In Memoriam to Mr. Dalke and Bear: The Bigger Picture

Preface: this is more of a personal journal entry written in response to recent events, but I’ll try to leave it open-ended so it applies to everybody.

Some things in life are more important than ancient cities, awe inspiring cathedrals and late night discotecas. Last night I heard that my high school biology teacher and advisor, Mr. Dalke, had just passed away after a six-year fight with cancer.  With this news coming less than a month after my loyal friend and companion, Bear, was put to sleep, I really had to sit back and put things in perspective before I boarded my RyanAir flight to Rome. 

Mr. Dalke truly changed the way I looked at the world; from his lessons on sex-ed (which were cut short by his diagnosis) to the ones on the environment and from his counsel to me as an insecure freshman to our deep conversations after I graduated, he showed that he was indescribably wise for someone as young as he was.  Whereas Mr. Dalke was always a dependable mentor and friend, Bear was the most loyal companion anyone could ask for.  Despite the fact that I impatiently barked orders when I was his new owner and that I restlessly gave up throwing the ball with him after no more than 10 tosses, he always returned my apparent aloofness with love. 

As I touched down in Rome today, I began my three-week, post-Sevilla Eurotrip on a somber tone.  It is hard to complain with traveling through some of the world’s most magnificent cities; however, there is no other place that I would rather be than by Bear’s side as he took his final pants and in a church pew remembering Mr. Dalke’s shortened, albeit fulfilling life. 

If there is one thing Mr. Dalke and Bear had in common, it was their insatiable desire to explore the world around them.  Once Bear had exhausted what his small world – confined by the fence that surrounded our house – had to offer, he tirelessly dug under the fence so he could escape into the wilderness of Rivermeade; at the farm he loved nothing more than to run rampant through the foreign woods and cool off in whichever body of water presented itself.  For Mr. Dalke, his world was the water.  From the Galapagos to the Caribbean to God only knows how many reefs around the world, Mr. Dalke saw most all of the oceans wonders in his scuba expeditions.  Even as he courageously fought his cancer, he went from lake to lake just so he could escape onto the open water to go fishing. 

Today, and for the next three weeks, my world is Europe.  As much as I want to be with my two lost friends, the painful truth remains the same.  Their presence among us will truly be missed, but their spirits will remain within us forever.  While Atlanta will be filled with their memories, I will also be taking them with me to Rome, Prague, Amsterdam, Munich and wherever else I may go.  I cannot let the news of loss ruin an opportunity of a lifetime, rather I will rededicate my trip and it will take on a whole new meaning.  Like Mr. Dalke found comfort in the water and Bear found joy in the open world, I look forward to seeing what each city has to offer.  I strive to reach outside my comfort level if it means I will better experience the city and hope to leave no opportunity unexplored. 

Through it all, it is important to remember that which is most important. (Cue a soapbox for me to stand on for a paragraph).  Life is a fragile, miraculous gift we are given, and the relationships that we build throughout its course are the most precious treasures in the world.  To those that you love, let them never forget it; to your friends, never take them for granted; to your enemies, try to offer forgiveness because life is far too short to hold senseless grudges.  I have been blessed with the greatest parents, friends, peers and mentors in the world.  It’s a shame that it takes a tragedy for me to remember this, but without you, life would be meaningless.  Thank you to everybody who has helped make me the person I am today – especially Bear and Mr. Dalke; I am forever indebted to you all. 

And with that, I am off to see the world.  I will tell you all about Rome when I write my summary sometime in the next few days.  I am excited for what is to come and will be sure to keep everyone posted throughout my journey.  As I sign off, I ask that you please keep Mr. Dalke and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Cheers,

Harrison

Study Abroad in Review

As I sit for my final siesta in the stuffy room that I have grown to call home, I figured it is as good a time as any to reflect on the past 6 weeks.  Its hard believe that my stay in Sevilla is actually coming to a close.  It feels like just yesterday that I first introduced myself to Carmen and Patricia dubbed me "Pepe;" at the same time though, I feel like I have been in Sevilla for several months.  Although I am sad that the program has come to an end, that I have had to say my goodbyes and that Sevilla will soon become a memory rather than a reality, I am excited for the rest of my Euro-travels.
Without question, the most rewarding part of the trip was the relationships made.  I already knew a handful of people going into the trip, but we were only a small part of the 60+ people in the program.  It was a very congenial group that did just about everything together en masse, from botellon to bull fights to weekend trips.  I'm excited to get back to school to see everyone again - bring Calle Betis to Franklin St.
Of course the reason you study abroad is to study abroad.  I can honestly say that I did learn a lot of grammatical structures that make speaking and writing sound a lot more natural, and I do look at the city with a new eye, noticing baroque and islamic architecture in the buildings around me.  My teachers Angeles and Fernando were great; they were good at communicating with people who speak Spanish as a second language and were very probably the best Spanish teachers I've had.  They did not assign too much work either, so I never felt bogged down with school.  
With little stress coming from school, we had plenty of time to explore the city and its nightlife.  In a city that boasts the most bars per capita in Europe, it was not hard to something to do at night.  Weather we met up with friends at a local joint or went to Fundicion/Buddha/Bilindo under the local promoter Toba Turbo's direction, there was never a dull night.
When the city dies in the middle of the day for siesta, it can be hard to wake back up and build momentum to do something during the day.  I admit that I fell victim to a few siestas that lasted from lunch to dinner.  However, I was able to stay active most of the time by playing basketball 3 or 4 times a week.  It was cool to actually know some locals and learn a few colloquialisms from talking to them.
Being on the Iberian Peninsula, we were lucky to have the chance to go to so many different places on the weekends.  Every city in Spain has its unique character and it was amazing to such famous places as the Alhambra and the Rock of Gibraltar.
Being in Europe, I have the even luckier opportunity to travel throughout the continent for the next three weeks.  All that is planned for now is Rome, Prague and Amsterdam with Jorge for the first two weeks.  After that my final week is flexible; possible destinations include Munich, Switzerland or maybe Brussels.  I will be sure to keep updating as often as possible and report how it is.
People always say that study abroad is a once in a lifetime experience.  However tomorrow, I will say goodbye to Spain for the second time in four years.  Both of those summers have been the most rewarding and fun summers I can remember.  Its really interesting to live within a different culture and adapt to their norms; also my ability to speak and understand Spanish has improved significantly.  I would encourage anybody who has the opportunity to study abroad to do so; its been the best parts of my college experience thus far.
Hasta luego Sevilla.  To everybody in the program, I look forward to seeing you at the Hill in August (and to those that don't go to UNC, I hope yall come visit at some point).  Leaving Sevilla though, I know that the fun has only just begun.  I don't come back home until July 15 and I got a lot ahead of me until then; I'll keep you posted.

Destinations: Gibraltar and ...Cadiz?

With the program quickly approaching its final days, the opportunity to travel around Spain is slowly vanishing.  Especially after staying in Sevilla last weekend, I really wanted to take advantage of my last weekend here despite the paper I had due Monday and final exams on Tuesday and Wednesday.  What better place to go than to revisit the site of my first summer abroad experience - Cadiz?  That was the original idea at least.  We were going to drive down to Gibraltar and spend an evening / night there, then head over to my old stompin' grounds in the morning to relax at the beach and visit the historic city.  It was entirely too well planned to be properly executed.
When googling "hostel in Cadiz," I stumbled upon a 4-star hotel that cost only 5 euro/night more than any hostel did - obvious choice.  Only after booking it did I think to see where it was in the city; it wasn't in the city.  It was in Algeciras, a city an hour and a half away from Cadiz but 30 min away from Gibraltar.  A simple folly that actually worked in our favor.  Who really needs an overcrowded beach and cathedral when you have a private pool, putt-putt course and resort?
(Un)fortunately, no busses go from Sevilla to Gibraltar, so we actually went for the cheaper, faster option and rented a car.  Nothing like a long road trip.  (On that note, props to Danielle for navigating Spanish traffic, roundabouts and incomprehensible road signs - all the while driving stick-shift.)
As a city, Algeciras is not that impressive; it is a grimy port city that serves more as a checkpoint for people visiting Gibraltar.  For a hotel, Hotel Reina Cristina was exactly as it appeared online: a pristine, clean little castle.
After we settled in, we reloaded into the car and made our way toward Gibraltar.  Crossing the boarder into the British territory might have been one of the most casual traveling experiences I've had; however, we were so taken aback to see an adult out of our program speaking English that we almost completely lost our communication skills.  We were an hour or so away from sunset, so we didn't waste anytime getting to the Rock of Gibraltar and begin our "monkey business"... if you will.  The first miracle of the trip that the tiny VW got up the mountain; the second one was that it survived its stay there.  The initial encounter with the monkeys was a peaceful one.  We saw him casually sitting on the wall next to the road and walked alongside us as we drove by.  When we parked the car, the frighteningly human-like creature perched himself on the fence and almost posed for us.  Its amazing how his facial expressions, hands and feet resembled our own.  He was a very peaceful, contemplative monkey.  If only the next ones were as amiable.  On our return down the mountain, we stumbled upon what could have been the most adorable monkey family I have ever seen.  Of course, anything that is cute has to be scheming something, and we fell right into their trap.  As we stopped the car to take pictures of the playful baby monkeys, we failed to notice mama and papa monkey walking toward the car.  By the time we noticed, it was too late; the monkeys had already climbed on board and were jumping up and down on the roof Jumanji-style.  Then, one climbed down the roof and tried to latch on and pull on the back windshield wiper.  Conscious of the security deposit on the rental car, we sped away before he had the chance to destroy the car.  By that time, it was already sundown so we returned to the hotel and retired for the night.  The hotel rooms were air conditioned, so we were able to sleep in and did not drown in our own sweat.  The next day, we lived the dream.  We spent the entire day out by the pool laying out and monkeying around, played a little putt-putt and explored a little bit around the city (we soon realized there was not much there and returned back to our oasis).
Overall, I was excited to see Cadiz, but I do not regret missing it too much.  It was a successful road trip and everybody involved had a good time.

Tourist Weekends in Spain

So I may be a perfectionist about writing, but keeping up with it is a whole 'nother story.  Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I've tried to make up for it as best as I could - the result is a looong post.  I'll try to keep up with it better in the future.  Pictures to go along with this post will be up in the next few days, I can't find my camera's connection cord.

I have not written in the past week in part out of laziness, but also because nothing especially newsworthy had really happened.  After living here for a few weeks I have grown comfortable with my surroundings and have developed a sort of routine to my day: wake up early for class, go to school from 9:30 – 13:30, return home for lunch then siesta until 17:00, meet up with people and grab a beer or play basketball, return for dinner, then head out for the night.  Our first few weekends we spent as vacationers relaxing on white beaches; these past two weekends though, we opted for the role of tourists as we explored Cordoba, Grenada and our home city Sevilla. 

Two weekends ago, we went to Cordoba and Grenada with our program.  Both cities are filled with history and are particularly influenced by their Arabic past.  This is no better exemplified than by the cathedral in Cordoba.  If I didn’t know any better when walking in, I would have thought it was a mosque.  Evidently enough, the main entrance is indeed the original entrance to the ancient Arabic mosque.  Filled with red and white arches and beautiful mosaics, there is hardly any Christian influence when you first enter (for a more in depth description, look at Shannon’s blog.  She took an “introduction to Islamic art class at UNC and can tell you anything and everything about it).  However, just around the corner, I found one of the most impressive altars I have seen yet.  Come to think about it, all the altars I have seen are equally impressive; I just think the one I have seen most recently is freshest in my memory and stands out.  The most spectacular part about this particular cathedral was the juxtaposition of the red/white Islamic arches and the pristine white marble statues.

The next day, our group took an overnight trip to Grenada.  For all that the city has to offer, it was necessary for us to spend two days there.  Our first stop, of course, was la Alhambra.  I mentioned in one of my previous posts that the Real Alcazar was very similar to la Alhambra, and that I liked the Real Alcazar better.  I stand by both of those comments.  That is not at all to discredit the Alhambra; it is regarded as one of the top wonders of the modern world and is very deserving of that recognition.  Fernando also led this tour and described in detail the symbolism and architecture of everything inside.  Unfortunately one of the most famous sites of the Alhambra, the “Patio de los Leones” – a fountain held up by lions, symbolic of life and power – was under reconstruction, so we missed out on that.  Also, because we were pressed for time, we did not get to walk around all of the expansive gardens that I had gone through 4 years earlier.  I know I am writing this as a snobby, second-time visitor so I am not accurately portraying how breathtakingly beautiful it is.

The site in Granada that did grab my attention was the Cathedral, el Catedral de la Encarnación.  While most of the cathedrals we had visited had the same base grey stone color, were predominantly rectangular, and usually built in the Baroque era, this Cathedral was a bright white, had a semi-circular alter, and was of the Renaissance style.  The stone was originally painted white so that it could later be embellished with ugly gold leaf patterns, but luckily financial restrictions prevented them from doing so.  Instead the white columns and walls inspire a sense of awe absent in all the other cathedrals.

Like Sevilla, Grenada is a college town so the nightlife is usually on par with that in Sevilla.  Unfortunately, we were there for a Sunday night.  Unlike Sevilla (more like Cadiz), the Arabic influence in Grenada is much more obvious.  With the discos all closed, our group stopped into a hookah bar for some Middle Eastern tea and strawberry flavored hookah.  The ambience was rather relaxing, which is saying a lot considering my normal day includes siesta and grabbing a beer at a bar.

Continuing on to this past weekend; while most in the group went to Lagos, Barcelona or Cadiz, Jorge and I gave ourselves the time to be a tourist in our home-base in Sevilla.  Just like it has been years since I’ve seen most of Atlanta’s landmarks like the High Museum, Stone Mountain, and Botanical Gardens, Jorge and I noticed that we have overlooked many of Sevilla’s tourist destinations despite them being right around the corner.  The two main attractions we went to were the Plaza de España and el Museo de Bellas Artes. While I don’t think Museo de Bellas Artes is anywhere near as cool as the Prado in Madrid, it still had a wealth of important paintings and sculptures.  The most expansive galleries were those of Murillo, Velázquez, Bilbao, El Greco (not nearly as many by El Greco as the Prado), Juan de Valdéz Leal, and a few others I had never heard of before.  It was really cool to walk through because a lot of the sculptures and paintings that we had talked about in class were held in el Museo.

From the outside, the C-shaped Plaza de España is very unassuming except for the visible towers that mark the endpoints of the ‘C;’ the 10(ish)-foot outer wall is more or less bare and you have to walk around it until you reach one of the 2 entrances.  After walking through the door, the real view is still more-or-less hidden.  You have to walk up a flight of stairs and make a turn before you react with the inevitable “wow!”  I cannot really explain what makes it so spectacular without showing a picture; but between the mosaics, grand fountain, and endless arches, it really is a sight to behold.