La cena final 25/04

Today was my last full day in Segovia, but it was a good one.  I woke up this morning and went to school to meet Tara.  We are making little awards for everyone in the group to be handed out at the final dinner.  Ex: most likely to be mistaken for a spaniard, most likely to lose something, etc. And then we headed out to do some last minute souvenir shopping and to get a pastry (apple) from our one and only Limon y Menta.  It was wonderful! Then it was time to head home and start the dreaded packing process :/ Stuff appears from all over when you start packing, I didn't realize how much I bought or how much I had left to fit into one suitcase! It was a stressful process but after I got mostly packed it was time for lunch.  After lunch I packed for a bit longer and then decided to take a brief nap and watch a movie.  Before I knew it it was time to start getting ready for the big dinner! I felt like I was getting ready for prom, it was really fun.  Puri and I met up with Jill and her host mom (Sonya) and walked to the restaurant together. We were 20min late, but no real surprise there! The tables were set up so that it was four people per table, so it was the four of us who ate together.  It was basically just like another sunday dinner for us! But the food was really good and we had a great time chatting. After dinner Katie DSA, Tara, and I presented the awards to everyone which went over really well. Everyone was so surprised and thought it was a great idea. I got the award of "most likely to have been 'here' before" because I had been to a lot of places we traveled. Very funny :) The group pitched in and we got Gladys some flowers.  We then took LOTS of pictures with each other, with our profs, and such and then had to say goodbye to our profs. It was sad to say goodbye because they are all truly nice people.  It was then time to head out and get our drink on (more drinking, there was lots of wine with dinner).  We went to the chupitos bar and shots were 2 for 1 priced so we all had our fair share. We then moved on to oso blanco, gua gua, NyG, and finally Hook. I got back home at 5:15am.  I think it was by far the most fun night I have had here and I am glad that this is how I get to finish off my semester. When I got home I talked to Luke and then Katrina for a while and didn't end up getting to sleep until 7:45am!

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! 24/04

I did not sleep well last night, I don't know why. I was up many many times and then eventually would fall back asleep.  When my alarm went off I was so tired that I kept sleeping and accidentally only had 15min to get ready today! But I got dressed and got breakfast and was out the door in time.  It didn't end up mattering that I rushed and was on time because today was just a work day and I had already done my stuff. Turns out I didn't even need to be in class! So I sat around at school, killing time, hanging with people from 9:30-12:30 when my next class was. It got boring after a while but it is better than being in class. Gladys' class was just finishing up the last people who haven't presented and that went pretty well. We got out of class a bit early which was good! Now I am officially done with my school part of study abroad! How quickly the time has flown. After class I came home for lunch, as usual and then went out to meet some people for some fro yo! YUM! We then went shopping and I got some cute new sandals which was really fun. We finished up our ladies shopping afternoon with a glass of wine and hours of chatting.  I finally made it home close to dinner time! I chatted with katrina for a bit and then ate dinner alone with Yumi because Puri was out at a concert.  After dinner I played around with the new software update I got on my computer. I now get imessage on my computer! So cool. I chatted with mom and then she got hers set up too! What a fun thing. Now, to bed :)

Dia de los libros 23/04

Today is a holiday in Castilla y Leon, the day of the book.  So we didn't have class today! Woot. Instead of going to class I spent the morning lazing around and I finished up my last homework assignment of the semester.  After lunch I met up with some people and we walked down to the river and then sat by the river for a few hours.  Tara, Alex and I then went and got a beer to cool off after being in the hot sun for a while.  We chatted for a long time and then decided to go back home.  I relaxed for a little bit until it was dinner time. Puri was not in the best mood, she had a long day and needed some sleep! So Yumi and I ate together and then I decided to go to bed. Overall a very nice and lazy day. It was perfect.

A really LONG day 22/04

Last night I eventually gave up on studying and went to bed.  I woke up this morning pretty early and studied a bit but then fell right back asleep and only woke up with enough time to throw on clothes and get out the door.  Thank goodness I had a granola bar because I didn't have time for breakfast! My first class was a work period for our final projects but I used it to study for my test.  Then came the test. I did the best that I could but I don't feel as confident as I did last time. Oh well, it happens, and now it is over! Next we had presentations in Gladys' class, I am already done so I get to just sit there and learn which is fun.  After class I came home and took a shower before lunch (having gotten up so late I missed my shower time).  Puri, Yumi and I had a lovely lunch before I was out the door again to go give a presentation on Las Meninas, a painting by Diego Velazquez.  The presentation went really well and now I am basically done with school! After our presentations we had a little celebration in the school cafeteria.  We had tapas and sangria (courtesy of Gladys) and chatted about our cultural identity and what we have learned in being here.  It is kind of a way for them to help us wrap up our study abroad experience. There were lots of tears already and it was a great way to think back on how much we really have learned.  After that Tara and I went to get Katelin's earrings changed (the piercings she got a month ago) and then I came home to have an hour to relax before dinner.  I went out to some casual drinks with friends after dinner which was a good time.  I love casual drinks over crazy late night bar hopping.

Cultural Identity:
I have become a lot more relaxed here in Spain than I have at other times.  We really had to learn to go with the flow and that there are more important things than always following a plan or always focusing on work or homework.  They value family so much here and take their time with things.  They eat long meals, they walk slowly, they enjoy, they be.  I think I need to take back some of this culture with me because it is very healthy to be calm and not have so much stress.  I have also learned a lot and grown a lot in myself here.  I have learned how to handle situations that are new and make me uncomfortable.  I learned how to live in someone else's house for four months, how to handle meals with groups of older spanish women for hours and hours, and how to interact with people.  I feel like I have matured a lot.  Before this trip, one meal with mom and a group of her friends or a group of family friends (all adults) would be long enough for me and I would always want to run away after and I usually had Kristin there with me.  Here I had to sit for hours and learn how to participate and enjoy these long meals with groups of people a different age than me.  I have become more confident in my ability to travel alone and figure out different systems and languages without a lot of help.  We have faced so many new and challenging things here that have helped me grow.  Today's reflection was really important because I think it is easy to forget how far we have come in these few months and just how much we have learned.

Last weekend in Segovia 19/04-21/04

Friday 19/04

Today we had our last official class of Cine because our next (and last) class will be the test and then we are done! We finished up our movie and then got out of class a bit early.  Tara, Katelin and I stayed until lunch to get a head start on our studying, but shockingly not that much actually got done.  I came home for lunch only to have to go back to school again to give a presentation on Barcelona.  All of the groups did a great job and the presentations were a fun way to look back on all of our excursions. After that we had a group meeting for yet another presentation.  Katelin had her host sister read over our paper and she said that my part was really good with few mistakes which was great to hear! Then, since it is Friday, we went to go get some tasty churros which was a lot of fun.   I came home and had planned on studying more but ended up getting to talk to Luke instead which was a way better use of my time :) The rest of my night was relaxing.  We had a nice long dinner and good chatting which is always very nice and then it was off to bed.

Saturday 20/04

Our official last excursion in Spain! Wow how crazy that our last weekend and our last excursion are already here.  We met up at the bus station and took a bus to a town called Valsain.  We hiked up the mountain (it was a pretty solid hike, very nice work out) and then once we got to the top we saw the trenches of where the nationalists and the republicans fought in the Spanish civil war.  Also where Ernest Hemingway wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls. There were inscriptions on the trenches that had names and such.  Once said "Viva Espana, 1937". So much history all around us not to mention beautiful mountains and sights.  We ate our lunch on the top of the trenches and then took a brief nap in the sun which felt wonderful.  A few of us went off exploring and found a beautiful river to sit by until it was time to climb back down the mountain.  It was such a wonderful day because it was very low key.  We had no specific plans and we were in beautiful nature.  I think it was what everyone needed because we have been doing a lot of homework and stressing about the Cine test on Monday.  To be completely secluded in nature for a day was great.  The weather was perfect too because you could wear a sweatshirt and not be hot or cold.  So it wasn't too hot nor too cold. If it had been hotter I don't think we would have relaxed in the sun for so long. Everyone got sunburned because we were at such a high altitude. My face has a nice pink tint to it now, but according to Puri it is cute so I think it is ok. I didn't get very burned and no where else on me got burned (had my hands covered, so no rash!).  After that we all came back to Segovia and got FroYo with Gladys and just hung out for a while longer.  Sweet treats taste better after having been in the wilderness all day! I then came home just in time to change and then head over to Jill's house for dinner with Gladys.  We had A LOT of food, and scary food. My stomach hurt so badly after dinner.  We ate this fish that Puri has had sitting in a bowl of water on the counter for four days. It was the idea of it that was gross at first, then I tasted it and was like "yep, gross" but she put so much on my plate and I had to eat it. But it was so bad. So so bad. So bad. Luckily Jill and I ran away at 11:30 (yes, dinner was still happening) because we were going out as a whole group (most of the group) because it is our last saturday in Segovia. We started out at a very fun shots bar where I got a fire shot (light the shot on fire then serve it to you) and two sex on the beach shots.  Mostly it was a fun atmosphere and having so much of the group together was great.  We then went to our favorite bar, Gua Gua and hung out there before I decided to come home for the night.  It was just such a good day with the group and very relaxing. Just what we all needed!

Sunday 21/04

KRISTIN'S BIRTHDAY!!!! Happy birthday to her (even though she never reads my blog ;)...)

Today I accidentally slept in because of being out late so I didn't get to do as much studying as I wanted before heading out to a girls lunch with Puri.  We went to a little beautiful pueblo about 25 min outside of Segovia.  We got there a bit early so Puri and I walked a few houses down to visit the woman I have been speaking to in english.  We said a quick hello and then headed back to the lunch.  The vivienda that the woman lives in was built in 1930 and is in the style of a farm house.  It is beautiful! She has a garden where we ate lunch which was nice.  I got a seat with my back to the sun and she gave me a big hat to wear so that I was protected from the sun.  It was again perfect temperature to be outside in a sweater (protected from sun) and not be too hot nor too cold.  We had lunch with the woman who lives at the house Jose-Fa (sp???), the two sisters who usually come over here, Maite, Puri, and I.  For lunch we had a huge bowl of spaghetti covered in squids ink with squid and shrimp (I thought the bowl was for the whole table, but it was just for me!). I was a bit freaked out by it because the squids ink makes the pasta black black black but it was actually pretty tasty.  After that we had some tasty salad and then bread with goats cheese and caramelized onions on top.  Finally we had some shrimps, the full kind with the eyes and legs that you have to disassemble yourself.  As if that wasn't enough food already, we had some delicious flan, tea, and cookies from cloistered nuns (the same ones mom, dad, and I bough). What a wonderful lunch! I have found that ladies lunches here are so different from the states.  In the states ladies lunches consist of hardly any food! You have a little salad and eat a petit portion and such but here you eat your fill of a three course meal. Very different, very fun.  We then just sat in the sun chatting and enjoying the spring weather.  I was very peaceful and relaxed which was a wonderful feeling.  After a while I started getting antsy about time because I have a test to study for! Eventually they were like oh I think it is time to go and I was like YES PLEASE. It was a ton of fun but I was there with these ladies out in the sun chatting for 7 hours. I was ready to take a break from spanish and to get a start on studying which was starting to stress me out a bit.  I finally got home and settled by around 8:30pm and then it was time to crank out the homework.  I got a chance to talk to Kristin (and mom and dad) and watch her open her birthday cards and presents. It was very fun! For dinner we had fresh eggs and potatoes gifted to me from Jose-Fa from the farm. Then back to studying of course!!

Stereotypes 18/04

Gladys had us come into class an hour and a half early so that we could get a major chunk of our presentations done.  So we were in class watching presentations for three hours! It was a lot but most peoples are really interesting so it was ok.  When class was finally over it was a nice surprise to find out that Puri wasn't going to be home so she left lunch for us.  That means eating lunch earlier! Yumi and I actually ate for an hour together and had wonderful conversation.  I love speaking with her because we both practice our spanish without fear of messing up (we are at the same level) and we talk about interesting things.  I was asking her questions about Japan and then somehow we ended up talking about stereotypes.  She said she was surprised when she met me and found out I was an American because I didn't fit the stereotype.  She said she and others think of Americans as eating burgers, drinking/carrying around 2liter bottles of soda, wearing sloppy jeans and t-shirts, not caring about their clothes, and fat.  Pretty standard stereotypes but I was glad to share with her that not everyone is like that.  And it was nice to know that me being me helped break negative stereotypes of the US.  All of the stereotypes I listed about Japan, Yumi confirmed were indeed true which was funny! I said that Japanese girls dress very nicely, eating a lot of rice, you can always smell Japanese food, smart, good at math, etc.  She was pretty much just like "yep, that's about right". It was a great time. After that I had to head back to my LAST ART CLASS (with lecture). We learned about Picasso, Miro, and Dali which was actually really interesting. After art we stayed to practice our presentation that is tomorrow on Barcelona.  It went well and then I chatted with Tara and Katelin until it was pretty late and we decided to head home.  I had my last awkward dinner with the french girls, took a couple pictures with them (for their homework), and then got a chance to chat with Puri while she was doing dishes.  We had a nice chat and now it is time for bed!

The beginning of the end 17/04

I did not want to wake up this morning, but I dragged by butt out of bed and headed to school.  We got out of my first class 30min early which was really nice so then I was able to go catch up on things before having class with Gladys.  I got one presentation done (out of the 3 I have to do before the end of school) in class which was great to get done.  I then came home to a wonderful lunch of garbanzo beans, green peppers, and my favorite multi grain bread (which I will miss).  After lunch I met up with Katelin to do a little shopping and soak up the sunshine.  We got some more gifts for people which was good because honestly we are running out of time! The weather has been amazing here and I have been loving it.  It is actually verging on too hot these past couple days but I cannot complain.  I came back to the house after shopping and was seriously wiped out.  Those ladies from Sweden sucked up all of my energy! I took an hour and a half nap and then rested the rest of the night until dinner.  Tonight I had my first dinner with this group of french girls that we have because I've been eating out with the ladies. I think Puri was tired of eating with them because she ate with them the two nights I wasn't there so that she didn't leave Yumi eating alone with them.  However I suppose it is ok to leave me alone with them because Yumi was out to eat elsewhere and Puri had clearly had enough dinner with them, so it was just me! These girls are 14, very young but very nice.  They were so polite and stacked their dishes and offered to put them in the dishwasher.  Conversation was hard and there were lots of awkward silences but I suppose that is pretty standard for these kinds of dinner! After dinner I read some touching stories about the Boston Marathon bombings.  There was a woman who was about to finish the race but was diverted because of the bombs.  It took her a while to find out by phone if her family was safe and the second she connected with them she just sat down on the street and cried.  A couple approached her, the husband having finished the marathon 30min before the explosion, and gave her his medal and comforted her.  The woman who got the medal reached out on facebook trying to find this couple to thank them and through multiple sources of media, they found each other! Very nice story. I like that those kinds of wonderful stories make the newspapers along with the bad stories. I think it is important to publish good stories. Now, to bed!

A wonderfully and tiring Tuesday 16/04

This morning I got up and met the ladies to do a long walk.  We did a 4.5 mile walk around Alcazar which was very entertaining.  Each of the ladies have their own level of walking and it is hard to please everyone! But everyone was a good sport and we had a great time. After the walk we went to a restaurant in the Plaza Mayor and ate some salads.  Everyone was tired so we went to relax for a bit before I had to head off to my class.  After my art class the ladies met me at school and I showed mom and MJ around my school which was nice! Then we went and got some frozen yogurt which is simply wonderful.  Along the way today we ran into a lot of friends which was fun! The ladies and I and Katie DSA got a drink to kill time before Puri was free to meet them.  We only had about 30 min to visit Puri but Carmen and Puri had a great time chatting in spanish and everyone else just tried to keep up! We then went to dinner at a very odd Pakistani Jewish restaurant where everyone was really tired.  It was a very different group of ladies than then night before! I said goodbye to the ladies and Mom then walked me halfway home and I said goodbye to her. They are going to Madrid in the morning and I won't see them again. It was so nice having them here! I was thinking about how cool it is that I have all of these nice memories with visitors here during my time abroad. It is lucky and I will remember these times forever. Now I am, like the ladies, very tired! Time for bed.

Second to last Monday, WOO! 15/04

Mondays are the longest day of the week! I wake up early and get to class and then have to sit there for three classes.  Thankfully today the blow was lessened by the fact that we watched two movies in my second two classes. One I had already seen before but it was ok to watch it again.  It is called La Lengua de Las Mariposas and it is about the time during the Civil War.  During Gladys' class Tara and I worked out a plan to go to the airport together for our flights out of Madrid because our flights are close in times.  We discovered that the train doesn't run early enough for us to get to our flights so we have to go into Madrid the night before.  Tara found a great hotel, really cheap and right next to the airport (free shuttle to the airport and all), so we are going to stay there together.  Katelin is coming to Stockholm with me for a few days but her flight is even earlier than mine so she too is going to Madrid the night before but she is going later and is staying with a friend.  I'm glad Tara and I worked this out now!  I ate lunch at home before meeting up with the ladies.  We did a bit of shopping, had some coffee, and then MJ, Mom and I had fro yo while the other ladies took some beauty rest.  After that it was time for a bar and then dinner at Jose Maria's.  It was a restaurant mom dad and I went to before and it was wonderful then and now.  What a fun evening out (again) with the ladies!

Free Weekend in Segovia! And MOM COMES AGAIN! 12/04-14/04

Friday 12/04

Today was the first Friday where I had nothing to do. Our class got moved so we had no class and we had no excursion.  I woke up late and then decided to get my butt to school in an attempt to be productive.  I was there until lunch and actually got a good amount of stuff done! I then went home for lunch which was delicious as always.  Right after lunch I met up with Tara and Katelin to go for a nice walk.  We walked the really long walk around Alcazar and then we wound up at the new frozen yogurt place.  We got some yummy yogurt treats and then sat in the plaza mayor eating them and watching people.  I then headed home where I got to talk to Luke which was such a nice time, as it always is.  Then I was also able to catch up with Kristin and say hi to Dad (with him being in Colorado with her and all, very confusing when he first popped up next to Kristin!).  I then hung around until dinner and after dinner I met up with Tara and Katelin again to go to a few bars.  We went to just two casual bars: Gua Gua and El Oso Blanco for some casual drinks.  It was a nice time! After a while we decided we were tired and turned in for the night.

Saturday 13/04

Today was another day that I had no plans from the school and was free to do what I wanted.  Yesterday Tara, Katelin and I made plans to meet up and go shopping and I had a goal of getting some homework done.  Puri went out for the day with some friends so she wasn't home.  I went to La Colonial to try to be productive but my head just wasn't in it so I came home and chilled out, ate some lunch, and then went to meet up again with Tara and Katelin having gotten basically no homework done. Sometimes days like that happen.  We went shopping and I successfully bought gifts, a bracelet for myself, and a bright pink hoodie (that was in the men's section at Pull and Bear but is so girly) that I love.  We wandered around town for a while, hit a farmers market that was set up by the aqueduct and then went our separate ways.  Puri came home for dinner with Yumi and I but she didn't actually eat with us.  Yumi and I ate alone but we had some wonderful conversations and our dinner lasted a long time.  We talked about our cultures and the history of our countries. It was truly interesting! Beneficial for both of us to learn about other people and places.  After dinner it was almost 12 (!) so I decided to go to bed!

Sunday 14/04

Today was the BIG DAY! Mom and her friends arrived from Stockholm.  To begin the day I slept in and then ate a late breakfast with Yumi.  I then got ready for the day and decided to go for a walk because it was beautiful outside. It was warm and the sun was shining, what a great day! After my walk I came home to eat lunch with Maite, Virginia, Puri, and two other women.  We had snails for lunch... I tried really hard but I hated them and so I didn't really eat them. I ate a few but then had to give up! It was not my favorite meal ever but I got to experience something new.  After we all finished eating I excused myself from the table to go meet mom and the ladies at their hotel! I walked there and was standing out front of their hotel by the time they arrived, perfect timing.  They took some time to get settled and then we went around to several different bars and tried little tapas at each one and different drinks.  We hit 6 bars! Towards the end of the night we got salads from the restaurant at their hotel and then went to the oso blanco to finish off the night.  It was a lot of fun hanging out with everyone and hitting all of the bars! I am in bed by 12:30 which is perfect because I have to get up early tomorrow. How fun to have mom here again :)

We love Gladys! 11/04

Today I woke up a bit earlier than I was planning and was just laying in bed when it occurred to me that one of my classes had gotten moved and that I had class at 11:00 instead of at 12:30. Luckily it was ok because I was up early.  I headed off to my last lecture day in Cine which was terrible.  It is just him blabbering non stop about history and being very confusing and making us all very confused.  We got a bunch of packets and learned when our next test is. I am not looking forward to it! It was then time for class with Gladys and then home for lunch. Lunch was filled with interesting conversations such as Puri trying to explain female genital mutilation to Yumi who is so innocent and had no idea what she was talking about! On my walk home to lunch I was able to not wear a jacket but on my walk back to school I had to put my jacket back on. The sun went away and it got really gray AND it POURED! Luckily I had my umbrella but somehow I still got soaked on my way to class.  Arte went well, we are studying Goya who was a pretty cool painter. He is very famous too.  After class Tara, Katelin and I asked Gladys to come get drinks or coffee with us so we went to the Cafe Juan Bravo and Gladys very sweetly treated us to coffee and pastries. I got a chocolate covered 'palmera' which is like an elephant ear. So good! We were talking to Gladys about the schedule here and I was commenting how Puri and I eat so late and how hard it is for me.  And then Gladys was like well you could ask for dinner earlier but I never want to get in the way of what Puri does (also we only have two weeks left) and then also I found out that our host families are supposed to give us a snack between lunch and dinner. Normally I buy something or eat a granola bar or something but other families make real snacks for them! Katelin's family for example makes her a sandwich or a hotdog everyday between lunch and dinner. I've been getting ripped off! Gladys said she wishes I had told her earlier so we could have had Puri give me a snack (not a big deal, I've been fine) but I honestly didn't know other people were getting snacks from home! Too bad I find this out now haha.  After coffee Gladys was walking us around showing us nice bars and fancy restaurants.  She asked around everywhere for live music in bars but they don't really do that here in Segovia (sorry mom).  We walked around for a while and I saw some parts of Segovia I hadn't seen before and we saw some nice bars I would love to go back to! When it started raining again we decided it was time to part ways and to go home.  Before dinner I decided that I would do some coloring, of course.  I have this wonderful coloring book from Kristin which is always fun to do.  Dinner was the same. I mean honestly Puri shouldn't get French students if she wants nothing to do with them. She hasn't spent more than 2min total talking to them. She has yet to eat a meal with them (not breakfast, lunch, or dinner). I know she needs the money but it doesn't seem right.  I think I am ready to be done with this home stay nonsense. But it was kind of sad to say goodbye to the French students, it was a quick trip for them. I hope they had a good time!

Say no to presentations and yes to beer 20/04

This morning I had my two classes as per usual. I was supposed to give a presentation for Gladys' class but then the people before me were slow and now I don't have to present until next week! After class I went to lunch with Nicole, a woman in charge of the Office of Education Abroad at CSB/SJU, and some other students.  She treated us all to lunch and asked us questions about the program.  We ate at BBB a nice restaurant in the plaza mayor that had wonderful food. I got a delicious grilled salmon! After lunch I went back to school to meet for a presentation and then get some homework done.  Katelin and I waited for Tara to be done with class and then we went and got a beer together which was really fun.  Beer in small doses has been growing on me. It can be refreshing! Especially because it is starting to warm up here and I was able to walk outside without a jacket. Woo! After that we went to the Chinese store so that I could buy supplies for a collage I have to do for my Mitos project. I went home and was able to do my whole project while watching a movie which was both fun and relaxing. I keep crossing big projects off my list which is great but there is always more to do!  It was then time for dinner which went a lot like the past two nights.  Puri "was busy" which meant she avoided the awkwardness that is dinner by watching tv.  It was a bit easier to talk to the girls tonight, or I am getting used to the awkwardness! Who knows.  But that is all for today, time to go to bed.

And the productivity continues! 09/04

Tuesdays are magical days where I don't have class until the afternoon, so I slept in and got ready taking my time. Sometimes I just stay here and do homework but I felt the need to get out so I went to school.  I ran into some friends in the study rooms and sat with them to get some homework done.  I was able to get a lot of homework and it was nice to be with friends and chat with them.  One by one they all left to go to lunch but I hung out a bit longer since I eat later than everyone.  I was in a study room alone, about to leave, when a girl came in and asked if she could join me in the room because the others were taken. We chatted for a while and she was very interesting. She was in her second year here in Segovia but she was from Bangladesh.  It was quite random and fun to talk to a total stranger! Then I headed home and ate lunch, just Puri and I which was the first time it was just the two of us in a while. It was nice and quiet.  After lunch it was time to go to school, for real, and have art class.  I stayed after my class at school until 9pm doing homework and chatting with friends from class. I got a lot of stuff done again! School is a nice place to do homework if you are not stressed because you can get some stuff done (if you are there long enough) but also chat. I had a good time.  After I got home I only had a small amount of time to kill before it was dinner time (a weird and new concept for me, I normally have to kill ALL the time).  Tonight dinner was exactly the same as last night, Puri pretended she was too busy and left Yumi and I to fend for ourselves! It was awkward and a bit fun like last night. I was glad when it was over though.  What a long day, time to go to bed.

Productive Monday! Who knew those existed?? 08/04

Mondays are my days with three classes in a row, woo. All of them went ok today, Nicole, a woman from CSB who is in charge of the Office of Education Abroad is here to see what our Spain trip is like and shadowed our classes today.  Sadly that kept us from getting out of class early, like we would have if she wasn't there. But it was ok! After class I went back for a wonderful lunch with Puri and Yumi and then I decided it was about time I did some homework.  I sat down and cranked through the presentation I have to give on Wednesday on my cultural identity as well as homosexuality and gender roles in Spain.  The hard part was narrowing myself down because I could write a twenty page paper on this stuff and still not explain enough in detail! A lot of themes with women here were reminiscent of themes of women in America. It was quite interesting.  Then I decided to go for a walk because I didn't feel like doing homework anymore.  I wandered around Segovia for a while and then got a little chilly and came back.  I watched What Happens in Vegas while researching information for my paper on Unicorns.  I thought it would be such an easy topic to write my five page paper on, but finding credible information on the mythology of unicorns is hard! There are so many sites saying: unicorns are real, unicorns found in North Korea, unicorn spotting, and others that go into depth such as unicorns live in families of four or five, they are pregnant for two and a half years before they give birth, bla bla bla! So hopefully I can think of something creative to do for this paper.  After a while of that Puri came back with the three French girls who are staying here for about four days. They are all 15-16 years old and seem so young.  They got settled in and then the three of them, Yumi, and I ate dinner together which was nice and awkward. Puri needed to get stuff done (secretly I think she wanted to avoid the awkwardness!) so it was just us girls.  They giggled and whispered in French the whole time. One girl is able to communicate a bit (way more than the others) using a combination of English and Spanish.  They are not very good at Spanish though. All of them seem nice though! It was very funny because Yumi was saying how she was going to eat Cuchinillo tomorrow so I explained to the girls what it was. They all looked horrified and started laughing. They didn't know what a 'cerdo' was (spanish for pig) so they thought people ate babies (like human babies) here. Oh the misunderstandings brought about by language! We all ate quickly to make it not last forever, because it was awkward and they were tired.  After a bit more research on unicorns I think I can safely go to bed!

Last excursion! 07/04

Today we went on an excursion to Duraton and two little pueblos.  We took about an hour bus ride to the first little medieval pueblo where we walked around and then ended up at a museum type thing that explained to us what Duraton was.  It is the equivalent of our national parks and this particular one, Duraton, is like our grand canyon.  We watched a movie on the vultures that live there and walked around learning about the flora and fauna we would see as well as the rules (such as no picking flowers, no throwing rocks, no being loud, be respectful).  After that we got back onto the bus and drove about 30 min into the middle of no where before getting off the bus.  We walked to the church of St. Francis where he used to live and where his grave is today. Along the way to the church were stunning views of cliffs and water. It was such a pretty place! We had a while to explore there and eat our sack lunches.  We saw a lot of vultures in the sky, circling around. They are so huge and very cool! They fly very elegantly and very smoothly for being a bird of death.  After that we went off to the bus again and went to another pueblo not too far away.  This pueblo had a very cool old castle (which you cannot tour but we saw from the outside) and old fashioned streets. I could see a medieval movie being filmed there.  We walked the whole town in about 15min and then killed time in all of the cool artesian shops that were around.  Finally it was time to get on the bus (thank goodness because by this time we were tired and cold due to wind and it was beginning to snow).  We headed back to Segovia where I proceeded to be lazy the rest of the night.  Yumi and I ate dinner because Puri was at a friends house.  Now everyone is fed, back home and it is time to sleep! It was a good last excursion, very beautiful but I must say I am happy that they are over. It takes a lot of energy and you spend a lot of the time trying to figure out how to kill time.  But that being said I have enjoyed every one and would not change them.

Friday! Survived my first week back. 05/04

After staying out late last night, waking up was tough this morning! Thank goodness my first class was at 11 so I didn't have to wake up too early. **side note, here they have a verb that specifically means to wake up early, I think it is cool to have a word for that! Madrugar**  Class was good, we watched a movie on Goya and the times of the Inquisition. Very interesting! After class I came back and hung out until lunch. Yumi and I ate without Puri because she was out shopping with friends.  I then had to leave to go on a cultural visit with my class.  We walked pretty far to a church called La Iglesia de La Vera Cruz (mom and dad that is the church we saw but never walked to when we did that long walk). The church was really cool, it was from the 15th century and in the center part of the church you can stand in the direct center and you can hear your voice echoing back at you but no one else can hear the echo. Also you can whisper in one corner and it is heard in the other. Very fun! Then we walked to a nearby monastery of Geronimo's (the last ones in the world) where 12 cloistered monks live.  It was a beautiful church but it was freezing inside! Churches are always freezing and it was worse because today was cold in Segovia. It was snowing outside! So we were freezing for the whole tour but it was beautiful.  They have some cool gardens and then they have this fountain that we all drank from that legend says if you drink from it then you will return to Segovia.  It is supposed to be the best water in Segovia, I thought it was pretty good.  Then after that tour we were set free to walk back home.  I came home and took a little nap because I was wiped still and cold from being outside for so long.  Eventually we ate dinner and now it is bed time! I have to catch up on some sleep tonight :)

Goodbyes, hellos and back to reality 04/04

This morning Kristin and I were up early to get her off to the train station.  We got her packed, ate breakfast and then I took the bus with her to the train station.  It was sad seeing her go but I know that I will be seeing her again soon which will be good! I then took the bus back home and took a nap before getting up, doing a bit of homework, and then to class. After class I came home and painted my nails while waiting for lunch. Puri got home late so we ate lunch late which usually means I have to then boogie on over to my afternoon class. It was not nearly as much fun in class today without Kristin. It was such a treat having her in class with me, walking to and from school with her, and such! After class I walked home (inbetween spouts of rain and hail) and caught up with Luke for the first time in a while which was really good. :) I then just lazed around until dinner which was really nice because I was still tired from this morning.  After dinner I headed out to the bars for a bit because my friend Kevin Jirik is here in Segovia visiting for tonight and tomorrow from his London study abroad. We had a lot of fun and I am glad I went out! I had fun chatting with a lot of the guys from our group and Kevin. Made it home and in bed by 3, not too shabby.

Last day with the Krisp! 03/04

This morning Kristin and I were up and out early to go to my mitos class which she found very enjoyable (that makes one of us ;)) and then we hung out in the study rooms with some friends until the next class with Gladys.  Gladys put on a movie so mostly we played are you smarter than a fifth grader.  After class Kristin, Katelin and I went to Burbuja and got some spanish gummies for Kristin because they are delicious! We then came back home and hung around until we had a wonderful lunch of paella  (for the meat eaters) and some calimari and cardoons (a rare vegetable in the USA but common here, looks like celery tastes like artichoke) for me. Strawberries for dessert :) After lunch Kristin and I got hot chocolate (of course) at Farggi where we ran into a friend of mine from school and we chatted with her for a while before going back home. I had my registration and I got into all of the classes that I want for next semester! It was such an easy process. Kristin and I then went to Euromania to meet Tara, Katelin, and Mariah for one euro drinks and little bocadillo snacks.  We had some yummy foods and drink while having wonderful conversations.  After that it was time to come home and start packing Kristin up and then me because Kristin is taking one suitcase full of stuff home for me which is really nice! Then it was time for dinner which was Paella round two for Kristin and eggs and potatoes for me. Quite wonderful :) After dinner (which included some wonderful conversations, such a good time) we finalized packing and am now off to bed. She has an early flight and a long day so we need a bit of rest (mostly she does)!

Spring Break! 20/03-02/04

Segovia 20/03

I had a busy day at school and at home studying for my big cine test! I was going to pack today but it didn't happen. Tara and I stayed at school in between classes and after classes in order to study. I put some good time in and feel good about it! First test of the semester :)

Segovia/Madrid 21/03

Today I went to class, took my cine exam and then impatiently sat through my next class. The exam went well I think! I am just happy that it is over with. I ran home from my classes to quickly pack my bag, organize my room for leaving, and grab a quick lunch. Puri packed me a dinner which was really nice. I then went to meet Tara and Katelin to catch the bus at the aqueduct that took us to the Renfe (speed train) that took us into Madrid.  We then got onto the subway and executed my flawless plan of meeting Kristin in the middle of a random subway stop in Madrid. It went so well! We found each other without problem.  It was so exciting to see her! We then continued on the metro to get to Tara's hostel which was the start of a few problems. The reservation was under the name of the girl she was sharing the hostel with, but the girl was coming on a later bus and we had no way of connecting with her. We had to wander around for a few hours with our luggage before finally convincing the hostel lady to let us into the room.  Finally we got our stuff down, ate dinner, and then headed to the Mumford and Sons concert! We got in and found everyone in our group who was there which was such a small world because it was a huge concert. Kristin and I split a huge beer and sat with Tara off to the side of the stage. It was such a great concert! After the concert we said goodbye to everyone, got our stuff from the hostel and then took the metro then a cab to our hotel by the airport. We were wiped!

Madrid/Mallorca 22/03

Today we woke up and had a wonderful breakfast at the Hilton that we were at. I had cereal for the first time in forever and it was so good! We then hopped onto the shuttle and then went to the airport.  Our flight was about an hour (so short) and when we got to Mallorca we had to wait a bit for Mom and Dad to get in.  We got some bocadillos and hung out for a while.  Finally Mom and Dad came which was so fun! We got the rental car and then headed to our hotel.  We stayed at a wonderful Mariott townhouse thing with separate bedrooms for Kristin and I, a full kitchen, balcony, living room, and all that good stuff! What a special treat :) We were all kind of tired but forced ourselves out to the grocery store to get the necessities before crashing. Then we ate a wonderful dinner at the hotel! It was a successful first day in Mallorca.

Mallorca 23/03-29/03

While in Mallorca we toured Palma, ate some wonderful meals, saw the Palma beach, took a train to a wonderful town called Soller and hung out there for a day, did a Segway tour of Palma, swam in the pool, dipped our feet in the ocean, played cards, drank cava with fresh squeezed orange juice, read books, explored eastern Mallorca, lots of carsickness (due to lots of roundabouts), watched movies, cooked together, tried all the different hot chocolates and had an overall excellent time! It wasn't as warm as we were hoping but it was ok. We were able to throw together our warmest clothes and go outside, and sometimes it was nice out for a few hours and we could be in a tank top.  It was better weather than Stockholm or Segovia. I even got sunburned (and a nice sun rash) which is proof that the sun was out! I am sad I didn't get to swim in the ocean but it was too cold. Maybe next time. :)

Mallorca/Madrid 30/03

Today we woke up early and packed out.  We all headed to the airport and said our goodbyes. As Kristin and I were about to board, we ran into Mom and Dad who had gone through security after us (because their flight was later) and got to say goodbye one more time.  We had a nice short flight and then took the metro to our hotel in the center of Madrid.  The hotel was pretty dec and we got there in time to drop our things and then head out for food.  We ate at the top of Corte Ingles with a wonderful view of Gran Via.  We ate the same pizza that Katie DSA and I got when we went there. It was delicious and easy to get which was good because we were hungry.  Then we went to walk around Madrid a bit.  We saw the Palace, puerta del sol, gran via, plaza mayor, and cathedrals.  We even got hot chocolate and churros. Pretty successful walk! Then we went back to Corte Ingles to buy bread, cheese, and yogurt for a very tasty dinner which we ate while watching a movie and then headed to bed!

Madrid 31/03 Easter!

Today we woke up early to get a start on our day.  We went to find a mass and after not being able to figure out one church, we found another church/monastery and went to church there. Hardly anyone was at mass.  I think it is both because religion is dying out here and because Friday (or the death of Jesus) is more celebrated here than his resurrection.  So easter day is not as big of a deal to celebrate.  After mass we walked to a pastry shop that was crowded and asked for the two most popular pastries.  One was kind of like bread soaked in milk (like Semla in Sweden) and we didn't care for it. The other was delicious! Then we went to the plaza mayor where we saw a parade of drummers which was pretty neat.  After that we ran away because it was super crowded and went to the Rastro, or the sunday flea market.  It was packed too! Kristin got a really cute elephant necklace.  We didn't last long there and decided to go find lunch.  We went to a wonderful place called Wok to Walk which is kind of like Tokyo Joes. What great food! I was so pleased! Then it was time for a brief nap in the hotel.  We woke up to it raining outside but decided to brave it in order to go get some frozen yogurt which was a good call.  It was then back to Corte Ingles to pick up our dinner and then we called it a night.  We enjoyed our dinner again while watching a movie. Very relaxing! Didn't quite feel like Easter, but it was a nice day.

Madrid/Segovia 01/04

Today we slept in a bit and went to breakfast close to 11 so that we could then pack up and be out by our 12:00 check out.  We headed out into Madrid with our luggage and with time to kill before the train to Segovia left.  We walked to Puerta del Sol and sat there people watching for a long time which was delightful.  After a while we got cold and hungry and decided to again, stop by Wok to Walk, which awkwardly enough had the same worker. Oh well! It was equally as delicious the second time! On our way back to sit for a while we got one more pastry from the crowded shop and it was excellent as well. Our people watching was really fun because lots of interesting people pass through this main part of Madrid.  We also got hassled by a lot of gypsies which was annoying but oh well.  Finally it became time for us to walk to the metro and head to the train station.  We bought our tickets and got right onto the train, no waiting! 30min later we were in Segovia. I love the train.  We bought Puri some chocolates and then went to the apartment.  Kristin and I talked with Puri for a while before getting ourselves settled in and then headed out onto the town.  We walked past the aqueduct, went to the plaza mayor and had her try a segovian hot chocolate (gotta try them everywhere).  Then we were both tired and decided to come back to the apt to watch Uncle Buck and relax a bit.  We finally ate dinner around 10:30 because Puri got home late.  We chatted and ate dinner until 12:30! So late! We were tired and went to bed.

Segovia 02/04

This morning we were able to sleep in once more and eat breakfast/get ready slowly.  We headed out into a bit of rain to see Alcazar.  We toured it and it was my third time but it is still fun. The views are breathtaking! After touring we still had some time before lunch, of course, so I brought Kristin to my favorite bakery, Limon y Menta, where we shared one excellent apple pastry and one terrible pastry that tasted like licorice. Ew. Lots of fun to try new things though! After that we headed back for a wonderful lunch with Puri and Yami (our Japanese student) and then it was time for me to go to class again. I couldn't believe my wonderful break was over and that I actually had to go to class. No fun at all! Kristin sat in on my art class which was fun for me. She had already learned a lot of it from a spanish art class she took at CSBSJU. How cool! After class we walked around a bit through the historic section of Segovia and then finally came home.  We took a little cat nap, chatted with mom, and killed some time before dinner. Crossword puzzles, looking at class registration, and things like that.  We ate dinner a bit earlier tonight which was nice! Puri wanted to go watch her show.  After dinner Kristin and I attempted to watch a movie but decided that bedtime would be better. I took that time to catch up on this massive blog of course and am now off to bed before more class tomorrow. 

I had the best week and a half break here in Spain. My family is so wonderful for spending that time with me and I couldn't be more grateful. I am excited to get one more day with Kristin tomorrow! Thanks family for everything, it was such a wonderful time. Now, back to reality.