Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Hola Mi Amigos: Version 2.0





Okay, so I’m back on the ship from my excursion in Morocco, but before I write about Marrakech and Casablanca, I should finish writing about Espania. But even before that, I should talk about home.

I haven’t been homesick this trip while on the ship; but when I’m in ports, I can’t help but think things like “Oh, Erin would love this.” Or, “I wish Dad was here listening to Flamenco guitar with me.” Etc, Etc...you know. It’s an interesting feeling because I know it is natural and I don’t want to suppress it, but I feel conflicted between “letting it out” and just going with the way I feel, or trying not to bring down my mood. It’s also very tough having the sense of empowerment that living in America can give to a woman taken away port after port. In Spain, it is not safe for a woman to travel alone; in Morocco, it is not safe for even groups of women to travel without a male; to even simple, stupid things like how the steps in Morocco are obviously made for men (they’re so tall), to very drastic things like how I have not seen Moroccan women. Period. As in: the women very rarely leave their homes. I guess this is partly culture shock, but I think it’s bigger than that and I haven’t been able to find a personal peace with it yet. I hope I will soon, or at least I will be able to protect my feelings, and learn, learn, learn. I’d also just like to get an e-mail from Mom and Dad. I got one from Erin today and it was wonderful, I also got one from Kirra’s mom and it was nice. Reading the comments on my blog you all are leaving is also wonderful and I thank you. Dad, I read your comment on my latest post last night and cried and laughed and really missed you. I would love to travel back to my favorite places one day with you. I’m glad your guitar lesson was great, practice, practice, practice…you have to play me something awesome at Christmas. Also, sorry to hear about your allergies, having allergies sucks. At least it is only allergies and not what most of us on the ship are suffering from today… let’s just say there is quite a shortage of Imodium on board the MV explorer. And Drew, I’m so glad you’re reading my blog too, and that you wrote me a letter. I think you’re right, I think the mail is very hit or miss in the ports but if it makes you feel more confident, I’ve gotten mail from my classroom back in Oneonta, and Kirra has gotten mail in each port. I think if it’s addressed correctly, it should make it to me. Did you send it to Ghana? Also, did you get my e-mail?

So, Espania! The food is freaking delicious. On the first day in Spain, Kirra and I went on a SAS trip and Faculty Directed Practica called the Churches on Cadiz. We went in a big tour bus with a Spanish guide to various churches and cathedrals in Cadiz. We went to the Old Beach where the James Bond film “Die Another Day” was filmed. I picked up a ton of sea glass on the beach- there was a TON. I guess it’s because so many more glass bottles are used in Spain than in America. Grandma Kathie: I picked up a ton for you, I know you collect it. The pieces are very cool because some of the pieces still look like the neck of the bottle top. George and Kimmy: I am also collecting you sand, don’t worry! I put some pieces in each of your bags of sand. We did a lot of walking this day, all around the old town of Cadiz. I had a snack of manchego cheese and olives and then I went to the Flamenco night with SAS. The flamenco show was really neat. I was lucky because I got to spend time there with Iker, a student on the ship from Spain, and he taught me so much! We got back to the ship around midnight, I bet you guys don’t know this, but that is barely the beginning of the night in Espania. Iker and I went out to find our group of friends out at a club in New Cadiz. We took a city bus and thank goodness I was with Iker because my Spanish is terrible. When we got to the club, everyone was already there and we had some [more] sangria and danced a little bit. After that, we went to the beach and hung around LEGALLY on the beach until about 3 am. Spain’s beach laws are awesome.

The next day, Eric (a SAS student I met in the hostel in Halifax), Gabriel and I hit up the local bus system and bought a ticket to Seville. On the way, we drove past the biggest wind farm I’ve ever seen in my life. I took a ton of pictures, Uncle P. We got into Seville at about 3 pm and set out to find the hostel we called that had open beds. We walked and walked and walked and couldn’t find it, so we attempted to use a pay phone is Spain. Ha. I think I took a picture of this phone, and if I did I will try and post it here because this phone was so complicated, it was hilarious. And by hilarious, I really mean the most god-awful, frustrating, annoying spaceship I’ve ever tried to operate, which by the way, had no Anglais option. We finally were able to connect to an operator, about 3 Euros later who knew just enough English to tell us the number of the building and the plaza it was located in. We eventually made it, and holy moley, was it worth it! This hostel may have been better than the one in Halifax. We met a kid who is from New Zealand, but he worked at the sister hostel of the one we were staying in in Grenada, and we spend the night out on the town with him. We went to the MOST AWESOME tapas resturant that exists ever and then we went to a free local flamenco show. [An insert: I am sitting on the side deck of the ship sunning myself while typing this up and the twin two-year old daughters of my music professor are running around and playing with their dolls and asking everyone out here “what’s your name?” School in this atmosphere is just so…terrible.] For dinner, we had…are you ready for this? I don’t think you are. Sangria, gaspacho (chilled tomato and veggie soup), a Spanish Serrano baguette (Serrano ham, and manchego cheese sandwich on crusty bread), calamari fritos (which literally means fried calamari, but it was NOT that breaded fried stuff you get in Italian restaurants in the states. It was fried in a frying pan in olive oil with no breading, and it was the sweetest, most delicious squid I’ve ever eaten), quiche de bacon y gambas (bacon and prawn quiche…um, amazing), camembert y salsa fresa (this was my favorite of them all: fried cubes of camembert cheese served in a strawberry sauce. This was incredible and I would go back to Spain for this dish alone.), pollo al whiskey (which was a chicken breast sautéed with tons and tons of garlic in a delicious whiskey sauce served with fried potatoes), and the second best of the bunch: papas ali-oli (fried potatoes in garlic aioli, freaking spectacular). By the way, this was a TON of food and we ate just about every last bit of it. After dinner, we went to the free flamenco show, which was wonderful. It was in a local bar that was sort of a barn (barn the only way I can think to describe the building). It was part inside and part outside with a slanted tin roof that had plants hanging on it, there were old flamenco paintings on the walls, and the lighting in the place was just yellow enough to make you feel comfortable. There were about 150 people in there, and only 10 or so travelers. The music was awesome. It was a great comparison to the music I saw the night before which was the same genre, but done two entirely different ways. The night before was a spectacle, it was incredible and very well done, but it was their job. The numbers were highly choreographed and music was highly rehearsed. This night, we saw local musicians in their local venue playing to other locals. The guitar player was a virtuoso to say the least (you’ve got hard work ahead of you, Pops), and the singer…oh the singer. He was probably only in his thirties, but he sung with the expertise and the passion that you would only associate with someone in their 60’s. I don’t know how familiar, dear readers (I’ve always wanted to say that!), you are with flamenco music, but it’s a musical expression of pain and sorrow. The expressions on the musicians and dancers’ faces tell you the story even if you can’t understand the language, and the polyrhythm tells a story of conflict. If you ever get an opportunity to see some live flamenco, do it!

We spent the next day in Seville walking around and touring the city until we got on the train to go back to Cadiz. We wanted to check out different modes of transportation. I liked the train better than the bus. We got into Cadiz pretty late and after going out for some gelato, I hit the sheets on the MV Explorer. The next day was our last day in port and when I woke up in the morning, I hit the town on my own. I had breakfast at a tiny café where I spoke only in Spanish, got my sweet croissant and café con leche and sat outside on the plaza and wrote a postcard home. I felt so Spanish and so proud of my conversational Spanish skills. I walked around Cadiz a little bit more, mailed my postcard, bought some sweet Spanish sandals (because EK, I so totally miss my Birks), went to the beach to go swimming with Iker and a few other people, and made it back to the ship two hours before “on-ship time.” I loved Spain. LOVED IT.

A few words on the internet, pictures, and various other things:
The internet on the ship SUCKS. I only get two hours or 50 MB of data transfer (whichever happens first) for free. Please e-mail me only at klkintzing@semesteratsea.net. Or if you’d like to send me an attachment in an e-mail, send it to klkintzing@gmail.com, but know that I will only answer that e-mail in port. Oh hey, if you leave me comments on my blog, let me know who you are…it makes it a lot more special. Also, do leave me comments and send me e-mails, it is sometimes lonely out here on the deep blue sea.

So, dear readers, soon I will post about Morocco, and then hopefully I will be caught up just in time to dock in Accra. I will be starting malaria meds soon, so I’ll post about any wicked dreams I have. I hope everything back at home is going well. I miss you.

Until next time…LOVE,

Kalista


So these pictures are of me and Gabriel and our tapas in Seville, and of a bunch of us on the beach in Cadiz.

5 comments:

  1. I just checked to see if my postying was here and it is NOT. STUPID COMPUTER. Now I have to start over and try to remember what I wrote before.:(
    Hi Kalista, You are a great writer, must come from me! I almost feel as I am there with you. But of course I am not, so you better try every thing, at least once. Take a ton of pictures and record music for me. If its not to late. Did you DRIVE a camel yet? I here they stink, is it true? Try not to feel to home sick, it is noisy and gross here, just as it was when you left. I have been practicing daily and my fingers hurt a bit, but I can tell that I have practiced and improved and thusday will go to class again and learn more stuff.
    I have missed you and your cooking, but am expecting you to be able to cook some of the dishes you are experiencing as you travel. So, take good notes. I love you and miss you. Dad.

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  2. I almost missed your new blog because I didn't catch the 2.0! My mouth was watering reading your food descriptions, especially the camembert y salsa fresa. I still can't wait to see the pictures. Your stories really take me back.

    It's great that you're getting to see and experience first-hand the oppression of women in other cultures. I hope it will move you to become an advocate for change in whatever way moves you.

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  3. Hello my beautiful girl! I am sending you emails everyday but you just must not be getting them! I will use your SAS address next. I love reading your blog and can picture some of the things you describe. I wish I could be there with you! What an adventure you are having and learning so much. I can't wait to see pictures of you in some of your excersions. Are you sunburned yet? Take care of yourself! I love and miss you. Mommy

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  4. Hey Theta! its RED...
    so I'm going to watch the life aquatic and pretend that your one of the interns. I just thought you should know. I know your boat or experience is nothing like the movie. But I really want it to be! sounds like your having fun keep it up and we all miss you here!!! were going to roller derby tomorrow u will be missed. Also if you find some really neat sea glass I could make you some sweet earnings with just a lil bit of wire...
    <3

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  5. Hi Kalista!! Oh, I'm so excited to read your blog, which I don't get to do very often, but when I can, I do. I have been to the places you described here and I cannot agree with you more about EVERYTHING!! The food....oh, the food, don't you just want to be able to recreate the recipes when you return? Let's do that, ok? You know, you have your "Mom's" desire for cooking all things delicious! I love and miss you and cannot wait to see all those pictures! Enjoy, my "daughter," and have a blast!

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