Adventures in Spain

Oh America.

2010-06-06T06:04:00.000-07:00

My direct flight from London to Seattle was a success. It was a little cramped, the food was mysterious, and I think I was seated in the elderly section... but I watched three new movies, so I was perfectly content.

Upon arrival in Seattle, I thought about the "How to deal with reverse culture shock" email that we received a few weeks before our program was finished in Spain. The email contained suggestions for dealing wiht th ereverse culture shock that most people experience more when returning to the states after study abroad. I decided that like my study abroad experience, I needed to come back to the states with an open mind.

As I waited for the hotel shuttle bus to come pick me up, I noticed something immediately. There was a typical American family of seven who were staying the night in Seattle before leaving for a cruise in the morning. Each of the seven members of the family had 2 LARGE suitcases each. I stared down at my 1 piece of luggage that had been more than sufficient for 5 months, made some rude comments in my head, and then remembered that there was a time in my life when I took the same suitcase on a week-long spring break.

All Good Things Must Come to an End

2010-06-04T14:02:00.000-07:00

Five months ago tomorrow I was saying my goodbyes in the Boise Airport. I was second guessing my decision to study abroad. I was telling myself that there was no way that I would be able to survive away from the people I loved most. I remember the sadness I felt looking back one last time before I stepped through security. I remember trying my hardest to keep the tears from flowing as I waited for my flight. I remember the last texts that I sent and the calls that I made. Then there was the five hour wait in the Seattle Airport. I remember seeing the "USAC" baggage tags but being too afraid to talk to anyone. I was fighting back more tears. Making more calls. Thinking that I was making the biggest mistake of my life. But after all of that...I DID IT!

I can't believe that I will be leaving from London tomorrow afternoon to head back to the states. The past five months have been some of the best of my life--I will never, ever forget them! A couple of weeks ago I was reading my friend Morgen's blog and she was reflecting on the things that she learned while she was in Spain. Morgen couldn't have said it any better, it's like she crawled inside my head and stole my thoughts. With that being said, I am going to have to share with you her words...

"I've also spent a good deal of time reflecting on what I've learned over the past semester. A few weeks ago I would have made a list looking something like this:
In Spain I learned...
-Velazquez is the greatest portrait painter of all time
-Cafe con leche and coffee with milk are not the same thing
-The uses of the subjunctive
-Spanish gender roles
-Chocolate chips are a necessity
-Fluency in a foreign language
... and so on...
Now, after rereading my journal and looking back on the past few months I think what I really learned while abroad can be summed up differently. In Spain I learned the importance of family, made friends I will cherish forever, fell in love with Spanish culture, discovered my passions, became more open minded... When it is all said and done it is not the grammar, the literature, the Spanish movies or the art history lessons that account for the life-changing experience. Instead, it is the people I met, the discoveries of self, the long walks on the beach... these are the things that changed my life. I will never be the person I was when I stepped on the plane in January. This experience has made me a better person and I cannot thank the wonderful people I shared it with enough." -Morgen Sedlacek

My experience in Spain taught me so many important things about life. I am a happier person than I've ever been and that is because I now know what it is I want in life and I know exactly what I have to do to get there. I was able to experience something that I never thought I'd be able to survive and I ended up loving every minute of it! I would not trade anything in the world for the experience, the friendships, and the happiness that I gained while studying abroad. I am truly grateful for the opportunity that I had and I will never forget it!

I love this video because I think that it shows the happiness that I experienced and the wonderful friends that I made!

Maddy and Wyatt

2010-06-01T23:21:00.000-07:00

Did I ever mention that my niece and nephew are the cutest kids in the world?? I know that everyone thinks this about the kids in their family, but this isn't a biased opinion, they are truly adorable! Not only are they physically adorable, but they have personalities to go along with their adorable button noses.

A little of this and that.

2010-06-01T06:20:00.000-07:00

I realized something today...American women tend to complain that they can never find a man and that men never compliment them, well that is because we have been trained to take compliments as being "hit on". I was at the market today in Sicily and one of the young market men looked at me and said, "you are so beautiful". Instead of taking his words as a compliment, I immediately gave him a slight look of digust and started laughing. It was my natural reaction to give him this look because of the culture that we live in--any stranger who says something like that to you must be a creep. I gave that fruit vendor a second glance and changed my view on compliments from strangers. That'll be the last dirty look I give a European man.

In other news--today I was watching New Moon and I saw the preview for a movie that has already come out in the states, Letters to Juliet. The movie looks so cute!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz43rtBUVA0

Tonight I'm making dinner. I found this recipe on one of the blogs that I read, this is the first time I'm making it--wish me luck!

Stranger

2010-05-31T07:49:00.000-07:00

I have never met this girl, but I hope to meet her one day. Her name in Jana and I'm obsessed with reading her blog. She loves to cook and then post her recipes, she loves to take photographs and then post her pictures, she is good at almost everything! I found her featured on another friend's blog last year and I haven't been able to stop reading it since.

http://janalaurene.com/blog/

One day we will meet and be friends.

"Gouda please..."

2010-05-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

Today I spent the day doing "kid things" with my niece and nephew, I forgot how much fun it is! Wyatt and I jumped on the trampoline this morning and I made up a game for us to play, we also made up songs to go along with our game. Did I mention that I want a trampoline when I get home??

I made cookies this afternoon as well, which was a first in over four months. I forgot how much I LOVE cooking!!

After Maddy got home from school we jumped on the trampoline some more and then we took their dog for a walk. Maddy and Wyatt were both on rollerblades, which was hysterical! We took a break after our walk and I taught Maddy cursive and Wyatt practiced his letters.

The kids requested a snack, "Aunt Carly, can we please have apples and cheese?" I started cutting up the apples and then I was pulled some cheese out of the drawer, my 4 year old nephew and 7 year old niece said to me at the same time, "um, we don't like that kind, can we please have gouda." I looked at them and starting laughing adn proceeded to tell them that they are "cheese snobs". I guess that is what happens when you are raised in Italy.

Don't Go Breakin My Heart

2010-05-25T07:22:00.000-07:00

I just spent an incredible 4 days in Prague....and fell in love! It was such an incredibly beautiful city. I told my dad in an email that "Prague stole my heart and I will move there some day", his response was, "you say that about every city you visit". This may be true, but Prague was my favorite European city! It was a great trip to get my mind off of having to leave Spain. I had a great time exploring the streets with my brother Justin and his friend. One of my best chicas, Sarah, just happened to be there 3 of the 4 days and was staying in our hostel. Dear Prague, I love you, please don't break my heart.

After my 4 splendid days in Prague, I headed to Budapest to visit my best friend Brittany. Budapest was a facinating city. The language was so interesting and it was really fun to see Britt interact in her city. I am so so happy that I got to spend time with before I came back to Sicily and she headed back to the states. Thank you Brittany for an incredible weekend, I miss you already!

So now I am back in Sicily and I will be here for less than 2 weeks before I head back to the states. I can't decide how I feel about that...

3 days...

2010-05-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

It is crazy that a little over 4 months ago I made a post similar to this...only last time it was because I was leaving the U.S. to go to Spain. This time I have less than 3 days until I leave my new home. Friday is my last day in Spain and then I'm off to Sicily to visit my brother and his family for 3 weeks before I head back to the states. I am so sad to be leaving Spain! I never in my life imagined that I would grow to love this place as much as I have. The past four months have been the best of my life. I will miss everything about this place, especially my friends! I don't know what I'll do without them....

Spring Break [Adventure]

2010-05-03T12:32:00.000-07:00

My spring break this year was incredible, crazy, a joke, amazing, unforgettable; the best spring break of my life! Without a doubt, I will NEVER ever forget my big adventure.

[April 1-3]
The first few days of my break were spent with my dad and Brittany. We strolled the Explanada, had an incredible lunch overlooking the Port, sipped wine with my host mother, feasted on tapas, and even played a little on the beach.

[April 3-6]
Brittany, Dad, and I were able to visit Barcelona for a few days. We hit most of the main attractions in the city; Sagrada Famila, Gruell Park, etc. as well as some great tapas bars and Irish pubs. We stayed in a great little apartment right off of Las Ramblas. Brittany and I spent our last day together on the beach, catching up on life. My dad was also able to have some alone time exploring the city...I'm sure he needed it after spending 5 days with us two girls.

[April 6-11]
After an incredible time in Barcelona, my dad and I headed for Sevilla (my favorite city in Spain). I loved showing him around the charming cobblestone streets. We toured the cathedral, strolled along the river, sampled the local cuisine, and even made friends with some lovely Spanish women. After a couple of days in Sevilla we took a bus to Granada. I also had a great time showing my dad around this beautiful city. I showed him all of the main points and was impressed with my memory of how to get around the city. After 5 wonderful days we took another bus back to Alicante so that we could recooperate before our big Italian adventure.

[April 12-15]
My dad and I flew into Pisa on the night of April 12th. We stayed at a hotel near the bus station and anxiously awaited the arrival of my brother Justin, his wife Nikki, their two kids--Maddy and Wyatt, and Nikki's two brothers. We experienced our first Italian pizza in Pisa, it was delicious! Justin and the family arrived early the next morning. I couldn't believe how big Maddy and Wyatt had gotten! We spent the morning walking around the city and were able to see the Leaning Tower. Shortly after we took a train to Cinque Terre. I'll give you just a brief explanation of Cinque Terre for those of you who don't know...it's Heaven on Earth. No not really, but definitely my favorite place in Italy. It's a combination of five quaint coastal cities; Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso that are tucked into the cliffs bordering the Mediterranean Sea. There are no cars allowed in these five coastal villages so you can imagine how clean the air was. The five towns are connected and are a day worth of hiking will take you through all five. We stayed at a great hostel in Manarola, where an adorable Italian man cooked us some incredible Italian food. We hiked from Manarola (the second town) to Vernazza (the fourth town) and stopped for lunch. By then Maddy and Wyatt were all hiked out so I finished the journey to the fifth town by myself and met everyone else who took a boat. The hike was incredible. There were so many times that I would just stop and look out over the sea, feeling like I was the luckiest girl in the world. We took a boat from the 5th town back to the first and then hiked to the second town that we were staying in. I absolutely loved Cinque Terre, thinking about my time there is bittersweet.

[April 15-17]
After an incredible adventure in Cinque Terre we headed by train to Florence. Thanks to Justin's amazing research skills, we stayed at another great hostel. I really enjoyed our time in Florence. Again, we did the normal tourist activities. Justin and I even went for a run through the city, which was incredible! We ate too much gelato and I tried water buffalo mozzarello cheese, the most amazing food ever made! The buildings and statues in Florence were beautiful. Nikki recommended that we climb "the tower" of the cathedral, the view from the top was literally breath-taking. We spent our almost all of our second day hypnotized by the unbelievable leather market.

[April 17-18]
The last day of our adventure was spent in Venice. It was such a cool city...I'm still facinated by the fact that the streets really are ALL water. We got a big surprise within the first 20 minutes of being in Venice, we met Rick Steves. Rick Steves is basically the master of travel. Long story short--my friends and I had been joking about the posibility of meeting Rick Steves when we heard he was going to be in Europe updating his travel guide...well I was the lucky one! haha My family was so excited! We got our picture taken, he signed guide books, and even complimented my dad's "Rick Steves" backpack. We saw a little of the main city and then took a boat to the famous glass island where we were given a private tour of a glass blowing facility. We spent the day wandering through all of the shops, looking for famous Venetian glass souvenirs. Our time in Venice was short and sweet. It was really expensive compared to all of the other places we'd visited and everyone was exhausted after so much traveling, so it was the perfect day to end the trip. We said our goodbyes and went our seperate ways. My dad and I took a train to Milan where we were supposed to fly out and back to Alicante...little did we know, our big adventure was only beginning.

[April 18-23]
To be continued....

V-I-D-E-O-S

2010-05-02T14:23:00.000-07:00

As I have mentioned before, my friend Melissa is a master with the camera. Here are a few of the AMAZINGLY WONDERFUL videos from the semester.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qo9YNfB6fM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wzvgefbwk6c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLuWjkbuiII

"that was a top night ladies, a top night!"

2010-05-02T14:07:00.000-07:00

I love my friends! I think that we should be on the cover of every Spanish magazine, enough said.

Love Today

2010-04-30T16:37:00.001-07:00

If you are ever having a bad day, just listen to some Mika. I start my morning off by turning up the volume on my Mika songs...I can't help but have a good day!

I love...

2010-04-30T16:28:00.000-07:00

Europe, Spain, and my life!

Sevilla and Granada take two..

2010-04-09T07:32:00.000-07:00

After my amazing weekend in Barcelona, my dad and I headed to Sevilla for two days and are currently in Granada for two days. I have already been to both Sevilla and Granada but my dad really wanted to see both cities so I compromised ;) It is amazing how much a little sunshine and blooming orange trees can change a girl's mind about a city...Sevilla was so much fun the first time I visited but has easily become my favorite city in Spain. The weather was absolutely incredible! My dad and I visited the Plaza de Espana, the Cathedral, and the Park Maria Luisa. I was glad that I was able to take my dad to all of those places, he fell in love as well! We spent our mornings sight seeing and our afternoons strolling the cobble stone streets, along the river, and enjoying good food and wine.

Yesterday we arrived in Granada. We checked into our hotel and then I showed my dad a few of the spots I remembered from my first visit. Unfortunately we didn't make reservations to the Alhambra but we were able to get tickets to the Gardens. My dad really didn't miss out on seeing anything by not getting the full tour. The only thing we couldn't do was enter the main palaces. The gardens were beautiful and I think my dad was fully satisfied. After visting the Alhambra I took my dad to the opposite side of the city so we could look at a full view of the Palace. We found ourselves inside a tradition Spanish bar where my dad tried the blood sausage...I couldn't do it. My spring break has been incredible so far and it's only going to get better. We are headed back in the morning to Alicante for a day and a half and then it's off to Italy to visit my brother and his family for a week. I already miss Sevilla, I can still smell the sweet orange blossoms...

Barcelona

2010-04-08T14:16:00.000-07:00

I just had an amazing weekend/start to my spring break, in Barcelona with my dad and Brittany! It was so much fun to spend a few days with two of my favorite people! Barcelona was an incredible city, but not my favorite of the cities I've been to in Spain. I loved the contrast of the city and the beach, Britt and I were able to lay out on Monday and soak up some Spanish sun. We visited Gaudi's Sagrada Familia and Gruell Park...both were incredible! I think that Britt and my dad were tapa'd out by the time our weekend was over. It was such a treat to get to share my Spanish experience for a few days. I was sad that Brittany had to leave back to Budapest, but I am so happy that we were able to meet in Spain, who would have thought two Idaho girls on the beach in Barcelona :D

bi·zarre

2010-04-06T14:58:00.000-07:00

bi·zarre

[bih-zahr]

markedly unusual in appearance, style, or general character and often involving incongruous or unexpected elements; outrageously or whimsically strange; odd: bizarre clothing; bizarre behavior.

It had been forever since I've been able to update my blog because my computer suddenly decided to die--my friend Melissa is in Barcelona for the weekend and kindly offered to let me borrow her computer, so finally an update about the last month of my life. As you can see I've incorporated the work "bizarre" in several ways...first there is my title, then the pronunciation, and finally a definition of the word. I chose this for a very specific reason, this morning I was enjoying a cup of cafe con leche with some of my friends and we were discussing the series of events that have been occurring, more specifically the events of Semana Santa (I'll fill you in later), and my friend Morgen pointed out that if she could describe the festivals/celebrations of Spain in one word it would be "bizarre". I thought about it for a moment and then realized that if I could use one word to describe Spain in general it would be "bizarre". There are so many outrageously or whimsically strange events that occur every day. Then Morgen suggested that I start a new blog and share one "bizarre" story that happens to me each day...so, within the next few days I will be posting a link to my new blog about my bizarre experiences in Spain.

I'm struggling as I sit here trying to think of the best way possible to sum up EVERYTHING that I have done in the past month...

Sevilla. Sarah, Sara, Morgen, Mike, and I flew with Ryanair to Sevilla the weekend of March 5th. I had my first hostel experience. When we arrived our room wasn't ready so we had to leave our stuff in a back room so that we could wander through the city. The city was absolutely beautiful, even with the rain. We went to the cathedral and climbed to the bell tower..the view from the top was really amazing. We also visited the Plaza de Espana, which was probably one of my favorite parts just because it was a beautiful structure. Sarah, Sara, and I cooked dinner in our hostel both nights which was a lot of fun! Overall it was a really great experience!

View from the bell tower of the Cathedral.

Entrance to the Cathedral
Another view of the Cathedral

San Sebastian. There aren't words to describe the city that I truly fell in love with. My friend Melissa and I took an overnight bus ride (10 hours) to visit some of my friends from the Madrid tour. The city was nothing like I expected...I felt like every building was ornate, even the bridges had been thoughtfully designed. I loved the Basque influences throughout the city. Melissa studied last spring semester in San Sebastian so it was really nice to have someone who knew their way around the city. The weather was absolutely beautiful when we were there, which was a rare treat for the winter. I almost regretted not doing better research for my study abroad, San Sebastian would have been an amazing experience. Unfortunately I haven't downloaded any of my photos from the trip to San Sebastian so those will have to come later.

The next trip in my series of weekend trips was Las Fallas in Valencia. Sarah, Melissa, and I took the train from Alicante to Valencia and spent the entire weekend there. First of all there were millions of people--the city was so crowded that it was impossible to navigate through certain parts. For those of you who aren't familiar with Fallas it is a festival that takes place each year in Valencia...artists spend an entire year designing and building paper mache sculptures and on the night, not to mention spend thousands of dollars, on the night of Las Fallas they burn all of the structures to the ground. The Fallas were truly incredible works of art, as an artist I would have been irritated and crushed to watch such an amazing creation be burnt to the ground in a matter of seconds. The weekend of Las Fallas was really exhausting but I'm really glad that I got to experience such a huge part of the Spanish culture.

[Pictures of Fallas to come]

Last weekend there was some sort of festival going on, it seems there is always a festival in Spain, and my friends and I ran into a Spanish rendition of Grease on the Explanada...I almost died of laughter because if was one of the funniest/strangest things I've ever seen. There was also some sort of pageant event in which girls were bawling because they had to give up their title as princess of the Explanada, fireworks, etc. it was a strange night.

Semana Santa, or better known as Holy Week, recently took place in Spain. I don't know if I've mentioned this before but Spain loves their holidays! There was a 5 hour parade every single night during Holy Week. My dad arrived on Wednesday so he was able to experience one of these lovely parades [can you sense the sarcasm?] The parades consisted of traditional Spanish dress, music, and large statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary...it was interesting to say the least. However, 6 nights of the same parade lasting well into the night, it got a little old.

As I mentioned earlier, my dad arrived Wednesday...the poor thing had a walk about 10 miles the first day he was in Alicante because I'm not familiar with the bus system here because I walk everywhere. We enjoyed a lovely afternoon touring around the city. Thursday my host mother made a delicious paella for lunch and I got to work on my Spanish translation skills. Brittany arrived late Thursday night and also had to great joy of experiencing the 5th parade that week in Alicante. My dad, Britt and I had a great day in Alicante on Friday and left early Saturday morning for Barcelona. I will post a separate posting with details from our weekend in Barcelona along with more pictures!

3 hours...

2010-03-31T02:31:00.000-07:00

3 more hours until my dad arrives in Alicante!!!! I am so excited, I can hardly wait. I´m also excited for his arrival because he is bringing me his computer, which means I will finally be able to update my blog! :D

Lo siento.

2010-03-13T11:34:00.000-08:00

So...my computer died! I decided that I'd rather use my money for traveling so I'm waiting until my dad gets here to bring me his computer--thanks dad! I don't have access to a real computer unless I'm hanging out on campus, so I won't be able to update pictures for a while. I wanted to share a video link with you of a video that my friend Melissa made from our USAC trip to Granada. I'm currently falling in love with the city of San Sebastian! I hope you enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPahnXnK7MM

Home.

2010-03-03T04:36:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that I've been here two months already! I am so proud of myself, I haven't really gone through the waves of homesickness yet. My time here has been wonderful thus far. I've made some really wonderful friends...but being here has made me start to analyze certain situations in my life. I really miss the friendships from home. I never thought that it would be so difficult to maintain relationships, the only people that I've really stayed in contact with are my sister and Bradi. I never thought for a second that friendships/relationships would be lost through this process. If anything I've grown tremendously as a person...studying abroad has been one of the best experiences of my life! I would recommend it to everyone! And for those of you who don't have this opportunity, live vicariously through me and be grateful for all the wonderful relationships you have in your life! :D

Aint No Mountain High Enough...

2010-03-01T04:37:00.001-08:00

This past weekend a group of us traveled to a nearby town, Calpe. I fell in love. It was such a beautiful coastal town. We enjoyed free samples of sangria and pulpo (octupus), sipped cafe con leche, ate helado (ice cream), and climbed a mountain. It was a lovely adventure and the climb to the top was incredible! I definitely want to go back.

My friend Melissa and I have a problem with taking pictures--my camera is always full of pictures of her and vice versa. Here are a few more pictures from the Granada trip, compliments of Melissa's camera, as well as pictures from our weekend in Calpe.

I feel like a lot of these pictures deserve an explanation--but instead I'll just eave it up to your imagination. Let me just say that Spain is getting to know the real Carly :D

Pictures from Granada

2010-02-27T17:39:00.000-08:00

There's no place like Granada..

2010-02-26T06:27:00.000-08:00

It is finally Friday! I have had an incredibly busy week and I can hardly believe I've been here almost 2 months--time flies when you're having fun. Last weekend I had the opportunity to travel to Granada with the USAC Alicante Director Luis, his assistant Larissa, and all 60+ USAC students. I had such a wonderful time!

The trip started Friday morning when we at 10:00 a.m. I packed my backpack (Petra and Melissa you'd be so proud of my new packing skills), made a couple of bocadillos (sandwiches), grabbed my umbrella and headed for the meeting place. Well I guess it wasn't my lucky day because my umbrella decided to break on the 5 min walk to the bus stop. Melissa rushed to greet me as soon as I arrived at the bus stop asking me to be her roommate for the trip. We all piled on the bus and a few of the girls rode in a van because there wasn't enough room for all of us....and off we went. The bus ride was fairly painless. I slept for a large part of the trip. In Spain, it is a law that buses have to stop every two hours for a 30 minute break. So halfway through our trip, we stopped at a rest stop and enjoyed our bocadillos. I laugh every time I stop at a "rest stop" in Spain because it is nothing like one in the States. People at "rest stops" in Spain are dressed up; there is a formal dining room; and you can't purchase a pickle n' pouch. Melissa, Sarah, and I listened to our Ipods for the remaining 2 hours of the trip...often laughing at some of the "oldies" from middle school.

We arrived in Granada and made it through the chaos of figuring out who was going to room with who...Melissa and I ended up rooming together as planned, and my friend Angela also joined us. After getting situated, a few of us met up to walk around for an hour before we had a group meeting. It had been raining before we arrived so as we walked, we tried to dodge puddles and mud. At one point I jumped over a puddle and landed on some slick clay, I slid across the patch and almost landed on my butt...luckily balance was on my side! That could have been bad considering I had only packed 1 pair of jeans for the weekend.

Luis, the program director, took us on a tour of the city. The narrow streets and the rich history are something that I truly hate/love about Spain. Imagine walking down streets with a group of 60 students...yes, we got lots of looks! We hiked our way up the narrow, stone streets to lookout over the city and across to La Alhambra. It was such an amazing view. Once at the top, we had 45 min or so of free time. Melissa and I wondered the streets looking for a place to buy dates. Lucky for me, she remembered a little shop where she had been able to purchase them last year. Our next mission was to find ice cream. I never imagined that it would be so difficult to find ice cream, especially at a heladaria (ice cream shop). Later we were informed that it is not ice cream season in Spain and that most places don't start serving it until it gets warmer.

Later that night we made our way through the "tea street", basically it was a street lined with tea and hooka shops, and to "little India". Imagine two extra narrow streets covered with black tarp and lined with Indian shops. It was cool, but I definitely didn't feel like I was in Spain. A group of us decided that we wanted to see a Flamenco show but we didn't want to pay to see it...fortunately, we found a restaurant that had a free show with dinner. The show was definitely not what I expected, but we shared a couple of pitchers of sangria, enjoyed some delicious veggie pizza, and saw a great show!

The next morning we were up bright and early for our trip to La Alhambra. I can't even put into words how beautiful it was. Everything from the military quarters, to the view of the city, the hunting grounds/summer home, and the gardens--gorgeous is an understatement. I ended up taking about 100 pictures just at the Alhambra. I was telling a friend that I've never really been interested in history but it's been really hard not to develop an interest while I'm in Spain--the history here is so rich. One of the really cool things about getting to visit the Alhambra was that we stood in the room where Columbus asked the queen for permission for his expedition to America. One day I will live at La Alhambra, I just know it :D

Later that afternoon my friends and I enjoyed browsing through the shops and eating ice cream. We happened to pass by the end of a wedding so Sarah, Melissa, and I perched ourselves on a bench and waited for the bride to come out. You bet we took pictures and were being completely creepy, but it was a lot of fun to see all of the people dressed up.

In Spain, "tapas" are a very important/well known thing. They are comparable to appetizers. The biggest meal of the day is eaten around 3 pm and then usually for dinner, at 9 or 10 pm, people eat tapas or bocadillos. In Granada, when you go out for drinks at night, all of the restaurants/bars serve free tapas with the purchase of a drink. Saturday night, my friends and I met up and went out for tapas. It was a very interesting experience...the tapas weren't what I expected, but then again nothing in Spain is. It was definitely a lot of fun and there were a lot of laughs! The next morning we left early to head back to Alicante. If any of your ever get the chance to come to Spain, I definitely recommend visiting Granada!

I decided that instead of posting 100+ pictures from my weekend trip, I'd make a slideshow instead....I successfully made a slideshow but for some reason it's not letting me upload. I'll just have to post pictures when I get time or try and post the video again.

I've been enjoying the beautiful Alicante weather this week! It has been sunny and 70+ degrees every day this week. I kept laughing to myself imaging this weather at Boise State. Last spring all the sun had to do was make an appearance and the campus was covered with girls in bikinis. I walked to the beach on Wednesday in shorts and I've never seem more stares in my life...it is because Spaniards still consider this "winter" so they thought I was crazy!

I'm loving Spain more and more each day, I don't know how I'll leave.

March will be an exciting month...I'm going to Sevilla and Valencia, my dad is coming the 31st for 3 weeks and Brittany will be here shortly after. Then off to see Justin, Nikki, and the kids! I apologize for the length of this post...but my dad informed me that I needed to update it, so blame it on him.

I hope that most of you are enjoying the cold Idaho winter...I think I'll go for a walk on the beach :D

Mail

2010-02-21T13:02:00.000-08:00

If you'd like a postcard from Spain send me your address!

carl_annp@hotmail.com

Pictures from Granada trip coming soon :D

El Entierro de La Sardina: Lighting a paper mache fish on fire.

2010-02-18T03:54:00.001-08:00

"A wonderful quote to describe this spectacle, courtesy of Morgen: "This would never fly in the states." Another wonderful celebration here in Spain. This one signifies the end of Carnaval, beginning the first day of Lent. How does one do that? Well, by chasing a large ...paper mache fish around town until setting fire to it in the plaza, THAT'S how. "" -Melissa's posting

Unfortunately I was unable to attend the burial of the sardine because I was studying for an exam. However, my friend Melissa is a film genius and was able to capture a piece of the lovely celebration.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTb_gG-nf2o

Enjoy!

CARNAVALES continued...

2010-02-14T07:55:00.000-08:00

Last night was the main night of Carnaval. I had such a great time, it was unlike anything I've ever experienced. Basically thousands of people were parading around the streets of Alicante, wearing costumes, and drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. My night consisted of dancing on a stage, taking pictures with crazy people, singing, dancing, eating "Kebaps", and staying out until almost 5 am...which by Spanish standards, was early. Here are the promised photos from the night. If you ever have the opportunity to come to Alicante, I would highly recommend scheduling your trip during Carnavales! P.S. the way my photos were uploaded, they actually start with the end of the night and work towards the beginning.

Last photo of the night--Sarah, Mike, Me, Melissa

I don't know why I am smiling in this picture, I was tricked into buying this beer for 2 euros just so I could use the bathroom.

Jokes.

Sarah and I were so proud of our tutus.

This was basically a giant runway where you could show off your costume--one of the two stage experiences and Sarah and I had last night.

Morgen, me, Sarah

Tourist Mateo

Fact: Sarah used to be a SIM-holic too. We freaked when we saw these girls dressed as SIMS.

Melissa loved this cow mask.

Crazy man in a purple wig. He danced on stage with Sarah and I.

One of about 50 twirling pictures.

Tarzan.

This was one of the most popular costumes of the night. These guys were jokes, I couldn't stop laughing.

My girls from San Sebastian

Churro/photo break.

Melanie and I felt like practicing our moves from dance class.

Carnaval!

Drew: What is your costume?

Sarah and I: We're the tutu twins.

Ten second timer

CARNAVALES

2010-02-12T11:38:00.000-08:00

I was wearing my tutu around my room today--you may be wondering what the heck I'm talking about or thinking to yourself...'this girl is crazy'. Haha this weekend is the start of a very large festival in Alicante, Carnavales, it's most comparable to Halloween. Basically it's a giant party, much like everything in Spain, and everyone wears costumes. So my friend Sarah and I made tutus to wear and they are the most amazing tutu's I've ever seen...hence the reason I've been wearing mine around my room. My "travel buddies" came down for the weekend from San Sebastian, it's really great to see them. I can't wait to prance around in my tutu all day tomorrow! :D Here's just a little taste of my masterpiece!

Have a great weekend! There will be more pictures to come.

Clase de cocinar

2010-02-09T05:16:00.000-08:00

had to taste the soup to make sure that it had enough salt.

As Melissa would say..."teamwork makes the dream work"

Deep frying patatas for tortilla.

Bachata y Salsa

2010-02-08T12:26:00.000-08:00

I almost died laughing tonight when I found this video on YouTube...we've been learning the "Bachata" and "Salsa" in my dance class. I thought that I was doing pretty well considering I'm not that great of a dancer--well my dreams were crushed when I saw what the dance is really supposed to look like, I guess I have a lot to learn!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyaxbEcvu9k

Made my day!

2010-02-08T08:10:00.000-08:00

It is amazing how a few words can make your day...I got an email today from Amy Roe, included was a small paragraph that truly made my day! And it reminded me why I love my summer job and the Roe Family so much!!

"It is great to hear from you. We talk about you every day. We all miss you. We are heading home from skiing and I read your email to the kids. It got us talking about what we love most about you. Caroline says that you are very patient. Her and C.Garrett mentioned that you take them fun places. Caroline added that you enjoy the activities too and that makes it even more fun for them. Kate says that you have a great sense of style and you are always willing to help with things like fixing her hair. All three think you are the best babysitter in the world. Mike says he likes how dependable you are and that you are a good role model and that you embody what a young woman should be. I agree with everyone plus love that you are grounded, have an open mind, you are fair and non-judgmental of others."

Thank you Roe family for making my day! :D

Words of Wisdom

2010-02-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

I've realized that life is full of obstacles--and most of the time they come out of blue. But I truly believe that no matter how difficult something may seem, everything will work out the way it's supposed to. I have recently become obsessed with this quote because it inspires me to look at life and at difficult situations from a different perspective.

"There is always a way, when things look like there is no way, there's always a way. To do the impossible, to survive the unsurvivable, there's always a way. Today if you become frightened, instead become inspired."

1 down, 4 to go!

2010-02-05T12:18:00.000-08:00

One month ago...

I was saying my goodbyes, waiting it the airport, and starting my crazy adventure to Spain. I can't believe it has already been a month. It has been a great month and I have a feeling it's only going to get better!

Address

2010-02-03T09:15:00.001-08:00

Carly Pritchard
USAC- University Studies Abroad Consortium
Edificio Torre de Control
Universidad de Alicante
03690 San Vicente del Raspeig
Alicante - SPAIN

By the way, feel free to leave comments on my blog posts :D

Busy busy busy!

2010-02-03T05:08:00.001-08:00

It's only Wednesday and I've already had an incredibly busy week!! Monday was the first day that I got to help in my elementary class. It was so much fun and the kids were so adorable! It definitely was challenging and I realized that my Spanish speaking skills are not great, ha. I had a really hard time understanding what the kids were saying--I can usually understand when people speak Spanish to me, but the 3, 4, & 5 year olds were very difficult to understand. It might have to do with the fact that they don't fully grasp the concept that I don't speak Spanish. Thank goodness the teacher, Lola, is incredibly sweet and understanding. The first thing that one of the little girls in the class said to me was..."Como te llamas" [What's your name?] "Carly"--"Tu tienes un novio?" [Do you have a boyfriend?] I couldn't help but just laugh! There are days when I doubt my decision to be an elementary ed major, but instances like that help me to realize that I love children and I know that teaching is what will truly make me happy. I helped in the class for an hour. I am supposed to only speak to the students in English--we played games that involved me teaching colors. I was really surprised at how well the kids knew their colors in English. I also used expressions like "listen" and "very good". The last 15 or so minutes of class I read the kids a book in English "I Love Colours".

Monday night I had another new experience--my Spanish dance class. I absolutely LOVED it, it was so much fun! We met Luis, our program director, at Mercado Central [Central Market] and he walked us to the class. We arrived at some apartment...I was confused as to what we were doing. Our class was actually in some guys apartment. He had a bright blue dance studio in his apartment. The room was small for the number of students, but it worked out fine. The whole class is taught in Spanish so it was difficult to understand what he was saying, but it just forced me to have to learn the steps better. I was worried at first because a lot of the girls in my class seemed like they'd be really good at dancing--it turned out to be the complete opposite. It was absolutely hilarious!! There was one girl in my class who was having the hardest time and we couldn't help but laugh, especially when the instructor grabbed her and tried to twirl her around the room. The class is 5 weeks long and twice a week, I'm can't wait for my second class tonight!

Tuesday morning I met a friend, Angela, and we went for a run. It was probably the best run that I've ever been on! First of all, I haven't been running in a while because my knee was bothering me everytime I would run--so it just felt great to run again. Secondly, the city was incredibly quiet because it was 6:45 in the morning. There wasn't traffic or noise, it was just peaceful. The best part of the run though was definitely the location. Angela and I met at Mercado Central and ran towards the beach. We started our at the harbor--the water was so black and still, it was as though the boats were seated upon a glass mirror. From the harbor we ran up the length of the "Explanada". The sun hadn't risen at this point so the sandy beach was a sharp contrast to the dark water. Every few seconds the white waves would break at near the shore. On our way back the view was even better, the sun was starting to rise. The sky was an orange background to the ocean. We ran to the end of the pier and back toward our apartments. This time the castle was our view--I usually hate seagulls but they looked so beautiful as they circled the castle against the dark blue sky. I think that my like for running is starting to turn into love...

I helped in Lola's class again, this time with kids a few years older. We did basically the same thing, worked with colors. It was also very fun. I had my cooking class last night as well--we made Patatas a la Riojana--basically a potato soup with chorizo, red and green pepper, onion, and garlic; Merluza en Salsa Verde [Hake in Green Sauce]; and Churros. The Merluza en Salsa Verde was really delicious--it was more of a white wine sauce then a salsa verde. The Patatas a la Riojana was just ok..the chorizo made the broth of the soup really oily. I'm not a huge fan of churros so they were just ok.

Friday is a USAC holiday so I don't have class!! I am going to Sevilla for the weekend with a couple of my friends, I can't wait! I'll be sure the post pictures when I get back on Sunday!

My Mommy

2010-01-31T15:25:00.000-08:00

I have the greatest mom in the world! She inspires me each day to be the best person I can be! She is an amazing cook, a wonderful friend, and probably the greatest person I know. I feel so lucky to have such a beautiful mother, inside and out!

Mountain, Cave, Museum oh my!

2010-01-31T08:50:00.000-08:00

9:30 - We met at Plaza de Los Luceros

9:45 - The bus left for the mountain

10:15 - We arrived at the mountain and started our climb

12:00 - We made it to the top.

12:30 - We started our decend.

13:15 - Tour of Cuevas del Canelobre (caves)

14:15 - We were back on the bus and on our way home.

My Saturday schedule sounds enjoyable/easy enough. Ha, it was actually kind of a joke. When I arrived at the bus Saturday morning, I was shocked to see so many of the USAC kids...my friend Melissa and I had made bets that half the kids who signed up weren't going to show. We figured that they'd all stick to their nightly routine (I wish I could say weekendly) and stay out until 5 a.m. and not show up for the fieldtrip. I was so excited by the time we got to the mountain..I've felt slightly sluggish since I arrived and I was looking forward to a nice, long hike. Within the first 5 min of the hike, people were already starting to fall behind. Melissa and I both have really long legs so it was difficult for us to walk the pace of everyone else. The landscape around us was beautiful! Luis, our program director, actually told us that it's only green this time of year because Alicante is desert-like.

As the hike started to increase in difficulty I felt more and more like I was hiking with a bunch of 5th grade kids...it took me back to my days of long roadtrips to Washington, "Dad are we there yet? How much longer?" I probably heard those expressions 50 times on our way up. I told my mom that I wouldn't consider myself super in shape, but this hike made me feel SO in shape! We were stopping about every 15 min so that people could catch up/take a break. I was happy when we finally made it to the top because I was tired of hearing people complain. The view was really beautiful! We had a nice little picnic on top, overlooking the ocean and Alicante.

The hike down was much more enjoyable. Only a couple of people fell, but no one got hurt. After we were done with the hike, we walked up the road a little ways to Cuevas del Canalobre "caves". I looked down as we were walking because I saw something on the road...at first I thought it was a snake --but then I looked closer and saw that it was a train of about 12 caterpillars. It was so cute!! They were in a perfect line following one another across the road.

The inside of the cave was really cool. Unfortunately we weren't able to take pictures because the flash causes algae to grow on the stalagmites and stalactites.

This morning I woke up and was definitely feeling the hike from yesterday! My friend Melissa and I met at 10:00 to go to the Museo Arqueologico (Archeology Museum). It turned out to be a lot of fun and it was pretty interesting. I didn't get very many cool pictures because we weren't allowed to use the flash on our cameras. We ended up staying at the museum until it closed at 14:00. I had a great weekend and now I'm exhausted. I can't wait to crawl into my bed! I have a very busy week ahead of me, but I'm very excited!

The funny animated background--it depicted the Romans.

The "Real" ship, Melissa was so amazed!

The cool, ancient jewelry/gemstones.

I loved all of the pottery!

This was the last room we went into. We weren't sure if we were supposed to go in or not, the guard told us we could. It was a big, empty room with a beautiful chandelier and some books--my guess, the library.

In case you need a good laugh!

2010-01-28T12:28:00.000-08:00

The other day I was browsing the Facebook "news feed" and I came across a picture of one of my good friends, Natalie. She recently took a trip to Hawaii with one of our other friends. Apparently they went snorkeling and Nat had some complications. I thought I would share this picture with you...just in case you need a good laugh.

Words cannot describe this picture...but it gets me everytime!

Chef Carly...or something like that!

2010-01-27T06:47:00.000-08:00

Hola!

Keeping up on this blog is going to be a lot harder than I thought. I only have class each day until 12:25, but I somehow manage to keep busy...

Last week I stayed pretty busy. I had my first cooking class. It was so much fun! Every Tuesday night, at 18:00, we meet at the cooking school. The first week the chef gave us a tour and then we immediately began cooking. We divided into groups of 4 and were given all the ingredients for Parrillada de verduras (grilled vegetables), pollo a la naranja (chicken in orange sauce), and crema catalana (similar to creme brulee)...let me just say that it was fantastic! Each group prepared their own meal and then we got to eat it...the best part was, we didn't have to do the dishes. I can already tell that it is going to be my favorite class and I'm going to be sad when the ten sessions are over.

Thursday a group of USAC (the students in my study abroad program) students got together with our USAC leader, Luis and played soccer. There were only 4 girls, myself included, who played..the rest were boys. I haven't played soccer in years, but luckily my old defender skills came into play during the game. :D Luis, who is probably in his late 30s, was amazing! He was so much better than the rest of us playing. It was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to playing once a week.

On Sunday my friend from Chicago, Melissa, invited me to her host family's house to do homework and each lunch. I was amazed at the difference between her family's apartment and the apartment I'm living in...it was so much bigger! We ate a couscous dish for lunch and made plans for a trip to Valencia in March for "Las Fallas". Las Fallas is a huge festival that they have every year. Basically, it's a giant party with lots of paella (a famous Spanish dish), music, and paper mache sculptures that the people spend and entire year making...only to light them on fire during a parade on the last night. I can't wait!

So far this week has been pretty eventful. My intensive language course is definitely intense! We have our first test on Thursday, which will cover the topics that would have taken a whole semester to learn at BSU. On Monday I signed up to volunteer at an elementary school twice a week, to help teach English. I can't wait! Yesterday we went to the school and got to go into one of the classrooms. The 6 and 7 year olds were so cute! They said 'hello' and the sang "Jingle Bells" to us in English! It was so cute! I also found out that my class of Spanish dances starts next Monday. That will also be 10 sessions, I'm a little nervous but also very excited!

Last night was my second cooking class. I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first....we had a different instructor and therefore he didn't do things the same. The menu last night consisted of Fideua (basically a pasta dish with all sorts of seafood), Tortilla Espanola (delicious!), and Torrijas (day old bread soaked in milk, then egg, then deep fried). This time we just split into 3 big groups and each group worked on one dish. I was in the tortilla espanola group....I successfully made it, however it wasn't nearly as delicious as my host moms.

Tortilla Espanola

Fideua

Torrijas

Basically the main ingredient for these dishes was oil. Good thing we have about a 20 minute walk to the cooking school! That is one of the many differences that I've noticed about the cooking here, the excessive use of oil! Not to mention that they don't really drain the oil off there food before they serve it either...it's a mystery to me how they all manage to stay so thin, oh wait, it's because they all smoke! So contrary to what I first thought about losing weight while I was here do to the smaller portions, I'm not about to pick up the smoking habit, so maybe I will end up gaining weight...

I'm going to be better about staying on top of my blog because when I do get around to it, I feel like I could write forever...but I need to get busy studying for my exam tomorrow!

Buenas dias! (good day)

Finally!!!

2010-01-20T10:30:00.000-08:00

I've been using the term "finally" at least once or twice a day on my trip...

"Finally my the BA desk in open so I don't have to carry around my luggage in the Seattle airport for 4 more hours!"
"Finally I don't have to wait in line for 8 more hours for another flight!"
"Finally our 1 hour tube ride is over and we can go our hotel!"
"Finally we found the actual hotel we were supposed to stay in!"
"Finally we have a flight Madrid!"
"Finally we are in Madrid!"
"Finally my luggage is here!"
"Finally I have internet!"

Although I've gotten really sick of the word "finally" and I was frustrated by having to wait so long for everything to fall into place, waiting made me realize how truly lucky I am. Everything is different in Spain compared to home. The apartment I'm living in now is smaller than the one I lived in last semester. It doesn't have heat. Or the internet. Limited hot water. Little privacy. Paper thin walls. The most annoying dog in the world....and although it may sound like I'm complaining, I'm really not. I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to be here. But it's not just that, I feel so fortunate to have grown up in a nice home with good food, supportive parents, heating/cooling, hot water, internet, etc. Those things are all a luxury for the people here and unfortunately something that I've always taken advantage of. So thanks mom and dad for everything! :D

There are other things that are different about this place. For instance, I have probably eaten about 15 different meat parts in the week and a half that I've been here. I've gone against my personal religion and eaten 2 eggs - over easy. I have faced the challenges of buying books, clothes, food, etc. by using Spanish to the best of my abilities. On Saturday night when I was walking home, there was a man standing on the sidewalk peeing. People here smoke constantly...before meals, after meals, during meals. Speaking of meals, they have the strangest eating habit. People here eat very little for breakfast, maybe a piece of toast and coffee. Then, they don't eat lunch until about 3. Dinner is around 9 or 10. And did I mention that they don't eat snacks, thanks to the smoking. Needless to say, my eating habit has changed completely. I told my dad the other day that I probably will lose about 15 pounds while I'm here just from changing my eating habits. It's just a completely different way of life. Instead of being completely disgusted and annoyed by all of the differences, I just laugh and wonder how people in the United States would react...

To the Castle!

2010-01-15T12:07:00.000-08:00

My first week here in Alicante has been a success! I am enjoying my "intensive" language class because it is just review so far. I am hoping it's not going to get too hard, too fast. My professor, Lourdes, is wonderful! She is incredibly animated and helpful. The University of Alicante has a main campus which is a 30 minute bus ride from my homestay. My classes are held at the main campus Monday-Thursday. I love the orange trees on my campus, I am so tempted to pluck one of the delicious oranges everytime I walk past one!

On Fridays, my class is held at a university building downtown...the classroom has a beautiful view of the ocean. Today after class, I walked with one of my classmates down the "Explanada" to the beach. It was such a beautiful day today in Alicante, I can't wait for beach season!

"Explanada"

Ocean! :D

The Port

After a delicious lunch with my host mom and sister, I met the USAC students in La Plaza de Los Luceros for a hike. We walked about an hour up a mountain to one of the castles "castillo" in Alicante. The hike to the top was a great workout and definitely worth the view, once again, incredible!

Mis amigas y amigos

The View

Alicante

2010-01-13T10:12:00.000-08:00

For those of you who don't have the pleasure of being my friend on Facebook, you have not yet seen the many status updates with regards to my crazy trip to Alicante. I have been through so much just within a week. My adventure to this place was completely crazy, but almost kind of worth it. I started out in the Seattle Airport and flew the 9 hours to London. I slept some on the plane and enjoyed the free wine with my dinner. It wasn't until the London airport that I met my new friends...Lauren, Carrie, Haley, Melissa, and Mary. We started out adventure by taking a bus to our terminal. Once in the terminal we had to go through security..that took about an hour, only the find that our flight had been cancelled due to the 5 snowflakes had fallen at London-Heathrow. The kind gentleman with British Airways told us that he would do everything he could to get us on our flight ot Madrid. The make this long story a bit shorter, we ended up waiting in line for about 8 hours. The line moved 2 feet/hour. We finally arrived at the front of the line and were told that there were no more flights going out that night and that they'd have to get us a hotel. The process of changing our flight and finding a hotel took about another 2 hours. The nearest hotel was an hour Tube ride into downtown London. So we started our next adventure. The Tube ride went quickly and we arrived at our destination around midnight. We were so happy to finally be at the hotel. We walked through the doors in complete awe, the hotel was amazing. Well that quickly was taken away when the bellman informed us that we had the wrong hotel. He gave us directions, we failed to find it the first 4 times, and then finally an hours later..found it. We got about 4 hours of sleep before we had to get back on the Tube and find our way back the the London airport for our 8:40 flight...only to be informed that the flight had been cancelled once again. We stared at the British Airways line that was about 6x's as large as the one the night before. Luckily, Sue, a kind BA employee was able to help us and put us on standby for the next flight.

Luck was finally on our side as we boarded the 9:15 flight to Madrid. The flight didn't actually take off once we were on the plane for 2 hours because they had to de-ice the plane. We arrived in Madrid, finally!!! And yet again, luck was taken away from us. They didn't have any idea where our luggage was. The 4 day tour that we were supposed to go on had already started, luckily we didn't miss the trip to Sevilla or Toledo.

The day trip to Segovia was really great, besides the fact that it was really cold and I had been wearing the same clothes for 3 days. We were able to see a aquaduct from the 1st century which was incredible. The original structure is still completely standing and although they don't still use it, they could. Did I mention that there was not cement used in building this structure, it's just stones.

We also had the opportunity to walk through the streets of Segovia. I love the little apartments all over and the attention to detail that is put into everything. We took a little break for coffee during the day tour, I must say I have never tasted coffee so good! It was simply, cafe con leche, or coffee with milk...I didn't even have to put in any sugar. There was a beautiful church in the center of the city. We eventually made our way through the twisted, narrow streets to the castle. The castle was very beautiful, but nothing like what we were able to see the next day!

Church in Segovia

Entrance to the Castle

View of the Castle

The next day we went to Toledo. It was absolutely incredible!! The city of Toledo sits up on a hill an is surrounded by a wall. I could get lost in the ancient streets and rich history forever! We went the the most amazing cathedral I've ever seen. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pictures inside and the outside pictures don't even begin to do justice.

Overlooking Toledo

The Holy-Church Cathedral

The Apartments

A gorgeous building in the town center

I loved Toledo! I definitely want to go back there when I have more time. The girls and I went out to a nice dinner our last night in Madrid. Unfortunately they all went on their way the next morning to San Sebastian. I'm bummed we didn't end up in the same place, but at least I'll be able to go visit them!

I am finally in Alicante and I started school today. My professor, Maria Lourdes is incredible! Although I'm doing an intensive language course, I have a feeling that this is going to be a really challenging/great semester with her. The lady that I am staying with Chari and her 19 year old daughter Maria are wonderful! They have made me feel so at home which is wonderful! I will take pictures of Alicante in the next few days and try to keep this updated. I am going on day 7 without luggage...and without dryers, my clothes are starting to get stinky. ha ha

Finally!

2010-01-07T13:51:00.000-08:00

After 48 crazy hours of travel, 1 ´tube´ride, a night in London, 2 cancelled flights...I am finally in Madrid.

And So The Adventure Begins...

2010-01-05T13:01:00.000-08:00

It has been ten days since my first post and the time completely flew by. I didn't end up packing until two days before my departure, that was fun. I successfully packed five months worth of clothing and life into one bag. I had a difficult time deciding what items were the most important to bring, but I did it. It has definitely been hard to be excited for my trip beings I have had to say so many goodbyes...everyone keeps telling me that the five months will fly by, but I will miss a lot of people!

I flew out of Boise this morning at 10:45. Adam and Whitney took me to the airport. Both of my parents had to work and I figured that it'd be a lot easier to say goodbyes if there were only two tearful ones instead of four. I am now sitting in the Seattle airport listening to the birds chirp and fly by overhead. I always find it strange that there are birds in the airport. I am already missing people from home, but the time will fly and I will meet so many new friends and experience so much! I am excited, if only my flight weren't nine hours :

Seattle---London---Madrid, Spain here I come.

Adios :D

10 days...

2009-12-26T20:55:00.000-08:00

Only 10 days until my departure for Spain..I haven't even started packing, uh oh.