The Final Post

So how was my experience abroad? Well that's quite the loaded question, huh....

4 Continents

16 Countries

33 Cities 

1 Indescribable Year

22 flights, 10 train rides, 33 bus trips, and 11 boat expeditions later... the journey has finally come to an end. And what a journey it was....

I knocked off four goals on my bucket list (Visit the Galápagos, Hike the Incan Trail, Take a Tour of Auschwitz in Poland, and Skydive and Ski the Swiss Alps)! I lived alone with an Ecuadorian host family for 5 months and taught impoverished toddlers. I tasted guinea pig, cow intestine, larvae, and almost rooster testicles! I jumped off a bridge for 8 dollars, out of a plane for A LOT more than 8 dollars, and off a cliff in Positano. I relaxed on the beaches in the Galapágos, La Ruta del Sol, Canary Islands, and the Italian Amalfi Coast. I was exposed to 15 languages different than my own and worldwide cultural customs such as putting cheese in your chocolate milk (Ecuador), carrying luggage by donkey (Bolivia), getting demon spirits released from me with a leaf wand (Amazon Rainforest) , wiping your poop butt with your left hand (Morocco: we didn't do this), walking by prostitutes in the red light district (Amsterdam), having to pay for ketchup with your fries (Belgium... ridiculous custom), witnessing humping PDA in the parks (Spain)... the list goes on and on. 

I will keep this final blog short and sweet because not only can these experiences not be accurately portrayed through an online blogging site but also because I am somewhat speechless. I am sure many of you are wondering which semester was better, as I get this question ALL the time. To be completely honest they both had their ups and downs. In terms of cultural immersion and an overall incredible once in a lifetime experience, Ecuador was better. The laid back vibe and the beautiful nature I experienced and saw in South America was definitely more me. From hiking to floating down the Amazon River on a self-made raft to swimming with the sea lions to ziplining and white water rafting to sipping Maracuyá Juice on the most remote beaches on this planet... South America proved to be the chill outdoorsy atmosphere that brings me peace. 

On the other hand, Europe was a more fast-paced, party hard, never stop continental tour.  If you're into sightseeing, history, and going out at least 4 nights a week than Europe is the place for you... Madrid especially. I had the opportunity to see so much while over here from the Alhambra in Granada, Spain to the Berlin Wall  to the Roman Colosseum and statue of David in Florence... I feasted my eyes upon Las Meninas by Velazquez and Guernica by Picasso. I ate couscous in Morocco, paella and gaspacho in Spain, fondue in Switzerland, Heineken in the Netherlands (ha), fish n chips in London, Belgian waffles in Bruges, crepes in Paris, curry-worst in Berlin, goulash in Prague, and amazing pizza and pasta in Italy. The amount I have experienced in such a short span of time is incredible!

Will I ever be able to match this year? Probably not. But I am completely okay with that. This year has taught me to pay extremely close attention to what brings me happiness in life. Over the course of the past 10 months I have experienced various moments of ineffable bliss, a level of joy that engulfs my being and exerts passion in my soul. I have surrounded myself with incredibly motivated, intelligent and passionate people who appreciate my quirky and outgoing spirit. I have found peace in unexpected places and it is my hope that I will continue to seek fulfillment and joy in the right places rather than those which society believes I should. By focussing on those untouchable moments of tranquility... those moments that give life purpose and ignite a flame inside my heart I will find my ultimate success... happiness. On that note, I will leave you with this Barefoot Truth quote and my hope that I will be blogging again from some far away country not too far in the future. Over and out, kids.

"I don't know much about success, but I know how to measure it.

So take a look at your time and how you are spending it...

Two cups of whatever makes you happy, good energy from up above,

Spoonful of patience, a whole lot of humility, mix it up with all of your love..."

Top Ten Things I Will and Will Not Miss About Madrid

Below are the top things I will and will not miss about life in Madrid. Most of these can only be appreciated by those who spent the last five months along side me in this crazy fiesta/siesta driven country but here it does anyway! They are in no particular order, except the number one!


Top Ten Things I Will Miss:
10) The Weather: I saw rain two days total during my five months in Spain and for the past month of two we have gotten sunlight from about 6AM to about 9:45PM... chillin.
9) Alcohol being cheaper than water and soda: This probably explains the dozens of beer bottles outide of the classrooms at UCM all hours of the day.
8) Cien Montaditos: On Wednesdays the crew would go and for 2Euro you can get a huge glass of either sangria or cerveza and a tapa!
7) The Metro: This was a close second.... Legit, the best metro system I have ever seen in my life.
6) Being in five countries in ten days!
5) Waking up at 3PM and it being completely acceptable: Last time I checkd my iPhone alarms it read... 10:45am, 1:25pm, 5:25pm, 9:00pm and 10:30pm...
4) Hearing and practicing spanish on a daily basis.
3) Street Performers in Sol: In particular I will miss those glittery donkey heads on sticks and the short plump (plump is a euphemism) man in the skin tight Spiderman costume.
2) Llallao: The most amazing Fro-Yo in the world!
1) BC in Madrid: The most amazing/crazy/funny/intelligent/ people I have ever partied 5-6 days a week with... perhaps the only people I have ever partied that much with...

Top Ten Things I Will NOT Miss:
10) The Euro: It kicked my ass... enough said in that dept.
9) Men in Jorts: Yes, wearing jean shorts is cool in Madrid... that is a fashion I hope none of the BC boys brings back... cough cough Charlie and Costello...
8) DORM FOOD: I Cannot stress this enough... cubes of lard disguised as ham, French Fries twice a day every single day, etc. To further illustrate my point, I once found bones in my carrot... what the hell does that even mean?
7) Lunch Ladies AKA Food Nazis: No we are not hoarding chocolate pudding under our clothes so please stop making us strip for you...
6) Starting the night at 1AM: I understand I am 21 and this should be so "sick" and "epic" but it's not... after 11:30 I just want my sleep.
5) Sleeping in Public: Airport floors, overnight buses, Starbucks, McDonalds, the beach, the library... you name it, I have done it.
4) Waiting five minutes for the internet to load.
3) The Cisneros Boys: Yelling that you want to "****" people out of your windows or from your benches will probably not score you any ladies... and yes I am an "American girl" thanks for telling me every day... and seriously, how do you know my name?
2) TERD PANTS: These pants that are in style that legitimately look like you are either storing your poo from the past 14 months or that you are transporting illegal children across borders... why is your crotch so low and why do you think that makes you look good?
1) Edificio B AKA Prison and all the occurred within those walls... 12 hour class days, teachers whose names I didn't know blabbering on about nothing, frigid hallways, and Picnic sandwiches.

My European Top Ten Photos

My final "good-bye" blog will be separated into three separate blog posts over the next week. There is simply too much to be said not only about this semester but about this year as a whole. My first blog, right here, is comprised of my top ten favorite scenic pictures taken while being in Europe... I contemplated the thought of also including a "Top Ten Best Pictures of People" but figured that between crazy nights at Kapi/Joy/Pacha/etc and the many pictures of sleep deprived college students taken while traveling, it was perhaps a better idea to leave the BC in Madrid kids out of it. Below are my top ten favorite pictures I have taken this semester in the order in which they were taken! Stay tuned for the final two coming this week!!!

The Swiss Alps (Jungfrau, Switzerland): January 2012

Asilah, Morocco: February, 2012

Amsterdam, The Netherlands: February, 2012

Granada, España: February, 2012

Stonehenge, England: March 2012

Paris, France: March, 2012

Berlin, Germany: March 2012

Prague, Czech Republic: March, 2012

Auschwitz Concentration Camp, Poland: March, 2012

The Blue Grotto (Capri Island, Italy): April, 2012

Amalfi Coast, Italia!

Having traveled so much throughout Europe this semester, I am constantly faced with the question, "So, which city/country was your favorite". While I will save the other two of the top three for my final trip reflection I will say, without a doubt, that the Amalfi Coast of Italy easily earned a spot on top. From the hidden electric blue grottos, to island chairlifts into heaven, and oceanfront authentic towns whose streets meander through the Italian cliffside, the Amalfi Coast captures not only the essence of Italian charm but also the hearts of all who visit.

For the duration of our trip we stayed in Sorrento in the Seven Hostel which, again, seemed more like a luxury resort. This entire year I have been hopping around from "hostel" to "hostel" but, I must admit, between the sauna and pool in the Berlin hostel, to the swinging hammocks and beach front views in Canoa, Ecuador, I have rarely ever felt like I was in a hostel... well, besides the fact that I have been sharing rooms with 10 other people here and there. We chose to travel to the Amalfi Coast with Bus2Alps, the same program with whom I went to Switzerland in January. Bus2Alps is wonderful because you have the opportunity to not only have your entire trip planned out including many a discount but also, you are traveling with a plethora of other students from many different universities making the entire retreat seem like a more cultured Cancun spring break. Although the Amalfi Coast is overwhelmingly beautiful I would have to admit it fails in comparison to the sexy group of BC students of which our group comprised... perhaps the perfect combination of adventurous souls and social animals.

The first stop was the island of Capri which, to be specific, would win the spot in the Top 3 of Europe. When we arrived to the island we were greeted by the most stereotypical group of Asian tourists on a smaller boat next to us. With binoculars in hand, and visor on head, these Asian tourists held nothing back when the YMCA came on... great start to any morning. What made the morning even better was the news that within 10 minutes we would be entering the blue grotto. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the blue grotto, it is a grotto (water cave) whose opening admits light in such a way that the water within shines with an electric blue hue. The grotto, a major Italian tourist attraction, was once a pool for Italian royalty and is now considered the emblem of the island of Capri. To get inside you must lay down in a tiny rowboat and enter only with the perfect movement of a wave or the boat will not make it through.

After the blue grotto we docked on the island and ate delicious delicious pizza. Shortly after we took the chairlift to the top of the entire island. I have been on hundreds of chairlifts in my life but this was definitely the first time without skis and a full on snow suit. Instead I found myself walking onto the lift in shorts and a tank with the Amalfi sun on my back... not to shabby. When we reached the top I was greeted by the most beautiful ocean view I have ever seen in my entire life (this is not an exaggeration). Unfortunately the pictures don't even begin to do this justice but after napping on the grass on the top for an hour or so, I awoke and I honestly felt like I was still dreaming or had risen to heaven. If you ever find yourself in Italy and do not see this view atop the island of Capri, I will find you and personally slap you in the face. 

The rest of the day consisted of us having one too many a toast at dinner, taking over an outdoor bar in Sorrento, and some late night wandering through hidden dirt roads. Success. The next day we went to Positano which, unfortunately, was not too kind in the weather department. The warm streets of Positano were filled with little boutiques, gelotto shoppes, and pizzerias and the beaches covered with black sand. For the majority of the day the sun was covered by a group of clouds which led me to college sea glass for about an hour and a half (you would be surprised by how little is necessary to entertain me). However, the day got brighter when I ordered the most bomb sandwich known to mankind at a tiny deli on the island. Mortadella, balsamic, cream cheese, tomatoes, spanish olives, and pesto... can't go wrong with that combo. As the shuttle for the first hostel of kids arrived the sun began to creep out which was unfortunate for those who had to leave but absolutely amazing for us. We took that opportunity to rent a boat for about an hour and decided to go cliff jumping!!!

Some of the kids on the boat!

Me in the middle of jumping!

Positano!

The last stop on the trip was Pompeii, the famous Italian city which was covered by volcanic ash after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD. The city was so incredibly well preserved including the body casts of the victims of the eruption, thousands of years later! We saw incredible palaces, amphitheaters, and even a brothel. On the walls of the brothel there were meticulously painted sexual diagrams (pictures?) which served as the "menu" for customers. There were also penises molded and carved into the sidewalks of the town which helped point customers in the direction of the brothel (these Italians were no joke).

Jessica Preston in Pompeii!

All in all, I can say that my 12 day Italian expedition not only surprised, enlightened, and exhausted me but it also made me proud to be an Italian (cheesy I know)... but seriously, Italy is a fascinating country full of history, gorgeous landscapes, priceless artwork, amazing food, and sincere people. From the Venetian waterfront views and hiking in Cinque Terre to the grandeur of the David in Florence and the the Colosseum in Rome.. and ending the entire venture in the Amalfi Coast.. I feel truly blessed. It was the perfect country to finish my international travels with!