Jesse's Summer, 2023

Since the last blog post I have changed countries and continents, arriving in Bilbao, Spain. This is where I've been since the start of June.  I intend to make more posts explaining much more about my experience here in the Basque Country (and posts that finish recapping the trip my girlfriend and I took to Malaysia this May). But in this article I am going to summarize some key parts about my stay here in Bilbao such as what brought me here, my perceptions of life in Spain, and some of my favorite activities I've done in and around Bilbao so far.  Last spring I got help finding a summer internship from my Spanish professor at the University of Toronto. He was born in Asturias, but later moved to the Basque Country for his early education, so when I asked for suggestions regarding Spanish-speaking places, he quickly suggested Bilbao.  My professor also helped me secure an internship with Agirre Lehendakaria Center , a social development organization that takes on communit...

Written by Zoë and  Translated by Jesse Over the month of May my family introduced Jesse to a spread of Malaysian dishes. Some were local foods, some western favorites, and others were more peculiar which Jesse was brave and curious enough to try. These include the  Durian (the most pungent of fruits) and chicken feet (which speaks for itself). Durante el mes de mayo mi familia presentó muchos platos de Malasia a Jesse. Unos eran locales, o occidentales, y unos eran más peculiar. Jesse tuvo el valor y la curiosidad de probarlos probarlos. Entre ellos estaban el Durian (el más acre de las frutas) y los pies del pollo (que hablan por sí mismo). An interesting fact about Malaysian street food is that stands open as early as 6 a.m. and close as late as 4 in the morning. It is quite common to see locals enjoying a Roti Canai (a type of layered flatbread) and Teh Tarik (a local milk tea) at a Mamak stall (Indian-Muslim cuisine) with tables and stools spilled out across the ...

We stayed busy after arriving in Kuala Lumpur!  ¡Nos mantuvimos ocupados tras llegar a Kuala Lumpur! The city is a maze of elevated concrete highways, and so on the first day we left home and merged into traffic heading towards Malaysia's National Museum. There are lots of small motorcycles which split lanes, cutting through traffic, and the cars are different shapes and sizes, stamped with unusual brands. A group of police trainees throttled past us all on their own motorcycle/scooter.  Hay carreteras elevadas de concreto por todo la ciudad, así que cuando salimos de la casa conducimos por coche y partimos hasta el museo national de Malasia. Se encuentra muchos motos pequeños en las calles que cortan los carriles entorno de los coches, y me di cuenta de la variedad de autos de tamaños y marcas inusuales. Me acuerdo un grupo de aprendices en la policía que pasaron manejando sus propios motos. The building was quite empty early in the morning, but there was lots to see from roc...