Malaga!!!

I recognize it has been a few days since my last update. I apologize; however, we have been traveling and had no internet connection. If you only want to know the basics, I assure you that I am alive and well.

Saturday, May 24
We departed our hotel early in the morning to travel to Volubilis. The city is more primitive than any of the cities we have visited, and it is built on two large hills. Needless to say, there was a lot of uphill walking here. The view of the entire city and countryside was well worth the strenuous hike to the top of one of the hills.

After lunch, we checked in at our hotel, which was pretty nice. This hotel was spread out in multiple sections, and it had a great overview of what makes Volubilis famous: the Roman ruins. Once a huge Roman city, Volubilis has been excavated and partially restored. The site, although it looks rather small, was a massive labyrinth. Mosaics were in perfect condition and many columns were re-erected. Our guide, despite his inability to speak comprehendible English, was extremely funny. I could have spent an entire day here by myself exploring all of the ruins. One of the trip highlights, no question.

While exploring the ruins, I could not help but think, what is going to be remaining from our society two thousands years from now? What physical objects are going to remain, if any? What will “tour guides” say about our society? Think about it.

I greatly enjoyed the final dinner in Morocco. There was a Moroccan band that played authentic music for us. Afterwards, everyone danced to the band and the DJ. This was a great way to end the Moroccan portion of the trip.

Sunday, May 25
Our wake-up call was early on Sunday morning because we had a boat to catch in Tangier. Almost everyone slept on the bus, so the three hour ride was not too bad. While I was awake, I enjoyed the soothing view of the Moroccan countryside. Tangier was similar to Casablanca in terms of how western it is. We did not have time to explore the city, since we were on such a tight schedule. Due to the time constraints, lunch needed to be brief as well. Unfortunately, this yielded a stop at McDonalds.

Now, I cannot blame our guides for picking a McDonalds to eat at because they made the decision in our best interest. Peggy, our excellent guide, stated, “I saw how excited you all were at McDonalds a few days ago.” About 50 people piled into one small McDonalds, which had an excellent view of the Mediterranean Sea. I need to give major props to this McDonalds because they produced meals for 50 people in 12 minutes.

Now, readers, I am ashamed to report, that I partook in this McDonalds feast. My other option was to wait over nine hours for a meal, so I decided it was the smartest decision. Plus, it was free, so I am not looking a gift horse in the mouth. Of course, I ordered the McArbia, which is a hamburger on pita bread with Moroccan sauce and spices. I am happy for trying this unique sandwich, but I am in no rush to return to a Moroccan McDonalds, or any McDonalds, for a short time.

The boat ride from Tangier to Gibraltar was a lot of fun. Actually, we landed just west of Gibraltar, not the actual city of Gibraltar. The boat was huge, and the Mediterranean Sea/Atlantic Ocean was beautiful. One could see Spain and Africa at the same time on the boat. It was only a 35 minute ride.

Finally, we were back in Spain and en route to Malaga. The ride through the southern coast of Spain was enjoyed; however, despite my strongest will, I slept through most of it. Upon arriving in Malaga, our bus broke down. Fortunately, we broke down in the center of city, with a lush garden on one side and a castle on the other. An operational bus arrived 25 minutes after breaking down.

We arrived at Malaca Instituio (spelled correctly, Malaca not Malaga). This language school is the base of our operation in Malaga. We have classes here, and, for the students not living with a host family, it serves as a residence, too. Since I am staying with a host family, I spent little time here this night. I got a taxi and traveled to my host family.

To my surprise, all host families are hosting multiple students. I am with my friends Bryan and Dave. We met our mother, Carmen, last night. She is a single mother who has two children, now living in Madrid, who are two and three years older than me. She speaks very little English, so all of our conversations were in Spanish. Dave speaks fluent Spanish and is the best speaker on the entire trip. He provides a great channel because I am, by no means, fluent in Spanish and neither is Brian.

It was very intimidating for all of us to enter the host family with little knowledge of what we were getting into. Carmen is very nice, but it was difficult at times to respond to everything she said because of how quickly she speaks. I was a little frustrated last night, but I am looking forward to improving my Spanish everyday. My goal is to write down 3-5 questions everyday to ask Carmen at dinner. I am better at writing/speaking Spanish than speaking Spanish. I also plan on writing down all of the new vocabulary I learn everyday in a notebook.

Carmen’s apartment is really nice, and the three of us are staying in the rooms formally occupied by her children. Bryan and I are sharing a room, and each bedroom has its own bathroom. Last night, she made us dinner, and it was very good. She made a big salad, with avocados, a tortilla español, and an orange for dessert. We ate dinner at 9:30pm, and I was in bed by 11:00pm. It was nice to finally get some a good night’s rest!

Today, May 26
We are a 15 minute walk from the school, and a 25 minute walk from the beach. Please see the maps below.

B is where Bryan, Dave and I are living. A is the school.

Satellite view of our Carmen's apartment.

Bryan and I got lost this morning on the walk to school. Well, we did not really get lost, we just took the long way to the school. It was really nice to walk to school and absorb the surrounding area. Malaga is similar to Jacksonsville or Tampa Bay, Florida because many Spanish come to this area to vacation during the summer; however, the city is like San Franciso because everything is built on hills with many winding roads.

We took a brief tour of the city this morning and saw some of its main highlights including its Cathedral and a panoramic view of the city. We will be spending three weeks here, so we will have plenty of time to get acquainted with our surroundings. Malaga lacks the hustle-and-bustle of Madrid, and it also lacks the inflated prices. Granted, I have been here for only 24 hours, but I like it already.

For lunch, we grabbed some lunch at the Malaca Instituto’s “cafeteria.” I use the word cafeteria loosely because it was essentially a café and bar. I ordered a ham/cheese croissant and a bowl of pumpkin-carrot soup. We ate outside and enjoyed the pleasant weather (70F).

After my religion class, the school held Flamenco dance lessons! The hour lesson went by quickly, and I am now a pro. You all will be impressed with my Spanish moves on the dance floor.

My normal daily schedule is really up-in-the air at this point because there are constant changes with the class schedule; however, I will have internet connection. A typical day will probably include me waking up, eating breakfast, walking to school around 13:00, eating lunch, taking classes, doing homework, going home for dinner, and going to bed. Of course, I will also integrate time for going to the beach and exploring Malaga in my schedule.

If you have read this entire blog, I am truly impressed. You must really like me, or miss me, or both. Thank you for reading, and have a happy Memorial Day, everyone. More importantly, happy birthday, Dad!