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!
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
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 :)
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 :)
Friday, June 8, 2012
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!
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!
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
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!
Sunday, May 20, 2012
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!
Thursday, May 3, 2012
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 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.
Friday, April 27, 2012
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!
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!
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