I should be in class right now. But the professor of my first class of the afternoon told me I could leave (for a reason I don't entirely understand he basically told me I would be wasting my time by staying). The professor of my second class never comes on Tuesdays (and never got around to hiring a substitute). The professor of my third class (which ends at 9:30 and is followed by a commute) has been showing up about half of the time lately. Suffice it to say I wasn't going to hang out for three hours to see if he felt like showing up today. So now I'm one Prado tutorial away from Christmas break! I'm pretty pumped.
I'll be home just over a week, which in retrospect isn't much time at all. The abbreviated Christmas in Chicago should be more than compensated for by my trip with Patrick. We are in London for five days and Glasgow for two. Then I'm off for Paris for four days and back to Madrid, where a whole pile of papers to write will be waiting for me. I don't know how I feel about all that nonsense being after Christmas break. I guess the real bad is that it means that my summer will be screwed up and I most likely won't be able to land a good job/internship.
It's been an interesting three months here so far. I've learned a lot of things, like that it's totally ok to smoke indoors in front of non-smoking signs, that European notebooks are full of graph paper, etc. I've also adjusted my expectations because I think that I thought I would come here and be able to leave speaking like a Spanish native. Certainly, my time here will improve my Spanish ability, but I'm pretty sure I will always harbor that pesky American accent. And because I am tall and non-Spanish looking, I would stand out a bit even if I did speak perfectly.
Apparently the two-day class week is about to end (I have class on Wednesdays!!) because of some silly policy that I certainly didn't sign onto in my agreement before coming here. My plan is to take my filology class on Thursdays and Fridays (assuming I don't drop the English major), get a tutor whose notes I can copy, and learn not to care when I have to miss to go somewhere more interesting.
I'm really excited for the spring people to come here! They come the week of my 21st birthday, which is on a Friday when I have an exam, so I expect to have wicked good times.
Updated list of places I want to go in Europe (and don't already have trips planned):
1) ITALY - I'm dying to go to Italy. Holy week in Rome and Florence and potentially other cities as well? Sounds divine.
2) BARCELONA - I'm sure I'll make it there at some point, possibly with my dad who apparently really wants to come back to Spain.
3) MOROCCO - I've decided that Morocco moves up on the list of places I really want to see. I feel like it would be a shame to be in a country that borders Africa and not take the opportunity. I've heard it really it is a whole different world.
4) PAÍS VASCO - I've heard great things about San Sebastian and of course there is the Guggenheim in Bilbao. I also really want to hear Euskera.
5) THE BEACH - Yay Mediterranean.
6) Germany - Berlin, probably. The German airports were lovely, but it would be nice to get outside them.
7) Switzerland - Interlaken is supposed to be amazing. So is the chocolate.
8) Bucharest - I think Romania would be cool.
9) Amsterdam - To be honest I'm not that interested in going but everyone says it is a must-see when in Europe.
10) Ireland - The ancestral homeland would obviously be higher on the list but I am confident that one day I will go there, possibly with my mother since she was so very against my going ever so briefly with Patrick.
Obviously there are lots of other places, but that seems like a realistic goal, right? Let me know if I'm missing something important.
Also, I think I quit my English classes today, but then Miky tried to reel me back in by saying, well, what if it were only one girl... I feel kind of bad, she was trying to make it sound like one girl is absolutely out of control and the other two are angels, which isn't exactly the case. But it is hell. Also my personality certainly doesn't help. Somehow I find myself dominated by a trio of nine-year-old girls. It is frustrating because every week I am optimistic and end up doing a horrible job. Even though the money bought me lunch for a week if I didn't go out, I decided it was just too much. I'll talk to Miky again in January and I guess if she asks me to give lessons to just the one girl I'll do it.
Feliz Navidad!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
If only Blagojevich would resign...
Unfortunately it seems extremely likely that Blagojevich will resign of his own accord. He keeps making statements about how he will be vindicated. And from the text of his recorded phone conversations, it is obvious that he either never thought he would get caught or legitimately didn't think he was doing anything wrong, somehow thinking he would have enough political capital to end up in the White House in 2016.
Certainly, he has not yet been convicted. But the case against him seems pretty strong. In any case, this scandal has affected his ability to govern (which was never great) and he cannot name Barack Obama's Senate successor.
There are three alternatives: the Illinois legislature schedules a special election; the Illinois legislature can impeach him, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn succeeds him and names a Senator; or the Illinois Supreme Court declares him "incapacitated."
The first option seems the most democratic. Frankly I don't entirely understand why there are special elections held to replace congressmen but governors have the power to replace senators, especially since senators' terms are six years long. Depending on the class of senator, it could be six years before the next election. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, among others, has come out against this plan because he fears that the people of Illinois could be fed up with Democrats and elect a reform-minded Republican. As an Illinoisian, however, I don't know how likely that would be. The reason we re-elected Rod Blagojevich in 2006 (and why Barack Obama's 2004 victory was so overwhelming; remember Alan Keyes?) is that there is an utter lack of talent in the Illinois GOP. We always talk about the "Democratic machine" but I think there are enough politicians unconnected to this dirty network that we could find someone to fill the seat. The problem with this plan is whether it is actually possible to schedule special elections, as this action would override the governor's constitutional power. It is likely he would need to sign a bill, which is unlikely. I like to think that we could override such a veto (although he could do a pocket veto...). The other problem with this plan is that special elections are costly and Illinois is broke.
The second plan is the most constitutionally sound. Even though Quinn and Blagojevich were running mates in 2006, I don't think they are close. Quinn seems to be removed from the taint of Blagojevich. And even though impeachment proceedings could take a long time, they would probably be quicker than special elections. Once upon a time we had hoped that Blagojevich would appoint Obama's successor before the new class of senators was sworn in, giving our senator seniority. Until then, God bless Dick Durbin.
The third plan is very real. Attorney General Lisa Madigan has asked the Illinois Supreme Court to declare Blagojevich incapacitated. This declaration would remove him from office temporarily and Quinn would appoint the successor. Blagojevich would also be relieved of his duties relating to state contracts and state funds. She filed this motion because it could potentially be quicker than impeachment (although the timing is bad all around because of the holidays). Once again, I am not a constitutional scholar, but this action is completely unprecedented. I'm not entirely sure what it would mean.
Until this monkey business is resolved (and it would probably be years before a Blagojevich trial would wrap up), I guess we should take pride in being the most corrupt state in the nation, over even Louisiana? It looks like Jesse Jackson Jr. was indeed Senate Candidate 5, although he denies being aware of the deal to fundraise. Obama's White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel also evidently had some kind of conversations with Blagojevich regarding the Senate seat, but it is still unclear what the nature of these conversations was. Illinois is a circus. I'll be back in the "Land of Lincoln" in five days.
Certainly, he has not yet been convicted. But the case against him seems pretty strong. In any case, this scandal has affected his ability to govern (which was never great) and he cannot name Barack Obama's Senate successor.
There are three alternatives: the Illinois legislature schedules a special election; the Illinois legislature can impeach him, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn succeeds him and names a Senator; or the Illinois Supreme Court declares him "incapacitated."
The first option seems the most democratic. Frankly I don't entirely understand why there are special elections held to replace congressmen but governors have the power to replace senators, especially since senators' terms are six years long. Depending on the class of senator, it could be six years before the next election. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, among others, has come out against this plan because he fears that the people of Illinois could be fed up with Democrats and elect a reform-minded Republican. As an Illinoisian, however, I don't know how likely that would be. The reason we re-elected Rod Blagojevich in 2006 (and why Barack Obama's 2004 victory was so overwhelming; remember Alan Keyes?) is that there is an utter lack of talent in the Illinois GOP. We always talk about the "Democratic machine" but I think there are enough politicians unconnected to this dirty network that we could find someone to fill the seat. The problem with this plan is whether it is actually possible to schedule special elections, as this action would override the governor's constitutional power. It is likely he would need to sign a bill, which is unlikely. I like to think that we could override such a veto (although he could do a pocket veto...). The other problem with this plan is that special elections are costly and Illinois is broke.
The second plan is the most constitutionally sound. Even though Quinn and Blagojevich were running mates in 2006, I don't think they are close. Quinn seems to be removed from the taint of Blagojevich. And even though impeachment proceedings could take a long time, they would probably be quicker than special elections. Once upon a time we had hoped that Blagojevich would appoint Obama's successor before the new class of senators was sworn in, giving our senator seniority. Until then, God bless Dick Durbin.
The third plan is very real. Attorney General Lisa Madigan has asked the Illinois Supreme Court to declare Blagojevich incapacitated. This declaration would remove him from office temporarily and Quinn would appoint the successor. Blagojevich would also be relieved of his duties relating to state contracts and state funds. She filed this motion because it could potentially be quicker than impeachment (although the timing is bad all around because of the holidays). Once again, I am not a constitutional scholar, but this action is completely unprecedented. I'm not entirely sure what it would mean.
Until this monkey business is resolved (and it would probably be years before a Blagojevich trial would wrap up), I guess we should take pride in being the most corrupt state in the nation, over even Louisiana? It looks like Jesse Jackson Jr. was indeed Senate Candidate 5, although he denies being aware of the deal to fundraise. Obama's White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel also evidently had some kind of conversations with Blagojevich regarding the Senate seat, but it is still unclear what the nature of these conversations was. Illinois is a circus. I'll be back in the "Land of Lincoln" in five days.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
And to think I was sad IL gets so little attention during the presidential primaries and general election
The. Plot. Thickens.
At first glance, I figured Blagojevich was just nabbed with the usual "pay-to-play" corruption of naming family, friends, and campaign donors to plush state jobs and contracts. I mean, that's wrong too, but it's become par for the course, as sad as that is.
How wrong I was.
I read the full text of the criminal complaint, which was fascinating and whetted my appetite for law school. Let me know if you want me to forward it to you.
Basically they allege that Blagojevich has been involved in corrupt dealings since 2001 when he was still a congressman with his sights on higher office. But the two major whammies are from 2008.
The first is that he tried to leverage state resources to get members of the Chicago Tribune editorial board fired for being critical of his crooked administration (even if it wasn't crooked it would still be terribly inefficient). The Tribune Co., parent company of my beloved childhood newspaper the Chicago Tribune, has just filed for bankruptcy. You may have heard that the newspaper industry is crumbling. To offset some debts, the Tribune Co. has put the Chicago Cubs (a profitable yet losing ballclub) for sale. Blagojevich tried to tell the Tribune Co. that he would help the sale of the Cubs with state funds if the offending members of the editorial board (considering it's a historically Republican-leaning newspaper who endorsed Obama because they are tired of the mess that is politics, probably the whole board...) were fired. Nothing could renew my love of legitimate journalism more. I would take out a subscription if I thought they would deliver to Spain. Much as I love the bloggers and the political commentators on cable, one day we will wake up and miss the legitimate watchdog role filled by newspapers.
The second horrifying allegation is that Blagojevich tried to sell the vacant Obama Senate seat to the highest bidder, whether that came in the form of a cabinet position, a profitable non-profit job for his wife, or cash up front with the promise of big-time campaign fundraising later. Obama's hands seem impeccably clean. I've joked before that Blagojevich might even appoint himself, but in the document he considers that numerous times. The big question on everyone's minds is who "Senate Candidate 5" is because that is the candidate who offers to give Blagojevich fundraising money. The two most likely candidates are Jesse Jackson Jr. and Emil Jones Jr. If the identity of Senate Candidate 5 is revealed their political career is effectively over. Jones is probably on the brink of retirement anyway, but if it is Jackson that would really put a wrench in the works.
What is strangest is that I really don't think Blagojevich saw this coming. Throughout the criminal complaint, he is leveraging power to continue his political career, aspiring for a presidential run in 2016. I'm glad he got caught.
This situation leaves the vacant Obama Senate seat in serious doubt. According to the New York Times's The Caucus blog, "According to the Illinois state constitution, Mr. Blagojevich would have to be deemed incapacitated — by death, conviction or impeachment, for example — for that power to shift to new hands. There is no clause stating that an indictment restricts his powers." And if I know Rod Blagojevich he is not going down without a fight. Let's impeach him, ASAP.
My dad has misgivings about the Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn for some unknown reason, although at least he said it's a different kind of misgiving than those we feel towards a certain slimy corrupt Blagojevich. CHANGE.
At first glance, I figured Blagojevich was just nabbed with the usual "pay-to-play" corruption of naming family, friends, and campaign donors to plush state jobs and contracts. I mean, that's wrong too, but it's become par for the course, as sad as that is.
How wrong I was.
I read the full text of the criminal complaint, which was fascinating and whetted my appetite for law school. Let me know if you want me to forward it to you.
Basically they allege that Blagojevich has been involved in corrupt dealings since 2001 when he was still a congressman with his sights on higher office. But the two major whammies are from 2008.
The first is that he tried to leverage state resources to get members of the Chicago Tribune editorial board fired for being critical of his crooked administration (even if it wasn't crooked it would still be terribly inefficient). The Tribune Co., parent company of my beloved childhood newspaper the Chicago Tribune, has just filed for bankruptcy. You may have heard that the newspaper industry is crumbling. To offset some debts, the Tribune Co. has put the Chicago Cubs (a profitable yet losing ballclub) for sale. Blagojevich tried to tell the Tribune Co. that he would help the sale of the Cubs with state funds if the offending members of the editorial board (considering it's a historically Republican-leaning newspaper who endorsed Obama because they are tired of the mess that is politics, probably the whole board...) were fired. Nothing could renew my love of legitimate journalism more. I would take out a subscription if I thought they would deliver to Spain. Much as I love the bloggers and the political commentators on cable, one day we will wake up and miss the legitimate watchdog role filled by newspapers.
The second horrifying allegation is that Blagojevich tried to sell the vacant Obama Senate seat to the highest bidder, whether that came in the form of a cabinet position, a profitable non-profit job for his wife, or cash up front with the promise of big-time campaign fundraising later. Obama's hands seem impeccably clean. I've joked before that Blagojevich might even appoint himself, but in the document he considers that numerous times. The big question on everyone's minds is who "Senate Candidate 5" is because that is the candidate who offers to give Blagojevich fundraising money. The two most likely candidates are Jesse Jackson Jr. and Emil Jones Jr. If the identity of Senate Candidate 5 is revealed their political career is effectively over. Jones is probably on the brink of retirement anyway, but if it is Jackson that would really put a wrench in the works.
What is strangest is that I really don't think Blagojevich saw this coming. Throughout the criminal complaint, he is leveraging power to continue his political career, aspiring for a presidential run in 2016. I'm glad he got caught.
This situation leaves the vacant Obama Senate seat in serious doubt. According to the New York Times's The Caucus blog, "According to the Illinois state constitution, Mr. Blagojevich would have to be deemed incapacitated — by death, conviction or impeachment, for example — for that power to shift to new hands. There is no clause stating that an indictment restricts his powers." And if I know Rod Blagojevich he is not going down without a fight. Let's impeach him, ASAP.
My dad has misgivings about the Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn for some unknown reason, although at least he said it's a different kind of misgiving than those we feel towards a certain slimy corrupt Blagojevich. CHANGE.
Time to be an Illinois constitutional scholar (Obama we need you!)
The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Governor Rod Blagojevich has been taken into federal custody. Even if this is a false lead, it is only a matter of time, as he is under heavy investigation.
Yes, I voted for the clown. The alternative was Judy Baar Topinka. Moving on.
As President-elect Obama has vacated his U.S. Senate seat, which only the governor of Illinois can fill, the timing is particularly bad. I am sadly no Illinois constitutional expert, but I'm guessing that the Lieutenant Governor would be the acting Governor (Wikipedia: "Prior to the adoption of the 1970 Illinois Constitution, the Lieutenant Governor also served as the presiding officer of the state Senate. Losing this position made the Lt. Governor's job even less significant, and contributed to the "boredom" cited by Jim Thompson's first lieutenant governor, Dave O'Neal, on July 31, 1981, when he resigned the office.")
The Lieutenant Governor is Pat Quinn, Georgetown undergrad from Hinsdale. However, to complicate things, I found the following on his Wikipedia page: "With the election of Senator Barack Obama as President in 2008, Quinn is considered a possible candidate to be appointed to succeed Obama in the U.S. Senate." Obviously, Quinn would be a fool to head to the Senate when he could be governor and take credit for once and for all bringing reform to Springfield. No more crooks in the Governor's Mansion!
Although Blagojevich never did anything for Obama's campaign (asked, I'm sure to keep away), it looks pretty bad for the President-elect that his home state is in a shambles, especially as Obama is running much of his transition effort out of Chicago (home of Daley, yikes).
I'd like to see Lisa Madigan in the Obama seat. Her hands aren't completely clean of the mess, as she is the daughter of Speaker Mike Madigan who has been leading the legislative faction against Blagojevich, which is noble until it shuts down state business, which it has. However, she is one of the few Illinois politicians I look up to besides the President-elect and Senator Dick Durbin.
In short, Illinois politics are an absolute mess. More to come. To think I thought I would be bored after November 4...
Yes, I voted for the clown. The alternative was Judy Baar Topinka. Moving on.
As President-elect Obama has vacated his U.S. Senate seat, which only the governor of Illinois can fill, the timing is particularly bad. I am sadly no Illinois constitutional expert, but I'm guessing that the Lieutenant Governor would be the acting Governor (Wikipedia: "Prior to the adoption of the 1970 Illinois Constitution, the Lieutenant Governor also served as the presiding officer of the state Senate. Losing this position made the Lt. Governor's job even less significant, and contributed to the "boredom" cited by Jim Thompson's first lieutenant governor, Dave O'Neal, on July 31, 1981, when he resigned the office.")
The Lieutenant Governor is Pat Quinn, Georgetown undergrad from Hinsdale. However, to complicate things, I found the following on his Wikipedia page: "With the election of Senator Barack Obama as President in 2008, Quinn is considered a possible candidate to be appointed to succeed Obama in the U.S. Senate." Obviously, Quinn would be a fool to head to the Senate when he could be governor and take credit for once and for all bringing reform to Springfield. No more crooks in the Governor's Mansion!
Although Blagojevich never did anything for Obama's campaign (asked, I'm sure to keep away), it looks pretty bad for the President-elect that his home state is in a shambles, especially as Obama is running much of his transition effort out of Chicago (home of Daley, yikes).
I'd like to see Lisa Madigan in the Obama seat. Her hands aren't completely clean of the mess, as she is the daughter of Speaker Mike Madigan who has been leading the legislative faction against Blagojevich, which is noble until it shuts down state business, which it has. However, she is one of the few Illinois politicians I look up to besides the President-elect and Senator Dick Durbin.
In short, Illinois politics are an absolute mess. More to come. To think I thought I would be bored after November 4...
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
I'm thankful to be in Madrid for more than four consecutive days.
The Belvedere:
Maria Theresa:
Mozarthaus:
Hofburg:
Maria Theresa:Mozarthaus:
Hofburg:
For Thanksgiving, we had a group dinner in Botín, a relatively fancy restaurant in Madrid. My host mom Cristina went and we met with Miky, the housing director who has become a friend of Cristina, and head over together. When we arrived at the restaurant, there were three tables with pretty strict divides between them: one with Marquette students and Reunidas professors, one with Georgetown students, Georgetown mentores, and recent Georgetown grads, and a third with Georgetown staff, Georgetown host mothers, and Georgetown alums. I was kind of sad because I had heard a lot about Concha, Ryan’s host mom, and Teresa, Allison’s host mom, and wanted to say more than hello before being shepherded to the kids table.
The dinner was pretty good, although there were no mashed potatoes so I was sad because that is the favorite part of when my mom cooks for Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve (P.S. I have a list of what I need to eat while I am home). We got to meet Edmundo’s 15-year-old host sister. After dinner, we went to a nearby site for some sangria. I got home at 2 a.m. My taxi for the airport for my trip to Vienna was coming at 4:30.
When my alarm went off in the morning, I thought I was dying. I hope my host family didn’t come in my room this weekend because everything was strewn all over the place, including an empty container of boxed wine.
I got to the airport and tried to sleep across some seats. Unsuccessful.
On the plane I was freezing cold, so I put my coat over me like a blanket. Then I spilled orange juice on myself in a way that at the time looked a lot like vomit. I had to stop in Munich, but by the time I got to Vienna I was in a pretty good mood. I found the bus I had to take to the city right away. It was too good to be true. Right before dropping us off at the Sudbahnhof, the bus passed the Belvedere, the first stop on my tour. I was pumped.
I rushed off the bus in the direction of the Belvedere only to realize that I had left my lovely and helpful guidebook and map on the bus. I tried not to be too sad as I made my way to the Belvedere. The Belvedere is a former palace turned museum that houses Gustav Klimt’s master work, The Kiss. I got scammed because the painting is in a special exhibition, so I had to pay for that too. I also had to pay to check my bag, twice, since the special exhibition is in a separate building. I decided to just grab something to eat in the museum café. I ordered a sandwich, but the waitress told me that would take too long and suggested that I order a pastry instead. I am not sure how that is possible, since the sandwich was just cold cuts, tomato, and cucumber. Instead I had a lovely pastry and a coffee with whipped cream, as is the Viennese way. I mean, I’m pretty sure I’m dying for having whole milk in my café con leche here in Madrid, let alone with whipped cream.
I asked how to walk from there to the Secession Building, since it had looked definitely walkable on my map, but the woman at the museum information desk told me to take the tram. I definitely rode without paying. I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for when I got off at Opera, so I asked one of the ridiculously costumed men trying to sell me a ticket to a tourist concert. He told me that it was really far away, which was a lie, or maybe an honest mistake. Losing my guidebook and map really took the wind out of my sails. I am a very independent traveler and like to walk and do things on my own terms. I ended up buying a map in a tourist shop. The other customers were from Madrid and speaking in Spanish. It was great. I really did like that in Austria people talked to me in German (as opposed to in Spain where I feel like people can immediately tell that I am not Spanish and often just use English), but unfortunately, especially with the loss of my guidebook, my German vocabulary covered “yes,” “no,” “do you speak English,” and “thank you.” Infinitely bigger than my Czech vocabulary though.
Map in hand, I made my way to the Secession Building, home of Klimt’s Beethoven Frieze. It was cool to see but I was kind of underwhelmed. If only Mr. Page had been there to make me more fully appreciate it.
I then wandered to the MuseumsQuartier, where I went to the Leopold Museum, which also has a substantial Klimt collection. I left there at about 5 and was supposed to meet Kayleigh at MariaTheresien Platz, across the street at 6 so I debated going to the modern art museum for a bit. Instead, I followed the flashing lights and bumping music to a little seasonal bar where they were serving all kinds of warm drinks. I thought they were overcharging me by two euros, but that was actually the mug deposit. It’s a pretty good system.
I then crossed over to MariaTheresien Platz. With even a cursory understanding of European history, you know that Maria Theresa populated basically all the royal houses of Europe. The plaza was full of booths selling crafts and the like as well as warm drinks and food. I got another gluhwein and settled in to wait for Kayleigh. Then another. It became 6 and still no sign of Kayleigh. I saw a group that looked like it could be from CIEE Prague. I approached them (probably would not have happened without the gluhwein…) and received an affirmative response. The professor was leading a night tour for an hour or so and decided not to wait for Kayleigh and her friends. I didn’t have a phone, so I opted to go with the group and hopefully meet up with Kayleigh later at the hostel.
The professor was charming and at the end bought us all a…gluhwein. I head out with the group in search of food. We tried to find somewhere with inexpensive wiener schnitzel unsuccessfully and just bought gelato. We took the Metro to another area but were still unable to find anywhere to eat. Some people in the group decided to see Quantum of Solace, but I decided to head to the hostel and try to find Kayleigh. Two girls decided to go with me to make sure I made it back ok, which was really nice but not necessary. I checked in and found Kayleigh’s stuff but not Kayleigh. I went to McDonalds and bought a hamburger for a euro and a beer from a street vendor for a euro. It was a pretty solid meal. I was sitting in the hallway outside the room in the hostel enjoying my beer when Kayleigh came back. We decided to take the party downstairs to the little hostel bar. We ended up sharing iPod earbuds and singing loudly and getting people checking in to stare at us big time. We also saw on CNN that a Walmart employee was trampled to death in New York, which registers much higher on the horror scale for me for some reason than the terror attacks in Mumbai.
My plans for Saturday were to see Mozart and Beethoven’s houses, enjoy a traditional café, and perhaps see a palace if time allowed.
We headed out to Mozart’s house. We weren’t sure about whether or not we should enter, but we figured it could be our only trip to Vienna so we might as well. The cost of admission covered the audioguide, which, as it turns out, was excessive. Mozart lived in an apartment on the first floor, but today the whole four-story building is a museum. I would have greatly preferred that the museum was smaller but had a more compact collection of artifacts and such. Maybe the audioguide would have fascinated me if I were Patrick ;)
From there we headed to Beethoven’s house. Maybe. From my guidebook I had written down three addresses for Beethoven and had looked all of them up on Google map. Two were far from the city center, so we went to the third address. Without the guidebook, I wasn’t able to check that there was actually some sort of attraction. You would think that there would be a plaque or something at the very least. Thus frustrated, Jax and I set out for MariaTheresien Platz, where we were supposed to meet Kayleigh and Emily at 1 p.m. For dinner, we found a nice little restaurant on a side street. I ordered wiener schnitzel, which as it turns out is just breaded pork. At least I can say that I’ve tried it.
Then we went to Christkindlmarkt, the biggest Christmas market in Vienna. Jax and I stopped in a café on the way back and had coffee and pastry, which was probably one of the highlights of the trip to Vienna.
The Vienna airport is weird. You check in, then are technically supposed to flash your boarding pass to get into an area full of shops and cafes, although the checker didn’t seem too concerned. Then you have to go through security right before accessing your gate or a few gates, which means that you can’t just get there well in advance of your flight and just chill, which is my airport habit.
Back in Madrid, I found out on Monday that my friend Allison has a rash that her doctor attributed to an allergic reaction to bedbug larvae. I have some very itchy bite-like things on my leg and a rash on my arms and a little on my neck. I am very concerned that it is from bedbugs but there is an excellent chance that it is psychosomatic. I don’t think there are actual physical bedbugs here with me in Madrid. If you get bitten you would know it. I have two types of intense itch relief lotions with me already (thanks, Mom), so hopefully those will do the trick.
Basically I am just kind of relieved to be back in Madrid for a while before home and the grand UK adventure with Patrick (don’t tell Mom about the possible bedbugs, she will cancel London!!!). I also need to start being a student again. Today I had a midterm in my Reunidas Spanish Painting in the Prado class. I didn’t study perhaps as much as I should have (I am no longer able to focus or study, it’s really bad). I also went to the library to get some books for my Hispano-American literature paper. I miss libraries, even gross university ones.
The dinner was pretty good, although there were no mashed potatoes so I was sad because that is the favorite part of when my mom cooks for Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve (P.S. I have a list of what I need to eat while I am home). We got to meet Edmundo’s 15-year-old host sister. After dinner, we went to a nearby site for some sangria. I got home at 2 a.m. My taxi for the airport for my trip to Vienna was coming at 4:30.
When my alarm went off in the morning, I thought I was dying. I hope my host family didn’t come in my room this weekend because everything was strewn all over the place, including an empty container of boxed wine.
I got to the airport and tried to sleep across some seats. Unsuccessful.
On the plane I was freezing cold, so I put my coat over me like a blanket. Then I spilled orange juice on myself in a way that at the time looked a lot like vomit. I had to stop in Munich, but by the time I got to Vienna I was in a pretty good mood. I found the bus I had to take to the city right away. It was too good to be true. Right before dropping us off at the Sudbahnhof, the bus passed the Belvedere, the first stop on my tour. I was pumped.
I rushed off the bus in the direction of the Belvedere only to realize that I had left my lovely and helpful guidebook and map on the bus. I tried not to be too sad as I made my way to the Belvedere. The Belvedere is a former palace turned museum that houses Gustav Klimt’s master work, The Kiss. I got scammed because the painting is in a special exhibition, so I had to pay for that too. I also had to pay to check my bag, twice, since the special exhibition is in a separate building. I decided to just grab something to eat in the museum café. I ordered a sandwich, but the waitress told me that would take too long and suggested that I order a pastry instead. I am not sure how that is possible, since the sandwich was just cold cuts, tomato, and cucumber. Instead I had a lovely pastry and a coffee with whipped cream, as is the Viennese way. I mean, I’m pretty sure I’m dying for having whole milk in my café con leche here in Madrid, let alone with whipped cream.
I asked how to walk from there to the Secession Building, since it had looked definitely walkable on my map, but the woman at the museum information desk told me to take the tram. I definitely rode without paying. I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for when I got off at Opera, so I asked one of the ridiculously costumed men trying to sell me a ticket to a tourist concert. He told me that it was really far away, which was a lie, or maybe an honest mistake. Losing my guidebook and map really took the wind out of my sails. I am a very independent traveler and like to walk and do things on my own terms. I ended up buying a map in a tourist shop. The other customers were from Madrid and speaking in Spanish. It was great. I really did like that in Austria people talked to me in German (as opposed to in Spain where I feel like people can immediately tell that I am not Spanish and often just use English), but unfortunately, especially with the loss of my guidebook, my German vocabulary covered “yes,” “no,” “do you speak English,” and “thank you.” Infinitely bigger than my Czech vocabulary though.
Map in hand, I made my way to the Secession Building, home of Klimt’s Beethoven Frieze. It was cool to see but I was kind of underwhelmed. If only Mr. Page had been there to make me more fully appreciate it.
I then wandered to the MuseumsQuartier, where I went to the Leopold Museum, which also has a substantial Klimt collection. I left there at about 5 and was supposed to meet Kayleigh at MariaTheresien Platz, across the street at 6 so I debated going to the modern art museum for a bit. Instead, I followed the flashing lights and bumping music to a little seasonal bar where they were serving all kinds of warm drinks. I thought they were overcharging me by two euros, but that was actually the mug deposit. It’s a pretty good system.
I then crossed over to MariaTheresien Platz. With even a cursory understanding of European history, you know that Maria Theresa populated basically all the royal houses of Europe. The plaza was full of booths selling crafts and the like as well as warm drinks and food. I got another gluhwein and settled in to wait for Kayleigh. Then another. It became 6 and still no sign of Kayleigh. I saw a group that looked like it could be from CIEE Prague. I approached them (probably would not have happened without the gluhwein…) and received an affirmative response. The professor was leading a night tour for an hour or so and decided not to wait for Kayleigh and her friends. I didn’t have a phone, so I opted to go with the group and hopefully meet up with Kayleigh later at the hostel.
The professor was charming and at the end bought us all a…gluhwein. I head out with the group in search of food. We tried to find somewhere with inexpensive wiener schnitzel unsuccessfully and just bought gelato. We took the Metro to another area but were still unable to find anywhere to eat. Some people in the group decided to see Quantum of Solace, but I decided to head to the hostel and try to find Kayleigh. Two girls decided to go with me to make sure I made it back ok, which was really nice but not necessary. I checked in and found Kayleigh’s stuff but not Kayleigh. I went to McDonalds and bought a hamburger for a euro and a beer from a street vendor for a euro. It was a pretty solid meal. I was sitting in the hallway outside the room in the hostel enjoying my beer when Kayleigh came back. We decided to take the party downstairs to the little hostel bar. We ended up sharing iPod earbuds and singing loudly and getting people checking in to stare at us big time. We also saw on CNN that a Walmart employee was trampled to death in New York, which registers much higher on the horror scale for me for some reason than the terror attacks in Mumbai.
My plans for Saturday were to see Mozart and Beethoven’s houses, enjoy a traditional café, and perhaps see a palace if time allowed.
We headed out to Mozart’s house. We weren’t sure about whether or not we should enter, but we figured it could be our only trip to Vienna so we might as well. The cost of admission covered the audioguide, which, as it turns out, was excessive. Mozart lived in an apartment on the first floor, but today the whole four-story building is a museum. I would have greatly preferred that the museum was smaller but had a more compact collection of artifacts and such. Maybe the audioguide would have fascinated me if I were Patrick ;)
From there we headed to Beethoven’s house. Maybe. From my guidebook I had written down three addresses for Beethoven and had looked all of them up on Google map. Two were far from the city center, so we went to the third address. Without the guidebook, I wasn’t able to check that there was actually some sort of attraction. You would think that there would be a plaque or something at the very least. Thus frustrated, Jax and I set out for MariaTheresien Platz, where we were supposed to meet Kayleigh and Emily at 1 p.m. For dinner, we found a nice little restaurant on a side street. I ordered wiener schnitzel, which as it turns out is just breaded pork. At least I can say that I’ve tried it.
Then we went to Christkindlmarkt, the biggest Christmas market in Vienna. Jax and I stopped in a café on the way back and had coffee and pastry, which was probably one of the highlights of the trip to Vienna.
The Vienna airport is weird. You check in, then are technically supposed to flash your boarding pass to get into an area full of shops and cafes, although the checker didn’t seem too concerned. Then you have to go through security right before accessing your gate or a few gates, which means that you can’t just get there well in advance of your flight and just chill, which is my airport habit.
Back in Madrid, I found out on Monday that my friend Allison has a rash that her doctor attributed to an allergic reaction to bedbug larvae. I have some very itchy bite-like things on my leg and a rash on my arms and a little on my neck. I am very concerned that it is from bedbugs but there is an excellent chance that it is psychosomatic. I don’t think there are actual physical bedbugs here with me in Madrid. If you get bitten you would know it. I have two types of intense itch relief lotions with me already (thanks, Mom), so hopefully those will do the trick.
Basically I am just kind of relieved to be back in Madrid for a while before home and the grand UK adventure with Patrick (don’t tell Mom about the possible bedbugs, she will cancel London!!!). I also need to start being a student again. Today I had a midterm in my Reunidas Spanish Painting in the Prado class. I didn’t study perhaps as much as I should have (I am no longer able to focus or study, it’s really bad). I also went to the library to get some books for my Hispano-American literature paper. I miss libraries, even gross university ones.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
It seemed like a nice hostel at the time!
For today, let's skip over Thanksgiving, Vienna, and the fact that I have an exam tomorrow but have completely lost all relevant study skills.
I might have bedbug bites.
Yesterday Allison, who I went to Lisbon with, told me that she went to the doctor to have a rash checked out and they told her it was from bedbugs.
Instantly, my arms started feeling itchy. I told myself that it was simply me being typical Colleen, psychosomatic. If I hadn't showed symptoms yet, I couldn't possibly be affected.
Wikipedia told me that symptoms from bedbugs show up within nine days. Day nine is tomorrow.
Then today I woke up with little red bites on my leg.
Mine isn't as extensive as Allison's, but I'm not sure what to do. I mean, could I have honestly worried so much about bedbugs that I made a strip of bites pop up on my leg overnight??
I don't know what to do. Bedbugs are treatable, but in typical Colleen fashion I just want to ignore the problem and hope that it goes away.
Today is Carlos's seventh birthday, so probably not the most opportune day to tell my host mom that I have potentially brought bedbugs into the house and that she should consider fumigation. But at the same time I don't want to wait too long...
I might have bedbug bites.
Yesterday Allison, who I went to Lisbon with, told me that she went to the doctor to have a rash checked out and they told her it was from bedbugs.
Instantly, my arms started feeling itchy. I told myself that it was simply me being typical Colleen, psychosomatic. If I hadn't showed symptoms yet, I couldn't possibly be affected.
Wikipedia told me that symptoms from bedbugs show up within nine days. Day nine is tomorrow.
Then today I woke up with little red bites on my leg.
Mine isn't as extensive as Allison's, but I'm not sure what to do. I mean, could I have honestly worried so much about bedbugs that I made a strip of bites pop up on my leg overnight??
I don't know what to do. Bedbugs are treatable, but in typical Colleen fashion I just want to ignore the problem and hope that it goes away.
Today is Carlos's seventh birthday, so probably not the most opportune day to tell my host mom that I have potentially brought bedbugs into the house and that she should consider fumigation. But at the same time I don't want to wait too long...
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Portugal was pretty amazing...
I went to Lisbon (Lisboa) for the weekend with Allison and had an amazing time.
We flew from Madrid on easyJet Thursday afternoon, which was a fine experience, my first with the many European budget airlines. We didn't check any luggage, which I've heard can be somewhat risky. The flight between Madrid and Lisbon was ridiculously short, about an hour.
We took the bus to our hostel. Public transportation is expensive in Lisbon! It cost 1.40 euros for the bus. Maybe we've gotten spoiled in Madrid, where the most expensive ticket is 1 euro and I get a monthly pass for 28 euros. We missed our stop because it took us too long to retrieve our bags and fight our way through the crowds. Luckily, Lisbon is pretty tiny. Armed only with the 2005 edition of Lonely Planet Portugal, which I snagged from the Georgetown office, we were at Lisboa Central Hostel in no time.
The hostel was really nice. We got our own room with two twin beds, which was even nicer, since we didn't have to worry about stashing stuff in lockers or anything. We went around the neighborhood and had rice pudding and vinho tinto. We found a nice, reasonably priced restaurant called Brus"k"etta. We each had our own decent sized pizza and shared an entire bottle of vinho tinto and mineral water for only 22 euros or something. We had a really cute Brazilian waiter and talked to him in a mixture of English, Portuguese, and Spanish.
I went to Portugal with only the vague perception that Portuguese and Spanish were pretty similar. Reading the two languages, they are almost the same. Trying to understand spoken Portuguese is quite another matter. I'm trying to decide whether or not to take Portuguese next year at Georgetown. The upside is that it should be relatively easy and I would get an "intensive" level at a regular pace, but the downside is that Portuguese isn't that useful. My main alternative is probably to take two semesters of intensive French.
After dinner we made our way to Bairro Alto, which is supposed to be the main nightlife district of Lisbon. We didn't see any bars that particularly struck our fancy but found a store that sold surprisingly drinkable bottles of vinho tinto for 3 euros and sat on a bench outside of a bar and enjoyed it. The bouncer kept looking at us but never said anything. While we were sitting there we were offered hashish. That hasn't even happened to me in Madrid yet! Then we headed back to the hostel to get a relatively early start the next day.
For me, that start came earlier than it needed to. Portugal is an hour behind Spain. I knew this and changed my watch, but I didn't change the time on my phone so I set my alarm for an hour earlier than I meant to. This gave me time to enjoy a leisurely breakfast. I wish I knew the name of the hostel owner who was really nice and made us pancakes. There was a group of four German girls studying in Andalucia with their (male) Spanish roommate. They asked me if I was German. It's nice not to have people immediately think I am American! I'm jealous of their setup, since they are all living together and have the built-in group of people to travel with.
We took the Metro to Baixa, one of the older districts of Lisbon. We easily could have walked it. The Metro reminded me of the one in Prague because they are of similar size and had similar sounds. One weird thing is that in Lisbon different companies run the Metro system and the bus/tram system. From the Metro, we tried to make our way to Castelo Sao Jorge, which was tricky because that part of town, Alfama, really doesn't have straight streets. We thought we were at the castle because we saw a bunch of buses but as it turns out it was just a random church. We asked some women for directions and were surprisingly very able to understand them as they told us that the longer route was more pretty. There was a lookout point from where we saw the river. That is the one thing Madrid doesn't have. Chicago has that little thing I like to call Lake Michigan and DC has the Potomac.
Finally we made it to the Castelo. There was a student discount. I didn't have my university carnet on me and tried to present my carnet joven, but the cashier said that wouldn't work. I ended up presenting my in case of emergency card that said "university" on it and showing that I am indeed who it says I am with my carnet joven. The funny thing is that my university carnet is not official at all, essentially just a hand-written index card (which is why it wasn't in my wallet...it doesn't fit) stamped with my photo on it. The Castelo was an old Muslim fortress high on a hill and afforded incredible views of the city and the river. Lisbon has a very "San Francisco of Europe" feel because it has a bridge that looks like the Golden Gate Bridge and there are also trams. The weather was also amazing, in the 60s and 70s and sunny. The woman who owns the hostel was complaining about how much she hates the weather in November and December. She should never move.
From there we made our way to the Praca (except with one of those funny c's that is pronounced kind of like a z) du Comercio, the main plaza of Lisbon. It was actually surprisingly not that cute. We ate lunch at a cute cafe nearby then picked up a tram to Belem, which means Bethlehem in Portuguese.
We were following the same itinerary suggested by Lonely Planet and probably every other guidebook because we kept running into people we had seen elsewhere on the trip. In Belem, we saw the Monasterio dos Jeronimos, which was impressive and where Vasco da Gama is buried. We opted not to pay to see the cloisters, which ultimately may have been a mistake. We walked out to the Torre de Belem...only to find that it was closed because the workers were on strike. So Europe. We just hung out on a bench for a while because it was pretty legit hot out. As we walked back into the center of Belem, I, in typical Colleen fashion, walked too close to a telephone pole and a hook slit my jacket sleeve open. The hook actually did a lot of damage, but at least I didn't get hurt. I was sad though because that is the jacket that I wear everywhere when it is warm. I think I will be wannabe Eurotrash and buy a patch of the Spanish flag or something and sew it over the rip.
The only thing after the wasted walk and the destroyed jacket that restored my adoration of Belem was pasteis de Belem (pashteesh) which are these delicious little custard tarts served warm which cinnamon and sugar and were the pick-me-up I needed. We went back to the hostel for a nap. The woman who owns the hostel wanted to make soup but didn't want to wake Allison up because our room was right next to the kitchen. She was very sad when we left for dinner without sampling her soup.
We ended up going back to Brus"K"etta again. It was tasty, affordable, and of course there was the cute waiter, so we figured why not. He didn´t really talk to us as much on Friday, but at the end he asked us if we wanted to go dancing (pantomiming was involved). He gave us a card with the name of a bar, his name, and his phone number. His name is Emerson....which I think is pretty hilarious. Anyway we called him on Allison´s phone (hers works internationally but mine doesn´t, what gives) and the hostel phone (also again on Saturday night!) and he didn´t answer so we never saw Emerson again. Probably the love of my life right there. I guess we were never meant to be.
Saturday Allison found us this amazing tour that went in a van to various sites around Lisbon (part of which were in the infamous Lonely Planet itinerary). Tour groups, like common areas at hostels, are a great way to meet people, especially characters. Our group consisted of: our Portuguese guide Luis (Looeeeesh) who spoke pretty good English but heavily abuses the word "already," as in "we are already in Queluz, etc."; two elderly German gentlemen; a middle-aged Australian named Andrew who showed up for the tour wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops; and a Serbian couple: the guy had a strange ear deformity that I couldn´t help staring at and kept making weird jokes about peasants and hashish and the girl told us that her name was "Dragon."
Our first stop outside of Lisbon was Queluz, where we stopped to look at a palace. The stop took longer than it should have and probably was skippable based on the next site.
Our next stop was Sintra. The gem of Sintra is the Palacio Nacional de Pena, which is a gorgeous pastel summer palace situated atop a wooded hill with views of the Atlantic ocean. Basically it is a Disney dream castle in real life. We wandered around through the gardens (the Germans had to take the trolley up to the top of the hill) which look like wild forests but are actually carefully planned Romantic gardens intended to mimic nature. There is a terrace that goes all the way around the palace from which you can see everything. The interior of the palace was alright, and the guards were extremely stern. I know pretty much nothing about Portuguese history, but apparently the palace was inhabited until 1910 when the monarchy was overthrown.
Once our group re-collected itself, we had "free time" for lunch in Sintra. Allison and I looked for a place with Andrew and decided on a place with a fixed menu. At one point Allison said, "gracias" to the waiter by accident. He snapped and said "Gracias is Spanish!!!!!!! Obrigada is Portuguese." It seemed a little strange that he got so angry since he is working in a very touristy town. Luis later explained that while he would never get angry, because of historical antagonisms the Portuguese resent being lumped with the Spanish, so it would have been better to say thank you in any language other than Spanish. Andrew ordered sardines. I´ve never had sardines and frankly have no desire to. It took him something like 45 minutes to get the small quantity of meat extricated from the bones. He commented when we were rushing to get to the van that he didn´t know where the time went...it went to trying to eat his lunch. I´m kind of bummed we didn´t have more time in Sintra because it seemed like a very cute town with a lot of shops and such.
From Sintra we set out for Cabo da Roca, which is the westernmost point of continental Europe. It was very windy but very beautiful. There is one place in Ireland that is one degree further to the west, but who's counting?
Next we went to the beach which was pretty ridiculous because it was too cold. I thought Andrew would be all over the beach but he actually stayed in the van. He even put on his spare t-shirt.
Our last stop was Cascais, a posh little beach town. Once back in Lisbon we had Indian food for dinner. It was delish. In Madrid, there are always vendors, often Africans, trying to sell you junk such as jewelry, illicit DVDs, carved figurines, or glowsticks, and they will often approach you while you are sitting outside. What was weird is that for the longest time there was a vendor in the restaurant, and the employees didn't seem too fazed about it. He left us alone after Allison shook her head when he asked whether we spoke Portuguese, French, and English. But he was crouching next to another group for like 20 minutes. I think they ended up buying a tiger or something to try to get him to leave.
Back in the hostel, we re-connected with Robash, who we had met Thursday and thought was just your average gay Indian Canadian. As it turns out, he is not ordinary. At all.
Palacio de Pena in Sintra:
Praca da Comercio:
At Castelo Sao Jorge:
I miss water:
We flew from Madrid on easyJet Thursday afternoon, which was a fine experience, my first with the many European budget airlines. We didn't check any luggage, which I've heard can be somewhat risky. The flight between Madrid and Lisbon was ridiculously short, about an hour.
We took the bus to our hostel. Public transportation is expensive in Lisbon! It cost 1.40 euros for the bus. Maybe we've gotten spoiled in Madrid, where the most expensive ticket is 1 euro and I get a monthly pass for 28 euros. We missed our stop because it took us too long to retrieve our bags and fight our way through the crowds. Luckily, Lisbon is pretty tiny. Armed only with the 2005 edition of Lonely Planet Portugal, which I snagged from the Georgetown office, we were at Lisboa Central Hostel in no time.
The hostel was really nice. We got our own room with two twin beds, which was even nicer, since we didn't have to worry about stashing stuff in lockers or anything. We went around the neighborhood and had rice pudding and vinho tinto. We found a nice, reasonably priced restaurant called Brus"k"etta. We each had our own decent sized pizza and shared an entire bottle of vinho tinto and mineral water for only 22 euros or something. We had a really cute Brazilian waiter and talked to him in a mixture of English, Portuguese, and Spanish.
I went to Portugal with only the vague perception that Portuguese and Spanish were pretty similar. Reading the two languages, they are almost the same. Trying to understand spoken Portuguese is quite another matter. I'm trying to decide whether or not to take Portuguese next year at Georgetown. The upside is that it should be relatively easy and I would get an "intensive" level at a regular pace, but the downside is that Portuguese isn't that useful. My main alternative is probably to take two semesters of intensive French.
After dinner we made our way to Bairro Alto, which is supposed to be the main nightlife district of Lisbon. We didn't see any bars that particularly struck our fancy but found a store that sold surprisingly drinkable bottles of vinho tinto for 3 euros and sat on a bench outside of a bar and enjoyed it. The bouncer kept looking at us but never said anything. While we were sitting there we were offered hashish. That hasn't even happened to me in Madrid yet! Then we headed back to the hostel to get a relatively early start the next day.
For me, that start came earlier than it needed to. Portugal is an hour behind Spain. I knew this and changed my watch, but I didn't change the time on my phone so I set my alarm for an hour earlier than I meant to. This gave me time to enjoy a leisurely breakfast. I wish I knew the name of the hostel owner who was really nice and made us pancakes. There was a group of four German girls studying in Andalucia with their (male) Spanish roommate. They asked me if I was German. It's nice not to have people immediately think I am American! I'm jealous of their setup, since they are all living together and have the built-in group of people to travel with.
We took the Metro to Baixa, one of the older districts of Lisbon. We easily could have walked it. The Metro reminded me of the one in Prague because they are of similar size and had similar sounds. One weird thing is that in Lisbon different companies run the Metro system and the bus/tram system. From the Metro, we tried to make our way to Castelo Sao Jorge, which was tricky because that part of town, Alfama, really doesn't have straight streets. We thought we were at the castle because we saw a bunch of buses but as it turns out it was just a random church. We asked some women for directions and were surprisingly very able to understand them as they told us that the longer route was more pretty. There was a lookout point from where we saw the river. That is the one thing Madrid doesn't have. Chicago has that little thing I like to call Lake Michigan and DC has the Potomac.
Finally we made it to the Castelo. There was a student discount. I didn't have my university carnet on me and tried to present my carnet joven, but the cashier said that wouldn't work. I ended up presenting my in case of emergency card that said "university" on it and showing that I am indeed who it says I am with my carnet joven. The funny thing is that my university carnet is not official at all, essentially just a hand-written index card (which is why it wasn't in my wallet...it doesn't fit) stamped with my photo on it. The Castelo was an old Muslim fortress high on a hill and afforded incredible views of the city and the river. Lisbon has a very "San Francisco of Europe" feel because it has a bridge that looks like the Golden Gate Bridge and there are also trams. The weather was also amazing, in the 60s and 70s and sunny. The woman who owns the hostel was complaining about how much she hates the weather in November and December. She should never move.
From there we made our way to the Praca (except with one of those funny c's that is pronounced kind of like a z) du Comercio, the main plaza of Lisbon. It was actually surprisingly not that cute. We ate lunch at a cute cafe nearby then picked up a tram to Belem, which means Bethlehem in Portuguese.
We were following the same itinerary suggested by Lonely Planet and probably every other guidebook because we kept running into people we had seen elsewhere on the trip. In Belem, we saw the Monasterio dos Jeronimos, which was impressive and where Vasco da Gama is buried. We opted not to pay to see the cloisters, which ultimately may have been a mistake. We walked out to the Torre de Belem...only to find that it was closed because the workers were on strike. So Europe. We just hung out on a bench for a while because it was pretty legit hot out. As we walked back into the center of Belem, I, in typical Colleen fashion, walked too close to a telephone pole and a hook slit my jacket sleeve open. The hook actually did a lot of damage, but at least I didn't get hurt. I was sad though because that is the jacket that I wear everywhere when it is warm. I think I will be wannabe Eurotrash and buy a patch of the Spanish flag or something and sew it over the rip.
The only thing after the wasted walk and the destroyed jacket that restored my adoration of Belem was pasteis de Belem (pashteesh) which are these delicious little custard tarts served warm which cinnamon and sugar and were the pick-me-up I needed. We went back to the hostel for a nap. The woman who owns the hostel wanted to make soup but didn't want to wake Allison up because our room was right next to the kitchen. She was very sad when we left for dinner without sampling her soup.
We ended up going back to Brus"K"etta again. It was tasty, affordable, and of course there was the cute waiter, so we figured why not. He didn´t really talk to us as much on Friday, but at the end he asked us if we wanted to go dancing (pantomiming was involved). He gave us a card with the name of a bar, his name, and his phone number. His name is Emerson....which I think is pretty hilarious. Anyway we called him on Allison´s phone (hers works internationally but mine doesn´t, what gives) and the hostel phone (also again on Saturday night!) and he didn´t answer so we never saw Emerson again. Probably the love of my life right there. I guess we were never meant to be.
Saturday Allison found us this amazing tour that went in a van to various sites around Lisbon (part of which were in the infamous Lonely Planet itinerary). Tour groups, like common areas at hostels, are a great way to meet people, especially characters. Our group consisted of: our Portuguese guide Luis (Looeeeesh) who spoke pretty good English but heavily abuses the word "already," as in "we are already in Queluz, etc."; two elderly German gentlemen; a middle-aged Australian named Andrew who showed up for the tour wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops; and a Serbian couple: the guy had a strange ear deformity that I couldn´t help staring at and kept making weird jokes about peasants and hashish and the girl told us that her name was "Dragon."
Our first stop outside of Lisbon was Queluz, where we stopped to look at a palace. The stop took longer than it should have and probably was skippable based on the next site.
Our next stop was Sintra. The gem of Sintra is the Palacio Nacional de Pena, which is a gorgeous pastel summer palace situated atop a wooded hill with views of the Atlantic ocean. Basically it is a Disney dream castle in real life. We wandered around through the gardens (the Germans had to take the trolley up to the top of the hill) which look like wild forests but are actually carefully planned Romantic gardens intended to mimic nature. There is a terrace that goes all the way around the palace from which you can see everything. The interior of the palace was alright, and the guards were extremely stern. I know pretty much nothing about Portuguese history, but apparently the palace was inhabited until 1910 when the monarchy was overthrown.
Once our group re-collected itself, we had "free time" for lunch in Sintra. Allison and I looked for a place with Andrew and decided on a place with a fixed menu. At one point Allison said, "gracias" to the waiter by accident. He snapped and said "Gracias is Spanish!!!!!!! Obrigada is Portuguese." It seemed a little strange that he got so angry since he is working in a very touristy town. Luis later explained that while he would never get angry, because of historical antagonisms the Portuguese resent being lumped with the Spanish, so it would have been better to say thank you in any language other than Spanish. Andrew ordered sardines. I´ve never had sardines and frankly have no desire to. It took him something like 45 minutes to get the small quantity of meat extricated from the bones. He commented when we were rushing to get to the van that he didn´t know where the time went...it went to trying to eat his lunch. I´m kind of bummed we didn´t have more time in Sintra because it seemed like a very cute town with a lot of shops and such.
From Sintra we set out for Cabo da Roca, which is the westernmost point of continental Europe. It was very windy but very beautiful. There is one place in Ireland that is one degree further to the west, but who's counting?
Next we went to the beach which was pretty ridiculous because it was too cold. I thought Andrew would be all over the beach but he actually stayed in the van. He even put on his spare t-shirt.
Our last stop was Cascais, a posh little beach town. Once back in Lisbon we had Indian food for dinner. It was delish. In Madrid, there are always vendors, often Africans, trying to sell you junk such as jewelry, illicit DVDs, carved figurines, or glowsticks, and they will often approach you while you are sitting outside. What was weird is that for the longest time there was a vendor in the restaurant, and the employees didn't seem too fazed about it. He left us alone after Allison shook her head when he asked whether we spoke Portuguese, French, and English. But he was crouching next to another group for like 20 minutes. I think they ended up buying a tiger or something to try to get him to leave.
Back in the hostel, we re-connected with Robash, who we had met Thursday and thought was just your average gay Indian Canadian. As it turns out, he is not ordinary. At all.
Sunday we took the bus to the airport and almost missed our stop again except that a Portuguese guy shouted "aeroport!!!" at us and got the driver to stop which was good.
Back in Madrid, it seems just about my entire host family is ill. I am a bit congested myself but am hoping beyond hope that I can stay relatively healthy until after next Wednesday, when I have a midterm for my art history class.
I'm getting pretty fed up with the Spanish educational system to be perfectly honest. I'm the kind of person who doesn't skip class...the only one I've missed so far was the Prado tutorial because I had to go to the airport to get to Prague. My professors do not have such a good track record. One of my professors misses every Tuesday. Which was fine until my 8 p.m. professor stopped coming...or at least even relatively within the realm of being on time. Today we gave him half an hour and as we were walking out the door he was coming in from the parking lot. And then he tried to keep us after 9:30 but someone actually knocked on the door and told us we had to get out of the building.
Also, someone changed the Somosaguas bus stops without informing/asking me, which is kind of not ok.
Thursday is Thanksgiving and will be my first away from my family. Early early early on Friday I leave for Vienna. I'm in town for exactly 48 hours, which is definitely not enough time to see everything there!!!!
For some reason the pictures on Blogger load backwards...
Cabo da Roca:
Palacio de Pena in Sintra:
Praca da Comercio:
At Castelo Sao Jorge:
I miss water:
Sunday, November 16, 2008
I need a vacation...from my vacation
Sevilla was cool, I'm a sucker for arabesque architecture so I spent less than 36 hours in the city and walked away with more than 300 pictures. I still need to go through those. This weekend I went to Prague to visit Kayleigh and since it's fresher in my mind I'll skip to that trip.
I got from Madrid to Prague on Wednesday without anyone checking my passport. Not when I checked in in Madrid, not when I went through security, not when I boarded my first flight to Frankfurt, not when I boarded my second flight from Frankfurt to Prague, and not when I left the airport in Prague. At least I didn't have any liquids or gels in large packages! Now we're all safe. It's nice that you don't have to take off your shoes in European airport security checks. In the Frankfurt airport I made a beeline for the bathroom but was still kind of in the flight zone. As I walked in I noticed a smell. As I was in the stall I heard a male voice. As I washed my hands I noticed an older middle-aged lady standing there completely naked from the waist down. I'd rather have diarrhea in my pants than stand in the middle of an airport bathroom with no underwear on. Or just stand in the stall while your husband does whatever to the clothing! Welcome to Germany.
Kayleigh met me at the airport and somehow we found each other. I got some Czech money in the airport. She suggested taking out a 1000 czk, and a 1000 czk bill pops out of the machine. Hard not to think of it as play money when it comes in ridiculous denominations. I think it's about 20 czk/ $1 USD, and for once I was finally in a place where the U.S. dollar has more buying power. The Euro gets depressing. We ventured to her dorm by public transportation. Their system for tickets on public transportation is the worst I've ever heard of. People without a monthly pass are supposed to buy a ticket then validate it on the bus, train, or tram. However, there is no accountability except when plainclothes people do ticket checks and levy fines. That never happened while I was riding public transportation.
Kayleigh's dorm setup was pretty sweet. She shares a room with one other girl and it is about the size of our VCE and Darnall rooms put together, complete with their own bathroom. But the system seems a little weird because it's all American students and the staff don't really speak English, and the students have to stop at the desk every time they come in and out to drop off/pick up their room key. It was tricky trying to have Kayleigh explain my presence to the staffers, who were different each evening and each had different policies. I slept on a pull-out chair.
Thursday was...my only traditional Czech meal, I guess. I had potato pancakes and some kind of chicken with fruit dumplings for dessert. It was pretty good.
Thursday afternoon we walked around a bit in St. Wenceslas Square and Old Town and met up with Kayleigh's friend and fellow Montanan who was hosting a visitor from Barcelona. He kept saying "gracias" to everyone. The only Czech I picked up was (SP?????) "y qui" which means thank you. All Czech words sound the same to me. When the trams would announce the stops, I could not differentiate between them at all.
It was cold[er] in Prague! But I discovered mulled wine, hot wine with spices sold by street vendors. I felt so European. I love Madrid, but it doesn't have the same "cute" factor as Prague.
We went around to several bars, enjoying Czech beer. I made the unfortunate mistake of telling the owner of an Irish pub that I used to Irish stepdance and was obliged to stumblingly perform to Turkey in the Straw. Then we realized it was 1 a.m. or something and we had failed to eat dinner. We went to KFC. It was my first KFC meal in a long time...but not my last...
Friday we slept in deliciously late and had Chinese food for lunch. It was bland so I added soy sauce (I never do this because I hate saltiness) and ended up adding too much. Then we went to Prague Castle, where we looked at St. Vitus's Cathedral. We went up the tower of the Astronomical Clock. We crossed the Charles Bridge and headed into the Jewish Quarter, but it was pretty much too late to see much.
Friday night we went to the opera. We were running late and wanted to grab something before the performance, so we had KFC. We saw Aida, a tragic tale of star-crossed lovers. It was my first opera. I enjoyed it.
Saturday was our museum day. We went to the National Museum, where we saw an exhibit on the founding of the Czech Republic that rather inexplicably stopped around 1938 with signed original copies of the Munich Agreement. Nothing happened after that, right? We also went to the Mucha Museum, a museum devoted to a prominent Czech artist of the Art Nouveau movement. The video tried to claim that he was more influential than any of the other artists of the movement, including Toulouse-Latrec...but in that case I think Mr. Page would have told us about him. I liked his work, but it was a bit of a strange setup since his most iconic works were posters. (This museum had a much better gift shop than the Prado. I'm actually kind of disappointed in the Prado gift shop). We had a delicious Italian meal that evening.
We had thought about going out for absinthe that evening, which Kayleigh seems to have enjoyed, but she wasn't feeling that well and I was honestly too scared to do it by myself, so we just stayed in. Probably for the best since I got up at 5:30 this morning to go to the airport! I'm dead tired right now, hence the cliché title. I am proud to report that my passport was examined on this leg of my journey. I spent all of my remaining czk but 3 (it's nice that vending machines there take all coins), including a "Capri-Sonne" for 15 czk. I think I've always had romantic ideas about entering and exiting a plane on the tarmac but this trip has cured me. It's annoying having to pile on and off the bus. You're also much more at the mercy of the speed of your fellow passengers. I grab my packpack and all but run. My flight from Prague to Munich was my first ever on a propeller plane. I love European airlines because even on a 45 minute flight they feed you and offer you whatever you want to drink. In the U.S., you're lucky the soft drinks are still free. Can't remember the last time I got a bag of pretzels or peanuts. The Munich airport was pretty pijo, filled with designer shops and cute-looking restaurants. But I was glad to get back to Madrid.
I got from Madrid to Prague on Wednesday without anyone checking my passport. Not when I checked in in Madrid, not when I went through security, not when I boarded my first flight to Frankfurt, not when I boarded my second flight from Frankfurt to Prague, and not when I left the airport in Prague. At least I didn't have any liquids or gels in large packages! Now we're all safe. It's nice that you don't have to take off your shoes in European airport security checks. In the Frankfurt airport I made a beeline for the bathroom but was still kind of in the flight zone. As I walked in I noticed a smell. As I was in the stall I heard a male voice. As I washed my hands I noticed an older middle-aged lady standing there completely naked from the waist down. I'd rather have diarrhea in my pants than stand in the middle of an airport bathroom with no underwear on. Or just stand in the stall while your husband does whatever to the clothing! Welcome to Germany.
Kayleigh met me at the airport and somehow we found each other. I got some Czech money in the airport. She suggested taking out a 1000 czk, and a 1000 czk bill pops out of the machine. Hard not to think of it as play money when it comes in ridiculous denominations. I think it's about 20 czk/ $1 USD, and for once I was finally in a place where the U.S. dollar has more buying power. The Euro gets depressing. We ventured to her dorm by public transportation. Their system for tickets on public transportation is the worst I've ever heard of. People without a monthly pass are supposed to buy a ticket then validate it on the bus, train, or tram. However, there is no accountability except when plainclothes people do ticket checks and levy fines. That never happened while I was riding public transportation.
Kayleigh's dorm setup was pretty sweet. She shares a room with one other girl and it is about the size of our VCE and Darnall rooms put together, complete with their own bathroom. But the system seems a little weird because it's all American students and the staff don't really speak English, and the students have to stop at the desk every time they come in and out to drop off/pick up their room key. It was tricky trying to have Kayleigh explain my presence to the staffers, who were different each evening and each had different policies. I slept on a pull-out chair.
Thursday was...my only traditional Czech meal, I guess. I had potato pancakes and some kind of chicken with fruit dumplings for dessert. It was pretty good.
Thursday afternoon we walked around a bit in St. Wenceslas Square and Old Town and met up with Kayleigh's friend and fellow Montanan who was hosting a visitor from Barcelona. He kept saying "gracias" to everyone. The only Czech I picked up was (SP?????) "y qui" which means thank you. All Czech words sound the same to me. When the trams would announce the stops, I could not differentiate between them at all.
It was cold[er] in Prague! But I discovered mulled wine, hot wine with spices sold by street vendors. I felt so European. I love Madrid, but it doesn't have the same "cute" factor as Prague.
We went around to several bars, enjoying Czech beer. I made the unfortunate mistake of telling the owner of an Irish pub that I used to Irish stepdance and was obliged to stumblingly perform to Turkey in the Straw. Then we realized it was 1 a.m. or something and we had failed to eat dinner. We went to KFC. It was my first KFC meal in a long time...but not my last...
Friday we slept in deliciously late and had Chinese food for lunch. It was bland so I added soy sauce (I never do this because I hate saltiness) and ended up adding too much. Then we went to Prague Castle, where we looked at St. Vitus's Cathedral. We went up the tower of the Astronomical Clock. We crossed the Charles Bridge and headed into the Jewish Quarter, but it was pretty much too late to see much.
Friday night we went to the opera. We were running late and wanted to grab something before the performance, so we had KFC. We saw Aida, a tragic tale of star-crossed lovers. It was my first opera. I enjoyed it.
Saturday was our museum day. We went to the National Museum, where we saw an exhibit on the founding of the Czech Republic that rather inexplicably stopped around 1938 with signed original copies of the Munich Agreement. Nothing happened after that, right? We also went to the Mucha Museum, a museum devoted to a prominent Czech artist of the Art Nouveau movement. The video tried to claim that he was more influential than any of the other artists of the movement, including Toulouse-Latrec...but in that case I think Mr. Page would have told us about him. I liked his work, but it was a bit of a strange setup since his most iconic works were posters. (This museum had a much better gift shop than the Prado. I'm actually kind of disappointed in the Prado gift shop). We had a delicious Italian meal that evening.
We had thought about going out for absinthe that evening, which Kayleigh seems to have enjoyed, but she wasn't feeling that well and I was honestly too scared to do it by myself, so we just stayed in. Probably for the best since I got up at 5:30 this morning to go to the airport! I'm dead tired right now, hence the cliché title. I am proud to report that my passport was examined on this leg of my journey. I spent all of my remaining czk but 3 (it's nice that vending machines there take all coins), including a "Capri-Sonne" for 15 czk. I think I've always had romantic ideas about entering and exiting a plane on the tarmac but this trip has cured me. It's annoying having to pile on and off the bus. You're also much more at the mercy of the speed of your fellow passengers. I grab my packpack and all but run. My flight from Prague to Munich was my first ever on a propeller plane. I love European airlines because even on a 45 minute flight they feed you and offer you whatever you want to drink. In the U.S., you're lucky the soft drinks are still free. Can't remember the last time I got a bag of pretzels or peanuts. The Munich airport was pretty pijo, filled with designer shops and cute-looking restaurants. But I was glad to get back to Madrid.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Election Analysis
Celebrating with Democrats Abroad:
Like Ryan said, this election is like a graduation: I've been working towards it/ anticipating it for so long that now that it's come and gone, my brain is having trouble processing that it is over. I have so many random thoughts that I will just make a list. God help you if you actually read all of them...
1) America has spoken. Senator Barack Obama is now President-elect Obama because he overwhelmingly won the popular vote and the Electoral College tally. Right now it's 349-162, and Obama will probably pick up North Carolina while McCain will probably take Missouri, making the number 364-173. There is also one electoral vote still to be decided in Nebraska...and apparently Obama might win it.
2) I was wrong on the Indiana/Missouri vote. I expected Indiana to swing for McCain and Missouri to swing for Obama, but the opposite happened. I guess I need to get to know my neighbors better.
3) North Carolina is my new favorite state. They voted for Obama and elected a Democratic senator and governor.
4) Although I am excited for Obama to have been elected since I think he's great, I think one of the most exciting things about this election for me is that the traditional red state/blue state dichotomy has been broken. Virginia and North Carolina in the South, Florida (it's own country...), Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Michigan in the Rust Belt, Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado in the Southwest........
5) The people of Alaska have most likely re-elected Ted Stevens. They must be pretty easy to please, which must be why Sarah Palin had the highest gubernatorial ratings in the country.
6) Although I thoroughly enjoyed Tina Fey as Sarah Palin, I will not be sad to see Sarah Palin disappear for a while. She served her purpose in this election (scaring Hillary supporters such as my mother into voting for Obama, providing fodder for late night tv, etc.), but her time is up. I will be horrified if she runs for president.
7) I was so sad when Obama's grandmother passed just before the election. She would have been so proud.
8) I've been an Obama supporter for so long that I guess at times the historical nature of his candidacy is lost on me. But his election is a big moment for the United States. I am so proud of him, everyone who volunteered for his campaign, and really the entire country in general. Electing someone not only of color but who has cultural ties to Africa and Asia does amazing things for the standing of America in the world. There is this commercial on cuatro, a Spanish tv station (and race relations/perceptions are really weird in Spain...) saying, "un negro en la casa blanca, todo es posible" while the Star Spangled Banner plays in the background.
9) The second bottle of champagne was a bad idea. Even though there was a lot to celebrate.
10) The Democrats are not going to come up with 60 votes in the Senate. I guess it's actually still possible, but I think 57 will be more like it, with the Merkley likely winning in Oregon, while Stevens will likely take Alaska. Minnesota is headed for an automatic recount since Coleman has a razor-thin lead, and Georgia will have a run-off but Chambliss will probably easily win since the third party Libertarian candidate probably took Republican voters and the Democrat Martin won't have the advantage of high turnout associated with the excitement of Obama running.
11) I interned for the President.
12) Like I've said before, even though Obama is an inspirational leader and I have high hopes for his presidency, there is no way he can live up to the expectations that have been established for him.
13) Hmm I thought I'd have more to say. Maybe it still hasn't sunk in yet.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Counting the chickens before they hatch
http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/president/whos-ahead/key-states/map.html#/map=MMb_M
That link leads to my early predictions. This version is conservative. I gave McCain Florida, Indiana, and Missouri, which gives Obama the Electoral Vote lead 326-212. I think we could take Florida and Missouri (Indiana is a lost cause in my mind), but the main point is that unless there is something very unusual that happens between now and the opening and closing of the polls, Senator Obama will win.
I've heard estimates of about 52.5% for Obama in the popular vote. I think Obama will win the popular vote, but I wouldn't be surprised if his share were as low as 51%.
I'm so anxious for the election to be over already.
Also, my thoughts and prayers are with the family of Sen. Durbin, whose 40 year old daughter died.
That link leads to my early predictions. This version is conservative. I gave McCain Florida, Indiana, and Missouri, which gives Obama the Electoral Vote lead 326-212. I think we could take Florida and Missouri (Indiana is a lost cause in my mind), but the main point is that unless there is something very unusual that happens between now and the opening and closing of the polls, Senator Obama will win.
I've heard estimates of about 52.5% for Obama in the popular vote. I think Obama will win the popular vote, but I wouldn't be surprised if his share were as low as 51%.
I'm so anxious for the election to be over already.
Also, my thoughts and prayers are with the family of Sen. Durbin, whose 40 year old daughter died.
Two or three days, depending on how you count!
The Electoral College is a mess! I'm not sure if this image is too small to read, but I stole it from the Times. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/11/02/opinion/20081102_OPCHART.html
The numbers represent how many eligibile voters each Elector in the Electoral College represents. In a small blurb the authors published with the diagram, they discussed the strange way that the number of congressional delegates is based on the population, not the eligible electorate, so people who can't vote such as children, non-citizens, and people in prison count when they are allocating seats. But, really, any way you cut it, Wyoming is still going to be overrepresented (sorry, Charlotte) with the current system of a minimum of two senators and one representative.
As an Illinoisan, my vote counts for practically nothing, slightly more than the vote of Floridians, Pennsylvanians, Texans, North Carolinians, Virginians, Ohioans, Georgians, Michiganians (sp?) and, suprisingly, Hoosiers. That puts us tenth, which I find puzzling because I heard that Illinois was likely to lose a seat in the next redistricting. In any case, my vote counts for absolutely nothing this election cycle because Illinois is a sure thing for Senator Obama and Senator Durbin.
DC has three electoral votes but only one stinkin' non-votin' delegate to the House. Taxation without representation!
I think if I were going to write a thesis (which I'm not because I can't be in the honors program because I will be abroad in the spring. God forbid that a government major at an excellent school for political science with such a heavy international bent would want to study abroad for a whole year) for my government major I would do an investigation of the Electoral College and proportionality in the U.S. system. I'm really interested in those sorts of calculations, and it's hard trying to explain the Electoral College system to foreigners, so I would enjoy (yeah, I'm a nerd) reading literature on alternate solutions.
The Electoral College doesn't seem to make a lot of sense any more, but I would really need to read up because a pure popular vote wouldn't make that much sense either. As it is now, only the "swing states," and especially those with a nice prize of electoral votes, such as Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania get all of the attention from the candidates. It's nice that new states have been brought into this category this cycle such as Virginia, North Carolina, Colorado, Nevada, etc. But if you are a voter in California, Illinois, New York, or Texas, for example, where the vote is considered decided, good luck getting the time of day from a candidate unless it is at a fundraiser, even though your state accounts for a good chunk of the U.S. electorate.
The primary system is also stupid. I'm tired of Iowa and New Hampshire getting first in the nation status. I think for the primaries a rotating regional primary system would make sense, so each geographic area would get their day in the sun, and candidates wouldn't have to jet between long distances all the time. Or at least rotate the states that go first. Nevada and South Carolina kind of got that treatment this year in the Democratic primary, but they were still behing Iowa and New Hampshire, meaning that by that time half the candidates had already dropped out. And let's not even get into the Florida/Michigan debacle...but it seems now is all well. I was worried we would cede those to the Republicans, but McCain stupidly dropped his campaign in Michigan and I think the Democrats have a very fighting chance in Florida. Thank God Hillary Clinton is such a gracious Senator. She could not have been classier in Denver. And, for the record, I think she has a better, more defined sense of style than Sarah Palin. It is her own.
My dream job is basically to become a political pundit, but I am not sure how one reaches this "office" without first having been a legitimate journalist or elected official. Law school...
P.S. Diane, what ever happened to those photos of Hillary Clinton from her swan song speech?
The numbers represent how many eligibile voters each Elector in the Electoral College represents. In a small blurb the authors published with the diagram, they discussed the strange way that the number of congressional delegates is based on the population, not the eligible electorate, so people who can't vote such as children, non-citizens, and people in prison count when they are allocating seats. But, really, any way you cut it, Wyoming is still going to be overrepresented (sorry, Charlotte) with the current system of a minimum of two senators and one representative.
As an Illinoisan, my vote counts for practically nothing, slightly more than the vote of Floridians, Pennsylvanians, Texans, North Carolinians, Virginians, Ohioans, Georgians, Michiganians (sp?) and, suprisingly, Hoosiers. That puts us tenth, which I find puzzling because I heard that Illinois was likely to lose a seat in the next redistricting. In any case, my vote counts for absolutely nothing this election cycle because Illinois is a sure thing for Senator Obama and Senator Durbin.
DC has three electoral votes but only one stinkin' non-votin' delegate to the House. Taxation without representation!
I think if I were going to write a thesis (which I'm not because I can't be in the honors program because I will be abroad in the spring. God forbid that a government major at an excellent school for political science with such a heavy international bent would want to study abroad for a whole year) for my government major I would do an investigation of the Electoral College and proportionality in the U.S. system. I'm really interested in those sorts of calculations, and it's hard trying to explain the Electoral College system to foreigners, so I would enjoy (yeah, I'm a nerd) reading literature on alternate solutions.
The Electoral College doesn't seem to make a lot of sense any more, but I would really need to read up because a pure popular vote wouldn't make that much sense either. As it is now, only the "swing states," and especially those with a nice prize of electoral votes, such as Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania get all of the attention from the candidates. It's nice that new states have been brought into this category this cycle such as Virginia, North Carolina, Colorado, Nevada, etc. But if you are a voter in California, Illinois, New York, or Texas, for example, where the vote is considered decided, good luck getting the time of day from a candidate unless it is at a fundraiser, even though your state accounts for a good chunk of the U.S. electorate.
The primary system is also stupid. I'm tired of Iowa and New Hampshire getting first in the nation status. I think for the primaries a rotating regional primary system would make sense, so each geographic area would get their day in the sun, and candidates wouldn't have to jet between long distances all the time. Or at least rotate the states that go first. Nevada and South Carolina kind of got that treatment this year in the Democratic primary, but they were still behing Iowa and New Hampshire, meaning that by that time half the candidates had already dropped out. And let's not even get into the Florida/Michigan debacle...but it seems now is all well. I was worried we would cede those to the Republicans, but McCain stupidly dropped his campaign in Michigan and I think the Democrats have a very fighting chance in Florida. Thank God Hillary Clinton is such a gracious Senator. She could not have been classier in Denver. And, for the record, I think she has a better, more defined sense of style than Sarah Palin. It is her own.
My dream job is basically to become a political pundit, but I am not sure how one reaches this "office" without first having been a legitimate journalist or elected official. Law school...
P.S. Diane, what ever happened to those photos of Hillary Clinton from her swan song speech?
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Now that's just crazy...
Lately I've been obsessed with tracking different polls and sites to see their electoral maps. One, electoral-vote.com, shows Missouri, Montana, and North Dakota as "exactly tied" between Obama and McCain. I think that's a little far-fetched. I know Missouri is close, and I have heard that the Democratic presidential campaign is making more ground in Montana and North Dakota than usual, but um I don't really think that Senator Obama can carry those states.
COUNTDOWN TO ELECTION '08
It is hard to believe that by this time next week we should have a president! (I don't want to jinx anything, though, because my family flew to Washington, DC for vacation on Election Day 2000 expecting to know the president by the time we landed that evening, which of course was not the case. That day was also the day of my first menstrual period.) The campaigns have gone on for almost two years! What will I do with myself once they are concluded? Barring some unpredictable change, it seems practically certain that Senator Obama will win. I'll go ahead and predict that Senator Obama will take about 53% of the popular vote, although it will be more of a landslide in the Electoral College, well over 300 electoral votes. The polls are pretty much showing every state that is "undecided" in the Obama category right now. In play the most right now seem to be Indiana, Missouri, and North Carolina. I'm not sure Obama will be able to carry Indiana, which is sad because that is my neighbor state! If I went to Notre Dame or were in Illinois, I would definitely be out in force trying to help them see the light.
The Madrid chapter of Democrats Abroad is having a party on November 4 at the Círculo de Bellas Artes, which should be fun. It starts at 11 pm, which I think will be 5 pm EST (I'm still confused about the time change business...), but honestly the race should be more or less decided by the time the results come in from Florida, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, all of which are on EST. I think one day I will be telling my grandchildren where I was on Election Day 2008 because it promises to be historic. I already have a pretty good anecdote for Election Day 2000. I really don't remember anything in particular about Election Day 2004. I guess I was in school.
The Democrats will come class but I don't think they will manage to get 60 votes in the Senate. The conviction of Senator Stevens was the nail in the coffin for his seat. The races to watch will be Minnesota and North Carolina. I'm really kind of confused about North Carolina. I've known that Virginia has been trending blue for quite a while with the explosion of the Washington "exurbs" in Northern Virginia to the point that it's no longer considered part of the "solid South," but North Carolina?????? Along with Colorado and New Mexico, welcome, welcome, welcome to the Democratic fray, North Carolina. It's good to be a Democrat right now.
Classes are ok. Being at Somosaguas until 9:30 is really miserable. Usually my host family is asleep by the time I get home. Monday my Romanian friend and I accidentally took the H bus instead of the A (I swear that it was an A on the front of the bus!), adding an additional 30 minutes to my 45-minute commute. Awesome. I had a map of the bus lines serving the university in my backpack, but the map was printed in 1998. A lot has changed since then. I took some photos of Somosaguas on Monday and the photos don't capture the miserable picture I have in my mind. Obviously, it was a trick of the light since Monday was sunny. Photos also can't capture the smell.
Yesterday it was cold and rainy, so I think that means the end of the good weather here in Madrid. We go to Sevilla in a week and a half, and it should be warmer there since it's in Southern Spain. After that begins my month of weekend travels, to Prague, Lisbon, and Vienna. I finally got my tickets for Christmas break, so I need to start planning my trip to London and Dublin with Patrick.
I have no concrete plans for housing for next year. I had a decent selection time for single selection last week (could have gotten one with a river view) but I didn't pick one because I decided to hold out for the hope of an apartment with Charlotte and Kayleigh. We need a fourth person to enter the apartment selection, which is next week, but at this point we are a bit hopeless. I just really really really don't want to be in the dorms again because I want to have my own kitchen to prepare my own meals in light of the norovirus outbreak at Leo's and having delicious dinners cooked for me here. I can't go back to cafeteria food.
Today I had my first tutorial in the Prado. We didn't actually look at any specific artworks, just talking generally about the museum. I also found out that the Prado is free every day after 6! This information would have been useful a month and a half ago. I will probably start taking advantage of this policy since the museum is within walking distance and the class only covers Spanish painting, which does not cover the entire museum. I also need to start seeing the other museums because the group visits are always cancelled due to lack of interest.
The Madrid chapter of Democrats Abroad is having a party on November 4 at the Círculo de Bellas Artes, which should be fun. It starts at 11 pm, which I think will be 5 pm EST (I'm still confused about the time change business...), but honestly the race should be more or less decided by the time the results come in from Florida, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, all of which are on EST. I think one day I will be telling my grandchildren where I was on Election Day 2008 because it promises to be historic. I already have a pretty good anecdote for Election Day 2000. I really don't remember anything in particular about Election Day 2004. I guess I was in school.
The Democrats will come class but I don't think they will manage to get 60 votes in the Senate. The conviction of Senator Stevens was the nail in the coffin for his seat. The races to watch will be Minnesota and North Carolina. I'm really kind of confused about North Carolina. I've known that Virginia has been trending blue for quite a while with the explosion of the Washington "exurbs" in Northern Virginia to the point that it's no longer considered part of the "solid South," but North Carolina?????? Along with Colorado and New Mexico, welcome, welcome, welcome to the Democratic fray, North Carolina. It's good to be a Democrat right now.
Classes are ok. Being at Somosaguas until 9:30 is really miserable. Usually my host family is asleep by the time I get home. Monday my Romanian friend and I accidentally took the H bus instead of the A (I swear that it was an A on the front of the bus!), adding an additional 30 minutes to my 45-minute commute. Awesome. I had a map of the bus lines serving the university in my backpack, but the map was printed in 1998. A lot has changed since then. I took some photos of Somosaguas on Monday and the photos don't capture the miserable picture I have in my mind. Obviously, it was a trick of the light since Monday was sunny. Photos also can't capture the smell.
Yesterday it was cold and rainy, so I think that means the end of the good weather here in Madrid. We go to Sevilla in a week and a half, and it should be warmer there since it's in Southern Spain. After that begins my month of weekend travels, to Prague, Lisbon, and Vienna. I finally got my tickets for Christmas break, so I need to start planning my trip to London and Dublin with Patrick.
I have no concrete plans for housing for next year. I had a decent selection time for single selection last week (could have gotten one with a river view) but I didn't pick one because I decided to hold out for the hope of an apartment with Charlotte and Kayleigh. We need a fourth person to enter the apartment selection, which is next week, but at this point we are a bit hopeless. I just really really really don't want to be in the dorms again because I want to have my own kitchen to prepare my own meals in light of the norovirus outbreak at Leo's and having delicious dinners cooked for me here. I can't go back to cafeteria food.
Today I had my first tutorial in the Prado. We didn't actually look at any specific artworks, just talking generally about the museum. I also found out that the Prado is free every day after 6! This information would have been useful a month and a half ago. I will probably start taking advantage of this policy since the museum is within walking distance and the class only covers Spanish painting, which does not cover the entire museum. I also need to start seeing the other museums because the group visits are always cancelled due to lack of interest.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Lost in translation?
I think Daylight Savings Time ends today in Madrid. But I'm not sure. I wasn't thinking about it at all, but when I got back this evening the time on my laptop changed, and Allison just called so it's not just me.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
A touch of cough never killed anyone, right...?
I had the most delicious meal in Spain so far tonight. My host mom made me a pizza topped with cheese, tomato, corn, and, por supuesto, ham. It was amazing. I should have only eaten half of it but it was so good that I ate all of it.
I am getting somewhat concerned that I am not getting any healthier. I have not been getting worse, but normally colds don't last this long with such persistent symptoms for me. Probably I would rather take my chances and slowly die of a cold than see a doctor and have them tell me across a wide language barrier that I'm fine.
Today in our mandatory "cultural adaptation workshop" we learned that in Spain it is normal to greet strangers when you enter a waiting room at a doctor's office, among other somewhat useful tidbits of random information. The session could have been much worse, as the presenter had a decent sense of humor, but a lot of the information was not new. Also, we had thought that our tutorials in the Prado started today, which would give us a very legitimate excuse not to attend the workshop, but the professor dashed our hearts yesterday when she informed us that they will not begin until next week. I've been in Madrid almost five weeks and haven't visited the Prado yet! Crime against humanities.
Allison and I booked tickets to go to Lisboa in November today. I am looking forward to going to Lisboa, but that means that I now will be travelling four weekends in a row in November: Sevilla with the Georgetown group, Prague to visit Kayleigh, Lisboa, and then meeting Kayleigh in Vienna. Additionally, the first week of December we have Monday off for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, so I feel like I should at least make a day trip to somewhere in Spain. I am looking forward to each trip, but I'm also a little sad that I will be away from Madrid so much. Hopefully I should be able to maintain my schoolwork with little problem. Maintaining normal relations with my host family will be a bit of a different story. We have this great routine of sitting down to dinner while watching the news, which is very helpful since they can explain news items that I don't understand. However, since I return so late from classes on Mondays and Tuesdays, I basically don't see them at all those days of the week. Also, the other day my host mom asked me why I spend so much time alone in my room. I have been feeling somewhat sick, but to a certain degree I think I have kind of been shutting myself up in here, hiding, I guess you could say. It's awkward trying to establish the right balance between being a guest/someone who pays to live here/kind of family member and generally being a person who is naturally introverted and shy. My host family is of course very nice, and I enjoy talking to them, but I also value having my own time and my own space.
We also had a writing workshop today, and afterwards I taught my first English class. About two weeks ago, Miky gave me the name and phone number of someone who lives near me and was looking for an English tutor. I called the woman a couple of days later, but our wires were crossed. I thought our connection was bad, so I hung up and called again, and she said something I didn't quite understand and hung up on me. I felt embarrassed and didn't call back. I avoided going into the office on Tuesdays because I knew Miky would be there. Yesterday Miky called me, and at first I was really embarrassed, but it turned out to be ok since she volunteered to call the woman and set up the classes for me. The students are three girls, about 8 years old, who are in the same year in school named Ana, Bea, and Paula. I was a bit nervous about what I would go over since I am not the most creative nor the most child-friendly person, but it turned out that it was good that they are all in the same year in school, because they all are studying the same vocabulary, making it much easier to come up with exercises and games. The hour went by faster than I expected and I walked away with 21 euros. My host family has been trying to arrange for me to give English classes to the children of a friend of theirs, but the only day that works is Friday, and since I will be gone at least three of the upcoming Fridays, I'm obviously not going to push the issue.
I saw Ani today when I was in the office today on the computer waiting after the cultural workshop for the writing workshop, and she didn't say anything to me about the Reunidas lottery, so maybe I have matriculated without problems???? I would be oh so relieved, but I'm not getting my hopes up too much yet.
So it seems that Obama has 277 electoral votes in the bag? I can't believe the states that are in play such as North Carolina! I will also be very excited if the Democrats can carry Southwestern states such as New Mexico and potentially Colorado. The Democrats should also keep their majorities in the House and the Senate, special thanks to the shenanigans from the congresswoman in Minnesota who termed Obama and other liberals "un-American." One aspect of America that makes it great is freedom of speech, which means she had the right to publicly say that, but another important aspect of America is diversity of thought, meaning you should at least respect other people's points of view. Different does not mean "un-American." One thing I wish Senator Obama had been able to do in his campaign is assert his Christian faith in a way that didn't somehow seem to assert that there is something wrong with being a Muslim. Radical Islam does not represent all of Islam; Islam is a religion of peace that a tiny minority has contorted to fit their hateful purposes. In today's American political climate, however, he must attempt to appeal to a portion of the electorate who believes that there is indeed something inherently wrong with being a Muslim. I really wish McCain had taken the opportunity in the final debate to address the question about the tone of the crowds at his campaign's rallies. Is he directly responsible for what the people in the audience say? Of course not. But he certainly should distance himself from remarks about killing Senator Obama, about Senator Obama palling around with terrorists (he is directly responsible for Sarah Palin's remarks...), and those making racist threats towards the African American cameraman from Fox News.
The election is a great conversation starter with Spaniards/people from other countries when they find out I am American. The whole world is watching. November 4 should be a blast. Once again, I don't want to get my hopes up too much but I think I can safely say I will not be returning the United States if he doesn't win? My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family as they visit his sick grandmother (also my uncle Jim who needs re-attachment surgery on his retina...as you may know, I am creeped out by eyes, so this particular affliction is particularly horrifying to me). I really hope that if elected president he can make an honest change and at least tackle one of the major issues such as healthcare while improving the image of the U.S. in the world. I have to admit that I have based my support of his candidacy on youthful idealism, but I would definitely judge his presidency with a critical eye, perhaps excessively critical because I would hold him to a very high standard. In any case, I am very excited to have finally voted in a presidential election (I was ready in 2004) and will continue to rep the campaign with the three Obama shirts I brought to Spain.
I am getting somewhat concerned that I am not getting any healthier. I have not been getting worse, but normally colds don't last this long with such persistent symptoms for me. Probably I would rather take my chances and slowly die of a cold than see a doctor and have them tell me across a wide language barrier that I'm fine.
Today in our mandatory "cultural adaptation workshop" we learned that in Spain it is normal to greet strangers when you enter a waiting room at a doctor's office, among other somewhat useful tidbits of random information. The session could have been much worse, as the presenter had a decent sense of humor, but a lot of the information was not new. Also, we had thought that our tutorials in the Prado started today, which would give us a very legitimate excuse not to attend the workshop, but the professor dashed our hearts yesterday when she informed us that they will not begin until next week. I've been in Madrid almost five weeks and haven't visited the Prado yet! Crime against humanities.
Allison and I booked tickets to go to Lisboa in November today. I am looking forward to going to Lisboa, but that means that I now will be travelling four weekends in a row in November: Sevilla with the Georgetown group, Prague to visit Kayleigh, Lisboa, and then meeting Kayleigh in Vienna. Additionally, the first week of December we have Monday off for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, so I feel like I should at least make a day trip to somewhere in Spain. I am looking forward to each trip, but I'm also a little sad that I will be away from Madrid so much. Hopefully I should be able to maintain my schoolwork with little problem. Maintaining normal relations with my host family will be a bit of a different story. We have this great routine of sitting down to dinner while watching the news, which is very helpful since they can explain news items that I don't understand. However, since I return so late from classes on Mondays and Tuesdays, I basically don't see them at all those days of the week. Also, the other day my host mom asked me why I spend so much time alone in my room. I have been feeling somewhat sick, but to a certain degree I think I have kind of been shutting myself up in here, hiding, I guess you could say. It's awkward trying to establish the right balance between being a guest/someone who pays to live here/kind of family member and generally being a person who is naturally introverted and shy. My host family is of course very nice, and I enjoy talking to them, but I also value having my own time and my own space.
We also had a writing workshop today, and afterwards I taught my first English class. About two weeks ago, Miky gave me the name and phone number of someone who lives near me and was looking for an English tutor. I called the woman a couple of days later, but our wires were crossed. I thought our connection was bad, so I hung up and called again, and she said something I didn't quite understand and hung up on me. I felt embarrassed and didn't call back. I avoided going into the office on Tuesdays because I knew Miky would be there. Yesterday Miky called me, and at first I was really embarrassed, but it turned out to be ok since she volunteered to call the woman and set up the classes for me. The students are three girls, about 8 years old, who are in the same year in school named Ana, Bea, and Paula. I was a bit nervous about what I would go over since I am not the most creative nor the most child-friendly person, but it turned out that it was good that they are all in the same year in school, because they all are studying the same vocabulary, making it much easier to come up with exercises and games. The hour went by faster than I expected and I walked away with 21 euros. My host family has been trying to arrange for me to give English classes to the children of a friend of theirs, but the only day that works is Friday, and since I will be gone at least three of the upcoming Fridays, I'm obviously not going to push the issue.
I saw Ani today when I was in the office today on the computer waiting after the cultural workshop for the writing workshop, and she didn't say anything to me about the Reunidas lottery, so maybe I have matriculated without problems???? I would be oh so relieved, but I'm not getting my hopes up too much yet.
So it seems that Obama has 277 electoral votes in the bag? I can't believe the states that are in play such as North Carolina! I will also be very excited if the Democrats can carry Southwestern states such as New Mexico and potentially Colorado. The Democrats should also keep their majorities in the House and the Senate, special thanks to the shenanigans from the congresswoman in Minnesota who termed Obama and other liberals "un-American." One aspect of America that makes it great is freedom of speech, which means she had the right to publicly say that, but another important aspect of America is diversity of thought, meaning you should at least respect other people's points of view. Different does not mean "un-American." One thing I wish Senator Obama had been able to do in his campaign is assert his Christian faith in a way that didn't somehow seem to assert that there is something wrong with being a Muslim. Radical Islam does not represent all of Islam; Islam is a religion of peace that a tiny minority has contorted to fit their hateful purposes. In today's American political climate, however, he must attempt to appeal to a portion of the electorate who believes that there is indeed something inherently wrong with being a Muslim. I really wish McCain had taken the opportunity in the final debate to address the question about the tone of the crowds at his campaign's rallies. Is he directly responsible for what the people in the audience say? Of course not. But he certainly should distance himself from remarks about killing Senator Obama, about Senator Obama palling around with terrorists (he is directly responsible for Sarah Palin's remarks...), and those making racist threats towards the African American cameraman from Fox News.
The election is a great conversation starter with Spaniards/people from other countries when they find out I am American. The whole world is watching. November 4 should be a blast. Once again, I don't want to get my hopes up too much but I think I can safely say I will not be returning the United States if he doesn't win? My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family as they visit his sick grandmother (also my uncle Jim who needs re-attachment surgery on his retina...as you may know, I am creeped out by eyes, so this particular affliction is particularly horrifying to me). I really hope that if elected president he can make an honest change and at least tackle one of the major issues such as healthcare while improving the image of the U.S. in the world. I have to admit that I have based my support of his candidacy on youthful idealism, but I would definitely judge his presidency with a critical eye, perhaps excessively critical because I would hold him to a very high standard. In any case, I am very excited to have finally voted in a presidential election (I was ready in 2004) and will continue to rep the campaign with the three Obama shirts I brought to Spain.
Friday, October 17, 2008
The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain
El Escorial:
El Valle de los Caídos:
El Valle de los Caídos:
My bark is much worse than my bite. I have the worst cough ever, and my host family seems terrified. I even went to a Spanish pharmacy for cold medicine, which would have been terrifyingly overwhelming if Carmen, a "mentor" who studies in the facultad de medicina, hadn't written me a "prescription" of what to ask for. I was concerned because I had *ahem* potential mono exposure, but the symptoms of mono usually take four to six weeks to manifest themselves so I should be safe.
Week two of classes is done. My 8:30 class was cancelled on Monday (rejoice!) in honor of Sunday's festivities. October 12 is the feast day of Saint Pilar, the patron of Spain, as well as the "Día de la Hispanidad." I do find it interesting that in Spain, where Columbus is seen in a very positive light, you only get the day off when it falls on a weekday, whereas the Monday nearest that date is a reliable holiday for schoolchildren and government employees in the U.S.
I met someone who is even more overwhelmed by Spanish than me! I turned to someone in one of my political science classes on Tuesday to ask a question in Spanish, and his response was, "Can we PLEASE just speak in English??" He is an Erasmus student from Romania who had just arrived in Spain two days earlier and furthermore has never studied Spanish, ever. I would be unbelievably unable to cope.
On Wednesday a small group visited the Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial and el Valle de los Caídos. El Escorial is a royal monastery/palace constructed under el rey Felipe II, and it was cool except that we were unable to enter what are probably the best two parts. We couldn't enter el Panteón de los Reyes where all of the Hapsburg and Bourbon monarchs (and king-mothers) are buried because of some rule that you have to be on an official tour or purchase the audio guide to enter. I thought Ani, our program director, was going to be able to talk our way in, but alas she was not. The basilica was also closed because it was under construction.
In my opinion, the real highlight of the day was the visit to el Valle de los Caídos.
The Spanish Civil War lasted from 1936-1939, and the right-wing Fascists, led by Francisco Franco, were victorious over the left-wing Republicans. In 1940, Franco decided to build a monument to those who had died in the Spanish Civil War. Quite taken by Felipe II's Escorial, he chose a site nearby in the mountains on the outskirts of Madrid. The monument consists of a giant cross on the mountain and a large basilica underneath in the heart of the monument. It was constructed by the labor of political prisoners. Many Spaniards refuse to visit el Valle de los Caídos because of what it represents. Franco never released a list of who is buried in the two massive tombs. When he died in the 1970s, he was buried in the basilica.
Earlier in the day, it had been a gorgeous sunny day, but by the time we arrived at el Valle de los Caídos it was dark and cloudy, which seemed more than appropriate. It was a very powerful experience. Unfortunately photography is prohibited in the basilica so I can't show it to you. The atmosphere is very funereal. You have to walk through a very long tunnel before you arrive in the worship space, and it is very dark and all stone. Ani said that the last time she was there, a wedding was taking place. I can't imagine attending mass there, much less getting married!
Saturday, October 11, 2008
I'm glad that being in a different country does not change my luck
So, I was about to get over myself and stop moping after feeling sick for the past two days when I collapsed in my room. My knee popped out of its socket. I don't think it was that bad, but it's still absolutely no fun.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Less than a month until Election Day!
This post actually has nothing to do with politics (last night's debate was a snooze fest), but I just want to throw that out there.
Obviously I survived day two of classes.
Spanish Painting in the Prado Museum is obviously not going to be a problem. It reminds me a lot of Page's class, in the sense that we cover a lot of interesting material yet the other people in the class are a little slow. The tutorials haven't started yet and somehow I've yet to make it to the Prado. I'm too cheap to do it on my own dime.
My next class is Hispano-American Literature I. I must have a blinking sign above my head that says, "I am American and don't speak very good English" because this British girl sat down next to me and asked me how the first day had seemed. I began to respond, and she demanded, "Quickly, in English!"
Then I had a little break before Goya. I think I'm going to end up dropping the class. Obviously it would be fascinating to take an in-depth look at his work, but primarily for scheduling reasons (and the fact that more than 5 Americans appear to be trying to take the class and my world would end if I got kicked out), this class doesn't make the cut. The professor is of the sit in the front and read directly from her notes breed, which isn't necessarily a deal-breaker, but matters at least a little.
Then I went to Somosaguas, which is still a truly horrible place. I need to bring my camera and take photos although I might get stabbed or robbed or both if I walk around carrying a camera.
Even though a lot of the stress from the first day of classes stemmed from my professor from the Theory of the State seeming hostile to my presence in his class, I think I'm going to stick with it. Ryan talked to him after Monday's class and supposedly he is thrilled to have Americans in his class. We have to write something for Monday about the Magna Carta and two other British documents, which is daunting...
I love my Electoral Analysis and Behavior class. The segment of CPS involving calculations was interesting to me.
I also really enjoy my International Organizations class. Obviously the less-than-ideal aspect of these classes is that they are late at night, but I think it's worth it to take classes that interest me with good professors. I'm already limiting myself to Monday and Tuesday only classes, so I might as well take the best offerings of those days. And dropping Goya means that I have a five and a half hour gap between lit and having to be at Somosaguas, so I have time to run errands, study, or even go home for lunch and a siesta.
I finally have my abono transporte (monthly pass for the Metro)! I've been here a month and hemhorraged much money on 10-rides.
Obviously I survived day two of classes.
Spanish Painting in the Prado Museum is obviously not going to be a problem. It reminds me a lot of Page's class, in the sense that we cover a lot of interesting material yet the other people in the class are a little slow. The tutorials haven't started yet and somehow I've yet to make it to the Prado. I'm too cheap to do it on my own dime.
My next class is Hispano-American Literature I. I must have a blinking sign above my head that says, "I am American and don't speak very good English" because this British girl sat down next to me and asked me how the first day had seemed. I began to respond, and she demanded, "Quickly, in English!"
Then I had a little break before Goya. I think I'm going to end up dropping the class. Obviously it would be fascinating to take an in-depth look at his work, but primarily for scheduling reasons (and the fact that more than 5 Americans appear to be trying to take the class and my world would end if I got kicked out), this class doesn't make the cut. The professor is of the sit in the front and read directly from her notes breed, which isn't necessarily a deal-breaker, but matters at least a little.
Then I went to Somosaguas, which is still a truly horrible place. I need to bring my camera and take photos although I might get stabbed or robbed or both if I walk around carrying a camera.
Even though a lot of the stress from the first day of classes stemmed from my professor from the Theory of the State seeming hostile to my presence in his class, I think I'm going to stick with it. Ryan talked to him after Monday's class and supposedly he is thrilled to have Americans in his class. We have to write something for Monday about the Magna Carta and two other British documents, which is daunting...
I love my Electoral Analysis and Behavior class. The segment of CPS involving calculations was interesting to me.
I also really enjoy my International Organizations class. Obviously the less-than-ideal aspect of these classes is that they are late at night, but I think it's worth it to take classes that interest me with good professors. I'm already limiting myself to Monday and Tuesday only classes, so I might as well take the best offerings of those days. And dropping Goya means that I have a five and a half hour gap between lit and having to be at Somosaguas, so I have time to run errands, study, or even go home for lunch and a siesta.
I finally have my abono transporte (monthly pass for the Metro)! I've been here a month and hemhorraged much money on 10-rides.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Apparently "study abroad" involves classes?
Today I rose well before sunrise to make it across Madrid to make it to my 8:30 class. Note to self: I do not like early classes. Even less so when there is a commute involved. It was cold and dark when I left, but the early class is the Spanish Painting in the Prado class, so I guess it's worth it. I felt very existential as there were more university students than I've ever seen at one time in my life (not true, I've been to college football games) flooding out of the Metro stop.
That one is with Reunidas, the North American consortium of universities. The professor kept apologizing for talking too quickly when in fact she was speaking muy lentamente. I'm pretty sure almost no one has art history experience of any kind.
The second class of the day (after inhaling a café con leche) was Hispano-American Literature I. The professor was easy to understand, and we are covering "conquista to liberation movements,"which is not my favorite literary time period, but it will have to suffice. She let us out early so I had another café con leche and basked in the sun.
My third class was Goya. I'm not really sure the class made much of an impression on me because she only kept us about five minutes. There were a lot of adults in the class. There may be potentially more than 5 Reunidas students, in which case there will be a lottery I will most likely lose.
Then it was time to go to Somosaguas, the political sciences campus. And my day went downhill...
I caught the bus going in the wrong direction.
Immediately upon setting foot on Somosaguas territory, I felt sad and dejected. The building was a prison. The students are threatening looking and so far to the left they make me look like a neo-con.
I had something to eat in the cafetería, which was infinitely more depressing than the ones I've eaten in on the main campus.
I decided that I wanted to avoid being there until 9:30 p.m. so I decided to shop around for suitable earlier classes. I scribbled down a classroom number and ran. I ran into Ryan, another Georgetown student, and when I told him my destination he said he wanted to take the same class, so we went in together. It was nice to see a friendly face.
Then the professor hands out a syllabus for psycho-sociology something so we bolt because it's obviously the wrong class. We re-check the schedule, finding it incredulous that we both wrote down the wrong room. We can't believe our luck when we make it into the right classroom just before the professor.
Until he starts to talk. He has a terrible lisp, and it is impossible for us to understand him. Not even the Spanish students bother to take notes.
We figure the next class has to be better. Somehow, I WROTE DOWN THE WRONG CLASSROOM AGAIN. No harm done, and the professor doesn't have a lisp, so all seems to be going well. The professor directs a question to Ryan and when he answers in accented Spanish, the professor asks whether he is español or Erasmus (the European exchange program I want to be a part of). When the answer is that he is from Georgetown, the professor smirks, says, "I see," and re-directs the question to a Spanish student, insinuating Ryan couldn't have understood him.
Soon, he doesn't even ask me a content-related question, just whether I am part of Erasmus (what, didn't I look Spanish?), then whether I am part of the University of California (they have an agreement with Complutense separate from Reunidas). He ignores me completely when I respond that I am also from Georgetown and the flush in my cheeks and nausea don't go away for the rest of the class.
My next two government classes were actually enjoyable and I guess I'll be sticking with them. Perhaps it is too much to ask for all of my classes to be on two days, be at two different campuses, fit within an eight-hour day, AND be with tolerable professors. The first government class was Electoral Analysis and Behavior, basically recycling the mathematical section of Langenbacher's CPS class that I liked. The second was International Organizations, an international relations course with a professor who came highly recommended from Georgetown and likes Georgetown students. There are a lot of international students, all Erasmus or from other Spanish universities, which should make the class interesting. Also, proudly, my Spanish is not the worst.
So, I'm stuck with the schedule because I'm the most attached to the first and last classes of the day. At the end of the day, I was tired, cold, and hungry, very similar to how I felt at the beginning except also much more beaten down.
I'm upset that basically one professor and the feeling that I am too much of an outsider at Somosaguas really ruined my day. I don't understand why the professor is so averse to having Georgetown students in class. It's a second-year course, whereas the other two I attended were specialized fifth-year courses. I also feel boxed in. To come here and directly matriculate, Georgetown makes us have a certain Spanish proficiency. They require us to take one Reunidas class, which is too easy, and forbid us from taking more than one. There is a cap on the number of Reunidas students in the Facultad de Filosofia and Letras. In other facultades, we can't take first-year courses. Frankly, I think I probably belong in a first-year Spanish Political System class but I can't take it. I'm stressed from my day. But I've got to go to bed so I can do it all again tomorrow...
That one is with Reunidas, the North American consortium of universities. The professor kept apologizing for talking too quickly when in fact she was speaking muy lentamente. I'm pretty sure almost no one has art history experience of any kind.
The second class of the day (after inhaling a café con leche) was Hispano-American Literature I. The professor was easy to understand, and we are covering "conquista to liberation movements,"which is not my favorite literary time period, but it will have to suffice. She let us out early so I had another café con leche and basked in the sun.
My third class was Goya. I'm not really sure the class made much of an impression on me because she only kept us about five minutes. There were a lot of adults in the class. There may be potentially more than 5 Reunidas students, in which case there will be a lottery I will most likely lose.
Then it was time to go to Somosaguas, the political sciences campus. And my day went downhill...
I caught the bus going in the wrong direction.
Immediately upon setting foot on Somosaguas territory, I felt sad and dejected. The building was a prison. The students are threatening looking and so far to the left they make me look like a neo-con.
I had something to eat in the cafetería, which was infinitely more depressing than the ones I've eaten in on the main campus.
I decided that I wanted to avoid being there until 9:30 p.m. so I decided to shop around for suitable earlier classes. I scribbled down a classroom number and ran. I ran into Ryan, another Georgetown student, and when I told him my destination he said he wanted to take the same class, so we went in together. It was nice to see a friendly face.
Then the professor hands out a syllabus for psycho-sociology something so we bolt because it's obviously the wrong class. We re-check the schedule, finding it incredulous that we both wrote down the wrong room. We can't believe our luck when we make it into the right classroom just before the professor.
Until he starts to talk. He has a terrible lisp, and it is impossible for us to understand him. Not even the Spanish students bother to take notes.
We figure the next class has to be better. Somehow, I WROTE DOWN THE WRONG CLASSROOM AGAIN. No harm done, and the professor doesn't have a lisp, so all seems to be going well. The professor directs a question to Ryan and when he answers in accented Spanish, the professor asks whether he is español or Erasmus (the European exchange program I want to be a part of). When the answer is that he is from Georgetown, the professor smirks, says, "I see," and re-directs the question to a Spanish student, insinuating Ryan couldn't have understood him.
Soon, he doesn't even ask me a content-related question, just whether I am part of Erasmus (what, didn't I look Spanish?), then whether I am part of the University of California (they have an agreement with Complutense separate from Reunidas). He ignores me completely when I respond that I am also from Georgetown and the flush in my cheeks and nausea don't go away for the rest of the class.
My next two government classes were actually enjoyable and I guess I'll be sticking with them. Perhaps it is too much to ask for all of my classes to be on two days, be at two different campuses, fit within an eight-hour day, AND be with tolerable professors. The first government class was Electoral Analysis and Behavior, basically recycling the mathematical section of Langenbacher's CPS class that I liked. The second was International Organizations, an international relations course with a professor who came highly recommended from Georgetown and likes Georgetown students. There are a lot of international students, all Erasmus or from other Spanish universities, which should make the class interesting. Also, proudly, my Spanish is not the worst.
So, I'm stuck with the schedule because I'm the most attached to the first and last classes of the day. At the end of the day, I was tired, cold, and hungry, very similar to how I felt at the beginning except also much more beaten down.
I'm upset that basically one professor and the feeling that I am too much of an outsider at Somosaguas really ruined my day. I don't understand why the professor is so averse to having Georgetown students in class. It's a second-year course, whereas the other two I attended were specialized fifth-year courses. I also feel boxed in. To come here and directly matriculate, Georgetown makes us have a certain Spanish proficiency. They require us to take one Reunidas class, which is too easy, and forbid us from taking more than one. There is a cap on the number of Reunidas students in the Facultad de Filosofia and Letras. In other facultades, we can't take first-year courses. Frankly, I think I probably belong in a first-year Spanish Political System class but I can't take it. I'm stressed from my day. But I've got to go to bed so I can do it all again tomorrow...
Friday, October 3, 2008
Play-by-play and Analysis: Biden v. Palin
So, I wasn't intense enough to watch the debate live from 3:00 to 4:30 a.m. local time, but I just watched it on Youtube and everyone in the States should still be asleep so I don't feel too behind. I took notes as I watched, so hopefully my thoughts are somewhat organized and based on what actually transpired.
At the very beginning of the debate, Governor Sarah Palin seemed very giddy, pleased to meet Senator Joe Biden and asking if she could call him Joe. Obviously it was the first time they'd met since Palin the self-described Washington outsider governor of Alaska would have little reason to meet the longtime Democratic senator from Delaware. She probably felt like I did when Senator John McCain winked at me last year on the Senate subway. I don't agree with McCain on policy, but he's famous, someone who I've seen on television and whose name I've seen on legislation. She couldn't get over the "privilege" it was to be a participant in the debate. It was kind of cute.
Right off, she referred to the "soccer mom barometer" of economic hardship, a nod perhaps to the fact that "hockey moms" aren't exactly "main streeters" in most of Middle America.
One quote I liked is when Palin said of herself and McCain that "we're known for putting partisan politics aside." Interesting since Candidate McCain has thrown away his relatively bipartisan legislative record to appeal to conservatives and she's the most polarizing candidate since Alan Keyes.
Admittedly I've never adored Biden, but he came off very polished and knowledgeable. Palin memorized a few talking points (props), but Biden was able to directly combat her stats. Sure, it sounds impressive that Senator Barack Obama (wow hard to believe that's my first Obama reference) voted against alternative energy or whatever it was ninety-odd times, until you hear McCain did so more than 400 times in the same period.
At one point Palin said that she wasn't concerned about answering what Biden said or the questions posed by moderator Gwen Ifill, as if that were a positive attribute as a debater. It's not straight talk when you don't even try to answer the question, instead reeling off a talking point.
One such talking point was when she termed Obama's healthcare plan as an example of the "redistribution of wealth principle." I'm glad the campaign has been teaching her some principles and fundamentals. Maybe the aides will teach McCain next. Biden then termed McCain's healthcare plan as the ultimate bridge to nowhere, to the chuckles of the audience.
Palin claimed energy as her area of expertise, which it probably is. Back to this point in a moment.
During this segment, Palin asked rhetorically, "How long have I been at this - like five weeks?" Tell me about it, Sarah.
After railing against the "East Coast Politicians" who are keeping her from destroying ANWR for a few drops of oil, Ifill directly asked, question to Palin first, what the cause of global warming is. Palin said "Yeah" in a small voice. I'm sure she had been extensively prepped on how to handle this one. She admitted that Alaska has seen more climate change that any other state in the U.S. but blamed it on some kind of cyclical temperature change BS, saying she doesn't "want to argue about the causes." It was interesting when she argued that the U.S. needs to become more energy independent because the foreign producers emit too much pollution. If that's so important, I think we should try not to pollute the temperate rain forest of Alaska. I loved when Biden came back at her by saying, "If you don't know what the cause is, it's difficuly to come up with a solution." We need an administration that believes in science. Climate change caused by man is now an absolute consensus.
Palin corrected Biden that the chant is "drill, baby, drill," not "drill, drill, drill." She would know.
Both the candidates agreed that they are against gay marriage, which is obviously too bad. They also agreed that same-sex couples should have the same civil rights as heterosexual couples. I would like to know, however, whether Palin thinks homosexuality is a choice, because she used the word "choosing" emphasized and carefully enunciated when describing homosexual couples.
In terms of foreign policy, Palin lost all my respect (not that she had much, even though SHE CAN SEE RUSSIA FROM HER HOUSE) because she says "nucular" instead of "nuclear." Deal-breaker.
Since I'm in Spain, I loved how Biden got in the unanswered zinger about how McCain said he wouldn't meet with Zapatero, the prime minister of Spain.
Furthering my suspicion that she can't get over how famous Biden and co. are, she said, "You know, I watched those debates, I know what they were all about," referring to the Democratic Primary debates. I wonder if she's met Obama yet?
She was stuck in her colloquial main-streeter rut, with lines such as "Say it ain't so, Joe," and giving a shout-out to her brother's third grade class.
She excused her summer comment about not even knowing what the vice president actually does as a lame attempt at a joke. Biden specifically elaborated on what his role would be in an Obama-Biden administration. Palin then said she agreed whole-heartedly with Dick Cheney about the role of the VP. SCARY!!!!!
In closing, she said she was from a very diverse family, politically speaking. Someone needs to tell her that there's a difference between "Independents" and the "Alaska Independence Party."
More profuse thanks, then the Palin and Biden broods invaded the stage.
I guess I would have to say that Palin exceeded my expectations, but that's only because they were so low after watching, for example, her interviews with Katie Couric from last week. Biden came off as what he is, a statesman, while she came off as finally able to recite campaign talking points a month before the election. She did not assuage my fears that she is unqualified, but she came off as sufficiently polished so I think at least some Americans will take the bait. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the debate did nothing to change my perception of Sarah Palin but increased my esteem of Joe Biden. He made no gaffes and closed the deal that he could be vice president. She made no gaffes, but sometimes not making a blunder isn't enough. Sometimes you actually need to answer the questions and give off an aura of authority.
At the very beginning of the debate, Governor Sarah Palin seemed very giddy, pleased to meet Senator Joe Biden and asking if she could call him Joe. Obviously it was the first time they'd met since Palin the self-described Washington outsider governor of Alaska would have little reason to meet the longtime Democratic senator from Delaware. She probably felt like I did when Senator John McCain winked at me last year on the Senate subway. I don't agree with McCain on policy, but he's famous, someone who I've seen on television and whose name I've seen on legislation. She couldn't get over the "privilege" it was to be a participant in the debate. It was kind of cute.
Right off, she referred to the "soccer mom barometer" of economic hardship, a nod perhaps to the fact that "hockey moms" aren't exactly "main streeters" in most of Middle America.
One quote I liked is when Palin said of herself and McCain that "we're known for putting partisan politics aside." Interesting since Candidate McCain has thrown away his relatively bipartisan legislative record to appeal to conservatives and she's the most polarizing candidate since Alan Keyes.
Admittedly I've never adored Biden, but he came off very polished and knowledgeable. Palin memorized a few talking points (props), but Biden was able to directly combat her stats. Sure, it sounds impressive that Senator Barack Obama (wow hard to believe that's my first Obama reference) voted against alternative energy or whatever it was ninety-odd times, until you hear McCain did so more than 400 times in the same period.
At one point Palin said that she wasn't concerned about answering what Biden said or the questions posed by moderator Gwen Ifill, as if that were a positive attribute as a debater. It's not straight talk when you don't even try to answer the question, instead reeling off a talking point.
One such talking point was when she termed Obama's healthcare plan as an example of the "redistribution of wealth principle." I'm glad the campaign has been teaching her some principles and fundamentals. Maybe the aides will teach McCain next. Biden then termed McCain's healthcare plan as the ultimate bridge to nowhere, to the chuckles of the audience.
Palin claimed energy as her area of expertise, which it probably is. Back to this point in a moment.
During this segment, Palin asked rhetorically, "How long have I been at this - like five weeks?" Tell me about it, Sarah.
After railing against the "East Coast Politicians" who are keeping her from destroying ANWR for a few drops of oil, Ifill directly asked, question to Palin first, what the cause of global warming is. Palin said "Yeah" in a small voice. I'm sure she had been extensively prepped on how to handle this one. She admitted that Alaska has seen more climate change that any other state in the U.S. but blamed it on some kind of cyclical temperature change BS, saying she doesn't "want to argue about the causes." It was interesting when she argued that the U.S. needs to become more energy independent because the foreign producers emit too much pollution. If that's so important, I think we should try not to pollute the temperate rain forest of Alaska. I loved when Biden came back at her by saying, "If you don't know what the cause is, it's difficuly to come up with a solution." We need an administration that believes in science. Climate change caused by man is now an absolute consensus.
Palin corrected Biden that the chant is "drill, baby, drill," not "drill, drill, drill." She would know.
Both the candidates agreed that they are against gay marriage, which is obviously too bad. They also agreed that same-sex couples should have the same civil rights as heterosexual couples. I would like to know, however, whether Palin thinks homosexuality is a choice, because she used the word "choosing" emphasized and carefully enunciated when describing homosexual couples.
In terms of foreign policy, Palin lost all my respect (not that she had much, even though SHE CAN SEE RUSSIA FROM HER HOUSE) because she says "nucular" instead of "nuclear." Deal-breaker.
Since I'm in Spain, I loved how Biden got in the unanswered zinger about how McCain said he wouldn't meet with Zapatero, the prime minister of Spain.
Furthering my suspicion that she can't get over how famous Biden and co. are, she said, "You know, I watched those debates, I know what they were all about," referring to the Democratic Primary debates. I wonder if she's met Obama yet?
She was stuck in her colloquial main-streeter rut, with lines such as "Say it ain't so, Joe," and giving a shout-out to her brother's third grade class.
She excused her summer comment about not even knowing what the vice president actually does as a lame attempt at a joke. Biden specifically elaborated on what his role would be in an Obama-Biden administration. Palin then said she agreed whole-heartedly with Dick Cheney about the role of the VP. SCARY!!!!!
In closing, she said she was from a very diverse family, politically speaking. Someone needs to tell her that there's a difference between "Independents" and the "Alaska Independence Party."
More profuse thanks, then the Palin and Biden broods invaded the stage.
I guess I would have to say that Palin exceeded my expectations, but that's only because they were so low after watching, for example, her interviews with Katie Couric from last week. Biden came off as what he is, a statesman, while she came off as finally able to recite campaign talking points a month before the election. She did not assuage my fears that she is unqualified, but she came off as sufficiently polished so I think at least some Americans will take the bait. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the debate did nothing to change my perception of Sarah Palin but increased my esteem of Joe Biden. He made no gaffes and closed the deal that he could be vice president. She made no gaffes, but sometimes not making a blunder isn't enough. Sometimes you actually need to answer the questions and give off an aura of authority.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
WHO'S EXCITED FOR THE VEEP DEBATE??!
I am.
I think I've finally figured out a workable schedule (classes started today but I'm going with a Monday-Tuesday schedule, so no pressure. Also, we're not officially registered until October 20 and if there are too many American students we might get kicked out and have to rely on alternatives, so I guess I should maybe try out the concept of a shopping period. The program director is very against my taking all of my classes on two days, but most other Georgetown students are trying to do the same, and I did this for the past two semesters at Georgetown. I really want to attend my classes, and I know that I will not be in Madrid on at least some Thursdays and Fridays, so I'd really like to have all my classes on Mondays and Tuesdays so that I can regularly attend class and then have time to explore Madrid or Europe. I'll drop the English major if need be.
Here's what I have so far:
8:30-10:00 Spanish Painting in the Prado I - I came to Madrid to take this class. It is my one with "Reunidas," the consortium of North American universities. We go to the Prado each week in small groups to see the paintings we discussed in class. My main concern is that it is awfully early. My secondary concern is that the program director informed me today that the usual professor will not be teaching it.
10:00-11:30 Hispano-American Literature I - This class is not my first choice in terms of content, but I had a hard time finding a literature class on Mondays and Tuesdays with a decent professor. I might end up dropping the English major.
13:00-14:30 Goya - The last art history class I took was in high school, but since basically none of the classes I take here count for anything anyway, I really wanted to take electives I haven't had a chance to take at Georgetown, and art history is at the top of that list. Next semester the painter-specific offerings are Velazquez and Picasso. I'm pumped.
Then I have a commute to the former prison aka the political science campus. It takes about 45 minutes to get from my casa to school each way and 30 minutes to get from the main campus to the political science campus, so I could theoretically make it home for about two hours (SIESTA), but that's probably not worth it.
18:30-20:00 State Theory - Hopefully this class will be alright. I wasn't planning on taking two government classes since I can only transfer back a total of two for my major, but since I have to commute I'm going to see if I could count both of this semester's classes and not have to go all the way out there next semester.
20:00-21:30 International Organizations - This professor is supposed to be really good, and I hope he is because this class makes my class day stretch out over 13 hours, not including transportation time. And it makes me late for dinner. And I'm kind of scared of being at Somosaguas so late.
The schedule is not ideal, since the days are so incredibly long and there is the awkward four hour break betweeen the main Complutense campus and Somosaguas. My guess is that I'll end up bringing the laptop along. It's also somewhat disheartening that the classes I'm most excited about are the electives rather than those I'm taking for my major. Ultimately, however, I think that the classes I take will play a rather small role in my study abroad experience.
Tomorrow, look forward to a dissection of the Vice Presidential Debate. Can you hear me chomping at the bit?
I think I've finally figured out a workable schedule (classes started today but I'm going with a Monday-Tuesday schedule, so no pressure. Also, we're not officially registered until October 20 and if there are too many American students we might get kicked out and have to rely on alternatives, so I guess I should maybe try out the concept of a shopping period. The program director is very against my taking all of my classes on two days, but most other Georgetown students are trying to do the same, and I did this for the past two semesters at Georgetown. I really want to attend my classes, and I know that I will not be in Madrid on at least some Thursdays and Fridays, so I'd really like to have all my classes on Mondays and Tuesdays so that I can regularly attend class and then have time to explore Madrid or Europe. I'll drop the English major if need be.
Here's what I have so far:
8:30-10:00 Spanish Painting in the Prado I - I came to Madrid to take this class. It is my one with "Reunidas," the consortium of North American universities. We go to the Prado each week in small groups to see the paintings we discussed in class. My main concern is that it is awfully early. My secondary concern is that the program director informed me today that the usual professor will not be teaching it.
10:00-11:30 Hispano-American Literature I - This class is not my first choice in terms of content, but I had a hard time finding a literature class on Mondays and Tuesdays with a decent professor. I might end up dropping the English major.
13:00-14:30 Goya - The last art history class I took was in high school, but since basically none of the classes I take here count for anything anyway, I really wanted to take electives I haven't had a chance to take at Georgetown, and art history is at the top of that list. Next semester the painter-specific offerings are Velazquez and Picasso. I'm pumped.
Then I have a commute to the former prison aka the political science campus. It takes about 45 minutes to get from my casa to school each way and 30 minutes to get from the main campus to the political science campus, so I could theoretically make it home for about two hours (SIESTA), but that's probably not worth it.
18:30-20:00 State Theory - Hopefully this class will be alright. I wasn't planning on taking two government classes since I can only transfer back a total of two for my major, but since I have to commute I'm going to see if I could count both of this semester's classes and not have to go all the way out there next semester.
20:00-21:30 International Organizations - This professor is supposed to be really good, and I hope he is because this class makes my class day stretch out over 13 hours, not including transportation time. And it makes me late for dinner. And I'm kind of scared of being at Somosaguas so late.
The schedule is not ideal, since the days are so incredibly long and there is the awkward four hour break betweeen the main Complutense campus and Somosaguas. My guess is that I'll end up bringing the laptop along. It's also somewhat disheartening that the classes I'm most excited about are the electives rather than those I'm taking for my major. Ultimately, however, I think that the classes I take will play a rather small role in my study abroad experience.
Tomorrow, look forward to a dissection of the Vice Presidential Debate. Can you hear me chomping at the bit?
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