España

Cuenca is a city of history, hanging houses, and beautiful views. Another amazing place has been seen and one day didn't seem enough to see the city.  The Cathedral was filled with enough beautiful, carefully done, well-preserved works of art, that there wasn't a place where your eyes would rest that would not land on another piece of carved or gilded art.  It left me in awe. It made me wish more and more that such ornate and beautiful work were done today in all ways. Such patience to make such beauty seems to make the struggle all worth it. Similar to our month's work. Preparations are made and the date has been set. The show that is the result of our work this month will be presented this Saturday. We have had our setbacks and our encouragements. We have had long days and even longer ones. We are more than ready to present our work and show that this month has been worth its ups and downs. All of the work done has been done, but only time

New adventures and dreams achieved! The Saturday following my last blog, we were able to take a private tour of a bodega named Vicente Gandia in the Hoya de Cadenas estate. Making wine in Spain is no simple task from what's been seen. The bodega itself has a beautiful expanse of grape vines and olive trees groves surrounding the original estate of Vicente Gandia. At the border of the fields lies the largest wine distillery in the province, where large vats of various wines are fermented before aging in barrels deep beneath the ground. A long process well worth the wait.  It's always been a dream of mine to see the Mediterranean, and on Thursday, July 20th, I was able to do just that on our excursion to Valencia! It's just a body of water though, right..? Well seeing this vast expanse of salty sea meant something truly profound to me. I cannot explain to you how it's not just another body of water on this Earth to soak in. I cannot explain to you how freeing

As we spend more time here, classes go on and a rhythm develops, and so does the flow of class work. The highlight of our week was the Tuesday visit of well renowned Spanish playwright named José Moreno Arenas (Pepe) and actress/director Elena Bolaños. He is author to a number of plays that have been published to books and translated to ship to other countries worldwide. He calls himself an introvert, but he is able to lecture a class almost effortlessly. His knowledge of Spanish sayings is by no means small either. Elena exudes talent when acting. During the script reading of José's work of "Federico Lorca en Carne Viva,"  Lorena did not tire while speaking and her voice filled the room with its emotion of the words written before her. José spoke the words of Federico Lorca as if Lorca lived within him. It was almost refreshing to meet and conversate with them. Pepe was someone experienced in theatre that listened intently and did not hesitate to speak his words cl

At this moment, I'm watching rain clouds lure closer and closer from the view of the bedroom window. Sleeping on the top bunk has its advantage of a better window view. It's the first time it's rained here in Mira since our arrival. We arrived on a Saturday evening on our third day in Spain. The trip itself was easier with the company of small dogs on our laps as we saw the rolling hills of the landscape pass by. Mira itself appeared much larger than we had originally imagined. The village extends from one end of the valley, bordering the rocky slope of a large hill, and ends at a roadway. It's beautiful here. I don't know if it's in my blood as a Puerto Rican with family in a small town also separate from the world that makes me feel so comfortable here, but I feel safe. I feel I can breathe. It may be the non-polluted air talking, but it's wonderful nevertheless. I can walk the thin streets and paths in the village with the other girls and feel that

Let me tell you. Although the flights were long, they were not the problem. The jet-lag was. After arriving at Madrid at near seven in the morning, we stayed awake and participated in the planned activities for as long as we could. The activities themselves were wonderful! We met Adolfo and Luis, our hosts from Mira, and we had a wonderful breakfast, visited the museum and saw artworks of Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso’s Guérnica, and dined all together. Big and little observations of Madrid from a newcomer’s perspective: There is an extravagant amount of graffiti throughout the city. In parks, beside roadways, and practically any blank surface that was deemed a canvas.    A second observation included smaller, more compact cars that were able to maneuver around the thinner streets of the city. Drivers that used turn signals were nonexistent, but were very talented at parallel parking. Everyone is very relaxed and do not rush outside of the airport. The city is full of peo

I have to admit, this is my first attempt at writing a blog, so please bear with me. I want to tell you my story; who I am and how I came to be in a position of studying abroad in Spain. Let me tell you a little bit about myself.  My name is Coralys Miranda-Reyes, and I was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico in the mid 1990s as the third born child of a growing family. We all left Puerto Rico in 2000 with the 4th child, my new little brother, only recently having been born to 2 exhausted parents. That exhaustion was the result of efforts to move to the United States and make a better life for all of us. Their exhaustion wasn't for nothing, because without them, we would not have become who we are today. Today, we total 5 kids, 2 dogs, and 2 parents who never stopped working to make something better to this day. With their help, I was an honor-roll student during my primary and secondary education, which lead me to my university; the University of Southern Indiana.  I started out at U