home sweet home!

As I look back at my time in Spain, I think of all of the amazing things I got to experience. I got to see more of the world and some of the places that I have wanted to see my whole life! I went to Rome, Greece, and obviously Spain.I have been missing Spain so much, mainly because it is so laid back there. Here at home, everything is "go, go, go" and I miss just being able to walk everywhere. 

It has been strange being home because it is so different from the world I had been living in for the past 3+ months. I get to work now (which is awesome but so tiring), I get to drive, I get to make my own food (but I do miss having all of my meals made for me a little bit), and I get to see my family and spend Christmas with them. It was so hard to not be here on Thanksgiving but I am so blessed to have had this amazing opportunity.

I have also been thinking a lot about the day I came home. I started the day out on the wrong foot but the end of the day was amazing. In the morning we all got on the bus to go to the Madrid airport. I ended up getting really sick on the bus which made me feel gross all day and the plane rides didn't help much. Great last impression on the other students, right? I only got sick the one time, and after that I felt much better. I was getting so excited on the last plane ride and I couldn't sleep to make the time go faster. It was horrible. When we got to the airport, we all waited for everyone and then we all speed walked/ran to the baggage claim where our families were waiting. I was one of the first ones on the escalator to go through those glass doors that I had been waiting to see for many weeks. I was about halfway down the escalator when I found my momma walking to the doors I was about to come through, and when I finally walked through them, she yelled "MY BABY!", and started crying. I got to hug my mom for the first time in about four months and it was so nice to FINALLY be able to see her in real life. I, of course, started to cry  while I was hugging her and then we made our way to see everyone else who was farther behind her. I got to hug my dad, my sisters, my brother-in-law, and my sisters boyfriend. It was so nice to be home and finally have my family around me. Andrea looked at me while I was hugging my dad and asked me, "Are you really already crying?". I have been replaying this in my head because this has to be one of my favorite moments in my life so far. I was, and am, so happy to be home again and be able to talk to my family whenever I want, but it has been weird getting used to everything here again. I had such an amazing experience in Spain, and I know that at some point in my future I am most definitely going to go back to Spain and most definitely go to Segovia to visit my host-family. 

I just want to say thank you to my family for supporting me and my decision to study abroad this semester and for helping me along the way. I love you all!

Tomorrow, TOMORROW!

I come home tomorrow! It hasn't quite hit me yet, but I keep getting excited, and then sad, then excited again. It is a vicious cycle. It seems so surreal! I cannot believe that this semester has gone so fast! I also can't believe that I didn't know any of the people that came on this trip at the beginning. I love that we have all gotten so close because we are like a family. If I hadn't gotten close to any of these amazing people, I don't know if I could have made it through the whole semester.

Anywho, I can not wait to see my family when I get to the airport tomorrow night. I am so excited to be able to talk to them in person, eat dinner with them, and actually give them hugs! (there has been a great lack of hugs over here in Spain) However, I am not excited for the weather. I thought it was cold yesterday, but tomorrow it is going to be about 100 times worse. It was about 55 degrees today and sunny. When I get back to the States, it is going to be extremely cold and snowy. YUCK!

I can't tell you how excited I am, but at the same time I am sad to leave. I love the culture here, the language, and the people. My host family has been amazing, but they are nothing like my real family. I miss my sarcastic family! I love you all and I can't wait to see you guys for real!!!!! and not on stupid skype.

I CAN'T WAIT TO GET BACK TO AMUURRRICA!

there's a light at the end of the very long tunnel

We are so close to the end! I can't believe that I leave THIS WEEK! IN TWO DAYS! (if you are counting the right way, it's 2 days). I am so excited to get back to real life.

This has been like a dream come true. Starting in Middle School, or maybe a little bit before, I decided that I wanted to study abroad in Spain. Now, don't ask me how I thought of this because I don't have an answer for you. I have wanted to study abroad here since as long as I can remember, and I actually did it. This is probably one of the best decisions I have made in my life, and I am so happy that I got this opportunity. Living here for the past three and a half months has taught me so much about the language, culture, history, and people of Spain and I don't think I could have gotten this much out of just staying at Bethel and taking classes. This has been such and amazing experience and I am so sad to leave such a great culture and country, but as I said, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I get to see my amazing, supportive, and loving family again!
To Do When I Get Home:

1. Hug my family
2. Go to Caribou
3. Go to Big Bowl
4. Speak in ENGLISH!
5. Lay on carpet
6. Watch a movie on the couch
7. Sleep in my own bed!
8. Play with my puppy
9. Bake something
10. Decorate for Christmas

and so much more! I am so excited to see you all in less than a week! Love you tons!

seven days feels like a lifetime...

It's official! I only have seven days (including today) left in Spain! Technically, if you count correctly, I only have six days left but that is beside the point. I am so excited to come home and see everyone, but everyday feels like it is dragging on. I try to not think about it but that hasn't been working so well for me lately. I am almost done with all of my finals! Monday is my last day of classes and I have a test at 9am and a paper due at noon and then I am free of homework until January! I have been working my butt off the past few days making my homework "perfect" and putting the final touches on some papers that I had to write for today. I have loved being here so much, I can't even begin to tell you. I have had so many amazing experiences and met so many amazing people this semester! But if I am being honest, I am so ready to get home!!! I am going to miss seeing everyone basically everyday, but I am so excited to be able to meet new people, especially my new roommates for next semester. I am also incredibly excited to be able to go back to work! The earning money part of that is just a bonus! I have been so blessed with this opportunity to live in Spain for almost four months and I have learned as much as I possibly can this semester about the language, culture, and customs of Spain. I am a little nervous to come home because I have heard that jet-lag and reverse-culture shock are a lot worse coming home than it was on the way here (hard to believe but I guess we will see). I was SO tired the first couple days that we were here and it was so hard to get used to the time difference and the eating time changes because meal times are so much more spread out! I just hope that everything is back to normal by the Monday after I get back because I have so much that I have to do! You all have no idea how ready I am to come home but I am also really sad to leave here! I am going to miss it here so much. The students all have a ton of stuff planned the last 6 days that we are here to keep us busy and not thinking about home so I hope it works! Love you all and I can't wait to see your faces! Especially the faces of my Momma, Dad, Andrea, Amanda, and Mike (and possibly Trevonte?) when I see them at the airport/Big Bowl!

Besos muy fuerte!

P.S. I have learned that blogging about coming home gets the thoughts out of my head for a bit longer than if I just shove the thoughts away, so I am sorry if it is repetitive (but not really).

"finals week"

I made it. All the way to finals week. I can't believe how fast this semester went! I feel like it was just last week that I skyped my mom for the first time freaking out because I didn't want to be here anymore. Keep in mind that that was the first day in Spain, I hadn't slept in 2 days, and I was both physically and mentally exhausted. Now, almost four months later, I know I am going to miss Spain so much and I am going to be so sad to leave. I am going to miss my host mom, her cooking, and our talks about Twilight, Edward, and Jacob. Buuuttt, I am SO FREAKING EXCITED to see my family, hang out with them, and be able to talk to them in person!

I am finally in "finals week", which is NOTHING like finals week at Bethel. I always get so stressed out around finals time, but this time is so much different. I am still nervous and stressed out, but not nearly as stressed out and nervous as last year. I had a presentation today in my photography class about my own photos and it was so easy and actually fun! Tomorrow, I have an "entrevista" for my Advanced Communication class. All that is, is talking to Ricardo. Just talking. It is just to show that our Spanish has improved and our communication has gotten better. Then I have "trabajos" due on Friday ( they are basically 1 1/2 page papers about an article that our professor gave us and we had to do 5) for Art and Civilization and a test for that class on Monday. Also due Monday is my final paper for Modern Literature. I am really stressed, but I am pretty sure I will do just fine.

I have 4 days that I am looking forward to! First, tomorrow I get to go to Breaking Dawn with my host mom. Second, Monday I am going to be done with all of my finals and just get to relax my last 3 days in Spain. Third, Wednesday we all have our goodbye dinner with all of the students and their host mom's. Lastly, Friday I GET TO COME HOME AND SEE EVERYONE!!! There is a downside to having 3 free days because we will not have anything to distract us from being so close to being home. I still have a ton of shopping to do for Andrea, Dad, and Mom so maybe I will be able to do that this weekend and next week.

Everyone here is so ready to come home because we all miss our family a ton! I feel like it was a good thing that no one from my family visited me because I feel like I would have missed them more when they left. I was a little sad when a ton of people had their parents and friends visit, but now I think that this was probably the best situation for me because I wouldn't have wanted them to go. I am more than ready to come home, see my family, go to Caribou and Big Bowl, then go to bed! I am so excited to see you all! Love you all tons!

Thankful...

I thought that I should probably post something on this fine Turkey Day... It is definitely not gonna be the same, but I know that it will be a ton of fun with all of the people on this trip.

I am thankful for....

• My parents, who always support me
• My sisters and Mike, who are always looking out for me
• Grandma and Grandpa Kramer, who are ALWAYS at sporting events, choir concerts, and big events in everyone's lives, and for just being there whenever. Also, for being the best grandparents someone could ask for :)
• My friends, who are always there if I need to talk (or text)
• My host family, who make living in a country far far away feel more like home
• My AMAZING sister Andrea, for always saying something positive to me when I am complaining about not being home
• My OTHER amazing sister Amanda, for always talking through things with me

I can't wait to come home TWO WEEKS FROM TOMORROW!!! I hope you all have an amazing Thanksgiving and I can't wait to talk to you all today! (p.s. remind mom to skype!). I love you guys and I can't imagine what my life would be like without you! Thank you for everything you guys have done for me!

Love you a lot! Happy Thanksgiving!

BOTHERED!

I know that I am SO incredibly lucky to have this opportunity to be in Spain for close to four months, with my meals provided, a somewhat comfortable bed, a great host family (with amazing food when it isn't fish), but I can't help but be a little depressed right now. I realized at the beginning of the trip that I am going to miss everyone's birthdays, but I just realized about a month ago that I am going to miss Thanksgiving for the first time in my entire life. AND it's the first holiday that Andrea and Mike are home for good! BOTHERED! I don't get to spend it with my crazy family, eating until I am so full that I don't want to smell any food anymore then eating dessert. However, I do get to spend Thanksgiving with 21 other students who are in the same situation. We apparently have someone "growing" our turkey (exact words) and a couple people are making pumpkin pie for us, but it most definitely will not be the same without Dad, Andrea, Amanda, Mike, and Kyle's sarcastic comments. And I am going to miss hearing Dad and Uncle Kyle laughing at the same time. Best. Part. of the holidays. EVER! DOUBLE BOTHERED! I miss you all so much and I can't wait to get home and see you all in 16 days! (Yes, I am counting down)

Amanda- You better be proud! This is the second day in a row that I have posted something!
Mom- You were right. I am most definitely happy that you told me I couldn't stay for j-term.


*If you haven't seen the YouTube videos "Robert is bothered" you probably won't get the reference. The videos are great so go watch them.

two and a half weeks, say whatttt????

So, I am writing this while watching 300 in Spanish! So gross. Anyway, I ran in the rain all the way to and from a little grocery store kind of thing for ice cream, Propel-like water, and chocolate chip cookies for the movie. I was soaking wet for about an hour... Super fun.
In other news, I have been having an interesting couple of days! I have been strangely motivated to do my homework since Saturday. It is such a strange feeling. I have gotten so much done and I have been so much less stressed the past couple of days too! I still have so much to do by the end of the semester though!
To Do:

1. 2 page paper about Spanish Inquisition for Dec. 2
2. 2 page paper about "tumbaollas y hambrientos" for Dec. 2
3. 2 page paper about Roman Churches in Segovia for Dec. 2
4. 2 page paper about Art (hispano-visigodo) for Dec. 2
5. 2 page paper about muslum art in Andalucia for Dec. 2
6. Project about Antoni Gaudi for Nov. 25
7. Project for Photography for Nov. 30
8. Read story and answer questions for Modern Lit for Nov. 22 and 28
9. Write a summary about a news story from a Spanish newspaper for Nov. 22
10. Study for Art and Civilization test on Dec. 5th
11. Write final paper for Modern Lit Dec. 5th

I get to go take pictures on Wednesday with a friend who was awesome enough to agree to be my model for a portrait picture. But other than that I think that that is it for the rest of the semester! I am getting so excited to get home and get back to normal food and be able to hang out with my family! SO excited! But I am also trying to live up Spain while I still get to live here for the next 2 and a half weeks! I am loving that I get to be here and have gotten to live here for the past almost 4 months, but I hate that I am missing EVERYONES birthdays. Mike in September, Mom and Dad in October, and Andrea and Amanda on Tuesday next week. I miss you all a ton and I hope you have a great couple of weeks! I am sure it will fly by as fast as the rest of this semester has!

pensamientos de españa

I have been thinking a lot the past couple of days about how much I have learned here and how much I miss home. I absolutely love it here. I love the culture and the language and most of the food but I miss being able to make my own food, to-go coffee, and hanging out with my family and friends. I have learned so much here about myself, Spanish, and how much I actually talk to my family. I realized that before I came here, I talked to my family so much through texts, phone calls, and in person. Now if I have a question or funny story, I have to write it down and attempt to find it when I Skype them about once or twice a week. I have been counting down the days (20) and weeks (3) until I get to come home and hang out with my family. I know for a fact that I am gonna miss being here and having Spanish be a part of my everyday life. And I know I am going to miss my host mom a lot! But I also know that I am gonna be so happy to be home and be able to work (cause I actually miss working a ton!) and be able to hang out with my friends and family. I miss you all so much and I can't wait to see you again! Especially Mom, Dad, Amanda, Andrea, Mike and yes... Trevor (I know you aren't technically a part of the family, but you know.... oh well.). OH! And of course Sammy and Bosco! I hope you all have a great couple of weeks and I can't wait to see you! LOVE

Andalucia!

11.10.2011 ANDALUCIA
Cordoba and Sevilla
Today was a very early day for everyone! I woke up at 5 so that I could get ready, eat and be at our bus by 5:45. We all got on the bus at about 5:50 and headed for Andalucia which is about a 6 hour bus ride from Segovia. We stopped at 9:45 to eat a little but and then headed out at 10:30. We got to Cordoba at about 12:30 and we got to visit the Mosque that had been converted into a Cathedral. It was so cool to see the architecture and colors in there, and it was so different from the Cathedrals that we have seen. I really liked it, but if I don't see another Catholic Church in my life I will be just fine with that! After the Mosque/Cathedral we got back on the bus and headed for Sevilla. Right when we got here, we went to the hotel and got settled and then all met out front of the hotel to go on a walk around the city. It is so beautiful here! I love how the old is mixed with the new and there is a LOT of shopping to be done here! When we started our walk, Ricardo stopped and showed us an ice cream shop that is his favorite in the city and he bought everyone some! After our walk, we had free time we looked at some stores and got food from the grocery store for dinner. I took a shower at around 8:30 and have been just chilling in my room reading a book since then and accidentally fell asleep. I think tonight is gonna be an early. I hope. Anyways, I am going to read some more and see if I can stay awake! Goodnight! Love you!

11.11.2011
Sevilla
I had so much fun today! I woke up at about 9 to get ready and eat breakfast. After breakfast, me and the girls that I am rooming with here went downstairs to meet everyone and get our day started. First thing we did was go to the Cathedral in Sevilla. Before we went into the Cathedral we all made our wishes at 11:11am on 11/11/11. It was so funny! This Cathedral is the largest Cathedral in Spain and the 3rd largest in the world. It was so cool! It also used to be a mosque so there are certain things that give that away, like the tower that has the bells in it now. Anywho, it is a HUGE Cathedral and I really liked getting to see it. It seemed very cold and impersonal though, even more so than the other Catholic churches we have been to. In this Cathedral are the remains of a King and Queen -AND- some of the remains of Christopher Columbus. It was interesting, but creepy. There are 5 aisles in the church and it is so big that I am pretty sure you could get lost in there. Seriously. There are so many extra rooms and "secret" hallways that it actually is a little difficult to get around. So, there is a tower from the mosque that was about 36 floors tall and we all climbed up that to see the AMAZING view at the top! It was so cool because you could basically see all of Sevilla.

view from the bottom

view from the top

After we all finished looking at the church, we walked to a restaurant and ate there as a group. We all were seated at tables of 3-5 people and each table got a bunch of appetizers including pizza, some sort of meat mush stuff that you put on crackers (typical Spanish dish), and a salad. The pizza was the best! For my main course, I had Spaghetti Carbonara (basically alfredo) which was super good! There was so much though so I couldn't eat it all... For dessert we got Tiramisu!!! SO GOOD! After lunch we we all walked to our bus and started our tour of the city. We got off at random places to look around too, like Plaza de Espana where there are really cool tiled walls with the names of provinces and cities of Spain. We also stopped at a place called Parque de las Palomas (Park of the Pigeons) because there are hundreds of pigeons, hence the name.

I was taking a picture of all of the pigeons that were there (really soon after this picture actually) and as I was taking the picture, a pigeon LANDED ON MY HEAD! Of course, I screamed like a little girl, pushed it off my head and speed walked out of the park, so fast that I may have accidentally kicked a couple pigeons on my way out (oops...). GROSS NASTY PIGEONS! After I got out of the park, I got on the bus and waited for everyone. When everyone was back on the bus, we drove around ta bit longer, sang some Karaoke and a bunch of random songs. We got back to the hotel and got to have some free time. During free time, Jen and I went shopping (I got a cute scarf, 2 shirts, and some shoes), then went to McDonalds for dinner and Starbucks for dessert! Every time I have gone to Starbucks in Spain, hey have spelled my name wrong! Madrid- Liss, Barcelona-Chris, Sevilla- Elizzabeth. They have yet to get it right. After free time, we all met at 9:30 and walked through the city to go to a Flamenco show. It. was. so. cool! I relaly liked it a lot! It is so impressive how fast they can move their feet... The Flamenco show ended at about 12:15 and as we were walking back to the hotel, the whole group (all 22 of us) sang Hakuna Matata, The Star-Spangled Banner (I hit the high Soprano note at the end of it! Amanda-be proud cause I am an Alto 2), Don't Stop Believin', and a couple of other songs. We got some weird stares but that's okay... When we finally got back to the hotel, we all got into our PJ's and gathered to watch Remember Me, but they didn't start it for a while so I went into the guys room to play cards with a bunch of other people. I started to feel really sick after about an hour, so I went into my room and fell asleep. I woke up a little bit later and let the other girls in my room in. Now I am going to bed for real! Goodnight! (ONLY FOUR MORE WEEKS!)

11.12.2011

Granada

Today was long. I woke up at 9 to shower, get ready, eat breakfast, and pack up the rest of my stuff to get ready to leave Sevilla. We all met at 10:30 to get on the bus and left for Granada. We drove for about 3 hours and then stopped at a beach for an hour to get food and some crazies went swimming (in their swimsuits instead of fully clothed this time!). I got Nutella!!! And yes, it is so much better here than in the States. Anyways, after an hour we all got back on the bus and drove and hour and a half to Granada. Once we got here, we got settled into our rooms and then met downstairs for a walk around the city a bit. We got to see some awesome views of the mountains and cities and a couple of the mountains had snow! 

So cool! We walked around for about 2 hours and then got back to our hotel. A group of us went to Burger King for dinner and I ate a WHOLE Whopper! They also had self-serve pop which was really exciting to all of us! After BK wee came back and talked and listened to music, then they left and I read a bit. Now I am going to read again and I don't know what after... homework? Probably not. Goodnight! I love you all!

11.13.2011

Granada

I am so tired! Today we got free time in the morning until 1pm and that means that I woke up at 9:15 so that I could go to breakfast (they had chocolate cake! for breakfast! but sadly there was no grapefruit juice so OBVIOUSLY I could not eat the chocolate cake.). After breakfast me and some other girls went shopping for a little bit and I got  scarf and some presents for people! After shopping, I came back to the room and read until we all had to meet. When we were all ready, we got on the bus and headed to La Alhambra. It has 3 sites, the old Royal Summerhouse, Alcazaba, and one other building that I can't remember the name of. 

This is part of the 3rd building

Anywho, that took 3 hours! I was just so tired and all I wanted to do the whole time was sit. After La Alhambra, we got more free time and I ended up going to Burger King...again. On the way back to the hotel, Jen and I stopped at a shop and I ended up buying the BEST present for Amanda (and no, Manda, I will not give you hints no matter what!). I also got a Flamenco scarf that can be used as a shirt or skirt or scarf. It is super cute if I do say so myself. After shopping I came to my room and read and accidentally fell asleep til 9:30pm. It was so relaxing and just what I needed. After my nap I went to the lobby area and talked with some girls. One of the girls and I decided to watch Grey's but it ended up not working cause the internet here sucks! So we ended up getting a huge group of people together and went Salsa dancing! It was so much fun! But I can't decide if we had more fun dancing, or if the Spaniards had more fun watching us attempt to dance.. We were there for about 2 hours and then decided to come back to the hotel and sleep! Tomorrow we go back to Segovia for the last 3.5 weeks of the semester :(

Avila Salamanca

Today was so great! We left at 8am to go to Avila Salamanca for the day. The bus ride was not the best because lately I have been feeling really sick so needless to say, it was no picnic. We drove for about an hour to get to Avila and once we got there, we looked at the wall that was put up to keep some people out a long time ago, blah, blah, blah...

We were at the wall for all of about 10 minutes and then we went to a cafe and had coffee and churros. After we all finished our coffee and whatnot, we got back on the bus to drive an hour or so to Salamanca. We got to see the first University that was built in Spain which was kind of interesting to me how different they look today and how different the architecture and choice of art was. I really liked it. After the school, we got to go to the Catedral de Salamanca, and surprise surprise, it is like EVERY other cathedral that we have seen in Spain. However, the outside was SO gorgeous and unique. It had a bunch of sculptures around the doors as a part of the outside wall of the building.

When we left the Catedral, we looked at the back of the building where there were more carvings/sculptures. If you look hard enough you can see the "signature" of the guy who restored the wall. He made an astronaut out of stone and now it is on the wall for everyone to see. I thought it was really funny because you are looking at a story through sculptures on a Catholic church and you randomly see an astronaut just chillin on the wall.

After everyone was done looking and taking pictures, we went to La Plaza Mayor de Salamanca for a bit and then we had free time to eat our lunches (I got pooped on by a bird during lunch. so gross), and then we all walked around the city for about 2 and a half hours. I bought a book in Spanish and I can't wait to read it! And I found out that the book I ordered about a month ago came in so I get to get that on Monday!!! Yay! After free time we all met back at La Plaza Mayor and headed to the bus to come back to Segovia. On the way back, it rained a ton and the windows looked so cool! 

I think I got a few good pictures today (almost all of them in back and white cause it just felt like that kind of day). Anyways, we leave on Thursday for Andalucia and we are going to be there for 5 days (we come back on Monday night I believe). I love these 3 day weeks! Actually this week I only have 2 classes because I don't have classes on Wednesdays!

I can't wait to see you all when I get back in 4 weeks and 5 days! (...not that I am counting down or anything...)

barcelona, que guay

Well, I have been back in Segovia for two days now so I thought it was about time to put up a new blog... so here it goes!

10.29.2011
Well, today was kind of a long day but it was SO awesome! I woke up at 5am (after 2 hours of sleep) and we left Segovia at 6. I basically slept the whole way here except for when we stopped to eat. When we got here, which was an hour earlier than we expected, we settled into our hotel rooms (which were all nauseatingly pink. pepto bismol pink.) and just hung out for an hour and ate some food. We all met at 3:30 and started walking around the city and ended up at the beach. It was so beautiful! We were at the beach for a while, and a few crazies in our group decided to jump into the Mediterranean fully clothed and swim for a bit.

Then we walked back to the hotel and hung out. For dinner, a bunch of us went to Hard Rock Cafe!!! I got a charm bracelet from there too! I am so excited! After we all ate, we came back here (the hotel) and just hung out and talked for a couple of hours. It was so nice to get to know some of the people better! I can't wait to go shopping tomorrow! Woo! So freakin' excited!

10.30.2011
Today was so great! We started out by taking a tour of the city by bus and we got off at random places to walk a bit and see some cool stuff. We saw a couple of houses that Antoni Gaudi designed (so cool!) and they were very controversial because he was SO modern for his time. Our first stop was to see the outside of La Sagrada Familia, a church designed by Antoni Gaudi. It was so cool and I can not wait for tomorrow when we get to go inside!

This church was Gaudi's final project because while he was working on it, he fell to the street and died. He is buried in the basement of the church which is called the Crypt. I think that's super creepy. The church still isn't finished because they had financial issues and had to stop construction for a while but now it is started again. The approximate date for the end of the construction is in about 10 or 15 years. After that we drove around for a while and saw where the Olympic athletes of 1992 stay (which is now regular housing) and started driving up Montjuix (pronounced Mount Witch basically) and we stopped to see an amazing view of Barcelona. It was so cool! I could see for miles and miles.

We got back on the bus and made our way to the Olympic stadiums for Track, Gymnastics, and the water sports minus diving. We got out at the Track and Field stadium and went inside. It was being used for a meet of some sort and we got to see a bit of it. I thought it was boring cause it was just people running around in circles. Then came the awesome part. We got to see the Olympic Gymnastics stadium of 1992 where Kerry Strug had her first Olympics. We couldn't go in so I decided that I needed to do a handstand right in front of it! :) It was so great! That was so exciting for me because I DID GYMNASTICS OUTSIDE OF THE FREAKING OLYMPIC GYMNASTICS STADIUM!!!

Then we saw the pool. It is so much smaller than it looks on TV. After we saw the stadiums, we walked around and got to see the outside of a very pretty museum that used to be the Palacio Nacional de Catalunia. After walking for a bit we got back on the bus and headed towards a very cool park where Antoni Gaudi lived.

After lunch we got back on the bus and went to the Picasso Museum. It was so cool to see his artwork progress from amazing realistic portraits to the abstract paintings which we all know him for. His artwork was so fascinating. It was a great experience We got free time right after that and me and some other people went to some shops by the beach and then we went to a Chinese place for dinner! It wasn't as good as the Chinese food in the States but it was still good cause I have been craving it for so long!!! After dinner we walked back to the hotel and just hung out and ate ice cream for a bit and now I am in my room. I think I might find something on TV and go to sleep early. Goodnight all! Sleep tight!

10.31.2011
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! There were so many freaky people out tonight but let's start at the beginning. We woke up early and got to see the inside of La Sagrada Familia!

It was so cool! Gaudi wanted the pillars on the inside of the church to look like a forest, so there are a lot of them and instead of being completely straight, they are all tilted a little bit in one direction or another.

I absolutely LOVE this place! I loved how modern it was and how unique everything in it was. I took so many pictures there its ridiculous! We spent a little over an hour there and then headed back to our hotel for about an hour of free time before we had our group lunch. I got to go into H&M for a bit and then we all met at the pizza place! I got to get garlic bread (amazing!) and then some pizza (ehhh) and tiramisu! The waiter accidentally brought out an extra and just gave it to me for free! It was so good! After lunch a TON of people went to the beach and we played beach volleyball until it got dark out. I had so much fun but my legs and arms are gonna hurt tomorrow! We walked back to the hotel after the beach and ate dinner there. On our walk back, there were about six guys with masks on (like the guys with the white masks that are super creepy but theirs were gold and sparkley) who stopped right in front of me and wouldn't let me pass them so I just moved one of them with my hand cause I was sick of it and went on my way. When we all got back to the hotel, I went to my room and took a brief nap (oops). When my roommates got back, I took a shower and then Jen braided my hair and we went out to the patio and played card games for a while and talked. And now, it is bed time. Night!

11.1.2011
Today was SO LONG! We drove back to Segovia today and my whole body hurts from Volleyball so sleeping on the bus was interesting. Basically all I did today was sleep, eat lunch, watch part of Runaway Bride, fall asleep in the middle of it, listen to music, and climb the aqueduct stairs and go to my house. We got back at 8 so about 2 hours before dinner so I just changed into my pajamas and watched some shows online, then had dinner, talked to Mom and Dad, and now I am going to bed!

So that was my trip to Barcelona... it doesn't sound all that exciting but it was so much fun! I love it there! I miss home though and being able to talk to my family and friends whenever I want... Only 5 weeks left til I come home! I am getting excited to come home but I know I am going to miss it here a TON!

Love you all! I hope I get to talk to you guys soon!

here i am!

Okay, so I think I have been listening to "Rock You Like a Hurricane" too much... Anyways, I realize it has been a while since I have posted anything so I decided now is a good time! It is 5:30am here and I am just about to leave my house to go to Barcelona for four days! I am so excited! Leaving Spain is getting close (less than six weeks!) and I am getting a little anxious to be home. I know I am going to miss Spain and my host family, but it is going to be SO nice to be able to hang out with my own family again... People just don't have humor like my family does. I can't wait for this trip because it gets me that much closer to being home, and I get to go to an awesome city with the added bonus of not having class on Monday or Tuesday! I can't wait to tell you all about my adventures in Barca! I miss you all! Love ya, Liz

over the ocean and through the streets

10.16.2011
I am now on the first flight of my day! We are on our way to the Milan airport from Greece. Today has been pretty uneventful. I woke up "late" at 10am, ate breakfast, watched it rain for only 15 minutes, packed my stuff in my backpack (which is now extremely full!), washed my hair, checked out of the hotel, and waited by the pool for a while. The others came soon after and then we went to a restaurant called Kavos so that people could use the WiFi on their iPods and stayed there for a while. When we got back, we waited for about 15 minutes and then our Taxi driver showed up and we headed to the airport. It didn't take long to get through security or wait to board the plane and now I have no idea how much longer we have on our flight. Hopefully not much. When we get to Italy, we have to go through security a second time because we need to get our passports checked and find our gate. It should be interesting. The sunsets in the sky are the best by the way.... They have such intense colors above the clouds!

10.17.2011
It is a little past midnight and we are finally in the Madrid airport to "sleep" for the night. I am so tired and cold and hungry so I doubt I will be getting much sleep. I am so excited to be in "my own" bed! And have meals provided for me. That trip was definitely more expensive than I thought it was going to be. But it was fun (mostly)! Let's hope tomorrow goes as smoothly as the rest of the trip has because I have class at 9am and I really hope I don't miss it! We are all going to be so tired tomorrow! I am going to attempt to get some sleep laying across three chairs...

10.17.2011
Well it's 5am and we are still at the airport because the Metro doesn't start until 6 and we all thought that it started at 4 but who knows. My back is killing me because of how I was sleeping and I got a total of about 20 minutes of sleep. I kind of hope that we are back in time for my class but none of us know when the buses leave so its basically a wait and see kind of thing. If I make it to class, I bet it is going to be so hard to stay awake! On another note, my sunburn is so itchy! it is finally turning into a tan but it is so freakin itchy! It's at the stage where it still hurts but it itches like crazy. It's not as bad as it was before though! So thats good. The blisters are now scabs and it is SUPER attractive. It's actually probably not as bad as I think it is but I just don't like it. My left eye has swollen every time I have slept for long periods of time and then it doesn't fully open for about an hour.I am just so excited to take a nice nap after classes and lunch!
Ah! So Celine Dion just came on the radio in the airport and I wish I was in a car so that I could sing obnoxiously along with it. She has a great voice. Speaking of singing, I might audition for Glee because you can submit a video of yourself singing online so it would be easy for me to do. I am undecided though because I have a huge fear of singing in front of people alone, but this is on my bucket list, as well as trying out for American Idol. I want to not have any stupid regrets in life. No regrets, no fear. (remember my no fear shirt dad? I think I need a new one)

Alrighty, so it is now 6pm and everything today went incredibly smooth! I got to class on time and I even got to eat breakfast! I haven't had time to take a nap yet and I think at this point it isn't worth it cause I won't get to sleep when I want to later tonight. I have had a really good day and it was so much fun catching up with people and hearing some of their stories from their vacations! I was reminded today that tomorrow is the halfway point with school which is so exciting! AND I even got charms for Greece and Italy (Andrea, Amanda, Mom!) yayy!!

crossrhodes

10.13.2011
Well we arrived in Greece today!

 and this donkey proves it! Cause you can only find donkey's in Greece YEAH! (isn't he cute though??)

Europe is not fond of signs pointing anything out, at least not obvious signs. We were waiting for a bus at the Greece airport after having been up since 3am and we left the bus stop for about 2 seconds and it came and left early. So a cab driver came by and said he would take all six of us in his cab for 13 euros per person and he took us on an hour long ride to our hotel. When we got here, we all got settled and then walked to the "supermarket" which is just a teeny store with a little bit of everything in it. We bought food for lunch and dinner and some snacks. I think I found Amanda's bland crackers but I can't remember the name of them so I don't know for sure... After getting back from the supermarket, we went to our rooms, got a snack, and while Emma and I were eating, a stray cat (Europe has about a million of them) came to our porch and wouldn't leave! And then we went to the pool for about an hour and a half. When we got back another cat came INTO our room. They just won't leave us alone! Anyways, there isn't a ton to do around here without walking quite a ways. I have no idea what we are going to do tonight but hopefully it won't include more cats!

10.14.2011
So last night was interesting and yes, it did indeed involve more cats trying to get into our room. We just chilled around the hotel but there wasn't really a ton to do, so Emma and I just walked over to the other girls' room and hung out there for a bit and came back and talked for a while, played cards, and tried to sleep. It didn't work so well so we talked more about a ton of random stuff. Oh the things you talk about when you are tired... I had some really weird dreams and then I woke up with 'Flying High Again' by Ozzy Osborne stuck in my head, and it won't get out! I am so excited for today because we are going to find a beach and stay there hopefully all day. I got sunburned yesterday but not too bad, it was just uncomfortable, but today it will probably be worse.
I am actually getting excited to get back to Spain because I just miss being able to communicate with people and having a place that is close to being "home" in a way. I mean I love the traveling but I am a little sick of planes and trying to figure everything else out and spending money on food, transportation, hostels, and stuff like that. It is really stressful for me and I feel like I am going to run out but I am pretty sure that I won't. Anyway, on this vacation I have definitely gotten more homesick, especially in Rome because all of the history stuff reminded me of Dad, Andrea, and Amanda. If I ever have any questions on vacations about history, they would always answer them (after an "are you kidding me?" look). I had so many questions in Rome but they weren't there! Let's hope I remember them when I get home! It was kind of sad. Anyways hopefully today will be amazing! Hopefully.

10.14.2011
Oh mylanta. I have the WORST sunburn ever right now. Look at that defined line of sunburn! I know you guys are jealous!

Today we went to the beach in Lindos and there are some awesome ancient ruins there and the beach is beautiful! But we got there at about 1:15ish and were there until about 4:15 just laying on the beach relaxing/sleeping. It was so amazing except the European women who decided to walk around topless and lay on their chairs topless. Gross. It made taking pictures very difficult! I did manage to get a couple of good ones!
Lindos:

 Lindos and the Acropolis at the very top:

Anywho, I have a super bad sunburn from laying in the sun for 3 hours without sunscreen, because I couldn't take mine with since I only had a carry-on bag. Plus, I didn't think to use any except for on my scars. I have no idea what I was thinking. After laying on the beach, we all got really hungry and decided to get Gyros. We found this cute little whole in the wall place with Gyros for only 2.50 euros and they were so delicious!

I think I found my new favorite food. They even put french fries in them!Ah, I was in culinary heaven... okay that's a bit of an over-exaggeration but they were so good! I really hope I get one tomorrow, but there is this Chinese place here and I have been craving Chinese food for the past month so maybe that. Anyways, after the Gyros we walked up the mountain and looked in some shops and stuff and made our way to the Acropolis which was closed but there were some amazingly gorgeous views of the sunset over Lindos, between two mountains. It was so beautiful!

Then we made our way back to the hotel and on the way we got some Baklava and that was so good!I have never had it before but it was delicious! Now we are all in our rooms just kind of chillin' for the night. Hopefully my sunburn won't keep me awake!

10.15.2011
So I woke up this morning and my face was, and still is, super swollen because of the sunburn. Only one of my eyes opens all the way, it's actually kind of funny looking. I can't open my left eye all the way and yesterday I found these weird bumps on my right cheek and this morning I realized that they were blisters from the sunburn. Fun right?
I am getting really excited to get back to Spain on Monday! The deal is that our plane gets to Madrid at 11:30pm and that is exactly when the last bus to Segovia is, so we have to sleep in the airport again and atch an early bus to Segovia so we can get there before my 9am class. It should be interesting! I'm really hoping to hang out by the pool for a bit today but probably not too long because I don't want to get too much more sunburned. Also, there is this place farther in town that has the "natural pedicure" whee there are 150 fish in a tank and it's supposed to be like a massage and to get the dead skin off of your feet. I am really curious as to what that feels like and everyone thought that it looked interesting so maybe we will go. It's only 5 euros so it's not expensive either.

10.15.2011
Well, so far today we got up, chilled at the pool waiting for the others to come out but they had already left on a walk or something and we were getting hungry. So we went back to the room and I took a nap after eating breakfast. When I woke up, I ate a banana and I headed for the "supermarket" to get a sandwich for lunch and one for dinner and then met up with Emma, Anna, and Allison at the beach. It was so beautiful out! There were fluffy cotton ball clouds, sun in the sky, and a great view of mountains and the sea! So relaxing!

At one point, there was rain from a cloud that was not there. Like there was literally no cloud near us and it started to rain while it was completely sunny. It was so confusing! After a while on the beach I could feel myself burning even more and we came back to our rooms to relax before going into town later tonight. I hope it's super fun! Nap time!

After my wonderful nap today, I ate dinner and then we went over to Shanna, Brianna, Anna, and Allison's room. We basically talked about everything from self-defense to childhood and swapped stories from our childhoods and stuff. It was so much fun because we all got to know each other so much better! I am so happy that I came on this trip to Italy and Greece, but it definitely made me more homesick. I just miss having somewhere to relax and just hang out and not worry about offending someone and being self-sufficient. I am really excited o get back to Spain to have some sense of "normal" but I am counting down the weeks until I get home to the States and get to see my family again. I only have 7 weeks left in Spain so I am almost exactly halfway through the trip! It is so weird to think that it has already been 7 weeks. Studying abroad has definitely been a great experience and I have already learned so much from living in Spain, but I am about ready to seep in my own bed or cuddle up on the couch with a blanket and watch a movie... Anyway, tomorrow we leave for Madrid and we seep in the airport that night and leave on an early bus in the morning for Segovia and then directly to class.  It's going to be a busy couple of days! Let's pray everything goes smoothly!

when in rome...

10.11.2011
Well today had been amazing! But let's start with the rest of yesterday... I have had such a great time in Rome so far! Yesterday when Emma and I got here we got to our hostel, which is great! The other people are so nice here! We walked around a bit and then went to a cafe for lunch. We ordered a pizza to share, but the waiter came over with 2 pizzas. Right when he got to our table, he told us that the guy who ordered the pizza left and asked if we wanted a free pizza. Of course we said yes! It was really good! I am actually surprised that they don't put basil on their Margherita pizzas. After that, we came back to the hostel and relaxed for a bit and then went out wandering. We saw a bunch of cool buildings but we have no idea what they are. After that, we came back and went to bed.
Today, Emma and I woke up at 10 and started our adventure. We left the hostel at about 10:30 and started walking towards the Colosseum. We stopped along the way at touristy shops and to take pictures, etc. and there were a ton of beautiful buildings and fountains. We finally got to the Colosseum and took pictures of the outside.

I didn't really want to go in but Emma did so I spent 12 euros to get in. Oh well. It was okay. It was cool, but not really worth 12 euros... I would have probably liked it more if I remembered what they taught me in history....

After the Colosseum, we went to McDonalds for lunch which tasted SO good! We came back to the hostel and met up with Stephanie, Anna, and Allison and then they went off to the Colosseum. Emma and I stayed there for a bit and rested. At 3:30 we wandered around until we found the Trevi Fountain, definitely got lost a few times, but we eventually found it. It was the most amazing and beautiful fountain I have ever seen! It was so gorgeous and it was HUGE!

I loved it! After the fountain, we decided to get dinner and come back to the hostel. We went to the grocery store and bought frozen pasta to share and I bought peach tea (it tasted like peach-o's! so good!) and orange juice. Now I have FINALLY showered and it feels so good because it's the first time in 2 days (I know that's gross, get over it but I didn't have a towel so not all my fault) and I feel so clean! Now I am off to bed because I have an early start tomorrow to the Vatican! Can't wait!!!

10.12.2011
Well, today I would say was a success! We went to so many amazing places! On our way to the Vatican, we stopped at breakfast (the hostel provides it) which was a really good croissant with some sort of jelly filling and powdered sugar on tom and a Cappuccino.

We sat there and woke up a bit and headed out. We ended up going to the Spanish stairs first, which was really cool, but it had a really depressing fountain in front of it. It was cool to see AND it was on a street with Tiffany & Co., Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, etc.

I wish I could go back there and shop but i'm pretty sure I don't have enough money for that. After the Spanish steps we just walked up a street and found the Piazza del Popolo. It was so pretty! It was also very symmetrical and for some reason I found that to be relaxing. I know that's weird too but I don't care. We walked down another street and saw Piazza Navona, which has a ton of cute little shops and restaurants and a great little fountain (after the Trevi Fountain, every fountain is little). It was such a charming place and so cute! After a while, we headed for the Vatican. We walked along the river and saw Piazza dei Tribunali and Castel Sant Angelo and finally we were in Vatican City.

I saw the Pope give mass which was so cool! He spoke English for part of it and I thought that that was really interesting. It made me start thinking about how many languages he knows, and also what does he wear when he is not in a crowd? Is it always robes? cause that would suck. Just sayin'. We went into the Vatican Museum and that was actually really cool! I liked seeing all of the paintings and they were so elaborate! They had so many colors and were gold framed. Then, at last, we say the Sistine Chapel. It was so amazing, but definitely not what I had expected. I expected it to have a dome and tons of gold and lots of color, but there was no gold in the paintings, very dim, dark colors and it was essentially a flat ceiling. I wasn't disappointed, just shocked a little at how different it was compared to what I thought. After several hours of being herded like cattle, we were  starving and went out for food with everyone. Then we went to the Pantheon which also surprised me because the buildings we have seen have been very white, but this was dark grey and kind of gloomy. It kind of had a cold feeling, but otherwise it was very cool! Lastly, we decided to get gelato and eat it in from of the Trevi Fountain. It was so relaxing and so beautiful. I swear this fountain has ruined all other fountains for me. So incredible. On our way back, we stopped at the grocery store for dinner and just relaxed, ate, and talked for hours about everything. It was so much fun! And I got a shower which was great! Now tomorrow I have to wake up at 3:15 so that I can catch my 8 o'clock flight to GREECE! I am just so excited! I can't wait to tell you about it!

pesto pizza

10.07.2011
The first day of vacation is today!!! I may have skipped a class and gotten coffee instead but hey, i'm on vacation now! Today about 11 of us took a bus to Madrid at 9pm and got there at 10. It took us about an hour and a half to get to the airport from the bus station because we were all confused about how exactly to get there and how to get the supplementary ticket that we needed to get to the airport...

We eventually found our way to the check in desk  but it was closed so we had to sleep on the floor by it. And by sleep, I mean lay on the ground with our backpacks as our pillows and freeze our butts off cause it was a concrete floor. And maybe got about 30 minutes of sleep. Right when we got to the airport (at about 1am) we all sat around a table and talked and then decided to attempt to sleep. We "woke up" at about 4am and hopped on the plane to Milan!

10.08.2011
We finally got to Italy! It took us from 6am (our flight) until 4pm to get to Cinque Terre. When we finally got here, we found the office to the hostel pretty fast  and then the owner showed us to our rooms. We had to climb about a million stairs with our heavy backpacks  to get here and it was SO tiring! After that we went for a walk around the city we are staying in called Riomaggiore and we sat at a little bay where you can rent row boats. We sat there for a good hour and decided that we were hungry so we went to a pizza place with the most amazing pesto pizza ever!!! I found out later today that pesto was actually created in Cinque Terre so that explains it. After dinner we got Gelato for dessert and decided that tomorrow we are going to walk all day through the 5 cities that make up Cinque Terre and back. We are going to have lunch and possibly dinner on the way back looking over the sea. I can not wait to take more pictures!!!

10.09.2011
Today was AMAZING! Prepare yourselves for this next sentence... We got up EARLY and went HIKING! ALL DAY! We hiked a ton and I am absolutely positive tat I would be completely fine if I never did it again.

In Cinque Terre we are staying in Riomaggiore, which is the farthest south of the 5 cities. We hiked from Riomaggiore to Manarola, then took the train to Corniglia because there was construction on the pathway. We stayed there for a bit then took the train to Vernazza and wandered around there for a while. We went to Monterosso al Mare and walked on the beach and took awesome pictures and then we ate at this little place near the beach. Let me just say AMAZING lasagna! But I think I like Dad's better...

Anyways, we took the train back to Vernazza and hiked to Corniglia, which took about and hour and a half. It was so tiring because about half of it was up hill and climbing stairs and bleh it was gross. All of the paths have a ton of steps and hills and stuff but I think the pathway to Corniglia from Vernazza was the worst one. Anywho, we took the train back to Riomaggiore, got gelato and watched the sunset over the water.

As we were walking back, we bought fruit, yogurt, and potato chips for dinner. Healthy, I know. After that, we walked back to the hostel and I took a shower. The views from everywhere on the trails and the cities were so gorgeous and looked like a postcard. I loved it! So amazing I just can't get over it!

10.10.2011
So, it is about 9am right now and Emma and I are at the train station. We caught the train to La Spezia at 8:37 and it took about 10 minutes to get here from Cinque Terre. We bought our tickets to Rome and it doesn't come until 10:06 and it's direct! Yay! We don't get there until about 2:16 so it should be pretty easy to find the hostel in the daylight.
I am so excited to see the Spanish steps and all of the amazing things in Rome. Cinque Terre was so beautiful and so surreal because everything looked perfect. It just didn't seem like it could be real. It just reminded me how small we really are! I cannot believe that I am in Italy right now! It's just so gorgeous and I can't get over it! I am going to be so sad to leave Italy but hopefully I will be able to come back at some point in my life.

planes, trains, taxis, and donkeys

Alrighty! So I just got back from my amazing trip to Italy and Greece and let me just tell you, it was SO worth however much I spent. I don't even remember and I do not care to know... So I kept a journal during my whole trip so that I could let all of you guys know what I did and I took 500+ pictures in a week. It was such a great experience even though it took a lot of money and traveling and sleeping in airports and whatever. It was so great and I was definitely wishing that Andrea, Amanda, Dad, and Mom were there if only to tell me the history of certain things, tell me stupid jokes, ask the questions that I probably wouldn't want to, and just make fun of people doing stupid stuff. So I am going to split this up into a couple of different blogs because there is a LOT to tell! So here goes!

P.S. I DIDN'T GET PICK-POCKETED!!! SUCCESS!

where the road meets the sun

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about home and how I miss my family, the food, understanding everything everyone says, and just being close to everything. How I can't just go downstairs and play with Sammy, or drive a short ways to hang out with friends, or even work. I miss it all a ton and I think about it a lot, which probably makes it worse, but I have also been thinking about how great this trip is! I keep thinking about how different my life here is from my life in the States. I have been needing to remind myself that I am going to learn so much more by being here in Spain than if I was just in a classroom in Minnesota at Bethel. I am in Spain! What better place to learn Spanish than in Spain? There is so much that you can't really learn from a book or a lecture, you just have to experience it to actually understand it. At first, I thought it was weird that people didn't allow friends in their houses, but now I get that it is just an extra opportunity to learn more about the culture (at least for me), and learn more about what goes on at every time of the day. In the mornings, no one is out until about 9 and the streets are flowing with seas of people, but if you were to walk around the city just 30 minutes earlier, there would be a total of about 2 people on the street, you and some random person (probably a tourist) wandering the streets. From 2 until 4 shops close for lunch and there is basically nothing to do but sleep or do homework (guess which one I choose!). At 4 on the dot, people just mozy around like they have all day to get to whatever they have to do. No one walks fast, no one is on a mission, they just walk slowly and take in the day, something I should probably learn how to do, but it's difficult because I HATE slow-walkers! The streets are busy until about 9 or 10 when people go to their houses for dinner (my dinner is always at about 10:30) and don't go out dancing or to bars until about midnight and they don't go home until about 5 or 6 in the morning.

Enough of my thinking for the day...... So this weekend I got to go to La Granja on Saturday to see the Royal Palace and a place where they make crystal everything. I got to see a guy make two blown glass bottles but that was about as interesting as it got, besides the amazing chandelier that we couldn't take pictures of. It was a replica of many chandeliers in the Palace in La Granja and was made entirely of glass and just a little bit of metal to hold all the pieces together. When we went to the Palace after lunch, we got to see people arriving to the wedding that was in the chapel attached to the Palace. I got my little wedding fix for the week and I loved it! I did take some creeper pictures of the bride because I love weddings and her dress was so unique and GORGEOUS! It was so amazing because you could tell that she was so happy and she was anxious to get in there and start her life with the man waiting in there for her. The wind was blowing her veil around and she barely stopped long enough to let her personal attendant fix it. I know, random tangent... but look how pretty her dress is!

Anyway, back to the Palace. The inside of the Palace was amazing. It was so colorful and the ceilings were almost all painted and the chandeliers in the rooms were so beautiful. But my favorite part was walking around the royal gardens for an hour and a half. The fountains were so interesting and there was so much detail and thought put into everything. It was so calm and it just kind of makes you forget everything and you just take in everything around you. It was so much fun and I think I got some good pictures.

I am starting to get really excited for this coming week because I am leaving for Italy and Greece on Saturday! I have to sleep in the airport on Friday night because there aren't any buses that leave Segovia really early in the morning and my flight leaves at 6am on Saturday. I am going to Cinque Terre from Saturday until Monday, and then I am going to Rome from Monday until Thursday. Then we leave on Thursday morning for Greece! and we are staying there until Sunday. I am staying on the island of Rhodes, which from the pictures I have seen I am gonna have awesome pictures to show you all when I get home! I can't wait to go! But, unfortunately, I will not be bringing my computer with so I won't be able to blog while I am over there (Sorry Amanda)!

I think that is all for now but I will write before I leave for fall break! I love you all!!!

just for amanda...

Alright, so Manda requested that I write about what I did yesterday. Yesterday I had class at 9am  so I woke up at 8:40 to eat breakfast and get ready. Then I went to a class then went home. Then I went to class at 12 and then came home after that. I had lunch and it was soup and then some meat and fruit for dessert. After lunch I went to my room, watched Mulan and did homework and then I went to bed. Oh, and I talked to Mia for a little bit. That would be all that I did.

Are you happy with that Manda?? :)

love you all!

MADRID!!!

TODAY!
Today we woke up, had an awesome breakfast at the hotel, and then left right away to walk around a bit and then go to the Reina Sofia, which is a very famous museum. I got to see many paintings by Picasso, and I thought that this was so cool because he is one of my favorite artists. On the floor that we were on, we got to see the progression of modern art which was really cool seeing how things slowly changed over time. It was so amazing to be in the same room as Guernica (one of the most famous paintings of Picasso). It was so big and so detailed and it was amazing to see the brush strokes and everything in it! I loved it!!! After the museum, we went to a pizza place called Pinocchio's Pizza and there was a ton of really good food. We got to shop after that during our free time and while I still had the opportunity, I got Starbucks. I miss Caribou!

Anyways, I am now at my house in good ol' Segovia, and I am happy to be out of Madrid. There are way too many people in those crowded little streets and I felt like a sardine. And I saw a woman trying to pickpocket people in the clothing stores and stuff. It was very interesting. Now I have to do homework and eat! LOVE YOU ALL!!!

9.17.2011
Today was the first day of 2 in Madrid. Today we got on the bus to Madrid at 8 so i had to wake up at 6 and be at the bus station by 7:40. Right after we got to Madrid, we came to the hotel but we couldn't check-in yet because check-out for the other people wasn't until noon. So, we went to the center of Madrid and walked around a bit to get to know the city.

We had lunch after that, and then we went to a museum called "Museo Nacional del Prado" to look at paintings by Rafael, Tiziano, Goya, Rembrandt, Velazquez, Greco, and a bunch of other famous artists. It was really cool, but I like modern art more. After the museum we got to shop and get dinner. I, of course, got McDonald's because I could. I missed those fries so much!!! AND I didn't buy ANYTHING! Yet. Then most of us came back to the hotel and got our rooms. They are so nice! My Bethel tuition if finally paying off a little! :)

Everyone is so tired from waking up early and then walking around all day and my feet and ankle hurt really bad but hopefully that will go away by tomorrow! We'll see what tomorrow brings!

Phew! Two days worth of info in one! I miss you all! love ya mom, dad, andrea, amanda, and mike!