New Flight

Due to the fact that British Airways is on strike from December 22nd until January 2nd, I am unfortunatley going to have to cut my study abroad a little short. Now, I will not be able to go on the trip my friends and I booked to Florence and Venice. My parents had to purchase me a brand new flight for this Sunday, December 20th in order to ensure that I would be coming home and not stuck here until the 2nd. The past couple of days here have been pretty crazy: not knowing if I would be able to come home for christmas, changing my flight, trying to get a new ticket to Madrid, having to keep in touch with my parents the whole time, while taking all my finals on top of it! My senora has been awesome though. She said that I was more than welcome to stay in her home until January 2nd if thats what it came to. She was even excited for that fact that I might be here for Christmas. She kept me calm, and kept assuring me that everything would work out..just like a normal mom=) But now, all is settled. I will be leaving Granada at 1:30am on Sunday (more like saturday night). I have to take a 5 hour bus to Madrid because of all my luggage, then my plane will take off from Madrid at 2pm flying to Boston. I then have another flight from Boston to Chicago. Im kind of nervous to travel alone again, especially with the amount of luggage I have, but after traveling alone to Paris, I think I can do anything. i am getting pretty sad about leaving Spain, Charo, and ending this amazing experience. Its absolutley insane how fast 4 months went by.

As much as I do not want to leave Spain, I am very ready to see everyone!! I truely believe that 4 months is the perfect amount of time for studying abroad. The past couple of days is the first time I have really been home sick. Of course it has to do with the uncertainty of whether or not I was coming home for Christmas, but I definitely am ready to get back to a scheduled life and be with my family and friends. Well, I just wanted to inform everyone that I was coming home a few days earlier, and that everything worked out with my ticket! miss you all and I cannot wait to see everyone!!


ps.I will be posting my blogs for paris, amsterdam and london before I leave Spain! Now my last task is to fit everything I have bought into my suitcases...should be an interesting day...

PICASA PHOTOS NOT WORKING!

so if you have been viewing my pictures through my blog, and not facebook, you have probably noticed that it doesnt work anymore. I cannot tell you why, and i tried to fix it, but looks like its not gunna happen, SO I am going to be posting links to my albums on facebook. IT SHOULD work by just clicking on the link, so try that first.

If not...you dont need to have a facebook account or anything, just highlight and copy each link seperatly and paste it into a new internet window (you just right click your mouse to get the options of copy or paste). If this doesnt work, or you cannot figure it out, then I will just have to show you my final travel and Granada photos when I am home, but I hope it works!

Granada pictures-
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=164700&id=625545311&l=c66eb41953

Paris Pictures-
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=164824&id=625545311&l=79b34a7812

Amsterdam Pictures-
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=167017&id=625545311&l=2c847c9b4a

London Pictures-
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=167063&id=625545311&l=6bce4910d1

movies with Charo!

One night at dinner, Charo, her boyfriend, Rachel and I were all talking about the new movie coming out "New Moon". For those of you who dont know, this is the sequel to the movie "Twilight", that is a craze all around the world. The reason we were talking about it was because "Twilight" was on television that night (in spanish of course), because "New Moon" was coming out the following day. Rachel and I were very excited, and that night we wanted to watch "Crepusculo" (Twilight in Spanish) before seeing the sequel. Edison, my senoras boyfriend, had seen "Twilight", and asked us if we wanted to go with him and Charo the next night to see New Moon (Nueva Luna en espanol)! We were REALLY excited, as well as indifferent.We both loved the first movie so much, and were gunna see it in Spanish now. It wouldnt give it the same effect with different voices, and loosely translated humor. We werent sure if we were going to be able to actually go tho, considering it is just as popular in Spain as it is in the states, and it was possible that it was sold out. The next day when we came home for lunch, Charo told us that Edison bought us tickets online! We were really excited to go out with them. That night, we all ate a nice dinner together, and then got ready for the movie. Charo looked SO cute! The theater wasnt close, so they drove us there. We told all of our friends in our program that we were going as a "family" to see New Moon, and everyone was jealous! Rachel and I are really SO lucky to have the family that we do. None of the other senoras would ever take their students out.

We got to the theater, and it looked really nice from the outside. The inside was HUGE! There was a bowling alley, restaurants, a bridge, games everywhere..it was like a Dave and Busters + a movie theater. We walked over to the bowling alley just to watch because Charo has never been bowling! Next week we are taking her bowling! Waiting in line with our tickets, all the Spanish girls had Twilight shirts and "I love Edward" shirts! Its so funny how it was just like the teenagers in the US. Before the movie, Edision and Charo bought us candy, popcorn and drinks! We tried to pay, but Charo kept saying "el proximo vez, el proximo vez" which means next time, next time. Going into the movie, Rachel and I were blown away by how big it was. It was the biggest theater I have ever been in. We were also weirded out when a lady asked us for our tickets and ascorted us to our seats! Every seat had a number. I asked Edision if this happens even when the movie isnt full or popular, and he said yes. You have to sit in number 1 even if you are the only person in the theater! The movie started, and we could pretty much understand it all. Obviously there are phrases in English that can only be loosley translated into Spanish, especially when it is a movie with teenagers talking, so it didnt always give the same effect sarcasm and humor wise. I really enjoyed trying to keep up with the movie, and learning more comprehension skills (which have improved SO much since being here!). If I had a question I asked Edision, especially because he saw the first one, so he knew what was going on. Also, Rachel read all the books, so she knew "behind the scenes" things that I didnt know. We had SUCH a good time. Minus the fact that Charo fell asleep towards the end of the movie..haha..it was a very nice time.

We are so lucky to have the host family that we do. No one else's host family has taken them out for ice cream, to the movies, made them thanksgiving dinner, or will go bowling with them=) I am so grateful to have them in my life, and I am really going to miss Charo SO much!

Dubln, Ireland!

On Wednesday, November 11th at 9:00pm, Nicki, Rachel and I left Granada for London! After about an hour and a half flight, we were there. Unfortunately for us, our flight from London to Dublin didn’t take off until the following morning, so we slept in the London airport that night. The reason that we do this is because we only had 5 hours in between each flight, so saved us having to pay for a hostel for just a few hours! It’s not the ideal way to travel, but SO many people do it, especially all the students! Sadly, I never fell asleep. Instead, I just watched over our luggage and made to-do lists for school and one for things that I want to do before leaving Spain! It was FINALLY 7am, and time to get to Ireland! Right before boarding our plane we got breakfast. We saw a one person ordering beer at 7am with their breakfast and all laughed. As we continued to look around, EVERY SINGLE person in the London airport was drinking a beer, except for us!! It was very strange, but awesome. We then got on our plane, and after about a 2 and a half hour flight, we were in Dublin, Ireland! As soon as we got off the airplane we were all freezing. It was cold, rainy, and gloomy in Dublin, and even on no sleep, we were still all SO excited to be there and to start our trip!

The hostel we stayed at was called Abbigail’s Hostel. It was really nice and centrally located which was good. As soon as we got there, we found out that we couldn’t check in until 2:00pm, so we just locked up our luggage and got started for the day! Our first stop was the Guinness Storehouse. This was something we could do inside while it was raining, so we chose this first. We took a bus there, and while getting on the bus I obviously noticed that in Ireland they drive on the other side of the road. This is just like England, and definitely something that I learned. The reason for this is because up until 1922 Ireland was under the rule of England, so they drive on the left side of the road like them. This bus did not drop us off right in front of the building, so we were kind of lost. Looking like wandering tourists without asking for help, the cutest little old lady came up to us, asked us if where we were trying to go, gave us directions, and stayed and talked with us for a few minutes! She was SO nice. This was our first experience of how unbelievably nice every person we came across in Dublin was. We walked to the Guinness Storehouse, and it was HUGE! As we walked in we had a short introduction on the building, and the making of Guinness beer. Where we were standing was inside the ‘Guinness Book of World Records’ largest pint of beer! The walls had screens with bubbly beer. Also, we saw the 9000 year lease that was signed by Arthur Guinness for the factory that we were in. I never knew that signing a 9000 year lease was possible? Following the introduction we went on the self-guided tour of the building. It included stations of all the ingredients that are used in making Guinness, as well as a video at each station describing the process. We even got to try a sample of the barley! It was very cool. After the tour of the beer, we got to see the lab they test taste at, see their criteria, and have our own sample of the process we just learned about. It is a strong beer, nothing like the cheap college beer I’m used to drinking=) There were 7 floors to the Guinness Storehouse, filled with cool information, a restaurant, games, and mine and Nicki’s favorite room, a room with the barrels that the beer comes in, and videos showing how they used to make them by hand!! It was awesome. On the top floor was the ‘Gravity Bar’. With your ticket into the Storehouse, you got a complimentary pint of Guinness. The bar was cool because it was all windows, with a view of mountains. Rachel and Nicki were scared that they wouldn’t finish their Guinness because it has a very acquired taste. I started to like it after going through the stations. I could really taste the barley as I drank it.

After we finished, we went to get lunch. We got in a cab, (weird when I sat in the front seat, which is our driver’s seat!), and our driver was SO nice. We didn’t know where to eat, and he gave us suggestions, told us what we should and shouldn’t see, told us about Dublin, and was very interested in Chicago. He was such a nice guy. He gave us the rest of our day’s itinerary! We got lunch, and headed off to Trinity College. Trinity College is a gorgeous university with students from all over the world that was started by Queen Elizabeth I. Our cab driver told us that we should go into the University’s old library. We found out that it contained ‘The Book of Kells’. This is a 1000 year old book found in Kells, Ireland that discusses the gospel. It was not something that I HAD to see, but my roommate Rachel is very religious, and I knew it would be something that she would enjoy, so we all paid to see it. The library was awesome. It smelled of ridiculously old books, of which the current students can still check out! It also had Ireland’s oldest harp! The harp is the national symbol of Ireland, and NOT the four-leaf clover like everyone thinks. After walking around the campus, we headed back to the hostel to take a power nap (at that point I still hadn’t slept at all!). We took a quick nap, got ready, and headed out for the night! We decided to go see an Irish dancing show!! It was right across from our hostel, and with dinner, the show was free. We order Guinness beef pie with mashed potatoes and vegetables. The meat was soo good, a very Irish dish! Before the dancers came on, there was an Irish band playing. They were awesome! They used harmonicas and flutes, and even sang a song I recognized from the movie PS. I love you! Next, the Irish dancers came on!! They were really good! I was so happy that we got to see the dancers, and listen to the music, because it gives you a feel for the culture. I really enjoyed myself=) Afterwards, we called it a night so we could get up early for the next day!

The following day was our day trip into the countryside! We were all really excited for it. There were tons of tours to choose from in Dublin, but the one that we chose went to Wicklow and Glendalough. The bus picked us up in the center of Dublin, and started off with a short city tour as we were leaving the city. We got to drive down the street that the studio is on where U2 recorded their first album! We also got to stop off at a port to take pictures. This is when I met Katie (the girl that I am going to Paris with next week!). She was on the tour with her two brothers, and is super nice. Her, Rachel, Nicki and I were all talking about where we have traveled while studying abroad, and she told us, and then she said "..but I really want to go to Paris, my friends went a weekend I couldn’t go." Of course I said, "me too!!", because I have been looking for someone to go to Paris with me since before my parents were in Spain. I didn’t know if it was a for sure thing, but later that day we exchanged info, and our tickets are all booked=) ANYWAYS, the bus continued driving toward Wicklow. Before getting there, we stopped off at a cute cafe for coffee and breakfast. It had gorgeous landscape, and awesome shadow box tables! After about 40 more minutes, we were in the countryside! It wasn’t as sunny as we'd hoped, but at least it wasn’t raining! We made 2 stops. The first one was really pretty, and JUST what you would picture the Ireland countryside to look like: green! We continued on to our second stop. It was incredible!!! This is where most movies that are filmed in Ireland are filmed, such as Braveheart, Saving private Ryan, PS I love you, Lassie, and more! This part of Wicklow is also where the Guinness family's Estate is. It is HUGE, as you would assume. We stayed for a while in awe at where we were, and took tons of pictures. Then, before getting back on the bus, our tour guide had complimentary shots of Jameson's to "warm us up". Of course, we were in Ireland=) Next, we went stopped off at a pub for lunch. We all got meals that were basically thanksgiving dinners, so we kind of counted it for our thanksgiving that were not going to have=( We had turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and a potato patty that were soo good! It was a really nice pub that for some reason had a huge statue of The Terminator at the front door that NO ONE from our tour realized when walking in! After our lunch, the bus took us to Glendalough. The first thing we got to see was the cemetery. It was amazing. Our tour guide actually did a 3 year study on that actual cemetery, so he knew so much information about it. When walking in, there was a rock to the right that if you put just one hand on it you got to make one wish, so we all did that. As we continued, we got to see all the old gravestones, and he said that there are 5 more people left to be buried until the cemetery is completely full with all the people it is supposed to have. We got to go into the church from the year 500, and there was a gravestone of a person from Chicago! Next to the church was the oldest Celtic cross in the world!! It is over 1000 years old. As we kept walking, we got to see a house made entirely in stone, roof and all. Our guide said that no house would ever be made like that today, and it is almost impossible that the house is still standing considering the amount of weight is has on it. It was beautiful! As we continued to walk, we went through bridges, streams, waterfalls, and made our way up to a gorgeous lake! The water was so still, and the reflection was incredible. We continued walking up to the larger lake that had huge mountains behind it=)

After this lake, it was time to head back to the bus, and back to Dublin. Once we got onto the bus, it started to rain, perfect timing for us! When we arrived back into Dublin, we went to our hostel, got changed, and went out to dinner. For this meal we actually got burgers, something we haven’t had one since being in Spain! They were delicious=) Later on, Nicki and I went out to an Irish pub! We of course ordered Guinness. Because we were really tired from the countryside, and had another long day ahead of us, we just had a couple beers each and stayed for about an hour to watch the band play. They were so good!

The following day, we planned to tour Dublin with the 'hop-on, hop-off' buses. On our tour we passed "The doors of Dublin", something we were hearing a lot of about but didn’t know what it was. Our tour guide explained them as what used to be middle-class houses of the people in Dublin. They are Georgian style homes, and each door could not have the same color next to each other. Nowadays, they are used as offices for companies. Our first stop off the bus was Christ Church Cathedral. The outside was absolutely gorgeous! The inside was just as pretty, and we got to read all about the history of the church. We got to tour the crypt in the basement, as well as write our own prayer in a book there=) Next, we were going to go into St. Patrick's Cathedral. To our surprise, it was closed due to a graduation ceremony that day. We were bummed, but we got to see the outside, and walk around the St. Patrick's park. We asked a cute old couple to take our picture, and afterwards, she talked to us for 5 minutes asking us where we were from, questions about Chicago, if we needed help with anything, and suggestions of where to go. We told her how appreciative we were that all the people in Dublin were going out of their way to be nice to us and help us!

After the park, we went to a pub that was suggested to us. It was called The Bull and Castle, and we had a really good lunch! Next, we went to the Dublin Castle! It was built when Ireland was still under London's rule. There was a first castle built, but when gun powder exploded in the basement, it destroyed the entire thing. This second castle that we toured was built as its replacement, and used for the English king and queens. The castle had a room with plaques for every president in Ireland. Right now, Ireland has a woman in office, and she is serving her second term. Once she is done with her term, Ireland will have had 21 consecutive years of a woman ruler!! (each term is 7 years and there was a woman president before her) I definitely learned something new! We toured the entire castle, which was really pretty, and then, we got to go outside and see where the gun powder was being stored when it exploded and destroyed the first castle. It was recently dug up in the 1980's. After the Dublin castle tour, we went back on the 'hop-on hop-off' bus, and followed it around the whole city to get a full tour. We got to see a lot of cool and pretty things, including where the president lives! Once the tour was over, we did a little bit of shopping in a department store, and some souvenir shopping. Then, we got dinner, and headed to the airport because our flight back to London was that night. As we were walking around the town, we saw many Irish and French soccer fans dressed up. We had heard the day before that there was a big soccer game that night, but we didn’t realize how big of a deal it was. It was a game between Ireland and France, and it was the start of a world cup qualifying series. The town was decorated, and there were TONS of crazy fans from Ireland and France. Confirming our stereotype of Irish drinkers, all the Irish fans were ridiculously drunk in the streets! We got to the airport, and got on our plane right away to London. Our flight back to Granada wasn’t until early the next morning, so we had to sleep in the London airport again. It was bad memories for me not being able to sleep, but I feel asleep that time!

Coming back to Granada always gives me a good, home-like feeling, but I definitely didn’t want to leave Ireland! The countryside was GORGEOUS, the people were wonderful, and Rachel, Nicki and I had an awesome and relaxing time together! I'm loving every second of traveling while abroad! I can’t begin to explain how lucky I have felt these last 3 months experiencing new parts of the world=) Next stop...PARIS!!

Great Grandma

Very unfortunatley, I had to be over seas when my Great Grandmother passed away this past month. Although I wasnt able to be there with my family, I know that my Grandma was watching over me here in Spain. Of course 95 years is an age to celebrate, but as my Great Grandma made such a huge impact on all of our lives, we knew it would be hard to say goodbye. Being so far away was definitely difficult. Luckily I have made great friends here in Spain that were there for me. Everyone was wonderful, and that weekend, they all made a toast to "Gina's Great Grandma." It was very comforting for being so far.

I am so happy that my Great Grandma was able to come to my going away party before I left for Spain. As sad and hard as it was for me not to be home, my family kept reminding me that I saw grandma at her best, and will have a great last memory of her. She was such an amazing person, and had more wisdom and life experience then anyone I will ever know. About 5 years ago, my Great Grandma gave me a prayer that she said she wanted me to say everyday because it would help me make decisions. Im proud to say that I have said it every day since then, and will continue to say it. I will always remember her telling me to "make room for my guardian angel", as well as playing pokino on my kitchen table for hours, while listening to old stories. Michael and I will never forget when she stayed at our house one weekend when we were about 10 and 12. It was a school day and grandma made us homemade frenched toast before school!! Or the time I told her that I was using her name as my confirmation name..she cried tears of joy. From then on she called me 'Gina D' for Gina Dominica. I will also never forget on my Auntie Julie and Uncle Larry's wedding day when my Great Grandma was in the hospital. Our limo drove my entire family to the hospital after the church and we all went up in our dresses to see my Grandma! I admired her strength, her sharp mind, as well as her faith. I am so unbelievably lucky to have even met my Great Grandmother, let alone really get to know her as well as I did for almost 21 years! I am honored to have the name Dominica as my confirmation name as she will forever be a part of my life.

te echo de menos bisabuela y te quiero.

(i miss you great grandma and i love you)

Halloween en Espana

After getting back from Malaga, I came home, showered, and started getting in my Halloween costume! My friends and I were dressing up as the Village people! Heather, Robin, Nicki, Maggie, Heather S., Laura and I were each a different member. I was the biker! I bought ripped up leggings, a bandana, sunglass, and gloves. I then wore black shorts, a black jacket, and sticker tattoos! We all got together to get ready, and it was so much fun!

Halloween is NOT a Spanish holiday but just something that they do because a lot of Americans are here. My senora said that it's something that has been happening for just the past 10 years or so. We saw a ton of Spaniards on the streets that were dressed up! As well as it being Halloween, Halloween is my Dad's birthday! I actually called him while we were still in Malaga on our bike tour...directly to our house number! My parents were very surprised to hear my voice on our home phone.

That night, we all went to Camborio, our favorite discoteca! It is the discoteca that is in Albaizin. The club is inside actual caves, and has an amazing view of the Alhambra at night. We danced all night (morning) until 7 30am, and walking home we got to watch the sun rise while passing the Alhambra! It was gorgeous.

It was so much fun getting to dress up here in Spain. We all would have been sad if we didnt get to take part in our American tradition!

MALAGA, ESPANA!

My friends and I went to Malaga, Spain last weekend! It is only about a 2 hour bus ride form Granada. When we arrived, we checked into our hostal, ate our lunches, and headed out. It was SUCH a gorgeous day, so we were really lucky=) The first place we wanted to go to was the Castle in Malaga. In order to get there, you have to climb the mountain. The path that we walked up was lined with beautiful gardens all the way up! Before we even got to the top the view was incredible. But, when we did, we were overlooking so much: the port with cruise ships, the mediteranean sea, the skyline of mountains, and the entire city that had palm trees everywhere, the bull fight stadium, their cathedral, and so much more! Once we took our pictures from the top, we went inside the castle! We first climbed to the top of the castle where it looked like something out of a fairy tale with towers and pointed tops! We explored the whole castle, and were blown away by its history and the views.

After this, we went to spend a relaxing day at the beach. As we walked to the beach, we strolled through a lot of the neighborhoods. The houses are so pretty! They were decorated really nicely, with bright colored houses, as well as bright flowers everywhere. My friends and I all want to retire there! We say that because Malaga is a very popular place for Spaniards to retire...we saw SO many old people. It was nice tho because the town was very quite and calm, super different than say Madrid, Barcelona or even Granada. When we finally got to the beach, it wasnt the most amazing beach ever, but being on a beach anywhere the day before halloween will do for me=) Our tour guide the next day told us that Malaga isnt really known for their beach, even tho it is pretty, it is just not white sand beaches. I love all the beaches here because they have the mountains in the background. Its like a postcard everywhere I go. The beach was awesome cuz it was later in the day, so it cooled down to about 70-75 degrees, and we all took a nice nap on the beach! We just layed and talked, and a couple of us took a walk along the shore. It was right as the sun was setting and really relaxing (not that im stressed out..i live in spain!) Next, we went to get dinner. It was gooood. A lot of the dinners come with fried eggs, which was weird to us at first, but now we all love it. Then, we went back to our hostal to sleep.

The next day was our tour of Malaga by BICYCLE! We were all really excited because 1. we didnt have to walk, 2. we all hadnt rode bikes in soo long, and 3. we got to ride the bikes on the beach! We met our tour guide, who was from England, and started riding around. She was awesome. She really knew her info, and we learned SO much about Malaga. As we were stopped in front of each landmark, she was told us something really interesting. One time, she told us the reason that ham and alcohol are so popular in Spain. We have all been wondering why ham is in almost EVERY SINGLE meal that we eat! The reason is because when King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel conquered all the Islamic areas of Spain, they told the people that they either
1. had to convert to Catholicism 2. had to leave Spain, or 3. would be killed. Most of them converted, but the King didnt believe that they would actually follow through with the religion. In order to test them, he would throw huge parties, and ONLY serve ham and alcohol. The reason for this is that Islamic Muslims are prohibited to eat pork or drink alcohol, so if they didnt eat or drink at the party, they were killed. Our tour guide said that this went on for many years, and ever since then, it has been pork and alcohol throughout all of Spain. After she told us this I said, "That is so interesting, I LOVE this tour!" She said, "I think you are the most enthusiastic client ive had yet!" haha. But the tour was really awesome. We got to see where Pablo Picasso was baptized, learned all about the church, saw a Roman Theatre that was recently dug up and discovered, saw and learned all about the cathedral, rode through a botanical garden with fountains and bridges, talked about the history of Malaga, rode along the beach, stopped for drinks to try the "sweet Malaga wine" (this is when I called you guys Mom and Dad!), saw the Plaza de toros, got to see up close what is used in percessions during Semana Santa (Holy Week), AND we saw the house that Pablo Picasso grew up in! Picasso only lived in Malaga until he was 10, but she told us that whenever someone asked him where he was from he would say "Soy de la tierra de chupa y tira"...What this literally means is "I am from the land of suck and throw"..But what it means is that Picasso lived in a neighborhood that was poor, and the money that the people had was all spent on clothing so that they could look nice. They never had any money for food, and since they lived by the sea, they would just eat the clams. This phrase is because the way you eat clams is by "sucking" them, and then they would "throw" the remainder into the trash cans. The tour was very interesting, and we liked that she told us about recent information too. For example, Antonio Banderas lives in Malaga, and she told us stories about seeing him, how nice he is, and what he does during Semana Santa!

After the bike tour, we ate lunch, and went to the Picasso museum! It was amazing. Every piece of art was perfect, and we loved that they were all his original works. Going into the gift shop, I saw a postcard picture of Picasso, and was in shock of what he actually looked like. In the photo he was wearing shorts, no shirt, was smoking a cigar, and had a crazy hat on! i LOVED it. He looked so chill and laid back, and not anything I would expect him to look like. I definitley bought it=)

After the museum, Heather and I had our bus back to Granada because it was Halloween, and of course we didnt want to miss out on dressing up! We first went to this italian restaurant and got realllly good pizza, and then went back to Granada. I really enjoed Malaga! It was a perfect amount of time to get a taste of another part of Spain. I love visiting other parts of Spain and comparing how different the people and daily life is in each place=)

When In Rome!

Although I have already been to Rome, I was way too young to appreciate everything it has to offer. Leaving Granada on a Wednesday night after class, my friends Sophie, Amy, Monica, Morgan and I took a 5 hour bus to Madrid. From there we had to "sleep" in the airport. NOT a great experience, but cheaper then paying for a hostel for 4 hours. At 7 am, we took our flight to Rome!! It was really nice that we left that earlier because we had the full day when we got there.

When my flight landed in Ciampino (the airport in Italy), and my cousin Giovanna was there to greet me! It was SO nice. My friends took a bus to their hostal, and Giovanna and I went back to her house. Before going to her house, she took me to a park that was nearby. It was really pretty and the view of the mountains was awesome, but we didnt stay long because Giovanna said we had other things to do! We then went to her house, and I slept a little bit (i was ty ty). Afterwards, I was going to meet up with my friends, but their spanish cell phones were NOT working, soo Giovanna and I went around the city together=) She took me to a couple really cool churches, including Uncle Frank's favorite church in Rome! Then, we went to get pizza! There were so many kinds, but we got sausage with mushrooms, and potato pizza! Ive never had potato pizza before, and i LOVED it. After lunch we were going to go inside of the Colosseum. I was a little bummed that I wasnt going to see this with my friends, but it was no big deal. I figured I would get a hold of them by calling their hostal considering their phones were not working at all in Rome. Meanwhile, Giovanna and I are walking to the Colosseum and I heard "GINA!!" It was my friends! It was soo funny that we found eachother. We were all apologizing that our phones werent working, and they felt so bad, but we decided a time to meet later that night, and to go to the Colosseum together the next day. We were SO lucky to find eachother, considering how big Rome is. Instead of going inside, Giovanna and I walked around the outside of the Colosseum, she explained things to me, and we looked at the Roman ruins. We even went up to the top of the hill to a really cute church! Next, Giovanna took me to the street with all the best and most expensive shopping!! Something that is hard for me to resist. We went to some really cool stores, and I wanted EVERYTHING, but I kept hearing my moms voice in my head telling me "Gina, you have somthing just like that!" Honestly tho, im still thinking about this suade purse I wanted to buy in Rome...hahah I have a shopping problem. After shopping, we went to Giolitti for gelato, mmm! This is the icecream shop that Obama recently went to because it is right next to the House of Parliaments where Obama was when he came to Rome. Obviously, the ice cream was amazing. I had dark chocolate and hazlenut. Next, we walked to the Spanish steps. This place brought back SO many memories because Joanna, my Dad and I recently watched our Rome video, and me, Michael, and Joanna were all playing on the fountain in front of the steps and climbing the steps. I almost pushed my sister into the fountain! It was really pretty because it was night time, and the sun was just setting. Then, it was about time to meet my friends, so Giovanna walked me to their hostal, and we were going to go out for dinner! We first went out and got wine, and then went to a really cute italian restaurant. I ordered gnocchi, which was soo good, but I sadly spilled some of it while trying to take a picture of my plate! Giovanna then picked me up and brought me back. I went right to sleep considering we had a big day ahead of us!

Each morning Giovanna and her husband, Gianluca, ate breakfast with me. We had delicious pastries, milk, toast and cereal. They were SO unbelievably nice, and I am so fortunate to have been able to stay with them!! This day, my friends and I had a lot of things planned! I met them at their hostal, and we took off for the day. I am REALLY happy that I traveled with Sophie, Amy, Morgan and Monica, because 1. I only really knew Sophie and Monica, so I got to make new friends and get the know them all better! and 2. They were all knowledgeable of things I never would have thought... For example: I was SO surprised to hear that they all knew and LOVED cannoli. To continue where I left off, at 10 am when we left for the day, we found a bakery with cannoli. Amy and Monica said they have been waiting FOREVER for this, so we stopped in, and all ate cannoli at 10am! Haha, only in Rome. We then walked around the city, enjoying the amazing architecture, and looking at the artwork. We then arrived at the Spanish steps. It was during the day, so a different perspective, and it was a really beautiful day. I even pet a horse in front of the steps! Afterwards, we walked to Piazza de popolo, and were surpised to see that there was a dog show going on!! Missing Bella, I loved it. We explored the plaza, and found a trail that lead up a mountain. We climed up to the top of it so see a gorgeous view of the city! It was so cool. We could see St. Peters in the distance, and there wasnt a cloud in the sky=) Of course, we were all craving gelato, so we went to get some. Our next stop was the Trevi Fountain, and on our way we found some really cool pasta stores. They had EVERY type of pasta you could think of, in different shapes, sizes and colors. I loved it. We got to the fountain and it was amazing!! We stared at it forever, and made our wishes. We got a great picture while we were throwing our coins! I kept thinking of being there when I was younger. I even re-took a picture in the same exact spot that Joanna and I did when we were little=) After this we walked to The Pantheon! It was huge and gorgeous, and Giovanna gave me a book on Rome, so we were able to read up on it and know exactly what everything was. The painter Rafael is buried in there! We also learned that the entire ceiling was made of Gold, but it was stripped, and then used to build something in St. Peters Basilica. We next went to another beautiful plaza with statues, art work, and food, and then we went to the plaza with the italian market! Sadly we went later in the day when everything was about closing up, but it was still very cool to see, and there were stores with sales! Afterwards, we walked along the river. It was SO pretty! The day was perfect. We stopped next to the river and got cappuccino=) We then were headed to the Colosseum! Before getting there, we had to walk through this huge field, what used to be this huge stadium for horse races, and beacause it is so close to the river, they used to fill it with water and have battles in ships! It held up to 300,000 people, and Andrea told us the next day that now they have concerts there, and when Italy won the world cup, that this is where they all celebrated and there were 2 million people! We finally got to the Colosseum! I had seen the Colosseum with my family, but we never went inside, so I was very excited. It was awesome! It was so neat being inside of something that old, and it made it even better that the sun was shinging bright=) In my book, we read that underneath where the floor was, were prisions for slaves! It was cool because they only had half of the floor up so you can see underneath. Next, it was getting late, and of course we were hungry, so we went out to dinner. I got lasagna and meatballs! It was sooo good. We really wanted to experience the night life in Italy and compare it to Spain, so we took a bus to where we thought to go. We ended up near the Trevi Fountain, so it was cool to see it all lite up at night! After this, we went to a bar for drinks, and then to a discoteca to dance! It was a bit different from Spain, especially considering in Spain people dont go out until 2am and then stay out till 8am. We definitley had a good time tho! I then took a cab back to Giovanna's house.

The next day Giovanna had talked to my cousin Andrea and they decided to take me and all of my friends around all day to tour Rome! How lucky were we?! They each had a car, and we followed eachother as they drove us to different places in the city. It was so good to see Andrea! First, Andrea took us to this really pretty neighborhood. He said it was an expensive neighborhood, and it was very different from being in the heart of the city because it was nice and quiet. There were 3 gorgeous churches up there. All of which Andrea said that it can take up to 3 years in advance if you want to get married there! The first church that we went to was great. It was built over 1000 years ago, and the flooring was barely restored and still unbelievable. It was fun because there was a wedding going on that we got to see! He also showed us this "key hole" that people look through that has a PERFECT view of the top of St. Peters! It was so different and cool to see. Next, we passed by a piramid. It was really interesting, and Andrea told us that it was there because when the Romans conquered the eqyptians, they wanted to show that they conquered them, and they "stole" their architecture. We also got to see one of the walls of entrance into Rome from ancient times! It was like their wall of defense. After this, we went to "The mouth of truth". Your supposed to put your hand in its mouth, and if you have lied its said it would chop of your hand. Andrea said that him and Johnny (his brother) used to be SO scared of it when they were little! Afterwards, Andrea and Giovanna drove us all the way up to the highest of the 7 hills that Rome is built on. We went to Passeggiata del Gianicolo. It has the BEST view of the city. Although it was kind of a gloomy day, it was still breathtaking. The trees in this park were SO pretty and fall like! We then drove back down near St. Peters, and stopped for lunch. We had, of course, delicious pizza, and rice balls! I have never had one before and I loved it. All of my friends tried one too=) After lunch Andrea treated all of us to gelato! Not neccassary, but SO nice. I had cannoli gelato and it was awesome. This shop even had cannoli shell ice cream cones! (Dad you should make them) After we stuffed out faces, we were off to St. Peters Church. The Plaza itself is huge and beautiful. Full of pigeons just as I remember. I chased them like michael, joanna and i did years ago. It was AWESOME having Andrea and Giovanna there to tell us what everything was, inside and out of the church. Inside of the church was breathtaking, and I was most taken back by all of the mosaics that looked like paintings! They were gorgeous. After a long day of site seeing, we went to get coffee and tea. Giovanna treated us all to pastries and coffee! They were both SO generous, not only to me, but to my friends as well!! I was very lucky. We then headed off to do some shopping! Of course, I wanted everything again, but I did good, Mom! We shopped for a while, and then went to dinner nearby. We all had different pastas, wine and bread and desserts! mmm! Everything was wonderful! After dinner we walked past St. Peter's again because it was night time and all lite up! It was SO pretty. Giovanna had attended The University of Rome, and knew where all the college students hung out, so after dinner she took my friends and I to an area with all the college kids! It was really cool to see. It was similar to "el botellodromo"(drinking outside) in Spain. There were students playing instruments and having a jam session. It was great. We listened to them play for a while because it was super entertaining, and then went to get a glass of wine. Giovanna again treated us all for wine, which made me feel really bad!, but she insisted. We then dropped off my friends at their hostal and headed home for the night. On the way home I got to see the Colosseum lite up. I was really happy that I got to see EVERYTHING during the day and at night! Our day was so perfect. My friends were blown away and so appreciative of being shown around Rome. They couldnt stop talking about it! I am very lucky that Andrea and Giovanna showed me around, as well as my friends! They were the BEST tour guides ever.

The next morning was time to leave. Giovanna drove me to the airport, and we said our goodbyes. I didnt know how I could thank her for being SO great this entire time. I am a very lucky girl=) I LOVED Rome SO much. My friends and I never wanted to leave. The people, the food, the shopping, the history, it was all amazing! I loved being there that I am italian, and eating and seeing things that are my families culture! I really hope to be back again some day=)

the WONDERFUL week with my parents in Spain!

After an hour plane ride, I was in Barcelona with my parents!! Our plan was to stay one night in a beach resort just outside of Barcelona for the first night, and the next three in the city, but when we found out it was an hour and a half away we decided to stay in Barcelona all 4 nights. In Barcelona the people speak Catalan, and NOT Castellano (regular Spanish). I was nervous for us to find a hotel, but when I found out our cab driver spoke Castellano, I spoke to him and he found us a nice hotel. He was really nice and we talked a lot about Granada and its history, and about Andalucia in general. (Andalucia is a region of Spain, and Granada is a province within this region. Then Granada City is a city within the province of Granada...just like New York, New York) Any ways, my parents fell RIGHT asleep when we got to our hotel. Being jetlagged sucks!

The next morning we went for breakfast and switched hotels. Our hotel was absolutley gorgeous. After this we walked the street "Las Ramblas", a famous street in Barcelona. Lucky for us our hotel was in the center of it. Las Ramblas is a street lined with beautiful trees on each side, shops, restaurants, interesting performers, a market, and ends with the Christopher Columbus statue. We went into the market which was REALLY cool. There was every kind of fresh meats, cheeses, nuts, fish, and fruits. There were bakeries, ice cream shops, people making fresh pizza, and more. We got a bunch of little things like olives, nuts, fruit, and bread and sat down and had some wine with it! Afterwards, we continued to walk down the street, and ended at the Columbus monument. I read that you could go to the top of it, so we did! It was an extremley tiny elevator that took you up there and only about 5 people could be up there at once. It was really worth it tho because it was an amazing view of the city, and the port which was right at the end of Las Ramblas. After this, we were told that there was a good bar close by to get cheap drinks and food. We aimlessly walked around forever and couldnt find it! Everyone we asked didnt even know. Once we finally found it, it was awesome. It was a tiny place with only locals. They had wine and sandwiches. The wine was really good, and with a sandwich it was only 2.50 euro total! The reason it was so hard to find was because it had no sign with the name of it. It was funny, but cool. We called it the "Johnny's" of Spain. It was SO crowded and super small...just like Johnny's! Later that evening we walked around Barcelona, and then went to a restaurant with the most AMAZING paella ive had since ive been here!!

The next morning we bought tickets for a hop-on hop-off bus tour. It takes you around all of Barcelona and you can get on and off at all the main tourist sights. Our first stop was "La Pedrera." This is a house designed by Antoni Gaudi. He is a very famous architect that designed many buildings in Barcelona. The outside of the building itself is incredile. The building is designed into waves in stone. The beginning of the tour was kinda lame, but we were able to go on the roof and it was awesome. My dad didnt love this tour, but the roof was very cool to see. Afterwards, we hopped-on the bus and went to see La Sagrada Familia! This is the church that was designed by Antoni Gaudi. They said he dedicated his life to this church, and after over 100 years, it is still only HALF done. Its hard to fatham, but the church itself really is unbelievably gorgeous. It was acutally pretty cool to see it under construction, and to see their workshop of where all the molds and designs of the building are being created. Next we went to the FC Bacelona staduim! (FC just stands for futbol club) This was something very different to see since we were seeing all old buildings with history. I was really excited to see this stadium especially because my "Abuelo" in my house watches Barcelona soccer almost EVERY DAY, so I would always see the huge stadium on the televison filled with 100,000 people! It was a very cool tour because we got to go into the players lockerooms, go onto the level of the field, go into the press room, see all of their trophys, and a museum of the teams history. I really enjoyed it!

After this we went back to the hotel, and then went to a nice dinner! Before dinner my mom and I got delicious sangria from our bar (she got one EVERY day in Spain), and sat next to Tim Robbins, the actor from Shawshank Redemption. He was wearing a jean jacket, and looked like a loser. For dinner we went to a restaurant called 'Barceloneta,' a seafood restaraunt in Barcelona. Our food was SOO good, im happy I took pictures of it=) To walk off our dinner and dessert, we walked along the beach by all the clubs and bars. Of course, my 25 yr. old mother wanted to go in to the dance clubs, but my parents are OLD, so we just went to a bar for drinks.

The next morning we went back on the hop-on and off bus tour. There were 2 different lines, so this day we saw completley different things. Our first stop was Casa Batllo, another building by Antoni Gaudi. This is honestly one of the coolest buildings ive ever seen. Ive never seen anything like it. There is colored stone on the entire thing, and the roof is made to look like fish scales. Next we just toured beautiful Barcelona for a while on the top of the bus. We eventually got off when we saw the car cable things that take you over the top of the city. The views of Barcelona were gorgeous!! I am so happy we did this. Of course, it was time to eat, and we went to a cute little outside restaurant and got tapas (appetizers) and drinks! While walking back to our hotel, there was a group of entertainers (gymnasts) on Las Ramblas, and my mom pushed me into the center when they asked for volunteers..not nice. Anyways, I was in their demostration, and had a guy do a flip over 2 other people and then me! It was crazy. That night we relaxed a bit in the hotel, and then went to the Magic Fountain for our last night in Barcelona. It was so pretty and fun to see with all the lights and music! They played all american songs to the water and sometimes made the water look like smoke, it was sweeeet. I loved being there with my parents!!! Im so lucky that they were able to come visit me and that we got to travel somewhere in Spain, and see new things together!


The next morning VERY early, we were off to Granada, my home=) I was so excited to show them Granada and everything that I have been falling in love with! When we got to Granada, we settled my parents into their hotel, and then we went for a walk as I showed them both of my schools! It was such a beautiful day (the WHOLE week they were here was perfect weather!), but because it was a sunday, both my schools were closed, just like everything else in Granada on sundays! That night, we were lucky enough to get tickets to a Gypsy style flamenco show in Sacromonte(an area in the mountains in Granada). I was really excited to go with them because I loved the flamenco show I saw in Sevilla, and I wanted them to experience what I had. We got dinner at their hotel, and then took a bus up to Sacromonte. On the way to the cave that the show was in, the bus stopped at the Albaizin, a district in Granada. Here that is a great view of the Alhambra, and it was at night so it was really pretty. When we got to the cave it was so cool! It was super small, with pictures everywhere and authentic spanish pot hanging from the ceiling. It was so small that we were literally in their space, but thats what made it fun. The dancing was a different style from what I saw in Sevilla, but it was really cool! There were flamenco singers as well. At the end of the show, we got to dance with them. It was really fun, and I am so happy that my parents go to see something so cultural. Before going home, I took my parents to try churros con chocolate. I like them, but my parents werent really feeling it. Oh well, at least they got to try them!

The next day we went to see the Cathedral here in Granada. I waited to go in until my parents came so that it could be my first time too. I was excited to see it because it is where King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel are buried! They were the king and queen of Spain that funded Christopher Columbus's journey to America. The Cathedral itself was beautiful, and the monument for the king and queen was awesome. Then, you can go underground and see their tombs! I thought it was really cool. In front of their monument is a candle that has never and will never burn out. Afterwards, we went to the Alhambra. I hadnt been there yet either, so I didnt really know much about it which was my mistake. The Alhambra was gorgeous, but super croweded and no head sets to hear the tour left to buy. Me and my parents didnt really know what anything was, so we kind of just aimlessly wandered through the fortress. It was cool, but we had no clue what we were looking at, so it wasnt what I expected. After the Alhambra, I wanted to take my parents to a local bar that my friends and I go to alot for cheap drinks and tapas! We call it the "Chino" cuz its run by chinese people. We got sangria and tapas=) Then we went to a really good bakery near by, of course for my dad to check out the sweets, but I wasnt complaining. Then, my parents came up to my bedroom and we skyped micheal, joanna, and my grandparents. It was so cool having them in my room where I usually skype them! That night we went to a restaurant by my plaza for pizza.

The next morning my school was open, so we took another walk to see it! They got to go inside the building, and inside one of my classrooms! Afterwards was the big lunch at my senoras house, so we walked to buy my senora, and my abuela flowers, and then went to my house for lunch. At this point my parents had already met both my abuela and my senora, but my abuelo, tia (aunt), and her 3 children who spend a lot of time at our house were all there for lunch! It was SUCH a nice time. My abuela cooked a traditional spanish dish of paella. It was HUGE, with full baby lobsters in it! She also had food before, and after this! It was fun to translate for my parents, well mom, my dad did pretty well with his spanish. Curro, Marga and Jose (the grandkids) were all there. They sat by us, and were so cute by trying to show off and speak the little english that they learn in school to my parents! Curro can say the numbers 1-10 and Jose was taught how to say "Oh my god!" Then, jose asked me if I could teach him english with the CDs that he got from school because his mom doesnt understand them. It was soo cute! It was really nice that my parents and senora talked a lot after dinner. My mom and dad thanked them for taking care of me, and of course, Lor cried. It was SO fun having them in the house that im living in, and talking with my host family!

After this we did a bit of shopping. Then later that night, rachel came home from paris, and we went to dinner with her and my friend laura and her mom. Then I wanted to take my parents to this ice cream parlor that we go to sometimes. Its called Los Italianos, and its not as good as ice ceam in Italy, but its real good. Sadly, it was my parents last night in Spain, and I had to start school the next day. I got up early, and had breakfast with them, and then had to say goodbye after an AMAZING week!! It was hard to say goodbye knowing I wouldnt see them till christmas, but also I only will do this one time! Im so happy that they came to visit me. I wish Michael and Joanna could have been there to experience Spain with us, but one day we will just have to come back=) I miss my family lots, but seeing my parents recently has definitley made it easier. I love them all so much and am so lucky to have the family that I do=)

MY PARENTS ARE HERE!!

I havent posted a blog in a long time because I have been super busy with school and enjoying spain=) I took my final exam yesterday and found out this morning that I got an A on it!! Im really proud of myself considing my exam was 12 pages long! Theres SO much that I want to say and write in here about the past couple of weeks, but I will next time I blog. I just wanted to write that MY PARENTS ARE HERE!! My dad just texted me and said that he and my mom have arrived in Barcelona. I am finishing up packing right now, and my senora is driving me to the airport. After a one hour flight I will get to see them!

ps. even though i havent been blogging I have still been adding pictures for people to look at!

adios=)

half day!

so today one of my teachers had to go to the doctor or something so we only had our first 2 hours of class! I guess we could have gotten a substitute, but in spain they like to make things relaxing=) On my walk home I decided to take a new route and explore some places that I havent seen yet. I really like being by myself sometimes. It is very relaxing. Im happy that I went this new way becasue I found a really cute plaza. It had fresh fruit markets outside, bakeries, a pretty ountain in the middle, restaurants, and kids playing everywhere. When I was walking through i saw a puppy that looked JUST like bella!! It made me sad=( so I stopped to watch it. This dog was barking like crazy (just like bella) and chasing all the birds. It even made that stupid sneeze noise that bella makes. After this I found a cool shop with spanish jewlery. Then I was back in the plaza that i live in: Plaza de la Trinidad. During class today we discussed certain topics from newspapers and it made me think that I should buy a few different news papers from Granada. Not only to read, but also to use in my classroom one day. I bought 'El Pais' and 'Granada Hoy'. Im going to read them on my free time to learn new vocab words. In a few hours my friends and I are going on a tour of Sacromonte. I dont know too much about it, but its a seperate neighborhood that homes a bunch of the gypies in granada. It also has really cool caves. Im excited to see it. Ill post pictures soon to show you what it really is tho!

Sevilla!

This past weekend I went to Sevilla, Spain with 6 of my friends and had such a wonderful time=))

We left right after our classes on Friday for our 3 hour bus ride. We got into Sevilla around 7 pm, and checked into our hostel. Walking through Sevilla was so beautiful. This was my first time staying in a hostel and was a little nervous. Our room had 8 beds in it with only 4 being my friends! It was pretty small and crammed, but i guess you get what you pay for. After getting settled we went out for dinner. Then we got lost. The streets in Sevilla are horrible and change names every 3 blocks. When we finally found our way we went to a cheap bar for drinks. After this we decided to go back because my one friend Nicki made us a jam packed itinerary and we wanted to be ready to see all of Sevilla!

Our first stop was the Bull Fighting Museum. We bought tickets for a show and we wanted to be knowledgeable on what was actually going on, so we went to the museum for information. It was really cool beacause we got to see the stadium and take pictures really close up when no one was there, and it was nice since our seats for the actual fight were on the top section. The museum was really neat. We especially liked it beacuse the tour guide did the tour all in spanish. She told us about all the stages of the bullfights, we got to see the clothing that they wear, see paintings and sculptures, and see where the horses stay before they are needed in the fight. I took tons of pictures because I thought it would be somehting cool that I can use in my classroom when i teach!

After this we went to the Flamenco Museum. It was very artsy and more hands on than he other one. In each room they had screens of flamenco dancing. We were all in awe just by the video, and it got us so excited for the show. This museum had paintings and actual shoes and clothing that is worn for flamenco dancing.

Our next stop was the Cathedral. It was absolutley amazing. It is the 3rd largest church in the world, and Christopher Columbus is buried there! I had no idea. Im honestly learning so many new things everyday=) I took tons of pictures, but they do not do it justice.

After the cathedral, we went to our hostal and got ready for the Flamenco show!! We went to a smaller show that held about 90 people. I enjoyed it so much more because it was a lot more personal, and we were super close to the stage! A guitar player and a singer to started the show. They were both so different and cool. After that the girl came out. She was INCREDIBLE. She was so intense and passionate about the dance it was amazing. I wish I could have taped it. The man went after her and he was just as great. I never wanted it to end! I really never expected to enjoy it that much.

Next we got tapas and wine! We then went on the bar crawl with our hostel. The bars were really cool. They were all outdoor and had weird decorations. It was fun to be outside and not crammed and hot inside of a bar. It was fun, but we are pretty sure that we went ended up at a gay club...

The next morning we went on a walking tour of Sevilla. The tour guide (who was also the owner of our hostel) explained to us not only all the buildings, but behind the scenes stories that we would never have been able to know. We saw different"neighborhoods", as well as the university of sevilla, and La plaza de espana. This plaza had a scene from star wars taped there! It is also in the shape of "open arms" that face the plaza americana. This is supposed to symbolize that spain will always have open arms to america, and that they are sorry for their past with christopher columbus.

We then got lunch,where I had really good salmon, and went on a tour of Alcazar. This is the governors palace in Spain. It was really beautiful, but sadly from walking around all day,while carrying our backpacks, we were so tired that we didnt really enjoy it as much as we could have.

Finally, it was time for the bull fight in La Plaza de Toros. We were all very excited, but we didnt know what we were in for. After going to the museum, we were aware that there were 6 bulls that were killed in each fight, but when the first one came out we were all REALLY sad. After the 3rd bull we were used to it, but it was hard to watch at times. I am glad that I got to experience it and take pictures for my classroom tho. Our tour guide said that it was really good that we went to one. She said now because of animal rights and everything that this tradtion could be completely stopped within the next couple of years. All in all it was really cool to be a part of their tradition. The pictures are pretty graphic so if you dont wanna see them, skip those ones!

I had such a great time and I learned a lot about the culture of Spain. Cannot wait to see more of spain and europe!

esceula y mas

Hola! By now I have been in my intensive language course for about a week and I am loving it! I feel like I am learning a lot already. The professors are SO great and some of the students in my class that I have met are really cool. So far we have been reviewing and brushing up on our grammar. Today was fun because we discussed our opinions and views on certain topics. The teachers are very patient and help us out a lot when speaking. I am really going to miss having only two classes a day after this month is over!!

Rachel and I are now in a different building so it takes us about 20-25 minutes to walk to class. It's an easy walk but it can sometimes be hard to get there in a hurry due to all the Spaniards that walk SOO slow! It's weird. One of our teachers said that he can always tell who is from the United States by how quickly they are walking. I really do love their way of life. The Spaniards are all so at ease, and dont worry about anything. Our favorite saying now that everyone in Granada uses is "no pasa nada!" which basically means "dont worry about it, its fine, its nothing" We constantly here it from our teachers and senoras. Its so great to see that they dont think anything is a big deal. Another big reason i love their way of life is SIESTA!!! My favorite word ever. In Spain they eat a larger lunch than dinner (although in our house it seems our dinners are just as big), and when they do the entire city shuts down from 2-6pm. It is really cool, but also kind of annoying at the same time. If you want to go anywhere or need to pick something up, especially at school, you cant. And if they dont feel like opening after siesta, they just dont! We eat lunch in our house at about 2 30 and then sleep every day until 6. It is absolutley wonderful.

Last night we ate dinner over in our "abuelas" house across the hall. She is our senoras mother, and the woman who cooks for us. She is really nice, and funny! She actually told us a dirty joke last night! We were all very caught off guard, but it was great. Its cool when I see how relaxed and open my host family is.

After dinner we went out for a little bit for my friend Heather's birthday. Heather introduced us to her other roomated, Kristine, who is from Germany. She spoke perfect english. It was very interesting to talk to her. She knew so much information about American politics, television, movies, music; everything. After talking a while I asked her what Germans thought of Americans. She said "most Germans think americans are stupid." She went on to tell me that someone from the US once asked her if in Germany they had electricity. I laughed, but it really is pathetic. Its sad that I keep on getting reminded through studying here on how ignorant Americans are to the rest of the world.

ANYWAYS...Im REALLY looking forward to my trip to Seville this weekend with my friends! Were going to be touring the city and seeing a flamenco show so im very excited!
ok, im gunna go siesta now and then finish up my homework so that i can go to Granada Diez tonight!! ill put up pictures soon=)

Starting School

I cant believe I have only been here for a little over a week! I feel very comfortable and settled already. Its been a very exciting first week (basically a vacation!), but now its time for school to actually start. Thursday was my first day of class. For the entire first month I am here, I am in a Language Intensive course. It is one class every day for 4 hours a day. The time goes by pretty quickly because we have a little break in between (not to mention some of the teachers give other cigarette and coffee breaks!) I am very excited to start this course because I can actually apply it to my real life. Right now I can understand almost everything that my host family says, but I still need to break my nerves when it comes to speaking! Charo (my senora) seems to think that I speak well already, but I know that I still have A LOT to learn.

Rachel and I and a bunch of the other girls just planned a trip to Seville! We are going next friday till Sunday. Seville is a city about 3 hours from Granada, and is supposed to be gorgeous. We are very excited to start traveling=)

I cannot believe my parents come in less than a month! Im excited to see them, show them around Granada, and introduce them to my host family!! Im very lucky that my parents are able to come and I cant wait to spend a week with them in Espana=)

IN GRANDA!!

Being in Madrid was awesome. Our final days there were spent touring the city and experiencing the night life. One of my favorite things that we did in Madrid was tour Palacio Real. This is the Palace in Madrid that all the Kings of Spain lived in. It was absolutley GORGEOUS. I got a few pictures that I wasnt supposed to take, so look at them! I had such an amazing time with all the girls from my group there. We all get along so well and have so much fun together!

After Madrid, we took a bus to Granada, and were then sent to our host families. Rachel and I have been SO lucky to get the senora that we did. Her real name is Rosario, but she says that she doesnt like that name, so that we should call her "Charo". She is super nice and actually pretty young from what we were expecting. When we first arrived there were 2 students living here: one from New Mexico, and one from China. It was really nice beacuse they explained to us how things work around the house, and what to expect. Where we live is called "La Plaza de la Trinidad". It is where all the main shopping is, and many cute restaurants for tapas! We have a pretty fountain right in front of our house, and live literally a 10 minute walk from school. Some of the other students from my group walk 30-45 minutes! We have a ncie room with our our bathroom in it, and our own balcony!! Most of the other students said that they do not have their own bathroom so we are very lucky. We also WI-FI in our house! A bunch of the other students have no internet access, so its really nice for us to be able to skype our families, and keep in touch for emergencies, and also to blog=) Charo's mother lives across the hall from us, and she is the one that actually cooks for us, so its nice beacuse if we dont like the food, or dont want to eat too much, Charo doesnt mind! Also, her sister lives in the building next door with her 3 nieces and nephews. They are sooo cute. Curro, Marga and Jose, and they are THE cutest kids. Its fun to have them around the house to play with.

It has been really cool practicing my spanish here. Charo does not speak a WORD of engligh, so its going to be very good for Rachel and I. Our host mom is very laid back and good to us. Rachel told her yesterday that I am Italian, so for dinner she had her mom make pasta! Then after dinner she took us and her nephew out for ice cream at an italian gelato place. She is soo cute.

I have already done a bunch of shopping here (no regalos! lo siento). In the store in Spain they only have 3 sales a year called "Rebajas". They last for about a months time, and the final day of the 2nd Rebajas was yesterday so you know I couldnt pass that up! I got some really cute stuff. I took some pictures and will post them up.

Today I took my placemt exam. We had an oral, multiple choice grammar, and a written exam. It wasnt bad, but we will see tomorrow!

Granada is soo beautiful. Everytime I walk outside and see the sierra nevadas in the background im taken back. i LOVE it here!

ok im done. sorry that I wrote a novel!! miss you all=))

First few days=)

so i made it to spain safe and sound! The plane was long, but the layover in London was cool. Driving in a bus on the opposite side of the road was pretty crazy, and their airport had a mall inside of it with Channel, Gucci, Prada, and Versace stores. Kind of ridiculous, but cool to see. Then a taxi took Rachel and I to our hotel. We had to carry allll of our luggage into the Plaza because cars cannot go down the street. As much as I hate to say this, my parents were right when they said not to overpack. Later ACCENT helped us get our spanish cell phones, and then all 16 of us from ISU went out to dinner. After dinner we explored Madrid a little, and when a bunch of the girls were tired they went up to bed. As you all know, i would never skip a chance to go out to have fun, soo the rest of us went to a bar for drinks=) They had AMAZING sangria. We also got free tapas (appetizers)! When i got back around 3 it was a perfect time to skype my family! Today we had our orientation with ACCENT. They talked about alot of info we needed to know, and told us we are going on a scavenger hunt tomorrow around Madrid. All the things on the list seem intense, but it should be fun. After that we went on a tour of Madrid with Gerardo! This city is absolutley gorgeous. It is big, but nothing like Chicago. All of the streets are stone and the buildings are SO pretty. Everything has so much history. Unlike Chicago, the people barely use their car horns. You can walk out in front of a bus and they think its no big deal. They will stop for you and all the people behind you. Also, everyone here has a nice car. its weird the taxis are soo nice! Before getting here I was unsure if they had different cultures food, or people for that matter, and so far I have seen many italian restaurants, as well as SO many chinese people that live here. There are also a ton of dogs that no one puts on leashes. I absolutley love it here so far! All the girls from my program are so nice and fun and i cannot wait for the rest of this experience=)