Los últimos días

Well, I can officially say that I will be home this week! This past week has been all so bittersweet.  Last week was my last week of classes!  I feel like I just started them yesterday.  Yesterday was my birthday, and to celebrate my whole family went to the beach one last time!  Sarah, my housemate Kimberly, Margarita, Antonio, Little Margarita and our friend Kristen all went to Almuñecar where our family has an apartment on the beach.  It was our friend Kristen's 21st birthday so it was really fun to celebrate our birthdays together!  I started my birthday off by getting tapas on friday night with Sarah and Patsy (the Switzerland gals!) which was really fun!  My mom and sister called me at midnight from Disney World to sing happy birthday to me :) My mom and I were SO excited because we finally had the same birthday for seven hours because of the time difference!!  Our dream finally came true!  Then Saturday morning we took the bus to the beach.  All day, little Marga was telling me about my birthday surprise and I think she was more excited than anyone for it!  After lunch, they brought out a cake and all sang to me.  They also got me gifts from Spain such as a beach towel with a flamenco dancer on it that says "costa del sol", hair ties with the Spanish flag on them and a bracelet that I happened to have been wanting! It was sooo sweet of them to make a little birthday celebration for me.  They are so awesome!!  We spent forever in their apartment just chatting and laughing :) Then we spent the rest of the afternoon back on the beach and we headed back about 8pm!  At night a few friends and I went out for Tapas to end the day :)  Yesterday also marked one year of Pat and I officially dating!  It was sad that we couldn't be together but we managed to skype a few times which is always great & I will be with him in just 6 days!!! So surreal!  Today I have been studying for finals all day.  I have a final in all of my classes but I don't think that they will be too bad.  My last ones are on Thursday and then Saturday at about 4am I am HOME-BOUND! I can't imagine how hard it is going to be to say goodbye to my host family and Granada.  It's so crazy to think that I didn't know them or this beautiful place just five months ago.  Of course at the same time, I am SO excited to go home to my real family!!! Thanks for all of you who kept up with my blog this semester!  See you all soon :) Adios!

Ahh I have been so bad with blogging lately!  I have been fortunate enough to take many more awesome trips since Spring Break!  The weekend after, I went with a group of my friends to the beach in Nerja.  We just went for a day trip but it was amazing weather and a lot of fun!  In the morning when we got there, we took a bus to the Nerja Caves.  I thought they were pretty cool but they were quite expensive for the little time we were there.  Then we decided to walk to the beach which took quite a while but we had pretty views of the Mediterranean on the way :)  We spent the rest of the day laying out on the beach along with climbing the huge rocks in the sea.  It was kind of scary but so much fun!!  I was definitely sore from all the climbing the next day.

The following Thursday very late at night I was off to..SWITZERLAND!  As you have probably noticed from facebook..I am OBSESSED with this country!!!  I went with my friends Sarah and Patsy.  We took the 1:30am bus to Madrid for our 7am flight Friday morning.  I don't think I ever recovered from the lack of sleep this night but it was definitely worth it!  We flew into Geneva and then took a 3 hour train ride to a little town called Interlaken.  Although it was hard to keep my eyes open on the train ride, it was absolutely gorgeous.  This was when I first learned how expensive Switzerland is.  A man working on he train came up to me and told me I was going to have to pay 25 Franks which is more than 25 USD for putting my feet on the seat.  Good thing he didn't actually!  Few!  This was our first glance at Switzerland and we had no idea what was to come in the following days.  We got to Interlaken and immediately fell in love.  The town is full of little wooden houses with precious gardens, people riding their bikes through the streets and of course, located right next to the  mountains!!  Friday night, we walked around the town a little to explore and went to buy some food at the grocery store.  Switzerland is SO expensive, as it is one of the wealthiest countries in the world.  We had heard previously how expensive the food was, so to save money we went to the supermarket and bought a spread and bread for our meals the next day.  Friday night we hit the hay pretty early so we would be all ready for our adventures the next day!  Saturday we woke up early and took about a 15 minute train ride to a village in the valley of the mountains called Lauterbrunnen.  We took a cable car about halfway up the mountain and then hiked to the next town called Murren.  The view from the top of the mountain instantly took my breath away.  Simply a feeling I could never describe in words.  We stood there in awe for quite a few minutes and then began hiking on the snow-covered trail.  It was crazy how we were trekking through snow but wearing t-shirts and nearly sweating!  Somewhere along the way, my favorite water bottle fell out of my backpack :(  I was very sad but jealous that it gets to live the rest of its life in the beautiful mountains! haha When we stopped for lunch, we ended up just sitting and listening to music for a while soaking in all the beauty.  Then we continued on our journey to the next town where we took a cable car back down.  There were serious high wind conditions so it was risky to walk to the next town in the valley, but we went anyways!  We were all so slap happy and this walk was hilarious.  We thought it started pouring rain on us, but then we realized it was just the winds carrying the water from the waterfall on us! We were going to go in to see behind the waterfalls but it was closed because the winds made the power go out.  We took the train back to Interlaken and ate dinner in our hostel room.  I thought that the hostel in Prague was the greatest but man was I wrong.  This hostel was AWESOME! It was like a little cute community and everyone there was so nice!  That night we went for a walk around the town and then made sure to get plenty of sleep for the next day of hiking!  I truly didn't think that it could get any better than our day Saturday, but I was wrong!  Sunday we were planning on going back to Lauterbrunnen to hike a different mountain, however there were huge wind storms so we weren't able to go anywhere above Interlaken.  We are all bummed at first, but I am so happy now that this happened because we ended up having another unforgettable day!  We took a REALLY scary train ride up this mountain that looked over all of Interlaken and the Alps.  It was nearly vertical and we didn't believe the train actually rode those tracks at first.  Once we were up, we went on a trail and hiked to the very top of that mountain!  This was a lot harder hiking than the previous day but SO worth it!  We thought we had gotten as far up as we were allowed to go and were so amazed by the view and were about to go back down..but then we saw that the trail continued behind a mound of snow.  We hiked up a little farther to reach the VERY top where there were a couple of benches and the most truly unbelievable view.  There happened to be a bunch of other Americans up there that we chatted with and then had our lunch.  We ended up spending nearly three hours just sitting, chatting, listening to music and journaling up there.  I will never ever forget the feeling of sitting up there and how beautiful it was.  I loved this trip so much because it was not the typical trip of going from museum to museum and seeing all the monuments and cathedrals of the cities.  Don't get me wrong I have LOVED every single one of my trips, but this one was just so different.  It gave me a lot of time to reflect and realize how lucky I am to be there and to have had all these amazing opportunities to learn and grow this semester and also how lucky I am for everything and everyone that I have at home.  I am having the opportunity to travel through so many countries and grow so much as a person while having the greatest life back home at the same time.  After we climbed back down the mountain, we rented BIKES!  We were all as excited as little kids because it had been so long!  We biked through the valley and huge fields of green grass and in between the mountains.  Then we arrived to one of the two lakes in Interlaken and saw the sun starting to set.  Monday morning we took the train back to Geneva to spend the day there.  NONE of us wanted to leave Interlaken.  We had fallen completely in love with it and were already going through withdrawal.  In Geneva it was pretty rainy and there wasn't an extreme amount to see.  We wanted to take a boat ride on Lake Geneva but didn't want to pay the large amount of money, so instead we road the little public transportation boat across the lake for only 2 Franks! haha Our goal this trip was definitely to save as much money as possible.  We also saw the famous flower clock there which was pretty neat to see.  Monday night began our night of being homeless.  When we were planning our trip, there were zero hostels available and the hotels were super expensive.  Since our flight check-in started at about 5am Tuesday, we decided to sleep in the airport.  It was definitely an interesting experience to say the least haha We arrived safely in Granada just in time to spring to the bull fight that night.

I was very iffy about going to the bull fight because I knew it would be really hard to watch but I decided to go for the cultural experience and also this one was for a charity.  All of the money went for Down's Syndrome so that made me feel better about going.  I was disgusted the whole time I was there.  I am not even the biggest animal lover and I was still tearing up.  I thought it was so wrong how everyone would cheer when the bull got hurt and how they gave the torreros a standing ovation once they killed it.  They killed 6 bulls in total but I left after 3 because I couldn't handle it.  I didn't eat meat for quite a few days after!

Last Thursday Sarah and I met our host mom and little sister at the beach.  They had been there all week so we took the bus and met them there!  They have a really cute apartment right on the beach.  We spent the morning at the aquarium and then the afternoon on the beach.  It was suuper windy but so much fun!

And the adventures continued!  This past friday I went with my program, CEA, to Lagos, Portugal!  I loved this trip so much as well because it was very relaxing and we spent most of the time at the beach!  When we arrived Friday afternoon we went on a sailboat ride through the Atlantic.  Some of my friends and I jumped off and it was FREEZING!  We also went on a smaller boat to get closer to the Grotto/Caves in the ocean.  Friday night we went to a hamburger place that had one of the best 50 burgers in the world supposedly.  Nothing compared to home though!  Saturday was a day dedicated to the beach.  The first beach we went to we got to cliff jump!  The worst part was swimming out to the rock because it was sooo cold.  While climbing up I got super scraped up.  You could see the blood on the top of the rock from everyone's feet/legs.  It didn't seem that high up from the shore but it sure seemed like it once we were up there!  I am so glad I did it, although the cuts stung for a while after it was such a fun and exhilarating experience!  We spent the rest of Saturday and Sunday at the beach.  Saturday night we also went to "the end of the world" to see the sunset.  These are the cliffs that overlook the Atlantic where the Europeans thought the world ended!  I really loved Portugal cause I got to be with all of the program and of course, I love the beach!

That brings me to this week!  Sorry that was SO much so congrats if you made it through reading all of it!  I have 16 days left in Spain (not that anyone is counting) and am trying to enjoy every single second of them.  Yesterday we had our farewell lunch with CEA and it really hit me how hard it is going to be to say goodbye to everyone.  I'm excited to spend this weekend in Granada and enjoy the hot weather we have been having!  Love and miss you all, but see you SOON! :)

Semana Santa with Mom and Dad!

WOW! Spring Break = the best week of the semester by far.  March 28th my parents flew into Granada and I picked them up at the airport.  I couldn't believe that I was ACTUALLY going to be seeing them!  I anxiously waited for them to get their luggage and when I saw them, naturally my mom and I started bawling.  (so "longman") It did not feel like real life that I was actually with them in Spain! After arriving at our hotel, which was absolutely beautiful (I guess you could say it was a TAD nicer than the hostels I've been staying at :] ) we went out for lunch and I started to show them around the city.  I got to show them my school (where we awkwardly ran into my professor of the class I was ditching at that time haha) and around the main streets.  We ended the night kind of early because they were obviously super jet-lagged!  The next day, all of Spain was on a general strike so almost everything was closed and there were protests all throughout the streets.  The little Arab shops were open so we did a lot of shopping there, got a delicious crepe for an afternoon snack and explored some more!  That morning, my Dad and I went to my house to fill up a suitcase of stuff they were going to bring back and he got to meet my host mom and sister.  On the way back to the hotel (while lugging a suitcase) we got caught in a huge demonstration in the street and we did NOT fit in at all! haha It was so hilarious!  Thursday afternoon, I finally got to run with my Dad in Parque Garcia Lorca, where I spend every morning running.  The whole semester I had been imagining him running with me in the park and it finally happened!  Now, when I run there I always think to myself, "My dad ran on these paths!!" haha Friday, we spent many hours at the Alhambra.  They were extremely fascinated by it and I'm glad we had the opportunity to go!  We bought an audio tour to explain everything to us as we went through.  It was my second time there, but was still just as beautiful.  Friday night was my favorite part of our time in Granada.  My real parents finally got to meet my host family!  Let's just say that by the end of the night my cheeks hurt SO much from laughing the entire time.  My host mom bought traditional Semana Santa (Holy Week) desserts for us and we talked the whole night.  I couldn't believe how much English my host parents knew!  My parents kept saying how much little Marga acts like me when I was little.  After my parents promised to return my host mom's daughter in a week, she promised them that she would return me May 25th :)

Saturday morning, we got up bright and early to go to Barcelona!!  I had heard from so many people, before coming to Spain, that Barcelona is not like any other city and everyone loves it.  Well, they definitely were right!  The day we got there, we went out to lunch and explored a bit.  My dad and I went to a park near the hotel and hung out there a little bit!  Sunday we did an "on/off" tour which was sooo fun!  It was a double decker bus that goes to all of the important sites in the city.  It was awesome because we got to see so much in such little time.  My favorite part of the tour was the Sagrada Familia Cathedral.  Unfortunately, since it was Palm Sunday, we could not enter because there was mass, but it was still very cool seeing it from the outside!  We also got to see a lot of Gaudi's work, the 1992 olympic stadium and the Barcelona soccer stadium as well.  That evening, I got to go for another run with my dad (it was so nice having a travel running buddy for once!) and then we went out for delicious tapas at night!  Monday was the day that I had been looking forward to the most...the beach!!  We took the metro to the beach and spent the whole day relaxing and enjoying the sun.  It was such a perfect day!

Tuesday morning, after waiting many hours in the Barcelona airport due to a delay in our flight from a strike of the air traffic controlers in Paris, we finally arrived in FRANCE! After checking into the hotel, one of my best friends from home, Becca, who is studying abroad in Paris this semester met us at our hotel.  It was SOOO good to see her :) We went out for delicious crepes for dinner and then went to the top of the Montparnasse tower where we got to see a view of the entire city including the Eiffel Tower!  It was pretty gloomy outside but still so beautiful.  Then Becca and I spent the night catching up at the hotel!  I couldn't believe I was actually with her.  It's so cool to see how much we're both growing from spending the semester in Europe.  The next day, my parents and I explored through the neighborhood that our hotel was in, which was actually a Jewish neighborhood coincidentally!  Then Becca and I went to an Italian restaurant together and then went on a mission for a rugby jersey for Pat!  The rugby shop was really close to Moulin Rouge so I got to see that as well!  We also went to the famous lock bridge on the Seine River outside of Notre Dame, where couples attach a lock to the bridge and throw the keys in the river with their names on the outside.  As I was putting a lock on it for Pat and I, a group of French kids next to us were shouting "Lesbians!" at us because they thought that the lock was for Becca and I.  hahaha It was sooo funny!  They wanted us to kiss so bad and we walked away nearly crying from laughing so hard!  Definitely the funniest part of the day.  That night, my parents and I went on a double-decker illuminations tour throughout Paris!  It was soo pretty to see all of the momentous events at night all lit up, especially the twinkling Eiffel Tower!  Our last day in Paris, we met Becca at the Eiffel Tower and then went on a boat river down the Seine!  Becca surprised us with bringing DELICIOUS French pastries for breakfast :) After enjoying lunch at a cafe near the Eiffel Tower, I did a little shopping and then Becca, My dad and I climbed up a giant hill to get to Montmarte, where we did some touristy shopping and had dinner!

Unfortunately, Friday morning my parents and I flew to the Madrid airport together.  From there, they flew back to home sweet Chicago and I flew back to home sweet Granada.  It was really hard saying bye to them, but comforting knowing that I would see them in just seven weeks!  I am so thankful that my parents were able to make the trip out here!  I felt so rejuvenated after the week with them and couldn't stop smiling when people would ask me about my spring break.  I feel so lucky to have such loving and fun parents! We definitely missed the rest of the Longman clan though!

This coming weekend I am going to the beach in Nerja, Spain, the following weekend I will be in Switzerland for five days, and three days later, Lagos, Portugal!  There is a lot coming up and before I know it, I will be on my way home!  I miss everyone way too much! :]

Córdoba & Sevilla

I just have to start right now with saying that MY MOM AND DAD ARE HERE!!! I'm at the hotel right now with them and they are about to go to sleep because they are extremely jet-lagged!  I took the bus to the airport after class to see them and it is all so surreal.  I cannot believe I am finally with them after almost three months!  This day has already been amazing and I still have over a week left with them!  I am loving every second of it :)  Today, we went out to lunch, I showed them my school, the Cathedral and parts of the city!  It's so awesome having the opportunity to show them where I have been living all semester!  It has already been so great just being with them and MANY happy tears were shed at the airport :)

Last week, I had my midterms which I am very relieved they are all over!  It was stressful because for most of my classes, the grades are only the midterm and final so there was a lot of pressure, but so far so good with the grades I've gotten back!  This past weekend I went with my program to Córdoba and Sevilla!  We left early Friday morning and spent a few hours in Córdoba.  We got a tour of the Cathedral which was originally a Mosque.  It was extremely beautiful and a lot different than other Cathedrals I've seen so far!  Although all of the European Cathedrals and Palaces are starting to blend together, tough life huh! During the tour we also went through the Jewish neighborhood which was cool.  Then we had free time to eat lunch and shop around and then took off for Sevilla!  Friday night after dinner at the hotel we went to a Flemenco show at a bar.  It was my first one and it was really cool!  It was just one girl dancing but she was VERY talented!  Saturday we got a tour of the Royal Palace and of course..the Cathedral of Sevilla!  We shopped around the rest of the afternoon as it rained on and off.  The city is so beautiful and there are SO many flowers and orange trees that it smells delicious!  Sunday we went to Plaza de España which was HUGE and really pretty!  Then I got to live my dream of riding in a horse and carriage!! My horse's name was Shultan and it was a lot of fun.  We rode through the gardens filled with flowers and even onto the streets with the cars!  It was hilarious having people drive by us shouting things out the window haha  Overall it was a really fun weekend, but I was definitely ready for Wednesday to come to see my parents!

This week, I am showing my parents around Granada until Saturday, and then we're off to Barcelona and Paris where I get to see one of my bestest friends from home!! I am SO happy that they are here and have not stopped smiling the past day :)  My host family told me at dinner that I had a smile on the entire time!  I am so thankful that they were able to come :) Hasta Luego!

Primavera! :)

It's reeeally starting to warm up in Granada! Last weekend, some good friends of mine and I took a trip to Madrid!  We took a five hour bus ride on Friday morning.  After having a pretty slow start, we were lucky enough to have Marlee's friend from home who is studying in Madrid show us around!  We went to the famous plazas such as Plaza del Sol and Plaza Mayor.  Then we went to Calle Gran Via which is the HUGE main street there with a million restaurants, shops, theaters, etc.  At night, a couple friends and I saw Grease the musical in Spanish!  It was SO good!  One of my favorite musicals and I will always remember seeing it in Spanish.  Saturday morning we took a walking tour and saw the royal palace (palacio real).  Then after lunch, we went to the Reina Sophia museum and saw some of Picasso's paintings! Then we rowed boats in Retiro Park!  It was my first time and let's just say I was just as good at rowing boats as I am with every other sport...hahaha the guy working there told me I was so bad at parking it that I had to leave the boat from the water side..oops! After, we did a little shopping and then met up with some other friends who were in Madrid from ISU and went to a really good Chinese restaurant for dinner!  Sunday morning we went to the Prado museum.  WOW, that was so cool!  I don't usually enjoy looking at paintings but it was awesome to see all of the famous Spanish artists that I learned about in high school.  We saw a lot of Velazquez and Goya which was really neat.  We finished our trip with some shopping in the market in the afternoon before our bus home!

Classes are starting to get stressful (yes for those of you who have asked, I AM going to school, not just traveling here :) haha)  For most of my classes my only grades are our midterm and final and midterms are coming up so I have to start studying.  I'm enjoying running every day in the beautiful weather!  Every Thursday I run with one of my greatest friends, Julia from home so that's always a blast :) Today it was almost 70 degrees, although I hear it's pretty warm at home also :) I'm counting down the days until my parents visit! Just 20 days!! My host family is so extremely sweet though. Today for Pat's birthday we sung happy birthday in Spanish through skype to him and my host mom lit candles and put them in jellos for him!  It was so thoughtful!  My host parents are going on vacation next week and I'm really going to miss them!  Good thing I get the real parents soon!! :)

That is all for now!  I love Granada and the Spanish lifestyle more and more every day, but of course am still missing home like crazy!  I'm already about halfway through the semester so I need to enjoy every second I have here :) Hasta Luego!

Morocco!

I just got back last night from 5 days in Morocco!! It was an absolutely amazing experience in so many ways.  I was a little nervous beforehand about going but I am SO glad that I went!  We left at 7am Friday morning and took a bus to Tarifa, Spain.  From there we got on a ferry that took us to Morocco.  Quite a rocky ride but it was fun!  When we got to Tangier, we ate couscous at Darna Association of Women.  Here began the drinking out of only bottled water! haha Then we got a tour of the beautiful city on the coast, it was absolutely beautiful.  When we were touring the city as a group, a boy was along with us that we all thought was part of the tour group, but he was just a random kid off the street following us and constantly guiding us where to go and telling us to watch our step.  It was very creepy that we all thought he was part of the group, but definitely made us realize even more how conscious we had to be of our surroundings while there.  Then we took a bus ride to the CAMELS! As many of you probably know, my favorite!!  As I named it when I was eight years old in Israel, I am in love with "cameling"!  We got to ride them right where the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean meet. It was so fun and my camel's name was Nadeo!  Then we drove to Asilah and spent the night there.  We got a short tour and I bought a painting from a lady who painted everything with just her toes.  She had some sort of disability where she couldn't use her hands.  She was SO talented it was really neat.  Throughout all of our walks in the cities, people were constantly shouting things at us.  It was very obvious that we were Americans.  One kid shouted out, "HEY! It's the spice girls!" at a red head, a brunette and a blonde in our group! Another man shouted out, "Hello America!  I am here!  Do you remember me? We met on planet mars!" Some comments were very creepy and some were hilarious.  The next day we got up and drove to a town called Fes.  We drove through the countryside and we saw people living in horrible living conditions in tiny huts in the fields. It's crazy to think about how these people are riding their donkeys to get the little food that they can afford, struggling to live, in comparison to our lives in the states.  It doesn't even compare.  We saw a baby just laying in the irrigation pipe on the side of the road, people chasing roosters around, lambs chasing each other, and lots of donkeys.  We stopped at Meknes on the way and we had lunch and went to the market.  It was a scary experience because we had to guard our purses with our lives and never go anywhere alone.  They warned us to stay away from children because often times, they will distract you.  Once we arrived in Fes, which is a lot more modern of a city, we ate diner at a palace and it was so fun.  There were people playing Moroccan music and we were all dancing in the middle of dinner.  It was such a neat cultural experience, as much as I hate dancing! haha The next morning, we went to the Medina which is like a community.  We went to a tannery there and saw where they died animals skin to make products.  We were given a mint leaf because it smelled so bad there.  We also went to a silk shop where we could watch them make the scarves.  We did a lot of shopping in Fes also, where we could barter all the prices.  We then saw the oldest university in the world, which was built by a woman in the 9th century that is now a Mosque.  That night, we arrived in Chefchaouen which was the home of our tour guide.  This was my favorite city by FAR.  The whole city is blue and white.  All of the doors are blue which originated when the Jewish refugees came to Morocco from Spain as a symbol of warding off the evil.  The next morning, we took a hike up the Ref mountains where there is a Mosque at the top of it.  Then we went shopping for the rest of the morning.  For lunch, we got to eat with students from Chefchaouen.  My friend Marlee and I were together and went to a 16 year old named Aya's house.  Later that day there was a basketball game between my program and Moroccan students.  I was laughing so hard the whole time because our players had no idea what they were getting themselves into.  We lost pretty badly but it was still fun to watch.  We got to spend the rest of the evening with the students.  Their English was amazing!  Some of them had only been learning it for a couple years and they were fluent.  I was so amazed.  I have never met a culture that is SO welcoming.  They were all so happy to spend the day with us and were all so sweet.  Yesterday we spent the whole day traveling and got back about 9pm to Granada! This trip was so life changing.  I feel so much more cultured now and I love seeing how people are living their lives all over the world.  This trip made me very thankful for life in the states and once again made me realize how good we have it.  I was definitely not read to leave Chefchaouen but it's always nice returning to a vacation from a vacation!  I'm in Granada now for two days and then will be going to Madrid this Friday for the weekend!  Can't wait for more adventures :]

Prague & Krakow!

        Ah! The past two weeks have been crazy busy!  It's so hard to remember all the details of my trips last week but I will try my very best :)  My friends Sarah, Marlee, Katie and I left on the 31st early in the morning to go to Prague and Krakow!  It was a verrry long day of traveling but everything went extremely smoothly on the way there.  We took a taxi to the bus station, a bus to Malaga, flew from Malaga to London, flew from London to Prague, took a bus to the metro, and then the metro to our hostel!  Our hostel was AMAZING!  I'm kind of bummed that my first hostel experience was so great because now nothing is going to be as good! haha We had our own room and it was adorable.  It felt like we were staying in a cabin.  We had bunk beds and there was a loft with two more beds.  We ate a late dinner at a kebab place across the street and passed out when we got there!  The next day we decided to explore ourselves.  After asking people on the street (who hardly spoke English) we found the castle!  We bought tickets to be able to go into each of the different parts of it.  The Cathedral was gorgeous.  It had breath-taking stained glass windows all around with the brightest colors.  Then we got lunch and wandered to St. Charles Bridge!  There is the most beautiful view of  the city from it.  It was verrry cold when we were there (little did we know it would be ten times worse once we got to Poland!) so we bought these reeeeally ugly hats that made us look like the biggest tourists but they kept us so warm!  Random people would point and look at them or make comments and laugh. hahaha It was really funny!  Then we went to a show at the Black Light Theatre there that was called Aspects of Alice.  It was supposed to be based off of Alice and Wonderland but it ended up being the STRANGEST thing I have ever seen.  It was literally indescribable it was so weird.  They were really talented and used cool props and it was mostly all glow in the dark things, but the story was soo confusing because there was no speaking.  Definitely a new experience for all of us! haha The next day we bought a tour that was pretty much all day long.  It was even colder than the first day so it was a little shorter than normal and we made stops for hot chocolate :)  Our tour guide showed us the Jewish neighborhood, St. Charles Bridge, the Castle, and we went on a boat ride underneath the bridge which was so beautiful!  We also saw the John Lenon wall there which was pretty much a whole wall of murals and graffiti.  It was so cool!  I will post a picture of it :) That night we went out to dinner and then had to pack up to head to Poland!  We took an overnight train to Krakow that was 11 hours long.  Besides feeling nauseous from riding backwards for that long it was a lot of fun!  We got a sleeper room so there were four beds in one room.  We got to know the man who was in charge of our car pretty well, as we were extremely needy travelers. hahaha The poor guy. The train stopped in the middle of the night and wasn't moving.  We started to worry that something was wrong with it.  I then fell asleep and when I woke up we were still stopped and it had been two hours of sitting there!  Marlee then went up to ask him what was wrong and he responded in his extremely thick accent..."three. zero. seven. three hours. seven minute. stop. looooooong stop. everything okay" hahaha It was definitely an ongoing joke the rest of the trip!

        We arrived to Krakow very early in the morning so we dropped our bags off at our hostel, which was extremely nice also!  We ended up having that room to ourselves also because nobody else showed up.  We started to walk around and explore the city but it was too cold to stay outside for a long period of time.  Our feet and hands were going numb so we had to keep going in shops to warm up, but that almost made it worse!  We didn't know it at the time but it was actually the coldest day they had there in fifty years!!  I even asked Pat on the phone what are symptoms of frostbite because we were in so much pain! haha We then found a legging shop and bought multiple pairs of leggings and wool socks that helped a lot!  Then we went on a free walking tour of the city and that afternoon explored to the Jewish ghetto.  There, we stood on the square where they would kill the "useless" Jews during the Holocaust, the ones who could not work because they were either crippled, sick, etc.  A man in the little shop next to that told us that Oskar Schindler's factory was only 400 meters away so we walked there and went in it!  It was such a neat experience to actually be there.  It felt so surreal and was extremely sad, but I knew that the following day would be even harder.  We woke up on Saturday and began our 11 hour tour of Auschwitz concentration camp and Wieliczka salt mine. We first got a tour of Auschwitz 1.  There we went into different barracks.  Some of them have been left untouched, such as the rooms we saw with the different cells, such as standing cells and starvation cells.  Some of the barracks contained lots of pictures, quotes, and belongings of the victims.  I was in such shock that I was actually standing there that it didn't really hit me.  It hit me the most when we saw their belongings. We walked into a room and saw thousands of tons of human hair in a case and I lost it.  In the same building we saw thousands of shoes, eye glasses, clothes and much more.  We also saw little children's clothes and their toys.  There were also hundreds of suitcases with each persons name and year they were born written on the outside.  Our tour guide pointed out a little boy named Peter's suitcase who was just three years old when he entered the camp.  In Auschwitz 1 we also saw the ovens and the empty cans of gas they used in the chambers.  We then drove to Auschwitz-Birkenau which is 25 times bigger than Auschwitz 1.  We were able to walk up to the top of the famous German watch tower which straddles the railroad tracks where everyone entered.  We then walked through that camp where they sorted the Jews based on who could work and who couldn't.  There we also saw what remained of the original crematoriums and the barracks there as well.  The whole tour was extremely surreal and like our tour guide told us many times, it is impossible for us to even try to imagine what it was like to live there.  It was definitely a place that made me appreciate everything even more in my life.  We had been complaining during the trip we were freezing when we had seven layers of clothing on and food in our stomachs, and to think that they had to live there with one shirt.  I feel so extremely fortunate that I had the opportunity to see Auschwitz in real life.  I've learned about the Holocaust my entire life and have visited many Holocaust museums, but actually standing where they all suffered was a completely different experience that I will never ever forget.  After that tour was done, we went to the Wieliczka salt mines.  They had been recommended to us but I had no idea what to expect of them.  We took hundreds of steps down below ground and were about 150 meters below ground level.  There were many carvings and sculptures and Chapels below the ground and we even licked the salty walls there! The whole thing was extremely pretty and I'm really glad we went!  That night, we explored more and packed up to head home!  We began our journey back to Spain at 6am and didn't get home until almost midnight!  There was a lot of snow in London and as they do not know how to react to snow there, we had a 2 1/2 hour delay and almost missed our connecting flight!  After an amazing week of traveling and broadening my horizons even more, it felt SO amazing to be back in warm Granada.  It's crazy how it used to be out of our comfort zone here, but after traveling to other countries, I realized that Granada is my comfort zone now :)  It feels so amazing to be back in the Spanish sun and living with my host family again!  Leaving here for just a week made me realize how much I am in love with this city! :) 

       Monday was the first day of our semester!  I am taking grammar, traditional music, oral & written production, Spanish literature in the 20th century, and Civilization and Culture of Hispanoamerica.  Some of my classes seem pretty easy and some seem quite overwhelming.  As I have already learned in the month I have been in Spain, it just takes some time to be able to understand each person's accent.  Some of my professors talk a mile a minute but it will definitely be good practice!  That is all I have for now! Still missing everyone from home a lot but I am loving this beautiful city :)  Love and miss you all :)

El fin de enero!

     I'm sorry for not posting in a while!  I cannot believe today marks me being here for 4 weeks!  In a way, time has flown but I also feel like I have not been home in forever!  Last week was the last week of my intensive language course.  I had to give my tapas presentation on Wednesday for the oral part of our exam and it went really well!  At first when were assigned this project, I wasn't sure how I felt about it, but I'm really glad we had to do it now!  I discovered a lot of new tapas places that I will definitely visit again.  Thursday I had my final exam for the course, which counted as 70% of our grade, and I found out on Friday that I got an A on it!  I was really relieved about that and I'm very happy the class is over!  It wasn't my favorite class but I think I will just need to adjust to their style of classes.  They are a lot more laid back here and there isn't much structure, which is hard for me but I'm sure our real classes will have more structure.  Last week I ran in Parque Garcia Lorca every day and it was beautiful.  I went right after class and it was always super sunny and warm =]

     This past weekend was pretty relaxing.  On Friday I went shopping a little and then went to a bar for tapas at night.  Saturday I enjoyed lunch with my family and then went out shopping and exploring with friends.  I was introduced to a frozen yogurt place that is just like red mango, but 10 times unhealthier.  hahaha that place is definitely going to be dangerous!  Saturday night a few friends and I went to a tetería in the albycin neighborhood.  It was so cute and I definitely want to go back there!  Yesterday I went for a long run in the morning and then went for a walk with Sarah in the afternoon.  It was a pretty relaxing weekend which was nice before my trip this week!

      My friends Marlee, Sarah, Katie and I are leaving super early tomorrow morning!  We will have to take a bus to Málaga, a plane to London, and then another plane to Prague.  We will spend two days in Prague and then take an overnight train to Krakow, where we will spend another two days!  I'm very excited because we're planning on getting a tour of Auschwitz when we're in Poland.  I can't believe I have the opportunity to see it!  We're coming back on Sunday night, but I will definitely blog about our adventures when I get back!  I can't believe I'm managing to fit all my stuff in just my backpack for the week...I'm a changed woman I guess!  Hasta Luego =]

İEl fin de enero!

     I'm sorry for not posting in a while!  I cannot believe today marks me being here for 4 weeks!  In a way, time has flown but I also feel like I have not been home in forever!  Last week was the last week of my intensive language course.  I had to give my tapas presentation on Wednesday for the oral part of our exam and it went really well!  At first when were assigned this project, I wasn't sure how I felt about it, but I'm really glad we had to do it now!  I discovered a lot of new tapas places that I will definitely visit again.  Thursday I had my final exam for the course, which counted as 70% of our grade, and I found out on Friday that I got an A on it!  I was really relieved about that and I'm very happy the class is over!  It wasn't my favorite class but I think I will just need to adjust to their style of classes.  They are a lot more laid back here and there isn't much structure, which is hard for me but I'm sure our real classes will have more structure.  Last week I ran in Parque Garcia Lorca every day and it was beautiful.  I went right after class and it was always super sunny and warm =] 

     This past weekend was pretty relaxing.  On Friday I went shopping a little and then went to a bar for tapas at night.  Saturday I enjoyed lunch with my family and then went out shopping and exploring with friends.  I was introduced to a frozen yogurt place that is just like red mango, but 10 times unhealthier.  hahaha that place is definitely going to be dangerous!  Saturday night a few friends and I went to a tetería in the albycin neighborhood.  It was so cute and I definitely want to go back there!  Yesterday I went for a long run in the morning and then went for a walk with Sarah in the afternoon.  It was a pretty relaxing weekend which was nice before my trip this week!

      My friends Marlee, Sarah, Katie and I are leaving super early tomorrow morning!  We will have to take a bus to Málaga, a plane to London, and then another plane to Prague.  We will spend two days in Prague and then take an overnight train to Krakow, where we will spend another two days!  I'm very excited because we're planning on getting a tour of Auschwitz when we're in Poland.  I can't believe I have the opportunity to see it!  We're coming back on Sunday night, but I will definitely blog about our adventures when I get back!  I can't believe I'm managing to fit all my stuff in just my backpack for the week...I'm a changed woman I guess!  Hasta Luego =]

Málaga!

It's been quite a while since I've written!  Last week I was staying busy with classes, running, shopping!  For my class for part of our final exam we have to try tapas from different restaurants so we went on Thursday!  They were all delicious, except that I got sick that night :(  I stayed home from class Friday, got lots of rest and watched lots of friends with Spanish subtitles! Yesterday my friends Sarah and Julia and I went to Málaga!  It was so beautiful!  We started off the morning by taking a bus to the bus station, which we were kind of nervous about since we hadn't done it yet.  After we got off that bus, for a second Sarah and I thought that we got off at the wrong stop..so we were running after the bus banging on the door when I trip on a curb  I didn't see and completely face plant on the ground! hahahaha  I thought Sarah was about to help me up but she didn't have enough reaction time and she completely fell on top of me.  hahahaha We could hardly comopse ourselves to stop laughing enough to ask the bus driver if we were at the right stop! haha We have lots of scrapes and sores but it was SO funny!  We then met Julia at the bus station and rode to Málaga which was about an hour and a half away.  We got to see the sun rise behind the mountains on the way!  The whole day we layed on the beach, I read some Dear John in Spanish, shopped and just relaxed.  We then went out to dinner and stayed on the beach to watch the sunset :) On the way back we found the cutest bakery with oreo and banana muffins!   It was such a fun day!  We came back late last night and today is full of homework and relaxing!  Hasta Luego!

La Alhambra!

Well, I survived my first week of class!  I barely made it waking up so early but I survived! haha Also, yesterday I wasn't feeling too well and my host mom comforted me a lot and brought me chocolate.  We got SO lucky with this family, I'm so thankful for where I am living!  I'm also thankful for my real mom and patrick making me feel better yesterday also!  Thank goodness for skype :) Today, we visited the Alhambra, which is a HUGE castle built in the 11th century.  It was so pretty and we got to see amazing views of the city from the top of it!  We walked for like 5-6 hours so it was pretty exhausting but it was definitely worth it!  Definitely a place I want to take my parents when they visit!  After we got back, our third roommate came!  She is from U of I and is soo nice, I'm really excited!  After siesta time I just went for a run in the park with my friend Hillary and it felt really good!  I just skyped with Bethie, Delia and Richie too!  I can always count on them for a million laughs!  Tonight after dinner we're gonna go out for some tapas!  I'm enjoying being busier now because the beginning was a little slow before classes started.  I love having a busy schedule!  We only have two more weeks of this course and then it's time for traveling during winter break! I hope everyone is enjoying all the snow at home :) I'm extremely jealous of it!  I'm still missing everyone a LOT from home but I feel SO much more comfortable here as the days go on :)

La Escuela!

Yesterday was our first day of classes!  I will be taking a language-intensive class for the rest of January and the actual semester begins in February.  It is the same class every day for four hours a day.  Yesterday and today was pretty boring, but I am definitely enjoying the learning part.  Everything is definitely going to seem so much closer when I go back to the ILSTU, after walking 30 minutes to class every day here! I am also learning even more how open Spaniards are.  My teacher on the first day of class told us that she loves Spanish grammar more than sex, so that was un poco diferente.....hahahaha Definitely would never hear that in the states!  In this class we're reviewing all the grammar along with learning about the culture of Spain!  Tonight, I'm going with a few friends to get my very first Spanish tapas and I am very excited! :)

Running in the Mountains :)

Today, Sarah and I explored a bit as we went for a run.  We ran alongside the river and then up the mountains.  It was very stress relieving and so beautiful!  My favorite prarie path at home is nothing compared to the runs here!  Yesterday, we went to the Albaycin neighborhood which was an Arab neighborhood.  We took a bus there because it was so high up.  As soon as we got out of the bus, everyone was so impressed by the beautiful view of the mountains.  Our guide, Loli told us to stop taking pictures and wait till we get up a little higher.  I couldn't believe what I was actually seeing.  We walked up a little higher and saw a view of the entire city.  We could see the mountains, the sunset, beautiful clouds (my favorite!), the Alhambra (famous castle in Granada) and the whole city.  It was absolutely breath-taking!  Then we went shopping a bit in the evening because starting yesterday were the "rebajas" or sales.  They go throughout the rest of the month!  Tonight, I'm booking a trip to Krakow, Poland and Prague for my winter break!  I'll be going with a few close friends and I'm SO excited!  We are going to try to go on a tour of Auschwitz which will be a once in a lifetime experience and so eye opening.  Today, we're about to eat lunch and then go shopping a little and review for our placement exam which is tomorrow.  I"m so excited to be starting classes!  Adios!

6 de enero

Hola!  Last night, I found out that my extremely close friend, Sarah from home will be living with me all semester!  It is so comforting having her here and it's going to be so much fun!  Today has been such a fun day!  It is dia de los reyes and when we woke up for breakfast we had a traditional pastry that has surprises in it.  I got a piece with a little statue of the king in it which meant I had to wear a crown around the house this morning! haha It was hilarious!  Then Sarah and I went for a run in the park which was BEAUTIFUL :) There are palm trees all over and amazing fountains and it's so breath-taking.  Words cannot describe how pretty this city is.  I also realized the view of the snow capped mountains from my bedroom window!  So cool!  We then played with our little sister and her kitchen that she got for dia de los reyes.  Our family also got us pretty scarves and bracelets!   I'm still missing home a lot but I'm getting more used to living here and I just finished skyping with my mom, pat and bethie and now we're going to relax and then possibly go out for some tapas tonight!

Dia de Los Reyes

Hola todos!  So much has happened in just a couple days, I feel like I've already been here for so long!  Yesterday I learned even more about how sweet my host family is.  I learned how fortunate I am to be living with them and have been told by many people that it is very rare to be in a situation like mine with such a loving family.  I had my first meltdown in front of my host mom and she was so comforting and told me that poco a poco it will get easier and no pasa nada :)  She is so understanding and is so sweet.  (reminds me of my own mom! :) )My five year old sister then told me if I ever needed anything she will always help me and then she made me a bracelet, draw a heart on my hand and kissed my cheek.  She's the little sister I've always wanted! (even though I still don't understand most of what she says! hahaha)  Last night I wandered around with my friend Amy who I am becoming really close with.  We explored the city and I am actually starting to understand the streets here! I ended my night with skyping with my mom, sister, julia, and pat, which all made me really happy :)  I can't wait for Julia to arrive in Granada with me next week!

       Today was our second day of orientation and we learned about the academics and extra-curricular aspect of the program.  It got me really excited for classes and I also found out that I can volunteer in a bilingual classroom while I'm here!  I have the placement exam this Monday and then classes begin on Tuesday.  After orientation we were given a tour of the city and I got to see so many more beautiful areas I had not seen yet.  I still can't believe I'm actually living here!  After siesta time and lunch, a bunch of us went to the Wise Men Parade for Dia de Los Reyes.  There were a lot of floats with children throwing candy in the streets everywhere.  I came home and found candy in my hood and falling everywhere! Haha It was a lot of fun! :)

I'm alive!

Well, I survived my first two days here in Spain!  After many extremely hard goodbyes at the airport, everything went really smoothly.  Our first flight was to Madrid and was a little over 7 hours.  I got my meal called "Koshair" (hahaha) that surprisingly wasn't terrible!  It hit me about three hours into the flight that this was actually happening and I had a small freak out attack and wanted to go right back home.  Luckily, I had my friend Sarah there with me!  I then slept the rest of the flight and felt better when I woke up. Then we had a connecting flight to Granada and that was very short. The view from the airplanes were unbelievable.  The first thing you see is snow capped mountains everywhere.  This city is absolutely beautiful.   I then met my host family!  They are extremely nice and I have two parents and a little sister named Margarita who is five years old. She will definitely be helpful with learning Spanish because she talks just as much as I do!  (maybe even more!)  I can't really understand anything she says yet, except that she has a little pet dog named Rosi and we watched bob esponja (spongebob) together last night.  hahaha  It is pretty awkward still living with a family I've never met before, but I know it will just take time to adjust and I'm trying my best to keep a positive attitude!  Today I had my first day of orientation and I just got back from that.  I got lost for my first time here!  My friends and I tried finding my house for SO long and finally we found it after asking a million people.  And apparently the third floor here is actually the fourth, so after spending ten minutes of trying to put my key in the wrong door, I realized I had to go up one more.  I think that's enough embarrassing myself for the day!  We're about to eat lunch and take a siesta.  I'm missing everyone back in the states so much but I know it will get easier!  Adios for now!