لا يوجد منتصر إلا الله

There is no victor but Allah, there is no victor but Allah, there is no victor but Allah…

Post and photos by Claríssa Robles-Gamboa

View of the Alhambra from Mirado de San Nicolas

Although short, this study abroad trip has given me the opportunity to visit places I’d never imagine and continuously shared its hidden treasures through the landscapes, architecture, and scenery. Individually, when with my host family, they took me to Socovos and Torrevieja. As a group, we have been residing in the city of Murcia, traveled to Jumillo, Alicante, and this past weekend, Las Chicas and I were able to experience a different region, one reminding us much of home.

Granada, named after a fruit we know as a pomegranate, worked its charm to make time stop. The view was breathtaking and eternal; fulfilling the concept of a recurring theme of water brought to the Muslim and Christian communities commonly known to be both practical and beautiful in architecture.

Waking up at five a.m. was worth it in order to walk the Alhambra (spanning about three miles), where American writer residing in the [then abandoned] Alhambra (1829) Washington Irving’s Tales from the Alhambra were brought to life. Its grand and majestic telling that only the Alhambra knows of making it even more alluring and mystical. The greenest cypress evergreen trees representing its wealth were a staple besides the several royal palaces. All shared characteristics of Islamic architecture: the Comares Palace, the Palace of the Lions (my personal favorite), the Partal Palace and a fourth which was later begun by Christian Ruler (Carlos V), there he never truly quite finished it nor has anyone residing there.

Twelve hours, twelve months that is the representation found at the Palace of the Lions, perhaps that is what drew me to it as the lion has played a symbolic figure in my life. They were so carefully placed, each different from the other sitting in the center of it all. Just as another well-known ruler: Allah. Written in Arabic script over 9,000 times you can find the phrase There is no victor but Allah and came to find the importance the number five was for the Muslim people. As our guide taught us, you can find those same Arabic words in the palm of your hand. I felt a rush of emotion because although I personally do not believe, I thought it was beautiful how in-tuned I had felt with the universe during that visit to a place so wondrous I could not help but sense a feeling of glory. It was just something bigger than I and so sacred.

“The colors [of the traditional plates of Granada] represented of blue and green are the colors of that join the Earth and Heaven together.” ~Rosa, our city tour guide

Dinner that night was Tajin for me. I’ve been treated with nothing but good food here. The food is rich and, at times, influenced by a mixture of cultures or distinct to a single region or even to a specific city. We did however break out of our Spanish cuisine and grabbed pizza for lunch. Noted: you can major in Pizza at the Universita Della Pizza Italiana Nel Mondo located in Granada! For dinner, we ate traditional Spanish dishes at a little family-owned restaurant where the meatballs were heavenly and service unmatched (we were even served by “Danny DeVito’s Brother!”).

Another view I enjoyed was the Royal Chapel. Unfortunately no cameras were allowed. However the wealth that was displayed was its own marvel. All I have experienced up until this very moment has been unimaginable, I cannot even express and put into words. The bonds I have created with Las Chicas will be as unbreakable as the same city that has nurtured us/the places who have hosted us. In comparison, we have found ourselves resilient, evolving rapidly, and adapting to a good pace of life. Time has stood still–for me at least–and it has been a pleasure to find myself in a place that has not lost its foundations, customs, roots, above all: its culture.

**Acknowledgements to Nina Calalb for the photo of the Palacio de los Leones and to Carmyn Ginetti for the photo of the stained glass window in the Alhambra.

One Way Ticket to Spain, Please

Post and Photos by Nina Calalb

Spain has been an absolute dream. I’ve gotten the chance to experience such amazing places and foods with some incredible people.

This past weekend we all got the opportunity to stay in various locations in Spain with some lovely families that were willing to welcome us into their homes. I was with a family of three who lived in the outskirts of Cartagena. They were so hospitable and kind – they treated me as they treated their own son. I happened to come down with a minor ailment on the Saturday I was with them, and I cannot even express how accommodating and helpful they were to me. They took me to the clinic as well as the pharmacy and they even altered their day plans and meals for me. My heart was so full the whole weekend. Angeles and Michael (my host parents) took me to the beach, to downtown Cartagena, and we spent some time at the Museum of Underwater Archaeology. We ate out for almost every meal. I got to try paella, grilled octopus, gazpacho, asiático, huevos estrellados, and so much more. The Mediterranean diet is something I aspire to embrace after getting back to America (forget McDonald’s!). The food culture here blows my mind; the main purpose for mealtime is socialization. That may come as a shock to most – I know it definitely did to me. When I used to sit down with a plate of food I focused all my attention on solely that. Murcia has changed me; now all I want is good company with whom I can share my food. On average, it takes around an hour or two (or even three) to complete a full meal – everyone is so engaged with one another, laughing and sharing stories and just appreciating each other. I am so grateful for this chance to experience firsthand the Spanish culture.

To start the second week off, the group visited a TV station as well as the office of La Opinión- the base of the local newspaper. I had no previous knowledge or anything to compare these places to because I had never been to any media headquarters back in the United States. It was still clear to see the differences between the way the media is produced and handled in these two contrasting countries. One similarity that stuck out to me was how impactful social media and the internet is on physical papers and even books. The Chanel 7 TV station was obviously very successful whereas the La Opinión had expressed to us how their followers had begun to turn to their phones and computers for the news rather than going out and buying the paper. The United States has been heading in this direction for some time now, but it was interesting to see that even Spaniards have begun to slowly shun physical words on paper.

Hanging out at Canel 7, Murcia’s local television station!

There have been so many obvious contrasts which have radically changed my mindset surrounding the states in general. I never want to leave this place! It is sad to think we only have a week and a half left in this paradise. I can already imagine the intense culture shock I am going to experience when I return to Colorado. For the time being, I am going to take all of the wonderful aspects of Spain to heart and really focus on living in this moment.

We’re Halfway There!

Post and Pictures by Alyssa Ramirez

I have been at the Universidad de Murcia for about a week and a half, and I must say that I am getting more familiar with the city and am sad that I am already halfway through my trip.

On the second day of our trip we went on a tour of Murcia and the beautiful landmarks. The tour helped to demonstrate a couple of shining virtues of Murcia; tolerance and respect. We saw these virtues displayed in a piece of artwork at the Real Casino. Pictured one the left is a mother with two children above an archway in the casino. The story of the art piece is that the mother is feeding her child, and a hungry child who is not hers comes to her. She removes her own child from her breast to feed the foreign child. The story represents Murcia’s values to treat everyone like their own. These characteristics are demonstrated every day in Murcia. The local students have been unbelievably friendly, and the locals around town have been as well.

The first Saturday we had been here, our group went out for tapas. We learned that going out to eat tapas is more about going out with friends and socializing and less about the food (though it was still very delicious). The most interesting tapas we ate were the Montadito de Morcilla, which is a sandwich filled with a mixture of onions and gelatinous pork blood. It may not sound appetizing, but you shouldn’t knock it until you’ve tried it. My favorite tapas from that night were called cabellitos, which translates to “little horse” but is actually perfectly seasoned and cooked jumbo shrimps. The dinner was fun because I was able to try out a lot of unique tapas and also get to know the students who I would be spending the next three weeks with.

Fast forward almost a week to this last Friday, we took a trip to Jumilla, which is a rural town in Murcia, and we visited a vineyard there. It was really interesting to see the processes of how the make the wine, and in the museum we saw how their techniques have changed and evolved through time. We also found out that the vineyard didn’t just make wine from their grapes, but also delicious jams from the green and red grapes that was delicious with cheese. The vineyard also grew olive trees, and we tried their olive oil with some bread and balsamic vinegar.

After our trip to the vineyard, we stopped for lunch. We had some more tapas, new but just as delicious and fresh as the ones that we’d had the night our group went out that first weekend. We had some grilled artichoke hearts with a carrot sauce and pictured to the left we have toast with veggies and octopus! It was all as delicious as it looks.

The night after our trip to the vineyard, we left to go to our homestays. My host family consisted of a couple named Maria and Jose Manuel and their two year-old son Marcos, and that night we got tapas and ice cream near the Catedral.

On Saturday, we had a barbecue (where I had more of the tasty Morcilla!) and I met some of their friends, and we all talked about different things like their travel experiences, Murcian and Spanish politics, and I also shared some information about the United States with them. Pictured to the left is Maria with Marcos and their friends and I enjoying the barbecue!

On Sunday, we went to a beach in Cartagena, where I played with Marcos in the water and tried paella and a coffee drink called Asiaticos! To wrap up our weekend, we went back to the ice cream shop we had started at, where I tried my third coffee drink called granizado de cafe.

Even though I have only spent a small amount of time in Murcia, I have gotten a taste of Spanish culture and family life, and feel really excited for the next half of this trip!

Viva España

Post and pictures by Hannah Alcorn

Being in Spain has so far been the most surreal experience I’ve ever had in my entire life. The people are so nice, the food is so amazing, and the sights are too beautiful for words. The only difficult part has been adjusting to the lifestyle here. In America people go out with their friends on the weekend around 10:30 or 11, and here places are usually not busy until 1 AM. One of my favorite things we have done so far was going to the beach in Alicante. As a group we took a day trip to Alicante which is only about an hour from Murcia. The beaches here are much different. When you go to California or Florida, the water smells strongly of seaweed, that is not the case here. The only smell is of the cool, crisp air. Also, the waves are much calmer in the Mediterranean Sea, they are not surfable. It was really nice for all of us to have a relaxing day at the beach before starting classes. After relaxing four a couple of hours at the beach we walked through the streets of Alicante. The streets were filled with little shops and vendors that had almost anything you could think of. The streets are also filled with various sculptures as well as lots of trees and flowers. Overall, the beaches are very big and beautiful, and the city of Alicante itself is definitely a place I would recommend visiting.

On May 28th, we also got the opportunity to go on two Museum tours. One was a tour of artifacts from the city from since it was founded up until now. It was amazing to see artifacts from all the different eras. My favorite tour was of the Muslim Palace that had been converted into the Monastery Santa Clara. Parts of the building had still been preserved from when it was a palace which was really cool to see. Part of the building is a museum, and the other part is housing for nuns. I thought that it was interesting that even though most of the building was now a museum that nuns still resided there. This was also in a part of Murcia we had not been to yet so it was great to explore another part of the city. So far this trip has been nothing but fun, and it has not even been a week yet. I cannot wait to continue to see more of Murcia, as well as Granada and Cartagena. Studying abroad this summer in Murcia was definitely one of the best decisions I have ever made!

¿Cómo se dice “First Time in Spain” en español?

Post and Pictures by Carmyn Ginetti

Hola amigos! Me llamo Carmyn Ginnetti, and I just finished my second year at Colorado State in the spring. It has officially been four days since the CSU Rams have started our program abroad in Murcia, Spain. With Communications Studies as my second major, I have the unique opportunity to participate in the CSU-led program to Murcia and will be studying for an additional five weeks in Rome, Italy starting at the end of June. Although my excitement is overwhelming, the Imposter Syndrome is still very real. Questions like: Will I really be able to succeed in a place where English is not the primary language? Will I really be able to live on my own, abroad for ten whole weeks? And more continue to flood through my brain, even several days into the experience and despite one previous trip to Europe. But this summer has a different surrealness to it. I am living in Europe, traveling around between programs, on my own, and it is happening right now! Although I will say that my parents, family, and friends (shout out!) are wonderful and supportive of my travels, it’s harder to do so with an ocean separating us.

Despite the general nervousness and anticipation of what’s to come, my first time in Spain is nothing short of spectacular so far. The people, city, history, and (my personal favorite) food have been unlike anything I could have expected. With the Mediterranean Sea being 45-minutes away, there is so much access to seafood. We have already had a chance to try a few Murcian specialty tapas featuring shrimp, octopus, anchovies, tuna, and more. Another aspect I’ve found particularly mesmerizing is the history. I was raised Catholic, and the beauty and sacredness prevail in the city to this day. The Cathedral, just two blocks from our residence, is looks like it could be from a movie. It took over 400 years to be built, spanning different architectural eras (Baroque, Gothic, etc.) and containing little pieces of each period.

The city of Murcia looks like what you image when you think of traveling to a small, lesser-known area of Europe: small and secretive alleyways, cobblestone paths, historical statues and landmarks, but mixed with a touch of modern. The linkage between old and new is separated by a few streets in Murcia, but every plaza or street is breathtaking in my opinion. Huddling under an awning with about 10 others during one of the few rainy days of the year while on a tour of the city will remind you that even the smallest details (the colorful buildings, sounds of laughter, smell of fresh, clean air) are what make this place so special.

I am eager to continue my experience and to soak up every bit, in between coping with the jetlag of course. And I am eager to bring these experiences, connections, and memories with me through the rest of my travels this summer and once I have returned to the State in August. Hasta luego!

Welcome!

Post and Pictures by Meara Faw

Bienvenidos a nuestro blog!

As the professor of this study abroad course, I have been dreaming, planning, and waiting with anticipation for this time to come. Ever since I studied abroad in Spain as an undergraduate student, I’ve a small voice in the back my head wondering, “How can I do that again?” When I met Leonarda García-Jiménez, an affiliate faculty member at CSU and a full-time faculty member at the University of Murcia, that voice grew increasingly louder! So after two years of planning and coordinating with the help of many individuals at CSU and UM, here we are!

This blog is a collective assignment for the students of this class. It is a way for them to both process their experiences here in Spain and share them with a broad audience. I, for one, am excited to read their observations and see their photos in the weeks to come. Studying abroad is an amazing opportunity to grow and expand your horizons, and what a pleasure to be able to witness that.

We hope that you enjoy this blog!

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
― Mark Twain

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