Paris

Well, i went to paris this past weekend. I have to say it is by far one of my favorite cities in the world. Its in a very close competition with barcelona and malaga. I have yet to see rome (1.5 weeks) but i believe asof now it was my favorite. I flew to zurich switzerland first for a layover and that was quite extraordinary in itself because i flew over the swiss alps. It was simply breath taking. I regret not taking many pictures from up there because i thought i would on the way back, but the weather wasnt as nice on the way back. But i got to fly right over them. I never thought i would see a mountain range that could rival the rockies, but the swiss alps are more majestic and grand in scale. It was a privelage. I got to paris in the evening around 630 and had to ride a bus for an hour into the main city to opera square. As soon as i got off the bus, paris began to amaze me with its architecture and liveliness everywhere possible.
I hung out around that part of town for a little bit and ate mcdonalds because i heard food is extremely expensive and i was and am on a very right budget. So i ate and walked to try and find my hostel. It was an amazing walk as i seen so many things. And about an hour later, i found it. It was a nice hostel especially for being my first one and i luckily ended up being alone in my 2 bed bedroom. I was kindly greeted by 2 friends i knew from the ISA program and hung out downstairs most of the night. We planned to do some things the next day and made a pact not to be back until midnight after sightseeing.
I woke up in the morning and was ready for a day full of adventure in paris, especially sine it was pretty much my only one because my flight left @ 7am sunday morning. We started at a soveneir market close to our hostel that was right by the sacre cour cethedral. I bought some souveneirs for a few family members i have and some for myself and a few for another person that may ot even want them, but i was and have been thinking od her alot lately. Anyhow, after that, we caught the metro train from gare du nord to close to the catacombs in southern old paris. It was supposed to be our beginning point. I right away got to start using the french i knew and was asking for directions and talking to locals, in french! I was excited to put my kowledge of a basic lamguage of something other than spanish in action. Im very proud to say i was able to practice french in paris. But ya, we found the catacombs but we would have been waiting in line for hours so we decided to skip it and see the more important parts, given the time we had. So we went and ate at a kind of nice restaurant and planned the rest of the day. We then made made it to the notre dame cathedral, where the movie hunchback took place. It was soooooo beautiful outside and equally inside. I got to light a candle inside and make a wish, like when i was an ultar boy as a kid. It is surely one of the grandest cathedrals in the world for catholics. I bought a rosary and did a tour inside and we proceeded to our next destination. The river that runs through paris is beautiful and all the bridges. On our way walking to the louvre museum,where the mona lisa is, we saw the royal palace of france. It was my 2nd royal palace after seeing the spanish one in madrid. They are simply marvelous structures and pictures dont do them justice. You have to be there to feel them. So we wqlked alongside the river, seeing paris, and made it to the luvre museum. That place was huge. The architecture here in europe is just amazing. I love the old style and you can just see the history and culture in all of them. Another thing i love is the saints and angels and figures looking down upon you from all these buildings. Its intricate and it makes me feel like the angels are constantly watching me here in europe, they are everywhere! I didnt go to see the mona lisa because there was only 20 min before it closed soi waited for my friends and we went on afyer that. Our next destination was la defance. It was basically downtown paris, the new part, with massive skyscrapers everywhere and a crazy square building that i really wanted to see called le grand arc. I couldnt even get a whole picture of it, it was so big but i got what i could. So then we went from there to the eiffel tower. That was simply amazing. Words or pictures cant begin to describe it. It also started sparkling randomly when we got there, it was breathtaking. We didnt go up because i had to catch a boat ride down the river and see paris from a boat and the line was huge. But its something you have to do in life to really appreciate. Movies dont do it justice. So i took this amazing boat ride down the river and saw most of paris at night. It was cool. I remember being onit alone wishing someone would be there with me, and thought about it more thani should have, but none the less relished the moment and appreciated the life god had granted me with up to that point. But its paris! City of love! Haha, o well. Ill be back, i can assure you that. So our last destination was le arc du triumph, an amazing and beautiful arc which many paris streets run off. We ate on the street that is close to it and known as one of the oldest and most expensive but nicest streets in all of europe. I had some pasta and a glass of french wine. It was great. So we went and seen the arc du triumph for awhile and caut the metro back to the hostel and that was pretty much my trip. By the time we had gotten back to the hostel it was 1 and i had to leave to the airport at 5. So i slept what i could and got up and went to the airport, flew back to zurick and back here to my home away from home, malaga españa. And thats that! Hope you have enjoyed this post as much as i enjoyed experiencing it and writing about it! Until next time, which will be cordoba next week sometime,see ya later!

La vida buena...

I went to granada this past weekend. It was one of the coolest things i have ever done or seen. All of the coolest things ever for me have happened in the last month and a half. I am such a blessed person to be doing everything im doing and seeing eveything im seeing. I got to see 3 spanish catholic kings and queen isabella, whom sent christopher columbus to discover america in their tombs and an awesome royal catholic church. The feelings that take over me when im in some places like this are unexplainable and incredible. I feel like i have a personal history with this country and i feel like its intertwined with who i am as a person. Afterall, i am part spanish and all roman catholic. The other kings were king phillip the handsome and his wife as well as king ferdinand. Granada was am awesome city, i really loved it there. We were also surprised with a flamenco show in some caves. Best performance and experience yet. Words cant explain how these experiences make me feel considering i have been on a mission to know and live my cultures and heritage.I also visited the alhumbra, a moorish castle and fort in granada that was taken over by the spanish catholic kings during the reconquista. What amazed me was how there was a building in the middle of all it that totally looked like it had no business there. Come to find out, it didnt. I asked my isa advisor and he said that king carlos V had it built in the middle of all the moorish forts and palaces as a display of spains power at the time. It turned out to be the palace of king carlos V. So awesome. Im also italian and ill be going there for 5 days in beginning december, so ill get the other half there. This past week has been quite chaoticwith midterms and all. We have a midterm test and 5 page essay in all classes and im in 5 classes so thats 5 exams and 20 pages of essays, but i have 4 exams down, one more to go next week and 2 more essays. It is admittedly a little difficult given my surroundings and my urges to want to just go out and see everything and experience everything i can here. But i think i have found a good balance between my academic and social/adventurous life here. This weekend, on friday, im going to paris. Ill be alone and might meet up with some other people from the program there. Im going to go see the notre dame cathedral, eiffel tower, louvre museum and the catacombs. It will give me a good opportunity to put my french to the test and learn some more. I often get sidetracked with the "alone" part of my travels because its been a long time since ive felt alone, and i sometimes wish i had someone to be here with me experiencing all these things, but i cant think about that. I have to block it out because i am laying afoundation for my unborn children and the youngsters in my family to see all things are possible. I believe that is my purpose in life, is opening minds and brains from their restrictive thinking and show them, not tell them, that there is a world out here outside of durango or wherever they live. But anyhow, im going to end this post for now and will let you know how paris goes after i get back sometime. Take care all

More crazy experiences...

Well last time i wrote on this was after i had just gotten back from barcelona. Well, a few firsts and interesting things have happened since. I went to a futbol game here, my 2nd one in 2 weeks, to watch malaga cf play espanyol. It was an awesome game. I was at the very top on the very last row, but the seat was still good i thought. Malaga wound up winning 2 to 1 and it turned out to be quite the experience.
Second, i wound up going to morocco this past weekend. Was quite the adventure surely trying to get there. I went with two girls from my ISA program (debatable if thats a good idea or not in a 3rd world muslim country). I was culturally shocked for sure for the first time in my life there, like seriously. I was sooooo overwhelmed by how different it was. I had so much anxiety, probably more than necessary but was on edge most of the time and felt powerless and lost at times. We did see some cool things though. We stayed at a french motel in the medina in old city fes, morocco. It was after a crazy trip to get there which included a cancelled ferry in tarifa, a prompt cab ride back to algeciras, continuous waiting for atleast 3 to 4 hours for the ferry to leave, another 2 to get there, a train we didnt catch on time in tangier and had to take a half hr taxi ride to bus station in tanier, a crazy and suspenseful 2 hr wait from 1 am til 3 am in the bus station in tangier and a 5 hour bus ride to fes in a very uncomfortable small bus in a monsoon.
The trip was an adventure from the first minute to the last. I am stll unsure of what to think of the experience other than there is surely a reason i must have went. The things i seen, smelled, heard, experienced n lived through were unlike anything i ever thought i would ever. The hotel was very nice and some of the sight seeing was cool, but i was just overwhelmed from the get because i am actually pretty pampered now that i went through that. It was a little too much at times and the old me would have definitely freaked out and never left the hotel and went back to spain early, but i sucked it up, experienced it, felt my patience grow exponentially and my vision is certainly better as far as my worldview. I will no longer be doing much complaining.
Aside from that, i have a very busy next month straight which includes five midterm tests and or papers, signing up for next semester at flc, traveling to granada spain, paris france, cordoba spain, rome italy and finally sevilla spain. I have never been busier in my life or seen so many different things and places in such a short time. The growing i am doing intrapersonally is astounding. I feel myself growing better and stronger as a person spiritually, mentally, physically, psychologically and academically.
Well, this has been quite the post so i will end it for now and give it another week or two (after midterms) before i post a new one. Pics are hard to post buti must have a thousand on facebook so add me as a friend if we arent already and you can see them or if you are my friend, comment or like them but be sure and check them out! Have a good one and wish me luck on midterms and my travels. Much love followers... If any haha

Barcelona and life since...

Well, had an awesome trip to Barcelona this past weekend. I couldn´t have asked to have had a better weekend in that magnificent city. Also, i was blessed to have met a friend up there that really took care of me. I had a 2 bedroom apartment all to myself, right next to a discoteca and not very far from sagrada familia catedral. The sagrada familia was breath taking. Words cant begin to explain the beauty, history and culture in this country especially in the bigger cities like barcelona and madrid. Even here in malaga, we have a roman theater that is over 1000 years old and a moorish fort and castle. I still need to go see a bullfight, probably in marbella if i still can, and get to a flamenco bar. I went to the barcelona sevilla game this weekend and it was astounding. even in their sports events they have a great display of culture and history as i got to hear the catalan chants from the crowd in unison all night. allthough the game ended in a 0 0 draw, it was still an experience of a lifetime. not sure how many more times i will be able to come to barcelona, find a ticket for the best team and stadium in the world, and hang out for the weekend. hopefully its not the last time, but it certainly could wind up being. leo messi had a chance at the end to win the game, and it was quite intense. there was a foul and penalty kick in extra time, so it was the dream scenario for a game, but the goalie for sevilla played the game of his life that night. after hearing some catalan that my friend was fluent in, i thought it sounded like a mix of spanish and french and decided its a language i really want to learn as well as italian and perfect my french. i love how there are so many languages spoken everywhere at any time here. i dont think anyone here speaks just one language.
last night we went to a tip cup tournament at a local bar here and it was just as intense as the soccer game! it was crazy, there were people with flags and their faces painted and chanting, getting buracho, and getting louder than the game in barcelona it seemed! a pretty intense competition, i think our american team did quite well even though we had like 3 in it. there was an italian team, a german team, russian team, a few spanish teams and it was pretty fun actually. speaking of competition, did anyone see my chiefs smoke the raiders this weekend? 6 picks and 2 for 6. crazy. and a shutout on top of that! i think the chiefs raiders rivalry is back in full swing! life is great right now. im really enjoying myself here, i feel right at home. its funny when i go somewhere and there are local spaniards that i know, they are always showing off my tattoo to other people. its funny and i am proud of my culture and heritage. i was told i have the face of a spaniard and was also called a malagueno! which is the term for a local from malaga. quite the compliments haha. well, anyhow, gotta run to class here soon so im going to close this post out and you will be hearing from me in the next week or two. hasta lluego!                                

Nothin new yet...

Just gettin into the routine here. Feel at home n know my way around n stuff. But no new stories or nothin. Ive cut down alot going out during the night here. Was fun for the first week but its expensive n overrated. I dont know, im jus not much of a partyer anymore. O we.. Barcelona on friday! Cant wait, get to see the best player in the world (messi) playing along side my favorite player in the world (villa). So til this weekend, nothin new but ill b sure and fill ya in when i get back to malaga sunday...

1st few weeks...

Wow. Unbelievable. Words cant really describe all that has been happening up here as of late. But i will do my best! Ive already said how much i love my classes n i really do! I love learning about european culture history and politics while being immersed in it all the while. There definitely seems to b a lot of separation between people here. Its a lil different for me from the states because the only REAL separation i have felt from the people around me is for bronco fans! Even tho my whole family n many friends r bronco fans lol. Anyhow i hVe met people from ALL over the world. Its soooo awesome n such an invaluable experience. I have met people from germany, all over spain, latvia, lithuania, russia, egypt, argentina, norway, the uk, i mean the list goes on. N alot of people speak like 5 languages each here! I know spanish n english pretty well and am reasonable in french but certainly want to add to my arsenal haha. I really need to learn italian russian and mandarin if i can. That would b invaluable being an international businessman. The people here r really awesome. This place is like an international mecca for people all over the globe. And ive met many that said they came here to study abroad and never left! My spanish is almost coming naturally i feel like i can almost speak it fluently other than the whole lisping of s, ill never do that haha. I love immersing myself n hanging with locals n not so much the american kids here with me. I already know what theyre like they aint going to give me many new experiences really, although i have met awesome people from all over the united states as well. I feel i am exactly where god intended me to be at this exact time. I even had a feeling of deja vu earlier n i know i had either been here in a past life or dreamt this one moment today before as crazy as it sounds. No culture shock at all. I love my host mother, i dont think i could have been paired with a much better senora. She made the best pasta i ever had tonight. Shes awesome. N my roomate is really cool too hes from kansas. And hes a chiefs fan! How crazy! And also my host mom has salazar blood like i do her mom is salazar. Lots of crazy coincidences! Anyhow im layin in bed so ill prolly jam out n close my eyes. Cant really say i can dream any better asleep than awake. Night all...

first friday in malaga

well class is going great. got sum stuff going on back home that i need to really try to keep my mind off and just focus on school and getting better acclimated to my surrounding around here. this is by far the biggest city i have ever lived in and its at times overwhelming. a lot of people that have never been outside of the US really dont understand how different of a ball game it is up here. anyhow, i am taking international relations, international marketing, international finance, the european union and cross cultural management. so it is certainly quite a full slate and can ill afford to get off track. i absolutely love learning about how the world works and seeing things from a non american persepctive. i am infatuated with the working of the greater world outside the US and particularly here in Europe. That alone makes it very easy to learn about those subjects and it makes it even harder to miss class, tho that is a huge temptation here considering campus is a 2 minute walk to the beach. i have gotten to know some people here a little bit from the states which has been great. i have met people from all over our country in the states as well as people from all over the world. knowing only one or two languages around here is like uncommon, you have to know like 5. the daughter of the lady i live with knows 5 different languages, these bartenders i have gotten to know from latvia know 6 different languages (latvian, russian, french, english, spanish and german), its crazy. i love hearing all the differnt things going on here even tho i have no clue what mostly is said. the amount of culture and history in this area is incredible. so i dont have class on fridays which marks the beginning of my 3 day weekend. we are supposed to be going to ronda tomorrow, which i might do not sure yet. i do know in 2 weeks i will be in barcelona to watch my favorite team and player! (david villa and barca) as well as to see what that city is like. i plan on doing some extensive travel as long as my budget permits it. i have booked a flight to paris and barca so far and want to go to milan rome sicily and possiby amsterdam. but stuff can be expensive and i need to be careful as i wasnt granted with an unlimited amount of money to have here. anyhow, i have lunch here soon and will go to the beach after. there is only one thing i miss about the US and she knows what it is but i really cant afford to be thinking about it. anyhow, hasta luego chicos! hasta la proximo vez!

More pics

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Pics...

ESPANA!!!!

There is much catching up to do since my last post. I arrived in Madrid last Thursday in the morning. We then stayed at a hotel until Saturday. I got to meet some great people here with the program. There are some awesome directors of the program as well as some great students. Had fun in Madrid, it is a massive city with unbelievable amounts of culture and history, and best of all, it is my culture and history connected through my ancestors who went to America from here in Spain during the discovery of the new world. The royal palace was astonishing and breath taking. I almost felt weak at the knees when i walked in there and saw the things i saw. We also went to a museum that was quite breathtaking. It was nice to learn about Spanish artist like gayo, velasquez, and el greco. Madrid was amazing. I managed to get lost somehow downtown alone trying to walk to the palace and caught a cab. the driver was really awesome and we talked about my family history and how i should go to the basque country and see if i may have family there. I am doing better than i thought i would speaking and understanding the spanish. i certainly have lots of learning and sharpening to do, but i understand most of what is told to me and i can respond quite well. The whole lisping of the s´ and z´and c´is unique to spain, and i have been experiencing that everywhere.
After madrid, we traveled to toledo spain. i learned alot there and there is also a lot of culture and history in that little place. Madrid seemed like a really fast paced almost american city, but definitely not american. but toledo was definitely more laid back and relaxed lifestyle. I love getting in touch with my catholic roots and it is fascinating to me the history of the catholic kings and monarchs here. Tanto cultura y historia! We stayed in toledo for the night and then were off to our hometown for 3 months malaga the next morning.
Malaga is quite breathtaking as well. One of the locals told me it was a ¨smaller¨city, haha yea right, this place is massive. It is as beautiful as any city i have ever seen and feel extremely blessed and privelaged to be a part of it. There is a roman theater that is over 1000 years old here and a moorish fort right behind it as well. so there is no lack of history and culture in this city either. It was great seeing the roman theater, because i live right by it, because i get the best of both worlds in regards to my two cultural identities as i am both spanish and italian. The beach here is awesome, other than there are spots that are really rocky and it makes it hard to walk on it.
I had my first classes yesterday. I love the classes i am able to take here. They will all be very benefial to both my future and academic studies. I am taking a full slate of classes which include international finance, marketing, relations; as well as cross cultural management and the european union affairs and history. I am currently at the isa office downtown and have class soon so i may cut this one short. i want to go to the beach for an hr or so before class, so i better get going! que buena la vida aqui! hasta luego amigos!