My life for the last two months...

Friends and family!
I am so sorry that I haven't filled you in on my life in the last two months. My life has consisted of either being too busy to blog or too homesick. Let me tell you. homesickness is a real thing and it sucks all of the energy right out of you! But let me go back and update you on my adventures since my last blog. Prepare yourself, it's gonna be a long one.

Sevilla: LOVED IT! But it was a bit too big for my liking. I got to see this place where they have filmed scenes from Game of Thrones (still waiting to watch the current season so don't say anything!) and I'm curious to see if it looks the same on the show as it did in real life, or if it's even recognizable. Also, I had Starbucks on this trip! It was fantastic, even though they spelled my name wrong...Sem instead of Sam. We went to this awesome mirador thing that's hard to explain, so here's a picture. You pay to walk around on the top. It was pretty awesome.

Then I had a few essays and midterms...I'll skip all of that. But I would like to say: You other study abroaders made it seem like I would never have any homework, and that I would REALLY never have any homework on the weekends. Yeah, that's a lie. In Spain, you get homework! Maybe not in every class, but for the classes that I do get homework, I get it every time we have the class. And some of the assignments are easy, but others are six page essays and 15 minute presentations. And there's always homework on the weekends, so if you are traveling you have to do it before you leave or when you get back, when all you want to do is go to sleep. Don't get my wrong, I love homework, but I was not mentally prepared for this!

After that my host mom got sick. And that was actually really scary. Over the weekend she had been saying she had the flu, had the chills and slept almost all day. Then on Sunday night (or Monday morning I guess) her and my host dad went to the hospital because she was feeling pain in her stomach and chest. We woke up to a note saying they had gone to the hospital. When I came home from class I was greeted by my host dad who told me she was still getting tests done and they didn't know how long it would be or what was wrong. Then later that night (during our culture class taught by our program directors) I mentioned if my program director had talked to our host parents. She called them while we were in class and made arrangements for us to eat at another host family's house because my host mom was having surgery on her gallbladder (we had to ask our English-speaking director to translate that one for us). We were told that the surgery went well but that she had a fever and wouldn't be able to leave for at least 24 hours after the fever broke. They hoped she would get to leave by Friday (she checked into the hospital early Monday morning). But my roommate and I were leaving for Spring Break that Thursday. We figured out how to work the washing machine to wash our clothes and then left on Thursday. Our host mom was finally able to come home while we were gone in Tenerife (keep reading to hear about this!) on Monday. We left our host mom a card and some beautiful flowers (which she loved) and we were pleasantly surprised to find her up and sweeping (I'm not kidding) on the Thursday we got back. She hasn't had any problems since and now has a special diet for two more weeks. Even though things ended up going great and she is doing amazing now, it made me realize a few things:

First off, I love my host parents! I didn't really think I would get so attached to them and grow to think of them as my Spanish parents. But for the first day when we really didn't know what was wrong, or for the days we were gone and she still wasn't allowed to leave the hospital, I was so worried for her.
Secondly, nobody knows how to do anything without her. Spanish culture is a bit different than American culture in that it still follows very traditional gender roles. Our host mom cooks all of our meals, goes grocery shopping, washes our clothes, irons our clothes (even our underwear, I'm serious), and does a full cleaning of the house every single day. This includes sweeping, mopping, cleaning the toilet, cleaning the bathtub, making the beds, remaking our beds when we try to do it but it isn't a very good job. So when that person goes out of commission, and you have no idea where anything is because this isn't actually your house, you feel so helpless. And to make things even worse our host dad and brothers were completely useless. They didn't know how to work the washer, luckily Kayley and I figured it out since we've washed our own laundry before. They didn't know where the laundry detergent was (I may have done a load of laundry with just fabric softener...it's hard when everything is in Spanish!). One day Kayley came home to find our host brothers (keep in mind they are 40 and 30 years old) starring at the toilet. We still don't know if they were attempting to clean it or had plugged it and didn't know how to fix it. So, the moral of the story is: men, learn how to clean and function in case something were to ever happen to your wife/girlfriend. I'm not saying you have to do all of the cleaning, especially because cleaning is my relaxation so I don't want you to take that away from me, but at least know how to do the stuff just in case I suddenly die and you don't know how to clean your own underwear or where I keep the broom.

Funny story to come of all of this: After they found out what was wrong with my host mom, while my host dad was away getting food, she tried to check herself out of the hospital because, as she says, "I had to come home and clean your laundry and make you a sack lunch for your trip! I had to take care of my girls!". She kept telling the doctors that they had fixed her pain and that's all that she wanted them to do, so now she was going to leave and then come back after we had left for our trip. Needless to say our host dad received a phone call from the doctors telling him he needed to come convince his wife that she needed to have this surgery or else she would die. When he got back to the hospital, my host mom had signed all of the release papers and was ready to leave. When Kayley and I heard this story we just about died laughing. She is so sweet and all she wants to do is take care of her family and her American daughters.

Tenerife: the Hawaii of Spain. It was beautiful. I loved the beach. But man was it HOT! The first day we laid out on the beach for two hours, and I may have forgotten to put sunscreen on the upper part of my back, and I may have gotten really really sun burnt. And it was terrible because I have to sleep on my back but it hurt to lay on my back. We pretty much just hung out on the beach, walked around and shopped along the waterfront. One day we went to Mt. Teide, the tallest peak on all of Spain. How many people can say that? It was so beautiful and we were above the clouds but man was it windy, and I was not prepared for the cold! My GU sweatshirt and 3/4 length pants did not do the trick. Then on our second to last day I was laying under an umbrella to protect my sun burnt back when I may have accidentally fallen asleep and completely burned my legs. Not just one side of my legs, I rolled around and got the entire surface of both of my legs completely red as a lobster. It hurt to walk, it hurt to bend over, it hurt to sit down, everything hurt. Then after our flight into Malaga we had to stay the night in the airport because the bus to Granada wasn't leaving until the morning and we're poor college kids. Sleeping on the airport floor could have been worse, but it actually kind of helped soothe my sun burnt legs since the tile floor was cold.

Something unexpected about Tenerife is that everyone speaks both English and Spanish (or some who only speak English!) because there are so many tourists from the UK who come to vacation. It was so funny because the entire trip people kept asking us where we were from because "our accents were funny". And all of the people who could speak Spanish would ask us why were were in Tenerife if we are from America so when we told them we are studying Spanish they would start talking to us in Spanish, telling us we should practice. It was so refreshing because when you're in Spain, Granada or any of the other touristy places we've gone the Spanish people you interact with sneer at you, or send over the employee who speaks English, or when you speak in Spanish they tell you to speak in English. Which is so frustrating because HELLO I'M HEAR TO PRACTICE SPEAKING SPANISH, I already know how to speak English. Very few times have I interacted with a Spaniard employee and had them be nice to me or encourage me to speak in Spanish with them. So it was so refreshing to be in Tenerife where the people actually want to help you improve. Also, everyone was always so friendly and happy. They literally didn't have a care in the world. I could live there. If not live there, then at least go back for a long vacation, this time with more powerful sun screen and multiple applications of it. Because we got back a month ago and I JUST stopped peeling. I have never peeled like that in my life. It was disgusting.

We just recently (last weekend actually) took a day trip to Ronda and I think I might have left my heart there. It was beautiful and so GREEN. That's one of the things I miss the most, fields of green grass! Ronda is a small (very small) town divided into old and new Ronda by a river. Everywhere you looked was a beautiful photo waiting to be taken. It is completely surrounded by mountains and our tour guide knew everyone she ran into on the street. It was the perfect small Spanish town that I would want to live in if I were to ever live in Spain.

I know all of this seems like a great time, and it was and is the time of my life. But every single fun time I have, I can't help but feel homesick and sad too. I am so unbeleibely grateful for the life I live and the wonderful opportunity I have been given to travel the world and see places I never would have dreamed of seeing. But when I watched the sun set in Tenerife, all I wanted was to be watching it with Hayden. When I go on guided tours I think of my parents and how much they would love all of the history and sites I am seeing. When I walk around or sit at a cafe people watching, I think about how much more fun it would be if Alex and Sydney were here to people watch with me. I can't help but think about how different this experience would be if I were doing it with all of my friends and my loved ones. Every adventure is bitter sweet, because I am living a once in a lifetime experience, but all I really want is to be living it with my loved ones. And when I feel homesick, all I want to do is lay in bed. But then I feel guilty for wasting time laying in bed, for not traveling and making the most of my experience here. Everybody said traveling abroad would be the best time of my life, but they never really warned me about how hard the homesickness part was.

But every day I wake up, bringing me one day closer to hugging my friends and family, one day closer to helping the ones I love. I spend time with my wonderful host parents, I go to class, I do my homework, I talk to my friends and family back home, I spend time with my intercambios (Spanish students learning English), I go out, I travel, I make the most of my time here. I cherish every moment because I know I won't ever get this opportunity again. I'll come back to Europe, that's for sure, but I'll be a tourist, not a student studying and learning about the language and culture that I have come to love. I have a great life, and I can't complain that I have been giving this wonderful opportunity to study in another country. And I can't complain that I have such a wonderful boyfriend, parents, and friends that it breaks my heart to be away from them for 5/6 months. I live a blessed life and I am so grateful for it.

With my semester ending in less than a month, prepare yourself for a "Lessons Learned" blog post in the next few weeks. And then I will begin my next chapter: A month long trip visiting my boyfriend and his family in beautiful Sydney, Australia.

I apologize for how long this post was...sometimes I get carried away.

Waka waka: this time for Africa (sang in Shakira's voice) and a message for women

Hola a todos:

Well another week has gone by and I only have three more months in Espana! We're almost to the halfway mark and the time seems to have flown by! My goal for the rest of the time is to make it without stepping in dog poop. (Spanish people don't ever pick up their dog's poop, so it's everywhere in the streets). This might prove to be difficult because it requires me to walk while looking at the ground, which is not only dangerous because I could run into someone, but the weather is starting to change so I always want to look up to the sky/at the beautiful sun. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

This last weekend I went to Morocco (hence the title). If you don't get it, I suggest watching this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRpeEdMmmQ0 . I went with 5 other girls from my program and  18 other girls from Granada who I didn't know. Then we took a bus to Sevilla where we met up with the two tour guides and I'm not sure how many people but enough to fill the bus. (My guess is 75 in total). Then we made our way to Tarifa where we took a ferry to Morocco. Something that keeps fascinating me every time we travel is how little security there is. We walked through security and had to put our bags through a scanner. We didn't have to empty jacket pockets or anything so literally every single person beeped through the scanner and there wasn't even a person watching our bags to see if we had any weapons, so I'm not sure what they were scanning our bags for. (If you know, please enlighten me). A similar thing happened on the way back into Spain.

After 8 hours of traveling we finally arrived at our hotel. We stayed in a city called Tangiers in a very nice hotel. My only complaint was that you can smoke anywhere so everything smelled like cigarettes (but I know this is common for anywhere not in the US). We had dinner at the hotel buffet and then went to bed. The food was typical Moroccan food (beets, food with weird spices, lamb etc). The next morning we had a bus tour with a local tour guide (fun fact, Moroccans speak four languages: Arabic, French, English, Spanish). Then we made our way to a small town called Chefchaouen (aka the Blue City). We had lunch at a cute little restaurant called Casa Aladin and it was adorable. Fun fact: the servers wear flip flops. I thought it was gross. (then again, I don't even like my own feet). Then we went on a tour with a local guide from Chefchaouen. After that we were given an hour and a half to walk around and shop/barter for things. Nothing in Morocco has a set price, you barter for everything. So it was pretty cool because I love a good deal! I bought a painting and some magnets and a woven bracelet all for 15 euros. Something else that the tour guides warned us about is that there would be unofficial "guides" trying to sell you a guide of the town but that we should just ignore them (and anyone else who tries to show you anything or get you to come into their house) because it's most likely a drug house for hash (aka sketchy weed). And our tour guides were not lying when they said that. Creepy guides would just be standing outside their houses asking us if we wanted to come in for some hash. Another guy tried to show us his "factory". Some other random/funny things that I heard while I was walking around were:
"Hey pretty girl, you got a facebook?"
"Flower, beautiful flower, come look at my shop"
From the "tour guide": "I have tour"  Me: "La shukran" (aka no thank you in Arabic). Guide: "Do you want weed? I have that too". After all of that fun we got on the bus and went back to the hotel. At the hotel we had dinner and watched a Moroccan show which was really cool. Then our guides brought sangria and we drank it in an attached bar of the hotel and then went to bed. Here are two pictures from Chefchaouen. The pictures don't do it justice. Literally everything was a different hue of blue. It was beautiful.

The next morning we went to a small town called Assilah which was also very blue but wasn't as blue. This was a coastal town known for its graffiti. There weren't any offers for hash here but I did get called a flower again so that was cool. The tour guide pointed to me and my roommate and told us to sit down, so we did and the next thing we know some guy is shining our shoes. Our tour guide paid for it and my boots look BRAND NEW! I was pretty happy about it because with walking everywhere here, my boots are taking a beating. Then we departed for Tangiers again but this time for a camel ride! Here's a picture of my on the coast and the coolest graffiti in my opinion. 

We then went on our camel ride! It was a very short ride (only like five minutes) but I was okay with it because the camel was SUPER uncomfortable and he smelled. Some people didn't go on it because they thought it was animal cruelty (which is fine, but I'm gonna get to my complaining section in a minute and I will comment on this). Here's a picture of me on a camel! 

Then after we got back on the bus we were just waiting there for like 20 minutes. We asked one of our tour guides what was taking so long and he said he didn't know because he had to stay on the bus with us. (I think this was probably a lie). Then after a few minutes a girl got up and was like "I have to pee, I'm gonna go use the bathroom" in which our tour guide told her she needed to wait. (I'll complain about this in a minute too). The other tour guide climbed on the bus and told us that we had brought with us a few kids of Assilah who sneaked into the engine part of the bus because they recognized our bus as a Spanish tour bus. We were told that this is a normal thing, especially for poor towns like Assilah. And now we had more kids who were in Tangiers trying to sneak onto our bus as well. We were told not to worry, that they couldn't get to our luggage or to us. The Moroccan "police" were pulling the kids that they could see off of the bus, meanwhile more were running under our bus trying to hide. The "police" (not really police, just guys in jeans calling themselves the police) used brooms to hit the kids, kicked them, and threw rocks at them. Our tour guides told us that this was a normal thing and that it happens every weekend. They said we were going to continue to the restaurant for lunch and that when we got to the border control they would scan our bus and find the kids and pull them off. So then we went to lunch and had really good Couscous and then headed back to border control. As we were driving towards border control three more kids ran and got into our bus leaving us with a total of 8 kids. 

My commentary:

First of all, when you travel, especially in a place like Morocco, you need to have common sense and be smart and alert the entire time. You have to be prepared to see some things that are bad/sad/stuff you've never seen before. That's the whole point to study abroad, is to get out of the bubble of the United States, to expose ourselves to new cultures and see what the rest of the world is really like, because NEWSFLASH: the rest of the world is NOTHING like the US. Yes, the camels obviously aren't free camels. But what were you expecting when you saw "Camel ride" on the itinerary? Free camels roaming around in the wild and you were just gonna climb onto one and ride it around and then climb off? Common sense. And yes, the kids part was really sad. It broke my heart seeing kids ages 7-13 who were so desperate to change their situation that they were willing to risk being kicked and stoned and the dangers of sitting inside a bus engine for hours on end. But these kids aren't lucky/privileged like we are to be studying abroad, or to live the free lives we have in the US. Be grateful that you live the life you live, and that you are now aware of the situation in Africa, and take this new perspective and apply it to the way you live. Do something good for the world and stop being so ignorant. Ignorance for example: from the back of the bus I heard a girl say "I don't understand why the kids think this is fun, it's so dangerous" in which I heard someone reply "It's not a game, it's their way of life, they have nowhere else to go". The girl who said that was probably one of the girls who brought two suitcases with her for a two day trip. Also, if rocks are being thrown outside, don't try to push past our tour guide to go to the bathroom, you can wait 30 minutes and go in a safe area. That's the end of my rant. Thanks for listening. 

When we got to border control there were other kids waiting outside who had already been caught that day trying to run onto our bus right in front of the police. We got off the bus and onto the ferry. My roommate could see our bus being scanned and saw the police using drug dogs to find the kids and pull them off. To my knowledge they got them all off. 

We got home around 4 am in which case we were back up at 9 for class. Monday was a rough day, but it was so worth it. I am so grateful for the life I live and I am so glad I got to learn about a new culture and be more aware of the world that I live in. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to study abroad in Spain because I never would have gone to Africa had I not been given this opportunity. It has definitely given me a lot to think about this week. Thanks mom and dad for supporting me and pushing me to study abroad, and for not freaking out when I said I was going to go to Morocco. I love you guys. 

Another thing I've been thinking about lately is women and the way they view themselves. Pretty much only girls study abroad, of the 28 people in my program, there are only 5 guys. Of the 75 on my Morocco trip, there were 3 guys. So I hear a lot of gossip and stupid comments and girls hating on themselves or on other girls. STOP! You are beautiful. Love your body. Eat what you want when you want. Stop worrying about what other people are thinking about you, because everyone is gonna judge you, and there's always going to be someone who doesn't like you, and that's okay. All that matters is what you think if you. Stop degrading yourself and calling yourself fat. If you don't like the way you look, then work hard to change it, not because society or some loser guy tells you to, but because YOU want to. Also, that loser guy who calls you fat isn't worth your time or your effort to try and impress him. Girls, stop commenting on other girls' appearance or weight because that's just contributing to the cycle and the idea society has about women having to be perfect. With that being said, stop relying on your looks to get you by. Study, educate yourself, see the world, read. 

Love yourself. 

Hasta luego!

My 21st birthday, plus the last three weeks

Hello Friends!
Sorry it's been so long! Life kind of just got away from me. Prepare yourself, this is gonna be a long post. You might want to grab some coffee and snuggle up with your cat/dog/significant other/anything snuggly. (No, that's not a word, but I don't care).

I finished my intentivo class (four days a week, four hours a day) and got a 9/10 in the class. I'm not exactly sure what that translates to in US grading, but I'm assuming it's good! After that we had our first free three day weekend so me and three other girls went to Gibraltar. Or so we thought. We ended up booking out hotel in "El campo de Gibraltar" which is not actually Gibralter (not sure why they would call it that). It ended up working out, the hotel receptionist was very friendly and helpful. She suggested we go to Tarifa, a small beach town (VERY small) known for windsurfing, and man do I understand why. Wind everywhere! My face hurt so bad when we got back to the hotel.

Windy, beach selfie!

We were so tired from all of the traveling and the wind that we stayed at the hotel that night, eating ice cream, drinking wine, and having girl talk. The next morning we went to Gibraltar (the original planned destination!) and I think I fell in love. We walked through border control (most relaxed border control ever) (for those of you who don't know, Gibraltar it located in Spain but is owned by England so they have their own currency and we have to show our passports). When we got through border control there was a tour company right there who do tours up the mountain. We went to a cave that was hollowed out to be used as an emergency hospital during the world wars but they ended up never needing it so now it's been converted to a concert hall. 

The lights change color, this is just the main part for the concerts, but there was more.

The next stop was the monkeys where I got to hold a real life, wild monkey! It was a dream come true. He was heavy but he didn't try to take any of my stuff, none of those threw poop, and who else can say they've held a monkey? This was also a really cool spot because on one side was Spain and on the other was Africa so I felt like I was in three places at once. Here's the awesome monkey comin at ya! 

I'm going to call him Frank, because he looks like a Frank to me.

The final stop on the tour was the highest we could legally go by car, It was miles on miles of caves that the military used. Like the mountainside was hollowed out and cannons were lined up and they slept in there and everything. It was cool, but after a while it all looked the same. Then we got a taxi and went to the train station. Mom, you'll be proud. I'm now known as the annoying girl who asks everybody if they have their passports every five seconds. I'm realizing I am just like you when I travel. 

The next week we started our official classes. On Mondays/Wednesdays I start class at 1030 with a grammar class (kinda boring but I'm learning a lot, this is basically a shorter version of my intensivo), then I have a break so I go home and do my homework for my grammar class and watch a couple episodes of Friends and have lunch. Then I go back at 1530 (aka 330, I'm learning military time, or as Alex likes to call it, time!). I have a POE class which stands for Production: Oral and Written (or in Spanish escrito). This class is probably my favorite. We sit in a circle and go over new vocab/terms but somehow we always ends up talking about funny mistakes people often make usually in regards to drugs or sex. (Example: "Me pones un cafe" means get me a coffee if you were addressing a waiter, but if you just say "Me pones" it means I want to have sex with you, so if you travel to a Spanish speaking country, don't say that!). The Spanish are so open and it's not weird at all here that we're talking about that kind of stuff in class. Then after that class I have my culture class that I've had this whole time. This class is okay, can get boring sometimes, and I'm currently avoiding studying for the test we have in it tomorrow! Then on Tuesdays/Thursdays I have an art history class that has actually been super helpful and nice to have (For example, we studied a church in class on Thursday and then coincidentally on Friday I went with my program to that church). It was awesome to see the place I had been studying in real life! Then after that class I go to my literature class which I absolutely love because I love literature! (If that sounds sarcastic, it's not meant to be). Then I go home and eat lunch and usually do some homework. We always have three day weekends from now on, sometimes they're free for us to travel but other times we have excursions planned with our program. 

One weekend we had free and I just stayed home, did some shopping, relaxed. This weekend we had excursions with our program. On Friday we went to Cordoba and saw a one of a kind church. Originally a Muslim church but then when the Reyes Catolicos came into power, they made all of the Muslims convert or leave, and they converted all of the churches to Catholic churches. This cathedral is the only cathedral that has part Muslim characteristics and part Christian characteristics. And it was HUGE.

This doesn't do it justice, but there were rooms on rooms of these arcs. 

Then after the cathedral we went to a spa! It was incredible. After a too short massage we lounged around in small pools, alternating from the average temperature to the hot to the cold to the sauna. (At least that's the order the spa suggests we go in) I made it up to my knees in the cold one but that's all I could bring myself to do. 

The next day we went to the Alhambra in Granada which is a very popular tourist destination. It was freezing and rainy but beautiful and cool to learn so much about the place I've been living in for the last month and a half. There's too many pictures to choose from to illustrated the Alhambra, so I'll post them to Facebook. 

This week I have the test tomorrow for my culture class and then on Friday I leave for Morocco with four other girls from my program (and a guide of course!). I'm so excited and with how much this trip will be costing me it better be cool! 

I finally turned 21 which was cool but kind of a non-event here because I've been drinking this whole time (the legal drinking age here is 18). I really missed my friends and Hayden and my parents on my birthday. Though it will be awesome to be able to say that I turned 21 in Spain! My host parents here were sweet and tried to make my day special. They both hugged me and wished me a happy birthday when I woke up and then my host mom made my favorite food (fettuccine Alfredo with breaded chicken) with sangria and a chocolate cake for dessert. I also went out for drinks and tapas with some girlfriends and ended the night skyping my romantic boyfriend. I'm finally settling in and getting a routine down. 

I'm becoming a wine drinker! Well, only one kind of wine. It's Spanish, called Yllera and I'm obsessed with it and I will have to find something similar to it in the U.S. because it's incredible.

I'll try to blog more, time just kind of got away from me! Now I suppose I should do some (more) studying for my test tomorrow!

Hasta luego!

 

One Week Down

Hola!
Well my first full week in Spain is officially over, and I gotta say, it was a long one. Between walking everywhere, living 30 minutes from school, and having to be home for all three meals, there's not a lot of time to do much.

My school days go like this: wake up at 6:30 am (I guess I'm a morning person), eat toast at 8, leave for school at 8:25, get to school at 9. Have class from 9-1. Walk home, and eat at 2. Eat until about 3:30, then time for siesta or for me Sex and the City relaxing time. I choose to watch TV in English because I'm realizing I get a little overwhelmed when everything is in Spanish 24/7. This week we've had meetings in the afternoons so that's taken up some time, or if we don't have a meeting we walk around or go somewhere for a drink and free tapas. Sometimes I use this time to skype the handsome Hayden Smith. On Tuesdays/Thursdays we have a culture class from 5:15-6:45. Then a drink and tapas or homework, followed by dinner at 9 until about 10. During the school week my roommate and I have been so tired that we usually sleep around 11/12. That's how my first week went. On Friday we went out, which doesn't happen until about 11/12 and goes until about 7/8 am. (I know, I can't believe it either). We went out to a chupiteria (shot bar) and then to another bar for drinks that actually taste good. We got home at around 3:30 and we were SO exhausted the next morning when we woke up at 10. I have NO idea how the Spanish people my age stay out so late. I couldn't do it. Especially because the next day we were so tired that we didn't want to go out Saturday night. I'd like to add that no, we were not hungover. :)

Something fun that we did on Saturday was cook dinner for our host parents. We made a recipe that Kayley's (my roommate) mom makes back home. It was really good, though every ingredient was slightly different than back in the U.S. We also got our mom to buy granola so we could have something other than toast for breakfast. She had never heard of or seen it. Over all the recipe turned out great and our host parents loved it. I think we'll  make cooking for them a regular thing because it's fun and a good way to learn new words. Plus we feel bad because our host parents won't let us do anything to help around the house. Whenever we offer they say no, that we need to study and relax.

Last Sunday we went to el campo (aka the country) because our host parents have a house out there. It reminded me of a WAY older, Spanish version of the lake house, minus the lake. We get to the house and there is a curtain covering the door, with bricks holding the curtain down. Behind the curtain was a regular door. We get in the house and it was FREEZING (sounds like the lake, right mom and dad?). The walls were made of clay and they had a fireplace that looks a lot like the fireplace at the lake. The first room looked really old but as you got further into the house (aka the kitchen and bathroom) they started to become more modern. My host parents son is slowly renovating the house. We walked around the property in which we were told that all of the houses in the area belonged to my host parents family. One was Antonio's (host dad) brother's, one was his parents' house in which he grew up, the other was Antonia's moms (host mom, yeah they have almost the same name). My host parents literally grew up right next to each other. There was also a school (aka a clay building). One of the houses used to be Antonia's grandma's house but it was literally caving in on itself. And then there was the house for the dogs. My host parents have two dogs, one is huge like Bethoven (you know, the huge dog from that movie from my childhood) and the other was smaller. The strangest part to me was that the dogs have their own house all to themselves that was literally the same size as my host parents' house. We asked why they had their own house and they said that the house didn't have electricity so that was why. I'm still not entirely sure how the dogs survive because nobody lives out there with them. So I guess they have to leave enough food for them? I'm still not sure. Their son goes out there every Sunday to walk the dogs and work on the house, but it still seems weird to me.

This Sunday (aka today) it rained...but we still had an excursion planned with our program. Needless to say I got home completely soaking wet. We went to a nearby neighborhood that has old "bathrooms" which was pretty cool to see. We also walked up this huge hill and when we got to the top the view was amazing. (Refer to pictures on facebook). By the end though I was glad it was over because I was ready to put some dry clothes on. I also have a cold (and have had a cold for the last week) so hopefully I didn't just make my cold even worse.

This afternoon I have to work on a class "project". The oral part to our final exam is to present to the class on a "barrio" (neighborhood) of our choosing. Our presentation is to include a couple of slides about important buildings or churches and their history, but the bulk of our presentation is we're supposed to go to three different bars in the neighborhood, rate the food/drinks/atmosphere, take pictures, ask the waiter about the history of the bar and present it to the class. Then we're supposed to choose which bar was our favorite and at the end of the class presentations the entire class is going to go to each of the "best" bars. Life's hard at study abroad.

This week I think the hardest thing to adjust to is the people. Spanish people walk SO slow, and if you've ever walked with me you know that I don't walk, I run. This month all of the stores have rebajas (sales) that are kind of like Black Friday but less intense because it's all month. Or so I thought. My roommate and I had some time before dinner last night so we went to the "mall" to shop for some clothes. After about 20 minutes we decided to leave because there were literally people everywhere but it wasn't even like Black Friday. All of the people were so pushy. You'd be walking through an aisle and someone would come barging past you, when there was literally no space for them to be walking. The other thing was I would be looking at a shirt on a rack and someone would come and grab the shirt right behind it. I couldn't get passed the fact that they wouldn't wait five seconds for me to walk away from the rack. Needless to say we didn't buy anything.

I'm also realizing how much I love my friends. Sydney and Alex, you two are the best friends a girl could ask for. I got so lucky meeting you both the first day at GU. I can't wait to have girl time next year and go out and be drama free. Love you guys and miss you so much!

Something interesting that happened this week was when Kayley and I were walking home we were waiting at a crosswalk when suddenly a car and a motorcycle collided and the two people on the motorcycle flew off. We both stopped talking and looked at each other and said "Oh my god I think those people are dead!". One of the people shot right up and ran out of the road (I think he thought he was gonna get run over by a car). The other guy stayed down for like 30 seconds but eventually got up. Then the driver of the car started to argue with the motorcycle people about whose fault it was, without even asking if they were okay. Nobody called the police or an ambulance either which I thought was strange. Kayley and I walked home in shock and when we told our host parents about it they just shrugged and said it happens a lot. I was so shocked by how nonchalant they were about it. Now, every time a motorcycle goes speeding by me I get a little bit anxious.

All in all it was a good week. Busy as always, but that's just my life. Missing everyone back home, and I'm desperately craving a cheeseburger with American french fries (the potatoes here are slightly different) but I'm seeing somewhere I never would have had the opportunity to see, learning lots of Spanish, and I'm excited to travel in a few weeks!

Hasta luego!

And so it begins...

Hola de espana!
I said goodbye to my mom at the house before I left, and much to my surprise neither of us cried. (YAY!). My dad and I went to the airport and my suitcases (only two!) weighed exactly 50 pounds each. Then we had breakfast. Dad, I apologize for giving you the worst gift ever and leaving the country on your birthday. Then I got yelled at by security because apparently at PDX you don't need to take anything out of your bags anymore (not even liquids). The flight to Chicago felt long even though it was only three hours and I slept terribly. Once at Chicago I made my way to my gate and realized it was the "let's speak any other language except English" gate. I heard lots of Spanish, some French, and even some Japanese. The plane finally showed up and it was the biggest plane that I have ever seen.

Look at the gray truck on the left for size.

I sat in the middle seat in the middle row which wasn't super great but it could have been worse. I sat next to a couple who were studying abroad together and I wanted to kill them because a. I was jealous and b. they wouldn't stop making out which was gross. Again, I slept terribly on the plane but much to my surprise the plane had Friends as a TV option, so it wasn't so bad. After what felt like an eternity I finally made it to Granada and I met some other students in my program along the way. We worked together to communicate with the taxi drivers on where we needed to go and I ended up sharing at taxi with another GU student. The only problem was our flight got in 2 hours before our host families were expecting us. I got to my host family's apartment and rang the door bell. I was abruptly asked "Who is this?" and then let in. I unpacked, ate breakfast (toast and fruit every morning) and then I took a three hour nap :)

My room is small, probably the same size as my dorm room in Crimont. There's hardly any storage space so some of my stuff is in my suitcase under my bed. We all share one bathroom and yes, there is a bidet, but no, I will not be using it. My host parents have two sons and they said that neither of them live here but one of the sons keeps staying the night here so I'm not quite sure what that's about. They have a cat and he's super old and has a stomach problem so they can't feed him much food so during the night he always gets hungry and meows SO LOUD. Like it wakes me up, and I'm a pretty heavy sleeper. My host parents are in their 60's but they are so funny. They remind me of my parents because they literally do everything together. And they also make fun of each other which is super funny to me. 

The meals are weird here. You eat breakfast whenever you need to (anywhere from 8-11) and it's usually toast with jelly, something to drink, and some kind of fruit. Lunch is the big important meal here so we usually eat around 2-3. Lunch consists of some kind of soup and bread, followed by some kind of meat/pasta, followed by yogurt and then fruit for dessert. If you know my eating habits, you know that I am usually full after the soup...it's a problem. I eat the slowest and usually can only eat about half of what my host mom gives me. Every meal she says that we don't have to eat it all if we're full. She also says that she needs to learn from me and eat slower because then she won't eat as much. After lunch it's nap time (literally people stop whatever they are doing a take a nap). Yesterday I saw a guy trying to take a nap in his car. After lunch we've had somewhere to be and then after that we go out for drinks and tapas (little appetizers). Then for dinner at 10 (yes, 10) we have more bread and some kind of food. They don't have ice unless you're at a restaurant and even then most restaurants only give ice if you order an alcoholic drink. Also, every meal is eaten at the dinner table in front of the TV.

So far me and some friends have gone to three bars. The first one was really good. We had sangria (refer to photo) and at most places you get free tapas with your drink so we had bread with meat. (you basically eat bread with everything here). I really liked this place but the waiter kept talking to us in English even though we were speaking in Spanish. The next night we went to a restaurant that our teacher suggested and we got sangria and it wasn't very good. Then they gave us a shot glass that had warm chicken broth in it (it was disgusting) and these really yummy chicken nugget type things and fries. Then after that we went to another bar and got mojitos which were super sweet, but no free tapas at this place. This was a topic of discussion since we were slightly tipsy and hungry. So far I really like going out to these places but I literally can't eat anything because you have to eat meals with your family. It's a sign of disrespect if you don't so I try not to fill up on tapas before dinner.

Last night rather than have dinner our host parents took us out to a bar that they love. It was super small, (the size of a large closet) but so much fun. Our host dad invited his three brothers, their wives, and their children to come along. All but one of the kids were adults so they had girlfriends/wives too. We took up almost the whole bar. Our host dad ordered me and Kayley (my roommate) sangria and everyone else had wine or beer. I think the restaurant people know our host parents because they kept bringing out tapas and tapas and more tapas. Chicken, ham, sausage, and bread/chips with every single plate. And when they brought out the food they gave us like 6 plates of each. Needless to say I was full halfway through and my host parents kept trying to give me more food. It was a lot of fun and I laughed a lot. My host dad kept making fun of my host mom because she had rosy red cheeks. He kept saying that she was drunk only after a glass of wine. My host mom has a knee problem so she usually walks slow but she was walking fast on our way home after the bar. When our host dad commented on it she said "the alcohol has given me strength!". Maybe you had to be there, but it was hilarious. 

A few things I can't get over: everybody smokes (not my host parents) but everyone else. There's dog poop everywhere on the sidewalks because they don't have to clean it up. The pedestrians and cars fight over who gets the road (like you usually just walk in the road and hope you don't get hit). The food/meal times are so different than in America. Water is a scarce resource here so when we shower we're supposed to turn on the water and get wet, then turn it off while we wash our hair and body, and turn it back on the rinse everything. Their showers are only 5 minutes usually. I can't figure out when I'm gonna be able to shave my legs. The other thing that's a little weird to me is nobody smiles or acknowledges each other when you're walking around. If you bump into someone you don't say sorry. It's SO strange since I'm used to GU life where everyone holds the door for everyone, even when the person is like 30 feet away. 

I'm a little worried about getting fat but my school is 30 minutes away from my house so it's okay. Everybody walks everywhere so I think I should be okay. Another thing that's gonna take some adjusting is that I can't go anywhere without having someone with me which is annoying because sometimes I need some alone time. 

Also something cool, the kitchen table has a table cloth over it and when you sit down you put the table cloth over you like a blanket and then there's a built in heater underneath the table cloth to keep you warm. Why don't we have these in the U.S.? It's genius. 

Hasta luego!