Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Long Story Long.


It’s 8:28 AM and I’m sitting here in the Sevilla Santa Justa train station. My hands are shaking, my heart is pounding, my armpits are sweating, and the man across the aisle from me is wearing his chest hair like a winter coat. I can’t believe what I’ve done. I’ve been a responsible traveler for every single trip I’ve made this semester: I’ve always gotten to the buses on time, made it to the airport with time to spare, and found my way around each and every public transport system. Maybe I let my guard down. Maybe I’m getting old. Whatever it is, I screwed up – I woke up at 6:58 this morning, almost in disbelief. My 5:30 alarm that was supposed to get me up, showered, and to the bus stop with time to spare for my 7:15 AM flight was set for the wrong 5:30… 5:30 PM.

After screaming a few cuss words in disbelief, I got up and scrambled around to try to make the train. I’m normally pretty cool under pressure, but I couldn’t have been more tied up in a knot. I couldn’t figure out where to put my toothbrush (just put it anywhere, doofus!). I struggled to figure out what to do with my room key. I even tried putting on my clean underwear over my dirty ones. I eventually made it out the door with my backpack and two very full bags of luggage.

As I hustled to the bus stop, the once-seemingly convenient location seemed miles away. I would try to run, but after about 30 seconds I would get fatigued and have to briskly walk instead. When I got to the buses, some woman tried to insist that I was taking the wrong bus. She was wrong, I was right. End of that story. It’s 7:06 and I’m on the bus.

Once on the bus, I told the bus driver “muy rapido, por favor!” I never thought I’d be “that guy” – the profusely sweating American saying amateur Spanish phrases in desperation. Although the bus map said that there were only two stops in between my stop and the train station, I think it stopped five or six times. We hit what seemed like every red light, and I started to lose hope. We got to the train station at 7:17 AM. My 7:15 train had already left.

“Remain calm,” I thought, “you’re resourceful, and you can figure this out.” I immediately went to the customer service desk and asked if I could change the time on my ticket. “Of course you can!” they said, and explained that I just had to pay 20% of the original ticket. Normally, this would be no problem, but a couple of problems arose. I was very proud of the fact that I had used practically every euro I owned in Spain, and had literally 1 euro and 70 cents. I could have also used my debit card, but I had done a pretty good job of clearing that out this semester as well and had almost all of my money in my savings account. I didn’t have my parents’ emergency credit card. I had one hundred dollars in American money. I had a whole lot of options that were nearly all tapped out. What’s worse is that the next train at 7:45 AM only has first class seats available, which will cost me an extra hundred bucks. I could exchange my dollars to euros, but I only had 15 minutes until the next train came and the exchange safe wasn’t open for another 20.

“Okay.” I thought, “just pay with your debit card and when you get to Madrid, you can add more money into your checking account from your savings. Surely my available balance will be alright for two hours.” So I bit the bullet and decided to try and pay the extra hundred dollars with my debit card. For some reason it wouldn’t go through – I thought that it was because I didn’t have enough money. I asked the lady at the customer service desk if I could quickly borrow her computer to transfer money, but it was a no go. I then pleaded with her to do something else, that I was a poor college student just wanting to go home. At this time it was about 7:35 and I was starting to get a little emotional. She said there was nothing that she could do – that I missed my train and that they can’t help people in my situation.

This wasn’t my best idea, but I figured it was worth a shot – I thought maybe I could go down to the train that had the 7:45 departure and see if there were any extra spots. Maybe another irresponsible college student missed their train too. So, at 7:43 I ran down to try and catch the train, and literally watched as it rolled away like I was in some dramatic scene from a Hollywood movie.

At this point, I was legitimately scared. What was I going to do? I knew that international flights usually only leave once or twice a day, and foresaw myself staying another day in Sevilla. I reverted to the point of practically begging. I approached a woman and tried to explain my situation, but when you’re asking for over a hundred bucks not too many people are willing to comply. It was definitely a knock on my pride to ask for money like that. After asking one woman, I was done with that strategy.

I finally decided that I should try and find some sort of wifi and bring money from my savings to my checking account and I could use my debit card to buy a new and more expensive ticket for the 8:45 train that would get me to Madrid by 11:15 for my 12:30 flight. After asking probably six different people, someone finally let me use the Internet on their phone and I switched money in my bank account to have enough to buy a new ticket.

By this time the train station workers and I were becoming best buds (or worst enemies, depending on how you look at it). I had been back and forth between the ticket counter and the customer service desk at least 5 times. They knew my situation. I knew the prices. It was go time.

Except there was one problem – even with my card having enough money on it, the transaction wouldn’t go through. I couldn’t figure out why this was. The worker was very compliant with me, trying to show me the computer screen that he was working with. He then perked up and told me to check out the screen again. He had found one extra seat in the coach class of the train! It would only cost me 17 euros. I quickly went and received the euros from the exchange bank, ran back to the ticket kiosk and quite literally slammed down my 20 euro bill. He was excited. I was excited. Although it was an hour and a half later than I expected, and cost me a few extra euros/dollars, I was on my way to Madrid and, hopefully, on my way to Philadelphia.

I hadn’t eaten anything yet, and resisted the urge to spend my extra 5 euros in case I had some sort of new emergency that arose. By 8:20, I was sitting at the entrance to my train terminal, ready to promptly board the train and rest a little before literally running through the Madrid airport. I met a woman, Carmen, who was a lawyer traveling to Madrid. We had a good 10-minute conversation before heading to different cars on the train.

It’s now 9:42 AM, and I’m on a very comfortable journey towards the Spanish capital city. The train boasts that it’s literally always on time, and plans to arrive at the Madrid train station at 11:15. From there, I have to take a connecting train about 20 minutes to the airport, where I’ll pray that I get quick security and check-in lines. If you’re doing the math, I should have about 50 minutes to get through everything at the airport. So much for getting there two hours early for an international flight, huh?

Whoever said traveling isn’t fun hasn’t been on enough adventures. Sure, this isn’t the ideal way to do it, but in less than an hour I already have more of a story than some people do in a year. For now, I’m going to try to sit back, relax, and watch this mediocre Tommy Lee Jones movie until I get to the Madrid train station.

Spain has provided me with a lot of adventures; of course I wouldn’t expect to leave without a bang.


Well, that went a little differently than I expected it to. I’ll go ahead and spoil the ending – I’m halfway through my 7 and a half hour international flight back to Philadelphia, and I couldn’t be happier.

The train ride was both calm and chaotic. I went through all of my favorite pictures over the last semester and reminisced. I tried to calm myself and realize that there was nothing that I could do to get the train to the station any faster than it was already going. I listened to some music by All Sons & Daughters to help try to calm my nerves, but it was to no avail. I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to rest until I was on the plane to Philadelphia.

As I was sitting on the train, I realized why my debit card hadn’t worked. Originally, I was planning on coming back the 19th of May when my program ended. Since my parents decided to come visit, I stayed an extra 3 days. When I notified Visa that I would be using my card abroad, I gave them the specific dates, and my dates had expired. I didn’t see this as a problem, however. I had heard that you could go straight from the train station to the Madrid airport for a small fee and I had a few euros left over from my first money exchange to buy a new train ticket.

To maximize efficiency, I figured that I would know exactly where to go to grab the train to the airport before the train had stopped. I asked the man sitting next to me if he lived in Madrid, and told him that I was needing to head to the airport. He told me no, that he wasn’t from Madrid, but said that it was possible to get to the airport via metro. He started writing out these complicated directions for me. As I saw him do this, I interrupted and asked him, “isn’t it possible to take a train directly to the airport?” He told me that such train didn’t exist. He then explained to me that we were in the southeast part of Madrid and the airport is in the northern part of the city. He said that the journey from the station to the airport via metro would take around an hour.

Heartbroken. That’s how I felt. I could have sworn that there was a train straight to the airport. “Maybe the man is wrong,” I thought, “after all, he isn’t from Madrid.”

No matter what was going to happen, I knew that I needed to get off that train as quickly as possible once it stationed. I pushed my way through the crowds with very aggressive and unsympathetic heaves with my three bags. As I was running through the train station, I ran into my new friend, Carmen, once again. I asked her if she knew where the train to the airport was, as she had told me earlier that she believed that there was a train directly to the airport, too. She told me she wasn’t positive – that I should head out the exit doors and ask someone there. Turns out the first man I talked to was incorrect in his assumptions, and at 11:22 I headed down to catch the 30 minute train that would take me right to the airport.

…Except the next train to the airport left at 11:45. I would get there at 12:15. There was no way that I would get through check-in and security in 15 minutes in one of the biggest airports in the world.

Still, I didn’t give up hope. The man I talked to on the train also had mentioned that I could take a taxi. It would cost me around 30 euros, he said, but it could get there in about 25 minutes. I rushed to exchange the remaining dollars I had into euros, and ran again to the taxi station. I got a taxi immediately, and told the driver about my situation. Rafael was his name. He was very optimistic. Said we could make it there in 20 minutes, no problem. We made it there in 15. At this point, I couldn’t help but smile. Even though I was going through the craziest travel day of my life, I knew that this would be a memory:

“The time I missed my train.”

“The time I got lucky with a train ticket.”

“The time I had a great cab driver.”

“The time I ran through the streets of Sevilla, two train stations, and an airport.”

“The time I fought the clock… and won.”

I got to the airport at 11:55 and was greeted with zero lines at the U.S. Airways baggage check. After a quick scolding from the attendant, I was told that they couldn’t guarantee that I was going to be able to board. That I had to run through the airport, and that the gate would close 10 minutes before departure.

I had 18 minutes, and every single one of them was precious.

At this point, I’m running through security, cutting through lines and taking off my belt and shoes faster than ever before. Sweating profusely (again). Trying to silently communicate with everyone around me that I was in an incredible hurry.

Finally, I arrived at the gate, cotton-mouthed and out of breath. My smile couldn’t have been bigger when I finally boarded the plane, sweaty and tired.

And so my adventure continues. Kansas City, here I come. Unshowered and living in dried sweat, I can’t help but think Julie’s going to hate the way I smell. Especially now that she’s pregnant.

Either way, I’m headed home.



Brad.

Monday, May 21, 2012

I'm Coming Home.


I'm heading out of Sevilla in a few short hours by train to Madrid. From Madrid, I'll head to Philadelphia, and from Philly I'll make my way back to beautiful Kansas City.

There's a saying here in Sevilla - "no me ha dejado" - which means "it hasn't left me". I may be leaving the city, but a part of my heart will always be here in Spain. I've made memories and friends that will last a lifetime, and I couldn't be more thankful for all of the experiences that I've had here. It will never leave me. 

Tomorrow I'll sleep in my bed at home, read street signs in English, get free refills at restaurants, and see my beautifully pregnant sister... and I can't wait.

"I'm back where I belong..."


Kansas or bust,

Brad.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

B-Side of the Day

As I wind down my time here, I've been graced with the presence of my mom, dad, and cousin Abby! It really has been the best time these past few days with them (so much so that I don't really want to spend too much time blogging yet!).

We went to the small town of Ronda yesterday, about an hour and a half southeast of Sevilla. To make a long story short - it was a really fun time with some really fun people and arguably the best view I've seen this semester.


Stateside in 3 days. Crazy...

Brad.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

The Dictator

So I don't know how many of you have seen this preview for a new movie coming out called "The Dictator", but the fictitious country's capitol building is actually Plaza de EspaƱa in Sevilla! Specifically in seconds 23 and 42 of the trailer. Kind of a cool thing to check out.



Alright, that's all!

Brad.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Hilarious Website

I found this website earlier today, and have already looked through it twice. It's not entirely appropriate, but it's almost 100% accurate. Looking through it with my friend Brad today, we could relate to so many of the posts. Check it out if you've ever studied abroad...

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Mother's Day

Here's a realization I just made: I'm terrible at writing poetry.

It probably runs in the genes - all my dad ever writes are cheesy 4-liners that start out with "roses are red, violets are blue", and I've definitely followed suit in that respect. However, I figured that if I really tried hard that I would be able to write some touching and meaningful poetry to someone who really deserved it.

An hour and a half and a blank page later, and I'm realizing I was wrong. I've got nothing. Zilch. Nada (that's how they say it in Spain). So how do I really express my love and appreciation towards someone?


Mom, I have been absolutely blessed to have you as my mother. There are so many instances I can think of where you loved me and treated me so much better than I ever deserved to be treated. You are hilarious, always thoughtful, caring, have incredible music taste, patient, go the extra mile to see other people smile, an amazing wife, and an incredible mom. I'm so lucky to have someone as awesome as you to show me firsthand what a true woman of God looks like. Thanks for putting in all of the countless hours helping me with applications, passports, visas, and scholarships to make this study abroad experience possible and enjoyable for me. I legitimately couldn't have done it without you! I can't wait to hug you and walk around Spain with you and your stylin' new Chaco's. You are the greatest mother EVER, and I love you so stinkin' much!


Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I hope that after reading this,
You'll need a tissue.

You mean so much to me, Momma! Happy mother's day!

Brad.
 

Saturday, May 12, 2012


Yesterday marked a very special day for one of my favorite people in the world. My girlfriend Kathryn turned 22! And, to make matters even better, Kathryn graduated with a degree in Child and Family Studies from Baylor University yesterday! To say I'm a proud boyfriend wouldn't even cover the first inkling of my emotions for her.

Kathryn is a really special person to me who has already given me so many incredible memories. We met two years ago working together at Kanakuk. I remember noticing her for the first time on one of our times off together and thinking to myself "how in the world did you not notice her before?" Kathryn's an absolutely beautiful girl with an incredible heart for Christ, and is such a blast to be around.

I've loved all of our times together so far. From the K-1 slip and slide to the times together at Andy's Ice Cream. Being paired up at parties at kamp to surprising her at parties at school. Going to get Varsity Donuts in Manhattan and eating Vitek's in Waco. Meeting each other's families and celebrating Christmas at Crown Center. Having her visit me in Spain and eating the world's best french fries with Gracia. Riding around the streets of Sevilla on bikes and taking frequent ice cream stops. Talking to her from five thousand miles away until ridiculous times in the morning and not ever thinking twice about it...

Next year Kathryn will move to Kansas City, where she'll be the co-director of Kansas City K-Life and lead hundreds of awesome kids to Christ in a fun and loving way - something that she is so so good at doing. I'm excited to see all of the new memories that we make together.



Hope this isn't too sentimental for you, Kathryn. You're my favorite! :)

Brad.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Daily Dime

The Daily Dime - when I post a photo, song, quote, and video in the same day.

B-Side
Arc de Triomf, Barcelona.



Song of the Day
"When Death Dies" by Gungor. Notice the flamenco influence at 1:20. The beatboxing cellist isn't bad, either..



Quote of the Day
"There is something good in men that really yearn for discipline." - Vince Lombardi

Video of the Day
Louie Giglio - "Laminin"


Peace and Blessings,

Brad.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

B-Side of the Day


Taken on a backstreet in the Spanish province of Extremadura.

Brad.

Barcelona


I went to Barcelona this past weekend. It was the last trip that I would take in Spain. The last hurrah. The final frontier. The last time I'd have to fly on the tiny RyanAir planes that hurt my knees. The last time I'd check in to a hostel in Europe. The last time I'd have to use my travel-size shampoo bottle.

A little background on Barcelona - it's the biggest and most visited city in the country. Located on the northeastern coast of Spain, it has blown up as a tourist city since hosting the olympics in 1992, and is now the 4th most visited country in Europe behind London, Paris, and Rome. Although it is technically a part of Spain, it feels like a completely different country. They speak the language of Catalan, which is a weird mix of Spanish, French and Italian. The Catalan people are very proud of their culture, and will tell you that they are not Spanish, but Catalonian. Want to know more about the history? Ask me, I don't want to bore you too much...

To be honest, I'm feeling a little tired right now, so this entry is going to be quick. The highlights of the trip...

The Beach.
In the 3 days that we were in Barcelona (we got in late Thursday and left Sunday night), I managed to make it to the beach in Barcelona every day. It was a lovely beach and provided sun and relaxation, but the thing I'll remember most about the beach were all of the people trying to sell me something. People would walk around offering all sorts of things - Asian women were wanting to give you a massage, Arabian men wanting to sell you scarves and beer, other men wanted you to buy their sunglasses, while even more begged you to buy their jewelry.

At first, dealing with these vendors was kind of a fun joke. Most of them only knew how to speak minimal English, so when they asked us to buy a beer I would joke and tell them things like "I only do the hard stuff". When ladies would come around asking to give us a massage I would act confused and wonder if they wanted me to give them a massage, and then I'd explain to them that I had a girlfriend and that I wanted to be faithful to them. My friends ate it up, but eventually I got tired of all the taglines. I wanted to politely acknowledge them, smiling and telling them "no thank you" which translated into them trying to hard sell me even more. Ladies would start rubbing my shoulders, temple, calves, etc. before finally giving up and pursuing someone else. The joke with my friends was that by the end of the day I had received a few free massages.

The Sagrada Familia.
Barcelona's most famous architect is a man named Antoni Gaudi. Gaudi was known for his very distinct and original architecture style in which he appealed to the surreal point of view (think Franklin Lloyd Right for Catalonians). His most famous work is the Sagrada Familia basilica. It began construction in the late 1800's, and is still only 50% finished. We got to tour the basilica and go up near the top of one of the towers. The architecture and detail was completely amazing and very original. To think that it's only half way finished blows my mind.





The Bike Tour.
My friend, Brad, and I decided to go on the Fat Tire Bike tour one day. Fat Tire is the same bike company that I rode with in London, and we got to see some incredible sites and learn all about the history of Barcelona. We saw where Columbus came and presented the Queen with his discovery of the new world, an incredible music hall, the Sagrada Familia again, and much more. If you're ever in Barcelona, London, Berlin or Paris, I strongly recommend taking a tour with Fat Tire.



The Shots Bar.
Okay, so if you know me, you know that I'm a responsible person and don't like to rip shots. However, when in Barcelona, we had to go check out this shots bar that was all the rage. We got there and saw that they offered over 500 different shots, each of them original. I made sure to be moderate about it all, but took a few shots. One of them was called the "Boy Scout", in which they lit the shot on fire and gave you a marshmallow on a stick to roast. You had to eat the marshmallow and then quickly drink the shot. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't tasty.


The Best Sandwich I've Had In A While.
Barcelona is super expensive. The hostels that we stayed in were in great (but very touristy) locations. We were just 7 study abroad students at the end of our reign who were hungry and out of money.


Enter in Bo De B's, a small sandwich restaurant located a few streets off the ocean in Barcelona. It was the cheapest and most delicious meal that we had eaten in a long time. So cheap and delicious, in fact, that we ended up going there 3 times before the trip was all said and done. The process of it all...

  1. Get in line - the ordering process takes a while, so there's always at least a 10 to 15 person line out the door.
  2. Choose your meat - once in the door, choose what type of meat you'd like. The employees don't start cooking it until after it's ordered by you, so you know it's completely fresh. The raw meat was reminiscent of a fondue dinner for my sister's birthday. I chose ternera (steak) every time, and it was absolutely delicious. 
  3. Choose your condiments - boasting a Chipotle-esque selection menu, I got 4 different types of sauces and nearly every condiment possible, including corn, lettuce, tomato, peppers, raddishes, and lentils. 
  4. Pay - the best part of it all? A delicious footlong sandwich with all the toppings you can imagine was only 3.50 euros in one of the most expensive cities in Europe. Not bad, not bad at all...
The Magic Fountain
We had heard that there was a fountain show in Barcelona, and we were determined to see it. Having pride being from Kansas City, the City of Fountains, I was expecting a lot, and the show definitely didn't disappoint! The fountains were absolutely gorgeous, and their colors were synchronizing beautifully with the fountains and music that would accompany them.



The Park
Gaudi's architecture is not only present at the Sagrada Familia, but all over the city. We went and checked out his architecture at Park Guell, where you can see the two houses that he built and the incredible plazas that he designed as well. I definitely fell in love with Gaudi in Barcelona.




The Market
Right next to our hostel was the Saint Joseph Market. It was a huge outdoor market with hundreds of different stands to browse and peruse at our leisure. My favorite thing that I got there was the natural fruit juices that they offered for a euro. Before the weekend was done, I bought strawberry-coconut, raspberry-banana, and raspberry juices. Too good to be true.


---

Overall, my time in Barcelona was great. I loved the city and all of the things I did there. All of that being said, the true beauty of Spain lies within the south, and I was very content coming home to the heart of the Spanish culture in Sevilla.

Brad.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Quote of the Day

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless–it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.” 


- C.S. Lewis

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Cheesy But True...

I've been in a lot of experiences this semester where I haven't been able to speak the same language as someone, making it really difficult to properly communicate. But one thing, albeit cheesy, that I've discovered this semester is this: a smile transcends languages. Smiles mean the same thing in each language. So smile and be a positive light today.

Touring the Irish countryside with my friends from Malaysia, China, and Spain.


Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.

Brad.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Song/B-Side of the Day

I realize this song isn't that new, but honestly I didn't like it the first time I heard it. Now it's a current favorite. What can I say? I'm a sucker for a simple bass drum.

Florence + The Machine - "Shake It Out"



The B-Side comes from the Brick Lane Market in London. I'm a fan of bikes.


Brad.