tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49880418723140519842024-03-18T21:24:20.591-07:00¡Vivalano!Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066261641919198748noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988041872314051984.post-46673120250752944722013-03-19T15:58:00.000-07:002013-03-19T15:58:58.805-07:00Translators: More than meets the eye!Happy Belated St. Patrick´s Day, readers!<br />
As someone who very often takes too much pride in how little Irish he is (1/8, give or take), I hope your day consisted of foot-tapping music, potatoes, green, accents, a whee bit of Guiness, and some reflection on the work and life of the 4th century saint. For being such an enthusiastic evangelizer, I think we can easily say "T'anks a 'mil" to St. Patrick. As much as I'd love to write about the wonders of Irish culture right now, it probably would not make a lot of sense considering nothing happened here in Santiago to commemorate the feast day. However, it's a good segue into the real topic for today, since on the 8th of March I met with Claire and James (my sister and brother-in-law, respectively) in Madrid for the final part of their European vacation, which consisted of a week in the Emerald Isle!<br />
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For those of you who don't commit popular television theme songs to memory, the title of this post is a play on words from the Transformers series, which came from a toy and has now "transformed" into a movie series. As I was writing this, I suddenly remembered a really random joke my RD Matthew Baker made awhile back, saying that "Translatorbot" sounds like the name given to the lamest Transformer, hence how this title evolved. Technically, the word "translator" should be "interpreter" in this case since most of what I did in Madrid consisted of translating oral language . . . but it wouldn't sound as cool for the title, so we'll leave it as such. I think the best stories from our trip definitely came from our translation experiences, some of which I'll spin a yarn for you all in between the general stories.<br />
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As you might be able to infer from reading about my marathon sprint in the Madrid-Barajas airport in my trip to Ireland in December, I had labeled myself as a self-proclaimed expert of the design of the terminals. So, I thought I would be able to meet Claire and James at their gate when they arrived (my flight came in a half hour before theirs). Though it didn't turn into a huge fiasco like in December, I realized after some casual walking around the terminal that it was impossible to view an incoming flight board, so I just took the plunge and exited past the security line. I guess it is possible to have luck with Ryanair and the Madrid airport, as I easily found them just one small terminal hop over. After a metro ride of about an hour, we arrived at the the literal heart of the city, as our hostel was located on the main strip called <i>la Gran Vía</i>. We probably couldn't have asked for a better location just based on all the activity on the street itself and its proximity to many famous sites in Madrid. One thing that actually surprised me about Madrid was how walkable it was, especially considering its size as the capital. Arriving at the hostel, I had my first real opportunity to interpret, i.e. speaking to the person in Spanish and then giving really concise summaries of what was said to Claire. Based on our reservation, the desk manager surely knew we were American, but I really appreciated how she spoke to me in Spanish when she realized that I could. This is a relatively recent pet-peeve, but it's bothered me when I've asked a passerby for help with something in Spanish (or they ask me something in Spanish), and then they clarify in English if I look puzzled (usually it's not that I don't understand the Spanish, it's just that their answer is normally not what I'm expecting). Oftentimes I may look like a foreigner based on the way I dress and speak, but to me it's almost insulting if someone doesn't give you a chance in their language, even if you're really proficient! Thus, I'm very happy to say that that was never the case in Madrid, and for me it was definitely a confidence booster language wise. Maybe people do not speak English in Madrid as much, but either way I'll take it.<br />
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We were all pretty hungry from our respective days of traveling, so that night we wandered into a buffet called "All You Can Eat" (the name was in English), which I guess you could say specialized in quantity over quality. The food wasn't bad, though, and we were definitely glad to find something for a decent price. The first funny language moment came from James when he went downstairs to order his second drink. After listening to the various options, he decided to order "limón" (lemon). She gave him a funny look, and he realized that what he thought he had heard as "limón" was actually her pronunciation of "Lipton." Another peculiar language moment came when we were in "<i>El parque de retiro</i>," the main park in Madrid. It was a beautiful Saturday morning, so we wanted to take a group photo close to some gardens. Spying a gentleman snapping photos with a very fancy camera nearby, I proceeded to ask him, "<i>Perdone, ¿ podría sacar una foto de nosotros, por favor?</i>" (Excuse me, could you take a picture of us, please?). I immediately thought to myself: "Way to go! With that Galician accent, you're just another <i>hombre español</i>." My moment ended pretty quickly when the man responded with, "Sorry? I'm sorry I don't speak Spanish." Cue sinking heart. It's all good though since we got some nice photos out of it.<br />
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As far as more language fun goes, Sunday was definitely the best. After attending Mass in the main cathedral (absolutely beautiful with a great children's choir, by the way), we were looking for some good 'ol <i>menu del día</i>, the not-so-well kept secret key to Spanish dining. I'm not sure if it's due to the "<i>crisis</i>" or another reason, but oftentimes in Spanish restaurants one of the employees will stand in the door or out on the street handing out paper menus or inviting people to come inside. Such was the case with these particular restaurant, not too far away from the cathedral. The employee on the street handed me a menu, asked me if I spoke Spanish, and then proceeded to tell me the menu options: "<i>Hay pollo, hay arroz, hay pescado . . .</i>" He turned to Claire and asked her, "You speak English?" Responding in the affirmative, he told her the same thing he told me like this: "<i>Hay chicken, hay rice, hay fish</i> . . ." Food is a universal language, right?<br />
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Before the trip, I was asking my friend Laura, whose family lives in Santiago now but is originally from Madrid, about things to do in the city. Her aunt María, who goes by Nines, does cultural tours there, so luckily Laura was able to put us in contact. On Sunday afternoon, we met Nines and her friend Elesa from Valladolid in <i>La puerta del sol</i> and embarked on our adventure from there. I had known that Nines did not speak English ahead of time, so I was prepared to put my real time interpreting skills to the test like those in the United Nations . . . man, those people make it look so easy! I understood practically everything Nines said, so the difficult came more from the quantity of information. Claire joked to me later on that she would hear a really long, complex description in Spanish just for me to respond with: "She said this used to be a church." Well, there is some truth in every good joke, but I think I was getting better at doing rapid translations by the end of the tour. Nines and Elesa were really nice and told us stories about different parts of the city that we would have never known otherwise, and it was awfully nice of them to take time out of their schedules to do so.<br />
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It was such a blessing to see family in the flesh for the first time in seven months (and almost nine for Claire and James). Even though we didn't get a ton of time in Madrid, it was so worth it just being together again. As I conclude writing this blog post, my parents are on their way across the country and across the Atlantic to come see me here in Santiago! I'll have a hearty blog post (maybe two if necessary) about our adventures for the next week and a half here in Galicia, Valencia and Barcelona. Thanks again for reading, and have a blessed, profound Holy Week with those you love, dear readers!<br />
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And just because . . . ¡Viva Papa Francisco!<br />
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P.S. I think Snapfish may have changed its policies recently, so I can't post a normal link that will get you to the album for Madrid. However, if you don't have Facebook and would like to see these and other photos, just send me your email and we'll start sharing!<br />
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Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066261641919198748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988041872314051984.post-39911032445758733902013-02-16T07:45:00.000-08:002013-02-16T13:53:39.576-08:00¡Rezo y Risa!Greetings and blessings be upon you as we enter the mysterious season of Lent! It still kind of blows my mind how early Lent and Easter are this year, considering that a little more than a month ago we were still celebrating the birth of the Lord. However, that's just how things go with liturgical calendars, and time always seems to surprise us. I guess all the better since both sets of my family visits that I mentioned in my previous post will come during this great time of preparation!<br />
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For those of you who don't speak Spanish nor took the time to put the two words of the title into an online translator (knowing full well that I would define them anyway), "rezo" is one of the many words in Spanish for "prayer" while "risa" is the equivalent of "laughter." These two might seem at odds with each other, but I would say the union of the two best describes my wonderful pilgrimage experience in Fátima, Portugal from February 8-12, appropriately ending right before Ash Wednesday. It was also "Carnaval" in various parts of Spain, hence why I didn't miss any class on that Monday and Tuesday. I'm sure participating in a specific "Carnaval" festivity would have been a unique cultural experience as well, but I wouldn't exchange my time in Fátima for anything.<br />
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On Friday the 8th, our group from Galicia, numbering at least 45 people from all parts of the region, left from Santiago around 5 pm in the afternoon and arrived at a small town outside of Fátima around 10:30 pm. After a chilly night in a Portuguese seminary (being in the cold was another prominent theme of the whole pilgrimage), other groups from all over Spain arrived there in the morning, as this small town was the launching point for the 13 kilometer march to Fátima. For the march itself and for the rest of the pilgrimage, we were divided into groups that more or less tried to carry an even representation of each region of Spain. My group, #26, was strongest in its representation of Toledo, Sevilla, Barcelona and good ol' Santiago de Compostela (three of us). Upon learning of the group assignments, I was first taken aback that not everyone in mine was from Santiago nor Galicia, but it definitely was a blessing to get to know so many great, diverse people in such little time. It may sound strange, but by the end of those days, the people in your group felt like your family, and it was hard to say good-bye so soon. I first noticed this dynamic of "rezo/risa" on that first leg of the pilgrimage. For the first half or so, "risa" thrived with shouts of "¡Viva la Virgen!" or "El 26, es el mejor, de alegría y de peregrinación (The 26, is the best, of joy and pilgrimage)" and numerous chistes, or funny stories. As we grew closer to Fátima, the emphasis appropriately switched more to "rezo" with silent meditation for a few kilometers and praying the rosary. When we finally arrived at the Sanctuary in Fátima that evening, all 600 of us, give or take, entered in silence from the new basilica entrance, flanked on either side by families holding processional candles, a moving experience indeed for all involved. We celebrated Mass in the little chapel outside, built there as requested by the Blessed Virgin to mark the site of the apparitions. However, after this, one more experience of "risa" marked my evening as I searched for where I would stay the night. Asking one of the volunteers for help, I told him the name of my hostel indicated on my group card several times, but he kept giving me puzzled looks. We learned, to my great surprise, that I had been assigned to one of the all-women's dorms, so some "jajajaja" moments ensued. I'm not sure if someone higher up simply thought Ethan was a feminine name, or perhaps more likely, I had subconsciously marked "M" on the original sign up sheet thinking of it as "Male" instead of "Mujer." Claaaasssiicccc Ethan.<br />
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In addition to personal group discussion and Mass, my favorite spiritual parts of the pilgrimage were praying the Stations of the Cross (La Vía Crucis), visiting the apparition sites, and a vigil service in the chapel. In what would best be described as a meditation orchard, we walked up the hillside praying the traditional Stations of the Cross in the afternoon, and although we were nowhere near Jerusalem, the suffering and death of Jesus in first century Palestine just felt so real to me. This may just be coincidence, but it started to rain hard and the wind whipped at the 11th station, "Jesus is Nailed to the Cross." However, by the 15th station, the Resurrection, the wind had calmed and the sun was shining on the top of the hill. One day, we visited the sites where an angel first appeared to the shepherd children, Lucía, Jacinta and Francisco, before the Marian apparitions began. Seeing the very simple house of Lucía and the simple grove of trees where the apparitions happened helped me understand how God often reveals much of his mystery to the smallest of us in humble beginnings. Finally, the vigil service, in which we prayed silently amidst occasional reflections on the events of Fátima, was quite compelling for me as the true pilgrim experience. It was cold, wet and long, and I loved every minute of it! <br />
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From a social perspective, Fátima was like a pie in the face of Spanish culture (truly Spanish because of the diversity of the people). I heard/had difficulty understanding so many various Spanish accents and quickly realized that I needed to improve my colloquial vocabulary to understand humor. One of my friends from Santiago in the group named Macarena taught me, with great enthusiasm, several "must know" phrases in Spanish to be hip and cool, which I've been employing almost to a fault ever since. To answer what everyone is inevitably thinking, the answer is "yes": her name is spelled and pronounced like the famous song. In fact, one of the priests for the Youth Delegation in Santiago would always introduce her last in the group (and still does) as "Heeeyyy, Macarena" with everyone else responding with "Aaaahhaaa" in rhythm. It's pretty great. Though we all weren't in the same group, I got to know a lot of my peers from Santiago whom I had seen at Wednesday Mass and other church functions often, but whom I had not met. So, in short, Fátima was a springboard for Spanish friend explosion!<br />
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Being Catholic and being at Whitworth, I have frequently had the privilege to explain some topics of the faith to my non-Catholic Christian friends, either informally or in the context of Primetime. Along with the Eucharist, sexual ethics and the Pope (please pray for the intentions of Pope Benedict XVI), the topic of the Church's relationship with the Blessed Virgin often has come up. Though I have explained the role of Mary as an intercessor, I'll be honest that I did not understand the full importance (and I'm still learning) of the Blessed Mother's role in our lives until this pilgrimage. Our Lady really is there for us as a Mother, a Mother who wants nothing more than for us to know and love her Son as she does. A really great way of trying to understanding the Virgin's role is that of the relationship between the Moon (Mary) and the Sun (God the Father, Son & Holy Spirit). The Sun is the source of life on this planet, and without it's constant burning and shining life would cease to exist. Although the Sun is of utmost importance, we all know from experience that the Sun is so powerfully bright and shining that we cannot look at it directly for long periods of time. Obviously that doesn't make the Sun bad; rather, it shows how awesome and high above us it is. Keeping with the astronomical metaphor, the full Moon lights up the night sky but does not contain the means within itself to produce light. Rather, the light of the Moon gives evidence of the glory and power of the Sun ("Hail Mary, full of <strong>grace, the Lord is with thee</strong>.") Nevertheless, the light of the Moon is much easier to behold for longer periods of time, and we can learn much and appreciate the Sun even more from our study of the Moon. So it is with our relationship with the Blessed Virgin. It's not a perfect metaphor, nor can it cover all the complexities of Mariology, but I think it's a good start if you've never tried or have had reservations about getting to know the Mother of God.<br />
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Thanks for reading my diverse stream of consciousness, posting comments, and most importantly your prayers! May the Blessed Mother, through her Immaculate Heart, lead you always to be more faithful in your pilgrimage to the Lord.<br />
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Part of our group from Santiago inside the new basilica^<br />
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Left: One of my best friends here, Rafael from Brazil (He leaves in less than a week :(<br />
Center: Javi García, one of the priests for the Youth Delegation in Santiago and a great personality.<br />
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Inside the little chapel. The statue marks the exact spot where the Virgin appeared.Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066261641919198748noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988041872314051984.post-40958288278804818612013-02-06T10:01:00.002-08:002013-02-16T03:11:56.719-08:00Mid-Year MusingsGreetings readers!<br />
First of all, I would like to thank all of you who have been keeping up with my study abroad experience/travel blog. Though I always feel better after writing a post, oftentimes it takes a lot of effort on my part to just sit down and write it, so I thank you for being an audience with whom I can share this adventure. If you're just joining ¡Vivalano! or are catching up, welcome to the program! I hope I can provide you with a well deserved rest from your day, some laughs, and maybe something intellectually stimulating or uplifting.<br />
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Technically, the title of this post is somewhat misleading, as I have already completed five months of my nine month study abroad program. However, as I always appreciate artistic alliteration, we'll leave it as such. Because the possibility of this turning into a stream of conscious post is quite high, I will just touch on three themes: The Past, the Future, and Time.<br />
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To say that I've simple "grown" these past five months would be the understatement of the century. If I was a baby bird molting my feathers in the nest at the beginning, now I've not only learned to fly but to soar. Perhaps I'm not quite an eagle, but I still have four months to work on that. I think back to my first days in Santiago: settling into my room, not knowing anyone, trying to figure out classes, and of course seeing and entering the cathedral for the first time, being somewhat dumbstruck in all four cases. When I had enough time, I remember mentally preparing what I would say ahead of time in Spanish, often for menial requests such as food or keys to the piano room. At the beginning of the year, I never thought for a second I would experience the following (and if I had, some of them might have scared me away): Spending the night in two airports (with more to come, surely), getting swindled into buying coconuts on a beach, taking a college level course in a language I had never studied, Gallego (with 3 more this semester), missing a flight whilst running like a madman in the Madrid airport, getting lost and almost missing the bus in Fátima, getting lost in the same trip just a few hours later in Lisboa, wandering in the London area by myself for a week, and participating in the Charismatic Catholic movement, to name a few. All of these experiences, the good and less than good, have formed me into the confident, comfortable, and self-aware American-Spaniard that I am today. Only through the grace of God have I been able to grow in this way, and I know that through Him, any challenges which come amidst the moments of joy in these next four months will eventually be transformed into a greater good.<br />
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Even with three of my courses being in Gallego this semester, the future looks pretty bright and exciting so far. First of, I understand much more of what my professors say, since their accents aren't very thick and my understanding of both languages has improved to a great extent. In the very near future (i.e. this upcoming weekend), I will be going to Fátima again and not getting lost, as I will be traveling with a large group of Spanish youth for a pilgrimage there. In Galicia, everyone is on holiday Monday and Tuesday for "Carnaval," so the pilgrimage will be from the 8th until the 12th. I think it's safe to say that this will be my first pilgrimage ever, and I know it will probably be one of the most memorable experiences here! In March, again by the grace of God, I will have the privilege of seeing two sets of visitors from the states! From the 8th until the 11th, I will be with my sister Claire and brother-in-law (BIL) James in Madrid. Not only am I obviously excited to see them again after so many months, I will relish the opportunity to finally spend some time in the capital of Spain. I find it kind of odd how I've been in three other European capital cities (Lisboa, Dublin, & London) while only being in the airport of the capital of my host country. Then, about a week and a half later, my parents will arrive in Santiago! We'll spend some time here in Santiago and exploring other parts of Galicia, and then on the Monday of Holy Week, which is also my Spring Break, we will fly to Valencia and spend a few days there. One of my friends from Brazil just went there and said it was gorgeous, so I'm looking forward to seeing that part of Spain. Close to the end of the week, we'll take a train up to Barcelona and spend the Triduum and Easter there. As far as other traveling in the semester goes, it's kind of up in the air (literally, because Ryanair flights are sometimes troublesome with my schedule). I may have the chance to meet up with a friend from Whitworth named Heather up in Scotland, which would be quite fun since kilts are the bee's knees. My dream is still to go to Rome, and more importantly Vatican City at some point this semester. Shaking hands/getting a photo with Pope Benedict XVI would be a definite win, but I guess I should work on getting there first.<br />
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It's definitely been a peculiar experience seeing (or hearing about) people returning to their home countries these past few weeks. When experiencing cultural nuances and living with the same people for five months, you forget that everyone has a previous life that they will return to in the end. I know that certain departures will affect me more than others, as my level of friendship depends on each person. Nonetheless, it is frankly strange and uneasy knowing that the likelihood of seeing certain people again in the flesh, at least in this life, is like getting struck by lightning. Something I keeping telling myself, and sometimes to departing friends, is that although we are unaware when/if we will see each other, we can find peace that in knowing each other, we will never be the same. From the way this paragraph is going, you might think that I were leaving! On the contrary, I'm still very content with my decision to remain here the entire academic year; there are so may things left to experiences and other friendships still to develop. I think the winds that will blow me back stateside will become more apparent when registering for Whitworth classes, a good kick in the pants to remind me that I actually attend an American university. Though four months is a considerable part of a year (1/3, right?), I'm still afraid that Time will come to bite me by passing too quickly. With so many things to think about for next year and especially post-Whitworth, I don't want to see Spain passing away into the fog of my memory too soon! God willing, it won't :) <br />
<br />Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066261641919198748noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988041872314051984.post-25654345448247542362013-01-24T14:10:00.000-08:002013-01-24T14:10:03.483-08:00London/Oxford Photos<a href="http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=8367090025/a=12105223025_12105223025/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/">http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=8367090025/a=12105223025_12105223025/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/</a><br />
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<img alt="" height="300" id="wc14:lrImg1" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp53%3B%3C5%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3C3475%3B45348nu0mrj" width="400" /><img alt="" height="300" id="wc14:lrImg2" src="http://images3a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp73569%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3C3474%3A%3A%3B348nu0mrj" width="400" /><img alt="" height="300" id="wc14:lrImg1" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp54233%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3C3475%3B46348nu0mrj" width="400" /><img alt="" height="300" id="wc14:lrImg1" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp53%3B%3C5%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3C34796%3C2348nu0mrj" width="400" /><img alt="" height="400" id="wc14:lrImg1" src="http://images3a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp73537%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3C3479734348nu0mrj" width="300" /><img alt="" height="300" id="wc14:lrImg2" src="http://images3a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp73537%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3C3475%3B6%3A348nu0mrj" width="400" /><img alt="" height="300" id="wc14:lrImg2" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp54265%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3C347973%3A348nu0mrj" width="400" /><img alt="" height="400" id="wc14:lrImg1" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp54233%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3C3475%3B88348nu0mrj" width="300" /><img alt="" height="300" id="wc14:lrImg2" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp54249%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3C3475%3B8%3B348nu0mrj" width="400" /><br />
<img alt="" height="300" id="wc14:lrImg1" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp5423%3B%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3C3475%3B%3A%3A348nu0mrj" width="400" /><img alt="" height="300" id="wc14:lrImg1" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp542%3A5%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3C3479783348nu0mrj" width="400" /><img alt="" height="300" id="wc14:lrImg2" src="http://images3a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp73569%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3C347978%3B348nu0mrj" width="400" /><img alt="" height="300" id="wc14:lrImg1" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp542%3A5%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3C34797%3C9348nu0mrj" width="400" /><img alt="" height="400" id="wc14:lrImg1" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp54337%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3C347979%3B348nu0mrj" width="300" /><img alt="" height="300" id="wc14:lrImg2" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp54249%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3C3479839348nu0mrj" width="400" /><img alt="" height="400" id="wc14:lrImg2" src="http://images3a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp73537%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3C3479844348nu0mrj" width="300" /><br />
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A lot more where these came from! If you don't have a Snapfish account nor Facebook and want to see the rest, just let me know by posting a comment. I guess the same goes for any other pictures I've taken while abroad. Cheerio!<br />
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Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066261641919198748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988041872314051984.post-56756181710722103762013-01-24T13:06:00.000-08:002013-01-24T13:06:44.403-08:00Cobble-hopping!Every time I write a new post about a new trip I've had, I tell myself that I ought to have written it closer to when said mini-vacaction actually transpired. At the same time, I realize that by spacing out the time in between each travel log, I can vicariously live through my past self's adventures, which in essence makes me a time traveler and therefore incredibly suave. Anyway, in these week's episode (which I write as a gift to myself for having competing exams), I will recount my voyage over the second week of Christmas break to the realm of Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II. I think it's safe to say that it's nearly impossible to think about the United Kingdom without employing the adjective "royal" in every situation whilst there ("Kingdom" kind of leads you to that line of linking, right?). <br />
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With that in mind, my "royal" Ryanair flight was jolly good without any of the hassels of the Dublin trip, as this one was a direct flight. My flight arrived at the Stansed airport just outside of London at approximately 4 pm on New Year's Eve, and I have to say, London may give Spokane a run for its money as far as early winter sunsets go. Based on how light it was when I left Santiago and how dark it was when I arrived, you would think I had flown around Europe a couple times. After getting through a surprisingly long line at the border check, I caught my easyBus (i.e. maybe a 10 passenger van) for the hour long drive to the heart of London. Though my traveling skills seem to exponentially improve each month save some exceptions, the one obvious thing I forgot to do was write down the address of my hostel (Note: Psych-like memory is not always full proof). Thankfully, I remembered that it was near Harrod's department store, and then after getting a map and directions from a Hilton, I was on my merry way. Although I was walking for a solid two hours through London to get to my hostel (not because I was lost, but because it was far away), oddly enough I never felt unsafe or nervous. Perhaps it was because I spoke English, or more likely because I was already wearing my trusty moneybelt again, so no hooligan could stop me. After checking into my hostel named "Meininger" (a German hostel chain), I went to the South Kensington Tube station to buy a ticket to Westminster, the closest stop to the fireworks, but because the ticket was pretty expensive and I didn't want to mess with a pass, I decided to walk, thinking it wasn't too far. Another solid hour of foot stomping later, I came to the general area where people were gathering, but unfortunately the specific "fireworks viewing areas" were already full. If you saw the highlights of fireworks from London on the tele that night, you may have seen more than I did, but I can still say I was there! I did see some over the buildings and compensated by watching the big screen in Trafalgar Square.<br />
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To go into as much detail as I did above with that I did and saw would require multiple posts. Thus, for now let me just list what I did day by day and then elaborate on some especially interesting moments.<br />
<strong>Tuesday, Jan 1</strong>: British Museum attempt (closed, obviously), King's Cross Station (Harry Potter), Regent's Garden (the avian's parodise), St. Paul's Cathedral (from the outside), and the Tate Modern Art Museum (Giacometti, Calder, Pollock, Rothko and others).<br />
<strong>Wednesday, Jan 2</strong>: Oxford! Knowing that Oxford was very beautiful and feeling a little ambitious, I booked a train ticket from Paddington Station and after an hour was in the town of England's first university. Not being very big, I basically walked around the whole town and took in all the breath-taking architecture. Also, I entered Christ's Church, one of the most well known parts of the Oxford campus, and I got to see the stairs used in the first Harry Potter as well as the inspiration for the Great Hall. Worth it!<br />
<strong>Thursday, Jan 3: </strong>In the late morning, I did one of London's famous "Walks," where you just meet outside a Tube station and pay the guide when you get there. Being a sophisticated listener of fine music, I obviously chose to do the "Magical Mystery Walk" about The Beatles. We saw various sights of Beatle's significance including: Paul McCartney's music office, the studio where they recorded "Hey Jude," the building where they had their final rooftop concert (unexpected for London at the time), the Palladium (where Beatlemania started), Abbey Road Studios and of course, Abbey Road itself. When we got there, a bunch of people were already there trying to recreate the famous album cover. The funniest thing to me was that people have been doing this every since the album came up in 1969, and thus all the people who drive on Abbey Road have hated having to wait for people to take their photos ever since (sometimes I think they don't wait!). Our guide also told us that Sir Paul came to Abbey Road studios about three weeks before our tour, and went up behind some people and asked if they wanted help taking their picture. However, the people said "no thank you" and didn't turn around to see who it was! I'd be kicking myself for years to come . . . In the afternoon, I went to the British museum, which was both incredible and overwhelming. I'm one of those people who could literally spend days (as long as there is food and bathrooms nearby) in a museum looking at and reading about all the exhibits, but because there was SO MUCH, I had to move myself along. Not seeing everything, I went Saturday morning as well.<br />
<strong>Friday, Jan 4</strong>: Tower of London (ridiculously expensive, even with the student discount, so I appreciated it from the outside), Tower Bridge, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret's Church (the latter which I entered because it was free), Downing Street (where the Prime Minister lives), the mounted horse guards, and M16. At this building, which basically serves as the UK's CIA but was also featured in the latest James Bond film <em>(Skyfall</em>), I asked an older British lady to take my picture, and after she and the rest of her walking group struck up a conversation with me. They were very nice asking me about my studies in Spain and everything, and one of them mentioned that they wanted to travel in the western United States. Because we had been talking about the west as the "frontier," I jokingly remarked that we would get the wagons and horses all prepared for when they would come (slam dunk, lots of laughs all around). After I bid them adieu and started walking back towards the Tube station, I reassessed what we talked about and realized that they probably actually thought that the west still was frontier country, not changing since the Oregon trail! Maybe not to that extent, but they did ask me if we still did cattle drives in all seriousness. That night, and me admitting this will open myself up to jokes I'm sure, I went and saw <em>The Hobbit </em>in the cinema (as the British call it). Though I could have easily seen it in Spain, J.R.R. Tolkien had such a mastery of the English language that I just had to see it in English on a big screen. I have no regrets.<br />
<strong>Saturday, Jan 5</strong>: I saw what I didn't get to see in the British museum in the morning, and then by the grace of God I got to meet up with my friends from Whitworth on their "Christianity in Great Britain" Jan Term trip! They were all very, very jet-lagged for obvious reasons, but it was still fun hanging out with them all. The title of this post, "Cobble-hopping," actually comes from that afternoon when Matthew Baker, my Resident Director from last year, and I were trying to come up with different British phrases for everything. Running across the street without the guide of the light, he brilliantly came up with "Cobble-hopping" to replace jay-walking. I approve :) We went to a cool sushi restaurant that night close to the London Eye, and after everyone else decided to go to bed at 7 pm (bad idea), Matthew, Mathew Eardley and took a good long stroll north of Hyde Park. Eventually, we found this homey tavern with the record as "the longest tavern in London." Upon entering, the sign was right, but I realize now that I should have taken the opportunity to pull an "Elf" and said "You did it! Great job, everyone, longest pub in London!" Already impressed at this architectural marvel, I think I fell in love when I took my first sip of pear cider. Once you've had good quality cider, there's no going back.<br />
<strong>Sunday, Jan 6</strong>: Epiphany Mass (very traditional) in a beautiful church close to my hostel, a stroll through Hyde Park with the Whitworth group, Natural History Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum (amazing), dinner at Pizza Express, and then a contemporary worship service at the Holy Trinity Anglican church, literally just a few steps from the church I went to Mass at in the morning. Finally, Dr. Beebe, Matthew and Mathew sent me off at a different tavern, where we had some great pub conversation and said our goodbyes. When I arrived at the easyBus pick-up stop, I asked two people sitting there if it was the right place, and they said yes. A few moments later, they asked me, "¿Habla español?" With an enthusiastic "Sí," we then started talking a lot, which was very refreshing after a week of not speaking any Spanish. What tickled me more is that ambiguous ethnic identity (from the outside) won again! They obviously couldn't hear any Spanish accent in my voice when I asked them in English, so logically they must have thought I looked like someone who speaks Spanish (hopefully from Spain, though I'll take any country).<br />
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I'm glad I finally got all of this written down, as it definitely would have been easier to forget things had I waited longer to write. On a side note, yesterday I finished with my last exam for the month, and I can't express how happy I am that's over. Frankly, a month of just studying for exams and then doing your exams adds so much unneeded stress, not to mention the fact that so much of the final grade depends on it. Add to that the fact that it seems the majority of the Spanish and international students are worried about just passing the course, it just makes an unpleasant situation. Given the circumstances and trying to piece together what I'd learned over the semester, I can at least be happy with the fact that I gave my best effort. Plus, with second semester starting next week (¡Qué loco!) I am SO much more comfortable than at the beginning and now know how the whole academic game goes. Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (from the 21st) and please pray for forgiveness, compassion, and the conversion of the nation to one that's always open to life in this 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade decision.<br />
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Dios os bendiga,<br />
Ethan <br />
Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066261641919198748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988041872314051984.post-55654701680334352732012-12-29T17:41:00.002-08:002012-12-29T17:41:39.687-08:00It's been GRAND . . .Top of the mornin' to ya! That's the only phrase I really wanted to hear when traveling to Ireland during the weekend of December 6th - 9th (yep, I've been a wee bit lazy keeping up on posts), but apparently no one actually says it. In order to not be "that tourist," I tried to control myself and not say this phrase to everyone I met. "They're after m' lucky charms" was also avoided for obvious reasons. Now just for the record, I've always been a fan of Ireland and the Irish culture, probably because I can claim at least 1/8 Irish heritage on m' mother's side. Though my resemblance to an Irish person is about the same as The Office's Michael Scott being 2/15 Native American, something about being in Dublin and the Irish countryside ignited the Celtic fire inside of my soul. While my trip in Ireland itself was fantastic and beyond words, getting there was another story. I've told it so many times now (mostly in Spanish) that I've grown tired of the same old rhetoric, so prepare yourselves for an epic drama with hints of beat poetry as I recount how I missed my connection from Madrid to Dublin through Ryanair. (Pardon the present tense too; I think it sounds more exciting).<br />
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Crunch, crunch, lip smack, triple crunch goes the trail mix in my mouth as I await to board the next metal bird for the Emerald Isle. "Oh Trader Joe's," I muse, "If your founder was indeed a real person, I hope he is in heaven serving this hearty snack to its citizens." In my cashew-induced day dream, I am roused by the shuffling of luggage and slow movement of the crowd. Yes! The moment has arrived, and I reach into my backpack to procure my golden ticket (boarding pass). The employee reads mine, does a double take, and delivers the news that strikes terror into my very soul: "You don't have your stamp (which only applies to people outside the EU). If you don't get one soon, you can't board." Realizing that responding with "I've heard it both ways" would be ill-advised, I dash off in the opposite direction in the hope to find the elusive office of Ryanair, completely unaware of the coming challenge. Left and right I ask whoever looks official if they know where, and vague yet somewhat helpful responses come my way. With the suaveness of James Bond I sneak my way past the National Police passport check with ease . . . after asking their permission to do so. "Not long now," I think to myself confidently as I assess my bearings. Utter dismay hits me like an elephant when I realize the office lies beyond the exit of the airport. With a deep breath, I dive into the great beyond and begin my merry chase again. 350. The number of the office rings in my head like one of those creepy cat cuckoo clocks, but I pursue it nonetheless with a renewed effort. Like a shark who's smelled blood in the water, there's nothing that will stop me now in my hunt . . . except the line when I get there. Tick tock goes the imaginary sound of my digital watch as I mentally tell it to stop reminding me. Procuring my stamp after what feels like an eternity, the employee tells me advice I knew from the beginning: RUN. Dodging idle passengers this way and that, I come to my final obstacle: the security check. Stripping off my belt, shoes, wallet, and other accessories like I'm on fire, I pass through the radiation machines relatively unscathed. Here it is: the final sprint. Boots clopping, backpack shuffling, heart pounding, and sweat dripping in literally every crevice of my body, I kick myself for never running long distance in college nor training for an Iron Man. Nearing the place of my destiny I constantly tell myself I'm almost there and that I can die on the plane. However, the unthinkable happens. Much to my chagrin I see the aluminum eagle in its nest preparing to soar into the heavens and leave me in the dust to forge my own existence. The Man has won, and I, one man, have lost.<br />
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Hope you enjoyed that little portion of monologue; I'm hoping to pitch it to Broadway and get the musical version started up real soon. There's a bit of a happy ending in that I was still able to go to Ireland by booking a ticket with Aer Lingus for a flight that evening. An expensive lesson, but definitely worth it after such a fun weekend in Dublin. That being said, here's a list of highlights, in order of occurrence:<br />
1) Getting directions from an older Irishman to the buses at the airport. If I couldn't have Morgan Freeman narrate my life, I would definitely love this man's charming Irish brogue accompany me wherever I go.<br />
2) Hanging out with Jenna and some of her friends! She was such a great tour guide and really knew her way around the best parts of Dublin.<br />
3) Seeing the Book of Kells, one of the oldest and best preserved illuminated gospel books (800 AD)! Even though it's protected with strong glass, an employee from Trinity College turns a page of it every day. No pressure or anything.<br />
4) Guiness Factory Tour! The best, and might I say most "academically enriching" part, was when we poured our perfect pints of Guiness and graduated from the factory's academy. Much to Jenna's and my surprise, I liked Guiness and its uniqueness among cervezas.<br />
5) Evensong in St. Patrick's Cathedral.<br />
6) Authentic Irish food in O'Neil's (shepherd's pie + roasted chicken = mouth watering goodness).<br />
7) James Joyce's play "The Dead" in the Abbey Theater. Witty, great cast, a merry winter scene, and a final tragic scene making you wonder what you just saw. Touche Joyce, touche . . .<br />
8) Authentic Irish music back in O'Neil's! I could have done a jig :)<br />
9) Hiking Bray Head, Greystones, saying hello to all the Irish people, ice cream, and trying to stay warm in an elevator with Jenna and my new friend Lily as we waited for the train! (Turns out the latter was unnecessary).<br />
10) Mass on the Assumption of Our Lady in a PACKED Carmelite church! Weird to think that it was my first English-speaking Mass in months.<br />
11) A literary pub crawl in which we learned about the various authors of Dublin and which drinking establishments they frequented. Not to mention watching people participate in the self-named "12 Pubs of Christmas," a popular pastime in December.<br />
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As always, here's the link to some Snapfish photos and a few examples below if you don't have an account: <a href="http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=8075007025/a=12105223025_12105223025/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/">http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=8075007025/a=12105223025_12105223025/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/</a><br />
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<img alt="" height="240" id="wc13:lrImg2" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp54384%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3A%3A7%3A9454348nu0mrj" width="320" /> <img alt="" height="240" id="wc13:lrImg2" src="http://images3a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp73499%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3A%3A7%3A9459348nu0mrj" width="320" /> <img alt="" height="320" id="wc13:lrImg2" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp5434%3B%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3A%3A7%3A%3C249348nu0mrj" width="239" /><img alt="" height="240" id="wc13:lrImg2" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp5436%3B%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3A%3A7%3A9462348nu0mrj" width="320" /> <img alt="" height="240" id="wc13:lrImg1" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp543%3C6%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3A%3A7%3A9464348nu0mrj" width="320" /><img alt="" height="240" id="wc13:lrImg2" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp54399%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3A%3A7%3A%3C272348nu0mrj" width="320" /> <img alt="" height="240" id="wc13:lrImg1" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp54398%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3A%3A7%3A9473348nu0mrj" width="320" /><img alt="" height="240" id="wc13:lrImg1" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp54353%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3A%3A7%3A%3C294348nu0mrj" width="320" /><br />
<img alt="" height="240" id="wc13:lrImg2" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp54433%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3A%3A7%3A%3C296348nu0mrj" width="320" /><img alt="" height="320" id="wc13:lrImg1" src="http://images3a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp7348%3B%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3A%3A7%3A%3C29%3B348nu0mrj" width="239" /><br />
<img alt="" height="240" id="wc13:lrImg2" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp5436%3B%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3A%3A7%3A%3C2%3A2348nu0mrj" width="320" /><img alt="" height="240" id="wc13:lrImg1" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp54358%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3A%3A7%3A%3C2%3A8348nu0mrj" width="320" /><br />
<img alt="" height="240" id="wc13:lrImg1" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp54346%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3A%3A7%3A948%3A348nu0mrj" width="320" /><img alt="" height="240" id="wc13:lrImg2" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp543%3B7%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3A%3A7%3A9495348nu0mrj" width="320" /><br />
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I am traveling to London this coming Monday (New Year's Eve) to spend a few days there before meeting up with some friends from Whitworth for their "Christianity in the British Isles" trip. Please pray for me, as this will be my first time traveling/spending time in another country completely alone. However, I'm really excited and can't wait to share the adventure with you all through a blog post that will hopefully come sooner than this one did. ¡Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año Nuevo!<br />
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Hasta 2013,<br />
Ethan<br />
Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066261641919198748noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988041872314051984.post-27823247744785866612012-11-23T05:31:00.000-08:002012-11-23T05:31:30.460-08:00Catch Me If You Can¡Hola todos!<br />
Hope you all are recovering from the post-Thanksgiving food coma and are relishing the fact that new cooking will not be necessary for the next week or two. I guess Thanksgiving is never truly "over" until all of the leftovers are consumed. Just an aside, for my Thanksgiving I went out for some tapas with some friends, and we did the classic "what are you thankful for" table discussion, specifically relating it to our studying abroad experience. Although I could go on and on, I'll just mention one thing from my list which I hadn't thought about much until last night. I realized that I'm thankful for the opportunity to view the world as a global family. It seems like everyday I meet new people from all different areas of the globe, and it's so normal and comfortable for me now. It is true that our respective countries have various cultural differences, but at the same time doesn't each family member bring something unique to the table? I'll extrapolate this a bit and say that meeting and befriending people from other countries is NECESSARY for peace and fellowship. As I watched the images of the new Israeli-Gaza battle on the news and the ancient hatred that exists there, I thought to myself how things would be different if the powers behind those rockets had done a study abroad program together, taking a stroll in the park and doing karaoke in the evening. How much more difficult it is to order the annihilation of a group of people knowing that one of your friends is there! True, even in our families we have disagreements and may even be angry with each other for a time, but the mark of a loving family is one which is willing to fight the good fight to forgive one another. Are we not all children of the same God, created and loved by He that is Love? We must challenge ourselves to remember this constantly and think of countries as composed of human individuals, not as political entities.<br />
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Now, after that little tidbit, you may be wondering about the title of this post. This may sound a bit odd, but thinking of titles is one of my favorite parts of writing this blog. So, for those who have seen the movie "Catch Me If You Can" (highly recommended), the answer is No, the title does not imply that I am now an international criminal printing near perfect blank checks, forging identities, and eluding both the FBI and international police. Rather, the "Me" refers to my trip to Fatima and Lisboa, Portugal last week and the "You" refers to me. First off, it's important to note that I didn't really know anyone going on this trip, organized through the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) Santiago. I was especially interested in Fatima, and I figured Lisboa would be pretty cool, so I bought the tickets nonetheless. After leaving very early from Santiago on Friday the 16th, we arrived in Fatima around 10 am or so and would only be there for 2 hours. Soon after eating breakfast, we went to explore the sanctuary of Fatima, which was a lot more empty than I thought it would be (you can see what I mean in the pictures). In that sense, Fatima does feel like a pilgrimage site since it appears people only come for religious reasons (i.e. not many tourists). The church was absolutely gorgeous, and when we entered they were starting Mass in Portuguese. Other people from the group just took a few pictures and left, but I decided to stick around and try to understand as much of Mass as possible. I left at the beginning of the homily and started to make my way back to the buses, but lo and behold my "Psych-like" memory had failed me. For whatever reason, I simply could NOT find the buses with the clock ticking, the heavy rain clouding my glasses (and lack of umbrella), and the sense of shame being lost since Fatima is really small. Muchísimas gracias a Dios (Many thanks to God) that I found a man who pointed me in the right direction. Upon entering the bus, I looked (and probably smelled) like a wet dog, but I just didn't care. In retrospect, I guess being left behind at a very holy sanctuary wouldn't have been the worst thing. :) Also, if you want to learn more about the Miracle at Fatima, check out this video from EWTN:<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXwndKpvrSg">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXwndKpvrSg</a><br />
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After that incident at Fatima, I told myself I wouldn't get separated from the group again. I even met three girls from the United States (two from Wisconsin, one from North Carolina), so I now had a safety net. We checked into the hotel around 4 and immediately walked to el Castelo de Sao Jorge (the Castle of St. George), located on a hill above the city. As you'll see in some of the pictures, the castle is incredibly well preserved, like many of the archaeological sites around Lisboa. After about an hour or a little more at the castle, it looked like people were starting to leave, so I found myself close to the exit. However, curiosity killed the cat, salted the snail (I've heard it both ways), and I wandered toward the back of the castle, taking a few pictures of an archaeological dig. Surprise, surprise, that I had inadvertently lost the group once again, this time in the heart of Lisboa. Despite being in such a large city by myself, I felt much better about being lost this time since I figured I could find my way back to the hotel (which I did, no big deal; on the way I even found a nice restaurant with great food and good prices). In summary, for the first day of the trip I definitely felt like I was constantly trying to "catch" the group, but having had that experience, I now know I can overcome it in the future.<br />
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Just a few final comments about the trip before some pictures:<br />
1) On Saturday, we visited a small town called Sintra, which was stunning for its views of the cities below, its cloud forest, zip-lining (which I think only operates in spring or summer), and many castles and palaces. For some of the reasons stated above, it certainly reminded me of Costa Rica!<br />
2) Pasteis de Belem (Pastries of Belem) were fantastic and a must have if you're in Lisboa.<br />
3) On a more somber note, Lisboa is the first city I've seen here that has a serious poverty problem. Outside one business on one block, I saw at least 10 people, maybe more, sleeping on the streets in proximity to one another. Though I've seen many demonstrations (including the national strike on the 14th of November), the trip to Lisboa was the real eye-opening experience to what they call the "crisis" here in Spain and Portugal. To say that the crisis is hurting people would be an understatement, clearly. With poverty, I'm never sure what is the best way to help, but upon seeing this I will challenge myself to find what that way is.<br />
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Now, the link for the pictures and a few examples if you all don't have Snapfish:<br />
<a href="http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=7776850025/a=12105223025_12105223025/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/">http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=7776850025/a=12105223025_12105223025/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/</a><br />
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<img alt="" height="300" id="wc14:lrImg2" src="http://images3a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp73586%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D3598%3C789%3C9348nu0mrj" width="400" /> <img alt="" height="300" id="wc14:lrImg1" src="http://images3a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp73553%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D3598%3C789%3C8348nu0mrj" width="400" /> <br />
<img alt="" height="300" id="wc14:lrImg2" src="http://images3a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp73537%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D3598%3C78%3A39348nu0mrj" width="400" /><br />
<img alt="" height="400" id="wc14:lrImg1" src="http://images3a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp73569%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D3598%3C78%3A54348nu0mrj" width="300" /><br />
<img alt="" height="300" id="wc14:lrImg2" src="http://images3a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp73537%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D3598%3C78%3A65348nu0mrj" width="400" /><br />
<img alt="" height="300" id="wc14:lrImg1" src="http://images3a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp734%3C3%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D3598%3C78%3A75348nu0mrj" width="400" /><br />
<img alt="" height="400" id="wc14:lrImg2" src="http://images3a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp734%3C2%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D3598%3C78%3A84348nu0mrj" width="300" /><br />
<img alt="" height="300" id="wc14:lrImg2" src="http://images3a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp734%3C3%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D3598%3C78%3A94348nu0mrj" width="400" /><br />
<img alt="" height="300" id="wc14:lrImg2" src="http://images3a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp73569%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D3598%3C78%3A96348nu0mrj" width="400" /><br />
<img alt="" height="300" id="wc14:lrImg1" src="http://images3a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp73553%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D3598%3C78%3A%3B8348nu0mrj" width="400" /> <br />
<img alt="" height="300" id="wc14:lrImg2" src="http://images3a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp734%3C2%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D3598%3C88%3A%3C3348nu0mrj" width="400" /><br />
<img alt="" height="400" id="wc14:lrImg2" src="http://images3a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp73586%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D3598%3C88%3A%3C2348nu0mrj" width="300" /><br />
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Thanks again for reading! I wish you all the best as we conclude with our national holiday and begin to prepare for the preparation (Advent) for the universal celebration (Christmas). ¡Ciao!Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066261641919198748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988041872314051984.post-1028653543635377472012-11-02T04:52:00.000-07:002012-11-02T12:27:02.304-07:00Street Smarts in Barcelona<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
¡Hola todos!I hope this blog post finds you in a state of peace of mind, perhaps eating some leftover Halloween candy, watching the leaves fall, and being utterly bewildered as to why some radio stations have started playing Christmas music. A week ago, I traveled with my friend Jenna to quite possibly one of the liveliest and dynamic cities in Spain, the great herald of the Mediterranean coast, Barcelona. It was everything I wanted and more for so many reasons. I think the pictures I have linked to this post will show a lot more than I can write about, but I'll include some whimsical anecdotes to supplement nonetheless. Here's the link below:<br />
<a href="http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=7592369025/a=12105223025_12105223025/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/">http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=7592369025/a=12105223025_12105223025/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/</a><br />
I just realized you have to have a Snapfish account to view the photos, so for those of you who don't have Snapfish nor Facebook, here's a few photos just to show how awesome the city was.<br />
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<img alt="" height="400" id="wc13:lrImg2" src="http://images3a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp73484%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D3589746888348nu0mrj" width="299" /><img alt="" height="400" id="wc13:lrImg2" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp54382%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D358972%3C9%3B7348nu0mrj" width="299" /><br />
<img alt="" height="300" id="wc13:lrImg1" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp54378%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D358973549%3A348nu0mrj" width="400" /><img alt="" height="300" id="wc13:lrImg1" src="http://images3a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp7349%3A%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35897496%3C6348nu0mrj" width="400" /><img alt="" height="300" id="wc13:lrImg2" src="http://images3a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp734%3A7%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D35897354%3A%3A348nu0mrj" width="400" /><img alt="" height="300" id="wc13:lrImg1" src="http://images3a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp7347%3B%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D358974973%3A348nu0mrj" width="400" /><img alt="" height="300" id="wc13:lrImg1" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp5434%3B%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D358974%3A8%3C6348nu0mrj" width="400" /><br />
<img alt="" height="300" id="wc13:lrImg1" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp5439%3B%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D358974%3A935348nu0mrj" width="400" /><br />
<img alt="" height="300" id="wc13:lrImg1" src="http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp543%3B9%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D358974%3B839348nu0mrj" width="400" /><br />
<img alt="" height="300" id="wc13:lrImg2" src="http://images3a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp73494%3Enu%3D4442%3E754%3E534%3EWSNRCG%3D358974%3A948348nu0mrj" width="400" /><br />
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Being a history major and someone generally concerned about current events, I thought I would share my impression of what is transpiring in Cataluña (the autonomy of which Barcelona is the capital), especially since I'm unaware if American news has covered any of it. In recent months, there has been a growing political movement within Cataluña calling for the independence of the autonomy as a nation separate from España. The president of the autonomy, Artur Más, has been the spokesperson of the movement, often emphasizing the differences between Cataluña and the rest of the country (though every autonomy has its own unique culture). One set of events which sparked controversy was a move from Cataluña's government to try to force all the schools, from grade school to the university, to teach solely in catalán in place of a balance between the two languages (the other being español). Just recently, Artur Más went to Russia to try to get support from the Kremlin because apparently when Russian tourists come to España, they most often go to Cataluña. Notifications such as these appear in the various newspapers every day. That being said, I'm unsure how serious the prospect of an independent Cataluña is. When I've talked with native Spaniards around here, they more or less say that it's just a bunch of show. Cataluña ALWAYS wants independence it seems. From a more practical standpoint, the outlook for their cause seems bleak since the likelihood that the United Nations or the European Union would recognize it is indescribably low at this point. In Barcelona, I saw a few independence flags and posters, but not more than I have seen in Santiago. Vamos a ver.<br />
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Now, based on my experience in one of the greatest cities in Spain, I now present to you a "Barcelona Travel Guide: Do's & Do Not's" (but mostly Do's)<br />
1) DO: Stay in Fabrizzio's Guesthouse Barcelona, a fun little hostel in an apartment with the perfect location for travel. Our host, Roger, was incredibly hospitable, spoke English so both of us could understand, and provided us with some helpful advice to get around the city. Also, there was all day continental breakfast, a fully furnished kitchen if you wanted to cook, and clean beds and immaculate bathrooms. Needless to say, it rocked.<br />
2) DO: Go visit Antoni Gaudí's "La Sagrada Familia." You will encounter a line that wraps around half of the cathedral no matter what time of day it is and will likely wait there for at least 2 hrs, but it's so worth it! As you'll see in the pictures, the architecture and symbolism are simply incredible, and it still blows my mind that it won't be done until the middle of this century. Also, don't forget to go to the museum while you're there, which is included in the price of the ticket (we almost did).<br />
3) DO: Buy a metro pass and be prepared to be the most efficient city traveler ever. As I've probably said before, Barcelona is an incredibly large city and walking a lot, even for someone now accustomed to walking like me, is simply impractical. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Barcelona has one of the most sophisticated underground rail systems I've used (which includes those of Boston and Washington D.C). The longest wait time was only 4 minutes, and that rarely happened to us. Also, MUCH cheaper than using a taxi the whole time.<br />
4) DO: Go to the Picasso museum and behold works of creative genius from all different periods in his life. He is definitely one of those artists where you can't say that seeing one of his paintings is like seeing the rest. His various interpretations of Velazquez's "Las Meninas" was especially interesting.<br />
5) DO: Utilize the menú del día whenever and wherever possible. For one usually reasonable price, you get two main dishes, a drink (water, beer, or wine), bread, and a dessert of your choice. It was a little more difficult to find in Barcelona than in Santiago, but well worth the effort.<br />
6) DO/DO NOT: If possible you should go to the open farmer's market off the street called Las Ramblas (which is famous for being a tourist district). There is quite a variety of fruits, meats, and other products native to Cataluña to choose from, but be warned: the vendors themselves may as well be pickpockets. What I mean by that is even if you say you're not interested, they will continue to ask how much you want. When that happens, forget about manners and just run!<br />
7) DO NOT: Leave your belongings unattended. Roger told us that if you leave something for even a second, it will be picked up and you'll never see it again. However, I utilized for the first time my heroic money belt, so I felt pretty secure and a little smug if I do say so myself. In fact, DO use a money belt if possible.<br />
8) DO NOT: Accept coconuts from a man with a pink basket on the beach near the Mediterranean sea. Also, if he offers to take your photo, say no and walk away (the most important part). We said we weren't interested in having a coconut (which appeared to be free, mind you) multiple times, but he just didn't leave. We reluctantly took one just to make him happy, but then he made us pay for it! Obviously, we tried arguing the point to no avail, so to make him leave we paid 2 euros. Case in point: never trust the prospect of free coconuts.<br />
9) DO NOT: Spend the night in the Barcelona airport unless you have an air mattress and a parka. Because our flight to Santiago was really early in the morning, we thought we would spend the night in the airport to save on the price of lodging and a taxi. I've heard some airports are actually quite conducive to overnight stays but if Barcelona made that list I would laugh. All of the benches before the security check had fixed armrests, so it was impossible to lay across. Also, I'm pretty sure they shut the heat off during the night. If you want a type of Bear Grylles' "Man vs. Wild" experience that is a little less intense, then this would be for you.<br />
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Thanks for reading once again, friends! Hope you enjoyed Halloween and more importantly All Saint's Day. ¡Hasta luego!<br />
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-Ethan<br />
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Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066261641919198748noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988041872314051984.post-53254185146653326782012-10-18T18:22:00.000-07:002012-10-18T18:22:05.941-07:00An Unexpected Journey (& A Commentary on Religious Freedom in the U.S.)Here's what I imagine your thought process was when reading the title of this post (in a stream of conscious way, of course): "Okay, I like 'Unexpected Journey,' reminds me of how excited I am for The Hobbit coming out this December *reads further* Whooaa, hode up! Where did he pull THAT one out? What is this, CNN'S Belief Blog?!?" Well, as I've been writing these blogs I've noticed that I often include some personal musing specifically relating to something faith or society based. Since I knew I would be an including a much more extensive commentary in this post, I decided to let my audience know ahead of time, since some people might grow weary of that aspect of my writing (it doesn't me if you don't read those parts; I'm just glad you're checking out the blog :). Thus, the first part of this post will be dedicated to my trip to Salamanca from October 12-14, and the second half will be my commentary (which is a tangent from one of my observations of Spain). Also, just as a heads up, the commentary will be less about the current issues of religious liberty we have seen in the past few months and more about a general observation of religious culture in the United States, though the first issue is quite important too.<br />
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My trip to Salamanca was not UNEXPECTED as I paid for it ahead of time through a group called "Galicia Sharing Galicia," but my reasons for that part of the title will soon become clear. This was my maiden voyage with GSG, since I did nearly all my travels through ESN Santiago. However, in general I was pleased with what GSG had to offer: a smaller travel group (only 2 busloads), fun, informative guides, and the option to take a day trip to Segovia and Avila on Saturday. We left early (by early I mean 9 am, which for many of the folks of Santiago feels like the crack of dawn) on Friday the 12th since there were no classes for the celebration of Hispanidad. After a stop of about an hour and a half at some hot springs in Ourense (I regrettably forgot my swimsuit) and another 15-20 min break at a rest stop, we finally arrived in Salamanca at about 5 pm or so. Though it might sound odd, it surprised me how all of the street signs were in castellano (which is standard Spanish). Most of the signs in Santiago and other parts of Galicia are in gallego, so to have it different in Salamanca, though it is the Spanish I know, kind of threw me for a loop initially. After dropping off our luggage at our hostel, we took a guided tour to some of the main locations of interest in the old town such as the Plaza Mayor, la Catedral Vieja y la Catedral Nueva, and parts of the university. La Universidad de Salamanca is actually the oldest university still in operation in Spain. Initially founded in 1134 and given a royal charter in 1218 by el Rey Alfonso IX, this institution of higher learning was the first to have the designation of "university" among European schools. In the evening, the group went to a discoteca for some bebidas y bailes, but being "Cllaaaasssiiccc" me, I spent at least the first hour or so outside the bar with my friend Ivan and my new friend Monika from Poland. Monika tried teaching Ivan and I some phrases in Polish, but it was a fruitless effort as Polish is an extremely hard language to learn, at least as far as the pronunciation goes.<br />
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Saturday the 13th was the day scheduled for the trip to Segovia and Avila. I didn't have exact change on the bus the day before to pay, so the spaces filled up quickly and I couldn't go. Thus, I had a free day to explore a city I knew next to nothing about, hence "Unexpected" in the title. But, much to my surprise and great delight, the day turned out to be one of my best travel days in awhile! First, I spent about an hour and a half inside la Catedral Nueva, which was a somewhat surreal experience. The two best adjectives to describe la Catedral are massive and gorgeous, which sounds weird but expresses truth. Next, I spent about an hour and half in a small museum about La Guerra Civil Española (Spanish Civil War 1936-1939). Inside was propaganda, personal possessions of soldiers, news articles, and a section dedicated to the Free Masons, as Franco apparently persecuted them heavily during and after the war. Though I had studied some of la Guerra Civil in school, the museum made the event feel much more real and helped me understand the profound effect it and its consequences had on Spain and its people. Right next store was another museum dedicated to the Art Deco and Art Nouveau movements. Much of the collection consisted of small sculptures, pottery, figurines, and even dolls, though I tried to spend as little time in that section as many of the dolls gave me the heebee jeebees. Most of the artists were unknown to me, though I did see a few pieces of Peter Carl Fabergé, including one of his famous eggs. I spent at least 2.5 hours at this museum, ate a great meal for a decent price, took a stroll across the river Tormes, and was on my way back to the hostel when I stumbled upon my first Spanish religious procession! I guess had the inkling that something would happen that day because I saw a group of hombres creating a rosary out of salt outside el Convento de San Esteban in the morning. The fiesta was called "Nuestra Virgen del Rosario," and I followed the procession for nearly 3 hrs from its beginning at el convento until its end at la Catedral Nueva. Check out the following link to my Snapfish account to get a real picture (no pun intended) of what I saw. FYI, this is my first time using Snapfish, so if it doesn't work please let me know:<br />
<a href="http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=7502751025/a=12105223025_12105223025/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/">http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=7502751025/a=12105223025_12105223025/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/</a><br />
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Though it was amazing to see the traditional attire, listen to traditional Spanish hymns, and think how heavy the float must of been, one peculiarity stood out to me and made me think about the free practice of religion in the United States: the police escort in dress uniform, which to me represented the state condoning the free practice of religion. It hit me like a ton of bricks that something like this would be nearly unheard of in the States. After looking at the pictures, can any of us truly imagine something like this happening on Division (Spokane), Commercial (Salem), or California Street (San Francisco)? If you're the same as me, the idea seems absurd . . . but then we have to ask why, don't we? We could take the easy route and say that Spain only does these processions out of tradition, and since the religious history of the United States is much shorter, there is no precedent to do so. However, traditions have to start somewhere, and for some reason, in the cultural climate of the U.S., starting those type of traditions seems almost impossible. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reads as such: "Congress <strong>shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion</strong>, or <strong>
prohibiting the free exercise thereof</strong>; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of
the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the
Government for a redress of grievances." As an aside, it seems to me people often think of "separation of church and state" as being part of the Constitution or the Bill of Rights, but the phrase actually comes from a letter of President Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802. Returning to the Constitution, I think the First Amendment is worded beautifully to allow all religions and their followers to flourish, but this flourishing seems to be rather absent in much of contemporary America. Why? Well, for starters, our American culture operates mainly on the idea of "freedom of worship," but not necessarily "freedom of religion." What's the difference, you ask? "Freedom of worship" indicates the idea that you're free to worship wherever you choose and to whomever you choose, but only in a private setting. Once your worship is taken out into the public square, you're seen as "forcing your religion onto other people" (if I had a euro every time I heard that, I could bail out Spain's economy). Though this idea could easily be applied to contemporary politics (meaning from the last 60 yrs or so to the present), I'd like to explore this phenomenon more from a cultural standpoint, which appears stronger than any governmental stance. Even among many believers (and I use that word to mean any religion), I think there is this mindset that anyone who publicly expresses his/her religious belief is immediately chastised for doing so. Basically, the argument from the other side, whoever that is, says: "How dare you express your religious beliefs in the public sphere! You think everyone is like you? We're a culture of tolerance." That's the issue at question, isn't it? Two simple definitions of tolerance are "the act of allowing something" and "sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one's own." I think we've taken these definitions to the point of ridiculousness when it comes to the practice of religion. "Tolerance" in that sense means keeping your religious claims to yourself and your church, synagogue, mosque, etc since doing otherwise in the public sphere makes you "intolerant" of other worldviews. Let me explain with some very simple secular examples. Democrats and Republicans tolerate each other in that they allow each other to exist (no gang wars) and they respect each other as human beings (we hope). However, have you heard of a moment when they weren't trying to convince the other side that their political philosophy is better? We, as a nation, acknowledge that they are different and allow them to express their beliefs publicly without concern of being "intolerant." Similarly, *we hope* environmentalists and big business owners respect each other as fellow Americans and human beings, but to imagine them sitting aside twiddling their thumbs as each group went along its merry way is absurd. Why should it be any different when discussing religion in the public sphere? Disagreements are normal and should be discussed and, dare I say, ARGUED with convincing supports. Speaking now as a Catholic-Christian, one of the principal tenets of the Gospel is to make "disciples of all nations." That charge is more than a little difficult when apologetics (the reasons & defenses of faith) are seen as "intolerant" when brought up in the public sphere, generally. To me, it seems like our culture, in many but not all regards, "prohibits the free exercise thereof," when there is in fact a Constitutional protection that says otherwise!<br />
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Wow, that was a doozy, but well worth the time. It's amazing how small experiences here in Spain raise some big questions, but I think that's one of the goals of a study abroad. If you made it to the end of this one, KUDOS. I'm surprised I did! Again, feel free to leave comments, especially if you have anything to affirm or deny in my argument. Though we RESPECT each other and TOLERATE our mutual existences, that doesn't mean we can't have a debate :) ¡Buenas noches!<br />
<br />
-Ethan <br />
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Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066261641919198748noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988041872314051984.post-75183670975429159172012-10-07T16:39:00.002-07:002012-10-07T16:39:20.364-07:00Porto Pictures (As promised)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066261641919198748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988041872314051984.post-46112783195356900212012-10-07T16:25:00.000-07:002012-10-07T16:25:19.719-07:00A Cog in a ClockFirst off, I can't believe it's been more than 2 WEEKS since my last post! I really don't want to get lazy in writing this, as I truly enjoy creative writing. I'm hoping this post will help me get back into the groove of things. That being said, many, many exciting developments have happened in the past two weeks that I'm blessed to share with you all today! I chose my title as such because certain recent developments, as you will see below, have made me feel more like a regular member of the community in the beautiful grandfather clock that is Santiago de Compostela. To cover everything, I will have to use, you guessed it, a numbering system! I'm feeling very Latin today after seeing an ancient Roman wall in Lugo, Galicia, so let's use some Roman numerals, shall we?<br />
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I. On Saturday September 22, I went with the Erasmus Student Network to las Islas Cies, a stunning archipelago just off the coast of Vigo, Galicia. Part of the island is a wildlife refuge, so obviously my inner, conservationist Oregonian self leaped for joy when I heard that. It started off quite sunny that day, but the weather changed very quickly, so for the greater part of the day we were fighting gale force winds (no joke: probably at least 25-30 mph) as we ascended to a lighthouse on the top of one of the islands. Despite the sand in the eyes, the resulting tears, and the subsequent explanation that you weren't crying because you were sad or emotionally drained, the trip was really fun and presented some great photo opportunities, speaking of which . . .<br />
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II. You know that saying, "God works in mysterious ways?" Well, I think the opposite is true as well. Sometimes the Lord works in an overtly obvious manner which just puts a smile on your face since you don't have to guess if something is divinely ordained. One day while I was checking my Facebook, one of my Brazilian friends Rafael (who up to this point was just a "friend" on the social network; I hadn't talked to him in person) started chatting with me and asked if I was Catholic. He then invited me to join him and one of my other friends from Brazil to go to a Charismatic Catholic service on Monday, the 24th. It's funny to think that only a few years ago, I would have been extremely uncomfortable participating in something like this. Thank God (literally) that my attitude has changed! The service was really interesting and moving, and the group that ran it is made up of vibrant, welcoming Catholics, mostly university students. On Wednesday the 26th, the group held an incredibly joy-filled Mass with seven priests celebrating and lots of upbeat hymns in the university chapel, which is very close to my dorm. Afterward, we were all invited to the House of Spiritual Exercises for an opening reception (with lots of delicious Spanish food) of the year. Every Monday there is the Charismatic service, every Wednesday Mass, and I believe there is Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament every Friday. Needless to say, God has delivered in so many ways, and I'm so excited to see how my faith grows and develops with this group!<br />
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III. Turns out bringing my new vintage (oxymoron?) alto saxophone with me to Spain wasn't such a bad idea after all! In my first few weeks here, I spent many a time perusing the advertisements posted in the various academic buildings around campus, and one caught my eye in particular. It was called "Drops: Escuela de Música Creativa," and I became increasingly excited when I saw saxophones as one of the instruments listed. So, about three weeks ago I stopped by the business and talked with the director about details and such, and lo and behold I'm now participating in a jazz combo that meets once a week for an hour on Mondays. It's cool for three main reasons: 1) Playing in a group is much better than playing by yourself. 2) The director studied music in the United States, so if I'm having a really hard time understanding he's there to help. 3) I'm the youngest member in the group; all the others are adults who play very well. Our guitarist is actually a professor who teaches medieval Spanish literature. We'll have a concert in one of the open plazas in the old town around Christmas time, so I can once again label myself as an international performer!<br />
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IV. Last weekend, I added another country to my list of travels: Portugal! A large group of us internationals went with the Erasmus Student Network to the city of Porto, the second largest city in Portugal after Lisboa (Lisbon). Being in Portugal was a unique and humbling experience for many reasons: 1) Because many of the words look similar to Spanish, it should be easy to communicate, right? WRONG! I felt somewhat incompetent and embarrassed only being able to say thank you (Obrigado) and flailing my arms in weird gestures just to order a pastry. 2) In the two nights we walked around the city trying different discotecas, it was interesting to see the mix of people. In Santiago, most people out during the night are under the age of 30, but in Porto, the young, middle-aged, and ancient all came together to dance the night away, albeit in different styles. Because of the large size of these pictures, I'll include some in a separate post.<br />
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V. At the end of the month, I'm going to Barcelona with one of my longtime friends, Jenna Ahn. She studies at Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana but is doing a studying abroad program right now in Dublin. Obviously, I'm so freakin' excited!!! Although I've enjoyed the organized trips through ESN, I'm stoked to organize for myself for a change and see a very, very different part of Spain. One more thing: I'm going to get the opportunity to visit Jenna again in Dublin (going back to the Irish roots on my mother's side of the family) in December! With all of this traveling, feel free to call me the male version of Carmen Sandiego (without all the crime, of course).<br />
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Okay, I think that gets us caught up on the major events going on. Classes are going well considering the system is still a little foreign to me (pun intended). In the history department, we've started practical classes in which we present material we've researched or work in groups in class. Crash course in talking like you know what you're doing in front of tons of native speakers! Random request: be sure to be an intelligent voter and participate in the democratic system! My ballot is on its way to the States as we speak. As always, feel free to comment and check back often :)<br />
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Dios os bendiga,<br />
Ethan<br />
Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066261641919198748noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988041872314051984.post-79114255791395910452012-09-20T07:39:00.000-07:002012-09-20T07:39:07.213-07:00Stealth Mode? Hit the Jackal Switch!I guess I should apologize for having a title to a post which I'm sure 90% of my reading audience won't understand. Surprise, surprise, but it's a reference to the TV show "Psych," and I've provided the YouTube clip below for kicks and giggles. Even out of context it's nothing short of hilarious.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK3fuxjAhqs">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK3fuxjAhqs</a><br />
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Now, you may still be wondering, why the title choice? I think one of the goals of a study abroad program is to become less and less foreign in your host culture and attempt to be as "stealthy" as possible. However, there have been some comical moments this past week where I certainly did NOT "hit the jackal switch," so I thought I would share these with you.<br />
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1) This past weekend on the 15th of September was Independence Day for México, and there were many celebrations in Santiago because of the large amount of Mexican exchange students. Around midnight, I went out with some friends to "Central Perk," a bar quite popular with students and sporting a name you would expect from a "Friends" (or "Amigos") episode. Though I had been to this bar before, I had never seen it as packed as it was that night. Needless to say, the night for my group ended almost as fast as it began due to the large crowds. However, as we were standing on the sidewalk, I was talking to my Mexican friend Ivan about the celebrations that would be happening in México. Consequently, he asked about what we do in the United States, and I confidently answered that we celebrate with lots of "bombas." He had a confused look on his face, so I tried to explain with a different word: "bomberos." The first word I used, "bombas," probably made a little more sense since it can be translated as bombs, though I'm sure not in the celebratory sense. However, I didn't realize until this past Tuesday of the meaning of the other word, "bomberos." Apparently, the United States loves to celebrate its Independence Day with lots and lots of "firefighters."<br />
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2) On Monday afternoon, I was somewhat anxious because I had just had my first history class (Guerra, Violencia y Memoria del siglo XX), and it was taught in gallego. It threw me for a loop at the beginning, but the languages are more similar than I thought, so I think it should be okay. More on that in a later post. After this two hour class, I immediately had Arqueología 1, which also was taught in gallego. During one of the breaks, I clarified some details of the class with the professor, which soothed my anxiety quite a bit. To top it all off, I was taking lots of notes and understanding the gist of what was going on. After reviewing the schedule in the history building the next day, I found out that the class I had attended was in fact "Prehistoria 1" instead of "Arqueología." For the entire time I was sitting in class (two hours), it didn't cross my mind that the class wasn't what I thought it was. In fairness to me, we started taking notes about arqueología, so maybe it was easy to make the mistake. Everyone gets one, right?<br />
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3) As I was reading the schedule board, an older, British gentleman came up to me and asked where the library was, in English. I had been thinking my ambiguous ethnic appearance would make me look more like a Spaniard, but perhaps not. I was also wearing my Beatles shirt, so that could have been a giveaway (but doesn't everyone like the Fab Four?).<br />
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This upcoming weekend I'll be traveling with the Erasmus Student Network Santiago branch to las Islas Cies, so I'll hopefully have some more pictures to share in the next few days. Thanks for reading!<br />
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Excelsior!<br />
-Ethan <br />
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<br />Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066261641919198748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988041872314051984.post-78908051442531781542012-09-16T14:58:00.000-07:002012-09-16T14:58:09.463-07:00Here ye, Here ye: the Academics Cometh!<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When you first arrive in a foreign country for a study abroad program, you tend to forget the key word: "study." However, as attractive as traveling for traveling's sake is, I was relieved to finally have some regularity in my new life here through the onset of classes. Before I delve into the rich nuances of the Spanish university system, I should probably provide some background information about the registration process, which was an adventure in itself.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">About a month before I left for Spain, I had to submit what was called a "Learning Agreement" to USC. This consisted of classes I would have taken at Whitworth and classes I hoped to take at Santiago de Compostela. After obtaining the necessary signatures from Whitworth faculty (God bless Dr. Soden, Professor Peterson, and Sue Jackson), I submitted the learning agreement, so it was out of sight, out of mind . . . until this past week. On Monday, I met with my academic coordinator in the History Department, Prof. Carmen Rodriguez González, who signed the agreement after I adjusted some of the classes on the list due to schedule conflicts. I guess now would be the appropriate time to talk about scheduling, which was somewhat difficult for me. Many a time, I simply could not figure out USC's website and the way it listed class schedules (it still confounds me to a certain extent: challenge accepted!) Yet, I finally figured it out, and if I'm able to handle all the classes (i.e. if they're not taught in gallego or are simply ridiculous), then my current schedule gives me a four day week with no classes on Fridays. Can I get a "Huzzah?" Anyway, after many signatures, photocopies, borrowing of pens, and confused expressions, I turned in my documents to the registration office, and they're processing them as we speak. Hopefully the processing ends soon, as I will not be able to access wireless internet until I receive credentials from the registrar's office. Unfortunately, this has put a bit of a damper on Skyping with family and friends, but at least I can still remain in contact through the computer lab for the time being.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My three classes in la Facultad de Geografía e Historia do not begin until this Monday, so the only class I had this week was "Literatura Hispanoamericana hasta el siglo XIX." It should discuss, in essence, the various literary works in the Americas from Columbus's encounter with the "New World" in 1492 up until the beginning of the 19th century. The class size wasn't as large as I was expecting (maybe 30-35 students?), but there aren't enough desks for everyone, so one of the days I sat on the stairs. No big deal, at least I'm enrolled in the course. I'll admit firsthand that I was quite nervous going into the course for two reasons: 1) I didn't know if the class would be taught in castellano or gallego 2) I thought I would have NO idea what the professor was talking about if he had as thick an accent or spoke as rapidly as some people around here. Luckily, my expectations of fear were not realized, and I was able to understand the majority of what he said, despite him speaking in a very soft voice. That being said, I'm still trying to understand the Spanish university system since I've heard we're supposed to spend the whole semester basically preparing for the final exam and reading the material at our own pace. One thing at a time. Hakuna Matata. Poco a poco.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now for some numbering since I'm being a windbag again:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1) I met with my ISEP academic coordinator on Monday as well, Profesora Susana Jiménez. In my opinion, her personality consists of the enthusiasm of Ms. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus bundled with the compassion and care of Mary Poppins. In other words, she's AWESOME and really excited to help us with anything academic.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2) While walking through the park with some of my international friends one evening, we passed some nuns taking a candlelight stroll, wearing full habits and rosaries. They were absolutely delightful and greeted us with warm smiles and salutations, which I reciprocated as well. After we passed them, I thought I heard someone in our group remark that he had expected the nuns to be very cold and ignore us. This made me realize a few key things, so now we need some numbers within the numbers (Inception!).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> i. During the summer, I became quite enthralled with watching and listening to EWTN, the main U.S. Catholic television network, and Word on Fire, a series of YouTube videos by Father Robert Barron. In one of his segments, Father Barron commented on Cardinal Timothy Dolan's approach to evangelization, with the first step being the expression of pure joy in living the Christian life. These consecrated sisters to the Lord and His Church demonstrated this so clearly and beautifully!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> ii. If you identify yourself as a Christian person, you know that we're all called to evangelize, something which many, including myself, view as a daunting and often uncomfortable task. However, my encounter with the nuns shows how the performance of simple actions as a result of God's grace can start to evangelize the culture anew. In fact, it shouldn't be a huge surprise that ordinary people will be more receptive to a smile, hug, and sympathetic ear than a discourse on St. John's Apocalypse. That being said, once this joy is experienced, people will WANT to know more and grow in the knowledge of the Lord and His Teachings.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> iii. At least in the United States, the media continually labels Christians as ignorant, intolerant, self-righteous, foolish, and the list goes on. This could be, at least in part, due to the fact that certain people who seem to fit some of these stereotypes get the most time on the air. Nevertheless, it's apparent that if we make mistakes as mistakes as Christians (which we certainly do since we're human), the media makes us wallow in our errors and never permits us to move on even after repentance. How can we meet this challenge more effectively than we have? Answer by living a life of love and joy that only God provides. This doesn't mean painting your life to be something it's not, as we will all suffer at some point. Yet, suffering forces us to rely on God more, which is a comforting and joyful thought. When you show people that Christianity is actually not a conglomeration of negative stereotypes, they will more than likely take your views on a moral, God-oriented society much more seriously and considerately.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now, I know that was completely different than anything I've written before, but since this is a personal blog I think I have the liberty to share my personal thoughts on lots of issues as they arise. For time's sake, I'll get off my soapbox. Again, congratulations if you made it to the end of this monster, and thanks for reading!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Atentamente,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ethan </span></span><br />
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<br />Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066261641919198748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988041872314051984.post-38923859976642670792012-09-09T07:13:00.002-07:002012-09-16T09:45:08.578-07:00¡Vamos a la playa! (Oh oh oh oh oh)<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTsVJ1PsnMs">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTsVJ1PsnMs</a><br />
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Enjoy the link above for some great, 80s pump up music and a lesson in having fun in Spain (even though I believe the two singers are Italian). I did, in fact, go to the playa yesterday and witnessed the great beauty on this side of the Atlantic. More to come on that.<br />
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It's been awhile since I wrote my last post, and needless to say a lot has happened in my immersion experience. So, I'll try to organize my stream of consciousness and go from there.<br />
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1) Academic experiences: Surprisingly, they haven't happened yet per se! The registration process (or matriculación) has been interesting to say the least. I attempted to meet with my academic coordinator in la Facultad de Geografía e Historia this past week to finalize my learning agreement, which is a plan of classes I made earlier in the summer which I hope to take here. Unfortunately, she won't arrive until tomorrow, the 10th, so I've been in a state of academic limbo. Apparently, most history classes don't begin until the 17th anyway! Though I'm at a place where, if I was in the US, I would possibly be pulling my hair out, I understand, especially here, that there's no benefit to that. The international office has told me not to worry, and frankly all you can do is trust it will work out. I guess it's another reflection of the "Hakuna Matata" atmosphere I wrote about last week. As Michael Scott so famously said, "You have to play to win, but sometimes, you have to win to play" . . . Not really sure how that applies here, but such is life. Confession: I'm anxious to get classes started so I can start planning trips around Spain and Europe based on my class schedule!<br />
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2) One step forward, a half step back: my roommate, se llama Alejandro, arrived on Thursday, and before you think this will be a rant based on the title, let me clarify and say that Alejandro (who seems to go by Alej, which sounds like Alex) is very nice and I think we'll be very good roommates together. Up to his arrival, I had been feeling pretty good about my coming proficiency with Spanish. I could communicate with the other international students just fine, ask questions at reception, and order food at restaurants. However, when Alejandro and his dad first starting talking to me, they may as well have been speaking French. I think I gave them more blank stares than the American populace did to Ark Music Factory after Rebecca Black's "Friday" was released. Basically, both Alejandro and his father spoke very fast with thick accents, which made it very hard for me to respond in an intelligent manner. That said, I know living with Alejandro (who is from Vigo, Galicia: 40 minutes from Santiago) for the year will make my Spanish fluency skyrocket by the end.<br />
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3) On Saturday the 8th, I went on an excursion along with more than 150 international students to northern Galicia, provided by ESN (Erasmus Student Network) Santiago. Galicia is truly beautiful in its natural landscapes and architecture, even when the fog rolls in (which it did). We visited two faros (lighthouses) and also went to the playa (beach) for a few hours. Though many of the students said it was too cold, it felt almost like bathwater to me compared to the Pacific coast!<br />
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I've posted quite a few pictures on Facebook, but here are some of my favorites to give you an idea:<br />
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Now for some random fun facts before I sign off:<br />
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<li>Constant cannon fire means there's some sort of festival going on just outside Santiago. I guess it's similar to fireworks!</li>
<li>The Cathedral of Santiago is amazing! Today I went to Mass in one of its chapels (where there aren't pilgrims and tourists milling about :) and I think I got a taste of what Mass would have been like for the early Christians: very small congregation, no additional instrumentation besides God's gift of voice, and worshipping within ancient stone. I think I'll have to memorize the liturgy and Mass parts on my own because missals don't seem to exist here. Challenge Accepted!</li>
<li>The dining hall in my dormitory is both similar and different to Whitworth. Similarity: the machines used to purchase your food say "Sodexo" on the side. Difference: there is a section of the dining hall where you can buy alcohol, whether that's wine, beer, or something else. I haven't purchased alcohol from the cafeteria yet, but if it's as good as the food here, I think I'll be in for a treat!</li>
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If you made it to the end of this post, Congratulations! I hope to write more frequently this week, but only time will tell. Thanks for reading and commenting!<br />
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Dios os bendiga,<br />
EthanEthanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066261641919198748noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988041872314051984.post-24381961561714130522012-09-03T14:19:00.002-07:002012-09-03T14:19:37.004-07:00Hakuna Matata¡Hola Todos!<br />
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Because I tend to write much more freely on this blog than in professional writing, I'll attempt to be more concise so reading this does not seem so daunting. Thank you, Roman numerals!<br />
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I. In the late afternoon/early evening of Saturday night, I got in contact with Ethan Tufford, another student in the ISEP program from eastern Canada. So you all do not think I'm arrogant in referring to myself in the third person constantly, for writing's sake we'll just call him "Canadian Ethan" (or CE if I get really lazy). I thought I overheard some of my Brazilian friends in the kitchen, so I went up to Canadian Ethan's room to let him know. However, it got awkward pretty fast when we went down and saw that it wasn't the Brazilians . . . so we just sat in the lounge reading newspapers for awhile. Eventually, we got up the courage just to go to the kitchen anyway, and thank the Lord we did. We ended up talking with two Peruvian students, one from Marruecos, and another from Turkey for at least an hour, and then CE, the Peruvians, the Turkish fellow, and I all went out to the downtown area (the one from Marruecos lived in a different dorm, so she needed to get back). The night life continues to fascinate me in Spain; people are up to the wee hours of the morning (I think I got to bed at 4:15 am) but I'd say the majority of people are not out to "party" in the American sense of the word. I had one beer (which was muy deliciosa by the way) along with my friends, and we just talked and talked about various things, both silly and serious. We noticed a few people who had had way too much to drink, but it was not NEARLY as much as I'd expect considering the time of night and the amount of people on the streets. That could have been my perception, or I'm just a wishful thinker :)<br />
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II. Because it had been such a late night, I decided to wake up to go to a 1 pm Mass at a parish called San Fernando, but unfortunately the Mass times I researched did not correspond with what the parish posted. Luckily, the cathedral had 1:15 pm Mass which I was able to attend. I've been hesistant to go to Mass at the main cathedral since it is incredibly popular with tourists, but I swallowed my reservations and knew that Mass is where the Lord is, despite what else is going on. That said, even though the staff at the cathedral does a great job trying to keep the Masses as intimate and sacred as possible, there were still people walking around the perimeter of the sanctuary, sometimes whispering just enough to catch bits of conversation. However, I noticed a powerful thing during Mass: as the priest recited the words of consecration and lifted up the newly transformed Body and Blood of Christ, the entire population of the cathedral, believer and nonbeliever alike, fell as silent as possible. It's almost as if whether you believe, don't believe, aren't sure, or just don't care, SOMETHING beyond you moves you at that moment. That definitely got the Catholic juices flowing!<br />
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III. Even with my fancy numerals, this is getting longer than I expected so I'll try to wrap it up for vosotros (you all). I went to apply for la Tarjeta de Identidad para Extranjeros (Identity Card for Foreigners), which all visitors for an extended period of time must have. When I got there, I was given a number for my place in line . . . needless to say, I wasn't excited because that moment reminded me of the Department of Motor Vehicles (no offense to anyone who works there, but you must know what I'm talking about). Luckily, the gentlemen who helped me did not meet any of my nightmarish DMV expectations, so the process was fairly quick and pain free. The only unfortunate thing, in fact, is that the wait time could be up to 45 days! But, I've got time :D<br />
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IV. I titled this post Hakuna Matata for a few reasons. First, who doesn't like the Lion King (El Rey León)? Second, people in Santiago de Compostela seem to focus more on the journey than the destination, if you're smelling what I'm stepping in. Finally, though I've definitely encountered a few hiccups along the way, I'm really not worried much about the days ahead, even with the advent of opening a bank account, starting classes, and living with a Spanish roommate.<br />
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Thanks for reading as always. I'm really enjoying writing this regularly and I hope you're enjoying it too! If you're not finding pleasure in this fine literature . . . keep it to yourself ;) Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066261641919198748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988041872314051984.post-44405151213589532422012-08-31T18:45:00.001-07:002012-08-31T18:45:31.580-07:00Friday SurprisesTo put things in perspective as to how full this day was, I'm writing this post at 3 am Spain time, and there is still music blaring at least three or four blocks away which I can hear as clear as water with a Turbidity of 0.0 NTU (Waterlab plug) with my window closed. With that sort of introduction, you might be thinking to yourself, "shoot, this is going to be a rant about what a tiresome, stressful day it was for him. Logging off . . ." So to you I say, "WAAAIIITTT!! I'll make it worth your while. Keep reading please." Anyway, today started off kind of slow in that I sought to open a bank account with the school, which is necessary so the university can put money in my account for food and such. It seems like it will be a simple process; I just need to return this Tuesday to finalize it. I decided to make what I thought would be a quick stop to the Oficinia de Relaciones de Exteriores, but I quickly became distracted on my way there due to a large bicycle race known as "La vuelta." Apparently, this is a regular event in Spain, but it hadn't been in Santiago since 1981. Needless to say, the plaza in front of la catedral de Santiago was PACKED, more than I ever thought possible. I guess the American equivalent would be a NASCAR event, especially since I did see a group of peregrinos (pilgrims) popping open a bottle of what looked like champagne. Picture a Spanish Ricky Bobby (Talledega Nights) wearing a backpack and hiking shoes, and you'll get the idea. Despite the historical tradition of el Camino, I guess the peregrinos have a lot of different reasons for doing it nowadays.<br />
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I really had no idea what I was going to do in the evening, so after practicing my saxophone in the most echoe-filled room in Monte da Condesa, I went to the lobby and read over some newspapers. Then, as if it was (and it probably was) a God-send, I started talking with some Brazilian students, two of whom I had encountered very briefly two days before. They invited me to join them for some night-time activities around the city organized by a group called "Sharing Galicia," dedicated to showing international students the sites of the town and country. Before I continue, I should mention that there are a plethora of "Cafe-Bars" in Santiago de Compostela, perhaps one on every street. We started at one, then went to another, one more, and then a very small discoteca (which also had a bar). Now, I bet you might be thinking at this point, and it's okay to do so, "Ethan Alano, doing a bar crawl in a foreign city? Has the world gone MAD?" Well, to alleviate fears, and still justify this as a God-send, I can definitively say that no one went with the purpose of getting drunk, and everyone was perfectly safe (and that's MY definition of safe, which has very high standards). When I think of an American bar crawl, the literal crawl from bar to bar due to sickness pops into my head. Instead, the intention was to get to know others, which I did a lot of over the course of the evening. At first, I was kinda fumbling over speaking in Spanish since this was my first time doing it in Spain for fun conversation. Additionally, with everyone talking fast and loud at each location, it was often difficult to hear and understand. However, I felt pretty good by the end of the night and realize this is the first step toward true fluency: speaking in social settings, being okay with making mistakes and correcting them, and learning from others. Here are some more tidbits before I hit the hay:<br />
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1. The one drink I did take part in was native to Galicia. I honestly didn't like it very much, as it tasted like glorified cough syrup, but the presentation was pretty sweet (no pun intended). I don't remember the name in Spanish but they called it a witch's brew since they lit it on fire and said some repetitious words. Before we drank it, I got the honor of putting out the fire by dropping a pan on top of the cauldron. I dropped it a little harder than I thought I would, which surprised many at first but subsequently resulted in thunderous applause.<br />
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2. I'm glad I have a base group of friends now, or at least people I can get to know better, before classes begin. I think it's the first step in establishing myself here.<br />
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3. Smoking is endemic in Spain. All of the signs that say "No fumar" are definitely necessary, because I think people would smoke in a home with a gas leak if they could. Unfortunately in my opinion, I think I'm starting to develop a tolerance for the smell, meaning I don't notice it on my clothes nor purposefully avoid a smoke cloud. However, I don't plan on taking up smoking while I'm here (you can relax now, Mom :).<br />
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4. Some Spanish and Brazilian people actually know where Oregon is! It's a very small percentage, but at least they don't immediately assume I'm from Los Angeles, Chicago, or New York when I say I'm from the states.<br />
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Thanks again for reading and commenting! Happy September :D Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066261641919198748noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988041872314051984.post-6521653239230787182012-08-29T14:07:00.003-07:002012-08-29T14:07:53.964-07:00Could've, would've, should've<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">¡Hola Todos!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p>I really appreciate the feedback I received from my first post. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed creative writing :) Now, before I proceed, you might think the title of this particular post will lend itself to a story full of mistakes, self-pity, and doubt. However, that is only partly true since I was able to grow from and find humor in all the mistakes I made today. Here's what I wanted to accomplish:</o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p>1) Visit la Oficina de Relaciones Exteriores (check check; this one actually went pretty well considering I circled the building at least five times trying to find the entrance).</o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p>2) Explore the city a little (also somewhat successful, but more to tell on this).</o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p>3) Open a Spanish bank account.</o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p>4) Apply for a student identification card via the Spanish police station.</o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p>Here's what happened in a nutshell (it may be a large nutshell after I'm done writing, so bear with me).</o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p>After meeting with Javier at la Oficina, I walked out toward the plaza near la Catedral de Santiago de Compostela. Before I continue, I should mention that I have been much more observant of my surroundings while abroad, constantly checking my wallet in my pocket and being ready to judo chop any sneaky arm trying to snatch my backpack. I'm not sure if pickpockets are a huge problem in Santiago, but I didn't want to be "that foreigner." That being said, I unfortunately lost some money to someone who I'm 95% sure is a con artist. Though it tickles me as a young person to use the word "swindle" or the phrase "I've been had!" in a sentence, it's not as cool as it sounds when it happens to you. This young woman came up to me with a sign basically saying she was raising money for the, her words not mine, "Deaf and Dumb." In retrospect, there were two signs she wasn't legit. First, me forgetting what the sign said, tried speaking to her in Spanish, so she continued to point at the Spanish version of the sign. I suppose she could have been a virtuoso at reading lips, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Secondly, when I started to give her a small donation, she crossed out what I wrote, pointed to another donation on the list, and made me match it. I assume she had seen what I had in my wallet and knew I could give more. After she left, a man observing this across the way pointed his finger to his head and looked straight at me, as if to say, "Stupid American." After speaking with a few other people around, apparently I was not the first to be swindled, which made me feel a little better. The amount of money was somewhat significant, but not nearly enough for me to still be upset. I guess this is what they mean when they say, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me thrice . . . invalid question because I won't even let you fool me twice." I think it goes something like that. I've heard it both ways. All I can say is, I hope she at least puts the money to some honorable use, whatever it is.</o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p>Now a couple of tidbits from the rest of the day.</o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p>1) I noticed some little kids pointing at random people and shouting what to me sounded like "Feo," meaning ugly. Needless to say, I hope I didn't get the point. Also, I hope I was just hearing them wrong.</o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p>2) In one office where I was trying to open a Spanish bank account (it wasn't the right office, but the lady pointed me in the right direction), I noticed a fake newspaper clipping stating "<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">¿Has visto el Joker?" (Have you seen the Joker?) Immediately the Dark Knight trilogy pops into my head and it takes everything I've got NOT to do my Heath Ledger impression. Thankfully, there's still time.</span></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">3) I'm gradually becoming more comfortable with speaking in Spanish to others, but most of it has been out of necessity. I'm sure once school starts in a week, it will be much easier to talk with and get to know other students. Though I'm aware I'll continue making mistakes with speaking and understanding, I realize studying abroad is a marathon, not a sprint.</span></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thanks for reading and keep coming back for a good laugh!</span></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Vuestro amigo,</span></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Ethan </span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><br /></span><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066261641919198748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988041872314051984.post-83905639046505375062012-08-28T09:32:00.001-07:002012-08-28T09:32:37.048-07:00The Alano Identity
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">¡Saludos de Santiago de Compostela!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Before I proceed in spinning this great yarn, I must first give credit to my dear friend Zach Johnston, who cleverly came up with the title of this blog, "Vivalano," as we discussed catchy phrases over some Shari's Pie Shakes. Obviously, this one took the cake (or pie?). Anyway, though I've been planning this adventure for several months now in conjunction with the support of family, friends, and ISEP, the fact I was actually leaving did not hit me until the 26th, the day before my departure. Additionally, as I started to unpack and move into my dorm room here, the reality of staying an academic year started to set in. However, I'm getting ahead of myself; wind the clocks back two days. My mom and dad, along with my sisters on Skype, presented me with a photo scrapbook highlighting particularly joyous moments in my life, at least from the last six years or so. As I perused these photos like a psychic detective desperately searching for clues and 80s references, I grew somewhat sentimental, knowing that these specific events would not occur again. Yet, it made me call to mind the great Dr. Seuss quote, "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." Not to mention, I now have the opportunity to make a new scrapbook to add to the collection!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I didn't think I would have much to write about my actual travel experience, but there are some nuggets of comedy I thought I could mention. On the second leg of the trip, from Dallas to Madrid (at least a 9 hr journey), I already felt like I was being immersed into Spanish culture, probably because three quarters of the passengers were Spanish tourists returning home after an American vacation. Oddly enough, even though I wasn't talking much on the plane, I began to think more in Spanish due to the side conversations around me. For this part of the trip, at least two of the American Airlines flight attendants spoke fluent Spanish to the tourists while passing out refreshments, which serves as a good segway into a story. During a round of refreshments, one of the flight attendants looked at me and simply said, "English?" It surprised me at first since she directed me to my seat IN English at the beginning of the flight. Perhaps traveling for so long had made me look like an authentic Spaniard? Or she just didn't know what box to put me in from the outset. Even though she spoke to me in my native tongue, I just sat there dumbfounded for a few seconds, too preoccupied by my increasingly sore rump. I finally blurted out something like, "Yes, I English . . ." Not one of my prouder moments, but at least we can all laugh together now.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I took a taxi from the Santiago airport to Monte da Condesa, my residence hall. I realized this was my first taxi ride ever and was slightly disappointed the driver wasn't the host of Cash Cab (If you haven't seen it, look it up; I was born ready for that). Yet the driver and I began talking in Spanish, and he actually complemented me on my competency in the language. Then Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" began playing on the radio, so I quickly lost focus for obvious reasons. I thought I had temporarily escaped its catchy beats and memorable refrain, but apparently the Spanish aren't even immune.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I was feeling pretty good about my Spanish skills, considering it was the first day, until I began speaking with the receptionist at my residence hall. Even after I told her I'm an international student, she continued speaking so fast as if Usain Bolt was running inside her mouth. She spent an awful long time explaining what I needed to do with the towels and sheets she was giving me, so I hope I didn't lose a direction. The icing on the cake was how often she used the word "Vale," which many Spaniards use to indicate "Okay." I often felt like I was agreeing to something multiple times, unless she would change one word, just to see if I would notice.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Well, it's been an enormously long day (or days I guess), so I will close this, the first of many posts, with some goals, in no particular order, I hope to accomplish whilst here.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1. Become fluent in Spanish, both in conversation and writing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">2. Learn some gallego (the language of Galicia), at least to be conversationally adequate.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">3. Make some good friends, both Spanish and other international students.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">4. Participate in the rich and ancient traditions of Spanish Catholicism and Christianity in general.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">5. Fix the Spanish economy. Step 1: Fix. Step 2: It. Fix It!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">6. Introduce the TV show "Psych" to Spain. This one is actually two birds with one stone. Its addition to the Spanish television networks would undoubtedly fix the economy.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">7. Be persistent in writing this blog!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">8. Finally, maintaining and building friendships and familial relationships back home.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">If you can, please leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you, and knowing that people are actually reading this will keep me motivated to write!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Atentamente,</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Ethan </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></span></div>
Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066261641919198748noreply@blogger.com6