I Want to Travel the World

Santander: My First Time Out of the Basque Country!

2012-08-03T11:43:00.003-07:00

Last weekend I left the Basque country for the first time for Santander! Located in Cantabria, west of Bilbao but still right along the north coast, Santander is a wonderful city. It is the perfect combo of beaches, mountains, and a nice little city with beautiful architecture and so many kind and welcoming people!

Meet my tour guide for my stay: Antonio!

A last minute find on my favorite site, couch surfers! Not only did he give me a free place to stay (my own room and everything!) but he showed me all the sites his city has to offer, for the low cost of one beer per hour! Okay, maybe I didn’t buy him that many beers, but I tried my best to pay him back.

We walked all around the city, taking in the sights, and I enjoyed every minute of it! We went to a small, outdoor, free zoo-type-thing that had sea lions, a penguin that may or may not have been alive, and ducks! Where I come from ducks are in every pond you see, but hey! I guess in Spain they are more exotic? There were amazing views of the beach and the ocean from here too. This was my first trip where I was able to get some pictures with me in them! (Thanks Antonio!)

We went to a huge palace that was constructed for the King but is now used as a library for a University.

Inside the Palace.. not sure who these people are, but i'm looking good!

After getting a HUGE ice cream cone (Hazelnut for me!) we took a ferry to a Peninsula across from the city called Somo. It was a less crowded beach with a couple of bars and drunk twenty-something men singing Spanish songs. Antonio and I took a long walk around the peninsula (which for a while I thought was an island). I took pictures, talked politics, and enjoyed the sand between my toes!

Then Antonio took me up what I would call an ‘incline’… but I think that is just the name of the one in Pittsburgh that I’m used to. I’m not really sure what they’re actually called. But it’s like a slanted elevator up a small mountain. There I got some of my favorite pictures from my trip! Including what is now my facebook cover photo, haha.

We took a small rest back at Antonio’s place and headed out to meet up with some other couch surfers and some locals to celebrate the festival! The rest of the night was a little more walking, a lot more talking, some yummy pinchos and a few drinks!

The next morning I parted ways with my wonderful host and got some breakfast then went to the beach for a few hours before it was time to catch my bus home.

My short weekend trips to nearby cities have absolutely been my favorite part of living in Spain for the summer :)

Vizcaya Bridge

2012-07-29T07:12:00.000-07:00

These are pictures from a recent excursion with my girls.

We went to the Vizcaya Bridge in Portugalete!

It is a suspension bridge which people use to get back and forth between the rich and poor sides of the city separated by the Nervion river.

It is the worlds oldest transporter bridge and

it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

If you're interested in learning more about it you can read here

We were able to take an elevator to the top of the bridge for beautiful views!

SAN FERMIN: The Biggest Party in Spain

2012-07-14T15:38:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was San Fermin! It was a much needed weekend of partying and being with other travelers. San Fermin is a festival held in Pamplona, Spain, about a three hour trip away from where I’m staying in Gorliz. It is most famous for the running of the bulls! For me, this weekend was not about the traditional “events” like the bull fighting and running with the bulls, but about meeting up with other travelers and having the opportunity to see a new city with others my own age. It was such a relief to talk with people that spoke English perfectly. I even met two other au pair girls from the States.

I had been planning to meet up with other travelers on Couch Surfers. If you’re not already familiar with this site, it connects people from all around the world. It allows travelers to search for people that are willing to host them for a night or a weekend. The traveler can get a free place to stay as well as meat a local and learn about their city. It is a community based on trust and the common goal of seeing the world, and showing your world to others. I absolutely love it! It also offers a place to create activities and meet ups. This Pamplona “meet up” group of couch surfers had planned where and when to meet on different days.

As I got off my bus, I was twenty minutes early for the meet up so I walked around for a few minutes before just settling in the meet up spot. It took me about ten minutes to realize there were two guys sitting right next to me holding up a little sign facing the other way. “What does your sign say?” I asked. They faced it towards me, “CS”. Couch surfers! And that was the beginning to a great weekend!

The first guys I met were from Argentina and London, then a few minutes later a guy from Michigan, and another from Sweden showed up. We made our way to a four start hotel room. Oh, does that not sound right? That was not a typo.. a group of couch surfers known for staying with people for free stayed at a beautiful four star hotel room. How? On the couch surfers meet up discussion, a fellow couch surfer from Germany was going to stay the night and had booked a hotel room. His flight got canceled and he wasn’t going to make it. It was too late to cancel his reservation so he gave it to couch surfers, for FREE!

The four boys went to take a nap at the hotel, still exhausted from the night before. I wandered around the crowded streets taking pictures and taking in the sights and entertainment. There were street performers on every corner: dancers, singers, musicians, and other weird little attempts at making some money off the huge amounts of people that come to their city to celebrate (check out the videos below!). Everyone wore white and red (including me). I mean everyone. I saw one or two people that were wearing normal clothes and everyone stared at them. Good thing I googled “what to wear to San Fermin”.

The next meet up, I was the one with the sign. Being the only female couch surfer at the time, my skills at writing “CS” were the highest. Next came two guys from India, an Armenian guy who grew up in Syria but was living in France (that took the whole weekend to get straight), and from there it’s a long list. But at one point there was a group of over twenty also including people from Mexico, Brazil, Ireland, Germany, and the States.

Then it was time to get the partying started. With a large bottle of Sangria in hand, we began to have a good time!

When in Pamplona…

As the night went on, we followed bands through the small and busy streets dancing and drinking! There were water guns filled with wine and beer being squirted into everyone’s mouths. Good luck trying to stay sober at a festival like San Fermin!

I was dancing through the streets and clinging bottles for a cheers with people from all over the world. We were all so different, but had so many common goals. To see the world, meet new people, try new things, and have a great time!

So the next morning I may have missed watching the 7am bull run due to seven people sleeping through three alarms… but like I said, that wasn’t really why I was there!

“We’ll always have Pamplona!”

A Day in Vitoria-Gasteiz!

2012-07-01T10:47:00.000-07:00

This was my first day trip outside of Gorliz flying solo. My host father luckily had to go into Bilbao to buy some things so he dropped me off at the bus station. “Un ticket para Vitoria por favor!” (I had rehearsed that once or twice). I took a short 45 minute ride to the green capital of Europe 2012: Vitoria. What the bus ride lacked in culture (comparing it to my bus and combi riding days in Africa full of African music, chickens at my feet, and people trying to sell me things at every stop) it made up for in ease and comfort.

My only goals were to see the contemporary art museum, walk around, and take pictures; nothing too difficult. I had printed a map with a highlighted path of how to get to the tourist office for some real maps. I stepped off the bus and of course I was already lost. I ended up just walking until I found signs for “oficina de turismo”. Over an hour after getting maps and just wondering around trying to find the popular cathedrals, etc. I realized I had the map facing the wrong way and I wasn’t even looking at what I thought I was. But hey, I just wanted to see the city so it didn’t matter much to me.

After wondering around for a few hours, going to the Atrium: a contemporary art museum, going into a few little shops and a beautiful church, I wanted to try my Spanish and order some pinxtos at a bar! I walk in and see my fav: tortilla de patata but this one had cheese and ham inside! The guys that were talking at the bar all stare at me. I point saying, “Cuantos… cues….?” The bartender laughs, “Yeah, cuanto cuesta.” From then on he explained everything in English and I responded in English. “How much does this cost?” I had practiced that a million times! Oh well, I got an amazing tortilla de patata at Mallory’s and the guy even gave me a huge slice, I think he may have felt bad for me or something. With bread and a drink it only costs 3.50 Euros!

Right next door I was eyeing this ice cream place called HUMMM. It was empty… less people to embarrass myself in front of maybe? I went in and ordered this yummy gelato, one scoop of Oreo and one of dolce de leche. I used my little bit of Spanish and a lot of pointing. Me and the young girl working there ended up laughing as I said, “No hablo espanol muy bien” and she explained in Spanish that she doesn’t know any English. I liked that better than the bartender just automatically talking to me in English. I’d rather struggle with the Spanish. That night when I returned home I even tried looking to see if HUMMM has other locations near Gorliz… it doesn’t look like it, but I’ll be on the lookout. It was worth the calories for sure!

Picture taken from HUMMM's website

Where to for my next weekend getaway? Pamplona for San Fermin to watch the running of the bulls!

How to make Tortilla de Patata!

2012-06-22T07:03:00.000-07:00

Tortilla de Patata is a Spanish potato omelet. It was actually the first Spanish food I ate while in Spain. Go into any restaurant or bar and they will probably have one. It is a very popular pinxtos (The basque name for tapas, pronounced peenchos). It might seem more like a breakfast food but they eat it for a snack or for lunch or dinner. They are also made with meats and cheeses put into the middle, but for now I am mastering the basic Tortilla de Patata. With only a few ingredients that you most likely have at home.. give it a try!

These are pictures from when I made two small tortilla de patatas at home with my host father and sister.

My host father explained that he takes one potato per person plus 2 potatoes. So if you're making this for a family of 5, you should use 7 potatoes. If you're just making it for yourself or maybe one other person, you could still make extra and save it for the next day. Here, it is common to eat the left overs the next day on a sandwich!

Ingredients:

6 potatoes

6 or 7 eggs (I think we ended up using 7)

half a large onion

1/4 - 1/2 cup of milk

olive oil

salt

1. Peel potatoes

2. Chop up potatoes!

You can just chop it into small-ish chunks if you'd like. My host father says his family chops it up more in random pieces like in the picture below.

3. Heat a pan of olive oil over high heat.

Test to make sure it is hot enough by adding one piece of potato and making sure it bubbles

4. Add potatoes to the pan

Lower heat slighty

Stir every couple of minutes for even cooking

5. After the potatoes are half way done, add half a diced onion (After about 5 or 6 minutes of cooking)

6. Cook for another 5-6 minutes or until potatoes are completely cooked and just starting to brown

7. While the potatoes are cooking...

Mix 6 or 7 eggs (about same amount as potatoes used)

Add a good splash of milk

Whisk together for a few minutes until there is no separation

Add a little salt

8. Take potatoes out of pan and drain oil

Place on paper towel to remove access oil

9. Add potatoes into the egg mixture

10. mix together slowly making sure you don't mash up all the potatoes.

11. Heat pan and add a little olive oil

We used a smaller pan and made two because they're easier to flip (so I suggest doing this)

You could also use one large pan instead

12. If using small pans like we did, add half the mixture to the pan, then decrease the heat to low-medium

13. Cover and cook

Keep an eye on it... you want it to be more than half way cooked through so you're able to flip it onto a plate.. but the top should still be raw egg and you don't want the bottom to be burnt

About 8-12 minutes maybe

14. Now is the tricky part... The Flip!

I took a video of my host father doing it so you could see what to do.

Flip the omelet onto a plate

Turn up the heat and add more oil to the pan

Slowly return the omelet to the pan, raw egg side down of course

15. Cook for just another 1-2 minutes and its done!

This one was mine! YUM!

Ta-dah!! Tortilla de Patata, a Spanish omelet! Give it a try and let me know how it turns out!

Hola Gorliz!

2012-06-17T04:12:00.000-07:00

Getting ready to leave for Spain, I was more nervous than when I was leaving for Africa. For studying in Botswana I had pre-departure orientations which included power points and discussion on what to expect. I knew I was going to be taking classes and living in a dorm and I knew there would be other international students in the same situation. For Spain there was more fear of the unknown.

I had met a family through one of the two au pairing websites that I created profiles on – greataupair.com. I sent and received over a hundred messages between the two sites from families all over the world. I finally found a family that was the perfect fit!

WHERE AM I?

I am now in Gorliz, Spain in the beautiful Basque Country. It is along the northern coast about 40 minutes away from the city of Bilbao. It is about 4 hours from Madrid, in central Spain. The Basque people are their own ethnicity with their own language (completely different from Spanish and I have heard it is extremely difficult to learn). My family, made up of a mother, father, and two daughters (8 and 12), live in a nice, simple home 15 minutes walking distance to the beautiful beach!

THE FOOD

I was nervous about the Spanish cuisine as well. My travel book told me that squid, octopus, and baby eels were a common treat in the Basque country. None of which I even had the slightest desire to try. But when I got here, my first meal with the family was spaghetti! They had homemade tomato and pesto sauces. My second night: hamburgers! Had I even left the States? The food has been pretty wonderful. There are different Spanish dishes, but they are simple and have similar flavors to foods I am used to (so far). The most popular dish in Spain I am told is Tortilla de Patata (I had guessed Paella but was wrong). My host father taught me how to make it! It is basically a potato omelet.. and then you can put anything in it that you want. Soon, I’ll try to make my own and see how it comes out. I’ll take a picture to show you guys.

[Chicken and Pork paella prepared by my host father]

Although they do seem to fry a lot of things here, I do feel like I am eating healthier. Salad dressings do not even seem to exist. I’ve given up my fatty Ranch for olive oil and either balsamic vinegar or lemon juice (my brother Corey will be so proud). Eating fruit and yogurt after lunch and dinner is expected, and keeps me from eating too much of the main meal so I have room for the healthy dessert.

Every week day I eat lunch with my little sister at her grandparents’ house. They prepare a full on meal, so delicious! One day last week they baked chicken with whole apples, to make the chicken a little sweet and moist. Then, I got to eat one of the baked apples like a dessert, yum! The other wonderful thing about eating with the grandparents is that they don’t speak a word of English. I do my best to make sense of what they’re talking about or asking based on the little Spanish that I know and gestures, and if unsuccessful, my little sister translates.

MY JOB

So, if you don’t know, an au pair usually is like a nanny; takes care of the children and commonly lives with the family. It is also common for families to look for au pairs from other countries to help their children with that language. In my case, I am taking care of two girls who are learning English. My job is to take care of them and entertain them while only speaking English. They must only speak English to me as well during my “work hours”. My normal hours will start next week: 9-2:30 Monday-Friday. For the first two weeks I have been working 7:30-1:30 because the youngest girl is still in school. Here is an example of a work day.

7:15 – Wake up and somewhat get ready

7:30 – wake up the youngest girl, and get her ready for school (make her breakfast, etc).

8:10 – Walk to the bus stop

8:20 – Return to the house and finish getting ready and making my bed (its in my contract to keep my room clean!... even though they have a house cleaner that cleans my room)

9:00 – Wake up the older girl

9:30 – go for a walk – to the beach, along the beach, and back home

10:30 – return home and get ready for the beach

11:00 – Go to the beach

1:00 – return home and get ready

1:30 – go to the grandparents’ house for lunch

What can I say, it’s a difficult job.

I have so much more I could say, but it is hard to pick and choose and I don’t want to write too much in one post! I am making plans to start traveling on weekends to nearby cities, so far I have only been to Bilabo. My next posts will be about learning Spanish, favorite foods and recipes, and then my travels to other cities, and life in the Basque country. I might do some all picture blog entries as well. If you have any specific questions about my travels, let me know!

Scholarships!

2012-01-16T10:55:00.000-08:00

One of the reasons many students think they should not study abroad is because they cannot afford to. But the truth is that studying abroad can be very affordable if you put the effort in. Before I decided to study abroad I was very tight on money. It helped that I was looking into African programs that were a lot less costly than traveling to Europe or Australia, but I also applied for scholarships. After the scholarship money I received, even after airfare, I ended up paying the same amount of money as if I had stayed. And I wouldn’t have been able to get those scholarships if I wasn’t studying abroad. Now that I am back, I continue to use my study abroad experience to help me apply for more scholarships. This is my entry for the Frame My Future Scholarship. All you have to do is send in a picture of any type of original art or even just a picture you took that has to do with your personal future. Take a look at the details, and apply yourself.

Through looking for scholarships for myself, I came across some great study abroad scholarships for others too. If anyone is thinking about studying abroad, check these out. There are also tons of regular scholarships if you are not looking to study abroad.

This is full of scholarships for studying abroad in Spain

This is a list based off of what year you are in school

For current Freshmen

For current Sophomores

For current Juniors

For current Seniors

Be careful that the scholarship does not say it is only for Denison students. Also, some of the information of the site will say like "deadline September 2010". Go to the actual link for the website to see if there is a new scholarship every year that you can still apply to. The dates are not all correct.

There are some other great grant, research, and internship opportunities on this site, so search around and see if you can find what you’re looking for.

Are you interested in living abroad after you graduate and making a difference? “The Samuel Huntington Public Service Award provides a $10,000 stipend for a graduating college senior to pursue one year of public service anywhere in the world”. This is something I am for sure going to consider doing after I graduate. The due date for current seniors is in January 18th, so unless you already had some sort of plan and want to submit it to them, this may be more for current juniors who want to think about applying to this next year.

Fellowship Connection is another great website for scholarships and grants. This is the page for study abroad opportunities for sophomores, juniors, and graduating seniors. Or choose your field of study on the left of the page and explore more scholarships. Many of the scholarships have to do with travel abroad but there are many local fellowships, assistantships, and scholarships as well.

The University of Iowa site has a great deal of scholarships for study aborad as well. Once you get onto the page, make sure you scroll down to External Awards, which means you do not have to be a University of Iowa student.

Also, check out your college's study abroad website for more scholarships. I got an amazing one by doing that.

I hope this was helpful to someone, let me know if you want me to help you find any other scholarship, grant, etc. opportunities.

Oh Snap!

2012-01-10T12:26:00.000-08:00

When I was in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe last spring I did something I never imagined I would have the guts to do: bungee jump. With my three other American friends we signed up to do the whole package: zip line, bungee, and swing. First you have to pretty much sign your life away. If you ask someone the risks that work there they say you’ll be fine, there’s nothing to worry about, but just in case you die please sign this paper so your family can’t sue us.

The entire experience was amazing. I was the last of my friends to bungee and had watched more than ten other go before me. I stood at the edge of the platform looking into the horizon (not because it was peaceful but because that’s what they tell you to do). Below me is the Zambezi River flowing from the falls. With no time to even think the man yells, “Three, two, one, BUNGEE!”. I jump and he pushes. At that point whether you want to go or not, you’re going. It was a rush of pure adrenaline as my body flipped, twisted, and turned up and down and all around for a 111 meter drop. At the end, with all my blood rushing to my head and a man bringing me back up to the bridge, that was it. I was fine, not even sore or anything! I then continued to do the swing which is actually way more terrifying than the bungee, but I survived that as well. After an amazing time in Zim, we went back to Gaborone and recommended it to everyone else who was going just as our friends who had already had gone recommended it to us. Everyone knew: If you go to Vic Falls, you HAVE to bungee. The chance to jump off the highest bridge in the world twice for around $100… that’s a once in a life time opportunity.

A few days ago my friend and roommate from the University of Botswana posted on my facebook wall a link. The title read “A Aussie Bungee Jumper’s Cord Snaps But Survives 111-Metre Fall,Croc-Infested African River”. I read the article which later added a video to the top. Go take a look and even watch the video where you can see the Australian girl move down the river after her bungee snaps. I then found another video which is a news cast of the bungee including a short interview with the girl where she talked about what the experience was like. I found one other article as well called, “Oh Snap! Bungee Jumper Plunges into Zambezi River at Victoria Falls”

Many of my friends I studied abroad with that also bungeed have been talking about it over facebook. Some of the ones who chose not to do it are now thinking that they made the right choice. It is crazy to think that it could have been me. What would I have done?

Needless to say, this is probably going to make it hard for them to get as much business, after that how many people trust them? And here’s my question: Before you knew about the story would you ever bungee jump? Did this accident change your mind? Or have you ever bungee jumped? Would you do it again? Let me know your thoughts!

I've got the travel bug

2012-01-09T17:49:00.000-08:00

Since I was a young girl I have been spoiled by family travel. Not spoiled like living in Paris for the summer or spending a few weeks at each Hawaiian island, but I have had opportunities for one or two week vacations to places like Cancun, the Dominican Republic, a cruise to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, Mexico, and a couple other places. I’ve vacationed in the United States as well and the summer before 6^th grade I even went on a cross country trip from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Yellowstone National Park out west. Each travel experience I have had left me wanting more; except Mount Rushmore, that shit was boring.

Last January, a year ago, I was able to study abroad in Gaborone, Botswana in southern Africa. A lot of people ask me, “Why Botswana?” and I do not have a good, short, clever, answer to that so let’s just say that I thought it would be the most culturally interesting. I wasn’t interested on going to a vacation-like spot for 5 months, I wanted to really experience a different life in a new world. Well that and I couldn’t afford to go to New Zealand. But anywhere in Africa is really what I wanted. And Africa is what I got.

If you want to read about my travels to Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe check out the blog that I kept while I was in Africa. It was the most amazing experience of my entire life.

One thing that I learned during my time abroad is that there is a big difference between going on a vacation and traveling. Growing up I mostly went on vacations; one week trips to a beach where all I did was lay on the sand hoping to get tan, swim in the ocean, eat out, and maybe meet a couple other kids by the pool. But traveling by a crowded bus and hitchhiking for a day and a half to places like Victoria Falls where I stayed at Shoestrings backpackers and got to talk with locals and go bungee jumping off the world’s highest bridge... Now that is traveling. Not to say that vacations aren’t very fun, I’ve loved every one of them! And also I think you can do some traveling while on a vacation. This past summer my mom, aunt, and I took a day excursion in the Dominican Republic to a somewhat less touristy area and to see a school, see chocolate being made, went zip lining, and almost lost a leg in a horse/truck accident… again, now that is traveling.

Now that I have really had a good taste of what it’s like to travel, I want more. It’s like having so much [insert your favorite food here] in front of you except the more you eat the more hungry you are (and pretend like calories don’t matter). I feel like the whole world is out there for me to explore and the more places I’ve been, the more I want to keep traveling; the more I want to see new things, do new things, meet new people, and the list goes on and on. I heard this Professor at this study abroad luncheon thing call it the “travel bug”. He said that when he was our age he got it, and since he’s been traveling the world every opportunity he gets. I have the travel bug, for sure.

I am not quite sure where exactly I want this blog to go. I think It’s mostly for myself, to connect with others that have a love for travel too, and also to try to reach out to those that want to travel but havn’t, or even those who don’t really think they want to travel. I can’t even fathom why most of my friends don’t really want to travel. It makes me think of a quote that I read on the ceiling of a room at Long Street backpackers in Cape Town, South Africa: “The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.”