Politics Schmolitics. Who Cares?

It wasn’t until a few years ago that I realized how little our population really delves into politics. In the 2004 elections only 55.3% of eligible voters went out to vote. That is barely half of the voting population and 37% in 2006.  Around  my last two years of high school a lot was going on politically. The presidential elections of Obama vs. McCain, and it seemed to be the first time in a while that  there were a vast amount of  people young and old running to the polls. It seemed to be a political awakening. There had been too many times before where I heard comments such as “ my vote doesn’t count”, “ I don’t need to vote” , “why should I care about current events” etc. Well let’s fast forward three years to present day. I want to encourage people to still take note of what’s going on in our country as well as outside. Being outside of the country for months I have noticed how I hardly know what’s going on in America unless I actively read the news. I also notice how people in other countries seem to be more in tuned with their politics than most people are in America are within our own country. The other day in Paris I had a conversation with a French guy about a stereotype of Americans is that we are self-centered in politics. In that we only care much about our own countries politics and careless what’s going on outside of our country. Also that some Americans are not as well informed. I feel this is very much true. I feel a charge now to stay informed about what’s going on in the world around me and not just live silently every day ignoring the problems in the world. “The responsibility of a country is not in the hands of a privileged few. We are strong, and we are free from tyranny as long as each one of us remembers his or her duty as a citizen. Whether it's to report a pothole at the top of your street or lies in a State of the Union address, speak out! Ask those questions. Demand that truth. Democracy is not a free ride…But, this is where we live. And if we do our job, this is where our children will live. God bless America.-Joe Wilson” 

(statistics found :http://elections.gmu.edu/ and double checked with http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0781453.html)

A Self Reflection

Before I came to spain I knew that I would change and grow as a person. I also knew that my spanish would improve tremendously. However I have had so many challenging times that I felt as if I was not changing or improving in my spanish. There's been many times where I would not understand even one word some one would say to me or times where I just felt weak with little to no confidence. Such as when I traveled by myself . I was intimidated by how  to get around and doing things in a foreign place by myself. Also when traveling to other places with others it was always easir to resort to someone else. Or the time when I was with a huge group of spanish people whom  did not speak any english and speaking only spanish intimidated me. During these challenges I was unable to see that I prevailed. My spanish has actually improved as Im understanding more than when I first arrived. I have become more independent by not always relying on another person for help. Not saying that I can do everything on my own I also realized that it takes a responsible mature person to ask for help when needed. As I have watched some who refused to ask for help when necessary only to end in a failure.
Going to other countries allowed me to be able to take pride in my own country. I could never actually apreciate where I came from without having an outside experience. Not all countries have the same freedoms or liberties as in America. Most countries are very homogeneous and one of the many things I have learned to love about america is the diversity. The mixture of cultures,people, and the food. The many different minds, ideals, and cooks. Although my love grew for america my heart extends to Spain and its culture. I always knew that I had been enjoying my time here but as I further dove into its culture and history I can apperciate it even more.
As I'm writting this I am flying above the clouds on my way to Ireland. Listening to Spanish music"La vida es un Carnaval" and hearing about 3 different languages. I wouldnt have it any other way :)

Beautiful architecture

Many buildings here are absolutely Gorgeous. Last night I was out with mis amigas and some Spanish boys as I started to think to myself how can they just walk by all these buildings like its no big deal. I mean obviously it makes since that it is nothing new to them but its truely a wonderful sight.

Homesick

 

During the beginning of the 2nd week I became extremely sad and homesick. I just wanted to go home and never return to Spain. The language barrier was becoming to hard and I felt so discouraged and being so hard on myself as if i would never understand anything or be able to learn. The very next day though I snapped out of it and started getting on my grind. Im studying and learning new vocab everyday and really making an effort to try to learn more Spanish. And I truly do LOVE IT HERE :) Im glad it was just a one day thing, and I'm sure its pretty normal to feel homesick sometimes. 

Correction

Sooo Going out and coming home at 8:30 am is not exactly NORMAL but it isnt that weird to do either. We only came home that late/early because after being out late we went to a cafe and hung out for a while. However people who do typically (on a weekend) go home later than we normally do in the States (4am or 5am)

Cultural Differences

Im adapting , or at least trying to adapt to everyone speaking only Spanish here. I was pampered a bit from so many workers and people being able to speak both English and Spanish in the Madrid airport and in Sevilla but in Cordoba there actually hasnt been one person I encountered that can say more than "hello" in English.  Of course as expected almost everything is different here, from buildings to signs, to life in the house hold.
Here:
-Dinner is extremely late usually around 10 or 11 pm

- From approx 2pm to 5pm is Siestas  which is where the whole town basically Closes and people go home for lunch and takes a nap. No one is really on the streets around this time
- When you get home you immediately should change in to your PJs/Lounge clothes and you always wear slippers or house shoes around the house. When I walk barefoot my Senora is always saying Ponga los zapatos
- They use plates for like everything at meal time, a small plate for the fruit, a small plate for one side etc.
- Showers are to be short here for everyone approx between 3-5 mins because there has been a water shortage for a long time
-Saying Gracias frequently is weird i guess because they dont say thank you for everything like we do
- I have yet to find free water any where
-Everyone is very social , at almost every restaurant there is outdoor seating and theres always people outside enjoying a meal or a drink with friends 
-They stay out Very late here I have seen small children at the park (with their parents) at like midnight and that is normal
-Clubs close at 6am so it was normal when my friends and I got home at 8:30 in the morning
-Pretty much Everyone looks the same (Spainish) they dont really have mixed cultures here , everyone is SUPER light (lighter than most mexicans) and have light color hair. I DEFINITELY stand out 


All in all I am enjoying it so far and I like the different Culture.

Gift from God :)

After the dismay of my flight when I arrived to Sevilla I met a wonderful couple from Portugal whom the lady (Carina) just so happen to be tri-lingual :) and her and her boyfriend helped me SOOO much from getting from the airport to Cordoba. I had tons of luggage that was hard to lug around I would stop like every minute to rest but thankfully they helped with one of my bags. They even fed me a sandwhich. I doubt I would have been able to make it on time with out them, we caught 3 different buses before we got to the main bus station, I definitely would have been lost. I left to Cordoba as they left to go back to Portugal. Im so grateful that I met this lovely couple.