Where am I?!

Palabra del dia: incomodo --> uncomfortable/awkward

Isn't home where you're supposed to feel most comfortable? My recent life experiences have proved this isn't true. I arrived home (well, Kansas City for the weekend with my sister, my second home) on Thursday night. It was a looooong journey, to say the least. It started with a 4:30am (Spain time) wake up call in Malaga, where we had stayed in a hostal the night before. I didn't sleep well that night because it was hot, there were people being loud in our hostal, and since Barcelona had just won the "SuperBowl of Soccer" (as my host brother Nacho likes to call it), people were shouting and honking and being loud in the streets for a really long time. Needless to say, I was tired from the start. My friend Sarah and I got up and got to the airport for our respective 7am flights. She headed to Athens to meet her boyfriend, me to Madrid. When I arrived to Madrid, I got some Starbucks (much to my dismay, actually. I really miss Spanish cafe con leche!) and sat to write in my journal. Literally, as I was sitting there, I was fighting tears. This has been a common occurance for the past 3 weeks or so. There's been a number of things attributing to this, the biggest one of them all being the realization that I have to leave Spain. Really I just wanted to get it all out, but I knew that wasn't the time. So I had a 3 hour layover in Madrid. I wrote, wandered, and got $33 American dollars back from my 15 Euro and 5 UK Pounds left. Cha-ching!

Finally boarding time came and I was relieved to get on the plane. But not so relieved to leave Spain. I almost cried again. Sheesh. I ended up sitting by this 40-something year old guy who thought I was Spanish (um, what? Do you see the blonde hair?) and kept calling me "senora." **Side note, senora is used for older women, it's senorita that is used for younger. Thanks.** We didn't talk until food finally came around. Then we figured out we were both American, go figure. His name is John, he works at Macy's and lives in Chicago, and he said his life revolves around going to Europe. Interesting flight. I didn't barely sleep cause I was crammed in my seat. Note to the wise, the table doubles as a good head rest, even though it's slightly uncomfortable being bent over in that small seat. Whatever, I was tired.

After 9 hours, we finally arrived in Chicago. We had to get off the plane, get our bags, go through customs, and recheck our bags for connecting flights. Long story short, I missed my connection because this all took too long. We got in a little after 2pm (central US time) and I wasn't able to catch a plane until 8:35pm. So that means 6 HOURS in the Chicago airport. At this point, I want to tell you about some things I immediately noticed about America in my exhausted, I-don't-want-to-be-in-America-right-now state.

1) I found that I am a lot more aware of diversity. Everywhere I looked I picked out the non-white people in my brain. And, I favored those who looked Spanish or Middle-Eastern. Go figure. Maybe it's the familiarity of it all?

2) I'm sorry, but America as a whole is a lot fatter than Spain. It's the truth. Sorry if you think I'm being insensitive, but it is clear when you look at it.

When I finally got on the airplane to Kansas City, I was surprised I hadn't fallen over from sleep exhaustion. At this point, I had legitimately been awake for at least 24 hours. Mom advised me to "drink some coffee so you actually get in the right car when you get to Kansas City," as in actually find my sister. Haha, thanks for the advice, Mom.

Now for a tangent. I don't know if you notice this, but I think that first class is the stupidest invention ever. EVER. Seriously, what purpose does it serve? Unless you want to shell out enourmous amounts of money on a flight, why else would you sit first class? The only excuse I could find was on a looooong flight (I'd say over 4 hours) in which the comfortableness (yes, I just made that word up) of the seat would be good for sleeping. On the plane from Chicago to Kansas City, I thought it was ridiculous. The flight attendant brought a glass cup with some sort of alcohol to almost every passenger in first class. Really, people?! Is it necessary? You can't hold off for an hour and a half till you get to your destination? YOU'RE PAYING FOR A GLASS CUP!!!! I think it's ridiculous.

So now that I'm back in the States, how am I feeling? Well, I feel like I don't belong. My poor sister, God bless her, is such a sweetheart for putting up with my not-always-positive attitude. I can't even describe it. It's like I'm a stranger in a strange land. I literally don't feel like I belong. I know this will pass with time, but right now I'm exhausted and confused. I find myself getting tired of speaking in English and still speak in Spanish. This can't be good for one's brain. I know I have to adjust at some point, and I'm sure I will. The trick will be combining the me now with the me I was before, because I'm different now. So if you see me, and I seem confused/upset/dazed/cranky, please just go with it. I'll be better soon, hopefully.

That's all for now. I'm going to go sleep off some more jet lag.

Parting is such sweet sorrow.

I am so exhausted. My brain is on the fritz. Seriously. I can barely think in Spanish. Or speak for that matter. My room looks like a war zone. It's my last day in Granada as part of the IES program. I hate goodbyes. (But I do get to say hello to my best friend, Kelsey, when she arrives here TOMORROW!!! Seeing her is the silver lining, for sure!)

This whole thing has been such a dream/amazing experience/more than I could have imagined. And it's almost over. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. If I had my way, I wouldn't go back. Not now. Maybe not ever. I'm really going to miss it. Everything about it.

That being said, I need to go pack and spend some quality time with Ma. More later when I can think straight.

If I don't show up in the States, you'll know where I am.

Palabra del dia: el final -->the end

I can't believe it. The end is near, too near. Three days, to be exact. I will be moving out of my homestay in three days. However, the good thing to note is that I'm staying here for another week because my flight doesn't leave Spain until May 28th. Haha, suckers!! Just kidding. Kinda.

I know it's been a while since I've blogged, but I promise I've had a good reason, and his name is Rayner. My Kiwi friend (that means from New Zealand) came to visit me on May 7th for a week and a half or so. It was SO FUN! I had prepared in advance and gotten most all of my homework done so that I didn't have to worry about it while he was here. I was determined to show him the magic of Granada without my homework on my mind. In the week and a half he was here, I'm pretty sure I saw more of Granada and explored more here than I have in the 4 1/2 months I've been here. Lame, I know, but sometimes things just don't get done, ya know?!

So what'd we do? Well, let's see. I took him to all my favorite tapas places, and there's a lot. We walked around the city and saw the history of it all. In the afternoons, we stopped for ice cream or a drink at an outside cafe and watched the sunset (at 9:15 or 9:30pm, might I add!). We wandered around the Albaicin, the old historic district of Granada where all the hippies live. On Sunday, we went to Nerja, a beach about 2 hours from Granada by bus, with my friend Montana and her Spanish friend Ivan. It was so fun just the four of us. We lazed on the beach, ate the heaps of food we had, swam in the freezing cold water, and got sunburned. Ahhhh Spain. I'm livin the life, I'm tellin you! If it weren't for the homework, it'd be perfect! Let's see what else did we do... we ate a lot of ice cream. There's this great ice cream place that I always go to and they have the BEST dark chocolate ice cream. I don't know how they do it, but it's fantabulous! On Tuesday we made a day of going to the Alhambra, something I hadn't been able to go see yet. It was gorgeous, especially when we were at the top and the sun was starting to set. I took some sweet pictures you'll see soon. On Wednesday, Ma (my host mom, as I affectionately call her) invited Rayner over for lunch. She made paella, a traditional Spanish dish. It was quite interesting because Rayner doesn't speak any Spanish, and Ma doesn't speak English. The translators were Nacho (my host brother) and I. However, I know Spanish a little better than Nacho knows English, I think, so I did most of the translating. It was weird to be in that position but gave me a lot of confidence in my Spanish skills. There were even times when I would hear Spanish and forget to translate it in English, because it doesn't seem foreign anymore. I like the sound of that! We also went to Parque de las Ciencias, a museum that was pretty cool. I hadn't been before, mostly because it's literally on the other side of the city and hadn't had anyone to go with, but it was cool. And they had an Antarctica exhibit which was a nice relief from the hot weather outside! Besides that, we just explored the city, did some shopping at the Arab stores, you know, all the great stuff about Granada.

My favorite part of the week was being able to hang out with someone that I met randomly in Europe and just talking and learning about one another. We're from different sides of the world, literally, but we have so much in common. I'd laugh at his funny Kiwi words he'd use and he'd use his incredible sense of direction to figure out where we were when we took streets I didn't know. We had so much fun just hanging out, and it makes me really thankful I was able to have an experience like this in Spain. It is definitely something that I did not expect, but it's one of my favorite memories from studying abroad.

Now to the sad part. Most of my friends are leaving in the next three days. Our last dinner is tomorrow night. We got an email from our director telling us about how we're going to miss Granada and have an "olive-smelling emptiness" when we return back to the States. I don't quite know what that means, but I know I'm not going to like it. I'm going to miss walking to class and seeing all the people I see on a regular basis: that guy with the hat and scarf that I always pass, the kids on their way to school, the guy who takes off his shoes and talks to himself in Gran Capitan Plaza, the cute guy that works in the fruit store on the corner of Plaza Trinidad, the adorable old lady that sells bread in the same plaza, the flower guy who always says "buenos dias," the construction workers who always look at me weirdly cause I'm obviously not Spanish, and all the hippies who mingle in Plaza Nueva, to name a few. I have taken it all for granted, I'm sure, but I know I'm thankful for it. These past 4 1/2 months have been the most unexpected, challenging, growing, life-changing months of my life. I am not the same person I was when I left in January, as I have said before. I hope to not return to the person I was before when I get back to the States either. I think I've changed for the better, and I'm proud of who I am today. That being said, those of you who will be around me a lot when I return, please be patient as my transition is not going to be smooth I don't think. And please just nod and smile and look interested when I say funny Spanish phrases or tell Granada stories. I just need to share my excitement, okay?!

Nerja, compliments of Rayner. He's a really good photographer, he just won't admit it!

Cafe con leche y tostada con tomate at my favorite cafe!

Stopping to smell the roses in the gardens at the Alhambra.

Palaces at the Alhambra. These kings were filthy rich!

This is one of my favorite pictures of me at the Alhambra.

Coolest. Picture. Ever. At the Alhambra, of course.
Us at the Alhambra. Smile Rayner!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay so I need to add more pictures, I know. But it's tapa time, and I'm late. Hasta luego!

Any more brain busters?!

Palabra del dia: aprovechar --> to make the most of

I have a new favorite word. It's aprovechar. That translation that I gave is literal. What an amazing word. We don't have one like it in English, and it's really a shame. This is how I've lived my life for the past four months. I've been aprovechar-ing everything. Why not, right?! I'm in Spain, it's the time to do it. I've lived life (or tried to) to the fullest and reaped the benefits of it. Stay out till 6am? Aprovechar. Eat that last fresh shrimp even though I don't have enough room left in my stomach? Aprovechar. Take a nap in the park and blow off my homework? Aprovechar. I've learned a new love of life and its amazingness. As my time starts to come to an end, I find myself reflecting over so many things.

A. What am I going to be like when I go back to the States? I am a different person now. I've learned, grown, and changed. I don't want to go back to how I was before. I think this is going to be something that I have to constantly think about, at least until it becomes me for real, because right now I feel like I'm living in a dream of sorts.

2. One of the things that I've loved about my life here is that I've allowed myself to say what I think. Life is short, and there are many opportunites we pass up because we're scared of what people will think or how they'll react. Just forget it all, and do what you want. Say what you need to say, as my friend John Mayer says. It's become such a huge part of my life, and I want it to stay that way.

III. Laugh, love, and live without inhibitions. Cliche, maybe. But in all honesty, it makes life better. Way better, trust me. Oh, and laugh at yourself, even if you're the only one laughing. Life is just better that way.

d. Homework is lame. Blow it off and spend time with people you love, and taking naps in the park. That's my life advice.

I have soooo many things going through my mind right now, I just can't put it all down here. I'm excited to go home and see family and friends, but super sad to leave. I'm trying to make the most of every day. I love life so much, and being here has reinforced that. There are so many things/people to be thankful for. I'm so blessed in so many ways. I LOVE LIFE!

I don't really have anything else to say. That's okay though cause I should really go and write my paper. I have 4 pages out of 10. Making headway, that's for sure. I'm determined to finish it today. Wish me luck! Hasta luego!

Could my brain be more muddled?

Palabra del dia: there's not one Spanish word for procrastinate. Maybe that's a sign?

This week has come and hit me like a slap in the face. I have literally 25 pages of paper to write, in Spanish and English, in the next 2 weeks. That means I should write 1.7857 pages per day approximately. I think I can handle that, right? Yea, if I can ever get started. Do you even know how hard it is to sit inside and write when all I want to do is go and explore?! I really need to just sit and write, write, write till my eyes cross and my fingers are calloused. Quite an attractive image, eh?

Life here is almost over. I've been here for 13 weeks. That's 3 months and one week. Or 91 days. It's amazing how your life can change and you can grow and learn so much in such a short period. When I go home I'm not going to be the same person as I was when I left. I have experienced so much in so many regards here. I've learned to stay out until 3am and not think it's a big deal. I haven't gotten up earlier than 7am except maybe 3 times all semester, and that was only to catch a bus to the airport. I've become accustomed to red wine so much so that I no longer like white. I've learned to consider 9:30pm as early. I've gained confidence in mismatching my clothes, and it's rather freeing. I've gained confidence in who I am and who I want to be, even if I don't quite know who that is. And I've learned that not knowing is okay too. I've learned (or at least started to) trust my instincts because many times, they are right. Recently, I've learned that just saying what is on my mind is better than hiding what I'm feeling because of worry about what someone will think. I think it's lame that we hide what we're really feeling a lot, so I've really started just saying what I'm thinking, with discretion, of course. Some of the conversations I've had because of this have been slightly awkward, but some of the most real I've had in a long time. I've slacked on my running, and it's been glorious. I've learned how important my loved ones are to me, and what I mean to them. I've traveled around Europe all by myself and didn't think twice. In general, I love what this Spanish/European/study abroad experience has done to me. And I don't think I even know the full extent of it yet.

I really did have a point to this blog when I started writing it, I swear. Now I'm just blabbering. So now I'm going to go buckle down and write. If you need me, I'll be the cool one sitting in the corner hunched over her computer with smoke coming from her furiously fast typing fingers.

A (not so) foggy day in Londontown... and Germany

Palabra del dia: aventura --> adventure

So sorry it's been a long time since I've blogged. I promise it's a good reason. That reason is... Semana Santa, aka my spring break. And boy do I have some fun stories to tell you!

Saturday April 4th I left for London. When people asked me where I was going and who I was traveling with, some of them thought I was crazy for traveling alone. I guess traveling alone around Europe is a big deal? Well actually, that thought never crossed my mind when I made my plans. Back to the story. After getting up at too early on Saturday morning, I caught my flight out of Granada to London Stansted. *Side note, if you ever go to England, be prepared to be interrogated. They were ruthless at customs!! They wanted to know the exact address of where I would be staying, how long I would be there, why I was in Spain in the first place, how long I'd been in Spain, and they wanted to see my return tickets to Spain. Okay, really? You're not that important, England. Sheesh.* There I had to get the train to Liverpool Street where I met my friend Stacie. She's studying in London this semester and is a friend of mine alllll the way back from elementary school. It was sooo good to finally see a familiar face in the midst of my European adventure! When I got there, we got me an Oyster card (underground/tube pass) and headed to her dorm. After we dropped off my stuff we rested a little and got ready to go out with her friends from the dorm. It was weird because they were talking about eating dinner and it was only 5pm or so. Way different from my Spanish schedule I've become so accustomed to. We ended up at a pub close by called Gloucester's, one that they go to all the time. In England, I think they start drinking practically after breakfast. And they don't just drink a little, they drink by the pint. Needless to say, one is enough for me, thank you very much. We didn't stay out late, as the pub closes at 11pm every night (something else different). It was so weird because alllll the pubs close at 11pm, then you have to go to a club if you want to stay out. But what if I don't want to go to a club?! Well, than you're out of luck. Bummer. So we just went home after that cause I was tired anyway.

Next day, Sunday. We got up, had breakfast, and went exploring to some markets. First thing, it was weird that there was anything open on a Sunday. I was obviously not in Spain. Stacie took me to all of these really cool markets where you can buy almost anything. We also went to some really cool antique stores with clothing and bags and shoes and stuff from decades past. At the markets, I ended up finding some white Converse for 9 pounds and a neat wallet for 12. There was also a lot of food (my sweet spot!) from all over the world. We had some Moroccan food (not as good as actually in Morocco, go figure). We also found cheesecake lollipops. Cheesecake on a stick covered in chocolate. Mmmmm me gusta! For the rest of the day we just went shopping and Stacie showed me the city. We went to this store called Primark. In order to go to this store, you literally have to mentally prepare yourself. You go in and there are people everywhere, lines everywhere, clothes being strewn everywhere. Why the madness? Because things are so cheap. It's like a Walmart of only clothes. I didn't find anything cause I couldn't handle the madness, but that's okay. It was the experience we were after anyway. Later though, I did end up finding a new coat for 15 pounds at H&M. Yes, I am a bargin shopper. :) That night wasn't too exciting either. We went to another pub, then went home.

Monday, oh fateful Monday. Stacie had told me before I came that she was going to have a lot of work to do. I was okay with that and was looking forward to exploring London on my own, though it did seem a little daunting. With the help of her awesome friends in the dorm, we found a free tour to go on. Stacie pointed me in the right direction and off I went. There were a ton of people at the tour, and I ended up meeting this guy from Springfield, MO. Yes, that's right. A guy who knew people I knew back home, he was in London. What are the odds?! It was nice to have familiarity all the sudden. The tour was called the "Royal Tour" and took us to Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Parliament, and Gordon Brown's residence, among other places. It was a walking tour, which was really fun! We saw the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace and wandered around London for 3 hours seeing the sights. After the tour, our tourguide pointed out where the underground was and let us go our own way. My Springfield friend had left me at this point, so I called Stacie to see where she wanted me to meet her. I walked to the underground and was trying to figure out what to do next when this guy that had been on the tour approached me. I had noticed he was alone the whole time and had considered going and talking to him and inviting him along, but hesitated. He introduced himself. His name is Rayner and he's from New Zealand. He's touring Europe for about a month, and had just arrived in London that day. He asked what I was doing next and asked if he could tag along. Of course I say yes (because he seems nice, he's cute, and I'm just a nice person like that, ha!). So him and I hop the tube and head to meet up with Stacie. Rayner ends up hanging out with us all day. Then he asks if I want to hang out the next day (because I was going to be alone anyway, due to Stacie's term papers sucking away her life). Long story short, Rayner and I hung out for the next 2 days. We toured London, went to the British Museum, ate lunch in the park (both days), spent hours talking about life and getting to know one another, and just enjoyed having a buddy to hang out with. I can honestly say that Rayner made my London experience. If it hadn't been for him, I would probably have been a little bored. It was so fun to explore the city with him and learn about someone who I wouldn't meet in my normal life. And, he decided (after I talked it up a lot) that he's coming to Granada to see Spain...okay and me too. :)

I left for Germany early on Thursday morning on 2 hours of sleep. I don't do well with little sleep, but it was worth it because I was able to hang out with Stacie and Rayner the night before. I made it to Germany alright and met up with Uli and Manfred. They are longtime friends of my mom and grandma who I had a chance to meet in October when they were in the States visiting. They had offered their home and time to show me around Germany if I wanted to visit when I was in Spain, so of course I took them up on that offer! Though I was tired when I got there, we went to Wurzberg and had lunch and looked around the city a little bit. First thing I noticed about Germany, they spoke a foreign language that wasn't Spanish, and many of them had blonde hair and blue eyes. I FIT IN FOR ONCE! It was nice to fit in and not get stared at like I always do in Spain. Later we went back to their house where I was finally able to rest a little bit (despite the fact that I had fallen asleep in the car earlier, haha!). Their house is so cool! It's very modern and... clean? I don't know how else to explain it. It's very clutter free, which I like. My bed there was HUGE and soooo comfortable to sleep in. For my time in Germany, Uli and Manfred treated me so well. They fed me, let me sleep in their house, let me put my feet up on the couch/nap on the couch, let me do my laundry, and drove me around Germany.

Okay so Uli and Manfred deserve their own paragraph. They are a couple about my parent's age. They have a 27 year old son named Garrit who is a character. It was good to have someone close to my age there for a little while to interact with. Oh but Uli and Manfred. Uli speaks English really well (even though she doesn't think so) and Manfred can speak alright, but understands almost everything. Manfred is probably one of the funniest people I have ever met. Eighty percent of the time, I had no idea what he was saying because it was in German. But he would make jokes in German, then laugh at himself! And the funny noises he made when he was frustrated with stupid drivers on the autobahn made me laugh too. He is just a goofy guy in the best way. And Uli, well she's a feisty German woman. I loved the way she took control of any situation and did things her way. I aspire to be like her. :) Together, Uli and Manfred were hilarious. They compliment each other so well, with Manfred being laid back and funny and Uli making sure everything is taken care of. The last day I was there, I was able to see more into their relationship. They love each other so much. We had gone to get ice cream (like we did at least once every day I was there) and they were cracking me up. The way they interacted, you could tell it was out of a deep respect and love for one another. I can't even explain it better than that. To see a couple so in love after so many years of marriage was incredible, to say the least.

Back to Germany. We went to Heidelberg and Rothenberg too. And other places, but I don't remember their names. My favorite was Rothenberg because it is an old town that still has the city wall built up around it. It's a tourist city now, but has a lot of history. We saw castles and lots of landscape of the Germany countryside. And we drove like 100mph on the autobahn.Que guay!! My favorite part was sitting outside in the sun (or shade) eating cake and drinking coffee (or a beer) and chatting with Uli and Manfred while people watching. Apparently they do this everyday, eat cake and drink coffee. What a life. Um, America? Why don't we do this? Get with the program, please! Learning about life in Germany, the history, the stories, and the people fascinated me way more than the castles (though they were pretty sweet!).

Finally, on Monday, I went home to Granada. It took me exactly 12 hours to get back from the time we left Uli and Manfred's house in Germany. Long trip, but so worth it! I even met a new friend on the bus from Malaga to Granada, Stephanie, who is studying here. She's really nice and we decided we wanted to hang out and be friends in Granada too! Yay for meeting new people, even if they are American!

Oh something else worth noting. You know how I said I wanted high top turquoise Converse? Mission accomplished. They're my new best friends!

Wow this post is long. So I'm going to end it here, but not before the pictures of couse.

Buckingham Palace. The changing of the guards was going on, so I couldn't get too close because there was un monton of people there. Or as Rayner would say, there were "heaps" of people there. Haha!

Dad, Matt, and Tim, this is for you. I thought you'd like to know that something "Texas" exists in London... even if it's just a restaurant.

Me in front of Big Ben. There was also a protest going on by a group of Sri Lankans, that's what all the red in the background is. There's a civil war going on in Sri Lanka and they were protesting the UK government because they're not doing anything about it. It got pretty intense and was eye opening to be in the midst of it.

Parliament at night. So gorgeous, I really can't do it justice. And I'm just an awful photographer.

Stacie and I in front of a cool part of London at night. You can see the ferris wheel in the background that I never got to go on. Someday when I return, I will!!

One picture I know you've been waiting to see. :) Rayner and I in Hyde Park on the last day I was in London. Sorry for the squinty eye, that sun will getcha!

London at night.

Castle in Heidelberg, I believe. It was an old castle, obviously. The castles in Germany all used to have moats too, so it was cool to see a "real" castle like you see in the movies. Reminded me of "The Princess Bride" movie.

My favorite part of going to places is the people. These kids were adorable, and almost fell in the fountain!

We would do well to follow this guy's lead. What a life!
The single picture I have of Uli and Manfred, and they're not even looking at the camera. Oh well. We were in a German restaurant and I guess they were admiring the huge beer-making things next to us.

Rothenberg. See the city wall on the right? I thought that was really cool. And apparently, so does every other American that comes to this city. I guess it's a big tourist city, but can you see why? You can walk up in the wall too, which is really neat.

I wish I could share all of my pictures and stories with you, but I guess this will have to do. Hopefully you enjoyed seeing a little bit of my last week!! Now that I'm home in Granada, I have tests and papers and projects and craziness going on. I only have 5 weeks left here in Spain. Que triste!! I can't believe it's coming up so quickly... I try not to think about it.

A little bit about my life here. I've reflected lately on the people I've met since I've been here, and how they have taught me things about myself and life in general. There's a few that stick out to me.

Maricarmen: this woman is exceptional. She puts every ounce of herself into making my life easier. For the past 3 months she has shown me nothing but love and hospitality. She cooks, cleans, and is patient with me when I can't quite conjugate the verbs I'm using. I'm really going to miss her when I leave.

Montana: she's actually someone I didn't expect to be so close with at first. I guess I really noticed how cool she was after we traveled to Barcelona together. Her laid back attitude has taught me even more to be laid back. We have deep conversations all the time about life and people and just things. I appreciate her point of view and take on the world, and I really enjoy her company.

Betsy: this girl is amazing also. She is loved by everyone who meets her and is a beautiful woman inside and out. I love her spunk and sweet, often imitated, never duplicated style.

Ronnie: definitely not what I had pictured when I first met her. You might think she's quiet or way girly, which I guess she can be, but she is stinkin hilarious! Sometimes I wonder where she thinks up the things she says.

It amazes me how people come into our lives and we learn from them. We don't expect it or ask for it most of the time, but it happens. And it's so unique that we learn such different things from each person. I hope that I've made even a small impact on someone's life while I've been here, and that I continue to do so in life in general.

So now that I've spilled out some of my heart, I'm going to be done. :) Hasta luego!!

Little tidbits

I don't have a word of the day for you today, so sorry. I just wanted to write a few things that I've seen here the past couple of days that were rather... odd?

Yesterday, on my walk to school, I saw an old lady (probably about 70 years old) haulk (hawk?) a loogie. Sound effects and everything.

There was a mannequin in a store yesterday that looked like the spitting image of Tyra Banks. It quite possibly could have been her, because all of the mannequins are extremely real-life looking here. It's creepy.

I went running through the city today with a friend. Everyone knew we were American. Opps.

I really want to buy some turquoise high top Converse. However, the cheapest I've found them here are 58 Euro, which translates to about $65. Correction, $77. I just checked it online. Bummer.

As of Sunday night, when I talked to my ridiculously funny mother and sister, I started to miss friends and family really badly. Maybe it's because it's the halfway point. Maybe it's because midterms were awful this week. Or maybe it's just because I'm in a foreign land. I don't know. But I don't like it.

Okay that's all I got.