There is still no luck with the airport stuff. I asked this time if it is okay if I come back sometime in February or March to check and they said that was fine. They don´t know why it is taking so long to get a response telling them how much I owe, but my ticket has already been changed to May, so there are no worries there. So I am not going to worry about it until classes start in February and I have a free morning or afternoon to take a trip back to the airport.
In other news, I have NO idea how I´ll be spending my New Year´s Eve. Today at lunch my host parents asked me if we ate grapes on New Year´s at home. I sort of looked at her funny and she explained that the tradition here is that they each eat a grape every time the bell rings at midnight on New Year´s. So everyone eats a total of twelve grapes to bring in the new year, and then they all run out on the streets. Apparently you can´t run on the street alone, though. You must have a friend with you or a lover... so I guess that means I´ll be watching the street running from my balcony!! I thought about going downtown to the touristy spots to see what kinds of things are going on there on New Year´s, but I think that I´ll probably get more of a cultural experience if I just hang out with my host parents. On the 1st all of the family is coming over for another large family meal. I´m not sure what the food will be this time, but I´m sure it will be delicious and the family will be entertaining as usual.
The last couple days since Christmas have been pretty good. I´ve spent a lot of time reading a book that one of the other BCA girls left with me when she went home. It is called The World is Flat and written by Thomas Friedman. It is "a brief history of the twenty-first century" and is really really interesting. I don´t usually read books like this, full of facts and statistics, but this one is so fascinating that I think everyone needs to read it to get a little dose of reality about how our education systems need to change to keep the United States where it is and prepare for the future of a flat world. Anywho, besides reading I´ve spent quite a bit of time with my host parents just around the apartment. Then, the other night, I got a really great surprise! The house phone rang and my host mom answered and looked all confused and said it was for me. It was Tim Polakowski calling me!!! He and I talked for quite a while catching up on the last semester. I found out that I had three of the same professors as he had when he was here two years ago. It was also nice to talk to him about Christmas because he knew exactly how hard it was since he spent it here as well during his year abroad. When I got off the phone my host mom was very confused because Tim had spoken to her in Spanish and I talked to him in English... She thought that he was a boy I had met here!! I explained that he had studied here two years ago and she understood, but was still impressed by how polite he was and how good his Spanish on the phone was.
Well, that´s about all for now. You should all look at Kacie´s blog (I added the link today) because she starts her semester in England in a week and has already been in Europe for about a week. I´ll try and write again at least once before I leave for my trip!
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Christmas Novel
Well, I did it!! I made it through Christmas here in Spain!!
Our Christmas festivities began on Monday night "La Noche Buena" with a very large meal at my host parent´s oldest daughter, Luisa´s, house. Luisa and her husband Jordi are wonderful, as are their two children, Maria and Ariadna. We got to their house around 7 PM on Monday night and I played with the girls for about an hour. Then we went back downstairs from the playroom and sang Christmas songs with Iaia (pronounced Yaya, which is what they call their grandma, my host mom). Eventually, around 8:45, we started the process of eating. After about 4 courses and lots and lots of turrón (the special Spanish Christmas sweet) it was almost 11 and my phone rang!! So I talked to my mom for about 20 minutes while posing for pictures because the girls kept running in with the camera to take pictures of me. A little after midnight my host parents decided it was time to go. So we made the 25 minute drive back into Barcelona in about 20 minutes and when we were parking my host mom all of a sudden turned to me and said that midnight mass was still going on if I would like to go and see. So she and I gave our things to my host dad and we ran to the church around the corner to go to the second half of the mass. It was in Catalan, but really beautiful. Because I am an emotional mess, when they started singing "Oh Come Let Us Adore Him" I started crying because it made me really miss home and our Christmas Eve services at my church. This is the first one I have ever missed, and also the first one in many many years that I haven´t sung at! So when the service ended, we went out into the Plaça outside the church to watch the beginning of the festivities there, and my host dad was standing out there waiting for us!! He said he couldn´t get into the church because there were too many people. Anywho, after the service, a lot of people just hang out celebrating Christmas in the Plaça eating turrón and drinking coffee while standing around a big bonfire. My host parents and I were all pretty tired, so we walked back to our apartment and went to bed.
On Christmas morning I woke up and got ready for a full day. After showering and getting dressed I sat down and opened a Christmas card from one of the women at my church who gave me a package of cards for every month and holiday before I left the US. I also read the Christmas story so that I could sort of feel like I was home with my family doing our normal Christmas morning thing. We ended up leaving the apartment around noon to go to David (my host parents´ son) and Marta´s house. David and Marta also have two daughters named Alida and Ana. Alida is about 4 or 5 and Ana is about a year old. So after we got to their house, I played with Alida for two hours or so until it was time to eat. This meal was not quite as large as the one the night before, partly because I don´t eat seafood and the main course was very large shrimp which still had the eyes on them!! But, all of the other food was delicious. Right as we finished eating and were getting ready for the coffee or tea, my phone rang again! My family has perfect timing! So I excused myself and went to the other half of the room to talk to them. This phone call was probably the hardest part of my Christmas... I am pretty sure I cried at least 7 different times. First I talked to my little sister who told me that it was really hard not to have me at the Christmas Eve service the night before, which was the first time I cried. Then I talked to my mom and cried while telling her about the midnight mass I went to. Then I talked to my dad and cried while he said something else about the Christmas Eve service and me not being there. And finally I talked to my big sister and cried just because she said she missed me!! There was a lot of time on the phone, though, when I wasn´t crying, and it was nice to be able to talk to each of my family members. When I finally got off the phone and went back into the main room, Marta´s mom, two sisters, and brother were there! So we all sat around for a while eating turrón and other sweet things while my host mom and one of Marta´s sisters entertained us by singing and dancing! It was pretty fun. Finally, around 7:30 my host parents decided to leave, so we got home around 8. When we got home, my host mom was going to start on the canalones for the next day. I asked if she would like help, so I went into the kitchen and we had a really good conversation. She said that today was a good day but that it was a sad one for me. I told her that it was sad but really good too. I reassured her that I really love living with her and my host dad and that I love their family. I told her thank you for letting me participate in all of the family festivities. She understood that I was happy but also told me that "family is family and there is no replacing them" meaning that she knew it was also a hard time for me. So after our conversation I helped make all of the canalones and clean the kitchen and then we went and crashed on the sofa. Eventually she went to bed and I went shortly after that.
Then came yesterday. Yesterday ALL of the family came to our apartment, meaning including us and all the grandkids, there were 13 people in our apartment. They all got there right around 1:30 and we ate at 2:00. After some more turrón and other sweets we cleaned up and started the real fun! One of the things that is different here from home is that Santa doesn´t bring all the presents to the kids. Here, they have the "Caga Tio" which is a piece of wood with legs and a face and a santa hat which they have to feed and take care of in their own house until Christmas. When they got to their grandparents´ house, the Caga Tio had grown because he was full of presents. Really, we had taken the bigger one from David´s house the night before and set it up before the family came over. So the Caga Tio´s bottom half is covered with blankets to keep him warm. Each of the kids takes a stick and starts beating on the Caga Tio while singing a song to him (which I don´t remember the words to). Then, they lift up the blanket and he has left some gifts for each one of them! As they take the gifts and open them, all of the family distracts them while one person puts more gifts under the blanket. Then the kids to the whole routine again. They did it 5 times, and then when they turned around, the Caga Tio had changed into it´s smaller self again, which meant that it didn´t have any presents left for them. I took a few pictures, so I´ll see if I can get them on here. It is really a fun process, though, and afterwards there was a bag of gifts with one for all of the adults. My host parents got me some star earrings and a beautiful silver bracelet. After the Caga Tio, we pretty much just sat around and played with the girls and their gifts until about 6:30 when everyone started to leave. My host parents and I cleaned up a bit and then went on a walk since we had eaten so much and not left the house all day. Afterwards, we pretty much crashed and watched TV for the rest of the night until one by one we left for bed.
So, now that I truly have written a novel about my Christmas experiences which I´m not sure any of you will get all the way through, I think I should stop!! Only one more week until I leave for my trip, so I´ll definitely try to keep writing until then... Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with your families!!
Our Christmas festivities began on Monday night "La Noche Buena" with a very large meal at my host parent´s oldest daughter, Luisa´s, house. Luisa and her husband Jordi are wonderful, as are their two children, Maria and Ariadna. We got to their house around 7 PM on Monday night and I played with the girls for about an hour. Then we went back downstairs from the playroom and sang Christmas songs with Iaia (pronounced Yaya, which is what they call their grandma, my host mom). Eventually, around 8:45, we started the process of eating. After about 4 courses and lots and lots of turrón (the special Spanish Christmas sweet) it was almost 11 and my phone rang!! So I talked to my mom for about 20 minutes while posing for pictures because the girls kept running in with the camera to take pictures of me. A little after midnight my host parents decided it was time to go. So we made the 25 minute drive back into Barcelona in about 20 minutes and when we were parking my host mom all of a sudden turned to me and said that midnight mass was still going on if I would like to go and see. So she and I gave our things to my host dad and we ran to the church around the corner to go to the second half of the mass. It was in Catalan, but really beautiful. Because I am an emotional mess, when they started singing "Oh Come Let Us Adore Him" I started crying because it made me really miss home and our Christmas Eve services at my church. This is the first one I have ever missed, and also the first one in many many years that I haven´t sung at! So when the service ended, we went out into the Plaça outside the church to watch the beginning of the festivities there, and my host dad was standing out there waiting for us!! He said he couldn´t get into the church because there were too many people. Anywho, after the service, a lot of people just hang out celebrating Christmas in the Plaça eating turrón and drinking coffee while standing around a big bonfire. My host parents and I were all pretty tired, so we walked back to our apartment and went to bed.
On Christmas morning I woke up and got ready for a full day. After showering and getting dressed I sat down and opened a Christmas card from one of the women at my church who gave me a package of cards for every month and holiday before I left the US. I also read the Christmas story so that I could sort of feel like I was home with my family doing our normal Christmas morning thing. We ended up leaving the apartment around noon to go to David (my host parents´ son) and Marta´s house. David and Marta also have two daughters named Alida and Ana. Alida is about 4 or 5 and Ana is about a year old. So after we got to their house, I played with Alida for two hours or so until it was time to eat. This meal was not quite as large as the one the night before, partly because I don´t eat seafood and the main course was very large shrimp which still had the eyes on them!! But, all of the other food was delicious. Right as we finished eating and were getting ready for the coffee or tea, my phone rang again! My family has perfect timing! So I excused myself and went to the other half of the room to talk to them. This phone call was probably the hardest part of my Christmas... I am pretty sure I cried at least 7 different times. First I talked to my little sister who told me that it was really hard not to have me at the Christmas Eve service the night before, which was the first time I cried. Then I talked to my mom and cried while telling her about the midnight mass I went to. Then I talked to my dad and cried while he said something else about the Christmas Eve service and me not being there. And finally I talked to my big sister and cried just because she said she missed me!! There was a lot of time on the phone, though, when I wasn´t crying, and it was nice to be able to talk to each of my family members. When I finally got off the phone and went back into the main room, Marta´s mom, two sisters, and brother were there! So we all sat around for a while eating turrón and other sweet things while my host mom and one of Marta´s sisters entertained us by singing and dancing! It was pretty fun. Finally, around 7:30 my host parents decided to leave, so we got home around 8. When we got home, my host mom was going to start on the canalones for the next day. I asked if she would like help, so I went into the kitchen and we had a really good conversation. She said that today was a good day but that it was a sad one for me. I told her that it was sad but really good too. I reassured her that I really love living with her and my host dad and that I love their family. I told her thank you for letting me participate in all of the family festivities. She understood that I was happy but also told me that "family is family and there is no replacing them" meaning that she knew it was also a hard time for me. So after our conversation I helped make all of the canalones and clean the kitchen and then we went and crashed on the sofa. Eventually she went to bed and I went shortly after that.
Then came yesterday. Yesterday ALL of the family came to our apartment, meaning including us and all the grandkids, there were 13 people in our apartment. They all got there right around 1:30 and we ate at 2:00. After some more turrón and other sweets we cleaned up and started the real fun! One of the things that is different here from home is that Santa doesn´t bring all the presents to the kids. Here, they have the "Caga Tio" which is a piece of wood with legs and a face and a santa hat which they have to feed and take care of in their own house until Christmas. When they got to their grandparents´ house, the Caga Tio had grown because he was full of presents. Really, we had taken the bigger one from David´s house the night before and set it up before the family came over. So the Caga Tio´s bottom half is covered with blankets to keep him warm. Each of the kids takes a stick and starts beating on the Caga Tio while singing a song to him (which I don´t remember the words to). Then, they lift up the blanket and he has left some gifts for each one of them! As they take the gifts and open them, all of the family distracts them while one person puts more gifts under the blanket. Then the kids to the whole routine again. They did it 5 times, and then when they turned around, the Caga Tio had changed into it´s smaller self again, which meant that it didn´t have any presents left for them. I took a few pictures, so I´ll see if I can get them on here. It is really a fun process, though, and afterwards there was a bag of gifts with one for all of the adults. My host parents got me some star earrings and a beautiful silver bracelet. After the Caga Tio, we pretty much just sat around and played with the girls and their gifts until about 6:30 when everyone started to leave. My host parents and I cleaned up a bit and then went on a walk since we had eaten so much and not left the house all day. Afterwards, we pretty much crashed and watched TV for the rest of the night until one by one we left for bed.
So, now that I truly have written a novel about my Christmas experiences which I´m not sure any of you will get all the way through, I think I should stop!! Only one more week until I leave for my trip, so I´ll definitely try to keep writing until then... Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with your families!!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Conejo
Yesterday for lunch I had a turkey leg, a really really big turkey leg. Then today for lunch we had "conejo" which is rabbit... The turkey was really random, but the fact that we had rabbit is actually pretty funny. See, about a week ago on the news there was a story about a guy who raised rabbits and how he was having large sales for the holidays. So I asked if a lot of people here eat it. My host mom didn´t really give a definitive yes or no before my host dad started going off about how much he loves conejo but that they never eat it. Then my host mom started to say how it is one of the best meats for you to eat. All the while, the news story was still on. All of a sudden, my host dad said "We´ll buy one tomorrow!" And my host mom started to argue with him and said "No! YOU will buy one tomorrow, not me!!" Apparently this is because she doesn´t like it very much. So then, today when I sat down for lunch, my host dad looked up and smiled at me, pointed to the plate of meat and said "Conejo!!!" So, I can add that to my list of meats that I have tried. It wasn´t too bad, once I got past the fact that I was eating a cute little bunny...
In other news, I had a not so fun experience on the metro the other day. While I was on the metro on Friday a man got on and stood next to me on one of the lean/sit bars. I found this a little strange because there was an empty one right across from me and another one diagonally from me. But, okay, right? So as I am standing there, he puts his stuff down and then I felt his hand on the bar, really close to my rear end... so I scoot over towards the wall a little bit thinking maybe it was just an accident. His hand followed and really was actually touching, REALLY touching my butt. So I immediately move over to the door and get off at the stop we just got to. I switched to another car and was pretty sure that he didn´t see where I went because there weren´t any windows between the car I came from and the one I went to. At the next stop, a lot of people got on, including the man from before. He looks at me, smiles, and walks right over so he is in the exact same spot as he was before on the previous car. At this point I was quite freaked out, so I walked to the opposite end of the car and got off at the next stop. Luckily I was only a stop away from where I was going, so I just left the metro altogether and walked in the most roundabout way possible to my location. It was so weird/scary/annoying... and I think the worst part is that it was the second time in a week that I couldn´t get a guy to leave me alone on the metro. I never had really thought about the dangers of being a female and traveling around Europe alone, but the reality of it just hit me. I know that I´ll be fine and God will protect me, but I just need to be very aware of my surroundings at all times and take extra precautions. Luckily with the two incidents here in the past week I was on metro lines and in a city that I am familiar with. That isn´t going to be the case in January!! So, just pray that I stay safe during my travels and that I don´t have anymore incidents with unagreeable males!!!
And for more happy news, tomorrow begins all of the fiestas for Navidad here in Barcelona! Tomorrow we´ll be going to the oldest daughter´s house for a huge family dinner. Tuesday we´ll be going to the son´s apartment for a big family lunch. And Wednesday they will all be coming to our apartment for another family meal, though I´m not sure which this will be. It should be fun and interesting and awkward and hard and a lot of other things... I´ll let you know how it all went once I can get back into the lab on Thursday! Until then, Merry Christmas, Bones Festes, and Feliz Navidad!!
In other news, I had a not so fun experience on the metro the other day. While I was on the metro on Friday a man got on and stood next to me on one of the lean/sit bars. I found this a little strange because there was an empty one right across from me and another one diagonally from me. But, okay, right? So as I am standing there, he puts his stuff down and then I felt his hand on the bar, really close to my rear end... so I scoot over towards the wall a little bit thinking maybe it was just an accident. His hand followed and really was actually touching, REALLY touching my butt. So I immediately move over to the door and get off at the stop we just got to. I switched to another car and was pretty sure that he didn´t see where I went because there weren´t any windows between the car I came from and the one I went to. At the next stop, a lot of people got on, including the man from before. He looks at me, smiles, and walks right over so he is in the exact same spot as he was before on the previous car. At this point I was quite freaked out, so I walked to the opposite end of the car and got off at the next stop. Luckily I was only a stop away from where I was going, so I just left the metro altogether and walked in the most roundabout way possible to my location. It was so weird/scary/annoying... and I think the worst part is that it was the second time in a week that I couldn´t get a guy to leave me alone on the metro. I never had really thought about the dangers of being a female and traveling around Europe alone, but the reality of it just hit me. I know that I´ll be fine and God will protect me, but I just need to be very aware of my surroundings at all times and take extra precautions. Luckily with the two incidents here in the past week I was on metro lines and in a city that I am familiar with. That isn´t going to be the case in January!! So, just pray that I stay safe during my travels and that I don´t have anymore incidents with unagreeable males!!!
And for more happy news, tomorrow begins all of the fiestas for Navidad here in Barcelona! Tomorrow we´ll be going to the oldest daughter´s house for a huge family dinner. Tuesday we´ll be going to the son´s apartment for a big family lunch. And Wednesday they will all be coming to our apartment for another family meal, though I´m not sure which this will be. It should be fun and interesting and awkward and hard and a lot of other things... I´ll let you know how it all went once I can get back into the lab on Thursday! Until then, Merry Christmas, Bones Festes, and Feliz Navidad!!
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Good things
I went back to the airport yesterday to pay that $75, but it was a wasted trip. For some reason, Air France in the US still hasn´t emailed Air France here, so they told me that I would have to come back, AGAIN!!! Now, it´s not that it is an incredibly long trip or anything to the airport, it is just inconvenient and the airport is annoyingly super busy. I also have this really irrational fear of airports, so going twice within a week is a really big thing for me!
Onto more exciting things... I watched Shrek 2 the other night with my host mom, and that was a lot of fun. I bought a sudoku book and have been doing them while watching the news with my host parents at night, and my host mom said she wanted to start doing them because they are "good for your brain." So on my way home from the airport yesterday, I stopped and got her a beginners book of sudokus, which were really really easy. She was really excited when I gave it to her. Then, lastnight I was reading in my room and she ran in at least three times, plopped down on the bed with me, and asked me if she was doing it right. Each time I clarified that you can only have the number once in each row, column, and square. This morning when I got up, she told me that she stayed up until 2 AM trying to do that first sudoku, but she just couldn´t figure it out!! I have really been enjoying my time with my host parents the last few days.
Other than that, life is good. My trip is planned, so now I just have to copy all of the details down onto paper for myself and type them up and send a copy to my parents at home so they don´t worry so much. I´ve been resting a lot, so I hopefully won´t get this cold that I feel coming on. And I think my Spanish is becoming more natural since I´ve been using it more in the last few days. So, I´m off to another wonderful home cooked meal... I think it is homemade chicken noodle soup (at least that is what it smelled like when I left!)...
Onto more exciting things... I watched Shrek 2 the other night with my host mom, and that was a lot of fun. I bought a sudoku book and have been doing them while watching the news with my host parents at night, and my host mom said she wanted to start doing them because they are "good for your brain." So on my way home from the airport yesterday, I stopped and got her a beginners book of sudokus, which were really really easy. She was really excited when I gave it to her. Then, lastnight I was reading in my room and she ran in at least three times, plopped down on the bed with me, and asked me if she was doing it right. Each time I clarified that you can only have the number once in each row, column, and square. This morning when I got up, she told me that she stayed up until 2 AM trying to do that first sudoku, but she just couldn´t figure it out!! I have really been enjoying my time with my host parents the last few days.
Other than that, life is good. My trip is planned, so now I just have to copy all of the details down onto paper for myself and type them up and send a copy to my parents at home so they don´t worry so much. I´ve been resting a lot, so I hopefully won´t get this cold that I feel coming on. And I think my Spanish is becoming more natural since I´ve been using it more in the last few days. So, I´m off to another wonderful home cooked meal... I think it is homemade chicken noodle soup (at least that is what it smelled like when I left!)...
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
So far, so good
So far, so good. I´ve had a few days here by myself without any of the other students and I seem to be doing alright. I booked all of my hostels for January except for two (which I plan to finish right after I write this), and I´ve done 63 sudokus and I´ve played about a thousand games of solitaire, with real cards since I don´t have a computer in my apartment. I know, that sounds really boring, but I´ve actually enjoyed the last few days. On Sunday night I watched Oceans 11 with my host mom after dinner because it came on TV. She and I curled up underneath a big blanket and had a good time laughing at the movie. Then, lastnight, I watched the news with my host parents after dinner again, and just laughed and laughed at them. Manolo (my host dad) likes to comment on everything that is said on the news, so much so that you can´t even hear the news half the time! So Luisa (my host mom) just kept telling him to be quiet over and over again. She finally jumped over and covered his mouth... it was really funny. He chose that moment to say goodnight to us and to go into his room to watch TV there. So we started watching the season finale of Mira Quien Baila and I helped Luisa to wrap some Christmas presents for her girlfriends... I don´t think she has ever wrapped a present before in her life!! It was fun, though, and I think that they are actually enjoying having me around the house for more than just meals. Like before, I am still excited about Christmas next week with all of the family, but I also miss home a lot. Saturday was a very hard day, but a phone call to a wonderful friend really helped me through it. Then, I also got my weekly phone call from my mom, which helped too. I know that I´m going to make it through the next few weeks because I´ve got all of you encouraging me!!! So thank you!
Tomorrow I am going back to the airport to pay the money to change my ticket to May. Hopefully there will be no problems this time! After that, I have NO idea what I´ll do.. but I´m sure I´ll find something to occupy my time. There is still more of Barcelona that I can explore, so that could be on the agenda. I´ll just take it one day at a time, and before I know it I´ll be leaving for my month of travels!! Speaking of which, I changed my schedule from what I last posted!! First, the trip starts on January 3rd when I leave Barcelona and head to Marseille in France. From their I´ll be heading to Brussels, Amsterdam, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Munich, Rome, Venice, Geneva, and back to Barcelona. I have about 2 days, sometimes 3 in each of the cities, and a lot of time on the train. I´ll be back in Barcelona on the 29th, so it is a pretty long trip. I´m really excited because it is so close, but I feel like I still have so many plans to make! I guess that´s a part of my next two weeks, right? If you have any pointers for me or anything that I should see in any of the cities, let me know!
Okay, I´m going to book those last two hostels and get out of here. Hope you are all having fun in the snow!!
Tomorrow I am going back to the airport to pay the money to change my ticket to May. Hopefully there will be no problems this time! After that, I have NO idea what I´ll do.. but I´m sure I´ll find something to occupy my time. There is still more of Barcelona that I can explore, so that could be on the agenda. I´ll just take it one day at a time, and before I know it I´ll be leaving for my month of travels!! Speaking of which, I changed my schedule from what I last posted!! First, the trip starts on January 3rd when I leave Barcelona and head to Marseille in France. From their I´ll be heading to Brussels, Amsterdam, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Munich, Rome, Venice, Geneva, and back to Barcelona. I have about 2 days, sometimes 3 in each of the cities, and a lot of time on the train. I´ll be back in Barcelona on the 29th, so it is a pretty long trip. I´m really excited because it is so close, but I feel like I still have so many plans to make! I guess that´s a part of my next two weeks, right? If you have any pointers for me or anything that I should see in any of the cities, let me know!
Okay, I´m going to book those last two hostels and get out of here. Hope you are all having fun in the snow!!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Why?
I didn´t think it would be this hard. I didn´t think I had really become all that close with the students here this semester. I didn´t think I would be so sad to see them go.
I went to the airport with Trisha this morning because she was flying out to France to spend a few days with her sister and I needed to pay the fee to change my ticket home to the Spring. Trisha is kindly taking an entire suitcase full of things home to my family for me. I went out lastnight with a couple of the girls for about an hour to say goodbye. Then I said another goodbye this morning. I´ll say another one this afternoon, and then they are all gone. Trisha is coming back, but the rest I might not ever see again... I don´t know whether it is hard because I am jealous that they all get to go home and see their families for Christmas or because I am afraid of being here alone. I´m not technically alone, I know, because I have my host parents... but I have 7 weeks of none of my friends being here, of traveling by myself, of a lot of me time. I think it scares me more than anything. I just never planned on becoming friends with all of the students and I never thought about them leaving as changing things. I mean, my life is still the same, I´m still living in the same spot with the same family and using the same metro everyday and waking up to construction every morning. But, with all of them being gone... well, that does change things for me. And lastnight when I was saying goodbye to some of the other girls, I got a taste of what it is going to feel like when I leave in the Spring after having been here for so long... that´s going to be hard.
Why am I such a mess sometimes?! I swear, I never used to be as emotional as I have been the last few years... Why do I hate change so much and why is it so hard for me to deal with? It´s not like I don´t know what is coming and that things are going to change. Yet, I think I ignore it until it is actually there and I can´t ignore it anymore... then I get shocked by it!! Oh well, I guess this is life. I think now is a good time to go back to bed.
I went to the airport with Trisha this morning because she was flying out to France to spend a few days with her sister and I needed to pay the fee to change my ticket home to the Spring. Trisha is kindly taking an entire suitcase full of things home to my family for me. I went out lastnight with a couple of the girls for about an hour to say goodbye. Then I said another goodbye this morning. I´ll say another one this afternoon, and then they are all gone. Trisha is coming back, but the rest I might not ever see again... I don´t know whether it is hard because I am jealous that they all get to go home and see their families for Christmas or because I am afraid of being here alone. I´m not technically alone, I know, because I have my host parents... but I have 7 weeks of none of my friends being here, of traveling by myself, of a lot of me time. I think it scares me more than anything. I just never planned on becoming friends with all of the students and I never thought about them leaving as changing things. I mean, my life is still the same, I´m still living in the same spot with the same family and using the same metro everyday and waking up to construction every morning. But, with all of them being gone... well, that does change things for me. And lastnight when I was saying goodbye to some of the other girls, I got a taste of what it is going to feel like when I leave in the Spring after having been here for so long... that´s going to be hard.
Why am I such a mess sometimes?! I swear, I never used to be as emotional as I have been the last few years... Why do I hate change so much and why is it so hard for me to deal with? It´s not like I don´t know what is coming and that things are going to change. Yet, I think I ignore it until it is actually there and I can´t ignore it anymore... then I get shocked by it!! Oh well, I guess this is life. I think now is a good time to go back to bed.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Done
I´m done. Officially. The semester is over and I didn´t die. Tuesday I had three exams, just like I did during midterms, and then Wednesday I had two exams (one of them being Catalan). Though I don´t feel like I did spectacularly on any of the tests, I think I did fine.
So now begins my 7 weeks of break, 53 days, to be exact. For the next three days or so most of the BCA kids are still here, so I´ll spend time with them. After that, though, I am on my own. It should be fun, though. I ordered my train pass, finally for the January trip that I´ll be taking. The pass is for 10 trips in 2 months, but I´ll be using all 10 trips in less than a month. The route, for now is Geneva, Venice, Rome, Munich, Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Madrid. Though I don´t really want to use one of my passes to go to Madrid since it is so close to Barcelona, I decided it was better for me to end up back in Spain rather than having to worry about getting a flight home from who knows where. I´ll be spending between 2 or 3 days in each of the countries. I´m actually getting pretty excited about the trip, but I still have a few more things to finish up the planning process. Then, next semester Kacie will be studying in England, and Brandon will be in Ireland... so I´ll probably be taking a trip to Ireland at some point, and I know that Kacie is coming to Barcelona over her Spring break. It will be fun to finally see some familiar faces from home!
I have 22 weeks left until I go home, which sounds like a lot, but when I think about how fast Christmas/January break is going to go it really isn´t much time at all. I finally figured out which classes I´m going to take next semester, which is a huge relief. I only have 4 more classes I need to take to complete my Spanish major, and then I am also throwing in some Gen Eds... so that means when I get home I should be all caught up and only have one semester of classes left to take! Which is perfect, because it means I´ll be able to do a full time field placement in the Spring. Everything just seems to be working out!
Umm.. that´s all really. Life hasn´t been too exciting this week since so much of it was consumed with studying. I´ll try and keep this as updated as possible in th next few weeks, but since I use the computers at the University, I am limited to their Christmas Break hours. I hope you are all enjoying the last few days of exams and school and Christmas shopping. Soon you´ll all be free for a few days, like me (only I get a lot more days of freedom...)!!!!
So now begins my 7 weeks of break, 53 days, to be exact. For the next three days or so most of the BCA kids are still here, so I´ll spend time with them. After that, though, I am on my own. It should be fun, though. I ordered my train pass, finally for the January trip that I´ll be taking. The pass is for 10 trips in 2 months, but I´ll be using all 10 trips in less than a month. The route, for now is Geneva, Venice, Rome, Munich, Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Madrid. Though I don´t really want to use one of my passes to go to Madrid since it is so close to Barcelona, I decided it was better for me to end up back in Spain rather than having to worry about getting a flight home from who knows where. I´ll be spending between 2 or 3 days in each of the countries. I´m actually getting pretty excited about the trip, but I still have a few more things to finish up the planning process. Then, next semester Kacie will be studying in England, and Brandon will be in Ireland... so I´ll probably be taking a trip to Ireland at some point, and I know that Kacie is coming to Barcelona over her Spring break. It will be fun to finally see some familiar faces from home!
I have 22 weeks left until I go home, which sounds like a lot, but when I think about how fast Christmas/January break is going to go it really isn´t much time at all. I finally figured out which classes I´m going to take next semester, which is a huge relief. I only have 4 more classes I need to take to complete my Spanish major, and then I am also throwing in some Gen Eds... so that means when I get home I should be all caught up and only have one semester of classes left to take! Which is perfect, because it means I´ll be able to do a full time field placement in the Spring. Everything just seems to be working out!
Umm.. that´s all really. Life hasn´t been too exciting this week since so much of it was consumed with studying. I´ll try and keep this as updated as possible in th next few weeks, but since I use the computers at the University, I am limited to their Christmas Break hours. I hope you are all enjoying the last few days of exams and school and Christmas shopping. Soon you´ll all be free for a few days, like me (only I get a lot more days of freedom...)!!!!
Sunday, December 9, 2007
4 day weekend
My four day weekend has almost come to an end. Tomorrow I have my last Catalan class. Tuesday I have three finals, and Wednesday I have two. Then I have break for 7 weeks plus a few days (until February 4th)!
So this weekend has had a few interesting/awkward/weird/stupid moments:
Interesting: I realized I still don´t know how to study as I sat in my room trying to force myself to be a good student.
Awkward: Luisa (my host parent´s oldest daughter) shows up at the apartment Friday with her two daughters when my host parents aren´t there. I explain that they went out shopping or walking or something because I had just passed them on the street about 10 minutes earlier on my way back from Hipercor. So she and the girls leave to go find them. About an hour later, after they all come back together, they all leave to go to the park or something. I´m still sitting in my room trying to force myself to study. The apartment buzzer goes off again. I answer it and buzz Jordi in (Luisa´s husband). He comes up and I explain that I don´t know where they all went but they had been gone for a half hour or so. I suggest they might have gone to the park around the corner. So Jordi leaves to go find them. When they all come back together, we have a family lunch and noone says a word about the awkwardness from earlier in the day. Maybe this means I´m really becoming part of the family?
Weird: After dinner lastnight my host mom was talking about the customs and traditions of Christmas here. She explained that they would be going to Luisa´s house on Christmas Eve for a big family dinner. It is pretty much like all of our family meals on Christmas day. Then she said, "And you´re coming with us! Right?" It wasn´t a question, more like a statement with an added "right?" to make me feel as though I made the decision to go. So, though I am excited about really experiencing Christmas the Spanish way, it is going to be very strange to travel with my host parents and not have my room to escape to after a few hours of the whole family. It should be interesting.
Stupid: I went out lastnight with some of the girls and one of the guys from BCA as a last celebration before they all leave next Friday. The guy that was with us had 8 friends visiting who are studying in Budapest this semester. They were supposed to meet us at the bar. We´d already been there for about an hour when all of a sudden, James gets a phone call. The bouncers wouldn´t let the boys in. They were already obnoxiously drunk and were being really dumb and saying really stupid things in front of the club, so they weren´t allowed in. As the rest of us inside all got updated about what was going on outside, the whole group of guys just went down the street a little and continued their loud obnoxiousness. So the bouncers called the police. Yep, that´s right. I came out because we were just going to go somewhere else and the police were standing there telling them they needed to move and get away from the club or else... Once again I understand why so many Europeans have the stereotypes for Americans that they do.
Okay, hope you enjoyed your weekends as much as I did! Now about that studying...
So this weekend has had a few interesting/awkward/weird/stupid moments:
Interesting: I realized I still don´t know how to study as I sat in my room trying to force myself to be a good student.
Awkward: Luisa (my host parent´s oldest daughter) shows up at the apartment Friday with her two daughters when my host parents aren´t there. I explain that they went out shopping or walking or something because I had just passed them on the street about 10 minutes earlier on my way back from Hipercor. So she and the girls leave to go find them. About an hour later, after they all come back together, they all leave to go to the park or something. I´m still sitting in my room trying to force myself to study. The apartment buzzer goes off again. I answer it and buzz Jordi in (Luisa´s husband). He comes up and I explain that I don´t know where they all went but they had been gone for a half hour or so. I suggest they might have gone to the park around the corner. So Jordi leaves to go find them. When they all come back together, we have a family lunch and noone says a word about the awkwardness from earlier in the day. Maybe this means I´m really becoming part of the family?
Weird: After dinner lastnight my host mom was talking about the customs and traditions of Christmas here. She explained that they would be going to Luisa´s house on Christmas Eve for a big family dinner. It is pretty much like all of our family meals on Christmas day. Then she said, "And you´re coming with us! Right?" It wasn´t a question, more like a statement with an added "right?" to make me feel as though I made the decision to go. So, though I am excited about really experiencing Christmas the Spanish way, it is going to be very strange to travel with my host parents and not have my room to escape to after a few hours of the whole family. It should be interesting.
Stupid: I went out lastnight with some of the girls and one of the guys from BCA as a last celebration before they all leave next Friday. The guy that was with us had 8 friends visiting who are studying in Budapest this semester. They were supposed to meet us at the bar. We´d already been there for about an hour when all of a sudden, James gets a phone call. The bouncers wouldn´t let the boys in. They were already obnoxiously drunk and were being really dumb and saying really stupid things in front of the club, so they weren´t allowed in. As the rest of us inside all got updated about what was going on outside, the whole group of guys just went down the street a little and continued their loud obnoxiousness. So the bouncers called the police. Yep, that´s right. I came out because we were just going to go somewhere else and the police were standing there telling them they needed to move and get away from the club or else... Once again I understand why so many Europeans have the stereotypes for Americans that they do.
Okay, hope you enjoyed your weekends as much as I did! Now about that studying...
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Almost there
Today was my last day of classes for all of my BCA classes. I still have Catalan tonight and again on Monday, but other than that classes are over... which means finals are here. Once again, we have the same final schedule, meaning three exams for me on Tuesday and two on Wednesday instead of one because of my Catalan class as well. I'm both excited and not excited about the semester ending. Most of me is excited, but the part of my that is sad is the part that doesn't want to say goodbye to some of the people that I've become friends with. I've never been good at dealing with change though I often find that I put myself in situations where change happens frequently. So when some of the students leave next Friday, it may be the last time I'll ever see them! I guess it isn't so incredibly terrible, though, with all of the modern technology we have as well as Facebook, I'll still be able to communicate with them.
On another topic completely, I had a really good conversation with my host parents today after lunch. Usually after we finish eating I just help clear the table while my host dad starts watching TV and my host mom goes to the kitchen to wash the dishes. (I've offerred to help, but she won't let me!) Lunch today was different! After we had finished eating, my host mom and dad were talking about traveling to the United States and how it is expensive, but you can find cheap tickets if you look in the right places. So I asked them if they had ever been to the US. This started an entire conversation about travel, where they had been, how often they travelled, how much it costs, the difference between the different students that had lived with them, and all sorts of stuff. We literally sat at the table for about 30 minutes after we were finished eating, just talking! They also brought up Christmas again, and I think they are excited about sharing it with me, which makes me more excited about being here. It's so strange.. in one month I'll be getting ready to start my month of travel around Europe!!! And after that, there is only one semester left before I return home..
Speaking of home, I've been worried about what I'm going to be doing this coming summer because I was hoping to do research for the same non-profit organization I interned for last summer on a project I just started before the summer ended. However, after being here for a whole year with no work, I need to get paid next summer, so I could only do the research with a grant. The Lilly grant that funded my internship this past summer ran out, so I had started to look for other research opportunities. After a few emails, I found out that Manchester has a few summer "scholarships" for students who want to do non-profit internships this summer. Yay!! I'm not sure if I will get one of the scholarships, and even if I do, I may have to find another part-time job, but now I at least have something to aim for. If the scholarship/grant thing doesn't work out and I'm not in North Manchester this summer, then I'll probably try to find something in Indianapolis so that I can live at home for the first time since I've left for college! That would be another exciting adventure all by itself...
On another topic completely, I had a really good conversation with my host parents today after lunch. Usually after we finish eating I just help clear the table while my host dad starts watching TV and my host mom goes to the kitchen to wash the dishes. (I've offerred to help, but she won't let me!) Lunch today was different! After we had finished eating, my host mom and dad were talking about traveling to the United States and how it is expensive, but you can find cheap tickets if you look in the right places. So I asked them if they had ever been to the US. This started an entire conversation about travel, where they had been, how often they travelled, how much it costs, the difference between the different students that had lived with them, and all sorts of stuff. We literally sat at the table for about 30 minutes after we were finished eating, just talking! They also brought up Christmas again, and I think they are excited about sharing it with me, which makes me more excited about being here. It's so strange.. in one month I'll be getting ready to start my month of travel around Europe!!! And after that, there is only one semester left before I return home..
Speaking of home, I've been worried about what I'm going to be doing this coming summer because I was hoping to do research for the same non-profit organization I interned for last summer on a project I just started before the summer ended. However, after being here for a whole year with no work, I need to get paid next summer, so I could only do the research with a grant. The Lilly grant that funded my internship this past summer ran out, so I had started to look for other research opportunities. After a few emails, I found out that Manchester has a few summer "scholarships" for students who want to do non-profit internships this summer. Yay!! I'm not sure if I will get one of the scholarships, and even if I do, I may have to find another part-time job, but now I at least have something to aim for. If the scholarship/grant thing doesn't work out and I'm not in North Manchester this summer, then I'll probably try to find something in Indianapolis so that I can live at home for the first time since I've left for college! That would be another exciting adventure all by itself...
Monday, December 3, 2007
Campus Store
So I got an email from someone who works in the campus bookstore.
Hi
This is matt from the campus store. You all have packages that have been sitting over here for a while. We wound appreciate it if you would come and check your boxes and if there is no card in there then come ask someone in the campus store.
thanks, matt
Yeah. Did I mention that I am studying abroad this year?!? Oh, and did they somehow lose the forward-my-mail-home form that I filled out before leaving the country?!? The email was sent to me and about 4 others. One of the others, I noticed, had been kicked out of school last year... which might explain why he, too, has not been in to pick up his package recently. I kindly sent an email back explaining why I have not been in to check my mail this semester, and reminding them that my mail should be sent to my house because some of it could be important. Strange thing is that I haven´t gotten an email back saying thank you for reminding us or anything. Oh well.
Other than that, life here is pretty normal. Today is Monday, which means I have two more days of class this week and then three days of finals next week. We are pretty much just finishing up everything these last few days in each class. I am excited and not so excited about the semester ending. I´m ready for the classes to be over, but the end of finals also means that everyone that is here this semester is leaving. I think I may see some of the people again, but the majority of them I probably won´t, which is sort of sad. I guess that is one thing that I´ve never learned to accept in my life... that you make friends wherever you are but that they don´t all stick with you for life. The mixing of year and semester students in the Spring will be very interesting as well.
Okay, onto other things. I have continued my list of foods that I really miss and have been craving recently. The newest addition is my mom´s hamburgers, cole slaw, and maccaroni casserole. Mmmmm.... yummy. Though my mom thinks I will be a much healthier eater after this year of very few sweets, lots of yogurt, fruits and veggies, I think I might prove her wrong within a week of being home. Meanwhile, we have some really delicious pears in our house right now, and that is enough to make me shuffle out of bed every morning and start my day.
Hi
This is matt from the campus store. You all have packages that have been sitting over here for a while. We wound appreciate it if you would come and check your boxes and if there is no card in there then come ask someone in the campus store.
thanks, matt
Yeah. Did I mention that I am studying abroad this year?!? Oh, and did they somehow lose the forward-my-mail-home form that I filled out before leaving the country?!? The email was sent to me and about 4 others. One of the others, I noticed, had been kicked out of school last year... which might explain why he, too, has not been in to pick up his package recently. I kindly sent an email back explaining why I have not been in to check my mail this semester, and reminding them that my mail should be sent to my house because some of it could be important. Strange thing is that I haven´t gotten an email back saying thank you for reminding us or anything. Oh well.
Other than that, life here is pretty normal. Today is Monday, which means I have two more days of class this week and then three days of finals next week. We are pretty much just finishing up everything these last few days in each class. I am excited and not so excited about the semester ending. I´m ready for the classes to be over, but the end of finals also means that everyone that is here this semester is leaving. I think I may see some of the people again, but the majority of them I probably won´t, which is sort of sad. I guess that is one thing that I´ve never learned to accept in my life... that you make friends wherever you are but that they don´t all stick with you for life. The mixing of year and semester students in the Spring will be very interesting as well.
Okay, onto other things. I have continued my list of foods that I really miss and have been craving recently. The newest addition is my mom´s hamburgers, cole slaw, and maccaroni casserole. Mmmmm.... yummy. Though my mom thinks I will be a much healthier eater after this year of very few sweets, lots of yogurt, fruits and veggies, I think I might prove her wrong within a week of being home. Meanwhile, we have some really delicious pears in our house right now, and that is enough to make me shuffle out of bed every morning and start my day.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
December 1st!!
It is December 1st, meaning... I GET TO START EATING THE CANDY FROM MY ADVENT CALENDAR!!!
Okay, so I´m not just excited about treating myself to a piece of chocolate every day, I just love this time of year. Though it is really different this year to be here instead of home, and really hard to think that I´ll still be here for Christmas and New Years, I still love this time of year. This is probably going to be one of the hardest Christmas´s ever, and yet I will probably remember it for the rest of my life. You know, one of the hardest parts of being here for Christmas instead of home is going to be missing the Christmas Eve service at my church, missing reading the story of Jesus´ birth with my family before we open presents Christmas morning, missing making desserts with my mom to take over to my grandparents´ house.. Okay, so I guess I´m going to miss a lot. And it will be hard. But I´ll make it through, and I get to have the awesome opportunity to experience Christmas in a new culture and to participate in the traditions and customs of my host family. This is just another step in my life to help me grow... meanwhile the chocolate pieces every day will help, because chocolate solves everything, right?
When did growing up become so hard? As much as it is amazing to see where God leads me in my life, it is hard too... I mean, I trust that He is guiding me, but I´ve never liked change. And the change never ends. Once I come home from here, I just get to deal with more change, only this time I´ll be speaking English.. Hmm.. I think I´ll try and make friends with Peter Pan so I can fly off to Neverland.
Okay, so I´m not just excited about treating myself to a piece of chocolate every day, I just love this time of year. Though it is really different this year to be here instead of home, and really hard to think that I´ll still be here for Christmas and New Years, I still love this time of year. This is probably going to be one of the hardest Christmas´s ever, and yet I will probably remember it for the rest of my life. You know, one of the hardest parts of being here for Christmas instead of home is going to be missing the Christmas Eve service at my church, missing reading the story of Jesus´ birth with my family before we open presents Christmas morning, missing making desserts with my mom to take over to my grandparents´ house.. Okay, so I guess I´m going to miss a lot. And it will be hard. But I´ll make it through, and I get to have the awesome opportunity to experience Christmas in a new culture and to participate in the traditions and customs of my host family. This is just another step in my life to help me grow... meanwhile the chocolate pieces every day will help, because chocolate solves everything, right?
When did growing up become so hard? As much as it is amazing to see where God leads me in my life, it is hard too... I mean, I trust that He is guiding me, but I´ve never liked change. And the change never ends. Once I come home from here, I just get to deal with more change, only this time I´ll be speaking English.. Hmm.. I think I´ll try and make friends with Peter Pan so I can fly off to Neverland.
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