Hi from home sweeeeet home....
Made it back safely with no problems..just a few delays. I am SO happy to be home---I can't even tell you. Going abroad was by far the best thing I've done in my life as of yet...I learned so much about myself and the world we live in...I feel like I have a different place in it, if that makes sense. I feel like my vision is bigger and my boundaries are wider...I have this confidence that I can do anyyyything and go anyyywhere and be OK. It was also the hardest thing I've done as of yet...but looking back on it, it was nothing but a happy experience. This quote has been in my head for past few weeks--(some guy said it in People Magazine's Sexiest Men of the Year Issue...I know, lame, but it's so good)---"Knowledge is sexy and international travel is the best education you can get".

Here are some other things I learned....
*I love and am now addicted to olives with anchovies in them (a traditional Spanish dish)
*I will neverrr grow if I stay in a place where I am always comfortable and secure
*you gain what you risk
*you cannnn survive living in a country where you don't know the language
*In the long run, I don't want to live in a big city
*I can cook (enough to get by :))
*how to know people's nationality just by looking at them (Spanish, French, German, American)
*a tonnnn about Judaism
*I'm now functional in Spanish...wahoo.
*there is NO PLACE like home
*a relationship across an ocean is possible...with patience and understanding.
*it's good to question your beliefs
*having an open mind in evvvery aspect of life is so so important
*I know more about Spanish history than I know about American
*the currency exchange rate sucks
*friends from home who have tried to stay in touch are the ones that matter
*European fashion is gooood...and pretty much anyone can pull off skinny jeans...just remember that. haha...
*hostels aren't scary
*ryanair.com is da bomb
*how to pack for a trip using only a backpack
*there are so many things to see in the U.S. and I'm going to start taking advantage of traveling to new places in my own country
*I can do ANYTHING

John got here Thursday morning (I got a little lost in the airport and had him waiting for 30 minutes...) and it was so good to seeeee hiiiiiim. We just hung out that day and got used to actually being in the same room with eachother. We left for Paris on Friday morning...it was AMAZING...absolutely freezing (we're talking chicago in the winter time)...but a great trip overall. On Friday, we did a free walking tour throughout the city. Our guide was really cool and knew a lot of random information...For example, you know big horse statues with famous men on them? Well if the horse is standing on all 4 legs, the man died of natural causes...if the horse has one of his front legs up, he died of unnatural causes...and if the horse is on his hind legs, the man died in battle. Good to know, right? Moving on..on the walking tour we went to St. Michael's Fountain, The Louvre, Arc De Triomphe, and a bunch of cool plazas and squares. After, we met Ashley (who was also in Paris for the weekend) at the Louvre...the place is HUGE (if you looked at every painting and sculpture in the louvre for 30 seconds, it would take you a consecutive 3 months....thank you tour guide). We saw the Mona Lisa (a tiiiiny little painting) and some others we thought might be important. The three of us went to dinner after. On Saturday, the three of us went to The Eiffel Tower.....we waited for about an hour to ride the elevator to the top...it really is an amazing structure...and the view from the top was really good. The tower is just as beautiful as I thought it would be. We went to lunch after....and ate delicious French onion soup (one of France's specialties, obviously). That night, John and I went up to the Sacre Couer Cathedral (Sacred Heart)...it's on top of a hill and overlooks the entire city. It was by far our favorite thing we did. We hung out inside for a while and just took it all in...really pretty and peaceful inside. Afterwards, we walked around that area of town, it's called Montmarte....really funky and fun and young with a lot of cute restaurants and little shops. We ate at a hole-in-the-wall Italian place and it was awesome. On Sunday, John and I got omelettes (thank you again, France) and went to the Notre Dame cathedral (yes...from The Hunchback of Notre Dame). We did a tour of the inside and there was mass going on, which was cool to see, but weird to be walking around while people were trying to worship. We climed 422 steps to the top...it was a struggle, let me tell you, but the view was definitely worth it. After that, we went to the St. Chapelle....a chapel made of almost all stained-glass...it was crazy. We got crepes that afternoon (a "must" when you are there) and then flew back to Madrid that night. It really was such a fun trip...even better being with John.
*Everyone finished finals today...and we are all celebrating tonight :)
*I head home on Saturday...I can't believe this is almost done! Seriously, it flew. I'm sad...and happy. Both of those things. More to come...

pictures are up! :) see you soon! (weird)

hey heyyyy...

*So on Monday our apartment threw a Hanukkah party (led by my wonderful roomate and token jew friend, Miriam)...she cooked latkes (potato pancakes) and we ate them with sourcream and apple sauce. I know its sounds disgusting...but it was delicious. She and her Jewish friends from around the city (they always find eachother) lit the Menorah and said the traditional prayers...it was really cool to be a part of it. I've learned so much about Judaism living with her. You know how there are different degrees of a religion? Well she is like, the strictest and most traditional kind. She only eats kosher foods...and she goes to synagogue every Friday night no matter where she is (Amsterdam, Rome, Barcelona, etc.) She doesn't use any electricity during the Sabbath....so she cooks all of her food for the next 24 hours before sundown on Friday night...she doesn't take any form of transportation during the Sabbath--you can only walk...so she usually ends up walking an hour to synagogue and an hour back...she also doesn't spend any money during the Sabbath. She's like, so dedicated. It's really admirable. At home, she has a ton of Jewish friends...but here, she's often the only one and has to do all of it by herself....she's said she really misses her Jewish friends--because community and being with friends and family is such a huge part of the religion. Every single aspect of her life revolves around her faith...and it's been a really great experience living with her. I'm planning on going to visit her in New Jersey and she told me she'd show me "how the Jews do"...hahaha can't wait.

*Last night, Ashley, Miriam, Sarah and I went to see the play Beauty and the Beast! (La Bella y La Bestia). It was really good...exactly like the one in the States...(I guess thats what you'd expect, right?) But like...all of the songs were perfectly translated...and all the words fit the rhythm and everything. It was great fun and made me realize how much I miss going to the theatre.

*I got my haircut yesterday...I was scared to death because apparently, you run a high risk of getting a mullet when you get your hair cut in Spain..but I made it out alright. whew.

hiiiii!
-Barcelona (actually, its BarTHElona...don't you feel silly?) was so fun! Turns out its my favorite city in Spain..for sure. Sorry Madrid...you just got beat. It was just like, bright....if that makes any sense. A lot of young people...really funky and trendy...everyone pretty much spoke English...clean...modern. Loves it.
-Barcelona is in the north west part of Spain on the Balearic Sea coast. It has about 1.5 million people and is the 2nd largest city in the country...the official language is Catalan (which is a mix of French and Spanish) and if you can't speak Catalan, they prefer you speak English. There is a lot of tension between Barcelona and the rest of Spain---it started a long time ago (Spanish Civil War) and is still going strong....they just have a deep need for independence...and its pretty much a competition between them (the area of Catalunya) and the rest of the country...
-Ashley, Jessica, Tory, and I got there on Thursday...two of Jessica's friends, Marteen (the one from Florence..remember?) and Garrett (he's studying abroad in Germany) met us there. They were great guys...and all of us together could speak English, Spanish, German, Italian, and Chinese. Crazy, right?
-We walked around on Thursday...went down "Spain's Most Famous Street"-Las Ramblas--its this long street with little booths, flower shops, street performers...it was fun, especially at night. We did some shopping...there was a lot of really cute local jewelery stores..That night, our hostel arranged a "night out" for anyone who was interested....we went to an Italian restaurant and then to a couple of bars...it was the 6 of us, plus 2 guys from Kentucky (weird, yeah?), 2 girls from DePaul (even weirder), an Australian, and a guy and girl from Slovakia. It's so weird throwing random people from around the world together at a dinner table...really cool though. I learned some Australian slang and got to talk about my favorite things to do in Nashville with the Kentucky boys..haha!
-On Friday, we did one of those bus tours of the city...we lucked out with the weather (just a litttttle chilly..but sunny) so it was great...It was nice to just ride through the city...we saw the the Olympic Stadium, rode a cable car to the top of the city for a good view, we saw the Gothic Barrio, Pueblo Espanol, and the National Art Museum of Catalunya. We were standing outside the art museum in this huge plaza and this guy walked up to Jess and Garrett and asked them to be extras in their student film..haha...so they were pretty famous for a while. We got lunch at a cute tapas place.....and rode the bus some more. That night we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner...it was delicious.
-Saturday was my favorite day...We had a 2 day deal for the bus...and we got to see all of Gaudi's works. Antoni Gaudi was a famous Spanish architect who was based in Barcelona so all his work is there...I didn't realize how much I liked his stuff, but it was really fun and weird...all of his buildings look like they belong in candy land...colorful, bubbly, over-the-top. We saw Casa Botillo, this huge house that looks like you can eat it....we went to La Sagrada Familia- a huge cathedral that he started building in 1882. He worked on it for 40 years before he died, and they are still working on it...they expect it to be finished in 2020. We didn't wanna pay to do a guided tour or whatever, so we went to mass in it for free..which was really cool. The only parts that are really finished inside are the stained glass windows..pretty pretty. After, we went to Park Guell...a huge park with colorful statues, monuments, walls, and sculptures by Gaudi..he also built his house there, which was cool to see. The park was beautiful...a lot of people...and ladies selling funky jewelry and stuff...We saw the Barcelona futbol stadium and ate dinner at Hardrock Cafe...wahoo.
- Ashley, Jessica and I had a lot of good talks on this trip...at the airport, we talked for hours about everything...like how relationships change over the years...and how you learn throughout your life which qualities you need in someone...how big of an influence your family has on your relationships and the way you treat people/ let people treat you...They are just solid girls and we always seem to end up talking about things that matter...we get eachother thiiiinking...and I like it.
- John gets here on Thursday and I'M SO EXCITEDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!! I can't believe its here already...I remember being like, "ahhhh 4 more months"...and then "we made it to october!"...haha..and now its THIS WEEK. I'm beyond excited.

pictures are up :)
hope you're doing great.

It's Christmas time in Madriiiiiid...and I love it. All the lights are up and there are actually men in the streets "roasting chessnuts over an open fire"...and little quartets singing Christmas music...Speeeeeaking of people singing....on the metro, people sing and play guitar or sing along with these kareoke machine things...and I mean, its pretty crowded in there so you have no choice but to watch them and make awkward eye contact...and then you feel guilty not giving them money because you've made eye contact..Miriam has such an issue with these people haha...she says, "WHYYY do you think I want to listen to you? Whyyy do you think you are worthy of my time??"
*Its my last weekend in Madrid (Barcelona..then Paris..then home)...and it's been really relaxing and nice not traveling for once in a while. Today, Miriam and Sarah and I went to the Reina Sofia Museum..its one of the main museums in Madrid and one of the best art museums in Europe...we saw works by Picasso, Moro, Dali...it was really cool. After...we went to Starbucks and walked around Retiro Park...Ohhh Madridddd..how i'll miss you.

I just got back from the grocery store...do you think it's obvious that I'm American when I only buy peanut butter, pickles, mexican salsa, and gum? Surely not...
Also, the grocery store clerks don't bag your items here...they just throw you a plastic bag and you have to hurry and do it yourself..and the person behind you is always waiting for you to move and getting in your personal space...it's nerve-racking....

So my Spanish Civ and Culture class took a field trip to the Spanish Senate today....the tour was in Spanish so I can't really tell you a lot...except that it was pretty..and that the Spanish 6th graders that were in our tour group needed to lay off the sugar.

After the tour, our teacher, Isabel, treated us to coffee. She's really sweet..her English is a little shaky so it makes it easy to listen to her teach because she searches for words a lot...She has an interesting life...she sings at a jazz club in Madrid and has a little boy who is 11....her husband is a lawyer and her parents are involved with something in the government because they always get invited to events at The Royal Palace...cool, yeah? Anyway, at coffee we were talking about how we think college is the perfect time to go abroad if you're ever going to do it...And Isabel said that it's very common for Spanish kids to start traveling and studying abroad at a much earlier age--like, elementary school. Her son goes to The German School of Madrid and is fluent in German...he spent 3 weeks in Germany with a host family last summer and can't wait to go back again...it's like, no big deal that he is 11 years old. Wild, right? (Kids live with their parents til they are 30 but think nothing of moving to a foreign country when they are 11)...She said that it's much easier and affordable for Spanish kids to do stuff like that. Innnnnnteresting....

In my Women's Roles class ,we got a copy of the "Teachers Agreement" from 1923...the following are some of the rules that teachers had to abide by..I found it interesting and wanted to share...enjoy.
I, ______________, agree:
1. Not to get married. This agreement will be automatically cancelled and without effect if the teacher gets married.
2. Not to be in the company of men.
3.To be at home between the hours of 8pm and 6am, unless to attend a school play.
4. Not to be in downtown icecream shops and cafes.
5. Not to leave the city under any circumstance without permission from the Presdent of the Delegates Board
6. Not to smoke cigarettes. This agreement will be automatically cancelled and without effect if the teaher is found smoking.
7. Not to drink beer, wine, or whiskey.
8. Not to travel by car or motor vehicle with any man except her brother or father.
9. Not to wear shine-colored clothes.
10. Not to dye her hair.
11. To wear at least two petticoats.
12. Not to wear dresses shorter than 5cm over her ankles.
13. To keep the classroom clean: Sweep the floor at least once a day, wash the classroom floor at least once a week with hot water, clean the blackboard at least once a day, light the fire at 7am so that the classroom is warm at 8am when the children arrive.
14. Not to use facial powders, make-up, or lipstick.


peace out

Hey hey...
Switzerland was great!
*Just a little Geneva, Switzerland background info: it was an 1 1/2 flight from Madrid....everyone speaks French there (weird, right?) and some people speak German and Italian...most people understand a little English....their currency is the Swiss Franc which is awesome if you're used to using Euros (it's pretty much double its worth)...it's really clean, really safe, and really modern.
*Sarah, Ben and I flew into Geneva Thursday night...we ate dinner at an Italian restaurant next to our hotel and it was delicioussss (nothing like a traditional Thanksgiving meal)...it was pouring rain so we went back to the hotel and just watched CNN for like, 4 hours straight. It was the first time I've watched TV since August and it was glorious. We got up early on Friday and transferred to our hostel (we had to split up where we stayed because everything was booked). You can pretty much walk everywhere in Geneva....and by then it was just drizzling...so we walked along Lake Geneva, through this park with all these weird statues, up to the European Arm of the United Nations. It was cool to think that a lot of important decisions were possibly being made while we were standing outside the building...haha...we also saw the World Trade Organization. We had lunch at a Mexican restaurant..a REALLLL mexican restaurant..with like, rice and beans...chips and salsa..it was awesome. I can't wait for Mazatlan. Moving on...after lunch we went to Cathedrale St. Pierre...its the church where John Calvin preached and where Calvinism was developed. It was nice to see a regular CHURCH, not a frou-frou cathedral....we climbed to the top of the steeple and the view of the city was great. After, we went on a little boat tour of the Geneva coast and then saw "The Flower Clock"...a working clock on the ground that is made up of flowers...it was cool. That night, we ate at another great Italian restaurant. Saturday morning we took a 30 minutes bus ride to a small village in France. The only main attraction there is a cable car that takes you to the top of Mont Blanc--part of the Swiss Alps. We went up about 1100 meters...it was amazing...it was so foggy and rainy that at one point in the cable car we were completely surrounded by white..it was crazy. We walked around and stuff on the top of the mountain and it was soooo foggy...like, intense...then we hiked 30 minutes through the WOOOODS to a tiiiiny restaurant....we were the only ones there and they definitely didn't speak anyyy English...it was frustrating/fun....we hiked back down to the cable car and went back to Geneva. There was a little Christmas market going on in the middle of the city so we went there and shopped a little bit...they had all the lights and decorations up...made me realllllly excited for Christmas and got me in the holiday spirit...There was an iceskating rink set up so we iceskated for a while..Sarah used to compete in iceskating and Ben used to play ice hockey....so I looked like the "special" friend trailing behind them...trying to keep up haha...That night, we went to an Irish pub type place and then just went back to the hostel. We had Starbucks this morning (wahoooooo..oh how i miss you..) and flew back to Madrid!
*Switzerland is known for its chocolate (it was ahhmazing)
-The better your travel partners, the better the trip...all of my favorite trips have been great because of the people I've traveled with...you know how you can only spend 24/7 with certain people? Sarah and Ben and I pretty much laughed the entire time and it was great...Sarah is from Colorado and has a boyfriend back home...so we can complain to eachother about how we miss our boyfriends and not feel annoying...haha...Ben is from Pennsylvania and is just a quality guy that reminds me of guys from home....they are both 2 of my closest friends here
*I've noticed that all of my favorite trips are to places that aren't really cities..but have either mountains or a body of water close by...hmmmm....


hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!!
Doesn't really feel like Thanksgiving here...I guess the spaniards really have no reason to celebrate this holiday haha...it was weird to have school this morning..but oh well. It's my first holiday not being with my family...ahhh I'm getting old....I do miss being home right now, but I'm happy to be where I am. I'm leaving for Switzerland in a couple of hours...hope you are all enjoying this day! I'm thankful for you :)

Hi all!
Just got back from Granada, Spain on an excursion with my program. Granada is a town in southern Spain, in the mountains, about 6 hours from Madrid. Its a cool town...about 250,000 residents and a quarter of them are students...its not far from the Sierra Nevada Ski Resort and also close to the beach. Yesterday, we arrived in Granada around 1pm and ate lunch at our hotel. We all loooove going on trips with our program because they get us really nice hotels and always feed us well...wahoo. After lunch we went to the Cathedral and Royal Chapel. It was nice..but...I'm kinda getting cathedraled out. We are also getting a little snobby because after seeing the Vatican and the Duomo...it's hard to compare..you know? Anyway...it's still cool to see them. After that we had free time...we shopped and got icecream. We had dinner at our hotel and then we all went out to a couple of bars in the area. I love going out with our whole program...there were about 60 of us there and it's just nice to have everyone in the same place! This morning we went to the Alhambra. It's what Granada is known for and it was really amazing. Throughout history it's been "a palace, a citadel, a fortress, the home of the Nasrid sultans, high government officials, servants of the court, and elite soldiers"...today, it's divided into four areas-- The Palaces, the Military Zone (the alcazaba), the city of Medina, and the agricultural estate of the Generalife. We seriously couldn't have picked a better day for this tour...it was gorgeous outside and all the flowers were beautiful...it took us about 3 hours to walk around everything, but it was really relaxxxxing and fun. We also had a funny tour guide so he made it interesting. We had lunch back at our hotel and then headed home to Madrid.

-There were so many times on this trip when I just stopped and thought about how thankful I am for these people in my life...these girls are just so solid...it's amazing how quickly we've all bonded...it's been 3 months and feels like we have known eachother for years...its great. We all came into this experience by ourselves, not knowing what to expect or who we were going to meet...I know we've all been pleasantly surprised about how well we all get along...and we all realize that these friendships will for sure continue in the states. i'm thankful.

-random...but another fact from my women's roles class... did you know that women in sweden get 96 weeks off of paid maternity leave? can you beliiiiieve that? man oh man.

hope you all had a great weekend :)
pictures will be up soon!

hi! I got back from amsterdam yesterday...it was such a good time and it was so great to see jani...I've missed her! It was just a chill weekend. A little background on amsterdam for you...it's the capital of the netherlands and one of the most liberal cities in the world...pretty much everything is legal there (prostitution, marajuana, etc.)...and they speak dutch and english. The town is just so cute...bikes are the main form of transportation..and they are SERIOUS about their bike riding...you better get out of the way. It was rainy and cold the entire weekend..apparently it's always like that...but it fits the city. There are funky boutiques, art galleries, sex shops (yikes), and coffee shops (that sell coffee AND "space cakes"-brownies or muffins with marajuana in them). On Friday, we ate lunch at a thai restaurant and then went to the Van Gogh Museum which was cool...we got coffee and just caught up for while...that night, we went to an italian restaurant and got piiizzzzaaa..then just went back and hung out at her apartment. On saturday, we walked through a little outdoor market and then went to anne frank's house..they've turned it into a museum type thing and it was really interesting...you can walk through and see all the rooms..it was kind of eerie, but cool. After, we went to a restaurant that's known for it's pancakes...Amsterdam is famous for its pancakes...but they aren't realllly pancakes..they're really skinny..like crepes..but they're called pancakes. Anyway, they were good. When we were standing in line to get in, there was a group of spanish people behind us...they were speaking in spanish and asking eachother whether they should stay and wait, or go to another restuarant, etc....they were trying to figure out how to ask the hostess how long the wait was in english...it was so weird to hear spanish people struggling for english words...one of them was like, "It's, "how much minutes we wait?"..and another one was like, "No no..."How long in minutes we wait?" Haha..I hate to say it, but it felt realllly good to not be the one struggling for words for once. That afternoon, we walked around the city..there are 6 canals that go through amsterdam and its sooo pretty...they are all filled with houseboats...cool, yeah? We went to the "redlight district"..this is where the prostitutes "set up shop"...haha..they each stand in a booth and wait for the next customer..its so weird....they're also dressed in veryyyy little. prostitution is a serious business in amsterdam...it has its own union and the girls have to pay taxes...it costs 70-150 euros to rent a booth for 8 hours...and the usual going rate is 50 euros for 15 minutes. Its crazy...very weird to see. Also in the redlight district, there are "live sex shows"..where you pay to see people have sex..on a stage..in front of you. erglaieglaiugaegraeg...AHHH! That night, we went to a cute restaurant for dinner and then went out to a bar..it was a fun...a lotttt of dutch people and really crowded, but fun. On sunday morning, jani and I went out for breakfast and then I caught my flight back to madrid. I really really loved amsterdam...like, minus the pot and the prostitutes, it's a really cool city..somewhere I'd want to retire to. Not reallllly, but it gives that kind of vibe. Also, it was so great to see Jani...so nice to have someone from home. She is meeting me and a few others in Switzerland for Thanksgiving, so I'll see her again soon which is exciting. Hope you all had a great weekend!

just some thoughts....

*if you could make any of the following people/places/things appear in my life right now, that'd be great:
text messaging, chipotle, john wells, movie theatres with american movies, pickles, brentwood united methodist church, dr. olds, chili's, something bigger than a twin-size bed, CMT, A&E, the YMCA, my dad playing guitar, my family in general, athenian room, stony river, peter's sushi, Gap, our hot tub, concord road, my car, hillsboro road, the radio, lakeshore drive and lake michigan, depaul women's acappella group, walgreens, pumpkin spice lattes from starbucks, coldstone, west end, fountain drinks, ice, a massage, chick-fi-la, carpet. more to come.....

*In my women's roles class, we had to go see the movie "Las 13 Rosas (The 13 Roses) on our own...so I went on Tuesday to a cinema near my apartment... I got POPCORNNNN and a FOUNTAIN DRINK WITH IIIICCCCEEEE! That was only the 2nd time I've had ice in my drink since I've been in Europe...they do bottles everywhere...bummer. Anyway, I felt like I was at home..ohhh Thoroughbred Movie Cinema in Brentwood, TN...how i miss you. The movie is based on a true story that took place during the Spanish Civil War in 1939..during Franco's regime. 13 girls ("rosas")...ages 20-25...were strong republicans and wrongly accused of having helped plot to assasinate Franco. They were all arrested or turned-in to the police..horribly tortured and questioned....and then all shot and killed. It was such a great film...and really portrayed how life was during Franco's regime, especially for women...just another worldddd...so sad. It was really moving, especially since the girls were my age at the time. The actresses did an amazing job as well. It was all in Spanish and I surprisingly understood all of it...it wasn't easy though haha.

*The other day in class we were talking about the idea of marriage in Spain...our teacher was explaining how if you get married in the catholic church and want to get a divorce, annulment is the only option if you want it to be recognized...to get an annulment, you must write a letter to the Pope saying that 1) you never had sex..2)you were forced to get married...3) you weren't sane when you got married..if you don't get it annuled, you can't ever get remarried in the catholic church. Anyyyyyyway....the current Prince of Spain, Felipe, wanted to get married to a girl named Letizia..butttt little Letizia had been married before...so they wrote to the Pope and told him who she was..told him the situation...slid some money under the table...and he "erased" her marriage so she could get married to the Prince...like it never happened. Isn't that crazyyyy? Doesn't make any sense to me...

*Last night, a few of us went to see a ballet of Romeo and Juliet. It was really cool..a modern version, but really entertaining...I'm going to try to get in the habit of doing cool things like that back in the US...



alright that's all for now...have a good weekend :)

hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!
Got back from Italy a few hours ago! It was a good trip..a longgg weekend because we did so much traveling..but very fun.
-Jessica, Ashley, Tory, Anazette, Rob, Andrew and I left Madrid on Wednesday..our flight was delayed 5 hours (yes...5 hours) so we didn't get to Rome until 8pm. We checked into our hostel and ate dinner at a cute Italian place...I had spinich and ricotta ravioli..mmmm..that was when I realized I would probably gain 30 pounds on this trip. It was SO good. We then went to the Pantheon, The Spanish Steps, and The Trivi Fountain. All were really pretty lit up at night..especially the Trivi Fountain. They say to throw a penny over your shoulder into the water to ensure your return to Rome. Of course we did it...The next morning, we got up early and hopped on a bus to Vatican City. LISTEN TO THISSSSS- Alright...we got on the bus at the bus station/terminal place. We knew it cost 1 euro for one ride..so we were like sweet. We got on the bus..and the driver didn't ask us for money or anything..so we just walked on by and sat down in the back. So we're riding..riding...riding..then we stop at a bus stop and 3 like, "transit patrol" men (in uniform) get on the bus and head straight for us. They started yelling (in broken English), "you no pay for ticket! fined! fined! 50 euros you owe!"..we were all just sitting there staring...We were like umm no one asked us for money...the bus driver saw us get on...what were we supposed to do??..."You buy at terminal! We take you to police station if you don't pay us fine of 50 euros!"...I (hating confrontation/getting in trouble/afraid of getting put in jail in a foreign country) was like "Here's my money! take it! don't hurt me! I'm leaving!" haaahahaha...everyone else was questioning/trying to get out of it...but they didn't budge....so we all had to pay 50 freaking euros because apparently, we were supposed to buy a bus ticket at the terminal and then validate it on this tiiiiny hidden machine once you get on the bus...cameras on the bus had caught us just walking on and not validating our ticket. How we were supposed to knowwwww that? We're just Americans! What is this "validating" mess? Anyway...we paid 50 euros for a 20 minute bus ride to Vatican City that should have cost 1 euro. There were a ton of people there because it was All Saints day..a huge holiday in Catholic countries. We went inside St. Peter's Basillica and it was amazzzing...I know every cathedral I go to is "amazzzzing" but this one really was. We happened to be in there when mass was starting to we got to go to mass in the Vaticannnn...sooo cool. It was all in Italian...and longgg (an hour and 45 minutes)..but it was totally worth it. When we walked outside the cathedral, everyone was standing around and there was a man speaking on a loudspeaker...we look up at this window and its THE POPE. It was crazy...I guess he was speaking because of the holiday...but it was awesome. He said a little bit of something in English ("May God bless you on this special day") but everything else was in Italian. We were all in awe that we were standing there listening to the Pope speak...how many times does that haaaaappen? We had planned on seeing the Sistine Chapel next but it was clossssed because of the holiday...major bummer. Guess I'll just have to go back again someday:) We had lunch at a restaurant near St. Peter's...we were all still a little on edge from the bus ride, so we decided to eat cheap for lunch haha...Ashley and I split an eggplant dish..it was deliciousss. After lunch we took a bus (we bought a ticket before we got on..har har) to the Colosseum. It was just as I had studied...huuuuge and olddddd. We didnt get to go inside, but the outside was awesome. It's so weird to think how long it has been around and all the things that have gone on inside of it. After that we took a little "siesta" at the hostel and then met up with a friend of Jessica's who lives in Rome. Flavio (yes...his name is Flavio) grew up in the States but is full Italian..he moved to Rome for college and lives there currently. He was great...he took us to this place that had 32 different types of spaghetti. We had some wiiiine and I had artichoke, cheese and tomatoe spaghetti. AMAZING. We had gelado for dessert (icecream...Italy is known for it) and then he took us out to some of his favorite bars. It was a fun night and I'm glad we had someone to show us around!
-We got up early on Friday and caught our 7:45am train to Florence. It was about a 2hr ride through the Italian countryside...it was beautiful. We checked in our hostel in Florence and met up with another one of Jessica's friends...she's got friends all over! Martin is a friend of hers from school who is studying in Florence for the year. There were tons of people there (I'm guessing because of the holiday still)....we stood in line for the Ufizzi Museum for an hour before deciding it wasn't worth it...we went to the Duomo (a cathedral...a smaller version of the Duomo in Milan..which you'll hear about soon) but couldn't go in because of the long line. That's the bad thing about going to so many places in such little time..you have to choose what you really want to do wisely. We saw the "Gates of Paradise" which was pretty cool. We then went to see "The David" sculpture by Michaelangelo. It was crazzzzyy...way bigger than I expected. It's so wild to think that he was carved out of one solid block of marble. How is that possible?! It was awesome to see. That afternoon we shopped at the street market. A lot a good stuff...I got a wallet and "weekender" travel bag made of real italian leather...Ashley got a great leather jacket too...the stuff there was amazinggg...it was probably best that we were only there for one day or I could have done some serious damage. That night, we ate at this outdoor restaurant...lasagna. incredible. Moving on...we were all pretty tired from getting up so early so we called it an early night. Florence was by far my favorite city that we visited :)
-We caught our 8:30am train to Milan the next morning and got to Milan at 11ish. Martin and his friend Erin decided to come with us so that was fun...they were great. We checked in our hostel and had pizza near the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele..it's a huge shopping arcade with shops like Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton...I'm telling you, everyone in Milan was decked out...clothes, jewelry, makeup..the whole deal...just walking around the streets! A lottt of beautiful Italian men :) After lunch we went to the REAL Duomo. It's the largest gothic cathedral in the WORLD. It was awesome..so biiiig! It was so intricate, too. The inside is filled with paintings and beautiful stained glass windows. We climbed to the top (156 steps..ehhh) for an incredible view of the city. We walked around the edges of the roof and took lots of pictures. We got some gelado (I'm pretty sure we had it every day)...and then Ashley and I ate at...brace yourself...Burger King. I know..who eats at Burger King in Milan, Italy?!!? That whopper just looked so good. It was worth it. That night, we just walked around the city...National Geographic was doing this photo exhibit...pictures all set up down the street..so that was cool. We had coffee at a little cafe and then a few of us went to a bar for a little bit. It was a fun night! When we got back to the hostel, we met the girl who was in our room...(it was a 6 bed room and there were only 5 of us..so they threw a random in there)...anyway, her name was Kate and she was from NY. She had just graduated from college and had spend the past 2 months backpacking through Europe by herself...isn't that wiiiiiild? Just her...and a backpack...for two months. I could never do it...but more power to her. It's fun meeting different people from all walks of life.
-We got back to Madrid late this afternoon...I'm glad to be back! It was a good but tiring trip...pictures should be up soon. I'm going to Amsterdam next weekend to see Jani (my good friend from DePaul)...I'm so exciiiiiiiited. Have a good week :)

Hi!
Ok..Portugal was AMAZINGGGGG! We went to the city of Porto..it's in the northern part of the country..on the coast..and is the 2nd biggest city in Portugal (after Lisbon). They speak Portuguese (I'm glad one of us knew Portuguese...oh wait..none of us did)..most people speak a little English though. Miriam, Ashley, Claire, Jen, Augustin, Aaron, Nick and I flew out of Madrid on Friday and got to Porto about noon. We checked in our hostel and went to this outdoor restaurant for lunch. Fish is huge there so I got this traditional meal of fried fish and rice. It was delicious..very mediterranean-ish. When we were walking to lunch, the first thing we noticed was how QUIET everything was...I mean, there were people, buses, cabs, etc...but the town just had a peace about it which felt so nice. And people actually SMILED at you on the street...and made eye contact! I finally felt like people had souls again..haha..Madrid is not a very friendly city. Anyway, Porto is a very walkable city so it was great not to have to take the metro or a cab the whole time we were there. After lunch we walked around the city and took a trolley tour through the town. Porto is known for its pasteries..so we hadddd to stop at a few bakeries...mmmm, don't get me started on how good they were. The whole town is built around the Douro river...a gorgeous river with 5 bridges within viewing distance. We walked down these steep stairs..past these tiny houses...down to the river and were just blown away. It was so so pretty and peaceful. There is a street alongside the river filled with cute restaurants and bars..and people painting and playing music. We went to dinner at a really cute place and then just hung out. The next day, we had coffee at a little cafe and the walked back down to the river. We walked across one of the bridges to the other side..which is the city of Gaia. We walked around over there for a while and just layed out in the grass. Then ,we took an hour long river cruise. It was so fun...relaxxxxing and beautiful. I got one of those feelings where I realize that I am so SMALL in this world and God is so BIG. You know? I love that feeling. We rode to the point where we would could see the ocean and it was great. After, we ate at an italian restaurant along the river...margarita pizza...yummm. Thennnn we went to a tower called Torre dos Clerigos..its the highest point in Portugal. We climbed 252 steps to the top and saw the best view of the city. It was worth the hike...and I'm feeling the burn today. Haha...after that, we went to a wine tasting. Port wine is made in Porto...I don't know if you've ever heard of it, but its realllllly sweet..and you usually drink it with dessert or cheese..anyway, we had a guide who explained all the different types and why they tasted the way they did..it was really interesting..but I now know that I'm not a fan of Port wine...haha good to know though. After that, we walked around by the river and then went to Jen, Nick, Aaron, and Augustin's hostel..they stayed in a different one than Miriam, Ashley, Claire and I...anyway, the hostel workers cooked a big dinner for their guests and we tagged along..It was kind of like jumbalaya...we ate dinner and watched a movie (Virgin Suicides...an American film). While I was eating, I was like ok...I'm in Portugal...I'm eating dinner on the floor of a hostel...made by someone random hostel person...there are just some things I could never see myself doing and there I was doing them. It was just a weird feeling. PORTUGALLLL. Alright moving on...after dinner we got dessert at a restaurant by the river (chocolate cake with rasberry sauce...SOOO GOOOOD)...we walked down by the river and there was this festival going on...there were like, circus acts going on...acrobats and stuff doing tricks over the river..hanging by chords..haha random things....and there were fireworks. I have no idea what was going on but I'm glad we got to experience it. I had SUCH a good time this weekend...it was one of the best places I've ever been to..and it was also so nice to get out of Madrid and breathe fresh, clean air and see pretty waterrrrr.

-The night before we left for Porto, our program went to a Flamenco show. It was awwwesome. The costumes and the music...and the intensity of the movements..it was really interesting. It is so respected in this culture and it was nice to be a part of it for a night!

-I am sooo thankful for the girls I've met during my time here...they are just solid and smart and GOOD. We're all in that stage of wanting to see everything..wanting to know everything...there is just so much we don't know/ havn't experienced and we want to do it alllll. Also, we all come from very different religious backgrounds..Catholic, Jewish, Southern Baptist, Methodist, Non-Denominational, Spiritual...and I'm learning so much...I just think it's cool how we are all so open with eachother in what we believe/don't believe/question. I love it.

Anyway..baaaaack to school...who knew they were gonna give homework here? Come on. A group of us are going to Italy on Wednesday..wahoo...hope you're all doing well!

Helloooooooooo...

On Tuesday, my roomate Jen got locked in our bathroom. The lock just wouldn't move...she was in there for like, 2 hours. Haaaaaaaahah..our landlady and our portero(doorman) had to come and remove the handle and lock completely and replace it..she missed class and everything..it was funny...to me, probably not to her. Haha she was a good sport though.

Tuesday afternoon a group of us went to visit a secret bakery inside this cathedral...cloistered nuns make goooood desserts there..we had to call in on an intercom and they buzzed us in...we then walked down a creepy hallway and found the little booth where they were. They aren't allowed to show their face to they used a little revolving door to give us our cookies...crazy yeah? They were delicious.

-Last night we went to a Real Madrid futbol game and it was awwwwesome...our seats were really high..but we had a really good time. We bought jerseys and everything :) let me tell you, they have some wiiiild fans. we won, 4-2...wahoo!

-My "Women's Roles in Spain" class is really interesting...right now we're learning about the history of women's rights in Spain so we can understand how it is today. Even though Spain is an oldddd country, their laws,constitution, and beliefs are relatively new (ever since the end of Franco's dictatorship in 1975.) Like...women couldn't vote until 1977..and divorce was only legalized in 1981. Spaniards views on women are slowly improving, but in 1975, 72% of Spanish people believed that women should stay in the home. That's a big percentage. Also ...my teacher, who is 32, had no sexual education during her entire schooling in Spain. Crazy, yeah? Its interesting to compare women in the US and women here...women in the US are just way more confident and powerful than women here- in the work-field. Its much more accepted for a woman to have a good job and make money in the States, whereas here, many people believe that a woman is not a "woman" unless she is in the home.

Tonight, our program is going to a Flamenco show! I'm exciiiiited. Tomorrow...5 of us are going to Porto, Portugal for the weekend. I'll keep you updated :) Have a nice weekend!

Yesterday, my Spanish Cinema class took a field trip to Filmoteca Espanola...it's an official institution of the Ministry of Culture of Spain...its goal is to restore, investigate, and conservate the Spanish film heritage. A guy talked to us about the history of Spanish cinema and we watched short clips from early films. We also saw the theatre where they hold daily showings of short films and full-length Spanish movies. The entertainment industry here is sooo different from in the States. Its just not a big deal...very, very basic..and young. According to our speaker, its way below the rest of the European film industry, but it's enjoyed by the people of Spain. When we were walking from the Metro to the building, we passed an attractive young woman and her child. Our teacher then told us that she was one of the biggest names in the Spanish entertainment industry---Najwa Nimri. She's been in dozens of films and has a couple of CDs out. We were like uhhh..and whyyy is she able to just walk on the street with her kid and not be bothered? And whyyy aren't you freaking out that you just saw a moviestar? And he explained that its just not a big deal here...all of the main stars live in Madrid and its common to see them out and about..but no one really gives them a lot of attention. We all were really surprised to hear that---think about Hollywood and the attention American actors and actresses get...its crazyyyy. Our teacher then told us that one time he was in Sevilla (a southern town in Spain), and he saw Jerry Seinfield sitting at an outdoor cafe. My teacher studied in the States for a while when he was younger so he was a big fan of Seinfield..but the show has never been shown here in Spain..so no one knew who he was. My teacher ran up and asked for his autograph and stuff..but everyone around him was just staring. Hahaaa...I bet Jerry thought he was going to get some peace and quiet for a few days...but nooo. Anyway, my Spanish Cinema class is really interesting and I'm excited about more field trips!

-Today, our program went on an excursion to Segovia. It's about an hour outside of Madrid and a really cute town. We walked around the city and took a tour of the Alcazar. Its said that its design influenced the castle in Disney's Sleeping Beauty...it has a lot of decorative rooms and a huge tower that we got to climb up..it gave a great view of the city. After that, we went to the Aqueduct...it was built by the Romans in the last 1st and 2nd century AD to bring water from a nearby river to the city. Its huge--almost a mile long--with big arches and a trough on the top(for the water)..The Romans used no other material apart from stone to hold the structure together...nothinggg is in between each stone...and they are just as solid today as they were then. It was really cool to think about them building it so long ago..and how its still standing today. After that, we ate lunch at a cute place...salad, roasted chicken, french fries and iccccecream....We walked around the town after that and got coffee at a little cafe..It was cooold there but it was nice to get out of the city for a day! Hope you all are having a good weekend-

Hi!
My family left this morning :( but we had an awwwesome week..it was sooo nice to have them here and be able to show them around the city. We went to a bull fight, took a day trip to Toledo, took a bus tour of Madrid, visited Palacio Real (The Royal Palace), the Prado Museum, Plaza Mayor, Sol, and took a tour of the Real Madrid Futbol Stadium. We stayed in a really cool hotel right in the heart of the Salamanca neighborhood (very close to my apartment)...Mom and I shopped a little bit (ok a lotta bit)....Preston and Dad found an Irish pub that played American football, so they hung out there whenever they got a free moment..haha..My friend Okado recommended a lot of restaurants and everything was great...we really didn't have a bad meal.
Some highlights:
-Their flight from nashville was delayed 4 hours..but somehow, it wasn't updated on the airline website...so I was waiting at the airport and stressing outtttttt! I was like oh man..I bet they are lost somewhere in Madrid because they don't know any Spanish..they don't have a phone to get in touch with me..I'll probably never see them again..I was freaking OUT! Anyway, they fiiinally showed up..and all was right in the world :)
-Mom and I got in a little cab wreck... ahhhh...we were on our way to meet dad and preston for dinner and bammm..a van came out of nowhere...no one was hurt but it was scary. Our driver jumped out of the car and started yelling with the other driver in the middle of the street...Mom and I jumped out and ran as fast as we could...haha I didn't wanna be caught up in that! Mom was like, "we're witnesses! we need to stay!"..I was like seeee ya. We got another cab and got the heck out of there...I'm really surprised my friends and I have never been in a fender bender in a cab before...in Chicago..Africa...Madrid...it was bound to happen sometime! Haha!
-We were all walking on the street and we heard someone say "vamonos!" (which means "let's go" in spanish) and Mom goes, "Dominos? Dominos! Ya'll have dominos here?" haaaaaaaaaaaaahahahah
-Dad and Preston met three guys on the tour of the Real Madrid stadium who were from England...dad and preston told them about "their irish pub" and the guys met up with them that night...They are all prison guards and were so fun...they were exchanging "life stories" when mom and I showed up...It was just cool to randomly meet people and make friends...we told them to call us if they are ever in the states!
-We had manyyyy funny experiences trying to communicate in Spanish..it was like the blind leading the blind..but we did it somehow...ask Mom to speak some spanish to you...you'll get a good laugh...

anyway..now I'm back to real life...but it was such a nice break to have my fam in town..I'm halfway through the semester and it's flyyyying...hope you're all doing well! Check out my pictures!

Things that make Spain smart...
-They are very environmentally conscious...for example, the doors on the metro don't automatically open..you have to manually do it if you want to get off at that stop..so not every door opens at every stop (like the el in the chicago..and every other subway i've been on in the states)...so its saving energy.
-A lot of the lights here go off after a certain amount of time....we turn on the lights in hallways of our apartment complex when we arrive and they shut off after about 10 minutes...saving electricity... .smart, yes?
-I know this isn't everyone in Spain, but all of the senoras in our homestays are veryyy strict about how long each child can shower...some even stand outside the bathroom with a watch and knock when its been 5 minutes..no joke!
-I know we've all known this for a while...but the US reaaaallllyyy needs to start teaching kids different languages starting in like, kindergarden...My teacher's son goes to The German School of Madrid...so all the classes are in German. However, each child is required to take two other languages, so he is taking Spanish and English...So, he is 8 years old and is tri-lingual..isn't that crazy? I think the US needs to get over themselves in thinking that speaking just English is enough, and that it is "the universal language"....come onnnn...get with it...alright I'm done.

hey! First, I'd just like to tell you that I fiiiiiiiiiiinally found peanut butter...I have been looking forever..I'm so happy. We started our real classes last week...I'm taking Spanish (I moved up a level after the intensive was over..wahoo), Spanish Civilization and Culture, Women's Roles in Spain, and Spanish Cinema. I was sick all last week and only got to go to one, but I'm excited about all of them and I'll let you know how they go this week.
-The rest of the CEA program got here last week (60 more people..so now there are 80 students total). We got a new roomate, Jen, and she's great..really fun. All the new kids had their own orientation and got to know eachother really well so she has been introducing us to her friends...they are all really cool and I'm glad they are here.
-Our program went to Cuenca this past weekend...Cuenca is a small town about two hours away from Madrid..It was gorgeous there..beautiful mountains and really cool architecture...plus it was great to hang out with all the new people. We left on Saturday morning...when we got there, we took a tour of the city and walked around the area. We stayed at a hotel that used to be an old monastery and it was so pretty. We ate lunch at our hotel and then explored the town a little more. We had dinner at the hotel that night and then our whole group went out to the bars in downtown Cuenca..we took one of our buses so there were like 70 of us, plus our two program directors...they are awesome. It was a fun night..On Sunday, we ate breakfast at the hotel and then went to do our "activities"...you had a choice of cliff jumping, kayaking, or horseback riding. Jessica, Miriam, Sarah, Claire and I chose horseback riding. It was sooo pretty..we went back in the woods and up the mountain a little bit..the leaves were changing and the weather was perfecttt..it was great. The area reminded me of Jackson Hole a little bit..so gorgeous. They grilled out for us after our activities and we got back to Madrid at about 7pm. It was so nice to get out of the city for a couple of days... I didn't realize how much I missed grass and clean air and open space...ohhhh tennessee how I miss you. Anyway, back to the real world...hope you all had a good weekend!

hiii...
I got back from Africa last night...and mannn oh man...
Just some back ground information on Marrakech--- Marrakech is a city in southwestern Morocco,which is in northern Africa. About 32 million people live in Morocco...its 98% Muslim and 99% Arab...Everyone speaks both Arabic and French...and a few people speak English or Spanish..
-we left madrid friday night, transfered to another flight in casablanca, and arrived in marrakech at about 11pm. When we stepped off the plane, we were all just like..in shock. Sooo many men everywhere..and the women were dressed in traditional attire, pretty much covered from head to toe (wearing hijabs over their head/face and long dresses). Right away, we felt so out of place. In Madrid, I can pretty much fit in and go with the flow because of my dark features..but we all soon realized that there is nooo way to fit in in Morocco...we just had to come to terms that we looked as touristy as they come. When you exit the airport, you have to walk to a parking lot across the street in order to get a taxi..so we walked over there and immediately got bombarded with taxi drivers trying to offer us the best deal. They wanted to give us a fixed price, but our travel agent told us to insist that they use the meter...however, with the language barrier, and it being night time and us being 3 girls...we just took whatever we could get...haha. On the way to our hotel, we noticed that there is NO organization on the road...no lines, no "sides"..nada. Cars, buses, taxis, bikes, little motorcycles...just weaving and swirving and passing...I'm serious, it was crazy...haha we were for sure scared for our lives...no one else seemed to have a problem with this...haha, ashley said that there is a "rhythm to their chaos"..but I just saw chaos. We got to our hotel...Riad Magador Marrakech...it was nice and felt safe...whew
-On Friday, we ate breakfast at the hotel and bought tickets to one of those city tours where you sit on top of the bus...it was a smart move. the ticket was good for 24 hours and you could get off and get back on whenever you wanted to. we saw a lot of cool stuff...marrakech has a lot of cool monuments and gardens..we saw the ruins of palaces and old mosques...we ate lunch in the main/center part of the city--its called Place Jemaa El Fna..its where everything takes place. I got chicken shish kabobs and they were pretty good...We had to be really careful about what we put into our bodies...you can't drink the water there or eat any raw fruit or vegetables...no ice, no juice..nothing. Anyway, that afternoon, we took a tour of the outskirts of the city. There were a lot of nice, big houses...they said that thats where famous people stay when they are in town for anything...Marrakech hosts a few international festivals throughout the year. It was nice to see that part of town...its very different from the central part of the city...it seems that Marrakech is a place where the poor are very poor and the rich are very rich. That night, we went to Place Jemaa El Fna again...everynight, people set up little booths and sell anything you can imagine...purses, jewelery, shoes, scarves, handcarved chess-sets...soo much. it was scary to walk through all the booths because the men are very forward..they would grab your hand and say "pretty girl come to my booth..we make good price for you!"..or "just look just look...let's bargain"..."america america!"...it was overwhelming because there were sooo many men..and it was just so crowded and hot and stuffy. we bought some bracelets and I got a few things for my family...everything there is so cheap---their currency is the dihram (1 euro= 11 dihrams) so that was pretty nice....we walked through pretty quickly...it was an uncomfortable situation...and you think,do they not know that this is not ok?? do they not know that this is not how you treat women? but they really don't...this is how they were raised..its sad but true. After we got done with the booths, we went to the center of the plaza to eat. Every night- restaurants set up little booths and tables and try to persuade you to come to their restaurant and eat...everyone is cooking and grilling and yelling at you..its chaos. Ashley and Tory ordered couscous (a traditional dish in Morocco...a mix between rice and grits)...but I couldn't bring myself to order anything. I think all the smells plus all the people and food everywhere....ehhh..I wasn't feeling too great. During our meal, little kids would come up and ask for the food we didn't eat...or a sip of our drink..it was sad and I had never been in that type of situation---where people were so needy and forward about asking you to give them something. Since it is Ramadan during this time, everyone eats and parties hardcore at night because they have to fast during the day...so once the sun goes down, the city comes alive. it was a crazy experience.
On Saturday, we hopped back on our bus tour and got off at a stop where we could ride camels! I was so excited...again, we bargained with the guys to let us ride for cheap...we won :) They led us around this big patch of dirt...it was pretty uneventful...but come on, when am I ever going to get to ride a camel again? It was fun... That afternoon, we had planned to visit the Museum of Marrakech and a few other exhibits..we took a cab there, but he let us out pretty far from where we needed to be because the streets are so narrow and crowded--it'd be impossible for him to drive...So, he pointed us in the direction of the museum and we just started walking....We realized prettyyyy quickly that this was like, the heart of Marrakech...you know, dirty and gritty....there were "houses" on each side of the street..little markets..little shops...we were just in the middle of "real life" in Marrakech..it was so crazy. There were little barefoot kids running around and people were just sitting on the side of the street, talking, hanging out....there were some mules & buggies...cats..oh yeah--I forgot to say that earlier...Marrakech has sooo many cats...gross, right?? Where did they all come from and why are they EVERYWHERE?? wondering the streets..under your table in restaurants... Sick....Ok moving on...As we were walking to the museum, little boys would say "Hello hello..where are you going? museum? central plaza? monument?? I will take you"...and we had no choice but to follow them because the streets are sooo narrow..but after we'd follow them for a minute, they would say "you pay me...i am tour guide"...so then we'd be like, umm no..go away...we know where we are going... it was just crazy...they'd jump in front of you and yell "i showed you where! pay me!"...we just had to ignore them and keep walking...Another thing, one time a little girl snuck up behind us and put a rose in Tory's purse and then said.."you pay me for rose"...we were like um nooo..and howww did this rose get in her purse? haha..they were so sneaky...So we got the museum but it was supposed to close in 30 minutes..we decided it wasn't worth the money..and we had gotten enough "culture" just by walking there. We walked back to the street where we got off and caught another cab...the driver said "yes I will take you..but you come with me for 2 minutes"..so we were like ok whatever...Then, he starts drivingggg down that narrow street! I swear to you, I could touch both sides of the street with my hands streched out...Little kids were knocking on the windows as we were driving...cats were crawling everywhere...bikes were brushing the side of my window...it was insaneeee...the driver got out of the car to run an errand and left us in the middle of the street...haha we just locked the doors and prayed he'd be back soon...little boys were knocking on the window asking us if we wanted our picture taken..(in exchange for money of course)....We sat in the cab for about 10 minutes and he finalllly returned... we asked him to take us to the best icecream ( or "glass) in town...he took us to a tiny bakery and waited for us to order..he then took us back to our hotel...he was super nice...thats the weird thing--there were like 2 different kind of men in Marrakech...the creepy, forward, rude men on the streets...and then men like our cabdrivers who were all so nice and helpful...it was strange. That night, we went to Place Jemaa El Fna for more shopping and then ate at a little cafe near our hotel...I don't know why, but there were only about 5 women eating at the restaurant, plus us...there were dozens of men--hanging out and drinking...and none of the women we saw were dressed in traditional attire...so I wonder if there is a rule or its expected for the woman to stay at home at night while the man goes out with his friends...who knows?
-We caught a flight back to Madrid Sunday afternoon and made it home safely...
-It was a crazyy trip..such a culture shock. I had a good time, but I doubt I'd want to go back anytime soon (or ever)...it was just like we stepped into a different worrrrrld...I dont know what I was expecting before I went, but I didn't expect that...however, I'm thankful for the experience! Check out my pictures--- hope you all had a good weekend!

holaaaaa....
so i just got finished studying a little bit for my final...im not nervous about the test part, but i ammmm nervous about giving a 5 minute oral presentation in spanish. we can use notecards (whew), but im still scared...I have to talk about how spanish people treat foreigners. I'm going to talk about how they stare you down on the metro, especially if you are in a big group and you're all speaking english...and how they look at our clothes because its obvious that we did not purchase them here...i'll talk about how they talk soo fast when you ask for directions or anything, but that they are usually very helpful and willing to help you figure out where you are going! I'll say something about how on the street, some spanish men yell "rubia! rubia!" (blonde hair) to the blonde girls in my class....i'll say how waiters are not very patient with us in restaurants...."um, perdon...que es THIS and THIS and THIS and THIS?" haha...but i'm also going to talk about how generally, people enjoy talking and helping us..like at the bullfight, there was a man in front of us who told us allll about the history and culture of bullfighting..he was great. anyway...i'll let you know how my presentation goes.
Yesterday, I went over to my friend ashley's house..she is in a homestay and lives with a senora. She had told me mannnyyy stories of her senora before, but I fiiiinally got to meet her...and it was definitely an experience... haha. Her name is Pilar and she is like, 75 years old...she is a widow and has children who live in Madrid. Ashley always tells me how she and Pilar just sitttt and talkkkk and eatttt together...watch tv together...do everything together. It's so funny. Ashley is one of the most talkative and patient people I know, and Pilar just talks talks talks Ashley's ears off because she's probably just happy to have another person in the house. When I got there, Pilar was at pilates class so we just heated up some food she had cooked ashley for lunch...it was gooooood...oh how i miss good food...i think i had my 40th grilled cheese sandwich today. anyway, when Pilar got home, she sat down and talked with us...it seems like everyyyyy old spanish lady YELLS when they talk. Like, everything was so forceful..."How was your day! What are you doing!!!? Is the pasta good!??? Where are you FROM!? EAT SOME MORE!!!!"...everything was just so loud and scary...haha...I had nooo idea what she was saying half the time but her tone was just scarrrryyy...she asked me some questions and I answered nicely...afraid she might hurt me....haha just kidding...she was nice..it just took some getting used to.
Oh yeahhhh... I'm going to Marrakech, Morocco this weekend! I'm so excited...Ashley, Tory and I are flying out on friday and coming back monday...I can't believe I'm going to be in Africaaaaa in a couple of days...crazy. Hope you're all having a good week!

ok the bull fight was amazzzzzzing! seriously..it was awesome. we were all a little skeptical about going, but i'm so glad i did. there is just so much culture and tradition in it...we were on the 2nd row, front and center and it lasted about 2 1/2 hours. there are 3 matadores who kill two bulls each...the matadores are very young- 18 and 19 years old and are MUY GUAPO (very cute)...they all still dress in traditional attire too. it felt surreal--like i was in a totally different world. I have so much respect for this tradition now...I can't wait to go again when my family is in town! After the fight, we went to a bar called El Tigre...its really popular and fun..you can get a drink and a plate of tapas for 1.50 euros...sweeeet deal, yeah? On the metro on the way to the bar, we met these two guys (twins) from louisville, kentucky...they seemed a littttttle out of place with their big southern accents haha..but they were in town for the night so they came out with us...they were funny and it was nice to hear some familiar words and phrases! it was a fun night :)

Hiii! Man..this week flew by...
School has been going well...we watched a movie in class this week and it was really funny. It was called "The Other Side of the Bed"..it was like a musical/comedy..we watched it in spanish with english subtitles (whew)...a lot of nudity...shocker. We have one more week of just spanish and then our real classes start, which i'm excited about. On thursday night, my roomates and I went to see this popular spanish band, jarabe de palo, in concert. It was at a theatre here in town sponsered by Hard Rock..the theatre was really pretty inside--reminded me of concert theatres in the states. The band was awwwwesome..my roomate, Kiley, studied abroad in barcelona last year so she knows all the cool spanish bands...we were on the 5th row and it was a really good show...veryyyy spanish, but awesome. there was a guest singer who did flamenco dancing..and they used a lot of different instruments. everyone was just dancing and singing and having a good time...i didn't understand a word of any song, but it was really weird to have everyoneee in the audience singing along..you know, just like if it were an american band at home. Speaking of my roomate kiley....she has an internship at the US embassy here..isn't that cool? Anyway, last night, there was this festival called "La Noche en Blanco" in Madrid..its where everyyyyyything in madrid stays open from 9pm-7am..plus, there are art and music exhibits and shows all throughout the city...and everything is freeeee. It was pretty fun except that it rained and got pretty chilly...we went to a music exhibit for a while...ate at mcdonalds (i know, so american)...and then went and toured the real madrid stadium. Real Madrid is Madrid's futbol team and they are awesome...the stadium was amazing and we got to go down on the field, in the visitors' locker room, and the museum with all their trophies and stuff...it was a fun night! its getting cooler here and I love it..can't wait for winter weather. My friends and I have been busy planning our trips and excursions...I'm sooooo excited..I just want to go EVERYWHERE. I'll let you know where all we decide to go...Also, I'm also getting verrrry excited about my family coming to visit..I'm been trying to plan out everything we can do..you know, try to keep them entertained..haha...they come in about 3 weeks so wahoo. Just some information for you...our program's housing director, pablo, was talking to us about growing up in spain and how different it is than the US...he said that most kids live with their parents until they are about 30...30!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...He just moved about of his parents' house 3 years ago, and lives with a roomate now..so he's never lived on his own. He said that its just the normal thing to do...isnt that crazyyyy? The majority of parents in the states are pushhhing their kids to live on their own and be independent when they're like, 18. Man oh man...
We are going to a bull fight tonight so i'll let you know how it goes! I'm excited/scared...hope everyone is doing well!

I just got back from Valencia and it was greattttt...
We got there Friday night and went straight to our hostel..I've never stayed in a hostel before and it was a weird experience. It was located in a good area of town and was a youth hostel...so no creepy old people. It cost 15$ a night for each person...isnt that crazy? Jessica, Ashley, Tory and I shared a room...bunk beds and lockers..we had a tiiiny little bathroom too. You know those sink faucets that you have to hold down to get the water come out? And keep holding it as long as you still need water? Yeah...well thats how the shower faucet was...haha it was so annoying. Anyway, we unpacked and got tapas at a really cute restaurant called Las Cuevas...after that, we went out to a fun part of town..it was a late night but a lot of fun. On saturday, the hostel provided breakfast for us and then went to the world's biggest aquarium...it was really cool and realllyyyy big..we saw a dolphin show that was craazzzyy..who knew dolphins were so smart??..we then ate paella at a little cafe. Paella (rice, vegetables, and usually chicken or seafood) was originated in Valencia so I haaaaaad to have it...I didn't really like it, but oh well. Then we took a tour of a really pretty cathedral and saw, supposedly, the Holy Grail...there are a few places who claim to have it, and Valencia is one of them..who knows for sure...it was interesting though. We grabbed tapas again that night and went out to some fun bars...We went to the beach on Sunday and it was so so pretty...the mediterranean sea is sooo salty. seriously. I saw a lot of boobs and thongs, so that was fun. Its crazyyyy how the women here do NOT have issues with their bodies and have no problem showing it all off..old, young, everyone..its for sure different from the US...it seems like there is no "perfect" body standard here..everyone is so different and thats beautiful to them, you know? It was a breath of fresh air.We got back to Madrid late last night...it was a good weekend! Hope you all had a good one too...

oh yeah ok one more thing---
back to the touchy/feely couples in spain...(sorry i just can't get over it)..my teacher was telling me that movies and television here often focus on sex/sexual themes, whereas the movies and television in the US focus on crime and violence...makes sense that the US is way more violent than it is here, and that so many people here feel comfortable/able to display their feelings in public :)..ohhhh the powers of media...

hey-
hope everyone is doing well...
-we are halfway through our 4 week spanish intensive program...i'm still a longggg way from speaking spanish well, but i have gotten a lot out of the class...i'm learning a lot and the teachers are great..
-my friend from depaul (his name is chewy) is spending some time in madrid before he goes to study abroad in sevilla...so we've hung out a couple of times..its nice to have someone from home here! i feel like my worlds are colliding..its cool
-i joined a gym today..its near our apartment and i'm excited..i felt like i just needed a little escape to go and do my own thing..you know? i went running there tonight...and just so you know, alll the guys wear short, tight, spandex shorts to work out...(no thank you)...someone needs to give them a hint that that is NOT the way it should be.. yeah, so think about that one.
-a bunch of my friends and i are going to valencia tomorrow for the weekend...its a city in southeastern spain..its on the beachhhhh and its also home to the biggest aquarium in the world. so i'm pretty excited. chewy is coming with us too...we are all taking a bus there (4 hour drive) and staying in a hostel...i'll let you know how it goes!
-hope yall have a great weekend!

So the other day I decided to go on my first outing by myself...(without my spanish speaking roomates)...scary. So I went to this little icecream/coffee cafe..I walked up to the counter and attempted to order...in broken spanish...and finally the guy at the counter said "ok,quit trying and just talk to me in English". Haha...I was like ooook...so I felt dumb and ordered my coffee. Then, he asked me where I was from and I told him Tennessee..and before I could finish the word he said "Oh!!! Whiskey!! Jack Daniels!!! He's the man!"...haha!

just some things to think about...
*all the couples in madrid have a HUGEEEE problem with public displays of affection....im serious... on the train, on the streets, in restaurants...they are ALLLL over eachother..touching, kissing..i want to throw up.
*in spain, the letters ¨c¨ and ¨z¨are prounouced with a lisp...apparently, a longgg time ago the king had a lisp and he made everyone prounouce their words like he did...so its ¨graTHIas¨¨for thank you..¨THINKo¨for cinco (the number 5)...¨platha¨for plaza...its funny ...its hard to understand and im not used to it yet..
*it seems like EVERYONE here is alllways on vacation...doesn´t matter what time of the day, you´ll always find people sitting outside at cafes, drinking, laying in the park, walking around...everyone is just so laid back and in no real hurry...its like, do any of these people have jobs or responsibilties? haha its cool though...

more observations to come....

yesterday,me and my closest girl friends decided to be really touristy for the day and walk around and take pictures at some of the cool sites...we went to plaza mayor, retiro park, puerta del sol...we had coffee at this little cafe that overlooked the whole city...and then we got tapas at a little restaurant...we ordered patatas bravas (potatos with a hot sauce on top) and tortilla espanol (potatos and eggs with hot sauce on top)...very good...it was an awesome dayyyy and made me really happy to be where i am...

this morning, we went to this huge flea market type thing...they put it on every sunday from 9-2...it was fun but a litttttle overwhelming...it was crazy packed and they were selling everything you could imagine for pretty cheap...i got a ring and a pair of earrings for 6 euros....good yeah? it was cool to check it out, but i doubt we´ll be going every sunday..haha...

this afternoon we are going to retiro park to lay out and do some homework..the park is right by my apartment and it is gorgeous..there is a little lake inside where you can paddle boat and stuff..there are a lot of little cafes and icecream stands...its perfect.

i miss you alllllll and hope you´re doing well!!
-annie

hiiiiii! we still don't have internet in my apartment yet...i'm in an internet cafe now...but I'll update as soon as I can...things are going greatttttt..i love love love it.

ohhh madrid...

Whew. Well I'm finally here in Spain...I arrived Thursday morning. My flight was good, except they lost my luggage. That was awesome...I got it back the next day though. For the first two nights, everyone in my program stayed in a hotel close to Puerta de Sol (the center of Madrid). The hotel was amazing and it was really good to get to hang out and meet with everyone. We had an orientation type thing, and then just explored the city in the afternoon. At night, we all went out and had a good time...The schedule here is so hard to get used to! People don't eat dinner until around 10pm, and thennnnnn go out to bars and stuff after that. 3AM is when everyone is out...a lot go until 6 or 7 am....then get up and go to work or school. Its crazy. I'm slowly adapting. On Sunday, we were transferred to our apartment. I'm living with three other girls- Kiley, Tory, and Miriam. Kiley and I share a room and Miriam and Tory have their own. Our apartment is tiiiiiiny, but nice. Not many people have AC here so it gets a littttle warm during the day..but we have a lot of windows so its actually pretty nice. We live in the east part of the city (Goya)..its a nice part of town with lots of little shops and cafes. That night, we rode the metro to go see a movie in the park. Lucky for me, the movie was Transformers. I just looooove movies that are about things that could never happen...psych...It was in spanish too, of course...so it was a long 2 1/2 hours. Anyway...this morning, we took our placement exams to see which level of spanish we would be in..There are two levels- intermediate and advanced.I'm in the intermediate and I'm really excited about learning more spanish...it's realllly difficult trying to communicate. However, two of my roomates are pretty fluent, so thats helping a lot. I've met a ton of great people and I'm exciiiiiited to get into a routine and stuff this week...I'll have class from 8:30-1:30 Monday-Friday and then the rest of the day free. Hope everyone is doing wellllllll...I'll try to update again soon. Hasta luego :)

soon and very soon...

I leave for Spain on August 30th and will be living and studying in Madrid....I'm exciiiiiited and scared and happy and anxious and ready....I'll be back December 22nd....Check this site every now and then to see what I've been doing...If you waaaaaant to.