9 down, 8 Autonomous Communities to go

When I found out my Fulbright grant was renewed for the coming year, I was beyond ecstatic. Although I was almost 100% sure that I would be staying with the auxiliares program anyway, it was exciting to know that I would be able to be involved in the Global Classrooms program again and would be connected with all the surely awesome Fulbrighters coming in.

I told my friends and family and everyone quickly offered their congratuations. It was my Uncle Jack who really made me think about what the renewal meant. In his congratulations e-mail he wrote, "Besides minor things like another year to experience,  to learn and to explore, another year to deepen understanding of culture(s) and language(s), another year to strengthen friendships and to make new friends, besides the travel stipend for coming home, and besides the power (and coolness) of having the SECOND Fulbright year on what's shaping up to be one very impressive résumé ---------- what are your hopes for the second year?"

That's when I realized I really hadn't planned on doing anything more than the "minor things" he had mentioned. But when I was writing my blog/letter to Spain, I got to thinking. After two years here, will I really be able to say I know Spain? What can I do better to understand the country as a whole? And then it hit me. The autonomous communities.

There are 17 autonomous communities in Spain. The development of the autonomous communities, as well as how they are viewed today, is a bit complicated. Some still consider themselves to be communities (go figure!), while others consider themselves regions, and still others consider themselves to be nationalities of Spain. (Spain used to be considered a nation of nations.) The communities vary in ways such as government type, managing of finances, and official languages (though all include Spanish).

So by the end of this coming grant year, I've made a goal: to get to all 17 autonomous communities of Spain. (I told a teacher this and she then said, "You know there are 57 provinces..."). Rather than traveling all over Europe, pretending like 3 days in a city is enough time to really understand the country, I'm going to focus myself a little more. I've had a wonderful time seeing different places this year and I wouldn't take back any of my travel adventures, but it's overwhelming to feel like I have to visit the whole continent. Sometimes there is such pressure to "aprovechar" (take advantage of) being in Europe that I feel like I have to see everything while I'm here. I forget that I am only 23 years old and can continue to explore the world after my Fulbright grant ends. This goal is a bit more manageable, and a bit more meaningful for my time here. And it will definitely help my language abilities, since I'll be speaking Spanish during my travels as well.

So here's the list (with pictures, per usual) of where I've hit and where I plan on going...

1. Andalucía (Capital: Sevilla, Provincias: Almería, Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Málaga, Sevilla)

Boats in the harbor of Cádiz (2010)

 Inside the Mezquita in Córdoba (2010)

 View of the Alhambra from the Generalife in Granada (2010)

Along the harbor in Málaga (2013)

 

La Catedral in Sevilla (2010)

2. Aragón (Capital: Zaragoza, Provincias: Huesca, Teruel, Zaragoza)

 

Plaza in Zaragoza (2013)

3. Principado de Asturias (Capital: Oviedo, Provincias: Aturias)

4. Islas Baleares (Capital: Palma de Mallorca; Provincias: Islas Baleares)

5. Canarias (Capital: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (shared); Provincias: Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife)

6. Cantabria (Capital: Santander, Provincias: Cantabria)

 

The bay of Santander (2012)

7. Castilla-La Mancha (Capital: Toledo, Provincias: Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara, Toledo)

8. Castilla y León (Capital: Valladolid, Provincias: Ávila, Burgos, León, Palencia, Salamanca, Segovia, Soria, Valladolid, Zamora)

Medieval city walls in Ávila (2008)

La Plaza Mayor in Salamanca (2008)

 Aqueducts in Segovia (2008)

9. Cataluña  (Capital: Barcelona, Provincias: Barcelona, Gerona, Lérida, Tarragona)

 La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona (2010)

 
10. Valencia (Capital: Valencia, Provincias: Alicante, Castellón, Valencia)

City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia (2012)

11. Extremadura (Capital: Mérida, Provincias: Badajoz, Cáceres)

12. Galicia (Capital: Santiago de Compostela, Provincias: La Coruña, Lugo, Orense, Pontevedra)

13. La Rioja (Capital: Logroño, Provincias: La Rioja)

 On the camino leaving Logroño (2012)

14. Comunidad de Madrid (Capital: Madrid, Provincias: Madrid)

 In Retiro Park in Madrid (2012)

15. Comunidad Foral de Navarra (Capital: Pamplona, Provincias: Navarra)

16. País Vasco (Capital: Vitoria, Provincias: Álava, Guipúzcao, Vizcaya)

 The Guggenheim in Bilbao (2013)

17. Región de Murcia (Capital: Murcia, Provincias: Región de Murcia)

So, my friends, that's my plan.  It might take some convincing to find travel buddies to some of the less exciting regions (I doubt I'll struggle with company going to the Canary Islands...), but I'm determined to do it. If you want to come visit me and accompany on one of my Autonomous Community visits, I won't be opposed :) Otherwise, maybe I should start hitting up Spanish friends and friends of friends and friends of friends of friends to get local tour guides! Vamos a ver...
Much love,
Amber