Jan 30th – Day to learn Spanish versions of Kid Games

After my only class for the day, I went to my normal spot to go on my laptop to catch up on email, messaging and talking with my parents on webcam before they went to work. After, I had the nice surprise of talking to my boyfriend for a bit which it was the first time I had seen him since I’ve been here. Funny how seeing someone and talking to them at the same time becomes so valuable. Today some of my friends are talking about what they want to give up for Lent, and to be honest I’m not sure what I want to give up this year. I mean, I’m in a new place where everything is completely foreign to me, my resources are cut off and nothing is normal. So how do I decide what to give up when I’m not in my normal life? One of my friends had mentioned then about the thing she likes least about being here is that she feels like she spends most of her time waiting. Waiting to catch the bus to go home, waiting for the metro, waiting for the taxi, train, whatever. Always waiting, which yes this is true. But then I said that maybe it’ll help us to learn more patience or to learn to go at a slower pace. Just then it came to me. Lent wouldn’t be where I gave up a material substance but instead I would give up a philosophical substance. In the culture of living in the United States, regardless of age or occupation, we are almost obsessed with being in a rush. Being in a hurry or being stressed out and planning things back to back so that we do not create downtime for ourselves ever. Hence why we need and love vacations so much. But even on a vacation, we over plan or overstress and return feeling no sense of relaxing that tension we carry. Which I’m sure Mom, Dad and Evan would laugh reading this because I am one of the prime examples of this. Of course I’m not alone but I think that I could benefit from learning to not do this. Obviously. But in a new culture where people come and go as they please, there are no restrictions, naps are taken everyday and hours for places are purely hypothetical…maybe this would be the best place for me to understand this concept. Not only to understand it, but to actually put it into work in my own life. While I am here, the things that would preoccupy my time and energy are not feasible…so it maybe the best time for me to learn this so that when I come back I can try to put it into my actual life (or at least where it is possible). I have always packed my life and the events in it in a way where they completely overlap and sometimes I do worry that because of it, I will burn myself out. But since I don’t know when that point may come, I’m afraid it may come in between doing what I feel is what I want to do most with my life. My immediate family is definitely witness to watching me do this and sometimes the effects of it being too much for me to handle at times. I mean, technically after I return home, my plan is to finish the rest of my classes for my two majors and minor as well as take my MCAT sometime in between there, make a good score (for acceptance into a good med school), and then start applying to schools immediately into my spring semester or even late fall semester. Then graduate, and immediately start into med school after moving to wherever I get accepted to. Then it’s med school, residency, and specialization for however long (depending on the program) and then I would be done with school and officially practice. Which yes it will be very hard, back-breaking and tear-jerkingly hard at times, but it will be worth it in the end. But looking at it, I don’t give myself much time for much of anything at all. Maybe me wanting to come here for the semester was an attempt to stop myself from doing this (burning myself out I mean). Here I could learn what I need and it may help me to be better at this. So here in Spain for Lent, I am giving up packing my life so tight, feeling like I am missing something so I still keep packing, being impatient with waiting, rushing, being in a hurry and being stressed (in this sense because life stress will come when ever it feels necessary). I will learn to have patience, true patience and learn to wait. Besides waiting isn’t the worst thing in the world, and I could learn to be okay with waiting. Later when I got to my host home, after having lunch, siesta and then dinner Pepe and Adrian were playing a game. Which I had a hard time understanding what it was at first until they explained it to me so I could play; it’s called ‘Veo, veo’ (translation, I see, I see) which is like our game ‘I spy…with my little eye, something that is..’. how weird! It was so hard for me to play since I don’t really know my objects especially in a kitchen but they made some of them easy enough for me to guess. But playing the game helped me learn new words in the kitchen! Then Adrian wanted to say good night and give me a good night kiss, but got nervous and accidently said good morning! Aww…then he got a little embarrassed since we laughed.

Jan 29th – Day to Return to the Routine

First day back at school since our trip and it feels like our trip ended too soon. All I can think about is the great weekend we had and I can’t believe it came and went so soon. That’s probably how I’ll feel when I return home in May. Many of the students went on trips in Spain for the weekend, one of my friends Carrie in my class from Auburn (and a fellow southerner who is really chill and a sorority girl – Alpha Chi...boo, but okay) went with her friends to Granada. She said it was great and they spent much of their time lounging about just enjoying the time they were there. Not that I didn’t like doing so much, but I liked the pace that she went at. I think later her and I would become really close friends. The more we talked, the more we had in common. And actually the group from Auburn and Arizona were probably my favorite people to hang around. They weren’t fussy, they were chill and actually they reminded me a lot of the people I would see or talk to at Sun and Ski. Any who, classes were back into full swing and we definitely had the class work to show for it. I came to my host home to have dinner, worked on my homework and go to bed.

Jan 28th – Day to Recoup

When I woke up it was 2pm. I took a shower, dressed and went down to say hello. Ana asked how my weekend was and when she left to make me lunch, Adrian eagerly sprung up from watching cartoons to play with me. Seems he missed his playmate. After eating a full meal, I went to work on my homework. Dinner came, I ate and after I slept the rest of the night. Seems that I was still tired and my need for sleep is incessant. Plus it is my favorite pastime.

Jan 27th – Day of Returning to our Spanish homes

I woke up to hearing my friends talking to one of the guys that owns the hostel who was in our room telling us that we were half and hour late checking out and we needed to get a move on. Umm, okay number 1 I’m creeped out and number 2, you don’t have to tell me twice…we are out. Moral to that story, never return to that hostel…that was way to creepy and apparently he tried to follow Michelle into the elevator to go to the room. She took the stairs to avoid him the night before. We got dressed, packed our things, made a double-check of everything in the room and left. Victoria and I would look at each other and make hand motions of a 0 and start laughing and the rest of our friends weren’t doing so hot. Apparently it was a good thing we didn’t go because it wasn’t worth it. everyone ended up having a bad night and at the end of the night, they all got separated and had to find their own way home…on foot. Victoria and I were shocked! Why didn’t you stay together?! That was so senseless and what if something happened? The bar crawl took them far from Las Ramblas so it was most definitely dangerous and stupid. They agreed and scrambled to figure out how it happened. We were glad we didn’t go then. And we ended up having the better time. Now we were checked out, and normally I have to eat after I drink to keep my blood sugar level when I wake up, and I wasn’t able to. I didn’t have a hangover, fyi. My body hurt and needed to eat desperately, I had the shakes that were so bad I couldn’t hide them. And I had that sneaking feeling my body would make me pass out soon if I didn’t do something. I told Victoria and she walked across the street with me to a deli to help me get food while the other’s watched our things. I was so on the edge for my body to shut off and I knew it. I ate my yogurt and tried to drink more of my Aquarius (Spanish version of Gatorade). Once I finished, I started to eat my salmon and egg sandwich which felt like it took forever for me to motivate myself to eat it. Then, I had to wait. Wait for what seemed like forever for my body to re-boot itself. 20 minutes later, I felt able to move more and speak. I had told my friends the dinner last night about my hypoglycemia which of course no one understands or gets it until something happens. Like last night and this morning. When I came out, my friends didn’t say anything to me and we went to a restaurant to eat. Feeling better as time went on, my blood sugar got better and now my body was hungry to eat something for my stomach this time instead of my body. I ate my meal and felt completely better. Finally. My friends explained to me that they didn’t understand and thought I was sick, but now they got it. They just know now that when I say I need to eat, we need to stop immediately (or asap) to get me food, wait 15-20 minutes and I’ll be good to go again. And until then, to leave me be. I was so thankful because it was the first time I had friends that completely got it. They knew I wasn’t sick, didn’t treat me like a baby, knew I knew what to do, knew how to help if need be and knew when I needed it most and when to stop to let me fix it. I’ve rarely had that happen and to be perfectly honest, only my immediate family understands it like that and no one else. Thanks god for giving me friends here that could be this for me away from everything I knew. Yea sometimes they got dumb, but we are young and we all are like that occasionally. But what matters the most is in these instances. I didn’t know what to say and I know they would never know how much it meant to me. Just then, a parade/protest of hundreds of people went through Las Ramblas. It was awesome, and unfortunately I couldn’t understand what the chanting was about but it was for women’s rights. I’m not sure what for specifically. Then we took our bags and made our walk to the bus station. It was a long walk but it was a lovely day out and we needed something calming the wrap up our great weekend. Trevor was in a sour mood about the ending of the trip because he had the worst of luck. Earlier on Saturday, he had gotten hustled by a street performer playing a cup game and you had to find where the 50 was. And of course he got tricked into giving them a 50 Euro. And of course he lost it. Dumb! Then, at their bar crawl, and cute Spanish girl served as a distraction while his wallet was pickpocketed. And of course, silly trusting American, put it in the front pocket of his jacket and the man bumped into him. Which in a bar, he thought he slipped and moved out of the way. That wallet had everything…how dumb!! I couldn’t believe it! His driver’s license, insurance card, all cash, credit card, debit card and copy of his passport were in it! Sometimes it doesn’t help to be from a tiny backwoods town where nothing bad happens and he doesn’t have much life experience in those areas or know anyone who does. Then we came upon a parkway nearby the bus station with shading palm trees and soft grass. He was dying to take a nap while we waited in the grass but right when he set his hand in the grass to test if it was wet, his palm smashed a pile of dog poo. It was definitely a bad weekend for him and it hadn’t even hit him yet. Once we boarded the bus, we felt much more relieved because the bus this time was bigger and had more room. Yes! As the driver went through Barcelona to the interstate, we went by the sea…gorgeous sunset that made us in awe and a little saddened that our trip was over so soon. Then to the right we see the mountain side but there were crosses and marbled stones covered by glass. The mountain was where their cemetery was! So they could always be facing the sea….cool. Then we fell asleep. When Victoria and I woke up later, it was night and the windows on the bus gave us a panoramic view of everything. It was gorgeous. Stars that seemed to jump out from the sky, glistening white shadows of mountains and distant blue outlines of further mountains. The music channels we could listen to for both of us was accidentally turned to a 90s US playlist of love ballads. It had to be the most romantic bus ride (we had decided) of our lives. We heard ‘I will be right here waiting for you’, and song by Sting, one by Phil Collins, ‘I’ll stand by you’, ‘Sexual Healing’….and how funny that this moment was being shared with Victoria! We laughed about it and the fact that we shared it. Then we both dozed for the rest of the ride. Awakened by the bus driver telling us we were back in Madrid. We all got our luggage and walked to the next bus station to wait for the bus to Alcala. After we made the second bus and were back in Alcala, it was 2:30am. We were exhausted and ready to sleep in our warm beds. I grabbed a taxi and the others walked to their host homes since they were close. Once I arrived at my host home and was safely in the door, I took my things upstairs, unpacked and went to sleep. Safe and sound.

Jan 26th – Day of Being a Kid Again

We started out the day the same as yesterday, getting up and out before 10am. The night before we planned to go to the Aquarium because we wanted to go during the day where we could spend enough time in it; in my Frommer’s book of Spain it said that it is the best aquarium in Spain with hundreds of different types of marine life and a huge walk-through tank. I was so excited and couldn’t wait to get there. Since we would be by the marina, we planned to go get sandwiches from a shop nearby, fruit and water to take and have ‘brunch’ at the marina, then walk over to the aquarium. Walking with our food, the morning was clear and beautiful, like the day before. To walk to the marina, it was very easy, we just needed to walk all the way down Las Ramblas and we would run into it. We hadn’t walked down this part of Las Ramblas but this part was filled with local artists and different paintings varying in medium, sizes or themes they painted. We saw amazingly talented artists whose drawings of people were so incredible that they almost looked like photographs. Only when you walked up close enough would you see the pencil marks. Then artisan booths were setting up for the next stretch after the artists with all kinds of jewelry, crafts and other goods they have. Crossing the street we could see the glistening marina with all of the boats, yachts and tiny fisher boats waited to be taken out for the day. We found a free bench on the bridge over the marina and had our brunch. After, Dominique wanted to feed the fish, which turned out to be her feeding the birds. She even got some of them to start catching it in the air mid-flight! It was awesome! After the bridge opened up to let a boat pass through, we walked across to find the aquarium. We had to walk through an open/outdoor mall, and upon leaving, we came across a candy shop! So we all stopped in to get candy and walked over to the aquarium. We felt like we were little all over again, standing in line to get our ticket for entrance while eating our candy and becoming giddy about the fish. Once we got in, we had to pose for a group picture of us in the mouth of a shark and then we went though. There were tanks beyond tanks of different types of fish and it seemed to never end…we saw cuttlefish, octopi (that were HUGE!! And changed colors while we were there!), sharks, fish (that I had never seen before and some I had), coral reef fish, penguins, turtles, sting rays…everything! Then we walked into this massive walk through tank. The fish could swim over you and around you and there was a central tank connecting all of it. It was like they were creating a mini ecosystem in it! There was smaller coral, sea weed, plenty of sand, and all the fish in between. Several sting rays, two huge sharks that swam together (they reminded us of the big mob guys from the sopranos), smaller sharks, huge fish, small fish, different types of eels….I’ve never seen anything like it and I don’t think I could even attempt to keep my mouth closed. Wow, I can see why it was talked about so much! Then we went to a tank where there were several crabs and other tanks for coral reef fish that had the same setup as mini-ecosystems. Michelle and I even went through the little kid tanks where you could crawl through and see fish swimming. We could barely fit! Then we walked through the kiddie trail in a whale, then the sting ray tank where you had to crawl through to stand in the middle and they swim around you. Some are really big, some are small and they vary in different types of rays. At the end of it, you have to crawl back out and there was the coolest thing. It was clear above us so the sting rays could swim over you and you could see everything! It was awesome!! By that time, we had to meet with our group to walk back up the street to see other museums. I couldn’t have been happier. Then we made our walk back down Las Ramblas to go take a closer look at Casa Batllo and Casa Mila. Catching the rays of the sunset against the glass mosaic on Casa Batllo was beautiful. Then half of us went to the market and the other half went to shop. My favorite store was above all Desigual (translation- it’s not the same) it was the one store that had clothes that looked like they were from Spain. A lot of the stores had cool things, but didn’t have that look where you knew it wasn’t from home. Then we met up with the rest of our group and we decided to go back to Divinus for dinner again. The other half ran into a bar promoter who invited us to go to a bar crawl with other groups of Americans and they were all excited to go. Victoria and I weren’t since we had made plans as a group to go party and clubbing Spain-style….not American-status. Oh well, if the group is going then we have to go too. And the other half was already dressed and ready to go, so after dinner Victoria and I went back to get ready fast but my body had other ideas in mind. Because it had been so long since I last ate and dinner was horribly rushed, my blood sugar was out of control. I felt awful and I wasn’t happy that our group made plans without all of us there. We had perfectly good plans before, and I didn’t want to go on a bar crawl when I could do that back home. I didn’t want to go to an Americanized-Spanish bar or club…I came for the Spain experience, and I didn’t want to do this. When we got back to the room, even Victoria could tell I wasn’t doing so hot and she wasn’t too happy with the change in plans either. So we decided that I would eat a couple of protein bars, take a nap and she would tell them that we would meet up with them once I felt better. Since they wanted to leave in half and hour and we didn’t know how good it would be, we would call and see if it was worth it and meet them. The rest of my group was so focused on getting trashed that they didn’t pay much attention and said they would meet us later once we called. And they hoped I would feel better since they wanted us all to be out together. 45 mins later, I felt better and could take a deep breath (which mom and dad know what this means when it gets that low). Victoria could see I was better too, so we decided that now we would get ready to go out, call the group and if we needed to wait we were going to the Q-Bar to have a couple of drinks. Our major plan was to not pay for the drinks that night. Spanish guys love to buy drinks for cute girls even if you walk away immediately after and don’t get upset. So tonight we would make it work for us. The bar crawl was 15 Euro and we didn’t want to pay for something like that, so we were going to have a great time on 0 Euros. And that is exactly what happened! I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun and we danced to our hearts content until our feet could no longer take it! So here’s how the night proceeded…we called once we were ready, and like we expected they didn’t answer but we knew they would call us back and we’d be able to find them. Walking into the Q-Bar it was awesome (just as the night before) and before we could even walk up to the bar to order the ‘initial’ drink, two HUGE (as in gigantic tall) basketball players, obviously from the states asked us if we wanted a drink. Andre and Adrian were professional basketball players that had played on several different international teams and right now they were on Spain’s for the year. They got paid whatever they requested and they got a flat, a car and expenses paid for. Lucky!! They had picked up Spanish coming here to live and they were loving it. The two of us were definitely making a scene standing with them as Europeans kept coming up and calling them Michael Jordan 1 and 2 or shooting an imaginary ball through the hoop. They said they get this all the time and mostly adults are the most obnoxious…but they like kids’ reactions because they are genuinely in awe. Must be hard to never be able to blend sometimes, they described it as constantly being in the world of Alice in Wonderland. Funny. Andre was 6’ 7” and Adrian was 6’ 9 ½ “ ….wow. Another round and they went to go meet a friend at a club. Sweet…our plan was already working. Then we walked a little down Las Ramblas to find another bar like Q-Bar. We ran into a group of guys that were going to a jazz club (full of natives and they were too) called Soul. Sure. It was in a well-lit area, we knew where we were and weren’t far from our hostel. If it was sketch, we could easily make an exit safely. Plus we could easily take them…it helps sometimes to be in a country where men are smaller and thinner than you. Soul was awesome! Mostly American jazz music and filled with Spaniards. This was the night we wanted…to do it like a native. We danced, we had a few drinks and then after talking with them we asked about any discothèques on Las Ramblas. They were going to one and would walk us there. Plenty of well-lit areas, lots of people around in the streets…okay. The club we went to was called Fellini’s and it was huge. Standing in line, one of the guys said cover was 15 Euros. Which so far we were still on 0 Euros, so Victoria and I looked at each other and we knew. I turned to her and said loud enough for them to hear, ‘I hope they take credit cards…we didn’t bring any cash!’ when we turned around, they were holding two tickets to get into the club that included a free drink on the house. Awesome! We weren’t even trying. Going in, there were three levels and different types of house music, techno, and UK club music. Each had a different theme and all were fun. Another drink and we hit the dance floor. Thankfully Spaniards are not like statesmen, so when girls dance they stand and dance next to them but not with them. It’s kind of funny to see…like they’ll dance with each other (in a group) but get weird asking a girl to dance. And no they aren’t gay. We went for our second (and last drink, which we ended up pouring out since we were plenty good for the night and didn’t want to loose control or ability get home) and then had to go to the bathroom. Washing our hands, we felt someone tall walk past us to wait in line. Man they were tall for a girl….oh my gosh, it is a Spanish drag queen!! Oh and she was out on the town, fluffed platinum blonde afro, glittering tube top and cute black Bermuda shorts. Her makeup was flawless…obviously, they always do it better. Now, since we felt we had fully uncovered every stone in Barcelona at this point, we found our new friends and told them we were going home. They said fine, bye and hoped we had a great weekend visiting in Barcelona. Walking to our hostel, Victoria and I couldn’t stop giggling….and all we could say was ‘Come se dice cero Euros?’ Which is ‘How do you say zero Euros?’. Our plan worked (and yes we watched every drink made, took them straight from the bartender, didn’t set them down and didn’t take our eyes off of them the minute they were being made. We were completely safe and cautious about tonight and I was so proud of Victoria and I)!! We couldn’t believe it. our friends had to pay for their bar crawl (which they came back to the hostel a half hour after we did) and we didn’t have to pay for not one cent. Which we found out the jazz bar had a cover as well. Awesome night, great times, but now we had only gotten texts from our friends. Once we got into our room, Victoria tried to call (and they answered) and they said they were at a bar and we coming back soon. We didn’t end up together but at least they are okay, so are we and we had an amazing night. Once everyone came back we were already passed out but at least they were back.

Jan 25th – Day of Going ‘Straight Tourist’

Our plan was to start getting up at 7:30am so all the girls could take their showers and we could be out of the room by 10am. Now this is a feat with 5 girls in a room but for all 6 of us to make it happen since we are late night partiers and not familiar with being awake in the morning (unless we haven’t gone to sleep). The first of all 6 alarms went off and our room became a musical concert. Katy took her shower first, then me, Victoria, Dominique and Trevor went last (Michelle took hers later in the day). Next a series of clothes flying around trying to decide what we all would wear as well as the loud blasts of hair dryers came. After all the makeup was done, we were ready and putting away our suitcases and things in the closet. We made a last minute check or anything else laying around, and locked everything up. We left the room, and walked out onto the street. Our hostel was right on Las Ramblas which is the main street for everything in Barcelona; people watching, street performers, outdoor restaurants, shopping, tapas, bars, clubs, everything. Walking out onto Las Ramblas we first saw the sunshine brightening up the street and illuminating the outdoor tables and restaurants. We are dying to eat and since the weather is so nice, we decide to eat outside with fellow Catalunyans (those from Barcelona and the surrounding cities). Sitting at a table, we order our breakfast and start to look around. Man was this great…this was a sweet slice of life right now. And a time check, it was now 10am. I can’t believe we really did it. I ordered eggs and bacon, with toast and a hot chocolate. We all ordered about the same thing except for Michelle who ordered churros (Spanish version of a donut…well kind of) and hot chocolate. The churros and chocolate we so good, and I taught Michelle how to eat them; dipping the churro in the chocolate and eating it. After we had finished our breakfast and I finished the rest of my hot chocolate (which was deliciously rich), we all had the same feeling. That breakfast with the weather and view made us feel like we had definitely woken up on the right side of the bed. Now we were officially ready to take on Barcelona. Today we wanted to see the sights, and museums…but they are kind of far from us. Thank goodness I had my map with us. We walked up the street to the Plaza Catalunya which had the bank of credit, a huge amount of businesses and other shops. It’s very busy and very big; there is even a park in the middle of it. As we cross the street towards where the park is, we are trying to figure out where we need to walk to find things. By now we are realizing that this may be harder than we thought since they are very far walks. Then we come across double-decker buses parked on one side of the park. They say Barcelona tours, so we decide to at least ask how much they are and the details. Good thing we did! What a deal! It is 20 Euros for the tour, they have 20 major tour stops throughout the entire city of Barcelona with what it is. At these different stops you can get off and explore, then as long as you keep your ticket you can get back on the bus which comes back through with another bus tour in 15mins. And the entire tour ran until 9:30pm and you could take the two-day pass tour in case you don’t finish for 4 Euros more. This was a no brainer since we would see everything we wanted to see and then some. And BONUS we wouldn’t get lost. We got on the bus and they gave us a map of the destinations with explanations, as well as ear buds you can plug in to hear the tour. Since the weather was so nice, we got on the top level which didn’t have a top, so it was completely open. Good for snagging pictures on the go which we did, VERY often. We went by the Casa Batllo (Gaudi’s house), Casa Mila “La Pedrera” (another building Gaudi designed, for music performances), the Sagrada Familia (the cathedral Gaudi designed and started building up until he died, and is still being constructed; It will be completed in 2026), Park Guell (biggest park in Barcelona at the top of the mountain and overlooks the entire city), the official futbol stadium for Barcelona, the Spanish steps (which I will comment later), Joan Miro’s art museum (a very important surrealist artist), the official Olympic stadium in Barcelona, their World Trade Center, the marina (where flea markets and the sea view are), as well as the main harbor. Our favorite moment of the entire day (and the weekend) was at the Spanish steps. It took forever to get up them, but once we were at the top of them, you could get a panoramic view of the city. At the top was an art museum, and a guitar player. After all the stairs we climbed and the long day of exploring the city, we sat and listened to the guitar player. Listening to him play so gently with the sun starting to set and the beautiful view, it was one of those perfect moments we had shared together that you never forget the rest of your life. I only have a few of those moments where I have always remembered them the same way as this moment. Funny that this one is in Spain. *Not the Spanish steps, as I found out later…the real ones are in Rome. I’m dumb. I thought they were it, now I’ll have to tell my friends that they weren’t it. and feel very, very silly for thinking I knew something like that.* It is the premier art museum in Spain with hundreds of different genres of art collections. After we went to our last stop, we were hungry and tired from our full day. We came back on the bus and it took us back to where we started. The first restaurant we saw, we walked in. It was a very classy (chocolate and cream colors) restaurant called Divinus, and wasn’t expensive but still had a great atmosphere and quality food. We ordered a bottle of wine to share and laughed about our day and recapped everything that happened and how great we felt to be there and together. The entire day was perfect. After we left the restaurant we walked towards Las Ramblas towards the hostel. We wanted to go to a bar for a few drinks then turn in. We wanted to take the city like we did today but see the sites that we right by us (and we wouldn’t need the bus for these). Street performers were still out, and we were walking past one that was dressed in a long, hooded black cloak with a big blue puppet in hand, near his chest. Trevor walked straight in front of him and a crowd was standing around him. We knew Trevor walking in front of him would make him do whatever he did, but we didn’t know what. Suddenly, the man made the puppet’s mouth open quickly and he said ‘Ah! Hahaha!’, Trevor almost fell over because he was so startled by his sudden movement and the whole crowd including us jumped (I screamed a tiny bit). Then we wandered past a woman who gave us a flyer for their two-for-one deal on drinks a their bar. We decided, sure, we’ll check it out. The bar’s name was Q-Bar and walking in it was a mix of Eastern Indian and Spanish architecture and décor. Only lit by dim lights and candles (except for the bar, which was fully lit) there were areas for couples to have drinks and feel like they were in their own world; benches with medium-height tables and candles put in the middle; long bench-like corner seats adorned with colorful pillows to lounge in. The music was similar to what you would hear in a more alternative coffee shop for college students who are looking for something more somber but not boring. Think Joss Stone, some Jazz, Coldplay-like artist, and Feist…any other artist that fit those types were in their playlist. The walls were either lovely shades of deep red, browns (to accent all the wooden features), or golden-brown wallpaper that looked like a fabric that Indian dresses we made from for ceremonies. It was beautiful and somber, and I feel in love with it instantly. I secretly wished it was at home so I could visit it again. We had a few drinks (wine for me…it wasn’t the kind of bar where you would have a hard drink) and then went to the hostel. Recapping funny moments and talking until we couldn’t anymore, we fell asleep anticipating the next day.

Jan 24th – Day to Leave for Barcelona

Today is the day! My friends and I can hardly wait let alone pay attention in classes. The plan is to meet at 4pm to take the bus from Alcala to Madrid, then catch our bus from Madrid to Barcelona at 6:30pm. Technically the bus ride takes 8 hours, which is long but since this was our first trip we planned, we didn’t know any better. Next time we decided we would fly or take the train. History of Spanish Art is my last class of the day which since we are going through pre-historic art, it’s a little boring. But today, we come to class and Carlos says that today we have a choice with all of the loaded homework from other classes and the long weekend; we can either have our normal lecture in class on PowerPoint like normal, OR we can go to the archeological museum just down the street for our lecture. Umm, is this a test?! Of course we want to go to the museum! So we pack up our things and walk down the street through a courtyard and there is the museum….but it looks more like an old Spanish building, maybe part of a church but certainly not a museum. It’s so strange what the decide to convert old buildings into. Today our lecture is starting into roman art when they had conquered Spain. The museum was really cool, and free for students. Walking through we saw old mosaics that were used in homes for the floor in their courtyard, to signal the entrance to their home and even for their dining room. The one in the dining room was of a roman god who believed in excess of everything; food, sex, drinking, everything. People during this time that would have these mosaics were very rich, or very important because it is so expensive to have them made. There are three main people involved in making these, which they are huge to begin with…but these three are the team leaders of their area. One makes out the design and layout; the second plans where and how the small stones lay to create the look in the design that is desired as well as dyeing them the correct color; and the third is the person who carves out the stone into these small tiles. Mosaics like these were very detailed in shading and design and therefore took a long time to make. It could be anywhere from months to years until they were completed. Man that’s fancy. By the end of the tour, class time is over and Carlos tells us that we can go if we want or he can show those of us who want to stay just a little longer a few more mosaics. My friends in the class and I decide to stay…I mean, why not? After he showed us a couple more and explaining them, the last he showed I was definitely glad I stayed. Man did it open my eyes. In the courtyard, mosaics were done on the floors and one he pointed out the design…they were interconnected swastikas…oh my gosh. None of us knew what to say. Carlos then explained that the Romans were not Nazis but this type of design is where they got the logo for their cause. The reason it was chosen by the Nazis was because Romans were a sign of strength when they were in power and because they conquered the world (or as far as their world went), literally with everything. Their culture, their way of life, their way of thinking and gave a lot to the world and the places they conquered. The world was forever change because of them in the best way. For the Nazis, they wanted to become what the Romans were in their time. To conquer the world and forever change it. Carlos then said (again) that the Romans weren’t Nazis, but he wanted us to understand how and why people choose certain symbols to distinguish themselves from others. It’s because they hold great meaning to that group, even if others outside of themselves don’t understand. Wow. Even on the bus ride to my host home, I was still digesting the idea. And I began to feel a sneaking suspicion that by the time I return home, I would truly be changed by this experience. With even wider eyes than before and an even further broadened mind. I am lucky to have this opportunity at this point in my life. When I entered the door, Ana was waiting for me since she knew what time I was leaving at. After making my lunch, she told me that she had made two sandwiches to take on the bus ride and a bottle of the lemon water I like to drink (they were the ones to introduce me to it. it’s supposed to be more refreshing with lemon in your water to help the body cope). Thank goodness I packed the night before since I didn’t have much time. When I left, Ana had left to pick up Adrian from preschool. As I walked to the bus station, I ran into them where she wished me a great time and asked Adrian if he wanted to say bye. He pouted for a minute, then kissed me on the cheek and said bye. After getting on the bus to Madrid with my friends, we were ready to have a great weekend. Once we got to the bus station for our bus to Barcelona, we had gotten there with plenty of time, which was our goal so we wouldn’t have to rush. We got to our gate for the bus, when it was time, we boarded. Victoria and I were paired (sitting) together, Trevor and Katy, and Michelle and Dominique. The bus going to Barcelona was a little cramped (they are like greyhound buses) and uncomfortable. At a pit stop we got some chips to go with our sandwiches and ate on the bus. We slept the rest of the way until we were awakened by hearing the bus driver welcoming us to Barcelona. It was 2am. Looking around we are instantly becoming excited although we are extremely tired. Palm trees, clubs and restaurants still buzzing with customers and beautiful buildings. Once we get off the bus and get our bags we decide to get a taxi to our hostel. The hostel was called Sun and Moon and was pretty nice. We checked in and took our room key. Getting off the elevator at the 5th floor, we took a deep breath and scanned the room key to get in. Once the light was on, we could see our room. It was small, crammed and reminded me of the rooms in frat houses (size wise, not cleaniness, or lack thereof). The room was probably the size of a two girl room in the sorority house with a big closet, and 3 bunks. We had a bathroom with the standard; toilet, sink and shower….and it was clean. This is loads better than we thought it would be, and we had hot water. Thank goodness for that. I guess they are right when they say that hostels are an experience in themselves. Getting our bags in and getting settled, we realized that with 5 girls (poor Trevor is the only guy…we think he’ll probably turn gay after these four months because he’ll be so tired of being this close to girls for so long), getting ready will be very interesting. I was on the bottom bunk with Michelle on top, V (bottom) and D (top), K (bottom) and T (top). We started reading the messages written under the top bunk. Mine gave the best advice, as blunt as it was…’the cleaning lady is a thief and a lying bitch’. A little vulgar, but thanks to whoever wrote it. The closets can lock with a key you can carry on you, and there were no other ways of getting it open without the key. So we would plan to lock our things every time we left the room. We are getting in our pajamas and Trevor is becoming more and more used to us telling him to go in the bathroom or don’t turn the corner so we can change. Poor guy. After cracking jokes in our beds, we eventually fell asleep anticipating exploring the city the next day.

Jan 23rd – Day of Pastries, Take Two

With only one class on Wednesdays, it was quickly becoming my favorite day of the week. Plus it was one of my most fun classes, civ. Today we learned about the different political parties in Spain since they have an election for the president coming up this year (I think in April). Afterwards we even watched a couple of commercials for the political candidates, and they were really vocal in what they wanted from their president. And I mean that in the sense that…well, here it’s better if I describe the commercial. A clear ballot box starts out empty, first an old man comes up with a piece of paper with ‘We are tired of the discrimination, we are not ignorant’, folds it and puts it in the box. The next person that is younger and more Hispanic, same set up but ‘Tired of not getting the same rights. I deserve them too’ and as the commercial goes on, more and more different types of people putting their opinion in the box. Then the candidate talks about what they want to offer the people of Spain and then a music montage of the person with fellow Spaniards that love him. It’s like he is cheered on as if he were a hero who saves the village. But instead of a village, he will save Spain. Then his slogan ‘The better Spaniard’. And all of them are that vocal. It was surprising but cool. After class was over, I ran into Victoria and Trevor. They had a break in between their classes so we went to the pastry shop. I got the pastry that I had before, which was awesome. And Victoria got this pastry that tasted like frosted flakes! It was so weird, it was like those honey buns but more flaky and less saturated with the stuff that’s on it. It was like a croissant texture, and was covered with powered sugar. In the middle there was sweet cheese, but white. I think I found my second favorite pastry. Then they went to their next class and I went to my host home for lunch and to work on some homework. My friends Katy, Michelle, Victoria, Dominique, Trevor and I were leaving to go on a trip to Barcelona this weekend. We didn’t have class on the following Monday because of holiday, so this would be our first trip together. We were definitely ready for Thursday. Even when I told Ana, she was excited for me and upon telling Adrian that I wouldn’t be here this weekend, he got upset. He’s so cute, and then Ana said ‘Oh, but you are going too! Don’t you want to go the Barcelona with Lela?’ and because he was upset I was going, he said ‘No!’ and folded his arms to pout more.

Jan 22nd – Day of Nothing

Today Victoria and I are going to go shopping in Madrid and explore a little on foot once we get done with classes at 2pm. We have our first class that day together and Victoria told me we couldn’t go. With the long weekend coming up and our trip to Barcelona, she had a lot of homework due before we left and was stressing out big time. Dang. I finished my homework for the week the night before so I didn’t have much to do. Once classes were over for the day, I went to the bus stop to go to my host home. After eating lunch and reading a bit I took my siesta. Later that day we were told we needed to come back to the school to formalize our curriculum. After I went back had dinner, watched a movie on my laptop and later went to sleep.

Jan 21st – Day of Forever

Waking up today I felt refreshed and ready for class. When I went to go downstairs to have breakfast, I told Ana that I wouldn’t be home for lunch and asked if she could make me a sandwich and some fruit. Once my lunch is ready I walk to get the bus. Once I’m at school, in my civ class they inform us that the class is being split because there are too many people. They’re afraid that people will have a harder time understanding the class or doing well. I’m one of the people that’s put into the new class with Olvido (that’s the professor’s name). She’s very petite and curvy…really cute, and looks very artsy like the kind of girl that goes to art exhibits and theatre productions. And she’s young. She’s very friendly and approachable. I definitely feel like I’ll be comfortable speaking more in this class. Once class is over, I eat my lunch and talk to mom and dad on Skype. After, I go to my last class of the day film; we watch a movie about a family during the civil war in Spain. It was interesting because it was definitely like the kind of setting of ‘Gone with the Wind’. Southern bell types if they were in the states. After though, our professor wanted to keep talking and talking and I was very hungry by then. Note to self, tell Ana I need two sandwiches. And when we could finally leave it was 6:30pm. I was so ready to eat but I wanted to go by the pastry shop to try something new. Now earlier I had written vowing to try everything or until I found something I liked. Search no more, I found the one! It’s a pastry that looking at it it looks like a hot dog bun but glazed and much like a donut with crystallized sugar and powdered sugar. In the middle it looked like sweet cheese until I bit into it. it was like vanilla pudding or butter. I had planned on taking one bite and eating the rest after my dinner, but once I bit into it….it all changed. It was so amazingly wonderful, I couldn’t help myself. I also bought some of the chocolate roses to try later. Relief in having the sweets that your mouth was craving and in knowing where to get it. I get onto the bus and am now at my host home. Ana asks how school was and I told her it went well. But I was very hungry. She made me a hamburger which she puts onions in, like at home. I also asked for some pasta since I was missing it as well. Once my stomach stopped talking and was happy, I felt better. I went to my room to do my homework and went to bed. I’m never surprised at how excited I get about sleeping.

Jan 20th – Day of Waking Up Late

Last night by time I got home it was almost 8am and dawn had already broken. When I woke up from one of the most peaceful sleeps, it was 5pm. I ate a late lunch and Ana asked how it went. I told her that some of my friends got way to drunk and we had to watch after them. And by time we got home from making sure they were okay, it was way, way late. She laughed. Then I told her thank you for the food and I went to do my homework. It was mainly busywork and not hard at all but I don’t like to ever be behind in class. Plus I’m the nerd that loves school and classes and homework. Adrian is playing outside with some of his friends and later when I’m working on my homework upstairs in my room he wants to come up to say hi. He wanted to show his friends who Lela was, but they were too shy. Cute. By time I finished my homework, I ate and then went to sleep.

Jan 19th – Day to Go Out to the Night Scene in Madrid

When I wake up, I feel a huge craving for some gelato. I think I miss it and want it more here than at home…probably because I cannot get it here. But gelato is a good substitute. When I woke up it was almost 1pm, and here at 2pm is when siesta begins. So I had to get dressed quickly if I were gonna make it on time. Siesta in Spain is basically where all if not most of the town closes their businesses for a few hours to eat lunch (their biggest meal) and take a nap. I love naps so this will be pretty easy for me to adjust. But at times, like today, it’s hard to get used to trying to get to places either before or after siesta. Once I get dressed, I go downstairs to leave and tell Pepe that I will return in half and hour and I’ll eat then. He asks if I am sure I don’t want anything, and even though I do, I want to get some gelato before they close. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait long before the bus came, and when I arrived to the plaza, I was just in time. When I walked in the gelato shop, I told the lady I wanted chocolate chip (of course I said stracciatello) and said I wanted it in a cone. I think I love her. She gave me this huge mound of ice cream….oh! It looked so awesome, I couldn’t wait to eat it and I don’t think I’ve smiled so big before! As I walked back to where I needed to catch the bus again, I ate my ice cream. Which I think I caused a commotion especially with little kids, because I heard them admiring my ice cream also. I heard several of them say ‘That’s a lot of Ice Cream Mom!’ I finished my ice cream by time I got off at my stop to walk to my host home. After eating my lunch, Pepe and Ana tell me that they are going to Madrid for the night. They wanted to make sure that if I was hungry, I could make something and showed me where everything was. Then I told them that I was going to Madrid also and I would be having dinner with friends, so it would be okay. After the babysitter picked up Adrian, they left and I took a nap. When I woke up, I got ready and met my friends at the plaza. Initially we planned to take the train, which is only 20 minutes but Dominique hear that the bus was cheaper so, we decided to try it. Once we got to Madrid we had to take the Metro to where the bars and clubs were in Spain. Trevor, Katy and Michelle ate before, so Dominique, Victoria and I had to find something quick once we got to our stop (which is called Atocha). When we got onto the Metro, we looked at the route pattern to see how many stops we had until Atocha. Unfortunately we were going in the completely opposite direction of our stop which would have only taken maybe 10 minutes. But the Metro we were on went in a circle, so we just went the long way around which took 25 minutes. By time we got to Atocha after the bus ride and the Metro, it was 11:30pm….we left Alcala at 9pm. Oh well, we were in Madrid going out on the town. Since we at a different part of Madrid, we didn’t know how to get to the part of downtown where the restaurants are that were close to the bars we wanted to go to. So we picked up some McDonalds, which normally I would totally oppose but I needed to eat and I needed to fast. I have to say it was kind of nice that McDonalds is the same as at home. After we went up the street looking for a bar to go into to have drinks and while we were looking, we ran into some Irish guys from Ireland here for the weekend. They knew not one bit of Spanish and had very thick Irish accents. This should be interesting. The first bar we went into, I don’t know the name but they serve Caiprinas! I tell the girls that they will like the drink and order it for us. The bartender even had the owner ask if that was what I really wanted since you would only ask for it if you knew what it was or had it. I assured him I knew what I was talking about and he made them. They were amazing, and just as I remembered from dad’s birthday at the Gaucho. After, we wanted to find a discothèque to go dancing. So we had a couple more drinks and we left. We went into a club where it was packed with people and they were dancing….seemed fun so we went in. After dancing for a bit Dominique, Victoria and I realized we were in the land of midgets. Literally. All the guys there were like half my size and I swear a 12 year old hit on me. Gross. So we left and went to another bar. Trevor, Katy, and Michelle wanted to go into a bar they found that was filled with natives. D, V and I had a couple of drinks but it was getting late, we were sober and we wanted to be warm and in bed. T, K and M were smashed so getting them out was difficult but when we told them it was 5am, they started leaving with us. Even though the bus and the Metro don’t re-open until 6am, we knew that by time we get all the drunkies out of the bar and down that way, it would be time. T was obnoxious, M was flirting with guys and clearly had on her beer goggles and K was repeating ‘I understand’ in Spanish and apologizing for being drunk (she later switched to telling me she loved me every 5 minutes and thanking me). Once we got to the main street, we saw bright flashes of color and smoke coming from the middle of the street and police cars. Looked like fire…wait it is fire. A car was completely engulfed in fire to where it couldn’t be recognized and was still going. I don’t think anyone was inside though. We definitely needed to get home though. By time we got to the Metro entrance there were others (obviously trying to get home after the bars also) waiting and they just opened the gate. Finally. We get to our stop and onto the Metro. We ended up seeing another group of guys from Maryland that we knew. Whew. Once we got to the stop to board the train we got off and boarded the train. Almost there, thank goodness. This night needed to end. T, K and M were still being ridiculous but were calming down and by that time we were back in Alcala. The buses weren’t out yet since it was Sunday and it’s later (I think 8am) so I took a cab with friends and went home. Feeling the greatest relief when I was in my bed I immediately fell asleep.

Jan 18th – Day of Exploring the Mall

When I woke up, Ana teasingly asked ‘Have a good time?’, I told her yes and she had asked which club I went to. When I told her, she laughed because she used to go there. Eating with Adrian, he was snacking on Bugles and wanted to show me how to eat them by putting them on his fingertips. After I went to meet my friends at the plaza so we could take the bus to the mall….Michelle and Katy would meet us there since they lived right by it. Getting off at the stop, Michelle and Katy were waiting for us and we walked over to the mall. It is so nice and really modern…and I was so tempted to shop, but we were there to hang out and see it first. Once we know our way around, we would be more comfortable…which won’t be long. We went to eat at this pasta place in the mall which was like an actual restaurant. We all got something different so we could share. Sadly I couldn’t tell you what I got but it only tasted okay….I would try something different the next time we went. Sitting with my friends we were talking about how not knowing each other previous to this experience, how we have kinda become really close with each other. My friends like to make fun though and say our group of close friends is Slippery Rock and Addy (since my friends are all from Slippery Rock University). Funny. Then we talk about our plans for the next weekend…we have a four-day weekend coming up so we’ve decided to go to Barcelona! At first we wanted to visit Ireland, but we need to plan further in advance (only 2 or 3 weeks) since tickets are cheaper that way. Excited to start exploring Spain and the rest of Europe we talked about where we wanted to go. After we finished eating, we walked over to Michelle and Katy’s dorm to hang out for a bit and then we took the bus back to the plaza. All of us were due back for dinner with our families and so we went to our host homes. Dinner with my host family was funny since Adrian was trying to teach Pepe how to say ‘hang ten’ by hand signaling. But he didn’t know what it meant what he was saying or how to really do it, so I showed them. I told them it’s what you do in Hawaii to say ‘Hi’ which they thought I meant to make the hand signal and say hi. So Adrian kept walking around with his hand up saying ‘Hola!, Hola!’….he’s such a cute kid. And it felt nice to actually teach my family something since they spend so much of their time teaching me things. After Pepe wanted to ask more about my culture (Pepe always has new questions to ask, as he’s really interested in learning about where I’m from. Ana is interested in getting to know me personally and what my life is like). After talking with Pepe, I feel pretty tired and so I excuse myself and go to sleep.

Jan 17th – Day of Pastries

Finally! It took three separate attempts, but we finally went to the pastry store! Walking in, there are different types of pastries on every shelf and everywhere you turn. Everything looks really good and it smells amazing. I’m so overwhelmed that I don’t even know what to choose. My friends get donuts or other treats and I decide to try a pastry from the window. It looks like a small piece of cake covered either in glazed icing, or like a donut (whatever the long donut is…just imagine it cut in half). It smells like a Harvey Wallbanger cake with a little hint of lemon. Taking a bite, it tastes like a really moist lemon cake, but it’s a little rich for me. In my head, I make a vow to go at least a few times a week and try something new. We have a two hour break today in between classes, so my friends and I walk over to a candy store nearby (since I’ve missed having candy all the time!). At this candy store, they have what is like our Blow-Pop, but it’s called Fiesta and it tastes really fruity and has a lot of gum inside. I also decided to try a twisler which turned out to be flavored like tutti fruity and fruit punch. Then we walked down to a bookstore since my friends needed to pick up their books for school. And the most surprising thing I saw there was that they had a book about Grace Kelly! Weird how even a whole world away, she’s still popular…or at least known. By then class is about to start and I have to get a move on. After class, I take the bus home and have lunch then take my siesta. When I wake up later, I tell Ana that I’ll be going out tonight with friends and I’ll be home late. I didn’t feel like having a lot for dinner, so she made me a sandwich and some yogurt. The sandwich was weird at first and I didn’t think I’d like it, but it turned out to be really good. It was smoked salmon with boiled egg slices…weird combo that I wouldn’t have put together but it tasted good. Mom would have been happy since it was filled with ‘lots of good protein and brain food’. After I went to the plaza. Meeting up with my friends, we went to the Can-Can. We had so much fun dancing and there were a lot of people there! Dominique, Victoria and I were really happy because there were a lot of good dancers (from Spain) and most of the time they are awful. We were there at the discothèque until it closed at 6:30am if that gives any indication of how much fun we had. The three of us danced, literally, for the whole time we were there and only left the dance floor to cool off and get more drinks. The Spaniards I had danced with kept asking me what part of Spain I was from! They thought I was a native and when I told them I wasn’t they would say ‘No really…what part of Spain are you from?” I was excited I passed for a native even if it only was at the discothèque! After we left, I caught the bus home and went to sleep.

Jan 16th – Day of Gelato

Today in civ we talked about a set of pictures we had be given by the professor that were typical images of Spain (futbol, olive oil, bull fighters, a comic about bulls, flamenco dancers, and paella) and were asked what we thought about them. After we read an article about olive oil and how the people love it so much. Which by the way, they cook everything with olive oil…hard to get used to. I mean it’s healthy and all, but…not when it drips from the meat. And this article was talking about how he loved it this way. He also talked about how it’s made in the spring/summer season when it is ready and they produce enough to last everyone for the rest of the year. This is because olives are not in season in the winter, so they have to make enough to last until the next harvest of fresh olives. So when this harvest time is, there is a huge festival here to celebrate it. Crazy to think of because it’s only olive oil! But I guess there is also a lot of symbolism with olives as well. Then after class, I went with my friends and we were headed to have our pastries. Thwarted yet again!!! It was closed for siesta….ugh I was so upset!! So we walked a little further to a little gelato shop just down the way. It was so amazingly great! I had Don Vito (which tastes like cake, and has chocolate morsels and berries) and stracciatello (which is Italian for chocolate chip, but not like ours). I was so surprised I remembered what stracciatello was since I hadn’t been in Italian for so long and I was kind of worried I would have trouble when I visit Italy. But hey if little things like that come back after only a long time, I think I will be just fine. The gelato here is out of this world, it is so good. I mean, you truly wouldn’t believe how different it is here as opposed to back home. After we finished, I waited for my bus and went to my host home. Ana was waiting for me with lunch, but she wasn’t sure if I would like it so she gave me a little and waited to watch my face. (my host family has learned to watch my face with new foods to see if I don’t like them or do, it’s kind of a game for them as they like to make fun of my expressions) Honestly, I think it has been my favorite meal I have had thus far and that’s even counting the paella, fish, rice (which were fantastic on their own). It was a soup that had different types of meat, beans, squash and something else that was green. I loved it so much, I had another huge bowl and I knew I had eaten too much. While I ate my fruit (which goes after every meal) I watched t.v. and I saw the most interesting thing. Grandma Jeannie sent an email of a video with an artist that made pictures with their hands out of sand. This same artist (I recognized, the style of their drawings) was doing a sand drawing for a commercial about fiber in your diet for women. Small world. Then I watched a show that was a Spanish version of ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ but it was called ‘Fama! A Bailar’. Strange how worlds away, we have the same types of shows in common.

Jan 15th – Second First Day of School

On Tuesday my day starts a little earlier which my first class at 9am. It’s called Icons and Traditions of Spain which is a composition, conversation and lecture class. I think that this will probably be my favorite class. The teacher is really animated and he is also one of the directors for the other groups studying abroad from the states. In this class we are learning about everything in Spain; the culture, habits, slang, current issues, the civil war (only a little), art and festivals of the country. I’m really excited about what all I’m going to learn in this class. The next class I have is at 12:30 and is my History of Spanish Art. This class is basically where we look at different genres of Spanish art and talk about it. Carlos is my professor, and I think this is his favorite subject. In all of the classes, the teachers have day trips that we go on in places around Spain that pertain to the class. So in the civ class we go to old medieval castles and some historic towns; art we go to the Prado (famous art museum, like the Louver in Paris) and one other that is well known for contemporary art; and in my comp class we go to places that the professor feels like we should see. After class, I go back to my host home to have lunch and take a siesta. After I wake up and eat dinner, I go to meet up with my friends to (finally) go to the pastry shop in the main plaza. I walk by it everyday and see all the extremely tasty treats and want to go in, but haven’t had the time to devote to it. Being away from home, I have really been craving sweets and it doesn’t help that I have a massive sweet tooth. After we were going to Whelan’s to hang for a bit and then turn in. Since it is only Tuesday and we have early classes, we only wanted a few drinks and to hang together. Sadly when we met in the plaza, the pastry shop was closed! Ugh! And I really wanted something sweet, especially the chocolate roses I see everyday. They look so pretty and they are intricately shaped as if you were holding an actual rose (minus the stem). Dang….so we planned to go tomorrow after class when we knew they would be open. At Whelan’s it was packed, which we thought it was because of the two-for-one deal on Tuesday nights, but we saw what all the commotion was for. Segovia and Barcelona were playing each other in futbol and all the fans watching the game packed in the pub like sardines. Made me think of Evan when I saw a guy that was cheering on Barcelona with his jersey on. After the game ended, we finished our drinks and went home.

Jan 14th – First Day of School

Today is the first day of school and I’m so excited to start my classes here. On Mondays I have two classes, the first being at 11am. It is Civilizations and Cultures of Spain with Carlos (the moody rocker, I mentioned before). This class basically talks about all of the different cultures and aspects of Spain and how they came to be that way with the mixture of different religions and people and the many conquerors that have come through. So it’s how Spain is the way it is. The class seems really cool. Then my next class (which is only held on Mondays) is Spain through film which is taught by the actual director of the entire program for foreign exchange students at the university. The class is actually showing the history (particularly political) of Spain and is completely in Spanish with no subtitles, which is hard but it’ll get better the longer I’m here. Today we watched our first movie called The Language of Butterflies. Sounds like a different movie than what it is. It’s about a boy and his family who are for the republic in Spain and it is at the cusp of the civil war. Pretty good. After, I went back to my host home to have late lunch/dinner. After talking about cartoons with Adrian (he loves to watch Clifford the Red Dog) I went to my room. I was going to meet with friends later, but the weather was getting really icky so I decided to stay in and rest up for the next day.

Jan 13th – Day of Laziness

Today I wake and the moment Adrian hears my footsteps coming, he’s waiting to greet me and show me another toy to play with. A Lego racecar that looks like a Ferrari. Then he shows me another one he wants to put together with Pepe. I walk downstairs to find that Adrian and my dinners are waiting, and he, like most little boys stalls when he doesn’t want to eat something. Chewing forever, fidgeting, becoming distracted and stuffing his cheeks, he reminded me of Evan when he was little. I told Ana this and she laughed. He even tried batting his eyes at her, something even she couldn’t resist. Paella and Fish(native to the rivers of Spain) is what I had for dinner, it was awesome that’s why I’m noting of it. It even had mussels in it! Awesome. Then Ana told me that they were going to visit her mother who lived in a home and had hurt her arm or something recently and they would be back at 8pm. At this point, Adrian had finished his dinner and lifted his arms up as if he had won a game, funny. They told me if I needed anything to call, and then they left. I watched The Mummy 2 on t.v. in Spanish and feel asleep watching it. By then, my body called to going to sleep, and of course I obliged. Adrian tried to wake me to tell me he wanted to show me a toy but I slept-talked to him and said something about showing it to me tomorrow.

Jan 12th – Day of Becoming more Acquainted

I didn’t wake up until probably 3pm from being out last night as I didn’t get to my host home until 5am. Ana prepared me something to eat and teasingly said ‘Good morning’. Adrian had asked all day how come I had not awoken yet….he missed his playmate. After eating, I went into the living room and watched a movie on t.v. with Ana and Adrian. Pepe was sleeping on one of the couches. Ana told me Adrian had a nickname for me (which btw, they call me Adelaide…it’s a very common name and is a very Spanish name, which I think makes them like me more) which is Lela, because he cannot pronounce Adelaide. Which in Spanish the d’s in my name are pronounced like th’s, so the breakdown is A-tha-lai-tha, or Adelaide. While she told me this, he kept whispering to his mom secrets about me…I over heard of one, saying he thought I was pretty. He’s sweet. After dinner, I felt tired so I went to bed especially since my legs were still tired from the long walk home the other night, throughout Madrid and then the long night of dancing. Sleep, mmm. My favorite for all time no matter where I am.

Jan 11th – Day in Madrid

Feeling back to 100%, I am ready for our tour to Madrid and to finally go out with my friends. We have one more orientation where we learn what to do when we are sick (ironically) and then they help show us where our classes are. We tour the rest of the university buildings we will be in and they are as intimidating as they are beautiful. More and more I am confirming how excited I am to be here now and am really starting to realize how true my friends are here. When they knew I came alone without friends, they had the same reaction of saying how brave I was and I didn’t quite understand until now. Not coming with a group or at least someone I knew meant I came alone. I think it’s probably one of the balls-iest things I’ve done completely independent. Suddenly I was kinda of impressed with myself, which I have never remembered feeling that way about myself ever. Weird. Now we have a few hours of free time before our trip to Madrid so I go back to my host home for lunch and to leave my backpack. I tell Ana I am going to Madrid and won’t be back until very late because we are going out after. She tells me that Madrid is very safe and calm just make sure to watch for the gypsies. They will pickpocket or rob you when you are not looking. They aren’t violent, they just distract you while another swipes your things. Got it. now we are off to meet Ernesto and I dress a little warmer because it looks like it will rain. I meet up with my group at the university and we wait for Ernesto. Another man approaches and tells us we are going there with another group from St. Mary’s in San Antonio and Ernesto is meeting us in Madrid. Walking from the university was a trek but what made it worse was that we were caught in a big-time downpour. Boo. It was awful, and we were almost completely soaked when we arrived to the train station. After a few minutes the train to Madrid arrives and we get on board. 20 minutes later we are at the Metro station connected to the train station. Now I’ve been on the ‘L’ train in Chicago so I had an idea of how subways worked, but in Spain it’s a little different. These are crammed to the max with people to where any bad breath or body odor becomes too cozy. There is only enough room to grab hold onto the bars in the subway or if you are too short, lean on those who are taller. Once we arrive at our stop ‘Sol’ (which means Sun, it’s the center of the city of Madrid and the center of Spain) almost the entire compartment empties. Finally we see sunlight, or overcast since it is still rainy, but it’s only misting now and will stop soon. Ernesto tells us we are at the center of all the shopping in Madrid and if you go just down a way, you are at all the famous museums of Spain, another is the Broadway of Spain and another is towards a famous cathedral and one of the palaces of Spain for the king and queen. It’s exciting and there are loads of people, and as we cross the street, Ernesto stops us and says we are at this ‘exact point, at the very center of Spain’ and underneath his feet there was a sign saying 0 km, Spain. Then we walk through the commercial area and all of the stores are having sales. ALL of the stores are having sales…my hands were aching at the chance to buy something, but I told myself I was coming back and I would break in Spain when I could devote enough time to such a spectacular feat. Plus the sales last until the end of February. Joy!! We kept walking and he showed us the main area for Broadway with mainstream, films and off-Broadway if you know your proper classes of theatre. Then we walked more and we came upon what used to be the palace for the king and queen. I remembered this, and I remembered where we first entered off the metro. Amazing. Peaking through the gates of the palace at the drop-off of the hill, the rain had stopped and I had the chance of seeing the most beautiful sunset. Maybe all that rain was worth it. Some good had to come of it. Then we walked up a street where I had other flashbacks to my time in Madrid before….remarkable, I couldn’t believe I was remembering what I saw almost five years ago, and I barely paid attention. Then we walked into a plaza that was known for having the best restaurants, and it was beautiful…once more, I remembered it perfectly. Ernesto pointed out a great tapas restaurant to us, and then we kept walking. Suddenly we were back where we started. Going back on the Metro then the train, my friends and I couldn’t wait to come back. And it seemed so easy and accessible. Hard to imagine even though I’m here. Then we were back in Alcala, the rain had stopped and we were starved. My friends and I decided to have dinner together at a small Mediterranean place near campus. While it was fun, the food was horrible, and I love medi food. But I think it was geared towards American students who had never had it before….i knew this because it came with ketchup and ranch. Gross. Afterwards we went to Whelan’s, a popular Irish pub for foreign students to go to and hang out. After wine and hanging for a bit we walked further to Cabana; a Spanish bar. However it was only midnight and we were the first there. No matter, we were there and were okay with it. more and more people showed up as it got later, so we went to a discothèque called Can-Can. By 2am, people started to show up and the club became more and more fun. At all discothèques, you can check your coat, which don’t worry is safe. If they stole your things, you wouldn’t come back….they aren’t dumb here. But just in case, I checked my things later and kept my cards on me. By 4am and on, more and more people arrived until it was so packed you could barely move! Spaniards are true champs when it comes to partying…they start at 2am at the earliest, preferably 4 and don’t stop until 7am. Dancing until I was pooped, one of my friends Trevor, whom we call ‘Dad’ walked me home (he’s called Dad because he watches out for us, he’s cool, like most of my guy friends). I changed into my pajamas and went to sleep.

Jan 10th – Day to Return Back to School

Feeling much better, I want to come back to school since we still have orientation and I missed yesterday. Ana makes me a sack lunch and wishes me a better day at school. Walking into my classroom, Ernesto smiles at me and asks if I am feeling better. I tell him yes and sit down. My new friends ask where I was and said they heard I was sick. Was I better? Yes. What did I miss? The classic answer, ‘You didn’t miss anything, like we talked about nothing’. We go onto orientation of information among other things, and during our break we all exchange numbers after getting our European cell phones. After break is over, Ernesto tells us our last thing to go over for the day is sports and activities at the university. We can take flamenco and salsa dancing. Awesome. He also asks if we have any questions about anything or any words we want to know or don’t understand. I learn the word for cool, something is cool and creeper. After we are walking out and my friends from Slippery Rock invite me to come out with them to a discothèque that is opening tonight. I say maybe and they’ll call me later. Once I get to my host home, I am exhausted and after eating Adrian shows me another toy and then I go to sleep. I sleep the rest of the late afternoon and night.

Jan 9th – Day of Aches and Pains

I wake up to find my body full of aches at the slightest of movements and sleeping is my only agenda. When I finally wake up long enough for Ana to see how I’m doing, she brings me food which I don’t eat much of. I apologize and tell her I wish I could eat more, which she says it’s okay. It’s customary when you move into another country for your stomach to first reject the food and even so if I don’t like something she makes it’s okay. When she comes to see how I’m doing later that day Adrian comes with her. Ana tells me he’s been asking how I’m doing and if I’m okay. Which he waves and smiles at me. Once they leave, he comes back again with a toy. It’s a baby Winnie the Pooh dressed in a nightie and sleeping. He told me he thought it would make me feel better and help me sleep. Giving me a kiss on the cheek and saying good night, he goes back downstairs. I fall back asleep, and when I wake up I try to eat again. This time I eat more and Ana says in a very mom-like manner ‘Good girl, much better’. And then I sleep again.

Jan 8th – Day of Starting Orientation

I wake up to hearing Ana ask me if I am awake. Lol, obviously I am now. I get dressed and come downstairs to find Ana waiting for me to make me breakfast. After eating, we walk to the bus stop and she explains to me that the bus is the best way to get to the university and is very cheap and safe. To go to school I should only get on the number two or three bus and only red buses. Then she shows me where the bus will drop me off after I return from school. Once the bus arrives, we get on and she enters in a ticket to a machine that beeps and lets us on. While we are on the bus, I look around at the buildings downtown and see busy shops and lots of people everywhere. Shops where they have fish meat out on tables and people are touching them and asking for cuts, meat shops where huge circular thighs of some animal hang in the window with other cuts of meat; Fruit shops that have a huge variety of bright colors as well as shops with different kinds of clothes. Finally we get to turn the corner into the main plaza of Alcala which I found out is called Plaza de Cervantes. I was told why Cervantes was so revered but I soon forgot. In the plaza there is a giant Christmas tree decorated with ornaments and lights, and it is as big as the trees they have downtown in Chicago. The trees in the plaza have lights in them and a sculpture of angels made from Christmas lights is in the gallery. When we get off the bus, Ana walks me to the University building where I need to go which looks like a very old church. I find out later that the buildings that the university is housed in are from an old convent that was later used as a military infirmary base during the war. It was beautiful and old with lots of character, I felt like it was almost too pristine to be used as a university. Once Ana helps me find where I need to go she leaves me, to which I find myself panicked. In a country where I knew no one and nothing, Ana was my only guide even though I only spoke pieces of her language. It felt like the first day of school back when I was in elementary. Strange feeling. One of the directors led me downstairs to where my group was (what luck, I did have a group…and all this time I thought I was alone) after introducing himself. His name is Carlos and he is dressed in a navy blue suit and reminds me of a moody rocker guy that is dressed to introduce the latest performer on MTV Music Awards. Entering the room, I find fourteen others sitting in here, one I had met before, by chance, back at OU that was going to the same program. Smiling at me, letting me know she recognized me too, I sat next to her and we all introduced ourselves. In our group there were people from Oklahoma (OU), Florida, Missouri, Tennessee and Pennsylvania (Slippery Rock). I liked my group, they were friendly, fun and we all seemed to click instantly, especially myself and the kids from Slippery Rock. They reminded me of my friends back home or people I would befriend. Then our director for our group entered the room introducing himself as Ernesto. He would be as he put it our ‘Spanish dad’ while we were here in Spain. If there was anything we needed day or night, we could call anytime. Ernesto was funny and light-hearted and very easy to relate to. Ernesto had above all the cutest sense of fashion I had ever seen, and the girls I became closer friends with and myself would later decide that he was our man-crush. Much like the girl-crush if that rings any bells. If not, ask me and I can explain. Basically means that we don’t like him like that, he’s just adorable and we crush on him. But it’s platonic. He explains to us all the information we are receiving and tells us the schedule for the week. Then he tells us we are to now take our placement test to test how our Spanish is, but it is purely a guide because they do know that we are extremely jetlagged and tired. During this time, I’m not nervous but something doesn’t feel right. I feel jittery and I hold out my hand in the air to confirm why; my hand was shaking horribly and I could barely write a word without it affecting my handwriting. I hadn’t felt the shakes this bad since middle school. But I figured it was because I was still exhausted and kept pushing on through the test. Then my body decided that I was not getting the picture of what was wrong and sent a message that was VERY clear. I asked where the bathroom was where I ran in and threw up my breakfast. Feeling much better, I had cleared out my mouth with water, straightened myself and went back to finish the test. Afterward, Ernesto went to go grade them and we stayed in the room to hang and interact. I started talking more with the kids from Slippery Rock and they were becoming more and more familiar. While we were talking Victoria offered me some of her Clementine and I sipped on my juice that my host mom packed in a sack lunch for me. Feeling tired again I layed my head down and then my body sent me the message again. I ran out to the bathroom and repeated the same as before. Something was definitely wrong, but I would tough it out until we were done for the day in an hour. Once we were finished, I went by the Tobacco store to buy a bus pass (they explained it earlier to our group how to do it and what it was) and then went to the bus stop. finally I got to my stop and started walking home. Earlier Ana gave me a set of keys, one for the gate and one for the door. When I came to the gate I tried my key and it wouldn’t work. I must have tried ten times and by then I felt more tired and decided to call Ana for help. She was on her way and would help me as soon as she got there. I found out why I didn’t get in, I hadn’t turned the key far enough to unlatch the door. As always, I am humbled. Then I go inside and to my room to put on pajamas. Ana comes to me and asks how everything went and if I was hungry. I then told her what happened and she told me she would bring me tea to help settle the stomach. I was fine for a bit and then my stomach sent the message again. I tried medicine the doctors advised for upset stomach abroad with water (which I was extremely thirsty), that didn’t work long, I tried bread and no again. I wanted to sleep and I couldn’t. how rude. My body and I were at odds and it was winning. I spent the rest of the say like this and dad tried researching what I could do with what I had or didn’t have with me and found that Dramamine helps sometimes. Finally we found something that helps at 1am my time.

Jan 7th- Day it became official

So, I have spent all the day before trying to sleep on the plane with not much success and now I have my last flight to Madrid. We are almost 3 hours to Spain where all of my adventure begins and I have never wanted sleep more. More importantly, I have never wanted to sleep lying down more so than now. Unfortunately for me, I cannot sleep and I am becoming very envious of the other people on the plane that can. Soon enough we are approaching Spain’s borders and the flight attendants are bringing out breakfast. In my head I am thinking, I don’t want breakfast, what I want is sleep and for a big bed to appear for me to sleep in forever. Then Megan lifts up the window in the airplane and we get our first glimpse of Spain just outside of Madrid. Beautiful mountains stretching in between sleepy clouds and at this time I realize that the captain is prepping us to land. Once the plane lands, the captain tells us that we are here (obviously) and welcomes us to Spain. I look at Laura and say ‘It’s real official now, we are about to make it in Spain’. We get off the plane with our carryon bags prepping for the worst that can happen in a foreign airport…lost luggage. But for the three of us, this was not the case. It was really the opposite in that we all realized we really had an overabundance in luggage. Crap. Seemed like an okay idea when man-labor was nearby, not so much when you are by yourself. You just imagine the hilarious scene you are causing trying desperately to pick up your own luggage off the carousel. To make it better, there were luggage carriers to help keep it all together, but I of course had to be the one that needed to demonstrate my cluelessness in a different country even at the simplest of things. For some reason I thought the carriers were pushable and couldn’t figure out why the wheels were locked and sounded like a car chase from ‘Chips’ on the tiles. Then a man came to me and said very fast something I didn’t understand. Seeing I was still clueless, he squeezed the handle under the one I was holding which released the wheels. If I had the ability to blush, now would have been the time, although today will give me many opportunities to blush. Once we get out of the luggage claim, we go to the meeting area for arrivals to look for our groups. Laura sees hers and speeds away muttering something about staying in touch. Megan and I are still clueless as to where our group’s were. Walking around the whole arrivals gate, we still don’t find our group and some guy waiting in the terminal excitedly says to me ‘Hey American!!’ He is obviously American and I later guessed that he recognized my cluelessness. We see a group of kids that have too much luggage like ourselves and I ask one of the boys which school they are going to. He says University of Alcala and I become immediately excited for I have found my group. Megan is later picked up by hers. He says he goes to Loyola University and I notice that there are others from the same school but think nothing of it. The guide informs us that we need to get on the bus and leads me there. More and more I start to notice all these people know each other and I wished I was in the same boat. The bus driver loads our luggage on the bus undercarriage and I go to sit on the bus. A girl introduces herself to me and her friends and say they all go to Loyola. I start to feel that something isn’t right because not only am I the only one from my school but the guide’s name isn’t right. I ask if I am supposed to be in a particular group and she gives me a very wide-eyed look. I realize that something is now most definitely not right and have an inkling suspicion that my embarrassedness from earlier with the cart is about to be topped. It was; I was on the wrong bus, in the wrong group, and to make matters worse I had to go back on the bus, get my things then have the driver unload my luggage. Reloading it on the cart and making another comical scene with my luggage, I slowly carted myself away from the bus with the other students watching the whole scene progress. Frustrated and completely mortified, I was back at the terminal again. Megan and Laura had found their groups and were gone and my group wasn’t due back to make another round for the others until 3pm. it was noon at this point. A man passed me and asked if I needed a taxi at this time, which I first replied no. Realizing that I couldn’t sit and wait to continue my mortification, I immediately told him otherwise. He then lead me to an ATM to get money and I realized this would test my patience because he spoke not one lick of English. Leading me to his car and attempting, with not much luck, to tell him where I needed to go, he explained that Alcala was a big campus and asked if I knew where exactly I needed to go. I didn’t and then became very fearful. We went by the dorms to ask where I needed to go, they didn’t know; we went by some building for registration and they didn’t know. Then, they found the phone number of my host family in one of the papers I had with me (thanks to dad). After calling her, they found where I was supposed to go. Ana came and picked me up, but not before I saw the Loyola group at the same place. I have never tried so hard to become invisible or disappear. The only thing that was invisible was my confidence.
We came to my host family’s home where I met her husband Pepe and they led me into their home. Taking me to my room and explaining how to use things in it, Ana brought Adrian to come meet me. He is a very adorable four-year-old boy who hid behind his moms legs and feebly agreed with his mom that I was very pretty. Upon leaving me in my room, Ana asked if I needed help with anything or if I was hungry. I replied no and that I wanted to first rest, then eat. After calming myself down from being upset about the day earlier, I slept. 8 hours later, I woke up. I felt nervous about going downstairs to eat, but I knew I had to get it over with. Ana was waiting in the kitchen for me and made me dinner. Leaving me to eat in peace without pressure of talking, I started to relax. Then Adrian came and found me telling me that he had something to show me. (oh that reminds me, he came back before I went to sleep to show me his Lego truck me made earlier) I asked him what it was and he told me it was a surprise. Following him upstairs, he led me to his room to show me he built (with his dad’s help of course) a Lego Semi that carried his racecars. How cute. I went back to my room, unpacked, put on pajamas and went to sleep. (Fleece sheets are popular here, didn’t know that which didn’t mix well with me overheating in my sleep…I would get used to it)

Jan 6th – Day of No Sleep (from me since I know have internet!!)

This day is literally what it means. I have checked my luggage and am officially bound for Spain. And while goodbyes are hard to take I had, in a failed attempt, promised myself that I wouldn’t cry. Obviously this didn’t happen because the moment mom started sniffling and squeezing tighter, my tears started running too. I know I’ll miss my family a lot as well as my friends but this experience I have to do for myself. And to get the reward I need and want from it, I have to do it alone. Scary thought though. The flights were okay, the main flight from Newark to Madrid felt the scariest for me because this was truly the point of no return. It would become official, and I was really doing this. I remember watching 3 episodes of House, Secondhand Lions, and some movie with ‘The Rock’ where he’s a football player and has a little girl. I made friends with the 2 girls next to me, who were both unfortunately not bound for the same school as I but at least they were in Spain. Laura (who is going to Madrid from NYU) is a crazy, northern partier from New Jersey and while her accent was unmistakable, I knew her and I would become good friends. She reminded me of friends from back home. The other girl was Megan (who was going to Toledo from a University in North Dakota where sororities are big there too) who was a small town gal from North Dakota who surprisingly only taken two semesters, total, of Spanish at college. I was beyond impressed and nervous for her and with her but I think she would catch on soon enough.

Made it

I'm in Spain and at my host family's house. They don't have internet so Dad will be posting updates for me. They have a cute 4 year old boy Adrian. He loves legos and built me a truck to help make me feel better after the flight. More later.

Love Addy

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Posted by Dad

jan 6 - the day before i leave

oh dang!! i have a blog. gotta pack.
love.

Before it all begins

Test 1 2 3 Test

Just making sure it works