Corey, Kevin, Kris, Ronnie, Stephen y yo hemos llegado a Barcelona. Nos montaron un tren de Girona. Este es mi último blog por que mañana vamos a volar a los Estados Unidos. Ha sido un viaje divertido. Es mi vida cambió para siempre! Hasta la próxima ...
Corey, Kevin, Kris, Ronnie, Stephen & I have made it to Barcelona from Girona by train. We'll be flying out to the US in the morning so this is my last post on this blog. This has been a great, life-changing trip! Until next time...
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Leaving Girona
Today we leave the students in Girona and head to Barcelona to catch our flight out in the morning. I'm kinda bummed to be leaving them behind. They're a great group of smart kids and filming them experience all Spain has to offer has been a blessing to me.
I won't have film of the soccer game up before we leave. In the interest of personal safety I took a smaller, handheld HD camera to the game but it records on tape so I would have to play the tape back, minute for minute, into the computer and I simply don't have time, but I'll get some of that up when I return to the states.
Here's a quick, rough video of the bike ride yesterday. I didn't have time to smooth the clips out in the computer so they're kind of shaky, but keep in mind I was trying to ride one/no handed while holding a 10lb camera in the other and avoid people and traffic!
Today we ate a last meal in Girona at the Crepe place again, and like last time...amazing. When I was sitting at the cathedral waiting for my group to arrive to walk to lunch, I decided "I'm going to catch a pigeon bare handed." Kevin was throwing some crumbs out so they were already pretty close so I got down on my hands and knees and when the right moment presented itself, I got one! They're a little harder to catch since I'm used to snakes and lizards that can't fly away if you miss!
After lunch I shot an interview with the student who worked at Oxfam in Oxford named Kathryne. We Shot her at work in the store but never got around to doing an interview. What better time than hours before we leave the students. Haha, there's always a "last minute" element to doing video work. All the planning in the world aside, there will always be some shot or some edit that pushes the line of time. It's an integral part of video (film, news, documentary, it doesn't matter) and it's the part of video I thrive on. Just like sometimes deadlines in Abilene keep me up and editing all night, this hectic filming schedule of 24/7 for 10 days in Oxford, England and Girona & Barcelona, Spain, has been absolutely EXHAUSTING, however I love the feeling. I love not knowing what's coming next and just happening upon students doing great things on their time off. I know my break is coming tomorrow as I fly back to a "normal life" in the states, but it is not a bittersweet leaving. It's a bitter leaving. I want to stay here longer. I want to continue to hone my craft in unfamiliar, bright & vibrant surroundings. I have learned so much about my camera, videography, and my self on this trip. Things that work, things that don't work, that I couldn't learn filming lectures and football games. However, I AM excited to begin editing together the videos for ACU from this footage. Be it "trailers" for Study Abroad or recruiting videos, I'm anxious to see the final product from some of this footage. I'll try to get more footage up in the hotel in Barcelona tonight, but, like everywhere else on this trip, I won't be sure of the internet situation until I get there.
On a sadder note, I am SICK. My sinuses are completely plugged and breathing from my nose is not even an option. I hope to find a pharmacy before we take the train to Barcelona this afternoon because inhaling steam didn't work and I got nothing else to try except for hopefully finding medicine.
I won't have film of the soccer game up before we leave. In the interest of personal safety I took a smaller, handheld HD camera to the game but it records on tape so I would have to play the tape back, minute for minute, into the computer and I simply don't have time, but I'll get some of that up when I return to the states.
Here's a quick, rough video of the bike ride yesterday. I didn't have time to smooth the clips out in the computer so they're kind of shaky, but keep in mind I was trying to ride one/no handed while holding a 10lb camera in the other and avoid people and traffic!
Today we ate a last meal in Girona at the Crepe place again, and like last time...amazing. When I was sitting at the cathedral waiting for my group to arrive to walk to lunch, I decided "I'm going to catch a pigeon bare handed." Kevin was throwing some crumbs out so they were already pretty close so I got down on my hands and knees and when the right moment presented itself, I got one! They're a little harder to catch since I'm used to snakes and lizards that can't fly away if you miss!
After lunch I shot an interview with the student who worked at Oxfam in Oxford named Kathryne. We Shot her at work in the store but never got around to doing an interview. What better time than hours before we leave the students. Haha, there's always a "last minute" element to doing video work. All the planning in the world aside, there will always be some shot or some edit that pushes the line of time. It's an integral part of video (film, news, documentary, it doesn't matter) and it's the part of video I thrive on. Just like sometimes deadlines in Abilene keep me up and editing all night, this hectic filming schedule of 24/7 for 10 days in Oxford, England and Girona & Barcelona, Spain, has been absolutely EXHAUSTING, however I love the feeling. I love not knowing what's coming next and just happening upon students doing great things on their time off. I know my break is coming tomorrow as I fly back to a "normal life" in the states, but it is not a bittersweet leaving. It's a bitter leaving. I want to stay here longer. I want to continue to hone my craft in unfamiliar, bright & vibrant surroundings. I have learned so much about my camera, videography, and my self on this trip. Things that work, things that don't work, that I couldn't learn filming lectures and football games. However, I AM excited to begin editing together the videos for ACU from this footage. Be it "trailers" for Study Abroad or recruiting videos, I'm anxious to see the final product from some of this footage. I'll try to get more footage up in the hotel in Barcelona tonight, but, like everywhere else on this trip, I won't be sure of the internet situation until I get there.
On a sadder note, I am SICK. My sinuses are completely plugged and breathing from my nose is not even an option. I hope to find a pharmacy before we take the train to Barcelona this afternoon because inhaling steam didn't work and I got nothing else to try except for hopefully finding medicine.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
I lied...
Ok I lied. I can't stop writing. Last night for dinner was Crepes at an amazing little Crepery. And then it was bedtime.
This morning we woke up and followed some students to the Saturday outdoor market. It was National Geographic come to life. Rows and rows of cheap, knockoff brands, Okies (Oklies), Molex (Rolex), motorDiesel (Diesel), K&Y (DK&Y), Acliclas (Adidas), etc. Other rows were a crayon box of colorful food. Fresh produce and meat as far as you could see. Intermixed were various stands selling cooked food that smelled wonderful but I was too busy shooting students (with a camera) to stop and enjoy it too much.
After the market we made our way back to the hotel but stopped at a little sandiwch shop to order lunch. The poor lady tried to deal with 15 or so Americans trying to order and make change in her restaurant that was maybe 10'x10'. It was hectic but my Spanish is getting strong so it was no trouble to order food for myself and Ronnie and she seemed to appreciate being able to communicate with someone, even if at a low comprehension level. While we were there a horrible noise came from the street. I ran out to see a lady pull her terrier-mix away from the jaws of a HUGE german shepherd who was being held back by his owner. The woman ran away in tears screaming something in Catalon back at the other man. People rushed out of stores to help out and see what was going on. Turns out the lady's dog was fine but her hand was bleeding pretty good. I'm guessing she got bit pulling her dog away. I know it's a bad idea to interfere with a dog fight but her dog woulda been toast had she not done something. In the end the police showed up and they were giving statements as we left so I'm sure all will be well.
It's 12:30am now. We're in the bus driving back to Girona from Barcelona. I'm exhausted, but the bus is loud with excitement.
When we got to Barcelona we were running a bit behind so we quickly walked up Las Ramblas to meet the Fat Tire Bike Tour guides. The students were split into 2 groups and we were off. For 4 hours. It would be hard/tiring to film a 4 hour walking tour! Now take that, add in me having to try to ride a bike and film at the same time, while dodging traffic and pedestrians and it made for an exhausting afternoon. However, seeing the sights in Barcelona made it a little easier and once we hit the Mediterranean, it was all worth it. Our guide showed us several historic buildings and churches in the area, as well as the Gaudy cathedral. When someone says "that's gaudy" about something that's just too overdone (think old women's clothing and jewelry sometimes), it comes from this man's architecture/art. His cathedral was literally a bas-releif mural kind of thing on the entire outside of the front of the church. From the ground to the top tower. Not only that, but it was very random in it's architecture. Apparently he had a hard time making up his mind. When we got to the beach we had 30 minutes to find some dinner and hang out. I shot some students wading into the Mediterranean and eating and when I turned around to look for the band that was playing, I saw the weirdest site. A bunch of old people doing an odd circle dance. Apparently it's just what Catalonians do. These weren't tourists, just Catalonians walking around shopping that decided to dance when they heard the music play. Very interesting!
After the bike ride we boarded the bus to go to the soccer game. It was Football Club Barcelona vs Atletico de Madrid. Final score was 6-1 Barcelona! It was a high-energy game, let me tell you. Those people cheered for EVERYTHING. Even substitutions. I quickly learned that in Spain, whistling during a game is not another form of cheering as it is in America. It's the spanish version of "Boo!" Directly behind where my group was sitting was a fenced off area for the Madrid fans. I guess in an effort to keep fighting to a minimum. They were behind a chain link fence and had many riot police in full riot gear (helmets, shields, the works) in with them. Even though their team got spanked up and down the field they never stopped cheering. These people have some team spirit here. The only thing I didn't enjoy about the game was the fact that smoking was allowed in the arena. It's not allowed in most of the Spanish restaurants or stores and since Abilene has outlawed it in public places I'd forgotten how much I despise the smell and trying to breathe when the air is full of the stuff.
All and all it's been a LONG day of work, but then again, work consisted of a bike tour of Barcelona and going to a soccer game in freakin' Spain with 90,000 crazy fans!
Tomorrow's our last day with the students and we're only with them till around 4 before we head back to Barcelona to catch our flight home on the 6th. I'll try to get some of today's footage up but as exhausted as I am it will most definitely be rough and not pretty, but you'll at least get to see some of the things I was fortunate enough to experience. Until later...
This morning we woke up and followed some students to the Saturday outdoor market. It was National Geographic come to life. Rows and rows of cheap, knockoff brands, Okies (Oklies), Molex (Rolex), motorDiesel (Diesel), K&Y (DK&Y), Acliclas (Adidas), etc. Other rows were a crayon box of colorful food. Fresh produce and meat as far as you could see. Intermixed were various stands selling cooked food that smelled wonderful but I was too busy shooting students (with a camera) to stop and enjoy it too much.
After the market we made our way back to the hotel but stopped at a little sandiwch shop to order lunch. The poor lady tried to deal with 15 or so Americans trying to order and make change in her restaurant that was maybe 10'x10'. It was hectic but my Spanish is getting strong so it was no trouble to order food for myself and Ronnie and she seemed to appreciate being able to communicate with someone, even if at a low comprehension level. While we were there a horrible noise came from the street. I ran out to see a lady pull her terrier-mix away from the jaws of a HUGE german shepherd who was being held back by his owner. The woman ran away in tears screaming something in Catalon back at the other man. People rushed out of stores to help out and see what was going on. Turns out the lady's dog was fine but her hand was bleeding pretty good. I'm guessing she got bit pulling her dog away. I know it's a bad idea to interfere with a dog fight but her dog woulda been toast had she not done something. In the end the police showed up and they were giving statements as we left so I'm sure all will be well.
It's 12:30am now. We're in the bus driving back to Girona from Barcelona. I'm exhausted, but the bus is loud with excitement.
When we got to Barcelona we were running a bit behind so we quickly walked up Las Ramblas to meet the Fat Tire Bike Tour guides. The students were split into 2 groups and we were off. For 4 hours. It would be hard/tiring to film a 4 hour walking tour! Now take that, add in me having to try to ride a bike and film at the same time, while dodging traffic and pedestrians and it made for an exhausting afternoon. However, seeing the sights in Barcelona made it a little easier and once we hit the Mediterranean, it was all worth it. Our guide showed us several historic buildings and churches in the area, as well as the Gaudy cathedral. When someone says "that's gaudy" about something that's just too overdone (think old women's clothing and jewelry sometimes), it comes from this man's architecture/art. His cathedral was literally a bas-releif mural kind of thing on the entire outside of the front of the church. From the ground to the top tower. Not only that, but it was very random in it's architecture. Apparently he had a hard time making up his mind. When we got to the beach we had 30 minutes to find some dinner and hang out. I shot some students wading into the Mediterranean and eating and when I turned around to look for the band that was playing, I saw the weirdest site. A bunch of old people doing an odd circle dance. Apparently it's just what Catalonians do. These weren't tourists, just Catalonians walking around shopping that decided to dance when they heard the music play. Very interesting!
After the bike ride we boarded the bus to go to the soccer game. It was Football Club Barcelona vs Atletico de Madrid. Final score was 6-1 Barcelona! It was a high-energy game, let me tell you. Those people cheered for EVERYTHING. Even substitutions. I quickly learned that in Spain, whistling during a game is not another form of cheering as it is in America. It's the spanish version of "Boo!" Directly behind where my group was sitting was a fenced off area for the Madrid fans. I guess in an effort to keep fighting to a minimum. They were behind a chain link fence and had many riot police in full riot gear (helmets, shields, the works) in with them. Even though their team got spanked up and down the field they never stopped cheering. These people have some team spirit here. The only thing I didn't enjoy about the game was the fact that smoking was allowed in the arena. It's not allowed in most of the Spanish restaurants or stores and since Abilene has outlawed it in public places I'd forgotten how much I despise the smell and trying to breathe when the air is full of the stuff.
All and all it's been a LONG day of work, but then again, work consisted of a bike tour of Barcelona and going to a soccer game in freakin' Spain with 90,000 crazy fans!
Tomorrow's our last day with the students and we're only with them till around 4 before we head back to Barcelona to catch our flight home on the 6th. I'll try to get some of today's footage up but as exhausted as I am it will most definitely be rough and not pretty, but you'll at least get to see some of the things I was fortunate enough to experience. Until later...
Friday, October 3, 2008
End of Blog
I leave you with these last 2 videos from tonight. If you'd like more information or to see other video clips I may put together, just let me know and I'll see what I can do.
Girona Sunset from Scott Delony on Vimeo.
Lightning Over Girona from Scott Delony on Vimeo.
Girona Sunset from Scott Delony on Vimeo.
Lightning Over Girona from Scott Delony on Vimeo.
Day 6
Found reliable internet! I pick up great WiFi sitting on the steps of a beautiful cathedral next to the hotel. Don't believe me? Here's a few photos I took while writing this note...
It's 7pm now. I decided to take the afternoon off while the students had some free time and get myself lost in Girona. Literally. I made every effort to not pay attention to where I walked and then I rambled around town looking through shops an stores as I made my way back towards the 2 cathedrals on the horizon. So I guess I wasn't too lost after all since my hotel is between 2 very prominent landmarks. The people here are surprisingly friendly, especially in some of the smaller shops only found in remote alleyways. Some of those people seem to barely speak Spanish and moreso Catalon, but all very obliging to answer questions as best they could. Smiles are traded in the street here sometimes. That's a nice change from my last visit to Europe when I went to France and everyone seemed annoyed with the word. While it was refreshing to see the occasional ACU face walking through the streets and markets, it was also nice to "blend in" (though I'm sure I stuck out like a sore thumb to locals). To be forgotten in the crowd. To not know anyone and not be known by anyone. It was a strange sort of loneliness, but a peaceful one I am not used to. Finally I had to make my way back to the hotel. I guess I haven't said on my blog yet, that I didn't bring tennis shoes. I brought Dr. Martins. Bad idea. The blisters on my feet and sore legs are a painful reminder to put more thought into packing!
Currently I'm back at the cathedral becuase the sun is beginning to set and I wanted to shoot a time lapse of the city in the horion. Hopefully it works. I set it to take 1 frame every 10 seconds (24 frames makes 1 second of actual video), so I'll be here awhile but hopefully it pays off. I'll make sure to get that clip uploaded tonight, though it will only be 10 or 20 seconds long.
Until later...
Last night I had the privilege of filming the student's first reactions to the beautiful scenery that is Girona. After they toured the city at night for a bit, we headed to 10:30 dinner at a local restaurant. Dinner consisted (for me, anyway) of pesto pasta, which was amazing (I know, I say everything I eat is amazing, but it's true, it is), the same Beef I had for lunch, and a "praline" pudding for dessert. I can't describe that at all. Obviously it was amazing, but it had flavors that have never graced my pallet before, so I really don't have words to describe it.
This morning we awoke and filmed the students on a walking tour of the Girona Cathedral and some Spanish Baths. I'm very glad I'm not here as a student because I found it impossible to listen to the tour guide when we were inside the cathedral. The enormity and magnificence of the cathedral was just too much to take in. Unfortunately, photography and videogrfaphy were not allowed, but trust me when I say it was breathtaking. Though this blog probably proves otherwise, I'm not easily "awestruck." I was inside this cathedral. Vaulted ceilings pointing to heaven with no ornate detail overlooked. The idea that people could build a building of this magnitude in the 14th century baffles me. After the Cathedral tour it was off to a Spanish Bath. The guide talked of how the ancient people were able to control the river flowing through to bring both hot and cold water to different baths, but once again, I didn't pay attention. I was able to film it and it was too much to take in at once. You really realize how young and insignificant (in terms of world history) America really is. Yes, we're a powerful nation, but we have NOTHING in the way of history compared to these European nations.
I am truely blessed to have this experience and while I'm kicking myself for not studying abroad as a student, I think the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of this trip are far more appreciated now that I'm a little older than they would have been when I was a student. The world is much bigger than I thought, and I've only visited 2 countries outside of my own on this trip. Every time i see a local. Climb the steps of a cathedral, eat a new dish, enjoy the beautiful scenery offset by mountains on the horizon, it just keeps driving home one point over and over. God is truly amazing.
Now, as I'm writing this blog and contemplating where to eat lunch, I'm sitting on the steps of the Girona Cathedral, listening to a local instrumentalist playing some sort of hand-hit steel drum (tell me that's not better than sitting in an office somewhere!). I'll make sure to include it as the soundtrack in one of the videos I hope to post today because it sounds really cool. Sort of Jamaican/middle eastern/aAfrican.
I had my "babel" moment today. It usually happens at least once on a trip where I'm around another language. My last one was with a Japanese ACU student in Chicago where she was speaking Japanese and I could understand it fine, and tell others in the group what she was saying, though I couldn't speak it back. Today, right after I closed my computer to return to the hotel, the hand-drum player I spoke of earlier, in my blog, came and sat down by me when he was taking a break from playing. I asked him what the instrument was called and where it's origin is, etc and before long we had a nice conversation. His name is Omar, he's 30 years old and originally from brazil. He bought the drum in Switzerland for 2000€. He said it's a fair price because it takes 2 artisans 2 years to make it. I told him that there were 32 US students from a Christian university studying in England and that they're in Spain for 2 weeks on a trip. He said he's going to the US in August to try to make money playing his drum there. I asked him if he like Brazil or Spain better and he said both for different reasons. Spain is very calm and tranquil, while Brazil is very loud and filled with music and energy. After that I told him I played the cello and he got very excited because usually when he's playing in Spain, its' with a cellist friend of his. Hopefully I'll see the two of them after the trip. When we parted ways, Omar remarked on how good my Spanish was for being an American. It hit me then I didn't notice whether I was speaking English or Spanish that entire conversation. I just communicated. Kinda creepy. Kinda cool. God is amazing.
Here's that video I promised earlier. I really like it, so I hope you do too!
This morning we awoke and filmed the students on a walking tour of the Girona Cathedral and some Spanish Baths. I'm very glad I'm not here as a student because I found it impossible to listen to the tour guide when we were inside the cathedral. The enormity and magnificence of the cathedral was just too much to take in. Unfortunately, photography and videogrfaphy were not allowed, but trust me when I say it was breathtaking. Though this blog probably proves otherwise, I'm not easily "awestruck." I was inside this cathedral. Vaulted ceilings pointing to heaven with no ornate detail overlooked. The idea that people could build a building of this magnitude in the 14th century baffles me. After the Cathedral tour it was off to a Spanish Bath. The guide talked of how the ancient people were able to control the river flowing through to bring both hot and cold water to different baths, but once again, I didn't pay attention. I was able to film it and it was too much to take in at once. You really realize how young and insignificant (in terms of world history) America really is. Yes, we're a powerful nation, but we have NOTHING in the way of history compared to these European nations.
I am truely blessed to have this experience and while I'm kicking myself for not studying abroad as a student, I think the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of this trip are far more appreciated now that I'm a little older than they would have been when I was a student. The world is much bigger than I thought, and I've only visited 2 countries outside of my own on this trip. Every time i see a local. Climb the steps of a cathedral, eat a new dish, enjoy the beautiful scenery offset by mountains on the horizon, it just keeps driving home one point over and over. God is truly amazing.
Now, as I'm writing this blog and contemplating where to eat lunch, I'm sitting on the steps of the Girona Cathedral, listening to a local instrumentalist playing some sort of hand-hit steel drum (tell me that's not better than sitting in an office somewhere!). I'll make sure to include it as the soundtrack in one of the videos I hope to post today because it sounds really cool. Sort of Jamaican/middle eastern/aAfrican.
I had my "babel" moment today. It usually happens at least once on a trip where I'm around another language. My last one was with a Japanese ACU student in Chicago where she was speaking Japanese and I could understand it fine, and tell others in the group what she was saying, though I couldn't speak it back. Today, right after I closed my computer to return to the hotel, the hand-drum player I spoke of earlier, in my blog, came and sat down by me when he was taking a break from playing. I asked him what the instrument was called and where it's origin is, etc and before long we had a nice conversation. His name is Omar, he's 30 years old and originally from brazil. He bought the drum in Switzerland for 2000€. He said it's a fair price because it takes 2 artisans 2 years to make it. I told him that there were 32 US students from a Christian university studying in England and that they're in Spain for 2 weeks on a trip. He said he's going to the US in August to try to make money playing his drum there. I asked him if he like Brazil or Spain better and he said both for different reasons. Spain is very calm and tranquil, while Brazil is very loud and filled with music and energy. After that I told him I played the cello and he got very excited because usually when he's playing in Spain, its' with a cellist friend of his. Hopefully I'll see the two of them after the trip. When we parted ways, Omar remarked on how good my Spanish was for being an American. It hit me then I didn't notice whether I was speaking English or Spanish that entire conversation. I just communicated. Kinda creepy. Kinda cool. God is amazing.
Here's that video I promised earlier. I really like it, so I hope you do too!
It's 7pm now. I decided to take the afternoon off while the students had some free time and get myself lost in Girona. Literally. I made every effort to not pay attention to where I walked and then I rambled around town looking through shops an stores as I made my way back towards the 2 cathedrals on the horizon. So I guess I wasn't too lost after all since my hotel is between 2 very prominent landmarks. The people here are surprisingly friendly, especially in some of the smaller shops only found in remote alleyways. Some of those people seem to barely speak Spanish and moreso Catalon, but all very obliging to answer questions as best they could. Smiles are traded in the street here sometimes. That's a nice change from my last visit to Europe when I went to France and everyone seemed annoyed with the word. While it was refreshing to see the occasional ACU face walking through the streets and markets, it was also nice to "blend in" (though I'm sure I stuck out like a sore thumb to locals). To be forgotten in the crowd. To not know anyone and not be known by anyone. It was a strange sort of loneliness, but a peaceful one I am not used to. Finally I had to make my way back to the hotel. I guess I haven't said on my blog yet, that I didn't bring tennis shoes. I brought Dr. Martins. Bad idea. The blisters on my feet and sore legs are a painful reminder to put more thought into packing!
Currently I'm back at the cathedral becuase the sun is beginning to set and I wanted to shoot a time lapse of the city in the horion. Hopefully it works. I set it to take 1 frame every 10 seconds (24 frames makes 1 second of actual video), so I'll be here awhile but hopefully it pays off. I'll make sure to get that clip uploaded tonight, though it will only be 10 or 20 seconds long.
Until later...
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Day 5
Today has been unbelievable! Spain is as different from Oxford as it is from the US. Breakfast was coffee & croissants and then it was off to walk the city and shoot video.
Last night proved interesting as having a hotel nesteled between two beautiful cathedrals has a drawback. Cathedrals have bell towers. Bell towers are loud. One cathedral is about 5 minutes ahead of the other. So every hour, on the hour, and then 5 after the hour, I was awakened by a loud BOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNGGGGGG! Haha. Today I've tuned it out as I walk the city so I'm sure I'll sleep better tonight. I awoke to a heavy amount of marijuana smoke pouring into my window from the street below. If it's not illegal here, people make no attempt to hide it!
I ate lunch with Ronnie Ruiz (photographer), Kris Evans, and Ronnie Morgan. We ate at a little outdoor cafe in a sort of town square. The way many restaurants work here is there is a set price, say 10€, and then you have 10 choices for a first course, 10 for a second, 5 for a dessert. A bottle of water are also included. It makes ordering very simple! The appetizer was an amazing salad complete with STRONG bleu cheese chunks and fig dressing. My main course was thinly sliced grille beef ribs. Once again, amazing, though I sampled some of Ronnie Morgan's octopus and regretted not ordering it! Dessert was a chocolate crepe. Perfection.
The students get in at 10 and we'll head off to what is supposed to be an amazing traditional meal. I'll report back with a video and a review either tonight or tomorrow.
Attached is my ADD look at the city from today. I tried to get as many scenic shots and "transition shots" as I could before students arrive so I can spend the next 5 days focusing on them and not filler shots. This video basically highlights my day. From my hotel balcony & lobby, to the grandiose cathedrals & mountainscapes, to food, to pigeons eating the leftovers on the ground. It doesn't make sense. It's not supposed to. It's rough, it's not color corrected, It's not pretty. There's way too many pigeon shots! It's simply an overview of what I saw today through my camera lens. I hope you enjoy it though! This place is gorgeous and impossible to fully grasp without being here. Hopefully my video will give you a taste of what is Girona, Spain.
Last night proved interesting as having a hotel nesteled between two beautiful cathedrals has a drawback. Cathedrals have bell towers. Bell towers are loud. One cathedral is about 5 minutes ahead of the other. So every hour, on the hour, and then 5 after the hour, I was awakened by a loud BOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNGGGGGG! Haha. Today I've tuned it out as I walk the city so I'm sure I'll sleep better tonight. I awoke to a heavy amount of marijuana smoke pouring into my window from the street below. If it's not illegal here, people make no attempt to hide it!
I ate lunch with Ronnie Ruiz (photographer), Kris Evans, and Ronnie Morgan. We ate at a little outdoor cafe in a sort of town square. The way many restaurants work here is there is a set price, say 10€, and then you have 10 choices for a first course, 10 for a second, 5 for a dessert. A bottle of water are also included. It makes ordering very simple! The appetizer was an amazing salad complete with STRONG bleu cheese chunks and fig dressing. My main course was thinly sliced grille beef ribs. Once again, amazing, though I sampled some of Ronnie Morgan's octopus and regretted not ordering it! Dessert was a chocolate crepe. Perfection.
The students get in at 10 and we'll head off to what is supposed to be an amazing traditional meal. I'll report back with a video and a review either tonight or tomorrow.
Attached is my ADD look at the city from today. I tried to get as many scenic shots and "transition shots" as I could before students arrive so I can spend the next 5 days focusing on them and not filler shots. This video basically highlights my day. From my hotel balcony & lobby, to the grandiose cathedrals & mountainscapes, to food, to pigeons eating the leftovers on the ground. It doesn't make sense. It's not supposed to. It's rough, it's not color corrected, It's not pretty. There's way too many pigeon shots! It's simply an overview of what I saw today through my camera lens. I hope you enjoy it though! This place is gorgeous and impossible to fully grasp without being here. Hopefully my video will give you a taste of what is Girona, Spain.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Day 4
WARNING - INTERNET IN SPAIN IS SKETCHY, MAY TAKE LONGER TO GET UPDATES OUT!
Today is our last day in Oxford. We leave this afternoon for Spain. I would be lying if I said I was ready to go. There's something about this place. I don't know what it is, the culture, the people, the weather...something just begs you to stay. I now understand why my friends all came home from Study Abroad talking about how they wanted to move to Oxford for good. They weren't being dramatic, they were speaking the truth.
This place changes you, who you are. Student say they come here for school and end up finding themselves, often in a different light then they thought they really are. As I sit here on a modern-looking leather Ikea sofa, next to a huge bay window overlooking a beautiful, typical English back yard with it's brick walls overgrown in moss and vegetation, blogging away on my apple laptop and drinking the laté I purchased at the local hole-in-the-wall sandwich shop this morning, and enjoy every minute of it, I can't help but think, what's happening to me? I'm big tough Scott! I live in Texas! I catch rattlesnakes for fun! I carry a gun! I drive an SUV! I don't sit by the window, blogging about deep issues while drinking latés! But here I am. Enjoying every minute of it.
Ok, back to Earth here...sorta. This morning Ronnie and I went to On the Hoof for one last breakfast. They were all so excited to see us when we came in and they were apologizing because they knew we had to leave today (they really know their customers well). Debbie sat down with us and told us of places we must visit while we're here and of some of the crazier people around town. She also told us about famous people that have come into On the Hoof in the past. It was a nice morning.
When Ronnie and I got back to the house, Stephen Shoemaker, Kevin Kehl and Corey Patterson were waitng to take us to get some scenic shots around town. First we went to a local market where people did not want to be videoed. After that it was off to Christ's Church which was so magnificent it was hard to take it all in. I got some footage that will hardly do it justice but I'll post it this evening, pending we have internet in Spain. After Christ's Church was Iffley Church. Another beautiful church with an amazing graveyard surrounding it. Again, a pleasure to shoot but we were in such a hurry I felt quite rushed. I guess I'll have to come back again!
Here's a video from Christ Church and Iffley Church. These 2 aren't in HD due to bandwidth, I'll work on that later.
And here's a video of what driving through Oxford looks like. Notice how the styles of architecture change from building to building and block to block. So beautiful!
Arrived at airport and went to get on plane. Turns out you can only have 1 carry-on bag (under 10 kilos) and if you check more than 1 bag (under 15 kilos), it's £16 per additional bag, PLUS any weight over your 15 kilo limit costs a ridiculous £12 per kilo. Now I understand why most of Rayan Air's flights are about £5. So upon figuring out it was going to cost a LOT of money, we made a mad dash to a scale and started swapping out items and bags with everyone in our group to try to keep the extra charges to a minimum. It was tough for me because I am carrying $12,000 or so worth of sensitive video equipment in my 2 carry-on bags and I refuse to check any of it due to it's value. It's a good thing I bought a backpack-style laptop case before we left. I managed to fit the camera and laptop in it and my other valuable's in other people's carry-on bags. We finally paid our extra charges and moved on to the security checkpoint. I won't reveal the numbers but let's just say it was a lot.
Security seemed pretty typical until the metal detector dings when you walk through. Instead of letting you empty your pockets or remove a belt and try again like they let you do in the US, you're simply patted down. And by patted down, I mean a security guard gets VERY friendly in his search. After the security guard made it known he wanted to be close friends with me, I moved on to the bag-retrieval where I was questioned by the ladies as to why I had all of the equipment in it. I didn't think much of it since I was questioned in Abilene as well since there are a lot of cords and hard drives and 2 cameras, and it could seem suspicious, but when i finished explaining to the lady why I was on this trip she said "Oh wow! I was just being nosy because it's very nice equipment you have there!" Go figure!
While we were sitting in the terminal waiting for the plane (that would end up being 30 minutes late), Ronnie Morgan shared some food with us that he brought back from france. On a small wheat cracker he stacked a rather large slice of Brie and some Jamon Crue Fuma. Roughly translated that means Pig Raw Smoke. Aka, smoked raw ham. It was unbelievable. So much flavor, I really can't describe it. I won't tell you how much I love it until tomorrow so I can make sure I'm not sick from eating raw ham and un-refigerated cheese on a cracker!
We boarded the plane by walking out onto the tarmac and up the stairs. An interesting thing about Ryan Air that the US companies should consider is that you board the plane from both the back AND the front so loading and unloading are quick and much less of a headache. Seats are not assigned so you just find an empty seat or or row and sit down. The inside of the plane is simple, no pockets of magazines in the seat backs or buttons for reclining your seat. Advertisements are posted on the overhead bins and your safety information is printed on the headrest of the seat in front of you.
Forgive the quality, it's from the webcam on my laptop.
The safety presentation by the flight attendants was something out of an edward-scissorhands era Tim Burton film. The walls and ceilings are a sterile white, the seats are a deep blue, and the headrests, trim, and overhead bins are a bright shade of over-saturated yellow. With that as a backdrop there were a half dozen flight attendants in their bright blue uniforms, hair tightly pulled back into a bun, moving as one demonstrating the safety features. Perfectly choreographed they pointed out the exits and how to inflate the life jacket. For a video nerd like me, it was very cinematic.
The flight to Girona was, for the most part, smooth. Cramped, loud, smelled like microwave pizza, liquor, and cheap "fine wine," but smooth. It was very cloudy but it made the view spectacular. As we flew over the Pyrenees they just poked through the clouds that stretched all the way to the pastel blue & orange horizon with just a slight break through which you could see the ocean.
After the flight we caught a taxi to our hotel. The driver had a bit of a lisp but my grasp on his Spanish was still pretty good. It will be pretty cool to be in a total immersion situation with Spanish where hardly anyone in the city we're staying in will speak English. Now to our hotel. It's nested in between two beautiful Cathedrals on streets you may expect to see in Italy. The "streets" are maybe 15 feet wide and both sides are 5 or 6 story buildings. So basically beautiful alleys. Our hotel is called "Hotel Historic" and it's exactly that. It was built in the medieval era, probably a castle of sorts. Now they've added bathrooms and electricity and the typical amenities one "needs" now days. It's beautiful! However, internet access is sparse so I don't know how often I'll be able to get on.
We walked a few blocks to an outdoor restaurant for Dinner (at 9:30, people here eat late). It was a 3 course meal. My first course was Melon con Jamon which was Slices of raw smoked ham on some sort of very sweet melon. The ham was excellent with a very earthy, nutty taste. While the combination may seem odd, the sweet melon was a perfect companion to the ham. My second course was Conejo con All i Oil, which was Rabbit with garlic and oil. All I can say is I'll be trying to shoot some rabbits when I get back home. It was amazing. Dessert consisted of Flan & Crema de Catalon. Again, both amazing. A little bitter, not to sweet, but a perfect compliment to an amazing mea. After dinner we walked around the town of Girona a little bit to look at the architecture and culture. We found cathedrals from the 11th century and walls and arches from the 3rd century. Still standing! Still intact! I'm going to have fun videoing this place.
ALSO! I found out we're also going to a futball game on Saturday night!!!!!Barcelona vs Atletico de Madrid! It's going to be insane! For safety reasons I may have to take my handheld HDV camera instead of my nice DVCPRO HD camera but either way expect some crazy soccer game & crazy soccer fans footage here in the future!
Now I'm off to bed. I hope I can find internet to upload videos of some of theses sites throughout the week!
Today is our last day in Oxford. We leave this afternoon for Spain. I would be lying if I said I was ready to go. There's something about this place. I don't know what it is, the culture, the people, the weather...something just begs you to stay. I now understand why my friends all came home from Study Abroad talking about how they wanted to move to Oxford for good. They weren't being dramatic, they were speaking the truth.
This place changes you, who you are. Student say they come here for school and end up finding themselves, often in a different light then they thought they really are. As I sit here on a modern-looking leather Ikea sofa, next to a huge bay window overlooking a beautiful, typical English back yard with it's brick walls overgrown in moss and vegetation, blogging away on my apple laptop and drinking the laté I purchased at the local hole-in-the-wall sandwich shop this morning, and enjoy every minute of it, I can't help but think, what's happening to me? I'm big tough Scott! I live in Texas! I catch rattlesnakes for fun! I carry a gun! I drive an SUV! I don't sit by the window, blogging about deep issues while drinking latés! But here I am. Enjoying every minute of it.
Ok, back to Earth here...sorta. This morning Ronnie and I went to On the Hoof for one last breakfast. They were all so excited to see us when we came in and they were apologizing because they knew we had to leave today (they really know their customers well). Debbie sat down with us and told us of places we must visit while we're here and of some of the crazier people around town. She also told us about famous people that have come into On the Hoof in the past. It was a nice morning.
When Ronnie and I got back to the house, Stephen Shoemaker, Kevin Kehl and Corey Patterson were waitng to take us to get some scenic shots around town. First we went to a local market where people did not want to be videoed. After that it was off to Christ's Church which was so magnificent it was hard to take it all in. I got some footage that will hardly do it justice but I'll post it this evening, pending we have internet in Spain. After Christ's Church was Iffley Church. Another beautiful church with an amazing graveyard surrounding it. Again, a pleasure to shoot but we were in such a hurry I felt quite rushed. I guess I'll have to come back again!
Here's a video from Christ Church and Iffley Church. These 2 aren't in HD due to bandwidth, I'll work on that later.
And here's a video of what driving through Oxford looks like. Notice how the styles of architecture change from building to building and block to block. So beautiful!
Arrived at airport and went to get on plane. Turns out you can only have 1 carry-on bag (under 10 kilos) and if you check more than 1 bag (under 15 kilos), it's £16 per additional bag, PLUS any weight over your 15 kilo limit costs a ridiculous £12 per kilo. Now I understand why most of Rayan Air's flights are about £5. So upon figuring out it was going to cost a LOT of money, we made a mad dash to a scale and started swapping out items and bags with everyone in our group to try to keep the extra charges to a minimum. It was tough for me because I am carrying $12,000 or so worth of sensitive video equipment in my 2 carry-on bags and I refuse to check any of it due to it's value. It's a good thing I bought a backpack-style laptop case before we left. I managed to fit the camera and laptop in it and my other valuable's in other people's carry-on bags. We finally paid our extra charges and moved on to the security checkpoint. I won't reveal the numbers but let's just say it was a lot.
Security seemed pretty typical until the metal detector dings when you walk through. Instead of letting you empty your pockets or remove a belt and try again like they let you do in the US, you're simply patted down. And by patted down, I mean a security guard gets VERY friendly in his search. After the security guard made it known he wanted to be close friends with me, I moved on to the bag-retrieval where I was questioned by the ladies as to why I had all of the equipment in it. I didn't think much of it since I was questioned in Abilene as well since there are a lot of cords and hard drives and 2 cameras, and it could seem suspicious, but when i finished explaining to the lady why I was on this trip she said "Oh wow! I was just being nosy because it's very nice equipment you have there!" Go figure!
While we were sitting in the terminal waiting for the plane (that would end up being 30 minutes late), Ronnie Morgan shared some food with us that he brought back from france. On a small wheat cracker he stacked a rather large slice of Brie and some Jamon Crue Fuma. Roughly translated that means Pig Raw Smoke. Aka, smoked raw ham. It was unbelievable. So much flavor, I really can't describe it. I won't tell you how much I love it until tomorrow so I can make sure I'm not sick from eating raw ham and un-refigerated cheese on a cracker!
We boarded the plane by walking out onto the tarmac and up the stairs. An interesting thing about Ryan Air that the US companies should consider is that you board the plane from both the back AND the front so loading and unloading are quick and much less of a headache. Seats are not assigned so you just find an empty seat or or row and sit down. The inside of the plane is simple, no pockets of magazines in the seat backs or buttons for reclining your seat. Advertisements are posted on the overhead bins and your safety information is printed on the headrest of the seat in front of you.
The safety presentation by the flight attendants was something out of an edward-scissorhands era Tim Burton film. The walls and ceilings are a sterile white, the seats are a deep blue, and the headrests, trim, and overhead bins are a bright shade of over-saturated yellow. With that as a backdrop there were a half dozen flight attendants in their bright blue uniforms, hair tightly pulled back into a bun, moving as one demonstrating the safety features. Perfectly choreographed they pointed out the exits and how to inflate the life jacket. For a video nerd like me, it was very cinematic.
The flight to Girona was, for the most part, smooth. Cramped, loud, smelled like microwave pizza, liquor, and cheap "fine wine," but smooth. It was very cloudy but it made the view spectacular. As we flew over the Pyrenees they just poked through the clouds that stretched all the way to the pastel blue & orange horizon with just a slight break through which you could see the ocean.
God's artwork is pretty freakin' amazing.
After the flight we caught a taxi to our hotel. The driver had a bit of a lisp but my grasp on his Spanish was still pretty good. It will be pretty cool to be in a total immersion situation with Spanish where hardly anyone in the city we're staying in will speak English. Now to our hotel. It's nested in between two beautiful Cathedrals on streets you may expect to see in Italy. The "streets" are maybe 15 feet wide and both sides are 5 or 6 story buildings. So basically beautiful alleys. Our hotel is called "Hotel Historic" and it's exactly that. It was built in the medieval era, probably a castle of sorts. Now they've added bathrooms and electricity and the typical amenities one "needs" now days. It's beautiful! However, internet access is sparse so I don't know how often I'll be able to get on.
We walked a few blocks to an outdoor restaurant for Dinner (at 9:30, people here eat late). It was a 3 course meal. My first course was Melon con Jamon which was Slices of raw smoked ham on some sort of very sweet melon. The ham was excellent with a very earthy, nutty taste. While the combination may seem odd, the sweet melon was a perfect companion to the ham. My second course was Conejo con All i Oil, which was Rabbit with garlic and oil. All I can say is I'll be trying to shoot some rabbits when I get back home. It was amazing. Dessert consisted of Flan & Crema de Catalon. Again, both amazing. A little bitter, not to sweet, but a perfect compliment to an amazing mea. After dinner we walked around the town of Girona a little bit to look at the architecture and culture. We found cathedrals from the 11th century and walls and arches from the 3rd century. Still standing! Still intact! I'm going to have fun videoing this place.
ALSO! I found out we're also going to a futball game on Saturday night!!!!!Barcelona vs Atletico de Madrid! It's going to be insane! For safety reasons I may have to take my handheld HDV camera instead of my nice DVCPRO HD camera but either way expect some crazy soccer game & crazy soccer fans footage here in the future!
Now I'm off to bed. I hope I can find internet to upload videos of some of theses sites throughout the week!
Day 3
This morning Ronnie and I headed to the student houses at 9 to get ready for the day. For breakfast we returned to On the Hoof for breakfast and the owners not only remembered us, but remembered our names! One Bookie Bap later, we headed to the house to shoot students in class. Since I promised a description yesterday, the Bookie Bap is Sausage, Bacon, Eggs, and a little Cheese served on a Bap (kind of bread you can't buy in the states) with barbecue sauce. Yea, barbecue sauce. Sounds interesting, tastes AMAZING.
After breakfast we headed out to shoot some Oxford sites that students usually visit. We went to the Ashmolean museum, which is beautiful, but we couldn't shoot inside. I learned somethings at the museum though. First, in England, all museums are free! Second, I learned that the term "ass-load" is an actual term that has just been lost in translation. It's a measurement of goods that fit in a cart pulled by a donkey. Haha!
Next we went to shoot a student who volunteers in an Oxfam bookstore. I'll put her interview up here soon. After that we went and shot the Eagle & Child pub where Tolkien and Lewis hung out and wrote. Pretty cool to think they were in the same place that I was standing.
When we got back we shot students in class again, student rooms & kitchens, and then a student discussion about the soccer game we'll be watching when we get to Spain.
Here's an interview with Debbie Bell, owner of On the Hoof where all the students eat. Once again, if you want to watch it in HD, click on the video and expand the video on the new page to full screen.
No clue what the rest of this day will bring but I'll update as i can. Tomorrow we are going to Christ's Church where they shot the Hogwart's dining hall scenes in Harry Potter so hopefully I'll have some footage of that up soon!
After breakfast we headed out to shoot some Oxford sites that students usually visit. We went to the Ashmolean museum, which is beautiful, but we couldn't shoot inside. I learned somethings at the museum though. First, in England, all museums are free! Second, I learned that the term "ass-load" is an actual term that has just been lost in translation. It's a measurement of goods that fit in a cart pulled by a donkey. Haha!
Next we went to shoot a student who volunteers in an Oxfam bookstore. I'll put her interview up here soon. After that we went and shot the Eagle & Child pub where Tolkien and Lewis hung out and wrote. Pretty cool to think they were in the same place that I was standing.
When we got back we shot students in class again, student rooms & kitchens, and then a student discussion about the soccer game we'll be watching when we get to Spain.
Here's an interview with Debbie Bell, owner of On the Hoof where all the students eat. Once again, if you want to watch it in HD, click on the video and expand the video on the new page to full screen.
No clue what the rest of this day will bring but I'll update as i can. Tomorrow we are going to Christ's Church where they shot the Hogwart's dining hall scenes in Harry Potter so hopefully I'll have some footage of that up soon!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Day 2
Here's the street the student's live on. #9 & #10 Canterbury Road
Woke up and headed to the house about 8am. We ate a Bookie Bap at "On the Hoof" for breakfast and it was amazing. More description later.
Here's a quick video of some of what I got during the CS Lewis class. Click the video to go to Vimeo and watch it in HD.
After the C.S. Lewis class we headed out to New College where the students toured the Bodlean Library. One of the rooms is where the infirmary from Harry Potter was filmed. After that we went and filmed the quadrangle where a tree from another Harry Potter film was located. It's from the scene where Draco was turned into a ferret. We also toured the gardens and I shot the students during their guided tour as well as their self-guided tour. After the college I shot some of the students in "Downtown Oxford" as they went into different shops and such.
Here's a quick video of that field trip/class. Click the video to go to Vimeo and watch it in HD.
For dinner, we (the staff) went to The Trout. It's a restruant/pub built onto an old inn. By old, I mean 1,000 years old. It's crazy because the ceilings are SO low (no building codes back then!) but it was so cozy. Not onl that but it sits RIGHT on the Thames River. I had the fihs & Chips and it was amazing. Now it's bedtime. Until tomorrow...
Woke up and headed to the house about 8am. We ate a Bookie Bap at "On the Hoof" for breakfast and it was amazing. More description later.
Here's a quick video of some of what I got during the CS Lewis class. Click the video to go to Vimeo and watch it in HD.
After the C.S. Lewis class we headed out to New College where the students toured the Bodlean Library. One of the rooms is where the infirmary from Harry Potter was filmed. After that we went and filmed the quadrangle where a tree from another Harry Potter film was located. It's from the scene where Draco was turned into a ferret. We also toured the gardens and I shot the students during their guided tour as well as their self-guided tour. After the college I shot some of the students in "Downtown Oxford" as they went into different shops and such.
Here's a quick video of that field trip/class. Click the video to go to Vimeo and watch it in HD.
For dinner, we (the staff) went to The Trout. It's a restruant/pub built onto an old inn. By old, I mean 1,000 years old. It's crazy because the ceilings are SO low (no building codes back then!) but it was so cozy. Not onl that but it sits RIGHT on the Thames River. I had the fihs & Chips and it was amazing. Now it's bedtime. Until tomorrow...
Day 1
Flight from Abilene to Dallas
Shortly after arriving I filmed students studying in the commons room in house 9. We went to our hotel to check in (Best Western, lol!) and it wasn't ready so we went to lunch at a small Italian restaurant that was amazing. Most of the people got Calamari & Salad but I opted for Spaghetti Bolognese and wasn't disappointed. One interesting thing here is that water is NOT free. I believe a bottle of water that served 3 of us was about £2.50. On the way back to the house we stopped and looked at a house. Our guide (I forgot his name!) pointed out that it was the house where Tolkien lived while writing "The Lord of the Rings."
After we got back to the house I filmed some students studying and eating in the kitchen. After that we went in the back yard and sat down with the faculty that are living here in oxford (Ronnie & Janine Morgan, Kevin Cale, and Mel Jan Haley). The weather was gorgeous and so they were eating outside. While we were eating we looked up to see ACU Business Professor Mel Haley grabbing some apple's out of a tree that was hanging over the fence. Turns out it was Stephen Shoemaker's birthday so he was picking apples for his birthday apple pie.
It was time for a nap. I was pushing 48 hours without much sleep and it was starting to suck. I got back to the hotel with Ronnie Ruiz (the photographer) to find out our room still was not ready so we sat in the bar (and drank water!) and watched "Police Academy" while fighting to stay awake until our room was ready. We couldn't fall asleep because we had all of our equipment with us and we didn't want any of it walking off. We finally got our room and passed out until the student's evening Devotional.
The walk back to the house from our hotel after dark was amazing. The street lights were perfectly positioned to throw the most amazing and beautiful shadows. The tall (3-4 story) houses set behind large walls and bushes and trees were magnificent to see. I'm glad I forgot my still camera or I would never get anywhere without having to stop every 5 minutes to take photos.
When we arrived in the house for the 9:00 devo (called 9@9), we had to move it to the house next door due to visitors from the community coming as well as the addition of those of us coming to film and market the program. Students lead a devotional that was quite powerful and I filmed a majority of it. The footage I got was good, in spite of the darkness. We headed back to the hotel afterwards and passed out. On a funny note, in the hallway of the hotel, a group of Asian men had set up a card table and were playing some form of poker. If I would have been bolder, I would have set up a camera, but with my luck they would have been mafia and I wouldn't have survived to write this blog.
- Bumpy
- Lot's of altitude drops
- Could feel plane bouncing from air current to air current
- Bumpy
- White Knuckles
- Smoothest landing of any plane I've ever been on.
- Ate at Champs
- Watched College Football
- Sat next to 20-something German from Hamburg who was in the states looking for an apartment in Arizona
- Flight was much smoother than Abilene to Dallas
- Was interesting making a 9 hour flight with the windows on your aisle closed the whole time. Beyond feeling takeoff and landing it was difficult to believe we weren't just sitting on the ground the whole time.
- Sitting on the row next to the bathroom is nice when you have to go, but smells pretty bad about halfway through the flight.
- Only slept about 2 hours during "Ocean's 13."
- After landing we were stuck about 10 feet from the gate because they couldn't get the gate to come meet the plane. This lasted about 35 minutes. After 9 hours in a plane, the 35 minutes felt like an eternity.
- Walked 2 miles (slight exaggeration) to customs/immigration.
- Must have arrived at the same time as an Asian study abroad as there were roughly 5,000 people being herded like cattle through a series of lines, all separated by metal pipe rails. Not quite as friendly as the ropes or seat-belt material that we use in the states to keep people in line.
- Guy checking my passport and "landing card" was quite rude and obviously in no hurry despite all of the people in line.
- "Why are you here"
- "Business"
- "What business"
- "Filming University Students"
- "That's not what I consider business"
- "um.... (didn't know what to say and was cut off before I could continue)"
- "I don't know where this address you wrote down is"
- "It's in Oxford."
- "This is not an address I recognize."
- "That's the address where I"ll be staying"
- He Slams passport on the desk "Fine go on through."
- Welcome to London
- Very nice, clean bus.
- Seatbelts were NOT an option. We were reminded several times by our driver.
- Driving on the wrong side of the road never seemed like it would be un-nerving...I was wrong.
- Every time we made a turn or went through an intersection, I was wondering why we were turning into oncoming traffic! But we weren't.
Shortly after arriving I filmed students studying in the commons room in house 9. We went to our hotel to check in (Best Western, lol!) and it wasn't ready so we went to lunch at a small Italian restaurant that was amazing. Most of the people got Calamari & Salad but I opted for Spaghetti Bolognese and wasn't disappointed. One interesting thing here is that water is NOT free. I believe a bottle of water that served 3 of us was about £2.50. On the way back to the house we stopped and looked at a house. Our guide (I forgot his name!) pointed out that it was the house where Tolkien lived while writing "The Lord of the Rings."
After we got back to the house I filmed some students studying and eating in the kitchen. After that we went in the back yard and sat down with the faculty that are living here in oxford (Ronnie & Janine Morgan, Kevin Cale, and Mel Jan Haley). The weather was gorgeous and so they were eating outside. While we were eating we looked up to see ACU Business Professor Mel Haley grabbing some apple's out of a tree that was hanging over the fence. Turns out it was Stephen Shoemaker's birthday so he was picking apples for his birthday apple pie.
It was time for a nap. I was pushing 48 hours without much sleep and it was starting to suck. I got back to the hotel with Ronnie Ruiz (the photographer) to find out our room still was not ready so we sat in the bar (and drank water!) and watched "Police Academy" while fighting to stay awake until our room was ready. We couldn't fall asleep because we had all of our equipment with us and we didn't want any of it walking off. We finally got our room and passed out until the student's evening Devotional.
The walk back to the house from our hotel after dark was amazing. The street lights were perfectly positioned to throw the most amazing and beautiful shadows. The tall (3-4 story) houses set behind large walls and bushes and trees were magnificent to see. I'm glad I forgot my still camera or I would never get anywhere without having to stop every 5 minutes to take photos.
When we arrived in the house for the 9:00 devo (called 9@9), we had to move it to the house next door due to visitors from the community coming as well as the addition of those of us coming to film and market the program. Students lead a devotional that was quite powerful and I filmed a majority of it. The footage I got was good, in spite of the darkness. We headed back to the hotel afterwards and passed out. On a funny note, in the hallway of the hotel, a group of Asian men had set up a card table and were playing some form of poker. If I would have been bolder, I would have set up a camera, but with my luck they would have been mafia and I wouldn't have survived to write this blog.
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