Puerto Magina Jaen

... listed as a World Heritage Site as its walls dates back to 200BC. Of course, this could only mean one thing…good luck finding a room late on a Friday. At a gas station I asked a local couple where we could find a cheap hotel room nearby. The woman could speak a very small amount of English and they told us of a small town, not very nice…but not so bad…within 20km that had a hotel room for 40~50 Euros, so off we went ...

... begin teaching. I met all three of the bilingual program coordinators who were very nice and very eager to begin the program. This is the first year they will be doing it so they said they would need my help very much considering even the coordinators do not speak perfect English. The school is the city high school in Jaen and is called Jabalcuz. It is an I.E.S....Instituto Escuela Secondario, a secondary education institute, a high school in the US... Within it is the high school and an ...

As we've moved into July, the weather in southern spain during the day has gotten oppressively hot. The 2 greatest reliefs from this are LONG siestas (from right after lunch -about 3PM - until 6:30 or 7) and a concoction they have here called Tinto de Verano. Literally translated, this means red-wine of summer, but it is basically a mix of red wine and Fanta (usually lemon flavored) over ice. We discovered it in Malaga, and have been ...

... Spanish homestay located near the city center in neighborhoods such as Camino de Ronda, a 10 to 25 minute walk from the University of Granada. This type of housing is ideal for students who want to fully immerse in the culture and are willing to adapt to the customs of the host family. Each homestay has been carefully chosen to ensure the best possible living arrangements for each student. Homestays usually consist of a single señora although ...

... on the nicest bus either one of us has ever been on. Leather reclining chairs, air conditioning, tv, water and coffee provided. We were supposed to take this bus all the way to Yurimaguas, but at Tarapoto (about 10 hrs. into the trip) we stopped and had to get off the bus. It was about 8pm and they told us we would have to wait for another bus that would come between midnight and 1am. We later realized that our first bus was not full enough and to make a good profit, they were ...

... big (mine) and one smaller with a HUGE closet (Amanda's). Here are some pictures... and Of course, you may be wondering why I got the big bedroom. Why would the smaller person get the room with the big bed? Well, we figured that since Erik would be coming to visit fairly often, it would be easier for everyone if I had more space in my bed. Plus, it's not that her room is much smaller, per say, she just has a desk that takes up a lot of ...

... when I returned but I was unsure about the feasibility, or rather, plausibility because no one runs in the middle of the city. There are far too many people on the streets to get a good run in. So this was absolutely perfect in every way. It was a nice (really nice) apartment, near a school, with a place to exercise right down the street. Finally my luck is changing! Fast forward to tonight. For the past couple nights, I have been going to ...

... of my life. Here are some of the highlights. After about 3 hours of sitting in one spot, alternating between reading, listening to music, and writing in my journal, I decided a walk would help me stay awake. So I struggled through a small walk around the train station, got some money from the ATM, and sat back down in another spot. Not too long after that, maybe an hour, I decided to find the restroom. This, I found, was down ...

... hostel and checked in then snaked my way around in the shop filled back streets. There is an Arabic flavor here and you can buy everything from handmade tapestries to hookas to teas. I would have loved to buy some things but they were horribly overpriced. The only thing I allowed myself to indulge in were the desserts which were authentic and sinfully rich. Chocoates, almonds and bakalava type sweets along with every kind of kabab and falafel. This was a place I could definitely ...

... on the floor, which would later provide incentive to find ulterior uses for the bedroom sink. Anyway...we survive BOTH nights we actually stay in this place, and have a great time outside of the hostel. The Alhambra was fantastic, and the town is nice to visit. Prices are cheap...but the quality also tended to match...whether lodgings, food...or flamenco!