Home..

This post is way over due but I have made it safely home! I arrived on June 13th at 2:15pm in Chicago O'Hare. I was greeted by my wonderful fiance and brought safely home, where jet lag caught up. I had a couple busy and jet laged filled days of class, paper work for my new job, and seeing those people who I had missed for the last nine months. Classes at Rock Valley have kept me so busy so I have not had a ton of time to update. From now on I will go back to updating my regular blog unless it is Spain related!

Madrid!

Hello Everyone!

I am offically in the capital of Spain. After a rough night of what I guess we will call sleep I woke up, said a sad goodbye to my host mom and to Castellón and headed caught the 7:30am train to Madrid. After a little under 3 hours in the train with some sleep and reading I had arrived in Spain. The train station was HUGE and lugging around a 70pound suitcase and then my backpack and carry on suitcase I decided to spend a little extra money and catch a taxi instead of trying to catch a metro (or subway) I didn´t want to risk having to carry all of it up or down stairs.
The taxi ride was, interesting. The train station is not really in the center of town and the way we went I saw a lot of neighborhoods that I really hope I will not have to see while I am here. In the end though I made it to my hostel safe and sound. The hostel is nothing special, it is clean (and has a very overpowering smell of clean to prove it) and a place to sleep, the elevator is a little scary though so I will be opting for the stairs when I don´t have a suitcase.
Anyways, I´m going to go explore the city and see what there is too see! I´ll probably report back later!

Love you all!

P.S (I forgot about to put this in earlier) This morning my taxi driver was telling me how he used to live in the states and all over South America and what not and it was so neat to hear about. It was also nice to know that even though he probably knew English he still chose to talk to me in Spanish :)

Where has the time gone?

Hello Everyone!

I hope you are all doing well! I have just officially finished my semester here in Spain, after 3 attempts at a test for one of my photo class I have finally passed, YEAH! Before people start saying ¨3 attempts?¨ let me explain. First off this class was poorly organized, due to my original professor having health problems in the beginning of the semester we were given a different professor who could only help us with doing the practical part of class and we were teaching ourselves the theory part. Then 4 weeks before the end of the semester our original professor begins teaching theory. Then to make passing the class more difficult for every two questions you got worng on the test it took away one of the correct answers you had. To make this more clear, the last time I took the test I got 16 right and 4 wrong, the 4 wrong would take 2 of my correct answers away leaving me with 14 right, which makes it 7 out of 10. Anyways, I finally passed thankfully!
My days are very limited here though, today I recieve my scholarship money for living with a family, pick up my certificate for my Spanish class, have lunch with my American friend where we had our first lunch ever here, and then going out with some friends. Tomorrow I will be going to Valencia with my host mom (weather permitting) and then relaxing. Sunday will be getting everything ready, spending time with my host mom and her family is coming over to say their final goodbyes. Then Monday I head off to Madrid leaving my house at about 6:45am and arriving at 10:30am there. I then will fit everything that I can into Monday and Tuesday and see as much as I can see before I leave Wednesday. I have to be leaving my hostel at around 8am to get to the airport on time, then I will land at Chicago O´hare at 2:15pm Chicago time (9:15pm Spain time) where my lovely fiance Dan will pick me up and we will make the journey home.
As you see the next few days are pretty busy so I do not know when I will update again. I will try sometime this weekend and maybe if I´m lucky in Madrid as I will have some time to kill at night once it gets dark as I will be traveling alone. If not I´ll post once I am stateside!
Love you all!

The End Is Near

Hello Everyone! 

To those of you in the states I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! To those of you in Spain and other's taking exams I hope you are doing well on your finals! And to all the rest I hope all is well. In the beginning missing even the smallest holiday was the biggest thing for me, but as my time has went on I have learned that giving up a few holidays was well worth the price. Yes I missed turkey on Thanksgiving, and seeing my siblings faces early in the morning on Christmas, and I missed Easter egg hunts, and BBQ's and birthdays and all those other little things but what I gained was so much more and I have so many more years of those holidays with my wonderful family to celebrate. I have gained another family who I care about very deeply and will always be a part of my heart, I have gained friendships that I hope will carry with me throughout life, I have gained the experience of learning another language, of living in another country, and of adapting to a different life, I have traveled and seen more than I ever thought possible, and so much more. This has been one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life and I thank all of you for supporting me and helping me. It has been a bumpy ride at times but with all of my friends and family I have made it though.

In 2 weeks I will be home, 2 weeks! I cannot believe that the time is already here for me to head back. As the end is coming I have thought a lot more about the beginning and how it all started and in some ways it seems like it was just yesterday and in others it seems like centuries ago. The person who arrived in Spain is completely different that the person who will be leaving. I have developed my Spanish so much, although there is always room for improvement the fact that I have not only survived but created a relationship with someone that is so deep who doesn't speak my native language proves that I am doing something right. I have learned, okay I am still learning, to roll with the punches, although it is a lesson that is not completely learned I have had to adapt and accept that not everything is as structured as I am used to. Although I was never really a dependent person I am leaving this experience a more independent and confident person. I have learned that me and my happiness have to come first, and although I prefer making others happy if I am happy with who I am and what I have done then that is enough because at the end of the day the only person who I have to deal with is me. 

Well it is time for me to end this blog and get back to studying, my last final is Friday and afterwards I am celebrating with a trip to Valencia to buy a Starbucks and my last round of souvenirs from there. I then have a nice relaxing week filled with friends, my Castellon family, the beach, and sadly packing and saying goodbye to Castellon. Lastly, I will make a two day trip to Madrid to see the capital of Spain and then flying home. I will try to update this atleast once and updating my 365project whenever I get an interesting picture to share! 

Love you all! 

Thought I Would Try Something New

Hello Everyone, 

I thought I would post a video instead of typing a long boring blog that you have to read, hope you like it! 

And here is the link to my 365 project that I said I would post : http://365project.org/pdwhalen/365

Oh the Differences

I am a month and ten days away from being back in America and I realized that I have not really talked about the differences between Spain and the U.S.A. I think that this is because I usually try to avoid comparing two completely different cultures to each other, but I think today is a good day to write a blog about it.
I will start with the differences in the classroom. In the states if you talk in class while the teacher is talking there are usually consequences and it is not accepted, here in Spain however you are shushed but then you go on with your conversation, which I think is very rude.  Also, class almost never starts on time here in Spain, which goes with their relaxed culture but is a very big difference. The professors will change the time or place of a class that you originally signed up for whereas in the states I have never had that happen. Usually your class is based on one big paper or presentation and then a test, no homework, nothing else. But, here you get two chances on your final exam, so if you don't pass the first time no worries, you will take it during the second try exam period and hopefully pass.
The differences in the home are the most interesting to me. Almost every Sunday everyone gets together with their family and they have a very large meal, this is possible because every single store is closed throughout the town. Grandparents have a very active role in the lives of their grandchildren and usually help the parents to watch the children while they work. Other little differences are that most people do not have dryers so clothes are hung to dry, most people live in apartments or flats, and most of the floors are wooden.
The food, oh the food! I personally love the food here, I know others who have visited and who are studying here who do not agree though. I love the color that I have on every plate that my host mom makes for me. She also makes me eat a ton of fruit which I really have grown to love. Just in general I feel as if they eat healthier, there isn't a McDonald's every couple of blocks, actually you have to quite a ways to get it if you want in my town. Everyone walks as well so the amount of overweight people is much less than I am used to seeing in the states.
Another thing that I really appreciate and love about Spain is that they take pride in their country. There are fountains and statues and flowers and everything like this all over the place and I feel like that shows that they are proud and want to show off their abilities and make their country more beautiful. The architecture as well is just so beautiful.
As with every culture there are differences from what we are used to, some of them we like, some of them we do not. With every culture though we appreciate a little bit more of our own and learn a little bit more and appreciate a little bit more as well of the other.

I'm a lucky girl

As you can tell I have not updated my blog in a while and I am very sorry about that. I have been busy and just haven't found the time to write. I left off on the second day of Magdelena and that was because I was preparing to meet my parents in Barcelona and then go with them to Rome. We spent 4 days in Rome and it was beautiful, we saw just about everything that you imagine seeing in Rome. The food was wonderful and the town was just breath-taking, I would love to go back to Rome someday.
We then traveled back to Spain and visited my town and my host mom, saw my university, the town, and had a nice lunch with my host mom. Our last day was in Barcelona were we saw as much as we could with the rain. I then said goodbye to my parents and came back to Castellon. Waiting for me in Castellon was the beginning of my Spanish course and a ten page paper that I had to write about a book in Spanish. I had the advantage of reading the book in English which helped but the paper still took a lot of time and work. A couple weeks later my grandparents came here and we spend 10 wonderful days in Barcelona. We did so many things and loved walking around the Gothic area there. We did make a trip to Castellon to see my town and it was very enjoyable. The only bad thing about the trip was that my grandpa got pick-pocketed in the Metro on their second to last day here. A warning to you all, be careful whenever you are in a big town not just Barcelona. I said goodbye to them and came home to have a wonderful friend of mine here help me correct my paper and to finish it.
I then took a couple days to relax and enjoy the wonderful weather we have been having here. One of those days was a BBQ with the students and families of the Family Program here. It was a hot day but it was very nice to see everyone and for all of us to talk. I also love any occasion when I get to see my host mom's grand-kids, they remind of home.
So here I am writing this blog to all of you. A couple more updates... I will be home in only 47 days, time has just gone by too fast. I am getting excited to come home though too. I also officially quite my first and only official job at Steak 'n Shake, and received a new job coaching T-Ball at Belvidere Park District this summer. I signed up for 3 summer classes at Rock Valley College this summer as well. Life back home is going to be hecktic which is why I am enjoying the rest of the time I have here. My relationship with my host mom is still wonderful and leaving her is going to be the hardest thing I will have to do during my trip.
Nothing else too much, classes are wrapping up so I am working on getting ready for finals and working on final projects, which is harder than usual, and preparing for my trip back home.

Hope you all are well. I'll try to update soon!

Magdalena - Day 2

Hola!

Today begin early, well early in the eyes of my host mom, at 10:30am when we were all hustling to get out the door and begin our day. We didn't successful get out the door until 11:00am but then began our 8 kilometer walk to the Magdalena. What is the Magdalena you may find yourself wondering? Not only is it the name of the festival but it is also a Cathedral on a little mountain on the outskirts of town. It is a tradition for most of the town to walk there on the first Sunday of the festival. Some begin at 7:30 with canas (basically walking sticks) and others start later on in the day. We decided that the canas were not very important to us so we started later on. Some groups of people coordinate clothing, some wear the typical bandanna (which is a blue and white plaid) around their necks, and others the typical clothing of the magdalena festival. There are multiple stopping points to stop and eat some food, buy some balloons for the kids, or just rest a little while. We kept on walking because we felt that if we stopped we wouldn't get up again.

Once we arrived at the top there were a few people making a huge serving of Paella and a very long line for people to wait for it, after all it was free, people selling ice-cream, soda, typical food of the Magdalena, and much more. We sat down and ate our lunch because we didn't want to wait for the Paella we had packed sandwiches and fruit. We rested a while and watch and took pictures and then headed to find the buses to take us back. We figured we deserved a break and the 1.50 euros didn't seem too bad for a nice calm ride back to Castellon. Once we were back in town we began our short walk home, but not without stopping for a little ice cream for all of that hard work. We arrived at the house, rested, and everyone else took a little nap!

It is now dark as I finish this post and the sound of the music and fireworks are getting louder as families heading out for the night for drinks, concerts, and partying.

Tomorrow is just another day filled with surprises for me and for you!

Magdelena - Day 1

This week begins the festival of the Magdalena in my city in Spain. It is a festival that started today and will end next Sunday. There is a lot that goes on every day so I thought it might be good if I update my blog more frequently during the days that I am here for it.

La fiesta de la Magdalena celebrates the birth of Castellon more than 700 years ago. It begins around noon with la mascleta which is a combination of fireworks and other explosions such as firecrackers. There were many people there and there were so many fireworks that the ground was shaking and the sky was filled with clouds of smoke. Later at 4pm is a parade called Cabalgera del Prego which included floats, bands, and tons of dancers. I attended for a little while, but as it is about two to three hours long and mostly dancers my host mom and me decided to leave after about an hour and a half. Throughout the day there is drinking and tapas, shopping at little tents, and children setting off little firecrackers and other fireworks in the streets. Later on, once it is dark out there were fireworks that were so loud you couldn't miss them. Now, as I sit in my bed after a very long day I hear music and other noises from the street (and I live on the 9th floor). I will not be participating in the partying this evening because tomorrow morning we have another adventure to embark on which will require a lot of energy. I won't tell you too much now though you'll have to wait until tomorrow!

Hasta Manana!

Tick Tock... I need the clock to stop

Hello Everyone!

Not too much has happened lately. The most exciting thing that I have done was taken a trip to a near-by town named Valencia where I did a little souvenir shopping and got some Starbucks with one of my friends here. It was a beautiful day and a lovely trip. I love Valencia because it is slightly bigger than Castellon and there is a Starbucks as well as a few other places that remind me of home.

Also, Inma's son and grandson recently had birthdays last weekend so we all go together and ate lunch and of course sang feliz cumpleanos to them and ate cake. It was a wonderful Sunday with my family here. I was also able to see how much more I understand in Spanish which is always a plus!

I also have passed my 100 days left until I return home which is a happy and sad realization at the same time. I miss my friends and family and am excited to come home to you all soon, but I know I will miss my family and friends here as well.

My live is about to get more interesting here for a while though. Tomorrow morning begins a festival called Magdalena here in Castellon. There are bull fights, a walk to a mountain, and many more traditions for me to look forward to and experience. I will only be in town until Wednesday morning though as I will be meeting my parents in Barcelona Wednesday evening and we will then be flying out to Rome, Italy Thursday morning. We will be there until Monday night and then we will spend the next few days in Spain until they leave Thursday. I will of course post about that after they leave.

I then get about two weeks to relax and then I will have a visit from my Grandparents. I am again meeting them in Barcelona and then we will be taking day trips around the area and exploring Barcelona. Once they leave I will only have a little over two months left and I know the time will fly faster than it has been even.

My host mom continues to tell me that I speak Spanish very well and that I am improving. I know that my Spanish class that will be beginning next week will help my Spanish continue to grow. I think that I am getting a little too acostumed to the lifestyle here. I am very relaxed and calm and enjoy my relaxing afternoons which sometimes include the siesta. The weather is getting warmer so hopefully that means that I will be going to the beach soon!

Hope all is well! Hasta luego!

Opps.. It's been a while

With the wrapping up of the holidays and starting classes again I have neglected my blog. I will give you a summary of what has been going on.

Dan came and visited 3 days after Christmas and I was able to show him around Castellon and celebrate New Years with him. We spent a few days in Barcelona as well and had a great time. It was fun to be able to share what I have learned with someone from home.

I took my finals for my regular classes here and have found out that I passed!! I am not sure what my grades will be back at WIU but I do know that I have passed them.

I spend 5 days in London! I went with a girl that I meet here from the states. It was a lot of fun, but very cold! We went to the Westminster Abbey which has a lot of history and is very pretty (but you can't take pictures), the British Museum which has items like the Rosetta stone, Cleopatra, and a tons more. We also saw a debate in Parliament, Big Ben, ate fish and chips and drank tea, went to Hyde park, notting hill, Piccadilly circus, convent gardens and much more. It was a great trip and I would love to go back someday.

I came back from London and moved into the bigger room that had become available because the woman who was living with Inma moved to be closer to her son. Inma's son has spent many Saturdays here painting the house and doing a little sprusing up and it has been nice to interact with him and his family as well.

Finally, I have started my classes here again. I am taking History of Medieval Europe and Photography both in Spanish. It is a challenge but I think it will be very good. I will also be taking a Spanish class that will begin in late March. It has officially been 5 months since I left home and tomorrow it will be 4 months til I return home. I can't believe how time has flown. I have so much to look forward to this semester, my parents visiting, going to Rome, my grandparents visiting, going to Germany, going to Madrid, and much more! I promise I will be better and updating this but to avoid a really long post I am going to stop now.

Until next time Adios!

Holidays in Spain

The Christmas season in Spain only just ended. But lets begin with how it started.

I previously wrote about the Immaculate Conception of Mary on December 8th. I don't quite know how all of the religious part works with the birth of Jesus being less than a month later but that isn't important for the purpose of my blog. Inma's Son, Daughter-in-law, and their two children came over and Inma made a ton of food. They stayed for hours and we talked and ate and had a good time. It reminded me of Thanksgiving back home a little bit. The following days the Christmas tree and decorations around town and in my flat were being put up and stores began their Christmas sales.

Then December 24th came. I was invited to Inma's Daughter-In-Laws families house for diner. Again there was tons of food! We ate mussels, ham, nuts, eels, prawn, and other types of fish. I could tell that the kids were getting antsy and Inma's grandson kept getting up and checking to see if he could see Santa. As the table was almost done getting cleared the kids ran outside. Apparently, Santa had come during dinner and brought some of their toys. They ran inside with their presents and soon the hallway was filled with wrapping paper and family wanting to see what they got. Angel, Inma's son, then turned to me and a family member my age and told us that there was something for us out there from Santa as well. It was a stocking with candy inside which was a very nice surprise. Then once the kids had calmed down and the paper was slightly organized Inma handed me a present. I opened it and it was a gold tealight candle holder. As I was not expected to be exchanging gifts until the morning I told her I had gifts for her back home. We all returned to the dinning room and there were snacks and drinks on the table. The kids played with their toys and asked parents to put things together as the adults sat around and talked for a while. Here I had the opportunity to explain Christmas back home and I was told that Santa would also visit the Children's home through the night leaving presents for the morning but he brings one or two the night before. Also, they had another day, even bigger called "el dia de los reyes magos" (the day of the 3 kings) We then all left and went our separate directions.

When I woke up the next morning Inma was making Paella already and I was happy. I was told that it is normal to eat Paella on Christmas. As Inma was finishing with Paella and about to get ready to serve, I told her to go into the living room and she immediately saw the presents that I got her. I had given her oven mits, a statue of liberty ornament, and coffee for her coffee maker as it is a little pricey and I knew she didn't like spending money on it herself. She was so happy and loved all of it. She then gave me another gift that she said she was going to give me on the day of the 3 kings, it was a mardi gras type mask and it was beautiful. We then ate our Paella and spent a little time together. Later that night she went to Church and I watched some of my favorite Christmas movies.

Then Dan came on the 28th (I will post about what we did while he was here later as I want to focus on the Holidays.) And New Years Eve quickly approached. Inma had told me that everyone goes out to Plaza del Sol and waits for the clock to strike 12 and then eats twelve grapes, one for every ring, and for each one you eat on the ring you will have a month of good luck. Then you toast with Champagne and kiss your love. The Plaza was filled with people and we had a fair share of crazies out there with us, including a guy who climbed up onto a street light post (note: they aren't as high here as they are at home but they are a little higher than a stop sign). Once midnight hit everyone screamed and sadly we weren't able to hear the rings but we still ate our grapes, toasted, and kissed. Then everyone started spraying Champagne and getting a little too crazy. It was til this point that we had thought about going out dancing or for a drink but we decided not too. The disco's were charging 20 euro for entry and most the bars we passed were closed so we went home, put in a movie, and drank some Sangria. It was a good night to me!

Now most of you think that this ends the Holiday season back home and everyone now becomes depressed and sad. Not in Spain. They then begin preparing for "El dia de los reyes magos" (Day of the 3 Kings) which is bigger than Christmas back home. Again, don't ask me how it relates to the bible you can do that research on your own, But it began on January 5th with a parade through the center of town. EVERYONE from Castellon was at this parade, I swear not a single person stayed in their house, the streets were filled with people. The bands began with songs and then the floats filled with kids and adults throwing candy, not tossing candy, but throwing it, like a fast ball. It hurt when it hit you and I didn't get many pictures as I was trying to protect myself. They also threw a lot more than you usually see back in the states and even the parents were going crazy to get it. It was short but a lot of fun. Then the kids go home or to different families homes and have dinner. This dinner was more for individual families so I did not go with my host mom's grandchildren but I was told that the kings stopped by their dinner and gave them each an early present to open.

Then on January 6th the Children wake up really early and open their presents that the kings left them. Inma's grandchildren also stopped by to open their gift from her and tell her about their gifts. They were full of excitement and probably sugar!

Now the holidays are officially over and decorations are slowly being taken town in the house and throughout town. I have successfully completed my first Christmas away from home and I hope it will be my last that I have to be away from my family. I will say that without my lovely host family here I would not have made it through.

Now I am off to enjoy my last few days with Dan. I will post about our adventures once he leaves and my finals are over on Friday and before I prepare for my trip to London!

Hasta Lluego (See you soon)