Closing time

hola hola!

My time here in Salamanca, Spain is coming to an end. It's definitely bitter sweet. I feel like I am ready to live my real life, but at the same time I am just so sad. The life I have lived here for the past 4 months has been more than incredible and I am sure going to miss this beautiful place. A couple weeks ago I was very homesick and all I could think about was the US. We all have those down times, right? But now that I only have a couple more days left I wish it didn't creep up on me. It's insane how time flies.

This whole experience in Europe has been amazing. I wouldn't change it for anything. The people I have met will always leave a lasting impression, the language I have perfected has been more than interesting, the lifestyle has given me the opportunity to learn and experience something extremely diverse from the US, and the family I have encountered will always be something special to me. I know for a fact that I will ALWAYS be in touch with my roommate Daryl. This past semester I have learned so much from her. From how to be patient to embracing every minute in life. Daryl has helped me open my eyes to things I needed help seeing. We've grown together the past 4 months and it has been nothing but a wonderful experience. I am definitely going to miss her. My host family is what is going to be the hardest to say goodbye to. Victoria has been a mother, a friend, and roommate who has helped me better myself in speaking Spanish, introducing me to the Spanish cuisine, caring for me, and understanding me as well. Everything she has done for us has helped the experience be more than great! Today at lunch she had asked us when we leave for good and she had the saddest face and we all started to tear up. I didn't think it was going to be this hard for me to say goodbye. I still have one more week to live here so I am trying to save the tears for the airport.

Life lately...

Well.. I am done with all my courses here in Spain and believe I did well. The three Spanish courses that I was taking are going to transfer to NAU so when I go back I only have one more Spanish course to take and I will be done with my Spanish minor. In my international Marketing class I received an A, so that's good. Finals were actually pretty easy, no complaints with those. I loved learning from each and every professor at San Boal. The school was great and am glad I got to attend. When and if I return to Salamanca I will definitely make a visit to the professors I had. They were outstanding teachers.

The last couple days we have just been walking around Salamanca for the last few times and taking as many pictures as possible for memories. I still go running around the river and track. We have been going souvenir shopping for everyone back home and just living it up. My friend Eva, from NAU, came to visit last week because she is traveling around Europe. She made a stop in Salmanca and I showed her around and she stayed with my in my home. She got to eat the Spanish cuisine and experience the lifestyle, which was so much fun to show. The other weekend Daryl and I went for out last tapas night by ourselves and it was a great night. We reminisced on all the memories and good times we have had here. We always mentioned what we have learned and what we wish we could have done or changed. All in all it was once again a bitter-sweet ordeal.

Before I go back to Chicago I am making a trip to Santiago, which is in the North, close to the border of Spain. Daryls best friend Alexis just got into Salamanca today and is staying a couple nights. On Tuesday all three of us are heading to Santiago for 2 nights and than I have to catch a bus back to Salamanca that Friday because my flight home leaves the 28th! :) CRAZY! I am excited to be making one last trip around Spain. Santiago should be a great time and hopefully not raining. When I head back to Chicago it is going to be a long, long, long traveling day. I leave Salamanca at 9 am and get into Madrid at about 11:30 and have to hang around because my flight doesnt leave till 7pm.. baha i know.. than i head to germany and get there at about 11pm and than have to sleep at the airport for an overnight layover.. hopefully they have free wifi, if not I got a book I am reading in Spanish that I look forward to finishing there! So my flight leaves the next morning from germany straight to chicago at about 8am.. after a 9 hour flight I will be landing in Chicago!! It is going to be sooo weird.

After living here I have adjusted my life so differently. I haven't had a phone and texted, so it will be so weird receiving that first text when landing, or driving! I have not driven or been in a car for the past 4 months so that is going to something I will have to pick up again. It's going to be sooo different and the culture shock will hit me immensely. I can't wait. I JUST CANT WAIT to share every single story, experience, and detail with everyone back home.

I am going to grab a coffee and go walk around town. I will definitely be writing right before I leave Salamanca so keep your eyes peeled family and friends.

Much Love!

Manda.

El hogar es donde está el corazón.

Semana Santa

Que te pasa?!

The time is flying by and I can't even believe it! I just recently got back from my Semana Santa, spring break in the U.S., that I spent in Portugal. I went to Lisboa, Portugal with Daryl and Stephanie. Let me start off by saying Portugal is by far my favorite place thus far. Everything about it was just spectacular. When we got there after a 8 hour train ride we found our hostel that was in the heart of the city. The hostel we stayed in was super cheap and it was a come and go as you please setup. The house keepers were amazing and set up breakfast for us every morning. We paid 100 euros each for 7 nights and 8 days. EXCELLENT deal! The first couple days were hot and sunny so we slept on the beach the first three days to soak up the sun and relax. It was the second time I was ever in the ocean and it was amazing. Every day we took the metro to a different beach just to get a feel of all the options. The one day we went to a beach called Costa de Caparica. To get there we had to take a ship, which was gave a chance to see some gorgeous views of the city. I think the three of us were the only ones on the beach, but it was absolutely amazing there! Granted it was one of those days that it was raining on and off all day, but when the sun did shine it was beautiful. There was a open restaurant there that we spent a few hours relaxing on beanbag chairs and enjoyed some cervezas and hookah. It was just splendid. It was one of those days you just loved life.

It has been said that when you travel to Portugal you HAVE to try their famous Bacaloa. One night we decided to treat ourselves and follow through with this "have to do" dinner. We found a nice little restaurant and sat outside to enjoy our dinner. While we started eating the waiter started arguing with the owner of the restaurant next to us. It started to get hostile. Our waiter ended up pushing the owner, who was about the age of 65, and kicking him in the nose. The owner fell straight back and went into shock. Every single costumer at the restaurant got up and left. The worst part was when the owners wife came running out screaming "mi amor, mi amor." It was a frightening experience. We couldn't believe what we were seeing. When a security guard came out our waiter ended up punching him in the face as well. This sounds gruesome, but there was blood everywhere. It was probably one of the scariest things I have ever saw in person. We ended up leaving in the middle of our meal and going to another restaurant. If anyone that reads this decides to go to Lisboa, Portugal one day PLEASE go to Nicolas restaurant and ask for Bruno. We came in contact with Bruno who is a waiter there that speaks 6 different languages and has traveled the world and is by far one of the most intelligent humans I have ever met. We actually met a lot of people that I will remember forever. The people in general in Portugal were overly nice.

The city itself was gorgeous. Yes, it is a very poor city that basically makes pretty much all its money off the tourists and travelers that come there. The people live so happy there and if I could move there I would in a heartbeat. The city is just filled with culture, scenery, and life. Lisboa is built on 7 different hills so it is a very up hill/down hill kind of place. Any location you are in in Lisboa, if you turn around you see a beautiful sight of either the ocean, the pueblos, or the city. It's magnificent. A couple times we got lost in the inner streets of the city and passed through the families homes and the all the small hole in the wall restaurants. In the streets you could find a local market or tiendon every other street that was family ran that had children and parents sitting on the stoops or windows just hanging around spending time with their family. It's their typical lifestyle and I'm pretty sure they are proud to live that way with such a close bond with all their family members together. I LOVED IT! Lisboa is very big on grafitti too. The artwork was out of this world. Very similar to Salamancas, but better! A lot of things in Portugal was crazy cheap! I think the cheapest thing we got was 12 HUGE bread rolls for .75 centimos en euros... we got food from the market that lasted a week for lunches and dinner and spent 14 euros each... crazy! As travelers we loved it sooo much and we ate healthy at that too!

Que mas sobre Portugal?

the first night we went to an irish pub and let me tell you I have never enjoyed a live performance in my entire life. The singers and instrument players were all from Ireland and they had the whole place up and dancing and smiling and having a wonderful time. It was a great time and the people were a blast. We never figured out the labyrinth that they call Lisbon public transportation! It was so difficult to comprehend. I was nothing at all like the public transportation in chicago or any other state in the US at that. We ended up just paying each way and said forget it. lol. We took the rail to Belem, which is where the caravels sailed on their voyage of discovery and in the 16th century life there revolved around this port. There we saw El Torre de Belem which is a tower that was a formidable fortress way back in 1514 I believe. It's looks similar to a dungeon, but more appealing. We also were recommended to try the pastel de belem, which is a little dessert that is something like custard filled and toasted with butter, at least that is what it tastes like to me. We came along a little diner that was known for them and it was PACKED with tourists.

I fell in love with Portugal and just found it to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever been able to experience. Thank God for that. I made a ton of memories that I will cherish forever and loved every second of it! I am so glad that Daryl, Steph, and I mesh well together. We are all so very different but learn from each other and appreciate each others views. It's awesome.

When we got back to Salamanca I felt like I was home... well at least could call it home and it felt good. I missed it actually! We got home at about 1 in the morning and I was so anxious to get back because Karen was coming to Spain the next day to spend her Spring break here. I was anticipating her arrival the whole week we were in Portugal. The first email I read when I got home was hers that simply said she wasn't going to be able to make it out here and she had to cancel her flight. I was so bummed and upset. It wasn't the best news to hear especially a day before your 21st birthday, but what can ya do! I will see her in a month so I can't fret about it, it was just a super sucky situation.

As for my birthday it was amazing! I think it is quite possibly the most memorable birthday ever. Spending your 21st birthday in Spain is way more than someone can ask for. Steph, Daryl, and I went out and bought tutus and dressed up. I wore a crown and the girls wore ribbon. Here in Salamanca the people like to dress up and go out when it is someones birthday or they are celebrating a bachelor/bachelorette party. So to go along with the city customs we dressed up and were "fairies." It was quite the night. Granted we were starred at and laughed at but it was all in good fun and it was memorable as well. We stayed out till the sun rose and I was totally content with my birthday celebrations. THANK you to all my Spanish friends, especially Daryl, Steph, Wilby, and Gregor. I appreciate their help and making me feel at home! So I am finally 21 and it doesn't mean much here in Europe, but in the states BIENVENIDOS.

The day of my birthday was shared with Jesus' resurrection on Easter Sunday. There was not much to do on a Sunday so Victoria surprised me with a FLAN cake for my birthday and it was so precious of her. It was a nice relaxing day. Later that night Daryl and I went to an Irish pub and had a cup of coffee with Baileys. Great night with great people and am blessed.

The following week Daryls family came to visit and they included me in everything they did in Salamanca. They only spent 2 nights here but that was enough time to show them around Salamanca. Because they were here and made me feel included with their family I started to become a little more homesick. It was tough. Especially after because Karen didn't follow through. I didn't dwell on that I just looked at the brighter side that I got to share some time with her family. IT WAS GREAT!We went out for coffee and drinks at night and I got to know her family. They're awesome.

During the weekend I adventured out and just met more people every day and night. On Sunday night Steph and I went on a date for pizza and wine. It felt just like home besides the spanish veggie pizza. :)

Speaking of Spanish food the foods I have talked about previously are basically the same. A few switch-it-ups here and there. The other day I had something called tarta patata which is just a lasagna type aspect with potatoes and ham.. served for breakfast and lunch. Vicky noticed that I haven't been eating dinner at home. Not because I don't want to, but because things come up or it's just too late to eat. I think she kind of got the idea that something was up. She recently just picked up a new job so she is never home and so I kinda just concoct something small in the kitchen for lunch. So the other day I came home from class and the table is set with an abundance of fruit in a basket on the table. Her grandma had came over and cooked for us and brought me my favorite cheese and all this fruit that I LOVE. I was nothing but smiles. I put two and two together and think that Vicky thought that she wasn't being the mother that she was suppose to be and asked her Grandma to pull her a favor to bring some smiles to the house. I in know way had meant to give her those intentions, but honestly I think she thought this way. I appreciate VICKY and ALL she does. She works her butt off and is absolutely incredible, I wouldn't ask her to do anything else but I guess she felt the need to. She is an angel I tell ya.

READ PLEASE! After the traditionally strict 40 days of Cuaresma (Lent) and the solemn Semana Santa (Easter Holy Week or Spring break) comes Lunes de Aguas (literally: “Water Monday”), which is celebrated on the Monday after Easter Sunday. The history of Lunes de Aguas is a rather curious story, to say the least, a tradition dating back to medieval times. Along with a prestigious university, Salamanca also had prostitutes who hoping to eventually make it to the royal courts, practiced (so to speak) with the university students. In the 16th century, King Felipe II, who was known as a very serious and devout Catholic, was disgusted with the marginal activities taking place in Spain’s prominent academic hub, therefore ordered the prostitutes be banished from the city during the 40-day abstinence period of Lent.

For 40 days, the girls would be confined to live on the other side of the river Tormes until Lunes de Aguas – the day they could return to the city. Townsfolk would gather to watch how the students set up huge welcoming parties by the riverbanks for the prostitutes, and enthusiastically assist the priest (who was in charge of the girls’ welfare during their exile) in crossing them over the river on flower-decorated boats. The rest of the day would be spent eating, drinking, and celebrating by the river, whose waters gave name to the event. Only the last part of the celebration, however, is the one that continues as tradition today.

Nowadays, friends and family meet at the riverbanks of Salamanca’s Río Tormes and any open space such as public parks or countryside to share what is essentially a huge picnic. It is a time when Salmantinos relax, have fun, and eat the typical hornazo - a non sweet pastry pie filled with ham, sausage, bacon, cooked egg, and sometimes even chicken – which is sold in shops all over the city. Most businesses also voluntarily close for the day in order to partake in this festivity. EVERYTHING IS CLOSED HERE! The streets are dead this day is just one huge CELEBRATION by the river. Daryl and I walked by but couldn't attend because it was just way too crazy. It's a very neat tradition though. For dinner that night Vicky brought home some hornazo and it was pretty good! It tasted just like an empanada from the states mas o menos.

So the semester is winding down and the days here in Salamanca are coming to an end pretty soon. I head back to the states May 30th and am bitter sweet about it. I just keep promising myself that I will embrace the last month and live it up because this is an opportunity of a lifetime. Every day I DO thank God for this opportunity. I have to go run across the street to my grandmas house. I WILL be updating very soon to write more.

La vida es un ratico, ratico nada más<< Life is but a moment! :) Ya me despido! Chau!

MANDAlou

Vamos!

HOLA!

It has been a while since I have updated my blog. Sorry to those who have been reading it and haven't seen a new post, but here it goes...

MI CASA....

The days are going by so fast in Spain. I wake up and it's a beautiful day and than when I blink my eyes it's time for dinner. It's insane. Despite the pace of the days I am still embracing every moment here. I definitely do not regret choosing a homestay AT ALL. I have come to this comfort level at my house with my Spanish family and couldn't ask for anything better. Victoria and Oscar are great and always make sure I am okay and seem to care. Even though the ONLY thing they do with their lives is play World of Warcraft, I still love them. The international students who live in the residences hate their food and are always complaining about something so I am happy with what I have. The other day was Vicky's birthday so we had a little celebration and made a cheesecake and sang happy birthday to her. Daryl and I went out and bought her a bouquet of flowers at the local flower shop and she loved them. She is now 24, a whole 3 years ahead of me! My hostmom! pretty crazy to say that. I have been communicating a lot more in Spanish with her since I have been here. At first it was hard to make out what she was saying with her accent and voice, but now everything is understood. I like it. Food is great like always, repetitive, but HEY we aren't going hungry! I still want to punt the 2 cats across the street. My ultimate favorite thing is when Victoria sings in Spanish in the morning and the sun is shining.. it's just a homey feeling and when May rolls around to go back to the states that is one thing I will miss the most. Roommate is great as well. Mi casa es estupenda!

Vida en Salamanca..

Now that the weather is in the 80's and is gorgeous ALL the tourists and foreigners are coming out. I am sure the locals are a bit frustrated with it because the foreigners are literally multiplying like cockroaches all over the city. The patios are all set up outside and the streets are filled with life. It's awesome. The Plaza Mayor is always filled with locals, tourists, and families. It's nice to just sit out there and enjoy the sun and read a book or have a cup of coffee and practice Spanish. Salamanca is a small town so faces become more and more familiar. My Spanish has been improving and am ALMOST fluent.. gimme a little more time! In Salamanca when there is a bachelor or bachelorette they throw a party like the US, but a bit different.. The people dress up rather silly as a group with a theme and go bar hopping and make a huge scene! It's awesome. They have a great bonding time before they settle down with their significant other. In Spain married is popular but not till your finish with school and middle aged. The Spaniards always say that Americans start way too young, which is fairly true, and stress the fact that it is not like that in Spain. As far as birthdays too, people dress up with a theme and do the same with their groups of friends!

School has been pretty easy, nothing too hard. Like I always say I miss the challenge of business classes and work at school in the states, but I can definitely wait it out till september. The other weekend we took a day trip to Segovia and Avila with the program. We got on the bus bright and early to head out and little did we know that this group of California students were following along. NEVER again will I be attending a day trip or even any trip with a group like that again. There was about 20 students that was in between the ages of 20-30... this group was just beyond obnoxious. They kept making comments like "wow, how cool is this castle, I would have probably appreciated something like this when I was 7.. I would rather go ride my dirt-bike around and lay out in the sun in my gated community back in Cali.." They were just horrible, but we didn't let that ruin our excursion. The three girls and I got to tour one of the finest remnants of Europe's medieval era, the walled town of Avila. It was sacred to an ancient Celtiberian culture long before the arrival of the Romans or Christians. We also got to see the The Aqueduct of Segovia (or more precisely, the aqueduct bridge). It's a Roman aqueduct and one of the most significant and best-preserved ancient monuments left on the Iberian Peninsula. It is the foremost symbol of Segovia, as evidenced by its presence on the city's coat of arms. It was a great excursion and I loved every second of it. The day was so sunny and beautiful, but on the way home we got stuck in the rain and by the time we walked home from the bus station we were soaked. We ended the night with dinner and a movie with the family. It was great.

Being in Europe is allowing me to learn a lot about myself every day and I think this is what I needed, especially in the midst of college years. Every day is something new I must say it's a blessing. If I could tell everyone back in the states one thing it would be... LIVE your life. Stop worrying about the small things in life like how nice your car is, or fretting about the luxuries you don't have, or how that one guy or girl isn't showing interest in you.. RATHER Enjoy the small things in life and smile because your living a life that could have been someones who died in the tsunami in Japan, or give thanks for the people in your life.. even the ones who are envious of you for those are the ones who make you work ten times harder, and just be happy for who you are. Why dwell on the little things that are nonsense when there is a copious amount of greater things in this world to smile about. Our lives are not promised for tomorrow so do everything you ever wanted, see every site you ever wanted to see, eat everything you ever wanted to try, and dream BIG because ANYTHING is possible as long as you set your goals and strive for success.

This up coming week is Semana Santa, which is basically, to put in American terms, a spring break. Daryl, Stephanie, and I are spending the week in Lisbon, Portugal. We found a cheap hostel apartment that we have to ourselves with a kitchen, 3 beds, and living room for only 100 euros each for 7 nights and 8 days. DEAL!! We leave at 4:30am and are taking the train there, which is a 7 hour ride. I can't wait to travel more and experience more of Europe. I will definitely blog about our semana santa when we get back, along with pictures! Lisboa is the capital of Portugal, so there will be alot to do without any planning needed. Also Portugal is also known to be quite cheap as far as tapas and activities go so that's a plus for us girls.

I do miss my life in the states, I can't deny. I do not dare wish the time away here, but am very excited for family and friends in the summer. I can't wait to share all the stories I have and just catch up on life with everyone.

I recently enrolled in my senior classes and just can't get over the fact that graduating from college is right around the corner. SO CRAZY! I recently was let go from my job at NAU for unknown reasons, ridiculous miscommunication, and may I add UNFAIRNESS work ethics... Thank you to that one person, thank you so much for pushing me away my senior year when I have been there for all three years of college. Wonderful! As I have learned don't let little things get you down, pick your head up, and just better yourself... which is exactly what I am doing and I will definitely figure out a plan sooner than later. Sorry for venting!

Well I am currently in international marketing class and it is almost over. I am going to walk home and study for the art history exam I have tomorrow! I hope all is well in states with everyone and all those people I miss you should know who you are! Much LOVE.

Stay healthy and live life every day like it's your last with peace and love in your heart <3

Vive bien ~ Rie a menudo ~ Ama mucho

mandalou

:)

This crazy beautiful life.

Buenos Días!

It's 10:30 am here in Salamanca and I woke up to the rain hitting the patio. I feel good this morning! I am happy to be alive and my words cannot explain how happy I am to be experiencing my semester in Spain. I am so thankful. Thank you Mom for pushing me when I needed it and thank you friends and family for all your support and smiles. Most of all Thank you God for this crazy beautiful life. The days have been going by so fast here, right before my eyes. It's a fact that tomorrow is not always promised to us so we should live every day like it's our last and dwell on the good things in life rather than the bad. I need to go for a run before lunch and class, but just wanted to put in a quick note about how life is good and I am one happy camper right now.

besos manda-moo

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ONE OF THE GREATEST FRIENDS IN ARIZONA, MY BEST STEVEN GONZALEZ! HAPPY 21st MY LOVE! ENJOY!!!

mas fotos

This little town called Salamanca

hola, que tal? I am here sitting in international marketing right now and am struggling to stay awake. This class, sorry to say this, but is not my favorite. I give the professor credit, but I think he googles a bunch of international business topics and throws it together before class to have some kind of class lecture prepared about anything that is relevant to international marketing. It's pretty funny. Oh well.. I'm embracing this class and the professor's ridiculously cute accent.

What's been going on lately?

Ever since J left I have been a little homesick here and there but nothing to complain about. The time is flying by SO fast, so I am definitely trying to live up the next 2 months here no matter what.

The weather in Salamanca has been in the 60's lately and it's gorgeous. I go running every other day and after sometimes just lay in the grass on the side of the track to enjoy the sun and awesome temperature. It's starting to smell like spring and I am falling in love with it.

Some new foods I have been introduced to...

DEVILED EGGS.. we had something very very similar to deviled eggs.. they just called them huevos, but they were delicious. We also had another amazing ensalada, but this time there was green olives, tomatoes, and garlic in it. DELICIOUS AS WELL! Had some more homemade pizza the other day that had mushrooms and little hotdogs on it. Paella here and there, fresh fruit of course, and this amazing cheese that I love... It is like chiwawa cheese, which I never liked before, but it's pretty good here.

The dumb cats broke the coffee pot the other day in the middle of the night so Vicky went and got a new one. Two days later she was cooking dinner in the kitchen and all of a sudden I heard a huge thud and someone scream. I waited for a second and after about 10 seconds I heard dead silence and thought Vicky fell and passed out or something. It ended up being the coffee pot somehow fell on her head and she was just huffing and puffing in pain. When I went in the kitchen she had coffee all over her head and I thought it was blood! I was sooo scared! Thank God it wasn't blood, because to be honest I wasn't sure what number to dial because I know 911 wouldn't have done nothing as far as help goes. lol, sad i know. BUT now I am aware it's 112 for future references. I feel so bad that's the 3 coffee pot she has gone through in the past 2 months.

Classes are going good... learning something new every day in Spanish and enhancing my Spanish vocabulary as well. I had a dream in Spanish the other night so that is a plus. :)

This past Sunday I went to Sierra de Francia, which is about an hour away from Salamanca. It's a small little town that is filled with little pueblos. In fact Victoria is from a pueblo in that area. She said one weekend Daryl and I will go there and stay with her family. I am actually looking forward to that because the more traveling and experience the better. Sierra de Francia was gorgeous though! It was so sunny and a good time out in a different town.

I learned that going to a University in China or Norway for college is free from some international students, so if anyone wants to save money and just deal with transferring your credits DO IT! I couldn't believe it!

¿Qué es la vida? Un frenesí. ¿Qué es la vida? Una ilusión, una sombra, una ficción, y el mayor bien es pequeño; que toda la vida es sueño, y los sueños sueños son Stay healthy and live life every day like it's your last with peace and love in your heart <3

besos y abrazos

luego

mandalou

fotos

Grenada and Cadiz and everything else in between

Que tal?!

It's been a while! Lo siento but i just haven't had the time to sit down and write ALL the good things I have been meaning to lately. SO here it goes!

FIRST and FOREMOST... I AM GOING TO BE AN AUNT AGAIN!! My sister Alexis is pregnant!! I AM SO HAPPY AND EXCITED!! I WOKE UP TO THAT WONDERFUL NEWS YESTERDAY!! I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT IT AND SMILING! The baby is due in November so at least I will be in the states for the big day!! CONGRATULATIONS ALEXIS AND DERRIK!

So last weekend when Daryl and I went to Granada, of course we started the trip off on the wrong foot. We left on Thursday right after class. Our bus was scheduled to leave Salamanca at 3:00 pm... We got there at about 2:50 and was about to get on the bus and check in. Not to mention we saw our names on the itinerary sheet the doorman was holding. The driver said we had to go get new tickets and directed us the wrong way. After realizing that we were in the right and he was in the wrong we came back and our bus that we were initially suppose to be on left us. WE WERE SO FURIOUS!! SO MAD!! So we had no other choice but to buy the next available bus to Madrid which was at 5:00pm. With that being said we were going to be late for our scheduled bus to Granada from Madrid, so we had to change that bus as well. So now at this point we were scheduled to get into Granada at 4:30 AM. When we went to book all new tickets the teller tried to tell me that we had to pay the full price for new tickets. There was no way I was going to. I told the guy off in Spanish that his bus driver was in the wrong. After me releasing out some steam he let us change our tickets for only 1 Euro. :)

The bus ride from Madrid to Granada was soooo long. When we got there at 4:30am we got a taxi to get to our hostal. He dropped us off in the little town of Granada. Of course we ring the night service to assist us and no one answers. At this point we were so exhausted and not to mention we had 9:00 am reservations to the Alhambra. We just wanted to get some sleep. After a couple minutes we get let in and go straight to bed. Upon entering our room we were welcomed to DOWN COMFORTERS on the bunkbeds!! We were in heaven. I haven't sleep with a down comforter since the states. We also shared the room with 5 other strangers who were backpacking Spain. It wasn't weird at all, we just didn't leave any of our passports or wallets in the room while we were out.

We got about 3 hours of sleep and woke up and started our journey in Granada. First stop was the Alhambra. The great Alhambra complex is an ancient palace and fortress built for the Moorish monarchs of Granada. Its greatest claim to fame is not just in its beautiful representation of Middle Eastern architecture, but also in its unique location atop a 35-acre plateau overlooking the beautiful city of Granada in Southern Spain. It was so beautiful.

After a whole afternoon of touring the Alhambra we met up with Daryl's friend who is studying in Granada and she showed us more of the city Granada. I must say there is a lot more hills in that town compared to Salamanca and Madrid. That night we went out for tapas. The tapas in Granada are FREE after 8pm as long as you buy a drink. That definitely saved us a handful of euros! They should make tapas free in every city of España. The next morning we had to wake up early to catch our bus to Cadiz so we called it a night and went to bed.

We woke up bright and early the next morning with a cup of coffee and headed to the bus. When it comes to Carnaval you HAVE to dress up. It doesn't really matter what you dress up as JUST as long as your wearing something besides normal apparel. The group of girls we went with put our costumes together and decided that we were going to go as "a boy band/magicians/waitresses/street performers/backstreet boys".. i have no idea what we were, nor what half the population of the people in Cadiz were either but it was quite the experience. There were people dressed as human dog poop, disney characters, astronauts, babies in diapers, NAKED, and God knows what else.. It was crazy I must say.. It was one HUGE festival in the street all day and all night.. The amount of garbage there was was unbelievable. I have never saw anything like it. There was garbage in the streets that were up to my waste, it was just horrible. After a while we got sick and kind of fed up with the people's behavior in the streets so we decided to head back to the bus at 3:30 am to catch it at 4. We knocked out on the bus back to Granada, it was a 5 hour bus ride. When we got back we caught out next bus to Madrid and knocked out on that one as well and than finally caught another bus from Madrid back to Salamanca. We finally got back home at about 11 pm. It was quite possibly the longest day of my life. BUT the trip was all worth it. I loved Granada and Cadiz and also got to meet other people which is always a plus. :)

When we got home Victoria had prepared SALAD for us. It's my favorite! I was anticipating it actually. lol..

I had my first exam of the semester that Monday. It was in Arte de España. It was fairly easy so I can't complain. That has been my first exam so far so you guessed right classes haven't been too difficult lately to say the least. This past weekend J Quiles came to España for his spring break. I must say it was wonderful to see a familiar face in person. I met him in Madrid on Sunday afternoon. I was soooo nervous because he wasn't at our specified meeting point we discussed prior to his departure. I started to panic because I had no means of communication with him WHATSOEVER! I was looking for him in Terminal 1 for about 2 hours and than decided to make sure that his flight got in safe. Ended up being that his flight got into Terminal 4 which is separate from T1, T2, and T3. SO I hopped on a bus to go see if he was there and with my luck didn't find him. At this point I am freaking out. When I head back to T1 to look for him again I see him walking while I am coming down the escalator. THANK GOD!! I was sooo scared something happened or would never find him at all.

It ended up being that he thought he was at T1 the whole time.. he spent 5 hours there waiting until he realized he wasn't at our meeting point. LOL I felt bad but who cares we FINALLY found each other. SO from there we went to our hotel and stayed a night in Madrid. We toured the city and went out for tapas that night. The next day we went shopping and toured the city some more. We went to El Parque de Retiro, which is a gorgeous park and had beautiful scenery. Later in the afternoon we caught a bus back to Salamanca to make it for my programs famous tapas every Monday night. J loved it! He had a great time and so did I. He only stayed a night in Salamanca, but a night was enough to show him as much as possible. The next day he left around 5 but me and daryl had time to still show him more of the city before he left. I was so happy he decided to come out here and glad he had a great time.

What else has been going on in Salamanca?!

The other day Daryl, Steph, and myself were sitting outside having a cup of coffee and were just talking about the United States and how privileged we are to have such a great country. We went along and talked about the differences about the life in Europe verses the life in the states. OH MY LANTA how different these two countries are. I honestly must say The USA is beyond spoiled and we do not appreciate half of the things we are entitled to. Living here in Spain has definitely made me appreciate EVERYTHING I have in the US. To appreciate something is to be grateful and thankful for that something.. coming to Europe has given me the opportunity to open my eyes to the other side of the world and to FULLY value my life in the US that consists of most importantly my family, friends, a roof over my head, an education, food, clothes, good health, and a mother who has given me life! <3

AHHH que mas??

I am going to Portugal for Spring break so I am really looking forward to traveling more and cannot wait. I DO miss chicago and a lot of people! YOU all know who you are. I am soooo happy about my sister being pregnant and glad to be in the states when my little nugget is born! I hope all is well in the states everyone and life is good! I will post tomorrow to catch up on some more activity that has to be included in my blogs. I LOVE YOU!

"El secreto de mi felicidad está en no esforzarse por el placer, sino en encontrar el placer en el esfuerzo."

"Not in making an effort to find pleasure, but in finding pleasure in the effort, that's the secret to my happiness."

Besos y abrazos...

Stay healthy and live life every day like it's your last with peace and love in your heart <3

Mandalou.

Vida Vida

Hola, que tal?

So I have been in Salamanca for a month now and to be honest it does not even feel like it has been that long. Winter break in Chicago went by so much slower. It's crazy. With that being said I decided to deactivate my facebook. I found myself spending way too much time on it. The fact that a month has gone by already and it raced right before my eyes is just not cool. I feel like I had to make a few changes before I continued my next couple months here and one was to cut facebook out of my life for a few. It may sound a little silly, but I think it's a good choice for me as of right now. It eliminates pictures and some social life but that's why I have a facebook and a blog. I check my email every day and I am going to be blogging a lot more now.

my email: alg254@nau.edu

So what's new in Spain?

As far as classes go they are relatively the same. I haven't gotten serious work since I have been here so I guess that's cool. I miss homework and assignments. It always kept me super busy and allowed me to feel like I have accomplished the work I never thought I would accomplished lol. I love my teachers. They are hilarious. The other morning a student in class had a stamp on their hand from a bar the night before. The teacher called her out on it in Spanish. The student tried to deny it and the teacher said "MMhmm the stamp on your hand." The class just laughed. The teacher said of course just make sure when you see me at the bars walk away. The one thing I noticed about having classes in Spanish or watching TV in Spanish is that it is sooo easy to just cut it out of our daily listening habits. Like when I watch TV in Spanish and the show is in English but they have Spanish vocals. I find myself trying to listen to the English rather than the Spanish. Or in class I just think about the words in English rather than in Spanish. It's quite frustrating. BUT I am becoming a lot better with my Spanish, so something is clicking upstairs. Thank goodness. In my international marketing class out teacher never talks about anything that is relevant to the course subject. The other day our lesson consisted of chinese horoscopes, condoms, and christmas traditions. I was dying in class.

The dreams just keep getting weirder and weirder here. no joke. Also I HAVE BEEN CRAVING SUSHI. It's killing me. Killing me. Does anyone care to send me some sushi??

As I mentioned before Daryl and I are bus'n it to Granada this weekend to see the Alhambra and than bus'n it to Cadiz to celebrate the 3rd largest "Carnaval" in the world there. I am so excited!! Granted the bus rides will be super long and boring but it's all worth it. We have a 2 1/2 hr bus ride from Salamanca to Madrid and than a 5 hr bus ride to Granada. We will stay there for 2 nights and than on Saturday head to Cadiz which is another 5 hr bus ride. We stay there the whole day and than get back on the bus to Granada at 5 am and than catch another 5 hr back to Madrid and than 2 1/2 to Salamanca. LONG.. I know BUT i cannot wait. SOOOOO happy to be traveling like always. I am really pumped to see the Alhambra in Granada. I learned about some of the architecture in my Art class here and CANNOT wait to see it in real life. FOR REAL! For the carnaval Daryl and I, along with 9 other girls, will be dressing up. We aren't quite sure as to what we are going as but were going to be prepared for the worst. The girls in Granada already are planning it so let's hope they got something up their sleeves.

Speaking of traveling. One of my best friends J Quiles will be out here in 2 weeks for his spring break and I CANNOT wait to see him. We are planning on going to Barcelonia for a night or two and obviously hang out here in Salamanca and show him around. I am pretty happy about that. :)

Que mas?

On Mondays and Wednesdays I start class at 4:30pm so I go running. I found this park across the bridge that has a track and some workout stations. I tend to run over there and do some workouts or go along the river. Either way I like it. I like it because it gives me the chance to just think. The last couple times I thought about how the heck I am in Spain and why?? I came to the conclusion that it's been my dream to go to Spain and indulge myself in the culture since I can remember. So here I am today living in Spain, running around the river like an American, and experiencing something I have been wanting to for the longest. I LOVE it.

Remember when I mentioned the old guy Shama who gives me the candles every time we go out to tapas? Well this past Monday we went to tapas. We were having a good time enjoying the night. While I was walking out to go to the next bar Shama stopped me and gave me a piece of paper and said it was for me to read later. Obviously I didn't wait so I read it. Uhhh yea... It was a love poem he had written. It was in Spanish and for the most part because of all the intelligent words he was using I couldn't understand it. First thing I did when I got home was google translate it. All I know is that this man is about 82 years old and wrote me a love poem. I have no idea what to think. Can I even go to tapas any more? Not to mention he is one of my coordinators. Soooo.. yah.. I would post it on my blog but that's too much. Just leaving it as a love poem is enough said. And it's not a creepy love poem it's just extremely romantic that I have no idea what to think. Nice but OVERLY NICE. So much for finding my Spanish husband huh?

Victoria is amazing. She is great. Oscar on the other hand is a pain. The cats Gordo and Mimi are like dogs. The weather is getting nicer every day, except for today. Today was rather very windy and cold. *knock on wood* Oscar got a new computer so now him and Victoria can both play warcraft at the same time. It's taking over their minds, I swear. I feel so good about deactivating my facebook when I see them going at it with Warcraft 24/7. Daryl and I are still getting along very well. She puts up with my jokes and crazy behavior and I deal with her horrible memory. lol. It works out fairly well.

The conversion rate stinks in Europe. I feel like my money is just going to dirt because the conversion. For every euro it's about 1.40 in the US. It's horrible. POOP.

Random things done in Spain that might surprise you.

-eat EVERYTHING with utensils no matter what.. even croissants.

-no walking and eating.. only time you eat is when your at a table sitting down.. same goes with coffee.

-it's considered bad manners to stretch in public

-long showers do not exist

-there are no dryers here. All laundry is hung out to dry.

-bread is served with EVERY meal.

-it's okay to come home at 7 am. it's normal

-towels are not to be shared.

-always wear nice apparel.. you should never wear sweats out in public. -a kiss on each cheek to say hello and goodbye is always done despite the sex.

I think that's all I got so far. Maybe I will have more as the months go by? Well I am heading to bed, I have class at 9:00 am tomorrow and than catching a bus to Madrid and Granada with a bocadilla. :) I will have a ton to talk about when I get back!!

Buenas noches mis amores.

Stay healthy and live life every day like it's your last with peace and love in your heart <3

Paz, amor y alegría--- Peace, love, and joy. <3

Life is good.

HOLA!

I have a lot of updating to do. I haven't been very faithful to my blog lately just because I have been busy or haven't had time. So here it goes...

Let me start off with this past weekend. On Friday myself and some of the girls signed up to go on a cathedral tour of San Esteban. We arrived at the meeting place and of course no one was to be found. We got arranged with a group of 12 yr olds who didn't speak Spanish and was given a piece of candy from their professor every time they answered a correct history question. It was quite bothersome and wasn't the right place we were supposed to be at. We decided to ditch that and go on our own cathedral tour. We ended up checking out the Cathedral de San Esteban, where Christopher Columbus once studied. It's one of the most amazing places I have ever seen. The outside itself is beautiful enough. When I first entered the cathedral I was speechless. There is no words to explain how eye striking this cathedral is. I strolled through it as slow as possible. When I got to one of the rooms that had a HUGE alter, foggy mirrors, statues of all different saints, and jesus on the cross I couldn't stop myself from crying. It sounds overrated, but to be honest the fact that you are standing in a church that is from the 13th century and gives you goosebumps you can't help but feel something in your heart. I couldn't stand in there much longer so I went to the main Church. I walked in and I was introduced to a cold, HUGE, old, and beautiful home of God. I walked through each station of the cross to look at each display. It was just crazy to think about the whole thing. I kept wondering what it was like in the days that Christopher Columbus walked those floors. It's definitely one of things you have to see in order to understand the feeling. catch my drift? It even had those really old king-like chairs for the choir and it was awesome.

LATER ON...

Myself and Daryl decided to take a bus to Madrid with the T&E program and spend the night there. We went into this brilliant idea with no planning just playing by ear. We had no hotel in mind nor aware of a bus that would take us back home because the program was doing a day trip so therefore we were pretty much on our own once we touched down in Madrid. All we knew is that we DID have tickets to the Real Madrid game VS Levante UD and we were going to make it to the game no matter what. Let me rewind a little bit before this though..

So prior to Saturday morning when our bus had to leave at 8am Daryl, myself, and our other girlfriend Marylisa went out to dinner with some Spanish business men who were staying the night in Salamanca and just wanted to enjoy their night in the city. It was great. I had Salmon. The night continued with glasses of wine after glasses of wine. After that we met up some of our Spanish friends here in Salamanca that we met. They had just began their night so we decided to continue ours. Mind you it was already about 3am. I knew I had a bus waiting for me at 8am to go to Madrid, but that didn't stop me from staying out. I ended up getting home at 7:20am. Was i packed for Madrid? No. Was I worried about where we were going to sleep after the game? No. Sooo.. I threw some clothes in a bag and brushed my teeth and ran to the bus. I was a minute late. I got on the bus and just knocked out. I can't tell you how the ride was but it was quite short for me because I slept the whole way. It was great.

After two hours we arrived in Madrid. Big city, noisy, a lot of people walking every which way, and tall buildings. It kind of reminded me of Chicago. The coordinators reminded us about 500 times to watch our bags and hold on to them tight because its dangerous. We did just that. So we had about 6 hours to kill before we had to get to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu for the Real game. Three of the others girls had the same game plan as us and already had a hotel room booked at a Best Western so we hoped that they had more rooms and followed them. We lucked out and got a room. Showered right away and got straight to business, touring. We decided on going to the Prado Museum. We took the Train every where. It was 1 euro and was very similar to the trains in Chicago actually. It wasn't too hard to navigate considering all of us are used to traveling and come from large cities.

The Prado Museum.... It was beautiful. All the paintings from Goya to Velazquez were just awesome. You weren't allowed to take any pictures so I was kind of bummed about that, but being able to see all the artwork was good enough for me. I absolutely loved it. We spent a few hours walking all around the museum to look at all the artwork. My favorite was The Garden of Earthly Delights. Check it out. It's beautiful.

After the museum we headed to the futbol game. At this point of the day I was so exhausted running on about 2 hours of sleep. The day was crappy too. It was rainy all day and of course I forgot my umbrella. BUT i did not complain. I kept my spirits high and embraced every second. We took the train to the stadium and made it just on time. We bought seats that were in the "vomitoria section" Yes I know very high up but it was a great view with a great crowd surrounding us as well. Real Madrid won the game against Levante UD. The experience was wonderful because everyone in the US always talks about how that's the one thing that is a must if you go to Madrid and I can say I did that. I'm thankful.

We headed back to the hotel with a buttload of people cramming their way into the train station. It was ridiculous, worse than Chicago rush hour. Seriously. We finally got to the hotel and passed out. Daryl and I had to share a twin size bed. I like to sleep in the fetal position and the whole night Daryl wasn't too happy about that but on the contrary we DID get a good nights rest which was much needed.

NEXT MORNING...

We woke up bright and early and while I was getting ready Daryl went downstairs and jacked all the fruit and snacks she could for our adventurous day that we had no idea what was ahead. We ended up coming across the idea of heading the one of the largest open flea markets in Europe. We mapped out the trains we needed to take to get there and made moves. When we got there they weren't lying when they said it was one of the largest. This flea market had 3,000 different stands. It was outrageous. It was packed from beginning to start. To top it off the weather was beautiful too! We were happy campers. I bought some souvenirs for some people back home :) but that's about it. We walked around for a while until we came across a plaza and took a nap in the park. LOL. Ya i know bums. We slept on an incline.. I had my bag underneath my head and Daryl had hers wrapped around her leg, so if someone were to try to snatch our stuff they would take us with them. Funny because we were totally content with it. That didn't phase us... which i know it should be one of our first worries but we blended in for the most part.

We decided to go to a local bar for tapas. We got our favorite tapas... calamar y croquetas. AMAZING. I'm going to bring some back with me to the states. Daryl and I talked about how good life is right at this point. We exchanged words about how we were happy, healthy, safe, enjoying the time spent in Madrid, how the trip worked out without plans, and the most important one of all.. LIVING IN SPAIN. We are definitely thankful for every day that passes by here in Spain.

We finally decided to head back to Salamanca so we bought tickets for the next night bus that was heading back to Salamanca. We slept the whole way of course. When we drove into Salamanca at night the whole city was lite up and everyone was in uuuhhss and ahhhs.. Me and Daryl looked at each other and said "we live there." Honestly I missed Salamanca when I was in Madrid midday Sunday. I can say I finally feel like I can call it "home." It was taking me a while to get adjust but I think I have come to that point right about now. It feels great :) How am I ever going to leave this beautiful place? i am not sure yet...

When we got home Victoria asked us how it was and made us dinner. We had lomo and ensalada. She read our minds because we were talking about how much we wanted salad if we were to eat anything tonight. She's goooood!

Back to classes on Monday...

I do not dread class. I love classes. It gives me the opportunity to learn more and more spanish every day. I really don't get homework so that's awesome, but overall school is cool in my book. no complaints. My art teacher is extremely attractive which is really cool soo.. ya. he rides his bike to class every day, it's probably the cutest thing ever. I like to call him Senor Guapo Rancho and no I don't know his real name.

Que mas??

Everything is wonderful with my host family. Me and Daryl are getting along so well and Victoria is loving as always. And yes we still catch Oscar coming out of the bathroom with his computer playing warcraft. The days are getting nicer and nicer as far as weather goes. It has been oh so sunny! I LIKE IT! My mom called me sunshine today to so I was extra happy.

I bought more orange juice again. I love it. oh and water because the jamon water stil isn't doing my stomach and taste buds too good.

Monday night TAPAS with Ramon and Shama.

Like I said before every Monday there is tapas with a bunch of international students. It's arranged for students to mingle and talk in Spanish as well. It's ALWAYS a good time. Remember how I told you about the candle with Shama? Well he got gave me another one. Only this time is was big. When I say big I mean HUGE. So I was literally walking around with a 5lb candle in my purse. It felt like I had a toddler in my purse. Again he said it's for me and he sees it in my eyes. It sounds so much better in Spanish FYI. I don't know how to take it.. creepy? idk.. i take it as a sign of a knowledgeable man knowing what he's talking about. So it's a nice gesture. He said every tapa we go to he's going to get me a candle. I better brace myself for next monday with a pillowcase to hold the next candle... who knows how large it will be this time. The coordinators always take care of me. They treat me like one of their daughters and I love it because at times I feel so lonely and it helps a lot. They know I don't like jamon so they order me a separate tapa for "manda." It's overly nice of them but it shows they care and I appreciate it."MI FAMILIA AQUI EN SALAMANCA."

planes para la proxima semana... Daryl has a friend in Grenada, Spain. We decided to get bus tickets to head there. It's a 8 hour bus ride, but it's totally worth it. We just booked a hostel for two nights. On Friday and Saturday we plan on touring the city and seeing different parts of the city. The third day we are going with her friend's program to Cadriz, Spain, which is in the South. We are celebrating "Carnival" there with the people of Cadriz. It's a huge celebration all day and we WILL be attending. On Sunday night we have to head back to Grenada so we will be pooped. When we get back to Grenada late at night we plan on parking out backpacks in a park or the bus station until we can catch a bus back to Salamanca. I LOVE TRAVELING WITH ALL THE SURPRISES. It makes it so much more exciting and adventurous. I also cannot wait for this trip as well. The south part of Spain... SUN!! yesss i need some hot weather soon!

Overall LIFE is wonderful here in Salamanca. I love every day as each one goes by SO fast. I have a lot more to talk about but I am getting sleepy and my contact just popped out. Like I always say this isn't luck this is a blessing

Stay healthy and live life every day like it's your last with peace and love in your heart <3

Hogar es el lugar de donde tus pies pueden alejarse, pero no tu corazón.

Home.. where your feet may leave, but not your heart. <3

Adios! I will update as soon as possible. Thanks for reading everyone.

lonely nights in salamanca

hola mi gente..

It's currently 2:15 am here and once again I can't sleep. It seems like the days go by so fast here, but the nights go by so slow. I kind of miss the lifestyle in the states. I miss working most of all. The days were always so busy and there was no time for nap time, "siestas." In Salamanca it's different. The weather has been poop lately. Pretty much rainy since the beginning of the week and cold. On a good note I bought an umbrella today at H&M.

So when I took the placement exam to determine what level of Spanish I should be put into we were only allowed 30 minutes to complete an 80 question exam. When they announced we only had 5 minutes left I was only on number 40. I quickly filled in all the bubbles so nothing was blank. BAD IDEA.. they placed me into the intermediate level which is great, but ALL the material and work we are doing in this class is everything I already learned and know. I don't need to be taught again when I can just review that stuff on my own time. I want to excel and learn new things.

So the other night two of our coordinators took us out to tapas. This is a weekly outing with international students. We bounce around from bar to bar and out coordinators take care of us the whole night. LITERALLY the whole night. Anyways, they do not speak English. The whole night we were conversing in Spanish. Shama asked me what level I was in and I told him and he said that he thinks I should be switched as well into a higher level. So today in class my teacher told me I was to go to the front to talk to an administrator. Sure enough Shama and Ramon put in a good word for me to get switched to an upper level course. I spoke to the teacher for the new course and she said it is full and that it wasn't possible for me to get into the class. So i'm stuck in this intermediate course I guess. :( kind of frustrating because i'm surrounded by students who don't even know what the word hola means. SHOOT ME. And instead of the arabic course they put me into spanish art. I like it but the teacher just talks on and on and on. It's rather quite boring. He's attractive so I just deal with it and smile occasionally and he smiles back. lol

This past weekend was crazy, I won't go into detail. I'll just leave it at crazy. Last night at tapas Ramon and Shama treated us for tapas. We basically talk to people in Spain and get the chance to meet new people over cerveza or vino. Every bar we went to the wine just kept getting better and better. The last bar was my favorite. It was very quiet, romantic, and had frank sinatra playing. I fell in love. Towards the end of the night Shama and I were looking at all the historical artifacts posted around the bar and just discussing random facts. We came across a candle and he explained to me that the candle symbolizes life. The fire burning is your soul and the candle stick is your body. He went into full detail about it and I was so interested. He than grabbed my palm and read it. He told me that my life will be long with a lot of stories to tell. He determined this by the lines in my palm and the length of them each. He said I will fall in love around the age of 22 and progress from there. My education is very important to me and that my eyes know what they want. He kept telling me I have a lot of potential in my eyes and this is only the beginning of my life, there's a lot more to come. He also said you can read a lot about a person from their eyes. Do I believe everything he said? maybe. I just found it wise of him. He's a 60 year old man with a lot of wisdom so I give him the upper hand.

When we were walking home he told me he had something for me. I got kind of nervous at that point. I reached out my hand and he placed the candle in my hand that was burning. He said he wanted me to keep it to remind me that my life is important and the potential i have will allow me to succeed.<<< I didn't know what to say to that? I was speechless.. I literally just starred at him for a good 5 seconds and said thank you and thank you for this night of tapas. It was very thoughtful of him. So now I have this candle stick on my nightstand to remind me of life. :)

Today we had salad for dinner. It was delicious. It's funny because I was telling Daryl before that I need something fresh to eat and she agreed. We come home and sure enough we got something fresh- ensalada!

Oscar... he's Victoria's boyfriend. He is a very nice guy. He always laughs at Daryl and I when we talk to Victoria. He's goofy at the same time. Well he's a taxi driver and he is never home, but when he is home he sits on the couch and plays warcraft on the computer.. ALL DAY. We leave for school at 8:30 am and come home for lunch or dinner and he is still sitting in the same spot playing warcraft. When Victoria talks to him or asks him a question he rarely never answers. I wanna punch him. Today Daryl was telling me she had to use the washroom really bad but Oscar was in there. She waited for like 40 minutes.. Finally he walked out of the washroom with the computer in his hands.. lol got caught red-handed sitting on the toilet playing warcraft for an hour Oscar!! lol

Life in Salamanca is treating me VERY well. I do miss my friends and family. I miss my Mom a lot. I feel lonely sometimes at night but I just stay positive. As the days go on I will feel more comfortable and at home.

This Sunday Daryl, myself, and Steph are renting bikes and going to ride around the town to site see.. we wanna check out everything salamanca has to offer and all the holes in the walls. I am really excited about that.

food for thought. There has been this one person on my mind and I can't get him off my head. Mom you know who he is.. ya i know i messed up.. only in time.

I am going to Segovia and Sevilla in a few weeks so I cannot wait for that. I am anticipating the traveling!

Alright I am going to try and fall asleep to the raindrops on the patio.

Stay healthy and live life every day like it's your last with peace and love in your heart <3

No hay amor perdido entre nosotros.

There is no love lost between us.

THANK YOU GOD FOR EVERYTHING!

hasta luego <3

My OJ by the side of my bed makes me happy.

Hola todo! It's 4am and this homegirl can't sleep. The dreams here just keep on getting weirder and weirder. Tonight I had a dream that a bartender kicked me out of the bar because I didn't have my ID on me and he had one of his friends follow me home and sure enough he followed me home. The whole time he was behind me he was on all 4s crawling and looked like a wild baboon. It was creepy. I woke up at the part where I looked back and he stopped for a while and starred at me till I started to cry. So now I am wide awake and decided to blog.

I have my OJ <3 and laptop by my bed so it couldn't get any better right about now. Heck no I wasn't going to get up after that dream. pppshhh what is ole baboon dude was under my bed trying to grab my feet or something. no thanks.

anyways.. Para cena we had some more arroz cubano, my favorite croquetas, perritos (little mini mini skinny hotdogs), and for dessert an orange. I got some more OJ so my heart is smiling. ORANGE JUICE IS THE HOMIE.

I showered last night so when I woke up right now I thought I was sweating profusely. I was kinda mad because it would defeat the purpose of a shower. lol. BUT it's just my hair still wet.

I am talking to my sister right now, karen, kubes, and jazmin. thanks for keeping me company my beautiful friends and family.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! i hate this day but to all my loving family and friends I LOVE YOU ALL! other than that this day blows.

Daryl makes the funniest noises in her sleep. She like grunts and talks gibberish. It's hilarious. She is doing it right now and I just wanna chuck a coin at her forehead.

Cats are meowing like they're starving outside on the balcony. I swear those cats are like half dog. They obey like a dog. Victoria gave them a bath the other night and they knew it was coming. They were meowing at the top of their lungs the whole time. It literally sounded like a baby was crying and was getting beaten. It was horrible. It sounded awful. When Victoria came out of the washroom there was puddles of water every where and she was all scratched up and soaked from head to toe. She was pissed lol. On a good note that cats were clean :)

I love seeing everyone walk down the street with a loaf of bread in their hands or bookbags.. it's neat.

THEY SAY...

Find American food to console you. It could be Starbuck’s or McDonald’s. Too bad there is no starbucks and I hate mcd's. LOL I did see a domino's yesterday when I went running though. jaja There are just those random times when rice and paella won't cut it for people, but I haven't had withdrawls yet, and hope I dont actually. BUT I won't lie sometimes I would do anything for a scoop of Jif peanut butter. Those are desperate times, thank goodness for globalization.

Alright the sun is rising and I think I should try to get some sleep. I have that historia de espana class at 12, so excited!!

MOM if your reading.. SO GLAD i heard your voice last night. :) LOVE U!!

Stay healthy and live life every day like it's your last with peace and love in your heart <3

"El sol se levantará mañana y quién sabe lo que traerá la marea?" "The sun will rise tomorrow and who knows what will bring the tide."

Chau!

Standing on a bridge, watch the water passing under me

Que tal mi gente?

Just took a run by the river. It feels so different running in another country. A good different though. It feels great. To think I am across the world running on this cobble stone that is a once in a life time chance... Who would of ever thunk?! Like I said it's not luck, it's a blessing.

Today has been rainy and gloomy all day. It's actually very relaxing and a nice Sunday. Victoria said "El dia de la sofa." Which basically is a way to say a lazy day to sit on the couch and watch a movie, which we are doing tonight. It shall be nice to spend more time with Victoria and Daryl. Of course we are going to watch a movie in Spanish so it will help me learn more.

I am very fortunate in many ways and I thank God every day. To have food on my plate every day, good health, a loving family and friends, the ability to travel, and LIFE.

The past couple nights when I have been going out I have been speaking only Spanish. GO MANDA!! I LOVE IT. I am meeting more and more people that way, especially local Spaniards. It feels great to converse with the people here. Also some of you will be upset back home but i'm picking up the lisp already. I know I know.. but it's unique in it's only little way ;) Last night a lot of people said my Spanish was very well for a foreigner so I'm confident. Surprisingly progressing!

Comida... Some new foods that we have eaten... pizza which was home-made by Victoria, arroz cubano (which is white rice with a sunny-side up egg on top and tomato sauce mixed together), arroz con leche (similar to arroz con coco), y jamon. My taste buds do not really prefer the jamon though. It reminds me of raw bacon. Daryl and Victoria love it so I give them props. After every meal we are always offered coffee. One other thing my body doesn't like is the water. I usually don't drink anything with the meals at home because the water has a certain smell I can't put down. Call me weird I know but Victoria puts the fresh water in this water bottle that is used repeatedly and I think it's the plastic that carries the smell. I have a water bottle next to my bed and it just started to carry that smell so I had to toss it. I don't want to be rude but the smell kills me. LO SIENTO :( I have become addicted to yogurt, oranges, and orange juice because of dinner, the supermarket, and my home-stay. Loving it.

Classes.. I start the Historia de Espana class this week so I am really excited for that. I couldn't do the Arabic class for much longer.. it was killing me. All my other classes are good. Like I said before they're all in Spanish so I am learning A LOT! it's wonderful.

Mail.. If anyone would like to send me mail please do. My address is..

Amanda Lindsey Gorski

Colegio Unamuno

Avda. Reyes de Espana 25-27

Salamanca

37008

SPAIN

I love surprises, cough MOM cough. jaja

Victoria usually does our laundry once a week every Thursday. It takes about 5 days to do it because we do not have a dryer. All our clothes hang dry outside in the cold so it takes a while. The other day we did not have hot water in the house for about 3 days, which wasn't bad at all. We washed our hair in cold water which Victoria thought we were crazy. Oh well, ya gotta do what ya gotta do. It's all part of the experience and I AM LOVING IT.

With the Travel and Education program that I am in we get to go on 3 different excursions that we chose. The one that I am thinking of attending for this month is the Segovia trip. I would like to see the Aqueduct there. It looks amazing in pictures!

One of my best friends Steven back in Arizona gave me a mahagoney journal before I left with pictures of us and I have been keeping up with writing in there as well. <3

The phone numbers in Spain are one digit short of an American 7 digit number so I always get thrown off. The other night I met a guy. I'm not going to say much about him because there's not much to say except for the fact that he's a gentlemen. SO FAR. I won't jynx it. lol We shall see.

Daryl and I went for a walk the other day and scoped out the city. Got some great pictures of the old city walls and the cathedral and the bridge as well. check them out of facebook.

I want to go buy orange juice at the local tienda right now. Until later my lovely friends and family.

Stay healthy and live life every day like it's your last with peace and love in your heart <3

Querer es poder

Where there is a will, there is a way

Chau!