Sunday, March 18, 2012

Long Overdue Appreciation


Thus far, studying abroad has taught me more about myself than any other past experience.  Some things I’ve discovered make me want to physically give myself a “pat on the back”, while others I wish I never had to confront.  One that stands out the most, and I cannot believe I am actually admitting this, is that I miss Merrimack.  Those who knew me in high school understand that the definition of a “Type A” personality is:  Jenn Brooks.  Although I am much more relaxed in Madrid, which is something I absolutely needed more of in my life, at the end of the day Jenn Brooks does not relax.  I miss the stress of an everyday US college student, and everything that comes along with it.  From putting up Facebook statuses such as “2 a.m. why must we keep meeting this way, I would much rather sleep with you”, to Earl Grey caffeinated tea becoming my anti-drug, to cramming for finals on a Friday night in the crowded Merrimack library, I miss it all.  I have come up with a list titled “The 30 Things I Miss the Most About Being a Merrimack College Student” which I would like to share with you.  In no particular order at all, here is what I have come up with:   
  1. Registering for classes online is not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. 
  2. Sodexo.
  3. Doing my own laundry, even though the machines always eat my quarters.
  4. Ugg boots and North Faces.
  5. Toilets that you can flush with your foot.
  6. CHEAP PEANUT BUTTER!!!
  7. College ruled lined paper; I am having none of this European graph paper.
  8. Doors that you can lock from the inside with the push of a knob.
  9. Pandora and Netflix.
  10. Full-out "scrubbin" to class.
  11. Wireless Internet, even that one spot in the library on the 3rd floor that never receives a signal. 
  12. Chicken fingers and mozzarella sticks. 
  13. The Roman Missal at Sunday mass.
  14. TV, enough said.
  15. The rush to dinner at 5 p.m.
  16. Walking 5 minutes to get to class as opposed to riding a train for an hour. 
  17. Have I mentioned Sodexo…
  18. Omelet line for Sunday brunch.
  19. The value of a dollar.
  20. Shower stalls.
  21. Not having to hug my purse out of fear of being pick-pocketed.
  22. Cold milk.
  23. Signing up for advising.
  24. Hair straighteners/curling irons/blow-dryers that do not blow up in your face when you use them.
  25. Verizon’s cell phone service.
  26. Meetings.
  27. Speaking English.
  28. Professors that know my name instead of losing me on the Metro at orientation, please refer to my post “Where for art thou red umbrella?”
  29. Orientation.
  30. Driving in Nor-easters to get to campus because classes are never canceled. 

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Holy Toledo!


Mi patito Julio and I enjoying the beautiful view in Toledo.

El Cathedral in Toledo
Holy Toledo!  If you have ever heard this expression, you will understand how exciting it was to visit this beautiful city.  Toledo was the capital of Spain when the Moors occupied the country, before it was conquered by the Christians in 1561.  This beautiful city is about an hour bus ride southwest of Madrid.  As we all understand, bus rides can be rather boring, so we played the alphabet game to pass the time.  #typicalcollegestudents For those of you who are unfamiliar with the “famous” alphabet game, which was specifically designed to keep families occupied on road trips, I will explain.  You keep an eye outside the car for road signs, billboards and other objects.  Start by looking for any word that begins with the letter “A”.  When you see it, the goal is to yell out the word before anyone else in the car can.  Then, look for a word that starts with the letter “B” and continue to repeat the process until you finish the alphabet.  Once a person shouts a word for their letter, no other person may use the same word.  The object of the game is to finish the alphabet before your opponents.  Unlike America, it was rather easy to locate the letter “Q”, however, “K” proved to be difficult. 

Beautiful monstrance.
As with all our adventures, James, Kaila, my roommate and I arrived in Toledo with no plan or sense of direction.  Hence, I am actually proud of how well we survived.  We were able to visit the “Museo Del Ejército” which was located in the Alcazar.  It was really interesting to be able to see old guns, armor, knives, uniforms, etc. that belonged to the ancient armies of Spain.  Unfortunately, as with most museums, cameras were not allowed inside, hence I sadly do not have any pictures to share.  We also visited the Cathedral, which given my Catholic background I thoroughly enjoyed.  The monstrance was especially magnificent; I have never seen one so beautiful.  I wish I could have fit it in my suitcase to take it home with me to my home parish, St. William's.  Unfortunately, the monstrance absolutely would not have met the 50 pound weight limit at the airport, so security would not have been too pleased.  Also, I do not know if Fr. Andy would be too happy if a random, massive monstrance appeared in our plain adoration chapel.

Kaila, me and James in front of El Museo Del Ejercito
Although Toledo was absolutely beautiful, the view itself is worth a visit, I am glad I chose to study abroad in Madrid.  The city reminded me very much of Sevilla, because it was so rich in culture and history.  However, I feel like I would have really missed home if I studied there since they do not have the extensive American food selections Madrid has.  Needless to say, it was a perfect day trip, and I would absolutely recommend to anyone traveling in Spain to visit Toledo.  

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Mis Patitos


Alhambra, Granada, Spain 

Coca-Cola written in Arabic in Fez, Morocco
After my junior year of high school came to a close my best friend, Ashley, moved to Tennessee for her senior year.  Following graduation, I was able to save up enough money to go visit her.  It was there, in Knoxville, TN summer 2009 that I bought Julio.  Julio is my little Mexican patito, complete with a sombrero and matching poncho, who is very special.  As soon as I adopted Julio, I embraced a new tradition.  Everywhere I travel, I bring Julio and take pictures of him in front of fascinating sites.  He loves to travel, just like his momma!  Thus far, mi patito has journeyed to various parts of the United States (Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, DC, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire y claro Massachusetts), Spain (Seville, Cordoba, Granada, Algeciras, Madrid, Segovia and Toledo) and Morocco (Tangier, Rabat, Fez, and Chefchaouen).  Hence, please follow Julio as he travels the world conmigo by “friending” him on Facebook.  Yes, I made my duck a Facebook.  No, I am not ashamed. 
Boston gardens with my friend Ellen
Plaza Colon, Madrid, Spain
Philly LOVE sign
The other duck accompanying me on my travels throughout Europe represents my friend Michael.  Have you ever played the game “Wanna Buy a Duck?”  If not, I would highly recommend researching it online because it is one of my absolute favorite games.  In the fall of 2010, I went to Philadelphia, PA for Merrimack College’s Alternative Fall Break program.  At some point over the course of the eight hour van ride, I introduced said game to my peers accompanying me on the service trip.  Needless to say, it was instantly loved by all!  After the weekend came to a close, one of my friends from the trip bought me three rubber ducks.  James, who I have previously introduced as one of my best friends from home, decided that the three ducks should represent me, him and our other good friend Mike.  Subsequently, he branded them as so, and the names have stuck ever since.  Mike could not study abroad with James and I this semester, since he is studying politics in Washington, DC, hence I take pictures of his duck with us throughout Spain just to humor him.  I know what you are thinking; “Best Friend EVER Award” goes to this girl right here! 



Saturday, March 10, 2012

Segovia


James, my roomate, Kaila and I in Plaza Mayor in Segovia. 
Upon meeting me, there are two things you will pick up on rather quickly.  Numero uno, I drink excessive amounts of water.  I never leave home without a Poland Springs bottled water, and I go through about eight of those 16.9 oz bottles a day.  And numero dos, I am always cold, ALWAYS.  Even in the summer time I sleep with my down comforter on and my air-conditioning off.  The fact that I was born and raised in New England is rather unfortunate with the “package deal” of Nor'easters, potholes, exorbitant heating bills, chapped lips, wind-chill, drivers (too slow), drivers (too fast), getting out of bed in a cold house, digging your car out of a snow bank and shoveling (yes, the Brooks family does indeed shovel, family “bonding”).  After living in New England for twenty-one years, I have perfected the art of dressing like a marshmallow and I do so with class.  However, despite my expertise nothing could have prepared me for Segovia. 
Roman aqueducts

I have never been so cold in my life.  The day trip even beat the time I went sightseeing last January in Washington, DC wearing my “holey” jeans for Alternative Winter Break.  We ended up paying $20 to sleep through a movie at an Omni IMAX Theater just to get out of the cold.  However, Segovia topped all since there was no escaping the wind-chill.  We actually almost missed the bus, since we went too far on the Metro that morning (Needless to say my roommate is no longer trusted with directions.).  

Ducks in front of aqueducts
Looking back on it, however, I wish we took it as a sign. 

We left Madrid at 11:00 a.m., and did not return until 7:00 a.m. the next morning.  For some reason the program we went with thought it would be a “good idea” to conclude the day with a trip to the most prevalent nightclub in Segovia.  I believe I ended up passed out on a sofa for five hours next to my friends (Check falling asleep at a nightclub off the bucket list.). 


James "conquering" land.
The trip was extremely disorganized; I am surprised they only left five people behind.  We did however get to see the Roman aqueducts, El Alcazar and the cathedral.  I even got a picture of my ducks in front of the Roman aqueducts!  I promise to explain the story behind my ducks later, since I believe it is worthy enough of its own blog post.  For most of the day though James, Kaila, my roommate and I ventured off from the group to this random spot of land where the sun hit perfectly and warmed our bones.  It was like giving a 5-year-old a brand new train set for Christmas and he/she prefers playing with the box.  Much like El Rey Leon, we “conquered” this land and made it our own playground.  We spent the day laughing and playing like children, being the mature college kids that we are.  Needless to say, moral of the story, travel in warmer weather.  

Cathedral in Segovia