Nos Vamos

It's been awhile. I can explain.

The last time I wrote a blog post I was sitting at a table in Milan, in a bit of shock that I was finally back in the great EU. Since then a lot has happened, and I feel no need to justify why I haven't posted any updates.

I've been on the go, like you wouldn't believe.

Looks like I left off right before I saw much of Milan. I'll go back through again and post story by story of all by day trips, but for the moment here's a brief overview.

After the weekend in Aosta I spent the week in Milan, and left on the following Monday for Graz, Austria. Mario and I saw most of the touristy sights in a day or two.

The Friday before I left the Pope came to Milan, which was too cliche for my brain to handle. We went into il Duomo's piazza and upon stepping off the trolley we saw the signs promoting the Pope coming to Milan for "World Meeting of Families." There was a poster on il Duomo for atleast a week before, but we just kind of missed it somehow.

I thought that Milan was a typical place for the pope to visit- but it turns out it was the first time in 28 years that a pope had visited Milan. That came to me as a bit of a surprise, but I guess when all things are considered, it's pretty expensive with all the security and everything in between.

Here's a link to an article with more information: Pope Visits Milan

So that was really cool. Something to check off my bucket list in life. We got really close too, which required waiting on the rail for close to an hour in the dreadful heat, but it was definitely worth it.

Pope Benedetto passed us in his popemobile, surrounded what I would like to call the pope's "Secret Service."  They were everywhere, and frequently got in the way of my pictures...

Sigh. Atleast I got a few good ones.

Also, I was kind of surprised but it was really cool- there were a few babies that were passed in from the crowd and blessed by the pope.

Milan was packed with people cheering for the pope when he came around. They had a few big screens filming the pope's journey from the Linate Airport down the streets to il Duomo. I was pretty surprised how much everyone was cheering so much- Milan obviously wanted to prove they were happy for a pope to visit, which was cool to see.

Sunday I went to Lake Como, which is really close to Switzerland. Mario's brother's girlfriend Anna took me there for the day and it was really nice. Como is a beautiful city, and although it rained we still had a good time and were able to see everything we wanted to see.

Upon returning to Milan I met Sergio, who I hadn't seen since 2009. He was an exchange student in a town in our AFS Chapter in the states, so it was nice to see him again and walk around the city for a few hours. He doesn't live in Milan, so I was more or less of a tour guide haha

That evening Mario and I caught up with some of his friends for ice cream-- they had been studying for exams all day, which end on July 16th. The difference between the two different systems is unbelievable...complely different, and sometime I wonder about how our level of education compares to theirs...

So that is more or less of catch up from the first two weeks. I'll send more updates soon-- as of right now I'm back in the states in Boston visiting Caroline and I've gotta run...but there's much more to come.

Arrivederci amiciii
-mb

La Prima Settimana

Being back has been awesome.

Returning back to the great ol' EU has been fantastic. When I left Spain there were so many unanswered questions, doubts, and thoughts that I have been able to clear up since I've been here.

My first stop here is Milan, where I am visiting Mario, the student my family hosted 2009-2010. He's still in university here at Bocconi, so I haven't seen the entire city yet. But what I have seen, is really nice.

Mario and I infront of il Duomo

Yesterday, there was an earthquake. The current death count according to this BBC article is 16, with atleast seven people missing and 14,000 homeless. Here is a link to an article: BBC Earthquake in Italy

The first earthquake hit sometime in the morning. I was sitting next to another girl in a lecture class and we both thought the two guys behind us were shaking our bench (the seats are long benches, not individual desks). I just kind of ignored it at first, thinking they were trying to get our attention, but as it kept going I thought it was weird at 'how flexible the benches were.' The projector was shaking a bit, and when it finished the teacher asked- "earthquake?" It wasn't until everyone looked at each other to realize we all felt the same thing. The second earthquake struck when we were at lunch, but none of the people I went to lunch with felt it.

So that was yesterday. This past weekend I traveled about 2.5 hours in bus to a small town called Aosta to visit Nicholas. He was in our AFS chapter when I was in Spain- and I met him at the arrival orientation that was in August. He stayed with my family a few times while I was in Spain, and invited me to come up and see a different part of Italy for the weekend.

Aosta is a small town, about 40,000 I believe, or says my iPod. It's in the Swiss Alps, about 30 minutes from France and 45 from Switzerland. It's a pretty town, filled with Roman Ruins and the beautiful scenery of the mountains. It was definitely very different than Milan, but really interesting to see.

The town is very old, filled with ancient artifacts and surrounded by a whole line of castles. I was told that the castles were able to communicate by fire to send messages from one to another- that's how  close they were to each other.

Saturday I saw the town, and Sunday we headed out by car and went through the mountains. We also visited il castello di Fenis, which are included in the pictures below.

Some festival going on right next to the ruins-
everyone was dressed up in some type of traditional costume.

The main square in Aosta.

Beautiful, no? I was later informed that it is a common place
for the ederly to commit suicide. :(

Waiting for the tour at the castle of Fenis.

Nick and I.

Castello di Fenis

We drove down the side of the mountain for maybe an hour or so? And we went all the way down to the end of the road. Along the way we passed some type of animals- I don't know the name of them in English, but it was kind of cool to see them. The longer the horns are the older they are- it's like a tree. The rings represent one year. There were also people there who hiked up the mountain and skied down. The trails ranged from about 1-3 hours.

First national park in Italy- opened in 1922.

The animals seen throughout the mountains in the background.

We also passed by and took pictures of Monte Bianco (the highest point in Alps, Western Europe and the EU)- which we could see from a distance. You have to look closely in pictures even though it was bright and clear when we were there.

Monte Bianco



Another Castle


So that was this past weekend. I don't have many pictures from Milan soon, but I'll get some posted next week or so.

Italy is great. I haven't had that big of a communication problem since I can understand a great deal of Italian. I can understand a lot of what is said, how much depends on the topic. Things such as directions are about the same as Italian.

Being here in a country with a different language reminds me of my first few weeks of exchange. Although it's weird, because I understand more Italian in my first week here than I did Spanish my first week in Spain. I am amazed at how much Italian I've learned in only a week. It definitely comes a lot easier since I already know Spanish. There's an art to listening to a foreign language- the rythm, breaks, expressions, it's almost like you have to learn what is going to be said next. But it's been fun nonetheless. It's nice to be learning a culture for the first time again.

I'll touch breifly on the differences between Italy and Spain. Not much. I have found the people here to be less "on edge" and more welcoming. Everyone I've met has been over the top nice. People in stores aren't overpersonal like Americans, but aren't rude either. The stereotypical ice cream and pizza and pasta here is just like the say- the best of the world. Milan has a smaller metro than Madrid, but they have trams and trolleys above the ground. People here dress nicer- you see that the money is directed towards designer clothes, cars, etc. Things are a bit greener in Milan than Madrid (granted it's further north), but overall the two cities are pretty similar. I'll catch up on this later when I discover more.

For now, that's about all.

hasta pronto, amiciii
-mb

Adios, Estados Unidos

Hello! Hallo Hola and Ciaoo...it has been a few months since I've written my last post...and that is the first time I have actually been able to admit that. Since starting this blog I've written atleast once a month, and the past few months have been pretty eventful.

Skipping everything in the lost time, I am happy to say that I am back in Europe for the summer. Tuesday I arrived in Milan, where I will be visiting Mario and other friends in the area. The top of June I'll head in train to Graz to see Alina, and after a week or so I'll travel and bounce around from place to place in Germany. My schedule after that is not exactly planned yet since I have so many options on what I can do. It's amazing how knowing so many people internationally opens up so many opportunities to travel. Everyone I'll be seeing is part of AFS somehow or another. My journey will end about the middle of July.

I've debated on whether I should move this whole summer trip to a different blog, but I do not know how often I'll be able to write, so I think I'll just leave it here. I might rename it however, as Spain is no longer the base of everything from here on out.

In August I will be starting school at the University of Loyola New Orleans, studying International Business and Communications. I'm excited to be at a new location- even though I plan to study abroad the following year.

Back to the present...so far my time here in Milan has been amazing. I've met a lot of great people and things have been going really well. I flew to JFK from Minneapolis, had an all day layover in NYC, another layover in London, and finally flew into Milan.

This is the first time to return back to the EU since I left Spain last July. I wasn't even to London when I realized how excited I was to be back. I've worked hard to put everything together and I'm super excited to be here. I wouldn't be surprised if I moved to Europe in the future- it's great here.

It's hard to explain, but coming back is a great reminder of my "other life." People talk about how the "American" and "exchange" lives aren't the same, and that's true. Public transportation, crossing streets, food, money, it's all different, but great. Milan reminds me of Madrid a lot, all but a few minor changes such as the language or canals, but overall I feel back at my European "home."

I'll keep track of everyone I meet along the way. Before I left, an AFSer who was in my town 3 years ago came back to visit- so it was really cool to see him again. My rough estimate is that I'll see 15 friends in the next two months.

Traveling by train, I have a four country Eurorail pass for Italy, Austria, Germany, and Belgium-Netherlands-Luxembourg. It'll be a few long days of travel but I think it'll be worth it.

A dopo
-mb

the return...otra vez.

The following is a link to an article written by Jacob Spetzler, who spent his year in the Basque Country. In this he writes about his feelings upon returning to the states, followed by some afterthoughts months later.

He nailed it.


Saturday, November 12th, 2011

Photo Credited to Jacob

One of the best blog posts I´ve ever read in my life.

Enjoy,

-mb

You Know You´re an AFSer When...

(Confessions of an AFSer...host sibling, returnee, & volunteer)

Belgium-France-Finland-USA

1. You have more AFS events planned on your calendar than any other type of social activity.
2. You talk to someone from a different country atleast three times a day.
3. More than 40% of your friends on Facebook aren´t from your home country.
4. Your family has hosted on multiple occasions.

USA-Holland

5. (When talking to people from your home country) You forget that the person to whom you are talking to can understand what you are saying, and that there is no need to speak slowly or use simple vocabulary.
6. You know that having an address book would never work because half of your friend´s addresses wouldn´t even fit on the page. And ¨Bangkok¨ is really just the short version.
7. You know how to laugh in several languages online....5555555555555...jajajaja
8. Any given day you check the international news, you call your friend living there to see is the media is legit.

Madrid to Zürich

9. Knowing the current time in New Zealand is as easy as knowing the color shirt you are wearing.
10. You find it difficult to talk to people who have never traveled.
11. You are offended by questions such as, ¨What language do they speak in Iceland?¨ because you know very well, that your friend in Iceland speaks Icelandic.

12. You can say a few phrases in languages such as Turkish, Finnish, Icelandic, German, and Swedish... even if most of them are insults.
13. When meeting people from other countries, your first few words to them go something like...¨Hey! My name is so and so, where are you from in X country? I have a friend who lives in X city...¨
14. You speak a second language and hate how people give you weird looks when you do so on your cell phone.
15. You know what TOEFL is and have even helped people prepare for it.
16. You know how difficult it is for foreign students to get a visa to ¨just come back to the states for college¨.
17. You know where someone is from based on their accent, and if they don´t have an accent, they´re from Scandinavia.
18. You know the drinking age in virtually every country that exists.
19. You can explain, in depth, atleast five foreign school systems other than your own.
20. You cringe when people tell you they are going on vacation to some big tourist trap.
21. You travel to see your friends, not the Eiffel Tower.
22. In your spare time, you never read a book in your own language.
23. Upon returning to your home country, your day is made by laughing con Shrek y burro en español.

End of stay orientation- AFS SPAIN 2010-11

24. You know you have a home in different houses all over the world.
25. It´s harder to name a country where you don´t know someone, than where you do.
26. The most recent computer you used did not have an English keyboard.
27. You consider Skype your main telephone.
28. The person at the post office recognizes you and is no longer surprised that you´ll send mail to Seattle, Boston, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, and Colombia on the same day.
29. About 45% of the music you listen to is in a different language or from a different country.

30. You know the ¨typical dance¨ of another country.
31. In a normal conversation you have to clarify which family you are talking about...home vs. host.
32. The ¨there are no kangaroos in Austria¨ joke is old school.
33. You know random things such as ¨Angry Birds¨ is a Finnish game, or that ¨Phillips¨ is a Dutch brand and consider it as common sense.
34. You speak to foreign students so often, you begin to speak like them, making the same grammatical mistakes.
35. You feel advanced in sociology class because the information you cover is the same in AFS Orientations.
36. Your closet contains a collection of clothing styles from all over the world.
37. You have a love-hate relationship for airports, as this place will lead you to or take you from you best friends.

Homebound- Barajas Airport, Madrid

38. Not being able to sing along to a foreign song doesn´t bother you.
39. You get excited when someone understands ¨Danza Kuduro¨.
40. You consider AFS to be your second nationality, especially when you're on exchange.
41. You have full conversations with yourself in your home country, in your host language.
42. Your Facebook statuses, as well as your friends´, are often written in two different languages.
43. You have friends who have never met each other, but go skiing at the same place year after year.

44. Your friend travels from the USA to Austria and meets someone who knows you...and you´ve never been to Austria.
45. A typical birthday gift from a friend is a CD with only Finnish music, or a Thai scarf.

46. Your real family cooks something from a foreign country on a daily basis.
47. You know that real cheese, bread, beer, or wine is not found in the USA.
48. You know the truth about drugs in Amsterdam, and how the Dutch government keeps them away from tourists.
49. You have to manually enter which language you are typing in when writing in Microsoft Word.
50. When traveling, the hardest decision for you to make is deciding who to visit first.
51. You speak to other Americans, in English, and they don´t understand anything you say. Because in reality, you speak AFS.

Midstay Orientation

'ta pronto
-mb

(no asunto)

When I get bored, I frequently have conversations with myself in Spanish. Full conversations, too. Like a story. Multiple characters, the whole shabang. I´ve even dreamed in Spanish after being back, seven months later. When reading subtitles on the TV at the YMCA, I´ve even pronounced English words like Spanish words in my head. Or have mistaken it for Spanish when it´s really English.

But it´s nice to know I´m not the only one.

Even Facebook has gone crazy.

-mb

Introduction Video

For my LIT170 class at the local college we had to do an introduction video of ourselves and put it onYouTube. I figured I could put it up on here as well considering many of the pictures were taken in Spain.

Where to next?
-mb