Student Exchange Video

A friend of mine recently made this for all of the exchange students for Christmas. What a great memory.

Murci, Spain (One of many posts on this beautiful place)

These are a few of my favorite images from Murcia, Spain, where I lived last January to July. Murcia, Spain, is a beautiful city in Southern Spain. It's about an hour away from the coast and has so much history and beauty. Instead of visiting the typical cities in Spain, which are also beautiful, I definitely recommend checking out smaller cities like Murcia, Alicante, etc.



This is the Murcia Cathedral. There is a huge plaza with restaurants and a few shops. The best time to see it is night time. It's so easy to get lost through the allies branching out from the plaza.



This is in Plaza Santo Domingo. The plaza is about a block from the university campus and is the most popular one for eating and simply hanging out with family and friends. There is also a church and an elementary school in the plaza, so there was always a bunch of kids playing. I had to walk through this plaza more than twice everyday. The plaza is beautiful and it's amazing how people take time out of their day to simply sit down and have a drink, talk with friends or have a coffee.



This is the view from the Cathedral into the plaza. The people in the photo are a group of friends.



This is the church in the Plaza Santo Domingo.



This church was about two blocks from my apartment, down one of the many allies. I hadn't seen it until I went for a walk when my mom was visiting for a week and it was an absolutely beautiful sight.

Kodak PlaySport HD Waterproof Pocket Video Camera

Happy early Christmas. Or more like happy early school supply shopping?

This spring semester, I registered for Intro to Digital Production. It's a sophomore level required course, but my schedule never gave space to it.

Instead of a textbook, we're required to buy a camcorder to film projects. As Cyber Monday came to a close, I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to buy the camera. Not only will it be an interesting class, but I'll be able to take this waterproof camera with me to Uruguay this Christmas break. Hello underwater jellyfish shots.

Hopefully, the reviews were true and it's a great product.

The Invisibles | Trailer by Gael García Bernal and Marc Silver

I can not get enough of this documentary by Amnesty International and Gabriel Garcia Bernal. After meeting a lot of Mexicans while I studied abroad in Spain, I can't help but keep thinking about this country that's so close to the U.S. and going through so much. I hope this documentary gets around, especially since it's available on YouTube.

South Dakota

It's getting cold in South Dakota, but worth visiting once all the snow is down on the ground.

I wish all my family vacations had looked like this. **Correction: If my family were fair skinned and all had lighter hair, we'd look like this.

Uruguay

In honor of Uruguay and the Celeste's (nickname for the national soccer team) upcoming match against Chile tomorrow, I decided to upload a few shots from a trip back in 2008. Hopefully seeing these photos and the video at the end will entice you to visit this beautiful country and get me excited to visit family this New Years. If you do decide to visit, let me know and I will be your personal...trip advisor. Enjoy!



Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, has a boardwalk all around the coast. It's impossible to get lost, just head toward the water. After 7 P.M., friends and families gather at the "rambla" to drink some mate or exercise. Each neighborhood has their own "rambla" and most have their own beach. It's such a beautiful time of day!



This is another part of the "rambla". Just around the bend from where this photo was taken, my two North American friends who came along for the trip and I enjoyed our last outdoor meal of the trip. Fresh and delicious seafood.



This is a photo from the lighthouse of Cabo Polonio. Such a beautiful place to visit and a once in a lifetime opportunity.



This is another photo from Cabo Polonio.

Anthony Bourdain did a great episode on Uruguay and some of the food that can be found there. Here is a short clip.

Photojournalism Project: Through Other Eyes: 24 Hours in a Temporary Neighborhood

Open publication - Free publishing - More antiguo

This project was created for my photojournalism class last semester in Murcia, Spain. The assignment consisted of us finding a topic we felt we could dig deep into.

The following text was translated from my project description:

The San Andres neighborhood, where I have installed myself during my studies in Murcia, has been my neighborhood for the past six months. Through this report, I hope to capture and leave testimony of its everyday life, the tranist of people from all parts of the world and the places I have had the chance to know.

(El Barrio San Andrés, en el que me he instalado durante mis estudios de intercambio en Murcia, ha sido mi barrio durante los últimos seis meses. A través de este fotorreportaje, espero poder capturar y dejar testimonio de su vivir diario, su transito de gentes de todas partes del mundo y los lugares que he podido conocer.)

The Photos (Las fotografías)

During the process of taking the pictures, at first it took me a while to decide what elements from my neighborhood were necessary when describing how I perceived it. At first, all the photos I took were dark and of elements that did not favor the neighborhood; however, after slowing down and walking through the neighborhood instead of just passing through it, I was able to find exactly what I wanted.

(Durante el proceso de ejecutar las fotos, al principio me costo decidir bien que elementos de mi barrio eran imprescindibles en cuanto a como lo percibía yo misma. Al principio, todas las fotos que tomaba eran oscuras y de elementos no muy favorecibles a un barrio. Pero, después de caminar mas lento por el en vez de caminar por pasada, pude encontrar exactamente lo que yo quería.)

Taking the pictures also helped me meet people I saw on a daily basis on the streets and in the plaza infront of my apartment. Before doing this report, I only knew them from seeing them everyday and now was able to establish not a friendship, but at least know about eachother.

(Tomando las fotos también me ayudo a presentarme a gente que he visto casi diariamente por las calles y en la plaza enfrente de mi apartamento. Antes de realizar este fotorreportaje, solo los conocía de vista y ahora he establecido no amistades pero por lo menos una imagen de quienes son.)

Photo Editing Style (Estilo de edición de las fotografías)

After uploading all the photos onto the computer, the second dilemma was deciding how to present them. From the start, I didn't like the photos in color, but I found them to be too dark in black and white. In normal color, the views I wanted to demonstrate in my report did not stand out enough: antique, history, diversity, etc. I chose the antique color because in my opinion and because of the same opinion from my friends, the neighborhood was just that: antique and foreign. Rarely did I walk down the street and here Spanish being spoken. The only thing young from my neighborhood were the children and even they were different from the children I know in the U.S.A.

(Después de tener todas la fotografías cargadas en la computadora, el segundo tema era elegir de que manera presentarlas. De primera, no me gustaban mucho en color, pero me parecían muy oscuras en blanco y negro. A color normal, no resaltaba tanto las vistas que yo quería demostrar en mi fotorreportaje: antiguo, historia, diversidad, etc. Seleccione el color medio antiguo por que en mi opinión y por lo que mis amigas han percibido de mi barrio es exactamente antiguo y extranjero. Rara vez camino por la calle y oigo Español. Lo único “joven” de mi barrio son los niños y hasta ellos son muy distintos a los que conozco de EEUU.)

Presentation (Presentación)

The photos are placed in an order that would generally represent the way in which someone would arrive at my neighborhood. From the bus station, to the plaza and then directly to Arrixaca Street.

(Las fotografías están puestas en un orden que generalmente representaría la forma en la cual alguien puede llegar a mi barrio. Desde la estación de ómnibus hasta la plaza y después generalmente derecho por la calle Arrixaca.)

Conclusion (Conclusión)

In the end, I feel that working on this report helped me appreciate and enjoy my neighborhood more than I had. The first months living in it were hard because I didn't understand why there was such a large number of people from different countries passing by everyday. But after taking the photos and with the few weeks I hve left, I think I'm going to miss the things I see on a daily basis and in a sense the people as well.

(Al fin y al cabo, siento que trabajar en este fotorreportaje me ha ayudado a apreciar y disfrutar más de mi barrio. Los primeros meses viviendo en el eran difíciles por que no entendía el gran numero de gente de diferentes lugares que pasaban todos los días, pero cada vez que salía tomar fotos y con las pocas semanas que me quedan en el, pienso que voy a extrañar a las cosas que veo diariamente y en un sentido a la gente también)

Ireland

This weekend, a colleague and I found out we had something in common-we had both visited Ireland recently and had fallen in love with the country. The weather in South Dakota now kind of reminded us of being in Ireland, minus the Irish accents, loud, obnoxious drunks at 5 p.m. and thousands of sheep.

Not only was the scenery and beer delicious, but the people were amazingly friendly (although there was no Gerard Butler "P.S. I Love You moments). Just like in Germany, I wasn't expecting the people to be so helpful and outgoing. If someone were wondering whether or not a visit to Ireland is worth it, I'd say in a heartbeat. There is so much to see and do all over the country, you can't not have a great time.

The Guinness museum was really educational and really well organized. They inspired the whole set up after the industrial style of Chicago. Not only that, but for 10 or 11 euros, students get in to the museum, get a free mini taste of the beer after going through the whole process of making it and then at the end, get to pour your own pint AND get certified. Zing.

One of the many bus stops on the tour.

The bridge was actually less terrifying than it looked; however, it didn't help that it started raining right as we went across. Slippery, windy & cold while crossing a rope bridge...not a good idea.

Stunning clear water I would have never expected to find in Ireland.

New York & Uruguay

First post to an updated and changed blog. Before, this was mainly used for my study abroad experience from last semester. Now, it'll be a platform for blogging about trips I'm planning, trips I've taken and overall experiences or favorite photos from traveling.

To start...it's official, my parents and I will be visiting my brother and his wife in New York City for Christmas and from there my mom and I will be going on to Uruguay until January 11. It's been a long time since we've both been back home to visit family and it'll be an amazing break from the snow. A good week with my grandmother at her beach house should give me a good lift for the last semester of school.

Although I was just in New York at the end of September for Advertising Week, it's going to be beautiful to be in the city in winter time.

Now that I've mentioned advertising week, here are a few photos from that trip.

Times Square Target ad

The Flatiron building. Absolutely stunning.

The week were in New York with Advertising Club, I stayed with my brother and his wife in their Queens apartment. This was my view every morning...

And this is who I woke up next to every morning...BB Cash.

New York City

Our last night in New York, we went as a group to Jon Stewart with Justin Timberlake. The sky was really strange while we waited out on the streets.

Times Square

A few late Lisbon, Barcelona & Greece snapshots

Mykonos, Santorini & Oia, Greece

Barcelona, Spain

Lisbon, Portugal

End of the road

After six months abroad, I made it back to Brookings, South Dakota, in one piece. My heart however, is divided into little pieces. Most of them are in Spain, but also in Italy, Mexico, North Carolina, Washington, etc. Although the first month abroad was difficult, being abroad was one of the greatest experiences I've ever had. I learned a lot about responsibility, relationships and mostly how to be a grownup. It took going all the way to Europe to learn what I should have learned this past year as a 20-year-old.

The last month in Europe I travelled with my close friend Isabella to Lisbon, Barcelona and Greece. Those last three places were probably some of my favorite places I was able to visit. Not only was it nice to travel without having to worry about classes, but the Fifa World Cup was also going on and Uruguay made it all the way to the top 4. I got to enjoy the game with all my friends and cheered on as I grew closer to my little country. Again, it took going all the way to Europe to find a new love for a place I've known about my whole life. Once I returned for my last week in Murcia, I got to spend everyday with amazing people and got to know some people better, only to have to say goodbye.

Before heading back to Brookings, I spent 4 days in New York visiting my brother and his wife. It was a good welcome to the USA because in a sense it's kind of similar to what I had just come back from. I spent time visiting the typical New York sites but was too "pictured out" to take any photos of them. We also watched the final Uruguay game against Germany at a Uruguayan restaurant. That was probably one of the highlights of this summer so far.

Spain ended up winning the World Cup and I travelled with my Spanish flag all the way to landing in Sioux Falls.

Hasta Siempre

Finals week

This week (today) marks the start of finals week/month in the University of Murcia. Typically, most Spanish students have their exams spread out in a month.

Last Thursday I presented my final graphic design project and that went well, Monday presented our presentation on Uruguay with my friend Megan and that went...okay. The teacher was the worst teacher in the history of teachers. If he had behaved that was in the states, he would have been fired a long time ago. Either way, we finished, we passed and after class we sat at the university bar and had some tinto de verano with classmates. Today I handed in my final photojournalism project because there was a general strike today so class was cancelled and on Thursday I take my final literature oral exam.

Friday is the start of the world cup and our Mexican friends invited everyone over to watch the match and then afterwards we're watching Uruguay vs. France. I am very excited to be in Europe for the games because everyone here is very passionate about it. Especially since Spain is playing and they seem to have a fairly good team. On Saturday we're having a going away party for Megan because she leaves Tuesday night to go back to the US. Tuesday morning, Bella and I leave for our 14 day trip to Lisbon, Barcelona and Greece.

Today I had to say bye to our Swedish friend Jonna and it's sad to think that you'll either never see people again or not for a very long time, at least those from Europe. It's also nice to know people everywhere and with technology, it's at least easy to keep in touch.

Jonna, myself and Megan and Jonna's going away party. ¡Hasta pronto!

Photos

We had paella one of the nights mom was in town. It was the most amazing seafood paella I have ever had.

Mom and I in front of the cathedral in Murcia on a night out on the town with my friends.

The restaurant we ate dinner at in Granada. It was so beautiful.

In Granada with the Alhambra in the background.

39 days to go and a lot to do!

I haven't made a post in a long time because of Ibiza, mom's visit to spain and final school work. Next week is the final week of school. I have a presentation either on Monday or Tuesday for political systems and another presentation for graphic design on Thursday. The week after that I present my photojournalism project on Tuesday and give my oral exam for literature. It's very strange to think that time has flown by so quickly and it's already almost time for school to end and summer to begin (even though the temperature here makes it feel like summer everyday).

Ibiza

The second week of May, the ERASMUS (exchange program in Europe) organized a trip to the island of Ibiza for all exchange students studying in Spain, which ended up being +2,000 crazy students. Ibiza was a BEAUTIFUL island and it was a needed week-long vacation. They set us up in hotel rooms with kitchens, a pool and 5 minutes away from the beach. In Ibiza, they literally had a party organized every night at the clubs that hadn't even opened for the season. The first one was at a bar on the beach and that was probably my favorite one, just because I had never been to such a beachy event. The next one was a school party, where we all had to dress up as school kids. The one after that was a water party, where the club literally had a pool in the middle and at 4:30am, they started spraying water all over the place. The final party was a foam party. Let's just say one foam party in a lifetime is enough for me. My sandals still foam whenever it rains outside.

Although there were a lot of parties, Ibiza was simply beautiful for the beaches. The water was crystal clear and a little bit chilly, but very refreshing.

Mom's visit

The week after Ibiza, my mom came to visit me in Murcia. I ran from class to pick her up at the bus station and spotted her walking toward my apartment. It was such a good reunion! We went for a walk right away to show her my city and later that night booked a hostel to go to Granada for the weekend. The next Friday morning, we left for Granada. Overall, Granada has probably been my favorite city in Spain, even though I haven't visited very many. It was old and very hippy like. There was a little area that I referred to as "Little Morocco" because it was just like it and you felt like you weren't in Spain. The Alhambra was gorgeous and so was all the history. I wish we would've had more time in Granada, but Friday and Saturday were definitely not wasted and our poor legs were about to die. When we got back on Saturday night, we ordered a pizza for the traditional pizza and a movie Saturday. The next day, I took her for a walk around a quiet Sunday Murcia. Monday night we went to tapas with a small group of friends I've made here who also had some visitors from the States. Earlier that day, I had took her to a beach and it was absolutely perfect. On Tuesday, she went to Valencia to meet an old college friend and on Wednesday, we went to a bodega to get a wine tour. It was so interesting to see the process and to learn how to taste wine. On Thursday, I had her come with me to the campus outside of the city and then we came back to make homemade soup. At midnight, she took the bus to Madrid and that was the end of a very fun mother-daughter week. It was nice to be able to share Murcia with someone from back home, even if it was for a short amount of time.

Mud bath

This saturday, we went to a beach town near Murcia called Lo Pagan. We specifically chose this town because of its famous mud baths. It felt kind of disgusting at first, felt good as it dried, was hard to get off and smelled kind of bad. Overall, it left all of our skin soft and crystal-like for the bus ride back to Murcia. There were tourists but there were also people who took it so seriously, they had swim caps on and were completely covered in the mud from head to toe. Swimming in the mediterranean and playing volleyball with friends on the beach was also possibly one of the best things I could've done in the past few weeks. The link is to a site describing the mud. It's in Spanish because I couldn't find one in English.

http://www.terra.es/personal/alksoft/pueblos/sp/splodos/lodos.htm

My friend Erin and I letting the mud dry.

Isabella, Sam and I at Sam's 21st birthday party after our mud baths.

Euro Budget

These two photos are from my birthday weekend last week. There was a huge music festival (SOS 4.8) where we went with a big group of people. The festival was Friday and Saturday, so on Saturday morning we attempted a rooftop brunch until it started to downpour right as we started eating and it had to be moved inside. Overall, it was nice turning 21 in Europe because Europeans don't expect much of you on your 21st; however, I have a lot of American friends here and they are aware of what turning 21 means in the States.

Who knew a craving of South Dakota food would put a damper on my euro budget. As it gets warmer, I can't help but think about South Dakota sweet corn. Since coming to Spain, I've gotten canned sweet corn to mix in soups, but the other day I finally purchased corn on the cob. I'm not sure if it's because it isn't popular here, but the only corn on the cob you can find is a package in the vegetable section with two, already cooked, corn on the cobs. The package even says sweet corn.
The only major problem with this sweet corn is the simple thought of paying 1.65 euros (that's about $2) for only two. I wish I could walk up to a cart full of sweet corn on any given day or to the farmer's market and have to clean them off. Although it was expensive, they were good...but not as good as South Dakota's.

Next week I'm going on a trip to Ibiza and Formentera with all the students studying in Spain this semester from all over the world. During the trip, we'll be staying in apartments with 2 other people until Sunday. It should be a fun time and I'm very excited to be taking boats all over the place.
After Ibiza, there will only be two weeks until I have to hand most of my projects in (May 31-June 3). That week I have to give a presentation on Uruguay with my American partner, hand in my photojournalism project and my graphic design project. In between all that, my beautiful mom will be visiting for a week from May 20-May 28. The only actual final test I have is on June 10th and it's for literature class. We've had to read 5 short stories from 10 different books this semester and have had to analyze all the stories in a journal. The day of the test, he'll look through our journal and pick one of the stories. Then, we'll have to talk to him about it for 10 minutes or less.
On June 11th, Uruguay plays against France for the world cup and Mexico against South Africa, so a bunch of people (French, Mexican and myself included) are going to get together to watch the games.
The final trip of this semester is going to be a long one, but to the last places I was hoping to be able to see during my stay in Europe. From June 15th to June 18th, I'll be visiting Lisbon with my friend Isabella. From June 18th to June 22nd, we'll move on to Barcelona. Carmela, Isabella, Barcelona. After Barcelona, we'll then go to Greece until June 29th. After Greece, I'll be back in Murcia for a final weekend and then possibly go to Madrid on July 4th with some friends to wait for my flight on July 8th to the states and their flights on the 7th.
Once in the states, I'll be visiting my brother and his wife until the 13th in New York and will finally land on Midwestern ground on July 13th, just in time to celebrate Amanda's birthday on the 14th and the Sioux Falls Jazz Festival from the 15th-17th.



¡Feliz primavera!