Dear Making it Rain in Spain,
I arrived on August 28th, 2009 inspired by my desire to learn the Spanish language and immerse myself in the culture of Barcelona. I wore plaid shorts, a white tee, and my heart-melting Jesus Christ sandals. I was ready for the experience, and I wanted it to be life-changing.I left December 22, 2009 with a mullet as a changed human being, and jeans with more zippers than Tiger Woods has mistresses.
Throughout the course of my trip, I met young and old, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Swiss, German, and Catalan. I met an old man encouraging me to spread my wings, to meet others, and reminded me that you can still be a Casanova at the fresh age of 75. I met a bartender at our first hotel who advised me to not worry if an obstacle came in my way. She asked that I accept the differences between her country and mine and learn; take advantage of the next four months. I met almost 45 students in my program CASB from the Poison IVY to the University of the Redwood Forest who offered dynamic personalities, shared goals of obtaining a higher skill level in Spanish and wanted to improve as human beings, which I think for some was a success and for others, let’s just say, When in Spain, do not do as the Romans do! I met Juanjo and Teresa, the program directors who acted as my Spanish parents guiding my way through my experience. All of these individuals I will miss, (but that’s why we have Facebook!! - May God Help us All on that one)
So where did I go and what did I do? I began by jumping off a 30 foot cliff into the Tossa of the Sea. I walked to the westernmost point of Occidental Europe, and drank Guarana, a new favorite beverage (non-alcoholic for all you University kids). I Louvred the Eiffel Tower, and she loved me. I Pyreneesed my pants when I saw such mountains at the northern frontier of Spain. I witnessed the expansion of the Catholic church, and the pure detail to which the church pursued both art and moral guidelines. I stepped inside the mind of Dali, then bounced out of there ASAP…Surrealism is one hell of a drug! I soared above the Swiss Alps with their Piranha peaks and ice blonde hair, I hope one day to return to complete my goal of skydiving. Between all of these adventures, I sunk into bistec a la plancha during many Menus del Dia, vaig parlar una mica de l’catala, and I walked down to the beach past my university and soaked in the sun…SPF Z80 baby!
What did I learn? Well first, the key to a woman’s heart is through …. just kidding, but hollar at me Shakira when you see me on the streets. I learned that the ability to communicate with effectively with others opens doors and solidifies friendships. I learned that the US way of life, may not necessarily be the best. I learned that working from 9 to 5 is a norm back home, but we need to work to live and not live to work. I learned that the people that mean most of you find a way into your life, take interest in your life, and will always wish you the best. I learned once again that without my parents, well, I do not know where I would be. They have provided me with so many of the tools necessary to succeed that I am doing my best to make lemonade…
So what I leave this blog is this: You never know when your path might cross with someone who will change your life forever. You never know where you will go and where you will be, but you must have faith that in the present, you can make the most of your opportunities, and by living in the moment, the future will take care of itself. I have been incredibly blessed with such an opportunity…an opportunity I wish for all.
Thank you to everyone who have provided me with support, offered guidance, and that are a part of my life. I hope you all enjoyed the blog as much as I did. I hope everyone has a blessed and warm Christmas and enjoys the New Year of 2010.
Whether or not you ever make it to Spain, do your best to enjoy the present, learn from the past, and be ready for the future…
…and Make it Rain,
Zach
Thanks for staying posted to the blog, my final post for my trip in Spain will be Monday night.
Stay warm, stay happy-
Sevilla, Spain. Located in the southern state of Andalucia is a perfect location for a common theme on my trip: couples looking to enjoy a beautiful and authentic city with great food and nightlife.
I left on Wednesday night for Sevilla with my friend Danny and his friend Pierre. We did not see much Wednesday but we headed out with their good friend Luke on the town and arrived back the next morning at 6 am. Good start to the trip…
Thursday we took more of the tourist approach to the city. During the afternoon we saw the Cathedral of Sevilla and La Alcazar, a royal palace created for the King of Sevilla back when Sevilla was the capital of Spain. The Cathedral was stunning and again, it sparked some discussion about the role of the church in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. It’s possible to look at the Catholic church either as an authoritarian figure with large, dark and detailed churches that instilled fear in their followers as a device for control….or it’s more of an “awe” factor that through the beauty, the stained glass, and open doors of the church welcomed those lost in their journey or already faithful followers. In my opinion it’s a mix of both.
The Alcazar was our next stop and provided the three of us with a welcoming feeling of warmth. Moorish influence in its design, there are many open spaces and water runs throughout each room…like the palace is a part of nature.
The following day we left early at around 8 45 am for our 9 30 bus to Granada, another beautiful authentic Spanish feeling city. The main spot in Granada is the palace: La Alhambra. It is one of the most visited attractions in the world, and for good reason. The palace looks out to all of Granada and the surrounding cities. It was one of the most relaxing places I visited and viewed in my time here. There are so many beautiful gardens, balconies, and panoramic open spaces it is tough to comprehend how large the Palace is. At one point in time, it took my friends and I 25 minutes to walk from one end of the Palace to the other.
I could see my family living there and really struggling. Already my mom will sometimes use her cell phone to call my brother down for dinner from his sports dungeon of a room. Now try doing that at La Alhambra.
“Yeah, ma, I’ll be home in an hour!” ..
“But we live in the same house!”
“Zach is my favorite son!!!”
Just kidding, Marty, Merry Christmas, hermano.
So Granada was beautiful as was Sevilla. I forgot to mention though that I also attended a flamenco show. I was sweating just from watching the intense clicking of their heels, and quite possibly also because one of the Flamenco lady dancers asked for my phone number. I was so nervous I gave her 411…in case she wants more information???
As Christmas is now approaching, I am definitely winding down here in Spain as are the rest of the students in my program. Ideally, I think most of us would love to go back home for a month and then come back for another semester abroad. I think more than anything I have gained a new addiction of mine in addition to Arnold Palmer drinks, golf, Tiger Woods the golfer (how could you man??), and sweetarts: Traveling.
Ozi left this morning awaiting the wonders of the USA once again after a 15 day stay in Barca. I do not know if he made his flight, but I imagine he did.
These photos wrap up the rest of his time here…although I am sure he will post more from the near 500-600 we took while he made his way through France and Spain.
—————-
This wednesday I have a final presentation before I am completely finished with classes, and then I am off to Seville and Granada (south of Spain). Should be a marvelous time (what an adjective!) and I then return on the 19th.
The 19th, 20th, 21st will be for goodbyes, final menu del dias, and remembering how amazing this trip was. I am sure I will start to glance back through this blog and see where I traveled, who I met, pushup jargon etc., and it makes me glad that I chose to write a blog. If anyone wants a concrete copy, I will publish the blog and charge around 400 yen for each copy…which may or may not equal 7 cents.
My next post will probably be the 19th ish or the 20th, so go ahead, fill up another cup of coffee, throw on Bing Crosby and listen to that Christmas music we know and love!
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,
Zach
(Many pictures to post here, maintain your focus!!)
So as detailed earlier in a past blog entry, Ozi and I decided to head to Paris for a few days starting early last Thursday morning. We woke up around 5 am, did some bicep curls (Rule #192: Never break good habits when getting toned around Christmas time), and then left for Paris.
How much French did Ozi and I know? As you might have been able to guess, we knew tons! Je Vous Drei…Bonjour, Oui, L’addition, daysolay, Je no parle pas francais etc. In english, we could say, “I would like”, “Good day!”, “Yes!”, “the check! Garzon!” “Im sorry”, “I do not speak french!” But why would we use that last one when we could speak french? For our first meal and practice with the French language we went to the Louvre. We sat down at a nice little cafe with women between the ages of 35-75, which means that the food is awesome and there is good service. One thing you learn as a man in this world is that women between these ages are always right, no matter what you think or say, do not attempt to change her mind. This is tough to follow when talking about sports (jk, sometimes) but extremely useful when choosing a restaurant.
So Ozi and I sat down, were spoke to in French and decided to order pate avec campagnes. According to my cheat sheet provided to me by my friend Angela (fluent in French), pate was pasta..and I thought the other word was mushrooms based on its similarity to the spanish word for mushrooms….What was it?? None other than liver sausage patties! We were hungry, but I will never eat liver sausage again. The rest of the meal luckily faired pretty well with some chicken.
After our meal, we headed for about a 5-6 hour walk around the heart of Paris. Starting at the Louvre we walked along the river through parks, a small arc de triumpf, passed by a ferris wheel and obelisk stolen from Egypt by the French, smelled the aroma of a Christmas market, were asked by a gypsy if we spoke English, and then found our way at the end of the Champs L’Elysees (I can’t spell in French) and stood beneath the original gigantic Arc de Triumph!
Already through this walk Ozi and I thought the city was absolutely gorgeous. We left then for the Eiffel Tower. This tower is large and perfectly emblematic of Paris as a city. We watched the tower for a couple of hours until making our way to the top and viewing the rest of the city.
Note to self: Next time in Paris, bring a lady-friend…the city was way too romantic for Ozi and I….also, do not stay in a hostel of 8 people because sometimes the romantic environment of Paris finds its way into the bed next to you and two aussies might think it’s a good idea to have a little Rendezvous in the bed next to you….
The following day Ozi and I went to Notre Dame and wandered through the Latin Quarter and the rest of Paris that we had yet to see. Notre Dame was beautiful, it’s really a shame their football team underachieves..
In all, Paris was stunning, a bit cold, but a lot of fun. Bring your significant other and make it rain here the next time you get the chance. Do you need to know French? In my opinion, you should always know basic level phrases and pronunciations when in other country. Would you like someone walking up to you and speaking a language you do not know and expecting you to be able to communicate without problems!? Absolutely not, so listen Mr. English is a Universal Language, stereotypes about the USA can be overcome with an effort to immerse oneself in another culture. Listen, I’m not mad, but I’m always disappointed when I see tourists or english speakers think that everyone speaks the language.
Trust me, it’s fun to fail, fun to work through the culture shock of Europe and the rest of the world, even if it means eating Liver Sausage.
Enjoy the pictures, and Ozi, thank you for making the past 2 weeks memorable and hilarious. I had a great time and it was nice having a piece of home here to share with me this European journey.
Owvwa!
The Ozi-Ciszon Saga has continued over the past few days with much excitement. Early afternoon runs, late night dinners and visits to beverage locations and dancing hubs, sightseeing, and studying for finals are all of the norm around here in Barcelona currently.
As you can see from the pictures above, last night was a blast. The owner of the beverage location we were at let us pour the patrons some Guiness (good water!) and take some pictures. The pictures say enough, so I will not explain further.
Barcelona is really beautiful right now with 55-65 degree temperatures, and pink and orange skies every night. I’m really going to miss this place.
Through all the studying and paper writing I am currently finishing up, Ozi and I booked a flight to Paris for the 10th - 12th and then he leaves the 14th! Talk about an awesome trip, nothing like about 2 weeks in Europe and then heading back to Chicago and then Vegas for his birthday…I’d say that makes an awesome month.
I also booked a trip to Seville and Granada for the 16th - 19th…which should be a lot of fun and academically enriching with seeing the south of Spain.
I cannot say enough how much time speeds by. This trip has been once in a lifetime, and yes, it kind of brings a tear to my eye that I will not be here post December for a long time, who knows when.
But before I make you guys break out the Kleenex or Puffs (with aloe vera if you have one of those red crusty noses !), some quick tips of advice for the next few weeks before the big Navidad.
1) What are good gifts? Those from the heart?? Absolutely not…SEND BIG CHECKS OF …. just kidding. Making food for someone, cookies..and knitting sweaters should always be at the top of the list
2) New Moon: do not buy that movie or book, you are conforming to the Vampire Teenage Romance fad, and that’s about just as bad as conforming to Victoria’s Secret!! …Let that sink in a bit.
3) Love - make sure you love others. Hugs, kisses, the whole SHEBANG - shibang?, not sure of the spelling.
4) Watch this commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9Gix5BehVs
Guys love shoes…more than women love marriage??? hahaha
As always, peace, love, happiness, and throwing D’s
Zach
What a beginning to the Ozi Ciszoni adventures!!!
Eric Ozarowski is an individual that many know from SportsCenter and who signed with Rocafella Records back in 8th grade while wearing fogged up tinted brown glasses. However, like anyone, he was looking forward to a milestone in his career in Barcelona.
So far, it’s been a nice change of pace. Sunday we both caught up from being tired and were able to get some sleep. Monday ozi dominated by himself as I had a full day of classes. This week concludes my classes for the semester with a final on Thursday and some finals next wednesday. It has not been a tough semester, however, it’s all packed in at the end so I’m hoping I can keep knocking tests and papers off my to-do list to travel more freely at the end of my time here.
One thing I learned today is that pushups and sit-ups do not help you run..Ozi and I ran 4 miles and needless to say I felt exhausted at the end of it (sadly). Ozi’s friend Alice, a catalana that he met in Costa Rica, met us for lunch after our run and walked with us to see La Sagrada Familia. She was a lot of fun, and for having english as her third language, she spoke it with 99% fluency. She made me feel incredibly novice in my spanish abilities.
After thursday my schedule will free up and I’ll have to plan the rest of the trips until I leave. I’ll make a post of my schedule pretty soon.
Three Weeks left. Time flies when you make it rain.
Thanksgiving up in the Onix!!
So it was not exactly the United States Plymouth Rock gathering but thursday’s meal made up for not being back in Chicago with the fam. We all went out earlier in the day and purchased our Pilgrim goods. I bought bread, butter, potatoes, and chicken. My roommate Pat purchased a mix of baking goods for what he described later to be “biscuits”…they were awf…amazing.
With limited cooking resources and supplies worth of el dia de accion de gracias, Pat, myself, Danny, Maddie, and Abby made an unreal thanksgiving dinner. Danny ended up bringing a roast chicken that kind of looked and tasted like turkey. The girls added a nice mixed salad, homemade apple sauce, and gluvine - wine and apple cider served hot.
I was happy we were able to still have a Thanksgiving, although it was definitely modified to fit Spain.
We are all thankful for a lot on this trip, and it was nice to sit down and explain that to some people that are having similar experiences.
Hope everyone else had a great Thanksgiving as well. One of my best friends comes in tomorrow to Barca, Eric Ozarowski. Remember that name, he will be a legend in some way, shape, or form. Should be a fun week with him here.
Tomorrow is also the game they call “El Clasico” with Real Madrid playing against Barcelona here at Camp Nou. I’m hoping to get to some bars around the game, and maybe possibly snag some tickets if scalpers come down in price.
More updates later in the week. After I finish doing my reps of 1000 pushups, situps etc.
El ultimo fin de semana fui con mi programa al ruta de Salvador Dali. Dali era uno de los artistas mejores del mundo y descadeno un movimiento que se llama el surrealismo…
Last weekend I went with my program to the Salvador Dali Route to go to his birthplace, the Dali museum, and the castle he bought for his woman, Galarina. For those of you who have interesting friends and family in your life, Dali blows them out of the water. His house built in Portlligat Spain is set looking over the Costa Brava coastline and the jagged rocks that are the last of the Pyrenees mountains. Despite such natural beautiy, Dali decided he wanted to build his house with large stuffed bears and animals, giant eggs, naked paintings of his lady-friend, and small twin-sized satin beds. He painted many of his surrealistic works within this house, a tranquil setting for such work.
Outside of his house he placed a Michelin man he received as a gift and Pirelli tire signs around a long pool. Nothing ever seems to really make sense in Dali’s house, but needless to say, it is a beautiful setting looking over the Mediterranean.
This entire past weekend I could not stop thinking about what “Wife Swap” would be like with Dali. First off, I must describe Gala. His lady-friend was quite the fox back in the day, but as she aged she could not handle growing old. Through a little bit of some plastic surgery and consistently having younger men stay at her castle, she was quite vivacious, or might I say, a Cougar in the purest form of the definition.
In any case, I could see the show really getting out of hand, with Gala taking the other husband to the castle and Dali painting the other Wife like a melting clock. I would Tivo it in a heartbeat.
The program later traveled to Cadaques after spending some time in Dali’s humble abode. Cadaques is gorgeous. On a windy day, it really shows its crisp Mediterranean little-city beauty. Due to the rough waves coming on shore, thousands of hand-sized jelly fish we’re washing up and turned the shorline all different shades of purple (What is light-urple??) I was about to jump into the water to see if jelly fish can sting 1/2 man 1/2 wolf ….just kidding, Denise.
Saturday night the entire program went into the town of Rosas to hang at a local bar. Good DJs, good company, I really like the kids in my program. I will miss them when I leave, but hopefully I can make a trip to the east coast to dot the Ivy Unviersity coastline.
Sunday we left for Gala’s castle, which is about an hour from Dali’s home. The two lived separated after about 1965. They chatted on the phone each day but they always fought one another and they were happier not living together. Gala’s house shares a lot of the same interesting objects while mixed in with beauty. What interested me the most about Gala is that she was devoutly Catholic, yet “cheated” on her husband and slept with many young men as if it were her divine duty. I must have missed that part in the Bible. Sign me up!
I will say 10 Hail Mary’s for that last comment.
In other news, Thanksgiving, or El Dia de Accion de Gracias is in two days! Someone send me a turkey and some John Madden Football! Be sure to give thanks to all the loved ones in your life.
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P.S. The eye picture is due to Dali’s inspiration of my artistic talent.
