The new blog

Hey guys! So, I hope you all enjoyed all of my traveling tales on this site. It's been an awesome experience getting to write about my first (of probably a handful) of years abroad. It's also been awesome because I realized how much I enjoy writing about travel. Thus comes a little announcement! I'm retiring Katie's Traveling Tales and have started a new blog which will have more articles throughout the next year (well, actually, hopefully longer!) about not just my traveling tales but some other topics as well. I would love for you guys to check it out and tell your friends about it!

You can find the new site at *drumroll please* katesgypsysoul.com

I know, real domain name and everything, right?! Now, it does say Kate's Gypsy Soul but I am still going by Katie in the non-virtual blog world. I thought there was a better ring to it without that one syllable. And I swear it's not to hop on the Princess Kate bandwagon... kindof... but actually, it's really the syllable thing. Maybe I'm delusional but regardless, Kate it is.

I hope you guys continue to follow me on the new site! So, go check it out! Really, it's up 24/7 so you can totally go right now. Here it is again--> katesgypsysoul.com :)

Besos
xx

Colegio Caja Granada

When you make the decision to study abroad, studying will definitely be just one of the many things you will do during your time. Other activities may include traveling and meeting/becoming friends with the locals. But one of the coolest things you could do while studying abroad is to volunteer in your host city. 

The (amazing, wonderful, incredible, etc.) program that I studied abroad with, Academic Programs International (API), has a relationship established with a local school in Granada, Spain  called Colegio Caja Granada. This is where I decided to do my volunteer work. First, API set up a general meeting for interested students with the director of the school. Afterwards, if we decided we were interested, they assigned us to a classroom of either primary or secondary students. That was when I was placed in a classroom of 27 primary school students, between the ages of 7 and 8. For 6 months, I volunteered around 3-4 hours per week.

Similar to the elementary schools in the States, the kids studied a variety of subjects throughout the day including Math, English, and Religion. I served as a teaching assistant to the main teacher, María Carmen and the other permanent teaching assistant, Mario. I taught Conocimiento del Medio or the Social and Natural Sciences. I taught many different types of things (including things I didn’t even remember or know about in English!). Some of them were:

-        --  The body including the respiratory system, teeth, and the digestive system

-        --  Nature

-        --  Nutrition/how nutrients are absorbed by the body

It was so much fun to teach these kids about these subjects. I put together different activities for each one from channeling my 4^th grade leaf project and bringing in real life leaves to study, to taking an hour to tape string to the end of a straw to teach them about our breathing/respiratory system.

Mi clase!: My class with their teacher, María Carmen

My class and me :)

Throughout the whole school year, the 3 classrooms of primary students worked to prepare a theatre production of the Little Red Riding Hood, entirely in English. It was such a fun way for the kids to learn English. I helped them with the songs and dialogue of the play. There were the main characters while the rest of the kids wore bees, flowers, butterflies, and ladybugs to depict the forest. While the main characters had all the speaking roles, the ‘chorus’ sang songs in between. Let me just tell you, it was the cutest thing ever.

The forest for Little Red Riding Hood

The Lumberjack, Wolf, Little Red Riding Hood, me, the Grandma, and the Narrator

Little Red Riding Hood when she found the Wolf instead of her Grandma

Ta-da! All done their first performance

The day of the production was my last day in Granada so there were already lots of emotions flowing. After seeing my kids up there doing all of Little Red Riding Hood in English, pride was added to that list. It was so great to see all their hard work paying off. It was also very cool to see at my school in Spain because Little Red Riding Hood is such a traditional and common thing to see during the elementary years here in the States. 

So, if you choose to study abroad, don't forget about the great opportunities to volunteer! No matter if you decide to teach or do a different type of volunteering, it'll be a great learning experience and an awesome thing to put on your resumé.

 

Feliz año nuevo!

Happy New Years, everybody!



I just want to say thank you for all of you following my blog during my travels. 2012 has been such a great year, filled with every type of emotion. This first part of the year was my second semester abroad where I made best friends and incredible memories that I won't soon forget. Even though reverse culture shock coming back after studying abroad can be difficult, if any of you are thinking about studying abroad or even traveling, just go and do it. This past year changed my life forever and I couldn't be more grateful. Be active and talk to your study abroad office about making it happen. There are tons of scholarships and choices of subjects to study while abroad that it can fit in almost anyone's schedule. It is SO worth it.


As a quick update, I will be graduating this spring! I am very excited and currently making plans for after graduation that involve moving back to Spain for a little. I am applying to go to the University of Alcalá, outside of Madrid, to receive my Master's in International Education. So, keeping my fingers crossed! 


Hope you had a great New Year's Eve! Here's a little fun fact about NYE in Spain to leave you with: 

On New Years Eve in Spain, they have a tradition where, when the clock strikes 12, every second after that, you need to eat one grape. That's right, 12 grapes in 12 seconds! In the supermarkets they even sell little cans full of exactly 12 grapes for this fun tradition.  


Hasta pronto!
 

Typical Spanish Dishes: Puree de zanahorias

This was one of my favorite cold weather, warm-up dishes. It's pureed carrot soup (though it bears no resemblance to baby food, if that's what you're thinking). My host mom, María José, also made puree de calabacín, my other favorite puree. Instead of carrots, she used zucchini, added a little more pepper, and on special days, we put dates in the soup.

Here, the carrot puree is served with a side of pechuga de pollo con ajo y vino, ensalada, y pan--chicken breast with garlic and white wine, salad, and bread.

Mmmmm. Such great taste memories

Delicious

Happy winter :)

Heading to Pittsburgh, PA?

Hi everyone!

As you can see, I haven't been able to blog in a while due to my super jam-packed senior year starting. During Christmas break, I'll hopefully have some new information up about places to go and things to see abroad!

Meanwhile, you should all check out this new blog that I started for a class of mine! It's full of information about the neighborhoods of Pittsburgh. If you're every over this way, definitely check it out to get the most out of your time in the Steel City! Our project was to organize this information and present it in a different way, so we also have it linked up to a Pinterest board, if you're interested.


http://pittstudentguide.wordpress.com

(Pinterest, which is awesome in general so if you don't have one, you should get one)
http://pinterest.com/pittsburghguide/neighborhoods-of-pittsburgh/



Thanks so much!
See you all with new posts in December :)

xx
Katie

Travel quote of the day

"Travel, like a surgeon, opens you up – mind, heart, and soul – and removes preconceptions, biases, and small-mindedness. In its place it leaves a love for the world and all people; it also entrusts you with a larger understanding of our common humanity and the quandaries we share as a planet."

R. Denning





 

Oh, the places you’ll go! : Ireland

                I was lucky enough to travel to Ireland with my brother when he came to visit. We made it to three different cities and they were all so amazing although we were only there for a day each. We went to Dublin, Galway, and Cork. Even though we were only there a short time, the impression made was a great one. We traveled in between the cities very easily. There were daily buses to take you to the different cities. We didn't plan ahead for this part of the trip but rather just asked the front desk of the hostel we were staying at. They were very helpful and pointed us in the right direction! I loved every hostel we stayed in and only wish that we had more time to hang out at the actual hostels!


Here is a list, by city, of some of the things I enjoyed about Ireland.

Dublin

Where to stay:  Four Courts Hostel

                We flew into Dublin from London and from the airport and it was relatively easy to get there. We used the Hop on, Hop Off bus in order to get there (more info on that following) which we picked up right outside of the airport.  I know a few other people who have stayed here as well and they had an enjoyable experience as well. Although I haven’t done it myself, my friends have reported that this hostel has a good bar crawl and it was lots of fun! It’s also priced quite nicely at around $20-25 a night, depending on how many people are sharing the room.

                There’s a bar right down the street from this hostel that says it’s the oldest in Dublin, so a visit is worthwhile. It’s a very typical Irish pub feel and if you go into the back room, there’s another part of the bar where the walls are covered in currency from different countries which was pretty awesome

What to do:

Buy the Bus Tour

It was recommended by a friend that it was worth it to purchase the Bus Tour and I am passing on that recommendation.  It was definitely worth it. You buy one day and get one day free. It’s hop on, hop off, goes all over the city, and if you so choose to listen, there is information about each stop playing throughout the ride. You can also take this bus from the airport into the city!

                Go to the Guinness Storehouse

This is a MUST. The Hop On, Hop Off bus will take you to right outside of it. Go on the tour here. It’s really impressive how they have set up the whole factory to show how Guinness is made. You also get a free pint of Guinness at the end! They also have an option where you can learn how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness (more complicated than I thought!)

Galway

Where to stay: Snoozles

                Snoozles is specifically one of the hostels I really wish we had more time at. It was such a cool place to hang out. We traveled by bus from Dublin to Galway; this hostel is right next to the bus station. Their accommodations were better than I ever expected with really nice rooms and a private bath for a 6 person room. It has an entertainment area downstairs as well as a patio and kitchen. It’s about a 5 minute walk from the main area of Galway. Priced around $20-30, it’s a great place to stay in Galway.

What to do:

                Cliffs of Moher

This one I don’t know too much about due to time constrictions. If you plan on doing this, be aware that the Cliffs are not in Galway but are about an hour drive away. There are tours that take you there via bus that leave in the morning and come back later in the afternoon.

               

                Just walk around!

Galway is a very quaint little Irish town. The buildings are colorful, some of the streets are cobblestone, and the people are friendly. Take a walk through the town and go down towards the water. It’s a beautiful place to hang out for a bit. 

                Eat at Dail bar

Recommended by a friend, this place was a great place to settle in for a Guinness and some grub.

                The Quays

                                This pub was lots of fun and had great live music.

Cork

Where to stay: BruBar & Hostel

                This hostel was especially cool because it’s inside of a bar. Downstairs is the bar and then once you head upstairs, it turns into a hostel! The rooms were really small but considering we weren’t in the rooms for too long, it didn’t matter so much.

What to do:

                Take a trip to Blarney!

There are buses that go to Blarney where the Blarney Castle is. The grounds around the castle are gorgeous and then, I mean, there’s a real castle. It was so. cool. 

  

 Happy traveling!

May the road rise up to meet you, 

may the wind be ever at your back. 

May the sun shine warm upon your face 

and the rain fall softly on your fields

- Irish Blessing