Oh... I am going to Morocco this weekend to sightsee, explore caves, and ride on camels. As Barney on 'How I Met Your Mother' would say: "It's gonna be legen- wait for it - DARY!"
Until next time...
Peace, love and God bless,
Noel
Thursday, January 29, 2009
A bad map...
So... in a very rough way, the makeshift map below can kind of show you where I live compared to the school (I have to bus to school) and where I live compared to the nightlife (in the neighborhoods of Triana, El Arenel, and Centro). Which reminds me... I haven't told you much about home life. David and I live in Los Remedios in an apartment with our house mother Theresa. She is in her 50's, is divorced, and has a grandbaby! She is basically awesome and cooks very well. Sweet action.
Oh... I am going to Morocco this weekend to sightsee, explore caves, and ride on camels. As Barney on 'How I Met Your Mother' would say: "It's gonna be legen- wait for it - DARY!"
Until next time...
Peace, love and God bless,
Noel
Oh... I am going to Morocco this weekend to sightsee, explore caves, and ride on camels. As Barney on 'How I Met Your Mother' would say: "It's gonna be legen- wait for it - DARY!"
Until next time...
Peace, love and God bless,
Noel
Monday, January 26, 2009
Good weekend and many pictures...
Hey guys!
The trip to Cordoba on Friday was awesome. Cordoba was founded as a Roman city and then was captured by the Muslims in the 700's and then taken over by the Catholic King of Castile in 1236. We visited the great mosque of Cordoba that was converted into a cathedral after Cordoba was reconquered by the Christians. Pictures below...
(The many Moorish [Muslim] arches at the mosque/cathedral)
(a sweet stained glass Jesus at the mosque, put up by the Christian conquerors of course)
(a great example of the religion clash so common in Spain: a crucifix centered around the Muslim arches)
***
On Saturday, we went to the Giralda Tower on the Cathedral and the Royal Palace during our second excursion in Sevilla. It was absolutely stunning, as the pictures below will show.
(the tomb of Christopher Columbus, en La Catedral)
(from L to R: my friends Kolby, Ashlee 1, Carolynn, me, and Ashlee 2 in the Palace courtyards)
Saturday night, my friend Kolby and I met these kids from Germany, Sweden and Serbia, who are here studying as well. Communicating with them in Spanish, English, and a little German was one of the coolest experiences I've had here so far. Meeting new people is an amazing thing, but meeting really cool new people from foreign lands is that much more amazing. Their names were Djurdja, Arvid, and Anna. Awesome people. I hope to see them again whilst in Sevilla.
I went to mass at the Cathedral on Sunday in Sevilla and it was interesting to say the least. The priest showed no emotion... ever... and of course I understood very little. But simply attending a mass in one of the largest gothic cathedrals on the earth is such a cool feat, so the experience was awesome overall.
We had our second bible study tonight, and it was wonderful. God is going to do some incredible things in me and my brothers/sisters here in Spain. It's exciting!
Some Random Thoughts:
1) Oranges with honey (naranjas con miel) are my new favorite dessert.
2) Ice Cream (helado) here is basically heaven on earth. No lies.
3) Obama's inauguration wasn't as big a deal here as I thought it would be. No parades, riots, crying, or kissing. Just work the next day.
4) My travel writing class is awesome. By the end of the semester I will have some really nice essays I will be glad I took the time to write about this semester.
5) Morocco will be a nice change from the typical, "Go here, see this architecture... go here, see this cathedral" we have been doing on the excursions.
6) Things aren't always amazing, believe me... I miss lots of things from home, such as:
-hanging out at people's houses (they do not invite others over... EVER)
-Dr. Pepper (no where to be found in Spain)
-live music shows (rock, GOOD jazz, etc.)
-playing my horn... not having my trombone and playing jazz really bites
-people/buses actually being on time for things (the Spaniards have a very lazy concept of time)
One more photo
(a group of us went to Pizza Hut by the Nervion Plaza, b/c we were feeling a lil' homesick, and we by chance randomly sat segregated guys and girls... weird, huh?)
Anyways, until next time...
Peace, love and God bless,
Noel
The trip to Cordoba on Friday was awesome. Cordoba was founded as a Roman city and then was captured by the Muslims in the 700's and then taken over by the Catholic King of Castile in 1236. We visited the great mosque of Cordoba that was converted into a cathedral after Cordoba was reconquered by the Christians. Pictures below...
(The many Moorish [Muslim] arches at the mosque/cathedral)
(a sweet stained glass Jesus at the mosque, put up by the Christian conquerors of course)
(a great example of the religion clash so common in Spain: a crucifix centered around the Muslim arches)
***
On Saturday, we went to the Giralda Tower on the Cathedral and the Royal Palace during our second excursion in Sevilla. It was absolutely stunning, as the pictures below will show.
(the tomb of Christopher Columbus, en La Catedral)
(from L to R: my friends Kolby, Ashlee 1, Carolynn, me, and Ashlee 2 in the Palace courtyards)
Saturday night, my friend Kolby and I met these kids from Germany, Sweden and Serbia, who are here studying as well. Communicating with them in Spanish, English, and a little German was one of the coolest experiences I've had here so far. Meeting new people is an amazing thing, but meeting really cool new people from foreign lands is that much more amazing. Their names were Djurdja, Arvid, and Anna. Awesome people. I hope to see them again whilst in Sevilla.
I went to mass at the Cathedral on Sunday in Sevilla and it was interesting to say the least. The priest showed no emotion... ever... and of course I understood very little. But simply attending a mass in one of the largest gothic cathedrals on the earth is such a cool feat, so the experience was awesome overall.
We had our second bible study tonight, and it was wonderful. God is going to do some incredible things in me and my brothers/sisters here in Spain. It's exciting!
Some Random Thoughts:
1) Oranges with honey (naranjas con miel) are my new favorite dessert.
2) Ice Cream (helado) here is basically heaven on earth. No lies.
3) Obama's inauguration wasn't as big a deal here as I thought it would be. No parades, riots, crying, or kissing. Just work the next day.
4) My travel writing class is awesome. By the end of the semester I will have some really nice essays I will be glad I took the time to write about this semester.
5) Morocco will be a nice change from the typical, "Go here, see this architecture... go here, see this cathedral" we have been doing on the excursions.
6) Things aren't always amazing, believe me... I miss lots of things from home, such as:
-hanging out at people's houses (they do not invite others over... EVER)
-Dr. Pepper (no where to be found in Spain)
-live music shows (rock, GOOD jazz, etc.)
-playing my horn... not having my trombone and playing jazz really bites
-people/buses actually being on time for things (the Spaniards have a very lazy concept of time)
One more photo
(a group of us went to Pizza Hut by the Nervion Plaza, b/c we were feeling a lil' homesick, and we by chance randomly sat segregated guys and girls... weird, huh?)
Anyways, until next time...
Peace, love and God bless,
Noel
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Rainy Day...
¡Hola a todos!
It is rainy in Sevilla today. And very humid. I feel like I'm right back in Houston, kind of... haha.
Things have been going well for the most part. We had our first TTU Sevilla bible study on Monday at 7 at the center. We had a good turn out (about 15 or so) and did mostly discussion based study. We found out that the University of North Carolina in Sevilla Center has a bible study too, so in the future we may have some joint bible studies here in Seville! Super cool.
Tuesday was awesome. Why? Some Tech guys found a place to hoop it up! A gym in the southern part of the city has free basketball on Tuesday nights and a few of us Americans went and showed the Spanish how we play the game. That Pau Gasol guy is overrated anyways... Basketball was great fun, and I'm hoping to play every Tuesday night. Also, I finialized my plans to go to Morocco soon. I am going with a tour group based out of Sevilla (don't worry, they are legit and very safe) and will be cave exploring and riding on camels. How sweet is that?!?
Wed. was David's birthday, so we went out to celebrate! He turned 22 and basically the entire Tech crew went out with us to celebrate, so that was really a cool thing for him.
We go to Córdoba this weekend, and I am super pumped. I know it's gonna be awesome! I will put pictures up of Córdoba and other various things when I get back from the weekend.
Until next time... ¡Adios, America!
Peace, love and God bless,
-Noel
It is rainy in Sevilla today. And very humid. I feel like I'm right back in Houston, kind of... haha.
Things have been going well for the most part. We had our first TTU Sevilla bible study on Monday at 7 at the center. We had a good turn out (about 15 or so) and did mostly discussion based study. We found out that the University of North Carolina in Sevilla Center has a bible study too, so in the future we may have some joint bible studies here in Seville! Super cool.
Tuesday was awesome. Why? Some Tech guys found a place to hoop it up! A gym in the southern part of the city has free basketball on Tuesday nights and a few of us Americans went and showed the Spanish how we play the game. That Pau Gasol guy is overrated anyways... Basketball was great fun, and I'm hoping to play every Tuesday night. Also, I finialized my plans to go to Morocco soon. I am going with a tour group based out of Sevilla (don't worry, they are legit and very safe) and will be cave exploring and riding on camels. How sweet is that?!?
Wed. was David's birthday, so we went out to celebrate! He turned 22 and basically the entire Tech crew went out with us to celebrate, so that was really a cool thing for him.
We go to Córdoba this weekend, and I am super pumped. I know it's gonna be awesome! I will put pictures up of Córdoba and other various things when I get back from the weekend.
Until next time... ¡Adios, America!
Peace, love and God bless,
-Noel
Sunday, January 18, 2009
I HAVE MY LUGGAGE! ...and Italica was sweet, too...
Hello, gang!
Most important news, first... I HAVE MY BAG! British Airways got it to me on Friday, finally. It feels amazing to have my bag with all my clothes, toiletries and all that jazz. I filed my claim with BA for a whole whopping 40 Euro (I went shopping Thursday afternoon and bought some shoes, socks, shirts, pretty sweet stuff all on sale!).
We took a trip to Italica this past weekend, and it was pretty stinkin' sweet. Italica is a city about 10 minutes outside of Sevilla, built by the Romans 1600 years ago, and it's amazing how much of it still stands today. Pictures are below:
The remains of the gladiator arena in Italica
More of the arena
One of the theaters still standing that provided entertainment for the Romans
After Italica, a large group of us went out on the town back in Sevilla to celebrate some birthdays. Below are a couple photos of the nightlife!
Most important news, first... I HAVE MY BAG! British Airways got it to me on Friday, finally. It feels amazing to have my bag with all my clothes, toiletries and all that jazz. I filed my claim with BA for a whole whopping 40 Euro (I went shopping Thursday afternoon and bought some shoes, socks, shirts, pretty sweet stuff all on sale!).
We took a trip to Italica this past weekend, and it was pretty stinkin' sweet. Italica is a city about 10 minutes outside of Sevilla, built by the Romans 1600 years ago, and it's amazing how much of it still stands today. Pictures are below:
The remains of the gladiator arena in Italica
More of the arena
One of the theaters still standing that provided entertainment for the Romans
After Italica, a large group of us went out on the town back in Sevilla to celebrate some birthdays. Below are a couple photos of the nightlife!
Me, Florencio, and Jennifer out on the town
A group of us at the Plaza Nueva
Hope you enjoy the pics, and until next time...
Peace, love and God bless,
-Noel
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
It's official. British Airways stinks...
So, I still don't have luggage. No bueno. The only silver lining is that because it has been missing for 7 days, I get to buy things here in Seville and BA will have to pay me back as long as I keep the receipts and spend under 800 Euros. So I think I'm going shopping tomorrow, haha. I did REALLY want a Spain futbol jersey... hmmm...
Classes started Monday, and they are great so far. My schedule is like so:
M - F --> Spanish from 9 to noon
T and Th only --> Travel Writing from 12:30 to 14:00 (2pm, although they use military time)
In Spanish, we get to go out into the city almost everyday during class and get to use what we just learned in the classroom. It is wonderful! My teacher is fantastic, and my class is the perfect size (18 or so).
My Travel Writing class is pretty cool as well. I will be writing A LOT, so that's some work, but I know in the end I will be glad, because we are basically journaling our time here everyday in Sevilla and the other various places we travel to. So even though the writing may seem tedious now, when I want to reminisce about this trip I will have a journal right there I can refer to!
So, as a reference to you- this is what my day in total looks like here in Spain...
-Breakfast at 8:00, usually toast with chocolate/peanut-butter spread.
-Catch the bus at 8:30, start class in the Center at 9:00
-Break from 12 to 12:30, lots of us students go to the cafe around the corner to get a cafe con leche (coffee w/ milk) or a bocadillo (mini sandwich)
-on T and TR, class at 12:30
-lunch at mi casa at 14:30 or so
-NAP TIME, aka 'siesta'
-go explore the town, do homework, or go hang out at the TTU Center around 18:00
-bible study at the Center on Mondays at 19:00, dance class (Flamenco y Sevillanos y Rhumba) at Center on Wed at 19:30
-dinner at 21:00
-go to bed around 0:30 or so
Sound like a full day? It is. That's why this city has to have its siesta from 2 - 5. I think America should adopt this idea, haha. Until next time, adios amigos!
Peace, love and God bless,
-Noel
Classes started Monday, and they are great so far. My schedule is like so:
M - F --> Spanish from 9 to noon
T and Th only --> Travel Writing from 12:30 to 14:00 (2pm, although they use military time)
In Spanish, we get to go out into the city almost everyday during class and get to use what we just learned in the classroom. It is wonderful! My teacher is fantastic, and my class is the perfect size (18 or so).
My Travel Writing class is pretty cool as well. I will be writing A LOT, so that's some work, but I know in the end I will be glad, because we are basically journaling our time here everyday in Sevilla and the other various places we travel to. So even though the writing may seem tedious now, when I want to reminisce about this trip I will have a journal right there I can refer to!
So, as a reference to you- this is what my day in total looks like here in Spain...
-Breakfast at 8:00, usually toast with chocolate/peanut-butter spread.
-Catch the bus at 8:30, start class in the Center at 9:00
-Break from 12 to 12:30, lots of us students go to the cafe around the corner to get a cafe con leche (coffee w/ milk) or a bocadillo (mini sandwich)
-on T and TR, class at 12:30
-lunch at mi casa at 14:30 or so
-NAP TIME, aka 'siesta'
-go explore the town, do homework, or go hang out at the TTU Center around 18:00
-bible study at the Center on Mondays at 19:00, dance class (Flamenco y Sevillanos y Rhumba) at Center on Wed at 19:30
-dinner at 21:00
-go to bed around 0:30 or so
Sound like a full day? It is. That's why this city has to have its siesta from 2 - 5. I think America should adopt this idea, haha. Until next time, adios amigos!
Peace, love and God bless,
-Noel
Monday, January 12, 2009
Let's catch up on photos...
Finally, I can show you guys some photos!
From left to right, me, Jose, Adriana, and Mallory- along with the other table not shown with David and Micah and others tried this tapas bar that brewed their own cerveza. None of the three brews were very good, as evident by my small amount shown that I poured into my own glass. But the tapas were amazing! I had ribs dipped in honey and Jose and Adriana had horse meat with queso.
This is the home (it's pink) of the Catholic Cardinal of Sevilla. He received many votes for the papacy a few years ago.
The famous Cathedral at night time
David and I (our friend Kimberly took the photo) on 'Sierpe', a street known for its snake like shape and amazing shopping
This is the bridge we (David, I, and our neighbors Kimberly and Mallory) cross on bus everyday to get to school. School is on the east side, and we live on the southwest side of the river.
I will blog tomorrow, so check again soon!
Adios...
Peace, love and God bless,
-Noel
From left to right, me, Jose, Adriana, and Mallory- along with the other table not shown with David and Micah and others tried this tapas bar that brewed their own cerveza. None of the three brews were very good, as evident by my small amount shown that I poured into my own glass. But the tapas were amazing! I had ribs dipped in honey and Jose and Adriana had horse meat with queso.
This is the home (it's pink) of the Catholic Cardinal of Sevilla. He received many votes for the papacy a few years ago.
The famous Cathedral at night time
David and I (our friend Kimberly took the photo) on 'Sierpe', a street known for its snake like shape and amazing shopping
This is the bridge we (David, I, and our neighbors Kimberly and Mallory) cross on bus everyday to get to school. School is on the east side, and we live on the southwest side of the river.
I will blog tomorrow, so check again soon!
Adios...
Peace, love and God bless,
-Noel
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Some beginning observations and notes...
1) My house mother really enjoys American music, especially Beyonce, Katy Perry, Aretha Franklin and Alicia Keyes (weird mix, isn't it?)
2) "Vale" is slang for "okay"
3) Sevilla is incredibly confusing to get around in, even with a map. There are so many streets in a one block radius. And the maps aren't directed towards north. I have gotten really really lost 3 times or so already. No bueno.
4) People here love 'The Simpsons'
5) They are not lying when they say that nothing even starts til 1 am
6) Spaniards are patient when conversing with English speakers; they try to slowly speak some English while we try to speak some Spanish to them. Win - win!
7) If you are over 6' tall, you are a giant
8) Hace frio!
9) I still don't have my luggage. Darn British Airways. Can never trust the British.. haha
Mas lunes o martes. Adios!
Peace, love, and God bless,
-Noel
2) "Vale" is slang for "okay"
3) Sevilla is incredibly confusing to get around in, even with a map. There are so many streets in a one block radius. And the maps aren't directed towards north. I have gotten really really lost 3 times or so already. No bueno.
4) People here love 'The Simpsons'
5) They are not lying when they say that nothing even starts til 1 am
6) Spaniards are patient when conversing with English speakers; they try to slowly speak some English while we try to speak some Spanish to them. Win - win!
7) If you are over 6' tall, you are a giant
8) Hace frio!
9) I still don't have my luggage. Darn British Airways. Can never trust the British.. haha
Mas lunes o martes. Adios!
Peace, love, and God bless,
-Noel
Thursday, January 8, 2009
After two days...
Well... I'm here! I made it to Sevilla, finally.
After some baggage and luggage mishaps, and some flight delays, and running through London Heathrow to catch our flight to Madrid, I was able to exchange my earlier train ticket and catch the high speed train going toward Sevilla. The flight was just fine, and the train ride was great! Such a cool train with a nice cafe and everything.
The hotel we are staying at right now (Fernando III) is pretty great, and the weather has been quite different than I thought it would be (it is supposed to snow tomorrow, yikes).
Anyways, haven't seen or done too much, yet. We have walked around the city some, figured out our way to the Tech campus, and I have heard Chicago's "If You Leave Me Now" about three times in different stores and such. Also, the mullet is alive and thriving on the heads of older Spanish men!
Pictures will come soon, but until then...
EDIT: My two pictures thus far- (I have been exploring so much, more pics will come soon, I promise!)
One of the oldest European Cathedrals, in Sevilla
En la Universidad de Texas Tech, se habla Espanol... no Ingles para mi!
Peace, love, and God bless,
-Noel
After some baggage and luggage mishaps, and some flight delays, and running through London Heathrow to catch our flight to Madrid, I was able to exchange my earlier train ticket and catch the high speed train going toward Sevilla. The flight was just fine, and the train ride was great! Such a cool train with a nice cafe and everything.
The hotel we are staying at right now (Fernando III) is pretty great, and the weather has been quite different than I thought it would be (it is supposed to snow tomorrow, yikes).
Anyways, haven't seen or done too much, yet. We have walked around the city some, figured out our way to the Tech campus, and I have heard Chicago's "If You Leave Me Now" about three times in different stores and such. Also, the mullet is alive and thriving on the heads of older Spanish men!
Pictures will come soon, but until then...
EDIT: My two pictures thus far- (I have been exploring so much, more pics will come soon, I promise!)
One of the oldest European Cathedrals, in Sevilla
En la Universidad de Texas Tech, se habla Espanol... no Ingles para mi!
Peace, love, and God bless,
-Noel
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