Just dropping by...

Not sure why, but I am completely out of energy thus far this week. I have taken a nap the past two days before dinner and feel as though I could sleep until the next morning. I hate to sleep away my last week in Spain.
I think it is going to be a good week. Although Lorena, our first teacher continues to be sarcastic with us, I have learned some from her. However, since Montse, our second teacher is on vacation this week, we have a male teacher named Christian... and he is incredible! Sincerely, he had been our instructor this entire time, I imagine I would have learned ten times more. He actually handed us a worksheet in class today and we cheered. He was puzzled, but we explained that our previous teachers had only talked to us from the book. And that was a fun worksheet!
I bought a few gifts yesterday and imagine I am done with shopping in Madrid. I'll pick up a few souvenirs from Paris next week. Although it will be sad to leave Madrid, I CAN NOT wait to see Laura and be in her French life for 9 days! Ah! We are going to have so much fun.
And then I will be home. It really feels like time has flown by, yet at the same time, May 15th feels soooooo long ago. I will be happy to join everything back in Hattiesburg, minus the heat and humidity.
I'm going to go to the park now and try to find some energy. Maybe I will be inspired as usual. I believe tomorrow we are going to the park to rent a row boat in the big lake. We'll have to talk in Spanish, of course, because we have our final exam on Thursday.

13 more days...

The heat in Spain falls mainly on Sevilla...

I´m back from the quick weekend. Time passes so strangely in Spain. I feel like it was a long time ago that I left for Sevilla, yet I do not feel as though I did very much. It was a fun weekend overall. We arrived in Sevilla late Friday night and checked into our hostel. Our professors had told us how intense the heat would be, so it was the first thing on everyone´s mind when we arrived. Honestly, I didn´t think it was that bad at all. I think the average temp in the day was around 103 degrees, but it´s a dry heat, so I did not sweat much at all. Just drank a ton of water! We checked into our hostel and it was very warm. The rooms were not air conditioned, so we asked about it and had to pay 5€ a night for air... completely worth it! We slept very comfortable, if not cold. That first night we went out into the town surrounding our hostel (it was in the middle of the historic district, with buildings so close together our bus could not even drive down the streets.) and had tapas and a much needed cold drink. And the sleep was sweet in Sevilla!

Saturday morning we woke up, showered in the one shower on the hallway, shared between 13 people (sounds like I´m back at Tania´s!), and headed to a precious (overpriced) cafe for breakfast. The morning was actually very cool in Sevilla. Before the sun heated the streets it felt really nice. From the cafe, we walked the streets and arrived at the palace for our first tour. The palace was built by royalty when Sevilla was inhabited by Muslims in the early centuries. But like every structure in Spain, the Christians reconquered the ground and built their architecture on top of the Arab symbols. Did you know that in Islamic design they never use plants, animals, or human figures because they do not wish to "re-create God´s creation"? That is why their style is so marked by geometric patterns. Interesting, huh? The palace was beautiful. I felt like a princess just touring it. It even had a maze built out of cypress trees and hedges in the courtyard, that was very difficult to get out of. I had a lot of fun playing in the palace... and learned a lot too.
From there, we toured the cathedral in Sevilla. Again, this was a mosque that the Christians turned into a cathedral. (We can talk later about my thoughts on Christians "conquering" places.) We climbed to the top of the bell tower, which was the Muslim´s call to prayer tower, and could see the entire city. Gorgeous! and there was a breeze at the very top! I appreciate the beauty of the cathedrals we have visited; they are breath-taking. But I am not a fan of the "chapels" inside where people pay to be buried beneath tons and tons of gold and jeweled depictions of Christ on the cross. And the "chapels" are gated off. It just seems like a strange way to express adoration to such a humble Savior. But I need to read more about it.
The rest of the day in Sevilla was relaxing. After leaving the cathedral, the group decided they were very hungry, so we walked down a street hoping to find a quick place to grab lunch. Somehow, we ended up walking for about 45 minutes searching for a place with an open table and affordable menu. Eventually, we decided we would head back to the hostel to eat close to it. And right then, we stumbled into the open doors of an Irish Pub. The bartender, in his British accent, said to us, "Ya hungry?" and in unison we all screamed "YES!" because someone was speaking our language and reading our minds. I had a club sandwich... yum! The rest of the day was filled with siestas, shopping, and cold showers.
We left Sevilla this morning around 11am and headed to Cordoba to stop and see the ancient Mosque there. Oh. My. Gosh. Incredible! To get into the city, the bus had to drop us off at a 2000 year-old Roman bridge because it, obviously, was not made for automobiles to cross. That bridge was the first of many ancient artifacts I observed. I saw columns from the 5th century. I took several pictures and will upload them when I can borrow a laptop. It was totally worth the stop in Cordoba.
So I´m back at Teresa´s for my last week in Madrid. I am so sad about that! I hope to make the most of this week and do more in the streets, the city, the parks, and leave no stone unturned in Madrid. I am really thankful that I get to spend 9 days in France with Laura so soon! It will be a great vacation. Sorry that I can not upload pictures now, but I will have hours of pictures to show you when I get back.

What shall I bring you from Spain?



We all wore our Southern Miss shirts on Sunday to support our World Series Golden Eagles! We were cheering for them all day and will do the same again on Tuesday. Southern Miss... to the TOP!

Only notes for now...

Don Quixote and Sancho with Muhlang & Cirino. We were touring Cervantes' home in Alcala, Muhlang's city. This statue is outside and we, like every other tourist, could not resist a photo.

I'm very sleepy tonight after a long evening last night and long day today; I have so much to catch you up on, but probably will not get to all of the details until much later. Here are the happenings of the past two days. I will return later to fill in the details. They have been quite eventful! (whoa... do I even know what day it is right now?)

Wednesday
Really amazing class discussion the entire morning!
Incredible lunch at authentic mexican restaurant
Fantastic nap/tan in Retiro for 3 hours in new swimsuit
Great pizza/and sangria for dinner
Dressed to go out with Loraine and Martha
Flamenco tavern
Saw the sunrise

Thursday
Slept not so late
Dressed for Alcala
Bocadilla on the train ride... yumm...
Fun tour of Alcala: storks, cervantes, university, oldest operating hospital in europe
TAPAS!
Melissa's apartment
Shopping!
Saw Erin May
TAPAS!
Dinner
Ice cream
Conversation
Returned late

Sevilla/Cordoba tomorrow through Sunday! I am not looking forward to the 6 hour cramped bus ride, but I know seeing the city will be great. I'll sleep the entire bus ride, so I guess it's kind of nice for me. We'll get back late Sunday evening.

And then we will only have 5 more days in this amazing country. I absolutely can not believe it. Time has flown by far too quickly. I don't like it. I really, really, will not want to leave. I have great things to come home to, but I have barely scratched the surface of getting to know Madrid. I'm a little sad about it.

But I know I will return here. And I will continue to learn Spanish.

Me encanta mi vida en Hattiesburg, pero creo que estoy enamorada con Espana. La gente, la vida, el parques! Me gusta viajar y conocer nuevos lugares. Es muy romantica! Quiero volver a europa muy pronto. Ten un buen noche y te veo muy, muy pronto. Gracias por tu apoyar y amor.

Abrazos...

A lazy day in Madrid...

In this picture, I am with Nicole Keeton, a classmate from Southern Miss in our program. She's in my actual class here, went to Alicante with us, and is the coolest lady ever. Just thought y'all should meet...


I really have little to say today; it has been quite uneventful as I took my time resting wanting to recover despite my lingering hacking cough. I woke up this morning feeling MUCH better. Class was somewhat enjoyable today and I felt as though I spoke Spanish well. I think I mentioned it before, but I really disagree with the teaching styles of this program, and I have yet to meet one student who really feels like they are learning much from their in-class instruction. I know, what a shame. We are still learning the language from being in Madrid, but I feel as though I could be very critical about the instruction, or lack of, from our teachers. It is discouraging, but we are learning regardless. It's a discussion for another day...
Lunch today was perfect! I told Molly and Kristen yesterday that I was regretful that we did not spend as much time together over the weekend since I got sick and Melissa Lang came to visit, and therefore I wanted to eat lunch with them sometime. Well, today after class, they surprised me with a sack lunch they made for all three of us! It was absolutely delicious: ham, cheese, mayo, white bread sandwich, crackers, and cookies for dessert. I felt like I was on a middle school field trip as we sat around a table unpacking our grocery bags with homemade lunch-on-the-go. My lunch was free, yummy, and incredibly kind and thoughtful. Thanks Molly and Kristen! I think tomorrow on the way home I will buy groceries with Jordan and Tori so we can make our lunches for these final few days. I wish we had done this sooner!
The next few days will be incredibly exciting! Tomorrow after class I believe we are planning to go to the zoo. It costs 18 euros and includes a zoo and aquarium day pass which involves a dolphin show! I would love to see the animals. Then, tomorrow night I will attend the Flamenco show that Jordan and Tori are at right now. It's only 10 euro and includes a drink. I think my two other roommates will join me, Melissa Lang as well. Thursday we have no class because of the "Corpus Cristi" holiday in Madrid (that not one local person can explain to me what exactly is celebrates), therefore I imagine we will go out late after the flamenco show tomorrow night. Whoo hoo! It will be a loooooooooong day. I'll take tons of pictures.
I talked to Laura tonight and we made more fantastic plans for our 9 days in France. We decided to spend the first 4 in Orleans packing up her life in Europe, kayaking, saying goodbye to her favorite restaurants, and playing around the quaint town. Then we will spend 5 nights getting to know Paris. She is working on finding an inexpensive hostel or hotel right now. Ahhh! I can't wait to see her in the airport!
My entire tan from Alicante has peeled off and I look quite nasty. It's actually very very cold in Madrid for June so I have been wearing long sleeves (I'd tell you the temperature but I haven't captured the Celsius conversion thing).
I better get some sleep tonight. Big day tomorrow! I cleaned my room tonight. my sheets are straight, all shoes are in their place, books organized, and closet flawless... you'd be proud, Mom (more like shocked, I know).

Goodnight!

The missing pieces...

I guess I should start by saying that I am alive! And once again have internet access. It´s been awhile since I have written, and that is only because I have been going non-stop living the life of a spanish college student. I had a great weekend staying in Madrid and I'll try to catch you up on the details since I last wrote. Forgive me for making you worry.


"IF YOU DON'T CUT US, WE'LL CUT YOU"
That is what my toenails said to me. And they weren't playing around. All the walking and lack of time to care for my feet has me looking pretty rough. The girl next to me in class actually looked on my feet and said, "Are you gonna get those things fixed?" I agreed there was a problem. So last Thursday as my classmates left Madrid for Paris, Rome, Ibeza, and other destinations for their free travel weekend, I started my holiday off with a visit to the nail salon. They had a special offer for a manicure/pedicure combination that amounted to the price I would pay for my toes alone in the states. The poor lady that had to touch my feet! From the night before, my toes had blisters all over them and just looked disgusting. (Is this not what you wanted to know about my time in Madrid?) Anyway, it was a neat experience. Everything is a neat experience! Having a stranger perform spa services when you can't speak the language is truly interesting. Nonetheless, I was pleased and my feet feel so much healthier and prettier. The girl next to me in class agrees.


So I started my free weekend off well. Then, Molly, Kristen, and I mapped out how we would spend our free time in Madrid over the next 3 days. We had a great plan and were very much excited about saving money and really getting to see the city we walk to class in every day. From our meeting, we went home, enjoyed a siesta. I had a 9pm date with a 601 number, which made me even more thankful for the free time. Then, I met Molly, Kristen, and several other students in our program at a metro stop to visit one of the more popular student clubs in Madrid, JOY. It was a lot of fun! We got to know some local students here, which is always great because not only do they help us with Spanish, but they also know their way around the city and where the best places to eat are. I think everyone had a great time that night. For me, it was the first time I went out by myself. While I missed Jordan and Tori (who were in Paris for the weekend), it made Madrid feel more like home to navigate it by myself. (But I am glad my goofy roommates have returned as we lay in our room laughing (at) with each other right now.) JOY was a lot of fun. All the touristy clubs play American music and everyone is a foreigner. We made friends from the US, Ireland, Dubai, France, Argentina, Puerto Rico, and Spaniards from outside of Madrid.

WELCOME NEW ROOMMATES...
Another exciting part of the past week has been the addition of two new roommates. Teresa's home is very large, so we still have extra bedrooms. The new girls are both from San Diego State, Martha and Lorraine. Both born in the states, but Martha's parents are from Mexico and Lorraine's from Puerto Rico, therefore both girls speak great Spanish. They are incredibly sweet. The five of us (Jordan, Tori, Lorraine, Martha, and I) all went out together to a club called "Orange Cafe" one night last week. It was incredibly crowded and Jordan and I wore uncomfortable shoes, therefore it was a short night out. Nevertheless, it was still fun to get to know Martha and Lorraine. Dinner is one of my favorite parts of the day now because we all sit down together and have great conversation... in both Spanish and English. Marta and Lorraine told me that I could hold my own for a Gringa!

ALL THE WAY FROM ALCALA...
I can not tell you how much it meant to me that Melissa Lang came from Alcala (just a 30 minute train ride) to Madrid this weekend to hang out. Her mother had just gotten to Spain for a 2 week visit. They have a lot of time and want to see more of Madrid and me staying in town for the weekend made it the perfect time to catch up. We spent time in the park with Molly and Kristen and other friends, visited the incredibly gigantic Madrid book festival. (It last through next Tuesday so I will surely return and buy some children's books and cook books... something with pictures! I saw some social theory books that I want, but I think the better idea would be to buy it them English.) We window shopped a little bit, and then Melissa and her mom, Mrs. Carol, came to my place to meet Teresa. She is so welcoming of guests! Muhlang (what we call Melissa Lang) agreed that this apartment is one of the nicest she has seen in Spain! Her and her mom returned the next day for a serious shopping day. I bought a few precious things that I really really like. Even after shopping, I spent less money than I would have if I had left Madrid.

I went out with a few friends from outside Madrid that evening to experience the real Madrid lifestyle, away from just tourists clubs. It was really interesting and enjoyable. I was glad that Lorraine and Martha went with me to share the experience. But unfortunately, Saturday while I was shopping, I began to feel a cold coming on. All Saturday night, my voice weakened by the moment. It's hard enough to communicate in Spanish in a loud club when you are tired and not a native speaker, but imagine being hoarse! I endured, only to sleep all day Sunday. I did not even get dressed! I had planned to join some girls in my program at the end of my metro line to church with one of the guys from Madrid, but cancelled because I didn't feel like moving from my bed. I was pathetic. Today in class, as a result of my nasty cough and wheezing voice, my teacher asked me why I even bothered coming to school. I took the hint and went home from class early. I took another dose of Tylenol cold/flu and slept from 12 to 5. I woke up and felt much better. I finally have energy tonight. Don't worry, Mom and Dad.

ONLY 20 MORE DAYS....
I can't believe what little time I have left in this amazing country. There is still so much that I want to do! This week, I will try to accomplish a few of those things including visiting Melissa Lang in Alcala to see her city, going to a true Flamenco show, and visiting the Madrid zoo and aquarium. Thursday is a holiday in the city so we do not have class. We are thinking of making that the zoo day. Ah! It is difficult to decide when next week I really will not have many opportunities left. This weekend we are traveling with the program to Sevilla and Cordoba. I anticipate that it will be a very busy, exhausting weekend. Those are two different huge cities to try and see in only one day. The bus ride is 8 hours so that pretty much takes our entire day on Friday and Sunday. Next week we have an extra hour of class everyday, take our final exam and fly out on Friday! The end feels so near and I am not ready for it. I am ready to see you all, but oh my goodness, I love Spain!

I promise to write everyday from here on out, even just to say hello. Thank you again for thinking of me. I have taken hundreds of pictures and look forward to sharing them with you along with all of the stories left off of the blog.

My Spanish is really rockin!

Peace be with you...


Oh, and enjoy this sideways video of my morning metro rides! See Jordan put a coin in his cup, as is custom for all street entertainers, and notice the old lady's terribly bored face to the right.

Can you name the tune?

Haven´t had a test in Spanish since 2004!

It´s true. I just took a 3 hour test entirely in Spanish. The last time I did that was fall of 2004. Hmmmm... shall I even be optimistic about that grade? Seriously, I made errors for sure, but I do not think I completely butchered it. I know I am learning and that is the most important thing. The exam was only 12.5% of our grade and I think everyone was thankful it did not count more. We´ll see if I post my grade on this blog, ha.

I am really glad it is over with. We have an idea of what to expect now... considering we are half-way through our time here. Everyone is beginning to talk about being out of money. I think that is a sign of truly settling in Madrid. Oh and the exchange rate is only getting worse! I withdrew cash yesterday and the rate was something like 1.628. That is just nasty.

Our papers are not due until tomorrow so I have that to finish today. It´s only 3 pages so should not take too much time to write. I think I will ask my host mother, Teresa, to edit it for me. On the way home from school today I bought some passion fruit juice and it made me very happy. It was cheap too! In Madrid, it seems like every restaurant only serves beer, water, or soda. I was craving some juice. WAIT! AH! I put it in the freezer when I got home an hour ago....

YESSSSS... it´s semi-frozen like a passion fruit slushy! Delicious. Later today I will run in the park and work on my paper. I like these obligation-free afternoons. I am going to be a true Spanaird now and take a siesta!

Oh, I decided to stay in Madrid this weekend to save money, experience the city outside of class, and be simple. Two classmates who I have not gotten to spend much time with are staying with me. Looking forward to getting to know them better. I think we are going to go to the park behind my house and rent a row boat on the lake one day, have a picnic too. We also may go to the amusement park! ROLLER COASTERS!!! Ha. I´m pumped.

Hello Mrs. Tracy, Jordan said you sometimes read my blog and I wanted to say hello and that I´m glad your daughter is my roommate!

Hey Mummum, Papa, Aunt Beth, Mom, Dad, Daniel, Casey, Meredith, Michael, Cash, Mocha, Staci, Colbey, and anyone else that I am not aware is reading. See you all soon!

Albania? No, Jordan, Alicante... We're in Spain!

Ah! What a perfect weekend in Alicante. It was just what I needed in terms of relaxing and sleeping. My computer has decided to no longer connect to the Internet so I will only be able to post when one is available for me to use. Brother, I may need your help figuring out what is wrong with it. So, while Tori is allowing me to borrow her laptop, let me tell you about my beach vacation...

I wrote Thursday night that we walked out of our hotel down to the beach, which was more like a jetty. So Friday morning we woke up around 9am (two hours later than usual which was wonderful) and headed out in search of the sand. Our hotel was connected to a "supermercado" that ended up being our "Wal-Mart" for the weekend. (MumMum, it was kind of like Papa's Torr's!) We went in together on an ice chest, powerades, fruit and sandwich groceries and hauled it all down to the beach. We were lucky find the true sandy beach within 5 minutes walking. I absolutely enjoy the spontaneity of this journey. We did not know where the beach was. We had no idea how much sand Alicante had. Actually, we were not even sure how to pronounce the name until Saturday! But again, an address and an open mind is all you need. right? We bought a baguette, ham, cheese, and mustard, trusting that even if we had to eat it on the side of the road, it would still be a great lunch. But again, The Lord has blessed this experience with such beauty. Look at the gorgeous beach we discovered! It was absolutely perfect. And that sandwich was killer too!

After feeling the effects of being much closer to the equator, we shook off our towels and headed back to our swanky Albahia Hotel to shower and dress for dinner. We, like any group of girls at the beach, of course went down to take pictures with the boulders of Alicante (I would love to see a group of guys taking pics at the beach all dressed up... yeah right). And afterwards jumped on the bus to find shopping and food. We did the same on Saturday, just applied more sunblock.

Alicante ended up being an adorable city. It was the perfect size. Everything was within walking distance and we were cushioned between Spanish mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. I do not think we could have chosen a better free weekend destination. After we split the hotel 5 ways, we each paid 68 euros for 3 nights. I think it was a pretty inexpensive trip.

Our train left for Madrid this afternoon at 12pm. Knowing we were only 5 minutes from the train station, we checked out of our hotel at 11am and headed up the mountain for the bus stop. The girls began to worry when after 15 minutes, the bus had not come. We then learned that on Sundays, the bus only runs every half hour. We ended up making it to our train but the rush involved running across streets without cross-walks, luggage in hand, lots of sprinting, yelling, and laughing. The train doors shut 2 minutes before departure. Good thing we made it at 11:57!

One of the best parts of this weekend was coming "home" today to Teresa's. She had dinner waiting for us. That part was awesome because we had not eaten anything expect a croissant all day when we arrived home at 5:30pm. Dinner was sooooo delicious. Paneed chicken in tri-colored pasta with tomato sauce, salad, bread, and chocolate mousse for dessert. She was out with a friend for all of the day so we heated the food ourselves. Afterward, I washed dishes!!!! Why am I so happy about that? Because it felt like home! I guess using a sink, liquid soap, and a sponge has more sentimental power than one realizes. It was also great to eat earlier than usual. It allowed me time to catch up on facebook messages after dinner and then spend an hour in the park. Today was the best run I've had yet in Spain. I followed the gate along the perimeter of the park and it took me 30 minutes to make it all the way around. It's huge! I love it.

We are unpacking our beach bags now and trying to write the three page paper we have due on Tuesday. We also have the mid-term exam on Tuesday so the next 36 hours will be all Espanol parami. My instructor asked me to start blogging in Spanish, but I thought mom and dad may not read it then. I am still unsure where I will travel to this weekend. My two options right now are staying in Madrid to do something cool like horseback riding (I could stay in the park all weekend and be happy!) or traveling to Grenada with a group of students. I better decide soon!

Here are the top things I miss (things, not people. I miss all my American people...):
- Crescent City
-Purple Parrot
-ICE (Europe kicks America's tail when it comes to being resourceful and not wasting energy, so I would not expect them to have ice makers... but why not find a porous surface to fill with water and place in freezer? I really don't mind drinking water without ice. That's no problem. It's just when I think about Crystal Light or a 2 liter diet coke with ice that I long for The States.)
-American movies. Not that I watch that many, but I would love to right now.
-Coffee in the mornings. Teresa makes a full pot at night and then heats a cup up in the microwave. I am still very thankful for it though!
-Honey mustard. Not sure what I want to eat it on, but I want it!
-Crossfit workouts... even though the park is amazing.
-Mexican restaurants and their chips and salsa that never end.
-Only having to plug an electronic device into one outlet, rather than finding an adapter, converter, and sometime prong extender just to charge a camera battery.

Here are the things I do not miss:
-Driving. I love not having a car and getting everywhere I need to go via public transit or my own two feet. Sometimes I think that is how we were meant to live. You feel much more connected to the community when you walk through it everyday as opposed to speed through it at 55mph. Okay Dad, you can sell it. :)
-Lack of recycling. Spain does it well!
-TIPPING! Sorry servers, but when the menu price of the meal is 10.50... all you have to pay is 10.50. It is awesome to not have to factor in other costs. Tax is included so the price on the tag is all you pay. Its actually considered insulting to leave a tip.
-Filling up at a gas station.
-Hattiesburg humidity. Somehow the weather here is perfect; I never sweat (ha) and its always the perfect temperature.

That's it. I like Spain. I love Hattiesburg, MS. I think it is important to appreciate both. I better get on that paper now... or at least decide on a topic! I'll leave you with a funny quote a friend said the other night. In a conversation about one of our professors, someone mentioned that he has a girlfriend. I said, "Yes, I think he said she's from Venezuela." Jordan replies, "He does look like he'd date an Asian."

Ha ha. I told her I would never let her live that down. We're working on Spanish and geography.

I hope your week is full of coffee in the morning, honey mustard, ice in your glasses, and maybe even a meal at Crescent City. (Michael did not ask me to plug that.) Thanks again for caring what I'm up to. God has answered every prayer and continues to

surround me in everyday moments.

Twenty nine more days...