Mounting Olympus

On Today's Menu: Outing the Old, Bringing In the New

Over the weekend I purchased a beautiful new digital camera: an Olympus FE-340 with 8.0 megapixel and 5x optical zoom. My old camera, though it is digital, is old as Methuselah when compared with the newer models. The old one is a Canon, which is a good brand, but this particular model has only 2.0 megapixel and 2x optical zoom. So, needless to say I thought an upgrade might be beneficial to me as I am planning on taking quite a few pictures while in Spain. I found my selected camera at Sears, who also offers more advanced models, including 10.0 or 12.0 megapixel, video, etc. but I decided that I really don’t need all the bells and whistles. I just want one that produces excellent picture quality and is small enough to fit in my pocket.

According to my info packet from API, theft is rampant in Spain, especially in the larger, highly populated cities. My honest opinion is that it would be difficult to make a distinction between such behavior in Madrid or Barcelona and such behavior in New York City or Los Angeles…but that’s just me making unfounded assumptions. Anyway, my API student mentor informed me that during his semester abroad, a number of his classmates became victims of theft when they visited the larger cities. Barcelona, Madrid, Toledo, Seville…these are all places I will go, so I want play it smart and prepare as best I can. All that is to say, this is the very reason why I selected a smaller, pocket-sized camera. I don’t want to carry a bag if I don’t have to. I don’t like carrying purses even when I am at home, so why change things up and do it there?

what is this feeling, so sudden and new?

On Today's Menu: The Real World vs. The Land of Oz. (I've been listening to Wicked a little too much lately...)

As the reality of my summer voyage overseas is beginning to settle itself into the recesses of my brain, I have noticed large amounts of stress consistently being deposited into my blood stream, resulting in a pretty serious condition of deer-in-the-headlights syndrome. One would think that the ugly stress monster would raise it's head right off the bat, considering the mountain of paper work that had to be filled out, passport information sent, fees paid, flights booked, and so on. This, however, was not the case for me. Instead, as the summer faithfully spins its way back around the seasonal wheel, I am becoming more attentive to the certainty of this trip. I guess it was easier back in the fall to remain in a dreamlike state, seeing only through my mind's eye and not my existent eye, that this experience wouldn't take place for another so many months.

But now here I am: application sent, acceptance letter received, mountain of paper work conquered, flights booked, expenses paid...summer approaching. There is a huge portion of me screaming "Woohoo!" while another huge portion is saying "um, what have I gotten myself into?" Weird how it works like that, isn't it? I guess it's all part of the human experience, no?

So now you may be wondering: what does this reality look like? Well...I have moved out of the "taking care of business" phase and into a new one I like to call, the "questions without answers" phase. This includes:

1. Who are the other applicants?
At this point I know of exactly one person, a dude attending the University of Kansas who will be in the same program I will be in, and at the moment, I can't even remember this guy's name.

2. What will my dorm be like? What will the university/my classes be like? Should I take a computer? I'm definitely taking my English/Spanish dictionary!

3. What will the weather be like? The food? Transportation options? Is there a dress code?

4. And then the mother question: What am I going to do when I get off the plane in Madrid and come face to face with the realization that I don't know a single person in the entire country and really don't speak the language well enough to get around on my own?

Okay, I just read back over this entry and realize that it sounds like I'm having a major freak-out, but let me just take a moment to reassure you (as well as myself) that these questions will and do have answers. The program has been faithful in sending me information about some of these things and has promised to send more detailed information in the coming weeks. I'll let you know what I find out.

¿Dónde está…

On Today's Menu: figuring out where the heck Granada is. Lately, as I have been preparing for my upcoming summer excursion and sharing said progress with others, I have noticed that the instant I mention Spain the immediate response is:

"Oh, so you will be studying in Madrid? Oh, Barcelona? Oh, wait...what?...where??"

That being said, I resolved to learn more about this city called Granada; including everything from culture to cuisine to climate and more.

I have leafed my way through travel book after travel book after...yadda, yadda. Each one has provided me with tidbits of valuable information, but unfortunately nothing more than a tidbit. Last weekend, however, I was wandering around Barnes and Noble (as I often do) and found what I believe to be the best travel guide available. It's from the Rick Steves' European travel collection and it is amazing! So if you ever travel to Europe and need an up-to-date informational guide book complete with foldout color map, check out Rick. He's got it going on.

Anyway, according to the map, Granada is located in southern Spain...in the province of Andalucia, to be exact. According to Rick, Andalucia is quite the vacation hot spot during the months of July and August (which, of course, is when I will be there). There is a flamenco dance festival that takes place around mid-July and it is also the home of Alhambra, an ancient Moorish palace. The city is surrounded by snow capped mountains, but is only about an hour or less from the coast. Rick also says that during this time of year, the average temperature stays around 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Yikes. Good thing I like warm weather.

Researching has been exciting...but I have to remember that I will be in school...so I'm not sure how much traveling I will get to do. I received an informational packet along with my acceptance letter a few weeks ago which let me know that classes will take place five days a week (M-F) and each class will last about 4-5 hours. Which I guess is why they call it an intensive program, no?

Anyway, so far it is sounding like I will be attending a nice university in a nice city.

¡Bienvenido!

Welcome to Menú del Día, my ingeniously constructed blog which was created with the intention of:

1) allowing access into the ever thought provoked mind of Leah Powers as she attempts to navigate her way through the waters of "transition," always keeping in mind that there is a goal called "the next phase of life," whatever and wherever that may be.

2) keeping you, a soon to be faithful reader (I have no doubt), up to speed on my summertime adventures in Granada, Spain, where I will participate in an Intensive Language Program at the local university.

3) providing me with an outlet where I can pretty much just blurt out whatever is on my mind. That being said, some of these blogs may or may not make sense to you, but that's okay since it's all about me anyway...(let's hear it for sarcasm!)

This is an exciting time in my life, and so I modestly offer an open hand inviting you to come along side me and share in the journey. So grab on, this is gonna be great!