~ bienaventuranza ~

The Day Has Come:(

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 19:58:44 -0400

If any one has a chance to travel a year abroad to experience what we have experienced for the past 10 months, DO IT! It was such an unforgettable year and it beats sitting in a cubicle from 8 to 5. Please message us on Facebook with any questions you may have!

Love,

Allie and Mary Duncan

Farewell Cordoba, we will miss you!

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 19:55:00 -0400

Farewell Cordoba, we will miss you!

These four rented flamenco dresses to experience Feria to the...

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 19:53:00 -0400

These four rented flamenco dresses to experience Feria to the fullest. This is what a lot of the Spanish girls wear during the week. They fit right in, born Spanish naturals!

All the girls together for the last weekend in Cordoba during...

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 19:50:35 -0400

All the girls together for the last weekend in Cordoba during Feria! Feria translates to fair and is just a week long party celebrated with friends and family. Each province has one and the one in Cordoba is obviously the best!

Grant came to Cordoba again right before Feria ended and then he...

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 19:43:00 -0400

Grant came to Cordoba again right before Feria ended and then he and Allie went to Croatia then Italy! He was flying on a buddy pass so we almost thought he wasn’t going to make it. There is only one flight going to Madrid out of Atlanta a day and he wasn’t the highest on the list for standby. No worries though, third time is always a charm. Glad you made it Grant!

The roommates went to Amsterdam for our last hoorrah! (no clue...

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 19:35:00 -0400

The roommates went to Amsterdam for our last hoorrah! (no clue how to spell that)

Another Fernando Adventure I’m sitting in the back seat...

Mon, 21 May 2012 16:58:00 -0400

side of the highway, out of gas...

the tow truck finally arrives!

why are we not surprised?

hahaha

whhhhhhere's the taxi??

Another Fernando Adventure

I’m sitting in the back seat today deeply engrossed in my book, consequently not paying attention to the road, our whereabouts, or Fernando and Mary Duncan conversing in the front seat. As I feel the cars speed change I finally glance up and notice we are coming to a complete stop on the side of the highway. Mary Duncan turns around with “eyes-rolled, oh no, this is a typical Fernando situation look” and I know… we are out of gas. Fernando starts to panic and becomes frantic, as Mary Dunc and I are lost for words. All we can do is laugh as he continuously mumbles, “Dios mio, dios mio estoy nervioso!…” (My God, my God I’m nervous!) Fernando slowly calms down as he searches his glove compartment for a AAA number and I get the whole story from Mary Dunc. Apparently we stopped for gas but the line was too long and Fernando thought we could make it to the next town. Well, we couldn’t make it. We wait on the side of the highway for a tow truck and taxi to take us to school for about 30 minutes. Even though we were an hour late to work, the adventure with Fernando was worth the freezing cold wait. My guess is he thought it was time to spice the carpool up again since we haven’t wrecked in the past month…

Love,

Allie and Mary Duncan

We could go on and on about Rome, the sights, the history, and...

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:49:00 -0400

We could go on and on about Rome, the sights, the history, and everything that we did, but instead, how about a funny story…

The first night Allie and I got to Rome we checked into our Hostel and were asked to do a pub crawl. We immediately rejected the offer because we were so worn out from traveling and we had a tour at 9:30 the next morning. After about an hour, we thought about it and our conclusion was, “When in Rome.” So needless to say we ended up doing the pub crawl, but really paced ourselves. By the time we got to the final bar (which was the third), we decided we could have one more drink and then it was time to hit the rode (2:15 by this point, but keep in mind nightlife starts later in Europe). We were a few blocks from the bus stop and weren’t paying too much attention to where it was earlier so we were relieved to see a bus pull up right as we walked up to the stop. We hopped right on without looking at the bus number. We realized we got on the wrong bus about 20 minutes into the ride and we told our bus driver it was the wrong one. Instead of him taking us to the right one, he just kicked us off in the middle of nowhere. We almost started to freak out when we saw that there was not a car in sight and the only sign of life was two homeless men behind us in a field. Luckily a few minutes later we see a bus and happily flag it down. It is not the number we needed to be on, but anywhere was better than where we were. We get on the bus and tell the bus driver in Spanish, since it is closer to Italian than English, where we need to be and he drives until he sees our bus number and flags that bus down for us. We jump from one bus to the other and by this time it has been about an hour so it is now 3:30. Our third bus driver of the night was very sweet and happy to help us. The ride back to our hostel is about 30 to 40 minutes and Allie and I are so exhausted by this point that we both accidentally pass out on the bus and wake up to the bus driver kicking off all the homeless people! One homeless man jumped back on when he wasn’t looking and then they got in a big fight. We didn’t know what to do. We had missed our stop and had been asleep on the bus for an hour just riding along all throughout Rome and not even seeing the sights. When we wake up it’s 4:45, and the bus driver that speaks neither English nor Spanish is trying to explain to me that he cannot move from this spot for an hour until his morning shift. He starts to talk to us and I try my hardest to piece together what he is saying, probably the most concentrated I have been in a long time. What I get from the hour-long conversation is that he used to be a ballet dancer and a bartender in a club and he still loves to dance. He showed me some moves and all his pictures on facebook from back then and just kept asking me questions that I couldn’t really answer. Once we finally hit the road again we made 10 stops before getting to ours and the bus filled up with the morning work crew… It was really embarrassing. We finally got into bed at 6:30 in the morning and woke up at 8:30 for our tour…so much for going in early to be responsible and feel well rested! Oh yeah. We were freezing on the walk home from our stop so we decided to pick up the pace a bit into a light jog and Allie nose dived into the concrete and broke her shoe. One would assume that excessive drinking is probably the explanation for this night, but you know what assuming does…

On Tuesday afternoon we split with Alex because she had to go...

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:46:00 -0400

The Coliseum!

The Roman Forum

The Pantheon

More of the Roman Forum!

The Trevi Fountain

The Spanish Steps

All Michelangelo's work is perfect

Touring the Vatican Museum

In front of St. Peter's Basilica

On Tuesday afternoon we split with Alex because she had to go back to school on Wednesday while we had the whole week off so Allie and I went to Roma! We spent three nights there and every morning we woke up at the crack of dawn to start our trek through Rome. We saw everything! Or everything we wanted to see, because it is huge! It was amazing seeing everything that you have learned about through history in person like the Colosseum, the Vatican, the Roman Forum, ect. We were amazed not only by the rich history, but also the art and architecture that surrounded us. Michelangelo’s painting in the Sistine Chapel was breathtaking. Everything about Rome was incredible. Looking forward to going back!

After two nights in Levanto we took a train to Florence! We saw...

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:25:00 -0400

Shopping through the leather market

Eating gusto pizza out in a plaza!

Gelato. wow

Hello David

Drinking in a plaza during the festival

pottery makers

view over the beautiful city!

After two nights in Levanto we took a train to Florence! We saw everything we could, ate amazing pizza (Gusto Pizza) and gelato, and got to experience, by luck, their “White Festival”. The second night we were there, each plaza had a different type of entertainment set up going on. Most of the plazas were different genres of music, however, in one plaza we watched the Discovery Channel projected on the side of a gigantic historical building. In another plaza we saw old artists making pottery, and in another we joined in on a drum circle! We stayed out late checking out what each plaza had to offer and we had a blast. Florence was such a fun, small city. You can walk everywhere and the shopping is great, so if you go, stash some cash away just for the clothes! (Unfortunately, we were on a tight backpackers budget)

Our next stop was Cinque Terre, which was by far our favorite...

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:02:00 -0400

Starting our hike!

the whole hike was breathtaking!

the view walking into Vernazza

having some fun :)

We all jumped off!

the beautiful town of Corniglia

good day! wine time

incredible day

Our next stop was Cinque Terre, which was by far our favorite place of the whole trip. Cinque Terre is on the mid to northwestern coast of Italy and is a group of five small towns each spread roughly about 3km apart. We stayed in a small beach town outside of the “Five Lands” called Levanto and we loved it! It was very clean and not as touristy. Our hike started there at 8:30 a.m. and we ended in the last town called Riommagiore around 6 p.m. Because of the floods in late October we had to take a train between two of the five towns, which we didn’t hate. You would think walking as much as we do in Spain that we would be more in shape, but those trails told us otherwise. The day was beautiful and we absolutely loved every minute of it! We ended the long day with some wine and watched the sunset :)

We travelled around Italy for a week and saw some pretty...

Wed, 16 May 2012 12:36:00 -0400

Couch Surfing!

We travelled around Italy for a week and saw some pretty incredible sites. First stop was Pisa where we went couch surfing. Couch surfing is like a Facebook for travelers…sort of. You make a profile on couchsurfing.org where you meet other people from all over the world through this website ask them if you can sleep on their couch as you are traveling through. Sounds pretty sketch, but it is actually a great way to get to know all different types of people AND the added bonus is that you don’t have to pay for a place to stay. The guy we stayed with barely spoke any English, but he was so nice and we found common ground with our love for Mumford and Sons. He and his roommate showed us around Pisa; It was a cute little hippie town with a good bit of tourists due to the leaning tower. Of course we had to take several of the “typical” leaning tower of Pisa pictures. Needless to say, we had a lot of fun with that one. (As you can tell)

We feel so loved having some of our best friends come visit us!...

Thu, 10 May 2012 03:40:21 -0400

We feel so loved having some of our best friends come visit us! This is in Madrid at Palacio Real. It was beautiful. Can’t wait to update yall more when they all head home:(

The 3 of us are heading to Italy for the week! We plan on seeing...

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:59:38 -0400

The 3 of us are heading to Italy for the week! We plan on seeing Pisa for a day, hiking Cinque Terre and camping for 2 days, then off to Florence and Rome. The day we return back into Spain, 3 of our friends from home will be here- Paige, Caroline and Jessica! We are so excited to see them and take them around Madrid, Cordoba and Seville. So, we wont be blogging for a while, but know that we are livin it up! :)

Love,

Allie and Mary Duncan

We had a visitor! Our friend and sorority sister Lee Anne came...

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:17:16 -0400

walking around Cordoba

Trying our famous Spanish tostada

At school!

signing autographs... haha!

So much Love

We had a visitor! Our friend and sorority sister Lee Anne came to visit us in Spain for two days! We took her out for tapas and all around Cordoba to the main sights and to meet our friends. She was able to come to school with me on Monday also and the kids LOVED her! (seriously, they thought she was famous and all wanted her autograph… hilarious) We had such a great time and wish she could have stayed longer. Love you Lee Anne!!

Allie and Mary Duncan

Family Adventures

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:17:09 -0400

At school with some of my students

The Mezquita in Cordoba

Brit trying her first snail!

At the Bull Fight!

Plaza de Espana in Seville

Marbella looking over the Mediterranean

The fam loved Spanish tapas and beer!

In front of the Royal Palace

Family Adventures

My Family in Spain!

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:16:55 -0400

A week ago my ENTIRE family was able to come a visit me here in Spain! My Mom and youngest brother Scott were in Paris the week prior where Mary Duncan, Alex and I got to see them the weekend that we visited there.

Mom and Scott arrived in Cordoba Thursday night and the roomies and I cooked them a home cooked meal. Friday we woke up early to meet Fernando and head to my little school in Puente Genil. We ate breakfast at my favorite cafe by the river where they tried the famous tostada (toasted fresh bread with olive oil, tomato sauce, and cured iberian ham) This was the first of many breakfast tostadas… they loved it! Oh how I will miss the jamon (ham) when I come back to the states. After breakfast we walked to school where they met all of the teachers and went into each class, 4 years old to 6th grade, and got a tour of my little school. The kids were beyond excited to meet them and practiced their basic English asking them several questions like “What’s your favorite color? Favorite food, Favorite sport? etc…” Scott and I played at recess with everyone where Scott showed off his basketball skills and dunked for everyone. After that, he was the coolest (tallest) kid they had every seen. After recess, Mom and Scott were able to watch me teach the first grade class where each kid drew a picture of the three of us for Mom to take home. Overall, the day was definitely a success and I was so happy that some of my family got to experience a day in my shoes teaching precious little spanish children and now I know they understand my love for it.

Brittney and her hubby Bo arrived that Friday evening where we all went out for a nice dinner along the river and took it easy for the night.

The rest of the Barlow crew (Dad and Matt) came in on Saturday afternoon. We all went for a beer and snails before the big bull fight. Tents are up all over Cordoba during April and May where it is really popular to mingle with friends on an afternoon, eat snails and drink wine. Everyone was up for trying the snails and for the most part enjoyed it. Brit opted out of the bull fight after hearing how grotesque and bloody they are and went shopping with Audrey and Mary Duncan. The bull fight was quite the experience for all of us- we had no idea what to expect! The first bull was killed- we are all in shock and Alex is crying… after the 6th bull is killed- Bo and the boys are cheering on the matador. We decided that the atmosphere was somewhat like a baseball game, but the sport itself doesn’t compare to anything American. I think everyone was really glad we went, although I think one bull fight is enough for me. We all went out for tapas after and everyone could not get enough of the spanish style eating and food. It was so fun!

Sunday we visited the Mezquita and since it was Palm Sunday, we watched the first procession of Semana Santa (Holy Week) take place. Through out the rest of the week we were able to experience a daily procession in each town, which was really neat to see the differences in tradition. Each day of Semana Santa there are parade walks where locals wear something quite similar to the KluKluxKlan attire and carry candles in silence. There is a different float that is carried each day, representing a different story in the bible and bands march and sing with the floats. It’s unlike anything you have experienced and I’m so glad the family was here to experience something so traditional and really live the Spanish culture for a week.

We spent next 2 days in Seville, 2 days in Marbella, and the last 2 days in Madrid. Seville was a fun place to show them since we lived there for a month before moving to Cordoba. I was able to take them around to all the tourist spots, cathedrals, palaces, parks, my favorite restaurants, and even a Flamenco show! It rained both days we were there, but that didn’t stop us. We had a great time!

In Marbella we stayed in the most amazing villa palace! Michelle Obama and several other famous people have stayed here, so you can imagine, I felt like a pretty big deal :) Marbella is a huge tourism spot for Europeans and is absolutely beautiful with the mountains along the ocean. We walked around the city center and over to the marina and beach which was lined with shops and restaurants. It was here that we ate one of the best meals of my life! (I’m sure everyone else would agree with this statement also.) Although it wasn’t as warm as we had hoped, it was the perfect mid-week vacation stop to relax and enjoy the beauty around us and each others company.

We were off to our final destination on thursday- Madrid! Madrid is full of museums and history and restaurants and millions of things to do. We were able to visit all the main sights: the Prado museum, Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, The Royal Palace, cathedrals and beautiful buildings and parks all over. We stayed at another beautiful hotel in the heart of the city and crammed in all we could in the short amount of time there. I was able to take them to one of my favorite restaurants and we just had the best time. It was an early flight home Saturday morning and the end to an amazing week.

I am so blessed and happy that my whole family was able to visit me and experience my life here in Spain. We had a great time traveling together and nothing will beat the laughter that Brit brought us as she tried to speak “Spanglish” to everyone we met. I love my family more than anything :)

Allie

What Sabrina thinks happened in the Holocaust...

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:14:52 -0400

Allie and I were rushing to the car this morning for school because we had to pack our bags for a night in Puente Genil for Renee’s birthday. Allie had baked a cake the night before to celebrate which she brought to school today. After being in the car for about 30 minutes Fernando asks, ”Is today a special holiday in America?”

Allie: “No?? I don’t think so.”

Me (interrupting Allie): “Yeah! It’s Holocaust Day.”

Fernando: “Que es eso?” (What is that)

Sabrina: “Ehhhh olocosto…you know es cuando los Nazis mataron las judias…” (It’s when the Nazis killed the green beans)

Fernando: “No entiendo.” (I don’t understand)

Sabrina: “Ehhhh es cuando las judias fueron matados por los Nazis.” (It’s when the green beans were killed by the Nazis) Note: Neither me nor Allie are catching this mistake and chiming in saying things like, yeah, you know…the holocaust…??

Fernando: “……Los judios? Ahhhh!! Los Judios! Celebran esto??” (You mean Jews? Ahhh! The Jews! You celebrate that??)

Me: “No no no….es un dia de la memoria” (It’s a day of memory)

Fernando: “Oh hehehehe, pero porque teneis dulces” (with his chuckle that I need to record and put on here or on youtube)

Allie and Me: “Ohhhhhhhhhh it’s Renee’s birthday!”

None of us caught the difference and it made a hilarious start to our rainy morning. Not to say anything with the Holocaust is funny, but this miscommunication error was.

Love,

Allie and Mary Duncan

Happy Easter everyone! Mary Duncan arrived home this past Friday...

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 11:00:51 -0400

Happy Easter everyone!

Mary Duncan arrived home this past Friday and was surprised at the airport by her sisters and mom and new baby niece Collins!!! She was beyond excited since this is the first time she has met her. So precious!!

My family left yesterday back to America. We had an incredible week and it was so fun being able to show them my life here in Spain. I will post some stories and pictures this week.

Have such a blessed Easter!!

Allie and Mary Duncan

Photo

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 02:54:00 -0400

All of us together in Ireland

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The Eiffel Tower when it was lighting up

Pastries in Paris...yummmmm

"Love Locks" on the Notre Dame bridge

Notre Dame

We had to see what it was all about!

Creeeeeeeeepppees!

My 1st graders perception of Easter!

They paid attention!!!