Hasta luego España...

Hola amigos! So after my time in Barcelona, it was time to prepare for finals! I studied and studied and studied some more! Which partly explains why these blog posts are so delayed. Obviously I was determined to do well in my classes! My Art and Architecture professor kept telling me to have faith in her--I was in her office hours every chance I got! I think the stress of finals or perhaps the lack of sleep in Barcelona contributed to me getting sick...so that wasn't fun...but after my finals were over, I recovered! I received my report card and found out I got As in both my classes! I was so proud of myself and truly feel as though I learned so incredibly much about topics I had never learned about before! I didn't know a single thing about Spanish architecture...and I knew very little about Spanish art and 20th century literature...but I now have so much confidence with these subjects! Needless to say, I was feeling pretty great!

In celebration we went to La Piedra for the last time. As a reminder, La Piedra is a huge rock outside the walls of Toledo. We hiked up once again, watched the sunset, and reflected on our time here in Spain...it was absolutely beautiful. I began to realize that while I would miss Spain, I would miss my newfound friends the most. Without my friends, this experience would not have been the same. I feel so lucky to have met such special people. They truly opened up to me...they shared some hard times they experienced in the past...told me about their families...told me about their friends...and simply let me into their lives. They taught me so much about life...they inspire me to be a better person...to be confident just being myself...and to appreciate the little moments. Our time on top of La Piedra will truly never be forgotten...NEVER.

On top of La Piedra! One of the most breathtaking views
I've ever laid eyes on!

And we're the luckiest people in the world!

The next day Paula, my host sister, painted my nails and accompanied me to my hair appointment! While I was a little nervous, I was determined to go out on a limb and get it cut! I mean, it'll grow back, right?! So I brought in a picture for the hairdresser, but my hair didn't quite turn out like the picture. In fact, it was a little lop-sided. I asked her to fix it and of course she did. We then walked out and I checked it out in the mirror at my host family's house. I wasn't a big fan at first, but thankfully my friends were very supportive and complimentary! They made me feel a lot better about it, and now I've grown to like it more! Overall I'm glad I tried something new and got my hair cut in Spain!

Paula and me!

Then it was time to get ready for the graduation ceremony! Paula and my host mom went with me, although my host dad drove us. I was surprised to find out that they drive a Range Rover! The streets we drove on to get to the university were so narrow, that the mirrors of the car scraped against the city's walls...and my host family didn't even seem to mind!

Lookin' good!

When we arrived at the university (after somewhat of a scary car ride), Paula told me she was nervous to meet my friends. She was so cute and hanging all over me! Perhaps she finally realized that it was my last day there, and for that reason, she was extra nice! Haha!

All cute before the ceremony!

I got my diploma, baby! 

After the ceremony, we had refreshments and I walked around saying my goodbyes! I especially wanted to thank both of my professors and the director of the program, Yuki! I wrote them all letters expressing my appreciation! Profesora Fernández, my professor for Spanish Art and Architecture, is the most passionate and energetic Spanish professor I've ever had! She made learning fun and really taught me a lot! Profesor Fuentes is also very passionate--while his class was a bit more challenging, I definitely improved and enjoyed it! And Yuki supported me from the moment I arrived in Spain! She checked in on me every so often, and then ended up taking me to my lovely doctor's appointments! I truly appreciate her!!!

Profesora Fernández!

Profesor Fuentes y Paula!

Gotta love Yuki!

Of course I had to thank my host mom as well! She was very generous and supportive throughout my 6 weeks in Spain. I wrote her a letter and gave her a beautiful butterfly magnet I got from Barcelona--she collects magnets and puts them all over her fridge! Interestingly enough, she gave me a Toledo magnet! Great minds think alike! And then I gave Paula a Violeta bracelet--her favorite Disney channel star!

Mi madre española y hermana española!

So as hard as it was to believe...it was our last night in Spain...and my host mom told me to go out and stay out! We had to be at the Toledo bus station at 5:45am, so she said to just stay out all night! She explained that it's bad to get only a couple hours of sleep so I might as well just sleep on the plane. I had to listen to my mother of course, so we went out! I got back around 4am, made sure I had everything packed, called my boyfriend and parents, and then we left for the airport! My host mom got up just before I left and said goodbye. Paula was so groggy...she didn't even know I was leaving! It all happened so fast. It was very anticlimactic! I felt incredibly numb. I thought I was supposed to be sad to leave Spain, but I couldn't have been happier! I missed my family and friends so very much...I missed America in general so much. I knew I would miss my new friends who all went to different universities, but I was excited to get back to my normal way of life. I felt so very fortunate to have lived in Spain for 6 weeks, but it was extremely difficult for me to reflect on my experience at the time. All I could think about was getting home to see my family--not too much else was on my mind! But in an effort to recount my experience, I wrote letters to my friends and we promised to see each other again someday. For some reason it felt like I was breaking up with them! I already miss 'em so much! Thankfully my good and new friend Sarah was flying back to Ohio--and we were on the same flight! It helped to be with her during this time of mixed emotions!

Adiós España! I hope to see you again
someday!

After a very long flight (that I slept through thankfully!) we finally landed in America! I couldn't help but shed some tears! I was so thankful to be back! I couldn't wait to see my family! Sarah and I navigated Customs and Chicago O'Hare beautifully! While the Customs officer interrogated me with a couple basic questions (Where were you? How long were you there? Why were you there? Where were you born?), it all went smoothly. I must say though, I can't imagine how nervewrecking it would be if I were not an American citizen. I mean, I was nervous to answer just these basic questions! But before long I was on my flight to Cleveland Hopkins! We had a ton of turbulence...it was pretty scary going through the storms. I heard there were even several tornado warnings in the area. But I thankfully met a girl who was just at a Dance Marathon conference in Chicago--she was sitting right next to me and we talked a ton about BuckeyeThon and the DM at her university. She made the flight much less scary!

Eventually we landed safely and I walked off the plane and through the airport. Then I saw my family standing right next to baggage claim! I hugged them and was simply so grateful to see them! As I turned the corner I saw Chris, my boyfriend. He told me that he wouldn't be able to come to the airport because he had class early the next day--he's taking summer classes at OSU and I of course live a little over 2 hours away from campus. I knew it would have been hard for him to make it with his class schedule, but I was so glad to see him! I missed him so much! It was such a nice surprise!

So now that it's been two weeks since I returned to America, I've had some time to wind down and get back to the swing of things. Overall my time in Spain has helped me become more independent and confident. Not only am I more confident about my Spanish skills, but I am more confident about who I am as a person and what I am capable of doing. I realized how much I appreciate the people I love...and how much I need those people in my life. I realized how lucky I am to live in America but at the same time how lucky I am to have had the opportunity to experience a different culture. The Spanish culture has taught me to "go with the flow" more often and to take some time for a "siesta." More than that, I now have a much greater appreciation for America, Ohio, and Stow, my hometown. I have a new sense of adventure and now want to take advantage of any opportunity to explore my surroundings--even if that means traveling to different places in Ohio! Beyond that, I am so very grateful for air conditioning...American food...ice in my drinks...boy I could go on forever! But the main emotion I feel is gratitude. I'd especially like to thank all who made this trip possible. Thank you to everyone who has supported me in this endeavor. And thank you to all of the friends, professors, directors, and many other people who made this an experience of a lifetime!

THANK YOU!

So with that, instead of saying adiós--it's hasta luego! I'll reunite with my friends sometime down the road and I'll be back to Spain in the future!

Barcelona, BABY!

Hola amigos! Yes, yes...I know what you're thinking...how could I have waited this long to update my blog?! Well, I apologize! The last week and a half in Spain was full of traveling, studying for exams, and saying my "hasta luegos." Now that I've been at home for two weeks, I've finally settled back in to life here in the good ole US of A. Honestly I felt very "numb" the last week I was in Spain. I'll explain more in my next post but I wanted to provide you all with some reasons as to why my post about Barcelona has been delayed! So without further ado, I'll recount my weekend in Barcelona! 

First of all, I've wanted to go to Barcelona for the last 6 years....or since the first time I learned about Barcelona in 8th grade. Notably, when I was in 8th grade my Spanish teacher gave us a project...we were asked to recreate Las Ramblas, a mile or so long street in Barcelona full of shops, restaurants, markets, museums, and street performers. My friend and I chose to be lip syncing street performers for our part of the project...and boy were we talented! Beyond that, I learned about La Sagrada Familia, La Casa Botlló, and more. I fell in love with the idea of traveling to Barcelona...I fell in love with the architecture...with the famous sites...and I determined that I would one day travel to this beautiful city. 

So with that, I planned out our Barcelona trip like no other! I wanted to take full advantage of my short time, so I made sure to buy tickets online to the most famous attractions and to find directions and addresses. Needless to say, I was prepared for a trip of a lifetime!

On July 25th our bus was to leave from Madrid to Barcelona at 12:30am on Thursday night/Friday morning, so we first had to take a bus from Toledo to Madrid. My host mom realized how important this trip was to me, so she packed me a "picnic" as she called it! It was perfect for our 8 hour bus trip, let me tell ya!

A sandwich, plum, nectarine, melon, and
donuts/pastries for breakfast the next morning!

Thankfully we navigated the Toledo bus station, two Madrid bus stations and the Madrid metro swimmingly! And then buckled down for our overnight bus ride to Barcelona. Before long we arrived on Friday morning at 8:30am or so. We found our hostel and then headed to La Sagrada Familia! This has to be the most incredible building I've ever been in...EVER. Antoni Gaudí, a famous architect, began constructing this church in 1882 and it still isn't finished! As you can see, there are cranes in this picture! Even when we were inside the church, the construction workers were busily at work! The amount of detail is simply unbelievable! I heard it's expected to be complete in 2016, but who knows!?

Nativity side of La Sagrada Familia 

Beautiful stained-glass windows that I'm
sure are as tall as my house, if not taller!

I find it so interesting that Gaudí dedicated his life to this building, believing that it represented his journey to salvation. As I learned in my architecture class, in gothic architecture it is believed that God is in the heavens and God is light. Therefore, everything is as tall as possible in order to "reach out" to God. Similarly, there are tons of stained-glass windows to let in light. But wait, there's more! Gaudí's architectural plans consisted of 3 different parts: La Natividad, La Pasión, and La Gloria. The Nativity facade is shown in the picture above. This was the only side that was complete by the time Gaudí died. Afterwards a committee was developed to interpret his designs in order to construct La Pasión and La Gloria. Things became more complicated when the design plans were burned during the Spanish Civil War...so the committee is vital in determining Gaudí's original plans.

Moreover, there are 2 main towers, one that represents Christ and one that represents the Virgin Mary. Then there are 4 towers for the evangelists and 12 for the apostles. CRAZY, right?! What I find most humbling is that Gaudí didn't do any of this for money; he simply wanted to demonstrate his love for God. He even lived in La Sagrada Familia in miserable conditions. My Spanish professor explained that Gaudí was staring at La Sagrada Familia in the street one day...he wasn't paying attention and was hit by a car. Based on his appearance, everyone assumed he was just another beggar--he didn't receive immediate aid and soon passed away. While his death was unfortunate...especially in such a manner...I admire his passion so very much, and his death only further demonstrates how dedicated he was to La Sagrada Familia, to his journey to salvation, and to his relationship with God.

After touring La Sagrada Familia for some time, we walked to La Casa Milà and La Casa Botlló, two very famous houses that were also constructed by Gaudí earlier in his life. Unfortunately La Casa Milà was covered up by some tarp/construction/renovation type of thing, so we couldn't see it :( but we were able to see La Casa Botlló! Gorgeous architecture!!!

La Casa Milà, popularly known as
 La Pedrera (thank you Google!)

La Casa Botlló

Afterwards we went to a delicious burger place! We were craving this...and thankfully this burger was as big as my face. At this point I really missed American food if you couldn't tell!

PURE HAPPINESS. 

With more energy after eating...or perhaps feeling more fatigued after eating too much...I can't quite remember...we explored more of the city and then hit up the beach! Sasa, a friend from Northwestern, taught me some ultimate frisbee tricks! While I nearly hit several people on the beach, I finally managed to master the ultimate frisbee skills! Well...to some extent. We had fun! But it unfortunately began to rain so we decided to do the next best thing...get gelato!

Relaxin' at the beach!

After gelato, grabbing dinner, and showering, we headed to The Magic Fountain of Montjüic! It was here that we watched a beautiful light and color spectacle synced to music! 

Magic Fountain of Montjüic!

The next day we got up bright and early to go to Park Güell, a garden complex designed by the one and only...ANTONI GUADÍ. The most popular part of the park is a sea serpent bench made out of broken tiles. It's absolutely beautiful! 

Sea serpent bench with Houa, Mary, and Hannah!

Afterwards we strolled in and out of some tourist shops and stopped to check out Barcelona's Cathedral.

Catedral de Barcelona

Then we were asked to meet up with some of our other friends who just got back from Barcelona's chocolate museum. They raved and raved about this museum...so then we decided we HAD to go too! Before we went, we had to get some real food, so we went to a Chinese restaurant! IT WAS DELICIOUS. And we needed it! Again, as you can tell, we couldn't take anymore Spanish food! It had been 5 weeks straight of nothing but Spanish food, so we were dying for American and Chinese!

FINALLY we made it to the chocolate museum where we saw tons and tons of sculptures made entirely of chocolate! Our ticket to enter the museum was the wrapper of a chocolate bar we got to eat! It was pretty cool!

Messi, a famous soccer player, made entirely
out of chocolate!

After the chocolate museum we met up with our friends again to determine our plans for the evening. First we decided to go to Las Ramblas! I finally got to live out my 8th grade Spanish project! We had a ton of fun walking down Las Ramblas and exploring the shops, museums, and markets! In a crunch for time we went to Subway for dinner...it was the best! Haha! I have never loved Subway so much! And then we decided to go out and explore Barcelona's nightlife! As we were walking down the streets at around 12am or so, simply minding our own business, someone threw eggs at us from a window above. One egg landed all over my shoe and soaked the padding. I was not too happy. I don't know why we were targeted, especially because we were simply talking and walking...not being obnoxious at all. Nevertheless, we cleaned ourselves up a bit and continued on. We were determined to take advantage of our last night in Barcelona!

In order to take advantage of our time, a friend of mine signed us up for a list to get us into some clubs for free--so long as we arrived before 1am. Unfortunately we got a late dinner and transportation took a little longer than expected (we also got hit by eggs of course), so we didn't make it by 1am. Someone gave us some free vouchers, but then the bouncer told us there were too many people and we couldn't go inside. He asked us to step out of line...but then allowed the people behind us to go in! Again...I'm not sure why, but it really made us feel bad for a little while! We just were not lucking out at all! 

After all this bad luck, we decided to walk down to the beach and just relax for a little bit. I mean, we were still in Barcelona of course! While I continued to wonder why we were more or less discriminated against, some French guys came up to us. One of my friends "fell in love" with one of the French guys...so we decided to stay at the beach and talk to them until the wee hours of the morning. Then everyone wanted McDonald's all of a sudden, so we walked thirty minutes to finally find a McDonald's...to then discover that it's drive-thru only...and we of course didn't have a car! Let me just say...it was an interesting evening that didn't end until 7am when we finally got back to our hostel. We weren't drinking...we weren't clubbing...we were simply talking to people from all over the world! It was pretty cool to meet people from England, Italy, South Africa, France, and more! And we finally had a "true Spanish night!" What do I mean by this, you ask? Well the Spaniards stay up until 6am when they go out...and we finally pulled it off! I never thought I was capable...but we somehow were still functioning at 7am. JUST BARELY. After searching for our hostel for nearly 30 minutes, and unintentionally watching the sun rise...we immediately crashed in our beds. We only had two hours until we had to check out! Funny enough, the Russian girls who were sharing our room with us had an alarm that went off at just about 7am...they were waking up as we were going to bed! 

As I'm sure you can guess, I was a zombie the next day. Thankfully we had an 8 hour long bus ride for me to catch up on my sleep! That certainly helped!

Now as I reflect on my trip to Barcelona...I must say that my expectations may have been too high. Because I've wanted to travel here since I was in 8th grade, I expected this place to be amazing and almost magical! While the tourist attractions were certainly magical--I loved La Sagrada Familia and basically everything designed by Gaudí--the people were not so magical. Unfortunately people in restaurants and clubs were rude to us...multiple times for no apparent reason. And of course the whole egg scenario wasn't too fun. There were also men from around the world who were not very respectful.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful to have had the opportunity to go to Barcelona, and I truly enjoyed the majority of my time there, but it simply was not what I expected. I was sure Barcelona was going to be my favorite city in Spain, but based on what I've seen and now know, I am in love with Granada! Ironically I knew very little about Granada before my trip--I actually didn't even plan on going to Granada initially--but now Granada has my heart! It's funny how these types of experiences can generate mixed emotions and make you feel much more appreciative in general!

I think I got one more post in me--so stay tuned! Adiós for now!

Picture credits:
http://www.bestplacesinspain.com/994/casa-mila-la-pedrera-a-gaudi-building-barcelona/

A Weekend in Valencia!

Hola amigos! So like I was saying in my last post, we took a bus from Madrid to Valencia on Friday night (July 11th). Unfortunately our bus left Madrid at 9:30pm and didn't arrive in Valencia until after 2am, but hey! We finally made it! We had no idea where our hostel was and don't have international phone plans to search via Google Maps, so we resorted to a taxi. Once the taxi driver discovered we are Americans, he began talking about Tesla cars like no other! Apparently he's thinking about getting one and says it will save him money in the long run. Of course we wished him good luck on this endeavor! We explained to him that we're studying in Toledo and then he proceeded to ask if we wanted to hook up with any Spanish boys to practice our Spanish. He emphasized that it's a great way to practice! I told him my boyfriend back in the States wouldn't be too happy about that, and then he said..."Uh oh, I wouldn't want a strong American guy coming over because he's mad at me!" Thankfully we arrived to our hostel fairly quickly after that comment!

After a good night's sleep (more or less), we got up to go to La Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias (The City of Arts and Sciences). I recently learned in my Art and Architecture class just how important this area truly is! The use of glass, white material, and blue water help create a very futuristic look! Below you can see an aerial view of L'Hemisfèric (an IMAX cinema), El Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe (science museum), L'Umbracle (a garden walkway), L'Oceanogràfic (an aquarium), and more! Wondering why all of these names are not in Spanish? This is because Valencia has its own separate variety of the Spanish language called Valencian (in English) or valenciano (in Spanish). 

City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia! 

So in this area, our first stop=the science museum! Based on the pictures below, you can see we had too much fun!

Our good friend, Einstein

We came across an incubator with baby chicks that literally just hatched! I stood in front of them for at least 20 minutes...this was my favorite part of the science museum! SO CUTE.

Baby chicks that just hatched!

Having too much fun...

After a couple hours we left the science museum to go to Europe's largest aquarium! Here we saw beluga whales, walrus, sharks, fish (of course), penguins, dolphins, and more!

Baby beluga in the deep blue sea!

Oceànografic (Valencia's aquarium)

My wittle penguin fwend!

Then I had the most brilliant idea of brilliant ideas! I encouraged my friends to go with me to a dolphin show! We had a blast watching the dolphins and trainers perform tons of tricks!

Dolphin show!

Afterwards we hit up the Mediterranean Sea! We relaxed on the beach for several hours and shopped around in the local markets. I simply couldn't believe we were there!

I'm at the MEDITERRANEAN SEA!

Proud Buckeyes :)

So now you know how crazy busy of a day we had...but we weren't about to go to bed just yet! We headed out to explore the Valencia nightlife! And this is when we discovered that Valencia is a little more sketchy than expected. For instance, as one of my friends was taking money out of an ATM, a man was standing beside her begging her for money. We felt extremely awkward and overprivileged. It was very unsettling. 

In addition, we saw some strange stores and roads..and the city is dirty in some areas. But besides just the local area, we met some creepy tourists! It was especially interesting when a Bachelor party of 30+ year-old British men began talking to us. Some of my friends began to pretend they were from England by using their best British accent, and before we knew it, we were talking to these guys until 4am...with that said, it was very interesting to learn more about their interpretation of American girls. The men were very drunk and mocked shows like Jersey Shore and people like Britney Spears...so unfortunately it appeared that they had quite a few negative stereotypes. However, they did say that they love America because the USA saved everyone in WWII. The British men certainly seemed to admire our country as a whole, but loved mocking the American girls! It was a strange night...but nights like these are perfect for meeting people from all over the world...and in doing so, I have learned more about my country and others!

Valencia nightlife!

So yes, overall we had a fun time in Valencia! I personally don't think I would come back to Valencia because there are other cities I'd like to explore instead. While the science museum, aquarium, and beach were amazing, I think it would be even more fun to go to San Sebastían (where I hear the beach is even more beautiful!) I feel very lucky to have been able to go to Valencia that weekend and am grateful for the memories I made there! Pretty soon I'll FINALLY update my blog to include my weekend in Barcelona. Adiós for now!

Because why not add another O-H-I-O picture

to the end of my blog?! :)

Picture credits:

http://www.nevworldwonders.com/2013/08/preview-city-of-arts-and-sciences.html

A Day in Segovia!

Hola amigos! So these past few weeks have been crazy busy and once again I'm behind on my blog. While this may be the case, I have some fun times to recount nevertheless! 

So to begin…

We got on a bus Friday morning (July 11th) for our trip to Segovia! Thankfully the bus ride was about an hour and half, so not too bad at all! Our first stop was Alcázar of Segovia, a former royal palace that was originally built as a fortress. I recently learned that it was one of the inspirations for Walt Disney’s Cinderella Castle! It started off as an Arab fort (sometime around 1120), but Christians conquered this area thereafter. Since then, Alcázar served as the residence of the monarchs of the Kingdom of Castile until the royal court eventually moved to Madrid. Check out the lovely pictures below :)

Alcázar 

Very welcoming knight as you walk through the palace doors

Beautiful stained-glass window 

The Throne Room

We learned that red was viewed as the most royal color during this time; therefore, the King's bed is completely red! Also, only the King slept here--the Queen slept in a different room. Royalty married the best person out there (in terms of wealth, nobility, etc.) instead of marrying for love.

The King's bed

View from the top of Alcázar

After touring the rooms of the palace, we took part in a major challenge...climbing a winding staircase with HUNDREDS of stairs to the top of a ginormous tower! There was no handrail to hold onto, the stairwell was about 3 feet in diameter (if that) and people were walking up the stairs and down the stairs at the same time. We were SCARED. I was GRIPPING the wall. But we made it! The adrenaline sure kicked in!

Finally made it to the top of the tower!

Then we ventured around the city for a while...

Catedral de Segovia

Former prison that is now a library...
check out the crazy windows!

And then we saw the amazing Aqueduct of Segovia! It is thought to have been built in the 1st century AD by the Romans. There are just under 200 arches and it's surely a sight to see! The entire structure is made with brick-like granite blocks, but no mortar! Our tour guide joked and said that we can't touch it or it might fall over! Amazingly, it kept functioning until the mid-19th century. LOCO!

Aqueduct of Segovia 

Ya know, just workin' it ;)

Shortly after seeing the aqueduct and taking a moment for a brief photo shoot, we had lunch and then got on a bus to Madrid! In Madrid we shopped around a bit, had dinner, and prepared for our next bus ride to Valencia! Check out my next post for more deets! Adiós for now!

Picture credits:
http://www.ignaciopara.com/?attachment_id=433

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

Hola amigos! Just a few things to share about some good times and some bad times here in Toledo!

Let's start with the good things:
1. Sometime last week Paula (6 year-old host sister), Hailey (girl from Tennessee who lives here in my host family), and I all sat singing at the kitchen table. I just so happened to compose one of my best songs yet! It goes as follows... **snap, snap, snap, snap** "Paula, eres mi amiga...Hailey, eres mi amiga...Brittany, eres mi amiga...Paula, Hailey, Brittany, somos amigas!" Now in English...Paula, you're my friend...Hailey, you're my friend...Brittany, you're my friend...Paula, Hailey, Brittany, we're all friends!" As you can tell, I'm very advanced in terms of writing lyrics, but Paula got a big kick out of it! Our host mom even recorded us singing! Hopefully I can add the video to my blog sometime soon and you guys can check it out!

My Spanish is improving!

2. I went with my intercambio to eat at a restaurant the other day. As a reminder, my intercambio is a 28 year-old woman from Toledo and we talk in Spanish for one hour and then English for the next hour. She gave me some great advice about going to Valencia over the weekend and she told me my Spanish has improved from the week before! Yay for that! We also talked about weddings in Spain versus weddings in the US. She said that people in Spain don't feel the same need to get married that people in the US feel. Additionally, she said people in Spain usually don't get married until after their 30s. She personally never wants to get married, but does seem to want a life companion. My host mom confirmed that Spaniards don't get married until later in life--she also believes Americans get married too early. Interesting stuff, right?!

3. I talked to my host brother, Cristian (24 years old), about Lebron James coming back to Cleveland! He's a huge NBA fan! It was funny explaining to him how the "entire" city of Cleveland felt after Lebron left for Miami...especially because Cristian's favorite team is the Heat! I told him how my family burnt LBJ's jersey...but hey, who are we to hold a grudge! Everyone makes mistakes...LBJ owned up to how he mishandled the situation...and now he's coming back to Northeast Ohio! I cannot wait for the upcoming season! Hopefully I can convert Cristian into a Cavs fan before I leave in less than 2 weeks!

Whoop whoop!

Now we'll move on to the "not AS good things":

Paula and her Violeta microphone.

1. In an effort to play with Paula, I brought my laptop to her room to teach her how to karaoke with YouTube videos. She absolutely loves Violeta, a Spanish Disney Channel star, and sings Violeta's songs all the time. Using her Violeta microphone, Paula began belting out the lyrics. She was actually really good! I was genuinely impressed! I began to try to sing along, but quickly was told that I'm not singing the right way and that I shouldn't sing with her. This is the second time my voice isn't good enough for her! Haha! I then turned into her backup dancer, but when I started doing my own moves, I was told to mimic her moves and nothing else. I promise I'm a good dancer though! My singing is bad...but my dancing is good!

So I decided to pick my battles and let this one go....but she became very "grabby" with my laptop and I had to explain to her how expensive and important it is. After becoming a little strict, she got the picture! We then went to pack my backpack for my weekend trip and she helped me fold my clothes--that was really sweet! In return, I gave her a nearly empty bottle of lotion. She got really excited and went to tell her mom about it. That's the last I saw of Paula that night. So let me say again...it was the best of times, it was the worst of times!

2. The other day all the girls who lived with me and my host family left to go back to the United States. It was sad :( I really enjoyed getting to know Michaela, Molly, and Hailey and wish they were still here for my last 2 weeks in Spain. I hope to one day crash Hailey's wedding or have some sort of reunion! It's so crazy how close you can become during a short study abroad trip. I can confidently say that this trip wouldn't have been the same without them, so thanks to the three of you! Best of luck in the future and I hope to see you all one day!

3. The night after all of the girls who lived with me left, my host mom gave me somewhat of a lecture. She told me that I'm very organized, I work too hard, and I'm a perfectionist. I don't completely agree with all of these statements...I do feel that I am very organized, hardworking, and I always try my best. I know I study more often than some of her former host students, but I am determined to learn more Spanish and do well in my classes!

She went on to tell me that her husband is a workaholic and explained how sometimes working so hard can turn into a negative thing. I reassured her that I enjoy myself by traveling on the weekends, spending time with my friends at the University, and occasionally going out on weekdays. I definitely believe I have been taking advantage of my time here in Spain and doing my best to balance fun with schoolwork.

Based on our conversation, I think there may be a cultural difference here. Spaniards typically take a siesta (nap) right after lunch. During this time, nobody works. This is a national practice! In the US there is a stigma associated with taking naps because then one is wasting time in which s/he could be productive! I have yet to take a legitimate siesta here in Spain, and I truly believe that worries my host mom. My viewpoint is that there's so much to do here, that I shouldn't be sleeping! I can rest more when I go back to the US!

After discussing this for a while, we somehow switched topics. I began telling her how I feel when I experience something I really enjoy, such as when I travel somewhere, eat something delicious, or see a famous building! Almost every time I have one of these moments, I think of someone I love and wish s/he could be there with me. For instance, I wish my aunt and grandma could have been at the flamenco show...I wish my mom could have been at La Alhambra or the Arab baths...I wish I could have been walking around Granada with my boyfriend, etc. We ended our conversation with her telling me that she wishes she had a child who works as hard as I do...she apologized for lecturing me and giving me advice...but I really enjoyed our conversation and appreciate her perspective. There was no need to apologize at all! It's nice to know that she genuinely cares about my well-being and wants the best for me while I'm here in Spain!

Now the completely bad things:
1. The cat jumped through the window in my room last night and proceeded to puke on my floor...that is all.

Oh Messi...

2. It was over 102 degrees Fahrenheit in Toledo yesterday. It made the Spanish national news for one of the highest temperatures in the country...I just about died. There is no air conditioning in my host family's house and I sweat 24/7! The temperature isn't expected to drop until Friday. I am trying to be grateful that I'm living in Spain right now, but I am missing the air conditioning in my house! I'm even missing the cold Ohio winters...I NEVER thought I'd say that...but I'd kill for one cold day!

Things that have turned out okay:
1. Because I was so hot, I treated myself to cheesecake gelato yesterday. I may try a different flavor today.

2. My host mom brought a fan up to my bedroom last night.

3. I just found out that Hailey's boyfriend proposed to her and she said yes!

Congrats Hailey!

Picture credits:
http://chicagoagentmagazine.com/nahb-improving-markets-index-reaches-103-housing-markets-in-october/
http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/2014/07/lebron-james-coming-home-to-join-the-cleveland-cavaliers/