Valpo Voyager

Student Stories from Around the World

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¡Barcelona Weekend!

February 25, 2012 / / 0 Comments

This past weekend, I finally got to visit Barcelona! The bus ride is about 4 hours from Zaragoza, which is not fun, but there is wifi and it’s about 60 euro cheaper than taking the train so I can’t complain. Since Barcelona is a much larger city than Zaragoza, the transportation prices were much more expensive (7 euro for a day pass on the metro) but more extensive so we were able to navigate the city very easily and in little time.

On Saturday, we first went to Sagrada Família (Holy Family), a minor basilica, designed by Antoni Gaudí. It has been under construction for over 100 years since the groundbreaking in 1882 and will not be finished until around 2026. It’s one of the most famous landmarks in Spain and a trip that I couldn’t pass up. Later, we ate lunch at a nearby outdoor cafe with the basilica in the background. Staring at the basilica while eating lunch and drinking sangria, I realized this is exactly why I chose to come to Europe.

After lunch, we headed out to Camp Nou, the stadium complex for FC Barcelona and the largest stadium in Europe. I chose not to take the tour because it was 22 euro to just walk around and I’m admittedly not a big soccer fan. We did get free tickets to the handball game going on in one of the other stadiums so we watched that instead of going on the tour.

Sunday was more of a relaxing day and we did a lot of just walking through the streets of Barcelona. We first went to the beach on the Mediterranean and then wandered around an older area of the city. From there we went to the Picasso museum which just happened to be free on Sundays. After the museum, we had some time to kill before our bus left so we wandered around a bit more, ate, and headed back to the hostel to pick up our luggage. I really enjoyed Barcelona and I’m definitely going to go back at least once (if not 2, 3, or 4 more times) before I go home!

Follow me on Twitter here for more updates (twitter.com/#!/SpainJordan) and view my Picasa web albums here: (http://bit.ly/y5AyqU)

Leipzig at Night

Lessons From Leipzig

February 15, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Leipzig at NightGrowing up in the United States, the Cold War seemed like a faint memory that we only learn about in our history classes. Having to memorize all the political agreements, the unsaid tension between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R., it just seemed like one long stalemate. However, after visiting Leipzig I have realized that for the German people, the Cold War and the East verses the West was not just another chapter out of a history book. The city is famous for being the start of the protests against the Communist government. By just touring around and seeing the buildings that have been rebuilt within the last twenty years, as well as, the people who were witnesses and protesters during the peaceful revolution to unify their country, these events are very much alive today.

One of the most striking moments was visiting the Stasi Museum (Museum in der “Runden Ecke”). The building, itself, was the headquarters for the East German Secret Police (Stasi). Just walking into the building, you feel as if you are entering the Communist run building. Your eyes immediately focus on a banner hanging in the entrance stating, “This building will be secured on behalf of the Government and the Citizens Committee of the People’s Police” hangMail Steamering right next to a security camera. The museum takes you through the original offices while showing you all the equipment used to spy on their own people. From hidden cameras in briefcases, to phone tapping machines, and disguises, it is hard to believe these were still being used until the 1990’s.

The most moving exhibit for me, however, was an essay written by a ninth grader. He criticized the society and policies that he had to live under, even though he knew the consequences of writing this would be severe. According to the museum, the essay found itself in the hands of the police and they kept record of the boy until 1989 when German Communism fell. When I chose to study abroad, I figured that I would be able to connect my studies to my History major, more so than my Education major. However when reading about this student’s (translated) essay, I realized that this is a memory that I could pass on to my future students. I cannot only talk about the history surrounding the story, but also share the message that one person no matter how old, can speak out against what they believe is wrong and truly impact their future.

Memorial of the Peaceful Protest

 

 

 

 

 

Check out more pictures of my ten day trip to at https://plus.google.com/photos/113496106333285759017/albums?banner=pwa

Parisian Weekend

February 12, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Paris!

We were finally able to cross “Paris” off of our unofficial must-travel list and it was almost everything we thought it would be! After a short flight of just over 2 hours, we were in Beauvais (RyanAir’s cheap “Paris” airport that is actually an hour north) and were on a bus to Paris. Since none of us know any French beyond “yes, no, hello, goodbye, and thank you,” it was immediately apparent this would be somewhat of a challenge since almost no one speaks any English or Spanish. Anyway, we finally found a taxi that knew where our hostel was since the first 2 didn’t have an idea.

The hostel was nice, very clean, the staff spoke English, French, and Spanish, and they offered several services for a cheap price. It was also a 30 minute walk to the Eiffel and less than 10 to a metro station. I would definitely stay there again and for reference if anyone is looking for a cheap place in Paris, it’s called “Aloha.” After we tossed our bags in the storage closet, we headed out for the Eiffel Tower!

Since the line to get elevator tickets was, literally, at least 500 people long, we waited 5 minutes and got the walking tickets. It was extremely cold that weekend and the walk must have taken us over an hour to get to the second level minus the time we spent walking around the first level. Since we couldn’t walk from the second level to the top, we bought elevator tickets which ended up costing the same as if we had bought them on the ground but we didn’t have to wait in the long line so it was a fair trade-off. The view from the top is spectacular!

We also went to the Trocadéro (seen in the foreground of the large photo) which is a popular spot to take pictures of the Eiffel. Later on day 2, we met up with my friend Charlotte and she showed us around the Arc de Triomphe and went to dinner at a Japanese restaurant. The third and final day was the busiest but the most fun by far! Early in the morning, we went out to see the Eiffel one more time and then went to the Louvre, Sainte-Chapelle, Notre Dame, and walked along the Seine for a bit. We thought about going to the catacombs but they were closed by the time we looked into it. We had a really productive day so I won’t miss it in the least.

Paris was almost everything we expected except for the cold and the prices. It was ridiculously cold even though I’m told it’s normally much colder with snow. The prices there are enough to make you not want to go back but it is possible to find a few moderately cheap places if you look. Bakeries tend to be fairly cheap and you can buy a whole baguette for just a euro. Chinese restaurants are also reasonably priced but don’t expect to find many cheap French restaurants.

If you’d like to see all the photos I took in Paris (about 200) check out my Picasa page (http://bit.ly/y5AyqU). You can also follow me on Twitter for more day-to-day posts (https://twitter.com/#!/SpainJordan). I also have trips planned to Portugal, England, and Switzerland/Germany in the coming months in addition to my normal Spain postings so look out for those!

 

 

A view of Zaragoza from the park

Zaragoza Week 2 and Cultural Differences

January 25, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Hello and welcome to my second post! I thought I’d do something a little different this time by breaking it up a little and including two sections. If you have any suggestions or post requests, send them my way as I’m always looking for interesting ideas!

A view of Zaragoza and the park from Alfonso I statue

Cultural Differences Aside…

Having been here nearly 3 weeks now, I’ve noticed quite a few things that we might label “peculiar” or at least “interesting” in the US. Note that these are just my observations and are not in any way representative of everyone. There are many I could list but for length purposes, here are 3 I thought were a little amusing:

1. Dogs. The Spanish love their dogs and the fact that most people live in apartment buildings has not been a deterrent for owning them. I live near 2 parks and it’s not uncommon to see people of all ages, at every possible time of the day, walking every breed of dog. The downside to this is that many are not on leashes especially at the university where the leashed dogs are the minority. I’m still not certain if there are leash laws here but it would probably help with the, uh, sidewalk maintenance if not.

2. Late nights/Meal times. People here walk much more than in the US and a “short” walk is considered to be around 20 to 30 minutes. A “longer” walk is usually considered to be around 30-50 minutes. I know people that refuse to take public transportation even if it’s an hour walk in one direction. I say this because it’s not uncommon to see people just walking the streets as late as 10 or 11 p.m. depending on the day. It’s definitely a night culture as evidenced by the meal times. Breakfast is at a normal time but lunch is typically not eaten until the siesta which is between 2-4 or 5. Everything closes during this time with the exception of a few places and people go home to eat and then rest for a while before heading back to work. Dinner is normally eaten between 9 and 11 p.m.

3. ¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?). If you’re in Spain, it rarely matters. This is because, from what I’ve observed, most times are non-specific and include an unstated but understood “around” thrown in. For example, my morning class is supposed to begin at 9 but in reality, the earliest it ever starts is 9:15. This is not to say all given times are like this but if a student or teacher comes to class 15 minutes late, it’s not a problem at all and nothing is said. It’s a rare occasion if at least one person doesn’t arrive late to class 15 minutes or more. For me, this has been a little difficult to get accustomed to because I normally arrive 15 minutes early and then wait 30 minutes for class to actually begin.

Another Week and More Exploring 

Alfonso I "El Batallador" King of Aragón between 1104 and 1134

Nothing has really changed since my last post other than a short trip to the biggest park in Zaragoza and bowling with a few of my friends. Even though it’s winter, the park we visited was beautiful and I saw more green than I have since I left Indiana. The whole area is actually very dry so it was somewhat of a shock to see a swathe of green grass in Zaragoza. The park was nice but full of political graffiti just like almost every other public area. My favorite was a protest against government surveillance that said something like “They’re watching you.” At the top of the hill that overlooks the park (where the large photo was taken from), there is a statue of Alfonso I “El Batallador.” He was the King of Aragón between 1104 and 1134.

A few nights ago, a few friends and I went to the second biggest mall in Zaragoza, Gran Casa (Big House), to shop and then bowl. It was a great night and we ate at our first McDonald’s in Europe. Since I’m vegetarian, I can’t say how good the sandwiches were but the fries tasted, unsurprisingly, the same as in the US.

I’m leaving for Paris Friday night and arriving early on Saturday so check back sometime next week for a Paris-themed blog! Until then, thanks for reading and you can follow me on Twitter for more updates here: twitter.com/#!/SpainJordan
and view my Picasa web albums here: picasaweb.google.com/102363422858711117798

 

Bowling - My team. Jørgen, Christina, Lin, me.

All 5 of us! Elliott, EB, Katie, Josh, me.

My apartment building in Zaragoza.

Week One in Zaragoza, Spain

January 19, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Welcome!

Welcome to my first blog post and thanks for reading! I’m Jordan Harner, an International Business and Spanish double-major, studying in Zaragoza, Spain for one semester. Zaragoza is a medium-size city in the autonomous community of Aragon with around 700,000 people midway between Madrid in central Spain and Barcelona on the east coast. I currently attend the University of Zaragoza and live with a wonderful host family!

Arrival

My apartment building in Zaragoza.

It’s been a little over a week since I’ve been here and I feel like I’ve completely adjusted already. Everything has been fantastic and more than I expected overall with the exception of just our arrival which proved to be a little more complicated that we anticipated. Originally, we had planned to take a bus from Barajas Airport in Madrid to Zaragoza but we were unable to purchase tickets online because of our American credit cards. A little irritating, yes, but we figured we could buy them when we arrived. To our surprise, the ticket machine was broken and it happened to be an obscure holiday that day (which seem to be a common occurrence here) so we couldn’t buy our bus tickets from the bus office either because it was closed. With no other options, we took a high-speed train which costs 60 euro one way. I shed a small tear when I paid but I have to admit the train was a cool experience and much faster than by bus to boot.

After our arrival in Zaragoza, Manuel, a student at Valpo that lives in Zaragoza, was kind enough to pick us all up from the train station and take us to our apartments. He has a small car and I’m fairly certain cramming 5 people and 12 pieces of luggage into a car including one piece sticking part-way out of the window is illegal but definitely an interesting way to begin our journey. Anyway, I really appreciate him helping us out so I want to give a big shout out to Manuel if he ever reads this!

Above is a picture of the apartment building where I live. I live right across from a fairly new mall, the Aragonia, which also happens to be quite empty since it was completed when the recession began. Nieves is my host mom and I also have a host sister, Lupe. My host mom also has a boyfriend, Francisco, who is here fairly often as well. They’re all great people and I know I’ll learn a lot more Spanish living with a host family versus having my own apartment.

Classes

My classes are from 9:00 to 1:30 Monday through Friday with a half hour break midway through. By “9,” that means “around 9” or whenever the professor arrives. I’ve quickly learned that Spanish times are rarely taken literally. My morning class is a grammar class with Professor Alicia and my afternoon class is a culture class with Professor Marina. Both are fantastic teachers and I feel like I’ve learned so much more Spanish after being here just over a week.

Night Excursion

The first day I arrived, I was extremely tired but since Manuel was still in Zaragoza, he offered to give all 5 of us a brief tour of the city along with a few of his friends. We walked everywhere and my feet hurt for a while after but I learned a lot about the city and a few of its major landmarks which include The Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar (Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar), La Seo, and Aljaferia Palace. We went inside the Basilica for a few minutes right up until close and it was absolutely stunning! It’s beautiful on the outside and just as great on the inside. I have yet to see it during the day and I’ve been told the stained glass skylights are a must-see as well as a chance to climb one of the bell towers to see the whole city for 2 or 3 euro. Hopefully I’ll get there this weekend. To the left is a picture of part of the Basilica by night.

I know this was a bit brief but I had a lot to cover so hopefully I can go into greater detail in the coming posts. Thanks for reading and I’ll be taking a trip to Paris in two weeks so check back often for that and more of my adventures in Spain!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Follow me on Twitter for more of my enthralling adventures: https://twitter.com/#!/SpainJordan

View my Picasa web albums: https://picasaweb.google.com/102363422858711117798


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