Wanderlust

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Having the "my abroad experience ends in a month, what is life..." moments frequently the past few days sends me through the biggest mix of emotions I could have. Every part of my life I love; living in Rhode Island to going to school in Vermont, and now my life here in Granada. This is what I can tell you about going abroad. You can skim through every other post I have put on my blog which will tell you all the amazing things and places you will get to see, but this is the main thing I can tell you: 

Being abroad is where you learn more about yourself, your comfort zone and how challenging yourself can be the most difficult and most rewarding thing you can do.  

There is a reason its coined experiential learning. Yes you have classes and are there for school, but the amount you learn outside of the classroom along with the material in them is far more valuable all together than anything. I could tell you all the history facts about the empires of Granada and the Catholic monarchs who took over the city. I have learned so much in comparison of Latin America and Spain. I have an amazing Spanish professor and class so I have learned a lot about the language especially inside and outside of the classroom. I will tell you that you will take more away from both in and out of the classroom doing a semester abroad than you will from anything you have ever experienced. I have been the most independent I have ever been, the most challenged I have ever been and most of all, I have never felt more like myself. 

You learn a lot from all the different adventures you have. I learned my body will never ever like foods with tons of spices but will never see the day that it doesn't love a chocolate croissant. I learned sleeping on the floor of an airport to catch a morning flight was one of the most minimal nights of sleep I've ever had, but it was one of the best trips and weekends with great company. I learned that I am not invincible still hobbling when coming to Europe after fracturing a leg, and that feeling of finishing a hike with views that are out of this world has never made me more grateful. I learned that putting myself in a culture where I hardly understood the language was the most challenging thing I could do to myself, and the most rewarding. 

4 SD memory cards and a postcard from every location, I won't ever forget the memories I have here. I don't want there to be a month left, time really does fly when you are having fun, and all good things must come to and end. Portugal I'm coming for you this weekend and here's to another month of bliss abroad, and an unreal adventure. 

Facebook: Candice Kalil

Twitter: @CandiceLeeMary
Instagram: candicekalil31

Traveling Knows No Pain: Morocco

This past weekend I traveled to Morocco to visit the towns of Tangier, Chefchaouen, Tétouan, and Asilah. The trip started off with a bus to a boat to another bus to reach the town of Tangier where we were staying. After my friends and I sat down on the boat heading over to Africa the girl we sat next to (she looked American and we figured she thought the same about us as she started up a conversation with us) was one of the coolest people I have met. Camille was telling us how after a couple jobs fell through after college she went with a friend on a trip to Costa Rica and has been traveling since. She has been nomadic for three years now and has been to tons of amazing places such as Southern Asia. She talked about her blogging and free-lance writing, how she created her own job and how she has gone about the lifestyle she has. Naturally we all bonded over traveling and she was awesome to talk to! She gave us her card and if you get a moment check out her website This American Girl, it will immediately make you want to pack your suitcase and travel!

Once we got to Tangier I at least realized how much of an entirely different world I was in. Morocco is a Islamic country and weirdly enough I felt like I was in a Middle Eastern country while I was there. There were different lifestyle elements that were tricky to get used to. The
first being that women are not as equal to men in the society there, and being a tourist I can't tell you how many times our group got called "Spice Girls" "California" or "Soul Sisters". After that was the poverty in some of the areas. The biggest thing I took away was watching this little boy beg everyone around him to buy some gum. As he was going around and being incredibly persistent, I saw him go back to his parents who were a couple steps away to get more packs of gum and then continue on begging for money that would most likely go toward their next meal. Morocco was another world and even though there were some tough things to see, it was absolutely worth seeing.

What I liked about the trip was that we saw a bunch of different cities, my favorites being Chefchaouen and Asilah. Chefchaouen was located up in the mountains with its winding blue cobalt and shaded blue streets and markets. Another cultural aspect of Morocco was bargaining, whenever you bought something you had to haggle the price. Very different from other cultures but Chefchaouen had many markets to buy blankets, clothing and souvenirs. The architecture and structure of the city was gorgeous and also similar to the seaside town of Asilah. Asilah was similar to Chefchaouen with its blue walls but it was situated right on the water with a gorgeous beach. I could go back there in a second. The weekend in itself was full of adventure with exploring, quaint cities, camels and good company.

The Aftermath: So when going to different or even developing countries it is always important to be cautious of the food and water. We did not drink the water because our bodies would not be used to the minerals in it, so we stuck to bottled water. As for the food, I took a stomach protector before, during and after the time there. Unfortunately my stomach is a lot more sensitive than I thought because once Tuesday rolled around my food poisoning kicked in. There was not a worse feeling than having to go to the doctors and being that unbearably sick so far from home. I don't think I had been as homesick as I was in that moment. I would never wish that upon anyone, but for traveling it really knows no pain and I can tell you the next time I travel to somewhere similar like Morocco I will be taking more precautions. I am okay now but the whole thing will be a funny story in the next few days!

Facebook: Candice Kalil

Twitter: @CandiceLeeMary
Instagram: candicekalil31

The Kalil Boys Take on Europe

What I didn´t know coming to study abroad in Granada was the importance of Holy Week in Spain. I knew Spain was very Catholic or as the Spanish say "Spain nationality consists of two parts: Spain is a Catholic country and many Spaniards are catholic". Little did I know how extravagant Holy Week or in Spanish "Semana Santa" festivities were.

The coolest part was getting to see it with my family! My spring break was the entire week of Semana Santa and my brother and Dad made it out to Spain! We spent a few days in Granada then went to the beach town of Torremolinos to relax and then did a day in Malaga. When they got here we were surrounded by the processions of Semana Santa. These processions are held for the entire week an they are out on by different brotherhoods that citizens belong to. Each brotherhood has a procession. And here comes the crazy part: They carry floats, and not just any floats. They are massive floats holding on too the statues of the Virgin Mary and Jesus for. The Cathedral and churches themselves. The even crazier part is there is a group of people who carry them, the WHOLE thing.

In Guatemala these processions are also big and people balance the weight of the giant float on their shoulders. Not in Spain though, they have a specific head dress-wrap that allows them to balance the weight on the back of their heads. Yeah, ow. It's pretty impressive and you could even see people blessing themselves and touched the float it was an amazing tradition to see! I would have felt like I missed out if I did not get to see that while studying here. Amidst all that the Kalil boys got pretty cultured as we saw the Alhambra, hiked and got all the food essentials (gelato, pastries, fruit, shwarma, etc.).

 

An even cooler part to the week was that the boys got to come for my birthday! Having your birthday in Spain with your family isn´t too shabby! After the hustle and bustle of Granada (which during Semana Santa looks like a Disney theme park on a Saturday) we headed to Torremolinos where the beach and weather was perfect. We got to explore the harbor and even went to the local Battery Park to ride around in a row boat in a pond they had. We weren't tourists or anything! Getting to see Malaga also was great because I have so far really only seen the airport. The cathedral was unreal and even the Semana Santa in Malaga had it's own Wifi (in Spanish pronounced "weefee" way cuter!). That's when you know Holy Week is serious.

It was awesome getting to show the Kalil boys Granada and what has become my home in the past 2 moths. This past week has been some of my favorite memories here so far and I can't wait for more to come. Speaking of which guess who heads to Africa this weekend, this girl!

Facebook: Candice Kalil

Twitter: @CandiceLeeMary
Instagram: candicekalil31

Mid-Point Mindset

Yes, I didn't think that this day in the game would come so quickly but my program here in Granada is already halfway through. How this happened I don´t know it basically can be summed up in the famously coined saying

¨...time flies when you are having fun¨ 

There are so many and too many things I have learned being here that in one way or another I'll take back with me from the time I have had here. I can tell you I have learned a lot, but after becoming so accustomed to another culture after living here for two months I feel a lot of that I will see once I'm back in the US. I won´t think twice about leaving the house with dry hair and I will be able to go up and pet every dog I want on the streets. This morning on the way to the grocery store I saw a couple walking a puppy Labrador retriever and the STRENGTH I had not to pet that dog was unbelievable, it was so cute I could´ve stolen it. I´m going to miss all the Spanish food I have come to love, and plan to take a lot of recipes home. This goes with another reason why I feel my experience is a bit different from others. Most people when coming abroad choose to live with a host family. Having almost no confidence in speaking the little Spanish I knew before coming here I decided against it and chose an apartment. Living with three other people all from the U.S., Mexico and Belgium it was both a way to practice the language and also experience fully living on my own for the first time. I can tell you I am walking away from this semester being very prepared for much of the future. I´ve cooked for myself before but here I have learned to become a lot more independent than from living at home or on campus back in the U.S. My favorite is my friend Hannah and I even try cooking Spanish or other recipes once a week, granted that one time our Spanish tortilla did come out more like an omelet but the effort was there!

You learn to be okay with trying new things and doing a lot more for yourself. My friends usually refer to me as the person who never spends money and is constantly saving. So to stop working and be in a spot where I'm constantly spending money, I've learned to accept its okay. I needed to see that in some way and being abroad has helped me figure out the balance of spending money wisely, rather than just only saving it and spending it on my Dunkin coffee when I needed a caffeine fix. My spending tends to consist of utilities, food, travel and postcards (I am collecting a postcard from every place I have gone as my souvenirs!) so if I feel like splurging here and there I have gotten better knowing its totally fine. If I was to splurge or spend my money anywhere, travelling and doing everything I can abroad isn't a bad way to go about it. You soon here realize how simply you can live. I can live off of ten outfits and feel partially silly for all the clothes I have. I can go with walking 30 minutes as if its a walk down the street and carrying my groceries home. I don't mind not driving anywhere and just going on walks and hikes to explore the city. You learn to appreciate the people you have around you, especially when you have just only met them two months ago and they are the closest people you have here. From friends who helped me out when I got sick right before a weekend trip that I wasn't about to back out of to my roommate who tossed me money to help me get the iced coffee I was stupidly craving that morning, we all are in the same point where our closest people are an ocean away and together we have get to make the most of where we are and be there for the unexpected moments we don't plan to have.

When I knew I wanted to go abroad, I chose Spain because after visiting it for a few days I couldn´t wait to go back and explore. I wanted a understanding of the language because I feel that having a second language or an understanding of one is very valuable in many aspects. I wanted to travel, and two months in I have done just that and plan to do a little more. I have gotten to see a majority of southern Spain, while also seeing the Netherlands and Belgium. You can say I am more than lucky and you can say after these past two months, the next two months will probably fly just as fast. I can tell you it has been the experience of a lifetime and I´m not even done yet. We have our spring break next week, on Sunday my dad and Jake fly over to come for a beach week in Spain and I turn 21 Tuesday. How many people get to say they celebrated their 21st living in Europe? We have talked about this trip and them coming for so long, now that its hear I can´t believe it happening. Its going be sweet getting to both show them my life here in Spain but also get a bit of home!

Facebook: Candice Kalil

Twitter: @CandiceLeeMary
Instagram: candicekalil31

Reunions Abroad

This entire trip I have been travelling with either my program as a whole or with a group of friends. This weekend was the first time I fully planned a trip by myself, and also flew completely on my own. It was not spooky or nerve racking at all since I have gotten to fly many times before. I didn't really think about it until naturally talking with my mom she asked to make sure I let her know when I left and arrived at the airport. Flying by myself was actually pretty nice and since I had to study for exams I was able to focus on that. I flew to Amsterdam this past weekend to go visit Mar! Mar came to the states for our freshman year for field hockey and it was the first time seeing each other since! I got to stay with her in Leidon which is a small city/town outside of Amsterdam. It was the most adorable small city with cute buildings, boat filled canals and TONS OF BIKES. I knew how much the Dutch biked but my god I have never seen so many in my life and they were all just as adorable as the location. It was great to see how awesome life in the Netherlands is and her friends were hysterical as I was a bit challenging to talk to since they are all fluent in Dutch. I give them the credit for practicing English and it was hysterical when they tried to translate Dutch songs into English since they sound ridiculous unless they are in Dutch. 

My experience getting to go to the Netherlands was a bit different than most because I got to see more of it than just Amsterdam. After just three days in the quaint country I can tell you it was incredibly hard to leave. It was one of the most adorable places! Sounds silly to use the word adorable but that is the best way I can describe it the entire place from the city to the country was so pretty! I got to go into the city of Amsterdam for a day where we were pretty much super tourists seeing every must-see part including the I AMSTERDAM monument, seeing the tulip markets and even going on a boat ride through the canal. Could exactly go to Amsterdam without doing that! 

We also went to this area called Zaanse Schans which is an area full of windmills, clogs and cheese. Oh and the Dutch pancakes. It was one of the most adorable places and incredibly Dutch. The area is pretty cool because it used to be completely underwater, and the windmills built brought the water up from the ground to create the land that’s there now. We got to climb up a windmill too and it is amazing how gigantic they are even when they look so small from just standing on the ground. Also wheels of cheese are way cooler than slices, and they even pair it with mustard which is funny!

Getting to spend the weekend exploring the Netherlands and getting to catch up with Mar was awesome! It had been far too long and the goodbye part was nowhere near easy. It’s crazy to think of the friends I have made and how we are all pretty much all over the world. Earlier this week Izzy from home even made it to Granada for a day! I got a taste of home for the weekend and it was hands down one of my favorite times thus far travelling abroad!

Facebook: Candice Kalil
Twitter: @CandiceLeeMary

Instagram: candicekalil31 

Pomegranate

Living here I feel like I know Granada so well but at the same time I feel like there is still so much to do! From different restaurants and tapas places to try to make sure I see all the historical parts of the city. One of the most mind-boggling things I have experienced here is the fact that I am basically neighbors with Queen Isabelle and King Ferdinand of Spain. The Inquisition, Los Rayos Catolicos...yep that's them! They are buried down the street from my apartment next to the Cathedral as Granada was the last area they conquered which they took from the Moors in 1492. Their tombs were a bit spooky when we visited them but we were able to see Isabella's crown and a lot of their art which was cool to see! I also felt I would have missed out if I did not see that because I have learned so much about them it would be silly not to go see that.

Recently as I have been walking around the city, hiking and even talking with my friends I have noticed my Spanish getting so much better. Conversations are still a little shaky since I tend to need a little bit of time to think out what I have to say, but I am pretty much able to get by with everything else while also being able to comprehend the language really well. A trick I was told and found helped was watching TV or movies in Spanish with Spanish subtitles. I had to look up the random words I didn't know but it was really helpful in understanding everything!

Every weekend I tend to have something planned whether it is a day trip with my program or a weekend trip I have planned with friends, so I try to explore the Granada a lot during the week and then also when I'm not travelling. A few cool things about Granada are that even though it is a city it has a lot of good hiking and places to go walk to find "miradors" or lookout points with unreal views. Another funny thing which I should have added before is that the word "Granada" in Spanish means "Pomegranate". That is why there is a pomegranate in the Spanish crest which can be seen on the country's flag. 

Getting to learn all the different cultural aspects of the city and really just wandering are some of my favorite parts of living here. I look around and sometimes still can't believe I live here. Here's to two great months and two more to come!

Facebook: Candice Kalil

Twitter: @CandiceLeeMary
Instagram: candicekalil31

To Northern Spain We Go: Barcelona

This weekend was the first time my friends and I did a trip on our own going to Barcelona, Spain! Travelling on your own is definitely something that teaches you a lot about yourself. This past weekend a group of friends and I went on a weekend trip to Barcelona. Even though a quick hour and change plane ride, we organized and booked everything ourselves. Not as complicated as it sounds, but even though things can go either smoothly or get complicated, learning how to travel and make plans on your own is definitely a life skill worth learning.

4 years later and I made it back!

A majority of the group had not been to Barcelona, and even for me and my friend Liz who had been there before it was still an adventure for everyone. I went with AIFS's sister program ACIS in high school for a 10 day trip visiting France and then Barcelona. I got to see a lot of the city then but this weekend I was able to explore a lot more and see everything I didn't get to in the two days I was there before. For example, I went and saw the world famous La Sagrada Familia basilica before but I didn't get to go inside because of the crazy Disney-theme-park-busy-worthy line that was trying to get in. But this weekend we all woke up early to make sure we got inside and it was more than worth it. La Sagrada Familia was hands down one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen. And when you study abroad in Europe you see A LOT of cathedrals, basilicas and churches so that says something! I did a presentation on Gaudi, the architect behind La Sagrada Familia and a lot of works in Barcelona, last week in my History of Spain class so I was basically geeking out the entire time.

We legitimately walked for two straight days all over the city seeing the beach, Parc Guell, Las Ramblas and everything in between. It was exhausting but so worth it at the same time getting to go back and see more of the city!

Facebook: Candice Kalil

Twitter: @CandiceLeeMary
Instagram: candicekalil31