On a clear day you can see the coast Africa from Gibraltar
The mosque in Gibraltar was a gift from the King of Saudia Arabia
Raveen petting the monkey and one of the monkeys even jumped onto a girl Caitlyn, but they are not domesticated
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Gibraltar
I want to write about this trip now while everything is still fresh in my head, so my blog is going to be a little out of order because there are many things I have done before this trip that I have not written about:
IES planned an absolutely incredible once-in-a-life time trip to Gibraltar and Morocco, which truly can be labeled as a cultural experience designed to be a window into the culture and lifestyles of many Moroccans. We traveled by bus from Granada to Gibraltar, took a ferry from Gibraltar to Tangier. We then drove along the Atlantic coast to the artsy town of Asilah and from there we went to Rabat. After spending a full day in Rabat we drove to the Rif mountains and then finally Chefchaouen. I will never forget this trip and without a doubt I can say that it has had and will continue to have an immense impact on my life. In this post, I will write about my experience in Gibraltar and I hope to be able to update about Morocco later today or tomorrow.
We left early Friday morning 03/16 from Granada and drove about 4 hours to Gibraltar where we stayed the night. Gibraltar is a British Overseas territory located in the very southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula. Gibraltar is of course famous for the Rock of Gibraltar and it really is an incredible sight.
IES planned an absolutely incredible once-in-a-life time trip to Gibraltar and Morocco, which truly can be labeled as a cultural experience designed to be a window into the culture and lifestyles of many Moroccans. We traveled by bus from Granada to Gibraltar, took a ferry from Gibraltar to Tangier. We then drove along the Atlantic coast to the artsy town of Asilah and from there we went to Rabat. After spending a full day in Rabat we drove to the Rif mountains and then finally Chefchaouen. I will never forget this trip and without a doubt I can say that it has had and will continue to have an immense impact on my life. In this post, I will write about my experience in Gibraltar and I hope to be able to update about Morocco later today or tomorrow.
We left early Friday morning 03/16 from Granada and drove about 4 hours to Gibraltar where we stayed the night. Gibraltar is a British Overseas territory located in the very southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula. Gibraltar is of course famous for the Rock of Gibraltar and it really is an incredible sight.
Me in front of the Rock of Gibraltar
When we arrived in Gibraltar, we checked into our hotel and then picnicked alongside of the bay of Gibraltar. I think I have become so accustomed to picnicking in beautiful places that I almost neglect to recognize how beautiful these places truly are.
Jackie, Emily, Liz, and Haili picnicking by the shore!
After lunch, IES had arranged a bus tour for us where we learned a little bit about the history and culture of Gibraltar and got to see the caves and the monkeys as well as the beautiful landscapes! Our tour guide Pepe was quite the character. He was probably 70 years old but had a spitfire personality as he threw in many sardonic jokes between the historical facts and cultural explanations that he would sputter off. Not only was he a jokester but I have never seen someone maneuver a bus so smoothly through the most narrow streets. Que impresivo! Interestingly enough, the citizens of Gibraltar adamantly identify themselves as British and do not associate their national identity with Spain despite the complicated history of both British and Spanish rule (along with Moorish).
I found it quite strange to be driving through Spain where everything is in Spanish and then entering Gibraltar and suddenly everything is in English and most everyone has a British accent. It's odd one of the first things you see when you exit customs and enter Gibraltar is a bright red telephone booth. Even the police where the same uniforms of those in the London police force the only difference is the badge that they wear says Gibraltar. I guess one of the best parts of Gibraltar is that the citizens speak my language, meaning spanglish. The citizens would be speaking in english and then mid-sentence they would switch spanish.
During our tour, Pepe pointed out all the landmarks like the hospitals and mosques and churches and the American embassy of McDonalds. He then drove us up the rock to see Saint Michael's caves. The caverns were simply incredible. There really is no other way to put it.
Haili, Me, and Jackie
After visiting the caverns, Pepe drove us to see the monkeys of Gibraltar. The Barbary Macaque population in Gibraltar is the only one in the whole of the European continent. They are one of the most popular tourist attractions in all of Gibraltar as near the Queen's Gate people can get very close to the monkeys and the monkeys will interact with people. Sometimes they will even perch themselves on top of a tourist. These animals are wild and live in the wild and it is illegal to feed them in order to prevent the monkeys from having a dependency on humans (though they do dumpster dive).
Que Mono
Siesta en Gibraltar jaja
After visiting the monkeys, our tour came to an end and Pepe brought us back to the central plaza of Gibraltar. We had about 30 minutes of free time for a quick smoothie run and then it was time to climb the infamous rock. Let me tell you it was definitely a work out, but it was worth it the views were absolutely spectacular. It was almost magical as we descended the rock the sun had started to set and the composition of the sky against the waters that would lead us to Africa took my breath away.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
02/23/12 Meeting My Intercambio
IES sets up each of their students with an intercambio. An intercambio is a Spanish student who is studying English and we practice our language skills with each other. I speak with her in Spanish and then she practices speaking English to me. The intercambio program is designed to help improve fluency while gaining a cultural perspective from a peer, and I think is an awesome opportunity that IES provides its students with.
I met with my intercambio for the 1st time on Thursday 02/23. She was very nice and is actually from Malaga but is student at the University of Granada. Her goal is to became an English teacher, so she is very enthusiastic about practicing her language skills. We got a long very well and discussed books like Harry Potter and music both Spanish and American. However, I was hoping that my intercambio would be a bit more outgoing, but she is a pretty introverted individual who enjoys her alone time or spending time with her boyfriend. As a result, she is not familiar with many tapas bars, discotecas, and music venues in Granada. I had been hoping that my intercambio would not only help me with my Spanish but show me places in Granada that I would not necessarily find on my own or introduce me to some of her friends as sometimes it is difficult to make Spanish friends due to the language barrier. I do not believe that I will be meeting my intercambio's friends, I am lucky that she wants to meet frequently to practice speaking! After all, the goal is for my spanish to improve and the only way for it to improve is to practice.
I met with my intercambio for the 1st time on Thursday 02/23. She was very nice and is actually from Malaga but is student at the University of Granada. Her goal is to became an English teacher, so she is very enthusiastic about practicing her language skills. We got a long very well and discussed books like Harry Potter and music both Spanish and American. However, I was hoping that my intercambio would be a bit more outgoing, but she is a pretty introverted individual who enjoys her alone time or spending time with her boyfriend. As a result, she is not familiar with many tapas bars, discotecas, and music venues in Granada. I had been hoping that my intercambio would not only help me with my Spanish but show me places in Granada that I would not necessarily find on my own or introduce me to some of her friends as sometimes it is difficult to make Spanish friends due to the language barrier. I do not believe that I will be meeting my intercambio's friends, I am lucky that she wants to meet frequently to practice speaking! After all, the goal is for my spanish to improve and the only way for it to improve is to practice.
02/21/12
I haven't updated my blog in a while, so I figured I would do it sections.
On Tuesday 02/21, my Islamic Civilization class had a unique opportunity to visit a mosque in Granada. Early Tuesday morning, we met at the IES center and then hiked up the Albaicin, which is up high in the hills surrounding the center of Granada. We then met an American woman who had come to Spain 40 years ago after traveling throughout Europe. She had fallen in love with the City of Granada and fell in love with a man, and never had the urged to return to the states. She explained to us that she lived amongst a group of 20 year olds who were all in search of something. They searched to quench their desire to obtain an inner peace. They did not know what they were looking for, but they knew that they needed to look. The man who she had developed feelings for decided that Islam held the answers that he was looking for, and he decided to convert from Catholic to Muslim. He asked her to join him. Being an American Catholic woman, the religion did not appeal to her the way that it did to her love, but she loved him and trusted him and decided that she would convert. And I quote, she said"It was the best decision of my life".
On Tuesday 02/21, my Islamic Civilization class had a unique opportunity to visit a mosque in Granada. Early Tuesday morning, we met at the IES center and then hiked up the Albaicin, which is up high in the hills surrounding the center of Granada. We then met an American woman who had come to Spain 40 years ago after traveling throughout Europe. She had fallen in love with the City of Granada and fell in love with a man, and never had the urged to return to the states. She explained to us that she lived amongst a group of 20 year olds who were all in search of something. They searched to quench their desire to obtain an inner peace. They did not know what they were looking for, but they knew that they needed to look. The man who she had developed feelings for decided that Islam held the answers that he was looking for, and he decided to convert from Catholic to Muslim. He asked her to join him. Being an American Catholic woman, the religion did not appeal to her the way that it did to her love, but she loved him and trusted him and decided that she would convert. And I quote, she said"It was the best decision of my life".
The Mosque
She explained the Hayy, the customs, the 5 pillars, and the Koran. She explained how they pray 5 times a day, and it is a way to release stress and cleanse the mind and body of tension. Moreover, she explained that she is in no way oppressed like the women in Saudia Arabia, and that the associated oppression of Muslim women is a result of manipulation of religion and power. Islam was her liberation and she found that inner peace she yearned for in her youth. Her passion for her religion made it seem almost palpable to me. However, she is a very liberal Muslim in terms of her beliefs and interpretation of the Koran and her story must not be mistaken as the norm; however, story is one that fascinated me and I would be happy to discuss it more with anyone who wants to hear!
Inside the Mosque
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