on the balcony across the way with yippy dog, but now, a certain sort of fondness has grown between "Larry" and i. even if it was the fact that my landlord's wife is the artist of pensive "Larry" (therefore, making it a little dicey for his removal), i've grown accustomed to my roomie. i now can't help but give him the classic head nod and mumble a "good morning, larry. don't get too crazy without me today"

here is where my walk begins on Gran Via, the main street slicing down Granada's center. on the left is the cathedral and overhead are the artsy little street lamps that i am strangely in love with.

this walk continues for a little ways, weaving in and out of spanish couples and friends chatting. the spanish don't walk anywhere quickly. while i'm trying to pick up the pace (might as well get some sort of a workout) spaniards casually stroll, never breaking a sweat and never, EVER in a rush.

RIGHT! time to depart from the hustling Gran Via to turn up the street with the yellow mailbox. at this point i'm searching through my mary poppin's bag looking for that postcard that i know is in there somewhere. give the postcard a kiss, and continue walking, chicos, you are about to begin the climb.

here we come to the little pretty square with the arch de triumph, Granada style...also known as the entrance of the Albayzin (the gypsie, arabic section of town) i can't help but consider ditching class and getting lost in a tetería. but, being the good student i am *cough* i continue on :)

walk through the plaza and appreciate the fall colors. they are now fading, but still remind me of the season.

cuidado, now. (careful) cross the roundabout, but beware of crazy spanish drivers who consider crossing pedestrians a mere nuisance and an excuse to honk their horns. the black and white cobblestones are a nice touch, remind me of Lisbon, no?

on the walk up, we pass a little church. from my history class i now know that it was once a mosque due to the cool tower. most churches in granada were once mosques...always makes me think about all that this building has seen.

continue to walk up the leaf littered street. here we pass cafes, tapas bars, and little bakeries, most of which are still closed because it is only 9:45 am. yes, spain is on their own time schedule.

pass by the little fruit and veggie stand.

now cross the street to begin the real climb. that stuff we did was definitely on a hill, but it is nothing like what is coming up. Cartuja, here we come!

yep, the climb has started and the bus about to pass us on the left starts to look appealing. the calves may be burning, but we're getting closer.

more UP! feel the burn!

yep, just when you thought you reached the top, time for a glut work out. at this point, bring it! we are almost there and so close to a pretty view.

here's a look down from the stairs. that soccer field always makes my foot itch to touch a soccer ball. someday, one way or another, i am sneaking on to that field and getting some fútbol time in. i've only seen guys play on the field...guess i need to take it upon myself to bring female kick-buttness to spain. a girl does what she can :)

congrats!! we have reached the top and are rewarded with an epic view of olive groves (spain has olive groves everywhere! i guess they have to supply their incessant need for olive oil somehow. but on college campuses, too? really? whatever. i love it), an old looking building, and the mountains.

like the locals we are, we sneak in the back entrance saving almost 6 minutes in walking time. ya, we know what's up.

we made it to the building and in true adrienne style we are 10 minutes early. i swear i was actually going to be late this time...huh, i guess not. now refuel. the machine on the right may be one of the best inventions ever made. here we have a full coffee machine to fit all your needs. what sounds good? americano? cappuccino? hot chocolate? a shot of espresso? this little magic box has it all.
alrighty, it's 10:00, time to go into the classroom and wait for 10-15 minutes for the professor to come. oh, españa.

*it also must be noted that on the walk you did not see one person with a to-go cup, one person eating on the go, or any college students in their pj's. no. starbucks has no power here...strange, no?

say what?

as i was riding the city bus to the main bus station to purchase tickets for the next spanish adventure to Cordoba, it hit me. i have now been living/traveling in the iberian peninsula for four months, one third of a year! in all honestly, i counted the months several times trying to figure out how this time warp could have happened (at this point an older Spanish women glanced curiously at me as i kept using my fingers as a counting tool and looking astonished each time i reached four). once this fact actually sunk in, my mind began to think, has spain become my new home? has my day-to-day spanish life finally become normal? in many ways, the answer is definitively 'yes.'
looking back on my first couple of weeks, i can remember taking note of all the many differences between cultures, people, silly little details, and systems between españa and my idolized home state. many times i was left asking,"why in the world would 'they' do that this way? who would think of taking a 3 hour break in the middle of the day? and can a california girl really become apart of this established community with their foreign customs?" well, now as a four month resident (and with an official residency card. yes, i'm finally legal) i can say that this california girl and southern spain have learned to live together and found a healthy balance of give and take. the things that i once found odd: how the light switches for the bathroom, kitchen, living room are located outside the room door--makes for cruel jokes when friends are in the bathroom, flipping open the gas and lighting my stove with a match, walking up a massive hill for 35 minutes to get to class (and many times the teacher or half the class not attending), greeting friends and strangers with kisses on either cheek (left first, THEN right...the direction thing has lead to some awkward situations), ALL shops and stores closed on sundays--forced break, concept of healthy food (many spaniards insist that ham and white bread are crucial to a healthy diet. sadly, i am not joking), more people oriented lifestyle...(and much more) have now become quite normal. suddenly, eating a mid-day 'merienda' (the meal/snack eaten at the beginning of siesta) is a daily necessity and is followed by some classic R&R (i have given in to the siesta!!!). when walking down the street, i am constantly asked for directions by both out-of-town spaniards and confused foreigners. amazingly enough, i can actually give them directions (monuments, street names, and occasional history if they look up for it). don't get me wrong, i still stand out like a sore thumb. i can't help my california ways, of smiling at people passing in the streets (not so common here in granada), running in the mornings while the old spanish men take their daily walks, and whipping out my camera when i see an old spanish couple sitting on a bench... give and take.
some quick pics to share this new hiking/walking spot that i've discovered thanks to my landlady and a new spanish friend, Ana.

Ana, Kristen (that cute california red-head), and i had a beautiful picnic at the top of the hill. yummm

fútbol (soccer) love. can't wait to come back up here with my soccer ball.

fall has come

here's a quick one considering i have yet to truly make headway on my psych homework. goodness, over a month in and i finally figured out how some of the assignments and reading work--there is some satisfaction with this revelation, but for a while, ignorance was bliss.
after living in granada, population pushing 900,000, i've come to understand the ups and down of living in a small city. while i love the constant activity, underground concerts, diverse eating spots, and opportunities to get lost in movie set-ish ally ways, sometimes i need out.

hence, kristen and i decided to ditch the city for the day and head to Ronda, a cool little white village a couple hours train ride away. it is a well known fact among my fam that fall is my favorite season, so when we arrived to a beautiful view over the reds, yellows, greens, and oranges of the countryside i was in heaven. the cool fall breeze kept us walking and exploring for hours, getting lost in the colors of fall and the quaintness that is Ronda. and yes, this picture is real and it actually looks like this--the sun came out at the perfect time.

here is our eating lunch spot overlooking the spanish countryside and little white town. mind you we are sitting on the walls of an moorish castle. times like these are priceless and are what make life that much sweeter.

just happiness...overlooking everything, feeling the fresh air kiss my cheeks. life is good.


one last Ronda pic
so, halloween in spain must be explained a tad bit. the image of this tasty and fairly comical holiday of wandering the streets in varying costume extremes and overdosing on sugar does not exist. spaniards are still in the scary halloween mode where everyone is dressed in something related to death and are literally SCARY. walking around on halloween night was a tad frightening. the truth is, halloween was more a day about mourning the dead until a couple years back when globalization did its work on this holiday. therefore, spain is still figuring out how to "celebrate" and take advantage of the comical costume and candy consumption perks. i decided to stick to the classics and break out my pumpkin carving skills, while brainstorming epic costume ideas for next year.
sorry for the overload of pics and lack of commentary...i'll try and get another blurb in this week. sending lots of fall lovin' to all corners of the world!

chocolate and vanilla

some things never change--contentment and slight disgust after a gelato binge, cravings for norah jones/joni mitchell and bubble bath on rainy days, growing wonder after each traveling excursion, and i am content to say, pure happiness and sisterly moments when that crazy Dane, julie streton is around. as you can guess, i'd been anticipating my other half's arrival since i set foot on this continent. this is europe after all--in my mind we are practically neighbors, and i was beyond excited to finally reap the benefits of this new proximity. while spanish tardiness and 12:00am airport closing times (really, granada?) kept julie stuck in madrid for a night (and me knitting and zoning out to coldplay in the abandoned airport for hours) she arrived tuesday morning, ready for some hardcore catch up time. how can i go about summing up our four days in granada together? it can basically be broken down into three pieces: 1. walking 2. eating 3. chit-chatting (under the radar 4. gelato sampling) almost every day we walked up to one of my favorite spots: san mirador san nicholas (view from sitting on the wall located to the right) we sat for hours talking, laughing, gazing at the city below, and planning future rendezvous, before walking down the hill through the mysterious streets of the albayzin towards yet another one of my favorite tapas bars (i was determined to make her try them all). here are some pics from our walking adventures:




what i love about granada is, you may walk to the same place twenty times, but each trek is different--new doors are opened (literally...behind each plain-jane door is an arabic garden, funky museum, or cool view never before seen), new street performers, and new ways of experiencing the city. the alhambra solidifies this idea--with the new season, the trees are all changing colors, flowers are blooming, and the golden fall lighting makes this palace even more breathtaking.
another important event: CINA'S 21st BIRTHDAY!!!! for this big day, julie, kristen, and i made a mexican food feast for cina, our california folk, and our new spanish amigos. i got my game face on *and foolproof apron* making fajita style meal with all the goods. julie was my wingman: you know you have a good friend when they're cutting bowls of onions and sautéing veggies over a hot stove for hours on their vacation for people they've just met (and all with a smile).
my only complaint about julie's visit was that it was too short! four days with hours wasted on things like class was seriously a tease. i couldn't help but let a couple tears escape as i walked back home after getting in one last goodbye hug in the airport bus at 5:00am. with skype dates to hold me over, i now finally have plans to hop on over to denmark in the spring and physically see the world of ms. julie streton (and indulge in as much danish black licorice as humanly possible).
*this last photo is for you, dave. i had the honor of introducing your favorite spanish breakfast to the 'cold dane.' we had to keep warm during the mornings somehow :) hola, churros y chocolate!

julie, i seriously miss you already! i think denmark is too cold for you anyways, come back to the sun and falafel paradise!

a bridge and a bird

in order to keep some sort of regularity with this whole blog deal, here comes a fast re-cap of the past spanish week and the constant pattern of exploration and reward that is daily life. starting with last weekend: now, think like a spaniard and rationalize-- hmm, there is a holiday on tuesday for one saint or another, do we really need to go to school or work the monday before? it just doesn't make sense to have a weekend, enter reality for a day, then back to vacation. let's just call it a "puente" (bridge) and make monday the prep-fiesta day. hence, i had a phenomenal four day weekend filled with piso dinners, medieval festivals, rain appropriate activities, and drinking gallons of tea.

on sunday evening, my whole piso decided to invite some new friends, three guys from Morocco and one German over to the piso for dinner. despite the minute size of our kitchen all five us began chopping, sauteing, tasting, and singing to hilarious american classics to prepare for our guests. i seriously lucked out on the flat-mate front. all four of them are complete sweethearts (and great cooks). after make-shifting a table and collecting every chair in our house, our mini united nations sat in my living room: Moroccan, German, French, Belgium, and the token Californian friends (all speaking Spanish). it was simply fascinating. as conversation floated from politics, to religion, to pop culture, to spain, to history, it hit me how unique this life is and how much we have to learn from each other. also, that i need to brush up on my current world events and european history... it must be noted that the evening proceeded with a game of sheraids of famous people we all wrote on pieces of paper and stuck in a hat. who was most noted, but michael jackson and shakira. go figure.

here's a pic of a medieval festival Kristen and i stumbled upon. as dorky as it is, i love stuff like this. tons of vendors lined the plaza, funky music, huge tents of roasting meat and various food preparations, and prime people watching. naturally, i sat with my delicious pizza bread, chatted up the artsy vendors, and throughly enjoyed the little extra zest added to my day.

despite the greatly shortened week due to the blessed puente, it was tough heading back up the mountain Cartuja and more classes filled with confusion. luckily, i had the genius Andrew Bird to keep me going strong.
i can't even express how much i love this skinny man with his awkward speech, jerky 'dance' movements, and uncombed hair. after he kicked off his shoes and cleared his throat, he was ready to blow minds. the combination of violin, whistling, base, xylophone, improv drum beats, and singing (all made more epic with a loop machine)definitely left my mind blown. i had been lucky enough to see him perform twice in the states (henry, it just wasn't the same without you), but this was by far my favorite performance. plus, it made me realize how mesmerized i am by live music, whether it be a guitarist in a plaza or on stage--it is some sort of therapy.
that is probably far too much info once again. ah well, this is a learn as you go kind of art. ***must be noted that my other half, the vanilla to my chocolate, arrives tomorrow in Granada! julie streton, i'm anxiously awaiting your arrival!!!!

"poco a poco"

well, vacation is officially over and classes at the university of granada have decided to step into its hard to fill place. in all honestly, it is quite difficult for me to describe what has been my first "week and a half" of university life, spanish style. i'll try and figure it out by breaking it down...let's start with week 1: monday--classes cancelled for ceremonial reasons. tuesday--one of two of my classes cancelled (plus, spanish professor came a solid 20 minutes late and proceeded to make up for lost time by talking a mile a minute aka no entiendo nada). wednesday--countrywide strike and classes cancelled. thursday--one of two classes cancelled. friday--teacher didn't show and no class. obviously the first week was a joke...thanks for the memo, spain. i would have loved to get in on this little secret before i literally had to pull out my aggressive, pushy persona to fight for a place on the bus. i have never seen buses so jammed packed with students carting it up the near vertical hill to the land of Cartuja (where the different university buildings are) now, while you may be thinking, 'adrienne, come on. your school life is obviously a piece of cake. don't even bring your sass about a hill over here,' i must say this week has been a different story. and that the hill is HUGE. i will have buns of steal at the end of the year when i start ditching the bus and taking the 50 minute hike from my piso.
***above is my UGR (university of granada) student card. my spanish street-cred it now legit. flash this bad-boy and i get 10 cents of my bus ride and can borrow books from library.

now that spain has started to get it's rear in gear (as much as it is possible for the land of españoles), my classes usually start around 8:30am and i head home around 3:00pm (with various scattered breaks suck at the top of the hill). here's my list of classes for you, dave: spanish theater and performance, linguistics of the golden age, spanish literature from 1939 till today, psychopathology, and psychology of learning. (as i mentioned before, since this is spain, the teachers of two of my classes have yet to show their faces...rumor has it they're coming next week. why not an extra week or two of vacation?) but the classes that i have attended...wow. let's just say the teachers do not believe in syllabi, writing anything legible on the chalkboard, or repeating any of the homework or crucial information regarding the class. therefore, my strategy is to latch on to any spanish person semi-willing to repeat basic info, look confused and grateful for the help, and then find my next victim for the following class. i know it will get easier with time, but it is so hard to figure out what the teachers even want, and the content of the actual class, of course. my vocab of fruits, beachy-things, and articles of clothing from my previous college and high school classes just aren't quite cutting it. and for those of you who know me, understand my need for organization, putting assignments in my calendar, and just being on top of life, can probably predict my slight freak out mode.

at santa barbara when i was stressed and needed to relax and put life in perspective, i had my various places of serenity (usually with an ocean view...so spoiled.) i am on a mission to find these places in the land of Cartuja as well. here is attempt number one.
maybe the best bit of advice i have literally received from every spanish person i have encountered and related my school insecurities to, has given me the same line: "poco a poco" (little by little). i need to remind myself that my education here extends far beyond the classroom and i will get in the loop with effort and time. for now, i'm tackling each class one at a time (hour by hour) and finding ways to educate myself on the best tapas bars and open air tea markets in town :)